All the Food and Fun And Relaxing Memorial Day Weekend

Hello! How are you? How was your weekend? It feels like Monday to me! I’ve been very busy running and eating and relaxing this weekend and tried to stay off the computer as much as possible. So, let’s recap the Memorial Day fun so I can relive all the delicious people and food.

First, I need to give a lil shout to ProCompression for making the cutest compression socks in the business. I rested after yesterday’s Laguna Hills Half Marathon in my compression stripes with Vegas.

I also enjoyed some fancy toast. Isn’t fancy toast the thing right now? I see it all over Instagram with avocado for savory options or nut butter and berries for a sweet treat. I love it.

Since I was running the half marathon on Monday and because some of my family was working too we celebrated Memorial Day Sunday. I headed to my brother’s place to hang out with my favorite tiny person. She is the best! And she’s totally my friend now and asks for my hand to walk around (read as: walk away from people she doesn’t want to deal with).

I bought a colorful flying disc from the 99 cent store before heading over. It’s the best dollar I ever spent! She really loved it. It’s so ‘hit or miss’ with kids sometimes she’s super excited about something random and other times she loves a one dollar toy.

(Dress from Aventura)

Action shot! We had a lot of fun trying to figure out how to throw it without it going 2600 feet! This thing can fly

I just want to walk around with her all day holding hands and listening to her boss me around.

While we played my dad and brother BBQ-ed a ton of food. We don’t mess around.

I just realized I didn’t take any other pictures of the food or fun. I was obviously very busy eating chips and guacamole. I brought over a fruit salad and dessert. This time I was lazy and brought over pretzel Klondike bars. Then, I forgot to have one! Luckily I had a donut so I wasn’t completely sugar deprived. Whew!

The best news you’re going to hear all day…

Nutritionists are saying eating TWO breakfasts is good for losing weight. BOOM. Finally science has caught up with how I already live my life.

Question: What did you do / eat / run this weekend?

The post All the Food and Fun And Relaxing Memorial Day Weekend appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

Sunset run with Jerry

Yesterday morning, I had been hoping to go for a sunrise run, but with Jerry's work schedule, it didn't work out (I don't want to leave the kids home alone). So, I just decided to call it a rest day and I showered and got ready for the day.

Even after my seven-day challenge of doing my hair and make-up every day was completed, I'm still doing it! The only two days I skipped were when I was painting and working on my bedroom--otherwise, I've gotten dressed in decent clothes, done my hair, and my make-up daily. I talked to my therapist about it, and she loved the idea. It's kind of amazing how much better my mood is when I take that extra 20 minutes or so (15 minutes for hair, 5 minutes for make-up) to get ready, even when I don't have plans that day.

Me, now, as I am sitting comfortably on my bed typing this post ;)

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Laguna Hills Half Marathon Results and Recap

Hello! I ran the Laguna Hills Half Marathon this morning. This race is sooooo close to home I couldn’t pass it up. I love when it’s easy breezy to pick up my packet and get to the start line. Dear Race Directors, Please make more races down the street from my bed. Thanks. Love, Monican.

The race started at 7am and since it only takes me 5 minutes to get to the start (at the Laguna Hills Mall) I didn’t have to wake up too early. I was up before my alarm because my body thinks it’s fun to wake up at 5:30am every day lately.

I have run this half marathon a few times in the past. I wasn’t able to run last year because I was on that lil ol’ Alaskan Cruise. No big. Since I wasn’t invited to ride on a dog sled in Alaska this week I decided to run a hilly race that made me feel like I was pulling a sled.

The 5K, 10K and Half Marathon all start at the same time. The 5K turns off around mile 3 and the 10K hangs around a bit after that. So it’s a big fun crowd at the starting line. I kinda feel like 5K runners are more excited at the start – maybe it’s because they don’t have to run that ‘extra’ 10 miles or maybe it’s because they’re going to get to the beer garden first – I don’t know. Either way I like the energy of happy runners! But it does make for a slow-ish first mile since the walkers and runners and strollers are all mixed together.

The Laguna HILLS Half Marathon gives you a little clue about the race course right in the name – it’s hilly.

When I went to packet pick-up one of the volunteers in the front said, “Why are we doing this? It’s hilly!”

Since I skipped last year I forgot how hilly the course really is. I feel like the elevation chart is kind of lying. It definitely does not feel like such a big  downhill situation and feels like the hills are steeper than shown. Maybe my legs were just extra tired. There is a good amount of flat from miles 9ish to 12 on the bike path.

 

The best part of the course is the section through the Aliso and Woods Canyon Wilderness Park. It’s really pretty!

The weather was great for running – it’s overcast thanks to some early  ‘June Gloom’. The crowd at the end is great but there is a hill right before the finish that is pretty brutal. By then my legs were done. I spent miles 10-13 thinking about how I should do an ice bath or cryotherapy after the race. My legs were done by mile 10.

Laguna Hills Half Marathon finish time – 1:48:12

There is a fun family festival after the race. Since there is a 5k, 10k, half marathon AND kids race it’s a big family event. There are food trucks and jump houses and perfect weather thanks to SoCal happiness.

At the finish line I spotted a friend who said she was heading to the beer garden. Boom. Perfect. I hung out for a little bit with LeAnn and Sassy and her friends. I don’t drink beer, (but I do drink everything else) so I just caught up for a little bit before heading to my car.

Sassy ran too! She’s one of the Sole Runners from Long Beach. They train for the LA Marathon and Long Beach Marathon. If you’re in the area you should join the team. (Email Coach Steve  at steve@socalrunning.com if you have questions or want info. It looks like they just started summer training you could jump in on.)

I ended up walking to my car instead of waiting for the shuttle. I don’t really know why, the shuttles were moving pretty quickly but I just kinda wanted to walk and think and stuff. Weirdo.

The Laguna Hills Half Marathon and other races benefit the United States Marine Corps Dark Horse Battalion. It’s a great cause and good way to spend Memorial Day.

In addition to the tech tee and medal you get a hat for running the half marathon. I gave the tech tee to my mom because I have so many.

And now we rest and eat and repeat… and by ‘we’ I mean you, me and Vegas.

Have a great day!

The post Laguna Hills Half Marathon Results and Recap appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

Marathon Training Week 2

Hello! Happy weekend! Happy Memorial Day! Happy happy blog reading time. How are you doing? I’m over here recapping my marathon training for the week. It’s still the beginning of the plan so I have a long way to go. So far, so good okay.

Sunday –  Strength training at home.

Monday – 8 miles and 4 (20 second) strides at the end

Tuesday – 6 miles easy pace

Wednesday – 6 miles – 1 warm up, 5 tempo.

Thursday – Rest from running. Crossing training (strength).

Friday – 8 miles plus 3 strides at end.

Saturday – 11 miles LSR (long slow run)

What I learned this week: I need to put down my workouts and notes right after I’m done. I couldn’t remember what I did or how I felt for certain days. I know I didn’t feel as good with this week’s tempo run, but I can’t note why. 

My green smoothie is as big as Vegas!

See you later!!

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My Favorite Health Apps

People are always asking me what apps I use for this or that when it comes to running, weight loss or maintenance, and habit tracking. I decided to put them all in one place on this post!

These are the apps that I use daily, or almost daily...
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An Awesome Little Day Trip

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!

(Still all about that canned wine life.) Also, I am obsessed with my suit here, and it is from Target! (What of it that one of my BFFs that I frequently travel with has the same one?! Speaking of…we just booked a trip to AUSTRALIA for New Year’s! Please hit me up with your recommendations.)

Yesterday, my friends and I took an awesome day trip that I’d wholeheartedly recommend to any NYC readers.

We wanted to go to the beach but didn’t want to go to a super crowded Long Beach or Rockaway. When I did the Iron Girl tri in Sandy Hook, I remember seeing that the ferry went there from the city. Sea Streaking it is!

We took an 11am ferry and were on the beach by noon! Once you get to Sandy Hook, there’s quite a few beaches you can choose from, but we did North Beach because there were the least people on the shuttle bus going there, and if we’d wanted a crowded beach…we would have stayed in NYC.

Afterwards, we went to Moby’s Deck in Highlands, a cute little waterside seafood shack. (Note: this is not public-transport accessible. A friend with a car met us at the beach and drove us here.)

10/10, would beach again.

Today I’m just chilling: did some shopping, some reading on my rooftop, some snuggling with Bailey.

I’m a huge fan of all the Memorial Day sales going on right now!

Old Navy: 50% off tanks, tees, shorts and swim. I got this jumpsuit, which I’m obsessed with because it looks very Lilly-esque.

J. Crew: everything 30% off with code WEEKEND

Nordstrom: Half Yearly Sale Time!! Pro tip: this includes Jack Rogers.

Victoria’s Secret: Sadly, they’re ending their swimwear business. HOWEVER, this means awesome sales — up to 60% off!

As I’m getting older, I know I need to cover up my face more on the beach. Just curious — are you team baseball hat or straw hat/

Related posts:

1. Surprise 30th Birthday Trip: I Went to Puerto Rico!
2. Leaving on a Jet Plane!
3. The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip

Sunrise run

I completely forgot that Noah had a track meet yesterday, so our evening was kind of rushed. We always eat dinner early (4:00 pm) and Noah's meet was from 3:30-5:30--which kind of throws off our routine. By the time his meet was over, we were STARVING.

Noah's been doing really great with track this year! He'll never be the fastest on the team, because he just doesn't want to commit to the type of training that would take, but he's certainly improved a lot since last year. Yesterday, he did the 70-meter dash and came in second place. I'm not sure where he placed in the long jump, but he is one of the best out of probably 25-30 kids that do it.

He also participated in a 400-meter relay (four kids run 100 meters each, passing a baton, around the track). He was the "anchor" on his team, meaning he was the one to run the final 100-meters of the race. I was super nervous for him, because that's a lot of pressure!
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Weekly Coffee Date

I’m in Massachusetts visiting my family for the long weekend and it’s good to be home. The only problem with this weekend is the heat. What are you up to? Last Wednesday night, Daniel and I went to see Louis C.K.

The post Weekly Coffee Date appeared first on Andie Mitchell.

The bedroom is done!

So far, so good on our no-grocery-shopping challenge--of course, it's only been two days. I forgot to mention that the challenge also includes dining out, so we can't do that, either. Eli asked yesterday if we could get milkshakes from Sonic (we've only gotten them once or twice before, but they were insanely good, and he remembers that). I told him that if we make it through the whole no-grocery-shopping challenge (through June 30th), we can reward ourselves with a milkshake from Sonic. Big incentive!

Last night, I made Beans & Rice for dinner. I used to make this a lot when I was losing weight in 2009-2010. It's a super filling, hearty meal for very few calories, and it tastes great! We had some corn muffin mix in the pantry, and that actually sounded really good to have with the Beans & Rice, so I made a batch of those as well. As far as putting a dent in our pantry food, this meal used up the muffin mix, two cans of beans, some rice, and a can of tomatoes. From the freezer, the rest of a bag of frozen corn. (I love using up the last of something!)

I cooked extra rice, so I'll probably use it to make vegetable fried rice (or maybe with some shrimp). We LOVE rice, so you'll probably be seeing it a lot this month (well, until we run out...).

Last night, I made a batch of the English muffins I mentioned yesterday. I followed the recipe exactly as written, and they turned out SO good. I had one for breakfast today with butter and homemade strawberry jam.

The kids loved the English muffins as well, so I'll probably be making several batches of these (the batch yielded 7 muffins yesterday, because I used larger rings). 

Yesterday was my fourth day in a row of not going for a run. Monday was a rest day, but Tuesday and Wednesday, I was working on my bedroom all day, so I didn't run. Last night, I have no idea what possessed me to choose to run in 85 degree weather, but at around 5:00 pm I went for a run. It was really hot, but for some reason, it didn't bother me that much! 

I kind of like running in the evenings; during the summer, I may be doing that more often. Smashrun has a badge you can earn for doing 10 runs after sunset (you have to start the run before sunset, and end the run after sunset), so maybe I'll work on earning that badge. Today, sunset is at 8:59 pm--that just seems so late to go run! But it might be kind of fun.

Thanks for all the suggestions about what I should do with my bedroom windows! I really did like the contrast of the dark blinds, so I went a discount store to see what sort of curtains they had. I ended up finding some light green ones and a dark curtain rod. Once I put them up, I absolutely loved it! I tried getting a good picture, but the pictures turn out so dark that it's hard to see. Here is the best I could do:

(Yes, that is a lava lamp--I got it in 7th grade, and I refuse to give it up!)

My duvet is green (actually, the duvet is the first thing I bought, and I started changing the rest of the room to go with the duvet, haha) so the curtains go with the duvet really well. The whole room has such a bright, cozy feeling to it. Before, I never liked spending time in my room, but now I absolutely love it! (Estelle hasn't moved from my bed in three days except to eat and use the litter box).

The whole room ended up costing about $250 to make over--not bad at all!
Primer for furniture- $10
Primer for walls and doors- $16
Paint for furniture and trim- $30
Paint for walls- $30
Duvet- $12
Pillow cases/throw pillow- $8
Ceiling fan- $75
Wall clock- $15
Drawer pulls for dresser/night stands- $55

I got the duvet at the thrift store; the pillow cases, throw pillow, curtains and curtain rods at a discount store; the primer and paint for the furniture and walls, the ceiling fan (which was the most expensive part of the room), and the drawer pulls from Lowe's. I wish I had done it sooner--it's changed my mood for the better. Phoebs loves it, too ;)

Enlightened Ice Cream

Hello! How’s it going? I feel like I keep hearing about the ‘holiday weekend’ – are you doing something fun? At the store yesterday the cashier was asking everyone (and I was listening to their fun plans) and on the news this morning the traffic reporter was all about the Memorial Day road trip traffic. Meanwhile, I was all about sipping iced coffee and going for a run.

Vegas is all about sleeping… specifically sleeping in my way.

I hit the sidewalk for 8 miles plus 3 strides at the end. I am listening to Holly Madison’s latest book. It’s good so far (not like quality literature good, but like keeping my interest good).

I spotted a few signs for the OC triathlon’s upcoming tri training. I will not be participating, but I will probably be there that day – in the way, running the path because I forgot there was a race even though I’ve seen these signs for a few weeks now.

After my run I headed to my parents’ to work. They are having work done on the backyard (it is a huge plumbing nightmare) and need help wrangling the dogs. I’m in charge of taking pictures of them for their instagram. Just kidding they don’t have an IG because they are bad at posing. Darn puppy energy.

Now let’s talk about the best thing about visiting my mom who birthed me and dealt with my dramatic crying when my brother bugged me and played taxi to all my practices for years and years… the best thing about visiting that lady is that she always has the best food.

The other day I discovered Enlightened Ice Cream in the freezer. I think she got it from Costco by the looks of the big box.

I tried the chocolate one last weekend. DELICIOUS. It 100% does NOT taste like a low calorie or healthy treat. The dark chocolate chips in the ice cream are amazing. This is a winner. I vote yes.

Today I tried the salted caramel. Also good! I’m more of a chocolate dessert girl, but this was so good too! Yes.

Thoughts on Enlightened Ice Cream: Love the taste of each bar. Love the serving size and individual portion (when I get a gallon of ice cream I serve myself a lot more than one serving). Loved the chocolate, liked the caramel. I don’t know if these are expensive but I would get them (or enjoy them free at my mom’s) again.

Thank you mom! You know, for the ice cream and the whole keeping me alive and loving me thing too.

Question: Have you had ice cream within the last 24 hours?

If your answer is ‘no’ it’s been too long.

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