Self diagnosis.... correct!

This morning was quite the debate.....

5:25 alarm goes off.... I hit snooze

5:35 alarm goes off.... I hit snooze

5:45 alarm goes off... I hit snooze, then debate.... do I go to kettlebell at 6am or do I attempt to go after work.  fortunately I like about a mile away from the gym. 

I got up.  I went.  Once I was there I was glad I went... I might have woken up by the end of class?  ;-)

Today's workout was good, lots of variety.  Did the following twice. 

Work for 1 minute. Rest for 30 seconds.
One Arm Swings
Push Press
Goblet Squat
Chest Press
One Legged Deadlift
One Arm Rows
High Pulls
Tactical Lunges
Swing + Flip + Catch
Crunch Variations

Twas good.  I didn't get bored... not that I ever really get bored at kettlebell, thus why I go!

I headed home afterwards, showered, prepped breakfast and walked the pooch.  

Breakfast was camera shy this morning.  Oats.  Same oats I've been eating this week.  Sorry I'm not exciting.  ;(

I left work for a bit today to visit the podiatrist.  Finally!  

Well... I'm good at self diagnosis.  I do have plantars fasciitis.  Definitely in my right food and my left may just be a bit sympathetic, how sweet of it.  LOL  

Good news, the doctor never used the "r" word.... rest.  Instead she gave me the following.....

New inserts for my shoes....

This lovely brace to wear to bed..... hopefully I don't kick the hubby....

It is suppose to keep my foot flexed.  

I go back in two weeks to see if this helps.  If not I'll get a shot of cortisone in my foot, ouch.  

My toenails on my big toes are coming in ok, I just need to keep an eye on them.  So overall a good visit to the foot doctor.  :)

I headed back to work for a bit, but soon enough it was lunch time.   I had plans to meet my mom, so I kept them and met up with her at one of my favorite places.... Portsmouth Tea Company.  They had some great specials today, I got the cuban sandwich on ciabatta bread with their yummy crunchy salad.  I also finally tried their Harvest Moon tea.  YUM!  It was more like dessert... citrus with a hint of candy corn!

It was a super filling lunch.  But yummy!  It was great to catch up with my mom.  She is a running fool too.  Some of her friends met up the other night to celebrate one lady's birthday, they went for a run then did dinner!  They rock!!

After work I dragged the hubby out for a post work cocktail.  I just had some red wine.  Yay!

Then it was home to make dinner. 

DINNER

-TJ's pesto chicken sausage

-Newman's tomato sauce

-whole wheat pasta

-little freshly grated parmesan 

-more wine

Despite indulging in some wine tonight, I think I'll do my long run tomorrow.  I just want to get it out of the way and enjoy the rest of my weekend (oh and I don't have Monday off so its just a regular weekend for me... boo hoo).  

So I'll attempt another 20 miles tomorrow.  No half marathon to keep me going this weekend though.  Just me, my iphone and the pavement.  I think I'll download a few new songs tonight. 

What are some of your favorite workout songs right now??

Hope your weekend is off to a fabulous start!  Oh and I have started to copy my posts over to www. runnerbelle.com  so if you have links to this site or gmail reader linked, you can switch it to the new site.  Hopefully by next week I'll be totally over there!!!

Good night!

Britt

A very veggie day....

I hate when I have a plethora of veggies and feel overwhelmed of what to do with all of them.  I guess there are worse problems to have though.  ;-)

I tried to make the best use though of what I had..... 

LUNCH

a throw it all together salad

-lettuce, tomato, leftover soycutash, walnuts, feta and some TJ's balsamic vinagrette

It was delish!  Definitely need to get more of that soycutash from TJ's. 

Lunch time also involved a walk with Reggie.  Then it was back to work. At work I had a camera shy Kashi granola bar for a snack, plus lots of green tea.  

After work I hit the gym, I hate the treadmill but its so hard for me to gauge my pace.  Someday I'll get a Garmin.  

Tonight's Workout

- 1 mile warm up, 8:30 pace

-4.5 miles, 7:20 pace

-1 mile cool down, 8:30 pace for 1/2 mile and then 9 

My foot was bothering me a bit during the last part of my tempo pace, so I cut it back by a half mile.  Luckily I have an appointment with the podiatrist tomorrow.  Although I am worried she is going to recommend rest..... as I have a 20 miler planned this weekend.  Doesn't really jive. 

After the gym, Reggie and I went for a walk and then I threw together a stir-fry for dinner. 

-multigrain tempeh, turnips, collard greens, baby bok choy, garlic, olive oil and a little soy sauce

Another delicious meal.  I've come to the conclusion pretty much any leafy green tastes great sauteed with garlic and olive oil. 

So as I said earlier I finally have a podiatrist appointment.  I think I have plantars fasciitis in both my feet, especially my right foot, and I think something is up with both my big toes.  When I ran the Boston Marathon in April this year, (squimish people might not like this.... warning!!) 

I got blood blisters under both my toenails, so that raised the toenail up and ultimately I lost them both.  The issue now is that my nails have grown back in a little funny, so I want them to get checked out. 

So my suggestion for your marathon shoes.... go up a full size, not just a half a size.  At least for me that is what I need to do.  My feet just swell too much!  

Now a question on the subject of food again.... I want to try and make more vegetarian dinners.  What is your favorite vegetarian dinner? or you top 3 if you cannot decide....

Have a great night!

Britt

Hi I'm 340 calories.....

would you still eat me?  I'm fat free though.....

(photo courtesy of MSNBC)

I was reading some news headlines today and came across a few articles about the new regulations in NYC regarding nutrition information.  Chain restaurants have to post calories alongside items on their menus.  You can read one of the articles here.  

Would actually seeing the calories you are about to eat stop you?  Its one thing to have it on the side of a box.... where you have to actually pick up the box and turn it to that side to read it.... in this case, its staring right back at ya..... saying hello!  Plus eating out is where many of us fall off the healthy eating wagon, often eating food we would never make at home or never prepare that way at home (ex. fried food).  

Personally I wish more places did this.  Its so hard to calculate the calories in restaurant food.  Although I rarely eat at chain restaurants, it would be nice to at least have a ballpark idea of what the calorie count is.   Although I wonder when they will start fudging and saying that what they serve you is actually 1.5 servings or 2 servings.   

What are your thoughts on this?  Good?  Bad? You are smarter than me and can figure out how many calories there are already in food when you eat out?  ;-)

----------------------------

I have to briefly revisit my road race directing glory.....  at least I'm feeling more glorious about it.  Here are a few pictures snapped by others of the start.

Look at all those fast people.......

See they are a blur once they get going.....

Even thest people are a blur.....

Yay!  So now I'm inspired to volunteer at more races too!  Figure its helpful to the race and it will be helpful for me to see how others coordinate volunteers and handle logistics.  The weekend after the NYC marathon I'll be volunteering at a local 1/2 marathon!  :)

Now on to FOOD!

Lunch time I headed home to walk the pooch.  My lunch consisted of leftovers from last night. 

LUNCH

-sandwich thin w/ leftover haddock, greens & some soft herbed cheese

-leftover soycutash w/ feta 

Then it was back to work.  Needed an afternoon snack..... 

Strawberry Chobani & granola

At work today I got my flu shot.  Regular flu shot, not a swine flu one. My arm is a little sore, but I'm glad I got it.  I usually get one and they have managed to keep me healthy through flu season, so I'm a believer!

After work I headed home.  Reggie and I went for a walk.  I started some laundry and finally got around to swapping out some of the pots on our entry stairs with hearty fall plants.  The summer ones were looking a bit scraggly and after a few more nights of frost they were going to be toast.  So I changed them to mums, kale & cabbage.  By the time I was done it was a wee bit dark so no pictures.  :(

I got caught up on So You Think You Can Dance and made some dinner.  Where was that show when I was little miss dancer back in high school, I would have tried out in a heart beat.... I was running from one class to another for awhile... ballet, tap, jazz, modern... ah those were the days. 

Anyhow.... dinner.

DINNER

-sauteed chicken with mexican seasoning

-ww tortilla

-salsa

-mexican shredded cheeses

-plain Oikos 

And a Pumpkinhead Ale.  :)

In case anyone missed it, I'm in search of vegetarian chili recipes.... got one you love and want to share???

Have a great night!

Britt

Rainy dreary day....

Good morning!!

Its a rainy chilly day here.  Very glad I don't have to go run in this, instead it was a kettlebell morning!

Todays Workout

-warm up

-Go heavy!

  5 overhead presses with the bar + 20 lbs

  30 swings w/26kg or 60lbs

  We did this with a partner so while one worked the other rested.  Kept repeating until 20      minutes was up.  

-abs & stretching

Got home showered up and grabbed a glass of good ol' OJ.  :)

Enjoyed my OJ while I prepped my breakfast that I will eat at work.  This cooler weather definitely has me on an oatmeal kick!

BREAKFAST

-1/3 c oats, couple tablespoons of Multi Grain Hot Cereal for variety

-1T almond butter

-1T ground flax

-1T chopped walnuts

-couple T of magical maple granola

The granola is from a local health food store.... basic bulk granola, its pretty tastey though!
Hoping today goes by quickly.... of course now that I said that it won't!  I want to get home and work on the whole.... "what do I want to do with my life" issue.  Nothing heavy at all.  ;-)

I am also looking forward to this weekend, we have some fun stuff planned including a friend's Chilifest party.  Got any great vegetarian chili recipes???  They always do a contest and it seems like the vegetarian category always has some slim pickings.  So I thought I'd go that route.  I'd love to hear about your favorite recipes!

Have a great day!!

Britt

Payback for a late night......

Yawn....

I think my late night last night has caught up with me.  I'm tired!

Hope y'all had a good day. 

On my way home at lunch time I thought I'd snap a few pictures of one of the places my crew plants & maintains downtown. 

This is an old fountain that leaks, so we put plants in it!

Yay!  Pretty mums, also I'm happy that some of my summer plantings are still going strong at the lower level.  I really need to split those monstrous hostas sometime. 

Once home I made myself some lunch.....

LUNCH

-sandwich thin w/ turkey, provolone, hummus and greens

-side of roasted sweet potatoes & brussel sprouts

While I was home I responded to some more post race emails and caught up on tweets & facebook updates.  I feel so far behind, my iphone has no service at work..... as I'm not really suppose to use my work computer for that stuff.  :(

Back at work I had a mid afternoon snack of yogurt.

TJ's Mocha.... interesting flavor, I think I like it.  Needed some granola mixed in though!

After work I was a woman on a mission.... had to get my run in!

So I suited up and was off on a 6 mile run, I didn't wear a watch though, it was suppose to be a relaxing run..... although I felt great a few times during my run and pushed the pace a bit.  On my way home I swung by my in-law's to pick up Reggie.  Reggie & I walked home from there. 

The hubby wanted to go for a walk too, so we headed out again for about a 2 mile walk through town.  I was STARVING by the time we got back. 

DINNER

-baked haddock w/ panko crumbs, lemeon juice and some seafood seasoning

-left over roasted sweet potatoes and brussle sprouts

-TJ's frozen Soycutash (corn, red pepper & soybeans), I added a little feta to it

-Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.... YUM!

The haddock was from a local fish seller that promotes locally harvested seafood.  I love that the CSA idea is being translated into the fisheries, you can actually buy a share of seafood during a particular season.... we haven't done this yet but I'm tempted.

Well.... I wanted to do some volunteer oportunity hunting.... but my eyes are getting heavy.  I think an early bed time is needed, especially with 6am kettlebell in the morning!

Do you have a tv in your bedroom? We do, although sometimes I think it would be better if we didn't, too easy to get caught up in shows and not get sleep!

Goodnight!

Britt

Dirty stay up.....

I was bad and stayed up way too late last night..... I got home from school board around 9:30 and then I decided to get caught up on a couple shows on Tivo and read a few blogs, something I haven't done in AGES!

So my run today will have to wait till later. 

I have my breakfast packed for work, it looks so yummy!

BREAKFAST

-oats made w/ .5 c almond milk, .5c water

-mix-ins: apple, maple granola, ground flax, chopped walnuts and almond butter

On tap for today's run is 6 miles.  It will be a leisurely six, since I did my 20+ mile run on Sunday.  I decided to take yesterday morning off from Kettlebell and sleep in, but since the rest of my day was jam packed I couldn't find any time for it.  

I decided not to run for school board again, so my term will be up the end of the year!  I have other areas of my life that I want to focus on, including what I want to do professionally.  Taking a step back and figuring out how best to focus my volunteer efforts to achieve my ultimate goal seems to make the most sense to me right now.  

Have you ever made a career change?  Do you want to make a career change?  How did you approach going about it?

Have a great day!!!

Britt

Running races.....

Running them.... as in directing one!  :-)

Running them.... as in running one.  ;-)

Sorry for my lack of blogging!  It was a crazy busy weekend.  Between the race, my dad visiting and running a half marathon plus a few extra miles. 

Friday

-was up early for 6am Kettlebell

-then took the day off from work to prep for the race

-got race bibs in order, picked up last minute race prizes, organized everything....

-at 5pm I set up registration downtown as there was a concert in the part as part of the weekend festival

-LOTS of folks showed up for bib & t-shirt pickup, plus more registered!

-more race prep and then to bed by 11pm

Saturday

-up at 4am!  and it is raining :(   oh well.

-on the road by 4:30am, putting out signs on the course

-headed to the office to prep post race refreshments

-then packed up and headed to the registration area

-set up registration, got sponsor signs up, put up the start & finish signs, and set up the food for after the race

-7am volunteers arrived for assignments, I had about 40 of them helping out!

-then racers started to arrive!!!

Rainy registration....

All was going well but.... where was my timing company!!!  ack!  I called, got a machine.  Finally they arrived less than a half hour before the start.  I was annoyed but glad we didn't have to go with a backup plan.  

Next thing I knew it was 8:30 and my racers were off!!!

After having a little moment (eek!), I headed to the finish and started to prep, prizes, food, etc.   Next thing I knew the first runner was coming in, finishing under 16 minutes!

All went really smooth. 

Except....

For that stupid timing company!!!  

They. Took. Forever. 

I actually am still waiting for them to clean things up.  It is a company that I am very familiar with from doing local races, never had any issues..... lucky me, I got the timing team with issues.  I almost had a mini meltdown waiting for results.  I had gone to great lengths to get great prizes for my age group winners and the results took so long, and were still with mistakes, that many people left before we were able to give the prizes out.  :(

Despite the timing issues, people were giving me great reviews of the race... course was challenging but good, loved the shirts, great prizes, good post race refreshments, etc.  So what was within my control the day of the race went well.   So I guess I should consider it a success, especially for the first year!  So over 300 people registered and 250 finishers!  (a few no shows with the rain)  

I am so excited for next year!!  :)

I'll skip the rest of Saturday... it involved clean up, catching up with friends, napping and then dinner. 

Sunday

-up at 6:30am  (no rest for the weary)

-off to the beach at 7:30am

-arrived and got my bib & chip for the half marathon at 10am

-headed off for 7 miles, accidentally ran 8.5 miles (had to run 20 miles)

-met up with friends and headed to the start of the half marathon

-off and running, we kept a moderate pace.... I ran with my friend Tom

-finished in about 1:48.... not my worst but not my fastest

-post race refreshments involved BEER, so me and my beer buddy grabbed one.....

My MOM! (us before our beer)

My mom rocks as usual.  She ran my 5K race on Saturday and then the half marathon on Sunday, yay mom!!!

So hopefully you are still reading.  Sorry so long.  Guess that's the problem when I don't blog for a few days. 

But YAY, I am officially a race director!!!  :)  I've been wanting this race at this festival for YEARS and I finally made it happen with LOTS of help from some great people!!!!!  (thank you mom, Elizabeth, Michelle, Micaela, and everyone else)

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Britt