Rainy 5K....

Dreary day....

But I had a 5k to run! It is party of a road race series I'm doing. I had one race more to do and this was the last one, so I HAD to go if I wanted to complete the series and get my jacket.

The weather wasn't all that motivating... it was about 48 degrees and raining, at least the trees were beautiful. Ran into a little traffic while waiting to park.

I planned to just take it easy during the race. I got a nasty calf cramp while sleeping last night, so that was still a bit sore. With the rain I really didn't get much of a warm up in.

I lined up about mid-pack hoping that would force me to start out slow.

It kinda worked. I started out slow.... but then I gradually picked up the pace.

I don't know I hate taking it super easy at races. I did the first mile in about 7 minutes. At that point I figured I'd just run based on how I felt. I felt fairly well, my calf didn't like going uphill so I took it easy on those but kept on plugging. I finished in 22:07. Not too shabby. Annoying part was that I got beat out for 3rd in my age group by 4 seconds. Arg. Oh well. If I didn't have the marathon in the back of my mind I probably would have done better. Some day I'll get back to working on my goal of breaking 20 minutes, although I seem to be getting further away from that lately.

The finish was about a mile from the start. They had a shuttle but it wasn't running yet, so I just ran back to my car.

A self portrait back at the car.

I hadn't really eaten before the race. I did have some hot apple cider at the finish area and some cantaloupe. I was very happy to get home and make a warm breakfast.

BREAKFAST

-.5c oats, .5c almond milk, .5c water

-1T almond butter, 1T ground flax, some maple granola

After fueling back up I wasn't sure what I wanted to do on a rainy day. But now that my dad is gone I figured I'd enjoy a little me time and just go shopping. :-) Window shopped more than anything else though, but it was nice to just be alone for a bit and not have it involve running.

A few hours later I finally made my way home and had an appetite again. I needed something quick and easy so I heated my leftovers from Thursday night. Yum.

Now I'm catch up on a little Tivo. Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Biggest Loser, etc. Another good rainy day activity. I think I need some tea now though, as it is a bit chilly.

I think we are going to head to our friends house for dinner tonight. At least I hope we are. They always make such great food!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday!!

Britt

Not the suggested pre-race kinda night.....

Ahhh...... Friday!

I love the weekend, although it is sad to sometimes wish the week away. BUT I'm going to try and be more positive about things. I started reading The Secret.... we will see how well positive thinking works for me. ;-)

Any how... I slept in the morning. I figured I would take the day off from kettlebell, a little less cross training and weights as I get closer to NYC. I think I might just go once next week.

I had a tasty treat to look forward to this morning.... an almost empty jar of honey peanut butter. Mmmm......

BREAKFAST

-1/2c oats with almond milk & water, left over PB

-ground flax & Kashi Vanilla Island for toppings

Lunch time came around and I went for a run. I had to sign something at the hubby's office, so I ran there. I love when I can actually RUN an errand. So round trip it was about 5 miles. Also one of my good friends work's at his office so I got to gab with her for a bit.

Then it was back to work, to shower up and have lunch.

LUNCH

-spinach wrap w/ chicken salad and loaded with veggies

-side of carrot sticks, brussel sprouts and broccoli

After work I picked up my dad to take him out for a drink. The hubby joined us as well. We met up with some random friends that just happened to stop by.

Also on the way home I picked up some ingredients for dinner.

DINNER

- maple glazed salmon

- risotto al autumno (I'll post the recipe tomorrow)

-roasted eggplant & brussel sprouts

I do risotto the old fashioned way.... ie. lots of stirring.

But its made less tedious when you have a glass of wine in hand.

Dinner is served.....

With wine of course. :-)

While dining we had my dad's photos from his trip to northern Canada on his computer. He went on a paddling trip in the northwest territories.

Now we are just chilling and relaxing. I have a 5K tomorrow morning. Normally I wouldn't be doing one right before a marathon, but its part of a series I'm doing. I have to do one more race and this just happens to be the LAST one. So gotta do it.

I think I might actually be in the top 5 for women. Woo hoo! Kinda sad too though, as one of the races I did with a bad hangover.... yes sometimes I am NOT the picture of health. Never said I was perfect.

Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Any races this weekend? Or trying anything new for activities?

Have a great night!

Britt

Beer, Baseball & Bruins

Um... I was doing great today till after work. Let's recap.

BREAKFAST

-oats made with water & almond milk

-topped with almond butter, walnuts, ground flax & maple granola

-side of STRONG green tea

I started to get hungry by 10:30. But I had no food in my desk and no money for the cafeteria. Then someone had food at their desk by 11am. So I headed to the gym.

WORKOUT

Today was a speed workout day. 5 miles with 3 miles at a 7 minute pace.

I was doing well, 1 mile warm up and then running a 7 minute pace on the treadmill.

However, I ran into a guy I knowing from my running club. He is talker.

So me trying to run a 7 minute pace and trying not to be rude.... not pretty.

He is also a fast runner, so to him a 7 minute pace is nothing.

When he finally left I had done 2 miles at that pace. I had to bring it down for the last mile, 7:15 pace. Then cooled down with a relaxing last mile.

I'm not sure if it was the talking or what, but those 7 minute miles whooped me.

Oh and then after cooling down & stretching out I hit the locker room.....sweaty gross me....... and then realized I had no towel.

Fabulous.

Made do with paper towels and a long sleeved fleece that was in my gym bag.

I was happy to finally get to eat my lunch though.

LUNCH

-spaghetti squash w/ marinara and left over veggies (broccoli & turnips)

I really should have brought an afternoon snack. By the end of the day I was starving.

I headed home to the dad & the dog. The dad wanted to go out and who was I to go against the patient's wish. He wanted his first post-op beer.

We headed to an italian place that has $2.50 drafts on Thursday.

Mmmhhh.... Sam Octoberfest.

The hubby had a function and was going to be awhile, so we ordered an appetizer.

HUGE bruschetta. Don't worry, we didn't eat it all.

Had another beer.... or two.

Then the hubby arrived with co-workers and we ordered more food.

My HUGE dish (notice a trend here)

It was a pasta dish with chicken, prosciutto, mushrooms & cheese.

Yum. I ate maybe half..... I guess I was hungry.
So dinner was eaten in the bar. With lots of TV's around us.... the Bruins were on, my dad's favorite team. The Yankees were on, my hubby's favorite team. Whenever my dad visits I am guaranteed A LOT of sports. I have watched maybe a half hour of news this week and MANY MANY hours of sports. Ack! Thank goodness for Tivo, I'll catch up on my shows this weekend.... Biggest Loser, yay!

Do you watch much tv? Do you watch much sports? I really don't watch that much. I just have a few shows I like. But typically I do marathon session and they usually result in me going to bed WAY too late. Once I start I cannot stop.

Alright. Speaking of way too late, I need to not stay up to late.... again.

Have a great night!

Britt

Turkish get ups & Cheering for Wally!

This morning..... I slept in. Ahh..... Till 6:30.

I ust could not get up at 5:30 for Kettlebell, I was up to late dealing with some technical glitches with the dang blog. So annoying.

Any how.

I wanted to make it to 4:30 Kettlebell so I went to work early.

Prepped my breakfast, while doing so I ate half a banana and then added the rest to my oats.

BREAKFAST

-banana

-oats, almond milk & water, rest of banana, almond butter, ground flax, few walnuts & some maple granola.

LUNCH

headed home to check on the dog and my dad, both were doing well. :-)

-sandwich thin, turkey, provolone, hummus and tomato

-later at work had some plain greek yogurt with almond butter

yep running a bit low on the veggies today......

After work I scooted to kettlebell. It was a doozie.

Warmup

following done twice

-run 1/4 mile

-3 pushups

-6 situps

-9 air squats

Workout

as many rounds as you could in 20 minutes

2 Turkish Get Ups per side

4 Split squats per side

12 American Swings

8 Thrusters per side

I did just over 5 rounds. OMG the Turkish Get Ups were killing me. We usually just do them during warm ups.... not as part of the actual workout. I was using 12kg bells, so about 26 lbs. I finally had to drop down to a 20lb bell for my last few get ups. I was a sweaty drippy mess by the end..... sign of a good workout. I also wasn't much of a talker during class, except to say get ups suck. :-) Aren't I a cheerful ray of sunshine. LOL

The hubby arrived home shortly after me, so we threw together a quick dinner. AND.... I forgot to take a picture. Oops. Nothing crazy.... turkey burgers on sandwich thins w/ broccoli & baby turnips on the side. YES finally I ate some veggies!

I'm working on the veggie situation as I type, I got these lovies baking in the oven.

-Spaghetti Squash & Butternut Squash

So while that cooks I'm enjoying some green tea and um... a snack size Snickers. My dad got a bag. Evil dad. ;-)

I cannot believe the marathon is only a week and a half away. Eeks!

However THIS weekend my step dad, Wally, is doing the Marine Corps Marathon!!

It will be his first marathon since a couple of major health issues set him back. He is one dedicated and determined guy though, he has a goal and he is going to achieve it! His training has been very methodical and well thought out, he has also listened to his body and accepted its limitations that it gave him at times.

Here we are in the FL Keys last winter.

He is an amazing guy.

Almost 2 years ago he fell on some ice while on a business trip, hit his head very hard and almost required brain surgery due to the swelling. It took over a month to finally get him home to NH, as he was in IL when the accident occurred and then went to MA before coming home. It was such a nightmare. He had to work with speech therapists and occupational therapists to re-learn a few things, but he made an amazing come back.

Just as he was on the upswing from that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells. He started to do well with his treatment for that when he wound up in the hospital again when he collapsed during a run, they were not sure if it was due to blood pressure medicine or what. He was released but a couple months later he collapsed again, this time they realized he was having seizures due to scar tissue in his brain.

Now he is on anti-seizure medicine and hasn't had an issue since. He will be having a stem cell transplant in February of 2010 and he wanted to get another marathon in before that. Plus he loves the Marine Corps Marathon. So he is running it. It is a goal he wants to accomplish.

My mom is flying down with him and will cheer him on with a friend of her's that lives there. My mom, Wally and I did Marine Corps in 2006. It is a great race, lots of wonderful support, amazing location, and just a lot of fun. I'll be cheering him on from home though, as well as another friend who will be running his first marathon for the Burn Foundation.

So for those of you who are overwhelmed by a marathon and don't know if you can do it.... think of my step dad. He is 63, has cancer (but under control), overcome a brain injury and is out there running. How can you not be inspired.

So join me in giving Wally a cheer on Sunday!

Have a great night!

Britt

Me 3.0

Yep, I think I could use a few upgrades and need to work on the "Me 3.0" version. ;-)

I like Me a lot, I just think I could use a few improvements and updates to help me be more productive and possibly more versatile.... maybe add a few new "apps". Cause we all know whatever the need, "there is an app for that".

In all seriousness though, my seminar today was very motivating and helfpful.

The name of the course was Time Management and Organizational Skills. However, in discussing those topics we hit on so many other areas, as time management and organization are reflective of who YOU really are. It was also one of those courses with lots of acrostics, such as

How to Set Goals SMARTER

Specific

Measureable

Agreed to

Realistic

Time Specific

Evaluated

Rewarded

As well as tips on how to create an effective To Do List, organizing your schedule, prioritizing so you are proactive instead of reactive, etc. Also this involved learning how to say "NO", which is something I have difficulty doing. But by saying "NO" to one person I'm really saying yes to all the other things I value and have committed to.... I like being reminded of that. One "NO" is really worth all those "YES's". :-)

Another item that was stressed was the importance of continuing to educate and better myself.....cause I'm worth it. I've never been one into motivational & self help books, CD's, etc. but I may change my tune. Before purchasing anything I'm going to head to the library tomorrow and see what they have on CD. Figure I'll give listening a try as opposed to reading, see if that type of learning works for me.....lately unless a book really draws me in, I fall asleep... as I usually read before bedtime. Who knows maybe I can learn on the run? Download a podcast or CD on my iPhone?

I think the first book or CD I'll look for is 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I'm going to guess the library has it, if not I'll pick up a copy.

What personal development or motivational books have you read that you found beneficial?

The irony in all of this is that I KNOW how to accomplish goals.... but it seems to mainly work when it involves running. It is a bit more cut and dry I think.

In reality every marathon I run is a new goal. I set a specific goal to complete the marathon and in usually in a certain time range. I determine if that goal is realistic. I put together a training plan to achieve that goal. I commit to it. I track my progress. I achieve my goal. I reward myself.

Now I just need to apply that discipline & logic to the rest of my life.... huh.

Ok. Enough being deep for one night.

Sorry for the sparse pictures.....

Britt

Organization & Time Management.....

Hopefully after today I'll be improved in both areas!

I'm heading to an offsite training today, so it will be nice to get out of the office too. I actually asked my boss to go, I think I could improve in both areas..... plus it never hurts to learn some new ideas.

After walking the pooch I'm fueling up for the day.

BREAKFAST

-1/3c oats, little less than 1/4c multigrain hot cereal, 1/2c almond milk, 1/2c water

-1T almond butter

-1T ground flax

-few walnuts

-couple Kashi Vanilla Island shredded wheat things crumpled up

-side of OJ

Some snacks for the day.....

Honey Crisp Apple, Banana & Granola Bar

So last night I had a dream about those 1/2 marathon runners who passed away in Detroit over the weekend. Obviously it must be on my mind a bit. But I know it was a freak situation and its really not the norm. Runner's World also has a great question and answer section on the topic as well.

I really haven't gotten into researching the details about each runner. But I know for me.... I have trained properly for NYC, I have done multiple marathons, I see my doctor regularly, etc. I do what I can to make sure I am in the best shape I can be in. Plus I love running, I love marathons, I love the community of runners. But as that community of runners grows there will also be more occurrences like the ones this past weekend.... it is just inevitable. My heart breaks for those runners' families and friends though....... we lost a runner friend a little over a year ago. He was in his 50's and appeared perfectly healthy, but he had a massive heart attack mid way through a half marathon. Looking back now some friends believe there might have been warning signs, but our friend brushed them off.....

Definitely listen to your body and encourage those you love to do the same.

I'll report back later on my progress of learning to be better organized and manage my time better! Which actually.... eeks I gotta scoot!!

Britt

Tabata fun.....

Happy Monday and happy Tabata day at Kettlebell.

Don't know what Tabata is?

The original Tabata Protocol requires the following:

• 5 minutes of warm-up
• 8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest
• 2 minutes cool-down

The are lots of sites and articles on internet about this type of workout. Of course some claim all kinds of crazy miracle weightloss, etc. I just like it as I can compete with myself and try to maintain the same number of reps for each interval.

Also at our gym we do mutiple exercises, each is done for 8 intervals with 20 seconds all out and then 10 seconds of rest. The exercises sometimes vary though.

Today's Tabata Recipe included.....

-situps (I did 9 each set)

-pullups (3-4 each set)

-air squats (12-14 each set)

-sledge hammer (was having too much fun to count)

-push ups (8-10, I tried to keep up the regular ones but my wrist was hurting... had to do girly ones the last couple of intervals)

So sledge hammer..... yup that involves an actual sledge hammer.

Too bad this wasn't on a Friday when I need to get some anger out. LOL

We smack a big ol' tire, kind of like chopping wood. Fun! Although I tad dangerous at 6am.

He he....

After a fun morning workout I prepped some breakfast to bring to work.

BREAKFAST

- .5c oats, .5c almond milk, .5c water

-1T almond butter

-4 crushed up Kashi Vanilla Island squares

-few walnuts

Around 8:30 I ran home to pick up my dad and deliver him to the hospital for day surgery. He had to have a little minor knee surgery.... torn cartilage and torn miniscus. The patient is recovering well.

After dropping my dad off I headed back to work.

Snacked on a Honey Crisp Apple. Yum!

Lunch time came and I realized I forgot to pack something, so to the cafe I went.

LUNCH

-1/2 ww wrap w/ chicken salad & loaded with veggies

-side of carrot sticks

-side of broccoli & brussel sprouts

I thought after work I had a school board meeting, however I was pleasantly suprised when I opened up my packet and found it CANCELLED!! Yay! Free night. :-)

Although this was after I had already grabbed some food.... had I found out sooner I would have snuck a run in. Gggrrrr.... by the time I would have digested it would have gotten darker out and I knew my motivation would have faded. Oh well.

DINNER

-beef stew (it tastes better than it photographs)

This is the stew that I made yesterday.

I should have made it totally from scratch but those seasoning packets help so much.

My stew includes.....

-store brand seasoning packet

-stew meat

-CSA potatoes

-CSA onions

-carrots

-baby bella mushrooms

-about a cup of red wine & couple cups of water

Might have a chocolate chip cookie in a bit. Mmm.... love cookies.

I'm definitely getting my winter eats on. This cool weather is getting to me.

In other big news today I found out my number for the NYC Marathon! I'm in the 14,000's. This places me in the "sub-elite" category. Um, if they say so. They assign your number based on a recent marathon, I used this past spring's Boston Marathon 3:28:15. I'm getting very excited now!

My brother, who lives in NYC, was home this past weekend to visit since my dad is in town. He is going to be our tour guide in the city and we will finally get to see his 'hood.

Do you ever build vacations around races? I do this on occassion, I of course prefer to get the race done and then enjoy where I am at. ;-)

Have a great night!!

Britt

Lovely lazy Sunday.....

What a lovely lazy Sunday.

The day started by sleeping in. Ah.... This long runs on Saturday thing is working out nicely for my Sunday mornings. Plus the weather was not so nice today. If you saw the Patriots football game today you will understand why I stayed inside most of today.

We decided on pancakes for breakfast.

I added some pumpkin pie mix and walnuts to mine. YUM!

On top I added a little almond butter & drizzle of syrup.

We carb loaded, as we have tons of potatoes from our crop share. Along with our pancakes we had some fried potatoes & onions. Of course with ketchup.

After making pancakes I seemed to gather motivation to do some cooking today. I hit the grocery store and got a few items for the day and for the week. I decided to make chocolate chip cookies and beef stew to be enjoyed later this week. My dad is visiting again, he's having some minor knee surgery and is staying with us. With the dreary weather I thought beef stew would be some nice comfort food to have in the house.

While the stew cooked I got to work on the cookies. Although once I started I realized we had no eggs. So I used 1T ground flax with 3T warm water. It seemed to do the trick as the cookies still looked and tasted great! See.....

The rest of the day was pretty much spent on the couch watching football or doing laundry. I snacked on some camera shy cheese & crackers and enjoyed a couple Shipyard Pumpkinhead beers. Mmm....

We headed to my in-laws for dinner.

I took the distance shot of my meal......

DINNER

-turkey w/ cranberries

-sweet potato w/ apple cinnamon butter.... OMG so good

-salad

-bread

-squash casserole

-couple of fried green tomatoes (not pictured)

It was almost like Thanksgiving. Yummy comfort food.

It was complete once I had a little Apple Crisp...... ahh.... food coma.

As you can tell, I took today as a rest day. ;-)

Need to head to bed so that I can be up bright and early for Kettlebell. Also have my follow up appointment with the podiatrist tomorrow, but considering my mileage my foot is feeling great!

What is your favorite fall dessert? Apple Crisp is up there, but I think my fav is Pumpkin Pie!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Britt