Runner Bell(e) Eats

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2009-10-29T22:12:00.001-04:00

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Taper Twitch...

2009-10-28T21:35:00.002-04:00

Yep I think I got it. {twitch... twitch...}
I am so used to working out on Wednesdays, but today was a rest day. Rest... during the week?
Also, I think I'm getting to that point where I'm ready to just get the marathon done. The anticipation is getting to me. It always does. People are wishing me well. I get antsy.

Although today's weather wasn't very inspirational for running anyways..... low 50's and rainy.

But some yummy oats made it all better this morning.

BREAKFAST
-oats made with milk, almond butter, ground flax, Kashi Vanilla Island cereal & few walnuts

Unfortunately my oats couldn't hold me till lunch. I had some ww toast w/PB.

Lunch time I went to an actual Rotary meeting. Yesterday I went to an info session. It as interesting. Everyone was very welcoming.

Although when I meet new people like that, I get a bit nervous and don't eat much.
I just had some salad, small piece of haddock and some succotash.
When I got back to work I was still a bit hungry, so I had some green tea and a cookie. :-)

After work I headed home to walk Reggie. Then I waited for the hubby to get home, as we had a small art opening to go to downtown.

While I waited I admired my lovely hydrangeas I cut from my garden.
Aren't they pretty?

The art opening was great! It was a great collection of photo essays depicting local trades that are disappearing.... dairy farming, fishing, etc.

We yapped way too long with friends though. Got home around 8:30 and had to figure out dinner. When we did our Trader Joe's run over the weekend the hubby had grabbed some steak burritos, so he suggested we do those. We could have microwaved them, but I just figured that would result in mushy burritos. So in the oven they went and it took a bit longer. But by a little after 9 we finally had dinner.

I doctored mine up with some salsa & plain greek yogurt, oh and a little cheese.
Not too shabby.
I'm hoping the weather improves tomorrow.
Looking forward to getting out for a 5 mile run, see how the legs feel. Today they were a bit sore from Monday's kettlebell class. Good thing I decided to just do one kettlebell class this week, figure doing more than that would do more harm than good.

I'm putting me and my taper twitchy legs to bed early tonight.

Do you get anxious before big events/races? How do you calm yourself down?

Have a great night!!

Britt

Jar Oats and 8 year old marathoners?

2009-10-27T19:11:00.006-04:00

Count down is on..... 5 days till NYC!!!!

Um... yep, I'm a tad nervous. You just never know what the day will bring. I just hope to enjoy the run though. I don't think I'm in PR-setting shape unfortunately..... I just hope to keep it under 3:40.

I have been enjoying sleeping in till 6:30 lately...... and well, I did it again. I really have no desire to run in the pitch dark this close to the marathon. Tripping would not be pretty.

Instead I headed to work a bit early and had a fabulous wonderful treat........

JAR OATS!!!!

Who knew I could ever be so happy about an almost empty jar of almond butter?

BREAKFAST
-oats made with milk
-1T pumpkin butter, ground flax & walnuts
-almond butter jar remnants

At lunch time today I went to a information session put on by our local rotary. A friend of ours invited me to go, so I went. I do a lot of volunteer work in the community so it seems like a bit of a no brainer for me to join. I just LOVED hearing about how supportive the group is and how ACTIVE they are in the community. Our local Rotary has done some amazing projects and has some fabulous on going programs that do so much for those less fortunate.

Plus they get stuff DONE!
(that is huge, ideas are great but action and follow through is where it is at)

So hopefully soon I'll be a Rotarian. :-)

As for the lunch portion. I didn't do photos.... felt kinda rude snapping a picture with folks talking.

Nothing fancy... they provided lunch.
Turkey on a bulkie w/ lettuce & tomato. I skipped the chips and had a cookie. :-)

Later back at work I needed a snack. I had a post work run planned and needed a little something more to keep me going.

Pita Chips.

After work I headed home and got ready for an easy 3 mile run.
I was good and iced my plantar fascia before heading out. I really do think that helps.

I had to wear my florescent long sleeved Boston Marathon shirt, the sun was starting to set and darkness was creeping in. Amazing how quickly that daylight fades away once fall sets in. Pretty soon I'll be wearing my headlamp!

My run was suppose to be an easy one...... but I felt good and was tempted to pick the pace up a bit. I did for a little bit. Just to feel a little speed. It wasn't a sprint, just a little comfortable speed.

I re-used some leftovers.

DINNER
-field greens w/ tomatoes, gorganzola, leftover salmon and some TJ's balsamic vinaigrette

I'm chilling once again with Reggie. The hubby has night two of the same work function as last night.

I was talking with a colleague earlier today about NYC.
He mentioned this article that was in the NY Times today. I found it interesting.
Back in the late 70's kids, 8 and 9 year olds, ran the NYC marathon!
And with incredible times I might add.

Of course kids that young are no longer allowed to run the marathon. Although it does mention kids as young as 12 running other marathons. Obviously there is some debate of what long term affects this would have on the child's long term health. I have friends with kids that run, however they are 8 and 9 year olds running 5K's.... not a marathon. I know one mother waited until her daughter was 9 before she could run a 5 mile race, until that age she only would let her run up to a 5K.

What do you think about kids under 10 running races? What do you think is an appropriate distance for a child that is 8 or 9 years old?

I definitely think 8 or 9 years shouldn't be running marathons.... I know how taxed my body feels after that distance, I cannot imagine what it does to such a young body. But then again, I'm not an expert. I would love for the kids I have some day to run. If they liked it and wanted to race, I would definitely consult with their doctor on what distance might be appropriate.

Hope you have a great night!

Britt

Ode To my Toes.....

2009-10-26T19:24:00.006-04:00

(warning.... if you don't like feet, you won't like this post....well at least the beginning part)

My toes.

They are fabulous toes really.

I just expect a lot out of them and put them through a lot of abuse.

Considering what they go through they have held up amazingly well.

However, this was a rough summer for them. The Boston Marathon in April proved to be a bit much for them....although I probably should have gone up a full size instead of a half size in my sneaks. I did go see the podiatrist....it was a painful appointment though..... as I had blood blisters under both of my big toenails.

SO. FREAKIN. PAINFUL.

But then of course rather than respecting the damage I did to them, I ran another marathon in May.

By June both big toenails were gone.

So the summer of 2009 was the summer of no pedicures. Instead it was the summer of painting my toe skin to make it appear that I had toenails.

I have heard that they make fake toenails, but I could not imagine gluing a fake toenails onto my poor toes, they had already been through so much. Why make them suffer more?

However, my toenails are ALMOST back to normal. Yay!!!

My hope is that by my vacation in January I'll be able to have a pedicure once again. :)

So, here are my wonderful fabulous toes.......

They have carried me many miles.

And of course I expect them to continue to carry me many more.

Thanks guys, you are the best!

Now as for my plantars fasciitis...... get well soon. Ugh.
I'll try to remember to keep icing you and wearing my sexy blue boot to bed every night.

Now on to food. Unless I made you lose your appetite with my ode to my toes. ;-)

So I slept in this morning. Was up too late last night cheering on the Yankees.

Yes I live in NH and I am a Yankee fan.

BREAKFAST
-.5 c oats, .5c almond milk, .5c water
-toppings: almond butter, chopped walnuts, ground flax and some crumbled apple cake (mmm... good)

I ate kinda early though so I needed a little snack.
Yesterday we did a Trader Joe's run and I got the coveted PB filled pretzels.
These puppies are dangerous. Portion control is KEY.

It was a GORGEOUS day out, so I had to get outside during lunch time. So I went for a walk. Unfortunately where I work is in a boring office park, BUT it is near some conservation land so it has some pretty areas. Especially when the trees are beautiful colors in the fall!

I headed in after my walk to enjoy a tasty lunch.

LUNCH
-leftover risotto al autunno.
(which involved wonderful butternut squash which as I saw tweeted today, it scores 100 on the Nu-Val scale)

Also some left over salad of field greens, brussle sprouts, eggplant and tomatoes w/ TJ's balsamic vinaigrette.

Do you ever feel like a lumberjack the way you pack your food for the day? LOL

This was my breakfast & lunch packed for the day. I ate all of it except for some yogurt.

After work I finally got my workout in for the day. Since I missed 6:30 am kettlebell, I went to the 5:30 pm class. I'm not used to all those night time people though, I missed my early morning peeps.

WARM UP
8 minutes
2 turkish get ups each side
run around the building
repeat till time was up

WORKOUT
10 reps each side working down to 1 rep each side
-Dead Cleans
-Front Squats
-Push Press
-Snatches

I kept it somewhat light, mainly a 20lb bell. I didn't want to over due it before the marathon.

I came home and whipped up some dinner.
The hubby has a work function tonight so I'm hanging at home with Reggie.

DINNER
-spaghetti squash w/ TJ's marinara sauce

Now back to hanging with my bud, Reggie.

Have a great night!!!

Britt

Wally did it!

2009-10-25T21:00:00.006-04:00

Wally did it! My step dad did another marathon!

This one, as I explained before, was a bit different as he has been through a lot in the past year and half. Between a head injury, recovering from that and then being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, recovering again and then having seizures. But Wally is a determined guy. He puts his mind to something, he will get it done.

While this year's Marine Corps Marathon is probably his slowest ever at close to 6 hours (did same marathon in 2006 in 4:39), it probably is one that will mean the most to him. Despite all these challenges he did not let that stop him from being the runner he is. He loves running. He loves training. He loves setting goals and achieving them.

Here is Wally in action at a race before his accident and later diagnosis.

Walter & my mom are huge inspirations for me. Walter is 63 and my mom is 64. They both are very dedicated runners, training for marathons and racing often. It is because of all that they do that I sometimes don't think what I do is all that big of a deal..... after all, they are twice my age!

I still need to remember that not every 30 year old does what I do. ;-)

But then again not every 30 year old has Wally & my mom to inspire them and motivate them.

Do you have someone amazing that motivates you?

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!!

Britt

Tracking Wally....

2009-10-25T10:49:00.003-04:00

I'm not used to this following from home stuff. Either I'm running the marathon as well or there to cheer someone.

I signed up for texted messages, but that doesn't seem to be working, so I'm using the Marine Corps Marathon to track Walter's progress. If you're swinging by for the first time, my step dad is running the Marine Corps Marathon today! Here is the back story on some set backs he has had, which make his run even more amazing!

All of this marathon tracking works up an appetite, so the hubby and I whipped up some breakfast.

BREAKFAST
-scramble of eggs, spinach & garlic chicken sausage, provolone
-sauteed potatoes, onions & herbs

Also enjoying some coffee with milk & agave nectar.

Wally is almost to the half way point. I'm happy to see that he is taking his time. Around a 12:30 pace. It will take him about 5 and half hours, which to be out there that long is very taxing. I know from experience from running with my mom when she had a bad marathon day.... we originally had hoped to get her qualified for Boston at that race, but it just wasn't her day.

I'm also following a friend of ours who is running his first marathon. He was rocking it up till about the half and then slowed down a bit, still he is going to finish WELL under 4 hours. Maybe under 3:40.

All of this marathon excitement has me looking forward to NYC next weekend! :-)

Since I'll be out of town next weekend we caught up with some friends last night. Our wonderful friends Glenn & Aviva. They are great people and great cooks!

We were in charge of salad, so I whipped up this lovely salad......

The salad included....
-herbed spring mix of greens
-grape tomatoes
-roasted brussel sprouts & eggplant
-gorganzola cheese
-I brought some TJ's balsamic vinaigrette to go with it

I must say it was quite tasty.

Here was a fabulous dinner.

DINNER
-pan roasted halibut
-green beans
-a fabulous fennel with cream sauce & bacon.... so good.
-some un-photographed risotto that went incredibly well with the fennel sauce
SO SO SO good. What a great dinner.
We also had some yummy wine. Happy tummy.

Alright now back to tracking Wally. :-)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!!

Britt

Rainy 5K....

2009-10-24T16:05:00.003-04:00

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.....

2009-10-23T20:51:00.006-04:00

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

2009-10-22T22:19:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-10-21T19:19:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-20T21:10:00.006-04:00

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.....

2009-10-20T07:15:00.003-04:00

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.....

2009-10-19T20:06:00.005-04:00

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.....

2009-10-18T22:08:00.003-04:00

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

Falling for a great run.....

2009-10-17T16:12:00.004-04:00

Hello! Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Sorry didn't get to blog yesterday, was a busy bee.

Quick Recap though....

BREAKFAST

-pumpkin oats

LUNCH

-met my wonderful mom for lunch at our favorite spot

Turkey Rubini, basically a turkey ruben. Yum. With their crunch cole slaw kinda salad.

Also had some Pumpkin Cream tea.

After work I met up with the hubby and my sister-in-law for a drink.

Then the hubby and I headed home to make dinner. A friend of ours was on his way home for the weekend so we invited him over for dinner.

DINNER

We had some CSA brussel sprouts, roasted.....

And some CSA turnips & turnip greens...

TJ's Mahi Mahi

All in the oven....

Um and then I forgot to take a picture of my dinner... gah!

I was a little tired.

BUT I had leftovers after my run today.....

LONG RUN

this morning after a quick breakfast of oats, I was off for a 13 mile run.

It was a little chilly out, around 40 degrees with a breeze. But the sun was shining and the fall foliage was putting on a great show.

Of course I still needed to go buy some water..... :-)

Good run. Did 13.25 miles. Didn't wear a watch though, but I know my pace picked up a few times and I felt great. Actually had a driver give me the thumbs up and then when I caught him at a stop sign he asked if I was training for NYC. I told him it was a good guess and that I was. :-)

Alright I need to get some relaxing in.... we have a surprise party tonight. I've been doing laundry, switching clothes over from summer to winter and cleaning up the garden & deck planters. So if I don't relax soon, I'll be fading fast tonight!

Do you ever feel like you need to compensate for time "lost" while working out? While I was off running the hubby was mowing the lawn and cleaning up leaves..... so I felt like I had to do something product around the house too. But then that means I never really get around to the resting part. :(

Have a great night!!

Britt

Sore....

2009-10-15T19:54:00.002-04:00

Yep, today I'm just plain sore.

Usually when I'm sore I figure its a good to work through it. But not today. I definitely felt like my body was rebelling and needs rest. So I'm listening and obeying. I stretched as often as I could at my desk. Although I could use a good massage....... I think.

I slept in to 6:30 this morning.... so nice.

Packed up my breakfast for work. Even though it was cold and I was craving oats, I went for cereal & yogurt, as I had some I needed to use.

BREAKFAST

-1/2 c Kashi Vanilla Island

-1/3 c Kashi Heart to Heart

-plain Oikos

-1T almond Butter

-1T ground flax

Lunch time I headed home to walk Reggie. I was in a cheese mood today.

While my sandwich cooked, I started on some apple with brie. mmmmm......

LUNCH

Grilled hummus & cheese

-sandwich thin, brie, mozzarella and hummus

YUM......

Afternoon snack, carrots & almond butter.

After work, I thought about doing speed work, but I wasn't sure how my foot would hold up and I was still pretty sore. I did want to get one thing off my "to do" list, so I headed to the hubby's workplace and finally finished up the thank you letters to sponsors of the road race.

Found out the hubby had not eaten ALL DAY. Seriously, how does someone do that? He had a board meeting this morning and he managed to just drink coffee through it.... then just never got around to lunch. I don't get it.

He requested dinner out. So out we went.

I had pizza. Don't worry, this was smaller than it appears (and much less blurry), plus I ate only half. It was delicious though.... white pizza with prosciutto & caramelized onion. Heaven.

Tomorrow I'll get a short run in. Also I think I'll move my long run up to Saturday as Sunday is suppose to be a wash out.

Do you ever forget to eat? Have you ever gone most of the day without eating?

I rarely ever have this issue. I think on the day of the race I coordinated I didn't eat much, but finally remembered after it was over.... which lucky for me was before noon time. ;-)

Have a great night!

Britt

Cold, suits and kashi

2009-10-14T21:13:00.005-04:00

Yet another packed day.

I was up early for Kettlebell at 6am. It was hard to get out of bed as usual, but once there I was glad I made it.

My hamstrings were still sore though.... and it was a heavy leg day.

Today's workout.

10 reps to 1 (10 reps on each side of all exercises, then 9 reps on each side and so on)

Cleans

Thrusters

Windmills

Front Squats

It was self paced, but I wanted to get it done near the end. I didn't go crazy fast, but I was the first one done. :)

After class I headed home and got prepped for my day. While my breakfast cooked I got myself all gussied up for my big meeting.

It was a power suit kind of day. (Reggie wanted in on the photo op)

Breakfast was more pumpkins oats!

BREAKFAST

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

- 2T pumpkin pie mix

- 1T ground flax

- 1T almond butter

mmmm.... good!

My meeting went well! It was done before noon time. :)

I headed home at lunch time to walk Reggie and have some lunch. I wasn't inspired by the fridge, so to the freezer I went.

LUNCH

-Kashi Tuscan Veggie Bake w/ a little added mozzarella cheese

it was delish!

Then it was back to work.

Later on I snacked on a Kashi granola bar. Guess it was a Kashi day.

After work Reggie and I headed out for another walk. I also picked up our last bag of CSA veggies. :(

Dang I forgot to take a photo. I'll snap one and add it later, it included some beautiful brussel sprouts.

I headed out and met up with a good friend for a drink or two.... had some Sam Adams Octoberfest. Yum. Finally it was time to head home though. Needed food!

Heated up some leftover TJ's butternut squash soup and what was left of the hubby's box mac n' cheese. Quick and filling. :)

It has gotten chilly here rather early this year. I mean its downright cold. We might even see.... SNOW tonight..... what!? Gah! What happened to my summer. This is my issue with fall. It just leads to winter. In my world summer doesn't last long enough.

So what is your favorite season? What is your least favorite season?

Have a great night!!

Britt

Pumpkin Trifecta....

2009-10-13T20:44:00.002-04:00

It was a chilly fall day and that required some fall goodness...... thus lots of pumpkin.

As seen this morning, I started the day with some pumpkin pie oats.

Prior to lunch I hit the gym for my run. It was cold, rainy and just gross outside.... not inspiring for my run. Not that the treadmill was any better.

4 miles, 1% incline

32:30

Back to work where I heated up my leftover Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili from Chili Fest.

It was a perfect post workout meal, yum!

Later on I needed a snack though.... sticking to the day's fall theme.....

A little apple pie.

sort of.....

After work I tried to stay motivated. Finally.

-started laundry

-organized the pile of clothes on our guest bed (I'm changing clothes over from summer to winter)

-cleaned up the kitchen

Then the hubby came home and he wanted to go for a run. He wanted me to run with him. So we did an easy run of about 2.5 miles and picked up Reggie at the end from my in-law's house. It felt like December out there!!!! Ack! Not ready for it to be this cold yet!!

It was getting late so dinner was a frozen pizza. But I needed something to warm me up, I found some TJ's Butternut Squash soup and heated up a bowl for myself. Added a little freshly grated parmesan.

And enjoyed it.....

with a Pumpkinhead Beer.

Mmmmm.... more pumpkin.

And then a couple small slices of pizza. :-)

My hamstrings are SO TIGHT and SORE today. I think all those walking suitcase lunges did me in yesterday. They felt great after my runs, but as soon as I sit down for a bit it is so hard to stand up and walk. Ugh.

We will see how they feel tomorrow at Kettlebell, eeks!

I need to get to bed early tonight. I have big meeting at work tomorrow. One of my largest accounts is in town for a visit and wants to meet with me to go over numbers.

So it will be a power suit kinda day.

Do clothes ever make you feel more confident? Whether it be a suit, a favorite workout outfit, a snazzy going out outfit......

A suit always makes me feel more put together and more authoritative.....it helps build my confidence especially when I'm meeting with folks older than me or a room full of attorneys (yes they intimidate me at times).

Have a great night!

Britt

Sluggo....

2009-10-13T07:21:00.004-04:00

Good Morning!

I've been a bad blogger. Ugh.... Procrastination has set in, I am overwhelmed with things to do and let myself get stuck. Must. get. moving!!!!

So today is a dreary rainy day. I'm going to move my run inside, as the chilly rain is just not appealing. So a lunch time run is on tap. Most likely it will only be 3-4 miles. I’m scheduled for 5 miles, but I think 4 will suffice considering the weather, my foot, etc. Speaking of my foot its still feeling great, I just want to take it easy for a bit, especially considering I did 20 miles on Saturday.

While prepping breakfast I enjoyed some of this…..

Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost Smoothie

Its really thick, almost too thick.

A little goes a long way with me, as I like to water it down. Its yummy though!

Breakfast this morning, OATS! But I had to finally do it and add some pumpkin, all I could find was this though…..

But it smells delish.

This is the final product.

BREAKFAST
- ½ c oats
- ½ c almond milk, ½ c water
- 2T pumpkin pie mix
- 1T almond butter
- 1T ground flax
- sprinkle of chopped walnuts

A quick revisit of yesterday……..

Up in the early AM for Kettlebell!

Did the following 5 times
- 7 double clean & presses
- Figure 8’s for 1 minute
- Russian Twist 1 minute
- Plank 1 minute
- Suitcase Lunges for 50 ft

BREAKFAST
- plain Oikos
- Kashi Heart to Heart
- Kashi Vanilla Island
- 1T almond butter

LUNCH
Leftovers
- sautéed greens
- turnips
- multi-grain tempeh

SNACK
- Cinnamon Roll Larabar

Dinner was camera shy; it was just leftover whole wheat pasta w/ marinara & TJ’s pesto chicken sausage.

I turned into a bump on a log last night. I had a million things I should have been doing, instead I watched a few shows on Tivo. The hubby had a meeting after work and I kind of felt stalled till he got home….. wasn’t sure how long his meeting would be, what time to start making dinner, etc. Instead of being productive I just stayed in once place, literally. Blah. Tonight will be different! Too much to do, I hate unproductive evenings!

How do you keep yourself moving? Do lists help? I usually keep a list but didn’t have one last night, maybe if I had all my “to do’s” staring back at me I would have kept moving.

Hope you have a great day!!

Britt

Not so small plates... small plates dinner

2009-10-11T20:55:00.002-04:00

Last night our friend's Glenn & Aviva treated us to a wonderful dinner. They couldn't decide what to make, so they made a whole bunch of stuff.

Very good thing I went for my run before the dinner and not this morning. The variety of food, plus the few glasses of wine I had would not have been good for my tummy once running!

The evening started with some cheeses & pate. After I snapped this picture some olives appeared as well. The round cheese was a triple cream brie...... yum!

Our first course once we sat down was a lobster bisque. Delish.

Next up was a margherita pizza with home made crust. I knew I could not eat all of it, especially if I was going to participate in additional courses. So I ate half.

The third course.... um apparently I forgot to photograph??!!

It was a sesame encrusted tuna w/ noodles in a peanut sauce. So good.... I think I was drooling too much to take a picture maybe.

Fourth course was an amazing brisket and collard greens. It melted in your mouth, it was incredible!

Then by dessert I was stuffed but still nibbled on some baked apple with ice cream...... I nibbled but was neglectful and didn't take a picture.....

So like I said, very good that I ran BEFORE all this food! (and wine)

I think I ate all the calories I burned and then some. But it tasted darn good. Plus it was great to catch up with wonderful friends.

Do you have friends over for dinner often? What do you typically make?

Britt

Another 20 miler.....

2009-10-11T20:21:00.003-04:00

Can you guess what this post is about? ;-)

Yeah no creative title for this one.

So yesterday morning I had another 20 mile run scheduled. Kinda made me wonder why I picked the training plan I have, two weekends in a row of 20 mile long runs?! Eeks!

Actually, I used the Smart Coach program on the Runner's World website to design my training plan. I like how you can tailor to how many miles per week you want to do and how hard you want to train. Its worked well for me in the past, so I've stuck with it.

I pulled together my supplies for the run.

Pre run - Clif Bar, Oatmeal Raisin Walnut

During run- Just Plain flavored Gu's

My mom and step-dad gave me my very own box o' Gu.

I of course had to do the coastal route!

It was too beautiful not to be sea side.

Plus for some reason doing an out and back along the ocean just doesn't seem as long as venturing on several twisting turning roads.

Made some friends along the way.....

These guys were just hanging out by the side of the road.

Another scenic Gu & water stop.

I feel bad for people that only have corn or highways to look at on their long runs.

So I planned out my pre-run food and during run food ok.... but once done I realized I FORGOT to pack my post-run food!! Ack!

I stopped by a convenience store and grabbed a Vitamin Water, then headed to the grocery store as I needed to go there anyways.

I picked up an Amy's Spinach & Feta Pocket. It was kinda blah.... but I ate it, needed FOOD!

So now its time to start bringing down the mileage a bit. I believe next weekend's long run is only about 13 or so miles and the following weekend is down to 8!

This month's Runner's World arrived yesterday, it has all kinds of info on the NYC marathon!!! Lots of interesting people running it, tips, etc. Kind of like their April issue which is loaded with Boston Marathon related articles. It definitely has me very excited for the race now. :-)

Oh and I also need to report on my plantar's fasciitis. The night boot/brace thing seems to help! When I get up in the morning, my foot doesn't hurt! During my 20 miles I could feel a little something, but it wasn't painful. I am going to stay tuned in to how my foot is feeling and scale back if needed, I want to make sure its ok for the marathon. I do think speed work bothers it a bit, so I may dial that back a bit.

How was your weekend workout(s)?

Britt

Self diagnosis.... correct!

2009-10-09T20:00:00.004-04:00

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....

2009-10-08T20:20:00.004-04:00

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.....

2009-10-07T20:38:00.004-04:00

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....

2009-10-07T07:35:00.004-04:00

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......

2009-10-06T21:24:00.004-04:00

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.....

2009-10-06T07:54:00.003-04:00

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.....

2009-10-05T23:01:00.003-04:00

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

Lots of running around... but no running....

2009-10-01T21:40:00.004-04:00

Busy day!

I wanted to blog this morning, but just no time. So evening is all you get. ;-)

I packed up my breakfast this morning to bring to work.

I've been on an oats kick this week. Must be the cool weather that has moved into New England.

BREAKFAST

-oats: 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c almond milk, 1/2 c water

-toppings: apple, dried cranberries, walnuts, almond butter

At lunch time I headed home to walk Reggie. It was cool enough at lunch time I had to keep my jacket on. Ack.... back to weather where a jacket is a necessity and not an accessory, boo hoo.

LUNCH

-ww tortilla, hummus, apple (yes still on the apple kick), little mozzarella cheese

Then I took some TJ's pirates booty to snack on at work.....

After work I stopped by the hubby's office to work on the road race stuff. After about 2 hours of that I finally headed home to make dinner.

I apparently was a bit wrapped up in stuff as I totally forgot to take a picture of dinner.

DINNER

-grilled chicken

-TJ's mushroom risotto

-sauteed baby bok choy

-ciabatta bread

With all of the craziness I didn't get my run in :(

I'm going to try to squeeze in some speed work tomorrow at some point. I hope. I will be happy when the race is over, the festival is over and things go back to "normal".

So once dinner clean up was done, I made another mess prepping making tomorrow night's dinner. Since we will be busy with registration and a concert tomorrow night, as part of the festival, we won't have much time to eat. So I made some easy to re-heat food.....

LASAGNA!

Its not the heathiest recipe in the world.... but I trimmed it down where I could without sacraficing too much flavor. I used TJ's Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage, ww pasta, some part skim cheese. Also I prefer to use the Newman's Own Cabernet Tomato Sauce.

Onions, mushrooms, italian chicken sausage, garlic, spices and wine.... smelled so good!

I took it out before it got too brown, I figure it will brown up a bit when we heat it up tomorrow night. But it smells so good.

I'm letting it cool a bit, throwing it in the fridge and then hitting the hay.

Tomorrow is all about road race prep! Getting racers, numbers, t-shirts all organized. Getting the spreadsheet together for timing company. Laminating signs that will give runners directions on where to go. Organizing all the prizes and gathering any last minute supplies. The weather unfortunately is not looking all that great, but despite the forecast we still have applications coming in! I hope we will hit 300 runners. Not too shabby for a first year race!!

What makes a race for you? What gets you to come back again next year?

Have a great night!

Britt

Applemania!

2009-09-30T22:35:00.005-04:00

Ahh fun night! I'm sure I'll get more great pictures from the other ladies later on but I'll share the few I snapped.

But first, remember my packed lunch from earlier today.....

Well I spruced it up with some brussel sprouts and broccoli at work. Yum. Much better.

After work I ran some errands. Grabbed some supplies for the road race, I felt a little sketchy about my purchases..... duct tape, 200 feet of rope and tent stakes.....

Then I stopped by the grocery store.... again, to grab some pears for the recipe I found for ladies' night. On my way home I stopped to trim up some hostas in the planter downtown, just cut back their flower stems so you can see some mums that we planted.

Changed and freshened up and was off to ladies night. Soon my friend Aviva's house was a flurry of activity...... Lots of apple chopping going on! I should have taken a picture of all the apples (I'm a bad blogger). She had 3 huge buckets of them, a bucket of each variety. They were all so yummy!

I started off as bartender but then Amy here got adventurous and tried her hand at it. The results were delicious!

Caramel apple martinis!

My contribution to the meal was broiled apples & pears with rosemary.

They smelled awesome and tasted great! I would highly recommend it, especially since it is a quick, easy and simple recipe.

Another martini. ;-)

Plus so me water.

DINNER

-pork roasted with apples, onions & cider

-broiled apples & pears

-pumpkin/cheddar cranberry ravioli w/a maple pecan cream sauce to which we added apples (this was a bit of a cheat as it wasn't from scratch, instead its from a local pasta company. They make awesome pasta & sauces, Terra Cotta Pasta Company, so good though!!!)

Not the most colorful meal, but it was extremely flavorful. We all definitely enjoyed ourselves and the wonderful apples from Aviva's house!

My camera forgot to come out for dessert..... oops.

But we enjoyed a delicious apple crisp w/ vanilla ice cream. The perfect ending to our apple themed dinner. Ahhh.......

It was great to hang with the ladies and catch up. We haven't done one our ladies's nights since July and even then it was a small crew. Life gets so busy and we get wrapped up in all the craziness of it..... it feels so great to take a break and have some belly laughs with friends. Going to bed happy for many great reasons..... I know I'll be stressed again tomorrow, but I'll hang out in my happy place for now. Plus the race will soon be done and tomorrow is my "Friday" so that I can be free to work on last minute race details on Friday (and get my haircut).

When was the last time you connected with good friends and had some belly laughs?

Have a great night!!

Britt

An Apple A Day.... or two or three or four.....

2009-09-30T10:17:00.002-04:00

Good Morning!

Well I didn’t get to bed as early as I had hoped this morning, but I only got to kettlebell class like a minute late…. So I got 2 minutes of jump roping instead of 3…. No big deal.

Today’s kettlebell workout was ok, several exercises but you did lots of one then switched.

With a partner we went back and forth, working and then resting while the other worked. We did 3 sets of each. Ex. I did one windmill on each side, then my partner did one windmill on each side, then I did 2 each side, etc. Once we got to 5 we started over again and did it all two more times. So by the end of windmills I was sick of them……..

Windmills- 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5 (26lb weight)
Suitcase Lunges- 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5
(started with 2- 32lb weights then switched down to 2-26lb weights on my second set)
Static Presses-1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5 (2- 20lb weights)
Pullups- 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5 (use a rubber band to lighten the load a bit, but still was a struggle by the last set)

After class I headed home to get ready for work and packed my breakfast, lunch and snacks.

BREAKFAST
(bit of a repeat of yesterday)
- oats made with ½ c oats, ½ c water, ½ c almond milk
- toppings: walnuts, dried cranberries, ground flax and little almond butter

LUNCH
Leftovers!
- salmon from last night
- quinoa from last night
- might grab some veggies from the cafeteria at work

SNACKS

-kashi granola bar

-apple or two

After work tonight I’m hitting the grocery store (again) to get ingredients for my contribution to our ladies night dinner, which is featuring an apple theme. One of my friends has some apple trees in her yard, so they have an abundance of apples. I’m thinking of doing a side dish and maybe a dessert, we are going to prep & cook at her house.

I might keep it simple with the side dish and do this,
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105687
Broiled Apples and Pears with Rosemary

Although I also found an apple & sweet potato recipe that sounds yummy. For a dessert I might try to find a healthy apple bread to do…. Any suggestions?

Do you do cooking nights with friends ever? We have done themes in the past, but based on a movie we are watching or an event we watching/going to.

Hope you have a great day!

Britt

Sniffle sniffle

2009-09-29T20:17:00.005-04:00

Sorry my nose is all stuffy still....... blah.

In happier news.....Look at me, I'm blogging.... TWICE in one day. Ahhh feels nice.

I managed to escape work at lunch time for my 5 mile run, I felt pretty good despite the runny nose. It is so nice to escape for a bit during the work day and get away from it all.

Lunch time runs rock!

After lunch I enjoyed my lovely packed lunch.

Plugged on through the work day and eventually enjoyed this beauty.

It wasn't what I expected, but it was still pretty tasty!

The new Kashi dark chocolate & coconut bar. It was kind of fudgy chocolate, hit the spot as a mid afternoon snack.

After work I hit the grocery store to grab some ingredients for dinner. Then it was off to do some weeding downtown. I love gardening, it feels great to do some manual labor and see a difference after just an hour.

After weeding I headed home to make dinner for the hubby, my dad and myself. :-)

DINNER

-baked salmon: 400 degrees, 15 minutes, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and dill

-Jerusalem artichokes: sauteed w/ olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper (they are a tuber from the sunflower family and were delicious! got them from our CSA)

-pesto quinoa- just added some homemade pesto to the quinoa

-sliced tomato

(not the greatest picture.... I was hungry apparently LOL)

Thank you for the well wishes on the race and for finding time for myself. I'm feeling a bit less stressed. I'm looking forward to a ladies night at a friend's house tomorrow night, its apple themed.....

Do you have any great recipes involving apples? Anything but a main course.... dessert, appetizer, etc.

Have a fabulous night!! I'm hopefully getting to bed early so I'll be on time for Kettlebell at 6am tomorrow (lately I've been showing up a few minutes late.... oops). Just hoping I don't need the Nyquil again, although my nose is so stuffed up!

Britt

Sweet dreams.....

2009-09-29T07:48:00.002-04:00

Last night I had to do it, had to take some Nyquil.

The night before I tossed and turned with an achy shoulder (from what I do not know) and a stuffy head/nose. I needed sleep and I needed something to dry my head out….enter Nyquil. Ahhh….. finally sleep.

I enjoyed my sleep so much I kept hitting the snooze button so today’s run will be during my lunch break. Try to get in a quick 5 miles. Thank goodness we have a locker room here with showers.

I am on it this morning and got my breakfast and lunch packed for the day, plus a couple snacks.

BREAKFAST
-oats w/ 2/3 c almond milk and 1/3 c water
-mix-ins: walnuts, dried cranberries, almond butter and ground flax

LUNCH
-sandwich thin w/ turkey, provolone and pesto
-toppings to add later tomato & artichokes

SNACKS
-TJ’s pomegranate greek yogurt
-Kashi’s coconut dark chocolate granola bar (just found these, cannot wait to try it!

After work its off to do some weeding downtown and get things spruced up for the festival & race this weekend!

Do you have any fall festivals where you live? Does it include a road race?

Have a great day!

Britt

And back to your usual programing.....

2009-09-28T20:58:00.003-04:00

Oy!

Its been crazy busy around here... so much so that my blogging had to take a back seat. :(

I've also had less computer access so that hasn't helped the situation either.

Last I blogged.....

I had just completed Reach the Beach!

Since then its been lots of work, lots of plants, lots of road race planning, celebrations with friends, my dad visiting/leaving/visiting again!

I really hope the race goes smoothly..... if it does I think it will be HUGE next year!

I'm looking forward to having Friday off and just getting lots done in preparation for the race. So many little details and big details like making sure we will actually have enough volunteers..... I hope we will!

Then of course I'm also training for the NYC Marathon! It of course hasn't gotten the attention I should be giving it. I think I'll be holding true to my norm.... my fall marathon will be slower than my spring marathon. But in some respects I want to enjoy it and not stress about time, which I can do as I'm already qualified and signed up for Boston. So I can enjoy NYC with no real time goal..... which is a good thing!

FOOD

BREAKFAST

-oats, dried cranberries, shreaded coconut, some camera shy granola w/ skim milk

Snacked on some more camera shy granola.......

LUNCH

-1/2 wheat wrap, chicken salad, loaded w/ veggies lettuce, carrots, tomato, pepper, onion and cucumber.

Little more of that granola.... dangerous thing to have at my desk.

DINNER

-turkey burger on a sandwich thin

-kale chips, baby turnips, turnip greens

Alright.... back to yapping with the dad.... well my dad yapping....... he's a bit of a talker. He lives in the Northern Adirondacks, all that alone time in the woods leads to a chatty cathy when he is visiting!

I promise I'll be BLOGGING again! Also I hope after the race is over to finally be moving over to my new site, www.runnerbelle.com :)

How do you stay sane when things get busy? Even when it feels like there is no "me" time or down time.

Have a fabulous night!!

Britt

Intersection sprints......

2009-09-22T20:19:00.005-04:00

That was my workout tonight.

But first my day in food. :-)

BREAKFAST

jar oats!!

-oats, 3/4 c water, 1/4 c milk

-mix-ins: walnuts, dried cranberries, ground flax and of course ALMOND BUTTER!

I meant to do my run this morning, but I hit that evil snooze button. I really should remove that from my alarm.......

So it was off to work.

Before lunch I had a slice of ww bread w/ PB. (it didn't like the camera)

Lunch time I had to hit the Home Depot.

My list of needed items included....

-huge bag of potting soil

(that was fun to try and get in my work clothes, luckily some dude helped me)

-Osmocote (aka plant food)

-Soil Moist (magic water absorbing stuff that keeps the soil moist)

-new shower curtain

LUNCH

Had to find something in the cafe at work since I did my Home Depot trip and ran out of time to pack a lunch this morning.

(also I cheated, forgot to take a picture.... this is a re-use of an old picture)

-ww wrap w/ chicken salad and loaded with veggies, side of carrots

-few unpictured sweet potato chips

After work I went to revisit these beauties form a couple weeks ago at the greenhouse.

It took 2 trips but we used about 2/3's of these plants tonight.

I had a crew of about 7 volunteers help me plant 17 of the 21 barrels downtown.
I was running around like a crazy woman and didn't snap any pictures.... but they look kinda like THIS.......
I still have 4 more barrels to plant plus a fountain that we now use as a planter. I think I should be able to get it all finished tomorrow after work.

So this is where my intersection sprints came in. The barrels are on traffic islands in the center of downtown. We did this all basically during rush hour. But that is the only time I have to get it done..... so rush hour it is.

We made good use of the cross walk button.

I tried to see how many times I could sprint back and forth with plants before the light turned green again. So they were slightly weighted sprints.

Needless to say after doing all that I was a bit exhausted and hungry..... so no run tonight. But I did get some sprints in.... right?

Once home I showered my dirty wet stinky self.

And while my gourmet dinner was cooking snacked on some of this.....

One gourmet dinner coming up!

DINNER

Yep, frozen pizza.

The dinner of health gurus everywhere. ;-)
I need to get to the store tomorrow. I got loads of veggies but need some something to add them to......... well at least for the hubby to eat it.

Hope you had a great day!

Last night I was in TOTAL freak out mode about the 5K I'm directing.

I think it was abou midnight when I bolted out of bed and started jotting things down.

There are just so many details to straighten out.....

how many volunteers I need, where they all need to be, how best to instruct them all, what items I need to purchase, getting all the donated items there.... food, prizes, etc., making sure my race vendors will have everything they need to make it a succesful event...... and so on.

You get the picture.

People have been hugely supportive though, so I am very thankful for that!

Have you ever organized a large event? How did you keep yourself focused and not get overwhelmed by all the details?

I guess in some ways its almost like a wedding.... except I get to do it again and learn from this year!

Have a great night!

Britt

Reach the Beach!

2009-09-21T21:17:00.008-04:00

First off, I highly recommend a relay race with friends.

Its a great bonding activity, you never know what is going to happen.

It can be a lot of work to organize, especially if it is a 24 hour race but it is definitely worth it!

There are all kinds of relays now but Reach the Beach and Hood to Coast are a couple of the original 24+ hour relays. My running crew is talking about maybe doing one in Florida put on by Ragnar Relays, although I also found one that goes from Key Largo to Key West.... its a little shorter too and we could have a smaller team.

Any how back to Reach the Beach.

THURSDAY

We headed up to northern NH. Luckily one of our crew has a good hook up, so we had a free place to stay. I hit the hay relatively early, as I knew I wouldn't get much sleep Friday night.

FRIDAY

I was up before 7am, showering and packing up. We had to be at the start close to 8am to get registered. I was our team captain so I had to do all of our check-in, I also was our first runner too!

My first run was about 8 miles so I had to fuel up for my run.

BREAKFAST

-poppyseed bagel w/ PB

We of course had to take a few team pictures........

And decorate our vans...

Although this year was a bit sad compared to past years. We just didn't have much time to decorate or the motivation.

But at least we had me & Tito. ;-)

And then we were off!

Beautiful scenery along the way of course.

This was one of the transition areas.

If you don't remember my explanation. There are 12 of us on a team, you can have less too but no more than 12. If you have 6 or less you are considered an "ultra" team.

We each ran 3 legs, the legs are split up by the race directors, you have specific transition areas. Once you pick an order you have to stay in that order. I was our 1st runner so I ran legs 1, 13 and 25.

The total mileage of the race is just over 200 miles. Each runner has a combined total of miles ranging from about 14 to just over 22. I was the lucky person with just over 22 miles. :)

While it may sound great that most of the first few legs have a lot of downhill.... you quads pay the price. The start of the race, you are full of energy...... you are excited.... you are.... well stupid..... you go out too fast and later on when you have to run up hill during your later legs.... it. really. hurts.

But despite all this talk, I was able to recruit a newbie from my blog.....

Mrs. Our Life is Delicious donated her husband to the cause. :)

Or well he donated himself I guess.

Yay Artie!!! He even sported his "No Meat Athlete" shirt.

A little action shot.... Artie jetting off on his first leg after the hand off.

Soon it started to get dark..... and that meant dressing up in such fashionable items as

-reflective vest

-2 blinky lights... one front, one back

-head lamp

This is my sexy night runner pose.

I swear it did get dark on my run.

This was a leg or two later when it was really dark out.

My teammate Tom was getting ready to head out on his run. It was one heck of a hilly run too... he started going straight up a hill that lasted at least 1/3 of a mile, went down for a bit and then right back up.

So I have to admit, my eating was not all that spectacular. For lunch I had a turkey, swiss, baby spinach and mustard sandwich. It was camera shy. Also had some trailmix and a chocolate chip cookie

But after my 2nd run of the day, I got snacky and we had lots of snacks.

Twizzlers......... evil.

Cheez-Its....... even more evil.

But when you are living in a mess like this...... it kinda fits I guess.

My van was lucky and we finished up our 2nd leg by midnight. We headed to the next team transition area for some sleep. Most of us slept in the van.... on seats, on the floor, outside in a tent... where ever we could find a place.

SATURDAY

At 4:50am we got a call from the other van. Their last runner was on course for her 7 mile run and I was on deck.

I started my run just around 6am.

It was dark, but soon I could see a beautiful sunrise in the works.....

My team stopped by to give me some support.....

It was my longest run, about 9.5 miles and the first half was pretty much all uphill.

This is at about the top of the hill section, right before I hit the downhill.

As you can see I was happy to see them and the downhill!!!

Me finishing up my final run and passing off our reflective slap bracelet "batton" to Mia

So my team thought it was odd that in my purchase of food for the van I got baby spinach. I figured.... who wants just a meat & cheese sandwich, spinach is an easy addition and its like lettuce but even better for you.

Well it became a running joke.

At one point we showered one of our teammates with spinach during his run.

Here we are posing with our mascot vegetable....

Pretty much the answer to any problem involved....... baby spinach.... and sometimes hummus or baba ghanoush (which we didn't have any of but its fun to say).

Then we finally REACHED the beach!

This is the crew after we ran through the finish line together and got our medals.

Our Stats

Overall Time: 28:48:42

Average Pace: 8:20/ mile

Runners: 6 guys, 6 girls.... ranging in age from 29-47

Overall an absolute blast! :)

Let me know if you have any questions, its hard to fit it all in. But hopefully that gives you an idea of how it all went.

Britt

And..... I'm back......

2009-09-21T20:52:00.002-04:00

Sorry about that.

I'm a bad blogger when my life gets crazy.

I'm back from a fabulous racing weekend! Reach the Beach went awesome. I'll do a separate post shortly.

Today was about trying to get back to my routine.....

It kinda worked.

6am I did Kettlebell!

This mornings workout was a good one for a Monda, I think.

1 minute of each exercise (30 seconds each side when applicable), 1 minute rest at the end

Swings, rest

Swings, presses, rest

Swings, presses, slingshot, rest

Swings, presses, slingshot, squats, rest

Swings, presses, slingshot, squats, rows, rest

Swings, presses, slingshot, squats, rows, lunges, rest

Mini set of abs

overhead weighted situp, rest

overhead weighted situp, Russian twist, rest

overhead weighted situp, Russian twist, Sicilian crunch, rest

Then it was home for some breakfast!

BREAKFAST

Green Monster- spinach, ice, milk, almond butter, little greek yogurt, frozen mango and banana

Then off to work I went!

I headed home to make a quick lunch at noon time.

LUNCH

-spinach flat out, turkey, homemade pesto, tomatoes, lettuce and roasted some strange vegetable from our CSA (didn't go so I yanked them out)
Left over roasted potatoes.

After work I grabbed our crop share veggies for the week. I was bad and didn't take a picture. Yummiest watermelon ever though!!!

After getting our veggies & watermelon I had to venture downtown to prep the planters for tomorrow. I have a crew of volunteers coming down after work to help me plant mums, cabbage & kale for the fall. I had to remove all the summer plantings, which took me longer than I had hoped but I got it done!

I finally got home to make dinner around 8pm.

DINNER

Pesto Turkey Burgers - just mixed in some homemade pesto with the ground turkey

Sauteed Turnips w/ olive oil & garlic

Yum!

Now to work on road race planning details. I'm very glad Reach the Beach is done, now I can totally focus on the 5K I'm coordinating.... I'm getting a bit nervous, being a newbie at this race directing thing and all... I'm worried I'm going to forget something!

But first I'll do a race recap post!

Have a great night!

Britt

Getting ready to Reach the Beach!!!!

2009-09-16T22:43:00.002-04:00

Its crunch time, I'm scrambling to get things ready for Reach the Beach. We don't leave till 6pm, but there are little things I kind of put off.....

Like printing out the handbooks that we are required to have two of.

But then I realized it was way too many pages to do at home.... so I just spent almost an hour cursing at the Kinkos and Staples sites.... they were NOT cooperating!

So my day in food.....

BREAKFAST

was running late again, so I packed up my mix-ins for my at work oats

Mix-ins: blueberries, dried cranberries, walnuts, ground flax

With my oats & a little skim milk.
Yum.

Headed home for lunch and to walk the pooch.

LUNCH

-flat out & marinara sauce, broiled with roasted brussel sprouts & turnips, plus some tomato, roasted potato and feta
It was messy but good.

At work I snacked on some Food Should Taste Good Sweet Potato Chips

After work I got my butt to Kettlebell!! (since I messed up my alarm AGAIN)

Repeated the all of the following 5 times,

1 minute rest between each round, each exercise a minute unless otherwise noted

Round 1

-hand to hand sumo deadlift

-figure 8's

Round 2

-Get up sit ups

-Russian twist

Round 3

-Heavy press 1/1, 2/2, 3/3

-1 arm rows

Awesome workout! I love it when there is lots of variety!

Then I ran around working on some 5K race promotion, after that it was home to walk Reggie and make dinner.

DINNER

Chicken Parmesan

-preheated over to 400

-dipped chicken breast in an egg, coated w/ breadcrumbs

-sprayed pan w/ canola oil

-baked for 20 minutes

-added marinara sauce and some parmesan cheese

-baked for 10 minutes more

-boiled up some pasta

(yes I like sauce)

Time to get some packing done.... need to dig out the sleeping back and warm clothes.

There is a FROST ADVISORY tonight where we will be running Friday night/ early Saturday morning.... eeks.

So timeline tomorrow....

6am short run

8am work

noon leave work & finish packing

2pm leave to get huge passenger van from rental place

4pm pick up manuals & grocery shop

6pm pick up van 6 of the crew & head north

8pm dinner, check into our accomodations

My goal is to be IN BED before 11!!!

My mileage for the race....

1st leg 7.95 miles (9:20am)

2nd leg 3.91 miles (approx. 8:35 pm)

3rd leg 9.42 miles (approx. 7:10 am)

Total mileage = 21.28miles

the good: no real late night or early morning running

the bad: my last leg is my longest & the hilliest

I'm going to attempt to blog on the road... not sure how successful I will be!

Have a great night!

Britt

Its all Greek to me.....

2009-09-15T20:40:00.004-04:00

So after my Greek-esque salad today at lunch I headed back to work.....

As I made my way through the day I got a bit of a sweet tooth.....

Fruit Leather....

Then I needed to fuel up for some post work weeding. It was my weekly volunteer weeding night! So a larabar was my fuel.

I tried to simplify my life and stop at the hardware store down the street from me to pick up a few yard waste bags....

The credit/atm card reader was down. (I don't really carry $$ on me)

So I walked across the street to the bank. Their ATM was down.

Had to walk back across the street over to another bank down the way. Finally $$!

Went back to the store to get the bags. Ugh.

Had just enough time to run home and change then head back out.

I always forget to take pictures before & after we weed, it makes such a huge difference. It feels so good to make things look great in just an hour!

Afterwards I hit the grocery store. Never got there this past weekend. By the time I got home the hubby was there but he had already eaten at the charity golf tournament he played in, so I did leftovers.

DINNER

had a Greek flair to it once again......

-flat out

-turkey burger

-Fix'ins: feta, kalamata olives, ketchup, lettuce and cukes

YUM!

Now I think a piece of the hubby's b-day cake is calling me.... chocolate w/ chocolate frosting....

Do you like gardening? Do you have a green thumb?? I try... not sure if I do, but I just learn by trial and error.... I think I'm starting to kinda get the hang of it..... I think....

Have a great night!!

Britt

Ready to Run... just not THAT early

2009-09-15T12:27:00.004-04:00

So this morning when my alarm went off at 5:20.....

I didn't get out of bed.

Instead I hit snooze.

Stupid me.

BUT........

I did finally get out for my run by 6:15!

It had to be a bit shorter than planned unfortunately though. I did just over 4 miles in about 32 minutes, warming up the first mile at about a 9 minute pace.

Even with my run cut short I was running a bit behind, so I quickly showered and got ready for work. Had to breakfast at my desk, fortunately the cafe has oats.

BREAKFAST

-oats

-mix-ins: little brown sugar, dried cranberries, ground flax and a little coconut flakes

Plugging through the workday, I hadn't packed a lunch.... so I am home right now eating that.

LUNCH

-crop share lettuce, tomato & cukes

-feta

-kalamata olives

-veggie burger

-little balsamic dressing

I have WAY too much on my plate, I think that is part of my issue with getting my runs in.

Last night I had school board, got home from that and worked on some job application stuff.

My "To Do" List Today

Let my Reach the Beach team know I'm alive and send out final details, since I'm captain and all
Put together my "to do" list for the 5K race I'm directing, nail down the # of volunteers I need and where they are all assigned, figure out what tasks I need to full unload on key volunteers, also need to follow up on age group prizes
Meet my team of weeders after work to do some weeding & prep for some fall plantings downtown next week.
Get my job application out to my dream job!

Um I think that is it for now.... I have little notes to myself all over the place... not good.

Hope your day is a little less chaotic than mine.

What type of organization system works best for you, do you do everything on your computer? Do you write it down? Do you do both (that seems to be what I'm doing lately)?

Have a great day!!

Britt

Refocusing.....

2009-09-14T07:27:00.005-04:00

Good Morning! How can it be Monday already..... weekends go by too fast!

Hope your Monday is off to a good start. Despite morning coming too fast, I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm! Getting up wasn't too hard since I woke up on my own.

First up, Kettlebell!

We did as much work as possible in each 3 minute round. Repeat the entire workout twice!

Round 1
Double Swings x 5
Double Front Squats x 5

Round 2
Turkish Get Up + Snatch x 2 per side

Round 3
See-Saw Press x 5 per side
Suitcase Lunges x 5 per side

Round 4
Double Clean + Press x 5
Double Static Rows x 5 per side

Yep that woke me up!

Any time you do double bells it take it out of you.

I was primarily using two 20lb bells, couple of times I switched to 16lb ones.

After class I was hungry hungry hungry!!

BREAKFAST

-Kashi H2H, plain greek yogurt, blueberries, ground flax, little mixed berry jam and almond butter

I also packed up my lunch.

-Salmon & chickpea salad w/ olive oil mayo & dill, peas and tomatoes
I am a bit frustrated with the mileage I logged last week, I need to stick to my training plan more. Life seems to be getting in the way to much... I just have a lot going on right now. I think I'm in that training mid-point where you need to really focus and recommit yourself to finishing what you started.

Marathon training is a huge commitment and I think sometimes I don't truly appreciate all that it requires. It doesn't intimidate me as much as it used to, which is good but I also need to appreciate what my body is capable of and what it needs out of my training. I need to put that mileage in and do so in a gradual way so that I don't injure myself.

How do you recommit yourself to your goals? Do you write them down again, tweak or reformulate your game plan... Seek the advice of others? Find inspiration in others?

Happy Monday!

Britt

My big news & another beach run!

2009-09-13T15:55:00.002-04:00

Hello! Hope you are having a great Sunday!

I could be out biking with the hubby on his birthday ride, but I ran this morning and have stuff to take care of this afternoon.... so I let him go ride with the boys. He's all excited to ride his new bike! (a new one was required as his frame on his old one cracked!)

We had a fabulous time last night, but unfortunately my pictures came out awful..... it was so dark in the restaurant (and I didn't want to use my flash). So after I skipped my 5 mile race in the rain, yes I'm a wimp, I took the hubby out for his birthday dinner (well the fancy one).

We went to one of my FAVORITE places ever in Kittery, Maine called Anneka Jans. If you are ever in the area I HIGHLY recommend this place. So. Good.

What we ate......

Bangs Island Mussels, Bacon, Shallots, White Wine, Cream

Organic Greens, Sweet & Sour Golden Raisins, Toasted Pine Nuts, Champagne Vinaigrette

Halibut pan seared w/ peas, lobster cream sauce, spring onions and potatoes (what I could remember, they don't have it on the website)

Seared Duck Breast, Wild Rice Pancake, Grilled Asparagus, Blueberry Glaze (the birthday boy's meal)

We shared a yummy bottle of Pinot Noir. After dinner we met up with some friends for cocktails.

I took it easy though and didn't finish my drink at two places we went. I had to be ready for my run this morning!

Today

I didn't get the earliest start, but that is ok at least I got going. :)

I ate breakfast in the car, as I needed a little ocean for inspiration again.

BREAKFAST

-Clif Kid Twisted Fruit

(super sweet)

-Kashi Granola Bar
Then I was off. See why I go to the coastal route to run.
In some parts there is even a nice little trail, but primarily nice WIDE bike lanes most of the way.

I brought 3 Gu's with me. I took one about every 40-45 minutes. This was at about the half way point. Me and lots of surfers. :)

I didn't do all 20 miles though. The first half of the run I was dragging, the second half I got some energy but I could feel a little aching in my right foot's arch. I ended up doing 16 miles in about 2 hours and 15 minutes, so around an 8:30 pace.

I grabbed some stuff from the car and hit the beach.

I figured some nice cool ocean water would be good for my feet.

Aaaahhh.......
I did some stretching on the beach and enjoyed some food and drink.

-Cashew Larabar
-Peach & Mandarin 10 Calorie Vitamin Water

(I was craving something other than just water, which I drank a good amount of on my run... thanks to my fuel belt)
I couldn't stay too long though, I had to run some errands and get home. On my way home I picked up the hubby's b-day cake for dinner to night with the family.

I was HUNGRY so I whipped up a quick lunch....

LUNCH

-canned salmon & chickpeas w/ little olive oil mayo and herbs

-peas

-left over potato salad

It was actually pretty darn tasty, I also have some leftovers for tomorrows lunch too! Yay!

Ok, so my big news.....

.......

..............

....................

Nope not pregnant. LOL

I got my own website. :)

Figured if I was going to do this blogging thing I should go a little more all out.

I'm not transitioning quite yet, but you can do a quick preview if you want.

www.runnerbelle.com

I welcome any suggestions too. :)

Enjoy the rest of the day!!

Britt

Incommunicado.....

2009-09-12T15:40:00.003-04:00

Sorry about my blogging absence.

Yes I'm alive. I've just been kinda.... blah... and busy.

This week went WAY downhill Thursday morning, since then its mildly improved due to good things happening with friends..... but for me personally its been a bit of a struggle. I won't get into too much but I'm just not in a happy place professionally right now and I'm not really sure how to get out of the rut I'm currently in. Of course this isn't the best job market to make a change, but for mental sanity it may be required.

Enough of that.

On Thursday to save my sanity and get a task completed I went to the greenhouse after work. It was excellent therapy, running around acres of greenhouse.

I was picking out plants for some planters & barrels downtown. Lots of mums, kale and cabbage (not sure if its edible.... kale chips anyone?)

I do have good things happening to people around me......

So since my Thursday was just all around bad, it was nice to have something to celebrate Thursday night! One of my good friends who graduated with his phd this past spring finally got a teaching job. Yay!

Then Friday another friend accepted a job working for my hubby! Yay!

Kettlebelled in the morning.

It was annother one of those... only two exercises classes that I'm not a fan of....

WORKOUT

3 minutes, as many rounds of

-3 deadlifts

-7 burpees w/ a push up

Done 5 times. 1 minute rest between 3 minute intervals.

The cool thing though was that I graced the gyms website for the day....

That is me on Wednesday, showing off doing double ropes...

too bad I'm faceless,

although that may be a good thing, I was probably making a scary "I'm working hard" face.

I also treated myself to a lunch I haven't had in awhile....

Chicken Salad w/ lots of Veggies on Ciabatta Bread

(spinach, carrots, cucumbers, red onion and tomato... YUM)

Friday night, last night, we went to a friend's CD release party and had lots of fun catching up.

Right this moment I should be getting ready for the 5 mile race I'm signed up for.... but the pouring rain outside is not really inspiring me. Ugh.

I'm kind of in slack mode today.... although I was productive and painted the laundry room!

Obviously it still has a ways to go, need to epoxy the floor, do cabinets, install the sink, etc. But its a start. Plus look at that beautiful new washer & dryer combo.....

Alright... well I'll report later on if I made it to the race.

We are heading out later to celebrate the hubby's b-day!! (which is actually tomorrow)

I'm taking him to one of our FAVORITE restaurants and then meeting up with friends afterwards for drinks. :)

Have you ever been in a career funk? Or changed your mind about what you want to be when you grow up? How did you approach it?

Britt

Doublin' up....

2009-09-09T20:56:00.003-04:00

Two classes tonight..... very different workouts!

First up Kettlebell (since I slept in by accident)

Warm Up

-run 200m

-5 pushups

-7 situps

-9 air squats

4 times through

Workout

20 seconds of each exercise 20 second rest, repeat 8 times at each station

-Pull ups (with a jump) / push ups

-Double bell squat / Plank

-snatches left and then right

-battling ropes/ box jumps

That was a doozie!! I took my sweaty self home, took Reggie for a walk while downing some milk & soy protein powder.

Showered up and then was off to yoga.

This was just want I needed.... nice and relaxing.

Tonight we focused on anger, which apparently is kept in your hips....

A lot of the poses/moves were focused on opening up your hips.

It felt wonderful. Of course there were a few poses that weren't "easy" but it felt awesome by the end. Yay yoga!!!!

After class I headed home to make dinner.

While cooking I had this times.... 3 maybe

-bread & hummus

DINNER

-baked haddock: 350 for about 20 minutes

dipped fish in milk, rolled in panko

little garlic

seafood seasoning

lemon zest and lemon juice

sprayed cookie sheet w/ canola oil

-baked kale chips: tossed in olive oil, ground pepper & little salt
Debating on if I should do my speed work tomorrow or just consider the 5M race on Saturday my speedwork..... what to do. Guess I'll see how I feel tomorrow. :)

Do you count races as speedwork? (for you runners out there) Or would you still do speedwork 2 days before a race...... I think I may have answered my own question. ;)

Have a great night!

Britt

Big news a coming.....

2009-09-09T13:20:00.003-04:00

But, you will have to wait.

But I took a big step today.

And it wasn't just signing up for the 2010 Boston Marathon. :)

Maybe I'll share tonight but at the latest Friday.

I tried to be a bit more creative today with lunch......

LUNCH
-1 leftover ear of corn, cut from cobb
-1 c TJ's Cuban Style Black Beans
-1 c Broccoli
-1 small cucumber
-about 10 cherry tomatoes
-1 T hummus
-sprinkle of mexican cheese
-1 piece of bakery bread

It was pretty good. Interesting mix of flavors but it was tastey.

Plus I am crazy full now from those beans.

But since I have kettlebell & yoga planned for after work I packed a Oikos & granola for a snack a little later.

Alright back to work.

It is so beautiful out I hate to go back. :(

Hope y'all had a great lunch too!

Britt

What time is it..... ack crap

2009-09-09T07:48:00.003-04:00

That was me this morning. Blah!

I set my alarm but forgot to turn it on. I woke up just in time to see that I was missing the start of the 6am kettlebell class. Gggrrrr......

Now I have to do some serious cramming of activities in after work.

4:30 Kettlebell (sneak out of work early)

6:15 Yoga

At least its a relaxing yoga class, it will be interesting to pair the two back to back..... especially as I got a sneak peak at today's Kettlebell class and it looks like a doozie.

Reggie and I got our walk in and then it was time for some breakfast.

BREAKFAST

-1/2 c oats

-3/4 c water

-toppings: sprinkle of maple flax granola, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, ground flax

-drowned it a bit in about a 1/4 c of milk

I remembered my fun new water bottle today.....bring on the water! Its cute, its green and it has a flippy up straw.

In just an hour or so registration opens for the mother of all races.....

THE BOSTON MARATHON!!!

Not sure if I'll sign up today, need to see what the entry fee is first. But I'll definitely be signing up as my mom will be running it as well. I am so happy I was able to qualify at Boston this year, it takes so much pressure off my fall marathon..... and thus why I have the tendancy to slack a bit in the fall.

If you haven't noticed I have posted my marathon history over on the right..... I find it amusing to look back and see how I have progressed. As well as see the difference between spring and fall races.

How far ahead do you plan races? (if you run) Marathons I definitely plan ahead a bit more for, other races not so much.

My current racing calendar looks like this

Sept. 12, 5 M race

Sept. 18-19, Reach the Beach Relay, total mileage for me 21.3M

Nov. 1, NYC Marathon

Nov. 8, might do an all womens 1/2 Marathon

Nov. 26th might do a Turkey Day 5K

Then its pretty much on to 2010, last year I started off with a 10K on New Years Day in the snow..... See if I am crazy enough to do that again!

Have a great day!

Britt

Weeding & Wine......

2009-09-08T21:01:00.005-04:00

The location this week was the local visitors center.

It wasn't in too bad of shape so we made quick work. (that is me looking up)

Afterwards it was time for some wine. :)
And maybe a little bit of spinach and artichoke dip. Yummy!

I think I OD'd on white bread.

I left early to come home and whip up a quick dinner. I swear I fall back on sandwiches way too often when I don't know what to do. I need to stop that.

DINNER

-garden burger, veggie medley

-sandwich thin

-hummus & spinach

-side of celery w/ yogurt ranch dressing

I'm pooped. Definitely need to hit the hay early tonight.

I'm very excited to go to Kettlebell tomorrow morning, they are in their new location, it has to be almost 3 times the size of their original location! I drove by tonight and could see people working out inside. Yay!! So excited!

Hope your week is off to a good start.

How good are you at drinking enough water? I'm feeling a bit dry tonight, don't think I drank enough water today. What are you tips/tricks to drinking more?

Goodnight!!

Britt

Lunch Interrupted.....

2009-09-08T13:33:00.003-04:00

I had just finished my yummy sandwich and had started on my carrots & hummus when the alarm went off........

Yep, the stupid fire alarm interrupted my lunch. :(

So I took my carrots & hummus with me and dined outside. :)

Prior to lunch I went for a wonderful 4 mile run.

Little warmer than I expected and a little stinky too.....
trash day got moved back a day due to the holiday..... p.u.

I have so many random thoughts on my runs. I was debating what interesting thing to blog about.... sometimes I think I have so many ideas that when I sit down to write I just get overwhelmed and blog about nothing..... well the basic nothings.

One (of many) thought in my head today was sunscreen & ways I try to protect myself from the sun. But there has also been a lot of debate lately about if we are preventing ourselves from getting enough vitamin D with all this sunblock/sun protection.

I wear SPF 30 on my face every day, its in the moisturizer I use. I had a basal cell spot removed from my forehead last year, so I'm very cautious. Plus my mom has a history of skin cancer as well... basal and squamous cell.

When I do my lunch time runs, they only last 30-40 minutes, so I don't usually put sunscreen on the rest of me. For my long runs where I am out for an hour and half or more, I do use a sports sunblock all over of at least SPF 30.

But after hearing about Deena Kastor and her recent injury it made me wonder if I'm getting enough vitamin D. I'm going to keep wearing my sunscreen, especially on my longer runs, but at my next physical I might ask my doctor about getting my vitamin D level checked.

Do you wear sunscreen ever day? Have you had your vitamin D level checked ever?

Britt

Monday in disguise.....

2009-09-08T07:47:00.002-04:00

I had great intentions to get up and make 6am kettlebell this morning.... but 5:30 came too quickly and the snooze button got used. :)

It felt good to sleep in though. Definitely feeling like a Monday. But I guess the bonus is that Friday will come that faster!

I'm hopeful that my noon time run will work out, since I could not motivate this morning.

After walking Reggie I was thinking oats for breakfast, but then found an almost empty tub of greek yogurt and decided to make use of it.

BREAKFAST

-greek yogurt

-handful blueberries

-1/2 c Kashi H2H

-1/4 c Caribbean granola

-1 T almond butter

I also had my act together enough to make some lunch.

LUNCH

-spinach flat out, turkey, laughing cow light garlic & herb cheese, spinach

-carrots w/ hummus

May also grab a larabar or some greek yogurt for a snack too.

What helps you get out of bed for early morning exercise? Especially when the alarm seems to go off way too early!

Have a great day!

Britt

Attack of the giant mud bugs.....

2009-09-07T21:43:00.002-04:00

Well that came later in the day.....

But first it started off civilized. After putting annoying fliers on cars at a local 5K for the 5K I'm planning.... we headed to breakfast.

Florentine Benedict.....

Hollandaise on the side. Thank you.

After hanging out downtown, listening to some great street performers it was off to the ocean.

The hubby wanted to skip some rocks.
Then enjoy the calm.....
But eventually we headed home to sand & prime the new laundry area

After that I headed off to pick up our CSA for the week....

lots o' stuff

-purple basil, peppers, squash, cucumbers, watermelon, tomatoes, beans, garlic, potatoes, etc.
We had our lovely friends over that we share our CSA with.... Glenn & Aviva.

Before prepping the rest of dinner I made a tomato basil salad for later.
First course of dinner was mussels and steamers. YUM!!!

Mussels- garlic, onion, tomatoes, white wine, parsley and olive oil
Oh and some bread for all that yummy mussel broth.
First course.....
Remains of the first course.....
One of the best parts... the mussel broth
After a nice hiatus... it was time for the giant mud bugs... aka lobsters.

(yes I lived down south for a bit)
Hello Mr. Lobster (with cookies in the background)
We had a lovely dinner on the deck.
Digging in.
The remains of the day.....
What is that.... my husband is cleaning!!!??

We need to have friends over more often.

Then after a bit of clean up, it was time for dessert.

Those lovely cookies and some dark chocolate covered almonds.

Good day. Between the walking after breakfast and the priming I figured that was my exercise for the day. A holiday requires rest right? Plus after my 18 miles yesterday I was feeling the need for a day off, but not exactly one sitting on the sofa. I don't do well with those, especially when it is nice out.

Hope you had a great Labor Day!!!

What do you do on rest day??

Britt

Beachin it.....

2009-09-06T14:09:00.003-04:00

I was rather excited for today's run when I got up. I could not wait to get down to the beach and enjoy my run.

Before heading out the door,

I ate a slice of ww bread and a smear of almond butter.

Along the way I swung by my mom's. She is my Gu supplier.

Then me & Henrietta (the hula dancer) headed to the beach with the Gu. :) I was driving the hubby's truck as he had asked to borrow mine.

I had one Gu before heading out.... then I geared up

-fuel belt w/ water

-3 Gu's

-iPhone w/ some tunes playing

It was GORGEOUS out! Lots of surfers, bikers, motorcycle riders, walkers, etc. out and about.

Of course by this picture you couldn't tell many people were out!

I enjoyed the scenery and a few of the oh so little houses along the way.....
Its was a relatively flat out and back route, but there were a few areas with a bit of an incline.
More of those vacation "cottages.....

It did feel very good to be DONE! I felt awesome about half way through but by the end I was definitely DRAGGING......

Miles: 18

Time: about 2.5 hours, I was having watch issues

Pace: averages out to about an 8:20 pace

I want a Garmin..... I'm tempted now that the 405 is out the 305 is a tad cheaper.

Anyhow, since I was at the beach I did my post run stretch and cool down on the beach.

Little coconut water.

This was my first try. It was SO YUMMY!!!

Hey if this is better for me than Gatorade, I'll take it!

BEACH....
My Feet & BEACH
On my way back to the truck I pulled out a sandwich I had made

-ww bread

-almond butter

-few chopped walnuts

-few dried cranberries

Once home I showered up and gave in to my craving.....

GREEN MONSTER.... this one truly was a monster about 1.5 glasses worth

-2 large handfuls spinach

-ice

-1/2 frozen banana

1/2 cup blueberries

-1 c milk

-1 T ground flax

-1 T almond butter

-1 small scoop soy protein powder

Now I need to prep & pack stuff for the in-laws party.

Already hit the liquor store for wine

(and Home Depot for primer...if I'm lucky I get to prime later, oh yay... blah).

Hope you are having a fabulous Sunday!!

What is your favorite post run or post work out meal?

Britt

One thing leads to another....

2009-09-05T20:14:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday we were informed by my father-in-law on a killer deal for a Whirlpool washer & dryer. So we of course cannot pass up a great deal!

For most folks that would be the end of it, sell your old ones and wait for the delivery of the new ones.

Not us.

They are getting delivered next Friday.

In the meantime we are going to start working on turning this......

Into more of a laundry room.

Wish us luck.

So instead of enjoying the beautiful day out......

we moved everything out of the laundry storage area

went through everything, created a Goodwill pile

bought & hung drywall... well the hubby hung it... I was attempting to clean our disaster of a house!

The rest of the weekend will involve

mudding & taping

sanding

priming

painting

and if we have time sealing the floor with an epoxy paint

Don't you wish you were me?? ;)

At least earlier in the day I got to enjoy the weather, weeding & my bike ride to the natural food store. Which the store wasn't really as great as I was hoping it would be... so sad. The selection was kind of ho hum. :( Trader Joe's and Whole Foods why oh why can't you be closer! (well its only really an hour but I hate to drive that far just for food)

Oh well....

So eventually I had a late lunch.

LUNCH

-spinach flat out, sundried tomato hummus, slice of provolone

-then I added some spinach after the fact as I felt it needed a little something more....

Dinner tonight was camera shy.... mainly I was exhausted.

I think I was on my feet too much today and in crappy supporting shoes... so my arches are hurting. :(

We don't have much in the fridge, but I threw together a few things....

DINNER

-Henry & Lisa's Salmon Burgers on ww buns w/laughing cow garlic & herb cheese

-grilled onions, these are some from our CSA that are so sweet and yummy

-steamed asparagus

I'm debating hitting the grocery store, but I may wait till tomorrow. I need to get the supplies I promised to bring to the party tomorrow. I think I'll go tomorrow though and instead I might make some deadly, but oh so good King Arthur Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies for the party.

Then I need to hit the hay, I want to be up and out early for my long run. Since I'm going to the beach I want to get there before it gets too crowded and so I can find a FREE place to park. Yes I'm cheap. :)

Have a great night!!

Britt

Lemon drop kick off....

2009-09-05T11:48:00.004-04:00

Happy Labor Day Weekend! :)

Hope your weekend is off to a great start, I know mine was yesterday after work.

I met some friends out for cocktails, this lovely was how I started my weekend......

Its a lemon drop martini, made with fresh lemon juice. So good. Very summery and delicious. We hung out long enough for me to enjoy two, had to wait for the hubby to get done with work.

Once we all had time for a drink or two we were off to the grocery store. Luckily our friend Glenn is a great cook so he put us to work searching out items to create a yummy dinner.

DINNER

-salad: field greens, tomato & cucumber

-soup: creamy mushroom soup, it was SO GOOD, lots of cream though, fortunately it was a small serving

-main course: chicken marsala w/ pasta

-side: kale & kidney beans w/ garlic (this was surprisingly good)

-dessert: brownie bites

We also managed to polish off a few bottles of wine over the course of the evening. I made sure to drink plenty of water and take my time. :)

It was SO SO SO nice to sleep in this morning!

I really do appreciate my rest days. Although I guess to some my rest days aren't all that restful.

First up was a walk with Reggie and then the hubby and I met his family for breakfast.

BREAKFAST

-blueberry, banana, walnut pancakes

-1 scrambled egg

-coffee & water

After breakfast I tended to some of the plant barrels downtown, they have been a bit neglected for awhile. Oh how I love gardening on a median of a busy intersection, bent over, so my bum is sticking out at the world. LOL

After about an hour I was done. Then I walked to the library to find it CLOSED for the entire weekend.... ack! What the heck... so not right!! The holiday is Monday, not the entire weekend. So sad. :( I just returned my books in the drop box and walked back home empty handed.

Reggie was happy to see me back, but little did he know today was bath day! He hates baths but at least now I have a squeaky clean pooch.

Next up a bike ride to the natural food store.... been meaning to go there for quite some time. Seems the "natural" thing to do is to bike there. But first I need to rotate the laundry.....

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Britt

Older Runner/Fitness Blogs?

2009-09-04T13:54:00.004-04:00

I had lunch with my mom today (hi mom!) and we were chatting about blogs.

I think she would make an excellent food & fitness blogger!

She is a HUGE inspiration to me and I think she would be to others as well. Plus her past careers have involved journalism and photography, so I think she would have some great content.

But as I'm trying to find some inspiration for her, I'm having trouble finding fitness, running or healthy food blogs by those of the older generation..... like 60+. Do they exist? Can you recommend one or any? Maybe this is an area folks haven't tapped into yet?

We had lunch at one of our favorite spots....

Portsmouth Tea Company

Along with great tea they have some yummy lunches too!

I had my favorite iced tea ever, iced Geisha Green Tea

LUNCH

-lentil chili

-curried chicken salad w/ bacon on sourdough toasted...... YUM

Tasty lunch. :)

As usual I wolfed mine down in comparison to my mom..... the. slow. eater.

Maybe someday I'll learn to go slower.

So let me know about those "older" blogger folks if you have come across any. :)

Enjoy the rest of your FRIDAY!!!

Britt

Don't cry over spilled oats......

2009-09-04T08:46:00.004-04:00

This has not been my week for morning kitchen activities.

I think I need to start cooking my oats ahead of time. This morning I was in a rush and did the microwave..... I added too much water when I guesstimated rather than using a measuring cup. When I took my bowl out of the microwave it spilled all over. :(

Guess I'm klutzy in the morning.

Made me realize though I really need to clean my floors.

I was able to salvage most of it though... just a bit liquidy.

BREAKFAST
-1/4 cup oats
-1/5 cup Hodgson Mills Multi Grain Cereal
-1/2 cup Kashi H2H
-Mix-ins: blueberries, cranberries, walnuts, ground flax, T of AB

Kettlebell this morning was kind blech. Which was sad as it was the last class I will go to at that location. They are moving a couple blocks away to a much bigger space, very exciting! But it was kind of sad to have the last class at the original studio be kinda blah.....

Warm-up

200M run

5 push ups

7 situps

9 air squats

repeat as many times as you could in 7 minutes

(think I did it 5 times, didn't remember to count, oops)

Workout

4 minutes of work, 1 minute of rest, 5 times

2 cleans each side

4 split squats each side

6 thrusters each side

(I did 3-4 cycles in 4 minutes)

I think doing only 3 exercises is what made it not a fun on. That plus more squats. My legs are still feeling the 200 squats from Wednesday. I'm really looking forward to my rest day tomorrow, hopefully my legs will feel better by Sunday for my long run. I will definitely be hitting the beach on Sunday for my run, I need a change of scenery!

Now to work. I'm sipping on some yummy Jasmine Green Tea, I had a stash of loose leaf in my desk that I had forgotten about. Tea doesn't go bad, does it?

On tap for today.....

-might see if my mom can do lunch, if not I may venture to the natural food store and see what they have for lunch specials

-3M run after work, yes I WILL get my run in

-dinner with friends. :) yay! most likely good wine will be enjoyed. thinking we may bike over to their house.

Happy Friday!! Hope you have a fabulous day!!

Britt

Who needs the Discovery Channel.....

2009-09-03T21:17:00.003-04:00

When while out for a run you can see a hawk swoop down and catch a fish.....

While on my lunch hour run that is what I saw!

I was just plugging along crossing a bridge that goes over a river when I saw something go flying into the river, by the time I looked the hawk had the fish in his mouth and was heading off. I love seeing random stuff like that on my runs. Usually its turkeys or deer, hanging out... not so much action normally.

My lunch time run was just what the doctor ordered. I guess that is the one good thing about the cooler weather, I can run at noon time now..... and not die.

People who run at noon time when its over 90 degrees are stupid... just my opinion. But blech. That is just asking for punishment. Plus I would never cool down after that, even with a shower I'd be a drippy mess for quite awhile.

That is the other thing that allows me to run from work, we have showers!! Of all the stupid things I question in our building at least they got that right, a locker room. Although then stupid stepped in.... we aren't allowed to keep anything in the lockers overnight. PIA. We used to be able to, but then they changed it.... guess someone complained that those of us who regularly workout were hogging them. Well now they are essentially useless. Rant over.

Food.

Well you saw my lunch earlier today. I did have my normal mid-morning snack.

-ww toast w/honey PB

-green tea (I had two cups this size today)

(little shout out to the SC folks... not sure when we got this mug)

I stayed at work a bit late, so no yoga tonight. :(

Instead I just headed home afterwards, but Reggie was happy to see me. We pounded the pavement for a walk and then I tended to the flowers & plants.... they needed some water.

I was rewarded with some lovely fruits of my labor though....

They are all kinda funny shaped, but they look delish!

I had a head of cabbage I needed to use to I made a boat load of cole slaw, which I can bring to a party this weekend.

DINNER

-pork w/some mesquite seasoning

-cole slaw: cabbage, carrots, olive oil mayo, S&P, and white wine vinegar

-steamed zucchini & summer squash

Dinner was accompanied by a glass of Two Buck Chuck. :) Love my cheapy wine. But its also cause I didn't have anything chilling in the fridge, could have used a rose or pinot gris tonight.

Very happy tomorrow is Friday AND its a long weekend. YAY!!

What do you have planned for the holiday weekend?? Cookouts? Hanging with friends?

We have a party at my in-laws, some friends are hosting one too....

Gotta get my long run in....

Distributing fliers for my 5K at another race on Monday.....

Putting together my "to do" list for the race... getting down to crunch time

Tending some planters downtown on some traffic islands... been a bit neglectful of them

So it will be a mix of fun, exercise and a little work... but good work.

Have a great night!!

Britt

A FULL team!

2009-09-03T08:47:00.004-04:00

My Reach the Beach team is finally complete!

Thank you Artie!! (and thank you E for donating your hubby!)

Now to see where we are at with leg assignments, unfortunately I think I need to be a good captain and take leg 1.

Its kind of a crappy one....
-most total distance
-your longest run is your last run and has the most vertical gain
-if someone drops out due to injury, you are the that needs to fill in after the other van bumps everyone up a space

But at least I should be done first. :)

This morning I slept in.... ahh so nice.... till 6:30. Walked Reggie, made my breakfast and packed my lunch.

BREAKFAST
-1/4 cup oats
-little less than 1/4 cup Hodgson Mills Multi Grain Cereal
-3/4 cup water
-1/4 milk
- 1 T almond butter
-toppings: walnuts, flax, dried cranberries and blueberries

LUNCH
And my lovely lunch will be this gorgeous salad
-spinach, green beans, red pepper, broccoli, broccosprouts, carrots, feta, dried cranberries and walnuts

Also some of that yummy CSA cantaloupe w/ plain greek yogurt.

Looking forward to my lunch time run!

Its another gorgeous day here, I cannot wait for the weekend!! I should have great weather for my long run this weekend, all 18 miles of it. I think I may head to the beach and run along the ocean, it definitely helps the miles pass by.

I'm semi tempted to go back to yoga again today. Yes I become easily addicted.

I'm also curious to try out my old high school art teachers class though, I noticed she teaches a Hatha class on Thursdays. It might be a bit of a time crunch though.... so we will see. She was a great teacher though, I took photography with her as I'm not very artistically inclined as far as drawing/painting. If I cannot make it I may just dowload something from online.

Do you do yoga? How often do you do it? What benefits have you found from it?

Have a fabulous day!

Britt

Namaste

2009-09-02T21:18:00.006-04:00

Yay for yoga!!

A couple of friends were headed to a class downtown and I had the feeling it was just what I needed!

Of course like most things in my life it involved a bit of running around first..... get my yoga mat back from my sister-in-law and get money from the ATM. Decided all this while walking Reggie about a half hour before class. :)

It was definitely worth the running around though.

The class was very relaxing and thoughtful, much different than the ashtanga I did regularly a few years back.

This is the description from the studio's website...

rasamaya translates as “fluid”; and is a method of movement that focuses on weaving one of the nine major rasas, or major emotions that sustain our life, through an entire flowing class. Rasamaya classes always begin with intention setting and yogic philosophy and may weave discussion, chanting, breathwork and meditation into movement flows that are grounded in the chakra system (or subtle energetic system). The classes are designed to be light hearted, students often remark that these often laughter filled classes are complete in nature and leave the body expanded and the mind grounded. Rasamaya I is perfect for the practitioner looking for a gentle flowing yoga class. After opening the mind, the body is invited to journey into the same expansion as we find our way into a soft asana flow, moving from spine and hip warming exercises, into gentle sun salutes blended with some additional asanas that benefit our body and open our chakras (energy centers). Class will finish with yin posture work and a seated meditation before moving into deep relaxation and savasana. Appropriate for all practitioners, especially those seeking a gentler practice.

Loved it!

I left feeling so refreshed. It was also nice to go with friends. :)

I'm thinking I really need to add some yoga into my weekly schedule. Might balance out my workouts a bit and get me to stretch more!

Food....

I was a green tea drinking machine today.

I just kept letting the bags multiple as I kept refilling with hot water......

I did have a very small piece of yummy birthday cake at work. My team loves to celebrate a birthday. :) Todays was vanilla cake with a light vanilla frosting drizzled with caramel. Yum.

It was a nice light cake..... taste wise at least.

After work I ran some errands, picked up some grocery items that I was running low on and to complete some recipes.

Reggie and I went for a nice long walk, then I was off to yoga. Aaahhhh.....

Then I headed home to make dinner.

DINNER

-baked haddock w/ panko breadcrumbs, little parmesan, garlic, drizzle of olive oil and seafood seasoning

-steamed green beans

-tomato basil salad w/ olive oil and balsamic vinegar

After dinner I finally cut up my delicious cantaloupe from our CSA, so good!

I snacked on a bit as I chopped.

Look how cute it is....
Yum!

I also snacked on another piece of Silken Vanilla Cake... really probably didn't need it after the b-day cake earlier today.... but its hard to go without something sweet at night.

Curious how my legs are going to feel tomorrow on my run, after doing 200 squats this morning...... eeks. I think I may run at lunch time, actually running home to walk Reggie and then running back. Although that involves me getting my lunch made in the morning........

When do you pack your lunch, the night before or the morning of? How do you avoid smooshy bread, do you separately pack all your sandwich fixin's?

Have a great night!

Britt

I'm a haht breakah

2009-09-02T13:32:00.004-04:00

he he....

sorry... I have that photo in my picasa album and it always makes me laugh. not sure why I didn't use it when it was taken.

That is the shirt I bought at the Boston Marathon this year.....
as only a Bostonian could say "Heart Breaker" for conquering Heart Break Hill!

Every year Nike does some fun girlie shirts for the marathon, I tend to go for one of those over the "official race apparel" that Adidas does.

Anyhow back to food stuff....

oh but wait

dentist visit this morning.

Went ok. I need to take better care of my gums though. They aren't perfectly healthy, but no horrible.... yet. So I need to get moving on buying a Sonicare Toothbrush and some different mouthwash.... got keep my lovely teeth & gums happy!!!

Now on to food. Despite my hearty oats for breakfast, I needed a nibble mid-morning.

SNACK
-ww toast w/ little honey PB
-green tea

Then it was home around noon time to walk Mr. Reggie.... apparently he couldn't wait for me, I found an accident. :( He has been so good lately, not sure what's up.

After cleaning it was time for some lunch. I attempted Elizabeth's "crack wrap", but failed due to lack of time. I just couldn't wait for the melty goodness to happen....I did try but jumped the gun too soon and removed it from the heat too quickly. No melty.....

LUNCH
-light spinach flat out, Sabra hummus, provolone, little turkey (unlike E, I'm not a veggie)
-side of apples w/ a little AB

Then for a treat I grabbed some Silken Vanilla Cake as I headed out. Still not sure how I feel about this.... I may try some of the recipes from Nasoya's site sometime though. Definitely some tastey looking treats to be made with the Silken Creations line.

Back to work. Lucky me, I have NO MEETINGS tonight! Yay!!

What is your favorite "healthy" dessert?

Britt

100 push ups before 7 am.....

2009-09-02T07:14:00.002-04:00

I was SO tempted to stay in bed this morning. I debated going to the 5:30 Kettlebell class, but finally wise me said, go now or else it ain't gonna happen.

Off I went.

Today's class was more crossfit.

20 minutes, 2 minutes per round, 10 rounds

5 burpees

10 push ups

15 swings

20 (deep) air squats

thus 100 push ups before 7am....

Back in the day I could have hardly done 10 once, let alone 10, 10 times!

Then it was home to walk Reggie a bit more (he got shafted since I got up so late) and eat some breakfast.

Oats were on my mind again.

BREAKFAST

-oats

-1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup water

-handful blueberries

-1T almond butter

-1T ground flax

-1T chopped walnuts

-few dried cranberries

-scoop of plain greek yogurt

Unfortunately before work I have a dentist appointment. Blech. It usually isn't too bad, but I always get scolded for not flossing enough.... I'm trying to get better about it though!

Crossing fingers its quick and painless.

Have a great day!! Its the first day of school here... all the kiddos are back out the bus stops.

When did kids start school in your area?

Britt