Hi I'm 340 calories.....

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

(photo courtesy of MSNBC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even thest people are a blur.....

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

Now on to FOOD!

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

LUNCH

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

-leftover soycutash w/ feta 

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

Strawberry Chobani & granola

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

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

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

Anyhow.... dinner.

DINNER

-sauteed chicken with mexican seasoning

-ww tortilla

-salsa

-mexican shredded cheeses

-plain Oikos 

And a Pumpkinhead Ale.  :)

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

Have a great night!

Britt

Running races.....

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

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

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

Friday

-was up early for 6am Kettlebell

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

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

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

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

-more race prep and then to bed by 11pm

Saturday

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

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

-headed to the office to prep post race refreshments

-then packed up and headed to the registration area

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

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

-then racers started to arrive!!!

Rainy registration....

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

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

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

All went really smooth. 

Except....

For that stupid timing company!!!  

They. Took. Forever. 

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

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

I am so excited for next year!!  :)

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

Sunday

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

-off to the beach at 7:30am

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

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

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

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

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

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

My MOM! (us before our beer)

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

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

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

Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Britt

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

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

And back to your usual programing.....

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......

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

Ready to Run... just not THAT early

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

I'm not booked tonight.....

Good Morning!!!

Yes, I'll just quickly gripe once again how flippin dark it is in the morning....gggrrrr... gripe done. 

Now its beautiful and sunny out though..... but its just about time to head to work.  :( Sometimes I miss my schedule I had as a waitress.... days off and then working 5-11 or so.  

I would get so much done in the mornings, but of course once the sun was UP. 

Reggie and I walked at 5:30 and then I was off to Kettlebell.  This mornings class was hard but fun, it was a relay!  Teams of 3.  We did 8 rounds of the following.....

200m sprint

8 box jumps

8 double cleans 

My group rocked! :)  

I felt awesome on the sprints... catching or beating some of the guys most times.... go me.  

Exciting news in Kettlebell land....  not only are they moving to a big new space BUT they are also going to be sponsors of the race I'm planning.... and are donating gift certificates for the top age group finishers!  I'm kinda jealous, I wish I could run the race and have the chance to win one.  I'm also still working on some food prizes too.... figure gift certificate and a food item....something to enjoy later and something to enjoy right away!  

Once home I watered plants and whipped a tall green one.

BREAKFAST

Green Monster

-2 handfuls spinach

-1 cup milk

-1 scoop soy protein powder

-1 handful blueberries

-1/2 frozen banana

-1t ground flax

I'm running late, time to get ready for work and get my butt out the door.   

I'm meeting my mom for lunch, yay, and I have NOTHING planned for after work tonight!  So nice to have a free night.  :)

Happy Hump Day!

Britt

Apple pie or gift certificate?

Success!  I got everything done on my to do list today.  :)

I wish I had pre-planned my food a bit more, but I also enjoyed relaxing yesterday and not running around in the kitchen.  

At lunch time, I picked up more food for Reggie.... he was very happy about this!  Headed home to take him for a walk and then feed myself. 

LUNCH

-flat out, left over turkey burger w/ cheddar, red pepper, sprouts, wickles and ketchup

-side of non-fat cottage cheese and mango (YUM!)

Before heading out the door I spied a few left over dark chocolate covered almonds (I had picked some up Saturday night when we had some friends over after dinner).  So good!  Perfect treat before heading back to work. 

I had a lot on my plate back at work, so I was glued to my desk.  I brought along the last of a bag of baby carrots.  I was able to CRUNCH out my frustration.  

After work I headed home quickly to walk Reggie and then ventured out again to meet the course certification guy.  He is an official USA Track & Field Course Certifier.  We mainly went over the start and finish of the race I'm organizing, figured out where we have room for adjustment and possible issues that might need to be resolved.  It went well!  I'm getting SUPER excited for the race.  We have sponsorships rolling in, racers signing up (10 today!) and volunteers lining up.  Yay!  

Once that meeting was over, I ran home quickly for some FOOD before my next meeting... school board. 

I grabbed the remnants of a couple turkey slices..... 

And the last of the non-fat cottage cheese with a little mango.  

It did the trick!  I had a Larabar in my purse but between the food and the HEAT (some day they may air condition city hall.... yeah right), I wasn't hungry for it.  Once home, I probably should have just had some cereal but instead went for a couple slices of left over pizza the hubby had left for me. 

DINNER

Nothing fancy.  But it was food.... Like I said wish I had pre-planned more.  But I hate to see pizza go to waste.  ;)

Well except maybe for the crust, it was a bit to doughy for my liking. 
I need to drink more water.  Feeling like I have been sweaty and clammy all day.  Also debating a popsicle..... thinking that may cool me off as well.  

Need to finish up some strategizing for the road race, mainly figuring out businesses to hit up for prizes.  What do you think are good age group prizes for a 5k?  This race/festival is apple themed so one of my thoughts are apple pies from a local bakery..... yes/no?  I also have gift certificates from a local running store.... but what would first get, gift certificate or a pie?  What would you appreciate more?  

Have a great night!!

Britt

Just another manic Monday......

Monday morning comes way too fast! My alarm at 5:25 this morning was not kind, I could have slept for at least an hour more. The fact that the sun is not coming up till almost 6 isn't helping either.... so sad, fall is coming. Boo hoo.

I took Reggie for a walk and then headed out the door to Kettlebell. The owner forgot to turn the a/c on last night... so it was crazy hot in the gym, blech.

Today's session, as many rounds as you could do in 4 minutes, 1 minute rest, all done 5 times.
12 Air Squats
9 American Swings ( I mainly used the red bell, think that is 36 lbs)
6 push ups

I was able to consistently do 4 rounds in 4 minutes, few times started a 5th round but didn't have time to finish. My thighs will DEFINITELY be sore tomorrow after all those squats!

Here is a picture with me in it at Kettlebell... I'm in the blue, think we were doing presses

Once home I got stuck having to wait for the shower, so I whipped up a quick Green Monster. Yes I'm addicted. I was a sweaty drippy mess and something cool and refreshing was in order. This morning's monster included.....

-couple handfuls spinach
-1 cup milk
-1/2 banana
-ice
-handful blueberries
-ground flax
-1T almond butter
-1 scoop soy protien powder
-couple pieces of mango



I think the mango gave it a bit of an orange glow around the edge.
The green monster hit the spot, but I know at work I'll need a snack.... I packed a cut up nectarine & a sandwich thin. I'll probably toast the sandwich thin and throw some PB on it. :)

Today is going to be crazy busy, aside from just normal work.

Lunch time

-pick up food for Reggie (keep forgetting, bad dog mom)

-walk Reggie (my dog walkers, aka in-laws, are going down to the Cape)

-actually EAT lunch

After work

-walk Reggie

-meet the course certification guy for the 5K, finally get the course certified!

-school board meeting (MUST remember to bring a snack!)

Hopefully I'll be home before 10pm. Blah. What a way to start the week!

What do you do to keep yourself sane on busy days? Aside from just cursing all the stuff you have to do. ;)

Happy Monday!!!

Britt

Why I don't weigh myself very often......

So this morning I decided to hop on the scale for the heck of it..... my abs are rock hard and flatter than they have been in awhile, my clothes are fitting well, I'm feeling strong and was curouis where I was at.....

I'm up 4 pounds from a few weeks ago? What? It really should have been down if anything.

I just shook my head, cursed at it and then was on my merry way to kettlebell.

I might weigh myself next Friday morning just to see if it was a fluke or what..... till then I'm focused on trying to keep a healthy balance with my eating & training.

This mornings Kettlebell class was a good one, Tabata!

Do 8 sets of 20 seconds at each station, 10 second rest between sets.

• Ring Rows
• Push Ups (OMG spaghetti arms!)
• Ball Slams (alternated btw a 12lb and 20 lb ball)
• Box Jumps
• Swings (54lb bell!)

Good workout!

I headed home to shower up and get ready for work.

Breakfast was a bit of debate, but then I decided on.....

- pineapple cottage cheese, berries, Kashi H2H, ground flax and a little almond butter

YUM!

In just a couple of hours I'll be saying good-bye to my car of the last 3 years. It was a fun car to drive.... when it wasn't at the garage getting fixed all the time. :( I'm ready for something a bit more reliable though, so bye bye BMW and hello Honda.

Today is going to be a hectic one.... between work and the rest of my life.

To Do (outside of work)

• Follow up with potential sponsors for a 5K I'm helping plan/organize
• Pick up stuff I forgot at the grocery store & swing by the wine shop
• Clean the house up a bit
• Prep food for tonight
• Try to squeeze my run in
• Possibly join the hubby for a wake (friend's dad passed away)
• Head down to the concert in the park
• Leave the concert a bit early to become the happy hostess!

Happy Friday, hope your's is off to a great start!!!

Britt