If I can't convince you - - I'll at least confuse you.: "300" - Soul Coughing [+ giveaway]

I absolutely adore this blog. She is amazing; her posts are funny, insightful, a little zany, and I never know what to expect. She just hit her 300th post. Run on over and congratulate her (and she's giving away a few cool shirts...)

If I can't convince you - - I'll at least confuse you.: "300" - Soul Coughing [+ giveaway]

So in honor of Emz, I thought I'd make a list of why I love her blog so much (and why I want to be like her).

1. Her abs. Seriously. I've never seen anything like them. They put Jean Claude Van Damme's to shame.

2. Somehow her blog is always stylish and her posts are unique. I keep trying to figure out if there is a method to her madness in playing with font size. Is she choosing certain words on purpose (you know the English teacher is always looking for the hidden meaning). I don't know how she comes up with these things. (And she herself is pretty stylish.)

3. She recently ran (and finished) a 50 mile race, and probably faster than it would take me to finish a marathon.

4. She really loves her kid... you know I'm a sap and get teary eyed at that.

5. I always get ideas for music to add to my playlist.

I'm sure there's more, but she's so cool I'm just not doing her justice. Seriously. Go and read her blog. I can't get enough of it. If I only have time to read one blog each day, this is the one.

Positive steps to a healthy diet

I'm on the right track to achieve one of my new half marathon goals. I'm making an effort to eat better, to make sure every bite I take is nutritious for my body and provides the fuel I need. Basically, I want to eat to run and not run to eat as I have been in the past. So I've made three major changes that seem to be working (and I've discovered my healthy eating doesn't work when I don't follow this plan).

1. I make my breakfast and lunch the night before. I'm a zombie when I wake up. I commute almost an hour to the school where I teach and I have to be there-- and back to the land of the living-- by 7 a.m. I've been using Ellie Krieger's cookbook So Easy for a while. I got it as a present for Christmas last year. (It's a great book and is organized for busy people to cook healthy and delicious meals. Check it out HERE... I know. This is probably the 4th time I've mentioned it, but seriously, it's a great cookbook!) I'm posting my favorite breakfast recipe from her book below. It's so tasty and satisfying and takes no time to make. Before, I'd eat breakfast and be hungry in 2 hours. Now, I have at least 4 hours before I need to eat lunch (which helps me cut an extra 150-200 calories out of my day since I don't need a mid-morning snack).

2. My husband and I have been planning our dinners for the week when we grocery shop. We also talk about what we're going to have for dinner the following night. This way, we make sure the meat (or in most cases for us fish-- we've been eating a lot of salmon and tilapia) we need is defrosted. This has helped us cut back on our last minute meal planning which usually consists of fast food, delivery food, or processed box crap. While sometimes the calorie count is a little higher for our dinners-- 550-700 calories-- we're eating healthy foods and I feel good about that.

3. I've been trying to track my calorie count each day. I've done this in the past and found it to be very successful for losing weight. If I had an Iphone, I'd use the Lose It app, but alas, I do not have an Iphone. This time I'm using the Calorie Count (see it HERE) website to track my diet. It's wonderful! Not only does it have the best database for foods, and not only does it track my calories for the day, it tracks my calorie output which includes my activity for the day. And this site gives me nutrition information about my diet that no other site I've found does. It tells me if I've had too much, too little, or just the right amount of sodium, potassium, calcium, Vitamin C, protein, carbohydrates, fats... basically it tells me EVERYTHING (and give me a grade for my daily diet). It is incredibly thorough, but the most wonderful thing about it, it only takes a minute for me to enter each meal. Oh, and I forgot to mention... IT'S FREE!

So here's that promised recipe:

Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Honey-Walnut Spread

1/2 c. walnut pieces

1/2 c. plain Greek-style nonfat yogurt

2 tsp. honey

8 slices cinnamon raisin bread

1 peach, pear, or apple sliced

Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat stirring frequently until fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Allow them to cool slightly and then chop them finely. (I have been just leaving them as is to save time.)

In a small bowl, add walnuts to the yogurt and honey and stir until well combined. This spread keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Just stir well before using.

When ready to serve, toast the bread and cut the fruit into small slices. Spread about 1 tbsp of spread onto each piece and top with fruit slices.

YUMMY and perfect for fall.

Reasons I Love My Son

Pickle, this is you 1 day after you were born resting in your Daddy's lap.

1. Pickle, you inspired me to write this post tonight by combing my hair and saying it was beautiful (or boo- tiful in your words). You also told me I was pretty and cute. It should be known that my hair looks like I just styled it for a Bride of Frankenstein remake and I haven't showered today. I don't think I look pretty, cute, or boo-tiful, but I do feel amazing, thanks to you.

2.You're letting me breathe a sigh of relief tonight by finally eating vegetables and a protein (at least for today). Tonight you ate half a cucumber, 2 carrots, and a bowl full of homemade baked beans. You refused to eat the ham in the beans, but hey, I'll take two out of three. I've been wondering if it was possible for a toddler to choose to be a vegetarian. Even so, if you are a vegetarian, we're going to have to work on your diet. Oatmeal, raisins , milk, and yogurt are not a well rounded diet. For those of you who aren't Pickle, check out the baked beans recipe HERE. It's a delish and healthy recipe by my fave cooking show host, Ellie Krieger.

3. I was really worried about how you were going to do last night trick-or-treating with your peanut and tree nut allergies and our neighbors giving out the good candy-- Snickers, Reese's cups, and other nutty yummies. Lately, Daddy and I have been talking with you about food that would hurt your belly and require you to get another shot (I know you didn't like that EpiPen shot; it was not pleasant for any of us, but especially you. The needle was insanely long!). I told you last night that you would have to ask permission to eat anything. I got a little nervous when your little friends were nibbling on their treats every few houses, but Pickle, you did exactly what you were supposed to. I am so proud of you.

4. After a long day, or even after a horrible day, cuddling with you, Pickle, just sets my mind right. I love holding and hugging you just before bed while listening to you breathe as you fall asleep-- there is no better peace in my day.

5. Giving birth to you taught me how strong I really was, which in turn gave me a new love, running. I would have never realized I was strong enough to run had I not made it through 12 hours of labor without drugs.

6. Watching you play with Daddy reaffirms all the reasons I love him. And no one makes you laugh like Daddy.

7. I was always annoyed when people said this before I became a mother, but here goes. Becoming a mother changed everything for me. A lot of things that used to upset me just aren't as important anymore. Instead of hanging on to anger like I used to, I vent and complain for a little to my girlfriends and I'm okay. That's thanks to you.

8. I feel like being your mom has taught me to be a little more patient (although I'm sure Daddy might disagree-- hehe) and has taught me to laugh a little bit more.

9. Being your mom makes me want to always be a better person. I want to do good deeds; I want to be fit; I want to eat better. All of this is to teach you how to become a good man.

10. Being your mom has made me realize the unfathomable and unlimited amount of love that exists for one's child (I get it now Mom and Dad).

I could go on forever with this kind of list making, but I'll stop since you're only three (well, almost. You'll be three in 5 days) and can't read yet. So Pickle, thank you for letting me be your mommy. It's the best job I've ever had, and it is a job I am happy to do for eternity.

MIA...

So I've had an insanely busy week and didn't have time to post, but I have been reading a few here and there. Here's a run-down of the craziness (most of which has been awesome!).

1. Last Friday- in Annapolis w/ hubby to eat a full 7 course meal prepared by our chef friend Danny. Holy moly... I've never been so amazingly over the top in heaven over food. Nor have I been so stuffed before but somehow managed to continue eating because I was afraid of what I was missing or afraid of never eating anything that good again. Check out his restaurant, West End Grill if you live in the Maryland area or are coming in for a visit.

2. Last Saturday- still in Annapolis. I forgot all my running gear except clothes and shoes. I had 6 miles planned and since I had no idea how far I was going without a way to track it, I just ran for however long I wanted. I was out for about an hour; it was amazing. I ran through St. John's College campus which was founded in 1697 and all through historic Annapolis. I can't believe I was running on sidewalks that were over 300 years old! I ran around the Gov. mansion and attempted to run through the Naval Academy but was chased down by a security guard... Opps! I forgot my ID. :)

3. Last Sunday- dinner with the in-laws and Pickle. Delish.

4. Tuesday- check up with Doc. He said I was in great health and was pleased with my blood pressure and overall fitness level. After I brought up my concerns with my nutrition, my family history of diabetes and obesity, and my outside body not matching my activity level, he referred me to a nutritionist who specializes in nutrition for endurance athletes! Score! I have an appointment for 2 weeks from now.

5. Thursday- Pickle got sick on his daycare providers doorstep. Gross. Thankfully the hubby was in charge of drop-off. I was supposed to go to my personal training session to work on my core, but didn't due to the little man being sick and the big man being exhausted from cleaning up throw-up all day.

6. Friday- took off of work to stay with Pickle in case he was sick. He wasn't. By 9 a.m. he was jumping all over the couch and yelling/singing "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed". He was also screaming out the front door about being a Superhero. Glad Pickle is better. :) So I went to the gym to make-up for my missed training session. My awesome trainer emailed me the whole routine so I could do it. I did her workout and the killer leg/butt workout from several weeks ago. Bad idea. I should have stuck to one or the other. My butt still hurts.

7. Saturday/yesterday- We went to the Rally to Restore Sanity. Wow! I have lived in the DC/Baltimore Metro area my entire life and have been to a number of large events/protests/rallies. I have NEVER seen anything like this. I had to wait in a line for about 45 minutes just to get to the Metro (subway) platform. Again, I have never seen this before. People were jammed shoulder to shoulder from 3rd to 7th street on the National Mall and as we were leaving at 1:30, people were still coming in droves. Despite all the people, the crowds, the lines, somehow people were still polite, considerate, and generally friendly. If anyone bumped into me, most turned around to apologize. People made friends/small talk in the 45 minute line to get on the metro. And it took about 45 minutes to travel the usual 15 minutes into the city.

People made jokes and kept a sunny disposition (especially about the couple making out in front of everyone... We were so packed in like sardines that I couldn't look anywhere but in their direction. My mother-in-law and I giggled about it the entire ride into the city). And even though I couldn't see or hear any of the rally, I had a great time.

8. Today Pickle and I are going out trick-or-treating (it's a football day for hubby. We have an understanding during football season...). I had to include a few pics of him in his costume. He's a fireman... Oh sorry. Fire Chief (his words). Pretty cute, huh?

This should be interesting given his food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, but I don't want to punish him for his allergies by taking away trick-or-treating. I'm going to use the opportunity to teach him about his allergies and that he needs to ask a grown-up to make sure he can eat the food (until he can read labels himself). We're also going to visit Mrs. Christine at Icedgems for a cupcake. Little ones get a free cupcake if they come in costume. Score!

Happy Halloween everyone!

(and if any of you have ideas about how to teach a 3 year-old about food allergies, please pass them along... run4cupcakes at gmail dot com. Thanks!)

New Goals

I am a firm believer in goals. Since I started running 2 1/2 years ago, my first goal was to run 1 mile without stopping. I never imagined I'd run and finish a half marathon (let alone two!). I now realize that all I need to do is set little goals to help me reach larger aspirations, aspirations that let me become the woman want to be. The woman who is strong and proud. Fierce and bold. Determined and ambitious.

I had three goals to accomplish with the Baltimore Half Marathon:

1. Get a PR. Check.

2. Have NOTHING left once I cross the finish line. Check.

3. Get faster and get as close as I could to a 2:30 finishing time. Ehhh... not exactly met, but I don't know if I could have reached that goal Saturday. I really did my best, so I'll cut myself some slack.

I was thinking it might be time for some new running goals. Here they are.

1. I want to run the National Half. It will be on my 33rd birthday and I can think of no better way to spend my birthday than running and celebrating my health. Okay... spending time with my family is great, too, but I'd like to combine them. If I get to run, earn a medal, and spend time with my loved ones, that's a great day. Plus, I plan on eating two cupcakes for my birthday, so I'll need to burn quite a few calories. To run the National, I will need to finish in 2:30. This means I will need to shave a minute off each mile. I know I can do it. I just need to come up with a plan. I took a few extra walk breaks that what I needed. It might shave a couple of minutes off my time if I only walk during my water breaks (I hate drinking and running at the same time! What a mess!). I will also need to qualify for the half. I was thinking I'd run a 5K, and will have to finish in 31 minutes. I've never gotten below a 32 minute finishing time, but I know how hard I can push myself now.

2. So this is kind of part of the last goal, but I want to make it it's own category. I want to start running faster. I want to push myself to run a 10 minute mile for longer amounts of time. Sure, I can already run a 10 minute mile, but I can't keep the pace for any more than 2 miles. After 2 miles, I slow down to 10:30 or 11 minute miles.

3. Take my nutrition more seriously so I have better fuel for running. I don't really pay much attention to what I'm eating other than carbo loading. I want to focus more on veggies and lean meats and limit (almost excluding) all processed foods. My hubby says he's been thinking the same thing about his diet. I think if the two of us come up with a plan for our meals, we should be able to do better.

4. Lose 10 pounds by the National Half through eating better. This will make it easier for my body to carry me at a faster pace.

5. Strength training. I need to do it. My muscles are weak. I can feel a potential injury coming in my knee if I don't take this seriously. I'm already in a small personal training group focusing on the core that will start today, and I'd like to add one more day of strength training per week using this deadly leg workout. And this is the same workout I tried a few weeks and nearly killed myself. I'm determined to do this workout so much that I don't even feel any pain.

I'll keep my goals at 5, which might be too much. So I'll simplify.

1. I want to get faster.

2. I want to eat better to lose weight.

3. I want to get stronger.

There. Now I just have to figure out how to achieve these goals. I'm going to take it slow. Nothing great happens over night. I need to do some research about our meals. We need quick and healthy meals during the week (if anyone has any good standby recipes, please share!).

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

My first race recap!

Baltimore Half Marathon Race Recap in Photos (and a little extra...)

I felt like I prepped well for this half. I was well rested and hydrated and finished packing everything for the race by Friday afternoon, which alleviated some of my anxiety.

I woke up really early on Saturday morning, 5 a.m., which was far earlier than what I had planned. But I was pumped up, so I decided to get up and give myself a little time to chill out. I loved having a 9:45 start time! I had my coffee at 5 and had lots of time to hydrate before my hour before race cut off time; I decided to cut off my water an hour before the race so I would have enough time to... well... flush out. (Remember, my Thimblelina bladder...). I'm happy to say it worked like a charm! I didn't have any pee jitters through the race. In face, oddly enough, I didn't have too many jitters. I think it had a lot to do with my peaceful morning and not facing any traffic on the way in (it was odd... I think it was a good omen).

Omari, Erin and I met at Camden Yards with an hour to spare before the start. Here we are before we got all gross!

We started strong and I was feeling really relaxed and energetic while running. All three of us stayed together for about the first 1 1/2 miles. Omari and I left Erin (who also got a PR!) and I really pushed myself. I didn't even feel like I had gone too far after my first six miles. I was having a great time. I think those tights really helped. I was getting a lot of crowd support ("Crazy Legs", "Rainbow Bright", "Tie Dye Girl") and it was pushing me along.

After those first 6 miles, I started to feel energy draining from my legs. They definitely weren't feeling fresh (and understandably so!). But one of my goals was to finish with NOTHING left in my tank. So I pushed on without walking too much. I only walked at the water stops. (I can't seem to run and get the water in my mouth yet.) Each time I would start to slow up or if my breathing got out of control, Omari would talk me into speeding up or calming down my breathing. He really is a great running partner (especially given that he can finish these in a little over an hour and a half and he chooses to run with me to give me support).

By the time I got to mile 9, my hamstrings were on fire. Omari asked me not to look at my watch anymore (any runner knows how impossible that is.) I told him he was crazy, and he asked me, "Do you want that negative split?" So I trusted him and stopped looking at my watch. He told me to keep at his hip and given that he's about a foot taller than me, that was tough at points!

For the last three miles, we ran about a 10:00-10:30 mile, and he made me sprint the last half a mile. I thought I was going to collapse. My quads hurt so bad I was sure I was going to get a cramp at any moment (but I didn't). I told Omari I needed to stop; he told me no... so I punched him in the arm. Thankfully he forgives me. I really thought I wasn't going to make it. And then I saw my hubby D near the finish cheering for me. He made me so happy I wanted to cry, but instead I felt a little more wind pushing me (which was all metaphorical because somehow the wind, which was strong, never seemed to be at our back even when we looped back around. How is that even possible?). This is the picture D took; you can see Omari yelling that I'm not at his hip.

My form is horrible. But I'm still plowing through. In fact, I think I ran faster than I ever have to the finish line. I'm not even sure my legs touched the ground. I couldn't feel anything other than pain in my quads. I got through the finish line (alive) at 2:42:54 and I got a negative split. I was totally psyched. Can you tell? I shaved off 22 minutes from my last half marathon time.

And I LOVE that Omari is such a good friend that he always lets me run just a tad a head of him so it looks like I'm a bit faster. That's a good friend! Thanks, O!

Finishing the Baltimore Half

I'm stoked. My official time: 2:42:54. I got a PR by 22 minutes! I'll post a race recap tomorrow, but I'm tuckered out and need a nap!

I stole this photo from Erin. Thanks Erin!