Photo Challenge & Update

What a busy busy fall! I'll get more into that later, but first, the reason I'm joining you again after months of silence.

I'm so excited to announce that I will be taking part in a photo challenge hosted by my friend Hannah over at The Ever Eclectic. You can check out a into to the project here. And the post of her first exercise here.

Each week, I'll post a photo as it relates to the exercises found in the book Shooting with Soul.

Stay tuned for the first exercise: "Glimpses of You" later this week. I hope you guys link up too!

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Now, I'm going to give a little catch up of the last few months. You can stop reading, if you want, I won't be offended. Or just scroll through the pictures. I do this more for me, than for you - I like going back and remembering too.

I started (and finished last week!) some classes online from a local community college. I'm working on the requirements needed to sit for the IBCLC exam.

Of course, the kids started back to school. 5th and 1st grade. How does that happen?

 

Lydia turned 2:

I ran my second half marathon. It was quite possibly the most difficult thing I've ever done, except child birth x3...That's a sore subject, so we'll leave it at that.

I registered and started training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon on February 14. Just under 9 weeks to go. Training is going great. Maybe someday soon I'll share my training schedule.

We had our first snow day!

We had a student of the month:

We had our first ever (of many!) band concert. Fifth grade band is about as good as it gets, haha!

The last few weeks have been busy with the big kids basketball schedules. Juggling 2 schedules is hard sometimes. Thankfully, we have very few games that overlap. So while I will be doing a lot of driving between now and March 1, I will get to see the majority of the games.

I Did It! Juice Cleanse 2014

 

It's been a week since I finished the Big Juice of 2014, so I wanted to check in with how it went.
 
You can read about Day 1 here.
 
Days 2 and 3 went pretty well. Over all, I lost 2.6 pounds which wasn't as much as I expected, but since that wasn't my purpose, I was fine with that. I think that since I was blending the ingredients using my NutriBullet instead of actually juicing it in a juicer, that contributed to the limited weight loss.
 
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Day 2
On day 2, I switched up the order a little bit and drank the carrot and beet stuff for "lunch" and then the apple, kiwi, banana and greens drink for "dinner". I also didn't drink the almond drink at all, and didn't replace it with anything. I decided I just didn't like it after all.
 
I started later in the day, and that really helped the mid-afternoon hunger problem I had on day 1.
 
Day 3
Day 3 looked almost exactly like day 2. I probably failed at drinking water like I should have been. I wasn't hungry, but I was ready for food. Not even to eat it, but just to chew something!
 
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What about the days after?
 
Friday, I woke up with a mild ache in my right side. Maybe my kidneys? As much as I wanted to, I had a little bit of trouble choking down breakfast and lunch, but by dinner time, I was starved!
 
It's now a week later, and I am still down those 2.6 pounds.
 
I'm settling into a 90 paleo/10 clean +some dairy diet . I have had a few slip ups, but all in all, I feel like I have done pretty well. I plan to talk about that more tomorrow.
 
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Would I do it again?
 
Probably, yeah. Three days was the perfect amount of time, easy enough to carve out with careful planning, yet long enough to be a commitment. Plus it was easy using the NutriBullet.
 
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If you have questions, let me know. I will try to answer as best I can.
 
 
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, dietitian, or doctor. When I write about my diet and health, it’s completely my own opinion and based on my own experiences and research. Please consult a professional for all medical questions about diets.

 

Juice Cleanse: Day 1

Monday afternoon, I gathered up all the ingredients needed for 3 days of 6 juices each.
 
When I got back from the grocery, I pulled out the borrowed juicer. And I couldn't get it to turn on. I'm sure user error, but hubby and I tried everything. And I mean everything.
 
So out came the NutriBullet. Since I was going to be using all of the fruit and veggie and not just the juice, I decided that I would split one recipe between 2 bottles and then add water to the top of my bottle.
 

 
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I'll be honest, I was a little nervous going in! Making them was one thing, now I have to drink them!
 
Juice 1 and 3: Apple, banana, kiwi, greens. The taste wasn't bad, and it was really very filling. There was a little gritty aftertaste, but I think that's more because of making them with the bullet.
 
Juice 2: Apple, pineapple, cucumber. Again, the flavor was pretty good, refreshing even.
 
Juice 4: water, lemon, honey, cayenne. Soooo sooooo soooo tart!
 
Juice 5: beet, carrot, apple. I had to just guzzle it. I didn't like the taste at all. Gag!
 
Juice 6: almonds, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk. I blended these up and made a smoothie.
 
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WHAT I DID TODAY


I started the day with a cup of coffee. I guzzled juice 1 before I drank my coffee.
 
Around 11:30, I drank juice 2. It took me about 30 minutes start to finish.
 
At 2:30, I drank juice 3. Around 4, I started getting really hungry. I think I could have eaten a horse! I tried to keep busy. I took Lydia outside (even though it was 700 degrees). We went to the grocery store. I sorted laundry.
 
At 6, I started juice 4, aka special lemonade :) I took Lydia back outside and sipped while we played. It took me probably an hour to get it all down, it was sooooo tart. Lydia laughed at me every time it took a drink because I puckered up. She'd say, "punny, mommy, punny!"
 
At 8, I started juice 5. This was so gross. I took forever drinking it, like an hour and a half at least.
 
At 10:30, I blended up my smoothie for juice 6, and drank it for dessert.
 
In between each juice, I drank at least 20oz of water.
 
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WHAT I'LL CHANGE FOR TOMORROW
 
1- I want to get away from the mid afternoon super hunger. I'll drink my coffee first, and then drink 20oz of water, maybe around 10, and then drink one every 2 hours.
 
2- I will only be putting in 1/2 a lemon in my special lemonade instead of a whole lemon. I'll use the other half in my water throughout the day.
 
3- For juice 4, I'm going to shake it up really well, and then drink it as fast as I possibly can. And try the best I can not to gag on it!
 
4- Less almonds in the smoothie. And I'll make it ahead of time so it can be cold. But it was pretty tasty, just a little warm from grinding up the almonds and then "bulleting" it all together.
 
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With the changes, hopefully tomorrow will go much much better! I'll check in and let you know :)
 

ISO: Accountability

Wow. Blogger says it's been since March 17th that I posted. It is kind of hard to believe it has been FOUR months since I posted.
I'll save you the last 4 months of our lives, and instead just jump right in to the here and now.
 
<<<<<>>>>>
 
Yesterday, I ran for the first time in 4 weeks. I've been healing my broken toe. Two slow miles that I'm trying not to get discouraged about. Not to mention that every muscle in my body is sore. Just in case you wondered.
 
<<<<<>>>>>
 
Now, for the majority of next week, my big kids will be visiting with grandparents in PA. And since it will just be me, Chad and the little- I've decided that I am going to do a 3 day juice cleanse. I found a great DIY juice cleanse (thank you Pinterest). The prep is super easy. I just hope these girls are telling the truth that they stayed feeling full.
Why a juice cleanse? The second week of June we went on vacation. Now, on vacation we indulge in food- dessert every night, local pizza, snacks, pop, chips, free dinner at the hotel (a happy surprise!), the list can go on and on really. The problem is, it's now 3 weeks after vacation and I'm still snacking like its vacation.
 
<<<<<>>>>>
 
After completing the cleanse, I plan to start a strict 90/10 Paleo/clean plan for 30 days. After those 30 days, I will evaluate to see if I need to adjust my plan. But I also want to see how it affects training for my next half marathon in October.
 

 
Who's in?
 

Monday Meal Plan

 

You know that moment when you look into the freezer and realize maybe it's time to use some of what's in there? Yeah, that's what this week is looking like. Plus, we have some carryovers from last week. We're going to be out of town for a few days for spring break, and you know how I love love love to leave a cleaned out fridge.

Meal Plan: March 17-22

Kids' Breakfast

Monday: eggs & toast, strawberries and blueberries

Tuesday: waffles, peanut butter, apple slices

Wednesday: blueberry muffin, yogurt, banana

Thursday: granola bar, strawberries

Friday: waffles, Nutella, banana




Kids' Packed Lunch

Monday: leftover crockpot Philly hoagie, pretzels, yogurt, muffin

Tuesday: ham & cheese wrap, carrots, strawberries and blueberries

Wednesday: cream cheese and jelly sandwich, goldfish, red pepper slices, strawberries, cookie

Thursday: quesadilla, celery and peanut butter, chips and salsa, yogurt

Friday: leftover BBQ pork sandwich, apple slices, cheese stick, muffin




My Lunch

Monday: ham & pesto "faux" grilled cheese, steamed carrots

Tuesday: veggie wrap, steamed asparagus

Wednesday: salad with leftover pork

Thursday: taco salad

Friday: veggie wrap




Dinner

Monday: jalapeño popper chicken, steamed asparagus, salad, rolls

Tuesday: pork roast, mashed potatoes, steamed corn, salad, rolls

Wednesday: taco salad

Thursday: BBQ pork sandwiches, cheesy potato chips, steamed asparagus, celery & peanut butter

Friday: pizza

 

Five Friday Faves :)

 

 

I've taken some time- maybe too much? But I woke up this morning with a new resolve and eager to get into spring!

I'm excited to reflect on this weeks favorites with you!

1. Favorite Workout

Today! And before you ask, it was not my only workout. . .

3.14 miles for pi day :) can't be any more fun than that, right? It was a hard run. Wind+BOB=brutal. For real.

But look at this sweet face swinging after our run:

Oh, and have I mentioned she's nosy?

 

2. Favorite Article

I read this article on Finding Joy. I just need it this week. Read it. Maybe you do too.

 

3. Favorite Picture




Yeah, just hanging out eating blueberries in the middle of the kitchen floor. Love her.

 

4. Favorite Meal

I should have taken a picture. But imagine if you can: frozen waffle, scoop of plain Chobani, sliced apples, sprinkled cinnamon. Yum!

 

5. Favorite Moment

Lately, we have been trying to be diligent about having a family bible study 1-2 nights a week. Nothing makes me prouder than hearing those sweet voices recite 1 Peter 3:8. But beyond that, Noah's apology now includes, I wasn't loving as brothers. I love his tender heart.

Oh and that moment that taxes are done? Yeah love that moment too! Haha!!

 

Catching Up

Our winter has been busy. And cold. Bitter cold.

We filled our Saturday's with basketball games. And some Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. We have one last hurrah tomorrow night at the bowling alley with Noah's team. I sure will miss it, but am also looking forward to a free Saturday :)

I've certainly loved the nice weather the last few days. Lydia and I have been able to get out yesterday for a run and then today we took a walk and played on the playground. She giggled the entire time.

Chad had a meeting tonight, so after homework, we went to the basketball hoops to get some more sunshine:

(and then after dinner, we went for ice cream, shhhh... don't tell Chad :)

*****
Chad did a little DIY last week.
We started with this:

And ended up with this:

























Isn't it great?
Yes. Now I can delete my "House: Foyer" Pinterest board!

And our new "jumbo" coffee mugs:

oh wait? Swanky coffee shop? Nope! :)

And then these 3 :)














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What have you guys been up to?

Meal Plan Monday is back!

Over this ugly deep freeze, somehow (hello cookies and coffee!) I gained back about 7 pounds- but it's been a great winter :) This week however, I have my resolve back- the warmer temps make me smile just thinking about it, and I'm ignoring the snow we're supposed to get Wednesday after 70 tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it. But I see lots of running and playing outside in my future this week :)

I'm sure you have probably noticed (or don't care!) that we've been having a bunch of waffles lately. Costco has a ginormous box of waffles for $6.99, the kids and I may be in love! I pop one in the toaster too it with a little peanut butter and load up sliced bananas, strawberries and blueberries. Perfect!

Oh and then there is the box if 15 cartons of Chobani for 8.99 this week. For real. I guess I know what I'm eating a lot of this week! It's ok because I love it, and so do the kids. I should be able to score another box before the sale is over.

Meal Plan: March 10-16

Kids' Breakfast
Monday: granola bar and apple
Tuesday: pancakes, strawberries, blueberries
Wednesday: blueberry muffins, banana
Thursday: waffles with peanut butter and banana
Friday: eggs & toast


Kids' Packed Lunch
Monday: Nutella sandwich, banana, pretzels, fruit snack, yogurt
Tuesday: ham and cream cheese roll up, gold fish, cheese stick, apple, cookie
Wednesday: peanut butter and apple quesadilla, carrots and ranch, yogurt, cookie
Thursday: cream cheese and jelly english muffin, cheez-it's, raspberries, yogurt
Friday: leftover crockpot chicken Philly hoagy, pretzels, strawberries, cookie

My Lunch
Monday: salad with chopped ham, salsa, avocado
Tuesday: salad with salmon, avocado, ranch dressing, 1/2 baked sweet potato
Wednesday: leftover taco salad with black beans, avocado, salsa
Thursday: leftover chicken philly hoagy, small salad
Friday: leftover chicken fried rice

Weekend Breakfast
Saturday: French toast with bananas, strawberries and blueberries
Sunday: blueberry muffins


Weekend Lunch
Saturday: leftover pizza
Sunday: Cajun dirty rice, salad

Dinner
Monday: pesto salmon baked sweet potatoes, salad
Tuesday: taco salad
Wednesday: crockpot chicken Philly hoagies, corn, salad
Thursday: chicken fried rice
Friday: homemade pizza
Saturday: jalapeño popper chicken, steamed asparagus, salad
Sunday: skyline baked potatoes


 

Meal planning

 

I'm in a cooking rut. There. I said it out loud.

I'm stuck between I'm ready for winter to be over and winter is not over. At all.

It makes me not want to plan. And so, at 5pm, you can find me standing at the fridge, gazing in, hoping something will jump out at me. And fast!

Because nothing is jumping out, I've been flying by the seat of my pants (well, skirt) and my family is severely underwhelmed.

And now, I have a 10 pound bag of chicken from Costco that is taking up all visual space in my freezer, and it seems I always need what is behind it. I should really do something about that. I'm thinking, big bag goes in the basement freezer, then I'll keep a smaller bag with this weeks chicken plans upstairs?

Since yesterday and today are now over, I'll start with Wednesday.

Meal Plan: March 4-9

Kids' Breakfast

Wednesday: waffles, peanut butter, banana

Thursday: granola bar, yogurt, blackberries

Friday: eggs, toast




Kids' Packed Lunch

Wednesday: peanut butter, jelly & banana roll up, pretzels, cheese stick, yogurt

Thursday: cream cheese, ham & spinach roll up, goldfish, mixed berry smoothie

Friday: leftover tacos, chips, salsa, strawberries, yogurt

 

Mom Lunch

Wednesday: salad with leftover chicken

Thursday: taco nachos with leftover taco meat

Friday: leftover shrimp Fra Diavlo




Weekend Breakfast

Saturday: pancakes, banana

Sunday: blueberry muffins




Weekend Lunch

Saturday: baby shower

Sunday: baked chicken parm, salad, steamed asparagus, rolls

 

Dinner

Wednesday: tacos

Thursday: shrimp Fra Diavlo, salad, rolls

Friday: homemade pizza

Saturday: chicken fried rice

Sunday: leftovers

 

Ever feel like you need a reset button?

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You know how when you power down your iPhone, and when you start it back up, everything wrong magically is fixed.

Or when you call tech support and the first question they ask is, "have you restarted your computer?"

That's why I haven't checked in since last Monday. I needed a reset. I spent my time away from the blog (and other things) going to bed early, spending time with family, basketball games, napping, running, catching some Olympics, and trying to figure out how to be a better Christian, wife, mom, friend, runner.

<source>

Taking time away from the unnecessary is a good way to write a new plan. Not a pencil-me-in type of plan. A new life view type of plan. It forces you to decide what's important. I still don't have it all worked out, but I'm excited about this new direction.

Stay tuned, over the next few weeks, I'll be telling you about these changes, after I work out the wrinkles.

 

Meal Plan Monday

 

I hope you all had a great President's Day (and so sorry if you had to work!). We had a fun trip to Costco, came home with Costco pizza for lunch ($4.95 with coupon, score!), and free (another coupon!) rotisserie chicken for dinner.

But we started the day with these:

<French toast with bananas and blackberries topped with maple syrup>

*****

For my lunches this week, I plan to stick to a salad with chicken or whatever protein we have leftover from dinner and a smoothie. So I'm leaving the my lunch category off the schedule this week.

I'm also going to be experimenting a little with smoothies, especially with the kids, so I won't be linking any recipes for now. I'll try to remember to tell you what was a hit and what failed next Monday (if not before!)

*****

Now,

Meal Plan: Week of February 17-23

Kids' Breakfast

Tuesday: pancakes with peanut butter and banana

Wednesday: granola bar, apple, smoothie

Thursday: French toast, smoothie

Friday: pumpkin pie oatmeal with granola

 

Kids' Packed Lunch

Tuesday: leftovers, orange, yogurt

Wednesday: peanut butter and banana quesadilla, cheese stick, yogurt

Thursday: ham and cream cheese roll up, cheese stick, carrots, apple

Friday: leftover spaghetti, red pepper sticks, apple sauce




Weekend Breakfast

Saturday: waffles, eggs, strawberries and bananas

Sunday: cinnamon rolls




Weekend Lunch

Saturday: sandwiches or salads

Sunday: Salmon, garlic cheesy biscuits, brown rice, salad




Dinner

Monday: rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, garlic cheesy biscuits

Tuesday: leftovers, celery with peanut butter

Wednesday: honey garlic pork chops, leftover mashed potatoes, peas

Thursday: spaghetti, salad, homemade garlic bread

Friday: Skyline

Saturday: date night <3

Sunday: enchiladas, chipotle "copy cat" rice

*****

What's on your schedule this week?

 

Friday Faves: Valentine's Day Edition <3

 

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope you all were spoiled by your loves :)

1. Favorite Workout

I'm going to have to say yesterday's run. Not because it was a great run by any means, but because it was outside. I needed the sunshine. A glorious 2 miles with my littlest girl.

I also want to try this full body workout by Be Mom Strong:

2. Favorite Article

As a new Costco member, I found this article about real deals on real food. I mean, I did some price checking on some of the items we buy often and on our very favorite pasta sauce (that we use for pasta, lasagna, pizza, anything with a red sauce) and based on the rate we use a jar, we would make our money back for the year from the savings on the sauce alone. I was excited to find more things that we use that will be cheaper!

3. Favorite Picture

Chad came home from work (after sitting in snow traffic for over an hour) and surprised me with this delish treat (which I'm sure he waited at least 30 minutes during his lunch). He even made me latté. He spoils me.

4. Favorite Meal

I didn't actually drink this as a meal, but with a salad. But, I love my Bullet (fantastic Costco find, their set even had the extra large cup with the flip top lid). Happy V-Day to me (from hubby of course ;)

 

5. Favorite Moment

This week has been pretty low key, and well boring. The kids had today off school, so Noah was off at a friends for a sleep over- so we had a girls day (morning). I'm pretty sure Madison had the best day ever, how do I know? Oh, she only said it like 40 thousand times. And we didn't do anything earth shattering- a trip to Michael's to spend a gift card she had, wondering around Target and Marshall's until we went to pick up. Noah. But I think she was happy to see him back with us, but she would never admit it.

*****

What are you favorites from this week?

What do you have planned for the weekend? More basketball for us!

 

10 miles on a treadmill makes you want to sleep

A lot. I have gone to bed early (for me) the last 3 nights. Like, oh, the kids are in bed, let's go to bed! So, I haven't had a chance to recap Monday's 10 miles on the treadmill.

CONFESSION: it wasn't horrible.

Truth: it went NOTHING like I expected, no matter how prepared I was. Check out Sunday's post to see how I got ready.

I got up at the normal time (7am), got the kids up and ready for school. After they left, I woke up a little while eating my breakfast: oatmeal (with a little butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon), banana, and a Chad-made latté (he spoils me).

Around 9, I got my running clothes on- skirt and tank. I gathered up my iPad, iPhone, headphones, running shoes, 3 Gatorade chews, and water bottle.

The gym was CROWDED. I wanted a treadmill in the back, but I didn't want to run beside someone else, so I went with this guy on the 3rd row.

 

Remember this?

Haha! Yeah, it completely went out the window within the first .25 miles.

The warm up of 5.8mph in the heat and humidity was pushing it for me. After that first quarter mile, I turned it down to 5.0mph.

From the best I remember, this is how it really went:

I refilled my water bottle more than I ever imagined, I'm going to bring another one next time. I was so thirsty. And sweating sooooo much. Gross.

 

I didn't expect to eat the 3rd chew, but I'm so glad I thought to bring an extra.

I did wear my heartrate monitor. Super cool random fact: the awesome hrm my awesome husband gifted me for my 30th linked to the treadmill at the gym. I was totally surprised. My heart rate stayed higher than what I intended, mid-160s to low-170s (83-86% of my personal max), but I went with it- after I threw the plan out the window and slowed down, I wasn't out of breath.

I ended up only watching TV. I watched 4 episodes of My First House on HGTV. I tried to read, but I think my glasses bouncing made the words bouncy.

The run, even though slower than I wanted, was good. I walked away feeling good about finishing. And I felt like I was going to explode from all the water I drank! Pretty sure 2 more minutes and I would have!

*****

Until today, I had some pain in my knee (rushing against the pause timer and turned the corner too quick when refilling my water bottle), so I stayed off the road/treadmill until today. I only had time for 2 miles, but was glad to get those mile in outside with Lydia riding along in the BOB. It wasn't a great run- but the sunshine alone was a mood booster. I am so looking forward to getting back to running outside again all the time.

*****

How were your workouts this week?

Anyone running long this weekend? 10 more miles on Monday, venue yet to be determined.

 

Meal Plan Monday: February 10-16

 

Last week was a busy week, to say the least. We had some unexpected things turn up that messed with my original meal plan- so I have some menu items carried over from last week.

This week, with parent teacher conferences and no games on Friday, we have a few open evenings to actually sit down together! Unless something changes :)

I'm also including Friday's meals in our weekend meals since it's a day off school for the kiddies.

Week of: February 10-16

Kids' Breakfast

Monday: blueberry muffin, banana, yogurt

Tuesday: pancakes

Wednesday: egg bagel

Thursday: granola bar, apple

 

Kids' Packed Lunch

Monday: ham and cheese bagel, celery & peanut butter, banana chips, yogurt, fruit snacks

Tuesday: leftover pizza, carrots and hummus, blackberries, cookie

Wednesday: Skyline 3 way, salad, York mint

Thursday: cream cheese and jelly bagel, cheddar bunnies, carrots and hummus, orange

 

My Lunch

Monday: Deyo's Italian Bistro

Tuesday: leftover pizza, yogurt, salad

Wednesday: baked potato, salad

Thursday: quinoa salad with beans, corn and tomato

 

Weekend Breakfast

Friday: waffles, banana

Saturday: omelette, apple and peanut butter

Sunday: pancakes

 

Weekend Lunch

Friday: grilled cheese with tomato soup

Saturday: sandwiches (in the car, in between games)

Sunday: lunch with family

 

Dinner

Monday: pizza

Tuesday: Skyline baked potatoes

Wednesday: enchiladas, quinoa salad with beans, corn and tomatoes

Thursday: spicy honey chicken, corn, cheesy potato chips

Friday: shrimp pasta with lemon, spinach and tomatoes, salad, rolls

Saturday: spinach and ricotta stuffed chicken, salad, leftover rolls

Sunday: leftovers

*****

I feel like I'm in a rut, what's on your menu for the week?

 

Tomorrow's big endeavor!

Tomorrow, I'm planning 10 miles on the treadmill.

<source>

I'm not especially excited about almost 2 hours of going nowhere. But, I think it's the best and safest way to knock out my planned training run. The bike trail is snow and ice covered from all the snow that fell this week, and dangerous without proper footwear. The road has huge piles of snow on both sides, so there would be no place for me to go if I have a car behind me and an oncoming car. Not to mention the probable ice close to the edge.

I plan to go after I eat my hearty breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. So I can be back for lunch. I have a date :)

I am not going to push it at all. Keep it slow and easy. I think I'll wear my heart rate monitor too, so I can make sure I'm keeping my heartrate down for the majority of the run.

I don't usually take water on my runs, but with the extra heat and humidity in the gym, I am going to take a water bottle and refill it as needed- there is a water fountain right in the treadmill area with a neato water bottle filler upper thing. I'll probably need to refill at least at the half way mark, if not more, especially during the last 5 miles

I will also take along my Gatorade chews along for after miles 4 and 8, and an extra incase I need to eat the others sooner. I'm not used to the conditions- when I trained for the my last half none of my long runs (6+ miles) were in heat. And really, last summer was extremely mild, so I can only count a handful of runs that were super comfortable hot.

Now, how am I going to keep from going crazy for 10 miles? I have a few things in mind: I'm going to take a few minutes and find a good channel on the TV (Food Network, HGTV, DIY network or something), tonight I'm going to find a book to download onto my iPad (suggestions welcome), and music on my phone.

I also am going to use the plan below to mix up my speeds and inclines to keep it interesting but also to be sure to keep it easy.

Of course, I reserve the right to deviate from said plan :) But it should keep it slow and easy except mile 8, and hopefully that isn't too much of a stretch either.

Should be fun! I'll try to check in tomorrow evening to let you know how it goes.

*****

What's your longest treadmill run?

Anyone want to meet me at the gym to run beside me? Please?

 

Friday Favorites: week 6

 

I've been feeling pretty blah about the week. The weather has gotten the best of me, I've been slacking on my workouts, and it's just been a crazy busy week in general. I really needed this post this week :)

1. Favorite Workout

I have to say Monday's 9 miles. Even though I dodged snow and ice for a lot of the way, it was a good strong run. I'm very happy with it! And I am looking forward to my 10 mile run on Monday.

2. Favorite Article

Did you see the article about the Pittsburgh Steeler who just completed his first marathon? Since retiring in 2011, Alan Faneca dropped over 100 pounds and ran his first marathon and under 4 hours! Such a neat story! Plus, it's about a Steeler, which we know is always a plus at our house :)

 

3. Favorite Picture

A neat little heart in my fantastical hubby made latte.

 

4. Favorite Meal

A cookie counts right? I think every night this week we ate quick on the run, poor Chad probably ate more fast food than anyone should. Hopefully we can get back on our schedule next week. Or at least eat dinner all together as a family.

5. Favorite Moment

That moment when I called Chad defeated. The last straw was the crock pot wasn't cooking the chicken. And without taking even taking a breath, he said, "I'll pick up Chipotle, don't worry honey". Despite everything, I smiled. Love that man <3

 

Running for Beginners

 

Nothing makes me happier than people asking me about running. It doesn't happen much, but I enjoy talking about it when I get the chance :) what runner doesn't?!

If you're just starting to run, or wanting to start, here are a few tips that I have that might help you out.

1- it's going to hurt! I mean, let's be honest, no matter how slow you start. No matter how many walk breaks you take, your legs are going to be slightly sore. You are using muscles that haven't been used before. At first, I would suggest to not run more often than every other day, this will help you learn the difference in sore muscles and when you should take some extra time off to prevent an injury. Listen to your body! Anything that's worth it is going to hurt.

 

2- get fitted for shoes. Really. Do it. I didn't know how important this was until I already had shoes and realized that mine were going to be fine for the short term. But for my second pair, my beloved Brooks Pure Cadence 2s, I was fitted and fell in love instantly.

3- dress as if it is 20 degrees warmer than it actually is. During the summer, this isn't a big deal for me, but I have trouble with the 30s and low 40s. I mean, its cold when I get started, but a few miles in, I'm roasting. I usually wear layers knowing I can shed them if need be.

4- find something to keep your mind occupied. A lot of people like to listen to music. Some people like the quiet. Some people like to listen to books. I personally like music, but it has to be upbeat or I'm bored. Just find what works for you.

5- take your phone. Even if you don't use it to track your miles and pace or to listen to your music. Bring it along incase you have an emergency.

6- rest days are important. Rest days are when you get stronger. They help reduce your risk of injury. They also help you to mentally reset: sleep in if you're a morning runner, relax with a cup of coffee if you're a night runner, enjoy lunch with a friend if you're a noon runner. You can also treat your rest days as active rest days and do cross training and/or strength training.

7- don't eat back all the calories you just burned. This is especially true if you are trying to lose weight. Your 3-5 mile runs shouldn't make you any more hungry than you would be otherwise. Stay hydrated- many people mistake thirst for hunger, so try that first. I didn't really tell a difference until I hit about 10 or more miles, but anything over 7 or 8 miles, I try to stay fueled throughout my run.

8- just get out there. Don't worry about what others think. Don't worry about being fast. Run for you and your health.

 

 

*****

What tips do you have for beginning runners?

 

9 miles in snow and ice

It seems like we have been going nonstop since after school Friday. But I'll spare you the boring details of my life.


*****

Yesterday, I ran a 9 mile training run. In this:

 

Ok, probably only 40% of my run was dodging snow and ice. I thought it was crazy, actually, the trail was either completely clear- as if it hadn't snowed in this decade, or like the picture- like it snowed yesterday and not 60 degrees over the weekend.

It was a great run, a little slower than I wanted to go, but I also didn't want to come home with a broken leg. I was pleasantly surprised that my last mile was actually my fastest mile.

According to Runkeeper, the last time I ran 9 miles was August 26th. It took me 1:37:49, average of 10:52 minutes per mile. I carved almost 5 minutes off of 9 miles. In snow and ice, I'm happy with the progress!

I was sore later in the evening and still pretty sore today. I suppose the lack of miles over the last few weeks is catching up with me. Hopefully this crazy weather will break soon so I can get some more runs in throughout the week, just strength and core aren't cutting it.

Winter is almost over, right?! (Insert a probable snow day for tomorrow)...

*****

How was your training run this week?

 

Monday Meal Plan: February 3-9

We have a super busy week ahead, with basketball activities and school meetings.

I'm also excited about getting a Costco membership this week! Hoping we can save some money with it, seems like we can. We'll see how it plays out, I guess.

February 3-9

Breakfast

Monday: Rice Krispies and banana

Tuesday: bagel with yogurt and banana

Wednesday: oatmeal

Thursday: granola bar, apple slices and peanut butter

Friday: eggs and toast

Saturday: apple and peanut butter quesadilla

Sunday: blueberry muffins

Kids' Packed Lunch

Monday: leftover pizza, celery & peanut butter

Tuesday: leftover mac & cheese, applesauce, ham and crackers, cookie

Wednesday: turkey and spinach roll up, pretzel sticks and hummus, orange, fruit snack

Thursday: grilled cheese and tomato soup, celery and peanut butter, banana, yogurt

Friday: chicken tacos, chips and salsa, apple and almond butter, fruit snack

My Lunch

Monday: leftover wings and pizza

Tuesday: salad with leftover salmon, yogurt, banana

Wednesday: turkey sandwich, hummus and pretzels, cottage cheese, orange

Thursday: salad with turkey, cottage cheese, apple with almond butter

Friday: turkey wrap, banana with almond butter

Weekend Lunch

Saturday: leftover pizza

Sunday: shrimp fried rice

Dinner

Monday: sandwiches and mac and cheese

Tuesday: lemon chicken, leftover roasted red potatoes, sweet carrots

Wednesday: chicken tacos, corn

Thursday: skyline potatoes, salad

Friday: homemade pizza, carrots, celery and ranch

Saturday: enchiladas, rice

Sunday: leftovers

*****

What's on your menu this week?

Friday Favorites: week 5

 

I'm late on this weeks Friday Favorites. Sorry! I've just now (ok, maybe an hour ago...) sat down for the first time since about yesterday at noon. I'll give you my excuses later :)

1. Favorite Workout

Thursday night, after I got Noah and Lydia in bed and Chad and Madison were still at her practice, I dialed up my friend YouTube. I found a great full body workout by Be Mom Strong.

Check it out:

 

2. Favorite Article

I read a great little blog post written by Kristen over at When At Home by called Let Your Husband Love You. It's easy to forget how hard it is for our husbands to leave every morning for work, knowing we're home with the babies. It's easy to think of work being a treat because they aren't dealing with the day to day crazy. You know, a baby that won't nap, the dirty toilets, the homework, the arguing kids, dinner prep with a still whiny baby... But I think any husband would agree, they'd much rather be home with you and the littles than heading off to work all day and often times bring more work home. While I know not all husbands have to work Saturday's, mine does. And I know, it breaks his heart leaving for work knowing we are heading to one or more basketball games. Thank your husband today.

 

3. Favorite Picture

I took this Thursday night at Noah's practice. Lydia helping Madison with her homework :)

 

4. Favorite Meal

Tuesday night, I fixed chicken philly subs and cheesy potato chips. We used day old Jimmy Johns subs. Not only was it so yummy, but the kids gobbled it up and asked for it in their lunch on Wednesday. Mom win of the week.

 

5. Favorite Moment

Thursday, at 2 days shy of 17 months old, Lydia poo-pooed on the pot! Clearly, we have a long way (and probably a long, long, long way with her stubborn hiney!) to go, but that first time is memorable, right?!