The Westminster 13.1

This Saturday I am running a 1/2 marathon. I have set a goal for myself that I know I am physically capable of doing. BUT, that being said I am still a very big beginner when it comes to racing and although your body can handle something your own brain can end up becoming your worst enemy.

For this race I decided, it is time to tell my brain who is boss and run "Guns to the Max" (One of my friends uses that saying and I just happen to really like it).  Now, you must understand that I am currently training for a marathon (Grandmas) and I have not done any specific training for this race.  My tempo runs are at marathon pace and my long runs are slow.  I do a speed workout twice a week with my running club (which I absolutely LOVE) and I am hoping that all of this mixed together will end up giving me a good overall time.

So, of course I am nervous.  And what happens to me when I get nervous........ I dunno, I go to pick up my race packet and end up purchasing all kinds of goodies that I don't need.... but of course it is OK because I got an additional 25% off.  All the stuff you see below is a variety of what I do typically use when running a marathon.  I haven't found my favorite cocktail of GU, Sport Beans, Roctane, shot bloks, etc. so I decided to add to my current collection (which as I hope you imagine is plenty big and I will be running several marathons before I actually go through all of it). Oh, and the extra socks and grid foam roller just happened to end up in my pile while checking out.  oopps.

During the 1/2 I will most likely use at most 2 GU's or something of that nature.  On a side note, today I went for a slow recovery run, only ate a Yogurt before thinking I would feel fine.  During the middle of the run I ended up having a blood sugar issue.  So I found some gobstoppers, pounded about 5 and felt a ton better.  Now I am wondering, do I just mostly need sugar? or is all the extra stuff found in GU, etc. really necessary? I dunno, I bought plenty of both and decided I will carry some sour patch kids with me just as a chaser in case I am feeling on a sugar low.  With 36g of sugar per serving, I think I will be fine. cheers.=)

I get nervous before every single speed or tempo run as it is, let along an actual race.  I am typically not the competitive type.  I would consider it a weakness of mine. But I would like to turn that weakness into a strength and sooooo on we go. WISH ME LUCK=) and for all of you Colorado peeps who live somewhere near Westminster come run! It is a small race and very reasonably priced.

Come on out Colorado Runners, it will be a great way to start your spring running season.

Keepin them Movin

My girls love, love to dance.  They both dance at Woodbury Dance Center on there competitive dance lines.  I also love that they dance too.  It keeps them moving a lot.  They practice three days a week. The dance "season" is upon us and this little video was of my youngest daughter when they were doing there dress rehearsal.  I was trying to keep the video on my daughter most of the time so sorry you cant get the entire view of the entire dance.  Non the less you can see that they are moving and grooving and loving it.

oh the places you'll go

I always want to see where other people go running, I get excited about the thought of running somewhere new.  I think that is why I like to run marathons in other states.  It gives me a chance to change it up.

This is where I run, I took these pictures last summer when it was so beautiful out.  Right now it is still cold and lifeless.  I was even telling my sister how I dreaded going for my run yesterday morning.  I think of Julia and Julia the movie when Amy is about to cook something she didn't want to and said "Dreading, dreading, dreading"  Yep that was me yesterday.

Back to the point.  This is my run.....depending on length, I don't hit these spots every run.

 

Starting point...my apt.

 

Around the corner heading to the bridge.

 Over the Williamsburg Bridge.

 

This is the path going up.  Crowded!

 

Coming down into the city.

 

Running through the Lower East Side.

 

Up to East Village.

 

Over to the West Village.

 

If you look and see the door between the 2 red awnings,  that was my 1st apt in NYC!

 

By Highline Park and the new Standard Hotel in Meatpacking.

 

My fav...down the West Side highway.

Back through Chinatown.

Now I would have to say that on my long runs I will go all the way up through Central Park, sometimes into Harlem then all the way down into the financial district, back over the Brooklyn Bridge and then home.  Really New York is a small Island and when you have to run 18-22 miles in one jog you can really hit all of NYC.

Where do you run??

Spring Skiing

Last week I was able to go skiing one last time before all the snow melts with some friends.  Copper had just gotten a few inches of new snow and the weather was gorgeous.  It literally was a perfect spring ski day.  For all of those out there with mountains close by I highly recommend going out and taking full advantage.

YAY! for skiing.

Desperate and Determined

The frozen tundra where I live has started the great thaw... things are melting.. the sun is shining and the running trails are ready to run on.  The bad part about living in this area is that during the thaw there will be days where is will rain all day long.  Not just a sprinkle you could run in.  This was a steady cold rain.  So I was so desperate to get my miles in and there was no way I was going to the dreadmill in my basement to do it.  A friend of mine told me that you can run around Bielenberg Sports Center.  I decided it cant be that bad.  I will do it.  It cost me two dollars to get inside.  And it had about 15 senior citizens walking around the track.  No runners.  Well I got my shoes on and started.  It was 7 laps to make one mile.. I had to do 5 MILES!  Not that many miles really but when it took 7 laps to make one mile it was going to be determination that got me through it.  I was so desperate to get my miles in yet so determined to do it that I did it.  It really wasn't that bad at all.  Taught me a lesson that no matter what when you put your mind to it you can do it.  Even if that means running 35 laps around an inside dome.

(these pictures were taken with my IPhone by some of the seniors that were walking.. sorry for them being very blurry)

Granola Bars

I am always on the hunt for healthy baking recipes.  I found this granola bar recipe off of Allrecipes.  I have made it before but this time I was going to change it up even more.  Here is how it when down...

oh and I should let you know that I love to substitute for things like oil and butter.

2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 pumpkin seeds
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almond butter





Preheat Oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9x13" baking pan.


Mix dry then add wet.  Mix all together and pat flat into the baking dish. 


Cook for 27-30 mins


You can find the original recipe HERE.

So after they were finished I cut them into 24 servings. Only let them cool for 5 mins before you cut. To avoid crumbling.  I used the recipe calculator from HERE to get the nutritional information.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving (1 bar)
83.9 Calories
2 g Fat
2.5 g Fiber
4 g Sugar
3 g Protein

I would say they are very tasty, I like foods that taste grainy and wholesome.  Plus I will wrap them each separately in plastic and put them in the fridge.  That way when I need a little snack or I am running out the door I will just grab one of these!

If I made any changes..... I would use something else besides pumpkin seeds.  I didn't have any other nuts but maybe I would use walnuts.  Oh and I would add dried cherries!

Overall= De-lish!

On Deck for The Cure

Something that I think is awesome about doing all of these running races is that you can always sign up and support something important.  While on vacation they had a 5k walk for breast cancer.  So when I saw this on the schedule I automatically knew I'd be signing up and convinced my mother she needed to do it for me.

It was really neat experience.  When we went down to line up at the start before we started they wanted everyone who had dealt with breast cancer to come forward and tell a brief story and start the walk.  It almost brought me to tears as several people, men and woman came forward and told their story. I was amazed at how many people on our little cruise ship were struggling with that horrible disease.  Some had literally finished a round of Chemo the week prior to coming.  It was very humbling and really made the walk that much more special.

So, if you have time to take part in a charity organization while running, biking, etc. I highly recommend it. It is very rewarding and inspiring to see all of these people march through these struggles.  It makes the groaning and complaining I do about my little issues seem completely irrelevant and helps me to move forward being the best person I can be.

Tuna Creation

A friend of mine shared this little gem of a recipe with me a few weeks ago.  I tried it and it was a success so I need to share it with you.  I am always trying to find new ways to eat tuna.  This one is super easy and keeps for a week in the fridge.  This is how you make it.  For the batch I made I used two small cans of good quality tuna.  Then chopped up carrots and celery super fine.  I used about the same amount of carrots and celery.  Then I also chopped just about two or three small sweet pickles to just give it a tiny bit of sweetness.  As you see in the picture below.

Then I mixed them all together

Henry below helped me make this so I just needed to add a picture of him

After you have the tuna, carrots, celery and pickles all mixed together you add what is in the picture below.  There is no real amount to how much to add of each so just do what you think will be good.  Although I always add the juice of two small lemons and just a pinch of the cayenne pepper.  That stuff is really strong and if you add to much you will know it!  Yellow mustard and cumin you can add to your liking

Then at the end I just cut up some grapes and mix all together and done.  

I store in my fridge.  A super great protein to have on hand.  I wrap it up in lettuce for lunch or even a whole wheat wrap with some spinach leaves.  Or if I am in the need for a quick snack I will put some on a wasa cracker or just eat it straight with a fork.  You must all try it.

Long Slow Run

I am always wondering how fast I should be going for my long slow runs during my training.  I found this short video clip on Runner's World by Bart Yasso.  It is short and to the point.  Very helpful!

V8! My new favorite Beverage

Yep that's right.  I have always liked V8 but lately I can't stop drinking it.  If you haven't had one lately I recommend going and giving it a try.  It is a salty, more healthy then not vegetable beverage that is just SCRUMPTIOUS!  According to the label there is at least 1 serving of vegetables per small can.

Enjoy =)

Hair

Have any of you experienced a rat's nest on the back of your head after a long run... or even a short run? Well I have a solution.  I know this hair style is not new be any means, but it totally works for keeping your pony from turning into one big tangled mess.  Try it out on your next run or even at the gym.  It works great! I also am in love with the Untwisted Headbands from Lululemon.  They fit great, don't slip and don't give you a headache.

Check out my sisters hair after a marathon..... that's all I'm gonna say.

The Stairs

Instead of hitting the gym on the boat everyday we tried to switch it up by doing different things around the ship.  One day we did the stairs!  Doing stairs is actually a great workout.  You are building muscle strength and endurance along with getting your heart rate up and pumping.   We made two videos, the first video is before the exercise and the second is right after we had finished.  It was early in the morning and we looked as though we had just rolled out of bed (which we did).  I am the narriator and Jen and Heath give you the run down.

Just remember to always switch it up and try something new!  This will keep your workouts more exciting and enjoyable.  Also if you are on vacation with others, try to talk them into doing a workout with you.  It will be fun for all of you and bring a camera. You will feel great when you are finished and it will always add good memories to the photo album!

Enjoy!!

It was also funny because Heather was using her Garmin to record her max heart-rate and in the end forgot to press start so it was never recorded!

Plenty of both

One way to remove guilt from a vacation is to be sure to keep moving. For us, working out is an essential part of the vacation experience.  BUT, you just need to keep it in perspective.  Don't try to follow some strenuous training plan. Don't try to keep up with what you usually do because it is still a vacation.  

Below we found a basketball court and did triceps push-up and frog hops. Sarah also led us in some of her Tracy Anderson stuff.  Felt good =)

Then after we were finished, we recovered doing this! =)

On another day we hit the treadmill.  Which was very interesting.  Try doing 10x400's fast while the boat is moving up and down.  The workout facility was located on floor 9 in the front of the ship. So every time there was any "motion in the ocean", which was always.... you for sure felt it in the gym.   So I ended up using new muscles to try to keep myself balanced on the treadmill at fast speeds.  It was a BLAST and kinda scary, but totally worth it. My quads and hamstrings were slightly sore the next day. =)

Then of course, after our run we recovered doing this....

Food, Food, Food! We LOVE food. (I realize there isn't much food in the picture, but I assure you that is because we had just finished a few trips to the buffet and polished off our desserts, Yum)

Moral of the story is, while on vacation working in little workouts will make the lazy sleeping, eating times that much funner.  I LOVE VACATION!

Trio takes on Grand Turk

This past week we took a little cruise through the Caribbean.  It was wonderful, warm and super relaxing.  Yet we still managed to workout everyday by doing something active.  Some days were more intense then others.  This wasn't considered our workout for the day but it sure did get out hearts pumping.  We saw many different kinds of fish... some sting rays and a HUGE Barracuda that I know was swimming right to Sarah and I at one point.  

Tracy Anderson Method

I know a lot of you know that I talk about doing the Tracy Anderson Method a lot.  I really truly believe in her Method.  I have been doing the 3 sequence DVDs and have really noticed a change in my body.  Being a runner after a while your body comes to a stand still and that is because you are not changing up your workout.  I found out about Tracy on Regis and Kelly.  Tracy is Kelly Ripa's personal trainer and her body is smokin!  That being said, changing it up is what Tracy is all about.  I attached two videos so you can get an idea of her workouts.  I do them all right here in my apartment and I can not get enough of them.  Don't be alarmed by her sexy provocative look, she is just showing you how amazing you can be if you do her method.  She is just representing her Brand!





Plus I am super excited to find out that she has come out with her new DVD series Metamorphosis.  I am totally saving to order this one!

Be Back Shortly!

Dipsea

 Have you guys heard of the Dipsea race out in California??  Well a few months back I read about it in my Runner's World magazine.  It looks crazy awesome and it is super, duper hard to get into.  I found photos on there site and you can find more HERE.  The race is really difficult and challenging and if you finish in the top 35 you get the infamous black t-shirt. 


Needless to say I believe that my sisters and I will be on a conquest to get into this race!!