New 5k PR & Cupcakes!

I admit:  I’m a loser who forgot to take her camera to the 5k yesterday morning.  Massive blog failure, I know.  I’m counting on 1st Place Sports to post some pictures on their Facebook.  As soon as they do, I’ll post ’em here.

Marty’s Run 5k was pretty much a sure-thing PR.  I’ve only actually run in two 5ks before:  the first being a massive disaster and the second as a support system for a friend.  I didn’t really “race” either of them, so I don’t really have a PR.  I needed a stepping stone.  Basically, I wanted this race to be my running report card.

I knew I was screwed when I hadn’t even started running and I was ready to sweat.  The humidity was insane, and I prefer to drink my water, not breathe it.  The gun went off, and I bolted across the start line at  a 9:30 pace.  I checked my Garmin and knowing I couldn’t sustain that, I tried to slow myself down.  My pace just kept creeping down to an unsustainable level.  I had such a hard time slowing myself down and controlling my pace.  I was drenched in sweat by the first mile.  Not good.

The next two miles were more torturous, overly hot fun.  I slowed down a bit, and even stopped to take a quick walk break.  When I turned the corner and saw the finish line a tenth of a mile away, I sprinted.  My short little legs somehow got down to a 6:56 pace (?!?!?!).  Crazy fast, I know.  I could hear Brandon cheering me on, and I was so.ready. to be done.  My official race time was 34:13 (an 11:02 pace).

The whole thing just made me wonder:  How on EARTH did I EVER run a half marathon?! I have got to get my distance mojo back before the end of the summer and the beginning of race season.

Last night, we headed over to Ashlee’s for her birthday BBQ.  Her cupcake display was unreal:

She baked every single one of those herself, and they were AMAZING.  Brandon and I split the Mojito, Irish Carbomb, Mudslide and Limoncello ones.  That girl can BAKE!

We ate some delicious turkey burgers, Ashlee’s homemade mac and cheese, and nibbed on her spread of hummus, pita chips, pretzel sticks, tomato-mozzarella-tortellini kabobs, and veggies.  We drank beer, played cornhole (I was totally clutch by the way) and had an overall great evening!  Thanks for having us and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Ash!

Just a heads up, if you’re in the market for a Garmin Forerunner, they’re on sale at Amazon for $125 this weekend!
Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Treadmill Survival 101

I don’t know why, but I’m in a really good mood today.  No particular reason and I’m really hoping that nothing happens to mess it up.  It’s nice to be in a good mood.

Maybe it was the oatmeal, almond butter and banana I had for breakfast:

Or the chicken stir-fry for lunch:

Or picking up my race packet for Marty’s Run 5k:

Or maybe the Yogaberry I’m munching on right now:

Either way, I like it, and I want to stay in a good mood.

Here in Florida, it’s getting to that time of year where running outdoors becomes torturous (at best).  While I despise running on the treadmill, I hate it a little bit less than humidity (and bugs, can’t forget the Florida bugs).  Problem is: it takes me a little while to build up my treadmill tolerance.  When I don’t run on the treadmill for a long time, the hatred thickens.  I remember how boring it is, and I consider running outside again.  But running outside is miserrrrrrable.  It’s a Catch-22.  I can’t win.

Instead of diving in head first to the treadmill this year, I think I’m going to wade in and see if that approach works better.  Throughout the summer, I still like to do one run a week outdoors, but that leaves 2-3 runs a week on the treadmill (stab me in the eyeball please).  For the remainder of May, my goal is to do one run per week on the torture track, with the others outside (with copious amounts of bug spray).  For instance, I thought I was going to fall off the treadmill and die of boredom during my 3.0 miles in 34:30.  While it wasn’t what I would consider to be a bad run, it still had much to be desired. Come June, I’ll do two runs a week for the first two weeks, then from there on out: most of the runs on the treadmill.  And then comes the boredom.  Here’s my tips for beating boredom on the treadmill:

• Music: You all know I love my playlists.  Whenever I’m fighting boredom or having motivation issues, I always combat it with a new playlist.  Try putting your old school summer favorites on it.  My current picks: “Ice, Ice Baby” (Glee Cast Version) or Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby”.
• If you don’t like music, hit the treadmill during your favorite TV show.  I once managed to get an entire hour of running in on the treadmill by watching an episode of NCIS.  That, my friends, is an absolute miracle considering my (lack of an) attention span.
• Pick a routine: intervals, speed work, hills, whatever.  Setting the treadmill on 1.0 incline and 6.0 mph and going is really boring (nor is it doing you any favors).  Speed up, slow down, increase and decrease the incline, whatever you do, make it interesting!
• Don’t be afraid to take walk breaks.  Last night, I busted out the speed thinking I was Super Woman, and quickly realized that I am not that fast.  I took a few quick walk breaks, and it made all the difference for me both mentally and physically. 
• If all else fails, go to a crowded gym and people watch!  Surely there’s got to be some interesting characters to focus on. 

The art of distraction is key for me on the treadmill.  Hope my tips help!

Getting Back On The Horse

Happy Monday! Starting the work week is always so hard, and I find it so easy to blow off Monday workout.  Since I haven’t ran in over a week, I was itching to spend some quality time with the pavement and my Garmin today.

I’m not going to lie: it was a struggle.  I eked out 2 miles in 23:00.  Not terrible, but it wasn’t exactly breezy.  Who knew that 2 miles could be so hard after only a week off?  Remind me never to do that again.

With that in mind, here’s some tips for getting back on the horse (aka your workout routine):

• Create a new playlist – downloading new, fun tracks and incorporating some good ‘ol stand-bys is always a good way to get me excited about a workout
• Enlist a friend – it’s a lot harder to give up or blow it off if you have someone keeping you accountable, so make it a date!
• Take it easy – don’t set yourself up for failure.  After a break, your fitness levels aren’t going to be quite as high as they were pre-break, so maybe set your sights a little lower.  For instance, I only ran 2 easy miles tonight instead of the 3-4 I normally run after work.

Alright, since it’s bed time and my camera is downstairs, I leave you with this:

Rotten little wiener dog 😉

Cinco de Drinko

Happy Cinco de Mayo, y’all!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful (and responsible!) Cinco de Mayo 🙂

I started my day off with a croissant, almond butter and a banana:

I didn’t sleep much last night because of the dogs.  They both have intestinal bacterial infections.  I had to dip out of work early to take them to the vet 😦  They seem to be feeling much better today though!

Due to being busy with the dogs, I completely forgot about packing lunch.  I considered going to McDonalds or Chick-Fil-A and getting a burger or chicken sandwich and a side salad, but I settled for Subway instead.  I got my usual ham & turkey on 9-grain honey oat with provolone, lettuce and a little bit of spinach:

And some Sun Chips on the side:

I’m really bummed that Subway quit carrying carrots on their menu.  I always loved the hint of crispy sweetness that carrots added to my sandwich.

When I got home from work, I decided to end my lazy-streak and go for a run.

And I failed.

I got half a mile into my run and absolutely could not take it.  I was attacked by bugs the other evening and I currently have 33 bites on my thighs:

With every step, the itching got worse and worse.  Absolutely miserable.  I was really bummed that I had to give up, but I was about to drop on the ground and rub my body all over the pavement to scratch.  Not good.

Since it is Cinco de Mayo, we’re celebrating with my vegetarian enchilada casserole:

And margaritas of course:

And now?  I feel like I could pass out.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Sunburn & Spice Cake

How on Earth do Sundays always go so fast? I can’t believe its 9 o’clock already!

I met up with Lauren again this morning for a run at the UNF trails. Before I left the house, I munched on a croissant with almond butter and a sliced banana:

We ran 3.56 miles in about 42 minutes.  It was brutally and miserably hot.  I don’t know how I’m going to keep my running base up over the summer!  We did 5:1 intervals and Lauren kicked my butt.  She’s a little faster than me, and running with her is a challenge.  But its good for me 🙂

Afterward, I went the pool (with mimosas):

And now?  I’m burnt to a crisp.  Except my legs are still snow white 😦

And we had quesadillas and salad for dinner:

And I baked this little Spice cake:

We’re heading to bed to watch The Time Travelers Wife.  I’ve been wanting to see it for quite some time now.  I read the book a few months ago and I absolutely loved it.  I hope the book doesn’t let me down.  Have a great evening!

The Power of (Glee and) Madonna

Firstly, I apologize for my hiatus. I have a few half-written posts saved as drafts, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish them. They either felt totally vapid or completely shameless attempts at sympathy. I’ve seen blogs go down that path, and I really don’t want to be that girl begging for a pity party. So I won’t.

I do have one post explaining the situation that I’ve composed, but I don’t feel its quite ready for public display yet. I promise to post it soon though.

And now back to regularly scheduled programming 🙂

In case you missed it:

• our house has had some major progress in the past week.
• I also had an awesome trail run over the weekend (and have another one planned for this weekend!)
• And Sunday, I went to brunch with some awesome ladies:

Then I disappeared into an abyss.

But whatever.  I’m good now.  Last night, I came home with the mindset of running the “big loop” in the neighborhood.  The big loop is basically 4 miles, with options up to 10 miles.  I popped in my iPhone headphones and jammed out to the Glee Power of Madonna episode tunes.  I must’ve been in a serious trance because the Power of Madonna powered me through the best 4 miles I can remember!

1. 11:25
2. 11:07
3. 11:21
4. 11:37 (including a 1-minute walk break.. What?!)

Holla!  Loved it.

UNF Nature Trails

It is a BEAUTIFUL Saturday! We’ve been spoiled with so many beautiful weekends in North Florida lately.  Its fantastic, and I wish it was like this all year long!  Okay, 11 months of the year.  I’d like a month of cold 😉

Thanks to Twitter, I made a running date with Lauren for this morning.  I’ve been dying to hit the UNF nature trails, but I’m paranoid to run in strange places by myself.  You always hear about runners getting killed on trails, so I’m a Paranoid Polly!  I know, I probably need to quit watching so much Law & Order SVU.  Whatevs.

To fuel my run, I ate peanut butter toast, a Fuji apple (my favorite kind!), a big glass of OJ:

Then I drove the 15 minutes to the UNF campus and parked at the nature trails:

Lauren showed up a few minutes later, and we agreed to try 5/1 intervals.  I’ve been really considering switching to the Galloway method for my long runs.  I feel like running straight through is so hard on my body, and this run only further supported that thought.  The trail was beautiful and nicely shaded, but it was a little muggy outside.  We did two loops for about 4.21 miles in 54:40.  We could’ve gone faster, but sadly, my stomach decided to wage war against me.

I’m so excited for the rest of the weekend.  We’re having a couples dinner at La Nopalera tonight, and a big girlfriend brunch/mimosa-fest at Billy’s tomorrow morning.  Can’t wait!

The Longest (2) Mile(s)

My run tonight was brutal.

Now that I’m back from my strength training hiatus, I forgot how hard it is to run when you’re stiff and sore from a good lifting session. I plodded along for 2 miles (24:01 – 12:30/11:31) and every step was a reminder of my hard work yesterday.  As soon as I got home, I grabbed my foam roller for relief:

I rolled my quads, my hamstrings, my calves, and my IT bands.  Oh, sweet, painful relief.

At least my day started out nicely:

I scooped out the second to last tablespoon of almond butter, and we all know what that means:  Oats in a Jar tomorrow!  Woo hoo!  If that’s not reason enough to get up and go to work (cause my oatmeal and almond butter are in my desk) then I don’t know what is!

Even though it’s warmer outside, I wanted soup for some reason at lunch:

I tend to avoid soup in warmer months.  Shocking, I know. I can’t imagine I’m the only person who does that 😉 But I always love a good beef and barley soup. With it, I had a cheddar biscuit from Red Lobster.  A dozen of them showed up in the office kitchen during lunch and I could not resist.  I haven’t eaten at a Red Lobster in probably 15 years, but goodness, those biscuits are GOOD!

After our run, I came home and made my Mom’s Red Beans & Rice and Cornbread Casserole:

While I’ve promised not to share the Red Beans & Rice recipe, I can share the Cornbread Casserole recipe:

• 1 Box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
• 1 egg
• 1 can of corn
• 1/3 c. milk
• 2 packets of Splenda
• 1/2 c. sour cream

Mix it all up, spread it in a 8×8 or 9×9 pan, and bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

All in a Day’s Eats

It’s Glee Day! It’s Glee Day! Yay!  So.. if this post sucks?  Its because I’m attempting to write it during the Glee commercials.  Sorry!  I suck, I know.

Gotta love any morning that starts with an egg white and cheese honey wheat English muffin:

And a Starbucks Skinny Latte:

I’ve got this habit of chugging Starbucks lattes.  I don’t sip them like I do with normal coffee.  I make like a frat boy and CHUG.

Lunch consisted of some leftover Asian slaw and Morningstar Farms Chik’n Nuggets:

I’ve been trying to increase my fruit and vegetable intake lately.  Because my breakfast was lacking, I made sure to get in an extra serving at lunch:

I’ve decided I need to do a little more strength training to tone up.  Instead of just going for a run tonight, I ran to the gym.  The mile to the gym?  Yeah.  I ran it at a closer-to-Brandon’s pace.  Ouch.   He chatted my ear off and I huffed and puffed.  But, I’m sure that somehow, some way, it was good for me 😉

Once I got there, I did this workout from Women’s Health Magazine:

Holy mother.  I was TIRED by the end of it.  My legs were wobbly and my shoulders were exhausted… and I still had to run home.  Shit.

The run home was MUCH slower.  And it came to a complete halt at with a quarter mile to go.  There was a gorgeous white dog standing in the middle of the road.  He’d obviously gotten out, but he wouldn’t let me close enough to check his collar.  I tried to keep him out of the road, but he just kept growling and barking at me.  He just didn’t want to be my friend.  Eventually his owner came out and collected him.  I told Brandon about it, and its not the first time this dog has been loose in recent days.  We even saw him again on the side of the road coming home from dinner.  People in this neighborhood are so awful about letting their dogs run loose.  It infuriates me.

I have a serious love affair with Mexican food.  If it’s Mexican, I pretty much like and crave it like crazy.  And we hadn’t had Tijuana Flats in a while……

So yeah.  Hello, Chicken Quesadilla.  And just because… some sad Cosmo:

G’night!

Sangria Cures All

Oh Sunday, I always really enjoy you, and I deeply, deeply hate seeing you go. Your departure means one thing: Monday (and back to reality).

How do I fight reality?  With Saturday night post-carwashing sangria:

And Mother-in-law’s Baked Ziti:

After dinner, we met up with an old co-worker of mine and her husband at Culhane’s Irish Pub for drinks.  Culhane’s is actually going to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives sometime early this summer!  I had a “The Cranberries” martini.  The menu touted that the mix of vanilla vodka and cranberry juice tasted like  cheesecake, and I was astounded at how much it actually did!

This morning we nursed our mini-hangovers with breakfast at IHOP with the in-laws, Brandon’s brother, and our two nieces, Sofia & Ella.   I haven’t eaten at IHOP in 5 or 6 years easily!  There was a girl walking around making balloon animals for the kids, and Miss Sofia got herself a butterfly:

And I got myself some whole wheat french toast, turkey bacon, and scrambled Egg Beaters:

See that huge chunk o’ butter?  Yeah, I didn’t even use it.  But I did use some Butter Pecan Syrup.  I could drink that stuff!

In all our gluttonous glory, Bran and I curled up with the dogs for a short nap.  Then we hit the beach.

I ran, and Brandon kayaked.  I forgot how hard it is to run on a softer surface.  While the beach here in Jacksonville is packed a lot harder than down in Melbourne, it was still difficult.  I eked out 3 miles somehow.  My legs still feel like Jell-O!  Mmm.  Jell-O.  Oh, how easily side-tracked I am!

Anyways, my point is this:  I want to run the Tour de Pain in August. Its 3 races in 24 hours.  It starts Friday PM with a 4 mile beach run.  Saturday AM there’s a 5k.  And Saturday afternoon? A mile sizzler.  I really need to get used to running on the beach if I have any hope of survival.  I do realize that running something called the “Tour de Pain” does make me sound a little unstable.  So with that said, anyone want to do it with me?  Ashlee?  Ashley?  Dawn?  Sonja?  Hmmm? Bueller?

Since father-in-law flies out every Sunday night, we typically have a late lunch/early dinner around 4pm.  After my “tough” run at the beach, I was craving beer.  And Brandon?  He was too (he always is though).  I had the Shock Top with an orange, and he had a Dos Equis with a lime:

If it would’ve been Dos Equis Amber with a lime, I would’ve been all over it. And my love for Bratwurst was fulfilled:

Along with some wonderful Asian slaw, grilled asparagus with olive oil and kosher salt, and DORITOS.  If you don’t like Doritos, there is something wrong with you.  There, I said it.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!