Cheers,
Michelle
Wordless Wednesday, last run before my half marathon on Sunday.
Cheers,
Michelle
Category: running
Half marathon training, week 9 long run
Despite not sleeping well last night, I knew I needed to get my long run done for the 9th week of training as I didn’t get it done over the weekend due to being stuck inside on a very rainy Sunday.
Once I got home from work I immediately changed clothes and headed out for my neighborhood loop/running trails. My plan called for a 10k race pace but I had planned to go a little farther to make up the 3 weeks of training I missed due to bronchitis. (That nasty cough is still lingering but getting a little better every day). The first mile felt surprisingly well, and I couldn’t believe I actually had a 10 mm in the mix, as well as I kept under an 11 mm pace for the entire 6.5 miles. Over all I was thrilled with this run.
Today’s thankful 5:
- Easy commutes. Today’s commute both to and from work were surprisingly quick with no traffic, accidents, or crazy people that haven’t had enough coffee yet.
- Smooth days at work. Today was one of the first “good” work days I’ve had this year, and man did I need it.
- Left overs. I baked a big batch of chicken thighs yesterday, so all I had to do for dinner was heat them up along with a bag of steamed cauliflower rice.
- My daughter being so excited about trying out for her school’s play. We reciting her audition lines about two dozen times tonight, and I pray she gets the part.
- Good runs. Man did I ever need tonight’s run. My right knee has always been my bad knee, ever since I popped it back in high school track. And it sure hasn’t been happy with me this month. I just ordered some new knee braces off Amazon.
How is your commute to work? What’s your favorite thing to have for leftovers? Get any mileage in today?
Cheers!
Michelle
Milestone Monday!
Well wasn’t this a pleasant surprise. My blog 6-7 years old, and is just my tiny little space to share some of my passions so it’s always fun to see it hanging in there between moments of lapse. Life, moving, deployments, and everything else in between have kept me pretty busy. But I’ll always have this little space in the universe.
Today I wanted to get a few miles in after work. I walked the first mile, and once the cloud and thunder rolled in, I ran the last mile and cut it short for safety reasons. The lightning here is no joke!
We’re starting week 6 of Keto and we’re hanging in strong. I didn’t weigh myself this morning but am still at around a 4-5 lbs weight loss.
How was your day? Ever have your run cut short due to weather?
Cheers!
Michelle
Wordless (mostly) Wednesday.
I didn’t die on this run. That’s about all I can report.
Definitely looking forward to October and the relief from humidity.
How was your day? How do you deal with the humidity?
Cheers!
Michelle
Bite the bullet
Last night I went to dinner with my running friends to celebrate my friend Christine’s birthday. I hadn’t seen most of these friends since before my husband left back on my birthday. In January. Sigh.
When you’re not running, training and/or racing it’s hard to keep in touch. Of course I’m thankful for social media and texting etc. but it’s not the same as physical interaction. So to sit with these awesome people for two hours made my day. It also made the fire for running burn again in my belly. They are all doing a 10k next weekend and encouraged me to sign up.
And you know what? I couldn’t sign up fast enough. I’ve not run a single race this year. And that sucks. Of course my priorities are elsewhere right now. But I need to make time for me too before I internally combust.
So first thing this morning I signed up.
Yay!! This fueled me to run tonight. I ran FOUR miles after work today with my mini. She scootered along with me!!
We finished the day with a yummy salad. And what makes this even better is that it was my mini’s idea. Kale, romaine hearts, red onions and grilled steak topped with blue cheese crumbles and a little oil and vinegar.
How was your day? Ever bite the bullet and sign up for a last minute race?
Cheers!!
Michelle
Healthy snacking
I was recently inspired by a healthy snacking social project put on by Nuts.com, so I wanted to share some of my favorites. There are also some GREAT ideas on this healthy snacking page that touch on all walks of life. Vegans, kids, high protein and quick snacks for work are just a few examples.
So I thought I’d share a few of my own favorites. First of which is my spicy chickpeas. These yummy morsels are packed full of protein, and you can easily snack on the go. Another quick “on the go” snack for me is, roasted pumpkin seeds. You can make your own with my recipe or buy store bought. They are high in protein, dietary fibers and micronutrients.
Pumpkin seeds, YUM!
Spicy roasted chick peas!
I’m a huge fan of roasted nuts of all kinds, really. These protein packs from Target are also something I love to have in the fridge because they are a wiser alternative to chips or pretzels. While I am not a big dairy eater, I do find these don’t upset my stomach.
Eggs…eggs, and MORE eggs. I hard boil a dozen or so on the weekends, and portion them out into baggies. Often times I’ll ditch the yolks, but sometimes I just eat the entire egg in 2-3 bites, LOL!!
Fresh fruits and veggies are another go-to that I portion out so that I can easily grab and go!!!
Tonight I’ll admit, I wasn’t feeling so hot. I could’ve just hunkered down on the couch and felt sorry for myself. So instead, I whipped up a batch of my famous Chicken soup and did a quick Pilates core workout. Never miss a Monday, Right?!
What are you favorite healthy snacks? Do you try and meal prep in advance to help avoid temptation?
Hope you all have an amazing week!!!!
Cheers!
Michelle
The rescued Introvert
I have battled with depression for more than half my life. Those of you that have been following along for a while, know that for most of my adult life I had taken depression medication. In fact, my distance running career started partly because I had hit rock bottom, and I HAD to pull myself back up for me AND my family. So in 2007 I decided in late September that I was going to run my first half marathon just 7 weeks later. I trained for this race while working full time, going to school for my Bachelors degree AND studying for promotion. Did I mention I had an 8 year old and a 1 year old daughter to care for too? LOL. Most said I was nuts, but deep down I knew I’d go completely nuts if I didn’t escape to the roads to train. I finished said half marathon in 2:19, and I had never been more proud of myself other than the day I graduated basic training. I DID it. I didn’t quit. I didn’t give up. And my husband was there, cheering me on the entire time.
Several years later, in 2012, I would finally complete my goal of finishing my first full marathon, and I did so with my sister by my side. Another very proud and amazing moment that I will never forget. I also haven’t taken any depression medicine since 2012, and I keep movin’ forward and feel better for it.
What does all this mean? Well, running has truly saved me more times than I can count. Why? How?
Well, I saw myself pulling back from my friends and family again here recently. I just wanted to go to work, come home, and curl up on the couch and forget that with each passing day, it meant a day closer to when my husband leaves. But a few weeks ago I decided I was going to accept an invitation from my friends and start running with them on Tuesday evenings. I was going to GET OUT OF THE DARN HOUSE and do something just for me. This last Tuesday as I was running and chatting with one of my very dear friends, we spoke of depression and different times in our lives that we battled this yucky disease. She spoke of a time where she stopped doing all the things she loved, and she became introverted and just wanted to be alone.
And a light bulb went instantly ON. I was doing this. I was declining invitations, not doing the things I enjoyed, and I was avoiding my friends.
So last night after work, I took my youngest shopping (I normally HATE stopping anywhere after work) at Target, threw in a couple CPK frozen pizzas in the oven, and treated myself to a MUCH needed massage. I hadn’t had one since June, and it was long over due. The point, is that I did something for me FINALLY. I’m not one of those women who gets her hair done at a nice place, or manicures/pedicures unless it’s a special occasion. I honestly don’t do hardly anything for ME, and it’s gotta stop. Because here soon, it’s going to be ALL me, and I better MAKE time to recharge.
I feel better today, better than I have in quite some time. I know some pretty amazing people have my back, and that helps lighten the load tremendously. And I’ve got hope…barrels and barrels of hope and faith, that my husband will return home safely, and that our family will be even stronger through all of this.
Questions: What’s your go-to stress reliever? Have you or any of your family members dealt with depression?
Cheers to you all for you amazing support!
❤ Michelle
My place of peace
Thanks to everyone for your amazing love and support during this tough time. I’ve truly turned a new leaf and although am still overcome with sadness, I finally feel like I can maybe. Just maybe…get through this next year and a half. Although my husband hasn’t left yet, his spare time is spent preparing, and sadly worrying. We’ve both had our fair share of sleepless nights. So last night I revisited one of my favorite trails where I run, and it was there I found a little peace.
And as I rounded this corner at mile 2 of my 4 mile run, I forgot for a moment that I was running. I forgot all my worries. And I was smiling from ear to ear.
The sun was setting, I was chasing daylight, and I was smiling. It’s days like these I realize I must hang on tight to during the next year and a half.
Where’s your place of peace? How do you find the good in a bad situation?
Have a great night!!
~Michelle
Weekend in review with Risotto
What a weekend!!!! After hearing the news that my good friend’s Dad passed away, I felt my work week ending with a very heavy heart on Friday. But I am blessed with some pretty darn amazing coworkers, and welcomed their invite to go for a drink after work. You’d never guess what an hour and a half, and a Bloody Mary will do for the mood. Trust me on this one.
Saturday I was able to meet up for a long run with my super cool ultra runner friends. I love the fact that I can just run, chat and have fun with no worry about time or pace. I set out to do 6-8 miles, but muscle memory kicked in and I felt like I could run forever. We were running at a nice and easy 11:30-12 mm pace, so I ran 10 miles to round it out. MORE winning in regards to my daily mantra, and I left a lot out there on the trails.
They even convinced me to drink the Kool aid, or orange soda in this case. It was SOOOO good after years of NOT drinking soda, and extra refreshing after 10 miles of running.
Cheers!
After paying my respects at my friend’s Dad’s wake today, I decided to dive in to Sunday Supper. The pork roast is one I’ve done many times, simply season with a good BBQ rub, sear on all sides and slow roast at 225 degrees until the internal temp is 152 degrees. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-12 minutes.
Risotto with mushrooms and peas
8-10 cups of unsalted chicken stock heated on low on the stove top
1 package of risotto
2 large shallots, diced
8 Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup diced chives-green parts only-set aside
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup Grana Padono cheese
1 cup of frozen peas
Truffle oil-to dress right before serving
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
You will need two pans for this, one with a deeper edge. In a non-stick fry pan sauté the mushrooms until caramelized. While you are doing this, heat the deeper pan to medium high heat, and add in the diced shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and add in your rice. Gently stir, until the rice becomes slightly translucent. Next, slowly start ladling in the chicken stock, two ladles at a time. Stir until absorbed, and repeat the process. Cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is al dente. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to your taste. Lastly, add in the butter, caramelized mushrooms, frozen peas and cheese. Stir well, and dress with chives and Truffle oil before serving.
I try to limit my starch and carbs, but once a week I allow myself a treat. THIS my friends was a huge hit, and had my husband drooling!
While the weekend had some dark moments, I will say that I learned a lot about myself this weekend. I learned I need to cherish life even more than I thought I did, and I need to take time for things that make ME happy, too. So I held on a little tighter when hugging my family and friends, and did so many of my favorite things this weekend to celebrate life.
How was your weekend? Run any training runs or races? Did you try any new recipes?
Have a great week, everyone!
❤
Michelle
Tuesday Truths…
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know of my love hate relationship with the Treadmill. While yes, I am truly thankful I’ve had it for yet another winter in Chiberia, 99.9% of my runs on the ‘mill have been downright painful. But I won’t keep playing that broken record, because in all honesty I am tired of that tune as well.
So tonight, as I walked out of work I had a well devised plan to pick up my youngest from after school care, my oldest from Badminton practice, and get home to change clothes QUICK and run outside. The temps were darn near perfect with the sun peaking through the fog and temps at a balmy 52 degrees. SCORE. And even though my hour commute home between the drive home from work and kid taxi’ing had a temperature drop – I was RUNNING OUTSIDE darn it.
And so I did…I laced up my shoes, stepped out of the front door, and abruptly stopped. I hadn’t run OUTSIDE in nearly 4 months. Would I remember how to do this? I wasn’t sure…
The first mile was tough. My ankles hurt, my heels felt weird, darn it was my right shin acting up? I had to smack myself to shut up and I made my way around my neighborhood loop I have mapped out. The first mile was clocked in at a 9:06 mm. I stopped briefly to check my phone as I thought I heard it beep and wanted to make sure the kiddos were ok. As I turned I saw my hubby driving past me on his way home and he cheered me on. It was just what I needed!! The second and third mile were nearly effortless and I felt my legs get an extra spring in their step as I took off…It was just me, my music, my hood, and my miles…and suddenly I was reminded why I do this. Why I take so much time out of my life to train…because I LOVE the feeling you get when you are no longer running, and you begin to fly. My splits were 9:06, 9:11, 8:50 and 8:38 for the last tic. I feel like a new woman, honestly.
Today at work everyone kept asking me why I was smiling even more than I usually do…and I just smiled some more.
“I am running outside, tonight,” I said.
But I didn’t really run…I flew. And my soul is truly in a better place.
My take away is that although yes, my treadmill runs were tough this winter I truly believe they made me a stronger runner mentally. While I’ve always taken pride in my mental strength when it comes to distance running, that strength was tested over the last several months.
And I am happy to report…I passed!
How did you deal with less than optimal conditions when it comes to running? What is your favorite temperature to run in?
Thanks, y’all!
❤ Michelle
Movin' it with Michelle 