Movin' it with Michelle

Last week was a GREAT training week for me. I pushed myself, made a new running friend, AND did some new fueling for my long run that REALLY seemed to help me from fading out the last few miles. Sorry for some of the repetitive information, but I really wanted to log the breakdown of my week because I really am feeling strong ~~because I’m old and don’t want to forget~~.

Mileage breakdown goes a little like this:

Total mileage: 30.34 miles which is my highest mileage for a week this year. Those of you that have been following me for a while, know that my training plan is modified to save my debilitated right knee. I have patella femoral syndrome, and very little cartilage left so I use the run less mantra. I do ONE long run on the weekend, and two modified shorter runs during the week. I also try and walk 1-2 times per week. So 30 miles is AWESOME for me. YAY.

Strength work outs: I did weights twice last week! Met my goal!!!

Yoga: Wednesday yoga sessions are becoming a regular in my house! Winning!

Long run: my last week’s 18 miles got flip flopped as I had the half marathon last weekend. I met up with my new friend, Teri as I previously mentioned, and managed a strong 19 miler. The last few miles were really tough, but I kept movin’…

Ya gotta be silly to survive 19 miles, right?
Fuel: For my shorter runs, no fuel. Just water or Nuun when temps got too hot to run without hydration. For my long run I had a granola bar for breakfast, and 2 bottles of water. It was going to be a very humid run, and I didn’t want to dehydrate. I carried a 16 ounce handheld filled with Nuun, and tried to fill up at all the water fountains. I had a Huma Chia gel at miles 6, 10, and 15 and salt tabs at mile 6 and 12. I found by fueling every 4 or so miles after the 6 miles mark kept me feeling strong, YAY!!!

Sunday for Mother’s Day my family took me downtown Chicago which is one of my favorite places. We ate, we shopped, and we walked just over 3 miles! It felt great to stretch my sore legs. AND, I got a new Garmin Vivofit, ate at my favorite restaurant, and shopped at my favorite clothes store-Free People. I did also breakdown and by a new pair of jeans, one size larger than I normally wear because my legs just won’t accommodate skinny jeans anymore. 😦 My weight is back at post pregnancy weight so I need to figure out my diet. I eat healthier than I ever have, but am guessing my love for wine is jacking with any sort of weight loss. I’m guessing the desert pictured below isn’t helping, either, LOL!!

All in all it was a GREAT training week, and GREAT weekend. I am beyond blessed with amazing friends and family and I am reminded of it, daily.

How was your week in regards to training last week? What did you do (if anything) for Mother’s Day? What are you big plans for this week?

Have a great week, y’all!

❤ Michelle

Uncategorized

Mothers Day weekend wrap up

May 10, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

This will be a picture filled post as I am in the car and won’t have time to sit down to write. Here goes!!!

Friday night was dress rehearsal for my youngest’s ballet recital. Gosh. She takes my breath away. Both my daughters are so pretty! Not that I’m biased.

Saturday was my long run and I was lucky enough to share the miles with my new friend, Teri. I did the first two miles solo and met her at 6 am to finish the final 16. As you can see, runners brain happened and I ended up doing 19 instead. Woops. lol Teri’s FB page is “Reinventitude” and I highly recommend you check it out.

Saturday afternoon we had the recital. My Mom surprised us by driving down from MN and my sister’s family came down, too! Made my day!!!

We had such a wonderful day. I am counting my blessings ten fold this weekend. My hubby even rubbed my aching feet last night.

We’re headed to the city for Mother’s Day lunch and shopping today. I hope you all have an amazing week coming up, and that you were able to spend time with family and friends this weekend!!

Xoxoxo

Michelle

marathon training

Friday Five!! #TGIF

May 8, 2015May 8, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Here are my Friday 5’s in which I’m loving, or not loving, in no real particular order:

1. I am still loving my Brooks Launch 2’s, and plan to order a second pair on pay day to break in for the marathon. I love how lightweight they feel, the cushion they provide my legs, and the fact that my feet rarely (after racing last weekend everything hurt, lol) hurt after a long run. Winning all the way around.

Maybe I'll get this color this time, what do you think? — Maybe I’ll get this color this time, what do you think?

2. I am not loving being a Mom to a teen. I LOVE her…but wow, no one gave me the listed side effects in advance that come with raising a teen. These side effects include the following, keeping in mind this list is NOT all inclusive.

Moodiness, snarkiness, outbreaks, tears, sarcasm, silent treatment and hatefulness, all with a side of ultimate love deep down to the core. ❤

Was I this terrible? Don’t answer that…I think I better apologize to my Mom for the umpteenth time for being such a crappy teen. LOL!!!

3. I am loving the warmer temps here in the Chicagoland area. It’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice to be out running in a tank and shorts. Despite having to slow down and watch my breathing, there’s nothing like the sunshine on your face and the wind in your hair after a long day of work. I have however, forgotten my bug spray and sunscreen on my last couple runs. Here comes the runner’s tan!!!

4. I am not loving the humidity. ‘Nuff said. But I WILL NOT complain about the heat. Nope. Not gonna happen…(recall Chiberia 2013/2014?!?!?!)

5. I am loving the fact that every day I dig a little deeper and reach a littler further towards my goals. Whether it’s simply pinning one of MY recipes on Pinterest, or writing up a new blog post, I am reminded daily that I won’t give up on my dreams.

Tomorrow calls for 14-18 miles for my long run that I missed last weekend and then off to my youngest daughter’s first Ballet recital. I was super stoked to get the surprise that my Mom is driving down from MN to attend! YAY!!! What are you all loving/not loving lately? Any big plans for Mother’s Day weekend?

Keep Movin’ forward, y’all!

❤ Michelle

marathon training, Recipes

Tuesday, tostadas, and truths in no particular order!

May 6, 2015May 6, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

After Sunday’s big race, (and during) I really have been thinking…shocker, right? I mean, what else are you going to do out on the trails for a couple hours? Although often times I can get lost in my own head while running/racing long, more times than not I spent the majority of the time thinking. It’s my therapy in essence, where I get to bond with God, nature, and everything in between.

Lately, I’ve been battling with myself, in regards to being upset over people who don’t get excited or support my crazy dreams. Not so much people, but FRIENDS. And after I wiped my tears away quickly Sunday during which time I was saddened to not hear from a couple friends that morning, I was reminded of the awesome support I DO have. My husband, sister, and a few friends all sent texts, and I had quite a few friends at the race cheering for me. Why was I upset over the few who didn’t bother to support me? That’s the question of the hour. I swear, I am my own worst enemy sometimes. I got this reminder, a text from 2014 when I ran this very same race last year, from my friend A and I just smiled. My sister reminded me of how far I’ve come, and I slapped away the sadness and drove on. Gah I am an idiot sometimes. LOL, at least I recognize it, right?

The last 2 days I’ve been walking around like I just ran a FULL marathon. WOWSA am I sore!!!! I truly gave it my all on Sunday, and am feelin’ it big time today. But, I had 4-5 miles on deck so immediately after work I changed clothes and ran. It started to rain, and I ran out of time, but I managed to beat the storms. 4.32 miles in 40:22 with an average pace of 9:20. Never did I think I would be able to say 9:20-9:30 would be an easy-ish pace. YAHOO!!! I finished up my work out with weights, and a wimpy 1:06 minute plank, lol!

It IS Cinco de Mayo, so I made chicken tostadas tonight for dinner after my run.

Chicken Tostada Recipe

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (You’ll want to bake your tostadas to crisp them up)

6 corn tortillas, baked on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken-cut into bite size pieces (I prefer thighs, but breasts work too!)

1/2 red onion-diced

1 red pepper-chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup of frozen corn (wait until the very end to add this)

Shredded cheese-1 cup (may be omitted, I only use a tiny amount on mine as cheese and I aren’t friends.)

Seasonings to taste: Smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper

Sauté’ in extra virgin olive oil the onions, pepper and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add in your chicken, seasonings, and can of black beans and cook through-around 15 minutes. Add in your corn, stir well.

Sprinkle the tortillas with shredded cheese, and top with the chicken mixture. Add just a touch more cheese and put in your 325 degree oven.

While the cheese is melting, make your avocado topping.

Avocado topping

1 avocado

1 tablespoon of low fat sour cream

Juice of 1 lime

pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper

Serve, and enjoy!

Total prep and cook time was 20-25 minutes. This is a great week night meal!

Do you think a lot during your long runs? What’s your favorite easy week night meal?

Have a great week, y’all!

Keep Movin’ Forward!

❤ Michelle

Races, Recipes, Sunday Supper

Great Western Trail half marathon race recap with a recipe

May 3, 2015May 4, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

I preface this post with the fact that I have only been working on speed every so slightly, once or twice each week on short runs in the last few months, and that I am an idiot for not being completely thrilled with my PR.

I’ve done this race now three times, and was excited to possibly break my course record of 2:01, as well as maybe crush that good ole sub 2 goal I’ve had for the last several years. The weather was nearly perfect at the start, with the temps in the low 60’s and a nice breeze. I was giddy as I got to hang out with Wendy from Taking the long way home, as well as the fact that this was my first race of 2015.

With that, I took off ~~too~~ fast, and only was able to hang with Wendy momentarily. But I felt GREAT so heck, I was going to give it my all. “The faster you run, the faster you are done” rang sweetly in my head along with “Slow down you idiot or you’ll burn out!!” I honestly could picture my PR/Sub 2 the entire race, and gave it my ALL. I tried my best to keep my pace at or below 9:09, only faltering on that goal for a couple separate miles. But as the temperature rose, and the sun came out in full force I could feel my head throb and hands swell by mile 11. The spectators and volunteers were amazing, and after a couple high fives from some VERY cute little dudes I picked it back up.

But then, there’s that last mile of the Great Western trail half marathon that isn’t for the faint of heart or weak of mind. It will take everything you have, and more to get through the winding hills, and never ending trail that seemingly is about to end…but then it doesn’t. I pushed, feeling as if I was going to pass out, and then pushed some more. I crossed the line with an official time of 2:00:11. And I cried. Sobbed nearly as big sweaty, salty tears stung my eyes.

And then I got mad, for not being happy that I got a PR, and that I finished strong WITHOUT passing out. My awesome friends were there to hold me up, and celebrate with me all I had accomplished and I am so very thankful I didn’t feel sad for very long.

A huge shout out to the Fox River trail runners, the race organizers, volunteers and spectators. I love this race! (Minus that last mile, lol)

5-3finishers — Teri from Reinventitude, Wendy from Taking the long way home, and Karen from Trading in my Heels ❤

This pic, truly says it all. Thanks to Dave Sheble from the Fox Valley Marathon for capturing it! What AM I doing with my hand, though?

I finished my day by prepping/cooking Sunday Supper. Tonight’s theme was Asian inspired. I even got my mandolin out, and if you recall from my Christmas post the mandolin and I got in a fight. I decided to tackle my fears. Heck, if I could PR in this heat, I can use a mandolin right? Mandolin 1-Michelle 1!

My husband is just hilarious, right? LOL

Asian inspired short ribs

What you’ll need:

Short ribs (we used beef, but pork is fine too)-season with kosher salt and pepper and set aside

Marinade

1 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup of chili garlic sauce

2 cloves of garlic-grated

Fresh ginger-grated

Juice of 2 limes

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

5-6 green onions, chopped-use all of white, and some of the green

Drizzle in some extra virgin olive oil and mix well. Pour over your ribs and let refrigerate for a couple hours.

Bake the ribs for about an hour (covered) at 325 degrees. I might try lowering the temp next time, but they were amazing. I served with ginger infused mashed sweet potatoes and a fennel, green apple and baby bok choy salad. YUM!

Did you race or run this weekend? Any new recipes in your rotation? How do you handle missing your goals?

Have a great week, y’all!! It’s time to retire to the couch!

❤

Michelle

Recipes

Mid week recipe…Avocado dressing!

April 30, 2015April 30, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

I’ll admit, I’ve been slacking on my recipes and research in regards to my goal of writing my own cook book. As most of you know, I cook by taste, smell, and texture vs. exact measurements. In the last year or so I’ve really tried to quantify my ingredients and document my journey in regards to my love for food.

But then came marathon #3 training, and my goals have since fallen to the back burner (haha, get it?) unfortunately. So I’m back at it, with a goal to publish ONE recipe (at least) each week. Who’s ready for our first week’s exciting recipe? Ok…it’s not that exciting, but it’s simple, tasty, and a healthy choice for a mid week meal.

Avocado dressing/puree’

In a bowl place the following:

1 avocado

1 tablespoon of low fat sour cream

The juice of one lime

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste

1 pinch of dried cilantro

Mix well until a creamy consistency is achieved. Serve over fish, chicken, or on your favorite salad in place of dressing. YUM!

This entire dish took 10 minutes to prepare!

Doesn’t get much easier than this, and my entire family enjoyed it thankfully!

What’s on your plate these days? Do you find it hard to balance work, training, and other hobbies?

Thanks, y’all!! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

❤ Michelle

marathon training

Grandma’s Marathon training, week 10, DONE!

April 26, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Gosh, it’s been such a busy week that I haven’t had time to sit down to unwind and write. Honestly, I’ve been battling writers block terribly this week, so rather than just babble I decided to give myself a few days and see if I could come up with something…

Well, it’s been almost a week and still, I got nothin’ really all that witty or wonderful to say.

LOL

I did however manage to ~~almost~~ keep up with my marathon training this week, and have successfully completed my 17 miler. I ran on Friday as its my weekend to pull supervisory duty at the hospital. I met up with a couple of my running friends, and had a blast catching up with both of them during our miles. Melissa stuck with us for 12 miles, and Janel stayed with me until 15.5 miles where she decided it best to call it at 16 so I took off to finish the last mile and a half alone. All in all, my run felt great despite having to stretch several times. My ITB just doesn’t want to loosen up, so I am being ginger with it as to prevent injury the best I can. I foam roll every night now, and ice my knee after long runs. I also did yoga once this week, and weight training twice.

Next weekend I’ll be doing my first half marathon/race of 2015 and I am really looking forward to it. It’s my PR race (2:01), and although I don’t plan on racing it as I’ll have another 5 miles to tack on after the race, I do look forward to running it for the 3rd year in a row. It’s literally almost in my back yard, and these trails and I have had many a memory made on them. They’ve listened to me when I didn’t want to listen to myself, and they’ve given me back my wings so to speak more times than I can count. If you remember, I did my 15 miler a few weeks ago on the very trails where this race will take place, and I learned a lot about myself that day.

I’m also looking forward to seeing Wendy from Taking the Long Way home (do you read her blog? If not, head over now!) at the finish line as she’ll be toeing the line of this race too, but is much faster than me so will finish before I do. Bonus for me, as it will be a huge welcome to see her smiling face at the finish line.

Lessons learned this week are:

-I’ve got more fuel in my tank than I realized. After my long run Friday, I honestly felt like I could’ve kept going for several more miles. YAY!

-People will support you, or they won’t. Does it matter? NO…as long as you believe in yourself. I need to remind myself of this far too often, so I’m saying it out loud.
-Respect the distance you are running, always. ‘Nuff said.

What’s your favorite distance to run? Do you repeat races you’ve previously ran?

Have a great week, y’all! Keep Movin’ Forward!!!

❤ Michelle

marathon training

Monday Motivation and Boston thoughts

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

Hey it’s Marathon Monday!!!! I’m so excited for all those who ran this morning at the 2015 Boston Marathon. I have so many friends who ran today, both virtual and in real life that I found myself constantly checking updates on my phone!! I’m happy to report everyone I know finished the race, and it looked like such a blast. I wish I could list them all, but hope they know I love and cherish each and every one of them as runners, and friends.

So this got me thinking about all things that are Boston, the number one of which being SPEED. This is something that has never been a part of my life as a distance runner, or any other type of runner to be honest. I’ve always been an average runner. I’m not a ‘back of the packer’ but I am by no means, fast. So does that make me less of a runner?

Let’s ponder that thought for a bit…shall we?

For fun, I looked up the Boston Qualifying times…FOR FUN. Although I’ve never even dreamt of BQ’ing, I decided what better day to look up the facts and see if I could ever feasably qualify. For my age group I would need a minimum of a 3:45 finish time. Mind you, my fastest full marathon time is 4:25 and I have NO idea where that race even came from other than God himself as it truly was the best race of my life, and I can recall nearly every second of it. But on the same note, I pushed myself harder than ever that day, and had to reach down to the very depths of my soul to find the strength to finish that marathon so strongly. I can’t even fathom running a faster marathon.

Does that make me less of a runner? Some would say, yes…

Sometimes I catch myself questioning that statement…but only mostly during a race, or an event like the Boston Marathon. Most of the time I am completely satisfied being an average runner. But I suppose it is normal for nearly every distance runner to wonder…what if? Could I qualify? Could I run the race that is the end all and be all of all things distance running?

But I know myself, and my abilities as a runner…so the answer is:

Probably not…and that makes me NO LESS of a runner AT ALL. Because during every run I am out there giving it my all…it may not be enough to BQ…but I strive to be a little better with each year for ME.

That won’t stop me for drooling over Shalene, Desiree and Meb and their amazing talent. It won’t stop me from cheering on my friends who ARE speedy, and celebrating each finish line and finishing time. It also won’t stop me from hoping one day…just maybe when I’m 65, that I’ll BQ, lol!!! ❤

Have you BQ’d or are you striving to BQ? What are your thoughts on the importance of speed?

Thanks for your support! Have a great day, y’all!!!

❤ Michelle

marathon training, Recipes, Sunday Supper

Weekend Wrap up/Marathon training week 9 complete!

April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

My weekend was all over the place in regards to emotional highs, lows, and everything in between. Although I’ll keep the reasoning behind my roller coaster a bit vague, I will say I have learned from the events and feel better for it. It’s all about moving forward, right?

Friday night was a quiet night filled with Netflix and relaxing after a yummy night of sushi. (Sushi is carbloading too, right? lol). It would be an early night for both the hubby and I as he had his reserve duty weekend and I had a long run in the wee hours of the morning. I got all my gear set out, battled with some tummy issues, and drank some water before bed. I woke up at 5:45 am, battled with some more tummy issues and finally got dressed and headed to run club. My friend Deb agreed to slow her pace and run my scheduled 13 miles with me. YAY!

The first half of our run was pretty uneventful despite me having to stop several times to stretch out my ITB that was pulling hard on my right knee. We laughed, talked, and laughed some more. Halfway through we stopped to take a selfie with the Fox River in the background.

The second half of our run was a bit tougher with some really strong winds on our faces, but we kept pushing forward. We finished strong, and celebrated with coffee (her) and pomegranate lemonade for me. I even splurged and had a breakfast sandwich on an ‘everything’ bagel. YUM.

I spent the rest of the day with my daughter’s, and we shopped til we dropped at “Once Upon a Child, “Plato’s Closet,” and Clothes Mentor” stocking up for our warmer weather wardrobe. We all found some really cute items, and everyone came out with smiles, especially my bank account. Gotta love consignment shopping!

Today was chores, food prep and Sunday Supper. I made my own protein smoothies and stored them in previously used water bottles! Recycling=Winning! The smoothies were simple.

Berry Mocha Smoothie

1/2 cup of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries

3 scoops of chocolate protein powder

16 ounces of water

Liquefy in a blender, and strain out the seeds. Transfer to the bottles and refrigerate

Banana Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie

1 cup of strawberries

2 bananas

3 scoops of protein powder

16 ounces of water

Liquefy in a blender, and strain out the seeds. Transfer to the bottles and refrigerate

I also spent time organizing my groceries after shopping, getting everything prepped and ready for the week. I am battling the scale and my marathon weight gain, NOW.

I'm ready for the week! — I’m ready for the week!

Tonight’s Sunday Supper was a simple pork roast in the crock poat with roasted veggies.

Pork Roast in a crock pot

Season pork roast with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and season salt. Sear the roast on all sides in a cast iron skillet and set aside.

In your crock pot, add on can of tomato puree, 2 cups of unsalted chicken or veggie stock, roughly chop 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 stocks of celery and 3 cloves of garlic. Also add in 2 bay leaves (remove later) and Italian seasoning to taste. Add your roast to the crock pot, and cook on low for 6 hours.

While my roast was making magic in the crock pot I decided to go for a walk to stretch my legs. My daughters even joined me, YAY!

Roasted Veggies

1 cup string beans

1 shallot-sliced

1 sweet potato-julienned

1/2 cup of Shitake mushrooms-sliced

2 cloves of garlic finely sliced

Place in a bowel, and toss with 1 teaspoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and chives. I also added some grated parmesan cheese for a little bite! Roast at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Now after a weekend filled with more time on my feet than I care to admit, I am going to retire to my couch!

How was your week? Do you food prep for the week? What’s your favorite smoothie flavor?

Have a great week, y’all!

❤ Michelle

Friday Favs

April 17, 2015 Movin' it with Michelle

I haven’t posted a Friday Favs post in a while, and am in the middle of a wretched case of writer’s block so thought, why not!

Here’s some of my favorite things lately…

Running outside in a tank top and running shorts/skirt. The wind in my hair, the sun on my face and actually feeling sweaty. Gross, right? LOL

Longer days and warmer temps. It’s so wonderful being able to drive home from work and still have time to pick up my kids, go running, and cook dinner all before sunset. Winning!

Being a Mom comes with drama, but J is back in school full days, and S continues to give us a run for our money in regards to her “free spirited” nature at school. The hubby went to S’s parent teacher conference yesterday, and just when we thought she was improving in regards to focusing at school, we were given a rude awakening. Ultimately they are healthy and happy (for the most part) so I really shouldn’t complain.

My training is now half way done for the Grandma’s marathon. Well, it will be once I complete my long run and strength training this weekend. Hard to believe how quickly the training has gone by, and am looking forward to running with my friend D for my long run tomorrow. That 15 miler last weekend was TOUGH alone, so the company will be welcomed with open arms.

That wraps it up for my Friday Favs. What’s your favorite weather to run in? Are you training for anything in particular?

Have a great weekend, y’all!! Keep Movin’ Forward!

❤ Michelle

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