Tag: pork carnitas

As most of you know, I had 19 miles on deck this weekend for my week 13 of marathon training.  While I normally prefer to run my short runs by myself, the thought of running 19 miles solo was not giving me peace of mind.  Add in the forecast of 50-60% chance of thunderstorms and you could say I was nearly dreading the miles.  I didn’t sleep hardly a wink Friday night, but had my rain poncho and gear all set.  I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and was out the door by 5:15.  The first few miles were VERY wet, and I was thankful for my poncho despite it’s lack of comfort.  If you read my mini recap on my FB page, you saw that I accidentally ‘dismissed’ my first 3 miles of running when I ‘paused’ to take off my poncho. Damn.  Thankfully I knew were I was and had just looked down at my watch.  Here we go with more runner’s brain math, ack, lol.

 

  

 The miles ticked by, and something happened out there that even surprised ME.  I was…HAVING FUN out there, running between raindrops, enjoying the trails, and listening to music. I COULD run solo, no matter the mileage, and this made me smile.  It was liberating to be out there on my own, with claps of lightening in the distance to cheer me on.  And even when it started to POUR cats and dogs, I smiled.  I took cover briefly to fuel, but when I realized it wasn’t letting up I continued on for a good 3 miles in some pretty hard rain.  And I do believe, I was smiling from what I’m told from friends who saw me out on the trails that morning.  I felt/feel nearly renewed.  My legs hurt, my knee ached, and my ITB yelled at me the last few miles, but nothing was going to bring me down.  YAY for a good long run.

I was contacted by Lily Trotters a couple months ago to try out their compression socks.  But I received the socks, on the very day of my daughter’s accident and honestly forgot about the review.  Saturday seemed to be the perfect day to try the socks out after my long run to aid in my recovery.  Here’s what I thought:

1. They were very easy to put on, unlike some other compression wear that you have to tug and pull to get on.

2. The colors were really fun, and I loved the polka dot print.

3. They were SOOO comfy, and I actually slept in them last night and woke up with happy legs.

All in all, I loved them and will use them in the future.  I am particular with my socks, but am hoping they will make sleeves too so I can run in them as well.

In my attempt to eat healthier and lose 10 lbs. I decided to make crock pot pork carnitas for dinner so I would have yummy left overs for lunches this week.

Pork Carnitas

Pork roast, boneless-pat dry and season with kosher salt and pepper

1 large red onion, roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 small red chili peppers, chopped

The juice of 1 large orange, 3 small limes

Spice Rub

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. dried oregano

Drizzle the roast with extra virgin olive oil, and liberally apply the rub.  Place in your crock pot with the fat cap up, and add your onions, garlic, and peppers.  Drizzle over the juice of the oranges and limes, and cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the pork, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.  Pull apart with two forks, and place in a bowl.

Drain the liquid from the crock pot, and add the strained liquid back in to the pork to keep it nice and juicy!!  I served it over a salad of mixed greens with black beans, corn, and avocado.  No dressing needed, just drizzle a bit of the drained juice over the top!

Weekly mileage-27 miles, a few miles short but my knee is happier

Core fitness-6 days=600 sit-ups

Lb.’s lost-NONE…but I blame it on girlie crap this week.

Did you run long or race this weekend?  Have any good crock pot recipes you love?