I started out my Friday with 8 miles after work. I was truly chasing daylight to get this one done and I wouldn’t change a thing about this run. Ok, maybe the pit stop I had to take in the woods to pee at mile 6, but other than that, it was perfect. Splits were: 9:54, 9:52, 9:56, 9:33, 9:26, 9:24, 9:12, 8:54! And…I got to capture this picture when I finished.
Saturday I spent the day in the city with my family. It’s amazing what a train ride, some shopping, and AMAZING food can do for the soul. AND I got to meet one the amazing John Colleta of Quartino in Chicago which is one of our FAVORITE places to eat in Chicago. WINNING.
Short rib tacos from The Grand Lux Café in Chicago-YUM!Chef John Colleta of Quartino took the time not only come out and greet us, but he made us a complimentary pizza!!!The best pizza I’ve ever eaten. Ever. LOL
Sunday was a quiet day filled with football watching, cooking, and one last run to wrap up the week.
The pic doesn’t do this meal justice, as my daughter said she LOVED the sweet potato puree!
It felt great to regroup over the last few months, and I really feel like I am getting back to ‘me’ again. Despite a rough summer, I can happily say I am continually movin’ forward and it feels great.
How was your week? Do you ever do touristy things where you live? What’s your favorite cuisine?
I set my alarm early Thursday morning so I could hit the road to my sister’s house. I was packed and ready to go and as the skies opened up and it began to pour down rain, I had a little talk with God. See, I don’t ever get a chance to get away and do things just for me. This was my weekend with my sister, and I wanted it to be perfect. So I looked up to the skies and said, “Please, God? Please? Can you just give me a little break?” And as I turned on the exit ramp for interstate 294, blue skies appeared, and I smiled. He DOES listen. 🙂
We hit the road to my parents house, and had such a fun time with them. We ate pizza, had a couple drinks, and spent the evening talking. It was SO nice just to catch up, the four of us.
Core Four, back in action!Beer counts as carb loading, right?
Friday:
The road trip to Duluth was so much fun. We laughed, sang 80’s music at the top of our lungs, and yelled at careless drivers who made the left lane their resting place vs. using it as a passing lane (as it should be used), LOL. “Don’t F#%! with the flow!” we would yell and I couldn’t help but smile continuously. The last time my sister and I had any sort of time together was in 2007 after the passing of my grandfather. This, was a much nicer trip.
Me in front of my old high school!The house I grew up in…seems so much smaller!Happy feet by Lake SuperiorDuluth’s famous Aerial lift bridgeCheesin’ in the beautiful sunlight!
As we drove over the sky line coming in to Duluth, Guns and Roses blasted and tears filled my eyes. HOME. This is where I lived growing up until graduating high school and leaving for the Air Force in 1991. This…this was home. And although I left without looking back 24 years ago almost to the date, I am now able to remember the good memories I had in Duluth. We visited my schools, elementary (now apartment buildings), junior high (no longer a school), and my high school. We drove past the home we grew up in, and visited some of my favorite places in the city. We also had an amazing lunch, overlooking Lake Superior and had fun eavesdropping on fellow runners that sat near us. We also coveted their fish and chips, so much so that Bobbi changed her mind and ordered it for lunch! YUM! I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day with my sister. I unfortunately didn’t get to meet up with any of my fellow bloggers that were running the race, but I felt my time with my sister/family was much needed and more important.
We hit up the expo, got all kinds of cool stuff, and headed back to our hotel to meet Bobbi’s friends, Carrie and Riyanti. We ended the day wrapped up with all kinds of runner love at my old track buddy from high school parent’s house for dinner. Loads of pasta and meatballs, and all gluten free! YUM!!!!
Old track buddies, reunited after 24 years!Expo fun!Expo finds!!! Skirt Sports skirt for 40 dollars? YES PLEASE!!
Race day:
The original agreement was, that my sister and I would run this race TOGETHER. That meant no matter what pace, we would stick together and have fun. Sadly, my sister had been dealing with a crabby calf the week prior, but I still told her I wanted to stick with her for the race. The only way I’d go on without her, is if she decided to not finish the race.
So…we awoke at O’dark 30, and boarded the first bus at 5:45. We had an amazing bus driver who stopped the bus to move barricades so that we wouldn’t be late. The excitement was building as we drove up the shore to Two Harbors where the race was set to start. Our forecast was 100% chance of rain, but we still were smiling. We arrived an hour before the race started which gave us plenty of time to use the porta-potties (twice) and get our gear bags checked. We got a sneak peak at the start line as the elites started to show up!
Starting line!!Us right before the rain hit!!!
And then, it started to rain…We decided the rain wasn’t going to damper our spirits so we danced and sang as the rain continued to pour down. We saw Eric who had already ran from the finish line in Duluth UP to Two Harbors, AMAZING. When Mother Nature decided to announce her presence and POUR down rain for a good 30 minutes, we found it harder to smile, and even harder to keep warm. But the runners squeezed into the corrals which helped due to the body heat a little…
The gun went off at 7:45 AM, and we crossed the start line around 3 minutes later. We settled in to around an 11:30/11:45 pace, and despite some GI issues on my part we were feeling good. Bobbi’s calf was bothering her, but she had hoped it would calm down. We stopped for selfies once the rain subsided just before the halfway point and by this point Bobbi knew it was going to be a struggle to finish. She could walk, but running was really bothering her. She kept trying to send me off to finish the last half of the race, and the deep down competitive person in me wanted to run and finish the race strong. But seeing her struggling like she was made me realize, I needed to stay with her. I needed to put my selfish wants aside, and finish this race with my sister. And I can honestly say it’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
The next 13 miles were filled with laughter, tears, cussing, beer drinking, parental hugs, high fives, pottie stops, selfies, gimpy shuffling, friends cheering, strangers motivating and digging deeper than I think I ever have in my life. The sun even came out for a few miles, and this helped brighten our spirits. Mile 20 we saw my parents, and were greeted by spectators with BEER! Carbs, right?!?! It was all about fun at this point!!!
Mile 20 cheesin!All. The. Beers!Return of the yeti, around mile 17!Very wet first half of the race!!!
When we hit mile 22, and the temps dropped and it started to rain again I questioned whether or not I could keep going. But when I turned to Bobbi and saw tears in her eyes I asked, “What can I do?” and she choked back more sobs and said, “You are already doing all the things.” And I cried.
See, I’ve been selfish a lot in my life. But in working towards being a better me, I’ve really tried to put the important people in my life first. And Saturday, I did just that. Because I love my sister more than words can describe.
Mile 23, my Garmin died, and it continued to rain…I was cold. So. Very. Cold. Bobbi gave me her rain poncho despite being cold herself (I stupidly ditched mine when the sun came out), and we trudged on. Her limping, me shuffling, us both COLD and hurting. More talks with God happened, and I simply prayed for strength for us to finish. Mile 25 we saw Carrie, Riyanti, and our folks just past them. Lots of hugs. And more tears. With just a mile to go, and lots of photographers we put on our brave faces and walked/shuffled on. We weren’t going to make it under 6 hours, but we were going to finish. As we entered the final leg into the finish line I had to choke back the sobs. We did it. We battled injury, elements, and mental demons that tried to keep us from finishing. We gathered our medals and tee-shirts from Carly, wrapped ourselves in our mylar blankets and picked up our gear. We were spent, and needed to get warm. After long hot showers we relaxed for a while, and went out for dinner at Pizza Luce. You can bet I ordered my traditional Bloody Mary, and received a side car as a bonus. Gotta love Duluth!!
We finished!!!!!Bloody Mary with a side car!All the food for the finishers!
My sister said this was our personal worst in regards to time, and she’s right. But I call it a personal best in regards to effort because while maybe not the smartest of running happened that day, you couldn’t have ordered up more effort and heart than those displayed in those last 5 miles.
See you in 2016, Duluth!!!!
Marathon number 3, complete. Lessons learned: Never give up even in the toughest conditions…Never leave your wingman…even if you have STRONG training, you never know what race day will hand to you…it’s amazing the power of a child’s high five, a cheer, your people on the side lines cheering you on, and the encouragement of a stranger. And at the end of the day, all you can do is your best with the conditions race day gives you, so try and enjoy even the smallest of moments.
Thanks so much for the amazing support during my training!!! The last 18 weeks, and this race, have proved to me that I can do anything I set my mind to in life!!! ❤
Last week I will admit I had started to get a little nervous about my upcoming marathon. Why? Well, the chance I might be running it solo had come to play, but it sounds like my nephew is doing MUCH better and that the original plan of my sister and I running this race together is back ON, knock on wood! Although I had trained primarily solo, I didn’t push myself in regards to pace because my ONE goal for this race is to have FUN with my sister…oh…and to finish. So I have TWO goals, LOL.
But, just to be safe and plan ahead, I decided to get my Jeep’s oil changed and a few other things to make sure I could make the trip to Minnesota by myself if needed. I also go my emission’s test for my upcoming annual tag renewal.
My mini and I having fun.
Saturday morning I set my alarm early because I had a massage scheduled at noon and I wasn’t going to miss that appointment. LOL!!! My run was AMAZING, and I couldn’t believe how good my legs felt. Maybe because I took Thursday off since I had weird aches and pains everywhere, and maybe because I just cleared my mind and ran…regardless, I left it all out there, and was speedier than I have been in quite some time.
Splits:10:21, 10:29, 10:13, 10:20, 9:55, 9:46, 9:37, 9:23 for my last long run of 8 miles. Average pace was 10:01. Yes please, and thanks! Here’s a couple photos I snapped during fuel breaks:
Next…My massage. I may or may not have asked my therapist to marry me come with me to Minnesota, LOL!!! She’s worked wonders for my wonky ITB and crazy knotted calf that has plagued me for a couple years. I love her. Thanks, Amy!!
And then, insert taper crazies here…I cleaned my husband’s closet, cleaned and purged a bunch of lotions and crap from the bathroom, and scrubbed the house from top to bottom. All with a smile on my face, and a feeling of light-heartedness that quite possibly came from my morning 8 miler. Anyone that has trained for a marathon while working full time, (and on single Mom duty more than half the year) knows that housework falls to the wayside, and quick. It feels great to have my life back in order, LOL.
I’ve spent the last few days talking with Charissa, Allison, and Hanna via FB chat. These amazing ladies all plan on running the marathon in around 3 hours or so, and I am in awe of their talent and speed. But more so, they’ve supported me and my blog for quite a while and I can’t WAIT to meet them in SIX days!!!! I’ve started packing, and am over the moon excited to finally be the one traveling vs. the one staying home!
Fuel is good to go, not pictured are my salt tabs and Motrin.
I am also excited to meet Eric Strand (I hope) and give him his #DoEpicShit bracelet from my friend Andrea who’s been one of my biggest supporters. He doesn’t only run Grandma’s Marathon, he runs it twice, started at 3 am running TOWARDS the start line from the finish line. Check out the video!!!
And that my friends…is a wrap. My training is complete minus a couple short runs this week, and I. AM. READY.
Thanks for those who’ve consistently supported my crazy dreams and goals. It means more to me than I could ever put in to words. Y’all will be with me, for 4-5 hours as I run my 3rd (and possibly final full) marathon!!!!
Here’s my Friday fives from the work week and mid year check in, in no particular order…
I contemplated briefly, running a fall marathon. Yet after my 4 mile run in the heat and humidity, I changed my mind, immediately quickly. I’ll focus on speed and getting my half marathon time under 2 hours, instead, like I initially planned.
LOL! Photo Cred: Princess and the Frog movie
I have continued to work on my moving forward mantra with lots of self-talk, doing things I love, and surrounding myself with positive people. I’ve also made more effort to reach out to people who I know too, are struggling. Yay for forward progress!
Or this…lol Photo cred: Myfitnesspal
I have been eating REALLY well for a few weeks now, (You can read about my shocking revelations here) and have lost maybe a lb. but that’s reaching. Argh. Someone pass me a cheeseburger and fries, PLEASE. I’m truly at a loss…and not the weight kind. Is it so much to ask to drop 5-10 lbs.?? LOL!!!
BAHAHAHAHA!
My legs/body is tired this week. I physically feel ok, but every time I run it’s like I am carrying two lead filled bricks vs. legs. I ran my last 4 miler in my long run pace of 10:30…seriously? Why does everything hurt? I am half contemplating skipping my 12 miler tomorrow…but am on the fence. Even if I’ve cut long runs a bit short, I’ve never skipped one that I can recall…
pretty much how I feel this week, and when my alarm goes off at O’Dark 30 for my long runs.
After no more than 1 day off consecutively in the last 2 weeks, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy it’s Friday. I’ve got lots of plans filled with power washing my deck, staining said deck, and a baseball game with my family tomorrow night. Sunday is my nephew’s 8th grade graduation and I can’t wait to see my sister and her family. It always does my heart wonders to be near my peeps.
Photo cred: giphy.com
Have you ever had issues with coming to a stand still in regards to weight loss? Have you ever skipped a long run during marathon training? How are you coming along with your goals this year?
Preface: This post is to hold me accountable. I am by no means a nutrition expert or health care provider. I am just trying something that I know has worked for me in the past. Discipline.
You’ve heard me discuss before about my disdain with the numbers that show up on the scale each week, and several times I decided this was it, those TEN lbs were going bye bye…
Yet just as quickly as I decided I was going to do about something about the “oh you’re 40 now, and can’t just eat whatever you want” weight, I found myself having late night snacks or splurging at the taco bar at work…I’m a distance runner, and am constantly hungry. Normal, right?
Sure…but if I am going to snack, I need to find healthier alternatives than handfuls of pita chips loaded with roasted red pepper hummus. A little hummus=good fat. An entire container of hummus=bad choice fat.
My clothes were all feeling tighter, and despite the fact I know that SOME of it is muscle (my legs), a lot of the weight well, ISN’T muscle…my every growing gut tells me so, daily.
But I didn’t truly realize it, until I saw the free race photos we could download from the half marathon I just ran. I was super excited to see the pictures after seeing several friends post their pictures online, until of course, I viewed my photo. Upon viewing said photo, I was appalled. And I may or may not have lowered my head in shame.
I haven’t weighed what I weigh right now since the following months after my second daughter was born. And I need to stop using my age as an excuse.
So this week, I’ve shut down my previous ways of thinking, and am restarting my system. I’ve been making my own lunches, snacks, and a protein shake to start my day. I’ve been tracking all of my food in My Fitness Pal, and exercising daily. I’ve limited snacks at night (Ok, last night I DID cheat with a piece of Italian salami, YUM), and making sure I am in bed by 11 pm which gives me 6-7 hours of sleep (still working on the sleep issues but its been better, at least). I’ve also been trading pasta and rice for veggie noodles instead.
Pic cred: Pinterest
I can feel the toll this extra weight is causing my running/knees and it’s time.
“It’s only 10 lbs.,” I hear so often…”You look great!” everyone says. But 10 lbs is A LOT on a smaller framed person and I don’t feel great about myself right now.
3 days in, and I’m down 1 lb…praying this is the road to a positive change.
Just because I am a distance runner and a Chef wanna-be, doesn’t mean I can EAT. ALL. THE. FOOD.
Put the fork down, Michelle.
How do you control cravings? Any good go-to healthy snacks?
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?
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)
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!
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!
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?
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 LESSof 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!!!
I’ll start this post with the fact that I was supposed to be on weekend duty at the hospital. Once every 5 weeks I am deemed in charge of the entire laboratory and it’s mind blowing and scary all at one time. BUT..my amazing peer and friend offered to take my duty knowing I should be home resting with my daughter, and not enduring unneeded stress. I couldn’t thank her enough, so left her a card and a Starbucks gift card on her desk for the weekend. Good friends truly rock.
We had a very quiet weekend filled with normal housework, laundry, and snuggles. I’ve learned a hard lesson that I’ve wasted far too much time stressing over cleaning and mundane chores. So it’s been glorious snuggling up with my girls to watch a show, or take an extra 20 minutes after my J’s shower to brush and dry her hair. No…I’m never too busy for that.
This morning I had 12 miles on deck and had planned to run the miles with my friend Debra. She texted me early at 7 am notifying me the stomach bug from hell was still in the house. Crap. I knew Janel was meeting me for a couple miles, but could I do 12 on my own? You’re darn right I can, and had the help from Melissa, Seth and Janel for the first couple miles, and my sister texting me at mile 10 that I better run faster so I could be DONE faster, LOL! It worked, I finished my last mile in 8:45 with an over all average pace of 10:06.
yeah. Did that.I have pretty cool friends.
I came home, made some bacon and eggs, and took a very long shower as I was frozen to the core. Despite the 30 degree temps, the wind-chill made it feel more like 17 degrees and I. WAS. COLD. After my shower I crawled in to J’s bed, and we watched Netflix for 30 minutes. It’s SOOOO good to see her on the mend, and able to do more ‘stuff’ each day.
Sunday Supper rolled around and I decided to make fish tacos with homemade guacamole and red cabbage slaw with a side of twice baked beans and roasted veggies.
Guacamole
3 avocados
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, diced
juice of half a lime
Seasonings: kosher salt, pepper, cilantro, cayenne pepper to taste
Combine in a food processor-pulse until mixed well, but still chunky
Red Cabbage Slaw
3 cups of red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion
juice of 1/2 lime
splash of vegetable oil/rice wine vinegar
Seasonings: salt, pepper, and cilantro
Twice baked beans
In a sauce pan add one can of red beans, one can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed
Add 1 clove of garlic, 1/4 cup of diced poblano peppers, and salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste. Heat until tender, and transfer to your food processor. Puree on high, then transfer to a baking dish. Top with shredded cheese and toppings of choice. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted.
The rest is pretty cut and dry. I roasted my carrots and red peppers for 25 minutes at 375 degrees and grilled my fish for the tacos. All in all? Delish, and healthy.
While on my run today I was reminded of so many things. Why I love to run, how thankful I am for the support my family has, and that we need to focus on those that lift us up, not those who tear us down. And for a moment, I felt myself nearly flying.
How was your week? Log any miles? Make any good food?
Movin' it with Michelle 