I do still blog...really: A very long, semi-disjointed ramble about where I've been...

Really, I do. It's just been stuck in my head for umm...5 months and 2 weeks. Yikes, has it really been that long? I've reread my last post regarding getting ready for the Providence Marathon probably a thousand times this summer in preparation to write something about that (not so pleasant) experience, but each time I was unable to get the words out of my head and down in a coherent fashion. So instead of writing a big lengthy piece about it, filled with emotion and an in depth analysis of the inner turmoil surrounding the unfortunate turn of events that caused me not to run Providence, I'll just stick to the facts so we can move on.

1. I came down with a fierce stomach bug the Wednesday before the Providence Marathon and spent 12 hours in the bathroom, sick in all ways (won't go into more detail than that).
2. I was unable to eat until Saturday afternoon (no food, except for a donut D convinced me to eat on Friday, for 2.5 days).
3. I knew I shouldn't run, but I also knew I couldn't NOT run. So I did. And with 100 meters I knew I wasn't going to finish. But I kept running. And decided at mile 8 I had gotten in a good enough workout to call it quits as I had probably sweat out any remaining sickness at that point...but apparently there was no "aid station" until mile 15...which wasn't even an aid station but an ambulance that would only take me to the hospital.
4. So, in a "holy crap, I am so effed" moment, I hitch-hiked. Yep. Jumped in a car with total strangers. And they brought me back to the start/finish. At least I can know cross hitch-hiking off my bucket list.
5. I got my first DNF. I was ok for a few days, because I knew there was no way I was finishing that race without ending up in the hospital first. Then, I suddenly was not ok with it. I was angry. Not angry at the DNF. But angry that I had got sick. For Providence. AGAIN. (brief overview of that disaster here).
6. I decided Providence is indeed cursed and most likely will not be making a return trip.

Ok, the end.

But then, the best thing happened. A pain in the butt injury (literally) I'd been nursing all through Providence training became very real. I finally rested up after my "non-marathon," as I've come to call it, thinking this niggle would heal. But when it didn't, I went to see my good old friend Dr. Sedgwick (his response - "you again..it's only been 5 months this time"). After X-rays and poking and prodding he said that I most likely had hip bursitis along with some tendonitis and referred me to PT. PT was beyond awesome. Seriously, the best thing that ever happened to me. It was my wake up call. My PT was blunt and honest and I loved it. He told me I had some very weak glutes. We worked together for only about 3 weeks and I was religious with my home exercises, but the pain went away almost immediately, and I instantly caught the strength training bug.

So, since we've last chatted, I've completed this book TWICE through...

 

And then started PiYo. (More to come on this later).
I felt stronger and better than ever.  I had finally stuck with strength training for more than two weeks and was proud.

But just as my strength training started to take off, my running got sidetracked, yet again. I was struck down with Planter's fasciitis in late July and had to take about 9 days off. It took almost 6 weeks to heal, and although I was lucky to be able to run through most of it, I had to stop doing workouts, as speed bothered it, and was resigned to slow miles. I had also gotten some health related news in early July that threatened to put the kibosh on my marathon training (don't really want to get into this yet - maybe someday) and just really took the wind out of my sails for training in general.

One step forward, two steps back.

As Chicago approached, I was really at a loss for a goal, and decided just to run what I felt that day.

Race day happened, and I somehow had the race of my life. No wall hit. No need to walk. First marathon I've run in it's entirety. First marathon done on heart rate, and done way UNDER heart rate levels (ave 159 - 9 beats below lactate!).  Present the whole time. A PR (ok, it was only 9 seconds, but it was a hell of a lot easier than my last marathon at almost the same time!). And, a very unexpected, second Boston Qualifier.

I was lucky enough to have the company of Danielle for this race experience. She sums up the race much than I just did in her blog. What was so neat about it, was that Danielle had a similar experience to me at marathon 10 (cursed marathon number 10). A damn DNF.

After the marathon, she posted this on her facebook page...

I kept going back and rereading it in the days after the marathon. I'll be honest, after Providence, I really questioned if I wanted to run marathons anymore. ALL that training, ALL that hard work...for one, flipping day. And then, if you get a stomach bug, get a chest cold, aren't hydrated enough, there is a freak hurricane, ect...it is such a let down. But even though it is a let down...it not all for nothing. My DNF and subsequent injuries laid the groundwork for strength training I would have never done otherwise. I am a stronger runner, and person because of it. Mentally and physically.

I've been reflecting on the Providence non-marathon, and the Chicago AWESOME marathon all week, and I was reminded of this picture I've posted before in my blog.

 

Yea...I may have "failed" in Providence. But it was just fuel for the fire. Fall down 5 times, get up 6, or something like that. I'm back on the horse again, and now I'm on a mission...

 Stay tuned!

Providence, Chicago and Boston, (and...MDI, GULP!), OH MY!

My city hopping marathon tour began (bright and early!) Monday morning at the mile 14 hydration station on the Boston marathon course. My husband and I, along with our good friend Steve, volunteered with the Maine Track Club at the station. It was an extremely long, but very fun and rewarding day. From being feet away from the elites flying by, to meeting my virtual Hanson's training partner, Erika, from Florida, to seeing marathon dreams come true for many friends, it was just a surreal day. The absolute best part of it, however, was seeing my husband become invested and excited in the marathon. He has always supported by marathon adventures, although he now admits that he thought marathoning may just be a phase, not something that has completely consumed my life, but he, naturally, has never been as obsessed with it as me. We chatted most of the way home about the marathon and the elites. The next morning, I was exhausted from the long day and ready to sleep in late. However, I was woken by him watching videos on his computer. Crankily, I rolled over wondering what the hell he was doing (SLEEP IN DAMNIT). Much to my surprise, he was watching the marathon. He wanted to see where Meb got in front and where Shalene fell back (his words). I was shocked. We ended up watching the whole thing again. I was ecstatic to see him interested. Towards the end of the mens race, we were even picking out spots along the course where he could watch me next year. Which leads me to my next very exciting point. Now, after 6 months of waiting, I can finally say "I am running Boston NEXT year!" Yahoo!

MTC Boston Marathon Volunteers

The newest marathon fan!

But before Boston, I have two (umm, maybe three) marathon to conquer.

#1 - Chicago - 10/12/14. It is official. I am IN! Flights and hotel are booked. This will be my first (very mini) vacation/marathon combo and I couldn't be more excited. In fact, this will be the first time (in our 9+ years together) Nate and I have even been on a plane together/on a "vacation." I think we are well overdue (even if there is a marathon involved - sorry Nate!).

#2 - MDI. Well, this came as a bit of a surprise and was rather unplanned...but...

Oops. My plan as of now is to run with a friend, pending an injury free Chicago training/marathon. MDI is easily the most scenic marathon I've done and I'm excited to have chance to go back and actually enjoy the course and not race it.


#3 PROVIDENCE, BABY! 10 days and counting. I am not sure I can concisely put how this training cycle has gone down quite yet. I am still a bit on a roller coaster ride about it. I had a perfect 10 and a half weeks on the Hanson's plan, then modified the plan for the last 8 weeks. Even with the modifications, I managed 5 days of running each week, averaged 45 -50 miles most weeks and did most SOS (something of substance) workouts, although I cut back the mileage on some, and the pace on others. One second I feel like I'd be lucky to even get my time from my last marathon (3:32). Then the next I remember that even with the modified plan, I've put in more mileage and more work than I ever have before.I know that when push comes to shove, it's going to come down to how my hip flexor feels that day. If it feels good, pending any weather issues/wall hitting, I know i have a PR in my legs. If my hip flexor is tight and cranky that day, it's not happening. This is something I have just come to accept, and I suppose, at this point, time will tell.

10 perfect weeks of Hansons...and then some modifications.

Regardless of what happens, I do know that the fitness I have gained from this marathon cycle is monumental and it will show this racing season. Tuesday was the first day of track and I had four - one mile repeats on the schedule, at 7:30 pace. I fell into the first one on feel without looking at my pace and was shocked to see it read 6:45 at the mile mark, at lactate. I followed that up with two more comfortable mile repeats at lactate in 6:35 and 6:45, and then the hip flexor tightened up and I put out the last on in 6:50. I needed this run for my brain - to convince me that 1) I can still run fast 2) running feels good 3) I am faster and stronger than last year. Now, if my brain can just remember this track workout for the next 10 days, I might be able to maintain sanity during taper!

;-) hehe

Recipe #11: Enchilada Quinoa and Some Random Happenings!

So, I have been working on this blog post since Sunday night, and four days later, it is finally ready to post. Truth is, after starting it on Sunday, I really have not been in the mood to write. Sunday night, (after devouring the delicious new recipe to come later in this post), we decided to bring Smokey the Cat back to the emergency vet (for the fourth time). We were now going on about 5 weeks of emergency vet/regular vet trips and an exorbitant amount of expenses.

One week of meds for poor Smokestack! 

But we knew Smokey was sick again. The vet we saw was excellent, but sadly informed us that as a result of having the catheter in for too long, Smokey's kidneys had shut down and were unable to recover. As we were speaking, his little body was giving way - he had developed a heart murmur, and his body temperature was plummeting (earlier in the day we caught Smokey and Dixie cuddling on the bed...very strange for Smokey to let the dog so near, must have been for warmth). We had no other option at this point but to put him to rest. This was our first animal loss and was extremely hard on us, and especially on my husband as Smokey was his "wingman." I have been spending the week giving extra cuddles to our other cats and dogs, not wanting to take one moment with them for granted.

Dixie keeping Smokey warm in his final hours.
Dogs are amazing creatures...she knew he was not well,
and took care of him. 

Nate's Wingman. They shared a love for Lays. 

Smokey <3 

Fenway, Smokey and Dixie upon one of Smokey's returns from the E-vet. 

Anyways, tonight was the first night I started to feel a little bit more like myself, so, back to the delicious recipe.

On Sunday night, I made "Enchilada Quinoa and Black Beans." First and foremost, you should know that this recipe can serve a small army! I ended up splitting it in two and we ate (well!) for two nights this week. Nate really enjoyed this recipe and stated that it tasted just like enchiladas. This recipe was also extremely easy to make.

Here is the recipe:

1 Cup Quinoa
1 can black beans
Olive Oil
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 can of corn
3 cloves garlic
1c enchilada sauce
Cumin to taste
Chili powder to taste
Cilantro to taste
lime juice
Mexican shredded cheese mix

1. Boil the quinoa. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add in the onion, green and red peppers, corn and garlic. As it is cooking, add in the cumin, cilantro, and chili powder. (I say add to taste because I never measure my spices!). Sprinkle some lime juice over the mix.

2. In a large bowl, mix the quinoa with the can of black beans. Add in the sautéed vegetable mix and the enchilada sauce.

3. Pour the mixture into a greased casserole pan. Top the dish with the Mexican cheese (you may want to add some throughout the mix as well). Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes and then enjoy!


As I said before, this recipe makes a ridiculous amount of food. It is going to be a great one to have on hand when we have late nights after school (conference night!) and need a quick pre-made meal.

HUGE skillet of vegetables!

Cheesy Enchilada deliciousness
(this is one dish of two this size that the recipe made)

On another, training related, note, someone using the Hanson's method reposted this quote from the Hanson's Marathon Method training book on their facebook page this week and I got a BIG kick out of it....

"How much and what kind of pain you feel the day after a marathon can vary; however, it's common to feel stiff, sore, and supremely worn-out. The marathon breaks down your muscles on a microscopic level, leaving them in dire need of time for rest and repair." 
- Hansons Marathon Method, by Luke Humphrey, pg 207

Well, that is refreshing and reassuring (I think???). "Supremely worn out" might describe it at the moment! As of today I hit 725 miles training for this marathon (I don't think I hit 700 miles till the end of May, mid June last year....). My training seems up and down - one run feels awful, the next I feel amazing. The hip/glute issue I was having is slowwwllyyy resolving itself (knock on wood) and feels to be at about 80%-90% right now. I have come to the conclusion that I have absolutely no clue what to expect on marathon day and have no guesses to how it is going to go. If I wake up that morning and the hip feels good and loose, it will go fine. If it is tight and achy and I have no range of motion, I will probably have to settle for 8:30-8:45's for the race as that is all I can seem to get out of it range of motion wise when it is tight. Not knowing has kind of taken some of the pressure off. Whatever happens, happens. Time shall tell! 

For now, I am going to enjoy this (semi) taper and I am really going to enjoy volunteering the mile 14 water stop at the Boston Marathon on Monday! Happy (almost) marathon Monday! 

Post Run stretch-cuddles in last year Boston Marathon
Volunteer jacket. Dug it out for my run 4/15 to honor the day. 

Mission 24 Recipe #10: Kale and Spaghetti Squash Casserole

It is hard to believe, but even with no new recipes the whole month of March, I am still on track to meet my goal of experimenting with 24 new recipes in 2014 for Mission 24. I finally had the energy to dig up and plan a new recipe for today's dinner. This afternoon I whipped up a Kale and Spaghetti Squash Casserole. I tend to stay away from casseroles because they usually call for some sort of cream and lots of cheese, but I decided to suck it up and give it a try.

To start with, I cleaned and cooked the spaghetti squash as I usually would (40 minutes at 400 degrees). I had a little surprise in today's spaghetti squash. Apparently, my squash has sprouted! I am just going to take this as a sign that spring has indeed sprung!

While the squash was cooking, I sautéed the kale, an onion and a few cloves of garlic. At the same time, I also mixed together 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1 egg and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (my stomach may have churned a few times during this step...the consistency of these items does not sit well with me). When the spaghetti squash was done, I grated it out into spaghetti strands and mixed it in with the kale/onion/garlic I sautéed and the cottage cheese/sour cream/egg mix in a casserole dish. I decided it needed some mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs sprinkled on top as well before I put it in the oven (the original recipe did not call for this). Last, I put it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Voila! Dinner!

Nate really enjoyed this recipe. He has requested it with breadcrumbs mixed in throughout for next time. I really loved how the kale on top crisped up with the breadcrumbs making it nice and crunchy. I still could kinda taste the sour cream/cottage cheese in there, which was a turn off for me, but I think if I reduce the amounts a bit for next time I can manage. Other than that, it was a really yummy (and easy) dish.

On another note, today we started our spring planting! I am wicked psyched to get our garden up and running (FINALLY) this year. We moved into our house August four years ago (really cannot believe it's been four years!) and unfortunately the previous owners had let the garden overgrow, as they were busy making a huge out of state move. It has been overgrown ever since, but in the fall, Nate took down the old fence and we begun the planning. In May, he will be building me a brand new fence (thank you, You Tube). We have 8 huge boxes to fill, so I started some seeds today! Time to see if I have a green thumb! 

Onions, tomatoes, green peppers and cauliflower!
One of two kits ready to roll! 

And last, but not least, after another trip to the vet last week, we made one final, as the vet called it, "Hail Mary" attempt at saving Mr. Smokey. I am literally sick to my stomach every time i think about how much money was spent to save this cat, but somehow, he seems to be turning a corner. He is doing better the last few days, but if he digresses, he will need to be put down. Since he came back home on Wednesday, he has been quite the cuddle bug, and even has found a new found love for his doggie siblings! 

Despite the look, he really is loving this...

as is his dad....

Smokey's medicine cabinet...twice a day...

Until next time...happy running (4 weeks until Marathon day!) , happy eating, and happy spring! 

Kale and Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 bunch of Kale
1 onion
Garlic
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C cottage cheese
Mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs (if you choose)
Spices of you choosing (I used pepper and parsley)

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half and clean. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
2. Sautee kale, onion and garlic.
3. Mix egg, cottage cheese and sour cream.
4. Mix everything together in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

This Was the Month that Never Ends...Yes It Went On and On My Friends...

March Recap and Coming Attractions

Where to begin, where to begin. My absence in blogging this month says it all. In addition to being, like, 423 days long (or, uhhh 31- but it felt like a lifetime), March was quite the eventful month. March kept me on my toes and was full of (unpleasant, sadly) surprises! Parent-teacher conferences, the general craziness that comes with being a teacher in March, developing a food allergy to peanuts/almonds (staples of my runner's diet), an extremely sick cat that drained us of money and time (transporting to and from 2 different vet offices twice a day for a week) and then a tweaked hip extensor, I am glad that this month is over. In retrospect, and for purposes of cutting myself some slack,  I am content with what I accomplished this month for training.

Miles Run
212. That's the most I've ever run in a month. That included 4 extra days off to nurse a sore hip and 2 runs cut short to do aforementioned sore hip. Brings my yearly total to 605. Moving forward, I am modifying my Hanson's plan to run 5 days instead of 6. I am finding with the increased mileage on the Tuesday/Thursday runs I need a little extra recovery. Saw a great quote by Laura Fleshman yesterday that helped relieve my mixed feelings about not following the plan to a T (OCD much, yep, that's me, sigh) - "Do you have the discipline to recover?" Working on it...thanks for the reminder!

March by Week (including the last few days of February) The 37 mile week was where I took time off for the hip. 

Cross Training
Started this month super strong with the core/ancillary work, then cut back due the hip. Started it up again in the last few days and came to the surprising realization that I actually missed it!

Races
None! But I'm definitely getting the itch!

Low Point of the Month
Well, Smokey the Cat getting sick and cleaning our bank accounts out stunk pretty bad, but running related, these possible food allergies have really wiped me out. It started the 2nd week of March. After eating my daily apple plus peanut butter at school, I started to get a very dry and itchy throat and felt a lump forming in my throat. It took me about a week to put it together that it was happening every time I ate peanut butter. So, I stopped. And consequently lost like 400 calories from my daily intake each day (yea, I eat a peanut butter in mass quantities, I'll admit it). The next week, it kept happening, this time after eating my daily handful of almonds. It was tolerable, until 2 Fridays ago when the itchy/tightness continued on up my throat into my mouth. Within 15 minutes I had gone complete cotton mouth, dry lips and had developed a major cough. We took a 10:30PM trip to Hannaford for some Benadryl, which thankfully, worked it's magic (and knocked me out on my ass for the night and next day). So, out went the almonds. And another food that is the staple of my diet. I spend the next week and a half figuring out what the hell to eat. I ended up STARVING through a few runs (you can only imagine how successful those runs were). I'm in the process of working out some new foods I can add into my diet to replace the calories lost, which is not easy considering it took me years to adjust my diet to get my IBS under control. Oof. No peanuts/almonds = no granola and no bars as well - both foods I've been using for fuel. Nutrition for the rest of this training cycle/marathon day is going to be very challenging. On Friday, I had 5 vials of blood drawn for allergy testing, so I'm hoping to get some answers or next steps soon.

Now, onto the hip extensor "tweak." The second Monday in March I was bending down to conference with a student and stood back up and POP went my hip. What the heck - not even while running. I ran twice on it after that but it was wicked tight and achy. I got some trigger point therapy done on it two days later but it was SO sore from the treatment that I ended up cutting short my next two days of running (that had never happened before after a treatment). So, long story short, I spend the next week stretching like crazy and ended up over-stretching just a bit and yanked a hip extensor just a little too much. I took 3 days off and jumped into a 12 mile tempo run with no improvement. It was very frustrating because the only time I felt pain was when I moved my afflicted leg laterally to the inside and when I bend down to touch my toes (well, tried to, I'm not that flexible). But, it was seriously affecting my range of motion while running (read - I had about 1/2 my usual stride length on the right side), and making my hip/glutes extremely tight. So, another day off and I set off for my 20 miler (cause, what the hell else was I going to do, I couldn't wait for ever). And the hip extensor got beat right back into place. Mile 8 - it loosed up partially, mile 18, it was gone. Seriously. When I got home from my run Nate and I FaceTimed with the best, best man ever, Danny, and had a sports massage consultation. Danny showed Nate how to work on my hip/glute to loosen it up. And yes, this was as ridiculous as it sounds - FaceTiming with two extremely inappropriate boys - one telling the other how to massage my a** essentially. Ridiculous. BUT EXTREMELY helpful!

Fenway helping my stretch post-run

High Point of the Month
Well, besides the awesomely ridiculous Face Time therapy threesome I described above, registering and having my guaranteed entry accepted for the Chicago Marathon was pretty darn exciting. Chicago (and Boston) were races I never imagined being able to do when I started marathoning. I am thankful to have the opportunity to do them (and praying I get a summer school job to pay for them ;-) ).

Mission 24 Check In
NO new recipes this month. March was just so busy I had no energy left to try something new (good thing I got ahead last month). However, I have collected a few to try in April, so stay tuned.

How I enjoyed my extra rest days for my hip....keep reading for
"non running" related news! 

Non-Running Related News
I am aware that most people who read this blog are here for the running. But my blog is also about being healthy - physically and mentally. People who know me best know that I am an avid reader. Two years ago my New Year's Resolution was to read a book a week (I made it to 50..booo! So close). I read anything I can get my hands on. I certainly have my favorites, but this month, I gained a new all time favorite book. Mid month, I started reading Looking for Alaska, by John Green. I have never been moved by a book, the way this book moved me, before. I laughed, I cried (a lot), I got angry, I threw the book across the room about half way through (no joke, sorry to the cat I nearly hit). Without giving too much away, the narrator, "Pudge," decides to go to boarding school to "seek a great perhaps" (ha, aren't we all). While there, he meets the amazing Alaska Young, who is also on a mission - to figure out how to get "out of the labyrinth of suffering." The book tells the story of their year at school together. I can't tell much more without giving away critical pieces, but the message/theme of the story moved me to chills and tears. I didn't sleep for days after finishing it because I could not stop thinking of it. It literally consumed me (in a good way). If you read this book, please shoot me a message so we can discuss further...seriously...

Here are some favorite lines from the book...

Coming Attractions
Say what!?! 33 days until marathon day! Given the food allergy and the few days off/slower runs from the hip extensor tweak, I have adjusted my goals/expectations at Providence. Nutrition is going to be an issue, and I really don't want to risk hurting my hip again with a summer full of races on the horizon, or Chicago in the fall. I always preach that when life gets in the way you need to adjust your goals and be realistic and now I have been given the opportunity to practice what I preach. My new goal - to have a great race. I've let my time goal go - whatever happens, happens. I cannot balance the pressure of trying to run a specific marathon time right now while trying to accommodate new nutritional needs. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by taking on both of those items simultaneously, and know that if I don't give a little on one of them, I'm going to burn out. Obviously I cannot "give a little" on nutrition, so the goal marathon time obsession has got to go.

I KNOW that I have gained a huge amount of fitness from this training cycle. My heart rates are at a place I never could have imagined. 20 miles this past weekend on the hills seemed comfortable (granted I was not setting any speed records by any means). The training I put in the last three months is certainly not in vain, and I know I will see the dividends throughout the race season, as long as I take care of myself now. Surprisingly, I have been a-okay with this adjustment as well. It is what it is. Life happened! ;-) As they say "Those who are flexible shall not be broken."

So Long COLD February...Hello...Even Colder March?

Ahhh March 1st! That means the days will be getting longer for running and the weather will be getting warmer and we can finally run outside without 10 pounds of layers on. Or not. 16 miles today with a 8:30 AM start time...0 degrees. Geesh! C'mon now Polar Vortex from hell!

Anywho...back to February...

Miles Run: 198! Holy crap...and February is a damn short month too! This puts me at 392 total for the year. I feel like I am getting into the swing of things with this plan. My body and lungs are cooperating. Today's 16 miler was done at an 8:15 pace and my heart rate averaged 15 beats below lactate! (The slow end of training pace). Many times during this run today I thought to myself - "ahhh remember those good ole days when long run pace was 9:15 - 9:30." I don't miss that. Those were the days when I struggled to even finish the runs.

Cross Training: Approximately 10-11 hours of ancillary work. This is the most consistent I've been with this type of work ever...and I know it is paying off big time. And I've surprised myself by discovering that I actually kind of like it! Next week, my routines change up a bit and get a bit longer (and a bit more challenging). I'm looking forward to the change...and hoping to continue reaping the benefits.

Races: Mid Winter Classic 10 Miler An awesome 3 minute PR and a pace I never thought I could comfortably hold for 10 miles. I felt SO strong and awesome during this race and was immediately lulled into a wonderful false sense of security about my strength...until I woke up the next morning at 5AM for a 6 mile recovery run. HOLY OUCH! The first mile of that run was comical. Probably around 10:30 m/mile or so. Luckily the pain went away by the end. I had been considering doing a half prior to marathon day to get a read on a possible marathon time. Hanson's discourages racing while training. Now I know why. I'm good till marathon day, thank you!

High Point of the Month: PR-ing the Mid Winter Classic was pretty awesome. Dropping a pant size (while remaining exactly the same on the scale) was also pretty dang awesome. Finally seeing some muscle gain now. Also awesome - just freaking getting it done day after day. Somehow, I've made it 1/2 way through this crazy ass plan!

Hello MWC 10 miler PR! 

Low Point of the Month:  The flipping weather. When it's not 0 degrees out...there is a foot of snow falling. My body is so confused. Run outside and it's 0 with -10 wind chills. Run at the gym and its 85 degrees, 100% humidity and the windows and walls are dripping with moisture (ew, I hate that word, but I'm not kidding, it's gross).

The view from the end of one of my runs this month...

Mission 24 Check In: 3 new recipes this month. Southwestern Mac and Cheese (yet to be perfected, but coming soon), lentil burgers, and, our favorite, quinoa and kale. SO yummy! Kale has been the item of the month for February. We have been adding it to our spaghetti squash and mushrooms dish, soups and chilis. Yum! I also discovered a very strange love of snacking on whole carrots this month. Random, yes. Delicious and satisfying, yes (I just love the crunch factor).

South Western "Mac" (Quinoa/Cauliflower) and Cheese and Week 8!

The hubby and I frequent the book stores in the area on a pretty regular schedule. We both have a big issue buying books....

Purchasing our 5th shelf this week to handle the overflow...
I suppose there are worse addictions

So as I was perusing a table of (clearance!!) vegetarian cook books this past week, I knew I could not justify bringing another book into our house (especially given the half a dozen I had just bought/inherited over the last few weeks-oops!). So, I improvised and just took pictures of the recipes that I was interested in trying with my phone. I may have been eyed by a few employees, but got my pictures and went along my way before they came over and asked me to stop (my husband said if he can't go back to a bookstore because of me, it's over - humph - at least I know where I stand now).

One of the recipes I stole found in the cookbooks was a simple spinoff on mac and cheese. Though the recipe in the book used regular pasta, I figured I would just substitute my quinoa/cauliflower mix for the pasta and then follow the rest of the recipe to spice it up!

Ingredients

1/2 C of Quinoa

1 head cauliflower chopped

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cup salsa

3 C shredded Taco Cheese blend 

1. Chop up the cauliflower and boil. Add 1/2 cup of quinoa to the boiling water. Boil until quinoa/cauliflower has absorbed all the excess water. You may want to mash up the larger cauliflower bits using a masher to speed this along. 

2. When water is absorbed, add in the cheese and mix. Then add in the diced tomatoes and salsa.

Another recipe that looks like gruel. Looks are deceiving...this was good! 

Have I mentioned before how much I love recipes that involve dumping in all the ingredients and cooking? SO flippin' easy! And SO freakishly yummy! Nate said he would forgive me for almost getting us kicked out of the book store (not really!) because this was so tasty. 

Week 8 Recap

Holy crap, where is this training cycle going? Somehow today marks 69 days until race day. This week marked another great week of training with 51 miles ran and nearly 3 hours of ancillary work. I really enjoyed the speed workout this week - 3X1 mile at goal 10k pace (7's flat) with a 600 recovery jog in between each. This is one of only two speed workouts that repeats in Hanson's (the second being this weeks 6X800s), and I am really looking forward to doing it again in two weeks. It's repeat will also mark the end of speed work, as week 11 changes over to "strength" workouts. I am very nervous for these as they will be 11 miles long each Tuesday. Yowza. I was really pleased with how the legs/body felt doing these mile repeats, and equally as pleased with how easy the breathing seemed. The 7 minute pace seemed conservative. 

This week was also the last of the 7 mile marathon tempo runs. Next week, we crank it up another mile! This run was another mid-week confidence booster, as I ended feeling strong physically, mentally and aerobically. Bring on the extra mile at tempo next week, and bring on week 9! Here's my motivation for the week...

"Skilled sailors do not come from smooth seas. Only dead fish go with the flow."