Big Miles, Big Fun!

You know how many people get bouquets of flowers at the end of a race (especially if they win)? Apparently, I won again today!

Of course, that's the end of the story. Let's go back to today's beginning. It started at 5:50 a.m. (Ouch!!) Early, but check it out -- I actually scheduled in time to stretch this morning before hitting the road!! It's a miracle. See? I do learn! I know I dink around with a lot of aspects about running, but I most definitely am on board with making sure I stretch to proactively take care of myself before a double-digit run. There are plenty of times out there where something will twinge or poke or cramp, and I'd sure hate for that to happen and I get hurt when I might have been able to prevent it. Besides, I don't want to earn a doctor telling me my injury is due to my being stupid. I mean, really.

With stretching behind me (note to self for next week: I did a good job, but I could have done better. Do even more.), I headed out. Light was barely breaking, so early on, I saw this:

That, friends, is the moon. Big and bright. Why am I not in bed?

I also saw this as I was rounding out the first mile:

I totally see you, kitty ... kitties rule ...

My first mile is pretty twisty-turny. I do that on purpose on an out-and-back so when I get to the point where I turn myself around to my finish, there isn't as far to go as there was to get to the turn-around point. (Ah! Wise ...) Given it takes some time to twist through, I was only in my second mile when the light began to break. It's there I saw this:

Ahhh ...

... just so pretty ...

I do love me some morning color in the sky!! The color didn't last very long (one of those sunrises where you're glad you caught it), but that was okay because there were sights to see!! You just knew there would be:

I loved the bush of weeds. Don't these usually grow upright?
I thought so, but what do I know except that these were cool.

I thought finding a sandwich last week was
unique. I call snowman candle trumps sandwich.

Right after I passed the 4-mile mark, I realized last night's dinner was a total winner before a long run! It was simply a non-issue: It didn't mess up my plumming in any way (always a bonus); it didn't have a flavor that lingered from the depths (you know how garlic can still linger the next morning), and it didn't sit in my stomach in any way. It was great fuel and then went about it's business. Perfect.

And, because I started thinking about running fuel, I found myself getting all analytical about my run. I started thinking about my pace, strategies going down hills vs. up, how I felt the first time I ran four miles vs. how I felt right now, wondering if I should actually focus more on what I'm doing before the big run at the end of the month, etc. *SIGH* You know me, I don't really like spending a lot of time on stuff like that. Frankly, it's a total buzz-kill, but I let my mind stay there for the next 2 miles.

Soon after passing the 6-mile mark, I'd had enough. Too much analyzing, not enough just going. So, I literally told myself, "Shift your experience." Which I did. And, I was rewarded.

Look!

When not intrigued by me, this little one was hungry.

I didn't want to startle it, but I did need to move ... cool, though,
because then it would look at me. Cheese to the paparazzi!

Okay, I didn't cause that. A big truck passed and made a big
truck noise, so it was time for the deer to bolt. I watched until
it was into the woods which was cool because I saw it leap in
that I-wanna-be-Santa's-reindeer way!

Oh my gosh, there is no way I would have seen this little one if I hadn't shifted what I wanted out of this run. I know me, and I know that to be true. Frankly, the more I analyze, the more fault I find with what I'm doing anyway. And, that's just silly. Hence, changing my experience.

And, while I was having my little experience there on that stretch, someone else had an altogether different experience out there:

Cake! Seriously, that must have been an impulse buy after a
very late night, don'tcha think? I do.

I've also seen these all over the place lately (funny what finally getting a little rain will do for the nature scene!), and I love 'em!

Bold and beautiful.

I love their happy little faces!

And, as always hoped but never promised, bank:

Su-per-sweeeeeet! Almost a penny per mile in one fell swoop!

To be perfectly honest, one of the many reasons for choosing this route is because I saw a penny on its road on Friday, but I was in my car with cars behind me, so there was nothing I could do about it (you understand what that does to this girl ...). So, I was hoping to find it today. I know it was a long shot, but I'm a hopeful kind of person. I found no penny. I, instead, got the fake-out:

While the fake-out annoys me, it was a little fun to know I'd
piqued the curiosity of cars passing by as I investigated.

The fake-out and running out of water by mile 9 were both bummers. The water situation was okay safety-wise because it was in the lower 50s, and with only 2 miles remaining, I was fine. I also pass a gas station at that point, so had I been desperate, I had an option.

But, a total opposite of bummer was this scene when I was within about a tenth of a mile from my finish:

Hey! I know those people!!

How completely cool is that?! The whole crew came to meet me after having designed their morning outing to coincide with the time and place of my finish! Everyone was there!

Look close, and you can see Elly's tail
whipped all the way against her side! She
was very happy to have the whole family
together!

As noted up front, you might have noticed that PC#2 brought me flowers again!

Aaron asked me later if it was okay that everyone met me at my finish or if I would have rather had some time to regroup. He received a resounding, "It was fabulous having you all there!" response! I mean, how could this be resisted?!

I get the question, though. Years ago, I was far more self-concious about the after of a run. As I told him, I'm so over that, bring on the Crew!! As I told PC#3, who had all kinds of things to say because he loves to talk, I might not be good for the conversation at that point, but I'm great for the listening! And for the hand-holding!

The run itself was hard, I won't lie. But, it was also fun. That's why I can't delve into the details other runners enjoy; such things remove Nancy's enjoyment! And, since I found a way to slather the difficult with the fun, I've got myself a winning activity I can sustain!

See? I totally won!

There's the finished product! She kept picking
along the way to home. It's so pretty! I just
love it! Lucky, lucky me!!

See you after I moan and groan myself through tomorrow's morning run!

Getting It Right One Way Or Another!

My friend who is training for her first Half has her first 10K this weekend. At the end, they get tacos! I told Aaron who responded by saying, "I love when you guys do stuff and I get food at the end!" He's not kidding, the Crew likes the hospitality grub!

Speaking of food, there I was in the kitchen yesterday planning to make the chicken pot pie recipe I found, but you may recall I had to resort to Plan B because I didn't thaw any chicken. Duh. Well, Plan B became Plan B 2.0 because I went to make dinner only to discover I had no wraps in the fridge. Nice! So, instead of the planned burger wraps, Plan B 2.0 became Burger Bowl:

Where's my head? I don't know ... makes me worry a little about tomorrow's long run. Eleven miles is long enough to start to wander especially when I'm always running looking sideways for money or other treasure ...

What I did get right today was -- finally -- the pot pie recipe! PC#2 in particular has always wanted to try pot pie, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Don't get me wrong: YUM. But, I just can't justify both the fat and the sodium that comprise pot pies especially when that's the main course. AND it's not even a holiday. (Ha!)

ENTER: Skinny Down-Home Chicken Pot Pie. Recipe here; my adaption below. Here we go!

Okay, I've never worked with phyllo dough nor do I plan to any
time soon again. Clearly, I didn't thaw-and-use correctly. So,
I ended up winging it in pieces when mine didn't unroll into
the sheets it was supposed to. I considered for a short minute
fretting about it, then I decided it wasn't worth the energy!
In pieces, in sheets, it just had to end up tasting the same!
(In the end, I ate around it and really, really didn't need it.)

I got 2 1/2 Cups of chicken broth simmering then left on the
burner to keep warm while ...

... I prepped the ingredients: 3 diced chicken breasts; 2 cups
of frozen mixed veggies; about 2 cups of diced red potato; a
fourth of an onion finely chopped, and 3 minced garlic cloves.

Into a big pot went 3 tablespoons of oil and a quarter cup of
flour over medium heat. Stir it up for a couple of minutes and
don't freak when it all sticks together. It'll sort itself out later.

Into the pot went all ingredients except for the chicken. I stirred
them around for about 3 minutes before adding the chicken, a
bay leaf, a bunch of shakes of black pepper and about a teaspoon
of salt. Stir it all up for the recommended 5-7 minutes getting
everything good and coated. Next, pour in the warming broth,
bring to a boil then let simmer until it thickens. Mine seemed
way too soupy for me, so I added another 2 tablespoons of
flour, and it totally worked. For once, winging it in the kitchen
totally worked for me!

Pour the mixture into a baking dish (I used a 9x13") and top
with the phyllo dough. I sprayed mine with oil before baking
to help it crisp up. Bake at 350 degrees.

The pot pie bakes for 30 minutes; in the last 5, I put in kale
pieces I'd washed, dried, misted with oil and salted. They
stayed in for the last 5 baking minutes plus the 10 minutes
the pot pie sits outside of the oven. They turned out perfect.

All the while, the pooch was ready to
taste test. She was disappointed in her
lack of opportunity to participate.

Here's the outcome ... and it was really, really good! It'll be a
great middle-of-winter meal for sure!! I'll take this version of
pot pie any day over the real deal ... if I'm going to eat pie
crust, I'm not eating it with vegetables!!

The young Pit Crewers liked the dish, but Aaron raved! He was all, "We are having this again!" I just looked at him, and then he said, "I am so learning to make this, and we are having it again!" That made me grin. It's an easy dish, but the prep takes some time. So, I'll totally make it again with him because cooking something like this with a pal is way more fun!

With dinner behind us, it's soon time to hit the hay for an early run! While I've been finding some good alternatives in the kitchen again, I'm going with tried-and-true for the route tomorrow! This one incorporates a good deal of the first route I used to train for a Half, and that's probably good because it requires very little thinking and remembering where I'm supposed to go ...! I'll see you after!

Low On Time, High On Good!

Today I have for you fast solutions to two problem areas: Mealtime and Slipping In Exercise. Let's hear it for fast and solution!!

Let's start in the kitchen! It's like this ... I was going to make a share a new recipe with you today, but it calls for chicken, and I forgot to thaw any. Whoopsie!! There goes the dinner plan!

So, it's going to be the throw-together dinner night, and that's okay because I love my Plan B! It's possible I've shared this recipe before, but, here it comes again because it's just that good!

It's a Hungry Girl recipe I adapted from this most fabulous book:

Fab-U-Lous stuff!!

The recipe is called "Big Bad Burger Wrap," and it literally takes me less than 5 minutes to put together and clean up. (It's like it is wrapped in lightening shoe strings, but it's not!)

Lisa Lillien's recipe is below. I've put in purple what I do with that ingredient:

• 1 large La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb/High Fiber tortilla (super yum!)
• 1 Boca Original Meatless Burger (double yum!)
• 1 wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss Cheese (I swap for a pinch, literally, of shredded cheddar)
• 1 pickle spear (or slices)
• 1 teaspoon mustard (I swap for 1 teaspoon mayo)
• 1 teaspoon ketchup (mmm ...)
• 2 dashes Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (I've never used simply because I don't buy it)
• I also add as much baby spinach as my wrap will tolerate

It being a tortilla, I'm certain the directions are self-explanatory. I will tell you that in the time it takes the burger to cook in the microwave, you can get the rest of your ingredients out and ready to use. So, when the burger's finished, it takes no time at all to throw it all together, wrap and nosh!

It's so yummy!! Look!!

La Tortilla Factory makes big and small tortillas ... this one is
the smaller size with 6 grams of fiber (the large have 12 grams),
so I made two: halving the ingredients, doubling the goodness!

I love fast and easy meals, and this one wins for both lunch and dinner! It's a great fallback meal, AND, it's good for you!! High in protein (about 23 grams!) and high in fiber (about 16.5!!)! Yahoo!! It's also quite yummy even when not piping hot, so it transports well when, say, meeting a friend for lunch! (I did that the other day and was so hungry when I saw her that I had one of Aaron's, "Can't talk. Eating." moments while I chowed this down. It's that good.)

Whew! I was glad to have this as a back up as I realized I'd not thawed the chicken when I was out and about, and there was no way I'd be home in time to deal with it. ('Been there, huh?!)

Part of my outing included attending a chair exercise class with my Mom and Dad which is where I stumbled upon a fast solution to an exercise issue that's been on my mind for quite some time! You see, given the amount of time I devote to running (which I -- mostly! -- love to do), I do not work to carve out even more time to do other formal exercising (which I don't tend to like to do). Even though there are strength issues on my radar that I want to be proactive about as I get older, I haven't inspired myself to take on anything new and stick with it. Seriously ... time, anyone?!

So, there I was, between my Mom and Dad doing the chair exercises (which was fabulous because my Dad and I kept purposely poking each other now and then) when one of the exercises made a light bulb go off in my head with respect to keeping my lower back limber and, hopefully, stronger. It went like this with modeling compliments of PC#3:

Sit in your chair with your feet flat
on the floor.

Hey! Elly! Get outta the way ...

 Bend forward as though you are
picking something up off of the floor.

Bring your arms in toward you while you
sit back up until your back is again straight.

That's it, but it was soooo good!! We did it just 10 times, and I could feel my lower back stretching and working in exactly the strong way I want it to. It seemed like I could have figured out to do this on my own ... but, I never did! So simple!

The lower back is an area I've been wondering for a while "what to do" with because it seems it's a spot that could really become vulnerable with age. There are tons of exercise classes and dvds (like a great Pilates one I have) that can work with this, but that's a time investment I choose to give to running instead. And, let's face it, finding time to exercise is hard!! So, this quick exercise is a really good place to start that I can slip into pockets of the day to accomplish without having to carve out another stretch of time! Sweet!

And, now that dinner time is sneaking up on me, it's time to whip up the meal and enjoy the remainder of Rest Day! First, we do so with a great pic from the "I Love To Run" FaceBook page (seriously, they're killing me with the good stuff lately!):

And, here's how Lizzy participated in her Rest Day eve:

She's intriguing, fabulous and a bit creepy all rolled into one ...

Tomorrow's another one! If my brain is plugged in and I get the chicken thawed, I'll share the new recipe. If not, oh well, it'll still be a great day!! Happy Friday! I'll see you tomorrow!

Easy Does It, Not Really

A few years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who, after running her first Half Marathon, said that immediately afterward, she was exhausted. Her legs hurt, and she took a nap for a few hours. (Ooo ... nap ... that sounds good ...) She was a lifelong runner and longer distances (more than 5 but less than 10) were pretty routine to her. She'd trained for her Half and finished in great time. But, she was a bit surprised to find out after that she was so tired.

More wisdom from the I Love To
Run Facebook page ...

I'd not yet run my first Half, but I have to say I didn't follow her train of thought. I mean, at that point, I was tired after almost every one of my 3-mile runs. I was totally spent after my first 10K (Wait, "after?" I meant "during".). I was routinely sore. And, when I finally got into the "official" training for my Half, Aaron was required to give my legs a rub-down after every weekend long run. So, I most definitely assumed that when I'd run my first Half (almost a full year after my friend ran hers) that I would, indeed, be tired.

I also remember my friend saying, "So, when is this supposed to get easy?"

I, the novice of the conversation who was just happy to not only start a run but to also finish one, kept my response to myself: "I didn't know it was supposed to get easy ..."

Now that I'm rounding the corner heading toward celebrating my 4th year of running, I have a little more perspective, but my response to her question really hasn't changed. What has gotten easier over the years are the short runs and my attitude toward them. Also easier is my attitude toward taking on a bigger goal; I've already shown myself I can accomplish a longer event, I just have to decide I want to. That's pretty cool.

But, speaking for myself, these double-digit long runs are not really easier. I am still feeling Sunday's 10 miles in my legs a little bit this morning, and that doesn't inspire a girl to throw on the running shoes and get back out there. But, crossing that finish line next month is the prize my eye is on, and that's what I am after, easy or -- let's face it -- not.

So, with some still-talking-to-me leg muscles, Elly and I went on out today. It was the week's shortest run, so I stepped up the pace just a wee bit to make the outing as short as possible. I am certain the run itself was in good time, but Elly made sure to take full advantage of the vast potty options, so there was a little time added on for good measure.

"I spy with my little eye ... a new place to mark! Wahoo!!"

During one of her stops, I picked up a little piece of reading material while I waited. I hear people use that time to read, so, since she can't ...

I'm always intrigued about what others buy. And, why not check
it out with little Miss Must Potty Everywhere taking her sweet time.

Elly finally wrapped up her biz, and we went forth. There was a trash can right where we were, so I could fling the trash right on in. Right?

Seriously, how did I miss that? *sigh* In
case you didn't know, a wet receipt does
not fly through the air the same as a bag
of doggie doo ...

We were almost finished with our run when we came around the corner to find a man walking his really fierce dog. You know, a dog about the size of Elly's head. Elly let me know she would take care of it if need be:

"Say the word, mommy, and I am on it!"

There was no need for a rumble, and we wrapped up strong, sore legs and all. My favorite part of any run is always enjoying a little cool down stroll. And picture.

"Yet again, we did it, mommy. We rule."

It's okay for whatever you're taking on to not feel easy. Just because it's not easy doesn't mean it's not worth it or, more important, that you're somehow incapable of your goal. Make it yours, be proud, and I'll see you on tomorrow's Rest Day!

Beat the Rain!

It was out of the kitchen (I know ... better recipe next time!!) and back to the running today! I was a bit bummed when I got up this morning because of the promise for on-again-off-again showers. At that point, we were on-again which only means one thing: The Dreadmill. Aaron was kind enough to pull it out and set it up for me, but I was sooooo hoping I could avoid using it!!

A little more time passed before I was ready to run, and the rain stopped. See?!

That was a good amount of rain, and I don't really care to run
outside when that's coming down. I might not melt, but my
shoes would get all ick.

I'm just being artsy on this one. You gotta have fun.

Hooray! I an outside run was in order! At least, I was hopeful. See what I was trying to avoid?

Yikes. That shows some promise of upsetting an outside run!

Without a whole lot of thinking, Elly and I just took off. I was determined to get this run in outside and figured both Elly and I would dry off if need be. It was a 4-mile morning, and doing that on the treadmill is just plain nasty.

Off we went on a very humid-but-outside run! It was mostly uneventful. I found a BB (yay!) and almost rolled my ankle on the sidewalk (boo!), but, other than that, it was an out-and-back getting the job done and moving on!

Before wrapping it up, it was time to be the Pit Crew for a very wet-underbelly Elly:

So soggy when so low to the ground.

"After the pat-n-dry, give the ol' ears a scratch, would you?"

With the dog all rebeautified, it was time for us to head home because this girl could use a shower:

I am such a baby about humidity and have
not been missing it at all. This morning, I
got a heaping dose of reminder. Eww. A
shower was in short order!

Elly's ready to go, but she also seems to be confused as to how seats work:

"What?"

It's a short one tomorrow! I'm looking forward to it and will see you afterward!