Turtle Wisdom

When I first started running, I totally repeated the mantra about the turtle and the hare. "Slow and steady wins the race. Slow and steady wins the race." Over and over and over. This happened in the last half mile of my three-mile attempts. I needed it to keep me going. I needed it to feel good about myself. I can still see exactly what street I was on and where I was on it when I'd start reciting those words of wisdom. Clearly, this was a critical piece of my eventual success of finishing all three of those miles in a row.

So, when a friend posted this on Facebook, you know I not only had a running flashback, but I also laughed out loud!

I thought that was an excellent way to start a Monday!

 

Oh, yeah ... we also started off Monday with our run! Is it just me, or is it unusual to see a platter of pancakes in the road?



I kid you not, that was the highlight of the run. Well, that and the fact that Elly didn't notice the pancakes therefore not yanking my arm out of socket in order to investigate them. Good doggy. Oh, but speaking of food, yesterday's pasta dish is not a great pre-run meal for this kid -- too many spices sit around too long causing them to rock and roll in my stomach that early in the morning. Ugh. Good to know, though.

So, the running trio logged our four miles, and we went on with our day!

Just two more training runs to go before the cupcake run!! We'll get to those after tomorrow's Rest Day. See you then!

Evolving Outlook

Happy end of your weekend!! Well, not happy that it's almost over, but, still ... it's still the weekend, so it's still good!

I totally recovered from yesterday's run both physically and emotionally. No, I didn't feel bad about walking or that it wrung me out. But, the whole of it was rough, so that does, indeed, take a little to get over so I can move on to look forward to another! This week will be a lot more fun to run because it ends in the big event for me and Pit Crew #2 and our friend Mary Kate!! That's right, that Virtual Cupcake Race is finally happening, and how can you beat a run that involves good people and ends with cupcakes? You can't!!

Today's Rest Day, however, had nothing to do with running except for the fact that I tried a recipe I might not have even considered had I not started exercising on a regular basis. And, actually, I was going to share the recipe with you, but it's from a Facebook page that's a closed group, and even though I got it in my feed from a friend, it's a closed group, and I'm not a member, and I don't know how that works and what all of the rules are when it's closed and if and when you are allowed to share, blah blah BLAH. So, forget that, I'm not going to bother because I don't like when things are that complicated. Here's a picture, though:

Get all of your savories into the pot, boil then simmer the
liquid out ...

... and, you get this!

Here's the thing about this dish -- it's not that hard to figure out. Basically, take some pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti), throw in savory goodies, cover in about 4 cups of broth, boil then simmer the liquid out. If you're at all savvy in the kitchen, you've got it. If you're not, blow it off. It was good but not turn-a-cartwheel good (or I would have rummaged around for a recipe on the internet that was close and sharable).

The recipe itself is more of a side note to my point anyway, and that is that running has most definitely inspired me to look at all aspects of my life to see if what I'm doing in my life supports running. That's not to say running has enveloped my world even though it kind of has; it is to say, though, that running has become an excellent and immediate life barometer. So much of the whole of my world is reflected in how my runs go (humidity issues totally excluded). With a piece of that life puzzle being what I eat, I cannot deny running has almost completely changed my outlook on food. Note: "Almost" is leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when I started which is when I couldn't even think about changing my dietary patterns when I was just trying to get my feet going forward for three miles in a row.

Even as I was cooking this dish, I was a little surprised at how quickly I read the recipe and wanted to try it. It contains onions -- I usually hate onions! It has diced tomatoes -- not a norm for me! But, it called for basil, and I have a whole mess from the garden which you saw the other day. Mmmm ... mmm ... Basically, it's chock full of a healthy way to have some robust flavor in your pasta, so I had to try. Besides, I have two people (Aaron and PC#2) who love food and love trying all sorts of different dishes. It's very difficult to disappoint them! This dish got their thumbs up.

I didn't make a dish of this for PC#3, by the way. I told him what was in it because he asked. He might try it some day. He needs to think about such things for quite some time. He's equally easy to please as Aaron and PC#2; just stick to what he likes!

I'm thankful for my new, evolved outlook. I think it has served me well. But, tomorrow, it's out of the kitchen and back to the road!! Three more training runs before the big one!! We will see you after the morning run!

Awesome Outcome

So, after running this morning, I opened up my Facebook page to find this in my feed:

In my head, I was all, "Um, was this guy following me this morning?" because here's the deal: Today's run? Wrought with issues!!! Come along ...

It actually started out pretty well (not for Elly who was not asked to join me even though she let me sleep all the way 'til the alarm instead of getting up her usual hour earlier ... poor puppy ...). There were possible storms in the forecast, but they missed us, so I got to run outside. (I told Pit Crew #2 we were running in the rain as long as it wasn't thundering/lightening; she accepted that over running her 7 miles on the treadmill!) Anyway, stepping outside was almost refreshing; it didn't feel great, but it was better and a weeeeeeee bit less humid. And, the clouds not only provided very welcomed cushion from the sun but also gave us this:

Glory to God here ... and, boy, was I going to need Him today!!

I had five miles to go on my own, so I took our latest 5-mile route and turned it backward just for something different to do. I know I've passed this a million times but haven't seen it from the other direction ...

Woo Hoo!! Fabulous Weed Of the Day!

... same goes for this ...

You just know this is home to some critter ... awesome!

... and, for this:

Check that out!! Bigger than my head!!

All systems seemed to be firing pretty well, and the lack of direct sun helped not suck my energy right out of me. That wasn't going to last, though. I felt it start to peek through near the fourth mile which is when I looked up to see if it was temporary with more clouds coming or if the cover was about to break up and really bum me out:

I totally see a circus elephant there in the middle. Trunk out,
up on its hind legs. I'm good with it if you don't.

Even with the sudden sun which also seemed to quickly up the humidity level (drat double drat!), the rest of this leg of the run went just fine.

Unfortunately, I was really kind of ready to just be done by the time I picked up PC#2. No sooner did I momentarily stop than my legs were all, "Oh, we're finished! Awesome! Wait ... wait ... what's going on ... we're moving ... what are we doing?!?!?" With just a couple of minutes between ending my solo venture and starting up again with PC#2, my legs were all quivery and annoying and added to my "let's just not do this today" internal sentiment!

On top of which, PC#2 and I were still hammering out an issue. To say that we have a fabulous relationship, one I truly dreamed of, is an understatement. But, our great relationship and our being human are not mutually exclusive, and, sometimes, there's crap to deal with. So, we capitalized on the time to get to the heart of our matter, chew on it and problem solve. Note: I'm not sure PC#2 would call that capitalizing on a moment; she might define it as totally trapped by circumstance. Just being fair.

We worked on our issue for the first mile and a half. In the sun. And the humidity. Yelling over traffic. Going up hill. No joke -- one of the two biggest on the route, and that's what we were doing.

However.

At the top of that hill, I felt very good about what we got "out there." So did she. And, we stopped and hugged even though we were starting to get smelly. But, I don't care. She's my girl. And, that was a perfect moment to finish that topic, and get on with the goodness.

Wait, did I say goodness? I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned the upping of the humidity, so you know saying goodness is a total lie! Eiye yie yie, it was something  out there!! Fortunately, we both have good water bottles and I routed us by many refill spots! Also fortunate was we both checked our egos at the door, and we walked more of this route than we ever have. It seemed one of us at different times needed a stint (or big stint up the biggest hill), and we just rolled with it. In fact, it was really quite enjoyable for a while! Also enjoyable was finding bank! It started with ...

Do you see what PC#2 saw?

It's a penny in disguise!

... and, it continued when we cruised through the parking lot of a fast food place before going in to refill our bottles. The refill places were on the route, and I was going to use them!

So says the Run Find Your Happy Pace Facebook page.
And, so we did.

Okay okay okay!!! We'll stop again ... if ... we ... have ... to ...

You know what they say about girls always having to go to the
bathroom together! Although, straight from the TMI department,
there was nothin' in there to come out ... all of our liquid was
all used up!! Time to replenish from the faucet!

I'm not even going to lie. I was spent by this point. With a little more than two miles to go, that's no good, so I ignored how I mentally felt, I kept drinking my water, and we got on with business! We happily continued our run-walk status (reserving walking for going up hill, but, by this time, "up" was ... ummm ... well, pushing it. But it was still up!), but by the 6th mile, it was nice to walk but hurt a bit to start back up. I couldn't help but think we'd indulged in too much of a good thing. Then, I kept thinking about how something that becomes a bad thing by first being a good thing is a really weird cycle. Just sayin'. I never did resolve this issue in my head, but it did keep me distracted for quite some time!

Still pondering my good-turns-bad issue, I looked over to check on PC#2 and noticed the Queen Ann's Lace she'd picked miles ago was pooping out:

Totally with you, little flower. Totally.

Less than a mile later, we closed in on our end point. The male Pit Crewers drove over to pick us up and take us home, and we were thankful!

And, there you have it. Seven for her; Twelve for me. We did it. It was hot. It was humid. She was rather tired, and I was totally drained. My feet still hurt. And, I'm walking a little funny. It wasn't all that fun.

But, it turned out to be one of the best runs ever.

We're in it together. All of it. Always.

Next week is soooo much more chill on the miles before the big one on Saturday, so the hard part is behind us! But, before that, tomorrow? That's right! WE REST!! And, we're cooking, so I'll see you then with a report! Ahhhh ... rest ...!

Make It Make Sense

You know how yesterday I said I was on the brink of trying another recipe and sharing it?

Wait, let me start over ...

You know how you go to the kitchen to make a new recipe only to find out you don't have one of the critical, base ingredients?

Yeah ...

Okay, so that's coming on Sunday! In the meantime, today's topic has been on my mind big-time for the past few weeks when Summer weather finally smacked all of us upside the head. That topic, from this Diet Coke lovin' girl, is ...

WATER!! Yup, that's 44 ounces of water living right there in my usual Diet Coke cup. That's right; totally cheating on the DC with the H2O.

I know I'm not alone in how much I hear about how water is not just good for you but that it's necessary, but, unfortunately, it's also a topic that tends to rattle around in my brain to the tune of, "Yeah, I know ... I know ..." only for me to, basically, ignore it figuring I get "enough" without really trying.

I also know I should be paying more attention to my water intake as a runner. But, again, it's like any other topic we learn about or should know. I know and do nothing. It's an ugly truth. But, I finally came upon that one little nugget of information that finally made it all resonate, making me pay attention and make it personally meaningful. Believe it or not, it was something like this:

I recently found similar information in a magazine, but I don't remember which one. Or even when. It's probably in the same place as that ingredient I needed tonight ... floating in nowhere-doing-me-no-good-right-now-ville. Anyway, this is from the Fitness Recipes Facebook page.

Okay, what caught my eye both times coming across this kind of breakdown was that water intake/absorption cushions your joints. How cool is that?! I was actually totally fascinated by that fact because it wasn't readily obvious (at least, not to me!). Then, I went from fascinated to making it personally applicable -- if drinking water can give my lower body any extra protection from the pounding of running, then that's something I must do. Ahh ... a new mission!!

In the past few weeks, I've shifted my thinking and drinking patterns almost immediately and turned my Diet Coke to water ratio on its head. (It's not you, Diet Coke, it's me.) And, while I honestly have no tangible idea of what that's done in the past few weeks, I have piece of mind that I'm doing what I should to. I don't always want the water when I choose it, but I know it's the right thing to do if I want to consistently, safely keep doing what I'm doing. No one wants a shriveled on the road runner!

It was actually really quite easy to bring more water in to my world because I made it make sense to do so. The only drawback? Yeah, that should be pretty obvious ...

Those ladies at the Run Like a Girl Facebook page totally get it.

I have to admit, though, even this issue -- which I totally knew would happen given personal, past drink-more-water-campaigns -- doesn't bug too much when I get the bigger picture.

Following this theme, it's about time I map out tomorrow's runs, and I have already mentally mapped them passing multiple opportunities to refill water bottles!

Be safe out there whatever you are doing!! I'll check in after the morning's very long run!

Love Hate Thursday

With a wee, momentary drop in temperature and humidity and a drop in the day's miles, all three of us got to head out this morning!! Hooray!!

I came to a realization in our first steps ... I've grown to love and hate the Thursday run. I love thinking about it on Wednesday because Thursday's is the shortest run of the week (while Wednesday's is always the second longest). Whatever I'm running on Thursday always seems like "nothing" until I get out there and start it up. Then, today like so many other Thursday mornings, I am so completely over it. I just want it behind me. Or to stop. And, the latter is not a sentiment to give in to!! I think the issue is that Thursday is my "running Friday" complete with that end-of-the-week feel. It's not bad, it's just ... tired. But, tired or not, Thursday morning is another time to go!

I got to make the very best of it today with both of my girls! We began by being spied upon ...

"I will eat you if you come closer."

We saw this same kitty yesterday, but as soon as we were close, it bolted. Today, it clearly felt safe hunkered down in its cover!!

Along we trotted, and no sooner was I thinking about it definitely being better (um, not good ... just better) out this morning versus yesterday, Elly started pulling over to the grass to give her paws a break from the heat.

There she goes!

She was pretty persistent about staying in the grass, but she kept moving while she both cooled herself off and investigated whatever it is she investigates. As long as she's safe and entertained, it's all good.

Meanwhile, right behind me, Pit Crew #2 channelled my snag-and-run technique to get herself a flower:

Hey, I thought she was running!

Am I the only one around here doing any
actual work?!?!

We motored along with some of us working harder than others what a total lie while I kept looking forward to not running tomorrow. 'Seems to be a theme, doesn't it? Let's not do this anymore!! Ah, but, actually, it's not a theme as much as a fleeting thought that I know I share with many. Fortunately, by the time it re-entered my brain, PC#2 and I had come to the part of the sidewalk wide enough to run side-by-side which totally facilitates the talking part of the running program. This is also when I realized she still had her flower ...

And, now, it's on our counter in a jar. Fab!

... and, where Elly was, yet again, off to the side. Kind of like her tongue!

Seriously!! Look at that!!

This last mile also brought about 3 pennies, and the bike lane produced yet another. See? One way or another, running pays!

Oh my gosh, I was thankful to be finished! You'd think being at this for almost five years (whuuuut ?! Who knew this would stick like that?!) that I would no longer have those, "Ew! Yuck! Totally don't want to even think about doing that!" moments! But, I do. And, again, I know I'm not alone or drawings such as these ...

... simply wouldn't exist! (I'll pass on the cheeseburger ... please pass the popcorn!! Yeah, yours. And, yours and yours and yours!)

Side Note: My next Freak Mode (for me) is set for next April. Oh, yes, I've already figured out that goal and have a pluh (which is the better part of a plan but not quite there!). Before then, I intend (ah, didn't commit to a plan there, now, did I?!) to amp up the current mode closer to September's race. That plan is weather-dependent, though, just sayin'. Between now and these events? Normal Person Nancy holds true to the ultimate mission to keep on keepin' on any way that happens!

Oh, and soon! Very soon! Maybe tomorrow! I will be back in the kitchen with a recipe I'm dying to try!! Here's the teaser ...

... and, here are today's finishers!

Tomorrow! We rest! And, perhaps, we cook! No matter what we're doing, I'll see you then!

Just Gross Out

Ohhhhh ... heck yeah!!!!

(A huge fan of the DVR to skip through commercials, I always stop and/or rewind this one. Always. More than once! Thanks to Run Hard - Always Finish Facebook page for finding this for the rest of us!!)

That's right, it is HUMP DAYYYYY (yeeaaahhhhh ... wooWOO!!) That also means it's a running day, and the human girls went out to hit it today! It was miserably humid and already almost 80 degrees, so Elly, to her displeasure, had to stay home. Don't be too sad; her story turns out fine.

With a 5-miler ahead of us, Pit Crew #2 and I headed out with a slow and steady pace. Perhaps it is that pace that allowed us to spy moneymoneymoney in our first mile? At the half mile point, we'd already found 3 pennies. Then, just as we were crossing an intersection, something glittered and caught my eye. PC#2 didn't know this, though, and was subsequently confused when we made it across the intersection only for me to announce, "And, now we have to go back!" She's rather easy going, though, and, by now, used to my running shenanigans (aka: frequent lack of forward focus), so she just waited while I went back myself. I had to wait for cars again, though, so when I saw another woman running toward us, I mentally willed her to not see what I saw. I also realized not many runners are on a money-first, running-second quest like it seems I am, so I really should not have been scared (oh, but how surprised I would have been had I seen her pick up what I believed was a coin! Ohhhh how surprised she would have been when I tackled her! Wait ... that was just the play I had in my head, I wouldn't do that.)

I digress ...

Anyway, I caught a break in the traffic, and it was totally worth the return!

That's a quarter, baby!! Booyah !!

Oh, wait ... we're running ... Okay, it's like this. It was gross out. Just. Plain. Gross. We were profusely sweating before checking off a single mile! That's just nasty!

She's so easy going that PC#2 can't even pretend to show it's
gross out even when it is. By the way, she was also the smart
one with her headband. I chose fashion over function leaving
my wicking wonders at home. Not cool.

We had one more money moment ...

I stopped to get the penny, and PC#2 said she thought I was
getting that log. I wondered how badly heat delirium had
already set in ...

... and, the hill climbing began! Now, you should know the following conversation took place last night:

Me: Hey, are you totally excited about running 5 miles with me tomorrow?
PC#2: It'll be hot so that means more walk breaks!

To be honest, I fully expected a plan to come forth to walk after our first big hill, but neither of us said anything. I found a good strategic place to insert one later to give our bodies a chance to catch up and reboot, but we weren't desperate for one. In other words, that slow start pace was exactly the right thing to do to keep ourselves in balance. I have to admit it still feels so weird to start off running a lot slower than I know I can, but I have more than come to learn that it's the smart thing to do. My body will tell me what it can do, and, when it comes to running, my body is often way smarter than my brain! I'll note, though, not bringing Elly was the smartest move of the morning. Have I mentioned it was gross out?

Our run was pretty uneventful after running through the money pit, and that was just fine. By the end, we were both pretty drained because of the humidity, but, between our pace and the water we had with us, recovery was quick. It's also motivating to know that tomorrow's run is much shorter which mentally fuels pushing through to finish as strong as possible!

We came home ready to apologize and love on Elly, but I think she had been doing just fine ...

"Of course I'm fine, mommy. I'm just here watching my stories."

With that, it's time to reset for another outing tomorrow! Take care of yourself in this wacky weather, and we'll see you after the morning run!

From the Can To the Jar To the Crock Pot

Happy Rest Day!!

I've not shown you anything from the kitchen in quite some time because all of my sense of adventure went out the window. Frankly, I got in a really good groove of meals we fixed, but none of them were noteworthy. This, however, is going to come into the regular menu cycle because it was super yummy! AND, it's a slow-cooker recipe ... throw all of the stuff in, get on with your day, have a great dinner. WINNING!!

Okay, it's like this ... when I was a kid, my Mom used to tell me about how when she was a kid, she and her Dad would go out late at night and get tamales from some food cart. I recall no other details to this story (other than he, by my recollection, used to wake her up to do this, and that made my stomach hurt thinking of going back to bed on tamales. But, whatever.), but I do recall how it made me feel because I do love me a story about traditions and those little things over which people bond. The cool thing is that my Mom would often tell this story as she and I had tamales for lunch after grocery shopping. Ours, though, were the tamales out of a can. And, let me tell you, I loved 'em!! They looked very much like this ...

Do you know how many images there are when you Google
"tamales in a can"? I know, I was totally surprised, too. I found
this one here for those who need to know.

... except without the garnish. Oh, and they came six to a can, so they had to be smushed in there, so ours weren't round. They were kind of flattened on a side if not somewhat triangular. They sluuurrrrpped out kind of like canned cranberry sauce and were probably about as authentic. But, they were gooooo-oooood.

Canned tamales went to the wayside by the time I was a teen, but early in my relationship with Aaron, I stumbled across jarred ones at the store and snagged 'em! They still sold the ones in the can, but they were all beef, and, by then, I was off the beef. The jar ones, however, were made with chicken. And, they were just as delish -- a fact disputed by Aaron. Aaron who eats just about anything was totally grossed out. Worked well: More for me!

Well, the jarred chicken tamales have been MIA for many years which is probably fine because my bet is their nutrition was probably pretty MIA, too. But, I still get a hankerin' now and then, so you can guess my ears perked up when I saw a recent interview with Lisa Lillien (aka: Hungry Girl!) who mentioned there was a tamale recipe in her new cookbook!!

I was off to the library to check it out:

I immediate jumped to the Outside-In Turkey Tamale Pie recipe, and Pit Crew #2 and I made it yesterday! I have no pictures of the process because, frankly, we were busy throwing it together and moving on (crock pot perk!) not to mention there's very little to do other than throw everything together and let it stew. Wahoo!! It's a breeze!!

I almost didn't get any pictures at all -- we were very hungry and very eager to eat it! I got one just in time, though ...

Click here for the full recipe! I will note I forgot to buy onion, but I did add a small can of chopped green chilies because I love them, and it was super-awesome!

Does it taste just like a tamale? No -- that's not going to happen without a corn meal wrapper! But, there's a tamale current running through this, and it made my mouth happy! It's also tame on the spicing even with the can of chilis, so it was easy on the digestion! It's a dish I could definitely eat the night before a short run without worrying about any potential tummy troubles!

Here are the quickie per serving nutrition stats if you want to check 'em out before deciding whether or not to make it (which I highly recommend!): 230 calories; 7.5g fat; 19g protein!; 21g carbs; 3g fiber.

There you have it! A total winner ... ooohhh ... I just realized I am totally going to have to pair this with Hungry Girl's margarita next time!! But, that won't happen the night before a run, so it's going to have to wait a few days because tomorrow ... we run! I already asked PC#2 if she's excited to run tomorrow morning in the heat. She pretty quickly responded with a definite, "No." Too bad, we're going anyway!! We'll see you after!