Love The Life You Live

Boo!

2011-11-10T10:47:00.001-08:00

Motivation, Where Are You?

2011-10-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Latest News: Mike got into Boston! He'll be running the Boston Marathon on April 16th. He wasn't sure if he'd get in but he did! It's crazy how much they're charging for hotels there!!

I am sad to say that I haven't been running at all, neither one of us has. I've been wanting to and thinking about it but it just hasn't happened. I know it's mainly because we went on vacation awhile back and I got out of the routine and it's always hard for me to get started again. I need to just do it! I really don't like going to the gym at night after coming home from work, cooking dinner, cleaning up and putting the kids to bed...it's usually around 9:00 then. I think I'd rather get up early and run. My best bet would be to sign up for a race and that will give me an excuse to get out there and take the time for myself and run.

I'm putting this in writing right now (and saying it out loud)...I am signing up for a race by this time next week and will be up and running in the morning starting next week!! You hear that? I'm gonna do it!

We've had a lot going on around here lately. Will turned 2 in July, we went on a trip to Niagara Falls and Toronto in August, James turned 4 last month and Charlie will be 6 next week! Our weekends have been busy with the boys going to hockey practice on Saturdays. Pretty soon it's going to be winter and they'll be skiing as well. Now is the time to get into some type of routine.

Here are some photos of the boys last weekend at the ice rink.

Will (2 years old)
James (4 years old)

Charlie (5 years old)

Back to School

2011-09-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

Charlie was so excited to ride the bus to school. I can't believe he's actually in First Grade! What I'm really happy about is how much he really enjoys going to school and learning new things. I liked the fact that Charlie's teacher let the students choose where they each wanted to sit. I was pleased and surprised that Charlie chose the front row!

James loves going to the school bus each morning with his dad & Charlie.

I love this picture.

This is a random picture of the boys over the summer. I felt like I wanted to make sure there was a photo of Will included in this post.

Simple Things

2011-06-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

It's the simple things that make them happy, like new pjs! and swinging at the playground...

The Scowl...huh? what?

Yes, we're missing one boy here...well, he's not actually missing, he's at Grammy's house for the week.

North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon Race Report

2011-06-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

I ran the North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon last Sunday and I must say that I absolutely loved it! I will definitely be doing it again next year.

This was the Course Description form the Participants guide:
The DC Endurance Challenge Half Marathon is so sweet that runners will want to run it twice! From the start at Algonkian Park, the trails narrow to single track and wind through lush flood plain. The course is mostly flat, fast and well shaded. Where the Potomac has eaten away at the shores the trail traverses up the hillside then back down to the water’s edge. Runners will feel as though they are cruising through dense lowland forest all the way to the turnaround point and back.

It started at 8:00. I left the house at 6:00 in order to get to the parking lot where the runners needed to take a shuttle bus to the event. I got to the event grounds around 7:15 and walked around for a bit.

I wasn't sure what to expect as this was my first trail race. Almost all of the trail was in the shade and that was awesome! The first 3 miles were flat, but right after that we came to a huge hill that EVERYONE hiked up, there was no point in wasting all our energy running up that hill! I felt good the whole time and was really enjoying the scenery. There was a bit of mud along the trail because it had rained the night before so I was careful to pay attention and go slowly when going up hills in the mud.

There were definitely parts of the trail that were single file and I tended to get stuck going slowly behind several people. For the longest time I didn't pass anyone because I kind of felt bad doing it, but after awhile of seeing others do it in a nice way, saying "passing on your left" at times when the path was wider, I started doing the same thing

There was also a part of the trail that had a huge puddle/stream that we had to run through and since this was an out and back course we did it twice...I have to say I enjoyed this too! Also, there were quite a few wooden bridges that we ran over as well as a lot of logs/fallen down trees that we stepped over or jumped over. I only got a few scratches and bruises from jumping over logs.

Because this was an out and back trail, towards mile 5 the winner and runners after him started passing us on the trail...and it seemed like they were flying, there were parts of the trail that were so narrow that we had to stop running and step to the side to let them pass.

Overall, I had a great experience. I think the only downside to the race for me was getting stuck behind slower runners on the narrow part of the trail. I think next time I will start out a bit faster and find more opportunities to pass people on the left.

As you can see from the elevation chart we had quite a hill to climb after mile 3 and on the way back too.

Here are some of the highlights:

The Trees and Me

2011-06-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had my last long run until the North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon this coming weekend. I decided to treat myself and drive a little bit further than I normally do to a wonderful place called Burke Lake. The 4.5 mile trail goes around the lake and is mostly in the shade. After leaving the house I realized I didn't have my watch, I didn't mind though because I knew I'd enjoy the trail so much that it wouldn't matter. It was a perfect morning. I loved the smell of honeysuckles and feeling the gentle breeze. I was glad I forgot my watch and it was just the trees and me.

Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run Race Report

2011-04-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

I was excited and looking forward to this race because Mike decided he was going to run with me and I knew that it would be fun. We woke up bright and early around 5:30 and I ate some toast with almond butter. Mike's parents came over around 6 to stay with the boys, we left shortly after that and drove to the metro station which took us into D.C.

The weather was slightly chilly around 40 degrees. I was wearing shorts and a long sleeve shirt. The race started at 7:45 and I was supposed to be in the 4th wave of runners, but because we made a stop at the port a johns that were so far away, we missed the start of that wave and ended up behind them in the next one. Needless to say the first mile was catching up and passing people.

Mike was talking so much at the beginning, I think because he had so much coffee that morning! I'm used to running by myself so at first I asked him not to talk so much...but then I started enjoying it. He was very entertaining. He was motivating everyone, including the spectators!! it was pretty funny. During the first mile he yelled to someone on the side, "Are we there yet? how much longer to the end?" A couple of seconds later the lady on the sidelines yelled back, "9 more miles!"

One of the funny shirts I saw read, "I hope I do well in this race because I trained all day yesterday for it."

The cherry blossoms were very pretty and the weather was perfect. Once the sun came up it got a lot warmer and I decided to take off my shirt.

My plan was to run around a 9:39 pace. Earlier in the week I had checked out the race pace calculator I found on Runner's World. It's pretty cool. Based on an entry of your most recent race time and distance, this tool will predict finish times for you for a variety of common race distances. I was feeling good and enjoying the scenery. This was the first race I have ever ran with somebody and I liked it. We passed the 6 mile marker and Mike yelled to everyone around us, "Only 3.99 miles to go!" I think he did this at every mile. I was keeping a steady pace. I took my phone with me so Mike could take photos along the way. He'd run up ahead and try to get a good shot of me running. We were having fun.The last mile I pushed it. It was great to have Mike there motivating me. He even reminded me at the finish line to not stop my watch but to smile for the camera! Good advice. I finished in 1:36:12. I was happy with my time and 9:37 pace. All in all it was a great race with beautiful weather and wonderful support beside me.

Three ThingsThursday

2011-03-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

1. I will be running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run this weekend and I am excited!! I ran this one other time back in 2004 and I remember that it started sleeting during the last mile of the race. It didn't really bother me at the time because I was at least wearing a long sleeve shirt but Mike had no shirt and was freezing at the end. I think it's going to be a nice day. The one interesting thing about this race is that they now have a Virtual Goodie Bag that they email to participants. You click on a link and there are coupons from vendors.

2. For some reason since signing up for the The North Face® Endurance Challenge Half Marathon last week I've been wanting to sign up for more half marathons. I'm not sure why that is...one that looked interesting to me was the Women’s Half Marathon Trail Run on September 10th. I wish I could do all my runs on trails. I really enjoy being outside and in nature and definitely prefer trail running to road running. Maybe that's why I wanted to sign up for this half marathon, because it would give me an excuse to drive further away to run on the trails. I'd like to get some new trail running shoes and have just begun looking online at different ones. Any recommendations?

3. I am loving the library right now. I went last night and got lots of different books for the boys. I got some beginning reader books for Charlie. It is so cool to see your child learning to read!! I love it. I love watching him sound out the words and be able to read a story. For myself I got more cook books. I was in a bit of a hurry while I was there and didn't have much time to look around, but today I went online to the Library's website and reserved some DVDs and books on CD for my commute. I figure why not learn something while I'm driving and maybe listening to something positive while I'm driving will keep me less stressed out in all that yucky traffic.

One Crazy Week

2011-03-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Craziness Begins

Just when I realized how much my being consistent with running and cross training was paying off I get sidelined with craziness. It started Saturday night when Charlie got Croup. He was feeling pretty bad for a couple of days but quickly recovered after taking the steroids. He felt good enough to leave for his ski trip with his dad on Wednesday morning. James definitely got Croup from Charlie and suffered most of the week while periodically having breathing treatments. The littlest one was sick with a fever and on Friday I ended up taking him to the doctor to find out that he has Strep. He was given antibiotics and is feeling much better today. As of this morning both boys are doing well and are back to school and daycare.

Needless to say, with the husband gone and 2 sick kids I didn't get much done. I am very thankful that my mom was visiting us and I was able to get in a 9 mile run on Saturday. I can tell you that it felt so good to get out of the house and run!! I was getting a little stir crazy. These miles counted towards the Cupcake Marathon virtual race. (no, I didn't have colored ink for the printer and yes, I did color that in with highlighters...)

Crazy Excited

Charlie and Mike arrived in Winter Park, CO for the Nastar National Championships on Wednesday and Charlie competed in the racing on Saturday and Sunday. He has been having the time of his life! and so has Mike...I'm not sure who is having more fun. They got to see fireworks and listen to a couple of bands play. They've been skiing all day in fresh powder then sitting in the hot tub in the late afternoon followed by a relaxing night in front of the fire...Seriously, my 5 year old has a much more exciting life than I do! One night there was a raffle and Charlie ended up winning a really cool pair of goggles with a camera inside...they were adult size so Mike's been wearing them and taking videos with them, he said the quality is really good and it's in HD. Score! To put the topping on the cake Charlie ended up winning a Bronze medal and a new pair of sunglasses. What really made me laugh was Mike telling me that after Charlie got his medal he fell backwards off of the podium and some members of the US Ski team had to help him up!! it's typical of Charlie...he some times falls over when he's just standing there, but put him on skis and he's gone! Here are some photos of his epic adventure.

Crazy Scared

And last but not least, Mike and Charlie are supposed to come home today. Mike called this morning to say that Winter Park got 9.5 inches of snow last night and are expected to get up to 10 more today. The pass that you drive through to get from the hotel to the airport is closed due to an avalanche watch. There is no way to tell when that road will be open, it could be days. So, he decided to drive 100 miles out of the way to get to the airport. The roads are snow covered and it's not going to stop snowing anytime soon. He sent me this picture about an hour ago and said that he has 80 more miles to drive...ugh! I'm a little stressed right now and hoping they arrive safely at the airport and come back to me soon.

A PR, the ER and More Racing!

2011-03-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

A PR
On Saturday I ran the Van Metre 5 Mile Run for Children's National Medical Center. I really wasn't sure what to expect. I've never raced this distance. The last race I participated in was on New Year's Eve a little over 2 months ago. Since then I've been running consistently 3 times a week and incorporating some cross training by way of biking and workouts with weights.

I woke up around 7 and had a piece of Ezekiel bread with peanut butter. The race didn't start until 8:30 and I had plenty of time to get ready because it was only 10 minutes from our house. Mike decided to take the boys out to breakfast while I went to the race. I arrived with 5 minutes to spare. I parked the car and decided to take my mint chocolate GU before the race. I walked to the start of the race and worked my way into the middle of the pack. It was a beautiful 50 degrees, which I think is perfect running weather. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

My plan was to start the first mile at a 10min/mile pace and slowly pick it up to a 9:20 pace throughout the remainder of the race. Back in December when I ran my 10k I averaged a 9:42 pace, so I figured I wouldn't have much of a problem averaging a 9:30 pace for 5 miles. I did well on my first mile and by the second mile I was keeping it between 9:15 and 9:20 and I continued to maintain that pace. I knew I wanted to run the last mile much faster so I started to pick it up. At one point I looked down at my watch and realised that I was running an 8:30 pace...I totally surprised myself with that, to the point that I thought maybe something was wrong with my watch! I felt like I was running faster but wasn't totally out of breath and I still felt good.

I ran across the finish line and was happy to have run such a good race. I ended up finishing in 46:17, with an average pace of 9:15. I was pleasantly surprised by this and felt really good about it. I think consistency is the key to seeing myself improve. This is the fastest race I've run.
Here I am after the race.
The ER
Saturday night was like any other night. We put the boys to bed and were hanging out in the living room chatting and watching tv. It was around 11 pm when I heard a noise and asked Mike to turn the tv down. I realised that the noise was Charlie coughing loudly. I ran upstairs and found him sitting up in bed sweating and coughing to the point that he was becoming out of breath. It was that cough that they say sounds like a barking seal!! I knew what it was immediately, it was the dreaded Croup. I felt so bad for him because he was crying and coughing and having trouble breathing. I ended up taking him to the ER. As soon as we walked in they could here Charlie's horrible cough and saw him immediately. They ended up giving him steroids which seemed to really help. We got home around 1:30 in the morning! Here is is in the ER.Racing
About a month ago Charlie ended up qualifying for the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships held at Winter Park Resort, CO. This is the week of the Championships. Mike and Charlie left bright and early this morning and are now in beautiful Colorado looking at snowcovered mountains. They'll be gone until Monday. Charlie will be racing tomorrow. This was his first time on an airplane. I think he's going to have a blast there with his Dad, they've got lots of fun stuff planned including some snowmobiling. I'm expecting lots of pictures and updates from Mike.

Last but not least I signed up for The North Face® Endurance Challenge Half Marathon today!!! I am so excited about this and really looking forward to it. It's going to be on June 5, 2011.

Four for Friday

2011-03-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

1. I have a 5 mile race tomorrow. This will be my first race since my 10k on New Year's Eve. I'm excited about running it and curious to see how I'll do.

2. The boys have been having lots of fun recently. Their dad has been taking them ice skating and swimming. They've been going to the park. The older two are both signed up for soccer starting in April. I think this is going to be a busy summer, but also lots of fun! They look like they're up to something in this picture.

3. I have been having salads for lunch everyday at work for the past 3 weeks and I love it. I love veggies! I love making the salad each night and looking at all the different colors. I feel good eating it everyday. This week I've been enjoying the salads with some Dijon Vinaigrette dressing that I made.

4. I went to the library at the beginning of the week and picked up some new books. I've been having fun looking through all of them and getting some new ideas. The juicing book is great because it lists different mixtures for different ailments. The other books are about Raw Food and Vegan recipes.

The weather today is beautiful. It's 9am and it's already 55 degrees. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

I need some new ideas for salad dressings, I'd like to try some different ones. If anyone has any good dressing recipes please let me know.

New Recipes Full of Fruit and Veggie Love

2011-03-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

I tried some great new meals this week and thought I'd share some photos and recipes.

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew (from Epicurious.com) Buddha Bowl

Buddha Bowl

(adapted from Crazy, Sexy, Life.com)

Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
1-2 cups of brown rice (you’ll have extra)
1/2 head broccoli
1 cup chickpeas
1/2 purple onion, diced
1 grated carrot
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 avocado
Sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Dash of cayenne

Instructions:
Step 1: Cook the brown rice first. Use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice in the cooking process.

Step 2: If you’re using raw veggies, finely chop them and toss them with the rice while it’s still hot. This cooks them a bit, but you don’t lose nutrients. Season and dress to taste.

Variation: You can saute the veggies in olive oil then put on top of the cooked brown rice. (I did this).

Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette (from Crazy, Sexy, Diet)
Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

4 Roma tomatoes (halved)
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), along with the salt and pepper. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut-side down, and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the skin blisters. Set aside to cool.

Transfer the tomatoes, remaining 1 1/4 cups olive oil, vinegar, red pepper flakes, garlic, cilantro, and salt and pepper to a blender (I use my magic bullet) and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings. The vinaigrette will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for about a week.

Variation: For Spicy Southwestern-Style Roasted vinaigrette, add 4 rehydrated chipotles to the tomatoes before blending.

Here's my tasty salad with the lovely dressing.

Music Muesli (from The Athlete’s Plate) Cashier Cashew Butter and Jelly (from The Athlete’s Plate)

I don't have any photos of the wonderful sweet potato and chickpea dish that I made on Tuesday because I was so hungry when I made it that I didn't bother taking pictures and started eating. It was very tasty and I had lots of leftovers that were very good the next day. The original recipe called for jalepeno, but I didn't have any.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry with Green Peas

(adapted from No Meat Athlete)

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

•Basmati brown rice
•2 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
•1 small yellow onion, chopped
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
•1 Tbsp curry powder
•1 Tbsp garam masala
•1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•15-oz can chickpeas
•15-oz can coconut milk, solid and liquid parts mixed (just shake the can)
•1/2 cup frozen peas
•1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
•1 cup water

In a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. After the pan has heated up for a few minutes, add the onion, garlic, ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes until everything is softened. Add the curry powder and garam masala then stir for 30 seconds. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the sweet potato, chickpeas, coconut milk, and water to the pan. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sweet potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Add the peas and tomatoes; stir occasionally until they're heated through, about 4 more minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Man Trains For Marathon While Eating McDonald's-Only Diet

2011-03-10T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is crazy! Has anyone else heard about the guy known as McRunner? He tells the Sun-Times he plans on beating his personal best time of two hours and 36 minutes.
Here's a link to his website, Confessions of a Drive-Thru Runner: http://mcrunner.com/

Funny Photos

2011-03-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

Last night was a good night, I gave the 3 boys a bath then went for a 4 mile run on the treadmill at the gym.

ABC's of Me & A Nomination

2011-03-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

A. Age: 40

B. Bed Size: Queen. I would love to have a King size bed though.

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning up the table and floor after meals with 4 boys, ugh!!! (Cleaning the bathrooms comes in a close second only because I don't have to do it everyday.)

D. Dogs: None. I really like dogs but I think I would only get a dog if we lived some place that had a big yard.

E. Essential Start your Day Item: Saying good morning to all the boys and having Green juice (my new favorite). It really feels good to start the day doing something that is good for me and my body.

F. Favorite Color: Green

G. Gold or Silver: Silver

H. Height: 5 ft. 2 in.

I. Instruments you play: None.

J. Job Title: System Test Engineer

K. Kids: 3 boys (Charlie 5, James 3 & William (Will) 1)

L. Live: Northern Virginia. Originally from Central Pennsylvania (Pee-Ay).

M. Mom’s Name: Lucinda, but she goes by Cindy.

N. Nicknames: Only from the hubs (Sweet or Babe). I remember my brother calling me Heffer instead of Heather when we were young...just to be mean.

O. Overnight Hospital Stays: 3 times (after each baby was born)

P. Pet Peeve: When people don't use their turn signals. When people act like they know everything.

Q. Quote from a Movie: From "Good Will Hunting" (one of my favorites)
Will: Do you like apples?
Clark: Yeah.
Will: Well, I got her number. How do you like them apples?

R. Right or Left Handed: Right

S. Siblings: Older Brother

T. Time you wake up: Between 6 and 7.

U. Underwear: I wear them except when running in running shorts.

V. Vegetable you Dislike: Okra, I only had it once a long time ago and it seemed slimely. I haven't had it since.

W. What Makes You Late: I don't like being late and I'm usually early. On the rare occasion that I'm late it would have something to do with kids and forgetting something or bad traffic.

X. X-rays You’ve had Done: I think probably just dental stuff.

Y. Yummy Food you Make: Fruit salad, cookies, pumpkin bread.

Z. Zoo Animal Favorite: I wish the animals weren't in the zoo. I don't even remember the last time I visited the zoo. I think monkeys are pretty funny and the bears are always cute.

The nomination for The Athlete's Plate this week is Amanda (aka Misszippy) Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the menu and recipes that Jason creates for you.

Exciting News!

2011-03-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week I was reading Adrienne's blog (which is very funny, go check it out) and found out that she had nominated me to be featured for The Athlete's Plate. This is so cool because it’s perfect timing. I am on a journey right now to improve my overall health as well as my family’s health. I’ve been doing pretty well, but there is always room for improvement and I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes that are healthy and that my family will like. The other concern is that I don't always have lots of time to spend in the kitchen because the more time I spend in the kitchen the more time 3 boys have to draw on the wall with crayons and jump off tables!

If you haven’t heard of The Athlete's Plate then let me enlighten you. Jason from Cook Train Eat Race has a section on his blog aptly called The Athlete's Plate where he creates a menu for a specific person that is yummy and healthy (yes, these two things can go together) and is based on that person’s traits and personality. He even includes the nutritional breakdown for each recipe. I’ve been checking out his blog for awhile now and he always comes up with tasty combinations and recipes that help fuel athletes. Here's a peek into his post this week which I think is very fitting...

Breakfast – Road Rage Raspberry Smoothie
(this is especially good for after a workout as protein & carbs go into the system)

Click HERE for the full menu including recipes.

What’s amazing about Jason is that not only is he a distinctive and unique cook, but he is also training for his first 70.3 (half ironman) in April 2011 and right now he is hosting The Cupcake Marathon 2011.

In Jason’s words, this is a virtual race that is meant to be a fun way to get you active and moving in time for the spring racing season. Event distances will include a 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) and Marathon (26.2 miles) and you do not have to complete the mileage on ONE run but over the course of the two weeks. You will have a chance to win prizes, including cupcakes! It’s Like A Marathon But With A Cherry On Top. Sounds like fun doesn't it? What are you waiting for...sign up!

By the way, if you'd like to be featured for the next edition of The Athlete's Plate, please leave me a comment letting me know what you'd like to improve about your health, eating, lifestyle, etc. I will announce the winner this Sunday.

Big thanks to Adrienne for nominating me and to Jason for being so thoughtful and creating such a yummy and easy to make menu for me this week! I'll be sure to post photos of my meals.

Fun New Things

2011-03-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I tried a wonderful new recipe for Vegetarian Korma posted by Aimee last Tuesday.

The kitchen smelled so good after I added all of the spices. I thought the recipe was really easy to make and although it may seem like there are a lot of ingredients, it's mostly just vegetables that need to be cut up. I really didn't feel like it took me that long and in the end it was worth it. I could eat this everyday. The only adjustment I made was using a little bit of Agave (maybe a 1 tsp.) instead of the brown sugar. I served this over brown rice. If you like veggies and yummy spices you should try this! I will definitely be making this again and again.

The other thing that was exciting this weekend was buying a new juicer!! I love this thing. I've been juicing everyday for me and the kids. Here's a shot of the new juicer and my lovely Green Juice that I made this morning. I feel so great after drinking this each morning because I know I'm taking care of myself and I've made a good choice at the start of my day and that leads to making more good choices throughout the day.
To learn a bit about the benefits of juicing check out these sites:
http://www.bestofjuicing.com/
http://www.healingdaily.com/juicing-for-health.htm

http://livingawholelife.blogspot.com/2008/12/benefits-of-juicing.html

Trying to Keep Up!

2011-02-24T09:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, I haven't had time to post much over the last couple of weeks. There's been so much going on around here.

Family
Last week we left Friday after work and went to my parents house for the weekend to visit with them and to take the boys skiing. On Thursday Mike signed Charlie and James up for NASTAR Racing at Roundtop on Saturday. This is recreational racing for skiers and snowboarders of all ages. He talked to Charlie & James about it and they seemed excited to race and try and get some medals. It's pretty awesome that my parents only live 15 minutes from Roundtop Mountain Resort. On Saturday morning we got up and took the 2 older boys skiing. We were having lots of fun and stopped after awhile to have a snack. Once we started skiing again Mike took Charlie off to race and he ended up getting 4 bronze medals. He was so excited about the medals and didn't let them out of his sight! It was fun watching him ski as fast as he could between the flags. Mike was laughing because at one point he said Charlie was on one ski with his other leg up in the air and he thought Charlie was going to wipe out but he didn't, he managed to get control and finish. The other exciting thing was seeing Will on his skiis for the first time! Mike took him out and skied down with him between his legs. He seemed to really like it. Finally, when Charlie was done racing he came into the lodge and passed out! he had done 9 races and was trying to get a platinum medal! Here are some photos from our day out.

On Monday we ended up getting the boys a bunk bed. We didn't know until we got home just how many pieces there were to put together! We managed to do it without killing each other and it looks great. The boys love it!

Tuesday we found out that Charlie qualified for the Nature Valley NASTAR National Championships held at Winter Park Resort, CO next month! He would get to race with kids from across the country. Needless to say it didn't take Mike long to book the tickets and hotel. He's going to take some days off and fly out there with Charlie and watch him race. What an experience this is going to be for a 5 year old...he gets to ride on a plane for the first time and he will be able to see the U.S. Ski Team and Olympians. I think he'll be excited to get his goody bag too. I'm counting on Mike to take lots of photos and videos of our little guy since I won't be there to watch.

Exercise
I've been doing pretty good with my workouts and even got a new DVD so I can do some stuff with weights at home. My shins haven't been hurting and I'm so glad about that. My next race is on March 19 and it's a 5 mile race, I can't wait.
Here's what my week looks like as far as exercise:
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 4 mile run/15 min. bike
Thursday - 40 min. bike/Shred it with Weights
Friday - 4 mile run/Core workout
Saturday - 40 min. bike/Shred it with Weights
Sunday - 6 mile run/Core workout

Eating/Health
I've been eating my oatmeal, fruit & nuts every morning. I made a big salad this morning that I took to work for lunch. I used spinach, red/yellow/orange peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro and black beans and it was tasty. I only wish I had some avocado to add to it, then it would have been perfect.
I've been wanting to improve my overall health and really start thinking about what I'm eating and how it affects me. There are lots of changes that I want to make but I want to be educated about it and do what's right for me and my family. I'm really excited about a new book that I ordered, it's called Crazy, Sexy, Diet and it should be here soon. I've heard a lot of good things about this book and I think I will get a lot out of it.

Five for Friday

2011-02-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

1. I've been loving my breakfasts lately. On Monday morning I decided to take everything I'd need to make oatmeal for the week to work. Each morning when I arrive at work I mix up my oatmeal in a big bowl and eat it at my desk. This breakfast keeps me going and feeling full up until lunch time. My mixture this week has been old fashioned oatmeal, bluberries, almond milk and slivered almonds. Sometimes if I have extra time on Sunday night I make steel cut oats on the stove and add in apples, raisins and cinnamon.

Last week I read Molly's post about the combo she uses and it sounds yummy, I'm going to try it next week. 2. Another thing I've been enjoying is my Yogi Teas. I recently got 3 new ones; the Green Tea Kombucha aids immune and digestive function, the Green Tea Triple Echinacea stimulates immune function and the Green Tea Muscle Recovery supports an active body. All of these teas have very nice flavors. The one thing I absolutely love about all of the Yogi Teas is each tag on the tea bag has a saying. The tag on my tea bag this morning said, "Find happiness within yourself. Then share yourself with others."

3. Last week on Rae's blog she showed a picture of the Green Monster smoothie that she made and said how good it was. This prompted me to make my own version and it turned out great! What I thought was especially wonderful was the fact that my "picky" eater Charlie loved it. He watched me make it and noticed the "green leaves" that I put in it and asked to try it. He kept telling me how much he liked it and even asked for more. He also encouraged his brother to try it. I used spinach, froxen banana & bluberries, apple, flax seed meal, honey and water and it was tasty. You really can't taste the green leaves at all. Awhile back I came across a website that lists lots of different recipes for the green monster, it's called Green Monster Movement. Check it out if you want some more ideas or if you have a recipe you want to share you can submit it.

4. I made chicken soup last night and instead of noodles I used red Quinoa. This was the first time I had ever tried it and I really liked it. I like the way that it looks, it has a slightly nutty flavor and you could use it in place of past or rice in most recipes. I brought some to work for lunch today.

5. I wanted to be supportive of a friend at work that was selling Girl Scout cookies for her daughter. I bought 3 boxes of cookies; 1 box of Thin Mints and 2 boxes of Tagalongs. These cookies are highly addictive. I took the boxes home yesterday and put them in the pantry. I thought about them all night. I was good and didn't eat any.

Three Things Thursday - Things to Improve on

2011-02-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

1. I want to run Injury free - I am still trying to figure out why my shins hurt occasionally. It is so frustrating! I would run every day if I could, but I know that they would hurt even more. I am using the process of elimination to figure out what is causing the issue. After weeks of trying to figure things out I've made some improvements by doing the following things: I only run 3 times a week (wish it was more) and all my runs are primarily done on the treadmill during the week. I make sure that I warm up at the beginning and don't run too fast and keep the incline on 1%. I run 3 miles on Tues. and Thurs. and 4 or 5 miles on Saturdays (wish it was more). I try to do my longer runs outside if it's at all possible. I went to my local running store and got fitted with new shoes about a month ago. I've been elevating and icing my legs each night. I'm beginning to think that maybe it has something to do with my calves and perhaps I need to do more stretching and strengthening. I notice that at times my calves get tight and my feet go numb. I did a Google search about it to see if anyone else had these issues and I read a couple of stories from people that were experiencing similar problems. I've read a few articles having to do with calves and shin splints so I decided to incorporate some calf stretches into my workout routine.

2. I want to do more strength training - I need to be more consistent with my core workouts and I want to add some weight lifting too. I try to do my core workouts at least 3 times a week. During the time I set aside for core workouts I'd like to maybe get some weights and work on my triceps and biceps. Another thought I had was to start using the rowing machine at the gym. I think that would probably be a good workout and would work a lot of different muscle groups. I need to do a bit of research on that and see how to get started.

3. I'd like to lose some weight - I've been eating healthier and I feel good. I don't think I have much weight to lose really. I think it's more of a matter of feeling fit and being toned. Maybe once I incorporate all the other things I've listed above (along with my biking almost 4 or 5 times a week) any extra weight I have will come off. Recently I have been hearing about the new book that's out by Matt Fitzgerald called Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. It's sounds interesting, I might pick up a copy of the book.

Have you ever experienced shin splints even when you weren't running a lot?

Have you ever tried using the rowing machine? How did you start and was it a good workout?

Have you read Racing Weight? What did you think of it?
There was a table in Runner’s World awhile back that illustrated how much faster you could be if you lost weight. Of course, this would not take into account speed increases due to training.

According to RW author Amby Burfoot, the table is based on research that runners, on average get 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose.

The Last Week of January

2011-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

The week started out fine and then something normal happened that somehow made things crazy around here....it snowed. Wednesday around 12:30 there was an email sent out to everyone at my workplace. This is part of the actual email:

"The U.S. National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory through 4 a.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 27, for the D.C. Metro area. Latest reports indicate that snowfall will begin this afternoon and continue into the evening with accumulation of three to six inches possible overnight. Locations north and west of the city may see as much as 10 inches of accumulation.

Employees in the D.C. Metro area working at office locations impacted by the onset of severe weather may depart early today and take work home, where appropriate, following the early dismissal guidelines in the Inclement Weather Policy...

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has issued a two-hour early dismissal for government employees today. So, those working at government client sites should plan to follow the guidance of the client.

As always, the safety of our employees is paramount and you are encouraged to use your best judgment regarding your commute."

Once I heard the ice rain on my office window I decided to leave. It was around 2:30 when I left and it ended up taking me an hour to get home. It usually takes me 30 -40 minutes to get home but the snow was coming down fast. I didn't think my commute was bad. The snow had fallen so fast over the next few hours that they ended up closing the schools on Thursday and Friday. The other interesting thing was the "Thundersnow"...I didn't experience it but some other people that I work with did. They said the sky was dark and there was thunder, lightening and snow mixed with ice rain!

Thursday we went skiing and had a blast. The conditions were great, there was lots of powder-ery snow and no lines for the lifts! We'd ski for a bit then take a cookie break....

ski for a bit then take a snack break...

On Saturday we took the boys to the Washington Auto Show and they had lots of fun running around, getting in all the cars and scoring free stuff. Here's a photo of the boys on the drive there.

The car in the background was the one from the movie "Back to the Future". James is doing his best to protest having his picture taken....if he closes his eyes no one is there.

When I got to work on Monday I began to hear all of the horror stories people had of driving home from work on Wednesday. There were some people that left work and ended up being stuck in traffic for 9 hours!! People that normally get home in 15 minutes were stuck in traffic for 3 hours!! These were the people that didn't leave work early for whatever reason. There were jokes on Facebook about not picking up to-go cups off the side off the roads...I can only imagine what people have to do when they are stuck in traffic for 9 hours and need to go to the bathroom!

So, now it's Tuesday and the schools are closed again because of ice rain and we're supposed to get more tonight! We'll see how this all plays out. I'm glad that I can at least ride the bike on the trainer if I can't run outside or the gym is closed. I am thankful that it's not that cold outside compared to some other places I've been hearing about. It's about 36 degrees out right now and no sign of rain or snow.

Stay safe and stay warm!

A Fun Weekend and Some Recipes to Share

2011-01-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

It's hard being a 3 year old!
My husband took the 2 oldest boys skiing on Saturday and he sent me this picture from the slopes. This was at lunch time. I guess James was skiing hard and needed to take a break!

Sunday the boys had their ice skating lessons. Afterward, I decided to make some homemade banana soft serve. This was a recipe I found on a website called Choosing Raw. The title of the post is called, "This Post Will Change Your Life". This really isn't even a recipe because you only need one ingredient...frozen bananas! other ingredients are optional. I did add a little bit of almond milk because it wasn't getting creamy at first, but once I did that it immediately got thick and creamy. Charlie wanted me to add some chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, both of which I added and it turned out great.
The boys love it. Seriously, this is so easy and so yummy that I'm going to be making it all the time. The possibilities are endless as far as add-ins go. You could add berries, peanut butter, cocoa powder...anything you want. Go and read about it HERE.

One of my goals for the year is to start eating healthier. I don't think that we do that bad of a job so far, but I'd like to incorporate more raw foods into our diet, especially vegetables and reduce the amount of white flour and sugar that we consume. I made a trip to Wegmans last night and got a lot of good things. I'm going to be making some Zesty Black Bean & Corn Salad tonight. I've made it before lots of times and it's really good. I thought it would be something easy for me to make and take to work this week. This is one of my favorite healthy recipes to make, I love all of the fresh ingredients, especially the cilantro. Here's the recipe I'll be using.

What is one of your favorite tasty and healthy recipes?

Three for Thursday

2011-01-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

1. I rode the bike at the gym last night for an hour while watching American Idol. I actually found myself laughing at times, other times I was cringing! I could have ridden my bike on the trainer, but I wanted to get out of the house. I did some interval training.
(1:00 CRUISING with 3x10 min. STEADY 5 min. RBI then 5x30 sec. MAX 1 min. RBI)

2. I am so tired of looking at laundry and doing laundry...I wish I wasn't even thinking of laundry.

3. Why do some people feel it necessary to talk on their cell phones in the bathroom at their place of employment? (or any public restroom for that matter) It's not like it's ever an emergency...they are just chit chatting. I think it's strange.

Speaking of strange, I will leave you with the image of the masked boy found in my home.

Stylish Blogger Award and Some Questions

2011-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

I wanted to say thanks to Kadie at There She Runs for nominating me for the Stylish Blogger Award. Kadie and her daughter ran a 5K together on Saturday and had lots of fun! (Go visit her HERE.)

There are 4 duties to perform to accept this award:
1. Make a post and Link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 5 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them they’ve won!

Here are 7 random things about me:

1. I like being a mom to all boys. I'm really okay with not having any girls. Some times people make comments like, "Now you just have to try for a girl" or the last time I was pregnant I heard, "maybe this one will be a girl". Each time I heard these comments I would respond by saying that I was happy with the boys that I have...but people would still look at me like they didn't believe it.

2. I have a touch of road rage...(I'm sure my husband would disagree with that.) I was never annoyed by other drivers when I lived in PA. I guess that's because I lived in the country and it didn't seem like people were in that much of a hurry and neither was I. But, since living in Germany and driving on the autobahn at any speed I wanted then coming here to northern VA where everyone seems to be in a hurry except for the slow drivers that insist on slugging along in the passing lane I have become a bit bothered by the way people drive. I don't actually yell at other drivers, I just yell out loud to myself in the car...

3. The first job I ever had was a cashier at a grocery store. I think I was 17 years old at the time.

4. The first car I ever owned was a Fiat convertible. It was so much fun to drive. It was a stick shift. I think I drove it for almost a year before it died on me on the interstate late at night. This was back when we didn't have cell phones and I had to hitch hike to get a ride home.

5. I'm having a hard time not signing up for a bunch of races! I'd really like to sign up for more races but they start adding up after awhile. I've been making a list and will decide which ones are really important to me and then sign up. I have to narrow it down some how.

6. I want to try lots of new things this year! I'd love to do a duathlon, a metric century ride (or a century), a relay, another half marathon and possibly another marathon in the fall.

7. I had no idea when I first started blogging that I'd be so inspired by so many other bloggers out there!

Questions:
1. Has anyone out there participated in a Ragnar Relay? and if so what did you think of it? I was looking at their website and noticed that they have one that goes from Cumberland, MD. to D.C. and it sounds like fun.
2. Does anyone out there use spinervals? and if so which ones would you suggest to someone?

I'm not going to tag anyone because it seems like a lot of the blogs I read have already been tagged. I'd love to hear from you though so leave a comment if you can relate to anything I've listed!

Snow Play & FYTO 5K

2011-01-08T18:53:00.000-08:00

I planned on running Saturday morning when I first woke up. I wanted to run 7 miles and the first 5K was going to be for the Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K Virtual Race that Adam, who blogs over at The Boring Runner had organized.But, that would have to wait...you see, before the boys went to bed the previous night they heard it was going to snow. They were up bright and early to look out the window and once they saw the white stuff that was it. I've never seen them get dressed so fast. Here is a glimpse of what my Saturday morning looked like.
Then, of course, the boys had their ice skating lessons which was fun too. After that it was finally time for Mama to run! It was a balmy 29 degrees out when I left.I decided to run on the W & OD Trail. I wasn't sure if I was going to be warm enough with just a long sleeve shirt and no jacket but it turns out it was just right. I stayed warm enough the whole run with gloves, long sleeve shirt, running pants and a hat. There weren't many people out on the trail. There was a bit of ice and snow in spots but overall it was fine.I ran 7 miles on the trail. I looked at my watch at the 5K point and it read 29:25, which is about a 9:28 pace. I guess that's not bad considering there were icy patches that I slowed down for and I was taking pictures with my phone along the way too.

It's been fun reading everyone's race reports from Saturday. Thanks goes to Adam for organizing this fun event! I look forward to doing more in the future.

January's Big Cooking Day

2011-01-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

What exciting thing did I do on the first day of the new year you ask? I spent the day cooking. All. Day. Cooking. I wanted to continue what I had been doing the previous year as far as saving money on groceries, spending more time with my kids and more time to run! So we decided to do grocery shopping on Friday and Saturday I would cook my little heart out.

I got a new cookbook for Christmas called Don't Panic-Dinner's in the Freezer. I love the book because it describes in detail how to cook, package and freeze meals and even triples the recipe ingredients for you. There are lots of great freezing tips and techniques given in the book as well as tricks and shortcuts that make cooking much easier. The recipes sound very good and they aren't your usual casserole type things. Most of the recipes below came from the book. I am hoping that when trying these new recipes my boys will find more things to like and eat. It's hard finding meals that all 3 boys like.On a side note: I thought these plates were funny. My sister-in-law gave them to the boys for Christmas.

Snacks/Sides
Applesauce (lots of apples & cinnamon..that's it)
Banana Bread
Oatmeal Raisin cookies
Steel Cut Oatmeal x5 (I used the recipe on the bag of Bob's Redmill Steel Cut Oats then added apples, cinnamon, honey & flax seed)

Lunches
Chicken Salad

Dinners
Turkey Chili x2 (my thrown together recipe)
Chicken Picado x2
Lemon Glazed Chicken Breasts
Chicken Cacciatore x2
Honey Pork Chops x3
Dijon Roast Pork Loin x3
Chicken Enchiladas x3
Salsa Shredded Beef x2

New Shoes

2011-01-03T12:23:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to get these new shoes! I got to wear them in my latest race which was done on New Year's Eve Day. I ran the Ringing In Hope 10K in my neighborhood.

New Watch
Hubby also surprised me with a Garmin for Christmas and I wore that in the race too! I really like the watch and I finished the race with a PR!!

The starting line was about 3 blocks from my house. It was a fun race and the course was great. Hubby had the boys and they were cheering for me at different spots during the race. At mile 5 when I ran by they were clapping for me & James yelled, "Where are you going Mama?" I yelled back "I'm running to the finish line". Mike said they all started running after me & he had to chase them. Right before I crossed the finish line I spotted Mike & the boys again, this time Mike was holding a crying James. After I crossed the finish line I ran over to see what was wrong only to find out that Charlie & James had been fighting & Charlie had picked up a hand full of dirt and put it in James' eye...

...and now you know why I run!

Busy, Busy

2010-12-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

These past 2 weeks have been a blur and it's not going to let up for awhile. I figured I'd share what the past couple of weeks have been like through photos.

The boys before their Christmas concert last Friday.James in the front row, I'm a very proud mama!
A cookie that was made for me at my job's Christmas party. one of the girls here made cookies with each person's name. Very thoughtful.
The pumpkin bread I made for the Christmas party and kid's party at preschool. The one on the far right has chocolate chips added. This recipe makes the best pumpkin bread I've had, it is so moist and freezes well.
The picture that was taken and was meant to be on the Christmas cards. I decided not to use it. Yeah, we were standing in the rain like dummies....who does that?
The smiling face of our little guy on the way to daycare yesterday morning.
Charlie taking a break while skiing with his dad last weekend.
James passed out after a long day of skiing last weekend.
Ice skating last weekend.
I've managed to run 3 times a week and for that I am happy. I'd like to get more hours in biking and doing some core work outs as well. We'll see how that goes. Tomorrow is the first day of our holiday vacation and I am really looking forward to it! We're going skiing on Thursday, going to the in-laws on Christmas Eve then heading to PA to my parents house on Christmas day. Next week we're planning on skiing everyday! I can't wait to see family and get in some skiing. I may not write anymore till after the holidays.

Happy Holidays to everyone! Enjoy the time with your families and have fun racing, running, biking, skiing and playing.

Race Plans & Updates

2010-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

RACE PLANS
first things first, I was selected to run the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler! There was a lottery registration and I just found out that I got in! I am very happy about it.

I've seen lots of racing plans while blog surfing and it gave me the kick I needed to organize what I'd like to do in the coming months. Here's what my race calendar looks like:

Ringing In Hope 10k, December 31, 2010 (Brambleton, VA)
Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, April 3, 2011 (Washington, D.C.)
Ribbon Run 10k, April 9, 2011 (Brambleton, VA)

I haven't decided which half marathon to do yet. My first choice would be the LAWS Run for the shelter that benefits the Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter and the other 2 would be fun to run as well...maybe I can do them all!

LAWS Run for the Shelter Half Marathon, Apr ? 2011 (Leesburg, VA) *date not posted yet*
Park to Park Half Marathon, Apr 30, 2011 (Waynesboro, VA)
Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon, Jun 04, 2011 (Leesburg, VA)

OTHER UPDATES
I sent the gift out to my secret blogger exchange buddy and now I am hoping (fingers crossed)that they like what I sent...I want to give props to Jill for organizing the Secret Blogger Exchange. There were 81 of us that signed up!!

FUN VIDEO
My 5yr old son has been practicing one of his songs for his school's Christmas concert tomorrow night. He's been singing this song around the house for the past couple of days and I figured it would be a good thing to capture him singing on video!

SNOW

This is a picture I took looking out of my office window. It's 21 degrees and just started snowing here in VA. Although the snow is beautiful...apparently the roads are a mess! I'm stuck at work right now and haven't had to drive in it yet. The schools are closing 2 hours early. Hello...why haven't they treated the roads yet? What are they waiting for?

I think this weekend is going to be busy...starting today! Hubby wants to take the boys ice skating tonight. Tomorrow I have a Christmas party at daycare and a Christmas party at work, then at night the older boys have their Christmas concert at school. Saturday the older boys have ice skating lessons and then hubby wants to take them skiing, I think he is secretly preparing them for the Olympics!

DO THIS
Check out this new website!

*the following is taken from the site:

Endurance Athlete Project was created by athletes for athletes . Once registered, you will have access to forums, live chat, event listings, special interest groups, blogs, news from all around the endurance sports world and much more.

But the most important part of Endurance Athlete Project is the people. ..they come to the site to interact, share, inspire and be inspired.

So join Endurance Athlete Project today. It's easy and best of all it's free.

One of the really cool things that I like about the site is that you can add music! Thanks goes to Patrick from The Road [A Multi-Sport Blog] for creating such a cool site.

I Love Winter!

2010-12-08T20:13:00.000-08:00

New skis!

I love living in a place where I get to experience all of the seasons. I love winter. It takes a bit to transition from fall to winter, but once I figure out what I need to wear to keep me warm I am good to go. I am looking forward to the snow and the holidays. This is such a wonderful time of the year. We are getting ready for ski season around here and I'm so excited!! Charlie just got his new skis and boots in the mail today and he was happy. The skis are pretty cool too, I'm jealous. I can not wait to take some vacation over the holidays and not go to work! We will be skiing and having lots of fun. I'm also looking forward to the New Year's Eve 10k that is happening in my neighborhood...only about 2 blocks away!

Bring on the snow!

Here are some photos from the best places I've ever skied. They were both fun and beautiful!! I will tell you that the people in Austria know how to ski, party & have fun!!!

The first set of photos are from a ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This was one of my favorite trips. This place is beautiful any time of the year!

This photo was taken in the summer and it's just as beautiful then too!These next set of photos are from our ski trip to Sölden, Austria. This was the most amazing ski trip I've ever been on!! There was music playing all over the mountain! The red building is a place to warm up and get drinks! Seriously, they have these little huts blasting music and serving drinks all over the mountain! They serve Glühwein, which is a hot, spicy wine...really good.

Send a Video Card From Santa (very cool)

2010-12-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

You can create your own free Personalized Santa Video for your kids. You upload a photo of your child so that you can receive a video from Santa. Santa will say the child's name in the video, plus he’ll talk about what you’re child has accomplished this year and what they want for Christmas. You answer several questions to personalize the video.

I did this last year with Charlie and he was really surprised and liked it. Try it out, it's pretty cool.

Thursday Things

2010-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

(Title taken from 5K RAE)

1. First, a throwback from the old days. This is my brother and me hanging out.2. This is a blurry photo of me on Thanksgiving morning after running in the 10k Turkey Chase in Bethesda, MD. There were 8,600 runners! can you believe that? All those runners running through the neighborhood and in downtown Bethesda...one lane open for all those runners! It was fun though. I was happy that it stopped raining right before the race started.
3. This is the Christmas tree we got over the weekend.
4. This is the tree after we decorated it and there is the sleepy boy on the couch. I love hanging out on the couch each night with only the little white Christmas lights on. Every night my husband says, "I think this is the most perfect tree we've ever had."
5. I haven't run or biked since Sunday because I've been sick with coughing and chest congestion. I feel fine to go to work but have absolutely no energy to do anything. I've been taking medicine and I'm thinking maybe I'll go for a run tonight. The other crazy thing that's been going on is the inside of my shins get a little sore after running on the treadmill...it doesn't happen when I run outside, only on the treadmill. It's too bad, because I really don't mind running on the treadmill and it's really convenient for me since sometimes the only time I can find to run is later at night. Anyone else experience this? I guess I just run differently on the treadmill. I'm wondering if new shoes would make a difference?

Please let me in!

2010-12-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

I just received the following email:

Dear Heather,
You are officially registered in the lottery for the 39th running of the
Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run on Sunday, April 3, 2011.

I would love to run this again. I ran it once back in 2004 and really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful run around D.C!

Thankfulness and Randomness

2010-11-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thankfulness:

I am extremely thankful for my family, this includes my wonderful in-laws. Seriously, I could never imagine having better in-laws or parents than the ones I have and I enjoy spending time with them. When it comes to my parents (and my in-laws) they are very giving, caring, loving and supportive and they enjoy being around their grandchildren. My parents have always set a wonderful example of how I want to live my life and for this I am thankful. I love my family.

Randomness:

My 5 year old was coming up the stairs the other night wearing only his underwear. He pointed to the opening in the front and said, "Look mom, there's a pocket here for me to put something in".

My 3 year old has some new things that he's been saying which I'm not thankful for, they are "shut up" and "stupid" and "pain in the butt". None of these are things that I say to him.

Fun facts: Turkey talk

• Americans feast on 535 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving.
• According the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the United States at Thanksgiving. That number represents one sixth of all the turkeys sold in the U.S. each year!
• Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, however wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour over short distances.
• Only male (tom) turkeys gobble. Females make a clicking noise. The famous gobble is actually a seasonal mating call.
• Turkeys can drown if they look up when it's raining!
• A turkey's field of vision is 270 degrees -- one of the main reasons they're able to elude some hunters.
• There was no milk, cheese, bread, butter or pumpkin pie at the original Thanksgiving Day feast.
• Contrary to popular belief, the Pilgrims did not have big buckles on their clothing, shoes, or hats.
• The cranberry got its name because the pale pink blossoms on the plant resembled a crane's head and neck. The name craneberry stuck, eventually becoming cranberry.
• President Abraham Lincoln established the original date for our National Thanksgiving Day celebration in 1863.
• President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of establishing a national "Thanksgiving Day."
• The average person consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I'm Registered!

2010-11-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

My husband just registered us to run the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase Turkey Chase 10K on Thanksgiving morning and I'm really excited. The last race I participated in was the Army 10 Miler in 2008. I've actually run this particular 10K before two other times; once in 2003 and once in 2004 and I really enjoyed it.

I've been kind of sick lately and I have very low energy. From reading so many other blogs it seems as though there are a lot of people that are sick right now. I'm okay to run though, I'm coughing on and off and have a bunch of yucky stuff in my chest, but other than that I'm fine. I am looking forward to participating in a race, it's been so long since I've done one. I've been reading everyone else's race reports and I'm constantly wanting to sign up for stuff. I feel like these events are getting to be so expensive now and I have to pick and choose which ones I really want to do. I'm happy to be running this one because hopefully then I won't feel so bad for all the stuff I'm going to eat and drink later that day!!

To everyone running, biking, walking, swimming, eating and drinking on Thanksgiving Day, have fun and enjoy!!

Holiday Cards

2010-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again! It’s time to pick out Christmas cards. Every year we try to send out photo cards to family and friends. Last year we used Shutterfly to create our cards and we were very happy with the results. I also made small desk calendars for my parents and added photos from the past year, they turned out great and my parents still have them sitting in their office and living room.

I first started using Shutterfly after our first son was born. Here’s a glimpse of the photo we used that year with one of shutterfly's new designs. Needless to say lots of friends thought this was classic and funny, but my mom did not like it very much…she was sad to see her grandson crying in the photo. He was fine seconds after the photo was taken. Click on the picture to enlarge...or don't if you don't want to see the tear...Below is the photo that we used last Christmas. I used one of their new designs and added the photo from last year. There is a huge Christmas tree that they put up in our neighborhood town center each year and we decided to get the pictures taken there. We were happy with the way this one turned out and decided that we’d probably do the same thing again this year and make a tradition out of it.

During Shutterfly’s Holiday Card promotion bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards. Check it out: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Way Back Wednesday!

2010-11-17T09:24:00.001-08:00

This is me when I was a wee one. I am still not sure how my mother managed to butcher my bangs even though she was a beautician? I love how happy I am in this picture.

Don't Get Caught In The Dark

2010-11-10T12:34:00.001-08:00

On Sunday I ran outside for the first time since August and it was amazing! I run on the treadmill at the gym most of the time. I actually don't mind running on the treadmill, what I do mind though is how hot it is in this gym! I think it really does effect my running too, I notice that my heart rate is so much higher in the gym on that treadmill than it is when I'm running outside. My hair is always wet and my forehead is dripping by the time I'm done.

Sunday I went to the W&OD trail to run. I wanted to run 5 miles so I figured I'd run 2.5 miles out and then turn around and run back. It was 47 degrees out when I started and I felt great. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt and shorts. My hands were cold at first but then eventually I couldn't feel them. I'm sure I had a smile on my face. I saw 4 deer along the trail. I noticed after the first mile and a half that it was beginning to get dark. This daylight savings time thing gets me every year. I honestly thought it wouldn't get dark till later. Well, by the time I got to my turn around point the sun had set and it was even darker. I knew that if I didn't hurry up I probably wouldn't even be able to see the trail anymore. There were a few bikes that passed me with their lights on and I'm sure they wondered how I could be so dumb and be out there running in the dark! Needless to say I began running faster and faster. When I got back to the car and looked at my splits I could see how much faster the last mile was compared to the first.

The following day someone mentioned to me that there were two reported cases of indecent exposure recently on the W&OD Trail in this area. I later read the article online and found out that one of the cases had happened the day before my run on the same trail...(creepy)Fortunately I didn't have a run in with that guy.

I am thankful that I had a good run and was kept safe. I will not make this dumb mistake again.

Heather-ology

2010-11-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is a LOOOONG survey that has made its way around. I think I first saw it on EMZ's blog a long time ago and then more recently on Kovas' blog. I couldn't think of what to write about today so here goes...

Q. What is your salad dressing of choice?
A. Balsamic Vinagrette or some type of Asian Sesame dressing

Q. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
A. Chipotle

Q. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
A. Filomena Ristorante in D.C.

Q. On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
A. 20%

Q. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?
A. Chocolate, Cheese

Q. What marathon would you run if you could run ANY one you wanted?
A. The Avenue of the Giants, Big Sur, Mount Desert...notice a theme here? some place beautiful.

Q. What are your pizza toppings of choice?
A. Mushrooms, hot peppers

Q. What do you like to put on your toast?
A. Sometimes just peanut butter, sometimes peanut butter & honey

Q. What is your favorite type of gum?
A. I don't chew gum.

TECHNOLOGY

Q. Number of contacts in your cell phone?
A: 23. I don't like talking on the phone.

Q. Number of contacts in your email address book?
A. 20-30 maybe?

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A. My 3 sons.
Q. How many televisions are in your house?
A. 3

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A. Right

Q. What’s your best feature?
A. I think they're all the same.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A. Wisdom teeth, 3 babies.

Q. Which of your five senses do you think is keenest?
A. Probably taste.

Q. When was the last time you had a cavity?
A. Maybe 4 yrs ago...

Q. What is the heaviest item you lifted last?
A. A freezer.

Q. Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
A. I've passed out before, is that the same? I wasn't knocked out...

BULL[CRAP]OLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A. No.

Q. Is love for real?
A. Absolutely.

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A. I wouldn't change it.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A. Black or green

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
A. While riding my bike when I was younger a bee flew in my mouth and I ended up swallowing part of it...

Q. Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A. Not that I know of.

Q. Has someone ever saved yours?
A. No.

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000?
A. Not if there were people around.

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000
A. No.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A. Yes.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. No problem.

Q. Would you give up watching television for a year for $25,000?
A. Definitely, I don't watch it that much anyway.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket
A. Nothing.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: Not for me.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A: Carpet and Stone.

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: Stand. Who sits?

Q: Could you live with roommates?
A: I’ve got a husband, 3 kids and a cat...so, yeah.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A: 2

Q: Where were you born?
A: Carlisle, PA

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Not one specific thing...I want to keep learning and keep trying new things...it's an ongoing process.

Q: Who is number 1 on your top 8
A: Husband.

LASTOLOGY

Q: Friend you talked to?
A: Officemate

Q: Last person you called?
A: My husband

Q: Person you hugged?
A: My son

Q: Person you kissed?
A: My son

Q: Number?
A: 7 or 4

Q: Color?
A: Green

Q: Season?
A: Fall is the best!

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone?
A: Far away friends.

Q: Mood?
A: Distracted.

Q: Listening to?
A: My heater

Q: Watching?
A. Nothing.

Q: Worrying about?
A: My leg

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A: To drop my son off at daycare.

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Pick up my son from daycare.

Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A: Oh, that was a long time ago...I don't even remember.

Q: Do you smile often?
A: All the time!

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: Yes.

Q: Now that the survey's done what are you going to do?
A: Get back to work

Let others know a little more about yourself, repost this as your name followed by “ology.”

A BQ and a Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T09:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my husband ran the Marine Corps Marathon for his 5th time and it turned out to be a great day for him. He finished in 3hrs 18min. which qualified him for Boston. I was tracking him online at the MCM website all morning and was so excited the whole time because I knew he was going to do it! I'm so proud of him.

Despite the fact that he had just ran a marathon my husband took the kids trick or treating last night and they had lots of fun! I started out walking with them but the littlest one was getting cold and we went back to the house. I think hubby was just so happy to have qualified that he didn't mind walking around with them. Oh, he's feeling it today though!

Weekend Review

2010-10-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments the other day. As you can see by the BIG smile on my face I got to go riding on Saturday! Thanks goes to hubby for watching the boys while I went on a 22 mile ride on the W&OD Trail. It was such a beautiful day and I would've taken lots of photos but I was enjoying the ride so much that I didn't want to stop so I only took a few with my phone. Hubby took our youngest to get his first haircut, which he did not like...but he looks so handsome with his new do. He also took all 3 boys to breakfast and while they were all sitting in the restaurant eating a man came up to him and said, "Sir, I just wanted to tell you that you are doing a really great job with these 3 boys, I only have my daughter with me and I'm struggling. The boys are being so good." I thought it was so nice that someone would take the time to say that to a complete stranger. Hubby is very brave, he'll take the boys anywhere and they always end up having tons of fun!!! Of course when they come home they all have ripped jeans and dirty faces from playing at the park, but it's great fun!

Today is picture day at daycare so he is dressed up and lookin' good.

I Want to Ride Outside!

2010-10-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

I really, really want to ride my bike outside this weekend! I can't believe I've only ridden it outside once since I got it on September 9th. I have ridden it a lot, but mostly on the trainer in my garage. Why? well, that's a good question. I guess mostly because I work full time and when I get up in the morning it is too dark outside to ride before work.

When I come home from work I still need to make dinner, play with the kids and get them ready for bed and by that time it's too dark outside to ride. The only days I can ride outside are Saturday or Sunday. My husband is training for a marathon he is running on October 31st and so he usually has a long run on one of those days. Also, the weekend is when I do most of the cleaning, grocery shopping and laundry.

In reality though...when there is a little bit of time left when I think I could probably go...I guess I feel kind of guilty leaving the family, even if it's for an hour.

This has got to change!
I am going to ride outside this weekend!!
I am. (sound convincing enough?)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready for Ski Season!!

2010-10-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

We went to Ski Liberty on Sunday and had so much fun! The boys got their photos taken for their season passes and they are ready to go! Every year around this time they have a Fall Festival where you can pick up your season passes and they provide free activities for the kids and a BBQ. They also had a ski swap where we picked up a helmet for James.

The boys had lots of fun decorating pumpkins and making a scarecrow, which turned out to be great decorations for our front door. They also had the ski lift open so we all rode up and then walked down. We had a great day!!

We first took Charlie skiing when he was 2 yrs. old. He didn't really do much the first time other than walk around in his boots and lay in t he snow, but it helped him get familiar with the whole environment. Last year he really enjoyed skiing and looked forward to going each weekend! For a 4 year old he did great! James did a bit of skiing too.

Here are some videos from last year. The first one is of Charlie skiing the moguls, the second on is James skiing when he was 2 and the last one is of the big boy (hubby) road skiing in our neighborhood during Snowmaggedon:

Mini Freezer Cooking Session

2010-10-18T06:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday I decided to have a mini freezer cooking session. I wanted to make some things ahead of time for our meals. Here's what I made:

16 Apples and Cinnamon Muffins
3 batches of Apples and Cinnamon Waffles (I added some diced apples and cinnamon to the original recipe.)
3 batches of Turkey Meatballs
20 Bean, Cheese & Chicken Burritos (I added some diced green chilies too)
3 batches of Oven Potato Wedges

Here's what we thought:

We all really liked the the turkey meatballs. The boys liked them so much that they ate them plain...Charlie (AKA The Pickiest Eater) even ate 5 of them! I like making these ahead of time because you can use them for all different kinds of meals (soup, sweet & sour meatballs, spaghetti & meatballs, etc..).

Charlie really liked the waffles, he ate 2 of them plain without any butter or syrup and commented on how good they were.

All of us have tried the muffins and they are great too. They're not too sweet and are great for breakfast or a snack.

Mike liked the burritos so much he told me that I could make a hundred of them and he'd eat them all...I think that might be a bit excessive, but I'm glad he liked them. We'll be taking these to work for our lunches.

Tonight I plan to make some oatmeal using steel cut oats, cinnamon and raisins for us to take to work for breakfasts. I've been doing this for the past month and we really like it, it's quick and healthy. I'll post a recipe for this in the next few weeks.

This post is linked up to Life As Mom's October Freezer Cooking post. Check it out for lots of great ideas and inspiration.

Overwhelmed but Happy

2010-10-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

What's been happening so far this month:
I have so much going on it's hard to keep it all straight...I'm constantly making lists in an effort to remember everything that I need to get done. September and October have been busy months with school starting, middle son's birthday in September and older son's birthday on Monday. We decided to celebrate Charlie's birthday on Saturday at the local ice skating rink.

I am really glad that fall is here. I love the smell of the leaves and seeing all the different colors on the trees. I love wearing hoodies and jeans. I am looking forward to trick or treating with the kids this year. I'm curious how it's all going to go considering that my husband is running the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween....doubt that he will feel like walking around with the kids all night!!

What I'd like to do in the next few months:
Now that I feel good running again and my leg no longer hurts I want to sign up for some races. I really like having a goal and training for something specific. I definitely want to run the local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, which is a 10k...that way I won't feel so bad for eating so much turkey and stuffing! I'd also like to run a half marathon in the spring. The first one that I was thinking about doing is a new one for this area. It's called the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon and it's on June 4th. The other one that I'd be intersted in is the Marine Corps Historic Half on May 15th. I still have some time to decide which one I'd like to do or maybe I'll decide to do both!

Homemade Granola Bars

2010-10-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Obviously there is something about Fall that makes me want to bake!!

This was my first attempt at making my own granola bars. I had the idea after seeing different recipes on other blogs. What I like about this recipe is the versatility of it. You can change it around and add whatever you like to it.

My sons really like the store bought granola bars and I like the convenience of being able to grab them and take them along on trips and to give them to the boys for a quick snack. I don't especially like the price of the store bought bars and could do without some of the ingredients.

I made this recipe last night and gave both of the older boys a granola bar to eat this morning. They gobbled them up and said that they liked them. Charlie asked if there were raisins in them and I said, "No, would you like me to add some next time?" He told me that he would. He also said he'd like to add peanut butter chips too!

Overall, I liked the flavor of the bars. I thought they held together very well. My husband liked the chewiness of them. I think I would have liked a little more crispiness. Next time I might add some brown rice cereal and use less flour or no flour. The possibilities are endless!

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup rice krispies
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whole ground flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
handful of chocolate chips

Note: I made up this list of ingredients after reading lots of different recipes online. Some recipes use oil or butter instead of applesauce, some use wheat germ instead of flaxseed, some use white flour instead of wheat, some add dried cherries and almonds instead of chocolate chips...you get the idea.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8 x 8 or 9 x 13 baking pan. *NOTE: The last time I made these I noticed that they did not fill the pan and I hand molded them into a shape that did not stretch to the edges of the pan. You will probably need a smaller pan that what I have listed here. 8x8 may be okay, but I think 9x13 is too big.

2. In large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, flax, cinnamon, flour, and salt.

3. In small bowl, mix the honey, egg, applesauce and vanilla. Add this mixture to the large bowl, add the chocolate chips and mix together well.

4. Pat the mixture evenly into the pan.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Once they are brown on the edges take them out. If you leave them in too long they’ll be dry. I took mine out after 20 min.

6. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars or squares. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

Our First Hike of October & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-10-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite season. Yesterday I couldn't wait to get outside and go for a hike. It's always fun and interesting to go hiking with four boys (one big one, three little ones)! We decided to hike to Chimney Rock in the Catoctin Mountain State Park, near Thurmont, MD. From where we started it was a 1.1 hike up to the top. The boys did great hiking. The youngest rode in the carrier on our backs. Here are some photos from yesterday's hike.
This is the beautiful view from the top of Chimney Rock.

My little mountain men got hot and decided to take off their shirts...this photo was taken right before they both decided to pull down their pants and pee in the forest...what can I say, they had to go. Fortunately for us there were no other hikers on the trail at them time. We just laughed!

This is my little trail runner.

Can you tell we're all saying "Cheese" for the picture? Even the baby!

My Angels...

I made some pumpkin muffins on Saturday and thought they turned out well. Charlie even liked them and he's a picky eater!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
(Adapted from Ellie Krieger)

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1-2 tablespoons flax seed meal
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini-Morsels

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and flax seed meal.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Fold in the chocolate mini morsels.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack. (Serves 12 muffins)

Back in Business!

2010-09-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

It seems like this has become a pattern...I haven't blogged in a week because I have so much going on with work, kids, studying and the day to day chores. I wanted to give a quick update of what's been going on around here lately.

Our youngest was sick on Friday with a fever and runny nose which kept him up on off through out the night. He seems to be doing much better now and is feeling good and happy again. James (our second son) turned 3 on Saturday and we had a birthday party for him at our house. Sunday we went to a birthday party for a friend's daughter who turned 6.

I started running again last week and made sure to take it slow at first. The first day back (after 5 weeks off) I ran only 1 mile, but it was great and I felt strong and had absolutely no pain in my leg at all. Last night I ran 3 miles on the treadmill and that felt good too. I am happy to say that I'm back in business!! My plan now is to run and bike on alternate days and do the HardCore workout everyday.
These are the new PJs that the boys got from their favorite daycare provider Ms. Lorretta. They were so excited to get them and had to put them on. I told Lorretta she must really love them...considering she is a Cowboys fan! she said she got a lot of grief from her husband when he saw these in the house.

My happy little guy.

This is James on his new "Big wewoh" bike that he got for his 3rd birthday!

I love this photo of my hubby reading to the boys before bed!!

I'm 40!

2010-09-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

I turned 40 on Friday and I feel great! I am excited about the year ahead. I think I'm probably in the best shape of my life.

It was discouraging when I first realized that I was injured from running (5 weeks ago), but I'm not sure if I would have found my love of biking had that not happened. I think biking compliments running very well. I am looking forward to doing both, in fact I think I am going to try running again tonight. I haven't felt any pain in my leg in the past week and I'm thinking that it's probably healed now. I think I will go to the gym and try a short run on the treadmill to see how it goes.

My husband picked up a computer for my bike and he even installed it for me...it took awhile for him to do it, but it's done now and it's great. I ended up getting the one that I mentioned before, the CatEye Strada Cadence...it does everything I wanted including; Cadence, Current speed, Maximum speed, Average speed, Odometer, Trip distance,Trip distance 2, Elapsed time and Clock and you can use it on the trainer and outside.

My Bike Rides & A Question

2010-09-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

I went for my first bike ride with my new bike last Saturday and it was so much fun! The weather was really nice and so was the view. I rode on the W&OD trail. I knew it wouldn't be a slow ride before I started! It was fun to see how fast I could go and it was fun to pass people. I was surprised at first how easy it was to ride up the hills, I guess all those spin classses and long rides in the gym paid off. Another thing that is really great is the fact that I don't even notice the seat! it is so comfortable that I don't even think about it. At one point while I was riding I realized that I was smiling!! I was just so happy to be outside and riding on a beautiful day...I must have looked funny to people passing by me.

Sadly, that was my first and only ride outside. All other rides have been in my garage on the trainer! By the time I get home from work, get dinner on the table, play with the boys, get all boys bathed and in bed it is too dark out to go for a ride outside. It doesn't get light outside early enough for me to ride in the morning before work. I guess for now I must be content with riding on rollers during the week and riding outside on weekends. I think I need to decorate the garage a bit though; I may need some motivational posters put up. Right now my set up is the fan and tv in front of me while I listen to my tunes on the ipod.

Question for you bikers out there...is there an inexpensive cycle computer type thing that I can clip on the bike while on the trainer to track miles, pace, HR, etc...? I have a Garmin that does all that stuff when riding outside, but I want to be able to do the same while training indoors...maybe the CatEye Strada Cadence Cycle Computer?

Three for Thursday

2010-09-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

1. I picked up my new bike last night!
2. I love my new bike!
3. I had so much fun riding my new bike last night!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-09-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! I haven't posted anything in over a week! I have been so busy getting the boys ready for school. Yesterday was the first day of preschool for James and the first day of Kindergarten for Charlie. They are now going to the same school. They both seemed excited to be going and did well once we got there and dropped them off at each of their classes. I'm hoping they both have a great year, meet lots of new friends and learn lots of new things.

I've also been pretty busy with work, studying for a certification for work, and riding the bike. I actually rode 109 miles last week! All those mile were done at the gym, mostly on the stationary bike and some on the bike in spin class. One day last week I rode for 2 hours at the gym. I posted my workout on Dailymile and Andrew made the comment "soon they'll take the training wheels off and let you go out on the road!" That's so funny!! I'm actually wondering what it will be like to ride outside in the fresh air with the breeze blowing and the sun on my face. I haven't ridden a bike outside in probably 9 years.

I'm so excited! My husband actually ordered a bike for me for my birthday (40th)! Hopefully I will have it by this weekend!!

Five for Friday

2010-08-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

These are random thoughts and questions that I've been thinking about recently.

1. I'm curious why people hold on to the treadmill while either running or walking. I've noticed that all types of people do this; men and women, fit and not so fit, runners and walkers. Sometimes they hold on to the sides, sometimes they jack up the incline and hold on to the front. I really thought maybe it's some special workout they are doing, but my husband does not agree. I tried to find out more by Googling it and only find info saying that you shouldn't do it. Does any one know why people would do this? I'm just curious.

2. I've been looking at bikes online and I'm starting to get really excited about getting one. They are so expensive though. My 40th birthday is coming up next month and it may be wishful thinking, but I'm hoping maybe I can get one. Nothing crazy expensive, just a nice road bike. I've got my eye on a few.

3. Another thing that I'm curious about when it comes to the gym is this...I noticed on the Dailymile that a few people posted that they were going 28mph in spin class for an hour. My question is...are people really riding that fast in spin class? or are they just not converting kilometers to miles? At our gym they have the computer screen on the bike that displays RPMs, Watts and Kilometers. I have actually heard a couple of the instructors refer to the numbers on the screen as miles...my husbands take on this is that they want people to feel like they are doing well in class and improving so that they come back...would they really do that? I admit when I came home from my first spin class I told my husband that the screen said I had gone 27 miles and he explained to me that it was in kilometers...and I had really only gone 16.

4. I am a fast walker. Seriously, I almost run into people daily at work. I can NOT stand to walk behind a slow walker...it drives me crazy!

5. The refrigerator where I work is disgusting! it's really gross! I wonder if the same people that leave their yucky stuff in the refrigerator at work for weeks at a time do the same thing at their home? Eew.

My New Plan (and a random photo)

2010-08-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Rub a dub, dub, 3 boys in the tub!

Our youngest is sick and I'm at home this week. I'm trying to catch up on all of the blogs that I follow and I'm slowly making my way around.

I've decided that I'm going to stick to riding the bike during my break from running. I'd like to try the pool running eventually, but I'm not able to do it at my gym and I don't really want to pay to go somewhere else since I already have a membership here.

Here's what my new plan looks like:

Monday - 1hr. spin class
Tuesday - 1hr. ride + core workout
Wednesday - 30 min. ride
Thursday - 1hr. 30 min. interval ride + core workout
Friday - 1hr. 30 min. interval ride
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 1hr. spin class + core workout

Thanks to Bicycling Magazine for this new workout plan, it should keep me busy! I've been keeping an eye out for the type of bike I want to get. I probably won't be able to actually get my own bike until the end of the year and even though I won't be able to ride much outside then my husband has an indoor bicycle trainer that I can use.

Self Diagnosis and A Hard Decision

2010-08-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I have a stress fracture in my right leg and because of that I've decided not to run the Marine Corps marathon in October (or the half marathon next month). It was a hard decision but the best thing I can do for myself at this time. I was sad this morning when I finally came to the conclusion that I need to seriously take some time off from running and I won't be able to train well enough to be prepared to run a good marathon. That was this morning...now, it's time to move on.

The good new is I love spin class! This is good because it looks like I'm going to be spending lots of time on the bike and maybe in the pool. I'd actually ride more if I had my own bike. It's kind of funny how goal oriented I am when it comes to running or working out for that matter. As soon as I decided that I needed to drop out of the marathon I thought, "Okay, what else can I sign up for?" and I came across the Sea Gull Century on October 9Th. I'm wondering if it's possible to actually train for and complete this without having my own bike? I could go to spin class and other types of training at the gym then rent a bike the day of the ride...do people do that? I could do that.

I'll get back to running eventually and I will run another marathon. I. Will. Run. Again. until then, I'll do everything else!

I'm still going to check in with all of you in the Distance Dreamers group and give you encouragement. As far as The Hard CORE Club goes, I'll continue with that. Last night was day 3 of the workout and I like it. I'm able to complete all of the exercises, I just need to get to the point where I can do the push ups without having to modify it by bending my knees, but I'll get there.

My Very Own Little Football Team

2010-08-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

Adapt and Overcome

2010-08-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

My Shin pain is back, but only in my right leg. I'm not sure how this happened. This is what I did last week:

Sunday - 10 mile run on trail
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 1 hr. Spin Class
Wednesday - 4 mile run on treadmill (no pain)
Thursday - 1 hr. Spin Class
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 1 mile run on trail (with pain) *This should have been 12 miles but I had to stop because my right shin was hurting.
Sunday - Rest
Monday (today)- Attempted to run on the treadmill, but as soon as I started I felt a bit of pressure/pain.

I'm not quite sure why it started hurting again, I'm thinking it might have something to do with doing too much in my spin class. I've decided to look at this as a minor setback. I will adapt and overcome! I'm going to stop everything for now (except for my core workouts). I will continue to ice and elevate my leg each day then attempt a short run by the end of the week. I might give water running a try, I've heard good things about it. Has anyone else tried this?

I am actually thankful that I joined this new club that Jamoosh from Last Mile Lounge started. It's called The Hard CORE Club and it's thirteen weeks of The Beginning Core Workout. This is definitely something that I need to work on and now that I'm not going to spin classes for awhile I can concentrate on improving my core. I started the Core Workout yesterday and decided that I will commit to doing it 3 times a week.

Three Things Thursday (and a random photo)

2010-08-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Crampy Toes, a Fortune Cookie and a Half Marathon

1. For some reason I keep getting cramps in my toes at the end of my spin classes, it's painful and annoying. I don't like it. I have researched this phenomenon and have tried several different things. First, I asked the spin instructor what he thought and he said it was probably because of my shoes (I wear my running shoes). He said that if I had bike shoes they would be harder on the bottom and it would help. Well, I don't have the money to spend on bike shoes, thus...I did more research. I googled "cramps in toes during spin class" (don't you just love the internet?) and found lots of different stories. Last week I made sure that the balls of my feet were over the pedals instead of my midfoot and made sure to wiggle my toes throughout the class. This strategy seemed to work and I finished without ever getting cramps. On Tuesday (this week) when I went to spin class it happened again! crampy toes at the end of the class! I am thinking I just need to drink more water throughout the day and before class. So, that is what I'm going to try to do today...drink as much water as I can. I always make sure to take a bottle of water with me too because I sweat so much during the hour class. Today I might take 2 bottles because I always finish the one by the end of class.

2. I liked what I got in my fortune cookie last night. It read: Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

3. I'm going to register for a half marathon tomorrow. I decided to run the Harrisburg Half Marathon on September 12th. This is close to my hometown and it just so happens that I have a family reunion that same day. I figured why not run a half marathon that morning? I'm excited, this will be my second half marathon...my first one was 6 years ago! It's run on City Island and along the scenic Riverfront Park in the downtown Harrisburg community.

A Great Run at Burke Lake

2010-08-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

I figured since I hadn't run for almost 2 weeks due to an injury I would reward myself by doing my long run at a really beautiful place that I enjoy, but that is also a bit out of the way. Sunday morning I woke up early and drove to Burke Lake. I got there a little bit before 6am and parked right beside the bathrooms. This park is great because it's a 4.5 mile loop around a lovely lake and they have bathrooms too!

I felt pretty good running on the trail and finished my first loop then stopped for a Power Gel and some water. I completed another loop then ran a half mile out and back to complete my 10 mile run that I was sceduled for. My shins felt fine and are still feeling good today. I definitely think that the spin classes kept me in good shape during my time off from running! The hills on the trail weren't bad at all. I am glad to be back running!!

5 Random Facts for Friday

2010-08-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

Abbi from Higher Miles posted a list of random facts about herself this morning and it looks as though a lot of others have joined in. I've really been enojoying reading everyone's lists and figured I'd have some fun and post my own too!

1. Our 3rd son was born in our minivan!! (you can read about it here). Way to get your attention, huh? it's true though...

2. I met my husband in Germany while I was visiting a friend whose husband was stationed there with the army. My husband was in the army too at the time but is British (it's a long story....). We got married a year later and lived in Germany for 3 more years. I loved living in Germany, it is beautiful there, there's always something to do and the people are very friendly.

3. I love being outdoors and all the activities that come with it; running, camping, swimming, skiing, hiking, etc...my favorite place to be is in the mountains. I would love to live in the mountains some day and eventually I know we will. I keep reminding my husband of this. Where I live now is just too far away from the mountains for me...

4. I'm from Pennsylvania (we call it Pee-Ay). I've lived in about 19 different houses in a couple of different states including Virginia (where I currently live), New Mexico , New york and Germany.

5. My father is a minister, so I heard this a lot, "Oh, you're a PK (preacher's kid), they're the worst". I don't think that's true. I think it's made me who I am and I like who I am.

Distance Dreamers Wednesday

2010-08-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

An awesome fellow blogger named Abbi has organized a wonderful group called Distance Dreamers, this is a group for first time marathoners (or feels like first time) and half marathoners. I decided that I wanted to join this group because it has been so long since my first and only marathon (6 years ago) and I like the support and encouragement I get from others in the running community. On Wednesdays Abbi will be posting questions for all of us to respond to. Here are the questions for this week.

What made you decide you wanted to run a long distance race?/Why the full marathon as your distance of choice? Before I trained for and ran my first (and only) marathon 6 years ago I had never run before in my life, other than being forced to in gym class in high school (which I did not like). In 2003, I was 33 years old and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. My husband and I wanted to start a family and I knew that I needed to quit smoking first. I had tried to quit in the past to no avail. One day I just got it in my head that I'd quit smoking and start running. I knew you couldn't do both!

Really, my husband was my inspiration. I had seen him run several marathons in the past. The most inspirational one being in Paris where they played the Chariots of Fire song at the start of the marathon! He motivated me to get dressed in my running clothes and get out there...he coached me as I struggled to run/walk even a mile at first. After a couple of weeks it became a habit and I wasn't smoking anymore or even thinking about it. We both signed up for the Marine Corps marathon and ran it in 2004, less than a year after I had started running. After crossing the finish line I knew I could do anything I set my mind to. I also knew that someday I would run another marathon.

Very soon after we ran the marathon I got pregnant with our first son and although I ran for awhile after finding out I didn't keep up with it and once the baby was born I took even more time off. Well, to make a long story short I took a lot of time off from running to take care of my family and was happy doing it.

I really started to miss running though and wanted to start again, but after my 3rd son was born I was up a lot at night and still needed to get up and go to work the next day. I didn't feel like I had much energy to do anything other than what I was already doing. Once the baby started sleeping through the night I decided I needed to start doing something for myself again. I wanted to find the time to run. I started getting up at 5am and running and it felt great! I knew as soon as I started running again that I wanted to sign up for either a half or full marathon because it would give me a goal to focus on and it would get me out there each day working towards something and would also be a way for me to have time to myself!

Why was this the year to go for it? I decided to do the marathon this fall because I am turning 4o in September and thought it would be an awesome way to celebrate my birthday! I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like to run a marathon after having 3 kids. I know it's much harder to find the time to train but it will all be worth it when I cross the finish line!

To read more stories of why anyone would want to run a half marathon or a full marathon go check out Abbi's blog and if you're interested in joining our group let her know!

Goodbye July

2010-08-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

July was fun while it lasted!

Hello August. I am looking forward to August and running again. Last Tuesday was my last run...and it feels like it's been forever! I decided to take 2 weeks off from running to rest my shins. I've been doing cross training in the meantime. I am still going to my spin classes during the week and doing the elliptical on the other days. My next run will be this Saturday. I'm going to do my scheduled long run of 12 miles. My coach (a.k.a. my husband) keeps reminding me that I will not lose fitness even though I haven't run for almost 2 weeks, as long as I'm cross training. I'm hoping he's right and that I'll feel strong on my next long run.

We did a lot this weekend with the boys. Yesterday we went to Great Falls. It was a beautiful day. The boys had lots of fun. They met some friends and played ball for awhile.

Saturday we went to Kings Dominion. The boys had a blast getting on the rides and going to the wave pool. Right before we left Mike made sure they both won some bigged stuffed animals...you can't leave the park without getting those.

Yesterday the boys went to their friends birthday party at Chuck E Cheese. They did not want to leave.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T08:24:00.000-07:00

I Won a Really Cool Giveaway!

2010-07-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

I entered a giveaway over at Momma of 3 on the Run's blog for a chance to win a box of Clif Shot Bloks and I won!! I was so excited when I opened the mailbox today and found this box with this nice note inside! This made my day, thanks Clif people and Momma of 3 on the Run! I can't wait to try these out!

It's Official - My Shins Hurt

2010-07-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

They say that once your shins start hurting the first thing you need to do is find out why. I think I know why...too much too soon. You would think I would know better by now. At least I recognized it sooner than last time and they aren't that bad right now. I think I need to lay off the speed work for now and just go to my spin classes and do my long run on the week end.

Last week I took a day off of running during the week and then did my long run on Saturday. I ran 11 miles pain free. My shins were slightly sore afterwards only if I rubbed them. I had no pain while running my long run or walking afterwards. I felt fine and took rest days Sunday and Monday. This morning I went to the gym and proceeded to do my interval runs on the treadmill. After the second interval (1/2 mile) I started feeling pain in my shins. I decided to stop. I went home feeling disappointed...

I am not defeated though...I'm going to keep training to keep up my fitness. I will ride the bike and only do my long run this weekend. I will do some stretching exercises for my legs, use ice and hope for the best.

Thanks for all of the comments on my last post. I am hanging in there and listening to my body, it's telling me to slow down! I'd like to tell it to shut up, but I know that would only make matters worse...so, I'll be nice and give it a rest.

Adjustments

2010-07-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

I recently realized that I need to make a few adjustments to my training plan. Ater my speed workout (intervals) on Tuesday my shins felt a little sore. I definitely know the feeling because I got really bad shin splints while training for my first marathon. The main reason I got shin splits the last time was because I was doing too much too soon. My training plan has me running 3 days a week; intervals on Tuesday, tempo run on Thursday, long run on Saturday and cross training 2 days a week. I think I just need to focus on the intensity of my speed workouts, but make sure that I'm not running for too long each time. I'm still pretty slow since I just started running again, but I'll get there!

Anyway, to make a long story short I decided to not do my tempo run this week and let my legs rest a bit then run my long run on Saturday, which will be 11 miles. I want to make sure I don't get shin splints this time around! Other than that I'm sticking to my plan and doing my speedwork (just not as many miles), long runs and spin classes.

Great 10 Miler

2010-07-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I made it out to the trail around 6am to run my 10 miler. It was a pretty good run. It was around 74 degrees and about 80% humidity. I started sweating shortly after I started, it felt really tropical and wet. I took my CamelBak with me and a couple Power Gels. As I was running on the trail I saw 2 bunnies, 1 dear, lots of bikers, many other runners and 1 man in a suit...maybe he was walking to work? I felt really good during the run and was happy that I remembered to use BodyGlide this time.I took a picture of the trail before I started. It's the W&OD Trail in Ashburn.
Me, before I started.

We're on vacation this week. It's more like a stay-cation...we're not really going anywhere, except for day trips. I plan to stick to my training schedule. Monday and Wednesday are spin classes, Tuesday is intervals, Thursday is my tempo run and Saturday is my long run (11 miles). I plan to do this early in the morning so I can spend the rest of the day with my family having fun!

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Grandmothers of Endurance

2010-07-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Talk about inspiring!! I just saw this video on Facebook and I love it! I had to share it with everyone... I want to be like Barb when I grow up and have a best friend like Vicki!

Summer Fun

2010-07-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

The boys got their summer haircuts from Dad! We plan on being outside a lot this summer and there are lots of ticks! that's the main reason that we cut their hair so short. Charlie got a tick last summer and it was horrible. We've been spending time at the parks near our house and the boys always have fun on the swings!

On Sunday we went to Volcano Island Waterpark at Algonkian Regional Park. The boys had a blast! If you look closely at the first picture you can see Mike on the far left holding both James & Charlie, waiting to get dumped on by that big bucket of water!!

On Saturday we went to the National Air and space Museum which was really cool. The boys have actually been there loads of times with their grandparents, but I had never been there. There were so many different things to see.

Here's a photo of the boys waiting to go up to the Observation Tower. Can you believe that's the 2 year old on the far left and then the 4 year old? They're almost the same height!! Obviously, the 2 year old takes after his daddy, who is 6'1 and the 4 year old takes after me...I'm 5'1.

Just Checking In

2010-07-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

My week has been great so far. This is how my training looks for the week:

Monday - Rest day
Tuesday - Speedwork - 1/4 mile warm up, 3 x (1 mile fast then 1/4 mile easy)
Wednesday - Spin Class
Thursday - Tempo Run - 2 miles easy, 2 miles @ tempo pace, 1/2 mile easy
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 9 miles
Sunday - Rest day

My long run last weekend was 8 miles on the W&OD trail. The weather was pretty nice. I started at 6am and it was about 67 degrees. I decided to wear my Camelbak, the kind that goes around your waist with the long tube to drink out of. It wasn't bad after I got used to the swoosh, swoosh sound of the water sloshing around (I don't listen to music). I thought I might like the fuel belt, but then I found out how much they are and decided to stick with my Camelbak for now.

One major thing I forgot to do before I left was to put on some Body Glide...I need to remember that next time because my sports bra started rubbing my side after I started sweating and it kind of burned. The run was great all except for the guy sitting on the bench beside the trail smoking a cigar...yuck!

I've been really thankful for the gym membership that my husband got for the family. The new gym that we belong to is only blocks away from our house. I've been getting up between 5 -5:30 each day during the week to either run on the treadmill or go to a spin class. I do my long runs outside on the weekend.

I'm looking forward to my long run this weekend. Hubby is going to be one of the supporters setting up drinks for the runners in the group run. He's actually going to have all 3 boys with him. The place where he is going to set up is on the W&OD trail near a park where they can play.

I also wanted to mention that I've really enjoyed reading other runner's blogs this week. I've gotten so much inspiration from them! I've also felt a bit of camaraderie. I never realized how hard runners really are on themselves...I mean I know that I am hard on myself sometimes, but I didn't realize how many others were like me.

I hope that everyone enjoys their weekend, I know I will be having fun running and playing with my boys!!

*side note: I need some pictures of me running...I have none (no recent ones). I'm usually the one behind the camera. I will try to remember to take the camera on Saturday and have hubby take photos.

One Year Ago Today

2010-07-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday my sweet William!
I can't believe my little guy is one year old today!! He's already walking and trying to say things. He wants to do everything his big brothers are doing. He's been in a hurry to do everything ever since the day he was born. It's incredible when I think back to what was happening on this day one year ago. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful boy and very fortunate that things turned out so well considering our emergency delivery in our van!! You can read more about it HERE.

Review of Training

2010-06-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

Training has been going well. I am loving the Spin classes that I go to each week and I find them to be very motivating. I did my first long run last weekend (7 miles) and it was a good one. I decided to run with a group of people that my husband works with. They run on the W&OD Trail each weekend. They have a volunteer set up at different points on the trail to give out drinks and at the end of the run they have a cooler with drinks and snacks. The other cool thing about this group is that a lot of them are training for the Marine Corps Marathon too; they will have support during the marathon as well as their own tent with massages afterwards! I am glad to be a part of the group.

This is what my training looks like this week:
Monday - 1 hour Spin Class
Tuesday - Speedwork: Half mile warm up, 3 x (1 mile fast then .25 easy)
Wednesday - 1 hour Spin Class
Thursday - Tempo run: 2 miles easy, 2 miles @ Tempo pace then 2 miles easy
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 8 miles
Sunday - Rest

On Sunday I got a new pair of running shorts and I love them

Now all I need is a head band to keep the sweat out of my eyes and my bangs out of my face. I was thinking of getting a Sweaty Band.

On the homefront - Yesterday was Will's first day of daycare and he did great! He didn't cry when I dropped him off and he was happy to see my when i picked him up. I thought today may not go as well since it was the second day, but I am happy to report he did well again. I love my daycare provider and she is so great with kids. I know that he is taken care of well when he is there. That eases my mind a lot.

Charlie is on big adventures with his Grammy and Pappy and my cousin's daughter Olivia in Pennsylvania. He is having lots of fun and I am glad.

James is on grand adventures with his Nana and Grandad at Colonial Beach. He's been to the pool everyday and riding his scooter. I am glad to know that he is having fun too!

Everything is good in my life! We are looking forward to celebrating Will's first birthday this weekend.

Changes

2010-06-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

One of the most obvious changes was to my blog. I decided to change the title from "Crazy World of Toddlers" to "Crazy World of a Running Mom". Why the change? Because I've started running again and taking time for myself and it feels great. Previously I was writing mostly about my boys and what they've been up to and I didn't really have much to say about myself. Now, I'd like to write about ME and what I'm up to as well as the rest of my family.

Other changes going on around here? Will is going to start daycare next week and he's turning 1 on July 7th!! I can't believe he's almost a year old already!

I made it through my first week of training successfully. I got up every morning between 5 and 5:30 and made it to the gym. Today was my first Spin Class and it was great. I really liked the instructor, she was very motivating!! Every time we'd go up a hill (stand up on the bike and pedal hard) she'd say, "Attack" and then when we were working on speed work and going really fast she'd say, "They're coming up behind you, GO, GO, GO!" I also like the music that she picked out to go with the workout. I definitely plan on going to this class each week.

Hurry Up and Wait

2010-06-21T10:08:00.001-07:00

My training has been going well. I've decided to do all of my workouts in the morning before the rest of the family wakes up. This morning I was up at 5am and off to the gym for some cross training. I rode the bike for 50 minutes and was home by 6. This was a great decision because I feel great after my workout and I still have the whole day ahead of me. I arrive to work in a good mood and I get home ready to spend quality time with my family.

Mike is training for his 5th Marine Corps Marathon in Ocotober and so we've had to schedule our workouts and long runs at different hours and on opposite days. So far this plan is working.

I decided to go with a new training plan this time. For my first marathon I went with a plan by Jeff Galloway. This time I'm using the FIRST training program from the book Run Less, Run Faster. These programs are based on results from FIRST training research studies that showed runners are able to run successful road races by incorporating three quality runs a week into their overall training program. They also recommend that runners cross-train (bike, swim, cycle, etc.) two or three days a week. My husband has been using these plans for his training as well and he's shaved a lot of time off of his marathons.

Overall...I've realized after my second week of runnning that I need to invest in a couple of neccessities...I need a sleeveless running shirt and some type of headband to keep my hair out of my face and the sweat from runnning down.

I feel good and I'm happy to get up early and get out the door to train. The reason my post title is "Hurry Up and Wait" is because I just want to be faster! and run farther! which is really funny considering that just a couple of weeks ago I was making excuses as to why I couldn't work out! But that's how it is with me, once I've made my mind up, it's GO time!!

Marathon Training Begins!

2010-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've started running again after taking a long time off (too long)! I've missed running and I've been wanting to start getting back into it for months now, but excuses kept getting in the way...I had to get up in the middle of the night with the baby, I have to be home early to get dinner ready, I need to put the baby to bed by a certain time, blah, blah, blah. The thing is, I need to do this for me! I need to run, it clears my mind, keeps me in shape, puts me in a good mood, helps me set goals for myself and it's a good example for my children. It's good for the family!

So, I thought a great way to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday would be to run a marathon. I'm excited to turn 40 and I want to celebrate it! I've started training and I haven't felt better!

To learn more about my running you can go HERE .

Busy Boys!

2010-06-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago the older boys went to a baseball game with their dad, uncle and cousin. They had a great time. Mike got them a baseball bat and a ball and James loves it, I think he's a natural athlete!

Will started taking steps a couple of weeks ago and he's been getting faster and going further ever since.

June's Big Cooking Day

2010-06-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

Success is mine!

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I got done cooking a lot sooner this time than I did last month. I think that it's mainly because I started making a few things the night before. There were a couple of things that I didn't get around to making, but then there were also a couple dishes that I made more of...like the chicken fried rice and the pulled pork. It helped a lot that I was able to use my mother-in-law's crock pot. I only have one small one and hers is huge (Thanks Jane!).

I also realized that I still have a few dinners left in the freezer from last month's big cooking day!!
Now that I know I'm going to stick with this type of cooking, I think I need to invest in some large cookware, mixing bowls and possibly some more baking sheets.

Breakfast:

Chocolate chip and banana pancakes (x 5)
Rainbow Pancakes (x 5)

Sides:

Applesauce (x 3)
Garlic Bread (x2)

Dinners:

Buffalo Chicken Fajitas (x 3)

BBQ Pulled Pork (x 5)

Lasagna Soup (x 3)

Cheesy Ham & Pasta Bake (x 2)

Chicken Fried Rice (x 4)

Pizza Pinwheels (x 1)

Chili (x 3)

Teriyaki Chicken (x 2)

Beef Brisket (x 2)

I really want to try making these Cinnamon Rolls next time. They look delicious and don't seem like they would be that bad for you...

If you want more menu ideas or recipes then you can check out Life as a Mom. If you're thinking about doing this type of cooking she's got so much helpful information to get you started.

Another great site that has information and menus for each week is Orgjunkie.com. She hosts Menu Plan Monday at the beginning of each week and other bloggers link up and post their menus and recipes too.

My Cooking Plan

2010-06-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday is going to be a L-O-N-G day! That's when I plan to do my OAMC. Here is what I'll be making:

Breakfast:

French Toast Sticks

Chocolate chip and banana pancakes

Sides:

Applesauce

French Fries

Spanish Rice

Garlic Bread

Dinners:

Buffalo Chicken Fajitas

BBQ Pulled Pork

Lasagna Soup

Chicken Crescents

Cheesy Ham & Pasta Bake

Chicken Frid Rice

Pizza Pinwheels

Chili

Teriyaki Chicken

Pork Loin

Desserts:

Haven't decided yet

Thanks to Life as a Mom for hosting Freezer Cooking Day. There are lots of other menu plans and recipes you can check out at her site.

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T09:12:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend. It all started on Friday night. We packed the van and drove to the campground in PA. We didn't really rough it this time because we weren't sure if it was going to rain and we also didn't know how hot it would be. We decided to stay in a cabin with AC. There was a loft and a bunk bed as well as a double bed. Charlie was so excited to have the loft all to himself!! Here are some photos from the campground. This is how the boys got around...

Daddy pulled them everywhere. Will looked so big sitting in the wagon!

My 4 favorite boys at the park.

This was across from our campsite. Will was watching Charlie & James play frisbee and squealing!

Charlie loved it up in the loft. I think he's pretending to hold a light saber.

Saturday we went to Sue & Travis' for a fun picnic. I was really excited to see friends that I hadn't seen in quite a long time. The boys had lots of fun runnning around and playing with all the other kids. Here are some photos from the picnic.
This is the only time that Will sat still...after I put him in a basket!

James had so much fun learning to play football with Sue's nephew Colton.

This is me & Will, Sue & Harry and Jordan & Isla.

Will is enjoying Isla's company.

I love the concerned look on Harry's face!

Charlie has a new friend and his name is Jacob. He can't wait to see him again!

Monday was a great day. We woke up early and went to Beam's Blue Mt. Farm in Newburg to pick strawberries. The drive there was so beautiful. We saw several horse and carriages driving around. The boys had a lot of fun picking strawberries and they even got to eat free ice cream with strawberry topping afterwards! Here are some photos from the farm.

Fun at the Air show

2010-05-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

The boys went to the Air Show last weekend at Andrews Air Force Base and they had a blast. It's a really fun place to take the kids and it's free. You need to show up early and have ear protection though...

Here are some of the highlights!

May's Big Cooking Day

2010-05-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Since last month's meal plan was such a success (we didn't go out to eat once and never ordered take out) I decided to do everything on my own this time. I chose recipes that I thought our family would like and I also added some sides and breakfast items this time. I cooked most of this on Saturday and a little more on Sunday. I tried to make sure that each meal would make enough for a dinner and for lunches the next day.

I thought it would be nice to share the links to the recipes I used and to also add comments about each of them. Each month I will comment on which meals worked out and which ones didn't.

I'm on my second month and I am happy to report that it's been fun and we've enjoyed trying new recipes. Charlie doesn't always eat the new food but that's no surprise because he's always been a picky eater. I did recently find out that both of the older boys really like Spanish Rice!

Breakfast:

French Toast Sticks - I made this recipe without the butter and not so much sugar. Charlie ate two of them without any syrup and he really liked them.

Blueberry Pancakes - I used the pancake mix from a box I had in the pantry and added vanilla and blueberries.

Lunch:

Chicken Salad

Dinner:

Pork Loin - We bought a large piece and cut it up into 3 separate pieces and froze them. Mike will grill them with his seasonings when the time comes and each piece will be enough for dinner and lunch the next day.
Turkey Meatballs - We tasted these after they came out of the oven and they tasted very good and were moist.
Chicken Spaghetti
Oven baked Potato Wedges - I got the instructions from a very helpful and informative article that explains how to cook, freeze and reheat any type of potato.
Applesauce - I used Rome apples, added a bit of cinnamon and no sugar. It turned out great. The baby liked it! The other boys haven't tried it yet.
Pulled Pork - this was really simple to make and turned out very tasty. I'll definitely be making this again.
Stir-Fry Chicken With Garlic Sauce
Baked Chicken Fingers - I used this recipe but I did not bake the chicken fingers, instead I flash froze them then put them in Ziploc bags. On baking day I'll put them in the oven at 425 for 18-20 minutes.

The meals we liked from last month:
These are the original recipes, but they were adjusted a bit because they were all frozen and cooked later.

Slow Cooker Chicken in Mushroom Sherry Sauce - I ended up mixing everything together in a Ziploc bag and placing it in the freezer. I thawed it out the night before then baked it in the oven. I served it over egg noodles and it was good.

Buffalo Chicken Fajitas - For this I combined the cut up chicken and sauce in one bag and the veggies in the other bag and put them in the freezer. I only thawed out the chicken and sauce the night before (kept the veggies frozen.) Then on the day of cooking I cooked the chicken and sauce in one pan and the frozen veggies in the other. When both were cooked I added them together and topped it with the blue cheese.

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls - I assembled these then put them in Ziploc bags and froze. The day of cooking I followed the regular baking instructions. I really liked these a lot and would definitely make them again.

April's Big Cooking Day

2010-04-27T13:55:00.001-07:00

I finally did it! Two weeks ago I took my grocery list to the store and picked up all the ingredients I needed to make a month's worth of dinners. On Sunday I prepared and froze all of the meals. My Freezer was stocked, full, absolutely packed! We're going on week 3 and I'm happy to say that I still have lots of meals left in the freezer. I've spent less time preparing meals and no time stressing about what we're going to have each day. What it has given me is more time to spend with my family.

I'm already putting together my menu/recipe list for next month. I really think this is saving us money and time. I must admit that I was exhausted by the time I was done preparing and freezing everything on my big day of cooking for the month, but the time and money I will be saving is worth it!

Besides saving time and money, the other thing I like about make ahead meals is trying new recipes. Most of the meals we've tried so far have been great and it's made me realize how many other things I could make in batches and freeze instead of spending lots of money on store bought items that definitely aren't as tasty as homemade. I'd like to try this bread recipe sometime.

I've been wanting to try this type of cooking for quite some time but always felt overwhelmed when it came to finding all of the recipes and compiling the shopping list. Then I found a website that did all of that for me, it's called Once a Month Mom and it's great. Everything is organized and ready to print, from the recipes to the grocery list and even labels with baking instructions. They even have a section on baby/toddler food. I thought this recipe for Toddler French Toast Sticks looked good and is something I'm going to try.

Oops on Sunday

2010-04-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Mike took the two older boys to the park yesterday while I stayed at home with the baby. I got a phone call a couple of hours later from Mike telling me that the boys were inside the van with the doors locked and the keys in the front seat. Apparently, Mike opened the back door to let the kids inside and they started arguing over who gets to sit in the far back even though they had already discussed whose turn it was on the way to the park and it turned out to be Charlie's turn. James began to climb over the seat so he could sit in the back...at this point Mike threw the car keys on the front seat, pulled James back and strapped him in his seat. Charlie got strapped in his seat and Mike closed the door. He proceeded to open the driver's side door only to realize that all the doors were locked and the keys were in the front seat! Both boys were strapped in their seats and couldn't get out to help.

When Mike called me to ask if I could come and open the door with my set of keys I remembered that there wasn't a car seat installed in the car I was driving, so Mike called his dad to see if he could come over and watch the baby while I went to open the door...A few minutes later I was on my way to the park. I drove up to the van, clicked the door opener and voila!

Beautiful Day at Great Falls

2010-04-19T06:42:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day on Saturday and we decided to take the boys to Great Falls. They had so much fun exploring and running around.

Funny Sayings

2010-04-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Charlie's been saying funny things lately and I wanted to write some of them down so I would remember them.

At dinner a couple of weeks ago we had the following conversation.
Me: How old do you think I am?
Charlie: 49?
It's funny how old 4 yr olds think adults are. I'm pretty sure I don't look 10 years older than I actually am. (hope not).

While watching a show on tv that was talking about worms Charlie asked, "Do worms have birthdays?"

This morning Charlie was doodling on some construction paper with markers and one of his markers dropped on the floor. I picked the marker up and gave it to him and he said, "Thanks for picking up the marker for me. Picking things up makes me tired."

Friday night we watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show. During the show Jamie organizes a flash mob at the local University. Dozens of tables are set up. Music plays. Synchronized dancers start to perform. And soon enough, part of a major college campus is cooking a stir-fried meal, all at the same time.

On Sunday Mike had the following conversation with Charlie.
Mike: Have you thought about which University you'd like to attend?
Charlie: I don't want to go to University.
Mike: Why not?
Charlie: Because all they do there is dance and cook.

Personally, if that's what really happened in University I'd be going back to school in a heartbeat! It looks like fun to me!

Here's a clip from the show.

Time For The Baby Gate!

2010-04-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Will turned 9 months old this Wednesday. He's been crawling backwards for the past week. Yesterday he crawled forward for the first time! I guess we need to put up the baby gate again...Sorry if my filming of this video makes you dizzy.

It's Quiet Around Here

2010-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

My wonderful in-laws took our two older boys to Disney World for the week (spring break) and it is so quiet in our house!

Things I miss about my boys:

Seeing them first thing in the morning and hearing them say, "Hi Mama".
Getting and giving hugs and kisses throughout the day.
Playing with them and talking with them.
Listening to the funny things they say.
Watching the baby get excited while he watches them play.
Having them at the dinner table.
Seeing their smiling faces.
Hearing them laugh.
Saying Goodnight to them before they go to sleep.

I know...they're only gone for a week and they're having a blast so I should take advantage of the quiet and enjoy some time to myself. I just miss them being around, they're fun to be with!

Little Guy's Getting Bigger

2010-03-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

This week Will has started trying to crawl. He's been getting himself up on his hands and knees and pulling up on things. He likes standing while holding onto things, like the couch or toys. I can't believe how big he's gotten.

My baby's going to be walking soon, this makes me both excited and sad at the same time... WHOA...Whoa...Steady....

Big Fluffy Easter Bunny

2010-03-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

This picture made me laugh. This was right before the Easter Egg Hunt started. The parents and children were all lined up around the perimeter of the spot where the hunt was taking place. Every now and then you'd see a small child dart out onto the grass and grab an egg. Really, it's hard for a 2 year old to have that much self control. At one point James ran out as fast as he could and grabbed an egg. This is the picture I took of Mike after he put the egg back and ran back with James. Finally, after the hunt finally started, James decided to sit down and grab a couple of eggs withing reaching distance then be content to watch the other kids run around and grab as manyas they could.

I tried to get a better picture of the boys with the Easter Bunny but James couldn't take his eyes off of him. It was the first time he ever saw anything that big and fluffy...it must've looked very interesting to him.

Quote of the Day

2010-03-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne~

A Trip to the Beach

2010-03-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mike took the two older boys on a camping trip to Virginia Beach while Will and I had a little one on one time. They boys all had a great time! The beach is a great place, especially for boys, because they can get as messy as they want and then jump in the water. Mike said they had lots of fun playing on the beach and running from the water, I guess it is still pretty cold there since it's only March. The weather was beautiful that weekend.
Charlie found a grasshopper at the camp site.
Mike said it was a little chaotic at first while he was trying to put up the tent because he had to keep an eye on James & Charlie at the same time. I think eventually he said he put James in the van to watch a movie so he could finish putting up the tent, but he didn't strap him in. When Mike went back to the van he said it smelled like seasoning because James had found the steak seasoning and dumped it all on the floor of the van.

Later that night James got in the cooler and broke all the eggs! I swear, you can not take your eyes off that kid for a minute!!

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-03-22T07:12:00.000-07:00

I just watched the first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution last night on TV and found it to be very inspirational (you can watch a clip of it HERE)! I really think he is doing great things and I personally want to support his initiative. He thinks America's kids need better food at school and better health prospects and I agree.

I like the show. You can tell that Jamie is passionate about this subject and he seems very genuine. The show reminded me that I would really like to get my boys involved with cooking more and choosing the foods that they eat. My oldest son is a very picky eater and I'm hoping that if I get him more involved with the food choices and preparation he will become more interested.

Alcohol & Hiccups

2010-03-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we all piled in the van to go to a friend's party. Mike and I were having a conversation in the front and out of the blue Charlie yells from the back, "If you drink too much alcohol, you get the hiccups." I was a little surprised to hear him say that and so I asked him how he knew about it. He told me that he had learned it from watching Tom & Jerry (the cartoon, can you believe it?). I asked him how he knew they were drinking alcohol and not something like juice. He replied, "Grandad told me."

This morning while getting dressed Charlie told me he wanted to eat his waffles then watch Tom & Jerry, because that's what he likes to do in the morning. When Grandad got there Charlie asked him if he had recorded the latest Tom & Jerry show...I wonder what he'll learn about today before going to preschool!!

8 Months Old

2010-03-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little guy is 8 months old already. He's getting so big so fast. He's sitting up on his own. His favorite thing to do is watch his brothers play. You can tell he can't wait to be able to run around with them. He also enjoys eating and trying new foods. He's already got 2 teeth on the top and 2 on the bottom.

A Day at the Park

2010-03-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we decided to take the boys to the park. We asked Charlie which park he wanted to go to and he chose what he calls "Rainbow Park". The real name is Clemyjontri and it's an awesome park. We all ended up having a great time!

This is how our pictures usually turn out...with at least one of the boys running in a different direction. It is so hard to get a good picture with everyone in it looking in the same direction!

February Fun

2010-03-01T06:09:00.000-08:00

The boys had a great weekend. On Saturday Mike got them up early and went to Grammy & Pappy's house in PA. The boys played for a bit and then Mike took Charlie skiing to Ski Roundtop, while James stayed with Grammy and played. Later in the day Grammy, Pappy and James drove up to Roundtop to watch Charlie ski. After a while the boys switched places and James skiied for awhile with Mike.

Yesterday we decided to take the boys to the National Museum of Natural History. Charlie and James had watched the movie "Night at the Museum" on Saturday night and we thought they'd have fun going to the museum the next day! It was a wonderful day out. We drove to Vienna and took the Metro into D.C. The boys did great and enjoyed the museum. They expecially liked the Butterfly Exhibit. Mike took some great photos.

Here's the latest video of Charlie skiing the half pipe and the moguls for Grammy and Pappy to see. He was so excited.

A Beautiful Day of Skiing

2010-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Mike and I took off work yesterday and decided to take Charlie, our 4 year old skiing. He loves it and asks to go almost everyday!

We thought we'd surprise him so we told him we were taking him to school and that we had a surprise for him on the way. Once we were in the van and started driving, we drove passed his school. After he realized something was up we let him in on the surprise. He was so excited and had the biggest smile on his face! It was so cute.

The weather was beautiful, the snow was perfect and there were no lines! It was a wonderful day of skiing. All day Charlie kept asking, "When can I ski a Black Diamond?" Then after a couple of runs on the Double Blue slopes we ended up on a run that went off to the left to a Black Diamond and Charlie just started skiing off asking me to follow him. He was saying, "It's ok Mama, you can do it. C'mon it's okay, I'll show you what to do!" It was so funny!! So, Mike and I followed him down! Then towards the bottom of the slope he was saying, "I've got the hang of it, don't worry." He did great. Later if I get a chance I'll post a video of us skiing.

This is how Charlie gets around to the lift or the lodge!

This is me trying to help Charlie stand up and all he wants me to do is get out of the way so he can ski right down the slope. I'm making that face because I'm asking him to stand up and he's just trying to point his skis down the hill so he can go off as fast as he can! funny guy.

This is Charlie going down the Black Diamond slope. You can tell he's fearless, he bombs right down the middle! He says he doesn't want to do S's, he wants to go 99 miles an hour!