Journey Thru Life

Thankful – Wk4

2012-01-27T06:46:00.001-08:00

It’s all the little every day things that make life so extraordinary and this year I want to make sure I am appreciating and focusing more on them. In an effort to remember to slow down, let the little things go, and enjoy every moment of this life I am going to share what I’ve been thankful for each week.

This week I’m thankful for …

Unexpected generosity from the least likely sources
Spin class
My thoughtful husband who always knows exactly what to say or do to make me feel better
Discovering yummy new recipes that are quick, easy, and affordable
Learning tips & tricks from fellow bloggers, online articles, and Pinterest
Getting lost in a good book

What are you thankful for this week?

{Thanks to Sam at Fitness Food & Faith for this wonderful idea … I’ve enjoyed reading her thankful posts ever since I discovered her blog!}

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-26T08:47:00.001-08:00

1. I really enjoyed putting together my WIAW post from yesterday. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I’m photographing my eats again today to do another WIAW next week. Except I ate half my breakfast before I remembered so my first photo is of only half a bagel thin that already had a bite missing from it. Speaking of food … last night I made a really yummy vegetarian stew that I found in Runners World. It was quick, easy, and #healthyonabudget. I will definitely be sharing the recipe soon :)

2. I enjoyed spin class so much last week that I went again this week. Except class was changed from “spin” to “spin boot camp”. The class combined cardio on the spin bike with weight training. It was still really great and I really enjoyed it but I was so sore yesterday! That was the first time I’ve used weights since before my injury. Today I am feeling much better and I’m anxious to get out for a run this morning. And to go back to that class again next week :)

3. I’ve got a 5k this weekend. I’m really excited because it will be the first race I’ll get to “run” in since my injury. {I walked two 5ks after my injury last fall.} This 5k is the first in the four part fun run series that our local running store, The Running Zone, puts on each year. I’ve only got one goal --- to finish. Well, that, and to not push too hard. I’m definitely not going for a PR and I just want to enjoy every step.

Since its Three Things Thursday here’s a random photo of three wild turkeys we saw wandering around our court last week.

Got any randomness you’d like to share today?

What are your weekend plans? Any races?

WIAW

2012-01-25T07:37:00.001-08:00

I first learned about What I Ate Wednesday {WIAW} from Marlene at Mission to a(nother) Marathon. I hopped on over to Peas & Crayons to learn all about WIAW and decided I wanted to play along! I figured it would be a fun opportunity to do something new and to showcase some of my #healthyonabudget meals.

I knew I’d enjoy this once I read this quote on the WIAW page on Peas & Crayons:

“WIAW is about food and fun! It's about making new friends, breaking out of a food rut, inspiring yourself & others, embracing fruit & vegetables, finding new ways to eat your favorite foods, and so much more <3”

What I Ate Wednesday {WIAW} is hosted by Jenn at Peas & Crayons

My eats are from Thursday 01.19.12

Pre-workout breakfast:
1/2 cup Fage Greek Yogurt {2 WW Pts+}
3 TBSP of raw oats {1 WW Pts+}
1 TBSP Organic Strawberry Spread {from Costco} {1 WW Pts+}
1 Banana {0 WW Pts+}
3/4 cup of Simply Orange OJ {2 WW Pts+}
Coffee {half-caff, black, no sugar} {0 WW Pts+}

Post workout breakfast:
Leftover yogurt mess {I couldn’t eat it all pre-workout}
Pear {0 WW Pts+}
More COFFEE {half-caff, black, no sugar} {0 WW Pts+}

Mid-morning Snack:
1/2 cup of grapes, 1/2 cup of celery, 3/4 cup of baby carrots, 1/2 apple
{0 WW Pts+}

Snack #2:
3 Mandarins {0 WW Pts+}
String Cheese {2 WW Pts+}

Lunch:
English Muffin {3 WW Pts+}
1/2 TBSP of Soy Nut Butter {1 WW Pts+}
Cucumber {0 WW Pts+} , Tomato {0 WW Pts+} , & 1 TBSP Feta Cheese {1 WW Pts+}

Afternoon Snack:
Starbucks Tall Coffee {black, no sugar} {0 WW Pts+}
1/2 Orange {0 WW Pts+}
*This is a lot of coffee for me in one day {I usually one have 1 cup of half-caff} but we were going out to a concert so I knew I needed the extra bolt of caffeine so I wouldn’t get tired.

Pre-Dinner Salad:
1 cup Green Leaf Lettuce {0 WW Pts+}
1/4 cup julienned zucchini, carrots, and radish {0 WW Pts+}
1/2 cup each of mushroom and tomato {0 WW Pts+}
2 TBSP Homemade Ranch Dressing {1 WW Pts+}
1 TBSP Feta Cheese {0 additional WW Pts+ --- 2 TBSP = 1 WW Pts+; I had 1 TBSP with my lunch & 1 TBSP in my salad}

Dinner:
Leftover homemade Tofu Chow Mein, 1 1/2 cups {6 WW Pts+}
#healthyonabudget
*I’m going to post this recipe soon!
Fat Free Milk, 1 cup {2 WW Pts+}

Total WW Pts+ for the day = 22
*My Daily Point Target is 26 Pts+
*I earned 8 Activity Points

This was fun! I enjoyed sharing my eats. Thanks to Jenn at Peas & Crayons for hosting!!!

I recently talked about not reaching my WW Pts+ Daily Point Target for a few days I think it may just of been a fluke last week. This week I am not having any problems reaching, or exceeding, my Daily Target. {Though we do have some non-fat frozen yogurt in the house so that may have something to do with it. Haha.}

As you can see from my photos above I generally snack on a lot of low-point or no-point foods. It’s rare for me to have something like an English Muffin for lunch {we bought those during a moment of weakness at Costco so we have a lot in the freezer} since I usually have soup or a quesadilla or a smoothie and the bulk of my points normally come from dinnertime. One of my biggest obstacles is late night/post-dinner snacking. Except for this day … but that is probably because we left shortly after dinner for a concert and I was the DD so I wasn’t tempted to drink :)

What is your favorite mid-day snack?
Mine is string cheese. It’s filling without weighing you down.

How do you avoid the late night snack attack?
Uh, I don’t! I’m bad. LOL. Though, not always :)

Training Tuesday: My Spring Half Marathon Training Plan

2012-01-24T13:38:00.001-08:00

Once I was given the green light to return to running after my injury I immediately started thinking about how I would make a comeback and get ready in time for a spring half marathon.

I knew the first few weeks were going to be slow going. After 8 weeks off from running, and most all activity, I had lost a lot of endurance and stamina. My goal was to start slow, do a run/walk, and to run for time {not distance} for the first couple of weeks. Right after I returned to running I was contacted by my running coach from our local running group and asked to be a mentor for the new spring training group. It was perfect timing! This is a fun opportunity and I am really enjoying it. After attending the first pre-training meeting I came home with the groups training plan used that as my base for my training plan.

The group training plan calls for 5 days a week of running. For a long time I’ve been a 3 day a week runner so I knew jumping into 5 days a week of running wasn’t something I could just start immediately. But I was excited about building up to that. The first few runs were a little rough but, honestly, I enjoyed every single step. I missed running so much when I was injured and unable to run that I didn’t want to take a single mile for granted. And I’m not. Every day that I can run, or do any other combination of activities, is a blessing and I fully intend to relish every single day.

The first week of my training plan I ran 3 days, for time. The second week I ran 4 days. And last week I moved up to 5 days. I am running two days per week for time {not distance}, two days a week for distance including one long run with the group, and one day a week I am running with the group at the local track doing speed work. Also I am a cross training machine. I have a lot of free time and staying busy with activities is the only thing keeping me sane right now. {I’ve been unemployed for almost a year and its driving me crazy. I think of it this way --- I could be day drinking or I could be working out. I choose working out. For now. That could change at any time, FYI. Haha.}

I’ll be running the First Annual Running of the Elk Half Marathon on April 1st. I am really excited about this race because it’s the first half marathon in our town and I know a lot of local fellow running friends, including most of the group I’m mentoring, will be running it.

If we are friends on Daily Mile or if you read my weekly recaps you know that I am doing a lot more than just running. I’m enjoying cross training at the gym on the elliptical, my new found love of Spin class, and yoga at home with You Tube videos. I’m also keeping up with my Plank-a-day challenge and walking the puppy. Like I said, I have a lot of free time. I have no visions of grandeur that I would be able to do all that I do if I was working. But since I’m not then I’m going to go ahead and continue to stay active and keep busy. If I don’t then I end up spending entire days on Pinterest. Seriously. I have 1490 pins. Must PIN ALL OF THE THINGS.

I am making sure that I am taking the time to adequately stretch after all activity and I use my foam roller often. Just the few days of yoga I’ve done so far this year have helped immensely with sore, tight muscles. I have an “active” rest day on Sunday {which usually just means that I walk and possibly do yoga} and I have a feeling that my cross training will taper off as my mileage increases, especially on days that I’m currently doing double workouts. My plan is flexible and I believe that is the most important aspect of any successful training plan. I’ve got two 5k fun runs also scheduled between now and my half marathon race day. These two 5ks are the first two in the four part series of 5k fun runs that our local running store puts on each year. For the past two years I’ve completed the whole series and received the All-Series Participant award --- which is one of my goals this year too.

Shortly after the Running of the Elk Half Marathon I’ll begin training for The San Francisco Marathon and I’m very excited :)

What spring race(s) are you training for?
Do you enjoy cross training as much as I do? I know a lot of runners despise the elliptical but I really enjoy it.

Weekly Recap {01/16-01/22}

2012-01-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

This week I stepped outside my comfort zone and attended a Spin Class at my gym. I really LOVED it and I’m looking forward to attending again and again. I also bumped up my running from four days to five and I felt good. I had several days of double workouts. I’m trying to build my endurance back up and I’m experimenting with what works best for me, my body, and my training plan. For now, a few days of double workouts is doable.

My plank-a-day streak and my working out/run or walk 1 mile a day streak both live on! However, I realllllly slacked off on my PT Exercises this week and I only did one day of core work. January Goals FAIL.

I linked all my workouts to my Daily Mile logs if you really want to read about them. Are we friends on Daily Mile yet?!?

Weekly Recap {01.16.12 – 01.22.12}

Monday 01.16

I mentioned to the husband over the weekend how much I miss running with him and since we’ve both got easy 30 minute runs on our training plans for Monday’s so we decided to run together on Monday’s.

This was my first run since returning from my injury where I didn’t need or want to stop to walk. Yay for progress.
I’ve got NOTHING against walking; I love to take walk breaks and I think they are highly beneficial. And I plan to continue to take walk breaks if and when I need them for as long as I’m a runner. It just happened that on this run on this day I didn’t need to and that is big improvement, for me, from just a few short weeks ago :)

Run: 2.63/30:02/11:25 avg
Warm-up: 0.22/5:41
Cool Down: 0.28/5:26

Walk: 1.12/23:06

Plank-a-day #16

Tuesday 01.17

Its been really cold lately {as it should be this time of year} and the temps were down in the 30s by the time we met our group for our weekly track workout. I wore three shirts. A tank top {I always wear a fitted wicking tank top bottom layer}, a long sleeve super thick & warm thermal wicking layer and a top layer that was thick & warm also. Three shirts. It was that cold. My top layer zipped all the way up to my chin. I also had on a beanie, an ear warmer, and gloves. Brrrrrrr. I’m a wuss.

I also always wear capris. I only own one pair of running pants and I don’t particularly like them. I didn’t want my legs to freeze so I decided to take an old pair of knee high socks that had holes in them and make them into leg warmers {I got this idea from Michelle at Runn Princess Runn}. They definitely did their job of keeping my lower legs warm!

Run: 2.37/26:41
{track workout with training group}
Warm-up: 0.68/7:38 + Plyos: 0.25/6:18
Cool Down: 0.71/8:08

Walk: 1.88/36:00

PT Exercises: 20min

Gym – Cardio: Elliptical {30min}

Spin Class {55min}

Plank-a-day #17 + Core Work

Wednesday 01.18

My sitting bones were so sore from Spin Class on Tuesday! I had planned to go again on Thursday but I decided I’ll wait until next week instead. My legs were also very tired after two hard workouts on Tuesday {spin class + track workout}. I wanted to do 60 minutes on the elliptical but after about 35 minutes I knew I was toast so I cut the workout early and headed home. To eat {again}. I was famished {I had breakfast before going to the gym}. It seemed like all of Tuesday’s workouts caught up with me while I was at the gym!

Walk: 1.65/33:30

Gym – Cardio: Elliptical {45min}

Plank-a-day #18

Thursday 01.19

I opted to run on the treadmill at home so I had the husband help me move it so that it wasn’t facing a blank white wall anymore. Then I moved our extra 13" TV with a built in VCR player into the spare room where the treadmill is so I could watch a movie while I ran. We own very few VHS tapes so I opted to watch Pretty Woman! Love that movie :)

Run {treadmill}: 3.10/36:36
Warm-up: 0.23/5:00
Cool Down: 0.24/5:00

Walk: 2.10/40:00

Plank-a-day #19

Friday 01.20

It was raining but we didn’t let that stop us from running! The husband ran with me again and we geared up in these matching Adidas wind jackets that my FIL gifted us for Christmas. {Mine is a men’s medium and its way too big but that’s okay, it still does it job --- no waterproof, but definitely helped with the WIND.} I knew they were not going to be waterproof but we opted to wear them instead of our rain jackets. We wanted our rain jackets to be dry for our Saturday morning long runs since rain was predicted for all weekend. We got soaked but we had a good run! The husband took Lucy out for a quick run afterwards. She had a blast in the rain even though she normally is not a rain fan. {We have to force her to go out to go potty when its raining usually!}

I wore my Zensah compression sleeves as leg warmers this time so that I wouldn’t get water on my legs from my feet kicking it up! Worked like a charm :)

Run: 2.96/35:01/11:49 avg
Warm-up: 0.25/5:34
Cool Down: 0.12/2:25

Gym – Cardio: Elliptical {65min}

Plank-a-day #20

Saturday 01.21

I had a great slow long run and chatted away the miles with a fellow running group member! It was chilly and I wore my rain jacket but the skies cleared and there was no rain! I felt really good, even though this was my 5th day of running this week, and I didn’t walk once!

I wore my Zensah compression sleeves again as leg warmers so that my lower legs would stay dry. {Though it didn’t end up raining on me.} After every run I do a 3-5 minute wall drain. It does wonders for recovery --- try it if you haven’t already. {Lay with your butt close to a wall and extend you legs up the wall. Easy. Effective. Relaxing.}

Run: 5.0/1:00:10/12:08 avg
Warm-up: untimed plyos
Cool Down: 0.38/7:00

Walk: 1.43/27:00

Plank-a-day #21

Sunday 01.22

Active recovery day. I did a short walk with the puppy then some yoga. Felt good to flex and stretch the muscles after a long week of working out every day.

Walk: 1.87/35:00

Yoga: 25min {Yoga for Runners}

Plank-a-day #22

Total Miles = 29.47

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 11hrs, 39min
Calories Burned = 4851

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 64

Meal Plan Monday {Jan 23} + WW {Wk35}

2012-01-23T14:02:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had one of those days where I wasn’t feeling particularly like myself … I wasn’t sad or upset or angry, but I wasn’t happy or energetic either. And, unfortunately, it has flowed over into today also. I can’t really pinpoint the issue so I’m just hoping to get back to feeling like my normal self soon.

This is going to be a pretty simple week. We’ve got two new recipes we are trying {one rolled over from last week} and three meals that will create enough for leftovers!

Monday ~ Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken over rice with salad

I didn’t end up cooking this last week so it rolled over into this week. I’m really looking forward to it.

Tuesday ~ leftovers

Wednesday ~ Lentil and Black Bean Stew with salad

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Runners World. I’m very optimistic about it and I’ll share the recipe if it turns out good.

Thursday ~ leftovers

Friday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce with salad

Saturday ~ leftovers

Sunday ~ Turkey Burgers with salad

What’s on your menu this week?
Do you meal plan? Why or why not?
Got a favorite recipe that I’ve got to try? Please share :)
Don’t forget to check out the links … you never know what you might discover! There are some GREAT food blogs & recipe websites out there :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 35 {01.16.12 – 01.22.12}
Weigh-in {01.23.12} = 138 lbs
Week 35 Loss/Gain = –1 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –12.2 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 64 activity points! {And used 45 of them.}
I exercised everyday!
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

For the most of the week I had a hard time reaching my Daily Target
Saturday ~ used some activity points for a couple of beers & take-n-bake pizza
Sunday ~ Fat Free Frozen Yogurt :) :) :)

Thankful – Wk3

2012-01-20T13:36:00.001-08:00

This week I’m thankful for …

Quality time with my family … last weekend we were in my hometown to celebrate my niece’s 9th birthday AND my mom’s birthday! I don’t go home to visit as often as I use to so I cherish these family times together – especially around holidays/birthdays!
My father-in-law … while we were out of town our rear license plate fell off. Luckily it was barely hanging on when we discovered it so we didn’t lose it. When we got back home we got an estimate to get it repaired {the screws needed re-welded} that was outrageous. My FIL came to the rescue and had it fixed for free yesterday!
Quick jewelry repair … a few days ago I noticed one of the prongs on my wedding ring was lifted up and had a crack in it. I immediately removed it and put it in my jewelry box until I could take it to get it fixed. Yesterday afternoon I stopped by our local jewelry store where my ring was purchased and there were able to fix in the same day! They eve were able to clean out all the hard water stains and dipped it in Rhodium – it looks brand new again!
Local music venues … last night we went to see the one-man jam-band Keller Williams at Harlow's Nightclub in Downtown Sacramento. His shows are always amazing and its a treat when he comes to our town so we don’t have to travel to see him :)
The rain … we need it. Though, I wish we didn’t.
Good friends … especially those that you don’t see all that often but when you do it’s like no time has passed at all!
Inspiration … found in the least likely of places.

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend … rock your workouts, long runs or races :)

{Thanks to Sam at Fitness Food & Faith for this wonderful idea … I’ve enjoyed reading her thankful posts ever since I discovered her blog!}

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-19T06:47:00.001-08:00

1. Heather at 365 Days of Awesome is hosting an amazing virtual race right now that supports her fundraising efforts for Team Gab and the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation for the Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon in honor of her daughter Gabby who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011.

Go HERE to find out how you can participate in the virtual race and support Team Gab!
DONATE HERE

DO IT. Heather has some AMAZING prizes lined up and will start choosing winners on Friday January 20th. You don’t want to miss out. Choose a race distance. Donate. You’ve got until February 17th to run your virtual race. CANCER KNOWS NO AGE. #cancersucks

2. Since we are already talking about running … I ran for 30 minutes without needing or wanting to walk on Monday! That’s progress friends. Last week I ran 4 days. If you’ve been reading for a while then you know for all of last year I only ran 3 days a week. This week I plan to attempt to run 5 days. And going forward that is my goal. 5 days a week. I’m tired just thinking about it. Also this week I stepped outside my comfort zone and took a Spin Class at my gym. I’ve taken spin once before about 6 years ago but I don’t remember it being anything like class was this week. I LOVED IT. I can’t wait to go again. I was thinking about going today but my sitting bones are sooo sore still and I would rather run! Next week I’ll be back!

3. For those of you who don’t know I’ve been following the Weight Watchers program since last May. On WW every food is assigned a point value. Recently my daily allotted points went from 29 to 26 because they overhauled the program. At first I was concerned about loosing 3 pts a day but lately I’ve noticed that I have a hard time eating all my daily points. I think this has to do with the fact that I’ve been avoiding junk food this month and that I recently made a change to our dinners and started to include small salads. Having a small salad before dinner each night has been filling me up and I haven’t been wanting to snack as much after dinner. {Salad includes green leaf lettuce, half a tomato, and a mixture of julienned carrots, zucchini and radish topped with homemade ranch dressing --- also sometimes I add whatever other veggies I have on hand like mushrooms or broccoli and/or feta cheese.} Even though yesterday I felt like I couldn’t eat enough all day long I still had leftover daily allotted points at the end of the day. {Don’t worry, I eat a lot. In fact I am going to do a “What I Ate Post” soon. Its just that I eat a lot of no-point or low-point foods all day long.} Anyways my point of this randomness was that I decided to increase my greek yogurt serving for breakfast in an attempt to increase my daily points. So this morning I had 1/2 a cup {instead of only a 1/3 of a cup} mixed with a mashed banana, strawberry jam, and raw oats. And? Well, I couldn’t eat it all! It just seemed like so much more food so I ended up putting the leftovers in the fridge and I’ll eat it later as a snack. Oh vey.

Did you click on the links above to donate to Team Gab and run the virtual race? WHAT are you WAITING for?!?

Got any randomness you’d like to share today?

Weekly Recap {01/09-01/15}

2012-01-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

This was another really great week with lots of workouts. We had our first weekly training group session for the spring half marathon training group that I am mentoring through our local running store. It was a info session on form and then a speed workout. I had to remind myself to take it easy because I really shouldn’t be doing speed work quite yet.

This week I tried something new … I ran 4 days instead of only 3 and I felt great. I also kept up with three days of core work, a day of yoga, cross training, my PT exercises {though I missed two days, #FAIL} and my plank-a-day. I’m hoping to get my running up to 5 days a week {two days for time, two days for distance including a long run, and one group workout at the track for “speed” --- where I plan to keep it slow & easy for now while I am still rebuilding my base and endurance}. {Also I plan to get my spring half marathon training plan posted soon.}

The husband missed a day of planking so he had to restart a day 1 --- which means I finally beat him at something! Woohoo!!! I’m still doing 30 second planks and they are finally starting to feel more controlled and I’m less shaky. I feel like my core is getting stronger and that I #suckless than when I started.

ALSO --- so far I’ve worked out every single day of this year {either running or at the gym or active rest days with walking} and I plan to keep my run/walk streak going as long as I can! I’ve almost reached 50 miles for this month already :)

I linked all my workouts to my Daily Mile logs if you really want to read about them. Are we friends on Daily Mile yet?!?

Weekly Recap {01.09.12 – 01.15.12}

Monday 01.09

Walk: 2.36/45:00

PT Exercises + Stretches: 40min

Plank-a-day #9 + Core work

Tuesday 01.10

This was our first group track workout night and since it was dark I decided to wear bright colors!

Run: 2.52/32:02 {track workout w/training group}

Walk: 1.76/35:00

PT Exercises + Stretches: 20min

Yoga: 34min {two videos today: Hip Opening + Yoga for your Cycle}

Plank-a-day #10

Wednesday 01.11

Walk {treadmill}: 1.67/30min

PT Exercises + Stretches: 22min

Gym – Cardio: Elliptical {40min} + Recumbent Bike {30min}

Plank-a-day #11 + Core Work

Thursday 01.12

It was chilly even after 8am. I dressed in layers including my favorite running jacket that has thumb holes!

After my run I bundled Lucy up in her fleece jacket and we went for a walk.

Run: 3.0/33:47/11:15 avg + Warm-up: 0.22/4:12 & Cool Down: 0.29/5:48

Walk: 2.0/38:00

Plank-a-day #12

Friday 01.13

I ran on the treadmill at the gym. That’s all I really need to say about that :)

Run {treadmill}: 2.59/30:00 + Cool Down: 0.24/5:00

Walk: 1.78/35:00

PT Exercises + Stretches: 27min

Gym – Cardio: Pre-run Elliptical {20min} + Post Run Elliptical {30min}

Plank-a-day #13 + Core Work

Saturday 01.14

We were out of town visiting my family in my hometown for birthday celebrations and ran along the river. I didn’t really think about the hill course we choose until we were out there so I just walked up the hills as necessary. I felt really good. It was cold and the soccer fields were covered in frost!

Run {Oroville}: 4.20/50:00/11:54 avg + Cool Down: 0.79/15:00

Walk: 1.0/19:35

PT Exercises + Stretches: 21min

Plank-a-day #14

Sunday 01.15

Walk: 1.15/27:19

Plank-a-day #15

Total Miles = 25.57

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 12hrs, 19min
Calories Burned = 3865

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 56

Meal Plan Monday {Jan 16} + WW {Wk34}

2012-01-16T10:56:00.001-08:00

We spent the weekend in my hometown with my family for two separate birthday celebrations. My sweet little niece turned 9 on the 10th and we had a party at my brothers house on Saturday with her friends and some family. My mom had a birthday yesterday {the 15th} and we {me & the husband and my brother, his girlfriend & my niece} took her & our step-dad out to a late lunch / early dinner {“linner”} and then had ice cream and cake back at her house before we headed back home. It was great weekend and we got to spend lots of quality time with family {we also snuck in a visit to my dads house on Sunday morning to see him & my step-mom} --- the best way to spend a weekend, especially when cake is involved :)

Last weeks Turkey Chili with Lentils turned out good --- except next time it definitely needs more seasoning/spices. However, it was cheap and healthy and low in WW points. Plus I’ve got half a bag of leftover lentils which means I’ll be finding a way to use them again. #healthyonabudget

Here is the recipe I followed:

Turkey Chili with Lentils
Adapted from THIS recipe by Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
10 oz cooked ground turkey {lean – 97/3}
*I cooked up a whole package {we get our ground turkey at Costco} but froze half to use later
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans {chickpeas}
1 – 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 cup dry lentils
scallions

Directions:
Brown turkey, drain off fat. Add in onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add spices, beans, tomatoes, lentils and 2 cups of water. Simmer until thick and lentils fully cooked, adding more water and/or spices as needed. Served topped with green onions.
{I ended up adding about 6 cups of water total because it kept getting evaporated.}
*Next time I’d add more chili powder, some cayenne powder, and some red pepper flakes. Also I might cook the lentils separate so they don’t absorb so much of the water.

We didn’t end up eating the leftovers last night since we had such a late lunch + cake & ice cream … so we’ll be enjoying the leftovers tonight. I think I’ll add some more spices while I’m reheating it on the stove top :)

Also, the pork chops turned out really good. The husband grilled them on our propane barbeque and dinner was done in a jiffy. We got the chops {lean & boneless} on sale and we’ll definitely keep an eye out for future sales since we got two chops {about 0.75 of a lb} for under $3. #healthyonabudget

Monday ~ leftover chili from last week with salad

See recipe above.

Tuesday ~ Black Bean & Wild Rice Burgers {freezer} with salad

Still trying to slowly eat our way through some of the stocked up food in our freezer :)
*I lost the link to the recipe :(

Wednesday ~ Tofu Chow Mein with salad

I’m hoping this turns out as good as its sounding in my head! I’ll share the recipe if it does :)

Thursday ~ leftovers with salad

Friday ~ Pasta with Marinara Sauce {freezer} & Turkey Meatballs from Trader Joe’s with salad

Saturday ~ Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken over rice with salad

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I’m excited to give it a try :)

Sunday ~ leftover pasta with salad

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 34 {01.19.12 – 01.15.12}
Weigh-in {01.16.12} = 139 lbs
Week 34 Loss/Gain = –0.6 lbs
Total Weigh Loss = –11.2 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 56 activity points {and used them all}
I exercised everyday!
*I had another great week and tracked everything I ate {even ice cream + cake + eating out} the best I could. I used all my activity points and most of my weekly allowance points on cake, ice cream, and going out to eat for Chinese food.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Thankful – Wk2

2012-01-13T13:15:00.001-08:00

This week I’m thankful for …

my amazing, wonderful, supportive husband because he always takes the dog out every single night to go potty before bed AND for always being the one to get up with her in the middle of the night …
… and for always going shopping with me!
my gym membership!
my spring half marathon training plan and for three weeks of pain free runs thus far :)
the abundant sunshine and warm temps we’ve been experiencing so far this year … I know the rain is coming so I want to enjoy the sunny days while I can!
big, no HUGE, salads with dinner every night this week … so yummy loaded up with my favorite veggies and so filling :)
fresh brewed hot herbal tea on cold mornings!

Happy Friday the thirteenth! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend … rock your workouts, long runs or races :)

{Thanks to Sam at Fitness Food & Faith for this wonderful idea … I’ve enjoyed reading her thankful posts ever since I discovered her blog!}

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-12T15:36:00.001-08:00

1. So … a while ago I saw THIS on Pinterest {are you on Pinterest? If so, follow me HERE --- if you need an invite leave me a comment with your email address} and decided that it seemed like a GREAT idea. I added it to my January Goals {so I would remember to do it} and during the first week of the year I spent some time switching all my hangars. Now, I’m just OCD enough that I had to turn every garment around because I need all my clothes to face a certain way which meant I couldn’t just turn around every hangar. It was a little tedious but didn’t really take that long. Here’s the thing though … you’ll notice in my photo below that not that many hangars have been turned back around yet. We are 12 days into the new year. You’d think I would have worn more than 1 or 2 outfits, right? Um, no. I live in sweatshirts and pj pants around the house all day and if I’m not in that then it means I’m working out so I’m in running clothes! Seriously. Must.Get.Out.Of.House.More.Often. Ugh. Today I did actually get dressed and get out of the house … but then I violated one of my other January Goals {to not spend any $ frivolously}. Oh vey.
{The husband also turned around all this hangars – I’m interested to see who has more “unworn” clothes at the end of year!}

2. Speaking of frivolously spending … I got dressed and out of the house today so I could go to The Dollar Tree for wrapping paper. But since that store is in the same shopping center as our local used bookstore I decided to stop off there too. You see I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas but I also had about $80 in store credit for the bookstore and my SIL got me a $20 gift certificate for Christmas. And I had some books to sell for more credit. While the clerk was processing the books I brought in I was browsing the shelves and ended up picking out 9 books! After my gift certificate and my store credit I spent $28 {you can only used store credit to pay for half the price of the book you buy}. Not too shabby for 9 books. The husband and I are both using the Kindle Fire to read books so my stack of books to read when he is using the Kindle is growing! Luckily, I read much faster than he does. I also ended up at Sport Chalet where I picked up a gym bag. I use to have a bag that I really liked but I let the husband use it and it quickly got destroyed. For Christmas I gifted him a new bag and after he used it to pack all his running gear when we out of town over the Christmas weekend I realized that I could really benefit from having a separate bag for my gear when we travel too. So, I picked out a bag for me today and I’m looking forward to using it soon. Oh shopping … you are my biggest weakness :)

My new bag. I realllllly like that it has a separate compartment for shoes!

3. The year of the goatee ended! Back story = right around the end of 2010/beginning of 2011 I mentioned to the husband that he should grow his goatee for the whole year {2011} to see how long it could get. He grew it out once before back in 2008 but only for a few months {it was long in our engagement photos form October 2008 but short & trimmed for our wedding photos in March 2009}. The husband says I “dared” him but I don’t recall actually using those words. Whatever. So, 2011 became the year of the goatee. It really didn’t bother me all that much for the majority of the year but around the end of the summer I really started to despise it. Loathe it might be a better term. But on Janurary 1st 2012 it was finally shaved off! Woohoo. I made him promise to never ever grow it out that long again! It ended up being over 5 inches long when stretched out --- ridiculous. Of course I documented the shaving process for your viewing pleasure :)

This was a really random three things Thursday … so I thought I’d add a random photo of the kitty & puppy too :)

Layla {kitty} + Lucy {puppy … errr, dog?!? She’s two now}
They don’t always snuggle like this but they both enjoy laying in the patch of sun on the carpet during the day in the office :)

Got any randomness you’d like to share today?

My year in running: 2011

2012-01-10T11:16:00.001-08:00

In 2011 I logged 1030.27 miles {running/walking} and reached my goal of 1000+++ miles {with the Run 1000+++ with Tall Mom Club}.

Monthly Mileage:

January 2011 = 91.03
February 2011 = 77.28
March 2011 = 18.37
April 2011 = 71.69
May 2011 = 78.15
June 2011 = 91.02
July 2011 = 97.22
August 2011 = 138.46
September 2011 = 135.17
October 2011 = 169.13
November 2011 = 22.04
December 2011 = 40.71

I participated in 13 races!
8 – 5k’s, 2 – 1ok’s, 1 – 10 miler, 2 – half marathons

Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #1 - 01.30.11 - 45:58{injured}

Capitol City Classic 5k - 04.17.11 - 37:39

Race for the Cure - 05.07.11 - 36:07

Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #2 - 05.21.11 - 31:55

Doggy Dash 5k - 06.04.11 - 55:19 {walk with Lucy}

Run 4 Independence 10k - 06.25.11 - 1:09:35

Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #3 - 09.03.11 - 27:49

Buffalo Stampede & Migration 10 Mile Race - 09.11.11 - 1:50:59.8

Salmon Run 10k - 09.24.11 - 1:04:19

Urban Cow Half Marathon - 10.02.11 - 2:14:16

Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon - 10.30.11 - 2:42:40

Elk Grove Run Run 5k #4 - 11.20.11 - 55:56 {walked; injured}

Run to Feed the Hungry 5k - 11.24.11 - 57:04 {walked; injured}

I set several new PRs

First I broke my 5k PR from March 2010 at the Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #2 on 05.21.11 with an official time of 31:55. Then I broke that PR at the Elk Grove Fun Run #3 on 09.03.11 with an official time of 27:49!

I set a new 10k PR at the Run 4 Independence 10k on 06.25.11 with an official time of 1:09:35 and then broke that PR at the Salmon Run 10k in my hometown on 09.24.11 with an official time of 1:04:19 --- after running 4 miles pre-race as part of my “long run” for the day!

I broke my half marathon PR at the Urban Cow Half Marathon on 10.02.11 with an official time of 2:14:16 --- a 28 minute PR --- my previous half marathon PR was set at this same race in 2010!

Due to my injuries I had a DNS at the California International Marathon this year --- but I was still out there on the course cheering on my husband, friends, and fellow runners as a spectator!

When I did my “year in running 2010” post I said:

“For 2011 I want to remain injury free. I’d like to get a new 5k PR and a new 10k PR. I’m thinking about running another half marathon, but not any time soon. I want to cross train more, practice yoga, and maintain my fitness. 2010 was the year of racing … I want 2011 to be my year to become a stronger, healthier runner injury free.”

Unfortunately I didn’t remain injury free in 2011.

Severe shin splints in February that forced me to take three weeks off and then return to running slowly with a 10 week run/walk training plan
The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running began in September and eventually sidelined me at the end of October

Fortunately I did feel like a strong runner and my overall fitness improved greatly during the months in-between my injuries. I dropped some weight, my paces improved, I set several PRs. I felt strong and confident. And despite my injury at the end of 2011, I’m determined to get back that feeling again in 2012.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Miss Zippy’s questions about running have been floating around the blogosphere and I thought they would be a great addition to my year in running review.

Best Race Experience? The Urban Cow Half Marathon. I trained hard for this race with the hopes of finishing in 2:30 and then on race day I blew my goal out of the water finishing in 2:14 with a 28 minute PR!

Best Run? 10 miles around Lake Natoma in July. This was my first full lap all the way around the lake and I loved every minute of it. I had my husband by my side, I felt great, it was beautiful, and quickly became one of my favorite places to run! I spent the next several months running my long runs in this area more often than not.

Best new piece of gear? I guess I’d have to say my iPod shuffle {seen here}. Otherwise I didn’t really get any new “gear” this year.

Best piece of running advice you received? That my injury is only a temporary road block on my running path and that I will, and can, get past it.

Most inspirational runner? My running buddies Kat & Rene and my friend {and ex co-worker} Leo. Watching them each finish their first marathons at CIM last year was amazing and made me really remember why I love this sport so much {I really needed this reminder while I was sidelined from running}. Also, my husband. That man is like a well oiled machine. I can’t wait to see how his running continues to evolve.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Really high highs, and really low lows.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

What was your biggest running accomplishment in 2011?
Mine was definitely my half marathon PR.

What race are you most looking forward to in 2012?
Since I missed it in 2011 … CIM is definitely the race I’m most looking forward to.
But, I’m also really looking for to my next half marathon, the Running of the Elk Half Marathon, on April 1st.
I’m mentoring the spring half marathon training group for this race, its the inaugural event, and the first half marathon in Elk Grove!

What is your #1 running goal for 2012?
I think we all know that my #1 goal this year is to make a full return to running and remain injury free!

Weekly Recap {01/02-01/08}

2012-01-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

That’s right --- GNARLY. I kicked butt this week! I meet almost all my goals --- I accidentally skipped my PT Exercises on Saturday because I fell asleep on the couch at like 7:30pm. I guess I was tired! It was great to get back to the gym and do some cardio. I also really enjoyed the yoga video I did on Tuesday {thanks to You Tube}. Oh, and the running! I had three great runs this week. I’m feeling great and reminding myself that I have to take it slow and build my endurance back up.

This week our running coaches also asked us to be MENTORS again for spring training group! On Saturday I lead a small run/walk pace group. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the new faces in the training group over the next several weeks.

Plank-a-day is going well … I’m working on a 30 second plank right now. At first I was progressing by 5 seconds per day and then I realized that was too hard so I dropped back down to 30 seconds until I can hold that without shaking. The husband is doing this challenge with me also. He is at 1 – 45 second plank. My goal with this challenge is to build my core strength and #suckless {right, Heather?}.

I linked all my workouts to my Daily Mile logs if you really want to read about them. Otherwise, just know I kept busy this week! Are we friends on Daily Mile yet?!?

Weekly Recap {01.02.12 – 01.08.12}

Monday 01.02

Walk: 1.65/32:02

PT Exercises + Stretches: 32min

Plank-a-day #2

Tuesday 01.03

Sometimes I’m more of a "number" person than I think I am --- I walked my cool down until I reached exactly 1 hr!

Run: 4.29/1:00:00/13:59 avg

PT Exercises + Stretches: 17min

Yoga for Runners: 25min {video}

Core work

Plank-a-day #3

Wednesday 01.04

Walk: 1.65/32:30

PT Exercises + Stretches: 32min

Plank-a-day #4

Thursday 01.05

I had my final PT appt at 9am so I opted to get up early and run on the treadmill.

Run {treadmill}: 3.15/45:00

Walk: 1.67/31:00

PT Exercises + Stretches: 23min

Core work

Plank-a-day #5

Friday 01.06

My first trip to the gym this year! Also, my first trip to the gym in weeks. Seriously, I missed the elliptical.

Walk: 2.13/42:00

PT Exercises + Stretches: 25min

Gym - Cardio: Elliptical {25min} + Stationary Bike {35min}

Plank-a-day #6

Saturday 01.07

Woke up to a beautiful {but chilly} morning! The sun was just starting to pain the sky as I was leaving my house.

This was the first workout for the spring half marathon training group through our local running store {the group I’ve been apart of since 2010}. As a mentor I led a run/walk pace group, it was fun :)

Run: 3.18/40:01/12:35 avg

Pre-run warm-up walk: 0.29/4:33

I didn’t mean to skip my PT Exercises this day. I fell asleep on the couch right after dinner. FAIL.

Walk: 1.64/32:01

Plank-a-day #7

Sunday 01.08

Back to the gym again! Twice in one week! #success

Gym – Cardio: Elliptical {40min} + Stationary Bike {20min}

Walk: 1.63/33:11

PT Exercises + Stretches: 30min

Core work

Plank-a-day #8

Total Miles = 21.28

Daily Mile Stats
Total Time: 11hrs, 21min
Calories Burned: 3130

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 42

#HBBC points earned {01.02.12 – 01.06.12} = 31.29
*challenged ended on 01.06.12
#HBBC points earned TOTAL = 165.37 {11.19.11 – 01.06.12}
2011 HBBC recap HERE

Meal Plan Monday {Jan 9} + WW {Wk33}

2012-01-09T09:19:00.001-08:00

I had a great week last week. I didn’t eat out; I stayed on point; I exercised every single day; and my cooking mojo returned! I’m hoping this week will be a repeat. Though I am very much looking forward to birthday celebrations this weekend for both my mom and my niece :)

How was your week last week?
Did you cook anything spectacular? I didn’t make anything new last week but I enjoyed being back in the kitchen cooking tried & true recipes. This week I’m looking forward to making a new chili recipe {see below}.

Monday ~ leftover Pineapple Jerk Chicken from yesterday & salad

I’m glad we are having leftovers tonight since that will give me some time to prep all the salad fixings for the week! The best part about salads = they are packed with veggies AND low in WW pts!

Tuesday ~ Veggie Burgers {from the freezer} & salad

Trying to eat up some of our freezer foods since recently one of the de-cluttering tasks that I did {from this calendar} was to clean our the freezers.

Wednesday ~ Turkey Chili with Lentils & salad

Last week Giraffy at 365 Days of Awesome shared an article about Healthy Foods on a Budget which I really enjoyed reading since I eat 97% of the listed foods on a daily basis. However, the list included LENTILS and that is one grain I have not yet tried. So I set out to rectify that this week. I tweeted Giraffy to see if she thought lentils would be good in a Turkey Chili and then set about putting together a recipe based upon a Rachael Ray chili recipe . {I’m basing my recipe on THIS recipe --- no cinnamon & adding lentils and kidney beans + an extra 3/4 cup of water & some tomato paste if necessary to thicken it up.} I think the results are going to be yummy!
PS – a bag of lentils is super cheap … $1.29 at my local Bel-Air grocery store! BEING HEALTHY DOESN’T HAVE TO COST A LOT!!!

Thursday ~ Pork Chops with smashed red potatoes, green beans & salad

I have not cooked pork chops in years! And, actually, I won’t be cooking these either --- the husband will be grilling them. They were on sale last week so we got two good sized boneless chops for under $3 --- score :)

Friday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce

Nothing new here :)

Saturday ~ TBD ~ Celebrating my mom’s & my niece's birthdays!!!

I’m 99% positive that we’ll be having pizza … and I’m sure there will be some sort of CAKE. I will not over indulge. I will not over indulge. I will not over indulge.

Sunday ~ leftover chili

Yeah leftovers! I really think chili leftovers are the best {well, spaghetti leftovers are actually the BEST} since the longer the chili sits the better the flavors blend together. Yum-o.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 33 {01.02.12 – 01.08.12}
Weigh-in {01.09.12} = 139.6 lbs
Week 33 Loss/Gain = –2.4 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –10.6 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 42 activity points!
I exercises EVERYDAY
*I did so good this week & I am very proud of myself. I stayed on point every.single.day. It felt good to eat healthy meals at home with portioned food and lots of fresh fruit/citrus for snacks AND homemade WW Veggie Soup for lunch all week {I made it a few weeks ago and froze the leftovers}. This week may not go as well since there were will a couple of family birthday celebrations but I am determined to enjoy in moderation and not to overindulge. It feels really good to see how high my activity points were this week with my return to running AND the gym :)
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

HBBC 2011 Recap

2012-01-08T18:31:00.001-08:00

The 2011 Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge {#HBBC} ran from November 19, 2011 through January 6, 2012. When I first signed up for this challenge I didn’t anticipate to be sidelined from running due to my injury for as long as I way. That being said, I’m still proud of my final results. {Despite a few missed days of any activity around the Christmas holiday AND not being able to run.}

My final points for the 2011 challenge = 165.37
Surprisingly that’s almost 30pts higher than last year!

I think the biggest difference between this year and last year, for me, is that even though I was struggling with injuries both years {last year it was my shins and IT band leading up to the 2010 CIM & post-marathon laziness/recovery and this year it was my right leg issues & stress fracture} this year I was more focused to keep moving as much as possible and I was doing {almost} daily PT exercises and walking {since I wasn’t suppose to do most other activities}. The only exception was right around the Christmas holiday when I just got lazy and didn’t do anything. This year the final week of the challenge was my highest point week --- 41.44 --- and that’s because I was cleared to return to running! It makes me wonder what my point total could have been if I would not have gotten injured, could have continued training for & then completing the CIM. There is always next year :)

All my workouts/activates are on my Daily Mile page and on my weekly recaps so I’m not going to list everything out like I did last year.

And, a BIG THANK YOU to Amanda at Run to the Finish for hosting another great challenge!

Weekly Recap {12/26-1/1}

2012-01-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

I totally slacked during this week with my physical therapy exercises & stretches. Between the holidays & traveling … no, no excuses. I was just lazy. FAIL.

BUT --- something I did do this week … return to running! I got the green light the week before from my Kaiser Sports doc so I made my return to running while in my hometown for Christmas! Woo-freakin’-hoo!!!

Weekly Recap {12.26.11 – 1.1.12}

Mon 12.26

Rest

Tues 12.27

After 8 long weeks I am finally able to do the activity I most enjoy and love! It was a beautiful morning on The Dam in my hometown. Miss Lucy joined us for this run/walk and let me just say, it feels really great to be back at it finally :)

Run: 3.10/48:33 {intervals 1:2}

Wed 12.28

Rest

Thurs 12.29

The husband & puppy joined me again for this run/walk. I’ve got a long way to go to get back to where I was but I’m determined to enjoy each and every step that will get me there!

Run: 3.29/50:01 {intervals 1:2}

Fri 12.30

Rest

Sat 12.31.2011

We met up with our running group for a end of the year run! It was a beautiful, but cold, morning and I enjoyed every single step I took! For the second half of my workout my running buddy Kat joined me and it was so wonderful to run again with her! I’ve so missed this.

Run: 4.30/1:03:25 {intervals 90:2}

Sun 01.01.2012

We decided to start the new year off with a run! Woohoo!

Run: 3.10/47:33 {intervals 1:2}

PT Exercises + Stretches – 17:00

One of my January Goals is to do a plank-a-day all month!

Plank-a-day #1 - 1x30sec

Total Miles = 13.79

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 3hrs, 47min
Calories Burned = 1239

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 20

#HBBC points earned {12.26.11 – 01.01.12} = 18.54
#HBBC points earned to date {11.19.11 – 01.01.12} = 134.08

2011 Goals Recap

2012-01-07T15:37:00.001-08:00

Just like my 2010 goals … my 2011 goals were once again ambitious, to say the least.

Of the 84 I listed {4 less than 2010} I completed 44! Once again some of the remaining goals made it to my 2012 list.

Here is the final recap of what I accomplished in 2011.

For My Health & Fitness

Continue to set small goals to reach goal weight, 5lbs at a time {I rejoined & recommitted to Weight Watchers on 05.16.11}
~~Walk and/or run at least 1 mile for as many consecutive days as possible {I bet my dad $20 that I could walk/run more days in a row then he could starting 1/1/11}~~ {Update 2/28/11: my dad took a “rest” day on Feb 1st, so I won the bet. Then on Feb 19th, after a 7+ mile run, I was forced to take some time off due to injury.}
Incorporate cross training, strength training, and yoga into my workouts {I joined a gym on 04.01.11}
~~Run at least 6 races AND participate in all 4 Elk Grove Fun Run’s {01.30.11, 05.21.11, 09.03.11, 11.20.11} to receive another All-Series Participant Award~~ {I participated in 13 total races in 2011 --- see all complete races HERE & I received the All-Series Participant Award for 2011 on 11.20.11}
~~Continue to keep an activity journal for 2011~~ {I used Daily Mile all year to track my workouts and I also use an Excel Spreadsheet to track my miles}
~~Reach 1000+++ miles for 2011 {walk or run}~~ Reached 1,000 on Friday 12.09.11
~~Set a new 5k PR~~
1. ~~Elk Grove Fun Run 5k 2011 #2, 05.21.11 - 31:55~~
2. Elk Grove Fun Run 5k 2011 #3, 09.03.11 – 27:49
~~Set a new 10k PR~~
1. ~~Run 4 Independence 10k, 06.25.11 – 1:09:35~~
2. Salmon Run 10k, 09.24.11 – 1:04:19
~~Set a new half marathon PR~~
1. Urban Cow Half Marathon, 10.02.11 – 2:14:16
Set a new marathon PR {Due to injury I was unable to run my only planned marathon for 2011}
1. DNS – California International Marathon {12.04.11}
~~Run a new race distance~~
1. Buffalo Stampede & Migration 10 Mile Race, 09.11.11 – 1:50:59.8
~~Floss DAILY~~ {I’m sure there were days I missed/skipped but I definitely flossed more this year than ever before!}

For Fun

~~Take~~ ~~Lucy~~ ~~to the ocean~~ 07.10.11
~~Take~~ ~~Lucy~~ ~~to the snow~~ 01.08.11
~~Go hiking at Yosemite~~ Day One; Day Two; Day Three
Go on a picnic at a local park
Go hiking at Muir Woods
~~Go hiking around Folsom Lake~~ --- While we didn’t go “hiking” but we spent a lot of time running on the bike path and trails around Lake Natoma, Folsom Lake & Granite Bay
~~Go camping~~ August, Dillions Beach
~~Take a photography class~~ 07.16.11
Take a trip to SF
~~Go wine tasting {again, again}~~
1. ZinFest Wine Festival, 05.21.11 {May Date Night}
2. Random day in Lodi 06.27.11
3. Apple Hill 10.16.11
4. Random day in Lodi 12.21.11
Attend at least 1 sporting event {baseball, basketball, hockey, football}

Crafts & Things

~~Get our wedding photo framed & hang in our home~~
Make our wedding scrapbook {Started but not finished}
~~Make a race bib scrapbook~~ View the finished project HERE
~~Hang race medals~~, {~~order rack to hang them on~~} View the medals & rack HERE {hung on 01.29.11}
~~Put all our wedding photos into our Lenox photo albums~~
~~Make a rag/fringe quilt~~ Update 2/28/11: I made Lucy a fleece no-sew fringe blanket for her crate --- I still want to make a rag quilt too.
~~Find a creative way to display our wedding vows in our home~~ Framed and hung on wall --- 08.27.11
~~Frame the readings from our wedding ceremony~~ Framed and hung on wall --- 08.27.11
~~Frame our wedding monogram~~ Framed and hung on wall --- 08.27.11
~~Create a Maui Honeymoon 2009 Photo Book~~ Instead of creating a digital photo book to be printed, I printed all the photos and put them into a photo album {07.27.11}
~~Create a Disneyland 2009 Photo Book~~ Instead of creating a digital photo book to be printed, I printed all the photos and put them into a photo album {07.27.11}
~~Create a First Anniversary 2010 Photo Book~~ Instead of creating a digital photo book to be printed, I printed all the photos and put them into a photo album {07.27.11}
Create a Yosemite 2011 Photo Book
Paint the canvases for the TV wall in the living room
Create a wine cork corkboard using our large collection of corks
Hang cross stitch quilt from cousin
Hang name + wedding date blanket from friend
Paint the black frame in the master bedroom white {already have the spray paint}

For Our Home

Paint the trim around the new sliding door
Paint the trim around the front door
~~Paint the new mantle~~
~~Paint the dining room~~
~~Paint the kitchen~~
~~Paint the custom valance for the slider~~
Paint the guest room
Remove the wall paper in the hallway
Paint the hallways
Paint the guest bathroom
Replace the interior garage door & frame
~~Build more planter boxes for our garden~~
Reorganize the kitchen cabinets
~~Organize the linen closet~~ 3/31/11
Sand & refinish the picnic table
~~Replace our water filter in our fridge~~ Replaced on 2/27/11 & should be replaced again on 8/27/11
Fix or replace the pipes/sink/faucet in the mater bathroom
Re-caulk the master bathroom shower
Get a new front door
Replace the window in the master bathroom
~~Put a French Drain in our backyard~~
Paint or replace the baseboards in the living room
Repaint the master bedroom {???}
Paint or replace the baseboards in the master bedroom
Get a headboard for the master bedroom
Finish the baseboards in the office
Get the carpets cleaned On 3/31/11 I spot cleaned all the old stains from Lucy’s potty training days
~~Dust all the shot glasses + reorganize them on their shelf~~

For the Future

Pay off at least two more credit cards
Find a new job due to layoff at the end of Jan 2011
Build savings back up AND save an additional $1000 {if possible}

Other

~~Donate my wedding dress to~~ ~~Brides Against Breast Cancer~~ Donated on 08.16.11, read about it HERE
~~Read 12 new books {titles I’ve never read before}~~See list of books read in 2011 HERE
Read my Daily Devotions book each morning FAIL
Volunteer at a race
~~Trade in The Jetta / Purchase a newer car~~ January 15, 2011 – purchased 2008 Honda Pilot EX & traded in the The Jetta
~~Start using dried beans instead of canned~~ I’m a dry bean convert and I’ll continue to use them but I might used canned sometimes if necessary
~~Update my recipe binder~~
~~De-clutter by donating unused and unwanted items {10 per month}~~
Move all the Project 365 posts/photos to my Project 365 blog
Donate blood {1st attempt – January 2011, iron count too low by 1 point; 2nd attempt – July 2011, iron count too low by 1 point again}

For our Marriage / Relationship

~~Continue to eat all meals at the dining room table and/or bar~~ SUCCESS
Date Night once a month
1. Jan: Driving Range
2. Feb: Bowling
3. March: Crocker Art Museum and bonus 2nd anniversary dinner on 03.21.11
4. April: Part I, II, & III
5. May: wine tasting
6. June: Further Concert in Mountain View @ Shorline Amphitheatre & Comedy Under The Stars @ Laguna Town Hall
7. July: Comedy Under the Stars @ Laguna Town Hall on 07.08.11 {again}, Harry Potter @ Imax on 07.16.11, California State Fair on 07.17.11
8. August, September, October, November – NONE :(
9. December – wine tasting & a movie {12.21.11} and dinner & a movie {12.31.11}

Updated: 01.07.12

Monthly Recap: December 2011

2012-01-07T14:05:00.001-08:00

During December I continued to deal with The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running and ended up with a DNS for CIM {though I still went out and cheered on the husband, my friends, and fellow blogger Maureen from Buttoning my Jeans. I remained {mostly} diligent about my physical therapy exercises {until the last week of the month!} but I really slacked off on any other type of activity for the most part.

Early in the month I also crossed a BIG milestone --- the 1,000 mile mark for the year! I’ve been chasing down this “goal” for two years with the Run 1000+++ with Tall Mom Club and I was so happy to finally reach it. {My mileage includes walking, running, and run/walks.}

Just before Christmas I received The Green Light to return to running from my Kaiser Sports Doc! I completed my first run/walk post-injury right after the Christmas weekend and it was a success. Its going to be a long road to get back where I was but I’m determined to enjoy every single step along the way! I ended the year with a run with our local running group … and started the new year with a run by the river with the husband & puppy :)

I finished reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee {paperback} and I also read The Hunger Games & Catching Fire both by Suzanne Collins {both on my Kindle Fire that I got for Christmas}. I continued to read ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running by Danny Dreyer and Katherine Dreyer {though not much since its my “gym” book and I didn’t really go to the gym much} and I started Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters & Bliss by Dean Karnzes {hardback}. {Other books I’ve read in 2011 & 2012 can be found HERE --- I’m always looking for book suggestions!}

December 2011

Number of miles ~~ran/~~walked: 40.71

Total number of days running: 0

Number of races: 0

Number of “test runs”: 2

Total Miles for the YEAR: 1030.27

To view previous monthly recaps, click on the link{s} below:
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
2010
2009

Thankful – Wk1

2012-01-06T08:15:00.001-08:00

Its all the little every day things that make life so extraordinary and this year I want to make sure I am appreciating and focusing more on them. In an effort to remember to slow down, let the little things go, and enjoy every moment of this life I am going to share what I’ve been thankful for each week. {Thanks to Sam at Fitness Food & Faith for this wonderful idea … I’ve enjoyed reading her thankful posts ever since I discovered her blog!}

Image created by ME :)

This week I’m thankful for …

fresh starts & new beginnings … to me, its what the New Year is all about!
ice packs that offer temporary-yet-instant migraine relief … I woke up with an awful migraine on Wednesday morning at 5:30am but thankfully the husband brought me the ice pack and I was able to fall back asleep for a few hours with it on my head to numb the pain
amazing friends and fun new opportunities … I’ve made some amazing friends through my local running group whom I’m looking forward to running many races with this year and also this week I was offered another mentoring opportunity with the group for the spring training session {I was offered this last summer/fall also but I was training with another group of friends and wasn’t able to attend many of the local training group sessions --- this spring I hope to be at most of them and help mentor this new group to their spring races --- I’m very excited for this opportunity!}
space heaters … we have not been using our central heating system this week because we are trying to lower our natural gas bill to receive a discount {if we use a certain amount of therms or less between a set period of time then we get a 20% discount} so I’ve been utilizing space heaters all week!
this way-warmer-than-should-be-and-sunny-every-day-so-far California January {we had a record high of 66 on Wednesday in the Sacramento Valley}
homemade meals all week … its been a very welcomed change to get back to eating at home and cooking --- not only do I feel better but I know the quality of food I’ve been eating this week is much better than most of what I ate in December {I’ll have to make sure I remember this next time I want to have a month-long binge eating fest}

Happy Friday! I hope everyone has a wonderful first-full-weekend of the New Year! Rock your workouts, long runs or races!

Three Things Thursday

2012-01-05T15:41:00.001-08:00

1. Physical Therapy: I had my last appt with my Kaiser PT this morning. He was happy to hear {and I was happy to report} that I’m running pain free with only some lingering tightness in my piriformis and hamstring. He had me do some balance tests and strength tests {like always} and then assigned me some new and/or modified exercises to do daily for the next few weeks and then I can transition to only doing them 2-3x per week. Also, in addition to slowly returning to running, I can start adding back in all activity {good thing since I already have}. This week I did some yoga on Tuesday morning before going for a run and I will be going to the gym tomorrow to resume regular cross training on the elliptical and stationary bike. I don’t think I’ll start to add in strength training until February --- I’ll just stick to my PT exercises as well as incorporating core strengthening exercises {which I started this week too}. Regarding my lingering piriformis and hamstring issue: I’ve already contacted my chiro {the sports doc I was seeing before I went to Kaiser for x-rays & PT} to find out if he thinks an ART session would be beneficial. I hope to hear back from him soon as more relief would be ideal :)

2. Plank-a-day: One of my January goals is to do a plank-a-day for the entire month. I started with 30sec then went to 35 then attempted 40 last night and it was h-a-r-d. So I’m going back to 30sec until I can hold it without shaking then I will start to increase my time. I can see the plank-a-day hanging around longer than January but we’ll just have to wait and see. I lost a lot of core strength while I was injured and not running {all my fault because I got lazy about it} so I’m looking forward to building it back up … especially if it will help my lower back pain and running :)

3. Treadmill: At the beginning of December we bought a new-to-us-but-very-used-basic treadmill {it does incline and speed and doesn’t go lower than 1.5%} and I ran on it this morning. I’ve used it a couple of times before {for a walk and a “run test”} but today was my first “run” on it. We don’t exactly have it set up in the ideal location currently {its in one of our spare bedrooms facing a blank wall} so thankfully I was busy keeping track of my time/distance/pace every few minutes and switching from running to walking to keep me occupied because staring at a blank wall is b-o-r-i-n-g. While we don’t intend to use it very often we couldn’t pass up a great deal and it did come in handy today since both the husband & I ran on it this morning {because we both wanted to get out workouts done early since we’ll be at a running group meeting tonight}. Eventually I’d like to have it set up to face our extra 13” TV and get a cheap DVD player or something. OR maybe a shelf so I can watch Netflix streaming or read on my Kindle Fire {there is no shelf; the Kindle would slide right off the face of the treadmill}. But for now, on days like today, the current set up works just fine. {PS – I did 3.15 miles in 45min and ran a total of 24 of those minutes broke up as walk, 7min, walk, 7min, walk, 10min, walk and felt GREAT!}

Happy Thursday!
What’s on your mind today? How are your resolutions/goals shaping up so far?

2012 Goals

2012-01-03T13:17:00.001-08:00

Another new year, another new goal list!

I love making lists and my yearly goal lists are no exception. Some of these goals have rolled over from last year {or even the year before}.

2011 was a great year and I’m eager to discover what 2012 will bring.

Source: Neil Gaiman via Jessica on Pinterest

For my Health & Fitness

Set monthly goals regarding my healthy lifestyle, my weight loss & my fitness/running
1. January Goals HERE
Return to running slowly
Stay injury free in 2012
Reach 1000+ miles for 2012
Start a run/walk streak on January 1st {run and/or walk at least 1 mile every day for as long as possible}
Participate in all 4 of The Running Zone’s Elk Grove Fun Run 5ks in the 2012 Series to receive another All-Series Participant Award {1/29, 3/3, 9/2, 12/8}
Run the inaugural Running of the Elk Half Half Marathon in Elk Grove on April 1st
Set a new marathon PR

For Fun

Spectate the Ironman 70.3 Vineman on July 15th, 2012 {running buddy is participating}
Volunteer at a race
Go camping
Go hiking
Go to the snow
Go to the ocean
Go wine tasting someplace new
Go to a new museum
Visit a zoo
Attend 1 sporting event {baseball, basketball, hockey, football}
Watch at least 12 more movies on the AFI Top 100 Movies {in 2011 we watched #1 – 16} *added 01.18.12

Crafts & Things

Finish the wedding scrapbook
Finish the anniversary scrapbook
Create something with my large collection of wine corks
Hang cross stitch quilt from cousin
Paint the black frame in the master bedroom white

Around the Home

Paint the trim around the sliding glass door & front door
Build two more garden planter boxes
Plant a mandarin tree
Remove the old rotted wine barrels from the backyard
Hang more lattice on the patio
Refinish the picnic table
Paint one room in the house
Remove the wallpaper in the hallway
Re-caulk the master bathroom shower & window
Organize the guest room closet
Organize the craft room & closet
Re-organize the office
Organize the office closet
Re-organize the kitchen cabinets/drawers
Clean the carpets
Use my adapted 30 Day Cleaning Calendar or find a new cleaning schedule
De-clutter our home {using the calendar found HERE}

For our Future

Find a JOB
Rebuild our “emergency fund”

Other

Read 12 new books {titles I’ve never read before}
Donate blood
Continue to eat all meals at the dining room table and/or bar
Set a new “no eating out” streak {previous best is 62 days}
Update our address books {combine our several books into one}
Journal {Peaks, pit, praises & prayers}
Create our Household Binder
Share a “thankful” post weekly {Friday’s} on the blog
Read the Bible {use this schedule as a guide --- I’m a little behind since I didn’t start this until 01.16.12 so I’m reading as much as I can each night in bed and hope to catch up before the end of January} *added 01.18.12

For our Marriage

Start a Small Metal Box
Read The Love Dare together
Date Nights {when financially possible}

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The husbands goals:

Run 1500 miles in 2012 {he ran 1351.74 in 2011}
Run at least 10 miles for a long run for at least 50 weeks in 2012 {allowing for 2 weeks off or less than 10 miles}
Start a running “streak” on 1/1/12
Run a sub-1:40 half marathon

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Ambitious? Maybe. Attainable? Definitely!

Happy 2012

I’ll be updating the list as I complete items. I’ll try to post a blog about any items that are blog worthy. I also reserve the right to make any changes at any time {a year is a LONG time and a lot can change during those 365 days}.

Updated: 01.18.12

Meal Plan Monday {Jan 2} + WW {Wk32}

2012-01-02T10:16:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! May 2012 bring you all the things you wish for and the things you may be too afraid to dream for including happiness, love, and luck!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Recently I’ve been thinking about how I’ve been meal planning for so long that I can hardly remember what it was like to aimlessly wander a grocery store, purchasing items at random, without any real idea as to what I’d be cooking that week. I don’t think I could ever go back to not meal planning!

Monday ~ Refried Black Bean Burritos with roasted zucchini

So, we bought a can of refried black beans a couple of weeks ago and put this on the meal plan {a few times} … but then we never ended up having it. Sigh, SMH. So simple – heat & eat – and a perfect meal to reset the diet and start the week off :)

Tuesday ~ Tofu Fried Rice with salad & homemade ranch dressing

I just made this a few weeks ago but its also such a simple meal that makes a lot of food. It will be perfect paired with a simple salad and we’ll have plenty of leftovers :)

Wednesday ~ leftover fried rice & salad

Thursday ~ Soup {from the freezer} with roasted zucchini

We’ve got a small stock pile of soup in our freezer that needs to be eaten and with the chilly temps forecasted for the evenings/overnights this week, soup will be a perfect warm-me-up meal :)

Friday ~ Pasta with homemade marinara sauce {from the freezer}

Friday night IS pasta night in our house :)

Saturday ~ leftover pasta

Sunday ~ Pineapple Jerk Chicken

One of our favorite meals that I often forget about it.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 32 {12.26.11 – 01.01.12}
Weigh-in {01.02.11} = 142 lbs
Last weigh-in was 12.19.11 @ 138 lbs
Week 31/32 Gain = +4 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –8.2 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
*My lowest recorded weight since I restarted WW in May of 2011 was 133.8 on 10.03.11, where I was down 16.4 lbs --- since then I’ve gained back half of that.
I earned 20 activity points
I exercises 4 out of 7 days
*I didn’t weigh-in for week 31 {the Monday after Christmas}. Stepping on the scale this morning I knew that my weight had increased more than the 1-2 lbs that its been creeping up every week. While moderation should have been key for me during the holiday season, it was not how I approached food/goodies. I binged. Big time. And now I’m dealing with the outcomes {tighter clothes, feeling run down & lethargic, lack of motivation to eat better and moderate my serving sizes}. But its a new year, and a new week, and there is always time for a fresh start. I am back to tracking all my food {starting today} and I’m done with overindulging in sweets & alcohol. I’m also done with eating out. My goal for January is to eat out 3 times or less {due to family birthdays & travel} AND I hope to make better choices if/when I do eat out. This is such a vicious cycle. I want 2012 to be the year I break it.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Looking forward: January 2012

2011-12-31T11:10:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I started my New Years Eve off with a 4+ mile run/walk with our running group friends and I’m excited to start tomorrow {the new year} with another {shorter} run/walk with the husband & puppy. {Spoiler alert --- I finished 2011 with 1030.27 miles & the husband with 1351.74!} I’m working on a few posts recapping 2011 … but I’m still not quite finished on my 2012 goals {I’ll post them as soon as I have them all finished}. I’m taking a different approach this next year for my fitness & lifestyle goals. While I will still have my master 2012 goals list I also wanted to break down my goals by month. I feel this will be an easier way for me to set and achieve certain goals {i.e. – instead of listing the goal “do more yoga” I can say “in January I want to do yoga 1x/week”}.

Also, I want to clean up my diet. While I definitely eat healthy overall lately I’ve discovered too much indulging in alcoholic beverages, too many candy binges, and too much processed junk and snack food in my house. I kept telling myself I would “reset” my diet after the holidays … which ended up being a BIG mistake and I really over did it. Instead of setting myself up for failure and saying I’m going to give up everything at once I’m going to have a “No ___” each month. I’m going to start off the new year with “No Candy January” since I’ve definitely been enjoying way too many bags of Hershey Kisses and M&Ms.

Workout goals for the month

Return to running --- begin rebuilding my base while slowly increasing distance to train for the inaugural Running of the Elk Half Marathon on April 1st {Elk Grove’s first half marathon!}
Cross Train 2x/week at the gym
Continue daily PT Exercises as directed by my Physical Therapist and re-start weight training as soon as I get the go-ahead from him
Yoga 1x/week
Do a plank a day {slowly building up time} for the whole month
Do core exercises 3x/week

Non-workout goal for the month

Read 1 new book
Turn all my hangers around so that at the end of 2012 I’ll know what clothes didn’t get worn and can be donated
Start de-cluttering {use this calendar as a guideline --- thanks to Racing with Babes for sharing this}
Complete one craft project or household project from my 2012 goals list {to be published soon}
Eliminate frivolous spending --- spend $0 on non-essential purchases {clothes, Starbucks, gadgets, etc.}

Weight-Loss Goals for the month

“No Candy January”
Track/journal all food daily
Eat out no more than 3 times this month {we have a few travel days where I may not be able to avoid eating out as well as several birthdays to celebrate}
Get back down to 10% lost from WW starting weight last May

Races for the month

Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #1 for 2012 – Sunday January 29th

Looking over my goal list for January it might seem a bit extensive but I am confident that each goal is reachable. I’m ready to start the new year off with a bang!

Do you have New Years Resolutions or a Goal List for 2012?
What is your #1 goal you’d like to achieve in the new year? I’d really like to have an injury free year …

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-29T19:24:00.001-08:00

1. Running ~ On Tuesday {the 27th} I made my triumph return to running after 8+ weeks {57 days} and felt great! I’m starting back slowly and doing run/walk intervals while I rebuild my stamina and endurance. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to remember how to do it. And, thankfully, it went much better than I thought it would. I had no pain, just some mild soreness, and I’m feeling so elated to be back to pounding the pavement. I got winded quickly --- I’m fighting a cold, its cold outside and I know I am very out of shape but I’m working on a “plan” and ready to start the new year with a bang! I ran again today --- and I’m already looking forward to my next run :)

Tuesday, 12/27/11: 3.10/48:33 {run/walk of 1:2}
Thursday, 12/29/11: 3.29/50:01 {run/walk of 1:2}

2. Lucy ~ Yesterday was Miss Lucy’s birthday {she’s two years old}! We spoiled her with several new toys for Christmas and her birthday … we were hoping this big rawhide bone would be her favorite but she is actually a little afraid of it. We are remaining hopeful that she eventually figure out what to do with it :)

3. Kindle Fire ~ The husband gifted me a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I immediately downloaded The Hunger Games Trilogy and began reading it on our way out of town on Christmas afternoon. I finished the first book the next day; the second book last night; and I’m pretty sure I’ll finish the third book tonight or tomorrow! Its so good :)

Happy Thursday!
What’s on your mind today? How were your holidays?

Weekly Recap {12/19-12/25}

2011-12-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, towards the end of the week {and the holiday weekend} I got a little lazy and took several rest days as well as skipped my PT Exercises {not good}. On Thursday the 22nd I had a follow-up appt with my Kaiser Sports Doc and was given The Green Light to slowly return to running {and cross training on the elliptical}.

After several weeks of limited activity, I’m looking forward to getting back to running {and back to the gym} in the coming weeks!

Weekly Recap: 12.19.11 – 12.25.11

Monday 12.19

Walk: 1.63/29:06

Tuesday 12.20

PT Exercises & Stretches: 25min

Walk: 1.46/28:00

Walk {Treadmill}: 1.23/25min

Wednesday 12.21

PT Exercises & Stretches: 30min

Walk {Treadmill}: 2.19/45min

Test Run {Treadmill}: 0.41/6min

Thursday 12.22

PT Exercises & Stretches: 33min

Walk: 1.81/35:01

Friday 12.23

Rest

Saturday 12.24

Rest

Sunday 12.25

Rest

Total Miles = 8.73

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 4 hrs, 16min
Calories Burned = 918

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 14

#HBBC points earned {12.19.11 – 12.25.11} = 19.98
#HBBC points earned to date {11.19.11 – 12.25.11} = 115.54

Meal Plan Monday {Dec 26} + WW {Wk31}

2011-12-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend!

We don’t have much of a meal plan this week due to family gatherings, parties, and events. Also I seem to have lost my cooking mojo once again. I’m thinking that has a lot to do with the amount of eating out we’ve been doing. So I’m hopeful that once the holidays are over and we’ll get back on a normal routine and I’ll feel like cooking again :)

Monday ~ Christmas Celebration #5 --- TBD

Tuesday ~ leftovers

Wednesday ~ Refried Black Bean Burritos

Thursday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce

Friday ~ leftovers

Saturday ~ TBD --- most likely something from the freezer

Sunday ~ January 1st --- Turkey Burgers

Happy New Years!!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 31 {12.19.11 – 12.25.11}
NO Weigh-in this week
*I didn’t track this week and don’t plan to get back to tracking until the first of the year. I also didn’t weigh-in this week.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Merry Christmas {2011}

2011-12-25T11:54:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas & hoping all your Christmas dreams come true!

The Green Light

2011-12-23T15:28:00.001-08:00

Yesterday’s Facebook status:

Yep, that’s right! Yesterday at my follow up appt with my Kaiser Sports Medicine doctor she gave me the “green light” to go ahead and run! This definitely warrants another woo-freakin’-hoo!

My appt went really well. We talked about how I’ve been feeling {I even told her how I was running late that morning and jogged up the stairs in the medical building with NO PAIN --- at my first appt with her I had pain walking up those stairs!} and we discussed what I’ve been doing with my PT. She had me do some balancing tests and then she “tested” my strength and flexibility and lastly she had me do a hop test. She said both my flexibility and strength had improved since my first visit {yay for PT that works}. We discussed a few little issues I’m still having {nerve pain in my sciatica and piriformis as well as some lingering back pain occasionally and a tight hamstring --- all sciatica related} and what I can expect as I continue to heal and get stronger.

Towards the end of the appt I asked a few dreaded questions:

Can I return to using the elliptical
Can I run?!?

She said yes TO BOTH. Of course both of these go-ahead's came with stipulations:

stop if ANY PAIN
continue PT exercises & appt’s
don’t add any additional strength exercises without PT approval
start slow on the elliptical with little to no resistance and slow speed and slowly build it back up
start slow with running with a run/walk and build slowly
email her if I have any questions or concerns

ALL GOOD NEWS. I was ecstatic when I left her office and I’m looking forward to my first run next Tuesday … and to get back to the gym for cross training soon. I definitely don’t have any idea how I’m going to be feel {when I return to running} so my only goal {for now} is to make it through my first run/walk on next Tuesday and then see how I feel, both during and after. But I have to tell you --- I’m excited, and hopeful.

Thank you to everyone for your support during these dreaded 8 weeks. I still have a long road ahead of me and I’m anxious to get started down it. Continue to keep your fingers crossed for me that when I return to running next week its pain free :)

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

1. I’ve noticed that when the husband is on vacation {like he currently is} that I spend a lot less time on the computer. That means I’ve got over 300+ blogs in my Google reader to catch up on! Its not like we’ve really been doing that much except for yesterday --- we headed down to Lodi and stopped off at Woodbridge Winery for some wine tasting {our favorite winery in Lodi} then we headed over to the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center for more wine {they do tastings of several wineries in the Lodi area} and finally we went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After the movie we headed to the Lodi Beer Company for beers and food. It was quite a fun day and we were able to stock back up on our favorite wines!

2. Despite the fact that my jeans are feeling snug again and that my weight has been yo-yo’ing within a 5lb range for the past couple of months I fully intend to continue to enjoy the holiday season and celebrations with our families over the next couple of weeks. And then I’ll get back on track for the new year. I haven’t been diligently tracking my food for a while now and I’ve been eating out {way too much} and drinking lots of beer & wine as well as enjoying way too many treats and too much candy. Add to that the fact that I haven’t been able to work out due to The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running and you’ve got a recipe for disaster during the holiday season. But, like I said, I’m going to let go of the guilt and start fresh after the holidays. At least I’ve been making sure to eat my 7+ servings of fruit and veggies every day for the #HBBC --- even if I have been balancing that out with handfuls of Hershey Kisses and M&Ms :)

3. I have my follow up appointment with my Kaiser Sports Doctor today. Its been almost 8 weeks {53 days} since I’ve last ran {with the exception of the handful of “test runs” I’ve done}. I am feeling really good and I’m really hopeful that she will clear me to at least be able to start cross training on the elliptical again. Also, I’m hopeful that she will also clear me to run before the end of the year. My next appt with my Kaiser PT isn’t until January 5th and I realllllllly don’t want to wait until then to be cleared to run. My ankle is feeling good and the nerve cluster in my shin isn’t bothering me at all {even though the lump is still there}. However I’m still having the pain/tightness in my glute and hamstring {honestly, I think a good massage would help with that --- but I’ve been slacking about making an appt for one}. I did a “test run” yesterday on the treadmill {6 minutes total; only 3 of running} and felt fine. No pain. No muscle twinges. Just tight hamstring afterwards. I’m anxious to do a longer test run to see how I’m really feeling but I’ve been waiting until after I see the doc today.

Monthly Recap: November 2011

2011-12-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Since we are more than halfway through December I guess now would be a good time to recap November.

What can I say about November? I had several appointments for ART treatments, with sports specialists, and with physical therapists. But, no running.

November definitely wasn’t the month I thought, and planned, it to be. I should have been finishing up my peak mileage for CIM and beginning to taper but instead I was having trouble walking without limping, cross training when possible and doing several exercises to build up my glute/hip strength to get past my injury.

I walked two races: the Elk Grove Fun Run 5k #4 for 2011 and The Run to Feed the Hungry. And even though I had held out hope to run CIM --- by the end of the month I was at peace with the realization that it wasn’t going to happen.

I finally finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I continued to read ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running by Danny Dreyer and Katherine Dreyer and began reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I spent a lot of my time job hunting and fretting about not being able to run.

November 2011

Number of miles ~~ran/~~walked: 22.04

Total number of days running: 0

Number of races: 2

Number of “test runs”: 5

Total Miles Year-to-Date: 989.56
Only 10.44 to go to reach 1000 or the year!

To view previous monthly recaps, click on the link{s} below:
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
2010
2009

Weekly Recap {12/12-12/18}

2011-12-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I started last week off with a follow up appt with my PT and I’ve got a follow up appt with the Sports Specialist this week. I am feeling really good and I got good news at the PT last Monday {see below} so I am still hopeful to get back to more activity, and running, before the end of the year. I skipped my PT Exercises twice last week and only made it to the gym once to ride the stationary bike. This week I’m hoping to get the used treadmill we bought a couple of weeks ago cleaned up and moved into one of our spare rooms so that when I can return to running its ready to go!

Weekly Recap: 12.12.11 – 12.18.11

Monday 12.12

I had my first follow-up appointment with my Kaiser PT this morning.

Good news: the ankle is doing great; I’m having no ankle pain just occasional muscle twitches.

Bad news: the lump/nerve cluster is still in the shin and tender to touch.

Good news: new PT exercises were assigned; no pain when doing hop tests or strength tests or flexibility tests.

Stationary Bike: 45min

PT Exercises/Stretches: 28min

Tuesday 12.13

PT Exercises/Stretches: 28min

Wednesday 12.14

PT Exercises/Stretches: 28min

Walk: 1.75/35:30

Thursday 12.15

Due to my migraine I skipped my PT Exercises today. Ugh.

Walk: 1.73/37:03

Friday 12.16

PT Exercises: 30min

Walk: 2.16/40:35

Saturday 12.17

Does walking around stores & standing in lines while Christmas shopping count?!?

Sunday 12.18

PT Exercises: 25min

Walk: 2.26/44:00

Total Miles = 7.9

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 5hrs, 41min
Calories Burned = 1163

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 18

#HBBC points earned {12.12.11 – 12.18.11} =23.4
#HBBC points to date {11.19.11 – 12.18.11} = 95.56

Meal Plan Monday {Dec 19} + WW {Wk30}

2011-12-19T08:43:00.001-08:00

Good Monday Morning & Happy Christmas Week! Its so foggy here this morning that I can barely see the house across the street. I’m not a fan of driving in the fog but I love to run in it. Too bad I still can’t do that. {Hoping for good news later this week though.} Another thing I love to do on foggy days like today is keep all the curtains/blinds closed and curl up under the heating blanket on the couch and watch movies/TV all day. And since the husband is on vacation I think we might just spend some time doing that!

I had the days mixed up for the husbands math department Christmas party --- it was last night, not Saturday. And, we didn’t end up having to bring anything. So I made the mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs on Friday afternoon and we snacked on a few before dinner that night and we’ll be using up the rest tonight in sandwiches.

Saturday was spent shopping all over town trying to get the rest of our Christmas shopping done. We were both exhausted afterwards {especially the husband since he ran 14 hilly miles Saturday morning with our running friends} so by the time dusk rolled around we called it a day and headed to BJ’s Restaurant for food & drinks. After a couple of appetizers, a few beers, and mini deep dish pizzas we headed home. I was so tired I passed out on the couch at 8pm! But, we didn’t get all our shopping done. Thankfully we’ll have plenty of time this week since the husband is on vacation :)

Monday ~ The Meatball Shop’s Mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs from The Rachael Ray Show with homemade ranch dip on sourdough hoagie rolls

Tuesday ~ Refried Black Bean Burritos with homemade guacamole and chips & salsa

Wednesday ~ Spinach & Feta Pasta

Thursday ~ Veggie Burgers {from the freezer} & roasted zucchini {remember I don’t like it raw but I love it cooked/baked/roasted}

Friday ~ Christmas Celebration #1 --- TBD

Saturday ~ Christmas Eve ~ Christmas Celebration #2

Grandma Gene’s Award Winning Chili at my MIL’s house along with an assortment of snacks, treats and take-n-bake pizza while we enjoy spending the day exchanging gifts, watching movies, and playing games

Sunday ~ Christmas Day ~ Christmas Celebration #3 & #4

Breakfast ~ Jumbo homemade pancakes & turkey sausage links with homemade peppermint mochas

Dinner ~ Turkey, mashed potatoes & stuffing with my mom & step dad

What’s on your menu this week?
Got a favorite recipe that I’ve got to try? Please share :)

Don’t forget to check out the links … you never know what you might discover! There are some GREAT food and recipe blogs and websites out there :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 30 {12.12.11 – 12.18.11}
Weigh-in {12.19.11} = 138 lbs
Week 30 Gain = + 0.6 lbs
Total Weight Loss = – 12.2 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 18 activity points
I exercised 6 out of 7 days
*I didn’t track this week and don’t plan to get back to tracking until the first of the year. I’m *trying* to make the best possible choices and I’ve been successfully getting 6-9 servings of fruit & vegetables everyday but I’ve been enjoying way too many sweets & alcoholic drinks. And I noticed I haven’t been drinking enough water so I’m trying to focus on that more next week – especially with all the upcoming holiday celebrations I’ll be attending.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-12-16T14:13:00.001-08:00

First, for the inquiring minds regarding yesterdays bread making in my cold house … it was a success! I was able to let the dough rise, for 4 hours, in my office. I kept the door closed, except to go in and out, and turned on the space heater for about 5 minutes every hour. The dough rose perfectly. Then I baked it, let it cool, and sliced it up to go with our pasta dinner. And, I was disappointed with it. It tasted fine other than being a little chewy but I just wasn’t a fan. I won’t be making it again. Let that be a lesson for me … pick less complicated recipes or stick to recipes you already know you enjoy. Oh, and read all the dang instructions … turns out I’m not so good at that {see #7 below}.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was tagged by Jen at Running with the Girls for The Versatile Blogger award!

Thank you Jen!

Rules:
1. Thank the giver
2. Share 7 random things about yourself
3. Tag 15 people

1. I chew gum pretty much non-stop unless I’m eating, sleeping, or brushing my teeth. This includes when drinking beer/wine/alcoholic drinks and/or wine tasting. I love it. I always thought it was just some weird quirk of mine until I realized recently that my mom is the same way! We don’t like our mouths to be “hot” and chewing gum keeps them from feeling that way {though I tend to have a suspicion that my mom only started this more recently after she quit smoking}.

2. I only fill up my coffee cup about 1/2 way then I add water to it to cool it down and to make it weaker. While I love a good cup of strong coffee, I don’t love how wired I get when I drink it or how I can’t fall asleep at night. I also drink half-caff. I learned to add water to it to cool it down/water it down from my dad who does the same thing :)

3. When balancing my checkbook I round up debit card purchases and round down deposits. It creates a nice little “cushion” of money in our account “just in case”. Not that we’ve ever had a “just in case” incident but you never know. Also, it makes doing the math easier :)

4. I am a neat freak and super organized but I can not keep my desk at home clean, ever. {See yesterdays post for photo proof.} It has piles of papers all over it, sticky notes stuck to every surface, and has become the dumping grounds for all items that need to be “put away”. I joked that maybe I should add “keep desk clean” to my 2012 resolutions but I don’t want to set myself up for failure like that.

5. I love zucchini but I don’t like to eat it raw unless its dipped in something … ranch, hummus, Laughing Cow cheese, salsa, anything :)

6. The one chore I dislike more than anything else is putting away the clean dishes. Sometimes I’ll dry them and stack them on the counter and just leave them there instead of taking the few extra seconds to put them into their appropriate cupboards or drawers.

7. I almost never read all the directions for a recipe before I start to bake/cook. Sometimes I don’t even read all the ingredients. Two recent events: on Thanksgiving I didn’t realize that the scalloped potatoes needed to be but under the broiler for the last few minutes to “brown” {even though I’ve made that recipe before} but thankfully my mom had read over the recipe and reminded me; yesterday I didn’t read all the instructions for the bread recipe I made --- it was suppose to be cooked in an 8 quart covered dish but I don’t have one of those that big so I improvised and cooked in on parchment on my pizza stone which made it brown very quickly and so I also didn’t cook it as long as it was suppose to be cooked because it was starting to get too dark which could be the reason it was “chewy”.

I’m going to tag … the last 15 people that have commented on my blog posts! Sorry if you’ve been tagged before … if you decide to play along please come back and let me know so I can read your 7 random things too :)

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-15T10:28:00.001-08:00

1. At my follow-up PT appt on Monday my PT gave me two types of calf raises to start doing daily {straight leg calf raises & bent knee calf raises} and my calves have been super sore ever since! I always thought my calves were really strong but I guess not running for 7wks {its been 46 days since I last ran} and, honestly, not really wearing heels in over a year has made my calves weak again. Lamesauce.

2. Since I’m still not working I have found that I am having a hard time remembering to take my allergy meds and vitamins in the mornings. I usually have to write it on my daily TO DO list or I won’t remember. But lately I haven't even been writing a TO DO list so … When I find a new job I think I will really enjoy, and benefit from, getting back into a normal day-to-day routine.

3. I’m baking bread today and the recipe said to let the dough rise for 4 hours at “warm” room temperature, around 70 degrees. Um, yeah, about that. I’m cheap and I don’t use the heater during the day to warm the house even if I am here all day long. I run the heater for about 1-2 hours in the morning to warm the house back up to 62 degrees {we let it get down to 55 at night} then its off all day until the evenings where we run it again for 1-2 hours … or we use our pellet stove {but we haven’t had a burn day in over a week so we haven’t been able to use the stove, thankfully today is finally a burn day!}. That usually means its around 60 degrees in here. On sunny days I can open the blinds in the office & master bedroom as well as the curtains in the living room and maybe the house will warm up to 62 or 63. On really chilly days or cloudy dreary days {like today} I’ve got on several layers and I am either using a heating blanket to stay warm or a ceramic space heater in the office for a few minutes every once in a while to warm up the space. That means my dough is in its bowl, covered in saran warp, sitting on my desk since its the warmest room in the house. Oh vey. Hey, maybe I should have found a different bread recipe --- or busted out my bread machine. Genius over here. Genius.

Yes, my desk is always that clean.

Weekly Recap {12/5-12/11}

2011-12-12T20:00:00.000-08:00

This week was a BIG week since I passed the 1000 mile mark for 2011 – which means I have ran/walked more than 1,000 miles this year so far! This week I also felt like my PT Exercises were getting easier and my muscles were not as fatigued when I finished. I’m hoping to be cleared for more cardio this week at my follow up PT appt --- originally he said I could use the stationary bike only but I haven’t been motivated to go to the gym just for that so I haven’t done any cardio, except walking, in over two weeks. I’d really love to be cleared for the elliptical. And for some new PT Exercises too. I am feeling so much better and hope to return to running soon. We recently purchased a used treadmill and I am hoping to put it to good use before the end of the year. I skipped my PT Exercises over the weekend --- not on purpose, it just sort of happened --- and I’m feeling pretty awful about it.

Weekly Recap: 12.05.11 – 12.11.11

Monday 12.05

PT Exercises: 28min

Walk: 2.03/43:30

Tuesday 12.06

Less than 3 miles to go to reach 1000 miles ran/walked for the year! I will walk my way to this GOAL this week :)

PT Exercises: 29min

Walk: 1.73/36:30

Wednesday 12.07

PT Exercises: 32min

I decided to take a “rest” day from walking --- I was having a lot of muscle twitches in my leg today.

Thursday 12.08

PT Exercises: 24min

Walk: 2.09/40:14

Friday 12.09

PT Exercises: 26min

Walk: 1.55/31:09

I passed the 1000 mile mark for the year on my walk tonight! Woohoo!

Test Run: 0.32/4:19

My test run felt alright, I’m definitely not ready to make my running comeback --- click on the link to see more details on my Daily Mile entry.

Saturday 12.10

Does walking around the mall while Christmas shopping count? Probably not since I had those beers & fries beforehand for “shopping fuel” :)

Sunday 12.11

I skipped my PT Exercises two days in a row --- FAIL.

Walk: 1.85/38:27

Total Miles = 9.57

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 5hrs, 33min
Calories Burned = 1098

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 16

#HBBC points earned {12.05.11 – 12.11.11} = 21.82
#HBBC points to date {11.19.11 – 12.11.11} = 72.16

Meal Plan Monday {Dec 12} + WW {Wk30}

2011-12-12T07:54:00.001-08:00

Okay, last Thursday was National Brownie Day --- did you know that? I made a big batch from scratch that we’ve been snacking on for days! Bad idea.

My Facebook status from last Thursday ~ I just realized I spelled “licking” wrong. LOL.

Also, I woke up yesterday morning with a waffle craving so I busted out the waffle iron and made some homemade waffles. Yum. They were super yummy, I don’t know why I don’t make them more often, and the leftovers this morning were just as good reheated in the toaster oven :)

We ended up going out to eat a few times last week so some of our meals got pushed from last week to this week. I’m hoping we can stay on plan this week and with easy meals it should be plausible. This is the last week before Christmas break for the husband and the annual chili cook-off at his school is this Friday so we’ll be making his Grandma Gene’s Famous Award Winning Chili. Also we’ll be attending his departments annual Christmas party on Saturday where there will be lots of yummy food & treats --- I’m making The Meatball Shop’s Mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs that I saw on The Rachael Ray Show. Next week we’ll start the first of many family get-together’s for the holidays. It really is the most wonderful time of year!

Monday ~ Tofu Fried Rice

This carried over from last week.

Tuesday ~ Turkey Burgers

This also carried over from last week.

Wednesday ~ Grilled Mahi Mahi in foil packets on the BBQ

We’ve had this in the freezer for a couple of weeks and the husband was getting antsy wondering when we were going to have it. I had forgotten we even bought it.

Thursday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce and Turkey Meatballs

Friday ~ leftover pasta

Saturday ~ Holiday Party

Sunday ~ leftovers/soup from the freezer

We’ll either have leftover chili from the chili cook-off or soup from the freezer.

What’s on your menu this week? Got a favorite recipe that I’ve got to try? Please share :)

Don’t forget to check out the links … you never know what you might discover! There are some GREAT food and recipe blogs and websites out there :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 30 {12.05.11 – 12.11.11}
Weigh-in {12.12.11} = 137.4 lbs
Week 30 Gain = +0.6 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –12.8 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 16 activity points
I exercised 6 out of 7 days
*Another week where I didn’t track everyday. This is becoming a theme that I am not liking but with upcoming holiday parties and family gatherings I think the trend might be repeating until the end of the year. I just have to remind myself to make the best choices possible, avoid overeating candy/treats, eat lots of snacks & fruits/veggies, and avoid eating out. I get yo-yo’ing between 135-138 when I do my daily scale check and I can most definitely feel the difference in my clothes. I just hope I can continue to maintain under 140 through the holiday season --- and hopefully I get good news from the PT today and maybe start being able to do more cardio exercises again.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

1,000

2011-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

That’s the milestone number I hit on my walk on Friday afternoon!

I have officially ran and walked more than 1000 miles this year!

I knew I was getting close to the 1000 mile mark so before we headed out the door on Friday afternoon the husband reminded me to check and see how far I had left to go to reach 1000 so we could stop and get a photo when I reached it --- I only need 0.77 of a mile to reach the big one thousand. I had hoped I would hit this milestone when I was running but nonetheless it was still a momentous occasion even on a walk. I’ve had this goal to reach 1000 for the last two years and I am so happy I was able to get there despite my current injury.

Once we got back home from our walk I also did a test run for good measure. It went OK but I definitely know I am not ready to make my return to running quite yet. I felt good with some soreness, tightness and muscle twitches --- and, thankfully, no pain during. I hope to return to running before the end of the year :)

Hey, Tall Mom on the Run --- thanks for the motivation to do it with the Run 1,000+++ with Tall Mom Club :)

Spectator’s Recap: California International Marathon {12.04.11}

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I already shared my decision about CIM to DNS because of The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running.

“And on race day, instead of running the race, I did the next best thing. I spectated with all my heart and love for running. I held my spectating sign proudly, cheered loudly for everyone, rang my cowbell fiercely … and I watched the emotions of pain, joy, love, defeat, and amazement on the faces of the husband, our friends, and all the other marathoners as they ran the race I love.”

Going out and spectating the race was so much fun! I was so happy to be out there cheering everyone on and to see the husband and our friends {and Maureen from Buttoning my Jeans} several times on the course, and on the final stretch to the finish line.

My morning started much like a race morning --- with an early wake up call. The husband got up at 3am and he woke me up at 3:30. I made a big pot of coffee and went over all his gear and fuel with him to make sure he didn’t forget anything. He got his post race clothes/water/food ready and left a big bag for me to bring him after the race. His dad arrived around 4am to drive him to downtown Sac to catch the bus to the start. He was meeting up with a friend of ours, Leo, whom I use to work with at my last job to ride the bus together. After CIM last year I convinced Leo to run the race this year. He’s been running all year and training hard. He suffered some ITBS a few weeks ago and that put a halt to his training. As race day approached we were texting and I suggested that he should run the race with the husband and our running buddies. He was concerned about not being able to finish so I reminded him that I ran last year with shin splints & ITBS and I finished and he said “you just gave me hope” and that he would run with the husband & crew and do the run/walk. His goal was to finish and I knew he could do it. One more big disappointment for me was not being to run the race with him like we had planned --- but we’ve got big plans for next year already!

I had also been emailing with Maureen. All along I had been looking forward to meeting her at CIM but as the race approached and I knew I would be sitting it out we emailed back and forth and I told her I would be spectating and to look for the husband at the start and me along the course. She said she would keep an eye out for my crew and that the husband’s “distinguishable facial hair” would give him away! Amazingly she saw him right around the first relay exchange point and I had already texted him to tell him I was just past that location so she stuck with my crew until then so I was able to “meet” her and wish her luck with a BIG {{{hug}}}. And then since I knew she would be just ahead of my crew and I knew to watch for her the rest of the race!

I’m getting ahead of myself though. Back to before the race. I made my spectating sign the day before. I love the way it turned out. I picked out the tie dyed poster board for my hippy of a husband and because it would be easy to spot along the course. I used stencils because there is no way I could have written big enough for the words to be able to be read.

Seriously. Its said that less than 1% of Americans run a marathon. That’s because “if it was easy, everyone would do it”.

I loaded up my car and picked up my SIL at 6:45 and we headed to pick up my FIL. We hit the road to our first spectating location. Originally I thought it would be fun to be at all the relay exchange points but when we arrived at the first one it was a mad house! Duh, I should have realized it would be with runners being dropped off and picked up and spectators galore. Thankfully my FIL had brought a county map book with him and my SIL was able to find some side streets in the neighborhood around the relay exchange and navigated me to a much better location just down the road. That map book was super duper handy the rest of the day!

We were at the location for about half an hour before we started to see the crew heading towards us. I was so excited to see everyone!

Our other running buddy, Rene, was trailing just a little bit so she’s not in this photo.

I gave everyone {except the husband, oops} BIG {{{hugs}}}, asked they how they were doing and told them all they were looking great. Everyone seemed happy to see me and I told them to look for me again in a few miles. I was pretty emotional when I got back to my car. I dreamed about this day, running this race again with the husband and our friends, for so long. But I quickly wiped away my tears and off we went for the hunt for the next best spectating location. I knew I wanted to be either right before the big hill at Sunrise or on the big hill or right after it which meant we had about 45min to an hour before the crew would reach that location so we stopped at Panera Bread for some coffee and breakfast.

After our pit stop the SIL busted out the map book and found us the very best location for our next spectating spot. We were right on the big hill. I talked about this hill all summer long when we were running hills every weekend and I warned our friends about this hill when we were training with them. I loathed this hill last year. Loathed it. With a passion. So I was happy to be spectating here to give encouragement to the racers and to my crew when they arrived. At this spot my SIL busted out her spectating sign also and everyone loved it. We timed our arrival just right and got to see a lot of the same racers again that we saw at our first location {this happened the rest of the day and was awesome!}.

The SIL made this sign specifically for her brother, the husband.
BUT everyone loved it.
Later in the day, and at the finish, racers that we saw several times asked where their beer was! LOL.

First we saw Maureen {I didn’t get a picture of her here} and I ran with her for a little bit up the hill giving words of encouragement. Up next we saw Kat & Leo who were a little ahead of the husband & Rene. I knew we were around mile 11 and that the group pace had dropped. They had stopped to use the port-o-potties {one of many stops} and Rene was struggling. Everyone seemed in good spirits though and Kat reminded me to make sure I gave the husband a {{{hug}}} this time since I didn’t the first time we saw them!

I told everyone this hill was their “bertha” {the big hill we would run on our training runs} and that the big hills were almost over. {After the halfway point of the race its smaller rolling hills till mile 20-21’ish then its flat to the finish}. I made sure to tell everyone to look for us after the next relay exchange {around mile 14}.

We knew the halfway point / next relay exchange was going to be super crowded so the SIL found us a prime location just down the street. We set up shop with our signs and cowbell and enjoyed telling everyone that they were more than halfway done!

The sun was out and the temps were starting to rise. We saw a lot of the same racers and waited for our crew. We saw Maureen first again. She was smiling big and looking good.

Shortly after we saw our crew. Everyone was looking good but I could tell some of them were struggling. They stopped for a minute to stretch and to let Rene catch up. I know how physically and mentally demanding running a marathon could be so I was as encouraging as I could be.

I didn’t know if we would be on the course again or at the finish so I just told everyone to stay strong. We did end up finding one more place to stop, right at a water station around mile 18 right at the bottom of a big downhill. I didn’t bring my camera out with me at this stop. We saw Maureen again. Then Leo, solo. Then the rest of the crew. The husband said Leo was really struggling and decided to go ahead and run his own race. He was so focused he didn’t even see us on the side of the road! The crew was struggling and I wished I could jump in and run with them to encourage them to the finish. After this stop we headed into Downtown Sacramento to find a parking spot at the finish. We got there when the 4:30 finishers were approaching the finish line. We found a spot to spectate at the corner of 8th & L which is just right around the corner from the finish.

As the 5:00 finishers approached I was watching for Maureen but I must have missed her {sorry, I probably was too busy texting and missed you}. I was texting with the husband and he said the crew was struggling big time. Their pace had slowed drastically after I saw them around mile 18. Rene was cramping badly and Kat was having some stomach issues. The husband stuck with them encouraging them as much as possible. At mile 22 they convinced him to go ahead and finish his race. They were determined to finish but they didn’t want to hold him back. With just over 4 miles to go he knew they wouldn’t quit no matter what so he went ahead and finished in 5:27:13.

Shortly before we saw him on the final stretch to the finish our running coaches from The Running Zone met up with us to watch the finishers. I was humbled to be there watching everyone push to the final stretch. I remembered the emotions I felt those last few miles, blocks, steps, and down the finisher chute.

The husband sped by us in his speedy fashion and then made his way back over to where I was to what for everyone else. We saw some other friends finish and then Leo was there looking strong with a kick to the finish. The husband ran with him for the last block and then Leo sped off to finish in 5:46:35.

We waited for Kat & Rene and when the 6:00 finishers were going past us we started to walk up the street to look for them. The husband started to get worried and jogged back in their direction to find them. 10+ blocks later he caught up with them and ran with them towards the finish. They had been struggling but remained determined to finish --- not letting the bike cop make them get up on the sidewalk {the course has a 6 hour limit and the road was slowly re-opening behind our friend}. And finish they did in 6:27:17 {Rene} / 6:27:18 {Kat} … crossing the finish line holding hands!

2011 CIM Finishers!!!

Let me tell you that I had an amazing time spectating this race. No matter how disappointed I was that I wasn’t running the race I was so happy I got to see everyone and give them words of encouragement. In the future, if I’m not running this race I hope to be spectating it again. Though, I do hope for CIM redemption next December.

DNS: California International Marathon {12.04.11}

2011-12-09T09:21:00.001-08:00

DNS = Did Not Start … which I guess is better than DNF {Did Not Finish} at least in my case for this scenario. A DNS means I made the smarter choice … a DNF would have meant that I injured myself even more. I’m glad I choose DNS. Even though it was still an emotionally painful decision to make.

I spent the whole year looking forward to the fourth of December. I trained smart. I worked hard. I was looking for marathon redemption. I felt strong as a runner. I lost 15lbs. I was going to kick a** at CIM. I knew it. And then … it all fell apart.

So you’ve already read all about The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running {or you haven’t --- here is the gist of it: Gluteus Medius Syndrome as well as a possible stress fracture in outer right ankle & pinched sciatica due to piriformis syndrome in right buttock}. It was my demise. And very quickly I saw all my dreams shattered. For a while I maintained hope that after a few days, or weeks, I would feel better and that I would still be able to run the race but eventually I realized that it was best for me to sit it out.

The closer race day got the more at peace I became with my decision. I knew that attempting to run the race was a bad idea. I also knew that if I did attempt to run it then I could up with more severe injuries and prolong my healing time/return to running. I had already spent 5 weeks “off” and I didn’t want to have to start my “healing” period over since I had already “banked” so much time and was finally starting to feel better.

So, I continued to talk about race day strategy with the husband who declared that he was going to stick to our original plan and run with our running buddies for their first full marathons. I sent encouraging emails with race week and race day tips to my running buddies and friends running the race. I bought some poster board and made a spectating sign. I recruited my FIL and SIL to come out on the course with me to cheer on the husband, our friends, and all the other amazing marathoners. I went to the race expo and emotionally turned in my chip. I went through all the pre-race motions with the husband: pre-race pasta dinner the night before, staying up super late on Friday & getting up super early on Saturday so we’d be very tired and ready for bed early Saturday night {this works so well --- we were up till 1am Friday night and got up at 6am on Saturday, had a full & busy day and we were ready for bed at 7:30pm Saturday night which meant the husband got almost 7 hours of sleep before his race day 3am wake up call}.

And on race day, instead of running the race, I did the next best thing. I spectated with all my heart and love for running. I held my spectating sign proudly, cheered loudly for everyone, rang my cowbell fiercely … and I watched the emotions of pain, joy, love, defeat, and amazement on the faces of the husband, our friends, and all the other marathoners as they ran the race I love.

CIM, I’m coming for you next year. I will get my redemption. I will run this race again. And if for some reason I don’t … then I’ll be there to cheer everyone else on again.

Coming up … my CIM spectating recap!

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-08T11:33:00.001-08:00

1. Photo key for yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday: iPhone photo dump post

Did you know if you put a wooden spoon on top of a pot of boiling water then the water won’t boil over? #tipoftheday
Miss Lucy showing off her new pink fleece argyle sweater jacket :)
A decorated home in my neighborhood. Including music playing and three donation bins for food, clothes & jackets!
The spectator sign I made for CIM last Sunday.
Daily fruits & veggies. Un-pictured: mango {I had already eaten it} :)
Homemade Weight Watchers Vegetable Soup. Lunch of the week!

2. I’m feeling very uninspired lately to write. Which sucks because I’ve got some posts I really want to get finished and published :(

3. I haven’t started thinking about my Goals for 2012 yet. I haven’t even looked back at my 2011 Goals recently to see how I did. I know I didn’t cross off as much as I hoped. I’m thinking about scaling it way back next year. We’ll see … if I ever get around to do it.

Happy Thursday!
Got any great kitchen tips to share?
What’s on your mind today?

Wordless Wednesday: iPhone photo dump

2011-12-07T13:25:00.001-08:00

Fall Race Training: Wk20 {Rest Wk 5}

2011-12-07T07:02:00.001-08:00

This should have been CIM race week. Instead it was my 5th week of no running. I saw a physical therapist from Kaiser on Monday {November 28th} and he gave me some exercises/stretches to do daily. If you want details of the exercises/stretches --- click on the links to go to the Daily Mile entries :)

Wk20: 11.28.11 – 12.4.11

Monday 11.28

PT Exercises: 32min

#HBBC daily total = 2.5

Tuesday 11.29

PT Exercises: 27min

#HBBC daily total = 2.25

Wednesday 11.30

PT Exercises: 30min

Walk: 1.63/35:01

#HBBC daily total = 4.13

Thursday 12.01

PT Exercises: 28min

#HBBC daily total = 2.25

Friday 12.02

PT Exercises: 32min

Walk: 2.15/43:25

#HBBC daily total = 4.65

Saturday 12.03

PT Exercises: 28min

Walk: 1.67/35:48

#HBBC daily total = 2.92

Sunday 12.04

Lots of cheering & cow bell ringing along the CIM course :)

#HBBC daily total = 0 --- I didn’t even eat all my fruit/veggies :(

Total Miles = 5.45

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 4hrs 51min
Calories Burned =876

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 12

#HBBC points {11.28.11 – 12.04.11} = 18.7
#HBBC points to date {11.19.11 – 12.04.11} = 47.42

Race Recap: Run to Feed the Hungry 5k {11.24.11}

2011-12-06T12:35:00.001-08:00

Race: Run to Feed the Hungry

18th Annual; benefiting the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services

Date: Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Official Results: 3.10/57:04/18:23 avg
Garmin Results: 3.15/57:07/18:09 avg

This was our 5th year in a row participating in the Thanksgiving morning Run to Feed the Hungry race. This year we signed up to be on TEAM EXTREME from Off the Wall Soccer and we had originally planned to run the 10k. But, due to The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running we ended up walking the 5k instead.

This year was the first year in race history {18 years} that it rained! There were nearly 27,000 people registered {its the largest race in the Sacramento area} for the 5k and 10k races and more than $850,000 was raised for the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. The 10k started at 8:35am with the 5k starting at 9am. The 5k course was a bit different than it was the last time we ran it {2009} but it was still a great course weaving through East Sacramento.

Since we were on TEAM EXTREME we got free VIP parking right by the race start and we got to hang out in a VIP tent with water & snacks and propane heaters until the race started. This was super awesome since it was raining! There was also a line of VIP port-o-potties. We got to CSUS, where the parking is for the race and where the race starts, around 7:15am. We headed over to the VIP tent and hung out for a while and then after our team photo we headed back to our car to stay dry and warm until closer to the race start. Closer to 9am we got our rain jackets on and headed to line up for the race start. After a few words from the Mayor, Kevin Johnson, and a heartfelt rendition of the Star Spangled Banner we were off!

Its always a slow start at this race due to the large crowds. The rain had lightened to a slight drizzle. The husband and I joined hands and walked along together talking and enjoying the atmosphere. And we crossed the finish line, 3+ miles later, still holding hands!

Mile 1 – 18:02
Mile 2 – 18:11
Mile 3 – 18:15
Last 0.15 – 2:38

After we finished the race we walked back to our car and headed home to warm-up, shower, and finish cooking Thanksgiving dinner :)

This is my favorite race and I love starting Thanksgiving morning with this tradition with my husband!

Meal Plan Monday {Dec 5} + WW {Wk29}

2011-12-05T11:12:00.001-08:00

I’m looking forward to using up the last of the leftover turkey breast from Thanksgiving in a soup recipe this week. Last week the Turkey Noodle Soup {based on this recipe} turned out so good!

I’m also looking forward to making a big batch of Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup this week to eat for lunches. I’ll share the recipe if it turns out good :)

Monday ~ leftover buffet

We’ve got an assortment of leftovers in our fridge that need to get eaten {soup & salsa chicken from dinners last week; half a baked potato; pizza} so we’ll be eating all that up tonight!

Tuesday ~ Turkey Tortilla Soup

Based on THIS recipe but with shredded leftover turkey breast from Thanksgiving!

Wednesday ~ Spinach & Feta Pasta

I can not get enough of this yummy pasta dish! Its so simple and easy yet tastes so good :)

Thursday ~ leftover Turkey Tortilla Soup

Friday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce and turkey meatballs

Saturday ~ Tofu Fried Rice

I really like how versatile fried rice is as well as how quickly it comes together. We really enjoy both chicken and tofu in our fried rice and this week I decided to go with tofu {its cheap after all}.

Fried Rice

Ingredients:
cooking spray
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded or finely diced carrots
1 cup sliced scallions, divided
3 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup soy sauce
chicken or tofu

Directions:
Cook the eggs in a large non-stick pan with a couple of sprays of cooking spray until they are scrambled well. Remove from pan; set aside.

Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions; sauté until carrots are tender. Stir in tofu {cut into squares or crumbled} or chicken {cooked and diced or shredded}; after a few minutes add in the cooked rice, peas and soy sauce – cook until heated through. Gently add in the cooked eggs and remaining scallions until heat through.

Sunday ~ Turkey Burgers

What’s on your menu this week?
Got a favorite recipe that I’ve got to try? Please share :)

Don’t forget to check out the links … you never know what you might discover! There are some GREAT food and recipe blogs and websites out there :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 29 {11.28.11 – 12.04.11}
Weigh-in {12.05.11} = 136.8 lbs
Week 29 Less = –3 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –13.4 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 12 activity points
I exercised 6 out of 7 days
*Another week where I didn’t track everyday. With the change to the program my new daily points are 26 and I think this will help a lot but of course that means I need to start tracking everyday which is my downfall right now.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running

2011-12-04T05:42:00.001-08:00

What a fun journey this has been.

Before I discuss the new developments of the past couple of weeks lets back up just a little bit.

I first started having right leg issues back in the beginning of September right after I had an amazing 5k race --- it began as some major tightness in my right quad and groin muscle.

“Here is a diagram of where the quad/groin is hurting. Though its not as centralized since most of my quad was sore. My range of motion was limited but after some quality time with my Foam Roller and The Stick last night I have a lot of relief today. I am taking a rest day and plan to spend some time stretching and doing some light Yoga along with more time with the Foam Roller and The Stick. Usually when my groin muscle is hurting so is my sciatica and piriformis but I’m not having any pain in that area. But I am using my trusty tennis ball to roll the piriformis just in case though.” –09.07.11

I continued to have issues with my right quad & groin throughout September. I ran a 10 mile race with little issues but the tightness/pain would come and go. Sometimes it would hurt from the top of the groin all the way down the inside of my quad to the top of my knee; sometimes it would hurt all over in my quad; sometimes my IT band would tighten up and hurt; sometimes my hamstring was tight; sometimes my piriformis would tighten up. I kept pushing through it --- having good days … and bad days. I skipped some cross training, did lots of stretching, skipped a run.

“I’m skipping my planned tempo run today. My right leg is really bothering me. It manifests differently daily --- some days it hurts in my groin muscles, some days in my IT band, some days in my piriformis, some days in my hamstring. Its very strange. Today my hip is feeling super tight and I’ve got a case of dead leg feeling. And twinges in my groin muscle. I’ve been doing lots and lots of stretching and yoga moves, using the Foam Roller 3+ times a day, massaging my sciatica/piriformis with my tennis ball. I get temporarily relief from all of this but not lasting relief. I’m beginning to get worried that this is going to continue to linger and with my half marathon only 1.5 weeks away I decided it was well past time for me to take a break and see if I can get past this.” -09.22.11

Towards the end of September I ran a 10k race in my hometown with a 4 mile pre-race run. I didn’t mention anything about my leg in my race recap but I remember having a lot of tightness in my quad/groin before and after. Going into half marathon race week at the end of September I was feeling good. I ran a 7 miler the Tuesday before my half marathon and felt good and “my right quad felt tight but nothing like it has the past few weeks”. I also ran a 5 miler that week where my right quad was feeling “substantially better but no 100%”.

I started October with a 28+ minute PR at my half marathon. I felt good during the race --- my right leg didn’t bother me at all. As the afternoon after the race wore on, and the days that followed, I had some major soreness.

“I felt pretty good after the race on Sunday ... but as Sunday wore on I started to get more sore. I had taken an ice bath when we got home from the race, around 12:30pm, and by the evening my quads and IT bands were super tight so I took an Epsom salt bath too. My legs were very achy and woke me up a couple of times during the night --- especially the dead leg feeling in my right leg. My right quad/groin/IT band didn't bother me during the race but by Sunday night they were especially bothersome. By Monday morning I was so sore in my quads and IT bands --- I felt like I had done 1,000 squats. It must have been from powering up and down the hills at the race. Let me tell you --- I made those hills my b*&%^@#. I powered up each and every one as fast and hard as I could and then coasted down the downhills too. On Monday it hurt to squat down or bend over, and even to get into and out of my car. On Monday evening I took Lucy for a walk while my mom and her neighbor rode their bikes. I was super stiff and very sore but after a few minutes of walking I decided to jog a little bit. After a minute or two the stiffness wore off and although I remained sore I did feel a little better. Lucy and I ended up jogging/walking just over 2 miles total. Lucy had a blast ... and I hoped that by using the muscles that were hurting then maybe the soreness would wear off sooner.” –10.05.11

The soreness from the half marathon wore off by the end of the week. I ran some 800 repeats when I was still super sore and then a 5 mile tempo run where I felt achy and sore. I started to increase my mileage for CIM and ran 18 miles --- I remember feeling good and only have some mild tightness in my right quad. This was our first long training run with our CIM training buddies and we did run/walk intervals of 9:1. About a week after my half marathon my symptoms changed.

“The right quad is no longer giving me any issues but the issue has now moved more inside on the groin {where I’ve been having some twitching issue occasionally} and to behind the knee which is very troublesome. Also, when I am using the foam roller on my hamstrings I get a painful sensation at the top of the right hamstring where the hamstring meets the buttocks. I have no idea what this is or how to relieve it. Using the foam roller makes it hurt too much and does not give relief. I am assuming its related to the groin issue. I noticed after doing some regular squats and door knob assisted deep squats yesterday that I have additional relief in my right leg.” –10.11.11

So the tightness in my quad went away but the tightness in my groin increased and I started getting some tightness directly behind my knee from my hamstring to my calf. It didn’t hurt but it affected my range of motion. Then a few days later I did a tempo run and felt fine “not 100% but its feeling better each day”. I did another 18 mile long run and felt ok – I remember I had the tightness behind my knee but after a mile or two it went away. I also remember that I was more sore than usual for a day or two after my second 18 miler. The tightness behind my knee from the hamstring to the calf started to extend down into my lower calf at the top of my Achilles tendon.

“The tightness in my right calf and pain behind my knee started almost immediately and gradually got worse as the workout progressed. Thankfully the groin/quad issue I was dealing with for the past few weeks is now gone. Unfortunately it seems it has been replaced with this new issue in my calf and behind the knee. I have a feeling its all related in some way or another.” –10.18.11

The circled area shows where the tightness was centralized

On October 19th I talked about my leg issues in detail: When life gives you lemons. I talked about how the issues had changed during the previous few weeks and that I had made an appointment with a local sports doctor for a consultation. I remained optimistic and hopeful that the doc would be able to help me figure out what was going on. During our 20 mile long run I experienced some issues but “Overall I felt pretty good during the whole run. I had some tightness in my right leg {the leg that has been giving me issues} but nothing too troublesome or severe. Occasionally my calf would get tense and shot pains up and down my leg up but only if I had been stopped for longer than a minute or two”.

On Monday October 24th I had my first appointment with the sports doctor. We talked about my issues; he watched me run and gave me some pointers about my form; he had me do some “tests” to gauge when and where pain began; and he did some soft tissue work {using Active Release Techniques (ART)} on my right leg. He encouraged me to run as long as I didn’t have any pain and I made a follow up appointment for the next week. I did an easy 3 mile run the next day where my right left felt tight but I didn’t have any the of pain/tightness I had been having. Then I did an easy 5 mile run:

“Once I got started on my run I focused on my leg and how it was feeling and on my running form. With focusing on my form I have not been obsessing about my pace as much lately. I was feeling sooo good going into this run. I had two days off from running and the only activity I did in those two days was one long leisure walk with the puppy. My legs felt fresh and after my treatment on Monday I was feeling 99% better.” –10.29.11

However, as that run progressed things started to go down hill:

“As my run progressed so did the pressure like feeling and tightness in my lower calf and whole right leg overall. I continued to walk after each mile and even had to stretch a few times. Towards the end of the last mile I started to get some shooting pains down the middle of my calf and up my groin muscle too.” –10.29.11

After that run the pain in my calf and upper Achilles got worse and it remained tight and sore the next day too. It felt like a ton of pressure was being applied to the back of the calf and the shin bone. That was two days {10.28.11} before the last time I ran {10.30.11}.

On Sunday October 30th I ran the Lake Natoma Four Bridges Half Marathon. I declared that it was the worst race ever. I felt ok when the race started with some tightness in my right leg mostly in my calf and behind my knee. By mile 4 I needed to walk and by mile 5 I switched to a run/walk of 4:1 {often with more walking than that} because I was having pain in the lower part of my calf and around the outside of my ankle and the inside of my shin just under the knee. By mile 10 I had started to limp due to the pain in my shin. I really struggled physically and mentally and was so grateful for my running buddy Kat. I finished, but it was not easy and it was painful.

The next day I went to see my sports doc. We talked about my week, the race, and how I was feeling. Then I got another ART treatment on my leg. The doc gave me some exercises to start doing daily and told me to return to activity as soon as I could without pain. At this point I was limping, badly, due to the pain I was having on the outside of my right ankle. I was also sore from the race and the ART treatment and the new exercises I was doing. I tried walking a few times that week but I had a lot of pain.

The following week I went for another appointment with my sports doc. He said that both my aching knee and ankle were 100% stable and cleared me to run. I had taken the entire week off other than a couple of easy walks and my daily exercises the doc gave me. However, I attempted two test runs that week and both were big fat epic failures. I reported back to my doc via email about my attempted runs and he made the suggestion for me to go see my primary care physician to rule out a more serious injury. By this point, I had been “resting” for two weeks. The following Monday {November 14th} I went to see the sports doc again and he again advised me to go see my primary care physician. Instead of working on my lower leg he focused on my back, hip, and glute and sent me on my way. When I got home from his office I made an appointment at Kaiser and was able to see my primary care doctor that same afternoon. After my initial visit, she sent me downstairs for x-ray’s of my ankle and knee. A few days later I got an email from my Kaiser doc {I love that they use email to correspond} where she informed me that my x-ray’s came back clear and that she was referring me to a Kaiser sports specialist whom I saw the following Monday {November 21st}. My appointment with the sports specialist went well. She went over all my x-ray’s with me, we discussed all my issues from way back in September, and she had me do a series of “tests” as I call them --- balance tests, squat tests, flexibility tests, etc. She said that even though my x-ray was clear that she felt confident that I might in fact have a stress facture on the outside of my right ankle and that the lump and pain in my right upper shin was a nerve issue. She said I had very weak hips and glutes that cause my right knee to turn in. She also said my IT bands were very tight on both legs and that I had Gluteus Medius Syndrome.

From my handout regarding Gluteus Medius Syndrome:

“Gluteus medius syndrome is characterized by inflammation and pain at the outer hip caused by strain of the gluteus medius muscle and its tendon attachment to the femur. The gluteus medius muscle attaches the pelvis to the outer hip. This muscle stabilizes the hip when walking, running and jumping, and moving the leg and thigh away from the other leg and thigh.”

“Common signs and symptoms: pain and often a limp when walking or running; tenderness over the outer hip; pain, tenderness, swelling, warmth, or redness over the outer thigh, often worsened by moving the hip; weakness of the hip {especially when spreading the legs and hips with resistance}.”

“Expected outcome: Healing time varies but usually averages 2 to 6 weeks.”

The Kaiser sports specialist gave me a referral to the Kaiser sports physical therapist and gave me some stretches to do until my first visit with the PT. She also advised me to stop using the elliptical as it was causing me some discomfort the past couple of times I used it and therefore it might be too much impact at this time and to not run or do any activity that caused any pain.

The following Monday {November 28th} I went for my first appointment with the Kaiser PT. We met for about 45 minutes where we discussed my symptoms and history and he put me through the same balance, stability and mobility tests. He prescribed me a series of exercises to do, daily, as well as a few stretches.

~exercises daily
~stretches daily, 3-4 times
~ice shin and ankle daily
~no running for another 4-6 weeks
~use the stationary bike for cardio
~stop doing all other strength exercises, for now
~follow up in 2 weeks
~walk but only if no pain during or after
~avoid shifting weight when standing

The Kaiser PT had me do some balance/stability moves and as I would slowly lower into a one legged squat on my right leg my right knee turned so far inward. Its amazing the things you realize/see/feel when someone else points them out to you.

Throughout all this time I have also been having lower back pain and severe tightness in my right buttock/hip as well a dead leg/tingling feeling in my right leg. I discussed this, in great detail, with both the Kaiser sports specialist and the Kaiser PT. The PT said it was likely that I was also suffering from piriformis syndrome and that my piriformis muscle {in the butt} is likely pinching or crushing my sciatic nerve and that the exercises he gave me for my weak hip/glutes will help to alleviate the issue.

The sciatic nerve issue could be the route issue for all my right leg problems!

So, that’s where I’m at. Its been 35 days {5 weeks} since I last ran. I go back for a follow up appointment with the PT on December 12th and a follow up appointment with the sports specialist on December 22nd. I have not been back to see the other sports doc, for now.

I am feeling better each day. My ankle pain is almost gone but I still have some pain/tenderness/soreness in my shin area. The two areas of “pain” in my ankle and shin are in the circled areas in the figure below, both of which can be attributed to or related to the nerve issue:

I’ve been doing the exercises/stretches the PT gave me DAILY as well as some stretches for my piriformis and my back. I’ve also gone on a couple of walks and been mostly pain free. My ankle hasn’t bothered me at all on or after the walks but the shin area has. I haven’t yet attempted to ride the stationary bike for cross training but I hope to give that a shot next week. My back pain has significantly decreased as well has the tingling in my right leg and the tightness in my right buttock but they are not gone completely. I feel like I’m making progress.

Today I was suppose to run the California International Marathon but I’m going to sit it out instead and go out and cheer on my friends and the husband as they run instead and I hope to get back to running by the end of the year or the first of the new year. I’ll update again after my next PT appointment on December 12th.

Three Things Thursday

2011-12-01T08:04:00.001-08:00

Update on my leg: I’m working on a post that talks all about my injuries, doctor visits, diagnosis, therapy, and rehab. I hope to have it up soon.

1. I caught on fire when I was pulling the last dish out of the oven on Thanksgiving. It was scalloped potatoes and I had moved them up to the top rack just under the broiler to for the last few minutes and when I went to pull them out both of my pot holders caught on fire from touching the heating element! I had to quickly blow them out without freaking out and dropping the heavy glass casserole dish. It was quite exciting. LOL. Speaking of Thanksgiving, all the dishes I made turned out perfectly. We had a great feast and I really enjoyed having my mom in town to help me in the kitchen. You can see all the recipes I used HERE.

2. I finally finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I really enjoyed this book even though it took me a few months to get through it {I normally only read it when I was eating} I recommend it. Its an easy read with really great and inspiring ideas. I’ve talked before about some of the principles {One Minute Rule} from the book that I’ve applied to my own life. {And I just realized that I haven’t updated My Bookshelf in a while so I just did that too}.

3. Today we will be going to get our Christmas tree! Its tradition that we purchase our tree on Dec 1st and decorate. I’m really excited! Yesterday I packed away all my harvest/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations and today I’ll spend some time cleaning/dusting and getting ready for Christmas decorations. After we pick out our tree we’ll come home and make hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music while we decorate. I love the Holiday season :)

Happy Thursday!
What’s on your mind today?

Fall Race Training: Wk19 {Rest Wk4}

2011-11-29T15:55:00.001-08:00

Another week with no running. I had an appointment on Monday the 21st with a Kaiser sports medicine doctor. I skipped the gym all week; I’ve noticed I tend to slack off when the husband is off work {he had vacation all week for the Thanksgiving holiday}. I continue to feel better as each week progresses but the ankle pain is still lingering as is the pain in the shin {just below the knee on the upper inner shin}.

Wk19: 11.21.11 – 11.27.11

Monday 11.21

Rest

#HBBC daily total = 1 {F&V}

Tuesday 11.22

Walk: 1.62/34:40

#HBBC daily total = 1.62 {walk}

Wednesday 11.23

Walk: 1.41/36:27

Hip/Glute/IT Band Stretches & Exercises: 40min

#HBBC daily total = 1.41 {walk} + 2 {40min stretching} + 1 {F&V} = 4.41

Thursday 11.24 – Thanksgiving

Run to Feed the Hungry 5k: 3.15/57:07/18:09 avg

#HBBC daily total = 3.15 {5k walk} + 1 {F&V} = 4.15

Friday 11.25

Rest

#HBBC daily total = 1 {F&V}

Saturday 11.26

Leisure walk around town for Dickens Faire: 2.75 miles total

#HBBC daily total = 2.75 {walk} + 1 {F&V} = 3.75

Sunday 11.27

Rest

#HBBC daily total = 0

Total Miles = 8.93

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 2hrs, 35min
Calories Burned = 605

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 11

#HBBC Points {11.21.11-11.27.11} = 15.93
#HBBC Points to date {11.19.11 – 11.27.11} = 31.64

Meal Plan Monday {Nov 28} + WW {Wk 28}

2011-11-28T14:03:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was a success! I spent most of the week leading up to Thursday in the kitchen prepping and I’m so glad I did because it sure made Thanksgiving day that much easier. I’m very happy with all the recipes I used this year {Traditional Crock Pot Stuffing, Alton Brown’s Best Ever Green Bean Casserole, Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions, Martha Stewart’s Fool Proof Pie Crust, Traditional Apple Pie filling}. I definitely overestimated how much turkey we needed which meant my mom got to take a lot of turkey home with her for leftovers and we still have a lot left which I plan to put to good use this week in a soup recipe.

We spent the day after Thanksgiving lounging around the house watching an all day Storage Wars marathon on A&E and eating leftovers. On Saturday we spent the day with my MIL at the Dickens Faire and on Sunday we did a little bit of Christmas decoration shopping after we discovered our outdoor lights no longer worked and we needed new ones.

Monday ~ Turkey Noodle Soup

I’ll be loosely following this recipe but I’ll cook it on the stove top and I’ll be using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

Tuesday ~ Spinach & Feta Pasta

Wednesday ~ Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Either over rice or in tortillas

Thursday ~ leftovers

Friday ~ Pasta with marinara sauce & Trader Joe’s turkey meatballs

Pre-race carb up day #1

Saturday ~ leftover pasta with marinara sauce

Pre-race carb up day #2

Sunday ~ out for post race pizza

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 28 {11.21.11 – 11.27.11}
Weigh-in {11.28.11} = 138.8 lbs
Week 28 Gain = +2.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –11.4 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 11 activity points
I exercised 4 out of 7 days
*Thanksgiving week. I didn’t track. I didn’t watch my portions. End of story.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Three Things Thursday: the THANKSGIVING edition

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

1. Happy Thanksgiving.

I hope everyone has a very happy & thankful Thanksgiving. This year I plan to spend some time reflecting and being thankful for all the wonderful blessings in my life. I will enjoy spending time with my husband and family members that are joining us while keeping those I love who I am not with today in my thoughts & prayers. However you spend your day ~ I hope its blessed and joyful.

This morning the husband & I will be joining thousands of others as we fill the streets of East Sac for the Run to Feed the Hungry. This race was the first race the husband & I participated in together and this year is our 5th year in a row. We are walking the 5k {due to my leg rebellion against running} with TEAM EXTREME from Off the Wall Soccer.

2. Being Thankful.

I’m so very thankful, and grateful, for my amazing husband. I feel very lucky each and every day to share my life with him and to have him as a partner as we build our lives together. I’m thankful that he has a job he loves and that he is the yin to my yang in every single way.

I’m thankful for my health and happiness. This year has been not been easy but instead of dwelling on the hardships I want to be thankful for what I do have.

I’m thankful for my amazing family and wonderful friends. I feel very blessed to have such a huge extended family all across this country, and world, as well as cherished friends both new and old. I keep all my family & friends in my thoughts and prayers on this Thanksgiving day, and always.

I’m thankful for the amazing blogging community, the friends I have made through it and their amazing kindness and support :)

3. “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6

Fall Race Training: Wk18 {Rest Wk3}

2011-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

This week I came down with some flu like symptoms on Tuesday night and spent Wednesday & Thursday feeling awful and laying around the house taking cold medicine every 6-8 hours. I felt better by Friday and was able to workout. The #HBBC started on Saturday and I made sure to get myself out the door for a slow walk and then I ended the week with my final 5k race of the year that I walked. Have I said lately how much I miss running?!?

I did some test run strides on Monday that felt better than any other test strides have yet but it was still painful. On Sunday after the 5k race I did some more test run strides and felt much better but the pain returned when I stopped.

On Monday the 21st I had an appointment with a Sports Doc through Kaiser and I start physical therapy on Monday the 28th. Its been 3+ weeks since I last ran {24 days at the time of publishing this post}.

Wk18: 11.14.11 – 11.20.11

Monday 11.14

Elliptical: 65min/5.23 miles

Stationary bike: 12min/1.8 miles

Weight Training {31min}

Test Run {strides}: 0.20/3:34

Walk: 1.05/25:22

Tuesday 11.15

Elliptical: 70min/5.58 miles

Stationary Bike: 35min/5.47 miles

Hip/Glute/Core Exercises {30:00}

Walk: 1.01/22:30

Wednesday 11.16

REST

Thursday 11.17

REST

Friday 11.18

Stationary Bike: 22min/3.96 miles

Elliptical: 65min/5.41 miles

Weight Training {13:45}

Hip/Glute/Core Exercises {30:00}

Saturday 11.19

First day of #HBBC

Walk: 2.35/49:39

#HBBC daily total: 2.35+1 = 3.35

Sunday 11.20

Race Recap: Elk Grove Fun Run #4

3.10/55:56/18:02 avg

Test Run Strides: 0.26/3:13

Elliptical: 60min/4.69 miles

#HBBC daily total = 3.10+0.26+4+1 = 8.36

Total Miles = 7.97

Daily Mile Stats:
Total Time = 9hrs, 54min
Calories Burned = 4015

Weight Watchers Activity Points Earned = 32

#HBBC points earned {starting 11.19} = 11.71 + 2 = 13.71
+2 bonus points for having the badge on my blog

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

Happy {almost} Thanksgiving!

Race Recap: Elk Grove Fun Run #4 {11.20.11}

2011-11-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

Race: Elk Grove Fun Run #4

Hosted by The Running Zone for The Running Free Foundation {Connecting Kids in Need with the Soles for Running --- donating shoes to needy Sacramento County student athletes}

Date: Sunday, November 20th, 2011

Official Results:

3.10 / 55:56 / 18:02 average
Females 30-35: 9/9
Overall: 112/125

The fourth and final Elk Grove Run Run 5k for 2011 was held on Sunday, November 20th. Even though I’m still dealing with The Right Leg Rebellion Against Running I still walked the race in order to complete the 4 race series for 2011 and earn my All-Series Participant plaque.

It was chilly on race morning and rain was predicted. Luckily we didn’t get rained on but since we were walking {the husband walked with me} we bundled up with long sleeve shirts, rain jackets, beanies, gloves, etc.

Don’t let that blue sky fool you; it was actually very dark & grey out but the blue sky showed up in the photo

We got to the race location about a half hour before the 8am race start. The Running Zone was collecting turkey donations for the Elk Grove Food Bank so we dropped off an 18lb frozen turkey to donate and collected our race bibs and still had plenty of time to hang out and chat with some fellow running buddies.

The race started right on time. I let my leg decide how fast I was going to walk and a few times I had to slow it down but overall I didn’t have any issues. But, I had taken a few Advil before the race and I had the husband wrap my ankle in an ace bandage.

Right after the two mile marker we jogged just a little bit to “test” the leg. It felt good but hurt when I stopped. Shortly after this our running buddy and CIM training partner Kat came back out on the course to walk with us after she had finished the race. A few minutes later our other running buddy and CIM training partner Rene caught up to us too {she ran 4 miles before the race and started the race late then ran the 5k until she caught up and then walked with us} and the four of us finished the race together. We were able to jog the last 0.10 to the finish!

Garmin Results: 3.10/56:04/18:05 avg

Mile 1 – 17:48
Mile 2 – 18:30
Mile 3 – 18:04
Last 0.10 – 1:41

After the race we hung out for the raffle and then received our All-Series Participant Award plaques. After the award ceremony the husband and I did a few run strides to test out my leg {after I removed the ace bandage that ended up being too tight and caused me pain the last mile of the race}. I felt good, the best I have yet on any test strides, but had aching and pain in my calf, shin and ankle when I stopped and for a few hours after the race. I ended up going to the gym later in the evening and my lower leg ached the whole time I was on the elliptical and I had pain when I got home for the rest of the evening. I had an appointment with a Sports Doctor through Kaiser on Monday which I plan to talk about more later. I’m on the mend but I think its going to be a long, bumpy ride to full recovery. I’ve got another race this week {the Run to Feed the Hungry} on Thanksgiving morning which I plan to walk the 5k {originally we were going to run the timed 10k} that I’m really looking forward to. Running CIM is going to be a last minute decision depending on how my leg feels and how my next doctor appointment goes {next Monday with a physical therapist}. Right now I’m 50/50 on the fence about it.

Meal Plan Monday {Nov 21} + WW {Wk27}

2011-11-21T07:50:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Its going to be a busy week. I’m going to fully take advantage of my open availability and do a lot of food prep in advance this week so that cooking on Thanksgiving will be easier!

Monday

AM – Doctors appt; PM – trip to Costco

Clean & chop all veggies for meals this week & for Thanksgiving {celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms, peppers, parsley}

Cook 1lb black beans

Clean bathrooms

Tuesday

Early AM – take Dad to airport; PM – pick up race packets for Thursday

Take Turkey Breasts out of the freezer; put in fridge when mostly de-thawed

Make pie crust; refrigerate until Wednesday

Hard boil 24 eggs

Boil macaroni salad noodles

Pre-mix deviled eggs filling

Clean guest room; change sheets

Clean master bedroom

Sweep & mop kitchen

Wednesday

Make chili in crock pot

Clean living room, entry way & hallways

Spot clean bathrooms & kitchen

Laundry

Make apple pie

Make Macaroni Salad {after mom arrives}

Make Deviled Eggs & Cream Cheese Roll Ups {after mom arrives}

Make Biscuits {to go with chili dinner}

Thursday

Start Turkey Breasts before leaving for race

Start stuffing in the crock pot before leaving for race

Walk the 5k at the RUN TO FEED THE HUNGRY with TEAM EXTREME

Shower, cook, eat, clean, relax :)

Monday ~ Tofu Sloppy Joe’s

I enjoy finding new ways to use tofu as a meat replacement so last week when we were eating Tofu Tacos I mentioned to the husband that I thought tofu would be good in Sloppy Joe’s. I Google’d it and found many variations but decided to go with the traditional recipe in one of my cookbooks. I’ll share the recipe if it turns out good :)

Tuesday ~ leftovers

I know that we’ll have enough leftovers from Monday which will be good since I plan to spend a good chunk of time on Tuesday doing prep work for the Thanksgiving dishes.

Wednesday ~ Buffalo Chicken Chili

We really enjoyed this when we made it a couple of weeks ago and it makes A LOT so I figured it would be a perfect simple crockpot meal to make while I’m busy in the kitchen doing more prep work for Thanksgiving and cleaning my house while awaiting my mom & step-dad’s arrival.

Thursday ~ THANKSGIVING

All the prep work and planning comes down to this one meal. I couldn’t be more excited!

In 2008 & 2009 I cooked turkey breasts in the crock pot for just me and the husband. In 2010 I cooked a full size turkey for us and my mom & step-dad with my moms assistance. This year I’m cooking two 7+lb turkey breasts for us along with my mom & step-dad and my MIL.

Appetizers/Snacks

Brie Cheese swirled with Cranberries served with crackers

Onion Dip served with chips {MIL is bringing this}

Deviled Eggs

Cream Cheese Roll Ups

Main Courses

Turkey Breasts

Traditional Crock Pot Stuffing

Best Ever Green Bean Casserole {Alton Brown recipe}

Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Macaroni Salad {family recipe}

Cranberry Sauce {canned; my mom is bringing this for my step-dad}

Rolls {store bought potato rolls}

Dessert

Apple Pie {filling recipe HERE} with Martha Stewart’s Foolproof Pie Crust served with vanilla ice cream

Friday ~ leftovers

Yum, leftovers.

Saturday ~ Spaghetti

I’m not sure how much leftovers we will have so I put some simple dishes on the meal plan for the weekend but we’ll eat leftovers until they are gone :)

Sunday ~ Tomato Orzo Soup {freezer}

When I made this last week I froze most of it. Its always nice to have homemade soup on hand for easy meals.

What’s on your Thanksgiving menu?
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Don’t forget to check out the links … you never know what you might discover! There are some GREAT food blogs & recipe websites out there :)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Weight Watchers Week 27 {11.14.11 – 11.20.11}
Weigh-in {11.21.11} = 136.6 lbs
Week 27 Loss = –0.2 lbs
Total Weight Loss = –13.6 lbs
Starting Weight {05.16.11} = 150.2 lbs
I earned 32 activity points
I exercised 5 out of 7 days
*I only tracked fully tracked on Monday & Tuesday. I tracked most of Wednesday until we ended up going out to eat for dinner. Then we ate out again on Thursday & Saturday. My goal for Thanksgiving week is to track all my food on Monday-Wednesday and be mindful when eating/snacking during the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend. Starting next week my plan is to fully get back on track --- no eating out, no candy, and no alcohol; and track all food until Christmas. I’d like to get back below 135 before the end of the year.
*Previous WW recaps can be found HERE.

Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2011

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of the HBBC. This will be my third year participating in the challenge. I think its a fun way to stay active during the holiday season. And, it reminds me to eat my fruit & veggies before grabbing for snacks and treats :)

The HBBC is hosted by Amanda at Run to the Finish. This year there are three levels of participants: Builders, Doers, & Advanced. I choose the Advanced group because, at the time, I was in marathon training mode and because I’m active almost everyday.

The challenge runs from November 19th thru January 6th.

The HBBC works like this: you earn “points” for activities

1 point per mile {run/walk}

1 point per 3 miles biked

1 point per 20min of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs

1 point per 15min of low impact cardio {low impact aerobics, easy biking, skiing, skating, water aerobics, snow shoeing}

1 point per 10min of high impact cardio {spinning, kickboxing, lap swimming}

1 point per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits/veggies

Servings sizes for fruit/veggies:
- 1/2 cup of fruit
- 1 medium piece of fruit
- 1/4 cup of dried fruit
- 3/4 cup {6 ounces} of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
- 1 cup of leafy vegetables
- 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables

Anyone is eligible to participate and you can join at any time by going HERE {only participants who start by Nov 22 will be eligible for the final overall prizes}.

What are you doing to stay active during the holiday season?

Friday Favorites

2011-11-18T08:30:00.001-08:00

Well, since I’m not running I feel like I don’t have a lot to talk about.

Sooooo … I thought it would be fun to do a Friday Favorites post with a few of my current favorite things :)

1. Candy Cane Hershey Kisses
This bag only lasted 4 days in our house!

2. My new fleece heated blanket
Even if the kitty steals it allllll the time! Its almost the end of Thanksgiving and I’ve yet to turn on our heater or pellet stove. The lowest its been in our house is 60 degrees and I’ve bundled up with many layers and this new blanket to warm up.

3. Extra blankets for a cozy bed
We’ve got 3 blankets + a heated blanket in addition to our regular sheets and comforter on our bed. We like it cold in our bedroom when we are sleeping and we sleep with the fans on and one window cracked. Brrrrr :)

4. Fall decorations!

5. My new boots!
I’ve got quite a little collection started … not pictured are my knee high stiletto boots that I bought last year :)

6. New sweaters & scarves for fall & winter!
I’ve been shopping way toooooo much lately.

7. Homemade “Peppermint Mochas”!
I saw someone post this on Facebook the other day --- brewed mint tea with a packet of hot chocolate and milk --- so I tried it this morning and I’m in LOVE. Soooo yummy :)

8. Cold medicine.
Not really a “favorite” since I hate to be sick but its been necessary this week. I’m feeling better today than I was yesterday, thankfully :)

What are some of your favorite things right now?

Three Things Thursday

2011-11-17T07:53:00.001-08:00

1. While eating Tofu Tacos on Tuesday night I mentioned to the husband that I thought crumbled extra firm tofu would be a great substitute for meat {beef, chicken, or turkey} in Sloppy Joe’s. Of course I had to Google it and low and behold I was not the first person to think this! Regardless … its on the menu for next week :) --- I’ll share the recipe if it turns out good.

2. Speaking of menus … I spent a good chuck of my Wednesday morning get my Thanksgiving recipes and grocery shopping list ready. We’ve already got two frozen turkey breasts in the freezer but we’ll be getting the rest of the ingredients for the big meal this weekend when we do our regular grocery shopping. Since I have all the time in the world right now I am going to really put it to good use next week and do lots of prep in advance. Like clean & chop all the veggies, hard boil all the eggs, and make the chicken stock before my mom & step-dad arrive on Wednesday. I plan to spend Wednesday baking a pie and prepping any food that I can since I’ll be gone most of the morning on Thanksgiving for the Run to Feed the Hungry --- this will the 5th year in a row that me & the husband have participated in the race on Thanksgiving morning! It was actually the first race we ever did together back in 2007! I’ll post all the details for my Thanksgiving meal plan next Monday for Meal Plan Monday :)

3. Today I plan to spend today in bed curled up with lots of hot tea and the puppy & kitty while watching TV/movies since yesterday afternoon I started coming down with flu-y symptoms. I’ve got an arsenal of DayQuil & NightQuil and I hope to be feeling better soon. I took advantage of some time this morning right after taking DayQuil when I was feeling “better” to prep all the veggies for dinner tonight just in case I feel worse later. I’m looking forward to a big bowl of Tomato Orzo Soup for dinner. Its been a long time since I’ve felt this sick. I blame the lack of running {its been 18 days} and I probably picked this little virus up while sitting in the doctors office on Monday :(

Happy Thursday!
What’s on your mind today?

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T13:29:00.001-08:00

J+J Chronicles: Getting to know us

2011-11-15T15:13:00.001-08:00

Subtitle: Trying not to think about not being able to run

Here’s a fun little questionnaire about the husband & I and our relationship. I saved this ages ago and I can not remember where I got it from.

Getting to Know Us

How long have you been together?

The husband & I started dating in March 2005 & got married in March 2009 :)

How long did you know each other before you started dating?

A while but we don’t know exactly how long. I worked with the husband best friend and that’s how we met. It was at least a year, if not more.

The husband & his best friend who was the best man at our wedding

Who asked who out?

The husband asked me out! We went to dinner & out for drinks. Very low key. Very perfect :)

Did you go to the same school?

College? Yes. We’re both proud alum’s from CSUS.

Who is the most sensitive?

Duh, me.

Where do you eat out the most together?

SUSHI. We LOVE going out for sushi.

Where is the furthest you have traveled together?

Maui for our honeymoon!

Who has the worst tempter?

Duh, me. Again. I have been known to have an awful temper … but it seems that as I am getting older {you know, I’m the wise old age of 31 now} my temper is calming down.

Who does the cooking?

95% of the time its me. If we BBQ something then the husband takes care of it. Occasionally he’ll do the cooking but if I don’t feel like cooking for some reason or another then it usually means that we end up going out or the husband does a bang up job of heating up something in the microwave.

Who is more social?

The husband! He is a social butterfly where I’m much more shy and reserved.

Who is the neat freak?

Definitely me. And freak is the right word to describe it.

Who is the most stubborn?

Definitely me again. Super duper stubborn. End of story.

Who hogs the bed?

The DOG, Lucy, when she sleeps with us. Otherwise neither of us. We’ve got a HUGE bed and we both pretty much stick to our sides when we are sleeping.

Who wakes up earlier?

Well I’m definitely more of an early riser but since I’m not working I have been sleeping in more often while the husband gets up to run {at 4am} or to go to work {at 5:30am on non-run days}.

Where was your first date?

Dinner at Rubicon Brewery and drinks at Chargins.

How long did it take to get serious?

A couple of months and within a year we had moved in together.

Who eats more?

The husband.

Who does the laundry?

98% of the time its me but occasionally the husband will take care of it if I ask him. I try to avoid asking him since we’ve had a few mishaps with him leaving items in his pockets in the past.

Who drives when you are together?

The husband drives more than I do. I prefer it that way. I don’t know why.

Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?

The husband. Probably because he doesn’t like my mean streak and awful temper :)

Who wears the pants in your relationship?

We definitely share all responsibilities in our relationship and we don’t make any decisions without consulting each other. We have built a wonderful partnership and I’m lucky to have such an amazing husband along in this journey called life.

Who eats more sweets?

ME. Well, we both do. Seriously. We LOVE sweets. LOVE.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NOW, your turn! If you do the questionnaire please come back and leave me a link in the comments so I can read it :)