Marathon Monday: Training Week #5

Last week, the weather threw a curveball at us; lots of snow followed by an entire day of ICE!

Needless to say, Brandon and I made the smart decision to spend Tuesday and Wednesday inside resting so we could get back to running on Thursday. 

Our run on Thursday was awesome. I don't know if it was the two days of rest beforehand or the fact that we were running on snowless streets rather than snowy sidewalks. Probably a little of both. It was a tempo run that we absolutely killed. Now, I know most of my running friends run faster than 10 minute miles, but our goal pace for tempo runs is a 10:15/mile.

We did five solid miles averaging about a 9:35/mile pace on Thursday! With the first a slow warm-up, here were our splits:

I think I'm still in shock!

For those of you who were in Northeast Ohio this weekend, you know it snowed all day on Saturday. Our 10-miler started out really nicely, with no snow on the roads. About halfway through we were getting pelted in the face with little ice-balls and the roads were getting slick. Finishing that run felt awesome! We followed it up by sharing a (saved from Christmas) Great Lakes Christmas Ale!

This week, it's just going to be cold. All week. I can hope the the roads will be clear, but those hopes will likely be dashed by the Cleveland Weather Gods. I'm looking forward to an easy weekday runs (except for our 800s) and an easy weekend run.

In other news, I'm up to 25 push-ups in a row! I've started the path of strength training, sans gym and I am absolutely loving it. 

Oh, and for the record, I did my push-ups routine in the fireproof room in my office last Friday after work. We really need an office workout room. 

Peace, Love & Bagels,

Maple Sweet Potato Mini Muffins

I had a hankering for muffins the other day. And I haven't posted a recipe in a while.

A friend brought Brandon and I muffins this past summer and we pan-fried them in an eesy-weensy bit of coconut oil and spread jelly all over them. It was a post-run breakfast that with right on target.

Speaking of "eensy-weensy" I got some mini muffin tins for Christmukkah this year. I have not used them yet.

What can I make the uses my mini muffin tins, requires pan frying in coconut oil, and makes use of various baking items that are simply lying around my kitchen?

Maple Sweet Potato Mini Muffins, of course!
(this recipe is adapted from Happy Herbivore)

Ingredients:

• 2 prepared flax eggs
• 1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup demara or turbinado sugar
• 1 cup sweet potato, mashed
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease muffin pan or spray paper cups with oil-spray to prevent sticking. In a small bowl, prepare "eggs" and set aside. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sweet potato or pumpkin, applesauce and maple syrup on top. Then add "eggs" and stir until just combined. Gently spoon the mixture into the cups of mini muffin pan, filling 3/4 of the way. Baking 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

My thoughts: in my next batch of these, I think I'm going to add some raw cacao nibs or maybe even some chopped dates. I absolutely love the flavor of these muffins, but they feel like they need something else...

Also, please don't mind that my white balance is all kinds of messed up on these pictures. Someday I'll figure out how to program my camera manually.

Exercise Therapy

I look at running as meditation. It allows me to decompress, download, and get rid of a lot of negative stuff. That's my secret. I go inside myself. 

-Jeff Corwin, American animal and nature conservationist

I started seriously running between my sophomore and junior year in college to stay in shape for lacrosse season. I remember when a 2 mile run was a struggle for me; I never would have thought I’d want to run a half marathon, let alone a marathon!

No matter what, even though on some days I hate having to force myself out for a run, even when I’m burnt out or injured…I always find my way back to running. I’ve come to realize that it’s become a form of therapy for me.

Here are some of the therapeutic values of running:

·         Running gives me time to think. Whether it’s coming up with ideas for dinner, planning a yoga sequence or just filtering events of the day, it gives me time to really get into my head and understand what I’m thinking and feeling. I don’t run alone much anymore, but even the moments when I’m not talking to Brandon, I have the time to go deep into the folds of my brain.

·         Running gives me time to talk. There have been numerous runs on which Brandon and I have been able to talk out our problems, our ideas, our life goals, you name it. I am so thankful to have this time with him, because any ancillary anger or reactions that we might spout under normal circumstances, we often choose not to waste precious energy on because we’re mid-run. Which brings me to my next point…

·         Running is a way for me to channel my energy through a more positive outlet. Exerting myself physically helps me steer clear of expending energy on things which don’t deserve any energy expenditure from me, like negative thinking, petty arguments, etc. Why would I spend my time dwelling on these things when it is only going to leave me feeling more exhausted?

Let me give you a few examples of how exercise is analogous to therapy for me:

Exhibit A: I had a miserable lacrosse season my senior year of college. I was a captain but didn't play a lick. My coach asked so much of me, to motivate my team, to put in extra hours, to house recruits, and the list goes on. It got to the point that I wasn't even playing during practices anymore (most of the people who weren't starters didn't). That's when I turned to running. I would run after practice and games for miles and miles because I wasn't even vaguely exhausted. Running cleared my head when I was so angry at my coach I couldn't see straight. Running helped me take control of my emotions when all I wanted to do after standing on the sideline for two hours was sit in my room and cry.

Exhibit B: After I graduated, I left all of my friends to move to Akron, Ohio for my brand spankin' new engineering job (aside: I work for a medical device manufacturer designing implants for orthopedic surgery). I didn't know a soul in Ohio. Well, okay...didn't know a soul in Akron, Ohio. All by my lonesome, in a new city, with new people, I turned to running. I didn't have much to do outside the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. so I ran before or after work. I decided to train for my first half marathon. It gave me a way to fill my time when I didn't have any friends to surround myself with. 

Exhibit C: I can't tell you how many runs I've gone on with Brandon that we've been able to talk our issues out. I do believe part of that comes from our ability to communicate openly and honestly, but while we're putting everything else out there physically, it's easy to mentally lay it all out for each other as well. At the same time, we're not wasting energy on any petty arguments or cheap shots at each other. 


So there you have it, the more I think about it, the less I can adequately articulate how important running has been in my life, for so many more reasons that just staying in shape. It's helped me mentally stay in shape as well, and that, my friends, might just be the real value of exercise.

Wineday Wednesday: Rombauer Chardonnay

Alright, I know I've got several post series going right now but today, I am officially making "Fun Things Fridays" obsolete and replacing them with Wineday Wednesdays! I read one of Scott's (awesome, might I add)  posts the other day that not only inspired me to seriously ponder life in general, but it reminded me to

So, in that spirit Brandon and I are going to try at least one new bottle of wine per week to review for my awesome readers! This will hopefully help me to expand my vino palate a bit (I tend to stick to South American red wines) which has been an ongoing goal of mine. In fact, at the end of February, Brandon and I are going to attend a wine tasting class, so maybe I'll be able to actually give you a useful review! Please give me your thoughts on this new series and any wine suggestions are very much appreciated!!!

Rombauer Chardonnay

$30

First, my go-to wine is a red wine and certainly doesn't cost $30!! This was a holiday gift from Brandon's cousin who is a bartender and had lots and lots of good things to say about this wine. I have had the Rombauer Zinfindel before (our New Years Eve treat) and it was absolutely glorious! So I had high hopes for this particular vino.

It was a pretty delicious white wine, but a little too sweet for my taste. I'm generally not a fan of chardonnay, but we were certainly able to put away the whole bottle (no surprise there). My first thought was that it smelled kind of flowery, which put me on the defensive for a sweet taste. It is a bit sweet, but not so much that I couldn't drink it.

Overall, it's not something I'd buy for myself but I would definitely buy it for my mommy...she loves white wine. Rombauer makes some excellent wine, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

DISCLAIMER/DISCLOSURE: I am, in no way, a wine connoisseur and have had no professional experience with wine tasting or reviewing. My opinions are my own and I am not compensated in any way for them.

Peace, Love & Bagels,

My Life Game

Although we’re already a month into 2011…it took me a little while to get on the 2011 goals bandwagon and actually post them on my blog. This is, in part, because I hadn’t really thought about my goals for the year until now. It’s also because there has been some trepidation on my part about posting something so personal to me. Well, in the spirit of one of my goals – to be okay with being vulnerable – posting my goals will serve as a forum of accountability. I think Emily said it best, “it is one thing to admit something to yourself in your head, another to admit it to yourself out loud, and yet another to admit it to others out loud.”

Using Scott’s (from Reading for Your Success) free Goal Setting Action Workbook I distinguished five goal “areas” and thought about a few SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goals around each area. Here goes nothin'...

1.        Healthy Mind & Body

·         Get out of the grocery store: There are some pretty obvious reasons for this one, both environmentally and health charged. After reading Michael Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food” this point hits home even more. I’m all for supporting local farmers (and hope to be one someday) and my body will thank me for that too. I’m going to do this by:

                                                               i.      Go to the farmer’s market at least once per month.

                                                              ii.      Build a chicken coop for the backyard in the spring.

                                                            iii.      Build a raised bed to expand our garden.

·         Read more often. I do a lot of reading…on the computer. There are so many worthwhile books to read out there, fiction and nonfiction. Plus I love snuggling up with a good book. My eyes will thank me for taking more time to get them away from a glowing computer screen. My goal is to:

                                                               i.      Read at least one book every two months.

                                                              ii.      Get a library card

·         Make more food items that I would normally buy. A few of the minimalism blogs I follow have recently emphasized creating, rather than consuming. That point hits home for me, especially from a sustainability perspective. I’m going to do this by:

                                                               i.      Choosing four food items (brownie points for pantry staples!) to MAKE instead of buy this year

                                                              ii.      Learning how to can/preserve foods that we grow in our garden

2.        Family First

·         Visit home more often. This goes without saying….I simply cannot wait another two years until I see my mom, dad, stepmom, brother and sister again. My mental stability depends on it (just ask Brandon about that!) My goal is to visit once a year, hopefully I’ll be able to make it for the holidays a few times too.

·         Appreciate! I’ve gotten 25 years of birthday cards from my family, it’s time I start returning the favor. This goes for Brandon’s family as well as my own

                                                               i.      Find out the birthdays of my aunts, uncles and cousins

                                                              ii.      Make homemade birthday cards for each one. I also want to stress WRITTEN cards here, not emails, e-cards, etc.

·         Stay in touch. I can count the number of extended family I have with two hands. It’s not a huge inconvenience for me to call them on all major holidays (and Jewish holidays for my mom’s side of the family).

3.        Experience Life and Follow My Passion

·         Meet new people. Believe it or not, sometimes I am not very good at carrying on a conversation. I’ve gotten much better at this over the years, but there are still times when I clam up, can’t think of anything new to say, avoid eye contact (we will revisit this later). The other impetus behind meeting new people? I’m still a new girl in a new town!!

·         Explore photography. I have been saving up for a dSLR. I want to take a photography class and revisit what I learned back in high school. Going back to my quest for continuous learning, this is a wonderful way for me to do so.

                                                               i.      Research photography classes at Tri-C or other community college

                                                              ii.      Put away $$ every paycheck for a dSLR camera

·         Travel, and stand on my head.  It’s been a tradition for Brandon and I to do a headstand in every new city we’re in. Every new and not-so- new, actually. It gives us a new perspective on the world, especially in a brand new place. I want to:

                                                               i.      Visit two new cities this year

                                                              ii.      Go to a new place, store, restaurant, etc. in a city I’ve already been to

                                                            iii.      Run one destination race this year, outside of Ohio.

4.        Simplify

·         Create more than consume. This goes along with making my own food items…I’m going to amend that to food or OTHER items. Creating cultivates happiness in a way that consuming never could. I plan to:

                                                               i.      Create/make/invent four things this year that I would normally go to the store to buy

                                                              ii.      Keep a “want but don’t need” list and do not buy items on that list until they’ve been there for at least a month. Try to make some of these items.

·         Don’t buy clothing for one year. Many people are doing this, I have more than enough clothing to last me through the rest of my life. I’m not growing anytime soon, and even if I shrink I will probably still be able to wear most of the stuff I have.

·         Get rid of “stuff”. It’s time I start to declutter and simplify my collection of “stuff” otherwise it’s only going to get bigger and tougher to deal with. I have more than enough material “stuff” in my life and I would venture to say I use most of it about twice a year. I’m going to start with clothing and slowly filter other things out:

                                                               i.      Go through wardrobe when I’m switching from winter to summer clothes and donate anything I haven’t worn in 6+ months, especially t-shirts. Why in the world would someone need as many t-shirts as I have??

                                                              ii.      Go through wardrobe when switching from summer to winter clothes and filter out anything I haven’t worn.

                                                            iii.      Donate all clothing from points above

                                                             iv.      Get rid of appliances or other things that are stored and have not been used in 6+ months (hello, spring cleaning!). Sift through these items at least once this year

5.        Be Vulnerable

·         Speak up. This one is mostly for work, but can also double for my “meet new people” goal above. Like I said, sometimes I just clam up; I don’t want to ask questions or make comments for fear of what everyone will think of me, or that my question/comment will have nothing to do with the topic at hand. I have a baby step for this goal:

                                                               i.      At work meetings, make a minimum of two comments/questions at every meeting. Let my voice be heard.

·         Ask questions. Pretty much the same as above

·         Make eye contact. Also something I’m not very good at. All of the goals in this area are ones that are important to me because they all require me to be vulnerable. By staying quiet and not making eye contact, I am moving from fear. This is my way of approaching these fears (of vulnerability) and saying “hey, I’m okay being vulnerable, because that is how I learn!”

                                                               i.      This goal is less measurable, but I am going to intentionally hold eye contact when having a conversation. Especially with those who I am closest to.

Alright, so that’s that. I am going to check back in periodically, maybe once a month or so, to let you all know how I’m progressing on these goals. One month into 2011, I feel as if I’m well on my way.