Race Recap: St. Malachi 5-miler

The results are in...

5 miles

44:58

9:00/mile pace

I'm happy to report the first race of the 2011 season was awesome. The St. Malachi 5 Miler really gave me the chance to see how much stronger I'm getting, and I attribute that (and am uber grateful) to having Brandon to train with. He pushes me at times when, if I were training alone, I would have slowed down or given up. So, Brandon...thank you!

I thought race day was going to be shoddy Cleveland weather again (as I stayed home from work the day before, because of the massive amounts of wet snow falling from the sky) but it turned out to be an incredible day! Sure, there was still snow on the ground and things were a little bit wet, but the sun was shining and that counts for about 5-gazillion happy points here in CLE.

Apparently I missed out on the big hill at the end that was part of the course last year, but I was kind of impressed with the "hills" they threw in this year (one hill is a bridge). It was a fun course though, out and back  that went around Browns stadium and the Rock Hall. This is what the elevation looked like:

(according to my Garmin)

The hills toward the end were definitely not to be taken lightly, but in my opinion, we killed it. We did start out too fast though, and I should have known better in that respect. I have a watch that tells me my pace and I generally know what I'm capable of, and a sub-8:30 mile is not something I can hold for 5 miles. So we had to stop to walk a couple of times, but we still ran it in 9:00/miles!!

I was surprised that there was only one water station at the turn-around though. Brandon said that he definitely needed more water than that. So, from now on, we are definitely bringing our own water bottle to races. Even if it's just my 10-ounce hand water bottle, it will be beneficial if I have something to drink between water stations, should I need it. 

Overall, great race! Well staffed, fun long-sleeve race shirt, lots of post-race food and water...although, I didn't go to McCarthy's for the post-race party (since we gave up booze for Lent) but I'm sure that was a good time too! It's a race I'll definitely participate in again and it was a really great halfway-through-training-checkpoint to re-motivate me after a week of slacking off (our mileage totalled 10 miles last week with a few yoga practi sprinkled in). I'm definitely ready for the week to come:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 5 miles easy

Wednesday: rest/cross-train

Thursday: Speedwork - 6 miles with 3x1600 and 800 jogs

Friday: rest/cross-train

Saturday: 12 miles

Sunday: rest/cross-train

As always, lots of Peace, Love & Bagels,

Marathon Training Re-remixed

First of all, there was a 7 foot surge that hit Maui this morning because of the earthquake in Japan. My mom had to evacuate her house, but she's alright. She said the roads were flooded and closed but everyone is okay. My dad didn't have to evacuate because they are above the tsunami evac zone, but they were "housing some evacuees" (direct quote from my stepmom). Thank god that all is well with my family but my thoughts and prayers are still with anyone else who had any flood damage!

Now, lets talk training. Brandon and I decided to change the rules in the middle of the game and start a new training plan.

New training plan, new philosophy. I like.

I got the new plan from the runnersworld.com Smart Coach (you might need to register with the website to use it) but what I like about it is one less day of running, one more day of crosstraining. Also, the fact that it's a slower increase in long run mileage than my original plan.

My shins were starting to hurt again a couple of weeks ago, and I cannot end up with another stress fracture. So, one less day of running and a slower mileage increase is definitely going to help that. I am listening to my body, taking the time off that I need to and adjusting my training when I need myself to!

With a few exceptions because of races we already have planned, the new schedule will look something like this:

Our running has been all over the place this week. In part because of being very very tired from last weekend's debauchery, but also because we are doing all kinds of new things for the next 40 days. Oh yes, and the weather of course. 

We decided not to do our runs until last night because we were so tired. We were supposed to run on Tuesday, which was sunny and 50 degrees. Instead, we ran yesterday. We did our tempo run in the middle of the Cleveland rain/snow hybrid. Yick. But it was a good run, and tonight we're planning to try to run in the 8 inches of snow that is currently on the ground. Then, tomorrow is the St. Malachi 5 miler! Super excited for our first race of the season! Our running schedule this week looks like this:

Monday - rest

Tuesday - 30 minute yoga practice (sidebends are awesome!!)

Wednesday - 30 minute morning yoga practice, afternoon push-ups/sit-ups/squats

Thursday - 6 mile tempo run, including at least 4 miles at a 9:26 pace

Friday - 5 miles easy, or yoga...depending on the conditions outside

Saturday - St. Malachi 5-miler in downtown CLE

Sunday - mayyyybe a nice long yoga practice, depending on how we feel

So, next week we'll get back in the groove after today's snow day and a nice weekend at home! How is your training going? 

Peace, Love & Bagels,

Guest Post: Easy Multi-talented Marinara Sauce

This guest post comes courtesy of Brandon (it took me months to get him to finally write a post!!) It's a delicious sauce recipe, but it is going to be more of a guideline than a recipe...you can include about a million variations on this sauce. I leave all the sauce-making up to Brandon since he is AMAZING at it! We not only use this sauce for your standard pasta with marinara, but we've used it as a sauce for pizza (and for baked potato pizza bites), as a dip with pita chips, as well as on our wraps or any other dish we can possibly think up. It freezes well so we always make enough to feed a small army.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Howdy folks! 

I am happy to have been so inspired by Rebecca's capacity to efficiently blog about life and FOOD, that I am now writing my first food blog!  YEEHAAW! 

I've been making sauce since I lived on Mayberry over 3-4 years ago.  It is my favorite "family meal."  Sauce is easy to make for large quantities of family and friends. 

Lets talk about sauce!

Start with crushing and and chopping the garlic. 

Then finely chop a delicious onion.

Put both onions and garlic into the large pot, that you will be simmering your sauce in, and saute' them til your heart is content. 

Then add (my favorite to use) the "Traditional" Prego sauce...aka very bland, but nice and thick.  Why do I choose a very bland sauce?  So I can spice it myself of course!  We'll talk about spices in a moment.  Now, lets talk about all the delicious veggies to include in your sauce. 

You can choose any/all of your favorite veggies, or use whatever you have leftover in the refrigerator.  I generally slice all the veggies into nice bite-sized pieces. Here is what Becca and I used:

Green Pepper

 

 Red Pepper

Fresh red tomatoes diced for texture 

Carrots, mushrooms and broccoli.  Sorry, no pictures of these veggies, but here is a fun one (cause cooking is fun!)

Once all of your fresh veggies have been chopped, sliced and diced, ad them to your sauce and let simmer for a good 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

While the sauce is simmering, you can jazz it up with your favorite spices!  I generally use basil, oregano, thyme, salt/pepper and, as Becca and I enjoy spicy foods, red pepper flakes.  AND, the one "lucky" bay leaf!  Whomever gets the lucky bay leaf in their meal, will be just that....LUCKY!

Generally I try and let the sauce sit (in the fridge is fine) for a day, so all the flavors can marry together,  but I've also had it for dinner that night!  Tis good no matter what!

I love making this sauce, as it can be used for many things.  The most obvious is pasta!

It also makes a quick and delicious pizza!  All you need is dough (you can ask Becca how to make dough) and your favorite cheese!  

I also really enjoy using the sauce for dipping my tortilla chips in (chips and salsa is generally my "go to" snack....sorry no picture).

Thanks so much for your interest in my special sauce!  Remember, be creative with it and HAVE FUN!

A Wineday Wednesday Hiatus

My Wineday Wednesday posts will be going on hiatus for several weeks, to observe our promise for lent which, this year, is two-fold; I'm giving up booze and processed sugar (and by processed sugar, I mean desserts - not necessarily packaged foods that have sugar in them, which I try to avoid buying too often anyway).

Wait, Becca, aren't you Jewish?

I think I've already explained my religious background but to recap; I was raised Jewish, but I celebrate Christmas and Easter and various other non-Jewish holidays (because my dad is catholic). But this lenten promise isn't really about subscribing to Lent. It's about resetting my system.

Recalibrating, we'll say.

Lent is just a good excuse to have a pre-set amount of time to go through this recalibration. The season is (slowly) changing to spring, my body is starting to get ready to come out of my dark beer and sugar-laden hibernation. It's time to give my body a much needed cleanse!

So for the next 40 days (and 40 nights) I'm going to

• not consume any adult beverages. They can be replaced with beverages that make my body happy and healthy. Like fresh juice (I just bought 10 lbs of apples and 5 lbs of oranges) and home brewed kombucha...and WATER!
• avoid desserts that involve lots of processed sugar: chocolate, ice cream, cake to name a few. Fruits are definitely not off limits though!

I'm also going to make sure I dry rub and do the neti pot at least once a day AND start my day with a glass of lemon water, so I can keep everything moving through me.

So, in light of this, I am putting my Wineday Wednesday posts on hiatus until after Easter. Don't worry though, I promise that I'll post everything that I learned at our wine tasting class...I've just been lazy and haven't gotten around to doing it yet!

Last year at this time, I had a serious cereal addiction. I know that sounds silly, but I ate an ungodly amount of cereal. So I decided to give it up for lent. Not eating any cereal for 40 days really put it into perspective for me...I realized I didn't want or need that much cereal in my life. I eat it now, but not nearly in the same volumes or at the inappropriate times of day (one box of cereal for dessert, please!) that I used to.

I am hoping I gain the same thing out of giving up booze and desserts this year - a little perspective. I need to gain a little control over these things in my life and that is why I'm giving them up for Lent. 

Are you giving up anything for Lent? If you don't observe Lent, what would you give up if you did?

Peace, Love & Bagels, 

My Life Game, revisited

Now that it's March (well....already well into March), let's revisit the 2011 goals that I outlined at the beginning of February. Things that I didn't comment on haven't been accomplished yet.

1. Healthy Mind & Body

• Get out of the grocery store
• go to the farmer's market at least once a month: February, check...at least twice! And I found my favorite grass-fed cheese!!
• Build a chicken coop for the backyard in the spring: The wheels are turning! We went to a seminar last night (put on by Local Food Cleveland and E4S) all about backyard livestock. It was great to do a little networking and learn a bit more about keeping chickens!
• Build a raised bed to expand our garden
• Read more often
• Read at least one book every two months
• Get a library card: check! although, I need to forms of ID with my new address to prove I live in South Euclid - the address on my driver's license is three houses old and I don't get any bills mailed to my new home. Not sure how to get around this one.
• Make more food items that I would normally buy
• Choose four food items to MAKE instead of buy this year: success on my first endeavor - homemade english muffins!
• Learn how to can/preserve foods we've grown

2. Family First

• Visit home more often: visited once this year already!
• Appreciate!
• find out the birthdays of my aunts, uncles, cousins
• Make homemade (+ HANDWRITTEN) birthday cards for everyone: I didn't do this for Tanja's birthday, but I made her scarves instead
• Stay in touch: there haven't been any holidays since I first posted these goals, but I did get to speak with my great-uncle (who is like a Grandfather to me) for about 45 minutes a few weeks ago. That conversation absolutely made my evening!

3. Experience Life and Follow My Passion

• Meet new people: An ongoing goal, for sure. Does meeting people on Twitter count? I participated in the  #CLEfit chat and I feel like I got to get to know a lot of other Clevelanders. Oh and the backyard livestock seminar can get counted as well! 
• Explore photography
• Do some research on community college classes
• Save up for a dSLR: yep, been putting away money every paycheck!
• Travel, and stand on my head
• Visit two new cities this year
• Go to a new place, store, restaurant, etc.  in a city I've already been to: Check, the Pourhouse in Hoboken, NJ. Awesome because they have my favorite beer and bingo for Sunday morning brunch!
• Run one destination race this year, outside of Ohio

4. Simplify

• Create more than consume
• create/make/invent four things this year that I would normally buy at the store: again, Tanja's scarves. I'm still proud of this!
• 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: I started keeping a list, but I haven't made (or even really wanted to buy) anything on it.
• Don't buy clothing for one year. It's March and I haven't bought myself a single thing. Race shirts from races do not count. I'm not running for the shirt.
• Get rid of "stuff". 
• Go through wardrobe (both winter and summer) and donate anything that I haven't worn in 6+ months
• Get rid of unused appliances and any other "things" that do not serve us 

5. Be Vulnerable

• Speak up:
• At work, make at least two comments or ask at least two questions at every meeting: I haven't been counting but I think I'm doing well with this. 
• Ask questions
• Make eye contact. I'm doing SO much better at this! It's the toughest to do with the people I'm close to (I don't know why) but I'm making a conscious effort. 

Alright, that's where I'm at. Thank you all so much for your support and more importantly, for keeping me accountable. I will check back in in a month or two to show you where I've gone from here.


How are you doing with the goals you set for 2011?


Peace, Love & Bagels,