As much as I love my veggies, I can get bored eating them the same old way. Steamed, raw, grilled and stir-fried are all fantastic options but I wanted to try something different and I wasn’t alone. Hubby finds my steamed veggies a bit too “limp” (inserted inappropriate teenage boy snicker here) and there are some veggies I don’t like raw as much as others.

Enter my attempt to roast. I’ve tried roasting veggies in the past and it was (quite literally) a flaming disaster. Burnt, charred and in some cases, on fire (I blame the BBQ for that…for the record). And let’s not get into the number of times I’ve smoked us out of our house. A few too many.

This year, I decided to give it another go because I really wanted to add some flavor and texture to our veggies and increase the chances that my kids would eat them without complaint. I’m happy to say I FINALLY found success (and surprisingly, hell did not freeze over in the process). Not only did I end up with a tasty side, but it was so easy and economical to make. The key? Constantly stalking your veg in the oven and shaking out the pan often to ensure nothing is burning to the bottom. So simple and yet it took so long for me to figure this out.

Here’s my version of Roasted Garlic Broccoli that I’m a bit obsessed with at the moment:

The post Easy Roasted Garlic Broccoli appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

I was expecting it to be a slow going race but I fully expected it to be an enjoyable run.

I. Was. Wrong.

We actually started super late because the shuttle bus line to the start was ridiculously long. Our wave was supposed to start at 7:10. I think I crossed the line at close to 7:30. It’s a bit anti-climactic when about 85% of the runners are already well on their way and the rest of us are staggered starting depending on how long it took us to get on the bus. On the plus side, there was no runner congestion

From the first mile, I felt horrid. My legs felt hollow, my stomach hurt and I had no energy. It was like I was bonking, but before I’d even exerted myself. I’m not going to lie. I wanted nothing more than to pack it in and quit. I couldn’t even fathom running feeling like that. It was not pretty.

I decided that I needed extra fuel stat. I’m usually pretty consistent with my fueling and my plan works well for me. This day, that plan went out the window and I sucked back my gels like it was my job. Finally, around mile 6, I started to feel more like myself. Still not great but world’s better than before.

After mile 6, I started to level off and enjoy the race. The heat was starting to creep up and with no clouds in the sky, the parts of the race on the open road were brutal. Thankfully, some awesome spectators knew just what I needed: Beer and a Freezie. Both of which really hit the spot (at this point, the beer was certainly not going to make me feel any worse right?!). I also discovered that a Freezie makes a perfect ice pack so I stuffed that sucker in my sports bra and went on my merry way. Boobsicle FTW!

My BRF, Leslie was always just a few steps ahead of me but kept encouraging me along the way, around mile 11 she needed a potty break and I more than welcomed a few minutes to stand around and re-group in the shade. Good thing because her knee decided to be a brat and it was my turn to return the encouragement. Thankfully, she was able to walk it off and we made our way up the never ending bridge that would take us to the homestretch of the course.

By this point, I was done but being so close to the end, I knew I just had to push a little more. I slowed my pace down, shuffled my feet granny-style and pushed on. I told Leslie (for about the 100th time) to go ahead and finish strong. She was shaping up for a possible PR and I didn’t want to mess with that. She finally took off and finished strong!! I wasn’t too far behind. Never was I so happy to hear the roar of the crowd as I entered into the stadium for the last 100m. Arms in the air, I crossed over the finish line and bid adieu to half marathon #4.

4th Half Marathon in the books!

Official Time: 2:21:07. Not my best, not my worst but definitely the one that pushed my limits the hardest. More on those thoughts another day. For now, I’m basking in the glow of being an average runner

The post Manitoba Half Marathon Race Recap appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

The solution that I’ve come up with is to prep as much  food as I can in advance of Monday morning so that we can have a “grab and go” lifestyle and still be budget and health friendly. When I’m on the ball, it’s been working amazingly well for us. When I’ve gotten lazy…well… we’ve eaten a lot of grilled cheese.

Things that I do in advance that have made all the difference include:

• Wash, peel and chop up carrots and peppers and put them in containers. I put a layer of water on the bottom of the carrot container to keep them crisp and hydrated (tip: don’t do this with peppers, they’ll get soggy). For my lunches, I fill two containers with veggies and dip and set aside in the fridge. When dinner comes, I just grab some containers and throw them on the table. If I’m feeling really fancy, I’ll throw them on a plate (I don’t feel fancy often). I can also throw them in a quick stir-fry as well since they’re already chopped and ready to go. On my day off (Wednesday) I do a quick grocery trip and repeat to refill any containers that are empty.
• Make a batch of rice, quinoa, or roast up some potatoes for easy re-heating. It’s not the greatest when it’s re-heated but when I have a table full of hungry mouths melting down, it’s golden. I also use the leftovers for lunches for me the next day.
• Soak, rinse and cook beans to be used for salads and dinners. Chickpeas take very little time to cook and I will cook a large batch of black beans in the slow cooker, portion and freeze what I don’t need. They are easy to add into any meal for a protein boost.
• Menu plan at least a week in advance. Don’t try to menu plan in your head at the grocery store. You’ll end up with more food than you need and not enough ingredients to throw a decent meal together. My grocery list always has what I’m planning to made and what ingredients I need to make it. Sometimes, I have to improvise if the produce I need isn’t up to par. For example. My typical stir fry will have peppers, mushrooms, onion and zucchini. Sometimes I can’t find what I need but knowing that stir-fry is on the menu, I can change it up and make it more of a mexican stir-fry with beans, rice and corn with home-made taco seasoning or use carrots, celery and sugar snap peas instead.
• Always have a back-up meal ready to go. Every now and the, something doesn’t turn out (shocking I know) or I burn the crap out of something and dinner is ruined. I always have a couple of quick back-up meals that can be prepped in 15 minutes or less to throw on the table in the event of dinner disaster. Pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches with yogurt and fruit, scrambled eggs. All stuff that’s in our house, quick to throw together and a life saver for those times when I accidentally smoke us out of the kitchen.

Breakfast prep

Your Turn: How do you prep your kitchen for the week ahead? Do you plan in advance or are you more of a last minute person? What are some of your go-to meals that are quick, easy and cheap to make?

The post 5 Ways to Prep your Kitchen for the Week Ahead appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

Basically…they’re acting like teenage girls.

In my attempt to be the cool, hip, let’s cram 5 days worth of fun into my one day off…I may have over-extended them a bit. And now we’re all paying the price.

I’ve been back working for nearly 5 months now. And even after all this time, I’m still struggling with the guilt of leaving them and need to be like most other mom’s out there who get to stay home with their little ones. It’s ironic in my mind that the one skill that supposedly should come most naturally, is the one that I trip over on a near daily-basis: Motherhood.

I can meal plan, shop on a budget (sometimes) and eat well at work but balancing that with mothering my kids has put me in some pretty epic-fail moments lately.

What I need to accept is that my kids are not worse off because they aren’t at home with me. They are loved on at their day care, get to play with their friends all day, and are never neglected. They are also not going to hate me or love me less at the end of the day because I’m working.

I also need to learn that less is sometimes more. I don’t need to cram in a millions things into my day off in an effort to make up for lost time. My kids love me the same. It’s about quality time, not quantity time and it’s what I choose to do in my time with them that counts.

So let this be a lesson to us all that sometimes we need to take a step back and re-evaluate why we do the things we do. Is it really for the betterment of our kids or the betterment of ourselves?

Now that my little ones are finally napping, I’m going to go into their rooms and quietly tuck them in an kiss their heads. Recognizing the entire time that these two simple acts are entirely for my own selfish reasons.

And I’m perfectly OK with that.

The post Sometimes, you’ve just got to accept Mommy-Fail and move on appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

So far, I’ve highlighted 10 amazing women. You can check them out in my first and second post (all have links to their Under Armour pages if you want to check in on how they’re doing in their quest for their goals). I just can’t stop because the more time I spend on the site, the more women I find who just wow me!

Here’s my latest edition! Enjoy!!

Shannon C: Complete my 2nd Marathon and do a Half Marathon in 2:50 or less. (This picture is Shannon finishing her first marathon. What an awesome moment! My race pics definitely do NOT look this good)

Solana K: I will keep on pushing my limits. I will train hard every single day. I will continue to lose weight, I will not get discouraged when I plateau. I will train for an complete my 1st 50Miler in the next year. I will train for and go sub 8 hours in 1 of the hardest 50K’s around – the KneeKnacker July 13th. I will encourage, inspire, and be an ambassador for woman to get outside and push themselves out of their comfort zones! (I cannot wait for her recap of this race! She is definitely inspiring me to get out of my comfort zone)

Cristina R: Conquer Florida’s highest point, SugarLoaf Mountain, on my bike as I train for IronMan Florida while still being the best mom I can be. (she’s the one with the sleeves in the front. I bet her family is ridiculous with pride. What an amazing example to set!)

Jenny S: To learn to love my body for what it can do (I just ran a full marathon 9-months post-baby) not for how it looks. (I don’t know about you, but I think she looks absolutely gorgeous! And doing a marathon 9 months post-baby? Daaayaaaang!)

Lindsay L: To help women realize that lifting heavy weights and having muscles is healthy and beautiful, not something to be afraid of. (Definitely do not fear the weight room!)

Your turn: Who’s been inspiring you through this campaign?

The post What’s Beautiful: More Inspiring Athletes appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

Sweat Silhouette

Ah the pain of foam rolling. Hurts so good.

Fit Boy rocking his Ragnar Relay shirt and my Under Armour headband. Blue Steel

Dread the ‘mill.

Post 5 miles on the dreadmill. My enthusiasm speaks for itself.

#seenonmyrun
I love running this path

Happy post-#runch glow!

10K PR!!

The post Scenes from the Week appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

Former 10K best, 59:09 (yep…one second faster)

Official time 2:14:07
Former PR 2:16:30

Former 5K best: 29:09

The post Motivation Monday: 3 PR’s down, 1 to go appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

Honestly…I look for the people that no one else pays attention to. The people who don’t finish first. The people who don’t have a larger than life back story that’s lead them to where they are today. The people that do what they do, the best that they know how and finish, not because they’re the best, but because they’re giving their best.

People like me. And maybe people like some of you too.

The wallflowers.

The “forgettable” ones.

The believers, doers and achievers…but on a much smaller scale.

The people who got healthy because they wanted to and knew it was what they needed to ensure many happy, active years ahead of them.

The people you see running in the morning and never give a second glance toward because they look like everybody else out there.

I’ve subscribed to Runner’s World for awhile now and I absolutely love the magazine. I often read it cover to cover, cry at least once reading an article and dream of the achievements that are outlined in page after page of inspiration. The only thing that seems to be missing from it are the runners who average an 11 minute mile. The runners who finish in the middle of the pack or further back. The runners who don’t have a massive crowd waiting to cheer them on at the finish line because all the elite runners finished a long time ago and that’s who everyone wants to see cross the line.

Don’t get me wrong, I love those runner’s too and anyone who has overcome adversity, the odds or is doing something in honour of someone else are truly amazing and inspirational but let’s be honest for a minute…a lot of runners don’t finish that quickly and don’t necessarily have a back story worthy of a Hollywood ending. I certainly don’t. I think a lot of the reason many don’t enter races is that they don’t want to finish in that bottom tier because it would discourage them. I page through the articles and marvel at how fast the people in it are featured. Many run a full marathon in just 30-45 minutes longer than it takes me to finish half that distance. There are references to their fastest times in brackets, times that I only dream about (a 7 minute mile? Is that even possible? And if it is, do I need some kind of crazy bionic body to do achieve it?).  In a world where there is so much fear and intimidation for those who aren’t natural athletes (*raising my hand wildly here*), why is there not more emphasis on people who, in a running perspective, are more relatable? I know I’d love to see more articles about people who struggle to fit in their running amidst working full time and raising small kids. I’d love to see stories about people who triumph running a 2:30 half marathon PR instead of a sub-2:00 on their first try. Those are the stories that inspire me to keep running in the times when I feel frustrated and beat down during training.

Post long run, sweaty and high on endorphins.

Am I alone in that? I hope not because I would love to see the runners who are just getting started, who are slowly working toward those elite times, giving it all they’ve got and enjoying their journey because running isn’t a sport beloved by the elite only. It’s loved by millions around the world….and most of us will never quality for Boston. Many of us will never come close. But we still run and we will continue to do so.

I am confident in my running. Not so long ago, I wasn’t because I never measured up to the standard I felt was in place for runners. I know that one day, if I continue on the path that I’m on, I will get faster, I will get stronger and maybe, just maybe I might enter one-derland and run a sub-2:00. But I’m not going to start my journey there. Nor will I finish it there.

I have no intentions of canceling my magazine subscriptions or burning them in the streets. Far from it. I get great enjoyment out of reading them and really marvel at the commitment and training these athletes dedicate to achieving the successes they have. This isn’t a rant as much as it is an ongoing observation from an outsider who would simply love to see a few articles dedicated to someone a bit more average.

Your Turn: Do you ever feel discouraged that there is not as much representation of the “average” athlete out there? Do you think you would be more inspired if there was a greater diversity of running (or whatever you sport may be) talent rather than a focus on the best of the best?

The post Is there room for average runners in an elite world? appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

I posted my goals video a couple of weeks ago which you can check out here. Since then I’ve achieved that goal, so I decided to up the ante a bit and go for PR’s in all my distances. You can check that out below.

I find that when I explain my new mindset toward running, I often have to clarify myself because I say that I want to hit a goal but that I don’t want to put pressure on myself to get there. It must be a somewhat abstract notion because so many people have come back to me saying “you can’t run a personal record and expect to have fun. You’ll be too sore”. I don’t really believe that. Yes there will be some pain involved because I’ll be pushing my body harder than I normally would. But I fully believe that you can enjoy the experience and smile while you’re doing it.

Used with permission from Under Armour

So that begs the question: How to I plan on having my cake and eating it too? Well here’s the thing…when you train well, you can do more, with less and have fun. At least that was my experience with the Fargo. I trained well for that race. I followed my plan, I missed very few workouts and cross trained as much as I could. I didn’t burn out, I didn’t get injured and I had a great race. I felt good, I had fun and I had enough left in the tank that I could run the last 2 miles confidently (which is normally my downfall where I lose my momentum). I’m sure I could have finished a few minutes faster if I’d really pushed myself but to run another race feeling burnt out and struggling would have been another nail in the coffin of my running passion. I didn’t want to go there so I ran on my terms and felt amazing.

This is exactly what I plan to do with my October half marathon. I’m going to train hard during the summer with the hopes of nailing a good time and having a great race in the process. I have a 10km and 10 mile race in there as well so hopefully my training will help with those PR’s as well.

I also plan on posting weekly updates on my training so you can follow along and really get a sense of the process of training for an endurance event amidst work, kids and the summer heat.

The post What’s Beautiful: Upping the ante on my Goals appeared first on Fit Mom...in Training- A Health, Fitness and Running Blog.

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