Lori Out Loud

What a Weekend

2013-05-13T10:47:00.001-04:00

Friday

Work all day. Rush home to get JD. Pick up my mom and head to the salon for JD’s evening of pampering: mani, pedi and eyebrow shaping. Quick dinner, head home and off to bed early in preparation for Saturday’s long run.

Saturday

We had beautiful weather all week: sunny and warm. I woke up to clouds and temps in the low 40s. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise since I run better in cooler temps. Running skirt, compression socks and a long-sleeved running tee {with hand warmers!}. Headed to Willow only to discover there was a duathlon in progress. Not wanting to get in the middle of that, I headed over to Lower Huron, nervous because I wasn’t familiar with that park. All things happen for a reason, as I ended up liking Lower Huron better than Willow and had a really great run.

Then the mad rush was on: go home, shower, grab JD and head to the salon to get her hair done.

Rush back home, put on dress, shoes and jewelry.

Group pictures with friends and family.

Wave goodbye as they pull out of the driveway then hide in the bathroom for 10 minutes and cry because you cannot believe that your baby girl just left for her first high school dance. Remember that you haven’t eaten all day {and you burned 1,000+ calories on your run}, go to dinner, eat all the food and drink all the beer. Solidify your title as best mom ever by falling asleep before your daughter returns from the dance, causing her to have to wrangle herself out of her dress and remove one million bobby pins from her hair. Oops.

Sunday

Wake up early-ish because you promised mom that you’d take her to breakfast. Reinforce best mom ever status by making JD wake up early, too. Get rewarded with unexpected gift:

More Pandora charms! Go to breakfast, stop at Starbucks {of course}, go to Target, go to Meijer, come home, put everything away, make salad for Mother’s Day/mom’s birthday dinner at Grandma’s, go to Grandma’s, drink all the wine, eat all the food {Caramel Apple Salad – to die for}, go back home, feed the dog, crawl into bed and cry that tomorrow is Monday.

This week doesn’t get any better: two runs {one 4 miler, one 2 miler}, three soccer games {all away}, one dentist appointment, pick up new eyeglasses, pack, drive to Midland, run half marathon, drive home.

Next Monday I will be checking myself into an insane asylum. It’s been nice knowing you all.

Natural Recharge

2013-05-10T09:45:00.001-04:00

Shortly after posting about my doing it wrong style of running and my panic over my upcoming half, I received an invitation to check out a functional wellness center and take advantage of their services. I didn’t have to think about it very long.

My stress over my crappy runs actually pushed me to the point of taking yesterday off work. Seriously, I was that freaked out about it. I decided that was the perfect day for me to venture out to West Bloomfield and check out Natural Recharge {formerly MigunLiving}.

I was provided with a list of services to try and I opted for the Functional Movement Screen Test and a session in the Migun Infrared Massage Bed. Thanks to my panic-induced bazillion squats in the two days leading up to this, a massage bed sounded heavenly.

The drive was not bad at all {I’m in the Downriver area and it was just a straight shot up Telegraph} and the building was located conveniently on Maple Rd just off the corner of Telegraph. Lots of signage pointed me in the right direction and I found their suite easily.

Waiting area {picture courtesy of Natural Recharge Facebook page}

I was greeted by David Sherman, one of the owners, who showed me around their new facility and explained the way the massage beds and the laser pain therapy worked. I have definite plans to bring both my grandma and my husband {both suffer from arthritis pain} here to try the laser therapy.

After the tour, I watched a brief video explaining the science behind the beds {very interesting} and then I was set up on one to see for myself.

Verdict: it was heaven. There are several heated jade stones that gently roll back and forth, up and down your body, from your head to your toes. It felt like a warm foam roller on my super tight calves and sore hamstrings, gently massaging all the tension right out of them. You can bet I’ll be back the day after my half lying on this bed for pretty much the entire day {is that OK, David? }.

Then it was time for my Functional Movement Screen Test with Brad Kegebein. He asked me a series of questions {what type of physical activity I engage in, what kind of shoes do I wear, am I experiencing any pain currently, etc.} and then it was time for the test {for a better explanation of the test – with pictures! – check out Teresa’s post about her experience}. First up, do three squats while holding a long, wooden bar behind my head along my shoulders. No problem there {even with my sore thighs – they were already feeling better thanks to the massage bed}. Next, while still holding that same wooden bar behind my head, I had to step over a hurdle and back, one foot at a time. Right leg? No problem. Left leg? Um, I knocked the hurdle right over. I was swinging my hip out in order to get it over the hurdle, a sign of tightness in my left hip. This was followed by some straight leg raises {nailed it!} and then a screening of my neck, shoulders and arms that showed I had some tightness in the left side of my neck. This coupled with the tightness in my left hip explains the pain I’ve been experiencing in my left foot. My total score cleared me to continue running but Brad advised me to work on loosening up my left side. Very interesting and informative!

Functional training area {picture courtesy of Natural Recharge Facebook page}

Does this sound like something you might be interested in? In celebration of their Grand Opening, you can take advantage of the following specials:

Migun Bed Packages – An additional session added for each five sessions purchased {example: purchase ten sessions and get two sessions free – a $40 value!}

10% off the purchase of a Migun Massage Bed or a Migun Mat

50% off a Functional Movement Evaluation and training – $90 value for only $45!

Laser Lite Cure Packages – purchase any package and get an additional session FREE {$85 value}. Just mention you heard about it on my blog.

All specials are good through the end of May so call them now! 248.203.7744

Disclaimer: I received my session free of charge and I was compensated to write an honest review. All opinions given are my own.

Doing It Wrong

2013-05-06T13:09:00.001-04:00

All of my runs last week were just plain hard. Tuesday’s and Thursday’s 5 milers and Saturday’s 10 miler. My legs were heavy and I felt really tired. After the ten miler, I really started to panic, thinking there’s no way I’m ever going to be able to run this half marathon. As I was bitching and whining about this to D, he made an observation: I’m not strength training. Yeah, I’m putting in the miles each week, but that’s all I’m doing. I’m getting tired because I’m weak muscled. He also pointed out that I felt great during my eight miler, so what changed? Well, two days before that run I went to yoga.

Maybe he’s on to something. Man, do I hate to admit when he’s right.

I’m not much for strength training. In fact, I hate it. I was getting a little in with my BodyWorks classes, but thanks to JD having soccer games this Spring on Wednesdays, I haven’t been able to go. And I did feel pretty darn awesome after that yoga class {not immediately after, but the next morning I felt great} but I haven’t gone back because the time and location just aren’t convenient.

My half is less than two weeks away, so I’m not thinking I can do much to change anything in that small of a time frame. I am going to start doing squats and planks as well as incorporate my Barre3 DVD twice a week. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.

In my defense, the route for my 10 miler was much hillier than any other routes that I’ve been running. My hamstrings are still sore from that one.

Any other runners out there that don’t strength train? Did it affect your endurance?

Lessons Learned

2013-04-30T09:00:00.001-04:00

9 miles were on the calendar for Saturday. The weather was beautiful and I was feeling pretty confident after last week’s 8 miler. In the end, it wasn’t great {9 miles in 1:51:15, 12:21/mile pace} but I learned a few things:

Long run stomach upset can be avoided - I was diligent about what I ate on Friday - no dairy and nothing fried. It was tough passing up the saganaki at dinner Friday night, but I did and was rewarded for it. Also, I hydrated like it was my job Friday and before I headed out on Saturday. I tried nuun tablets for the first time and I liked them. They will be added to the routine from now on. My run may not have been great but I can’t blame my stomach - it didn’t bother me at all.
Not all Shot Bloks are good and I do not like gels - I figured I better start working on my fuel plan for the half so I hit up RunningFit Friday and picked up some Shot Bloks {which I already knew I liked}, some Clif Shot Turbo Energy Gels and the aforementioned nuun tablets. Everyone raves about the Margarita Shot Bloks so I picked up a pack of those to try. The guy at RunningFit asked me if I’d tried that flavor before, and when I told him no he said I’d either love them or hate them. I hate them. The flavor is off and I do not like the saltiness. I choked down three before I headed out the door and packed a gel {Island Nectar I think the flavor was} to try around mile 5. After gagging and nearly puking that gel back up, I’ve decided I will be sticking to Shot Bloks {but definitely not the Margarita ones}.
Side cramps suck - from mile .5 all the way to the end I had one hell of a side cramp that caused me to take a few walk breaks. It really screwed with my breathing and almost had me wishing for the stomach upset instead {at least I was able to run through that last week}. Any words of wisdom on how to avoid or overcome these?

A non-running lesson I learned yesterday - don’t schedule a dental appointment and an eye appointment on the same day. Getting a crown followed by having your pupils dilated makes for one hell of a Monday.

Two 5 milers are on the schedule this week along with a 10 miler on Saturday. Wish me luck.

This Is Why We Run

2013-04-25T10:09:00.001-04:00

It was cold and rainy all day. That didn’t stop hundreds of runners from showing up at Kensington to run. The rain stopped around 5:00 and at 6:30, just as we started to run, the sun came out! 4.34 miles {was supposed to be 4.15, I’m sure my GPS just went wonky or I started it too soon} of beautiful {and hilly - my hamstrings are screaming today} trails through the park and around Kent Lake. There was even free Muscle Milk at the end!

I’m so glad I was able to go. I met and ran with some people I’ll probably never see again but I enjoyed it so much. The atmosphere just made you feel like you were a part of something so much bigger. We were just out for a run yet it felt like we were changing the world.

A year ago I never would have driven all that way to attend an event like this by myself. Heck, six months ago I wouldn’t have. I’m stepping out of my comfort zone big time and it’s being spurred on by how awesome everyone in the running community is. If you show up somewhere alone, someone will come up and talk to you, run with you. This community accepts everyone.

I found out Alicia and Stacie were there after the fact…anyone else at Kensington last night that I missed?

Surprise

2013-04-24T08:22:00.001-04:00

While sitting at JD’s game Monday night {another 8-0 mercy, another 2 goal game for JD}, I was whining to my mom that D didn’t get me anything for my birthday last week. Naturally, I was shoving my foot in my mouth later that evening when he and JD presented me with this:

My very own Pandora bracelet! I’ve been wanting one ever since we bought one for my mom last year. I love it. And I‘m keeping my mouth shut from now on.

Before receiving that little beauty, I had hit the pavement for a solid 5 mile run. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for it. I’m now at the 50 mile mark for the month of April!

Tonight I’ll be joining hundreds of other runners in support of Boston for a 4.15 mile run at Kensington Metro Park.

If you’re in the area, come join us! They’ll also be selling t-shirts with the logo above for $20. All proceeds will go to One Fund Boston. Let me know if you plan to be there…I’d love to meet you! You can find out more about this event here.

I’m considering going back to yoga tomorrow night. Go ahead and call me crazy.

Have you participated in any group runs for Boston? Do you plan to?

Long Runs and Lunch

2013-04-22T12:35:00.001-04:00

Was anyone else glued to the TV Friday night watching the capture of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect? D and I were at a local restaurant and it was on all the TVs with the sound up. Everyone cheered when it was announced he had been captured.

Saturday had an 8 mile long run written all over it. I woke up that morning to the clouds and the sound of the wind howling. I laid in bed for about an hour debating whether or not to put my run off until Sunday. Finally I came to the decision that it wasn’t going to happen on Saturday. I got up, did some cleaning, then D and I went to breakfast, Target and Meijer. After putting all of our groceries away, I decided to go for it. I changed clothes, strapped on my armband and hit the road. I figured I’d just see how I felt and get in as many miles as I could and make up the difference on Sunday. And then this happened:

I did it! I ran all 8 miles in 1:33:57! It was so strange…I felt great the whole way! I had three ShotBlocks before I left and listened to a This American Life podcast for the first 5 miles {silence for the last 3}. And I wasn’t even sore the next morning!

Here’s a question for you distance runners: anyone experience stomach “issues” when running longer {5+ miles} distances? I do every single time and Saturday was no exception. Any tips to combat or alleviate this?

On Sunday I met up with these five lovely ladies for lunch:

Pic stolen from Lisa’s Twitter post. That’s me in the green, Dena is next to me, Jennifer is across from me, Tamara is next to her and that’s Lisa in the yellow. We had such a great time! Looking forward to the next one!

Finished off the weekend at a birthday dinner with D, JD and my parents. There was filet mignon involved. And I sold my Garmin {on eBay, not at dinner}!

Question for my locals: Anyone interested in doing the Dirty Girl Mud Run on June 29th in Detroit?

How was your weekend?

Namaste

2013-04-19T08:45:00.001-04:00

Last night I attended my first yoga class. I am not one to put myself out there and I am completely inflexible so I was a little nervous about going. Here is a breakdown on how it went.

Where: RunningFit in Northville, MI

When: Thursdays at 7:30 PM

What: Yoga for Runners {this is what pulled me in - the “for runners” part}.

Who: The class was led by Leslie Braun, a certified USAT National Level 1 Coach, AFAA Personal Trainer, AFAA Group Fitness Trainer, and Yoga and Pilates Certified Trainer. Oh yeah, she ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, too.

How Much: $12.00 for a one hour class {that is a great price}

My Thoughts: Leslie was absolutely lovely. I would hurt someone to have her legs. She is very sweet, patient and knowledgeable. There were only four of us in the class so we got a lot of individual attention, which was good for a newbie like me. She gently helped move me into the proper form when I was struggling and her voice was so soothing and relaxing. The positions were absolutely not intuitive to me but between watching her and the other gals and her help I was able to come pretty close and it was a great stretch. However, I did not enjoy the heat. Throughout most of the class I was pretty lightheaded and during one particularly long downward facing dog I was pretty sure I was going to pass out. After class was over, I was extremely nauseated for at least 30 minutes. I hadn’t eaten for a few hours before class so I don’t think that was a contributor, but maybe the fact that I ran 4 miles on the treadmill before the class had something to do with it. All that aside, I felt great this morning…

Would I go again? Yes, if I could fit it better into my schedule. I didn’t get home last night until 9:00 PM {Northville is about a 40 minute drive from my house} and that is tough for me. I work in Livonia, which is near Northville so getting there isn’t a big deal, but there is a 2.5 hour gap between when I get off work and when the class starts, which is why I hit the gym to get my miles in beforehand - I had time to kill. If I lived closer or if this class was at 5:30 PM instead of 7:30 PM, I’d likely be there every week. Leslie really targeted the areas important to runners - hips, hamstrings and calves. I have the tightest hamstrings on the planet and I can really tell a difference in them today.

Any yogis out there? Any suggestions or recommendations for us newbies?

38

2013-04-17T11:02:00.001-04:00

Day started off with D slamming a door in our room {accidentally} while I was sleeping and scaring the daylights out of me. My dad called me yesterday to wish me a happy birthday, then half way through his message remembered it was today. JD forgot and her soccer club charged my bank account for Spring fees even though she’s not playing for them. Otherwise, it’s been a good day…sunshine, lots of texts, Facebook posts and tweets from the most awesome friends and family.

Life is good.

Last year at this time I had just run my first 10k. We had just adopted Robot. JD was returning from her class trip to Washington, DC. Not a whole lot has changed around here, and that’s OK. I like it this way.

4.5 miles were on the schedule yesterday. I ran them for Boston.

I’ve also started a chapter of Moms RUN This Town for the Southeastern Michigan area! It’s a group to support and encourage each other along our running journeys, organize group runs and keep everyone up to date on what’s happening in our local running community. The timing could not be more perfect. Join our Facebook group here. You do not need to be a mom to join…everyone is welcome!

Tonight JD has a game {against her club coach’s team - hoping for a HUGE win} and that’s about it. Maybe I’ll have a beer after.

I’m just happy to be here.

PS: JD and three of her friends just face-timed me singing happy birthday. Awesome.

Outpouring

2013-04-16T12:51:00.001-04:00

There just aren’t any words. I’m not even sure why I’m even going to try. A lot of bloggers are going silent today, but I go silent all the time and it doesn’t mean anything.

This has to mean something.

I don’t have to re-hash here what happened. If you’re a runner, you know. If you’re a human being, you know. Lives have been lost, faith has been destroyed. And yet through this horrible tragedy I’ve found something: community. I’ve called myself a runner but never truly believed I was one because I wasn’t fast enough or strong enough. Yesterday, I believed it. And it’s because of what I witnessed in the running community yesterday - the outpouring of love, concern, support. People who don’t even know each other reaching out on Twitter and Facebook, wondering if others they chatted with were OK, if the loved ones of those in the community were OK, asking what they could do to help, offering their help and encouragement.

I have never been so proud to be a part of something in my entire life.

I am a runner. These are my people. This is my community.

Prayers to those who were killed, injured or lost a loved one. Prayers to those who were there and escaped physically unharmed. Prayers to everyone in this community who has been shaken to their very core by this tragedy, like I have been.

Prayers to all.

I wore a race shirt today in support of this community and I will dedicate all of my runs, long or short, training or races, to this community.

Thank you for letting me be a part of it.

So Much to Say, So Little Time

2013-04-15T12:58:00.001-04:00

Seriously, it’s been two weeks since I’ve posted? Let’s do a quick catch up today and I promise some more in depth {and frequent} posts going forward:

I’ve logged 28.7 miles this month, including my longest training run yet: a 7 miler last Sunday!

Ran The Chocolate Milk Martian Meteor 10k this past Saturday and missed a PR by one stinking minute. I’m OK with it since I wasn’t racing this race {it was a training run} but on a better note I did get to meet two Twitter/bloggy friends!

Megan and I before the race!

Bari and I celebrating at BWW after her HUGE 1/2 marathon PR!

Cool finisher’s medal.

I went to Opening Day. This happened.

I got my first StrideBox! It was filled with lots of awesome goodies, most of which JD has stolen from me.

I ordered my first erin condren life planner. I am completely, hopelessly in love.

JD had three soccer games last week {they won all three - two were mercies - and JD leads the team with six goals!} and she has two more this week. I need to get two 4.5 milers in this week before Saturday’s 8 miler. I’m going to try Yoga for Runners on Thursday {any locals want to come along and laugh at me?}. My assistant quit last Tuesday so work has been crazy busy. Robot turned three and celebrated his one year adoption anniversary. I think that’s about it.

How have you been? How’s training? Run any races? Buy anything cool I need to know about?

Restart

2013-04-01T10:09:00.000-04:00

I love the first of the month. It's like the first of the year for me...an opportunity to make a fresh start and get back on track. After the last week and a half, that's exactly what I need.

Even after being hit by the plague, I still managed to log 40 miles in March, tying January and beating February. Not bad, but short of my 50 mile goal. April is going to be an intense month...longer long runs and a 10k {I registered for the Martian - who else is in??}. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

I bounced back last week to log 12.5 miles, including a 6 miler on Saturday. It completely sucked but it's done and I'm glad I did it. Will be shooting for 7 this Saturday.

Easter is over and JD finally had ice cream{she gave it up for lent}. I'm doing it in reverse...starting a sugar detox this week. Nothing drastic, but I'm cutting out added sugar and processed food {check out the Sugar Detox Challenge at Mommy Run Fast for support}. This totally goes out the window on Friday since it's Opening Day {baseball is back, baby!!} and there will definitely be some beers consumed but the rest of the week is going to be sugar free. Plus, I get to go to BodyWorks Wednesday since JD is on Spring Break and not messing with my workout schedule. Add on a three day work week and you've got the start of a pretty awesome month.

Oh, did I mention my birthday is this month?

And it's Robot's birthday this month, too! And it's the one year anniversary of us adopting him.

Yep, April is going to be pretty darn awesome. I can feel it.

Back From the Dead

2013-03-29T09:33:00.001-04:00

That was a nasty bout of illness. I'm not sure what I had, but I sure am glad it's {almost} gone.

I Did Not Start my first race. Yep, I was unable to run the All Thrills 8k Trail Race last Saturday. I couldn't even get out of bed. That was pretty much all I did Saturday through Tuesday was lie in bed. I missed two days of work. Half Marathon Training Week 4 was non existent {one lousy mile on the treadmill} and I'm trying like hell to salvage Week 5. I tried running outside on Wednesday but the air was way too cold for my lungs and I only managed a half mile. I went to the gym last night hoping to get 4 miles in on the treadmill but my body could only take 2. It's getting up to 50 degrees here today {and I have the day off!} so I'm planning on heading outside today to try for 4 one more time. 6 miles are on the schedule for tomorrow...I'm just going to go out there and see what my body can handle. Rest on Sunday and try to get back on track on Monday. That's really all I can do.

Wishing everyone a beautiful and blessed Easter weekend! We will return to our regularly scheduled running and posting next week {fingers crossed}.

Death and Taxes

2013-03-22T09:19:00.001-04:00

I’m sick. Knock down, phlegm filled, sound like a goose coughing, officially sick.

And it’s D’s fault. Ever notice how everything bad is D’s fault?

And I haven’t run at all this week. Unless you count that pathetic excuse for a run one miler on the treadmill from Tuesday, which I don’t.

What does this all mean? It means I am very likely to die during {or at least immediately following} my five mile trail race tomorrow. Sorry, Anna Marie.

And it means that my half marathon training is seriously out of whack. Which is probably not that big of a deal, especially since I’m still eight weeks out {only eight weeks?!} from my race but the OCD control freak in me is screaming “Oh my God! We’re off schedule! Now we must run ALL THE MILES next week.” Which is just stupid because I’ll more than likely end up dying {again} or getting injured, but I can guarantee you I’ll be planning in my head to run every day next week to make up for the miles I missed this week. Just you watch.

Beyond that, not much is happening in my world. JD’s soccer game on Wednesday and practices Thursday and today were canceled because it’s too cold. I think they’re all sissies but apparently my opinion isn’t valued. We’re taking my parents to dinner tomorrow {provided I don’t die} for their anniversary. 43 years. Can you even imagine? I’m pretty sure D will kill me before we even get close to that number. Sunday my only goal will be to not get dressed or leave the house. Hell, I may not even get out of bed.

Oh, and we still haven’t gotten our taxes done. There, now my title makes sense.

What are your plans for the weekend? Anyone racing?

Don’t forget I’m selling my Garmin! You know you want to buy it!

Love For Sale

2013-03-21T08:24:00.001-04:00

Yes, it’s true. I’m selling my beloved Garmin. If you are a runner and have been on the fence about dropping the cash for a GPS watch, this is your opportunity.

Here are the details:

Garmin Forerunner 405
Tracks time, distance, pace, heart rate, calories, elevation and probably more things that I’m not aware of
Includes: watch {in green color, pictured below}, charging cable, USB connector and heart rate monitor in original box with owner’s manual
Age: about 1.5 years old {purchased in August 2011}
Condition: like new. There are no cracks in the band or scratches on the dial or face.

This is not a picture of my watch {my pictures don’t do the watch justice}. If you want pictures of the actual watch to verify it’s condition, let me know.

So, if it’s so awesome, why am I selling it?

Because it’s too much watch for me. Yes, I want to know distance, time and pace. But that’s about all I want to know. I’ve never used the heart rate monitor. I’m not a freak about my splits. This thing does so many things that I’ve never taken advantage of or I’m not even aware it can do. You can program workouts into it, but I have no idea how.

What am I going to use instead?

I’ve fallen completely in love with my Nike+ Running app and I‘ve been using that instead of the Garmin for about a month now. This has convinced me that I have to have the Nike+ Sportwatch. However, I refuse to buy the Nike watch until I sell the Garmin, so please help me achieve my dream of Nike+ Sportwatch ownership.

So, how much am I selling it for?

They are going for anywhere from $159 to $249 on Amazon right now. I’ll let it go for $150 plus shipping. If you’re local, you can even pick it up.

If you are interested, email me at lorioutloud{at}outlook{dot}com. I’m going to list it on eBay this weekend.

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Virtual Coffee Date

2013-03-20T11:44:00.001-04:00

I’ve seen these types of posts on a few different blogs and I like the concept…just a few, quick notes to catch us up.

If we were having coffee this morning, I’d tell you that…

I’ve somehow managed to pull a muscle in my back, below my right shoulder. I’ve been told to ice it, but I haven’t had time.
I went to the gym last night to get my 3.5 miles in on the treadmill {30 mph winds don’t do it for me}. Ended up working with a trainer for 30 minutes who turned my legs into jelly. Besides cutting into the small timeframe I had to run, it also killed my energy. Fumbled through one slow mile on the treadmill then ran out of the gym to pick JD up from practice.
Because of the weather, the coach cut practice short. I was nowhere near the high school when they were done. Thankfully, D was home and was able to get her.
I made these pork chops for dinner last night. They were delicious.
JD’s first high school soccer game is tonight! At 4:00. I work until 5:00. I’ll be leaving work early today to make it so that means no BodyWorks class tonight. My training program has completely gone to hell this week.
I planned ahead and threw chicken soup in the Crock Pot this morning!
Today is my dad’s birthday! It’s also the first day of Spring.

Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.

I absolutely HAVE to run tomorrow. I. HAVE. TO.
I’m going to die in my 8k trail run on Saturday. It’s been nice knowing you all. Anyone else running All Thrills No Frills? Consider it my funeral.
I’ve been online shopping again. I think my lip balm/gloss/stick problem needs to be addressed in it’s own post.

What have you been up to? Anyone else racing this weekend?

Half Marathon Training - Week 3

2013-03-19T08:41:00.001-04:00

Week 3 recap:

{Monday} - Stretch & Strengthen - NTC Kara Goucher’s Running Stretches and Jeannette Jenkins Ab Blast. Once again, all stretch, no strength.

{Tuesday} - Run 3.5 miles - Done in 37:10.

{Wednesday} - BodyWorks - Done. Another good class.

{Thursday} - Run 3.5 miles - Done in 37:33.

{Friday} - Rest

{Saturday} - Moved run to Sunday due to weather. Does grocery shopping count as cross training??

{Sunday} - Run 5 miles - Done! Goal was to be under 55:00 but I came in at 56:08. Still happy.

Total mileage for the week = 12.0

One third of the way done!

Corktown 5k 2013

2013-03-15T13:45:00.001-04:00

That’s me behind the gal in the pink long sleeve. Pic courtesy of Run Michigan.com

The girls at Nemo’s post-race {I should have taken off my sunglasses}

Absolutely adorable pup. Pic courtesy of Joanne Graves in Corktown FB group.

I have practically zero photographic evidence of this race. I ‘m not kidding when I say I suck at blogging…I never take pictures of anything. Thank God there are people I can steal pictures from. For much better recaps {with pics} check out Detroit Runner and Wine to Weightlifting.

It was a nice day {for March in Michigan, anyway}. The sun was out. The temp was 50 degrees, but the wind made it feel much cooler. I started out with the other three gals {in the picture above L to R: me, Kari, Nichole and Joey} but they are speed demons and were holding around a 9:30/mile pace and while I was tempted to try to see how long I could hang in there with them, I knew it would end up killing me in the end so I dropped back right around Mile 1. Guess I have them to thank, though, since I ended up with a PR!! 32:05 {10:21/mile pace}. For a gal that’s been hovering around the 11:30/mile mark for a while this was a huge deal to me! Guess all my hardwork is starting to pay off.

This is just a really fun race. Most everyone is happy, friendly, dressed up and just looking to have a good time. The atmosphere is outstanding and this race is really well run. How in the world they coordinate 10,000+ runners so well I’ll never know. Plus, I really love the City of Detroit and it’s a thrill to me to be able to run through her streets. I need to do that more often.

If you’ve never run Corktown before, please consider it next year. It’s always the Sunday before St Patrick’s Day and the parade follows the race. I don’t recommend bringing kids {there’s just too many people drinking which makes for things being done and said that kids just shouldn’t see and hear} but it really is just a good time.

Did you run Corktown or a similar race in your area? Anyone running any St Patrick’s Day races this weekend?

Half Marathon Training - Week 2

2013-03-13T08:00:00.000-04:00

Week 2 recap:

{Monday} - Run 3 Miles - Done! Really pushed myself and averaged a pace of 10:54.

{Tuesday} - Stretch & Strengthen - I’ve got the stretching down {NTC Kara Goucher Running Stretches and Shawn Johnson Stretch Guide}, just need to work a little bit more on the strengthen part.

{Wednesday} - BodyWorks - A full class {I mean jam packed!} really seemed to get Daphne fired up…she kicked our butts! I was an exhausted, sweaty mess at the end and it felt awesome.

{Thursday} - Run 3 Miles and & Strength Train - This is the day the plague hit me. Went home from work early thanks to a headache and I never left the couch. Made up for it on Sunday.

{Friday} - Rest - Didn’t go to work because I woke up feeling like a snotty mess {you’re welcome for the visual} and I hadn’t slept well. After lying on the couch most of the day I decided to try to run the sickness out of me. Bundled up and ran 4 chilly miles in 43:44. I felt better when I was done.

{Saturday} - Run 4 miles - See {Friday}.

{Sunday} - XT 30 Minutes - How about running a 5k PR {3.1 miles in 32:05}? Yeah, I think this covers Thursday’s mileage and today’s cross training. Not to mention I probably walked a total of 5 miles before and after the race. My legs were screaming by the end of the day.

Total mileage for the week = 10.1

On to Week 3!

I Suck At Blogging

2013-03-12T15:27:00.001-04:00

I swear I didn’t mean to go dark for a week! I got busy at work, then I got sick and missed 1.5 days of work so I was once again busy at work. I’ll get you up to speed with a few quick highlights {with full details to come soon, I promise}:

I finished Week 2 of Half Marathon Training. All workouts complete and all miles ran {albeit out of order, but they got done}. Bring on Week 3!
I came down with some nasty head cold/headache thing on Thursday that knocked me for a loop for a few days
I ran Corktown. And I got a PR.
I won a few giveaways
JD started high school soccer tryouts
I totally crashed and burned at meal planning {again}
I’ve gone a little crazy with the online shopping again. Thinking about having a virtual rummage sale here on the blog.

That’s pretty much the gist. I promise to get a full post up here soon. In the meantime, can someone please tell me what to make for dinner the rest of this week?

More of the Same

2013-03-04T14:50:00.001-05:00

The winner of the H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending giveaway has been selected! Check to see if it was you!

Read my recap of Half Marathon Training – Week 1 here.

Let’s see, what have I been up to since Wednesday? Dinner was Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff.

Just solidifying my place as world’s worst food photographer. This recipe, however, was delicious! We all loved it and I was able to just add the sour cream to my bowl and JD’s bowl since D is terrified of it.

Thursday’s dinner was Crock Pot Pulled Pork.

Another hit! The pork was so tender and flavorful. Will definitely be making this one again. Friday we ate out: shrimp for me, lake perch for JD and prime rib for D {yes, he’s a heathen}. Saturday we went to Grandma’s to celebrate her 88th birthday!

Last night I made Salsa Verde Chicken. It was good, but I’m not sure I’d make it again {sorry, no picture }. It was very flavorful but I didn’t care for the cornbread dumplings. I might try this again minus the salsa verde and sub my own dumplings. I think that would definitely be a hit.

Admittedly, I did not plan out this week’s menu very well. I dug through my freezer to see what meat I had on hand and came up with this:

{Monday} Spaghetti? - No new recipe here. I was going to make yesterday’s dinner tonight but we had pasta at Grandma’s on Saturday. This might get pushed off to later in the week.

{Tuesday} Asian Chicken Thighs – This also isn’t new, but I haven’t made it in a while and D loves it. Might get bumped up to Monday.

{Wednesday} Crock Pot Pork Chops – Another oldie but goodie {just dump pork chops in crock pot with cream of mushroom soup} but we all like it and I need a slow cooker meal on Wednesdays.

{Thursday} Turkey Taco Casserole – Finally, something new! I usually have pretty good luck with Jenna’s recipes and this one looks promising.

We typically eat out on Fridays and I have time to choose and purchase supplies for weekend meals so I don’t typically plan those out.

Corktown 5k is on!

Picked up the bibs and t-shirts on Saturday. Joey says she’s good to go so we’re going for it! ShamRock ‘N Roll is still up in the air.

How was your weekend?

Half Marathon Training–Week 1

2013-03-04T14:11:00.001-05:00

Well, that certainly went by fast! I guess that’s a good thing. Here’s a recap of Week 1 training:

{Monday} - Run 3 Miles – Success! It was an absolutely gorgeous day and I skipped the gym and hit the pavement. 3 miles in 33:53.

{Tuesday} – Stretch & Strengthen – Hit up the DVD player for 40 minutes of Barre3.

{Wednesday} – Run 2 Miles or XT – The plan was to hit up the treadmill for 2 miles before BodyWorks. The reality was that it snowed and I worked from home. Too far away from the gym and too snowy to run outside. Started a NTC workout and only got through 18 of 45 minutes before family distractions forced me to quit. This was by far the biggest disappointment of the week.

{Thursday} – Run 3 Miles & Strength Train – Ran 2.09 miles in 24:37. Was frustrated with the icy conditions and gave up before finishing mile three. Went inside and completed NTC Kara Goucher – Pro Running Stretches and NTC Shawn Johnson – Stretch Guide. Not exactly strength training but the stretches felt really good after a cold run.

{Friday} – Rest – Rested like it was my job.

{Saturday} – Run 4 Miles – I was watching the weather to determine whether Saturday or Sunday would be better for outdoor running. Saturday had higher temps and Sunday had more sunshine. After lying in bed debating about it to the point of ridiculousness I finally sucked it up and headed out the door. In the snow. And ice. And wind. 4 miles in 48:51.

{Sunday} - XT 30 Minutes – Walked 2 miles with Robot. It was nice and sunny but very cold and windy.

Overall, not a bad week. I WILL make it to BodyWorks this week and I WILL NOT let life interfere with my training. This is priority one until May 19!

How is your training going?

Snow Day

2013-02-27T09:17:00.000-05:00

Two inches at most. I know this would send all you Sissy Southerners {I'm looking at you, Susan} into a tizzy but seriously, this is nothing. I can't believe all the schools are closed today, but that actually works to JD's advantage since she has four finals tomorrow and she gets to spend all day today studying for them. I knew my commute would be a disaster since no one seems to know how to drive in snow around here so I'm working from home today. I could seriously get used to this. Unfortunately it means no BodyWorks tonight {my gym is near my office, which is 30 miles away from my house} so I need to either run two miles outside {um, not likely} or come up with a strength training routine to do at home.

Half Marathon Training Day 2: Stretch & Strengthen. Spent 40 minutes with my Barre3 DVD last night. I just love how I feel after this workout! Loosened up my neck and shoulders and finally got rid of the sinus headache that I had all day.

Tonight's dinner was a much bigger hit than last night's: Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup with Kale.

Perfect cold weather comfort food! And it came together easily and quickly and tasted delicious! I will definitely be making this again. Just threw tonight's dinner together: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff. Smells great already.

Might be making an adjustment to the March race calendar. Not sure if Joey is going to be able to run Corktown on the 10th plus I just found out that JD has a friendlies tournament at Olivet College that day. As much as I'd hate to miss Corktown {and that medal} I'd hate to miss JD's last tournament with her club team even more. However, I may have recruited my friend Erin to run the ShamRock 'N Roll 10k with me on the 17th! Jennifer got me geeked about the bling {10k finishers medal plus an extra medal when I run the other two races in the series which are already on my calendar} and I'm hoping I can make this one happen, even if we end up running Corktown after all.

Any other locals running ShamRock 'N Roll? Anyone running Corktown?

Beginning the Journey

2013-02-26T09:03:00.001-05:00

It’s official: I am training for a half marathon.

I am following Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Program.

Yesterday was supposed to be Stretch & Strengthen, but since JD has back to back soccer practices on Tuesdays through mid-March that prevent me from getting to the gym to use the treadmill and the weather has been too craptastic to run outside, I switched it up. That totally worked in my favor yesterday as it was gorgeous outside – 40 degrees and sunny – and I was able to take my run to the pavement. No music, just the sound of birds chirping and the sun on my face = three glorious miles in 33:52 for an 11:17/mile pace. I felt great throughout the entire run! Such a great way to start my training. I went home and pounded a glass of chocolate milk.

It was the best chocolate milk I’ve ever had. Then I hit the floor with my Nike Training Club app and busted out Kara Goucher’s Pro Running Stretches. Tonight I’ll be getting down and dirty with my Barre3 DVD while I watch six inches of snow falling from the sky.

My menu expansion experiment has been interesting. Saturday night D wasn’t hungry so I took the opportunity to make myself something that I like: salmon. I also made couscous with spinach. JD smelled everything cooking and asked to try it. She liked it so much, she posted a picture to Instagram:

She even included “yummy” as a hashtag. Score one point for Lori. Saturday I made Italian Wedding Soup.

It was delicious and everyone loved it. There was enough for all three of us to have a big bowl on Sunday, D and I to take some to work for lunch on Monday and I freezed a quart sized bag. Score two more points for Lori. Last night was Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers and Parmesan Italian Roasted Potatoes.

Minus two points for Lori. JD, bless her heart, ate half of the burger and said it was OK but I could tell she didn’t like it. D took one bite and pushed it away. What was the problem? Too much garam masala. There is a lot of it in this recipe and no one cared for it. However, I have some big ideas on how to tweak this recipe to make it more palatable for all of us so we’ll see how that goes. The potatoes were a big hit with everyone. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway! It ends Friday night.

Anyone starting a training program? Which one are you following? Any recipe successes or failures?

CLOSED Giveaway! H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending Snack Pack

2013-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

Winner: Tracy Yuditsky!

Did you have vending machines in your school? We had one, and they installed it my senior year. It was a soda machine. We could buy snacks in the school store, things like cookies and potato chips. Definitely not what you would consider health food.

That was 1993. Since then, vending in schools has begun to change, and for the better.

H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending is the nation's leading franchisor of eco-friendly and high tech healthy vending machine businesses. They have partnered with Dan and Josh Rea, a father and son team and Detroit and Oakland County-based fitness enthusiasts, to ensure that their community has convenient access to healthful foods and beverages.

To get the word out about their venture, H.U.M.A.N. and the Reas would like to offer one lucky reader a Healthy Snack Pack!

What's inside:

HUMAN Healthy Vending recyclable tote
HUMAN Healthy Vending canteen
1 bag of Pop Chips in Jalapeno Potato
1 bag of Snikkidy's Cheddar Cheese Baked Fries
1 bag of Pirate's Booty
1 Luna Bar in Nutz Over Chocolate
1 Clif Bar in White Chocolate Macadamia Nut
1 Clif Mojo Bar in Peanut Butter Pretzel
1 bag Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn
1 bag Angie's Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn

TO ENTER:

Use Rafflecopter form below to enter.

MANDATORY:

Leave a comment on this post: What's your favorite healthy snack?
"Like" H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending's Facebook page.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

Follow me on Twitter.
Like my Facebook page.

One winner will be selected. Open to US residents only. Snack pack will be shipped to the winner from H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending. Giveaway closes on Friday, March 1 at 11:59 PM Eastern time.

Disclosure: H.U.M.A.N. Healthy Vending Services is providing one snack pack to the giveaway winner and one snack pack to me. I was not compensated in any other way for this post and all opinions that are expressed within this post are my own.

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