Running Music

I have had the same running music for EVER!  I am so sick of every song that comes on.  It's hard to get into the groove of running when I am constantly flipping through the songs.  So, I am finally cleaning out my playlist.  It is officially called, "Run That Shit".  So far, I have incorporated songs I already have in my music that I have either forgotten about, haven't listened to in forever, or my absolute faves that I will never get sick of (Like, "I Like to Move It Move It).

Some surprises?  An embarrassingly large amount of Ke$ha.  Who knew?

Anyway.  Here's my mix so far.  Feel free to use them and feel free to share yours with me.

Happy Running!

Marathon Training

I knew that I had to start training for my marathon soon, but I just figured it out and I have to start in 9 days!  The marathon isn't until October.  It just seems so far away right now.

I'm going to follow Hal Higdon's Novice 1 marathon training plan.  It's 18 weeks and the longest run during the week only goes up to 9 miles.  I am going to have to plan ahead though and either ask off or change my long runs around.  I work every other weekend and I'm pretty sure once I get to the longer distances I'm not going to want to work for 8 hours then go run 16 miles.  I had enough problems doing that when I just had to run up to 12 miles!

Despite my spirit deflating after my last race, I am looking forward to marathon training.  I really enjoy distance running and all that it brings.  I find out so much about myself and the limits I can push myself to.  I can't wait to take this next step forward in my running "career"!

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Pocket Full of Sunshine

Today was pretty uneventful.  I woke up not feeling well and could not wait to get home from work.  I took a nap for a couple of hours and felt SO much better!

Kevin and I had some shopping to take care of.  We stopped for some frozen custard at The Farm first.  It is my absolute favorite place for frozen custard!

Then we headed to Kohl's to get some clothes.  I ended up with a dress, some sandals, and a purse.  Kevin actually got nothing for once.  It is usually the other way around.

I'm actually pretty excited about the dress.  I really never wear them, but I found a really cute one after trying on about a million.  This is the one I got.

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I can wear it to a wedding in a couple of weeks and when I go on vacay!  I've been obsessed with yellow for a while now.  I'll be a big old ray of sunshine.

We stopped at Tony Chen's for some chinese food for a late dinner.  This is my new favorite Chinese restaurant.  I don't know what they do to it, but it is delish!

I'm spending the rest of the night catching up on season 3 of Shameless.  This show always leaves me speechless.

Have a great day!

Marathon Shmarathon

I love those runs where I feel unstoppable and could just run for ever!  Ever have one of those?  They come around once in a great while.  Those are the times where I think to myself how ready I am for a marathon.  I know that I can finish with no problem.

And then, there's the other runs.  The runs where I hate every minute, every mile.  Those are the times where I completely doubt everything.

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Yesterday was one of those days.  It was one of those races where I doubted my ability to not only complete a marathon, but to complete the half that I was running.  I hate looking back and wondering if I could have done better?  Could I have pushed harder?  Or was I really at my limit?

I had completely forgotten to even check out my splits.

I think the weather must be for the start.  It was 64 with 88% humidity.  The humidity went away as the day went on, but the heat increased.

The first 5 miles went okay, but then I really went downhill.

I keep looking back wondering why, what could I have done differently?  I really don't know.  Maybe I have to start running by myself more.  I depend on Becky a lot on our long runs.  She plans our routes and picks our pace.  She is really good at staying steady and holding back until the end.

When running, how does one become stronger mentally?  I thought I was doing okay, then things like yesterday happen.  I really need to come up with a game plan.  I mean, 26.2 doesn't run itself.  And I'm already signed up for the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon.  I need to work on building my confidence back up and sticking to the running plan.

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How do you mentally prepare for a race?

Rockford Half Marathon Race Recap

Today I ran the Rockford Half Marathon.  It was my fifth half marathon and my first time doing this race.  My long runs have been going okay and I thought this race would go fairly smoothly.

The weather was forecasted for humid in the morning and warm all day.  I didn't think too much of it until we stepped outside that morning.  I guess I'm use to it being cooler, living by Lake Michigan.  I knew it would be warmer inland, but I wasn't prepared for how much.

This picture is before the race.  Weirdest pose ever by me.  

The race started at 7 for both the marathon and the half which is way earlier than I am use to running!  I think I started out too fast.  By mile 3 I was having some problems.  I was way overheated and starting to feel like I was going to pass out.  I told Becky to keep going, because I had to walk.

The rest of the race was just a struggle for me.  I had Becky in my sights for a bit, but she was long gone by mile 5 (and ended up PRing!).  I ran/walked the rest and stayed by the same group of about 5 runners the whole time.

I finished at 2:55, much slower then I thought before I started!  That just goes to show, you never know what race day will bring.  And it turns out, word on the street is that this race is always really hot.  Oh, well.  I finished and that is an accomplishment in itself.

Becky had to get a shot of me with all of my food.  I was choking down a giant bagel and they were giving away whole bags of this puffed corn stuff that turned out to be pretty good.  And we got coupons for a free ice cream cone from McDonald's.

Overall, I liked this course.  The race support along the route was awesome.  There were water/gatorade stops, people riding on their bikes handing out GUs, a GU stop, a sponge stop (where I told a volunteer that I loved them), and they even had ice at the last water stop!  I don't know if I'd do this race again just because I am not good in the heat.  I hate summer races and am glad for the cool weather here most of the year.

Did you race this weekend?

Mexican Lentils and Rice Casserole Recipe

I have a couple of go to recipes that I make repeatedly.  One of them has been one I got from Runs for Cookies called Mexican Lentils and Rice.  The other day I was trying to think of something to make, when I had an idea.

I had a bunch of the lentils and rice made already.  I had corn tortillas, shredded cheddar, and diced green chilis.  I thought that would make a good combination...at least I hoped it would.

Mexican Lentils and Rice Casserole Recipe
2c. Mexican Lentils and Rice
4 corn tortillas
2 servings shredded cheddar (28g/serv - yes, I weigh my cheese)
1 can diced green chilis (I use La Preferida)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spray a 9x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Dip corn tortillas in a bowl of water before placing in the bottom of the 9x9 pan just so they are wet.
Put one serving of cheese on the tortillas.
Spread the 2c. of Mexican Lentils and Rice over the cheese layer.
Then, put the second serving of cheese over the Mexican Lentils and Rice. Spread the diced green chilis over the top.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.

I counted this as two servings. This tastes as good without the cheese, half the cheese, or the Mexican blended cheese as well.

What's your go to recipe?

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I've been getting up at reasonable times the last few days despite having to close every night at work.  I finally got myself up to go for a walk in the morning, mostly because I had to return an overdue library book.  I checked out books quite a while ago and have renewed them twice, because I still haven't found time to read them. The one I had to return was put on hold by someone, so I couldn't renew it.  I thought it was a great time to walk to the book drop.  That way, I could get in some exercise and cross something off my to do list.

The weather was absolutely perfect!  It was 70, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and slightly breezy.  Most of the walk was shaded, so I didn't even have to worry about burning.

I walked just shy of 4 miles.  I would have kept going to get that even number, but I had to get ready for work.

I also decided to try having a smoothie for lunch.  Everybody seems to be juicing, but I don't have a juicer.  I do have frozen strawberries, frozen bananas and a blender.  And I forgot that I have some protein powder.  It wasn't even expired!  Bonus!

I was full after drinking that, but a couple of hours later I thought my stomach was going to eat itself I was so hungry!  I forgot to grab a snack.  I should have known it would only tide me over for a bit.  I didn't go crazy or anything by the time I ate.  I just had some stir fry I made the other day from all of my left over veggies.  It was delicious and filling.

How did you spend your day?