It's snowing! Wait...what?

Let's start with the mundane and work my way up to the exciting. Shall we?


Thursday Speed Class was b-r-u-t-a-l. We ran intervals, 1200, 800, 600, 400. Each getting 5 -10 seconds faster per lap. Uh, oxygen don't fail me now! Of course it was like 70 and very humid considering the thunderstorms had just stopped. But I did it and my last 400 had me at 1:91, thankyouverymuch. And just when we thought we were done, coach announced we would be doing 50m strides to "cool down." My quads are not pleased with me.


And they were even angrier at 4:45 when my alarm went off to get up to go running again. BTW, yay for Michelle suggesting we sleep in an extra 15 minutes on Friday. Whoot! We met for a warm, humid, albeit easy run of 4 miles. I needed to get the kinks out from the night before anyway.


Called the plumber and made arrangements to have our new water heater installed, new dishwashwer installed and our drains cleaned out. We are so high style these days with our clean drains and all. Then I headed out to purchase said dishwasher so he would have something to install. (thankfully, he'll pick out and purchase the hwh because I wouldn't even know where to start)


THEN, drug my tired self out of bed this morning for my long run. And brr! I wore shorts yesterday morning to run and a sleeveless top. This morning I had to bring out the tights and ls tops that I had put away for the season. Wind chill of 23 is dang cool for these parts. (and my parts!) It was windy and it was cool, but it was a great run. Michelle mapped out a new route for us that started with hills and ended, apparently, in Chicago it was so windy. But the best part was, it snowed!!! For reals y'all! We saw snowflakes in Dallas in March - the END of March. Will wonders never cease?

Us, this morning. Do the middle and far right horses sorta look like they havelong blonde hair dos?

I'm cozied up now, in my pink candy cane pajamas and favorite Michigan sweatshirt. Cat by my side, I plan to do very little other than laundry today. I have the house to myself, it's overcast, blustery, still cool and I see a lot of HGTV in my near future.


Hubs is playing in a hockey tourney this weekend. With a bunch of Canadians who came into town just for this tournament if you can believe that. They needed goalies and he was more than happy to oblige. I hope he's having fun!


Happy weekend y'all!

Thankful Thursday

I don't post about being Thankful for Hubs often. It's not that I'm not Thankful for him, because I certainly am. It's just that I don't feel like I could ever articulate how Thankful I really AM for him. I might try here and there, but words always fall short of my amazing man.
So I thought I'd just share a cute story.
As I was driving home from work today my pink cellie starting singing, alerting me that Hubs was on the line. Stevie Wonder, I Just Called. I picked up and Hubs greeted me, asking me where I was. He doesn't always call on his way home from work so it was a nice surprise. I informed him that I was just passing Northpark Mall. "Shoot" he replied, "I was hoping I could have timed it just right. I took 75 home (not his usual route) hoping I might see you on the road."
Silly me, left work a little later than usual.
He was at the High 5, a few exits in front of me. "Maybe I'll see you at Beltline" he continued. That's the exit we take for home. We said our farewells and I continued my drive in the usual Dallas traffic, NPR keeping me company.
As I sat at the light at Beltline, Stevie once again called out to let me know Hubs was on the horn.
"I see you!" he gleefully called out. And indeed, Hubs was far ahead, first in line, one lane over. I asked him to tap his brakes so I could see the rear window brake light of his truck flicker. He obliged. I inquired as to how we could have ended up at the light together after all. He had been quite a bit ahead of me!
And then my dear husband answered, "I drove slowly so you could catch up to me. I wanted to see you at the light."
Now, for sure that is silly. For sure he could have arrived home 5 minutes earlier and seen me AT HOME. But I love it that he's the kind of guy who will, slow down, delay his arrival at home after a hard day, just for the opportunity to flicker his brake lights at his wife in traffic.
Aw.
I love you Hubs! And I'm glad you got hooked up with a suite at the Stars game tonight. You deserve it!

Living a Crap Free Life

So I struggled quite a bit with Crap Free Week. I just wasn't prepared. I cheated once. (I had half a Dr. Pepper on Wednesday) and I ended it early, on Friday night instead of Sunday.

I'm a weak, weak, woman.

But all in all, I learned a lot about my eating habits. I'll do this again in a few weeks and I'll be better prepared next time.

I did get some great suggestions from y'alls comments though. Thank you! The grocery store is a place that both overwhelms and confuses me. When I'm unbelievably wealthy someday (not quite sure yet just how I'm going to get there) I'll hire someone to fill my fridge with healthy chef prepared meals. Until then, I'll wander anxiously around Central Market, fretting over the appropriate carbo/protein ratio of my diet. Sheesh. But this week, this week, I came to the store with a list. A list of Thing I'd Like To Eat. I actually spent less than usual, and yet came away with options that should get me through most of the week. Like tempeh. I've had it, but never cooked it. Should be exciting!

After lunch today, we walked to 3 open houses in our neighborhood. I lurve open houses. Especially in our own hood. Give me ideas for houses that are similar to our own. But today, wow! 2 of them were "flipped" by the same builder and boy did he do an amazing job! No detail untouched. Check out this one. I probably opened every single closet in all three homes we toured.

And then I got home and opened our own closets.

Gulp.

I despise clutter. I've blogged about this before, but now I'm going to get serious. There is just no reason for only two smallish people to have so much J-U-N-K! It's cluttering up my house and my mind. So I'm committing to a Crap Free Closet!

I'm going to be brutal about my giving. Brutal. If it's in a closet, packed away, then clearly I'm not using it. No need to hang on to this stuff in the event that someday I might want to take it out and look at it, only to return it to the closet. I can hardly wait.

AND I'm almost done with 50/50. Oh, this book is sooooo goooood. Look for the recap soon and the opportunity to enjoy the book for your own self!

Have a great week!

Who needs sleep?

Or alternatively, Why getting up early on your day off doesn't suck.

People ask me why I get up so early to run. They can't believe I would get up at 4:30, especially on my day off, to run.

These people are not runners.

We "slept in" today and did not meet until 5:30. The weather was perfect, cool with little humidity. I was blessed by the breathtaking sunrise that God puts out for us each day, a small reminder that "Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

The company was great, as always, I have the best running crew evah.

And of course we had coffee afterwards. Okay, so I did not drink anything. I'm not a coffee drinker and Panera's water tastes like street. But still.

And as I drove home, I looked at my watch. 9 am. It was only 9 am and I had already run 9 miles and had an enjoyable morning with 3 of my friends.

Now, how many other people can say that?

Have a great weekend! And to those of y'all who are racing - GOOD LUCK!

Ho, ho, ho!

Wait, not that Santa.

My new favorite thing to eat is Santa Fe Casserole. I got the recipe from Caitlin’s blog, but after making it a few times, I’ve made some changes to suit my particular pallet. I like it spicier! I hope you enjoy this as much as I have. It reheats very well, as most casseroles do. Yummy goodness…and pretty good for you too!

Red Bean Casserole
Cook 1 cup of brown rice (yields about 3 cups)
Add to the rice:
1 can of red kidney beans (rinsed well and drained) sometimes I use black beans instead
1 or 2 roasted red peppers
1 small can chopped green chili peppers
1 cup of grated cheese (I like a Monterrey/cheddar combo)
½ cup skim milk
Lotsa chili powder and black pepper. (and maybe even some cumin)

Mix it all up real good like and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
I serve mine with chipotle salsa and fresh avocado mixed in. The salsa makes it spicier and the avocado makes it creamier. Mmm. Delish.

Sometimes I sauté green, red and orange or yellow bell peppers to throw in. Sometimes some onion. Whatever I have, really. I guess you could add corn, but why? Corn ain’t doing nothing for ya!

If you left out all the spices, I bet it would be yummy with chopped broccoli thrown in. The possibilities are nearly endless. Nearly.

This is my new favorite food and I’ve been eating it non-stop. I hope you enjoy it too! Here it is in it's not quite yet a casserole stage.

Cut our morning run short this morning. It was quite humid (duh, it's Texas) and we are all still feeling Sunday a bit. Which is strange, I'm not usually this sore after a half anymore. Oh wells. I got to hear all about Kat's first 2 days on her new job - at our local running store! She already brought me a pair of orange socks she got for free. Lotsa perks working at the running store, apparently including free socks on your first day! She's a dedicated aggie, so orange is a no-no color for her. I'm honored that she'll let this Longhorn be her friend!

When I checked the mail this afternoon, I was very excited to have a package. From runner Katie! I immediately started reading Dean Karnazes 50/50. He set out to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days! (which, really, I guess, should be 50/50/50, huh) Whatevs. I'm already pumped and I'm still in Chapter 1! I'll be sure to finish it up soon so it can be off to inspire yet another runner!

That was easy

I have one of those Big Box Office Store "Easy" buttons in my training room. The trainees like to slam on that when they get a review/game question correct. I hear, "That was easy" many times in a day.

Last night instead of the planned hill route, my coach let those of us who raced this weekend take an easy run around the hood together. Delighted I was. Except, whoa, the 3 I was running with are all lightening fast. I struggled to keep up with them. Panting and sweating profusely on our "easy run," when it was finally over I noticed 2 Garmins. When I questioned our pace...I was met with identical answers, "Average of 9:07."

Uh, that wasn't easy.

But I did it. I kept up. I'm making progress I guess!

You know what else isn't easy? Crap Free Week. CFW for the girl who isn't a good cook or even a creative grocery shopper. I've realized these past two days how much I rely on pre-packaged food. Food that masquerades as "healthy" because it is organic, or whole grain or whatevs. Stuff that ain't bad for you, but isn't as good for me as it could be. I'm missing my Kashi soft cereal bars in the morning. Yeah, it's really not that hard and it's only been 2 days...but it has taught me that I need to do better on a regular basis. (like I didn't already know that, but hey, still a good reminder)

So tonight for supper I had an egg with salsa and one slice of whole grain toast. Delish, but I could totally eat 2 more servings. I am always hungry. Always. I've tried all the tricks. I made sure to include protein in every meal. I eat the healthy fat first. I eat smaller, more frequent meals and still...my tummy rumbles. And when I'm hungry, that is when I make poor food choices. So I headed to the store tonight to stock up, so that I have copious amounts of GOOD choices.

And I came home with strawberries, avocados, a tomato and some bananas.

Oh, and eggs.

I stink at shopping!

Any good, easy, healthy, non smelly*, vegetarian recipes?

*uh, yeah, someone totally heated up fish in the microwave at work yesterday. Fish. Microwave. And it smelled all the way up the stairs. Ew.

Rock On (to Victory)

So this morning was my 2nd half of the year, Rock to Victory. It's part of the White Rock Lake series and starts at Victory Park, part of the amazing AAC complex. Hence the name.

Some of my girlies met up at mi casa around 6:45. Well, Kat showed up, as promised at 6:30, but I was just rollin' out of bed at that point. Hey, it doesn't take much to get ready to sweat. No hair, no makeup, just brushin' the teeth. We headed uptown and were ready to run. The weather was perfect. 40's, overcast (at least it seemed like it would be overcast, it was still dark, and turns out, it was indeed overcast,) no wind and best of all, no rain! This was Lucy's very first half marathon and we were all very excited for her. I remember that nervous feeling like, "What the crap have I gotten myself into???"

This was the inaugural race for the RTV, and only a half, no full or 5K combo. So it was pretty small. Which meant, it was a veritable runner's reunion. Everywhere we turned, we saw someone we knew. I saw Julio, (who, for a few days anyway, was on record as having finished the December WRM 14th overall and 1st in his age group - oops, Internet error soon repaired) Joy, who looked smashing in her green Nike soft hand half zip (I totally forgot that was St. Patty's day, and Joanna, who was my coach for the Turkey Trot class last Fall. Joanna was hoping to PR at 2:01.

We didn't get stuck in the potty line this time, we actually got to start on time! Kat assured me that if I would stick with her she would get me to a 2:15. Honestly, I'd have been thrilled to repeat my 2:20 from December. (but not so secretly I was really yearning for a time ending in "teen") She kept her promise, pushing me the entire race.

We saw Morgan on Matlida. She was there to cheer on her huzzy Zach (they are both in my Speed class) but surprised me with a PINK "Amy" sign. Aw, so sweet. It's always nice to have a cheering section! I saw her with the kiddos twice on the route.

I felt strong the entire race. I was trying very hard to keep at 10:30 pace, but something happened around mile 10. Michelle went crazy. As she usually does. She kept speeding up and hollering for me to keep up. And I did. We ran an 8:40 the last mile or so. Geez Louise! I thought my lungs were going to pop. I sounded like a hippopotamus in labor. And then she looked back and said what ended up being my downfall, "We've already blown 2:15 out of the water. If we keep up this pace, we'll make 2:10." And that was all I needed. Permission to slow down.

I've never been so happy to see a finish line and hear my name called. That Pink Girl; 2:11:11. Two eleven!?!? As in, below the coveted teens? I did slow down a bit when I knew I'd make my goal for sure, and if I hadn't, I would have certainly made 2:10. Woulda coulda shoulda. I'm still beyond thrilled. 2:11!

Michelle, Kat, Lucy and TPG. I'm looking lumpy at my waist because I'm wearing my new SPIbelt. I love this! It's like a non-fanny pack. It doesn't bounce at all, really, and it goes from teeny to holding quite a bit. Plus, it's an Austin company, so how cool is that? And why is it that it is only March, and I'm already the only one with no color? I'm practically see through. Oh, mebe it's the sunscreen I slather on! Safety ladies, (and gentlemen) sun safety!

Michelle and Kat both PR'd as well. So did Joanna with an impressive 1:54. My old coach DJ Dave practically flew in at 1:29. And first timer Lucy beat her goal of 2:30 coming in at 2:28! Great times for all!

I'm ready to run again. I'm doubtful I can recreate this PR anytime soon. The weather and course conditions were ideal today. But I'm pleased.

On an unrelated note, I'm starting Crap Free Week tomorrow. I was inspired by A Toronto Girl Out West. (who, BTW, I haven't forgotten about the tag a few weeks back. I'm just having a hard time coming up with random facts...apparently, I'm not that random!) I'm not sure what to really include/exclude. I figure I can make my own rules. After all, one girl's crap, is another girl's, uh, treasure. I already eat pretty dang well (thanks to being a herbivore!) so I'm really going to concentrate on eliminating processed sugar, white flour and, duhn duhn duhn, Dr. Pepper. I give this up all the time. It never sticks. I luuurrrrve me some Dr. Pepper. But I can go a week. (again) Also, sorry, Jules, no lunchtime trips to CFA for waffle fries and sweet tea. I'm pretty sure those are verboten. (next week, ha!) I'm sure I'll be eating a lot of my fave, brown rice. I got this adorable teeny bag in my race packet for Cowtown. Isn't it precious? Look for a yummy (and healthy) brown rice recipe later this week. (keeping you in suspense...)

Have a great week y'all!

Jason didn't get me

I do apologize for the lack of posts and lack of commenting this week. What a week it has been!

We got back from Detroit late on Monday and then it was off to work early Tuesday. Tuesday night I met new running pal Morgan for an evening run. It was cloudy and warm; the rain held of just in time...for us to get about a mile into our run. Now, a nice light rain would have been welcome. But this was a torrential downpour! At least we looked hardcore. We even got honked out. Yeah! As Joanna says, "The day I stop getting honked at is the day I quit running." And who caught all the drama on Biggest Loser? Good golly Pete!

I missed my morning run on Wednesday due to the continuing tsunami conditions. I'll run in rain. I'll run in heavy rain. But I don't do lightening. At least I got an extra hour of sleep!

Wednesday night I was a baking fool. We had a baby shower for preggers Jen on Thursday and I had committed to baking a few dozen cookies. Snickerdoodles, natch. Jules paid me the highest compliment and mistook my Doodles for J.D.'s. I couldn't be more pleased. J.D.'s has the BEST cookies ever! The party turned out too cute. It's difficult to turn a sterile meeting room into a cozy party atmosphere, but the crowd made all the different. I work with great peeps! We used scrapbooking paper cut oh-so-artfully by Cody to trim the serving pieces. I got the idea from Swanky Tables. Jen got lots of useful things for baby Cameron. Now she just needs to arrive!

Thursday was Speed. Ah, Speed, I missed you on Monday! It was, of course, cold and rainy. Still. I'm not complaining though. I'm not ready for it to be hot yet! The reprieve is welcome. I know it's coming and once it's here, it's here to stay.

And today? Today was my glorious Friday off. I just LOVE my schedule. It's like a mini vacay every other week. Bliss. I resolved to NOT leave the house all day. Slept in until around 8, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then...marathon house cleaning and laundry! 8 loads of laundry. How do just two people produce 8 loads of laundry in one week? I did some rearranging of furniture, some organizing of files and in general, just hung around the house. You need a day like that every now and again.

Tomorrow I'm headed out to look for dishwasher. I've never purchased a major appliance before. I'm just going to shop like I shop for shoes. If it's pretty, it feels good and I can afford it, I'll buy it.

And then Sunday...Rock to Victory Half Marathon! Whoo hoo! THIS one I am actually racing. I'm really hoping to maintain my 2:20. We'll see. I'm also hoping the weather cooperates and it isn't too warm. (it's in the 40's right now...supposed to be in the 70's on Sunday, crazy Texas weather)

It will be Lucy's first half marathon and I'm very excited for her. Full race report and photos to come post race.

Y'all have a great weekend!

Mmm, carbohydrates

Within an hour of landing in rainy Michigan, I was seated in Livonia, eating at Noodles. I scarfed down the Pene Rosa and got an order of Pesto Cavitapi to heat up for supper later. Why, oh why, do we not have these in Texas? Pure pasta heaven. Apparenlty happiness CAN be bought and for only $7.

On an unrelated note, I'm super addicted to Lil' Mama's song, Lip Gloss as well as the All American Rejects, Give you Hell. Check 'em out.

While still in Dallas, I managed to work in 9.3 very humid miles this morning before our 10 am flight. Ugh. I'm not ready for hot weather! I didn't strech properly since I was in such a hurry and now I'm paying the price. Running far + not streching + sitting on a plane for 3 hours = sore muscles. Not good. And I know better! Always learning, always learning.

During our run this morning, Elizabeth asked me what my backup plan was if I did NOT get into NYC. I snorted, "Elizabeth! I WILL get picked in the lottery! I AM running NYC!" She apologized for her transgression of not having faith and asked what someone else's backup plan should be. Prolly Toronto, Detroit or Marine Corps. I'm ready to start training for a marathon - June hurry up and get here so I can make my hotel reservations for NYC! (or so that people like, you know, Elizabeth can make other plans)

Off to get in a quick nap. I've been up since 4:30 and I'm getting a bit weary. Need to be fresh to put on my friendly family face!

Thankful Thursday

I have been abundantly blessed. Thus the Thankful Thursday posts. Do not think that because I give thanks for just one or two things in a post that I take ANY of my blessings for granted.

In 2007 I heard about the Nike Women’s Marathon. I was too late to register, but my pal Joy did and she ran with Team in Training. She had a great time and I knew I wanted to run that race too. So in early 2008 I entered the lottery. I waited anxiously for the results and was thrilled to learn my number came up! San Francisco was actually my 3^rd half marathon. And when I ran it, I hadn’t run a half in almost a year. I didn’t PR, but what a wonderful race! It was my favorite race to date!!!

What a blessing to have the opportunity to run with 20,000 other women (and a handful of men) and to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I felt so empowered as a female runner that weekend. Nike owned the town last October! At every turn I found a sign, a person, a banner, a song, giving inspiration to “Run Like a Girl.” What a great message. It felt so good to be a part of something so much bigger than me!

The course was beautiful, the race expertly organized and San Francisco is amazing. I’ve never felt so supported during a race; there were cheerleaders all along the way. The hollers never stopped! Plus, plenty of fluids, goo, shot blocks and even chocolate during the race. The end was spectacular – I collected my Tiffany necklace and headed straight for the beach. You don’t get THAT just anywhere!

So I encourage y’all to enter the lottery, even if you don’t think you are ready for a half marathon. You’ve got plenty of time to train before October! It’s a great race, a great cause and it will do your body good. So go ahead, enter that lottery. Who knows, you just might get picked!

Panthers, OUT!

Back from Forth Worth. What a fun girls weekend! Sarah, Michelle and I drove down Friday mid-day and the fun began. Started off our tourism at the Water Gardens. Uh, how is this legal? It certainly isn't safe. You really can't tell how steep it is in the photo, but it's basically small, WET, stepping stones with no hand rail, leading to several small pools of rushing water. Neat, but I was nervous going down.

I never realize how much taller than me everyone else is until I see photos.

We caught a movie, Fired Up and were were the only 3 in the theater. (for some crazy reason?) It was dang funny though! I loooove cheerleader movies and this one did not disappoint. We went around the rest of the weekend flashing the "Panther Paws" at each other. We are dorks indeed.

Dinner and the Expo wore us out and we were in bed by 9:30. We are cah-raze-ee wild girls for sure. Early to rise and hit the pavement. The race scene was insane. For some reason Cowtown felt the need to hold 5 races all at once. All with different start lines, but each with the same start time. Confusing for all involved. It was windy and cool, much cooler than I had planned for. Michelle was gracious to lend me her extra pair of pants (so glad she brought two pairs!) since my skirt wasn't going to cut it.

Sarah, Michell and Adriana trying to stay warm.

The race was, meh. I must say, Dallas puts on a better show. It wasn't very scenic and very few people came out to cheer. The Big D has more spirit for it's runners! About 5 miles of the race was on a brick paved road. Uh, painful! And dangerous. My preggers pal was running a little bit behind us and I kept turning around to keep my eye on her. At one point I looked back and didn't see her. So I slowed down more. Still no Sarah. So I stopped. And after a bit I REALLY started to get nervous. I tried to call her and I started running back, against traffic. She got my call and she was okay. She had fallen, Superman style, because she tripped on an uprooted brick. It knocked the wind out of her so she couldn't call out to me. And did anyone help her up? No. I felt so guilty for not being there.

Sarah showing off her injured knee from the fall of (wo)man. I'm so glad both she and her precious cargo are okay. It scared the crap out of me!

As if the brick road wasn't bad enough, they didn't stop all of the traffic so we were running in one lane with cars zooming past us in the other lane. That made me nervous. And they kept stopping the race to let cars turn or go through an intersection. I've never experienced that before. Weird.

This cute dog ran her first half marathon!

Michelle, me in my borrowed britches, Adriana and Elizabeth, post race.

We had fun even though we didn't even come close to a PR. That's not what this race was about. It was about friendship. :) The three of us held hands as we crossed the finish line. ( I told you were were dorks!)

Here we are post race flashing our Panther Paws. We are totally cool.

The funny thing about this weekend was, as much time as I spend with my girls, it is always running. When I picked them up it was the first time I'd ever seen them in "people clothes!" And makeup! And hair done! We had a lot of firsts this weekend. And I hope, firsts of many more to come!

More pics on Facebook. No need to duplicate all of them.