Fooood

Eating gluten free can be hard, but it is generally healthier than regular processed foods. I'm saying generally as it is quite possible to eat gluten free junk food or overly processed food. The only difference? Your pocketbook will really notice.

Last night I dined at the Irish Mexican food restaurant. I ordered prairie fired chicken breasts and beef enchiladas.

Tonight I'm making Annie's mac and cheese.  Annie's is in the news for.going public with their stock. Many comments can be seen with almost any article.on the topic as to why anyone would want to eat organic. Check out the ingredient list in the attached photo and then check out the blue box ingredients. I prefer ingredients I can pronounce & recognize.

Have a great weekend.

Run for a cause

Saturday was a busy day.   In the morning, I joined scores of others in my area to show support for a victim of a freak accident; she was out running on the trails and was stabbed in the shoulder by a man with some issues (to say the least).  It was amazing to see so many people show up for the event, and know there were many others who wished they could have been there, but for plans to be out of town.

Then I went to a tag/estate sale.  It was a rather interesting one as it was held at the woman's apartment in a retirement home. That was a little odd, and made me feel bad walking into the place, past residents, and then walking out with items in my hands. Part of the life cycle, but stillhard.  I bought a oil panting of a street scene in Paris. The back is dated 1977.  Now I have to put another nail in the wall.  The colors are very vibrant. Interestingly, the last auction I was at and bought a painting (many moons ago when I was just out of college) was a pencil and watercolor drawing of a boating scene, in France. HA.  I guess my roots are showing.  One of the neat things is the person wrote on the back when they got it, how/why and a photo of the street scene as well (buildings/street).

Later in the day I made a trip north. The Mike decided to ride his Salsa vaja north and have me pick him up. Our official destination was the bike shop to pick up another Salsa, this one with some suspension going on.  While I was out and about on the gravel roads of the great beyond I happened down a road with windmills in the distance, and then they grew closer and closer.  This one was the closest I've ever seen to a road. Granted, it was a gravel road, a road less traveled.







I have a love/hate attitude towards the wind turbines. I love that we can get energy from them, but I don't like what they do to nature. Bats often die around them, I've read of a bird in Wyoming that doesn't cross roads (so it basically lives on ranch land and/or square miles) and that having the turbines there interferes with its life, and farmers who lease the land to the companies often give up any hunting rights on their land. Also, I think of the "dead" farm in southern Hawaii that we saw when we traveled to the south point of Hawaii county (big island). We drove past the abandoned turbine farm, which had missing blades on all the machines, and the 'new' farm that could be seen in the distance. It makes one wonder what will happen in 20, 30 years when these machines are no longer as efficient.

South Point, Hawaii County, Hawaii (furthest southern point in U.S.)

photo 11/4/2009

(South Point was also home to an aviation base during WWII. check it out here. Not much is left, just a building or two)

The sun did come out in the late afternoon. . . just in time to finish driving with the sun/heat on my side of the car as we were driving.  We got to the bike shop just in the nick of time.  Mike got his bike, got a chat in with the guys and then we fueled up the car and headed back.  We stopped at Culver's for some custard and this location happened to have the very awesome Potato Au Gratin  soup (which, now that I look at the ingrdients, probably isn't the best, but it's yummy!).  Most places carry the potato and bacon which is NOT GF; the au gratin variety is GF though! 

This morning I was wondering what to make, no bread so no french toast. Instead, I took some of the previously baked potatoes, sliced and pan fried with olive oil and butter, scrambled some eggs with Beeler's ham and had diced apples and pears on the side. 

Dinner is to be in just a little bit: fish (cod) with butternut squash, left over corn and banana bread for afterwards. 

Rest days

The race anticipation makes rest days before events hard. The rest days after events are joyous. It was Wednesday afternoon  before I could easily move. Wednesday I had morning yoga and a two mile run later.

Yesterday I got to sleep in and this morning was yoga, deep stretches. Tomorrow will be a short run, on paved trails to support our local trails and show that we will not allow fear to rule. A crazed man stabbed a runner in the shoulder on Monday on an older section of the trail. I don't normally run on this path, but will on Saturday along with scores of others.

It's amazing how quickly weather changes. When i was in yoga Wednesday it rained.  Today it became foggy during yoga. It wasn't beforehand, which was food as I was able to see the deer cross in front of my car.

Food wise, my diet hasn't been so good. Wednesday night we had scrambled eggs with cheese and mixed fruit (strawberries & bananas); last night we had toast & jam before falling asleep on the sofa....we didn't get to the steak house after all.  This morning, I woke up hungry, went to yoga, came back and made an awesome breakfast (photo) eggs, cottage cheese, toast & jam, and a banana. Yum!

The write up. Rock n Roll USA

[hit publish too soon, article has been completed]

Saturday was my second full 26.2 miles.  It was in D.C. The race use to be the Suntrust Marathon, one I had wanted to do last year but ended up not doing so.  It is the only marathon that runs completely in DC limits (others run into neighboring towns/suburbs).


I flew in Thursday (and boy, were my arms tired!).  My fab. sister C picked me up at Washington Nat'l and got me set up at her place.  Friday morning we got to sleep in and then take her son to daycare. Came back and did my two miles to keep stretched and then to Wash Nat'l to pick up sister T and her sweet daughter.  Back to house, out to shop, pick up son, pick up dinner :-)  OUTBACK to go. Oh, right, we also had stop at RFK stadium/Armory area to pick up race packet, spend time at expo, buy stuff, get free stuff (including GEICO pez), bought some CEP compression sleeves and drive around some, sightseeing.

Friday night was a little overwhelming.  What to wear, what to wear, when to leave the house, how to get to start, etc.  Friday was cold, it was in the 50s, overcast, chilly, etc.  Definitely a sweatshirt day for me (except when we were inside with all those expo people). 


I decided on my capris (always wear capris in racing), an UnderArmour tank, visor with green sequin band over it, a green/white garter for the arm, a green boa tied around the waist, and my hydration pack system, along with a spibelt for GUs.


We decided to drive to one of the metro stations and ride the subway/metro into the Armory neighborhood.  It was a good thing we chose the one we did, instead of driving to the next nearest one.  The train wasn't too full when we got on, more got on at the next stop and it was packed by the third stop.  The next stop had people on the train car telling others outside to NOT pry open the doors, it breaks the metro cars in DC (but maybe not in other cities).  By the time we got to the metro station stop for the Armory the platform outside was packed and we were stuck inside until that crowd started to dissipate. It was not long, but with a packed car it sure seemed like a long time.

















It was 8:15am and the race started at 8, knowing that I was in corral 17 I wasn't too worried, but I was worried. My sister said to go ahead and she'd catch up with me, which she did! 

Start of race!  People were moving past me. I'm not sure what corral I ended up starting in, as I saw 16000, 17000 and 18000 numbers.

The race started with us running under a GIANT American flag. WOW.

We then ran around some of the visions of the wonderful city.   I ran with my camera, knowing I could just click the shutter and decide later if the pictures were good or not. 

The first half I think went really well.  I was about where I wanted to be for the first 13.1.  I was a few minutes over, but didn't think much of it. . . until about  mile 15 when I realized I wasn't sweating any longer. Uh-oh.  I started drinking more water, to go with the cytomax flasks I was running with.  However, I didn't want to take in too much water too quickly.  

We ran straight towards this for several blocks and then we turned.

Some fabulous spectators near Howard University!

At mile 17 I saw a man running barefoot--no Vibrams--just his barefeet.   

The statue ahead is in honor of those lost on the Titanic.

Mile 19 included running over a drawbridge. Many of us elected to walk across this for safety.

The end is in sight!  Around the stadium to the right, around and up a hill, around a curve. . . .

This is in the last .2 miles. . . up to the end of the large signs, then to the right and straight through to the finish!   Only 28 minutes longer than I had planned. . . not bad considering it was hotter than anticipated, I was dehydrated and sunburned.  I recall reading a Runner's World article on the effects of heat and how to calculate for heat/humidty, etc (last year in the summer, July edition????) and was satisfied with my finish.

Now, if I can only figure out how to mentally get through those couple of miles where there is nothing out there. 

Partial story

Yesterday was the Rock n Roll series marathon weekend in Washington, DC.  The race packet pickup was in the armory, same one the Beatles played in on first US appearance. 

Morning was crazy as always getting up, dressed with nerves setting in for the body.  Got to the start a little after 8am. I was in corral 17, and still had about 20 minutes before my group crossed the start line under a massive US flag. Awesome, amazing.

More to come later with regular computer/key board. Great start with 20,000+ friends running as well, hot day with temps in mid to high 70s and a lovely lobster burn. My calf isn't nearly as red as my arms and neck.  ...pooh, and that nice garter I have on in the starting picture...guess what it did for my tan line, Haha.

Eve of the big race!

I arrived in DC last night. Spent the day with two fabulous sisters and a niece. The nephew went to childcare.

We made it to the EXPO. Got my race number/bing and all these goodies as well. I had to make a chocolate milk video too...what better way to refueling after a big run?

Time for dinner. More tomorrow hopefully!

I'm leaving on a jet plane. . .

I chose a long time ago (11/11/11)  to register for this race as it's in our nation's capital and I have family who lives nearby (read, free hotel) and thought it was something the sibling(s) and I could do together.

Spring forward several months and I realize:

a) Training for a spring marathon really, truly bites. I think even more so than running my first one at the end of October and then having Halloween (candy), rest days, Thanksgiving (pie, turkey, real gravy), and Christmas food holidays to gang up on my healthy eating. Training for a spring marathon means that you have to run long, even on those family holidays when you'd rather spend time with your parents who have had a very trying year.

b) I'm missing out on hometown celebration for St. Patrick's Day.  Not that I've spent many there, but it is just that I can't be there this year where as maybe years before I wasn't able to go, or gas was high, or whatever. This year it falls on a Saturday. How rockin' sweet.  Hope all ya'll in the Irish town celebrate it up!

c) I started a yoga class in the mornings.  I LOVE yoga. However, since I'm a 'roll out of bed and hit the road running' person, having yoga at 5:30AM and then getting home almost 7am isn't working well for that ability to run in the morning and be to work on time. By the time I get off work I just want to go into "wife" mode (groceries, make dinner) work late, etc. Thus, I'm worried that maybe my training isn't as it was last fall and then I realize I'm being silly.

Timing is everything and I'm  going with the training I have and know that I will do my best, which is all I ask of myself when I'm out pounding pavement.