What I've been up to

Oh my gosh, it's been nearly a month since I've written! I've been busy settling in and enjoying Portland, but of course that means I've been putting off blogging for far too long.

Our drive up to Portland was exhausting but went really well, in that everything made it up in 1 piece and we didn't have any significant Penske-truck-pulling-a-trailer mishaps, but Dr. Hubby swears that he will never drive a moving truck again!


Our apartment is wonderful and nearly done- once I hang up our pictures and figure out where to store the colony of computer related cords living in the corner of our front room I'll post a bunch of pictures. :) I love it because we actually managed to avoid cramming every inch of it with furniture. Having a bit of space makes it feel very peaceful. That being said, we still feel like we have too much stuff and took another car load of things to goodwill once we got here. I also love our location- Munjoy Hill feels a lot like the Marigny in New Orleans and we are close to the water, a gorgeous park, tons of restaurants, a coffee shop, and a gourmet/healthy food market.

Portland is amazing. Living here right now really does feel like being on vacation. My "office" is a sunroom that had a great view of Casco Bay and I walk my dogs in the Eastern Promenade (a big park leading down to the bay) every day. I've taken them down to the beach a few times but they are horrified by the fact that the water moves! They really love being in the park though and when it's not crowded we take them off their leashes and let them run back and forth between us. Bernie, lazy creature that he is, kind of gamely trots along until he gets too tired, but Hereaux SPRINTS with this big doggie grin on his face. He is in doggie heaven here!

Eastern Promenade after a rain

The happiest I've ever seen my dogs

I've found a lot of things I love about Portland already- The weather, of course, is perfect. I've also joined a yoga studio that I really love, I run a weekly 5K race (and have plans to run many more races), I've gone to to Farmer's Market and tried every strange veggie I found (fiddleheads! kohlrabi! salad greens with edible flowers! garlic scapes!), I've done a First Friday Art Walk, I watched the 4th of July Fireworks over the Prom from my porch, I've eaten at a lot of great restaurants, and I've cooked some pretty good meals here as well. And of course, the only pictures I've taken have been of dogs and food. :)

Fiddleheads! (and grilled chicken)

Periwinkles- aka snails! I basically pulled these out of a tide pool and boiled them- they were tasted like clams!

Speaking of clams- this guy was the size of my palm. Divine paired with fresh bread from the Standard Baking Co.

I also really like how environmentally friendly Portland is. Gone are the days of having to drive to find a place to recycle (and only being able to recycle newspapers). We have free curbside recycling and we definitely generate more recycling than actual trash because they take everything. It's awesome. Less awesome is having to pay $1 per special trash bag to get rid of our trash, but in all honesty, I appreciate the incentive to not just throw away stuff. Because we are total cheapos, we've also started a compost bin (despite the fact that I have a black thumb and kill every plant I try to grow) and I have been saving a bag of veggie scraps in the freezer for stock. I actually made my first veggie stock on Monday and plan to make chicken stock from the bones of last night's roast chicken tomorrow.

Working at home is going pretty well- I've been able to meet or exceed all of my deadlines so far and I really enjoy wearing yoga pants all the time, eating omelets whenever I want to, and painting my nails unprofessional colors. :) It can feel a little isolating but I'm making a point to actually leave the house every day (and walking the dogs doesn't count) which helps me feel more connected to the outside world.

In the next few weeks I'm looking forward to camping in Acadia National Park (Dr. Hubby talked me into getting us new tent and me a sleeping bag), running more races, going to the Farmer's Market more regularly (I've missed the past 2 weeks), doing a walking tour of the Hidden Gardens of Munjoy Hill, and taking a trip back to New Orleans for work (I need my boudin fix!). I'll also be going to D.C. soon to visit friends, and will be celebrating my 30th birthday in NYC with my inlaws since my brother-in-law is turning 3o three days after I do!

There are a lot of things I want to do but don't have concrete plans for too- trail running, getting out on the water (be it in a kayak, paddle board or real boat, I'm not picky!), skiing and snowshoeing this winter, and making friends and workout buddies.

Overall, I miss my family and friends but am incredibly thrilled to finally living in Portland. I still walk around and think to myself- I can't believe I actually live here. :) So far, the adventure is going well!

Lady Mags

It seems like right after I posted a list of my favorite healthy living blogs, Marie Claire wrote a pretty scandalous "take down" that targeted several of the blogs I listed (among others). Basically, Marie Claire accused these bloggers of eating and exercising in a disordered way and being a bad influence on their readers.
As a long time reader of several of the blogs in the article, I was struck by many distortions and inaccuracies that were obvious to me. However, someone who doesn't read those blogs regularly probably would miss a lot of that because the article referenced posts that were written in December and January. Ultimately, my impression of the article is that it was written to be deliberately misleading.
I'm writing this post because I don't want anyone who reads me regularly to think that I would willfully suggest blogs that I believe promote a disordered lifestyle. Here are rebuttals from some of the bloggers who were profiled.
I hope I'm not the only person who immediately sees the irony of a magazine so enmeshed in the beauty industry accusing anyone else of promoting an unhealthy beauty ideal. The link between fashion magazines and poor body image in it's readers isn't exactly a secret. One of the first things I learned years ago in therapy that really changed my life for the better was that reading fashion and beauty magazines was incredibly bad for my self esteem. Now, when I read something I think about how it makes me feel. Reading those magazines does make me feel temporarily entertained but it also makes me feel like I'm not good enough. It makes me want to buy things I don't have and don't need. It makes me feel like I don't make enough money when I can't afford the things they're showcasing. It makes me hate my skin and my hair and my features because I know from experience that I will never look like the women I see in those pages (and neither can they!). But most of all, reading fashion magazines makes me feel fat. That's why I don't read them anymore.
I apply this litmus test to other forms of media I consume. I encourage everyone out there to do the same. I wouldn't read healthy living blogs if they made me feel bad about myself or made me feel like I should eat less. On the contrary, they make me feel like I should eat more- more healthy fats, more vegetables, more whole grains, more great foods that make me feel good and give me energy. Healthy living blogs have inspired me to revamp the way I eat and to become more athletic. This has improved my health and my self esteem.
However, I believe that every person has a responsibility to determine for themselves whether something is good for them.
There was definitely a time in my life when I was eating in a disordered fashion. At that time, I wasn't reading healthy living blogs. I was reading Marie Claire.

Inspiration

I'm loving the comments in my post on vegetarian meal ideas and I found out that my friend Lauri now reads one of my favorite blogs, Oh She Glows, and found it through my site. I've decided to quickly list some of the bloggers who inspire me to eat delicious food and lead a healthier lifestyle.
So if you're looking for some inspiration to cook something healthy and delicious or get your tail off the couch and into the gym, I really encourage you to click over. I started my journey towards healthy eating by visiting a nutritionist back in Feb. 2009 but following these blogs has really helped me maintain the good habits I learned. They've encouraged me to try new things in terms of both food and fitness, and I owe a large part my complete obsession with all things healthy to them.

Oh She Glows
Healthy Tipping Point
Carrots N' Cake
The Fitnessista
Heather Eats Almond Butter
Eat Live Run (she's transitioned from a healthy living blogger to a more standard food blogger- aka she uses white flour now when it's called for and sometimes eats bacon-, but all of her posts are great)
Daily Balance

I've also been inspired by Mark Bittman's philosophies regarding food as well as his recipes, Simply Recipes, 101 Cookbooks, and Smitten Kitchen.

There are many more blogs that I subscribe to and enjoy, but this is kind of a primer on the blogs that really color the way I look at and enjoy food and fitness.

What are your favorite blogs?

Running Weekend

I had a lovely, busy long weekend. Friday afternoon, I got my hair cut and decided to get some long, Zooey Deschanel inspired bangs. I love them!
On Friday night, my darling fiance and I drove to Pensacola, Fl to visit out friends Matt and Kelly. Kelly's family had rented a great condo on Navarre Beach and we had a great time catching up with Matt and Kelly and their two kids- Ellie (3) and Charlie (1). Matt is a Methodist Pastor and will be performing our wedding ceremony in April.
Saturday morning, I got up early and ran 3 miles along the beach. I ran on the actual beach for about a quarter of a mile before I decided that my knee wasn't a fan of the instability of running on the sand. Overall it was a great run because there was a nice cool breeze coming off the water.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing, swimming, eating, and sunning myself. Lovely!
We drove home Saturday night because my darling fiance had to work on Sunday.
Sunday was a big day for me because I ran the Crescent Connection Bridge Run. I was really excited about the race because my race number was 504, which is the local New Orleans area code. I was convinced that it was a lucky sign! The race was great and I had a wonderful time. I ran with my friend Margee. She came in 24th in women's and I came in 25th, but we both basically finished in 36:15. I was really happy about this race because I wasn't wiped out afterward like I was last year (I could barely stand up) and I wasn't sore today. I'm not much faster than I was last year, but I've noticed that I'm recovering much more easily. I think I'm stronger, which is pretty cool!

Post race, sporting my new running skirt Prior to my race, I got groceries and stopped by Buffalo Exchange because I was in the mood to shop. Buffalo Exchange is my secret to buying nice jeans- I got a great pair of Guess skinny jeans for $16! (Previously, I've ended up with a pair of Citizens for $25, which I'm still pretty proud of.) I also bought two funky pattern tops. My bangs are tired of my wardrobe of staples. :)

A better shot of the bangs

Today, I ended up running 9 miles. I normally wouldn't run the day after a race, but I needed to keep on track with my half marathon training. The run was pretty grueling (due in part to the fact that I ended up running around noon),but I got through it.
I also ate some excellent food today. Breakfast was eggs in a nest, lunch was whole wheat spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce and a poached egg, and dinner was grilled trout with basil pea puree, grilled corn (which may be my new favorite food), and salad with avocado and a cherry vinaigrette. Dessert, which I am enjoying now, is praline ice cream.
Lunch tomorrow will be whole wheat spaghetti with leftover basil pea puree and goat cheese.

How was your holiday weekend?

The Things I Do For Shoes

Hey everyone, remember that Agion Odor Free Shirt experiment I took part in a while back? Well, I wrote up my summary and put it online and if I get 100 votes, I get a $25 gift certificate to Zappos.com. So I'd really appreciate it if y'all could go read my summary and vote for me. Also, enjoy the really horrible picture I had to submit. I am not a pretty sight after a good workout! Thanks in advance!!

I'm back!

Colorado was wonderful and I'll write a detailed recap soon- but for now, I just wanted to write a short post.
Snowshoeing was really fun, skiing was excellent (I even started practicing some short turns on black slopes), and horseback riding was cool (who knew horses could climb up steep hills!) We took 80 million pictures because the Rockies are gorgeous and saw Elk everywhere- even next to the grocery store parking lot!
I'm also hoping that our time spent at a high altitude (7500+ ft. from Sat. to Wed. afternoon) will have filled us up with lots of red blood cells to help us during the Crescent City Classic on Saturday. :)

Pilates

My darling fiance gave me a gift certificate for several classes at Romney Pilates (because he is awesome and the sweetest fiance ever) and I attended my first Pilates class in FOREVER last night. I loved it! The Studio is really gorgeous (and eco-friendly) and the class I took (intermediate mat pilates) was excellent- I could do all of the poses, but it was pretty challenging- I definitely got a good workout!
Tuesday, I swam laps with my running buddy Margee. (I guess I should call her my workout buddy instead of running buddy b/c we also lift weights and now swim together). Swimming was a lot of fun, and very tiring. I didn't actually wear my new suit- I decided to return it. I tried it on and have decided that while I ordered the correct size, the cut of the suit was kind of unflattering- so I'm exchanging it for a different suit and borrowing an old one from Margee until it comes in.
Tonight I'm going to see Alice in Wonderland with my friends Sarah and Sarah (actually I have three friends named Sarah, and I saw a poetry reading by Rita Dove with the third Sarah on Monday.)
So anyway, since I'm going to see Alice in Wonderland tonight, I'll leave you with a video that's been cracking me up lately: Tim Burton's Secret Formula!

Confessions

So I failed to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables three times last week. (And once, already, this week.) So what have we learned? Mainly that I suck at eating veggies during the weekend. The only time I slipped up during the week, I actually ate 4 servings of vegetables, so at least I was close. My weekend servings (I messed up last Sunday, this past Saturday, and this Sunday) were a lot lower (think 2). I do eat vegetables at dinner, but I am 100% more likely to eat a sandwich or an egg and call it lunch on the weekend. I don't really plan ahead for my meal on the weekend and I also am prone to eating a big meal out, then eating like a bird the rest of the weekend because I am full. I also tend to shop on Sundays so by Saturday, even if I *should* down a green monster to make up my veggies- I'm often out of spinach. Never fear, the challenge is still on, and I am still maintaining my spreadsheet. However, I need to have a plan in place to get my veggies on the weekends! I'll let you know when I think of something! :)
The good news is that fitness wise, last week outstanding! I worked out a total of 5 times- 2 days of weight lifting, 1 day on the treadmill (at 15% incline and 4 Km/hr pace- try it, you'll like it!) and 2 runs!!!! It feels so good to be active again!
My runs were great, especially my 4 mile run on Sunday. I was feeling kind of anxious about it since I had a pretty hard time on my runs last week, but I told myself to just get out there and run around the park. It didn't matter how long it took or if I needed to walk- all I had to do was go outside, enjoy the weather, run to the park, run the loop around the park, and come home. Ultimately, I didn't walk at all, and even though I didn't push myself, my pace was 9:20- not bad! The best part was that I had a great time. I literally had a smile on my face for the entire run! It was wonderful and gave me a lot of much needed confidence. The Crescent City Classic is on April 3, and I do feel like I'll be ready in time. (Also, a note to people who want to run this race- tickets are $25 until March 15- after that, they are $30.)
This weekend was very nice all around. Of course, the gorgeous weather put me in a wonderful mood! On Friday, I ran errands after work, then ran 3 miles. That evening, we went to a friend's house for dinner. I brought this Kale Slaw (with buttermilk blue cheese dressing and walnuts) that was a big hit. (Now I just need to decide what to do with the leftover buttermilk I have- cornbread, perhaps?)
On Saturday, I had brunch at the Ruby Slipper with some of my sorority sisters (we're active in our local alumni club), went to the mall for a watch battery (and ended up buying a shirt for myself, and one for my darling fiance), got my hair cut and colored, and took my darling fiance to Squeal to have some yummy BBQ for dinner.
On Sunday, I spent most of the day cleaning our house (aka up to my neck in pet hair), but I did manage to get groceries and go for the 4 mile run I wrote about above. I also went to my friend Ashley's house to watch the Oscar's. I left before most of the awards were given out though because I was tired and I really only care about the fashion. :)

Great Day

I ran 5K this afternoon! I have been more than ready to get back into the swing of things and I'm finally feeling well enough to do it! I'm also running three miles with my marathon running friends on Sunday to help encourage them. I'm really looking forward to that. Running puts me in such a good mood! Of course I'm pooped now, which is kind of lousy- I remember when I thought 5K was too short for a short run. Oh well, I'll get my stamina back!
Other upcoming highlights include dinner at Coquette with my darling fiance tonight, brunch at the Ruby Slipper followed by a trip to the art museum to see the Disney Exhibit tomorrow, and Alvin Ailey at the ballet tomorrow night. We also went to the LPO's performance of Pictures at an Exhibition last night. It was beautiful!
On the vegetable front, things have been going really well. I've been averaging 6 servings of veggies and 2 of fruit a day (and never fewer than 5 servings of veggies). My biggest observation is that I am eating a huge volume of food! My second observation is that I hate carrot juice. Haha!
This week my darling fiance and I have gone through a bag of spinach, a bunch of kale, 2 sweet potatoes (topped with Amy's Organic Veggie Chili-yum!!) and a plastic box of salad. We've also nearly finished off a small raw veggie tray. We've also eaten a lot of other assorted veggies (we grilled burgers and had kabobs with tomato, squash, and zucchini one night, for example) and frozen veggies. As for fruit, we've gone through 3 blood oranges, most of a bag of apple slices (plus about a quarter of a bag of apple slices from last week), 2 frozen bananas, and a lot of frozen blackberries and cherries. (I've eaten most of the fruit.)
Things that have worked really well include the green monsters, the sweet potatoes with vegetarian chili (it's also low salt, which is a big plus), the grocery store salad bar, and of course the kale. :) I got a little tired of the salad by the end of the week because the frisee made it kind of bitter. The veggie tray has been as good as veggies can be as an afternoon snack (I dipped the carrots in cashew butter one day and was a huge fan), but I don't know if it's going to stick as a habit. I do like my greek yogurt ranch dip though.
So anyway, so far, so good!
Health wise, the other healthy thing I did this week was order a swimsuit. I'm going to start swimming at the gym with my running buddy Margee (who's training for a sprint tri, not to mention running in the Mardi Gras Marathon on Sunday- she's awesome!) and I needed a suit that would stay on a little better than my standard bikinis. Fortunately, Margee sent me a site that sells swimsuits at a pretty nice discount. I ordered this speedo in Navy. I think that it's pretty cute, actually. Hopefully it fits because I don't want to deal with sending it back and getting a different size. Some of the suits are hilariously garish- like this one, this one, and this one. (I kinda like the wonder woman suit though....)
I used to swim (recreationally) all the time when I was growing up because we had a huge pool, so I'm eager to get back in the habit!
Okay, I need to go walk the dogs, dry my hair, and pick out something to wear for tonight. Have a great weekend!

Playing Catch Up

I'm briefly diverting my attention away from the million things I have to do, to write a recap post before I forget everything I wanted to write about.
First, Pancake! I got a call back from the vet saying he tested positive for Toxoplasmosis which could explain why he had the seizure. They want to put him on a month of antibiotics to knock out the infection. We still have some questions: Cats get it from eating dead prey- and he hasn't been outside since Nov., but he tested positive for IgM antibodies which is indicative of a recent infection (versus IgG which is indicative of an older infection) so we're not sure how long ago he would have gotten it. But overall, I hope that this is the problem- because I would love to give him a course of antibiotics and then have him be seizure free! Overall though he is doing well and hasn't had any seizures since we brought him back from the vet, so that's good news!
Second, Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras was a ton of fun this year. We went to the Arthurian's ball on Friday night, which is always a great time. On Saturday, we hung out at the Endymion parade with our friends, and on Sunday we went to the Bacchus Ball and had a great time. I'll do a more detailed Mardi Gras post with some cute pictures soon, I promise!
Up next, Work! Tuesday (Mardi Gras day) was a vacation day for my office- and yet somehow I spent it flying to Houston for work. Boo! I thought that meant that I could take Monday off completely to recover from the Bacchus Ball (we rolled in around 3 or 3:30, as I recall) but I had to work about 4 hours on Monday to prep for my work trip. Fortunately, my boss let me work from home. I wish I could wear PJ's to work every day! Anyway, I worked a 10 hour day on Tuesday and a 12 hour day yesterday (which included 10 hours spent in a meeting- ugh!) . I thought yesterday was going to be a 15 hour day, but I managed to catch an earlier flight (which involved running to the gate- who needs dignity?) and got home around 7:30. I was exhausted, but a 12 hour day is so much better than a 15 hour day!
Which bring me to, sickness! I think I am getting sick again. Last night I had a low grade fever and a horrible sore throat and this morning I'm coughing and stuffy. I think I'm having a relapse of the cold that I just got over, so hopefully my immune system will kick into gear and get rid of it quickly this time.
Because I miss running!! I think it has literally been a month since I've run. Having managed to get two (or more) colds in the past two months has really put a damper on my exercise. And whenever I'm well, it has either been cold, raining, or both. Fortunately, my running buddy got in touch with me this week. She's been out of town for med school this month and is eager to get back into our workout schedule. So hopefully I will be feeling better and we can get back into our routine next week! I will give myself credit though because I have actually been going to the gym as much as possible. When I'm feeling pretty good, I've been doing a workout inspired by Angela at Oh She Glows. I crank the treadmill up to an incline of 15% and walk at 4 km/hr for half an hour. (I usually follow that up with some abs work and 20 pushups.) When I'm not feeling so well, I just hop on the elliptical and watch TV. But I've been making it to the gym 2-4 times a week, with the exception of one week when my cold was particularly chesty, so I'm pretty proud of myself for maintaining my good habits! I also rode my bike for the first time in literally a year on Sunday. I needed to get to my friend Sarah's house but couldn't drive there because of parades. I biked there and back home, for a total of 6 miles. I enjoyed the ride, but I definitely remember why I don't ride my bike very often- it bruises my rear! :( I guess it's something you get used to over time, but I hate that about biking! (And yet somehow running induced foot blisters don't bother me....)
Finally, I want to say that I got a shout out on another blog. I tried Smitten Kitchen's Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions (and so should everyone because it is easy and amazing!) and suggested that Heather at Heather Eat's Almond Butter should try it, and when she did, she mentioned me in her post. So, thanks, Heather! :) I'm glad you loved the sauce!
Okay I think that's all I planned to talk about for now. I hope everyone is having a good week!

80 Calories is Not Enough for Lunch

This commercial is ridiculous.

If you eat 80 calories and zero fat for lunch, you will be cranky and ravenous for the rest of the day. (For that matter, 300 calories is on the light side for a meal.) Even if you are on a diet, this is a recipe for over eating later.
In all fairness, an 80 calorie serving of soup would be awesome- with a sandwich.

The Morning After

Our Christmas party last night was lots of fun! Of course, I'm totally ignoring the fact that every glass in the house needs to be washed in favor of blogging.
I was very pleased with the food I made this year. I did a couple of things differently than I had planned- namely, I made hazelnut bark instead of chocolate chip cookies, and the stuffed peppadews (which I accidentally called pequillo's in the last post) didn't use up all of the goat cheese and chive filling, so I used the rest of the filling as a dip. I got a lot of good feedback about all of the food- I'd say that the Rotel dip was the biggest hit, I could have doubled the recipe and probably wouldn't have any left-overs. Everyone loved the bacon wrapped water chestnuts too. The fruit pizza and baked brie were also popular items. I was grateful for the pickled veggies, especially as the evening wore on- it was nice to reach for a piece of pickled okra instead of something unhealthy when I got snacky later in the evening.
My friend Stephanie brought some cookies she calls shorts (I think they are something like this recipe), and my friend Julianne brought fresh satsuma slices that she'd dipped halfway into dark chocolate. They were both excellent!
Our drink menu was great this year too. We had poinsetta cocktails, gluehwein (cook over low heat 2 bottles of red wine, 2 cups of sugar, the juice of one orange, the orange itself, 3 cinnamon sticks and 10 cloves for about an hour- being careful not to boil the wine), brandy milk punch, peppermint patty shots, and brandied port (brandy, port, and a twist of lemon).
I am sitting on the couch blogging while wearing the snuggie that my brother gave me for Christmas. I've certainly mocked snuggies in the past,but there is something to be said for being able to drink my coffee without having to adjust my blanket. Also, Homer is obsessed with the snuggie. He slept in my lap for 2 entire hours the other night because I was wearing the snuggie and watching a movie.
In other news, the shower in my bathroom has decided to stop working. I usually have amazing water pressure (and copious amounts of hot water), but the water just stopped coming out of the shower head in the middle of my shower yesterday. This has happened to me before at a previous apartment (although that apartment had only a shower head and no faucet, so I occasionally had to bathe using a pot full of hot water, which reminded me of Miss Honey in Matilda...this time I just crouched under the faucet and cursed loudly while trying to rinse my hair) and I think that the problem is that there are solids clogging up the line (a few rusty chunks came out of the faucet yesterday and today, which supports my supposition). Of course, I'm hoping that it will clear itself up in a couple of days (my old place often did) because if we call the landlords now, they probably won't be able to send someone over until we are out of town. Given that there are two cats in my house who have to be kept apart (we're not ready for Pancake to meet Homer until he no longer limps), we'd rather not have strangers in the house opening doors while we're gone. So worst comes to worst I'll have to use my darling fiance's shower for a couple of days. His water pressure is actually pretty lousy, but it's certainly better than nothing. Just now the pipes in my bathroom were making a horrible noise, so maybe the water will start up again soon.....this is the price of living in a charming old house!
My darling fiance and I opened our Christmas presents to each other on Thursday night so we would have more seating for our Christmas party. (The tree is sitting in our bay window, which serves as a bench when we entertain.) He gave me fuzzy socks, a new running shirt that is both long sleeved and reflective, another pair of Lululemon yoga pants, and a Wii and Wii fit kit! I've been wanting a Wii for years, so I am really excited to finally have one! I'm planning to play with the Wii fit this afternoon (which is a good incentive to get my house cleaning done).
As for now I think I will finish my coffee and read through my google reader before I get up and clean. It's nice to relax. Aside from two days of work this coming week, my holiday stress is pretty much behind me. I do have to pack and I have both a long run and a brunch for my book club at Dante's Kitchen to look forward to tomorrow. I leave for Switzerland on Wednesday!
Happy Holidays!!

1/2 Marathon Recap

The Gulf Coast Half Marathon was great! I finished in 1:58:55 and came in 91st out of 203 people! I am very satisfied with my time because I had never run more than 12 miles before Saturday. My goal was to run the entire distance (which I did) and my slightly sub 2 hour time is a huge bonus. :)
The morning of the race was really cold. It was probably in the 40's during the entire race, but I wasn't so cold that I didn't end up tying my jacket around my waist after a mile and a half. I did find myself thinking around mile 9 that I was pretty cold, but that was just another reason to keep running. I'd have been colder had I slowed down!
I ran with my friends Margee and Jen. They are more experienced and faster than me (and came in at 44th and 45th because they are awesome!) so I was only able to keep up with them for the first 3 miles (because they picked up the pace after that). I averaged around a 9 minute/mile pace for the first 10 miles or so, then slowed to closer to a 9:30 pace for the last 3 miles. One of my favorite moments in the race were at mile 6, when I remembered how I was huffing and puffing at the end of the Crescent City Classic (a 10K and my first race) and contrasted that experience to my current physical state at 6 miles- I was breathing easy and feeling happy and strong. Also, there was a turn around point where you looped back on the course. When I passed Margee and Jen going the other way, they waved to me and cheered and yelled "It's her first 1/2 Marathon!"
Another highlight was right after I passed the 12 mile marker. A couple of runners said "Good job!" and I said "Thanks, it's my first 1/2 marathon and as of right now, the furthest I have ever run!"
I ran with them for the last 1.1 miles and at the very end, Margee and Jen were waiting for me. They ran to the finish with me, which really helped me find the extra energy to sprint to the end and finish strong. My darling fiance was there too, and he took a picture of us as I sprinted to the finish line!
Overall, I feel really proud of myself for accomplishing this goal. I ran faster than I expected and I really had a good time! This was a great race and I'm really happy that I decided to run it!

Should I go for it?

I just found out that there is going to be a half marathon at 8am the Sunday after Thanksgiving at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Given that I ran 12 miles two weeks ago, 6 miles last Sunday, and am planning on making it to 13 this weekend, I know I can do the distance, although I would have preferred to run 13 miles prior to my first half marathon race (I'll probably do no more than 10 miles this weekend if I do the 1/2 though because you are supposed to taper the week before a race). It would also be on my way home from Thanksgiving with my family in Gulfport anyway, and I would certainly burn off Thanksgiving dinner! :)
It's not what I planned to do, but since I'm so far ahead on my training (I started my training earlier than I needed to so I would have some leeway in case I needed it) I am pretty sure I'll be fine. The race description also says that this is a good one for beginners....
As you can tell, I'm totally talking myself into it, but I'll blog my final decision when I make it. One issue is that it cuts down the time I get to spend with my family, but maybe I can get them to come cheer me on. Also, when I am at my family's house, my nutrition tends to suffer. We eat out a lot because my mom and I both tend to view visiting each other as an occasion for going out, and my parent's kitchen tends to be red meat and no-carb land (they love Atkins, and don't get me started on how much I disagree with them regarding that diet). These issues are fairly minor though, I can come equipped with oatmeal and whole wheat pasta or quinoa (at least my parents have plenty of frozen veggies)- I just have to be diligent about how I fuel in the few days prior to the race and try to stay away from the junk food. Except on Thanksgiving day of course. I'm totally allowed to be a pie eating monster then! :)

And...after about 5 minutes of consideration I've decided that I'm totally going to run the race! Racing is so much fun! I'm excited!!

Race Recap

Here is a nice article from NOLA.com about the history of the Spillway Classic. I had a lot of fun running it! First, you run across the levy (which is the least fun because after a little hill, you basically run down a mile of flat gravel road- I kept wondering when we would get to the fun stuff!), the you run down a hill into "the gauntlet" which is a giant mud puddle. This year, the gauntlet was a 1 (on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10) because we haven't had a lot of rain. I was told that last year it was a 7! As it was, I actually just ran around the mud because a bunch of people were walking around in the mud, either playing or trying to find their shoes- which the mud is notorious for eating! After the gauntlet, you run through the woods on the actual trail portion of the run. That was really fun! The woods were cool and pretty, and the trail had lots of places to jump over logs and duck under trees. It was also single file, so you had to keep up with the person in front of you, but the pace was generally slow enough that I didn't feel like I was going to trip or get too tired. At the end, you run through spray from fire hoses and cheating (tackling other runners in the puddles created by the spray) is encouraged.
I spend about a month worrying that the weather would be unbearably hot, but we actually had a cool snap yesterday and so it was in the low 80's during the race, which was perfect! I finished in 36:40, which I think isn't too bad given that there were still people finishing at 52 minutes when I left to go home. (There were nearly 2000 people at the race, so it just takes a while to get everyone through.)
Of course, since it is a New Orleans race, there were people in costume! My favorite was a girl in a (short) prom dress and a guy in a suit with the arms cut off the jacket and the pants made into cut off shorts. They were drinking a beer while running. Too funny! There were also guys in the same kind of modified suits carrying briefcases, as well as a guy dressed up like Joe dirt.
My only regret about the Spillway Classic is that I ran it by myself. I think it would be really fun with a group of people and I will definitely try to get people together to run it next year!

Speedy

Greekfest was so much fun last night! I am very pleased with myself because I ran the 5K in 27:32. I don't actually time myself when I run and am pretty sure that I'm not covering exact distances (I just plan out a route on walkjogrun and assume that I'm close to that), so I wasn't sure what my time was going to be last night. I told my friends I'd be done in around half an hour and that I'd meet them inside the festival. When I was lining up, I ended up chatting with a couple of older men who were running. They asked me what I thought my time was going to be and I said "I dunno, around 27 minutes." They were like "Oh, so you're a real runner!" This actually made me feel like I totally lowballed my guess and then I thought to myself "Well won't I feel silly when I finish at 30." Once the race started I felt great and was running at a pretty comfortable pace. I passed the first mile clock and saw that I did my mile in exactly 9 minutes. This really pysched me up. I got to the second marker right at 18 minutes. I was so excited and that really pushed me through the third mile. When I finished I was so proud of myself! I don't train for speed because I think the reason I had shin problems while running cross country in high school is that I'm just not meant to go fast, so I was definitely pleasantly surprised by my pace.
I was also pleased by my new running belt. My friends held my bag for me so I only had to carry my cellphone in the belt, but it really came in handy when it came time to find my friends. I didn't have something like this after the Crescent City Classic, and the logistics of finding people after the race ended up being pretty tricky. This solves that problem, even if the idea of wearing a glorified fanny pack takes a little getting used to. When my friends saw my running belt I just said "Isn't this the hottest fanny pack ever?"
After the race I went on to have a great time at the festival with my girlfriends. I ate probably 2/3 of a pound of lamb and a good part of a Greek pastry box. And drank free beer from the runner's only beer booth. :) So good!

Workin' For The Weekend

I am really looking forward to my long weekend!
Tonight I am supposed to run in the Greekfest 5K race. I say "supposed to" because the weather forecast for the entire weekend is currently pretty grim. If it is pouring, I'm not going to run. I will go hang out with my girlfriends instead b/c I don't want to make them wait for me in the rain while I run (and I don't want to deal with getting too wet and miserable either).
I hope we will get at least a little sunshine because the festival is outdoors all weekend and I am looking forward to the awesome food as well as the run. I hope I don't have to miss it!
Saturday it's supposed to be even more rainy than today, but I will probably be finding something to do with my friend Sarah. Both of our dear boyfriends are studying for their Board Exams so we want to get out of the house and out of their hair!
I am looking forward to Yoga on Sunday. I was talking to my Pilates/Yoga instructor and he said that if I remind him on Sunday, he'll include a bunch of fun balance poses. I'm also supposed to hang out by my friend's pool on Sunday, so we'll see whether or not the weather lets that happen.
My plans for Monday include hanging out with my friend Xiujuan and later drafting an itinerary for my trip to Maine!! I also need to get some shoes to hike in- suggestions from my outdoorsy friends are welcome in the comments. :) Since we're spending two days in Bar Harbor, I expect to spend a good bit of that time checking out Acadia National Park. There are only 2 weeks left until we go on vacation! I am so excited!!

Going to the Chapel

And I'm gonna be a bridesmaid!!! :)
I'm flying to Seattle after work today because Kristi is getting married on Saturday!!
I am very excited about this weekend, although I am a little nervous about the weather. The rehearsal dinner is going to be a cookout in a park from 4-9pm tomorrow, and the low is 48 degrees! Eek!
Packing last night had an extra degree of difficulty because most of my cold weather clothes are in storage, since its been warm in New Orleans for the past 2 months. I think I managed pretty well regardless though- I had a few long sleeve shirts and sweaters in my closet, so I packed them, along with both a light jacket and my pea coat in case I get really cold. My dear boyfriend thought the pea coat was a little much, but my friend Lauri who is already up there assured me that she has worn Kristi's pea coat once this week already.
I also really like the way I packed- I stuck to a basic color pattern of blue, green, and black, so everything goes with everything else.
The best thing so far about being Kristi's bridesmaid is the dress (similar to this one, but a bright aqua seersucker fabric). Everyone says that their bridesmaids will be able to wear their dresses again, but Kristi's is the first I've seen that I would actually wear again. In fact, I've had this dress for a year and I've spent the warm portions of that year cursing the fact that I couldn't wear the adorable dress just hanging out in my closet! Even better, the reason I've had it for a year is that when we bought it, it was on sale for $30!
I am also excited about the dress because my mother brought me back some beautiful glass jewelry from Italy, and the pendant and ring she gave me will go perfectly with the dress. I am also wearing some dangling silver and blue earrings that mom lent me, and at the reception, I plan to stay warm with a shawl that my brother's girlfriend was kind enough to lend me.
Despite having to pack yesterday evening, I also managed to go for a nice long 4 mile run. I haven't run that far in a number of weeks and I could really tell. I had a great run and felt wonderful during the whole thing, but I was really tired afterward and I'm feeling pretty achy today. This just tells me that I need to be more diligent about getting in a long run at least once a week. I don't like the thought of losing my hard won endurance. On the other hand, I've enjoyed mixing up my workouts lately. I've recently added yoga, weightlifting, and swimming to my workout options, and it has been a lot of fun.
Other recent news is that my friend Xiujuan just told me that she is having a baby. I think this makes 13 friends who are with child this year. There must be something in the water. :P
So I will end this post with congratulations to Kristi, Xiujuan, and all my other friends who are engaged, getting married, or having babies this year.

Cinco

When I had tamales and "taco salad" last night, the fact that today is Cinco de Mayo somehow totally escaped me. Two of my dear friends are celebrating birthdays today, so I'm actually going out for Mexican food today as well! And to top it off, I used the leftover salad toppings to make myself a big pot of brown rice and black beans to eat for lunch all week. I guess I'll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo all week!
My "taco salad," by the way, was excellent. I ended up just adding tomato, avocado, green onions, diced green chilies, and salsa to baby spinach. It had everything I like about taco salad, but was actually quite healthy.
Prior to dinner last night, I lifted weights for the first time in quite a while. I enjoyed the workout and it didn't feel that difficult at the time, but today I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I am also starving. (I've been sneaking bites of chocolate peanut butter to supplement my afternoon snack- a banana with more of the aforementioned peanut butter.) I guess that means it was an effective workout!
In other news, our neighborhood mamma cat (who I call Domino) has given birth to her third litter of kittens since we've moved into our apartment. We discussed the issue with our next door neighbors/feral cat co-feeders and they are going to see if they can get the humane society to come spay Domino and have her kittens adopted. I hope that good homes will be found for the baby kitties because they are tiny and adorable.

Speed Racer

I am getting really excited about running in the Crescent City Classic next weekend. Its supposed to be a really fun event, and I am very proud of myself for the time and effort I've put into training for this race. Before this year, I had never run more than 3 miles, and that was just a couple of times in high school. When I ran, it was usually a 2 mile run. Now I can run 10K (which is 6 miles). Knowing that I can do that makes me feel really strong!
When I signed up for the race, I expected to be able to run it (after months of training) in an hour and 15 minutes. My dear boyfriend and I ran our 10K yesterday in 58 minutes! I am really happy that I'm so much faster than I anticipated.
And of course, a large part of my personality revolves around setting a goal and meeting it. I love that I'm about to meet another goal that I've set for myself. :)
What does the future hold for my running? Well, I'd like to keep it up as much as I can through the summer (and beyond)- given the weather, this means running early in the morning or late in the evening. I will admit I'm not particularly attached to running a 10K again. I've happily run as far as 7K and still felt pretty good, but I haven't gotten past the point of needing to lay around the house for the rest of the day after I run a 10K. It is really hard on me. I have so much respect for people who can run half and full marathons. That's just amazing!!
On the plus side, I've really grown to love a good 5K run. I think I may bump my minimum run up to 5K (after the race, that is- I think I'm supposed to take it fairly easy this week). I feel really energized after a run of that length. I've also gotten to the point where I feel lousy if I don't get enough exercise. That makes it so much easier to exercise and to actually look forward to working out, so I'm hoping I can hold on to that feeling! I've been working out about 6 days a week for over a month now, and I'm amazed at how easy its actually been to keep up (previously, I was working out about 3 times a week). I definitely want to continue this trend. :)