Boston Marathon training weeks 1 and 2, and the end of 2009

First lets start out with my Boston training. I'm finding it difficult to scale back my mileage. I am actually running a bit more than before, with last week running 3 16 mile days right in a row. This week is looking like the same (well, 5 16 mile days in a row) I just can't shake this. I hear a New Year's resolution calling me! Quality over quantity. It's just so hard! Both long runs were too long by marathon training standards - 2o miles for my first week and 18 for my second week. They should have been 10 and 11 miles. I am torn. I want to be fast for Boston, but I want to run long, too. Is it possible to do both? (And do both well I might add) I just want to run long, and I want to do it on trails. Unfortunately, I won't be visiting the trails as often since I am trying to get my road legs back. After Boston, however - trails and ultras will be my main focus from this point out. I have come to love trail running and ultras so much since I started this year - something I am so thankful for! Back to focusing on Boston: I have decided to continue to try and raise money for UNICEF since I did not meet my goal for the YUTC. The link to donate is still located on the left hand side of my page, and I appreciate any amount you can give! I want to give all those who did donate towards the YUTC a big thank you and "virtual" hug. Thanks so much! I am a the half way point in terms of donations.

Goodbye 2009! And don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Am I being too negative? Good things did happen in 09 - but bad things as well. I wonder if I am spending too much time focusing on the bad. Especially since the good definitely outweighed the bad. (I mean, come on...Obama was elected! YAHOO!) I met almost all of my 09 resolutions (learning Spanish was the one I failed to conquer!) That being said, good people were lost in 2009, and that's tough to forget. However I did meet lots of new people and discovered I am not alone in the world of running. There are other "crazy people" (frequently heard) out there like me - and they are amazing! I have a second family, and it's my running family. I'm so glad I have the opportunity to run with great people.

New resolutions for 2010:

Restart the Spanish lessons. Rosetta Stone was expensive damn it!

Run Boston. I'm all set, now we're just waiting on April to get here!

Run my first 50 miler. This will be done at the Mohican Trail 50/100 mile run.

100 miler is questionable. Of course I'd love to do one! But with 2 out of town races and a total of 3 runners in the family now, running expenses are piling up. We'll see what happens closer to October (Oil Creek).

Best wishes to all this coming New Year. I hope 2010 is a great year for everyone - best wishes, and thanks to all for the wonderful support you have given me through out the year, especially my family. I can not thank them enough! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Boston training commence! My family and the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon, Group runs, New products, and Recipes that work

Group Runs:

The last two weeks have been pretty exciting (and busy - this would be the reason for falling behind on the blog!) Each weekend was spent running in some group runs. The first was a group run with the NERC, and I sure slept well that evening! The majority of the group ran around 12 miles, and a few of us started early and wound up running a total of around 16 miles. There were quite a bit of hills thrown into the mix, and it was just what I needed. There were only two things that I could complain about. #1. My hydration pack froze (tube area) almost instantly. #2. After the run the group went to Bellasano's for some coffee and unbeknownst to me I ordered some kind of frozen coffee drink. As if I wasn't frozen enough! I tried to drink it, I didn't want to be wasteful, but it wasn't happenin'. I ditched it and got a much warmer, more enjoyable beverage. I was shaking uncontrollably when I went to the counter to order my new drink! I have to say that I could not take a hot enough shower when I got home. The following day my family and I met up with some people at Squire's Castle. I finally met my fb buddy Carole, met some new friends, and got to talk with one of my favorite runners Daniel. My husband and son did really well on the run. I'm so proud of them both!

And now this past weekend:

Two group runs again. The first was a trail run/clinic held by another running friend Nick (Saturday). My family and I attended, met another fb friend - David Lunardi (finally!) and had a great time! Nick had lots of useful information to give to everyone, nice door prizes, and a nice easy run one of the many trails at the CVNP. It was good seeing him again, and very interesting to hear he has never gotten a blister. EVER! Amazing! Sunday's run was with the NERC again. This was their "Elf Run" with lunch at Yours Truly afterwards. We met some new people, ran with Eric Ford and running guru Mark Anson to name a few. Good times and good food! I ordered my last milkshake until the Boston Marathon. ~sniff~

New products:


Now that my husband has entered into the running world, he is wanting things. Expensive things (Garmin forerunner 405). Things I had never bought because I would feel guilty spending the money if I did. Well, ha! Now we can ALL benefit, so new things are had by all! We are still trying to get used to the Garmin. It seems like it can do so much!










My husband got his first ever pair of trail shoes (and my son and I are enjoying laughing at the very bright color)! We all got new water bottles, gloves, shirts, hats, etc.






I bought my Boston Marathon shoes after a small panic attack upon learning of the fate of my old Adidas shoes. DISCONTINUED! The Salvations are nice, though.


We also bought the Gold's Gym pull up bar & accessories. I felt muscles I didn't even know I had. Owwww! It's the good kind of hurt though!








Boston Marathon Training:

Today marks my second day of training for the Boston marathon. No more junk food and hard core workouts are in my future. FUN! I'm pumped and more than ready to dive in head first.

Cleveland Half Marathon:

It's official! My husband and son are now registered for their first half marathon, the Cleveland Marathon that will be held in May. I'm registered as well, and will be running alongside them the whole time! Go boys! (er, uh men)

Recipes That Work:
Finally we've tried many new healthy recipes the last few weeks, and we are so surprised at how good this food actually is. I wish I would've done this sooner, but you live you learn I guess! Our favorites for this week are Baked Spaghetti Squash-Lasagna Style, Angel Hair with Feta and Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo. I wound up burning on recipe this week, with special thanks to Facebook. Maybe that one will be in next week's blog! Recipes below:

Baked Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Style:

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti squash halved lengthwise and seeded
1 onion chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 cube vegetable bouillon
black pepper to taste
1 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese


1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a baking sheet with a thin layer of cooking spray. Place squash halves cut side down on baking sheet.
2. Bake squash 35 mins or until knife can be easily inserted.
3. Meanwhile, spray a non stick saucepan w/cooking spray. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in tomatoes, basil, bouillon cube, and black pepper. Cook for about 15 mins or until you have a medium thick sauce.
4. Remove squash strands w/fork, reserving the shells. Layer each half w/a spoonful of the sauce, a layer of spaghetti squash strands, olives, and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until shells are full or until all the ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 20 mins in preheated oven or until Parmesan cheese melts.



Angel Hair with Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes:

Ingredients:

1 package wheat angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 oz sun-dried tomatoes, softened and chopped
1 package (8oz) tomato basil feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated low fat parmesan cheese
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste


1. Cook pasta according to directions
2. Mix remaining ingredients together - then mix pasta in. Serve warm.


Black Eyed Pea Gumbo:

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
4 15 oz cans black eyed peas with liquid
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic finely chopped


Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray, cook the onion, green pepper, and celery until tender. Pour in the chicken broth, rice, black eyed peas w/liquid, both cans of diced tomatoes, and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes or until rice is tender.


ENJOY!

MOHICAN!

New race, family runs, and recipes that work:

MOHICAN

It's official! I am now all signed up for my first 50 miler. I'll be running in the Northface Mohican 100/50 mile Trail run. It will be held on June 19, and starts at 5 a.m. along with the 100 mile run. I'm excited to have a new mileage goal to look forward to!


FAMILY

On the home front: My husband is still going strong on his runs. My son has been running more than ever as well! Thanksgiving week they raked up around 30-35 miles of running. We had a spectacular turkey day run at my parents house together. They are going strong and loving it! Yesterday I went out, early a.m. and ran long. When I came home they were ready and waiting, and we went out together to enjoy another family run. Fun times! With my husband and son both committed to the 1/2 marathon this fall, I see a lot of 3-a-days in my future!





Our dog Scooby is enjoying more running as well!



RECIPES THAT WORK

Another tasty recipe that we tried out this week. Quesadilla Pie: It fills you up, and one serving is 440 calories.

Ingredients:
1 can chopped green chilies (4.5 oz)
1 can black beans (15 oz)
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 Roma tomato
1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz)
3 cups Weight Watchers "Mexican" style cheese
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 wheat tortillas

Heat oven to 400. Spray a 9 inch glass pie plate w/cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix chilies, beans, onions, tomato, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, and 2 cups of the cheese. Set aside.

Spoon 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into pie plate. Top with 1 tortilla and 1/3 of the bean mixture. Repeat twice to make 3 layers. Top with remaining tortilla. Cover loosely with foil.

Bake 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of cilantro. Serve with salsa and jalapenos if desired. Enjoy!

2009 XC

Here it is! The pics I took for my son's XC team.....

Recipes that work

In my quest for eating all things healthy for Boston I am getting a head start now on finding healthy recipes. I will be posting the recipes that I have found that actually taste GOOD. I will also being posted good finds from the supermarket. A couple new recipes we tried this week are Asparagus soup and Mexican Pizza. (Don't let the names fool you!) Check these recipes and products:



PRODUCTS:



Smart Balance butter spray: Zero calories! We have been using this a lot. It's especially good on the Fit and Active popcorn that we buy at Aldiz. 60 calories for a normal sized popcorn bag!



Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers: 1 calorie per spray. I never realized just how heavy some salad dressing is. I used this on a salad we made for dinner one night, and I felt so light afterwards. It was amazing! I would spruce up your salads with some extra spices if possible. The best flavor we have tried is Balsamic Breeze. No sprucing required for that one!



RECIPES:



ASPARAGUS SOUP




This one scared me at first, it was my hubby's choice. I thought for sure I would hate it, but it was great! And at only 170 calories for a cup, who can beat it?




Ingredients:

• Smart balance zero calorie butter spray, or any cooking spray



• 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)



• 1/2 cup chopped celery



• 2 tablespoons flour



• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth



• 2 15 oz cans of asparagus



• 1 cup half and half



• Salt



• Pepper



• Red pepper flakes

In a 3 quart saucepan, spray cooking spray to coat. Add onion and celery, cook 4-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth. Cook 5-7 minutes stirring constantly, until heated through.

Remove from heat. Stir in asparagus. In blender, blend asparagus mixture until smooth. Transfer back to pot. Stir in half and half, cook 5-8 minutes stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and thoroughly heated. Add salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes to taste.

MEXICAN PIZZA

This pizza was very good the day we made it, but leftovers the next day were nasty. Be sure only to make what you will eat that day! 341 calories per slice, and it's very filling.

Ingredients:

• Boboli wheat crust



• 1 cup low fat refried beans



• 1 1/2 cups salsa



• 1 cup black beans



• 8 oz low fat Mexican cheese blend



• Canned jalapeno peppers

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl, stir together the refried beans and salsa. Spread the mixture over the pizza crust. Scatter black beans over top. Top with cheese and jalapenos. Bake 12-18 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

ENJOY!!!

Heikki Lunta's Arctic BLAST!

Created by Daniel Bellinger, this is going to be one awesome event! He has been working hard on this! Come and bring your family - have a blast!!!!

Saturday, January 30, 2010
Time:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Location:
Kendall Hills, Cuyahoga Valley National Park

WHO IS HEIKKI LUNTA (HAY-Key LUN-Tuh)?

According to local legend, in the winter of 1970, no snow fell on that part of Upper Michigan known as the Copper Country. As the time for the big winter parties approached, it looked as if there would be no parties. (No snow, no party). Finally, someone remembered that there was a crazy old Finnish woodsman living in the swamps near Atlantic Mine, Michigan, who knew an ancient snow dance. Townspeople found Heikki Lunta ( Finnish for Hank Snow), and persuaded him to do his dance. He did, and it snowed non-stop for a month, so much that the parties had to be cancelled for too much snow. In honor of Heikki Lunta, and in the spirit of the northern community winter parties, Western Reserve Trail Running is throwing a PARTY FOR ALL PEOPLE who volunteered in any race in northern Ohio this year. ANYONE WHO RAN in those races, and anyone who might volunteer to help in a future race, AND THEIR FAMILIES, are also welcome. Cuyahoga Valley National Park has given us use of Kendall Hills, the park's best winter sports area, for this family-friendly event.Bring your whole clan any time between 10 am and 4 pm on Saturday, January 30, for sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, a variety of fun races, snowboarding demos, boot-throwing, a costume contest, children's games, LIVE MUSIC, DANCING, hot chocolate, chili, and other food and drinks. Local running clubs will offer information on upcoming races and events, and give party goers a chance to meet members of clubs they might wish to join.This is a FREE FAMILY EVENT. Your hostess is Laurie Colon of Northeast Running Club, assisted by Mark Shelton, Joe Jurczyk, and Daniel Bellinger of the Burning River 100 group, Micky Rzymyk of North Coast Multisports, and members of local running clubs.

Event page:
http://www.facebook.com/#/ical/event.php?eid=309814090037

And then there were three!

It's almost been a month now, and my husband is still running! Big kudos to him (and Adidas!). During Bills' Bad Ass 50k my husband and son ran on the Perkins trail for a short time. My son ran 5 miles, and my husband a whopping 9 MILES! He is completely hooked on trail running. His knee, which has been problematic in the past, hurt somewhat after his 9 miler. The next day he woke up and there was no pain, however. He has made the decision to run the Cleveland 1/2 marathon this year! WOOT WOOT! My men are simply surprising me these days :) My husband gets it now. The other day he came home from work saying how he thought about running all day. Wha?? I'm so proud of him, because he has quite a story to tell! It's very inspirational, but I am sorry - it is quite personal and is his to tell if he chooses to do so. I am just extremely proud of him and hope his knee holds out.

The healthy eating has begun! I am doing exactly the opposite of what I did after the YUTC. I have learned from my mistakes, for once. We have eaten 2 veggie dinners this week. I was worried about both, but they were very tasty. Sounded nasty, but tasted great! I'll post the recipes up here sometime this week. This week is an off week for me - I am giving my body a rest so I can start out training for Boston nice and fresh. It sucks, but I do know I need it. I did do some biking the past two days. Not a lot, a couple miles on some trails while my husband and son ran - but I guess it's something. I am getting a bit jealous of my boys though! Sunday can't come soon enough!