Bowl of Berries

That’s how I feel after my first fall from the bike.

Backing up, I did an “easy” 13 mile run on Saturday.  It was gloomy and overcast…perfect for a run!  I was solo as Scottie is still resting his knee but he did pass by on his bike ride. It’s funny how I used to be so sore after this distance but now I just stretch a bit afterward and I am good to go. I had a nice icy cold chocolate milk waiting for me thanks to Scottie, which is my favorite post run recovery drink.

Sunday was sorta rainy but we planned to head out to the Duke Half Ironman to see the swim and do a short bike.  Well the bed felt too good and by the time we got out there everyone was biking.  So we pulled off the road and watched, drooling over the bikes ofcourse!  We then drove to the race site, parked on the side of the road and got our bikes out.  This was the first time riding with my clipless pedals, so I took my time to get used to coming in and out of them.  As long as I make a mental note to twist out with my ankle I am good to go.  We rode a bit, then came down a small hill where we had to stop to cross right in front of race volunteers, officials and EMS and ofcourse I couldn’t get my foot out.  TIMBER!  Yep I fell straight over and all I had time to say was “Oh Shit!”  I didn’t even think to put my hand out, which was probably a good thing.  My right arm and thigh took the fall and LUCKILY I fell onto grass/mud instead of asphalt!  I was so embarrassed but all I could do was laugh. Then  I had to figure out how to get up, it’s like when you fall in skiing you have to get out of your bindings.  I was stuck to my bike and had to finagle a way out of the pedals and up off the ground. I am sure I was a sight to see, falling straight over.  Luckily everyone around me totally understood and admitted to falling like that as well.  Once I got up and rolling again I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.  Just the mental image of falling like that just cracked me up.  At least I am a good sport about it!

We did a quick 14 miles or so then locked up our bikes and watched people come in from the bike and go out for the run.  Our friend Carol was there and we cheered her on, our cheering must have helped because she got 1st place in her age group!  She was awesome and a total inspiration!

The rest of the day was pretty relaxing but as the day progressed my arm started to hurt more.  This morning I could feel the sore spot on my thigh and it became harder to lift my arm.  But no bruising so I feel like I have no cool bruises to show off.  Oh well, I am trying to walk and lift normal in hopes the soreness will work it’s way out.  But it was nice to go ahead and get that fall out of the way, I knew it was inevitable!

I heard about this recipe form a cooking forum I peruse for dinner ideas.  I pretty much bow down to Gordon Ramsey, I love his simple cooking style and I agree with his stance on local food and meat.  This recipe aired on the Rachael Ray show, my guess is he was a guest?  So I was excited to see it was easy and included things I had in the pantry.  I went out on a limb and bought organic, free range chicken and I had to take a deep breathe as it was about 4 dollars more then the Harris Teeter brand but I am trying to make a conscious effort to buy meat that has been more humanely raised.  I still have lots to learn about the topic but it is exciting!  We actually don’t eat a ton of meat so I feel better investing in a good quality product.

To be honest I almost went full on pescatarian after seeing an episode of “The F Word” in which they slaughtered 2 calves that they had been raising over the summer.  It just pains me to see that, even though the calves were raised in perfect conditions.  I am such a softy.  So instead of giving up the four legged proteins all together I decided to instead make better choices about what I buy.  I would love to purchased directly from a farmer but I still need to look into that.  I do want to start getting our eggs form the Farmer’s Market because I hear the fresh eggs are far superior to the grocery store eggs.  As I said, this will be a learning process.

This dish took under 45 minutes to prepare, which was great for a weeknight meal!  I should have reduced the sauce to make it thicker and “stickier.” Scottie took the leftover piece and experimented with the sauce and it became very caramelized and smelled even more heavenly.  So I would say, don’t be afraid to let the sauce really reduce down and get a nice dark crust on in.  I made an easy salad with grilled peaches and goat cheese as well as some leftover baked zucchini.  Another easy and healthy meal!

Gordon Ramsay’s Sticky Lemon Chicken
With slight adaptations by me

1 large chicken, cut into 8 to 10 pieces
Sea salt and black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
Few thyme sprigs or about 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
Splash of sherry vinegar (I used about 1/4 cup of champagne vinegar)
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup hot water
1 lemon, finely sliced (ideally with a mandoline)
Bunch of Italian parsley, chopped

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the chicken pieces (in batches if necessary) over high heat with the garlic and thyme for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Return all the chicken to the pan, add the sherry vinegar, and bubble until reduced by half. Drizzle over the soy sauce and honey and shake the pan to mix.

Pour in the hot water and add the lemon slices. Let the liquid bubble and reduce down until syrupy, which will take about 10 minutes or so. By now the chicken should be cooked through.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I started this tradition last year because let’s face it, what better way to start your birthday then with cupcakes!  Plus the people at work appreciate celebrating with me

I really went back and forth as to what flavor to make this year.  The salted caramel cupcakes were a huge hit last year but I had to try something different.  I thought about a light and fluffy lemon cupcakes and lemon frosting with a berry filling, carrot cupcakes with a rich and smooth frosting but ultimately went with a dark chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter cream cheese frosting, much like this cake that was so delectable.

The great thing about chocolate cupcakes is that it takes no time, one bowl to mix it up, plop the batter in muffin tins, bake and within an hour I had cupcakes.  Last night I whipped up the frosting which was equally easy.  I might add a bit more sugar next time to stiffen up the frosting but overall I was quite pleased with the results and they are getting rave reviews in the office.

So another year is upon me.  At first I was pretty pissy about getting a year closer to 30 but then I realized how blessed I am to be where I am.  I am as healthy as I have ever been, I am happy with my body, I have a supportive and loving boyfriend, a fantastic family what more could a girl want?  Well there are some things but hopefully they will come in time :)  My attitude turned around when I found out a friend from college died from cancer at 28 and wow it hit me,  be happy with life and live it up.  You never know when life will turn an unexpected corner (boy do I know that!) but in the end, be happy with what you have done with your life.  I am thankful to have the life I have and will make the best of it!

I have been waiting to see this movie for quite some time and I finally sat down last night and watched it.  This is a documentary following 6 runners as they train and run the Chicago Marathon.  The runners run the gamut of elite runners, first time marathoners and what I would describe as veteran marathoners.  The movie touches a bit on the history of the marathon but the main focus is of each of the runners, how they train, their goals, their challenges then it follows them to race day.  I could totally relate to the overwhelmed feeling as you run the 20 mile training run, I have done 19 but something about 20 seems so huge!  They also all discuss the “wall” that is always on the minds of marathon runners, the point at which the body is depleted and it’s all about the mind to get you through. I am not going to lie, this part makes me pretty nervous.  One of the runners stated that you never know how your body is going to react and that was the “fun” of it for him.  I don’t necessarily agree that’s fun but I am anxious to see how I react to it all come race day.

When they show the actual race, I started getting goosebumps.  I could feel the excitement of standing, waiting for the gun to go off and waiting for your time to cross the start line.  I can only imagine what it is like with that many runners around you! My largest race was about 1500 people and that felt massive! The film continued to show the elite runners as they fought to keep their leads, the veteran runners maintained a steady and strong pace and one of the newbies had a rough end of the race, you could see the anguish on her face and I just felt for her.

When the runners began to finish I literally had to keep from choking up!  I know I am such a baby but I felt their joy and pain.  I imagined myself crossing the finish line and I can’t even think about the emotions that will be running through me.  This will be one of the biggest milestones of my life, one that I have worked hard for and have wanted for so long, I KNOW I am going to cry.  I just know it.  Especially when I see my parents, having them there are the end of such a journey will be unspeakable.  And having Scottie with me, or at the end at least will no doubt leave me in tears.  We have been through this together and I realize how lucky I am to be with him through all of this.

Needless to say, I loved this movie.  I will no doubt watch it again when the race is closer to give me an extra boost of encouragement.  I highly recommend this movie to any runner, especially is you are training for a marathon.

As a side note, I watched this on Hulu.com and I think I’m in love.  I watched it for free and only had 30 seconds commercials every 20-30 minutes or so.  It was weird at first but then I liked the breaks to grab some water or get an ice cream treat from the freezer.  Keep it in mind next time you want to watch a movie!

I had this realization last night that there is probably more then one reason why people decide not to tackle a marathon.  Most people think they can not physically run that far, probably true but I think most people have it in them to complete this distance if they really put their mind to it.  Others may not mentally be able to do it and yes it takes a ton of mental strength to be able to run that far, I think I am only about to discover this.  But I think a huge reason for not running a marathon is the time it takes to train for one.

Scottie and I are 1 month and 3 weeks away from the race that we have been training for the past 3 months or so.  The past two weekends have involved runs that have taken over 3 hours to complete.  Also factor in the time to get up, eat and make all necessary bathroom breaks, the post run refuel, stretch, ice bath, refuel part2 and most of your day is gone.  Our Saturdays do not start until 2pm after this process is complete.  I am not complaining (yes I am) but its hard to keep up a training schedule, keep the house straight, go to social events, play with the dogs and try to have some down time.  Throw in triathlon training on Sunday and your weekend is shot.

Needless to say I am a bit cranky.  I was looking forward to watching a movie (yes a  movie, this never happens) baking some cupcakes, maybe take the dogs for a walk and enjoying the beginning of fall, possibly my favorite time of year.  But none of that happened and here I am on Monday wondering where the weekend went.

Luckily next weekend’s run is only (ha, only) 13 miles so hopefully it will allow a bit more time to relax.  The weekend after next, my parents are coming into town for the U2 concert (I can’t wait!) and I think a day off on Friday is in order to get things done so I can fully enjoy the weekend and relax.  I forgot what it was like to relax, ha, maybe in December?

Ok enough Debbi Downer talk, I have a funny story from this weekend.  Sunday we trekked out to Jordan Lake and did a 30 minute swim in our wetsuits.  We followed it with a 23 mile bike ride, which I was sort of dreading but ended up having a great ride on the “new” bike.  About 10 miles into the ride, we are cruising along and I see a tiny little snake slithering across the road.  I thought it was a really long earthworm but as I got closer I confirmed it was a snake and did not have enough time to react so as I rode over it I screached and lifted my legs from the pedals.  Don’t ask me why I lifted my legs, I thought the snake might lash up in its anger at me and bite me.  Yeah this snake was literally as round as a pencil, not sure what I was thinking.  Surprisingly I kept my balance and I can only imagine what Scottie was thinking at the time, not to mention the car that was in the other lane, crazy cyclists!  It was an interesting and funny  moment.

I guess that’s one way to increase your mileage, just get lost :)  I found is difficult to plan out a 17 mile running route, especially when I tend to prefer to be on sidewalks and around here there aren’t always sidewalks.  So I finally found one on MapMyRun.com and meticulously wrote down all of the streets and turns, I didn’t print out a map but figured I was pretty detailed in my directions.  Lesson leaned.

We parked by the Whole Foods on Wade Ave. and started our running in the neighborhood behind the shopping center then made our way down Hillsborough then downtown.  Scottie and I love running downtown as it alwats keeps things interesting and before we knew it we had 6 miles done and both felt great.  Even 3 miles later we were still great.  Then we realized we missed a turn near Five Points and weren’t sure how far out of the way we were.  We stopped a couple walking and they directed us to where we needed to pick up the lost street.  So we ran uphill on Glenwood Avenue, with the sun beating down and the temperature steadily increasing.  We were both pretty pissed when we saw where the street was.  Scottie said we probably only added about a mile, but I found out later he was saying that to not freak me out.  I started to get pretty hot and was running low on water (something I find happens far too often.) The last part of our run was pretty hilly, some were hard to even walk up!  I was starting the hate this run but I tried to stay positive.  Then we found a park and decided to see if there was water.  Luckily, we found a fountain and I downed about 16 oz. within 5 minutes.  Maybe not smart but it tasted soooo good. The last 4 miles or so were all mental.  My IT band was tight but not terrible, I felt a little rubbing in my shoes, but nothing I haven’t dealt with before.  But I had to keep my head in it.  I knew were had two streets left to run on, one was done in no time but once I turned onto Ridge Rd. I thought the end was almost near but we unfortunately had about a mile and a half to go and they were brutal.  The water was sloshing in my stomach and I was starting to get VERY hungry.  I walked for a bit then picked it up, I figured I would probably be walking and running towards the end of the marathon so I wasn’t going to be too hard on myself.  When I saw the parking lot I almost cried I was so happy!  Once at the car I doused myself in cool water, stretched a bit and changed shirts.  I am sure I was a sight to everyone else in the parking lot!  We walked around a running store for a bit, then picked up goodies from Whole Foods; chocolate milk and mini cupcakes for me and a growler of Carolina IPA for Scottie.  We were both happy to be done running.

I immediately got into an ice bath once home, which I did in our smaller guest bathtub and could feel the cold much better this time!  While I iced down and showered Scottie mapped out what we ran and to both of our surprise we ran just shy of 19 miles!  No wonder we were wiped out!

We both feel the marathon is totally attainable now.  The longest training run we have is 20 miles, though I would not be opposed to tweaking it a bit and doing 22, but we can play that one by ear.  Now I am just excited that the race we have been training for for so long is just under 2 months away!

Not that I am complaining but wow this week has flown by, I do love a short week

Nothing ground breaking this week though. Monday Scottie and I swam in a very cold community pool for about half an hour, my body needed to stretch out a bit from the 52 bike miles the previous day. Then I ran shuffled for about 4 miles.  I wanted to cut it short but the foot bridge that I would take was broken and I was not about to try and finagle across the creek.  I guess I was meant to get all 4 in.

Tuesday I was lazy and decided instead of running after work I would get on the trainer on my “new bike” (Scottie got a new one so I am now riding his “old” one.)  But I quickly realized my bum and arms needed another day of recovery but I pushed through 45 minutes while watching “Swords” because there is NOTHING on Tuesday night.  I also failed at dinner, trying to use up some leftover beef for grilled burritos but had no beans and no sour cream so we ended up ditching it. Meh.

Wednesday Scottie got up and ran with me for 4 miles which is always fun!  We swam after work at the lake and I tried out my wetsuit!  It really wasn’t cold enough for a wetsuit but since Scottie brought it to me, I decided to try it out.  It only took about 8 minutes to put on as opposed to the 20 that I had anticipated and it actually felt pretty good!  The neck takes some getting used to but overall not bad.  My arms did get more tired then usual, which is odd since it is sleeveless but maybe my arms are still sore from biking Sunday and the night before?  I dunno but I cut it short and only did about 1200 meters in about 35 minutes or so, yeah super slow.  Then we raced home for pizza (mushroom flatbread for me and french bread meat pizza for Scottie) and watched the last “F Word” of the season. :sniff: Gordon what am I suppose to watch on Wednesday nights now!?  I really hate TV sometimes, I wanna watch something worthwhile and I just think most shows these days are crap.

Anywho, so now it’s Thursday and I had planned to run my 8 miles this morning but who am I kidding, it’s dark until 6:45 am and I hate running in the dark alone, and I can’t bribe Scottie enough to run that long in the morning.  So I will have to do it tonight, before Scottie’s softball game at 8:30, hopefully is doesn’t rain, oh and I need a super duper quick dinner idea since I decided to cram this run in. :sigh:  It’s never ending!

Oh and I will leave you with a pic of Scottie’s bike, because I think it’s uber cool looking and I am actually liking the yellow!  It needs a name now!

So when I mentioned to Scottie that I wanted to do a long ride this weekend I didn’t think we would do 52 miles, but as I am always trying to push myself to the limits, I said “Sure” with a smile.  I am not going to lie, I was pretty nervous.  The longest ride I had done before this was about 38 miles on completely flat terrain at the beach.  Scottie picked out the Duke Half Ironman bike course, which is 56 miles, we cut out a short 2 mile out and back near the nuclear power plant.  I knew this course had some decent hills in it, which only added to my nervousness.  We packed up and drove the 40 minutes or so to the start of the course.

The weather could not be more perfect for a long ride, the sun was out but not beating down, it was warm but there was a definite wind, which added a bit the ride.  We parked and then set out for the ride.  Scottie forgot his Garmin so we went by my bike computer for the mileage and pace.  Yes the course was hilly but nothing terrible, except for one hill that crept up after a very long, blind decent, in which I was in the wrong gear and had to walk half way up.  To my credit, the gears on my bike were being weird today, yes blame it on the gears :)  I had two bottle of liquid with me, one with water and one with an electrolyte drink.  I quickly realized I just can’t take the electrolyte drink, it makes my mouth too dry and I need water to really quench my thirst. So I took little sips of the water along the way, I felt like I was rationing water like when we went camping last October.

Luckily, with about 15 miles or so left, there was a man watering his lawn and Scottie decided to stop and see if we could fill our bottles with the garden hose, he agreed but went one step further and brought out two ice cold bottles of water for us.  Wow, there are still some great people in the world!  I saw he wore a retired Marine Corps hat and it further reinforces that our military, either active or retired, would give the shirt off their back for a stranger.  I was so thankful for this man as I don’t think I could have made it back to the car without the water.  Note for the next long ride, bring another bottle or wear a camelbak!  The last bit of the ride was uneventful except for a fox crossing the road and seeing an unleashed rottweiler pass by us.  The last 4 miles were the hardest, probably because I knew we were so close to the end.  My hands were starting to ache and my right pinky finger was falling sleep, it still doesn’t have all of it’s feeling back even 5 hours later.

When we got to the car I tore into a protein bar and the bottle of water I left in the car.  My quads were killing me, they started to tighten up almost instantly.  Once in the car I was in heaven, being in a soft seat the cool air passing over me and good music to groove to.   Once home I had planned to immediately start an ice bath but decided to wash Bella and my car before getting into a cold bath.

I filled up the tub with cool water and dumped all of the ice from our ice maker in the tub.  Yep it took my breathe away but luckily I had a long sleeve shirt to keep me warm.  I stayed in for about 15 minutes then showered and was ready for dinner!  I think for the next ice bath I will buy a 10 lbs bag of ice as it melted pretty quickly and wasn’t as cold near the end.  I know most people physically can’t stand to stay in longer then 10 minutes but I felt if I was sitting in cold water I atleats wanted it to be cold!  Hopefully I won’t be too sore tomorrow for my swim and run!  I could get used to these long weekends!

I was in such a crappy mood yesterday, it was like a snowball.  I was depressed about my townhouse still being vacant and ofcourse I look at every other part of my life with a grey outlook.  I suddenly didn’t want to celebrate my birthday (three weeks away-eek!) I thought I was in financial ruin and I just overall hated life.  Then today all seemed well with the world when I got an email from someone I had shown the house and she wanted to rent it and move in this month!  Woohoo!  I could not be more excited and have been scrambling to get rental references done and the lease done, it was a busy lunch.  Lease to be signed Tuesday-woohoo! Now I feel like I can really enjoy the long weekend.

What else is good?

Scottie and I are heading to the ECU/ASU football game tomorrow!  I am stoked to see a football game and even more excited to show Scottie what a crazy person I am at games!

Bella turned 7 this week!

She got a massive Trader Joe’s biscuit with PB for her “cake.”  I can’t believe she is 7!  I remember when I got her at 10 weeks when she was just a wee one.  She has been through EVERYTHING with me, literally.  School, moves, jobs, break ups, sadness, happiness- I could not ask for a better dog.

Pumpkin Spice Lattes came out on Tuesday and as much as I love these I just can’t spend $4 for coffee right now so I found a recipe to make the syrup they use!  I had a huge frothy cup this morning and while I need to adjust the amount of syrup I use, it was damn tasty!

Oh and it’s a three day weekend!  Doing the happy dance!  While I do want to do a long bike ride on Sunday, I am doing my run tonight so that I can thoroughly enjoy Saturday and not obsess about getting in my long run.  It will be nice to wake up Saturday morning and not immediately head out for a run!

Have a great weekend, safe travels for all of your…um…traveling!

Ask and you shall receive!  My friend Tracy asked me to post the Halibut Stick recipe, so here ya go pretty lady!

This was a super fast meal, perfect for a busy Wednesday night.  I thawed the halibut filet the day before and then the night before I cut the fish into “sticks.”  I am a firm believer that food is more fun to eat with your fingers :)  When we came home from our swim last night I preheated the oven to 425 degrees.  The I pulled out one egg, some almond meal (I get it from Trader Joe’s, I think it is near the baking stuff, or you could just pulverize some whole almonds) panko crumbs, seasoning of your choice (I used garlic herb) salt, and PAM spray.  Whip up the egg in one bowl, in another bowl add about 1/4 cup almond meal and 1/4 cup panko crumbs, then season to your liking.  Dunk the fish in the egg, then roll around in the crumb mixture and make sure to press the breading into the fish so it sticks well.  Place on a sprayed baking sheet and lightly spray the top of the sticks with PAM to help them crisp. Bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on how thick your fish is.  I over cooked mine accidentally but once dipped in some fry sauce (ketchup and mayo mixture- don’t diss it!) it was fine.  Scottie actually really liked these so I consider that a huge success! Perfectly crispy!

To the baking sheet I also added some sweet potato fries, which I am in love with.  I also made a side salad of romaine, fresh peaches, lemon juice, S&P and the yummiest, stinkiest bleu cheese ever.  It was divine.  Bleu cheese and peaches make a fab combo and I think if you have a wonderful creamy cheese like bleu,  salad dressing is not needed.  Scottie would argue that but this is my blog, so there.

Overall a filling and healthy meal that was super easy to put together.  Please enjoy!