Randomness

Workout-4mile run (35min, 6sec) Flat run.  I wasn't feeling it today.  Good thing I had company to make the time fly by.

We look like shady characters by streetlight.  I'm sure that's why a cop kept passing us.  Keeping us thugs in check.


The news of the day!  The race race results are up!  

Remember these cool chicks?  Yeah, they each placed in their age group.  WOWWIE!! How cool is that?  Way to go girls!
My race results were MIA, then they appeared but were wrong.  They are working on it, whatevs. 
Who cares, the cool chicks killed it!! *Cyber High Five* I hope I'm that cool when I grow up. 

I'm addicted to this stuff.  Addicted as in: Shovel please, I need another bite.  Soooo good.  I had to give the deed to my car to afford it but it's ok, I got a bike.

Look what I got today.  No, not crazy hair.  It is my Pink Flamingo Girls shirt!  

That means Ragnar Del Sol is right around the corner.  23 days I think.  I wasn't blogging last year when I did it.  I'm bummed you missed out on the fun.

Yes that is a flamingo costume and yes she ran all three legs in it.  That's how our captain rolls.   I'll take notes and make sure you don't miss out this year.  

Flamigo's honor.


Today's post was brought to you by procrastination.  

This stack of books needs my attention.  Ok, only three of those really need my attention.  One of them needs to have the first chapter done by Friday.  The rest are for fun. Even though Recipes from an Italian Summer does seem of major importance to me.  
Guess which one I picked up in my free time?  
If you guessed the one that needs to be read by Friday, you'd be wrong.


Do you procrastinate?
If it was a sport I would be unstoppable.


Read any good books lately?  
I'm looking for a good book to read in my free time. :-)

I own a bike!

Workout- 19mile bike ride(1hr, 10min) Hey, I own a bike?  Awesome.  I should ride it.

Now.  It doesn't get much better than that.  I had to get out and enjoy this amazing weather.

And possibly burn of a cookie or ten.  
I tried to rally the troops but apparently I'm the only one without a life and available at 3:45pm.

Good thing I'm a dork AwEsOmE!  
I had a great solo ride and it felt nice to be back on my bike.

I could really get used to these beautiful afternoon rides.  I think next time I will stick a bottle of wine and a baguette in my jersey.  Ya know, train right.


Did you get your sweat on today?
Did ya make some cookies?  Wanna share? ;-)

Desert Classic Race Recap

WORKOUT- 3 mile run (29.18) Easy shake out run with my husband and the baby.  I felt great and my legs liked it. Weird. 

Thank you all who sent me words of encouragement and congratulations.  It means a lot to me so, thank you!  
So they still don't have the official race results out yet. Grrr. I'm pretty sure I started my Gramin right when we crossed the mat at the start but I forgot to stop it until a little after I finished.  I don't think it will cut off that much time but I would like to know exactly how I did. 

I do know how I did in the The Boring Runner's virtual 5K.  That's really all that matters anyway, right?  My 5K time 26:58.  (I just used my average pace)  Yep, I'm number 1! so was everyone else that ran  

The race was pretty uneventful.  The only complaint I have, besides the no race results, is the lack of porta potties.  It was a really small race, which I loved but there were only four, yes four, porta potties!   I don't want to be the one holding up the line, it is nerve racking. 
Thankfully we had brought Jocelyn's daughter and my neighbor (they were running the 5K and they're buddies). They were able to run and get our packet and race chips while we were in the potty line, otherwise it would have been a big rush to be ready on time.  

Thanks ladies.  These two are always willing to jump into a race when they can.  Most teenagers would chose to sleep in on a Saturday morning.  These girls chose to get up and tackle a 5k before their peers are even out of bed.  That is soo cool.  Oh, and they got themselves two PR's as well.  Look out world. 


The race itself was out in the desert.  It was a quiet out and back course.  It was mostly up on the way out and down on the way back with a few rollers in there for fun.  It was a pretty easy course.


I felt good the whole race but I did eye every bush as a possible pit stop.  I needed to pee the entire time.   One more restroom break before the start of the race would have been perfect.   The faster you run the faster you are done. 


I think it was around mile 12 or so that I crested a small hill and I expected to see the finish line way off in the distance.  I could see forever that's for sure but no finish line, heart break.  It got a little mental at that point and I really wanted to be done.  I finally passed a carrot I had been chasing the whole race and that gave the momentum to finish strong.  There is nothing worse than when the carrot passes you back.  :-)

Overall I had a good race, and enjoyed myself.  I'm not sure Jocelyn enjoyed my singing but it might have made her run faster because she crushed her previous time as well.  It was a day full of PR's, how cool is that? 

I definitely had fun and this was a good confidence boost going into the last little bit of marathon training.

Some of my crazies made it out to cheer me on and give me hugs and high fives.  

We went out to breakfast after the race but I was not feeling well.  Can you believe I didn't clean my plate?  You know things aren't right when I leave food on my plate.  I felt sick the whole day.  Bummer.  No basking in the glow of my new PR.  Not sure what the deal was but I feel fine now.  


You ever get sick with stomach issues after a race?  
I sometimes feel a little queasy after a run but it passes in about a half hour.  Yesterday was really unusual for me.
Did you race or run this weekend?  How did it go?

Half Marathon

Workout-  Half marathon day! 

They don't have the official results up yet but that right there is a PR! Booya!
I will have a full report tomorrow.  
Hope you all had a great Saturday!

Ok, I have a few goals

Workout- 10min shake out run I needed to get out an run just a smig.  I get a little twitchy(think crack addict) taking two rest days. I find if I do a really short run the day before my legs just feel better on race morning.

That AND these babies have been sitting on my dresser since Wednesday.  It was killing me, I had to take them for a spin.  There is nothing better than a new pair of skips!  

Or a friend who stops by with carbs!  Thanks Steph!! Good luck kicking some Tinkerbell booty on Sunday.  Jealous.

Today we just sat around thinking about races.  Although I said I didn't have a goal for this race, I think I should have been more specific.  I don't have a time goal.  I always have a goal.  This race it isn't based on times since I really have no clue how fast I can run it in.  But I still have a few goals.
Here they are.
1. Have fun!
2. Negative split (finish the last half faster than the first)
3. Focus on staying relaxed (no shoulders to ears) 
4. Keep my form even when I get tired 
5. Have fun
6. Win! Hahaha just making sure you were paying attention.


Well, well, look who does have a few goals after all.  Let's pray I can go before it's time to go*wink* and no tummy troubles.  

Off to get some sleep.  The alarm clock is set for a ridiculous time, even for this early riser.
Good luck to all those that are racing this weekend.  Go get em!

Running free

Workout- I am resting up because I'm racing a half marathon on Saturday.  
So many people have asked me what my goal is for this race and my marathon in March and I feel dorky when I say I don't know.

source

But I don't. 
I know I will PR this half unless something goes wrong.  I know this because my easy pace is faster than what I raced my fastest half marathon back in 2010.  
The thing is I don't know how much faster and I'm not super motivated to find out.
WHAT?  I'm sure that statement got me kicked out of the cool kid club.
You see, I know that in a few short months I will start training for Ironman and my training is going to consume me.  I am going to be eating, breathing, and sleeping, training schedules, paces, cadence, drills, distances, etc.  
So, for right now I don't want to think about tempo runs, speed work, and race pace.  I just want to run.  I want to enjoy the freedom of going out and running by how I feel, no pressure and not too much thinking.  
Just loving the run, the freedom and the ease of it all.   
Does that make me any less of a runner or a competitor?  I don't know.  
I do know I love racing.  It's like doing a long run with a bunch of new friends.  I love the energy of being around people that love to do what I do.  It is fun, uplifting, encouraging, and just plain cool.

So, I'm going into this race to have fun and enjoy the experience.  Do I plan to run hard, of course.  Do I plan to kill myself for a certain time, no.  

Pinterest

I'm going to enjoy the run and have lots of fun.
Yep, just made that up.  Shazam, I got talent.


Do you have to make big goals for every race?
Ever entered a race with no real goal in mind?
Let me know, I'm curious.  

Rats, another Weirdness Wednesday

Workout- 5mile run (45min, 58sec) My legs, butt and hips are soo sore.  Blech.  Today was an easy shake out run.  I didn't look at Mr.G except when I was close to the turn around point.  No way I was going to run a step past 2.5miles.  

I kept my hair on lock down today.  I'm happy to report my Bic Band did it's job as usual and I grew no wings or hair horns.  **Double high five**
The sun was almost up, allllmost.

I have a hot date with this guy tonight.  I don't know why I let him stick around he always hurts me.  
Mr. F is his name and hurtin is his game.
He better buy me flowers after tonight.


Does WEIRDNESS Wednesday live on? 
Heck ya it does.


Warning! If you are going to remove couch cushions in this house. 

You might want a defibrillator near by.  Holy Huckleberry!  I almost dropped dead.  
Who bought this for my son?  Fess up.  It's ok.  Really, who was it?  I would just like to thank you for your kindness. Come on, let me thank you. :-)


Hope you all are having a super weird Wednesday. 

It isn't St. Patrick's day?

Workout- 8mile run (1hr, 10min) Last night's weight class was lots of core and lots of legs.  The perfect workout to do if you are going to  run 8 miles about 12 hrs later.  I should have had a few beers and a dozen chicken wings to make sure it was 100% incredible.  The route was flat and easy.  Thank goodness cause my legs weighted about 50lbs each and they never fell into a good rhythm.

What did happen was my hair grew wings and a hair horn.  Score!

When you have sore legs and a hair horn the only thing to do is make cake.

The inside is suppose to be green for Saint Patrick's day.  What?  It isn't Saint Patrick's day?  
Eh, I just need an excuse to make cake, not a legit excuse.
This is a super moist cheater cake.  I call it a cheater because it starts with a cake mix.  I love a good homemade cake but sometimes because you need cake fast or because your FIL is wondering where the goodies are, you gotta cheat.


Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! heehee


Pistachio Bundt Cake

• 1 package  yellow cake mix
• 2 packages (3.5 ounces each) instant pistachio pudding mix
• 1 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Glaze

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding mixes, water, eggs and oil; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
In small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to reach desired consistency. Drizzle over cake. 
Yield: 12 servings.


Missy's Notes
I doubled the glaze ingredients and made it thicker because I'm more of a frosting girl and not so much of a glaze girl. I didn't end up using it all (close) so you can kinda play around with the frosting to get it how you like it. I thought maybe a little amaretto in there might be nice but I try to put booze in everything. :-)
To make it greener for St. Patty's add a few drops of green food coloring or try a white cake mix.

Italian Wedding soup

Workout- Swim (2000) Today's swim was much better than last week. Yay!
I have a weight training class tonight.  After today's battle with the terrible two's, I will be skipping out the door.

Two year old's are just weird and opinionated.  I dare you to take one of those spoons. 
He is the mayor of Crazy town.

Let's talk soup.  It seems that everyone is dealing with snow, ice, or rain.  Nothing goes better with crummy weather than a steamy bowl of soup. 

This makes a big batch but we managed to eat it all.  The recipe said it freezes well but I have never tried it.  I like having a yummy homemade soup in the refrigerator to warm up for lunch.  Between my kids eating multiple bowls and Todd and I having it for lunch a few times, it was gone in jiffy.  I hope you like it as well.


Italian Wedding Soup
adapted from The Best of Country Cooking
11 cups fat-free chicken broth
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup dry dread crumbs
4 Tbl shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1-12 tsp Italian seasoning, divided
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1/4 tsp pepper
5 cups fresh baby spinach or 1 (10oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained


In a large saucepan, bring broth and chicken to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer, uncovered for 15min or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, 2 Tbl Shredded Parmesan cheese and 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-in balls; add to broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10min or until meatballs are no longer pink. Skim fat and discard.
Shred chicken meat. Add chicken, pasta, pepper, and the remaining Italian seasoning to soup. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 12-15min or until the pasta is tender. Add spinach and remaining Parmesan cheese; heat until spinach is wilted and soup is heated through. 
Yield: 8-10 servings


 Missy's tip
I added a few more chicken breasts to the pot in the first step.  Then I had leftover shredded chicken for another use. Salads, casseroles, etc. 
Enjoy!

A bizarre long run makes me real hungry

Workout- Saturday 16mile run (2hr, 29min) Yesterdays run was HILLY, long and bizarre.  I was dreading all the hills but as it turned out the hills weren't bad.  I needed to worry about cars, strangers, wild animals, and my body revolting against GU's.  
I should have known that our run was gonna be eventful when we were almost hit by a truck not even a half mile into our run.  Unfortunately close calls are not unusual ( I wish it was).  The unusual part was the driver of the truck came back and waited for us.  Creepy at first, but he wanted to apologize.  He said he just didn't see us as he was turning and was so sorry.  WOW, that never happens.  It is a good lesson as it can happen to anyone.  Always look both ways, driving or walking across the street.  Remember kids.

Source

The rest of the run just continued to get weird.  
I swear I heard something growl at us.  I could have been my stomach, not sure.
An old man stopped us and asked for directions to the casino. What?  It was about 9 in the morning!  I think we got him pointed in the right direction, I hope he won big.
Then I was sidelined with horrible stomach cramps at about mile 8.  Apparently GU and I are not compatible, glad I found out now and not in a race.  
Next my phone kept blowing up with texts and calls, because I had a sitter at home with the kids, I needed to check it.  Seriously, it won't ring for days but Saturday morning I was more important than Paula Deen (I love her) at a butter convention. 
Between my stomach pain bringing me to walk and the constant interruptions it felt like I was out there for an eternity. 

Then there was this awkward photo.  Apparently Espresso Love GU makes me want to spread the love too.  Closer, closer.  "Do you think we got Red mountain in the background?" Um, that's not Red Mountain.  My bad.

Steph is a saint for sticking it out with me.  I told her to leave me to the thing I heard growling in the desert but she refused.  I'm glad she didn't. 

Because rehydrating and caffeinating alone at Starbucks is super lame.  I think I made those two words up but they should exist.


Are you more hungry the day after a long run or race?  I am.  The day of a race or long run I normally can't quite figure out what to eat.  I just kinda snack on little bits all day. Last night was an exception, we went to dinner with friends and ate a big fabulous meal.  I only took one picture.  Blogger fail.

Wino win!  It was a great night of laughs and food.  I just wish I would have taken some more pictures. 
Today it was business as usual.

A chopped salad with a short stack.  NFL linebackers ain't got nothing on me.  I told Todd we could take the leftover pancakes home.  I think he almost believed we would have leftovers.

Almost.  He knows me better than that.  I reluctantly shared my pancakes.  Well, it was more of a trade.

Bradon ordered the stuffed french toast with blueberry compote.  Yeah, he gave me a bite.
Like I was saying the day after a long run, I get real hungry.


I hope you all had a glorious weekend. 

My heart belongs to.....

Workout- 4mile run (34 min, 54 sec), Swim (1500) 
My swim was, um, what's swimming again?  I'm trying to keep up with swimming while I'm training for the marathon but I am failing miserably.

My run was a flat easy shake out run.  My legs felt tight from last nights weights.  Or as JoDee says "I feel like my hamstrings shrunk a few inches".  Haha.  That is exactly how it feels.  

wowzers, crazy eyes

I was gonna go with a thumbs up picture to show my joy but my thumbs need a rest.  I am so happy to be done running for the rest of the week.  Ok, only until Saturday but....  
Tomorrow is a REST DAY!!! 
You know you're a triathlete when........ you train for a marathon.
Don't get me wrong, I love running and if I didn't run I would go insane but marathon running is A LOT of running.  
I go to bed, I wake up, it's a run day.  I go to bed. I wake up, it's a run day.  You get the point.  And I'm not even following a hard training plan or a high mileage one, crazy.  I guess my true love is triathlon.

I need to wrestle myself in and out of a figure robbing wetsuit.  Then jump into a brown lake with leg eating weeds and slimy fish.

A game of memory is always tantalizing when racing.  For someone who forgets her phone number this is really where I shine.  I always remember where my bike is after the race.

.

I love riding my bike.  Biking doesn't cause the trots, just saying.  Flat tires and clearing my shoulder when spitting is the only obstacle.  I can spit like I'm Major League and change a flat in about, 30 minutes how much time you got?

Who doesn't love running in head to toe spandex with your age on your calf?  I hope they start having us put our weight on the other calf.   Yep, that's pretty awesome.  
So, like I was saying triathlons marathon's are freaking cool.  My true love will always be the marathon, triathlon, marathon, tri.........
I love cupcakes, really.   

Weirdness Wednesday

Workout- Weight training (1h, 15min of torture) and 8mile run (1hr, 11min) 
The little people in this house did not sleep well last night.  You know what that means?  The big people in this house didn't sleep well last night.  So, I was a little sleepy this morning but the cool crisp air quickly woke me.  
Steph, greeted me with a yawn and a "I don't wanna run".  We were good company.  
I ate a Honey Stinger Waffle before I left the house and about mile 5 I got hungry.  Mile 6, I was real, real hungry.  Mile 7, Steph started to look like a glorious cupcake.

I restrained myself and will never eat just a Singer Waffle before a run again.  I am more of a pb&j or Cliff Bar kinda girl, I need some protein to fuel the machine.  Maybe a smear of PB on the Stinger would have worked.  But I'm not gonna risk it again, stick with what works.  


I didn't think I could pull off another weirdness Wednesday.  Really, what are the chances something weird would happen in my life again this week? 

We are just so normal, nothing weird ever happens here.


Hope you had a happy hump day! 

Feel good post

Workout- 4mile run (34min) Nice flat run.

Man, we look good by street light.


I don't have much to share today.  Awkward.
I do have this little gem for you.  You can thank me later.  
This song gets stuck in your head so be forewarned.

Ok, we probably don't struggle to catch a ball or roller skate but we all struggle in someway.  Good thing we got Sesame Street.  
Thanks Elmo and friends.

Quick Granola

Workout-21miles(1hr, 15min) Easy ride just so we don't forget what our bikes feel like.  

I was stoked to be doing an afternoon ride and the weather was amazing.  Do I overuse my thumbs?  Maybe.  Or maybe everyone else under uses them.   

Short sleeves and shorts in January?  I love Arizona winters!

Bringing it home just as the sun sets. Gorgeous. I was so happy.  What a way to usher in a new week.  

We love granola in our house and we go through it quickly.  I buy all different brands but it gets expensive so I make it a lot too.  I have made it a million ways with a million different ingredients but I always go back to one simple and fast recipe I learned a while back.  
You can have granola is a matter of 15 min or so.  Can't beat that.  I am pretty sure you need this recipe so here it is.


Stove Top Granola
adapted from Light and Tasty
2 cups old fashion oats or quick cooking
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon butter1/4 cup pecans or other nut
2 tablespoons dried cranberries or other dried fruit
2 tablespoons flaked coconut


In a large nonstick skillet, toast oats over medium heat until golden brown. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, cook and stir the brown sugar, honey and butter over medium-low heat until bubbly, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the almonds, raisins, coconut and oats until coated. Cool. 
Store in an airtight container. 


Missy's Notes
I substitute all the different nuts (today I used pipitas) and fruit (we love dried apricots cut up).

*revised: You don't have to toast the oats if you are really hungry for granola. :-)

Use your imagination.


Enjoy!