A Shiny New PR

Yesterday, I ran another half marathon.

...and so did Ryan
...and a couple of our friends.

Ryan's friend, Jonathan, came along for his first half marathon and my friend and coworker, Sarah, came along for her first 5K...or so she thought.

Saturday, when we arrived in Germantown, TN, we headed directly to pick up our packets. To make a long story short, we talked Sarah into upgrading her registration to the half-marathon. She decided to run with Jonathan and Ryan who were a bit under-trained for this one and would be alternating walking/jogging.

I wanted a PR. A Personal Record. I was getting close with my last race at 2:04. My personal record for the half marathon was 1:59:58, which was set with my very first half marathon...7 years ago. It was time to break it.

I ran 15 miles the week before the race. My 13.1 split was 1:56. I could do it. I knew I could. This was going to be the race to prove myself to...well, just to myself, but I still wanted to do it. And to make another long (13.1 miles long) story, short. I did it! I pushed myself, my hip felt fine, I stayed well hydrated, the weather was great, the planets aligned, I pushed myself, and I did it! 1:55:53 was the magic number that broke my 7 year-old PR by 4 minutes and beat my most recent race, just 3 weeks ago by 9 minutes.

I'm super excited about my own accomplishment, but I'm equally, if not more so, excited that Ryan also beat his old time by more than 15 minutes, and Sarah and Jonathan ran their very first race...a half marathon! That's huge!



Come on now, why the look of pain and exhaustion?

That's a little better.

Here we are (left to right: Sarah, Ryan, Me, Jonathan).

After some showers (there are a lot of horse statues in Germantown).

We are already looking for our next race. We have our eyes on a mud-run just 3 weeks away. Sounds like a ton of fun. Any suggestions for other spring races?

Baby Shower

My dear friend is having a baby in 7 weeks.







Saturday, my mom and I traveled to Ward, AR for her baby shower.


We shared a few laughs.



Then, we parted ways again.



The next time I see Jamie, she will have a baby girl named Loralei Dove, and a new chapter of her life will begin.




It seems like just yesterday we were two stressed nursing school students, roommates, coworkers, and 24/7 companions...5 years of time has passed since then and many miles separate us, but we will always share these precious life-changing moments and continue to create memories along the way.

Spinning!

A few weeks back, Ryan and I invested in a spin bike. He (we) put it together, but this is him working hard while I run and grab the camera.

I would have loved to have this when my hip was injured, but I'm super happy to have it now to use between runs, so I can incorporate more cardio into my routine without risking re-injury.

The test ride...jeans and all.

It may not look like much, but 30 minutes on this baby and you'll be crying "Uncle" before you're done with the first set of intervals.

At least I was.

Maybe it's just me.

Running is my happy place...Spinning is my torture device.

In a good way.

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

This was my recovery meal today. These pancakes are very filling thanks to their whole grain, high fiber ingredients. They are jam-packed with whole grains, flax, and oats, and no oil or butter is added. Your cardiologist will thank me.

You need:
1.25 cups whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
6 TBSP milled flax seed
1/3 cup whole oats
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 large banana)
1 egg
1 cup skim milk

Combine all the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients and stir until well combined. Scoop 1/3 cup pancake batter and pour on a hot griddle (about 375 degrees). Cook until golden on each side. Makes about 7-8 pancakes.

You can see all the whole grain goodness in the batter.


In the meantime, make your blueberry compote. Now, most compotes use a boatload of sugar, but the blueberries are really sweet enough to avoid it.

1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup water
1/2 TBSP sugar

Place ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the blueberries begin to break down and form a syrup (about 8-10 minutes). This makes enough for about 2 people. If you have enough people around to eat all the pancakes, you should double or even triple the recipe.



Pour the compote over the hot pancakes instead of using a traditional butter and syrup topping. At only 150 calories per pancake and 30 calories for the compote...

...go ahead and enjoy two!

Eat well!

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast

This is a perfect recovery meal after a long run. Plenty of carbs to replenish your energy stores and plenty of protein for muscle recovery. I dreamt this up this week, and since I only have time for cereal during the week, I knew it would be perfect this weekend after my 7 miler. I'm sure someone has probably thought of this before, but for me this is a new recipe and it is now one of my favorites!

Start by spreading 1 TBSP peanut butter on two pieces of bread. It will go on pretty thin since it's only 1 TBSP for two slices, but you need a little stickiness on both pieces. Choose a 100% whole wheat bread with about 50 calories per slice.

Next, thinly slice 1/2 of a banana and sandwich the slices between the bread.

Beat one large egg, add a splash of milk, then dip the sandwich. Flip it over to coat both sides.

Throw it on a griddle or hot skillet and cook each side until golden like this.

I was going to drizzle a little honey on top instead of syrup to complement the PB, but apparently, I haven't used honey in a while. It was all dried up.

Plan B: Sugar free syrup. It only has 35 calories for 1/4 a cup, and with all the sweetness from the banana, you don't even miss the sugar.

Here's the final product! It was sooo delicious...I think I need to go on another run so I can have another "recovery" meal. Plus, it only has about 315 calories. Add a glass of milk and call it a meal!

Eat well my friends!

Food for Thought

Have you ever noticed when you are trying to be extra careful about what you put into your body, food is ALL you can think about?

Ryan and I have been on a mission of sorts to decrease our body fat composition and, in turn, lose a few pounds. Why? Well, for me, to improve my running, and with several races this spring, I hope to see some improvement with each race. Ryan just wants to continue the weight loss journey he started months ago.

We have followed Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight: Quick Start Guide as closely as possible. The only problem is the quick start program is meant to be used before starting your race training, not during training. During serious training, the body needs more carbs and calories to fuel more intense workouts, making it difficult to lose much weight in the process. During the quick start, workouts are less intense, protein intake is higher, carb intake is lower, and calorie intake is lower.

So far, I ran one race last week and will be running another in two weeks. At that point I will have finished my 6 week quick start program and could easily transition to more serious training for maybe a...ahem...longer distance race goal. Perhaps?

So, is it working? Well, Ryan has lost another 10lbs (he had lost some weight already in preparation for the Disney Half). I have lost about 4lbs which may not sound like much but I have been essentially the same weight (give or take a couple measly pounds) for about 90% of my adult life. I had almost come to the conclusion that this was my "set point" and I would likely never break through it, but I have! I've also lost about 2% body fat.

Now, back to food. In addition to eating only high quality (no empty calorie) foods, you need to create a calorie deficit. The hardest part about this whole thing is creating a calorie deficit of 300-500 calories and still having enough energy to fuel my runs. To do this, I've lowered the intensity on many of my runs and basically stick to a 300 calorie deficit. The higher protein intake during the quick start is supposed to keep you feeling fuller, longer, but I'll just say that while it helps, we are still hungry a LOT.

Experimenting on new, yummy, stick-to-your ribs recipes? A thing of the past.

Dessert? Forget about it.

Watching Food Network? Don't make me throw something at the TV.

Browsing through Southern Living and running across Pound Cakes to Celebrate! ? Someone hide the butter and help me!

Since our weekend splurges are now out of the question, we've tried to embrace new possibilities of what we can eat which is why I posted a healthy alternative to the typical burger and fries last night. I hope to share more of our healthy recipes as we go. Not that we ate only junk before...in fact, we have always had fairly good eating habits during the week, but those efforts are easily erased with experimenting on indulgent recipes on the weekend.

I hope you enjoy what's to come!

Eat well and stay healthy!

Mesquite Ranch Venison Burgers

Even though it's a burger, it's really, surprisingly, light.

First, venison (and most wild game for that matter) is extremely lean and, of course, packed with filling protein. We had some part of a deer in the freezer from a friend of ours (thanks Luke!). Don't ask me which part, but in any case, we ground it up with our handy meat grinder.

Tip: It's a good idea to grind super lean meats twice so they aren't tough (I won't charge ya for that one).

Once you have some ground meat, add this magic ingredient. It packs some huge flavor in a small amount, so don't go too crazy. For added flavor, add a little garlic powder and onion powder. Then, mix it all up with your hands and form patties...4 ounces is plenty, and the good thing about the lean venison is that it doesn't shrink once you start grilling, so what you see before cooking is essentially what you get when it's all done.

If you have the time, wrap the patties in some plastic wrap and let them "marinate" in the fridge for a few hours to really incorporate the flavor through the meat.

To grill: Find a strapping outdoorsy husband, hand him a plate of venison patties, and point him in the direction of the grill.

No, seriously, I love to grill, but with a cold front that went through last night, I kept myself in the comfort of the indoors and gave Ryan the pleasure of grilling alone tonight. It took 4-5 minutes on each side, but it will depend on the size and thickness of your burgers.

Now, what about the bun? If you've ever looked, many hamburger buns can have upwards of 200 calories each. Look for some bread (100% whole wheat) that has 50-60 calories per slice, and you can save 100 calories on your bread alone (I won't charge ya for that one either). I like this Nature's Own. It only has 50 calories per slice, and it tastes great...what more could you ask for?

Top the burger with whatever you like...lettuce, tomato, onion...and just a little light ranch for some zing.

And this is what you get! The salad is some low fat cottage cheese and tomatoes on a bed of fresh spinach, topped with a bit of red onion...no dressing, just a little salt and pepper and you're good to go! You won't even miss the dressing.

Compared to a typical burger and fries, we just saved more than 400 calories! And I think I can speak for both of us when I say, we are every bit as satisfied.

Eat well and stay healthy!

Cowtown 1/2 Marathon

Last weekend, I ran another half marathon in Fort Worth, TX. I went with my friend, Laura, and her sister, Becca. We had a great time!

This Laura (on the left) and me after the race. She ran the FULL marathon and did awesome!

Here is Laura and her beautiful sisters..and her precious little niece.



Here's our whole group. Becca had a group of friends running the half marathon also, so there was a great turnout!

I ran this half in 2:04:01 which puts me back to to where I was prior to my injury! I have been hesitant on looking for another marathon to work toward, but I feel almost confident enough to put it back on my goal list for this year.

I'll keep you posted...


As for now, I have another half marathon scheduled. You may remember we ran the Germantown, TN 5K last spring. Well, this spring we are running the half marathon. I'm really looking forward to this one. It's a relatively small race, and it should have a pretty scenic course through Germantown. It's only a little over two weeks away!