Happy Thanksgiving to all my blog friends!

Today I’m thankful for:

• Having a family and house to come home to
• Having all my siblings together again
• The opportunities I’ve been given in life
• My beautiful, strong self – because we’re all beautiful!
• Cranberry sauce & pumpkin

Sorry I have been MIA the past few days – it gets tricky at home, especially with no camera! I also meant to post this earlier today, but got sidetracked halfway through writing!

This morning I woke up with an awful stomach ache, and really wasn’t hungry hungry all day long – what a perfect day to feel that way! :-/ I fit in a 4.25 mile run at the track, hoping it would make me feel better and rev my appetite.

Pre-run was a WW enlglish muffin – half with pumpkin cream cheese & bananas, half with sunbutter, Tayberry jam & bananas.

Post-run and pre-Thanksgiving meal, I snacked on a bit of carrots, pita chips & hummus.

We had a little alteration to our Thanksgiving day. My grandpa has been extremely sick lately, so he can’t make it over, and my grandma doesn’t want to drive at night without him. So our dinner time was changed to 2:00, and sans Papa . But I knew it would all work out, and what’s important is the fact that we’re all spending time together, whether we’re eating at 2:00 or 4:00.

While I didn’t get a picture of everything, here were some highlights!

My mom got to work on her mashed potatoes. (note my dad in the back carving the delicious juicy turkey)

The marshmallows on my sweet potatoes started to explode/overflow in the oven. Whoops!

My sister jokingly requested my other sister to carve a turkey out of the butter. Here is what she got:

Very artistic turkey carving

The table was beautifully set.

The spread included above mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes (made my moi) plus turkey, my homemade cranberry sauce, canned cranberry sauce (my dad refuses to eat anything else), William Sonoma homemade stuffing (delicious), Costco dinner rolls (my family loves them), green beans, & of course gravy.

I had a little bit of everything (minus the green beans & dinner roll) plus seconds of turkey and sweet potatoes. I know most people’s healthy eating philosophy is to fill up on vegetables first, but I honestly wanted to save as much room as possible for the good stuff. I could have plain green beans any old day!

For dessert, we celebrated the “November birthdays” (my brother, dad, and grandma). My grandma requested an ice cream cake, so my sister made a GINORMOUS one!

3 gallons of ice cream, 2 cake mix boxes, and a box of Oreos later…

Seriously.

I was served the biggest piece imaginable.

But since mint ice cream or cake really isn’t my thing (and I knew there were pies ahead), I shared half with my sister.

Later in the evening I popped my dessert contribution into the oven. Angela’s vegan pumpkin pie !

I think something wrong happened while making it, because my filling was much more liquid looking than her pictures, and it turned out massively undercooked. But the crust was sooooo good. And I still devoured almost a quarter of it I even got my brother (the pumpkin pie obsessed) to try it, and he didn’t think it was bad!  He still prefers his Costco pie though

I also had a slice of this amazing apple streudel from Safeway.

My siblings and I spent the rest of the night playing board games (Monopoly and Clue) and watching Love Actually on TV. And I went back for more ice cream cake later in the night

How did I feel at the end of the day?  I actually really liked eating at 2:45ish because it kept me full for the rest of the day, and I didn’t end up stuffed late at night.  I ended the meal overly full, but not uncomfortably stuffed to the brim (like in past Thanksgivings).  I did overdo it on desserts, but that’s okay!  What’s important is that today was a day of delicious food, family and fun, and I’m very happy how it turned out

I may or may not be going out shopping tomorrow – we’ll see!

I know you were asked this on other blogs already, but what were you thankful for today?

How was your Thanksgiving? Any highlights? Special or funny moments?

Who’s shopping tomorrow?!

I ran today for the first time in two weeks and two days.  I participated in the Martin Family Tradition of running the Dallas Turkey Trot.  I’ve done this once before, two years ago.  I walked the 3 mile course with Sarah1, Paula & The Girls.

I’ve been sick, as you all well know.  I am voice-less, harboring an upper respiratory infection and not exactly in my top running condition.  Icing on the cake: Sarah1 and I knocked down a couple of bottles of red wine last night at Martin Thanksgiving dinner.  Running 8 miles was a stupid decision, to say the least.  A stupid decision that I purposefully made because I can not back down from a challenge.

Zack ran with me the whole race (despite the fact that he could have easily finished the 8 miles about 35 minutes faster than I did) to encourage me and keep me company.  We kept a nice pace through the 5 mile mark, and that’s when my body started to fall apart.  My left knee developed a very sharp very painful stabbing sensation behind its knee cap.  My hips and butt and inner thighs and EVERYTHING hurt really badly, but it was the knee that finally did me in.  We walked and jogged the rest of the way in to the finish line, after bring joined at about mile 6 by Zack’s dad who we spotted running by us in a crowd.

Now I’m just plain tired.  My legs are pretty sore (which is to be expected), my knee still feels like someone’s trying to pry off my knee cap with an ice pick, and I’ve developed a pretty severe pain in my right ankle–I assume from running weird during the last 4 miles to try to compensate for the knee pain in the other leg.  I didn’t have any panic attacks while we were running, but I did have to breathe my way through some disappointment hyperventilation a few times.  Zack was always quick to remind me that today was a big victory for me, whether I was able to run the whole 8 miles or not.  Six months ago I had a hard time running for 90 seconds in a row, and today I bravely choose to Y left at the 3 mile/8 mile split.  That alone means a lot — that I feel confident enough in myself to attempt to run for 8 miles.

So sure, I feel like death warmed over.  And sure I’m sad that I got sick and missed my last two weeks of training, and that I wasn’t able to run across the finish line and say, “I did it and I never stopped.”  But that doesn’t mean that I failed.  I just had to change my perspective a little bit.  What I accomplished today was an accomplishment.  A punishing accomplishment that is going to require me to pay attention lest I exceed the maximum daily does of Ibuprofen, yes, but an accomplishment nevertheless.

this is my second time shooting with krissy.  check out the first shoot HERE.  she wanted a couple new shots for her book, and i wanted a shot for my fitness book, so we made it happen.

makeup by marshana

MANCHESTER, England, Nov 26, 2009 (AFP) – Sir Alex Ferguson claimed his side were denied a ’stonewall’ penalty by French referee Stephane Lannoy after Manchester United’s long unbeaten home record in Europe was ended by Besiktas.

Ferguson was annoyed that Lannoy waved away strong appeals after substitute Patrice Evra was fouled by Ibrahim Kas in the closing stages of Besiktas’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Manchester United’s Anderson (R) and Besiktas midfielder Fabian Ernst compete for the ball as Besiktas win 0-1 in their UEFA Champions League Group B football match at Old Trafford in Manchester on November 25, 2009. (AFP photo)

The United manager, who has found himself in trouble domestically for criticising match officials this season, is running out of patience after claiming it was the second successive game in Europe that United have been denied a penalty.

“That’s two games in a row we’ve been denied a stonewall penalty in Europe,” said Ferguson.

“It’s not in the spirit of the game, but what can you do? “If you can’t give these kicks then the game is in trouble.”

Asked whether he still stood by his view, which he aired earlier this season, that the standard of refereeing in Europe is better than in England, he replied: “I’m not going into that. No comment.”

Ferguson refused to criticise his young players afterwards as a United side made up of youth and experience suffered an unexpected setback which leaves them with work to do to secure top spot in Group B.

They must avoid defeat in their final game in Germany against Wolfsburg on December 8, but Ferguson refused to divulge what sort of side he will field for that fixture.

England striker Wayne Rooney was given a rare night off against Besiktas while the likes of Michael Owen, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Darren Fletcher started on the bench.

The tactic backfired as Besiktas’s experience proved enough to secure a victory that will give United’s Champions League rivals encouragement.

Yet Ferguson declined to lay the blame at the feet of his youngsters. Danny Welbeck, who turns 19 on Thursday, started his first Champions League game for the club alongside 19-year-old Federico Macheda in attack.

“You need a bit of composute in the last third, but the young players were a bit anxious. It’s understandable,” added Ferguson.

“It’s not the biggest fault in the world.

“You have to be fair in terms of assessing the players we’re playing in these games at the moment.

“The fact we play them tells you how much we value them. The one thing we can give them is experience.”

Ferguson also refused to criticise keeper Ben Foster. The England international was beaten by a long-range effort by Rodrigo Tello which took a deflection.

“It was proably going a foot to his right hand side. It was a wicked deflection,” said Ferguson.

“I think he would have (saved it if it had not taken a deflection).”

Besiktas coach Mustafa Denizli saluted his players for an historic victory for Turkish football.

“To come to Manchester United and play at Old Trafford, we know it’s very difficult to win games here,” said Denizli.

“We’re obviously very pleased with the result. The whole world knows what a big team United is.

“The players did their duties and everyone did the job that was asked of them.”

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For the third year in a row, we started our Thanksgiving Day by running a family 5k down in Castle Rock.  It’s turning into a great tradition.  The race is laid back, but organized well.  It’s fun for the kids to get the matching T-shirts.

2009 Rock Trot

Prior years have been cold and dreary – not today!  Beautiful and warm.  It seems the crowds were out in record number, raising a lot of money for a good cause.  The course was mostly on a bike path, so I didn’t get much running in trying to navigate through the crowds pushing Jessica in the stroller.  With a little less than a mile to go, the course opened up and we were able to get up to speed.  Then I let Jessica get out and run the rest of the way to the finish – she did great!

Everyone did great and had fun.  Then we stuffed ourselves with a wonderful meal.

This summer I took my first try at “running”. The first time around was pretty successful. I went on my own, and with a bit of walking here and there I ended up with a distance of 10km. Then came the two Fun-Runs I went on with my friend S. (no schedule or routine whatsoever). Both times we smoked doobies and one time even got poutines… we distanced decently both times, but there was just something that felt a little counterproductive about the fun we had. They were definitely fun, but I realized I really can’t seem to do the discipline thing, at least not for working out.

So lately I have been feeling extra lazy, and the autumn weather got me craving some outdoors-ness. After many tries I got A’s old iPod to work, and then I was motivated to head out. By the end of the the run I had developed a small blister on the bottom of my foot, and the iPod died at about 40 minutes into The Twelfth Hour, a mix by The Twelves, the grooviest duo south of the border, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Luckily I was close to done my run and was more motivated to run because of lack of music. Like I said I’m no runner, but really this mix is perfect, the bpm keeps you going and the mix is smooooooth as buttah!

I distanced 10km, and probably won’t go for a run for another 4 or 5 months, I’m sooo sore today, I never remember to stretch! These will now be called Health Check Runs, just making sure all the bad foods, partying & general laziness haven’t completely depleted my body and lungs. It probably doesn’t actually mean anything, and I am in fact super unhealthy, but it’ll give me peace of mind for a few more months!

http://www.myspace.com/thetwelves

Hands down one of my top 10 favourite Musicians, check ‘em if you know what’s good for ya! (Click the Twelfth Hour in the artcile above to download their mix from mediafire!)

Oh and here’s a bonus, good tunes nevurr die! YOA (The Twelves Remix) – Theatre of Disco

The ideal place for me is the one in which it is most natural to live as a foreigner.
–Italo Calvino

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Beast and I are splitting our Thanksgiving feasts between our families: first eating at his parents’ house, then continuing the evening with my family.

This morning I had 4 dates, then went on my run.

The clouds have descened, because we are having the thickest fog!

Today’s numbers:

• Distance: 6.57 miles
• Time: 1 hours 1 minute
• Average pace: 9:24 minutes/pace

Post-run fuel:

Fresh carrot juice.

Cottage cheese + pomegranate seeds + honey + cinnamon + a spice that is called “golpar” in Farsi. The English term is heracleum persicum… I’m just gonna call it golpar.

Golpar pairs REALLY well with pomegranate– it makes it extra tangy/your taste-buds will salivate (;

Hmm. I believe it is time to expand the stomach (:
Have a lovely day!!!

The race is over and I survived!

Today I reached an unbelievable personal goal, completing a half-marathon after about two months of training. I started on this project as both a personal challenge, and as a way to inspire people through the American College of Endocrinology Power of Prevention program. Along the way, I have heard from so many of you who are following my progress, have been inspired yourselves, or who are just rooting me on to success. On this Thanksgiving Day, I have to tell you all how grateful I am for all of your support.  What started out as a project to inspire others has certainly changed my life, and a significant part of that comes from all of you.

Now, on to race day.

First, a brief note.  I did not run with my iPhone, so I did not take any pictures.  Sarah took some, and I will work to add them later in the day.

So, I guess the story begins with dinner last night. My good friend Britt has been following my progress in this training regimen, and was sorry to tell me that he would not be able to come out to the run and see me finish, due to the fact he is out of town today. But he did offer to help me carbo load the night before. So last night our two families went out and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner. In fact, I had to stop loading because I was too full. (I had an awesome shrimp alfredo Sicilian style pizza. Pictures forthcoming as well. I promise you will be jealous).

I got home and had a good night’s sleep.  This morning when I woke up, my number one priority was my pre-race preparations. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go here to get up to speed, but suffice it to say, I was very nervous about making sure this was not a problem today.

Not joking, I resorted to jumping jacks in the living room, but it all came out fine in the end (did I really just type that?)

Sarah and I headed out to the run at about 6:45.  Race time was 8:00, but we wanted to get a decent parking spot and I also wanted to do a mile pre-run before the race to get loosened up.

People up north can complain about this next sentence, but it was cold this morning.  It was probably only 50 degrees when we got to the race site. I was not concerned about the race, because I know how much I heat up when I am running, but I was definitely freezing waiting for the race to start.

Sarah and our friend Melissa were running the 6k at the same time.  The starting line and starting time were the same, so we got “in the blocks” together and waited for the run to begin. After a pre-recorded National Anthem from Lee Ann Rhimes, the race was set to begin.

We had positioned ourselves towards the middle of the group.  We knew we were not fast enough to be in the front, but did not want to get stuck behind the walkers in the back, either. The gun sounded and we were off.  It took about a minute or so to cross the starting line. I’m glad this was a chip race, because I’m interested to see how off my chip time is from the race time. The first mile was the typical jockeying for position that you see at any race. I tried to keep my pace slow and steady, but it is definitely hard with the adrenaline of all the other runners around you.

Around mile one, the course split for the 1/2 marathoners and the 6k, so the crowds thinned considerably at that point. It was about this time that I realized I had forgotten to start the timer on my watch. This is a dual problem, because I had no way to track my time, and because it was not recording my heart rate (long time readers know that I have a history of overheating when not monitoring my heart rate closely). So I started the timer and hoped that at some point there would be a timer on the course that would allow me to get some idea of how I was doing.

The first course clock did not come until mile two.  The race time at that point was 19 minutes. That meant that even if I had been at the front of the pack, I was pacing at sub-ten minute miles. This was both exciting and troubling. Exciting, because I did not feel like I was moving at that pace and felt fairly good. Troubling because I was not sure I could maintain this pace for eleven more miles.

The next few miles were relatively uneventful. I was able to maintain that 9:30ish pace and was not feeling tired. One thing I did not do was take water at the water stations. I have learned from experience that I get bad cramping if I drink anything while running. I had tried to hydrate myself well before the race, and was banking on that being good enough.

The race was actually quite uneventful in general until about mile eight. Right about that time my feet began to really hurt, especially on the instep. I know that I am due for new shoes, but did not want to get them so close to race time. Many runners have told me that’s a recipe for disaster with blisters and real problems on race day. But what was a mild nuisance at mile eight had become a real pain by mile nine.

The mile nine refreshment center had something I can only refer to as runner’s goo. It came in a foil packet, and had the consistency of Vaseline.  But it tasted good, was packed with sugars and caffeine, and really gave me a bit of a boost when I really needed it.

By mile ten, I was in uncharted waters. Ten miles is the previous longest run I had ever done, and I still had a full 5k to go to finish. I resorted to counting miles, not in distance, but in songs. At my pace (I had slowed to about an even ten minute mile pace, by now) I knew it was about two and a half songs between miles. So I just focused on the music and plowed ahead.

At mile eleven, the pain in my feet moved to my calves. This was a new experience for me. Whenever I run, the only true obstacle is breathing. I never have physical pain in my legs that prohibits me from going forward. So this really caught me off-guard. I knew that I only had two miles to go, however, and was determined to power through it, no matter what.

At mile twelve, I could smell the finish line, and so could the rest of the group running at my pace. Everyone kicked it up a notch at that point. I did the same, despite what my legs were screaming to me (R-rated, can’t repeat here). That lasted maybe a quarter of a mile. That’s when I thought I was going to collapse. Despite the fact that I had made it more than twelve miles without stopping once, I had to stop and stretch out my legs, then walk for about 30 seconds. I regret this terribly, but really don’t think there was anything else I could do at that point.

Once I started back up again, I decided to keep the pace slower and just get to the finish line. Two songs later, I was crossing the thirteen mile marker. At this point I knew that I had a 1/10 mile sprint in me, so I kicked it in and raced to the finish line, passing up a couple of guys down the stretch!

Final time: 2:07:18! Official results here: http://www.1stplacesports.com/obdc09halfres.htm

I looked around for Sarah, who had finished the 6k about and hour and 20 minutes earlier, but could not see her anywhere. So I got some water and tried to work out my legs a little bit. About 7-8 minutes later Sarah spotted me in the crowd and came over. I had anticipated finishing between 2:15 and 2:30, so she had gone home and got the turkey and stuffing in the oven, then was going to come back and watch me finish and take some pictures. Since I beat my goal time by about eight minutes, she missed the finish.

She’s more upset about that than I am. I’m glad she came back at all, and I appreciated the support in any case.

So we met up with some friends and compared times, then headed over to get a banana… AND THEY WERE OUT! So I settled for some orange slices and a couple of Michelob Ultras. Sarah also grabbed an Ultra, that she was actually getting for me.

As we walked to the van, I saw a sign for a “Brazilian Honey Bakery”. Having no idea what in the world that is, we headed inside and asked the question “What in the world is a Brazilian Honey Bakery?” The proprietor proceeded to give me a sample of a cheese bread pastry, which was so good, I immediately ordered a dozen.

And with that, we packed into the van, and headed for home. I received all of your well wishes on email, Facebook, and Twitter. You really have no idea how much that means to me. I am thankful today for all of you who have supported me through this training, and I look forward to sharing with you my next plan…

Until then, you know the drill…

Vital Statistics:

Workout: 13.1 Miles

Time: 2:07:18

Pace: 9:43

Playlist:

Neither Can I – Slash’s Snakepit

Estranged – Guns N Roses

Believe – Disturbed

Always On The Run – Lenny Kravitz

Sure Shot – The Beastie Boys

The Battle of Evermore – Led Zeppelin

I.R.S. – Guns N Roses

Brain Stew – Green Day

Miss Independent – Ne-Yo

Rusty Cage – Johnny Cash

The Way You Make Me Feel – Michael Jackson

Best I Can – Queensryche

All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix

Get It Together – The Beastie Boys

Strength Beyond Strength – Pantera

Hella Good – No Doubt

Hanger 18 – Megadeth

Used To Love Her – Guns N Roses

One – Creed

Razor – Foo Fighters

After The World – Disciple

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani

Elvis Is Dead – Living Colour

Jane Says – Jane’s Addiction

Territorial Pissings – Nirvana

Madagascar – Guns N Roses

No Rain – Blind Melon

Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz

There Is No God – Extreme

As you know, I’m in “training” (AKA: deluding myself) for a triathlon (The Spudman) on July 31, 2010 . I do not look like a porn star nor do I resemble an athlete. As a 5 year-old, however, everyone always told me I looked like Gretel from The Sound of Music… but that’s neither here nor there and doesn’t help in the fitness department.

Last Friday A, my trainer, suggested I run in Alexandria’s annual Turkey Trot — a 5 miler through parts of the city. Of course since the “new math” concept never really sunk in with my generation (which might be why we purchase milk and gas in gallons but soda in liters), I assumed 5 miles was 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Not so. 5 miles. Ugh. And the worst part? I’ve only worked out once in the last 2 weeks… so I was in no way prepared to do anything. Oh well.

By mile 2, I had the need to pee permeated my thoughts. Blisters, lots of dogs to avoid, and misty rain joined me on my journey (I left visiting family behind). But wait. It’s all good news: No asthma attacks! I didn’t wet myself! And the biggest accomplishment… I ran all 5 miles without stopping.

I know there are scores of real runners out there who are no doubt harrumphing my “triumph.” I don’t care. It was my first real race and while I can’t feel my legs right now, I finished. Imagine what I could have done if I’d actually prepared for it! OK, I realize that’s a stretch but maybe I could have shaved a minute off time time. I’m not looking for miracles here.

I think there are a few 5K races I’ll do next month. Maybe (hopefully) I can improve my run time but if not, at least I know I can finish. Next stop… Burley, Idaho!

Last month, a few of my running mates and I took a 2-day class in San Jose, CA to become certified running coaches through the Road Running Club of America (RRCA).  Our motivations for becoming certified were all very different, and as I discovered, not everyone who takes the class is even interested in coaching.  Some people just want to expand their knowledge base, and there’s nothing wrong with that.  For me, I’ve been day dreaming about drop kicking the corporate job most of my adult life to pursue my real passions that generate zero income.  But since I’ve never been a gifted athlete, maybe teaching others what I’ve learned over the last 32 years of running might be one way to give back to a sport that has given me so much.

The RRCA course has been taught for over 20 years by Patti and Warren Finke who split their time between Portland, Oregon and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  They are both decorated runners.  My own coach, Andy Froumis, thought he might be the most experienced runner attending the class with me after surpassing 100,000 miles earlier this year.  We quickly learned Warren has run 140,000 miles, including a few years when he ran over 6,000 miles a year.  Warren is an instructor for the RRCA coaching certification program.  He has been coaching beginning to elite road and trail runners for more than 25 years. He has competed in over 170 marathons and ultramarathons, winning more than 20.  He is two-time U.S. track record holder for 100km and was the 2nd place veterans finisher in the 1992 Boston Marathon.  Patti is an exercise physiologist and current chairperson of the RRCA coaching committee. Patti has been coaching runners and walkers for over 25 years and has held individual U.S. age records for 50km and 50mi and has three times been Oregon Road Runners Club Age group runner of the year.   They are the founders and directors of the Portland Marathon Training Clinic and authors of Marathoning, Start To Finish.  OK, so I figured I could learn a thing or two from these people.

Due to Patti’s background in exercise physiology, the first 2 – 3 hours of Day 1 was a blur of sports science, physiology, biology, and a few other subjects I struggled with in high school.  I quickly realized it wasn’t so important to understand every single detail.  The idea is to learn their proven system, which is well documented in their class material.  Patti and Warren are the first to admit students may not agree with their system or may prefer other coaching methods, but the test is based on their system, so you had better learn it.  if you don’t score at least 80% on the test you need to take the whole class over and that would be a serious bummer.  I was happy to learn one entire training system even though some things certainly sounded different than anything I had ever known.  And that’s why they’re the instructors.

The first day is intense; you need to pay attention.  They cover a lot of ground and move fast.  Think 10K pace but it lasts all day.  The second day is dedicated to creating real training plans.  It’s the hands on piece and they put you on the spot.  The exam is 100 questions in an online test.  It’s open book and they encourage everyone to take the test with someone else in the class so you can discuss the answers.  Four of us from my running club studied together and I passed the test with a 90% score.  Wish I knew which 10 I got wrong.

The final requirement is CPR and first aid certification.  I took a full day course at the Red Cross.  Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to learn CPR and I’m glad I finally did it.  My very knowledgable instructor was retired Navy.  Let’s just say he kept my attention.  I learned how to treat a choking infant, administer full CPR on an unconcious adult, use an AED (the “paddles”), and treat various injuries.  I actually now feel like I could respond in an emergency situation and know what to do.

I highly recommend the RRCA class if you’re interested in coaching runners. If the class is not offered in your area, they’re willling to come to you.  They just need a local host who will take care of planning and logistics.  The class I took wasn’t offered in San Jose until one of my friends took it upon herself to organize it.  Patti and Warren explained they will also be offering an advanced coaching class soon.

So, I am now a certified running coach.  I’m fully aware that simply having a certification does not make a good coach.  Any kind of coaching is half science, half art, and all people skills.  I was surprised with how little running experience some of the students had in my class.  I felt confident I could properly coach a beginner or advanced runner before I took the course,  but it’s nice to have a proper set of core principles as a foundation.  Patti and Warren said if you only buy one book on running, get a copy of Lore of Running, by Dr. Tim Noakes.  My mother-in-law gave it to me for my birthday earlier this month.  It’s a whopping 804 pages and would keep an RV from rolling downhill.  There is always more to learn.

Cada vez que se escucha la palabra “verano”, todas las mujeres del mundo se miran al espejo y se dan cuentas que quieren bajar unos kilos para usar ese bikini que tan sexy hace verlas.

Todas empiezan a dejar las comidas muy condimentadas y grasientas, para cambiar a un estilo de vida más liviano, por lo demás se hacen unas fieles seguidoras de  todo lo que dice Light.

Para toda mujer que quiere bajar ese rollito que tanto molesta que más se hace notar cuando se utiliza poca ropa, por lo que el agua se hace su mejor amiga, aunque no es bueno irse a los extremos, ya que es bueno tomar cosas sanas, pero nos excesos nunca son buenos y también no hay que rellenar muchas veces la botella, dado que le salen unos hongos que puede que no se vean, pero que sí se están tomando.

No es bueno hacer esas dietas extremas o esporádicas, o sea las de la luna, la manzana, el arroz o la que sea, dado que puede que se obtenga bajar unos kilos, pero en dos semanas esos vuelven a tu cuerpo y acompañado de otros más, así si quieres hacer dieta, tienen que comer menos, en horas y evitar las grasas, y es fundamental no juntar la carne con fideos o arroz.

 Hacer ejercicio nunca esta demás, pero tampoco hay que esperar de que si se comienza a esta fecha a hacer deporte, para un mes más estarás en tu mejor momento, sino que es algo gradual no todo se hace en un minuto, pero si es posible, disminuir uno o dos kilos, pero si se desea llegar a números mayores se debió empezar antes la dieta.

Un miseláneo de fotografías del tema

Since my solo post day is Thursday, I get the privilege of wishing all of you a happy Thanksgiving!  I hope your holiday is a special one, shared with loved ones over a fabulous meal.  (Les wishes you the same!)

I also hope that in your celebrations you find time for a good book or two.  Just last night, I curled up to finish Run by Ann Patchett.  It ended up being a great read for this time of year, an intimate book about the many forms that family can take.

And then, this morning, I opened up the most special book I own, a recipe book put together by my grandmother, so that I could make ice box cake.  Ice box cake was one of her special recipes, a delicious chocolate concoction with a ladyfinger crust, served at every holiday and birthday in our family for approximately the last fifty years, give or take.  Pulling out the recipe written in her own hand, I’m taken back to her bright kitchen, where I first learned to make it as a child.  Nothing says family holiday to me more than ice box cake and the memory of my grandmother making it for us.

When I slice into my own ice box cake later today, I’ll be thinking of Grandma with gratitude for all that she taught me about baking and family and love.  And I’ll be grateful for the family now around me, and the friends who are as precious as family to me.  I’ll also be grateful for the chance to read books I love and share my thoughts in writing.  So thanks to each of you for reading and commenting, and giving me one more thing to be thankful for today.  I hope your Thanksgiving is as fabulous as you are!

I didn’t feel that much pressure to get out and run yesterday. At the same time, I wasn’t sure how many opportunities I’d get today and tomorrow, so I decided to take the time and go out. It was a slightly slow 6.7 but felt good to be active for an hour(because I firmly planned on being lazy the other 23). When I got home, I challenged myself to make a lunch not with the microwave. It’s simple enough but there’s so many flavors and textures it just can’t achieve. After planning out a menu, I got to work with my fancy pan I won from some Hood milk promotion last month.

Brussels And Sausage In A Pan

First I scrambled 2 eggs and cooked those in the pan to the perfect doneness–so much easier than in a microwave! Then I steamed raw brussels for 3 minutes in the microwave and then pan-browned them for another 2 minutes. I also heated up a pre-cooked chicken sausage in the microwave(btw, all these uses of it don’t count ) and finished that in the pan.

Scrambled Eggs, Spicy Chicken Sausage, Brussels Sprouts

This deserves a Holy Yum award. Brussels sprouts are seriously my favorite green vegetable and by far the best thing here, even though they were a bit dry, with a touch of salt. The browning gave a good crispness to the outside. The sausage was also quite good. Note: It was real meat and not faux meat. I think I can love them equally. The fennel in it was really impressive. For dessert I had something that took neither pan nor microwave.

Oikos With Banana Pineapple Rum Jam

So perfect. Well, OK, it could have used more jam, but then again my ideal would be eating the jam from the jar with a spoon, which is a no-no when it costs as much as this one does. I had a lovely evening on the couch planned, but then my mom asked if I wanted to accompany her to Market Basket while she picked up some last minute food. My knee-jerk reaction was a big yes, and next thing I knew it I was in the car. Oops. At least I brought a little work with me. For those who don’t have a Market Basket, it’s a place full of interesting finds…

Christmas Decor

Oh, Canada. What are you doing up there? Jk, but Market Basket does have good finds. It’s right across the way from Whole Foods, and while it might only carry about 30% the same stuff, what it does have is very often cheaper. The only thing I could find on my list this trip was a 4-pack of deep chocolate vitatops for 3.69. they had faux meat, but unfortunately nothing all-natural and breakfasty It was pretty late when everyone was done, so I was happy to grab a snack in the car.

Banana Walnut Gnu Bar

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. All you have to do is read my review to know I loved this. I don’t like bananas that much, but I swear anything that tastes like bananas I’m game with. And this was just like banana bread. There wasn’t a large presence of walnuts, but that was fine by me since I don’t care for the. And all the fiber filled me up and kept me calm when I realized I still had to make the pie! Yikes. By the time we got home it was dark and I was getting anxious about that, until I remembered this is the simplest recipe and I didn’t even need to check my computer to remember how to make it.

Unbaked Crustless Pumpkin Pie

There was a mini-issue with the pesky water bath, but otherwise crisis averted and sanity restored. I felt a little something was in order along with a pat on the back.

Chocolate Elan Frozen Yogurt

This snack ended up being a little littler than I expected; who knew we were almost out and there was hardly a serving left in the container! Too bad nobody realized this over the past 4 weeks we’ve been having freezer-space issues. Normally I’m happy to finish an ice cream but I love elan and this flavor so much I feel like I need to get an exact replacement for it. I watched 1 of the 2 SNL’s I slept through and then the pie was done.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

It had a couple bubbles but no cracks and definitely nice and firm so that it will stand on its own at the table. Amen And then there was dinner.

Haddock With Soyaki, Beets, Parsnips With Peach Salsa

Not quite my pan-licious lunch, but this was pretty good, too There was a little more beets taken after the photo and we finished it all! We didn’t want any leftovers going in to Thanksgiving. I swear this house empties of all vegetables when I’m not here so I made sure we got good ones at Market Basket. Parsnips are so good for a soft and white vegetable; I don’t like white potatoes because they always taste dry and starchy but I think I’ve found a new friend in parsnips.

I almost forgot about The Biggest Loser last night! I was so thankful my tivo reminded me of it. I brewed some coffee and had a naked dessert.

Deep Chocolate Vitatop

I kept racking my brain to try and figure out what to do with this vitatop. It finally occurred to me: If it wasn’t coming naturally, it wasn’t meant to be. And this vitatop tasted just delicious on its own. It was great to see where former contestants are and to know they’ve really changed their lives. I think finding and staying with that balance must be the toughest thing. There was another snack.

Oikos With Turbinado Sugar And Chocolate Chips

Turbinado sugar is good for you because it has the minerals crystalized in, right? And it’s from Trader Joe’s so it cures cancer, right? We’re just going to go with all of that because this hit my sweet tooth. It was so depressing seeing the winner who gained back so much weight. Clearly, though, he felt bad about it, too, so it’s hard to be upset with him.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter

Let’s just say, this bowl took a lot of work to figure out what to do with it, but I’m happy where I settled. I forgot how good and chocolatey(not to mention thick) the chocolate sunflower butter is. And probably a better choice at 10:30 than chocolate chips with my sugar tolerance(or lack thereof).

I set my alarm for 7 this morning. On a holiday–why’d I do that? To run, of course. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen but it was actually reasonably warm and I felt refreshed with only 8 hours of sleep. I grabbed a bar for the run.

Amazing Grass Chocolate Whole Food Energy Bar

What a delicious way to start Thanksgiving I ate 3/5ths of it on the run and then never needing the last bit. I ended up doing 10.55 miles–my longest run outside! The course was completely new to me; they demolished a bridge near my house which pretty much eliminated as options all my longer runs but I figured out a new course that worked perfectly. I came home to a house already smelling of food–love that. I got a touch creative with breakfast:

Pumpkin Yogurt With Smart Balance Peanut Butter And Nog Cream Cheese Frosting, Peanut Oikos

Ok, I’ll admit it, I used the microwave for the oats and I don’t regret it because this bowl was perfect. The frosting, which I dreamed up on the run, really made it; the recipe is 1oz greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon low fat cream cheese, and 1 tablespoon Silk Nog with 3 drops vanilla liquid stevia. I wouldn’t give such precise measurements if I weren’t convinced those are the measurements of the Greek Gods. It’s sweet but not so much that you lose the cream cheese, and it’s entirely seasonal.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Now I’m kicking back, watching The Parade with Pikachu just having floated by. My relatives are coming in just 2 hours! I’m so excited, even though I realize the 2 little cousins will probably have me tearing my hair out of my head by the end of the day, haha.

NuNaturals giveaway! I think they’re stevia taste the purest(and this is coming from someone who, from time to time, nibbles on his plant).

The Suns are 11-3 after their demolition of the new-look Pistons by 26 points. Stoudemire had 21 while Nash had 20 and 9 assists, which points towards the Run n’ Gun Suns of old.

The removal of Shaq has given Stoudemire more room to work with in the low post, and allows Nash to get into the lane and dish back out, as Shaq isn’t there to take up space in the post.

I recall the old Run n Gun Suns with Raja Bell and Boris Diaw (a great defender). I really want to see how that team would play in today’s league, with powerhouses such as the Lakers and Boston who sport up to 4 All-Stars in their starting line-up, which reminds me of a highly important event coming up at the end of this season.

Free Agency.

More All Stars up for grabs.
Will Iverson find a team?
Where will Lebron go? Is he really going to form a dynamic duo with Dwayne Wade?
That’s all hype… Only time will tell.

What I find unfair about the NBA is that the teams that have the most finance will indefinitely end up having a better roster than the other teams. For example, compare the Lakers to the TWolves. Lakers, based in LA have a large market, lots of money blah blah blah – Look at the Lakers roster.

Minnesota, small basketball market, hence they only have Al Jefferson.

Or look at the Celtics, and compare them to the Bobcats. I can see why Michael Jordan is frustrated as a manager of the Bobcats. His stuck with…let’s say 2 all-star caliber players AT MOST- Gerald Wallace, and maybe Stephen Jackson, depending on how he plays at his new ballclub.

Celtics on the other hand have the best 3-point shooter in the NBA, Pierce, and Garnett.

I know there’s salary caps and all the stuff to consider, but in the end, the GM with the most money will be able to get the best players. This leads to championship rings.

Like a friend of mine once said, “Those rings were bought, not earned”.

Tell me what you think of the new Phoenix Suns and the Salary issue in the comments below.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Today, I’ll run in a local 10K turkey trot and enjoy each stride (hopefully).  Knowing that there’s a pie at the end is definitely a goal worth running for.  With a scoop of ice cream of course!  What can I say? I’m a PIE lover!  I say, spare the bird, eat the desserts!

Turkey Letter

Run Happy and Eat, Eat, Eat!

The stats: Attempted double “Towers” run at South Mountain. 28 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation change.

The story: I did the first “up” in 55 minutes. I was pretty much kicking ass the whole way. On the return “down” leg, I took my foot off the accelerator and finished it in 45 minutes. A 6:30 pace. I felt pretty good for the first half of the second “up” leg, but then the pain started. I finished in 64. Things started to unravel on the second “down.” It was clear I didn’t drink enough. I brought just 2 handhelds, which is fine for my usual 20-miler, but for this it was not nearly enough. Also it was pretty freakin’ hot. I think the high was in the upper 70s, but most of the run is very exposed and the sun was starting to break me. I stopped running with 3 miles left (at the 4 mile marker) and got a ride back down to my car. This was a brutal run, but I really learned a lot. This will be a great run for ultra training.

Correction: OK, I originally posted this as an elevation change of 10,000 feet. The summit of the run is 2,690, I guess I should not have assumed I started at 0 elevation.

Hurray! Thanksgiving is almost here. We are all going to Emily and Jeremy’s and we will gorge ourselves (except because of my half on Sunday I get to call it “carb loading”) and everyone will have a few days off. Well, Will and I will. Andy has to work all weekend but is taking Sunday off since I will be running for the first part and likely in a coma for the second. Friday Eli, Will and I are going downtown to pick up my race packet (number, shirt, etc) and do a little Christmas shopping. Saturday my friend Mike is coming over to watch the LSU game and then Sunday is the race. I have short runs this week, just three today and tomorrow then nothing until the race. Will went with me today and made it 2.3 miles before he called it quits. I was impressed at that because on short runs I do speed work so I was doing some hills pretty fast and he kept up for probably 2/3 of it.

Tonight I’ve made a pecan pie, Andy will get his dough for rolls ready, and Will is making oatmeal raisin cookies to take tomorrow. He’s getting quite into making his own cookies and we found a NY Times recipe that claims to be the “ultimate” chocolate chip cookie so he made the dough for that last night. It has to chill 24 hours so we’re all looking forward to it because (of course) we sampled the dough and OH MY. It was amazing. The cookies are topped with a little bit of sea salt before baking and I am very excited about them. I’m trying to encourage the baking in other directions by getting him to think of other things that he likes and we can figure out how to make those, too. He and I have also been talking some about meals he likes and tossing out the idea that he try his hand at cooking some dinners. He’s more excited about the cookies than the dinners at this point but he’s obviously pleased when he receives all the compliments on a job well done. It’s exciting to watch someone learn new things! I also get to eat freshly baked cookies == WIN.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I know I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! Hope you’re prepared for a wonderful holiday tomorrow. I am…ready to enjoy some turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese…and other yummy stuff with my family. Going to be a small group tomorrow. Just six of us. Usually there’s more like 10-20 depending on which uncles, aunts and cousins show but kind of all scattered around this year. Of course sometimes smaller is better. And I’m sure we’ll enjoy the eats and the company.

So, today I was feeling a bit better (thank you God) and decided to try and run today. I was still pretty congested so wasn’t sure how it would go but was determined to at least TRY. I’ve been itching for a run since…Saturday.

Funny…it wasn’t so long ago that I looked for excuses to NOT go run. Being unable to breathe through my nose would have more than qualified…but not now. Now I try to find reasons to go run and get frustrated when I miss a run – even if I have a good excuse. Guess that’s a good thing.

Started out with my usual 5-minute warm-up. No problems. Started running…but started off easy. After 5 minutes I was feeling pretty good. Started thinking about the race tomorrow, the half-marathon in two weeks…visualizing the start and crossing the finish line.  Realized I was running faster…still feeling good.  As I approached the half-way mark I was starting to feel it…and could tell I hadn’t ran in a week. 

I took my two-minute walk break at half-way (it was needed and appreciated) and then hit it again. When I reached the last 5-minutes I was struggling a little bit but pushed through and finished strong.  With warm-up and cool-down…4 miles in 50 minutes.  That was SWEET!  It was a really GREAT run.  I’m looking forward to the race in the morning… I’m looking forward to 12 miles on Saturday…although my internal chatterbox is rattling off about how hard it’s going to be…how my last long run (of any significant distance) was a few weeks ago, I’m not ready, I can’t do it…blah, blah, blah.  But you know what…that’s just talk and talk is cheap.

I’m learning that my little internal chatterbox (I need to come up with a name for it) is repeating what others have said in my past.  And they lied…and I used to believe the lies but now I know the truth.  I know that I CAN do it…I AM good enough…I will NOT fail.  Nope…don’t believe the chatterbox anymore.  Just lies…and there is a high price to pay for believing those lies.  I know…I’ve been paying it for a long time…but not anymore.  So, you stupid, lying chatterbox…you can just SHUT THE HELL UP!!  I’ll rock it tomorrow…I’ll knock it out of the park on Saturday…and I’m going to OWN that 13.1 miles in Kiawah in 2 weeks…you watch me…and before all is said and done I will replace you with the TRUTH…

And I’m really looking forward to that day. I suspect it is just around the corner. I am already beginning to feel the shift back to who I really am…and I am becoming who I am meant to be… Glad you’re coming along for the ride…it’s going to be a good one. Until next time, I hope you are well and that your internal chatterbox is telling you the truth…YOU CAN DO IT!!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Genesis 1:1

Getting out on a nice day and running on the open road while hitting a nice pace, wow that sounds great. What a great time to think, clear your head and reach solutions about the plans you have to change the world. This is the civil way of running. The truth is we have all been involved in foolish running. Running that takes us on the beaten path as well running that leads us done the wrong path.

Foolish running is where we find ourselves on the path that God has not set for us. The path that God has said do not take, but we talk to many people who give us the advice that it is ok to be on that path. We continue to move on that path with a few bumps, but we just chalk it up to life happening. Now, we have picked up the peace and unlike a loop run our path has a starting point and different ending point. This path becomes more difficult with several twist and turns allowing thoughts to inch in about did we really want to run this far today on this path. The path that once caused us to think joyfully of the future now causes us to be concerned leading toward fear! What I can tell you is get off that path if you have to take an unexpected turn or simply turn around because you have run in the wrong direction. We all know how difficult it is to admit that we selected the wrong path. The clock seems to be ticking and for some reason the run seems to be taking us so much longer.

As we continue our run back in the direction in which we started we notice things we missed before. Revelation after revelation we are contemplating all that is now unveiled to us.  The fear that was creeping in seems to be giving back the ground it once occupied. The artificial joyous emotions are replaced with more permanent joy.  The battle that once beat us now can be beaten back.  The question that has to be asked is why we really think we can run.  I do not know because I have run the wrong path many times, but running on this type of path is not so nice; just is frustrating and painful. 

The larger questions are why we run from the hand that created everything, from the person that is everywhere, from the caring and loving God who will do anything for us.  So if you want to run find the path that leads to the hand that created all things.  When you find the creators path you will find a permanence of grace, love, mercy and security. So today if you are taking the wrong direction have the courage to stop and run into the hands of the creator.

Grace and Peace,

Rod

Manchester United end their European run of 23 matches unbeaten at home after losing to a deflected Besiktas goal…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: brazil soccer. The blog is also related to: soccer statistics.

My first half marathon was a measly 8:51 average mile.  My first 5k a couple weeks earlier average mile was only 8:21 mile!  I want… NEED to get in the 7’s before next race season.  I’ve worked hard to get my body to where it is today.  Now I see I need to work even harder to get it to perform where I want it to perform!  Now, how the hell am I going to do that?!

Well, my current running schedule is as such:

• Sunday = Speed day (really, I just push to run in the mid 8 min pace)
• Tuesday = Easy run day (usually about 45 min – 9 min mile pace)
• Wednesday = Easy run day (usually about 30 min – 9 min mile pace)
• Friday = Long day (gradually increasing in distance at about 10 min mile pace)

I need to change things.  So here’s what I’m going to change to:

• Sunday = 60 min – Easy (8:50 mile pace- current half marathon pace)
• Tuesday = Intervals (800m warm up, 400m – 8min mile, 200 9min mile x 8, 800m cool down)
• Wednesday = 45 min – Easy (8:50 min mile)
• Friday = Long Day – Slow (distance gradually increases each week)

So what I did with the new “plan” is speed up my slow days.  Moved my “speed” day to Tuesday, and made it into intervals.  Now the intervals will change every few weeks to a faster pace.  I’ll also be adding in swimming, and cycling soon, to get my triathlon fitness going.

Now if anyone out there, has a better idea/plan for me to get faster, I’m all ears!!!  Please post in the comments!  If this plan doesn’t work, I’ll have to break down and hire a coach, and I definitely don’t have the money to do that right now.