A runner's body

"I don't have a runner's body, but I have a runner's heart - and that is all you need," - Sgt. Jennifer Morris.

I really hurt my ankle this weekend on that 18-miler, so I'm taking a cross training day on the bike. Which gives me the opportunity to talk to you!

If you've followed me at all you'd know that this blog is not just about running, but also my weight loss journey. I'm down 35 pounds, which I've lost all through running and Weight Watchers, and while some days I feel like I look awesome, other days I feel like I could drop 10 more pounds.

I see some of these runners who are so slim and fast as can be. I would like to place an order for one (1) runner's body, please!

But what does that take? I've been logging between 35-50 miles a week and eating 32 WW points a day. I think I would starve if I cut the points back down to 26. 

In the mean time, let me share this super tasty chick'n salad:

-Gardein chick'n, whatever kind you like the best. I like the texture of the teriyaki chick'n (without the sauce) better than the tenders, but use what you like.
-2oz mozzarella (best from a log, not shredded)
-romaine (or your favorite green-spinach, ice berg, etc.)
-fresh basil
-any extra veg you want, I used cucumbers.
-balsamic vinaigrette

1. Cook the chick'n as directed, until nice and crispy

2. Cut up all the lettuce and veg and mix it together

3. Top with cut up mozzarella, chick'n and balsamic. Enjoy.

 

Logging the miles

It's been awhile since I last wrote, mostly because I've been writing so much in the training I'm in that I couldn't bring myself to do it on my personal time, too, but I have some running success to talk about.

Last weekend I logged a 20-miler and felt pretty good during it. I was very pleasantly surprised at being able to push through it, even with it being 90° and humid. So, obviously, it wasn't a great time that I did it in, but sometimes finishing is the real victory.

 Nothing to see here with the time, just be impressed that I did it

I'm not going to act like there wasn't a motivation issue involved though. It took everything I had to get out of bed

The week following I did a 9-miler in 84 minutes, an 8-miler in 73 minutes and a 6-miler in 55 minutes. Those are good times for me, so I'm proud of them, haha!

I took a bit of a beating after that 20-miler and had to tape myself together

Then this past Saturday I had an 18-miler, and even though I pushed through it, I wanted to quit at just 2.5 miles in. You know it's going to be a loooong run when that happens. But I allowed myself a .25-.50 mile walking break every 3 miles and that made it easier to handle. At least I can say I made it through.

So, quite a few miles have been logged and there's a 22-miler looming ahead of me for this Friday. I think I can! I think I can!

Oh yea, less than 2 months till the Air Force Marathon!

Obviously, when there's been a lot of running, there's also been a lot of food. Here are a couple of my recent recipes:

Avocado chickpea tacos
(8 WW points for 3 tacos, with 1/2 cup chickpeas, and 1/4 avocado)

- taco shells
-1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-avocado
- any other 0 point toppings you want - lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, etc.

This one is so simple and so tasty. The original recipe's link isn't working, but it came from Vegetarian Times.

1. Mash up the avocado and dump the chickpeas in. 

2. Don't mash the chickpeas, just stir to coat with the avocado.

3. Scoop into taco shells and add extra fixings.
Too easy.

Just to mix things up, I also put this mixture on a sandwich using Panera's asiago cheese bread. Both versions are winners.

And speaking of Panera. Their new soba noodle shrimp salad is a must try. It's chilled shrimp, soba noodles, sesame seeds, on top of spinach and dressing. An amazing meal to refuel with after a long run.

So, the rest of this week will look something like this:

Tuesday - 9
Wednesday - 6
Thursday - rest
Friday - 22
Saturday - 4
Sunday - rest

It's going to get a little tricky after that because of a work trip, but I will adapt and overcome!

Running success

"I think when you run by someone and there's a thumbs up or encouragement, that's something that I really love. It's a brotherhood, a support and an appreciation for the effort we're all making. I think it's also about living well, living healthy, taking care of ourselves, getting in touch with ourselves, our bodies, our minds. It's a mind-body connection that running helps enhance." - Gene Baur.

I saw a lot of this runner comraderie this weekend on my 16-mile run on the Patuxtent Branch Trail. It's the 'in-the-know' head nod, like you both know why you're out there on a Saturday morning, spending hours running while your friends are still sleeping off their hangovers. It gives you a little boost of encouragement to keep pounding the pavement and finish strong...or at least finish!

I've realized though there are a couple factors that determine how your run is going to go. First, it's about 50 percent how much you've trained. I obviously didn't just decide to run 16 miles one morning, I worked my way up to it. Second, it's about 25 percent how you feel that day. Are you feeling sluggish and heavy and the heat and humidity is bringing you down, while your head feels like it weighs 100 pounds? Well, you're probably not going to be setting any records that day. Finally, it's about 25 percent how you fuel, both before and during the run. No matter how much you've trained or how good you feel when you start, if your body doesn't have the proper fuel to keep it going, you are going to crash. Hard.

I actually had these factors on my side for the most part this past weekend - I felt pretty good going into it, had a molten lava pancake for breakfast, a GU right before I started my run, and I had a Chunky Coconut Cherry Almond Butter Pocket Fuel about 6 miles into it to keep me going. Even though I did need to take walk breaks for the last 4 miles because the humidity was kicking my butt, I was okay with it because I still felt really strong.

It was so tasty, that I may have ripped it open to get every last bit

Afterward, I had a super tasty salad that was a twist on the traditional caprese. Instead of tomato, I used a sweet, juicy peach. Yep. A peach. So, it went like this: peach slice, mozzarella slice, basil leaf, repeat. Then drizzle just a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over the top. It was so tasty that I turned it into a sandwich the next day using Panera Bread Co. Asiago cheese bread. I highly recommend this.

Now, I've already had a bit of a rough start to my running week. I did not sleep well last night so when the alarm went off this morning at 4 a.m., I reset it for 6:30 and went back to sleep. So, I still have a 9-miler hanging over my head. And I'll be honest, I may not be able to fit it in tonight because it is HOT outside. I will do what I can!

 

Weekly mileage:

Monday - 9....ish...maybe

Tuesday - 8

Wednesday - 6

Thursday - 5

Friday - rest

Saturday - 20!

Sunday - 4

Recipe Redo

I haven't written much lately because we're in the process of moving to South Carolina, and hey, that's been pretty time consuming.

So, I've tried the Molten Lava Pancakes again every day since the first try and by now I am a pro.

I used 1/4 cup of Bisquick instead of 1/3 in the first try and kept a close eye on it while it was cooking and as soon as it started to bubble a bit in the middle, I flipped it. Then I waited the 20 seconds and 'poured' it onto my plate. It didn't come off smoothly the first time, because of the lava, but it was still tasty. And now, after about 4 attempts, it comes off looking like an actual pancake.

Molten Lava Pancake
(7 Weight Watchers points for 1 pancake)

-1/4 cup bisquick pancake mix
-1 scoop gourmet chocolate whey protein powder
-2 egg whites
-Dash of cinnamon

1. Blend all ingredients together

2. Pour onto a heated pan and cook just until the bottom is solid. When the center starts to have just a little bubble to it, it is time to flip

3. Flip it and only cook for 20-30 seconds longer so it is still runny in the middle (hence, lava)

Not as pretty, but there is lava. Each attempt looks better

Another great treat I tried is the Black Forest Milkshake that I got out of an issue of Runner's World. If you love cherries and chocolate, you will die for this:

Black Forest Milkshake

(4 Weight Watchers Points per serving, makes 2 servings)

-1 heaping cup of frozen cherries (make sure you get unsweetened with nothing added, otherwise it's 6 WW points just for the cherries!)

-1 frozen banana, cut up

-1 cup coconut milk

-4 tbsp Lite Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

-1/4 cup Greek yogurt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and give it a whirl until smooth

2. Pour it into two mugs and devour!

It is so tasty, you're not going to want to share, but remember it does make two servings

I've been on track with my running this week, even though yesterday's 3-miler about killed me. I was so unmotivated, but I still did it! And now I need to go to bed because I have my half-marathon in the morning! Wish me luck, I'm hoping for around 2:10.

"The journey isn't always perfect, but always worth taking," - Kara Goucher

Capitol Hill Classic 10K

Today, I did the Capitol Hill Classic 10K in DC and while it wasn't a PR, I was still happy with my time, especially considering the conditions:

Ugh! So depressing

It only got worse as the race went on, with the rain coming down for the last mile and running into my eyes. Besides the weather, the race was really good. It was a scenic course that wound through DC and around the stadium, and even had a hill that about killed me right after mile 4. All considering, I still finished in less than 55 minutes and seeing how I added a little bit of distance from weaving in and out of people, I'll take it. 

It was so cold and icky! I stole my hubby's sweats while he ran his 3k

My 10k PR still stands at 54:12 from the Veteran's Day 10k from Pacer's running store this past November. I had just completed the Marine Corps Marathon in the month prior, so I was in pretty good shape at that time.

Just to add a little more mileage, I came home and did 2 more miles on the treadmill bringing me to 8(.6 including the little extras, but who's counting) miles for the day!

I really needed these miles because I also signed up for another race, the Alexandria Running Festival Half Marathon next weekend. I'm not planning to get a PR on it (currently 2:07); I am just using it to see where I am stand time-wise for my goal of a sub-2 hour marathon. I know I'm not there right now, so I just want to see where I'm at and how hard I need to work to get there by the fall.

After the race this morning, I followed up with some nom-noms.

This is a recipe that I haven't done in awhile, but it is REALLY good. It's originally from Hungry Girl and can be altered in any way, based on what ingredients you have at home.

Crunchwrap Supreme
(Mine was 11 Weight Watchers points, it will change based on what you put inside)

1 Tortilla Wrap (I used Mission Sun-dried tomato)
1 Taco Shell
1/2 cup meatless crumbles
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese (or a Laughing Cow cheese wedge)
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1/3 tomato, diced
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning

1. Cook up the meatless crumbles for just a couple minutes in a pan

2. Warm tortilla for a few seconds in the microwave (making it easier to fold without ripping), and then lay it out on a flat surface

3.  Place the crumbles in the center of the tortilla. Flatten the mixture into a circle, keeping it about 2 inches from the edge of the tortilla. Top with the other toppings - lettuce, salsa, cheese, etc.

4. Next, layer the taco shell (broken in half and with the cheese spread on it if you're using Laughing Cow) on top of the soy crumble mixture. 

If you're using Laughing Cow, smear it on the taco shell then place it cheese-side down

Cheese-side down on top of the fillings

5. Hungry Girl has good FOLDING INSTRUCTIONS so why reinvent the wheel: Starting at the bottom of the tortilla, fold edge up to the center of the tortilla. Then going around the edge of the tortilla, repeatedly fold overlapping sections to meet the center, for a total of about 6 folds (until filling is completely enclosed)

6. In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, over medium heat, carefully place the folded tortilla in the center of the pan (folded side down). Heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Carefully flip the wrap with a spatula and heat for another 30 seconds

7. Top with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or anything else you can come up with!

Geocaching

I need to tell you about my newest obsession - geocaching! It's an app that you find the grid coordinates of where a hidden item is and you go find it and sign your geocache username on it. My daddy-o got me and my sister hooked a couple months ago and yesterday me and the hubs went on a caching spree. We started at the National Harbor in Maryland, found 2, hopped over the river to Virginia where we got lost on 2, but found 1, then skipped back over to DC where we were too scared to get out of the car to look for the cache, so we left. After taking a little dinner break, we walked to the University of Maryland and found 5 more! In total, we walked about 6 miles in search of these 8 little hidden treasures, then I came home and did 5 more miles on the treadmill. May not have been all together, but trust me, my legs told me they had done 11 miles (and remember, I'm trying to have fun and not get burnt out!)

Then, today, me and a friend ran 6 miles with some pretty insane hills. I am tired, because if you remember, I also did 8.6 on Saturday, but I'm also feeling pretty good about myself.

We (obviously) also had a couple really good meals since the last time I wrote. First, I have to share about this Cilantro-Lime Dressing that I came across on Pinterest. Oh. My. Goodness. It was tasty! It was so creamy and tangy and really gave the flounder and salad a kick. I smeared it on the fish with the last 5 minutes to go in the oven and let it melt a bit over the top, then I also mixed a little in with the salad (pretty epic salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and corn). I couldn't get enough of it! However, it is pretty high on the point scale. It's 16 points for the whole thing, so I used half the batch, so still 8 WW points!

Cilantro-Lime Dressing

1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Too easy!

Look at how awesome that salad is!

Then, yesterday, while geocaching, we went to Elevation Burger in the National Harbor and had one of the most amazing veggie burgers, ever! And they wrapped it in lettuce instead of a bun so I didn't feel as guilty about the boat of fries I had on the side:

Boat of french fries!

You can see how tasty it is just by looking at the picture!

Seriously, life is too short not to enjoy every bite of food you put in your mouth.

Back to Work

Today is my first day back to work in about a month. Not impressed. I forgot that there are two 4 o'clocks in the day and I wasn't ready to see this one yet.

Last night for dinner I made the stuffed acorn squash, which of course, I did not follow the original post exactly. So, here we go:

Stuffed Acorn Squash
(9 points - sweet potato, black beans and avocado)

-1 acorn squash
-1 can of black beans
-1 sweet potato
-1 tomato
-banana peppers (my hubs doesn't like spicy, so I switched the jalapeno for the banana peppers)
-garlic seasoning

1.  Peel the skin off the sweet potato and cut it up into little cubes, sprinkle with garlic seasoning and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until soft

2. While those are baking, rinse the black beans and let them drain a bit

3. Cut up the tomato and banana pepper and mix together with the black beans. Put this mixture in the fridge to let the flavors marinate together

Isn't that beautiful!

4. Once the sweet potatoes are done, add them to the bean, tomato, pepper mixture and put it back in the fridge

5. Preheat the oven to 400 and cut the squash in half, length wise. As I've mentioned before, this is easier said than done. Use a sharp knife and a mallet if you need to.

It's no joke

6.  Scoop out all the seeds and stringy stuff from the center

7. Spritz the inside with butter and bake face-down on a foil-lined baking sheet for half an hour

8. Pull it out, score the inside with a knife, spritz with more butter and put back in the oven for 15 minutes, facing up

9. Pull back out, and let it cool for about 15-20 min.

10.  Scrape the goodies off the sides of the shell and fill each side with the bean, potato mixture, sprinkle with more garlic seasoning and put back in the oven for 15 minutes

11. Pull out of the oven and let cool. It will be hot!

12. Cut up the avocado, and put it on top.

Because I'm going back to work, my workout schedule is going to be a bit screwed up. This week, it's all up in the air and I'm just going to workout as I can.

Yesterday, I also did a little crafting and made a maxi-skirt, so I got my dress-up on:

If you don't hear from me in the next couple days, it's because work is taking everything out of me. I'll post later.

Eat Like a King

Don't you love after you go grocery shopping and you have these amazing three course meals because your fridge and pantry are fully stocked? That happened for dinner last night.

So we started off with the buffalo tempeh (directions at the bottom of this post), which is a new addiction if mine. The tempeh is so filling and I found a very low-cal buffalo sauce from Target's Archer Farms brand. Next, we had a pizza crust in the pantry, so I topped it with some pizza sauce, mozzarella and avocado. We devoured the entire thing! Then, dessert. Oh, dessert. I got the original idea for our dessert here, but I made quite a few of my own modifications. 

Baked Pineapple

(6 points for half the recipe, 7 if you add whipped cream as a topping)

-1 pineapple

-1/2 cup coconut flakes

-1/2 cup macadamia nuts

-4 tablespoons Malibu Coconut Rum

1. Cut up the pineapple and put it in a foil lined baking pan (I am not patient enough to cut the pineapple and use its shell to bake in like the original post. This isn't as pretty, but it does the job)

2. Pour 2 tablespoons of Malibu over the pineapple

3. Top with coconut and macadamia nuts

4. Pour 2 more tablespoons of Malibu over the whole mixture

5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, or until the macadamia nuts start to brown. Enjoy it while it's still hot

 See how the macadamia nuts turned nice and golden in the oven

I topped mine with a dollop of light whipped cream

The only problem? Trying to run 8 miles after eating half a pineapple. Oh, the citric acid was terrible, so there were some walking breaks, but I still completed 8 miles! Walk or run, miles are miles.

I tried another new recipe for breakfast this morning, and once I work out all the kinks, I think it will be a regular staple for weekend breakfast. As usual, I made some adaptations from the original post, so here's my take:

Oatmeal Pancakes 

(5 points for 2 pancakes)

-1/2 cup rolled oats

-2 egg whites

-1 ripe banana

-1 tsp of cinnamon

-1 tsp of vanilla extract

-mixed berries (or whatever you would like to put in yours)

1. Mash up the banana really well then add the rolled oats and give it a stir

2. Add the egg whites (or egg substitute if you have it) if you don't know how to separate the yolks from the white, just crack the egg and half and pass the yolk back and forth between the two halves over your mixing bowl and the whites will roll off into the bowl (I tried to take a picture, but it was hard since the hubs is at work and it's just me). Give it all a stir

3. Add the cinnamon, extract and whatever other stuff you'd like to be inside. I used mixed berries, but you could add chocolate chips, chunks of banana, nuts, just realize it will change the point value

4. Pour half the mixture into a greased up pan (I forgot to grease it on my first one) and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side

They really don't need anything like syrup or butter because all the ingredients make them pretty sweet. They were a perfect day starter.

This is me trying to show you how to separate the whites from the yolks, but one hand had to hold the camera

Side-note, here is my homemade vanilla extract that has been sitting since Nov. 2011. To make it, all you have to do it add vanilla beans (you can get them from Walmart) and vodka and just let it sit. Every so often give it a shake

I used my handy-dandy pancake flipper for these beauties and just gave it a flip after 4ish minutes

See the burn marks? Remember I said I forgot to grease the pan for the first pancake? Yea. The second one turned out great though!