Thank God For Hometowns

I'm a country music kind of girl at heart. Although I like plenty of other types of music I do love my country. These lyrics from a Carrie Underwood song pretty much sum up my last few days:

Thank God for hometowns/And all the love that makes you go round/Thank God for the country lines that welcome you back in/When you were dying to get out/Thank God for Church pews/And all the faces that won’t forget you/Cause when you’re lost in this crazy world/You got somewhere to go and get found/Thank God for hometowns

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I started out Friday with not only some of my favorite people but also one of my favorite things to do. I went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game with my Mom, Step-dad  Tony and Uncle Shawn. We had so much fun and the Reds won!

Then Saturday was a really fun day. We had a bridal shower for my sister who is getting married 2 months from today. I can hardly believe it and I am so happy for her. Her daughter was also celebrating her 2nd birthday. She is the most amazing little person. I talked tonight in my weight watchers meeting about how much we can evolve as people and not even realize it. Just thinking how much she has changed in 2 short years is amazing.

Sunday finished with another long training run for the Chicago Marathon. 18 amazingly beautiful miles around the town of Maineville with Hillary. I feel so blessed that someone from my hometown is also training for Chicago and that we were able to run together. The hills around town here a killer but I really felt amazing after this run. The best way to celebrate? Hometown pizza! I love LaRosas and now they even carry this thin crust whole wheat veggie pizza that was SO YUMMY!!

It was an amazing weekend that left me so blessed to have been able to spend such an awesome weekend with my family taking in some of my favorite parts of Cincinnati. 

What makes your "hometown" so special?

What's your favorite TV Show?

I have two favorite TV shows of all time

These guys

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And of Course... Carrie and the girls

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Remember the following
~Stick together
~Keep your friends close by they will always be there for you.
~Expect the unexpected
~Laugh at yourself and each other

Live in the moment because everything truly happens for a reason.


What can be learned from your favorite show?

Being that so called "runner"

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I saw this today when I was looking through some motivational says and it really got me thinking about my running. I often hear from people who say they don't think they could ever run well I can honestly say I never thought I would either. As much as I appreciate all of the support my family gives me now they are the first to tell you how lazy I used to be. There are many reasons to stop yourself from seeing how far you can truly go but what if you start believing in yourself. I also recently read this article from runners world about how running can actually be fun for many different types. I am by no means an expert but I am someone who has gone from couch to many different distances including my first marathon last years. Here are a few things I can promise you I know about being a so called "runner."

~You are a runner if you go out and put one foot in front of the other. It doesn't matter how far, how long or what road you take. It only matters that you go.

~Just get started. There are many places to start and it is possible for almost anyone. A couple of good places to start are:
                            Couch to 5K
                           Hal Higdon Training Programs

~Once you decide to get started make sure you have the right gear. Pick the right shoes, socks and clothing. There are also free smart phone applications such as Run Keeper that use your phones GPS to
track how far you've run and the time.

~Pick a goal. Even if you are goal is complete one mile then go after it and do not stop until you get there.

~ Running does not require a membership. You can run anywhere, anytime and it doesn't have to cost anything other than the clothes/equipment.

~I promise you will feel amazing. When they talk about the "runners high" I have found it is really true. I cannot express the way I feel after a good run. I have been brought to tears of overwhelming joy from three times. When I completed one of my first 5K's and got 3rd place in my age group, half marathon and full marathon.

I am not the fastest runner or the most "ten year" but I am a runner. You can be as well. Someone once asked my mom why I would want to complete the marathon if I wasn't going to be competing at a high level. I was lost without words. This is the type of person who can bring you down. You are stronger than you believe.

Ready, Set, Run.

Meatless Monday

Welcome to a happily completed Meatless Monday.

This doesn't happen every Monday but today it did.

Breakfast
Quaker Oats with Banana and Click Protein for flavor
Egg beaters topped with Salsa










Snack
Greek Yogurt with a crystal light packed and a small apple

Lunch

Quinoa (pictured)
Mixed Salad
Black Beans
Topped with Salsa








Dessert of course was Fruit Salad












Snack
Weight Watchers Lemon Bar
Grapes/Carrots




Dinner/Dessert

Morningstar Farms Meatless Crumble Tacos
Green Beans
Frozen Fruit Bar



Exercise
Recovery from long run=Walk
2.5 miles
40 Minutes

I am really starting to love Qunioa much better than rice.... what do you think rice or quinoa?

Rotary Rumble 5K

Another 5K you say? OK here I come....


Got up Saturday Morning... Started with a fairly typical breakfast before running a race...
Bagel Thin
Peanut Butter
Banana

Then I made the trek down to Demotte for the Rotary Rumble 5K. This race is a fairly well attended race since it is a certified  RRCA 5K. I met my friend Bryan there and we headed out for a easy warm up run just shy of 2 miles. Then we chatted with a few friends before lining up. I always like to try to find someone who I know will push me through the race. My friend Bryan stayed with me to do just that.

They sounds the whistle and we were off and running. The race was full of cross country teams so the lead pack really lead off fast. I looked down at my watch as we made the first turn and saw 7:38 and thought to myself oh my god I am going to collapse if I don't slow down. So I returned what was a more comfortable pace.

We hit mile 1  in just over 8 minutes and I was still feeling really good.

I looked a the course map prior to the race so I knew there was going to be a turn before mile marker 2... what I was unprepared for was the couple of big hills.

So at Mile 2 it was well over 16 minutes and I knew it was really going to be close for a PR (personal record). My friend Bryan was telling me to push and I was really was feeling good until my hamstring which had been sore for several days really started to tense up again.

Once we hit mile 3 I knew it was going to be really close for me to get in the finish chute in under 26 minutes. I thought I could do it until another small hill came and I just didn't have it in me at the hill. I ended up crossing the finish line at
26:01
297th place
6 out 20 Age Group
I was really hoping to place in the top 3 for my age group because they give away wooden shoes at the race and I thought that was pretty funny. I felt good and race was completed.

After coming home I enjoyed my new favorite post workout meal thanks to my crazy awesome workout friend Jess: "Mancakes"
1/3cup Oats
4 Egg whites or liquid egg whites
Cinnamon and Splenda brown sugar (optional)
Perfect balance of Carbs and Protein.
Taste like french toast. You could add sugar free syrup, yogurt or applesauce as toppings.

What do you eat after working out to refuel?

No Excuses

There are more excuses than one can name for not committing. Yesterday was one of those days for me. I saw the rain and I was going to abandon my running. I went to where my group meets to run on Wednesday nights anyway. My plan was to go home if no one showed up.... I really just had no real push to want to run in the rain. My training schedule for the Chicago Marathon had 8 miles down for me. I was not even close to being ready for 8 miles in the rain. So around 5:55 a runner name Bob showed up. Bob is a great runner. Huge Cubs fan... even plays piano in Wrigleyville. So off we went for 4 miles of a slightly rainy and humid run. I am a true believer in how good you feel after just doing it and being glad you didn't pass up on a workout. Honestly this run felt really good.
4 miles
37 minutes
Good Pace
Rain was actually feeling pretty good.

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There are many excuses that we make but what will do today instead of making an excuse?

I Love the Olympics!

The Olympics have been very exciting this year. Between Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt there has been some extremely exciting competition. I have been watching a ton of sports I have never really watched before. I am amazed at how athletic some of them truly must be. The water polo has been really exciting to watch.

One of my favorites is still the beach volleyball. I truly think Misty and Kerrie are truly amazing athletes. Plus going for the 3pete is really awesome.  I really love watching some of the track and field. The 10K finished in amazing fashion. I also was really pulling for the American women at the marathon because I know just how grueling a marathon can be for a normal person. I cannot wait to see what the men are able to do.

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One of the things I have been thinking when it comes to the Olympics is how dedicated these people are. They train for many years and it can all come down to something as small as a tenth of a tenth of a second. In the case of Usain he trained for the last  4 years trying to repeat and it only took 9.63 seconds to set the Olympic record and for the event to be over. It takes a lot to be this dedicated. It has really made me start thinking about my own training routine. How I treat my body by what I am putting into it. As well as my running routine. Both of which are extremely important for me to be able to finish the Chicago Marathon later this year. Although I do not plan on winning an Olympic gold medal or even having an amazing finish I think the Olympics have made me realize how some small changes could impact even myself.

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What is your favorite Summer Olympic sports?