Heck yes

It Didn't Go Swimmingly

Exercise: 40 mins elliptical, 15 mins strength, 1 mile run, got in my bathing suit but pool was closed. Wah Wah.

I swam again yesterday for the first time since joining the Y. I really enjoy swimming but I need to figure out how I can get in my swim with the pool schedule. The times are a little inconvenient but I'm trying to figure it out. Today was my fault because I misread the calendar, total bummer.

Yesterday I ran 2 1/2 miles on the tm pretty slowly. I've had some nagging hamstring soreness for the past few months. It's nothing terrible but it could be if I don't watch it. I did an 11 mile trail run Saturday on the 1/2 marathon course I'll be running in 10 days. I pushed pretty hard and that may have led to the extra soreness in the hamstring. Anyways, that's why I decided to start swimming again. I plan to keep running a few miles on my run days but hope to get in some swimming to get off my legs a little.

I need to learn more about swimming etiquette as well. Yesterday when I got to the pool only one lane was open due to a class. An older gentleman was already in the lane so I asked if he minded if we split the lane and he kinda ignored me. So I figured it was ok and I jumped in and started to swim. He was kind of all over the place but it was just the two of us so I just steered around him when needed. Then another person came and she asked if we could circle swim. I agreed but I'm not sure if the old man heard or understood because he continued to swim erratically down the middle. I was also the faster of the swimmers, not that I'm speedy or anything, but put me up against some 80 year olds and I look like I'm racing. So I was having to constantly weave in and out. Then another dude wants to come in and I don't think he understood the circle swimming either because he just stayed to one side. I think it took me twice as long as it normally would but I eventually got my 1/2 mile swim in.

What do you do in that situation? I guess just put up or get out, right? Now I know to avoid that time, or any time when only 1 lane is open. Music Man is working at home for the next few weeks so I'm thinking while he's doing some work at night, after Little Man is in bed, I can run to the pool for 45 minutes. The only other time is early in the morning which means we don't eat breakfast together, which is the main meal we get to enjoy as a family. I guess I'll just do that when I have to. I can probably still swim 2-3 times a week. I love it so!

Hope you had a great weekend and a great short week! How is it already Wednesday??

Five for Friday and Zen in 10

Exercise: 1 hr elliptical, 20 mins strength

1. Confession- I feel like I have no time to blog anymore and I blame it on my toddler's shortened naps and erratic sleep schedule. Truth- I am spending all my free time reading 50 Shades of Grey. It is both appalling and compelling. I find it entertaining but am totally freaked out by the fact that it's considered "Mom Porn" because I would never want my (hypothetical) daughter to be treated that way. Maybe I'm a prude, and although I am entertained, I find it about as erotic as a horror film. Wait, that makes me sound like the creepy one ;)
2. We cancelled our cable service today. I am not one of those people that never watches TV, btw. We just don't need it because we have our media center computer which gets HGTV and PBS and there's always Netflix. But coincidentally, our cable provider also provides internet and it mysteriously slowed down when our cable subscription was closed. Hmmmm...Fishy.
3. I was never one to make my bed daily; I'm just going to mess it up at the end of the day anyway. Monday I changed the sheets and have been making it ever since. I really enjoy getting in to the made bed at night and our bedroom seems so much more serene now. Then I read this: Zen in 10
4. I have been making a conscious effort not to snack mindlessly in the evening. It's my favorite time to snack but it is not doing good things for my clothes, which are too snug. Instead of snacking while reading or watching tv, I'm jumping on the elliptical. I'm going at a very easy pace but I'm not really trying to burn calories, just not consume them. Works well so far!
5. Trail run set for tomorrow, my last long one before my half in a few weeks. I'm going to try to do most of the course, about 10 or 11 miles. Hoping to avg below an 11:30 pace but the course is fairly technical in spots so I'm not counting my chickens.

happy Friday! Have a great Weekend!

The C Word

Oh dear, a challenge has presented itself once again. I love the idea of a running streak, surely I can run 1 mile a day. What do you think? Are you in?

RW Summer Running Streak 2012 - Runner's World

Lentil Tostada

Exercise: 30 mins elliptical, 20 mins strength

The 5 am wake ups are becoming the norm so I guess I don't need to blog about it all the time, but I'm impressed with myself that I've been able to consistently get my ass out of bed that early :) Also, I've started incorporating a smoothie into my daily meal plan. I was going to make it a challenge, but as soon as I write that word I fail. So, I've just been doing it and it's going great. I didn't put any time constraints on it so if I don't choose to do it tomorrow it's not a failure.

Smoothies are a great breakfast option for me. I've been making huge ones, with tons of fruit, veggies, protein powder, and yogurt or cottage cheese. And there's enough left over to make a perfect mid morning snack. Green smoothies are pretty darn tasty. You know who else thinks so?

A perfect way to get in extra fresh fruits and veggies

The pre-cooked lentils at Trader Joe's have been a favorite around here for awhile. They are a perfect topping for salads or warmed up for a grain bowl. The last few days I've been putting them on everything from salads, to tostadas, to sandwiches.

Lentils mixed with avocado, grated carrots and salsa for an awesome tostada. Topped with spinach and TJ's creamy feta dressing

Lentil salad sandwich on sprouted rye. Inside I mixed lentils, avocado, tomato, grated carrot, veganaisse, dijon, and topped with shredded cheddar and the crushed up ends of a bag of potato chips. Amazing! Served with sliced cucs.

I'm hosting a play date and potluck later so I need to tidy up a bit and hopefully read a little more 50 Shades ;) (blushes) It's so ridiculous so far, but ridiculously entertaining. I do have to say I'm getting a bit annoyed with how many "quirking up" and "magic"ing of facial features there are. Almost every other page this Christian dude is quirking an eyebrow or lip. It's becoming a little redundant. Oh well, I obviously keep going back...

Hope you have a great day!

All The Rowboats

Here's little Man's biggest fan ;) Besides me...well, and Grandmas and Natalie and random dudes ;)
But Music Man worked on this song of Regina's and I just love it! Every time I hear it I enjoy it more and more. Her album comes out at the end of the month and you should buy it!!!

Black Hole of Technology

Exercise: 5.25 miles tm run. 3 miles tempo, 2 miles hills

The air conditioning was broken at the Y today. We've had nearly hundred degree temps the past few days so needles to say, it was hot. And I normally look like a beast while running so the lack of air totally amplified my beastliness. I was all red faced, with sweat flying; not pretty.

The motoactiv failed me this weekend so I may have to rescind my glowing reviews. I'm going to give it another chance because I think I was the black hole of technology on Sunday, but I was still a little annoyed. The outing was fun but a mess.

My trail runs are quickly becoming my favorite weekly run. I'm doing long trail runs since I'm training for a trail half marathon coming up in a few weeks so these are also my most relaxing runs. Because the in-laws were here visiting, Music Man and I were able to spend a few hours together up in the hills. Well, more near each other than together; he mountain biked while I ran.

Dorky trail gear. How sweet is that headband?

We started out a bit later than I normally would so it was warmer than I prefer, but still decent weather. I started my motoactiv as soon as I started running but later started my sportstracker phone ap just in case. Glad I did because the motoactiv stopped working after the first mile. Unfortunately I didn't realize right away and wondered how I could possible be running a 14 minute mile down hill. But then my phone wasn't working correctly (sportstracker did though), I got hot, ran out of water and couldn't get in touch with Music Man. Oh, and I got stung by a bee! Poor me!!! ;)

When Music Man finally found me I was in a crap mood until I reminded myself that at least I got to get out for a long, guilt free run. Little Man and the grandparents got to enjoy some time together as did Music Man and I. And my long run days= yummy food days so I also reminded myself that I would soon have cake in my future ;)

Later that day we took a quick trip to the zoo (mistake due to the crowds and high temps.) And later had some people over for Mexican food (margaritas!!!) and to watch the eclipse. I made the pinhole projector and was so excited it actually worked! It was pretty cool to see the phases of the eclipse.

We had a pretty fantastic weekend but the in-laws had to leave on Monday (not before I got my mother in-law to cut my bangs.) Thanks Cathy!!! ;)

Also, on Friday we went to the Skirball Cultural Center to see their interactive children's Noah's Ark exhibit. The whole family was able to attend and every one of us from 2 to 70 enjoyed it. If you are in the LA area or ever visit, I totally recommend it. So much so that we became members and I can't wait to go back!

Hope you had a great weekend and a great rest of your week!

Moments

Exercise: 6.5 very difficult miles

I think I'm going to call this week a wash in terms of running. With a fall on Tuesday and residual soreness and a tummy ache on top of everything today, I'm just feeling done.  My last mile today was the only halfway decent one and that's only because I knew I was almost done. I'm taking a few days off and hitting reset.

Hooray for Thursday, I am definitely ready for the weekend. The inlaws will be in town for a few days and although we will all enjoy it, I know Little Man will be in heaven. We have a museum trip planned for tomorrow afternoon, lots of yummy meal ingredients in the fridge, and a good excuse to relax for a few days. I am really looking forward to focusing on family and not extraneous tasks.

My friends, especially the mothers, and I are constantly having the conversation about how we don't live in the moment enough. Instead of playing with our kids we are cleaning up behind them. Instead of enjoying family time we're spending hours cooking a meal. Although I love to cook and eat good food I need to remember that every once in a while it's ok to get a pizza delivered or run to In N' Out. I think having company really forces that. You don't worry about the day to day tasks, you just get to really enjoy the few moments you get together.

And speaking of moments. About this time, 7 years ago, Music Man and I were just laying eyes on each other. Well other than what we saw on the other's Match.com profiles! Yup, met online. I always tell people that I have a bad picker so I might as well let a computer try. And you know what?  Totally worked.  It probably helps that we didn't lie...too much ;) I'm a huge fan of Match.com but more on that another time.

Have wonderful Friday and weekend! Xo

Clean Machine

Exercise: 25 mins hiit elliptical & 15 mins strength, cleaning ;)

Today began with another 5am workout. Too bad Little Man was up an hour before that and I only got back to sleep 30 minutes before. I contemplated staying in bed but knew it was my only chance to workout so I got my lazy but out of bed.

After my workout I decided our master bath deserved a deep cleaning so I spent over an hour scrubbing every surface. I normally don't consider housework exercise but an hour of scrubbing grout left me a sweaty mess. Apparently I only burned about 300 calories. Not that 300 calories is chopped liver but the suckage that is grout scrubbing warrants at least a 500 calorie burn.  Or enough to balance my 2 Buck chuck consumption tonight ;)

Yesterday I took Little Man and his buddy to The Wildlife Learning Center
And we had so much fun. We talked to macaws, pet alligators and made friends with a bald eagle. If you're in the area and haven't been I highly recommend the trip.

Have a great rest of your week!

Free Fallin'

Exercise: 4.5 miles run w/ jogging stroller

Today's run is brought to you by a swollen ankle and road rash. And Tom Petty. (BTW, he mentions good, ol Reseda in this song)

 

Yup, I fell today. I've tripped with the jogging stroller before, even an easy fall but today was my first all out fall where I brought the stroller down with me. My fall probably wouldn't have been so calamitous had I not tried to keep the stroller from falling on its side. I fell to my side and tipped the stroller up on end. It happened so fast but I feel like my legs and arms sprawled everywhere trying to keep Little Man safe. He was TOTALLY fine, just a bit scared. I got road rash up the side of my right leg and ankle and my ankle is seriously p.o.'d. But I'm pretty sure I'll survive.

My sorrows are soon to be drowned in pulled pork. Instead of slowing me down my bum ankle is urging me to make some extra yummy food. It needs that porky protein to strengthen muscle I'm sure. I'm also pretty sure it was my ass that suggested I bake a loaf of bread yesterday ;) So I have tons of yummy meals in my future.

I prepared my pulled pork in the dutch oven so I could brown and cook in one pot. I would have used the slow cooker or crock pot if I was out of the house but I prefer the dutch oven anyway. In case you're wondering I stopped using a recipe or even measuring for my pulled pork a few years ago so I won't list a recipe but I will tell you that I mix together a rub of salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder and brown sugar and generously coat the meat and allow it to brown. Then I put in a little apple cider vinegar and water and let it cook on super low until it's ready. This time I used frozen pork chops that I wanted to use before they got frosty so it only took 2 1/2 hours. The fattier and larger cuts (I normally use leaner cuts) take longer but I just check until it's fork tender.

I left it chunky for carnitas and will pull some apart for sandwiches

Above I mentioned that my ass requested some bread. And I'm so glad it did, it was delicious. 

I just used this recipe and subbed 2/3 whole wheat flour. I didn't let it rise long enough, but it's still great. I used it today for fantastic chicken salad sandwiches made with leftover roast chicken, garden picked scallions, walnuts and dried cranberries. Incredible!!!

Have a lovely rest of your Tuesday!

Little Man is enjoying the heck out of his.

Nerd Gadgets

Exercise: 10 miles biked, about 45 mins; 30 mins strength

Since receiving my new toy I've wanted to track every move I make. Even a leisurely Sunday bike ride has become competitive (competing only against myself) because I keep looking at my motoactv and thinking, "I can definitely go faster." This is great because now I'm getting way more out of my workouts. Yay for gadgets!

Speaking of gadgets, I kind of feel like a poser on my run with my motoactv on my wrist, my phone on my arm, my fancy headphones wrapped around my ears and my new trail running shoes.

They were black when I bought them (I'll review after I've had a chance to run in them a few times)

Especially while I'm killing myself to keep running a 14 mile pace (uphill, and fueled my a mother's day breakfast of bacon and biscuits and gravy!!!). All of my gadgets came in very handy since I was able to track on multiple devices and compare as well as upload to other sites to compare. I'm such a nerd but I love to keep track of my progress.

Sunday's was one of the hardest runs I've ever completed. About 10 minutes from my home there is a huge system of trails. I normally run on the fire roads and then break off to run on a smaller trail for a mile or 2 but the fire roads seem safest when running alone. Music Man suggested I try one of his favorite mountain biking trails; since I was able to run the eagle rock trail last week he felt confident I could make it up Caballero.

source

source

Even though MapMyRun has the climbs categorized as moderately difficult the uneven ground and loose rock added an extra degree of difficulty. I looked like a dirty, sweaty, beast by the time I made it up the first climb.

I still had another few miles of climbing after crushing Caballero but knew that after I reached my destination I'd have a few miles downhill before my next climb. It's the little things that keep you going. And I'm happy I completed the whole loop (8 miles total) because it made me feel pretty accomplished.

I love looking at my laps so here they are for inquiring minds ;)

1. 11:59
2. 14:34
3. 12:17
4. 11:12
5.   9:29
6: 10:24
7. 10:30
8.   8:33

All over the place but you can clearly see where the ascents and descents are. Fun stuff.

Hope you had a great weekend and are having a fabulous week!

Croissants=Cwawesome

Exercise: 6.1 miles- 54:36, avg pace 8:56

My wonderful husband got me an early mother's day gift. The motoactv!!! I've had a Garmin 305, I've used plenty of apps (sportstracker[my fave], map my run, endomondo and strava) but this is my favorite so far. Its touch screen is super easy to use and navigate, the map function is awesome and it's super light weight. I loved the music option as well, although it did drain my battery quite a bit extra. I haven't run with music since 2008 and I can't tell you how much I missed it! (Even though it did play J Simpson and New kids on the block, unacceptable ;)

My favorite function is knowing my splits which some of the aps and the Garmin have access to. But then they didn't have other info I was interested in. Sportstracker didn't have split or lap time so anytime I wanted to know my splits I had to calculate in my head which is no fun while running. Sportstracker was great for calling out pace, distance, avg speed. Great function, user friendly and it never lost my data which some of the other aps did.

So here are my splits, just because:

1. 9:34
2. 8:52
3. 8:47
4: 8:53
5. 8:41
6. 8:55
6.1 :53

I had wanted to try for negative splits but I went out a bit fast. I'm super happy with my times though. It's amazing how a great run can really make your day.

After running I took little man on a bunch of errands. Our first stop was Costco and he freaked out when we got to the bread section. I just needed buns for a gathering we were having but he HAD to have the croissants. He kept shouting "bread, bread", and I told him that no, they were croissants, in my best heavy French accent. What he heard was "cwawsome." And proceeded to shout "cwaesome" through the store until we got to the car and I let him break into those puppies. I think he's right though, croissants are cwawesome.

Active Carrier

Exercise: 5 mile tm run- 8:45 avg pace

My goal today was to do some speed work and a sustained 8:45 is very speedy pace for me. I did a .2 warm up and cool down so my pace was even a bit faster. It's pretty warm here in So Cal today with temps above 90 so I was more than grateful today to have access to a gym. Thank you Y! I hope to get in some hills on Thursday or this weekend but I'm a wuss in the heat so we'll see how it goes.

This weekend I did some road running (7mi) and trail running (8mi) and even took the Little Man on a 3.75 mile hike with a friend. He ran about 3/4 of a mile and then slept in the Ergo until we were nearly finished. Carrying a 32 lb sleeping human on your chest for close to an hour up steep hills in the hot sun (while walking backwards ;) jk) is not for the faint of heart but at least the Ergo made it possible. It is an amazing contraption and if you plan to have a kid in the near future I highly recommend it. Especially if you are active. My good friend still uses hers with her nearly 3 year old son. So $100 may seem steep but you can use it far longer than most of the other carriers.

In other news I'm watching my friend's son for a few hours for the next few weeks. It's kind of a job, but not really since I'm basically just making gas money ;) And I totally reserve the right to take this comment back but so far two 2 year-olds seem easier than 1. Oh, and I get to give one back after a few hours ;) There is a ton of extra energy but the boys keep each other occupied and wear themselves out. So it's not really a job because the benefit is mutual and much greater than money. I'm sure it will get old but for now it's perfect.

Now I'm off to enjoy the remainder of nap time, clean a bit, and get ready for a mother's day tea party I'm hosting tomorrow evening. Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Sad Day

RIP MCA

TMI

How To Not Crap Yourself On the Run

One of my favorite rowdy bloggers.

Increasing my Odds

Exercise: 5 mile tm run- 9:30 avg pace w/ negative splits and rolling hills

For me, running on the treadmill is so much easier than on the road. That being said I much prefer running outside for the scenery but when I just want to get a run done, can't beat the treadmill. I had fun playing with speed and incline and it was a pretty tough and sweaty run.

Even though I got a good amount of exercise today I don't feel as though my nutrition today has been on point an I was contemplating working out on the elliptical for a bit. Then I realized I was crazy because I'll be up in 8 hours to workout again. Since I started seriously considering baby #2 I also started thinking about how it was to be pregnant with Little Man. I had a very easy pregnancy, an average labor, but a less than ideal delivery. I feel like things went awry because of my pre-pregnancy weight, 211. Jeesh. There were some other issues but my weight was a constant concern throughout.

And it didn't help that I gained close to 50 pounds. Crazy! I lost all the baby weight and then some but it is very important that if I do get pregnant again I start at a healthy weight and gain a healthy amount. I'd also like to run through my pregnancy, or at least have the option to. I was told not to run last time because my doc was afraid for my joints with the added weight. I did walk 7 miles every day though.

It's hard to believe I gained so much weight while doing so much exercise. I have heard that some people just gain weight and lose it and my pregnancy weight disappeared pretty easily. But still. So along with losing a few pounds, my goal is 12 in 9 weeks (doable right?) I'm also laying off the booze and trying to eat more whole foods. Last time I didn't do anything special and got knocked up on the first try ;) So let's just hope I'm increasing my odds. Sorry if this is TMI, if you think this is bad I can happily direct you to some blogs that talk about way worse ;) The rowdy blogs are my favorite.

Hope you all have a great Friday. Happy almost weekend!

Plans Have DEFINITELY Changed

On Friday I received an email about the Bulldog 50k which seriously changed how I viewed the next few years of my life. Initially I was devastated but if there's anything I've learned from parenthood over the last 2 years it's the ability to adapt to change. (STILL LEARNING) 

I realized around this time last year that I wanted to try (and might actually be able) to run an ultra and a month after that found out about the Bulldog. I thought I might be able to run it last year but life proved otherwise and I was fine delaying my ultra to this year feeling that I'd be much more trained and ready. Today I am much better prepared to run longer distances and have done a few trail runs but know that I can definitely be ready for 50k (32m) by the end of August. But then I received the new 50k qualifying requirements.

NEW 50K QUALIFIER REQUIREMENT: Please submit one of the following:

(A) Official finisher at any previous 50K mountain trail run (give name/year/time), or .........

(B) Sub-4:00 finisher at any previous Bulldog 25k Trail Run (give year/time), or .........

(C) Sub-5:00 marathon finish within 12-months (give year/time)

A and B do not apply which means I would really have to hustle to accomplish C in time to register. I'd have to be able to pull a sub 5 this Sunday at the OC Marathon or in 2 weeks at the Pasadena Marathon. I think there's a good chance I could do sub 5 at Pasadena but I just don't want to. I don't think I want to do any big races anymore. I'm a RnR and LA Marathon veteran so I might feel comfortable doing established or organized races in the future but because I have a toddler and a husband with a crazy schedule the larger races and destination races are a logistical nightmare. 

The main issue is that I wanted to crush this goal this year. I didn't care about time, I just wanted to do it. To say I truly am Ultra Lauren! And why can't I hold off another year? Crush it next year? Because if Music Man and I choose to have another child I would like to do so before I'm 35. I know many parents are having children later these days but for my, and the baby's, safety I'd really want to be done with pregnancy before 35. It's also important to me that there isn't a huge gap in age of my children. Now if I can't get pregnant or something changes I'll be sad but I know I will eventually adapt. But children and family are so much more important than running an ultra marathon. So what I'm saying is, plans have definitely changed.

I still see an ultra in my future. Hello Bulldog 2014! ;) If I'm not pregnant in August I will definitely run the 25k. If I am pregnant, there's a good chance I'll still be able to run the 25k next year to qualify for 2014. 

So now I truly need to focus on nutrition and start seducing my husband ;)

Birthday Celebration

Exercise: 5 mile run- 9:42 avg pace

I got through the weekend! Little Man's birthday celebration was a lot of fun but also a ton of work. 

Totally looked like a carnival!

I spent Most of Friday and Saturday preparing food and crafts. I forgot to take a photo of the whole set up of food and stuff because it was really cute. If my parents have any pictures I'll post them. But I made these foam blocks to hold watermelon and pineapple "lollipops" (just balled fruit with lollipop sticks)

I also decided I needed a large #2 banner or balloon or something like that but it was already Saturday so I painted Little Man a 2 that decorated the snack table and now hangs above his bed.

The most work went into the cake which was a pretty complex operation, aka, disaster. It was tiered with multi colored frosting and colored cakes. One of the layers stuck to the pan and 1/2 was unusable and some pieces had to be "glued" with copious amounts of frosting. A friend told me that disaster cakes are the best because that means more frosting. Hello bright side. in the end it looked pretty cool and it tasted freakin' delicious. 

I was especially happy with how the inside looked. Pretty cute

A little car!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and a great rest of your week!