My 10 mile run and a new favorite running trail!

Today I decided to run on the Highline Canal trail for my long run.  I've been wanting to run on the trail ever since my husband and I ran there with our boys, but because it's not paved, it's been pretty much snow/ice covered and muddy.  However, we've had some warm days this week so I was banking on it being dry.  I'm so glad I decided to try it because it was awesome!  Here is a view of the trail from where I started.

It was around 55 degrees out so I was able to wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.  Woohoo!  The trail was beautiful and scattered with other runners, walkers, and mountain bikers.  I thought about how fun it would be next weekend for me to run while my husband pulled our boys in the burley with his mountain bike.  They have been asking to go on a "bike" ride for awhile now, so hopefully the weather will cooperate next week.  I was also imagining how beautiful this trail will be this spring/summer when the leaves bloom on the trees and the canal is actually running with water, not just filled with ice.  And, a great thing about the trail is that it goes for miles in both directions so I know this will be great for when I do my marathon training.  Oh...I can't wait to run on it again.  It is definitely my new favorite running trail!  :)

Here are the stats for my run:
Miles:  10
Time:  1:25:10
Pace:  8:31

Look at all that sweat on my visor....gross!  I do sweat like a pig though, so I'm not surprised. 

So, I absolutely love my Nathan handheld water bottle, but it only holds 16oz. and the front pouch is only big enough for some beans and bloks.  I haven't been running with my cell phone because of this, but my husband and I both feel that it would be better if I was able to bring it with me.  Plus, I think I would just feel safer knowing that help is just a phone call away.  Anyways, I went to my local running store yesterday and after doing lots of research and talking to some other runners, I decided to get the Nathan Speed 4 waist pack.  It has 4-10oz flasks and 2 pouches. 

Now I don't really like things around my waist, even a race belt drives me nuts, but this was super comfortable!  I liked the 40oz capacity and the fact that the two pouches will hold my nutrition, cell phone, key, and whatever else I may need.  Anyways, I got it and tried it out on my run today.  It took some adjusting in the beginning, but honestly, after awhile I didn't even feel it.  It was great.  Here's a picture of how I finally wore it.

 The small pouch and 2 bottles in the front and the big pouch and other 2 bottles in the back

I only used 2 of the 4 bottles, because I didn't need all 40 oz. so that's why one of the holders is empty.  The other filled bottle is in the back.  I loved having one pouch up front with my nutrition right at my fingertips, and my water/gatorade right there as well.  I was so impressed with this waist pack that I am planning on doing a Sunday Sampler post about it after I wear it a few more times.  Look for it in the future!  

I will see you tomorrow for a new Sunday Sampler post!  I hope you are all having a great weekend!  :)

Random facts take two - with pics!

I was tagged by Amber at Almost Vegan to list 10 random things about myself.  Since I already did that, I thought I'd put a different spin on it.  Here is a type of bucket list.  Now, I love my boys and could not imagine my life without them.  But, your goals and dreams kind of get put on hold once you have kids.  So, here is my "someday" list.

1.  Thru-hike the Appalachian trail.  I have ALWAYS wanted to do this.  I love hiking and backpacking, so this would be the ultimate adventure.  It takes an average of 6 months to hike the whole trail and takes probably a year of planning to make it work, but it would just be amazing.    

The small blue triangles are the 14ers

2.  Climb all the 14ers (Mountains above 14,000 feet) in Colorado.  I believe there are 53 mountains to hike and I've only climbed 3 of them. Like I said above, I love hiking and this would be another amazing adventure.

3.  Run in a race with my boys.  Not a kid's fun run, but a real race when they're older.  This would just be so awesome for me.

4.  Go on a bike tour in another country, like Sweden.  I think this would just be so much fun.

5.  Travel to another country.  I went to Greece for my older sister's wedding, but other than that, I haven't really had the means or opportunity to really travel outside the US.


O-kay, so I know this has been going around blogland for awhile now, so if you haven't done it, consider yourself tagged!  Have fun with it! :)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

The good:
My yoga class this week was amazing!  I am really starting to enjoy it more and more and look forward to it every week.  One thing I love about it is that it is different every time.  But, the hour long class is always equally challenging and completely relaxing.    
One pose/exercise we did this week was the frog pose.  It is tough and totally works your legs.  Here are some pics/info I got from http://www.anmolmehta.com/blog/2008/02/26/kundalini-yoga-exercise-legs/

 Beginning stance

Ending stance (although the yoga instructor makes us keep our ankles up off the floor)

Here's how you do it:

• Squat on the floor on your toes, with your feet apart and your heels either touching or very close together.
• Have your knees spread out and your arms inside your knees with your finger tips touching the floor.  The elbows are straight.
• Look up, you can have your eyes opened or closed.  Inhale.  This is the starting position for frog pose.
  
• Rise up now by straightening your legs.  At the same time bring your head towards your knees and keep your fingers touching the floor.  Straighten your legs as much as possible.  Exhale.  This is the ending position for frog pose.  This completes 1 repetition.
• Come back down to the starting position and repeat the cycle as many times as indicated.

She has us do 56 repetitions, or as many as we can.  She also has us do them as fast as we can, which makes it even harder.  The first time I did it about a month ago I couldn't do all 56, but now I can!  Woohoo!  Although, my legs are completely burning by the end!  

Here are some benefits I found from that same website:

• Shapes, tones and strengthens the legs and lower body.  Specially the thighs muscles. (This is a no brainer, but woohoo!)
• Builds the cardiovascular system and respiratory system.  Promoting better circulation and better respiration.
• Promotes flexibility in the hamstrings and calves.
• Builds sexual potency and virility.  (Really??  I'm sure my husband will be interested to learn about this...ha ha!)

The bad:

My 1/2 marathon plan called for a 40 minute tempo run today.  My husband was supposed to have a work mtg. this morning, but it got canceled so we loaded the boys up and went to the gym to workout.  Normally I run in the afternoons so I was excited to be able to get my run done in the AM.  

I was actually looking forward to challenging myself on my tempo run, but my body had different plans.  I started out at an easy 8:20 pace for 12 minutes (I know 12 min. is weird, but I wasn't paying attention and missed the 10min. mark!), then sped it up to a 7:35 pace.  I felt good running at this pace for the first 5 minutes, but after that I started feeling weird.  I kept going for another 5 minutes, then stopped to wipe the massive amount of sweat off my face/neck and get some water.  My heart was racing and I was breathing pretty hard.  I guess I shouldn't have stopped b/c all of a sudden I got really light headed and felt like I was going to faint.  I started picturing myself passing out (something I've done quite a bit in my life) and falling on a moving treadmill.  Not a pretty picture.  So, I decided to walk for a couple of minutes to get my heart rate down and see if the feeling would pass.  

I felt fine after a couple of minutes, so went at it again.  This time though, I ran at about a 7:45 pace.  I only lasted for another 5 minutes before I started to feel weird again. So again, I walked and drank more water.  The feeling passed and I decided to run the rest of the 40 minutes at my normal 8:20 pace.  Well, I only lasted another 5 minutes because I started getting running cramps behind my left ribs.  At this point I knew I had to stop.  Obviously my body was trying to tell me something.  

So, I didn't get in my 40 min. tempo.  In the end I did a 12min. wu, 15min. tempo (if it still counts with the walking breaks), and a 5 min. cool down for 32 minutes.  I guess I'm happy that I even made it over 30 min. considering how I felt.  

I think I can chalk this one up to being a little dehydrated.  Don't you think?  

The ugly:

For some reason, this toenail always turns black after my long runs.  And it has fallen off more times than I can count.  What is up with that?  Oh, and please ignore my 4th toe and pinky toe.  Who am I kidding, how can you ignore them?  It's pretty funny because whenever I get a pedicure (which isn't that often), the woman that does it is always amazed at how big my pinky toe nail is.  Really?  Is it really that big?  Don't answer that, I already know it is! :)

Humpastry Day - Blueberry Lemon Scones

Blueberry Lemon Scones

Okay, so you're probably sick of scones, but I had some blueberries and lemons that needed to be eaten and they were just screaming, "Make me into scones!"  :)  Again, I experimented with the coconut oil, but feel free to substitute butter if you'd like.

Ingredients:
Makes 8 scones

*  2C whole wheat pastry flour

*  1/2C oats

*  1Tbl. baking powder

*  1/4tsp. salt

*  1tsp. cinnamon

*  1/3C raw sugar

*  Zest of one lemon

*  1/2C coconut oil

*  1C blueberries

*  1/3C milk

*  1tsp. vanilla extract

*  Juice of half a lemon

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Combine all the dry ingredients from flour to lemon zest and mix well.

3.  With your fingers cut in the coconut oil until pea-sized bits form.  Be careful not to over mix.

4.  Fold in the blueberries.

5.  Mix the milk and vanilla extract together, then add it to the dry ingredients.  Mix with your hands until just combined, again being careful not to over mix.

6.  Put the dough onto a slightly floured surface and shape into a circle.

8.  Sprinkle some sugar on the top, squeeze some lemon juice from 1/2 the lemon on the circle, then sprinkle on a tad more sugar.

9.  Cut the circle into 8 wedges and place them on a cookie sheet or baking stone. 

10.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned.

Enjoy!

(Sorry for the lack of pictures, but for some reason every time I tried to upload one it failed.)

Projects and my 9 miler!

O-kay, so I'm totally blowing it with the Sunday Sampler posts.  I'm really sorry that I didn't get one out this weekend, but you'll soon see why.  My husband had a three day weekend, so we decided to get some house projects done.  We know that when the weather starts getting nicer that we will be out running, riding, or playing outside with our boys.  The last thing we want to do is be inside doing projects!  So, we took this weekend as our opportunity to get some things done.

First on our list:  Redo the tile on our kitchen floor.  We have lived in our house for almost 6 years and we have hated the tile from day one.  Now, there's nothing wrong with black and white tiles, but it's just not our style.  We would have replaced it sooner, but I think timing is everything when it comes to projects.  Redoing tile, especially in the kitchen, is a lot of work and takes several days to get a complete product.  Add two young kiddos to the mix and it makes it even more challenging.

Here are some pics of the demolition:

We dreaded ripping up the tile, but thankfully, the black and white tiles were pretty easy to get up b/c we soon realized the previous owners that installed them only used 2-3 blobs of GLUE to attach them to the floor.  Yes, you heard me right, they GLUED the tiles to the floor....what idiots!  No wonder the tiles were cracking!

Here's a pic of our boys "helping."  They wanted to be a part of the process so we let them use their little dust pans and brooms and pick up the scraps/dirt.  They had a blast and didn't feel left out.  

Oh, do you notice our refrigerator?  Yeah..it didn't fit through the door way, so we had to leave it in the kitchen while we demoed and put in the new tile.  Because of this, we had to do everything in steps which took even more time...uggh!  

A layer of red vinyl tiles were underneath the black and white tiles.  We guessed that this must have been installed in the 80's.  This was a pain in the a** to get up.  My husband and I had to get on our hands and knees and literally scrape the vinyl off using a hammer and a hand scraper!  It took us a LONG time, but we finally got it all up!  And what did we find underneath?

A lovely layer of linoleum that looks like rocks.  WHAT?  Who in their right mind would put in a floor in their kitchen that looks like rocks?  I called my mom and she said my grandma had it in her kitchen in the 70's and it was all the rage.  WOW!






Now, I grew up around the construction business because my dad is an amazing builder!  He can literally do everything when it comes to building, fixing, repairing, etc.  He is amazing!  Growing up, we were always going to the job sites with him, helping him as much as we could, and learning valuable things at the same time.  One thing he always taught us was that if you're going to do something, do it right the first time.  Obviously all of the previous owners cared less about that lesson!  We thought about taking the layer of linoleum off, but after talking to my dad, researching online, and thinking about how long it would take us to get it up, we decided to just leave it.  Unlike the previous owners that installed their tile on top of the linoleum, we put down an layer of hardibacker and screwed it into the floor to make a solid foundation.  We were finally ready to tile!  Here is the finished product:

Hooray for beautiful, new tiles and being able to use our kitchen again!  I cook dinner pretty much every night of the week, so being without a kitchen for 3 days was kind of rough.  At first I was excited about not having to plan meals and cook dinner, but by last night, we were all sick of eating out.  As crazy as this sounds, I am really looking forward to cooking dinner tonight! :)

Wait, you thought we were done?  Oh no.  Not only did we decide to tile the kitchen, but we also decided to repaint the dining room and living room.  I don't know about all of you, but after 6 years of the same colors on the walls, we were itching for a change.  So, while my husband did the tile work, I painted!

Now, for any of you that have ever painted before you know it's not as easy as just putting paint on the walls. You have to get everything prepped by removing all the stuff from the walls, taking off the outlet covers, and  taping certain areas.  It is a process in and of itself!  It took me a little over 2 hours to paint each coat (cutting in and rolling).  So, let's see: 2 hours X 2 coats each X 2 rooms = 8+ hours of painting!  Yikes!  Of course I didn't do it all in one day, but it took all weekend to get it done.  My shoulders and arms are killing me.  Who needs strength training when you can just paint?  Ha ha.

Our boys were so patient all weekend.  Remember when I said timing is everything?  Well, I don't think we could have gotten this done if they would have been younger.  Now that they are 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 they are more independent, which makes it really nice.  They played so well together, got to be outside "exploring," and had fun going to "special" lunch.  We call going out to eat "special" because it doesn't happen that often!  They probably watched a little too much t.v., but like I've said before, you gotta do what you gotta do.  

Oh, and in case you're wondering, I did get to do my 9 mile run on Saturday!  It was 56 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze.  It was perfect!  I decided to drive to Cherry Creek State Park and start on the trail there instead of running from my house b/c I wanted to explore more of the trail system.  I was excited to get off the  main trail and head into the trees, but I actually got really freaked out.  Once I left the main trail where there were tons of bikers, runners, and walkers, the isolation in the trees gave me a really eerie feeling.  I'm not quite sure why b/c usually I love running in the trees.  Maybe subconsciously I was thinking about that girl that went out for a run and never came back.  Maybe I was thinking that if something happened to me in the trees, no one would know where I was.  Plus, my Garmin kept losing the signal and I had to keep stopping to walk around mud, snow, and water...it was pretty gross!  Anyways, I booked it out of there, got back on the main trail, and continued with my run.  I ended up doing an out and back (minus the tree trail), and the way back was a slight, but noticeable uphill all the way back.  By mile 7 I could really feel it in my legs and calves, but I kept on and finished strong.  Here were my stats:
Miles: 9.06     Total Time: 1:20:29     Pace (with stopping for mud and Garmin glitches): 8:52/mile

Notice the white sweat marks on my visor....gross!  

And after a long hot shower, these were waiting for me:

Chocolate milk and my Zoot recover tights!  

Oh, and some more painting of course! :)  

Great end to a great week!

This has been an awesome week for me!  I know I've been wishing for spring to come soon, but I don't think I realized just how much I have missed the sunshine and warm weather.  I don't know how people can live in places where it rains more often than not.  For me, sunshine really has a way of uplifting my mood and outlook on things.  Plus, my boys LOVE to play outside, so it was a great week for them too.  Not to mention the fact that when they get to play outside I have a little bit more "me" time.  Ahhh...spring!

This past weekend, my throat started to get sore and feel like there was an apple lodged inside.  It was painful to swallow, and when I started coughing, visions of my 3+ weeks with bronchitis popped into my head.  I really did not want to get that again.  I hadn't been sleeping well, so I decided to skip my 4:30AM swim on Monday and let my body rest.  It was a good call because on Tuesday I was feeling much better and my sore throat seemed to literally disappear over night.  Hooray!

So, I got up early for my swim on Wednesday.  Now usually when I go into the locker room I can hear people swimming in the pool, but I did not hear a sound.  Could the pool actually be empty?  I was so excited because I really don't like sharing a lane.  When I walked into the pool area however, I was surprised to find an older lady swimming very slowly in one of the lanes.  She was alternating freestyle and breastroke and it was the weirdest thing because she did not make a sound.  I started swimming and really tried to focus on my form.  It felt really good to be swimming and I felt fast like a fish.  I love swim workouts that make me feel like a fish!  Oh, and I never did end up having to share a lane!  Woohoo for a great swim all around! :)

The weather continued to be beautiful, so I was able to do my speed workout outside on the elementary school track by my house.  I packed a bag of sand toys and balls for the boys to play with in the sand pit, grabbed a blanket for them to sit on, made them a "super dooper" snack, got all my gear ready, and headed to the track.  It was awesome to actually be able to run outside without tons of layers, gloves, and a hat on!  My plan called for 6x400 repeats and I told myself I would just see how I felt and decide if I would do all 6 or not.  But again, like my swim, I felt fast!  The speed came easily and I was able to recover faster after my 400s then I had in the past.  I can really tell that my training is paying off.  Here are my splits:
wu 800 - 4:07
ms 400 - 1:34 (6:15/M)        
     400 - 1:34
     400 - 1:34
     400 - 1:33
     400 - 1:34
     400 - 1:34
cd 800 - 3:54 (7:50/M)

After every 400 I would look at my time and at first I thought something was wrong with my Garmin, but there wasn't.  Don't you think it's weird that my times are pretty much the same?  I'm all for being consistent, but how weird is that?   Does that ever happen to you?

Anyways, I actually had a blast doing this workout.  My boys played really well together and even cheered me on.  And when I started each lap, they would actually say, "Ready, set, gooooooo!"  It was so cute! :)  Oh, and the best part was when they wanted to show me how fast they could run on the long jump track.  They would run down and back and I would cheer them on and give them big high fives when they finished.  It was awesome.

Here I am, happy and sweaty after my workout!











Another reason this was such a great week is because I actually won a blog giveaway from Iron Dreams.  I won some TriSwim shots and Foggle Towelettes!  Woohoo!  Hopefully it will help with the constant chlorine smell in my hair! :)

Oh, and guess what came out in the stores for Easter?  Cadbury eggs!  Yum, yum, yum!  My husband absolutely hates these things, but I love them!  I figure since they only come out once a year I can eat them...right?

And the great end to my great week is the fact that tomorrow is going to be 55 degrees.  Perfect for my 9 mile run!  And, it's supposed to be 59 on Sunday.  My husband already called dibs on going for a long bike ride Sunday, but I may just have to sneak one in myself!  :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!

10 Random Things

I was recently tagged by Amanda at Rockstar Rants to list 10 random things about me.  So here they are! :)


10 Random Things:
1.  I love flowers.  All kinds and all colors, but I especially love wildflowers.  You know, the ones that you just happen to come across while out on a hike...those are the most beautiful.  And, I love when my husband surprises me with a bouquet of flowers for no reason at all.  I also love planting flowers all around our house in the spring.  Once Mother's Day hits (this is usually when we're all clear of frost warnings) we are all about going to a nursery and buying wagon loads of flowers to plant.

2.  I used to run cross country in high school.  I absolutely loved it!  Every once in awhile I'll be at the park with my boys and the high school cross country team comes running by.  It really makes me miss it.  It was such a fun time in my life.  Someday I want to coach a girl's cross country team.  That would be so awesome!

3.   I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  So much so that sometimes when I'm really having a sweet tooth I will get the bag of chocolate chips, the peanut butter, and a spoon and dig in!  Yummmm!

4.  I am the type of person that has a really hard time warming up once I get chilled.  And, although my husband teases me about always being cold, he surprised me one day with an electric blanket.  It is awesome!  So now, in the winter time, I sleep with the electric blanket underneath my sheet and it keeps me nice and toasty all night long!

5.  I love to read.  I constantly have a pile of books and magazines on my nightstand.

6.  I am and have always been very self conscious about my body.  I know a lot of girls are, but you would think that I would be over it by now considering I'm 33 years old and I've had two kids (hello...giving birth leaves no room for self consciousness)!  But, it's frustrating because it limits me in so many ways.

7.  I am a teacher, but have traded that in to be a stay at home mom to my two boys.  They are everything to me and I have enjoyed being with them in their early years.  Some days are definitely better than others, and it does get hard sometimes.  But, I love it and I feel very fortunate every day that I am able to do it.

8.  I love poetry.  I have lots of poetry books that I have collected over the years.  When my husband and I first started dating he would write me little poems.  That's one of the things that attracted me to him.  I've saved them all and will always cherish them.  

9.  I have two sisters, one older and one younger.  I am only 1yr. apart from my younger sister and have always been pretty close with  her, but I love both of my sisters very much (even though  my older sister may not realize it).

10.  I am originally from a small town in Kansas called Dodge City.  The city has changed quite a bit since we moved from there (I was still in elementary school).  My grandparents were farmers and we basically grew up around cows, wheat, and tractors.  My sisters, cousins, and I would always play around the farm while the grown-ups did who knows what?  As a parent now, I can imagine how nice that must have been for the grown-ups.  The kids were all out playing for hours on end and they got to have "adult" time indoors!  My grandparents have both passed away and the farm has new, young owners just starting their life, but I will always hold the memories of the farm near and dear to my heart.


Alrighty, there you have it!  I'm going to tag six of you that may not have been tagged before.  Have fun! :)

*  DRog - DR: TRI'ing 4 Iron
*  Heidi - TriAngle
* Teresa - Tri-A-Licious
*  Jon - SwiCycloRun
* Velma - Running with Boys
* MissZippy - I couldn't have said it better