A week in review and other things too

Training:
*  I have one last long run, my 20 miler, this weekend before I start my taper for my marathon!  I am actually looking forward to running it this weekend.  I hope it goes well because I'm starting to get a little nervous about the 26.2 miles I have to do in 17 days!  Yikes!

*  After my marathon, I am looking at doing some sort of tri winter maintenance plan.  I did one last year from beginnertriathlete.com that I really liked, so I may do that again or look for something different.  Do any of you do some sort of maintenance plan over the winter?  If so, what do you do?

*  I'm still doing my weekly yoga class.  The instructor started offering a Monday night class at 6:30 that I'm trying to get my husband to go to with me.  He's been wanting to do more yoga, and we tried some DVDs, but they weren't the best.  So, this would be great because we could drop our boys off at Kids' Club and do the class together.  We're going to try for this Monday.  I'll let you know if it happens!


Other Things Too:

So, I can't figure out how to embed this in my blog, so here is the link to get to the good stuff! :)

*  GU has a new flavor!  It's called Island Nectars and it's supposed to be delicious!  If you'd like to try it out, they are giving away a FREE 6 pack with any purchase at guenergy.com!  Woohoo!  You can click the link above to get the promo code!  

*  I am now officially a RRCA certified coach!  Woohoo!  I passed the test and the CPR/First Aid class/test and submitted all of my materials!  Now, I just have to wait 2-4 weeks to be up on the RRCA site...ugh! 

*  My youngest started preschool this year and we decided to put him in 3 days a week.  It's been a rough transition for him and he cries every time I drop him off.  While this is heart wrenching for me, his teacher always assures me that he's fine and playing within 5 minutes of me leaving.  Plus, when I pick him up he is always happy and tells me about how much fun he had during the day.  I just hope that the crying stops soon because it really is hard to just hand him off and walk away. :( 

On the days that he's home though, we've been having lots of fun!  This is one of my favorite pictures of us just being silly in some $1 wigs I bought at Target.  

   

I hope you all have a great weekend! :) 

Humpastry Day - Peanut Butter Blondies

Peanut Butter Blondies

Amber at Almost Vegan (Even if you're not vegan, you should check out her blog because she posts some of the most delicious recipes! Yum!) did a post for her White Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondies (here) and  put out the challenge for other people to make them.  They looked and sounded absolutely delicious, so of course I wanted to make them!  I asked her if she would be alright with me posting them on my blog, and she said yes! Yay! I made a couple of substitutions, but I have no doubt that the original recipe is delicious.  That being said, mine turned out soooo good!  So good in fact, that last night after dinner, none of us could eat only one of these.  We all had two, and believe me, I wanted more!


Ingredients:
Makes 16 bars

*  3.5oz white chocolate
*  6Tbl. creamy natural peanut butter
*  2Tbl. coconut oil
*  2 Flax eggs (2 Tbl. ground flaxseed mixed with 6Tbl. warm water)
*  1/2C raw sugar 
*  1/2C brown sugar 
*  2tsp. vanilla extract
*  1/2C whole wheat pastry flour
*  1/2C all purpose flour
*  1/2tsp. baking powder
*  1/4tsp. baking soda
*  1/2tsp. sea salt
*  1/2C chocolate chips/chunks (I thought I bought regular choco chips, but I just had mini...they still worked though!)


Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9" square pan (or 8" pan).
2.  In a large bowl, mix the ground flax with the warm water, and set aside, allowing it to thicken.
3.  In a small saucepan, combine the white chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut oil.
4.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is mostly melted.  Set aside to cool.
5.  Take the bowl with the flax eggs and whisk in the sugar and vanilla.
6.  Add the cooled white chocolate peanut butter mixture and whisk to combine.
7.  Sift in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
8.  Fold in the flours until almost, but not quite combined.
9.  Add in the chocolate chips and stir until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix!
10.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 22-25minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

11.  Let cool, then cut into 16 bars.
12.  Enjoy!  Oh, and I bet you can't eat just one! :)

HELP-Opinions needed!

* Warning - this post is a little gross!
So, I've been sidelined a little bit.  You see, I have this crazy toe on my right foot that always bothers me after I run.  It is always sore to the touch after I run and is usually some shade of black and blue.  After my 18 mile run last week my toe was super sore.  Then, on Friday, I was walking behind my son when he stopped short in front of me.  I was wearing flip flops and somehow, my toenail got stuck on the back of his shoe and got pulled off a little bit.  OMG...I have never felt pain like that before!  It immediately started bleeding and I quickly put a band aid on it to help control the bleeding.  Friday night, my toe swelled up quite a bit and was throbbing with pain.  I took some Ibuprofen and was able to control the pain a little bit.

Fast forward to today.  This is what my toe looks like now.

 It is totally swollen and there is so much pressure behind the nail and on the nail bed.  Every once in awhile it oozes, which is really gross.  It hurts ALL of the time whether I am standing, walking, or sitting on the couch with my feet rested on a pillow.  

I asked my husband what he would do if a patient with my toe problem came to see him.  He basically said that I have two options.  1) Leave it be and let the nail fall off naturally, which it definitely will do eventually, but who knows how long it will take.  However, there is a risk of infection, and there is a chance that it could get caught on something again and ripped off.  OR 2) Numb the toe and have the nail removed.  This will stop the pressure and the swelling. We actually have all the stuff needed to do this at our house, so my husband could do it tomorrow if I wanted.  But, I'm scared.  

Here is where I need your help and opinions!  What would you do?  What should I do?  
Which choice do you think would have the fastest healing time?  Have any of you been in a similar situation?

I am kind of freaking out because I know I will not be able to run long with this toe problem and my marathon is in 3 weeks! I actually tried to run on it today and it was extremely painful.  And, because I was trying to avoid the toe pain, it was changing my running form which started hurting my left knee.  Ugh!!


HELP!! What should I do???

A week in review and other random things too!

Training:
* So training this week has been great!  I did my long 18 miler, and survived, which made me very happy!  I'm thinking about doing my 20 miler next Sunday (Oct. 3rd), which would be 11 days after my 18 miler.  I don't know when else I could do it and still get in a good taper for the marathon on the 17th.  For those of you who have done a marathon, is this a good plan of attack?  I feel like I need to get the 20 miler in, but I don't want to do it if I can't recover enough for it to do well in the marathon.  Does that make sense?  Ugh...being sidelined by sickness just screws everything up!

*  I had an amazing yoga class yesterday.  It involved a lot of stretching and moves that really helped with my piriformis.  It was almost as if she was catering the workout to me...:)

* I found a new masters swim class that I think I'm going to like a lot better than the one I was going to at 24 hour fitness.  It is put on by Swim Labs, the same company I went to for the video stroke analysis.  The coach actually helped me with my stroke and told me things I could do to improve.  Plus, it was a lot less intimidating than the other one and I just felt more comfortable there.  I know I shouldn't care about how the other swimmers are doing, but it's hard being the slowest one in a class.  Mentally, I just need a change from that.  I really want to focus on my swimming during the off season, so I think this will be good for me.

Other things too:

 *  So, I broke down and bought a pair of CEP Running Progressive Compression socks.  I love my Zoot compression tights, so I thought I would try these too.  I first wore them after my Naked Foot 5k.  My calves were a little sore from running in my VFF Bikilas, and these were awesome! I've since worn them several times after some runs, and I really like how they feel.  They are a little difficult to get on at first, but once they're on they feel great.  The compression is not too tight or too loose, which is nice.  I am planning on wearing them during a 10M run next week to see how they are during running.  If they work well, I may be wearing them for my marathon.  Do any of your have compression socks?  If so, how do you like them?  Have you ever worn them for a long run/marathon? 


*  I volunteered in my son's kindergarten class this week for a couple of hours and it was awesome.  I know a lot of moms and dads don't ever get that opportunity, so I feel very lucky to be able to do it.  It was so cute to see the little kindergartners working away, but boy does the teacher have her hands full!  I taught 3, 4, and 5th grade before being a SAHM, and I gotta tell you I would NOT want to teach kindergarten!  There were some kiddos in there that have never even been to preschool and were just completely clueless about everything.  Then, there were others that were kind of bored because they are already ahead of what they are expected to know by the end of the year.  Crazy, crazy!

Some Randomness:
*  The awesome Beth at Shut Up and Run! tagged me to post 10 random things about myself! Thanks, Beth! :)  So, here they are:

1.  In college I got a degree in Exercise Physiology before getting a degree in Education.  I graduated, and then decided that what I really wanted to do was be a teacher.  Two years later, I graduated again with an Education degree.  I love being a teacher, but what I would really love to do is be a high school running coach.  Then, I could put both of my degrees to use at the same time!  I would LOVE it!

2.  I have never broken a bone (knock on wood!).

3.  I had a red Jeep Wrangler in high school/college and ended up having to sell it.  I loved that thing.  I know it's not a very practical vehicle, but if I could, I would buy another one in a heartbeat!

4.  Moths freak me out.  They fly so sporadically and you never know where they're going to go.  Plus, they like to "hide" in the weirdest places like in the curtains, between the glass and screen door, and they love our garage door!  We get a lot of moths here in CO and I'm always asking my husband to catch them and throw them back outside.

5.  If I could, and I knew that I wouldn't gain a bazillion pounds, I would bake something every day of the week!  There's just something about the process of baking something and the smells that fill the air that I just love.

6.  I've said this in the past, but one of my dreams is to through hike the Appalachian trail.  I WILL do it someday!

7.  Because my dad owned his own construction business when I was growing up, I probably know more about tools and building things then most men (no offense guys!).  It is hilarious when I walk into Home Depot and the guys working there automatically assume I know nothing.  Then, once I start talking to them, I can actually see and hear a shift in the way they look at me and talk to me.  I love having all of the knowledge that I do, and I have my awesome mom and dad to thank for it!

8.  I am an organizational freak!  Seriously, you should see my cabinets.  Almost everything has it's own little labeled bin/container.  It just makes life sooo much easier when things are organized!

9.  I love finding ways to use what I have in my fridge, freezer, and cabinets to create something for lunch or dinner.  I do this because I really don't like to waste food, and it saves money, but really, it just allows me NOT to have to make a trip to the grocery store! :)

10.  I love wearing jeans, and would probably wear them every day if I could.  But, I have a really hard time finding ones that fit me well.  I have "runner's thighs" and a thin waste, so when I find ones that fit my legs/butt, they are huge in the waist and vice versa.  I swear the next time I find a pair of jeans that I love, I'm going to buy 5 pairs of them, just so I never have to shop for jeans again!

Alrighty, I liked how Beth choose people to tag, so I'm going to steal copy her idea!  I'm going to tag the first 5 people that commented on my last post!
1. Running, Tri-ing and Living
2.  Caratunk Girl
3.  Forward Foot Strides
4.  The Road (A Multisport Blog)
5.  Chiu On This

*  I hope you all have a great weekend!  I know there are some of you racing, so good luck to you!  

18 Miles Done and an Ice Bath!

The 18 Miler:
I was supposed to do this run last week, but because I was sick, I decided to rest and get well before tackling it.  I would rather take 5 days off to get better, then run through it and end up getting even more sick.  I did that in January and ended up with nasty bronchitis that would put me in coughing fits lasting over 20 minutes after trying to workout!  It was horrible!  Let's just say I learned my lesson!

I dropped my boys off at school, came back home, got everything loaded into the car, and headed to my favorite place to run long, the Highline Canal.  The weather was in the mid 60s, so it was perfect!  I wore my Nathan Speed 4 belt, which carried ~40oz. of liquid.  When it's warmer out, this is no way enough liquid to get me through 18 miles, but because it was cooler, I didn't know what I would need.  So, my plan was to park in the middle of the trail system and do an out and back to the north, then an out and back to the south.  That way I could stop at my car to refill my bottles if I needed to.

I really wanted to focus on staying at the right pace for this run, around 9:30, especially since it was the longest I have ever run and I was sick last week.  I definitely did not want to push the pace.  In the past I always found it difficult to run "slow" for my long runs.  For some reason, I would always try and run just below the pace I was supposed to.  I think in my mind, I was trying to "beat" myself, which is absurd!  After taking the RRCA class, I really understood the importance of the long, slow run and why we run it at a particular pace.  Having that mindset really helped and I found myself running pretty close to where I needed to be!

The Highline canal was absolutely beautiful.  The majority of the trees were already changing colors and because there was a breeze, leaves were falling from the trees as I ran.  And, it even smelled like fall.  The kind of musty, damp smell associated with leaves and rain.  It was awesome!

My piriformis on my left side was bothering me a little bit over the last month which was leading to some knee pain.  I decided to finally get another sports massage to see if it would help and the lady was AWESOME!  She knew exactly where to push and massage to get it feeling better.  I was really worried about it hurting during my run, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all!  I was so happy!

Around mile 13, I started getting kind of bored and it was getting mentally difficult to keep running.  I tried not to focus on how many more miles I had to run, but just to enjoy being outside on such a beautiful day.  That worked for about a mile...ha ha!  The way my route was planned, I passed by my car at the 15.5M mark.  That was tough to run past knowing I still had 2.5 miles to go.  I was so tired and my legs were feeling pretty fatigued.  I could definitely feel the effects of being sick for a week!  I just kept telling myself, "You can do it, you can do it."  I ran until the 17mile mark, then turned around to head back to my car.  That last mile felt sooo slow.  I would look at my Garmin and I would be at 17.3, then I would look again, hoping to be almost done, only for it to show 17.4...ugh!  Finally, I hit the 18M mark!!  I actually put my hands in the air and shouted, "Yay, you did it!"  I'm glad no one else was around, because I'm sure I looked pretty silly!  I finished my 18miles in 2:48 for a 9:20 avg. pace, which is pretty close to the 9:30 I was shooting for!  

  

The Ice Bath:
I came home, and decided it was time to take my first ice bath!  Now, I don't tolerate cold very well, but I was actually excited about it.  I made a cup of hot chocolate milk, put on my tri shorts, a long sleeved sweatshirt, and headed to the bath.

Can I just say, "Brrrrrrrr!"  It was soooo cold!  I was shivering and my teeth were chattering.  Yes, I am still wearing my Smartwool socks, but I thought that if I didn't my toes would freeze off!  If you look closely, you can see the goosebumps on my legs!  In all honesty, the ice bath felt awesome and almost rejuvenating!  I think it will definitely be something I try to do after all of my long runs from this point on.

 My warm, fuzzy sweatshirt and hot chocolate milk were wonderful!  Thank god for the little morsels of warmth they provided! :)

After my bath, I took a quick shower and slipped into these:

I LOVE my Zoot compression tights!!














Then, I feasted on a big bowl of yogurt, fruit, and homemade granola!  YUM!

Overall, I am really happy with how my long run went.  I felt like I kept a pretty steady pace and my nutrition worked perfectly.  I had 3 gels (at 5, 10, & 15M), and drank water and NUUN.  I didn't have any stomach issues at all, which was awesome!  I'm going to have to figure out when to run my last long run, a 20 miler, before starting my taper.  With only 3 weeks before the race, the timing is pretty tricky.  Any suggestions??

Back into the swing of things

These last two weeks have been a crazy combination of my youngest being really sick, crazy school schedules, me being sick, our internet not working, and a RRCA certification class!  For the last two weeks, I seriously felt like I had a newborn again.  With my youngest getting up 3-4 times a night, and then me not being able to sleep because of some stupid head cold, I have just been exhausted.  But, things seem to be coming back to normal and our family is slowly getting back into the swing of things.

I feel like I have so much to talk about, but the thing I'm the most excited about is the class I went to this weekend.  I decided to get my RRCA certification and they had a class in Denver-yay!  My husband got to spend 2 whole days with the boys by himself, which was quite a change for my boys.  I think it was good for them to have some "daddy" time, and I also think it was good for my husband to get some "son" time too without me around.

I really enjoyed the class, not only for the information that I learned, but for the contacts I made with other local runners.  It was nice to be in a class where everyone there was an athlete.  During the breaks we would share stories and get advice from each other.  It was great!

I also feel like I learned a lot about training and training plans.  Yes, some of it was basic and pretty self-explanatory, but there was some information that made me have some "ah-ha" moments.  When I was deciding which marathon training plan to follow, I looked at all of my options online and then picked the one that I thought would best fit into my life and schedule.  I didn't really research the plan to figure out why I was running certain things or doing runs at certain paces.  I know there are a lot of different philosophies on running, but what I learned from this class really made sense to me.

I still have to take a test and complete my CPR/First Aid class, but I am excited to become officially certified so I can use what I learned to help others become better runners.  My first victim client is going to be my husband.  We both signed up for the P.F. Chang's Rock-n-Roll marathon in January (it will be his first!) and I am designing a training plan for him.  I'm really excited about it, but I'm not sure how my husband really feels about it...ha ha!  I'll also be creating a training plan for myself, so it should be fun.

On a side note, it is AMAZING how many blog posts I have missed!  I am trying to get caught up, but some I'm just going to have to let go.  :(

I hope you are all having a good week!  I CANNOT believe that today is the last day of summer!  Where did the time go?

Humpastry Day - Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

I came across a recipe for baked oatmeal on allrecipes.com and thought it sounded very interesting.  I love making the traditional oatmeal in our zojirushi cooker (best appliance EVER!), but let's face it, it takes quite a bit of time.  I love oatmeal, and although fall is quickly approaching, sometimes I'm just not in the mood for something hot and steamy (get your minds out of the gutter!) when it's not cold out.  So, with a few healthy tweaks in the recipe, I decided to give this a try.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the result.  You can see from the picture above that it kind of bakes into a type of oatmeal bar.  It is soft and moist and is actually good eaten as is, but it would also be a great snack for during the day.  But, for breakfast, we decided to heat it in the microwave (~45sec) with some milk, raisins, and bananas.  Yum, yum, yum!  Everyone loved it and my boys ate every last bit of it in their bowls!  It was a nice change from traditional oatmeal and I will definitely be making it again!

Ingredients:

Makes about 8 servings

* 3C rolled oats

*  1/2C brown sugar

*  2tsp. cinnamon

*  2tsp. baking powder

*  1tsp. salt

*  1C Soymilk

*  2 flax eggs (3Tbl. flax mixed with 6Tbl. water)

*  1/2C applesauce

*  2tsp. vanilla extract

* 1C frozen blueberries **Note: you could use just about any fruit (frozen, fresh, or dried) instead of blueberries.  Next time I'm thinking about using diced apples...yum!

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

3.  Mix in the milk, applesauce, flax eggs, and vanilla.

4.  Stir in the blueberries.

5.  Spread into a 9x13" baking dish.

6.  Bake for ~30 minutes.

7.  Enjoy!