Busy is as busy does.

RUNS: Hooray for drugs! I say that in the most legal way. My new meds seem to be doing their job. I am hesitant to say that but I have been running the same two trail routes trying to gauge how I am feeling now and checking out my paces vs. effort. I think the meds might need to be adjusted a bit yet but I am noticing a HUGE improvement. More so then when I was put on my inhaled steroid in the spring.

Just tonight I ran trail #3 at Lake Redman, which is only about 3.5miles, because I've been sick and just wanted to do a short easy run with Rik. I ran nice and easy. Then when I checked the 'ol Garmin when I was done I noted the pace to be quite fantastic (for me)!

I think I will give it the weekend yet before I call the doc with an update though.

Lake Redman

EATS: I've tried making some new foods this week. I was inspired by my success of eggplant hummus that I decided to try my hand at some other goodies. Now mind you, I am old school in the kitchen so I am kind of limited. I dont have a blender or mixer or any of the other gadgets. My momma taught me to use spoons and my hands. But I do have a food processor for the heavy duty things...such as trying to make a Nutella like spread for my guys. They really like Nutella but I wanted to try something a little bit healthier and cheaper!

Yep. It is in the empty real nutella container. They must like it because it is half gone already! And then for me, I made a peanut butter spread for my apples, celery, etc. Very good stuff! Healthier AND cheaper too!

Nutty Spread

A couple of other dinners this past week or so include...

Spicy Spaghetti Squash

Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

Noodles & Company

It was the first time we were ever at Noodles & Company so we got two dishes to split and try. The Indonesian Peanut Saute was way to spicy for me. I guess when there is two chili peepers beside the meal on the menu, it does indeed mean it is spicy! But I did love the udon noodles in the Japanese Pan Noodles.

Life has been busy with Colton going back to college. Dakota starting back to school. Family in town for my grandfathers 80th birthday party. Now things will wind down for fall and hopefully that means the temps will also chill a bit so that I can enjoy my upcoming longer runs.

Peace

Monday is a funday!

RUNS: 5miles around the lakes. Felt great even though my pace was still slow. It seemed like alot of butterflies out today! Atleast three of them ran with me for a bit and I almost caught one in my hand when I reached up to wipe some sweat on my face. I ended up just batting it. How awesome and tranquil out on the  trails today. I really wish I had had my camera.

I wore my headphones today too. I usually save the music for the road runs but decided to take them out on the run today. I now have the bright idea that I am going to wear them more frequently to drown out my breathing! I think my runs are better when I cant hear my breathing. It seems like my RPE is lower as well. I dont know...just the latest thing I am going to try.

EATS: Breakfast was a Vanilla Pear Muffin that I made yesterday.

Breakfast

Dinner was a wrap made on a Lavash Flat Bread. Rik cooked up some Trader Joes Vegetable Masala Burgers. Breaking them up as the cooked. Then added the Broccoli slaw for the last couple of minutes just to soften them. Meanwhile we put a whole bunch of my homemade Eggplant Hummus on the flat bread. Added the burger and slaw mix. Roll up. Eat and enjoy! Rik added Sriracha Sauce to his but mine was fine without. I just added some watermelon on the side!

Dinner ingredients

Good Eats

Lunch tonight is pretty simple. Amande yogurt with muesli. Peach. Carrots & dip. Black Bean Brownie for dessert.

Lunch

On the Rocks Trail Run Race Report

RUNS: Rocky Ridge "On the Rocks Trail Run" was on Saturday morning.
How cool is it to run a race so close to home. On your home turf even. Thats what I got to do this past Saturday morning! I ran the 8mile loop last year and this year they increased the distance to 15k/30k. I decided early on that I wanted to do the 30k. But the fact was that I run up there so much and run the course so much that several days before the race I decided to do just the 15k instead.

We actually met a group at the park several days before the race to help mark it and found out that we would for sure be running the course backwards this year. This is a tough course with lots of hills and rocks. The 15k had about 1500ft elevation. I made the right choice to change to the 15k.

Race day morning was nice. We were able to get up a little bit later since we only had about a 10 min drive. We actually got there only a half hour before the start which is late for us. But we checked in, got our bibs, said hello to a bunch of familiar faces and made our way to the start!

Race got started right on time and we were off! This year the run starts with a gnarly downhill that has LOTS of loose rocks and sketchy footing. Great way to wake up the quads! Once we got to the bottom we could start the real running. Oh wait, nope, now its time for an uphill. That was pretty much how the first three miles were. More uphill then down it seemed.

The next three miles were much more enjoyable/runnable for me except for an out and back that was actually a down and up. Run down the steep hill. Stop about 3/4 of the way down. Turn around and come back up! One girl headed down stopped in her tracks and asked her friend if it was even worth it. Her friend assured her it was! Other then that hill I felt like I was cruising along much of the time. We had a nice group of 3-4 of us during this stretch and we were jockeying back and forth positions but we basically ran together this part. It was kind of nice to actually be running with other people like that.

The last three miles were more hills and rocks. More loose footing. Again, it felt like I was moving more uphill then down. How does that happen?! During this point the one girl took off from the rest of us. I tried to keep up but couldnt. And eventually had to slow back down. Sue then caught back up to me. But my legs were spent. I let her pass me on the last big uphill. I walked to the top and ended up doing a run/walk the last 1/2 mile to the finish.

I was done. I am again glad that I only did the one loop. I gave it all I had that day. The weather was perfect. It was a GREAT RACE! Lots of FUN with friends!!

Looking back at my time from last year I see that my pace was almost exactly the same. It was much hotter and humid last year and it was my first race back from injury. I think I remember the effort being about the same. So Im not sure how I feel about it. I feel like I should have had a better race with all of the running I have been doing. I have so much more experience now. But also know that I have been dealing with some minor health issues, maybe it all balances out. I know I need to reevaluate some things....

EATS: Just some quick pictures of some of my eats this week!
Love Brussels sprouts now that I have discovered shredding them! They even make a great base for a salad.

Brussels Sprout Salad

Lunch

Another night I wasnt feeling good. Rik started the fries and we were going to have veggie burgers with them but I opted to have just some fries. Then took a 2hr nap. Woke up feeling a bit better and hungry. So I baked up some more fries. Yes, two servings of fries for dinner!

Dinner!

Do you remember slushies from when you were a kid? We stopped in at the local convenience store and I saw someone in line with one and just HAD to have one! Not to mention my friend had one the other week after our long run and I was jealous. It has been years and it was everything I remembered them being.

Coke & Cherry MIXED Slushy

Something new to me is this spring roll from Wegmans. I was so looking forward to some BBQ tofu when we went to Wegmans the other day. But we went to a different one then we usually do and they had a much small selection of ready to eat foods. And their BBQ tofu was chopped up and in the cold bar and not a hot bar! Yuck! So I looked around and finally settled on trying something new. Spring rolls with Sweet chili sauce. It was so good! The sauce made the rolls. They were delish.

Spring Rolls & Sweet Chili Sauce

The last thing I want to tell you about is my first ever batch of homemade hummus! I LOVE hummus and eat it often but have never made it before. I know it is cheaper to make your own. But I really love the different varieties I get from Trader Joes and was ok paying the price. Until they didnt have the Eggplant Hummus. For weeks, maybe months, they didnt have it. I couldnt find it anywhere. So that was finally incentive enough for me to try to make it myself. I followed this recipe but left out the oil and added some spices.
It was so quick. And easy. And CHEAP!! Best of all...it tastes AWESOME!! I almost couldnt believe it.

Eggplant Hummus

Chocolate is Good

RUNS: Rest Day. The quads are pretty sore today. I actually think it is from the Rail Trail rather then the Conestoga Trail but who knows. Its more likely the combination of the two! I've been rolling and stretching and will do a short run tomorrow :-)

EATS: No running days leave me with time to bake cookies, muffins, granola, etc. Whatever kind of goodies for the week that sound good. Speaking of goodies...how about some chocolate?! I can get my family to eat anything if I add some chocolate or peanut butter. So over the weekend I made some Baked Chocolate Lentils to add to yogurt and oats in place of the traditional granolas and Muesli. I just soaked the dried lentils in chocolate soy milk for a couple of hours and then mixed them with some chocolate chips and baked until the dried out. Let them cool and stored in a jar. I finally had some today for breakfast over my vanilla amande yogurt  and it was good! A little more chewy then I expected but I will definitely be having it again.

Breakfast

Dinner was a quick whip up of a Green bean Skillet Casserole. Cooked up some green beans, mushrooms, chickpeas, onions, and garlic in some veggie broth. Then added almond milk, cornstarch, and spices for the sauce. Let that thicken and serve with bread crumbs sprinkled on top.

Green Bean Skillet Casserole

w/breadcrumbs

For dessert I had a couple of the Snickerdoodle Cookies that I made earlier today. For some reason I decided to smash them down with a fork which gave them a look of peanut butter cookies! Haha, maybe a subliminal message as to what to make next?! Trust me...they are all Snickerdoodle tasting. I made sure.

Snack

Actually, before I had my snack I packed up my lunch for work tonight. Hummus. Carrots. Pita chips. Orange. And a Chocolate Zucchini Walnut Muffin.

Lunch

Rather excited for tomorrow because I have an appointment to get my allergies retested! I haven't had that done for many years. If all goes well I will get a quick run in after that. If they knock me out with Benedryl...I will not!
Peace.

Another Conestoga run wraps up Week 6!

RUNS: This is actually week 6 wrap up in the training for my 50 miler and I finished out the week with a 10 mile run on the Conestoga trail with some friends on Saturday. We did a group night run there a couple of weeks ago and went back to try it out in the day time! Much hotter and humid this day but spent plenty of time cooling down in the water.

And then 12.5 miles on the Rail Trail with Rik on Sunday. I seem to get myself out on the rail trail every couple of months just to remind myself just how much I dislike it. Good mental training though.

That gives me a solid 54 miles for the week. Most of them were pretty good too. Thank you lower humidity!
Here are some pictures from Saturday. I think we did just as much playing in the water as we did running!

Group pic before the run

Wind Tunnel

Pinnacle Hill Overlook

Sweaty Mess!

Found some water to play in!

This trail is a rocky one.

Another swimming hole!

EATS: Not quite as solid as the runs. Had a tooth pulled on Monday which made for some interesting eating for a couple of days. Here are just a couple pics of the goodies!
Here is my typical breakfast as usual...

Oats, Coconut Almond Milk & Dried Fruit

One of my easier eating dinners from Happy Herbivore...

Aztec Bowl

 Snack! Thanks to Rachael's dad and his garden...

Orange Watermelon

Typical lunches get packed each night. Two fruits in this one! I ate alot of bananas this week because of the mouth so I got to switch it up at the end of the week with some grapes. The CLIF bar and chocolate bar were in my bag all week. The CLIF is still in there and 1/2 of the chocolate bar is gone.

LUNCH

Some snacks I made for after Saturdays run. Banana & Pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips and Quinoa & Berry Salad

Runners goodies!

And my most favorite quick aka fast food meal! It was easy to eat the second night after the tooth getting yanked.

Sweet Baked Beans & Pasta bowl

Not to bad overall. Heres to hoping to post more meals this week! But if not, just know that its because I am out there living my life instead of sitting and writing about it. Peace.

Running the Appalachian Trail

RUNS: 21 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Boiling Springs North with Sue this morning.

I am so glad that I have someone like Sue who is just as crazy for the trails as I am. And that I can talk her into doing a long run bright and early on a Monday morning! What an awesome friend! I know how much I like to run new trails and she had not been to this part of the AT so it was really cool to show her the trails.  Bad for us to be the first ones on the trails this morning.

Sue and I after the run

We (I) got to clear the trails of spider webs. It was just plain nasty. I screamed like a girl several times when I unexpectedly got one in the face. Grr. We ran an out and back and the way out was slower moving because of all the web clearing. 

When we got to the water at Scotts Farm I pretty much took a bath under the water pump trying to get the webs off of me. The way back was much nicer but the sun was coming out and it was starting to heat up. We just kept it moving to try to get done before it got to bad. Atleast it seemed like the humidity was down today. Either way it was a good run and just glad that I got it in!

EATS: Not such a good day in the eats department. Between the running all morning and then getting a tooth pulled I just didnt really eat so well today. For example...a candy bar before my run... And then once we got running this is what I ate over the course of the miles. Plus the chips that I inhaled before my appointment to try to get some calories and fat in because I knew it would be awhile until I ate again.

Running Snacks

Got the 'ol tooth taken care of then came home and took a nap! Got up and was starving. Didnt feel like making anything so I heated up some of my moms Mac & Cheese from yesterday. Yes, made with real cheese and lots of love from momma. It was nice and easy to get down. Chew. Chew. Swallow!

Dinner

After a bit I decided I was going to be hungry again soon and I needed stuff to pack for lunches so I ran down to the store to see what I could scrounge up. I am not really a fan of ice cream. But I saw that my store had a new item...So Delicious Almond Milk frozen dessert (ice cream). So I grabbed some with high hopes.

Another Snack

Yeah. After a few bites I determined that I would leave that in the freezer with the ice cream too.
I packed up lunches. Left overs for the boys and easy eating stuff for me. Bananas have got to be the easiest, right?! And the other stuff is if I get desperate. Fig Newtons. Peanut Butter. Clif bar. Chocolate Bar- chocolate has got to pretty easy to eat I AM SURE!!

Lunch

Well that is that. You win some and you lose some. Better luck tomorrow!
Peace.

Gunpowder Falls 11M Race Report & Pool Party

RUNS: 11 mile race around Gunpowder Falls @ Bunker Hill in Maryland.

What a good time this was. Baltimore Road Runners put on this little race for $6. We drove down early and met up with Chad and Brian. After we signed in, Suk & I walked down the big hill to the bathrooms. On the way back up I already was wheezing...great. Took my inhaler awhile and by the time the race started at 8:30 it was already hot and humid.

Anyhow, we all took off and I was running along quiet well. I was breathing hard but not to bad. Lots of little hills in the first mile and then it opens up to an uphill double track for about another mile before hitting some more of the nice singles...winding down, up and around. A couple of very small creek crossing that you were able to keep your feet dry if you really wanted to. Finally across a bridge to the other side of the creek for some flat running. I could tell a HUGE difference in my breathing once I got to run down along side the water. It must have just really brought that humidity down along there. I felt great.

Then you cross the larger Gunpowder Falls creek/river (not sure which it is considered) which was up to my knees. I am getting so good at these water crossings! No fear at all today! Then a couple hundred feet of paved path back up the big hill to the start of the second loop. When I got up there I realized that I was the last one that was headed out for a second loop and a super nice guy was headed out to run it and offered to run with me.

I warned Tom that I dont talk much when running because of my asthma and he was okay with that. He was also okay with running my pace. Come to find out that is because he just ran a 24hr race the previous weekend! We ran the entire loop together and I met a new friend. We actually did alot of talking about how cool trail runners/running are and how ultras take that to an even higher level of awesomeness. The whole environment.

The entire race was fun. The trails were well marked. And the trails themselves were awesome single track which I love. Cant wait to go back down in September to do the 50k!!

EATS: So after the race we went to my parents for a Crab/Pool Party. My mom was just super excited when I got there to show me all of the veg friendly foods she had for us! Not only are Rik & I veg but so are my brother and his wife who were there (they all eat fish but me). I think I took a picture of everything she had available except for the Mac & Cheese and some basics-chips, veggies, dip, hummus, etc. She was most proud of the Vegetarian Tacos! And they really were delicious and she even ate one herself and was surprised how much she liked it...with sour cream on of course.  Thanks mom!!

Vegetarian Tacos

Basic Baked Beans

Salad

Angel food Cake w/PB icing

My nephew and niece (Aden & Arysta) playing in the pool with friends before the storm which came after we had plenty of time for fun and food!

We hung out for a bit inside watching some of the Olympics with everyone before we gathered up leftovers and headed home. What a great day with friends and family. This is what life is about. Wish everyday could be like this! Instead I will enjoy them when they come :-)

Peace.

Good Time on Applewine

RUNS: Rest Day

EATS: Umm. Yeah. A whole lot of good stuff including Vodka & Turkey Hill Iced Tea and some kind of shot for Tinas Birthday!

In other words I went to a summer party of a friend and it also happen to be my girl friends Bday. Since it was so humid and supposed to storm, half of the party was in the basement. This is the first sign headed down stairs.

My kind of friends!

Indeed I did use the side door!
A picture of one of my bestest friends and I. Im the one that looks like a boy!!

Shena & I

The party house sits right on the edge of Cousler Park and they were having their "Summer Days" festival which ended with an awesome display of fireworks lasting over 1/2hr.

Or maybe the fireworks were just for us! Idk!
After a few drinks Rik looks like this...

My hubby

And then after a few more he looks a little more like this...

YIKES!!

After a few more the dancing starts...

And then after a few more...
Its funny, I dont remember what happens after that. Nor do I know of any pictures.
Ahh...maybe next time!!

GREAT times with GREAT friends!!!