Where's the Beach?

Yesterday was actually the blog's 5 year anniversary. How did that happen? I want to do a post sort of recapping the changes, the ups and downs, the accomplishments and changes I've shared over the years. Looking back? Wow, so much has changed. So much has been shared. But I also wanted to share a Halloween Workout for fun. It has been a bit since I've shared a workout. So I'll save the 5-year post for later. Last year, I shared my Feeling Jumpy Halloween workout. This year I put together a Halloween Circuit Workout that includes both weights and cardio intervals. As with all workouts, begin with a 10-minute dynamic warm-up to warm up the body, loosen up muscles and joints. To complete this Halloween Circuit Workout : Do each of the GHOSTLY weighted exercises for 8-10 reps moving quickly to the next with little rest.  Once you complete the weighted exercises, move to the RIP cardio intervals completing each exercise for 12-16 reps moving quickly to the ne...

I truly had good intentions of getting my Soaring Wings Half Marathon race recap posted Monday. But, yeah, well ... Let's just say I took the day off, went out for a recovery run and got a massage instead. Saturday I raced my 9th half marathon, the 4th time I've done this particular race. It's usually one of the first cold runs of the season. It's usually a really good race because of that, especially coming off of a brutal summer. And there is usually a fantastic crowd support on the course. Usually is the key word here folks. This year Mother Nature had something else in store. It was 60 degrees at the start of the race, sunny and temperatures quickly increasing. It was also nice and humid. A winning combo right? I lined up in Corral B, which only had one pace group of 1:35. I knew I wasn't going to be able to hang with that time. It's a hilly course and then with the heat added into the mix ... well, I was doubting myself from the beginning. My fastest...

This weekend I set out for my longest run to date - 18 miles ... on the 18th no less. That part wasn't planned, but I thought it was fitting once I realized the date. I won't sugar coat the run, it wasn't great. It was definitely not the confidence-boosting run I wanted. I have had far worse though, so there's that I suppose. And, regardless, I finished the run. All 18 miles of it. The truth of the matter is, I pretty much set myself up for failure on this one. I did not want to run the full length of the river trail, so in my head I was already unhappy about running. My aversion to running the full loop was honestly making me dread the run days beforehand. I could picture the route and didn't want to do it. Period. Because we had plans Saturday, I had to get up earlier than I really wanted to get the run done in time. Another peg on my snit level. When I got up I decided that I was going to do a different route, what it was, I wasn't sure, but I was NOT r...

Well Thursday totally got away from me. I had meant to do a post about dark-thirty safety, but I'll do that next week. It's Friday and I like to keep Friday light when possible. I mean, most of us are brain-drained am I right? Friday can also be a good time to look back on the week, especially on the things that made you smile. Here are 5 things (for Friday of course) that made me smile this week: 1. Unplanned 10-Mile Run On Sunday, I set out on a run with very low expectations. However, I finally got out of my head and 10-miles later I was in a much better place (and I don't mean sitting at home with my rear on the couch). 2. Quiet Cool Evening I guess this is technically last week, but it's been nice having cooler temps in the evenings finally. Saturday evening I was home alone, well, except for the crazy maniacs (AKA Maddie and Heath). I loved being able to pull on my fuzzy socks and prop my feet up. 5. Email from Friend You ever have those days ...

I tend to make a lot of veggie burgers. For one thing, homemade veggie burgers are a lot cheaper. Also, you know exactly what's going into them. Plus, you can flavor them however you prefer. I think once you have a general technique down, you can really play around with so many different flavor combinations. One flavor that I've been enjoying is a smokiness from chipotle peppers combined with chickpeas. For this recipe, I use tempeh to boost the protein, but it could easily be omitted, just use a second can of chickpeas. Chipotle Chickpea Tempeh Burgers Ingredients: 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 package tempeh 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (depending on heat preference) 2 tbsp tomato paste Liquid smoke, to taste 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (may need more if too thick) 1 roasted red bell pepper To taste: salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, ground red pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (note: it's ok to be heavy handed with spices other than...

Last week I tested out 2-a-Day runs . I have done plenty of 2-a-Day workouts, but never run twice on the same day before. If I do 2 workouts in a day, they tend to be a run in the morning then weights in the afternoon or perhaps weights and a bike ride. Being injury prone, I never thought running twice in a day would be ideal for me, and it was something I never considered until recently. Last Tuesday I decided to test the waters with a 5 mile run in the morning then 3 miles at lunch with Jason. Running a shorter distance in the morning meant that I could head out a bit later when it felt a little less dark/scary then run an easy run later. And honestly, it went really well. I enjoyed running the shorter distances. Friday I decided to try it again in order to get in my long run for the week. The forecast was calling for severe storms starting in the early hours of Saturday and pretty much throughout the day. I knew I couldn't get in 14-16 before work without starting much earli...

Once upon a time, I was a dancer.  I didn't start ballet at a super young age like many girls. I never touched a ballet barre until I was in the 5th grade actually. From the moment I walked into that ballet studio, I knew that's where I belonged. I never thought of myself as an athlete. Though now looking back, I realize just how athletic dance really is. I started running merely for exercise and on a treadmill. I never wanted to run outside. That'd just be crazy talk. And running more than 5 miles? Oh that's just flat out insane. I did some 5Ks (hated them). I started to run a bit farther, then a bit more. I was always proud and impressed with myself, that I could do more than I imagined. Then ... Half marathon? Sure, I'll get wild and crazy and shoot for the moon. I'll never run a full marathon. Never say never right? Oh, nope, not me, never really means never I said, over and over again. Six years after beginning my journey as a runner, I did what I sw...

Happy Friday! This is one of those weeks when I woke up thinking it was a completely different day, thus  my whole concept of time was skewed. It feels like it's been Friday for three days now. Today I wanted to do a Lessons from Marathon Training post, but not in a completely serious tone mind you. It is Fun for Friday after all. I'm sure I'll have plenty of serious life lessons to share at some point, but I'm trying to not take this training so seriously that I lose sight of why I love to run. I'm not really sure if these are true lesses per se, but definitely some take-aways. Lessons from Marathon Training My friends think I'm even crazier than previously believed. I'm learning to embrace the concept of naps. You appreciate the scenery, which may or may not be a fantastic excuse to take a break. I have no concept of how to pace myself appropriately. Out and backs can kind of suck, but they seem like a good idea at the start. I still h...