8 Miles Down & My Running Story…

Wow, you all seriously know how to make a girl hungry ~ ALL of your breakfast ideas you offered up sound AMAZING!  I am definitely going to have to try them out over the next month.  Thanks a bunch for taking the time to share your ideas…my tastebuds and I completely thank you 😀

Several of you have asked about my running story and what race I am training for.  I thought it would be easiest to tell you all in this post, considering, this post is all about running and reaching new distances :)  K, ready….I might get a little wordy but I’ll do my best to keep it short.

I will be the first to admit I’ve never really been a runner in my life.  I have always been athletically talented and inclined more so than the artsy type.  Yup, I was a total Tom Boy growing up until  my Mom and Sis finally convinced me to be girlie in the 8th grade.  I am pretty good at most sports I play including going to college on a Softball Scholarship. I played volley ball and sometimes basketball (until I became like the shortest person) LOL.  So, any running I did throughout my life involved training for the sport I was in.  As you can imagine, most of that was not a distance thing ~ maybe a mile or two.

I have always been good at walking ~ in fact, it is one of my FAVORITE ways to spend my lunch hour.  When I first started walking I figured it was definitely better than well working and it made my day go faster.  When I started walking I would only go 1-2 miles thinking, eh, that’s good.  Then, one day, one of my co-workers asked to do the Walk for Wishes 5K with her.  I don’t know why, but, wow, walking 3.1 miles seemed like it was sooooo far LOL.  I really got into it, getting sponsors to donate to the charity and it really amazed me at how many people believed in me…that I could do a 5K.  After that I did a few more 5K’s ~ all walking of course and mainly for causes like the March of Dimes.

A few months later, one of my great friends and inspirations (who I call Super Girl because she does Marathons, Triathlons, biathlons with her husband and is way hard core!) challenged me to run a 10K with her.  She told me to pick ANY race and she would do it with me.  I’ll be honest I kinda thought she was crazy ~ me, run, 6 miles, when, I thought walking 3+ miles was A LOT.  My first run, I ran about 1/4 of a mile before I was huffing and puffing and stopping.  But, she believed in me and it made me believe in myself.  She trained with me every step of the way giving me tips and tidbits….like, when I built up to running 3 miles, I was half way there so if I “had” to I could always walk the rest.  Well, that wasn’t going to happen because I was determined.  My first and only 10K I ever did was the Nutrition Fuels Fitness 10K  ~ I picked it because I LIKED the cause…when you have a cause you truly believe it, it really helps to motivate you to push through when you pretty much think NOPE, not gonna happen.

After my 10K, Super Girl was like well you are HALF way there, you might as well do a HALF MARATHON….afterall, you already know you can run half, so you can always walk the rest.  Me, 13.1 miles ~ are you serious?!  But, I knew that once I signed up for the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon there was no turning back.  I picked this particular race because I figured I might as well have great scenery (6 wineries and a wild life refuge) along the way.  I spent the money and completely dedicated myself to training for the next 6 months.  I ended up injuring my knee on my last long run of 14, but, I was determined to do the race.  I successfully completed it and it was AMAZING how accomplished I felt ~ I couldn’t wait to run again.  Seriously ~ that is the REASON WHY I RUN ~ is for how you feel AFTER (plus the results ~ fantastic muscle tone and dropping 2 sizes)…not so much during or convincing myself before.

I had to take 3 months off for my knee to recover which was really hard to do….however, 1 TRI-ATHLON and 3 years later, I am doing it all over again!  I was inspired by my friends and my sister to get back into it again.  It is definitely harder this go round, but, I LOVE experiencing new distances with my sister since this is her first race.  Not to mention she is older than me and can kick my bootie….but, that is just total motivation!

We will be completing the Shamrock Half Marathon on March 14, 2010 ~ Just remember, I am not going to be the one who wins the race, but, I will be waddling on like John Bingham, the PENGUIN crossing the finish line.  I honestly believe with running it doesn’t matter how fast you go,but, if you enjoyed yourself along the way! 🙂

OK ~ ALL DONE 🙂 !  ANY QUESTIONS???

Saturday’s Eats….

I get nervous before every one even when I run by myself ~ funny, huh?  I made up this fantastic Banana Sandwich, but, only ate half as I drove to meet my sis for our run.

2 slices of TJ’s FF Multi-Grain Bread

2 Tbsp Freshly Ground Almond Butter

1 Tbsp Apricot Preserves

1/2 banana

Too bad I had to toss the other half 🙁

Did I ever tell you all that the reason we do ratios is it is highly recommended by Jeff Galloway as it takes less wear/tear on your body and helps to prevent injuries  I know I run faster with our 1 minute breaks than I do if I run straight through.  They say you only lose 17 seconds walking versus running.

My Sis and I totally rocked 8 MILES along this trail doing 5:1 jog/walk ratios…I was so proud of her as this is the farthest distance she has run and she was passing me up :D  We averaged an easy 10-12 min/mile pace with our intervals.

After our run, we went to Jack’s Urban Eats to refuel!  Instead of my usual build your salad, I opted for their Chinese Chicken Salad.  It was eh, ok, but, definitely not as good as making your own. (8 point estimate for my salad)

“ Grilled chicken, Asian lettuce mix, crisp rice noodles, Mandarin oranges, red bell pepper, carrots, jicama, and cucumber, with plum vinaigrette.”

My sis ordered a side of their URBAN FRIES ~ OMG ~ they might be the best fries I’ve ever had…they are served with spicy chili oil, crushed red pepper flakes & blue cheese (that tastes like ranch, not stinky cheese).  I had a small handful for about 3 pts.

I ordered a side of their AWESOME cheesy Mac & Cheese for us to share. (3 pt estimate)

I spent the afternoon doing a little shopping with my sis.  I was surprised that I didn’t want any of the samples offered up at Costco on a day when I probably earned them more than any other time.  I honestly think it’s because I knew I could have them if I wanted them, so I didn’t want them….make sense? LOL

As I was cooking dinner and talking to The Husband about our run, I decided to celebrate with a little vino from Frazier Winery.  Their Merlot isn’t bad, but, it’s really dry.  I actually needed it for my recipe, but, drinking some is always fun too! 😀

I served it up in my Napa to Sonoma Commemorative Wine Glass.

I picked up some new foccaccia breads at Sam’s Club while shopping from The Old Mediterranean Baking Company.

The flavor we picked for tonight is Veggie ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes with Mushrooms!

1/2 of a pizza is2 pts ~ not too bad.

It past the test with a great ingredient list too ~ I LOVE that these breads are made without preservatives or funky ingredients.  Plus they FREEZE well too 😀

I toasted up one pizza bread in the oven at 350 for 2 minutes and cut it into slices to serve with dinner.  Delish!

The main course tonight was Italian Sausage & Pepper Pasta ~ 5 pts a serving.  I’ll post the steps with the recipe this week.  It was a Weight Watcher recipe that I modified to add some kick.  I LOVED this dish and think it will be even better the next day….I am thinking of making it into a cheesy casserole for part 2 🙂

The Husband picked out and made our veggies tonight ~ Green Giant Corn Nibblers in a Butter Sauce ~ 2/3 c is 2 pts – not too bad and super tasty.

Dessert was a mini Jelly Belly Sample pack for 1 pt since it’s only like 1/2 a pack 🙂

Ok ~ I am caught up through yesterday with the exception of answering your comments and emails.  I will do that soon too. 

I am off to read/relax a bit before I cook dinner.  See you all tonight or in the morning with a recap of today 🙂