Marathon Mom

Here it is the final day of 2014 and time to take a minute and look back at my strange year in running. I can sum it up in 2 words: Injuries and Growth. Injuries struck me down starting from day 1 as I continued to push through to my goals but quickly realizing this was not happening. After a disappointing (but wonderful) experience at Boston I took my first break and learned a lot. I tried new things: Cross Fit, P90X3, PiYo, Pilates, Yoga, Rowing. I got back to running less miles and feel much better but still had an odd finish in October when my body shut down with about 4 miles to go at a marathon, I was on pace for a 3:25 but soon changed focus to staying upright and finishing leading to a 3:40 finish. An odd ankle/foot injury 1 week later meant another 6 weeks off running and rethinking my 2015 plans. I am back to running 4-6 miles now 2-3x a week but realizing my body does not like the uneven ground outside in winter and really likes the mix of cross training! 2014 Running ...

We survived Christmas, multiple family get togethers and an overly tired preschooler who just wanted to be awake! Illness and all we made it, a couple workouts skipped due to illness but getting back on track. Saw family and friends we haven’t seen in a long time. Fitness Accomplishments Elite Blocks P90X3 (Week 15) Done! Ran 2 times – reminded myself how much my body doesn’t like running on uneven snow packed ground! Bike 1 time NonFitness Accomplishments House cleaned! Overindulged in treats a little but could have been worse How did it get to be the end of the year already? After a week of nice nonsnowy weather we are back in winter full force, yuck! Fitness Goals P90X3 (Finish Week 16!) Run 3 times Swim 1 time other than triathlon Roll daily and ice post workouts NonFitness Goals Stick with meal plans Put away all Christmas Start back on full healthy eating after 1st Clean my office at work Start my Spanish book (a 2015...

5 Things on my mind after an interesting Christmas. Like I mentioned yesterday we hosted Christmas Eve and planned to spend Christmas day relaxing well by noon I wasn’t moving from the couch thanks to some nasty stomach bug, my parents were heading over for dinner but that was quickly cancelled. 1. I love being a mom on Christmas! I don’t know how many times I heard “this is the best Christmas ever!” Seeing her eyes light up with joy was all I needed. When she wasn’t playing with presents (or eating cookies), O was dancing to the Nutcracker and trying to teach her cousins all about it. I’m so glad I could share this with her and can’t wait until next year. 2. Cooking healthy on a holiday that revolves around desserts is actually not too tough. I still enjoy my desserts but after cutting out refined sugar a few years ago to let my gut heal I don’t miss it and fell awful after eating something high in sugar. Combine this with needing gluten free and dairy free and baking can ...

I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and hope you are enjoying the day. After hosting Christmas Eve dinner: Fajitas: black beans zucchini noodles (I love my Spiralizer!) with peppers, onions and mushrooms, guacamole and key lime pie. I loved spending my day cooking so much healthy, gluten free, vegan options (Matt did make chicken). Cooper and O are having a blast with new toys and treats.

What a fun week (and not so fun), dance show for O and Nutcracker but influenza for O too! Luckily we all got our vaccines so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Fitness Goals Start Elite Blocks P90X3 (Week 14) Done! Ran 2 times Bike 2 times NonFitness Goals Experiment with new healthy cookies Wrap presents! Still not started! Clean the house! We are hosting Christmas, yikes! In progress 5 minutes to myself daily to relax, need to be better Hoping for a week of healthiness all around as O was complaining of tummy aches last night, come on germs leave! We are in full Christmas mode here as we are making ornaments, cookies and the tree is up. Fitness Goals P90X3 (Week 15) Run 3 times Swim at least once See my chiro for acupuncture NonFitness Goals Stick with meal plans Wrap presents Clean the house! Clean my office at work Hope everyone is having a good holiday week and has some time off work. If you are looking for a ...

I can’t believe this is coming from me, the runner, the girl always out training for her next race, always pushing to run further and faster, pushing through injury and pain. Well the other day I was talking to a friend I haven’t seen since summer and filling him in on my crazy fall of illness and injury. He mentioned how the 4 weeks in a boot and not running for 6 weeks much have been so tough. It got me thinking…I actually didn’t miss it, what! Okay there were a few times I wanted to be out there but most days I was content. How did this happen? For me I need something to push myself, to challenge me, something to burn of stress. This was the key to getting me through. I found something new, I focused on strength and this was tough for me. I challenged myself everyday plus I swam which for me is so much tougher than even a marathon! I love the changes I am seeing and feeling in my body. I am thankful for this injury, yes I know that is odd. But it has changed me, made me m...

I’ve been meaning to get this post up for weeks, sorry guys! Ever since I posted about my black bean soup experiment on Facebook and Instagram I’ve had recipe requests so I guess I better share! What better time than joining in What I AteWednesday … I thought I’d first share some of my latest favorite foods to stay healthy as my running miles are cut way back. Snacks Roasted Pepper or Garlic Hummus and Veggies Chia Berry “Pudding” With Pecans Apples and Almond Butter Chickpea Peanut Butter Cookies – I was skeptical but yum! Cuties Raw Almonds Meals Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Spinach Goat Cheese Sandwich Vegan Mac n “Cheese” Red Lentil Curry Chickpea Pepper Quesadilla Salad with Roasted Beets and Pecans Black Bean Soup Black Bean Soup (Slow Cooker) – Vegan/Gluten Free 1 lb dry black beans 4 cups vegetable broth 1 onion diced 4 cloves garlic minced 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp smoked paprika ½-1 tsp red pepper (or more) ...

Are you looking for a last minute stocking stuffer for the fitness buff on your list or yourself? A roll of KT Tape is perfect. I used to be skeptical how a piece of tape could do anything for my injured body but finally gave in after my hamstring was angry and was convinced. Now I'm trying out a new area for the tape... I was again skeptical, I mean won't it get bunchy and bother me when I run? Nope! Stayed in place great (still in place 4 days later!). The little extra support was what I needed as I ease my way back to running. Like I mentioned before I did a pain free 4.5 miles Saturday! So what is KT Tape? KT TAPE TM (Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape) is an elastic sports and fitness tape designed for muscle, ligament and tendon pain relief and support.  It delivers the next generation of sports injury solutions as it uniquely enables athletes to perform their best by providing pain relief and support to sore muscles or injuries before, during, and after ac...

Last week was rough, I’m not going to lie. I skipped a couple workouts but luckily it was a transition week so less intense I just haven’t felt great and had a busy schedule but I did keep my nutrition on track for the most part. Even discovered a new all gluten free restaurant near us, yum! Fitness Goals Daily workouts Yes, but lots of yoga and less highly intense workouts 2 runs of 20-30 minutes run/walk Foot was sore Monday so I skipped a few days and did 4.5 miles run/walk Saturday Elliptical x2 Bike x2 NonFitness Goals Stick with weekly meal plan Plan 2015 races Still debating the big spring and fall races! No afternoon coffee Does 11am coffee count?! No wine on weeknights Christmas tree up and cards mailed Tree is up, no lights yet! O had her first Christmas program at church, she did great and had so much fun. Me not so much, woke with a migraine and despite lots of meds the signing was not fun for my head. Source This will be the start of the ...

Like all other runners I have my favorite, go to workout clothes and rarely deviate. But when I was contacted to review a new eco friendly workout top from Khai Earth I couldn’t say no. I’m a tank girl unless it is cold out so I chose the AirLite Tank but they have short sleeve active wear as well. They are a small company offering limited options but the simple options seems to meet most people’s needs. Do you prefer tanks or short sleeves to workout? The fabric had that cotton feel but was full tech and even lighter than the usual running top. It was super soft and comfortable. My only complaint is the lack of size chart on their website, I guessed and chose a small but probably could have gone Xsmall. It is recyclable and biodegradable… But the true test, the workout! I sweat and not the cute sparkle sweat, but full on drenched sweat. This fabric was awesome, as the sweat dripped off my forehead the inner layer of the tank kept my chest and back dry by quickl...

Guess what…I ran!! So anyone who follows me on FB or IG already saw my excitement yesterday but I have to share here too. My first run back in 6 weeks, yes I was smart for once and took the longer end of the range to be off even though the pain has been gone for over a week. 6 weeks no running had to be over! I’m spending the next few weeks slowly working up with low miles and only 2-3 runs per week (maxing at 10-15 miles a week). Fitness Accomplishments Daily workouts: Finished Week 12 of P90X3 Biking, Elliptical, Rowing and a Run Main focus on Strength, Core and Flexibility I signed up for a triathlon! Okay so it is indoors but still I did it. NonFitness Back on track after a bad week of eating Finished Fall Semester! Only 2 more to go! Great family Saturday with Holiday Lights Parade, Santa and dinner out Dinner with a friend I haven’t seen in over a year Started Christmas baking for cookie exchange: Mint Mocha Cookies (not healthy, not GF and not...

I apologize for being kind of MIA lately but yikes life has gotten in the way of. I’m trying to update more on Instagram and Facebook since they are quick and easy and I always have my phone. So make sure to follow me over there to see what’s been going on in my crazy world! As  I sat to write I had so many thoughts since it has been almost 2 weeks so I decided to turn this into something fun… 11 Excuses for not blogging: I have been redecorating our newly finished downstairs… Working on my thesis proposal and obtaining IRB approval! The semester is now over! Dog sitting, some parts made life easier since Cooper had a playmate but 2 dogs is nuts sometimes!                                                                            Shopping! I think the American Girl St...

The holiday season has officially started! We kicked it off with seeing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer om Saturday and O got to meet the cast. I kind of lost it nutrition wise on Saturday, wine, cupcakes and two meals out, yikes! Sunday I was back on track. Today is 4 weeks of no running, ugh! How did my week look… Fitness Goals Morning workouts daily P90X3 x 7 days, Finished Week 11! Biked x3, Elliptical x2, Rowing x1 Non Fitness Goals Stick with meal plan this week and no weekday wine Oops Blog 4 days – Yes! Finish semester work and submit early – Call with advisor tomorrow so not quite Organize office - started Work on Thirty-One holiday sale,  Message me if you are interested in hosting an online party or earning free gifts. The holiday season officially starts this week! Who is ready? What are your plans? I am registered for a 10K on Thursday but not thinking I’ll run, pain is better but not quite ready for 10K and the weather is looking nasty...

I can’t believe we are already entering the holiday season already. I have yet to figure out my addition to the family Thanksgiving meal since we are going to my in-laws. I’m so used to needing to bring my own dishes to make sure O and I have safe food but that’s fine since I enjoy cooking. Of course my Pinterest board is overflowing with possible ideas and now I can’t decide. While I’ve never been a huge fan of traditional Thanksgiving foods I love pumpkin pie! Here is just a short list of the healthy, gluten free, vegetarian dishes I have found… Side Dishes Wild Rice Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette GF/Vegan – This Gal Cooks Roasted Green Beans and Red Pepper GF/Vegan – Kaylan’s Kitchen Scalloped Sweet Potatoes GF/Recipe has milk, adapt to vegan – A Girl Worth Saving * Brown “Butter” Sage Butternut Squash GF/Vegan – Against All Grain Main Dishes * Warm Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad with Maple Glazed Tofu GF/Vegan – Heart Beet Kitchen Apple Cider Glaz...

26 Days! Yes, that’s how long it has been since my last run. 26 days ago I was outside running in shorts and a tank and enjoying sun and warmth. 2 weeks later we got our first snow (that never left) and today it is 8* so I guess this is a good time for some running rest considering they have yet to clear the sidewalks and I still need to purchase a new treadmill. Suggestions? Winter is here, yuck! 3 weeks in the boot and now my back is a mess thanks to the uneven walking so I decided to see my great sports chiro and have my SI worked on. Even though I wasn’t there for my foot/ankle she was intrigued and wanted to look into the mystery injury so we dug back into our anatomy lab days to remember all the small tendon insertion points and got to work. After her exam we had ruled out a stress fracture (which I was 90% sure was not the injury) and were thinking peroneus tendon sheath inflammation and possible subluxation. I frequently feel a pop and roll my foot to get things back ...

Since I haven’t been running and my focus is on eating healthy I’ve been menu planning and experimenting with new dishes. I’m a little obsessed with Pinterest! Anyone else have 1000s of pins that will never lead to anything? My latest favorite foods have been fall related: Pumpkin Chia Pudding Cuties Apples with Almond Butter Lots of Root Veggies with Spinach Hummus Spaghetti Squash with Black Beans and Veggies Some of my latest e experiments Based on this recipe from Minimalist Baker Vegan Lemon Garlic Sauce with Roasted Asparagus INGREDIENTS 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and washed Sea salt and black pepper 2 lemons (or 1 lemon and ¼ lemon juice) Olive oil 4 large cloves garlic, minced Pasta or Gnocchi 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk 2 Tbsp corn starch 8 ounces silken tofu 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese if not dairy free) 1 Tbsp oregano INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add asparagus to a baking sheet and toss...

Another week of proving to myself that I can still stay active without running. It has been 3 weeks and I am finally starting to walk with no pain without the boot, although long days at work remain painful even with the boot! Fitness Accomplishments Morning workouts 6 days P90X3 x 7 days, I finished Week 9! Elliptical x 2 Bike x 3 Non Fitness Accomplishments Stuck with meal plan this week and make good choices at restaurant except the pumpkin ice cream I splurged on Submit IRB paperwork for thesis, done! O and I had a blast at Barbie Dreamhouse complete with lunch and mommy sneakily buying her a Christmas present! This week marks the start of the holiday season as we are heading to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Saturday and possibly putting up our tree. Time to figure out Thanksgiving meal plans. Fitness Goals Morning workouts daily P90X3 x 7 days, I’m on Week 10! Swim XC Ski or Snowshoe (I need new warm boots first for snowshoeing, suggest...