Food for Thought

{Training}

This week is week 9 of 12 for my training schedule (otherwise known as the aforementioned Hal Higdon Schedule of Hell). 

My long run this Sunday is supposed to be a 15k, which is about 9 and a half miles. I can do that. Last weekend I ran 10 miles, and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I have mentioned before that most weeks, I just take it mile by mile and like I said in this post, many times I want to stop before I even finish the first mile! So every time I look at the training schedule and see the looming long run, I cringe a little. However, every time I finish a long run, I feel so good, physically (even if it was hard) and definitely mentally. 

I feel good when I rise to the challenge. Personally, I feel great. When I can challenge that distance and conquer it, I feel awesome. I want to run farther and faster each time, just to prove to myself that I can. My competitors are not the other runners. My competitor is me. Sometimes I beat myself up. And sometimes I beat myself.

{Fueling}

Speaking of beating myself up, a few times before my long run, I have not eaten enough. Then I hit the wall hard. So I am trying (and still learning how) to eat smarter. I have been eating more rice, beans and sometimes even toast, which I wasn't eating before. But I know I need to feed my body in order to have enough energy for the long runs. I eat tons of veggies and fruit! 

So, endurance folks, what is your pre-race/long run energy-boosting meal?

I usually have beans and rice the night before and toast with almond butter or cereal and fruit the morning of the run.

{Racing}

I have never done a marathon. It is one of my goals in life. However, I admit to you people, I am scared. (Hold me) I run alone. My 10 mile run last weekend took me an hour and a half. That is a long time! I don't know if I can train and run for 2 or 3 (or 4?) hours. Not only is that a long time, and there is only so much time in a day, but isn't it BORING? 

I am thinking of signing up for a 20 miler. Maybe that is a good stepping stone.

{Thoughts}

I need your help. 

Training advice: How do you stay motivated? Do you run alone? If so, do you prefer that? Do you get bored?

Food advice: What do you eat the night before/the day of a long run or race? 

Races: I want to run a marathon! HOW do I make the training a good thing and not something I am dreading? How was your first marathon? Please tell me if you have any tips! 

Do I just need to buck up and sign up and deal with it!?

This post is linked up with Jill at Life as I See it: 

Back to The Books Giveaway

Okay I have never done a giveaway before but I have a couple of fun books up for grabs! It's easy to win one! (if you live in the US) This giveaway is hosted by Kathy at I am a Reader, Not a Writer. After you have entered here, you can go to ANY of the other participants below and enter at their sites for many great book prizes! Enjoy!

Here they are:

If you want either or both of these books, you can enter in a few ways. 

One entry: In the comments below, tell me which book you would like (or both!) 

For additional entries you can: 

(1 entry) Follow me on GFC (and leave a comment below)

(1 entry) Follow me on FB (and leave a comment below)

(1 entry) Go to my Bookshelf and tell me which book I've read that you've liked! 

PLEASE make sure that you have your email enabled, or leave it in the comments so I can get a hold of you if you win! The winner will be drawn using random.org on September 8th!

That's it. Now get hopping!

Hop Stoopid

source

If you like IPAs and you haven't tried Lagunita's Hop Stoopid, you need to get on it. It comes in a handy 22 oz bottle that will remind you of your High School years. I mean college. Yeah. I meant college. If you don't like IPAs, Lagunitas has a bunch of other varieties that are good as well. However, if you don't like IPA, Kim, who hosts this hop, may not like you anymore. It's your choice. This beer is from California, naturally. I went to their beer fest last year and got to try some good ones! I suggest you head to your local grocer, grab a Hop Stoopid and then get comfortable while you Look What I Did Last Week.

See - Everyone likes Hops Stoopid!

This week, I signed up for a race! 

It's September 18th. 

That means I have less than a month to train. Eeek.

By the way, if you have never done a race, you should try it. 

It is way more fun than "normal running". There is something addicting about it. 

I train just so I can run these races.

I am training with Hal. He says: 

Is that like a "New York" State of mind Hal? 

 As you saw earlier this week, now that I am training, I can eat this from time to time. 

MMMM...cobbler. 

Recipe HERE.

This week has been a strange weather week. I am enjoying the clouds. 

Remember when I asked how to fix my iPod, which has been wigging out from the humidity (I think)? I was told to put it in rice.  So I tried it. I will try anything. I need my iPod.

It did help a little. I am still having issues, but they ARE fewer and farther between. 
I am still going to use that rice. 

I tried to find a new running path, but why the heck are there no sidewalks in these places?!!

So I went to the tried and true. Below is my pre-run kit. 

Notice the bug spray. There are chiggers here. If you don't know what a chigger is, consider yourself VERY, VERY lucky. I got a bite over a month ago and it STILL ITCHES. 

I HATE CHIGGERS. 

Click here if you want to be grossed out.

It was cooler and LESS HUMID! Finally.

 After my run, I bought myself a little gift. 

Ahhhh. Sweet yummy goodness. 

 I couldn't stop guzzling it long enough to take a photo, so this is the only picture I got. 

I did get a light one though, and apparently it paid off. 

I have to cinch my belt two notches tighter!

I went grocery shopping. The blueberries are still fresh! 

I am taking advantage while I can!

Oh and I bought a whole watermelon. I live alone.

I DID eat the entire thing by myself. In less than a week, mind you. 

I also bought lemons, as I have been on an iced tea kick and love a nice cold tea with lemon. 

 I made another pot of chili. Yup, it's an old standby. I usually make about 10+ servings and then freeze 2/3 of it (in two separate containers) so I can just pull one out at a later date. 

Recipe HERE.

Okay, you may not remember this barn. I have taken a picture of it before. Maybe a month or so ago. You can see that photo HERE. What a difference, right? It's kind of fun to take photos of the same things and see how they progress over time.

How was your week? Have you ever gotten a chigger bite? 

Have you ever run a race? 

Do you know how to fix my iPod?

This post is part of these hops: 

Deep Thoughts

One would think that when you are on a long run, you would have plenty of time to hash out some very important things, make some important life decisions and figure out all the problems in your life. In my case, one would be wrong. Here are, in chronological order, some of the things that go through my head on a run. This run was 9 miles long.

Mile 0.1: This isn't too bad. Thank goodness it's not too hot.

Mile 0.12: I have to pee.

Mile 0.4: (I stop at the bathroom. Nothing comes out.) Hm, guess I was just nervous.

Mile 0.5: My left knee hurts. Maybe I should stop.

Mile 0.7: Man, my knee is really hurting. Maybe I will do my long run tomorrow.

Mile 0.8: Should I stop? I will just run one more mile and then if my knee is still hurting, I will stop.

Mile 0.9: I really want to stop.

Mile 1.0: I'm thirsty.

Mile 1.5: Man, I've only gone a mile and a half? Crap. I gotta stop looking at my Garmin.

Mile 2.0: Everyone on this path sure is happy and smiley today.

Smile for me babe. 
Whatchu looking at?
I wanna see your grill.
You wanna see my what?
Yuh grill, Yuh, Yuh, yuh grill.

Mile 2.5: Well it is a nice day. Hello bikers! Hello joggers! Hello man wearing street clothes and smoking a cigarette on the running path at 7 am on a Sunday! Wait, what?

Mile 2.7: Darn it. I've only gone 2.7 miles? Maybe my Garmin is broken.

Mile 3.0: I need a wrist sweat band. Is that like totally 80s? Do people still wear those? Will I look like Jane Fonda if I have one? Do I have to wear a thong leotard and listen to Michael Jackson if I have one? Maybe I should feather my bangs too. Wow, this could be a lot of extra work just to get the sweat out of my eyes.

Mile 3.5: Am I to the turn around point yet? This run is taking forever. I gotta stop looking at my Garmin.

Mile 4.0: I'm hot. I should have started running earlier in the day.

Well woman the way the time cold I wanna be keepin' you warm
I got the right temperature to shelter you from the storm
Oh lord, girl I got the right tactics to turn you on...
And girl I, wanna be the poppa, you can be the mom.
Oh oh. 

Mile 4.5: Turning around. Yay! Dang, I'm thirsty.

Mile 5.0: What the heck kind of shorts is that girl wearing? Helloooo butt cheeks! And a sports bra! What is this, a beauty pageant? Here she comes, Miss America!!

Mile 6.0: Hey only 3 miles left. Thank goodness I have my Garmin.

Mile 6.5: My right knee hurts now. 

Mile 7.0: Oh look, a doggie!

Who let the dogs out!! 
Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof. 

Mile 7.5: I am so tired. I think I just hit the wall. I could take a nap right here. 

Mile 8.0: Oh here come three girls running towards me taking up the whole path. One of them will get out of the way so I can pass. Maybe they will do it right before I get there. I know they see me. Huh. They are not moving. Um. Hello ladies? No?

Mile 8.1: Bitches! I can't believe they didn't move! Happy Sunday to you too ladies!

I do know one thing though,
Bitches they come and go, 
Saturday through Sunday, Monday
Monday through Sunday yo.

Mile 8.2: My knee hurts, I am so tired and I need to pee. And I have sweat in my eye.

Mile 8.5: Alllllmossssst thereeeerrrrre.

Mile 8.9: Pant, pant.

Mile 9.0: -------- So hot. So thirsty.

Mile 9.001: Hm. That wasn't so bad! 

So, as you can see, running is not really making me any smarter. But I am improving my knowledge of rap music, my meteorology skills, my fashion sense and my attitude.

Music credit: (1) Nelly (2) Sean Paul (3) Baha Men (4) Eminem 

What do you think about when you are running or working out? Are you solving world problems or do you think about silly things like I do? Have you ever worn a sweat band?  

In other news, I signed up for a race: 

City of Roses Half  -- Cape Girardeau, MO

September 18, 2011

You can read more about the other races I've done HERE. 

Also on THIS PAGE I made a list of  good places to run in the cities I've run  in. 

Stop by and check it out and comment with your favorite place to run in your city! Or any city!

This is part of Jill's:

Also, if you are new here, make sure to check out some of these other running posts:
Running with Music (and other ways to get faster)
Running with Heat and Fatigue
Running and Hills

Lost Coast

source

You may be familiar with the Lost Coast Brewery? NO? Well, shame on you. It's in Eureka, CA, which if you don't know where that is, is in Humboldt County, yes the one of the legendary weed, and also the home of CSU, Humboldt. Also, another random factoid: do you remember the scene in Return of the Jedi when they are in the forest with the Ewoks? That is Fern Canyon, and it too is in Humboldt County. And it is gorgeous!

The reason I picked this as my beer of choice for Kim's blog hop is that, as you may know, I went home last weekend/week. So my this weeks Look What I Did Last Week (<----- click here for my older beers and posts) has a lot of California in it. So, get your beer in hand and get comfortable!

The big event and reason I went to CA was...this little girl's 1st birthday! How exciting! 

She is my best friend's daughter, aka, my neice. Can't you see the resemblance?

In honor of her birthday, my friend's MIL wanted to throw her a big party. With hundreds of people, and decorations and favors and food and...(you are probably wondering WHY, but this my friend is another story in itself!)

So we made 300 cake pops. No joke. 

You can find the recipe HERE. 

We had a few casualties. What do you expect? The poor thing was like, "Nobody sees me as an individual! They just want to use me! Don't they see I am more than just a sweet little ball of strawberry? Cake pops have feelings too! There is nothing left for me in this life!" 

Plop.

 Just a very tiny part of our 300 pop assembly line. A.Very.Small.Part. (it took 3-6 of us 12-14 hours to make all 300, roll them, dip them, sprinkle them, wrap them, tie them and label them). 

Then I got up really early  the next morning and snuck out for a (very awesome 6 mile, 60 degree) run before anyone could make me wrap another cake pop (or dip. or sprinkle. or roll. or.....PLOP!) 

But they found me. And made me start helping with the decorations.

See those small balloons? I tied all those balloons. I am not exaggerating. 20 tables, 3 balloons each (the big ones, praise the lord, were self closing) plus extras for the porch and the gift table etc. My fingers were sore for days. I could barely open a beer. Kidding. This was a booze free party - I am not sure why...is there something wrong with an alcohol fueled 1 yr old birthday party?

Then I went home for a couple of days so I could get a vacation from the party! I did not take these while driving. Okay, maybe I did.

I took advantage of my favorite time of year at home and one of my favorite fruits by picking some blackberries (YUMMY! pick one, eat one, pick one, eat two...etc) and making blackberry cobbler! The recipe will be posted later this week.

(ps I can't believe I paid $3 for a tiny tub of these at the farmers market. If only they were ripe every time I went home!)

I went to visit my oldest friend. Not oldest like she's 100 years old, but the one I have known the longest. Remember this post about my first day of school -- she's the one with the Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox. I was so jealous of that box. It was metal and her mom gave her way cooler things in her matching thermos. Way. Cooler. Now she's a mom and will soon be packing a way cool lunch for her little boy.

I cut off her head. Hehe. It's all about the kids.

I ate so many straight-from-the-garden items. I was in heaven! 

Grape Tomatoes -- I eat them like candy!

Crenshaw Melon

Yellow Zucchini

I forgot what this one is called. Weird flower shaped squash.

 I took advantage of the nice cool weather and ran up some hills. 

You can read more about that HERE.

Yes, that is right! And it says 60! Wonderful!

I hung out with my Mom, drinking coffee and waching....

My favorite coffee cup

....blue-jays eat the cat food. I was seriously only about 2 feet from him. Cheeky little...

 I miss home already!

Dog Rock

Don't worry California. I will be back soon! 

 How was your week? What did you get up to? 

Are you enjoying the last of your summers? 

This post is part of these hops: