What I Love Everywhere

I'm not really a sappy, lovey-dovey type person. And I think Valentine's Day is a bunch of commercialism. We should love each other Every Day! But I do like themes. And what better month for the theme I am about to show you but February! I apologize in advance for the subject.

First, remember these? I saw them in a few places while traveling. This one was in New York.

Excuse the blurry photo; it was dark and it was snowy and it was cold. 

But you get the point. Love is, literally, everywhere.

There is love in food. 

There is love in man made things.

And there is love in nature.

Yes, that's a camel on the top right.

Where will we find it next? 

There it is!

Do you have a specific thing that you take photos of, over and over? Do you celebrate Valentines Day?

The Run That Cost Me Five Dollars

In Which I Lose a Challenge: Thanks to NYC Running Mama and the Patriots, yesterday I had to run 4 miles. The challenge was that you picked a winner and if your team lost, you had to run the number of miles of the point spread. Well, as you all know, the final score was 21 - 17, which means four miles for this girl. I am not really a Pat's fan, but since the Niners were already out and Mr Lovely is a Pat's fan AND I do like Brady, I went for the Pats. I did not watch the game; I only googled the score Sunday night to see how many miles I would be running yesterday. I would have run anyway, but it is kind of fun to run for a "reason". 

I did four miles for Brady and another 1.7 for myself.

In Which I Discover a Trail Fairy: I have been running on the trails a lot lately. Luckily, we have had very little snow in our area this year, so they are fairly clear of moisture. However, the other day we had a bit of a storm and when the trails finally dried up enough for me to run on them, I discovered quite a mess. There were branches and trees everywhere. I spent the majority of my first run clearing the trail of debris. 

Here is an excerpt from my running journal that day: I ended up running (and walking) 6.24 miles. It took me an hour and twenty four minutes. Here is my pace chart, so you can see how many times I stopped to throw branches off the path. All in all, it was a struggle today.

Ug. But today I noticed that the trail was looking clearer. I have been getting rid of a few branches each day, but the trail is still by no means totally clear. BUT. It is clearer than I left it. Somebody else must be clearing it! Thank you trail fairy!

In Which I Almost Eat Dirt: I was so excited that the trail was clear and that today's run was So Much Better than the one I was mentioning above, that I got overly excited, sped up, tripped over a rock, stumbled, arms flailing, flew through the air and caught myself from falling with one finger upon the side of the bank. Really. I did not fall, but I must have stumbled for a good 12 feet before finally righting myself. Luckily there was no one around to see me (except maybe the trail fairy?)

In Which I Lose $5: Today, as mentioned above, I felt really good, the trail was clear and my run was for a good cause, and so I was running a bit faster than normal. Because of this, my body was a bit more bouncy than normal and my iPod fell out of the holder on my belt. This belt not only holds my iPod, but I also put my keys and an emergency $5 in there. You never know when you may need an ice cream, or a bottle of water, or to bribe a policeman or to pay someone to use their phone... Actually, I run in the boonies, so most likely I would spend my $5 bribing a deer or a squirrel, since I never see another human being on my run. Ever. I always carry the spare fiver anyway. 

Today, my bouncing caused the iPod to bounce out of my belt and down the mountain, causing me to spend several minutes climbing down the side of a hill to retrieve it. Once I returned it to it's rightful place, I continued on my run for Brady. Little did I know, but the $5 had fallen out as well. I think I know where it is and I will probably look for it next time, but darn it, it was at the very top of the hill (see below graph for elevation)! I wasn't planning on going that far up the hill for at least another week. 

So, is it worth going three miles up the hill to try to find it? Or should I leave it for the trail fairy? 

Did you watch the Superbowl? Have you ever fallen while running/walking?

One Step at a Time: Part II

After a year hiatus, I recently started running again and it was a great change for the better! You can see my post about that HERE. These changes made me feel much better and as an added bonus, I did lose about 15 pounds. Change in eating habits were also a huge part of my increase in energy. People have asked me what changes I made. I am here to tell you.  

Note that a 150 pound woman burns approximately 100 calories a mile when running. All calorie information is derived from LoseIt.

Eat a Good Breakfast: I know you have heard this one a million times. But how many times have you rushed out the door with barely time for a cup of coffee? Or you may say that when you eat breakfast you are hungrier during the day. Yes, this may be true, but that is because eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism (which is good). You don’t have to spend a lot of time or energy making something every day. Just have one of these quick and easy choices or something equally filling: an egg and toast and fruit; peanut butter, toast and fruit; oatmeal with fruit and nuts. It’s important to have a good mix of protein and carbs to keep you feeling fuller throughout the day. If you need a snack later, have one. But make it a healthy snack (see below)!

2 Lg Eggs (180), 1 slice Multi Grain Toast (69), Banana (105): 354 cal

2 Tbsp PB* (188), 1 slice Multi Grain Toast (69), Grapefruit (78): 335 cal

½ cup Oatmeal (150), ½ cup Strawberries (23), 2 Tbsp Walnuts (96), 2 oz Almond Milk (15): 284 cal

*2 Tbsp Almond Butter = 203

Limit alcohol intake: I am not saying you need to be a complete teetotaler, but cutting out some alcohol makes a huge impact on your calorie intake, AND your budget. Not having a bottle of wine at dinner makes it seem like the restaurant has just given you a huge discount! As far as calories go, booze is empty calories. It really has no beneficial effect on your body (excepting maybe that red wine/heart thing they keep going back and forth on).

6 oz glass of red wine: 150 cal

6 oz glass of white wine: 145 cal

1 oz whiskey: 64 cal

1 oz vodka: 64 cal (8 oz soda: 97 cal = 161 cal mixed drink)

12 oz Bud Light: 110 cal

12 oz Michelob Ultra: 96 calories

So, for almost each drink you have, you have to run 1 – 1.5 miles. Also consider that for every 100 calories, you could instead have 3 oz of chicken breast, ½ cup of brown rice or as a treat, a cookie! If you feel like having a whole bottle of wine, go ahead. Just make sure you run approximately 6 miles to make up for it!

Limit snack intake: Like I mentioned above, a cookie is nearly 100 calories (or if you get the molasses ginger snap at Starbucks, it will cost you 350 calories!) There are many snacks which we just eat to feed a craving, because we are bored or because we are sitting in front of the TV or computer (side note: bad idea!) and not even because we are hungry. However, if you are hungry, you may want to consider eating a more filling meal at mealtime. Or if you do feel the need to snack, eat something that will sustain you. Those chips will not make you feel full until you have had way too many of them. Have a banana first. If you are still hungry afterwards (or you NEED salt), have a few chips. I am not suggesting you totally cut out the things you love, just be aware of portion sizes!

7” banana: 105 cal

Lg Apple: 116 cal

Mandarin: 40 cal

15 baby carrots (52) & 2 Tbsp Hummus (46): 98 cal

Vs.

27 Cheez-its:  150 cal

2”macaroon: 97 cal

¼ cup peanut M&Ms: 220 cal

½ cup of ice cream: 150 calories

Limit Eating Out: You have heard this one before as well, I am sure. The portions are huge, if it is there in front of me, I have to eat it, and who knows what they put in that food. If it tastes good, they probably loaded it with butter, salt or some kind of fat or oil. Why not go make your own broccoli soup so you can control how much of the good stuff goes into it? Why not buy your own hamburger fixings so you can do-it-yourself at home? You don’t have to give up treats altogether, but it is better if you can not only make your dishes with less of what ails you, but serve yourself less as well. If you are going to eat out, be aware of what you are eating. Restaurant food is loaded with hidden calories.

Eat Your Leftovers: I read a study where they tested two sets of people to see how full they felt after a meal. One set had one bowl of soup. The other set had a bowl with a hidden stream of soup, refilling from the bottom. Both groups said they felt equally as full, even though the second group had eaten 70% more soup! Oftentimes I make a big pot of chili or a bunch of chicken breasts on the weekend and eat them throughout the week to save time. Be careful though, or you may find yourself eating the entire pot in one go! Experts suggest serving yourself one serving size to and putting the rest away, right away. If it is in front of you, either on the table or even on the stove, you will be more tempted to have more, even if you don’t need it.

Keep Track of What You Eat: Like I said above, keeping track is a great way to help you make good decisions. You don’t have to be on Weight Watchers to realize that keeping track and keeping yourself accountable of what you are eating is a smart move! I have heard some people say that it doesn’t work for them for a couple of reasons. 

1.) If they go a little bit over budget in one day, they figure what the heck, you may as well go way over. NOT TRUE. You can make up for it tomorrow, but why not just go a little bit over today if you have to, instead of binging! Keeping track helps you realize when you are getting close to enough calories per day for YOUR body. The other thing is that if you go a little bit over, go out for a half an hour walk to balance things out instead of giving up on yourself all together! 

2.) They don’t enter the food until later in the day or tomorrow, when it is already too late. THAT’S OKAY. It still gives you an idea of where you did well, where you went wrong and what you need to change in the future. This is only a tool to help you plan the future, not one that restricts you! It just makes you more aware! 

Free trackers: LoseIt, My Fitness Pal

I hope that this post will help you to learn from my mistakes! Don’t forget that exercise is also a very important part of staying healthy and feeling good! 

Have you ever tried tracking your food and exercise? What do you normally have for breakfast?

All's Quiet on the Western Front

This week has been a quiet one. I am still working on sorting photos and files and trying to make sure I have everything backed up and categorized. It's not very exciting to talk about, but it is fun to go through and look at some of the photos from the last several years.

I also decided just for fun to do Fat Mumslim's February instagram photo challenge. Except since I don't have cell service, and therefore don't have internet on my phone, I can't do the Instagram part of it. So I am just taking the photos and I may post a few of them here...or I may not. I do have the first few days. Also, since I am not using Instagram, I am doing editing with pixlr, which has a lot of fun borders, textures and colors. I don't usually edit my photos at all. I kind of like the way they look without it. I kind of take photos with the idea that I want it right so I don't have to edit it. But with these, they will be edited to the max. I am having fun experimenting with all the different choices.

So grab a beer (inspired by Kim) and check out what I've been doing!

First, the Feb Photo Challenge. You can find the entire list HERE. 

 Day One: My View

Day Two: Words

Day Three: Hands

_________________________________________________________________

"Mexican Fiesta Monday" or "Trying to eat foods of all colors"

I ran that race. They gave us an interesting medal.

I experimented with my Macro extension tubes. 

I still don't really know what I am doing. 

Help. 

Remember Papa P? Yep, he's still around. 

And now he is a victim of my macro extension tubes. Wooohhahahaa.

 I went on a really nice walk with the ladies. 

A just got her bangs cut for the first time. So cute!

The snow melted, so I am back on the trails again! 

This week it has been really hard to get motivated for running!

I don't know why. The weather couldn't be more perfect. 

Since today is also the Superbowl, let me leave you with this interesting calorie cost comparison. You can find the entire list HERE.

- Blimpie's Super Stacked Blimpie Best = 313 Mins of Chanting, Pointing, Waving a Foam-Hand

- Three Pigs in a Blanket = Playing Catch With a Football for 68 Minutes (NONSTOP)

- Six Bottles of Budweiser = Doing "the Wave" 4,280 Times 


Eat smart everyone! Or else you will be doing the wave a LOT of times! 

What is your go-to Superbowl snack food? Are you doing any challenges in February?

Coyote Hills Race Recap

I am supposed to be working on my taxes right now.

Do you want to know what distracted me? Well, the half marathon that I ran last weekend, the Coyote Hills Half Marathon, uses volunteers for photographers and they put all the photos online and you can go and download or print them for free! They put it on a Picasa Web Album and it is free for anyone to use! HOWEVER, they are not tagged by number or anything and there are about a million photos, so I had to go through them to find the ones of me. Moral of the story: WEAR a BRIGHT COLOR! Luckily I had a red shirt on! It was still hard to find myself.

Now for the recap. First, a quick reminder of what my goals were for this race: 1.) Finish 2.) Get less than a 2:20 3.) Don't look at the Garmin 4.) Have fun.

This was a hilly course, mainly on a paved bike trail which was about as wide as 3 people. A little less than half of it was on a gravel trail about the same width and about a quarter of a mile of it was a single, dirt track. It was along the east side of the San Francisco bay and was two loops with a short out and back on each loop.

I am not having as much trouble as the guy in front of me. Notice the bay in the background.

The water stations were plentiful. I think there were 3 of them on the loop, which meant that there really were 6 total, since we went around twice. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start, but none on the course. Luckily I didn't need one along the way! The parking for the race was first come first serve, and was either paid ($5) if you got there early enough, or non paid in an overflow lot with a shuttle if you didn't. I actually parked about a mile from the start (which I did not realize) and had to walk in, so I got an extra mile or 1.5 miles walk in pre-race (which I probably didn't NEED). My bad though.

So, how did it go?

1. I finished. Here is the photo that it took me 4 hours to find to prove it.

2. I DID look at my Garmin. A LOT! Since I started out a little faster than I had planned (don't I always) I kept looking at my Garmin because once I set a pace, I try to stick with it. I really did not think I would be able to keep up the pace for long, since the course was hilly. My first three miles were 8:23, 7:51 & 7:58. I figured that when I hit the really hard hills, I would slow WAY down.

3. I DID have fun! Besides the one guy who kept slowing me down, everyone was observing the rules of the trail and surprisingly enough, having only room for three abreast, especially on the out and back, was not that much of a problem! Also, the park that we were running in was still open to everyday folks, so we were running around a lot of Sunday Stollers and Bike Riders, but it was fine! The weather was perfect. It started off around 40 and went up to maybe 50-55 by the time I was done. Plus there were Its-Its at the end. I say that's a win in my book. Running + Ice Cream = Happy.

I followed these guys pretty much the entire second loop. Nice buns!

4. Now...did I make my time "goal"? Well, funny you asked. I did not expect to PR at this race. It was on hills and gravel and there would be people to pass the whole time. I thought I would be lucky to break 2 hours. I surprised myself.

I PRed!

My final time was 1:47:03, for an average pace of 8:10 and one whole minute (total, NOT per mile!) faster than my last half marathon! Those hill training workouts must be working! I felt good the entire time. I noticed that although a lot of people are faster than me, I can usually pass them on the hills. I would love to try another hill race sometime soon!

All in all, I would say it was a great race! As far as the Brazen Racing goes, I liked them so much that I signed up for another one in February: The Bay Breeze Half Marathon! This one promises to be "fast and flat" so I am looking forward to another good race! Anybody going to join me?

When you set goals/rules for yourself, do you always follow them? When you race, do you follow the buns in front of you? What's the best post-race food you have eaten?

Then and Now: January

Well, January is over already! This year is already going very fast. I must be getting old or something! It's fun to look back a year at all the photos and see what I was up to last year vs whats going on this year. Last year I was traveling, so things are a bit different now! Not to say that any one is better than the other, but they are definitely different! Some things, such as my mileage, have changed drastically. Others, such as the weather, are similar. Here are the comparisons of 2011 vs 2012, the Who, the What and the Where of January.

WHO:

2011

2012

WHAT:

Miles Run: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 = 85

When you look at it this way, it seems like I ran a lot of miles in January, even though January mileage is so much lower than my last 6 months of running. This puts it in perspective though and makes me glad I am running more miles this year than last! 

Races: 

2011 = 0 / 2012 =  1

Coyote Hills Half Marathon - Fremont, CA 

(race recap HERE )

Books Read: 

2011 = 7 / 2012 = 5

The Forgotten Garden – Kate Morton:  

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fun, easy read about a woman who goes searching for her grandmother's ancestors and finds out more than she bargained for.

Still Missing – Chevy Stevens:

This book gets a 4 out of 5 as well. It was good, and it held my attention, but it didn't quite end the way I thought it should. I guess you could say there was a twist. I was kind of dissatisfied by the ending though. 

You can see the other books HERE. 

WHERE: 

2011

2012

How was your January? Did it differ much from last year? How are you doing on your resolutions so far?

Notes and Peeves: Race Day

The race went well. I have a few notes to share about it and then you'll have to stay tuned for the recap, which will be posted on Friday! But first, a few random notes.

{1} Runners World wrote an article called Why is Running so White? I found it interesting that although the top performers are usually African, they stated that "Core runners" (who tend to enter running events and train year-round) are 90 percent Caucasian, 5.1 percent Hispanic, 3.9 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and, in perhaps the most startling figure, only 1.6 percent African-American. Well Heads Up RW! Get your butt over to the Bay Area! We've got all kinds of runners over here!

{2} I believe that it is bad luck to wear your race shirt the day of the race. Plus, I think that you should not wear it before you EARN it! It would be like wearing a shirt that says, "I have a BS in Biology" when in fact you are still a freshman!

Bad

{3} When running a single track trail race, DON'T stop short in the middle of the trail! Also, when you are running on a double track, please don't run intervals, causing me to have to pass you and then you passing me and then me passing you the entire 2nd half of the race! It's hard enough to pass people when you HAVE to!

This guy was in my way from mile 6 - 12!

Other than that, the race was good! They had coffee and hot cocoa beforehand. The shirts were v-necked technical tees. They had overflow parking and a shuttle to take you back and forth. If you got there early enough, you could park at the race start, but it cost $5 (park fee). The booths were set up well; it was really easy to find the packet pickup and sweat check. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start, but none on the course.

The course was beautiful. It was two loops around with a little bit of an out and back section. It was right on the bay it was a gorgeous clear day and you could even see the City (in the distance) from the course!  It was partially a paved bike path type trail, with sections of gravel trail and a small section of single track.

Afterward, there were cool medals. There was plenty of water and the snacks were amazing! There were ice creams and pie and cookies! I think they may have even had some fruit. Just kidding, there were also bananas, apples, oranges and bagels. For drinks there was coffee, cocoa, water and power aid. All in all, I would say there was a pretty good set up!

Do you have any running or crowded place pet peeves? Do you have any race superstitions? What was the best post race food that you've ever been offered?

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Ice Cream in Winter

This week it finally snowed! So, instead of grabbing a beer (inspired by Kim), grab a hot cocoa before the sun comes out. Oh wait, it's too late? Well then, grab whatever you want then and let's see what's been happening around these parts!

The snow was beautiful!

(Monday morning)

But it melted away really fast!

(Monday afternoon)

So we made ice cream to make up for it. 3 kinds of ice cream. Vanilla ice cream, peach frozen yogurt and mandarin sorbet! See what happens when  you get an ice cream maker for Christmas. I bet by Feb 7, we will be tired of it. BUT. It's SOOOO good! 

Mandarins at the ready. 

I got a letter from the NORTH POLE! Thanks Santa!

I went for a run in the valley where it is warm. Then to celebrate my run, I had a HUGE burrito. Actually, had is a little tame. More like I INHALED a huge burrito! I heart roach coaches!

Then I headed to the Bay Area, where I stayed at a friend's house. Here is little A, trying to put on her shoes. 

They actually went out of town and I stayed to mooch lodging off them, eat their food and catch up on Top Chef house sit. 

On Saturday I ran the Coyote Hills Half Marathon. More on that later. 

How was your week? Did it snow? Did you run? Have you ever made your own ice cream?

Racing With the Stars

Hello and welcome to Random Saturday! I just wanted to thank everyone for their words of encouragement about my race today! It starts in about 3 hours; I am just having a coffee and have a bit of extra time and thought I would post a few tidbits.

{1} Yesterday I ran Running, Loving, Living's 3.5 mile birthday race! I got a 27:52. It was a good race, which I did on the Iron Horse Trail, which is flat. Also it was about 55 degrees! You can't beat that with a hat! It's fun to do virtual races to keep the motivation flowing.

{2} I am staying at my friend's house for the race. I normally don't watch any TV really, but last night I caught up on Top Chef on On Demand. OH Tom Colicchio! I think he is getting nicer! I like him; I don't know why. There is just something about that bald head of his!

{3} Have you popped over to Triptych lately? Our latest word is BOLD. If you have a fun photo which you think is BOLD, go over there and link up! 

{4} Last but not least, I often "star" people's posts in my Reader to come back to or recommend.I guess it's like olden day Pinterest! Ha. Ha. Here are a few goodies for your Saturday reading pleasure!

-- Pioneer Woman (you know I love her) makes Sausage Kale Breakfast Strata!

-- Karen's 52 week (52 goals for 2012) project! I need to finish making my list!

-- Using your iPhone for your 365 project is a great idea! Along with app suggestions!

-- This post on how to plan a good vacation makes me want to travel!

-- This girl talks about how it's okay to have off days.

-- Happy Birthday to her! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Today is my honey's birthday, so I am wishing him a great day from afar. Now I am going to go and run my little legs off!

What was your favorite post this week? If you could only watch ONE TV show, what would it be?

Race #1 Here I Come!

Well, the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge is getting going! Many people who are doing the challenge have already run their first race!

Yesterday I received a treat in the mail! Chica bands!

For a long time I have been trying to grow my hair out. This is a pain in the butt not only on an every day basis, but especially when I am running. I have tried many clips and rubber bands and hats and everything else, but there are always strays! So I was excited when Jill not only set up the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge, but she even went so far as to get sponsors, and one of them is Chica bands! I can’t wait to try them out, as I have heard great things about them from other runners. They are really going to be great to have for the 12 in 2012 Running Challenge!

Our other sponsor is iFitness, who have agreed to give us a gear belt to use for the races. It's a great belt, with a waterproof pocket that fits my iPhone as well as a couple Gus and an ID, which will be great in this rainy and snowy weather we've been having! With these two sponsors, I am going to be good to go!

My first race is tomorrow! It is a Brazen Race (there are many in the Bay Area). I have never run a race that is put on by them, so I am interested in seeing how it goes. The race is at 9, which I LOVE (the last one I ran was at 7). The weather forecast is good and I have a few goals this time, but they are not like normal ones. Here they are:

Finish: I have no doubts that this will happen, but I am always glad to just finish the race!

Don’t look at my Garmin: I am not running this one for time. This will not be a PR. I will wear my Garmin, but I don't plan on using it. I want to run at a pace that feels good. Also, since this is a hilly race, I will be running slower anyway, so I may as well just be comfortable and see where that takes me!

Time: Even though I will not be looking at my Garmin, I still like to have a time goal. However, I have no idea what kind of time to expect. On my trail runs at home, I usually average about an 11:15, but I think this one should be a little less strenuous. So I guess I will try for about a 2:20 goal, which is a little under an 11 minute mile. I really don't know what to expect.

HAVE FUN: I am looking forward to this race. It should be a fun one, since it has variable hills and flats, dirt and paved. I think it will be a pretty small race as well, so it will be fun to see what they have in store for us! 

Good luck to everyone who is running this weekend: Jill, Courtney...and anyone else! Go get 'em!

Have you run a race yet this year? Do you wear a headband while running/working out? Do you play for fun or to win?