Homemade pouches of heaven

Happy April! I am desperately hoping that Spring is finally here to stay. Sunday was cold and wet, and included SLEET for much of the day. What the heck! Today is looking beautiful, though. I threw together this wreath for our front door on Sunday afternoon, and I love how cheerful it makes the front of our house look. Hooray, Spring!

One of the things that C and I set out to do in 2014 was challenge ourselves more in the kitchen. We both love to cook, and we love to do it together, but we often find ourselves making the same few dishes over and over. We decided to look for recipes neither of us had ever tried, cooking methods we'd never used, and other culinary challenges in order to get outside of our (really comfy) box. Mission accepted!

Right before Christmas, I discovered Besh Box, thanks to a friend of mine, and I knew it was just the kind of thing C would love. It's a cooking-themed subscription box service designed by Chef John Besh, and every box comes with recipes, specialty ingredients, shopping lists, a playlist, and a unique kitchen tool. It's awesome! I signed C up for a monthly subscription for one of his Christmas gifts, and it was a huge hit! We've received three boxes so far, and each one has been a party in a box. So much fun, and an awesome way to move our self-imposed challenge along.

The Besh Box for March was themed "Italian Feast Day," and the featured recipe was for homemade ravioli with Milanese sauce and Mudrica (also know as St. Joseph's Sawdust - a breadcrumb topping for pasta). We invited my parents and my uncle over for dinner Saturday night, and set out to whip up an Italian feast!

Making ravioli was so much harder than we expected - the dough was really hard to roll out and it was very time-consuming to create each individual little pouch. The filling for the ravioli was a simple roasted garlic & ricotta mixture, which we dabbed onto half the dough then folded the sheet in half and punched out the pockets with the ravioli press included in the Besh Box. It was well-worth the effort, though. Dinner turned out to be delicious! Picture this scene: five grown adults eating bowls of pasta, exclaiming out loud after each bite. I'm pretty sure that all the work required to make this meal made it taste that much better.

I have so much more respect for all the little Italian women out there who always make homemade pasta! Sheesh. I was exhausted by the time we finished and were finally ready to eat. How do they do it every day?!

The Besh Box didn't come with the recipe for the meatballs, but we thought that having a protein would help make the meal a little more substantial. I was very glad we threw those together on the side, because we didn't have to make QUITE so many raviolis. Plus, they were yummy - C makes awesome meatballs from scratch (the Italian in him really shines!) and they were a great addition.

We were really happy with this Box, even though it required so much time and work - the meal created at the end was fantastic. We haven't had a chance to make the recipes from the February box yet, but we did make the Chili Verde that was the main dish from the January box, and we thought that the ravioli turned out much better. The chili was just alright, and I was nervous about the recipes for the next boxes. The March recipes totally made up for January! Can't wait to see what the next months bring :)

So tell me...

• Would you try a cooking-themed subscription service?
• Have you ever made ravioli or some other kind of time-intensive meal?
• What's the weather like where you are today?

Foreshadowing: 2014

They say that how you live on the first day of a new year is an indicator of what the rest of the year will look like. I've never quite decided if that's accurate or not, but I did several things on New Year's Day that I hope are examples of how the year will go for me (and C). I generally don't make "resolutions," I don't pick a "word of the year" like so many bloggers do, and I don't even really set "annual goals," mostly because I know myself well enough to know that, come August, I won't remember any of that stuff because I'll be too busy actually living. Maybe that's a bad thing, but... it is what it is. #realtalk

Anyway. In honor of my usual Five for Friday, here's a twist, with five things I did on January 1, 2014, and how I hope they correspond to the rest of the year.

1. What I did: bought a couch

• This was totally spur of the moment, but also something we've been discussing for a long time (years!). We stumbled upon an awesome New Year's Day sale at a local furniture store, and then stumbled upon the perfect sectional for our living room. So... we bought it. It will be delivered on Saturday, and I will probably never want to sit on anything else, ever again.

What I hope this says for 2014

• We've been in the new house for just under six months now, and I think that we're settled in enough to start doing the things that will make this house a home. We have several projects we'd like to take on, and several changes we'd like to make in order to have this place really feel like ours. I think buying a couch (also, our first piece of real furniture for this house) is a great first step!

2. What I did: made a pot of chili

• C & I worked together in the kitchen to find all the ingredients and get it going, and it turned out deliciously, though we didn't follow any sort of recipe. It definitely wasn't black-eyed peas and whatever else you're supposed to eat on New Year's Day, but it was really good!

What I hope this says for 2014

• We cook a lot around here, but we tend to get into habits (some may call them ruts) of making the exact same things over and over. C & I have talked about a "culinary bucket list" and trying to make some things that are out of our comfort zones. We love to spend time in the kitchen together, and I look forward to lots more time like that in the coming year.

3. What I did: took a nap

• Come mid-afternoon on Wednesday, C & I settled down in front of the TV to watch some of the college football games that were on, and, before I knew it, we were under blankets and I had the cat curled up in a ball on my lap. Nap time commenced!

What I hope this says for 2014

• I intend to consciously let myself relax. Shockingly enough, I am a "yes" person - almost any time someone says "do you want to...." I say yes, and next thing I know, we've had no free weekends in a month. C & I had a discussion recently about making the decision to have no plans for at least two weekends a month, as we really need time to do some of the projects and house maintenance things that come with owning a home. It's hard for me to say no, but it's worse when I run myself ragged. Sometimes, I need to say "no" and get some downtime.

4.  What I did: went to the gym

• I wanted to go to BodyPump, but all the classes at my gym were cancelled for the day. Instead of giving up, I went and did a HIIT workout on the treadmill and truly kicked my own butt. It was just what I needed!

What I hope this says for 2014

• I've let myself get out of the habit of going to the gym all the time, and I need to find that routine again. Even if there's no class to take, there are workouts I can do on my own. The gym is my happy place, and I want to spend a lot more time there this year than I did in 2013.

5. What I did: went out to lunch with C

• After the couch-buying-extravaganza, we decided that lunch and a beer were definitely in order. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings, shared some wings, sipped a beer, and talked about a variety of things. It was unplanned, but I'll still call that a date.

What I hope this says for 2014

• I love including other people in our plans (more people = more fun), but I obviously enjoy spending one-on-one time with my husband, too. We'd like to get back into the routine of having real date nights - we used to do it all the time, but, once we moved, they've kind of fallen by the wayside. In the not too distant future (but NOT NOW), our family of two will likely become a family of three, and we'd like to get in as much quality time together as we can now, before that happens. Time to reinstate the dates!

Do you think your actions / activities on the first day of the year sets the tone for the rest of it? What did you do on New Year's Day that you hope will keep happening in 2014? Do you make (and keep) resolutions?

Race recap: OBX Half Marathon

This is a bit delayed, but..... Spoiler alert: I finished my third half-marathon!

HM#3 was the OBX Half in Outer Banks, North Carolina, over Veteran’s Day weekend. I prefaced the race with this post, in which I detailed how tough running has been for me since HM #2, and how my goal for this race was purely to have a good time and do the best I could. Butterflies and rainbows, right? Right.

My friend Lauren Lush (permanent nickname!) picked this race out for her birthday (race day was her actual birthday), and convinced a bunch of us girls to run it with her. Lush’s family has a beach house at OBX, so it was a nice perk to not have to pay for lodging and have somewhere nice and comfy to cook dinner the night before and all hang out together. We got down to the beach on Saturday afternoon, and went to the expo to pick up numbers and packets. It was there that I realized just how small this race was – only a few thousand participants between the half and the whole marathons, combined! Way different from the Rock & Roll race in Nashville.

I like smallish races, but they are also the ones that tend to be a little disorganized – and this was no exception. We figured that out on the morning of the race, when GPS took us to the address that was listed as the “start” of the race and it was an empty parking lot…. Fail. Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to figure out where we were supposed to be, and we ended up parked right by the starting line.

Birthday girl! And tired eyes.

The weather report for the race looked great – mid-50s and sunny – but let me tell you, when we first got out of the cars, it was cold & windy! Kind of hard to prepare that way… there was a lot of putting-on and then taking-off of layers while we tried to decide how to dress. I’m not sure why I forgot about the wind at the beach, but I definitely did – not a very nice surprise!

The whole group!

The race started at 7 AM (so early! not my fave), and we were a few corrals back. Slowly but surely, we moved toward the start as a bunch, and then we crossed the starting line & we were off! There were several of us doing the half together, but we were all kind of on our own – I think that by mile 2, I was running by myself, which was alright. The first few miles went by quickly. We were weaving in and out of the neighborhoods and side streets down the main stretch of OBX, and there were tons of people out cheering for the racers. There were also water & Gatorade stations almost constantly. I was very well hydrated!

Unfortunately, I decided wrong on what to wear – by mile 5, I had to stop and pull off my top layer and re-pin my bib. I tied my jacket around my waist, which was not ideal for running the next 8 miles. That is probably the only thing I would have changed about this race – I wish I would have skipped the pull-over and just braved the cold for the first few miles. I was comfortable in what I was wearing in the end, but the jacket at my waist was definitely awkward.

I paced myself pretty well for the middle miles with the people around me – I made several silent running friends, which I always like. Even if I don’t know the person and we’re not talking, it’s nice to have someone to be running beside. Always gives me that little extra push!

The worst part of this race was the bridge to Manteo. I thought I was prepared for it, but I was not, in any way, shape, or form. That thing it crazy! Not only is it a huge vertical climb (around mile 10, when legs are very tired!), but it is insanely windy – to the point that big warning signs are posted to warn drivers about the strong winds. Not ideal for running! I barely made my way up the bridge, stopping to walk several times, because my knees were just not having it. Luckily, the views were gorgeous – it had turned out to be a sunny, clear day, and you could see for miles in either direction while on the bridge (I was very glad I’d put on sunscreen before we left the house – I would have had a massive sunburn without it!!) It felt like it took an hour to finish that mile, though – the god-forsaken bridge was easily the hardest part of the race.

 I embraced the down-hill (which was MUCH shorter than the uphill!) and ran my way into Manteo. Around that time, my sister came driving by with Lush’s family, on their way to the finish line to cheer us on, and she leaned out the car window and yelled for me. It was just the push I needed right then – perfect timing for a pick-me-up! I found another one of the girls running the race right around that time, too, and it was nice to have a teammate, even though we didn’t really stay together. It was right when I needed some encouragement, and seeing people I knew did the trick.

My knees were starting to really hurt at that point, and I was checking my Garmin every few seconds, trying to calculate. I had just a few miles left, and I was thinking that if I really, really pushed it, I could get a PR. However, I might also miss the PR by just a few seconds, and I knew that would make me really unhappy. At mile 11 ½ or so, I had a serious pep talk with myself. I reminded myself about the goals for this race – not to PR, not to kill myself, not to injure myself, but rather, just to have a good race and a nice morning and to have FUN. Right then and there, I let go of the PR and the clock, and I focused more on enjoying what I was doing. I smiled and waved at the spectators, I encouraged the runners around me, and I pushed forward, slowly but surely.

Right when I felt like the finish line would never come into sight, there it was, right around the next bend. I did as I always do, and gathered every last ounce of strength, and broke into a sprint – every second I can shave off the end counts! Just as I was about to cross the finish line, though, the two girls in front of me SLOWED DOWN (why, oh why would you do that?!) and I almost ran straight into them. I couldn’t believe it! I had to zig-zag my way around them, and then finally crossed under the banner. A woman handed me my medal, and I bee-lined for the water. I actually felt great – my knees hurt, but this was the first half where I felt good at the end. I had a good idea of my finishing time from my Garmin, and I was pleased to see that it was almost smack in the middle of my previous two finishing times: a little slower than my PR, but a little faster than Nashville. Also, I was happy, I was dry, I was proud of myself – everything that was wrong with Nashville was gone from my mind. Mission: accomplished!

Done!

My personal cheerleader :)

Frendz.

Within a few minutes, all of us girls had finished and found each other, and my sister and Lush’s family found us, as well. It was quickly determined that showers and beers were in order, so we headed back to the beach house. Once everyone was cleaned up, we went for lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby, and there was no shortage of chips, salsa, and enchiladas consumed… as well as a cerveza or two! Perfect post-race meal, in my opinion. I left the Outer Banks that afternoon feeling about as good as I possibly could – minus the ice on my knees and mighty tired legs!

This seems like the perfect time for some "outtakes" pictures... because racing makes everyone a little delirious!

Shivering!

Normal

Just a little post-race stretching...

 The end.

Ready to run

In April, I ran the Rock ‘n Roll Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I didn’t write about it / mention it really at all because a) my blogging was sub-par at the time and b) I really didn’t want to re-live it long enough to recap it.

To sum that race up, I probably only need to tell you one detail: it poured rain. The. Entire. Time. When it wasn’t pouring, it was windy. There were places where there was probably a good inch of water just covering the whole road. I ran through several multi-inch-deep puddles, completely drowning my shoes (which were already soaked). Everything was wet. I was wearing several layers (none waterproof, because I completely failed to plan that way) and a hat, and yet I was soaked to the skin and I had water (not sweat) running down my face the entire time. I rubbed a giant, bleeding blister on the bottom of my foot from my shoes and socks rubbing together (which has never happened before or since). Most of the "great cheering crowds" that RnR promises never showed up (and I don't blame them for a second). It was freezing, once you were totally soaked. My teeth chattered together so hard, and I could hardly hold my phone or water when it was over. It was literally the most miserable I have ever been, and I cried when I finished. I managed to tack less than 5 minutes onto my previous half-marathon finishing time, despite the conditions, but it didn’t matter – I hated the race, and I felt completely defeated when it was over. I wanted to crawl in bed for three days and I wanted to never run again (spoiler alert, I did – in a 5k a week later, no less, but not all that happily).

Anyone who runs will tell you that running is part physical endurance, (bigger) part mental endurance. Physically, this race was rough, but mentally, it was worse. I got in my own head early on about the terrible weather conditions, how I wasn’t having fun, and how I just wanted it to be over. That made the race feel about a million miles long, instead of just thirteen. I wore myself down further with every tenth of a mile, and by the time I was done, I had pretty much convinced myself that I didn’t want to do another one ever again.

Like I said before, I ran a 5k the weekend after Nashville, and I felt alright, but then I pretty much quit. I ran a little here and there throughout the summer, but we were pretty busy buying a house and moving, so I let myself give excuses and I didn’t lace up. I saw friends running, and I thought about a few races, and I even went so far as to go to the sign-up pages for a few – but I always talked myself out of it. I didn’t have time, I didn’t want to spend the money, and oh – remember how awful Nashville was? Bleh.

My friend Lauren started talking about how she wanted to run the OBX Half on her birthday weekend (Veteran's Day weekend) months ago - and I totally refused. I said I'd go to the beach, but I couldn't imagine running the race. I couldn't talk myself into it. I just kept thinking about Nashville, and the weeks quickly went by.

Mid-September, I finally did it - on a whim one afternoon at work, I signed up. I had five minutes mid-afternoon and before I could talk myself out of it, I clicked "send" on the registration form, and the money was paid. No getting out of it now. On November 10, I'd be running my next half-marathon.

I will be honest (still), I haven't trained for this race. I let the days and then weeks go by, thinking I still had plenty of time. I had a hard time lacing up my shoes and a harder time getting going - I ran only a few miles at a time. As of three weeks ago, the most I'd ran since April was six miles. Less than half a half marathon. Yikes.

Last Friday, I finally committed myself. I decided that I had to run ten miles, to prove that I could and to "train" - if I could run 10 alone, I can run 13 in a race. So I got up Saturday morning, and I got all my shit together, and I took myself to a nearby trail that runs through the battlefields. It wa a crisp, sunny morning. There were lots of people out with me - running, walking, touring. Enjoying the day. I set out dictating two-mile increments for myself. Two miles out. Turn around. Two miles in. Water. Two miles the other way. Take pictures. Two miles in. Drink water. One mile left. One mile right. Ten done.

I didn't like it. It hurt. I was exhausted. My knees ached. I had a blister. But I did it. For the first time since April, I talked my way through every bad angle my brain wanted to set up. I did exactly what I set out to do. The day was beautiful. The sun was shining. The views through the battlefields were picturesque. I did it.

And so here I am. Six months, six long hard months, I am here. I am ready. Ready to run. Race day is staring me in the face once again. My goal for this race is to enjoy it - to feel good, to have fun, to find joy. It's not a time goal, it's a life goal - I want a good race. I want the memory of Nashville to not be the last thing I have. I want to set that aside, and enjoy the run, and the race. OBX, you've become a special place to me, over many family vacations and happy times with friends. You are a place I am comfortable. A place where I've run before. A place I recognize and love. A place where a race can be good for me. OBX, I believe in you. I believe in me.

Done! My first half-marathon (Blue & Grey Half)

Merry Christmas! My gift to you (or myself?) - this long-awaited recap of The Race. I figure that almost a month later is plenty of time to have gotten myself situated and found the right words for this one. You be the judge.

-----

I still can't exactly believe that I ran a half-marathon.

New hot pink laces, because, duh, pink makes everything better.

That seems like such a huge deal, yet, at the same time, not a huge deal at all. My brain is thinking “SERIOUSLY?!” but simultaneously, “no big!” 13.1 miles – done.

When Suzann and I first started talking about doing a half before the end of 2012, in June or July-ish, we had a lot of contributing factors to finding the right race: it needed to be close(ish), it needed to be on a Sunday (she teaches on Saturday mornings), it needed to be early enough in December that it wasn’t -36 degrees. It seemed unlikely that we would find just the right race, and that was ok… I don’t think we were too convinced that we could do it yet (speaking for myself for sure, here – I was pretty sure there was no way I could run 13.1 miles in just a few months). Lo and behold, though, I stumbled across a link for the VA Runner Blue & Gray – a half-marathon, in Fredericksburg, VA (just down 95 from us), 2^nd weekend in December, on Sunday. It was meant to be. We started planning on doing it – running longer runs, talking about “our half,” but FYI, we never actually SIGNED UP for the race until… 5 weeks out? It wasn’t real yet, we weren’t committed… until one fateful afternoon as we sat eating lunch at Panera, and we got a burst of dedication and registered on the spot. On my phone. Fees paid, no reimbursement. We were running a half-marathon.

Keep in mind that this was in the midst of my injury saga – I wasn’t running fully yet; in fact, I wasn’t even cleared to resume exercise fully yet. The longest I’d run in weeks was 3 or 4 miles – my longest training (11 miles) had been done in September (and stayed my longest training; the most I did up till race day was 7 ½). Nonetheless, I was in. I knew I could do it.

Suz and I decided to stay in a hotel in Fredericksburg the night before the race – it just seemed easier to give ourselves a relaxing night than try to fight our way down 95 at 4 AM and pray we didn’t hit any traffic or anything. Instead, we spent Saturday evening having dinner, wandering the mall, and eating Sweet Frog (our fave!) before getting into bed early. I couldn’t have asked for a better pre-race experience – we were relaxed, happy, and just 5 minutes from the race start. It was perfect!

We woke up on Sunday and we were both wide-awake, energetic, ready to go. We were completely unsure about the weather. We’d both packed for just about anything: rain, cold, warm, whatever. The forecast was for drizzle all day, 100% chance, but the temperature was supposed to be in the 50s. Granted, at 6:30 AM, it was only in the 30s, but when we got out there, it wasn’t raining, just overcast. Perfect! We dressed in our layers, ate hard boiled eggs and drank coffee, and danced around the hotel room. I’d requested late checkout, so we didn’t have to pack anything up, and we got ourselves to the VA Runner parking lot, where the race was starting, at about 7:20. We had ten minutes till kickoff. That wasn’t exactly the way we planned it (time flew while we were getting ready!) but it turned out for the best – we didn’t leave ourselves much time to get nervous or anxious. We were just heading out for a regular long run. Normal.

Blooper - but I kind of love it.

Pre-race nerves. We can do this!

The gun sounded and off we went – I’d like to give a major shout-out to the “Shuffle” feature on my iPhone for knowing that I needed to start the race with a little Britney Spears. I am unashamed and very vocal about my love of Miss Spears, and no less that 1/3 of my race-day playlist was comprised of her music. I started off my first half marathon listening to some great tunes, and I knew it was going to be a good day.

Miles 1-6 were relatively uneventful. Suz and I puttered along, chatting and occasionally checking our Garmins. As it turned out, we both felt that we dressed perfectly for the weather – just enough clothing, the right layers, etc. I ate some Sports Beans around mile 3.5 and 6, aiming for every 3 miles as I’d planned, purely because I wanted to maintain my sugar levels, not because I was feeling off or anything. I didn’t want to risk having my sugar drop and blowing the whole thing, so I just went with a few beans every few miles. We walked through the water stations, having a few sips and taking it easy, which I felt was really helpful for me. I felt totally ON – I don’t know how to describe it, but everything about the race just felt right.

Miles 7-8 was where I started thinking “OK, I’m ready to be done.” Too bad we still had 5 miles to go… There wasn’t really anything wrong, I just started to get bored. Is that weird? My mind was wandering and I was thinking about all the things I needed to do to get ready for Christmas and such. I had a little mental battle about how much longer I still had to run, but got it together after a few minutes. I started feeling a little pain in the arch of my right foot – not sure what that was about, but it continued for the rest of the race, then immediately ended and I haven’t felt it since. It was a nagging irritation, though.

Suz decided to slow down just a tad, and I was feeling a fresh burst of energy, so she encouraged me to go on ahead. I picked up the pace by just a bit, and ran the rest of the race alone. Miles 9-10, I tried to really concentrate on my breathing, speed, overall status - I knew I'd push too hard if I wasn't careful. In hindsight, perhaps I should have just stayed at her pace, because I really could have used the company and support during those second-half miles. What’s done is done, though.

Special shout-out now to Mike, the guy that I accidentally paced myself with exactly for Mile 11, who chatted with me for a good ten minutes about a variety of things. He was a savior, because I really needed a friend right about then. He was running his first race in 15+ years, and getting ready for a St. Patrick’s Day marathon. He was awesome! His friendliness could not have come at a better time. (Side note – I ran into him after the race, and thanked him profusely for letting me run with him and chat with him. That felt good!)

Mile 12 was some sort of sick joke: it was uphill. No, really, uphill. And it was hard. The race course info on the website had mentioned this tiny factoid, but I was seriously not ready for the 90-degree vertical incline of this mile (slight exaggeration, perhaps, but trust me) (but really - the description on the race website says, "Mile 12 goes back up from 50 to 250 feet on what is known as hospitalization hill. This is the same hill as part of the USMC Historic Half where the runner in 2009 had the heart attack." Oh, OKAY. Sure.). Anyway. I tried to very, very gently jog it, but it just wasn’t happening. I ended up doing a walk/jog alternate thing, and probably walked ½ a mile. Not my proudest moment, but it had to happen. My knees were starting to ache, and I just had to give myself a few moments of rest. The last mile and a half were pretty torturous – everything hurt, but I was SO CLOSE. iPhone Shuffle to the rescue AGAIN – the last song that I listened to, as I pushed my way through Mile 13, was Britney Spears. Seriously, how did it know?! I started mentally repeating my go-to mantra: “I can do anything for five more minutes. I can do anything for one more mile. I can do anything for half a mile.” And I did.

Crossing the finish line was the most amazing moment. As I came around the final corner and heard people cheering and clapping, I decided that this was it, and I pulled all my energy from I-don’t-know-where and sprinted the last .2 of a mile. I pushed myself so hard in those final few seconds (and pretty much felt like throwing up immediately after) but it felt so good to cross that line. It was over. I’d run my first half marathon. I expected to have lots of *~*EMOTIONS!~*~ but really, I was exhausted, and all I wanted was water (which took me an obnoxiously long amount of time to find). Not so much in the way of feelings – I was just done, and that was that.

Suz was just a few minutes behind me, and we found each other and hugged and laughed and collapsed onto the sidewalk before asking a nice man to take our picture. Necessary.

Finishers! So thrilled.

Best. Beer. Ever.

We did a little shopping at VA Runner (hello new hot pink compression sleeves and Brooks running jacket, happy birthday to me!), and got our 13.1 magnets, which you better believe were immediately applied to our cars.  

The moment where we remembered that we had late check-out at the hotel and could therefore shower before driving home was amazing. Such good planners!

When Suz finally dropped me off at home later that afternoon, I proceeded to inhale a Five Guys burger provided by my sister and take a three-hour nap. Both very, very well deserved.

Nap partner.

Originally, way back when, I set my personal goal to run this race in under two hours. Then I got injured, and couldn't run, and blah blah blah. My goal shifted its way to "just finish the race!" but I held onto a glimmer of hope that I could do it in under 2 hours and 10 minutes, which would be a pace of 10:00 minutes/mile(ish). That seemed doable. Well, ladies and gents, I am pleased to present my official time:

2:09:56.

Boo-ya.

Obviously, I have my goal for the next half - I'm determined to shave at least a few minutes off of that. I'm pretty sure that, had Mile 12 not been so ridiculously hard, I would have done a lot better. But I'm still pretty proud of that! 

I’m giving myself some time off from running – just until after the holidays, because I think that I need a mental break. This is a bit odd, given that I wasn’t running very much before the race due to my injury, but it just felt like I needed to take some time and say “enough for now.” I’ve literally run two miles since the race, and they were on the treadmill at Gold’s one day when I got there too late for the class I wanted to take. Come January, though, I’m raring to go – after all, have to put all the running-related gifts that I got for Christmas to good use!

That Pie in the Sky (Or at the Lake)

You may have noticed, here and there, references to the current Big Thing going on around here – it’s been a bit behind-the-scenes, but as of this past weekend, I’m officially ready to share. Drum roll please……..

My parents have made something amazing happen. They have fulfilled a major dream of theirs. They bought a LAKE HOUSE!!

For as long as I can remember, my family has always talked about The Lake House (capital letters required). It’s been the “someday,” “when dreams come true,” “when we win the lottery,” "pie-in-the-sky," pipe-dream thing for my parents – they love to be at the lake, and the idea of owning their own special place was always in the backs of their heads. Visiting The Lake House, fixing it up, retiring there, the whole nine yards, has been regular conversation in our house. In fact, it sort of became a running joke – “Dad’s on the computer again! Searching for The Lake House!” “Dad picked up another real estate brochure – maybe it has The Lake House!” In the last few years, as my sister and I finished up with college and such, my dad has started talking to realtors and actually going to look at houses. A weekend here, a weekend there, house after house. It was such a big dream, he and my mom wanted to find the perfect house. And the perfect house just never really presented itself. They weren’t willing to settle when it came to The Lake House. So it remained a lofty goal, a “someday when we’re older…”

And then one day, earlier this summer, they found it. The Lake House. The one they’ve always looked for. It had everything they’ve always put on the “want” list – the screen porch. The garage. The dock. The fireplace. The big driveway. The house was kind of old, but it was in great condition. The appliances worked. The paint was fresh. The price was right. And suddenly, The Lake House wasn’t such a faraway dream anymore. It was right in front of my mom and dad. And so, they took the cross-the-Grand-Canyon leap, and they bought that house. They made their dream come true.

House-warming gift from the realtor!

Keys to the house!

Dad with the very first carload of "stuff" for the house

Left at the fork in the road...

Proud home owner!!

My parents, obviously, inspire me in a lot of ways. I think they’re great. I think they’re wonderful people, and parents, and have set an amazing example of how a marriage should be for my sister and I. I know that the two of us were never the easiest kids to raise, and there were times when we all made each other crazy, but looking back, with a more mature eye, I see how truly great my sister and I had it. This purchase, though, this is something entirely different. My parents have taught me how to have dreams, how to have goals, and then how to make those things happen. They set their mind to something, and they took all the steps to make sure it happened. They worked hard for years, and they saved their money for years, and they took baby steps far in advance so that, years later, they'd be able to do what they wanted to do. It was a long process, but they were patient – so patient – and waited for exactly the right house to come around. And they got exactly what they deserved, exactly what they’d worked and waited for for so many years. They got The Lake House. And the minute I stepped foot through the front door this past weekend, it felt like home – it felt like it had always been ours. I cannot wait for the years to come and the memories that we will make at that house. I can’t wait to have Thanksgiving there this year, and to bring my babies there someday. I can’t wait to play on the dock every summer, and chase the dog that I’m pretty sure my parents will have someday. There is so much that awaits us with this house. It’s already a dream come true, but it’s going to get better with every visit.

I am so proud of my parents, and so excited about what’s in store for them. I know that they are going to make this house their own, and it’s going to be absolutely perfect. They have earned it. They deserve it. And I get to reap the benefits of having amazing parents.

The Lake House. Finally!

View from the dock

South Fairfax Chamber Challenge 10k: Race Recap

On Sunday morning, I kicked off my fall race season with my first 10k! This was also the first race that Suzann and I ran together – we finally decided to put all our Sunday morning runs to good use and actually race! I’m glad we did, too, because this turned out to be awesome. Good find, Suz – we will definitely have to do it again.

South Fairfax Chamber Challenge 10k – Lorton, VA

The South Fairfax Chamber Challenge is a relatively small, local race, in its 4^th year. There is a 10k and a 5k, and between the two, I’d say there were a couple hundred people out running. Not so few that Suzann and I came in at the top (by any means), but small enough that we were nowhere near the back, either. The 5k started 10 minutes after the 10k, and I thought that timing was great – it really split the running group nicely and allowed everyone to have some breathing room. Definitely a bonus.

We got to South County High School around 7:30 AM, and the race was set to start at 8. We found the bathrooms, which were the actual bathrooms by the football field, and they were clean and nice – definitely a welcome change the from usual line of porta-pottys! A local Boy Scout troop presented the colors and the DJ played the National Anthem, which I thought was a nice touch. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the starting line. We were off!



Pre-race pic! Yes, we are #s 9 & 10 - signed up early, apparently!

BTW - yes, we are matching, and we are proud of it. As a pre-race treat, we went to Lucy last weekend, and got new outfits! We've been working hard, running together since March or April, and were pretty excited to do our first race together. We loved our new tops - so comfortable and breathable, and they even have pockets on the back! I stuck sports beans and chapstick in mine, but never used either during the race. Nice to have the option, though! It was fun to hear people yell out "let's go, twins! You can do it!" While we ran.

We had been worried about this race a few weeks back because, at the beginning of September, it was still blazing hot and humid. We strugggggled through a few of our practice runs because the weather was just unbearable. We were both crossing our fingers for it to cool off a bit, and last weekend, we got just what we wanted – a cold front moved through, kicked out the humidity, and left temps in the 70s or so for the past week. It held out for us through Sunday morning, and we had perfect racing weather. I honestly don’t think we could have asked for it to be any better! The sun was out, it was cool but not cold at all, and the humidity was gone. There was a slight breeze as we ran – so amazing! Pure chance, with that, but we lucked out.

As for the race itself, I thought it was great. A friend of Suzann’s had warned her that this race was pretty hilly, and we were a little nervous, but it turned out to be no big deal – I think our regular runs are hillier than this was! We trained appropriately I guess, because we paced ourselves just fine and definitely weren’t the people flying down and panting up the hills. We felt great! The race started and ended at a high school, and the course was the roads and neighborhoods surrounding the school. The Fairfax County police did a great job of blocking the roads and keeping the runners safe from cars, and Suz and I made sure to say hi and thank you to everyone we passed. There were lots of volunteers out shouting encouragement and watching the roads, and there were three water stations, one that even had a porta-potty! We didn’t stop to use it, obvi, but it would have been a great find in case of emergency.

The course went a little long – Suzann’s Nike app said she did 10.4k, and my MapMyRun app said I did 6.64 miles – but it wasn’t unbearable, and measurements are tricky, anyway. The race was timed with chips we laced through our shoelaces. This wasn’t my favorite method – I didn’t like having to unlace my shoes because I’d already gotten them nice and tight – but I didn’t notice the chip while I was running like I thought I would. Non-issue.  There were lots of refreshments after the race – water, bananas, bagels, and such, and open access to the bathrooms still. We stretched out a little and then headed to Panera to meet the boys (Suzann’s husband and son + C) for breakfast!

Our goal for this race was to finish in under an hour. We figured that would set a nice, easy pace, which would be good for our first race together. Turns out, that was absolutely not a problem. Official finishing time: 56:27. We were so pleased! We sprinted the last straight away, probably the last .2 miles, and were out of breath at the end, but neither of us felt like dying. I think we could have kept on running! Excellent, because our next race together will be our first half marathon in December... we are so ready. Our splits aren't exactly even or anything, but we stayed pretty solid - and a guy came up to us after the race and thanked us for maintaining our speed, because he was pacing himself off us the whole race. So funny!

This was a great race to kick off the fall racing season, and a fun one to do for my first race with Suzann. I had a blast, and felt great the whole day afterwards. Definite runner's high! I made sure to stay away from my computer for a while, though - pretty sure I would have been signing up for races left and right after this one. It was nice to just revel in the joy of a good race, positive results, and the happiness I got from finishing my first 10k - which, if you'd told me a year ago I'd be doing today, would have had me on the ground laughing, I'm pretty sure. People sure do change!

Post-race!

The Last Cake of the Year

As part of my 25 for 25, I set a goal to make an amazing birthday cake for each of my loved ones. That would include my mama, my daddy, my husband, and my sister. (Obvi I have lots more loved ones, but I had to limit the cake-baking to a reasonable amount!)

My mom didn't want cake, so she got a delicious berries & ice cream dessert instead.
C requested Oreo cake, and it was amazing.
Dad wanted German chocolate and I went all out.
I had one more cake to go to complete this goal! And so......

Natty's birthday was at the beginning of September, and even though I was a bad sister and couldn't get a hold of her to wish her Happy Birthday, I still made her an amazing birthday cake that we ate devoured later in the week. As it just so happens, her and her husband's (weeeeird) birthdays are less than a week apart, so they shared a cake. Nat requested chocolate-on-chocolate, and that was perfectly fine for Roger. I had my orders! Wondering if I delivered?....

You bet I did. That, my friends, is a chocolate-on-chocolate masterpiece.

I used the same cake recipe as I did for C's Oreo birthday cake (because that was, like I said then, possibly the best cake ever) and baked it in a 9x13 pan instead of two round ones (don't forget to add baking time if you do this! Takes a bit longer - I think my cake needed 15-20 extra minutes). Then I whipped up chocolate butter cream frosting, using the recipe out of my classic Betty Crocker cookbook (I've said before that basic recipes are the best) with one tiny change - I was out of milk, so I used vanilla coffee creamer instead. HOME RUN! It was so chocolaty, but also had that nice balance from the vanilla... so sweet and creamy. Perfect! Using the Oreo cake recipe made getting this one done super easy - took almost no time at all. Can't beat that, can ya?

23 candles EACH - the least I could do since they were sharing a cake!

Almost burned the house down with this one.

I think the kids liked it, too...

Happy birthday, kids! Love you!

...especially since I got a text from Roger the next morning saying that the cake was just as good for breakfast. That's my kind of birthday!

Consider this goal officially complete. Happiness and cake all around!

Semper Fi 5k: Race Recap

It's Race Recap time! On Saturday, I ran the 3rd Annual Semper Fi 5K in DC. I mentioned in Saturday's post that my goal for this race was a new PR. Did I achieve that goal?...

You betcha! (In case you can't read that, it says 26:21.) I cut a full 90 seconds off of my previous personal record! and I am absolutely thrilled. Evidence:

Thumbs up for new personal bests! This race was proof that if you put your mind to something, you really can achieve it, because it was. not. easy. My thoughts:

Positives

• The race was really well organized. Everything flowed smoothly, was clearly marked, and went according to plan, as far as I could tell.
• The positive energy was palpable - this was a race for a really great charity (the Semper Fi Fund) and so the majority of people there were military supporters. It was awesome! Very good vibes all around.
• The race course was flat and easy to run, and very clean. The cleanliness was a big concern, because the huge storms the night before left debris everywhere - luckily, the course was pretty much immaculate by the time the race was starting, and I was very thankful to not have to be dodging sticks, leaves, and other bits of nature while I ran. The volunteers must have been working super hard before the event, and for that, I am grateful!
• The awards presentation started right on time, results were posted quickly (both on paper and on the website later), and there wasn't a huge delay between the end of the race and the events afterwards. I've been to races where there was a long gap between, leading to lots of standing around. I've got places to go and things to do, folks! I liked that everything moved quickly.
• There were good, plentiful refreshments after the race. This is so nice! There were banana halves, orange slices, bagels, water and Gatorade,  and snack-size Luna bars. So many choices! 
• And a personal positive - my dad and C were there with me! They both walked, and they did a really great job, as well. Plus, I got to share my excitement and happiness with them at the end! I'm just glad to see them both out and exercising, while supporting me as well. We had fun! Thanks, dudes.

Negatives

• The water station ran out of cups. This didn't affect me, as they appeared to have plenty when I reached the halfway point, but many of the people after me were complaining about this - and with good reason. It was WAY too hot and humid to not have water available to participants. I heard some people saying that the volunteers were just pouring some water into peoples' mouths, and I can't even imagine. That would completely throw me off track! I know that they got someone on a bike to take more cups to the station once they figured it out, but this is still a huge issue for me - you must be prepared!
• The start of the race was delayed by about 15 minutes. There were obstacles on the path (a tree down and some high standing water) that needed to be taken care of, and I completely understand that - however, this is still a negative, because with every passing minute, the temperature was climbing. Every minute earlier would have helped!
• The whole race path was in direct sunlight, with the except of passing beneath one overpass. This made the race that much harder. There was no respite from the beating sun - and it was rough.
• My biggest issue: I do not believe that the race course was accurately measured. My app said that I had gone 3.26 miles when I turned it off. I know that I started it a few seconds before crossing the starting line, and I walked off the course after finishing before turning it off, but in no way could that have added an extra .16 miles to my distance. Plus, as I was running, my app always indicated the mileage about 10-15 seconds before I got the the race marker. So I'm pretty sure that my app was right, and the race was a smidge too long. (That means my PR would actually be even better! But whatev). It happens, especially when races are done on a small-ish, local level, but I was still a bit miffed because the timing isn't as accurate as it could be. Plus, it was SO HOT. Every step counted.

Personally, here's how I felt during the miles:

• Mile 1: Great! Good music, good energy, not too hot, nothing hurt. I felt so good!
• Mile 2: The heat was getting to me - I was absolutely dripping sweat. I found some good people to keep pace with, and got lots of encouragement after the turn-around point from the people I knew who were passing me! That's always awesome.
• Mile 3: Pretty much thought I wasn't going to make it. It was like running in a sauna. The sun was pounding on my head, sweat was dripping in my eyes, and I really thought I was going to have to walk for a bit. The last leg of the race was all mental for me: it was purely my body saying no and my brain saying yes. I was picturing myself crossing the finish line, mentally seeing myself being done and setting my new PR, and that was the only reason my feet kept moving. The power of positive thinking!!

Everyone from my group finished the race, and everyone did a great job! We took some group pictures afterward - I was so proud of everyone! Runners and non-runners, co-workers and family members, everyone out there together. It was fun! I wish that more people from my team and office had showed up, but I'm so happy about those who did. Such a great feeling to share my love/hate relationship with running with other people. #runnerd

Go team!

Terrible iPhone pic per usual - hot, sweaty messes but happily done!

Can I just mention how glad I am that I don't have any more races on my calendar until September? This heat is crazy, and I can't fathom doing a race any later in the summer than this weekend. The heat is just oppressive. Miserable! Glad that it's over with, and I can stick to my 6 AM runs, when it's... a little less miserable. Sigh.
And because it wouldn't be a real event without me looking ridiculous at some point, I leave you with this:

No idea what's happening here. Clearly the heat had gotten to me. Clearly.

But comfort zones are so... comfy!

Comfort zones are called just that for a reason: because they are the places where we feel safe, secure, and calm. They are the easy places, the places where we are sheltered and protected, the places where we just float along with the gently bobbing current. It’s so simple to get into an area where we are comfortable and just stay there, for days or weeks or years even. It happens in all facets of life – family, friendships, fitness, careers, hobbies. We find the things that we like that come naturally to us, and we hunker down. I, most definitely, am guilty of this. I am a creature of habit and comfort. Hell, I prefer “comfort” everything: comfort zones, comfort clothes, comfort foods… I just like to be comfy!

Every now and then, I have to give myself a little kick in the rear and force my way out of those safe places that I find. It isn’t easy. It makes me look long and hard at myself, and really evaluate the situation, and it forces internal honesty that sometimes makes me uncomfortable. But it is so necessary. It is so important to get outside of comfort zones, and find the amazing things that lie around you that you may never otherwise see (there is a possibility that I am just trying to convince myself of this, but I'm pretty sure it's true).

An easy current example of this is my fitness comfort zone. I have found routines and workouts that I like. I do the same mix of things week in and week out – I take the same classes, go for runs in the same areas, and stick to the same basic schedule. I like what I do. I’ve seen results from what I do. I still work really, really hard, and find myself out of breath and sore and sweaty – it’s not that my comfort zones are simple, they’re just my habits. And I forget sometimes to push myself just as hard in other directions. Sometimes I need a good shove.

In the last couple of weeks, I was coerced attended not one, but two new group fitness classes: Body Attack & Body Combat. And they were hard. It was pretty much as bad as I imagined, even hiding in the back of the room. I was uncoordinated. I didn’t know the moves. I was sweating like crazy and working muscle groups that I’d forgotten that I don’t necessarily work all the time. Let me tell you, I figured that out, because the day after Body Combat, I was so sore that it literally hurt to brush my teeth. I work those muscle groups (shoulders, arms, back) regularly – but not like that. It was such an eye-opener for me. Attending both of those classes reminded me about muscle memory – that even though I’m regularly working my muscles and my body hard, it’s necessary to throw myself for a loop sometimes, just to recharge and reactivate the muscles that get lazy and comfortable in their very own comfort zones. Besides, I actually really enjoyed both classes, which I’ve always previously said were “not my thing.” Maybe they are my thing, after all!

I’m currently out of my comfort zone in my professional life as well, and it’s not by choice, but it is necessary. I’m trying very hard to see it as a positive thing, and keep telling myself that perhaps this is the universe kicking me in the pants. Perhaps this is life’s way of pushing me out of the very comfortable spot I’ve been in for the last few months. After all, growth and learning do not occur if everything always stays the same. Change is necessary. Sometimes you find yourself in a big black hole, and it’s really scary – but if you walk a little farther, you realize that it isn’t a hole at all; it’s actually a tunnel, and you just hadn’t gotten far enough before to see the light. I had a serious talk with myself last night (not uncommon, apparently) and came to the conclusion that I can do this. Comfort zone, schmomfort zone. I feel like breaking into some sort of inspiring song and dance. Or hugging someone. Or at least high-fiving? YEAH. Hooray for pep talks!

Moral of the story: do the scary things. Do the hard things. Do the things that are “not your thing.” Get yourself out of your comfort zone, and grow a little, in ways you hadn’t even imagined. Annnnnd I’m off to take my own advice… (in my comfy clothes. Some things do not change.)