When I was in Chicago last year for the Chicago Marathon a friend commented that “The expo is no big deal. I just need to pick up my packet.” and I remember thinking to myself I don’t think I will ever feel that way. It’s part of the whole race experience. The crowd. Talking to other runners. The excitement and energy. The shared anticipation of the upcoming race. The fun stuff. Products that are new to me. Packet pick-up. And yes the freebies too. I love it all!

2011 Air Force Marathon

2011 Chicago Marathon

2012 Gulf Coast Marathon

It doesn’t even have to be a big expo. Simply going to a running store for packet pick-up and walking around with dad was awesome. There is just an energy you can’t deny before a race and all in one place!

2012 Cincinnati Flying Pig

All of these photos will be in my running scrapbook right along side shots of the starting line and the finish line. I will say that I’m less likely to spend a small fortune at every expo like I did when I first started running, but none the less, it’s part of the whole race experience that I enjoy.

What do you think? Yes or not to the expo? Do you like going to the health and fitness expos before a race? Would you prefer to skip it all together if you didn’t have to go to pick up your race packet?

Celebrating Mother’s Day with a little lot of food, family, fun, laughter and shopping

I started my day with an early morning run.

The always enjoyed morning coffee

A Green Monster with Chia for breakfast.

My a.m. snack was NatureBox’s peppery pistachios and grape tomatoes. The flavor combination was perfect!

Lunch was mexican food at Abuelos. Chips and salsa? Yes, please.

And vegetarian fajitas with cilantro lime rice. If only my homemade veggie fajitas tasted this good. And, of course, there was guacamole too

P.M. snack was a Starbucks treat. Banana Walnut Bread warmed with a soy latte.

And I ate the whole thing!

Dinner was leftovers from earlier in the week, tofu broccoli stir fry. Another dish I wish I could duplicate at home.

 Want to see more good eats of all kinds? Visit Peas and Crayons for more foodie photos.

Did your Mother’s Day celebration include eating out? Do you have a favorite restaurant meal that you wish you could duplicate at home?

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Have you entered the NatureBox giveaway? There’s still time. Giveaway ends at 12:00 a.m. on 5/17. Click NatureBox Giveaway to enter.

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After running the 2012 Cincinnati Flying Pig last weekend and the Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon the weekend before my body was unusually tired for the first half of last week. On top of being tired life is crazy busy with the end of the school year awards programs, activities, competitive cheerleading tryouts and meetings, [FIRST] robotics awards banquet, and life in general. All of this made getting my workouts and runs in an arduous task. It would have been surprisingly easy to just skip training all together. I was THAT tired. As hard as it was and despite it all I ran. I worked out. I stretched. My motivation? I have returned to feeling the joy that is running. Feeling like I did when I first started  :)

This week:

Sunday: Recovery Run, Stretch/Foam Rolling
Monday: Chest and Back, Ab Ripper
Tuesday: Run [+Strides]
Wednesday: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper
Thursday: Run [Easy]
Friday: Shoulders and Arms, Ab Ripper
Saturday: Run [Long]

Have you ever lost the joy that you felt when you first started running? The joy of a first race? What is on your workout schedule for this week?

#5 of Twelve In Twenty-Twelve

Sunday, May 6
Cincinnati, OH
Twelve In Twenty-Twelve #5
Weather – 60s, sunny (I never felt like it was too hot or too humid. Perfect!)

The last time I ran The Pig it was miserable. It poured down rain almost the entire race and that included a lot of thunder and lightening at the start. I swore I would never run it again. Fast forward. 2012. Perfect weather and a wonderful experience overall. This year I approached the finish line thinking, “I’m running this one again.”

I ran Kentucky Derby Mini Marathon the weekend before so running back to back weekend half marathons was a first. I was curious to see if I would  notice a difference in the way I felt or pace.

With a start time of 6:30 Chad and I left the house at 5:00. I love early morning so the early start was fine with me. Chad? Not so much. On the bright side by leaving when we did we avoided the traffic jam…sweet!

Before (Bathroom stop and bags checked. Ready for the starting line.)

Until mile 9 the entire course felt like hills. Nothing to steep but constant. No worries. I managed them better than any other time in the past! Would you consider this a hilly race?

Thoughts on the race:

• The Pig has the greatest spectators. The energy and enthusiasm was fun.
• I see Elvis every year at Crohn’s Conservatory. This year it occurred to me that he has probably been out there every year since the inaugural race.
• I’ve stopped using my iPod almost entirely. Never thought that would happen.
• This was Chad’s best street race to date. He’s ready for his ultra!
• A first, ran a race in a skirt. Loved it! (More on my whole Lulu experience later.)
• I didn’t really notice a difference during the race in how I felt with running half marys on back to back weekends, but this week my body feels a little more tired than usual.
• Enjoyed the run! When I saw Chad at the finish line my first words were, “nice job” and then, “that was awesome!”
• After the race Chad and I laughed ALOT and had so much fun simply walking back to the car. I’m lucky to be married to him
• I don’t usually order race photos but I think I am for this one.
• While looking at the race photos I noticed that my form has improved. Cool!

After

Chad was using this as training run for his next ultra the following weekend (tomorrow!). He tried out his new fuel pack. Verdict? Not bad but the straps slipped and loosened. Return it? I would.

After 

A tech tee that actually fits.

The Bling

Chad thought it was funny to joke about getting the medal with the pig’s butt as if the other side wasn’t the front of the pig. I couldn’t help but laugh.

After the race I met up with Courtney (another Twelve In Twenty Twelve runner) of  Third Times A Charm at Starbucks.

STATS

According to Garmin

I’ve had distance differences between what my Garmin says and the official 13.1 before but not by this much. I’m going with the Garmin stats

(Source)

1. Chad and I have signed up to run the Hawthorn Half Day Relay as a practice run for Ragnar Northwest Passage. A chance to feel what it’s like to run on tired legs and to run on and off repeatedly over an extended period of time. The relay is to run as many loops/miles as you can in 12 hours. We’re registered as the Incredibles

2. Check out Athlinks. It’s a source of race results and a network for endurance athletes. Once you register they will have the race results for practically every race you’ve ever run. Just enter your name, search and claim your races. So cool!

3. Enter my NatureBox giveaway! One winner will receive a month’s NatureBox delivered to their door.

How (or do you) keep track of your race results? Do you have any tips on training for a relay?

Have a great Thursday!

 Welcome to this week’s What I Ate Wednesday!

Lately I seem to be eating the same things so instead of a bunch of photos of foods you’ve seen before I’m sharing my favorite snacks. I eat 5 times/day and 2 of those time are snacks which lately have been…

grape tomatoes and fat free cottage cheese with black pepper

chilled orange wedges (During one of my recent half marathons they handed out chilled orange wedges on the course. They were the best oranges ever and I’ve been craving them ever since.)

Pretzel Crisps with fruit (or hummus)

mini sweet peppers

Probably my right-now favorite, 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/4 fat free cottage cheese, granola and sliced strawberries.

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 NatureBox offered me the the wonderful opportunity to try a month’s NatureBox. Given my preference for all natural foods I was immediately intrigued and agreed without hesitation. A little about the company in case they’re new to you too…

At NatureBox, we source and deliver healthier alternatives to today’s junk food to our customers on a monthly subscription basis. Our products include whole grain granolas, dried fruits, trail mixes, and raw fruit and nut bars, to name a few. Additionally, we provide our community with nutritious education such as healthy tips and snacking ideas from our team of nutritionists via our newsletter and our blog. Most of our customers are health-conscious (and busy!) individuals and parents who want to make more wholesome choices in their daily life or for their family but may be overwhelmed or intimidated by all of the information and products out there right now (or just want fun new snacks to add to their day!).

The NatureBox I received exceeded my expectations with quantity, quality, and food selections! I love the convenience of home delivery, and after seeing what is included in the monthly package I thought the price was beyond reasonable. Maybe more than anything I liked this about NatureBox products…

To give you an idea of what is included here are a few of the items from April’s NatureBox….

Dried Pears

Peppery Pistachios

Smoky Pumpkin Seeds

Cranberry Jubilee

I was sure I would write this and include what was my favorite, but there were too many good foods to pick just one. So instead I’ll say, honestly, there wasn’t one thing I didn’t like. And did I mention home delivery? With the crazy busyness of life that’s a convenient bonus!

A Giveaway

NatureBox is generously offering one lucky reader a month’s NatureBox (Note: prize will include a variety of items and not necessarily what is shown above).

How To Enter 

Leave a separate comment for each of the following:

Mandatory Entries

1. Like NatureBox on Facebook HERE and tell them [Fitness Health and Happiness] sent you.
2. Subscribe to [Fitness, Health and Happiness] via email. Enter your email address on the right sidebar.
3. Leave a comment answering this question what snack do you wish was considered a “healthy snack” because you would eat it everyday?

Giveaway ends 12:00 a.m. EST May 17, 2012. If winning entrant doesn’t acknowledge their win within 48 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to US residents only.

Disclosure: For the purpose of this giveaway, the prize was generously donated by NatureBox. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions of this product are my own and not influenced in any way by the company or products I received.

It’s over the past 2 months that I have come to realize how true this really is. I just ran half mary #5, The Cincinnati Flying Pig, yesterday and truly ENJOYED THE RUN and accomplished my goal. It was my attitude from the start. The attitude and outcome can be positive or negative. It’s up to you.

Workout schedule for this week:

Mon: Chest & Back
Tues: Run (speedwork); Abs
Wed: Legs & Back
Thurs: Run; Abs
Fri: Shoulders & Arms
Sat: Run (long); Abs
Sun: Run (recovery); Abs; Stretch/Foam Rolling

What’s on your schedule this week? Have you accomplished a task/goal recently and your attitude affected the outcome? Was it positive or negative?

Half mary # 4! 

It never fails. I get butterflies in my stomach at this point. As soon as I cross the start they go away.

I was freezing in this picture.

Something Christine said a week or so ago has stuck with me ever since and I realized I was approaching the whole 12 in 2012 with the wrong mindset. Not intentionally but inevitably with every race this year and I was sabotaging myself without even realizing it. Not this time. I ran this race with no thought of a PR and with no thoughts of running faster. During the race I started describing it as “I ran my smartest race ever.”  I literally smiled. My goal was to use this as a training run (that’s a first!) and to maintain a pace of about 10:15 the entire 13.1 miles. A pace that left me with a little kick at the end. I probably could have run a faster pace but in the end I accomplished what I set out to do. I crossed the finish line thinking I want to feel like this every time. Success!

Thoughts on the race:

• Running through Churchill Downs was amazing. My favorite part of the course.
• The weather was perfect!
• The morning was so cold but I was glad I decided to bag-check my jacket.
• I like my pre-race routine. I tried out of my “comfort zone” and  didn’t like it.
• Chad is my race coordinator. It took him not being there for me to realize he truly takes care of everything. All I have to do is run
• Oranges! Cold orange slices were handed out on the course twice and I swear they were the best oranges ever. Somewhere around mile 9 I spent a few miles trying to figure out how I could carry my own orange slices (probably not going to happen).
• I should have taken more photos.
• I finally met a blogging friend, Sandy, who was my P90X2 90-Day Challenge partner. I felt like I’ve known her forever instead of meeting her for the first time. Later, I heard Alyssa telling Chad that they were so much alike it was creepy. I should have taken pics! Next time!

• We played yes to the dress and helped Sandy pick out her Derby dress. My daughter and her friend loved this!
• Yes. I will run this race again.

One last thing. What I thought was a cold (and made it difficult to breath during the Gulf Coast Half ) turned out to be allergies. Really? I’ve never had allergies in my life! And allergy medication? What the heck? While it makes you feel and breath better it also sucks any and all existing moisture out of  your body. Ugh! With this being so new to me I was concerned about staying hydrated. I had the perfect solution. iFitness! My favorite belt is the neoprene double pouch and with the add-on option of a single water bottle it was perfect. Which, by the way, I didn’t need but I loved having a little extra just in case I needed something more than the water provided on the course.

(photo not taken at the race)

What’s next? The Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon this weekend!

Have you ever been to the Kentucky Derby? What are your running plans for the weekend? Any tips on having allergies? Do you set a goal every time you run a race? Do you get butterflies in your stomach at the start line?

1. Lululemon Athletica is opening this weekend closer to my house. Sweet!

2. Yesterday I went for a run and it was OMG hot! When I didn’t put the run off until it was cooler I realized a commitment to others is a huge motivator for me. Whether it’s plans to meet for a run, my coach (I love saying that I have a coach!) or my Ragnar Team (yeah, I love saying that too), my commitment to others is almost no-fail at getting me out the door and/or working out.

3. Yesterday I read this comment on my blog. It made my day

How’s your week going? Does a commitment to others motivate you? Have you ever shopped at Lulu? Are you ever surprised by a blog comment?

Welcome to my 6th week of joining Peas and Crayons for What I Ate Wednesday.

Are you a menu planner? I can hardly remember a time when I didn’t plan weekly menus. It makes life so much easier.

Consider this. Benefits of Menu Planning. 

1. Saves you time. You always have the ingredients you need so no weekday last minute trips to the store.
2. Saves you money. When you have your menus planned out, you know exactly which ingredients you need to buy at the store. You have a list and you stick to that it while shopping and fewer impulse buys.
3. Promotes healthy eating. When meals are planned out, you will usually end up with a more balanced, nutritious diet. You don’t have to run through a fast food lane, grab a processed food on the go, or skip meals.
4. Reduces waste. Often, we buy foods at the grocery store, thinking we’ll use them for something, but they end up getting thrown out. If you’re sticking to the list, you’re not buying anything you won’t NEED for your planned meals.
5. Saves on gas. No more emergency grocery runs = less driving = less gas money.
6. Encourages family involvement. Everyone has input and everyone has a chance to request their favorites.
7. Supports regular eating of meals together as a family. If left to the last minute, it can be very tempting to whip something up quickly for the kids and then another meal later for mom and dad.
8. Takes into account life’s busier than usual times. Plan for the school activities, working late, and the unexpected an you’re less likely to make a trip through the drive thru or grab processed food on the go.
9. Reduce stress. Enough said

What works for me. Menu Planning Tips. 

1. Make creating a weekly menu part of your routine.
2. Consider what ingredients you already have.
3. Get family input.
4. Plan for an on-your-own night.
5. Make a list and stick to it when you’re shopping.
6. Look at your calendar for the week before you start planning. Make note of busy evenings.
7. Make lunches the day before.
8. Cook on Sunday with leftovers in mind.
9. Whether you’re using your computer or handwriting the menu use a menu template.
10. Use recipes that can be made ahead of time and reheated for a meal during the week.

Now, on a day’s menu…

Early morning coffee and computer.

Chocolate Shakeology with banana. It’s like having dessert for breakfast.

Pretzels and Almond Cheddar Style Cheese. This continues to be my favorite vegan cheese.

Veggie wrap with vinaigrette with a side of kale chips.

I’m addicted to the greek yogurt and cottage cheese combo. This time I added a crumbled Kashi Honey Almond Flax bar and sliced half a banana.

A chicken pot pie recipe from Whole Living Body + Soul In Balance that I tweaked into a vegetarian dish. No chicken and added baby portabellas in addition to the shitake mushrooms. Love the whole wheat phyllo crust.

Do you plan weekly menus? What’s on your menu? What is your favorite snack?