Marathon #5! The Holy Grail of Marathons.

Marathon #5, and the 3rd in 3 years.  It was just a week ago, but it already feels like it was ages ago.  The soreness left my legs a few days ago, and now I'm just itching to get out and run in this beautiful sunshiny weather.  But I've never been very good at recovering properly from a marathon.  And in the last 3 years of marathon training, I have had to live with not running as fast as I would like at the shorter distances, and I miss being able to truly race those.  Now that Boston is over, I can focus on the shorter stuff, and I am so excited to do that!  But if I want to start successfully training for the shorter stuff, I have to make sure I am fully recovered first.  And so, even though it is gorgeous outside, and warm, and my legs feel like running today, I am not going to run.  I'm going to bike, because I can't just sit around and waste this day, and I would like some exercise, but I am not going to run.  I'm going to attempt to hold out until next Monday for running.  (Wish me luck...)

The week leading up to Boston was a nail-biter with the weather.  I was purposely not checking the weather, because I knew the forecast would probably change each day.  But other people were checking, and posting on Facebook.  And then the B.A.A. started sending out emails saying the weather would be like 2018 and that we should prepare for cold and wet.  The night before we left for Boston I was in Walmart agonizing over rain gear options.  Do I just stick with the $1 clear flimsy poncho I picked up at the dollar store a few days ago?  Do I buy a cheap plastic rain coat that might tear if I'm not careful, or do I buy the $25 dollar rain jacket that looks like exactly what I need, but that I won't want to toss if the rain stops?  I finally decided on the rain jacket.  It looked the most reliable, and it was looking more and more likely that I would end up wanting to wear it for the entire race anyway.

And then, after 15 hours of car travel, we arrived in Boston.  And the weather prediction changed to say that the rain would stop before I started running, and the temperature would get into the 60s.  My suitcase was packed with tights, and fleece lined tights, and fleece lined shirts, and all sorts of warm running clothes.  Not a single pair of capris or shorts and no tank tops.  And only one short sleeve shirt.  So, the shirt decision was made easily...from my one choice.  And the pants decision, since it was between tights and fleece lined tights.  I was wishing I had packed more warm-weather clothes.  I had meant to pack for all weather possibilities...but when packing the night before leaving, I was too busy worrying about rain and cold to remember to pack cooler clothes.

We headed to the Expo on Sunday and I perused warmer-weather running clothes, but nothing caught my eye.  I did buy a sticker for my car, some race dots (magnetic race-bib clips), and some tie-less shoe laces that I'm looking forward to trying out.

 

Flat Gretchen.  Not really the ideal outfit for the weather, but the best from what I brought with me!

Marathon Morning arrived, and it was POURING the rain, as they say here in Virginia.  It was still supposed to stop before I started running, but I needed to stay as dry as possible until then.  I put on water resistant pants and my new rain coat to head to the busses.  My plan was to take off the pants and jacket and give them to Coby right before boarding the busses, and wear the cheap poncho until race start.  But it was absolutely pouring, and there was no way I was going to stay dry while standing in line for the busses if I took off the rain gear I had on. We decided I would just keep them on and they could get donated with the rest of the discarded clothing at Athlete's Village.  Me staying dry was more important than saving the nice clothing.  Only runners were allowed in line for the busses, so Coby and I parted ways around 8:00, and I went and stood in line for probably 15+ minutes, while the rain continued pouring down.  I was wearing an old pair of shoes, and clutching plastic bags with my running shoes, dry socks, snacks, and water.  Finally, we got on the busses, and I found a seat.  And sat there, getting warmer and warmer.  I was wearing arm warmers and a sweat shirt under my rain jacket.  I couldn't take off the jacket without a lot of trouble, but I managed to pull off the arm warmers at least.

The rain stopped at some point during the bus ride.  I don't know how long the ride was exactly, but it had to have been at least 30 minutes.  After getting off the bus, I made my way to the port-a-potty lines, which were all very long.  I finally found the end of one of the lines, and joined it.  It was slow moving, but I eventually made it to the front.   After that, I found a place on the muddy field to lay out a trash bag and sit down.  A little bit of snacking, and then they started calling my wave to head towards the corrals, about a mile away.  I changed into my compression socks and running shoes, deciding to leave my tights rolled up to my knee for less fabric on my lower legs, dumped everything I had with me except for my soft flask of Tailwind, a water bottle to hold on to until the start, and my rain jacket, which I wore until shortly before start.  All the other clothing I had with me, along with the old shoes, went to the donation truck.

In my corral and waiting to start!

After just a bit of standing in my corral, the time came to start, and we were off!  Got the text from Coby that my live track was working, and then I just had to focus on the running.  The first mile came and went, and I was already peeling off my arm warmers and gloves.  (I probably hadn't needed them at all, but I lose circulation in my hands so easily, even above 50 degrees, that I wanted to be absolutely sure I didn't need them before I removed them).  I was doing my best to keep the pace easy, and it wasn't really that hard because there were people everywhere and most of them weren't running super fast.  The ones who were, were weaving in and out and very nearly tripping lots of people.

I accidentally peaked at the pace when my watch beeped the 2 mile mark.  8:00.  Thankfully a time I wanted to see, because if it had been faster or slower I probably would have started playing mind games with myself.  But 8:00 seemed like a very good pace to be at early on in the run.  I did not look at any other splits throughout the run.  The miles seemed to be ticking by fairly quickly though.  I had about 3 scoops of Tailwind in my soft flask, and took sips here and there, always near water tables, since it was so super-concentrated.  I had to slow down to get water off the tables, and stay slow while drinking it, and then wait for my breathing to regulate before I could get back to pace.  Early in the race I stopped at every other water table.

The sun came out in full force around mile 11, and I got even warmer than I already was.  I was starting to feel tired, but kept pushing on.  I was now getting water at every water station.  The crowds throughout the course were phenomenal, and definitely helped me keep up my energy.  I eventually got used to the sun and felt ok again.  I was feeling pretty strong, nothing was hurting, and I wasn't hitting a wall.  I passed the halfway mark, and continued on.  Then came the hills.  They slowed me down a bit, but I still felt like I was going steady, and I was able to coast on the downhills.     I wondered which hill was Heartbreak Hill, and I thought I was watching for signs, but I never did figure it out.  (Later, I was told there were giant signs announcing Heartbreak Hill...who knows how I missed them.)  Then I was past the hills and still feeling ok, so I started trying to pick up the pace in between water stations.

This is the only photo I could find where my soft-flask wasn't empty, which makes it the only photo from before mile 22-23. I think the crowd was too thick for my number to be identifiable earlier in the race .

Then came the last mile.  I wanted to speed up and give the last mile everything, but at this point my body decided it was done.  Mentally, I kept telling myself it was only one more mile, so I should be able to give it everything.  Physically, my body said heck no, you're going to crawl to the finish.  One foot in front of the other, right on Hereford, left on Boylston, the crowd was deafening, and people were passing me telling me to finish strong, but I just kept slogging.  Given how I had felt up until the last mile, I was thinking I would finish faster than at Pittsburgh, because I felt so much better.  Then the finish line clocks came into view, and I learned that I was in fact running my slowest marathon.  That came as a disappointment, but oh well, I managed one final little surge and crossed the line with a smile.

Right on Hereford. 

Left on Boylston.

I think this is the moment I saw the time clock...

Finish line so close! 

I did it!  My longest training run was only 21 miles, and I barely ran more than a marathon each week, but I did it!  And I actually felt "good" for most of it! 

The road out of the finish line to the family meeting area felt so long, but I kept on moving.  I got a bottle of water, which I drained fairly quickly, and kept moving.  I got my medal and had my photo taken.  I was looking everywhere as I walked, hoping for more water.  I declined a heat sheet because I was more hot than cold.  I declined a bag of food because it didn't look like it contained anything I would want to eat.  Finally, a table with more water.  My legs and feet hurt so much, how much longer til I find Coby?  And then there he was.  I'd been trying so hard not to cry, but the adrenaline let-down after a marathon always makes me cry, and though I had fought it off through that long walk, I couldn't fight it off any longer once Coby had his arms around me.  He led me out of the crush of people, and we found a wall to lean against so I could drink my recovery drink and switch my wet shirt for a dry sweatshirt.  And then it started raining again.  My rain jacket was gone of course, but Coby gave me his.  I couldn't have told you where we were or how to get to the bus that would take us back to the hotel, but Coby had it all figured out and all I had to do was let him lead me.  

I was a bit disappointed about my time of 3:34:37, but I was so happy about how well the run had gone, and proud of myself for running a smart race and not wearing myself out too soon.  After mulling it over for awhile, I finally realized why my time was slower despite my feeling better.  It was all the time I spent slowing down at water tables.  I got water from so many of them, and I can't hold my pace while drinking water, and all of that time had to have added up to quite a bit.  After seeing many stories from people who got dehydrated and either were unable to finish this run, or finished significantly slower than me, I am glad that I did the right thing and stayed hydrated!  The time is so much less important than staying strong and not ending up in a medical tent.  And in the end, I was actually rather relieved that I did not re-qualify for Boston.  If I had, I would have been tempted to return next year when some of my friends are going.  Now, the decision has been made for me, and I will be enjoying a much-needed break from marathons.  I would love to run Boston again someday, but it won't be next year.  I'm excited to get back to work on my forever goal of PR-ing the half marathon instead!

Post-race party at Fenway!  Coby was super excited that we got to walk around the field on the brick dust.  We took photos in front of the Green Monster and in the dugout.  

Real Life Marathon Training : Road to Boston

Road to Boston : a/k/a marathon training by barely running a marathon a week. In which I came to the conclusion that 20-30 miles a week, in 3 runs, is my body's running happy place. Much more than 30 miles or 3 runs is too much for me while working a full time job and trying not to fall asleep on the couch at 8 PM.

I can make all sorts of grand plans for marathon training, but the truth is they never work out.  Life always gets in the way.  I didn't get nearly as many long runs as I wanted to in this training cycle, but it all worked out in the end!  My primary goal for Boston was to feel "good" during the race, rather than feel like I was dying the whole time like I did at Pittsburgh.  Despite my training hiccups (cough that lasted 3+ months), I DID achieve my primary goal!  Hatfield McCoy still wins as the marathon I felt the best in (hello ALL the long runs, including a 30 miler), but Boston gets to go down as the 2nd best!  The other three were mostly misery.

This training cycle came out to 22 weeks.  I didn't actually know how many weeks long it was until I counted them the week of Boston.  Basically, marathon training started the week when I knew I had achieved the proper fitness to run 10+ miles, 3 times a week (or 30 miles in 3 runs).  The very first week I did this, I knew it was the right plan for me.  My body felt so much better on each run, even though they were longer, because of the extra rest days I had.  I was probably supposed to bike 1-2 times a week along with the 3 runs, but I rarely did.  I did strength train 1-2 times per week though.



Week 1: 11/12-18
36.8 miles : 11, 12, 3.1, 10.6
The extra 3.1 this week was a women's 5k that I walk/jogged with the 7 year old.  Made the last run of the week a tempo run : 3 up, 4 tempo, 3+ down.  The tempo portion included hills and paces ranged from 7:04-6:50.

Week 2 : 11/19-25
39 miles : 12, 10.4, 16.6
First official long run of this training cycle.  Not as easy as I'd hoped for, but I kept the pace under 8:00 the whole time so I felt pretty good about it!  I completely ignored the fact that my knee started hurting 2-3 miles in, and just kept on going.  Luckily, it turned to be fine and I didn't put myself out of training by being stupid in week 2.

Week 3 : 11/26-12/2
25.3 miles : 8.1, 8.7, 8.5
After the 16 miler, I decided I should back off for a week.  The cold rainy weather also helped influence this decision.

Week 4 : 12/3-9
22 miles : 10, 12
The 12 miler was an impromptu 8 mile tempo, hills included, with paces from 7:31-6:59. Then the Snowpocalypse hit, the roads weren't clear, and the snow was too deep to run through.  So I hit the bike trainer for an hour instead of getting my 3rd run.

Week 5 : 12/10-16
34.6 miles : 8.5, 6.3, 10, 9.8
Our road finally got plowed.  I wasn't confident enough in the state of the roads in general to drive anywhere, so on Monday I ran laps around the neighborhood.  ~1 mile figure 8 laps.  I wanted 10 miles, but called it quits at 8.5 because I was losing my mind.  I ran again the next day to make up for it.  My legs complained the whole time because "I don't run 2 days in a row anymore." I probably would have quit for the week after the 3rd run, but some friends offered to run with me on Sunday.

Week 6 : 12/17-23
32.3 miles : 8.3, 14, 10
10 mile run was 3 mile tempo, 2 mile tempo, 1 mile sprint, with 1 mile up, recoveries, and down.

Week 7 : 12/24-30
8 miles : 8
I took 6 days off to spend time with family over the holidays, and to see if the random pain on the top of my right foot would go away.

Week 8 : 12/31-1/6
30 miles : 8, 10, 12
Developed a head cold somewhere around this time.  Tried to run a marathon-pace 8 miles anyway (10 mile run).  Paces ranged from 7:39-7:04 on mostly flat road.

Week 9 : 1/7-13
23.6 miles : 8.6, 15
New orthotics this week, hooray!  Still dealing with the cough and trying to take it easy so as to get better.

Week 10 : 1/14-20
39.2 miles : 10, 5.6, 5.5, 18.1
4 runs this week because I revisited Track Tuesday and didn't want to run 10+ 2 days in a row.  Ran the 18 miler with a friend and didn't feel too bad, although didn't feel super strong either, and it was slower than I would have liked.  Cough still lingering.
Track Tuesday : 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400.  400 walk recoveries.


Week 11 : 1/21-27
26 miles : 6.4, 11.5, 8.1
The first run was short because it was a recovery run after the 18 miler, and because I forgot my inhaler... I felt great on the other two runs this week and was happy that both were around 7:35 average pace.  Still coughing.

Week 12 : 1/28-2/3
31.2 miles : 10. 8.1, 13.1
Slower runs this week in frigid temps, debated about doing the half marathon on Saturday given my head cold/cough, but decided to do it anyway.  Didn't push super hard but finished in 1:36:27 and felt great about it!

Week 13 : 2/4-10
17.6 miles : 9.5, 8.1
My legs/body were tired and dragging this week so I cut both runs short and didn't run a 3rd time. I did bike twice though, once outside on a random warm day, and the other on the trainer. Cough still not gone.

Week 14 : 2/11-17
40.7 miles : 11, 8.7, 21
STILL COUGHING.  Woke up feeling even sicker on Saturday morning but was determined to get the long run anyway.  Was afraid to put it off and never get it.  Run didn't feel too bad, other than the random foot cramp that kept coming and going.  Almost had to call it quits several times but then the pain would go away.


Week 15 : 2/18-24 
0 miles
Took the whole week off, trying to get this stupid cough to go away!  Also, I've learned that sometimes my legs really appreciate a week off.  It's hard on my mental game, but it definitely never hurts my legs to get a break in the middle of a long training cycle.

Week 16 : 2/25-3/3
17.3 miles : 5.1, 6. 6.2
Gave up on every getting rid of the cough, went to the doctor.  Got put on a steroid to help get rid of it.  Was told I could go straight back to running if I felt like it. Could have run forever on Tuesday, but called it quits at 5 because I wanted to be smart.  Cough still wasn't gone by the end of the week.

Week 17 : 3/4-10
26.1 miles : 9.5, 8.5, 8.1
On Monday my legs felt great for exactly 8 miles and then they not so politely requested that I stop immediately.  I crawled through the last 1.5.  On Saturday, I attempted a tempo progression run, but had the wind in my face going out, and at my back coming back, so that influenced my paces quite a bit... I killed the last tempo mile in 6:31.  Still coughing.

Week 18 : 3/11-17
22.2 miles : 8.1, 8, 6
Legs were feeling sluggish, but then I ran a 4 mile race on Friday evening and it felt SO GOOD to run fast! Averaged 6:43 pace.  Still coughing.  I'll be coughing for the rest of my life.

Week 19 : 3/18-24
32 miles :14, 8, 10
I felt GREAT this week!  14 miler was under 8:00 pace, the 8 miler was a 2x2 mile tempo, and the 10 miler was an unplanned tempo run because I just felt so good.  Yep, still coughing.

Week 20 : 3/25-31
30.7 miles : 8.1, 12.1, 10.5
On Wednesday, I decided to revisit the track.  I was 3.5 miles in when I got to the track.  I was thinking about doing 1 mile repeats.  At the end of the first 1600, I felt like I could hold the pace for another 1600...so I kept going.  And then I went down by 2 laps at a time, with my final interval being 800.  400 walk recoveries in between each interval.  Cough is still here, but at this point I'm just pretending it's not. Life goes on.

Week 21 : 4/1-7
25 miles : 18, 7
I know it's awfully close to race day for a long run, but mentally I needed one more long run before the big day!  I felt pretty good for this 18, and that made me feel much better going into Boston!  Cough?  Oh yeah, that's still here.  Whatever.

Week 22 : 4/8-14
20.1 miles : 8, 6.1, 6
Trying to take it easy this week to be as well rested as possible for Boston!

April 15 : Marathon Day!
26.2 miles
3:34:37 What an incredible experience!  Race recap coming soon.

Buffalo Mountain 3/24/19

We've been wanting to hike for ages, but weekends get so busy, and then there's the rain that just wouldn't go away all.  It's rained so much this year, the girls were watching ducks swim in a lake across the street!  A lake that wasn't supposed to be there...

We finally found a weekend when we had no other plans, and the weather was actually warm, so we decided we had to go hiking before the rain came back and we lost our chance.  A friend recommended Buffalo Mountain for the views, so that is where we headed.  The drive was only about an hour, and we didn't have any trouble finding the parking lot.  Knowing which trail to follow was a bit tricker, about a quarter mile in we came to an intersection of several trails and the signs weren't too clear on which one led where.  GPS signal was good though, and we were able to figure out which trail to use based on the map on our phones!  We used the GPS map at several different intersections throughout the hike to make sure we took the correct trail.

Ready to head up the trail! 

We followed the White Rock Trail Loop.  

There were several overlooks along the way. 

This one happened to be right where the power lines ran down the mountain...

There was a yellow butterfly making laps around the top of the mountain when we arrived.  It was super hard to focus on it with the zoom lens, but I tried to get some photos! 

My legs definitely let me know that I hadn't hiked in a long time!  We hiked 5.3 miles, with 1,460 ft of elevation gain.  2 weeks later the blister on my heel from all that uphill in my Chacos is still healing...I probably should have worn my hiking boots instead.  This cold rainy spring has kept me from getting my feet used to the Chacos in time for a hike!

Meal Prep 4/8/19

I used to want to be really creative with my meal prepping each week, partly because it was fun and partly because it's nice to eat really different meals every week.  Lately though, I just want to do whatever is quickest and easiest so that it doesn't take too much time out of my weekend.  This weekend, I was sick in bed with the stomach bug all day Saturday, so I found myself once again wanting something super quick to cook on Sunday.  Didn't want my whole weekend to be spent either in bed or doing chores!

Pesto pasta : 1 lb pasta, cooked according to box.  (I used Barilla Cellentani, whatever you choose make sure it has at least 8 servings).  Once pasta has been cooked and drained, return it to the pot and toss with 4-5 tbsp pesto.  Make sure you get 1-2 tbsp of oil out of the jar.  If your pesto is drier, add some olive oil to the pasta.  Sauté 1/2 yellow onion and about 8 mushrooms, then mix in with the pasta.  Divide into 10 portions.

Chicken : 2 packages b/s chicken thighs (about 14 thighs).  Layer in a large glass baking dish and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Bake in the oven at 425-450 until internal temperature in the largest thigh reaches 160 (25-40 minutes).  Chop and divide into 10 portions.

Brussels sprouts : 2 lbs fresh sprouts. Chop into bite-sized pieces, toss with olive oil and garlic powder, distribute evenly onto 2 baking sheets, bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.  Divide into 10 portions.

We are excited for another delicious meal!

Meal Prep 4/1/19

Last week's lunches were delicious, but there was something in those brats that tore us up!  I don't know if it was just the fact that they are full of preservatives and we are not used to eating such processed food, or if it was something else, but by Wednesday I was eating around the brats and throwing them out.  I hate wasting food, but my stomach thanked me for not eating them any more.  This is the downside to eating healthy, if you want to call it a downside... The further away I get from processed foods, the harder it is for my stomach to handle them on the rare occasions when I do eat them.

After last week, I felt like we needed something much lighter this week, so I decided to make tuna risotto.  With double the veggies.

Risotto : Chop 1 sweet onion and brown in olive oil in a large pot.  When onion is browned, add minced garlic to taste, and 1 pound of arborio rice. Stir to coat rice with oil, then add enough chicken broth to cover the rice.  Simmer, adding chicken broth as necessary.  If you run out of chicken broth, use water.  I used 32 oz of broth and about 2 cups of water. Chop 8 or 9 mushrooms and add them with the last 1/2 cup or so of water.  Rice is done when it is creamy and not crunchy.

Tuna : Open and drain 3 12oz cans of tuna.  Add to the risotto after it has been removed from the heat and mix well.

Veggies : Chop and roast 2 lbs of Brussels sprouts in the oven around 450 for 10 minutes.  Chop 10-11 medium carrots.  Sauté in a skillet with olive oil and garlic powder to taste.

Strawberry Pie

A friend gave us 2 pints of very fresh strawberries last week.  I knew they wouldn't last long, so the best thing to do was to cook them into something quickly.  I immediately decided I wanted to make a strawberry pie.  I researched several options, finding that some strawberry pies are raw and some are baked.  I knew I wanted to bake the pie, or the strawberries wouldn't last long enough.  Here is my adaptation of several different recipes.

The crust : 1 stick of butter (1/2 c), 1 1/2 c flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3+ tbsp cold water.  Cut the butter into the flour and salt until mixture is crumbly.  Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time, mix until dough forms a ball.  Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for an hour.  Then divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3.  Roll out the 2/3 portion and place in a pie plate. Roll out the 1/3 portion and cut into strips.

The strawberries : Wash and hull the strawberries.  Separate the mushier ones from the firmer ones. Slice the firmer strawberries, mash the mushier ones.  I ended up with about 1/2-1 cup of mashed strawberries.  I added those plus 1/2 cup fresh blueberries to a small saucepan along with the juice of 1/4 lime, 1/4 c sugar (much less than online recipes call for), 1/2 c water, and 2 tbsp corn starch.  Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens.  Place sliced strawberries in pie plate on top of the crust.  Pour over the cooked strawberry mixture.  Place strips of top crust over the pie in a lattice pattern.  (I was in a hurry and feeling lazy so mine is not a real lattice...just strips laid in one direction, and then on top of those I laid the strips in the other direction instead of weaving them.

Bake at 425 for 35 minutes, or until crust just starts to brown.

Lazy lattice crust because I care way more about taste then presentation...

I have no pictures of the finished pie...I was too busy eating it.  It was delicious!  We ate it for breakfast all weekend.  I also had some for an evening dessert with chocolate ice cream...so good!

Meal Prep 3/25/19

Leeky Mac n Cheese : 1 lb shell pasta, cooked according to directions on box.  2 large leeks, chopped, thoroughly washed, and steamed with olive oil.  Cheese sauce : 2 tbsp butter, 1.5 cups milk, 8 slices Swiss cheese, 2 large handfuls shredded monterey cheese, 1/4 c flour, garlic powder. Melt butter in saucepan, add milk and flour, stir til well combined.  Add garlic powder and cheese, stir til cheese is mostly melted.  Mix cooked pasta and leeks together in a large glass baking dish.  Stir in cheese sauce.  Cover top with a single layer of Swiss cheese slices.  (8 slices fit on mine).  Bake for about 30 minutes at 375-425.  Check after about 20 minutes, you are looking for the cheese on top to brown, but you don't want the pasta to burn.


Brussels Sprouts :  Halve 2 lbs of Brussels sprouts, layer onto 2 large baking trays, coat with olive oil and garlic, roast in the oven at 425-450 for about 10 minutes.

Chicken & Brats : 1 package boneless skinless chicken thighs (2.5-3 lbs), 2 packages Bratwursts.  I had one package of regular brats, and one of beer brats.  I reserved 2 beer brats for dinner Saturday, and cooked the remaining 8 brats in these lunches.  Chop the chicken and brats, cook in a large, lidded saucepan in their own juices.  Stir occasionally.  Add garlic powder to taste. Remove the lid when the pieces look cooked through.  When liquid is getting close to cooked off, add 6 ounces chopped mushrooms.  Cook til done.  Chop and brown a large sweet onion, add a spoonful on top of each serving of meat.

Extra :  We had some sauerkraut leftover from our St Patrick's Day Reubens, which is why we decided to buy brats.  We will have some sauerkraut with these lunches until it is gone.

Meal Prep 3/18/19

Pot Roast : 3+ lb roast.  Place in crockpot, sprinkle with salt and garlic powder.  Add 1 can of Guinness and 1 can of Yuengling.  (Or whatever beer you have lying around that you think will make a tasty roast.) Cook on high for 5-6 hours.

Potatoes : 8-9 medium sized red potatoes.  Chop into chunks and boil til soft.  Mash with butter, salt, garlic, and milk to taste. 

Broccoli :  2 lbs broccoli, roasted in oven for 10 minutes.  450-475 degrees-ish?

Extras :  I sautéed about 3/4 sweet onion and a giant handful of mushrooms to top off the meat. 

Makes about 10 meals.

Shamrock 4 miler 3/15/19

I debated entering this race for various reasons.  It was our weekend with the girls and it meant time away from them.  I am STILL coughing after a month and a half and after 6 days of steroids.  But I also wanted to do the race, to see some runner friends I don't see often anymore, and because I thought it might help wake up my legs after some sluggish runs.  In the end, of course I decided to run.  And I am so glad I did.  I've spent so much of the last 2 years focusing on marathon training and not running the shorter races, I'd forgotten how much fun it is to run a shorter faster race! 

This race starts at 7 PM, I guess to let the Friday evening rush hour traffic subside.  They shut down entire lanes for this race on 2 lane roads, which made traffic a disaster on the other roads for the duration of the race.  It was nice for us to have a whole lane to run in though and to not have to worry about cars at all!

We started out into the wind, but soon were on a mile long gradual downhill with a tailwind.  I had told myself I wasn't going to run toooo hard since that stupid cough still hasn't gone, but once I got started, I just couldn't help myself! (no surprise there...)  I kept the pace and my breathing as relaxed as I could for the first mile, but still clocked a 6:32.  (I didn't mean to look at my split but I glanced at my watch to check the mileage at the wrong time and saw the split...I didn't see any splits after that though.) I was feeling pretty good though, so I kept pushing, picking people off one by one.  Mile 2 went by in 6:43 and I was still feeling great.  I kept pushing, trying to speed up gradually as I went, knowing the race was short. There was a decently long climb in mile 3, but it was followed by more gradual downhill and I clocked a 6:45.  We had the headwind for all of mile 4, and the finish was a quarter mile on gravel path weaving in and out of the walkers, but I pushed to the finish and got a finish time of 27:27.  My heart rate was through the roof by the end of the race, and there was a brief coughing spell on the finish line, but overall I felt spectacular and now am itching to run some more shorter faster races. 

I finished 2nd place female, for which I was awarded the first place in my age group. 

It was great to catch up with my friend Mollie and run my warm up with her!  

1st place age group for me, 2nd place age group for her! 

Meal Prep 3/11/19

I usually try not to do the same carb two weeks in a row, but we went to Lewisburg to see friends and the Pony this weekend, so I wanted something quick and easy to cook when we got back on Sunday.  So here we are with pasta two weeks in a row.  I can't say I mind though...pasta is always my favorite! And just like pasta is our go-to carb, boneless skinless chicken thighs are our go-to meat!  So quick and easy in the oven, and they taste great even if you don't season them.

The Pasta :  2 lbs bowtie pasta, cook according to instructions on the box.  Tossed with 2 giant spoonfuls of pesto and about 14 oz of roasted garlic alfredo sauce.  

The Chicken :  2 packages of boneless skinless thighs (2+ lbs each). Sprinkle generously with garlic powder. The oven was set to 425 for 40 minutes, but knowing my oven it was probably closer to 475.  I had the thighs overcrowded in the baking dish, so that is probably why it took longer than the normal 30 minutes.

The Veggies : 7-8 carrots?  I don't think I ever remembered to count them.  The carrots were chopped and sauteed in olive oil and garlic powder with 3/4 medium sweet onion. I added about 6 oz of chopped mushrooms near the end.  We also chopped and roasted 2 lbs of brussels sprouts, about 1.5 lbs of which was added to the lunches.

I cooked the pasta in my stock pot so that I after I drained it, I could use it as a giant mixing bowl to mix the pasta and veggies together.  The chicken I chopped up in the baking dish after removing it from the oven, and then used a slotted spoon to lift the meat out of the ridiculous amount of fat it was swimming in.  I added about 2 spoonfuls of chicken to each meal.

We got 12 meals this week.

Meal Prep 3/4/19

Back to one of my favorites...pasta and meatballs!  

Meatballs :  3 lbs ground beef (I used 80/20 this time.  It's fattier than I normally buy, but it comes in a 3 lb package for convenience.) Mix ground beef with 2 eggs and about 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs (you know I didn't measure those breadcrumbs, I just poured them).  Shape into 25-30 balls.  Drop into a pot filled with sauce, cover and cook on medium for 90-120 minutes.  For sauce, I used a big 2 lb 13 oz jar of Prego Fresh Mushroom.  

Pasta :  1 lb of penne rigate, cooked according to package instructions.  Mixed with the sauce left in the pot after I removed the meatballs.  

Broccoli :  2 lbs fresh broccoli, coated with olive oil and garlic powder and roasted.  My oven was set to 425, I think it was actually around 475.  The broccoli roasted for 10 minutes. 

I turned the oven setting down to 395 after that to roast something else, and when it dinged to say it was at 395 I checked the thermometer I have in the oven.  It said 450.  A new oven is next on our list of big-purchase items.  As soon as we make time to go pick one out...  

Meal Prep 2/25/19

Pot Roast : (It's actually a london broil because it was cheaper...) 2.5 lbs of beef, place in bottom of crock pot, season with garlic powder and salt to taste.  Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, and one can full of water.  Cook on low for about 6-7 hours.  This one cooked until the power went out due to high winds...I think it was right around 6 hours.  Might have been a little less. Use forks to shred the meat. 

Risotto : Chop 1/2 onion and saute til starting to brown.  Add 1 lb arborio rice, stir to coat with oil, then add enough chicken stock to cover the rice.  Cook slowly, adding chicken stock or water as needed, until the rice is creamy and not crunchy.  Season to taste.  You know what I used...garlic powder and more garlic powder.

Carrots : Chop 2 lbs of carrots and saute. 


The vegetables came up a bit short on this one, I ended up supplementing two of the meals with other veggies I had leftover in the fridge.

Meal Prep 2/18/19

Pork Tenderloin : Cover with garlic powder and bake in the oven at 400 for 60 minutes (until internal temp reaches above 140)

Sweet Potatoes : Peel 3 small-medium sweet potatoes and cut in half.  Place in a pot, cover with water, boil until soft enough to mash.  Mash with milk, salt, and garlic powder.

Purple Potatoes : Peel 6 purple potatoes.  Place in a pot, cover with water, boil until soft enough to mash.  (The water turned turquoise while they were boiling...so weird!) Mash with milk, salt, and garlic powder.

Green Beans : 2lbs fresh green beans. Check through the beans and remove stems.  Spread out on a large baking sheet, coat with olive oil, garlic powder, and a bit of salt.  Bake for 12-15 minutes. Stir about halfway through.