I’m ready. I think. For my first half marathon. Well if you don’t count my treadmill time.
I have 1 million grams of carbohydrates in my belly. I also have the support of a few people around these parts. I have a nice playlist on my ipod full of vulgar rap songs.
Spandex? Yes.
Leggings? Yes.
100 pairs of socks? Yep.
Straightened hair? Double check. (I need to run races with straight hair versus afro style hair).
Its not even a webcam photo...Im clearly so skilled.
Too bad it’s supposed to be pouring rain and windy. It’s about two hours northeast of me (did you know you could be anymore upstate NY?) UH yeah me neither…
Although my milage and base isn’t as strong for this race because of my injury, it’s still decent enough. I’m not really planning on racing this half marathon but I did sign up for it and really want to participate. Due to my heel injury that cut my training from 50 to zero, I didn’t get to do any of the runs that would make me feel most comfortable for this race. Aka runs more than 12 miles. I signed up, though, for this race months ago so I still want to try it out.
My next half, May 1st is when the ball will be rolling. This half marathon is for me to simply test out the waters, find what works, what doesn’t and to make sure my heels are still going strong.
My goals is to be between 1:40-1:50 but we will see. The other time I ran a 13.1 was on a treadmill and I finished in 1:49 and got the bonus of two fractured heels. YUCK. Oh and the smell of burnt popcorn.
So the last few days, I have been carb loading like it’s my job.
I went to my favorite diner obviously
I love how Holiday festive they are. <3
Grapes are my favorite carb ever.
oatmeal pancakes topped with apples=more nom carbs
I knew I had some pasta and marinara somewhere in there too
I bought some powergels and shot blocks depending on my mood and am completely packed. So think of me tomorrow at 8:00 am. I’ll miss you blogging BFFS.
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Question for you:
How do you prepare for a big race? Or a new distance race?
So the general consensus is running with headphones is a must. I would rather run with headphones and get my tunage on, but I can handle not running with headphones as well. My mind always wanders anyways.
Speaking of my blog last night, I may or may not have overshot the amount of gel in my spray and had some crunchy hair. I had to reshower. I’m glad you guys are so agreeing, I didn’t want you to think I was that trashey.
This morning it was raining ew. At least it is melting the snow and making giant brown dirt snow piles. It did, however, melt all the snow infront of my car so guess which girl never had to spend an hour digging out her car? This girl.
After my seven mile run from hell, I decided tomorrow I’ll be taking the day off from running. I will relax and enjoy the cold that is coming back…YAY?
Caitlin and I went to the diner today and I had a raspberry pancake. She was getting her carbs on for her marathon on Sunday. So I expect all of you to wish her good luck and think of her on Sunday morning. I was seriously going to try something new but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
So one day my blogging friends I will be ballsy and try something new, but that day is not today. Why you still follow my blog due to the same things everyday being eaten baffles me. I never did classify myself as a foodie or healthy foodie or even decent cook of anything but breakfast foods and I think that is becoming more obvious.
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For Factual Friday today, I decided to decode my closet for you guys. It wouldn’t be very factual if I had tidied up because that isn’t how my closet rolls. That is my story and I’m sticking to it…I don’t keep it at grime time level or anything but it’s not as neat as my desk which I need perfect to get anything done.
I own at least 15 polos in probably every color you thought known to mankind. In high school, I was a polo whore and I never really let go of that stage in my life.
Along with dresses, but half of them aren’t pictured.
This shelve would be where I store all my leggings. I just counted for you guys and have 13 pairs of those. I have 4 shades of brown leggings. That really is a touch to much now that I think about it. On a side note-someone asked my favorite brand of leggings and I would have to say Victorias Secret. They last forever and are way comfortable. So that’s my um, secret of the day.
I owe 21 sweaters too. In upstate, you can never have enough sweaters.
I love perfume. I wear it all day everyday. If I don’t smell like sweat I feel the need to smell decently. My current obsession with be Ms. Dior.
On a side note-I actually hate those built in shelves but I can’t remove them.
So we haven’t learned very much in nutrition that I didn’t know already (and I’m sure the blogging world didn’t know). So I will share bits of information as I get it processed. The first week of classes, I’m always so excited to learn things but you never really get into it until a couple weeks in (or so)…
Unlike math, you dive right on in. You say oh hey proofs long time no see (and I wish I never had too…)
.
I love math… But that it serves no purpose for me to ramble on about how calculus makes really happy (and proofs make me oh so sad)and I told my housemate I would take all her online calculus quizzes (and my proof notebooks look like I wrote a small collection of best sellers.).
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But this beautiful Sunday morning, I woke up at 8am and had breakfast at the local diner. Aka, my favorite restaurant in my little town. I had to force my believes down Caitlin’s throat and make her love Foxy Roxy’s too. I mean with that mind set, how could you not want to be my friend?
To further prove I’m a fattie, I ordered two large pancakes while Cait had delicious oatmeal. I do have to say, their oatmeal is the bomb (.com). I used to steal about half of Aram’s when he got it.
I finished my raspberry pancake but not the blueberry. Actually I didn’t even start the blueberry-I just brought it back home. My diner ladies were so shocked. I swear they expect to eat every single person’s plate in there. Ha-I’m okay with it though, if everyone got pancakes I would have a hell of a delicious breakfast/dinner/yearly meal.
I love that they top it with whip cream. Everything is better with whip cream.
So today after my diner date, I came and bonded with some advanced calculus for a few hours then went to the lovely gym. One of my running goals is to run at least one time a week, uninhibited, meaning no music and not TVs. Believe me, it’s a lot easier outside. Oh well-there were plenty of people to watch working out today.
7 miles in 59 minutes. The pace ranged from 8:57 (to warm up) and reached 8:13 today. So I’m slowly getting better. Done on a 1% incline. Another thing I need to work on are hills.
I think by March I’ll be running under 8 minutes again and then by April perhaps under 7:30. We shall see. All in due time.
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So in honor of my nutrition class and because it pertains me and my blogging recently, I thought I would ramble off about proportion size of a serving of fruit and veggies. But on a side note, did you know they are changing the nutrition guidelines and a new food pyramid is coming out soon? (Literally in the next week or two.)
Speaking of serving size, I got 30 servings for fruit and veggies for the entire week. I think I’ll count again this week. Anyone else count their fruit and vegetable intake?
VEGETABLE SERVINGS: SIZES
• Asparagus, canned 7 spears
• Asparagus, fresh 5 spears
• Avocado ½ of an avocado
• Baby sweet corn 6 spears
• Broad beans 1/2 cup
• Broccoli 2 large florets
• Brussels sprouts 8 sprouts
• Cabbage 1/2 cup
• Carrots 1 large carrot
• Celery 3 sticks
• Cherry tomatoes 7
• Curly kale 1/2 cup
• Eggplant One-third of a large one
• French beans 1/2 cup
• Mixed salad Cereal bowl full (1 cup)
• Mushrooms, button 14
• Onion 1 medium
• Parsnip 1 large
• Peas, fresh, frozen or canned 1/2 cup
• Potatoes Never count towards your daily vegetable servings, in any form
• Salad leaves, lettuce etc Cereal bowl full (1 cup)
• Scallions 8
• Snow peas Handful
• Spinach, cooked 1/2 cup
• Spring onions 8
• Sugar snap peas Handful
• Sweet corn, fresh, frozen or canned 1/2 cup
• Tomato 1 medium
• Vegetable soup 1 serving of fresh or canned soup
• Zucchini Half a large one
Something that I found extremely interesting is that potatoes don’t actually count towards your veggie intake. I have heard some books consider sweet potatoes too, but others do not. What is your opinion? What have you been told?
After goggling for a while, I have found most people consider sweet potatoes a vegetable but not regular or red potatoes. So if you are going that route, the general accepted serving is ½ cup. But who eats ½ of a potato? Certainly not this girl. The skin is actually my favorite part ha.
All in all-most cooked vegetables are considered 1 serving at about ½ cup.
FRUIT SERVINGS: SIZES
• Apple, dried 4 rings
• Apple, fresh 1 medium
• Apricots, dried 3 whole
• Banana 1 medium
• Blackberries Handful
• Clementine’s 2
• Cherries, fresh 14
• Dried fruits, mixed 1/4 cup
• Figs, fresh 2
• Fruit salad, fresh or canned 1/2 cup
• Kiwi 2
• Grapefruit Half
• Grapes Handful
• Mango 2 slices
• Melon 1 large slice
• Passion fruit 6
• Peach, canned 2 halves
• Peach, fresh 1 medium
• Pear 1 medium
• Pineapple, canned 2 rings
• Pineapple, fresh 1 large slice
• Plums 2 medium
• Prunes, canned 6
• Nectarine 1 medium
• Raisins 1/4 cup
• Raspberries 2 handfuls
• Rhubarb, cooked 1/3 cup
• Strawberries 7
Did you know I eat 3 pounds of grapes in what sitting? I would get my 25 servings of fruit in that 5 seconds that I ate them all. I should just do that weekly, eat 3 pounds of grapes and candy the rest of the week for food? Om nom nom.
In other news, 1 serving of fruit or vegetable juice (aka prune juice) is ½ cup. Another way I could probably get all my servings of fruit.
This is obviously just a general list, but when in doubt consider about ½ cup of most fruits and vegetables to be a serving. Add them to your pancakes, and waffles. All the cool kids are doing it.
———- Day 12: A picture of you in favorite outfit. I feel I’m always half naked between running and swimming but is it socially acceptable to say that my birthday suit is my favorite outfit?
Lovely ladies and sports bras
But no really-if you go up all the way to the top of the screen and stare the my welcoming face to my blog. That is my favorite outfit (which is why I chose that photo…go figure.)
Question for you:
1. Do you get enough fruits and vegetables?
2. What is your favorite outfit
I’m not one to double post a lot because I think it takes away from one post. Since Puerto rico, I have been eating though I promise. I thought I would just add a few photos daily from Puerto Rico for a while because that captures more of the moment then my rambling.
On a side note, I haven’t said anything on my blog that I wouldn’t say to people in the “real world.” I just found out (which makes sense of why my full name has over 100 hits to find my blog) that some of my fellow teammates read my blog on the regular. So here is a shoutout to you guys. Comment if you would like.
Before I begin my blog-I have to share this photo of the Baltimore Ravens airplane at my airport. I actually watched the Ravens game today, so Holly would be so proud. I wish my plane hadn’t been leaving so I could have seen them come out. I feel since I’m such a superstar famous people and I don’t really ever see each other. Bahaha.
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I was also tagged in one those baby girls and since my last Factual Friday blog about my shoulders was a week ago, I’ll tie that lose end by rambling on about myself now. Four TV Shows I Watch:
• Americas Next Top Model
• Say Yes to the Dress
• The Great Baker
• Random bits of Trashy TV (Jersey Shore YES) Four Things I’m Passionate About:
• My friends and family
• Math
• Education
• Painting. I have to do something with my life since I have no classes or work to do between practices.
Four Words/Phrases I Use Too Much:
• Babycakes. That is my nickname for everyone.
• “Where is my _________? (nalgene, student ID, wallet, camera…)
• It’s too cold.
• This is a waste of my life. (I don’t like to be wasteful.)
Four Things I’ve Learned From The Past:
• Everyone can have a good relationship with food.
• Female drama is never worth it.
• I cannot retire into the cold.
• I can live for a week without pancakes.
Four Things I’m Looking Forward To:
• More people in my college town.
• Running a half marathon and beginning my running season again.
• Getting married and settling down.
• Meeting Tyra Banks (because that is my life mission). You can take your noble goals elsewhere.
Four Things I Love About Winter:
• Warm coffee
• Holidays. I love all Holidays and being festive.
• New Year and wiping the slate clean.
• The first snow (and then the first snow melt).
———————— Nom noms!
I like to pretend I have been productive without school and work. I did come out with a new way to indulge in pancakes. So there. Dark Chocolate peanut flour banana pancakes
Now isn’t that a mouthful? It was only a matter of time before I found a recipe to combine the three to make something so delicious. I love peanut flour, banana, and cocoa powder so it was destiny.
1/3 cup peanut flour
1 small mashed nanner
¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I like Hershey’s special dark)
1 tsp baking powder
Water or milk to constancy
Sweetener to your taste (I used 2 truvia packets) but I like tart chocolate the best.
Mix and cook on griddle.
Dark brown pancakes, how can you not be appealed?
For dinner on Friday night, I made mashed taters, steak and steamed veggies. This was actually the best steak I have ever made by myself so daddy would be proud.
Kelsey and I made raspberry pancakes after our first practice on Saturday.
Then I got pancakes at Foxy Roxy’s this morning. The cute ladies all said they missed me and I met some new friends wondering where I pack these cakes down. I am convinced when I get out of college, all my friends will be 60+. I’m okay with it.
nom nom nom. I wish I could eat these every meal.
My signature classy face for snow.
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Two recipes in one post. I must be overzealous I suppose but I made bacon burgers for dinner. I’m not sure if I have mentioned 1000 times but I’m not normally a burger fan. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time I have had one. Something about them just doesn’t appeal to me. Grill me some hot dogs and steak. But anywho-I got the recipe from a book I was given.
Bacon Burger: (makes 1 serving)
Ingredients:
2 strips bacon
1 tablespoon egg substitute
1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
¼ pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon parsley leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire cause
1 teaspoon minced chili pepper
1 slice American cheese
1 hamburger bun
Toppings:
I like spinach and tomato personally with a bit of ketchup.
Directions:
1. Place a medium pan over medium-high heat. Cook bacon for 3-4 minutes until crisp.
2. While the bacon is cooking, combine egg substitute and bread crumbs. Add the turkey, parsley, Worcestershire sauce and chili pepper. Shape the patty.
3. Cook patty for roughly 2 minutes per side in pan. Wrap the bacon around the patty. Add cheese and bun and waaalaaa.
For me having a burger was a big deal, because I haven’t had one in probably five years. So my trying new things led me to success again. NOM NOM NOM.
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As promised here are some more photos from Puerto Rico:
Julie and I on New Years
My asst. coach Josh and I
airplane time. Straight hair is amazing for flight. God knows people do not want my afro in their face.
Um yes, I needed Puerto Rican Cut Out Wedges.
Question for you:
1. What is something you haven’t had in a long time that you would like to give a second chance? 2. Heels, Wedges or flats?
I love heels and wedges. I have always walked on toes (I couldn’t tell you why) so they are actually a lot more comfortable. I rocks heels or wedges whenever I’m not wearing boots ha.
Since I excessively shopped on Victoria’s Secret last night for my some sweat pants, bathing suit and leggings (I mean I’m on 2 weeks (minus the casino) of being jeans free here). No one will understand my love for leggings but anyways, I stayed up way to late last night. In case you wondered-my favorite color is bright yellow. The obnoxious get out of my face color yellow-not pale.
Apparently this is what you look like while wearing the suit...
I could pull it off and say I was studying for finals. I’m someone, however, who studies for finals an hour at a time-sometimes two but I learn a lot better if start studying a week out for an hour of so every day.
Waking up this morning was extremely hard, but then I remembered that we were going to the diner and it made it slightly easier. Aram and I studied some sports psychology then went to take the test. I’m pretty sure I aced that baby girl. They were decorated with for Christmas.
Challenge to you: Find me a restaurant with pancakes that Rival these Raspberry Beauties.
I went to the gym after, which was an extremely poor decision. I have never felt so bad and decided it would be in my best interest to sleep. I got a sudden migraine while running and then my body said alright all done. So I got off the treadmill at mile two (which is when I started to feel bad) and went and just took a two hour nap.
I realize I’m a grandma and all but I don’t ever take daytime naps so my body clearly needed it. After my lovely nap, I packed, packed packed. Packing is extremely difficult going from 0 degree weather to 50. I have to find things that I haven’t worn in months and jam it all in a suitcase that the airlines are going to charge me 25 dollars for. Then I have to clean my room for fire checks and so my Resident Director doesn’t think I’m a grime girl. This whole process took about 2 hours-but I was also get my Tyra Show on.
Today was one of my lazier days and I wasn’t feeling like braving the arctic and going into the freezing pool, but I somehow managed to leave my cozy room.
I had two options:
4000 kick with fins or
5X(100 free-100 backstroke) warmup
400im
4X200 Free Pull
400 kick
10X100 Free Interval
400 circle Im (Basically 4X100IM without stopping, just looping it through)
3X400 Free
Can you guess which one I did ha?
I went to eat at Lehman because it was Aram’s last time eating there as a student and since we are cooking so much over winterm he wanted it to be cooked for him. Not that it isn’t when I cooked but ha. I didn’t really feel like busting out my camera because I was feeling lazy. But the special today was an egg wrap. It had scrambled eggs inside of a wrap with spinach, sweet peppers and mushrooms. So there you have it-no more campus food for real for real.
Question for you:
Are you a daytime napper?
