To Be

I'm not sure how this happened, but my last post was September 5th....sorry bout that. I will try an be more regular with at least one post a week.

On to the good stuff...school started. I have advanced practice with a professor I have a little crush on. He is so intuitive and it is a pleasure to watch him work. I believe I will learn a lot from him through the next eight months. I also have a class on diagnosing....watch out=) I love learning and hope to put my knowledge to work someday. I have also started an internship at Veteran Affairs....love, love, love it. With school and work I have been pretty busy, but good busy. I love my life.

October 9th my sister and I drove to Portland for a half marathon. I met my running buddy Margot for a very wet 13.1 miles. We finished in 2:12 minutes. I also got in some shopping at Lululemon. Oh, how I love their product. Sister and I had a great time and were able to catch up on one anther's lives.

This weekend Alistair and I packed up the car and drove south to San Francisco. Alistair got a speeding ticket...grrr! We decided to rent a flat rather than a hotel room so that I would have access to a kitchen. Plus, my mother and father in law made the trip as well, so the flat facilitated a more relaxing area to chat.


We arrived Friday evening and then went to the expo early Saturday morning. Niketown had all the names of runners engraved on their building. cool, huh?

There is my name!


Sunday morning we were up early for a 7 am start. I had a slice of bread with almond butter and coffee before the race. Although the race started at 7am I didn't pass the starting line until 7:17am. There was a lot of people and people were moving slowly.


I started the race well and took the hills with ease. Around mile 11 the rain started and I don't believe I responded well to it. My goal was to finish in 4:40, but that didn't happen. My final time was 4:56. I have decided not to run another marathon until I can run a sub 2:00 half marathon. I need to refocus my goals. I need to learn to run correctly and more efficiently which will lead to a quicker time. I am excited for this. I am also going to focus on yoga and strength training. No more distance until I reach this goal - 13.1 in less than 2 hours. I can totally do it.

The pictures are out of order...sorry. I run to be sexy, fierce, strong and to feel alive. I run because it makes me feel extraordinary. I love waking before the rest of the world and having my runners (which are now very stinky) hit the pavement before your alarm clock goes off.


I ran this race to benefit Team in Training Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For this event I raised $2600 with your help. I will soon post the inspiration dinner we went to Saturday night. It was amazing...stay tuned.

Living Authentically

I love, love, love holidays! More than holidays, I love paid days off from work. Time to celebrate me and to dive into projects. This was a doozey of a work week and I was very much looking forward to the four day weekend. Thursday after work I came home to a lovely surprise sitting on my doorstep - my manduka mat! A couple months ago I decided to wash my yoga mat due to the stink that rose from it after too many bikram yoga classes. Well, I asked for advice as to how to wash the mat and was told that I could put it in my washer with seventh generation soap...so I did. And I shouldn't have. The stickiness totally was lost. I tried to work with it since it was a $70 mat that I just bought last year, but it just wasn't helping my practice. So, I invested in a manduka Eko Mat The reviews are fantastic, so I thought to myself what the hell? It is made from biodegradable tree rubber which is kind to the body and the earth. It also came with a travel size cleaner (won't be using that).

I was so excited to get to yoga class to try it out. But, I do not recommend this if you carry it around with you because this baby is HEAVY! The Eko Lite may be more convenient, but I was really looking for the extra cushioning as my knees are beginning to really hurt in most things that I do. Plus, this mat has a smell to it...yes, it stinks, but I think after a couple uses the smell will lesson or I will get use to it. I do love that it is super sticky though. I still may need to invest in a towel because I sweat heavily and it impedes my ability to stick to the mat at times. I also need to stay away from lotion for a few hours before class. Anyways, I do love the mat.



I started reading a new book that I may have mentioned called, "A life worth breathing" by Max Strom. I am only into the second chapter because this is not a book you want to skim. I want each word to resonate with me. It makes me excited to live. But, what I want is to live as authentically as possible. Sometimes it is hard to live authentically in this world full of fakeness. Living authentically means getting real with myself. What can I afford? What can't I afford? To whom do I really want to spend time with? Am I being genuine? Is this decision for me or is it for someone else? To whom will this decision benefit? I am realizing that a lot of the decisions have made in my life are to make OTHERS happy. I want others to perceive me well and I am a people pleaser. With every step towards enlightenment awareness is the first step. Now that I am aware that I make choices/decisions to benefit others I can be more conscious in choosing me. Yeah for Growth!

Maggie finally made it to the groomer. Groomer made dog look like a lamb=( Maggie is happy, I am not.


Because the banana bread was so fabulous last weekend I made it again, but this time I remembered to add the eggs (see last post for recipe). Banana bread still good with eggs, but not as moist...hmmmm.....I think I am on to something.

My nephews had a sleepover with me Friday night, so to celebrate I ordered pizza. Umm...bad choice. My stomach was a mess for two days, TWO days! No more store bought pizza for this gal again. Other than the tummy troubles the nephews and I had a great time. I got some good hugs in.

Today I ran 9 miles on the treadmill. I kept it at 6.0 for the whole 9 miles which is 10 minute miles. It felt pretty good and I watched a movie during the run, but my treadmill is really loud so it was hard to hear.

My momma brought over some corn from her garden. Yippee!

A girlfriend brought over local nectarines.

And these peppers came from our garden!

I am getting really excited for fall. I will begin my third year of my three year masters program. In nine months I will be a graduate!!!! I am also getting excited for the portland half marathon and San Francisco marathon. Lots coming my way.

Chill~laxin

Sadly this weekend just flew by. My intention for the weekend was to go to a yoga workshop entitled "living yoga" but due to low enrollment the workshop was cancelled. So I found myself with a whole lotta extra time AND I did not make use of it...not one bit. I relaxed A LOT! I did a bit of baking, but just did not take photos=( However, picture or not, you are going to want to try this recipe. It is delicious.

Super Moist Banana Bread

Pre-heat oven to 350°F and in mixing bowl stir to combine:

2 Cups Whole wheat Flour
1/2-3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt

Set this bowl aside, and in another bowl whisk 2 large eggs, then add and stir to combine:

5 Tbsp Earth Balance Butter melted
1 1/2 Cups mashed ripe Banana – 4 bananas
1/4 Cup Plain Greek or regular Nonfat Yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just to combine – Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake in center of the 350°F oven for about 50 minutes

Okay, so I totally forgot to put in the eggs AND the bread was AWESOME! Allie said it is the best ever. So although the recipe calls for eggs feel free to leave them out. Yummy!!!



In honor of the forgotten eggs I thought I should share with you where my eggs come from. AND these chickies are anything, but forgotten. Without further ado please meet Oprah and Jasmine...

I took the plunge this weekend and finally purchased my books for the upcoming term...$300 later I find myself broke on my social work salary. And it is going to get worse as I go part time at work to fit in my internship. So, we are trying to save money where ever we can. The best way to save is to buy less OBVIOUSLY which means we have to make more at home. I found this awesome recipe for dishwasher detergent which as you know can be very expensive. I went out and bought the ingredients which in all come close to the price of the detergent I buy, however, the ingredients will make many batches...so, yes, in the long run I save money=)

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe

2 cups Borax

2 cups baking soda

1 cup salt

I have used this homemade detergent twice and I must say I am impressed. The dishes don't shine, but they are clean. In fact, I think they may be cleaner than with the store bought brand.

I also found a recipe for laundry detergent, but I haven't used it yet, so I will keep you posted.

Today my training schedule called for an 18 mile run. The weather was so nice to me. In fact, I was even cold at the beginning. I started on the treadmill for 4.5 miles, then Allie joined me on his bike for the remaining 13.5 miles. On the treadmill I kept to a 9 minute mile, but when I venture out to the road I often go much slower. My garmin showed that I average 12 minute miles for the remaining 13.5. My fastest mile was 8:30. All in all it was a good run.

Alistair made a feast for us when we returned. he invited a friend over for brunch and we all ate stuffed french toast with blackberries and hash browns (I know strange combination), and the boys munched on eggs benedict. My stomach struggled with the contents I pushed down so there was no eggs benedict for me, but it looked good.

We went to the dog park and the pups played hard and in the water. it was a good day!

Hope you all have a fabulous week. xo

Confessions

Confession #1 - Thursday I went to the market to pick up three items 1) half & half 2) greek yogurt 3) french bread - (no, they don't go together!). Fortunately, I made it out with these items, but I also felt the need to munch...so, I bought a (enormous) bag of tortilla chips, but these weren't plain they are guacamole flavored tortilla chips...no, not a healthy option! Anyways, it is now Sunday and these chips are all I can think about. They are very tasty, but not nutritious=( Reasons like such are why I bring a list and need not detour from the list....ughhh!

Saturday morning was a 15 mile run with hubby, sista Christie and nephew Kyle. Not sure why I don't ever get hubby in the pictures...I think he runs when the camera reveals itself. I caught a picture of sista spraying sunscreen on Kyle - he doesn't look impressed. We were running/cycling at 7:45AM.

The weather was perfect for the run. It stayed nice and cool. In fact I don't believe the temperature got about 80 degrees all day. Pre-run snack was half a Kidz Clif Bar which contained 65 calories and a cup of coffee. I packed 3 Advil's and a gu gel in my water in my pack with the bladder filled with cold water. I averaged 10 minute miles for the first 4 miles, then my pace started to slow down. At 7.5 miles I had the gu and i felt it kick in around mile 8.5, but my knees were killing me particularly the left so I took 2 Advil's at mile 10. Alistair and Kyle took off at this point to get some time in at the play structure which was only 3 miles away, but sista stayed with me. I started to take some walk breaks here and there and finally made it to the play structure about 37 minutes later. Poor Kyle's tire went flat so he had to do some walking=( At this point I had 2 miles to go, so Alistair stayed near me to spur me along. I sprinted the last half mile which felt good. That was my fasted mile at 7:44, but my average was 11:49. I burned 1800 calories says garmin. I lacked energy and really need to figure out the pre-meal- enough so I have energy, but small enough to keep my belly happy. And I was starving by mile 13. I started dreaming about food - almost anything would do. We got home, took a shower and went for breakfast at a diner (whoop, whoop) - I got a scramble for a whole lot of protein. Later in the evening we went to my sista's for a barbecue and it was delicious. Home by 10:30; in bed at 10:31PM.

Confession #2 - When I let go, I let go. With my busy schedule this summer I let the office become our garbage/recycling can. Anything and everything that didn't have a place went here.



I know, horrible, disgusting, gross! I am surprised I didn't find rats when I finally tackled this room. I decided that with school starting in a month my study area needed to be clean. So I spent a day and half organizing, reducing and dusting. I think I am ready for school to start now that I can find my desk..whoohooo!



Although my diet has consisted of mostly guacamole tortilla chips and greek yogurt I decided I needed a balanced meal for dinner. I chose a homemade pizza. I used a flat out for the crust (100 calories), organic garlic marinara sauce, mozzarella and provolone cheese, fresh basil, zucchini, carrots, onion, pepper and red pepper flakes. I baked the veggies first for 20 minutes at 375 then added the veggies to the crust for an addition 7 minutes in the oven. Voila...delicious and nutritious. Unfortunately, a knife and fork were required to devour it.



Confession #3 - it is 4:36 PM and I feel like a nap or bedtime is in order. It is rough around here on Sunday afternoons. Alistair is playing golf, the pups are sound asleep and I am watching Desperate Housewives (confession #4)!

I hope you all enjoy your Sunday evening. I am curious what food you can't stay away from if you have it in your house?

May you all walk with confidence and a smile. xo

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Over the past few months I have gotten serious about transitioning my home to a reusing, recycling haven. I am so very close to being plastic bag free.

fact #1:
Plastic bags and other plastic garbage thrown into the ocean kill as many as 1,000,000 sea creatures a year! Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It's twice the size of Texas and is floating somewhere between San Francisco and Hawaii. It's also 80 percent plastic, and weighs in at 3.5 million tons.

Fact #2
Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.

Fact #3

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. In spite of this, Americans throw away enough aluminum to rebuild our entire commercial fleet of airplanes every three months!

I am feeling good about 2 of the 3 R's - reuse and recycle; I got these. Reduce...I am having some issues with...And of course it is the first and the most important...grrrr!

To help my kitchen be plastic bag free I had to purchase a few reusable bags on etsy.

This bag holds all of my reusable bags for bulk items and fruit and vegetable bags. I purchased from lovetheearth on etsy!

Various colours and sizes for vegetables...








Reusable bag in use - has basmati rice inside.







The only plastic bags that have entered my home are from Alistair who made a quick shop. Being environmentally friendly takes planning. I have equipped both vehicles (if I were really friendly I would bike it to the grocery store!) with reusable bags for quick shops and planned shops. Alistair doesn't always remember he has them though.

There is also a technique to recycling and takes education to get it right.

A couple things you should not recycle:

You risk contaminating the rest of the products if you put these into your bin!
Pizza boxes. The oil from pizza can contaminate cardboard boxes, making it impossible to process them into clean paper.
Napkins and paper towels. It's not the paper goods themselves that present a problem, but the fact that they're typically used to wipe up food, cleaning products, and other "hazardous waste."
Sticky notes. Their size, color, and the adhesive strip make them a better bet for the trash bin.
Plastic caps. Curbside programs won't recycle them, but Aveda collects them and turns them into packaging for new products.
Wet paper. Paper fibers that have been exposed to water are shorter and therefore less valuable to paper mills, making it unprofitable to collect and recycle.
Another thing you may want to keep in mind is that while it’s generally well known that most curbside programs only take plastics labeled #1 and #2 on the bottom .Check in with your local waste or sanitation department to find out what the specific rules are in your area.

On to me:

Okay, I have been eating A LOT this week. My appetite truly tripled. I don't know what is going on. yes, I have increased my mileage, but not that much...my goodness. One morning I woke up at 2AM and felt like my stomach was going to eat itself...so very strange. I am trying to listen to my body, but come on. It may be that I stopped eating meat. However, it has been several months now and can't imagine that my body isn't use to the change yet. Alistair is not happy about this change, but I realized that I function better and my digestion is more smooth being meat free.

I would love any tips to tricking my stomach into feeling full or more filling foods. Also, does anyone have any recycling tips to share?

Enjoy your sun.

Garmin Goodness

Tomorrow is the start of the Tri/Yoga Bingo Challenge. Now is the time to get in on the action, if you haven't already. It will be a great way to jump start your fitness goals, maintain or to send them to the next level. Remember the goal is to add to what you already are doing. If you are running 8 miles a day, continue to do that but add a half hour swim. The idea isn't to stop exercise at 30 minutes (that is just the minimum). Remember you get what you give. I plan to give a lot...so watch out!!! I decorated my bingo card a little and will place it on the fridge for the duration of the challenge.

I have made this recipe twice and it gets better each time. It is truly a healthy, wholesome treat. My nephew and nieces also enjoyed this natural treat.

Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies with a little bit of everything.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup mesquite flour (If you don't have access to mesquite flour you can add another cup of the ww pastry flour).

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup earth balance butter

2 cups natural cane sugar

3 large eggs (from Jasmine and Oprah work best!)

1 T pure vanilla extract

2 cups rolled oats

s cups semisweet chocolate chip cookies

1 cup organic coconut

raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Of course beat the wet ingredients first then add dry ingredients.

You will love this recipe.

Oozy and chewy!


Mt. Ashland Hill climb Run

I took part in the hill climb run yesterday. My packet included an organic cotton shirt, water bottle (always can use more water bottles), $10 gift card to standing stone restaurant, La Sportiva sticker, nutrition bar and gu.


The race started at 7:30. For breakfast I ate the bar that came in the packet (100 calories) and cup of coffee. I could not have asked for better weather; it was perfect. It was fabulous having my new friend, Garmin, with me to tell me my pace and the distance. It put me at ease. I felt so in my element on the dirt. I kept my pace between 9:30 and 11:30 for the first 10 miles. Remember this is 13.3 miles uphill. So the pace felt good. I chose not to refuel with gu or fruit at any of the aid stations because I did not want to mess up a good thing.


However, I am thinking I should have refueled at least a bit. My body shut down at 10.3 miles. I look and feel like hell...


So my goal was to complete the race in 3 hours 30 minutes. The winner finished at 1 hour 47 minutes...wow! I honestly thought around mile 8 and 9 that I may complete it in 3 hours. I was feeling good. But, like I said at 10.3 miles my body was done. Mile 10 took 21 minutes, mile 11 was somewhere in the 20's and mile 13 (the vertical mile) took 45 minutes. My final time was 3:55.

The views were.are impeccable. If you haven't you got to try this run. It is such a magical experience.

Sisterhood is PowerFULL

This week has been packed with the power of sisters. I have such amazing sisters (all womyn)! The week started with a sisterhood dinner which is an idea that was inspired at the yoga retreat early July. A few friends and I met for an evening of cooking and sharing a meal while engaging in thoughtful conversation. All meals are to be nutritious, healthy, seasonal and of course scrumptious. At the end of the evening each womyn gets the recipe. The host changes at each dinner (we chose once a month) and the host decides on the recipe and has all ingredients ready for the womyn to begin cooking at 6:00. It is easy to get swept away in our busy lives and not stop to truly enjoy our sisters, but by having this at least once a month I allow myself to be a small piece of the powerfull sisterhood.

So the Tri/Yoga Bingo Challenge will begin Monday, August 8. The intentions of this challenge are to 1) support triathletes/athletes, 2) do one thing a day that scares us 3)Sweat 4) support a healthy lifestyle and most importantly 5) support Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It is $10 to participate and the winner will win $50...whoop, whoop! All you have to do is exercise.

The activities involved in the challenge are 1) Enjoy your activity With A Friend 2) Yoga 3) Run 4) Swim 5) Your choice of activity 6) Tri Something New 7) Bike/Spin --- There are 30 spaces to be marked off in all. More than one activity can occur in a day, but not of the same activity (one can not mark off 3 runs, but one may mark off yoga, run and bike in a single day). The activity needs to occur for at least 30 consecutive minutes to count. The participant that blocks out the card first will win $50. I will send all the guidelines and card to you via email so please provide me with your email. I will send instructions on payment which will go directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I am currently decorating my card and will post soon.



Last night I made the most scrumptious dinner ever (yes, I am dramatic)! It was the best stir fry made with soba noodles (Gluten free: Although I don't really even know what gluten is...but apparently some people are really allergic to it!) and tempeh...yummy=)

I diced and chopped every last vegetable we had in the fridge (zucchini, baby carrots, bell peppers, onions and kale). Sauteed these veggies in coconut oil and terriyaki sauce. Oh, and I put in a few cashews which totally made the meal.



Yummy! I didn't feel that it was extremely filling though, probably because I had a long run and could have eaten my hand, but after I inhaled this I ate greek yogurt with a tablespoon of nutella.


Sorry, this is so out of order, but this is the beautiful place setting at the sisterhood dinner. Isn't it pretty?

The training team included my blood sister, Christie and my two eldest nephews, Justin and Kyle. The crew rode their bikes while I ran (actually jogged slowly). This was a super tough run for me. I felt extremely sluggish...booo! Oh, I purchased a Garmin! And loovvvveee it! oh, yah...this means I am hard core...tehehehehe


The training run ended at the Ashland Dog Park where we met Alistair and Ntombi. I love this dog park as long as dogs aren't whizzing on my leg.



We loaded up in the subaru and drove fast to Dragonfly where Coconut French Toast, Rosemary potatoes, rosemary toast and eggs awaited me. Oh, and coffee. We waited over an hour for the delicious food and then inhaled it within minutes once it arrived. I love long run days...