Big 100!

This is my 100th post! I had hoped that I would have something really fun planned for the big 100, but basically all you are going to get is a recap of my weekend so far. Sorry! To make it more celebratory, I'll just put in more exclamation points than usual. :)

CSA Photo Shoot!
As I mentioned before, we got our CSA box on Friday. You can tell it's fall - the box seemed more full than usual! Check out the haul:

Cantaloupe, romaine lettuce, beets, swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, one giant heirloom tomato, red peppers, apples, and pears. I can't believe we get all of this for only $25!

And in case you can't tell how gigantic that tomato is:

B thought it was a grapefruit when we opened the box!

And yes, I am wearing a Silly Band on my wrist. If you don't know what Silly Bandz are, you probably don't work with kids! They are a BIG DEAL!

[Source]

My particular Silly Band was a gift from a student who gave it to me because it is in the shape of a penguin and I have penguin things all over my classroom. If I've learned anything in three years of teaching, it's that when a student gives you a gift, you need to use it! Otherwise, they get their feelings hurt. :(

Cookies!
Yesterday afternoon, while B was at a Physics teacher training, I whipped up a batch of Apricot Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are exquisite.

I made just a few modifications:

• 1 cup all purpose flour + 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 cups oats instead of 2
• reduced butter to 1 1/2 cups
• accidentally used baking powder instead of soda (no ill effects though)

I  had a few after dinner yesterday, then one with my coffee this morning, and maybe another one today after lunch. B originally turned his nose up at the dried apricot, but has definitely changed his tune. I really recommend waiting until they are cool to taste-test though. The dried apricot doesn't have the best flavor when it is hot out of the oven.

The recipe makes a lot of cookies (but I like to make them small-ish), so after baking up two dozen, I still had quite a bit of dough left. So, I made balls of dough, put them on parchment, and froze them...

...then tossed the frozen dough into a ziplock bag and put it back in the freezer. Now it's super easy to have cookies during the week without making a huge batch!

One of my favorite kitchen shortcuts!

Running!
B and I did what felt like a super slow four mile run this morning. In truth, I kept a 8:40min/mi pace throughout, but my legs felt like lead. My knee is still giving me some grief and it is incredibly frustrating. Right around the time my breathing settles down and my body feels ready to really tackle the miles, my knee gives up. I'm currently dealing with some health insurance issues (I signed up for insurance with my school district, but then realized that I would have better coverage if I used B's insurance, so now we are trying to make the swap but of course there is a ton of paperwork involved), but as soon as we get it figured out, I'm heading to the doctor.

Leftovers!
After our run this morning, I parked myself on the couch with leftovers for lunch:

Mexican Veggie Soup (no longer very soupy though!), and Veggie Chickpea Curry (and maybe a cookie or two). Now I'm icing my knee, watching Buffy reruns, and grading papers.

It looks like it might rain today!!

Unwind

As soon as I typed that title, I was reminded of a super-creepy young adult novel I read last year by Neal Shusterman by the same name and now I am totally creeped out remembering how weird it was! I might have nightmares...
 
B and I went running this afternoon. I planned to do 4 miles, but around 2.5 my knee started hurting (I forgot my brace again, I am a dummy). I managed to finish 3.1 miles (5K) in about 27 minutes, then power-walked the rest of the way in.

I was a little disappointed that like two weeks ago I ran a flipping half marathon and today I couldn't even complete 4 miles, so I decided to unwind with a little yoga.

....Unwind was the wrong word to use there. Jillian's Yoga Meltdown is a WORK. OUT. I was shaky and dripping with sweat when I finished. I find Jillian herself pretty obnoxious, but I have to admit, she knows her stuff. The workout combines power yoga poses with repetitions and intervals. My heart rate was up - it is definitely aerobic. I also didn't get bored or distracted, which tends to happen when I practice traditional yoga. However, it did not help me unwind! I took a long, hot shower afterward and felt a little better.

For dinner we just scrambled eggs and ate them in a tortilla with prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, and goat cheese. Sometimes, you just want eggs for dinner!

Last night, though, I made a pretty awesome soup. I recommend you make this soup immediately and then eat it for every subsequent meal for the next week, since that's about how much soup this makes.

[Source]

Mexican Inspired Vegetable Soup
from Shutterbean

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 32 oz. container vegetable stock
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (a heaping one is just fine)
• 1 bunch kale, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled & chopped
• 2 12 oz. cans black beans, rinsed & drained
• 3 corn tortillas, diced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• hot sauce
• salt & pepper

Method
In a large pot, heat olive oil with onions on medium heat and cook until onions are transparent. Add the carrots, garlic and cumin to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and canned tomatoes to the pot, raise the heat to medium high. Add the kale, zucchini, red pepper, sweet potatoes and black beans to the pot and bring to a boil.  Add in your tortillas, half of your chopped cilantro and a few splashes of hot sauce and stir.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.  In that 15 minutes, add the rest of your cilantro and taste the soup every now and then to see if it needs more salt, pepper or hot sauce.


I actually took pictures of this myself, but these are pictures that Tracy took because I'm too lazy to get my butt off the couch and get my camera. Doesn't it look yummy?

[Source]

Do you practice yoga?

Off

As much as I love a three-day weekend and four-day workweek, they always leave me feeling a little "off." These last few days at work I have felt like a chicken with her head cut off. I keep misplacing things or, even worse, forgetting things. Yesterday I forgot my lunch! I had to make like a junior high student and call my daddy to make me a sandwich at the deli. Fortunately, I work about 2 miles away from the grocery story my family owns. I made a quick stop to pick up my sammy before they opened, but made it to my classroom about 5 minutes before the bell rang and just felt like I was running late all day!


(Please note that this is also a picture-less post because I left my camera at home. Yes, I occasionally blog at work during my prep. I don't teach my next class until 2 hours from now, so I have a few minutes to spare.)

Moving on... Yesterday I finally broke my exercise fast and went for a run. I know I said I would break in my new sneaks on Tuesday morning but, uh, I never got out of bed. When I got home from work yesterday it was cool and a little breezy and I thought, "This is running weather!" I threw on my shoes and hit the trail.

Run Stats:

• Total Distance: 3.02mi
• Total Time: 25:50
• Average Pace: 8:33min/mi

It felt gooood to get my legs back and to just run because I wanted to and not because I was trying to get in a certain mileage. I like training, but I also sometimes forget how much I just like to run.

Also, the shoes are great! A little looser than my old ones, but that's not exactly bad. They are roomier through the toe box, so I'm hoping for fewer bruised toenails. I've been lucky to not lose a toenail yet, but I don't want to push my luck!

I also got my new yoga DVD in the mail yesterday. Jillian and I are going to yoga meltdown this afternoon! I'll post a review ASAP.

Off to photocopy grammar worksheets and finish grading paragraphs. Happy Thursday!

My Post-Race Workout Plan

Now that I'm walking pain-free, I feel ready to start thinking about working out again. No, I did not work out at all this week. I considered it my reward for that punishing half marathon course. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

While I was tapering before the race, I gave a lot of thought to what my workout schedule would look like post-race. The half marathon was the impetus behind starting this blog, actually. I was working out semi-regularly and eating semi-healthy. I signed up for the half-marathon, started training, and subsequently decided to start cleaning up my eats. Immediately noticing that my workouts were easier when I ate better, so I decided to write about it.

I make no secret about the fact that I think I overtrained for the half. I took a 10-week training program and stretched it to about 16 by doubling some weeks. What I should have done was schedule step-back weeks to prepare me for upcoming pushes in mileage. I was tired a lot this summer - way more than I should have been. I also suffered a few injuries. There were weeks when I didn't want to run at all.

Because of the overall fatigue and soreness that overtaining caused me, I did little-to-no cross training - I just couldn't find the motivation. This is a huge bummer because I actually really like cross-training and it helps me feel ready to exercise multiple days in a row (because I'm working different parts of my body).

I'm signed up for several races in the next few months and I'm really excited for them:

• September: Palo Alto Moonlight Run 10K
• October: Marsh Madness 10K
• November: Women on the Run Title 9K
• December: Jingle Bell Rock 5K

I'm committed to making my training a little more well-rounded by adding spinning and "yoga" to the mix (I don't have the patience for traditional yoga classes. I'm hoping Jillian can keep me focused). Here is my tentative workout plan for the fall:

• Monday: Spin/Abs
• Tuesday: 4-6 mile run
• Wednesday: Yoga
• Thursday: 4-6 mile run
• Friday: Spin/Abs
• Saturday: Long(ish) run (7-10 miles)
• Sunday: REST

I'm going from 4 runs/week to 3, but I think that will be good for me if I'm still doing cardio in the form of spinning. Spinning will also hopefully help build some strength in my knees so I can avoid future injuries.

I'm also not planning to be so militant about mileage.  This is a big hangup for me because I tend to obsess about numbers. I think I like the idea of giving myself a range of miles for the day and doing what I feel up to. Most of these workouts will happen in the AM before I leave for work, so that puts some time constraints on the length anyway. Other days, I'll just sweat it out when I get home. No biggie.

Are you at the beginning or the end of your racing season?
I love knowing I have a race each month this fall to work towards and look forward to!

Dirt Inspires Women's Trail Half Marathon Race Recap

It's a long one, so strap yourselves in!

Pre-Race
My pre-race prep started around 5pm on Saturday night when I laid out all the stuff I would need for the race...

...and then packed it up to take to my in-laws'. I went back and forth for weeks about sleeping in my own bed on Saturday night and waking up early to drive over the hill to Santa Cruz on Sunday morning, or sleeping in a strange bed on Saturday night but being able to have a more leisurely Sunday morning before the race. I went with strange bed/leisurely morning in the end.

The race was scheduled to start at 8:30 and I needed to pick up my bib number and timing chip, so I set my alarm for 6am. When I woke up, I immediately drank two glasses of water and had my normal pre-run breakfast of 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with almond butter and banana and half a cup of coffee.

At around 7:40 Brian drove me to Aptos Park where I picked up my race packet and milled around feeling nervous!

Fortunately, it wasn't a very big race (only about 300 runners) and everyone was SUPER friendly. There were a lot of A) first-time 1/2 marathon runners or B) first-time trail runners. I was both! I'm an overachiever.

Race
They postponed the start a few minutes because the line for the port-o-potties was super long. When we finally got going,  everyone cheered and the announcer kept saying (rather ominously!) "13.1 miles! 13.1 miles!"

I didn't wear my Nike+ for this run because I knew it would distract me, so what follows is a rough estimate of how the race went for me.

Miles 0-2
The first two miles were pretty standard. We immediately climbed a huge hill out of Aptos Park to get into the state park, but then the elevation flattened out. The weather was perfect - a little chilly, but not uncomfortable. I settled into around a 9:30min/mi pace. I did not go into this race with any sort of goal for my time, but figured I could probably run 13 miles in 2 hours (since my last 10-mile run clocked in at about 1 hour, 30 mins).

Miles 3-5
Mile 3 was relatively unremarkable. First of several creek crossings, which was fun. At mile 4 I stopped for a minute and ate a few Honey Stingers and we crossed another creek. I was feeling great! One volunteer said, "You signed up for this because you can do this!" as we ran by her, which was encouraging and energizing!

And then we started climbing... And climbing... And climbing... Around mile 5, I realized that there was no way I was going to finish under 2 hours. There were some sections that were so steep it was almost impossible to run and other sections so narrow that even if you wanted to run, you couldn't pass the woman in front of you. I had a hard time breathing for a while in here, because my pace was so irregular and I could just never catch my breath. And we just kept going up, and up, and up...

Miles 6-8
Still.... climbing.... And then suddenly, around maybe 6.5 or 7 miles, a HUGE downhill section, so steep in some parts that you had to walk or you would tumble down head over heels. It felt great to not be huffing and puffing up the hill, but it did not feel great to be pounding down the hill on my sore knee.

When we got to the end of the downhill, another very friendly volunteer informed us we were over halfway done! Normally, this would thrill me. Instead, I almost started crying because I could not imagine running another 6.5 miles with my knee hurting so badly. I readjusted my knee brace and soldiered on.

Miles 9 -13
One word: Brutal. My knee was killing me. I had a few more Honey Stingers at mile 9. At mile 10 I stopped to adjust my knee brace again and a volunteer asked if I was OK. She said that she had planned to do this run, but begged out at the last minute due to her own knee injury. I sort of laughed and said, "Well, this is my first half, so I didn't want to wimp out!" She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Wow. My first half was much flatter than this! This is a really tough course!"

No kidding.

Usually when I have a mile or two left in a long run, I just suck it up and run it out. No point in walking, you're almost done! Not this time. I wanted to run so badly but literally had a hard time doing so (and I tend to run through a lot of pain). I did a lot of run-walk-run in the last two miles, praying all the while that I hadn't done any serious damage to my knee.

As I came out of the state park and headed back down the hill into Aptos Park, I picked up the pace and passed a few runners (I was determined to beat somebody! And it feels great to finish strong, even if you've had a tough run). I heard Brian call my name as I entered the chute and then I was done!

• Final Time: 2:47:30
• Overall Place: 186/273
• Age Group (20-29): 34/48

The first place runner finished the course in 1:42:16. She was 40! There was also a 78-year-old woman who ran the course! Pretty incredible.

Post-Race
They had a really celebration in Aptos Park after the race, with lots of yummy snacks from Whole Foods. I had a banana and a muffin and about half of this surprisingly yummy local organic energy drink. It was fizzy!

All in all, this was a really fun race (even though it was super hard). I really liked that it was small and women-only - no one was crazy-competitive or pushy out on the trail and everyone was really encouraging and nice. It was also a Go Green race, and the race organizers did a really great job finding as many ways as possible to reduce waste, encourage carpooling, and promote buying local.

As I was struggling through my last mile, all I could think about (to distract myself from thinking about my knee) was a glass of chocolate milk and a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with avocado. So that's what I ate when I got back to my in-laws' house (after I sat in a bathtub of cold water for a while - I'm not hardcore enough for a real ice bath yet).

So, in conclusion: Was this the easiest way to do my first half marathon? No. Am I confident that I could run a regular (flat) half marathon if I train in a similar way? Yes. Am I planning to? Yes. Once I can walk without a limp again (and yes, I'm going to the doctor).

Booyah

I did it! And I lived to tell the tale!

Full recap soon! Like, after I take a nap.

Greeeeeens!

That's what I think every other Thursday night, as I anticipate the arrival of our CSA box on Friday morning.

I always try not to peek at the Farm Fresh to You website, so I'll be surprised when the box arrives, but I was the kid who tore the house apart looking for presents the week before Christmas, so I'll let you take a guess at how well that works out for me (tomorrow's box looks good).

**Remember, Farm Fresh to You delivers to a TON of locations in Northern California! If you're interested in getting a delivery (totally customizable, get it every week, every other week, once a month, etc) sign up here, use coupon code 6164 to get $$ off your first box, and mention Megan Ellis.**

Despite my sheer exhaustion, I managed to drag my butt outside for a run when I got home from work this afternoon. I only had 3 miles scheduled (which I have been putting off since Tuesday) and I told myself that if I couldn't manage to run 3 measly miles, I should be ashamed of myself. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I have to guilt myself into a workout. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm too lazy to pull out the iPod, so here are some rough run stats:

• Total Distance: 3mi
• Total Time: ~26min
• Average Pace: 8:55min/mi

Also, I'm happy to report that I'm blogging from the couch on my beautiful new Macbook. That I got for free. For my job. Teaching 11-year-olds. Being a teacher totally rocks.

Dress Rehearsal

Wow, guys. Just... wow. Can we talk about how beautiful the course I'm racing in two weeks is? Cause it's just... breathtaking! 9 miles flew by this morning in nothing flat!

Speaking of nothing flat, there is literally NOTHING FLAT about this course! I literally climbed nonstop for almost 4 whole miles. Check out the elevation map!

Brian and I did 9 of the 13 miles, sticking pretty close to the actual course. There were a few little trails and creek crossings that were not bike legal (or very bike friendly), but for the most part I think I have a pretty good feel for what I'm in for in two weeks. Check it out:

My cute photographer:

Run Stats!

• Total Distance: 9.02mi
• Total Time: 1:24:09
• Average Pace: 9:19min/mi

Obviously, trail running forces you to slow down a little in order to be more aware of where you put your feet, but overall I'm pretty pleased with this pace. I was actually planning to run a bit slower on race day, but if I'll be happy if I don't have to!

Brian has only ever joined me on foot for shorter runs. This was the first time he has seen me really put in some distance. He was a great cheerleader when the elevation got steep and at the end of the run kept saying, "You are awesome! You just ran 9 miles! I can't believe it! You are seriously so intense!"

Why yes, as a matter of fact, I am.

Pizza Friday

You guys know how much we love pizza over here! After a 4-mile run with the hubs, I whipped up a batch of my whole wheat thin crust pizza dough and went to town!

 
But first, run stats:

• Total Mileage: 4mi
• Total Time: 35:45min
• Average Pace: 8:55min/mi

Keeping my fingers crossed for a smooth and drama-free 9-miler tomorrow morning!

On the the pizza! I was originally planning to make Jenna's zucchini pizza. which promises to rock your face, but forgot to buy ricotta at the grocery store this weekend. I have a ton of zucchinis though, so I did a quick switch and went with an old favorite from Smitten Kitchen, a Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza.

The other pizza was a Corn, Bacon, Tomato and Basil pizza from Eggs on Sunday.

Sadly, in my haste to get this pizza in the oven (and, consequently, in my mouth) I forgot the tomatoes that I had been saving all week from our CSA box for this very pizza! I didn't even realize it until we had eaten half of it! It was delicious without them, but I'll be sure to include them next time!

Are you all reading Eggs on Sunday? If not, you should be. Amy really knows her stuff and posts some incredible recipes (and gorgeous photos!). I especially love her Ingredient Inspirations page, where you can browse recipes based on ingredient. Always helpful when I buy avocados and want to make something more creative than guacamole!

Note: I'm assuming that you already read Smitten Kitchen because, well, Deb is basically the Queen of the Foodblogging World. And her kid is so cute, I could totally eat him.

Anyway, pizza. I decided to do these in the oven since it's not a billion degrees today and I didn't feel like working super hard to get organized like I usually do when we grill (this might account for the forgotten tomatoes...). I assembled both pizzas on parchment paper while the oven heated to 500, then just slid them onto the pizza stone, parchment paper and all. The parchment paper keeps the dough from sticking to the stone and the dough pulls away from the paper as it cooks. Genius!

I'm considering an official Pizza Friday tradition around here. We used to do Pizza Friday when I was a kid (although it meant takeout!) and it was always something fun to look forward to.

Do you (or your family) have specific dinner theme nights? Mexican Monday? Thai Food Tuesday?

Back in the Game

I woke up this morning determined to get back on my running schedule. I can't quit now, the race is too close!

I fueled up with some toast & PB and half a banana and headed out when it was still a little chilly outside. A lot of people have been complaining about California's "summer that wasn't," but this cooler weather has been really nice for training!

5 miles flew by so easily! I took it a little easy but felt really good; my knee is not too painful and I am feeling confident about August 29. Brian and I are even planning a trip to Santa Cruz this weekend (for his Dad's birthday) and I'm going to do my 9-miler on the actual half marathon course!

Run Stats:

• Total Mileage: 5.01mi
  
• Total Time: 45:20
  
• Average Pace: 9:02min/mi

Did you notice I broke 200 YTD miles? When did that happen??

When I got home, I cooled off and refueled with a Choco-PB Green Monster.

In the mix:

• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1/2 banana
• 1T peanut butter
• 1/2 scoop Amazing Meal Chocolate Influsion
• a glug of nonfat milk

Today has pretty much been an errands day. I had to go back to the doctor to get my TB test read (Hooray! I don't have tuberculosis!) and then did a little back to school shopping at Target. Right now they have 1-subject college-ruled spiral notebooks on sale for 25 cents, so I bought 100.  I'm starting a new Writer's Notebook program this year in my classroom (based on this incredible book) and it's just easier to have them for the kids on the first day. Now they can't complain about not having any paper!

I definitely have not been sneaking spoonfuls of S'mores FroYo straight out of the container while writing this post. In case you were worried.

Tonight we're celebrating Lindy's birthday with a happy hour in Dublin and tomorrow I have meetings at the District Office all morning. To tide you over until I return, make sure you check out Nicole's Silver Maple giveaway. I want a "Runner Girl" necklace with 13.1 on it!

What would you get?

Fixin's

Woke up early this morning to watch last week's True Blood before going to the doctor's office for my TB test. Just another perk of working with kids. :)

I got in 4 miles on the treadmill with limited knee pain while Brian did weights, then we got down to serious lunch business. All I was craving my entire run was a huge salad, so that's what I made. It was so big I had to put it in a mixing bowl!

In the mix (or, as my Oklahoma grandma would say, "All the fixin's"):

• spinach
• romaine
• cucumbers
• carrots
• chickpeas
• cherry tomatoes
• sesame seeds
• feta
• Angela's better than bottled balsamic dressing (it really is!)

I'm not sure there is any end to how much I love chickpeas.

B and I  shared a mini fruit salad and peach but he wouldn't touch my salad! He says he doesn't like "rabbit food" after he works out. Whatever.

I have an appointment for a mani/pedi with my mom later this afternoon, but before that I'm going to see what I can whip up with these humble ingredients.

Any guesses? Here's a hint - it's Mama Pea approved!

Yoga Puppy

I got back from my 6-miler this evening and got down on the floor to do some yoga. This little goober decided to join me. Talk about downward dog!

Backing up, I enjoyed another relaxing day at my parents' house today. I decided to whip up a batch of Angela's Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins. Brian loves carrot cake, and scones, and muffins and pretty much any baked good, so I thought it might be nice to have a healthier alternative for him to take to work once school starts again.

By the way, here is the kitchen I've been cooking in this week:

Ridiculous, right?

My parents bought this house when I was a freshman in high school and it was a total pit. They basically tore it down completely and rebuilt it from the ground up. The original kitchen was about the size of the guest bathroom in our two bedroom apartment!

I love that fireplace. It's so wonderful and cozy to have a fireplace in the kitchen during the winter. I spent many evenings sitting at that table doing my homework in high school!

On to the "scuffins." I only made a few modifications, mostly because I wasn't cooking in my own kitchen. I thought my Mom had raisins, but she only had currants. I like currants, but I think it would be even better with plump raisins. I also used brown rice flour instead of spelt flour, since that's what we had at the grocery store. I don't think it made a huge difference in the taste, but next time I might do a mix of brown rice and whole wheat flours since it does tend to have a little "nutty" flavor.

In general, these were really great! I had half of one out of the oven and thought they were just a little "meh." I had the other half once they had cooled and thought it was a lot better. I feel the same way about peanut butter desserts too, though. I think they taste way better once they are cooled. Is this just a weird "me thing?"

I am looking forward to trying Angela's pumpkin variety as well as this yummy zucchini alternative as well!

Despite my general laziness this week, I did finally manage to get my 6-mile run in that I was originally supposed to do on Tuesday! I waited until the evening and went out to the track, but took it easy since my joints are pretty sore.

The good news is that cardio/fitness-wise, I'm feeling great! I seriously feel like I could just run forever without getting tired. It's an awesome feeling! However, my right knee is hurting pretty badly and that discourages me. I am worried that in pushing myself to finish my training strong, I might be jeopardizing my chances at being able to actually run my race!

I am just going to continue listening to my body and supplementing some of my shorter runs with spinning if I am hurting too much. Only 23 more days!

Here are my run stats from tonight:

• Total Mileage: 6.01mi
• Total Time: 55:40min
• Average Pace: 9:15min/mi

So now I'm icing my knee with frozen edamame while watching Project Runway.

It's too early to call a winner, but my heart just breaks for adorable little Mondo! Also, I am going to start calling my best friends "hip buddies." Casanova is so crazy!

Tomorrow I have the first of many meetings at the district office for my new job. Hooray for signing up for health insurance!

How do you handle physical setbacks when you are in the middle of training?
It's not like I can just take a few weeks off until my knee feels better... Right?