Clean Eating – The Celiathlete

November 2, 2018November 4, 2018

Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Chicago, IL (October 7, 2018)

Me heading to the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Chicago, IL

Race: Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Place: Chicago, Illinois

Date: October 7, 2018

Time: 3:50:41

Oh, friends…sometimes you dream big. Bigger than big. You don’t want to dream big, because you’re scared of failing. And you don’t want to let people down. But people keep telling you that your dream is going to happen. Ace in the hole. No problem. Easy as pie. And then those aspirations don’t go the way you planned. And you feel like a failure. And it sucks. But you try not to let it get you down. But it still sucks.

Welcome…to my Chicago Marathon.

You know, failing to reach a goal does suck. Some people can just move on. But I have never been one of those people. In hindsight…I did a lot of things wrong leading into this race. For sure.

I repeat…

A LOT.

Instead of flying, Melissa and Paul offered to drive us all up to Chicago from here. It definitely saved time and airport stress, so we took them up on the offer. Paul was running via a lottery draw and Melissa did an amazing job raising money for her charity, Team RMHC. And Cathy…she’s our sherpa, cheerleader, and race mom, as always. We got a bit of a late start out of Louisville, but we hit the road and were Chicago bound. At some point, we all figured we needed to eat dinner…and we were in the Indianapolis area…so Cathy got on the Find Me Gluten Free app, and after a sketchy call to a pizza place…we ended up going to…The Tamale Place.

The Tamale Place on Rockville Rd in Indianapolis, Indiana

We had never been to the Tamale Place before. But the lady at the register was SUPER nice and super helpful and walked us through the process. I guess she could tell we were new to the place by the confused look on our faces. But they have a screen up front that shows what tamales they currently have…and how many. They had one vegan one…so that was the one I went with. That just happened to be the Spicy Chipotle Black Bean Tamale. And since I had been wavering between tacos or a tamale, she suggested both. And who am I to say no? She obviously knows what she’s talking about, right? So, I got a Veggie Taco as well with the spicy red sauce. Because…spicy…duh. The tortilla for the taco was homemade. The masa in the tamale was AMAZING. Everything was really, really good. Ironically, this would become our dinner stop on the way home too. I think we’re believers in The Tamale Place. Also…it makes me think of Tawn.

Veggie Taco and the Spicy Chipotle Black Bean Tamale from The Tamale Place

We ate our weight in food. No really. We did. In fact, at one point, we were passing around this cup of Elotes. I couldn’t eat too much of it, because the cheese situation on those were real…but I tried them. We used the bathroom and then we got back on the road to finish the haul to Chicago.

And so…we pulled up to The Hotel Blake in the pouring rain. Cathy and Paul had directed Melissa into the bike lane, so the valet guy helped unload us and the luggage before having Melissa move the car. Some rude taxi driver honked at her and the valet started shouting at him. It was dark, wet, and just awful that night. But she got the car where it needed to be and he got her inside. Cathy got us checked in and we headed toward the elevator with Showtime, our valet. He had the luggage cart. We piled into the elevator, and the doors closed, minus the Nolans. Whoops. So, we decided we would get their stuff into their room, then our stuff into our room and get it sorted. Showtime asked us, “Why did you make the pregnant lady drive?” Cathy assured him it was better if she was the driver than if she wasn’t. We got

The living room area of the King Suite I stayed in. That couch would be important later!

to our floor and headed down the hall. They were in room 719. We were room 722. So we were close. Cathy and I were staying in a King Suite. And the Nolans were in a King room. As we unloaded their luggage, they texted to ask what room they were in. I went to go get them while Cathy got our stuff into our room. They met me at the elevator bay and up we went, with me dropping them off. Cathy said, “You have to see our room.” So…I went inside to scope it out and we texted to invite the Nolans over as well to hang. But I think they were ready to crash because they never made it over and we eventually went to bed. But the room was amazing. Big ass couch. Chairs. Dining area. Microwave. Fridge. Garden tub. Shower. Fit for the princess that I am.

Meli Cafe’s Tofu Scrambler, Fruit Cup and Coffee.

The following morning, we all met up for breakfast at Meli Cafe, which is just off the lobby of The Hotel Blake. It’s convenient…so we ate their regularly. Cathy and I went and got a table and started to peruse the menu and drink some coffee. My best friend from my childhood was coming in that morning and once she arrived and dropped her stuff in the room, we were all going to take the shuttle bus to the expo. But we definitely needed to fuel up for the day. I ended up ordering the Tofu Scrambler, which is sautéed broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, roasted red peppers, and organic tofu in a giant bowl. Since they didn’t have a gluten-free bread option, I subbed for a small bowl of fruit instead. It was delicious. And filling. And not too spicy (because the day before the race is one day you really want some bland food)…even if I added a couple dashes of hot sauce. We ate. We went up to the room and hung out. And Heather arrived while I was in the bathroom. So I came out and immediately hugged her. It was amazing to have her in Chicago for me again.

Next stop: THE EXPO!!

The Abbott Health & Fitness Expo is probably the largest and best expo I have ever been to. I have done this one twice, and it’s just…endless and amazing. But first stop is always…race bib. We had to take a short walk a couple of blocks down to the Hilton Chicago and got on the bus. Most of the seats that were left were in the back. Melissa gets car sick, so we just prayed it was a smooth ride. It wasn’t a long ride and we made note of the Green Stop being where we needed to return to in order to get back to the Hilton to get back to our hotel.

We went inside…and immediately I got swept up in that race expo bliss. There were a few photo ops before I had to show my participant info to the security people in order to get in and get my race bib and the info for where to get my t-shirt. It was an easy exchange and after I got this…we decided to branch off from Paul and Melissa so we could all get our necessary things done. I had one thing I wanted at the race expo…the Newton Chicago Edition shoes. Because…NEWTONS. CHICAGO. YES! But first…I needed to get my t-shirt and check the size to be sure that I was happy with the fit. As I was trying it on, my friend AmyLee messaged me to say she was there. She said she would come find me at the t-shirt area. And…she did!! It was great to hug her and wish her luck and just sit and talk about life and catch up. She’s amazing. And…she’s doing the Galloway Method…which I totally respect and believe in, as the run/walk intervals helped me have a strong finish during the marathon at Dopey Challenge at Disney World in January.

Me and AmyLee at the Chicago Marathon Expo!

We had to part ways eventually, and I had my sites set…on the Newton booth. Cathy had already scoped it out and so…I skipped the first few aisles just to go and get these shoes that I NEEDED. WANTED. NEEDED.

Trust me. I needed them. And, one of the guys working the booth was my friend, Dan’s, friend. And Cathy already had talked to him and he was ready for me. He brought out my size in the Chicago edition shoes…and…yeah…they came home with me. And I wear them. A lot. They’re amazing. And with that done…it was time to shop, sample, and spend more money.

And I did. I picked up the Shefit Sports Bra, which I sadly ended up returning due to it chafing me up really bad on two runs. But the customer service was super nice and very helpful. I got 6 BondiBands. Heather got me three of them as a birthday present, because she’s amazing like that. All of the ones she got me had purple in them. And they totally suited me. Totally. I bout more Nuun (of course) and I got a water bottle with it. And I am totally hooked on their Immune flavors now. I popped one of my tubes open for Heather while we strolled the expo. It was their Energy one. Her favorite. And hydration is important.

There were photo ops everywhere. And snacks. Snacks just being handed to you. And

opportunities to win free passes to the Shedd Aquarium (we didn’t…none of us). We did win those stainless steel straws though. So, hey, reusable straws. We zigzagged our way down each aisle, stopping at the booths that interested us and making note so, if necessary, we could come back. We honestly made an initial sweep and then returned to booths if we wanted to try something or if we were interested in the product.

After some time of doing this. we texted the Nolans. They were in aisle 200 (I think there were 900 aisles, maybe 800). We figured they were probably wrapping stuff up like we were. I wanted to stop by Nike Official Merch (NOT IMPRESSED THIS YEAR!) and also hit up the Abbott area as well. They had a TON of things going on, including the big treadmill you might have seen where you try to match Kipchoge’s marathon pace at Berlin for as long as you can. I would have LOVED to have done it, but not the day before the race. That sounds like an injury waiting to happen. But I did do the thing where you run across this special floor and it feeds you information about your stride and speed. It compares your stride to an elite’s stride.

My stats from the Abbott Booth at the Chicago Marathon Expo

Mine is WAY shorter. And it calculates your marathon pace if you could maintain that short sprint speed they measured. It was fun. But I am thankful for the guy at the end whose job it was to catch people. We all would have hit the booth wall, and probably take them down in the process.

Once I was certain that I honestly shouldn’t spend any more money…because Roll Recovery, Shefit, Newton, Nuun, BondiBand…and a couple others got my money this time around…we checked in with the Nolans again. They were now in Aisle 300 at the CEP Booth. This was when we realized they were just starting the great expo dive…so we went over there to help them shop for compression and I spotted Goodr next door, which Melissa is a big fan of, despite the tendency of the lenses to flake and scratch. I had been on my feet already longer than I expected and we still needed to get Heather and her stuff over to her hotel. So, we offered to take any bags that they wanted to ditch so they wouldn’t have to haul them around. We also changed dinner plans. Melissa really wanted to go to her charity dinner…which is fine. I really wanted to go to a place just outside the city proper, Da Luciano’s, which has a gluten free menu as big as the regular menu (honestly, it was my one requirement on this trip), so we compromised and said we’d go as a celebration after the race. We left them to continue their expo explorations and do the charity stuff, while we hopped the shuttle back to the Hilton and then back to hotel. We dropped off stuff, grabbed Heather’s stuff and went to hop the Blue Line (I think) to her area of the city. She was staying at a very nice hotel, but it was a walk to get to the train, and then a walk to get to the hotel. Reverse it after we hung in her room for a moment to head back to our neck of the woods to grab some Garrett Popcorn, pre-dinner, and then make our way to our new dinner idea…the impromptu dinner at…Brightwok Kitchen.

Fall In Love Stir Fry Bowl and Sweet & Sour Pickles from Brightwok Kitchen – Chicago.

I first discovered Brightwok while I was in Chicago to see Hamilton. Cathy and I had gotten out of our show and we were STARVING. Everything there is gluten-free and dairy-free. And the food is phenomenal. So…I couldn’t complain too much. It wasn’t what I had hoped to be eating the night before the marathon, but it was a good supplement.

I ended up getting the Fall In Love Stir-fry Bowl. Fall in Love is Fall 5-Spice, Brown Rice, Carrots, Peppers, Local Zucchini, Butternut Squash, and a Sweet Potato Fritter. It usually comes with Local Chicken, but being that I’m a vegetarian, I had them add the tofu, I think. I actually claimed the last sweet potato fritter, so, as Heather got the same thing as me, I split it with her, because…necessary. I also got a side of their Sweet & Sour Pickles (which are AMAZING). Seriously, I’ve never had anything there that I didn’t like. After that…we parted ways. Heather went back to her hotel…Cathy and I returned to ours. We started to lay out everything for the following day so it wouldn’t be a madhouse trying to get out the door on time. My plan was to hopefully be in bed by 9 pm. I think, after having some downtime and the Nolans over for taping and necessary race pep talks…it was closer to 10 pm. Lights out. Because the next morning…it was time to run Chicago!

Me dressed and ready to run the Chicago Marathon!

Race morning. The usual routine. First alarm. Get up for the meds I need to take. Go back to bed. Second alarm. Get up and actually become a functioning member of society…go to the bathroom, change into race gear, check weather, eat something, check weather, brush teeth, put hair in pigtails, check weather…you get the drill.

Heather arrived to leave her bag in our room and to head to the start line with us. I got a text from Melissa saying she wanted to hug me before we headed out (I was in Wave 1 and had to get to my Gate really early)…and she was reapplying some iron-on symbols to her race shirt from her charity that she was running for. She had a different gate and was in the wave after me. So…we swung into her room (me wearing an attractive big garbage bag because I didn’t want to be soaked if I was going to be out in the rain that was predicted) and we hugged and wished each other a good, safe race. She told me to have fun. I loved her for that. We left and took the elevator down to the lobby to head out the door to make the walk to the start. We had to get over to Grant Park. They could take me as far as my gate…which was Gate 2, before security check. We stood there for a moment, and they told me I was going to be fine and I would be great and to have fun and enjoy the run. That’s what friends do. I really wished I had been in better shape…but, you just do what you can with what you have. We took some selfies…and then hugged…and then they put me in the LONG line to get into Grant Park by way of Gate 2.

Cathy, Me, and Heather at Gate 2 at the Chicago Marathon

And that…was where I stood…for a very, very long time. Barely moving. Just a short trudge here and there, waddling up bit-by-bit. Glance to the left…and Gate 1 was just moving easily. Look to the right…and Gate 3 had traffic moving freely. Gate 2…was at an absolute standstill. And every runner there was basically in Wave 1 and needing to be in their corral. And yet…we stood.

At least it wasn’t raining…yet. Not yet. But, we who were left to stand there and shuffle slowly forward were about to go into panic mode. We couldn’t understand why this gate wasn’t moving. And panic was setting in for me. Usually I would have stretched more…and taken my time eating the banana I brought with me…perhaps use the bathroom near the corrals…but nope. Finally they had runners who didn’t need to check bags get into a separate line (that was me), and while it still moved slowly, it got us through. And then the panic speed walk began for everyone. Because to get to Corral C & D, you had to go behind the other corrals to a separate entrance. And at this point…the National Anthem was being sung, quite beautifully, but I couldn’t enjoy it. I was trying to make it to Corral D so I could start on time. Panic and adrenaline was setting in.

I did learn one thing from standing forever in that line at the gate. Count the kilometers, not miles. There are more of them, so you feel like you are getting places faster. Nice trick. But I digress…

I got into the corral with 1 minute to spare before they closed it. I quickly shed my trash bag and the half-zip I had worn to keep warm, as I was in a crop top and shorts for this one. The start temperature was warm…almost 60 degrees…but rain was coming and so were some rather steady winds. The announcers said all the names of the elite field that were running and the corrals would cheer for each name. And then…they sent off the first wave.

To the song Sweet Home Chicago.

After the initial walk to the start line, we could see it grow closer and closer and soon the walk became a job and soon the jog became the run over the start mat and under the starting gate. I was off. For my second ever Chicago Marathon. A race that was so magical for me in 2013.

This experience, however, was going to be a lot different. Because mistakes were made throughout the race as well. I was relieved to start without the rain, and while I knew that it wouldn’t be kept at bay, I was hoping that it would hold off longer than it actually did. The first couple of miles were pretty dry. But as I headed into Mile 3…the rain began. I also knew that Cathy and Heather were going to try to catch me before I hit Mile 3…so pretty much just before the bridge. And I spotted them thanks to Heather’s purple jacket. She was SO easy to spot. I gave a wave and a smile, feeling absolutely strong at this point and continued on…knowing I wouldn’t see them again until Mile 13.

I should mention here that I really just wanted to run by feel for this race. Go out and have fun. Enjoy. And to make sure that I wouldn’t check my watch and fuss over my pace, I set it to only show me the time. The clock face. No pace. No distance. None of it. Not even time elapsed. And I never once looked at my watch the entire race. Nor did I make not of the clocks along the course. But this is where I may have faltered. I ran the first 12-14 miles on pace for my goal for this race. But…it got a lot harder than I anticipated at Mile 10. Mile 10 is not a good place to have your legs start feeling like lead. I pressed on, hoping that maybe the flat course was affecting them, so I hoped they would wake back up. They didn’t.

Heading into Mile 13 at the Chicago Marathon. I am not having as much fun as it looks like I am.

I took Honey Stinger gels at Mile 6 and Mile 12…and pressed on. I did see Cathy and Heather around Mile 13. I spotted them and waved as I went by…I think I managed a smile, but I wasn’t feeling nearly as strong as I had when they saw me 10 miles previously. I managed to press on through the screams and amazing people at Soul City Church, who were rocking Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer” as we ran through. But that, friends…is where it got hard.

The rain never seemed to stop. Most of my race was in this annoying drizzle. And with the winds coming on strong too…I was getting cold. And…by Mile 15, I started my run/walk method that got me through Dopey. Not systematic though. I’d guess on how long I was walking and push as long as I could handle a run…and repeat. It was hard. And it was breaking me. I could tell my little goal I had set was going to get away from me…and fast. But now…now it was about getting to that finish line.

As we went into Mile 16, a female runner slightly ahead of me, started to slow and wobble to the side of the road. Her legs were like Jello. It was too early for that…so I was glad I was listening to my body and easing back, despite not reaching expectations everyone had for me performance-wise. It was scary to see. I kept with the run/walk method as I ticked off a few more miles. No intervals…just as much as I could run, I would. And then I would count (for the most part) to 30 in my head before I would try again. Around Mile 20…there was a runner down on the corner, covered in jackets, with police officers around them. Another scary moment. Especially as I am pressing on just to finish these last 6 miles.

I managed to pick it up a little bit for the next mile…but slowed back down. Mile 24 was the only one where I hit the 10s (although some of my 9 minute paces were close). I don’t know what happened there. But I gave myself the pep talk. 2 miles. 20 minutes. I could do anything for 20 minutes. Even if it was at a run/walk.

The last two miles seemed to come and go…until I hit that hill at Mile 26. This hill takes you up an exit ramp and then you head down to the finish line, back inside Grant Park. I won’t lie. I walked this hill. It got me. This entire race got me. I got inside my head. I let expectations weigh me down. I didn’t follow a good routine. So, yeah, this hill bested me. But I made the last turn and I said I would run it in…no matter what. So I picked it up. And as I was running, I spotted Heather and Cathy…screaming their heads off for me as I ran past them and headed toward that finish line. I had no idea what my time was…my pace…none of it. It stopped my Garmin…and looked. 3:50. And change. I was WAY off. But I knew it. I knew that would happen by Mile 10. Was I still disappointed? You bet!

I made my way through the finishers area, grabbing that famous Finish Line Beer, which I can’t drink, but I promised Melissa and Paul that I would pick one up. They had to open it though…so as I went past Buckingham Fountain and further into the park to where we exited for Runners Reunite…I had to dump it out. But I could keep the can. I immediately headed for the letter X…it’s the assigned meeting spot for myself and my friends as NO ONE is ever at X and EVERYONE is at B. But as I made the long walk, I noticed neither Cathy nor Heather were there. I stayed there for awhile…then made my way up to B…because perhaps they forgot. They weren’t there either. So, back to X I went. And then I got lightheaded. I quickly sat down on the boards holding up the inflatable X and held on. My vision was going black. I was shivering and cold. I wanted to get back to the hotel. I wanted my friends.

Once I stopped having my vision go black and knew I could stand, I slowly did and made my way over to the curb…where I sat down and huddled my mylar blanket around my body. And shivered. And that’s where they found me.

I stood up and they came and gave me hugs and a rose and a stuffed bear. I started to cry a little. I have the best friends.

Cathy asked me if I wanted to do anything in the finish line area. I told her I just wanted to go back to the hotel and get warm. So, Heather took my rose and I snuggled with my bear and under my mylar and they walked me back to the hotel. We got inside and up to the room. And they were gracious enough to help me out of my shoes, socks, compression and my crop top. I stayed in the rest while Heather went to start a hot shower for me.

I got cleaned up and put on some fresh, warm clothes and went to sit down on the couch. Cathy said the last check in with Melissa and Paul was the half, but she got a message that they were behind pace, the mats were being pulled up, and that they would keep us informed of their progress. Cathy went and got me warm coffee and I tried to eat some things, but my stomach wasn’t ready for food. Not yet. I hydrated as much as I could with my stomach being off…and we sat and watched some television, talking, laughing, checking in with Melissa and Paul. Cathy had me put my feet up on some pillows and she covered me with my hoodie and the blanket from the bed. I was toasty warm now. Paul texted to see if we could grab some snacks and drinks from the charity hospitality tent, and since we all had wristbands…we could. But neither Heather nor I wanted to move. So…Cathy went and grabbed as much as she could.

Me trying to warm up after some hypothermia action at the Chicago Marathon

When we got word that they were at Mile 24…I put on my shoes and jacket and we all made our way down to the finish line area. Security wasn’t letting people through at first, but after some women sneaked inside, the woman said, “I’m a volunteer, I’m done.” And she walked off. And so…we walked in.

We waited patiently at the finish, with me moving around as much as possible. When the gates started to come down, we got even closer, moving up toward Buckingham Fountain. We took some time to take photos of the fountain until we got word that they had finished. We tried to direct them to a street, but Melissa’s calves had pretty much cramped up at Mile 6 and she was done. We were going to them.

We found them…Melissa on the ground, shivering, and Paul trying to rub her calves and feet. Poor thing! It was crazy miserable in the rain and then the winds, so if I was this bad off…I couldn’t imagine how she felt. Plus…pregnancy doesn’t help her either. I knew Heather wanted to catch dinner before she had to get to the airport, so we changed dinner plans again…and moved everything to Meli Cafe again. Which was fine. It was closer and less hassle for sure. But with Da Luciano’s being closed on Mondays…this meant I once again was missing my chance to eat there. Next time…it’s happening. Because I will make it happen. Heather and I went to drop off things at their room and head down to dinner. We told our waitress we’d be coming in waves. Cathy got Melissa up and moving and she said that she was meeting us at Meli Cafe…to which Melissa said, “I could eat.” So…YAY!! At least the whole gang would be there to celebrate.

Me with my Chicago Marathon medal and jacket at Buckingham Fountain

Cathy joined us first…then the Nolans. I was just finishing up when they got their food, but it meant I could walk Heather up to get her stuff and take her outside of the hotel to give her hugs and tell her to have a safe trip back to Minnesota. She had a flight to catch. I went back inside to sit with my friends and just reveled in what we all accomplished. We pushed ourselves even when things got hard. Even when they seemed impossible. And we all finished. Safely.

After we ate, we hit the lobby for a couple of photo ops and then headed back upstairs to rest and recover. We hung out in our room, watching Food Network and just talking and drinking water/cider. It was the perfect way to close it out.

So…the official results of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon are that I finished in 3:50:41. Definitely nowhere near what I had hoped. BUT…I will follow with my conclusions on that in a moment. I was the 11156 finisher overall. The 2941 female to finish. And I was 566 in my age division. Not bad, considering over 43,000 runner signed up for this.

So…what mistakes did I make?

I was on my feet way too much the day before the race. I didn’t fuel as I would have liked and tried a different method…the day before the race. I think my marathon paced runs killed me the weeks leading into the race as well. I let expectations get to me. I didn’t let my watch tell me to SLOW DOWN (I think that was my biggest error). I didn’t dress for the weather that was moving in. I probably should have fueled more than I did. I did every 6 miles…I am going to work on putting that closer and more frequent. And…I told myself I wasn’t fit enough so I went into it believing I wasn’t fit enough. And there are more…but I won’t dwell on it now.

I finished…I made it. My friends finished. They made it. We all were safe. We all did the best we could with our circumstances. We may not have lived up to our own expectations, but dammit…we at least tried that day. We at least got out there and gave it what we had.

Chicago…maybe one day I’ll be back. But for now, I have other fall marathons to tackle. You were a great learning experience. And I know…if I keep trying, I’ll reach my goal.

October 16, 2018

I’m not unproductive…I’m recovering!

My Garmin Forerunner 935 sometimes expects great things of me…and other times blocks out the fact that I’ve been recovering from a hard effort and calls me “UNPRODUCTIVE” or tells me I’m “DETRAINING.”

Considering that it thinks I can cut about 2 minutes off my 5K PR, 2 minutes off my 10K PR, 5 minutes off my half marathon PR, and 13 minutes off my marathon PR (all of these cuts are on PRs that I set 4-5 years ago…which is sad, honestly), it should also understand the value of rest. I mean…high expectations there on race predictions…the best way to do that is to give this body the time it needs to get strong and happy again. You know what that requires?

REST.

And I’ve been doing so much of it.

Finally…just over a week later, my Garmin seems to understand me a little better…

That’s way better than being told I’m unproductive. I mean, I may not be piling on the miles, but I’ve been taking walks, returning to spin classes (that started this week!), stretching, foam rolling, strength training…all because I want to keep this body happy and healthy. Too many times I’ve rushed back into training and ended up sidelined with either a major or minor injury. I’m done with watching others achieve things I’ve dreamed of from the sidelines. Done.

So yeah, I have put recovery as a priority, where I might have really overlooked it before. I keep trying to work some extra sleep in, but that is harder for me to accomplish. I get to bed as early as I can when I know I have an early morning ahead of me. To the best of my ability, of course.

Remember…sleep, eat, rest, recover…and you’ll be set to give it your all when training kicks back in.

I can’t wait.

October 14, 2018

RESET

The last couple of months have been crazy-busy. Go-go-go-go-go. Do this. Do that. Travel here. Travel there. Work. Catch up on work. Work overtime. Cook. Gotta eat. Food is fuel. Train. Run. Run. Train more. More. Keep training. Run. Keep running. Still gotta work. This work won’t do itself. Oh…yeah…sleep. That’s kinda important too, right?

Needless to say…the simple things…those every day things that often fall to the wayside…well…they fell to the wayside.

I’m not just talking about my presence here on this blog or even online. I mean…making time to do something as simple as vacuum my apartment. Or dust the shelves. Or put away things from race expos and food expos. Or…just organize the apartment. And if you know me, you know clutter and disorder drive me crazy. It’s been pretty hard to breathe.

Today, that all came to a head. I woke up this morning and causally lingered in bed and played on my broken (aka: shadowbanned) Instagram account, hoping that it might be visible again. It’s not. Meh. I got up and did my stretches and exercises and worked in some foam rolling. And then…despite the light drizzle and nip in the air…I went out for a run. And I felt good. I smiled a lot. I didn’t worry over pace or speed or hills or flats or anything. I just did what my legs wanted to do from one mile to the next. My mind was on the numerous people I know who were tackling the Ironman Louisville today. I’ve been tracking them all day and it’s been both nerve-wracking and exciting all at once. Had the weather been less wet…I would have actually been out there cheering in person. But I honestly (for reasons to be explained in an upcoming blog) just couldn’t bring myself to do it today.

But, while using the app to track their amazing progress and great feats of athleticism, what I did manage to do was this:

Went for a short run in the rain.
Showered
Made breakfast for my roomie and I
Cut up and baked a large, organic kabocha squash (my favorite)
Went to Target to pick up my prescription
Went to the mall to just move around a little since weather was so shitty
Went to Meijer so my roomie could pick up her prescription and then we finished grocery shopping.
Organized the pantry at home (finally putting away the GFFAF Festival goodies/finds)
Organized the snacks/running fuel drawer
Laundry
Cooked dinner from scratch (delicious stuffed peppers)
Stretched
Foam rolling
Folded and put away laundry
Watched Top Chef (I’m catching up on all the seasons I missed since the upcoming season is in Kentucky (and some in Louisville))
And a lot of dishes and cleaning and prepping and all that in between.

The best part of the day though…had to be the impromptu dance party via Marco Polo with my friend Natalie. It was a good way to get shit done and yet…still keep a lighthearted and fun-loving perspective on it. It was so much fun. And we hit each other with some good songs. But my roomie and I slapped her with some Baby Shark…so we might win. HA.

I’m finally down on the couch and relaxing. Not ready to go to bed yet, despite feeling utterly exhausted. But that will come in about an hour. I’m so happy with how productive I was today and all that got done. I mean…my roomie even painted her pumpkins today. Cross that off the list too.

Anyone else have a busy and productive weekend? Anyone else cheering on friends at Ironman Louisville? Any suggestions to help me keep up with life…hit me up. Because my organizational skills are starting to wane. And that’s not like me.

June 8, 2018

Run For The Berries 5K – Starlight, IN (May 26, 2018)

Me crossing the finish line at the Run For The Berries 5K – Starlight, IN

Race: Run for the Berries 5K

Place: Starlight, Indiana

Date: May 26, 2018

Time: 22:45

One of my favorite baseline 5Ks to run in this area is the Run For The Berries 5K, which is part of the Starlight Strawberry Festival in Starlight, Indiana. And, while I had wanted to be running a half marathon with friends up in Medina, Ohio…I was still in the area and using the 5K as my speed work for the week.

As I say every year I actually am able to run in this race…there are a lot of things I love to run for, but strawberries…that has to be one of my favorite things ever. If only they were free…but after a (usually) sweltering race, the strawberry treats are worth shelling out some cash for. Trust me. My go-to is a big bowl of strawberries from the Strawberry Shortcake booth and a frozen strawberry drink. YUMMY!

It’s really weird showing up for a race you still need to register for…just sayin’…

Once again, I wasn’t actually registered to run the Run for the Berries 5K this year. I waited too long to do the mail-in form…and it doesn’t look like there is online registration yet. Which is weird. I know. But, that being said, this just meant we needed to head up to Starlight a little earlier so I could get registered, get pinned, get stretched, and get ready to run. So…that morning, Cathy woke up early and, after I did all my PT stretches, decided on what I was going to wear (hello Wonder Woman sports bra!), and ate something, slathered on some sunscreen, and we loaded into the car (and yeah…the sign was able to come too since the weather was humid and hot…but not wet and rainy!). The race was $25, which isn’t bad. I paid in cash after filling out the registration form. The shirts this year were a light sky blue. Not tech. I miss the tech shirts from this race.

We had to pin my bib onto my shorts because my sports bra didn’t have enough space for it (and I was now kinda nervous my girls were going to pop out of the cute little ziggy zaggy straps at the front). But it would have to do. I’m so not used to pinning things to my shorts at all. Luckily they were long enough and not ones that would ride up over my, now very muscular, thighs like most of my usual running shorts do. All this strength training and 3 days a week of spin have added some bulk to my thighs for sure! We had a bit of time, so we went to stand around outside near the festival entrance to people watch and just get ready.

When you know your sports bra isn’t big enough for the race bib…be glad your shorts are!

About 5 minutes before the start of the race, runners began to make the walk down to the cone that marked the start of the actual race. As I was wandering that way, my friend Renee asked me if I was actually running this one fast. I told her that my training plan said to try to keep my pace below an 8 minute mile depending on humidity and heat. I have been struggling a lot this year with keeping my speed and endurance up in the heat…something I’ve never had an issue with in the past. UGH! Best I could do was hope for the best.

I was lined up in the second row at the start of the race. As with Fast Freddie…it’s off gun time, so the closer you are to the race start, the more accurate your time is. The race organizer got on the bullhorn and started to give some information about the race. Like male runners at the finish will have white cards to fill out; female runners will have pink; walkers will have yellow. OH…and if you are registered as a walker…and you run down a hill…you are now a runner. This gets said every year, and it still makes me laugh. He gave the words…On your marks…get set…and he fired a gun, then dropped it and got into the pack to run the race itself. Or so I was told. Me…I was too busy taking off as fast as I dared.

Me chasing pavements at the Run For the Berries 5K – Starlight, IN

The past couple of years I’ve managed to hit something in the high 6 minute paces. In 2013, I managed a 6:54 and in 2016, I hit a 6:48. I was sort of hoping for the same thing to happen this year. Especially since, while there are slight rollers in this first mile…it is the flattest portion of the race. I just pressed as much as I dared or could make my legs go…and decided my job today would be to push the pace and then try to hang on.

The turn onto Engle Road brought the second mile to a start. I knew my legs were starting to fatigue, but it was way too early for that. Humidity does seem to sap my energy a lot more than it used to these days. So, I decided to focus in on form and turnover. And, I did see a girl struggling, so I gave her some words of encouragement as I ran. The humid air dampened my pigtails and I could feel sweat beading on my stomach…but onward. I just kept going. This mile also brings in more rolling hills, but a few more downhills than uphills. We ran past Hubers Family Farm and continued down Engle Road. And then I hit Mile 2, ignored the water stop, and just I just kept on running. After the hill, it’s just a few rollers and a couple of smaller climbs to the finish. You actually finish this race going uphill.

Nothing beats a frozen strawberry drink and a big bowl of strawberries after a good race.

I could hear Cathy yelling at me to run faster, which usually means another female runner isn’t too far behind me. According to official results, this was a mere 4 second gap between me and the lady behind me, who was also in my age division. As I crossed the finish line, a volunteer shouted out my time to me and I was handed a pink card. I also got a lot of compliments on my compression socks. I love being a fastinista.

Cathy sent me to get water and cool down by walking while she filled out the card and dropped it into the age group container for me. Then she went to grab our frozen strawberry drinks. Upon her return, of course I went to hit up the strawberries for my big bowl as a reward. It’s the best part, as I previously mentioned. While I was eating my berries and Cathy was enjoying a strawberry shortcake, a girl behind me said, “Excuse me miss…are those hair extensions in your hair.” I told her they were. She asked how I put them in so I tried to show her. Then she said the best thing, that, honestly, made my day. She said, “You encouraged me out there. Thank you.” She was the girl I saw struggling. That was the best reward ever was hearing that. That’s what running is all about, honestly. I asked her how she did. She said she was 12th overall female. So she wasn’t far behind me either. YAY!

After we devoured our treats, we went to check out the festival booths, where I ended up purchasing hair bows and a gift for my friend Melissa. Then, we headed back up to listen to the award ceremony and get our cheering on.

Me with my age group award at the Run For The Berries 5K – Starlight, IN

While the men were being announced, I went ahead and checked my watch to actually look at my splits: M1: 7:01; M2: 7:25; M3: 7:33. Yep. Very positive splits. My age group came around and I ended up as 2nd this year in my age division. WOOHOO!! I never expect to win…because there was one year where I was 6th overall and didn’t win my Age Group. So…you never just expect it. I went up to get my pint glass and then, Cathy and I decided it was time to make our pilgrimage to Hubers for some strawberries before heading home. We bought 2 gallons because…I make kickass strawberry jam, friends.

As it stands, the official results of the Run For The Berries 5K are that I finished in 22:45. Not a PR…and none of my splits were over a 7 minute pace. In the past few years I have run this, my first mile has registered in the 6’s. Not this time. I’m kind of bummed. I just want a PR at some point…and none of my old records are falling. Not. Even. Close. I was 28/133 runners overall. I was the 8/69 females to cross the line. And I ended up as 2/5 in my age division.

I want to come back stronger and faster next year. Goals.

May 25, 2018June 12, 2019

Geist Half Marathon – Fishers, IN (May 19, 2018)

Me crossing the finish line of the Geist Half Marathon – Fishers, IN

Race: Geist Half Marathon

Place: Fishers, Indiana

Date: May 19, 2018

Time: 1:45:28

Oy. That was a tough one. Needless to say…my runs have not only proven to me that I’m sort of stuck at a certain pace or higher (MEH!), but that I am lacking in endurance, especially as the weather warms up. Also…as a point…I had to give up a fall half marathon I had been hoping to run, but this one was far enough of away from a goal race that I was good to go on this one.

Here’s the thing. I LOVE THIS RACE! For real. The Geist Half Marathon in 2014 holds my half marathon PR (almost 10 minutes faster than this time – 1:38:52)…and that was a difficult course. I think I was in much better shape then. HA! But…it was a goal this year to press on into a new race PR, specifically in the half marathon distance. This was supposed to go down at the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon at the beginning of the month…but things went downhill quickly on that one and my goal slipped, rather quickly, out of my reach.

This race is a beautiful one. You run through the gorgeous neighborhoods of Fishers, Indiana. You run the reservoir, which is stunning. It’s just fun. And…guess what…it wasn’t the race I expected, but damn…I had fun on this one!

Let’s start with Friday…

Sushi on the go from Dragon King’s Daughter

It was difficult to get away from work early as my roommate’s teammate took the day off at last minute, leaving her to cover for him. Our best chance was to escape around 3:30 pm. The plan was to place a call into Dragon King’s Daughter for sushi to pick up and take with us in the car. Sushi is great travel food, by the way! We got out, but our order wasn’t quite ready at the restaurant, so we waited around near the bar while they finished it up. I loved that they included a little take-away container of the gluten-free soy sauce for me. This is why I continue to return to Dragon King’s Daughter. This also proved to me that sushi is not the magic race food I was toting it up to be. Dang it. I thought I was onto something.

You failed me, sushi!!

The drive up to Indianapolis was uneventful and traffic actually wasn’t bad. Normally we hit bad traffic heading into the Nobelsville/Fishers area. Not this time. But it was getting late into the evening…we were after 6 pm and just now getting into the area to get to the expo and pick up my packet. From past experiences, we know that the expo has little to offer, but you have to walk through it in order to get your bib and then your race shirt. No biggie. We parked at St. Vincent’s Fishers Hospital and walked inside to the Visitors Waiting Area/Food Court entrance, which is where the expo was being held. It was raining at this point. Naturally. And we were supposed to be battling thunderstorms the following morning…but we were hoping that it would hold off.

On my way toward the back to pick up my bib, I heard someone say my name. I turned…and there was Jay…another Nuun Ambassador!! I love seeing familiar faces. We gave hugs and spoke for a moment, but then, I was back on track to pick up my bib number.

My first look at the GIANT half marathon medal at the expo

I was bib 24. I had to go to the very end. Why the low number? Because I was doing the offered 26.2 Half Marathon Challenge. What is this challenge? Well…the description said: Run another half marathon (or marathon!) in March, April, or May prior to Geist, and then complete the Geist Half Marathon on May 19th! I had done half marathons in March, April and May…so using Geist as the required last half marathon in the challenge was totally in my grasp. Why not? And it got me VIP Access post-race as well. It only cost $49 to throw my name into the challenge and that got me a 26.2 Half Marathon Challenge jacket, a special collector’s edition medal, the aforementioned VIP Access at Geist, and then two chances to win airfare, hotel and a free race entry to the March 2019 Publix Georgia Half Marathon in Atlanta. I’m pretty certain I didn’t win that…as I’ve never heard otherwise. Dang it. OH…the most exciting part of this was when I did go to pick up my race shirt, only to discover it is a tech material hoodie. I LOVE HOODIES!! Day…made.

Since the expo is really small, we had walked through it on the way to get everything…so we left right after getting the hoodie. Still raining. We were off to the hotel for the night, just a short drive up the road…the Holiday Inn Express Nobelsville.

Cathy’s hotel breakfast from the Holiday Inn Express in Nobelsville, IN

Check-in went smooth. Cathy unloaded the car while I got the key. Cathy spotted the free coffee and said when she brought the luggage cart back down she’d check for decaf coffee (her favorite nightly tradition). We unpacked the cart and she went to scope stuff out while I turned on the traditional Food Network for some Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives viewing while we relaxed and I foam rolled. I laid out my intended race clothes (the humidity was going to be stupid the following morning) and then…lights out.

Race morning dawns…and while I’m changing in the bathroom, Cathy turns on the weather. When I came out, she said, “The weather looks SO much better this morning.” She wasn’t wrong. The rain was now going to hold off until later in the morning. If I ran well…I could beat it in. That being said…the caveat was still that it was going to be 97% humidity during the race. That was going to be a sweat-fest for sure.

The Geist Half Marathon has a 7 am start time. That’s early. But I was grateful for it due to the humidity. We packed up our stuff to head out and noticed that the complimentary breakfast was open slightly early. It’s usually open at 6, but they opened up early for the runners. That was awesome. Kudos to the hotel. Cathy grabbed a light breakfast and I snagged a banana. She ate. And then…we got into the car and made it to the school where we always park the car and walk to the start line.

I was able to snag a 10 minute power nap…which just consisted of me closing my eyes. No real sleep actually happened. But then…I knew the walk to the start needed to happen. So, I got out of the car, tossed on my NYC Half Marathon jacket (in case the morning air was chilly) and we began the one mile hike down to the start line area. On the way, my NYC Half Marathon jacket was spotted by a nice guy (and super fast) runner named Tim. I know a lot of fast runners named Tim. We talked the entire walk and wished each other luck as we both went to find spots for the start. There was still a little bit of time ahead of that, so Cathy got a photo of me, still in the NYC Half Marathon jacket with the start line. Then…I handed it off to her and went to go stand and stretch in the corral. And lo and behold…I ran into a familiar face once again…JAY!! It was good to have someone to talk to and chat with at the start line. Normally I’m good making friends but here…built in friend! Love it.

Me and Jay at the start of the Geist Half Marathon!

We wished each other luck and then…the start of the 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon started all at once. And, with a wave to Cathy just past the start line…I took off at a comfortably hard pace.

My training plan wanted me to do this race in over 2 hours. I. HATE. THIS. ABOUT. MY. TRAINING. PLAN. Needless to say, I tossed that plan out the window that morning, because I was now playing “Beat the Thunderstorms.”

The air was incredibly thick with humidity that morning. Like…breathing through a wet towel kind of humid. So, before I even made the first turn after Mile 1, my pigtails were already damp and I could feel the sweat on my skin. This is not a PR course as it is (never mind the fact that this race holds my my PR half marathon time), but it was also not PR weather. Water stops were happening immediately for some. I carry my own fuel/water/electrolytes, regardless, so I only stop if it gets unbearable.

Here is what I love about this race. It’s beautiful. You get to run through the gorgeous neighborhoods in Fishers, Indiana near the Geist Reservoir. The 5K goes along a different course, but the 10K and Half Marathon runners are together for the first 3 miles of the race. It’s after we duck out of a neighborhood and turn onto Fall Creek Road that we get to take our first pass over the Geist Reservoir bridge. The 10K peels off to the left to go to the turnaround point, while the Half Marathon runners stay to the right and keep on pressing forward. It’s back into the neighborhoods and around part of a round-about. And around Mile 5, I remember high-fiving some children at the bottom of a driveway. It was fantastic. I was having a blast. There is something to be said, when you know your speed is down, but you can’t stop having a good time. That’s what this race does for me EVERY. TIME.

Running to the finish line at the Geist Half Marathon – soaked in sweat and humidity!

The halfway point came and I went ahead and took the HoneyStinger gel (everything new on race day! I had never tried these before) that I had randomly at home. I was out of my normal Hammer gels…so why not try it. I felt an immediate surge of energy, and I actually did pick it up. In the humidity though, it was short-lived. There were, thankfully plenty of water stations along the course and even some sprinklers/cooling stations that could mist water over you. LOVE. So, my pace didn’t start failing me as soon as it did at the Indy Mini…but this was where I did start slowing down, heading into Mile 9. And Mile 9 happens right at the base of a large hill. There were some women out there who were just amazing…very encouraging to the runners and just cheering them up the hill. Some people walked. I did last year, but my legs feel strong…just slow. I pressed up the hill. From about Mile 7-11, I was pretty much following a very strong woman who was just very steady in her pace. Rabbit, rabbit. I passed her, just after we crossed back over the Geist Reservoir and ran the last 3 miles of the course backwards back to the finish line/start line. At this point, if there was water, I was snagging it or running through it. I was pouring it over my head, knowing that in order to keep running and going, keeping cool was going to be key.

Fist-bumps for finishing…I chased this amazingly strong woman for more than half the race…I passed her in the last few miles. I love having someone push me to do more.

I knew I was running smart, but I was also trying to pick it up. I never once glanced at my watch to check my pace, because, honestly, I didn’t care. I felt better than I did at the Indy Mini…so there is that. The final mile is straight down the road, and when you hear the crowd and see that finish line…it’s just amazing. I did manage to pick my pace up for a strong finish. I crossed the finish line…arms barely capable of going up over my head…but I was done.

The 10K race bibs were silver and the Half Marathon bibs were gold…but since I was doing the 26.2 Half Marathon Challenge…my bib was silver with a low number. The woman who was going to give me a medal went to hang a 10K medal on my neck and I stopped her and said, “No…no…I did the half.” She was very apologetic, remarking that she thought all the half bibs were gold. So…volunteers were apparently unaware of the challenge bibs being a different color. It was quickly fixed and the GIANT Geist Half Marathon medal found it’s way around my neck. Then, the woman I had been chasing for most of the race came up behind me and we congratulated each other, thanked each other for the push, and fist-bumped. LOVE the running community.

Cathy met up with me and we decided to head toward the after party area. We had time and the storms were holding off. On the way there, we ran into Tim again. He had a good race even in the humidity…so that’s fantastic. We high-fived and I went to head to the VIP area to get my additional medal and jacket (the medal is plexiglass and the jacket is sort of like a cheap wind-breaker/rain jacket…but it works!)…and then I went to get a massage. Apparently, I am a WRECK. I should really look into massages post and pre race because there were so many spots on my neck and shoulders and back that this poor massage therapist had to really work to get the tension/knots to release. I’ve always been told I’m a train wreck anytime I get a massage. They aren’t lying.

Drinking before 9:30 am at the Geist Half Marathon VIP area!

After I had my massage, I put my VIP Access to good use. I went over to the Oliver Winery booth and got a Mimosa to enjoy. I don’t drink much or often, but this was nice and Oliver wine is one of my favorites. It’s SO good. And I snagged the free beer for Cathy. We sat at a table, enjoying not moving for a moment…drinking before 9:30 am. It was great. There was a guy who was dancing…the entire time there. It was amazing. People would join him, he’d get people to join him. The music was wonderful. I was able to eat some fruit…it was good. It was definitely worth getting the VIP Access for this race. I really recommend it for anyone who has thought about doing this race or perhaps have passed on doing VIP in the past. I thought this was worth it. No disappointment here.

After a little while, we knew that if I was going to catch a shower before meeting up with our friend Greg for lunch that afternoon…we needed to get back to the hotel. We headed out to make the mile walk to the car. I called my mom during the walk to let her know how I did and we just chatted the entire way to the car. Back at the hotel, Cathy went to fetch me coffee and a luggage cart while I showered. She packed and got everything ready…and I had time to sit and use my foam roller while drinking coffee before we actually needed to check out and head on our way.

Coffee, Foam Rolling, and some Instagram Time all post-race!

It was nice to have time to relax and just…savor everything from the morning. I was still smiling. This is my slowest half marathon of the 2018 season thus far…and yet…I think this was the one where I had the most fun. I enjoyed every…humid…step.

We were heading to Hops & Fire to eat lunch with Greg. I got the exact same thing I got when I went here after the Indy Mini…the Vegan and Gluten Free Caprese Sandwich with Fries. And we all split an order of the Gluten Free Onion Rings. And then we hit up Half Price Books and a Comic Book Store before needing to hit the road to get home, unwind, give me time to stretch and then head out to the Louisville City FC soccer match that night back in Louisville. Busy day. But a full day. And a day full of smiles.

So, my official results of the Geist Half Marathon is that I finished in 1:45:28. I’ll take it. I thought I was having a better race than the Indy Mini…but I think the humidity got me more here, even if it happened later on in the race. Or my endurance has just gone to crap at the moment. Or a combination of the two. Who knows? That being said, I was 87/869 finishers overall! Top 100 this year. Also…this was half the finishers of number when I ran it 2 years ago. I hope the chance of storms just kept people away because this is honestly a great race. I was the 17/420 women to cross the finish line. And I was 5/74 people in the my age division! Inching closer to an age group award. In 2014, I was 4th. In 2016, I was 6th. This time I was 5th. One day…one day it will be my time!

Can’t wait to return next year!

May 17, 2018

Throo The Zoo 5K – Louisville, KY (May 12, 2018)

Me crossing the finish line at the Throo The Zoo 5K – Louisville, Kentucky

Race: Throo The Zoo 5K

Place: Louisville Zoo, Louisville, Kentucky

Date: May 12, 2017

Time: 22:58*

Major question of importance…will the course of the Throo The Zoo 5K ever actually be a 5K? Because…once again I didn’t even hit 3 miles for this race. In fact, when I crossed the finish line, my watch read 2.99 miles. I know it’s not hard to measure a course. I’m not even good at running tangents, but…come on. I do give it a pass because it is a zoo run and it is supposed to be fun…but I swear…move the start line back or the finish line out just a little bit…and GOLDEN!

Whatever.

So…I was talked into doing the Throo The Zoo 5K by my good friend, Melissa. She had a team started for the race and made sure to inform me that…hey…they have finisher’s medals this year because…it was their 25th anniversary of the race. So…I signed up. We all know how much I LOVE 5K races right? *sarcasm*

I am NOT a sprinter. Not one bit. Not at all. This is why I have NO finishing kick at the end of races. If I am sprinting…I’m done a the end. My energy is spent. Maybe this is because I didn’t grow up a runner…I don’t know. But…5Ks are not my forte nor something that I actually enjoy running.

But…they do make for good speed play. And it’s a fun way to do speed work, as I am an avid hater of doing anything that means pushing hard and then recovering. LOL! I can’t help it. Speed work and treadmills are what injure me. So I’m reluctant to do either.

Also…Saturday is my “long” run day and I had 81 minutes on tap for that morning. I also hate training by time. But I’ve made that known from the start. My plan was to run for an hour ahead of the race…pause and drive to the zoo…and then finish up my long run with the race itself. My original plan had been to finish up my run after the race, but it was going to be very hot that day and once the sun came out…I probably would have died. I normally love training in the heat, but this year it’s not working so well for me. MEH.

Gluten Free Green Acres and the Spicy Tofu Sushi Rolls. LOVE vegan sushi.

The night before, I met up with Melissa and Paul for sushi at Dragon King’s Daughter (sushi is my new pre-race BFF…at least for now)…and then we went back to the apartment so that Cathy could apply KT tape.

I needed to stretch and roll and then sleep because I needed to wake up early enough to fit in a sweaty 60 minutes of running, change, eat, get to the zoo…and then see what I could do. So…that’s what I did.

Morning was an early alarm for me. I suited up, put on my Nox Gear Tracer 360 and head lamp and headed out for some easy paced miles. I am working very hard on keeping my long runs and easy runs slower more consistently. Slowing down has never been my forte. I am a work in progress there. After just over an hour of running (I like round numbers so I went over the time to get to a perfect mileage number), I had 8 miles under my belt and went inside to stretch out, eat, and change into clothes for the race. I decided to ditch the tank top and wear a crop because I was dying in a tank top before the sun came up and with the race starting at 8 am…the sun would be up and if the Indy Mini taught me anything it was if I overheat…I’m done.

I fixed up my protein shake using my OWYN protein powder (coffee flavored) with my Four Sigmatic Cordycep Mushroom Elixir and took it on the road with me for the drive to the zoo. That would be my fuel for this race as I seem to forget to buy bananas these days. This was new…but doing new things on race day seems to be my thing this year. I have no idea why. I drank it on the way there, but soon, Cathy and I were stuck in the zoo traffic and barely moving. The race start time was quickly approaching and we still had about a half mile to go. We quickly made the decision to park in the Kroger parking lot and make the walk to the zoo. It made for a nice warmup anyway, right?

Traffic is usually an issue, but it has never been this bad. But with the promise of a medal at the end, the 5K sold out and…yeah…it was a mess. Melissa was apparently in the zoo round-a-bout and no moving. So…we weren’t alone. In fact, we got to the start line before she and Paul did. Which is CRAZY!

As I was standing around waiting for the race start, I convinced myself that I didn’t need to pee (I mean, I rehydrated with Nuun, and then drank a protein shake…and I really did need to pee, but port-a-potty lines were RIDICULOUS)…which seemed to work. And then I saw Laura!! Laura and I talked and we’ve started making some plans to do long runs together this summer…so that will be fun. Start time was approaching, so I shed my Run The Bluegrass hoodie and went to line up with Laura at the start.

We both noted the lack of certain regulars at this race…which could be a good thing in the end for us. HA! We also noted a lot of kids lining up at the front of the start…which race officials specifically asked NOT to do…but…I mean…it’s the zoo. It is a safety concern though. That being said, one of said kids was like…pretty close to being one of the first in…and he was 12 so…I mean…some do deserve it, but others probably should have moved back. Especially since the road this starts on is narrow and crowded at the start.

Speaking of the start…a random airhorn went off prior to the race…and it really just confused all of us at the start line. It was not the official start. But now that everyone was ready and prepared…the official start was counted down by the emcee on the microphone at the start line. And with a simple…”GO”…we were off and running.

Me at the start of the Throo The Zoo 5K – and that’s the guy with the stroller who ended up passing me at the end.

I kept my training shoes on (they are heavier than my racing shoes) to help me better pace myself this race. The first mile was spent on the narrow-ish Illinois Avenue, just outside of the Louisville Zoo. My legs still felt good at this point, surprisingly, after my miles that morning, so I just worked on running comfortably hard. I wasn’t going to all-out sprint it…but I wanted to see how much I could push myself. The first turn takes us into the entrance at the back of the zoo. Last year, I remembered rocky areas and my Newton shoes would get stones stuck in the lugs. This year…I kept my Adidas Boston Boosts on to prevent this from happening. Glad I did…because the rocky section was just the start. Further into the race, construction was happening in this first mile and there was a big section on the path that was stones and loose rocks. I made a good decision to wear the heavier shoes. We hit Mile 1 soon after hitting this parking lot area of the zoo, pass the water stop and zig-zag up a hill and head back into the zoo. I could hear a lot of people coaching some younger runners near me. “Try to run faster. You have to run faster.” UGH. Let them have fun.

Back into the zoo and we get some fun rolling hills. I was now in the presence of a man with a running stroller. He was running strong, but one of the steep uphills inside the zoo slowed him down to a walk. For most of the rest of the race…I could hear him talking to his child about the animals that were out and about my socks. I literally was steps ahead of him for the rest of the race. Here we can see walkers heading into the first mile and it’s this fun area where the late wave and the first wave get to meet. Some of them cheer and send out encouragement, which is nice. And the zoo employees that are stationed around are also amazing for that too. Mile 2 hits around the start of the African Outpost section of the zoo. And my watch beeped a little after the mark. Here we go again.

I didn’t once glance at my watch, because I never do when running, so why start during races. But I could feel the strength and energy draining as the hills continued and we hit the worst of them all…Gorilla Hill. This is a long and winding climb that does take runners out of the zoo for the final sprint to the finish. I was slowing down on the hill, and when the flat road came back as we all came out to the parking lot to finish, I couldn’t find a finishing kick. Well, I never have one anyway, but there was nothing left. I did manage to get shout-outs from Howard, Matt, Amy, and others who ran to the race to cheer on finishers. So that was amazing. They could recognize me this time because I had on fun socks and colorful shorts. I learned my lesson after KDF. HA!!

Me with my Throo The Zoo Finisher’s Medal after the race!

So, I ran it through to the finish, my watch never even beeping for a third mile. MEH. Oh well. And that guy with the stroller…he passed me in the final straight-away. Naturally. I finished the race and received a medal and magnet…then moved out of the way to wait for Cathy to join me. I told her I needed to round up my mileage so I did a short jog in circles in the grass before grabbing some water, a banana, and going to stand at the finish line to wait on Melissa and Paul to finish. Cathy told me that I was the 6th female in, so that guaranteed me an age group award. That was exciting. It was just a matter of where I placed for it.

They weren’t too far behind me and we cheered them in to the finish line. We went to meet up with them afterwards. Cathy went to grab them both water and Gatorade and then get their official finishing times for them. They both had a good race and Melissa was about to head out for her 2nd 5K that morning with the Girls on the Run girls she had been coaching.

As Cathy and I had nowhere else to be and my running was now done for the day, we waitited with Paul to cheer in Melissa’s mom, who signed up at the last minute to walk it. She did great and actually beat her time goal. WOOHOO!! And then I won a door prize randomly…which ended up being Louisville Bats tickets and some chicken place gift cards (these are of no use for me, but I’ll take the baseball tickets).

The announcers started to do age group awards, so I wandered over that way, but they ended up pausing halfway through for the costume contest awards. I wandered back over the shade of the tree where everyone was huddled and just talked a little bit and laughed a lot. And when age group awards resumed, I missed the first ones, and I suddenly heard my age group announced with me as coming in first.

First place age group award at Throo The Zoo 5K

WOOHOO! I hurried that way to go claim my certificate. I definitely wasn’t expecting that result as I ran this race faster last year and came in 2nd in my age group. And I haven’t felt very fast as of late. So…after running 8 miles prior to the race itself…this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

Afterwards, Cathy and I left to make the walk back to the car and head to brunch. We hit up North End Café for a Basic Breakfast and some chill time. Later that afternoon, we were headed out to a wine tasting with our friend Michelle, so this was fuel to get us through to that. And I made sure to get some protein for some much needed recovery as well.

And the winery…that was a whole lot of fun!

So, the official results of the Throo The Zoo 5K is that I finished the race in 22:58…with the course being short AGAIN this year. I hope that gets fixed in the future. I slowed down each mile and Gorilla Hill was a struggle, but I’ll take this time with over an hour of running ahead of the race itself. I was 54/2589 finishers overall. I was the 6/1685 female finishers. And I was 1/239 people in my age division! Maybe my endurance is coming back. I hope to get heat adapted sooner rather than later so I can endure a bit more, but I’m pretty proud of this result when all is said and done.

February 11, 2018

Restaurant Review: Pho Ba Luu – Louisville, KY

Restaurant: Pho Ba Luu – Louisville, Kentucky

Brace yourselves, friends…

I’m finally getting back to restaurant reviews. I have been so busy as of late that I’ve been skipping these important reviews both locally and when I travel. And that is stopping…as of now.

I made a promise to be better about updating my blog, and, by God, I’m going to stick to it.

So…I have the pleasure of being friends with some amazing people who just happen to be foodies! And…they seem to be as excited about trying different places around town as I am. And that…means LOTS of fun trying out new places with good people who aren’t afraid to be honest and outgoing.

Being a foodie is fun.

While I have my favorite places here in Louisville, some great new places have moved in and opened up. And one of those places is Pho Ba Luu, in Butchertown. Pho Ba Luu, as my can probably guess, serves Saigon Street Food. Think the obvious pho…in addition to rice bowls, banh mi sandwiches, as well as rice bowls.

As I tend to do when I am going to new restaurants, I contacted them to find out if I, being a Celiac and vegetarian, could eat anything there. Jessica Mach e-mailed me back and let me know exactly what was safe for me. All the pho bowls, by the way, are gluten free. Just don’t get the hoisin sauce. The spring rolls are also safe…and they offer gluten-free soy sauce as well. The staff was INCREDIBLY knowledgeable too after we visited and placed our order. So…bit shout-out for those, who like me, have food allergies and intolerances and need a little extra care at restaurants.

So…four foodies drove into Butchertown specifically for some Vietnamese food. And, let me tell you, there were some high standards to be met. Paul is actually part Vietnamese and his wife, Melissa and he actually have had street food in Vietnam. They actually ordered first. Paul got the Chicken Pho ($10) and Chicken Spring Rolls ($5) for his dinner. Melissa ordered the Chicken Pho ($10…because it doesn’t change…LOL!) and the Shrimp Spring Rolls ($5). They each also ordered the Iced Vietnamese Coffee ($5), which I want to try next time because it looked AMAZING! It’s happening.

Cathy (that’s the roomie, in case you are new to the blog or have forgotten during my hiatus on reviews) decided to go all meaty and gluten-y since she doesn’t get that at home. She ordered the Beef Pho ($11) with the Seafood & Pork Crispy Rolls ($6). I may get asked…maybe not…but in case…the Seafood & Pork Crispy Rolls were crispy rolls stuffed with shrimp, pork, crabmeat, onion and vegetables and is served with a fish sauce. So that’s for all of you non-vegetarian/vegan gluten eaters out there! She’s got your back!

As for me…I ordered the Vegetarian Pho ($10) with the Vegetarian Spring Rolls ($5). The spring rolls are normally served with a Plum Sauce, but as I noted gluten-free at the order, they brought me gluten free soy sauce instead.

Let me say this…the four of us are already discussing going back next Friday to celebrate Tet (the Vietnamese New Year) this coming week. Not. Even. Joking.

Because when it comes to good food…I don’t make those kinds of jokes.

So…here’s the run-down from what I was devouring last night. I’ll start with the spring rolls. The Vegetarian Spring Rolls are basic fried tofu with sauteed vegetables and glass noodles wrapped in rice paper. They looked fantastic. They tasted phenomenal. The gluten-free soy sauce was the perfect touch. I love spring rolls as it is…these were some of the best I have had. And that’s no exaggeration. They are simple…but they bring the flavor and the textures just all worked.

But, of course , the star of the Vietnamese Food scene last night…was the Pho!! First of all…the bowls are pretty big and we all had another meal’s worth left over after dining last night. No joke. Hey…it meant we had lunch today. So…be aware that there is a LOT of volume in these bowls. The Vegetarian Pho has sauteed tofu and vegetables in a vegetable broth. You get a little baggie of all the add-in goodies…like bean sprouts, jalapenos, and the like. I poured them all in. I added a good helping of Sriracha. And once I was done with my Spring Rolls…in went the remaining gluten-free soy sauce.

FLAVOR!! That’s all I can say. The broth had amazing flavor as it was. The tofu and vegeatlbes…they brought extra goodness to the party. The carrots still had some crisp to them. The tofu was savory and soft and just…done to perfection. The add-ins brought a little more spice…a little more texture…a little more yumminess to an already yummy situation. I was in love and I managed to not splash myself with anything as I ate the noodles with chopsticks and slurped up that broth with the spoon.

This gluten-free vegetarian loved every bit of the meal last night. And I think my partners in street food would agree. Cathy loved the Beef Pho and her Crispy Spring Rolls. While she does like spring rolls, she LOVED the crispy rolls. I think she will never NOT get those. The beef finished up cooking in the hot broth when it was delivered to the table and after she sorted out the jalapenos to both Paul and I from her bag of goodies…she was all in. And loving in!

Pho Ba Luu Chicken Pho and Shrimp Spring Rolls

And my Chicken Pho eaters…they were quite content with their bowls too. They seriously raved about the flavor and I believe they even said it came very close to the street food they had in Vietnam. So…there it is. OH…and Melissa highly recommends the Iced Vietnamese Coffee. She got two of them last night if that tells you anything!! The Chicken Spring Rolls & Shrimp Spring Rolls disappeared as quickly as my Vegetarian ones.

Any way you slice it…we loved everything we ate here.

Pho sho!

Yeah…I went there. I can’t help myself sometimes!!

So…anytime I get to eat a big bowl of pho without having any reaction to it because everyone who works there made sure my food was safe and perfect…gets many return visits from me. I can’t wait to go back.

And…for the record…they have a Gluten Free Apple Pie ($6)…that we were all too full to try…but we may have to get it next time and split it among us. Because…dessert is very important to me.

Special shout-out again to Jessica Mach for answering my e-mails when I inquired and helping me navigate the menu without any trouble at all.

If you are in the Louisville area or are coming to Louisville, Kentucky, and love or want to try Vietnamese food…I can’t speak highly enough of Pho Ba Luu. People with food allergies…welcome…and taken care of. I call that winning!

See you next week!

sailormooneats

January 22, 2018

Practicing Patience

patience Good morning, friends!!

Anyone else out there have a problem with patience? Especially when it comes to being patient with yourself?

STORY. OF. MY. LIFE.

And…its my impatience (I totally blame being a go-getter New Yorker) that often leads me to setbacks that don’t move me forward and only end up dragging me down and feeling defeated.

I’m trying to break the mold this time around. And…trust me…this isn’t easy. Not at all. As I mentioned before, I recently participated in The Dopey Challenge at Disney World. Over 4 days, I ran 4 races…each of which got longer in length (5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon), and I actually did really well on the races, given that I was bouncing into the parks every day and not resting up the legs. Honestly…I’m so super proud of my performance. This being the 2nd time I’ve participated in The Dopey Challenge and having improved on all the times of the races I actually raced (10K, Half, Full), I felt amazing (mentally) but tired and sore (physically) following the actual events. I went into the weekend with a sinus cold and came out of it with the Disney flu. I took a lot of days to recover…from sickness and the races. I knew, following Dopey, that I would need to let my body recover well. I still probably would have gone back to it sooner had my body not been drained from sickness. This past week, I decided to give easing back into it a try.

And I started on Wednesday with an hour long spin class…that totally kicked my ass. I was done within the first 20 minutes…my power, energy and speed all really dropping down. Our spin bikes light up to tell what zone you are in and I didn’t even care that I was in the white and blue instead of yellow and red like the rest of the class. I had to listen to my body. And while I valued the movement, I wasn’t going to push myself to try to hit a level my body wasn’t ready to reach yet.

Call that growth, because I do believe the me of the past would have felt the need to press on and keep up with the rest of the class. But I’ve also had a recurring stream of injuries to deal with the past 3 years. After building up and failing over and over again…you do actually gain wisdom. There is no shame in listening to your body and backing off intensity as you see fit. I put this body through a lot physically both with the races and then trying to fight off illness…it’s no wonder my body isn’t feeling as strong as it used to be.

Have I lost some fitness…you better believe I have. Some mornings, it is a struggle to just simply get through my PT exercises. And for as much as I have stressed their importance to me coming back stronger, the past 3 weeks have seen little to none of the stretches and exercises I was prescribed. And I didn’t feel guilty about it. My body needed the sleep and the time on the couch more than it needed the movement.

But, like any active person, my body does crave movement. I like moving my body. I just needed to give myself the time to get to where it could handle some. Nothing big. No long miles or hard runs. No pushing the limits on the spin bike. Just gentle movement.

This past weekend, with the weather warming up and the snow and ice melting away, I took advantage with my first run since Dopey. And, while I was out there for 30 minutes, believe it or not…only 8 minutes of it was actually spent running. I took my time to warm up with 5 minutes of walking…then did 4 x 2 minutes running/3 minutes walking…then a 5 minute cool down. And it felt hard…and amazing all at once. And that was how I needed to take it. I’m not ashamed that I only ran 8 minutes. I’m damn proud of those 8 minutes and what my body managed to do in that time. I took Sunday off completely and didn’t feel bad about it.

Today, it was close to 60 degrees this morning. So, I decided I would pull on a pair of SHORTS and take advantage by doing a short run. I decided to just run…easy…and deliberately…keeping the heart rate down…but do it without the walk breaks. It was the struggle bus. My body is still recovering, but I managed to do 20 minutes and keep the heart rate in Zones 1 and 2. I count that as a win. I went to spin afterwards, and that’s when my body let me know it was too much for the day. The first half of class I felt strong and almost normal, but my energy levels crashed soon after that…so I turned down the resistance, sat down when I needed, and just let my body do what it needed.

I’m not mad. I’m recovering. And I will still take complete rest days and lift lighter weights when strength training…and keep the intensity down. The me of the past would have taken this as failure…but I feel so empowered that I can trust my body, my mind, and myself to practice patience and self-love and trust that I will grow from this. Constant forward progression. Tired of taking steps back. It’s all a matter of changing the mindset. And I still struggle…but I know, in the end, this will make me a better, faster, stronger athlete. patience2

AND…as another form of self-care and self-love, let me also emphasize that just because I am not working out doesn’t mean I’m not fueling my body. My body went through a lot and proper nutrition is key. I am not just eating fruit and low calorie foods just because I’m not working out. WRONG. I have actually changed a lot of what I eat to give me more nutrients and better sources of vitamins and fuel to help this body maintain fitness and strength through all of it. Starving your body only starves yourself of further potential and forward progress.

Patience is not an easy thing to practice. It’s something that can gnaw at you and really make you question yourself. Learning how to be patient with my body and myself has been one of the hardest things I have set out to do…and while it’s still a constant work in progress…I can see where my mindset has changed so that I am kinder to myself and…more willing to give myself the time I need to get to where I feel I want to be.

Patience, grasshoppers.

It’s worth it!

January 19, 2018

Recovering…like a boss!

If there is one thing I might have taken for granted or just not done properly in the past…it’s taken recovery time. No runner likes time off. I have yet to meet one who actually does proper recovery after hard efforts or distance races.

Guess what?

I actually did this time.

Some of it might have been forced. After all…thanks to the petri dish of germs that is Disney (especially on Marathon Weekend), I came down with the Disney Flu. Yay. And no, this doesn’t come with fun Mickey Ears and character experiences. It comes with a big dose of Theraflu and sleep.

I mean…it has been non-stop since I returned from the freezer that was Orlando over Marathon weekend. Coughing. The coughing is the killer. I am finally able to breathe again. Thank you for calming down sinuses. Remember…a co-worker gave me a sinus-only cold before I even left for Dopey. Run all the races. Go to all the parks. Is it any wonder I ended up like this?

Has my recovery been a bit forced? Perhaps. But here’s the thing…

I set a goal this year. A goal of having an injury-free 2018. So when my running coach tells me to rest…dammit…I’m resting. When my mileage is lower than I like it to be…well…so be it. Trust the process, right? I have a few other big goals I’m hoping to reach in the next year or two…so I have to learn to believe in myself…and the method that will help me get there more efficiently than…past attempts.

I admit to, in the past, rushing back into activities. I bounce back quickly. I do. But I also break down too. We all do. We just don’t always like to admit to it.

Here’s the thing…we might feel good…but we put our bodies through a lot and push it to the limit, not just in races…but in training too. Maybe moreso in training…and we’re LESS likely to take recovery/rest days during training. I don’t care what distance you raced…if you raced…RECOVER!! Like…actually recover!! Would I have taken time off if I hadn’t caught the Disney Crud? Yep. I actually would have. Like I said, I have big goals this year and to achieve them, I need to respect my body and learn a little patience.

I mean…granted, I hurt for about 3 days following the Dopey Challenge…but I also pushed through most of the 48.6 (and more) miles that I covered over the course of the weekend. And that’s just running. I still had parks to visit in between. Because, as much as I’d love to lay low…I pay for those Disney tickets and they aren’t cheap. By God, I was going to get my money’s worth. Park hopping…princess hunting…fast passing rides…all of it. I was doing it. And…I did it. All.

But it doesn’t have to be The Dopey Challenge to make taking down time a priority. Any race…any distance…anywhere where you push yourself more or further…do yourself a favor. Take some time off. Depending on the race distance…it could be a week…it could be two…it could be more. Don’t think you HAVE to get to the gym the day after a half marathon or hop on a spin bike or even go for a “recovery run.” Let’s face it…whether you back of the speed or not…a 6 mile run is generally a 6 mile run…”recovery” or not. I listened to a podcast recently from a running coach who said that there was absolutely no such thing as a recovery run. You’re still putting in an effort and working the same muscles that your regular runs do. And most people don’t actually run these that much slower. Your entire body needs to heal up to get stronger…don’t rush the process. You might feel good immediately after the event…but you’ve still put that body through a lot. You might feel good a week after…and you still might need more down time, depending on the distance that you ran.

Remember…there is no such thing as over-training…just under recovery.

RECOVERY…is super important. I have been fortunate enough that my recovery time has fallen when it’s gotten stupid cold outside, with the addition of some ice and snow on the ground. Bonus. I’m always cold…so I hate running in the cold. And I especially hate winter weather running.

In addition, let me be the first to remind you that you should NEVER stop eating properly or regularly despite recovery time. Your body needs all those nutrition benefits, especially as you recover from a hard effort. With the Disney Flu…I have still maintained my regular food times. I mean, I do live on a schedule. What I have done is simply change what I have been eating. Mostly because I can’t taste flavors right now…and just eating food for texture isn’t working for me. So, soup and chili have been my go-tos. But I am making sure I am hitting all my nutrition needs every day. And yes…I’m eating well and I’m definitely eating enough calories each day. Eat well, eat enough, eat healthy. So many people focus on weight and get really crazy with their nutrition. When you’re training, you need to eat. And you need to eat well. When you’re recovering…you also need to eat…and yes…you need to eat well. Now is not the time to cut down on your nutrition. I promise…you aren’t going to get fat.

As I stated, for the past two weeks…all I’ve really wanted it soup. That being said…I love that soup has so many different varieties out there because it keeps it interesting. I’ve been serving mine up with different gluten-free crackers. And sometimes I add avocado or something to bulk it up. I mean…who doesn’t love tomato soup with a grilled (vegan) cheese sandwich? I know my body needs certain things to stay in good shape even when I’m not working out as much. NEVER skimp on nutrition when you are training or recovering.

So…I’m on the mend. I took time off from work to sleep and recovery both before I left for Disney (initial sinus bleh) and then basically all the rest of the week after I got back from Disney. Sleep and rest and proper nutrition have definitely helped me bounce back from not just the races…but the sickness too. My muscles don’t ache anymore (also…thank you Roll Recovery!) because I’ve let them heal and get stronger. I’ve been using my new Roll Recovery R8 and R3…as well as my foam roller. And stretching. Never underestimate the power of stretching. I even went to 2 of my spin classes this past week. I took it easy. I didn’t push as hard as I normally would. And I still felt like it kicked my ass. I’m not mad. I’m taking my time.

That being said…if you thought I was a germophobe before…you should see me now…

Remember, friends…living your best life is all about balance. Find time to rest…recovery…find balance…eat well…play…laugh…and yes…return to that activity you love…once your body is stronger from the respect and rest you allowed it.

I took 2 weeks off…and I still feel I fatigue easily. I’m easing back into with with longer walks and short run segments. And I still feel like I’m a badass. I’m a very smart…totally recovered…less injury-prone badass!!

YAY!

December 1, 2017

Recipe: Pomegranate Breakfast Quinoa

I’ve been trying to be a bit more mindful of how I start my day when it comes to food these days. While it is so easy to simply grab a (delicious) gluten free bagel and top it off however I wish…my sports nutritionist and I have been working hard on keeping my protein levels higher…so this gives me incentive to come up with new ways of doing my favorite meal of the day.

And, one day, while shopping at Costco and spotting the pack of pomegranate seeds…an idea struck. And it has grown to be one of my favorite ways to do breakfast ever since. And why not? We’ve jumped on the smoothie wagon for Wednesdays, since our lunch is a giant, gluten free pretzel (always!). Why not play around a little more and find new ways to get nutrients in in the morning?

This is a super easy recipe, the most time consuming part is the 15 minutes it takes to prep and cook the quinoa. The rest…easy-peasy!

Find the recipe below:

Recipe: Pomegranate Breakfast Quinoa

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp nuts of choice (optional)

Directions:

Cook quinoa: place 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa in a pot with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, cook for 12 minutes until water is absorbed.

Split between two bowls.

Drizzle with pure maple syrup and top off with the pomegranate seeds, dark chocolate, and nuts (if using…highly recommended).

Enjoy!

~*~*~

Just yesterday, I had asked my roommate what she wanted for breakfast, and listed off some favorites including bagels, overnight oats, and pumpkin pancakes. But she said, “I really like that quinoa thing you’ve been making.” And just like that…I knew I had hit on something good.

How do you like to fuel your mornings? Do you keep your breakfast basic or do you like to get creative?