I'm getting faster!

When I go for a run I never really have a particular destination in mind. I usually make that decision a mile or so in. I have gotten pretty good at being able to tell how far I have gone, but lately I have been getting much more efficient with my running. Meaning I am getting faster, and that is super exciting. Yesterday I ended up running a 8 minute mile for 3.7 miles. I thought I started slow, but I guess I was running like the wind! I usually run an out and back, so by the midway point I make a goal time for myself. usually it is around twice my out time. Yesterday I was 40 seconds faster on the way back, so maybe I actually did start out a little slow. I am proud of myself to say the least.

Take a look at how much I have been running lately! 18 miles last week? Yeah, that's all me! the only real break I took this month was when I went to Atlanta at the beginning of the month. That took a couple days out, but probably a much needed break from running. I don't want to get burned out. I think i might have to take another short break soon- just so I don't lose interest in running.

More Races

I took some time off from running. My last 5k
was on Halloween 2010 and I only ran once a week through the winter. When spring arrived, I ran about once a month until July. I had this pain under my rib cage every time I ran and it was so bad I just didn't run. I started to run through the pain and by late July I was running more than ever, mostly barefoot. I registered for the Merrell Naked Foot 5k on August 28 with Marissa and I ran an unofficial 26:45 completely barefoot.

Two weeks later a couple friends convinced me (the night before the race) to run a 10k with them. Saturday morning, September 10th I get up early and go register and run the Pink Arrow Pride Quiver 10k. I stayed with Anne and Cori until the last mile and ended up with a 1:01:39. It was a couple minutes slower than the last 10k, but I wasn't going for a PR, it was for fun. Natalie was there at the end to cheer me on. She got 2nd place in the 5k! Awesome! after running 6.2 miles, I ran 2+ miles more back through the Wittenbach center with Natalie and Anne and then we went to Keiser's for breakfast. I wore my five fingers for this race. It was the first time I went more than 4 miles with them. My feet hurt for a couple days, and I lost a toe nail, but it was worth it.

Yesterday I signed up for the Cooley Race for Education 5K, which I ran this morning in under

26 minutes. Another PR, and I will know my official time when they put the results up later today.

edit:

Official time: 25:44. I can't believe it...

And because I am crazy, I ran another 3 miles tonight. I thought I was taking it easy, but I did it in just over 27 minutes. Maybe I am getting better at this running thing. My chest pain seems to be getting better, or I am just getting used to it. Either way, it is making it easier to run more than a mile at a time. I'm hopefully going to do a couple more races before hardcore winter hits. I think if I work at it I could get down closer to 25:00. That will be my goal.

Jack Johnson would be proud

Banana Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large banana, mashed (over-ripe)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and mashed banana. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides.

* add ½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips and/or ½ cup chopped walnuts if desired.

Running without an iPod?

When I started running almost two years ago, I would strap on my iPod touch and go for a jog. When I finished, I would use mapmyrun to calculate how far I ran. Sometimes I ran with my iPod, but I quickly fell out of that habit because I didn't need the music. Last year for Christmas I got one of those Nike+ chips to put in my shoe. It's pretty much a pedometer that communicates with your iPod while you run. It keeps track of the distances for you. I used that for a few months, but the problem is that you have to take your iPod with you when you run. I had become accustomed to leaving that at home since I realized I didn't really need it. I started running with my iPod strapped to my arm again so I could use the Nike+, but I didn't listen to music. When I finally got an iPhone this February, I downloaded the mapmyrun app since that was the website I had been keeping track of all my running on. I started running with my phone. I still wouldn't listen to music, and I'm not really sure why I was bringing my phone to keep track of the distance. That fad wore off and now I don't bring anything with me when I run.

These days I call myself a minimalist runner. Why do I say that? Well, it's because I don't really take anything with me when I go out for a run, and I even ditch the running shoes. I don't need my iPod, smart phone, or GPS to guide me. I actually prefer to run without music, and something in my hands or strapped to my upper arm is rather uncomfortable, not to mention making sure the ear buds stay in my ears while I'm running. Instead of listening to music, I let my mind be free from whatever has been consuming it. I can observe my surroundings and I notice what is going on all around me. Yes, sometimes I talk to myself (silently) while I'm running, but other times there is absolutely nothing going through my mind. It is quite a relieving experience. If you haven't had the opportunity to let yourself do it, I would recommend it. Next time you go for a run, leave your ipod at home. Don't worry about having your GPS or phone with you to keep track of your distance. You can do that pretty easy with mapmyrun when you're done. All I wear when I run is a watch, my roadID bracelet (for safety), and my Vibram Five Fingers . About a year ago I decided to try out the barefoot running fad. I purchased a pair of Vibram Five Fingers and I rarely run in anything but them now.

Who needs anything else?

Let your mind be free to enjoy what's going on around you.

It made me a little gassy

Lebanese Lentil Soup

[The recipe - and bonus commentary to follow]

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
1 tablespoop olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
½ cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cilantro
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice

Directions
Bring chicken stock and lentils to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir garlic and onions into the lentils and season with cumin and cayenne. Continue simmering until the lentils are tender, about 10 minutes. Puree half of the soup in a blender, or with a stick blender until smooth. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice before serving.

based off of http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lebanese-style-red-lentil-soup/detail.aspx

It was pretty delicious. I added 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and the juice from one lemon and both were a little much for me. I could handle the spiciness, as it was a good level, but I think it took away from the flavor a little, it being my first time tasting it. You know how spiciness can do that sometimes... I would add less...and that's why I put 1/8 tsp in the recipe. I also would add less lemon juice than I added. I kind of measured and it was less than 1/2 cup, but nothing too exact. Just add maybe half a lemon at first and taste it. Stir it a little while it's cooking because the lentils will stick to the bottom of the pan (and make a delicious browned lentil mass of goodness) that I just blend back in. The recipe I mostly followed called for 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, but I didn't have any, so I ended up adding about 2 tsp cilantro.

I am pretty sure it gave me gas, so I wouldn't advise making it the day before you have to go somewhere. Maybe it's a friday night meal and a stay in Saturday kind of occasion ...ya know what I mean. :)

Oreo Softballs

A few months ago, I brought some Oreo Balls into work. Everybody loves them, so I try to make them on occasion. Plus, everybody is amazed at how simple they actually are. I was talking to a co-worker last time I made them and he came up with a great idea. He then proceeded to send me an Outlook invitation to make "Oreo Softball Thingies." Good thing he did that, or we wouldn't have had Oreo balls that looked like softballs at out Neogen/Hooker softball game Thursday night. I even made a double batch and brought some to our dinner on Wednesday night.

I don't remember where I originally got the recipe from. It's been such a long time, and I never actually had a physical recipe. It's not hard to remember the two basic ingredients.

Oreo Balls

1 (16 oz) package Oreo Cookies

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

White chocolate for coating

Crush the Oreos in a food processor until you have a fine crumb. Mix in the cream cheese and form into a dough. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Roll dough into 1 inch balls (I usually get 50-60 balls per batch). Place the balls on wax paper and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

Now comes the fun part. You can make these Oreo Balls look like anything you want. Personally I like them dipped in semi-sweet chocolate, but most people prefer white chocolate. I have also tried rolling them in cocoa powder. Nuts or extra oreo crumbs would work too, but I have not tried them.

I dipped them in white chocolate and let them set. Because it was already midnight, and I have to be to work at 7, I cheated on the red stitching lines. I just used one of those Betty Crocker frosting pouches with the decorating tip. It worked out pretty well considering my artistic abilities are quite limited.

Here's the end product:

I brought them to the softball game, and everyone enjoyed them. We even won our game!

Gyoza

Gyoza!

[Dumplings]

Like always when I cook, I didn't really follow one recipe in particular. I based most of it off of http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/gyoza/Detail.aspx

I also got some ideas from http://japanesefood.about.com/od/tempuraappetizer/r/gyoza.htm

2 cups shredded cabbage - I used cole slaw mix

Almost a whole bunch of green onions, chopped

One carrot, grated

1 clove garlic, grated of pushed through a press

I heated some sesame oil in my wok and added all the veggies and cooked for a little bit.

I added 1/2 lb ground chicken, a few shakes of dried ginger (I forgot to buy fresh ginger root), a little soy sauce, and one egg and cooked until the chicken was done. I put about a tablespoon of the filling into each wonton wrapper and sealed them up into triangles. I boiled them instead of frying. They were probably in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes and then I flipped them and cooked for another 2 minutes.

Next time, I am going to try not cooking the chicken, but adding it to the cooked vegetables so the filling will not be as loose and crumbly. This would increase the time you would boil them. I'd say 4 minutes on each side should be reasonable in that situation.

I put the extras on a cookie sheet to freeze them. [I only had 10 left]

A mile a day

Continuing my tradition of not making resolutions, I have made a goal for this year. I am going to run 365 miles this year. One mile a day (but not really every day)

That is all.

I ran through Hell on Halloween

I ran a 5k through Hell dressed up as the Cat in the Hat. It was freezing out, and my time wasn't the greatest (29:18), but I had a lot of fun!

Flourless Chocolate Cake Experiment

9 eggs and 1 pound of sugar. What a cake!

Chocolate Cracked Earth (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Tyler's UltimateEpisode: Ultimate Sunday Dinner

Ingredients

• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 1 stick unsalted butter*
• 9 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
• 2 cups heavy cream, cold
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Put the chocolate and butter into the top of a double boiler (or in a heatproof bowl) and heat over (but not touching) about 1 inch of simmering water until melted. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light yellow in color.

Whisk a little of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs - this will keep the eggs from scrambling from the heat of the chocolate - then whisk in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is set, the top starts to crack and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then remove sides of pan.

While the cake is cooking, whip the cream until it becomes light and fluffy.

Serve at room temperature dusted with confectioners' sugar and topped with whipped cream.

*Cook's Note: Food Network Kitchens tested this recipe after this show was taped and determined that 1 stick butter is the correct amount.

from:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chocolate-cracked-earth-flourless-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html

Thunderstorms

There was a pretty intense thunderstorm this morning. Probably made more intense by the fact that I was sleeping so the thunder sounded much louder than it actually was. Got up and started cutting up the veggies for my pot roast, and put the roast in the crock pot. Then I decided I should go for a run (I might have eaten peanut M&M's for breakfast). I ran 4 miles on the river trail today. It was still a little wet, but the weather was great. I ran 4 miles in 36:30, which is pretty good for me. It's a good thing I went running when I did because not even 20 minutes after I got back it started thunder storming again. I like thunderstorms!

The whole house smells like pot roast. I cannot wait to have some! Spartan football tonight...and it's on ABC so I can watch it!!! I am super excited!

The whole river trail

I finished the river trail today. I did the north end of it from around the Turner Dodge house, down to Kalamazoo and back. It was around 4 miles. I have ran the whole river trail (from MSU to Old Town) in segments-some of the segments multiple times. The whole thing is just over 6 miles, and I plan to run it all sometime very soon. It was a really nice day for a run

Grand Rapids Mud Run 5K

Mel, Erika, and I ran through mud and obstacles all morning. I had a lot of fun. Official times aren't up yet, but my watch said I did it in just under 43 minutes.

edit: My time was 42:10

Board of Water and Light 5K

I ran it in 28:10 and came in 3rd in my age group. It was on part of the river trail with some pretty big hills. It was pretty hot and humid, and I kinda felt nauseous when I got done. We all got medals, it was pretty sweet!!!

Soup Spoon Cafe

Mel and I went to the Soup Spoon Cafe this morning. It was pretty good.
I bought a 32" TV from Walmart and then I went over to my old house and visited with Becca and her mom. Got my security deposit back! It paid for most of my new TV. I got the tv all set up, still can't get channel 53, but oh well. I just went and ran a mile (8:52) just because I felt like I needed another reason to take a shower. Being all sweaty makes me want to take a shower.

Lathrop to Harrison

Ran along Kalamazoo from Lathrop to Harrison and back. 3.61 miles in 34:45. Now I am starving!

(you can tell I signed up for another race...I am running more often again...) I really need to get new shoes too. They don't last as long when you run.

River Trail part 2

I ran some more of the River Trail again tonight. I went for a run with Marie. I haven't ran in awhile, and it sure felt like that. ugh, I definitely need to start running more consistantly. We started out from her house and ran west down Shiawassee and got on the River Trail heading south. We ran south/east until Pennsylvania and north up Penn back to her house. 3.8 miles in 38:15.

It took me 6 minutes to ride my bike to her house. I definitely need to start biking to work! I just need to start getting up a little earlier.

Foupht Wedding

Kim and Chris are married! It was beautiful. I will post pictures once I can get them off my mom's camera.

Poison Ivy

Finally getting over my bout with poison ivy! It was all over my legs and spots on my arms. I went to Urgent Care and got a steroid shot and two prescriptions. I think it helped it clear up faster than last time I had it. Good thing!

Kim's bachelorette party is this weekend, and I am excited!

Softball tomorrow night!!!

River Trail

I ran part of the river trail today. I started from the house and ran east on Kalamazoo to the entrance of the river trail on Clippert by 127. Then I followed the river trail all the way past Potter Park and to Pennsylvania. Then I ran home through the neighborhoods to avoid traffic. 4.55 miles in 43:27.