Thursday

Getting there...

After five weeks of 5k training, I can definitely tell a difference. I can run farther and without as much whining before I get on the treadmill. However, I still don't really enjoy it yet. I'm not sure I'll ever get there, but HGTV seems to entertain me for the 30 minutes I force myself to run.

The training program I'm doing gradually builds up to running 30 minutes straight - probably because most people can finish a 5k in about 30 minutes. It's pretty easy to follow (no counting every 90 seconds) and I'm up to running 18 of my 30 minutes. Sometimes I break up the minutes into equal segments - six times three = 18. Other times I run a mile straight (12 minutes at 5.0 on the treadmill) and then run the rest later. I've been finding that I can run faster than 5.0 with my long legs, but that my knees are extremely sore the next day. So, until I build up my knee-strength (or whatever needs to happen), I'll keep it at 5.0 so I'm not discouraged to run with another excuse.

Monday

I deserved it.

Kettlebell class AND treadmill time for the 5K training is what I get for eating meat all day Saturday and two pieces of apple pie Sunday. In my defense, I did run Saturday morning. And the pie was homemade from the hubs' grandma. How could I say no to that?

Sunday

No more meat.

The hubs and I spent most of the day yesterday at Fast Eddie's Bon-Air in Alton, IL. If you've never been, it's a pretty awesome time - lots of drink options, lots of live music and great people watching. On of our friends reported that he saw a poor kid turning 21 that was puking at 2:30 p.m. Then we later saw him being carried out with a trash bag as a bib by three of his friends. Obviously, he had a really great morning.


Part of the awesomeness at Fast Eddies is the dirt-cheap menu and free popcorn. The downside is also the menu. Your options are cheeseburger, fries, shrimp (that smelled too shrimp-ey for me and I was turned off) or a variety of meats on a stick. I think we sampled all flavors of meat on a stick, and they were all very delicious. However, by the end of the day, I was tired of salty meats, and I'm still not really interested in eating any meat 24 hours later. 

Thursday

ABCs of me


  1. Age: 29
  2. Bed size: King - and I will never go back.
  3. Chore you hate: almost all of them, but toilets and dirty dishes are the pits.
  4. Dogs: yes. I have one.
  5. Essential start to your day: a shower.
  6. Favorite color: lately, everyone tells me I look good in green, so I'm going with that.
  7. Gold or silver: Silver. never liked gold.
  8. Height: 5'11. i think yoga made me stand up taller.
  9. Instruments that you can play: in middle/high school I played clarinet, but I know how to play both the sax and flute, and one hand of the piano at a time.I'm not very good at any of them.
  10. Job title: public relations coordinator
  11. Kids: none, yet.
  12. Live: I guess I'm an Illinoisan now. I am wearing a "chief" shirt right now.
  13. Mom’s name: Kathy
  14. Nicknames: sweet tooth or my maiden name
  15. Overnight hospital stays: i've never even been an out-patient.
  16. Pet peeve: people who say "warsh" instead of "wash" and micro-management
  17. Quote from a movie: Nobody puts baby in a corner.
  18. Righty or lefty: Righty.
  19. Sibling: I have a sister. she's three years younger and now that we don't live together, we get along great.
  20. Time you wake up: 6:46 is when my alarm goes off. I get up around 7.
  21. Underwear: yes. 
  22. Vegetables you dislike: green peppers, onions (in any form), don't really care for peas either.
  23. What makes you run late: not knowing what to wear.
  24. X-rays: I think a few - I know they did one on my wrist for carpel tunnel
  25. Yummy food you make: it's not often, but my baked goods are usually pretty good.
  26. Zoo favorite animal: I love the big cats and the penguins.

Monday

Bad News Bunnies

Last year, I didn't get around to planting the garden until it was too late to plant spinach and lettuce. I planted it anyway, but we only had about two weeks worth of production before it got too hot. This year, I am ready. I have my seeds. I cleaned up last year's garden (yeah, I'm the lazy neighbor who just left the tomato plants to rot all winter. Think of it as my version of composting). I got out the manual tiller. I'm ready to work. 

And then I found a litter of rabbits under some leaves/twigs. About 5 itty bitty adorable baby rabbits rolling on top of each other, probably blinded by the light of being out in the open. They scared the bajeezus out of me, so the hubs comes running outside after my screeching. And we decide we just can't kill the bunnies. 

After reading online about the whole baby rabbit-birthing-nesting experience, it seems we have a few more weeks before these things un-inhabit my garden. I guess I won't be planting my seeds right away - especially since spinach and lettuce sound a lot like "rabbit" food. 

Tuesday

Kettlebell = Kick in the Butt

I tried Kettlebell class for the first time last week, and again last night. After the first class, I posted this on Facebook:

k
ettleball class = do 5,000 squats while swinging a baby 10lb ball around.

I felt okay during the class, but afterwards, my legs were on FIRE!! I took the class in the same building that my office is located, and I went back upstairs to gather my stuff before leaving for the day. I almost fell down the stairs on the way back out the door. That's how tired my legs were. 


Last night was much better, and today I was able to continue with my 5k training. Last week, I wasn't able to run until Thursday because my legs were still sore four days later. I guess that shows you how little I had been working my legs lately.

Sunday

Trip to Indy

The hubs and I just returned from our weekend getaway in Indianapolis. Neither one of us had ever been, so we thought the big10 basketball tourney was a good excuse to check out a new city. The pic below is the view from our room at the Sheraton. I sort of feel like we were ripped off by the Sheraton, but that's another $500 story. 


We always try to eat local when in a new city, so I emailed a friend who lives there. She recommended a German place called the Rathskeller. Combine beer, sauerkraut and mustard and you have a meal meant for my husband. He was in food heaven, and a food coma afterward. I always try to not overeat, especially on vacation. To me, that is one of the worst feelings in the world. 

So my plate is the closer one, a turkey reuben with a side of creamed spinach. It was seriously delish!! The hubs had a brat with sauerkraut, spaetzel noodles (tasted like dumplings with gravy - I was not a fan, but he loved it) and a potato pancake. Also, that mustard looks friendly enough, but it was making his eyes water and his cheeks turn red. I found that hilarious. 

To walk off some of the food we went to check out the WWII memorial building. It always amazes me to see the architecture of older buildings up close. I feel like we just don't put the effort into buildings like this anymore. It's all about saving money. This can't be done on the cheap.

And to give you some perspective as to how tall that building is, here's a six foot-tall woman standing in front of it.


Monday

Baked Apple Oatmeal

Late last night, too late in fact, I made some baked oatmeal. I'm tired of english muffins and green monsters for breakfast, but I don't really want to wake up an earlier to cook oatmeal and then eat it. I prefer to eat on the run during my 30 min commute. I decided I could compromise with myself by making oatmeal ahead of time so it won't take as long. It just needs to reheat instead of being fully cooked.

Here's my tweaked recipe:
2 c oats
2 c chopped apples
1 c raisins
1 c bran cereal (I didn't have wheat germ or flax seed, which would have been my first choice)
2 c milk
2 c water
1 t cinnamon
1 t butter
1/2 c brown sugar

Melt everything but the oats/bran/fruit together, then stir in the "dry apple" group. Dump into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.


It was very easy and awesomely delicious. I stirred in some chopped pecans this morning for extra crunch. You could bake them in there, but my hubs requested no nuts so he could eat this too.

Tuesday

I can smell it

Spring is almost here. It's so close, I can almost smell it. I can't wait to ditch the heavy coat and want to run outside every day after work. In my job, I have to walk outside several times a day to get to another building where I often have meetings. It's such a pain to wear my coat and/or carry an umbrella all over the place. I did finally purchase some wellies so at least I'm well-prepared for the rainy season. They basically look like this:



During the winter, I just want to curl up on the couch and watch tv. Lately, I've been a little bit more motivated to do things around the house after work, so I'm sensing the change. It probably helps that it's still light out at 6pm when I pull in the driveway.

On the agenda for this weekend: 5K training, plant lettuce in garden, work on painting trim in the house.

I didn't mean to post a big rant about winter, but there you have it.