Tempo Tuesday

Many of the miles I've logged lately seem much SLOWER than I feel like I'm capable of...  I look back at the 15K that I did in May and just don't understand how I was able to keep almost a 9 minute mile pace the whole time when I feel like it's a pretty strenuous effort to maintain that for just 3 miles during a tempo run.  According to several articles from Runner's World (including this one) my tempo pace should be 20-30 seconds slower than my latest 5K, which would mean I should run them at 8:36-46.   On Monday, after an easy mile warm up, I was able to do one mile at 8:45, but could only do 9:00 for the second.  Granted, it was one of the warmest days I've run in so far this year.  I was pretty glad of getting at least two 'comfortably hard' miles in, so I did another 1.5 miles for a cool down and called it a day. 

The See Jane Run Half Marathon on Sunday should be interesting, seeing as how this is the first time I haven't strictly followed any kind of training plan.  If I was, I probably should have done a tempo of 4-6 miles by now...  Guess I'll be relying heavily on my old pal adrenaline.  I was curious about the particulars of what adrenaline does to the body and found this tidbit on ehow.com, it's rather fascinating stuff:

Read more: What Body Parts Does Adrenaline Affect? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6864054_body-parts-adrenaline-affect_.html#ixzz20Fsy79zU

It always truly ASTOUNDS me how much faster I go during an actual race and how much easier and faster the miles seem, but I suppose the adrenaline is masking the pain.  At least in the longer distances it does, because every mile of a 5K suuuuuucks in my book!  Which reminds me, I came across this article also from Runner's World that asks the question: what kind of runner are you?  I think it's quite safe to say that I'm a 'long hauler.'  What kind of runner are YOU?

This Week's Eats

I think this photo sums up the best part of the weekend.

Summer in the Pacific Northwest is the best.  But, I'm biased, as I am in love with Seattle weather all year round.  It's so nice that big brother is getting the hang of swimming more and more every week, and I can sit by the side of the pool for little 10 minute breaks to watch him play with his diving toys.  I think when both of my kids are fully independent swimmers we might have to break down and pay some exorbitant fees to join a private pool so that we can spend most summer days like I did growing up in the Midwest.  That's definitely one thing I do miss about Midwest summers: the cheap and HUGE public pool in every single town.  We're making do out here though, for sure.

• Monday - Pizza (gonna try and recreate Zeeks Cherry Bomb because they now sell jarred cherry peppers at Trader Joes!)
• Tuesday - Emeril's Artichoke Chicken with wild rice (I typed up the recipe in this post)
• Wednesday - Jalapeno Turkey burgers (season the hell out of lean ground turkey with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, a finely diced garlic clove, and fresh cilantro.  Add some breadcrumbs until they're dry enough to form into patties.  Throw some jalapenos on the grill with the burgers and then put them on top with a slice of cheddar to make them 'jalapeno popper' style.  Maybe I'll even hide a mixture of diced chiles and cream cheese on the inside...)
• Thursday - spaghetti with meatballs leftover from this recipe
• Friday - steak fajitas (always Trader Joes style - with the Carne Asada from the refrigerated meat section and fresh tortillas, etc.)
• Saturday - mushroom and asparagus risotto (this is my pre-race meal and I think that making risotto is sooo much easier than people make it out to be.  I just drizzle some olive oil in our large saucepan, saute onion and a little garlic with my veggies of choice, stir in a cup of risotto and then add warm chicken stock every few minutes and stir until about 4 cups are incorporated.  I do not stir constantly; I just check it and give it a good 1-2 min stir while I'm prepping other things in the kitchen.  When it's done, I usually add some fresh tomatoes, basil and fontina cheese.)
• Sunday - chopped salads with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, red onion, avocado and homemade champagne vinaigrette (olive oil, red wine vinegar, dash of sugar or honey, dash of dijon mustard and fresh parsley).  Yep, we practically eat this every week!

Friday Things

Wow, so much overwhelming love from everyone who follows Another Mother Runner and those who've read my post over there - my page views are off the charts!  Thanks for visiting and feel free to check out my 'About Me' page that I finally added to this blog.

So yeah, what day is it today?  The whole 'holiday in the middle of the week' thing is really throwing me off.  It's lovely to have my husband home for a day, but Thursday felt more like a Monday, and that's just one big fat bummer.  I would say that maybe in the future, he should take off more time around the holiday; but we're both of the same mind that it's SO much better to be at the office when you can get in late and leave early it's nice and quiet and then take days off when it's hectic and we need the break.

Anyhow, we had a nice quiet day because my husband was under the weather with a nasty summer cold and I wasn't about to attempt the craziness of the parades by myself with two kids.  There's something to be said for chillin' in the backyard all day and grillin'...

Sometimes I'm worried I may just take a bite out of her, for reals

Not to be outdone in the cute department - this is his 4th of July bedtime tradition with the headphones

On to some other Friday randoms...  I just pledged to back this very worthwhile lookin' venture.  I have yet to get a Garmin, they kinda scare me and reading this post by the Bia Founder/CEO on the Oiselle blog got me REALLY excited about this very cool product. 

So this week's video it kind of a repeat, since I linked to it yesterday, but I'd feel like a bad Oiselle Team member if I didn't embed it in my Friday things, and it's just that awesome.  WANT WANT WANT IT ALL. 

I'm also stoked that it starts with my pump up song!  No lie, it's even listed on my Oiselle Profile: Levels by Avicii!  AND it includes another favorite running tune that I've shared on previous Friday things, Tiesto's remix of Youngblood by The Naked and Famous.  Really, I think I have most all of the songs in this video on my playlist... 

So, perfect segue into my song sharing for this week, a fitting one for the gloriously beautiful Seattle summer that has inevitably arrived: Two Times by Sun is Up.  Yes, the sun is up and will be for about two months straight.  Happy weekend!

Letting Go

I came across this list awhile back of 15 Things You Should Give Up to be Happy.  It's been a handy list that I keep at the top of my 'favorites' for inspiration and thought I'd share the link.  Funny that the first two things on the list are the hardest for me and I make a conscious effort on them all the time:

1. Give up your need to always be right. (my mother and husband are nodding their heads sagely) and
2. Give up your need for control. 

I think that giving up control was one of the hardest things about becoming a parent for me; life with kids, especially babies, is organized chaos at best.  Having things in my life that I CAN control helps me stay balanced and I try really hard to let go of the things I CAN'T control, which is most everything.  I think that many runners would confess to being type-A folks.  Working on training towards a race goal is like therapy.  And then there's always something that doesn't go quite right during training or on race day so that you can set a new goal, a new task to master for the next one. 

As for the need to be right, I always THINK I'm right in my head, but I'm always trying really hard to keep my thoughts to myself (and, thankfully, to my sounding board husband). 

I certainly have my slip-ups...  Here's my anecdote for the day: back when Whitney Houston died, there was a LOT of negative commentary bouncing around the internet. I got so irritated with all of it and a 'friend' on Facebook(someone I went to high school with and hardly know at all) posted something like Whitney Houston, for all intents and purposes, deserved to die. I mean COME ON. I'd been so irritated with all of the politically charged ramblings and other negative stuff he was spewing since I accepted his friend request and couldn't stop myself from posting a comment.  He was so totally WRONG (in my opinion, of course) and I just felt that I had to say what was RIGHT: something like 'dude, she was someone's mother, daughter, friend.  Chill!'  Needless to say, it started a huge debate with the guy which ended up with his wife jumping online and dissing me.  (Still think I'm right, btw!  What if it was his daughter, friend? What good does it do?  What are you doing to better yourself or others by saying such hateful crap about someone who's dead??)  I was venting to my husband about it and he looked at me like I was crazy, "why the hell haven't you un-friended this douchebag??"   Um, I didn't have an answer to that! Why hadn't I!?  Maybe it's the residual high-schooler in me that is afraid to lose friends, offend anyone, or miss out on anything.  I walked right to the computer and un-friended the hell outta that guy. 

I've been feeling that 'need to be right' and 'need to control' things and the people around me a lot lately with all of the political hot topics so prominent in the news now: gay marriage, healthcare, and of course the impending election which is still a very long four months away.  Thank GOD for the invention of the DVR and never having to watch commercials again.  Anyhow, I have VERY twitchy fingers poised over the keyboard when I see 'information' or 'facts' that people are constantly sharing on the internet.  Then I remembered my husband's wise words and I've been doing some MAJOR Facebook feed editing!  LIBERATING.  There are quite a few friends, and even family members that are no longer showing in my feed (just show 'only important' status updates and they'll pretty much disappear).  Sorry, but if I want the news, I'd rather get it from a journalist.  Speaking of journalists, if you haven't seen this already, Anderson Cooper is a class act. 

Fear of missing out has become like a sickness (it even has it's own term now: FOMO!) with social media playing a larger part in our lives and I certainly fall victim to it - especially when it comes to the Oiselle Totally Trials action, but that's a bit off topic...  I encourage anyone who also has those angst-ridden, twitchy fingers poised at the computer to just let it go.  At first I was worried about offending friends/family when hiding a Facebook feed, but they won't know - so go ahead and hide 'em. 

Here's the full list for your inspiration, to put on your bulletin board, virtual or not:

1. Give up your need to always be right.
2. Give up your need for control.
3. Give up on blame.
4. Give up on self-defeating self talk.
5. Give up your limiting beliefs.
6. Give up on complaining.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism.
8. Give up your need to impress others.
9. Give up your resistance to change.
10. Give up labels.
11. Give up on your fears.
12. Give up your excuses.
13. Give up the past.
14. Give up attachment.
15. Give up living your life to other people's expectations.

One Word Wednesday

Sparkles

Books I read in June

This was a really good month of reading: I finally ventured into 50 Shades of Grey territory, read a wonderful novel that all runners (and people in general) should read, and most will probably be my favorite books of the year...

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
A wonderful story of perseverance and acceptance.  It's a very emotional, and yet fascinating, journey the main character goes on after she loses her leg in an accident and learns to embrace her new life.  This book is not just for those who love to run, or run/ran track in high school (I certainly didn't) but I certainly identified with this excerpt!
"That's the funny thing about running.  The deceptive thing about it.  It may seem mindless, but it's really largely mental. If the mind's not strong, the body acts weak, even if it's not." p. 155 
Loved this book.

50 Shades of Grey by EL James
Ummmmm... what to say!?  I knew going into this that it started as Twilight fan fic and that was painfully obvious to me as I was reading.  It was a fast read, and I wonder if that's because she used a similar storyline and a number of similar scenes as another author's work?  The other thing that really drove me nuts was (much like Stephenie Meyer) she overuses phrases in the most annoying way: there was altogether too much 'smouldering' 'whispering' 'murmuring' 'oh my!' 'peeking through lashes' 'pants hanging from hips' going on.  Much like there's just way too much 'dazzling' going on in Twilight.  That aside, I SO wanted to know how things were going to unfold and, well, it was some fun SMUTTY reading for sure!  Of course she leaves it on a cliffhanger and now I'm just going to go ahead and read them all.  If you liked Twilight and you have an open mind/healthy attitude toward sex, it's certainly a fun read and don't knock it before you try it.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
This book really surprised me; I thought it was going to be a very descriptive, atmospheric historical novel set in pre World War II NYC, with a little Sex and the City vibe to it.  It was all of these things, and so much more.  It was witty, funny, sophisticated and gut wrenching at times.  Only problem was that it took about half way through the book for that 'can't put down' feeling to come to fruition.  But once it did, I was hooked.  So, if you're reading it/decide to read it, just give it some time - it'll grow on ya.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I don't think there's anything more that I can say about this book that hasn't already been said on the back cover: luminous, pitch-perfect, romantic, a triumph.  It's a devastating and yet wonderful read.  John Green's writing is almost TOO good.  This is the second book of his that I've read (Looking for Alaska is another great one) and I love the interaction/dialogue between his characters, but I can't help but feel that NO ONE talks like that in real life.  At the same time, that's why I love his books.  The characters are like witty superheroes that put thoughts so beautifully into words and say all the things we wish we could say.  I hardly ever highlight passages from books, but Green's are (to use a phrase from the book) lit up like a Christmas tree.  A few of my favorites:
"As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."
And all of the passages on infinity were a revelation:
"It seemed like forever ago, like we'd had this brief but still infinite forever."
"You gave me a forever within the numbered days"
These would probably make more sense in the context of the book, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, especially the last pages of the book: all are one big highlight. 
If you're looking for the meaning of life, this book has got a lot of answers.  One of the best books of the year, if not THE best.

This Weeks Repeats

THAT was a weird bug that swept through our house last week.  We all got it at some point, except for baby girl, and were over it by Thursday.  Luckily it was only a 24 hour thing, but it messed up the last long runs before my next half marathon.  I think whatever ailment we had started bugging me during a very exhausting 10 mile run last Saturday and it's easy to see how important it is to fuel your body for exercise: I wasn't able to eat all day Tuesday and then didn't eat much for another day or two after that; it certainly made me feel slow and weak while trying to do my last long run of 9 miles on Friday.  Hopefully it'll be enough training to get me through all 13.1 miles at a decent pace.  Although, my only goal for this race is to have fun, enjoy some champagne, chocolate and girl bonding! 

So yeah, some of these meals were pushed back from last week, but I did put an old Giada recipe in there that I haven't shared before - super easy and a great way to get some extra spinach to the kids.

• Monday - Pizza (might take the kids to Zeeks or The Rock)
• Tuesday - Giada's penne with spinach sauce
• Wednesday - 4th of July! spicy chicken sausages and corn on the grill with some fruit salad
• Thursday - Greek turkey meatball salad
• Friday - leftover baked ziti (I always make a double batch and freeze half)
• Saturday - Flat Iron steaks and I might try this asparagus pastry I found on Pinterest...
• Sunday - sweet and spicy bacon wrapped chicken with mashed potatoes.  I was very sad we didn't get to try this Pinterest recipe last week; hopefully they'll turn out looking like the picture below and I'll have a good report for next week... 

Photo from www.diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com