tourist

All of this (with a few changes/tweaks of course):

A whole lot of this:

Is culminating into this: Little Rock (Half) Marathon

The weather is looking like this (notice 6am temp please):

Which means I'll be wearing this (gloves, hat, glasses not pictured):

I'll be carrying with me (plan on taking advantage of water stations):
I did sign up to have my race info post via Twitter and Facebook through MarathonTracks.com. I'm not sure how it works exactly, if my followers or friends can see the tweets/posts or if you have to sign up yourself.

Jason will be at the start, then he will ride his bike to a few points around the course before heading to the house to watch me there. Then he'll be back to watch me finish. I can probably persuade him to send out a few tweets/posts if you want to follow him (@jkmiller) or you can check out the MarathonTracks, or wait for my blog post of course.


Thank you all for putting up with my whining and complaining, for your constant support and motivation, your helpful tips and advice. I wish you all could be at the finish line!

Free Friday
Today is going to be a rest day for me. My body is begging for it, and I realized last night that my last rest day was last Thursday. I usually don't like to go more than 6 days without my rest day. So today it is.

I guess I shouldn't have bragged about our nice weather, we have rain and much much cooler temps in the forecast now. Darn it. I was hoping that race day (Sunday) wouldn't be too terribly cool, but it's now looking like it'll be around 33 degrees at the start of the race. That of course means having to fuss with gloves and such.

Wearing the race bibs makes layering much more difficult too. I have to have a bib on front and back so no real way of shedding a layer that I can think of. I guess at least I won't have sweat pouring into my eyes though....trying to find a positive....

Today I did pick up my race packet from the marathon expo. I can't explain just how nervous I am or why I am so nervous. At this point, I am wishing the race was tomorrow so I could get on with it. I have a feeling (or hope) that once the race gets going, I'll settle in and enjoy it more. I really do want to enjoy this experience.

Fun Facts Friday - Working Out and Running
Dawn @ Florida Coastal Cooking passed along a blogger award the other day (thanks girl!!!) so I decided that would be perfect for Fun Facts Friday.

The rules:

• Link to the person who awarded you
• List 7 random facts about yourself
• Pass the award on to 7 other bloggers

I know it's supposed to be random, and supposed to just be factoids, but since I'm focused on my half marathon on Sunday and all the training and such, I thought I would do random facts and thoughts regarding workouts and racing. 

1. It's kind of fun being the only female in the weight area of the gym - makes me feel like a bit of a bad ass. 
2. Even though I don't just love to work legs, I can't wait to hit them hard again starting next week. I feel like they've lost all definition since the IT band injury and race training.  
3. I think I may actually miss the half marathon training as crazy as that might sound. There was something satisfying about conquering some of those crazy intervals.
4. While I trained with bloks/chomps running outdoors, I felt too silly to use them when running on the treadmill at the gym so I just took water and Gatorade. 
5. I have 2 drawers dedicated to workout clothes (one winter - long pants/tops - and one -  shorts/tanks).
6. I prefer short bra tops because I get really hot and sweaty, though I feel a bit awkward wearing them at the gym because no one else does.
7. I firmly believe the only good treadmill run is one with intervals.
   

So, now to pass this along...

1. Courtney @ The Granola Chronicles
2. Kalli @ Fit & Forty Something
3. Alison @ Physically Philosophical
4. Madeline @ Greens and Jeans
5. Bela @ It's Life, Max it Out
6. Melissa @ Melissa Dishes 
7. Kristen @ Swanky Dietitian

But as usual, I hope you will all play along and list a few random facts!

Beautiful Day for a Run
I hate to brag, but it was another gorgeous, spring-like day here today. Sunny with temps hovering at 70 degrees. Perfect for an outdoor run by the river. Though, I must admit that I really wasn't wanting to go run today.

I debated with myself about changing up the running plan (plan? what's a plan???). But tomorrow is supposed to be rainy. I also had a feeling that the sunshine and fresh air would do me some good. I've been up and down with my mood recently. I know a lot of it has been stress from the car situation. Also, the upcoming race is on my mind of course.

As expected, the run really boosted my mood. The wind had picked up quite a bit and it was in my face on the way out. I think that's probably better than having it in your face for the return though. Maybe....I did 4 miles then 4 gentle pickups. I'll be totally honest, it was supposed to be 2 miles and then the 4 pickups (hanging head...). No scolding please. I swear no more extra miles. In fact, I'm thinking of fewer.

The plan calls for rest tomorrow (all over that) and then 2 miles on Saturday. I sort of question the 2 miles on Saturday though. Any thoughts??? Should I run tomorrow and not at all on Saturday or just do a super easy 2 on Saturday to get the legs loosened up? I was thinking that a positive would be a little bit of energy/stress relief.

Tempeh Thursday
During lunch today, I got dinner started so it would come together quickly tonight. I made a Carrot and Cabbage Slaw and started marinating some tempeh in BBQ sauce. My hope was that marinating it for several hours would help keep it from being too dry when baked or grilled. I was really planning on grilling out this evening.

Alas, I got lazy. After getting stretching, rolling, and getting cleaned up after the run, it was starting to get a bit late, and I knew I was going to run out of day light. Instead, I did my nails, baked the "fries" and tempeh. I know there will be plenty of grilling soon enough.

So, not grilled, but still just as tasty. Even better, it did come together super quickly since I started it at lunch. And, marinating the tempeh for about 6 hours really did seem to help with the dry factor.

Taper Run...Sort of
So today was supposed to be 2 miles with 4 1:00 intervals. It was sunny, I was stressed, and I deviated from the plan a bit. I ran down by the river (a lot windier than the weather reported), but it felt great - hello capri pants and short sports bra weather!

So, back to deviation....I ended up doing 2 miles, the intervals, and another 2 miles. It's supposed to be my taper week, so I did at least stop myself from going any farther, but I felt like I could have done another 2 miles so easily today. I suppose that 4.5 miles is short compared to the 8-milers I have been doing on Tuesdays.

So, I know I did more than I was supposed to do, but it was a much-needed stress-relieving run. I needed that jolt of sunshine too. 


Dinner Plans Delayed
I had planned on this great baked quinoa dish for dinner. I was excited about it. Had been planning it in my head all day. But like the running deviation, there was a dinner deviation.

I suppose the reason is worth it though. I got a car!!! I ended up getting a 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport. It was dark by the time we were done with everything, so pictures will come later. We didn't get home until about 7:50, no dinner yet, so we threw together some burritos and pretty much wolfed them down in record time.

Sorry for the super short, picture-free post. It's getting late and we're just now getting settled. We also have a car manual to read up on ;-)

Sort of Good Run
Today I had planned on doing at least 11 miles for my last long run before the half marathon next Sunday. We ended up having plans to go to the race track (about an hour away) with friends and also wanted to go back and look at a car. This meant we needed to get up and get the run done sooner than later.

I had hoped to be out the door by 8:30, it ended up being 9. It was sunny, about 40 degrees, and low winds. Not too shabby. I have a tendency to over dress for the cooler runs, but today I did good. Not too many layers at all. Jason, however, was overheated within 10 minutes. This is the same person who always reminds me that I get too hot. Anyway, so he's already hot and he decided to wear this particular jacket for the extra pockets. Rather than using the water bottle running belt he has, he had the brilliant idea of stashing two bottles in the back pockets.

Let's just say he quickly realized that was a huge mistake as they were bouncing around everywhere. Anyway, he was struggling big time also because of his allergies and having taken allergy meds. Totally not his ideal running day. After about two miles in, he was still not hitting a groove, but I was. I ended up going on ahead of him and met back up after a turn around then passed him again. But God love him, he kept on going.

I had a really great run up until about mile 9. I had found an awesome groove and was just trucking right along. That's exactly how I need to feel next Sunday! Anyway, this route today was super hilly. So about 9 miles in I was starting to feel the fatigue. Jason apparently decided it was time to run and caught up with me and then kept speeding up. This totally undid my groove I had going. We ended up hitting 10.5 miles before I had to just stop period. My knee was starting to feel a bit achy and I wanted to be safe not sorry.

I did try a Clif gel packet today, and that seemed to work out really well for me. The bloks/chomps were causing me to have an upset tummy for about 10 minutes after I ate them. This gel brand didn't seem to bother me at all. Big plus.


Track & Pizza Day
So, after getting back to the house I stretched and rolled then quickly got cleaned up. I heated up some veggie burgers for us to eat in the car - we were really running behind.

It ended up being a gorgeous day for the races. We had a great time with our friends as well - sat in some awesome boxes right at the finish line.

We didn't win (though we only bet twice today), but it was the atmosphere and time with friends that really mattered. Oh, and the people watching, The track is prime for people watching. You see all kinds from an older lady in an all shiny gold suit to a guy who was a total Kid Rock Wannabe.

Last night we actually had a vegan frittata for dinner rather than pizza. I worked 9 hours and didn't have a chance to get home and get the dough started early enough. Of course I had to make up for that today. So tonight is pizza for us. It's in the oven right now and smelling great.

I hope everyone has a good Saturday!

Dreary Day
Today was one of those really gloomy, gray days that make you want to stay in bed. The only thing I was looking forward to was finally having the insurance company start the process of considering my car a loss as tomorrow marks 3 weeks since it was stolen. I swear, Jason and I have done nothing but talk about cars, prices, numbers, etc. for the past few days. Somehow, I expected a bit of relief from that pressure.

Instead, when the lady calls Jason, she says that she got a report that the car was found on the 22nd. Um...news to us... So roller coaster of emotions going on. Turns out that only the license plate was found. For real??? Could they not have figured that out first? We don't know how long it will take for them to determine the value of my car and to get a check now. Could be tomorrow, could be Monday.

I just know I'll be so very glad for all of this to be over with.


Dreading Dreadmill 
Anyway, the gray day turned into severe storms and tornado warnings. Not exactly ideal conditions for an outdoor training run. I'm crazy, but not stupid. So I hit the dreadmill. And today it definitely had a dread factor. I think mostly because of all the car "stuff" weight on me, the gray day, and then the thought of more steady state than intervals.

I know, shut up and stop the bitching and get it done...and I did of course because I somehow have this crazy ability to suck it up when I just shut up about it. Doesn't mean I enjoyed it any more of course (humph).

Anyway, the plan called for 6 miles, 4 x 2:00 incline intervals, 6 pickups. I did 4 miles, the intervals, pickups, and another mile for a total of 7 miles. It was crazy running and watching the storm blowing in. Kind of scary actually. The gym is on the 29th floor and the window were actually shaking. Definitely made for an interesting run.


I got home and hit my yoga mat and TriggerPoint Therapy Kit before going to finally get cleaned up.

Tempeh Thursday 
While I was getting cleaned up, Jason made some Toasted Tempeh & Black Bean Burritos. 

I am using a recycled picture as we just had these last week ;-) Oh, and I'm starvin'

Running
Unfortunately I didn't have the day off like many people. If you did have the day off, no bragging please! I had originally though that I was going to just hit the gym for a bit of elliptical time and weights. I ended up opting for tomorrow's run instead because I have jury duty tomorrow and don't know what the day will hold for me.

I am trying to get back on track with my half marathon training plan this week since I pretty much tossed it out the window last week. The run called for 3 miles, 2 x(2:00, 3:00, 4:00) athletic intervals, 2 miles.

It was super windy again and drizzly out. When I left work, it looked like it was going to start raining again, so I took the run to the treadmill. Of course, the sun ended up coming out...but it was still windy. Anyway, after the intervals, I was already at 6.7 miles. There was just no way I could pull out another 2 miles, but I did round it out to a solid 8 miles.

I got home and pulled out my yoga mat (per the norm) and stretched and used my TriggerPoint Therapy Kit for about 30 minutes before getting myself cleaned up.

Back in the Kitchen 
Jason had to go home for an extended lunch to watch over the Comcast repair man, so that meant he needed to stay and work a little bit later. I almost went with veggie burgers and sweet potato "fries" because I could start the fries while I showered.

But I decided I had been pretty lazy in the kitchen lately, so I went with a dish similar to my "Sausage" and Veggie Pasta dish, which is actually based off a Giada De Laurentiis recipe for sausage and peppers sandwiches. I made "Sausage" and Peppers with Herbed Quinoa.


"Sausage" and Peppers with Herbed Quinoa
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups red quinoa
1 1/2 cups no-sodium vegetable broth or water
To taste: basil, oregano, parsley
3 Tofurky Kielbasa, cut diced into rounds
1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp minced garlic (to taste, I like a lot)


1/4 cup white wine (may need more or use vegetable broth)
1-2 tbsp tomato paste
To taste: salt, pepper, red chili flakes, oregano, basil, parsley

Directions:
In medium sauce pan, bring broth, quinoa, and herbs to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook approximately 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

In large skillet, brown the "sausage" then set them aside.

Saute onions, peppers, and garlic in small amount of olive oil until soft. Add in wine or broth and tomato paste an allow to thicken about 5 minutes (adding more liquid if needed). Stir in the "sausages" and allow to reheat.

This really doesn't take terribly long to make and is also good served over pasta or as a sandwich. It was nice to make a dish that felt healthy, hearty, and homemade (but still fast). As tiring as it can be always cooking dinners, it's well worth it in the end. It's nice to take a break, but I do miss being in the kitchen.

I think perhaps it's time for a new cookbook (or two) just to spark the creative juices again though. I have a rather extensive Amazon "wish list" that I need to hit up. So do you like cooking or would you prefer to eat out? Any fave cookbooks?

12 Miles
This morning started off a bit cloudy, but quickly cleared off into an incredibly beautiful, 70-degree day. While I am loving the sun and warmer weather, I will admit that we should have set out for our run today a bit earlier as it got HOT. No complaints though. I'll take that over snow, ice, or blustery winds.

My goal for today was to hit 11 miles. We decided to run most of the race course so that I would have an idea of the route and what to expect. We ended up hitting just over 12 miles.

For the most part, it was a really good run. I only had a bit of piriformis pain around mile 4, but it sort worked itself out I guess. My calves started getting super tight about 9 miles in, so I refocused on my form, did a few kick butts just to get my body moving differently. The route passed by our house so we had stashed spare water in the yard, soooo needed by that time too.

It was really nice getting an idea of the route - especially knowing the parts that are going to be beyond boring! Thankfully it's not terribly hilly and the last part is mostly downhill (big score). I am nursing a blister on the bottom of my foot - around my toes. I'm not nearly as sore (yet) as I thought I was going to be. I do know I am going to have to test out some other mid-run fuel this week as the shot bloks are suddenly upsetting my tummy a bit. I am also going to have to take at least two servings along with me for the race. One will NOT cut it that's for sure.

We got home, encrusted in salt and in desperate need of serious stretching and rolling. I spent a good deal of time on my TriggerPoint Therapy Kit . Thankfully, there weren't too many kinks.

Girls' Lunch & Sister Evening 
Today I had lunch with a long-time friend I haven't seen in a while. It was so gorgeous out; we really should have picked a place with a patio in retrospect. But we went with a place we used to go to often, that she really wanted to go back to. We had a nice visit and enjoyed a cold, very refreshing (especially after my workout) Blue Moon, with an orange wedge of course.

While I was having lunch and girl time, Jason was nice enough to run the errands that needed to be run (Kroger and Target). My sister is coming up to stay the night. I think we might be making sushi tonight. We have everything we need, and I know she's been wanting to have a little sushi party.

I'll be sure to take pictures and recap tonight. But for now, I'm signing off early so I can get a few things done around the house before she shows up. I also need to put my feet up for a bit.

I hope you all are having a great weekend so far - and hopefully enjoying some nice weather as well!!

Running Off Plan
I wanted to thank everyone for their well wishes. Apparently it was a short-lived bug (thank goodness). The last time I had a stomach bug, I was literally down (not even a mere thought of working out or even eating) for two full days. I feel pretty much back to human today. I have been a little dehydrated, so I've been chugging water all day.

My first thought was that I was going to do yesterday's planned training run today. I was getting super excited. Well, as excited as one could get about: 3 miles, 2 x (2:00, 3:00, 4:00 intervals), 2 miles. Jason gently reminded me that I had been sick and it'd probably be in my best interest to not go out full force like a loon.

So I listened to reason and just headed down to the Big Dam Bridge with the intent of just seeing what I could do. Just a run, no crazy intervals, no hill repeats. Of course, this means I'm totally off training plan this week. But that's ok, or it's gotta be ok at least.

Anyway, I ended up running 7.08 miles at about an 8:29-8:30 pace. So, not an easy jaunt (typical Heather style) but I really didn't feel overly exerted. It felt like a pretty comfortable pace, at least for 7 miles. I know I couldn't have maintained that for too many miles more though.

I got home around 5:45 then hit the yoga mat for stretching and some time on my TriggerPoint Therapy Kit before getting cleaned up.

I'm Slacking
Jason has been wanting Thai Curry Veggies with Rice. Since I was going to be late tonight after the run, stretching, rolling, then finally getting cleaned up, the poor guy made dinner yet again. While this wouldn't have been my first choice, he wanted and I couldn't complain since he was cooking it. I feel like a slacker of a wife this week to be honest.

Sorry for the recycled photo, but I was starved! So, slacking wife, slacking blogger, but hey, I ran right????

Well this morning started off super chilly, but warmed up nicely. It was funny though, I was sitting at the kitchen table early this morning watching quite a few people running past. Our house is on the marathon route, so I guess some people are likely running the route or parts of it. I just couldn't figure out why they would run at 28 degrees when it was going to warm up to low 50's.

I really would have preferred to get the run in sooner, but really wanted to wait for the temps to warm up. We were really fairly productive while waiting. Jason vacuumed the area rugs, I cleaned the kitchen, then we rearranged the living room.

After all that productivity, we finally headed out for our run. The training plan called for a 10K today. I made the executive decision to ditch that plan today and go for miles not speed. The goal was 10 miles, and 10 miles we did. I really hope to be able to hit 11 next week. I need to do that mentally more than anything.

For the most part, it was a really good run. The weather was gorgeous and almost no wind (for a change). I was having some piriformis pain and my IT band was starting to feel tight near the end. This just meant extra stretching and time with the TriggerPoint Therapy Kit when we got home.

Unfortunately, running so much later means the day has sort of gotten away from me. I did have other to-do list items. But we'll be doing a late lunch/early dinner instead then meeting up with some friends for drinks. I have no idea what's on tap (pun intended), but I'm sure we'll have a great time visiting.

Sorry for the super short post, but I gotsta eat!

Happy Saturday!

Snow Day Again
Today we had a two-hour work delay, but my boss said we could work from home if we didn't want to try to make the icy drive into the office. Jason and I both worked from home. I parked it at the kitchen table where I could have a nice view of the bright sun and crisp, white snow. The roads seemed worse earlier today than last night actually. I guess it was from being packed down, so it became icy. They did start to finally clear around noon.

I got a few pictures of the neighborhood. I just couldn't resist. I guess snow is so gorgeous to me because we don't get it that often. It's definitely a novelty around here. I also love how quiet and serene everything seems, feels. I know it's because fewer people are out and about, but it's such a nice change.

Running
Because of the snow, I knew my run was going to have to be a treadmill run. Jason and I hit the gym around 3:30. The plan called for 5-6 miles then 4 gentle pickups. I really was not feeling in the mood to run at all.

I figured I could at least get in 3 miles, the pickups, then maybe some elliptical time. However, I stuck it out for 5 miles, then the pickups, which put me at 5.3 miles. I figured, "why not round it out to 6." So that's what I did. It kind of felt good to stick it out to the end.

No Crockpot Tonight
Earlier in the day I had made some homemade Seitan and made a slaw with a cashew cream for dinner tonight. No crockpot dinner tonight. Instead I went with BBQ Setian Sandwiches topped with the Vegan Slaw, and a side of roasted parsnip and sweet potato fries. Honestly, I think I've only had parsnips once before, but Jason had it in his head he wanted parsnip fries. So, that means they made their way into the grocery cart last trip.
We're both sort of out on the parsnips as "fries." They seemed a bit stringy. Maybe they needed to cook longer than the sweet potatoes.