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Fresh Ideas–BLDD

September 15, 2010 by 2 Comments

Remember to enter the giveaway for five 18 Rabbits Granola Bars!

**To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post telling me that 18 Rabbits is something you’d like to try. You must also become a fan of 18 Rabbits on Facebook to enter, and for a bonus entry, follow them on Twitter @18rabbits and leave a separate comment telling me that you did.

You have until Friday to enter, and I’ll announce the winner on Monday morning. Good luck!

Running:

Over the summer, I created a big spreadsheet to train for the Dallas Half Marathon. It’s over on my How To page, but you can ignore it. I should probably just post a link to Hal Higdon’s website in its place. I have not kept to the long run plan at all. I still keep track of what I do each day, especially regarding mileage, but I haven’t gone more than 6 miles outside ever. I am not worried yet, as December 5 is still 10ish weeks away and my overall fitness is fine. I just need some cooler temps to get into the real training (it’s still over 90!). And I don’t want to overdo it since my legs and hips are not the most willing to run! Until then, I giggle that the spreadsheet is saying 9 and Saturday is Yom Kippur. I guess I didn’t consult the Jewish calendar.

BLDD:

That’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. These are the fastest, easiest, yet super tasty meals I’ve done in one day.

Breakfast:

Zucchini banana bread with two hard boiled egg whites and 1/2 banana. The banana goes great with the loaf since there’s banana in it.

Lunch:

I am still obsessing about the Flat Out wraps (90 calories and the wrap is huge and tasty), so I made another. This wrap had hummus spread on the inside, then I filled it with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and leftovers from the Whole Foods Salad bar of corn, peas, jicama, and wild rice. On the side was carrots and the other half banana with peanut butter. Don’t knock carrots + peanut butter until you’ve tried it.

Dinner:

Chicken with Tomatoes and Herbs

Let’s talk about simplicity. This dish had 4 ingredients, and two could be optional. I took a pack of chicken and put it in a Pyrex dish. Then poured flavored diced tomatoes in a can over it. Then topped with oregano and rosemary leftover from last week. That’s it! Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. With a few minutes left to bake, we added shaved parmesan cheese on top to melt.

Served with a side of Alexia potatoes plus vegetables, and steamed snap peas seasoned with Mrs. Dash Salad Supreme (just a basic spice mixture) and salt and pepper.

Dessert:

Fresh Figs with Honey and Chocolate Chips

That’s it, those are the ingredients. I used 2 figs with a drizzle of honey and a few chocolate chips. Voila. Delicious flavors together.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Daily Update, Dessert, Dinner, Half Marathon, Lunch, Recipes · Tagged With: ,

Longest Run Saturday

July 19, 2010 by 4 Comments

Another relaxing weekend at home with baking, cooking, exercise, and friends!

On Saturday I went to the gym to tackle the treadmill and was surprised and very happy that I ran 7 miles! That is my longest distance ever, and I ran without stopping for 1 hr, 19 minutes. I always approach my runs with a goal but allow myself to back off if something doesn’t feel right. Today I really wanted to run 7 miles to show myself that I can increase my distance, but my right hip and shin have been bothering me, so I would have stopped if I felt I needed to. I taped my shin with KT Tape and it felt OK most of the time. My hip was a minor pain around a 2 on a scale of 10.

The thing I noticed most about this run into new distance is that after 6 miles, my legs felt tired like I thought they would, but my body felt different too. Like I needed nourishment and more water fast, and I actually sped up my cooldown, because going too slow made me woozy.

I stretched for a long time when I was done, quickly ate a Clif Bar and finished over 50 oz of water between breakfast, the run, and post run.

I’m glad I could push myself, but picking up the miles was a little scary! Hopefully with rest and repeating distance, my body will get used to it…maybe. Have a ways to go to 13.1!

Onto my kitchen adventures this weekend!

I baked Cherry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies from Tina’s blog. Tina has a second stomach for dessert like me, and even has a day of the week to showcase cookies!

Cherry-Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Makes approximately 10 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or chips
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375*F.
  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well until batter is blended evenly.
  • Use a tablespoon to portion cookies on a greased baking sheet, approximately 1-2 inches apart.
  • Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until cooked through.
  • Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool on wire rack.
  • Eat and enjoy

I added 1/4 C pecans to mine. The cookies were very oat-y and gooey. Chocolate, cherries, and nuts are great together.

This is what happens when I try to be artistic with hardwood floors as a backdrop.

Filed Under: Dessert, Exercise, Half Marathon, Recipes, Running · Tagged With: , ,

My Official Half Marathon Training Program

June 22, 2010 by 6 Comments

First, this morning I ran a very sweaty and humid 5 miles around the neighborhood. Barely 80 degrees but humidity is out of control. I hope running is easier in cooler temperatures! I don’t think I could have done more than that today, but was happy with that distance on hard pavement. I know I need more practice there. It is so nice and peaceful to get outside early when the streets are quiet and the sun is just starting to come up. And my route through River Oaks makes for pretty scenery.

Next, let’s talk about training! I recently signed up for the Rock Run Rock Dallas Half Marathon on December 5. Some days I think this distance is scary, and some days I’m ready to tackle it. As a reminder, my longest race distance is 10K., and I am prone to leg injuries–(IT band and shin, hip pains).   

I have been reading some professional training programs, and also some other blogger’s training tales to decide the best way for me to approach this race. And let’s also clarify the purpose of signing up for this race–I am running this race for a personal challenge, to set a goal and figure out how to get there, and it’s not about speed…but I don’t want to run forever!

The things I am taking into consideration when reading programs are the number of days running, total training weeks, and mileage increases. I am starting with Hal Higdon’s Novice Half Training Program and will adapt from there. He recommends 3-4 days of running, but I honestly think I can only handle 2-3. His program also peaks at 10 miles and doesn’t hit 7 miles until one month out, and I think I need more assurance that I can run closer to 13.1. I am also planning to leave a little more time to taper. So my program really doesn’t resemble his at all! Don’t know if that’s good or bad.

I value the importance of strength training and cross training, so those need to be incorporated into  my program.

So here is an Excel document of how I have decided to train for the race.  It starts the weekend of August 14, which is about 6 weeks earlier than Hal’s program starts. My program assumes that I will run sporadically throughout the summer up to 6 miles indoors and will pick up with longer distances, then taper, then pick up again.

Marci’s Half Marathon Training Program

I welcome your comments!

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