With A Little Luck

I thought I'd have more time to blog once everyone was back at school, but it hasn't exactly worked out that way. My computer has been buggy and it even took forever to put up a few words on Facebook. I hope whatever Michael did to the computer last night settles the bugs, at least for now.

Lately I've been feeling a little lucky...

I won a canister of French Vanilla Juice Plus Complete from Fair Weather Runner's blog give-away last month. This is pretty awesome stuff because I'm not allergic to anything in it, and it tastes good. I'd give it my seal of approval if I had one. I was also hooked up with a small case of Pom pomegranate juice for free from the nice folks over at Pom. I've tried Pom before, but it has been a while since I've had any. It's still great! I received the Pom and the French vanilla Juice Plus Complete at the same time. I put both products in the blender with some ice and that was a delicious post workout concoction.

I won a shoe odometer from the Runner's Lounge. It's an interesting concept, especially since I became lax about tracking my shoes once I got the GPS running app for my cell phone. Prior to that I would write the mileage on the inside lid of the shoe box and do a weekly total. I'm saving the Shoe Odometer for a new pair of shoes, which will probably happen in another month or so. I'll let you all know how it works then.

Last month Runner's Lounge was hit by a major wave of generosity, and Wright Socks gave their readers who responded two pairs of socks each. That's a lot of socks. I've worn Wright Socks ever since I became serious about running. Quality running socks do make a difference and are worth the investment. The two brands I usually go for are Wright Socks and Ininji.

I also thought I would have a new photo to share. Sorry, no photo. Michael hasn't downloaded the pictures from his camera. It's still at the office. Michael and I went out to breakfast with AKA Alice and Heffer friends Betty and Elsie after our run with the track club last Saturday. Yes, mimosas were served. AKA Alice has proof on her blog here.

This week I was surprised with the track club's half marathon training's "Runner of the Week." I really did not see that coming at all. I have my photo and a blurb about me on the track club half marathon site. I'm not going to link to it because it's only up for a week but here's the blurb:

Irene Morton is proof that a debilitating injury doesn't mean you're down and out for good. Three weeks before last year's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, she broke her hip and immediately underwent surgery, then physical therapy just to learn to walk correctly again. A year later, she made good on that marathon goal and finished strong as part of the SDTC's training program. In addition to being such an inspiration, she's also an active volunteer. Right now she and her husband Michael are training for the Silver Strand and Las Vegas half marathons. Her running advice: "Listen to your body. If something hurts and does not feel better within a short time, rest and/or seek medical advice.”

The quote is missing a the part about "be your own advocate" in regards to medical advice and getting a second opinion. I know they had limited space to put the blurb, and I know I made that advice quote up there, but it sounds kind of obvious. I also realize people dislike having to go to the doctor and put it off as long as possible. Ah, well. I am really, really, really honored to be a "Runner of the Week." It's a good thing.

In addition to the track club, I started half marathon training with Rehab United for the Las Vegas Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon in December. OH . MY . GAWD. Can we all say "intense?" I think it's safe to say that I will improve my times working with the RU training program. No luck involved, just a lot of hard work -- really hard work, but it's exactly what I need. There's about 20 of us, all different levels and ages. Since I've just started with them tonight, I'll save my comparisons to the track club for later on.

Whew.

Last Thursday's song:
Only You Can Bring Me Cheer - Allison Krauss

PEACE

Photo by cygnus921 on Flickr

Keep The Faith, Baby

Thanks for the tips about the Facebook conundrum. All of those tips helped and I was able to reset my profile and set the off line selection in the chat box. I didn't realize not wanting to be seen on line by a few particular people was such a hot topic. I'm glad it's just not me. Before that post I was beginning to feel like I was the bad guy for not wanting to communicate with that person.

There's a blogger friend I really do want you to meet. Please give a rock star welcome to Joyce ! Her blog title says Journey of a Running Newbie, but she's been doing the fitness thing for a while. Hi Joyce!

Friday night's carb load dinner is usually Thai or Chinese cuisine. This time dinner came from Panda Express, complete with fortune cookies. Here's my fortune:


With a little more than one week before the marathon, the timing is uncanny. Maybe it's a little cheesy, but this little fortune cookie affirmation message is sort of what I need right now. Pre-marathon jitters are setting in.

This is what today's track club run looked like for me:

Activity: Run
Date: 05/23/09 07:00 AM
Distance: 7.82 miles
Time: 1:30:23
Speed: 5.2 mph
Pace: 11' 34 min/mile
Calories: 756


We ran through the UCSD campus. I really liked this run because it was only slotted for an hour and a half. I reaaaaaaly like tapering. With the walk to and from the car factored in, I got in a total of 8 miles. I got in almost 5.5 miles when an hour was up, and didn't want to get lost on campus making up the time, so I just ran around the track for a half hour to fill in the time. Since we were going a smidgen slower, I was able to run with people I haven't seen in ages. Another good thing about this run is that there were virtually no stops. I usually don't like stopping at the water tables, unless there's a friend I want to say hi to. I'd much rather keep the momentum going. I didn't need to fine tune the GPS and take out any stops (at traffic lights) because there weren't any that I came across, plus the GPS worked perfectly in the arm band. I'm pretty happy that the time and distance is right on the mark. My body cooperated today, and that makes me VERY happy. Even better, after the run we met other track club members at a near by diner for breakfast. The hallah bread (French) toast hit the spot!

I guess I'm just about marathon ready. Just a few more small things to take care of, but it's as good as it's gonna get, for now.

I'm not sure what's up for the remainder of our three day weekend. Eveyone keeps asking us what we'll be doing, but I honestly have no clue. I'd much rather stay in my own backyard and barbecue.

Have a good one!

Thursday's song:
Face Down - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

PEACE

Where Do You Go?

Activity: Run
Date: 04/18/09 07:48 AM
Distance: 11.51 miles
Time: 2:14:29
Speed: 5.1 mph
Pace: 11' 41 min/mile
Calories: 1107

This was almost a no brainer. We ran at the bay. I probably could have fit in another mile, but that would have meant running around the parking lot next to Sea World several times to fill in the distance. The stats say I ran 11.51 miles. I wasn't trying to shatter any records with my slowness. Ha. I'm so glad we opted out of running with the track club today because it would have been tough. I would have completed the mileage, but I would have been good for nothing afterward, and we have a full plate of home improvement items to take care of today.

The weather today is stellar. I didn't have the foresight to bring the good camera, because some of the flowers were just beautiful. Wild yellow daisies were everywhere, and the park & rec folks planted several drought tolerant plants that showed purple blooms. Maybe I'll go back with the good camera just for pictures. I did have my cell phone and did manage a few pictures, but they don't do the flowers or the bay any justice whatsoever...





After the run we visited our favorite dive for Halla (French) toast and Bloody Marys. One of the windows we sat next to was covered with stickers. Somehow, this one applies to how some of our non-running friends look at our running - they think we're psycho:


Yesterday's song:
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Superhero

This morning my son had mentioned that the next big food thing would be the breakfast salad. He said he went out for breakfast this morning and that's what he had. I was intrigued. He said a breakfast salad is, basically, a salad with a fried egg on it. That didn't sound too appealing to me, but I did a Google search for a breakfast salad. The breakfast salads that came up weren't much of a stretch, and not unusual from anything I've ever had, such as a spinach salad with bacon and hard boiled eggs and some sort of oil and vinegar dressing. One breakfast salad did come up that seemed interesting to me, and I might have to try it.



Breakfast Salad
By Cindy Burke, from the Cindy Burke collection
Serves 2
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 12 hours
Introduction

Salad for breakfast might sound strange, but don’t knock it until you try it. Cindy Burke recommends prepping the vegetables the night before to minimize the time it takes to pull together breakfast in the morning; read the author’s inspiration for this salad on her Culinate blog.

Ingredients
1 cucumber
1 bell pepper (any color)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped, or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
~ Salt to taste
1 Tbsp. flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. rice-wine vinegar
2 cups salad greens, washed and dried
¼ cup crumbled goat cheese or whole-milk ricotta
1 Tbsp. toasted sunflower seeds
2 large farm-fresh eggs
~ Freshly ground black pepper

1. The evening before you plan to serve the salad, peel the cucumber. Cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Cut the cucumber lengthwise into eight equal strips and then into medium dice. Place the diced cucumber into two salad bowls.
2. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut into medium dice; add to the bowls.
3. Chop the ripe tomatoes (or, if it’s early in the summer, substitute a handful of halved cherry tomatoes) and add them to the bowls.
4. Add a sprinkle of salt to the vegetables if you like. Add the flaxseed or olive oil to each bowl, then add the rice-wine vinegar (not too much — remember, this is for breakfast). Toss the diced vegetables with a spoon.
5. Next, tear a handful of greens into bite-sized pieces. Place the greens on top the diced vegetables, but do not toss with the greens yet (the oil and vinegar will wilt the leaves).
6. Crumble a little soft goat cheese on top. Finally, sprinkle toasted sunflower seeds over everything.
7. Cover and refrigerate the salads overnight. In the morning, take the salads out of the fridge.
8. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and gently set the eggs into the water; cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Once the eggs are cooked, drain the hot water and peel away the shells under cool running water.
9. Plop an egg on top of each salad, cutting each in half with your fork so the yolk can ooze out a little, then add a grind of black pepper. Toss and serve.

Other stuff...

When my kids were of grade school age, and it was my week to handle the carpool, the kids would often discuss being superheros. The question would be "If you were a superhero what would your superhero name be, and what are your superpowers?" I caught this Blogthing on Smartypantz's blog:

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Well, that's a stretch... NOT! Being a mom , wife, and having a boss at work, I have to read minds sometimes. Sheesh.

Yesterday's song:
Buns O' Plenty - Isaac Hayes - Step Away From The Cake

PEACE

Photo from culinate.com

Breakfast in America

No formal workout today, but the dog insists that I go outside and throw her the ball and I might fit in more dirt digging. Went with my dad to his doctor's appointment because he wasn't sure if they would give him anything to make him groggy for some testing they're doing. Turns out he was fine, but it was nice to spend time together. We had breakfast at Coco's and they actually had something decent on the menu. I had an egg white omlet with feta cheese, spinach, onions and tomatos, and some herbs, plus a small side of melon. It was a decent meal from an unexpected place.

Peace