Exciting things are happening here!

I was having too much fun yesterday playing with Windows Live Writer to actually post! Thank you guys for all your advice on my blogging issues. Feel free to give me more if you think of anything you with you knew back when! Also, if you never saw before, please feel free to answer any questions on my last post. Life is already better with my Live Writer! Whenever I say Live Writer, I think of Ghostwriter. You guys remember that show?

It’s been freaking hot and humid here in the Midwest. If I didn’t need to leave the house, I would know from the complaints all over Facebook and Twitter. It’s ridiculous. I’m pretty sure these are all from the people hating on winter and asking for summer. You want summer? You get summer! I on the other hand do not do well with humidity or heat. I get angry and cranky. I will yell at inanimate objects in front of others. I will growl. All these have happened in the past 24 hours. But the positive is, I still forced myself to run yesterday and today! I sweated off my sunscreen in the first two minutes yesterday. I wish I brought a camera, because it was disgusting. I was supposed to do nine miles, but I called it quits after 4. No use beating a dead horse. Or a dead Alisa.

So today I went with a different approach. Short and sweat. I mean sweet. Sprintervals it is! I did a five minute warm up and cool down, but in between was the sweet. 45 seconds all out sprint, 60 second recovery, repeat ad nausuem. or at least ad sweatuem. But what killed it, was my kick A playlist. I made a summer runs playlist in June and just haven’t been feeling it, until this heat wave.

I may have lost about a total of 8 pounds of pure sweat the last two days, but at least I rocked out while doing it.

 

Do you use playlists to change your mood about a workout?

Always! I also use them according to seasons and upcoming events. My Christmas playlist is fantastical!

What’s your favorite season?

Winter, without a doubt. I’m not a huge fan of cold, but I’m a follower of the idea that you can always put on more layers. You can only take off so many before you get in trouble. Spring comes in a distant second, only because I love that moment were everything turns green!

It's good to be back!

I had to take a forced break from blogging. I've missed each and every one of you so much!

I was struggling with my running, so I turned to my ex trainer for advice. He is one of the most patient beings I have ever encountered and he was the first person to take the time to help me learn to run again. So I knew I could ask him for advice. After a long chat over coffee, we came to two conclusions (of which I already knew of):
1) I'm an all or nothing person.
                 So even though I knew that I needed to step back on my exercise because my IBS was making me really weak, I went extreme and said no running and nothing fitness related. The most exercise I was getting was rolling over on my bed and complaining about the effort.

2) I don't do well with comparing myself to others.
                 Some people thrive on it and use that to fuel their own fires. I use it as an excuse to stop, because if I'm not the best, it doesn't matter. I need to stop making running a competitive sport and get back to the point where it was something for me to challenge myself with.

The solution he came up with to both of those problems was to stay away from blogs. (hushed gasps are heard across blogger and wordpress) Most of the blogs belong to healthy individuals and many (I'm looking at you SR) can go run 20 miles on a whim. I struggle with at least doing three miles at a time. Also, my average pace is slow even for a snail. I'm pretty sure walkers are going faster than me (no, really, I've actually encountered that). So I'm sitting here, not running because I have no strength and then I'm sitting more, because, why bother at this point, and I'm reading these blogs of people doing 10 miles at a 7 min/mile pace and it's frustrating. So again, why bother?

I had to get back in touch with Alisa. And how Alisa runs. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I'm finally back in my groove, I'm not running as much as I should (that's all IBS related now), but I'm not so down and out. And also, as hard as it is, I'm trying to just be thankful that I can run. When I was 16, I was told my arthritis in my knee was so bad that I would probably never run. I hadn't run since I was probably 14 years old. That's over 10 years. This is HUGE for me. Some days I wake up and still can't believe that I am able to run. I'm tearing up just thinking about how amazing that is.


But to the more important part, I got the text today from my wonderful PT. He said, he thinks I've made enough mental and emotional gains in the past two weeks to start blogging again (let's not tell him how I cheated occasionally, shhhh). But in that time off I've really thought about how to shape this lovely blog of mine. So instead of a random blog of food and running, I had to decide: a running blog that cooks or a cooking blog that runs? Based on what you just read, I hope you realize I picked that latter. And so I'm bringing back some yummy recipes!

Today was Bastille Day! For those that slept through world history class (don't try to pretend you didn't), it is the day in which the French people stormed the Bastille, which was the big prison in Paris, to gain ammunition. It was the highpoint of the French Revolution. Think of it as the same as our 4th of July. Of course, I had to create a French feast to go along with this wonderful day. And I brought along my friends wine and bread.

This is the mushroom and shallot quiche. Along with the beans and fennel.

Quiche
(I don't have a set recipe for quiche, since my mom has made it since I was born, but this is a good estimate)

2 frozen pie shells (yes I used frozen and yes I am proud of it)
6 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
salt and white pepper to taste
16 oz shredded Swiss cheese

1. Beat eggs and half and half until well blended. Stir in nutmeg, white pepper, and salt.
2. Split Swiss cheese equally between two shells.
3. Pour egg mixture into pie shells.
4. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and then turn down temperature to 325 and bake for about 30 minutes.
5. Quiche is done when lightly browned on top, but will still have some "jiggle" in the middle (think, pudding).

 So that's the basic recipe. Today I switched things up a bit and did TWO different flavored quiches, just by adding in a few ingredients. In both versions, add into quiche in step 2, on top of the cheese.

In one quiche, I sauteed two thinly sliced shallots with one pound finely diced portabello mushrooms. Once all the liquid was cooked off and everything was softened, I stirred in one large clove of garlic, finely diced, and cooked for about thirty seconds. Let cool for a bit before adding to the quiche.

In the other quiche, I tossed 8oz of pancetta, about 6 thin asparagus spears, finely chopped and a good handful of sun-dried tomatoes diced.

Roasted Lemony Green Beans

1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 lemons, sliced into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss ingredients together on baking sheet. (Go easy on the salt, because lemon and salt tend to activate the same part of your tongue, so it could be a bit much)
2. Roast at 400 for about 15 minutes, stir half way through.
3. Just before serving, use tongs to give the lemons a bit of a squeeze, then mix well with green beans.

Roasted Fennel (so it's a take off of my new favorite winter recipe, fennel is French, leave me alone!)

2 fennel bulbs, trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-wide wedges
1 large onion, root end left intact, then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1. Combine fennel and onion with oil and toss to coat. 

2. Mix all spices in small bowl to blend. Sprinkle spice mixture over vegetables and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and generous amount of pepper. 

3. Roast at 450 until vegetables are tender and browned, turning once, about 45 minutes. (that's the original, I did it at 450 for about 30 minutes, then finished at 400 with everything else, about 15 minutes. It worked perfect this time)

Enjoy!

FFF - How to prepare for a long run...

NOT

So it's time for another episode of Five For Friday. And today we're discussing how I failed at properly preparing for my long run today.

1. Go out for happy hour two nights before and stay out late chit chatting and digesting sushi. Then get called in extra early that morning. 5 am? Did that.

2. Eat your weight in Double Stuff Oreos in one sitting the day before your long run.

3. Go out with co-workers for karaoke the night before. Because the next day nobody had to work, make sure to lose track of time and close down the bar. 2 am? Fo Sho!

4. While at karaoke, drink too many beers because they are on special for the night. They might have been out of my favorite, Guinness (not just a dog, but a beer too!), but I thoroughly enjoyed my Newcastle and my Newcastle, and my Newcastle, and my...

5. In a tipsy state, decide that waking up early to run makes perfect sense, because I can always nap later. When the alarm goes off after 5 hours of sleep, decide to not hit snooze, but reset the alarm for an hour later. In actuality, reset the alarm to go off five minutes later. And continue to fail at this until you decide to just turn off the alarm (it took me multiple attempts). Wake up almost two hours later.


Sooooo, the long run didn't quite happen today. I got out and did an hours worth of running in what could best be described as a speed ladder. Or maybe fartleks, only because I like saying fartleks. I was obviously dehydrated while running and my body just ached the whole time. I pushed through and figured, yes, I can always nap later. And I have spent the rest of the day lying around while doing laundry. It doesn't help that it's been a beautiful shade of gray all day. So I'm checking out for the rest of the night. Couch... here I come!

Monday Ramblings

I took a little blog break, because it has been positively gorgeous these last few days. A nice mild temperature, the sun is out, and there is just enough breeze to make everything a-okay!

Yesterday morning was my 5k. No new PR, mainly because the hill I had to tackle was extreme. It wasn't the hill I experienced last Novemeber. This was one that makes you cry out in agony. I tried to run most of it, but 2/3 up the hill, I just knew that if I wanted to finish the race strong, I would have to walk the rest. It sucked. I was 8 seconds away from a new PR. EIGHT SECONDS! I hate you hill.

Then after my friend and I finished our post race breakfast (pancakes, waffles, sausage, and bananas, oh yeah), we waited to watch the elites finish the half. Seriously, these people are fantastical!

Average Pace: 4:53... I could do that. I just choose to be super slow to make them feel better about themselves.

Side note, we all know everybody has their own "type." I like 'em tall and awkwardly skinny. For the longest time, I couldn't find them out there. Now I know they've been hiding out at races. Seriously, amazing. It's like "Alisa's perfect men stable" at the long distance races. Reason number 596412 why I'm so glad I got into racing.

Hey Guinness, what did you do while I was racing and finding you a dad?

LAZY!

That dog is so lazy. I forced her to take a walk with me in the afternoon.

"For realz? I get to go to the park?!?!"

Once we made it past the yard, she got a little too excited and started pulling too much for my taste. So we turned around and made a quick costume change to her shorter leash. Then we were really off! We did a little easy rock climbing:

"OMG BEST DAY EVER! Thanks mom"

Chased squirrels and ducklings and birds that were unobtainable:

Do you see it? We totally saw it.

Today I did a 6er and it felt really good. Considering after my first three 5ks, I hurt the next today, this is huge. Not only did I not hurt, but I could actually get out and run again! Ahhh... the healing power of yoga. I swear by it. I do basic stretches right after running and then yoga later in the day.

But back to the 6 miles. The weather was so wonderful to me, except that I forgot to put on sunscreen. Now, I may be the first person to remind you to wear some sunscreen. And I may wear it 96% of the year, but when I forget, it's always on a sunny day. Hello sunburnt nose! Thank you summer for reminding me why I hate you.

I tried to take picture of my burn, but my pale skin make it look like I'm just blushing a little. So I'll just give you a picture of what I imagine the sun really looks like:

EFF you and your evil ways sun!

So I'm just going to relax inside the rest of the day, watching old Disney movies online (don't be jealous of my love for Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century), eating popcorn drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate, and drinking yummy iced tea. Oh yeah, my life sucks a lot.

Best Idea Ever! Send me money as a thank you later.

A candy cane striped straw makes me think of winter and no sunburns.

What did you do this weekend?

Besides racing and taking walks with Big G, I also helped my parents garden. It was the perfect weekend for gardening.

Did you have great weather?

I hate summer, because I don't do well in heat or humidity, I melt. But this weekend and so far, this week, have been wonderful.

FFF - part 2

Another Five For Friday! Highlights from my Saturday

1. I did a bit of a long run today (5 miles, which is still long for me). I have a 5k on Sunday, so I didn't want to do too much.

I like purses...

2. I went to the mall with my bff Beth today and only bought some gummies at the candy store.

A healthy mixture of Swedish fish, sour brite crawlers, and gummy lobsters!

 3. Girl Math: If I eat a salad for lunch, I can totally eat my weight in french fries and they cancel out, right? Especially at Red Robin.

I google imaged "red robin french fries" and the first hit on the second page 

was Skinny Runner. That's awesome.

4. I'm planning on spending too much money on movies soon.

5. I loved The Hills when it first came on. And now TV Guide Channel plays the show everyday and even has a marathon on Sundays. I love drama that doesn't involve me!

OMG! I love drama too!

What is your secret obsession that you don't like to admit?

I'm open with my obsessions, but they should proabably be a secret. Like Hanson and The Hills. Don't judge.

What kind of Ninja are you?

I've been obsessed with McChris for a long time (only thing I got from a really dumb ex). He's really low key in the music scene, so imagine my surprise when I heard one of his songs on a new Honda commercial! The song is "Hoodie Ninja" and is youtube-able. It made me think about my skills. I would be sucky ninja, but I have skills! Like speed work. And soup. Moving on...

Ninja like this...

I have a 5k on Sunday! I ran the same route on Thanksgiving, so I'm hoping real hard to drop my time down, maybe even a new PR? There's a killer hill at the end. Which is odd, because you never really go down, just up at the end. Hmmmmm... what goes up, doesn't have to ever go down? So what's a girl to do to get a new 5k PR? Speed work. Or as I call them, sprintervals (you get it... sprint... intervals... sprintervals... no? sad face). Guinness and I were just happy it wasn't 96 degrees today! If it's 98 degrees, that's okay, because I'll just ask them to sing to me while I run! (ohhhh, that was a horrible joke. I'm so sorry you had to read that.)

They are totally coming on my next run.

So the skies parted and the rain stopped enough to let me get in my sprintervals. And then I worked on building my ark. Because it rained FOR-EV-ER today. And apparently it will rain the rest of the week. I shall start gathering two of everything later.

I very much like my purple hat!

All morning long I kept telling my coworkers that I wanted soup for dinner. Why? Because it was thundering all night and was raining for over 12 hours straight. Also, it dropped about 40 degrees in those 12 hours. (I'm not complaining, it made for nice running weather, once the rain stopped) It just felt like a soup night. I used some leftover grilled corn and made a spicy corn soup with some garlic bread for dipping. RANDOM FACT: one of my favorite meals is soup and salad. I had my salad about three hours before my soup course today. This girl is happy.

Spicy Corn Soup

3 ears of corn
2 dried bay leaves
6 pieces of bacon, chopped
1 red onion, diced
4 shallots, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups veggie broth
2-3 tablespoons chilli powder (I used chipotle powder)
1 avocado, chopped

1. Slice kernels of corn off cob. Save the kernels and any liquid that comes off. Place bare cobs in about four cups of water, with bay leaves. Heat to a simmer and let cook at least 20 minutes with lid on.
2. Crisp up bacon in a pan. Drain cooked bacon and reserve 1 tablespoon fat. Cook onion and shallot in bacon fat about 5 minutes, then stir in garlic.
3. Cook about 30 seconds, stir in veggie broth and chilli powder. Let cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in cooking water from cobs (without cobs and bay leaves).
4. Once everything is heated through, stir in corn kernels, let cook about two minutes.
5. Serve topped with chopped avocado and bacon! You can also top it with chopped tomato, but I don't have any...

Check out that thick layer of fat on top. Yummm!

Do you crave food based on weather?

Rainy requires soup, no matter what temperature. And the first weekend about 70 degrees, makes me want bratwursts and beers.

What is the next race on your schedule?

I have my 5k on Sunday and then maybe a 10k in July.

Laundry Day!

I've said it before, but the one perk of my job right now is my schedule. I have mondays off, so instead of hating them like the rest of the world, I embrace them. Feel free to hate me later!

I schedule my long runs for Mondays. It's fantabulous and fantastical! But that involves waking up early and getting out of bed. But considering I have to wake up early every other day of the week, sometimes sleeping in occurs. And then the weather dictates that the long run won't happen. So instead, I did a short run. 2 glorious miles. These miles were the best I've had in a long time. I rocked it! Today I earned:

But I was feeling the heat at the end. I wish I was faster so that two miles would be done much faster. Note to self earn more money to buy fancy technical running clothes.

Note to self: just because the shirt is funny and awesome doesn't mean it's good for running. (and also, yell at roommates for being messy)

On Mondays I do keep busy. Like doing massive amounts of laundry. Who knew that one dog and one girl could make this much laundry? Maybe it has something to do with me being lazy and never wanting to actually do laundry?? No? Thanks for agreeing. It must multiple in the laundry basket. Shame on you... dirty laundry doing dirty things. tsk tsk.

Doing all this laundry makes me feel like I'm stuck in jail!

Luckily it's super hot out, so I don't feel like a loser being inside all day doing laundry. But then again, the sun is out...

Seriously, I'm IN jail right now. Let me out into the sun!!

I'm also baking a lot. I've been craving sweets so much lately and I'm trying to do some healthy replacements. So I just eat twice as much. But my kiwi tart has greek yogurt and no white sugar, so it's even better than a salad. Seriously. I know these things. Plus it's easy as pie.... errr tart. Easy as tart!

Kiwi Tart

Crust:

8 ounces ginger snaps cookies (1-1/2 cups of crumbs)

6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

2 tablespoons honey

Filling:

2 1/2 cups low fat Greek yogurt (or any low fat yogurt if you wish)

1 box (4 serving size) fat free, sugar free pudding mix (vanilla, lemon, whatever flavor you want. I used cheesecake)

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Topping:

4-5 kiwis, peeled and sliced

3-4 tablespoons lemon curd

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Finely crush the cookies in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. Add the butter and sugar, and stir to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable rim. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool.
• As the crust is cooling. Stir together all filling ingredients until well blended. Pour filling into cooled crust and top with kiwis.
• Microwave curd for 5-10 seconds in a bowl. Brush on top of kiwis.
• Refrigerate about 1 hour until set.

This is a good recipe for any basic fruit tart. Berries are great on this with lemon pudding filling.

Since you're all jealous that you're at work and not eat the tart. I'll leave with one final picture... homemade olive tapenade. I rock out on my days off.

Salty goodnes!

What are your favorite healthy deserts?

I love fruit based deserts... tarts, crumbles, cobblers. I love to take the old recipes and redesign them to make them healthier.

What do you typically do on your days off?
I do so many chores to clean up behind the messy people I live with. Other than that, Guinness and I lay around stuffing our faces with indulgent foods that I never share.

Five for Friday

In my need to make lists, here I go with another! This one is about what I've learned about running! WooHoo!

1.  I don't know how to push myself. So running is a challenge in that regard. Today was hotter than I'm used to, so I just didn't feel like running that hard. I still finished my 3 miles that I planned on, but didn't do my planned pace. I know I need to get over myself, but I'm just happy that I'm out running (this thought will bite me in the ass in August... half marathon... yikes.)

2.  I know nutrition is a HUGE part of running, but let's face it, that requires work. (see number one) I get it. I'm going to school for culinary nutrition so I understand how food works. But if I feel like eating cookies, I'm going to eat cookies. Whatever. I call it fuel and get over it.

3.  You need some form of technology to tell you that you're not moving your fat ass fast enough. I would love a Garmin, but I'm not loaded with money. So unless you want to adopt me or find my a rich husband, not going to happen. Anyway, giant calculator watches are soooooo 80s.

4.  Running requires a lot of time spent worrying about poop. Did you poop before your race? Did you poop after your race? Did you see that marathon runner with poop running down her leg? The immature kid inside of me enjoys this. What other activity in the world requires you to spend this much time discussing what comes out your butt? None.

I'll spare you a picture for this one. 

Just look in your toilet if you're desperate.

5.  Finally, an upbeat one. Runners are the nicest and most genuine people I have met! I've realized that more and more. I've gone to small races by myself with nobody there to cheer me on and I haven't been lonely. When I'm out running with my dog, runners with smile, say hi, wave, or even just nod. Walkers will either ignore you or scowl. Maybe it's the endorphins or maybe it's just knowing, but I love it.
 

What's something that has surprised you about running since you joined the community?
Yes, I did want that to sound like joining a cult. I think it's mostly the camaraderie.

Today we bake!

I missed my speed workout yesterday and today I was supposed to be a tempo run, but I felt guilty about skipping the speed. I love those intervals, mostly because sprints like that crank up your metabolism and I need my metabolism as high as I can get it. So I designed my own workout of sorts. Of course there was a warm up and cool down, but between that is where the magic happened. I ran at a tempo run pace for a short bit, then did a few short sprints. I repeated this so I did a totally of four times. I loved this, because at the end I felt like I got a good balance of both and knew that my body was happy!

After that I did a weight lifting circuit training type dealy. I used to love weight lifting, but now I'm not a fan. So I'm trying to find a good routine to get into. I've been scouring the interwebs for something. Any help? Tips? Favorite workouts?

I'm a stress baker. When I have too much on my plate, I bake. Luckily, the baking process relaxes me so much, I don't stress eat afterwards. It's when I'm denied access to my whisk and oven that bad things happen. So, because I've carrying a lot on my shoulders with the big move happening in a few short months, work stress, and general craziness in my life, I've had a lot of baking coming my way. So today I'm baking up a storm. I'm going to try to limit how much I make, so that I have things to make later on, as needed. Plus I tried to healthy these kids up:

Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup almond butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Bbaking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
3/4 whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
mix ins: chocolate chips, dried cranberries, chopped nuts; no more than 1 1/2 cups total

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
•  Beat together butter and peanut butter until well combined

• Add sugars, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until combined

•  Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in flour. Stir in oats and any mix-ins

•  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet (or parchment paper). Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown around edges

•  Remove to wire racks to cool

My camera died before I got to pictures of the final product, but trust me, they won't last long in this house. I just want to cut out a little more sugar and butter and they will be perfect!

The most important holiday happened Wednesday. Some-puppy celebrated her anniversary of moving in with me! It's also her unofficial birthday, she was a shelter pup and because she was so young, and just had puppies (yeah, my dog was a skank before I came in her life), they could guess her birthday almost to the week. So she's officially five now! I can't believe how old she is. not okay.

The Birthday Girl totally gets to lick the bowl.

Any exciting Memorial Day weekend plans?

I'm going to a chocolate fest! 

(And if you're in the midwest, you should too!)

Have you baked anything "healthy" lately?

I'm excited to get started on my kiwi tart soon, I'm totally going to make it into something decadent AND healthy!

Keep On Rockin In The Free World

I don't get how so many runners can go more than one mile without music. I need it! Otherwise I try to talk myself out of running. I convince myself that I need to turn around. But what's in a playlist?

• Music that you like
• Music that has a quick enough tempo
• Music that you don't hate
• A variety of songs

That's it for me. I hate rap and most pop music, so even though that's apparently fast enough for most runners, I would kill myself. Most of the music I listen to is slower paced, but it's quick enough that it doesn't put me to sleep.

I have multiple play lists that I switch between. Some are basic, but I also have my summer playlist, or my Christmas playlist that I break out during appropriate seasons. And those of course contain seasonally appropriate songs. I have a HUGE collection of Christmas music, so that would make sense. But my summer playlist is a beast of a different nature. Of course it has plenty of Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley, but I also have random songs with the word summer in the title (like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince doing "Summertime"), some random ska music like Catch-22 and Less Than Jake, but also Hanson. Hanson makes it onto all of my playlists. One day I explain my odd but real love for that band of brothers!

So this leads me to my other playlists. I have them somewhat separated into different groups. I have a pop-esque one full of Glee songs (LOVE ME SOME GLEE!), Guster, DMB, but it also has some classics from CCR and the Doobie Brothers. I put some of my world music on this list too. I have an awesome collection of African musicians that fit in here perfectly!

Another playlist has the oldies. But not those oldies. I'm talking original Britney Spears, BSB, Hanson, and so on. Just so I don't go into junior high screaming girl mode, I threw in some Michael Buble. Yeah, I turns me into a thirty something screaming fan. Yeah, much better. More diginified. But really, I have some John Butler Trio and Xavier Rudd on there to calm the hormones. If you've never heard of them, check other those amazing musicians now!

And finally, my favorite playlist of all times. My favorite music. My Irish music! Love this stuff. It's like crack to me. (Or craic, for those who get the joke...) Gaelic Storm, Slide, Scythian, and so on. They are all on here and keep me rocking out. I do a little jig as I run and I'm learning Gaelic at the same time. It's amazing.

What's on your playlist? 

See Above!

Have you run without music?
Not by choice: forgetting to charge up, iPhone having a spaz attack whilst running, etc. I can do it for short distances, but nothing more than two miles. Even when I'm thinking about other things, the music keeps me focused on the task at hand. I listen to music almost all day everyday anyway.

Sometimes running sucks

In just over a year of running, I've only had a few bad runs, usually caused by sleep deprivation. Today was the worst run in the history of me. I woke up later than I wanted and took my time getting ready. I had a huge gas bubble in my tummy that was taking it's sweet time exiting my system. With all my digestive issues, it's nothing new. I ate a lot last night and wasn't hungry at all this morning. So I ate a larabar to get at least something in me. I live off these (Dear Larabar, send me free stuff. thanks. love, Alisa).

My fav flavor:

What I ate today:


And then I was off. So far so good. After about twenty minutes, I heard some grumbles, I figured they were just the bubble bursting. Seriously glad nobody was out there with me today. That would have gotten awkward, real fast.

I finally reached my halfway point. Sipped some h20. Mid sip, the grumbles got worse. Luckily there's a potty there. I visited and cleaned out my intestines. Alright, feeling better. Started running again. My stomach started to seriously ache and I walked to the next toilet. I did this one more time run-walk-toilet (one of the perks of running in the park, lots of public toilets). After the last one, I was almost dizzy, so I sat for a bit. Then I hoofed it home as fast as I could without pooping myself or passing out. I finally got home and laid down. I was too nauseous to even drink water at that point. But I had a little. I took the fastest shower ever, then curled up in bed still in my wet towel and took a nap.

I'm starting to finally feel better (four hours later), but I'm in shock as to what happened! The sun was out, but it was cooler. I ran into the wind, but kept a slow pace as to not do too much too soon. Luckily the stuff I was supposed to do today can wait until tomorrow. Or at least tonight.

The good news is: I got my long run in. 6 miles! WOOHOO!

What has been your worst run to date?

Today's, hands down. 
 
Do you have any awkward/embarrassing stories to share?

With my intestinal issues, I've had a few funny farting situations. One of the many reason I run with my dog!!


Thanks for visiting!