I've Been Everywhere! Part South

**Warning....contains a lot of photos that will make you want to go on vacation.

Ok....maybe not everywhere...but, as I was writing this that song popped in my head!

I *have* spanned most of North America in the last two weeks!  Enjoying a full 2.5 weeks off from work, we decided four days prior to a departure that a beach vacation was called for.  Ryan had been working way too many hours and Louis was spending a week with his PaPa and GiGi in Minnesota, like he has done every summer since he was 3, so it seemed like perfect timing! After the 4th of July festivities/craziness/fun had passed, things went into FULL gear!  My parents visited us, one of my favorite cousins EVER came up from San Antonio with her man Joe and I hosted a bridal shower for my sister, Jill.

 My gorgeous cousin Sarah, my sister and I.

 

 Jill & I with our mom

 We could be sisters, right?

Onto the vacation!  Some of my favorite parts (there were A LOT of them)!!

So, for 6 fabulous days, we lounged on the beach, swam with the turtles, got drenched in Tulum and had the most fantastic vacation I think I have ever been on.  I ever felt *rested* when I came back!

 Tulum Ruins

 The gorgeous beach at Tulum

 I can't imagine how beautiful this is on a sunny day!

 So it POURED that day.

 It seemed like a good idea to climb up some ruins in a restricted area....shhhhhh!

 Swimming in the "cenotes" - hidden lakes/rivers.

 The water here is the clearest (and coldest!) I have ever seen.  Like glass!

 On to Acumal!  It *really* looks like this.  It is so beautiful!

 Getting ready for the main event....

 the turtles!

 We spent about an hour just floating around with these amazing creatures.  Some of the turtles were estimated to be over 100 years old.  I think we saw about 8 of them.  You are not allowed to touch them, you just float and enjoy watching them.  They migrate to the warm water and beaches from May to September to lay their eggs.  This was no doubt, one of the highlights of the trip.

 Then we spotted two of these!

 The turtles would pop up for air here and there....often close by. 

 We spent a lot of time at this swim up bar (one of 17!)

 I *heart* the beach!

We drank a lot of these....guess which one is mine?  Hint:  it's NOT the martini

 grogeousness!

 Can you see all of the fish that would flock to the dock for a snack?  There were hundreds of them!

King of the World!

The weather in the Rivera Maya was a little rainy and cloudy a couple of days, but that did not cramp our style....we roll with it!  We met a few really fun couples, but still had a lot of quality time to ourselves. We have decided that next year, we are staying no less than 10 days.  Even though we have both been to Mexico before, we found so many fantastic adventures we wanted to do next time.  Six days was definitely not enough!

Where is your favorite vacation spot?

Fourth of July & a DNS

I know, it's been nearly a month ago, but I need to do some catching up!

The Fourth of July was interesting, that's for sure!

It all kind of started on Fourth of July eve....

My parents came down from Minnesota for a visit and so my mom could attend the bridal shower I was throwing for my sister that weekend.

Louis came back after this three week "stint" with his dad.

Louis and I were scheduled for races in the am, he a 1k and me a 5k. 

I was exhausted and with Louis camping out on our bedroom floor, I made a leap into bed.

That leap turned into crack, and that crack was my right little toe.  Broken.  The night before a race.

I have never, ever had a Did Not Start, but I would now.  The swelling prevented any chance of getting into a shoe and the throbbing prevented me from even walking correctly.  I was so mad at myself!  Of course I looked up the race results later only to find out I could have placed in my age group (for the first time ever!).  UGH! There's always next year, right?

BUT....Louis, on the other hand?  *NAILED* it!!  He ran his little heart out.  His first race without his mama.  I stood at the finish line waiting to take a picture and thought he'd be around mid-pack.  Nope!  More like first ten finisher!  My heart swelled bigger than my toe!

 Louis ran his little heart out!

 More hardware for Sweet Lou (who appears very tired)!

After the race, it was time to go home and get ready for festivities there.

Great friends, delicious food and the traditional 4th of July fire in the fireplace (outside) made the day!

We ended the day as any good 4th of July celebration should end....with sparklers are fireworks!

 I think Mara liked the sparklers more than Louis did (ok....I might have too)!

Waiting for the big show in Frisco!

Let's Get Juicy!

I got Ryan a juicer a few months ago for a late birthday gift.

I’m not sure who is loving it more (I think it’s me!)

Juicing is often criticized for not providing an adequate source of fiber, but it is a good way to get in a lot of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables if you don’t enjoy eating them.  It also is a great way to get the vitamins and minerals that you may not normally absorb because it gives your digestive system a rest from having to break down the fiber.

After watching a movie called “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”, I became very interested in juicing.  The movie profiles a man who does nothing but juice for 30 day.  He benefited with a large drop in weight, normalization of blood pressure and the cessation of a skin condition from which he had suffered from in years.  While I have none of these issues, I was intrigued by how GOOD these people felt while juicing.  I try to eat fruits and vegetables, but usually don’t have more than 2-3 servings a day.  Juicing is a great way for me to get those nutrients.  The movie is very eye opening....it provides a great example of how pills/medication are not always the only answer.  Diet is *so* important!




There are a TON of recipes for juices online, but I have had a lot of fun creating my own.

I recently made our *favorite*, which I call “good morning sunshine”.

This batch contains:

A bag of frozen mangoes

A bag of frozen peaches

¾ of a pineapple

8 carrots

A couple of large handfuls of strawberries (about 20 this time)

This juice is very fruit heavy and can also be high in calories, but it is *so* good!  Typically, mixing about 50% fruit to 50% vegetables is really the way to go to help cut down on calories and fructose sugar.

Our evening cocktails

Pineapple and mangoes have been known to decrease inflammation, which is good for a runner.  All of the ingredients are full of antioxidants.  For me, it’s a win.

Other juices I have made are pretty much anything and everything I have on hand.  I throw in spinach, kale, chard, beets, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, carrots.  A garden in a glass!  I’ve read a lot of research on beets and how they increase energy-they are full of iron.   I should be full of energy in a few weeks, because I have a bumper crop of beets that will be ready soon (enough beets for a couple dozen people – I went crazy on the beets!).

 that's *a lot* of beets!

Garden in a glass ingredients - basically whatever I have that makes juice!

Finished Product

Another "myth" about juicing is that it is expensive.  The good morning sunshine juice cost about $11 for 3-5 LARGE servings.  This is MUCH less than a Starbucks coffee every morning and *so* much better for you!  By storing juice you can lose some of the nutrients and enzymes that are available immediately after juicing, but the way I figure it, getting some of the nutrients are better than getting none!  We have a slow masticating juicer (the Omega 8606) which helps maintain nutrient levels.  Storage in an airtight container also helps. 

Besides energy and just feeling better, my skin looks great when I juice!  Bonus!

Friday Favorites - Louis' First 5k

This week, my Friday Favorite isn’t about food, it’s about my amazing little boy Louis!  He’s spending some time at his dads and has been away from home entirely way too long, so if I can’t see him or talk to him, I’ll write about him!

Louis ran his first 5k about a month ago – he’s 7.  I was 33 the first time I was able to run a 5k!

I feel the need to brag on him!

The farthest we had gone up to that point was a mile.

We ran pretty slow, but remained steady, implementing a run/walk interval. 

We saw a horribly stinky skunk along the way & took a break at the park.  It was an interesting run!

The 5k we chose was a virtual one, meaning we could do it anywhere at any time.  He admires those in the armed forces (aka when he grows up he wants to be an “army guy”), so the Fit for Life Armed Forces run seemed like a good fit.

Did I mention how awesome I think this spectacular little boy is?  

I am so proud of him and so happy I’m rubbing off on him in a good way.  He is very motivated by medals (who isn’t?!).  He can’t wait to run a “big” race with mom.  

He definitely earned his medal as well as frozen yogurt treats afterwards! Even though he said while we were running he *never* wanted to do that again....he can't wait to race again!  Next up....a 4th of July 1k with his Papa & GiGi here from MN to cheer him on.

Another Marathon Monday . . . on Tuesday!

So I entered the Chevron Houston Marathon lottery on a whim.  I had wanted to do the race this past year, but was late to the lottery and the date just didn't really work out.

But 2014...I'm in!

Since this will be my third marathon within 90 days, I will qualify for "Marathon Maniac" status. This is only one of the minimum qualifiers.  Some of the "maniacs" truly are, running 52 marathons in 52 weeks, or several back to back in multiple states.  I'm not looking to be an overachiever here.

At one point in time I would have been happy to have run one marathon.

(or more marathons)

Houston will be number 9!  Crazy talk!

I liken marthoning to labor...as time passes you forget the pain and remember only the joy.

 Week Two training looks something like this:

Monday: 6.5 miles, 2 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile at 8:30.  3.5 miles in between at a "comfortable" pace.

Tuesday: Tabata, Core and hill repeats with the MRTT crew

Wednesday: 6-6.5 of speed work

Thursday:  Recovery Run 4-5 miles

Friday: Rest Day aka The Day All of My Teenage Dreams Come True!!!

After 20+ years of waiting, I'm *finally* getting to see all of my favorite boy bands.

Saturday:  Total Conditioning and 8-10 miles at a comfortable pace

Sunday:  Let there be rest of some sort

Question of the Day: What was your favorite boy band?

Start of a New Season

June brings a new season....summer, but for me it marks another point of the year....training season!

Marathon training started yesterday!  I always feel like this day is a bit of a holiday (at least for me it is), as it starts a momentous journey. 

I have some big goals for the fall.

 

  

#1 

To break 2 hours in an outdoor half – I’ve done it on the treadmill a couple of times & have come really close outside.  The only outdoor half I have on my schedule so far is the hilly Showdown Half.  My best time there is 2:09. 

#2  

To get closer to the 4 hour mark in a marathon.  I’m not sure if this will happen in SanFrancisco, but I think it could at the NYE Marathon in Allen.

#3 

To complete an ultra marathon. The Rocky Racoon 50k in Huntsville in on my radar.  I have no time goal on this one, only to finish.

I have also done something REALLY different this year.  I hired a coach.  One of the fabulous ladies in the Mom’s Run This Town group I belong to, recommended her coach. He helped her meet her goals in the half marathon and triathlon events.  While it sounds really fancy and expensive, it really isn’t!  Having a custom made training plan and help in transitioning to mid-foot running has already reaped benefits.  In the past I’ve used training plans from various sources; Jeff Galloway, Hal Higdon, Runkeeper and even writing my own from a combination of plans.

So Week 1 Training looks like this:

Monday – 5 miles – Tempo Run

Tuesday – Tabata & Core

Wednesday – 5 miles of Intervals & Speedwork

Thursday – 4-5 mile Recovery Run, focusing on technique

Friday - Rest

Saturday – Total Body Conditioning & 6-8 mile Long Run with 2-3 miles at race pace

Sunday – Rest

Have you ever used a coach?

What kinds of training plans have you used in the past?

Happy Father's Day

Today is the day we celebrate one of the first people we often love the most….our dads.

There are good dads, there are not so good dads and then there are dads like mine….awesome dads.

My dad is the one on who can fix anything.  When I was young he had his own auto mechanic shop.  One Christmas he gave his customers a coffee mug that said “we fix everything but broken hearts”.  This prophecy could not ring any truer.   My dad is that McGyver type dad…the one who can rig up anything from 2 or 3 common house hold items.  A fine example: the first vehicle I was allowed to drive ran on propane* (which was MUCH less expensive than gas at the time).  He rigged that truck up to run on both types of gas.  Who knows how to do that?! (yet I still managed to run out of gas once or twice)  

*Disclaimer: said propane gas tank was NOT composed of 2-3 common household items.  Do not try this at home. 

My dad is the one who after working 9-10 hours a day 6 days a week, took his one day off to spend with his family.  In the summer that meant hauling us to the lake every weekend to swim or fish - sledding or ice fishing in the winter.  We had a family vacation every summer that I can remember because his parents didn’t take him and his brothers and sisters on vacation.  Even if they were just up to the lake or the city for the weekend, there was ALWAYS a vacation and they were ALWAYS fun.  Several times he packed me, my mom and sister up in the car and drove 20+ hours to northwestern Montana.  Now THAT’S a road trip - ones that had so many memories along the way.  

 I can rock the fro.

Apparently it scared my little sister.

In a pinch?  Call dad....he knows what to do.

Car troubles?  Call dad...he'll make sure the auto mechanic doesn't screw you over for hundreds more than what it REALLY cost to fix.

I should also mentioned that he has had Type 1 (juvenile onset) diabetes for decades.  Diabetes might be a big part of his life, but it has not taken over his life, like so many others that I have seen.  Nope.  Life throws you lemons; you make lemonade.  You deal with it and move on. 

 

My dad is the one who was promoted to being a Papa 7 years ago.  He is worshiped and adored by his grandson.  Whatever Papa says or does is like gospel.  There are countdowns to when Papa (and Gigi too!) are coming or when we are going there.  I’m sure Louis is counting the days to when he can hunt with his Papa.  I am asked when this will happen several times a year.  He is also a Papa to a very special little girl who isn’t his biological granddaughter…one that never got to know her mom’s dad (who was a lot like my own dad).  Louis is so lucky to have such a great father figure in his life.

My dad is patient, kind, hilarious and humble.  I don’t think he gives himself enough credit. I find myself blessed to have such a fantastic dad!

My parents first trip to NYC - to see my finish my second NYC marathon.

Happy Father’s Day Dad!  You’re the best!