tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57026828245394639942024-03-13T11:23:33.840-07:002 Formerly Fat ChicksChecking off a bucket list item. Since I was a little girl.. watching the Lone Ranger show.. I have wanted to live in the West...So I drug Lindsey with me. Here goes something.Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-57850767378940934882014-07-25T05:39:00.002-07:002014-07-25T05:39:29.816-07:00Can Buckeyes grow in the desert?It's been forever since I used this medium to post anything.. but after moving west 3 weeks ago..several people have asked lots of questions about what it's like.. and FB isn't friendly to wordy posts.. so here goes nothing.. <br />
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The drive out wasn't bad at all.. Surprise #1. We both thought it was going to be awful..since our dogs aren't the best in the car.. but really other than having to stop every couple of hours.. they did great. They settled in each night at the hotel, no accidents in the hotel room and generally just traveled like they did this all the time. Who knew?<br />
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The house I rented.. totally doing everything over the internet is wonderful! Surprise #2. <br />
I hung up my bird feeders in the front yard and within an hour I had birds and hummingbirds! The house is perfect.. and in a really nice neighborhood. To put this into Cincy perspective.. Surprise AZ is geographically similar to where Monroe sits in relationship to Downtown Cincy...<br />
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Front yard.. </div>
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Back yard.. notice all the rocks!</div>
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The desert landscape is good and bad.. No real yard work to do.. but the rocks get HOT every afternoon and the dogs can't even go out to the bathroom without me running out to hose down the patio.. At least until Sept.. when the weather should change. </div>
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The views are amazing. Everywhere you drive you get to look at scenery like this. This is about 1/2 mile up the street from my house but gives you an idea of what its like to just drive around... <img src="http://media.point2.com/p2a/htmltext/09a2/13fc/09a4/c191e6735a145ad0b5f8/original.jpg" /></div>
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But .... there are a LOT of people here, and the snowbirds haven't even returned. We understand from everyone we talk to that in a couple of months it gets crazy... with lots of senior citizens returning from up north... who only drive 20 MPH. NOT looking forward to that.</div>
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Which might explain another strange thing about this city... There are grocery stores EVERYWHERE. And not just grocery stores.. every kind of store is repeated it seems like every 5 miles. Paradise Bakery, which is basically Panera's out here is as common as Starbucks. And I googled this.. I have 14 (soon to be 15) grocery stores within 3 miles of my house. Including 2 Fry's (aka Kroger). BUT.. and here is where I have been spoiled,,, most of these are small and old looking. I have to drive 5 miles (OMG) to get to the Fry's Marketplace store which is like the Harpers Point Kroger. Most of the others kind of remind me of what IGA was like in Cincinnati. </div>
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Oh and about that DRY heat.. It's great.. but it's still hot. Before I got here all I heard was Yeah... but it's a dry heat. And once you get used to this low humidity..which takes about 2 days..you can't imagine how you ever lived some place where 70% humidity was not uncommon. But when the temperatures go up to about '110 and the sun is relentlessly shining (because there is no cloud cover.. we don't get rain!) you just can't be outside in it. Which was a little depressing. Because you see I just left an area where we were all holed up and inside until almost MAY because the weather had been so cold and nasty. We were just getting out and enjoying the outdoors, going to farmers markets on the weekend, planning things to do outside.. and now guess what.. I'm in hibernation mode again. Farmers markets shutdown here from June 1st through October 1st. Everyone plans things to do indoors. So I'm patiently waiting to start to really enjoy the area I moved to. The mountains are taunting me. </div>
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Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-24255667927218978742013-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:002013-03-05T07:52:18.717-08:00Little Rock Marathon or Pringles and PancakesSo.. we just got back from Little Rock. What a neat town! Lindsey did the Full Marathon, I did the 1/2... Yes I love the t-shirts that say.. I'm only half crazy...<br />
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Riding home from these events we always take time to reflect and figure out what we loved and hated about each one. Little Rock , you should be proud.. we really couldn't find much didn't like~!<br />
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The drive down was a bit iffy, as we hit snow squalls off and on . but Lindsey drove down so I got to be a passenger and enjoy the views. Or what I could see of them. We headed down Friday and drove to Bowling Green KY, and then got up Saturday and arrived in Little Rock to head over to the Expo.<br />
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The Expo was very nice.. good vendors, and I picked up a new T-Shirt that I"m in love with . The company is called. <a href="http://fellowflowers.com/shop/flowers/" target="_blank">Fellow Flowers</a> I loved the message.. because I'm really good at finding excuses for things..<br />
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This has to be one of the friendliest.. low pressure... achievable venues for anyone who wants to run a marathon. In order to be walker friendly.. they allow an early start time of 6 am.. Which over 100 walker/runners took advantage of.. This is so nice for anyone who does a 6+ marathon race. Rather than coming in at the end of the pack... with little crowd support and normally no food left.. They were coming in with the 4 hour marathoners. WHAT A NICE IDEA! Lindsey took advantage of this for 2 reasons.. one.. no pressure.. If you normally do a 6 hour marathon.. and the cut off is 6 1/2.. and you have a bad day.. it can be stressful to say the least.... Also since I didn't start until 8.. this meant that I only had to wait about an hour for her to be done.. and we could get in the car and head back home a couple of hours to make the next day's drive easier... (You can't sit in a car longer than 2 hours after running this much without having to get out and move...) Oh and when you do get out .. you look like you are 100 years old for the first 10-15 steps...<br />
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So I drove over and dropped her off at 5:30 (Yawn) and got a great parking place, close to the finish. I stayed in the car with the heater running and listened to a book on tape and chilled until 7. Then walked over to join the porta john line (short.. there were TONS of them) and then over to River Market.. a downtown indoor market that kindly opened its doors so we could stand inside.. out of the cold and wait for the start. And here is where the title of this post comes from. I grabbed a stand up table to hang out at and was soon joined by a few others who just wanted a place to put down their things and hang out. No problem.. Great time to chat with others. The topic of race nutrition came up because one of the women was using safety pins to apply four zip lock packages of Pringles to her clothes as race food... ??? I have never seen this done before and got a good laugh from it.. she said wait.. I'm not as bad as him.. pointing to her friend.. who reached in his pocket and pulled out a package of pancakes! Hey whatever works .. right?<br />
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The day turned out to be sunny and temperatures eventually got to the mid 40's.. pretty much perfect . Yes a couple of the streets that were shady and windy got a bit chilly.. but we both got sunburned! Wonderful crowd support... great music on course... water stops were wonderful.. plenty of appropriately spaced porta-potties... good post race food (we didn't stay for the post race party) and probably the best race medals you could EVER wish for (unless you run Ultra's.. belt buckles are pretty dang cool)... And Yes Lindsey's medal is bigger than her FACE!<br />
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Way to go Little Rock. Great way to start of 2013 and you have set the bar pretty high for all the runs we are planning for the rest of the year. </div>
<br />Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-91751896963502255812013-02-28T07:27:00.001-08:002013-02-28T07:27:30.617-08:00I NEED to vent....It has been a while since we have posted on this blog... Why? for me an injury had sidelined me.. and all I did was bitch about how frustrated I was and who wants to hear that? You might not want to read this either, but I need to get this out.. and writing sometimes helps. <br />
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Some of you may know that we foster animals with the SPCA. We have had several pregnant cats and their subsequent kittens. We have lost a few babies..illness, the runts.. I get that. It comes with the territory of dealing with street cats that often come in pregnant and SKINNY!<br />
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But 11 days ago we brought home Momma and her 5- 1 week old babies..Mom was a gorgeous calico who within 24 hours showed signs of an upper respiratory infection. 2 babies also started sneezing.. 3 days later.. mom was really sick and the 2 babies were also not doing well. We upped the dosage of antibiotics in the hopes that the babies would get some through the milk. Mom stopped eating. She had full blown pneumonia.<br />
Between force feeding this poor thing , trying to supplement the babies with KMR, giving steam baths to try and open up her breathing... we spent quite a bit of time with these poor cats.. Last Sunday I would have told you Mom wouldn't last the night... but somehow she managed to pull through and by Monday afternoon started to eat a little and groom herself.. the first time in almost 7 days.. <br />
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Kittens..it became a losing battle. So far 3 kittens have succumbed. , and I'm returning Mom and the 2 babies to the shelter today.. I'm pretty sure they will humanely euthanize the remaining 2.. Momma hasn't given any milk for several days.. The babies are so congested they can barely breath.. and choke when trying to give them any supplemental feeding. They are so tiny.. So they will do what the can to finish up Mom on antibiotics... Spay and put her up for adoption. She is a sweetheart and someone would get a wonderful pet...<br />
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I'm not sure if I can do this again...and yet.. they always have another one that I could take.. and I know in my heart that we saved this one cat.. she would have died.. along with her babies...<br />
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If you have a pet.. PLEASE Spay and Neuter... My garden is no place for another kitten burial... <br />
<br />Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-26549822158642688282012-09-30T12:32:00.000-07:002012-09-30T12:32:54.460-07:00Foodie Penpal Reveal Day<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank" title="The Lean Green Bean"><img alt="The Lean Green Bean" src="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/foodiepal_stamp2.jpg" style="border: medium none;" /> </a><br />
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So this month for Foodie Penpals I was paired with Blogger <a href="http://themamamantras.blogspot.com/">Tania</a> who did a fabulous job selecting some awesome vegan goodies. First she sent a great questionnaire aimed at finding out more about my food preferences and why I joined the program. Then once the box arrived I could totally tell she really thought about her choices and I really appreciated how careful she was with selecting only vegan options. So here's what was in my box:</div>
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Lots of great snack and lunchbox items: raisins, pita chips, and seaweed snack chips. I also told Tania I love trying local items and she included a bag of local coffee and some local hot sauce that I will surely try. But my absolute favorite item was these super cute Little Soya soy sauce packets in the shape of fish...I mean so cute right! I can imagine countless lunches of homemade sushi or Thai lettuce wraps being accompanied by these little fish guys - thank you Tania you did an awesome job Foodie Penpal!!<br />
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If you are interested in joining Foodie Penpals here are the details:
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<b>-On the 5th of every month, you will receive
your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact
your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you
might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.</b><br />
<b>-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of
goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about
the goodies you received from your penpal! </b><br />
<b>-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things,
local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The
box must also include something written. This can be anything from a
note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!</b><br />
<b>-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your
items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget
about flat rate boxes!)</b><br />
<b>-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If
you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a
short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you
received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry
about writing a post for that month. </b><br />
<b>-Foodie Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents. Please
note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve
determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to
send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice
versa. </b><br />
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If you’re interested in participating for October, please <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE </a>to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
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Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-15113666904769287362012-09-13T18:04:00.000-07:002012-09-13T18:04:05.784-07:00Chances to Help I wanted to post a quick message for anyone that might be interested in helping two awesome charities that mom and I totally support. <br />
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#1 - I will be running my 8th marathon in Philadelphia in November and decided to run it as a charity runner for <a href="http://www.girlsontherun.org/">Girls on the Run</a>. This is a fabulous organization that creates after school programs for girls in grades 3rd-8th that feature exercise, promoting healthy body images, and team work. I was a coach for a local site last year and was blown away at how much the girls grew in just a few short months. If you would like to learn more about this great organization and possibly help me in my fundraising here is a link to my page: <a href="http://www.active.com/donate/gotrhbwphillymar/lreedy101">Girls on the Run Fundraising</a><br />
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#2 Another vegan marathon runner has decided to run the Rock n' Roll Las Vegas half marathon and is also fundraising for the ASPCA. She has created an awesome raffle with great prizes (including a vitamix!!!). So if you are interested in joining in here is a link to her post: <a href="http://theveganweightwatcher.wordpress.com/team-aspca-raffle/">Vegan Weightwatcher Raffle </a><br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-20615709110297917612012-07-19T15:21:00.000-07:002012-07-19T15:21:33.021-07:00Make it By Midnight - Race ReviewA perfect example of how an idea can seem perfectly sane...5 months previously... In February, after a long training run in the freezing cold, Lindsey and I were sitting around bitching about the cold and surfing the internet looking at potential races for the spring. Somehow... Lindsey finds this race in Macon GA, the weekend of my 54th birthday... which is in July.. and it sounds great.. Gated community, you run 4- 6.6 mile loops for a full, 2- 6.6 mile loops for the 1/2 marathon. The bonus.. the whole idea is you can start whenever you want after 3pm... you just want to try to finish by midnight! Bonus number 2.. it is a very inexpensive race to run and they have cute T-shirts and pretty unique medals. Sign us up!<br />
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Fast forward to summer 2012.. we didn't plan for the kinds of heat and humidity that have been hanging around the mid west this year. So planned weekend long runs of 12 or 10 miles, got cut short to 10 or 8.. Week day runs got supplanted by workouts with the Mason Manta swim team... great cardio.. but not great preparation for the hills and humidity awaiting us in Georgia...<br />
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So we left Cincy on my birthday, Friday the 13th...duh..duh..duh....(horror movie music...) Had a great trip down to Atlanta. Got to hookup with Dan and Rami and see their new Condo (SWEET DIGS!) and on Saturday morning, we ran around Northern Atlanta to the REI store and hit up a Running Spot store. Then went to <a href="http://revolutiondoughnuts.com/" target="_blank">Revolution Doughnuts</a> to get an amazing Vegan Coconut Cake Donut and a cool coffee mug - then picked up some Vegan Cupcakes at <a href="http://dulcevegan.com/" target="_blank">Dulce Vegan Bakery</a> (the Chocolate strawberry were amazing!) and had their excellent Chicken salad sandwich. The baked goods were safely tucked away in the cooler as a celebration of both the completion of our run, and as a birthday treat for you know who! Hell yes we run to eat!<br />
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Then we drove the hour and 1/2 down to Macon and checked in to our hotel to relax for a little while. The race director had sent out an email reminding everyone to throw time goals out the window.. plan on running / walking slower than you ever had before because it was hot and hilly! See elevation profile below... yes it felt just like you were constantly climbing up or down stairs!<br />
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Lindsey thought she would be okay starting around 5:30 and we left the hotel about 4:45 to drive the 20 minutes over to the race venue. Sat in line to get through the guard house at the community and then drove to their clubhouse where the race would start. We got out of the car and the humidity was like walking through water. 98% according to the weather channel.. and no breeze.. I mean..NONE! 92 degrees out when Lindsey started her run.. I headed back to the hotel to hang out and await her text message on when we could hook up for the last 2 laps. <br />
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She text-ed after the first loop was done, and I could tell by the time.. she was moving slow. But then not too much longer she sent another saying she just passed 10..what! I was still lounging around in my pj's , so I pulled on my race clothes and jumped in the car to drive over as well. I didn't have long to wait before she headed down the hill to where the start line was..looking like a drowned rat .. she was ringing wet. Her only comment.. "This sucks..Put on bug spray". Off we went around 8:15. We headed away from the clubhouse to make a quick run by the lake. The only view of the water that you get during the race. I tried asking a few questions, but I could tell from talking to her that she was in a little trouble. She wasn't making sense when I'd ask questions, she was laughing and staggering off the road some.. okay.. time to walk for a while. Good decision as we started the first of many long climbs this race has to offer. I think you forget that Georgia is that hilly , we have all read the signs on 75 for Stone Mountain... We made it to the half way point in the first loop, and the ladies at the aid station were ready. They were handing out water, gatorade, salt, pickles, pretzels.. I opted for salt and ate about a teaspoon straight out of the cup. It tasted wonderful! Lindsey went with pickles and pickle juice. It worked for her too.. after about 10 minutes.. she started feeling better and was able to run again. By now the sun was going down and we had to go on flashlight power. They had given us handheld flashlights in our check in bags, so I started with that. It worked... kind of.. but since I was carrying it in my hand the light moved around a lot, and I had to keep pumping the flashlight handle to keep it powered. Plus , when we got back to Cincy we realized I was doing it wrong..so that was why the light kept dimming..Duh. I switched over to a headlamp for the last loop... which added a different issue.<br />
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This neighborhood had about 3 street lights ... so when it got full dark...it was DARK and noisy! Cicadas , crickets, bull frogs and barking dogs ... but you couldn't see past the light that was coming from my forehead. Moths, mosquitoes, and gnats kept flying into my eyes to get to the headlamp.. Great.. I think I ate a few bugs. Every time I tried to talk to Linz, I about blinded her by turning my head lamp right into her eyes. On the plus side.. you really couldn't tell how far you were in the loop , or how far you had to go, because you only had the circle of light to head towards.. so you just kept moving. (Go into the light... All are Welcome..) One more stop for more salt and pickles and we kept plodding along. 2 other racers passed us saying 40 minutes to get 3 miles done... Lindsey knew by checking her watch, we weren't going to make it. We had to walk the uphills and could only run the down hills and the flats, and even those we had to slow down for , because she was still a little shaky and the pavement was uneven enough, that we both tripped in the dark a couple of times. Not worth face planting, so we just stayed steady and finished up a few minutes after midnight. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Neither one of us wanted to stick around and socialize or eat, we just wanted to get back to the hotel, pull of our soaking wet clothes and socks, take a shower and cool off in front of the air conditioner... besides... we had birthday cupcakes waiting us! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">This definitely was an unusual race. They limit the runners to 150 registrations and only 116 showed up this year, and since everyone starts a different times, you are often running on your own for long stretches. We were both glad we had each other for company when it got dark. There were 5 houses that provided encouragement throughout the route whether it was little boys in lawn chairs cheering us up a hill, or little girls handing out glow stick necklaces, or the family that handed out the most delicious frozen grapes, our pickle juice stop, and the men who dragged a freezer out to the street corner with the longest extension cord.. to hand out cups of ice cream! But other than these amazing people.. the rest of the neighborhood was quiet and did I mention DARK. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I know, I know... who thinks to run in Georgia in July???? But we definitely made some memories on this one! And I got a shirt.. and a medal.. and a Tiara.. damn it! And yes I was tired in this picture..</span>Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-7565138136691126432012-06-27T06:58:00.000-07:002012-06-30T07:45:22.866-07:00Foodie Penpals Reveal Day<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank" title="The Lean Green Bean"><img alt="The Lean Green Bean" src="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/foodiepal_stamp2.jpg" style="border: medium none;" /></a> <br />
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In a random hour of computer surfing I came across this great website last month, where a blogger has organized a foodie exchange between over 1,000 people. I decided to join this growing exchange and signed up for June. I sent a package with Cincinnati favorites to a very nice gal, Tiffany in Texas, and I hope she enjoyed the goodies.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYfRybrmD2w/T-sQiv88gLI/AAAAAAAAAEk/MIt2ioX-Ajk/s1600/SAM_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYfRybrmD2w/T-sQiv88gLI/AAAAAAAAAEk/MIt2ioX-Ajk/s400/SAM_0281.JPG" width="400" /></a>I was super excited when my own package came from <a href="http://www.healthyfoodietravels.net/">Kiri</a>, also a fellow Ohioan, and opened it to find a whole host of vegan friendly goodies including a bag of quinoa (one of my favorite grains!), a fruit leather (great item for packing lunches or traveling to marathons), and a coconut/chocolate bar that I will definitely be trying soon.<br />
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But the most intriguing item was this jar of sesame "candy." Kiri explained that she loves international foods and that this product, while labeled candy, isn't your traditional American candy bar. I had to try some and found it to be a very fun treat. Put on a spoon it had a somewhat powdery consistency but when you placed it on your mouth it melted and had a great pistachio and light sesame flavor. <br />
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Finally she also included a box of Teatulia teas that was a sampler of several flavors. While I haven't tried them all I did brew up a cup of the Peppermint and loved it! Mint teas are my favorite evening treat and this blend had a great minty fragrance and strength. <br />
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Thanks again Foodie Penpal Kiri!! </div>
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If you are interested in joining Foodie Penpals here are the details:
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<b>-On the 5th of every month, you will receive
your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact
your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you
might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.</b><br />
<b>-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of
goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about
the goodies you received from your penpal! </b><br />
<b>-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things,
local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The
box must also include something written. This can be anything from a
note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!</b><br />
<b>-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your
items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget
about flat rate boxes!)</b><br />
<b>-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If
you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a
short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you
received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry
about writing a post for that month. </b><br />
<b>-Foodie Penpals is open to US & Canadian residents. Please
note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve
determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to
send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice
versa. </b><br />
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If you’re interested in participating for July, please <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE </a>to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.
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</div>Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-80388210563843138902012-06-18T15:40:00.004-07:002012-06-19T06:57:45.186-07:00Race Recaps and Ramblings<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hi9P4W9azO8/T98iMLFB6VI/AAAAAAAAADE/Ug_26c2LZ5A/s1600/628x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hi9P4W9azO8/T98iMLFB6VI/AAAAAAAAADE/Ug_26c2LZ5A/s320/628x471.jpg" width="320" /></a>So last fall after two enjoyable marathons at Marshal and Indianapolis, I cooked up a half brained idea for 2012 that included 7 marathons in an 8 month time span. The reasoning (if you can call it that) was that I would like to complete the 50 states challenge of running a marathon in each state by the time I turn 40. In order to do that I figured I could quickly ramp up and have 10 states under my belt and then do a much more "realistic" 4 marathons a year for 10 years. Fast forward to last weekend and you found mom and I running in 85 degree heat in the hills of Kentucky/West Virginia at the Hatfield McCoy marathon. Three weeks earlier I had an awesome marathon experience in Vermont. It was hilly, it was hot, and it was my slowest marathon time yet, but I loved almost every minute of it! Vermont had beautiful scenery and some of the most positive people I have seen on a marathon course in a good while. Running you got to see scenes like this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes we did run that hill in the background </td></tr>
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I knew going into this race that it was definitely hillier than pancake
flat Champaign Urbana and a few days before the run I took a peak at
the elevation profile and may have peed my pants a little bit. </div>
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While the course and conditions were tough the marathon ended up being a great experience and huge kudos to the people and volunteers behind this race who pulled off one heck of a good run.<br />
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Coming off of Vermont I had three weeks to once again recover and prepare myself for the next one in Kentucky. This time around mom was going to be joining me for the half and so we headed down to feudin' country to tackle the hills of Eastern Kentucky at Hatfield Mccoy. We knew once again that this was a hilly course, but I didn't compare the elevation change to Vermont until after the race when I was surprised to find that this one was actually hillier - I think willful ignorance is a good racing strategy don't you? <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boy would we feel that Blackberry Mountain around mile 6</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Looking back, and talking with mom's, we definitely had some mixed emotions on this race. The marathon has excellent reviews and runners all over the United States proclaim this as one of the best races they have done. That high praise may have led us to have too high expectations and I found this one to be enjoyable, but also containing some problems. Number one was lodging. Surprise, surprise but Holiday Inn and Hilton don't build hotels in way off the grid Williamson, Kentucky. Having 500 + runners invade these backwater towns led to some creative hotel arrangements. The local firehouse offered runners air mattresses in a florescent filled hall and some local families agreed to take runners into their homes. Planning ahead I had managed to score us one of the scarce rooms in a local B&B in Matewan, WV where the half marathon ended. When we got there we were greeted with this sight:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup - this plus about 10 more buildings was the whole town</td></tr>
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Good news - we were staying in what was definitely the nicest place in Matewan and were greeted by a very upbeat and friendly innkeeper. Bad news - our room was literally built 10 feet from a very active railroad line with trains that ran throughout the entire night - surprisingly it didn't interfere with our sleep too much! The race itself started off without a hitch and cooler morning temps led to a good race through about mile 10.<br />
Mom had a great half marathon and we managed to keep our pace for the first half within a few minutes of Illinois - impressive given we had to go over Blackberry mountain during those miles. Coming into Matewan you could feel the heat start to rise and mom was glad to give me a high five and a wave as she crossed her finish line and went on to stretch, cool down, and hitch a ride back to the finish line.<br />
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Leaving the half-marathoners I always get a little surge as I feel like its at this point that the marathon really "starts." Unfortunately it was also at this point that the road conditions quickly started to deteriorate and I was soon running on dirt ATV trails with mega gravel chunks punishing the bottom of my feet. I could tell I was developing a blister from the combination of crappy socks and crappy roads, but just kept pushing through the pain. Along the way I met some great "50 staters" and <a href="http://www.marathonmaniacs.com/">Marathon Maniacs</a> (of which I am now one!!!) and had some good conversations about their favorite races, racing tips, and everything else marathon related. However, I was very happy to see these two gentlemen at the finish line and take off my shoes (CAUTION - ugly blister photo follows). <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good Ol' Devil Anse Hatfield and Randal McCoy high-fived every runner at the finish line<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No I do not have six toes - that is my blister </td></tr>
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Road conditions, hotel accommodations, and some transportation mishaps that mom had to suffer through, made this at times a frustrating experience and while there were good parts I think mom and I are glad to have both West Virginia and Kentucky now off our racing calendar and can start looking forward to other states...like our next challenge Macon, GA in July (what the hell were we thinking!). <br />
<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-29814922360139527962012-06-10T17:42:00.000-07:002012-06-10T17:42:19.931-07:00Vermont - Who Knew?So we headed to Providence on May 19th to attend Abbey's Graduation (great weekend...I'm .so proud of my baby girl!) and of course when your attempting to do the 50 marathons in 50 states, as Lindsey is.. you look for a marathon. Just so happens the same weekend was the Shires of Vermont in Bennington VT. Marathon Guide gave it thumbs up last year (it's inaugural running...) so away we go! No half marathon option, so this time I got to be a spectator and supporter. Very happy as it ended up being in the 80's and HILLY (aka Mountainous) . But I was jealous as I drove her to the start line, that I could not join in this weekend. Lindsey can do the race recap.. this post is just to comment about how lovely the state of Vermont is.<br />
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I had no idea.. having never been to this area of the country before. Vermont.. if you didn't get so dang cold in the winter, I would love to relocate.. <br />
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First you get views like this...I mean this is what you see everywhere you turn.<span id="goog_1459840851"></span><span id="goog_1459840852"></span><br />
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Next you meet some of the nicest people. From the hotel manager, to the ladies at the pizza place that we ate that evening. VEGAN Pizza in a small town in Vermont??? Where were we? And you know how we have the painted pigs all over Cincy? Well they have painted Moose! I forgot.. or didn't know that Moose lived in Vermont. Check them out! They were too cute. </div>
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<br />Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-88799615851743342242012-04-29T15:53:00.000-07:002012-04-29T15:53:44.969-07:00Roses are Red... and a 26.2 Sticker for my car!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I get to check this off my bucket list, and while yesterday on the way home I was saying NEVER again.... 24 hours later , kind of like child birth, I'm saying...okay maybe one more time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The week prior to the race was not exactly what I had planned for (aka..relaxing) I had an unexpected trip to Florida tossed in, no real sleep, or normal meals for 4 days and a 2 am flight back home...you get the picture. But maybe it wasn't all that bad..I didn't have a chance to obsess or worry about what was coming up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We headed over to Champaign, IL on Friday afternoon. First was a stop at REI in Indianapolis. Cincinnati is getting one of these stores this fall, and we wanted to check it out in person. Very nice indeed. Picked up a few extra nutrition bars and back in the car to head to downtown Champaign for packet pickup and the Expo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Expo was small, not too many vendors, but the Jazz Apple people were there handing out apple samples and a free apple cutter. Very cute! Lindsey had mapped out a back route to our hotel which was 1/2 hour south of the city. This was the closest hotel we could find... but first..on the way out of town we grabbed some lunch at Atlanta Bread Company. (Remember when we used to have these in Cincy? I always liked them more than Panera!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to the hotel, we passed signs like the old Burma Shave signs posted by a place called gunssavelife.com They were very entertaining! Like </span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> "DIALED 9-1-1 - AND I'M ON HOLD - SURE WISH I HAD - THAT GUN I SOLD"</span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but our favorite....</span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">" ROSES ARE RED - MY GUN IS BLUE- I AM SAFE- HOW ABOUT YOU"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Hotel was comfortable and a quick trip to the IGA provided salads for dinner. 10:30 came around quickly and we needed to be up by 5:30 am to drive back to Univ. of Illinois campus and park. It was after dinner I realized.. my phone was missing.. GRRRR searched the rental car, searched the room, called the Expo and Atlanta Bread Company... bingo.. they found it and said they would lock it in the safe until I could return after the race. But in the stress of running around looking for my phone, I managed to eat an entire packet of Raisinettes..and I didn't even realize it??? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">We woke up to rain storms and 40 degree weather.. Ugh.. but by the time we got to the parking lot, the rain had stopped Yeah! It was chilly out, but the rain held off all day and it was actually perfect running weather. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Kudos to the entire city of Champaign Urbana for an extremely well run event. Great crowd support, water stations every mile, music on course , happy police protecting the street crossings....all of this made the running a little easier. At the point where the half marathoners split off from the full marathoners I got a little emotional. I had always left Lindsey at this point and headed in to finish my race. The thought of doing another 13.1 scared the shit out of me! Lindsey stayed with me until mile 18, motivating me and reminding me to look around and enjoy the journey. I was starting to drop behind her and while she was very willing to hang in until the end with me.. I knew I just wanted to be alone with this. I popped in my head phones and tried to use that as a distraction from the pain that was starting in my back. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">I had run 20 miles during training but at 21 things got bad. My back seized up and I was reduced to walking. I panicked a little, started hyperventilating, and spent the next miles talking to myself and remembering to just breath. Once I got to 23 though I knew this was in the bag... I mean.. I only had a 5K left.. piece of cake right? I was able to start mixing in running with the walking. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;">Lindsey was waiting at the finish line and snapped a picture .. of me with my classic running pose of my head down on the ground... Is it any wonder my shoulders and neck are killing me today? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none;"><br /></span></span></div>Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0Champaign, IL, USA40.1164204 -88.243382940.0678484 -88.3223469 40.1649924 -88.1644189tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-44549974753067936592012-04-08T16:36:00.000-07:002012-04-08T16:36:53.618-07:00Relentless Forward Progress3 years ago, we started down the path of weight loss. 2 years ago we ran our first 5K. For someone who NEVER thought running could be an enjoyable past-time, I looked at it more as a marker of fitness, a box that needed to be checked off, to say you can do this. It took me almost 45 minutes to finish, but felt amazing... and something clicked. Running could be fun. <br />
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Fast forward 2 years... and several 10K, Half Marathons, and 2 Tri-Athlon's later... and for the past 4 months we have been training for my first Marathon. My first....and my last... I have already decided. While Lindsey enjoys this , and has the admirable goal of becoming a 50-50'r (1 marathon in each of 50 states....) I just want to finish one. To say I did it, to check another box off the list, to know I was willing to put in the effort required. But I'm not enjoying this... my body is too old... and to screwed up to take the pounding without some serious damage... I fear. So after this one.. I'm going back to Half Marathons.. and will wait at the finish line to cheer my crazy daughter as she works on her goal. <br />
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But the funny thing is through all this training... where 3 miles used to feel like the impossible.. now 6 miles is a comfortable Saturday run. 10 miles is a work out... but not a hated distance, and the occasional 13.1 feels like the perfect thing to make sure I keep my fitness level up enough to continue to accompany her.<br />
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So yesterday was my last long run before the big event. 20 miles. My longest distance so far. 16 miles went well... 18 miles made me cry... I was terrified of 20... and they all say if you can do 20... you can do 26.2...because the last 6 you run with your heart... not your legs. I understand that more now. <br />
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First off the prep work.. <br />
Can you believe all the crap you have to have to go run for 20 miles?<br />
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Paper towel.. for blowing your nose, gloves (it was cold when we started and I wore these the first 10), water bottle, wet wipes (in ziplock bag) in case I needed to take an emergency bathroom break in the woods..yes you do this....Spibelt to carry snacks (you have to eat every hour), Ipod, and a cooler with a water re-fill. </div>
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So our plan was to head to the Loveland bike trail and park in down town Loveland. Run south for 5 miles, back 5 miles to the car... refill water , grab more food if needed... use the bathroom that we knew was open... then run north 5 miles and return to the car. And off we went. </div>
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Issue number 1... 5 miles in... where we normally take our first fuel break.. I realize I left my spi-belt in the car and I had no food with me. Lindsey is able to use Gel packs and has no issue with them... they kill my stomach, so even though she had an extra one, I was reluctant to try , and decided I would just wait until I got back to the car to eat... by mile 8, I could tell I was running out of energy... and starting to "bonk". My brain gets goofy and it makes it hard to think...but we have a system, where Lindsey runs to my left and I tend to watch her legs moving out of the corner of my eye... so I focused on watching her... and made it back to the car in good time. I wolfed down 1/2 of my espresso bonk bar in 2 bites, refilled my water, quick trip to the bathroom and hit the trail.. </div>
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The north bound trails is a lot busier than the south, so that helped to distract us through the next 5 miles. That and Lindsey's catching my up on the last 2 episodes of Tabitha. At 15 miles though it was time to put on the head phones and focus on getting back to the car. I waved Lindsey off (she is faster than I am , and at this point I need to just go into my head and figure out how to ignore the pain. ) Mile 16 and 17 wasn't horrible, but by 18... I was forced to throw in way more walk time than I wanted. Everything hurt, and I was ready to be DONE! By 19 though, I looked at my watch and my goal was to finish in under 5 hours...and it was going to be close... So I picked it up and shuffled my way to the end. </div>
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I honestly don't know if I have 6.2 more in me... I guess I'll find that out in 3 weeks. But I want the damn 26.2 sticker for the back of my car... and I'm hoping the marathon atmosphere will help me along the last couple of miles. And I'm going to remind myself that I'm NEVER doing this again. </div>
<br />Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-10935380379300579762012-02-10T06:08:00.000-08:002012-02-10T06:08:31.119-08:00Winter Musings..So last Saturday we did our long run in the cold rain. 11 miles and the last 3 were pretty miserable.. Both of us are wondering why we live in Ohio? I ask myself this every winter. I don't understand why I choose to remain in a place where I am miserable 3-4 months out of the year? This Saturday, we have 12 miles on the schedule and right now the weather is predicted to be in the high 20's with wind chills near zero and an inch of snow on the ground??? WTF ? But if you want to do a spring marathon, you have to put the miles in and 12 miles on a treadmill is mind numbing. So the plan.. for now... is to run to Blue Ash Rec center which is just about 4 miles away... go in and do 4 miles on the treadmill to warm up.. and then run home... We shall see.. <br />
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But before I looked at the weather, we had planned on going up to Buckeye and run with the group up there. Since Valentines day is around the corner, I wanted to make cookies for after the run.. so VEGAN sugar cookies it is! I have made this recipe 5 times over the last year for different events, and this is my new favorite thing. These turn out perfect, taste amazing, the dough is EASY to work with, and start to finish I can knock these out in a little over an hour. Aren't they cute?<br />
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And yes.. I have already eaten several.. so I need to get them out of the house! I will deliver them to Buckeye today, in case I'm not brave enough to run up that way tomorrow. For some reason it's about 5 degrees colder in Mason than Blue Ash???<br />
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And another random note..I am a Converse shoe addict.. I don't know what it is about these dang things but I love them. Here's the deal, I wear a size 12 woman's shoe. Given my shoe size and the size of my hands, if I had been born a man, let's just say I would be the envy of the locker room... But I digress... As a person who wears size 12 women's shoes.. my options are pretty limited most of the time. I can spend a hundred bucks and find cute flattering shoes,and I do stalk Nordstrom Rack, but for cheap shoes I pretty much have Payless as my only outlet. Enter Converse.. almost all of their shoes are uni-sex, and like Nike, you can customize your shoes and make a pair that no one else has. Every time I wear one of my 5 pairs of Converse, to work.. with dress pants mind you... I get complements.. <br />
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So 2 years ago, Converse came out with a line of Dr. Seuess shoes. I didn't find out about this until a year later, and sizes were limited...I found the cutest pair for my new nephew.. but I couldn't find the ones I wanted in my size.. Until last week! Now I can't wait until next December, when I am pretty much going to be wearing these for one whole month... ta da! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSaOGgyFsg8/TzUkhdkbXKI/AAAAAAAAKSU/3eGMPQPoUOs/s1600/grinch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSaOGgyFsg8/TzUkhdkbXKI/AAAAAAAAKSU/3eGMPQPoUOs/s400/grinch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-50748664020894089862012-01-17T11:45:00.000-08:002012-01-17T11:45:00.027-08:00Row, Row, Row Your Boat (WOW #3)So after ballet class and pilates, mom and I decided we would try a new fitness class offered by the <a href="http://nolimitsrowing.com/nlrcincinnati.html">Cincinnati Rowing Club.</a>
Billed as a low impact cross-training class, we went in with a little
familiarity with rowing machines having used them for warm-ups during
cardio workouts. <br />
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The gym itself is a pretty low key
building. It shares the space with an Irish dancing company and when we
entered were greeted by the site of 10 year olds jigging like crazy.
The No Limits Rowing class is a combination of rowing drills, weight
training, and core work and we started with a short warm-up followed by
intervals of weight lifting and then rowing. This was overall a pretty
good workout. As total newbies the instructor did give us some minor
corrections in regards to form which really helped in getting a smoother
pull and release. I kept waiting for the sound of a drum and a little
skinny pirate guy with a whip to come out and yell "row ye bastards."
Alas no such luck. <br />
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the end of the hour our shoulders were burning and I'm sure if we kept
up with the class we would start looking like these guys....<br />
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All in all a good workout and definitely something different than our usual running routine. Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-37578405929381324152012-01-02T09:00:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:00:09.055-08:00Workout of the Week (WOW) #2 and Resolution RunWell its a new year and these two bloggers were definitely ready to bid 2011 goodbye. Aside from some great goals that we accomplished on the fitness front, our personal and family lives have been less than stellar. So like many others out there we both are hoping that 2012 is a better year for everyone! But before the ball dropped I coned mom and sister into joining me for round two of new fitness classes and we went to a local workout studio called<a href="http://purebarre.com/index.html"> Pure Barre</a>. This place provides Barre classes which according to the website is a technique designed to "lift your seat, tone your thighs and burn fat in record-breaking time." Using the ballet barre you perform small movements that are designed to work your whole body and build lean muscles. They call this "intelligent exercise" but all three of us felt pretty stupid at some point during the workout. Luckily it was an early morning class and we were the only three participants. Yet while we laughed at our inflexibility and weak core movements (must work on this!!) and sometimes flat out fell (okay that was just me) we all REALLY enjoyed the class. Angela our instructor was very patient and the workout was amazing. Who knew that squeezing a small ball between your legs while doing squats and leg lifts would burn so much!! We also all felt this class the next day further proving that Barre workouts are not BS. <br />
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However, once the calendar year flipped to 2012 it was back to running so the three of us hit a local running store <a href="http://www.buckeyerunningcompany.com/">Buckeye Running Company</a> which was hosting a New Years Day brunch run. Amanda over at <a href="http://www.runtothefinish.com/2011/12/resolution-run-bib-and-points.html">Run to the Finish </a>had posted a virtual Resolution Run for the start of the year so I signed mom and I up for this and we headed out to Buckeye for a free breakfast and a quick 3 miles. It was super windy with 40 mph gusts so the first mile which featured a slow uphill and was run right into the wind was our slowest. Mile 2 we picked up some steam and really got moving for the rest of the run as the wind was at our backs and literally pushed us back to the store. If you ever visit Cincinnati and need running apparel think of heading over to Buckeye. Steve is the nicest store manager and really caters to runners needs!! Bagels, muffins, fresh fruit, mimosas, red wine, and more greeted us once we got inside so between drinking and shopping we had a great New Years morning. Hope everyone else enjoyed their holidays and had a wonderful New Years....our journey continues in 2012!Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-37489537012399875762011-12-24T19:01:00.000-08:002011-12-24T19:01:15.505-08:00Thank you Secret Santa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I got home yesterday I had a small envelope from Amazon waiting for me sent by my secret Santa Leana <a href="http://runnerleana.blogspot.com/">http://runnerleana.blogspot.com</a>. Jill over at <a href="http://runwithjill.blogspot.com/2011/11/2nd-annual-holiday-blogger-gift.html">Run with Jill</a> hosted a blog gift exchange and when I opened my package inside I found this:<br />
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Got a kick out of reading it and learned lots of interesting Canadian recipes like beaver tail and moose stew. Thanks Leana and Merry Christmas to everyone!!Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-3595173917503806082011-12-19T09:42:00.000-08:002011-12-20T13:34:52.830-08:00Random Thoughts and Trying Something NewAhhh Christmas. The time of year when people's driving sucks even more than usual and when sweaters that should have been burnt years ago are now proudly sported everywhere and called fashionable. Lest my sarcasm confuse you let me reassure you that this isn't another post filled with reminiscing about the "good old days" and talking about the unappreciative youth of America. I like Christmas and I like presents. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or depressed. How can you not help but fist pump in triumph when you beat other shoppers and find that one perfect parking spot close to the mall entrance? And you can practically taste victory when you manage to score free shipping and a coupon code on that item for Aunt Sally. Christmas can manage to bring out the best and worst in people, but while driving around looking at Christmas lights, I focus on feeling the Christmas spirit (while harshly judging tacky light displays).<br />
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But Christmas aside, I did want to post the first of what will hopefully be weekly(ish) posts as mom and I delve into new workout routines. We have both been really bad these last few months and are looking to drop some weight in 2012 and get back on track. While running will still be our thing....five marathons on the books for next year (more info to come)!! We both recognize that we need to cross train more and try new things. The fitness world is chocked full of classes and we have decided to venture into this strange and crazy world by trying one new class every week. Luckily a lot of gyms close to us offer a free trial class so this will hopefully be a cheap way to sweat off some weight and probably make complete a$$es of ourselves in the process. <br />
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This weeks attempt: Pilates for Runners. Now we have both tried Pilates in the past and found it to be a great cardio workout. Unlike the yoga classes I have taken where flexibility and head stands are called for, Pilates seems to be more of a toning and strengthening workout. I am particularly looking forward to this class as it is taught by a marathon runner who promises to make you a "faster more efficient and injury free runner." Who wouldn't want that! So mom and I will be jumping in the car this evening to head out and try Pilates for Runners....I'm anticipating lots of grunting and potentially some uncontrolled laughter as I struggle to do sit-ups. I'll be sure to post our thoughts after class!<br />
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UPDATE: So we made the trip downtown to Pilates and all in all really enjoyed the class. Kristine the instructor was very methodical in her approach and rather than jumping from one position to the next, really took the time to explain the reasoning behind each move and how to position your body. Also, because this was tailored to runners, she spent a lot of time working those muscles that are frequently weak in runners. Once again I was surprised to find myself sweating during this class as the movements are so minute and to the outsider it probably looks like we are all lying on our backs struggling to tie our shoes. Oh well, Pilates for runners was fun and we will be sure to update you all on our next exercise adventure! Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-46295410712893901722011-12-08T06:01:00.000-08:002011-12-08T06:01:03.677-08:00Living in the Present<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_9OwflbSOU/TuC_97FW9-I/AAAAAAAAKR0/B-0teJMspko/s1600/1330077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U_9OwflbSOU/TuC_97FW9-I/AAAAAAAAKR0/B-0teJMspko/s1600/1330077.jpg" /></a></div>Christmas is stressful. We all freak out about it, whether it be gifts, decorations, holiday parties, or crazy families. And then you get a message out of the blue that puts everything into perspective. Tuesday, I went to the memorial service for my friend's husband.. Charlie. Charlie was only 63, which now that I am 52.. I can say is way too young. This was unexpected, and no one was prepared for it. Family and friends had an opportunity to talk about a man they had all loved. It was a service that truly was a tribute to a life well lived. And that was the one thing that struck me... everyone was laughing because they all had Charlie stories and the common theme was Charlie always lived in the moment. His goal in life was to enjoy it and to make sure those around him enjoyed it as well. Every statement was a joyful remembrance of this man's life. I was struck by all those who related how much they would miss Charlie's laugh the most. What a life lesson I got. I was prepared to go and grieve and to leave feeling wrung out and miserable. Instead I left much more light-hearted than I had when I arrived. <br />
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Charlie was also the man that taught me how to program computers almost 30 years ago. His patience and laughter during my beginning attempts as a programmer provided just the balance to my frustrations at learning this new task. But he believed that I could do it, and because I respected him, I believed I could as well. His belief fueled a 30 year career that has provided for my daughters all these years as a single parent. To say I owe him much would be an understatement. And at his memorial service, I received another lesson from him... to live in the present. To focus on joyful moments with friends and family because those little moments become the memories others have of us.. and wouldn't you rather want them to be positive ones! Charlie you are already missed, but your friends are already talking about this years Christmas party and how you will be there in the stories that are told about you at past gatherings. You lived life well, thank you for the reminder to all of us on how to do this.Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-76306884899949989102011-11-29T15:30:00.001-08:002011-11-29T16:29:21.815-08:00What Do You Eat....?So now that it is several days past Thanksgiving and we have all begun to crawl back from carbohydrate comas I thought a post discussing one of the most common questions Mom and I get would be in order. When we decided to change our lifestyles and become healthier, one of <b>the </b>most important things to consider was our diet. Previously, I had become a vegetarian due to ethical reasons. While this change certainly decreased the amount of red meat I consumed it also meant I just swapped breads and pasta for chicken and steak and a 350 lbs. vegetarian was created. I stuck to the vegetarian diet, even when I received quiet a few surprised looks whenever I told anyone I was a vegetarian. I could see their eyes grow skeptical as they sized me up and thought "what a fat vegetarian! I thought that was a myth, like Bigfoot or Yeti's."<br />
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So our first step was to ditch the unhealthy vegetarian food items and get back to the basics. In the summer this meant a lot of salads and fresh fruits and veggies, in the winter big pots of vegetable soups. Somewhere along the way I decided that mom and I should take the next stop and adopt a vegan diet. This change has brought even more benefits and has left us truly feeling healthy at last. While I'm not pushing the vegan diet on anyone else, I can say that personally it helped me drop some of those pesky pounds while leaving me feeling energized and satisfied. I have found it is hard to be sluggish on kale and spinach! This transition, was made that much easier with a few food items I would like to share. These are all quick and easy products that taste great and also just so happen to be good for the environment too.<br />
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First up is the so called <a href="http://www.miraclenoodle.com/">"miracle noodles"</a> featured on many talk shows, diet cookbooks, and blogs. We were on the shirataki train well before Rachel Ray decided to splash some EVOO on them and found these noodles to be a great alternative to traditional pasta. At about 10 calories a serving you could potentially eat the whole bag and still be under 100 calories for a meal. However there is one caution - these noodles, made of some sort of yam flour, smell extremely strong straight from the bag so follow the directions and wash them well before eating!!<br />
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If the thought of yam flour noodles doesn't make the kiddies run to the dinner table another pasta/main dish option we have found is broccoli slaw. Those bags of pre-shredded ruffage, when steamed and lightly tossed with pasta sauce, make an awesome quick dinner for two. Again they are extremely low in calories so you don't have to feel guilty going for that second helping. Another note of warning about these though - if you are new to eating lots of fruits and vegetables, broccoli can cause some serious gas. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the first time mom and I cooked up a big batch of this we created our own soundtrack to <i>Australia </i>as we watched the film later that night. <br />
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Two other products I have come to love are my go to food items for lunch. First, I am a peanut butter addict and find it difficult not to take spoonfuls of this stuff several times a day. To combat this addiction I have found the pre-portioned <a href="http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/">Justin's nut butters</a> to be a great option for me. Throw this in my lunch bag with a couple puffed cakes and I'm set. And the cakes I am currently loving are <a href="http://www.deliceglobal.com/">Kim's Magic Pops</a>...we have these at several local grocery stores, and while I don't know who Kim is, I can say her cakes are magic at only 15 calories a piece and great topped with a variety of items like hummus, honey, or yes peanut butter! <br />
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So while temptation is all around this time of year, make sure you take some time and plan to have some healthy options on hand...come January 1st when the fitness craze hits everyone, you will be able to smile and strut in jeans that still fit! <br />
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<b>Have you tried one of these products? </b><br />
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<b>Do you have your own favorite healthy foods or tips to share? </b><br />
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-67220632622012320012011-11-18T07:28:00.000-08:002011-11-18T07:28:30.285-08:00One Hot MamaGetting older sucks... okay I'm going to say it again... Getting older sucks. To hell with the 50 is the new 30 crap that you hear. If you hear that from someone, I wouldn't want to buy a used car from them, because they are liars. <br />
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Milestones that no one talks about. <br />
<b>30 +</b> Once you cross the 30 age mark you stop healing the way you once did. <br />
Remember when you could go on a weekend and party, or perform some fun athletic event, like whitewater rafting, horseback riding etc, and then go into work on Monday none the worse for wear... Once you hit your 30's.. that leaves you. Maybe it is for a reason.. you are 30 something after all so time to start acting like a grown up. I got tossed off a horse at the age of 31 and dislocated my ankle. The really cute emergency room doctor said.."wow.. your going to wish you broke that..." Why? Because your over 30 and that is going to take 6 months to heal.. WTF??? I was incredulous... but he was right. It was 6 months before I could honestly say it didn't bother me anymore, and it still lets me know when the weather is going to change. <br />
<b>40 +</b> 40 something becomes the decade where you no longer have long enough arms to read. It starts slowly.. you find yourself squinting at print and bitching in restaurants that the lighting is really bad. You hold items out as far as you can to be able to read small print. Finally you break down and buy a pair of readers at the grocery store. 1.25 magnification isn't s-o-o-o bad...right? Besides they come in really cute colors. Next thing you know you have 10 pairs of the suckers in varying degrees of power sprinkled all over the house/office/purse/car. Next step must be the big sun-glass goggles that are so prevalent in sunny southern climes.<br />
<b>50 +</b> Welcome to Menopause... Our mothers didn't really talk about it. Yes they mentioned hot flashes in passing but really you couldn't have done a better job preparing me for this? Thank heavens layering is currently a fashion trend. I head to work with a tank top under every outfit because I just never know when the strip show is going to begin. Now that it is winter in Ohio.. and my bedroom is kept at a comfortable 60 degrees, I thought this would help. But I go to bed under 2 blankets wearing fuzzy pj bottoms , a tank top and a sweatshirt.. and sometime during the night I find myself lying naked under a ceiling fan? I know , I know you can take medication for this.. but really I don't need drugs to deal with something that is normal and natural, even if it isn't exactly fun. I have tried the teas, and I know there are other herbal remedies to try.. but many of them are pricey... so...we shall see how long this phase lasts... And hopefully I won't have a house fire on one of the "those" nights. Can't wait to see what 60 brings....Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-17040371292295673312011-11-14T11:32:00.000-08:002011-11-14T11:37:18.416-08:00Marshall Marathon - Race RecapMost of us are aware of the Marshall Football team tragedy in 1970 , when the football team was lost in a horrible plane accident. So running a marathon , where you finished inside the "Thundering Herd" stadium, carrying a football tucked under your arm across the finish line, made this race an attractive option on Lindsey's to-do list. In case you didn't know it she is going to try for the <a href="http://www.50statesmarathonclub.com/50dc/index.html">50 States marathon club</a>. This is where you run a marathon in every state.. At first I thought this was a crazy idea, but... now that I am going to attempt a full marathon next year .. not once ... but 3 times.. I understand the attraction. So I went along to do the 1/2 marathon, and to drive the car home. It was just 3 weeks ago that we did the Indy marathons, and both of us were wondering how this would work.<br />
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We drove over Saturday afternoon.. Huntington is a quick 3 hour scenic drive. The marathon is hosted by an organization called Healthy Huntington. And the one thing that struck us as we drove in to town, was the number of Cancer and Heart doctors with billboards around town. Also the number of cemeteries...It was kind of creepy. We picked up our race packets at the University rec center.. really nice place by the way and the shirts were ADORABLE! Buffalo imprinted long sleeve tech shirts from Brooks, very nice. <br />
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Race morning, I wondered who they had to pay off to get such amazing weather. Temperatures were just under 40, but it wasn't windy at all. Stadium bathrooms were open so no long lines waiting to use a freezing cold porta-potty, but rather a toasty warm bathroom. The race is small.. about 1500 half marathoners, and 500 full marathoners. And the runners are extremely friendly.<br />
Honestly it was the people we met along the way that made this race for both of us. We met 2 gentlemen who were part of the 50 states club. You can find them , because they ... like us... hang at the back of the pack not trying to break the time of their last marathon, but just enjoying the run and the scenery. Both had run marathons the day before! One had driven down to Savannah, run the Savannah marathon, then got in the car and drove 9 hours to Huntington, to run Huntington on Sunday!!!! We picked their brains to see what races they had enjoyed the most and just chatted along a mostly boring first half of the course. It wasn't until about mile 6 when we entered a park , did I really enjoy the run. You can't tell from this picture though.. This was in the Huntington newspaper the next day...I don't look like I'm enjoying this much..<br />
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The park had a nice crushed gravel path and we spent the next 5 miles running in comfort. We could have used a few more water stations along the way, but for a half marathon experience, I was enjoying it. It seemed easier somehow than Indy had been... probably because it was so flat. <br />
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At mile 12.1 Lindsey and I separated.. I headed toward the stadium to complete my run, she headed across campus to circle around and start the loop again. I finished the race 3 minutes faster than my last 1/2, which was nice... but the post race food was a disappointment... lots of Little Debbie snack cakes and burgers... so I headed to the car to grab some peanut butter crackers and to change my clothes. I caught Lindsey as she made her way around the back of the stadium and bitched about the food... She just looked at me like I was crazy... because she still had 12 more miles to run! <br />
I jumped in the car and drove back to the park area, so I could wait for her there. The weather was still gorgeous with temperatures in the mid 50's and tons of sunshine. I hung out at one of the water stations talking to the volunteers and complementing them on a job well done! They had the football game on and were having a great time encouraging the runners. I ran about another 2 miles with Linz around the park and then drove back to the Stadium to see her finish. She completed her race about 2 minutes slower than Indy, but not bad at all. (She swears it is the extra Porta-potty stop she had in this race versus the last)<br />
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Overall not a bad weekend. Great weather certainly helped make this an enjoyable one, but she is glad to have WV off her race list. 3 down... 47 more to go!Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-39897976442053650952011-10-18T06:03:00.000-07:002011-10-18T07:07:27.444-07:00Success at IndySince I have done a terrible job updating this blog to reflect my running goals/progress I did not share how my marathon training (version 2.0) went compared with the disaster that was the Flying Pig. If you need a refresher on my first attempt at a marathon just scan back to one of the early posts and you will see me lamenting about poor training decisions, poor nutrition decisions, and poor outfit choices....or maybe those came only after looking at the race photos.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, this time around I promised that I would train smarter, eat better, and be less of a head case about this whole marathon thing and the result was that I had a MUCH better race this past Saturday in Indianapolis.</div><div><br /></div><div>We left Cincy on Friday afternoon with the dogs safely in the care of my gradma, a.k.a dog babysitter and hot dog provider, and made the short drive up to Indy. The race is sponsored by their big health network, so the race expo was appropriately staffed with tables full of free bandaids, icy hot, and athletes foot creme. With about 2,700 runners total between the half and full marathon it was a small, but well run expo and while I missed all the glossy brochures and swag that the larger Flying Pig expo had, it was still a very organized affair. We then left the expo and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Drury Inn and lets just say it was a great choice! I am not a paid spokesperson for this chain, and really dislike staying in hotels, so believe me when I say mom and I were impressed. They were a sponsored hotel of the race and went</div><div> out of their way to include race friendly hot food on their free dinner buffet as well as open the free morning buffet about an hour earlier than normal so we racers could eat before we left.</div><div><div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Morning of the race arrived and all in all we both felt calm and ready to go. We arrived about an hour before the race, got our race numbers and chip timers on, and then stepped out of the car into 25 mph winds. Yes, the curse of Lindsey struck again where weather is concerned. I can almost guarantee that if I am running there will be rain, snow, desert heat, or hail...I think I have run in all these conditions so Indy started off as no exception. We made it to the start line, visited the potties, and then huddled together to try and stay warm.</div></div><div><div><br /></div><div> Outwardly we looked like this...</div></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j8Id3r1JncE/Tp19nvLim8I/AAAAAAAAAA4/Ob2VBi23kuw/s320/Dogs%252C%2BCanoes%252C%2Band%2BIndy%2B019.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664822027935194050" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Inwardly we were both questioning our sanity as to why on earth we wanted to drive all this way, spend the money, and then freeze our smaller butts off all for a shirt and a medal. So in reality we probably felt more like this...(notice the crazy dude behind me in tiny shorts and a t-shirt. Honestly I don't get some runners!!)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HyaCHuGH3O4/Tp1-YYItvjI/AAAAAAAAABE/ey2AU9fJTjs/s320/Dogs%252C%2BCanoes%252C%2Band%2BIndy%2B024.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664822863562915378" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>But we went ahead and lined up with the rest of the slow runners in good old corral F and hit the road at 8:30 am. The marathon and half marathon course was identical for 12 miles so mom and I got to stick together for a good long time. That was a huge plus for me as I definitely tend to hit the early miles too fast and then pay for it in the end so mom's job was to keep the pace steady and be my donkey. If you a horse person who get the reference...have a thoroughbred that needs settling down, stick a donkey in with them and it calms the horse. Not that I consider myself a thoroughbred or anything...but mom was definitely my jacka$$ this morning. The course was amazing as we ran through a big national park and beautiful old neighborhoods. The early miles were clicking and here I am at mile 8 even smiling...something I don't think I did at all the last time.</div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDCrjnmAEDY/Tp2AS45DsII/AAAAAAAAABQ/DiVSCEblo2E/s320/Dogs%252C%2BCanoes%252C%2Band%2BIndy%2B026.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664824968299655298" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Mom did great for about the first 8-9, but then her stomach started acting up and by the time we reached the hills on mile 10 she was clenching and shuffling up those babies. I give her a ton of credit for keeping up though as I have had those days before where you are begging for bathroom and they are just no fun. We stopped at a porta potty around mile 11 and then reached the spot where we parted ways and I head out into the park again while she turned toward the finish line. After she left I got out the good old ipod, cued up some Eminem and started rapping and running. The course was a long out and back between miles 15-24 so it was great to be able to see all the people both ahead and behind you. As I went I started to feel better and better, I even sang and cheered them on as I went. By mile 19 I was full out belting Adele's Someone Like You to runners as I made the turn and headed back into town. I felt great, like I could tackle anything...the kind of run where everything falls into place and you feel amazing. I remember thinking this is why people do this and as a woman yelled "You go girl" to me at 22 I thought "that's right Lindsey you got this b*tch." My hips and glutes did start to act up by mile 23 and I walked a decent portion of the way until mile 25 rolled by and I could start to hear the music at the finish line. I picked up the pace a bit and headed back and by mile 26 could see the banners, and finish line crowd. That last .2 miles didn't mean a thing as I jogged into the finish with the smile on my face happy with my performance. I finished in 5:20, no speed record here, but a 40 minute improvement over my Flying Pig time....so yeah I was happy. Medals were given out by the local Army ROTC guys who all called us ma'am and who I made pose in a picture with me.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWnPLj_wbtg/Tp2E4jrDUSI/AAAAAAAAABc/K78VJajbVp0/s320/Dogs%252C%2BCanoes%252C%2Band%2BIndy%2B034.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664830013485306146" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> The post race party was small, but these race organizers thought of everything and even had veggie burgers for us vegans to eat...I LOVE THAT and made sure to send them a big thank you afterwards as many race officials just don't think of us veg-heads. So Indy was a huge success and a very enjoyable weekend and I will be sure to post official race pics when they go up. Mom and I have one more big race on the calendar for this year in three weeks we head over to West Virginia to tackle the Marshall Marathon and Half-Marathon where she will hope to improve on her time, and I will hope to have a repeat of Indy. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>I leave you with the Adele video of Someone Like You as I wish you all nothing but the best!! </div><div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hLQl3WQQoQ0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-11538103372360069222011-09-25T12:15:00.000-07:002011-09-25T12:15:38.890-07:00Wouldn't it be cool to....?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many times in your life have you started a sentence that way? Insert dream , compete in an Ironman, travel to a foreign country, jump out of an airplane, climb Everest... The list is endless and it's fun to think about doing something that seems exotic, or difficult, or rare. But that is normally as far as the dream goes. A brief and shiny day dream, or an animated conversation with a group of friends. Not many people take the next step to actually DO what they dreamed of. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in April, Adam and Jeff, 2 recent Adelphi University graduates and members of the Track and Cross country team were at practice when someone casually tossed out the idea wouldn't it be cool to run cross country... really cross country. The members talked about it and had arguments over whether they could actually do it, and that was as far as it went. Or so they thought.. but Adam latched on to the idea and started to really think what if? He decided he really wanted to do this, and Jeffery agreed that they could run across the US. Both men had charities they were passionate about and thought this might be a way to both raise money for charity and attempt something beyond the norm, challenging themselves both physically and mentally. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Picture taken from the TCProject.com)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They left New York on August 20th accompanied by Ian and James. Ian , who was originally scheduled to run with them, but suffered a freak accident just weeks before the run, and James would be the support crew. Riding along in Adam's "clown car" (he called it that) a Yaris, packed to the gils with supplies, including their hotel for most nights.. a tent. While they weren't planning on joining in on the run, they map out routes, keep an eye on the weather, supply meals and provide invaluable assistance to their running friends. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have followed their journey online from Facebook and their website. <a href="http://www.transcontinentalproject.com/">http://www.transcontinentalproject.com/</a> and I was beyond thrilled that when they made it to KY, I was able to drive down from Ohio to hook up with them, buy them lunch , pester them with questions, and then run with them a little to experience the journey from their perspective. I was humbled by these young men, who were so appreciative of my interest in their trip. But I am inspired by them almost daily when I think about what they are attempting to do. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I promised I would do what I could to get the word out about their trip. To hopefully encourage others to donate to their causes, to try to get other running groups, running stores motivated to help support them along the way. A hot dinner, a warm bed, a friendly smile.. or join in for a few miles as I did to get a view from the road. I started emailing running stores this weekend. Hopefully they will return my message. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> As I have been training for my first 1/2 marathon, 13 miles seems insignificant compared to the over 1100, they have gone in the last 35 + days. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ran 12 miles Saturday in the rain with a smile on my face thinking about these young men as they headed into Illinois, about a 1/3 of the way through their journey. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Safe Travels Gentlemen... May the road rise to greet you. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmzJylDeHaM/Tn97oyLXzPI/AAAAAAAAKRY/GW8EAc-Fqzk/s1600/route.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pmzJylDeHaM/Tn97oyLXzPI/AAAAAAAAKRY/GW8EAc-Fqzk/s320/route.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Picture taken from the TCProject.com)</span>Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-51571025257687610982011-09-03T07:56:00.000-07:002011-09-03T07:56:04.246-07:00Trek Ladies Tri So if you are nervous about doing something new and different (a Triathlon) you look for the safest event you can find in your area. Enter the Trek Ladies Tri in Columbus Ohio. All women and lots of support sounded like the perfect way to dip my toe into this sport. <br />
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Originally it was slotted to be located at Buckeye Lake, about 2 hours away, outside of Columbus on your way to WV. But because of the previously mentioned lack of rain , Buckeye Lake turned into an algae filled cesspool and race directors decided to move it to Deer Creek in Mt. Sterling Ohio. Cool, that shaves a 1/2 hour at least off my drive.. Not cool... You have to do packet pickup on Saturday...Damn...<br />
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So we drove up Saturday to pickup my race packet and attend the expo. The weather was gorgeous. 75, sunny, water was glassy smooth. I got a chance to look at the swim course, and after seeing the buoys in the water, I felt better... Yeah..I could do that. Then because I have a really smart kid who suggested it.. we drove the bike course. Most flat country roads, with corn fields on both sides. Only 2 downhill/uphill combos. Okay I can do that. So not a totally wasted trip, it calmed my nerves.<br />
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Saturday night, eat appropriately , brown rice, veggies, ...remember whatever you eat has to exit the next day...hopefully before you get on course. That's why you see tons of port-a-potties at these events.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> Sunday , up at 4 am, Lindsey made me a power smoothie to drink in the car on the way up. Temperature outside 60 degrees.. good thing I packed my arm sleeves for the bike. The trip up was quicker now that we knew were we were going. Arrive in total darkness , with the winds gusting up to 15 mph. The lake that had been perfectly calm yesterday now was choppy with a few white caps. WTF! Standing around for an hour before start, I was jealous of all the women who had wormed their way into wetsuits for warmth. I was freezing.. The water was 10 degrees warmer than the outside air temperature, so I couldn't wait to get started. <br />
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First half of the swim... I thought I was going to die....seriously. Every time I took a breath , I would get smacked in the face with a wave and swallow lake water. Started to hyperventilate a little. Noticed the woman behind me who flipped on her back to back stroke.. Brilliant! Did the same and getting a few breaths with my face out of the water calmed me down enough to finish the front half and make the turn for the back half. Got into a rhythm and it went much better after that. <br />
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Spent 4 1/2 minutes in Transition 1, swim to bike. Putting compression socks on to wet feet is not the easiest thing in the world. Thought I should try to eat something, but with all the lake water sloshing around in my stomach.. that was out of the question, so I threw 2 fig newtons in my bike bag and hit the road. The bike felt great. I was having fun, got into a pretty steady cadence and just enjoyed the scenery. Enter first hill. I made it 2/3rds of the way up in the saddle and then knew I needed to stand. After about 3 pedal strokes, my right clip, which had been loose before I started, gave way and the next thing I knew I was standing in the road...OOPS... push bike to top of hill... back on and away we go. Try not to crash coming in to Transition 2.. bike to Run. ...<br />
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Notice the super cute rock and roll arm sleeves! They make me feel tough even if I'm not. 2 1/2 minutes in T2. Easier to simply pop off the bike shoes and pop on the running shoes. Slip on my Nike+ watch and pace counter, and out on the road... As I headed out of the chute, the winner of the event ran by me heading to the finish line... Damn...that's a reality check. <br />
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Run was an out and back. Lots of encouragement from the runners heading back in to those of us heading out. That was nice. I was glad that I could offer the same on my way in. Secretly glad that I was able to do so to as many people as I could, which meant I wasn't even close to being last...ha! As I ran into the parking lot the trees obscured the eventual finish, but you could hear the crowd and the music going. The announcer was interviewing Lindsey! She was telling the story of our weight loss journey and how this had been one of my goals. It made me so proud of both of us, and the crowd really congratulated me. Sally Edwards came up and offered her personal congrats as well. And I got a really bitching medal!<br />
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Will I do this again? That day.. I wasn't so sure, but in hindsight.. Yes. I need to do another, next year we will start this craziness again. Next up, my first 1/2 marathon.Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-32498906506474623832011-08-30T10:50:00.000-07:002011-08-30T10:50:47.852-07:00Sprint Triathlon - or How NOT to train.Part one... the training up to the event... Part two...Race recap.<br />
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About 3 months ago, I thought it would be fun to do a Sprint Triathlon. I know most of you are saying what makes this "fun"? Lately I find that getting outside of my comfort zone is fun. Because in my head, I want to try a Half Iron man...and then if that went well ... a Full Iron Man. This will take several years of work... so step 1.. a sprint Tri... or Baby Tri as I call it. I can re-evaluate after that.<br />
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This particular one consisted of 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run. A half Iron man is a 1 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run... so you can see a sprint is just a taste of what the real thing is like. But heck you have to start somewhere. Besides this was a woman's only event, so it felt less intimidating.<br />
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12 weeks before the event..training begins.... I knew I would be okay on the run. I run 2-3 times a week at least and I never do less than 3 miles, so I really didn't worry about that. I knew that would take care of itself. <br />
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Bike.. I had been taking a spin class 1-2 times a week for over 9 months. I know.. spinning is not really road cycling. But it does get your legs in decent shape and more importantly.. your butt used to being in a bike saddle for an hour. So, in late May I thought, I could start throwing in once a week ride on the road through out the summer and that would be enough. Enter Mother Nature.....<br />
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June was the wettest on record, July the hottest on record... and I did not head outside on a bike either month. I am a pussy so the result..in August I was feeling a little panicky. My road work consisted of one 14 mile trip on the Loveland bike trail, and one 8 mile trip to the local Farmers' market on a Saturday morning. Not exactly what I was looking for...<br />
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And then there was the swim. I started off swimming laps at LA Fitness. First time out, I could only do 8 without pausing... Okay... that is a problem. 1/2 mile swim is equal to 33-34 laps of LA's pool.. I had some work to do here. So I worked in 2 swims a week , most weeks, working on building my endurance. 2 weeks prior to the actual event, I could do the laps in about 20 minutes time. I was feeling better about the endurance, but swimming in a pool is a whole different thing to swimming in a lake... with 200 + other people. I did manage to make it up to Hueston Woods for a training swim hosted by the MOJO tri group here in the city. That proved to be invaluable. I learned about how to site so you swim straight, and how to enter and exit the water. Silly sounding, but there are reasons why you do things a certain way, and once you practice a few times, it makes sense. That one trip to a lake made me feel a little more confident and really doing one of these events is more mental than anything else. <br />
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Because at the end of the day, I knew I had enough energy, and physical fitness to effectively work out for 2 hours , but would I let the little "you can't do this..." demons get in my head. They were there.. dancing on my shoulder and chanting in my ear... but I am learning more and more to ignore them. Which is sometimes the hardest part of achieving anything at all.Lisa Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10726886776024584149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702682824539463994.post-31116507555268624682011-08-09T08:59:00.000-07:002011-08-09T10:35:39.030-07:00Don't Give a Sh*tCurrently mom and I are in marathon training mode for the Fall. We are running the Indianapolis Marathon on October 15th - for her it will be the half, for me it will be a second crack at the marathon distance. As you all recall the first time didn't go so hot with stomach cramps, lots of porta potty stops, and maybe even some crying and general discomfort. This time I have sworn to myself that I will train smarter and this includes joining a local running group so that my weekly long runs can be done in the company and misery of others. So far this tactic seems to be working and we are now up to 15 miles for our long run this Saturday.
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<br />However, in running and talking with these individuals I have noticed one annoying habit that many of us seem to possess. Here we all are at 7 am on a Saturday morning in 90 degree heat successfully completing longer and longer distances and yet each of us seems to be battling a negative voice that tells us we are too slow, too old, too fat, or too something. I have heard more than one runner compare themselves to someone skinnier and faster and find themselves wanting. Rather than celebrate our abilities we choose to focus on unrealistic expectations which can only lead to unhappiness. Do I wish I could be a faster runner? Absolutely. Am I trying to shed those annoying 20 lbs? You betcha. But I also can remember a time not too long ago when running a mile would have been impossible much less 26. Yes the girl who cheated on the Presidential fitness test every year in high school (sorry gym teachers out there), can now run a mile with no problem. And for that I am grateful. So I will be trying to focus on that feeling over the course of the next few weeks. As my weekly miles steadily increase and race time approaches it is with gratitude that I will be running this marathon - thanking my body that it allows me to do such things...even when I am cursing and questioning why I have chosen to do so.
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<br />So like the narrator in this hilarious youtube video points out - be like the honey badger and try not to give a sh*t when the desire to negatively compare yourself to others creeps up. Because even when you may feel like you are running in slow motion, you are still pretty badass!
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<br />Lindseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11383227620822518403noreply@blogger.com2