The power of a partner...

-a running partner that is! I am usually a solo-runner. I actually enjoy running alone because it is one of the few times in the day that I'm actually by myself. HOWEVER, the past couple of days have been terribly humid and I've really had to dig deep to push myself to keep going. The thermometer reads 73, but the humidity is no joke! This morning as I was heading out for my 5 miler at 6:00 am, my neighbor Jen was heading out for a run at the same time. She asks if I won't to run with her....I agreed right away, but was a little hesitant at first. First of all, Jen is in the best shape of anyone I know and she's got 3 kids....she's done several marathons (all under 3:30!!), triathlons, races, etc....so you see why I was hesitant? It ended up being the greatest thing I've done. I didn't think I'd be able to talk and run, but it turns out I can. She said she was not running slow for me and that we were doing a great pace. My Garmin had us at an 8:10 pace. It was brutal towards the end with the humidity. I think I may need to be up at 5:00 am for my 9 mile run on Saturday. Not.Looking.Foward.To.That.!! All in all, I have changed my tune on running with someone...the run flew by and we have made plans to run together a few times next week too.

The Perfect Summer Cocktail...

I love a good cocktail! I've created a new one that just screams summer to me-it's not even that hard to make. I take a peach-flavored Izze (I LOVE these drinks!) and mix it with Grey Goose Vodka (or any other vodka you have, this one is my favorite!) and pour over crushed ice, add a lime wedge and cherry-and voila-the perfect summer cocktail!

We had a great weekend-the beach, the pool, barbque, need I say more? Unfortunately, Brady is under the weather now, so it has been a long day today. It just breaks my heart to see one of my boys sick...he looks pretty pitiful. He was up pretty early this morning too-so that means no run this morning. I was able to squeeze in a 30 minute strength training workout. This week I'll have to do 3 runs back to back (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Friday-strength training and Saturday 8 miles-UGH).

So, here's to a GREAT week, I'll think I'll go make one of those cocktails! YUM!

This gift is going to make me FAT...

Tonight I'm making dinner for a neighbor (Roasted Vegetable Lasagna-thanks Sweet Pea Chef !) who just had a baby. I'm also making dessert. I got the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker for my birthday and I LOVE it. I don't know how I went this long without it. I've been making batches upon batches of it, experimenting with a little of this and a little of that. It tastes so creamy and fresh...but it's also addicting.So tonight, I'm making some for the neighbors (and us too!). This time I'm doing the Basic Vanilla Recipe and I'm putting in crushed peanut butter/chocolate Newman-O's . What's a "Newman-O" you ask? It's like an Oreo, but without all the nasty hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. I found them at Whole Foods AND they're cheaper than regular Oreo's AND they have peanut butter in them...need I say more? They are so good...
Like I said, I LOVE my new gift, but hopefully it won't make me FAT! Guess I better keep up with all of this running, now I have something to really run for...

Bridge Run weekend...

Ahhhh, the race... I woke up at 5:15 am to get ready to meet my girlfriend and her husband before the race. We had such a good time catching up (they live in Richmond). There were tons of people there which made it that much more amazing. Luckily, it didn't rain. The weather was actually perfect!! I felt exhilarated by the crowd but had a hard time trying to maneuver through people which really slowed me down in the beginning. Going up the first half of the bridge wasn't as bad as I thought, but going down felt pretty good. Once we got off the bridge, it was a lot better with the crowds lining the streets. As soon as I turned down King Street everyone was cheering-it made it easier to pick up the pace and finish. Afterwards we headed to lunch where I chowed down on crab cakes and mac and cheese. Anything would have been good at this point!! It was a great day, I felt great afterwards and look forward to doing another one soon...

A year in review...

This time last year I ran for the first time with a mission. You see, it was my first run post-partem from having twin boys. They were six weeks old and I had gained 63 pounds with them. 63 pounds on a small frame, 5'3" woman is a very big deal-in other words my body was a train wreck!!! With my older son I had gained 55 pounds-and he was only one child. Why, you ask? I'm not sure-I didn't gorge myself with that pregnancy, the weight just came on. I actually did not even gain any weight in the last few weeks, I was just very swollen with him-it was August!!

Anyway, this time last year I could barely run down the street without stopping. I could definitely feel pain just running a little bit. I have been running for several years, but for not very long distances-the longest race I had ever done was a 10K! I had put my weight loss efforts on hold until we were done having children-my body tends to go a little haywire in the hormonal department when I lose weight. Well, my friends, we are done and I wanted my body back.

When I started running, I set small goals for myself, "run to the tree, stop, take a break, walk a little, then run again". I would come home and tell Dan, "well, I only stopped once or twice". Slowly, I didn't stop anymore, I just kept on going. Surely enough, the weight started melting away. I'm happy to say, I have lost all of the weight and more. Since February 12, 2007 I've lost a total of 72 pounds and I owe it all to running, weight training and eating healthy. I honestly feel better than I have my entire life. I have 3 beautiful children, an amazing husband and my health back. My story doesn't stop here though-I've put my pursuits on doing a marathon in December. I'm so excited about it-I'll also do a half-marathon along the way too.

I don't run with the boys either. I have a hard time running with a jogging stroller and also living down here in the south-it can get very hot even in the early morning. I run for me, by myself, before Dan goes to work. It is my time to either think about saving the world or nothing at all. I am a better mom because of it. I want my boys to look up to me, I want them to want to be healthy. It takes discipline knowing that it's just me telling myself to get up, no one else is holding me accountable. But now it's like nothing to do. It's in my routine just as brushing my teeth or showering is....

So why am I telling you this? Yesterday a friend of mine told me she wanted to start running and I got so excited about it. Anyone can be a runnner if you set your mind and heart to it. From someone who could barely make it to the end of their street last year...to now being on her way to training a marathon.. YOU CAN DO IT!!! All things are possible, just believe you can!!!

I feel like I've already done the race....

This morning was the Bridge Run expo. Whewwww! is all I have to say. There were tons of vendors and freebies. Three floors of swag...I got Lara Bars, Clif Bars, Jelly Belly Sport Beans, you name it, it was there. I won an Asics singlet, normally $30...it's adorable. I also scored a irunlikeagirl headband-now that my hair is shorter I need these to keep it all in one place-it's adorable!!! It was actually a bit overwhelming with all that was there. Oh and I got a running jacket for 15 bucks for the cooler weather...made by Brooks-so freaking cute. The downside is that it was 80,000 degrees in the building and I had to manuever a double stroller (and mine is not that big, Maclaren twin traveler) through a very crowded area with lots of stairs and only one working elevator. I also kept getting that "she's got her hands full, glad it's not me" look. I'm becoming very familiar with that look! And finding our packets, it was like a maze!! They had us go to one side of the building to "look up" our number, then take that number to the other side of the building and pick up chips and bib numbers, then go down to another floor and many stairs (some nice gentleman helped me) to pick up our packets...I was sweating like I had already done the race. Harrison was so GOOOOD! He got freebies too-Chic-fil-a lemonade, ice cream, Cape Cod chips, jelly beans-I think he was in Heaven!!! He kept saying the whole time we were going home-"I loved it there, can we go again?" Gee, I wonder why. The boys were really all troopers-we didn't get home until 1:00, ate lunch and they are now down for naps. We have a "happy hour" playgroup at 4:00-so excited for that-and then several neighbor ladies are going out for dinner tonight. Tomorrow morning I'm doing one last run before the race!! Hope it doesn't rain...

The chocolate gods made me eat it...

Last night was book club. I've been doing so well with running and exercising, I thought, "Hey, it will be OK to eat something sinful while I'm there, sip on some wine and have some good book/girl talk." I also knew the woman hosting is A. a wonderful cook and B. from Spain (and I knew she would be making some good food). Well, she didn't let anyone down. She had guacamole (my favorite!), she had tortilla (another favorite), she had croquettas, she had artichoke dip, she had NY style cheesecake........and she had this. Feast your eyes on this. It's called "La Bete Noire" which translates to "The Black Beast". It was AMAZING! I am STILL thinking about it. Apparently it was on the cover of Bon Appetit in Sept 2006. I am definitely going to make this. Chocolate and ganache are two things that make me happy in this world so I thought I'd share them.