Letter of Affection

Dear Creators of LockLaces and Designer of Under Armour's 15' Compression Capri Shorts,

Where in the heck have you been my entire running career??? Now that I have found you, I am pretty sure my running life is now complete. I cannot believe that I managed to go though 5 years of competitive running in high school and college without you. I was living in the dark ages then. I am pretty sure I would have been a better athlete had I known about you then.

Why you may ask?

I have been through loads of running sneakers. Inevitably there comes the day when those laces no longer hold their knot. From that day forward I had to stop on a consistent basis during my runs to re-tie the dang things. LockLaces have solved my problem for good. No need to break pace and deal with flapping laces. No worries about tripping in the middle of the street because I stepped on my own laces.

It is one thing to talk about sneakers but one shouldn't have to go through loads of shorts. Yet I have. Short shorts, long shorts, cotton, swishy, soccer, running...all produced the same results. If I am running longer than 2 miles at something faster than 11 minute pace (in high school and college this was admittedly a lower number), my thighs became so chapped I would have to take the following day off just to recover from the chafing. You dear Under Armour's Compression Capris have been a godsend. No more painful red areas. Not to mention, you make my rear end look good. I advise Under Armour to give that designer a raise.

Love,

A Very Happy Runner

 

Posted with Blogsy

Penne in Vodka

I felt the need for pasta this past week.  But I didn't want to have our usual standbys - regular tomato sauce or fettucine alfredo.  I longed for something different.  So I whipped out The Silver Spoon Pasta edition to find something.

Penne in Vodka

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter
1 slice cooked ham, thick, diced (I just used a package of pre diced fully cooked ham in the cold meat section of the grocery store)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. parsley
5 tbsp. heavy cream
3 tbsp. vodka
12 oz. penne
salt and pepper

Steps

1. Melt the butter in a pan, add the ham, tomato paste, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in cream and vodka and cook until the vodka has evaporated.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and tip into a warmed serving dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

The Finished Product:

I always used to think that this dish was difficult to make.  Probably because it involved alcohol.  But as I am slowly learning, there are a lot of great tasting dishes that don't require a lot of ingredients or a lot of work.  This one was really yummy and super quick.  What is nice is that this sauce is not overly creamy but allows just enough to cover the pasta and give it some great flavoring.  Definitely keeping it for future use.  Maybe next time I will make it with homemade penne.

Blog Slacker

So, yeah.  I have been really quiet lately and not for lack of doing things.

Had the families out for a week.
Hubby had his Change of Command Ceremony.  He is now in charge of the longest active battery in the United States Army.  It is a really privilege and honor for us.
I took over as FRG leader.
JT is standing up at every chance he can get and seems a heck of lot happier now than a few months ago.
I am still trying out new recipes, I am just a being awful and forgetting to post them.
I have put at least 60 miles on our jogging stroller and only have 4 weeks until the big race.  Yikes!

Going to try to get back into the swing of things.  Pinky-swear!

Door Stops

are really great child distractors!!!

Speaking

For the past few months, we have been living in a world of screaming JT.  But within the past 24 - 48 hours, we have noticed that he is starting to string syllables and sounds together to make what could be words.  It has been a little weird listening to these baby conversations.  I am pretty sure I captured "dada" in this first video along with some other gibberish.  The second video has what I think is "mmmaa, mmmaa".

Kibbeh

Now that we have this fantastic new grill it is time to have some fun with recipes.  So yesterday evening, we tried a middle eastern recipe - Kibbeh.  I had never heard of it before.  Andy had had it during his deployments so I thought what the heck.  Let's give it a try.  The recipe reminds me of meatballs on a stick but they aren't Italian meatballs.

Kibbeh

Cookshelf Barbecue

Ingredients:

½ cup couscous
1 onion, small
12 oz. ground lamb
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. cayenne
4 tsp. ground allspice
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. ketchup

Steps:

1. Let wooden skewers soak in water for at least 20 minutes.
2. Place couscous in a bowl, cover with cold water and let stand for 30 minutes, or until the couscous has swelled and softened.
3. Drain the couscous through a strainer and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
4. Put the onion in a food processor and chop finely. Add the lamb and process briefly to chop the ground meat further.
5. Combine the couscous, lamb, and spices. Mix well. Divide mixture into 8 equal portions. Press and shape the mixture around 8 skewers, pressing the mixture together firmly so that it holds its shape.

Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
6. To make the baste mix, the oil and ketchup together until well combined.
7. Broil the kibbeh over hot coals for 10 - 15 minutes, turning and basting frequently.

Serve immediately.

The Final Product:

We did have a little issue while they were on the grill.  When it says turn and baste frequently, it means frequently.  Don't put the cover down. Every minute or so, turn those skewers because it will get stuck.  It tasted really great.  The couscous gave it an interesting texture.  We are really enjoying the new grill.  Lots of possibilities!

Confidence returning...

Lately, I have felt a little bit on the sad side concerning my running.  Maybe I just shouldn't be running this crazy 10k in eight weeks.  During all of my workouts, I have felt like, well, for lack of a better term poop.

The stroller is not comfortable to run with.  I am out of breath in a matter of seconds.  My knee that stopped my running in college feels like it is on fire and does not seem to want to work properly.  Add to that my pathetic times - yes, I am tracking the amount of time I spend on my runs - and I am just depressed about the whole idea of getting back into running.

But today, something clicked and it wasn't my knee.  The run felt smooth.  I didn't feel like I had massive stores of tense energy in my shoulders.  I completed the 2.2 mile run without stopping to walk - that means I actually ran both of the huge hills (82 ft in elevation, i really like the mapmyrun app).

Using the app, I was able to log my mile splits as well.  My first mile run about 3 weeks ago with the stroller - I did in about 13 minutes.  Today, my mile splits were 11:24.  I am so happy with my consistency and that I am getting closer to one of my goals - mile splits at about 10 minutes.  Now I just need to keep at it and start adding mileage.   I definitely feel that I can manage a 10k in under hour and half with the stroller.

I miss running.  I am glad that I am getting back into it.

Battle of the Dog Toy

Given that JT is now so quick and mobile, nothing is safe.  Nothing is sacred - not even the pug dogs' toys.  There is one toy in particular that is beloved by all three of them - JT, Silvio, and Walter.  Who do you think will reign supreme in this three-man (or dog?), three-round all out battle?  Check out the video below!

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Anniversary Gift

Our anniversary came and past on May 24th.  We decided not to go all out purchasing gifts - instead, we settled on obtaining a new fancy grill.  After a bit of researching on my part, we decided on the Weber Genesis E-310.  So far we are really enjoying it, well as much as one can enjoy a grill after only using it one time.  Our inaugural grilled meal is below.

Charboiled Turkey with Cheesy Pockets

from Bookshelf Barbecue

Ingredients:

4 turkey breast pieces (I used chicken breasts)
4 portions of full-fat cheese, 1/2 oz each (I used Allouette's Spreadable Creme di Brie)
dried sage
10 - 15 bacon strips
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1.  Cut a pocket into the side of each turkey breast.  Open out each breast a little and season inside with salt and pepper.
2.  Place a portion of cheese into each pocket, spreading it a little with a knife.  Sprinkle a little sage in the pocket.
3.  Stretch the bacon out with the back of a knife.  Wrap the bacon around each turkey breast so that the pocket opening is completely covered.  Use a toothpick to secure the bacon in place.
4.  Mix together the oil and lemon juice in a small bowl until well combined.
5.  Broil the turkey over medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side (since the breasts were on the smaller side, we left them on for about 5 - 6 minutes a side), basting with the oil and lemon mixture frequently.
6.  Transfer the turkey to warm serving plates.  Serve with toasted garlic bread and salad.

The Finished Product:

Super yummy.  The chicken was still juicy on the inside but the bacon was nice and crunchy.  The oozy cheese was a lot of fun.  Word to the wise - don't forget to pull out those toothpicks!  Chomping down on charred wood is not so much fun.

Getting back in form

As you may remember, I set a fitness goal for myself - to be ready and able to run a 10k road race at the beginning of August.  Well, I am eight weeks away (scary!) - and this is the time to really hunker down to set out a plan to at least be able to run 6.2 miles non stop.

First, I needed new shoes.  We have a great running/shoe store here that is owned and operated by runners.  They know about stability control and running form.  They know their shoes inside and out.  They also have great gadgets (watches, hats, clothes) to help you on your running quest.  I have always ran in either Asics or Saucony.  After a getting checked out, they say sure there is an Asics but give this style of Brooks a try.  Gosh, it was great.  I had never had a pair of shoes that fit like that.  Happy feet make for happy running.

Second, I know I needed an app.  We live in the gps phone age.  I did not want to purchase a gps system for my runs.  I carry my phone with me in case of emergency - so finding a gps app should do the trick.  I really like the MapMyRun app.  It is pretty simple to use.  When I go online, I can view all my workouts for the month.  It's great to see the color coding - runs, elliptical workouts, pilates - shoot I even include the marathon cleaning sessions as a workout.  It also keeps count of your weekly mileage - am I having a good week, or have I not made it out of the house at all?

Third, running with a jogging stroller takes a lot of getting used too.  I have managed four runs over the past week and a half.  I am still not comfortable with it.  I am pretty sure it has to do with how I store my energy.  I store a lot of it in my arms.  I use my arms to really dig deep and get going.  Holding onto the stroller really tires me out and does not allow me to use the energy in my arms.  I am glad I decided to start my working out early. Running a 10k without practicing with the stroller, would be a nightmare.

I am starting to feel confident about running again.  I know I am nowhere near as good as I was in high school or college but I don't really care about that.