Running and Waiting.....and Waiting...and Waiting

Boston is so close, I can taste it.  I'm in full on bring it down sista' mode.  Yesterday my schedule only called for 5 miles, today, 60 minutes "easy".  Tomorrow I've got another short run with some short intervals then on Sunday, we are only running 12.  This is where things get mentally tough.  I'm already getting antsy.  Well, to be honest, I've been antsy ever since I stopped going to the gym so now I'm full on antsy.  I miss my classes but I know (case in point - a really great 21 mile run on Monday!) that staying away is absolutely the best thing for my body right now. 

In an effort to stay busy, I've got a very clean house.  And no dirty laundry.  And a dirty dish free sink.  And I made a pillow.  Yes.  Idle hands people.  I saw somewhere in blogland this super easy DIY pillow project using a place mat and just had to try it.  For some reason, I'm addicted to buying pillows.  I think it's probably because I always want to switch up my house in some way and buying pillows is a lot cheaper of a  makeover than buying furniture!  It makes my husband nuts though.  "More pillows??"  So I figured buying a $3.00 place mat from Target would be a better idea than a $15 - $25 pillow from Home Goods.
Here is how I did it:
1 pretty place mat from Target....

I used that little seam taker outer thingy (I'm sure there is an official name) to pull apart the place mat just big enough to get my hand all the way in and to the bottom....

Then I stuffed the hell out of it with fiberfill.....

And finally, I sewed it up.  And by sewing it up, I mean the old fashioned way with a needle and thread. I haven't a clue how to use a sewing machine.

On my brown - not purple as the photo suggests - chair.  Murphy approves!

It was crazy easy and fast and I love it!!  I went back to Target yesterday for a matching place mat so I can make another one.  They look really fresh and springy on my couch and I feel quite homemakerish.  And yes, ready to run Boston so I can get back to the gym!

Three New (to me) Gluten Free Products

For our long run today, we were parked at a small shopping area where there is a health food store.  I've never noticed the store before in all the times we've met there.  I popped in today after the run in the hopes of finding gluten free oat flour.  I've had a lot of luck with Bethenny Frankel's recipes but didn't realize that the oat flour I had been using wasn't officially gluten free.  Since then, I've been on the hunt for GF oat flour with no luck.  Well! I'm happy to say that this tiny little health food store had some!  I grabbed a box with visions of Bethenny's blueberry muffins in my head. 

While looking at all the flour (I'm still amazed at how many different flours there are!), I noticed a display of breads, bagels and wraps (wraps!!) by Sami's Bakery.  The first thing that caught my eye was the 'Millet & Flax Lavash'.  I used to be addicted to the spinach wraps at Wegmans so these bad boys looked like something I just had to try.  After that, I went to the freezer section for a loaf of Udi's Bread.  It's the one brand I haven't tried in my so far unsuccessful search for a decent sandwich bread.  The girl working there asked me if I had tried the bread from the Sami's Bakery line (she commented on how good the lavash is).  She said she prefers it over Udi's.  I also loved that it was on the shelf, not in the freezer.  I decided to take her advice and grabbed a loaf of the Millet & Flax bread.  The stuff ain't cheap.  $5.50 for a loaf of bread.  Ouch.  But I really, really, really want a wrap for lunch like the good 'ol days! And peanut butter on a slice of bread with my afternoon tea!

When I got home, I warmed up the lavash for about 6 seconds just to make it more pliable.  Then I put a few big spoonfuls of last night's quinoa salad on it and wrapped it up.  The verdict:  Not bad!  I really liked the flavor of the lavash.  It was, as a lot of GF breads I've tried, not very bendy.  It was breaking quite a bit when I ate it and was a tad on the dry side.  Next time, I'll add hummus for the dryness.  Overall, I really liked it and would probably buy it again.


The stats on the Lavash:
1/2 piece is the listed serving size which is kinda dumb.  Who only eats half a wrap?
52 calories
0g fat
100mg sodium
11 carb
6g fiber
0g sugar
2g protein

On to the bread.  Oh the bread.  I toasted up a piece, smeared some peanut butter on it and prepared myself to hate it.  I was totally unprepared to love it!  I really, really loved it!!  I will pay that $5.50 again and again for this bread!  I'm so excited about it!  Obviously.

The stats on the bread:
1 slice
76 calories
15g carbs
2g fiber
0g sugar
2g protein

Now.  Here is where I get worried.  When I looked at the package again before writing this post, both packages, in small print, under the ingredients say, "may contain trace amount of gluten, wheat or yeast".  What the hell??  I'm assuming they say that because it is processed in a place that also makes wheat containing products?  Does this mean I shouldn't eat it at all or just take the chance?  Ugh.  I emailed the company and am waiting for their reply for more clarification. 

And finally, as for the GF oat flour.  I made Bethenny's fantastic blueberry muffins and they turned out pretty good.  They had to cook for a good 10 minutes longer than when I used regular oat flour and they seemed a bit more chewy but I still really liked them.  I've since done some google searching and I think I may need to add either guar gum or xanthan gum to the mix.  Anyone have experience with this?

Last Long Run!

One of our group members had a big birthday bash Saturday night so we moved our last long run before Boston to this morning.  I have to admit, it kind of threw my weekend a bit.  And it was strange going through my normal pre-long run rituals while getting kids ready for school. 

I got up crazy early to deal with any stomach issues, which there always is.  I also fueled up with one a Garden Lites zucchini souffle, a banana with some almond butter and a half a cup of coffee.  I've done many long runs without coffee when I thought that may be the cause of all my stomach problems but now, with the improvements I'm noticing since I've cut out wheat and gluten, I'm trying to add just a little bit of coffee before I run (I drink it like a fish every other morning!).  Breakfast was ok but I still really miss having a big 'ol bagel before a run.  And as for the almond butter, I'm new to it.  I'm really trying to like it...I really am...but I'm having a hard time.  Regular peanut butter I can eat straight out of the jar on a spoon, this stuff is a lot different.  I'm hoping it's an acquired taste that I'll acquire quick because I know it's a better choice than peanut butter.

Pre-long run breakfast

While I ate, I watched the news. I swear, if the weather jerk told me one more time that it felt more like January or February out there than almost April, I was going to punch the t.v.  It's cold.  Butt ass cold.  I get it.   Sure enough, according to my car, it was a balmy 33 out.  Awesome.

I met the group at 8:00am and we set off.  We ran "the animal route".  So named due to the crazy amount of animals we see.  Everything from farm dogs to sheep.  Horses, cows, chickens.  You name it, we've seen it on this run.  The first 13.5 miles are very hilly.  We run it slower than the last 7 miles, obviously, but try to stay at a steady pace even though it's a tough route.  The last 7 is on the trail.  Nice and flat.  We are able to do a little marathon pacing once we hit the trail. 

I haven't been going to any of my classes (as I've mentioned 43 too many times) and while it's making me cranky and I feel kind of puffy and nasty, I was very happy to see that I think it's helping.  The pain in my low back that creeps around to my hips always hits, without fail, by mile 15.  Last week, on our 17 mile run, I had to walk a few times because the pain was so bad.  This run felt totally different.  I started to feel a little stiffness on one side at about mile 19 but nothing, not even close, to what I've felt on every other long run during training for this marathon.  It gave me a lot of hope and filled me with confidence that hey, maybe, just maybe my body will hold on and I wont have to walk at all during Boston.  I still have 3 more weeks to properly rest it and with the taper, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping all will go well.  As I've said, I have no big desire to PR at Boston, I just want to enjoy the day.  Take every ounce of it in, not walk, and finish with a smile on my face!

Costco Find

Yesterday at Costco, I found a GF product by Garden Lites - Zucchini Souffles.

I'm at that point now where whenever I see GF on a package, I snatch it up to read the ingredients and nutritional information (there is a lot of GF products out there that are pretty crappy on the nutritional front).  These sounded perfect for breakfast.  Zucchini and egg whites = yum.  They have 140 calories per souffle, 1g of fat, 26g carbs, 3g fiber, 5g sugar and 9g of protein.  I decided to bring them home and give them a try.

They are little individulally wrapped souffle's and when I pulled it out, my first thought was of my Easy Bake Oven from when I was little  They little bowl is an exact replica of the little cake pan you slide through the oven.  You can't help but say, "Oh cute!" when you look at it.   Now, depending on how hungry you are, "Oh cute!" may not be what you want to say when you see your breakfast!

Cooked Souffle

They are pretty good.  Not fantastic, but good.  The texture is a little odd.  A bit wet/mushy is the best way I can describe it.  But the taste is good.  They are very small (hence the 140 calorie count) but I paired mine with some fresh fruit and was perfectly satisfied.  I cut it open so you could get a look at the inside.  You can clearly see all those veggies which I was pretty happy about. 

I'll for sure buy these again.  Breakfast is always a struggle for me.  I love my Van's blueberry waffles but get tired of the same thing every day.  This is a quick, good option.

Wall Project

I have this wall/hall area in my house that is begging for a make-over.  It's an awkward spot. It's just off the kitchen but it's not large enough to be an eat in kitchen area plus, it's basically a hallway that takes you from the front entrance to the living room.  Right now, I have a small round table and two chairs in the space and on the wall, 4 large brown frames with (crazy old) photos of my boys.  The table has a glass top because I was thinking it would keep the space from looking too cluttered....not sure how to explain that thought process....decorator extraordinaire I am not!

Taken from my kitchen. To the right is the front entrance, to the left is the living room

View from the front entrance.  This is what greets you as you walk into my home....beautiful.

The table, which I thought would be used as an actual table where people would, I don't know, eat, is instead a dumping ground for anything you happen to have in your hands when you walk in the door.  And whatever ends up there, typically stays.  When I took the photo above, my boys were in school so the backpacks that are normally on the chairs are missing.  But see all the coats?  There are four of them...and the kids are not home!  And on the table....10 glow in the dark bugs, random lego pieces and a half built lego police van, candles that I thought would jazz up the joint, school library books and my shoes on the floor.  Nice.  The entire thing gives me an overwhelming feeling of oogieness due to clutter.  It's not good.

As of right now, I'm thinking about getting the table and chairs out of there.  It would open the area up nicely and it would force people to put their crap elsewhere.  Then for the wall, I'm thinking about taking the big photos down (same with that stupid flower picture you can see half of on the left) and creating some kind of photo gallery wall.  Pottery Barn is the inspiration.  I'll probably do all white frames and some black and white shots.  Along with some other art type pieces.  I'm so good at explaining my vision....gah!  Here is one example of a gallery wall that I really love - from The Nester who is totally brilliant, by the way.

Gallery Wall from The Nester

What do you think?  I've been spending an obscene amount of time on design/decorating blogs and my head is swirling with possibilities.

I feel like I haven't blogged in months.  Basically the last 2 weeks have been in slow motion around here.  The gluten free/wheat free trial ended, I felt a bit better but not 100% so I decided to keep at it.  Then I had some bites of my kids mac & cheese dinner.....then another night, we had burgers and I decided I had to have a bun....then another night, I had a 'regular' beer instead of a gluten free beer.  So.  Things are going slow with my experiment/trail.  It's really hard to stick to a restrictive diet when I don't know for sure that it is helping or even if I have a gluten sensitivity.  And I'm kind of hungry.  And tired of salad.

And I haven't been to the gym for all my beloved classes due to hip pains that I'm trying to control.

The two things above have made me cranky.

Oh, and my little punk has been under the weather.  A cold, which is no big deal, but the cold is accompanied by a hacking cough.  Which after a few days is like fingernails on a chalk board.  'Nuff said.

But on the bright side, I got my bib number for Boston!  Yay!  It's so real now!!  24 days to go.....

Hellish Long Run Causes Slight Panic Attack

On Sunday, I headed out with my group for our long run.  I knew what I was getting into....the dreaded "hamburger run".  We gave it the name during our last marathon training (I for Delaware, Amy for Boston, Doug for Vegas).  The run is from Leesburg out to Waterford and back.  It is basically all country roads that are uneven, rocky/gravel and it is quite the roller coaster.  It is pretty much non-stop hills for the entire 17.5 miles.  It gets to the point where even the downhills hurt.  It's just that hard.  One of the girls in our group said, "this is going to turn our legs into hamburger meat!" and the name was born.

Anyway, I've been dealing with (and by dealing with, I mean ignoring) an inflamed sciatica.  It started about a year ago.  The pain starts in my lower back but quickly travels to my hips.  Sometimes only on one side but more often than not, to both.  Last year, the pain was so bad in my right side that I was convinced I had a stress fracture.  I went to an orthopedic surgeon who took 9 gazillion x-rays then gave me the news that it was my sciatica.  He put me on a heavy duty anti-inflammatory which helped for about a month but then quickly returned.  When the pain comes, it's really debilitating.  It always, without fail, comes around the mile 15/16 mark.  It's what killed my time at Marine Corps and I'm really worried that it's what it going to kill me in Boston. 

The only thing that seems to help is rest.  And rest is something that I just haven't done because Boston is really important and really, really (yikes!) close. 

Anyway, back to the long run and my point (I'm pretty sure I had one).   As expected, by mile 16, I was in quite a bit of pain.  The hills, I've discovered, make it worse and this run was nothing but.  Going down hill actually hurt worse - it was a jabbing pain in both hips and it was all I could do to just keep moving.  And in all honesty, the only reason why I did keep moving was because I knew for sure I'd get lost if I didn't stick with the group. 

After the run, I had to sit on one cheek the entire way home.  Sitting 'normal' sent sharp pains through my right hip.  The left was hurting too but not as horribly as the right.  I hobbled in my house, got in the shower and finally, away from the group and my family, I broke down and cried.  All I need my body to do is to get through Boston.  I want to be able to run it and run it happily.  I don't need a PR, I don't care if it takes me longer than it took me to finish Marine Corps, I just want to enjoy the experience that I worked so hard for.  That's all.  Then I'll hang up my running shoes for a while to allow some sort of healing to happen and after that, I'll stick to short distances.  These are the promises I keep making but my body apparently doesn't care.  It's determined to make my Boston experience miserable.

Sunday night, I decided to stop everything other than the running.  No more Body Pump, Body Combat, or step classes.   Just run.  I'm hoping that it will help at least a little.