I am leaving bright and early tomorrow morning....my father-in-law is picking me up at 6:15am, ouch - so today is my pull-everything-out-of-the-closet-and-attempt-to-jam-it-all-in-the-suitcase-day.  I'm pretty sure I'm the worst packer ever.  For some reason, I can't put together an outfit to save my life.  It's very strange because I consider myself a very organized person.  But all of a sudden, I'm going to be in a hotel without access to everything and I panic!  I keep walking into my closet to pull out more stuff then I stare at it all on my bedroom floor and have to walk out.  This obviously means I'll pack way more crap than I'll ever need.

Race day is hard to pack for too.  The race starts at 6:45 (wha??) and the sun doesn't even come up until 7:24 (yes, I checked)! 

I've for sure settled on carpi tights but from the waist up, I'm still clueless.  I almost always dress too warm for races and end up regretting it so I'm trying to not do that this time.  I think I may wear exactly what I wore for Richmond because it was very cold at the beginning but I never felt too cold or got too hot.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?  For the record, right now they are calling for a low of 44 and a high of 62.  I know 44 is perfect but my thought is that since we wont even see the sun until 45 minutes into the race, it's probably going to be quite chilly for most of the 13 miles.  Ugh.  Just decide!!

Stupid Butt Muscle

Tried out the glut again today.  What the hell is wrong with it!?  I really thought after that week off, I'd be magically cured.  I can't deal.  Why does this kind of thing always happen before a race?  Is it psychological?  I'm starting to think so.  I only ran 5 today just to test it and it was just a nagging pain until I tried to bump up the speed...that's when it turned into plain ol' pain.  Awesome.  So my plan now is to do nothing until race day.  Come race day, I think I'll start out real easy and just see how it feels.

So after I blogged about the Cosmic Kale yuminess the other day, I had a mad craving for it.  I hadn't had it in a while and suddenly couldn't stop thinking about it.  So last night I decided to make it but was out of kale!!  I know!!  Ack!!  So I made it anyway only with spinach.  And guess what?  Still totally fantastic.  It's because of that damn cashew 'cream' sauce.  I could probably slather that on a piece of cardboard and eat it up.  I took this picture just so you could see the creaminess.  I'm still totally amazed at how much it tastes like a million calorie cream sauce.

How can something so creamy be vegan??

I was eating it as my main meal this time so I mixed in some rice noodles for a little added oomph.  Delicious.  I was a very happy girl.

Best dish EVER

Then today, I went to Wegmans to pick up more kale and apparently I'm not the only one on the kale train....this was all that was left!! 

One little bunch of kale!! I kind of want it to go back to the green with a bad, bitter tasting reputation so I can have it all to myself.

Pre-Race Jitters

So once again, I'm a bundle of nerves during race week.  I'm running the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, TX this Sunday and while I'm super excited, I'm also freaking out a bit.  The last time I raced was The Richmond Half Marathon in November.  That race was my first since Boston last April so I went into it insanely nervous.  I hadn't raced in a long time, I didn't feel like my training had been at the level it should have been and to be perfectly honest, I was terrified of embarrassing myself.

It seems that qualifying for Boston is both a blessing and a curse.  Once you do, you feel like you can do anything which is a good thing.  But so does everyone around you which can be a bit daunting.  Everyone automatically thinks you are a Kenyan and can run like the wind.  I like to think I can get speedy with proper training but I'm certainly not born with a gift.  It takes work.  Lots of consistent work.  So when I don't put that work in, I panic.  Such was the case for Richmond.  I was sure I was going to bonk.  Turns out, it was fine.  Once I got started, the nerves vanished and I just ran.  I had a really great experience with friends and felt like, "Ok, I can do this. I can start racing again."

I signed up for Austin because my husband is there for business this week and wanted me to come spend the weekend.  As most runners do, the first thing I did was check for any possible races during that weekend....I know, I'm quite the romantic.  I was very excited to see that the 3M Half was happening on the same weekend so immediately signed up.

Training has been going really well, I felt 100% prepared until two weeks ago when after taking a step class, I felt a funky twinge in my right hamstring.  Actually, I think it's more lower glute than hamstring because it's up pretty high and doesn't travel down my leg, rather side to side.  I went on a group run of 12.5 miles on the 15th and all was well but starting around mile 6, I could feel it slowly creeping in.  I finished fine and it just felt like a mild annoyance more than anything else so I didn't give it much thought.  Oh, and as usual, I didn't stretch.  When am I going to learn how important it is to stretch??  The next morning, it was killing me.  I'm talking, limping around the house killing me.

The next week (last week), I didn't run at all.  Not a single mile.  I went to Body Pump once but that was it.  I rested it as best I could.  Then on Sunday, I decided to give it a try.  Hopped on the treadmill and made it to 4.5 before it started hurting again.  I stopped at 5 miles and worried.  And worried, and worried.  Yesterday morning, it seemed ok so like a moron, I decided to test it again.  I ran 6 miles yesterday and again, starting at the 4-5 mile mark it started talking to me.  Now this morning, it's quite sore.  I was hobbling to the bus stop with my son and seriously ready to cry.  What the hell?!  Obviously I'm going to rest it today and see how I feel tomorrow but I have no idea what to do.

Maybe I should just forget about the race - I don't mean not run it, I mean just go and try and "enjoy the experience" (ugh) - and instead, think about how much fun it will be to have a weekend away with my husband.  No kids! No dog! No toilets to clean!!!  I'm trying to see that glass as half full!

Kale Beautiful Kale!

I have a new love.  I've finally joined the masses and discovered just how yummy kale can be.  I know....I'm way late to the kale party.  It used to be that the only way I was getting kale in my body was via a green smoothie.  And even then, I would load the smoothie with spinach then put only lonely kale leaf in and I only did that because I knew what a nutritional powerhouse kale was.  Obviously getting one kale leaf every now and again wasn't really doing me much good.  I kept reading about the 'massaged kale salad' technique so decided to man up and give it a go.  Well, I'm here to tell you that taking that extra step to massage your kale is a very good thing!  Basically, you are massaging the dressing of your choice into the kale leaves and in the process, turning them into a softer, milder, all around yummier green.  I am now 100% addicted!  I make a big salad every Sunday and munch on it until Wednesday if I'm lucky then immediately make another!  The salad that did it for me is this one from Whole Living.

Totally addictive kale yuminess

When I make it, I find the best method is to put half of the dressing in with the kale, get in there with your hands - yes, totally messy but oh so worth it! - and massage away until it gets soft.  Then I add the rest of the ingredients and the remaining dressing.  So, so, so good....even my husband likes it which is saying a lot.  Also, I had my father and step-mother over for dinner last Sunday night and served it to them without telling them what the green was.  My step-mom loved it and halfway through it said, "This is so good! What is this green though?" Well of course I was so excited to practically scream, "Kale!  It's kaaaaaaaalllllleeeee!!!!"  They were both very surprised because of course, no one likes kale, it just too bitter!  Ha!

I was so proud of my raw kale consumption that I decided to search for something cooked that would be just as good.  I settled on a delicious sounding recipe from Fat Free Vegan.  With a name like Cosmic Cashew Kale and Chickpeas, I figured I couldn't go wrong!  Well it certainly delivered.  This was also my first try at a cashew dressing/sauce.  I know....what the hell?  This lifestyle change is one that I wanted to do right and by right, I mean I wanted to stay away from packaged food and too much fat.  I have been so frustrated by the number of blogs/recipes I see that use cashew 'cream'.  I feel like it adds so much fat to the recipe.  Sure, nuts are good for you, but I try to eat them in moderation and I was worried that if I started throwing cashew cream on every one of my dinners, I'd blow up like a balloon.  Again, I mean no disrespect to the cashew cream lovers of the world, I'm just trying to keep the fat/calories in check.  Anyway, I gave this one a go and really loved it.  My husband - who is not on my vegetarian train - really enjoyed this and couldn't believe there was no dairy involved.  He also said I should spring it on my father and step-mom next time they come over and wait until after to announce it vegan.  He is so getting in on my game!

On a personal note, I know I'm a pretty sketchy blogger.  My goal for this blog has always been to record my training process and race day experiences (I really do learn from past mistakes!) and now, to keep a running diary of my dietary changes in an effort to discover just what the heck is wrong with my belly and to get healthier.  Having said that, I'm very sporadic in my posting because I have a sick parent and it can be quiet overwhelming at times emotionally.  Some days (or weeks, months!) it takes a major effort to keep a sunshiny front for my kids and to put one foot in front of the other let alone blog about food and exercise.  So.  There you have it.  I love to blog and I love the connection that comes from reader comments and input so I don't want to give it up!

Books I'm Loving Right Now

I love when my favorite bloggers also have books.  Such is the case with both Happy Herbivore and Peas and Thank You.  I'm plowing through both books and have so far loved everything I've made. 

My favorite from Peas and Thank You has to be the hummus (for now!).  There are so many awesome things in her book but in the last 2 weeks, I've made the hummus 3 times! 

It's such a great base recipe but it's even better when you play with it a bit.  She suggests roasted red peppers which I've done and LOVE and also kalamata olives...yum!
 
Happy Herbivore is another of my favorite blogs.  Her Apple Jacks Smoothie is to die for.  Notice that I drank half of it before snapping a picture....I just couldn't wait! 

I've never thought to add cinnamon to a smoothie before but wow is it incredible! And chocolate zucchini bread?  Um, yes please!

I ran my final long run before the Richmond Half (12 days - ack!) yesterday.  I decided to do 13 again.  It was fine up until mile 10.5 when the usual low back pain started creeping in.  I'm SO frustrated by this pain!  It's like clock work - just over 10 miles it starts as a dull ache but by mile 12, it's all I can do to stay upright.  It has me very concerned about Richmond, to say the least.

A Couple New Recipe Attempts....A Crappy Run...Laziest Lunch Ever

First of all, I discovered sunflower butter.  I've tried to get on the almond butter bandwagon but I just can't do it.  I've tried several brands and for some reason, it just tastes gritty to me.  I love peanuts and of course peanut butter but too much peanut in my diet does me the wrong way so in my quest to find an alternative, I decided to give sunflower butter a try.  Well whatta you know!  It's actually really good!  And shockingly tastes just like sunflower seeds...go figure.

Now for my recipe attempts.  This journey to a all vegetarian (and no dairy) diet has been great so far but I'm starting to feel the need to branch out and try new recipes.  I can only eat so many bean burgers and sauteed spinach.

Ina's Eggplant Spread with Added Beans

Yesterday, I tried to make Ina Garten's Roasted Eggplant Spread. I followed her recipe exactly and wasn't all that impressed.  I felt like it was lacking something....it was rather bland.  I added more seasoning...still bland.  So then I decided to dump a can of chick peas in the processor (along with a bit more tahini).  Better, but still, not great.  I nibbled on it with some veggies and flax chips then I tried using it on a sandwich in place of my usual hummus.  Yawn.  I need to keep looking for a good eggplant spread.

Last night I decided to try Angela's 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta.  I love, love, love her site, Oh She Glows and have had a ton of fantastic creations from there.  The creamy sauce looked so good to me that I had to give it a whirl.  It was good.  I didn't love it like I thought I would, but it was good. 

Angela's Avocado Creamy Sauce with Added Tofu

This is going to be a really stupid review/thing to say but I thought it was a bit too avocadoy.  I know.  That's the point, isn't it?  Maybe it was the idea of avocado on pasta that I didn't love.  I probably should have had it with chips.  It truly was a 15 minute meal which I loved after sitting at my son's baseball game all evening and I think I will try it again only next time, I may use a half of an avocado instead of the entire thing.  Next from her site, I'm going to try her Butternut Squash Mac 'n Cheeze because that looks freaking delish!

Today I had a totally shitty run.  I've been taking a ton of classes this week instead of focusing on my running which is stupid since I have a half marathon next month. It came back to haunt me today.  After Body Pump, I jumped on a treadmill with the intention of running 6 miles and only managed to crank out 3.  My legs were lead.  Ugh.  Back to the running program next week!

After the gym, I was hungry but pissy and a wee bit lazy so I broke out the steam bags.  I threw some spinach on one and butternut squash in the other and was eating a yummy lunch within 10 minutes.  Now that is success!

Les Mills Kicked My A$$ Today!

I finally got back to yoga yesterday.  I can't even remember the last time I went.  Certainly before my knife/toe incident back in June and I think at least a month before that!  I was feeling so stiff after the weekend so I thought it would do me some good to slow down, take a deep breath and stretch.  I was right.  I felt so great after.  I had forgotten (a) just how hard yoga is, and (b) how totally fantastic and relaxed I feel after.  The only thing I did wrong was wait until after yoga to get my run done.  Kinda stupid.  Running on stretched out jello legs is not only hard but probably not very smart.  Lesson learned.  Next Tuesday, I run first, then I get my yoga on!

Today I went to Body Step followed by Body Pump.  The new release in Step is hard-freakin'-core!  I really wish I had worn my heart rate monitor because I would have loved to have known just how close to a heart attack I was!  After, my legs were shot but I stuck around for Pump anyway.  Yeah.  Killer.  The lunge track is never ending and the shoulder track is pure torture.  I am going to be really sore tomorrow....yay!  Love that!

So last night was my first experiment with using flax and water as a substitution for egg when making my bean burgers!  The recipe I love uses one egg white as a binding agent.  I googled 'flax egg' and I swear, came up with 47 different methods.  So, since I was tired and hungry, I picked the easiest one (the idea of cooking the 'goop' first seemed really odd to me).  I used 1 Tbsp of ground flax seed and 3 Tbsp of water.  When I initially mixed it up, I was worried because it seemed so watery but the more it sat as I prepped the other ingredients, the more it thickened up.  I baked the burgers and when I ate them - sans bun - I thought they were falling apart more than when I used to use an egg white but the taste was the same.  And actually, I think I liked them better....they tend to be a bit dry normally and were very moist last night.

Goop on sides of burgers is ground mustard

Served up with my favorite side - sauteed spinach and mushrooms - I was a happy, happy girl!

In other totally unrelated to anything news....know what these are:

When did I go blind??

Yeah.  Readers.  Flippin' old lady readers people!!!  Seriously, out of nowhere I suddenly became one of those people who has to hold a piece of paper way out in front and squint then hand it to my kid and ask him to read it to me!  What. The. Hell.  So when I was at Wegmans the other day, I tried a bunch on and settled on the lowest....um...power? Magnification? Setting?....ones I could find and reluctantly threw them in my cart.  I hate to admit it but they are pretty awesome.  All those pesky little words are not so annoying anymore!  Sigh.....