Monthly Archives: December 2011

Resolutions and Reflections

2011 was the year that I became a runner.  It was a resolution and a task all about me and giving back to myself.

I took on the challenge December 17, 2010, but the bulk of the challenge was in keeping it going in 2011.  Though injuries, pain and determination, I came across the other side down 15 pounds and at least 2 inches per area measured, with more areas down even more inches.

2011 was the first time in my life I proclaimed myself, “a runner.”

Calling yourself a runner is a big step in taking up the sport/hobby/sanity-keeping-system.  Especially for those of us who grew up hating running and being the slowest on in gym class or on the team. I always thought being a runner is something you were born with: long legs, long stride, thin as a rail body-type.

Running started as an experiment to learn to love what I’ve always hated.  In this past year I’ve learned not only about the joys of running, but also that you really can do anything you set your mind to.  If you take the thing you’ve always hated most, something you convinced yourself you just weren’t born to do, you can learn not only to do that thing, but also to love it.

Running 12 minute miles, I’m certainly not fast by any stretch of the imagination.  I’m also not ashamed of saying that’s my pace because I know what it took to get to a 12 minute mile average.  To me, that number represents strength and the future that I hold before myself.  In five years will I say I’m at 10 or 9 minute miles? I hope so, but even if I can’t say that, I know I will still be running because of all the things this past year has taught me.  It’s pushed me to open my eyes to the possibilities of sprint triathlons in the coming years, and maybe even a marathon before I’m thirty.

There are so many joys in running, but the best reward doesn’t come at the end of a race or even at the end of a good day.  The greatest reward is as I look back over the past year and see that what I’ve accomplished took the full year.  It’s not something that can be rushed, it’s changing everything at a snail’s pace.  Real change doesn’t happen overnight, real change is a lifestyle adjustment that, when made, makes it unthinkable to imagine going back to where you were before you started.

While 2011 was a year focused on myself, 2012 is a year focused on making my running more of a group activity.  I’m no longer shy about asking others if they want to run with me, or worried about not being able to keep up.  I know that my pace is my pace and having support along the trail will only get me further on my path in life.

The resolution for 2012 is to run one race per month for the entire year.  I’ve already signed up for races through May and I’m eager to accomplish the races and continue to trail all year.  I invite you to join me on the road, or the trail, as I go through 2012’s journey.

January: 5k Legacy Loop

February: 5k 500 Festival Training Race

March: 10k 500 Festival Training Race

April: 15k 500 Festival Training Race

May: 13.1 500 Festival Mini Marathon

Comfort Foods

It’s a cold and rainy day today (even though Christmas is a few days away and snow would be much more festive.)

What’s better to have for dinner than belly-warming, filling comfort food? That used to mean hidden hotdogs with mac and cheese.

*Sidenote: “Hidden Hotdogs” are clearly something no one else has ever heard of.  For those of you who did not grow up in my parent’s house, that refers to what you probably know as “pigs in a blanket”.  This is a constant correction in our house now when I refer to them as hidden hot dogs and my husband insists there is no such thing, in fact, they are called pigs in a blanket. 

But, these days cheese is not on the menu, so I’ve been forced to reevaluate comfort food options.  Hidden hotdogs are fantastic – but they generally require making at least 8 for only the 2 of us and are pretty fatty and calorie-packed.  One crescent roll has 110 calories, plus 150 for the average hot dog.  That puts the first delight at 260 calories.  And there is never a way that I can eat just one.  So already, before sides, dinner’s at 520 calories.

My second favorite comfort food is chicken packets. These gooey, warm treats are another “family recipe” (translation – from a cookbook we bought and used a lot) that consist of boiled chicken cut into square, mixed with cream cheese and chives, then wrapped in two crescent rolls, dipped in butter, rolled in bread crumbs and then baked.  Hello again, calories, but at least one is more than enough for that dinner.  Due to the size of our kitchen (we have 20 square inches of counterspace, total) I can’t personally make those, so they’re a 1-2x a year treat when my mom makes them.

So, that leads me to today’s answer to cold, dreary day.  Gooey, warm and unhealthy enough to fit the “comfort food” category, but not a diet-buster.  Voila’s Chicken & Vegetables in a Pot Pie Gravy skillet meal.

It’s meant to taste like a chicken pot pie and it hits the spot.  To prepare, we place the frozen meal in the skillet, add some water, and let it heat stirring occasionally.  It takes about 15 minutes total to prepare, so it’s perfect for nights we would be tempted to turn to eating out.  It’s so easy, even my husband can make it, and it always tastes fantastic.  At 2.5 servings per bag, and 290 calories per serving, we both enjoy a full dinner for under 375 calories.  It’s packed with vegetables and chicken, so it’s protein-filled. There are even biscuit crumbs to add at the end to make it really thick and yummy.

While frozen meals are never as healthy as making them from scratch, we’ve found this particular meal is exactly what we need a lot of nights after long days or long workouts.

Delicious, warm, filling all from a fast, easy-t0-make, affordable meal. 

And runnin runnin and runnin runnin

I’ve been dealing with an annoying little cold for the past week.

I woke up last Monday and I could feel it coming on, but Tuesday when I woke up, the brunt of it had hit.  My throat was totally closed off, my sinuses were clogged and my temp was up 4-5 degrees.  Nothing near the flu (*Thank you flu shot…) but still not fun to have.  In the past week it just hasn’t gone away, even today.

*Side note- that jumbo, combo box of Dayquil/Nyquil that I bought months ago with a coupon at walmart – TOTALLY coming in handy this week.*

Sickness aside, what really gets me is that I’ve been unable to run, or work out, in that entire time.  With traveling that makes ten straight days of no aerobic activity, which is driving me CRAZY!

No running, no lifting, no anything.  I’m dying to get back into a routine, especially with a race only 2  weeks away, but it’s hard to do when I can’t breathe and I’m sneezing all the time.

This post doesn’t have a real purpose other that to vent my frustrations and reflect on the changes that a year can make.

I started running in December 2010 and that first day was PAINFUL.  I kept telling myself to appreciate the small milestones each time I met a new goal.  Looking back, a year later, the change is incredible.  Not just physically (down 13 pounds and 7 inches) but also mentally.

Running has changed the way I look at the world and everything in it, and I encourage anyone who thinks that they can’t do it – that they can’t be a runner – to try it for one year.  If you’re not hooked on it by then, then find something else, but my hunch is that it will change your world, too.

A Very Mexico Thanksgiving

This year my husband and I started a fabulous new holiday tradition.  We claimed a holiday for ourselves.

While we are happy to split Christmas between our two families, we decided Thanksgiving was going to be “our holiday.”  A lot of the other holidays during the year where people typically get long weekends, I’m working, so Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two holidays that neither of us has to work all year.  With Christmas being a holiday we think is important to spend with our parents and my siblings, Thanksgiving became the logical holiday to take for “us.”

We got the idea from some friends of ours who have done this for years.  Each Thanksgiving, rather than split it between her four siblings’ families and parents and his sibling’s family and parents, they long ago claimed the weekend to give thanks for their own family.  After giving it some thought, we decided to do the same this year and found it was a fantastic idea.

Too many people wait until they have kids to make “family traditions.”  The two of us (and the cat, but she didn’t come…) are a family, even without kids, so why not make a family tradition of our own.

We were planning on going somewhere warm, to a beach, the week of Thanksgiving and it was fate that we happened to win a 3-night, 4-day stay at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa.  We purchased an additional night, got our passports in order (mine needed a name change, and the husband need his first passport) and soon enough we were off to sunny Mexico!

The following is a rave review for the hotel.  We were not compensated for the review, but we did win 3 nights of the lodging portion of the stay.  We were overwhelmingly satisfied with the hotel’s friendly staff, lush amenities and clean outdoor areas.

We arrived in Cancun on Monday afternoon and caught our shuttle to the hotel.  Walking in, the view was stunning.  The lobby opens onto a step-down bar, which features an expansive window that showcases the beach.  Tired from our trip (we woke up at 4 a.m. that morning to catch our first flight), we went to check out the room before finding food at one of the many on-site restaurants.  The room was large for a standard room, the bed was comfortable and the bathroom was about as large as our kitchen at home! The bathroom featured 2 sinks, a stand-up shower, a bathtub and separate toilet room.

We walked onto the balcony that opened with a sliding door and our ocean/pool view was expansive and beautiful.  We could see the lagoon to our left, the ocean to our right and part of the hotel’s expansive pool before us.  We spent a lot of time on the patio that week reading, eating, drinking and watching the sun set.

We walked the beach and checked out the pool before grabbing dinner on our first night at the Beachwalk restaurant, overlooking the sand and surf.

The sun sets around 5:30 p.m. in Cancun and after eating dinner outside we went back into the hotel to explore a bit more.

The next day we upgraded to “Club 91” for the first of our remaining 3 night stays.  This upgrade allowed us each 5 meals a day and an open bar from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. each night.  We took full advantage of the offerings and got more than our money’s worth each day.  The meals and drinks were served on the top floor of the hotel with a room that overlooked the beach.

The hotel provided beach towels at our request, which was a nice touch.  Each time we went to enjoy the water we were able to get a clean, dry towel and didn’t have to worry about drying ours or cleaning them while we were there.

Each day we started off working out in the spa’s fitness room, a favorite of mine on vacation.  The fitness room was well equipped, if not a bit hot.   Following working out, we had breakfast, lounged by the pool, grabbed lunch, lounged on the beach, had afternoon snacks and more lounging/reading.  We then got cleaned up for dinner, drinks and relaxing.  Three full days in Mexico and I finished four books, got a massage, enjoyed all three days of sunny weather and swimming – the perfect vacation, hands down.

P.S. Thanksgiving dinner itself was a sushi buffet and we loved it!

If you have the chance to get to Cancun we both highly recommend staying at the JW Cancun.  A friendly staff, top-notch amenities and a great stay for our week of rest and relaxation.