It's WIAW Time!

Let's get right to it, shall we?

I finally went to a track to do my speed work.  And can I be honest here...I'm not a big track fan.  All the other days when I couldn't get to the track I was kind of bummed and didn't feel like a "real" runner doing my speed work by measuring out a quarter mile on DailyMile.com or using a treadmill at the gym.  But now, I think I liked those better.  First, I don't even know if the track I used was 400m, my times were way too fast.  And even though the track may have been shorter than 400m it felt like longer!!!

Unpictured post-run smoothie, as per usch.

*banana, soy milk, chocolate Amazing Grass, ice*

I love summer because I CRAVE veggies.

And when you don't have much else left to eat, you make it work.

*sliced radish, zucchini, carrot, Whole Foods spicy thai dressing, nooch*

Dinner included my fave root vegetable....

sweet potato!

If you haven't had the chance to order sweet potato sushi rolls, you don't know what your missing.  My fabulous sister, Alli, introduced these to me when we went out for sushi last month.  For the longest time I ate fish just because I couldn't give up sushi.  But veggie rolls, including this one, satisfy my craving and go above and beyond my expectations for sushi!

After dinner I got to meet up with my friend Kerry and her 5 month old baby, err, I mean puppy, Tucker.  We took Tuck on a nice long walk around a gorgeous lake by her house.  It brought back memories of Team in Training because that's where we would meet for long runs!!  

And I almost forgot the un-pictured late night snack I ate...frozen mangoes!  Seriously.  I got home and Shane was eating ice cream and all I wanted was something cold.  So I took out some frozen Trader Joe's mango chunks, and as they thawed a little they were the perfect cool treat!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Wednesday...

now go make Thursday a great one!

Have you ever tried a sweet potato sushi roll?  

Do you like to use a track for speed work?  If so, what are some tips for making it more enjoyable?!

I love my friends.

obvi.

I know it's a pretty obvious statement to make, but I just wanted to throw it out there.  Like I told them yesterday, if it wasn't for them, or my wonderful family, I would most likely still be living in the palm tree wonderland of San Diego.  But the past few weekends I was able to get together with my BFFs "just because" and it was seriously fabulous to see their beautiful faces.  

We had great dinner at a cute little Mexican place in Freehold.  It was BYOB and Kerry made some fantastic sangria!  Good food, good people, good drinks.

This past weekend Shane and I hosted a little BBQ and lake party.

 

Thankfully the rain held out and we had a gorgeous day!

Shane was the ultimate grill master and made jalapeno/monteray jack & bacon/cheddar stuffed burgers.  All the meat eaters said they were the best burgers they ever had!

We had a wide array of delicious food and I made a salad from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run.

 

black bean, quinoa and citrus salad 

This salad was so light and fresh, the ultimate summer salad if I do say so myself!

I LOVE being close to my friends and I'm so happy I have got to see them the past few weekends.  Thanks girls, love you<3

 

Peachy Keen

I baked a fabulous vegan peach pie the other day.

  

Oh yea, and I promised you the recipe!

The mess you make while baking this pie is well worth it.

Trust. 

Kathy over at  Healthy Happy Life posted her recipe for summer peach pie.  And there's a video how to also!  So get on over there and get baking!

 

Say What: Jicama

If you know what jicama is, raise your hand.

...

Hmm, I have a feeling there are quite a few hands not raised.  And that's okay!  The first time I ate jicama  was only a few months ago.  Until that time I would wander the produce section of Henry's, stop at jicama, ponder for a moment what in the world that weird vegetable was, and then walk right on by.

By I didn't know what I was missing! And pretty soon you will too.

I hope you found the video helpful!  And below you'll find another delicious way to enjoy your new favorite veggie!

Apple & Jicama Salad

What you'll need

This simple salad is easy to adjust to your personal taste.  Mix and match quantities until you reach desired sweetness and tartness.  Shredded carrots would make an excellent addition as well!

1 medium jicama

2-3 apples- any type: I used Washington, I bet Granny Smith would work too.

3/4 c. walnuts- can toast for added flavor

2/3 c. raisins- dried cranberries would work also

2 tbsp lime juice

4 tbsp agave nectar

What you'll do

-Julienne your jicama and apples.

- Mix in raisins and walnuts.

- Mix lime juice and agave together and mix with salad.  

- Eat right away or put in fridge to let the flavors mingle!

 

Happy Hump Day

Hello, and welcome to another edition of WIAW!

Today was a pretty awesome day if I do say so myself.  I woke up early to get in Day 3 of Marathon Training.  I ate at around 6:20 to give my body about an hour to absorb the CARBS!

 The plan called for quarter mile repeats, and I was a little scared.  For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, it's basically a .25 miles or 400 m, or 1 lap around a track, ran at a quick pace with rest in between.  

The plan called for 6 x 400 m at 2:15 to 2:25 pace.  I just mapped out .25 miles on DailyMile instead of going to a track.  After each .25 mile I walked for 2 minutes and did that 6 times.  It wasn't as bad as I thought.  We'll see how I feel during Week 8 when I'm doing 16 of them!

 Post run smoothie was a delicious blend of:

handful spinach

1 frozen banana

handful fresh strawberries

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 packet chocolate Amazing Meal

Around 11 I headed to the lake to get in some sun time.  Unfortunately I wasn't there long when the sun decided to hide behind some clouds. I still enjoyed reading Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella (LOVE all her books!) in the sand.  I came home and had this monster salad.

 Followed by left over corn, peach pie (recipe to come), and some chopped veggies.  All over the span of the entire afternoon.

Dinner was yummy, but sounds so cliche.  Brown rice and steamed broccoli sounds lame-o.  But in actuality it was a brown rice pilaf with lots of yummy veggies and spices.

And that's all she wrote!  I'll be back with the peach pie recipe I used.  It's a winner!!

Turning Dreams into Goals

"It's a dream until you write it down, 

and then it's a goal." - Anonymous

source

I have some running dreams.  And I'm ready to turn those dreams into goals.  They've been written on my calendar, but I think they'll become even more real once I write them for the whole world to see.

 The first event on my calendar is the Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.  I love the Rock 'n' Roll series, probably because I had such an amazing experience during my 1st marathon.  So I'm really looking forward to this one.

Another reason why I am so excited for this event?  My sister, new blogger (<---check her out)  and newbie runner, is signed up too!  This will be her first 1/2 marathon and I am so proud of her training so far!

Now here is where things get tricky.  I am most definitely running a full marathon this fall, but I have 2 choices a week apart from each other.  Basically it's dependent on if I get a big girl job for the fall!

Choice number one, is the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20th.

In 2009 this was my first ever 1/2 marathon.  I distinctly remember around mile 12 the full marathoners split off to continue running and in my mind I asked myself, "They are so crazy;  who would ever want to run 13 more miles after this?".  Guess I've gone a little crazy...

If I do get a job it would be a dream to run the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon on December 4th.  Who gets the chance to run the strip at night?  There are also plans for a blogger conference!

This sounds like it would be an AMAZING marathon to run. 

The only part I'm scared about is the 4:30:00 cut off time!  I ran my first marathon in 4:58, and I was focused solely on finishing.  This time around I have speed work and tempo runs incorporated into my training.  I'm thinking I can do it and this marathon would be the push I need to break the 4:30 barrier!

After my second full marathon the sky's the limit, right?  I'll have to see how it all goes.  But if I'm feeling good I may begin training for a 50k or 50 mile-er.  Being honest with myself, running is my passion.  At the beginning of the summer I thought I would train for a sprint triathlon for the end of August, but my heart wasn't in it.  For right now, I think I will stick with running and save swimming and cycling for cross training activities 2x week, as per my training plan :p

 *Awesome motivational pictures from I <3 to Run <--like them on Facebook!

What are some of your dreams?  Come on, write them down and turn them into goals!