Ran-bunctious!

The Biggest Loser

Despite all the drama and stupidity, I still find myself watching the Biggest Loser.  I get attached to people and wanting to cheer them on.  As far as the trainers go, I'm not always thrilled with Jillian's approach, but I think she knows her stuff and deep down really cares about the contestants.  The show likes to primarily focus on the gym drama and show the trainers screaming "Do more!"  and "Last Chance Workout!" but in a rare turn of events actual details of their workouts were given.  Jillian wanted the contestants to run for 5 mins at a 1% incline at 6mph.  They were giving up, like they sometimes do, and it made me wonder if I could do that.  So I got on my friends treadmill in Jeans, Sweater and stocking feet no less... and set it up to the proper settings.  Guess what?! I can... and well it was pretty easy.  So anyway, I'm in better shape than the obese which I suppose is nothing to brag about, but I thought it was sort of a relief.

Pacing a Half ?

I got picked! (or I was the only one who volunteered) to pace a half marathon.  I'm super excited and super freaked out all at the same time.  I will be pacing the 2:30 group for the Eau Claire Half on May 5th... remember last year when that was my goal and yes, I made it... but I sort-of wish I had a little more comfort room between my abilities and the pace I'm required to keep.  Also, I would love to hear anything about what you would recommend for this task.  I'm all ears right now.   

100 % Irish for a Day

So in actuality I'm about 6.25% Irish, but my name is Erin and it means Ireland... So of course I can endorse the spirit that encourages people to shout "Erin Go Bragh!" (or Ireland forever).  At any rate I ran a 5K called "100% Irish for a day".... it was horribly wet weather and there were literally path wide puddles to be dodged and dealt with.   It very crowded too, so in some ways that made it low pressure.  However, I still ran my second best stand alone 5K - 32:26, which to be fair is the time off my Garmin, as it was not a chip timed event.  The only slightly annoying thing is that I wasn't too far off of a PR, and it makes me wonder if it had been better weather conditions would I have gotten it.  Oh well, sort of a waste of time to speculate anyway.  There will be another race. 

Last Weeks Eats (2/23/13 -3/1/13)

This week I didn't cook much or take many photos... but here's a few shots anyway!

White Chicken Chili and Bread from Claddaugh Coffee this local and awesome coffee shop - I love!

Food from my friend Christine's wedding I went to last Saturday

Dessert from Dinner with Amanda.  We each only had a few bites - very rich!

In Defense of DietBet

So the pot for the PriorFatGirl Diet Bet basically went viral and as of last I checked was up to $7280!!  I am not usually one to join up with these types of things... but the big pot of money had me going.  Also, I stepped on the scale recently to see a number I have never seen before, and that came with the reality check that I might have to do more than wish for the number to change.  Yes, I know I'm still a relatively small girl, and some people might be bothered that I'm trying to lose weight at all... but allow me to speak my case.

Diet Bet is 'only' a 4% weight loss, so I will have to lose around 5lbs in month, It's an aggressive goal, but not an impossible one.  Here's some facts around this:    
 
1) I'm 7 lbs heavier than I was last fall, and about 10lbs more than I would ideally be.

2) I'm about 20 lbs more than my thinnest as an adult... now granted that was 5ish years ago and I have no intention of getting back to that weight... but I know I have room to 'safely' lose.

3) I have some basic eating habits that I want to alter (too much wine and too much fast food) My primary goal is to nip those in the bud... and secondary is too lose 5 lbs.  I haven't lost perspective here.

4) I don't think there is anything wrong with making a case for small weight loss... I think choosing small weight loss is probably one way to prevent having to deal with dramatic weight loss later.      

5) It's a max $20 loss, and my priorities are set enough that if it's a choice between fueling properly for running and losing weight I will fuel properly.  I don't intend to 'starve myself' or live off rabbit food.

6) I have zero history of eating disorders (I mean no shame to anyone who has struggled with this)

7) All of my once fitting pants are now creating the 'muffin top' effect and several are unwearable.  I don't love how this looks or feels...  and I'm cheap enough that I'd rather not have to replace my wardrobe. 

8) I'm still more interested in toning and a better figure... if I can get that without the number on the scale budging... than I would be satisfied.  (Though I think the two goals are congruous)

9) I think I'm worth having the body I want.  This decision is coming from a place of self-acceptance, not self-blame or shame.  I know I could eat better and look better and I owe it to myself to try.  I like who I am now, and that means believing I can grow too!   

Alright, Do I have you on my side?

Yes?

Then go cheer me on!  I want to make some money!

Last Weeks Eats (2/16 - 2/22)

Well I didn't lie... I knew this would be hard for me to keep up with, but here's the eats... almost a week late. I'm going to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good and post this anyway.

yummy healthy wrap inspired by Falon's fb page

Healthy snacking at school

gorgeous homemade pizza

Dessert made with pureed frozen bananas.  I was skeptical, but frozen banana are awesome! This actually tasted like a dessert.

Quinoa, Red Peppers, Kidney Beans and Feta simmered in a broth.   The broth is key.

Above mixture with Spring Mix Greens and Black Olives on top.

Results of baking endeavors with friends.  The only thing I was actually responsible for here was the dicing the maraschino cherries and unwrapping the chocolate kisses. A small but noble role :).

Overall, a good week!  

Last Weeks Eats (2/9/13 - 2/15/13)

It's true, for a blog with food in the name there hasn't been a lot of food on here lately.  The truth is recipe posts are some of my most time consuming to write and often generate the least feedback (even if they get a lot of traffic) However, I do miss the food element on here and thought I would try to bring it back a little with "last weeks eats".  I will try to summarize my food ventures in pictures and words on a weekly basis.  In this way, I can share recipes and food ideas along the way.   I make no promises on my commitments here, but the idea is obviously to post weekly, but I avoided naming the series after a specific day so I can post them a little more ad-hoc... but hoping for the weekend after.  Again, no promises.

In other news... my regular food consumption could be best described as all over the map... and that will likely be reflected in the pictures.   

So on that note... we had Chinese Buffet Gourmet on Saturday and it was delicious.  Neither Tony or I are big fans of the fortune cookies, but we do like to read the fortunes (who doesn't?).  Look what Tony's was:

Three times a week, treat yourself to dessert

hmm...and with that I treated myself to fro-yo... Nothing wrong with co-opting fortunes.

 We then went to costco (with Tony's mom) and bought a TON of food.  Which gave us everything and more that we needed to make breakfast burritos.  We make them a little different each time, but they are basically a staple around here. We make enough for leftovers for the rest of the week. 



However I did have this for breakfast one morning too.  It was small but satisfying. 

Bread w/butter, fruit, coffee

I used to make Chicken and Rice frequently, but then I forgot about if for a while.  It's so easy and delicious.  This will totally be re-introduced into rotation. 

Chicken and Rice

Nothing like good ol' hamburger helper.  I used to think this is prime time eating in college, but I believe that's a little lost on me now.  The truth remains that it's easy to make, and food snobs aside - totally edible.  I threw in a side salad to make it balanced and there you go.     

Well, wasn't that exciting!  Obviously I didn't take pictures of everything that passed my lips.  I try to keep this remotely interesting.  Tony took me to Fogo De Chao on V-day (which was 2/9 for us), and yes I did make my weekly trek to Taco Bell.  They have these new things called something grillers...which lived up to their $1.29 price tag :)!      

Honestly, I'm not thrilled with this week health wise, though it could always be worse.  Perhaps related, I have class two nights a week from 6pm to 9:20pm.  Between that and homework, it's been hard to find ample time around meals to cook.  We've been doing a lot of quick fix foods, leftovers and admit-ably fast food.  The first time I went to college I ate like crap all the time, so I'm trying to avoid that, but also allowing myself to be human.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I hope this 2.14 finds you well, no matter your relationship status.  I had a good but busy day, and was in class until 9:20pm tonight.  I like everything I get to do, but I think it might be a little too much some times.  I guess there are worse things.

I have to say I was all settled in for just appreciating  a day that celebrates love and not needing any sort of 'materialistic adornments".... and while I really believe in that; I was overwhelmed by the generosity of many.  My parents sent me a card with a subway gift card earlier this week.  My friend C sent me two cards, one was under the guise of being sent from the cats (which was corny, but cute and creative too).  And to top it off Tony got me these:

  
  We celebrated early, due to time constraints on the 'official day'... but he still thought a little sentiment was in order... :).

Anyway, I read this earlier on a blog I like and thought it summed things up well.

"You don't need a partner, a child or a best friend to have a Valentines Day. You need an open heart and a willingness to receive good thoughts from any which direction."  J-Stephens-Couture 

Also, here's my cats with some virtual snuggles to send your way.  (from when they were babies)

Source: Uploaded by user via Erin on Pinterest

 Aren't they just love?

#runchat Recap

Has anyone here tried to participate in a twitter chat and failed?

I have, I always get super lost with what is going and can barely participate in the conversation.  However, I did some looking and found www.tweetchat.com which really helped me stay on track with the convo.  Obviously, I couldn't read everything, but it was a little easier to see what was happening.  I'd love more hints on how to have success with twitter.  

Anyway, I finally participate in #runchat, and it was pretty awesome.  Basically @iRunnerBlog and @RunningBecause throw out 5 questions and the #runchat community answers those questions.  

Here are the questions and my answers .. as well as other thoughts.  

Q1:  from by @OneFootThere: If you could pick a company to sponsor you, which one and why?

A1 Saucony, so I never have to buy shoes again... and I've loved my first two pairs

Basically, the idea of sponsorship for a slowish 'nobody' like me is pretty far-fetched.  However, having some free shoes would be pretty awesome, in retrospect though I would rather have my race-fees covered as those are the most expensive.  

Q2: is from @Shawnegreer: What is your most difficult distance to get a personal best time and why?

A2:   I PRed a few distances lasty year including 5K, but I still think it's my nemesis, more misses than hits

Ya'll know I want me a sub 30 5K... which has proved to be quite difficult.  Though, I did still PR one of my 5Ks last year.  As a side note, I really haven't done enough of any of the other distances to establish a lot of patterns.  

Q3: from our great friend @BartYasso: What is your favorite marathon or half marathon? Why?

A3:  I've only done TC marathon, my favorite half is WomensROCK - too much fun! 

TC marathon is my only marathon... but as biased as my opinion may be - it was totally awesome!  I've only done two halves as well, but again WomensROCK was awesome!  LOL - aren't you glad you come here for my well-thought out opinions.  

Q4: from @TimLaBrecque: Do you find it harder to run with or without music? Why?

A4:  I mostly run without, but it's partially because I'm to lazy to track down my ipod

Part of the problem is I have one of those big ipods and it's too awkward to carry while I run.  I don't mind running outside without a soundtrack, because I enjoy the scenery, but on the treadmill, I'm in need of some tunes.  Luckily, my mom gave me her ipod shuffle that she wasn't using, but now I need to create a appropriate running playlist.  I got these suggestions from  @RFKGuide2Runnin which looks like a good start.  However, what are your suggestions?  Even though my normal music likes are more mellow, I enjoy music that has a pretty good base beat when I run.  

Q5: from @26point2miles: What was your very first race? Have you done it since? What made it special?

A5:  first race was heartbeat 5000 5K, it was great and I have and would do it again

Some of the runchat-ers ran their first races in grade school... nothing like that fact to make you feel a little behind.  Well, all that matters is that you start.

Not sure if tweet chatting is totally my thing yet, but this #runchat sure is fun.  Join me (and a bunch of others) at 8pm Eastern on the second and fourth Sunday of every month