Memory Lane: It's a Good Road

I've been limping through a handful of runs each week. I basically started my marathon taper about 3 weeks early. I'm not entirely sure how detrimental that will be, come race day. But with this heel injury - which, as you may recall, I've self-diagnosed as plantar fasciitis - I've just not had a choice. I'm in such excruciating pain the morning after a run (even a 3-miler), that I need to take a day or two off between runs. My saving grace is that the pain goes away about a mile into my run, so I'll definitely be able to complete the marathon (barring any other unforeseen circumstances), but I don't even want to think about how much pain will be involved on Monday morning.

With the race a week and a half away, I wanted to step back and remind myself why I'm doing this. Yes, I fundraised $2,646.50 for Compassion Over Killing, so I'm certainly running for animals. I'm obsessed with this nonprofit and all they do for animals, so it's added incentive. But the fact of the matter is that you have to have a deeper desire, within, in order to force your body to go through that 26.2 mile fiasco. I find some real motivation in looking back at my previous marathons and remembering that, even though there was a lot of pain, discomfort and doubt throughout the course, the after-affects (effects? - I never know which one to use) are so, so, so worth it.

I ran the Twin Cities Marathon in 2005, with the support and inspiration of my running club, the MN RED. I found this group online and started running with them as a way to lose some weight and get in shape. They became great friends and inspired me to sign up for a (gulp) marathon. I trained with them and carbo-loaded with them and just had a great first experience with the feared 26.2.
Here's a picture from right at the finish line. One of my best friends from high school, Amanda, came out to cheer me on and we snapped a photo together:



Then in 2006, I again signed up for the TCM. Hey, why not - I'm a pro now! But I didn't train as well as I should have so had a pretty disapointing race time. But no matter what, I'm always just really proud to cross that finish line. My mom and dad came out to cheer me on and were waiting for me at the finish. My dad is not really a fan of my marathoning - he thinks it's dangerous. I explain that it's not dangerous when properly trained for and it's way more healthy than sitting in front of a TV not exercising. We agree to disagree. But, anyhow, I've always thought it was ironic that there is an ambulance in the background of the pic with Mom and Dad. :)


Then we come to 2008. I signed up for the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach to run with my brother while he was stationed there (in the Navy). It was his first marathon, so I thought I would show him the ropes. But in reality, he could have smoked me. Instead, he stayed with me, pushing me to keep up my pace and stay strong so that I could get my 4:30 goal. We finished in 4:28. I will always be thankful to him for being there for me. Literally. Here's a shot of Andy and me with my sister in-law on the beach after the race.

Moral of the story is that even though I know I'm going to have days when I question why I'm doing this. And around mile 17 (my nemesis) of the Marine Corps Marathon I'm probably going to curse myself for running another marathon. But looking at these pictures reminds me of the amazing feeling of acomplishment I experience when I achieve my goal. No, I'm never going to win a race. And no, I'm probably never going to qualify for the Boston Marathon. But those things don't matter. It's all about crossing the finish line with your head held high.

A Birthday Walk Down Memory Lane

I got a card in the mail yesterday...addressed to Mabel Chaffee. My mom sent my cat, Mabel, a birthday card and a PetSmart gift card, just in time for my baby girl's 3rd birthday!! I love that my mom plays along and feeds into my unhealthy attachment to my pets. :)

I thought I'd do a quick blog post about the day I picked Mabel out from a litter of adorable kittens and brought her home.

So it was 3 years ago, and I had had Jakers for a little more than 4 months. I was still having guilt about leaving him alone all day when I was at work, knowing he had separation anxiety (aka my dog's a hot mess), so was thinking about heading back to the Humane Society to check out the kitten selection. Then, my friend from work, Jamie, mentioned that her sister found a cat and her litter of kittens - that appeared to be strays - in a barn in Farmington (a southern suburb of Mpls). This seemed like the perfect opportunity to find Jakers a sibling, so I asked her if I could take a peek at them before her sister brought them to a shelter, as the weather was getting colder. So I drove down and saw the cutest, hungriest (Jamie's sister was their only source of food, so they LOVED to see her!) litter of kittens imagineable.

After some heartbreaking decision making (I wanted to take them all), I decided on the little tuxedo kitten - those teeny white paws were just too cute to pass up. I also liked the idea of Jakers having a little sister. So we loaded her in the car and off we went!
The original introduction went pretty well. Jakers seemed to be interested in this strange little creature, and Mabel certainly wasn't shy.

Jakers continue to molest - er, I mean - get to know Mabel, still a bit wary.

I think he was nervous.
But eventually, everyone seemed to warm right up.

And Mabel made herself comfortable.

But just as she was at ease, I decided that she needed a bath - she wasn't exactly living in the cleanest of conditions when I found her. I tried to soften the blow with some food, but she was not amused.

But, in time, we fell right into place and formed a happy little family. I'm thankful everyday for my amazing pets -- I know people think I'm over the top with my comparisons to them as children, but I really do love them more than I can explain. I think you're either born a pet lover, or not. And I got my dad's genes when it comes to loving animals. For that, I'm grateful. :)Happy Birthday, Mabel!

Baked Potato Perfection

Great weekend! I babysat for some of my favorite kids on Friday night - I have a standing babysitting gig to watch the two younger boys while Mom brings the oldest son to soccer practice. Saturday was a nice little morning run and a coffee date with someone I met on Match.com. I'm really enjoying meeting new people and getting out more, socially. So I'm glad I gave Match a shot!

On Saturday night I went to a bachelor/bachelorette party for the owner of my CrossFit gym and his fiance (who I know from the gym, as well). It was a surprise, so that made it even more exciting and we all hung out and enjoyed some food and drinks. Then the boys decided it would be a good idea to lay inside a giant tractor tire and "bowl" into a stack of giant empty water jugs. It was pure class. :)

Then on Sunday, I picked up my "nephew" Gus from doggy daycare to watch him until this morning, when I dropped him off at my brother's on my way to work. He's such a nice dog, but he is obsessed with Mabel, so when he's over, she basically lives in the cupboard over my fridge to stay just out of his reach. It's pathetic.


I've got a busy week ahead, with tonight being my only free night, so I decided to stay in, get some laundry done, make some chick pea salad sandwiches for the week and cheer the Vikings on to a win over the NY Jets. I made a really tasty baked potato for dinner - which kept me from ordering take-out. I found a way to bake them that makes them taste so good - the key is to not wrap it in tinfoil (Mom led me astray all these years). By coating the outside in olive oil and sea salt and leaving it uncovered, you end up with a crispy, salty outer shell. Delicious flavor!

The Perfect Baked Potato

• 1 or 2 whole potatoes (I used Yukon Gold, but any kind will work)
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• margarine
• Tofutti sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400-degrees, making sure that one of the racks is in the middle position of the oven. Scrub the potatoes, removing any knots/blemishes. Pat dry with a clean towel.

This part gets messy, but it works best to use your hands - drizzle some olive oil on the potato and rotate in your hands, rubbing it into the skin to coat thoroughly. Next, sprinkle the entire outside with sea salt - don't over do it, sea salt has a stronger flavor than table salt.

Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack - don't use a pan or cookie sheet. Set timer to 45-minutes, rotating once during baking to brown evenly. Check for doneness by inserting a fork - it should easily slide in and out.

I like to serve mine with margarine and Tofutti (vegan) sour cream. I put a small slit in the top of the potato then, using an oven mitt, squeeze the ends of the potato to open it up more. Then plop a dab of margarine and sour cream on top. No need for more salt - with the skin coated pre-baking, you'll taste plenty of salt as you eat. Tell me that's not the best baked potato ever! :)

Should have just gotten the Pita

I've been kind of lazy lately and have been doing take-out for lunch WAY too often. So I decided to get motivated and stock up on produce in order to make my own salad everyday for lunch. I was thinking about saving money and eating healthy. Here's the thing, though. When I buy a veggie/hummus pita from The Perfect Pita (a restaurant in the bottom floor of my office building), it's about $6. My groceries for my at-home salads were over $30! So I'm not saving any money! That was annoying.

But I know that the salads I make at home are super healthy with lots of good stuff - healthy fats (avocado), protein (baked tofu and chickpeas) and lots of great veggies. And unlike the Whole Foods salad bar, I'm not paying by the pound. Sister likes her a big salad.

Plus, I bought the wrong kind of spinach. Instead of the baby spinach (which is convenient and ready for salads), I bought the spinach with the thick stems that need to be removed. Annoying. And the bag was HUGE. So in order to use up some of the spinach and the button mushrooms I bought - that weren't tasting so good in my salads - I came up with a new dish. Well, at least new to me. It's no sauteed kale :), but spinach is like its slightly less cool younger brother. This combo of flavors was delicious...and totally guilt-free. It would make a better side dish, but I made a full batch and turned it into my main course.

Sauteed Mushrooms & Spinach

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 package of button mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• ~1 lb of spinach, destemmed and torn into smaller pieces
• vegan parmesean cheese (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Add mushrooms and onions and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are soft and onions begin to brown (about 8-10 mins). Add garlic, salt and pepper, stir. Add spinach. It will wilt down as it cooks - saute, stirring occasionally until fully cooked down (about 5-8 mins). Top with parmesean cheese, if desired, and serve.

I'm with the Bride

Busy lady!
I've had a hectic couple of weeks. Not only have I been doing a lot of babysitting (which I enjoy and makes me money, so no complaints!) and running, but I was also in Minnesota for 5 days for one of my friends' weddings. I was honored to stand up as a bridesmaid in Shannon and Ryan's wedding - alongside some of my other wonderful friends. I'm so thankful that I've maintained these friendships since high school - these girls have seen me at both my best and my worst....and stuck with me! :) Shannon made a beautiful bride and it was one of the most fun nights of my life. I'm just sad it's over!


As far as my running, things ain't lookin' as bright. I'm in A LOT of pain lately. I am fairly certain it's plantar fasciitis - so the swelling of the thick band of tissue (the plantar fascia) on the bottom of the foot. It's causing me pain in my arch, my heel, my knee -- just bad news. I tried taking a week off of running (which coincided with the wedding, when I knew my miles would be low anyhow) and it didn't seem to help at all. I still woke up every morning, barely being able to put weight on my right foot. And as soon as I started running again, same issues. The only positive thing about this particular injury, though, is once I get a mile or so into my run, the pain goes away and so I am fine during the run. It's after the run - esp the next morning - that is brutal. So I'm not worried about my ability to run 26.2, but my training is being tailored back a bit. It's always something, right?

I've been doing WAY too much take-out and frozen/boxed meals lately. So no new recipes to share. Although, I'm enjoying some homemade hummus in quesadillas as we speak. But since I didn't have pitas or roasted red peppers, I used flour tortillas and tomatoes. Always ways to make it work with whatever it is you have on hand!