Wounded Warrior Half Marathon training: Week 4 complete

Last week's workouts:
Sun: Rest Yoga for Runners podcast
Mon: Short run 2.6 mile intervals
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: Short run 2.37 mi easy
Thurs: Short run w/ intervals Body by Bethenny Yoga
Fri: Yoga 2mi easy
Sat: 8 mile run

I am usually a solo runner, but Saturday I ran with my friend Jen. We started out to do 9 miles, but her hip was bothering her and while she wanted to cut it short at 7 miles, I convinced her to go for 8 miles. I was nervous about running with someone else, but we chatted almost the whole time and 8 miles flew by really quickly! It was humid and by the time we finished, the skies looked ominous. No rain, though.

This week's plans:
Sun: Rest
Mon: Short run easy
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: Short run intervals
Thurs: Short run easy
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 8 miles easy

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Wounded Warrior Half Marathon training: Week 3 complete

Last week's plans:
Sun: Rest
Mon: Short run 2 mi + pushups, crunches, lunges
Tues: Power yoga - I was hoping to make it to class at Lululemon but it was storming and I didn't feel like leaving the house. So I did Yoga Sculpt from ExerciseTV.
Wed: Short run w/ intervals easy 2.6 mi
Thurs: Short run easy Rest
Fri: Yoga Interval run 2.45 mi
Sat: 7 mile run

Saturday's run was tough. My legs were feeling great, but it was so hot and humid that the rest of me couldn't keep up. I stopped several times for walk breaks. I start my long runs between 8:00 and 8:30am and have debated getting up earlier to avoid the heat of the day. Since my half marathon starts at 8:00 I wonder if that would be a good idea since I would be running in the heat on race day.

Thoughts?

This week's plans:
Sun: Rest
Mon: Short run
Tues: Lululemon yoga
Wed: Short run
Thurs: Short run w/ intervals
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 8 mile run

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I got this recipe from Cooking Light and made a few minor changes. It turned out delicious! It was a little time consuming but I took a few shortcuts.

Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (I used boneless skinless chicken breasts)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chopped onion, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup salsa verde
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño pepper (I used fresh jalapeno, about 1.5 peppers chopped)
9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes on each side. Place skillet in oven; bake at 425° for 10 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; let stand 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; shred. Discard bones. (I skipped this multi-step process and just boiled the chicken breasts in water before shredding.) Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, corn, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) to chicken; toss to combine.
3. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 garlic cloves; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add onion mixture to chicken mixture; stir to combine.
4. Combine remaining 1 1/2 cups onion, remaining 3 garlic cloves, broth, salsa, 1/4 cup water, and jalapeño in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Carefully pour mixture into a blender; add 2 tablespoons cilantro. Process until smooth. (I didn't blend the salsa mixture)
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tortillas; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove tortillas from pan; repeat procedure with remaining tortillas. Cut tortillas into quarters.
6. Spread 1/2 cup salsa mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 12 tortilla quarters over salsa mixture. Spoon half of chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers, ending with tortillas. Pour remaining salsa mixture over tortillas; sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned. Top with remaining cilantro.
Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
MARCH 2011

YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups) We got more like 6 servings out of this

Wounded Warrior Training: Week 2

I signed up for another half marathon on June 12, the Wounded Warrior Half. I am really excited about the charity it supports! I am not so excited about the timing, though, since it is about to get HOT outside.

I actually started training last week, but it wasn't so different from my plan for this week. Here it is:

Sun: Rest
Mon: Short run (2.5-3 mi easy)
Tues: Power yoga
Wed: Short run w/ intervals
Thurs: Short run easy
Fri: Yoga
Sat: 7 mile run

Earth Day Chocolate Giveaway

Check out this giveaway over at Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well!

http://eatlivebewell.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/earth-day-chocolate-giveaway/

Make the Break 5K

This race has a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons. It benefits Genesis Women's Shelter, which does amazing things for women and children in need. Two years ago, this was also my first 5K race.

Saturday morning, I showed up right on time for the 8:30 start. I managed to get pretty near the starting line (this is a small race) and before I knew it, we were off!

The course took us through uptown Dallas and then onto the Katy Trail. There was only one (very steep!) hill, but I pulled out a trick I learned from Kristin Armstrong and just kept my head down until I got over the hill.

I was hoping for a sub-30 time and was so happy when I saw that the clock said 29:15 when I crossed the finish line! I knew my chip time wouldn't be too far behind based on when I started and sure enough, my official time was 28:48, a new PR!

I thought about sticking around and getting a few miles in after the race, but it was so hot and sticky that I decided to head home. I found my friend Sarah (who does PR/marketing for Genesis), snagged a few freebies then headed home.

2009: 31:51
2010: 30:41
2011: 28:48 (10th in my age group)

I hope next year will be even better!

Easy Minestrone

My coworker Shelly and I love soup! One day we spent almost our entire lunch break talking about minestrone and she went home that night and threw this together. It turned out so good that I made it that same week!

Ingredients:

olive oil

¼ c chopped carrots

¼ c chopped onion

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes

2-3 cans broth (beef or vegetable, your choice)

1 sm can tomato sauce

1 can chick peas, drained

1 can kidney beans, drained

¼ c ditalini pasta

¼ c fresh or frozen green beans



Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add onions and carrots. Sauté until tender. Add garlic and cook on low about a minute. Add bay leave and Italian seasoning & cook another minute. Add stewed tomatoes, breaking up as you add them. Add 2 cans broth, tomato sauce, chick peas and kidney beans. Once soup comes to a boil, add pasta and green beans. Simmer until pasta is cooked. If more “soup” is desired, add 3rd can of broth and simmer another 5 minutes on low.

**I also added a few handfuls of chopped spinach at the same time as the green beans and pasta

Quick Tomato Sauce

I have used this recipe several times already because it is quick, easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Since it's a chunky sauce, it goes best over a short-cut pasta like penne.

I started with this recipe as a base and tweaked it to our tastes. I don't use capers and I added crushed red peppers.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons dried italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add basil and the next 6 ingredients (basil through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta