Bucket List...Run from Cowely to Lovell

I grew up in small town Lovell, Wyoming where there are surrounding towns such as Byron- 7 miles away and Cowely- 6 miles away.

When I was young my friends and I thought it would be fun to ride our bikes to Cowely to go see one of their boyfriends. So, I got on my little Huffy "BMX look-a-like" and set off in the heat of a summer day to ride 6 miles one way. When we made it, I thought it was such an accomplishment and a crazy adventure! It is a fond memory that I think of often.

Because that memory makes me smile so often, I added an event to the bucket list. Since I have been training for this half marathon I made it a goal to one day run from my home town to Cowely, sort of "reliving" the memory of when I rode my bike, but as a grown up, (that is weird to say) run instead.

Today I was able to check that off on the bucket list!

I was a bit discouraged when I woke up to rain and a bit of wind, but I figured...I have to be prepared for the worst on race day next weekend and I NEED to get this run in for more than one reason! I didn't let a bit of bad weather stop my dedication.

As I took off, one foot in front of the other with the rain beating on my face, all I could do was smile. Even though I was already losing sensation in my limbs due to the 40 degree temperature, rain, and wind, I was a happy girl on another adventure!

The feeling that overwhelmed me as I ran passed that sign that read "Welcome to Cowely, population 655" was so remarkable that I can't even express it in so many words. It is a feeling of accomplishing any goal that is set. I get goosebumps as I write about it! From my turn around point I just felt that the whole way back was a continuous finish line as I grinned from ear to ear!

Seeing the sign welcoming me back into Lovell was surprisingly not as glorious as the one welcoming me into Cowely, but it gave me pride and a satisfying feeling of accomplishment!

I am confused at my stats though...

I tried this run walking 30 seconds after every mile and it felt great!! According to my ipod and comparing it to the rest of my iPod runs, it is a GREAT pace for me! Especially in rain and wind!

Garmin HR monitor: It is a cloudy and rainy day, so I am not sure the GPS satelites were accurate.
10 miles
1:41:48
1185 cals
10:10 avg pace

iPod Nano w/Nike sensor: Not sure if this is correctly synced, as I walked 30 sec after ever mile.
12.03 miles
1:41:47
1117 cals
8:28 avg pace

Google tells me it is 6.4 miles from Lovell to Cowely. I am going to take the car out and use the odometer as well. :)

Banana Protein Pancakes

I am on the verge of giving up on waffles! I HATE making them! I will stick to pancakes, they never fail me. :)
I made these yesterday with the other half of my mix that wasn't ruined in the waffle maker! ugh So I decided that for breakfast today I would make the same thing, but using all of the mix and be completely satisfied with my meal! :) You know me and breakfast...

the recipe is very simple and feel free to switch it up by using different flavored protein powder.

Ingredients:

1/2 banana
1/2 C egg whites
1 scoop pina colada protein powder (or any flavor you want)
sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon
1 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk

mix all ingredients until banana is smashed really well and bubbles start to form. Pour a small portion into your non stick pan or pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let cook until the top no longer super runny (45-60 sec) and then flip for another 30 sec and continue with the rest of the mix the same way, only cooking one at a time since the mix is so runny.

Enjoy with some fruit, sugar free maple syrup, Greek yogurt, or nut butters.

Asian Turkey Burgers

I usually make turkey zucchini burgers and freeze them for an easy delicious source of protein. I was planning out cooking this batch and decided to switch things up a bit.

I tried some amazing veggie burgers that had soy beans in them and I really liked it. The idea of using soy beans branched to the idea of making these Asian style turkey burgers. I think they turned out quite tasty!

I first grated the zucchini, shelled the edamame, and chopped the celery.

I then added the spices and turkey and mixed it together by hand.

I weighed out 14-5oz patties and placed 6 on each foil lined cookie sheet.

Broil for 7 minutes and then carefully turn them over and broil for another 7 minutes.

I let them all cool then wrapped them individually in plastic wrap, so I could freeze half and then refrigerate the other half.

Ingredients:

2- 20oz pkgs of extra lean ground turkey

2 large stalks of celery

1 individual pouch of edamame

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice

1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce

1 tsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce

Nutrition: 1 patty

107 calories

1.6g fat

3g carbs

1.1g fiber

20.2g protein 

Whole Wheat Flax Bread

Today I am home under the weather. No worries though...as I was cooking and baking I was very sanitary! :)

I decided to try making homemade wheat bread with 100% wheat flour, flax meal, and oat flour.

Here is the recipe:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup ground oats
• ½ cup ground flaxseeds
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tsp zero calorie sweetener
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees to begin. After that, stir together all the dry ingredients until well mixed and then slowly begin to add the wet ingredients into the mixture as well.

Once everything is moistened, pour into a pan and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to sit and cool before serving.

Cut into 16-1/2 inch pieces

1 slice:

96 calories

3.6g fat (.3g sat) the rest are healthy fats!

13.4g carbs

2.3g fiber

3.3g protein 

Serve with spray butter, nut butter, sugar free jam, etc. :)

Maple Almond Butter

I am having a cooking and baking day. First on the list was this maple almond butter. I was nervous because I tried coconut butter a while back and it didn't turn out so well in the mini processor.

I didn't want to sit and hold the button down for as long as it took to make it the right creamy texture, approximately 15-20 minutes while scraping the sides often. Half way through I added 1/2 tsp of maple extract and 1 packet of Splenda.

It turned out creamy and flavorful! I don't know if I will by a nut butter again!

Ingredients:

1 C raw almonds

1/2 tsp maple extract

1 packet Splenda

Makes 1/2 C or 8 Tbsp

per Tbsp

80 calories

3g carb

7g fat

3g protein

Vanilla Chai Oatmeal

As I was reading my Fitness magazine the other day I saw a recipe for this chai oatmeal that looked and sounded amazing. I decided to try it this morning with a few alterations.

 Their recipe is as follows:

Steep 1 chai tea bag in 1/2 C boiling water for 3 min.

Combine tea with 1/2 C low-fat milk and 1/2 C oats in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave for 1 1/2-2 min on high.

Top with 1/2 C thawed sliced peaches, 1 Tbsp chopped pecans, and 2 tsp maple syrup.

I used: unsweetened almond milk instead of low-fat, didn't use any pecans (think I'm allergic), sugar free maple syrup, and added half a scoop of vanilla protein powder.

It was very tasty!

281 calories

4g fat (1g sat)

52g carbs 

8g fiber

21g protein

I also put a cup of oats soaking in Fuse Slederize strawberry melon juice in the refrigerator over night and tasted that this morning to see if it was a success and I think it is! I will have to let you know for sure when I decide to eat it.  The Fuze only has 15 calories in the whole bottle, and I used about 1/2 C. I'm sure topping this bowl with some fresh fruit and a little Greek yogurt would be excellent!

Steak Fajita Crescents

Today I combined the left over elk steak I grilled the other day and the left over peppers and onions from the crock pot chicken fajitas I made yesterday to make steak fajita crescents.

These little babies turned out great for a once in a while tasty meal. I say that because even the reduced fat crescents have 4.5g fat (2g sat) per roll. Ugh!
Each fajita crescent consists of:
130 calories
4.8g fat (2.1g sat)
14.2g carbs
5.1g protein

I mixed homemade salsa with a little bit of plain Greek yogurt to dip them in. It was most amazing! 

~10 Mile Mark~

I am so overwhelmed with positive and enthusiastic feelings and thoughts, I don't know where to start!

Laying in bed last night I couldn't stop thinking of how bummed I was that I was going to wake up to another dreary rainy day and I had just bought new running shoes.  Of course I wanted to immediately test them out.

Even though they are "trail" running shoes, when I put them on at the store my feet didn't want to come out of them. Just picture laying your head on a brand new super comfy pillow...you don't want to get up do ya? Yeah, that is exactly how my feel felt. "Ahhh...you know you have to buy these now right!?" is what my feet were telling me.

You can imagine how I felt as I actually did wake up this morning to a SUNNY day! I am not sure the conditions could have been much better for a PR of 10 miles today! Yeah, yeah I know...some may think 10 miles in no big thing, but this little chicky hasn't ever ran 10 full miles without stopping until today. Boy did it feel GREAT!!

Those of you who know me know how much I DON'T love running. I have mentioned that before, but I like it enough to do it. Well days like today where the conditions are great, new kicks, lots of stress to NOT think about, and a beautiful city to run through makes me love a good run! I guess I would say there are degrees to the love of running. :)

Here are the stats to the first 10 mile history marker:

April 13, 2012
10 miles
1:33'58"
Pace of 9'24"/mi

So not the best pace, but I am just glad I didn't start cramping and that my knees held out. The only thing that I felt bother me just a tad was the tips of my toes. That must be a running flaw or something...

The Brooks were excellent! I am pretty sure they will be worn during my half marathon on May 5th.

Completing 10 miles gave me much hope and a better perspective on accomplishing 13.1 miles in a few weeks!