Things I am loving right now

Here are a few things that I am loving right now.

Violets of March by Sarah Jio.  Loved this book.  Could not put it down.  Finished it in 2.5 days. 

Cold winter morning running.  Last week it was so cold in the mornings but I still braved the weather and ran outside.  It wasn't fast but it was wonderful to be outside in the fresh air.  My eye lids did get a bit frosty.

Moroccan Oil. I had heard that Moroccan oil is good for your hair especially if you have frizzy hair (which I do).  I also heard it was expensive so I decided to just try some from the grocery store before I spent big bucks on it.  I tried this on my hair, putting a small dime size dollop into my palm and rubbing it into my wet/damp hair and it works really well.  It doesn't get rid of the frizz completely but this works better than anything else I have tried!

 Snow! I love the snow and I really want to go skiing again so I am hoping we start to get more snow!

What are you loving lately??

I wish I was a food blogger

I seriously wish I had enough time and energy to cook and photograph like many of the food bloggers I follow.

First, I am not that good with a camera.  And usually I forget to take a photo because I am so hungry by the time I finish cooking.

From "Your Cup of Cake"

 I think I have over 100 recipes bookmarked mainly because I love how the food looks in the photos.  I am in envy of all the bloggers who take such great photos of food!

Post photos of delicious looking desserts and I am sold.

From "Oh, Ladycakes"

So I live vicariously through the food/cooking/recipe blogs that I follow and often times I find that the recipes they post with all those amazing pictures really are good recipes and have become favorites in our house.

One of Brian's favorite meals is this Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Rice casserole.  Back in his bachelor days, when he was in college and swimming on the college team he would make rice with chicken and then pour a can of cream of mushroom soup over it.  Add in some broccoli and this was his favorite (and easiest) meal.  Then I came along and I could not make it for him because I did not like how it tasted at all so when I stumbled across this recipe I made it for him and he loved it.  Now I never have to see another can of cream of mushroom soup again.

Last winter I had never made soup before.  I tried this minestrone soup recipe and it knocked Brian's socks off.  He loved it so much that he requests it often in the winter. In fact I made this last night since we were having our neighbors over for dinner.  Delicious.

From "Iowa Girl Eats"

Last year I needed a healthy dish to bring to a potluck and I made this southwestern black bean salad. It turned out delicious and everyone loved it. Now I make it often to bring to parties or serve when I have guests over.

From "Skinnytaste"

And my personal favorite is this mac and cheese recipe I found.  I could eat mac and cheese every day (I could also eat pizza too) but it really can not be that good for you so this recipe was perfect because I can eat a reasonable amount and not feel sick from all the fat.

From "Skinnytaste"

Here are a list of the food and recipe blogs that I currently drool over, I mean follow

Skinnytaste - These recipes are easy and delicious and I usually have most of the ingredients already on hand in the cupboard.

Iowa Girl Eats - LOVE her and all the delicious recipes that she posts!

Peas and Crayons - Some fun and creative recipes plus the creator of "What I ate Wednesday"

Your Cup of Cake - Looking for a cupcake recipe? Look no further. So many different kinds, not enough time!

Raspberri Cupcakes - Gorgeous photos. Enough said.

Oh, Ladycakes - Just found this one so I am still new to it but the pictures say it all.

How Sweet It Is - Noticing a theme here? I seem to love food blogs specifically focused on desserts.



**All photos are not mine and are from Fabulous Food bloggers!

How to stay injury free

Over the last 4 years I have faced a few injuries.  It seemed like every fall I would suddenly be struck with pain in one of my knees and all my training and running would come to a halt.

Finally after going through three fall seasons with injuries I decided it was time for a change.  After taking time off back in the fall of 2011, I decided I need to make a change and break my fall injury streak.

As I got back into running and began serious training for a spring marathon, I stuck to 5 days a week of running and made sure my easy runs were in fact easy.

But on top of all that I began to go to Pilates class every week after my long run.  Often it was tough to go to an hour class after running 12+ miles but after a few weeks I got the hang of it and I began to like it.  I could feel my hips becoming stronger and I noticed that I was recovering from long and tough runs faster.

I think it was the core work mixed with the controlled hip exercises that made the difference.  Especially doing those exercises when my body was already tired from a long run.  The class that I attend is very relaxed and the only equipment I use is my yoga mat.

Since I have been going to class for over a year I have a pretty good idea of the flow and sometimes I do the exercises at home when I can't make the class.  The important ones I make sure to do are (1) side kick series, (2) kneeling side kick/donkey kicks, (3) bridges and (4) planks.

Side kick series

To begin, lie on your side with your legs, hips and shoulder in line similar to the picture below.  Use the leg on the bottom for stability and make sure to turn the heel of your top foot down so that as you complete the exercise it is as if your heels are clicking.

I complete small circles (in both directions), leg lifts up and down, leg lifts forward and back, side passe (in both directions), and leg circles (in both directions.  Then repeat on the other leg.  For more details and visual cues see this website.

Kneeling Side kick/Donkey kicks

These kneeling side kicks are tough.  Even though I have been doing them every week for over a year they still are tough to complete.  The starting position is similar to a modified side plank with your knee on the floor.  Lift the opposite leg up to hip height and begin by doing up and down lifts followed by circles in both directions.  Repeat on opposite leg. 

For donkey kicks, position yourself with hands and knees on the floor.  Lift one leg up with foot flexed and raise towards the ceiling and the lower back down to starting position.

Bridges

To start this exercise, begin on your back with your knees bent and your heels as close to your butt as possible with your arms laying by your side.  Curl your hips up to the ceiling and hold for 20 seconds then back down to the floor.  To increase the difficulty, press up and then lift one leg up while you pulse, then switch sides and repeat.

Planks

For me planks are tough.  I think if I timed myself I would only be able to hold a plank for about a minute. 
To start, lie face down then push up onto toes and rest on elbows.  Hold for as long as you can.

I really think these main exercises have attributed to helping me to stay injury free for over a year. 

And for more Pilates exercises, I found this great little portable pilates workout sheet to allow you to do Pilates anywhere!

Have you ever tried Pilates? 

Oh my shoe!

It is a known fact that I love shoes and actually have quite a few of them.

Boots.  Oh yes.
High heels. Yes please.
Running shoes. Of course.

I really hate to see my shoes wear out and I wish they could last forever.  My running shoes wear out much quicker than any of the other pairs of shoes I wear.  Last week I finally broke down and bought a new pair of Brooks Ghost 5s.  My original Ghost 5s are about 8 months old and I ran my first marathon in them back in May so I have been having a hard time giving them up.

But it was time for them to become my "last resort/icky weather running" shoes because they have quite a few miles on them.

In fact they have 721 miles.

Opps.
 
The cost per mile works out to be 0.15 cents (If you remember I keep track of that stuff).

The new Ghosts arrived last night and they are just gorgeous. I didn't really care for the color of my first pair of Ghosts - the blue and purple just was not working for me.  This pair is so perfect because they are PINK!  I love that they are a flashy color.

On closer inspection, you can see I have put quite a bit of wear onto the old Ghosts.  The treads have definitely been worn down.  My right shoe seems to have more wear on the front, while it seems I tend to heel strike a bit on my left. 

It was time for new shoes.  This is the most miles I have ever run on a pair of shoes and I really happy with how well the Ghost 5s held up.  My Ghost 3s are still going strong too, but the two pairs I have are still in the 500 (mile) range.  I think that Brooks seems to make a pretty good quality product that stands up to a lot of miles.

This afternoon I get to test out my new shoes with a nice treadmill run.  It was (and still is) way too cold to run outside!  The temperature is 10F with a wind chill/feels like temp of -5F.  Brrr.  Yes it is definitely a treadmill kind of day.

Sometimes I wimp out

I really enjoy morning running but there are some mornings when I just don't think I can bring myself to run outside.  It just is too cold or the conditions are just not right.

Yesterday was one of those day and it looks like I may have started a trend for the week.

I woke up to 45mph winds!  Even though the temperature was in the high 30s, I just could not bring myself to run outside.  I decided on the treadmill instead.

The gym was pretty empty since it was mid Sunday morning and I just cruised along while watching Law and Order.  I think as long as I have a Law and Order show to watch, I could run on the treadmill for a very long time. Running and reading the captions on the TV is one of my favorite things.  Reading the captions distracts me very well so that I stop looking at the treadmill screen and focusing on how much distance I still have to run.

Sunday's run was 5.4 miles to finish out my week with even mileage.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house, baking blueberry muffins and watching some football.  As the day wore on, I checked the weather to see how my Monday morning run was going to go.  With predictions of 2-4 inches of snow and "feels like" temperature of 10F, I decided that I might as well hit the treadmill again.  I packed all my clothes to change at the gym for work, packed my breakfast and lunch then went to bed.

Monday morning I woke up to no snow,  but very cold temperatures.  I think I could have probably run outside this morning but since I was already packed and ready to go, I just went to the gym.  I was able to crank out 6.5 miles on the 'mill while watching another Law and Order.  I hadn't seen this episode before and I was quite intrigued by the plot.  The episode was about a killer who had three personalities and I couldn't keep my eyes off the captions because I wanted to know how they would break him!  I think over a mile went by without me looking at the treadmill screen - it was a pretty good episode.

Tuesday is supposed to be even colder than this morning with a "feels like" temp of below 0F!  I already know I have a date with the treadmill.