Tuesday, December 28, 2010

"C" is for Colorado

We spent last week in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with one of John's buddies from high school and his family.  They own a great cabin right on the mountain, and we even had our own little guesthouse.  It snowed 15" while we were there, and 10" had fallen just before our arrival.  We were lucky our plane even landed.  The six flights before us were diverted to Denver.  Since it was snowing most of the time, there was low visibility on the mountain, and John only skied two days.   I spent one of his two ski days at the spa.  It was so relaxing.  We also did a little snowshoeing, which was awesome, since neither of us had ever done it before.

View from the cabin
Snowshoeing in Routt National Forest
The only bad part of the trip happened on the second day.  I woke up early that morning with some serious stomach issues.  Apparently so did everyone else who ate salad the night before.  It was pretty terrible, but I didn't mind taking it easy for 24 hours while it passed.

Steamboat was a quiet little town, and we had a delicious lunch at Winona's.  The massive chocolate chip cookies from Winona's were to die for!   We also had dinner at Mahogany Ridge Brewery and Grill.  John tried a dunkelweizen beer that had hints of banana and clove.  Ew!  I think he was glad he only got the taster-size glass.

Yampa River downtown
Just before lunch at Winona's
Another highlight of the trip was feeding the elk.  They visited a house not too far from the cabin, so we stopped by while they enjoyed an afternoon snack of hay and carrots.  The elk shed their antlers every year, and the family we visited had last year's antlers mounted.  They were HUGE!


Our gracious hosts made our trip so enjoyable, and we can't wait to go back!

"C" is for C25K Week 5

Couch to 5K training didn't happen last week.  I was on vacation!  I did go snowshoeing (See "C" is for Colorado) and hit the gym one day, so the week wasn't a total waste.  Back on C25K this week!

Monday, December 20, 2010

"C" is for C25K Week 4 Repeat

I killed it this week doing C25K.  Well...I know "killed it" is a relative term: I didn't finish a marathon, and I didn't set any world records.  But I did set new Personal Records (PRs) for distance and pace thanks to my awesome husband!  We had some great workouts last week, so I'm hoping to carry the momentum through the holidays this week.  We're headed to Colorado to visit friends, but apparently I will have access to a gym.  John's going skiing, and I plan to make the most of my down time by working out.  And for anyone reading this and thinking, "She's crazy for running while pregnant," you can rest assured that a) My physician is aware of it and b) I'm exercising in moderation.  There's a good reason I keep track of those "bpm" numbers listed below.  I've been listening to my body to know how hard to push and when to rest, and my heart rate monitor confirms that I have a pretty good feel for 75% of my max heart rate, as shown by the 14x bpm numbers I put up week after week.  My range is 125-163 bpm with a target of 144 bpm.

Here's last week's summary for C25K.

3:00 jogging
1:30 walking
5:00 jogging
2:30 walking
3:00 jogging
1:30 walking
5:00 jogging

Total Distance: 7.5 miles (+ 5.3 from previous week)
Average Distance: 2.5 miles (+ 0.3 from previous week) PR
Longest Distance: 2.53 miles (+ 0.33 from previous week) PR
Average HR: 143-145 bpm
Average Pace: See "C" is for C25K Week 1 PR

Moving on to Week 5 of the program.

"C" is for Concert

We went to the Transiberian Orchestra concert last week. It was entertaining to say the least. I've never seen so many washed-up, 90's hair band dudes rock out on stage to Christmas music. We had great seats, so maybe the theatrics were less obvious from further back, but I was about ready to throw something at the blond guitarist, who kept putting his fist in the air and waiting for the crowd to do it back. His cheesy smile really set me over the top. You'd think after 2 hours and 45 minutes he'd be tired of acting like an idiot, but he stayed in character the whole time.

This photo isn't from the show in Tulsa, but here's exactly what the guitarist was doing.  Maybe Transiberian Orchestra and the kids from Jersey Shore could hook up for an MTV Christmas special.


Here's a picture from the concert in Tulsa.  The lights and fireworks were over the top!

Transiberian Orchestra - Tulsa 2010

"C" is for Convex (cont.)

Tully is definitely growing, and so am I!


I knew the nesting bug would kick in sooner or later, and it did a couple weekends ago.  I held John hostage on a Sunday afternoon to help me reorganize the kitchen cabinets and pantry to make room for Tully's future stuff.  Now it might seem like a simple task to clear out one area for plastic-ware, but I've grown pretty attached to my stemware and stoneware.  I also had to think about where Tully's stuff would be located in reference to the refrigerator, pantry, sink, etc. and how much cabinet vs. drawer space he would need.  In addition to creating more cabinet space for Tully, I had to get the rest of the stemware out of storage boxes and into my cabinets.  I'm sure I'm way over-thinking all of this, but the last thing I want to do when the baby gets here is have a cluttered kitchen or wedding presents that need to be unpacked.

Stemware in cabinets on right reduced to only what we need.  Empty space on left.
Stemware on countertop being moved to cabinets above refrigerator.
So after the three-hour reorganize-a-thon we managed to get all of our stemware out of boxes; create one huge empty cabinet, a large empty drawer directly below the empty cabinet, and an empty spot in the pantry; and provide better access to the items we use most every day.

I also got started on Tully's room.  The dresser and armoire are (sort of) in place, and I can't wait for the crib and bedding to arrive.  It's a work in progress, and he definitely won't have a white lamp with crystal beads on it in his room when I'm done--I just needed some task lighting to work on the dresser area.

Tully's Room

Monday, December 13, 2010

"C" is for C25K Week 4

3:00 jogging
1:30 walking
5:00 jogging
2:30 walking
3:00 jogging
1:30 walking
5:00 jogging

Total Distance: 2.2 miles (- 4.5 from previous week--oops!)
Average Distance: 2.2 miles (- 0.02 from previous week)
Longest Distance: 2.2 miles (- 0.07 from previous week)
Average HR: 140 bpm
Average Pace: See "C" is for C25K Week 1

I have a thousand excuses for only running once this past week.  I'll give you two of them:
1) It's too cold to run at 6:30 am. (anything below 30 qualifies)
2) The wind has been out of control, and I mean patio-furniture-demolished, trash-from-neighboring-yard-in-our-yard, knocked-down-tiki-torches-everywhere out of control.

The good news is that I'm back on the running bandwagon, even if I'm doing another repeat week.  I set new PRs for both pace and distance already!


Thursday, December 9, 2010

"C" is for Cluttered News Feed

For those on Facebook, you've seen your share of status update and profile picture fads lately.  October was breast cancer awareness month, and the girls posted "I like it (insert where you put your purse)."  My news feed was flooded with "I like it on the kitchen counter," and "I like it in the closet."  Next was child abuse awareness in November and December.  Little icons of Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfette, and Starbrite popped up everywhere when people changed their profile picture to their favorite cartoon character.  The icing on the cake was the "numbers game" which took over Facebook yesterday.  Apparently you were supposed to send a number to your friends in a private message, and they would post a status update with a memory about you along with your number.  Clever, right?  I don't think there was any "awareness" associated with the numbers game--just a bunch of trash posts that clogged up my news feed, followed by me hiding and/or permanently deleting everyone who participated.

I'm sure many other people are as annoyed as I am with this kind of Facebook abuse.  I mean, I really like Facebook.  I check it almost every day, sometimes multiple times a day, and I post pictures and status updates fairly often.  I like being able to see who moved where, how they're doing, who they married, if they have pets, kids, etc.  It's interesting to me, and it's a great way to keep in touch with friends, especially since our generation has spread out across the U.S. and abroad for school and jobs.

So back to my cluttered news feed--I was thinking about ways to show awareness without terrorizing the entire Facebook network.  Here are a few ideas based on my personal experiences:

Breast cancer awareness
Back in college I led efforts in my sorority to collect pink lids from Yoplait yogurt to raise money for Susan G. Komen.  It's called the Save Lids to Save Lives program.  For every lid mailed in Yoplait donates $0.10 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation up to $1.6 Million.  I still collect those lids and mail them in today.  I don't think I posted about it on Facebook, but next October when I see the fad-of-the-month roll out, maybe I'll remind people that they can make a bigger difference by taking real action instead of changing their Facebook status.  Why not donate your time by collecting lids or your money by making a donation directly to Susan G. Komen?  If you wanted to really get into it, you could sign up for your local Komen Race for the Cure.

Domestic Violence
Next on the list: domestic violence.  For the past few years, John and I have sold our unwanted items in the neighborhood garage sale.  This year instead of boxing up the leftovers for use at next year's sale, we donated everything to Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.  (See "C" is for Charity.) I'm not going to lie--the tax break for our donation is a great perk, but we donated our stuff because we wanted to give back to the local community and to support a good cause.  I know there are plenty of national and local charities out there to support, so consider donating your time, money, or unwanted items before you change your Facebook profile picture purple next November.

Multiple Sclerosis
Last on my list: multiple sclerosis.  In 2008, I raised money for the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society.  (Thanks to those who donated!)  Every year the National MS Society raises money and holds bike rides throughout the U.S. where people ride about 150 miles in two days.  It's a daunting endeavor for most, but I was really into bike riding, so I figured, "Heck, why not?!"  I completed all of the training rides, but the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through Oklahoma on the first day of the official ride.  Although I didn't complete the 150-mile, 2-day ride, I know I raised money and awareness for a good cause AND got into great shape physically.  So next May during MS Awareness Month, consider getting out on your bike instead of updating Facebook!



P.S. For all of those Facebookers who participated in child abuse awareness in November and December, you might be interested to know that according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Child Abuse Prevention Month is officially observed in April.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

"C" is for Cinnamon Banana Pancakes

This morning baby Tully told me he wanted carbs, so I whipped up some cinnamon banana pancakes.  They were delish!

Cinnamon Banana Pancakes




Makes 1 serving.
Prep time: 3 minutes.
Cook time: ~5 minutes.





Ingredients
  • 12 cup Bisquick
  • 1 egg white
  • 13 cup milk
  • 18 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 banana
  • syrup
Directions
  1. Mix Bisquick, egg white, milk, and cinnamon.  
  2. Mash 14 banana and add to mixture.
  3. Slice remaining banana and set aside for topping.
  4. Pour batter into skillet making three small pancakes and cook over medium heat until pancake edges turn brown.  Flip pancakes and brown other side.
  5. Remove pancakes from skillet.  Place banana slices on top and add syrup to taste.

Monday, December 6, 2010

"C" is for C25K Week 3 Repeat

Since I was such a slacker the week of Thanksgiving, I repeated Week 3 of the C25K program.

1:30 jogging
1:30 walking
3:00 jogging
3:00 walking

Total Distance: 6.7 miles (+ 0.4 from previous week)
Average Distance: 2.22 miles (+ 0.13 from previous week)
Longest Distance: 2.27 miles (+ 0.12 from previous week)
Average HR: 128-149 bpm
Average Pace: See "C" is for C25K Week 1

Moving on to Week 4!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

"C" is for C25K Week 3

I was such a slacker last week.  I only managed two runs and some time on the elliptical.

1:30 jogging
1:30 walking
3:00 jogging
3:00 walking

Total Distance: 6.3 miles (- 2.6 from previous week)
Average Distance: 2.09 miles (+ 0.3 from previous week)
Longest Distance: 2.15 miles (- 0.02 from previous week)
Average HR: 127-143 bpm
Average Pace: See "C" is for C25K Week 1

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