eat.run.bake.blog

Today was all about running from sun up until sun down. My training schedule called for 16 miles today. I already had signed up for the Pickle Run months ago so I knew I was going to have to break my runs up and not do one solid 16 mile run. Training for a Ragnar relay really should have some training days that break runs up considering that is what we will be doing on race day. I decided to run 6 miles then do the 3.8 mile trail run (Pickle Run) then try and bang out another 6 miles. I didn't make my goal but I'm satisfied with my day.  I did indeed run 6 miles before the Pickle and then I did bang out that Pickle Run which was so much fun. Trail running is just so much more fun then road running. I seriously feel like a child running through the woods hopping over logs and tree roots. Anyway after the Pickle was over and all the awards were given away I was supposed to do another 6 which ended up only being another 4.5. I was not allowed to use a timing device for the Pickle ...

Oh it's such a perfect day I'm glad I spent it with you. Now I'm going to have to listen to some Lou Reed to cap off this awesome freaking day. I slept until 7 then got up and made the family whole wheat waffles. After that I decided to make whole wheat chocolate chip cookies. I have been craving chocolate chips cookies since Christmas. I seriously could live on Chocolate chips. This was my first time using whole wheat for chocolate chips. It was also my first time ever using Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate mini chips. I found this product while looking for chocolate chips that do not contain soy lecithin. If you have another brand you use please share it with me. I found this recipe on Pinterest from Heather's Recipes. Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted from Heather's Recipes Printable Version Ingredients: 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup brown sugar (packed) 1 cup butter room temperature  1 teaspoon vanilla  1 egg 2 1/4 white whole wheat ...

Fridays for me are a rest day meaning I don't run. I give my legs a chance to recover and prepare them for a long run the following day. I also prepare by increasing my water intake. I aim to drink around 100 ounces of water on days before long runs. I have been reading up more on water intake for runners and it sounds like I need to invest in a scale. You should weigh yourself before a run and then weigh yourself again after your run. The general rule of thumb seems to be that you need to replace 16 ounces of water for every pound you lost during your run. The end all be all of this post is to make sure you are are properly hydrated and nourished for your training as well as for your major events. If you know you will be running for more than a hour bring water or a sports drink and bring some type of fuel. For me right now I run with raisins. They are easily portable and give me that sugar rush I need to finish out a long run without messing with my gut.

11:50 head down to the basement at work to get ready to run. Get down the basement open up my bag and realize I don't have a sports bra in there. Genius thought run in the bra you are wearing right now. Go for 50 minute hilly run feeling great, then head back to office. Stop running start sweating. Realize that it was not a really smart idea to run in a non-sports bra. Feel uncomfortable in said bra for the remainder of the work day. Thinking of you Mike & Kelly. 

Every Sunday morning for the past several months I have been baking whole wheat sandwich bread. When I started out on a real food lifestyle I checked out the ingredients list on what I thought was my bag of whole wheat bread. It turns out not only was there enriched flour in the "whole wheat" but there was also high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oil among the list. I knew I needed to start making my own bread and I have been hooked ever since. I get up at 7am and immediately start to proof the yeast by adding 2 1/2 cups of warm water to the bowl of my standing mixer. I then add 1 1/2 tablespoons of yeast and two cups of whole wheat flour and mix a few times with a spatula and then let sit for 15-20 minutes. The warm water should be around 110 degrees anything hotter than 115 can kill the yeast, or so I hear. After the proofing is done I add four more cups of whole wheat flour to the mixing bowl along with 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup honey. If you add the oi...

Yesterday I was unable to run during my lunch break. My first reaction was self pity but then I quickly had to realize my little girl and her health are far more important. My daughter has been sick on and off for a few weeks and her breathing was very labored and I knew she had to go back to the doctor. Thankfully I was able to get her an appointment that day but it meant leaving work for a few hours and missing my lunch hour. When I start a training plan I tend to get a little obsessive about sticking to as much as I can. I don't know when I became such a rule follower. I have a good friend that I get to work with each day and he came to my rescue yesterday and put me in my place and out of my pity party. Thank you. I need to remember that things are going to change and everything can not always go as planned. When I have acceptance my life is far more serene. So at the end of the day yesterday I did not get to run or even do an alternate workout like I had planned because my hus...

On January 1st of this year I started a resolution to eat more real foods. This idea was sparked by real food bloggers like Lisa Leake and Trina Holden . These woman have inspired me greatly to not only eat more real foods but to cook and bake with more real foods. To start out my pledge I cut out all white flour and white sugar from my diet for 45 days. I started to bake my own bread because I could not find actual whole grain bread for sale. Have you ever read the ingredients of your whole wheat bread? It isn't really what it's cracked up to be. So many things in my kitchen had to go: ketchup, salad dressing, vegetable oil, Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Cool whip and the list goes on and on. I really had little to know knowledge about reading ingredients for years I was more concerned with calories and nutritional info which can be important info. but now to me the most important info is the ingredients. I am a huge chocolate fan so for the ...

Training is not just about crossing the finish line. For me training is about crossing the finish line and not feeling like dog dirt for the next week. I think there are many people that can just cross the finish line on sheer willpower but I do not want to put myself through that type of mental anguish. I know that when I’m doing training runs not only are they beefing up my strength and endurance but they are preparing me mentally for the run ahead. I run to clear my head but after about an hour of running in silence some crazy thoughts can start to pop in. While running on my lunch break on Tuesday I was chatting with one of my buddies/Ragnar teammates about mental thoughts. Saturday while running, I was thinking about how long it would take to get frost bite since I had spilled water all over my glove. This was not an obsessive thought just a passing one but had I been out there for another hour it probably would have turned into an obsession.  The training plan I am stick...

Have you ever heard that track working for the weekend by Loverboy? The line "everybody's working for the weekend" holds so true for me I truly am working for the weekend. I love my weekends and I try my very best to cram as much goodness into them as I can. To me goodness is running, baking and spending time with my kids. Yesterday after my run I hung around the house and got things done and made some pizza dough for dinner. Once a week I typically make whole wheat pizzas for the family, which I started up in the new year. This post however is not about pizza dough it's about peanut butter and chocolatey goodness. Yesterday was a chocolate and peanut butter kind of day for me. For breakfast I had overnight oats that I made in an old peanut butter jar with what scrapings of peanut butter were left and added a little honey and cocoa powder. The idea of using the old jar had never occurred to me until I was checking out the blog of another PA runner Babfitrunlife . That...