Gourmet Runner

Tonight I ran Kiley's Virtual Halloween 5k ...and I'm so glad I did. After record breaking amounts of candy corn consumption today, I felt pretty lazy and could have easily sat on the couch and called it a day. But since I blogged about it earlier, the guilt set it. FINE! I'll run. And guess what? Great run. I needed it after yesterday's less-than-spectacular 13 miler. I ran the 3.1 miles in 27:35, for an 8:53 pace. I realized towards the end of the run that I actually listened to just one song the entire time - That's Not My Name , by the Ting Tings. Clearly still getting the hang of this listening to music while running thing. (Only on the TM, I still can't handle it at all outside). While I was running my homemade soup was simmering away on the oven. I was so proud of what I THOUGHT would be a healthy, tasty meal. It was certainly healthy. The base was a mix of lentils, barley and split peas: And then I added a chicken bouillon cube, some leftover ro...

This Halloween I was a domestic goddess. Nope, I didn't dress up in a costume, I just WAS a domestic goddess. (Not the Charlie Sheen type goddess-don't want there to be any confusion) Roasting an entire bird is basically a Thanksgiving only deal, so tackling one on Halloween-eve was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. I was actually just a really hungry, sore-legged, just ran 13 miles and can barely hold this 6-pound chicken domestic goddess, but whatever.  Is it just me or does this look like a tiny baby bird now? I promise, it was 6 pounds, served 4 and there are tons of leftovers. To go with the bird: roasted carrots, sweet potatoes and new potatoes, broccoli, corn and a homemade apple crisp. Except I was too focused on the Halloween beer tasting to take photos of the side dishes.  Some old favorites and some new ones...I liked everything but the Hoegaarten. Blech. Also, this was my first pumpkin beer - why does it not taste like pumpkin? So disappointing....

I bet you can't figure out how to tie together muffins and tampons, can you? I'll give you a minute to think about it. Go ahead. No? I'm not surprised. This connection is about as tenuous as they come. Today I wanted to mention TWO things that can help make a difference in someone's life--both big and small. First, there's o.b.'s Share it Forward Campaign , which helps provide kits to women and girls at risk all over the world. (Yep, that's the tampon part.) Second, today Kari is hosting a blogging bake sale where all the proceeds head to the charity Kisses for Katie. (You guessed it, the muffins.) My donation to the Bake Sale Fundraiser! Since both of these things are really fantastic ways to easily show support and do good, I hope you'll excuse the tenuous and awkward connection and let me go with it. Head to the Bake Sale at Running Ricig today (Sunday) between 10am and 8pm. There are over 30 items up for bid, including cakes, muffins...

I really found it interesting to hear everyone's take on the shoe snob debate. Although my Asics weren't my favorite shoes LOOKS wise, I tried to ignore it for their cheap price tag. But after two runs, they just weren't working. My toes were actually going numb...no thanks. I broke down and headed up to Chattanooga, TN today to buy a pair of the same Brooks I had before. I spoke to an associate there, he had a look at my old shoes, and I left with a new colored pair of the GTS 11s. All is well in the world again! As if new shoes weren't enough, I also took a walk in the sun, grabbed lunch at Whole Foods and did a little grocery shopping, bought the Office version of Clue at a little antique shop, stopped for frozen yogurt and picked a bunch of new beers to try out tomorrow night. THAT is what I call a successful day. Way more fun than this work nonsense. Oh-So-Natural Pose by the River Veggie, shrimp and rice noodle wraps. Our Halloween Beer Tasters! ...

As some of you saw on my Daily Mile post yesterday, I got some new shoes in the mail. Normally I start jumping up and down when I get new shoes, but these were-gasp! Cheap running shoes.  On the whole I think the running community is pretty great, but let's face it...most, if not all of use, are shoe snobs. I'm including myself here, no need to get defensive. A few months back I ordered a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11s. They sound like a fighter jet, but they're actually just running shoes. They worked great, I like them, and they come in at OVER $100 bucks. In my house (the one without a TV or curtains) $100 on shoes just can't happen. So I researched similar shoes, looked up what was available on sale at Runningwarehouse.com , and wound up with these bad boys: Asics. They actually have remarkably similar stats to the shoes I wore before, but...they're not as cool. I wore them for a 7 mile run yesterday and it just felt off .   #insignificant problems I...

I genuinely hope you didn't come here for actual water weight loss tips. If you did, my sincerest apologies. But you definitely don't want to be taking tips on drinking more water and eating less sodium from me after last night. I stumbled upon a great deal at my local theater where on Tuesdays at a certain time, movies are $5, and small drinks AND small popcorns are $1 each. Boom! I'm so there. One of each, please . We saw this little heartbreaker: This movie is how I lost 3 pounds of salty tears. I'm estimating, but if my eyes were never dry I can only surmise it was a gallon + of lost fluid. Hence the water weight loss. Don't worry, I rehydrated with plenty of diet coke. Now, I will admit that it doesn't take much to make me cry. A sad movie (ok, fine...a sad commercial) leaves me bawling. But 50/50 really was the grandaddy of all tear jerkers. I would definitely recommend it if you can handle a good cry.  With all my movie galavanting cutting into worko...

If you haven't seen millions of pink ribbons all month long, you must be from somewhere far, far away. Sometimes, I'm ashamed to admit, the ubiquity of them makes me forget what the whole point is. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so although I'm a little late to the party I am happy to get to tell you about a great way to make a difference. We're all human, so how about this: you can make a difference, help raise awareness about breast cancer, it won't cost you a penny and can even win something out of the whole deal. Philanthropy at its finest. If you haven't been to  Planet Gear  yet, you're missing out. They have incredible daily sales. When I say incredible, I do mean incredible. Seriously steep discounts, on a few brands each day. You have to be a member to shop, but the whole deal is free and definitely worth the 30 seconds it takes to sign up. As a bonus,  Planet Gear  is donating $1 to breast cancer awareness for each person that ...

So I have less than 3 weeks left until the Chickamauaga Battlefield Marathon -my first full ever. Am I scared? You bet. I'm also slightly confused about people complaining about taper. If I'm reading this right, you get to run less and eat carbs. I guess I'm not seeing the major problem yet. Here's the week in numbers: Monday : 1 hour of Yoga Tuesday : 8 Mile Run (10x400s) Wednesday : 7 Mile Run Thursday: 4 Mile Run Friday : Rest Day Saturday : 20 Mile Run Sunday : 4 Mile Run/Walk With Hubby So, total mileage for the week - 43 miles. Total strength, core, yoga:...um, just that one yoga video. Whoops. My head is saying things like Um, remember that little marathon thing you signed up for? Maybe you should run a little. Which means less cross training because I'm lazy and can only handle one thing a day, fitness-wise. Remember when I drank like 1/2 ounce of beer yesterday and got smashed? Me either. Luckily I had some photographic evidence to jog my mem...

After yesterday's 20 mile run, I was tempted to lay around in bed until noon. But I also had a brand new outfit to try out courtesy of Pearl iZumi and Outside PR, so I braved the cold weather (hey, 34 degrees is COLD in my book) for an easy 4 mile walk/run with the hubs. I got to try out their Infinity Jacket and Select Tights . First off, I don't have a lot of cold weather running attire. Last winter, I just tossed a hoodie on over my running clothes, and I wasn't that serious about it. Cotton? Sure, whatever. This time around, I want to find quality pieces that will last me from one winter to the next, and will keep me warm (FINE! And looking good...) for long runs. I tried to take some photos this morning but dang it! It's hard to pose when you're cold! Here I am telling you how good you'll look in these clothes...ignore the fact that I look like an idiot, please. Maybe I should switch gears and tell you how comfortable they are instead.  Infinity Ja...

I'm not going to beat around the bush-I ran 20 miles today. And that's basically all I plan on doing today. Sure,  I tossed some clothes into the washing machine and if hubs is lucky, I MAY even get up later and put them into the dryer, but no promises. Another busy Saturday afternoon. 20 miles = 3 hours, 18 minutes. 9:55 pace overall. No matter how slow you go, running for over 3 hours is just hard. I was starting to feel a little achey towards the end of the run. Nearly every mile there was a new "problem"--my right knee, my left hip, my groin, then my shoulder. But hey, it's 20 miles. If it was easy I would be out there every day doing it, right? I fueled with something seasonal today...candy corn! As far as I am concerned, as long as you're eating enough calories during the long run, you can eat whatever doesn't upset your stomach. So candy corn it was. 12 pieces = 100 calories = 1 Gu, but it's cheaper and way more fun to eat. Win win. La...

Ever heard of Rocco Dispirito? Unless you're living under a rock, the answer is probably yes. In the last few years, he's been a repeat guest chef and judge on various seasons of Top Chef, helped Biggest Loser contestants cook healthy meals, starred in season 7 on Dancing With the Stars, and now hosts a Bravo TV show called Rocco's Dinner Party. And then with all of his free time, he's written a few healthy cookbooks too, including Now Eat This! His new book, entitled Now Eat This! 100 Quick Calorie Cuts At Home/On The Go , is a guide filled with tips and tricks for reducing calories when eating our or dining at home. Whether you're trying to lose weight or not, this is a big help in determining how to find healthy meals and create your own at home. I personally can get on board with this because it's NOT a "get thin fast" deprivation diet. He endorses eating 6 meals a day filled with healthy ingredients.  Plus, do I need to mention that this ma...

Let me start this post by saying...I hate fruit cake. That weird, solid block of strong tasting bread is NOT something that means Christmas to me. In fact, I avoid it all costs, and can't remember even getting it near my mouth for years. So liking Panetonne is weird. I mean, isn't it kind of the same thing? Panetonne is basically the Italian version of fruitcake. But surprise, surprise, those freaking Italians have found a way to make it taste less like something your dotty grandma made 12 years ago, and more like angels prepared it at a Milanese bakery and then dropped it off at your local supermarket. Two Pounds of Panetonne = Heaven Although traditionally it is just sliced and eaten with a hot drink or a glass of wine, I wanted to spruce it up and create a holiday brunch item. Enter...  Baked French Toast Panetonne With Spiced Apples. Yes, you read that right. Put your tongue back in your mouth, you're drooling all over the keyboard. Here's the recipe for a...