Run YOUR race.

Each Thursday after I teach my class at Our Club

I volunteer at the front desk for three hours.

I really like my time there because I get to sit and catch up on my 

magazine reading, plan future workouts, or just enjoy the 

three hours of guilt free time reading my current book.....

in between welcoming guests, intermittent chit-chatting, 

and answering few phone calls.

Yesterday I read an article I thought was worth sharing called,

Way to Run!

The author Stephanie Young, is a "middle aged" runner.  

She had always jogged, 

but it wasn't until she was 47

that she tackled her first Half Marathon.

Since that time she has run several more half's, and fulls.

 At age 51 she qualified for the Boston Marathon and ran it well.

What I find so inspiring is that she continues improve, 

and push herself to new heights.

 Here are some snippets I really liked from her article -

I have never let my calendar define me, and it turns out, I shouldn't

have to.  The majority of aging symptoms are actually signs of muscle 

disuse.  If you stop using a muscle or putting a joint through its

range of motion, you get weaker, more limited body movements.

She says Life, or at least the way you think about it changes 

radically after 40.

oh my....REALLY?

You have the mindset of a confident woman.

I stopped worrying about achieving some sort of perfect body and

learned to love what I had:

Sturdy thighs, a muscular bottom, long legs with

strength and stamina.

Instead of wasting energy obsessing about my appearance or 

letting less-than-perfect thighs prevent me from participating,

I just showed up and ran. 

And when I did, I saw some of the younger women at the start lines

fidgeting with their spandex and Lycra and looking around as if they were

onstage for spectators to scrutinize.

Meanwhile, women of my vintage simply seemed happy to be there.

Some of her Running Tips:

• Keep torso upright, joints aligned to be a speedier, more efficient runner.  Over long distances, the fewer extraneous movements you make, the fresher you'll stay.
• Stop judging your training on miles, instead focus on form, speed and endurance, with plenty of recovery time.
• Include 3 types of running in preparing for longer runs: long runs - for stamina, mile repeats (Mile repeats are just what they sound like - running one mile multiple times with a short break in between. It is best to have some rest time between each interval. While you may be tempted to sit or stand around, it is best that you keep moving. It is recommended that for every mile you perform at a high level, you follow it up by slowly jogging half a mile. This way you have enough time to rest yet keep your body active and prepared for the next interval.) -  for speed, and tempo runs - run comfortable, then speed up for 3 - 5 mins.  
• Unclench the tension you may be holding in your body.  Do you clench or tighten anything when you run?  I find I need to shake my hands out frequently.  Periodically check with your tight spots and relax your muscles.  Let your butt hang.  You will run faster, and not waste much-needed energy.
• USE EVERY MENTAL MUSCLE.  For the first 20 or so miles your body is doing the driving.  During the last 6 it's your head in the driver's seat, overriding messages about how tired your legs are, how numb, how cramped.  IT IS YOUR BRAIN THAT GETS YOU ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.  You need serious mental fortification.
• Don't sprint to get around someone, just keep running until you pass them.
• Concentrate on running smart.
• Stop for water early, it takes a while for the water to be absorbed.  
• Run tangents (the straight line between two points) instead of following every curve on the course.

Lastly,

I don't run the race,

I run MY race!

I am so close to 40 I can taste it.

I am happy and excited to be gaining on this 

exciting "vintage" time 

in my life.

It feels good to be more relaxed and self assured.

To have come to the realization that others opinions or judgements of me 

(even if they are just perceived by the insecure me)

really don't amount to beans. 

I enjoy reading and learning about women like Stephanie Young....

she inspires me to reach out and grab life with both hands.

To push and excel and see what I am 

capable of becoming and doing.

Is it obvious I am trying to psych myself up for 

my 16 mile run tomorrow??

I am attempting to build "my Mental Muscles"!!!

Shake that GROOVE THANG....

G N O -

Girls Night Out.

Bow-chicka-bow- wow....

 This GNO was Tina's making -

 the one in the stripes, mini mouse bow, and fake 

leg warmers.

She has been talking about going skating FOREVER.

The rest of us were always like, 

yeah, I guess, whatever.  

If you really want to.

I'll try and show up if you plan it.

yawn.

Finally her dream came to fruition.

Not sure why the leg up became a popular pose for the night, it was actually pretty dangerous

 for amateurs such as Christi, in the front.

to be quite honest.....

we had a DANG GOOD TIME!!!

Way to go Tina!

FYI - T is an 80's music LOVER...

she could not get her fill of Michael J, Madonna and the like.

She was off in her own little 80's world.

She also runs to the stuff....I get so sick of it.

 It was only us, and maybe four or five 10 year olds.

We had the whole joint to ourselves....

which meant one thing...to me anyway....

breaking rules ALLOWED!

We did whips, trains, backward skating whenever we felt like it,

and plenty of other stunts that would typically be 

frowned upon.

I could not get enough of this crunched down pose....I have been watching McCauley

pose way too often, she is rubbing off on me.

Sorry to block you Sarah....I was a being a HUGE photo hog!

The upper right picture of Christi was taken just before she slipped and

bloodied her lip and chipped her front tooth.

See what I meant about being dangerous?

Christi how is your lip??

If I could sum the night up....I think this common quote will do it....

I think it goes like this:

"Skate like No One's Watching".

and we sure did that.

One of the craziest and most bizarre things of the night was that

when our civilized skating session was over at 8pm.

A HUGE gang of roller derby F R E A K S, humans came

traipsing in.  

There were tons of them.

T O N S! 

How many???  

25 - 50??

Tattooed, shaved heads, half hair - half shaved,

ringed and pierced to the hilt.

They were anxious for us to clear the rink and stop taking posed photos

so they could get on and rassle.

Who knew, in our little safe, innocent town we had such ruffians

in our midst???

We sure were surprised. 

PS - I am missing pictures of our other girls!!

I want to add you to the post....please send a few if you have any.

The ALDI Experience....

Today was finally the day I became curious enough
about this store called ALDI, to make a special trip over and test it out.
Here is my report and tips for when you want to
give it a go.....
and I predict you will....but first
Take this quick test to see if ALDI is the store for you.

1. I am a store snob.  I like to be around clean, classily dressed people
while I shop.
2. I am a BRAND snob.  I only like certain brands for certain things.
I would never purchase off - name labels.
3. I like fancy displays that are pleasing to the eye, and loads of gimmicks.  
4. I like to be pampered and cared for at check out,  
and do not like feeling rushed.
5. I am too lazy to return my cart.
.................
* results *
If you answered YES... to one or more of these questions
ALDI might be a bit of a turn off for you....
you may not appreciate ALDI's approach to saving money
as much as others.

Heck, maybe you all have already "been there, done that"
 and I am the loan looser  that took
way too long to give it a go.

I did my homework before attempting a trip....glad I did.

First, know this - their carts are all locked up together.

You need to put a quarter in as a deposit and you can unlock a cart.

When you return your cart after, you get your quarter back.

I am not going to state the obvious reasons that ALDI does everything

the way they do.

It is all in an effort to be more "GREEN" and to save loads 

of cash for the consumer.

I am all for it.

The first thing you notice is that every thing is very basic.

Simple.

Easy to read.

I was dang excited to see these Shark snack crackers.

The kids are always begging for whale crackers....they are at 

Walmart, I can hardly stand setting foot in there....
these are perfect,

and sharks are way cooler.

Check out the price for Sweetened Condensed milk...$1.19!!!

I thought I was doing pretty good at Publix w/ my coupons @ $1.50.

The Grahams are only $1.49 - compared to over $4 at Publix - yes we get the BOGO,

but this price still beats it.

I was impressed with their produce selection and price.

I purchased, for the second time in my life, Sweet Potatoes....$1.99 for the bag...

not sure how good that is, not familiar enough with them.

The tomatoes were only $1.49 for a good sized pack of Roma Tomatoes.

Bananas .44 cents a lb, a little more then Sams, but way less than the .69 cents at Publix.

Here are a few of my very favorite finds - 

Corn chips!!!  

I make a mean chili casserole that the kids constantly beg for

 (not healthy at all....but I am going to start sneaking in Quinoa....don't tell)

Frito Lay brand is out of this world expensive....over $3 per bag.

drum rolll...............only $1.19 at ALDI!!!

I never purchase Nutella Hazelnut chocolate spread....

but I always want to....

now I can....only it is just called Hazlenut spread.

Who cares???  Sounds good to me!

Tortilla chips - $1.49 - 

Another bullseye...

I am always hoarding our Mac n' cheese.

....but at .39 cents a box, compared to .69 at its very cheapest w/ coupons,

 I may loosen up just a little

(I also restrain the kids because it is not a real health laden meal...

News Flash!!!)

Milk $3.19 - $3. 69

Cream cheese .89 - $1.25 or more

oh yeah!!

Canned beans only .55 cents for black and kidney

Canned veggies - .59 cents!!

Tomato sauce - .29

Gram cracker crusts only $1.19

BUTTER - $1.99 even w/out coupons!

Grape jelly - $1.59....Ryker has been waiting for this stuff!

Corn syrup - a huge bottle (never see that) for just $2.69

Syrup - a mere $1.59!

My total came to $66.35....

with no coupons.

You supply your own bags, or purchase them for .06 each for brown paper,

or .10 each for large sturdy plastic ones.

I would never buy bags.....I would have to deduct that from my savings.
NEVER.

They have boxes like Sams Club that you can use to pack your car.

One thing you might notice is that during check out 

they take only cash or debit.

Also, there are bar codes on every side of every item,

so the clerks pretty much scan and chuck the items in your cart

at mock speed.
No lie.

They are gentle w/ the delicate items like bread, etc.

but stay out of their way on the rest.

Look at our pantry....it is filling back up.

That is such a good feeling isn't it?

I will be going back to ALDI on a regular basis.

It doesn't mean I feel any less loyal to Publix, 

or that I am giving up couponing.  

But this is an excellent partner to what I already have in place...

this fills in those few missing gaps where I 

was not saving quite enough before. 

What do you think of ALDI?

.....................

Day TWO with Quiona - 

ate it for breakfast w/ a little chicken gravy. 

I couldn't help it....it was just so good.

Then tonight I put a bunch in this scrumptious potato, corn chowder.

Probably the best soup I have ever made. 

just sayin!
I made the mistake just now of going in and eating more while I
was packaging it up to put in the fridge.
It was a mistake because it is too late to be eating - 8pm!!
and now I am completely stuffed!
Yeah!
Nice move.
oh well, it could be worse...
I could have topped it off with two
pumpkin cream cheese mini pies from our neighbor...
oh, wait, I did that to!
Good night : )

KEEN - wah......5 thumbs up!

I am so sad!
Irate!
Sweaty.
P.O.ed.
I just finished this post and was previewing it, but then
accidentally left the page
without saving!!!!
I lost the whole post!
Well, now you and I will both suffer the consequences.

Preview of our recent family photo.
Not the best/not the worst.
more to come later.

Quinoa - 

what is it and why i love it so....read here.

Some of the best info I thought you might want to know is:

Health Benefits

A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Not only is quinoa's amino acid profile well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, but quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

....just the tip of the iceberg.....

you could have had the whole iceberg....but you know.

Made it for the first time tonight.

Looks weird....tastes great!!

Made a double batch to save in the fridge.

Ate it with a Hawaiian Haystack gravy, shredded cheese and frozen corn.

We loved it so much!!

Thanks for the starter bag Vanessa!

Sorry again to be so brief...you would have gotten much more
from the original version.
I will NOT be doing that again.
Get some Quinoa.....let me know what you think.
Have you already tried it?

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Add nuts and fruits to cooked quinoa and serve as breakfast porridge.

For a twist on your favorite pasta recipe, use noodles made from quinoa, (or just add

quinoa, forget the noodles all together)

Sprouted quinoa can be used in salads and sandwiches just like alfalfa sprouts.

Add quinoa to your favorite vegetable soups.

Ground quinoa flour can be added to cookie or muffin recipes.

Use it or Loose it.......

Several months ago I purchased three Groupons for

the Brevard Zoo TREETOP CHALLENGE

I thought it was a great deal - $20 each,

regularly priced at $45.

I pictured our three boys going and having a blast

while the rest of us walked along below cheering them on.

As it turns out,

 I promptly forgot all about them,

or at least put them on the back burner until just a few days ago.

Today was the last day to redeem them.

Yowsa!

No way was I going to let them go to waste.

Lawson was the only one that would take me up on being 

checked out of school, he had no prob with that.

Kev could not get away from work.

M was too short.

E was too uptight about missing more school.

R had a few important tests.

So it was L and I and his good buddy Seth who is home schooled.

Wow!

We had a blast.

Particularly the boys.

They were constantly trying to ditch me and leave me in the dust.

I don't think they appreciated the tree top views as much

as I did,  

but they certainly took away plenty from the 

experience.

Here are numerous highlights:

When we got there I had to sign everyones life away,

 and then we went through a short training session.

 We went through four different courses....

these are some of the challenging "games" we had to make

our way across.  Some were more intimidating than 

others.

 This was one of around 20 zip-lines.....this one being the longest.

We could not even see the end.

Very, very cool.

 Here the boys are starting up on the next course.

If you look closely you will notice that that walk way is made 

up of loose individual swings.

Kinda tricky.

 This Tarzan one made my legs a little shaky.  

I was somewhat scared.  

You had to swing across on the rope, bump into the web like rope wall, 

(being sure to grab on or you would bounce off).

Hang on with one hand while you undid your two clips and make your 

way across over to the platform.

 Look at this view.

There I am zipping over the Aligator pond.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

This is not the best close up shot of our surroundings,

looks like L is standing on the roof of that building.

This was the last line, 

I suspect they ran out of beautification money.

We pretty much zip-lined back out to the parking lot.

The boys said over and over that this was funnest thing they had ever

done together.

I would hate to try and top it.

If they ever run another special I would pounce on it!

At one point I was talking with one of the workers,

over 200 people came through on Sunday!!

He said they sold around 6000 Tree Top Treks total during the 

Groupon sale, and as of yesterday 

still had 2000 unredeemed Groupons.

Wow!

Half Way There!!

This morning I had some sweet success with my running.

I ended up running alone at 6:00 a.m.

I will just get straight to the point and say it was a 

FANTASTIC RUN!!!

I nailed it today.

It felt really, really good! 

My goal was to run 11 - 12 miles,

I decided to push through a half because I was so close.

There are countless times that I fall short of my training goals,

I wanted to see what it was like to actually 

exceed them for once.

I beat my fastest Half Marathon by 1 second....

ok, not a lot.

Not really anything....but still.

It did not even occur to me to try until the end,

my plan was just to run steady

.....no stopping.

I ran 13.13 in 2:05

My total mileage was 13:17....

so I also ran farther than I have ever run in one solid clump before.

During the Ragnar I ran more miles within a 24 hour period,

but not in one long run.

Like Ethan said,

So you are excited because it was your longest run ever....

 you ran .04 longer than you have ever run in the past,

and you beat your time by 1 second?

YES!

That counts as my PB=

PERSONAL BEST to date.

 It was in the 60's today so a bit cooler than normal.

I wanted to test out these most excellent stir-up socks as arm warmers.

I half expected to get an armpit rash or something,

but I did not.

They were a delight.

When my arms were warm enough I just slipped off the little hand

bands and let my palms enjoy the cool air.

Finally I had a triumph with my new running system :

which is running only with my Iphone,

no additional Garman, or music.

It is all in one now baby!

I utilized this little homemade fabric bag to put my phone in,

then inserted that into my sports bra pocket.

It was a good tight one so there was no slippage

whatsoever.  

However, in case that ever does pose a problem,

I will just tie the holder to my strap and stop the sliding 

right in its tracks.

 I started my Running Keeper, 

which kept me updated on my pace, mileage, and time every 5 minutes

which I loved very much.

I thought it was just the right amount of time between updates.

I listened to Pandora Radio, my first attempt,

I went with "Foster The People" as my music choice....

my sister Amy has said that she listens to them almost all the 

time when she runs.

Thought I would give them a go.

LOVED!

Perfect tempo, very steady.

What really helped is that I did not fidget with, touch, or look

at my phone the entire run.

I really liked that.

My route:

I ran from our place down past the Sanctuary Gates, 

(4 miles), then back the same way past our street this time and on down

South Patrick Drive, all the way to the end of the running path,
and then back home.

It was very nice. 

I left out the causeway all together.

The thing I liked the most, 

(I only found out because I was forced into it.)

My sports bra had a design hole in the back, 

my water kept slipping through.  

To offset this dilemma  I ran a few miles and left it 

in a strategic location, then grabbed it up on the way back.

Went a few miles past my return turn, dropped, then picked it up on my way back.

Since I knew I would be retracing my steps

it was a great system.

Sorry you had to read every little minute detail.

They were all what made the run great to me.

"Zero Regrets"

.... I read that today on Shut Up & Run ...

I really liked not having a single regret today.

...............................

After, the boys ran off with Kevin to do scouting for food.

M and I went to march in the local 

Founders Day Parade with her girl scout troop.

Their troop won a free 2 day camp "Jamboree"

for having 100% participation in a recent service 

opportunity.

So they did a little presentation to award that with the 

TOP girl scout ladies from Orlando.

Wowsa!

The girls had to learn a dance that they performed at the

end of that parade for the judges.

It was fun.

Hope you had a happy successful Saturday as well!!

Post Halllllooooweeeeen ......

This was a surprise.

I had planned on meeting up with Emily to finally do that long

run I have been talking about forever.

She said she would be happy to meet me earlier than 

usual, so we could log the miles before we both needed to be home

with our families.

Once again we woke up to rain.

I didn't want to be deterred, I drove to the park at 5am.

It was so miserable and wet.

I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I texted Em to go back to sleep....we will push it off again.

Instead of heading home I used my brain and went to Our Club.

I ran 4 miles on the treadmill and then thought it might be fun

to join in on one of my favorite step classes.

I haven't been for many months.

Elmer....remember him?

(in the green)

This is what I found...a Halloween Par - TAE!

This was not the entire class, but a few who dressed up.

Almost everyone at least had on a spooky T.

Elmer had brought prizes, mango peach juice, cookies,

the whole bit.

After class he had us each pick a prize...

I won that awesome light up jack-o-lantern cup.

SCORE!

(The yummy spinach omelet recipe came from my recent compilation of recipes,

I will show you the book I made next post)

Later that day, we were off as a family to the Quigley's for the 

annual Trick-or-Treat festivities.

Thankfully I purchased a slew of random Halloween items on clearance

last year from Walmart.

We all threw our costumes together in 10 minutes or less....

except for M.

She has known for weeks and weeks that she wanted to be

one of those girls with the dots on their forehead.

Now who and what am I?

Legit question, 

I am a recent vampire victim.

Very recent....looks like my application could have been a little tighter,

but it was a last minute after thought as we were practically 

walking out the door.

I think it really made my costume.

(cuz what was I before that anyway?....I only knew I was wearing this wig)

About halfway into the night Vanessa commented that my 

wound was starting to look more and more 

like a pig snout coming out of the side of my neck.

hmmmm.....looking at it from this angle it kinda does.

The crew.

My favorite is Ryker in this picture.

 Some favorite shots....can you believe those full size bars?

Every kid's dream come true.

....I was pretty stoked about it as well.

Growing up I remember best the mini loaves of bread.

I loved those so much.

But the full size bars took a close second....always.

Look at this beauty.

Kev kept saying how much she really looked like one of those ladies

....he told me the name but now I can't remember again.

I said really, he said oh yeah, and believe him,

he has seen many....

ALL over the world....

ok, ok, I got it.

Very pretty.

Live action shots.

Our studs....Kev and Nate.

The fire men even came and gave out candy.

 I put these pictures in, in honor of V's 

TOTALLY ROCKIN ARMS!!

Wow!!

I have never seen them looking better.

Way to go V!

Your hard work is paying off.

 This is what it is all about.

This is what makes it all worth it.

The itchy head, the tired feet, the thirst, the constant treading forward.

This is Lawson's haul.  

He came home and organized his lute into a kings court.

He explained, 

See up at the top ?.... the large lemon heads...

those are the king and queen, or prince and princess,

following them is their court, the nobles, the knights, jesters,

the farmers, surfs, peasants, and so forth.

What a procession!

Or is this what it is all about?

A great photo opp.

I mean FAMILY..... I love you soldier.