What I Ate Wednesday: 4/17/13

Yesterday was Wednesday.  So I tried to remember to take photos of my food all day.  Thanks to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting this fun link up every week.

As I said in my last post, it’s been a really busy week!!  I’ve hardly had the time to blog at all.  It’s not that I haven’t thought about it.  I’ve planned the posts in my head, but finding the time to sit down and write is hard.  Too many other things have been taking precedence lately.

The day started with a kale shake, of course.  (I forgot to take a photo, so this is actually an old one)….

Busy day at work!!  So I hopped over to the Food City across the street to make myself a salad from the salad bar.  Apparently there was some shifting during transit.  My cheese and sunflower seeds ended up mixed in with my berries.  Eh.  That’s ok.  I ate it anyway.

After a busy day at work, I didn’t feel much like cooking.  There’s not a whole lot easier than grilled pork chops, corn on the cob and (instant) mashed potatoes.  I love the Idahoan kind.  (Baby Reds are my fave).  They are so easy and really do taste like real mashed potatoes.

And of course, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the interesting sunset out my window with the sun peeking out behind the storm clouds.

And I’ll throw in a pic of the kids ….  they love bath time….

Oh, and I signed up for another Diet Bet!!  I needed a little extra motivation to get my body ready for bikini weather.

What I love about Diet Bet is – it’s not on the honor system.  They verify your starting weight and and your final weight with pictures.  And they ensure that you are taking a new picture each by giving you a new word to hold.  (I thought my word was very fitting …. I love sunflowers)!

You also have to take a picture of the scale with the number on it, but I’m not posting that photo.  🙂

So I’ve got 28 days to lose 4%!  It’s on.

If you want to join a Diet Bet, new games are starting all the time  Or, start your own game!  www.dietbet.com

 

 

Diet Bet Results and Shoe Review

Do you remember me telling you about the Diet Bet I was doing?  Well, Wednesday was the last day.  We needed to submit our final weight by midnight.  The deal was we had to lose 4% in 4 weeks.  And I am very happy to report that both hubby and I made it!  I only had to lose roughly 5 pounds, and he needed to lose around 10.

Here’s a little secret … I actually woke up on Wednesday morning and was 0.2 pounds over my goal weight.  I knew the numbers had to be exact.  So what did I do?  Well, I only had yogurt for breakfast, yogurt for lunch and then went for a hot and sweaty run after work.  It was 85 degrees outside.  (And it was also only 3 days after the Half Marathon, but my legs felt great.)

That did it.  It put me under the goal!  Was it cheating?  I don’t think so.  I also don’t think I should have lost $25 over two-tenths of a pound when I had legitimately lost 4.8 pounds already.  Plus, my original weigh-in was at night.  So it’s actually only fair that I weigh at the same time of day.  Right?

I received the confirmation email that our $25 bet turned into a $44 winning.  Yay.  Not too shabby.  So how did we celebrate our win?  With a burger and fries.  LOL

So what did I think of the Diet Bet?  I thought it was quite motivational.  And I think I might do it again.  But the next 5 pounds won’t be as easy to lose.  It also helped that I was (sorta) training for the Half Marathon.  Maybe I need to find another race to train for in the coming month.  (What??  I can’t believe I’m saying that!)

One thing I didn’t tell you about the race was that was the FIRST time I ran in my brand new shoes!  Yes, it was a huge risk.  But I knew if I ran in my old shoes I would definitely get blisters.  They give me blisters even on a short run.  I knew they wouldn’t last for 13.1.  So I visited a local running store a week before the race to get fitted for new shoes.  We tried on a number of different brands – Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Saucony, etc.  But the minute I put my foot in the Mizuno Wave Prophecy, I knew they were the ones!!  I asked the shoe guy if it was crazy to buy a brand new pair of shoes a week before the race.  He said not if it’s the right pair!  Hmm.  Interesting.  Well, these were definitely the right pair!!

If you’ve never actually had your foot measured and evaluated at a specialty shoe store, I highly recommend it.  I’d always just ordered my shoes online.  I always ordered a Size 7 because that’s what I wear in every other pair of shoes.  But did you know that you should order a 1/2 size up on a running shoe?  I didn’t know that.  Part of the problem with the old shoes is that they were too tight!!  No wonder they gave me blisters.  I also thought I was an overpronator, as most people are.  So I would specifically search out the shoes that were good for overpronation.  But that was wrong, the shoe guy told me I have a neutral foot.  So I needed a neutral shoe.  I had no idea!!

These are the most expensive shoes I’ve ever purchased!  But in my opinion, they were worth every penny.  They carried me through the race with no issues.  I was also told that these shoes will last twice as long as others because it doesn’t break down.  So that’s worth the extra money too.  If you have a neutral foot, I highly recommend the Mizuno Wave Prophecy!  I think I’ve found my new favorite shoes.

Questions of the Day:  Have you ever raced in brand new shoes?  What is your favorite brand of running shoe??

2013 Knoxville Half Marathon Recap

Well the big day finally arrived, ready or not.  And I was not.  Well, not as ready as I should have been.  I knew I should have been training more, running farther.  My longest training run prior to the race was 6.5 miles.

I had been looking forward to this race for months.  I was determined not to let the lack of training or this sinus congestion keep me out of the race.

So I got up early, took my Mucinex-D before the race (which did not help at all), ate my oatmeal, and drank 1/2 cup of coffee.  I left the house around 6:40am to drive downtown.  I had a couple of friends who were also running the race, but we just agreed to meet in the corral.

The race started at 7:30am in downtown Knoxville, next to the famous Sunsphere.

There were over 5,000 people there for 3 different races – 5k, Half and Full Marathon.

The weather was PERFECT!  In years past, it’s usually cold and foggy or drizzly, but this year it could not have been more perfect!  It started out at 56 degrees and only improved from there.

The first 3 miles went great as we wound through campus onto Neyland Drive.  Just after turning left on Kingston Pike, I took a quick bathroom break.  There was a short line and I knew if I didn’t go then, the line would be longer at the next one.  I was feeling really good as we turned into Sequoyah Hills and ran the length of Cherokee Blvd.  I was happy with my 10k time at 1:01.  The 7-mile mark is just at the base of the Noelton Drive hill.  Imagine the tallest, steepest hill you’ve ever seen, and this one is taller and steeper.  My strategy going in was to walk the hill.  I even ate my GU while I walked up the hill.  Sure I could have run it, but then I would have worn myself out and there’s still 6 more miles to go after that!

I felt a jolt of energy at the top of Noelton Drive, as we turned left onto Kingston Pike.  I don’t know if it was the screaming crowd of people or the GU kicking in, but I got my second wind.  I was still feeling good as we entered the Third Creek Greenway, and when I saw the sign for 9 miles, I thought it was wrong.  I didn’t think I had gone that far yet.  I started smiling.  Only 4 more miles left.

And then WHAM!  I hit the wall.  Around the 10-mile mark, my knee joints were killing me.  I feared my IT band would start flaring up as it has in the past.  I just kept pushing through, but stopping to walk more frequently than I wanted to.

Those last 3 miles were pure HELL.  I even stopped looking at my watch.  I was no longer concerned about my time.  Going into the race, I wasn’t expecting to PR.  But I secretly wanted to try for it.  At this point, though, I just wanted to finish.  I just wanted this race to be over.  Why did I think I could run 13.1 miles when I haven’t trained more than 6.5??????

And then I could see the stadium in my sights.  There is no better feeling than crossing the finish line of a race!  And this race ends on the 50-yard line of Neyland Stadium at the University of Tennessee!  I’ve been in those stands many times, so it’s an awesome feeling to be on the field after such an accomplishment.

Only 3 minutes behind last year’s time.  How is that possible??  Now I’m thinking – just imagine if I’d pushed a little harder on those last 3 miles.  Just imagine if I’d had a few training runs at 8 or 10 miles.  With a tiny bit of additional effort, I could have beat last year’s time.

So then I started wondering …. when’s the next race??  How soon can I try this again?

Here are my split times:

Mile 1-  9:24

Mile 2-  8:48

Mile 3-  8:58

Mile 4-  11:42 (included the bathroom break)

Mile 5-  10:29

Mile 6-  9:33

Mile 7-  10.02

Mile 8-  11:36 (included the walk up Noelton Dr)

Mile 9-  10:25

Mile 10- 11:06 (it just goes downhill from here)

Mile 11-  12:10

Mile 12- 12:06

Mile 13- 11:36

I’m always curious about what people are listening to while they run.   And I’m amazed at the number of people who didn’t have headphones at all.  For a short run, I usually let my mind wander and think about the things on my To Do list.  But for a long run, the only thing getting me through it is my music.

I spent a few hours on Saturday perfecting my playlist.  Here it is:

1. The Delta Saints – Company of Thieves

2. The Delta Saints – Death Letter Jubilee

3. The Delta Saints – Liar

4. The Delta Saints – Voodoo Walk

5. The Delta Saints – Swamp Groove

6. The Delta Saints – Boogie

7. The Delta Saints – Bird Called Angola

8. The Dirty Guv’nahs – Baby We Were Young

9. The Dirty Guv’nahs – Brown Little Bird

10. The Dirty Guv’nahs – Blue Rose Stroll

11. The Dirty Guv’nahs – It’s Dangerous

12. Big Head Todd & The Monsters – Resignation Superman

13. Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried

14. Zac Brown Band – Make This Day

15. Matt Nathanson – Faster

16. Matt Nathanson – Modern Love

17. Beastie Boys – Make Some Noise

18. Beastie Boys – An Open Letter to NYC

19. Beastie Boys – 3 the Hard Way

20. Beastie Boys – Ch-Check It Out

21. Beastie Boys – Time to Build

22. Shinedown – Diamond Eyes

23. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem

24. Kanye West – Stronger

25. Foo Fighters – Best of You

26. Switchfoot – Stars

27. Skillet – Awake and Alive

28. Shinedown – Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide

29. Shinedown – Sound of Madness

30. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire

31. Halestorm – I Get Off

32. Slipknot – Before I Forget

33. Eminem – Lose Yourself

Yes, I realize it’s a WIDE range there.  Rock, Country, Metal, Rap.  But they all motivate me in one way or the other.   I made sure the harder rock songs kicked in around mile 7, which is when I would need a little more motivation.

I timed it almost perfectly.  Eminem sang to me during the home stretch, but then the playlist started back at the beginning and The Delta Saints brought me home.

I was so glad hubby was there to watch me cross the finish line.  And I don’t know if Little Bit understood what I had just accomplished but she seemed really excited for me.

As soon as I got home, I knew the best thing for me was an ice bath.  No, it doesn’t feel good.

For dinner, we met my Mom, Aunt and Cousin at the Cracker Barrel.  My post-race dinner included spicy grilled catfish, fried okra and green beans.  YUM!!!

And now that I write this 3 days later, I’m feeling really good.  I was really stiff the day after, but the DOMS are completely gone now.  Might even go for a run tonight.  (In the 85 degree weather)!

Question of the Day:  Which race should I do next????

Weekend Update: No Green Beer for Me!

The weather was simply gorgeous this weekend with highs in the 70’s both Saturday and Sunday.  I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a long run.  We took the kids to my favorite park.  Hubby let them play on the playground while I ran.

I had to keep reminding myself that I am running a Half Marathon in 3 weeks!!!  So far, this run was my longest to date: 6.5 miles.  I guess I’m not too worried because I also did the same thing last year.  I focused on more anaerobic training rather than long runs and I got a PR!  So I figure now, if I can run 6.5, I can 13.1.  Right?

But I’ve got a small dilemma in the shoe department.  These Asics are fairly new (since Christmas).  I like them ok, but after about 4 miles, my feet start to hurt.  And they rubbed a huge blister on my toe.  So that’s not going to work for the marathon.  But I’m afraid if I buy a new pair now, I’m not going to have time to break them in before the race.  Or I could wear an old pair with a hole in the toe.  EEK – what would you do???

I was so excited to try out my brand new heart rate monitor!!  I ordered the Polar FT4 after seeing more than a couple of bloggers using this one.  I had a Timex brand, but the chest strap would never consistently pick up my heart rate.  So this was my first run using the Polar.  I’m converted.  This one is WAY better.  There was still a period of time (about a mile or so) where it didn’t detect my heart beat.  I readjusted the strap, wiped off the sweat, and a few minutes later it started working again.  I love how it displays the time and the calories burned at the end.  And it also keeps a training log so I can go back and look at my workouts.  Now that’s pretty cool!

When the run was over, hubby and the kids met me in the parking lot with Subway in hand.  We found a nice spot in the grass to lay our blanket and devour eat our sandwiches.  I was starving!!!

This month’s featured $5 footlong sub is the buffalo chicken!  One of my favorites.  Hubby and I always split a foot long.  The kids are hit or miss whether they will eat Subway or not.  Luke likes the bacon, egg & cheese on flatbread.

Not my favorite pic here but the only one we got of me and the kids.  Ignore the red face and dried sweat….  and little bit has jelly all over her face.

My 7-year old spent the night with a buddy, so hubby and I enjoyed a semi-quiet house on Saturday night.  He grilled us some salmon while I opened a bottle of wine.  Aaahhhh……  relaxing!

Sunday was a busy day.  So busy, in fact, I never took a single picture!  I am happy to report that I finished my Anatomy & Physiology class.  I got a 95!!  Yippeeee!

So that was my Marvelous weekend.  No green beer.  No St. Patty’s Day celebrations.  Nothing too wild.  Just food, fitness and fun.  (and a little studying)!  🙂

I’m hoping for more days just like that.  I need the warm air and the sun for my mental health!!  Winter is so depressing.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime

From WordPress:  It’s phonoegraphy month, and what do we love to photograph with our cameraphones? Food. So why fight it? This week’s theme is “lunchtime.”  In a new post created for this challenge, share a picture that says LUNCHTIME.

Ok, if ever there were a photo theme that was right up my alley, this would be it!!!

My typical lunch is a salad ….  so here are a few of my favorites from the last week…..

This one was featured on my What I Ate Wednesday Post on 3/13/13 ….

O’Charleys California Chicken Salad from 3/13/13

Posted this one on Instagram (katiedaisy921) ….

From the Food City Salad Bar on 3/12/13

This was a catered lunch at work from Jason’s Deli.  With grilled chicken, organic field greens, grapes, feta, nuts, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, raisins and apples, it’s the perfect mix of ingredients for a filling lunch.

Jason’s Deli Nutty Mixed Up Salad from 3/7/13

From my What I Ate Wednesday Post on 3/6/13…..  deer meat and hard boiled eggs make this a protein-packed salad!

Homemade venison salad from 3/6/13

This is my very favorite salad of all time.  There’s a local place called Brown Bag, which caters our work lunches frequently.  It’s a very basic salad – spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, blackberries, shredded parmesan cheese with this amazing homemade poppyseed dressing.  They have the biggest blackberries I’ve ever seen.  And their grilled chicken just melts in your mouth.  So so yummy!!!

Catered lunch from Brown Bag from 3/5/13

And here’s one of my faves….  Salmon with sriracha sauce ….

I love sriracha sauce!!!  It might be my favorite thing to put on …. well, anything, not just salad.  But it’s awesome on salad!!

Ok – I’ll stop there with my homage to salad.  Just know, I could probably post 100 pictures of salads in this post.  I love them.  I eat them almost every day.  🙂

Question of the Day:  what is your favorite thing to put on a salad??

New to The Daily Post? Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in our Weekly Photo Challenge to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag. You can also link to this post to create a pingback here and to encourage more people to participate.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Back on the Bandwagon with DietBet

It’s been a busy winter, and the cold has gotten the better of me.  I realized as I stepped on the scale yesterday, I’ve gained 7 pounds since last Fall.  7 pounds?!?  Yikes.  Spring is just around the corner and before you know it, it will be summer.  Time for shorts and sleeveless shirts.  So that means it’s time to get back on the bandwagon.  I need to get serious, especially since I have a Half Marathon to run in less than 4 weeks!!  And what better way to get motivated than to have money at stake!!  So Hubby and I both signed up for the Fitfluential DietBet!  It starts today, runs for 4 weeks and you have to lose 4% of your body weight.  Totally doable.  Click HERE for more details on DietBet.

Want to join me??  Sign up HERE.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Kiss

From WordPress:  Kiss. There are a lot of ways to capture a kiss, between two people – lovers, family, friends; two animals, or even just the sending or receiving of a kiss.  In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture which means KISS to you!

I could think of no better photo than this.

One of the first few times I was able to hold my daughter.  She was born at 24 weeks at 1 lbs, 9 oz.  In this photo she is about 3 weeks old.

New to The Daily Post? Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in our Weekly Photo Challenge to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique

From WordPress:  It was so unexpected that I had to immortalize it in photo; to me, it told a story of not being afraid to be unique, to stand out, to embrace difference.  In a new post specifically created for this challenge, share a picture that says UNIQUE to you.

At first, I thought this was a difficult assignment.  But then as I was looking through my photos, I came up with more than a few that I think fit the criteria.

There is an Ice Cream place in GA that has goats on their roof.

An adorable storefront in downtown Asheville, NC

The rare 1913 Model C-Six owned by George Vanderbilt. On display at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

 

New to The Daily Post? Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in our Weekly Photo Challenge to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag. You can also link to this post to create a pingback here and to encourage more people to participate.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

 

28-Day Blog Challenge

I’ve decided to do a 28-day Blog Challenge, hosted by Katy Widrick.  (You know, because I have so much extra time on my hands).  🙂

So every day for the 28 days of February, Katy will make recommendations of things to do to your Blog.  You can view the 28 suggestions HERE.

Not only are there great prizes to win, but hopefully it will help me do some updates to the blog that I’ve been putting off doing.  Like a new URL and catchy name.  Every time I come up with a good one, I google it and realize it’s already taken.  Is it possible all the good blog names are gone???

Today is Day 1 of the Challenge.

So please keep checking back to see what updates I’ve done.  And please leave me feedback.  I would love to hear what you think!

Best Body Bootcamp Recap – Week 3

Well, the third week of Boot Camp is over.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t as diligent this week with my workouts.  I only did 1 of the 3 Strength workouts.  But I did do all of the cardio, plus some.  I don’t really have a good excuse, other than all my workout stuff is in the basement and it’s really cold in the basement.  Thankfully my treadmill is not down there or else I probably wouldn’t have done the cardio portions either.  🙂

Here’s my weekly recap:

Monday – 1/21

Strength workout

Tuesday – 1/22

Cardio interval with core workout

Wednesday – 1/23

100 burpee workout

Thursday – 1/24

rest day

Friday – 1/25

Friday we were stuck inside because of the ice storm.  So I jumped on the treadmill for a 45 minute cardio interval.  I alternated speed and incline every 5 minutes while watching The Biggest Loser on the DVR.

Saturday – 1/26

A repeat of yesterday with the same treadmill workout and finished out the same episode of the Biggest Loser.  I’m really into it this season.  This is actually the first season I’ve ever really watched.  Sure, I had seen bits and pieces before.  And honestly what turned me off before was Jillian.  I couldn’t stand listening to her yell at people.  But this time it’s a little different.  I’m watching with a different goal in mind.  I do like Bob, though.  And I like this new trainer, Dolvett.  And this season, I really like that they brought the kids in to tackle the childhood obesity epidemic.  If you’re not watching, you should check it out.

Sunday – 1/27

Another treadmill workout.  But this time, I mixed it up.  Here’s how it went:

Minutes 0 -5:  Walk 4.3mph on 8% incline

Minutes 5-10:  Run 6.5mph on 1.5% incline

50 air squats, 50 walking lunges

Minutes 10-15: Walk 4.3mph on 9% incline

Minutes 15-20: Run 6.5mph on 1.5% incline

25 push ups, 25 sit ups, 1 minute plank

Minutes 20-25: Walk 4.3mph on 10% incline

Minutes 25-30: Run 6.5mph on 1.5% incline

1 minute wall sit, 1 minute plank, stretch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This coming week, I am going to try to stick to Tina’s prescribed workouts exactly as written.  If it’s cold in the basement, I’ll put on a sweatshirt.  No excuses.

In addition to the workout schedule, Tina also has you choose two goals for the week.  My 2 goals were to drink 64oz of water and take my vitamins daily (that’s one goal) and also to make sure to do my nightly routine every night, which includes taking my contacts out and washing my face, among other things.  I’ve gotten in a bad habit of falling asleep on the couch and then just crawling into bed without taking off my makeup or taking out my contacts.  (Yes, I know how bad it is to sleep in contacts.  In fact, I got a corneal abrasion several months ago because I was sleeping in my contacts.)  So I need this extra motivation to help me form a good habit at bedtime.  Or maybe if I win the $1,000 in the end I could use it towards Lasik so that I don’t have to worry with the contacts at all.  🙂