2 on Tuesday

I am starting to pack for the race this weekend and can't decide what to wear.  Help!  I know the top - it's the same style I wore for the Disney marathon and I wore it during Nike DC so I know it's comfortable and has some good vibes attached to it.  I just can't decide what shorts to wear.  Which one do you like?  Let me know in the comments!

I've been trying to cook more lately and my friend Joanne posted this delicious recipe on her blog - sweet potato gnocchi with balsamic-roasted asparagus and caramelized onions.  It came together pretty easily and was really yummy.  I used regular gnocchi as I couldn't find sweet potato at the store I was at.  It was still good, but I would like to make it with the sweet potato gnocchi as well as I think it would be even better. 

Training recap week of 6/9 (Grandma's Week 17)

This is it folks - only 1 week left until the race (okay, really 5 days).  I can't believe it's here already.  I am feeling good, but trying not to over think it and stress myself out.  I really do better when I am relaxed.

I spent this past weekend in Connecticut with family.  It was a busy weekend with lots of unhealthy food, but it was a very relaxing time and perfect for the weekend before the race.

I'm definitely got the taper aches and pains, but nothing hurts badly.  Only 5 days to go!!

Monday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 4 miles easy

Actual: 4.01 mi, 42:00, 10:29 pace

Wednesday

Scheduled: Speedwork (8 x 0.5mi @ 10K Pace with 90 sec recovery), plus warm up and cool down

Actual: 6:75 mi total
Paces: 7:58, 7:53, 7:50, 7:50, 7:51, 7:56, 7:45, 7:42

Thursday

Scheduled: 3 miles easy

Actual: 3.12 mi, 30:57, 9:56 pace

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Saturday

Scheduled: 8 miles easy

Actual: 8.01 mi, 1:19:13, 9:54 pace

Sunday

Scheduled: 3 mile easy

Actual: 3.01 mi, 31:38, 10:31 pace

Total miles: 24.89

Total June miles: 84.53

Miles until goal (1,250): 604.83

Cheddar Tailgating Bread {Pinterest Success}

Now that I am finally caught up on my race recaps, I want to share some of the other stuff I'm been doing this spring (and now summer).

I went home at the end of March for my nieces birthday.  She's only 2, so we do a small family thing and I offered to bring an app with me.  Of course, I turned to Pinterest for my dish.  I decided to bring an appetizer and after some deliberating, I decided on Cheddar Tailgating Bread.

I saw a couple of versions (by various blogs) on Pinterest but I decided to go with this one on Tasty Kitchen by Foodie with Family.  It looked relatively easy and that I'd be able to make it on site.

It was pretty easy to put together, which is no easy feat considering there were 4 small children running around and a house full of adults distracting me.

Overly simplified directions by me -

1. Melt butter and mix with garlic and sliced green onions
2. Cut loaf of Italian bread into squares/grid, but don't cut all the way to the bottom.  Separate pieces to make space
3. Pour butter/garlic/green onion mixture into the crevices created by the squares

4. Wrap bread in foil and bake for 10 minutes
5.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheddar cheese, making sure to push the cheese into the crevices

6.  Return to oven uncovered and cook for another 15 minutes until cheese is melted
7.  Let sit for 3 minutes to cool and sprinkle parsley over top

Next time, I will probably saute the garlic and green onions for a bit to soften them before adding to the bread.  I'll also decrease the amount of cheese because it was overflowing and we didn't even use all the cheese it called for.  I'd also cut back on the amount of parsley because it seemed like a lot to me (but you might like that much!).

Overall this recipe was easy and delicious!  I would call this one a Pinterest Success!

You can get the full recipe here!

2 on Tuesday

You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I shared Tasting Tables Best Doughnuts in NYC list.  Now, they've come out with the 13 Best Ice Creams in NYC.  Since that is clearly seasonal, I think I'll need to tackle that one first.  Summer just calls out for ice cream, right?

Registration for the Star Wars Half in Disneyland opened today.  To no one's surprise, it sold out quickly.  The Challenge sold out in 26 minutes and the half in 2 hours.  Personally, this race doesn't appeal that much to me.  I like Star Wars, but would rather go out for the Avengers Half.  It's also the weekend after the Disney Half in World, which would be tough vacation wise.  Did anyone out there sign up?

Training recap week of 6/2 (Grandma's Week 16)

We are in the home stretch people!  Only 2 weeks to go and now it's taper time.  I am very excited to be in taper.  My body has been waiting for this.

Monday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 6 miles easy

Actual: 6.00 mi, 1:00:30, 10:05 pace

Wednesday

Scheduled: Speedwork (8 x 0.5mi @ 10K Pace with recovery), plus warm up and cool down

Actual: 8:04 mi total
Paces: 7:55, 7:53, 7:45, 7:59, 7:53, 7:53, 7:47, 7:49

Thursday

Scheduled: 5 miles easy

Actual: 5.1 mi, 51:00, 10:01 pace

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Saturday

Scheduled: 5 miles easy

Actual: 5.0 mi, 50:51, 10:10 pace

Sunday

Scheduled: 14 mile long ru

Actual: 14.01 mi, 2:19:47, 9:59 pace

Total miles: 38.15

Total June miles: 59.65

Miles until goal (1,250): 629.72

Pineapple Coconut Popsicles

Since it's summer now, I thought I'd break out my popsicle molds.  I found this recipe on pinterest, but it didn't link to anything (I hate when that happens).  It listed ingredients in the subject, but wasn't fully specific (just items, not amounts).  After doing some pinterest searching, I made an educated guess as to what amounts to use.

Only 4 ingredients and they are so much better for you than popsicles you buy at the store.

Pineapple Coconut Popsicles
Source: Pinterest (if you know who's recipe this actually is, let me know and I'll give credit!)
Yields: 10-12 pops depending on the size of your molds

(1) 20 oz can of pineapple chunks
(1) 14 oz can of coconut milk (I used regular, but you could probably use lite if it's a big deal)
(1) Banana
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in blender
2. Blend until smooth
3. Fill molds, but not completely
4. Freeze for at least 8 hours

So yummy and delicious!

2 on Tuesday

Last year at the Lululemon warehouse sale, I picked up two pairs of spandex shorts to wear under my running skirts for costumes.  I honestly wasn't expecting to love them (I'm not a huge spandex fan when running), but they are the most comfortable shorts.  I wore them at all 4 Dopey races, including the marathon (don't worry, I did laundry after the 10K so they were clean).  They aren't available anymore, so I had taken to ebay to stock up on them.  They just came out with a similar version - the Dart and Dash.  From what I can find online, they are the same as my shorts, just slightly longer.  I ordered them online and they should be coming tomorrow.  I hope they are the same!

Speaking of ebay, does anyone sells things on ebay?  I was doing some cleaning this weekend and realized I had developed a bit of a stockpile of foundation.  So in an effort to lower the stockpile, I am thinking of selling some on ebay.  It seems easy enough, right?  Anyone ever sell anything on ebay with luck? I'm not looking to make a ton of money, just clean out my makeup drawer.

Training recap week of 5/26 (Grandma's Week 15)

Another week done, only 3 weeks to go!  I can't believe it's so close!  This week of training went really well and makes me excited for the race.  I'm feeling good about it!

Before I get to the recap for this week, I did want to quickly share that I (finally) created an Instagram account for the blog.  If you want, you can follow me here.

Monday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Tuesday

Scheduled: 6 miles easy

Actual: 6.00 mi, 1:01:49, 10:18 pace

Wednesday

Scheduled: Speedwork (6 x 1mi @ Half Marathon Pace with 90 sec recovery), plus warm up and cool down

Actual: 8:43 mi total
Paces: 8:26, 8:22, 8:25, 8:24, 8:17, 8:08

Thursday

Scheduled: 5 miles easy

Actual: 4.31 mi, 43:46, 10:10 pace

My legs were really feeling Wednesday night's speedwork so I cut this one slightly short.

Friday

Scheduled: Rest

Actual: Rest

Saturday

Scheduled: 5 miles easy

Actual: 5.01 mi, 51:25, 10:16 pace

Sunday

Scheduled: 21 mile long run (16 easy pace + 5 mi @ goal race pace)

Actual: 21.01 mi, 3:23:20, 9:41 pace + a 0.5 mile cooldown walk
Paces: 9:11, 8:53, 8:54, 8:55, 8:45

They weren't quite at race pace, but Kirsty said that it was more about effort then pace it was okay to be slightly below race pace. 

Total miles: 45.25

Total May miles: 141.02
Total June miles: 21.50

Miles until goal (1,250): 667.87

Expedition Everest: Summit Party

Don't miss my recap of the Expedition Everest Expo, 5K and Scavenger Hunt.

Following the race, was the Expedition Everest Summit Party.  After finishing and picking up a bottle of water and some snacks (they had mini Cliff Bars and banana's), I picked up my stuff from baggage and headed into Animal Kingdom.

People were still working on the scavenger hunt while I was headed in (Pam and her mom were still out there so I had some time to kill), so they had a walkway for finishers to head into the park.  Once I was inside the gates, I made a detour to the bathroom to change my top and clean up for the party.  While I wish I could have showered (not possible), I did use my Nathan's Power Shower Wipes.  It's definitely not the same as showering, but at least it got the sweat off my face.  I also put on my jacket, because man was it cold out.  Only like 65 degrees.

The main section of the park that was open was Dinoland USA (everything open) and parts of Asia (just Everest and Kali River Rapids).  I immediately headed for Everest - couldn't wait to ride it at night!  There was no wait, just the walk to the front.

I have to say, riding Everest at night was definitely a different experience.  I've ridden the ride a lot, but it felt very different at night.  It was a little scarier!  The parts inside were in the pitch black.  It was a lot of fun!

 When I got off the ride, I was ready to get right back on!  The line was a little longer this time, but then I realized they were still doing single rider line.  So I used that line and rode 3 more times!  That might be the most I have ever ridden Everest in a row.  By the 4th time, I needed a break.  And I was awful thirsty.

They still had the adult beverage carts out, so on the way back to Dinoland, I stopped and got a margarita.  It was delicious (sorry, I love margarita's).

Since I was still waiting for Pam and her mom, I figured I would check out the rest of the party.  They had a DJ out and he was playing some fun music.  They also had some characters out, so I stopped for some photo's - Goofy and Pluto in their farming finest.

 

After Pam got there (her mom headed back to the hotel early), we headed to check out Kali River Rapids.  It's always been closed when I've been there or way too cold to ride it.  It wasn't quite warm enough (still) but we did anyways.  Most people seemed to be waiting for Everest because there was no wait all.  We ended up in a raft all by ourselves.

I have to admit, it was fun but it was definitely kind of creepy.  Since the park is usually closed at night, the ride isn't well lit which added to the spookiness.  And since not many people were riding it, there was no one else in site.  It was still fun, but doesn't hold a candle to Grizzly River Run (in California Adventure).  It might be better with more people in the raft (and in the daytime), so I'll have to check it out again.

Overall, I enjoyed the Summit Party.  I got my fill of Everest, finally got to ride Kali River Rapids and the DJ was pretty good.  Not quite as good as the Wine and Dine after party (with the Food and Wine Festival going on, that after party is pretty epic), but still a great time!

Race Recap: Expedition Everest Challenge Part 2: Scavenger Hunt

Don't miss my recap of the Expo and 5K.  Now on to the Scavenger Hunt recap!

Expedition Everest Challenge: Scavenger Hunt
May 3, 2014

When I last left off, I had crossed the finish line of the 5K.  Up next was the scavenger hunt.  Shortly after crossing, they had volunteers waiting to hand you your first clue.  You got a bottle of water and then your clue with a mini Sharpie and light.

Love the baby Sharpie!

After I tried to read clue #1 and run to the first stop, but since I was afraid I would break my neck, I walked while reading it.  Here is clue #1:

The answer was tied to your bib - the green flag was on the right side of the bib.  It took me a minute to get it, but once I figured it out I started running again to the clue stop.  It was located right outside the security gate for Animal Kingdom.  After telling the volunteer my answer, I got clue #2.

I have to admit this one stumped me.  So instead of trying to figure it out, I headed to the next stop first.  On the way to clue stop #2, I saw Donald hanging out where Chip and Dale had been during the run.  I decided to stop for a photo.  Loved the sailor outfit!

Back to the clue, I knew what I was looking for - numbers in the first clue - but I was still trying to figure out the whole thing when I heard some people next to me solve it.  The answer was 4 (which still doesn't quite make sense to me), but since I knew it, I told the volunteer and got clue #3.

This one was easy to solve!  I love these types of puzzles so I did it while I walked to the next clue.  On the way there, I stopped for a photo with Timon, who was hanging out where Rafiki had been.

At the next clue stop, I gave my answer and got clue #4.  This one was also pretty easy to solve since it was tied to clue #3.  I ran to the next stop and punched out the correct items.

Upon showing the volunteer I had punched out the correct items, I got clue #5 (the final one!).  This one was tied to clue #5 and was very easy.  

Just overlay clue #4 with the items punched out and see what it said.

That was the final answer!  I headed straight towards the finish line.  Right before the finish line, they had some volunteers and I had to hold up the answer to clue #5 - the number 4 (I just held up 4 fingers).  After I got approval on my answer, I headed to the finish line!

My final time (5K + Scavenger Hunt) was 49:44.  Took me about 22 minutes to do the Scavenger Hunt.  I ended up the 21st women and 7th in my age group (30-34).  Not bad at all!

Oh, and don't forget about the medal!  I have to say, this medal is definitely one of my favorites.  It ties into the theme of the race perfectly and is just plain fun!

Closed

Open

Even though the race was over, that doesn't mean the night was!  Up next, I'll share some of the post-race party!