Workout log 1.24.09-1.31.09

Sat. 1.24: Ran around 5:30 pm and felt GREAT! Went about 9 miles. I always feel so much more fresh when I run in the eve.

Monday 1.26: My leg started hurting on Sunday. It felt like a strain on the inside of my left leg, just over my ankle. I biked 55 minutes and bought new running shoes. I got some that are more of a stability shoe, hoping it will help prevent the pain from coming back once it's gone. The model is the Nike Air Structure Triax 11. Mine are red.

Tuesday 1.27: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.

Wednesday 1.28: Biked 55 minutes.

Thursday 1.29: Biked 59 minutes--went a total of 20 miles according to the stationary computer. I pushed the pace HARD on this ride.

Friday 1.30: I did 70 push-ups, but did nothing else. I've developed a nasty cough and was up for a couple of hours during the night coughing.

Saturday 1.31: Mom brought over some sort of narcotic that she was prescribed to help her coughing during the night a few weeks ago when she was sick. IT WORKED. I had a great night sleep. My leg hasn't hurt since Wed., so I ran 10 miles--and was able to cough and farmer blow to my hearts content. It took me 1:25. Loved the new shoes.

Perks of Parenthood

Eli: "Mom, you know how I'm playing basketball now, and I do lots of different sports, too?"
Me: "Yes."
Eli: "Well, will I ever, ya know, like, get cheerleaders in my sports?"
Me: "Not while you are this age. Cheerleaders probably won't start cheering at games until you are at least Aunt Lia's age (12)."
Eli: "Well, when cheerleaders do come, will I get to, ya know, talk to them and know them and stuff?"
Me: "Yes."
Eli: "Okay. I was just wondering."

_________

Brandt: "Hey Mom! Did you know that Sonic doesn't wear any clothes and he just runs around naked all the time?"

________

Brandt: "Dad, if I were to eat a really tiny guy and I didn't crunch, could he just be alive inside my belly?"
Dad: "Well, I guess so." :)

Delicious Deception

This week has been food week in our bouse. I love to bake and create in the kitchen, but I'm ready for a short break. Tuesday morning Melyssa called me to see if I'd be up for a trip to the farmer's market downtown. She had recently gotten the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife). The basis of this book is how to sneak veggies, beans and fruits into your family's foods to make them eat more healthily without their knowledge. Well, I don't know if in the long run this is the best method for raising healthy children, but it can't hurt, either. I didn't have the book when we made the trip to the market, but I have since purchased it (6.99, TJ Maxx! ).
We got some smokin' good deals on food. For less than $90, we bought 50 lbs of carrots, 50 lbs of apples, about 80 bananas, about 15 bunches of broccoli, and large boxes of sweet potatoes and red bell peppers. Jessica Seinfeld suggests you puree and freeze your veggies and fruits ahead of time so they are ready to use. Sounds easy enough, but takes FOREVER. I still have several carrots, two big bags of peppers, and a bag of broccoli to puree in my fridge.

We also bit the bullet and purchased a wheat/grain grinder this week. I've been using my mom's since we moved here, so it will be awesome to have my own.

And last night we were given a HUGE chest freezer, so now I can store all my extra little puree pouches in the basement and still have room for chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and other less-healthy offerings in the kitchen fridge's freezer.

I made this carrot bundt cake for the family that gave us the freezer. I 1 1/2x'ed the recipe and made a loaf for our family. It was DELICIOUS. And I was able to make a tiny dent in my carrot supply:

Carrot Bundt Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1 cup sugar substitute
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup salad oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups packed shredded carrots
1 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:Begin about 4 hours before serving or early in the day: Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

In large bowl, with spoon, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In small bowl, with fork, beat eggs slightly; stir in oil and vanilla. Stir egg mixture, shredded carrots, walnuts, and applesauce into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.

Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare confectioners sugar icing: In bowl, with spoon, mix confectioners sugar and 5 teaspoons water until smooth and an easy spreading consistency. Place cake on platter. With spatula, spread confectioners sugar icing on cake.

Workouts this week :
Tuesday: Biked 18 miles on the stationary and did full-body weights
Wednesday: Ran 7.5 miles in the COLD morning air. I think it was 18 degrees.
Thursday: Biked 16 miles on the stationary while watching Fresh Prince.
Friday: Ran 5 miles. Middle 3 were at a 7:15-7:40 pace. The temp was about 49 this morning--felt GREAT. I plan to squeeze some weights in tonight.

Workout log 1.14.09-1.19.09

Wed. 1/14: Ran with Ashley in COLD morning air (I think it was around 20). 5.8 miles in 48 minutes.
Thurs. 1/15: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday 1/16: Did speed work on treadmill: 13 minute warm-up. 1 mile at 9mph, 2 minute jogging, 1/2 mile 9.5mph, 2 minutes jogging, 1/2 mile 10 mph. 7 minute cool-down jog. Total of about 4 miles. This had to be a quick workout b/c we left for TN around 9 that morning.
Saturday 1/17: In Luttrell, TN, it was BITTER cold. I think around 6 degrees, so I ran on the treadmill and finished "Uglies." Excellent book. Have never been able to read while running before, but I had no other form of entertainment available, and couldn't bear to run on the treadmill with just my thoughts, so I somehow managed to read and run!
Sunday 1/18: This is typically my day off, but we went on a hike with Connie and Winston "just over the ridge to the creek" that was really quite the climb. I think we were gone about 2 hrs.
Monday 1/19: Traveled home and didn't workout. Should feel awesome tomorrrow after all this rest.

Goals

Tonight we had our family home evening, and Eric was in charge of giving the lesson. Last week I had the lesson and we talked briefly about goals, then the plan was for Eric to take each boy individually (except Asher), and talk about and write down some goals for the year. He took Brandt first, and then we ran out of time and had to put off Eli's one-on-one time until this week.
So Eric continued the goal-theme for tonight's family night. I had asked Eric how it went last week with Brandt, and he had said, "Fine," with a roll of his eyes. I wasn't sure WHAT that meant, but didn't pursue it further.
Well, tonight I found out. Eric began by re-explaining why we set goals. Then he said that once we decide what our goals are, we need to come up with a plan of how to achieve them. He then turned to Brandt and said, "For instance, Brandt, your goal for this year was to be a Power Ranger. What kinds of things do you need to do to achieve that?" Brandt then responded that he needed to work on his moves and stay up at night. Then, he gave us a demonstration of several moves.

Eli has been learning about goals of another sort. He has been playing basketball this year, and he had his first real game on Saturday. He is still figuring out what is going on most of the time, and when he does know what to do, he hasn't mustered up the killer-instinct to quite get it done, YET. He has improved remarkably since the start of practice. He can run and dribble at the same time, and can even look ahead while doing that some of the time. And he has pretty accurate shooting. He actually made a point for his team (via a free-throw).

Asher has been a real drama king lately. Once he can talk, I should seriously think about getting him into acting. He can rejoice, complain, disapprove, ask a question, and answer a question all using the phrase, "Hun, duh, duh," said with different voice intonations and facial expressions. And even STRANGERS can tell what he's communicating. It's amazing, really.

I've been busily putting together track for this spring. I am advertising through the schools, newspaper, Parks and Rec's website, and Trak Shak's website this year, so I may have a much bigger team. I've been mentally prepping myself for that. Last year the most successful practices, as far as running smoothly and efficiently, were the ones where we had the most kids show up. That "group-think" thing gets them working together instead of complaining. I try my best to make practices fun, and I think they are mostly fun, but with running, there are inevitably times when the kids just don't want to do it. During those times. its nice for them if they know 10 other kids are enduring it, too. Misery loves comopany.

Workout log:
Friday 1/9/09: I ran through the trails in the sports complex and then to Trussville Springs to the trail there. I ran a bit on it and met Eric and Asher there. Eric got to have all of Friday off b/c he had worked so dang much earlier in the week. It was so nice. I ran a total of about 6 miles and walked 2 with Eric and Asher.
Saturday 1/10/09: I ran through the sports complex and over to the historic district and back. I was gone about 54 minutes. I pushed the pace for a good portion of it, but I didn't wear my Garmin (I hadn't charged it from the day before) so I'm not sure how fast I went.
Monday 1/11/09: I biked 50 minutes downstairs whilst watching "The Sting" with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. I didn't finish it, but I'd like to. Robert Redford *was* so hot.
Tuesday 1/12/09: I ran pushing Asher in the stroller on the trail in Trussville Springs. I ran the 1 mile length 6 times, plus to and from the parking lot at the office there for a total of about 6.8 miles. It took me about an hour. Then I came home and did weights. Asher is amazingly good for my weight workouts. Sometimes I use him as my weight on squats, which may as well be a rollercoaster as far as he's concerned.

Workout log 1.02.09-1.07.09

Friday 1/2/09: Speed work on the treadmill. Started with a 15 minute warm-up. Then about six 40 sec. hill reps with about 40 seconds rest between. Then I did some flat 1 minute speed bursts. Then two 3 minute reps at 9.2mph. Ended with a 10 minute cool-down.
Saturday 1/3/09: I was in Nashville for Grandmom's funeral, but did a 50 minute run with sisters and Uncle Pat around Aunt Sharon's neighborhood. I picked it up for the last 20 minutes or so.
Monday 1/5/09: Biked 20 miles on the stationary in 61 minutes. Did a full-body weight workout.
Tuesday 1/6/09: Ran to Food World and back (needed batteries for our new SWEET soap dispenser--thanks Kate and Chad!!). Took about 50 minutes. Did ab work.
Wed. 1/7/09: VERY sore in my lower back from ad workout yesterday. It was from Runners World Feb issue. Maybe I'll have a six-pack yet. Ran in cold rain with Ashley-7.2 miles. Did same ab workout again.
Thurs. 1/8/09: I was up late waiting for Eric to get home from a LONG day at work (he finally came in at 12:15--I had been asleep for about an hour), so I didn't wake up early to workout. During Asher's nap I rode the bike for 50 minutes, putting several hill simulations into the ride and then did full body weight workout--all whilst watching Jurassic Park.

Grandmom

This morning my grandmother, Ruth Conquest, or "Grandmom," as her grandchildren call her, passed away. We have known she would be leaving this life soon for about a week. I am glad she can be free of this world and her body that was old and painful for her.

Unlike some of my younger siblings, I was able to know Grandmom when she was still full of energy. I want them to know, she was a "cool" grandma. I always looked forward to going to her house to visit. I knew she would have Ruffles potato chips and white powdered doughnuts to eat. For breakfast she always had Fruit Loops, which I looked forward to eating in her little China bowls.

Grandmom was one of the most selfless people I have known. Her life was dedicated to helping others, and it came naturally to her. I don't think seh ever thought twice about helping someone in need--even if it meant sacrificing her own comfort. She became a nurse after her husband died, and when she wasn't working, she was taking care of her 8 children. She continued to be there for them to the end. She didn't like to be in the spotlight, and eschewed being videoed or having her picture taken. But she wanted to make everyone else feel special.

Even with her numerous children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she always had individual gifts for us at Christmas for as long as she had the health to shop. I knew she cared about me as an individual, not just as one of her grandkids.

My senior year of high school, my parents and family moved to Nebraska, but I chose to stay in TN to graduate with my class. Since my parents weren't there, Grandmom drove to Cookeville from Nashville to attend my senior awards banquet with me. I remember that night I followed her back to Nashville, driving the big, old Suburban my parents had left for me. Being an inexperienced driver, I didn't realize until we had arrived in Nashville that I had had my brights on during the entire 90 minute trip down 1-40--and I had followed behind Grandmom CLOSELY. When I mentioned to her my mistake, rather than say anything negative about how annoying and distracting I'm sure it was to have high-beams shining into her car that drive, Grandmom just smiled and said, "Well, I knew you were right there behind me the whole time!" That weekend Grandmom took me to dinner, and we shopped for clothes for me to take to BYU in the fall. This was one of my fondest memories of time spent individually with Grandmom. Only a year later she suffered a stroke, which changed her life so much.

Grandmom kept her spunk, despite her aging body. We visited at Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and during a conversation when someone commented about feeling old because of the quickly growing children, someone asked Grandmom who old she felt. Immediately, she said, with a low "hmphh, Ancient!"

I will miss Grandmom. I feel blessed to have had such a wonderful example in my life. Though she wont be with us physically, her joyful, selfless legacy will be here for us to pass on to generations to come.

Workout log

Sat. Dec.27: Ran 9 miles in 1:16. Did the Deerfoot loop--a favorite, though hilly, course.
Mon. Dec.29: Ran 1:09--I didn't wear my Garmin watch, but I think I went about 8 miles.
Tuesday Dec.30: Biked 43 minutes on the stationary and did full-body weights.
Wednesday Dec. 31: Ran 5.6 miles in 48 minutes. I felt pretty beat on this run. It was cold and I had a nasty headwind for a good bit of it. We took the boys and met my Dad and Rick at the new running pathway in town. It is 1 mile long, and we walked it at a casual pace, stopping to throw rocks and walnuts in the water intermittently.
Thursday Jan 1, 2009: Biked 1 hour on the stationary (while watching "Miss Congeniality"--for only the second time. Good flick). Did full-body weights.