Prepping for the Rockville 10K

Believe it or not, this is actually my first 10K. I’ve ran many 5Ks and one 15K, but this was a distance that I did not want to leave out. 6.2 miles seems like a good “middle ground” for me since I’m still planning on running the Team Challenge Chron’s and Colitis next year. (BTW-I just found out that there are two Team Challenge races next summer-one in Boston on June 27 and the other in the Napa Valley on July 18. The Boilermaker 15K is July 11. Would running the Boilermaker two weeks after the Boston 1/2 be too much?)

I decided to run the 34th annual Rockville 10K because it is in Rockville, MD which would give me an excuse to meet up with newfound friend Cat. I met Cat and Jess at the Blog Summit this past summer and we’ve kept in touch ever since.

Me, Jess, and Cat

I was so excited when she agreed to run this race with me, and I’ve been prepping all week for it. However, there are a few things that I will be doing differently for this race than those of the past.

My favorite race day breakfast consists of 2 Kashi Go Lean waffles topped with PB, plain Greek yogurt, and banana. The reason? The combo of carbs/protein is perfect for me. The staying power of this breakfast is amazing and it’s very portable. I ate this in the car ride over to the Boilermaker last year and it was perfect. BUT-since I forgot to pick up waffles at the store (kicking myself as we speak) I will have to improvise….by making a bowl of overnight oats instead.

In a bowl I mixed 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt, 1/2 water, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and some pumpkin spice together. I promptly put a lid on it and placed it in the fridge to sit for the night. This recipe was stolen a while back from Kath. It’s an awesome way to eat your oats when you’re in a hurry, or just eat them cold if you’re hot.

On top of my oats tomorrow morning I will sprinkle my regular 1T flax, 1/2 banana and 1 heaping tsp of PB, mix, and eat (probably on the way.) I’m really hoping this breakfast stays with me as well as the waffles do. It’s about 425 calories, so I’m assuming this will work just as well.

Another new addition to tomorrow’s race is coconut water. Caitlin used coconut water in her CamelPak a while back as a natural electrolyte. I used Agave water during a long run a few weeks back and it really helped keep me stabilized, so I decided to try Caitlin’s idea. I bought an 11 oz. carton of Zico 100% organic pure coconut water and poured it in my water bottle, then added about 11-12 oz. water to dilute it.

Here are some facts I dug up on coconut water:

Drinking coconut water has many benefits. Coconut Water is naturally

• Low in Carbs
• 99% Fat Free
• Low in sugars

Coconut water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help

1. Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature.
2. Orally re-hydrate your body, it is an all natural isotonic beverage.
3. Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells.
4. Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising.
5. Raise your metabolism.
6. Promote weight loss.
7. Boost your immune system.
8. Detoxify and fight viruses.
9. Cleanse your digestive tract.
10. Control diabetes.
11. Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS.
12. Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer.
13. Treat kidney and urethral stones.
14. Boost poor circulation.

Damn, those are a lot of great benefits! I can’t wait to see how well this works tomorrow.

My clothes are laid out, my breakfast is ready, my coffee maker is set, and my GPS is programmed. All I need to do now is get a good night’s sleep and be up by 5:30…which will seem like 6:30 since we put the clocks back tonight. (the only time I will ever enjoy putting the clocks back) Trying to get over the pre-run jitters is always the hardest part.

Can’t wait to share my race re-cap with you tomorrow!

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood…

Fall is such a beautiful time of year. Yes, the colors of the leaves have changed in Northern Virginia, and the weather has been close to perfect (minus a Nor’easter we had two weekends ago but hey – at least we didn’t get any snow!) Since I’m running the Rockville 10K next week with Cat (yay!!) I have to find other ways to enjoy this gorgeous weather.

I’ll start with Sunday.

I lounged around the house Sunday morning eating my breakfast, drinking my coffee, reading the news/blogs/ESPN.com, and decided to make my way out for a short run at around 11:45. My plan is to run twice this week and spend one day spinning, one day walking, and one day yoga-ing…which would make my week look something like this:
Sunday: Run/Strength
Monday: Walk
Tuesday: Spin/Strength
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Run/Strength (very easy 3 miler)
Friday: Yoga (easy, stretchy yoga)
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rockville 10K!!

I want to give my body a rest from constant pounding, and considering I have a race coming up, I’d like to keep it stress free and ready to kick ASS.

Sunday’s run was meant to be a very easy and slow run. Unfortunately we have hills here so I had to push myself a little more than I wanted to, but for the most part, I ran a nice easy 4 miles. Somehow, even keeping in mind that my goal was to run slow and easy, I managed to keep a 9:15 pace. I didn’t struggle, I enjoyed myself, and ran without barely breaking a sweat (OK let’s face it, I sweat a little,  but not like a normal sweat)
Total miles: 4.0
Total time: Exactly 37:00 (not on purpose I swear)

I think because there are so many hills in my neighborhood that my times are deceiving. When I run up the hills, I’m slowing down to a 10:15ish pace, but when I’m going down them, I’m flying at 8:05ish. I don’t know if that makes a difference or not…maybe all this hard work is finally starting to pay off?

In any event, my run was quick, easy, and over in no time. I ended with an ab workout (I have 3 pound leg weights that were a major contributor to this) and 20 push-ups. The ab workout kicked my ass, so I slacked in the arm department but it was better than nothing.

Monday: Gorgeous walk. It was such a nice day today, so I decided to make this my walk day. According to the weatherpeeps, we’re getting rain later in the week so I’ll use those as my work out inside days.
I found a nice trail right by my house, so I was able to get some lovely views of turning leaves. But what made my day was getting a package from Jess in the mail.  She had a contest a few weeks back where she gave away Endangered Species organic chocolates.

I happened to just make a random comment on the post and I won! Yay for me! Who doesn’t love to win free samples of chocolate? Thanks Jess!! I love how on each piece of chocolate the company states:
“We buy our cacao from small family properties, helping sustain the habitats and communities in which they existed.”
Right on!

Flu Shot: Is it necessary?
I’ve always been a skeptic of the flu shot, but with this H1N1 thing going around, it’s no wonder why so many people are standing in line for hours to get the vaccine. Do you think it’s worth getting?

 

 

 

 

Lingerie parties are funny (and tips to staying away from the party food)

I got a text from our friend Kelly asking me if I wanted to go to a Lingerie Party (not quite her words but for blog purposes, let’s say that’s what she said) My response? “Lingerie party? Hmmm…never been to one..but why the hell not?”

Let me tell you something..if you’ve never been to one of these parties, you must go. It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever experienced. My face was so red and I laughed so hard at these ladies trying to figure out how certain things worked…wow. Funny way to spend my Friday night.

The party was given by Slumber Parties, Inc. and our party consultant’s name was Tiffany. She was hilarious. Now ladies, I know just reading this might be making you blush, but if you’re looking for a fun way to spend time with your girlfriends, have one of these parties. I seriously laughed the entire time.

The host of the evening was very hospitable and provided us with wine, hors d'oeuvres, plenty of desserts, and did I mention wine? Since I was driving I was sure to sip my small glass of Cabernet very, very slowly while drinking water in between.

Buffalo chicken dip with bagel chips

Chips and guacamole

veggie platter (replaced picture because my cell phone camera sucks)

mini egg rolls

There was so much more food that I couldn’t get pictures of because of the camera situation. You get the idea.

The party started at 7, so at around 5 I made myself a nice breakfast for dinner. Thanks to HEAB, I made myself some kick-ass home made pumpkin butter .. it was so good that I just HAD to have some for dinner. (For HEAB’s pumpkin butter recipe, click here)
I made a few changes: Instead of kabocha squash I used a can of Trader Joe’s Organic Pumpkin, instead of stevia I used a tsp. of agave nectar, and I used pumpkin pie spice and omitted the cardamom, only because I didn’t have any.

I present to you: Egg white Ezekiel French Toast
I used:

• 2 slices of sesame Ezekiel bread
• 2 egg whites
• splash of soy milk
• splash vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbsp. flax seed
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• Pam
• 1 tsp PB

Heat pan on medium heat. Beat egg whites until fluffy. Add everything else. Mix. Soak your bread. Fry in pan with coconut oil and some Pam for extra coating. Top with small slather of PB and a large heaping spoonful (or tw0) of pumpkin butter. Eat. Yum.

This kept me so full for about 4 to 5 hours. Here’s why:
Protein. The egg whites and Ezekiel bread provide a huge amount of protein. One slice of Ezekiel bread provides 4 grams of it.
Good Fat. Flax seeds and PB give you satiety. Coconut oil helps in this dept. as well.
Pumpkin. I don’t know about you, but whenever I add pumpkin to my oats, it keeps me fuller longer. Pumpkins have tons of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants…and they taste amazing. Enough said.

Try it. You will not be disappointed. Ann—you can find Ezekiel Bread at Solstice!!

I will admit, I got pretty hungry by 10, so I snacked on the veggies, guac, and a few chips and salsa. And I may have had a mini meatball, a few bagel chips and a mini eggroll too…but trust me, it could have been much worse. Eating before hand kept me away from nibbling, and saved me about 1000 calories. And because I added sweet to my dinner, I had absolutely no desire to hit up the brownies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate cake that were staring me in the face all night. Seriously—the old Nicole would never have been able to pass that up.

On tonight’s agenda? This. And yes, this means missing the baseball game…I may have given some people permission to text me during the event to keep me posted…

Slow Cooked BBQ Pulled Chicken and my dislike for chipotle

A lot of people think that because I’m of Puerto Rican heritage that I eat tacos, burritos and everything spicy. Well folks, this is a very bad stereotype. Puerto Ricans cook very differently than what people would think. Here’s a quick history lesson for you.

Puerto Rico’s cuisine is based on its Spanish, African, and Taino Indian roots. 

Wheat, garbanzos, olives, olive oil, black pepper, onions, garlic, cilantro, oregano, basil, sugarcane, eggplant, ham, lard, chicken, beef, pork, and cheese came to Puerto Rico from Spain. The tradition of cooking complex stews and rice dishes in pots such as rice and beans are also thought to be originally European (much like Italians, Spaniards, and the British).

Lard. Yum. Thanks for this.

Coconuts, coffee, okra, yams, sesame seeds, gandules (green pigeon peas,) sweet bananas, plantains, and other root vegetables such as yucca and yautia came from Africa. African slaves also introduced deep frying foods to Puerto Rican cooking.

Yautia—it’s a starchy root vegetable used almost like a potato

Eventually, the US played another prominent role in the way PR food is cooked. Bacon, canned Vienna sausages (salchichas,) pasta, and canned corned beef have been and are still a major part of the traditional Puerto Rican cuisine.

Growing up, my mom used to make Arroz con Salchichas, or rice with vienna sausage. Thanks for this one too…haha

And let’s not forget rice and beans. We love ourselves some rice and beans.

The moral of the story? Nowhere in there does it mention tacos, burritos, chiles or chipotle.

 

BBQ Pulled Chicken  (I also made cornbread on the side)
(This recipe was from Eating Well magazine)

• 1 8-ounce can reduced-sodium tomato sauce
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika (I used smoked)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Cooking Directions:

1. Stir tomato sauce, chiles, vinegar, honey, paprika, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ground chipotle and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker until smooth. Add chicken, onion and garlic; stir to combine.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low until the chicken can be pulled apart, about 5 hours.
3. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred with a fork. Return the chicken to the sauce, stir well and serve.

Serves 8.

Nutritional Info:
184 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 68 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 20 g protein; 1 g fiber; 257 mg sodium; 303 mg potassium.

It was very easy to make, which I liked. And if it hadn’t been for the chiles and chipotle chile, I probably would have liked it a lot more. If you like these ingredients, you won’t need to change a thing. Next time I try this, I will be sure to omit them and add more garlic and use sweet paprika instead of the smoked.

If you try it, let me know!

Agave water: My secret weapon

Since I’m running the 34th Annual Rockville 10K on Nov. 1, (hopefully still with my new blog friend Cat!) I knew today would my last opportunity for a long run before my taper week next week. Since I ran 7 miles last week, I thought I’d kick it up a notch and run 8 this week. Why? Who the heck knows. I’m not following any specific training plan, I’m just running to run.

Before I left I realized that I forgot to pick up coconut water when we went food shopping yesterday. I don’t have any Goo or sport beans or anything like that (nor will I spend my money on them) but I knew that I probably should have something with calories in it to help me along my run. I searched my cupboards for something that I knew would help keep me fueled but without that crazy sugar rush. That’s when I spotted my Agave nectar.

Here’s a little info on agave for people like my mom who doesn’t really know all too much about it. Click HERE for everything you need to know about agave nectar.

I put a tablespoon of agave nectar and mixed it in with my water bottle. I figured, what the heck? It’s a natural sugar with a low glycemic index so I knew I wouldn’t get a crazy sugar rush. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try something else.

Well, I’ll let the numbers do the talking. Check out these stats:

8 miles 1:14:03

Mile 1: 9:37
Mile 2: 8:44 (!!)
Mile 3: 9:04
Mile 4: 9:26
Mile 5: 9:09
Mile 6: 9:35
Mile 7: 9:30
Mile 8: 8:52 (!!!)

Ok now let me start out by saying that this was a fairly flat route until the last 3 miles, where there were a few good hills, but I was able to make up for the up hills by flying down the down hills. (make sense? where’s my English?)
I was actually feeling like the run was too easy because it was so flat, so I started looking for hills to run after avoiding them in the beginning, knowing I had a few good hills on my way home. But man I felt AWESOME during miles 6-8, and I just tore it up on that last mile. I honestly feel that the agave water helped give me the boost I needed to keep me fueled during the run. Also, it forced me to drink more water. I have the tendency not to drink enough because I don’t feel thirsty when I’m running.

Also, I will have to say that I’ve been doing a lot of speed work too. Last Tuesday I did a 2 mile tempo run with a one mile warm up and one mile cool down, and Thursday I ran 4 miles with a one mile warm up, 2 miles @ 2x800 sprints, and the last mile @ 2x400 sprints. So maybe there’s something to be said by that. Either way, I’m feeling great and I’m really happy to finally see my numbers improve.

Another thing I’m happy about is that I’ve made it through my 7 mile rut. During my long runs and especially during the Boilermaker 15K I ran in July (recap here,) when I reached mile 7 I was completely out of gas. I had such a hard time pushing through those last 2.3 miles and if I hadn’t been running with my buddy Ann, I would have crawled across the finish line.

Did I mention how awesome that beer tasted? And how much fun we had?

Ann—we’re gonna rock the Boilermaker next year!!

Off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday!!

Three things that made my Friday fabulous

HEAB WAS RIGHT!!!!
OK, let me explain.

I love squash, so when Heather said she found one that would make me never want to eat another kind of squash again, I knew I had to try it. Last weekend, Dennis and I took a trip to an international market and I snagged a kabocha squash to try. All I can say is what took me so long??

(yes I’m recycling this picture)

I popped the entire kabocha squash in the oven and roasted at 350* for an hour. I cracked it open, put a little raw coconut oil on top and …. well, it was heaven on a plate. I couldn’t believe how amazing this squash is. The flavor is amazing and the texture can’t be described. It didn’t need the coconut oil either—I ate some more with my dinner and had it plain. So good. HEAB you ROCK! Now I’m going to see how many fun things I can make with this amazing ...ummm fruit? … and I bet they’ll mostly be coming from her!

Also, I’ve been absolutely obsessed with these:

Holy crap these are good. They’re soy free too for all you peeps out there looking to stay away from the soy. I don’t mind soy but I try to help those out who do :)

And last but not least, another star to my Friday:

Here’s a beer that makes me smile. I found this beer at a bar in Syracuse when Dennis and I still lived in NY. This beer makes me smile. We found a kick ass Wine and Beer distributor about 5 minutes away from our house that sells beers from all over the world. You can mix and match your 6 pack or case, and I was so happy to see this down here. I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to, but part of enjoying life is enjoying good food and a good beer every once in a while (again, thanks HEAB for reminding me of that) It’s Friday, I’m watching the ACLS and dammit, I’m enjoying a good tasting cold one. Amen to that.

Another reason why fall rocks---more fall recipes

One of my best friends from home owns about a hundred (or more) acres of land which produces about 100 pumpkins every year. Whereas most people go out and buy pumpkins to celebrate the fall season, she’s doing everything she can to get rid of them. Last year she gave me 6 pumpkins just for decorating. Boy do I wish I was able to get my hands on some of those pumpkins this year.
For now, canned pumpkin will have to do.

I started out my day with a bowl of pumpkin banana pie oat bran. Pumpkin banana pie you ask? Yes. This was an ultimate bowl of oats. So good that I could only eat half of it. The pumpkin added a lot of volume.

It sucks to have to rely on my cell phone for pictures but this is better than nothing. Can you see the amazing pumpkin color in there?

Pumpkin Banana Pie Oat Bran

• 1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened coconut milk (or whatever milk you have/want to use)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup oat bran
• 2 tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1/2 ripe banana
• Pumpkin pie spice (love it!)

I topped everything with my normal flax and PB but damn this was good. Pumpkin pie spice rocks.

Here’s another recipe that I actually have to say rocked as well. When it comes to baking, I usually find a recipe I like and stick to it…I find there’s not room to play around with baking. However, I found this recipe online and knew I needed to tweak it to make perfection. I won. Pumpkin aside, the real winner to this recipe was the use of White Whole Wheat flour.

I decided to give white whole wheat flour a try since Dennis hates whole wheat. According to their website:

Milled from white whole wheat, rather than red, unbleached King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour has all the fiber and nutrition of traditional whole wheat, with milder flavor and lighter color. Thus, white whole wheat is a great way to add whole grains to your family's diet.

I figured this would be a great way to use whole wheat without changing the flavor of my favorite baked goods. I think I see some homemade pizza dough in my future.

White Whole Wheat Pumpkin Nut Bread

• 1 & 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs (or 4 egg whites or 1/3 cup egg white/substitute)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce (you could sub more apple sauce for the oil but I didn’t want to mess with it too much and leave it dry)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. each of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350*. Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl and pour into a greased (I use Pam) bread pan. Bake for 60 minutes. Cut and enjoy. SO good. Even though there’s no picture, believe me, it was awesome.

TIP: I have a really hard time baking because 9 times out of 10 most of what I bake ends up getting thrown out…we just don’t eat it fast enough. So, my mom suggested slicing the bread into individual pieces after it cools and freezing them individually. I wrapped each piece in aluminum and put them in a freezer safe Zip-Lock bag. This eliminates waste. Thanks Mom!

One last thing— does anyone out there have a heart rate monitor that they use to track their mileage/pace? I used mine today on the treadmill and I found that they were way off from one another. I’m not sure how accurate the treadmill is or how well the Garmin works while ON the treadmill but if anyone can help me out with understanding which of the two are more accurate I’d appreciate it. Do I follow the treadmill’s guide to mileage and pace or do I believe I’m running a 7:57 pace when the treadmill says it’s an 8:15? Help!!!