Operation Beautiful

Happy Monday bloggies!!  After a rocky start to the day (forgot half my lunch, co-worker spilled my post lunch snack all over the fridge (I forgive you :-)) and a zillion billion things thrown in my inbox and phone duty, I was pretty fried!  Thankfully, things turned around, as they usually do, and the day is looking up :-)

First of all, I got in a nice relaxing swim during lunch.  Sometimes, this is the best escape from the world-no one can get to me underwater!  I swam a leisurely 1.5 miles with some chill tunes, grabbed my lunch ( a flat out wrap with ham and hummus, broiled grapefruit and greek yogurt) and got back to work, ready to rock n' roll. 

Second of all, I got a really nice pick me up from one of my favorite food blogs!  I started reading healthy living blogs back in 2009, with Self's "Eat Like Me" blog and then "Kath Eats".  Since then, I've expanded my list of faves to a  dozen or so blogs I check in with daily, including "Healthy Tipping Point", a blog written by a woman in Florida who originally started blogging her meals to keep herself accountable for her big wedding day, and now spreads a healthy living message through the blog world via yummy vegetarian recipes, running escapades (and some multi sport, too, so we love her!) and a message of positive self image. 

One of her biggest messages is through "Operation Beautiful"  which encourages people to end "fat talk" and focus on positive self worth through things OTHER than a number on a scale or what you can see on the "outside".  The message is spread via post-it notes in random places-the bathroom, gym locker room, anywhere!  Check out her site for more information.  And feel free to spread the positive word!

For me, this movement is extremely exciting and motivating.  As a teenage girl, I never worried too much about "being fat" until my dance teacher in high school told me I would never be able to dance en pointe (on my toes) until I lost weight.  I wasn't fat...maybe a little chubby, but overall really healthy.  This line of thinking sent me in a downward spiral that only got worse once I went to college and was surrounded by girls in size 0 jeans.  (Interestingly enough, I danced ballet, pointe, jazz and modern for all 4 years being "too chubby"). 

 It wasn't until I became a senior that I tapped into healthy eating and living, and took the weight of sensibly.  However, as the "healthy girl" I  still struggled with harmful behaviors such as bingeing, restricting, and sadly, for awhile, purging.  It took a long time for me to realize that being healthy had to do with more than just a number on the scale or what size jeans I wore.  And now....I eat veggies cause they taste good and I like the way they make me feel.  And I still haven't met a reese's pieces I don't like, but I eat them in moderation.   Rather than restricting, i appreciate food for it's yumminess and fuel.  And I know that I am beautiful just as I am (90% of the time.  I am still a work in progress!)

As an athlete, I am very in tune with my body, and still sometimes struggle with the "perfect image" of what I want to be and want it to do...especially when my sport involves tights, trisuits and a certain amount of disrobing for longer distances :-)  However, I have come to a point in my life where I focus on how I feel and what I can accomplish, rather than how I look.  And it's a message I hope to pass onto my kids, and to Girl's on the Run this season!

And for a little Monday tunage, check out this empowering video, based off of Lady Gaga's "Born this Way"

How could you not SMILE?

Have a wonderful day, friends!

Hear me RAWR!!!!

 

To sum up my day in three words:

The original girl power song :-)

I AM STRONG.

* I did a 40 mile ride bike today.  After my 20 mile run yesterday.  I rocked it.  Bring it, marathon.  Bring it, Musselman! Bring it, CHESMAN!

I AM INVINCIBLE.

* I then spent 3 hours cleaning the house and doing laundry .  Put all the snowmen away to scare off winter. Stripped the bed and washed the sheets and remade it. Did 4 loads of laundry and put them away.  Cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, cleaned all the bathrooms, steam cleaned the carpets.  Dusted and Pledged.  Made dinner and lunches for tomorrow.  Prepped Greg’s next 4 week block of training.  Coupon clipped, made the grocery list, sorted the coupons. 

I AM WOMAN.

Time to soak in some Dr. Teal’s for my muscles with a mug of sleepy time tea, then reese’s piece’s for dessert

I am tired.

Helen Reddy said it better though.  Hear me roar!

HONK if you ran 20!

 

Well, yes, yes I did, but that’s just part of the story!

So, even though it rained like a mother in upstate NY today, 20 was on my list of things to do, so off I went.  Even though it was damp and gloomy, it was almost 50 degrees, so I got to “test” my marathon gear out.  Shoes, check.  Capri tights, check. IMLP visor, check. I also tried out the GOTR shirt they sent me….super comfy tech shirt, but someone please tell me why anyone would make a shirt for a marathon in WHITE?  (I would post a pic, but this is a family blog.  Sorry).  So….need to find a bright sports bra I think so I don’t show my unmentionables at the finish line!  Thoughts?

It’s actually bright pink, think it might look cool with my color scheme!  Unfortunately, Target only had XL and XXL.  Bummer.  Need to shop around

So…the run.  I have to say for the most part, it went great!  I felt pretty awesome for the first 10 miles, took in my nutrition every 5 miles along with some propel (dried cranberries and fruit leather and a gu all together), my tummy was doing well thanks to this little secret.  (No, I don’t endorse these, but they are awesome insurance to have during a long run or long race.  See “The oikos 5 miler” for more details.  Or, better yet, just trust me on this one!)  I also credit my pre run brekkie of oats, naners, and pb.  Great combo.

I got a little tired miles 15-20, which is pretty normal, so I implemented a decent run/walk strategy and kept myself to the pace I wanted to hold.  Then I encountered my nemesis at mile 18.  Nope, it didn’t have 4 wheels this time.  Or even 2.  Or a motor. But it did honk….

WTF??  Yes, a friggin’ band of geese chased me down the road at mile 18.  Where’s a car to scare them away when you need one?  LOL  I think they were trying to help me finish strong.  Thanks, guys.  Even if you scared the bejeezus out of me!

But finish strong I did!

The Workout

Distance: 20.09 miles

Time: 3:03:08

Pace: 9:07

Awesomesauce.  Now, if I can just hold that pace for another 10k, we are all set!  I feel a bit better knowing that the terrain I am running now is much hillier than the course, so now its time to taper (well, I have a 15 miler next week, but other than that) and get ready for the big day! 

After the run, I stretched, foam rolled, compression socked it up and then went out with the hubs for some well deserved grub.  We have a favorite restaurant in Penfield called Pattaya that serves up phenomenal thai food wicked fast and decently priced.  I got the ginger chicken, which is chicken breast,fresh veggies, fresh ginger and ginger sauce, and a side of brown rice. 

mmmmmm…amazing!  Yup, its all in my belly now, though I did use chopsticks to slow down.  Got my first test as a blogger when the waitress saw me snapping pictures of my food.  She thought I liked the pretty colors…well, I do, of course, but I told her that I write a blog and she thought that was pretty neat I was crazy, probably.  Hey, that’s how I roll!

Well, I would say it was a pretty honkin’ successful day.  And that’s all I got.  Have a wonderful night!

The ABC's of Me

Just a note on yesterday's post....this morning in my in box I got my very own personalized invitation to a Huggie's pull ups dance party.  Coincidence?  I THINK NOT!!  I'd also like to thank Kim for posting it on FB for me...priceless :-)

Ok, on with the show!  Since I do 'laid back posts'  on Friday's and saw this floating around the blogworld, I thought I would partake.

A-Z Survey

A. Age: 28
B. Bed size: Queen.  Might have to size up when we get kiddos though!
C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the litter box.  I heard pregnant women aren't supposed to.  This is a belief I am clinging to, even if it isn't true!

D. Dogs: Only cats in this household!  We hope to get a dog soon.  Would live a husky dog.  Aren't they so cool looking?
E. Essential start to your day: coffee coffee coffee!
F. Favorite color: tri stuff pink, otherwise green

G. Gold or silver: silver
H. Height: 5’5"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Played the violin for a year, french horn for 6, and mellophone (kind of like the horn) for 2.
J. Job title: Kinship Program Supervisor
K. Kids: Just my fur child, summer :-)
L. Live: Macedon, Gananda aka 315 land aka West Syracuse.  Its the country.  But I love it!
M. Mom’s name: Pattie
N. Nicknames: Rae, Razor, Beast, Rae Rae (only my grandma gets away with that one!)
O. Overnight hospital stays: None yet…*knocks on wood*

P. Pet peeves: people who complain without looking for a solution, pessimists

Q. Quote from a movie: "I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying." (who said it? :-D)

R. Righty or lefty: Righty, but I can draw with my toes.  Used to be a ballerina :-)
S. Siblings: Sis in law Tanya, Brother in law Jeff, Childhood big bro Drew :-)
T. Time you wake up: Between 7-7:30am. Weekends are free for alls if we have no plans.  Bedtime is usually about 11:00
U. Underwear: Yes, I wear it.  Unless I am biking.  No one needs to know more about that :-)
V. Vegetables you don’t like: Beets.  But I'm working on it!

W. What makes you run late: Traffic (and stupid drivers), trying to cram too much into one day
X. X-rays you’ve had: Teeth, shoulder (seperated it after getting hit by a car), knee (fell playing hocky)
Y. Yummy food you make: According to Greg and the rest of his office, it's all yummy :-)  I personally like my homemade pizza and butternut squash fries best!!
Z. Zoo animal favorites: The animals that are released back into the wild!  If I have to go with conventional though, either the white tigers or boy lions.  Love the manes :-)
Okay.  That might have been pointless, but it's Friday...what do you want?

On deck tomorrow: THE BIG 20 MILER!!!!

The Oikos 5 miler

Hello, world!  I have taken the next step in my blogging career…well, maybe two!  I’ve FINALLY updated the “about me” section…so if you’ve randomly stumbled upon this blog and don’t know me, head on over and feel free to contact me…I love emails

Secondly, I updated to Windows Live Writer today.  If you haven’t tried this yet and you have a blog, it rocks my face off-it makes blogging so much easier in terms of layout and seeing the content during the process!  Thanks Tina for the suggestion!

Now, onto the main story of the day.  ‘Twas an exciting Thursday around these parts…I stayed home to work with my boss, who was in from Albany for the day.  We got A LOT of work accomplished on our website and had a nice chat about the future of our program.  He left about 4ish, and so I had a post lunch snack and got ready for my tempo 5 miler.  Really wasn’t feeling it at all today…for some reason I was super cold and considered bagging the run for a spin session.  I was halfway into my bike gear when I gave myself a little pep talk and reminded my lazy tush that I am running a MARATHON in 3 weeks and need to HTFU!  (Sometimes I do talk to myself.  And my cat.  I know you do, too…no judging, people).

With the pep talk in mind, I got in my running tights, grabbed my MP3 player, and off I went!

Now, here’s the exciting part.  Did you know that Gananda was sponsoring a race today??  I didn’t!  For all those uninformed, The “Oikos 5 miler” was in town today- 

and guess what?  I WON THE RACE!!

Now for those uninformed, the oikos race included eating greek yogurt for a late lunch (around 2:30) then going out to run 2 hours later.  The tempo part of the run is super easy.  Since it’s cold, you need to run like a motha to get your engines started for 10 minutes, then, about mile 3, when you are AS FAR AWAY as possible, realize that (duh Rae) you can’t eat dairy before a run and YOU KNOW THIS.  The last 2 miles of the race are super painful but speedy and you run for 3 minutes all out, stop, do (oops, almost wrote “doo”) the potty dance, and then keep running.  In this type of race, the actual runners (or, in this case, runner) provides the entertainment, not the spectators.

Yeesh.  NOT the way to nail a tempo, folks.

 

The “Oikos” Run

Distance:  5.1 miles

Time: 41:18

Pace: 8:05

At least I won a nifty prize….a trophy of tp and a porcelain goddess.  I’ll leave it at that.

Oh well.  Crap happens.  At least I can class up your evening with high quality entertainment, no?

Oikos run, you are not welcome back ‘round these parts next year.  Let’s keep you a one hit wonder.  Now, where’s the immodium?

The Coupon Game and how to play

Hello, folks and welcome back to our regularly scheduled programming at TFB!  I sincerely apologize to the masses of facebook and those who commented on my status and blog for the "mahna mahna" outbreak.
Blame Greg. 
That's what I do.
It always sometimes works.
In other news, though, I got a few emails from my last couponing grocery shopping post forever ago, so I thought I would do a follow up.  I had a pretty epic shop this week, check out my haul!

I do about 90% of my shopping at Tops, and usually pick up a few things that are much much cheaper at Walmart, like carrots, peanut butter, etc.  Once a month, I'll go to the co-op and get bulk grains like quinoa, bulgur, oat bran, etc.. but the vast majority of shopping is done at Tops (for groceries and household stuff).  I think they are less crazy than Wegmans, and I've found that their prices for healthier fare are quite a bit cheaper, especially when I use coupons.  This weeks haul above?  Before store specials and coupons =$111.38

After? $57.87

Wowza!  With that many groceries for that kind of dinero, you can't go wrong!  Especially if you take a closer look...we've got veggies, greek yogurt, protein, Almond Milk, craisins, flat out wraps.....YUM!

  So how do I play the game?

1.  Read your store Ad every weekend.  I sit down on Sunday afternoon (after the long run, baby) and read the store ads.  For Tops, I write down all of the good sales  on a sheet of notebook paper, and see what we need, what is a good price, and what I think I have a coupon for.

2.  Clip those coupons!  I get the coupons in the paper, and so does my mom and uncle.  We clip the ones we use, then pass them around, so if I use a brand of yogurt they don't (like super expensive greek!) I can get 3 coupons for it instead of one!  I also scan couponing sites regularly, like www.coupons.com, www.smartsource.com, and the "krazy coupon lady" page, which has a database with links to coupons for certain products.  Product websites like pillsbury, betty crocker and fiber one also usually have coupons for their products.  

3.  Keep your coupons in a binder organized by type of product, like "breakfast", "freezer", "protein", etc., so when you are comparing whats on sale in the stores with your coupon stash, it doesn't take forever.

4.  On average per week, it takes me about an hour to clip the new coups, put them in my binder, then compare my coupons with whats on sale.  Not a bad time investment, as I usually "watch" TV while I do it.

5.  Make a grocery list based off of the sales and what else you need in the house.  I am super type A and have a "Master Grocery List" in a word doc that is organized by store layout (which when you go to the same store every week, you get to know!) and I just delete what we don't need and add in the sales so I am good to go!

6.  Don't be afraid to "stack" coupons, or, use a store coupon with a manufacturer one.  Most stores accept this as long as the item isn't less than free, check with your store!

7.  I then head in to the store armed with my coups and ready to go!!  I organize the coups based on the layout of the store, prop my list up on my cart, and zoom through the store in less than 45 minutes!  

8.  be nice to your cashier, especially if you have coupons for "free" items.  I try to remember what they cost, so the cashier doesn't have t look it up.  They really appreciate this!

I usually save about $25-$30 in coupons alone per week-and yes, its on things I WILL actually use!  (that's another biggie-don't buy something just because you have a coup or if its a "really good sale" and you don't need it or won't use it-whats the point?).  That, along with the store sales, and I usually walk away paying about 50% of the total normal cost.

And as a non profit sector worker with a reaallly expensive habit of racing ironmans and eating like a champ to boot...every little bit helps :-)

Yup, thats what she said.

Mahna mahna

And sometimes, when life throws you a curveball, you just go with it. 

Thanks to my wonderful husband and co-workers, today's scheduled post is postponed until tomorrow. 
Today, we get to talk about...mahna mahna.  

Yup, that one.  Even though this video is over 40 years old, its still a goodie.  And after playing it about a dozen times during the day to get through the craziness of work, it is summarily decided that:

1.  No matter how many times you watch this, you will laugh.
2.  It WILL get stuck in your head (even if you try to mask it with "It's a Small World", "This is the song that never ends" or "They're coming to take me away" (Nice try, Ken).
3.  It' a damn good response to anything anyone throws at you in life.  For example:
  Boss man:  "Rae your report is late"
  Rae:  "Mahna manha"
  Co worker:  "You're eating oatmeal AGAIN for breakfast?"
  Rae:  "Mahna mahna!"
 (note:  If you work with clients, I would advise against this.  Same for if your boss is humorless.  Thankfully,  mine sings and swears with abandon, so it was cool.)
4.  Even if you and your spouse don't walk around singing this to each other all night like we did like crazy people, one of you will be whistling it.
5.  It's just annoying enough to mentally push you past the twelfth quarter mile repeat.  Fact.

The Workout:

Warm up: .5 mile EZ
12 x 400 @ 7:03 pace with 1' recovery
cool down
Total:  5.25 miles, 44:13 (8:25 pace)

I'd like to say that after a week recovery and rest....I'm BACK!!!!!

or....MAHNAH MAHNAH!!

But the real question is....what's a mahnah mahna? :-D