Friday, June 25, 2010

Lounging by a pool in Florida! Back Tuesday with new posts!

Friday, June 25, 2010 0

Monday, June 21, 2010

Impromptu Race!

Monday, June 21, 2010 0


Since Steve and I had a wedding to attend on Saturday night this week, I decided to get my long run in on Saturday morning. As it so happened, the Molson Timex 10k race took place on Saturday, and a day or 2 before, I decided to register for it.

I have literally never run an official race for a distance less than 16 km before, so I wasn't really sure how I would do, or what my time would be. I DREAD racing. I get really nervous and anxious thinking about it, so we decided this would also be good practice. It was a really nice day for a run, and I'm glad I didn't spend much time analyzing the race course, because there were a few more HILLS than I thought there would be!

All in all, I'm quite pleased with how I did for this first time.
I'm now prepared to run an 8 KM race in a couple of weeks.


The "official" results are here on the NLAA Web site, however, we were told that there was an accidental extra 200 m on the course, so my time should really be a little less than this!

57:05 - not bad for hills and wind. I think my goals for the Tely 10 are within reach!

My wonderful friend Selina took some great pictures at the race, including this one:



Thanks Selina! Let's see what the Mews 8 k brings....it's a faster course!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

What's playing on my iPod?

Thursday, June 17, 2010 0

It's time for an iPod update.
As I have probably posted before, I like to run to REALLY upbeat music....all the time.



Here's my new playlist:



1. Emergency - Paramore

2. California Girls - Katy Perry

3. Not myself tonight - Christina Aguilera

4. Best of you -Foo Fighters

5. OMG - Usher (my current fave upbeat song)

6. Winner - Jamie Foxx (this one has gotten me up over a few hills lately!)

7. Hell Yeah - Rev Theory

8. Big Girl Now - NKOTB & Lady Gaga

9. Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas

10. Out of my Head - Black Eyed Peas

11. Party all the Time - Black Eyed Peas

12. Rude Boy - Rihanna

13. Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce

14. Empire State of Mind - Jayz feat Alicia Keys - MY THEME SONG

(this weekend I heard a DJ mix this with Sinatra's New York, New York - I loved it)

15. Give it All You Got - lil Jon

16. Hello Time Bomb - Matthew Good Band

17. If we ever meet again - Timbaland feat. Katy Perry

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Motivation!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 0

Found here

Things I'm Excited About


In keeping with my summer plans, I've found a yoga class that I think is going to be a great fit with my needs.
1. Moksha Hot-Inspired Yoga


(for those of you not familiar, this is yoga in a heated environment!)
Read more about Moksha yoga and what I've signed up for here!
I hope to start in the first week of July. Thanks to my sis Julie for connecting me with this!

2. Cake Decorating!

I'm taking the Level 1 Wilton cake decorating class beginning on July 5!
Because really, I'm all about the sweets.
Maybe, once I complete a few levels, I'll be able to make a cake for one of our running parties that looks like this! Maybe?!


source


3. Summer Reading

This book and this book just arrived in my mailbox. Can't wait to read them both. All part of my quest for healthier eating! Thanks to Jill for the recommendations!




Monday, June 14, 2010

Salt Water Joy

Monday, June 14, 2010 0

Spent part of my day off drinking my coffee by the ocean. I love that I can do that.





and in other very important news!

If you are a runner or sports enthusiast in the St. John's area. PLEASE consider donating previously loved running and sporting gear THIS SATURDAY, JUNE 19 at the collection blitz.

Full details on the NL Running Web site

I'm making a collection of items now, hope you will too!



Thursday, June 10, 2010

Breakfast: Part One

Thursday, June 10, 2010 0

HOMEMADE GRANOLA = DELICIOUS!


Recipe:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup dried cranberries, blueberries


Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine oats, bran, wheat germ, almonds and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat the honey and oil in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Pour over dry mixture and toss until well combined. Spread evenly in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 40 - 50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Add cranberries and blueberries. Makes about 5 cups.

Here's the finished product for breakfast with yogurt and blackberries. mmmmm mmmmm!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Quiet Time

Tuesday, June 8, 2010 0


Trying new tea from the lovely Britannia Teas in downtown St. John's. This particular one is Organic Blueberry.

From the Web site:

"Wild Blueberry Organic Fair Trade"
A unique blend of black teas combined with Canadian wild blueberries. Steep 2 to 3 minutes only. Serve without milk but lightly sweetened to enhance the natural berry taste.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I got my run back

Sunday, June 6, 2010 0

Today I finally had a good run. Patience is not my best virtue, but it paid off. Let's hope I can continue to have good runs for the rest of this upcoming week!

Yesterday the SUN was shining. I was WONDERFUL. I planted a small indoor herb garden - hopefully later in the summer we will be able to have fresh herbs with some of our meals. We are also trying to move into a healthier eating plan (more to come on that in a later post).


I have been reading an entertaining book called "The Guinea Pig Diaries" by A.J Jacobs. Basically, Jacobs is an experiential journalist - conducting life experiments and then writing about them. It's an easy, amusing read, and I highly recommend it. Various chapters highlight his experiments, such as outsourcing his entire life, passing as a celebrity for a day, and practising "radical honesty" (where he tells everyone exactly what he thinks ALL the time).

but the chapter that really got me is the one called "The Unitasker". Jacobs trys to eliminate multi-tasking from his life, and just do one thing at a time. It's really all about trying to be present in the moment. It made me think about running.........when you run, it's just you, your feet, the pavement, and wherever you want to go.
Once you get into a rhythm it's very peaceful. Everyone needs a break from their crazy lives, and even though we come out of University bragging about our amazing ability to multi-task.....really? It sucks. Everyone should take a little more time to try to be present IN THE MOMENT.

I'll leave you with a few Spring-like pictures from my garden.


Spring Tulips

My outdoor herb garden - chives, lemon thyme and lavender



flowers on the deck

Friday, June 4, 2010

Friday

Friday, June 4, 2010 0

I haven't been sure what to write for the past few days. I try to keep my blog really positive, but the truth is, I have been struggling with my running, and have been feeling somewhat frustrated lately.

I realize that this is compeletely my own doing. I trained for, and ran the half marathon in February, and since then, my runs have been irregular at best. Where did that time go? No wonder I'm not feeling good about my runs when 4 months have gone by.

I have lot's of great "excuses" - school was really busy (yes it was), work was really busy (it always is), we went on our honeymoon etc.

So now I am trying to get back into regular training, despite my life. I am registered for the Tely 10, and want to have a good run.

I ran:
last Sunday (a very difficult run for me with lot's of hills)
Wednesday morning (tempo run - mornings are always hard, but I feel great for the rest of the day)
Thursday night - 4 hills - "ugh"

Let's hope it's going to feel easier again soon.

I have to end my post and start off my weekend with something positive, so here's a "Wordle" that I created with running inspiration!


Image created on http://www.wordle.net

 
Alison Runs NYC ◄Design by Pocket, BlogBulk Blogger Templates