PuPpY feVeR!!

I want one of these!!!

I'm not sure when...

or what breed we will choose...

But I know that when the time is right...

We will love our little puppy!!

ahCHOO

Aren't seasonal colds the worst?

It's really quite pathetic that a runny nose, sore throat, and congestion can have as much power as they do!

What are your favorite cold remedies? These are mine!!

Zicam/Cold-Eeze/Airborne- Whenever I feel a cold coming on, I usually start on one of these supplements right away. Since I was out of town, I missed out on my narrow window of starting when my symptoms began. But I have had really good success in the past with warding off colds. I prefer Airborne because it's the quickest way to get it over with :)

Sinus rinse- I have heard about people using Netti-Pots to flush out their sinuses but never thought about trying it myself. I decided to give it a go and bought one to use last night. If you've never used one and have any sort of nasal congestion or allergies, check it out! It was equal parts disgusting and fascinating. It's sad that I can't wait to use it again tonight!

Vitamin C- Since I'm not the biggest OJ fan, I like to boost my levels with Emergen-C and this vitamin C lozenges.

HEAT- A hot shower has never felt better. I'm also going to yoga tonight (in a 108 degree room)!

Claritin- This works like none other! I usually use it for allergies (since it's non-drowsy) but whenever I have a cold it helps dry me out.

Lysol- If you give me a bottle of Lysol I will go crazy. Those germs don't stand a chance...

Hot tea- I love Yogi Cold Season tea. Similar to a fortune cookie, each tea bag comes with a message of inspiration. Last night I was told to "Develop your Intuition" which I found quite intriguing given certain events unfolding in my life right now.

Soft tissues- Nothing is worse than a raw nose :(

REST- Sunday I stayed in my pajamas until 4:00, which I never do!! My body didn't want e to do anything, and to be honest, it was kind of exciting to take some time off. Even a miserable cold has a silver lining :)

C10 miler

This is what I ran by Saturday morning during the C'ville Ten Miler. I love this course so much because it amounts to a tour of C'ville on foot. The race starts at the basketball stadium and takes you past the dorms, around the football stadium, near my old apartment, all the way through grounds, down the corner, through the downtown mall, up and down the hilly historic neighborhoods, back through the mall returning to grounds, and finally to the stadium. The 10 miler is the oldest foot race in the area and seems to bring as many cheerleaders and supporters as runners. I ran with Cary and we talked the whole way, so needless to say, time flew by. Anna ran 7:30 miles and was at the finish line to cheer us in (go Anna!). What a perfect Charlottesville day :)

We returned to the DASH Saturday night just in time for our first couples game night. I can officially say that I am horrible at Taboo, but nevertheless I had so much fun! After waking up before 6 that morning I was quite exhausted and slept more than 10 hours. Hooray for Lazy Sundays, weekends with friends, and a little time spent in two of my favorite towns!

Tonight's Bites!

Jarrett cooked a delicious meal last night!! After a long day at work followed by a nice run, I didn't really feel like cooking and eating a late dinner. Fortunately, J had taken the initiative to start in on dinner, much to my delight! This meal is a must and relatively easy to make. Enjoy!!

Shrimp and Grits Casserole

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 c milk
3/4 c chicken broth
1 c uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c (2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter
1 (3-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 large egg whites
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1 link of reduced fat sausage, cut into bites (optional)

Hot pepper sauce (optional)

Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine milk and broth in a medium heavy saucepan; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits and salt to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan, butter, and cream cheese. Stir in parsley and next 5 ingredients (through sausage). Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until set. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired. I served with a side of peas and homemade honey wheat bread.

Racing: Behind the Scenes

This week I'm gearing up for one of my all time favorites races- The Charlottesville Ten Miler. I thought it would be fun to give you a behind the scenes look at my typical race preparation. While there are exceptions to this process (ie- deciding to run the Seaside half marathon this month just a day before the race), I strongly prefer to prepare both my mind and body. Just for fun I looked up my old race times for the C'ville ten miler and was perplexed by the results:

YEAR/TIME/PACE

2009 1:24:52 8:35

2007 1:38:34 9:55

2005 1:36:25 9:44

2004 1:49:27 10:57

2003 1:13:27 7:21

All of the numbers checked out with the exception of my 2003 results. I knew that I couldn't have run that fast and finally remembered that I was injured that year. I must have given my race chip to another runner who was clearly much father than I! Luckily, the injury didn't last long and I ended up running my first marathon that year!

Looking at my times, you'll notice that my pace is variable. I typically train at a ten minute mile pace but end up matching the pace of whoever I'm running with. It's much more enjoyable to run with a friend so I usually just follow their lead. I'm not a competitive runner and only set vague goals. There's no particular reasoning behind this, I just tend to enjoy settling into my runs and coasting, rather than going all out.

I usually try to get into the racing mindset at the beginning of the week (that would be today!). For marathons, I get pretty technical but for halfs and tens, I just try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here's a snapshot of how I'll prepare for this Saturday's race (working backwards):

• Saturday morning: Stretch, drink small sips of water, eat some sort of protein bar or toast with peanut butter and banana
• Friday evening: Pasta dinner (more so b/c it's fun and traditional rather than feeling the need to carb load), nice long stretch
• Friday: I always drink alot of water, avoid sodas, and eat pretty simple foods. One of my biggest challenges has been figuring out which foods to eat and which to avoid in order to keep my stomach happy. One foul move and months of training can be overshadowed by an upset stomach. For this reason, I keep it simple.
• Thursday: Drink plenty of water, work out (45 minutes on the elliptical, nice long stretch)
• Wednesday: Drink plenty of water, work out (Run 5-6 miles)
• Tuesday: Drink plenty of water, rest
• Monday: Drink plenty of water, work out (Run 8 miles. I don't usually do much of a taper for halfs and tens but recommend it if your race distance is your peak mileage)

That's my plan in a nutshell. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just being a little more conscious overall. I can't wait to be in Charlottesville, my old stomping grounds. Running around grounds to the corner, taking the stretch to downtown, passing through the cute neighborhoods, and bringing it home steady and strong. One more work week between me and the 'ville!!!

Adventures on the Egg

Hello spring, hello beautiful 70 degree weather!! Last weekend's warm up kicked off the start of an inevitably great grilling season. As much as I love to cook, opportunities to grill have been few and far between. Now that I have a home and a grill, I am psyched to be able to cook outside. After a couple of lessons and a shopping trip for supplies, the Big Green Egg was all set for action.

I decided to start out with the basics- grilled chicken and vegetables. I used a dry rub for the chicken (Williams-Sonoma chili-lime rub on one breast and potlatch seasoning on the other). Both were delicious and the dry rub method could not have been easier. I added some hickory wood chips soaked in wine which added a nice smokey flavor to the meat.

Grilled vegetables are one of my favorite foods ever. I marinated the veggies in 1 packet of Good Season's Italian dressing mixed with 1 cup of wine and 2 Tbsp of EVOO and strung them on flexible skewers. For a sweet side kick, I skewered chunks of pineapple coated with brown sugar.

All in all, my first time grilling on the Egg was a success. There are certainly things to tweak and lots to learn, which only adds fuel to my fire ;).

Letting go

Psalm 121 is my go to Bible verse in the midst of anxiety and stressful moments.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

My pastor in Williamsburg introduced me to this passage in April of 2008. In the midst of difficult times, I cling to these words to find both peace and reassurance that everything is ok. God's got it :) Psalm 121 is the basis for a couple of Christian songs (including "I Will Praise You in this Storm"- my favorite!) that I've been known to blare on the radio. While Psalm 121 happens to be my personal favorite, the Bible is full of comforting words- Psalm 23:4 I will fear no evil, Isaiah 41:13 I will help you, Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous, Psalm 27:1 Of Whom shall I be afraid?, Hebrews 13:6 We Say With Confidence.

With the arrival of Lent, I always look forward to giving something up or taking something on in an effort to draw nearer to the Lord. This year I will be making a conscious effort to give up anxiety, casting aside worries and uncomfortable feelings of the unknown. For someone with type-A tendencies, I usually feel anxious when I don't have control over things. But as I've grown and matured, I have quickly come to realize that with life comes a plethora of unknowns. So over the next 40 days, I look forward to embracing this challenge of letting go, giving up control over my anxiety. Just the thought is comfort alone....

Destin(ed)

Happy thirtieth birthday to my amazing husband! We celebrated the weekend in the beautiful Destin, Florida. My aunt Mary Jane and Uncle Jimmy hosted us for the weekend and we truly enjoyed spending time together. Their new home is absolutely incredibly and I was quite impressed by MJ’s talent in designing the home. Even Mac, their beloved boxer, was hospitable with licks a plenty. As soon as we settled in we made a break for the beach, ready to plunge our toes into the soft white sand. It was very liberating to wade through the water as the sun began to set. We kicked off our first night at the Red Bar for a drink and live music before heading out to dinner at Shorty’s. There’s nothing quite as tasty as fresh seafood, in my case some pretty delicious crab cakes. After dinner, we headed back home where we cozied up on the back porch, the sound of the ocean lulling us to sleep.

The next day was Jarrett’s birthday!! After sleeping in and lounging around the house, we stole off to Seaside, the cute touristy part of Destin. Seaside reminds me of the perfect little community, with kids riding bikes and genuinely happy adults prancing about. After lunch, the boys played golf while the girls rode bikes. I’ve joked before that trips to Destin are akin to a health/fitness retreat. The Parrishes are an energetic bunch (Bo is a sponsored athlete and has completed half a dozen iron man competitions!) and their endorphins are contagious. After a long bike ride and decent length run, Ann Wade finally arrived! It was so good to catch up with my cousin and dear friend. Even though we haven’t seen each other since the wedding, I never feel like I’ve missed a beat when we get the chance to catch up. We went out for another delicious dinner and enjoyed an evening of laughter, birthday celebrations, and MJ’s divine fudge brownies!!

Saturday morning after a long walk on the beach, we loaded up the car and headed down to the Seaside Half Marathon runner’s expo to help MJ with her vendor display. Over the past year my aunt has started her own business designing the Skite. It’s really a brilliant idea, and so many of the runner’s flocked to her stand to purchase this latest trend. The skite is a combination skirt and tight which is perfect for running, tennis, yoga, errands, lounging, and basically doing anything (because they are so ridiculously comfortable). Ann Wade and I modeled while Jarrett helped man the display, all the while catching up and enjoying the day. Just as I was feeling regretful that I hadn’t signed up for the race (scared off by the hefty entry fee), one of MJ’s friend’s gave me an extra BIB from a runner who was injured. Of course I was ecstatic and ran to the market to buy a bottle of water. After the expo, still on a high from the day’s success we were ready to lounge. We had the most amazing steamed shrimp and watched basketball and a movie with the soothing sound of rain as background comfort. As I fell asleep, I was apprehensive of the next morning’s weather. The thunder, lighting, and pounding rain seemed ominous and I surely did not want to run in cold chilly weather.

I awoke this morning at 5:00 to the unwanted fall of a steady rain. I decided to give it one more hour and much to my excitement when I woke up at 6:15 the sky was clear! Jimmy dropped me off at the start line and after a couple of quick stretches, the gun sounded and we were off!! The run had everything going for it with a course along the coast, plenty of hydration stations, more cheerleaders than can imagine, and a complete absence of hills. My body was trained for the race so it went very smoothly. My only complaint was rubbing a blister in a pair of test shoes I’m running in. I obviously didn’t come prepared to race, but all things considered I finished up with a time of 1:55:25. Along with a medal, all runners were given a Vera Bradley tote from the spring 2011 line. What a fancy schmancy “race bag”!! I grabbed a banana and water and trekked three miles home with tired piggies and plenty of goose bumps. Once the roads opened up, we headed back to Seaside for a celebration and farewell meal at the tasty taco stand. I wished and wished that we could have stayed another week. We had an amazing time spent with family, each other, and God’ beautiful ocean.

I've been bit...

... by the marathon bug!! For the past month or so, I've clocked in several 13.1 mile runs. I haven't been specifically training for anything, but have truly enjoyed my long runs. Last night after finishing up a 14 mile run, I started to think that I ought to consider running another marathon. The last two were so memorable, especially running Richmond with Andrea. Like it or not, this pang to train for another marathon quickly resulted in a decision to run the 2011 Richmond marathon. Andrea and I will lace up our sneakers this November for another 26.2 mile endeavor. I'm more excited than I can stand and can't for the season of training ahead. Woo-hoo!!