Bloomsday Trade Show

Hi there! Are you guys sick of seeing Will and Kate yet?

Well, we were. 

So after hours upon hours of TV coverage and going through it on our DVR, we managed to head downtown to the Bloomsday Trade Show to pick up our packets and to check out the booths. One of the negatives of this race is that they don't give you very good *swag*.  

Actually, practically NO freebies or samples.

They do have a lot of vendors though, some of which I don't think should be there at all. 

C'mon...there's a booth selling bed sheets and a booth selling "scum" remover. It's beginning to look like the County Fair.

I did manage to find the SpiBelt booth and bought myself a waterproof belt for $24.

And a pair of Wright socks ~ anti-friction for $8. It says blister free- guaranteed, I'll be the judge of that.

Then happy hour at Clinkerdagger's where apparently we wanted to gorge ourselves with everything fried...Yikes!

Buffalo wings

 Sweet potato fries

 Calamari

..then we washed it down with these...

Pomegranate margarita for hubby, Cranberry Mojito for me .

Now if you'll excuse me, I can feel my arteries hardening...I may need a roto-rooter.

My Prince

It is not a fairytale.


I believe in "happily ever after" with you.

Royalty on TV

I heard there's something BIG goin' on tomorrow involving this girl...

So if you're staying up tonight to watch all the hullabaloo, you might want to order pizza...

 ...or make sure you have lots of caffeine.

As for me, I'm more excited (sad, really) about saying goodbye to the World's Best Boss.

He's the King! (that's what she said....)

6 today!

Didn't get a good night's sleep last night. I woke up with a wrench pain in my left neck, probably from a contorted position last night, trying to give enough space to his majesty, the Smalls.

So I got up around 6:30 and "made" breakfast, knowing I was going to run early today. Breakfast before a long run: whole wheat English muffin with almond butter, a banana and light soy latte. It's my go-to.....hey if works, don't fix it.

I ninja-kicked 6 miles (60 minutes) today! Booyah!!!----

What?.....Brown matches black, right?

I know that may not be much to those of you who are doing 50 mile a week'ers...but it's my first 6 mile this year without feeling like crap or *hurting* in the end (ok....except for my pinkie toes that have blisters right now---asking help from hubby). 

Legs knead'ed some lovin' afterwards.

And a protein smoothie for my belly -- in the mix: plain non-fat yogurt, strawberries, frozen banana, splash of OJ, almond milk, flaxseed, Sun Warrior protein power and ice.

One for me and one for Smallsie.

 Any more, Mommy?

Last night's dinner was *epic* (ha-has...been waiting to use that word).

Baked Ziti (from the Biggest Loser cookbook)

(except I didn't have Ziti...I used whatever the heck pasta I had in the pantry that looked like a barrel) 

Can you say carbo-load?

Hubby brought home some kind of carrot/?maybe zucchini bar for dessert.

Ok, shower time then I'm watching a double header against Butler. 

20 Years Younger Challenge

Hellooo! How's your hump day?

Today is technically my "rest" day from training. I managed to get in 3.5 miles on the tready yesterday before my Body Attack class. I was feeling it afterwards and by Track #6, I was doubtful that I would make the whole hour. It was a good thing I had a Larabar in between workouts...'cuz I was definitely running out of steam.

Hubby made dinner last night...

Pineapple Teriyaki Pork Chops...it was yummy!

So this morning, I decided to head to TJ Maxx. A lot of times, I just like to *window shop* and look around (I ended up getting some much needed bras).

Then headed home for lunch and 25 minutes of yoga. I used a home DVD that I had...I was still tired from last night's workout. I know not to push and overtrain especially with Bloomsday coming up in 4 days.

I think I'm going to do my long run tomorrow (most likely 6 miles) so I can taper before Sunday's run.

I was watching Oprah today and her topic is 20 Years Younger Challenge

Here are the 4 pillars:

• Exercise - at least 300 minutes a week (that's 5 hours a week)  CHECK
• Nutrition - 1700 calories a day (more if you're more active) CHECK (I try to stick with 1900)
• Skin Care - see a Dermatologist - Working on it
• Sleep - at least 9 hours a night and Bob recommends Tempur-Pedic--he says "It'll change your life". - Working on it

Do you have these pillars in your life already? Do you worry about looking and feeling young?

Too much time?

Apparently I have too much time on my hands...

....I was stalking reading SkinnyRunner and going through some of the archived posts and came across this one. She had a link to a site where you upload a picture of yourself and a partner and then it *morphs* it into what your baby would look like. Naturally, I was curious....

Bad idea....

....okay...now that's scary. Looks like baby was born with a mustache built in and what's up with the buck teeth (full set already?).

Sorry fugly baby. No way!!!

Holy Week

Hi friends!

Hope you had a great Easter weekend!

We don't really celebrate Easter in our household....maybe because I grew up in a culture not celebrating it either. Well at least, not with Easter brunches or a huge feast.

Basically, Holy Week in the Philippines is exactly that---HOLY WEEK. We don't have school during that time (it's usually our "summer vacation" -- from late March to early June). So the days leading up to Good Friday is spent reflecting, praying and going to church. Starting around Holy Wednesday, businesses shut down or close early. There is No TV, No radio, No anything on Good Friday and Black Saturday (or programming is religious in nature) ...so Easter Sunday is celebrated by going to church. Kids are happy to get regular TV back again (that included me---lame, I know).

The Philippines is also famous for the re-enactments of the passion of Christ by devotees including being nailed to a cross as part of their penitence for their sins.

... now you know a little bit more about Filipino culture.

So yesterday, hubby and I woke up to a glorious 50+ degree morning. We decided to go for our long run. I did 5 miles in 48:25. My best in a while.
Here's the breakdown:

Mile 1 - 10:00
Mile 2 - 9:28
Mile 3 - 9:44
Mile 4 - 9:43
Mile 5 - 9:46

Made a great protein smoothie afterwards.

And munched on Kettlecorn and Peanut Butter M&M's all afternoon.

After the *sugar coma*...I managed to make dinner ....

Chicken Salad on Flaxseed Bread

Ingredients

• 1 lb. trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breast - sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. (baked in 350F oven for 30 minutes) - Allow to cool then cut into bite sized cubes.
• 2 tsp. EVOO
• Salt
• Ground pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp fat free plain yogurt
• 3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup seedless grapes, each cut in half
• 1/3 cup chopped red apple

Whisk together the olive oil, yogurt and mustard. Add the chicken, grapes and apple. Gently toss well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on bread of your choice.

Practicing a new STEP routine today...
And apparently more of this coming this week. Ugh!!!

Peep Show

Happy Easter !

Move of the Month (April 2011) with Playlist

Lunge and Reach

A. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Stride forward to the side with one foot, land lightly and sink your back knee toward the ground. At the same time, bend forward and reach with both arms (option: Use weights or a medicine ball ~ I am using a 10 lb. dumbbell). Keep your back straight by bending at the hips and looking forward. 

 B. Push off with your front leg. Stand up and bring the weights up as you twist to the opposite side.
Do 2-3 sets with 10-15 reps each leg

Muscles involved: Build Quads, Gluteus, Balance and Core Strength

Playlist of the month (POM)

Punxsutawney Phil lied!

Mother Nature is so cruel!

You can't tell but that's rain and snow mixed which is the forecast for the rest off the day...

...this week will mark the coldest spring on record in Spokaloo. We are NOT even close to hitting 60 degrees any time soon (well---they say Saturday but who knows?!)

That's why most of my *running* has been done indoors. The one day I did manage to run outside----I got sick...WTF?

Bloomsday is in 10 days! 

Dinner last night was Nachos topped with chicken

Ingredients:

• Tortilla chips
• Grilled chicken (in my case, I baked chicken breasts seasoned with no-salt herb seasoning in the oven for 350F 20 minutes each side)
• Organic black beans
• Tomatoes (chopped)
• Jalapeno pepper thinly sliced
• Salsa con queso (I used Newman's own)

For dessert, hubby brought home a cupcake (how sweet!).

This little guy was upset that he didn't get any.

And, of course, I'm upset at this guy for lying....

Softball news

Good morning! How's everybody today?

...DD's team is traveling this week for games against Valparaiso and Loyola, they've got a busy week ahead of them. So happy to see her featured on the web page today. Games will be on Game Tracker!

To read more...click HERE <-------

Go Raiders!