Pecan Pie Laraballs

Larabars are expensive. They’re like almost $2/each. That’s ok sometimes in a pinch, but sometimes it just seems stupid. Not to mention that Costco was out of my normal bulk box yesterday when I went. So I decided that I’d try my hand at making up my own Larabar recipe.

But I know from experience that I don’t make bars very well, they come out all oddly shaped and uneven. I’m much better with balls. Yes, that’s what she said.

Pecan Pie Laraballs

1 1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Put all nuts in food processor until finely ground.
2. Add dates, vanilla extract and coconut oil to nut mixture and continue to process until thoroughly combined.
3. Use a tablespoon to shape mixture in 12 balls. (The coconut oil will get your hands greasy).
4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to harden the coconut oil.

148 calories, 20g carbs, 7g fat and 2g protein.

I wanted to try making Coconut Chocolate flavor balls, but I threw away all my cocoa powder when I couldn’t stop mixing it with straight coconut oil and eating it with a spoon. The new peanut butter spoon.

Lemon flavor with zest and extract might be good too. Hmmm.

Ok, Fine. Just One More.

Well, less than 2 weeks ago I was quoted saying “this shit is bullshit” in regards to running marathons. Ten days after I said that I’m already registered for another 26.2 …

The Chicago freakin’ Marathon!

The registration opened on Tuesday at noon, and Active.com’s servers were immediately flooded with thousands of people all trying to register at once. With some persistence and a lot of cursing, I was able to get myself, the hubby and Drew registered.

Shortly after I finished the registration process, the entire operation was shut down until they are able to fix the problem which they are now saying will be February 28th at the earliest. I’m feeling very fortunate to have gotten in when I did!

Last night I had a dream that I found out I was pregnant. At breakfast this morning I told the hubby he better keep his men away from me for atleast 8 more months! I’m not missing this one!

See you in Chi-town!

Mercedes Half Marathon 2013

I was very hesitant to register for a half marathon the weekend immediately following my full marathon, but I’m so glad that I did. Mercedes has always been my favorite race and I really didn’t want to miss running it for the 4th year in a row.

I’ve been babying my right foot since Mississippi River Marathon. The top of my foot is what has been hurting oddly enough. I looked back through my DailyMile posts from my previous marathons though and realized that I complained of exactly the same thing before. Realizing that I have had this similar pain before that worked itself out over time actually made me feel better and gave me confidence going in to this race. Still I intentionally ran very few miles this past week leading up to the race to rest my body and my foot as much as possible.

I ended having the best time! Saturday night I went out to dinner at Surin West, per my pre-Mercedes protocol with my hubby, Drew and Kate, and our new friends Lauren and Tim. After dinner I had a drink with my high school friend Crystal, who I’ve reconnected with through running after over a decade!

Race morning was coooooold! But still not as cold as the 17 degrees or so at last years race.

I’m noticing that the more races I do, the less pictures I take. I really didn’t get any good pre-race group photos this year. The only thing I have for you is this gem of me and Duane. I don’t even quite remember what was going on here … it was early, and cold.

My friend, Drew, and I ran this one together. We started off at an easy comfortable pace for the first couple of miles (8:44 and 8:03). I was feeling really great though and wanted to push the pace a little. By the third mile we had dropped well below an 8 min pace and managed to stay there for the rest of the race.

The whole thing was kind of a blur, a really really fun blur. And then it was over.

My official time was 1:40:55. I kind of wish I had pushed those first two miles harder, because I feel certain I would have beat my PR if my first 2 miles had matched the rest of them. But truly .. who cares? I had a BLAST!

After the race we headed into the Boutwell Auditorium and chowed down on some Jim n Nick’s sandwiches … and beer.

As we were eating the Jim n Nick’s table directly behind where we were sitting caught on fire. Under the burners were burlap runners, which flamed up good. It looked like the whole auditorium was about to go up in smoke. I looked around and saw thousands of people and realized if there was a stampede I would be at the back of the pack. So, I stood up and started to lead that stampede when thankfully they got the fire out. Whew!

I headed back out to the finish line area to watch as several of my friends who were doing the full marathon finished their races and then 13 of us headed to Flip Burger Boutique for lunch.

I got the Smaller, a sampler of 3 miniature burgers, sautéed brussel sprouts with ginger and bacon and fried B&B pickles. It was way too much food! I had to pass it to the hubby to finish off, but oh my god … I will forever cook my brussels with ginger and bacon now.

We stopped by The Cheesecake Factory after lunch and picked up this piece of diabeetus to go …

Clearly I was on my best behavior eating-wise the whole weekend.

Besides the sugar coma that ensued on the way home, it was a ridiculously amazing weekend. We had tons of fun, there were several PRs set and goals achieved and it was magical to be a part of and watch as so many people accomplished their goals. (Hubby PR-ed by 7 minutes!)

The icing on the [cheese]cake was adding my 4th Mercedes Medal to my “Wall of Awesome”!

I cannot wait until next year!

Mississippi River Marathon

This race started in Lake Village, Arkansas and ended in Greenville, Mississippi. The first several miles were absolutely beautiful running along Lake Chicot.

Drew and I spent some time talking to an older gentleman who was in the 100+ Marathon club. He was finishing up his 4th cycle through the 50 states with this race. I wish we could have coaxed him into telling us some good stories, but he wasn’t a very longwinded man.

After we turned onto Hwy 82 at about the 6 mile mark the wind got very heavy, but we were entertained by a crop-duster flying up high and then diving down towards the ground. It was impressive and kind of scary to watch.

Miles 8-12 the wind was absolutely kicking my ass, it was coming at us head-on and significantly slowing me down. Finally Drew thought to have me tuck in behind him and draft, which I did for the next several miles. I was running so close to him that I had to stare at his feet to make sure I didn’t trip him. He takes long slower strides and I take short faster strides. It definitely gave me something to focus on for a while.

At about mile 12 we approached the bridge …

The incline of the bridge certainly seemed a lot longer than the descent on the other side, but it was majestic none the less, as was the Mississippi River below it. We got a little laugh as we almost tripped over a dead fish on the bridge. I’m still not sure how that could have gotten there, it was definitely one of the more interesting road kill specimens I’ve come across while running.

At mile 16 I spotted Tim and Lincoln just as we were passing them. I wasn’t actually expecting to see them until the finish line (and I was still busy staring at Drew’s feet) so it was a great surprise. Lincoln made a sign that said, “Run Fast Mommy”.

Miles 18-20 were kind of miserable. My glutes and quads felt like bricks.

At Mile 20 I thought, “Ok, now lets run 2 miles … 3 times”. That’s about all I could focus on was 2 miles at a time. I actually started feeling significantly better at 22 miles when Drew started feeling worse. Still the last few miles were nothing but mind over matter for the both of us, and yet somehow we managed to run a 8:29 pace on our 26th mile.

And then just like that it was over.

My official time was 3:52:28, a new PR by almost 5 minutes!

I was overall really impressed with the race organization. There were buses available to transport all the participants from the finish line in Mississippi to the starting line in Arkansas, where they had bonfires waiting on us to keep us warm before the race. There were water stops at almost every single mile marker as well as portalets. Although the course was open to traffic there was ample police officers to cover all of the intersections. The finish line festivities didn’t seem to be anything special, but honestly I didn’t feel like spending much time there anyway.

So glad to have my 3rd marathon in the books! I think it will be a while before I do a 4th. I think I’ve decided that the Half Marathon is my happy place. In regards to marathoning, I’ll quote Sweet Brown:

“Ain’t nobody got time for that”.

Healthy Living Survey

I came across this Healthy Living Survey on Nutrition Nut on the Run this afternoon and thought it was kind of cute … and ummm … it’s been a while since I’ve blogged so, here. Enjoy.

1. What did you have for breakfast this morning?

Turkey tenderloin, brussel sprout, sweet potato, bacon and shallot hash thingy. It tastes way better than it looks.

2. How much water do you drink a day?

Who knows!? Water is pretty much the only thing I drink (you know, besides wine) so, its a decent amount. I used to have a 64 oz bottle that I’d fill every morning and keep in the fridge. I would make it my mission to empty it completely by the end of the day. I should start doing that again.

3. What is your current favorite workout?

CrossFit and long, long runs are where it’s at!

4. How many calories do you eat a day?

Around 1800-2200, but I try to only net about 1500. I wish I didn’t know this, but unfortunately with my history of being a former fat girl it’s something that is engrained in me to count calories. I wouldn’t suggest it, just eat healthy.

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Hard boiled eggs with salt or Paleo Kits, and the occasional Larabar.

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?

I eat lots and lots of tuna salads in the car pool line.

Other than that I really like Zoe’s Kitchen and Moe’s for healthy Paleo/Primal lunches. Today’s lunch was Zoe’s Shrimp Kabobs, with roasted veggies instead of rice and a side of fruit.

7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?

Legs! There’s something about that sore “can barely walk or get on/off of the toilet” feeling that I LOVE!

8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?

The heck you say. I love it all.

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?

Don’t get me wrong, I eat plenty of “bad” foods but it’s hardly ever because of a specific craving. With that being said, I’m a sucker for Mexican, complete with margaritas.

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

I take a daily vitamin and Glucosamine/Chondroitin ever since I was diagnosed with arthritis in my knees a couple years ago. It helps.

11. How often do you eat out?

Once or twice a week.

12. Do you eat fast food?

Hell to the naw. Never.

13. Who is your biggest supporter?

Absolutely my husband, he knows how important exercise and healthy living are to me and he does every single thing within his power to make sure that I have the means and time to GET IT DONE!

I have many, many friends who have shown me great support as well and are always in my corner.

14. Do you have a gym membership?

I have a membership to the YMCA, my CrossFit gym and a yoga studio.

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

7-8 ish usually.

16. Do you have a “cheat” day?

My goal is to have one cheat meal a week, but lately I’ve been slacking. I can eat healthy all day long, but wine is my weakness.

17. Do you drink alcohol?

Wine is my weakness, like I said … but I’ve rarely met an alcohol I didn’t like. Work hard, play hard is kind of my motto.

18. Do you have a workout buddy?

I have lots of them. I love surrounding myself with people who are passionate about fitness. I enjoying watching people meet their goals and appreciate having others around when I accomplish mine. 🙂

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?

The absolute best thing is the friendships that I’ve made in the process. A close second is learning to enjoy life instead of watching it pass me by and feeling like I’m actually good at something. I can remember for such a large part of my life feeling like there wasn’t really anything I excelled at, so that has been a nice change.

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Tonight at CrossFit I spent a good 15 minutes foam rolling my quads and IT band. That’s probably the thing I need most right now above anything else.

Have a great rest of the week!