next up...back in the hood

so today i ran a 5k with friends from our church. it was super fun and a great pace, its amazing how fast you can run when you have a little adrenaline and good company.  we ran 3.2miles in 28:20 which is fast for me its about a 8:50pace. i felt like a champ running under 9min miles. it also made me realize that i can put together a fun run with friends anytime! i got Einstein bagels to donate our bagels, brought a cooler jug filled with water, and kiana brought cups! it came together perfectly! ..except no pictures to document our stealthness!

also i ran with my friend kassie this week and we ran 6miles! i wasn't planning on running that far but the time flew by and i felt pretty good, so it got me thinking that instead of doing the provo 10k in 2wks, all do the half marathon!!! i'm mean really whats another 7miles after running 6!! so here is a little about the race and course. i'll be running in my old hood (i have run down those streets a million times, the only bummer is that my dad won't be running by my side)...and literally it is the hood of provo. (actually i think they stole the race course from our family!  so back to the hood here we come!  http://www.run13.com/races/provo-city/relay
 and for all you loyal fans...here is the info so come join...but i'm runnin bandit style. (ok i know that i'm really the only reader....seriously not even my own mom reads my blogs:)

Provo City Half Marathon & Relay

Date: May 7, 2011
Time: 8:00 AM
Location: Provo Tabernacle Park – Center St. & University Ave.

Start the running season off right by testing your grit at this year’s Provo City Half Marathon. This course has quickly become a favorite among runners as it showcases the best of Provo, it’s downtown city streets and scenic river trail. Live music, food, entertainment and kids games await you at the finish line, not to mention the awesome random prize giveaways. As the original downtown Provo race, we are ready to prove once again that Provo knows how to have a good time! The Half Marathon course is USATF certified and all participants will be chip timed and receive performance tech shirts. Half Marathon finishers will also receive finisher medals. 

this week

this week was a pretty good week for me!! besides the fact that my little twinners turned 1yrs old this week (you can read all about that here ) i am trying to get ready for a huge bike race i little red ridding hood! its a girl only bike ride and it should be super fun i'm excited to be headed back to utah and enjoy all the good summer triathlons, running races, and friends!! but also a little bummed to be moving from the sunshine state of arizona, i can't believe its been three years already!! i'm really going to miss the friends i made here in az, our running groups, our spin group, and so many of us all in the familiar boat of having our husbands in medical school...and all the blah that goes with med school hubbies.

so with the days counting i tried to make this week count with every workout and it went like this:

mon: spin 50min
tues: run 4miles
wed: spin 50min
thurs: run 3miles
fri: run 3miles
sat: biked 18miles with an ave pace of 18mph. it was a great ride & i feel stronger than i have in a long time. 
sun: off

i got a little bummed because my free 24hour fitness pass expired since i had to tell them i am moving and relocating to utah...they will only let you have a free pass if you are an active employee, i had to do the paperwork to transfer my employee id to utah...i won't become active until i teach again which could be who know how long:( especially since the nearest 24hr fitness gym is 45min drive....but i'm hoping to get hired at a different gym and start teaching and getting free stuff asap. so besides that, this week i really tried to work my butt off and get ready for some summer races.  what races are you doing???


this is a rough draft i what i'll be doing this summer: so excited for races....summer running is one thing not available in arizona!
may 7th: provo half marathon or 10k don't know if i'm ready for 13.1miles
June 4th: little red riding
June 11th: provo tri
July 4th: freedom 10k
July 7th: brown's reunion bear lake triathlon: i'm the race director for our family tri!!!

haven't really planned the rest of july/aug/sept/oct but i'm feeling the need to do another marathon!!! crazy i know!!! i'm hoping to get into st. george marathon anyone wanna sign up on my lotter ticket with me?? you can have up to 5 names entered let me know!!

gotta try these

i know the new fade of cutting out all possible white/simple sugars is tough especially for me as pasta is my go to meal.  but i found these 'garden delight' pasta and they are amazing and actually made from vegetables!!--not just died a different color.  i find that you have to cook them a little longer but they are perfect for any pasta dish: spaghetti, mac n' cheese, fettuccine, and a great addition to caeser salad.  give em a chance and let me know what you think. i think they are a great substitute and don't taste any different than the regular ole' simple noodle.

flexibility and balance

flexibility!!! oh me oh my!! who has time for stretching really....who has time.  well there really isn't anything better than a good nice stretch to all our muscles.  just like cardio, strength training, and proper nutrition stretching should be next on our list.  when we stretch we lengthen our muscles which allows them to become more flexible.  why is flexibility important??? because it allows our muscles to stay agile and to stay strong and firm, which in turn decreases injury. our muscles are like a rubber band they should be nice and elastic, but sometimes if we don't stretch and lengthen them they become stiff and can snap!!(especially if you are working out a lot, trying a new routine or sitting in a chair at the office all day, no matter what you do you gotta stretch)
so when you are debating whether or not you have time to stretch, just remember you really don't have time to be out 4-6wks with a pulled or strained muscle.  i try and do my stretching on the floor and let the babies crawl all over my legs.  its amazing how after stretching even though i didn't sweat one drop i some how feel more fit and healthy.  so on your lunch break, or after your run, or while you are stirring dinner do a stretch or two and enjoy the longevity of your beautiful muscles.  what are your favorite stretches??

monday meals, cluff rolls

way back in high school, at good ole' Provo High, there was a catering class offered -the class was taught by mrs. cluff and she had amazing recipes...amazing. one recipe she was famous for was her delicious rolls 'cluff rolls'. people in utah might also love 'magelby's rolls' a restaurant in utah county. believe me if you have tried their rolls you wouldn't forget them!
  anyways i came across this recipe on-line and fell in love!! so easy yet so good, and they tasted just like cluff rolls!! give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. i'm really not the type that makes homemade bread, but i will be making these quite often as there really is nothing as delicious as a nice and tasty hot roll!

• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick
• 3.5 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 
• 2/3 cup fat free milk

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Melt butter in a small frying pan, add half the garlic and saute on low heat about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add parsley.

In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix, cheddar cheese, and remaining garlic. Stir in milk and mix (do not over mix). Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls (1.5 oz each) onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Brush or drizzle biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 5 more minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.

its hard! but now i can crawl.

i have realized this past week that being healthy around the clock is really hard. and i think its ok that we admit to ourselves that it is hard. i have been looking at other blogs to see what i should be eating and to see how you all do it. and i was amazed at how so many fitties (thats what i call all you tight bummed peeps) only eat spinach shakes for breakfast, yogart for lunch and a salad for dinner. that doesn't seem very fun....it seems really hard to me. but i will give you all major major kudos for being so strong and not having a food addiction: there is no over eating, over indulgance, splurging, or sweet snacks on your lips. i seem to always find something naughty and pop it into my mouth and then onto my tummy it goes and increasing my muffin top. so as i have realized that i need to make a couple changes to my everyday diet i am stumped at how hard the changes are. but nothing good is ever easy.:) so as i have realized its hard, i like to read and hear things that motivate me to keep on track. I would love to hear some of your inspiring stories or things that you do to keep you on track. each month i would like to feature someones special story. if you know of an inspiring story and would be willing to share it with the world wide web please leave a comment with you email.

for now i will share one of my own stories that i think is inspiring.

my twin girls now 11 months old are crawling all over the place. it has been fun and interesting to see them learn how to crawl. first they learn to get up on all 4's, then they rock back and forth, back and forth. they do this for days and days, and then suddenly slowly they try and put one hand in front of the other to move. it took a couple weeks for them to finally make the hand and mind connection to actually begin crawling. crawling seems like such a simple thing, but as my girls where figuring out how to put everything together it reminded me of a day when they were just 8days old....a day when i couldn't crawl.

i had been on 5months (thats 19wks, or 133 days) of complete bed rest due to a very complicated high risk twin pregnancy.(and by complicated i mean you name it...it went wrong, preterm labor, placenta concerns, cord flow, protein, lung development, high blood pressure, extreme nausea/vomiting blah blah...so glad that is over)  i was only allowed to walk the 14steps from my bed to the bathroom(yes, its 14steps, i counted them day after day) and i had showering privileges every other day. i couldn't make any meals for myself, i couldn't refill my own water bottle, i couldn't go outside, i couldn't even get up and get the remote if it wasn't by my bed, i couldn't have it.  it was hard....the list goes on.

thankfully i had a super amazing husband that did everything for me that i couldn't do for myself, even shave my legs, and comb my hair.:)i also had awesome friends that cooked amazing meals, and told me i looked ok and was doing great.(even though they knew i was a mess:) i tell you all this because little did i know as i layed in bed all day everyday for 133days straight i lost all my muscles. i have read that after 2wks of no or little use your muscles atrophy, and that is exactly what happened to me, i had no muscles left, none.
 finally the day came when the babies were delivered safely and i had freedom to move again. i could finally be self-reliant and do whatever i wanted!! but i couldn't. i really felt like i had to teach myself to walk again. my body hurt everywhere, my toes were even sore. the first 3wks after having the babies i couldn't sit or stand without help. and though the babies only weighed 5pounds my arms ached after holding them because i really didn't have the strength to hold them, let alone my own heavy body weight.

when the babies were 8days old, my mom was in town to help. she had left to go to the store, so i was alone with the babies and i had decided i would put some of the babies laundry away. i had a hard time bending down so i thought i would just sit on the floor, especially because i was so tired from all the sleepless nights. (the first 5months i averaged 2-3hr of sleep total a day. thats what happens with twins and with a husband in med school) --as i made my way to the floor i realized very quickly that getting to the floor was harder than i thought, and that there would be no way i could get up off the floor without help. i put the laundry away, and then sat there on the floor scared to death because i didn't know how i was going to get up. i took a couple deep breaths and slowly got on all 4's. then i rocked back and forth, back and forth, just like my babies did as they were learning to crawl. finally i had enough momentum to move forward. i cannot tell you how hard it was to just be on all 4's, to have to hold my own body weight up was overwhelming, and i couldn't believe how much of a struggle it was. i then gradually with 2big breaks in between made my way to the crib across the room and slowly pulled myself up. i was sweating, and out of breath, and crying. crying because i couldn't even crawl. the body that i had 9months ago was gone. not because of being pregnant, but because i had layed in bed and not used my muscles, and they had gradually disappeared over time. that day i realized that recovering from 5months of bedrest was going to be harder than i had ever imagined. that my body was not even strong enough to do everyday activities: walking, sitting down, standing up, carrying a baby, lifting my arms up, tying my shoes, combing my hair. i really didn't have any muscles to even care for myself. i was devastated. gradually muscles came back. when my sister was in town to help me with the babies i walked 2blocks and thats all i could do, and the babies were a month old. we went to v isit my in-laws out of state who have a 2story house, and i remember being so worried about the stairs. i was 8wks postpartum and it would be the first time i had walked up stairs in 7 1/2months. knowing how hard other minor movements had been, my husband and i debated how i should go about going up the stairs for the first time, or was i even ready? i was able to go up the stairs, taking one step at a time, and desperately holding onto the railing, but i did it. it was extremely hard and i can't tell you the burn in my quads from simply going up stairs.

so as i have watched my babies learn to crawl, watching them steady their own body weight and move, it reminded me of when i was re-learning how to crawl, and how hard it was to steady my much heavier body weight. and as i remember how weak and unsteady i was only 9months ago, i am inspired because i have to remember where i came from. (we all need to remember where we have come from.) i have an overwhelming wave of emotions when i recall the first 4months of my bedrest recovery, it almost feels like post traumatic stress.

i am not as fit as i was before bedrest, i am not as thin, or as strong before my bedrest experience, but i can move. i can crawl with my babies, and i can walk more than 2blocks, i can go up and down stairs, and i can sit and stand without any help. i can comb my own hair, and cook my own meals.  so i inspire myself by giving myself some slack, because it really wasn't that long ago when i couldn't move without extreme focus and muscle soreness. and i realize i can't take my body for granted, even if it doesn't look like the body i want. that this body of mine is all i'll ever get and that i am grateful for a body that can do all the things i ask of it and as hard as it is to get and stay fit, i know i can do it, because i have done much harder things before....and i'm sure so have all of you.