Virtual race #anywhere5k.

Race 4 in my quest for #13in2013!!!

March Stats

Well, another month has come and gone and it's time for another check in. Here are the numbers - I'm pleased to say that my body fat percentage is FINALLY on its way down! 

These are my total losses since Jan 1, so it's not looking too shabby.   I am ok with the gain in my arm because I'm getting some pretty great definition in my arms! 

I am starting a new job on April 1 (squee!! sooo excited!) and had to go out shopping for some work appropriate clothing (because my recent Mommy uniform of jeans and tshirts won't quite cut it). I was thrilled to find that I could fit into this size small shirt and size 8 dress pants!

I still feel like I have some left to lose, but I am close to my goal weight (my sweet spot seems to be around 152/153) and I remember back when I started, I stated that I would love to get to a 10 and an 8 would be a PIPE dream, but here I am!

Now I'm just working on fine tuning my workout routines around my new work schedule, training for my upcoming races (2 more in the quest for #13in2013!) and still trying to provide my family with the most healthy food I can make for them!

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St Patrick's Day Virtual 10K, done!

So this weekend is the #13in2013 sponsored St. Patrick's Day virtual race. 

I did NOT want to run this morning. I have lost my workout mojo and haven't been able to find it. My knee has been tricky lately - I think my kneecap hates plyometrics. Learning I need to avoid it for awhile, but thankfully running doesn't hurt too terribly much. 

I wore a knee brace. I was ready for this, after all, I did 10 miles last week. 6.2 should be easy peesy, right? 

Except it's 45 degrees outside. And I'm a weenie. Mile 1 I was sure my lungs would explode. Mile 1.5 I was sure my hands were gone. Mile 2 I couldn't feel my legs anymore (so it wasn't so bad) and by mile 2.5, I had worked up a SWEAT! 

I had Runkeeper telling me my pace every mile. I was shocked when it kept telling me 9:36, 9:42 etc per mile. My 5K time was just shy of my last 5K PR - 29:12. 

Miles 3.5-4.75 dragged. But when I hit my interval change at 4.75 miles, I knew that the next interval change would indicate I had less than a half a mile left to run. I hit that 5.75 mile mark and SPRINTED. 

And made it - in 59:59, almost 10 minutes faster than my Halloween 10K time from October!!! 

So much for not wanting to go for run today! 

Next weekend, I have an Anywhere5K and the weekend after that is my third half marathon! A few weeks after that, I have the Chance to Hope Run in Color Hope in Motion 5K. I am so excited for that one!   My 4.5 year old daughter will be running her own races the same days as my half and the Hope in Motion 5K. 

Meal Plans & Long Runs

We've had a yummy two weeks! However tomorrow is meal planning day and I am unprepared. Hoping to find some delicious new ideas to incorporate all the goodies we get at our produce co-op on Tuesday!

Monday (2/25):  Steak, cheesy spaghetti squash & roasted red potatoes "And SALAD, Mom!" (as my 4.5 year old reminds me if I forget to mention salad in our nightly meal plans. She's learning fast!) 

Tuesday (2/26): Chili mac (we never wound up having it the week previous because of weather!), roasted portobello mushroom caps & salad. 

Wednesday (2/27): Stir fry. Portobello mushrooms, sugar snap peas, peppers, broccoli, carrots, onions, served over rice. 

Thursday (2/28): Pulled Pork Verde Poblano (Tosca Reno's cookbook) (no pictures because we've had this before :)

Friday (3/1): Our new favorite pizza!! Turkey pepperoni, green pepper & homemade sauce.

Saturday (3/2): Superfood Fusilli. My daughter is pretty predictable. If you ask her what she wants for dinner she will say 1) Pasta and red sauce or 2) Pizza.  So I found this "pasta and red sauce" recipe. Packed full of veggies! She didn't notice them and loved her pasta with red sauce. :-) Served with green beans and a salad. 

Monday (3/4): Now these weren't dinner but they are worth a mention (or three).  My dear husband loves cinnamon rolls and has been without now for three months. So a friend found this recipe on Gracious Pantry and I got to work making them! 

I did change some of the recipe - I didn't use any of her filling. Instead, I used coconut sugar, cinnamon and butter. I wound up using about a cup of coconut sugar, a few Tbsp of cinnamon and probably 3Tbsp of butter. 

The only picture I got of them baked.
Before I could eat them.
Yes, I had two. They are that good.

Dinner this night was scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, grapefruit and hash browns. Cinnamon rolls for dessert just seemed to make sense :-)

Tuesday (3/5): Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffin recipe (although I just made it a meatloaf shape). Also mashed potatoes (with Greek yogurt), corn and fresh green beans. And "salad, Mom!" 

Wednesday (3/6): Burgers on Ezekiel Sesame buns, roasted asparagus, sweet potato fries & salad. 

Thursday (3/7): Scrambled eggs (I might be a WEE bit obsessed with them right now!), bacon, toast & clean buttermilk pancakes. 

Friday (3/8): Pizza, of course! 

Saturday (3/9): I went on a long run today (more on that later) and my 4.5 year old and hubby took charge of dinner. They made DELICIOUS buffalo chicken wraps, green beans & salad. What a great surprise for me that they took care of everything! I'm one lucky girl!

Sunday (3/10): Hubby will be smoking a turkey breast, so we will most likely have smoked turkey, mashed potatoes & maple/bacon brussels sprouts for dinner. 

Today I finally was able to go on a long run. It was looking grim as of last night. Around 2am, my littlest started throwing up. He and I were awake from 2am-5am, changing sheets, taking baths and cleaning up. Thanks to my awesome hubby, who got up with the kids, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. I woke up thinking I was ready for my run. The weather forecast had been PERFECT for today. However, they were wrong and it was POURING rain!  So I wrote off my run and settled in for a snuggling day. I had a few errands to run (booking a location for a VIP bridal shower (JEN'S!) and some Easter shopping) but once I came home, I settled onto the couch with my little guy. 

He turned a corner and was feverish, but not throwing up anymore, plus the rain stopped and the temperature went up to 65 degrees! So off I went!

I wound up running 10 miles, a straight out-and-back. It was a decent run, considering I haven't run in a few weeks and haven't run a LONG run in almost a month. Looking back, I ran my half marathon in October with a 10:43 pace and today I ran at a 10:24 pace, so I'm whittling away at my time. Slowly! I definitely need to get OUTSIDE more for my runs. It is so dramatically different for me to run on a treadmill vs outside. Hoping the weather is on the upswing so I can start running while my daughter is in school, taking my son in the jogging stroller.

I have a half marathon coming up (April 6!) and I would LOVE to get a sub-2:15 time.

So that is our last two weeks!

 Any great clean recipes that we simply MUST try?