Crockpot - roast beef

On Halloween night, I like to have something yummy cooking in the slow cooker so that dinner is ready when we come in from Trick or Treating. This year I tried a super simple recipe from my friend (she had made this at a church pot luck recently and I had to make it again).

2-3 lbs sirloin tip - I used tri trip from you guessed it....Trader Joe's
1 packet Au Jus
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing
1 cup water
Jar of Pepperocini/Banana Rings

Mix the packets and water, place meat on top and cook on low for 8 hours. My slow cooker tends to cook fast so next time I will put on the 'keep warm' setting. I turned the meat a few times. An hour before I shred up the meat and added in mild banana ring peppers. Serve over whole wheat buns and lots of sauce...more rings/pepperocini.

3 with C

Being Halloween, I wasn't sure I would be running today. But, with my mom visiting this afternoon and C getting home early to take the girls trick or treating with us, we found ourselves a babysitter for a few hours! So we went for a short 3 mile run. We went slow, I paced with C and I haven't run at this slower pace in awhile. It felt good.

3.07 miles, 9:29 pace, 29:30

I felt like I could run all day at this pace....I think this will hopefully be my full marathon pace :)

Happy Halloween!

6 miles and some guilt

Last night I didn't want to go to the gym and run. I just was tired. Instead of enjoying a night off I worried...that I will lose my desire to run...that I will start to lose my endurance and my speed work will go out the window....with two kids, a husband, beagles and life in general it really is a challenge to find time to run....I feel bad when I hurry to put the kids to bed by 730/8 so I can squeeze in a night run...then if I let the kids stay up and I don't get to run I feel guilty and fat....I've been running for almost 2 years now and I have gone from 31:31 5k to a 24:30 5k and from a 2:07 half to a 1:52 half...I don't want to stop and I don't want to slow down....but right now with winter looming and no races planned until next spring it's a fear I have.....these are just my random thoughts tonight all stemmed from me sitting on the couch last night telling C "I don' t want to go" and him looking at me like I will never run again...then me reminding him that I have only once or twice said that over the last 18 months of consistently running....some weeks I don't put in the mileage I'd like but I am out there running nonetheless....anyhow here is what I did tonight

6 miles - 52:39 - 8:46 pace
Someone stole my handheld water bottle so I didn't have it and was thirsty....my legs were weird the first 4 miles, I have had this before in between training plans, where my knees feel like they are going to give out. But finally around 4.5 miles i felt strong and enjoyed the rest of the run. I told myself I could stop after 10 Jason Mraz songs....I ended up listening to 12 plus a random song on my 5K playlist.

turkery cheeseburger soup -

For Sunday dinner I made the American Cheeseburger Soup from the Soups magazine and it was very tasty. I again tweaked it a bit so below is my version of the recipe

Turkey cheeseburger soup

1 1/2   pounds ground turkey
1 small onion chopped
3 minced garlic cloves
3 celery stalks chopped
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
28 oz chicken stock, unsalted
1 1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used mixed from Trader Joe's, cheddar, mozzerella)
1/4 c. ketchup
4 oz. tomato paste
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 c. whole milk
Baby potatoes, cut in half or fourths (for bite size)

1. In dutch over over medium high heat, brown the turkey with the onion, celery and garlic, season with pepper and a tad bit of salt. Cook until browned and veggies are soft. Add in the flour and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add in stock and potatoes. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered for about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.
2. Add in the tomatoes, ketchup, paste, mustard and cheese. Stir until blended and cheese melted. Add in the milk, stir then turn off heat.

I served salad on the side and toasted whole wheat hamburger buns. C squirted ketchup on top. Tasty...we will make this again.

Posole Soup - yum!

I checked out the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of "Soups" a magazine by Better homes and garden. I found a bunch of recipes that I will be trying over the next few weeks. I always have to put my touch on recipes so I will blog about my tweaked version of these recipes. Tonight I made this for my kids, husband and father in law. Everyone enjoyed it! It's a keeper
2 roasted chickens (I purchased two since the typical roasted store bought chickens are small)
1 chopped onion
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
24 oz of unsalted chicken stock
1 28 oz canned plum tomatoes
1 - 10 oz diced tomatoes with chili peppers (mild or hot)
1 can white hominy - drained and rinsed
10 oz frozen corn
olive oil
2 limes
bunch of cilantro cleaned and chopped
1. Shred up and de-skin the chicken. Cut up into bite size pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat up some olive oil and cook onions until soft. Season with cumin and chili powder. Once soft add in the chicken until mixed. Squeeze plum tomatoes by hand and drop into pot along with stock, chili peppers, hominy and corn. Bring to boil then down to simmer.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes. Drop in cilantro and squeeze two limes and mix. When down it will thicken up a bit. Top with avocados, cheese, sour cream, or nothing! The lime and cilantro really pull this together.

3.87 miles

I was able to squeeze in a trail run this afternoon. The kids, dogs and fil/C took a walk while I ran. I caught up with them at 3.87 miles and ended the run there even though I wanted to run farther. Hopefully I will in the morning
3.87 miles - 8:26 pace, 32:27
It was so nice to run in the chilly fall weather! Loved it! But running after a pint of Abbey Ale from Flossmoor Brewery isn't the best idea :)

My Charles! He loved the trail today.

visitors

my father in law is in town this weekend...not sure if I will get a run in. I suggested we take a hike in the nature preserve tomorrow so I am hoping I can get a run in that way....or Sunday before church! Hoping for good runs this weekend for a friend doing a 50K tomorrow and a college friend doing her first full marathon on Sunday!

stair climber and a quicky

Let me just say that I am not a big fan of cross training. I know, I know, it's good for you and will help prevent injuries. I just would rather run. I would just rather see my splits, do intervals, run longer distances.... But with this Sears Tower Willis Tower (I refuse to call it Willis...and who else thinks of Diff't Strokes!) race looming, I have to do some sort of cross training. Not that the stair climber at the gym is anything like climbing 103 floors in real life! But C did train that way and has made good times in the previous years doing said race. So I am hoping with my running background and a few nights of the stair climber I will be ok. I have no goals just to hopefully stay with C and finish ahead of with him :)

Tonight
20 minutes on Level 10 - 2.31 miles - 111 floors (not sure how that matches up to real flights of stairs)
then I just had to run a little so I did 1 mile at 8:57

I can say the stair climber really gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat!

strength -arms, calves and stomach...ho hum

I am perfectly fine with my weight....but I can't stand my stomach! It's jiggly from my babies, but even before they were born I never had a flat flat stomach. I am not complaining, I am no where near overweight but I just am so paranoid and aware of my non-flat stomach. I obsess about it. I look at other moms/women and look to see how their stomachs are. There I people I know that run/workout and don't have flat stomachs, others that don't do anything and have flat stomachs. I know a few women who are huge runners, in their late 40's with WASHBOARD abs....it's crazy. I have to believe that mostly its genetic......so I'm going to again concentrate on my abs and strengthen my core and hope by next summer I will have less fat on them and see my muscles underneath

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Slow cooker chicken taco soup

1-2 lbs chicken breast (frozen)
1 - can black bean - rinsed
1 - can red kideny beans - rinsed
1 sm can diced tomatoes
1 sm can tomato sauce
taco seasoning (I used 1/4 of the TJ packet b/c it's spicy) low sodium
1 chopped onion
12 oz chicken stock - unsalted
1/2 package frozen corn

1. Mix taco season, all cans and onions in slow cooker. Place chicken on top and make sure it's covered by liquid. Cook on low all day until chicken falls apart. Add in corn about 30 minutes before serving keeping cooker on low heat or keep warm setting.
2. Shred up chicken and serve with broken tortillas on top, avocados, cheese, whatever else you desire!

4

4 miles on the treadmill
34:37 8:34 pace, started at 8:49, ended at 8:27. Ho hum

Nothing to train for. I think I'll enjoy just running and start to narrow down my race plans for next year.

I skipped the stair climber although that race is in two weeks!


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Thanksgiving Burger Dinner

Sage and Onion Turkey Burgers
Roasted Sweet potato slices
Broccoli slaw with nuts, cranberries and dressing
I didn't plan on it but it's Thanksgiving early in our house! We even made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting for desert!


Sage and onion turkey burgers:  
1/4 c minced onions
3-4 fresh leaves for sage, minced
1/2 celery stalk, minced
I saute above in a little olive oil, then cool. Then I mix:
1 1/4 lb. turkey meat
1/4 c. panko crumbs
1 egg white
some thyme, salt and pepper
Make into patties and grill until cook through - top with white cheddar cheese until melted
Sweet potato slices
I cleaned, peeled and sliced two sweet potatoes
Heat the oven until 375 - once heated place a baking dish with some oil in it and heat for 5 minutes.
Add in the potatoes bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake another 10 min.
Sprinkle cinnamon and brown sugar - bake until tender. Let the slices drain on paper towel before serving.
Broccoli Slaw Salad
1 package of TJ broccoli slaw
Toss in some cranberries and nuts
mix dressing - I used 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar with about 2 tbsp lite organic mayo - wisk
Toss and serve

Run Forest Run - my first trail run and a medal!

This morning I ran in the Run Forest Run race - a 4 mile trail run in a nature preserve in our town. A local guy hosts this run, along with the gentleman that takes care of the preserve. It's a small race and it was AWESOME! I loved it. The trail was a bit wet from all the rain, but not muddy at all. There were about 52 runners in all. Awards were given to the first 3 men and first 3 women - no age groups. I loved this low key run. Nick, the organizer, gave us paper bags with our bibs, pins and cool t-shirts inside. Perfect - I always hate the swag bags and junk inside. My friends ran as well (who co coach soccer with C), which we made it to M's soccer game late....C coached the game alone and the girls scored 5 goals. At the end of the race we were given water and fresh pizza was delivered! Not bad for $20 fee.
Anyhow...I placed 2nd overall women. Here is my medal




The race was a quick one with so few runners. The first .50 mile was narrow so I made sure I ran ahead of  some slower paced runners. There were the two fast guys (they always win our local races) in the way lead, then the next group of runners, which included my friend (who is running a 30 mile ultra next Sunday!) and the organizer and his running partner...then me and everyone else! There were two other guys in front of me but I passed them after mile 2. I didn't speed up I think they just slowed down. I tried to catch up to my friend but he was a good .20 mile ahead. The trees and scenary were great - the fall colors and everything was great! I felt good, breathed hard, almost started to get a stitch in my side but ran it out. I loved running over the old bridges.

official time 31:41 7:55 pace

quick veggie and chicken sausage rigatoni and Dijon dressing for salad

Tonight is soccer night in our house - we usually have to rush home for a quick dinner or I set up something on the slow cooker. I made this last Thursday and it was good so making it again. Although it's raining tonight and soccer practice was canceled, I'm still up for a quick dinner.
Am I a 'soccer' mom? - how annoying that sounds. So cliche and I can't stand cliches....I do drive a mini van (totally my choice, I really wanted one, more so for our beagles) and my daughter plays soccer. hmmmm
Rigatoni, Sausage and Veggies
1 lb rigatoni, penne, ziti...whatever you desire
 mushrooms, sliced, and rinsed
baby zucchinis, a bunch - sliced in fours then cut in half
3 garlic cloves minced
1 small onion chopped
1 package chicken sausage (sweet Italian is good)
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
olive oil 1 - 2 tbsp
1 can of diced tomatoes - or 1 jar of pasta sauce, depends on how saucy you want it
1. Boil water, cook pasta until al dente
2. over medium heat, in a deep saute pan, heat the olive oil, add in the garlic and onions, cook until soft. Add in the sausage until browned. Add in the veggies until soft, season with  a little salt and pepper. Add in diced tomatoes, sprinkle some red pepper flakes and simmer until seasons blend.
3. Once pasta is done, drain and and mix sausage mixture and pasta. Add in pasta water if needed to thin out. Sprinkle with fresh pepper and Parmesan cheese and mix. Serve warm
SALT - I used to be scared to use it. I buy all low sodium or unsalted things - as much as possible. But then I realized you DO need to use some salt in cooking to add flavor. So I opt for Sea Salt as it flavors so much better! I try to not use it but with meats or certain sauces I will use some. We don't use table salt as I try my best to flavor things during the cooking process :)
Chicken Sausage - my thoughts on these are 1. They are all natural, no nitrates 2. The sodium isn't bad for a sausage...ever look at the nutritional count on regular sausage???
You can't serve pasta without....salad! I rarely, if ever, buy dressing. I usually toss oil and vinegar or make my own.
Dijon Garlic dressing
Mix
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt, pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Mix, let sit then toss in lettuce (romaine or better, no iceburg!) before serving.  

3 mile interval run and stairs

Tonight I went to the gym to do some intervals on the treadmill then a little stair climb work.

Run:
5 min warm up @ 8:57
6 intervals @ 7:30 for 90 seconds followed by
90 second recoveries @ 8:40
then I finished off the run at 8:40

3 miles - 24:47 - 8:15 pace - I think it's crazy how 7:30 didn't feel that bad. My legs were tired by the last interval but it felt good tired.

Stair climber - I did 10 minutes and climbed 40 floors - I think I was only on level 6 I couldn't tell! I used a different machine this week so I was clueless.

Pork roast with sweet potatoes and apples in the slow cooker

I always feel I dry out pork roasts in the slow cooker. BUT today I put the roast in frozen and it wasn't dry! Maybe that's the trick?

Pork Roast with sweet potatoes and apples - slow cooker style!
2 lb pork roast - boneless, trim excess fat (can do this after it's cooked)
3 peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples
3 washed, peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
garlic salt, pepper, cinnamon
brown sugar - about 1/4 c.
1/3 c. chicken stock (you can use Apple Cider/Juice but I find that it's too sweet)
1/3 c. honey mix with 1/4 c. OJ (wisk this together to place over the sweet potatoes)

1. Spray slow cooker with non stick spray. Place apples on the bottom and put roast on top. Season roast with garlic salt (or garlic and sea salt) and toss some brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Pour enough stock over to cover nicely. Cook on high for about 2 hours.
2. Add in the sweet potatoes, mix a bit and flip roast over. Pour honey/OJ mixture over the sweet potatoes, and sprinkle a bit more brown sugar and cinnamon. Lower setting to LOW and continue to cook until roast is tender.

My slow cooker tends to cook on the fast side so around 4pm I had to set it to STAY WARM setting for our 6:00pm dinner. I started the roast at about 9:30am. I served with a side of green beans. Everyone ate up. My oldest told me "mom, you are the best baker in the whole wide world" hehe

You can get creative with this. Sometimes I add in an onion and carrots. If you use a thawed roast, browning it on HIGH in a dutch oven first makes a nice crusty layer on the pork. I really liked using the frozen roast and will keep doing that to keep my roast moist.
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Swedish meatlballs

Ok, I am cheating tonight for dinner. We were away all weekend and came home late this afternoon. We had to do a quick Trader Joe's run then I had to think of a quick dinner tonight. So we grabbed some frozen Turkey Meatballs and I decided to make my favorite Swedish Meatball dinner. I have made this with homemade meatballs but the TJ meatballs are great for a quick weekday dinner.
Swedish meatball sauce:

1. In a deep saute pan, melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter. Add in 2 tbsp flour and mix until flour dissolves. Add in 1 1/2c. chicken stock, stir and simmer until reduces and foams. Season with s & p (stock is salt enough I usually don't add salt). Then stir in 3/4 c. sour cream (fat free makes it soupy, if you use a lower fat sour cream it's better). Mix over low heat then add 1/4 c. Lingonberry Jam (or cranberry if you cant get to IKEA).
2. I add in the frozen meatballs at this point and cover and simmer until thick and the meatballs are warmed. About 15-20 mins.

If you make fresh meatballs, brown them in the oven first then add into the sauce until cooked through.
I usually make bow tie pasta to serve the swedish meatballs over and add extra Jam as requested. A nice broccoli, green bean or pea side goes perfect!

6 miles in the country

Another great run at the summer house. I wish I could have ran longer but we had to pack up and head home. The roads were a bit slippery still from all the rain but it was chilly and breezy and hilly and a good run!

6 miles - 52:03 - 8:40 pace
splits
1- 9:03
2 - 8:48 (big hill)
3 - 8:44
4 - 8:28
5 - 8:33
6 - 8:20

I was tired at first so I told myself to start slow. I also want to try to slow down since next year I will be training for the full. So I want to start to feel what it's like to go slower. I always feel when I start slower I can kick it at the end. When I know i'm doing a short run I will just push it the whole time.

Soggy 3 in michigan

Rain rain go away! My long run turned into a quick 3. The roads were slippery and the rain is coming back. Wanted to squeeze in any run I could get.

3.07 - 25:38 8:21 pace
First mile was 8:09. Which is crazy because I felt slower since its soggy out.










Post beagle walk





Girls weekend with girls and grandma. No falls today ;)

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OWWWWW

Around 12am this morning I woke up to throbbing pain on the top of my left foot. I tried to just fall back asleep but no matter what position I laid in I was in pain. After awhile of tossing and turning I heard my eldest crying "mommy" then heard her get up to go to the bathroom. So I got out of bed and COULD NOT put any weight on my foot. I had to crawl down our stairs and luckily my daughter was just using the bathroom. I hopped on one foot to the bathroom and took two tylenol hoping that would make me feel better enough to sleep. I crawled back to bed and after a few hours of tossing and turning I fell asleep. It's still sore today, not as bad as last night. So needless to say I think I will rest tonight although I always hate missing a run...I feel off kilter, my sanity starts to loose it and I feel blah! It's amazing how addicted we get to that feeling of accomplishment after a good run.

At least the debates are on tonight....I missed last week's since my mom and I had gone out to the local brewery for a girls nite. We shall see.....I'm not stating my political opinions on here :)

5 miles

Tonight I ran 5 miles at the gym. Warmed up at 8:57 then after about .75 miles kicked up to 8:34 then the last 1.25 miles ran 8:20

42:50, 8:34 pace

Felt great. Now I'm nice and tired. Ready for a hot shower and hopping in bed to continue reading "the perks of a wallflower"


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Beef butternut squash stew

We hardly eat red meat in our house. I usually cook lean turkey, chicken, some pork, but mostly turkey/chicken meats. I will use lean sirloin for chili and during the cooler months I do like making stews. I tried this stew recipe from Giada and it was a huge hit! very easy, very good.

I peeled and diced up a big butternut squash. It always makes me feel good when I take a vegetable like this and dice it up myself and cook it fresh.

• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used whole wheat flour
• 1 cup Marsala wine - I used white wine, as marsala I think would be too sweet
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 to 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Crusty bread, for serving - I sliced up fresh bread, drizzled it olive oil and garlic over and toasted at 500 degrees until browned.

Directions

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

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Spirit of the Marathon

Today during the kids nap time (M's computer time) I turned on the movie "Spirit of the Marathon" that covers six runners, elite to novice, preparing for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. While I did feel the documentary was lacking story lines and projected very 'cliche'  runners, I did find parts inspiring and fun to watch. I wish they would have devledged more into the training part, instead of glossing over the weeks of preparation. And I wish they would have showed the nutritional aspect, what did the runners eat in the weeks/days before the race? What supplements (besides everyone saying they had salt tablets) take. But it was amazing to see the elites prepare and just mindblowing how truly fast some runners are.

Some thoughts I had:

• running as a sport encompasses so many different types of runners. Whether you have an elite runner, running 100+ miles per week or the novice C25K runners just barely making it to 10, everyone has their own goals and reasons for running
• the documentary highlited a CARA group. Part of me wishes I were part of a group as I think the long runs preparing for a marathon would be more fun. But part of me likes running because of the alone time, the solitude. I'm on the fence on this and I do see the benefits of running groups
• Jack Daniels is so correct when stating that there are 4 types of runners, the highly trainable/ability (these elites), highly able but lack motivation (the person that doesn't train but pulls a 3:10 marathon), little ability and highly able (they over train usually and work their ass off just to make average strides) and then little ability, little motivation (no you should not be a runner). Where do I fit in? I think somewhere between the second and third type
• Katherine Switzer was kick ass - making herself the first female boston marathon runner and even almost being attacked during the race but she kept on going....now I believe there are more women runners that compete in Boston than men.
• Why are the people from Kenya and Ethiopia so damn fast! There has to be a study out there done....so interesting. I liked how Daniel Njenga said he would run 10 miles when he was a boy - 5 miles to school, 5 home, reminded me of that Ricky Schroder movie where he was a bed wetter and he would run home from school to hide the sheet his mother would embarassingly hang outside, he ended up a track star.
• Someone said in the movie that in marathons there are two groups; the elites then everyone else.  I think everyone else has to be broken up into several groups.  'Everyone else' is such a big group and there are so many groups in that alone. It's just amazing how everyone starts out at different ages, different fitness levels. Some people can run slow but far, some can run short but fast, I could go on and on, it's again mindblowing the local class, nation class, I see know the importance in age grading results. It makes me feel good that in my last few races I reached local class. I never will make nation or world class but knowing I'm near local grade is so great
• It was inspriting to see people cry at the finish line, to see that even if they had to walk or rest, they finished.
• I loved seeing Deena Kastor looking behind her in the last .6 miles of the race, it made her human, it made her one of us, I mean don't you look behind you when you are racing to make sure you are far ahead of the runner behind you?

3 miler

25:17, 8:22 pace

My parents took the girls to lunch after we had gotten home from church. They stopped by to met a piano mover! They bought the girls a used piano for Christmas so it was delivered this morning. And so I ended up with about an hour of 'nothing' to do...so of course I grabbed my running gear and headed out the door to squeeze in a run. I loved having two runs this weekend!

and why is MMR not recording my splits! So annoying, think they were like 8:15, 8:20, 8:25...I'll guess...although that last .5 miles I really kicked it up, I wanted to see my pace!!

7.10

Nice run. I was thirsty - I had coffee this morning, green tea before I left and two slices of salami - real smart! But I was fine. Such great running weather - I am so glad the marathon runners tomorrow will have this perfect weather to race in!

My splits did not record but...

7.10 miles - 1:01:29  - 8:39 pace - This was my fastest non race 7 miler. I really am hoping my 'slow' runs are like this. That would mean I'm getting faster - not bad for an old lady!

Chicago Marathon - a secret goal

The excitement is in the air - the electricity in the city is buzzing. I now realize that I DO want to run this next fall. I am secretly making this my goal. I felt this buzz before my first half marathon in Chicago last September. I can only imagine how much more I would feel doing a full in Chicago.

Yes, there are so much more 'prettier' areas to run in...but since Chicago is my home, why not run it on the streets that are near and dear to me.

I so wanted to volunteer on Sunday but my schedule (kids) won't allow it. I am praying and wishing all the runners this Sunday to do their best, run strong, run smart and I hope I'll be with you at the finish line next fall!

2 miles and some stairs

I feel a cold coming on...I did have a late night out with my mom last night but I still don't feel right today. I went to the gym and barely pulled out a 2 mile run. I was all over the place, running 9:13, up to 7:30 then doing some inclines. I just wanted to be done.

Then I headed over to the stair climber to test the waters for our Tower Up climb next month. I did 15 minutes from levels 8-10 and climbed 73 floors, 1.58 miles. My HR was UP, I could feel it! My legs were fine. I could not get used to the climber as it's so different than running. But i did like the variety so I think I will add this in during my gym runs.

4 miles

A beautiful, cloudy, fall day! I ran at 3pm today and how nice it was to go out at that time without it being hot! I felt tired, a little sluggish, but overall happy I did at least 4. My mom was out visiting to watched the girls for this midday run.

4 - 34:27 - 8:35 pace

1 - 8:28
2 - 8:41
3 - 8:36
4 - 8:32

In between 2 and 3 I had to stop to cross a road because there was traffic. I hate stopping midrun - I lose my groove. So it took me a few minutes to gain it back. But I did

Thinking about it...

running a full marathon. Not this year but maybe possibly next fall. But again when I do run a full, I want to do it annually...I don't just want to 'do it to say I did it'. That's not how I work. One of my college friends is training and doing her first full in a few weeks. I have been following her training as she paces pretty much with me ( I have actually caught up to her HM pr, she used to be way faster than me). But luckily her long runs have slowed her down - if slowing down is 9:00 for an 18 mile run! She has two kiddos and they are a little older than mine....so I am thinking next fall I might have the time. Who knows though.

Right now I just want to keep running and I'm mad that it's so dark in the mornings and so dark at night so my outside runs have been limited to the weekends with our schedules. At least the treadmill is great for speedwork and doing intervals...

I am signed up to do Tower Up this November (through c's firm he works for)- climbing 103 flights up Sears Tower   Willis Tower. I have the endurance but not sure how strong my legs are. Think I am going to try training on the Stair Climb at the gym....

Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze

Meatloaf - there are a zillion recipes for this beloved comfort food. I have made many different recipes but I always come back to this one - from Bobby Flay. It's great and it sneaks in some extra veggies.
Serve with more veggies on the side and mashed sweet potatoes or mashed califlower - tonight I made YELLOW mashed potatoes and sauteed the rest of the zucchini.
I do opt out of the extra pepper sometimes and add in an onion for more flavor.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  


• 1 small zucchini, finely diced
  


• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  


• 1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
  


• 5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
  


• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  


• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  


• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  


• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
  


• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  


• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey (90 percent lean)
  


• 1 cup panko (coarse Japanese breadcrumbs)
  


• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
  


• 3/4 cup ketchup
  


• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the oil
in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, bell peppers,
garlic paste and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Season with salt and
pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes.
Set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg and fresh herbs in a large bowl. Add the turkey,
panko, grated cheese, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
and the cooled vegetables; mix until just combined.

Gently press the mixture into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Whisk the
remaining 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon red
pepper flakes in a small bowl; brush the mixture over the entire loaf.
Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.