River to River Relay

For those of you not familiar with the River to River Relay, it is an 80 mile course that takes a relay team of 8 runners across southern Illinois starting at the Mississippi River (LaRue Pine Hills area) and finishing at the Ohio River (Golconda).  Tim has been doing this event the past few years, but unfortunately his team didn't get in this year.  (The Tramps will be back!)  The course is limited to 250 teams, so registration is pretty competitive.  A lady I work was needing a runner for The Neighborhood Co-op team.  Tim was a bit hesitant at first, but after thinking about it for all of 5 minutes, he agreed.  They asked me to be an alternate, which involved me driving a 15-passenger van across beautiful southern Illinois.  Yes, I drove a big van all day.  With runners.  Sweaty runners.  :)

The morning was terrible.  The alarm went off at 4:15am.  I had a horrible headache and was trying my best to not be cranky around Tim.  Mornings are just not my favorite and it was going to be a long day, I didn't want to start it off by being all snip snappy.  We met up with the rest of the team members at the Co-op around 5:45ish.  Everyone was very nice, but tired.  As I was driving to LaRue Pine Hills, the fog was drifting over the ground the sun was rising.  It was really quite beautiful and you could sense that everyone in the van knew it was going to be a great day for running.

The first leg of the race starts at the top of McGee Hill, so we dropped Runner 1 (Jake) off and headed down to the first exchange.  The 2013 River to River Relay had begun!

I had the following routine:  drive, cheer loud as we passed our runner and then hope that parking would be easy at the next exchange.   Actually, parking wasn't that bad in the morning for me.  The exchanges weren't too crowded early on, but as the day progressed it got a bit more, um, creative.  There was another van that I seemed to either be parked behind or in front of and I made friends with the driver.  He would joke about how I almost hit him or give me a high five when I "nailed" it.  The ongoing joke for me was my refusal to parallel park a 15 PASSENGER VAN!  I drive a Kia and Tim drives a Yaris.  Very small cars that I can't parallel park well anyway.  I wasn't about to attempt to park that beast of van in between OTHER vans with crowds of people.  No way.  I managed to find a parking spot at all the exchanges without parallel parking or hitting a van or, more importantly, a runner.  I did have to have Tim park it for me twice.  Ironically, it was actual parking lots that I had problems with.  Go figure. 

Along the way, we ran into Jaime's team.  She was so nervous because she was Runner 6, so I totally understood the nerves, but I've also witnessed that girl at Murphy Lake.  She does not let the hills break her!  Tim and I were pretty confident that she would be fine.  And she was!  When I saw her in Golconda, she said she did great and felt fabulous.  I am so proud of her!  She has been a BEAST this spring with her training and trail runs.  She is totally inspiring!

It was nice running into Jaime throughout the day!

As I cheered on Tim's team and the other folks I knew, I couldn't help but wish I was actually running the relay.  It really was a beautiful day for running.  Blue skies, cool temps.  A runner's dream.  Plus, with so many runners, you had all sorts of people there for different reasons.  There were the goofy teams that were just partying it up (someone actually did a shot off another runner's stomach!  Ahh!), teams in costumes (hippies, big ol' plastic butts- yep, your read that right), teams running for a cause (I saw a lot of "Running for Boston" signs on vans & t-shirts-AWESOME!) and teams like the Co-op, just there having a fun.  One particularly touching moment was when I saw an alternate running to support a much older runner.  How sweet is that?!?  Seeing all of these things made me love running and love RUNNERS.  We really do know how to be good people and have a little fun!

I'm not too confident that I could actually do R2R.  As I drove to the exchanges, all I noticed was all the dang HILLS.  Could I run three 5ks with HILLS?  In one day?  Also, I would be mortified to be walking as my team passed me in the van. I don't know. Tim says I could do it. He thinks I could handle being Runner 2 or 3. Um, here's a pic of one of the hills that Runner 3 has to do:

Um, that looks harder than Cemetery Hill!

 

Anyway, the Co-op Team rocked it! Tim had a lot of fun running his legs.  I'm glad I was there to support him the other runners on the team.  They ended up finishing in 11:21:26.  Fantastic!

 

Top:   Steve, Tim, John, Shereen, Greg

Bottom:  Jake, Sara, Francis

  

Fun.

 

I actually ended up taking a lot o' pictures.  Too many to squeeze in on this blog!  Here's the link to my Google album if you are interested! 

https://plus.google.com/photos/101254671191369404077/albums/5869310496318196353

 





Recipe Review: Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Quinoa, quinoa, quinoa!  This protein packed grain is the IN health food right now.  Just do a search on Pinterest for it and all sorts of recipes pop up.  I've tried a few of them.  Some are great, but others are just a bit bland to me.  This recipe is actually a combination of a few different recipes I have pinned. 

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

(adapted from a various recipes)

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of one lime

Handful of cilantro, chopped (about 1/3 cup, but I just eyeball it)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring the 2 cups of vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in quinoa and cook until broth is evaporated and quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Pour quinoa into a medium bowl and fluff with a fork.
 

2. Stir in garlic, lime juice and cilantro.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

We had this as a side with Sweet & Spicy Citris Tilapia and steamed broccoli.  Yums!

I think next time I'll add green onions or a chopped jalapeno to this recipe.

Enjoy!



Boston

Yesterday was the Boston Marathon.  The past couple of years, Tim and I have actually watched the elite runners finish.  The commentary always cracks me up: "She is only at a 6:15 pace right now  A bit slower than usual."  Only?  Slower than usual? Um, okay.  If you say so!

The women's finish was pretty exciting.  Kara Goucher (she is AWESOME!) was just a few steps behind another runner and I really thought she was going to catch her at the end!  Here I am at work (don't tell my boss!) yelling "Come on!  You got her! Push!" at my computer screen.  Goucher was so focused, she was ignoring the race officials telling her to get over to the finish lane!  Unfortunately, she came in 2 seconds behind the runner.  The first thing she said after finishing was, "Where is Shalane?"  Even in such a competitive field like the Boston Marathon, she is asking about her training partner.  Love that!  Overall, she was 6th and her running partner, Shalane Flanagan, came in 4th.  As for the male runners, Jason Hartmann came in 4th.  Overall, it was a fantastic day for American elite runners.  I can only imagine how exciting being in Boston was.

And then, tragedy struck.

The timing of the explosions haunts me.  Four hours is a pretty average time for a lot of marathoners.  Tim's first marathon was 4:04.  I remember all of us waiting, ready to cheer him on as he took those last steps towards the finish. For me personally, hearing Tim's parents shout my name as I finished my first half marathon is a highlight of my running.  The cheering is what propels you at the end. Those spectators are friends, family members, finishers... They are all a part of racing experience.  They are there to enjoy it just as much as the runners.  For someone to use this area as an opportunity to cause so much destruction and hurt so many people... It just makes me so angry.

I won't pretend to know how the people of Boston feel.  All I know is I am upset.  I am sad.  My heart aches for the people that are injured and the loved ones that have been lost.  I am hurt for our country.  Why did this happen?  What were these terrorists trying to accomplish by bombing folks watching and participating in an iconic race?  I want answers.  I want justice.  I want our country to choose to come together, instead of bickering and becoming even more divided.  We need healing, and division doesn't ever enable that.

The tragedy at the Boston Marathon is horrific, but it also demonstrates the good in people.  There are dozens of stories about how the people of Boston came together to help stranded runners.  Race organizers, police, finishers, etc. flocked the injured to get them to safety.  The human spirit was demonstrated a million different ways yesterday.  If I can't find anything good in yesterday, I have to think of that.  That there is more good in this world than there is bad.  Sometimes the bad is just a bit louder and harder to ignore.  We need to drown out the bad with human kindness.  I like to think that is what was happening in Boston yesterday.  

I feel helpless in situations like this.  I mean, I live in the middle of the country, miles and miles away from Boston.  As a runner and fan of it's marathon, I felt like I had to show my support in some way.  So, when Jaime asked us to join her and Tracy for a run this morning to honor Boston, it seemed like the best thing to do.  Running three miles in the wee hours of the morning can't heal the injured... I would run miles and miles if I could make that happen.   Our run was just a runner's way of saying, "Hey, we are thinking/praying for you Boston.  We are here for you."  

Race Report: Neighborhood Co-Op Nutrition 5k

Neighborhood Co-Op Nutrition 5k
4/13/13

Evergreen Park/SIU Campus
Carbondale, IL

Time:  30:45

After the struggles I had earlier this week, I really had low expectations for this 5k. However, I was thrilled when I woke up with the sun shining and a chill in the air.  This girl is a fan of running in the 50's.  I know, I know.  We are all tired of cold temps and want summer.  I love summer.  Swimming pools and vacations.  Ah, good stuff.  I just don't care for running in the heat.

When we got home on Friday, it was Christmas at the Johnson's house:  a delivery from Running Warehouse!  Yay!  Tim and I both ordered some shoes because they were having a fantastic sale.  We both ended up with the same kind:  Brooks Pure Flow.  The morning of the 5k, we decided to go ahead and give them a go.

Our new kicks.

Oh, I also got some SmartWool socks.  They felt awesome- I must order more!

Anyway, back to the race.  We got there earlier than anticipated so we had plenty of time for a potty break.  In fact, we had time for 2 potty breaks.  Mental Note:  Maybe skip the coffee next time!  :P

Sunshine and blue skies.  Great day for running!

We parted ways when it was time to line up.  I make a point of not getting in the front since I'm not very fast.    The conch shell was blown (unique to this race) and we were off!

The first mile actually flew by for me.  I was thinking about my new shoes and how light they felt.  The weather was perfect!  Cool breeze, but wonderful sunshine.  My legs felt great and before I knew it, the fast runners were already heading back to the finish (it's an out and back course).  I saw Tim coming along,  He was behind this hardcore runner that (I kid you not) was pushing a stroller with THREE little kids in it.  I could see that Tim and the other guys around him were determined to pass that dude, but that crazy guy wasn't even sweating!  Bananas.  As I passed Tim, he gave me a high five and I couldn't help but smile.  My husband is pretty darn awesome.

A bit of trouble did hit me at the water station.  I suddenly started sneezing.  Not the normal two sneezer, but like, 6 or 7 allegery-induced sneezes.  My apologies to anyone that may have been in the "snot zone."  I stopped, grabbed a cup of water and thanked the guy for blessing me.  I gave myself 10 seconds to get my bearings back (i.e.wipe the snot off my face) and got going again.  

Despite the attack of the sneezes, I still felt pretty darn great.  I wasn't running super fast, but I was pushing myself more than I have been lately and actually ENJOYING the run.  I know, shocking considering how cranky I was about running earlier this week.  When I turned the curve to see the finish, I felt pretty fantastic.  

Almost there!

So, I won't lie.  At one point, I thought maybe, just maybe, I would be able to squeak out a PR.  Unfortunately, that did not happen, but I still did better at this 5k than I have done in a long time.  So, I'll take it.

Overall, this was a successful race for me.  I had a great run and because it was the Neighborhood Co-Op 5k, there were FABULOUS snacks after.  Homemade blueberry oatmeal muffin?  Um, yes please!  

Post race smiles!

Oh, and Tim came in 2nd in his age group!  He was happy since he hasn't really been working on speed work or anything.  He wasn't able to get ahead of the stroller guy, but neither did a lot of other folks!  Maybe stroller training is in Tim's future...  

My bread winner.

Next week is the River to River Relay.  I am not running this (but very nervous about driving a 15 person van!), but I will try to post a mini race report with my pictures, etc.

Running Sucks

Running sucks.

Yeah, yeah.  I know I have said that before.  I'm sorry about that.  I'm just trying to be honest with myself--and the few of you that do read this. 

So, yeah.  Running.  It sucks.

I skipped out on running Monday and Tuesday.  I have no real excuse.  I just didn't wanna.  Shrug.  I did let Jillian Micheals kick my butt though.  Despite the grumps, I was determined to get a run in on Wednesday evening.   Work is annoying (as usual), so I thought a run would help. 

How wrong I was.

It was hot and windy out.  I put on some shorts and my chubby, white legs almost blinded me!  Ugh, is it already time for running in shorts?  This girl is just not ready for that.  Anyway, I headed out the door with the intention of running up Cemetery Hill and towards Murphy Lake.  Um, yeah.  That didn't happen.  From the moment my feet hit the pavement, I was uncomfortable.  My legs were DEAD.  I kept pushing, telling myself that I just needed to warm up.  As I was fumbling along that first mile, I realized that Spring sort of stinks.  There was an odor blowing in the wind-- I had no idea that the various bushes and trees blooming actually smelled so bad.  I started coughing after trying to take a drink of water.  Then, my leg cramped.  THEN, my earbuds came out during a particularly forceful wind gust.  Ugh.  Eff this.

So, I quit. 

I was only about a mile and half in and several blocks from my house, and I just gave up.  As I walked, I just got mad at myself, so I tried to start running again, which just lead to me getting pissy again.  Such a vile circle of hell I put myself in over something that I claim to love.  Blah.  So, I made it home, did some stretches and tried not to be in a bad mood for the rest of the night.  I was unsuccessful.

The following day, I got a text from Leah asking if I was still up for running with her that evening.  I was still pretty upset with myself from the day before, so I figured I really needed to.  Plus, it was like 20 degrees cooler out!  Wacky southern Illinois weather. With the exception of not running the route correctly (we had to improvise at the end!) that run went MUCH better.  Maybe it was because it was cooler out or maybe it because I had the company of Tim and Leah.  Either way, I got through it and felt redeemed.

Tim and I did a "long" run on Sunday.  We ran the Neighborhood Co-Op Nutrition 5k (check out the Race Report here!) on Saturday and with the Iron Mom a few weeks away, I am trying my hardest to stay on track with the long runs.

I didn't sleep very well Saturday night and woke up with a headache, so I decided to try to get at least 6 miles in.  The first few miles were fine.  I didn't really feel great, but I was moving.  I kept waiting to feel warmed up.  It just never happened.  My allergies were also bothering me, so my breathing was off.  I started to get crabby.  Total bummer considering my great run the day before.  Because I was so moody, I was a bit bratty (actually, I was more like the other B word, if ya know what I mean) to Tim. I don't know how he tolerates my crankiness-- at one point I told him to leave me or else I was going to beam him with my water bottle.  Not very nice at all.  Just so you don't think I'm a complete my monster, I did feel bad about being a jerkface and did apologize to him.  I'm super lucky he forgives easily.

Yeah, this week was not exactly the greatest run week.  I know I just need to shake it off and start fresh tomorrow.  It is so hard to shake off bad runs sometimes.  They make it easy to just want to give up.  I'm lucky to have friends and family that understand me when I say, "I love running, but I also hate running."  They know that for every crap run, there is one that makes you feel like you can do anything.  I guess that is why the bad runs are so difficult.  I want to push myself and feel accomplished afterwards, not just sweaty and beat up.

So, what does this upcoming week have in mind?  I'm hoping for awesome, but if I get more yuck, I guess I'll just keep chasing the "good run" until I catch it...

Running sucks, but not as much as NOT running does.

On a personal note, today was Tim's grandmother's 90th birthday.  Also, his grandparents 67th (!!!) wedding anniversary is next week.  We celebrated these two momentous events today with family and friends.  It is pretty darn great to be a part of a family that has so much love.

Until next time...

Recipe Review: Black Bean Enchilada Cupcakes

I don't know about you, but I struggle with portion control.  Especially when it's a food I love, like pizza or pretty much any kind of Mexican food (damn you chips and salsa!).  I recently made White Vegetable Lasgna Cupcakes and had a bunch of wonton wrappers leftover.  After clicking around Pinterest, I came across this recipe and thought I would give it a try for Meatless Monday.

Black Bean Enchilada Cupcakes

I measured out all the ingredients, so I could enter the recipe into Lose It!.  For one cupcake, it's 184 calories and 6 grams of fat.  I had two because one is just not that filling.  To be honest, I really wanted to eat more, but mangaed to resist.  I served it with a side salad with Zesty Avocado Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing. 

 

 

Recipe was pretty easy and quick, but clean up on the muffin tin was a bit of pain. Poor Tim. :)  Leftovers were tasty the next day, but I did find myself reaching for my afternoon snack a bit earlier than usual.  Not sure this is a regular rotation meal, but I'm sure Tim will request it in the future. 

 



Race Report: GO! St. Louis Marathon Relay

GO! St. Louis Marathon Relay
4/7/13

St. Louis, Mo

3 Speed Demons & Me
Overall Finishing Time:  4:17:06

My Time for Leg 4 (about 6 miles):  1:03:14

Tim and I asked Leah and Travis to do this relay with us way back in November.  I just thought it would be a fun way for all of us to run something that wasn't quite as ambitious as a half marathon, but still had the excitement of a big race.  This definitely hit the spot!

We headed up to St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.  After our traditional lunch at Olive Garden and little shopping, we made our way to the Expo.  Packet pick up was simple and easy.  The only hitch we hit was they didn't have Travis' t-shirt size.  They were seriously going to try to give him a Medium when he requested XXL.  Um, yeah.  After some annoying exchanges with some cranky ladies, Travis managed to charm one of them into giving him a half marathon shirt in the correct size.  Travis is pretty darn good at charming folks!  :)

The only concern I had about this race was the transportation.  We were going to have to use the Metro to get to the various relay stations and I'm just really bad with directions.  Tim suggested that we go on to Delmar (where my relay station would be) so that Leah and I would get an idea of where it was, etc.  It actually worked out nicely because we ended up eating at Pi, which was super tasty.  I am actually craving a Pi'oneer Salad as I type this!  After dinner, we went back to the hotel and planned our meeting time, etc for the next morning.  We were all set for some fun!

Okay, so I'm not really a morning person.  I'm usually pretty quiet and cranky when I have to get up early.  The problem with doing these type of races is that the mornings come quick and early.  The alarm going off at 4:45am did not make me happy!  After ignoring it for a few minutes, I did finally manage to get my butt moving. 

We met up with Leah and Travis around 6am near the start line.  Leah was doing the first leg, which was about 6 miles.  We got her settled in and headed towards the Metro to get to the first relay area for Tim.  It was really weird leaving Leah behind.  I'm so used to being with her at he beginning of these events. 

Leah & Travis before the start of Leah's leg of the marathon.

Getting to the next relay station was pretty easy.  It was early, so the Metro was not crowded at all.  (This would change drastically later on that day!)  We figured Leah would finish in about an hour, so as we got closer, Tim got ready and we watched really closely as the runners started coming in.  Travis spotted her and Tim was pumped up and ready to go!  The exchange went smoothly, but Leah looked pretty fired up when she found Travis and I.  Apparently, her leg of the race went past the Anheuser-Busch plant and the beer making odor was not very pleasant to run in.  She said it almost made her sick!  Despite that, she totally rocked those six miles!  And that is with not running all week because of her shins.  Rockstar!

Tim heading to the first relay station (near Busch Stadium) and

waiting for Leah to hand off to him.

We all knew Tim was going to be the fastest despite giving him the Holy Hill section of the course, which was also the longest, clocking in at about 7.5 miles.  Because of this, we knew we had to get Travis to the next hand off point as soon as possible.  We headed to the Metro and was shocked by the number of people there.  It was so crowded, people were waiting on the steps!  We pushed through the crowds to get as close as we could.  We anticipated the train to fill up quickly when it came, and we were right.  We were squished in there like sardines!  It was so bad, the doors couldn't shut, so we had to squeeze in just a little bit more.  Ugh.  Many stops later, we had finally made it to Forest Park, where Travis needed to get off along with most everyone else.  Leah and I were able to actually sit down for a bit before the Delmar station. 

Travis and Leah throughout the day.

Once we were at my relay station, I started to get nervous.  Most of my nerves had to do with the fact that I had been up since 4:45am and standing around.  I feared I would have dead legs before I even had to start running.  Tim called around 9:16am to let me know that he was done and Travis had started.  Travis' leg of the race was 7 miles.  I mapped out a plan in my head as to when I should eat my snack and then head towards the lovely port-a-potties (another thing about racing that I don't like!).  My timing actually worked out pretty decent.  Leah and I only had to search for Travis for about 15-20 minutes before we saw him coming towards the station.  He passed the race belt off to me and I was off.

I had a few issues to start.  I had my ear buds in, which I don't run in often.  When I put the race belt on, it pulled the ear buds out and jerked my mp3 player.  I decided to just stop and get that taken care of instead of attempting to do it as I ran.  My first 3 miles were pretty decent.  My legs did feel a bit dead, but I was able to keep a decent pace.  After about 3.5 miles, everything just got harder.  The sun was really, really hot.  It was a gorgeous day, sunny and 70, but man, it was beating down on those concrete roads and I was just burning UP!  Everyone would move to the right side of the road just to stay in the small line of shade that was there.  The other issue that hit around that time were hills.  They weren't steep, they just felt long.  I had heard the last few miles of the course did feel like it was uphill because of this, but man I just didn't expect it to be that annoying. 

After getting a cramp in my calf, I decided to walk up one of the hills.  It was at this point I started to get whiny.  The whinefest didn't last long though.  Here I was, running the last 6 miles on a marathon course.  I was surrounded by folks  that had been running for almost 4 hours!  Um, how could I even begin to whine when I was watching folks hobble along to finish 26.2 miles?  I told myself to suck it up, buttercup and just keep on moving!

The last mile was brutal.  I could see the darn finish line for pretty much the last half mile or so.  I knew I would see my team soon and just wanted to get to them as fast I as could.  Right after I saw the 26 mile marker, there they were.  My wonderful teammates!  Me being my goofy self, shouted out to them, "Get your a**es over here and finish this with me!"  Yeah, I'm classy.

Me shouting at my teammates. 



We did it.  We were done!  We finished the Relay in 4:17:06 and were 87 out of 227 runners in our category.  Not too shabby! 

 3 Speed Demons & Me

You know I love my bling!



I really enjoyed doing this relay and hope that we can do it again next year.  Everyone ran better than they expected.  Well, except for me, I ran pretty much WHAT I expected!  :)  We also just had a lot of fun hanging out.  Good times with good people.

I also have to mention that this has only made me even more nervous about running a marathon in October.  Watching the marathoners around me during my leg made me think about how hard and challenging it really is going to be for me.  I'm determined to do it though.  I just hope that will be enough to get me through it. 

Until next time...

Sweaty Betty Shreds

I took it a bit easy on the running front this week.  I have the GO! St. Louis Marathon Relay on Sunday, so I didn't want to push it too hard.  Not like I plan on breaking any records or anything, but I am am looking forward to running injury free and having some fun!

Tim twisted my arm into running the lake with him.  I did set a goal to run it at least once a week, so when he mentioned it, I knew I just had to suck it up.  I was pretty pathetic.  My calf started hurting, so I got whiny.  I seem to be more obnoxious when I run with Tim.  It is probably because he is my better half and will accept it.  I know that I can't really stand myself when I get like that, so Tim is total trooper for putting up with it!  Anyway, despite my calf feeling like it was going to explode every time I ran up a hill, I was able to push a bit more in the beginning than I have been able to.  I did end up walking more near the end.  Slow progress, but I'll get there... I hope.

I had a pretty loooooooooong day at work on Thursday, so the last thing I wanted to do was run after. Tim suggested we do a Zombie Mission on my Zombies, Run! app.  He was interested in hearing what it was like.  So, we headed towards the high school with me carrying my phone.  Unfortunately, I have very little music on my phone at this point-- P!nk, fun. and Bruce Springsteen. Tim had a bit of a giggle at the song selections, but we did have a lot of fun.  I told him that next time I'll turn on the Zombie Chases, so he can really get the feeling of zombies chasing him!  When we got back, I was so happy that he suggested that we do it.  He knows that some days running just makes me a better person to be around.  :)

On the days I haven't been running, I've been kicking my butt doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video. 

I bought this YEARS ago and have yet to actually make it through all 3 levels.  In fact, on Wednesday, I decided to do Level 2  and I did not realize that there were evil plank jacks involved.  Actually, there was a lot of plank stuff in Level 2 that I'm pretty sure I would have remembered!  Anyway, the three different levels of workouts are all about 27 minutes long.  I have been doing Level 1 for the past couple weeks and then adding some additional toning exercises, along with a good 10 minute foam roller stretch routine.  With Level 1, my heart rate monitor says I burned 150 calories.  When I did Level 2, it said I had burned 188 calories- and I still had my additional exercises to do!  Needless to say, I was one Sweaty Betty!

Me after doing the last set of core exercises.

What I like most about this video is it goes by really quickly.  It's 3 sets of strength (3 minutes), cardio (2 minutes) and core (1 minute).  Because it's so short, I have no excuse not to do it.  Also, I can easily add to it to make it a longer work out, which I do most of the time.  I have a silly rule that I need to at least burn 200 calories to consider it a "workout."  I don't really believe that anything less isn't a workout, but in my chubbier days, it was a habit I started that helps me workout a bit longer and harder.  Shrug.

 

Shout out to Jaime who is running the Allerton Trails Half-Marathon on Saturday.  Rock it, girl!  Can't wait to hear how it goes! 

I hope to post a Race Report on Go! by Monday.  Also, I will be posting another Recipe Review-- this time Black Bean Enchilada Cupcakes.  Yum! 

Until next time...



Swe

Recipe Review: Skinny Chocolate Cheesecake

I love trying new recipes, and I'm a Pinterest addict, so I've been trying to make an effort to actually COOK what I've pinned.  I figured I'd share some reviews on the blog.  I'll post a pic of my finished product with a link to the recipe.  Enjoy!


We spent Easter Sunday with Tim's family.  It was just the six of us, so I didn't want to make a dessert that was heavy and left a lot of leftovers.  I found a recipe for Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake on skinnytaste.com and thought I'd give that a whirl.  I skipped out on the raspberries though because I forgot to buy them when I went grocery shopping. 

Skinny Chocolate Cheesecake

This recipe is SUPER easy to make.  I'd say the hardest part is crushing up the chocolate graham crackers- oh, and not eating too many of those while you're doing it!  The end result was a nice, guilt free cheesecake.  The recipe makes 9 servings.  The portion size is decent, but I'm glad I had family to share them with, otherwise I would have had a 2nd (or 3rd) serving!

I also made some chocolate dipped strawberries because, well, they sounded like a good idea!