Oktoberfest 5K

September 22, 2011 by 6 Comments

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This past weekend I ran the Oktoberfest 5K and got another PR!!  35:34!!  YAY!  I’m getting much faster- it’s so exciting!

This race was eventful in many different ways-

1. I got a speeding ticket on the way to the race (seriously I usually drive like a granny- the one time I speed I get a ticket. Bah!) which made me almost late for the race. 

2. I wasn’t able to find Laura and her cousin Jennifer and they had my bib for the race.  So I ran the race without a bib(hey I paid for the race, I wasn’t about to not run in it!).  The whole time I was terrified I was going to get in trouble for not having a race bib on and I don’t really think I ran as well as I could have.  Moral of the story- pick up your own race packet, you never know what might happen on the morning of a race!

3. I got to see my friend Laura run for the first time in 5 months!  She’s been injured and this race is literally the first time she’s been able to run in a very long time.  She looked so happy when Jennifer and I spotted her running up to the finish line.  I very seriously almost cried. (which basically IS crying for me cause I’m dead inside Winking smile ).  I’m so proud of her!!

4. Another PR!  Who AM I and how did I get so fast?!  My next goal is to get into the 34s!

5.  They ran out of water and snacks by the time I crossed the finish line but they had plenty of beer. (seriously?!)  So I rehydrated with a beer.  What? 

 

Lessons learned from this race…

I did not take a single picture!  I have got to start taking pictures at races so I can be not lame for copying and pasting the logo from the race website into my blog post!

I’ve got to work on running hills more!  (which I’ve been doing this week- more in my post tomorrow about my 1/2 marathon training!) My calves were screaming at me by the end of the race.

Pacing.  I’m still not good at it.  I still have no ideas for this one!

I did better on the food thing before this race- I had half a bowl of cereal before I left the house and this worked so much better than what I have been eating, which was dry toast.  My problem is that I can’t handle eating much before a race- it sits like a rock in my stomach and gives me horrible stomach pain when I’m running.  But the toast wasn’t quite cutting it and I was getting hungry during my runs.  I think the cereal’s going to work for these shorter distances. 

 

Make sure you come back and check out my 1/2 marathon training recap tomorrow!

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Pancake for One

September 21, 2011 by 2 Comments

I’m skipping WIAW this week because my food has been so insanely boring lately.  Instead how about a recipe?

Most of the time I don’t mind making a whole batch of pancakes.  But sometimes I just want one fresh fluffy pancake.  So this recipe is for those times.

Pancake for One
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup nondairy milk

Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients.

Stir in your nondairy milk until it is just combined (lumps are okay!).

Let batter rest for 2-3 minutes.

Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat and pour the batter in the pan.

When batter starts to bubble flip your pancake and cook until golden brown on both sides.

 

 

I normally top my pancakes with fresh fruit, but I am all out right now so I topped mine this morning with a big spoonful of peanut butter and a drizzle of agave nectar.  So good!

 

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Whole Wheat Oat Bread

September 20, 2011 by 2 Comments

This recipe is just a rif on my go to sandwich bread recipe.  I like how there is just enough oats in it to give it an oaty taste.  This bread makes amazing sandwiches, or it’s just good for eating plain or with a little butter and jam too!

Sarah Snacks Go-To Sammy Bread
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup warm water (110 F)
2 Tablespoons organic sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons canola oil 
1 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour (I like King Arthur) 
1 1/2 cup organic bread flour (again, King Arthur) 
1/2 cup rolled oats 
1 teaspoon wheat gluten
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Into the bread machine goes the warm water, sugar, and yeast.  Let proof for 10 minutes (you can just add it in with the flours if you want, but I really think you get a better rise on the bread if you proof the yeast first- especially since it’s mostly 100% whole wheat!)

Once the yeast is proofed, add in the rest of the ingredients according to your bread machines instructions- mine says to do wet ingredients first, then dry.

I set my machine to sandwich bread with a light crust.  And this will be a 1 to 1 1/2 lb loaf.

Let the bread machine do its thang.

(trick to slicing a loaf of sandwich bread… let it cool COMPLETELY before slicing.  I know it’s hard to wait, but you’ll get more even slices and they won’t fall apart as you slice!  Also make sure to use a bread knife!)

 

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Have a great day!!

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Meatless Monday: Giveaway Winner + The Perfect Spaghetti Squash

September 19, 2011 by 7 Comments

Happy Meatless Monday! 

I have a giveaway winner!  The winner is entry number 25, so the 25th entry(skipping my own comments about your favorite meals of course) is Lindsay from The Lean Green Bean!

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See, those extra twitter entries really helped!  I’ve already emailed you, Lindsay.  Let me know if you didn’t get the email!!

On to the spaghetti squash!

Have we all had Spaghetti Squash before?  If not, you should most definitely try it!!

Spaghetti squash is a winter squash, and when it’s cooked the flesh falls away in strands that look like spaghetti.  And it clocks in at only 42 calories per cup!

I’m about to give you THE perfect way to cook a spaghetti squash. 

Are you ready?  I mean really get ready, because this will possibly blow your mind…

 

Take your spaghetti squash…

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And cut it in half widthwise, NOT lengthwise (this is where my tutorial differs from others!). 

 

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Scoop out all of the seeds and the stringy things.  Place both halves on a plate and cover with saran wrap.

 

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Place in microwave and cook for 10-15 minutes until you can easily pierce through it with a knife. (depending on the size of your spaghetti squash it may take a little longer)

Let cool for a few minutes until you can handle the squash, then carefully scrape out the strands with a fork.

 

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My favorite way to eat spaghetti squash is with steamed veggies (usually broccoli) and covered in my favorite spaghetti sauce!  And with a big hunk of bread on the side of course!!

 

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I know what you’re possibly thinking right now.  But every other tutorial on spaghetti squash says I should cut my spaghetti squash in half LENGTHwise!  And to that I say no no no!

Here’s why you should cut your spaghetti squash in half widthwise instead of lengthwise…

  • you’ll get longer prettier strands!!  (look at the inside of a spaghetti squash- have you ever noticed that the strands don’t run lengthwise?  They run in a circle around the width of the squash)
  • it’s easier to cut in half when you cut it this way.
  • it cooks faster (when I cut it lengthwise it takes me around 30 minutes to cook it, this took me 10!)
  • you can cook both halves in the microwave at once! (you can’t really do that when you cut it in half lengthwise- unless you have a really big microwave)

 

We eat spaghetti squash like it’s going out of style around here!  So much food for so few calories- I can totally get on board with that!!

What does everyone else top their spaghetti squash with??

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Labor of Love 5K

September 16, 2011 by 6 Comments

On Labor Day I not only did I get to run a 5K and get a new 5K personal record with my time, but I also got to cheer Mandy on in her first ever 5K!

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Mandy, Jennifer and I before the race.  Thanks Laura for taking pictures for us!!

Mandy did AMAZING!!  I was so so proud of her, and I was so glad I got to be there to see her run her first 5k!  Go over to her blog and see the most epic finish picture ever!  And Jennifer is a total badass- she finished her 10K in just a little over an hour.  I’m totally inspired!

 

So please remind me not to do this race again.  The hills were insane.  I’m talking FOR REAL insane.  Like my legs were sore for 3 days after this race insane.

Even with the crazy hills, I managed to get a new race PR- 36 minutes!!!!  I’m SO excited!

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Things learned during this race…

  • Eat more before the race- I was hungry 5 minutes in and all I could think about was eating a bagel the whole entire race.
  • I need to work on my pacing more- it’s really hard for me to keep a steady pace.
  • I need to do more training with hills.  This should be remedied soon because the weather is now below 100 degrees so I can actually go run outside.

 

Oh, and p.s. I just started training for my first half marathon.  This first week of training has been a little rocky, but I’m going to tweak my schedule a little and I think I can make it work better with my schedule.

p.p.s  I’m starting a race tab up at the top of my blog!  In this new little section of the blog I’ll be recapping races and posting my schedule of upcoming races.  Check back occasionally and see what I’ve got going on!

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