Nike Half Marathon: Expo!

Saturday evening we walked around Georgetown to pick up my race packet (which includes the bib number you wear on race day and samples of stuff) and go to the expo.  I was so excited about this and aside from the long walk from the metro station to the center it didn't' disappoint. It was only about 15 minutes, which considering I was going to be running 13.1 the next day doesn't seem bad right? Except that my knee was already bothering me big time. By the time we walked around the small expo and tried to find a place to eat I was close to tears. I was also so nervous about how much pain I'd be in on race day (again!) that I was really anxious.

It was difficult finding somewhere to eat, we ended up in a weird little place.  There was a special on the menu for Couscous and Quinoa salad which I thought would be perfect (carb + protein!! yet!!). But what they really meant was spinach with a smallllll amount of couscous and some quinoa tails. It was awful. But I ate it anyway because I knew I'd need some kind of fuel for tomorrow.

Then we walked back to the metro to go back to our hotel and rest up for the next day!

They added all of our names onto the wall outside of the Nike Georgetown store

The lighted green behind us is the course we ran

Race map, bib and a special moment to pin on my shirt in memory of my Dad!

Super awesome message from a super awesome boyfriend :) 

DC: Race Day!!!

Wish me luck!! 

DC: Less than 24 hours left!

Less than 24 hours til the Nike Half Marathon in DC! I'm so incredibly excited!

I woke up this morning, had my usual breakfast of Frosted Mini Wheats (I can't help it, I love it!!) and straightened my hair, painted my nails and started packing! Sounds reallllly girly, but whatever. It has a purpose.

While my fingernails are painted Tiffany blue (which will make sense tomorrow), I painted my toes royal blue for Boston.  Carry me swiftly!

This race is crazy important to me, more on that later, but especially after what happened at the Boston Marathon, its even more crucial to remember how blessed we are to be able to do things like this.  It goes beyond being thankful that we are PHYSICALLY able to run 13.1 miles as many people are not (beyond those who just think they cant).  We are blessed to live in a country where we are able, as females, to go out and run on our own and have that kind of freedom and sense of peace. Even when it is threatened, it brings an awareness to how we so often take for granted our serene, peaceful, gorgeous running trails that all in all, are really quite safe.

Someone was asking me how I thought runners were dealing with the tragedy of Boston, if they were mourning or crying, how they were dealing with the grief.  I looked at her and said simply, "Runners are runners, they go running." Running to celebrate life, running to remember life.  Running to enjoy life and to challenge it.

We run.  Sometimes with blue toes  :o)

Last training run!

Today was my last "real" training run before my half marathon this Sunday.  I am so excited! I met up with my friend Katie and we tackled the beautiful Monticello Trail for about four miles. The pollen was really terrible, but other than that we had a great time with wonderful weather.

This was  nice easy run at a slow pace.  Its awesome how little these runs take out of me! I feel like I could just go on out for another 10 or so right now!

I also taught Athletic Conditioning today so my legs were a little more tired that I would have planned on but that was my own fault for putting so many lunges in my class plan today! Sorry guys! Don't worry, as expected there was a lot of core work too!

Tomorrow is a rest day, although in my life Thursdays are softball days so I'll try to take it easy except for that!! Friday should be pretty relaxed and an actual rest day before we go up to DC on Saturday.  I'll be walking a lot at the expo and around DC so I'll try to only get about 2 miles in to loosen up a bit.

Recipe of the week!

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Corn, Feta and Lime dressing--Click here for the recipe from her blog!

I had an idea the this morning on the way to teach kettlebell class to make a salad with Quinoa in it.  I had recently purchased a large bag of Q at Target but hadn't yet made anything. I started thinking about putting black beans, corn, peppers, and feta cheese together with it. I googled similar words and found this recipe on a blog. I didn't use Spinach like the recipe calls for, and I added in a red bell pepper and a little big of sweet onion. I also didn't have any cilantro, nor did I add salt or pepper.  It makes  a TON so I'll be set for lunches for the next few days which is great because thats usually a challenge for me!

Here is the adapted recipe that I did, which is a little different from the link above. 

INGREDIENTS

Quinoa, 1 cup

Feta, 1 cup

Black beans, 1 can (15 oz)

Corn, cooked, 1 small package of frozen (~15 oz)

Red pepper, diced

Sweet onion, a few slices, diced very small

Dressing: 

Fresh lime juice, 3 tablespoons 

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

INSTRUCTIONS

1.) GOOGLE COOKING QUINOA first!!! Figure out if yours needs to be rinsed or not!!! I have no idea if mine did or not and I am sure it was hilarious to see me trying to rinse it when we don't have a strainer.  I used paper towels, but I think it was pretty wasteful!! Anyway, bring 1 1/4 cup water to a boil.  Add 1 Cup rinsed quinoa, stir, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the water is absorbed. 

2.) In a separate bowl add black beans (rinsed, drained), corn (rinsed, drained), diced pepper, spinach and red onion.

3.) Once quinoa is done cooking and has cooled, add it to the other ingredients. Pour dressing over everything and mix well. 

Monday Funday Run with Georgia!

I had a great run today with my sweet lab Georgia. She hasn't been able to go on many runs with me lately since she cut her leg back in March. We had an easy four miler today after teaching Core Conditioning this morning.

I bought her a back pack I found at Homegoods like this one: back pack for dogs
Unfortunately it just doesn't fit well and looked kind of uncomfortable. I will have to wait and get her the better ones that have a full harness around the front that seems more cushioned. She didn't act like she minded, but it looked a little weird. I took it off for the middle 3 miles as we did a loop so I could pick it back up with a 1/2 mile left.

I'd like to get her a nicer one like the Outward Hound brand for hiking. She seemed to really enjoy having a job even if the only thing I put in the pocket was a spare pet waste bag!

Virginia: Long Run Along the river

So after a run with one of my clients I went to try out a new stretch of trails.  I was really missing my running views from Puerto Rico since D was back there again for work (without me this time!). While it wasn't quite as spectacular of a view, it was really pretty anyway. The trails were a nice break from asphalt, although I felt bad getting my nice new shoes dusty!

10 miles, done!