Pineapple Chipotle Turkey Burgers

Happy Friday folks!  So instead of my usual running jargon, I though I would share a recipe with you all :)  I've made these a few times, and LOVE them.  I thought it would be mean to keep them all to myself, so I wanted to let you guys in on 'em - you can thank me later.

1lb extra lean ground turkey ( I used Jenny O)
1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple ( if you cant use fresh make sure to get the canned kind in it's own juice, not the sugary gross syrup)
1 chipotle in adobo - chopped ( use less or more depending on how spicy you like it)
1T seasoning ( I used TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute, but a no-salt Mrs. Dash would work too)
1/4c. plain Panko bread crumbs
*I usually add about 1/4c. of feta cheese but didnt have any :(
*also, you can add an egg/egg white to hold it together more - but I usually dont



i think I ate half of the pineapple in the process, also, can you spy Stella?  No dog har got into the burgers...i think


Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl and form into patties.  I was able to get 4 4oz patties, and one larger one ( a little over 5oz I think).  It will also be a little sticky, so you dont want to mess with them too much.



ready for the grill

 Then just grill or cook however you want!  They can be a little fragile, so be careful when flipping them, and make sure to spray your grill or pan so they dont stick.

Then top with whatever you want!  Hummus or avacado are tasty options.
Enjoy!



served mine up on a whole wheat bun (homemade!), with green beans. yum!

*In case you want to know; Per serving (without bun, topping, or added cheese/egg)
Calories 132, Carbs 6, Fat 2, Protein 21, Sodium 110, Sugar 2


random thoughts, "real" food, and the million dollar question.....

so what's next?......I spent the major part of my winter and spring thinking about and training for one specific race, and you, unfortunately, were forced to read all those ramblings.  Sorry I'm not sorry :)

The thing is, before the race, I wondered how I would feel once it was over.  Would I breath a sigh a relief that it was done?  Would I vow to never run again?  Would I be depressed that I had nothing to "do"?  To be honest, I'm more fired up than ever!  I'm "sad" that my first race is over - I'll never get to experience it again, but I also simply cannot WAIT to dive right back into a training plan, reach for my next goal, and cross my fingers, have another successful race.  Through these past 4+ months I realized I really do enjoy the process of training.  I love having a plan, knowing what I'm supposed to do each day, seeing myself improve as the weeks pass, and I get an embarrasing amount of satisfaction as I put an "X" through each day on the calender.  People think I'm crazy, but there are worse things to be I guess.

As far as my next training cycle goes, that's still be be figured out.  There will be some changes and some new things will be tested out.  I have learned SO much, but also know there is a lot more.  There are things that worked well last cycle and things that maybe need some tweaking.  I'm still so new to the training cycle process that it's hard to really think about all the details.  Thank goodness for this blog and for my excel spreadsheet!  I'm still sorting through all those thoughts, so I cant give any concrete examples right now.  I told Nichole to expect a novel-length email with all my thoughts and I havent even started it yet!

Here's what I do know, there will be another race this Fall.  I have a few in mind, but haven't decided.  I really enjoyed the half distance, so I'm fairly certian it will be another half marathon.  There will also be a few shorter distance races.  I would still love to get sub 21:00 in the 5k, which I know is do-able, and to potentially be able to reach the 19's would be amazing!  There are a lot things that are rolling around in my brain right now.  I'm sure there will be an "I'm so excited to start training!!" post in the near future once we figure out a plan.


Another important thing that I'm going to pay more attention to is my nutrition.  About 2 weeks before Fargo I tried to cut out some of the "junk" in my diet.  Some processed stuff, added sugar that I didnt need, and alchohol.  Not that I drank a lot anyway ( maybe a glass of wine/week), but I wanted to see how it made me feel to cut some of that stuff out.  I have to say, it made such a difference. When I got to the start line I felt the healthiest I've been in a long time ( aka, ever!).  I know I can obviously be healthier, 2 weeks isnt that much time to completley turn things around, but the point is that I felt better, and I do believe that it contributed to my performance that day.  So my goal is to be more mindful this training cycle in hopes that it will just become a habit of how I live my life.  I want to try and get rid of as much unnatural crap as possible.  That will mean making a lot of my own things ( bread, tortillas, crackers, turkey/veggie burgers, pasta sauce, coffee creamer - which I cannot live without!, and maybe even make my own peanut/almond butter at our local co-op).  I want to avoid packaged items as much as possible.  I know not all things can be avoided, and I'm ok with that, but if I can make a small difference in what I'm putting in my body, the better. Luckily our farmers market opens this weekend, so that will be super helpful! 

I did tackle a few things over the weekend.  Everything was really easy to throw together -let me know if you want the recipes!


homemade sandwich/burger buns, tortillas, and pitas - all with ingredients I can pronounce!



also made coffee creamer, goodbye chemicals!  Although, it will take some getting use to :)

 
I am also looking to add some variety.  I tend to eat the same things, especially when I find something that works with my stomach.  I learned that when I'm hungry I tend to reach for carbs to fill me up.  Sometime's its ok, but most of the time I'm over my daily limit and end up feeling bloated.  So I need to research other options.  Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

________________________________________________


So this week I am still in a little bit of recovery mode, but my miles increased a bit to between 30-35 miles with just one rest day, but still just running fun easy miles.  I'm going to take this week to also get my eating back on track.  It was nice while it lasted but it's time to get back to normal :).  My legs still feel like lead though so I'm enjoying these slow runs.



and just for fun - another race photo :)


Thats all for me folks!  Have a great Tuesday!

Fargo recap part 2

My alarm went off a little after 5am, and after laying is bed for a bit, it was time to get going.  I treated this morning like I would any other morning before a long run.  I also surprisingly wasn't upset that it was raining.  There's nothing I could do about the weather, and its not like I had a choice, the race would go on no matter what.  I got myself ready, and sat down to eat my usual breakfast - two pieces of dry toast with a banana in the middle.  I have found that this is perfect on my sensitive stomach and gives me enough energy.  Although, I sadly am NOT able to drink coffee before a morning run/race ( I've had to learn the hard way on that too many times!)  So I made sure to plan on taking my espresso gel early in the race for a caffeine boost.  At about 6:00 we left.  Traffic was backed up super far, so I'm glad we left with plenty of time.  We got to the Fargodome, parked, and went inside to drop off our bags.  I also wanted to take a look at the finish line.


I wanted to see it before it was full of people

 We ended up running into some friends from Red Wing who were also running the half.  We said good luck to each other, and it was time to get lined up.  My plan was to start with the 1:40 pacer (7:38min. pace) and stick with them for the first 2 or so miles then bring my pace down to low 7:30's through the halfway point, then sub 7:30's for the second half and then all out for my last two miles.  In talking with Nichole about my race plan, I told her I was thinking of a 1:40 for a time goal.  She mentioned that I was strong enough for a 1:38 time, maybe even faster.  That was encouraging to hear, so I went with that.  I just had to believe in myself as much as she did.  I had checked my trusty pace chart the night before to get an idea of where I should be at during key points (5k split, 10k split, and 10 mile split) and made sure to remember them.

I found the pace group, and lined up on the front line - I didn't want to get caught in the back since I knew I wouldn't be with them for long.  There was some nervous energy, but for the most part I was excited, I was happy, I was ready to race! The gun went off at 7:30, and I saw Jake and gave a wave.


there I am!


I teared up a little at the start.  I just couldn't believe I was here.  4 months of hard work was paying off and I was feeling awesome.  Nichole had mentioned to me a week prior to start visualizing the race, running smooth, and with a smile on my face, and that exactly what I did.  I swear I was smiling like an idiot the entire time ( well, until about mile 10, but we'll get to that). 

The pacer went out a little fast for my liking ( I think she was doing close to 7:15's??).  I took it upon myself to slow it down.  I knew my goals, and I knew what I needed to be at, so I decided early on to run my own race.  I heard some guys next to me mention what time they were shooting for (1:35), so I decided to stick with them, or at least keep them in my sight.   I was feeling great, my lungs felt good, breathing nice and easy, and my legs felt light and effortless.  I took my first GU at mile 4.5.  There were so many distractions during the race.  Bands every mile, tons of spectators cheering (seriously awesome crowd support!), and the fact that I was running with SO many people definitely made time cruise by.

There were a few "hills" in the course, but comparing them to hills in Red Wing, it was nothing.  I would just tell myself "up and over" and they were a piece of cake.  I did have one moment of panic though, for one of the hills we went under an overpass and my Garmin lost signal, when we came out from under it, I checked my watch only to see my pace somehow go slower and slower.  Oh no!  Was I really going this slow?  Is that why it felt so easy?!  I picked up my pace, and eventually saw it get down to a 6:45 ( too fast!), so I slowed it back to a comfortable 7:20ish. 

I made sure to get water at all of the water stops.  I don't have a ton of experience trying to drink and run, but I think I did pretty well.  I only would take a little sip before tossing my cup, but I never had to slow down and I managed not to choke on water.  Although, on the 3rd water/sports drink stop, I mistakenly grabbed a cup of Poweraide - UGH!  I took one sip without knowing and immediately tossed it, gross!

The first half of the race went by fast, and I tried to bring my pace down the best I could.  At mile 9.5 I took my last GU.  I knew I didn't have much longer to go.  Mile 10 hit, and I started to get tired.  This was the first and ONLY time my mind got negative.  I recognized that my legs were starting to hurt, but I was proud of myself that I shut it down as fast as I could. Now why cant I do that every race?!  It made such a difference, and made me feel strong and in control.  Around mile 11 I noticed the sun started to come out, and I could tell it was getting warmer.  At about mile 12.5 you come down the last straight away before turning to go to the finish.  I didn't know there was going to be a jumbo screen there so to see myself running, so close to finishing was pretty cool.  We turned a corner and I knew I had about an 800m left.  I could do this.  I tried to find another gear and pick it up.  The most awesome thing was that you finish inside the Fargodome.  I ran down the ramp and I saw all of the people, the whole crowd was cheering and I saw myself on the jumbotron.  I also saw the time clock - I could get sub 1:38!  I had to run hard, so I did, and crossed the finish line in 1:37:59, how's that for timing?!  It took my a minute to realize what happened.  I walked to get my medal, and when the woman put it around my neck I started to tear up.  Of course at that moment a race photographer asked to take my picture, so I'm sure my eyes are all puffy :).  I know this is all sounding pretty dramatic, but I will never get the chance to run my first half marathon again, and this is exactly how I pictured it to be like.  The sense of pride you have when you finish something you worked so hard for is awesome.

* if you want to see my finish video you can click here.  I thought the time ended at the first mat not the second.  Had I known I wouldn't have "given up" so early :)  I did get a good laugh though - I'm so dramatic!

So before This get longer than it already is, I'm going to throw down my splits:

I stopped my watch a little late, so my Garmin time is a tad off.

Once I was done I got to watch Nichole finish and WIN the marathon for women.  It was unbelievable watching her come in - such an inspiration.  She wrote a great recap on her blog so go check it out.  After she finished, I watched her husband Nate finish his first marathon (3:20!), and I cheered on Jake to his second marathon finish (3:43!)

Finishers!

There is probably SO much more I can talk about, but I will end this here.  This was absolutely one of the best days - I highly recommend it to everyone :)  I am taking time to recover this week - easy miles, rest days, eating whatever I want, and I even enjoyed a glass of this last night!


oh wine, how I've missed you!

 I will have plenty of hard days ahead of me (and I kind of cant wait!), but until then I will try not to panic if my jeans feel a little snug at the end of the week :)






OH!  and if you wondered why we needed band aids.....here's the reason...


OUCH!  he wont make that mistake again



Fargo weekend recap part 1

So I decided that to try and put everything into one post would be way to hard, plus it would get crazy long.  So I'll just make you read two instead.  This past weekend was one of the best, and I'll probably be riding high all week.  I just cant help but smile when I think back on the race and when I think forward to the next.  Great things will happen, I just know it :)

So lets get on with it.  We took off Friday morning after bringing Stella to the kennel.  I swear she likes that place more than being at home - its like a vacation for her.  She gets all excited and squirmy when we pull up and practically jumps out of my arms to go play with the other dogs.  So after that we were off.  It's about a 5 hour drive from Red Wing to Fargo, and with a pit stop for lunch and some outlet shopping, we checked into our hotel at about 3pm. 


thank's for the good times Kelly Inn, and for your delicious continetal breakfast waffles ( rain was a theme for the weekend)



We dumped our stuff, changed into our running clothes and made our way to the expo and packet pickup.

We putzed around the expo for a bit, Jake bought a new tank that he wanted to wear for the race, and then we met up with Jake's Dad, step-mom, brother and sister.  His dad and bro were going to be running in the 5k race that evening.  This was the first race for both of them so it was really exciting that they were a part of the weekend's events.  Once the 5k started, Jake and I took off for a whopping 12 minutes of SLOW running.  We did 4 striders at the end too.  This helped a ton!  After being in the car all morning it felt great to move the legs.  My striders felt really good, I felt nice and light - promising for the next day :)

Once we were done with that we went back to the 5k finish to watch them come in.  There were SO many people who did the 5k, so it was awesome to see such a great turn out.  Jake's dad and brother did great, and I think they are hooked on running :)  It's always nice for other people to experience the energy of a race and how awesome it is. By the time they were done, it was going on 8:00pm and we still had to eat dinner before it got too late and line up our stuff for the morning.  We said our goodbyes to Jake's family and went back to the hotel. 

I wasnt sure what our plan was going to be for food the night before the race, and I didnt want to risk an upset stomach with eating something out of the norm, so I had brought up our usual pre-race/run food.  Grilled chicken breasts, whole wheat pasta, red sauce, and a baguette.  Except one small detail, we completely forgot any kind of paper/platic bowls and plates.  So with a quick stop to Target, and about 15 minutes in our room's microwave later, we had a delightful pasta dinner, and I could rest easy knowing my body is familiar with the food, and I didnt run the risk of dashing for a porta potty mid-race.  Although we did forget to grab one thing at Target...bandaids.....you'll find out why they were important later :)

I laid everything out that night. 


sadly no, the cupcakes were NOT my race fuel, but they sure were tasty post-race!

 Shoes, shorts, socks, tank with bib pinned on, 2 GU's, and a fully charged Garmin.  My drop bag was packed and the only thing left to do was to try and get some sleep.  That 5am wakeup call would come early...

Fargo Half Marathon results

Hi friends, happy Tuesday!  I will get a race recap up hopefully later this afternoon or tomorrow.  Just a warning though, it will probably be a long one so you might want to grab a snack.

I wanted to post up my results though.  For those who maybe follow me on Facebook you might already know these, and are most likely sick of hearning me talk about the race, but I guess I really dont care.  It was the most fun I think I have ever had and I cant wait to do it again!

Here are the cold, hard facts:

I am beyond happy with my results.  For my first half marathon I would say this is a great start.  Also, Nichole is a genius, she told me I was strong enough for a 1:38 and look at that, beat it by a whopping 1 second :)

I will be back later with a recap and some pictures....oh, and a really *awesome video of my finish

* awesome meaning I look like I'm dying

its the final countdown

Hey hey hey, Happy Tuesday!  How was everyone's Monday?  Good? Awesome.  Not good?  Today's a new start :)  I'm in a good mood because.......it's race week!  That and the fact that it supposed to get to like 90 today.  I will NOT be the first one to complain about the summer heat, I remember all too well the -10 degree windchill and snow.  Although I'm sure most people will still complain - Mother Nature just cant win.

This week is easy-peasy (with the exception of racing 13.1 miles), and here's how it's going down;
Monday - 6 miles easy
                 4x200 comfortably-hard pace

Tuesday - 5x1000m @ Tempo (6:45)
                2 mile WU&CD

Wednesday - 5 miles easy
                      striders

Thursday - REST

Friday - 10-15 minutes easy
              striders?

Saturday - RACE MY BUNS OFF!!

Sunday - OFF :)


I'm trying not to be stressed out - honestly, there really isnt a reason to be.  Nichole and I discussed a pacing strategy, so knowing the "facts" makes me a lot more comfortable.  I know what I'm going to do food and fuel-wise and have an idea of what I'm going to wear.  I did tell Jake last night that for some reason I'm not as nervous as I have been for my other 5k races.  I'm sure that may change, but I will take it as a good sign. 

We will be driving up on Friday morning to check into our hotel and get to the expo.  Jakes dad and younger brother are going to be running the 5k that evening.  I'm am SO happy they are doing it and participating in the weekends events.  It is the first race for both of them so I'm excited to watch and cheer.

Saturday evening we are planning to get together with Nichole and her husband to hang out, have some (much needed) drinks and go watch some bands that will be there.  I'm really getting excited.  It's going to be such a fun weekend and I just cant wait to cheer everyone on and celebrate some huge accomplishments.

I'll make sure to take lots of pictures :)  Also, if you want to track me, my bib number is 4429.

Chat with you later from Fargo!

Happy Mother's Day ( a day late)

It was celebrated yesterday, but I was lazy and didnt post this until today - whatever, its the thought that counts right?  I'll keep this short and sweet.

Sunday Jake and I invited our moms up to our place for brunch.  It was great because we FINALLY had finished painting our dining room and moved all the furniture back to its proper place.  It's so nice to have to feel like a room again.

The menu for the morning consisted of;

white peach & nutmeg whole wheat scones (with homemade whipped cream, sadly not pictured)



 fresh fruit salad - it just screamed "SUMMER!"

  I had also made a mixed pepper, fresh herb and Gruyere cheese quiche.  I totally forgot to take a picture of it but it looked great and tasted awesome!

table all set

I really love hosting and having people over.  So I always jump at the chance to cook and have people to my house.  Brunch and breakfast parties are probably my favorite though. 


I will try and be back later to let you know what I've got in store for the week (race week, yikes!).  Talk to you later friends :)

Nick Clare Memorial Race recap

Hi again!   Like I mentioned before, I had another 5k race on Saturday.  This was to be one last fast race before Fargo - which is next weekend, as in 12 days from now, as in, holy smokes it's coming up soon!

Anyway, the race on Saturday was in Hastings which was great because it was only about a 20 min drive.  The downside was that it was cold and drizzly all morning so that meant racing in capris and a long sleeve.  I have found that I really don't like racing in anything other than shorts - tights/capris make me feel too bulky.  I also probably could have gotten away without a long sleeve but I just wasn't sure. 

That morning, Jake decided to run the race too.  I asked him if he wanted to really "race" it, or just run it for fun.  He wasn't sure, so he offered to help pace me, which was great, all I had to think about was sticking with him and he controlled the pace.  Once we got there, we did a quick mile warm up and a few striders, we got in line all of a sudden the announce just shouted "GO!".  No warning or anything!  It was actually pretty funny, there definitely wasn't time to stand around a be nervous :)

I really wanted to beat my previous time of 21:35 from the Irish Run, so I told Jake to take the first mile at anything sub-7 (to avoid going out too fast and dying), then to move it down with each mile.  We hit that first mile at 6:53(Garmin time), second mile at 6:46.  Around mile 2.5 I started to hurt.  I felt my chest tighten up like I might puke and my legs were hurting.  I tried to tell myself that this was ok, this means I'm working hard.  I tried to stay positive and just focus on the rest of the race.  ( It helped that Jake wore my Garmin so I could obsess over my stats).  with about a half a mile to go I started to slip away from Jake, but once he told me "only 800m left", I picked it up.  I told myself I can do that, its only an 800 and then I'm done. Mile 3 came in at 6:38.  Once we were close to the finish line I told Jake to let me go, and I ran as hard as I could (little nubbin time was 6:15).  I didn't realize there was a time clock either, and once I saw it and it said 21:07, I smiled as I crossed the finish :)  It may not have been the sub 21 that I am still hoping for, but I am SO close!




My mom and Paul came up to watch and snapped this photo.  Stride needs some work, but it was at the finish - I was just trying to get there!

So, official new 5k PR is 21:07, 28 seconds faster than my previous so I am really happy with it.  Jake and I also picked up some hardware.  2nd overall woman for me, and 3rd overall male for Jake.  This is my first official trophy :)  But seriously, why do the ladies on running trophies still look like they are from the 80's with their high-waisted short shorts and unflattering tank tops, plus my lady had a mullet.  Oh well, beggers cant be choosers!




note the snow.....it was May 4th

the best way to start a Saturday

The rest of the weekend was spent having lunch with friends, cleaning, being outside (sun finally came out!), running errands and grilling up some fajita goodness in honor of Cinco de Mayo.  The weekend went by way to fast, per usual.  Now that the days are getting nice, time goes by so fast, there's just too much to do!


I can't believe my next race will be Fargo, time has flown by faster than I ever thought it would.  Have a great evening friends, catch ya later!

Week's set up

Hi folks, happy Monday to everyone! 

I haven't done one of these in a while and though I would fill you in on whats in store for me this week.  With the half just around the corner, things are starting to taper down now.  I haven't decided if I'm looking forward to low miles or if it's just going to feel weird and I'm going to get antsy?  I guess we'll see!

Monday - 1.5 WU, 3x10 min. Tempo w/3 min. rest, 1 CD
                 6 miles total

Tuesday - 4 miles easy

Wednesday - 1 WU, 2x10 min Tempo w/3min. rest, 1 CD
                      5 miles total

Thursday - REST

Friday - 4 miles w/4x45 sec. hills

Saturday - 8 miles easy

Sunday - 3 miles easy


So as you can see, things are looking a little different, what will I do with all my free time?!  Something tells me I'll find some way to waste it, but maybe I'll actually be able to clean during the week instead of letting it all pile up until the weekend!

seriously, every.damn.day.  I think our cats secretly mess it up when we are at work....

Also, I will be back later with a recap of my race this past Saturday!