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MIMM-Christmas in the Park and Santa Run

I’m linking up with the fabulous Katie today because this weekend has been fun and marvelous!  What could be better than getting in the Christmas spirit and spending time with cats and family?

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The first marvelous thing? I finished bringing my stuff home from school, including my plant. It’s a plumeria I got from Hawaii, and it’s thriving in my room. I guess the humid, warm climate that seems to mold everything is good for it? Proud plant momma right here!

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Then, my mom and I shared an amazing sandwich-turkey and avocado from Ike’s, which is kind of a big deal around here (and there’s one on campus!) Yum!

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Then I did some Christmas shopping. I’m really excited about some of my gifts this year, and I cannot wait to share it with you guys…after Christmas though!

Which brings us to Sunday. Sunday I did a Santa Run 5k. I did the 5k last year, which is the only 5k I’ve ever done. After finishing training for halves, I’ve been working really hard on getting faster. I had countless 6am wakeup calls for 30 degree track workouts. I really wanted to PR this race. 

For breakfast, I had something a little unusual-cottage cheese, cocoa powder, and a little honey, topped with raspberries and served with a persimmon.

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Before leaving for the race that afternoon, I had super light lunch-persimmon, more banana bread, and a little spinach bread-like stuff. I was more concerned about having stomach issues than being hungry since this was such a short race, and I remember being stuffed going into it last year. 

The race is in its second year-it benefits Christmas in the Park, and Christmas display the city puts up every year, which was ranked top 10 in the world! Here are some pre-race photos-everyone dressed up as Santa, but I wanted something more comfortable to race in, plus my parents requested I wear something that didn’t blend in so much as they had trouble finding me in my last race, so I wore my Santa Run shirt from last year.

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The race itself? It was tough. I was super nervous before the race, and they nervousness kind of turned to nausea as soon as I started running. I most likely definitely went out too fast; I didn’t wear my Garmin because I was worried it would freak me out, but I know my second half of the race was much slower than the first.

Lately during my races, I question why the heck I keep signing myself up for them! SO painful. At least halves are slower so you can enjoy the first half of the race or so comfortably and not be dying until the end…

I definitely did not feel as prepared as I should have been. I haven’t been out of breath in this way in a while. My endurance base? It’s great. I haven’t done much sprinting though, and that needs to happen. 

I didn’t PR this race. I realized that pretty quickly. My official time was 25:36, which is 37 seconds away from a PR. Here are some very unattractive running pictures:

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I felt pretty awful right at the finish. They were handing out cookies and milk (cute, right??) which i grabbed for my dad.The thing about 5ks though? You recover pretty quickly, so it didn’t take long before I was game to try a s’mores pizza. Because why not?

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It was pizza dough with nutella, dark chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers. It was delicious! And messy. Check out the aftermath.

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Walking around after the race, my calf started to cramp a little. Nothing major, just felt on the verge of a cramp. After some salt, it was much better though!

I also got a new friend.

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And here are some pictures from Christmas in the park:

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My sister ended up meeting us there and then inviting us to her place for macaroni and cheese. It just so happens my favorite froyo place is on the way home…

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A bit of tart with fruit, salted caramel pretzel, and pumpkin pie, with toffee, brownies, and chocolate pretzels. 

And after some time in front of the TV prepping for tomorrow’s trip (more in a second), a little snack that included cheese, crackers, and these guys:

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Have you guys had Jo-jos from Trader Joe’s? Get them. Now. They’re decadent and addictive. They’re basically chocolate covered oreos but in cool flavors-these are gingerbread and peppermint. 

So my thoughts on the race? While I’m a little disappointed, I’m not really surprised. Based on my training, I knew hitting my goal pace would be really hard. I have two more 5ks in the next few months; the race made me both want to never run a race again and train even harder at the same time. Races hurt. But if I’m in better shape they hurt less, right? Or I just go faster and they hurt just as much. I have a couple of ideas of what I can do to get faster. I want to do more sprints-I need to do more agility types of drills anyways because my ankles are weak. I need to do longer runs OUTSIDE at my goal pace-like without breaks in the middle. I love doing workouts with intervals, where you get to rest in the middle. But you don’t get to rest on race day, so I need to prepare myself for that as well. And I need to click with the nutrition. To be perfectly honest, being lighter means instantly faster because there isn’t so much to carry around. I’m heavier than a year ago, and while some of that is muscle, it still has to be carried 3.1 miles. For the next couple of months I may put weight lifting more on the back burner and focus hard on running. 

As for the trip-tomorrow I’m going to Solvang, a little Danish town near Santa Barbara, which should be adorable and Christmas-y. In preparation, we had to re-watch the Psych episode where they go there. I can’t wait!

What did you do this weekend?

 

MIMM-I Didn’t Fail!

Happy Monday! It’s been way too long since I participated in Marvelous in My Monday! Thanks to Katie!

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Marvelous is…

Thanksgiving break is in 2 short weeks! Between now and then, the two big things are a Chem midterm and Spin training next weekend! Over Thanksgiving I’m going to Napa, and will visit my home friends and hopefully my home Crossfit box! 

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Thanksgiving circa 2009.

Marvelous is…

Christmas music! It’s not too soon, I promise! I especially love Spanish Christmas music. Yes, it’s a thing. My favorite is “Un Nino Se Llama Jesus,” but there are also Spanish versions of English Christmas songs. Sigh-I miss taking Spanish!

Marvelous is…

Spin certification class next weekend! I’m beyond excited. Plus, I’m stopping by home for dinner on the way back (it’s 9-6), and I get to be reunited with this guy:

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Marvelous is…

A clean(ish) room and a clean and well stocked fridge! I finally had an ounce of time and now everything is soo much better.

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Marvelous is…

Meal plan dollars. That buy me kombucha. I still have 75 to use in the next 3 weeks of the quarter. That’s about a kombucha a day, if you’re keeping count.

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Marvelous is…

Home cooking. I’m still finishing off the chili my mom brought me last week! So delicious.

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Marvelous is…

A well-earned rest day. As in, I was supposed to run 60 minutes today but I can’t move and every muscle hurts so that’s not happening.Between Crossfit on Friday (deadlifts), and a make up Crossfit workout on my own yesterday (squats and lots of abs), pretty much everything hurts. 

Marvelous is…

What will almost surely be a kick butt running workout tomorrow. Tomorrow has a 30 minute tempo run on the schedule, but I also want to do a timed mile and I missed today’s long run. So I’m planning on combining them all for a timed mile (after a warm up), followed by a jog for a total of 60 minutes of running. I desperately need to do a timed mile, but I’ve been dreading it so much, and dreading doing it early in the morning because I’m way tighter then. But then it finally hit me that if I want to run fast on race day, I need to run fast! So I’m just going to bite the bullet and do it. 

Marvelous is…

New running shoes next week! My old ones have taken my through running and training for 2 halves, and now it’s time for a new pair. 

Marvelous is…

I actually made a meal plan! The last couple weeks I was so swamped with work and lack of sleep that my nutrition was really awful. No Aurora, coffee is not a food group. And 50,000 dates doesn’t count as a meal. I’m ready to get serious about getting faster, and that means sticking to a plan that will fuel my workouts and help me get stronger. 

Marvelous is…

I didn’t fail my Physics midterm! I actually did really well! Yay!

Marvelous is…

This cake for my dad’s birthday. YUM.

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What’s marvelous for you?

MIMM-Holiday Cheer

I haven’t done a Marvelous in my Monday in a really long time, so I figured, why not? It’s been too long! Thank you to Katie!

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Marvelous is…

Halloween! I’m sort of obsessed with holidays, so most of my Marvelousness is Halloween related.

Marvelous is…

Doing a costume run on Saturday! It’s basically my two favorite things-Halloween and exercise. Image

Marvelous is…

A) Being the most popular roommate pair in my dorm and

B) Actually getting to buy Halloween candy even though I live in a dorm!

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Marvelous is…

Pumpkin carving! We did this as a dorm last year, and this year my sorority is doing it-I can’t wait! I’m all about the holiday traditions.

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Marvelous is…

Halloween decorations for our room!

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And we’re already planning to go all out for Christmas. 

Marvelous is…

Biochem. No, this isn’t sarcastic. I really actually do love Biochem. I spent an awesome afternoon studying outside a coffeeshop, on a beautiful day. 

Marvelous is…

MY SPIN CERTIFICATION CLASS IS IN A WEEK. Ahhh so excited!

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Have a great week!

What is Marvelous in your week?

MIMM-Summer’s End

Happy Monday everybody! This is the last Monday before school starts-I start so late! So let’s make it Marvelous! Thanks to Katie for hosting this party.

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Marvelous is…

Moving back into my dorm this week! I actually do think I’m ready for school to start. This has been a very low key summer, which is exactly what I wanted, but I’m getting a little antsy.

Marvelous is…

Jumping onto the pumpkin bandwagon early with a new recipe! Baby pumpkin pie-and it’s microwave friendly! The recipe should be up Monday night.

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Marvelous is…

Fig and goat cheese salads. Can’t. Get. Enough.

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Marvelous is…

Rocking my 10 mile run today. I beat my last 10 mile run time by over 4 minutes!Image

This is my last flat long run for a while since my race is hilly. I’m a little nervous because up until this point all my long runs have been flat. As far as today’s run? It felt pretty good. The shoe insert I carved out helped my foot feel better at least somewhat-it didn’t become an issue until the turnaround point. I’m convinced I would be soo much faster if my foot didn’t kill me every run. I’m getting custom inserts made so hopefully that fixes it. Also-I took a look at the carved inserts after my run, and since they’re foamy, they completely flattened, which is probably why the hole stopped helping. Oh well. Also, I rolled my ankle around mile 2. It wasn’t too bad so I shook it off and kept going. I think ice and compression socks may keep it from being an issue. 

Marvelous is…

Post run lunch. WIth a side of ice bucket (for my foot pain and ankle-killing 2 birds with one very, very cold stone).ImageImage

Lunch was a couple of baby sweet potatoes topped with spinach and an egg with spices. I also had a smoothie-cherry, pineapple, and lots of pineapple coconut water. So refreshing!

Marvelous is…

The fact that no matter what random clothes I pull out of my closet, I always seem to be wearing the same colors.Image

Marvelous is…

Relaxing post run with an adorable kitty. I’m going to miss him so much when I leave! And the poor thing-he has allergies so right now his eyes are pink rimmed, runny, and itchy. 

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Marvelous is…

Soaking up the last bit of summer with one more summery meal. Yes, I realize this contradicts the above statement about pumpkin.

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I made Grilled Peach and Chicken salad, except I used nectarines instead of peaches.

And for dessert-some of the last summer fruit in the form of a fruit bowl. Topped with sunflower seed butter-perfection.

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What is Marvelous in your Monday? Are you excited for fall or sad that summer is ending?

MIMM-Banana Chocolate Chip Custard

Hi friends! I originally had another post planned for today, but I’ve been hinting at a recipe for quite some time now, and it’s finally ready! What could be more marvelous? I hardly ever make up my own recipe so I think that qualifies for an entire MIMM post. Thanks Katie!

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 Microwave Banana Chocolate Chip Custard

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Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana

  • 1 T milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond)

  • 1/4 cup liquid egg whites of 1 egg

  • pinch of salt

  • 1/8 t baking powder

  • 2 T bittersweet chocolate chips (or any chocolate chips)

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Instructions:

1. In a bowl, microwave peeled banana for 30 seconds.

2. Mash banana.

3. Add milk and stir.

4. Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and mix well.

5. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Microwave on high for 1:15 or until cooked through.

Note: Different bowls and microwaves may take different time, so check every 30 seconds or so just in case.

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Enjoy! This is delicious, simple, and low sugar. Plus-it’s dorm room friendly! My dining halls at school always have bananas which are easy to grab for later, so this is perfect! To new college students-I also highly recommend keeping a carton of liquid egg whites (such as egg beaters) around- they make an easy protein rich meal any time,plus there’s no shell to sit in your trash can for weeks (at least if you’re me and don’t take out your trash NEARLY enough). 

If you want a silkier texture, add an extra tablespoon of milk-it might take a little longer to cook, so monitor that.

Try this! It will make your Monday a little more marvelous- I promise 🙂