Meal Planning For An Unpredictable Schedule

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Coco

One of adages I heard when I was losing weight was “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Of course, I am capable of making healthy choices in the moment, but it didn’t take me long to realize that the more I planned to enjoy healthy options, the easier it was to follow through. I admire people who do meal planning by writing out a weekly menu, but my life is not predictable enough for that approach to work for me. I’m lucky to be home for dinner one night during the week. But, I have figured out five meal planning steps that even work for my unpredictable schedule.

Meal Planning

This week’s Friday Five them is food. Join the link up hosted at Eat Pray Run DC,
Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?!. Continue reading →

Posted in Food | 20 Comments

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Recipe

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Coco

I really love my Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal recipe and my husband really likes this Banana Bread, but now that I’ve combined the best of both recipes into this Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal, there may be no going back. 

Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal

Enjoying Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal during a mid-morning break at work.  Continue reading →

Posted in Food | 11 Comments

A Hilly PR — Reston 10 Miler Race Recap

Posted on March 6, 2016 by Coco

Much to my surprise I kicked off my 2016 spring race season with a shiny new course PR at the hilly Reston 10 Miler! I had not trained for a PR, was not mentally psyched up for a PR, and was not even sure about my goal of finishing between my 2015 course PR and my 2014 course debut. But, my legs were stronger than I thought they were, and I kept my head in the game through a tough few miles.

Reston 10 Miler Race Recap I dressed for the hills in my CW-X compression tights and SLS3 socks,
opted for a tried-and-true Athleta top, my new Mizunos, and my blue Yurbuds. Continue reading →

Posted in Fitness, Race Recaps | Tagged , , , | 54 Comments

Marching Forward With The Ultimate Coffee Date

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Coco

Welcome to the March 2016 edition of the Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up! Make sure you visit my co-hosts Deborah at Confessions of A Mother Runner and Lynda at Fitness Mom Wine Country, and help other bloggers feel lucky by commenting on other blogs in the link up.

The Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up

Use the code above to grab the Ultimate Coffee Date badge for your blog.
New to link ups? This post has my top tips for making them work for you. Continue reading →

Posted in Coffee Date | 30 Comments

Goals For The Reston 10 Miler

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Coco

This weekend is my first race of 2016–The Reston 10 Miler. I have been training for the hills, but I haven’t been training for a specific target pace. Still I have a few goals in mind.

Reston 10 Miler Goals

  1. Don’t DNS. Yep, I’m starting small with this goal. We are going to visit my son the day before, so I will have to make sure that we don’t get home too late. The race starts at 8:00 am, it’s about an hour away, and I will be doing race day packet pick-up, so I need to be there early. Last year I almost DNS’d due to the weather–snow!–so I guess that could be a factor too. 
  2. Don’t Forget My Earbuds. Yes, I race with music. Sorry, I’m not sorry! Last year I forgot my earbuds and went to great lengths–and several stores–to find some before the race started. FYI, I finally found some at CVS.
  3. Meet Up For The MRTT Group Photo. A lot of women in the local Moms Run This Town chapters are doing this race. I’ve get a sketchy track record of making group photos and really hope to make this one. At the very least I hope to meet up with Deborah.
  4. Enjoy The Course. Yes, the course is hilly, but it’s also pretty, and there are enough loops and turns so that it never gets boring. There aren’t usually tons of supporters out, but there are enough volunteers to keep me going–and make sure I don’t miss a turn. 
  5. Finish At A Sub-9:00 Pace. Last year I set a PR with an 8:20 pace. The year before, I ran at an 8:42 pace. Maybe this year I can split the difference with an 8:30-ish pace?

[Tweet “Goals For The Reston 10 Miler #runchat”]

I’m joinin the Friday Five link up with Eat Pray Run DC, Mar on the Run and You Signed Up for What?!.

Please come back tomorrow for the Ultimate Coffee Date Link Up!

Posted in Fitness | 17 Comments