Racing Rain or Shine?!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by Coco

So here we are on the eve of the GW Parkway Classic and the meteorologists are telling us that today is the nice day of the weekend, because the forecast for tomorrow calls for heavy rain. I am trying to psych myself up for a 90 minute run in the rain, trying to convince myself that it will be fun, trying to keep in mind how much better that post-race grande bold Starbucks will taste, and reminding myself to get some more Epsom salt for a nice hot bath afterwards. I’m not sure it’s working yet, but I still have about 23 hours to convince myself.

This past week seems like a blur because I had so many after-work activities and meetings, but I did a pretty good job of sticking with my morning workout plans.

Monday (Weights)
Walking: 1.5 mile morning dog walk
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs

Tuesday (Treadmill Speed Intervals)
5 min walking warm-up @ 3.7 mph
5 min running warm-up @ 5.7, 6.0 and 6.3 mph
30 min of 5 min cycles with 2 min @ 6.5 mph, 2 min @ 6.7 mph, 1 min @ 6.3 mph,
     with 2 min @ 7.0 mph tossed in at the end
2 min running cool-down @ 6.0 mph
3 min walking cool-down @ 3.7 mph

Wednesday (Weights)
Elliptical: 15 min random program
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs
Walking: 1 mile afternoon dog walk

Thursday (Rest)
I woke up with a headache and a slightly sore throat and decided to snooze.  I think it was just allergies but the extra hour of sleep did not hurt.

Friday (Weights)
Walking: 1.5  mile morning dog walk
Weights: 30 min mostly arms and abs

Saturday (Walking)
Walking: 1 mile morning dog walk

Last night I picked up my race bib and t-shirt.


(I think it’s silly that they chose the monuments for their logo
because the course isn’t anywhere near them, but it’s a pretty logo!)

My plans for today are to hydrate, eat right, and find a big garbage bag to keep me dry at the starting area.

Have you ever had to race in the pouring rain?

Have you decided not to race because of a rainy weather forecast?

Posted in Fitness, Training Log | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Having Time, Taking Time

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Coco

At 11:30 am on Monday I was tapped for an urgent work project that had to be completed by Tuesday. When a friend asked if I could go out for lunch, my first thought was “I’d love to, but I can’t.” But it was a gorgeous day, and I knew the rest of my day was going to suck, so I took the time anyway.

On Tuesday, I had to tackle the work that I had intended to do on Monday, and was hoping to leave early for my son’s lacrosse game. I didn’t have time to stand outside for half an hour in the hope of seeing the space shuttle Discovery, but I took the time anyway.

On Wednesday, I didn’t have time to get my hair cut, go to the dentist, and keep my car repair appointment, but those things could not be put off any longer, so I took the time anyway. When I got home at 4:00 with three things still on my work “must do” list, I didn’t have time to walk the dog, fix dinner, or watch Revenge, but I took the time anyway.

 

When you don’t have time, what do you take time for anyway?

Posted in Life, Work | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Wordless Wednesday (The Discovery Edition)

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Coco

Taken by a colleague with better photography skills and a better camera than I have,
as the space shuttle Discovery was flown over our office on its final tour before it is retired
to the Smithsonian Institution’s Udvar-Hazy Center in Dulles, Virginia
Posted in Life | Tagged | 3 Comments

Going Halfway

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Coco

When I was losing weight, I saved calories by switching from my beloved Half & Half to
Fat-Free Half & Half. Once I reached my goal weight I switched back, and I haven’t looked back until I recently discovered Low-Fat Half & Half.

Taste-wise, it gives full-fat Half & Half a run for its money, and with only 25 calories and 1.5 g fat in each 2 tablespoon serving (compared to 40 calories and 3 g fat for the full-fat version), it seems like an easy way to save calories and reduce my consumption of saturated fat.

But one morning as I was pouring some Low-Fat Half & Half into my coffee, the ingredient list caught my eye.

Ingredients: Milk, Cream, Contains less than 1.5% of the following: Whey Protein Concentrate, Carrageenan, Potassium Citrate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Color Added (Ingredient not in regular half & half)

The ingredient list for the full-fat version is much shorter:

Ingredients: Milk, Cream, Contains less than 0.5% of the following: Sodium Citrate and Disodium Phosphate (Stops cream from separating in hot liquid).

Maybe “less than 1.5%” of additives isn’t worth this much thought, but it is still three times as much as in the full-fat version.

So which is worse, three times the additives or twice the saturated fat?

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Coco

I finished my long run early on Saturday, and took advantage of my free morning to browse the internet for some healthy pancake recipes. With several overripe bananas on the kitchen counter, I decided to search for “banana pancakes.” The first recipe I found called for 6 Tablespoons of butter, so I decided to add “healthy” to my search.

This YouTube video is one of the first things that came up:

I don’t usually take the time to watch video clips when I am looking for a recipe, but I decided I could spare a few extra minutes. The recipe looked simple, healthy, and had the potential to be delicious.

  • 4 egg whites (1/2 cup)
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 banana, sliced
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T flaxseed

I decided to give it a try, but made some variations:

  • 1/2 cup Eggbeaters
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 T flaxseed

I measured the ingredients into the small bowl of my Cuisineart.


After a few pulses, I poured the batter onto a pre-heated skillet

and cooked them until they reached a nice golden brown.

pancakes

I topped them with a drizzle of maple syrup and served them with some sliced strawberries.


They were delicious, and quite filling! I used a bit more than half the batter to make three pancakes, and that was plenty to satisfy my post-run hunger. I made the rest on Sunday, rounding out the meal with some Greek yogurt.

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe?

Do you like watching YouTube videos for recipes?

Posted in Food | Tagged | 11 Comments