Anyone still here?

I hope not, I hope you all followed me over to wordpress!

http://walkamileinmyboots.wordpress.com/

Somebody likes me!

Read about our 12 in 2012 challenge HERE

Read my blog post HERE

Thanks to Bob at How to lower cholesterol naturally for inviting me to guest blog.

Race Recap!

I wrote it! But you have to read it over HERE on wordpress. I've moved! Hope to see you over there!

I DID IT!

2:57! Instant PR! :) I'll post a full recap later, right now I'm watching the Ohio State Game, foam rolling and chatting with the husband. I'm super tired and have lots to tell you guys!

It's almost here!

Shoes....check
Socks....check
Running crops....check
Tech tee.....check
Garmin.......charging
Ipod.......check
Bib......check
T-shirt for the hubbs......check

Tomorrow's race day!My first ever half marathon! EEK! The swag is pretty sweet and a decent expo. Full review to follow!

Greetings from North Carolina!

I flew into North Carolina late last night and was picked up the beautiful and amazing Em from A life to Bragg about.  I was super drunk tired since it was about midnight so we headed to her house and crashed. This morning she made me breakfast of kale, spinach, onion, bacon and eggs. Sort of a scrambler. AH-MAZING. I'm sure she'll post pics, probably tomorrow.

 Then she whipped my booty gave me a light workout. We warmed up on Jacob's Ladder.  That thing kills!

 

Then we did some kettle bells. This is awesome! 

We did some squats and dead lifts.  I'm sure she'll post a full list of the workout since I just kind of mimicked what she did. Heh.   We finished by pushing the "sled" around a bit and cooled down on the rowing machine.

 Then she took me to a super awesome all natural and organic restaurant. It's called the Fresh Cafe and if you are ever in  Fayetteville, NC, make sure to stop by. The staff was super friendly and awesome.  We started with some fresh veggies(carrots, cucumbers, celery) and cayenne hummus.  Then I had the spiced Bulgar and black bean taco salad, minus the tortilla chips. It was SO good, it was spicy without being over whelming.  Super filling, I only ate half and brought the rest back which Em and I just finished eating. She had a roast beef quiche and crab soup which she annihilated!  Plus a cup of their organic black coffee and I was set.

Needless to say, I'm whopped and it's time for me to go to bed. We're heading up to VA beach tomorrow to pick up our packets and prepare for race day! I can't believe it's here! For those of you who are new we're running the Anthem Shamrock Half Marathon in VA Beach.  And it's sponsored by Yuengling ;) Which is why we picked this race, too bad Em can't partake in the adult beverages, but at least she'll be there with me! Toodles!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Original title right? But I'm going to make this post useful by giving you some facts and history of why we celebrate this day and who Saint Patrick was. 

- Saint Patrick was a pagan, a lot of people were pagans back in the day.

- Later in life he converted to Christianity and become a preacher and missionary for the Catholic church.

- He traveled Ireland ridding towns of the excessive amounts of snakes. This is why Pagans will wear a snake symbol today.

- When he began his mission to spread the word of God, he used the shamrock as a teaching tool. He used the 3 leaf clover to display the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is why it's a symbol we use today.

- March 17th is the date that Saint Patrick passed away.  We party today to celebrate his life and how he changed so many peoples lives. How he spread the good word of the Lord and helped convert many non-believers into Christians. 

- Wearing green came from a division in religions in Ireland and the colors of the flag.  The Irish Catholics wore green, Protestants wore orange. The non-believers or neutral parties would wear white.

I am part Irish but it's a part of me that I find interesting. My family is Catholic but my immediate family switched to the Lutheran church so I still feel a strong tie to Catholicism(hence why I don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent). 

So there's a little history lesson for you.  Take a second today to remember why we really celebrate today.  Even though really it's just another excuse for Americans to drink(similar to Cinco De Mayo).  Even if you're not Irish he still was a Christian and man of God and that's reason enough to celebrate. 

Totally attenion whore post

Got my super awesome new shirt today

 

Runner by day, deadly ninja by night! 

Got a quick 3 miles in, got to go shower and meet my friend for dinner. It's night 3 of her birthday week. :)

I also just weighed myself and I'm down to 143!!!!!! DO you know what that means? I'm officially the weight the Army wants me to be. YIPPEEEE!!!! Just got to be careful between now and weigh in in April. 

P.S. - Please don't mind my bathroom mirror. Apparently it needs cleaned.  Our maid is fired.

*kidding, we don't really have a maid.*

Training plan ideas

First, I want to send you over to a couple giveaways!
Shannon at Philadelphia Phitness Pharamcy is giving away Luna Bars!
Stephanie at Thorns have Roses is doing a rainbow giveaway with all kinds of goodies!


Way back in 2009 I had a right knee arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn MCL. I needed to get back into running, at least well enough to pass a 2 mile run for my annual Army Physical Fitness Test(APFT). Someone recommended Couch to 5K to me as a gradual step back into running. I LOVED this program. They have a handy dandy app and even free podcasts. You can upload your playlist and a little voice comes over your music and tells you to "walk" or "run."



After that I decided to run a half and started looking at training plans. I heard about Hal Higdon's training plan on a health and fitness board that I frequent.

Now I had no idea what in the world to do for "cross" days. So I started to play around with some new things and figured out what I enjoyed. So here's my weekly routine.

Mon- Yoga if I can make it to the gym since I have class this night. If not, I stretch at home. I really should get a yoga DVD and a foam roller(hear that husband?)
Tues - Easy run, whatever I can fit in since I have class this night too.
Wed - Pilates and swim/bike. Or and easy run.
Thurs - Speed workout. If I didn't do pilates the day before, I do NROLFW for strength training.
Fri - REST DAY! TAKE YOUR REST DAYS!
Sat- Usually swim and hit the sauna since I'm off and the gym is slow. Sun- Long run.

I hate when people say they're too busy. I work full time(and odd hours since criminals don't stick to a schedule, jerks), I'm taking 10 credit hours, I have my responsibilities for the National Guard, and I still prepare 95% of our meals at home and find time to work out. Believe it or not, I do have friends and a social life too! I try not to beat myself up over my workouts. Life happens and sometimes it gets put on the back burner.  I don't worry too much about my mileage.  A mile run before class is better than no run even if I had 3 miles scheduled. My most important runs are the long runs and even if I have to break it up and do half in the morning and half in the evening, I still get the miles in!

In my humble opinion, the most important things to remember when creating a training plan are these:

1) Have a back up plan! If I don't do anything on my schedule, I have a 30 day shred DVD to pop in at home if I have to.
2) Don't beat yourself up! Life happens, tomorrow is a new day!
3) Get CREATIVE .  Some days this winter I traded in my sneakers for snowboarding boots. It's a great way to cross train!
4) Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

It's like an orgasam.......for your mouth(product rave)

Did the title get your attention? Good! Because as much as I eat salads and veggies, I have tried and tried to find a salad dressing I really *love.* Ranch has always been a favorite of mine but it can be so heavy and full of junk that I thought our love affair was over. I thought that I would have to forever switch to balsamic vinegarette or italian. But alas, one day, wandering through whole foods I found this.



I bought two I love it so much!

This ranch dressing is made with yogurt and buttermilk. So it has the creaminess of good ranch. It has no trans fat, no preservatives or MSG, no artifical colors, flavors or sugars added.  It's gluten free and only has 70 calories per serving.





SEE?

So imagine my sadness when I ran out of the best ranch dressing and been too lazy haven't had time to run to whole foods to get more.  Last night when I packed my lunch, I packed my BAS(big ass salad) and debated about what dressing to take. Sure we had italian and balsamic vinegar but it wasn't going to satisfy my craving for a fabulous salad dressing. I debated so long that I actually forgot to pack any dressing at all! So today before I opened my lunch box, I ran to the semi-large non chain grocery store down the road in hopes of finding something somewhat decent that I could just keep in the fridge at work.  Lo and behold, my love stood there waiting for me! I was so excited that I screamed grabbed two bottles. One for my office and one to take home.

Now, in primal eating, most milk and it's biproducts are frowned upon. However, since I eat a modified primal and I love my ranch dressing, I really don't think the occasional indulgence is going to hurt.  Is it the best option since 60 of it's 70 calories are from fat? Maybe, then again maybe not.  I'm no nutrition expert but I do know that I can read all the ingredients on the label(they even tell what is used to pasterize the milk!), it only has 70 calories per serving, it's a bolder flavor than other ranches so I use less and it's AMAZING! Try some. For real.

Need your help!

Shannon at Philadelphia Phitness Pharmacy is promising a giveaway when she hits 100 readers. She only needs two more. Head over there now!

Don't walk....RUN! *Giveaway*

Over to Danielle's blog at And I ran...why? She's doing a sweet give away for Spring Break! I found her through Rose at Eat, Drink, be Meiri and love her blog! So go now!





Are you there yet?

Looks like more training for me!

After my half next weekend(and some rest time) I will be training for a few things. First is my annual PT test with the Army in early April. Not too worried.  Then, I start training for a grueling competition in the end of May.  Why? Because I was selected in my company as Non-Commissioned Officer(NCO) of the year!

To explain it coloring book and crayon style in civilian terms, I hold a rank that is similar to, say, a shift manager. I have a few people under me but there are people over me.  So if your super awesome hard working shift manager was picked as manager of the year and then went to a competition with other stores in your region, that would be like my competition at our battalion. Tracking so far?  If I win at battalion level(regional stores) then I would go on to brigade level(think all the top winners of each region, so like sectionals). And IF I win brigade then I will go on to a state wide competition. Holy cow I'm nervous! It's such an honor to be hand selected by my commander as her NCOY candidate. I've got lots of studying to do!

So what exactly is in this competition? Well, here ya go:
*5 mile ruck march with a 35 lb pack.
*Army physical fitness test(will be given before the actual competition)
*A formal board, which is me in my dress uniform getting grilled by some higher ups about random Army history, regulations, so on and so forth.
* A social event which basically just shows you know how to conduct yourself in a formal setting and don't get schwasted and make a fool of yourself
* An obstacle course
* Individual weapons qualification(rifle shooting on the range)
* A written essay

I think that's it but I could be wrong. And this all happens in one weekend. Eeek! I have lots of support behind me and will start kicking some training booty just after my half next weekend. Although that was not the exciting news I planned to share(still waiting to hear back) it's still pretty awesome!

Exciting news! And Friday confessions

Coming soon! I have something fun in the works and I can't wait to tell you guys but I want to make sure it's for sure.

But I'll give you a little bit of news now, I'm down to 144 pounds! That's down another 2 or 3(ish).  Pretty excited! I'm only two pounds away from where the Army wants me to be! Woot!

I don't have much to blog about today since things were crazy at work and we have drill in the morning. YAY for being busy! But hopefully by Sunday I'll have a new header(the husband is working on one) and I can give you the big announcement.

I think I'm going to start a Friday tradition of doing confessions from the previous week. So here goes.

1) I had a coke today...and Wednesday. I haven't had pop in a while but this week was so swamped at work I needed a pick me up.

2) This whole no drive thru thing for lent is a bit harder than I thought. I really had to resist the urge for a shamrock shake today.

3) I only washed my hair once this week. I know, I'm nasty. But in my defense my hair dries out super easily. I did shower every other day though.

What are your confessions? I know, mine are pretty tame. Told you I was busy this week!

One week from today

I'm going to be on a flight to Raleigh, NC. Where I'll meet up with the fabulous Em of A life to Bragg about. We'll hang out and head up to VA Beach for the Shamrock half marathon.   MY FIRST EVER HALF MARATHON!!!!! My donation page for the Wounded Warrior Project is still open, donations are greatly appreciated! Just click on the button over there ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->>>>>>>>

I'm so excited, I'm so nervous, I'm so anxious. I can't wait to drink my weight in Yuengling. Did I mention they're the sponsor? Eek. Ok, I may go run now b/c I've worked myself up into a freanzy.

Sweet sweet giveaway!

Rose over at Eat, Drink, and be Meiri  is giving away some sweet running swag! Run over and enter asap!




Are you there yet?




I said do it.................NOW!


:D

I have a twitter!

But since I'm inky about the internet and who "follows" me, please let me know if you're coming over to follow me. I have my tweets protected because I'm not a fan of random people finding me on twitter. I love followers, as long as I kinda know who they are! Follow me @amileinmyboots
Do any of you have allergies? My doctor has been switching my meds around because I have horrendous allergies year round. So bad that breathing at night is keeping me away and I sound like a smoker in the mornings. It's gross. So I'm trying to figure out if it's my allergy medicine that is drying me out so bad I have cotton mouth. I can't get enough water! And I drink a lot as it is! But I think it can also be a side effect of my Zoloft. Any ideas? If nothing else I'll bring it up at my next thyroid check up in a couple weeks.

So chuch went well last night. I think the husband was bored to tears confused since it was a VERY traditional Lutheran service.  But it was still nice to go. We're excited to try their "blended" service this weekend. We're even going with a couple friends of ours! I think this has been a great learning experience for the both of us.  He's learning my traditions and I'm learning to compromise(ha!).He even fasted with me yesterday and is trying the no meat thing on Fridays. He's a good sport.  I really hope he likes one of the other services because I really like this church so far.  But we've also agreed that if we can't find a compromise, we're ok with going to separate churches. We'll do our devotionals at home and have the same beliefs spiritually and I think that's what really matters.

Now I just need to mosey my way through the day to get home to the corned beef and cabbage I have cooking in the crock pot. Yum. I know St. Patty's isn't for a couple weeks but I promised the husband I'd make it before he left for his Army training on Sunday. Plus, I can't really turn down an excuse to make it. Guess it's the Irish in me.

So.......what do you think?

New design, new header, new layout. Like? BE HONEST!

I want to touch on somewhat of a possible sensitive subject for some people but important to me. Today is Ash Wednesday. Being raised in a Lutheran household, I knew the traditions behind Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Lent and Easter. It wasn't until recently I discovered what they really MEAN.

Ash Wednesday, According to Christian tradition, in the Western Christian calendar, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days (40 days not counting Sundays) before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter. It can occur as early as February 4 (February 5 on leap years) or as late as March 10.

Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. The ashes used are typically gathered after the palms or Palm Crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned.[1]

This practice is common in much of Christendom, being celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans

*source is Wikepedia*

My husband who has been to an Ash Wednesday service, has never been to one like a Lutheran one that involves real ashes and the whole 9 yards. He's kind of excited to go with me tonight I think. We're really getting in touch with our spiritual side and finding a compromise between us. I'm very traiditonal(obv. being Lutheran, ha!) and he's much more contemporary(Southern Baptist). We found a local Lutheran church who offers a "blended" and "contemporary" service. The contemporary was a bit much for me, but something I could live with. We're going to try their blended service this weekend to see if it's a good fit. We're on the same level spiritually, but regarding religion, we're polar opposites. So hopefully we found something that's in the middle for us.

For lent, we give up something that is a sacrifice for us to help us somewhat relate to the sacrifice Jesus made for us. This year, I have given up the drive thru. I've also given up buying bottled drinks/coffee/snacks at gas stations. This will be HARD because of my job. I stop for gas every other day because of my 1 hr commute one way, we constantly stop at gas stations or fast food places when we're out on the job. But I know it can be done and it's not nearly the sacrafice that our Lord made. Today(and Good Friday) I will fast, as is tradition. Some Catholics/Lutherans will eat one large meal on days they fast but those meals won't consist of meat, I'm going to fast completely. Go big or go home! I also will not eat meat on Fridays(another tradiiton) but still eat fish. Have you ever wondered why this time of year all the fast food places start selling lots of fish? McDonalds has their 2 fish filets for $2.22, Burger King has $1 fish sandwichs. They know their market, they know that we are in the Lent time of the year and they will sell a TON of fish on Fridays. They're smart those marketing people!

So, I hope I taught you something you didn't know, and I'd love to hear what you're giving up for Lent(if anything)!

Under Construction

Please bear with me as I make some changes. :)

Spinach, goat cheese, and burger oh my!

Ok, the picture looks really gross but they were actually good. I forget where I read the recipe but they originally used ground turkey. Well I had hamburger out already so I just used that.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 can of spinach(strained and dried)
1 lb hamburger(ground turkey)
1/2 C of goat cheese

Stir ingredients in a small bowl. Form into pattys and fry in a skillet until cooked through.

They tasted really good! They could have used for cheese but we didn't have more and it was a last minute decision to make them. Next time we'll use more. The husband also forgot to put the egg in there so I think that's why they fell apart so easily. I'm definitely going to try this recipe again! Oh and that's quinoa on the side. :)

Last night was pretty relaxed. Work, home for dinner, school. Blah. So I'm thinking about switching to word press. Anyone use it? Love it? Hate it?

Let's talk about Primal Eating.

The other day when I posted about how my primal eating was going, Carolyn asked me exatly what it was. Today I was searching the interwebz for some recipes that were primal and came across The Girl Gone Primal and found her post very interesting and to hit the nail on the head. I copied this little tidbit from her post "Like an animal"

"The primal/paleo movement is all about getting back to our natural lifestyles as evolution dictated, and yet we end up going further away from nature and into dark places of restriction and self-disgust when we make "mistakes", or covering our psychological issues with food in the guise that it's fine because it's paleo!

I'm not putting food up on a pedestal, like the vegetarian who dreams about bacon just because they won't let themselves eat it. Animals don't do that. Damaged, neurotic humans do. I can eat whatever I want. I desire healthy, nourishing foods because they give me energy and make my systems run smoothly. Sometimes I crave junkier food, and I'm permitting myself to satisfy that craving. Sometimes I feel fine after it, sometimes I feel a bit sick, but I never feel guilty. "

I am finding myself more concious of what I eat and making the decision not to eat junk because I know how I will feel afterwards. A part of my going primal/paleo was because of my allergy to what I think is gluten. *I self diagnosed myself after switching my diet around to figure out what was making me sick, I have never been diagnosed by a doctor* I want to eat things that make me feel good, give me energy, and keep me going. It's not about a "diet" that restricts things saying "you can't eat them." It's about eating what is good for you and feeling good about yourself.

I also recommend http://www.marksdailyapple.com/ and his book, The Primal Blueprint. http://everydaypaleo.com has a ton of good recipes and she even does talk shows! http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/ also has a ton of great information and recipes.

Hopefully this helps clear up some of the confusion and people don't think I'm nuts because I eat primal.

I won two awards!

OMG it has taken me 3 tries to get this freaking post done! Blogger keeps eating it! UUUGGGHHH!

I won an award from the husband for best tacos evah! (recipe in the bottom of this post)
I also won a stylish blogger award from the fabulous Em at A life to Bragg about. So now I have to....

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these Bloggers and tell them about the award!

And now for my 7 things:
1) I am a natural red head.
2) I have hyperextended elbows.
3) I was in a bad car accident as a baby(8 months) which is why I'm now a stickler about wearing seat belts and kids in car seats.
4) I grew up in Hawaii and miss it dearly.
5) I am a very outspoken and honest person. This can get me in trouble.
6) I love music. All types. My Ipod is so random.
7) I speak enough Spanish to carry on a conversation and always get funny looks from native Spanish speakers because they think it's funny.

Now award 15 other great bloggers!

1) Skinny Runner. Even though she's hit a new low. ;)
2) The Fisher Diaries
3) Eat live run
4) Lipsticks and Leathernecks
5) My bitchin' kitchen
6) Health, Happiness, and home cooking
7) Everything's better when we're together
8) The Restless Blogger
9) See Meggie Run
10) The Angry Runner
11) My Verbal Vomit
12) Meet me on the corner of Peachtree and Peachtree
13) Eat well. Live well. Be Well.
14) Radioactive Runner
15) Life {and running} in Iowa

Now for the tacos! We all know I'm not great with recipes so if you want the original, I got it here at Eat live run. The recipe was super easy and amazingly good. The goat cheese adds a nice creaminess and tastes way better than the usual plastic cheese. The avacado cooled down the spice just enough. All the flavors worked really well together. They were awesome.

My version...

Ingredients:

4 tortillas (We used spelt flour tortillas)

10 raw shrimp (frozen or fresh, deveined with tails off)

Chopped bell peppers. Colors and how many are up to you. I used 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange.

1 small chopped onion

1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. We used a lot because we like spicy.

2 limes cut in quarters, salsa and avocado slices for serving

Directions:

Fry up the peppers and onions in a skillet with a bit of olive oil. Just long enough they're warm and tender. In the same skillet, turn the heat to high and throw the shrimp in there. Shrimp don't take long to cook so just let them pink up. Then add the seasonings(chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper) and stir until they're coated.

Grab a shell, add your choice of toppings and enjoy!

So the whole primal eating thing

Is going well. I slipped a bit and had some taco bell on my way to class last night but hey, stuff happens right. The big things I've noticed about this lifestyle change(not a diet) are

1) I don't get super bloated after I eat
2) I don't have crashes after sugar/carbs(since I don't eat them! ha!)
3) I'm in a fog/fatigue but I've read that it will pass after a few weeks of your body kind of "detoxing" from all the processed sugars and junk it's used to. It could also be my new meds.
4) All the extra protein makes my butt stinky. Like bad. Like peel the paint, my husband (with no sense of smell) and the cat runs away bad.
5) It's fairly easy to make primal choices while eating out. Mexican place? Eat fajitas with the meat and veggies, no cheese or tortillas but still yummy! Chinese? Stir fry! Meat, veggies(lots and lots) and a bit of spices. Ta-da! Semi casual dining? Steak! With a side of veggies or double side of veggies and if you ask nicely, they'll steam them in water instead of butter. ;)

Overall, I'm liking what I'm seeing and while I'm still learning and adjusting, I think this life style change is going to stick. I'm going semi stir crazy because I'm trying to take it easy with running since I may have shin splints. I'm going to run tomorrow(5) and probably not again until Sunday(8) and just add more crosstraining like the bike or elliptical. First 13.1 is in 3 weeks! Eek!

That's all I've got, sorry I'm boring tonight but I'm ready for bed!

Meme

Stolen from Jacki at The Restless Blogger!

Age: 23
Bed size: King
Chore you hate: Folding clothes. We have machines to wash and dry, so why not one that folds?
Dogs: Love. I want to have either a German Shepard or Belgian Malinois one day and they'll be trained in German.
Essential start to your day: Coffee and jamming on my Ipod.
Favorite color: Green!
Gold or Silver: Silver.
Height: 5'3"
Instruments you play: I dabble in piano a bit. I've always sang though.
Job title: Counterdrug Intelligence Analyst
Kids: Someday. Names are already picked ;)
Live: With no regrets. Oh....maybe this means where? Chicagoland. LOL.
Mom’s name: Mommy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeR-lQgzAFo
Nicknames: GI Jane ;) Killer, Red, Ginger. *note* The Killer does not actually mean I've killed anyone, it's more of a term of endearment in the Army. LOL.
Overnight hospital stays: Umm...I'm sure I have, I was in a car accident as a baby.
Pet Peeve: People who can't park. Especially the ones who drive big trucks/SUVs. If you can't park it, DON'T DRIVE IT!
Quote from a movie: "That little guy? Don't worry about that little guy" - Super Troopers
Right- or left-handed: Righty!
Siblings: 1 amazing sister
Time you wake up: Bleeeeh. 0600 ish.
Underwear: Typically. Unless I'm running. What? The shorts have built in underwear, shut your pie holes.
Vegetables you dislike: I like almost all, except lima beans. Ewww.
What makes you run late: Turning off my alarm instead of snoozing. Whoops.
X-Rays you’ve had: Too many. I have to get a yearly chest x-ray at least.
Yummy food you make: Not to toot my own horn but I make some good food. My BBQ pulled pork is probably my biggest hit.
Zoo favorite animal: Tigers. They're beautiful, strong, and predators.