Running and Eating on the Web November 10, 2008

Two of my favorite things are running and eating.  (I run so I CAN eat!)   So, I thought I’d share a couple of websites that I visit regularly that involve these two things. 

The first one is mapmyrun.com.  You can go here and enter your address or the address where you run and actually map out your running course.  The website will tell you your mileage and if you know your time, you can find out your pace.  I love this because I enjoy running different routes.  For me, running is very mental and if I know exactly where I am and how far I have before my run is over, I get psyched out.  (Barry and Jacklynn are the opposite…they like to run a straight road, out and back).  I’ve found this website to be pretty accurate and I love that it can map ANY course in the U.S.

The other website that I visit often is allrecipes.com.  I have used the website so many times when I don’t know what to make for dinner and I only have a few ingredients on hand.  They have a handy-dandy ingredient search where you type in the ingredients you have and it will pull up all of the recipes with those ingredients.  It has also come in handy when I want to make mac n’ cheese or chicken enciladas.  I just type in what I want and I can choose from dozens of different recipes.  My all-time favorite recipe for Baked Ziti came from this website.  Super easy and always a crowd pleaser!

So, for all you runners…if you didn’t already know about mapmyrun, give it a try.  And for all you non-runners, we all like to eat, right?  So enjoy your recipe searching!

Swim. Bike. Run. June 20, 2008

These are the things I’m thinking about today.  Who am I kidding?  These are the things I’ve been thinking about for the last 7 weeks.  That’s when I was bullied into signing signed up for my first triathlon.  I have to say, I have really enjoyed the training and the challenge of swimming.  I am by no means a fast swimmer but I really feel like the endurance training has helped in my running and I’ve enjoyed mixing up my workouts with swims, bikes, and runs.

Here are some things I’ve learned during my last 7 weeks of training:

• Swimming is HARD!
• No matter what kind of saddle I have on my bike or how much cushion I have in my shorts, it still hurts!
• I am WAY more afraid of lake swimming than I thought I was.
• I am a very crooked swimmer.
• It’s always more fun to train with someone than alone.  (Thanks for pushing me, Jacklynn!)
• Swimming makes me REALLY hungry, more so than running.
• My best workouts are when I have 1/2 of a cinnamon raisin bagel and 1/2 cup of coffee for breakfast.  ( Don’t know why, but because I’m a little bit superstitious I’ll do this on race day!)
• Don’t roller skate 4 days before your race around a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds…your toes WILL get run over at least a dozen times.
• When your husband is into triathlon training as much as you are, it makes it funner.  ( I know, that’s not really a word.)
• When you order a tri-suit off of ebay and have to use your pay-pal account, make sure your address is current with Pay-Pal or your tri-suit might get delivered to your old address that you lived at 7 years ago and the people that receive it might throw it away.  (Long story…I’m not bitter.)
• Two days before and the day before the race, you get to really carb it up, and not feel guilty about it.  Oh, yeah!  Give me a second helping of pasta!

My race is on Sunday!  It’s at UCF.  Pray that I don’t get freaked out in the lake and that I can finish!

Perfect Gentlemen June 12, 2008

Just had to share this…I thought it was so cute.  The other day we went to lunch with the Bledsoes.  The adults were sitting at one end of the table and the kids were at the other.  The server came and took our drink orders, then came back to get our food orders. 

We had already determined that Ansley was ordering a PB&J and Emma would get Mac & Cheese.  We watched and listened as the server asked the kids what they would like.  First Nate pointed to himself and Ansley and said, we’ll have two PB and J’s” then Ethan said (for himself and Emma) “And we’ll have two mac and cheeses”.  What gentlemen! 

Your parents taught you well, Nate and Ethan!  (That is, of course, unless you are with a young lady who thinks it’s chauvinistic to order for her.)  My girls, on the other hand, absolutely adore you!