Swing thoughts

When I golf, I have a few swing thoughts in my head, such as "Slow backswing", "weight behind the ball", and "hit the shit out of it". If I manage to do all three, I can more often than not hit a decent shot. After all this time training for the half-marathon, for the most part solo, I've come up with some running swing thoughts. The main one has to do with breathing, as I find my lungs wear out faster than my legs. I need a good tempo for my breaths, so my mantra is, like my Bondi headband, "Suck it up, cupcake." It goes like this:
 
   *inhale*  "suck it up"  /  *exhale* "cup-cake"

Each inhale and each exhale is for a count of two footfalls. And when I find myself getting really tired, I just think "one foot in front of the other". Whatever works, right?

I had a 7-miler yesterday in cooler weather than I'm used to:

This is when I finished. Subtract a few degrees for the start time

I figured that since it was in the high 40's, I'd warm up plenty (big sweaty girl, you know) before too long, but at the last minute I grabbed a warm-up jacket. What a good choice! That wind was brutal. The part of Zorinsky I dislike in the summer (the deep woods) because there isn't a breath of air that reaches back there was my salvation yesterday. The high dam across the east side of the lake seemed to take forever, even with the wind coming from over my left shoulder.

Cold - but beautiful!

But even with the cold and wind, it was easily the best run (walk) ever. And I don't know why. But I sure kept talking about it all day - poor Dwight! I guess it's a good thing that with the race less than two weeks away, I feel ready for it.

I got a hole in my shoe yesterday, and since I don't want to be the person who shows up at the start line with duct tape on her shoe, I went shoe shopping today. My first pair of running shoes were Asics 2000 (which I loved), then these cheap Asics I let the guy at Dick's talk me into last year (not even good enough to be mowing shoes), then my new Asics. I tried out Cumulus, Nimbus, and Kayano. The Cumulus felt like rocks, the Kayanos felt stiff, but the Gel Nimbus 15 felt juuust right. (And sound most like shoes Harry Potter would wear!) I've been wearing them around the house this afternoon and still love them, so I guess I'll take them outside tomorrow and see how they feel for three miles. After weeks of my short runs being four miles, I drop down to three this week. That is going to seem so easy!

Speaking of Bondi bands, if you need to keep your hair (and sweat) out of your eyes, you need to get these. Don't be fooled by the thin, slippery ones, though - get the "heavy sweat wicking" ones. There are a bunch with fun sayings, like "in my dreams I am a Kenyan", and one I got for my friend Bobbi, who is sure she can survive a zombie attack, "training for the zombie apocalypse". I have several - the aforementioned "suck it up, cupcake", one that says "13.1" (because I did it!), one with snowflakes (wishful thinking in the middle of summer, or if you live in Rapid City right now, like my friend Tom), a black one with pink polka dots, one with a shamrock in diamonds, and my new favorite one, which sums up my running career:

What I would have said if anyone ever told me I'd be training for my second half-marathon!

I was going back through some blog posts the other day and realize I haven't been posting many meals or recipes lately, probably because they have been so non-descript. But I thought I'd start doing it again, just so I can look back and see what worked when.

So on that note, here is what I had after my run yesterday.

2 eggs scrambled with 1/4 avocado, some mushrooms, and a bit of grated cheese. And chocolate milk, which we always have in the house because apparently I am married to an 8-year-old

What I really wanted was to stop at Arby's, as I did after my 8-miler, and order the new brisket sandwich they are advertising on TV. It may have been the fact that I was starving then (as I seem to be after all my long runs), but that sandwich was the best fast food sandwich I have ever eaten!

Last night we went and saw "Gravity" with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. What a good movie - they should just hand her the Oscar now. The 3D was underwhelming, though. Alex heard that they way to see it is in 3D on an IMAX screen. Now that would be an adventure! We went to J Coco for dinner, where I may have had a burger and truffle fries with a side of Brussels sprouts -  but hey, I just ran seven miles!

Breakfast today was cereal, but lunch was a recipe I saw on Iowa Girl Eats last week. Kristin has a great blog, and invents wonderful recipes. They are for the most part pretty healthy, and all involve real food. I hate when recipes call for weird things that I'm not even sure where to find in a pretty big city, or else try to make it "lighter" by substituting out the good stuff. This is the apple orchard panini - click on the link for the recipe. I don't have a panini press, but as she mentions in the recipe, a George Foreman grill works pretty well. And it did. These were delicious.

Her pictures are way better than mine, though, so if you want to be impressed, look at hers

New favorite snack, courtesy of Genola:

Almonds + dark chocolate + sea salt, + and turbinado sugar = YUMMY

It has been cold and drizzly all day - in other words, perfect pot roast weather. So guess what we're having for dinner?!?! Can't wait!

And just to leave you with a smile, I put out our Halloween decorations the other day, and look what I found in the box. For all of you who had small children in the late 80's-early 90's, you'll recognize these Happy Meal toys:

Have a great week, y'all!