What I Learned from the Superbowl Sunday 10K

This morning I started the day off with a 10K race in the neighborhood.  2012 marks the 3rd year for the Sacramento Running Association’s Superbowl Run. I ran the race in 57:15 for a 9:09 pace.  I was hoping for an 8:45 pace, but the first mile was a total bottleneck and I was chatting with a friend, too.  For mile 1 being 10:30, I am pretty pleased finishing with a 9:09 pace!

I learned a few things along the way, too:

• I am really starting to like the 10k distance.  It is still a challenge without bringing with it as much pressure as a half or full marathon.  Any given weekend I could run a 10k, but it is also a distance I can see improvement in through training.
• I like 9AM starts for shorter runs
• I really like races that are close to home. This morning Aaron and I left the house 20 minutes before the gun went off.  He dropped me off a half-mile from the start so I got a little warm up and still was at the start line 8 minutes before the gun went off.
• Not eating gluten has truly changed my life when it comes to pre-race preparations. Mornings that were nerve-racking and unpredictable now run smoothly (pun intended).
• I am a big fan of running the tangents  
• I am not a fan of people who cheat and cut corners.  The race is measured on the road, so get your a** off the sidewalk and onto the road. Grey shirt and black capris, I’m talking to YOU! I still beat her, though. And that’s all that really matters, right? I kid, I kid (kind of).
• If you want to run in a well-managed race, choose a shorter race put on by people who organize marathons – they know what they are doing.
• I need to do hill training – the slightest little incline kicked my butt this morning
• I also need to learn how to breathe – I think when the going gets tough, I hold my breath.  When I would focus on long slow breaths through my nose and out my mouth the game changed! Thank you yoga for teaching me how to breathe – now I just need to remember to do it.

Now it is time for our 5th annual Superbowl party.  Aaron stayed up all night tending to the beef brisket on the smoker, we just took the wings off the grill, several dips are made, the beers are on ice and people should be arriving any minutes.  Time to put a bra on, I guess!  If I were to run for President, my first task would be to make the Monday after the Superbowl a national holiday. I don’t know how anyone on the East Coast gets anything done that day!

My heart wants to root for the Giants, but my wallet will be rooting for the Patriots in the under! Along with several other silly bets like the longest and shortest touchdowns.

A Modernation Christmas

In our family, Christmas lasts 3 days – so this Christmas post is a little delayed.  This year Christmas was a true Modernation affair.  We did everything in moderation, even moderation.  I started the festivities off with a 5K run on a 25 degree Christmas Eve morning.

We spent the day making our food gifts and then went to my aunt’s for dinner with my mom’s side of the family.

Christmas day is now a day for Aaron and I relax in sweats just the two of us (plus the fur babies).  We took the dog for chilly walk and then came home for present unwrapping and breakfast.

This year we went with the no-cook breakfast which was such a good idea.  I put together this delicious smoked salmon platter while Aaron made a fire.  We were able to leisurely breakfast and no one had to slave over the stove.

As usual, Aaron got me such thoughtful gifts – including these beautiful new sunglasses!

And I am excited for Aaron to break in my gift for him – a Weber Smoker!

In the afternoon we went over to our friends’ house for a couple hours.  The weather was so nice – we were hanging out outside by the firepit.  Love that!

Christmas night, we had a delicious dinner that we tag teamed.  Aaron grilled a rack of lamb and made a chimichuri and salad while I whipped up some homemade blue cheese risotto. It was so delicious we ate it before any photos were taken!

Monday is the day we celebrate our Italian Christmas with my Dad’s side of the family.  After a quick workout at the gym, we headed to Napa for the day to feast on crab, clams, and mussels and open gifts from our Secret Santas.

This photo of me and my grandfather from the wedding is one of my favorites.  He was really happy we gave him a framed copy!

My secret santa really went all out for me.  We got the Ravioli Maker and Pasta Press attachments for the Kitchen Aid mixer.  So excited to play!

I am pretty proud that over the 3 days of Christmas I managed to get a good hard workout in twice, and did something active each of the days.  That is pretty impressive because snuggling on the couch in sweats is so much easier!

Thankful

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I fully intend to attack a turkey later this afternoon just like every year!

I am thankful for so many things and people this year.  This year has been one of the hardest years, but it has also been THE BEST. It is hard at times, but I truly believe all the hard times are so worth it and just make the good times that much better.

I am thankful for:

My family.  Look how fun they are! And so supportive, encouraging and inspirational.

My friends.  I truly do not know where I would be without my friends.  You can’t pick your family, but you can choose your friends.  And I have picked some good ones!  Always there for advice, to make me laugh or just to listen.

I am so thankful that we were able to have the wedding of our dreams and share it with the most important people in our lives.  I feel so lucky and blessed that we were able to have the perfect day in the perfect place and that I was able to marry my perfect man.

I am more than thankful for this man

He makes me laugh every single day, encourages me to reach for the stars and most importantly loves and supports me no matter what!

And of course there is this little guy

Cash reminds me everyday that we are lucky just to wake up and to appreciate the little things in life. He can’t wait to get the day started and all he needs to be happy is love, walks, carrots,  peanut butter and a couple meals a day.

His brother isn’t half bad, either.  Look at that face!

I am thankful I am able to make a difference in young girls’ lives in our community.  Girls on the Run brings me so much joy, pride and inspiration.  These faces make me want to be a better person so that I can be a healthy role model for these girls.

And lastly, I am thankful for my body that lets me do the things that make me happy.  Thank you for carrying me through countless runs, bike rides and workouts. My health and happiness rely greatly on you!

So much to me thankful for!!!

P.S. – I am also thankful for our awesome wedding photographer, Kevin, for capturing our big day! He is amazing!!

Shame on Me

Bad Blogger Alert!  I’ll admit it – I have been so bad about blogging lately.  I know it is a lame excuse, but I have just been so busy.  I have still had plenty of time to watch every version of Housewives out there, but sometimes at the end of the day reality TV is all my brain can handle. I feel like my latest posts have been very poorly written due to my exhaustion, so I decided to just give you guys a break rather than expose you to my rambling. But no more – now you have to listen to me fill you in on what I have been up to!

Family Time

We spent Father’s Day with my Dad and Grampa.  Aaron manned the BBQ that was seriously loaded with some Dude Food.

We also hit up a wedding of good family friends.  Fun to hang out with kids I grew up with. We used to hang out in diapers together and now we are all grown up and getting married (no babies yet, though).

It was such a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple!

Wedding Planning

Wedding planning is going great. My dress is almost mine which will be exciting, invitations went out, favors are in the works (for Etsy love for those!), and we are eagerly anticipating receiving the menu and doing a tasting with the caterer.  Right now it feels like everything is lined up and ready to go, we just need to finalize logistics, dot Is and cross Ts and enjoy the fun stuff!

Food and Fitness

I have been pretty consistent with working out 5-6 days a week and really trying to eat as clean as possible and watch portion sizes.  Of course there were the Father’s Day ribs and Sunday’s movie theater popcorn and Hot Tamales, but it’s all about balance.  The warmer weather has made me crave fruit and salads which is a welcome change!

After months of hiatus, I am back to yoga!  I went to yoga last Thursday, and plan to go every Thursday for at least 12 weeks (thanks to two leftover class passes and a new 10-class card).

I am also excited about a Living Social deal I just purchased for 1 month unlimited bootcamp classes that I plan to use the month before the wedding!  By the looks of the muscles on the studio’s owner, I’m in for a butt-kicking!

I have been running, but not as far as I hoped.  I am still planning to give the July 16th half mary a shot, but a PR does not look like it is in the cards.

Finally – Obligatory Cute Dog Photos

I remembered to take the camera with us to the river yesterday to document some happy dog moments.

 

Well, We Tried…

We had BIG plans this weekend for 3 nights of camping in the woods with our friends.  We had been checking the weather reports religiously for the past few weeks, and while it wasn’t going to be ideal tanning and boating weather, it looked like it was going to be dry. Do you sense any foreshadowing here?

We headed up the hill midday on Friday got camp set up.  We had a great time hanging by the lake, having a fire, grilling dinner and drinking beers. And look, our friends got us a new tent as an early wedding present!

It is huge! And Aaron can stand up in it!  Friday night was COLD, but we made it through and woke up to sunny skies on Saturday morning. The clouds came and went all day until it turned to this:

We tried to tough it out, but the rain kept coming down harder and harder and was scheduled to stick around until 10AM Sunday.  With temps dropping into the 30s overnight, it just wasn’t the way we wanted to spend Memorial Day. So, we all packed up camp like it was going out of style, and cut our long weekend WAY short.

While we are bummed to miss out on two days of camping, it is nice to be home, dry and warm. And showered!  Cash had a blast while we were there and was a very good doggie.  He is pooped, and so are we.  Look how cute!

Here are more pics from the weekend.  Now we need to figure out what to do with the rest of our weekend. What are you up to?

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