July 5K- The Color Run!

 

Before color.  The girl in the background looks thrilled to be there.

This was my first Color Run!  I did a Powder Run in April, which is kind of the same concept.  I could not believe all of the people there.  We opted to run the early morning wave, at 9am.  The weather was perfect.  I met my sister and nephew in Des Moines (about 2-2 1/2 hours for both of us) Friday night.  We checked into our hotel and went to Fongs Pizza to carb up a little.  Fongs is this fantastic pizza place in Des Moines, IA.  It used to be a Chinese restaurant, and it still has the Asian  flair.  Many of the pizzas are Asian inspired.  Like Crab Ragoon pizza?  THE BOMB.  We headed back to the hotel.  Bloom took a swim and then we hit the sack. 

You know whats awesome about this race?  There is no time.  Everyone is there to have fun.  Local bars had beers for sale outside.  I didn't get as colored as I thought, which is okay I guess.  I am hoping to do this race every year.  Hopefully the tutu trend dies.  Like soon.   

Bloom waiting patiently to start.

Aftermath.

Not as much as I hoped, but it may have covered a few of the bacon-wrapped tator tots I had after.  :)

June 5K-Race for the Cure!

 I absolutely love this race.  Due to working 3rd/all-weekend shift I have not been able to participate the last two years.  This is a 5K my sister and I have been doing together for a long time.  My nephew Bloom loves to run, so this year he came with us.  I remember pushing him in a stroller for this race about seven years ago, and now he run along with us!

As I have said before when my sister and I go together we just walk so we can catch up.  We walked the 5K in about 50ish minutes. 

This race is a lot of fun with all the bands and spectators that come watch.  We always walk thru a Hispanic neighborhood and they always decorate their outside, have music, and cheer the loudest for everyone.

It was a good time...felt good to do it again!

We're usually pretty silly together

Stretching out before the race!

Race for the boobies...in a singlet?

After race treat...Reuben Rolls!

May 5K-The Furry 5K!

This race was totally cute.  Kind of a clusterfuck, but cute.  The Furry 5K raises funds for the Cedar Bend Humane Society, which is our local animal shelter.

The race took place on Mother's Day morning, and I did it with my two besties from work.  Pictured with me is Darrin and his dog Dakka and Ben with his new Beagle, Jake.  Darrin is quite the go-getter, so about five minutes into the race, he and Dakka took off.  Jake was around three months at the time, so Ben and I just had a stroll.  Plus we didn't want to deal with the leash craziness ahead of us.

The weather was great and we didn't step in any poop, so all was good. 

Reuben dressed for the occasion.

One 5K a month? Why not four?

 April was a busy month!  For some reason I signed up for not just one, but four 5Ks.

The first one I did was the Fools 5K.  Trekman Racing is a local company who puts on quality race events.  They also sponsor our roller derby team!  I really liked this race.  The course was in one of the state parks.  Very pretty, but it was freezing that day!

I liked this race because they line participants up by their average mile time.  So slower ones like me, started in the back.  I normally do anyway, but there are a lot of people who start where they shouldn't.  My goal was to finish under 40 minutes, and I finished in 39:21.

 The next race I did was the Stomp Out Sexual Assult 5K.  This race raised money for a local domestic abuse agency.  The course was on a golf course, and with huge hills and frost, this was not so fun.  I don't remember my time exactly, but I believe it was 45ish minutes.

 My next 5K was the Powder Run, put on by our local community college.  I walked with one of my roller derby teammates and one of her friends.  In the picture with me is Abby Long-Legs.  Her and I started derby together.  Sweet girl she is!  It was on a Tuesday night, which is a little strange.  It was very cold, and a lot of the race was in an open field.

There were three color stations, and dirt and worms to eat at the end.

 The last run I did was the March of Dimes.  This was a 4.5 mile walk.  The Push-Up Brawlers were asked to be involved.  We had a team put together to raise money and walk the race.  Thanks to my awesome family and friends, I was able to raise over $600!  It felt really good to do something like that. 

Pictured with me is Abby Long-Legs, Desmo, Little Desmo, and Occupational Hazard.  The weather was lovely that day.











It may be a little excessive to do four 5Ks in one month, but if they are for a good cause, I figured I could spare a couple hours out of my day. 

St. Patrick's Day 5K!



Kiss me, I'm Iowish.



I'm Irish and my family has always made a huge deal about St. Patrick's Day.  I go to my sister's every year because there is a huge parade (the only bi-state parade in America) and you can drink green beer right on the street.  My sister and nephew ran the family 1 mile run, and I did the 5K on my own.  It was pretty chilli out for being mid March.  The course was a nice flat run downtown.  The atmosphere was awesome with the crowd, Irish music, and seeing orange, white, and green flags flown everywhere. 

I finished in just over 38 minutes....10 minutes faster than my January run.










The next day we soaked up the soreness and booze with some tasty corned beef and cabbage.
 

Favorite.



February 4 Miler!

So yes, I suck at keeping my blog updated.  I take a lot of pictures for it and have things to say, but I just never take time do it.  So my apologies!

Remember I had a goal at the beginning of the year to do one 5K a month?  So far I am on track!

We had a very mild winter in Iowa, so the run in Febrary wasn't as bad as one would think.  Down in the Quad Cities they have an annual Chili Chase, which consists of a four mile run and at the end they have some awesome chili to chow on.  My sister and I did it together.  It was nice to be outside and not freeze our asses off.  We finished in just over an hour.  When my sister and I do races together we typically walk so we can talk and catch up, with out sounding like we're dying or having sex.

Oh yeah...another perk is beer at the end. 

Coors Light is more tasty than a medal.

10,000 calorie challenge: January

Well I didn't make it.  Close, but not quite.  I was super miffed because my phone flew out of my lunch bag and broke, so I lost my HRM pictures from practice on 1/2 and 1/7.  I didn't count them as I can't remember them, plus its my punishment for not keeping up on my food/work out journal.

Roller derby practice 1/9

Insanity fit test

Roller derby practice 1/14

Insanity

Roller derby practice 1/16

Frostbite 5K 1/18

Roller Derby practice 1/21

Roller derby practice 1/23

Roller Derby practice 1/28

I went roller skating the weekend of the 25th, but I didn't wear my HRM.

Total burned:             6247
Calories from goal:    3753  (So with the missing practices and roller skating I may have made it!)

Maybe next month!

Crockpot Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I love salsa chicken.  Its such a go-to for some tacos that wont kill your diet.  I found a recipe on Pinterest for a new twist on chicken tacos.  They turned out awesome and they made good leftovers the next day.

What you'll need:
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breasts
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 c. of cilantro
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 tsp of dried onions
1/2 c. of water

What you'll do:
Put it all in the crockpot.
Cook all day.
Shred when done.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√√

When I make this again, I wont use as much lime.  I think you could get away with 1 1/2, if not 1 lime.

Cheeseburger Pasta

This was basically glorified Hamburger Helper.  It wasn't bad...just a little dry.  I would make it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

What you'll need:
1 pound of hamburger
1 pound of penne pasta-cooked
3/4 c. of milk
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 c. of shredded cheese
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 c of parmesan cheese

What you'll do:
1.  Brown ground beef, add salt and pepper.  Drain fat.
2.  Put on medium-low heat, add milk and cheese.  Mix until cheese is melted.  Add parmesan cheese.
3.  Add cheese sauce to beef and mix.
4.  Add pasta to beef and cheese mix.

Buying a box of Hamburger Helper would have been easier, but we had all of the ingredients in the cupboards.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√

Crockpot Italian Onion Chicken Sammies

This recipe was not even photo worthy.

Most chicken I put in the crockpot is bomb, but this one was terrible.  It smelled good, but it was super dry and way too salty.  Perhaps I needed to add more liquid?  I even bought yummy sweet hawaiian buns to put them on, but those were even more help.

What you'll need:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. of water
1/4 c. of Italian dressing
1 envelope of dry onion soup mix
garlic powder-per taste preference

What you'll do:
1.  Add chicken to the crockpot.
2.  Mix water, dressing, soup mix and garlic.
3.  Pour over chicken.
4.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.
5.  Shred...serve on buns.

Hopefully you will have better luck than I did!

5K Challenge: Frostbite 5K

I decided for the year of 2013, I want to do a 5K every month.  I love 5Ks because they take less than an hour, your fees go to a good cause, and you get a free t-shirt!  Iowa weather can be a bitch to deal with, so I was nervous about doing them in January/February.  Turns out the 5K I registered for in January had perfect weather.  It was almost 50 degrees!

The 5K was called the Frsotbite 5K, which benefits the Alzheimer's Association for the Quad Cities.

I convinced my sister to go since it was near her (she lives two hours away), and then we got my eight-year-old nephew Bloom to go.

My sister and I wanted to walk so we could catch up and talk (and mostly because we are out of shape) but being a typical eight year old, Bloom wanted to run ahead.  I told him if he walked by us he could listen to my iPod.  He was good for a bit and decided to creep ahead of us.  I eventually had to run after the little turd, which I couldn't catch up to him.  There was a loop at the end for the .2 mile, and I caught him finally.  He ran the loop again with me, and we finished the race together.

I wasn't very happy with hum, but we finished five minutes before my sister.  My time was 48 minutes. Not great, but for not training at all I will take it.

The weather turned very cold the next day, so I'm not sure what February will bring.  If there is a month where I'm not able to do the 5K, I will do two in another month.  So far I'm one for one ;)

Not bad for a stroll in the park!

Parmesan Turkey Cutlets

Turkey was on sale at the market last week, so I bought a bunch of it!  I figured Pinterest would have some recipes I could use, and to no surprise, they did.  This was super easy, and it was very good.

Click here for recipe!

Most, if not all of the ingredients will probably be in your pantry, which is bomb.  

What you'll need:

½ cup dry Italian bread crumbs

2 heaping tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp. parsley flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. lemon pepper 

1/4 tsp. thyme 

5 sliced turkey cutlets

3 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil

What you'll do:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings in shallow dish. Dip turkey cutlets in crumb mixture. Coat both sides well. Spray baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Place cutlets in baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Mr Whoa rating:

****

He liked them just fine.  He was worried the turkey would be dry, but it was juicy.

Part Three: My year in review

16.  Finish my tattoo.  I dId post before that I did get this done.  This is the beginning of the tattoo.  At my old job I could not have a sleeve, so I took the concept and put it on my side.  My dad was in the Navy and was very proud of his Irish background, so I wanted to intermix the two.  As you can see below I did a horseshoe for good luck, an anchor with a heart, a swallow holding two hearts for my Ma and Pa, and yes, those are brass knuckles with clovers for the finger holes.

Two years, and many painful hours later:

I added a ship wheel, a compass rose, and nautical stars which all mean finding direction in life.  And of course the back to tie it all together is the squid.  Squid is a nickname for people in the Navy.

17.  Take a spa day.  Well I had a spa day over a couple of days.  Before Vegas I did get a mani/pedi, and in Las Vegas I got my hair and make up done.  It was so fun...I hope to do it every time I am out there.

18.  Pay it forward.  I was never really into Starbucks, but I started going there for their awesome Carmel Brulee lattes.  On two occasions I bought the person behind me their drink.  

19.  Take a cooking class.  I still need to do this.

20.  Burn 10,000 calories in a month.  Well this is my punishment for not blogging on a regular basis.  I mean January is over half over, and I am still updating you about LAST year.  I made a habbit of taking a picture of my heart rate monitor to show how many calories were burned, and guess what.  My phone broke.  I have no idea if I hit my goal.  :(

21.  Participate in the home delivered meal program.  I never got a chance to do this/

22.  Take care of me, medically.  I am still having issues with break-ours, but I assume a lot of it is my hard hat at work and my roller derby helmet.  I got new glasses, but I lost them.  My doctor moved, so I guess I'm back to square one.

23.  Have a make-up lesson.  One of my best friends and I went to Las Vegas for her 30th birthday in November.  I surprised her with appointments at the spa at the Venetian, to get our hair and make-up done.  It was so fun!  The staff was great.  Here is the finished product:

I can clean up nice.

24,  Get prettied before I go out of the house, at least twice a week.  I did pretty well at this!  It was nice looking presentable instead of like a hobo.

25.  Detox my closet.  I got rid of a ton of clothes!  I had great success with a Facebook for-sale page.  I made close to $800 just taking pictures and listing them on Facebook.  I need to do it again, but I made more space in my closet.  I guess this means I can shop ;)

26.  Be Mrs. Hallmark.  I sent a lot of cards, hopefully making a lot of peoples' days.  :D

27.  Get my 401K rolling.  Yes I know.  I know, okay???

28.  Plant a garden.  This was a huge fail.  I tried.  I bought stuff.  I tried to til and I got tired.  Maybe next year.

29.  Go horseback riding.  I did not get a chance to do this.  Hopefully this spring.

Don‘t sweat the small stuff.  I am trying.  I promise ;-)

So in a nutshell I didn't do too bad.  I took care of some major things that I had been putting off for a long time.  Here is to a new year, and hopefully more things checked off!