Running Thoughts...2010 in Retrospect

Jeff, my crazy/funny running partner, tagged me to respond to a list of survey questions. I'm doing it today because I am a horrible procrastinator and thankfully it was a short survey!

1. What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2010?

I am proudest of FINALLY training for and running in the 2010 P. F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll AZ Half Marathon, my first half marathon. I had been talking about it (mostly to myself!) since it started many years ago. I never got it together previously and always told people that it was 'too late to train' when I saw the fall/winter promotions. I ran an AMAZING race and made 2010 my year of running. Honorable mention is that I ran 10 races in 2010! I also ran a 5K with my brother and sister which is a fitness tradition I want to continue and add more family members! :D

2. What are your running goals for 2011?

I want to continue running without over-training, stay healthy and run 11 races in 2011! I want to run a half marathon in each quarter and continue the race tradition started with my brother and sister and hopefully another one with my cousins. I want to expand my list of running partners because I need that accountability. And I am committed to eating more TRUE food and losing 20 pounds that I do not need on my body.

3. What is your favorite race?
The P. F. Chang's Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Half Marathon. It was my first race in 2010 and I was ready to sign-up for 2011 as soon as I finished (well almost...as soon as I could walk without pain)! I really liked running through my town, from my former downtown digs through my current 'hood and into Tempe.

4. What is your favorite holiday guilty pleasure?

Eggnog...duh! And the FULL FAT version, not the low-fat crap...Christmas only happens once a year! Well, food is always at the top of my guilty pleasure list. After that, mocking hideous sweaters and vests that people persist in wearing during the holidays. Come on, people, some things should stay lost in the attic or basement!

5. What was your most embarrassing running moment?

During my July 2010 visit to TN, my brother, sister and I ran in the 1st Annual Race Across the Spectrum 5K. We arrived at the check-in table with plenty of time before the 7:00 A.M. start. I waited in line for 15 minutes, then stepped up to the front of the line to pickup my race bib and Tshirt. Only to find out that another 'Suzanne Johnson' had picked up MY goodie bag! Seriously...an imposter at a 5K...in Brentwood?! Joel and Tara (with verified race bibs attached to their shirts) were impatiently waiting so we could take the pre-race family photo and I had to provide blood and urine samples and run the 50-yard dash before I can get another bib! WTF...WTH...AYFKM?!? To add to the insult, her running time (1o minutes after me) was recorded under my name and original bib number. Apparently the race organizers were only indulging me with another bib and did not really intend to update the new bib number in the race results. Arrrggghhh!! In the post-race survey, I fervently recommended that they require fingerprint scanning next year...hehe! [It was still a FUN race with my siblings and we laughed about the mix-up the rest of the weekend!]

Tagging...hmmm...I only have a few followers at the moment...so I guess Jai (BIL) and Julia (2YO niece) need to start running and setting their goals!

Vegetarian Lasagna

Foodie posts continue!! :D A few weeks ago, I contemplated my first Thanksgiving dinner as a vegetarian and decided to make lasagna. However, I got lazy (shocking!) and ended up going to a friend's house and ate the side dishes (yum, 2 helpings). Surprisingly, I was not tempted by the turkey at all. Yesterday I picked up my usual vegetable bag at d'lish coffee shop and had lots of arugula. Then I remembered that I made lasagna with arugula last month but it was chocked full of Gorgonzola cheese and heavy cream. I still had the makings for "regular" veggie lasagna so I decided to make it this weekend and have yummy leftovers for the week. This version was amazingly DELICIOUS and healthier!

Ingredients:
8 Vita Spelt organic Lasagna noodles (I soaked noodles in water for 30 minutes)
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese [I used organic firm tofu]
1 organic brown egg
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
4-5 cups spaghetti sauce (I used organic diced tomatoes + seasonings)
1 package (16 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
[I used arugula instead of spinach because I have lots of arugula!]
1/4 cup organic chopped walnuts
2 cups organic shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup organic shredded Parmesan cheese
[I added several cloves of fresh garlic and a chopped onion.]

Cook lasagna noodles for 9-11 minutes and drain. [I soaked noodles instead of cooking this time and I should have soaked noodles for 10-15 more minutes.] Combine ricotta cheese/tofu, egg and parsley. Oil an 11" X 7" X 2" baking dish. Spoon 1 cup of sauce on bottom of baking dish and layer with 4 noodles. Top with 1/2 of each: ricotta/tofu mixture, nuts, spinach, mozzarella cheese and sauce. Add second layer of noodles and repeat with remaining ingredients. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Homemade Organic Granola Bars

Making more food! I found this recipe, posted in 2006, on the AllRecipes website. I made the granola bars last night and they are super yummy. Be prepared to get your hands really sticky! I enjoyed licking my fingers after pressing mixture into the pan. YUM!! Next time I will use less brown sugar and honey. The bars were a little too sweet. The recipe makes 24 bars (approx 1 ounce). Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161, Fat: 5.5g, Cholesterol: 9mg. ENJOY!!!

Ingredients:

2 cups organic rolled oats

3/4 cup packed organic brown sugar

1/2 cup organic wheat germ [I used 1/4 cup each: ground flax seed & wheat germ]

3/4 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon

1 cup organic spelt flour

3/4 cup organic raisins (optional) [I used 1/4 cup each: shredded coconut, cranberries, raisins]

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup organic or local honey

1 organic egg, beaten

1/2 cup organic vegetable oil (I substituted canola)

2 teaspoons organic vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped organic almonds and walnuts [I added the nuts]

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting or they will be too hard to cut.

ARR Thanksgiving Day Classic 2010

I had planned to be in Phoenix for Thanksgiving again because I only had 2 days off from work and I have cutoff air travel for awhile. [Side note: I have not been home for Tday since 2000. :( ] So I decided, why not participate in a 'Turkey Trot' before chowing down, taking a turkeyless-induced nap, and then checking out the local movie theater? I was reminded of the Boulevard Bolt that I ran a few times back in the 90s in Nashville. Ironically, no one in my family ever went to those races with me even though I was surrounded by family when I lived in TN. And the BB was a 5K and back then I always struggled to run 3.1 miles. Now that is my regular training workout. This year I signed up for the 10-mile event because the ARR race was in Peoria, about 35 minutes away, plus it benefited Peoria Pantry and I needed a 'long distance' training run before the end of the year. The race started at 8:00 A.M. so I arrived at Peoria Sports Complex at 7:15 A.M. with plenty of time to pickup my race bib and Tshirt. It was COLD and WINDY...definitely unexpected weather pattern for Phoenix and disliked by me!! I hurried back to my car to attach the bib to my race shirt, drink a little water and put away my new ARR shirt and STAY WARM. At 7:45 A.M., I lined up a little behind the 'START' line, sent a text message to my mother and tried to stay loose while freezing. The race started with a very CROWDED path and my toes were cold and numb for at least the first 3 miles. It sucked because I was pretty uncomfortable. Then, FINALLY, I felt like I was running in a good rhythm: smooth breathing, strong legs, decent pace. I had trouble between miles 5-7 with the rolling 'hills' on the course. I felt GREAT between miles 7-9 and I picked up the pace with ease. Plus I knew I had been slower earlier in the race and was hoping to make up some time. However, I may have pushed it because my right foot (with a burgeoning pinky toe blister...ugh!) started to burn as I finished mile 8 and approached the last mile. This mile hurt the most. I almost stopped to walk but I wanted to finish so badly. I know I would have finished a sub-10minute/mile pace except for that last mile. I am very THANKFUL that I finished the race in 1:40, was able to support ARR & PP, talk with my family for over an hour (YAY!), and was able to enjoy dinner/movie with friends. I pray for those who are struggling without family, friends, health, housing, food, job right now. My right foot is recovering nicely and I look forward to running tomorrow morning! BLESSINGS all around!! :D

Homemade Organic Granola

Well I am trying out this blog thing so I decided to write about my other favorite topic besides running...FOOD! For much of the last year, I have been exploring more ways to make my food...to add what I want and leave out ingredients (salt, sugar, long/unpronounceable words) often found in commercially processed foods as well as reduce packaging. Admittedly homemade food takes longer to make but it tastes super yummy and usually costs less than store packages. So I finally gathered all the ingredients and set aside the time to make granola in my crock pot. I found several websites/blogs that included homemade granola recipes so I hobbled it together from several lists . First, I ground the flax seeds (1/4 c.) in food processor because it takes "forever" and any seeds I missed would get ground some more in next step. Then I ground 2 of the 5 cups of rolled oats. I chopped up the almonds and switched the pumpkin and sunflower seeds for walnuts. I added twice the amount of butter and honey as suggested and added a touch (maybe a few more!) of maple syrup. After that I added unsweetened shredded coconut, dried cranberries and raisins. I turned on the crockpot and stirred the ingredients every 30 minutes or so (or when I smelled the granola - "the sign"). I forgot a few times during the 3.5 hours so I burned some parts which another blogger called 'Toasty' when she burnt her batch! I put my "toasty" granola on parchment paper to cool and 30 minutes later, I scooped 5 cups into a Ziploc freezer bag and 1 cup into a glass jar for easy access on the counter. It was toasty and tasty when I mixed it with low-fat yogurt (made in my crock pot!) and local AZ honey for a yummy snack this afternoon. Next time I make it (hopefully in 2011 if 5 cups lasts for awhile) I will add the dried fruit during the last hour because they expanded to Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade float size after 3 hours of cooking on HIGH! My next foodie adventure....homemade granola bars! :D