SNOW DAY!

I know most New Englanders don't get excited about snow, but this one certainly does.  After 12 years of living on the West Coast where we were lucky to get 6 inches every couple of years and snow plows didn't exist, I enjoy the slower pace and calm that a snow day brings.  As long as it snows enough to keep people off the roads and at home safe, I'm good with it. Now, when it snows just enough to make my morning commute messy and treacherous, well, that's a whole different story.

Not sure what the pouty face is for. She was having fun. 

We were predicted to get anywhere from 8 to 18 inches of snow today and so far at this writing we've hit an unoffcial amount of 13 here in town.

Around noon, the whole family headed out.  Big snowflakes were falling down then.  Our dog, Leia, had fun with it for awhile, but she was the first one to run back inside.

Scarlett and I stayed outside for about an hour so she could play with the neighborhood kids.  They are all around 10-12 years old so it was really sweet of them to help her on their sleds.

I tried to take some more photos and videos of her playing, but the heavy snowfall and my touch screen were not a good mix.  My phone was not happy and did not want to cooperate.  I still managed to get a few photos with my DLSR camera.

She really wanted to build a snowman, but the snow just isn't wet enough for it.  The best moment was when I told Matt to help her and he looked at me stunned, "I don't know how to build a snowman.  Do you remember where I grew up?"  Oh yeah, I guess kids in San Francisco don't get much practice at making one.

Of course, when we were done we came inside for hot chocolate and warm snuggles.

Anybody else have a snow day today?

Half Marathon Training Week 4 Recap: Birthday Week

I'm not going to lie and try to make this week sound better than it was. It sucked. My training plan was fairly easy and thankful so because my birthday fell on the Thursday of this week so I was mopey. Yes, mopey is the only word that truly captures how I felt. I had Impending Birthday Doom. I definitely was not looking forward to it. If I could have curled up in a ball eating chips and mac and cheese all week I would have. Instead, I did the bare minimum I needed to get my training done and indulged in beer, wine, birthday cake and Chinese food!  

Just a note, I did switch things up a bit on my training plan to fit my family's schedule better this week.  I'd rather get it done just on different days than not at all.  

Monday

Stayed home with a sick kiddo today, but I decided to get in a 6 mile run once my husband got home so I didn't have to wake up at 4 am tomorrow to run 7 miles. I was exhausted and my stomach hurt, but I found the drive to get it done. I'm glad I did because I felt so much better afterwards.

Tuesday

I switched up Monday and Tuesday's workout on the plan.  Tuesday ended up being a rest day with a Super Short Strength Circuit (SSSC) to work my triceps and core.  I really wasn't into these set of moves this week.

Wednesday

Wednesday should have been a fun workout with SSSC, but the fun never happened.  I honestly can't remember what I did instead, probably just made dinner and cuddled on the couch.  Remember, I wasn't really feeling it this week. 

Thursday - My Birthday!  Yay? 

My birthday AND I get to run INTERVALS.  YAY!  I decided to spend the first day of my 38th year circling the sun by getting up at 4:30 am to get this done.  I won't lie - I originally got back into bed, but after 30 seconds or so I had guilt tripped myself into getting up again to run.  

According to my plan I had to do a 10 minute warm up, Then 3 rotations of 1 minute in zone 4-5 with a 2 minute recovery then 2 minutes in zone 4-5 with a 2 minute recovery.  Cool down was 10 minutes.  

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be and I was happy to get it done.  It gave me enough energy to get through the day which ended in beer and birthday cake.  

Friday

I took Friday off from work for my birthday and so Scarlett and I could get our physical exams done for the year.  I did manage to squeeze in a 3 mile run (was supposed to be 4) before we left.  It was hard fought and I'm pretty sure I sweated out all of my beer from the night before.  There was really nothing easy about it, but again I was just happy to get something done.

Saturday

Today was supposed to be my long run day, but since Sunday was supposed to be the nicer of the 2 days I switched it.  Instead we all took a 1 mile family walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the Spring-like weather.

Sunday (Long Runday)

The day was finally here!  It was time to get my 7 mile long run done.  Before my run I made sure to stretch out my calves because they have been so tight lately.  It felt good to stretch and I was hoping they would hold up for this run.  I headed out around mid-morning hoping the weather would be just perfect.  I bought a runner's water bottle, you know the kind that straps to your hand, and tried it out for the first time.  I was irritated with it after the first mile so I dropped it at home.  By mile 4 I had regretted that decision and had to stop home for a drink.  I just needed enough to wet my whistle.  

Overall, this run was just OK.  I felt dehydrated, and my stomach was really unhappy.  Hell, even my allergies were bugging me.  My calves stayed sore for most of the run.  I still managed to make pretty good time all things considered.  

I'm definitely going to have to figure out something to eat at mile 6 besides raisins.  I haven't perfected how to eat them while running and without dropping them all over the ground.  I do have an idea that I am working on and it involves my fat bomb!  Stay tuned!  

Let the Half Marathon Training Begin!

 I START HALF MARATHON TRAINING THIS MONTH! 

This means that now my family time will be even more limited although I did use some of my Fantasy Football winnings to purchase a training plan from Another Mother Runner which will help me stay on track but allow for some downtime too, if you count being a wife and mommy as "downtime".  If you haven't heard of them, you should really check them out.  They understand the challenges of being an athlete and a mother.  I recently ordered their book Tales from Another Mother Runner:  Triumphs, Trials, Tips and Tricks from the Road.  I can't wait to delve into it!

Week 1, Day 1

Monday, February 1 was Week 1 Day 1.  My first run was a circuit run which means I did a 5-10 minute warm-up, then alternated performing 4 different moves for at least a minute before jumping back on the treadmill for 5 minutes in between each one.  The moves were squats, planks, arm circles (forwards and backwards) and push ups.  I didn't think I would like this kind of run but I really did and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Week 1, Day 2

For day 2 I had to put in 4-5 easy miles.  I decided to run on my lunch break rather than wake up at 4:30am when my alarm went off.  I'm so glad I did!  It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day out!  If you look at my splits you can see that I have no idea how to pace myself. Granted, it didn't help that I was dodging beer bottles, sticks, ice, patches of snow, puddles and just random pieces of garbage floating around Manchester, but still I think those times are horrible even for me.

Day 3, today, was a rest day except for performing a Super Short Strength Training Circuit.   The circuit consisted of performing each of 4 moves for 1 minute.  The moves were:  Push ups, leg lifts, spider man walks and of course, squats!

Tomorrow I need to run some intervals so I'll be "runching" (running lunch) it again!

For the record I am running the Gate City Half Marathon in Nashua, NH on Sunday, May 15! 

February Low Carb, High Fat, Gluten Free Dinner Menu

Happy February!

Smoked Sausage Cheddar Beer Soup .

February is a very special, very busy and very expensive month for us.  Both the Mister and I have our birthdays, there is Valentine's Day and my brother and mother-in-law have birthdays as well.  And there is the Super Bowl too which we actually get to relax and watch this year since our beloved Patriots won't be in it.  Crazy.

February also brings with it a new dinner menu.  During the last week of the month prior I sit down with my pen, paper and log into Pinterest to start planning out the next month's menu.

I started menu planning a year ago and it really has been a game changer for me.  I don't grocery shop nearly as much because I have everything I need to make dinner already.  We also don't eat out as much because frankly, if I can make it at home why would I pay someone 3 times as much to eat it at their restaurant?  Menu planning has definitely made me picky about eating out.

Now, I don't cook every night and most of our lunches tend to be leftovers from the night before.  The reason I don't cook every night is because I get such little time to spend with my family that I really can't bear to stand at the stove for an hour, hour and a half every night.  Plus, I start Half Marathon training this month!

February Dinner Menu

Super Bowl/Husband's Birthday Meal  

• Bacon Cheeseburger Crock Pot Dip:  I buy GF chips, but they are NOT low-carb so be careful here if you want to stay in Ketosis.
• Smoked Sausage Cheddar Beer Soup  

Cuban Pot Roast from I Breathe I'm Hungry.

Rest of the Month

• Tuscano Soup
• Smoked and Pulled Pork Butt
• Low Carb Chili
• Taco Soup
• Beef Stew
• Smothered Pork Chops
• Cuban Pot Rost

The Ketogenic Cookbook Recipes

The Following recipes can be found in the book The Ketogenic Cookbook.  

• Zucchini Tot Hot Dish
• Swedish Meatballs
• Easy Mortadella Ravioli
• Kielbasa and Braised Cabbage
• Herb and Ricotta Rotolo 
• Asian Lettuce Wraps 

I'd love to hear about which recipes you've tried and which ones were hits or misses!

Until next time!

Sabrina