Yesterday I attempted my longest run yet, 18 miles.  It was pitiful.  I had to start taking walking breaks somewhere around mile 9.  I’m frustrated, shouldn’t I be getting stronger?  I’ve followed the training plan pretty much to the letter but it doesn’t seem like these long runs are getting any easier.

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I know it’s okay to walk some and that there is a marathon training plan based on alternating walking and running but I want to run, or at least jog.

I had been dreading this run all week, I wasn’t sure I would make it but I felt strong for the first 9 miles or so then things fell apart.  I can’t tell you if it was mental or physical.  I know that somewhere around mile 15 or 16 it was physical but before then I just don’t know.

I’m running with a hydration pack with 12 oz of water and 12 oz of Powerade, should I be carrying some Gu at this point?  Do I just not have enough calories to keep my legs moving?

If anyone has any suggestions I greatly appreciate it.

…”I’m late, I’m late”.  We just started working on a new renovation project yesterday and I feel my comfortable routine is slipping out of control.  I put in 4 miles on the treadmill first thing yesterday morning but I feel like I never got off the machine.  I ran all around town taking care of the details involved in closing on the purchase of our renovation project but I never felt like I got anywhere.  Just like running to nowhere on the treadmill.  The worst part is that I never really shut down so I had a terrible night of sleep last night and we left for the job site shortly after 7:00 AM so I’m groggy.

My sister and niece are coming into town on Sunday for the holidays and I have a bunch of stuff to take care of to get ready for them.  Not to mention the 5 0r 6 things on my to do list that never made it to to done.  See, I’m whirling around like a crazy person.

I guess the only thing to do is to breathe and knock things of the list one at a time.  Sorry for the rant.  I’ll think happy thoughts and be back tomorrow with some encouraging words.

White Chocolate Peppermint Brownies

I was feeling a little down yesterday and not very motivated so I decided to try a recipe I saw in the December issue of  ”Real Simple” magazine, of course the recipe wasn’t simple enough so taking a cue from Sandra Lee’s semi-homemade show I adapted the recipe.  These brownies are so simple and very attractive, I think they look like they took more work than they did.

Here’s my recipe:

1 box of brownie mix for an 8×8 pan (my mix calls for 1 egg, vegetable oil & water)

6 oz. white chocolate chips

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies (I found a bag already crushed at the store, how cool is that? Otherwise you can crush peppermints or candy canes with your meat mallet or rolling pin, if you’re feeling christmassy you can throw in some of the green ones too.)

Prepare & bake brownies as directed on the package (or make them from scratch if you truly desire) and let cool (this is important).

Mix white chocolate chips and canola oil in a microwave safe bowl until melted (for my sister: try 1 minute first, stir, and then go in 10 second increments, the melted chocolate will probably have enough heat to melt 10 or so chips)

Spread chocolate mixture onto the cooled brownies, sprinkle with crushed peppermint.

Let the chocolate set up before cutting brownies into 16 pieces.

I don’t have a calorie count but I’d say you need to run about 4 miles to burn off one brownie.  Unfortunately, I ate 5 yesterday and only ran 6 miles, I don’t think Mr. Scale is going to be happy with me.

Enjoy.

I’ve been training for the Austin Marathon in February.  I’m doing this not because I’ve always been a runner, especially a distance runner, but because I haven’t.  In school I was a sprinter, if we had to go more than a mile I’d wait it out, it just wasn’t my thing.  But I always thought doing something big like a marathon or Ironman would be really cool.  I just didn’t think I could do it.

My first long run was in 1998, I did the Seattle Half-Marathon, then I did another one also in Seattle about 5 or 6 years ago.   They were miserable, I didn’t train and I ended up with very slow times and walking pretty big portions of the runs, but I finished.  Anyway, the marathon has been on my New Year’s Resolution list for years and this year I decided to do it.

Actually, I decided I needed to lose some weight and the only way I’ve ever been able to lose weight is to exercise.  I love to eat so dieting doesn’t work that well for me.  Anyway, in June I got totally disgusted with myself and decided to do something about it, so I started working out on the treadmill and the elliptical trainer.  Then I decided to start running.  I started following the beginning runner’s plan in “The Runner’s Handbook” by Bob Glover.  I made it through the first 10-week plan and realized I had enough time (just barely) to complete the marathon training plan in time for the Austin Marathon.  So here I am nine week’s in running more miles than I ever thought I would with 9 weeks to  go until the Austin Marathon and I’m wondering just what the heck I’ve gotten myself into.

Yesterday morning did not start out very well.  I guess the problems started on Saturday evening.  You see the remaining 5 of my original group of chickens stopped sleeping in their coop this summer.  I thought it was because it was so ridiculously hot, or maybe because of the Rat snake in the coop, so I let them get away with it.  But now it’s winter and even though our winters are fairly mild I worry about them freezing to death or getting soaking wet in the rain.  So Saturday night I locked them in their coop enclosure at bedtime and I locked the young boys out, letting them roost in the trees like they learned from the originals.  This seemed like a fine plan, until midnight, and one a.m., and three a.m., and five, you get the picture, apparently the boys were a little bit concerned about being on their own and kept crowing at the slightest disturbance of their beauty sleep.  This concern of theirs totally ruined any chance of me getting any beauty sleep at all, let me tell you.  I had just drifted back to sleep about 5:15 when one of the dogs, Joss, I think decided to throw up.  Lovely way to wake up let me tell you.  That was all there was for my night.

The Originals

One of the Boys

So feeling a little groggy, I decided that my Sunday would be spent with a nice 3 mile recovery jog and a couple of hours watching home improvement shows on TV.  Alas, it was not to be.  Around 8:00 a.m. my phone rang, it was my Mom.  Apparently one of the showgirls was out in the neighbors pasture, apparently flying out of the Vegas run.  Luckily it was Lola, who while not being the sharpest tool in the shed, at least comes when she is called, so I was able to catch her quite easily.  Since that was escape #2 for Lola, and one for CiCi, plus the hawk problem, my Dad had had enough.  It was time for an enclosure.  Unwilling to let my father slave away on an aviary for my chickens by himself I spent all day yesterday building a 20×20 enclosed run for the fancies.  It is not the most attractive thing but it should do the job.  After all, what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, right?

The New Vegas Enclosure

Lola

When I left you yesterday afternoon I was getting ready to go for my 6 mile run, after I returned from my run I stopped and picked up my mail and went to gather eggs from my chickens.

As I was coming up to the Vegas run, (I have 3 runs, the original is Seattle (because that’s where I’m from), the second is Austin (because that’s where we moved) and the 3rd is Vegas (because that’s where the showgirls live), I also have a baby cage and a broody coop but that’s another story) and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  Lola (she’s a showgirl) was lying on the ground tight up against the fence making an unbelievable racket and there was a hawk on the ground outside the run pecking at her.  I ran at the hawk full speed raising quite a ruckus myself  and scared the hawk off.  Apparently, Lola who has difficulty seeing because of her headdress, thought that if she was tight against the fence the hawk couldn’t get her.  I guess it was true because with the exception of the loss of a few feathers she’s really no worse for wear.  But I don’t think this is a long term solution.

My runs are quite large so I can’t cover the whole thing, plus they’re only 4′ high so if I cover them I can’t get in to take care of the feeding and watering chores, so I’m in a bit of a pickle.  Then I had a brainstorm, I thought that maybe if I ran fishing line from one side of the run to the other a couple of inches apart the hawk might not be able to get in.  I’d leave a small gap uncovered near the entrance to the run so I can still get in with food and water.

Do you think this might work?  If not do you have any other suggestions.  I’ve posted a video clip of my runs so you can get an idea of the layout.

Thanks,

Tamara

Hi Everyone,

My name is Tamara Elliott-Deering, I am a Realtor, Remodeler, Real Estate Investor, Runner, Chicken Keeper, and Wife, not necessarily in that order.  I am writing this blog to have a place to communicate with the larger world about all of the things that are going on in my life at any given time.

Currently the list of things I have going on seems a little unmanageable.  First off, I’m training for the Austin Marathon in February.  Second, I’m trying to jump start a marketing and social media campaign for my Real Estate business and my Remodeling business.  Third, Christmas is coming and my niece and sister will be here for two + weeks starting on December 18 so I’m trying to come up with plans to be the hostess with the mostess.  Fourth, my remodeling and real estate investment company 3dog Properties is closing on a house next week so I’m deep in the planning for that project.  Fifth, I’m trying to keep the predators away from my chickens which has been kind of a two steps forward, three steps back sort of thing.  My current enemy is a hawk.  Finally, I’m trying to keep my household which consists of my husband, me, and my two dogs on an even keel.

All in all I think I may be going crazy which is another reason why I’m starting this blog.  Misery loves company, and I’d love some company on my quest.  In future posts I’ll address my activities more in depth.  If you’re interested in real estate remodeling please see my website at www.3dogproperties.com for a blog about the new project we’re starting.

That’s all for now.  I’m off to complete my 6 mile training run.

Tamara