Hump day runner blues- and another race-

Its Wednesday and Iv'e
got the blues! 
(High five if you just thought of that Kraft macaroni and cheese commercial)-  No not the mac n cheese blues-
The runner blues

First off, have you all seen this camel commercial? 
I believe it's geico?  
I don't find it THAT funny
(actually its quite annoying) 
but my friends love it so it made me laugh too- 

you can form your own opinion on the commercial below 

                       

Silly, stupid, sort of kind of funny when trying to get through a Wednesday that started with a 6:30 three mile run. 

I woke up at 5:45 Tuesday morning to a group text from the girls: 

We woke up Tuesday to torrential downpour so we moved the scheduled Tuesday Neon Running Crew 3 miler to Wednesday.  (I was so happy to see this text and get an extra hour of sleep- I won't lie).
This meant two days off between our long run and our maintenance run. 

We met this morning at 6:30.  I don't know if it was the early morning,  the two days off, the six miler, the humidity, or the running gods planning against us but we all felt tired, heavy, and like we may not make it.  We all agreed the weekend six miler felt easier than the Wednesday three. 
 so un fair.   

Instead of getting down on myself, I tried to take my own advice. 
I looked for some inspiration.

And then I found this - an inspirational post from Stridebox
. so fitting so perfect.  

If Running is difficult
Run More

Running was difficult today so that is just what I will do 

Run More

In perfect timing with my Wednesday runner blues- Stacie over at Amateur at Large sent me a groupon for a Zombie 5k  right down the road from us, the 20$ registration (originally 40) supports the local YMCA.  

Zombie obstacle run... in walking distance from my house... supporting a local cause.... and some more motivation to stick with running.
SOLD! 

If you are local- head over to groupon and sign up!  

We are in the 11am wave so come find us.

Click here for the groupon

Do you have the runner blues?
Sign up for another race!  
The weirder/funner the better.

Now I will leave you with a delicious Post run/ Runger treat:

Quaker oats banana nut bread soft baked oatmeal bars- 

Heaven

Happy Running! 

P.S.  / Random Side note
Stop by Holbrook Ceramics to check out one of my best friend's
(and running partner)
pottery she has for sale  !  
It is so affordable, hand made, and amazing!  

Week two of training and my weekend: SUCCESS

I got all three of my schedule runs in this week- 

even with a crazy work week.  

 Tuesday I ran 3 with the girls 

(aka the neon morning running crew- duh).  

Thursday the girls planned for four but I had a crazy 17 hour day of work so I had to bail on Thursday.  I did not want to get off schedule so I ran my four miles during lunch on Saturday with Olive.  

This is why I love running with a group of friends:  we all keep each other accountable for our runs and workouts.  Time doesn't matter, just that we all pledge to get our three days of running in for the week with our long run on the weekends.  I ran my three with the group, four alone, and six with Stacie.  (all with olive)

Friday after work I FINALLY had time to play with my handsome steed.  I had not ridden since Monday with my crazy work schedule at both jobs.  You think he would be a wild animal but no, he was a complete slug (he is so lazy).   He was a good boy/slug and as you can tell he was NOT fond of bath time, especially when I spray his sweaty face.

Oh if looks could kill Bradley.....

Friday night I went to the local fair- (The Chester Fair) down the road for dinner.  I do not like rides, and refuse to waste my money on those silly games.  I watched the tractor pulls while stuffing my face with all  some of the deliciousness fairs have to offer.  I settled on hand-cut fair fries, a corn dog, and a gigantic ice cream Sunday.  

Fair food is just oh so good. 

Saturday morning Chelsea asked if I wanted to grab breakfast with her in Deep River.  What is better than going out to a lazy breakfast in the sunshine on the weekends?  Maybe fair food...

I went to a new spot (for me)  called the Whistle Stop in Deep River.  I ordered a coffee and a water while I looked over the gigantic menu.  Crabby eggs benedict with home fries or stuffed french toast?  

How is a girl supposed to decide between two amazing things? 

For a brief second I considered getting both. 

 Then I remembered my dinner last night and the run I still had to go on and decided to pick one.  Crabs eggs Benny it was!  

And oh boy it did not disappoint   

Not the healthiest choice,or the best choice pre run,

 but no regrets here.  

After breakfast I headed to Old Lyme to ride Bradley, and then back to Chester to ride one of Stacie's horses.   Once we finished up in the barn we changed and geared up for our schedule six mile run.  

It was 2pm by the time we hit the road, so we decided to do some trail running so we could have some shade and beat the heat.  When I trail run I try to ignore any time goals/frustrations I may have.  The trails were uneven terrain and lots of incline so I decided to focus on distance and ignore the slow pace that my garmin showing.

This was my first time running over four miles since my marathon training in April, and I had run the day before (I usually like to give myself a day off in between).  My legs were heavy from Friday's four and heavy from the trails but we powered through and finished our scheduled six miles.  It felt good to get out of my three mile rut.  Well, felt good mentally at least....

After our run, I met Stacie by the pool for a quick dip with the pugs.  

 Cold water on sore muscles-  it was a great idea and much needed. 

I decided to keep going with my unhealthy streak and made a home made pizza with garlic dough, vodka sauce, cheese, yellow peppers, tomatoes, and ham.  Pizza may be one of my favorite post run treats.  

Sunday morning I finally accepted that my apartment was a complete pig sty and set out on cleaning up.  After a long morning of cleaning (and cold pizza for breakfast) I headed to Old Lyme to ride Bradley.  We had an amazing lesson and even jumped this gigantic terrifying vertical that measured up to be 4'9.  Might be a new record for Bradley and I!  

After riding it was time to relax by the pool and catch up on my tan for this weekends wedding.  Yes my sister's wedding is this weekend- can you believe it?

All in all, I stuck to my workout routine, (ate so much junk) and had a pretty amazing weekend.  I hope you all enjoyed your weekends just as much as me!  Going to try and focus on some healthier meals this week.  

This weeks workout goals:

Tuesday:  3 miles

Thursday 3 or 4 miles

Saturday or Sunday:  7.5 miles 

Working both jobs Monday and Tuesday, Diving Wednesday, Rehearsal Dinner Thursday, Wedding Friday, and Block Island Saturday Sunday Monday.  It is going to be a crazy/amazing week!  

BUT

I will get all of my running in... 

I promise!

Thanks for holding me accountable :) 

Neon Morning Running Crew: Quickie Half Marathon Training Plan

I promised I would get back to running and eating

after drifting into the land of tutu's, booze, bachelorettes, and large white vans.  

I met the girls for our Tuesday 3 mile run this morning...
after a week off (oops).  

I am thinking "The Neon Morning Running Crew plus 2"
Catchy right?

We are all getting back on track with running and all signed up for half marathons.  Vanessa and Chelsea are running the United Health Care Half Marathon in Newport, RI on October 13th, Stacie and I are running the Hogsback Half Marathon to support Running for Rescues .

My race is on September 28th and was a last minute decision to sign up.  Luckily we have maintained a happy base of 3 miles so this "fast paced" half marathon training schedule shouldn't be too bad.

This will be my fifth half marathon so I am not too worried about the time schedule, and I don't think I have any time goals (I would love to run a sub 2 hour half marathon again....),hopefully I am just going to enjoy another 13.1 while supporting Running For Rescues.  But we shall see! Sometimes the clock gets me a little excited. 

Here is my fast paced schedule and feel free to use it if you are a slacker/last minute planner and are trying to run a half mary in 6 weeks. 

Week 1:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 4 Saturday 6

Week 2:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 4 Saturday 7

Week 3:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 4 Saturday 8

Week 4:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 4 Saturday 10

Week 5:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 4 Saturday 12

Week 6:  Tuesday 3 Thursday 3 Saturday RACE (13) 

Tuesday Thursday are going to be our maintenance runs (easy 3 or four miles with a few hills),  and Saturdays are going to be slow and low ...our long distance runs.  

I will be posting tips, what I ate, what I wore, and advice and thoughts about our training along the way so make sure you keep checking back.

I love helping people train for races, (beginners obviously) so ask me any questions you have!  

Tuesday:

Woke up, glass of iced tea and out the door before my body could register what I was doing- I was meeting the girls in Chester (it is really important for me to commit to meeting the girls or else I won't run).  The run felt pretty good, a little tired after the hills but not bad after a week off and some warm weather.

Breakfast: 2 eggs with diced ham and yellow peppers, sweet potato hash, and fresh strawberries.

Snack:  Half an english muffin with honey butter (honey butter and cinnamon- its divine)

Lunch:  Arugula, Farmers market greens, hard boiled egg, shredded cheese, strawberries, sliced deli ham, crispy onions, and vidalio onion parmesan dressing from Scott's Farm.  

Snack:  1 oatmeal cookie

Dinner:  I packed a home made veggie "lasagna" (I roasted squash zucchini and eggplant and layered it in a dish with some sauce and cheese- baked at 350 for 20 minutes).

Now off to job number two at the bar!  

Happy Running,
Katie 

TuTu Bachelorette weekend

Hello Friends!  

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!  I know I did! 

 I am going to skip the whole running and healthy eating blurb

to talk about my really fun weekend.  

We will get back to running later today....

 I promise!

After lots of planning, Ashley's bachelorette weekend was finally here.  I wanted to do something fun and different without completely breaking the bank.  After lots of pinterest searching, I saw a cute image of a few girls walking down the street in tutus tank tops and heels.

What a great girly/fun idea, and what a great idea for the bachelorette party!  I took the idea and ran with it... all the way to Jo-Ann Fabrics.  Note:  They will get quite pissy when you ask them to measure out and cut 70 yards of tulle... in three different colors.

I turned 70 yards of tulle and elastic bands into 9 TuTus.... 

with Olive's help of course. 

I found a really simple tutorial that was a "No Sew" tutu. Perfect for this non sewer.  They would be adorable for little girls...... or slightly cute for 25 year old girls trying to have a little fun.  Here are the instructions to make your own tutu for the ten year old.... or ten year old at heart ;)

Mine were SUPER poofy so I used a solution of half fabric softener and half water in a spray bottle and lightly sprayed the tutus to cut down on the frufruness of them.   I found some tank tops online for 5 bucks a peice and ordered a bunch in matching colors to wear with the tutus.  Together, the tutus and tank tops were about 10-15$ a girl... not too bad! They were very sheer so I had everyone wear something under their tutus
(shorts leggings skirt).  

Ashley was really against staying in a hotel for the night.

Her night, her party so I went with it. 

 I did not want any one to have to drive, and Limos and party busses are very expensive (I would have to pay them for hours to sit outside of the concert and wait for us.. no way).   So, the genius that I am, I rented a 12 person van from Enterprise for 250$ and paid one of my friends to be our DD for the night. 

He really went with it, and even dressed the part.  It takes a special sort of person to deal with 9 drunk girls in an obnoxiously painted van....

Thanks again Chris!  

The van was a HIT.

Everyone got picked up and dropped off at their home.

Everyone loved the idea and was able to let loose and have a good time without worrying about driving.  And yes, we got a l o t of honks, and a few sirens too.  

We had dinner and drinks at the Trumbull Kitchen in downtown Hartford.  After hearing such great reviews I was really disappointed in the slow service and mediocre food.  It took about 45 minutes to get our drinks and about an hour and a half for our food.  And most of us ordered really simple appetizers.  We were really disappointed in the food and the service, and more importantly late to our concert.  

We finally arrived at the concert to see Philip Philips and John Mayer.  

Seats were really expensive and we found groupon tickets for 20 dollars on the lawn.  We brought blankets and chairs and found a spot on the lawn and it all worked out perfectly.  

FYI:  If you wear a tutu in public you are treated like the rich and the famous.  Everyone wanted our pictures, and to stop and tell us how much they loved the outfits. "look ! it is the tutu girls!!"

 It was a really fun way to get some attention on the bride to be.  I was shocked when she slipped on her white tutu and even more shocked when she wore her lovely plastic tiara. 

Everyone was having such a good time that Ashley couldn't help but have fun.  

It is so rare that we make the time to get all of the girls together and do something fun. It was a perfect night and I am so glad we dragged the bride to be out for one last night on "singledom".  

After a week of abusing my body with booze and junk food, it is time to get back on track, or back on the track and into my sneakers.  Hope you all had a great weekend! 

I (finally) signed up for another half marathon

Happy hump day / scuba wednesday / whateverwednesdaymeanstoyou

Monday:  2 miles run, and my HIIT class canceled- I was actually excited about it- instead I helped my sister with wedding stuff

Tuesday:  3 mile run - 4 girls 2 dogs- it was actually fun- then after a long day at work I spent the night behind the bar- 

Wednesday:  Work, Scuba Afternoon,and riding the pony 

I woke up this morning and it was brisk. 

October brisk.  Chilly even.  

The mornings are cool and the afternoons warm up again to the high 70s. 

 October weather.... not August. 

The weather makes me a little eager, almost excited to sign up for a few races.  

While running 4 miles in 90 degree and extreme humidity on July 4th is OH SO MUCH FUN, I really prefer running in the cooler weather. 

The cooler temperatures have me feeling super motivated, and I really should get out of my 3 - 4 miler rut.  I am really proud that I kept running throughout the summer, but a weird crazy part of me sort of misses those long runs.

I took advantage of my delirious running state and I signed up for

* The Virtual Run Your Tail off 10k to support Running For Rescues

* The Hogsback Half Marathon to support Running for Rescues. 

I am so excited to support one of my favorite charities (Running for Rescues), and I am even more excited for the amazing runner bling that comes with these races:

The Puppy Butt Medal 

The Piggy medal 

And the LONG SLEEVE PIGGY TECH SHIRT

The Run Your Tail Off virtual race is 15$- that 15$ gets you that awesome medal, and helps out shelter animals. 

The Hogback Half Marathon is 30$-  30$ gets you an awesome medal, long sleeve tech tee, an after race meal, a beautiful course, and also supports Running For Rescues....Can you believe it?

If you are a New Englander- Sign up for the Hogsback half in CT by clicking here

If you want to run the virtual 5k, 10k, or half marathon, and get that awesome medal,  Sign up here for the virtual race

Head on over and sign up!

Dinner at the farms

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is adjusted back to work after a wonderful weekend with friends  sunshine and family. 

  I wanted to share with you my Sunday:

 spent at one of my favorite summer events with one of my favorite restaurants:  River Tavern of Chester, hosting their "Dinner At The Farms"  

at White Gate Farm in East Lyme, Connecticut.  

The River Tavern is a farm to table restaurant located in Chester, Connecticut.  They use seasonal, local, fresh ingredients and have a constantly changing menu that reflects the seasons.  I have been to the River Tavern many a times, in love with their food, and I worship their date pudding.   you can read about my love for date pudding here.

Every summer they organize a five course dinner at various local farms.  When I heard about this (last year) I knew I had to go and I attended the event with a fun group of friends.  I had such an amazing time last year and jumped at the opportunity to spend another dinner at the farms. 

White Gate Farm is a certified organic farm in East Lyme.

you can visit their website and learn more about the farm here. 

River Tavern set up their beautiful tent(s) and hosted a beautiful dinner on this beautiful farm. (yes I overused beautiful a little- but it was!)   When you walk into the farm you are welcomed by green grass, the sounds of chickens, and a bar. 

My kind of Sunday 

I grabbed a glass of sparkling rose and enjoyed my wine 

with passed appetizers on the farm.  

I am not a rose fan but this was dry and delicious !

        

The appetizers were outstanding but unfortunately, over two hundred people and a few servers passing small trays of appetizers meant for a struggle to sample the deliciousness.  

I did try the lobster spring rolls and they were absolutely scrumptious, and quite spicy. 

While River Tavern prepped the food (in one of their many tents and on their famous truck), the owner of the farm gave us a lovely walking tour of the farm. 

We learned about the 100 acre farm and about the various produce and poultry the farm produced.   We walked by fields, hoop houses (different from a greenhouse) and passed by squabbling hens and turkeys.  

After the tour we sat down for dinner under a beautiful tent.  Sitting at the end meant I had plenty of room and a beautiful view of the farm. 

We all went to our seats and conversed while enjoying endless supplies of wine  listening to speeches from chefs, owners, and farmers. It was really nice to hear from all of the different people who made the night possible.  This was their last dinner of the season and their 100th dinner to date.  Dinner at the farm donates money to charities, aids in healthy eating in schools,  and of course supports our local farms. The menu was posted and we all drooled in anticipation-

First up:  A summer vegetable salad with scallop crudo.
It was light, delicate, and delicious. 

Next was my favorite dish of the night:
 A lobster clam and corn chowder.
Large chunks of lobster made the dish.  

Third course was a meatball with fresh corn polenta and an onion bacon hash.  

I devoured it before I could take a picture.  

Fourth course was a grilled swordfish with a tomato salsa and squid.  It was good but not my favorite.  It was heavily grilled, leaving the beautiful fish with a heavy charred flavor.  I also wish they picked a more sustainable local fish.  The idea is to support local sustainable food so I was a little disappointed with their choice. 

The fifth course was this mouthwater peice of panchetta with walnuts.  You can never go wrong with any bacon product, can you.  The pork melted in your mouth and the walnuts gave the dish a nice crunch.  

Dessert was a whipped ricotta with peaches and berries.  This was good but enough, not great.  Berries and cream... seemed like an easy way out of dessert when all I wanted was a warm chocolate cake, or some date pudding.  

All in all, it was another fantastic farm dinner.  I was not as impressed as the first one but still enjoyed a great meal (and lots of great wine).  At $150 a ticket it is not a cheap night, but a beautiful night on a beautiful farm with good food, wine, and friends. 

If you consider yourself a foodie, lover of food, farms, and anything delicious,

 then you should find a farm dinner near you. 

 And then tell me all about it :)