Thanksgiving 2009 Re-cap

I'm pretty behind in my blogging, sorry everyone! It was all worth it because I was fully able to enjoy my time at home for Thanksgiving!!

I arrived early on Wednesday and met one aunt and uncle at the airport. We spent the day hanging out and running a couple of errands. My favorite part of the day was helping my mom with all of the cooking. Nothing says mother-daughter bonding like baking, prepping, and cooking :-)

That night we went to dinner and then I went to a big party downtown with all of my Dallas friends from high school, youth group, and college that were in town.

Thursday morning started bright and early for the 42nd annual Turkey Trot. I fueled with a bowl of hot cereal and an egg white and we headed downtown to start the race. Overall, it was a great morning. There were over 37,000 participants this year and the weather was pretty nice. I was on pace to finish in 1:30:00 up until I got a migraine in the last mile, which I had to walk in its entirety. I ended up finishing in 1:45:00 which I was pretty pleased about but I would like to be able to try that distance again for a better time. It's all part of the running process, I guess.

We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon relaxing. I slept off the rest of my migraine and awoke fresh and ready to finish helping with cooking and getting dinner ready. It was finally dinner time and we were all excited! My mom's family hasn't ever been to Texas for Thanksgiving and it was really nice to host them. The food was delicious, we had a great time eating, hanging out, watching football, and enjoying each others company. It was truly a great day!

On Friday morning, the boys went golfing and the girls set off to do some shopping. My dad ended up meeting up with the girls after the gym since he's not a big golfer and then we all headed home for leftovers. I had a salad with turkey as well as a few sides, mmmm. Then, we spent some time outside visiting, and my dad's parents came over. There was a quick mani/pedi in there (with one of my cousins and aunts) and then dinner downtown at Veracruz, a Mayan / Mexican restaurant.

Saturday was our day to play tourist, which ended up being a lot of fun. I actually met up with a friend from high school for breakfast beforehand. I had a great time catching up and talking about life being back in Dallas. Who knows, maybe that's where I'll be headed next. Stops on our tour included the American Airlines Center and Plaza, Dealy Plaza, and the Chisolm Trail down near City Hall. My dad is a big history buff so hearing his lesson on the assassination was fascinating. We also had a blast playing in and amongst the cows :-) Lunch was had at the Village Burger Bar and then it was time for everyone to head off to the airport.

I was glad to have another day at home to spend with my parents and to recover from all of the activities of the weekend. Now I'm back in DC but am really happy that I was able to be home for Thanksgiving this year!

Early Thanksgiving Wishes

There are many things that I look forward to throughout the year. Summer, birthdays, trips to Dallas for various holidays, seeing friends, and so on. Yet, nothing in my year compares to my Thanksgiving anticipation and excitement!

There’s a few things that distinguish this day from the rest of the year – my family’s participation in the Turkey Trot, the special group of friends and family who have come to our house in past years, the schmoregesboard of food that my mother lovingly prepares (with special gluten-free varieties just for me!!), fall football in the yard, the feeling of warmth and delicious smells that permeate my house in the days and hours leading up to the big meal, and the opportunity to reflect on what I’m thankful for, and what my family is thankful for.

We normally have some of my mom’s family in town from Pittsburgh, and last year it seemed odd not to have my grandmother and great aunt (together, they are the Q-Tips) present at our table. This year, the holiday will have a different feel. It’s the first holiday of the season that we will celebrate without my grandmother, who passed away in February. Most of my Pittsburgh family (minus a small group) flew down for the holiday as well so that we can all celebrate together. We always have a great time when we are together, and I know that my mom is excited to host everyone. I know that we will be thinking of my grandmother as we laugh, tell stories, and enjoy the holiday week end together. It will be wonderful to see everyone again after 8 months.

I’m thankful for my family, among many, many other things, and glad that we will all be together tomorrow on Thanksgiving!

I’m off to a party with a bunch of Dallas friends and then it’s early to bed for this one. I have to get my rest before tomorrow – race day is here. Despite a cold, I’m ready to run trot in the 2009 Turkey Trot! I’m still hoping to complete the 8 miles in under 2 hours but am not sure that my sniffles will allow to me run the way I had originally hoped to. I’m sure it’ll be great and I know that I’ll feel soooooo much better at dinner tomorrow having completed the race.

Good night and an early Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for this year?

What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions and memories? Favorite parts of the holiday?

Gloomy Monday

I woke up around 10 this morning after about 13 hours of sleep. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got home yesterday evening and I guess that my body really did need all of that rest!

I'm still not feeling great - sore throat and tired, so I plan to take it easy today, and maybe tomorrow depending on how I feel. I leave early on Wednesday morning for Texas for Thanksgiving so I really need to feel better before flying, especially because the Turkey Trot is on Thursday!!

When I was finally hungry (I ate a lot of junk this weekend so I think my body needed the long break from food) I had a couple of slices of toast with 2 egg whites and a few raisins.

I need to run to the store to get a few things to eat over the next couple of days, and I'm trying to time my outing to miss the rain. I'm supposed to do my last training run today before Thursday but I'm not sure that will happen. I'm going to see how I feel later this afternoon.

Happy short week everyone!! What are you most looking forward to about Thanksgiving?

Challenges, Cooking, and Charming Weather

It's a very good thing that one of my pet peeves happens to be dishes in the sink. After 3 rounds of dishes today (multiple cooking adventures) it feels very good to be sitting on my couch with my feet propped up. Dinner was a mix of leftover Thai and black bean soup - need to clean out the fridge before my grocery store run tomorrow! I made a batch of veggie chili and cauliflower faux-tatoes for the week. They'll be featured soon, but here's a sneak peak:


Today I was extremely sore when I woke up and did some stretching while eating my breakfast. I then headed out to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having - no coats necessary!! I strolled through the Farmer's Market and then picked up a few essential items from Target. I had a couple of nibbles while I was at the market but was hungry and ready for lunch when I got home.

I made a gluten-free pizza using a brown rice tortilla as my crust. I baked it in the oven at 400 for about 5 minutes until crispy.

I then spread about 2 tbps of canned tomato sauce over the crust and then added some steamed veggies: spinach, broccoli, and bell peppers. I topped the whole thing with 1tsp of parm and 1 tbsp of reduced-fat mozzerella. Then, I baked the pie again for about 15 minutes until the cheese was melted and golden brown.

I ate most of my salad while waiting for my pizza and while I started with half of it, ended up eating the whole thing by the time I headed out again in the afternoon!

I met up with a friend and we walked to the White House and on the Mall. It felt sooooooo good to be outside in the sun with this amazing weather we're having. The trees are beautiful and we enjoyed some exercise and catching up on our lives.

Yesterday was a great football day - the Longhorns creamed UCF, 35 - 3. I had some salad with 1 c of Amy's black bean soup and a few brown rice tortilla chips.

After the game, it was time to get outside and move. For Day 2 of my Bob Harper challenge I completed 5.2 miles of running intervals. I ran for 1 min., walked for 2. There were a few stretches where I ran longer, one for almost 5 minutes (a personal victory!)!! I did the mileage in 68 minutes which puts me on track to complete the Turkey Trot in 1hr 30min. I really hope I make my goal!

I babysat last night so I came home, stretched, showered, and ate dinner before heading out. It was a low key night and I nibbled on some raisins while I was out. Since I was hungry when I got home, I had a slice of toast with PB which was the perfect dessert.

Bob's Challenge Re-cap:
Friday: 21 minutes, treadmill (1.6mi), 20 minutes, stationary bike (4.8mi), 22 minutes, elliptical (1.85mi) plus 6.35mi of walking during the day
Saturday: 5.2 mi interval running, 68 minutes
Sunday: 6.2mi walking, 3 hours (with some photo-taking, grocery shopping, and girl talk mixed in!)
= success!

It's off to bed - I'm pooped and will need my energy for a busy week coming up!

It was a splurge kind of day

Some days it's really easy for me to stay on track and make the smartest food decisions that I can. Other days it's a struggle. And, of course, there are those rare days that anything and everything looks good and I graze my way through the day. Today was definitely a grazer!

I woke up energized and ready to head to work. The day began with an egg white and GF hot cereal with 1/3c raspberries, a few raisins, cinnamon, and a few drops of maple syrup. I then headed to campus for an awards ceremony honoring students and administrators for their service and impact on campus. I really enjoyed learning about different aspects of the university.







I had another good day back at work. And, I made it through the entire work day! I'm getting better! Goodbye flu and please don't come back! I wasn't hungry until around 1:30 and when I finally was hungry, realized that I forgot to bring lunch with me. I ran over to Au Bon Pain and had a 10 oz. cup of the BBQ Chicken and Beef stew (not pictured). It was the perfect lunch to enjoy while sitting outside in the sun, and that's just what I did, for a short amount of time, of course. I then headed back to the office to keep working and that's when my grazing kicked in. I gave into temptation and enjoyed some Harry&David dark chocolate moose tracks and it was yummy! That afternoon pick-me-up held me over until I got home around 4:30.

On my walk home I saw this beautiful rainbow:


Still feeling energized, I decided to head to the gym for some low-key exercise after another snack of a pear and some brown rice tortilla chip nachos.
I need to slowly get back into my routine so that I don't lose more time in my training for the Turkey Trot. I did 7 miles on the stationary bike and was happy to get my heart pumping for a bit!

I had a few things to pick up at Whole Foods and they were sampling Thanksgiving foods so I of course nibbled on some mashed sweet potatoes and a bite of turkey. Mmmm! I met a friend who's in town for a drink (I was lame and had water since I'm still not feeling 100%) after and headed home.

I was hungry but not starved so I made a baked apple (in the microwave) topped with about 1/3c plain greek yogurt, some raisins, and some GF cereal. Still hungry, I had a slice of toast and another egg white. I didn't necessarily eat a lot of crap today, but I definitely ate a lot! I guess that once a bottomless pit / grazer, always a bottomless pit / grazer. I feel better having worked out a bit, but I'm also glad that my appetite returned to me.

Tomorrow is a new day!

Don't stop believing!

Thanksgiving is less than 8 weeks away which means a few things: cooler weather, a trip home, our amazing Thanksgiving meal, AND... the Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot!

During college, the Turkey Trot became a Thanksgiving Day tradition and one that I always look forward to. That first year, it was just my family and close friend who ran (or walked) in the 3 mile fun run. Since then, my grandfather and a couple of family friends have joined the fun.



Since I completed the 39.3 Avon 2-Day walk with my mom in May, I started thinking that this year's 5K wouldn't be challenging enough. So, I began considering the Turkey Trot's longer event, the 8 mile run. Somehow, I convinced my parents to join me and it look's like we will be completing 8 miles on Thanksgiving morning!

Those who know me know that I am not much of a runner. I can do sprints (thanks to years of playing tennis) and I can walk for days (which I've also done) but the idea of running for an hour or two at a time really does not sound appealing. However, I know that on Thanksgiving morning, it will be hard not to attempt to run at least some of those 8 miles with tons of runners surrounding me. So, I developed a training schedule that should help me be able to run at least half of the distance, although it will probably be broken up by short periods of walking.

Yesterday's training goal was 6 miles, which I decided to walk after running the majority of a 1.7 mile distance to an abs class yesterday morning. I metro-ed out to Bethesda for the annual Taste of Bethesda festival and decided to walk home (6.8 miles to be exact).
Still full from my lunch a bit earlier, I got on my way shortly after I arrived in the Maryland suburb. About 1.5 miles in, I realized that I was walking much of the path that my mom and I completed on our 2nd day (13.1 miles) of the Avon walk. This may not seem like a grand epiphany, but on that Sunday morning, it was cold, raining, and I was soaked head-to-toe due to a malfunctioning poncho and rain jacket. Yesterday however, the sun was shining, it was quite a comfortable afternoon, and I saw that 4 mile stretch of Wisconsin Avenue in a completely different light.

As I walked, I continued to thinking about how we didn't let the thunderstorms stop my mom and me from completing our 13.1 miles that day and taking a stand against breast cancer. I was reminded of what I am capable of and that despite less-than-perfect conditions, we were able to accomplish something great. I was inspired by that reminder as I continue to seek out employment opportunities and contemplate, once again, a potential return home for a while. The job market maybe look dismal and unemployment may be rising across the country (and up to 11.1% here in Washington, DC) yet I know that I could be a lot worse off right now. I was newly inspired by my walk yesterday to keep fighting because I know that if I do, I will be able to accomplish my goals!