I am the Tortoise

Despite my best efforts, January saw a return of my shin splints. While I tried to take it easy at first, even a mere two mile jaunt left me in tears. I had no other choice but to rest. Again.
By "rest," I mean that I started, once again, my Hundred Push-Ups app, increased how many times each week I did yoga, and finally got the bike tuned up (more on that in a future post).
To say I was frustrated is an understatement. While I do enjoy a good downward dog, I feel like I NEED running. It's some of the only time I have to myself each week, when I am free to listen to the music I want to listen to, to think without being interrupted by a small voice calling "Mom" fifty times, and not worry about anyone else but myself (and Zooey, but she's pretty low maintenance).  Giving up that precious time to heal was….difficult.
So, when my friend Christie asked me if I'd run the Run for Ryan House 10K with her again this year, I jumped at it.
Without obviously doing any math to see how many weeks I would have to start training my way up to 6 miles again.
January was about healing from shin splints.
February is about getting over the fear of hurting myself again.

I am the tortoise.

Fear is the hare.

And right now he's out in front.
I've been running two miles twice a week on weekdays and then slowly working up my mileage. But the miles have been a bit slow, and I've been… tentative.
Zooey basically rolled her eyes at me Saturday morning when I told her that we needed to go slowly and pace ourselves.
Have you ever had a coonhound roll her eyes at you because you're slow? #embarrassing
As slowly conservatively as I've been pacing my runs, I know that I'm still allowing my timidity to direct my running rather than my experience.  The hill that I know I'll encounter during Ryan House terrifies me a bit, even though I've tackled it - successfully - twice before.
I've taken to wearing Sheldon up there fairly regularly as a reminder that regardless of my speed, I'm moving forward. Forward movement means that, eventually, fear will be overtaken.
But in order for me to remain out front, I have to be conscious of the fact that it's there, and I must avoid becoming complacent about where I am regarding my health.  I don't want to usher in another new year with champagne and shin splints.

I am the tortoise.

Streaker

If you've been a regular reader to his little hobby I call a blog, you'll know that I don't run without Zooey, my intrepid coonhound.  She is my constant companion on the roads and trails, and I hate having to leave her at home when I take off for a race without her.
But her being by my side means that when it gets hot, she gets hot.  And it's gotten hot.  We've already had multiple 100°-plus days, and some of those days have topped out at 110°.
Ick.
Yes, it's a dry heat.  You wanna know what else is a dry heat?  The inside of an oven, and no one decides to vacation there.
Annnnnnnnyway, in order to make sure that I can keep up the miles over the summer but also ensure Zooey's continued good health, I decided to start streaking.
No, I'm not running nekked - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (aka "the girls") would be all over the place, probably giving me two black eyes, if they didn't have support.  Plus we live down the street from the police station, so I'd probably have quite a bit of 'splainin' to do before I hit the first crosswalk (that would be quite the phone call home, hey?).  I'm just running every day - or nearly every day.  Think of it as a winning streak you can't lose.
Of course, I've decreased the miles on each run in order to make sure that I don't overdo it and end up with shin splints or tendinitis again.  I've been pretty careful, have added some new stretches, and just replaced my worn out shoes with my last two new pairs of my beloved Saucony ProGrid Guide 5s.  Aren't they purty????

I hope I love the Guide 6s as much as I love the 5s.

Some mornings are great.  I feel like I could run farther, even with the heat already starting to bear down at 5:00; we leave the house between 4:30 and 4:45, depending on how fast I get moving after my 4:15 and 4:15:01 alarms (the second one is Zooey making sure I'm up).  Some mornings, like yesterday, SUCK.  Zooey was restless until Husband got home, and he was at an event somewhat late, so she woke me up and then kept me awake with her pacing, whining, and having to go out to do absolutely nothing - twice - until he pulled into the driveway.  Holden decided he was going to sleep on my pillow, and while I normally love his purring, his subsequent decision to give himself a leisurely bath was, um... irritating.  HRH then got into the game by coming in around 2:30 needing a snuggle.  Normally I would love that, but I was already feeling so tired that I was dreading that alarm.
But I didn't turn it off, as sorely tempted as I was.  I got up, sucked it up, tied my laces up, and got out there.  Three miles later, I was ready to go back to bed, but I was glad I went.  Just like I always am.
The benefit of running every day is that I can be up, get my run in, and then have some quiet time to myself before everyone is up.  Or I can go back to bed for a nap, also before everyone is up.  The latter is generally my favorite this week.  But it's also allowed me to make time for some quick weight and resistance workouts for my legs and arms as well as ensure that I am continuing with my quest to do 100 pushups.  I kept on saying that I'd do yoga or other cross training on my rest days, but I found myself sleeping in instead; it seems so much easier for me to get up when I have to run (I only set my alarm on run days because Zooey has identified the alarm with "we're going running," and I don't want to have her howling at me to get her leash when I'm trying to do a set of skull crushers).  Now, I'm already up, so I have no excuse not to get that strength training in.
Thus far this month, I've skipped two days when Husband was out of town.  I suppose I could have run  when HRH was at school, but Zooey would have had to stay back, and once she realizes I'm putting on running gear, she works herself into a stage of excitement that Cesar Millan would probably tell me isn't healthy for her.  And we could perhaps have taken a quick mile around the neighborhood in the evening, but it stays hot well into the evening, and I didn't want to risk Zooey's paw pads getting burned on the asphalt.  And to be honest, it was only a week into the streak, and my body was grateful for the rest.  But by the time Husband got home and the weekend rolled around, I was anxious to hit the road again.
Yet another bonus - if I did my math correctly (always questionable), I should actually up my mileage from last month.  So if I can keep it up and bump up the daily miles just a little, I can make some good inroads in my goal to hit more miles this year than last, even with the injury breaks I had in the first quarter.  But let's not hold our breath.
For now, I'm hoping to be able to continue my streak until the end of the month, when Husband and I will be headed up north for a few days to celebrate our anniversary (we plan to do some hiking while we're up there, so maybe I'll count that).  After that, we'll have to see.

Push, Plank

I have finally accepted that the way the Hundred Pushups Challenge was designed is not for me.

My body doesn't jump from doing 72 to 80 pushups in two days.

And I'm OK with that.

I haven't thrown out the app or gotten rid of the pushups in my weekly routine.  In fact, I really like including them, I really really like how my arms are looking, and I really really REALLY like the fact that the program only expects users to use it three days a week.
So, I've been using the reset option to repeat days.
Like adding reps or weight to other cross training practices, it can take me a week or more to move from one Day to the next.  I try to maintain a balance of pushing myself along in the program with being careful not to overdo it.  I tend to spend 3-4 days per Day before moving to the next, using the final, max-out set as a guide.  Once I can max out at 2-4 pushups more than the minimum with only little exhaustion, I know it's time to move on.
Yet still I have no cheesy body-builder, flexing pose to offer you.

I can feel your disappointment from here.
To help you process your feelings, I have a snap of how many pushups I have done since I started the challenge.  I hope it's as soothing as it's intended to be.

But while I continue to incorporate my thrice-weekly pushups,  have taken another element out.
I have been intrigued with the #plakaday movement on Twitter for a while and finally decided to add it.  The concept, if you're not familiar, is to complete a plank for as long as you can, with the objective of being able to hold it longer and longer each time.
It's not that I didn't enjoy doing the daily planks.  In fact, I was able to feel a difference in my abs relatively quickly.
But unfortunately, I made the decision to participate in the hashtagging on Twitter, and that's where things went awry.
You see, someone calling himself (or herself) The Plank Police has taken it upon himself (or herself) to call people out when they miss a few days of hashtagging their planking progress on Twitter.
Thus far, I've been asked if I'm "hard core or hard snore" and if I'm "shooting planks or shooting blanks."
So basically, instead of saying, "Hi, I notice you haven't been hashtagging your plank progress every single day.  I'm sure you're busy with other things that are far more important in your life than a one-minute plank and which I have no business asking about, but I just wanted to make sure you're OK" (in 140 characters or less, of course), this person has determined that it's his (or her) job to call people out for not doing something that they aren't required to do in the first place.
Um, really?
So, two weeks was enough for me.  I called it quits on the #plankaday and its skewed definition of "support," although I am still using planks in my ab workouts throughout the week.
Call me spoiled.  The online running community is so amazingly supportive, whether I run 1 mile or 20, that I probably assumed (yes, shame on me!) that other online communities would be similar.
I'm certainly not going to apologize to this faceless Plank Police for not posting about a day or two (or seven, if that's the way it is) of my planks, but I can make the choice to discontinue an activity that is less than uplifting and helpful, which is exactly what I have done.
Thanks, but no thanks, #plankaday.  You can have your snark and pretend support.  For me, I'll stick with my #runchat, #runnerd, #runhers, and #RunningPackintheSky hashtags.  I support them, and they actually support me.  With, you know, kind words and encouragement instead of nagging.

What hashtags on Twitter do you follow?
What is a great source of support for you in your healthy efforts?

Afternoon Update:
Thanks to the retweets of a few of my Twitter running buddies, @PlankPolice (who is apparently NOT a bot) responded:

Thanks to my girls @MomonEmpty and @agirlrunner for their support here.  Hopefully we'll see some positive changes with the encouragement offered.  For now, I'm keeping planks in my cross training plan, but I'm not sure how much I'll tweet about them.

Sept 1 Update:
While Mike, one of the founders of #plankaday noted in his comment below that I have been removed from the Plank Police's list, I've since been mentioned in two tweets that are similar to above.  I will be sending a message once again requesting to be taken of the list.  Hopefully this time it will work.

Meatless Monday on Training Tuesday

First and foremost, I must say that I am thankful for the crazy monsoon weather that we've been having in Arizona this year.  While it makes for some seriously muggy, sweat-laden morning runs, the temperatures have been kept to within reasonable parameters.  By Arizona standards.
My morning runs with Zooey, which begin with a 4:30 AM alarm - followed immediately by a 4:30:30 coonhound alarm, just in case - have been hovering in the low 80s.  Not my most favorite temperature to run in, but it beats anything hotter.  So while the rains have drowned all by my mint (I think) and peppers (which are thriving), I'm more than happy for them to continue so that we can keep things tolerable.
Today marked my first Official training run to prepare me for my second half marathon, which will be in November.  I have, of course, been running and cross training throughout the summer, but it's been Unofficial, which means I haven't felt that bad about veering off of The Plan for various reasons.  Starting today, though, my heart rate monitor was strapped back on, and instead of just running a "basic" run, I set a time goal (in this case, a mere 30 minutes).
I love the time-based goals.  My training plan is pretty much the half marathon training plan set out in Marathoning for Mortals, by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield, which I used to prepare for London's Run, and having the weekday runs be time-based is something that I came to almost rely on - it was the promise that I'd be done "soon."  Really, the only alteration I made was to add a few more weeks of training in and switch around the running and cross training weekdays.  Using time instead of distance really helps me focus on my heart rate, stride,and foot strike instead of "how much farther?"
Of course, this morning I had trouble remembering how to start my heart rate monitor, a delay that Zooey found unacceptable.
The Official training run didn't feel much different than Sunday's last Not Official training run (except we were faster this morning; I was tired Sunday), but it's nice to know that I'll be back on The Plan.  When on The Plan, I'm much stricter with myself and have the discipline not to skip/put off days, so I anticipate a solid performance for my second 13.1.

In Mrs. Obama Arms news, I'm still struggling with my Hundred Pushups Challenge.  After falling off the wagon for about a week and a half, I reset myself back to Week 3, Day 1, in which I did 48 pushups.  They were a little difficult, but that's to be expected.
My frustration lies in the fact that while Weeks 1, 2, and 3 felt like they were gradually moving me toward more and more pushups, Week 4 felt out of control.  I am not one to make excuses (most of the time), but I can't help but wonder if a woman's upper body strength limitations - I really don't like that word there, but I'm not sure what else to say - were taken into consideration with this program/app.  That's not to say as a woman I CAN'T do this, but I think some resetting and careful cross training will need to be taken into account; I might have to do Week 4 three times in a row before I think I'm ready for Week 5.
What I need to do is remind myself that this is OK.  I'm still working toward a great goal, and as of last night, I have completed 843 pushups since beginning the Challenge.  That probably brings my lifetime total to about 900, so I can't complain.
I mean, I CAN complain, but there's not really anything tangible for me to stand on there.
Besides, if it were easy, it wouldn't be called the Hundred Pushups Challenge.  It would be called the Hundred Pushups Easy Thing.

One more thing - I've started the Plank a Day Challenge as well.  This one is fairly simple to follow.  Each day, I do a plank for as long as I can.  That's it.  The goal, of course, is to be able to plank longer and longer, improving my core muscles.  I'm not gonna lie - I'm really tired of crunch/pushup workouts, so I'm game to try this.
My inaugural plank wasn't bad:

Now it's time to up the game and see where this can take me.  The good news is that, unlike my Hundred Pushups Challenge, I don't have a set time that I have to hit each day.  I just need to challenge myself at my level.  And, apparently, watch out for the Plank Police.

So how am I fueling myself?  Lots of plant-based proteins.  I'm not one to say "never" to anything, but I don't foresee myself our our family going 100% vegan, and I think that may not be the best route for me.  But I am doing my best to cut down on animal products when I can.
I've moved from half-and-half to coconut milk in my coffee.  While both have saturated fats in them (that's the " really bad juju" when it comes to reading the fats label), I've been reading up on the stuff, and studies are suggesting that the saturated fats in plants, such as coconuts, have less of a detriment on one's body than those found in animal products like butter or cream.  That being said, I am careful to have only 3 spoonsful in each cup, and I generally have two cups of coffee each day.  That's my "splurge" each morning.
And while I moved on to agave nectar for a while, I'm a little concerned about the process by which the "nectar" is made, so I'm trying out coconut sugar, which is gotten by a process similar to how maple syrup is obtained.  It's still got calories - my coffee is my morning splurge, remember? - but the coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic scale than white sugar, so there are no spikes in the blood sugar.

I still can't believe I've come this far, considering it wasn't long ago that I had to have a splash of coffee with my CoffeeMate.

I'm also having fun with vegetarian and vegan versions of my favorite dishes, like korma.
Last week, the okra in our CSA bag gave me a craving for Indian food that would have impressed even the most pregnant of women.  I thought about it morning, noon, and night, and I kept thinking about ordering take-out or suggesting that we go out.
The problem - HRH.  I'm perfectly happy to "force" her to eat certain foods, but I'm not going to take her to a restaurant that serves fare that far outside her comfort zone (we're still working on quesadillas, people).  I want to be allowed out in public with her again.
But if I were to make it at home, I could serve her similar ingredients like brown rice and carrots, and I could still get my korma fix.
Now, I love love love love (freaking) LOVE lamb korma; it's my go-to item when we go out to an Indian restaurant.  But unlike Aunt Voula, I understand that lamb doesn't fit into my plant-based focus, so I opted to make a vegetarian korma with tofu and fresh veggies, including that okra.  I just needed a recipe.

Thank you, Interwebz.

So, last Monday night (maybe Tuesday - I don't remember), I tried a recipe from Vegetarian Times.
It was good.
But it wasn't the korma I was thinking of - that creamy, spicy, sauce that you can literally sop up with a biscuit bit of naan.
So the craving?  Still there.
My poor husband - it was like I was pregnant all over again, but I didn't have a pregnant belly that he could rub like it was a freaking genie lamp.
So I searched and found one that would be better - perfect, even - one that used not only coconut milk and tomato but a cashew cream to give it a silky, creamy texture.  Thank YOU, Post Punk Kitchen, for delivering!
Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly (you know I have a hard time following directions) - I made my own garam masala earlier this year, since I am sensitive to ginger, anise, and turmeric.  So I played around with everything to get something that would still be savory, although I think I still needed to amp the spice and garlic when we have our next go round.
End result - this recipe was a lot of work (I'm sparing you pictures of the aftermath in the kitchen since this post is already so dang long), but it was totally worth it, especially when paired with some homemade naan that was already on the right track (it's hard to duplicate the flavor and texture when your kitchen is lacking a tandoori oven).

As far as naan goes, it was good, but The Husband and I discussed how we can improve it so we didn't use so much oil in the process.  We determined that some terra cotta planter bottoms (the flat parts that hold the water in) on the grill will probably be the closest we can get, so next time you see me at the hardware store, it's probably because I'm thinking about dinner.
I've gotten my korma fix, but we still have a jar full of the leftover korma sauce, so I'm thinking of making a korma pizza later this week.  I can toss some roasted veggies on top of it and call it a meal - the perfect training food.

Do you need to be on a training plan to be disciplined?
What is your favorite way to strengthen your core?
What food cravings have you had recently; did you indulge?

Workout Wednesday - July 11 - Quick and Dirty Version

This is going to be fast and furious tonight, since I'm working on a project I hope y'all will participate in.  It will be totally worth your time, so stay tuned.
So, over the weekend while we were in San Diego, I ran about five miles along the boardwalk down by the harbor.  At about 60° when I headed out and maybe 65° by the time I finished, it felt like a little bit of heaven after running in 80° or hotter weather here in the Valley (even before sunrise).

We never got to tour the Midway, but it was awe-inspiring to run past it.

I could get used to this view.
Yep, I'm used to it.

I still don't know what this is.
But I love it.

I also walked about a bazillion miles at the San Diego Zoo, so I got some serious calorie (and shoulder) burning in there, especially when HRH decided she had to do #2 when we were exactly As Far Away As Possible to the nearest bathroom, so The Husband and I hoofed the heck out of that one hill.
Off topic - the zoo was totally awesome; we saw a baby giraffe...

...a baby hippo snuggling with his mommy...

Baby is on the left; Momma was keeping him safe.

...and two baby jaguars that brought squeals of awe even from the men.

After this shot, all my pics are blurry, because someone's nap
was interrupted by a boisterous sibling.
Hilarity and squees ensued.

Running in San Diego made me realize that while I am a bit a lot a tad complain-y about our summer weather, I am fortunate to be able to run outdoors year-round.  Of course, one can do that in San Diego, too, but since we don't actually live there, that's a moot point.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting out for our pre-dawn runs again.
The Husband left for Chicago basically the second we got back from San Diego, so HRH and I have been flying solo this week.  She's been getting in some great workouts at soccer camp (hello, eating complete dinners and going to sleep in ten seconds - I love you), but Zooey and I have pretty much been slugabeds.
I even forgot to work on my Hundred Pushups Challenge, so today, a week after my last endeavor, I finally did Week 4, Day 3.  It was not pretty, especially since HRH was extremely curious about what I was doing and kept asking questions and accidentally dropped her blanket on me while she watched me from the comfort of my bed.
But it got done.

The next step is another "max out" session.  In my last max out, I got up to 16 (from the baseline of 5), so I'm looking forward to seeing how far I am coming.
The total I did today was 80.
Not bad for a girl who couldn't even get 6 done a month or so ago.

My mom is coming into town on Saturday, so I'll start running again on Monday in order to get back into the swing of things before TH gets home Tuesday.  I'm sure Zooey will be pleased, too, although since she was at the doggie hotel all weekend, she's been happy to be a lazy hound dog.
I like being lazy, too, but the pull of fitting into smaller jeans is a girl's best motivator.

What's your favorite weather/season to run in?
Which zoo (or aquarium) critter is your favorite?

Workout Wednesday - July 4

Happy Independence Day (and a belated happy Canada Day to my neighbors to the north)!!!!!

The Husband and I see holidays, weekends, and other various days off in a different light.  In his mind, it's an opportunity to sleep as late as possible.  In my mind, it's an opportunity to get in a bit extra "oomph" into my workouts or runs.

Case in point: today.

Until I start "officially" training for my next half marathon, I'm running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so today is a running day, regardless of the holiday situation.  Since it's been ohmigosh-so-stinking-hot round these parts (and basically every other part of the country), motivation to get up and head outside for a run has been.... ummm.... rough.  I am careful not to overheat Zooey (who gets almost two full bottles in my hydration belt all to herself) or myself, but I don't want to contain myself to short down and backs.  Almost as boring as running laps on a track - blech.

I like variety in my scenery, thank you very much.

Thankfully, we've had a bit of cloud cover, which has helped cool the temps down a bit. 

A bit.
Comparatively, I mean.  It's not like we're back to the 60s or anything.

But even a small difference in the heat can mean that I'm willing to stay out a bit longer before heading back in.
I'm a little concerned about how things will go when I do start that "official" training.  During August, even my long, slow weekend runs are going to be short enough that I'm comfortable bringing Zooey, but September can be just as miserable as August.  I always hope that the temps will cool off earlier than usual, but every year I'm disappointed that I'm cursing the heat well into October.  There is the chance that we will see evening (and subsequent early morning) cooldowns, which will make running at 4:30 tolerable again, but really, who knows?

Currently, The Husband and I are still in talks regarding possible treadmill purchase/gym membership.  However, Agnes, our Buick, decided to crack her head gasket, so we're currently in the market for a new(ish) car, which takes precedence over either a treadmill or gym membership. Soooooo... whichever one of those we end up choosing will have to wait.  In the meantime, I'll be sweating it up along the canal.

Oooh, a cooling trend!

On a more positive front, I'm making strides in the Hundred Pushups Challenge.  I did take a small step back and repeated Week 3 last week, which, the time around, was almost too much for me.  While I didn't love repeating the week, I think it was a good decision, as this week I've felt stronger as I began Week 4 with 63 on Monday.

I have done more pushups in the past 5 weeks than I think I have combined in my life; the only time I remember ever doing them prior to this challenge was during the Presidential Fitness Test in grade school, and I'll be honest - it's not like I went out there trying for those.

I had to save my energy for rope climbing.

If you read this blog with any regularity, you'll remember that I posted a week or so ago about how my focus is changing here.  A further epiphany I had this week was that I now follow more runner and running-types on Twitter than I do food bloggers.  While most of the people I have met via The Twitters are truly a friendly group of people, I'm continually impressed with the welcoming atmosphere that these running Twitter-ers (tweeters?) have for others who enjoy running.
I still consider myself a "baby" runner, having only run for about two years with not that many races under my belt, and I'm constantly awed by those who are training for their bazillionth marathon, ultra marathon, or Ironman but still are kind enough to say hello during Sunday #runchat.
Defense Exhibit A: Bart Yasso (read: BART FREAKING YASSO!!!!!!!)

Alex (@alexbridgeforth) is another - non-famous - runner I've met this way; it's always nice to meet fellow runners here in Arizona.  He's one of those people who is currently training for his bazillionth marathon, and he's one of those people you can just tell greets everything with enthusiasm and excitement.  His positive outlook is contagious!  Alex blogs over at Addicted to Running, where he regularly interviews fellow runners, including moi.  You can read (and see, via the magic of Skype) the interview here; thanks a lot, Alex - it was a lot of fun to chat with you!
(if you would like to take part in Alex's interview series, let him know - I'm sure he'd love to chat with you as well!)
Oh, and it was also pretty awesome that Bart Yasso tweeted me AGAIN (he is one of the people I told Alex I'd love to run with someday).

Yes.  When Bart comes to Phoenix, you can be sure as shooting that I'll skip work to run with him.
And blog the s*** out of that experience.
Stay tuned.

This weekend, we're headed to San Diego, and I'm so looking forward to running along the beach that I can hardly contain myself.
I actually may never come home.

How are you spending the holiday weekend?
Do you pack your running gear for vacations?
Has anyone famous ever posted to your Facebook or tweeted you?
What is your vehicle's name (yes, I'm assuming everyone names their cars)?

Workout Wednesday - Cocktail Week Edition (Or, A Shandy is Dandy, but Nothing Rhymes with Radler)

I fully admit that I never really cared for beer until I studied in Germany.  That summer of 1999 was when my world was rocked to its core.

To my credit, you can't really call the carbonated yellow water that is generally offered at college parties as real beer.  Sorry, Keystone Light, but you certainly didn't make a connoisseur out of me.

So imagine the overwhelming joy at my first sip of a Pils vom faß (the pilsner on tap) at a local Regensburg restaurant my first full day as a student abroad.
Oh, my stars.
It was like hundred of tiny fairies were dancing on my tongue.
Truth.

Full disclosure: Radeberger is from Saxony - not Bavaria.

Regensburg is in Bavaria, home to the 1516 Reinheitsgebot (purity law), which mandated that beer could only be made of barley, hops, and water (the law was lifted in 1988).  Thanks to many a Samuel Adams commercial, you probably already know that Bavaria grows the world's best hops.  You can infer from that, then, that Bavarian beer is some of the best in the world, specializing in Helles (light), Weißbier (like hefeweizen), and Pilsner, as well as the smoky Rauchbier.  You can also get a slew of other styles of beer, so if you have a hankering for a Dunkel, don't fret - you'll find it.

Another Bavarian contribution to the annals of beer history is the Radler.  Shortly after the end of World War I, cycling became extremely popular across Germany.  One innkeeper, Herr Frank Xaver Kugler, came up with the idea to have a bike path leading from Munich through the forest to his inn - the Kugler-Alm.  Thus, cyclists would stop off at his inn for something refreshing to drink on those hot, humid summer days.

Herr Kugler was not prepared for the thousands of cyclists who took the opportunity for a little weekend cycling.  Frantic, he mixed some of his remaining beer with a lemon soda and served it up, calling it a Radlermass (Radler - cyclist, Mass - liter of beer, the amount that was served) and claiming he had done so to ensure that his dear customers would remain safe and on their bikes on their way home (translation: don't drink and bike).

The cyclists loved it, and it became an instant hit.

Originally made with a Dunkel, as Bavarian taste evolved to the lighter beers, the Radler evolved as well.

You can get a Radler anywhere in Germany now; many breweries even bottle it and sell it on shelves.  But unless you're at a German restaurant here in the states, you'd be hard pressed to find one.  Most English pubs will offer the British version, the shandy (half beer - usually an ale - and half ginger beer or ginger ale).  I like the shandy and will often order one when I'm out at a pub, but I prefer just to make my own Radler at home.
There is, of course, the story of The Incident at the "German" Restaurant in Which No One Knew What a Radler Was Nor Would Anyone Make Me One Once Defined.  It was ugly, folks.  Then the poor waiter tried to convince me that the specialty of the house was a traditional German dish; for the record, anything with cranberries is NOT German; cranberries are indigenous to America.
Also, German chocolate cake is not German.
But I digress.

The Radler is the perfect drink when you want something a bit sweet but not "girly" sweet, something bubbly but are out of Prosecco after your indulgence in Peach Pie Prosecco Palmers, or something light but not a light beer.
And it's easy, too.

Radlermass

• German "blond" (preferably Bavarian, if you can find a good one) beer - pilsner, helles, etc. (I like Pilsners, but others will tell you that a light lager is the way to go - use what you like - I've even used Hoegaarden)
• Lemon soda - this is hard to find in the States, so I recommend 7Up or even Fresca (in my opinion, Sprite and Sierra Mist are too sweet); don't use Mountain Dew or other fake-y "citrus" sodas.  That will just make it gross.

Combine equal parts in a tall pilsner glass (or, really, any glass that you want).  Enjoy, preferably with some bratwurst and sauerkraut slathered with thick, spicy German (or homemade) mustard.

Seriously, it's that easy.

Since American sodas tend to be a bit sweeter than the lemon soda you will find in Germany, I generally use a little less of the soda than the beer.  We also are in the "pour the soda in first" camp, but it really doesn't seem to matter.  The Husband would also like me to let you know that if you add the soda to the beer, that foamy head will be created, which, in his estimation, is a complete waste of time and beer.
The important thing is that you find the combination that tastes best and is most refreshing for you.  Especially after that long, grueling bike ride.
Or that feat of mowing the yard in the sun.
Or just because.

Prost!

Hopefully, you're enjoying this virtual pub crawl we're calling Cocktail Week.  So far this week we've sampled:

• the Raging Aztec (and a KITCHENAID BLENDER GIVEAWAY) at Wanna Be a Country Cleaver
• a Raspberry-Thyme Tom Collins at Bakeaholic Mama
• some Peach Pie Prosecco Palmers from yours truly
• just a few Traverse City Cherry Mojitos over at Comfortably Domestic
• an Amaretto Sour poured by Tenaciously Yours,
• a Paloma from Climbing Grier Mountain
• Watermelon Mojo from The Hill Country Cook

...and we've only just begun!  Still on tap this week are at least six more lovely drinks to wet your whistle and keep you cool, so make sure that you come back for another round tomorrow!

Workout Wednesday - June 20

So.
My arms are killing me today.
At the end of the second week in the Hundred Pushups Challenge, participants are directed to do a second baseline "max out" set.
If you recall, when I started this project, I maxed out at 5 pushups.
Gulp.
Sunday, then, after a nice rest day, I maxed out at 16.
OK, so we've still got quite a ways to go until we get to 100, but by my math, 16 is more than five.
And more is more.  So there's that.
Thanks to my awesomeness of 16 in a row, the training plan made a big jump in Week 3.  As in from 33 total to 45.
That meant sets of 10-12-7-7-9.

This was the first attempt in which I only managed to do the minimum number of pushups in the last set.  I've been priding myself on being able to go at least 2 or 3 further, but it wasn't in the cards yesterday.  And it certainly wasn't in my muscles, either.
Today, I am quite sore, so I'll make sure that I am well rested for tomorrow, when I'm supposed to do 50.
Double Gulp.
One of the nice things about this app is that it offers me the ability to redo days or weeks.  If tomorrow is rough, I will probably repeat Week 3 next week in order to make sure that I can do proper, good-form pushups and not phone it in with sissy-pants, fake-y ones masquerading as the real thing.

But pushups aside, I'm starting to worry about my summer running schedule.  While I'm not officially officially training for the half marathon yet, I'm in pre-training training mode, and I want to go into that official training confident in my running strength.
But then there's this:

Ignore the 75° (especially because my other weather app is telling me that it's actually 80°).  Pay more attention to the three 111°s in a row there.  As well as the "lows" for the week.
Even at 4:30 AM, it's hot.  And the pavement?  Even hotter.  Yuck.
I know I can leave Zooey at home, but I shudder to think of what symphony would erupt at home if I left her at home to go for a solitary run after "our" alarm goes off.  I may have mentioned how loud a coonhound can be.  When she's distraught, she's louder.  When The Husband is woken from a dead sleep, she's probably louder still.
Plus, I am never opposed to creepers thinking my girl is a fierce, barking, frothing Doberman whose ears haven't been cropped instead of just an excitable coon dawg who wants to let you know how happy she is to be running.
So this weekend, once The Husband is done with his conference that's keeping him busy all this week, we need to have a family meeting about the possibility of a gym membership or the obtaining of a treadmill.  I hate don't love the treadmill, but it certainly can serve a purpose when times are tough hot.
That being said, if I deem that it will be cool enough Saturday morning, Zooey and I will be seeing this once again:

Yes, I'm hooked.

How do you deal with extreme weather conditions when you are trying to train/keep up your exercise routine?

Workout Wednesday - June 13

The Husband returns from the first of his (almost) back to back trips tomorrow.  Before he leaves again Saturday evening, I'll get at least one run in.  However, since we 1) don't have a treadmill 2) aren't members of any gym 3) live in Arizona where it's really hot 4) have a 3-year-old who can't just hold down the fort while Momma goes for a run, it's difficult to get a run in while he's gone.  Yes, I KNOW that I could probably suck it up and go out for a run in the later morning after HRH is off to daycare but before it hits triple digits, but since I run with Zooey - and LOVE running with Zooey as much as she loves running with me - I can't justify taking my black and tan girl out when I know the sun in going to be bearing down on her.  Plus, while it might be in the 90s when I go, the pavement will likely have already reached the 110s or more, and I don't even want to think of how hot the blacktop will have already gotten.
Yes, it is true that we can fry eggs on the sidewalks here in the summer.
We are also not opposed to driving with oven mitts on.
So what to do in order to keep the activity going while The Husband is out of town.
Thank heaven for the App Store.
I'll admit it - while I really really really wanted an iPhone, I wanted but at the same time didn't want an iPad (I'm not totally sure why).  But now that I have one, I wouldn't give it up.  Not only is HRH learning German (the other day she pointed to her eyes and said, "There are Augen!") and how to add with the apps I've gotten for her, but I have found some fantastic apps for myself to help make my cross training easier.
Of course we've already talked about the Hundred Pushups Challenge.  At first, I was just going to keep a spreadsheet to log my weeks of pushups; a simple sum formula was all I needed.  But it has been absolutely worth it, thus far, to download the Hundred Pushups app to keep track of everything (Matt over at For the Sole, who initiated the challenge on Twitter, is also using the app, and you can check out his post about it here).

This is a snap from last week;
I'm up to 27 thus far.

I'm not going to lie - even though I am only about a quarter of the way to 100, I'm already feeling the difference in my arms.  The first few days were killers; I was so so so so so so SO sore.  Ouch.  But I sucked it up and got over it.
But two dozen pushups three times a week isn't cutting it.  And while I'm not training now, I've already picked out my next half marathon and plugged my training schedule into my calendar; I'll be starting in August.
I've got to get my cross training in.

OK, I admit it - when I trained for London's Run, I used my pilates and yoga DVDs for my cross training.  And I love them.  I loooooooove pilates.  But it didn't really give me the results I was looking for, partly because as I got busy, it was too easy for me to cheat. "Oh, I have a ton of grading to do; I can't possibly fit in that 30-minute video today."
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I KNOW - I need to make time.  Stop it.  We've all made that excuse.  Don't pretend you haven't.

This is where my other favorite apps have come in.
Daily Workout was the most expensive app, at a whopping $3.99, that I have purchased.  But within the full workout, I get abs, arms, butt, cardio, and leg workouts that start at 5 minutes apiece (they go up to 10 minutes, and there are different levels of workout intensity), so I can space them apart but can NOT make an excuse that I can't fit the workouts in here and there.
The format is simple, so it's extremely user friendly.

This is the ab workout.
There are three intensity levels;
you can select 5-, 7.5-, or 10-minute workouts.

You can see the list of each exercise in the workout.
If you choose the 5-minute option,
you would do each of these for 30 seconds.

Once begun, the instructions are on the screen, and the audio posts which exercise comes along.  I do recommend going through the workouts before completing them to make sure that you know how to do each exercise; even though there is a video of the instructor modeling it, it's always best to make sure you're not confused.
Except I still confuse left and right, but whatever.
The minimum time requirement that I have for this during a cross training day is 20 minutes - 5 minutes each for abs, arms, butt, and legs (although I don't do them in that order; I like to change things up a bit and make that a game time decision).
The cardio is reserved for my regular "running" days, although since it's not actually running (there is running in place), I guess that this, too, counts as cross training.  Nuances.
Also at 5-, 7.5-, and 10-minute increments with different degrees of intensity, I can repeat these sessions a few times throughout the day while HRH is otherwise occupied and still attend to her 3-year-old needs.
The only one who isn't thrilled about this arrangement is Zooey, who has had to slum it with boring walks, but since she has been playing hardcore in the new kiddie pool with HRH (and drinking about a bazillion gallons of water in the process), she's been sacked out by 8:30 every night anyway, so I think she'll survive these few weeks before we can head back out for our usual 4:30 AM dates.

Mooooo-OM!  I'm trying to sleep!

I also downloaded the free version of the Daily Workouts Daily Yoga app; this is great for travel (all of these apps, in fact, are compatible with both the iPhone and iPad at the App Store - I can't speak for non-Apple-based phones).  I do prefer my yoga DVDs for a good evening relaxation workout, but when I am in need of some relaxation or gentle stretching without a great deal of time, it's perfect.
Since I decided to use my vacation time to get back in the habit of cross training, I've already seen a difference in my strength; today I had to change the water jugs out (instead of usually waiting for The Husband to do it), and I was almost surprised at how NOT heavy those 5 gallons were.
My overall objective is to start my half marathon training stronger than when I began training for my first half marathon.  Not just able to lift more weights or do more pushups, but a stronger runner.  I know that the cross training will help with both.
Plus, my butt is gonna look GREAT in jeans.


Disclosure: all opinions expressed in this post are my own and not influenced by the makers of any of the apps that I mentioned in this post.  I purchased all these apps without being instructed or requested, and I have in no way been compensated for my opinions.  However, if the makers of these apps would like to shower me with gifts, I have no issue with that.

Friday Recap - Ice, Ice, Pushups

I am officially on vacation for four weeks.  Four, glorious weeks.  Of course, I have a to do list, but I'm also looking forward to having some time to do nothing.  I still haven't seen the last Harry Potter installment, so I've got that on DVR, ready to go.
Of course, summer vacation means summer.  While many places are experiencing cooler than normal weather, it's already plenty hot here, having already hit the century mark for over a week now.  The evenings and mornings are still cool, but that won't last long.
When it's hot, I start to taper off on the coffee and up the iced tea.  This week I made a cinnamon-infused raspberry tea.  It was fantastic.

Can't you hear me just relax, sit back, and have an "ahhhh" moment?

Cinnamon-Infused Raspberry Tea

• 2 quarts water
• 2 large iced tea bags (we use Luzianne, but it doesn't matter except that it should be made for iced tea)
• 2 bags raspberry tea (I use Bigelow raspberry herbal tea)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• handful fresh raspberries

Bring water to a boil.  Pour over tea bags and cinnamon sticks; let steep for at least ten minutes.  Remove cinnamon and tea bags (leave the tea in if you prefer a stronger tea).  Bring tea to room temperature before chilling.  Pour over ice; garnish with more raspberries, if you like.

I only left the cinnamon in for about five minutes, and it's a small hint; ten minutes would really be ideal to have a little snap to it in combination with the raspberries.
So... cinnamon.  It's not only an antioxidant but also a great anti-inflammatory.  So on top of tasting great, by adding a bit of cinnamon, you're doing something good for you.  While I do love me some good sweet tea, unless it's REAL sweet tea, I don't prefer any sweetener in my teas, so the cinnamon was more clear than if I had added any sugar.  The raspberries were slightly sweet, but not cloyingly so, so it was really fresh on a hot Arizona day.  Just know that if you are caffeine sensitive, you should probably not drink the tea in the afternoon; I couldn't help myself and paid the price of having trouble sleeping last night.
Considering I made this batch Thursday and it's nearly gone, I'm certain we'll be drinking a good deal of iced tea this summer.

A tall glass of iced tea is especially refreshing after a round of pushups for the Hundred Pushups Challenge.

Now on pre-sale: tickets to the gun show
(that joke is not going to go away)

Today was Week 1 Day 3, so I actually had 22 pushups that I needed to complete: 4-5-4-4-5.  The last set is actually one in which you have to max out, so 5 is the minimum.  I managed to do 6 in that set before the arms gave out.
I'm definitely feeling it in my arms, but I'm less sore today than I was earlier in the week.  The thought of doing 100 pushups is still daunting, but knowing that I can already almost do 1/4 of that makes me feel like it's attainable.
As a sidebar, I had determined that I needed a "before" shot of me flexing, but The Husband was a little reluctant to do so before he headed out on a business trip, so I have nothing to show right now, but hopefully I'll have that little gem for you soon.  I promise there will be no duck lips.
Confession: I am also doing other arm workouts for my cross training two times a week of late, so I'm hoping that I can gain some more upper body strength faster than if I were JUST doing the Hundred Pushups Challenge.

Lastly, there was a bit more success in the "Get My Child To Eat More Than Five Foods" campaign.  A friend of mine posted a picture on my Facebook wall (or timeline or whatever it's called now) of a little girl eating from an ice cube tray.
Genius.
I promptly did the same thing for HRH's dinner that night.

My picture was not as cute as the one posted on my timeline.

Clockwise, from top left: dark chocolate chips (dessert with dinner is proving to work well, actually), blueberries, sunflower seeds, carrots, raspberries, Buddy Bear ("chocolate bear" laxative that we use to... well, you know), strawberries, red grapes, roasted unsalted peanuts, Goldfish®, cheese, Craisins®, pecans, and green grapes.
I'm sure that my mom will die when she sees that I put chocolate chips in there with dinner, but I've been allowing a small amount of dessert with each dinner.  It's made clear that it's all the dessert that HRH will get.  If she eats it first, so be it.
Same goes with things like Goldfish.  She knows they, like chocolate chips, are a "slow" food (as explained over at Peas and Thank You).  However, being able to get a little bit is better than nothing (something I wish I could teach my students in reference to grades), so the 12 little trays of "go" food and 2 of the "slow" food made for an adventurous meal.  I'm even happy to report that she ate a few of the pecans, although The Husband admitted that he "helped" HRH with that tray.  But by the end of dinner, almost everything was gone.
The chocolate chips tray, of course, was completely empty.
It was so popular that HRH asked to have her breakfast the next morning in the tray, so I think this is another serving dish that is here to stay until she decides that she's willing to eat normal things like macaroni and cheese, salad, or oatmeal.

What creative things have you done of late to get your picky eaters (husbands may be included in this group) to eat their "go" foods?
How many pushups can you do right now?
What's your favorite iced tea (or hot tea - we don't like to discriminate) infusion?

I Can't Lift My Arms...OOOOH - Cookies!

OK, just to start things off, I need to discuss my newest current obsession: Herbavoracious's sesame-orange sablé cookies.  I finally made them today after drooling over the recipe in the new cookbook.
Oh, my word.  Michael Natkin, you are a genius.  These cookies are like if butter cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and those salty little sesame sticks I always eat too many of had a baby and then fed their baby to me.

Side note - if babies tasted like this, there would be fewer people on the planet.

But I digress.

Also, eating babies is completely improper and immoral.  I swear that whole analogy up there was due to the haze of deliciousness that I'm currently in; there is no way you can expect me to remain lucid.

The recipe called for orange zest, but since I had a few fresh limes lying around, I zested them instead.  It was A Good Decision.
The fact that there are still plenty of these babies leftover for The Husband to try and for us to maybe work through in the remaining days of this week says a lot for how far I have come in my quest to stop overeating.  Although I still had 6 cookies today.
So, get the Herbavoracious cookbook, but not just for these amazing cookies.  All of the (vegetarian) recipes are beautiful and mouth-watering, and if I had my druthers, I would probably work my way through the entire book while on vacation.

On a completely unrelated topic, today is the day after Day 1 of the Hundred Pushups Challenge.  I managed to do 14 yesterday, in 5 sets: 2-3-2-2-5.  And so, today, I have to say this:

OWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Apparently, one doesn't tend to us the pectoral and other push-up related muscles very much when running.  Duly noted.
Tomorrow (Day 2) is gonna be rough, folks.  But it will be worth it if I can slither into that tacky shirt (I've actually decided that a tank top is really the way to go) advertising free tickets to that spectacular gun show.

How are you changing up your fitness routine as summer weather heats up?  What is your newest food obsession that you can't get enough of?

Are You Ready... For the GUN SHOW????

First and foremost, I am getting the t-shirt that asks if you're ready for the gun show.

Second, I hope you are ready for the gun show.

Since I've just come back from my running (and, thanks to end of semester, blogging) hiatus, I've been thinking about what I can do this summer to get me focused on my fitness and health without tying myself to my GPS.  I've determined that I am running my second half marathon in November, which means I need to start training in earnest in August.

That gives me about 7-ish weeks.  Maybe more.  I really don't know.  I haven't counted.  My math skills are not what we would call "ninja-like."  Or even "fifth-grader-like."  That's why, people, I teach English.

Anyway, Matt over at For the Sole posted a fun challenge - the 100 Pushup Challenge from Hundred Pushups (we'll talk about the Captain Obviousness of this sentence some other time, OK?).  He decided, rather rashly, one evening, that he wanted to be able to do 100 pushups.  Shockingly enough, The Internet has an app a page for that.  The page has an app for that, in case you were curious (I'm still debating downloading it - $1.99 is awful steep around these parts).

Since misery loves company runners on Twitter love camaraderie, he invited other Twitterers (tweeters sounds, to me, too much like tweakers; I can't be the only one who likes the stuttering sound of Twitterer, too) to join him, and so 21 of us are embarking on this journey.

My initial test of standard (not "girl,") pushups: five.

I can do five standard pushups.

I think I was able to do more in fifth grade for the Presidential Fitness Test.

If I'm going to get myself some arms like Michelle Obama, I need to get on the stick.

Going from 5 to 100 pushups in 7 weeks is daunting, but if I can chip at it little by little, and incorporate three days of pushup-ing into my workout routine, I am bound to get stronger.

Check back - and check in over at For the Sole, too! - to see how I'm managing (and how my 20 fellow pushup-ers are faring).

And yes, prepare yourself for a pic of the t-shirt.  You know you want it.