Rogue Running: Would you do it?

Here's the situation, Ben and I are trying to cut back in many ways. The little things that add up so easily, like buying coffee. I've made a no coffee buying pledge for December, and asked for Starbucks gift cards to curb this spending post holiday season as well. One of the ways I spend too much, is race entries. Sure, the big races are worth it, especially ones from Team Ortho, with the awesome swag you get. But some races, are just not worth it, and now that I'm running longer distances, 5K's especially.


So, this weekend a friend and I were speaking of running a 5K without paying for it, just showing up and running, and another runner was appalled. The thing is, I know for a fact this 5K doesn't give any of the profits to charity, it all goes to pad this company's wallet, and they make money in PLENTY of other ways, trust you me.

So, I don't really feel bad about it. In fact, I've paid for their races before, and the food lines are always atrocious, and I rarely actually stay to get the food because it's not worth the long wait and chaos to get it. The cotton shirts that come with the race entry always shrink, and end up being pathetic pajama shirts I wouldn't be seen in public in.

So, I'm not feeling bad about "rogue running" this race. I'm not stealing from the poor, and I pay for a lot of race entries during the year that do benefit great causes.

SO, what do you think? How do you manage to keep your race entry spending under control? Do you think it's OK not to pay for a race entry if the money doesn't go to charity and you don't get what you expect in return??

Love and Other Drugs

Sunday, I went and saw Love and Other Drugs with my friend Jen. It was a definite chick flick, that I'm glad I went to see with a girlfriend instead of Ben (and he didn't want to go anyway... so there was that!)


The movie was really good, not great, but good, and kept my attention the whole time. I love Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, and thought they were both perfect casting for these characters. The premise is, Jake Gyllenhall is a drug rep for Pizer during the Viagra rush of the 90's, and through that job he meets Anne Hathaway, who is suffering from Stage 1 Parkinson's Disease, let the montages of lovely times, followed by tumultuous arguments ensue.

I'm glad I saw the movie, and would recommend it to a lady looking for a good time movie to see with girlfriends. There is also a lot of Anne Hathaway nudity, if you need to convince your significant other to attend (along with some Jake Gyllenhall nudity as well!).

In recipe news, I tried this great recipe for Chocolate Chip Dough Balls from Diana over at the Chic Life, and let me tell you, delicious! Ben insisted on taste testing at least three of them, and he's not even a big sweets guy. I highly recommend you try them! I threw two of these in my lunch today, and they were the perfect post lunch treat. =)

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

I'm going to tell you right now what YOU should be thankful for, you should be thankful that I'm not going to give you a list of what I'm thankful for in this post, because I've read too many blogs this week with lists that go on and on of what people are thankful for, and frankly, I only care so much. It's pretty self-indulgent, and if I'm not thankful for my health, family, etc. than I'm not human.

So, anyway, Ben and I just arrived back from a wonderful few days in my hometown in Wisconsin about a 2.5 hour drive from the Twin Cities. We had a great meal, obviously, (I took no pictures of it) and had great times with my family.

This weekend, Ben and I got meet our nephew Andrew for the first time, and let me tell you, at 12 weeks he acts more like a five month old baby with his size and strength, and can win anyone over with his smile.



As you can see, Cooper refused to be overshadowed by a baby (although we did put him up in the chair with me for the last picture), but it was really cute to see his reaction the first time around a baby. Andrew is such a cute and cuddly baby, smiling when talked to, and starting to talk back with his own little babbles as well.

The best part about my hometown, is that there is A LOT of delicious, local places to eat there. Ben and I went to Rocky Rococo for pizza, and it was just like going back in time. Delicious, thick crust pizza served piping hot and fast.


I got the lunch combo with a slice of cheese pizza, the salad bar, and a drink. And yes, my salad is swimming in blue cheese dressing-- it's a holiday weekend, come on! I also had one of Ben's breadsticks, as their breadsticks are legendary delicious, no other pizza place can top them.

I also got in a run this weekend, my first in over a month, as I've finally been deemed clear to run, woo hoo!! It was a bit tough on my asthma the way that I went against the wind, but it felt good to go out. I took it easy doing 2.25 miles, and it was the perfect amount. Tomorrow, I'll be taking on 3.1 miles in the AM.

Hope you all are having a great holiday weekend!!

Pumpkin Oatmeal

My friend Kaitlin posted a recipe on her facebook for Pumpkin Oatmeal, and I was intrigued, it looked like a great hearty meal, and super easy. So, I gave it a whirl, and mmmm, mmmm was it delicious, so much so that I had to share it with you all. I always see fancy Oatmeal recipes on people's blogs, but never know just how they make oatmeal look so delectable, so I hope I do the same for you!

I started with a half cup of quick oats, a half cup of milk and a few spoon fulls of canned Pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin Pie mix).

Then microwaved for about two minutes (this time can vary, depending on your microwave).

Then, after mixing the hot mix, I added a few spoonfuls of apple sauce, along with nutmeg and cinnamon. Cinnamon was my own addition, and not being careful, I added to big of a shake, so make sure you just give it a light dash.


The following goodness ensued, and was a hearty dinner (yes dinner!) after a great workout, and kept me nice and full.


S0, there you have it, Pumpkin Oatmeal ala Kaitlin. This has inspired me to try and come up with a cooked apple oatmeal, stay tuned!

30 Day Shred

Tonight I went to physical therapy, and I got some great news, no more wearing my boot, yay! I've been pain free in normal activity for over a week, so now my left shoes can try to catch up to all the wear my right shoes have received over the past few weeks.

The bad news, I'm still not ready to run, and need to get stronger before I do. Hearing this, made me want to cry (and maybe I did tear up a little and feel like a fool). I had planned to run this Saturday, just a couple of miles with a friend since I've been feeling so great on foot, however, my PT informed me that's a recipe for disaster and I need to get stronger first with the rest of my body so it can support running first.

I drove home from this news feeling down, and not wanting to go to the gym, even though I knew I should, then it hit me, all my workout DVD's! I keep hearing great things about Jillian's 30 Day Shred, and I bought it this summer with hand weights, why don't I integrate that into my get stronger routine?


So, I came home, popped it in, and hit it for 20 minutes, and it was great! She mixes strength training, cardio and abs, and in the 20 minutes, I burned over 200 calories and my arms feel like they got a killer workout!

So, I've decided to integrate the DVD into my normal workouts. There are so many days I think I don't have time to workout, but what's 20 minutes here? I can get up 20 minutes earlier, I can do it for 20 minutes on Sunday nights instead of being a couch potato that whole night, I can do it the days this winter when the roads are too bad to get to the gym... why not??

I know many people, including Missy at the Marketing Mama, who have had great success with this DVD, so here goes nothing! I'll be sure to report back.

What is your favorite tried and true workout DVD? Or is there one you've been wanting to try??

Also, we have a winner for the Surf Sweets Give Away! With the help of random.org, the winner is...

#8 Kristi!!

Kristi said, "My favorite sugary candy are Mike and Ike's!"

Kristi, leave your e-mail address in a comment and we'll exchange information, congratulations!

Winter 5K and 10K Traning Clinics

Happy Tuesday All! I have a fun and exciting announcement to make. As, I've told most of you, I started running a few years back, thanks to a Learn to Run Program with a Twin Cities area running store. If it weren't for the instructors here who helped me learn that it's OK to run at my own pace (ie not very fast), how to pace myself and how to manage my asthma while doing cardiovascular workouts, I wouldn't have completed my first marathon, or be at all the athlete I am today.

I am so thankful for this program, and the wonderful friends and support system that I met through this program, that I'm excited to announce I will now be coaching Train for a 5K and Train for a 10K clinics this winter!! It's such a weird idea, that I'll be coaching people how to run, but I am so excited, and I'm hoping that some of you will join me during these clinics.

They are really meant for everyone, whether you've run a 5K or 10K before, whether you love to run and need motivation to get out on the trails this winter, whether you find running with others or signing up for a race intimidating, this is YOUR clinic!!

Running and Staying Healthy Together this Winter (but with a lot more layers on than in this picture!)

For this program, we run intervals, meaning, running for a certain number of minutes, and then walking for a minute, and repeating this process. For me as an asthmatic, this helps me manage running, and many people have found that this system of running actually helps them run faster during races than straight running alone. However, if you do not like to interval run, do not be deterred, this is a clinic for everyone's running style!

If you are interested in this program, leave a message, or shoot me at DM on Twitter (@AlexaTC), and I will send you the specific information on where and when the group will be meeting. The group does not start meeting until the start of 2011, so now worries about being busy during the holidays.

There is a small fee for the clinic ($50), the fee includes: instructional guest speakers on preventing injury, winter running clothing tips, finding the right shoe, etc. Plus, the fee includes a great dry fit shirt and over two months of training together-- that's cheaper than most gym memberships! I hope that those of you in the Twin Cities area will look into this; it's going to be a great winter of running together!!

Surf Sweets Give Away

Who doesn't like a give away to start the week off right? And better yet, who doesn't like a CANDY give away? (do I have your attention now? ;)

About a year ago I started eating Surf Sweets as a sugary candy alternative. I was drawn to them for a few reasons:

• They're all natural with no High Fructose Corn Syrup!
• They have Vitamin C
• They come in small, portion controlled packaging

One package of their Sour Gummy Bears has 80 calories, and they're so delicious, I feel like I'm getting an amazing sugary treat, when really, I'm getting a not so bad for me, not so sugary treat!

Surf Sweets Sour Gummy Bears

These snacks were also mentioned by Stacy from Kitchenwerks at last month's Prior Fat Girl meet up, as one of the few fruit/gummy snacks not to be made with tons of artificial crap!

The kind people at Surf Sweets sent me a few of their products to sample, so I wanted to give you all a chance to try a couple too, it isn't a big give away, but I still like to share. =)

So, here's what you can win, a pack of Surf Sweets Original Flavor Gummy Bears and Jelly Beans, at 80 and 90 calories a pack.

Here's how you can win:

1. Officially follow the blog, and leave a comment saying you are, or already were
2. Tell me what your favorite sugary candy that makes your mouth water is
3. Tweet about the give away using my handle @AlexaTC (make up an inventive tweet!)

(Separate comments please for each entry)

So, there are three separate ways you can win!

Here is the fine print: This giveaway is open U.S. Residents only. Entries must be received by Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. A random winner will be announced by Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time and the winner have until Friday, November 19, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Central to contact me, otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

**Surf Sweets gave me these samples for me to try for free, the opinions are all mine, and I just wanted to share the love!**