Taking Victory on the Half Marathon!

In 2009 I began training for my first half marathon. A few weeks before the race I began getting sharp throbbing pains on the outside of my right leg. I had been training so hard that there was no way I was going to quit and not run the race.

With my leg all taped up I began the race set out to finish no matter what. At about 8 miles my leg became so stiff and painful that I wasn't sure I was going to make it. I made it another 2 miles and then began getting pain in my achilles tendon that I could not ignore. I walked the remaining 3 miles of the race with tears in my eyes. I was so disappointed that I had to walk across the finish line instead of the finish I had envisioned.

After months off of running and several months of physical therapy I am back to running and have decided that I would like to run another half marathon. My husband actually brought up the idea of running the same half marathon I did in 2009 to take victory on that race. I thought that was a wonderful idea! Although I know that a half marathon is a big accomplishment I have been very disappointed about not finishing that race as I would have liked ever since. The second time around I am going to kick its butt!

To find races in your area I have found a great site; runningintheusa.com. You can sort races by state and then by month to plan out your training. To a happier and healthier 2001!

Taco Tuesday

So I huge ambitions for myself this evening. I found a great new veggie recipe in one of my magazines to pair with some quinoa and grilled chicken. I was going to stop at the grocery store after work, pick up the ingredients and then head home to cook a delicious and healthy meal for me and the hubs.

Well, the day at work turned into an exhausting one and guess what I wanted to do when I was off? That's right, NOT cook. So instead we went to Baja Fresh for a quick, cheap, and semi-healthy dinner.

I always get a Grilled Mahi Mahi Taco

Only 230 calories and 9 grams of fat. Pretty decent for fast food and with a few chips and a side of guacamole I was stuffed without feeling guilty about what I ate for dinner.

Monster Cookies

I had a dream about Monster Cookies-not sure if that's what everyone calls them? My sisters and I used to make these cookies with my mom when we were little. We would make a ton of dough and keep it in the freezer so we could make Monster Cookies all month long! I hadn't thought about these cookies for years but had a random dream that I was eating them, weird.

I am the middle sister and my older and younger sisters both live out of state. I was getting ready to mail out their Christmas packages when I had this dream about Monster Cookies. I decided that I had to make them to mail with their gifts so I ran out to get all of the ingredients. Maybe this will become a tradition?

They turned out just how I remembered:)

You have to make them large or they won't turn out chewy and yummy inside.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (I used half quick oats & half old fashioned oats)
• I added about a cup of coconut as well (optional)

Directions

Combine eggs and sugars. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to over bake them. Let stand for about 3 minutes before removing them from the cookie sheet.

I also made another version where I substituted raisins for the M&Ms and added lots of coconut. They were delicious as well!