Category: 5K

Guest Post: Christine from Bun & Borough

Published on by Marie1 Comment

For those of you who haven’t heard (although I don’t know how this could be possible since it’s all I’ve talked about this week), my first 5K is rapidly approaching (2 DAYS!)  In honor of it, I’ve dedicated my blog posts to it this entire week.  If you’re just tuning in, welcome to my new obsession.

I knew I wanted a talented, experienced runner to guest post for me and Christine from the popular blog, Bun & Borough, was the first person I thought of.  Not only is Christine a terrific runner, she is also one of my oldest and dearest friends.  I’ve known her since 5th grade and though she’s modest about her earlier running years, I think she’s always been a runner at heart.  If you don’t run and want to start, run now, need great style tips and (lots of) music references with a Boston-NYC flare, check out her blog.  You won’t be sorry.

Thank you for posting, Christine!!!

Race Recap: 2 Years After the Fact

        So I actually do not remember my first race. I was in 7th grade and had just joined the cross country team because I wasn’t really good at anything else. For years I played soccer as a defenseman, and though I desperately wanted to be a superstar, I just wasn’t. There was a summer I played basketball, and though I surprisingly made a few shots that went into the net, I was short compared to everyone else. And there was a fall I tried out for softball, and didn’t make the team (I could barely swing the bat, so I don’t blame them).
        I’ve always seen myself as athletic, but back then I couldn’t find my niche. Signing up to run cross country was a reluctant move; no one got cut from cross country and I remembered thinking it was a team of sports rejects like me, a team of junior high kids who weren’t good at anything else and could be mediocre on cross country and still get the team t-shirt. I ran a couple of years in high school too, but my heart just wasn’t in it back then. I still saw running as the reject sport.
        That line of thinking? Absolutely terrible. Running is a sport that has enough room for everyone, no matter how fast you go or when you cross the finish line. There are no rejects in this sport. There are no try-outs or cuts in this sport – you don’t need to prove anything to anyone but yourself. The only initial requirement is heart, and the rest will come in time.
        Once I understood that, I decided to invest in running for myself in January 2009. I do remember some of my first workouts on the treadmill. I ran the 4.0 speed for 60 minutes on the treadmill, and then gushed to my parents about it after. Hardly an accomplishment, but hey I was proud I stuck with it for more than 5 seconds! I kept running that winter and signed up for my first REAL race.
         It was a 5K on a golf course in my hometown. The day was cloudy and crisp. The ground was still soaked from melting snow. The orange bib number matched my orange jacket. I was nervous, and was in the bathroom line at least five times before the race began. I hadn’t done any running outside – let alone on grass! But I was determined and ready to finish. I don’t really remember what I was thinking, but it was definitely a hard race and I didn’t know what the hell I was doing most of the time. But I finished, and it was awesome.
        I love the fact that I have a humble beginning with running. I’ve come to see this sport as one full of champions, of people who complete races after life-threatening accidents, of a 92 year old grandma who runs marathons, of people who raise thousands of dollars for charities and honor them by running. We are all superstars.
        GOOD LUCK Marie on your FIRST RACE! May there be many more to come.
Love, Christine

Christine smiling for the camera during a rainy day race!

Couch to 5K: My Journey

Published on by Marie9 Comments

It was about 10 weeks ago that I decided I wanted to run a 5K.  I was in New York at the time, just north of Albany, working with a high school dance team when it hit me.  I knew about the Couch to 5K plan; I tried to complete it last year just before the summer started and lost the desire to continue after week 5.  I just wasn’t motivated enough.

This year, I started early.  I knew dance and traveling would take over my life starting at the end of May and although I was already dancing 3 nights a week, I figured extra cardio couldn’t hurt.  I used to do the elliptical every night but somewhere along the line, I started to hate it and tried to avoid cardio workouts altogether.  That’s a slippery slope and I was struggling hard to climb back up.

The Couch to 5K running plan is a 9-week series comprised of 3 training days per week.  Each week, the training gets more advanced and pushes you to run more and more as the weeks go by.  At first, even if you think you can run a full 90 seconds (and believe me, at the beginning I couldn’t), by the end of the 9 weeks if you really stick to it, you CAN run 3 miles.  It was truly amazing.

When I came home from NY, I started my first official C25K training on Tuesday, March 8th. I also added a page on my blog dedicated to it so I could keep myself accountable for it.  Win for me.

The training started with a 5 minute warm-up then alternating 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes.  By the end of it, I was out of breath and sweating profusely but I felt good.  I knew that I would at least be able to do the first month of training and didn’t think much of the later weeks. 

3 weeks later, I was still going strong and decided to officially sign up for a 5K race mid-May.  That way, I told myself, I’d have to finish the training because I would have to run the race.  I searched online for a local 5K (flat for the first one) and found the Marblehead Beach to Beach exactly one week after my training would end and one week before I would travel to Oklahoma for dance.  I enrolled, paid the fee, wrote it in my planner and told everyone I know.  No turning back now.

Around Week 4, it was time to start running sans-treadmill.  I am a big baby when it comes to cold weather so when I started running, it was in my cozy gym on a friendly, easily-paced treadmill.  Since I could jog about 8 minutes on the treadmill, I figured a slow run at the beach would be no big deal.  I was wrong.  Everything other runners told me about running outside was true.  I was sucking wind HARD after about 2 minutes and cramped soon after 3.  I stopped and walked, already feeling defeated.  “It’s really cold today, really windy, that’s why I can’t do it” I told myself but in reality, runners run marathons in the middle of winter.  Nevertheless, I turned my back on running outside for the moment and went back to my treadmill.

At the end of Week 5, the plan jumps from walk 5, run 8, walk 5, run 8 to run 20 with no stopping.  I was horrified.  I remember going to the gym that day, boyfriend in tow, freaking out the whole way there, thinking “there is no way I can run 20 minutes.  I’ve never even run 10 straight before.”  I met up with my friend, Kim, who was starting week 1 of her training and I told her not to let me stop.  I cranked up some music, threw a sweatshirt over the treadmill timer and ran.  20 minutes later, I thought I was going to die, but I did it and it felt great.

After running the full 20 minutes, I was unstoppable.  I breezed through week 6, struggled a bit at the end of week 7 but pushed and eventually found myself in week 9.  Running a full 28-30 minutes no longer felt like an eternity.  I blasted a rockin’ playlist, sometimes singing along with the first few songs.  Embarrassing? Sure.  And maybe even fist-pumped a time or two towards the end of the circuit.  Unnecessary? No way!

Then, it was time to head outside again.  Since I live so close to Marblehead, mapping the 5K route was a breeze.  And it’s very pretty.  I parked my car at the will-be finish line, walked up to the start, set a timer on my phone, clicked to the playlist and ran.  I got about a 1.25 miles in when I thought my lungs were going to burst.  (I started out way too fast I guess).  I walked about a minute before getting back into it.  I think I walked a total of about 2.5 minutes through the whole run, getting slightly discouraged but still managing to pick it up every time. 

I gotta say, the route itself is beautiful but more about that on Sunday.  I also realized that I look at the ground when I run.  That’ll be a habit I try to break as I continue to run.  Either way, when I hit the starting line again at the end of the race (which is one big loop) and saw my car in the distance, I took off at full speed, giving it everything I had, knowing that I wanted to be done and still manage to finish under 35 minutes.  I hit my car at full force, collapsing on the hood, all the while trying not to lose my lunch.  I didn’t (although no guarentees on Saturday, people).  The timer stopped at 34:44.  I was overjoyed, called Tracie right away to tell her, got home and fell asleep on the couch.

The last day of my training, last Sunday, I headed to the gym with the mere intention of running 20 minutes to see how my legs felt.  I was determined to finish the 5-song playlist I was listening to (they were each 4-5 minutes so I knew I could time it about right.) When I finished the playlist, I switched on Kanye’s 5:22 song “The New Workout Plan” and decided to run until I finished that song.  Then, “The Best Love Song” came on and when I looked at the timer, I had 2 minutes left to finish out the 30.  I did it.  Clocking the distance, I knew I had started running at .33 after a 5-minute warm up walk and now the distance read 3.01.  I had to bust out the last .32.  Switching on Gaga’s “Born This Way”, I gave it everything I had and finished the 3 miles in 32:20.  I was so happy, I almost cried.  In the gym.  On the treadmill.  In front of many others.  It’s fine.  I was done.  Officially.

So there you have it…my Couch to 5K journey.  With the race a few days away, it is the culmination of 10 weeks of hard work.  (And this is only the beginning…)

For anyone out there who thinks they can’t run, think again.  I couldn’t run, but now 3 miles is just 30-33 minutes I get to sweat.  It requires heart and the rest just sorts of falls into place.

I think becoming a “runner” takes more than 10 weeks, but the plan is the foundation of any good training.  Some inspiration helps too.  Check out these blogs for motivation, product reviews and that little extra push.  These people love to run and inspire others to love it too.  I’m living proof.

Christine at Bun & Borough
Aron from Runner’s Rambles
Corey: Runner’s Cookie
Ali at Ali On The Run
Page from Twenty-Six and Then Some

Are you starting/in the middle of/finishing your 5K journey?  What was the deciding factor for you to start training? What is your favorite part about it?

Categories 5K

Weekend Recap & My First Race Week!

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As you can see from my previous post, I have lots of RUNNING related things going on this week.  But I don’t want to miss out on recapping my wonderful weekend because it was jam-packed and full of fun.  Makes me wish every day was the weekend.

On Friday night, my friend/co-worker/Work Mama, Tracie, invited me to a wine tasting at a friend’s house.  We drank copious amounts of wine, ate lots of crudites, hummus and oreo truffles (made by me, which everyone loved!) and I met lots of wonderful people.  I took an extensive amount of notes during the tasting, per the English major in me, and learned quite a bit.

The party host, Dawn, from The Traveling Vineyard brought 5 wines for each of us to sample: 2 whites, 2 reds and 1 dessert.  She encouraged us to grab different finger foods to try with each.  The wines included Sauvignion Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignion.  Dawn told us that the proper way to try a wine is to use four categories: color, aroma, taste and legs.  Yes, legs.  The more “legs” a glass of wine has, the more alcoholic it is.  For example, if you swirl a glass of Sauvignion Blanc, the drip lines down the glass will be few, if any, and very thin.  But if you swirl a Cabernet and glance at the legs, they will run thick and numerous.  This is because the alcohol content is much higher in red wines than whites.  It was a great educational experience as well as an excuse to drink lots of wine.  Win-win.  Thanks Tracie!

Saturday was my dad’s 59th birthday.  (Happy Birthday Daddy!)  He took the day off from work to…work.  Around the house.  He likes that sort of thing.  Boyfriend and I went out for a walk along my 5K route in Marblehead around 1 but after a mere mile, it started pouring.  HARD.  We quickly abandoned the walk and headed to the mall to buy gifts for Mother’s Day where we waited in the obnoxious Pandora line for an hour.  Good thing he’s funny.  I would’ve been so bored alone.

On the way home, we picked up additional Mother’s Day gifts (a bottle of Midori for his mom from me and a bottle of red wine to my mom from him), a new bottle of Merlot for us, bought dinner ingredients at Hannaford’s and by the time we got back to his house, we had gotten it into our heads to make homemade wheat bread (a 3-hour process), turkey chili and profiteroles for dessert.  Perfect for a Saturday night at home.

Let me just say – the worst part about breadmaking is the WAIT.  We used this awesome recipe from a blog I found called Hot Mess Cooking.  It is a lengthy process so I’ll let you jump over there for it’s entirety.  The yeast expanded, the dough rose, we punched it, it rose again but it just takes patience…which we all know I don’t have so I proceeded to throw flour around the kitchen and boss Stephen around to pass the time.  He always loves when I do that.

Here’s what the bread looked like. It was so good.

The chili recipe, adapted from Weight Watchers, is easy and requires 1 (maybe 2) pots/pans for the entire cooking time.  We like to throw in a few extra things (mushrooms, turkey kielbasa, a jalapeno, red pepper flakes and hot sauce) but a little heat never hurts.  Just make sure to chaperone the pot if your significant other is heavy-handed with the Sriracha sauce.  That stuff hurts.

Dessert was a classic from 17th century France: profiteroles.  Simply put, these are hollow pastry puffs, light and airy that are split apart making the perfect canvas for ice cream, whipped cream, pastry cream, etc.  We made ours from a basic combination of flour, nutmeg, eggs, butter and water,placed a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream in the middle and then doused the tops in semi-sweet chocolate.  It was hard not to eat all of them.  Warm and dainty, but so light you don’t feel (as) guilty about that extra scoop of ice cream on the side or eating the chocolate sauce out of the bowl.  All-in-all, a good Saturday.

Sunday = Mother’s Day and I got to spend it with the fam at my sister’s college.  After a mid-day dinner at Bertucci’s (I got the special salad: arugala, orange, roasted red peppers, grilled chix with a lemon dressing and balsamic glaze) and a Mocha Light Frappuccino from Starbucks (happy hour, dur), we headed home.

I sat around for 10 minutes and decided to head to the gym.  I figured I’d do a short run (20 minutes or so) and get some strength training in.  I settled myself onto the treadmill with a new playlist and told myself I would run to the end of it.  At the end of it, I replayed a 5:22 song Kanye’s “The New Workout Plan” and decided to finish that.  At that point, I took my sweater down from the tread to see my time and I was at 3.01.  Since I started the run at .33 after a 5-minute walk, I decided to push the end of the 3 miles.  I clocked it at about 32:20 and marked the completion of my Couch to 5K training.  I was so happy, I thought I was going to cry.  I walked to cool down, did some strength and some abs, drained 2 water bottles and left feeling accomplished (and very very sweaty.)

Looking ahead to this week…

So it’s my first race week ever, but since this is no 26.6 mile race, I don’t feel that “tapering” really applies to me yet.  Here’s what I’ve got planned for the week workout-wise…

Monday: Cross trainer, arms, Dance 7-8
Today: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms
Wednesday: Cross trainer, thighs, sides, abs, Dance 7-9
Thursday: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms, Dance 7-8
Friday: REST!
Saturday: Well.. duh.

This Week on the Blog…

Published on by Marie1 Comment

This week is dedicated to my first ever 5K!

Tuesday: Weekend Recap/My First Race Week/This week’s workouts.
Wednesday: Couch to 5K — My Journey.  Plus – Some Running Inspiration.
Thursday: Guest post by my good friend/veteran runner, Christine.  This is a post you will NOT want to miss!
Friday: Pre-Race Report… What I’m doing, eating, wearing, listening to, everything.
Saturday: The Big Day.  Registration starts at 8am.  Race at 10am.  Recap will either be later Saturday or Sunday.

I’m ready to RUN!

Categories 5K

Runner’s Motivation…

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…at it’s finest.

Today’s training: Walk 5 minutes, run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes, run 10 minutes, walk 7 minutes uphill.  Total: 35 minutes.  Followed by some weight training/circuit training and I have GaGa rehearsal tonight. 

New music courtesy of Christine’s Weekend Playlist and rocking some new Cropped Running/Yoga Pants via Target (so comfy.. go buy them.)

Oh and thanks to BU’s Accepted Student’s Day tomorrow, today is my Friday at work. 

Get. It.

My Not-So-Lazy Weekend

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This past weekend, I decided to forgo sleeping in until 2pm and managed to pull myself out of bed early enough to have a productive two days.

On Saturday morning, after an quick and easy breakfast of a banana and my favorite yogurt (Light & Fit 80-calorie Vanilla!), I watched the tube for a bit before completing a Jillian Michael’s workout DVD and taking a quick jog around the neighorhood.  Sweaty and pumped up, I showered and decided to grab a coffee and visit my Grammy.

During my visit, my Aunt Deb reminded me of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer (the one that was my Grammy’s that she was giving to me) and I noticed it sitting on the kitchen table.  I had completely forgotten about it (seriously, how could I?)  I dragged it home (it’s a heavy sucker) and immediately began figuring out ways to use it right then and there when an opportunity presented itself.. more about that in a bit.

My boyfriend, Stephen, and I had made plans for Saturday night to cook dinner together at his house and spend the night drinking wine and watching movies.  When our parents caught wind of this, they decided to join in the fun (and gave me an excuse to make chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting in my new mixing toy.)  Let me preface – my parents and Stephen’s parents get along well, really really well.  Like they’re best friends.  I don’t hate it.

When Stephen mentioned to me that his mom had a Weight Watcher’s recipe for Turkey Chili, I knew it was going to be a good dinner.  Unfortunately, he and I planned on (and executed) a double batch of the stuff before realizing that our parents ordered pizza instead.  Minor blunder.  The chili, which we added extra veggies to on top of what the recipe called for, was hearty, warming and simply delicious.  I made Hungry Girl Cornbread Muffins to go with it.

Oh and the cupcakes?  Hungry Girl’s recipe (I know, I’m on an HG kick.  I love her, what can I say?) for simple chocolate-y cupcakes and my own simple buttercream.  I dusted some green sugar sprinkles over the top.  For some reason, maybe the use of the mixer or maybe I just didn’t add enough powdered sugar this time, but my frosting was, well… very thin, this time around.  Still delicious and very shiny but not the thick buttercream I am used to.  Oh well, they got eaten anyway.

I spent the rest of the night drinking a new red wine, Black Opal Cabernet (circa Australia 2009), which was deep and full with cherry flavor.  It defintiely wasn’t my favorite of all time but for approximately $7.99 and a night with the fam, I would drink it again.  It paired nicely with the chili anyway.

Waking up Sunday morning posed a bit more of a dilemma.  I pulled myself out of bed around 8:30, called Stephen to make sure he was awake, made him promise me that he would be ready for the gym when I picked him up in an hour and sleepily made my way downstairs. 

Since I don’t like to eat heavy before the gym, I grabbed an apple and plopped on the couch to watch Hairspray.  Before I knew it, I was changing into my gym clothes and getting my iPod ready, all the while the Couch to 5K Week 5, Day 3 lured – no, haunted – every thought in my mind.

At the gym, we met up with our two friends and I immediately hit the tread.  My friend Kimmy is using the Couch to 5K training plan too but the lucky bi-otch is in the early stages where you run 90 seconds and walk 2 minutes.  Man, I miss those days.  I began with my 5 minute walk that ended all too quickly.  With my music set and my sweatshirt covering the timer, I kicked my run into a higher gear (approximately 10:54/mile) and just ran.

20 minutes later (my quota for the day), I was sweaty, out of breath and feeling GREAT.  I even got high-fives from Kim during the last 2 minutes because I thought my lungs were going to explode.  But overall, I felt accomplished and was elated telling Stephen and Kim’s boyfriend, Matt, about my epic run.  Yes, epic.  Whatever – it was epic to me.

After parting from the other couple, I dropped Stephen off at his house and went home to shower.  I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Boston University Barnes & Noble in Boston with Kim… aka wandering around the BU section trying to decide what to buy.  I finally decided on a red t-shirt, a red sweatshirt, 3 car stickers and a shot glass.  Grand total: $80.. well played BU, well played.

At least my car looks cool.

That night, I went back to Stephen’s (I kinda like the kid…) and we watched Little Fockers with his parents and sister, Nina.  It was hysterical; go rent it.

Overall, it was quite a successful and productive weekend.  Hopefully next weekend will be too!

Oh – by the way, today is my friend/co-worker, Tracie’s 40th birthday.

Happy Birthday Work Mama!

Turkey/Veggie Chili (HUGE AMOUNT. Great for leftovers and parties)
Adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
2 pound lean ground turkey (94% fat free works great)
2 (14.9 ounce) can black beans (not drained.. you’ll need the liquid)
3 (14.9 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
3 (14.9 ounce) cans fat-free, low sodium beef broth
8 ounces whole button mushrooms, quartered
1 small onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 jalepeno, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped
2 zucchinis, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 yellow summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces

Brown turkey in large pot sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Add all vegetables and canned items and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

Lower the heat and let simmer at least 1 hour. 

Serve hot with cornbread muffins.  If desired, sprinkle parm cheese over individual servings.

Cornbread Mega-Muffins
From Hungry Girl’s 300 Under 300

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup Splenda
1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional.. I accidentally left it out and they still tasted good)
1 TB baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 small can (8 ounces) cream-style corn
3/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 fat-free plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine flour, cornmeal, Splenda, sugar (if using), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Mix well and set aside.  In a seperate medium bowl, mix corn, egg substitute, and yogurt.  Whisk thoroughly.  Add contents of medium bowl to the large one and mix until completely combined.

Generously spray 9 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Evenly distribute batter among the cups (they will be FULL.. that’s okay!)

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool and enjoy.

5K Update and Tasty Tomato Soup

Published on by Marie3 Comments

As of today, I have officially completed 5 weeks and 1 day of the Couch to 5K program.  This afternoon, it will be 5 weeks, 2 days completed.  I have to say that even though I am totally a non-runner, I genuinely enjoy it this far.

Because of a total time fail on Wednesday I wasn’t able to get day 2 of week 5 done but I managed to get about half of it completed.  That equaled 5 minutes of walking and 8 minutes of straight running.  Now, bear with me, I don’t think I’ve ever run 8 straight minutes in my entire life.  No joke.  Laugh if you will but seriously, when have I ever been required too? (No, the 1-mile run in high school gym class does not count… I walked most of that nonsense.) 

Anyway, the 8 minutes did not kill me I am happy to announce and after another 5 minute walk I could have easily done another 8… which I will prove to myself tonight.  The kicker with this program is, I don’t understand how I am expected to run 20 minutes nonstop by the end of this week when I haven’t even done a full 10.  I trust it so I’ll do it, but no guarentees it’ll be pretty.  I’ve also decided that after my completion of week 3, I will hit the pavement and start alternating running outside with the treadmill.  I don’t want to be sucking wind during my race like I was last Sunday when I first attempted a beach jog.

So when is the big race day?  I’ve made it official.  I will be running the Marblehead Beach to Beach 5K on Saturday, May 14th at 10 am.  I’m definitely going to need a new outfit.  Suggestions?  How about a running buddy?  I’m slow so if you’re experienced, it’ll be a breeze for you…. If you’re interested, please let me know!  PS – isn’t that picture pretty?  It’s the Marblehead Causeway (part of my route) captured at dusk.

I’ve also been cutting calories in an attempt to lose some weight before my first race.  I dance and workout regularly anyway but I find that sometimes my love towards food makes me hate my waistline.  Lisa Lillien’s new cookbook that I mentioned previously is helping me tremendously.  This soup has a mere 189 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving and was delicious.  Don’t let the soy crumbles scare you – they give this dish a meaty quality. 

Zazzled-Up Zuppa
From Hungry Girl’s 300 Under 300

1 (15 ounce) can Amy’s Organic Low Sodium Chunky Tomato Bisque
1/3 cup Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen ground beef-style soy crumbles (like Morningstar Farms Breakfast Starters)
Pepper, to taste
2 tsps. reduced-fat parm-style cheese topping

1. Heat all ingredients except for the cheese topping in a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the soy crumbles have completely thawed.  Continue to cook until soup is hot.

2. Sprinkle cheese over the top and serve.

Quick Update

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I have definitely not done enough (or any!) blogging in the past week and I hate when I do that.  I fall into a slump and even though I think about it, I just don’t do it.  I find it happens in multiple areas of my life and it’s a personal flaw I’m working on.

So some updates:

Over the weekend, I went back to New York and surprised the Shen Dance Team by being at their end-of-the-year banquet.  I even did a solo for them; they really loved it and it was a wonderful night.  The team even gave me another set of their black and silver performance poms which I’ll keep with the green and silver ones I already have.  Hopefully I’ll be heading back there to run their camp in August.

I haven’t done much cooking since I was away but last night, my mom requested my Bouef Bourginion.  It was delicious, even though I couldn’t eat the potatoes because of Lent (although I may have slipped a few by accident!)  I also made a crustless banana cream pie, which only my boyfriend had a piece of because we kinda forgot about it.  Oh well, there’s always tonight.

Couch to 5K-wise: I completed Week 4, Day 1 yesterday.  I thought I was going to die; no seriously, just crash right there on the treadmill.  For you runners out there, I’m know running 5 full minutes is absolutely nothing.  Well, I’m not quite a runner yet and those 2 5-minute intervals were pretty tough.  But I did them.  I had to reduce my speed for the second one because, in reality, I’m training for distance, not speed at this point.  The important thing is that I’m doing it and when May 14th rolls around, I hope to be at the starting line of Marblehead’s Beach to Beach 5K donning a sports fanny pack and my very own number.

In regards to grad school, I already mentioned that I was accepted into BU’s Broadcasting program.  I found out a week later that Emerson also accepted me.  Dilemma…because, honestly, I wasn’t really banking on getting into either school (my GRE scores were a little less than adequate in my opinion), now I have 2 of the best journalism programs in the country to choose from.  Well, it didn’t take long for me to make my decision.  BU was always in the back of my mind; call it a gut feeling.  My dad and grandmother both went there, its a big name school (aka BIG MONEY) and I dream of the day I have a beautiful Master’s Degree with the BU emblem on it… :sigh:

Finally, I will be doing some spring cleaning around the blog to give Chocolate & Wine a facelift.  Bear with me.. it could get ugly.

Happy Wednesday!

Oh.. and just in case you wanted that pie recipe…

Crustless Banana Cream Pie
Recipe from Hungry Girl

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup Splenda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups cold light vanilla soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 tablespoons Brummel & Brown margarine spread
2.5 medium bananas, sliced into thin disks
Cool Whip Free

Combine sugar, cornstarch, Splenda and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisking constantly, slowy add the milk and bring mixture to a boil.  Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture thickens and resembles a custard.  Remove from heat and stir in the margarine and vanilla.  Let cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice bananas and lay about half of the banana slices in a single layer to cover the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan.  Pour half of the custard over the bananas in an even layer.  Repeat layering the rest of the bananas on top of the custard and spread the remaining custard on top.  Let sit out for 10 minutes and then place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, spread Cool Whip Free over the top of the pie.  Garnish with extra banana slices and cocoa powder if desired.

Very Exciting News, No Meat on Fridays & A Little Something Special

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I’m not going to lie – the past two days have been incredible.  First, I won an orange iPod at work yesterday.  Today, I got an interview for a marketing company I applied for  (fingers crossed I do well) and found out that I got into Boston University’s prestigious graduate program for journalism.  Needless to say, I’ve been bouncing off the walls with glee for the past 36 hours.

And, as we’ve already established, it’s Lent… 3 days in and the no-carb promise is going strong.  As is my 5K training, of which, I have successfully completed 2 days.  I know it’s baby steps but 2 days is a lot to a non-runner and my calves are definitely feeling it.

Being Catholic, Lent is 40 days of repentence, remembrance and no meat of Fridays.  Today is Friday and I’m craving fish – good thing since it’s practically the only thing I can have today.  A simple tuna salad for lunch (a can of tuna and a 2 teaspoons of low fat mayo – I hate it when it’s super mayo-y) and salmon for dinner.

Salmon is one of my favorite foods of all time.  Ask my boyfriend – I get it almost every time we go out to dinner.  So tonight, I figured I’d make my own.

I chose a simple recipe and it was delicious.  The lemon sauce was the perfect compliment to the lightly peppered fish.

Broiled Salmon with Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 TB cornstarch
2 TB honey
4 5-ounce salmon filets, skinned removed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat broiler to low.  Place salmon filets on a broiler pan that has been greased lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the lemon juice, chicken broth and cornstarch.  Heat in a small saucepan over medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.  Stir in the honey and remove from heat.  Cover and keep warm while you cook the salmon.

3.  Broil salmon for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve salmon and top with sauce.  Season with black pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

On a completely different note, I have some very exciting dance news.  I work for a company based in Texas called the National Dance Alliance.  With them, I travel to different states during the summer to teach at their high school summer camps.  This past summer, I worked a total of 9 camps in 7 states.  This upcoming summer, I will be a 3rd year vet with NDA and it is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

My last camp of Summer 2010 was with a high school team north of Albany, New York.  While they weren’t the most technical team I worked with during the summer, they by far, had the most heart.  By the end of the 3 days, I felt as though I was a part of their team, despite the fact I am (significantly) older than them.  They cried when I gave them a bid to NDA’s High School National Championships and I cried when I pulled out of their parking lot to go home.  5 months later, I was back in their gym.  This time, however, it was all about nationals.

After 2 intense days of choreography, 3 months of practice with their amazing coaches and 1 more cleaning day with me, the team is now in Orlando, FL to display their hard work at nationals.  Diamond-themed routine under their belts and shimmering, new, black and silver poms in their hands, my girls will take the stage on Saturday morning with hopes of making finals and ranking as one of the best teams in the nation.

But regardless of whether or not they place, I am so proud to say that I am their choreographer.  They are one of the most loving teams I have ever come across.  They not only love to dance but they love each other, their coaches (and me!)  And I love them back.

GOOD LUCK AT NATIONALS SHEN DANCE TEAM!

Lent: My No-Carb Promise

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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. 

Every year, I attempt to give up something.  A few years ago, I gave up milk because I used to drink an abnormal amount of the stuff.  Nowadays, that would be easy because I don’t drink milk that much anymore.  This year I have decided to give up carbs.  Why?  There are a few reasons.

First, I don’t need them.  Carbs, you are harmful to me despite how much I love you.

Second, I am going to the Bahamas in 3 months…enough said, right?

Third, it’ll definitely be a challenge and I need more of those in my life right now.  (Ahem, 5K training….)

So, for the next 40 days, I will be carb-free.  No bread, pasta, crackers, etc. etc. It will impact my cooking but I don’t think it will be so dramatic that I will slip into a boring routine.  I’ll do my best to change up the proteins, veggies, soups, even the desserts since I consider cakes, cookies and the like to be serious carbos. 

Nevertheless, with my dance schedule, new 5K training and Jillian Michaels ab routine, I think a bikini in 3 months just might be possible.  Maybe, we’ll see.