Training and Cooking!

My day started out like any other with my morning workout.  I'm in the middle of writing up my half marathon training plan and I'm really excited about it.  I'm combining a few different training plans that I've found but one had an example week of runs you should be able to complete before you start an advanced training program.  It looks a  little like this

Mon: 3 M/ Tues: 6M/ Wed: 4M/ Thurs: 6M/ Fri: 4M/ Sat: 8 M
 Mon.Tue.Wed.Thu.Fri.Sat.Mon  

I switched up the mileage for certain days but this is more then I have been running so we'll see how this week goes.  I usually only make it 3 or 4 miles and then do the GPP workout of the day.  I would LOVE to break 1:30 in the half.  I don't know if it will happen for this half but one day it will happen.  This is my beautiful view every morning.

Netflix and Hulu Plus are my lifesavers during winter running.  I am actually kind of getting sick of the treadmill.  I never thought I would say it but it's true.  I'm looking forward to warmer weather in a few months so I can hit the road at least a couple times a week.  The poster in the back is the St. George marathon poster that I'm on.  It's old and hilarious that I'm even on it.  I don't put 3:30 Boston Qualifier part on there to gloat, I simply put it on there to remind myself that I can in fact run fast.  This may not be fast for some people but it is for me. I still have no idea how I did it.  Of course the thought of maybe getting 3:20 does kind of hang in the back of my mind but I mean, way, way back of my mind.  No marathons for me for a while.  The training is just so much more intense and I'm not feeling it. The half is perfect though b/c I feel like you can do minimal training and still survive. 

Got my six miles in much slower then I would have liked but I did it.  I also did the GPP workout of the day which was tough.  Picture running on the treadmill doing bicep curls, OH shoulder presses and more.  It's a good thing I ate like a linebacker yesterday or I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have had enough energy to complete this workout.  I really do love to workout.  It is my sanity before the crazy day begins.  For those of you who can wake up with your kids in your face, I am truly impressed.  The few weeks I couldn't workout after I had Ben I wanted to die.  I really hate waking up to my children asking for things.  I need some "me" time before it begins.  

I do love coming upstairs to this cute little face though. The kids are still obsessed with watching home videos so they were occupied for a while this morning which was nice. 

We got out learning time in.  I usually try to do this with Sam everyday but I haven't been super consistent lately.  I'm trying to get back into being more consistent.  It makes it a little bit trickier now that Ellie wants to participate but we make it work.  I just get the books they have at Costco and we do a couple pages from each section each day.  Their attention span isn't super long but I take whatever I get.  And they wanted to sit on the floor b/c it was by the heater vent and they were cold.  Who doesn't remember doing that as a kid?  I was cold too so I didn't argue the point.

I HAVE to get out of the house each day.  It's good for the soul.  We packed up and headed to NPS.  Don't know what NPS is?  It's okay, you aren't missing much.  It sadly fuels my diet soda addiction.  It's cheap, cheap soda folks.  They have yummy Aspen Mills or Great Harvest bread there too so sometimes they have the kind we like but sometimes not.  It's out by the airport so it's a good drive to get us out of the house and look for planes as we drive.  

We got home and I got the younger two down for naps and paid a few bills, looked for preschools for Ellie and then decided to make some muffins.  It was not good timing on the muffins.  I started making them and Ellie woke up with diarrhea, Ben woke up and had a blowout for the second time today and dinner time was approaching so people were getting hungry.  The muffins didn't turn out great so I won't share the recipe quite yet.  I had some bananas getting brown so I wanted to experiment with some banana protein muffins.  I'll eat them but my kids didn't love them.  They are a little eggy so I'll have to play around with it a little bit more. 

After bathing two out of the three kids Dan was finally on his way home.  I love it when he calls to say he's on his way home.  We had delicious homemade Cafe Rio for dinner.  I know, I know, I need to work on my food photography skills.  I will, or not.  There's only so much time in a day.  I use these recipes for our Rio and it turns out really good every time. 

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html

 This meal is A LOT of work but I actually made it Friday but then Mom and Dad S invited us out to dinner so we didn't end up using it.  I'm always glad when I make it and my kids love it but it really is a lot of work.  Especially when you have to add everything into My FitnessPal b/c your husband is tracking all of his calories.  That is an entirely different post.  I made the dressing with mostly greek yogurt and it was still really good and saved us a lot of calories over making it with mayo.  

We had FHE, the kids played with Dan for a while and then bedtime.  Time to go plan out my running for the next 4 months.  Have a great night!