Month: February 2017

Training Tuesday: First Real Post-Baby 5K Race

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 9 Comments

Happy happy Tuesday. I have a busy and LONG day ahead of me, including a meeting for work that will likely go ’till 6 and then an event at Playhouse Square. In the meantime, however, here are some training highlights from my week.

I’m training for the Cleveland half marathon in May, and my training “officially” started this week! I decided I think I’m going to do Hal Higdon’s Intermediate 2 training schedule. I did it a few years ago for the Cleveland half and though I’m not in nearly as good shape as I was at that time, I want to try to incorporate some speed work into my runs.

So, this week included: 25 total miles. Exactly. Which, if you know me, is kind of a big deal – I almost always have strange uneven numbers!

Sunday: 5.4 miles. I didn’t start training until later in the week and wanted to get in some good miles to kick off the week. I did 5.1 miles and then a cool down.

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Monday: 4 treadmill miles. 20170221_063223

Tuesday: 4.75 treadmill miles.

Wednesday: Speed work! 4x400s on the treadmill. I warmed up and cooled down and ended up with 4 total miles. You see the 2 pennies on the floor? That’s how I keep track of intervals.20170222_063150

Thursday: 3.75 miles. 3 on the training plan, but I had to get in a little more with a cool down.

Friday: rest day!

Saturday: Chili Bowl 5k. I signed up somewhat last minute and am glad I did. I hadn’t raced a 5k since before FW was born, and it felt good (and hard!). I ended up finishing at 25:00.88. Can you believe it?! I was so close to under 25. So close!

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And that was it! I ended up at 25 miles for the week. Another week at 20+!

Questions for you:

  • What’s your next race?
  • Do you try to run even miles or decimals?

Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs!

4 Weekends in One: Playground Time, a 5K, Ladies Craft Beer and MORE

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

B, FW and I had a busy weekend. Looking back, I feel like we had three or four weekends in one, that’s how much stuff we had! But it was all great stuff.

The weekend started with some playground time. After all, it was 73 degrees at 6 pm on a Friday in February. We had to take advantage of the gorgeous weather. FW went down his first slide (with me of course)! He wasn’t phased.

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We ended up going out to dinner and I got a really really good chicken salad. And ate most of B’s fries. Balance 🙂20170224_184441

And after dinner? Again, 73 degrees made it a perfect ice cream night for Sweet Moses! That’s apple cider sorbet and toffee candy.20170224_192439

Saturday was a busy day – the first time I had to relax was at 10 at night! The day started with a 5k. The weather was no longer in the 70s but it was 40 and sunny and not bad weather for racing. BUT it was windy!

Before the race, I was able to meet up with a few of my fellow Skirt Sports Ambassadors from Ohio who were in town for the race. We of course had to get a pre-race skirt sister photo!

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Right after the race, we met up with some friends who were in town. They have 4 kids and we all hung out in our apartment for a little bit – FW finally had some people to play with! We then grabbed lunch, but I didn’t get to snap a pic. It’s a little chaotic with 5 kids around 🙂

Then it was time for LCBS (Ladies Craft Beer Society) at Nicole’s house! She had an awesome spread for us. 20170225_151049

The theme of this month was lip balms. I made a grapefruit one and a rose one. They were so easy to make! I couldn’t believe it. img_20170225_160930_366

I had to leave LCBS a little early because we were meeting up with Dave and Anson and Joey and Lulu to celebrate Dave’s birthday. We ended up going out in Tremont for pizza and beer. img_20170225_190851_564

The pizza took a while so we ended up back and Dave and Anson’s house. Which was great, because not only were we able to relax, but FW was able to play with Celia’s toys. 20170225_201033

He was out until 10 and playing – much past his bedtime!20170225_203411

Sunday started off with some homemade smoothies (carrot, mango, banana, strawberries and spinach!).

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And a few treadmill miles. After Saturday’s race I wanted to keep it easy, but I found myself able to keep running while watching Good Girls Revolt and ended with 5 miles. Have you seen the series? It’s my new guilty addiction on Amazon and I have to watch it while working out.

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After that, we walked to the grocery store to pick up some goodies and then I decided to meal prep and make FW some baby food for the week. Using our Vitamix of course. That’s right, it got used twice in one day. Carrots and sweet potatoes will be what he’s dining on this week!

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We ended the day with dinner at B’s family’s house, per usual Sunday night tradition.

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Some questions for you:

  • Did you get in any runs or races this weekend?
  • What’s your Sunday night (or other day of the week) tradition?

I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

I Somehow Became a Smoothie Person (a.k.a. that time I went to Vitamix and brought home the new Ascent Series!!)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

I never used to be a smoothie person.

Are you shocked? I don’t know why, but when I used to tell people that “I’m not a smoothie person” they seemed shocked. As if I – a person who loves cooking, healthy eating, fruits and running – couldn’t NOT be a smoothie person.

Well, I wasn’t. Until about 2 years ago. It started with smoothie bowls. Acai bowls. Dragon fruit bowls. I had some and enjoyed them. They were sweet. Refreshing. And (most of the time) healthy!

what's NOT to like about this beautiful bowl?!

what’s NOT to like about this beautiful bowl?!

And then I got pregnant. And suddenly, all I craved was fruit. Fruit and more fruit. And then SMOOOTHIES.

a common pregnancy occurrence - big belly and colorful smoothie!

a common pregnancy occurrence – big belly and colorful smoothie!

Yes, that’s right. I started craving smoothies nearly daily. And then when I stopped being pregnant – the craving didn’t stop!

walking with a new baby (look how little FW is!) and smoothies - waay too often during my leave :)

walking with a new baby (look how little FW is!) and smoothies – waay too often during my leave 🙂

But for the sake of my wallet, I’ve had to curb my habit, as the $9 smoothie a day doesn’t realllllly fit within the whole “let’s save up money and buy a house some day and oh yeah we have a kid who needs to get educated” plan.

BUT – I have big news. I am now the proud owner of the NEW VITAMIX ASCENT SERIES! I was invited to the Vitamix Store in Solon, Ohio this week to try out some Vitamix-made food and drinks, as well as take home my own new blender!

Some cool things about the event:

Michelle and Adam told us about Vitamix. First, it’s a local Cleveland-based company AND they source all their parts locally. Oh yeah, they’re also family owned and operated, which is pretty cool.

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They spoiled us with some delicious food and beverages. I honestly had no idea I could make so much in a blender. We started off with some frosé. This drink was too good – I could have had 10 of them. It may become my go-to summer drink.

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They also had some great appetizers, veggies and crudite. With dips of course made by the Vitamix. And a veggie burger, strawberry “ice cream” and chocolate butterscotch mousse – also made in the blender! 20170223_191545

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I also learned some things that blew my mind. For example, did you know that you can make your own powdered sugar? It’s just sugar blended! That’s right – they blended sugar in the Vitamix and made powdered sugar! Also, you can make your own cornmeal. It’s just popping corn (not popped :)) blended.

It was so great to learn more about Vitamix, get spoiled by the delicious food and drink and get one of the Ascent series of my very own!!20170223_201434

For those of you new to Vitamix, the Ascent Series is basically the Cadillac of blenders.  Not only is it a sexy looking blender (never thought I’d utter those words), but it also has some cool features like a built-in timer, wireless technology and a variety of containers you can use.  (Oh, and they let me in on a secret – the Vitamix Store will be having a two-day sale on March 3rd and 4th!)

I can NOT wait to test it out. I’m going to make smoothies and baby food to start. Some questions for you:

  • Do you have a Vitamix?  Any suggestions on how to use it?
  • Any smoothie recipe recommendations?
  • What’s something cool you make in a blender?

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Vitamix event and was provided with a Vitamix goodie bag, which includes my own Vitamix Ascent Series blender. All opinions are my own.

WIAW: Disappointing Lunch

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

Today’s WIAW features some eats from last week. The day started with my usual egg whites, oats, flaxseed and brewers yeast bowl. Especially since being sick, I’m trying to have this and any foods to up my milk supply.

And a pear. Because they are so good! 20170217_090741

My midmorning snack was some nuts.

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For lunch, we had plans as an office to go out for Cleveland Restaurant Week, where you get 3 course meals for a special price. We had plans to go to The District. The meal started out okay – I started with a Greek salad and a pretty delicious (unpictured) roll.

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It went downhill from there. We waited nearly an hour, and our food hadn’t come out. We eventually had to ask for our food to be boxed up to go, because we all had to return to the office for meetings, etc. But they hadn’t made our food yet! They eventually brought our lunches out – minus the third course 😦 so no dessert for me.

When I got back to the office, I was looking forward to my chicken and hummus wrap. I ate about half of it and then nearly choked – there was A BONE IN MY WRAP. I opened up the sandwich and found several small pieces of bone inside. Blah. Lunch FAIL.

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After that, I was happy to meet B for a beer after work. We grabbed beers in Tremont before getting Vietnamese food for dinner.

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B and I ordered our go-tos when we want something semi-light and healthy. Cabbage salads and spring rolls!20170217_194525

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And since I didn’t have dessert for lunch (not that that would’ve stopped me), I had some chocolate, cookies and ice cream! I had some Hershey kisses, Thin Mints and mint chip Halo Top.

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YUM! A great end to a not-the-best food day. Questions for you for this WIAW (hosted by Sprint 2 the Table!):

  • Have you ever had a really bad lunch experience?
  • Halo Top fans-  what’s your favorite Halo Top flavor?

Training Tuesday: Recovering from Being Sick

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 6 Comments

Yay! I am back and running again! For those of you following along, I had a pretty slow and low mileage week last week due to first vacation and then being sick. But now that I’m on meds, I’m on the mend and BACK!

But first, some non-mileage highlights of the week!!

I got my Cleveland Marathon Ambassador shirt!! Don’t you love it? I love sporting this around and representing the race.

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AND speaking of the Cleveland race, they released their course maps! I’m excited that it’s going to be such a different course – it’s nice to try something new. AND I’m excited for the no Shoreway ending! It will still be tough – there are two relatively big hills within the first 6 miles or so, but overall I’m pretty pleased with the course!

Also, this week the Cleveland Marathon introduced their shirts – they are GREAT! I am seriously excited to see these in person. Such a great color and design!

Now, onto the runs for this week. In terms of mileage, this week was  miles– appropriate, still not 20+ (my goal), but seeing as I took a few days off to rest and recover, I’m okay with it!

Sunday: 0 miles. Sick!

Monday: 0 miles. Sicker! I ran a 102 fever Sunday night into Monday and so I spent most of Monday in bed, fighting off fever, chills, etc. and trying to get some medicine!

Tuesday: 3.25 easy walking and slight running. I finally started to feel better Tuesday evening and was dying to get in a run or some movement. I tried out the treadmill and was happy to be able to run/walk a few miles!

Wednesday: 4.1 treadmill miles

Thursday: 4.65 miles on the treadmill. 4.25 running and then a .4 mile cool down.

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Thursday: 3.65 miles on the treadmill.

Friday: None – rest day!

Saturday: 6.66 miles outside!! It  20170218_111701

 Total- 19.58 miles!

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Hooray for feeling a little better and getting my runs back!

Questions for you:

  • Do you run when you’re sick?
  • What do you consider a “long” run?

Disclosure: As a Cleveland Marathon Ambassador, I receive complimentary race entry AND a free race entry to give away! I also get a cool shirt (see above!)and invited to some special events. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs!

Weekends with Nonna and Grandpa

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

This weekend was sunny, warm and I got to spend it with family – what could be better?

Friday was in the 50s so we started off the afternoon with some swing time with FW. He LOVES swings and it’s so much fun to see him giggle and smile on the swing.

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Saturday was another GORGEOUS day. It was nearly 70 degrees! B and I didn’t have much to do until my parents got into town around 5, so I decided to go for what I’d (right now) consider a long-ish run – 6.66 miles. I wore my Sport Skirts skirt, it was that warm!

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After the run, B and I took a look at some houses. But before we knew it, it was time for my parents to come! We had some fun playing around the apartment.

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And then of course, dinner. We had beers and pizza and salads at Masthead. 20170218_182135

Three pizzas for four of us 🙂20170218_185051

Sunday started with brunch at Yours Truly with the 5 of us.6748

Followed by a nice walk – it was again warm outside, so we went for a walk around the park.20170219_120834

And then snuck in some lunch! No, FW didn’t have anything off the menu – bananas and pears for him 🙂20170219_133905

And that night, we celebrated birthdays with B’s family – our niece turned 9!20170219_194459_005

And that was our weekend. I’m back at work this morning (jealous to all of you who have off!) after saying goodbye to my parents. It’s always SO hard when they leave … but I know I’ll be seeing them in a few months.

Because it’s Monday, I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

Atlanta Eats (And All You Can Eat Pie!!!)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Happy What I Ate Wednesday! Last week, B, FW and I were in Atlanta for a little vacation. We enjoyed some good southern food, local beer and plenty of cornbread  (yet not nearly enough  .. I think I may have a cornbread addiction). So for today’s WIAW, instead of just one day, here’s a sample of some of the great food I had on our trip.

The trip started out with a quick stop in Asheville where I had some of the best French toast ever … but I also bought this candy to keep me company in Atlanta.

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We of course had to have some fried green tomatoes. These had goat cheese fried with them!20170209_183427

And shrimp and grits. 20170206_182801

And plenty of biscuits and cornbread. Yummmmm cornbread!20170206_181548

One place we went to had an ALL YOU CAN EAT PIE BAR. (video below)

This was just one of our 4…or 5?…plates.20170206_185344

At the World of Coca-Cola,  I sampled 100 flavors of soda and other Coke products from around the world!20170208_142915

I also had some great Middle Eastern food one night. This was the chicken shawarma platter.20170207_193213

Another night was bar food. This BLT with avocado and mozzarella was also great.20170208_163808

We also had to try an Atlanta institution- The Varsity.  They’re known for their hot dogs. It was a cool, huge fast food place with an old school car hop feel!20170209_132329Yum. While it was a great trip with great food, my belly is ready to be back to normal eating! But my mouth is watering reliving them for today’s What I Ate Wednesday! Especially the cornbread.

Some questions for you:

  • Do you like southern food?
  • How do you like your cornbread- sweet? Savory?

 

Training Tuesday: Vacation and Low Mileage

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s also Tuesday, which for me, is Training Tuesday.

Confession: I’m not running today. AND I barely ran at all last week. For two reasons.

One good reason – vacation!  We spent about 3 full days in the car (1.5 there and 1.5 back), and despite the fact that we brought our jogging stroller, we only used it once (and for less than a mile). We were hoping to get in a family run near a park or someplace flat, but we stayed in downtown Atlanta and the roads didn’t seem so conducive for getting out for a stroller run.

One not as good reason is that toward the end of the week, I started feeling sick. The first day, I was feeling sick and not able to run more than a mile or so. And then it got worse. I found out today that (yay!) I have mastitis, which explains why I’ve been feeling lousy for the past several days.  So I’m taking it easy and resting.

Anyway, here is how the week turned out:

Sunday: 0 miles, half day in the car driving to Atlanta (we got in around 6:30 p.m.)
Monday: 0 miles BUT a lot of walking! (23,000 steps)
Tuesday: 0 miles running but a decent amount of walking (12,000 steps)
Wednesday: 4.5 miles running outside in Atlanta! And more walking (20,600 steps)

Thursday: 4.25 miles on the treadmill in the hotel gym and more walking (19,600 steps)

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Friday: 0 miles (11,500 steps)
Saturday: .75 miles but a lot of walking (19,500 steps)- I would’ve run more but was sick (later realized I had a fever … and then mastitis)

Total: 9.5 miles

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I ended the week feeling sick, so hopefully this week is a little better in terms of runs. I’m going to take it easy and recover in the meantime but hope to be back running again soon!

Happy running! I’m linking up with My No-Guilt Life, Marcia’s Healthy Slice, and MCM Mama Runs!

A Week in Atlanta

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

B, FW and I just got back from our first extended vacation as a family of 3! It’s still funny to say that … anyway,  we spent a few days in Atlanta taking in some sights, doing all the touristy things and eating as much southern food as possible.
20170208_180932I’ll first say,  don’t be fooled by all the smiling photos.  Traveling with a 7 month old is no easy feat.  They are not interested in museums,  breweries or nice restaurants.  They’re cranky of they don’t nap and go to bed early (or in our case remind you they want to go to bed early when you keep them out too late).  That being said, it was a great first family vacation.

Some of the highlights-
Checking out the Olympic Park. FW liked the fountains especially. 20170206_163328

Going for long walks and taking photos along the way.20170208_105739

While I didn’t run daily like I do at home, I did get in 2 runs, including one outside one day. It was 60 degrees and humid- so different from Cleveland in February!20170208_110729

Getting in some local beer tasting.20170208_171634

Going to the World of Coca-Cola. 20170208_130122 20170208_140740

The last room features a taste of 100+ flavors of Coke products from around the world! 20170208_142522

Visiting the Martin Luther King Jr home and memorial. 20170207_114116

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Seeing what the hype was about at The Varsity. We ate our weight in hot dogs, peach pie, chicken sandwiches and onion rings. 20170209_131738

A little hotel gym run.20170209_085057

The Civil Rights museum. Also checking out the human rights exhibition.20170209_123331

I love going to local markets wherever we go. Atlanta’s Municipal Market was a small market but I got some tasty tea, pralines and popcorn!20170209_164028

Though we weren’t out after dark too much (see previous statement about baby who likes to be in bed by 7), we did get in a few nighttime walks.img_20170208_185659_051

All in all it was a great trip. It had a little of everything I like in a vacation – some relaxing, good food, walking around, warm weather and of course some runs!

I’m linking up with Erin, Katie and the weekly wraps.

WIAW: A Blurry Brinner

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Greetings from Atlanta! I’m on a little trip right now, but still wanted to share my WIAW eats (especially since I missed last week … last week was a doozy but I survived!). This week’s eats are from last Thursday.

The day started with some egg white oats and mixed nuts and fruit. I have been loving my egg white oatmeal and finding it a really good breakfast for bf-ing – I add in Brewers Yeast and flaxseed to give it some extra oomph.

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I had some more nuts for a snack (unpictured) while I was waiting for my lunch.

For lunch, I had a bunch of leftovers but made it into a salad. It was SO good- it included some pork loin and frozen veggies, sweet potato and spinach. A very fulfilling lunch.

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Snacks included some apple and celery …

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And some dried fruit. Probably more than I wanted to have but I had some dates and cherries. I was bummed to realize as soon as I put some in my mouth that the cherries were sweetened! Ugh. They’re good still (obviously) but I’ll have to get back to the market to get my unsweetened dried cherries.

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And for dinner? B made us brinner! Yes, it’s a blurry pic but it’s egg whites, avocado, spinach, Cleveland coleslaw (gnar gnar!) and tomato.

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And some Halo Top because that’s how I’ve been ending my days lately. YUM. Black cherry is a pretty good flavor!

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And that was it! Some questions for you for this WIAW:

  • Have you ever been to Atlanta? Any tips of what to do?
  • How do you like your eggs?