I ran it like a Turkey

I've felt a bit disappointed since Thursday morning's Turkey 10k, I feel like I had a dismal run. I was really looking forward to it, I've been keeping up with my runs, cross training on my bike, taking walks with the kids, as well as on the treadmill at high inclines. I'm a slow runner, but I've started to push myself to be faster. For this 10k, I wanted to pull about a 9:30 minute mile.

Things were going well, until I caught a nasty cold from my kids, and I was sick for the whole week before Thanksgiving. I started feeling better by Sunday, but I only got in a couple of walks in the few days before the race.

I was excited for the run Thanksgiving morning, the weather turned out to be warm (for Syracuse, it was in the mid '50's) with no rain or snow. It's always fun to get some exercise in before a day of indulging! I had on my new grey (not black for once) running pants that my friend Jen gave me (among other things) as a present for completing my first half marathon in September. I tucked some tissues into the waistband, since I still had a runny nose leftover from my cold. I had on my favorite socks (feetures) and a new playlist on my ipod. I met up with my sis in law Jeaninne, and we had enough time before our run to cheer on our Uncle Bill as he completed his 5k.

So we start out, I'm feeling good, I'm testing out my faster pace, I'm even snapping my fingers to a Black Eyed Peas song (Meet Me Halfway, a new running fave). There weren't any mile markers, but I've done this race before. It begins and ends at the high school, and it goes through fields, with one woodsy part. So I'm guessing that at mile three is where my problems started. I never got a stitch, none of my past injuries hurt, but my mouth was dry and I had to keep blowing my nose. I just started to feel tired. Really tired. I coughed a bit here and there, and my tissues were in shreds, so my black top started to look like slugs had walked across it (I'm not very good at snot rockets). I had eaten my usual pre-run meal of peanut butter toast, coffee and water, so that wasn't it. I kept pushing though. First I was thinking of how Boring the route was, then I was telling myself that this is Fun running on a Holiday!! Finally around mile five, I thought about walking, and I never walk. I thought, "how do you think you're going to possibly run a marathon next year if you have to walk.....in a 10K?!!" I looked at the time on my ipod, and realized I wasn't hitting my goal. *Side note, I have a sports watch, but I never wear it since I forgot how to use it. Which Mike reminded me of when I hinted about a Garmin for Christmas, so I need to figure it out. I grabbed some water at the water station, and started up the hill, with less than a mile to go.......and I walked. I was so mad at myself, but I walked for about thirty seconds, and I felt better, so I got moving again. My new goal was to make it under an hour.

I saw the turn that lead to the high school, and this dude had his car parked, with all the doors open, blasting heavy metal music, which for some reason cracked me up. I saw the finish, then looked away again, because for me, seeing the end always feels so close, yet so far, so I'd rather not know about it. I saw Mike and the kids at the side, with my brother in law and niece, so I gave them high fives, and finished in 1:00:28, and averaged a 9:45 pace. I missed my first goal, then missed my second, but not by much. I'm just chalking it up to a bad day, and I haven't had many of those lately, so I guess I was due.

We had a great dinner afterwards with the whole family, and we were happy that my Mother in Law just finished her chemo. She has a breather before her next round of treatment, so she's getting there. We brought the kids up to her house the next day, to go to a couple of Christmas Festivities in her town. The kids had fun at a candy cane hunt, they saw Santa and his Reindeer and did a Build a Bear type thing with Grandma. It was great to see her out and about, running into her friends and going out to lunch with us. For all my bitching about my crappy run, I just reminded myself once again, of how many things I have to be thankful for.

You Never Forget Your First Time

Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner! Get your mind out of the gutter.

Every year I want to make Thanksgiving Dinner. I look through my binder of recipes (it's white, from Staples, some are written, some are ripped out of magazines, some are photocopies of cookbook pages, with colored dividers separating them by type of meal), and watch the Food Network for new takes on stuffing or side dishes. We alternate families every year, this year we are staying in town and going to Mike's Aunt's house, otherwise we head to my Mom's. We're trying something new this year, and bringing a cheese fondue for an app, I'm still working on ideas for it.

So nine years ago we were going to Long Island for Thanksgiving, and my Mom tells us she's bailing on the family, and going to Paris with a friend for the Holiday. After panicked phone calls from my sisters and brother, I decided to take on the meal.

I still have all my notes from the planning of the day, I shopped and researched every possible way to make turkey. I hemmed and hawed about side dishes and desserts. We were living in Rochester at the time, my Turkey 10K was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, so I was able to keep that in my schedule. My Dad decided to come to dinner since my Mom wasn't going to be there (they're divorced), one of my BFF's was coming, and after some trepidation, my Uncle and Grandfather decided to attend as well. My Uncle is funny, as the above photo shows, he never takes his coat off. Luke does this sometimes too, so I'm wondering if it's genetic.

The day arrived, Mike and I were up early after the obligatory visit to the bar the night before, to see everyone else who was in town. We decided to cook the bird upside down for the first half hour of cooking, then rotate it on one side for 15 minutes, then 15 minutes on the other side, then right side up for the remainder of the time. I read that this ensured a juicy bird. My mom made her famous Pilgrim Potato's before hand (mashed, mixed with cream cheese and sour cream, and baked) and she said we absolutely could NOT forget my Grandfather's creamed pearl onions. He has since passed on, but he loved those frozen onions by Bird's Eye.

We spent the morning cooking, cleaning, getting the apps out, setting the table, and enjoying each other's company. It's funny how you have to have the same things every year, for my sister it's onion dip and chips. So we had that, along with cheeses and crackers. And wine....and beer. The meal came together right on time, the turkey looked perfect if I do say so myself, and it tasted great. Mike made gravy from the drippings, and we had the following: sausage and onion stuffing, mashed butternut squash, green bean casserole, glazed baby carrots, corn souffle, mashed potato's along with the Pilgrim, cranberry sauce, and rolls.

We had a nice prayer, and were quiet as we dove in. Until I looked at my Grandpa, and whispered "Pearl. Onions." My brother shot out of his chair, we heard the freezer door open, and the microwave turn on, so all was well.

After the meal people came in and out of the house, friends of mine, and of my siblings. Dessert was pumpkin and apple pie, fruit and my potato chip shortbread cookies that I make during the holidays. The weather was cool, with a bit of sun through the clouds. I felt so content that everyone had a great meal, was happy and relaxed. During dessert my Grandpa pulled out some vodka and sprinkled it over his fruit salad, and he said that it helped to bring out the flavor of the fruit. That still cracks me up.

Later on I spoke with my Step Mom, and she said "So how does it feel to be a grown up?" I was married and on my own, but what she said made sense, making your first holiday meal is a rite of passage of sorts. And I can't wait to do it again.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Want to try some Oikos Greek Yogurt?

I acquired a taste for All Things Greek after living in Astoria, Queens for four years....feta, olives, fresh fish and lamb, sauteed dandelion greens, potato with lemon, and yogurt. I'll get to Greece someday, but for now I get my fix by visiting my old stomping grounds when I see my family on Long Island.

If you've never tried greek yogurt, here is your chance thanks to Stonyfield Farms. Their Oikos yogurt is very dense, organic, and fat free (bonus!). My favorite flavor is Honey, but the plain is a great substitute for sour cream.

To enter to win an Oikos tote, 4 free 5.3 oz Oikos coupons, and 1 free 16 oz Oikos coupon, do any or all of the following (please leave me a comment for each):

1. Tell me what you love to cook (or eat!) during the holidays

2. Become a fan of Stonyfield Farm on facebook

3. follow me


Giveaway ends on November 31.....

I wonder if the ghosts like P!nk?

My kids are pretty good about sharing, and this week, they've shared their cold with me. We've been to the doctor twice already, and have to go back tomorrow for H1N1 shots. I guess it's better to be sick this week instead of next week, because of Thanksgiving and my Turkey 10K.

I did get outside for a run on Sunday before I started feeling lousy. It was 62 degrees, and it felt like summer so I went just over five miles with my new quicker pace. I listened to some great tunes, you've gotta love a playlist that has both the Notorious B.I.G. and Josh Groban....here is a snippet:

You Raise Me Up ~ Josh Groban

Just Dance ~ Lady Gaga (I love her)

Mo Money, Mo Problems ~ B.I.G and Puff Daddy

Please Don't Leave Me ~ P!nk

Relator - Pete Yorn & Scarlet Johannsen (what a great song!)

Lola ~ The Kinks

When Your Mind's Made Up ~ Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

I am still in dire need of some new tunes......any suggestions? what songs do you like to work out to?

And by the way, I have a new ghost story.

My sister A saw the ghosts again in her room last week! She had just gone to bed, but was having some trouble falling asleep. She started to have a feeling that something was in the room, so she rolled over, opened her eyes, and saw not one, not two, but three of the ghosts standing next to her bed looking at her. It was the dad (who I've seen) the mother (who my sister in law has seen) and the little boy (who A, and Luke, have seen). They were just staring at her, so she yelled out, and they went away. A is 25 years old, and she said she thought about going to my mom's room to sleep with her! She decided to stay where she was, but it got very cold in the room, even though she had warm blankets on, and she couldn't warm up.

My other sister M thinks we have a situation similar to the one in the Nicole Kidman movie, The Others. She thinks the ghosts haven't realized that they have left our world, and are confused about these people who keep showing up in their house. That actually makes sense to me, but who the heck knows? do do DO do......do do DO do

I don't always pay attention, but I'm always thinking

I've been getting time outside these past few days because Mike had some local appointments, so it's been great. I did a five mile run on Thursday, testing out a faster pace, it was hard to know what it was exactly, since I wasn't on the treadmill and don't have a garmin (are you listening Santa?) Yesterday morning we hit the public market for some beautiful local produce, we came away with acorn and butternut squash, bibb lettuce, onions, garlic, turnips, shallots, avocado, red cabbage, carrots and parsnips. We came across a Bakery booth, and went a little carb crazy and bought a bunch of dinner rolls....jalapeno cheddar, multi grain, black olive and good old white...I intended to freeze some, but I think we might just end up eating them all. We roasted a bunch of garlic last night to make garlic and brie soup today, and later on I'm going to do a big batch of roasted root veg to eat with dinner during the week.

In the afternoon I was able to get out for a bike ride. Both kids are sick and crabby, Eliza is on antibiotics, so she was on the couch watching a movie and Mike played with Luke. I'm trying to soak up as much fall weather as I can, I rode for about an hour, and I was thinking how in a few weeks everything is going to be covered in ice and snow. And since I don't pay attention to things in general, at one point I drove right off the road and into a small ditch. No biggie, but once I got going again, this dog came running out of his house and bugged me out a bit. I hate when dogs come at me during a run or a ride, because you don't know if there is an electric fence or not. I was a little nervous about passing him on my way home, but the dog's owner was outside with him at that point, so it was okay.

I've been thinking about an article that was in the NY Times a few weeks ago. Basically it's about fast runners vs. slow runners, and how if you take a long time to finish a marathon, you didn't really run it. I can understand both views. If you're an elite runner, there are races like Boston, that you need a qualifying time for, which weeds out the slower runners. But if someone trains and is able to run the whole distance, and get a finishers medal, I think that means they ran it! There were a bunch of interesting articles about the marathon, including one about the heritage of the American winner Meb Keflezighi, so check 'em out.

Mole, as in chocolate

I'm trying to think about what I've been eating lately, mostly comfort type foods since the weather has gotten cooler. I created a profile on foodbuzz, which is a fun community, I feel like it's Facebook for Foodies. I've started following some great food blogs, it's amazing how many people take the time to make creative, fabulous looking food.

Last night I made Chicken Mole, which is one of the five ways that I make chicken. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a Mexican dish, with chocolate as a base, and a bunch of spices. There are several ingredients, again it's a combo of different recipes that I've tweaked to my liking. This is a great time of year for it, as it simmers away, the whole house smells like the Holiday season. I serve it over brown rice, with a side of something green, last night it was sauteed spinach, but I also like it with broccoli. You can get another meal of the leftovers by putting it in whole wheat tortillas, with a bit of sour cream and cheddar cheese. Ole!

Chicken Mole

one medium onion, chopped (I always use Vidalia's)

2 cloves garlic, minced

one bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I actually add a bit more, because I like it spicy)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon anise seed

1 teaspoon dark brown sugar

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup chicken broth (I like the organic kind with no sodium or MSG)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1.5 ounces of bittersweet, dark chocolate

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

olive oil

1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

3 cups of cooked brown rice

In a large skillet, heat olive oil in a pan, and brown chicken, then set chicken aside.

In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic until soft (you may have to deglaze the pan with wine or stock before adding the onions).

Add the stock and sauce, as well as the bay leaf, pepper, cayenne, paprika, clove, cinnamon, anise, sugar, almonds, and sesame seeds.

If you like, transfer sauce to a blender and puree until a thick paste. This is the traditional method, I skip this step, because I like the consistency of the almonds and onions.

Return sauce to pan, add the chocolate and cocoa powder, along with chicken. Bring to a boil, and simmer on very low heat about 15 minutes.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Sportsfans, here's the latest

I'm feeling much better today, and I wanted to thank everyone who commented on my last post. I truly appreciate all your encouraging words.

The funk started lifting after I got all that garbage off my chest. I spent today giving thanks to our Veterans, including my Dad, who is a Vietnam Vet, my two Grandfather's who are WWII Vets, and my cousin and friends who have served in Iraq. The kids didn't have school, so we spent a few hours at the mall stimulating the economy, then time at the playground, where I had one eye on Luke, and the other on Eliza.....good thing I dressed them in red so I could find them in the crowd. I channeled June Cleaver, and got the grocery shopping done, the house picked up, and now I sit with a glass of vino, getting ready to veg out in front of Top Chef.

Oh, and another thing......I registered for my Thanksgiving Day 10k.....and....I threw my name into the lottery for the 2010 NYC Marathon. Huh?!?! Yup. I did.

The chances are verrrry slim that my name is picked, but I figured, what the heck. My very good friend Jennifer has been really motivating me on the marathon front, and she entered the lottery herself.

I figured that if I don't get in (the names are drawn in March), I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. So, stay tuned.