Back in business!

I cannot lie, I have been slacking on  my running as well as my blogging, but never fear I am back!  Adjusting to the amount of hours that I put into my career during the winter and transitioning into the summer was hard!  I've tried to make myself get out of bed in the mornings but I couldn't convince myself that it was a great idea!  I have had two and a half day's off of work, which is pretty abnormal, and each day I have tried to run.  Tried!  On Sunday I started to run but it was way too hot to continue (5:00pm).  On Monday, I was supposed to have a full day off of work but was forced to go in due to the negligence of one of my subordinates!  Ahhhhh Tuesday, today was the day that I was going to wake up and run!

I woke up, crawled out of bed, laid on the family room floor and started doing crunches.  I then preceded to do pushups, followed by a healthy breakfast!  I let my food settle and donned my running gear!  I felt good!  I ran an intermittent 7 miles today and walked another mile in the mix.  It was hard to run in the humidity and heat that we have had here in the past month or so!  I felt really good about getting out today!  With my schedule at work I can't get together with my running friends anymore.  Every time I try something comes up and it is quite irritating.  I realized today as I was running that I have to start training now because October 2, Corning Wine Glass Full Marathon is approaching rapidly!  I am not ready to take on that sort of feat yet but I will be soon! 

To my close friends that I love to run with, I hope that we can connect again soon!  I miss our creepy, hysterical, fun-filled runs that motivated me to become a better runner then I had ever imagined I would be.  I hope that your training is going well and that you kick ass in the next full or half that you run.

I look forward to running more and writing about it!  My next challenge is the Warrior Dash in NY and then the Wine Glass Full Marathon!

Week of solid running = Pain in my knee

Memorial week was a great week!  I am into the busy season at work, which consists of working 90 hours a week, and I will no longer have the time to write in my blog more than once a week.

Since I ran the 5k this week I have been motivated to run more and more miles.  The problem is that I can't run more miles with the pain in my knee!  I spoke with a professional runner this week and he had told me that I need to go to the gym and lift more weight so that my legs stay strong.  I will give this a whirl but my feelings about this are if my knee locks up and stays in pain when I lay down or run uphill, why wouldn't it lock up when I am lifting?  I don't understand.  I will try this out by beginning at the gym and we will see what the results are. 

This weeks running ended up being a total of 26 miles, which is a great week.  I am not disappointed at all.  I am looking forward to my full but I am having difficulties deciding on which full I am going to run.  I could run the wineglass in Corning or I can run the empire state in Syracuse.  I am not sure, but I will make a decision soon.  My next race that I plan on running is the 4th of July Irondequoit 10k.  I am looking forward to that race.  Let's see what the knee feels like this week with the gym and with the occasional running.

Dash for Dad Prostate Awareness 5k!

Today I had the day off and I decided to run a race early in the morning.  I ran today with my buddy Oliver and his friend from work, Jessica.  It was a pretty awesome day!  We all set PR's today.  Jessica has never run a race before in her running career which began today.  Jessica, for her first race, ran the race in 36:44 which works out to be 11:51 pace, she ran a great race.  Oliver ran the race in 21:50 which works out to about 7:03 min/mile pace and was 2nd place in his age group.  I personally set a record of 24:06 which works out to a 7:46 min/mile and placed 2nd in my age group!  That is f'n awesome!  The only downfall to this day was that I could have run a faster race if I wouldn't have gone to the front of the line.  I took off with all of the big dogs and found myself falling very short.  Aside from all of that BS, I am super excited for all of us, we came, we saw and we conquered! 

Normally we would have recipe of the week day but today we had a cook out at the house.  All I can say is "La Caja China"  this is the most magical cooker!  Joe and I put 5 baby back ribs, 3 chickens and 1 leg of lamb in to cook for 2 hours.  Along with all of the meat were some great sides that we all put together.  Mac Salad, Irish potato salad, and even greek salad.  The end result was great food and Good Times with great friends! 

 Stay Hungry my Friends!  Enjoy!

The weather couldn't have been better!

Today I didn't have to be at work until 2:30pm which is always a treat!  I got to run by myself and really think about what is going on in my life.  Lately, I have had the feeling as if there was something missing in my life.  I am not sure why because I think that I have everything that anybody could want.  I have an awesome family, a great career, great friends, and the will to do anything I put my mind to.  What am I missing?  What could possibly be bothering me?  By the end of my run I still haven't figured it out.  Oh well I guess it will pass!  (Just like #9)

Today's run was 6.16 miles in 54:31 which works out to an 8:51 min/mile pace.  Mid run my knee started bothering me again, but I pulled through the discomfort!  I know I should rest my knee but first I want to try out a knee brace and see if that will help.  I love to run and I want to set PR's every race I run.  I don't want a knee injury to stop me from training.  I feel that this is a huge calling in my life and I don't want this to hold me back. 

Anyways, my journey towards my first full marathon is a ways away.  I am going to give my knee a rest so that I can continue to run for a long time!  I will not let this defeat me! 

Recipe of the Week; Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

If you haven't run with us yet, you should!  We are pretty F'n awesome!  Today we had great weather and a great run.  In addition to Sheila, Eric and myself we finally got Oliver, Chris and Joe together to run yes even Joe.  This is very rare to have this group together at one time, the only missing link was Jen.  I hope your dinner was good tonight Jen because ours was awesome.  Tonight's run was 5.55 miles and we finished in 47:55 which works out to a 8:38 min/mile pace.  We were holding a steady 9:15 pace for the first part of our run but towards the end we all started to pick it up.  At the last mile Chris and I picked up the pace to about a 8:15 pace, that is slow for Chris but a decent speed for me.  Chris is running the Sehgahunda Marathon in Letchworth State Park this weekend so this was a good taper run for him.  Good Luck buddy!  Not only do we run but we definitely know how to eat too!

Recipe of the Week;  Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

This recipe was inspired by my Mother!  If anyone has inspired me to cook it was definitely her.  My mother cooked most of my childhood and she had to cook a lot.  I grew up the second last child of five, I have three brothers, one sister and we were a very hungry group.  Today I cooked like my Mother had to and it made me appreciate her just a little more than I already do.  Thank you Mom!

Appetizer for fun, Baguette with Fresh Mozzarella and Pesto;

First you must prepare the Sauce, then you must prepare the Eggplant.
Breading;
1.5 cups of breadcrumbs
2 Tblsp. of Pecorino Romano
1 Tsp. Kosher/Sea Salt
1 Tsp. Coarse Black Pepper
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
Egg mix;
4 Eggs
1 Tblsp. Lemon Juice

Slice eggplant about 1/4 inch thick and wash with egg mix, immediately move eggplant over to the bread crumbs and coat until you can no longer see the eggplant.  Place in to a medium heat pan with oil of choice and cook until golden brown.  Place on a plate with paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Ricotta Mix;
1 lbs. of Ricotta
1 egg
Crushed Red Pepper, Basil, Salt & Pepper to taste

Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and place a single layer of eggplant on top.  Spread thin layer of ricotta mix over top of the eggplant add sauce and then a thin layer of mozzarella.  Repeat until the casserole dish is filled.  Finish with mozzarella and bake at 425 for 30 - 45 minutes. 

Then for dessert we had Irish Coffee, I know an Italian meal along with an Irish coffee?  It was tasty! 

Let me know what you think!

Buon Appetito!

Great weather and good times!

This Saturday Jen, Eric and myself went running around the Irondequoit area!  I am glad that Jen is feeling much better and that she was able to run with us!  We ran 4.66 miles at 42:46 which works out to 9:10 min/mile.  When Jen and I run together we tend to run faster than the pace that we set out to run.  In fact Eric yelled at us about our pace a few times.  I guess once I start running I can't help myself I just want to run faster and faster.  My next race plan is the Irondequoit 4th of July 10k.  If another race comes up before that I may run it if I have the time.

Overall it was a great run and I had good times with my friends.  I am looking forward to my training especially now that Jen is going to run another Marathon!  For local races check out Rochester Races.

Vacation, Drinking, Driving Back and then Running

I had a great time in New York City this weekend.  It is always good to see my brother (Mike) and sister in-law (Margaret).  I have decided that I will never drive there again unless I have company with me!  That ride sucks!  On my ride back I was asked if I would like to run when I got home.  I thought about not doing it because of the fatigue that is caused by driving and vacations, but then I thought I haven't run in a week and I really need to!

I am glad I decided to, although I couldn't keep running with Eric, I still felt like a million dollars afterward.  I ran 3.48 miles in 29:59 which works out to 8:36 min/mile.  This was a great run and on top of that my knee felt really good, no pain at all.  Then Sheila made dinner which was absolutely amazing and Alyson made the salad which was really delicious too.  We had Buffalo Style Tofu Burgers and then for dessert a homemade Strawberry Short Cake.  Even after the girls ran 4 miles, they put a wonderful dinner and dessert together.  Shme and Alyson you're the best!

Lauber Imports Wine Tasting

Today I had the opportunity to go to a wine tasting with over 1000 different wines!  It was AMAZING!  I tasted a lot of wines that is too long to begin to list them!  Some wines were unbelievable others were terrible.  I particularly remember a wine that tasted like the throat spray (Cepacol) that you use when you have a sore throat, puke!  I also had some wines that cost over $200, which were very much worth the money.  One of my favorite wines today was from the Joseph Phelps Vineyards.  The wine was a 2006 Insignia which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot the cost of the wine was $153.  I also enjoyed the food selection.  The arrangements worked out pretty great too.  It just so happened to be in NYC a few blocks from where my brother and sister in law live.  I was super excited that one of my best friends, Christian, was in too!  He came in to visit his sister and go to the Yankees game, sorry about the loss bro, but it was good to see you and your sister!

Since I am out of town I will not be able to share the recipe of the week today!  I will postpone this until tomorrow night.

Too soon to start training?

So today I am running 3.38 with Eric and Jen out at Fleet Feet and low and behold my knee starts to really bother me.  I think maybe because I had forgotten to take my Glucosamine Chondroitin today or even that I hadn't drank a sufficient amount of water for the day.  I also thought to myself maybe I should take a few more days off from running to let my knee heal, but then I thought what would cause this annoying twinge?  Webmd says these symptoms are most common in middle age to elderly people.  Wait am I middle age now?  Last I checked I was 29 years old and not half way through my life.

Ahhhhh!  I am trapped in a glass case of emotion! (Anchor Man)  What do I do?  Do I continue to run and train or do I take a break.  Should I just drink more water and test my theory?  Bottom line is that I need to rest my knee and relax.  I will take a break and if the pain continues I will talk to a Doctor!

My run today was a short run and easy, it was 3.38 miles in 28:36 which works out to be 8:27 min/mile.  I am extremely excited to be able to say 8:27 is an easy run.  I have come a long way since I started running again so I guess I can take a break and heal!

Recipe of the Week; Frittata with Spinach and Roasted Tomatoes

Saturday morning was a very light run 7.71 miles in 1:09:19 which works out to 8:59 min/mile.  It was a good run and by the end of it my legs were very tired.  For the first week of training I ran 27.8 miles.  Today I ran 3.2 miles in 23:41 which works out to 7:24 min/mile which is a PR!

Recipe of the Week;  Frittata with spinach and roasted tomaotes,

This recipe was inspired from my father who used to make this when I was growing up.

  

Boil 1/2 pound of spaghetti 

Mix 4 eggs with salt, pepper and pecorino romano

Add mix to al dente spaghetti, spinach and roasted tomatoes

Make sure that you coat everything with egg mix

Take pasta mix and place in a cast iron pan

Cook until it is golden brown, Flip over and repeat

This is a great recipe and don't worry you can add meat to it if you'd prefer!  

Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

Training begins!

Today marks the first day of my journey towards my first full marathon.  I am really excited about it because first of all when you start training you can only hope to have great weather like today!  It was 43 degrees and sunny!  This run was great because I had the opportunity to run with my boss.  I call this an opportunity because with all of the hours we put in at work we never get the opportunity to just relax and have a conversation.  Today I got to learn a bit more about him and he as well had the opportunity to learn about me.  This is a very important part of my life so I think that it makes us stronger as a team! 

Today we ran 7 miles in 1:02 which works out to 8:51 min/mile.  Not bad!  I have to remember in my training that holding a slower pace in the first few weeks isn't a bad thing, in fact it will only help me to grow as a runner!  My goal at this time is to finish the race.  I will eventually build a time frame in which I would like to finish the race but for now, just finish!  My friend Jen gave me a running schedule to follow, she is running the full marathon in Cleveland next weekend, I will probably steal a few ideas from that and then develop what I call the Shoooter Plan! 

I hope that whomever reads this will continue to follow me throughout my journey and feel free to leave insightful comments, words of encouragement, constructive criticism and as always jokes.  Everybody needs jokes! 

Recipe of the Week; Pork Roulade with Gouda Dauphinois Potato and Tomato Onion Salad

I did not run today, in fact I don't plan on running until this Saturday.  My legs are exhausted which means that I pushed myself to my limit yesterday.  Today was considered a Calorie Cheat Day.  Which brings me to THE RECIPE OF THE WEEK!

Pork Roulade with Gouda Dauphinois Potato and Tomato Onion Salad;

This was an amazing dinner.  I was going to make a vegetarian dish tonight but my friend Jen couldn't make it for dinner.  So I decided to eat meat tonight!  This meal was inspired by my roommate Joe who LOVES MEAT!

Take a pork tenderloin and slice it along the edge unrolling it until it is flat like a piece of paper
Take spinach, garlic, olive oil and seasoning and par-saute it in a pan
Lightly season the pork and add the spinach along with fresh mozzarella  sliced thin
Tightly roll up the pork and use cooking twine to tie up loose ends
Season, Pan-sear and bake at 350 for about 25 mins

Take Russet Potatoes clean and skin them
Use a Mandolin and slice the potatoes thin
Make a cream mixture with Half and Half and Heavy Cream
Shred Gouda Cheese
Homemade seasoning
Use olive oil to lubricate the pan
Layer the pan by following this method,
First layer of potato, cream, seasoning and cheese
Continue this until you reach the top of the pan
Bake on 350 for 2 hours

Take gourmet tomatoes, white onions and homemade balsamic dressing
Slice the onions thin and quarter the tomatoes
Add the Balsamic Dressing to the Mix and Season to taste

 
This was a delicious dish!  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Training begins again on Saturday!

Unity Health System Rochester Flower City Half Marathon

First things first, wooooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooo!!  The weather was perfect, the music play list was tolerable, the masses of spectators was great, Joe, Lindsey, Sheila, Eric and Jen are the best motivators to run with and Alyson was the BEST PHOTOGRAPHER EVER!  My original thoughts for the run was to stick around with Eric and Jen through the first six or seven miles and then take off.  Well let's just say, on race day plans always change.

When Jen, Eric and myself were running within the first three miles we passed a "milestone landmark" in my life!  While running we passed by the Radisson Hotel where on May 16, 2003 I smoked my last cigarette and threw a whole pack away!  That may have lit a little fire under my @$$!  I was super excited to pass that landmark and I think it also played a role in my final time!

Runner// Finish Time
Jen         1:45:14    8:03 min/mile
Eric        1:56:43   8:56 min/mile
Joe         1:59:05   9:05 min/mile
Lindsey  2:05:02    9:37 min/mile
Sheila     2:25:01   11:08 min/mile
Great Run!


At mile number five, Jen and I picked up the pace and pushed it hard all the way until the end.  Jen finished in 1:45:14.  She is so fast!  While Jen and I approached where the hills began (5.5 mile marker) she took off!  I mean, I looked at her backside for about another 4.5 miles and then I could no longer see her!  That's correct I was starring at her backside!  ;)

Let's recap;
My first half marathon was 1:57 and my second was 2:02.  Needless to say I wasn't happy with my time increasing by 5 minutes.  Knowing that I have trained throughout the dead of winter, I knew I was going to be ready for this next race.  My goal was to run this half marathon in 1:45 which would have been an 8:00 min/mile.  I did not accomplish this goal.  I am in no way disappointed about my time, in fact I am ecstatic about it.

Runner // Finish Time                             // Placement 
Shoooter   1:47:02     8:11 min/mile            358 out of 1839 (that is awesome)

Overall it was a great day and a great run.  Time to start training for my first Full Marathon, and I hope that you're all there with me the whole way!

The Countdown!

I am super psyched about this race.   I hope I don't F#@% it up!  Everyday I am planning out how I will go about obtaining my goal and everyday it changes! 

This is what happens when I get excited!  I get this cluster of thoughts in my head and I just want to explode.  In a good way!  I am sure that come race day I won't have many thoughts in my head other than run shoooter run! 

I know that I have trained for this race and that I am well prepared for it.  I have a great group of friends that are going to run with me most of the time.  I will even have one of my friends taking pictures out there.  She is so creepy!  ha aha Thanks Alyson you're the best!  When you see me round the turn I will give you the best show ever!  Strike a pose.................

Good luck to all running the race!  I will see you out there!

Recipe of the Week; Greens & Beans with Whole Wheat Gnocchi

I have had an incredible weekend!  Saturday I had the opportunity to work a half day so that I could go to the Elton John concert!  Which by the way was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.  Since opportunities door opened I took full advantage of going for a run!  Joe and I got together and while he did a 10 mile run I cut mine short so that I wasn't late to the concert!  I ran 8.61 miles in 1:16, which works out to a comfortable run at 8:49 mins/mile. 

Today Jen, Eric and myself had the chance to run in the pouring rain.  Which was awesome!  Another comfortable and also final run before the race.  We ran 5.01 miles in 45:52 which works out to be 9:09 mins/mile.  This is the last week before the Flower City Challenge Half Marathon.  I am extremely excited and cannot wait for May 1, to come! 

This recipe is for my friend Jen who is a vegetarian and I know she really enjoyed the dinner!

Greens & Beans with Whole Wheat Gnocchi;

Start with diced onions and olive oil in a saute pan
wait until the onions have become transparent then add two cups of white wine
(I prefer to use a pinot grigio)
Let wine reduce by half
add washed and chopped escarole and season with salt and pepper to taste
once the escarole has cooked down by half add cannellini beans and let simmer
After you have boiled the gnocchi (which the recipe will be saved for another day),
strain water and add them to the saute pan
let cook until the gnocchi have taken on the flavor of the wine sauce (approximately 5 mins)
place in bowl and sprinkle pecorino romano over the top

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Good Friends = Good Times

I can't really think of anyone else I would rather run hills with then Jen, Eric and Sheila!  I moved here just over a year ago and I can honestly say that I have made some really great friends.  Thanks to Joe, Eric and Sheila I began running again, and to Jen because each time I run with her she just goes at here pace (which is really fast) and I try to keep up. 

Each time I run I feel as if I am challenging myself to run faster and harder (no pun intended).  When, in all reality it is the people around me that do.  Today we ran hills, which are never fun, and we pushed hard to accomplish the time that we did.  5.59 miles in 46:23 which works out to about an 8:17 min/mile.  Eric had issues today with his Colitis, I had issues with my reverse of Colitis and Jen, well Jen just keeps running (Robot).  She said that the older she gets the more awesome she is!  How can that be, when the older I get the more my body reminds me that I am getting older?  Is there a way to be more awesome?  What is the secret?  Eric is probably one of the strongest runners I know.  He fights through his pains in hopes of not (insert explicative) his pants!  He keeps training when most people would give up. 

I guess what I am trying to say is, the people that I run with push me to be better then I am.  They push through the tough times and they push through the good!  I have learned a lot from and about them and I hope to continue this journey with them for a long time!  Great run today! 

Recipe of the Week; Fresh Tomato Sauce!

Well even though today was cold, wet and dreary it was definitely a nice night for running!  Eric, Jen and myself left for a 7.01 mile run down by the lake and for once it wasn't windy!  We made this an easy run today.  1:01:36 which comes out to 8:47 mins/mile.  Nice run Eric and Jen!  This is about the time where my miles are going to start tapering off.  I have one and a half weeks until my half marathon and I am getting pumped.  I am ready to obtain my personal record, even more than I have ever been.  I have put in the work and I am ready for the results.

This recipe of the week was inspired by an Italian family I stayed with in a little town called Cassino, Italy.  If you don't know the town it is South of Rome and North of Naples.  The town of Cassino is home to the historical Church called "Monte Cassino"

This place was so serene!  Look it up if you don't know it.  Anyway, the family put together this sauce that had the freshest of ingredients that you would ever taste!  I mean it too, it was straight from her garden in the backyard and it took her all day to cook it!

Ingredients you will need;

Roma Tomatoes
Garlic
Sweet Onion
Fresh Basil
Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
Peccorino Romano
Crushed Red Pepper
Country Style Pork Ribs (preferably bone in)
Baking Soda

Start off by coring all of the tomatoes (about 15 - 20), boil a medium size pot of water and blanch them until the skin falls off (this shouldn't take longer than a minute)
Take the blanched tomatoes and place them in a separate pot with onions, garlic and olive oil, season to taste with salt & pepper (keep the heat level on low and roast the tomatoes for at least two hours)
After the first hour add a 1/2 cup of Chicken Stock and fresh basil let simmer and keep it covered

Following the Chicken Stock,
Add olive oil to another pot along with onions, garlic, salt & pepper
When the onions have become transparent add the Pork Ribs
Let cook on low until the pork is completely seared and nicely browned along all edges

Once the Tomatoes have roasted for over two hours take your immersion blender and puree
(I don't like chunky sauce)
Add sauce to the pork ribs and then add seasoning
Salt, pepper, basil and crushed red pepper
Then let simmer on low heat for another half hour then add a table spoon of baking soda
(this is to help cut the acid)
Let simmer another ten minutes and then add a 1/4 cup of peccorino romano

This recipe can be done vegetarian style if preferred or you can add meatballs to give it more flavor.

The meatball recipe will be another Monday's recipe of the week!

Buon Appetito! 

Long week is cause for short runs.

This has been one hell of a week!  Let me reiterate, I love my career choice and I don't mind the hours I work.  This week I have been up before 6:00 am four out of my six day work week.  Some of you may think that isn't bad, but I do work until 9:00 pm at the earliest. 

On Saturday, I would usually get up and run up to about 10 - 13 miles in the early AM, but this time I had to work.  At about midday my boss told me to take three hours and go take a run!  This is a great thing but I also live 30 minutes away from my job!  I had the opportunity to run 3.12 miles with my friend Eric and his wife Sheila.  We ran this in 30 minutes, which is a very relaxed run at 9:36 mins/mile.  Good times!  It felt good that I was able to get out of work for a little bit and run. 

I have been very tired all week because of the awkward schedule.  In fact I have been so tired that I went out for a few drinks with my friend Alyson on Saturday night and after two drinks I was exhausted.  I was literally falling asleep in my chair.  Not cool!

Now, I agreed to run with Eric on Sunday morning at 9:00 am, and I was very late for that run.  I slept in until about 8:45 am and did not get out of my bed until about 9:15!  By the time I made it to Eric's and started running it was about 10:00 am.  I digress, we also have plans to go white water rafting today and we need to leave by 11:00 am.  Which by the way, if you haven't gone yet I highly recommend Letchworth State Park beginner course.

Today we ran 2.7 miles in 23.19 which works out to be 8:38 mins/mile.  This was also a very relaxed run and very good but I was still tired.  I hope that tonight I am able to get some rest so that tomorrow when I run with Jen and Eric I am not useless.

Although I have been tired this week I know my body is adjusting to the soon to be very long hours.  I know that this is also a good sign for me to listen to my body and let my it rest and re-energize!

3.1 for fun!

Have you ever just ran without setting a time limit or even a distance and when you checked your gps you ended up at an even 3.1?  Today was that day for me!  It's as if nothing could go wrong, in fact nothing did go wrong.  I got everything and more accomplished at work today I ran 3.1 miles in 25 mins, that's an 8:03 mile and on top of that I feel like I continue to make great progress with my running.

Recipe of the Week!

Today was really windy!  The wind was so strong today I felt as if I was being pushed backwards!  Aside from the wind Jen and I had a great run.  We ran 6.23 miles in 50:56 this comes to 8:10 pace!  How awesome is that?  My pace is right where I want it to be and with only three weeks until the race, I feel very good!

Today's recipe of the week was inspired by my walk through Wegmans!  My roommate and I were walking through the meat department and he noticed a wonderful piece of Lamb.  From that point on we were both salivating over all of our wonderful ideas and finally decided on the following.

Grilled hearts of Romaine, Gourmet Tomato & Penne Pasta Salad
With
Grilled boneless Leg of Lamb Recommended Temperature is Medium Rare, with house seasoning (what ever your little heart desires)

Take your Hearts of Romaine, quarter them and season them with your homemade balsamic vinaigrette
place them on the grill and let sit until they have a nice char on both sides

Boil Penne Pasta until al dente

1/2 and Saute the Gourmet Tomatoes with some challots until soft

Citrus Buerre Blanc sauce;
1 Shallot, 1tblsp. butter, 1 tsp. olive oil, 1/4 bottle dry white wine let reduce to half, Squeeze Fresh Lemon
Add heavy cream (1/8 cup), 3/4 stick of butter, Salt & Pepper let reduce by 1/4


Chop Grilled hearts and toss in pasta with the tomatoes and Citrus Buerre Blanc Sauce Garnish Pasta with Feta Cheese (Israeli feta is creamier and has a better flavor)
Take Lamb and Slice half inch pieces place on plate and Enjoy the Magic in your mouth!

Let me know what you think!  This was absolutely delicious!

Flower City Challenge Half Marathon

Three weeks until my half marathon personal challenge and record.

I am pretty excited about today's run, 13.68 miles in 1:58.  This turns out to be 8:41 pace.  I ran with my friend Jen, Eric and Oliver.  Unfortunately Eric has Colitis and has been suffering over the past week.  He had a great run and is overcoming this aggravating disease.  If anyone is an inspiration it is definitely him.  Follow him at runericrun.blog.com

I had a great run too and on top of that I could have run another minute faster per mile.  If you remember my first half marathon was 8:56 pace and then my second was 9:18 pace.  I am feeling very positive about my progress and I feel that on race day I will be able to do an 8:00 pace that I need to get to 1:45 finish time. 

While I continue these personal records and challenges i hope that I can inspire anybody who wants more just as I do.  Keep on working hard at what you're doing, keep pushing and don't let your off days put you off!  

Weather forecast is cold!

Although we are very lucky that we do not have hurricanes or tornadoes, I would really appreciate some consistent weather!  I can really appreciate the change in seasons, that is why I still live in NY state, but really, if it is going to be 60 degrees one night why is it that the next day it has to be 35 degrees?  It makes it very hard for my body to adjust to the weather. 

Which brings me to my next set of questions.  Is it the weather that is affecting my running or is my body just tired from training?  Tuesday nights we usually run hills, which I have been keeping an average of 8:30 pace.  Tonight I ran 5.1 miles in 47:03 that comes to about 9:15 pace.  How is it that I am getting slower and not progressing?  Am I expecting too much out of myself?  Am I not pushing myself hard enough?  Should I take a few days off and not worry about it?  These are just a few thoughts based off of what I know my potential is. 

Now that I let the storm of thoughts clear out of my head I hope to hear the thoughts from some fellow runners! 

Monday will now be Recipe of the Week day!

60 degrees and cloudy!  Nobody can complain about this weather! It wasn't cold and it wasn't snowing.  This winter in Rochester has been dragging its feet for way too long.  It is time that the warmer weather finally comes out!

Tonight we made this an easy run, we ran 8.2 miles with some hills.  Our overall pace was 8:52.  I can honestly say after I finished running I felt like I could do another 5 miles with ease.  Maybe it is the weather and then again maybe because I have been on the Shoooter training program.  It may even have to do with the diet in which I have been following. 

Good energy food equals good energy output.  Which brings me to the recipe of the week!  This recipe is great for any person who doesn't like to cook.

Fish Ceviche

Tilapia, Haddock or Bass
Red Onion
Sweet Peppers (red, yellow & orange)
Lemon
Lime

Take the fish and cut it into cubes and place it in a large bowl
Take the red onion and sweet peppers and cut into cubes as well and place into the same bowl
Cut the lemons and limes into half and squeeze the juices over the mix then throw them into the bowl
Add Sea Salt & Fresh Ground pepper for flavor
Stir mixture until all of the fish is covered in lemon and lime juice
Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight
** You can add jalapeno to this if you would like a little more spice **

I buy the food should taste good lime chips which is a great compliment to this wonderful recipe

After you try this recipe out let me know your thoughts.  You can eat it with chips or you can put it into a wheat wrap with lettuce, tomato, avocado and hot sauce for a little extra boost!

Remember, eat healthy(er) and feel a lot better!

Running along the beach!

I can't think of a better way to start a Saturday morning off then to begin with a 7.71 mile run down the trails next to the beach!  Hilly run!  The weather was definitely chilly but with the sun glaring down it felt really good!

My friend Jen and I started our run at 8:00 am.  Jen is that person who you run with that has more speed than you and yet still stays at pace with you.  She also pushes me to run faster then I would normally run.  Thanks Jen!  We started off at about a 9 min pace which would normally be fine but I didn't drink enough water before my run and my heart rate wouldn't catch up with itself.  I kept pushing myself to run faster and by the end of the run I realized that I need to make sure I get enough water in my system.

Although it seems as if I had a rough run, my overall pace was 8:19 per mile and that is great timing.  If you don't remember, my goal for the Flower City Challenge Half marathon it is 1:45 which comes to an 8 min mile.  I am one month away and I feel as if my goal will be close if not spot on! 

Exciting News!

For those of you that know me, you will be able to appreciate this type of news!

Today my boss called me into his office and said that we need to discuss our schedules for the summer.  I said "What do you have in mind?"  He replies, "I was thinking of giving you Tuesday's and Saturday mornings off so that you may continue to train!"  Wooooooo Hooooooo!  That is just what I wanted to hear!!  I get to continue training so I should be ready to run a full marathon by fall!  I am super excited!  I couldn't have picked a better schedule!

My training schedule in the winter has been Sunday afternoon, Monday afternoon, Tuesday evening & Saturday morning.  My summer training schedule will MOST LIKELY be Sunday afternoon, Monday evening, Tuesday evening & Saturday morning. 

Very Excited!

Ignoring my worst enemy!

This evening at 5:47 I began my hill run.  I ran 5.96 miles in 50:41.  This works out to around 8:30 per mile which is much better than my last few runs. 

Have you ever thought too much while running?  That was my problem today, although I did have a great run tonight, I kept thinking how tired my body was.  My worst enemy is my thoughts!  These things can make or break my ability to run faster and stronger.  I am always a glass is half full type person, but for some reason my thoughts try to take me down.  Thanks to all of my friends who ran with me this evening, some of them are comedic relief, others keep me focused on pushing myself to do better. 

Overall I had a great run and lesson learned "ignore that bastard!" 

Running with a cold!

On Saturday, March 26, 2011 I ran 10.53 miles in 1:35:52 and it felt like I couldn't get my one leg in front of the other.  This morning I ran 3.07 miles in 27:29 in Carlisle, PA the weather was 28 degrees and sunny and again I couldn't seem to get my feet out of the way of themselves.  Running with a cold feels worse than taking a week off of training, I feel like I am taking ten steps backwards. 

On the plus side, today I did run in my new Saucony Kinvara's.  I am very impressed with how comfortable they are.  I walked around in them yesterday and ran with them today.  I feel as if I didn't have to wear them in at all.  If you are a flat footed runner like myself these shoes are great!

My Personal 5k Challenge

3/21/11 1:00 pm

Today I woke up with a boat load of energy.  You ask, "What did you decide to do with that boat load of energy?"  Well today I am going to beat my personal best at a 5k!  On My Tracks App I recorded my personal best to be 3.10 at 27:55.

I am in Buffalo visiting my family and it is 44 degrees out, the terrain is road and I am running hills.  The wind is blowing at about 15 mph, and it feels a lot colder than it is. 

I started my pace off at around 7miles per hour and maintained that throughout my whole run.  I am psyched that I was able to hold my pace up the hills that I was running! 

Today My Tracks recorded my personal best to be 3.10 at 24:45.  I shaved 3 minutes off of my time in a matter of three weeks. 

Shoooter!

The beginning of a Tradition

Prelude of Shoooter;

Running was never a sport that I had thought I would ever enjoy.  I began my journey about five years ago and I thought that I was unstoppable.   I ran two half marathons without training, it was after that that I had realized that I wasn't superman.  My knees were in excruciating pain and their was no way for me to continue running.
 
One year and change later I began to run with a group called Fleet Feet.  This group along with my close friends have been the driving force in my new found training efforts. 

Height 5'6"
Weight 190lbs.
I currently wear NB light weight trainers
First Half Marathon 1:57
Second Half Marathon 2:03

My Goals;
This May I would like to finish my third half marathon in 1:45 (8 min/mile) 
Meanwhile I will be training for my first Full Marathon. 

Shoooter!