Ted and I took Shane for a long walk Sunday morning and decided to skip our morning bike ride this week.  Ted had shoulder aches and pains and I was hurting from low back to my toes.  We’ll shoot for a Monday night ride, if it’s not raining.

Monday workout:  treadmill time in order to evaluate the foot pain situation.  Was it still sore?  Was it going to get worse when I began running? 

When I got out of bed, I expected some soreness but nothing hurt so I did the following workout:

3.3 mile treadmill run plus chest and biceps with weights.  Shane and I went for another 3.4 road miles.  Total today was 6.72 easy paced miles.  The hamstring started out a little tender when we began the outside run but felt fine after about 1/2 a mile. 

The boilermaker is a week from next Sunday.  I’m going to get in a tempo run (about race pace) and also a speed workout.  This means the total miles of my longest run for the week will be reduced.  I’ve never done tempo runs so I’m looking forward to it.  What about Shane? He’s going to have to do them as well. Now THAT should be interesting!

What a fun filled day we had Saturday. Stef’s baby shower.

Good thing a sign was posted, I almost went careening by with the cake and all!

Here’s Grandma One and Two-to-be with Mom-to-be.  Why is Stef so tall?!!!

Measuring mommy- to-be’s belly (a blur…guess who forgot to use a flash?!!!)

Some fun times with gifts…

Oh looky here!  Is our little babe gonna be Aunt Jo’s running partner?????

It seems we had some guys wanting to join the shower fun.  They just wanted FOOD!

Ted, young Sammy D (Uncle to-be), and BIG Sam (Grandpa to-be!)

After Stef’s party, there was another cake that had to be decorated.  Josh’s Graduation!

I believe Josh lives in the Albany area and have a feeling the cake is what his mom wanted since… … does a graduating high school guy really care about CAKE?!!!

Josh’s mother enjoys cake for breakfast.  It’s a good thing we incorporated strawberries in this cake, since they are a good breakfast fruit. 

The cake was chocolate. The filling was a vanilla mousse with sliced strawberries.  The frosting a white butter cream.  Josh’s cap and colors were red and white.  He is going to college at West Virginia.

Congrats Josh!

Time to go toes up…

Ted and I watched “Alice in Wonderland” in two parts.  We watched about half on Friday night. Sorry, I  WATCHED…Ted fell asleep, half Friday and the remaining half on Saturday.  Again, on Saturday, Ted fell asleep. 

I’m not sure what young kids watch nowadays but this movie would have scared the life out of me.  The characters are ugly-weird looking.  There was some really nasty fighting.  Even though a cat-monster-thing got his eye back after having it poked out, it was still GROSS!.   Heads being cut off, limbs being severed and a land that certainly was not my image of Wonderland.  But then again, this is a movie by Tim Burton, and there you have it. 

I must have enjoyed it since I stayed up late both nights to watch. Ted, as you guessed, did not like it and consequently slept through it all.

My favorite character was Alice.  My least favorite was the red queen’s side kick.  Anne Hathaway plays a good white queen, and Johnny Depp….he was exceptional but not my favorite character.  I fancied him more in the Pirate movies. 

How many times have you read Alice In Wonderland?  (I have NEVER read it).

Joanne

Our friend’s son was married yesterday and the reception was at Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, NY.  It was the perfect setting for the Cinderella theme behind the celebration.

Because I’m off to run a short race, I’ll leave you with some photos and offer the race recap later today.    Don’t you just love weddings?!

If you remember, I was lucky enough to make the rehearsal dinner cake.  Between Nancy, the brides “new mom”, and myself, we decided to put “magic is in the air….” on the rehearsal dinner cake.  It turned out that the bride sang to her new husband at the reception and the words in the chorus of the song she sang was “magic is in the air”.  I just can’t remember the name of the song! Darn! Nance and I made a great call on that one!

I didn’t have any of the wedding cake, but it sure did look good.

Nancy and Bob.  The parents of the groom.

What a beautiful night!

Joanne

Tuesday:  3.11 miles   Wednesday:  4 miles  Thursday:  4.3 miles  Friday:  3.36 miles Saturday:  5.28 miles and Sunday:  6 miles.  Shane ran with me every day.  The humidity was tough on him but we did it.

This coming week, I only have Tuesday and Wednesday scheduled:  Tuesday is a 50 minute easy run and Wednesday is a tough workout at the track with THE TRAINER! I’m a little nervous.

VACATION RECAP – in pictures

Glenda Taylor’s Ceramic Art show.  Gorgeous pottery pieces reflecting nature.  There were 20 pieces that were available for viewing at the Cheryl Newby Gallery, Pawleys Island SC.  They were just setting up when I walked through.  The artistic ceramic ability of Glenda Taylor was impressive. The pieces were too over priced for my wallet but I would love to eventually own a few of them.

The walk to the marina.  It was crowded with boats. There was a party the night before.  Shane and I sat for a while and admired the serenity.

Frisbee the last time in the back yard.  Admiration for the roses adorning the arbor.

The beautifully landscaped fish pond. My father is meticulous about the look of the fish pond.  The fish (Coy Fish) go crazy when you approach.  Shane actually went up onto the bridge but had to back all the way off. It was funny to watch.

Texas Steakhouse and Lounge in Winchester, VA.  I picked Ted up from the Myrtle Airport Sunday at noon.  We made it to Virginia on the drive home. 

The food at the TS Lounge looked impressive but….

The wine was TERRIBLE. We tried the Sam Adams Summer Ale, draft.  That was TERRIBLE.  AND…..look what they put on my salad…. (GARDEN SALAD mind you)  BACON!!!!!

That is a pan seared Tilapia filet topped with crab.  Steamed broccoli on the side. One filet was brought back to the hotel for Shane to enjoy.

The kitchen prepared the plate as I asked  – seared in olive oil and lemon and no butter. Same for the crab.  The broccoli was steamed with not sauce/butter. 

Ted had fries with the BIG BLEU salad. That was blue cheese crumbles topping salad green, onion rings (Ted doesn’t like onion rings) and steak tips. Topped with bacon.

After a very restful evening and good to be reunited with my spouse, we set out again for home.

Our first stop of the morning (other than the Dunkin Donuts Coffee) was Bob Evan’s Restaurant for breakfast.  Delightful!  Above you see a list of events posted on the table.  I was impressed.

A wonderful fresh fruit bowl (because I don’t eat hash browns) and a gorgeous Egg Lites (egg substitute) omelet with spinach, onions, tomatoes, pepper jack cheese topped with Monterey Jack cheese ( a little TOO much cheese but ok).  Whole Wheat dry toast.  

We were really pleased with the meal at Bob Evans.  Neither Ted nor I are aware of any BE in our area but when traveling, we will be sure to visit again.

This is the first time I’ve come across this SUGAR FREE JELLY.  It’s good!

The omelet was good and….

it was nice to get home.

More tomorrow.  Happy Memorial Day!

Joanne

This morning was a 4 mile run for 38 minutes.  A bit faster than yesterday.  Ted was ready for cycling when Shane and I returned home so it was hip-hop right onto the bike.  I did manage to have half of a protein energy bar before leaving on the bike coupled with 1/2 a glass of water.

It was a bit rainy but we managed 20 miles against strong wind. 

We had just crossed CRAZY 17, the busy highway in Myrtle Beach.  The rest of the route was mild traffic. 

We rode to the beach. The tide was in and it looked stormy. 

The guys were busy fishing along the bridge.  We watched as one of them worked the catch in.

We didn’t go quite as far as we originally planned because it began raining again and we were both getting a little tired.  Our necks were sore and certain fingers were numb.   It was a quick ride home for a good breakfast of omelets and fruit.  There were no falls from getting into sand, we were really careful about that today.

As for the rest of the day… Lunch with Mum and Dad and then, we play it by ear.

Yesterday….

A day of warm weather but a balancing breeze.  We walked along the beach and played in the waves. Since Shane was nipping at the waves and consequently swallowed all that salt water, we took a walk to wait for the “inevitable”. 

The “inevitable” didn’t happen until we were on the way home in the car but luckily, I know my dog and said “TED! Pull over!”  It was just in time for all that salt water to be put back on the grounds of South Carolina.  Now Shane was fine. 

Did you know salt is one of the things to give your dog if he/she ingests a toxic substance?  It makes him/her vomit.  Sorry.  Now I want to talk about food and that certainly wasn’t a very good opener. 

The rest of the day:

Ted went to play golf with my dad and my mother and I took off for lunch at The Spring House.

My mother chose the fruit platter with a ham steak, tomatoes, and cottage cheese. She ate about 2 grapes, 1 tsp of cottage cheese, 1 slice of watermelon and 3 slices of cantaloupe.  The rest came home. I certainly don’t get my appetite from my mother.

I had the Mediterranean Greek Salad with grilled shrimp.

It was then off to find a swim suit. No luck .  I had to drop Mum off at home then high tail it out again.  Found 2 suits and a wrap.  They were more, okay, A LOT MORE money than I wanted to spend but I’m hoping to get some serious swimming in for the fall or winter so the suits will be used and it will be money well spent.

Dinner was my mothers choice and this is what I made:  Sausage Potato Salad with Grilled Summer Squash – Serves 4 *I used Morning Star Farms Vegetarian Sausage patties for my dinner.

• 6 small red potatoes – boil for 20 minutes (skin on), rinse with cold water – let cool.
• 6 cups of salad greens
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 lb Italian Turkey Sausages – cook in 1 TBS olive oil, covered (turning once) for 15 minutes over medium heat, until no longer pink in the middle. *Or use Morning Star Sausage Patties –Vegetarian. If only doing a vegetarian salad for one, use 2 patties and reduce other ingredients accordingly
• 1/2 large red onion, sliced
• 4 TBS sun dried tomatoes in oil, sliced
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 of a small zucchini – sliced
• 1/2 of a small yellow squash- sliced
• 4 large basil leaves, shredded
• DRESSING
• 4 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 6 TBS olive oil
• pinch salt and pepper

Cook your potatoes as directed above and let cool and then slice.  Cook the sausage as directed above and let cool and then slice.

In 1 TBS of olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan, add the squash (yellow and zucchini). Sauté until browned. *You may cook your vegetarian sausage at this point as well.  Let cool.

In a large platter, add the salad greens.  Top with the red pepper, the red onion, the sliced potato, the sliced sausages, add the cooked squash slices then top with the sun dried tomatoes and basil leave shreds.

Mix together all the dressing ingredients and pour all over the salad. ENJOY!

There is a lot of flavor in this dinner salad. It is complete with your greens, healthy protein, carbohydrates and fat.

What does your favorite salad include? or…are you not a salad eater?

About last night….

After dinner, we explored the “bar row” in Murrell’s inlet.  A photo of us and the BIG FISH.

Our final destination and the loudest hoopla, was the DEAD DOG where the Bil Krauss show was going on.  He was very good, entertaining, funny and he also plays in Key West, FL.

I wasn’t feeling “winey” so I chose an old favorite…. BLUE MOON.

We sat at the side of the bar, overlooking the water.

Ted watched the Lakers vs.. Phoenix game but we didn’t quite make it until the end so he never found out who won.

In the meantime, I tried taking our photo with extended arms…

Ted was a bit better at it than I was… we kind of look like Martians …..

Now its off to do some wash, grab a Starbucks and check into work. 

See ya soon!

Joanne

No wonder I get bugs in my mouth when I run!  I was happy to learn that my 97th place was out of 543 runners. 

Sunday’s car ride wasn’t the easiest. My left hamstring kept cramping.  We stopped about 3 times between 1 pm and 8 pm when we finally stopped for the night.  All three times I got out of the car, I moved like I was about a hundred and two.   What was so amazing was that Monday morning, I was fine.  Completely 100% A – OK!   Maybe it was my post race nutrition?  I’m pretty lucky since I don’t sweat a lot.  I’m not so sure my electrolytes suffer major depletion during  a run but to be on the safe side, I did make sure to replenish.

• Immediately following crossing the finish line, I had 1 Hammer Electrolyte capsule with bottled water.
• 45 minutes later, when we got home (after a lot of chit chatting at the race site), I ate an apple.
• 30 minutes following the apple, I ate an Egg Beater omelet:  1 cup spinach, 4 cherry tomatoes, 1/4 onion-chopped, 1 cup Egg Beaters.  Finished with 1 TBS goat cheese and 1 TBS salsa.
• In the car, I shared an Electrolyte replenish drink with Ted.
• We shared dried fruit and nuts and an energy bar.

We finally stopped for dinner and a room at 8 pm, just before turning onto route 95.  It was not good. The music was too loud.  The wine hit the spot. The margarita which we shared was good but the bar tender coated the rim with SUGAR and not SALT.  What’s with that?!!! She must have made a mistake. That’s just not right.

Joanne’s chardonnay, the shared margarita and Ted’s Bass ale.

The salad greens were fresh.  The dressing, simply oil and vinegar – no cheese crumbles.

A “curly” piece of salmon, raspberry sauce on the side.  Corn on the cob, which I usually don’t eat but that was all they had by way of veggies. 

Ted’s  burger, chips, and pickle.  He said it was okay.  JUST okay.

We spent the night in a not so glamorous motel.  Our choices are slim when travelling with Shane.  He cost us $15. extra bucks to stay in a Motel8 and listen to the rumble of the big rigs all night.  Apparently the rumble of the 18 wheelers agrees with Ted because he slept ok.  Shane was pacing all night and that kept me up. I was out the door at 2AM with Shane. Then again at 6 AM.  We were on the road by 7 am.  I had an apple to wake me up. 

We stopped for breakfast at 8:30 am.  Starbucks coffee first then on to Cracker Barrel for a healthy dose of carbohydrates and protein.

Cracker Barrel was very quiet. I asked the host to see if anyone knew how to get coffee out of a white sweater since I dripped the Starbucks on myself before we walked into CB.  I just should NOT wear white!

Ted had “Eggs in a Basket” which were two whole eggs cooked in the middle of sourdough bread.

We shared a HUGE bowl of oatmeal to which I added raisins and sliced bananas.

For my protein, I had plain Egg Beaters with dry wheat toast.

The car snacks were fruit and nuts.  We shared a granola bar and stopped for lunch once we were near my parents house.  We went to a Fish Restaurant in Murrells Inlet and had a terrific lunch.  No photos. I was just too hungry.

We were at my parents and settled in.  A bit of grocery shopping, I made tacos for my parents dinner (Ted and I weren’t hungry) then we took off for a 12 1/2 mile bike ride to the beach. 

The bike ride was just plain SCARY! 

1. We had to cross and ride along route 17, a VERY BUSY highway.  
2. When we were approaching the beach, the wind was ferocious and almost blew us off our bikes since it was blowing at us from the side.
3. When we turned at the beach, we hit sand.  I blocked my fall but Ted went down. Now his back brake is rubbing on the tire.  He’s going to try to fix that today. He suffered no injuries nor bruises.  Good thing!
4. The sun was setting as we rode like maniacs to beat the darkness on the way home. 

Crazy ride!  We’re going again tonight.  I guess we just love the challenge.  The roads are so flat, there are no hills to endure so it’s simply a matter of wind and speed in this area.   We’ll be practicing our spinning for sure.

This morning, Shane and I went for a  3.1 mile recovery run at a slow pace of 10.2.  We terrorized some guy whose dogs got loose. Shane stood there staring at the guy and the dogs like they were crazy. His dog was freaking out at Shane.  I was proud. 

We had to take the computers to Litchfield Plantation where the signal is stronger for work emails and faster computing.  I don’t mind it since I get to enjoy the worlds BEST COFFEE!

Ted is working away so he doesn’t use too much vacation time but will enjoy an afternoon of golf with my dad. 

It shouldn’t be that hot today.  I’m hoping my mother is feeling well enough so we can go to lunch and mosey around a few shops. 

What do you like to do THE MOST when on vacation?  I like to shop.

Joanne