It’s been a crazy weekend so far!
All posts by hannahviolin
Pumpkin Spice Kisses
"You’ll sleep when you’re dead." –Leslie
This was in reference to tomorrow and the subsequent days: I have a 7:30 flight to Phoenix, arrive there around 9 am, then we have a party starting at 3 pm and going…until. Sunday and Monday are also busy ("busy" in wedding planning and celebrating terms, to be clear, not actual busy, but things like "final dress fitting," "do bikram yoga," "visit the venue to plan out decorations," and "drop off bridesmaid dress at dry cleaners" are on the list. It adds up.) Oh, then I get home Monday night around midnight, and leave again on Thursday afternoon. Plan: sleep on plane.
For the party—who doesn’t love Mad Libs. Some of these are already done since somebody else got married recently. (This is Leslie’s something borrowed?)
Got my haircut and my brows waxed for the festivities. I’ll need extra undereye concealer by the time this is done.
We have created an abomination against nature. Or this is just a really unflattering pose.
I had purchased some pumpkin spice kisses at Target the other week. It occurred to me that they would make excellent cookie toppers. Last night I made snickerdoodle cookies and put a kiss on top of each one. DELICIOUS!
When Chris saw me with the "ingredients" for snickerdoodle cookies–(I’m not going to lie: I bought a box of snickerdoodle "cookie mix." Probably I have all the ingredients for actual snickerdoodle cookies on hand, because I imagine they include, you know, sugar, flour, eggs, cinnamon, baking soda, butter…but I was just that lazy, and I didn’t feel like looking up a recipe nor verifying that I had all the ingredients, NOR, dare I say, pulling out the kitchenaid which I ended up having to do anyway…but I digress)—when Chris saw me with the box of mix, he said "I don’t care for snickerdoodle cookies." I told him I was putting the kisses on them and his ears perked up. After I made them I think he ate a half dozen.
Basically I’m telling you that these cookies really compliment the kisses, if you are looking for a good pairing.
I packed my running shoes. I thought about going for a run this morning, but I decided that I should stick with my original plan of not running for at least a week, plus there is no need for me to be a hero. We did deadlifts yesterday to work on my hamstrings and they felt really good at the time, but naturally I’m sore today. I am blogging, then foam rolling. Another couple days off will only help really, not hurt.
What are you up to this weekend? Any suggestions on places to hit up in Old Town Scottsdale on a Saturday night?
A day in the life of
So…I’m sure you’re all wondering what a day in the life of Hannah is like. No? Lots of other bloggers do this, so I figured it might be fun. Every day is different of course, for me, though often Wednesday is the same as Wednesday, and Tuesday is the same as Tuesday. (Wrap your brain around THAT one, dear reader!)
Here was Wednesday:
8:00 am Get woken up by annoying dog nearby that was yipping. Go back to sleep.
9:30 am Get woken up by annoying alarm clock. Snooze once.
9:35 am Get up. Do bathroom stuff. Go downstairs. Make oatmeal in the microwave and pour a cup of coffee that Chris already made. Eat oatmeal.
10:00 am to 10:45 am: Write recap of MO Cowbell Half Marathon and check email and twitter.
10:45 am Take shower.
11:00 to 11:30 am Start packing for weekend trip and do some straightening up/cleaning.
11:30 Go to the hairdressers
11:45 Get brows waxed and get hair cut and styled.
1:00 pm Home for lunch—chicken and rice with salad.
1:15 to 1:30 Sit on ice packs.
1:30 to 2:45 Various errands around house, ranging from dishes to emails to paying bills to taking pictures of the cat to send to Chris who is at work.
2:45 Leave for work, call Leslie on the way to continue the texting conversation we’d been having about her wedding, leave message.
3:15 Arrive at work, set up room. Leslie calls back. Chat for about 20 minutes.
3:45 to 8:30 Teach students. During teaching have a snack of a few almonds and some beef jerky.
8:30 Lock up the school and turn off the lights. Realize as I wrote this that I forgot to reset the thermostat.
8:35 Drive home. Call Leslie again to talk about her wedding.
9:00 Arrive home, put on pajamas while still on the phone.
9:15 Make dinner: eggs, sausage, pumpkin swirl bread. Cat is desperate and lonely for attention so she follows me around everywhere.
9:45 to 10:00 Write this blog post (rough draft), ice legs and butt.
10:00 Wait for husband to come home…aka read blogs and other crap online.
10:30 Hang out with husband.
11:00 Read in bed
11:30 Go to sleep
This is a fairly typical day, minus the constant Leslie’s wedding talk (soon that will be done!) and minus the fact that I didn’t work out at all, which is less common. Also I didn’t do any practicing which I often (okay, well, sometimes 😉 ) do!
MO Cowbell Half Marathon
Sunday I ran the MO Cowbell Half Marathon in St Charles, Missouri. It was the second year of the race, and the second time I had run it. It was a nice race last year, and this year looked to be even better—a little bigger but still pretty small for a half (3000 runners or so) but with decent crowd support and a fairly flat course.
I went to pick up my packet on Friday—there was a small expo too, which was fun. I didn’t have too much time but managed to score a couple of free samples and try some various kinds of protein and energy drinks.
I was pretty nervous about the race since my training had basically gotten derailed by my trip to France (I know, poor me), my subsequent cold, and then a bit of a niggling hip problem…I had had to cut my last long run of 10 miles short by 4, and then hadn’t run since. I figured I’d manage to struggle through but my time might not be great. Then again, another part of me thought, hey, maybe I’ll be miraculously awesome and PR.
My friend Jen was running it too and we rode together to the race. It was really cold (under 40 degrees) at the start, so I wore a "throwaway" shirt over another long sleeve tech shirt over a tank top, over shorts. I thought this combination worked pretty well, actually, but the cold took us by surprise. The race started at Frontier Park in St Charles (about 30 minutes from St Louis), and we were warned to get there early for parking. We left my house around 5:45 (did you know there is a 5:45 am as well as pm!?) and got to the exit by 6:15 or so. It took about 15 minutes to get to the parking lot from there as it was backed up a little but not too badly. We parked, sat in the warm car a few more minutes and then it was porta potty time!
We also debated skipping the race, going straight to breakfast, and just telling people we ran it, but we decided that would be dishonest, and also a secret we’d have to take to the grave that just might not be worth it. We puttered around as one does at these things, (and ran into Sarah Crowder who was on the job taking pictures of us runners for the race), and finally it was time to line up.
This trailer was near the start.
I left my watch in the car by accident, but decided not to go back for it and just run on feel. I knew that I couldn’t stress out about time and either my hip/butt area would feel okay or it wouldn’t. When the race started I ran easy for a bit but it was pretty uncomfortable at first. I thought maybe after the first mile my leg would start feeling better (more warmed up) but it didn’t really—I did realize that having a longer stride and running faster made it feel a little better so I did that—I knew that running faster in the long run wouldn’t help me as I was pretty out of breath sometimes, but I just started alternating with walk breaks. I tried to limit my walk breaks in the first few miles (by few, I mean like 8 or so) to no more than one or two short one per mile and I’d pick a landmark in the distance like a mailbox or fire hydrant or car that I’d make myself start running again.
The course left St Charles and headed into the surrounding farmland. Then we headed into New Town, which I think is kind of creepy in a Pleasantville/Stepford Wives sort of way, but the crowd support is nice. We ran around a lake and there was a guy in a wet suit swimming in it. I had dumped my gray shirt by then (I left it at the first water stop to donate) but I thought he must be cold.
I stopped somewhere after mile 8 to stretch out my hip, which was becoming increasingly painful. I kept trying to keep the same people around me with my run/walk "intervals" but I was starting to fall behind as the running was hurting so much less than the walking. I kept telling myself it was okay, this was supposed to hurt, but a little voice my head would tell me that I had a tendency to injure myself doing stupid stuff, like, remember how I hurt my shoulder, and I was fighting that battle. I also knew that I would be struggling with a giant hill soon.
I was walking and a guy came up behind me and started cheering me on—he said I needed to run again because he had been keeping pace with me for at least 5 miles and "whatever run/walk interval I was doing I needed to keep it up because it was perfect"…I tried to tell him I was just struggling to not die, but he yelled at me to stay ahead of him so I ran away. I never saw him again—I do have a feeling he must have passed me though, because I probably ran another 1/2 mile but then I just couldn’t. I walked up the entire hill, I walked as fast as I could (and I was definitely limping) but I just couldn’t run the hill. I definitely lost time there, and then at the top of the first incline I tried to run a little more and it was just so painful. Oh, and after the uphill was finally over, there was a ridiculously steep downhill right away…um, thanks?
The last couple miles were SO hard. I’d run a bit, stop and walk, did some stretches, would tell myself it hurt no matter so I might as well run, and that was pretty much the cycle. Mile 12 I was just trying not to cry! FINALLY the finish line was in sight. I ran as fast as I could, which I would imagine was approximately a 12 minute mile pace at that point, and crossed the finish just shy of 2:40. Not my goal, not my greatest performance, but I MADE it.
I grabbed my medal, two bottles of water, and staggered down the finish chute. I dragged myself towards the area where Jen and planned to meet and saw her right away. I was just trying to not fall over, and then I collapsed on the ground!
Finally I got the energy to get out my phone and text Chris that I was done, and saw this:
I forgot I’d signed up for twitter updates! So all my followers got to see my negative splits ;)
After a few minutes of lying on the grass groaning and moaning (and stretching) we managed to stand up. This was no small feat!
We went back to the car and the parking lot was completely backed up. It took us over an hour to get out of the parking lot. This definitely needs to be addressed for next year, I think.
I took some self portraits while we were delayed in the car.
The medal was HEAVY! I was almost too tired to wear it around my neck. I managed though. It was also pretty large.
We went to Uncle Bill’s for breakfast then. I thought that eggs, hash browns, and pancakes weren’t QUITE enough food so I added the biscuits and gravy. I would HIGHLY recommend the biscuits and gravy in the future, just FYI. Oh, and I wasn’t able to finish all of this, though I tried.
Later that night the celebration was a little different. I used a fancy wine glass that was a shower gift.
Another picture of the medal, and of the long sleeve technical shirt.
All in all, a fun and well run race. I would have hoped for a better time and a better training cycle, but that’s how it goes. My hip WILL heal and be better (it’s not exactly my hip but I’m just hard pressed to explain where the pain begins—another blogger has what I’ve decided is a similar problem (though I think hers is worse) and she referred to it as the leg/buttcrease area. I’m definitely taking the week (or more) off from running, but I am PROUD that I finished despite the pain.
Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway–Closed!!
Recently Tropical Traditions provided me with a jar of coconut oil to review and then have a giveaway for my readers. I’ve heard that coconut oil is a wonderful healthy alternative to other oils but I really didn’t know much about it. I did some (internet) research and learned that people used to think it was less healthy (was used and perhaps still is used in movie popcorn because it stays fresher longer but was considered incredibly unhealthy…much like eggs were, right?)—now it seems that coconut oil is possibly considered more healthy than olive oil. I’m not saying that for certain though, because I’m not a doctor or scientist, and you know how this stuff is.
I really love the smell and taste of coconut. When I opened the jar I could strongly smell coconut. Would this affect the taste of food if I used it instead of olive oil? It turns out the answer is: not really.
Things to know about coconut oil: it is in solid form, so to use it for cooking you just need to heat it up, either on the stove or in the microwave. This is an extra step that is a little annoying, but not really a big deal. While you are waiting for your oil to melt you can take some and rub it onto your knuckles and elbows to help with dry skin!
I made a few things on the stovetop with coconut oil and then I also made a recipe for “Cumin Coconut Carrots” from a local blog friend. (I recommend this recipe—Chris liked the carrots a lot and said we should make them again—I consider that a winner!)
I haven’t tried this yet, but I hear that if you take some coconut oil and whip it up in your Kitchenaid mixer (or any mixer, really, I just happen to love my Kitchenaid more than I should love a brand) it makes a fantastic body butter.
Anyway, compared to another kind of coconut oil I’ve tried, this one smells SO MUCH better! That’s really all I can tell you, because I’m not an expert, but I think it seems like a really good product, and I recommend you try it.
Here’s a bunch of information from the company:
Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!
Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?
You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:
Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.
Okay! You can enter to win your own jar of coconut oil. This is a little more complicated than some of my previous giveaways, but I think you can manage! The contest will end at 10:00 pm CDT on Wednesday, October 17. It is open to US and Canadian residents only.
1. (Required) Subscribe to the company’s newsletter here (and leave a comment below).
If you do that, you may increase your chances of winning with the following (must enter the first way otherwise these don’t count, sorry!)
2. Follow the company on Twitter @troptraditions and @ttspecialdeals
3. Follow me on Twitter @hannahviolin
4. “Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook
5. “Like” Hannahviolin on Facebook
Good luck to you all!
Contest is now closed! Thanks to all who entered. Winner will be contacted soon.
Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
I survived the Mo Cowbell Half Marathon
If you follow me on twitter, you could or might have seen my times for the race yesterday morning. I forgot that I had signed up for the twitter updates (I guess I did when I registered) so it was a delight to see when I finished that Chris had been following along–
I had a tough race. I had thought that I’d been running often and enough that taking a week off for Paris would be no problem. And that might have been the case. But then one week turned into two because of getting sick…and I think that was too much to get back into the higher volume running right away, so I ended up with a bit of a hip problem. I’ll go into more race details later, but I finished, it hurt a lot, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself for sticking it through anyway.
2:39:40. My lungs were ready, my legs were not.
We saw this trailer at the start of the race. I’m not usually a mantra person, but this actually helped push me through some of the worst of it. And knowing I’d get a cowbell shaped medal at the end and get to eat a lot. That helped too.
If I’d remembered my splits were being broadcast on twitter that might have helped too, but I’m kind of glad I forgot. That might have just depressed me!
Anyway, I’ll write a full recap later—I want to sit and reflect for a day or two. I’m also planning to do another giveaway this week, so stay tuned!