This morning I ran one of my best runs EVER. We are only at 7 mile long runs but honestly when we finished it felt like we had only run 4. It's the best feeling in the entire world. My advice to any runner training for a marathon would be to make sure you put in your mileage during the week, and get good shoes. I can only speak from experience.
6 more weeks until race week!!!
Monday, I run 4 miles at a hill training
Tuesdays, cross train
Wednesday, 4-6-6-6-5-5 (miles)
Thursday & Friday, rest
Saturday, 8-9-10-11-12-2 (miles)
Sunday, end of 6th week 13.1 :)
XOXO!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
OH MY! PUPPY!
Zoey is the current LOVE of my life (well besides my sweet hubby)!! She means the world to us! We want to do only what is right by her. She is 10 weeks young as of today! YAY!!! She is feeling a LOT better. Now she is 100% acting like a puppy - she is eating everything (or trying to at least) / peeing and pooping in the house (not in her crate though) and doing all the other things that we all love so much about puppies :)
In all fairness she was really good today! She peed outside outside not just "Outside" her crate (LOL).... She listened to me. She is recognizing her name.... :)
She is certainly a handful, but OH MY, she is one amazing puppy and we will love her always!
House projects are coming along too. The living & dining rooms are almost done!!! We need to finish the floors / we ordered all new blinds (white wood they look like shutters but they're not - I will post pictures when it's all done) and then finish installing the lighting in the dining room. Those are our main "projects" but we still need to hang some artwork and put up some pictures :) ALMOST THERE!!!! Once those two rooms are done, I think we will complete the guest room. All we need to do in there is get a bed and a light switch cover....
OK, time for dinner!
XOXOXO
In all fairness she was really good today! She peed outside outside not just "Outside" her crate (LOL).... She listened to me. She is recognizing her name.... :)
She is certainly a handful, but OH MY, she is one amazing puppy and we will love her always!
House projects are coming along too. The living & dining rooms are almost done!!! We need to finish the floors / we ordered all new blinds (white wood they look like shutters but they're not - I will post pictures when it's all done) and then finish installing the lighting in the dining room. Those are our main "projects" but we still need to hang some artwork and put up some pictures :) ALMOST THERE!!!! Once those two rooms are done, I think we will complete the guest room. All we need to do in there is get a bed and a light switch cover....
OK, time for dinner!
XOXOXO
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Broccoli Spaghetti
When I was younger my mother made a Broccoli Spaghetti dish all the time. It was my FAVORITE. Honestly, EVERYTHING she makes is my favorite!!
The recipe really is fairly healthy and anything in moderation of course is OK for you.
For runners - it's VERY important to eat carbs*. So I thought I would share my mothers recipe for anyone who loves or needs some carbs but is sick of the same ol' pasta (and there is veggies in this one for some added benefits)
The recipe really is fairly healthy and anything in moderation of course is OK for you.
For runners - it's VERY important to eat carbs*. So I thought I would share my mothers recipe for anyone who loves or needs some carbs but is sick of the same ol' pasta (and there is veggies in this one for some added benefits)
Broccoli Spaghetti:
1lb Spaghetti (or any other pasta you like)
2 cups of Broccoli
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of minced fresh garlic
2 13oz boxes of all natural chicken broth
Salt/pepper to taste
Heat up oil and add broccoli cook until tender, then add the garlic - let cook for about a minute while constantly stirring and mixing the flavors. Once everything is coated add in the chicken broth and bring to a slight bowl. Then cover and simmer until Pasta is done. I usually start the water for pasta RIGHT before adding the garlic.
TIP: only cook the garlic for a short period of time and stir constantly. If you let garlic burn it may turn bitter and ruin the whole dish.
XOXOX
* Granted while runners need carbs, there is no need to eat a ton of carbs. You need carbs for energy, but you need to understand the difference between complex and simple carbs.... If you're going to have pasta I would throw in some veggies (even if it's with red sauce)...
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sparks
Oh yes, sparks flew when we met. Zoey, Kevin and I - it was like magic. Sparks ALSO flew when Zoey ate my computer cord (VERY scary - I caught it and she didn't get sparked (thank goodness), just me).... Today was kind of a tough day for me. last night Zoey threw up several times. I stayed home from work with her today so I could take her to the vet right away. Of course my first thought is (did we push her too hard?).... I was so hard on myself. I feel a lot better now after finding her a vet and getting to the bottom of it.... She has a bug mixed with the stress of her adjusting.... they injected liquids in her back (which kind of looked like a camel hump) to help rehydrate her (she even threw up four times at the vet)... The liquid helped (and it also helped having Kevin home) and she is now back to herself. We were told not to feed her today and to only try a small amount (tablespoon) of canned food the vet gave us.... She should be fine within the week. Here are a couple more pics!!!
XOXOXOXO
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Zoey Hagen
Zoey Hagen
Born: 1/23/12
Rescued: 3/23/12
9 Weeks old
Breed: Lab/Border Collie Mix/Gorgeous
Color: Black
The rescue group we got her at was amazing Heaven to Earth Rescue. It was the best experience EVER. We got there and was able to be in a room alone with her for as long as we needed until we bonded. We met four dogs, but there was no comparison. When we met Zoey it was love at first site. We really just connected, it was truly special. She was meant to be our puppy.
We have decided to crate train her. So last night we set up her crate in the dining room all nice and cozy. We hadn't heard a PEEP out of her ALL night so I was expecting her to fall right asleep and be calm.... this was certainly NOT the case. Zoey cried ALL night long.... Kevin took charge and would come downstairs and sit with her (which immediately soothed her) and he took her out once in the middle of the night. Every time he tried to leave she would cry and cry so finally he took a pillow and blanket and slept by her crate... I took over at about five in the morning so Kevin could get some rest. She is completely 100% quiet and peaceful if one of us is in the vicinity, then as SOON as one of us leaves she gets panicky.... We will take her to the vet this week and hopefully he can give us some pointers on what to do at night however ANY advice is welcomed!!!!
Kevin has owned a dog before, however I have not. This is going to be an adventure for sure. We are very excited!
XOXOXO!!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
St Patricks Day 2012
Yesterday, I celebrated my first St. Patricks Day married to my wonderful Irish husband :). We wanted to do something special to celebrate, so we chose to have a traditional Irish breakfast on the morning of St Patricks Day!! :) We invited none other than the original "Hagen's" :) - Grammy, Papa & Bryan.
We thought long and hard about what we would have on the menu and did tons of research on what it would be like to have a breakfast in Ireland, perhaps at a bed & breakfast. The bed & breakfast idea became my inspiration for the whole meal.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to have breakfast here:
What would the food be like? The service? The table? What kind of napkins would they use??
Maybe not exactly what it would look like but I tried to come close. I wanted to keep it simple.
A few weeks ago I received a Groupon for Tommy Moloney's, which is an Irish butcher from NY. I did my research and decided this was the best place to supply the goods for our Irish breakfast!!
Here is what we did.
Set out as "pick-on" foods (very important in hosting ANY event - I learned this from Grammy - who is the guru of hosting)
- Two types of Irish Cheeses
- Wheat Crackers
- Pepperoni (ha ha not so Irish - but whatever I have more experience as an Italian) :)
On the menu for breakfast
- Over-easy Eggs
- Bangers
- Small Boiled Potatoes
- Irish Soda Bread
- Black Pudding
- White Pudding
- Baked Beans
- Cookies from Pallotta's Pastries
For drinks we had the usual juice/water/milk/beer (ha ha) and we set up a coffee bar on our new buffet. The coffee bar was my favorite part. We had out, various coffees, and teas (one box of tea imported from Ireland), in Kevin's really cool wood caddy, Bailey's Irish Cream, Jameson, brown sugar, white sugar, and milk. We got everything set up the night before :) It went very smooth for our first time hosting a holiday :)
Honestly it was such a fantastic day - everything about it was wonderful.
Once the meal was done and everyone left it was just Kevin and I celebrating our 6 month wedding anniversary and enjoying the weather. We went for a long walk and had dinner at the Chowder House.
This morning I woke up and ran 5 miles as my "long run" today. I felt amazing. I know there are good and bad days for running but lately I have had a lot of good days. It is a great feeling, I really think my running is improving. I ran a consistent 10 minute mile for 5 miles!!! I hope the momentum stays forever (or at least the rest of the season - till next winter). I seriously cannot help but think its because of my new shoes - if you haven't already read my blog where I talk about my new shoes check it out "training" . They are so light and easy to run in. Tomorrow will start my "hill training" every monday.... eeek wish me luck - I will keep you posted!!
XOXO
We thought long and hard about what we would have on the menu and did tons of research on what it would be like to have a breakfast in Ireland, perhaps at a bed & breakfast. The bed & breakfast idea became my inspiration for the whole meal.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to have breakfast here:
What would the food be like? The service? The table? What kind of napkins would they use??
Maybe not exactly what it would look like but I tried to come close. I wanted to keep it simple.
A few weeks ago I received a Groupon for Tommy Moloney's, which is an Irish butcher from NY. I did my research and decided this was the best place to supply the goods for our Irish breakfast!!
Here is what we did.
Set out as "pick-on" foods (very important in hosting ANY event - I learned this from Grammy - who is the guru of hosting)
- Two types of Irish Cheeses
- Wheat Crackers
- Pepperoni (ha ha not so Irish - but whatever I have more experience as an Italian) :)
On the menu for breakfast
- Over-easy Eggs
- Bangers
- Small Boiled Potatoes
- Irish Soda Bread
- Black Pudding
- White Pudding
- Baked Beans
- Cookies from Pallotta's Pastries
For drinks we had the usual juice/water/milk/beer (ha ha) and we set up a coffee bar on our new buffet. The coffee bar was my favorite part. We had out, various coffees, and teas (one box of tea imported from Ireland), in Kevin's really cool wood caddy, Bailey's Irish Cream, Jameson, brown sugar, white sugar, and milk. We got everything set up the night before :) It went very smooth for our first time hosting a holiday :)
Honestly it was such a fantastic day - everything about it was wonderful.
Once the meal was done and everyone left it was just Kevin and I celebrating our 6 month wedding anniversary and enjoying the weather. We went for a long walk and had dinner at the Chowder House.
This morning I woke up and ran 5 miles as my "long run" today. I felt amazing. I know there are good and bad days for running but lately I have had a lot of good days. It is a great feeling, I really think my running is improving. I ran a consistent 10 minute mile for 5 miles!!! I hope the momentum stays forever (or at least the rest of the season - till next winter). I seriously cannot help but think its because of my new shoes - if you haven't already read my blog where I talk about my new shoes check it out "training" . They are so light and easy to run in. Tomorrow will start my "hill training" every monday.... eeek wish me luck - I will keep you posted!!
XOXO
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Sunday Funday :)
Today was legit one of the best days we have ever had. We had NO PLANS. It was WONDERFUL. I can't remember the last time we had a day off with zero plans. We slept in (way to late), ate breakfast in our backyard while reading the paper, caught up on laundry, went for a walk in our neighborhood, dropped by a friends house, made dinner, started a movie, went for another walk...... Now I am blogging and relaxing before we start the week.... I wanted to share a recipe that I made for dinner tonight (in honer of the upcoming holiday) an Irish Shepherds Pie!!!
FIRST - Link to ACTUAL recipe
SECOND - PICTURES :)
FIRST - Link to ACTUAL recipe
SECOND - PICTURES :)
THIRD - The simple recipe is:
- Saute some carrots and onions in olive oil
- Add pepper & Thyme
- Add Meat (I used Turkey) real traditional pie is made with lamb or beef
- Add frozen peas
- Add some flour/butter/wine/tomato paste/Worcestershire sauce
- bake with mashed potatoes
- ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!
XOXOXO
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Great Run
This morning was great. I ran 4 miles at one of my best training pace's to date. We (we as in my training partners and very close friends) ran a consistent 9.58 minute mile!!! Two reasons - 1 - BEST SHOES EVER, I LOVE the Brooks PureFlow!! LOVE THEM!!!!!!! 2 - the training we did during the week. If you have a goal to run a marathon or a half marathon - the BEST thing you can do for yourself is put in the training miles. While your "long runs" are important - you need to log miles all week. I changed my training schedule that I posted last week a little bit (I took out a day, 5 was just too much especially if I am going to cross train) (I will post my whole program tomorrow morning).
HagenHaven is coming along just perfectly! We LOVE it here. We are still "moving in" - as in the dust hasn't quite settled yet as far as being 100% unpacked. Honestly, we are getting there but because of my travel and our busy schedules it's been tough. Today, I unpacked all our china and we are setting some St. Patrick's Day displays out. I will share a picture in my next post.
We are having a traditional Irish breakfast at our house next weekend. It's going to be GREAT. I found this butcher in NY and I place my order yesterday. I am also attempting a homemade Irish Creme and homemade Irish cream ice cream for next weekend too.... EEK! Getting excited. Going to the market now - I will circle back with pictures of our "display" and my training tomorrow morning.
XOXOXO
EH
HagenHaven is coming along just perfectly! We LOVE it here. We are still "moving in" - as in the dust hasn't quite settled yet as far as being 100% unpacked. Honestly, we are getting there but because of my travel and our busy schedules it's been tough. Today, I unpacked all our china and we are setting some St. Patrick's Day displays out. I will share a picture in my next post.
We are having a traditional Irish breakfast at our house next weekend. It's going to be GREAT. I found this butcher in NY and I place my order yesterday. I am also attempting a homemade Irish Creme and homemade Irish cream ice cream for next weekend too.... EEK! Getting excited. Going to the market now - I will circle back with pictures of our "display" and my training tomorrow morning.
XOXOXO
EH
Friday, March 2, 2012
Training
It's officially time to train for the Cleveland Half Marathon. Boy am I ready. First things first - find a training schedule. Below are my March runs:
Monday 3/5 - Sunday 3/11
3 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 4 miles
Monday 3/12 - Sunday 3/18
3 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 5 miles
Monday 3/19 - Sunday 3/25
3 miles, 3 miles, 5 miles, off, off, 3 miles 6 miles
Monday 3/26 - Sunday 4/1
4 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 7 miles
I am going to incorporate the gym into 2 days worth of runs - not sure where though.... that was my mistake LAST year - I didn't do ANY cross training at all.... At the gym, I will focus on my core, yoga (relaxing/stretching), rowing and biking.
Second thing that is very important when preparing to train for a race is having the right equipment (shoes/clothes etc). I am a HUGE fan of Brooks brand shoes.... honestly, they are my favorite, I will recommend them over and over again.... I am going to go get a new pair this weekend that I have never tried before PureFlow (SO EXCITED) - I will keep you all posted on my performance. Also, I am a big believer (for women) in having the right bra. You don't want to get hurt. I haven't found one that I love so much I am willing to share but when I do, I will let everyone know.
Third thing is EAT RIGHT. be smart with your food choices. duh.
XOXOXO
Monday 3/5 - Sunday 3/11
3 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 4 miles
Monday 3/12 - Sunday 3/18
3 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 5 miles
Monday 3/19 - Sunday 3/25
3 miles, 3 miles, 5 miles, off, off, 3 miles 6 miles
Monday 3/26 - Sunday 4/1
4 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles, off, off, 3 miles, 7 miles
I am going to incorporate the gym into 2 days worth of runs - not sure where though.... that was my mistake LAST year - I didn't do ANY cross training at all.... At the gym, I will focus on my core, yoga (relaxing/stretching), rowing and biking.
Second thing that is very important when preparing to train for a race is having the right equipment (shoes/clothes etc). I am a HUGE fan of Brooks brand shoes.... honestly, they are my favorite, I will recommend them over and over again.... I am going to go get a new pair this weekend that I have never tried before PureFlow (SO EXCITED) - I will keep you all posted on my performance. Also, I am a big believer (for women) in having the right bra. You don't want to get hurt. I haven't found one that I love so much I am willing to share but when I do, I will let everyone know.
Third thing is EAT RIGHT. be smart with your food choices. duh.
XOXOXO
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