CHOCODATE brownie (clean) recipe. Super Easy and delicious... Recipe Friday!

Recipe Friday!

I will be posting a favorite recipe of mine every Friday. I hope you ENJOY!

I have been wanting to make more Paleo (clean) bars or brownies. For the kids. So I decided to make my CHOCODATE brownies for the win. These are made and sweetened with dates. I did some research on the health benefits of the date. Check it out...

Date is the name of the fruit of the Date Palm, which is believed to have originated somewhere in the desert oases of northern Africa and perhaps, southwest Asia. The people of the Middle-East consume dates, as a part of their staple diet, mainly owing to its high nutritional values. This nutritious fruit provides extra energy to the human body. Apart from being rich in natural fibers, dates also comprise of a lot of other nutrients, like oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium etc. In fact, it is said that, one date is a minimum of a balanced and healthy diet. Regular intake of dates also helps you in maintaining healthy eyesight and it cures problems related to night blindness

Health & Nutrition Benefits Of Eating Dates

• Since dates get digested very easily, they are consumed as a source of quick energy.
• Milk, when boiled with dates, become a very nutritious and invigorating drink for children and adults, especially during convalescence.
• The nicotinic content in dates makes them an excellent cure for intestinal disturbances.
• Regular consumption of dates has been found to check the growth of pathological organisms and help in the growth of friendly bacteria in the intestines.
• Being a laxative food, dates have been found to be beneficial for those suffering from constipation.
• For alcoholic intoxication, drinking water, in which fresh dates have been rubbed or soaked, is said to be quite effective.
• Studies have shown that consumption of dates, soaked overnight and crushed, is good for those who have a weak heart.
• It has been seen that, dates serve as a tonic for improving sex stamina as well as sterility due to functional disorders.
• Researches have revealed that dates are effective in preventing abdominal cancer.
• Dates have a tonic effect and thus, hold great medicinal properties.
• Dates which consist of sugar, fats and proteins are rich in vitamins. Intake of dates with the paste of cucumber helps in solving the problem of over-slimming. As dates are rich in calories, they are sufficient enough to meet the daily calorie requirements of the body.
• Rich in potassium, dates helps in regulating a healthy nervous system. Regular intake of potassium, present in dates, reduces the chances of stroke. Dates also help in reducing the LDL cholesterol.
• Dates are rich in vitamin A and have a lot of antioxidant properties which help in enhancing the eyesight and solve night blindness problems. Dates help in maintaining a healthy and sound skin, its Vitamin A content also resists lung and oral cavity cancers.
• As dates are rich in alkaline food, they help in neutralizing the acidity. To get maximum benefits consume dates early in the morning.
• Dates contain stimulants, which make the uterus muscles stronger. Regular intake of dates during the time of pregnancy helps in the dilation of uterus and reduces bleeding. It also contains elements which enrich the breast milk.
• High in iron content, dates helps in treating anemia. They are also rich in fluorine, which reduces tooth decay.

With all the health benefits and sweet taste of the date, why wouldnt you cook with it? So here is my personal recipe for a batch of CHOCODATE brownies.

Ingredients

1 cup dates (whole or chopped)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

2 heaping tbsp. of cocoa

1 cup nuts (I used raw almonds)

1/4 cup of dark cacao chips (the darkest you can stand) I used 85%

2 eggs

1 tbsp of vanilla

Preheat oven 375

In a food processor or blender chop dates, coconut, cocoa, almonds, and cacao till fine. Add egg and vanilla, blend till mixed well. Spread on waxed paper on pan. It will be thick and sticky, spread it out as evenly as possible. You don't want it too thick on the edges or they will get overcooked. I try to square it out like a bar.

Place in oven for 15-20 minutes. The edges will start to turn light brown. The middle should remain spongy and soft. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut into squares.

My husband and kids absolutely loved them. They thought it was great that they could have brownies for breakfast. One win for mom. If you guys decide to make these brownies, let me know how you like them. They are very easy to make.

Your turn! Do you have a healthy dessert that you make for you family? I would love to hear it.

Leave me a comment below:)

Can you beat a bag of chips down a river? At home workout and some awesome shoes!

After hearing from the ortho that my foot wasn't broke, I have been planning my comeback to IRONMAN 70.3 training. That's right, We are like 80ish days away from TEAM TAGYOURIT hitting the water and streets of Augusta GA for a day of swimming, biking, running, and cheering! I'm so excited I cant stand it. I know Nicole and Laura have been running and biking up a storm lately. This foot thing has put me a little behind on training for the swim but I am not too worried about it. If a bag of potato chips can float down the river in the allotted time than I can for sure get down there...

Crazy huh? Nicole and Laura, I will just float down the river, make sure and pack my float and ice chest, LOL! JUST KIDDING! Oh and an alligator sighting???????? I'm from the Gulf Coast, they are in our backyards! Not worried:)

Right now while the doc has advised me not to go into the water for another week, mainly because I have a huge open gash on my foot, I have been just doing body weight exercises. Thankfully I know some great WODS to do at home from my awesome peeps over at Coastline Crossfit. If your local, go check them out (they are across from Sydney Phillips School on Sydney Phillips Dr.) My workout last night consisted of...
100 hand release pushups
100 tricep dips
100 air squats
100 full situps
100 bicep curls 30lbs!
5 3minute planks!
I also threw in a few scissor kicks for fun:)
Of course I had to take the after you workout selfie in my not yet remodeled bathroom, so enjoy...

Hello bicep! love it:) What I don't love is the O on my favorite Oakley sports bra my awesome friend Amanda gave to me is coming off:( #smallworldproblems! Carry on...

I was excited to get a pair of Mizuno Wave Kazan trail shoes in the mail yesterday. I am reviewing them as part of a FitFluential campaign. Even more excited that in a week my foot will hopefully be able to fit in this gorgeous shoe...


I always hated getting my new trail shoes dirty because they were always so pretty. These however, scream GET ME DIRTY! I LOVE the design on them and cant wait to test them out. Stay tuned for that review:)

Ill be headed back to the gym for cardio in the morning for the first time since Boston. I'm going to attempt the row machine for an hour. Hopefully my foot will hold up, until then I hope you guys have a great rest of the week and don't forget to enter my giveaway for a customized shirt from MyRaceRagz, they are AH-mazing! ENTER HERE!


Could you beat the bag of chips down the river?
What are your favorite trail shoes?
Ok go...

MyRaceRagz Customized Race Shirt Review and Giveaway...

UPDATE! I went to a orthopedic yesterday for a second opinion on my "broke" foot. I was so excited when he came in and told me it was not broken, YIPPEEEEEE! He told me to wear the shoe for another week and let it heal. I could do light impact cardio next week and start back running in about 10 days. AHHHH! Such great news!

 

MyRaceRagz review and giveaway!

 

I love customized racing shirts. Especially for runcations with friends. I figured if I have to run a lot of miles I might as well look good doing it. I also love having my name on my shirt for larger races. Its really cool for people to yell your name out while your dying running a marathon. When one of my favorite bloggers Jenny at MetamorFit offered a few of us a chance to review a MyRaceRagz customized shirt, I jumped at the opportunity.

My Race Ragz started by a Husband & Wife Team Who Had a Burning Passion For Running And a Yearning Desire To Help Others Enjoy The Sport as Much as They Do…thus MyRaceRagz was born! To read more about their passion for runners and traithletes, CLICK HERE!

 

One of the great things about MyRaceRagz is that they have over 700 designs/slogans to chose from, and use only high performance moisture wicking shirts. I also love that they are 100% made and printed in the USA.

 

I have been wanting a blog shirt that I can wear to blog/race media events. So I chose to customize my own shirt. I decided on my shirt style and started designing. I started with the front design. I really like that the style shirt you choose is what you design on, so you can really tell how its going to look...

  

It was so much fun designing the way I wanted the shirt to look. I could choose the font style, size, and positioning as well as the color. You can also customize the color of the lettering and add shadowing effects. It was super easy to design. After the front was done I started on the back design.



This was my favorite part of the design process. It was super easy to design and submit. After they receive your design and approve it they will send you a proof of your shirt design and start making it.


You should receive your shirt within 7-10 days of ordering/manufacturing (Some custom shirts may take a little longer). I received an email about a week later saying it had shipped to me. It did take a little longer to receive, however I think it was a snailmail problem and not MyRaceRagz. I will say their customer service was AH-MAZING!. I was worried about the fact that it had been over a week since I got the mailed out email. I contacted Jenny about it, and had customer service immediately contact me and they stayed in contact with me daily until I got my shirt. This is the front...

and the back...

It came out perfect, I love it. I was able to wear it on my trip to Boston with Runners World Magazine. People on the airport were checking my shirt out as I walked by. If you happen to have seen it and follow me now, WELCOME!

Now to the awesome part, the people over at MyRaceRagz is offering one of you guys a chance to make your very own customized running shirt. I am so excited to see what the winner will come up with...

Enter below. This giveaway will be open until June 30th, 2014 at midnight. I will announce the winner on July 1st right here on the blog. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was able to get in a really great upper body workout today in the gym. It felt great. Hopefully next week I will be able to get back in my cardio zone. This foot is driving me crazy but getting better.

Have you ever customized a shirt for a race?
I was given a code to design my own customized shirt from MyRaceRagz.com. No other compensation was received. As always all opinions are my own.

That time I broke my foot...

Things happen sometimes that you wish you had a great story for. This is one of those times.

Unfortunately, this story is kind of boring...

Thursday, my husband had an antique piano delivered to our house. He and his three friends went to unload it off the back of a truck. If you have ever tried to lift an older piano, its weighs about 800 lbs. Anyways they had decided to slide it down on a birchwood mantle piece that we had recently taken down. The mantle piece weighed about 80lbs itself. My job was to take the mantle piece out once they slid the piano to the ground. No problem, right? WRONG! What I hadn't noticed that the guy had taken his tailgate off of his truck, so that the weight of the piano wouldn't break it, and had set it on the ground. So I proceed to take the piece of wood out and back up, falling backwards on the tailgate. I know how to fall thanks too biking, so I knew to just let it happen, however I had a 75 lb piece of wood falling with me. I decided mid air to push the wood away from me so it wouldn't fall on me. Unfortunately it caught my left foot...

Ill spare you the close up pics, they are pretty bad. I went and had it x-rayed that night and they found a possible chip fracture (evulsion). Basically they told me to rest, elevate, ice, and compress it till Monday and if it wasn't feeling better to go see an ortho. Today is Monday and it still hurts:( I will be venturing over to the orthopedic today, so please say a little prayer for me that its just really bruised.

In the meantime I still have a Ironman relay to get in shape for. So since I cant hit the water right now, I went for a one legged hour long spin and some Crossfit moves at home...

An athletes got to do what an athletes got to do!

Have you ever had an evulsion fracture?
Any tips on cardio while I'm out?
Swimmers, any out of water exercise tips?

Thermo Heat Fat Burner Review...

The following post is a sponsored post by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Thermo Heat.

I was given the opportunity to try out a new Fat Burner from Advanced Molecular Labs.
Thermo Heat Fat Burner


Back in 2000 when I first got into working out and training, it was not unusual to use fat burning supplements. It was more accepted back then. More normal. Not so much anymore. Mainly due to the abuse of them.

Do I think they are good for you? Yes and No!
Do I think they are bad for you? Yes and No!

I feel like if you are using them for what they are made for than they can work in your advantage. I personally have used some form of fat burners for a long time and only used them right before a cardio workout for that extra "energy" push. I have also never used them to actually burn fat, or as a weight loss crutch. I am firm believer in Calories in, Calories out! That being said, trying a new fat burner was great for me.

I started taking the ThermoHeat fat burner 18 days ago. I really wanted to use it for a couple of weeks before forming my opinion. The first couple of days I took one pill in the morning about 30 minutes before I ate and went to do my cardio. I did find that it made my stomach a little uneasy for about 15 minutes for the first couple days. It was not enough for me to stop taking them. I did however start drinking a ton of water after I took it and that really helped. I also found myself not having that heart racing energy, which I hate. I would go straight to the gym and either swim, spin, or run, and it actually did give me that extra energy push to finish the brick strong.

Another thing that I really wanted to test out if I would have energy still in the afternoon to do my 2 a day workout and not feel like I am crashing. I have taken a few fate burners hat were great when I took them but by the afternoon I was exhausted. Not with ThermoHeat, I was able to push through my cardio at night and still get to sleep with no problems.

By week 2, I was taking the recommended dosage of 2 pills in the morning. My stomach had adjusted and I was no longer having any problems. Of course there are plenty of warnings, so please take a second and check them out HERE on the Advanced Molecular Labs website. Also if you are caffeine sensitive, please check the warnings.

Overall I am enjoying taking the Thermo Heat on my heavy cardio days. Is it for everyone, definitely not. However if you use it for exactly what it was meant for, you can actually benefit from Thermo Heat fat burners. If you want to learn more about how Thermo Heat actually works, check out Thermo Heat on Advanced Molecular Labs page.

You can also check out the following info on Thermo Heat...

About Advanced Molecular Labs
Warnings
Directions for use
Background about the owner
Clinical studies on Thermo Heat
FitnessRx Womans Magazine review

Runner's World Heartbreak Hill Five & Dime Race Recap and your chance to RUN your own RW Hat Trick before the year is over! YAYYYYYYYYYY!

Runner's World magazine paid for my race entry, dorm accommodations, and some meals. All opinions are mine.

After all the craziness of the "Back of the Pack" talk this past week. I wanted to let you guys know how completely awesome the Runners World Five and Dime races were...

On Saturday me and all the #ROOMIES woke up in our awesome dorm rooms and started getting ready for the 5k and 10k. Staying in the dorms on campus was like the smartest thing EVER. The 5k started at 7:30 and it was a short 5 minute walk from the dorms to the start. BRILLIANT!

Yes, Melanie, Presley, Dani, and I look more awake at 7:00am than my roommates and I ever did in college. HMMMMM! We took a quick walk to the start and I headed over to the 9 minute mile pace marker to meet up with Amanda.

We snapped some quick pics and Melanie and I made our way back to the 12 minute mile pacer. We knew we were taking it easy all 3 of the races, so that's where we felt comfortable. One thing that is awesome about a Runners World race is that there are all different types of runners that are running it. So you never really feel out of place no matter what your pace.

The 5k was around the reservoir and it was gorgeous. I have never been a fan of the 5k distance, mainly because I don't feel good until around mile 4. Taking it easy on the 5k was smart knowing we had a 10k starting at 8:30. We crossed the finish in 39 minutes. It was slow but it was a blast. I went to go find David Tratner, the man who is in charge of all the blogger craziness this weekend, to congratulate him on his very first race medal.

Shortly after the 5k ended, it was time to line up for the 10k.The 10k course was an out and back on Heartbreak Hill. It started out downhill and it was amazing until I realized I had to come back up the hills, lol! Of course living on the Gulf Coast, we don't really have any hills, but I was excited to "conquer" the hills. There was quite a bit of crown support to along the course. I knew I had to stop for a pic with this guy...

Yep, that's Heartbreak Hill Bill!

The 10k was an amazing course and the finish line was awesome. Love seeing this guy at the finish cheering everyone on.

Bart Yasso, chief running officer for Runners World Magazine. Yeah this guy has run thousands of races, and still motivates people to run like no one can. If you ever get a chance to hear him talk, you must go. You will feel inspired the moment he starts to talk.

After the "Five and Dime" was over, we met up with the roomie some other bloggers for a quick pic.

Amanda, Dani, Melanie, and Kimberly. Love meeting Kimberly for the first time. I have been following her blog for a while. She is Ah-mazing.

After the race we also ran into the ever inspiring Sarah Reinertsen. She was the first person in history to finish an Ironman with a prosthetic leg. AHHHHHH! Since meeting her every time I think of an excuse as to why I don't want to train for my Ironman, I think about Sarah. One of the things she told us in her keynote speech, was to always smile. I have been smiling since.

We, of course, had to make our way over to Dunkin Donuts for our post race treat. I had to take a medal pic in line while waiting on my green ice tea and free doughnut. Oh yeah it was National Doughnut Day, #Boommmmmm!

Overall the "Five and Dime" was a blast. I would tell anyone who may not be ready for the Hat Trick or even a half, to try out the 5&10. Its amazing what your body can do if you allow it.


Runner's World Magazine can put on a race and guess what you wont have to wait till next year to go to one...

The 3rd annual Runner's World Half & Festival in Bethleham PA, is coming in October. If you guys have been following me for a while, I attended the RWHalf  2 years ago and it was an amazing race. I am hoping to get out to PA for this years festival. Its after my half Ironman attempt, so I may be needing a runcation. I would love to hear if your planning on going out to PA. Here's more about the RWHalf...

The Runner's World Half Marathon & Festival

October 17-19, 2014
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Runner's World is pleased to kick off the 2014 Runner's World Half Marathon and running Festival in our own backyard–Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The festival weekend includes a 5K, 10K, half marathon, kids races, seminars, live music, and the return of the Hat Trick!
The racecourses feature Bethlehem's historic neighborhoods, including some of the town's original 1741 settlement, two renowned colleges, Lehigh University and Moravian College, and the former Bethlehem Steel complex–where the backbone of the nation was literally forged.
The festival weekend next year will include:

• Seminars
• Live music
• Running films
• Prerace dinner with Runner's World editors
• Kids races, children's programming, and a children's competitive mile with prize money going to the top 6 winners' schools (Friday)
• 5K and 10K races (Saturday)
• Half marathon (Sunday)

And if that's not enough for you, take on our multiple-race options – the Hat Trick (5K, 10K, and Half Marathon) or the Five & Dime (5K and 10K).
Once again, HQ for the weekend will be on the grounds of the beautifully refurbished Bethlehem Steel Mill and ArtsQuest SteelStacks campus

 

I hope that you guys will check it out and go see the gorgeous city of Bethleham. Trust me its amazing. Until the Keep Running and Keep Smiling...

 

 

Have you ever run multiple races in the same day? Weekend?

 

A letter to the Back of the Pack runner from a Back of the Pack runner...

This is me at the finish line at the Rock n Roll Full Marathon in New Orleans in 2013.
This pic was taken a minute after Jennifer and I crossed.




















Do you see anyone? No!
YES, there was a finish line and YES, the announcer was great, (Thanks, Mike Wattigny:)
Was the after party still going? YES!
Was anyone there? Not really!
My time 6:05:41
OMG yes 6 hours! Back of the pack!
Did I care? NO!
Did I finish? Yes!

I'm not fast!
I need to lose 20lbs. Will it make me faster? Who knows.
Am I trying to be elite fast? NO!
I am a mom who likes to run and race.
Am I racing anyone else? NO!
Am I racing myself? YES!

Why I am telling you this, because I have been in the "Back of the Pack" before.

When it feels like no one cares whether you finish or not.
When you get to water stations and your lucky if you can get water out of the jugs left on the table because there are no cups and people there to aide you.
When it feels like the cops and volunteers want to go home and just want you to go faster but you cant.
When you see your "faster" friends on course pictures and then look for yours and realize the photographers left the course before you came because their "time" was up.
When you get to a turn and your not sure where to go because there is no one there to direct you.
When the "sag wagon" is behind you and you can see it.
When you start guessing yourself as to why you are running the race because you are having a hard time finishing.
When everyone is leaving, but you still have miles to go to finish.
When you get to the finish and they have run out of medals. (I have not experienced this but I have heard it happen in many races)
When you get to the finish and there is nothing left to eat or drink.

I know how it feels. I've been in the back helping my fellow runner get up that hill, or get to the finish. The power of another runner can be epic. Just simply by talking to someone on course can make or break their race. I learned this after my marathon. I had someone telling me I could finish. So I knew I could. I had people that I surrounded myself with that were cheering me on. Those people were in the back with me. YES, other "Back of the Pack" runners.

As runners we need to help bring up this generation of running and racing. Life is not all about winning and competition. Meeting an 80 yr old man on course last weekend that had run 55 marathons by the age of 80, and didn't start running till he was 55 yrs old, and all he could tell Heather, Melanie, and myself, that we were the inspiration to him. How can you not inspire anyone who wants to run, walk, shuffle, run backwards, dribble, whatever in a race. Help bring the awareness!

Do I expect complete strangers to wait for me, a slower runner to finish? NO!
Do I think people should take the time to cheer on their fellow runners? YES!
Do I think racing should be all about winning and PR'ing? YES AND NO!

I'm never going to qualify for a Boston race. THATS OK!
I may never break 2 hours in a half. THATS OK!
I may never win my age group. THATS OK!
I will never run along side an Olympian! THATS OK!
(Maybe an Olympian will run along side me, at my pace. You would be surprised that most of your elite runners just want people out there finishing and motivating others. I have met Shalane Flanagan a couple of times and she is amazing. I could see her walking a race with someone if that meant that person would finish.).

SO why I am writing this?

I am a blogger!
I have been a "back of the pack" runner!
I have been to 100's of races!
I know lots of race directors personally and every single one of them respects every runner, walker, crawler, roller out there. (Trust me their job is not easy at all)
I have seen the tears and the passion in runners eyes!
I have seen people "give up"!
I have seen people DNF!

But...

I have seen "faster" runners run back to cheer on other racers.
I have seen winners at the finish congratulating "Back of the Pack" finishers.
I have seen race announcers be just as excited about me finishing as the winner of the race.
I have seen volunteers still cheering us in.
I have seen medics still aiding people up till the end.
I have seen race directors personally go get food and water for finishers when they ran out.
I have seen runners forget about their time and help other runners get to the finish.
I have seen peoples lives change from running.
I have seen communities change from running.
and recently after watching a film produced by Saucony and Runners World Magazine seen running change countries.



What we don't realize is that we have the power to change, to have a voice! To make this world a better place simply by putting on some running shoes (or not) and run. Get out there and inspire people. Get people moving. Let people experience the feeling we as runners have experienced. Its not always about winning because at the end of the day if you inspired one person to be healthier that you've done what we should all be striving to become. AN INSPIRER!

I write this after reading some of your responses to Runners World Magazine repost of my friend Heathers blog post.

YES, shes a fast runner!
YES, she was only in the back because she wasn't feeling good.
YES, she hasn't ever had to experience the "Back of the pack"
YES, she was at the race because she was "Invited by Runners World Magazine as a blogger for the race"

BUT,

I was too!

This is the 2nd time Runners World has invited me, a slow running blogger to their event. They have never made me as a "slow runner" feel like I was any less of a runner than someone like Heather who is a "fast runner". As a matter of fact they have never even asked me what my PR times are for any race. Runners World invited us because we have a love for running and a love for runners, fast or slow!

Do I hope things change for the "Back of the Pack" runners, YES!
Do I hope faster runners will cheer on slower runners? YES!

But most of all I hope we all continue to inspire others to run. To cheer on our fellow runners. To make a difference in each others lives.


I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah Reinertsen, paraolympian, and first amputee to finish Ironman Kona, at the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon. She was the keynote speaker after dinner and a couple things she spoke about really hit home to me. One of them being...

This is so true. Getting the courage to start something is half the battle. The other battle is finishing.

Have I DNF a race, YES!
Its haunting me still every time I think about it. (And it was the Biggest Loser half, so the fact that I felt like loser for DNFing makes it worse, lol) But I still got back out there and ran another half and 10k and 5k. I didn't let it define who I was as a runner.

And the last thing she told us was if you just run with a smile, you will always feel like a winner. I have found myself doing this a lot lately. People love it when you smile.


You see I was one of the people in the back with Heather and I am a"Back of the Pack: racer. I honestly feel like Heather, Melanie, and I were meant to walk the hhhalf for a reason. We are your voice!
Heathers recap of our experience went viral FAST in the past couple of days. But I promise you guys as a "Back of the Pack" racer and RW blogger that RW and other RD's have heard and seen your comments, frustrations, and suggestions and change is coming.


YES, we had a blast!
NO, we were not "racing"
YES, we were "invited" by Runners World Magazine

It is obvious that RW would take something that one of us writes about seriously, even when the majority of you guys have been screaming about this problem for years. Why? because that's why we were invited to come. For feedback! We are your voice. We are there to try and make a difference for everyone, good or bad!

So I hope you all keep on running, back of the pack or front.
And most of all KEEP SMILING! CHANGE IS COMING!

My thougthts about the back of the pack runners...

My friend Heather wrote a post that seemed to have gotten a lot of attention on Tuesday. I was fortunate enough to be one of the people in the "trio". Here are my thoughts...

All weekend I had told the other bloggers that I would be bringing up the back of the group. The other girls have pretty fast half pr's compared to mine (2:28). However I have not been running as much as I was before because I have been tri training. Basically swimming and cycling have been my workouts lately. Therefore I knew that I wasn't going to even try and PR on a super hilly course. Melanie and I had decided that we would take it easy, run down the hills and walk up the hills. Take lots of pics and have a great time. So I made it clear to the other girls that if they needed me I would be in the back. Little did I know that would change the way I viewed. racing...


Melanie and I had gotten to mile 2 pretty quickly. I just happened to look up and see Heather walking back towards the START line crying and immediately knew something was wrong. She didn't look hurt physically, and to be honest with you I had know idea she hadn't been feeling well. Basically she said she was feeling like she was coming down with the flu and she just overall felt crappy and just couldn't finish, she was going to DNF!

NOT ON MY WATCH!!!

As any caring friend would be I asked her she if she could walk, and she said yes:) So I was like lets walk a mile and see how you feel and if you cant continue than DNF, but if you feel ok, lets walk, FINISH! Remember this is mile 2 of a 13. So we started walking. What was awesome is the people on the side of the road started clapping for her for not giving up. It was great!

Mile 3 comes, than mile 4, she seemed to be feeling better and by this point we were walking, talking, laughing, and having a great time. Insert one of my favorite pics of the weekend...

You can learn a lot about people in an 11 mile walk. We had made our way around to about the 5 mile marker and started to notice the crowd thin out and cars starting to turn onto our paths. Now we were well under the time cut off. We couldn't see the sag wagon at all, so we knew we were ok. So we carried on at times not sure which way to go but hoping we were on the right course. At his time we started noticing the difference between our races and the back of the pack racers. Heather being a 1:40 half marathoner and in the front and Melanie and I being in the back of the middle pack had no idea that the people behind us were not getting the same treatment. We started looking around and noticed that as we were having a blast and no problems... (skip to 1:36)

The people around us were not so cheery. They were running and working hard. This was their race. We met an 80 yr old man who actually ran the whole time, not walk! RAN! Come to find out that he started running at the age of 55 and had completed 55 marathons since. 55! That's crazy. Now no one can tell me he didn't deserve the same treatment as the front and middle of the packers.

He told us that he remembers when woman didn't run in races and that he travels a lot for races. He's ran all the big races all over the world. He was so inspiring to talk to. The last thing he said to us is that we were the inspiration. We also heard many of the people in the back of the pack pushing each other up each and every hill. Very motivating.

 

The one thing that was still motivating were the volunteers at the water stations, to me they were all still cheering you on to finish. They may have been cleaning up but they were still cheery. Now the bands were all finished and packing up. So we didn't here anything from any bands.

 

Remember we are still in the allotted time for finishing.

 

We got to a point where they had moved the cones to side of the street, and we barely had enough room to get through it. Then I realized they were picking up the cones to open the street for traffic. We also had to stop at an intersection and wait for traffic. The cop told us this was not a closed course and that we could wait. Um, I'm sure the winner didn't run a 1:10 half with a wait at the street for traffic. One of the most interesting things we heard on course was a cop telling a bystander that the race was over when she asked what was going on. Um what about the 20 to 30 people behind you?

 

By this time we were coming up the last of the hills around mile 12. We started hearing the finish line announcer and knew we were close to finishing. YAY! We rounded the corner and got the best finish welcome ever. Surprising there were a lot of people still at the finish which I totally appreciated. The announcer was still getting you excited to cross the finish line. I think Heather, Melanie, and I actually danced down the finish. That's how we roll!

 

One of my favorite parts of the race was this little girl running up to us at the finish line to give us our medals. She was so excited to put that medal around our necks.

This little girl made us so happy. She had stood out there in the heat for 3+ hours and handed medals to runners.

Like Heather said in her post, Runners World HHhalf was an amazing weekend and it def had more ups than downs. Sometimes I think just putting yourself in a different situation can really open your eyes to what is happening around you.

Runners World HHHalf, the start of a great weekend...

Sometimes in life we get opportunities that we never thought possible. I'm sure if you follow me in any social media way you have seen my adventures this past weekend in Boston. If you don't follow me, which you should:), keep reading. Here is a recap of the greatness of the weekend. I will go into more detail about certain things we got to do as the week goes on.

Runners World Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival. I ran the Hat Trick which consist of a 5k and 10k on Saturday morning and a half marathon on Sunday morning for a total of 22.4 miles for the weekend. I have ran this race with Runners World  2 years ago in Pennsylvania and if you ever have the chance to do a hat trick, I highly recommend it.

When I arrived at Boston College on Thursday afternoon to check into our dorms. Yeah that's right dorm life again! It was actually pretty fun for the many nights of laughs we had. However the beds were terrible for some of us elder bloggers. Although it was fun sneaking a few beers in the dorms and trying to not get caught, lol!

After checking in the residence hall, Katie and I waited for other people to show up. Dani from Weight off my Shoulders was my #ROOMIE. We had pre planned to be roomies after meeting at the RNR Nola in February. Love this girl. She is one of the realest (is that a word?) people I have ever met. MY # ROOMIE...

After everyone got there we headed to dinner at West End Johnnies to meet up with the Runners World Editors and Sharon Barbanos of Saucony and we watched an amazing film put together by Saucony and RW called Finding Strong.

Here is a small video of the film we watched...

Amazing right? Running is changing the way people think, countries think. Its the one sport that you don't need anything to do it. Just some running shoes and a clear mind. We had some amazing food and a great meet and greet with everyone...

After dinner we headed back to the dorms for an early nights rest. We had a 6am bus call on Friday to meet up with the awesome Beachy...

for a workout with the awesome November Project group. These guys are CRAZY, but I loved every minute of the hill repeats they took us on...

Hill repeats? Yep! Ill recap the November Project and all the really cool people we got to meet tomorrow...

Until Then...
Have you ever done multiple races in one weekend?

SWIFTWICK sock winners, YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

I fly home today from my completely EPIC trip in Boston with Runners World Magazine. We had such a great time and Boston is amazing. If you have never been you must go. When they talk about BOSTON STRONG, trust me you feel it everywhere you go. I will be recapping my crazy adventures here next week. Stay Tuned...

So before I left I had a giveaway going on for my favorite Swiftwick socks. I was going to announce the winners before I left but I have not had time to really get online and post until now. So here goes nothing...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations Ashley and Monica! You guys have 24 hours to contact me at zerototwentysixpointtwo@gmail.com or I will pick another winner.

I hope you guys are having a great week. I am excited about getting home to my husband and kids. Today is my husband and I's 8th wedding anniversary, so I cant wait to see him.

Have you been to Boston before?
What was your favorite part of the city?

Runners World Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon & Festival Blogger Event...

I am having a blast in Boston with Runners World Magazine for the Runners World Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon & Festival. I'll be back on Wednesday. Look for some pretty epic recaps of all the fun we had in Boston. Until then...

Perfected Clean Pizza Crust. SUPER EASY!

I LOVE Pizza, however my hips don't love it:( So I have been playing with different ways to make a healthy pizza crust. I have tried cauliflower pizza crust and it is delicious, but its pretty messy to make and the price of cauliflower is ridiculous here. A couple weeks ago I made plantain tortillas and they were a huge hit. I thought why not make it into a pizza crust.


It worked and it was delicious, however it still was more like a tortilla pizza because the crust was so thin. It didn't fall apart or anything but it was bendy like a tortilla. I started to think of what I could add to it to make it thicker and more pizza crust like and still keep it clean. Enter Almonds...


Boommmmmm! Perfect!


I'm sure at this point you want to know how it was done or at least I hope you do, lol! Let me first tell you it was super easy and quick to make. So here it goes...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Makes one large pizza crust.

Ingredients...
1 cup almonds (ground into a meal in your food processor)
1 large yellow ripe plantain
1 heaping tbsp coconut oil
2 eggs
Juice of half a lime
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp of salt
olive oil spray (optional)

Mix it all in the food processor till smooth. Pour onto parchment paper on top of a pizza pan. I spray my parchment paper with olive oil spray so that the edges have that crispy taste (optional). Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Pay attention to it to make sure the edges don't burn.


After it is a nice golden brown top it with your favorite toppings


I topped mine with 1 small can of organic tomato sauce mixed with Island Getaway Seasoning (You can mix any seasoning at this point. Whatever you like:), 1 lb of ground lean turkey meat, chopped kale, sweet onions, and low moisture mozzarella.
Put it back in the oven till cheese is melted.


Cut with pizza cutter. I was soooo very happy that it stayed together and was just like a regular pizza crust when I picked it up.

It was super delicious and totally kid friendly! I hope that you guys will try it out and let me know how you liked it. If you decide to try it I would love to see it, TAG @0to26point2 in your post, thanks!

Have a great day...

What is your favorite type of pizza?