Passport Pizza Love!

Today was a day of monumental discovery! Who would have thought, in my home town of boring-ness and 7-11s, tucked in a sketchy stripmall would be the 8th wonder of the world - passport pizza! This little gem was brought to my attention because of their promise of gluten-free pizza. At first, I was skeptical because honestly, it did not sound that good. But, upon further consideration of their website and such, I found that they are very good about cooking the pizza in a seperate kitchen in its own individual pan that it comes in. Let me tell you- upon tasting, I was a skeptic no more! It had a deliciously crispy crust (very thin, just the way I like it!) The cheese was light, but flavorful and adding pineapple was a good call on my part. Mmm, mmm good! Just what I was craving. Thank goodness for leftovers! :)

Here's my plate with some grape tomatoes on the side- yes, that would be a pile of ketchup too, use for dipping. Yep, I'm classy like that. I'd be lying to you if I said that was the only piece I ate- there was certainly piece #2 involved, after all, it was only an 8" pizza!

Training was light today, just an easy run and some in-home abs. T-12 weeks until Philly and my official training plan starts tomorrow. I'm pumped! This will be my 6th marathon and I'm SO READY to kick my 3:18 PR to the curb! Let the fun begin! :)

PHILLY!

Well, I finally did it- bit the bullet and signed up for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 22nd! I'm so pumped. I was always planning on doing a marathon this fall, but was not committing and kept getting closed out of marathons that I wanted to do! Finances were holding me back, but after putting in decent training (up to 80 miles per week) this summer, I know that I need a crack at going 3:18 and setting a new PR. So, I'll basically be not going out or having fun or buying any new clothes or eating (ha, just kdding) to make up for the money spent. Atleast I saved my tax refund and the majority will be paid for by that. It just feels good to have it all booked and set- 12 weeks! I'll be starting the 70-85 mile per week plan on Monday for the 12 weeks leading up to the marathon. I love training and it feels so good to have a goal in mind!

Training today = great easy 10 miler, then strength at the gym. I've recently (ie in the last week!) gotten back into my strength/core regiment and it feels great. I feel more toned and stronger already! I'm less motivated in the strength area than running, so I'm happy that I have committed to doing it every day along with my run- my body thanks me for that!

In other news, another random lunch today = zucchini, cottage cheese, raspberries. Followed by the unpictured frozen grapes. Yum!

Lastly, I leave you with pics of the cutest cat on the planet! Ollie says hello! This picture is from last Christmas when he was only 3 months old. He is my parents' cat that I am babysitting this weekend (he likes me best, so I feel like he is my cat!)

Aren't we all craving alittle "normal" right about now?

It was brought to my attention yesterday by a relative stranger that blogging is lame because no one 'normal' has a life that is exciting enough to share with the world. This made me think: 1) This is probably true. 2) I certainly don't think my life is that noteworthy. 3) Wait! Why am I doing this then? The thing is, I love reading blogs. It's not just about the food or recipes or pictures or training that I love. It is the everyday. When it comes down to it, there really are only a few "blogworthy" moments that occur in a lifetime. But the "everyday" happens, well, everyday! And in a world of reality TV, garlic flavored ice cream, celebrity public meltdowns, and mail-order brides, there is something comforting about normalcy. I don't promise anything spectacular with my blog, but I do promise to keep it real. If you're cool with that- read on! If not, that's fine too. It is in the most basic of days and tasks that we feel most connected to those around us.

So, what's a 'normal' non-work day like for T-Mart? Generally, ok ALWAYS, it includes a run (today an easy 8 mile recovery), good eats, errands, job hunting, and some mindless TV. The same things are included on a work day except with much more focus and less procrastination! A 'normal' lunch? Well, I'm still working on that, as I am a fan of random combinations such as this:

Yummy fresh green beans with a chunk of string cheese and cottage cheese with raspberries!

Oh cottage cheese! How I've negected you! Alas, we are reunited as you provide such a delicious source of dairy protein without making me need to sell a kidney to afford you (ahem...greek yogurt...).

And we can't forget one of the more amazing parts of lunch:

Yes, that would be a frosty and delicious diet coke in the world's cutest glass! Oh yeah, I said it "diet coke!" If you think this is going to be one of "those" blogs full of tofu and coconut water and green monsters- think again! While I love reading and respect those people- that's not me. I try to keep it healthy and all but like I said, I'm all about keeping it real!

Well, if you made it through this rambling of a post, congrats! If you didn't, better luck next time. Wait, I guess if you didn't then you wouldn't still be reading this stuff that I'm typing now. Crap, there goes that logic!

Peace, Love, and Running!
T-Mart

Race Schedule and hungry afternoon!

Good day cyberspace!

Last night, in an effort to console/distract myself from my sad financial and employment situation, I finalized my race schedule for this fall! The only thing really standing in my way possibly from completing some of my planned races is money, but I'm hoping to use the rest of my graduation money and my tax refund from last year that I have so diligently saved, for the majority of the costs.

Alittle background on me - I've been a runner all my life (literally) and an all-state XC runner in high school. In the last few years I have been focusing on longer stuff, mainly marathons. In total I have run 5 marathons. I accomplished one of my life goals by running Boston last April which was one of the more humbling experiences of my life. This summer, I focused on increasing my milage to a peak of 80 miles per week, which I loved, while doing local races from 5Ks to half marathons. My current goal is to better my marathon PR, which stands from my third marathon over a year ago at 3:18:07. I also would like to break 1:30 in the half and complete an ultra at some point soon. Soooo, without further boredom....errr...stories:

My Race Schedule for Fall 2009!

September 13th : Chicago 1/2 Marathon

September 19th : Kensington Challenge 15K

September 26th : Run Woodstock 1/2 Marathon (trails)

October 4th : Brooksie Way 1/2 Marathon

October 18th : Detroit 1/2 Marathon (pacing dad!)

October 24th : Macinaw Island 1/2 Marathon (depending on finances)

November 22th : Philly MARATHON!

We'll see how this all plays out, but that is the plan for now!

In other news, today I have been super hungry. I made a delicious lunch of spinach and rice panackes with this great new GF pancake mix. The spinach was because I have a costco sized bag to use up! Yum-tastic.

Alrighty, back to work! I'm not really sure what it means to have "followers" so if you know/ want to be on my list that would be cool because I'm very new/inexperienced to the whole blog world thing and would love some insight and more blogs to read.

Happy Thursday All! :)

running, running, running...

Blogs are weird. It feels like writing as though you are talking to someone, but you don't know who! I am fairly certain that no one has yet read my blog, but you have to start somewhere, right?

Yesterday I ran the Crim 10 mile race. I didn't have any great expectations going into it, but it turned out better than expected. I ended up taking 1 minute off of my time from last year and hitting a 6:51/mile pace without feeling like I was going all out. (This is good for me ;) Probably the highlight of the day was when myself and about 10 other women snuck upstairs in the convention center to use the 'forbidden' bathroom because the lines were so long. Only minutes after we did this, a police officer came and stopped other women from doing so. Sweeet.

Today, alittle more running for me - maybe 10 miles or so? Probably some with my parents because I'm still at their house until tomorrow. I really treasure being able to put in some miles with them - yeah, that sounds corny! But it's true! Not too many people are able to share that with their parents, and I truly feel lucky to be doing so.

Probably some other back-to-my-apartment preparations today as well. As much as I am bummed to be riding out the tail end of summer, I feel ready to get on with my life in the "Real World." Yikes!

Ok, back to coffee before I head out!

Wow, a blog- what to do!?! The cursor sits blinking at me, begging me to fill this space with some kind of wit and wisdom. The thing is, I just felt that now was the time in my life when I am looking to connect with people more than ever, and share my life a little bit more. Crossroads are difficult. The unknown is difficult. Currently, I am facing both. What better way to move forward than a blog?

Me in a nutshell: runner. baker. peace and love hippie at heart. wanna-be teacher. foodie. I love shopping, but wear sweats most of the time. I love cooking, but get by with frozen yogurt for dinner most nights of the week. I run tons of miles, but am usually too lazy to get up and find the remote. I'm certified to be a teacher, yet have not found a job. I love cats, but can't stand dogs. Having friends is important to me, but I value time alone. Life is crazy, but I always have faith that it will all work out.

We shall see what direction this blog takes. Maybe food. Maybe training. Maybe a bit about life. Whatever happens, it's all good! :)