YAAAAAAAAS Queen

As promised a blog post about the upcoming Queen Bee Half Marathon. About a year or two after I started running, my sister also started running. Her name is Lisa. The Queen Bee 4 Miler was her first race and we completed it together last year. She completed the Pig 10K in may, so she is naturally progressing to longer distances as we crazy runners always do. I had to text her repeatedly until she finally agreed to sign up for the Queen Bee Half. There is always a lot of fear associated with doing more mileage than you've ever done before, which is completely understandable. My perspective on things can sometimes get redundant and boring, so I wanted to make sure I showcased what Lisa was feeling about the upcoming race.

Lisa's sister in law, Korie, also completed this race with us. I stole this nice little collage she made. I love all the fun giveaways geared towards women. It's such a fun day to see so much girl power!

What are you most excited about for running your first half marathon?

Lisa: That I am going to be completing something that I never thought I would be able to do.  I was never much of a runner and finishing this race will be such a huge accomplishment for me.

What are you most nervous about?

Lisa: not being able to complete the race in a time I am happy with. And the hill into Eden Park

Many people say it is too difficult to train for races when they have kids. How do you make it work? Lisa has 3 children by the way. 

Lisa: Training with children is difficult.  Luckily though I have a husband who helps a lot with the kids so I can get in some running. I do end up running mostly on a treadmill though and run during nap time or right after work while my husband picks up kids so that I can get in some running before they get home. I already get up at 4am to go to work so training before work isn't an option for me, so I have to run in the afternoons and evenings.  It is difficult to be running on the treadmill training though when I can hear them laughing and having a good time. Or watch them out the window and see them playing and know that I'm  missing those fun times with them. But I hope I am teaching my children that keeping yourself healthy and in shape is important in their life.  

What do you like about running in general?

Lisa: How you feel when you have just finished.  

Any other races or activities you’d like to try

Lisa: Flying Pig Half Marathon this year.  Last year I did the 10k, but this year i want to do the half.

There you have it. By the way, I secretly love Gilbert (the hill she is referring to going up to Eden Park.) There is no other hill in Cincinnati that gives you that sense of accomplishment when you reach the top. It could also have something to do with that view! 

Lisa also has some anxiety about finishing in last place. While, I don't foresee this happening, it's so important that we remind ourselves that no matter the time, we are all going the same distance. I have been trying to get a better handle on that concept for myself as well. 

Any words of encouragement you'd like to share with Lisa as she completed her first half marathon? Congratulations to her for pushing her fears aside and committing!

Queen Bee is close to selling out. Grab your Queens and do it together!

Grow Flowers

Starting school again has been difficult this year, as I know it probably is for most teachers, parents, and students. We've all gotten used to no schedules. I know I personally had gotten used to daily naps, a wardrobe of workout clothes, lunches out with my husband, and at times being downright lazy. Now that school is back the naps have ceased and I have to make sure to meal plan on Sundays in order to fit dinners and lunches into a full day. I'm also changing positions at my job this year which has come with some adjustments. I don't immediately have students, which has been hard for me because I love building relationships with "my kids" right from the beginning. I'm currently doing a lot of testing so I'm seeing kids for 15-20 minutes at a time. Having taught for 5 years doing pretty much the same job, I had gotten in such a routine of what these first weeks of school look like so this year has been out of the norm. I also have my "back to school sinus infection" and have been feeling under the weather.

This time of the year it's easy to get grumpy. I like many people am tired and running on coffee (oh and nasal spray for me.) I'm working to stay upbeat while I'm falling asleep on my way to workout. I'm trying to dig back out my professional outfits when I haven't seen them in two months and forgot that the shirt I'm wearing had a stain on it. However, I'm lucky enough to get to walk past this bulletin board every day in our school and I get a silent reminder.

When I see this, it sort of puts me in a good mood and changes my perspective (thanks Jacqueline.) I remember how grateful I am to have this job in a building with coworkers who take care of each other, which has already been evidenced. I remember that I'm lucky to have a gym where I can go to work out and a running group that helps to relieve stress. I'm thankful to have a husband that helps me cook healthy meals each night and never complains. 

Once you get in a cycle of negative thinking, it just keeps going. You have to be the person that grows the flowers, because nobody wants a garden full of weeds, or a life of negativity.

I have a friend that posts on Facebook once a week about things she loves. Once she brought up the memory of playing the game of sardines as a kid, which I feel like brought out good memories for everyone, so I thought I'd steal her idea and put it on some of my blog posts. Hers are way more quirky and fun though. :) 

10 things I'm super happy about RIGHT THIS MINUTE 

1. Being a Flying Pig Ambassador- follow me on Instagram my main platform for sharing lauren_ritter_bitter

2. Coffee date with my husband this morning. Anybody else LOVE Coffee Emporium?

3. Friend told me about potential tickets to a UK basketball game this fall. Road Trip!

4. Taco Tuesday w/ avocados

5. My dog didn't throw up when I got home like she did yesterday. Happy to see me?

6. Photos of all the cool places I visited this summer.

7. I didn't hear Post Malone's "Psycho" on the way home.

8. Being barefoot after spending the day in uncomfortable shoes.

9. Up and Vanished podcast, about to listen to the new episode...EEK Are you a fan? 

10. My sister signed up for the Queen Bee-blog to come about that this week!!!! 

Bonus: keyboards for iPads. 

Tell me what you are happy about RIGHT THIS MINUTE! We can help each other grow our gardens. 

Flying Pig Ambassador Program

I know I haven't posted in quite some time and frankly I've missed it. When I completed The Flying Pig Marathon in the spring I was injured and hadn't had my best day. I don't think I was in the right mindset in general. My husband said he thought it would be good if I got back to blogging because it seemed like something I really enjoyed and that it gave me a way to help other people become inspired or encouraged. Being able to do that makes me feel fulfilled, but not only that, I in turn become inspired and encouraged by other people. I think it's an important piece of my "health journey." I recently learned that I was chosen to be a Flying Pig ambassador and it seemed like a great time to give my blog some love. My husband is a video editor and very concerned with graphics. He says my blog needs a major facelift, so if you are like him, please know that a facelift will come eventually when I am able to research more and better understand the world of design for blogs. If anybody has any tips, feel free to send them my way.

So many people have asked me what the ambassador program will mean for me. I don't feel like it will mean the same thing for every person, but for me it means I will be sharing my journey more and with that I hope to allow people to feel more confident in their abilities to complete things they may have not deemed possible for themselves. I'd love to get more friends and family participating in healthy activities, and especially joining me on Pig weekend. We are very fortunate in Cincinnati to have such a rich running community and culture. The Flying Pig is a weekend where we can all come together, no matter our ability levels. That's part of the reason I love it so much!

Meanwhile on the blog, I'll be sharing stories, recipes I've tried, and workouts or groups I'm leading.

Anybody want to make a commitment to try something new? I'll have some discount codes for all Pig Events. What's on your radar? Anything you'd like to see from me on the blog?

It feels so good to be reenergized!
Lauren

This is a photo from my time in Northern Maine chasing an inspiring man, Harvey Lewis, on the Appalachian Trail. It was a great adventure. 

Training is Hard, but I am Tough

Saturday was honestly one of my favorite routes that we do. It's hilarious to say this because I wrote a blog post once about wanting to throw up on this exact route. For all you Piggers out there, it's Gilbert Hill up to Eden Park. This route even continued onto Madison road and was oddly like the Pig course. It was 9.5 miles in total, but we actually got the downhill of Gilbert, which you don't get blessed with in the full marathon. It's pretty awesome to look at a route and not dread it, but appreciate that I can do it, and also to be able to appreciate the view from the top. The Eden Park overlook is beautiful at all times, but it's more beautiful when you're not struggling to breathe and telling yourself you just might die. Our program has been revamped this training season and it is not easy. Tuesday was one of the hardest workouts we have ever done in my opinion, but I forced myself to keep going and didn't fall back. It's moments like Tuesday and Saturday (even though difficult) that have shown me how far I've really come. I struggle at times telling myself that I haven't made enough progress or getting disappointed about really not making the scale move, but when I can keep up and when I can feel good, I am reminded that at one time running a mile was nearly impossible. It really is every woman's goal to lose weight. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to cut another 20 pounds off, but in reality it's important to appreciate daily accomplishments that show you are stronger and can endure more than you could yesterday. We should put as much weight on these accomplishments as we do on the scale going down, if not more.

By the way, my group is awesome!

Anyways, I have made some good recipes lately that I want to share because people seemed to be excited about those.

Shrimp Creole: I posted about this a couple weeks ago, but I had never tried it before. Actually T.J. and I have never even cooked with shrimp before, but this was a good first effort. Let me tell you-it's delicious! T.J. and I both loved it. Why not make it tomorrow for Mardi Gras?!?! It would be perfect. By the way for all you weight watchers, the recipe says it's only 1 smart point (I'm not sure if this is the new system or not) without the rice.

My friend Luke had an Olympics gathering to show off his new home. T.J. and I pitched in by making Korean food. T.J. made Bulgolgi (a thin sliced marinated beef) and I made spicy chicken. This stuff will make your nose RUN, but it is delicious. People have asked me for the recipe. It's from a friend, so I'll type it out. I'd have to ask T.J. for the bulgolgi recipe he used, but there are several online and it's pretty easy. Make this and watch the Olympics for a fun night!

1.5 pounds chicken
4 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped jalepeno
sliced carrots, thin
white mushrooms
Sauce
1/3 cup Gochujang (it's a paste, you can get it near the other asian sauces at Kroger)
2 T hot pepper flakes
2 T brown sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T seasame Oil
Stir fry ingredients until chicken is cooked and veggies are soft
After sauce ingredients have been mixed, pour over stir fry and cook for one more minute
Serve over rice

We are going out of town later this week, so I'm trying to make easy recipes that do not require a lot of dishes.

Baked Potato Soup is on the menu tonight. She sneaks in cauliflower as a filler, but do not worry, it still tastes as hearty as other loaded potato soups I have tried.

It's been hard to resist sweets lately and I'm still working on that. Fat Tuesday donuts, candies from valentine's parties, and homemade sugar cookies are some things I've been failing at resisting. Sugar is most definitely an addiction, but I'm working on it.

Enjoy your week!

Products I'm Really Into Right Now

I had a lot of people tell me that they were excited about me blogging about my recipes, and wanted to see more of that....and more are on the way. I am trying a couple new recipes this week so I want to see how they turn out before I post the recipes. See! This blog is even inspiring me to try some new things, so you might as well to. Anyways, I thought for today I could post just a few products I am currently obsessing over.

I tend to get really into certain brands or products and then I want ALL of them. So here's some of my "flavors of the month."

First up, this is going to be the most "basic bitch" thing you've ever heard, but I have become obsessed with Lululemon. I know! I know! It pains me so. I always thought. You've got to be kidding me. Those things are overrated. Why would you spend that much on leggings? The actual leggings that T.J. bought me for Christmas were made for running and they are awesome. I tend to just wear them 24/7, just ask my friends, but they are super comfy and have a lot of pockets. They don't slide down or ride up. Here's the best part, they will hem your leggings for free (great for shorties like me.) Oh wait, that's actually not the best part, they have a lifetime guarantee! I was concerned about a pair I bought on the sale rack because they had a string hanging from the seam. She said "Oh, just bring them in, we'll reseam them for life." If they have a hole, they will replace them. That's pretty awesome and makes the price a little easier to swallow. Since the pair I got for Christmas, I've bought 2 additional pair. Worth it!
Shop Here!

Next, Goodr sunglasses. These babies are fun and they stay put while you are doing outdoor activities. They are polarized so you can actually see out of them. Plus, they are only $25. I only wish I could be using them more, but it's been so dreary and gets dark so early that I haven't actually run with them yet. Either way, it's very strange for my husband to get jealous of sunglasses that I have that are branded as "running sunglasses" but he wants to order a pair for himself to take to the beach. I might even buy another more neutral pair.
Shop Here!

I got these Aftershokz headphones in October before I ran the Long Beach Half Marathon. I had my eyes on them after doing a demo at a running store. Since I'm an REI member, they send me a  gift card towards the end of the year based on what I've spent. It's actually a good deal if you buy a lot of outdoor gear. This covered over half of them (they were $99, but I've seen them on sale for $75.) I realized I liked them as soon as I put them on. They do not go in your ears, but on the outside and use bone vibration to help you hear the music. This is great for safety as well. I knew I loved them at the Long Beach Half. They stayed in place the entire time and I didn't have to adjust them once. I just used them on my 10 miler and was able to listen to music as I talked with others in my group. The battery life on them is great. The charge even lasts if you haven't touched them in awhile. I couldn't find a photo of me in them, but the link has a great video to show you how they fit.
Shop Here

Finally, someone in our group discovered this running late that's really affordable and they do a good job at not only making you visible, but help to make the pathway visible as well. I bought this because of 2 things. First, I almost hit some people with my car who were out running in the dark in the morning. They were not on the sidewalk and they were wearing no lights or reflective gear. Second, I didn't have a light for a snowy pub run we were doing one night. I got separated between 2 groups. Thankfully, someone had let me borrow their hand light, which made me feel a lot safer. I would have been extremely nervous if I hadn't of had that. Anyways, the only problem with this is that it can be a bit weird looking if you are larger chested like me, but I still use it because it's serving it's purpose to keep me safe, which is more important than a weird looking boob.
Shop Here!

I'm wearing the light here

As far as training goes, it's been going really well. I feel like I have a lot of energy still and my body is carrying me pretty easily right now. I hope this continues. I'm worried about becoming more fatigued and worn down mentally as the season gets more difficult, which is typically what happens to me. My group is great and it's nice to have people who support you and talk to you when you are out there for hours. I'm really looking forward to my runs with them and watching them all succeed.

What's on the Menu

So, I posted that I was going to share some recipes for the week with you here today. I always meal plan and grocery shop on Sundays, usually as early as possible in hopes to avoid the huge crowds. I'm 100% not a nutritionist or dietitian. I don't create any recipes. I try to find recipes in cookbooks or online that are healthy, yet still flavorful. I'm not a person who enjoys eating plain baked chicken with broccoli. We enjoy a lot of ethnic food and I love using spices other than salt and pepper. I try to be strict during the week, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes I snag a Reese cup or end up eating pizza rolls for dinner. So, I am by no means perfect, but even the small changes have made a big difference in my life.

When I got home today, I made  Broccoli Quinoa salad with lemon dressing for lunches. The flavor of this salad is great, however, I didn't feel like it made enough for 4 servings if it's your main dish.I would definitely make it again though and maybe double the recipe. I left the tarragon out, because it's a spice I don't personally like, and it was fine without it.

I also had old bananas that I wanted to get rid of so I made Blueberry Banana Bread. I didn't have applesauce, so I use coconut oil instead. The bread turned out good, however I think the blueberries are a bit overpowering so next time I would use less of them. For some reason, we never finish a hand of bananas so I end up trying healthy banana breads all the time. I would say this is one of my favorites so far.

On the menu this week for dinner:

Monday: Sweet and Spicy Salmon with Mixed Veggies: This is a recipe from a cookbook in our home. I prefer to use cookbooks because I think they are easier to look at while you are cooking. I guess I'm old school. Anyways, it incorporates salmon with shiitake mushrooms and red peppers in a sauce that is made with sriracha and soy. We eat a lot of Asian inspired dishes.

Tuesday: One Pot Southwest Pasta: This stuff is delicious and vegan. Tuesdays are my workout runs, so I like to eat some extra carbs and try to do something with pasta or rice. We've had this before and both really enjoyed it. It makes excellent leftovers for lunch as well. Also one pot=EASY

Wednesday: Crock Pot Balsamic Pork: My husband is more of a meat and veggies kind of guy and his favorite recipes are not casseroles or one pot meals like mine. We already had a pork loin in the fridge, so I thought it might be a good week to use this up. The flavor is really nice and the pork is super tender after cooking in the crock pot all day long. We will be making Brussels sprouts to go alongside the pork.

Thursday: Shrimp A La Criolla: Again, this is from a recipe book at our house. We've never tried this before, but I'm just beginning to like shrimp. My taste buds have completely changed-I used to hate shrimp! The stew incorporates tomatoes, red pepper, and olives. I'm not sure how it will turn out because I've never made anything even remotely like this before, but I'll keep you updated. The "stew" cooks in the crockpot, with the shrimp being added later so it won't burn.

I am willing to share recipes from my cookbooks individually if anybody wants them, I just didn't want to post photos to respect the chefs who created them.

I think the number 1 myth I feel like people believe is that cooking healthy is expensive. My bill was under $100 today. Fresh vegetables and fruits really aren't terrible and Kroger has them on sale a lot. I only try and buy what I need for the recipe so I don't waste the rest. We've gotten a good supply of spices built up and after you buy them once, they can least for a year. You may have to push yourself into something new for some of these recipes, or find a new ingredient that you've never used before, but since we started doing that we feel a lot better about eating at home because our food actually tastes good! We have struggled with going out to eat in the past too much, and we still do on the weekends, but everything's a work in progress! Also, I said "I" a lot but the truth is we take turns making dinner, which also helps with eating at home since I don't particularly like cooking.

Happy eats!

One Week of Doing the Runs I'm Supposed To

I'll be the first to admit that I rarely have stuck to the training schedule in the past. I've never felt bad about that but I figured maybe that could contribute to some of my times not being exactly where I've wanted them to be or me feeling fatigued on some of the runs. I'm not a person who likes to do the same exercise over and over again so that was another problem for me. I feel like running can get boring and I like to mix it up. I never want to get burnt out on training, especially this early into my running career. I don't wake up with my legs twitching to run like some people do, but this week I stuck to the recommended schedule of running.

Let's rewind one week. Saturday I missed the run because I was in Frankfort for a meeting with teachers across the state of Kentucky. It's something I have a passion for, but I was bummed to miss the run with my group. I had to make it up on Sunday, alone, which is always much worse because it's not so much fun to talk to myself. However, I finished and felt good about completing it.

Monday was a recommended 3 miles. After having a giant Italian dinner on Sunday (thanks friends) I needed this run and since 3 miles is a shorter distance, I even got to do a strength workout afterwards. Tuesday was my birthday and I really wanted to skip so that I could go out with my husband, but I decided to stay dedicated and I went to run fartleks (I hate any workout that involves sprinting) but I actually felt great. It must have been because I was powered by a chocolate cake my friend brought me at lunch. That was 6 miles and I bet people that know me can't believe I didn't bitch the whole time about sprinting. Sprinting uphill most of the time, if I might add. Wednesday and Thursday I did morning strength workouts and then the schedule says to do a recovery run. I hit up the gym with T.J. and did 4 miles on the treadmill, remembering how much I flipping hate the treadmill. Friday I chose to do strength in the morning, which brings us right to today which was an 8 mile, long slow distance workout. I workout a lot and adding in the required runs I felt like would just exhaust me, but today actually went really well. I am enjoying my 4:30 group so far and getting to know them better. It was a pretty flat route, but sometimes those take the most mental stamina.

I was glad I stuck to my "required running" for training this week, but since it was my birthday my diet was VERY lacking. Wow wouldn't it be cool if I could have a week of good eating and following the training schedule? I might like gain some awesome super power I didn't even know I had. I'm not a nutritionist by any means, but tomorrow I'll post my meal plan and give you some ideas of what I'll be (hopefully) eating this week. I hope I can stay dedicated and consistent this week.



I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! Get out an enjoy the 50 degree temps in January!

PS My husband bought me a fancy new apple watch for my birthday. I am still figuring out how to use it, but so far I'm really enjoying the push it gives me for the high level exercise goals, the music controls while I'm on on a run, and checking the weather with a push of a button while I'm getting ready for a run. I'll try and share more as time goes on!