Popeye would approve

Spinach Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting… are you still with me!? I promise I have not lost my mind. Think about carrot cake or zucchini bread before you brush it off completely.

I recently went thru a big stack of recipes that were overtaking a corner of my pantry trying to only keep ones I actually see myself making in the near future. I wouldn’t have kept this one had I not just seen vegan cream cheese at my grocery store. It was sitting atop my slimmed down pile when were invited to dinner at a friend’s this weekend. “I’ll bring dessert!” It was fairly simple to make and I really liked using my blender for all the mixing. While Jim did not finish his slice both our hosts did and even asked for the recipe! I choose to believe she wasn’t just being polite. I hope so because I’ll certainly make it again.... Christmas or St Patrick’s Day maybe?! 😉

Recipe notes: I (accidentally) left out the salt, added extra spinach (to finish out a container), used lemon juice and then olive oil out of the choices listed and did half all purpose flour/half coconut flour. If I didn’t ruin it, you won’t! Enjoy!

New Challenges

So I did a thing today! I actually did plenty of things, but I did one particular THING I want to mention! I took my emotions about not going to Boston and registered for a race today. I can hear the reaction... "So what?! She races plenty so why is that a big deal?!"

If you think I am crazy now, I guess just wait! I signed up to compete in my first ever FIFTY MILER! The WC-50 Ultra Trail Marathon to be exact. So what exactly in an Ultra Marathon? Any footrace over the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles is considered an ultramarathon. Typically they range between 50 kilometers (~31 miles) and 100 kilometers (~62 miles) though races go up to 100 miles. 

I have completed three 50k events over the past two years and in that short time I can tell you no two ultras are the same. (One was lake loops and one was actually 42 miles.) Talking splits, pace, even finish times is completely irrelative and totally specific to the event. What I do know, running is about perseverance and that will certainly be the case in 4 short weeks! Not ideal timing as will not have had the time to put in much training but this race fits with my family's schedule.  #MotherRunnerProblems 

Opting Out

I feel the need to make a confession. I did NOT register for the 2020 Boston Marathon. Whew, there I said it but honestly it still doesn't fully sit well with me. I love the marathon, I identify as a marathoner and I love The Boston Marathon & identify as a Boston Marathoner!

I worked hard, persevered through the humidity to run a personal best, 3:15:22. This gave me a qualifying time of over 20 minutes! I am proud of this and was excited to learn I could have been in and done on the first day registration opened. Today The Boston Athletic Association announced the official conclusion for entry into the 2020 race. The B.A.A. added 1,500 qualifying spots but still shut out over 3,000 who met the new, faster Qualifying Standard. The cut off for next year's race came down to 1 minute and 39 seconds... meaning if you ran 1:38 faster then what you needed for your age/gender, you still did not get in. {More on the registration process for my non road runner friends.}

Congrats and Good Luck to all that made it in! Enjoy this world class iconic event. It is hard to believe I won't be a part of it next year. I will absolutely be back but I am choosing to shift my focus from Boyston and looking towards some new challenges.

Boston Marathon Expo 2018

My first and not last BRR

This weekend I took part in one of the most physically & mentally challenging of my run career and it was SO MUCH FUN! I have been asked in a few times in the past by teams but it was never good timing. With no race focus on the horizon, I accepted the challenge to run the Blue Ridge Relay. This 208 mile relay race starts in Grayson Highland State Park, VA, runs along the Blue Ridge Parkway and finishes in Asheville, NC. There were over 180 teams all living in vans for 2 days (running through the night, snacking to stay fueled & awake and hustling to each exchange point to drop off the next runner). Every team shared the same challenges... grueling hills, complete darkness, multiple running surfaces and sleep deprivation. I jumped onto the shoulder to dodge a car on a narrow mountain road, held my pepper spray at the ready to attack the local idiot we heard was jumping out of hiding spots to scare females and moving to the opposite side of the road when saw stray dogs all while being worried I'd miss a turn. I was on a 12 person team so "only ran" a total of 14.6 miles over 3 legs but were all difficult in their own way.

My first leg was short but at 4pm and in full sun! I had been awake since around 5am and been in and out of a van since 6:30am so it was a great way to get the jitters out and finally turn my legs over. I ran again at midnight. The teammate in front of me got lost and I became anxious with every passing minute past when she was expected. I have never been anywhere more dark and while I loved the freedom of that night run it was hard to open up because was scared would trip! I finally slept for maybe two hours around 4am before my biggest contribution at 8am.

Leg 31, simply referred to as "The Goat", is arguable the toughest of the 36 legs. I was nervous but chalked it up to "new kid draws the short straw" and didn't overthink it. It eased in with a flat half mile before a grueling 6 miles of mountain switch backs and an elevation gain of 1398 ft. I was able to average an 8 min/mile which turned out to be the fastest (female) of the day! I was thrilled to put up a good time and was happy knowing I didn't have to try and race again on my tired legs.

The views were breathtaking, the running was an awesome challenge and the camaraderie was uplifting! It was impressive to watch elite runners beast it and very beginners push themselves. Howard Schultz said, When you run a race as a team, you'll discover that much of the reward comes from hitting the tape together. You want to be surrounded not just by cheering onlookers but by a crowd of winners, celebrating as one. I’m beyond exhausted but canNOT wait to do it again and with these people! #TeamStacheFO

Camp Mom is officially closed for the season!

BACK TO SCHOOL! Big sister has been back in her routine a little while now, (first day was 8/20/19) but today was the first day of preschool! I can't even pretend to be sad because they are both so happy and we love both schools so much. Summer was hard but I'll miss these faces during that day. Don't get me wrong I am excited for myself too and the possibility to get a few things done during the week but today I'm going to yoga... because I can! Namaste!

Here we go 4th grade!! So pumped to be back, we didn't even walk her inside the building!
#knownandloved. #tescharlotte #firstdayofschool #thatcowlicktho

It's safe to say she is excited to be back at school! 5 day 3's - growing up so fast! 

#mooregirlclotingvault #curlycarinha #stayathomemom #imissmysidekickthough

A new school year means new adventures, new friendships and new challenges for ALL of us! Let's do this!

#2018bestnine

Like me, you have surely seen the collages all over your Instagram feed. Well I caved to peer pressure and followed the masses and here is the result:

Surprised at some of the most liked pictures but overall it looks like a pretty accurate and balanced life to me. There was family time, "I've got cute kids" posts, lots of running and even a day date with the hubs. That about sums it up! Here is to more of all of that in 2019!

Frosty is a gross understatement

It doesn't take much convincing to talk me into trying something new and when a friend suggested the Frosty Fifty I thought "why not"! I liked the idea of tackling a new distance and having a purpose to get out of my warm bed is helpful on cold, dark mornings over the holidays. Plus how cool would it be to able to call myself an ultra-marathoner. I mean a 50k "is only" 5 miles more then a marathon. Little did I know just how cool it would be.

The Frosty Fifty takes place around Salem Lake just outside of Winston Salem, North Carolina so we drove up from Charlotte the night before and stayed at my parent's house in Greensboro to make race morning easier. It was nice to be able to remove the mom hat and only be concerned about myself for the night. Actually I didn't even have to prepare dinner as my friend Holly made us gluten free pasta which was simple and perfect. This allowed me to foster new things to worry about instead.

You should not stalk the weather before a race and waste mental energy of something completely out of your control. We all knew this but were still all consumed! The average temperature in early January runs from low of 29 to high of 49 but the RealFeel® was to be right around zero! Cold is usually good for distance runners so you don't over heat but we questioned every article of clothing we packed. Layers are key for winter running and we were fretting over how many we could pile on and trying to cover every inch of skin! At the end all we could do was laugh even though deep down I think we all wanted to cry. There actually were tears before the night was over because we laughed so hard at ourselves!

The course was a loop around the partially frozen lake with an out-and-back trail add-on making each loop 12.5k. I wore trail shoes which was a mistake as you run on a wide, packed dirt path with a paved portion in there. The route stayed close to the wooded shoreline of the lake so rolled and was scenic but after 4 loops I was just ready to be done and attempt to feel my fingers again. Being the coldest day in the race's 18 years was not the history I was looking to make.

I finished in a very respectable time, 4:51:03, and even after that much activity am not sure I ever warmed up! The only layer I even removed was to change from a full hat to an earband and I might actually categorize that as another mistake. Good things always come in threes so the last mistake I made was to not really eat anything the entire race. I attempted to eat a PBJ at one aid station but it was frozen and I couldn't produce any saliva to break it down. The only fuel I took in was liquid and some BBQ potato chips. Mark this under "Things Not To Do" at your race.

The weather just emphasized that this race was not about time or performance but about accomplishing something and pushing my limits. I certainly expanded my running knowledge and this experience helped to build some confidence as I gear up for an actual trail 50k race in about a month. Stay tuned!