I had the privelege of completing my first true long run of this training for the Spokane Half Marathon! I could not have asked for better weather. I got to the trail head about 6:45am. It was chilly, a little overcast, and about half way into the run it started not raining, but misting. It was perfect!

And look what I saw! These guys are huge up close and I’m not gonna lie, I was scared they were going to try and attack me. I just watched a video on Facebook the day before my run  of a mailman having to use his walking stick to keep a flock of turkeys away from him!! They’re savages I tell you!

I love seeing this mile marker. Only one mile to go!!

I finished up my 8 miler, and even though this is my longest run yet, it felt better than any other run I’ve done! I think all the iron and vitamins are kicking in!

DONE! And looking pretty rough, but I’ll take it ❤

Makenna’s Soccer Game & Ryan’s Party

Next up was my daughters first soccer game of this season! I sure love my girl! She works hard and likes to try new things, wonder where she gets that 😉

We got to head over to my brother’s house for my nephews birthday party, he barbequed up a burger for me and just happened to have a glazed donut, so BAMMM. I just ran 8 miles, I deserve it right haha

Good Eats

We made fajitas using leftover venison steak. OMG these were so good that I had to bring them for lunch the next day. Dan also approved.

I know a lot of people have mixed feeling about eating venison. And I did too for a long time. I remember being traumatized as a little girl seeing a deer cut open hanging from the rafters of my Dad’s garage and swore I would never eat it. But I grew up. I realized the health benefits of venison. And decided it actually is for me. And having a boyfriend that hunts makes it even that much more appealing.

Here are some health benefits of venison:

• Venison has more protein: 26 grams to 23 grams in beef
• Is free range, grass fed, and usually organic depending on what they eat
• Venison also has more vitamins and minerals per serving than beef does. It has advantages in iron, vitamin B6, niacin, and riboflavin.
• Eat a 3-ounce serving of roasted venison, and you’ll get 10 percent of the DV for thiamine, 15 percent of the DV for zinc, 20 percent of the DV for iron and phosphorus and 30 percent of the DV for riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B-12. The B vitamins thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B-12 help you turn the food you eat into energy, keep your skin and hair healthy and play a role in brain and nervous system function. You need zinc for forming proteins and DNA and healing wounds, iron for forming red blood cells and phosphorus for kidney function and creating strong bones. (livestrong.com)

I baked a chicken breast in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then topped it with pesto, mozzarella, and sliced cherry tomatoes. To Die!!

Dan and I made a breakfast stop at Boots Bakery downtown and ordered their pumpkin waffles. They came with Chai butter on top and syrup. By far the best waffle I’ve ever had! And when you order coffee, it comes in a random mug. I guess I’m the worlds best boss haha who knew!

And of course, gotta love pho! Especially this time of year ❤ This was from Pho Thinh, but I my fave is still Pho Van. Pho Sho!

What NOT to eat!

I stopped by Trader Joes on my way to work to pick up some kombucha and  something for lunch, so grabbed this. Sounded so yummy and healthy

OMG I wanted to spit it out immediately! GROSS!!  It tasted like expired baby food haha Don’t do it!

This is also from TJ’s. SUPER good, until you look at the nutrition facts…

Mind you, this is a really small portion and I ate the entire thing for lunch one day last week, whoops 960 calories!! UGH!

Oh, and I should probably put the donut burger in this category as well!

I think being healthy is a bit of a roller-coaster ride. There are going to be ups and downs. We try our best, there is so much temptation, birthday parties that include cake, a home cooked meal at Mom’s house, nights out which include wine or good beer, etc. but as long as we do things in moderation, we’re going to be ok. I think we need those days to make us try harder on the other days. It’s always going to be a battle, but we must never give up! Anyways, have a beautiful weekend everyone ❤🍁❤🌞❤🍊 

 

 

 

 

As I’m amping up my training getting ready for the Happy Girl 10K and the Spokane Half, I’ve been feeling fatigued during and after running, more so than normal. So naturally, it’s time to increase supplements. I always immediately go for an increase in iron since low iron runs in my family. That combined with being a runner means I definitely should be supplementing.

Always take your iron with vitamin C for better absorption.

I’ve also been taking fish oil to help libricate my joints and turmeric to keep inflammation low.

I take an amino acid pre workout drink with BCAA’s (branched chain amino acid) before I run to help with energy and recovery. In addition, I drink protein shakes, I do a multi vitamin, zinc, and plan on adding magnesium.

What do you take? Any recommendations?

Got out for a few miles! Doesn’t the Spokane River look beautiful this time of year!?!?

And the trail ❤

Random shadow pic

And, I found a lucky penny

Great Aunt Peggy’s Wedding!

Makenna and her cousin got to be flower girls ❤ and were throwing rose petals at everyone, love that they were having fun!

Makenna and Lila looking so adorable!

Dan’s oldest, Kaylynn. She’s beautiful, love this pic!

Kaylynn and Kylee ❤

My Mommy and Me ❤ being romantic hahah

I got to keep a bouquet and this yummy lemon cupcake for the road! So good!

We took the scenic route home around the Pend Orielle River. Looks like a potential cover photo if you ask me… I love social media obvi

Logging Road Hike

Dan and I finally had a weekend together with no kiddos, so we decided to go for a hike up behind his cabin. I love taking the girls, but sometimes its nice when its just us. We hiked around the normal trails, but did a little exploring and found some logging roads. I’m pretty sure there was about a foot of super soft dirt, so we were real clean after haha

Tons of tractors all around too. Isn’t Mojo a cutie ❤

This dirt was Thicka than a Snicka

At the top

I made Dan pose for his senior photo hahaha

He got payback  at our hike last weekend tho LOL

Loved this view

Finished the night by the fire ❤ ❤ ❤

 

Fish Tacos!

So, I love the regulars that come into the bar. Bruce and Angie brought in some purple cabbage and cucumber for Miranda and I. So I thought fish tacos were appropriate 🙂

We used this recipe from Pinterest. The slaw was cabbage, cucumber, pineapple, and a squeezed lime. So good!

 

Dan made the tilapia on the cast iron skillet, and we also topped it with Trader Joe’s Cilantro dressing, and an avacado which pulled the whole recipe together nicely.

Speaking of cucumber, try this!!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone ❤

 

Personally, I have a really hard time running without music unless I’m running with a buddy. The world has ended if I forgot my headphones on a run! I have a lot of friends that run, and the most common question I get asked is “what do you listen to when you run?” Well, honestly, that is constantly changing, but in general; I like tunes with a good beat. I’ve recently discovered a feature on Spotify where you listen to music consistent with your pace, or your desired pace. Under the Browse option, there is a selection for running.

There are quite a few playlists to choose from, but I find that I prefer the one called “your running mix.” Spotify bases the music off of your personal liked and saved music and playlists.

You can either start running and let Spotify detect your pace, or what I usually do is hit skip and set my pace at 155 steps per minute which is equal to a 10 minute mile. I like getting my music going before I start running.

And voila!

I must say there are quite a few songs I have to skip, even with this list. For example, I love country music, but I HATE running to it! It just doesn’t make me want to run! It makes me want to drink beer and lay in the sun! Not a good combo right 🙂

I also love “Caked Up” radio on Pandora! It is mix of good songs remixed with a faster beat, it’s really good!

Here is what is currently on the “workout” playlist:

1. Never be like you ft. Kai by Flume
2. Be right there by Diplo, Sleepy Tom
3. Elastic Heart by Sia
4. High you are Branchez Remix by What So Not
5. Middle by DJ Snake, Bipolar Sunshine
6. Don’t let me down by Chainsmokers, Daya
7. Video Games Jakwob Remix by Lana Del Rey
8. As the rush comes, Gabriel & Dresden Remix by Motorcycle
9. Use Me by Bill Withers
10. Set adrift on memory bliss by P.M. Dawn

Sometimes I go for rap or rock, it just depends on my mood. I say go with what motivates you. Some people even listen to podcasts. Do what works for you!

I know I’m WAYYYY behind in the tech world, but I’ve recently discovered bluetooth headphones. GAME CHANGER!! OMG where have I been?! These are the best thing since sliced bread! You can sort of see them in this photo, the cord just goes behind your neck. No more accidentally tugging and ripping the earbud out of my ear! On the minus side, yet another thing I have to remember to charge ughhhhh

Hiking at Rimrock

Dan is such a sweetie and knows I love doing new things. So he took us up to Rimrock, along one of his old cycling routes. We headed out the old Sunset Highway, left on Greenwood Blvd and followed that up to the trail head.

These cuties were cheers-ing  to good times!

There was a tunnel so we had to check it out. I think I was more scared of this than any of the girls! It looks a lot scarier than it actually is.

I’m pretty sure this was Mojo’s favorite part of the hike, it was really cool in there

Being silly!

After Rimrock, Dan showed us 1000 steps at the cemetary. I have heard about this but have never been! It was hidden off the road and if I were alone, probably would have missed it! It was spooky and there were NOT 1000 steps haha I’m not sure how old these are but I’m guessing over 100 years, they are falling apart and could be a little dangerous!

We climbed to the top and checked out a small part of the cemetery, a very old part!

This looked so creepy, but when I peeked in, it was just a tool shed lol

So sad. A 1 year old 😦

Feeding the ducks at Manito. which I’m pretty sure is not allowed anymore… SHHHHH  In our defense, they were small organic crackers 😉

My brave girl made it to the top!

We ended the day at the Milk Bottle with 3 very tired girls!

Whatever it is you love, get out and do it!

 

Create the life you want, then go out and live it ❤

XOXO

Sami

So, some people I know are just as crazy as I am and agreed to sign up for the Spokane to Sandpoint Relay! This is a 200.2 mile run. It starts on the top of Mt. Spokane, drops down and back up to Indian Trail, then curves down through Riverside State Park, to Kendall Yards, then takes the Centennial Trail out to Coeur D’Alene, then north through Rathdrum, Priest River, and finally to Sandpoint. This is a long but beautiful course. Our team started out with 10 people, but apparently 4 had to drop out, so we ended up with 6, when most teams have 12!! Yikes, we were officially considered an ultra team, we were one of 3 running the S2S.

We had a prelim meeting to discuss all the details: food, driving, meeting place etc. It was nice because I had never met Jenni before and hadn’t seen anyone on the team in a while!

So, I’m far from organized, unless it comes to race day, one might suspect I have OCD, but trust me, I don’t! I always like to make a list just so I don’t forget anything. I forgot to charge my phone once before a half marathon, my phone died (which is what I play music on while I run), and I was in misery. Lived and learned from that one. So here is what I do now. Comprehensive lists! And this one was no exception. I had to pack for over 24 hours of misery  fun!! We had to prepare for 24 hours of running with 7 people in a vehicle together with no showers! Hence the wipes and deodorant!

---

This is what about half of it looked like

I slacked and didn’t get a ton of pics, so I stole some from Chana, with her permission of course 🙂 We met up at 5:15 am, loaded up the car and headed to the top of Mt. Spokane. We were all in great spirits! Everyone was excited, and even more so when Chana and her husband Eric and brother in law Mike pulled up in the decorated Tahoe!

Almost all of us went to Rogers, so we went with a pirate theme!

Complete with boxes to check after each leg of the race

Meet the team!

Stephanie, the team captain! She took care of all the technical race stuff!

Chana, who helped so much with getting everything organized, shopping, decorating, and food!

Jenni, she was awesome and stayed positive the entire time!

Mike, he was great! Hes a physical therapist and made us all do our stretches! Thank God!

Kris, he was the fun one that made me feel like it was ok to drink a beer after pretty much each leg of the race haha

Eric, he was our die hard driver and drove us all through the night!

And me after my 91 degree 7 miler dyinggg

I have to say, I adore these guys! It wouldn’t have been the same without each and every one of them!

Pic, courtesy of the BF ❤

Mike’s costume game was on point for the win!

As Bob Ross!

As Cheech!

There are a few things I would do differently. And I’m writing this because we’re going to do another one next summer. Probably Hood to Coast (Mt. Hood to Seaside OR) if we get picked for the lottery.

• I would set up a Facebook group and organize training runs with my teammates, a sort of motivational page that would keep everyone, including me, on track and held accountable
• I would pack my own meals. Chana was so sweet and bought a ton of food from Costco. Which was so nice not to have to worry about it. But when I run, I get used to the same food and hate changing it up on race day
• I would make sure we have enough people! I loved the small group for hanging out, but it was really hard only having one van, where most teams have two. If we’d had 2 we could have had time to actually park and rest, or cook a meal rather than an all nighter and a quick sammy on the go
• I would do way more research on each leg, the time of day, temperature, and elevation change. I definitely didn’t do enough of this and it led me to be less prepared than I would have liked to be
• I also would have set more time aside for group meet ups before the race and prior to the start, I didn’t help as much as I would have liked to with meal prep and decorations!
• I planned on getting up at home and doing a treadmill run at 2am, which didn’t happen. But trust me, next year it’s going down!

The 4 mile run at 1am was no joke! Not only was I getting tired, but my eyes were playing tricks on me and I kept thinking I was seeing a man about to jump out of the bushes! It was dark and scary, and I was all alone! But I finished it!

Kris finishing his midnight run!

Kris was having calf pain from the start, he was a trooper but couldn’t take the pain after the 4th leg. So we all finished our 4th legs and decided to call it. To be honest, as much as I would have liked to make it to the finish, I wasn’t sad about not having to run my next leg. 9 miles at what would have been probably 5 am on no sleep just didn’t sound that appealing at the time. We finished a total of about 125 miles at a time, each of us running over 20 miles individually. That’s a success in my book!

After photo:

We looked pretty good for feeling like our mascot:

Another Race…

So, we talked about running the Spokane half marathon, which is October 9th. If you had asked me right after S2S, there was no way. But now its been a couple weeks and I’ve forgotten most of the pain, so it’s about to happen!

No turning back now!!

Here we go…. Have a beautiful weekend everyone!! XOXO ❤