What not to do

So, most of you don't have this problem.  I know this firsthand.  Don't skip lunch.  I got too involved in my thesis and work (this rarely happens) and by the time my tummy was grumbling, I realized it was 1:30.  I had a banana as a snack earlier but bananas aren't a substitute for my appetite.  I also had almonds on hand.  Always have a snack on hand.  Never know when you might get hungry.  Almonds are great to have on hand.  But yes, don't skip lunch.  Plan ahead.  My plan was to have the casserole leftovers, but my spinach didn't defrost in time last night.  And the line at the sub place in my building had a really long line.  So I'm home now and in the process of making food.

National Margarita Day

I didn't get a chance to celebrate with Jose.  This whole school thing got in the way since everyone is busy.  I did have a mix of rum and mango juice though, which was interesting.  If we had had something else on hand, like strawberries and seltzer, the drinks would have been delicious.  I didn't go to the gym (I know, I fail at life) but I did go to the Farmer's Market and get a lot of yummy food.  I'm making the protein casserole tonight.  I'm excited for it.  I'm also going out shopping for my Disney princess outfit.  I have a tiara--it's baby blue, but not Carolina blue, I checked.  I'm hoping to find a pink running skirt or pink running shorts and a light blue top, so I somewhat match. 
I started my food journal, on paper.  I decided I won't actually write everything on here since it's kind of boring.  But it is nice knowing exactly what I have consumed.  Almonds and fruit take the top spots.  I'm ok with that.  How about y'all? Who is doing what--eating wise, or exercise wise?  Couch to 5k...when is the start for that? And Speed Skating? Only you, Courtney.  Only you.  I'll actually get my butt in gear today.  Made out a new weight lifting plan, doing full body workouts 2-3 times a week.  I found a great site to help out with this, if anyone is interested in weightlifting.  I'm always here to help :) (And if there's ever anything I don't know, I have my own running guru to ask questions to haha).

Medals & Shirts

My medals are awesome.  It kind of sucked that the half shirt had a broken heart, but it is cooler than the full marathon shirt. 

First new recipe to try

 I got this recipe from a friend who read it on Runner's World.  It looks tasty and has so much protein, which is awesome since I don't eat nearly enough.  I'll be buying the ingredients tomorrow at the DeKalb Farmer's Market and making it either tomorrow or Tuesday.  I'll let you know how it goes. 


Protein Penne Casserole

This delicious dish delivers 42 grams of protein per serving, along with ample carbs and fiber, all for 425 calories.

3 cups cooked whole-grain penne pasta
1 pound ground turkey, browned with 1 small onion and 2 cloves garlic
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with herbs (plus 1/2 can water)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup part-skim grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced olives or olive tapenade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pasta, cooked turkey-onion mixture, tomato, liquid, and spinach in a bowl and put in a two-quart glass casserole dish sprayed with canola cooking spray. Top with grated cheese and sliced olives. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, uncover for another 15 minutes until cheese is browned. Serves four.
(http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-303-307-10362-0,00.html)

A few days late...

But that's kind of how I roll.  Plus, the days from Ash Wednesday to the first Monday after don't really count.  My whole goal is to cook at home at least 5 times a week. Why?
1) Save money (everything they tell you about being a poor grad student is true)
2) Healthier food--better for my training
3) I can learn new recipes to bribe friends with and to attract men, not that that's a priority
I also am trying to follow my work out plan, all of it, not just the long runs.  Granted, I am in recovery mode for the next 2 weeks so work outs are pretty tame.  Then I have my race (yea Disney princess half!!).  And after that, recovery and training for Warrior Dash.  Look it up, it's awesome.
I have a few recipes in mind, trying to keep it simple but fresh.  So suggestions are welcome.
I know I'm not the best motivator when it comes to doing good things (my specialties involve mixing strong drinks that taste like there's no alcohol and encouraging wild and risky adventures, safely,) I'm hoping this blog can help some achieve any goal they may have.  Couch to 5K is an awesome one (you know who you are).  Or even working on other aspects of life not related to the physical body, it's what I'm here for.

To catch up on what I've done since Wednesday:
Haven't eaten out (yay!).  Went to a bar to play Bingo so had a couple drinks--it makes Bingo more fun.
I ran on Thursday for 35 minutes and stretched after.
Ran 4 miles on Saturday at a pace of 15 min/mile.  I usually run faster but it was a training run to stretch my legs out.  I have pics from my half-marathon on Sunday if anyone wants to see them.
Go to: http://www.brightroom.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=62244 and look up my bib number 2781 or you can search by my last name.  I was smiling through most of those 13.1 miles!