Fun on the farm

This past Saturday, Derek and I took the gang to Dodd's Hillcrest Orchards in Amherst, OH. We've been on a "pick your own" kick since the summer, when we went blueberry picking and peach picking. (By the way, if you are into this, check out pickyourown.org. It's a great website devoted to finding farms to pick stuff, and includes tons of recipes and tips for preserving and canning fruit. I first found the site when I was looking for a good blueberry pie recipe two years ago, and I have never used another recipe since then!)

We headed out Saturday at around 1 or 2. After checking the place out and buying our passes ($4/adult; kids under 3 are free), we hopped on a breezy, bumpy hay ride.

Me and Lolo

 After awhile, though, it started to get windy, a few drops of rain fell, and ... it started pouring! I think I was the only one bothered by this. Lolo thought it was funny, and Reina just slept the entire time.

Derek and Reina

Here's a picture of me and Lolo after the wind picked up a bit:

We took the ride back to the entrance, where we waited in the car for an HOUR, to no avail. We ended up buying some pumpkins, a squash, and two bags of apples from the little market at the front. Here's a (doctored) picture of the storefront through the rainy windshield:

Oh well, better luck next time!

Haven't left the house in 2 1/2 days

But dammit, it's ok!

In fact, Lorelei's pediatrician told me the other day, at her 2-month appointment, that "Mom should get some more rest." It's funny--this doctor is EXCELLENT--but she has this quirky way of talking to me through the baby. Examples:

"So little one, are you eating every 2 to 3 hours throughout the day?"
"Are you letting your parents get any sleep these days?"
"Are you smiling and cooing now?" (Uh, do I let her answer, or....)

And the latest one: "You know, lots of people expect mommies to just get back out there and into the swing of things, especially around the holidays! Yep! But you should tell mommy to just rest in bed because then she'll be able to be happier."

Ok, as long as Lorelei approves....!

So that's what I've been doing the past two days. Not resting in bed, but just lounging in PJs without feeling guilty about it. It definitely helped that we had a huge snowstorm on Wednesday so that was a no-brainer. And yesterday, I could have gone out...but that would have meant scraping off the car...nah.

Today though, I do have an appointment at 2pm, so I am going out! I'm dropping Lei (one of our nicknames for her--her initials are L.E.I.) off with Derek at work so I can get a full hour or so to myself. Then it's off to Target to get some stuff for Christmas cookies (Derek's sister Becca is coming this weekend so we'll be a-baking) and to get Lei a little dumb holiday dress for Derek's office party. Blah.

Happy face!

Stuff

Today was a pretty good day.  Woke up really early and felt like I got a good hold of the day (sometimes, because I go work afternoon to evening, I sleep way later than I like).  Enjoyed my coffee and went for a run along the Towpath Trail - 4.2 miles.  I felt no pain in the foot at first, but then it gradually came back - of course.  Nothing too bad, though.  Also, for the first time since the marathon I felt the desire today to go fast.  I didn't really, because I "know better," but I am feeling myself getting stronger.

The run was also a pretty emotional one.  For some reason, I kept thinking of my dad (for those of you who don't know, he passed away 12 years ago).  Also, my husband and his sisters lost their mom 9 years ago this past Sunday, and I was very grateful to be able to spend time with all of them to honor her on that day.  So I guess I dedicated this morning's run to both of them.

At one point, I was just getting so into it, and was sweating so hard that I felt drops of it falling off my face (I usually don't sweat that intensely other than in races).  Then I realized that it wasn't only my sweat...and that it had started to drizzle.  Ha ha. :)

Because I have been getting sorta tired of coming home at 8:30 from work and then deciding what to throw together for dinner (and to add insult to injury, Derek has also had to work late these past few weeks so he couldn't take care of cooking), I prepared a simple but delicious meal for tonight: Stuffed peppers.  I got everything ready this afternoon, including cooking the rice and hollowing out/steaming the peppers, and stuffing them.  Then I just put them in the fridge and popped them in the oven when I got home.  I used the following recipe, substituting ground chicken for ground beef (and changing around some of the spices, adding tomatoes and garlic powder..well I guess the recipe was just a suggestion!).

Now I am very tired. 

But I have this last thing to say: I love The Biggest Loser and all, but Bob's annoying "let's eat something new and cool - or just chew gum" complete with over-the-top product placement really irks me!  It is so cheesy.  The new "green" Ziploc bags are made with 50% wind power....WTF?! Also: still can't believe Shay got kicked off last week.  And why did Jillian get all bent out of shape about Rudy not revealing something private about his past?  It's not like everyone is comfortable sharing everything. 

Anyway!  This post has reached a new level of tangents and rambling. Time for bed!

High Five

This has been a great weekend so far, and it's not even halfway over!


Yesterday, I was a huge nerd.  After picking up my car from the mechanic, I went over to the Old Angle Tavern to...wait for it...meet a bunch of people I didn't know.  That's right, there was a Yelp Cleveland meet-up last night.  For those of you who don't know about Yelp, it's a website where people review local businesses and share information.  There's also a discussion forum where people write about funny topics. Anyway, I joined in September to give me something else to do (other than blogging of course) while job-searching...and the people are really nice.  One of the girls sent out a message this week suggesting we all get together for a drink on Friday night - and we did!

It kinda felt like a group blind date at first, especially when I was the first one there and didn't really know which group, if any, was the one I should be looking for.  Turns out that I was sitting one seat away from another yelper at the bar (she didn't have a picture up on the site, so I didn't recognize her) and only realized it when A., another yelper, came in!

It was really fun, and, for the first time, I felt like I was taking some sort of initiative with my social life.  Being married is so great, but it's difficult to meet new people without going a bit out of your way.  I have met a couple of cool new people at work since I started 2 weeks ago, but this was another way to feel like I was making new friends.

I got home at about 8:30, and my two sisters-in-law, Becca and Alida, arrived shortly thereafter to spend a weekend with us in ol' Cleve-o!  We had fun last night walking around the Tremont Art Walk, popped into Loop, the new coffee shop/record store on our corner, and got some pizza from Edison's.  The girls seemed to really like the neighborhood.

Watched some late-night entertainment shows like The Soup and Chelsea Lately - hilarious!  and then went to bed.

This morning I went out for a great 5-mile run.  The weather was unseasonably warm - and I guess I was a little overdressed in pants and a long-sleeve shirt - but it still felt great.  The sun felt so nice on my face and, additionally, it just felt great to be out there.  My goal was to do either 5 miles or an hour-long run, whichever came first.  Turns out I did 5 in about 57 minutes, but then jogged as a cooldown until my watch said 1 hour, then did the routine stretching and whatnot.  The foot felt pretty good, and at one point I didn't feel any pain at all.  I was a bit tired during this run, but was still really glad to do it and felt great afterward.

While Becca was at her physical therapy conference at the Cleveland Clinic, Derek and I took Alida to the West Side Market - she was so impressed!  We got a bunch of stuff for sandwiches and are currently just having a lazy afternoon at home.

More tomorrow!

NYC Marathon Recap: Post-Race

After crossing the finish line, I was thrilled to receive my 40th anniversary medal, mylar heat sheet, and goody bag.  What I was not happy to do was..just STOP.  Yep, with all the crowds backing up, we pretty much bottlenecked as soon as we stopped running.  There were announcements being made, "emergency vehicles" transporting injured runners, golf carts driving through, and we had to further squish to make way for them.  We were directed to the left in order to immediately get our UPS checked baggage back.  Good idea, but this left us no choice but to stand there in agony as our muscles cramped up and we couldn't walk it off.  It was also very difficult to eat or drink, because we were so packed in and we had to hold our (very heavy!) goody bags.

It pretty much felt like a bad dream, but I was still exhilarated from the race that I held it together and tried not to let panic get the best of me.  Now I understood what they meant when they said it would take approximately 30 minutes for runners to meet their waiting friends and family.  I quickly called mom, who was so surprised to hear from me! and Derek, whose phone had died (of course) but who had already met up with my folks.  Also spoke to Heather, who was heading to the meeting place.

When I finally got through the crowd, we had to walk up to 77th and exit the park, then walk south a bit to meet up with people.  I said goodbye to Maria and Louise, who I was going to meet for a quick celebratory bite to eat at Cassidy's on 55th between 5th and 6th.  To be honest, I was not really looking forward to dragging ass across town, especially since I needed to head back to Louise's on the east side and pick up my stuff before going back to my parents' house in Croton, but I did want to spend a little extra time with them and relish in our accomplishment!

I met up with my group and let them know where I was going.  My parents and Derek went back home (Derek had to do work), while Heather and Mike and I tried in vain to find a cab.  Nope!  After looking for 30 minutes, we finally decided on the subway.  We took the 1 to Columbus Circle, then transferred (after another 20 minute or so wait) to 47-50 Rockefeller Center.  Got out at 50th and 6th, and that was only a few short blocks away to the bar.  (By the way, during this entire debacle, I kept missing calls from Kristin.  I found out shortly that she had been at the finish and I didn't know it!  She ran into my folks, who told her I had just left.  Gave her the info for the meeting place and hoped she would be able to make it!

Now, I had mentioned before that I wasn't too keen on staying out for a long time.  But as soon as I entered the bar, it erupted in cheers and applause!  I couldn't believe it.  Turns out a lot of marathoners came here for their post-race celebration, and every time another runner came in, everyone gave it up for them. That really turned my mood around; the stress from traveling so long to get there was gone and I could enjoy myself!  And what do you know, 5 minutes after I entered...in came Kristin!  Yay!

I usually can't eat a great deal right after races, but I did have some of those delicious Emerald Roasted Almonds from the goody bag and part of an apple.  Also ordered the mushroom barley soup at Cassidy's with extra bread, which hit the spot -- it was delicious!

Also got the opportunity to meet some of Maria's family.  While we didn't stay for very long, it was the perfect amount of time to relax and refuel a bit before heading back to Louise's.  And, of course, we couldn't leave without getting a picture of the three of us!

After saying goodbye to Heather, Mike, and Kristin, I hopped in a cab (yay for cabs!) with Louise and Britt back to the east side.  Took a MUCH needed shower and changed while waiting for Jack to come pick me up.  We started watching the newscast from earlier in the day - guess it wasn't Paula or Ryan's day. :(

I really wanted more food (duh), so Mom, Jack, Derek and I went to Cappricio's - heaven!!!  I had my favorite meal of all time, of course: Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. The entree looked like it could feed a family of four.

The rest of the night and the next day I just relaxed, mostly with my feet up...went for a walk by the river with Cody (puppy) the next day and just enjoyed being home.  Had another stress-free traveling experience on the way back.  All in all, a wonderful weekend, filled with family and friends!  Best time ever!

This week I am not going to run for at least a few days.  This is now day 3 of no running.  I think I am going to wait until Friday to attempt a very slow, easy jog.  My legs were crazy the other day but now are feeling good, it's just that my right foot kills around the arch - blast!  Going to try yoga today.

Of course I wouldn't be me without looking ahead to my next marathon...ok, I have to be honest: I am considering a May marathon!! (Maybe.)  I want to keep it at least semi-local, so my choices right now are the Cleveland Marathon (May 16), the Cincinnati Flying Pig (May 2), or Pittsburgh (also May 2).  Hmmm...will keep you posted, without a doubt!  But until then, will try to work on my times for shorter races. :)

How many Clevelanders does it take to put together an Ikea bookshelf?

Hey! It's been awhile since my last entry, partially because I've been going crazy trying to get this apartment looking "decent" for my mother's visit TOMORROW, and partially because I was away for the weekend. Derek and I went to Troy, Michigan, to visit his parents and sisters. We had a great time. I did my long run of 8 miles (at least part of it) on the beautiful and serene Clinton River Trail, and it felt great. I wish I could run all of my runs on trails and not on city streets.

Which brings me to today's run. It felt good for the most part, but it was a little bit hotter than last week. The breeze was nice, however, especially over the Lorain bridge (also known as route 10) that goes east into downtown Cleveland. Here's what it looked like: Tremont/Lorain Bridge

The map says it was 4.2 miles, but my Garmin Forerunner said 4 pretty much exactly (in fact, I had to circle the block once more to get to 4 miles). Oh well, no biggie, just as long as I'm logging around the right amount.

Mileage for this week is as follows (by the way, in case you're wondering, I'm following a 16-week training program outlined by Bob and Shelly Lynn Glover from their book The Competitive Runner's Handbook) :

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles (with 3-4 long-hill repeats)
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - 10 miles
Sunday - 3 miles

Total Mileage: 25 miles.

I am also going to try my best to do some "core" work as well as strength training/flexibility (pilates, yoga, weights). I figure I have the summer free, why not make the most of the training? Plus I have a tendency to get (minor) injuries...I want to make sure that I protect my muscles and stretch often, and also build core strength so that I don't get any more back pain - what a nuisance.
In other news...Derek and I went to Ikea on the way back from Michigan! We got some stuff for the apartment but plan on ordering a few bigger bookcases online. I'll keep you posted.