March recap.

And justlikethat my mileage tripled!

In February, I ran that half marathon over the course of the month. In March, I logged a full 36.4 miles. Look at me go! Almost 10 miles a week. A far cry from where I was last fall -- and also a far cry from the big fat zero miles I ran in December and the half mile I ran in January!

So, there's that. And I'm not mad about it.

In fact, I'm thrilled. Because, really, my running is picking up right as the weather is brightening up. And what could be better than that?

I'm ready for April! Ready for more miles! Ready for springtime running!

Almost . . . almost . . . ready to get a race on my schedule. Almost.

Baby steps. Or baby runs, as the case may be!

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Mastering the 'mill.

I'm back to running all of my mid-week runs on the treadmill. And last week I even had to run one of my weekend runs on the 'mill. Better than nothing.

Fortunately, after a few weeks of not feeling my groove at all, I've found it. In fact, last week I felt like I was the Master of the 'Mill. 

My runs have been varied -- fast 5 milers, easy 4 milers, tempo runs of 7+ miles. And, of course, intervals and pick-ups because they are my favorite ways to pass the miles on the 'mill.

If you need any treadmill inspiration, I'll remind you of my favorite workout:

I love this one!

Enjoy. It really is a good workout!

Do you have a favorite treadmill workout?

Thanks for stopping by -- have a good week!

~ Felice

Scaling back?

I didn't race on Saturday.

Not that I had firm plans to do so, I just kinda wanted to. There's a 5K that takes place 5 minutes from my house and last year I ran it and ran well, finishing just seconds off of my PR for 1st in my age group, and 4th female overall. 

In my head, I figured that if I felt good coming off the half marathon, I'd run the 5K. But then there was the issue of my fall at mile 5 of the half and the fact that my ankle is still not 100%. It is healing well, but it is still a little swollen and I knew that if I raced again less than one week after the half, I'd risk messing up my ankle big time.

And I'm all about running over the long term. I don't need any sort of lingering injuries.

Which was the point of my recent email exchange with my friend, Tami. She ran a marathon the week before my half and went ahead and ran that 5K that I'd been thinking of running. She ran a great race and finished third female overall. But, she'd battled a cold after the marathon and racing the 5K lowered her resistance just enough so that cold came back with a vengeance.

There's Tami with her third place medal! Way to go!!

Discussing our shared desire for PRs and a healthy winter full of running, the subject of winter and spring race plans came up. What are you running next? What are you running this winter? Planning on a spring marathon?

We went back and forth and our discussion eventually led us to conclude that scaling back could be good.

For me, that meant skipping the 5K and rethinking what races I plan to run this winter. For Tami, it meant likely shelving plans for a spring marathon . . . but contemplating a fall ultra (hey, what happened to scaling back?!?!). 

So, now I have some decisions to make. I know I'm going to run a 10K in early November but should I also run the 10K turkey trot on Thanksgiving? And what about December? Our road runners club puts on a great winter series and that kicks off with a 15K on December 9th. And then there's the Hangover Half on January 1st, two other winter series races in January, the Winter Marathon Relay in February . . . and I really would like to run the inaugural Nike Women's Half in DC in April.

Phew!

I need to prioritize. Quality over quantity. I need to make it through the winter healthy and ready to race strong in the spring. So, I need to get my A races lined up, and back-fill from there. I'd also like to focus on cross-training this winter, to head into the spring with a stronger foundation.

Now the question is . . . do I focus on that spring half marathon or full? Hmm . . . 

Do you reduce your running mileage over the winter? Or do you keep up the same level? 

If you reduce, for how long before picking back up?

In other news, I just picked up a stack of running books from the library, including one by Adam Goucher and one by Scott Jurek. Lucky me!

Have a great day, everyone!

~ Felice

Just run.

We were away this past weekend, enjoying the summer with family at Sacandaga Lake.

Fishing!

Playing!

Greedy ducks!

It was a great weekend that even involved two good runs.

The first was a quick 4-miler. The next was odd for me. About a quarter mile into my run, my Garmin died. Well, the battery ran out. No charge.

I'm not familiar with distances where we were so I had no way of knowing how far I was running. I did have my phone, though, so when my Garmin went dead I looked at the time on my phone and figured I'd look at the time when I was done, so I could have some sort of idea of time, at least.

I ran down one road to an intersection then turned around and ran to another. Then, back to the camp.

Checked the time: 54 minutes. Maybe a tad less.

No idea of distance.

Of course, being as weekly-mileage obsessed as I am, I tracked the distance when I got home. 6.2 miles. About 8:43 pace. Not bad for an unknown run.

Maybe I should run Garmin-free all the time!

Do you run faster when you just run? I think I might.

~ Felice

Heatwave.

This has been one hot week of running. To beat the heat, I ran at 8:30pm on Monday and 8pm on Tuesday. Both nights were still pretty warm, but not nearly as hot as my Wednesday run.

Wednesday was hot as can be. Owen had the day off so he went out to play golf early in the morning and I was home with the boys. We had plans with friends at 4, for a BBQ and to watch the 4th of July fireworks, so when he got home at 2, I quickly got it together and went out for a run.

I had some grand plans to run 7.4 miles. You know, in honor of the day. But, yeah. That didn't happen.

Instead, I ran a nice-and-easy 4. And dripped with sweat the entire time.

Now, after all of these hot runs, I hope that we can enjoy some cooler temps on race day (Sunday!). As much as I can handle the heat, racing is just better when it is cooler.

Speaking of the Boilermaker race, I'm finalizing my race day plan and will share it tomorrow. So, until then, enjoy the day -- thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

'Mill miles, sandwich winner.

First things first . . .

I mentioned before that I am behind and, yeah, it's still true. I meant to post the Subway gift card winner a while ago and I completely forgot. But, we do have a winner and it is . . .



Jess from Run with Jess!


Congratulations, Jess! Shoot me an email at felicehalf at yahoo dot com so you can enjoy your Subway!

*     *     *

Second things second . . .

We've had unbelievable weather this year, with very, very little snow and warm-ish temps. It's been great for my marathon training long runs. Unfortunately, it hasn't made all that much difference for my regular, during-the-week runs because my schedule is such that I can't get outside for many of those runs. No matter. The nice weather just makes life easier and it certainly makes the weekend longs runs way better.

Yesterday was pretty warm and pleasant but I had to hit the treadmill for my run. The kids were super and entertained themselves in the basement while I ran 7.5 miles, mostly at an easy pace but finishing with 1.5 miles at slightly faster than marathon goal pace. Loved it!

Another 'mill run on the schedule today. My fingers are crossed for well behaved boys today, too!

 Happy Wednesday, everyone!

~ Felice

On cross-training.

"Invest in rest."
"Incorporate cross-training into your plan."

I've read this advice again and again. And, again and again, I've tried to take it, with varying degrees of success. For me, the cross-training and rest thing came together when I was pregnant. I needed to rest and I needed to give my body a break with cross-training in a different way than I did when I wasn't pregnant. So I appreciated rest and cross-training for the benefits that they provide.

After I gave birth in October and starting running again, I knew that rest days would be more important than ever. I wasn't getting much sleep (sick of hearing that yet?), was trying to adjust to life with an infant, breastfeeding, and fitting in half-marathon training with work deadlines, laundry, preschooler activities and the rest of life.

Since then, I've tried to keep up on rest days and make sure to cross-train. So far, so good. I've been cross-training at least once a week -- definitely more if you count playtime with the preschooler! Most of what I do is workout to some exercise tv on demand programs, because they are convenient -- I can do them in the comfort of my home, whenever I want to. Lately I've been enjoying Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism (DVD available on Amazon HERE), her kettlebells workouts (HERE) and her 30 Day Shred (HERE). I've also been checking out some of the other programs and I like some of the Cindy Whitmarsh programs but not the Amy Dixon ones. I don't know why. Something about her bugs me.

Anyway, I've been doing some cross-training at least once a week and I think it is helping me with my running. My arms and core are stronger and that should mean they'll help me to maintain my form late in the half-marathon when I'm starting to tire. At least that's the plan!

Do you like Exercise tv on demand? What's your favorite way to cross-train? 

Share away -- it's great to hear about new things!

Cross-training was for yesterday. Easy run tonight -- might even get a friend or two to run my hilly route with me! Yay!

Have a good day, everyone.

~ Felice

Easy breezy running.

So, last week I was all about the hot weather runs. Heat? Humidity? Pshaw. What else you got, July?

Well, apparently, July has cooler temps and lower humidity and wouldn't you know it that means easier runs and faster paces. The highs this week have been only in the low 80s so when I went out for my run yesterday it was probably only about 81 degrees -- much cooler than my 90+ degree runs last week!

The result was 4.2 wonderful miles. I charged up my hills and flew across the flats. I barely felt like I was pushing my pace at all so I was surprised when I finished and saw my overall pace for the run was a hair under 8:30. For the longest time my easy-breezy go-to pace for my 4-5 milers had been 8:45. If I can keep it around 8:30, I'll be psyched.

Speed work tonight!

Totally separate:

The Gore-Tex TransRockies Run will be held this year from August 21-26. They are accepting applications for runners to RUN A DAY WITH DEAN. That Dean would be Dean Karnazes. Ultramarathon Man. Interested? Want to apply? Check out the details HERE. Go, go, go! And good luck if you decide to apply!

~ Felice

Color me exhausted!

This summer is wiping me out! We've been busy, busy, busy, which is great, but the boys have been waking up far too early (like, hours early), which is not. It's all a bit exhausting! Running around with two little boys sometimes feels more tiring than racing.

And speaking of racing . . . last week was my post-Boilermaker recovery week and it went well. I went out for an easy run on Monday and my legs felt tight as can be. By my Tuesday run they'd loosened up some and on Thursday they were back to form. On Saturday, I ran 6 at a nice 9:15 pace with my last mile at 7:45. It felt good to really blast out the last mile after slow running all week! Yesterday I settled on 3 easy miles because I could only get out midday for my run and it was super hot. Recovery week . . . done!

Bring on half marathon training!

First, though, since I need to boogie off with the boys, I'll quickly share some goodies going on elsewhere:

• I have a new book review up at BlogHer. You can check it out HERE. It's for What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. A teen book but, well, you'll have to check out the review to see what I thought :-)
• I also have a giveaway going on over at my other site, HERE. It ends tonight at 11:59pm EST so be sure to enter soon!

Hope you all had a good weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

~ Felice

Advantages.

I took advantage of a lot of opportunities over the past few days.

Owen was away for the weekend. He left Friday around noon, when I was with the boys at Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party (who, by the way, freaks my almost 4 year old right out. Who knew? Not me, apparently. Yikes.), and didn't get back until late Sunday afternoon. Since my treadmill is kaput (boo!) I would not have the chance to run while he was out of town.

No matter. Before he took off and I went to the party, Owen said he would stay with the boys so I could go for a run. I took advantage of the opportunity and ran 4.5 quick-n-easy miles. What a treat to run in the morning and then actually get to take a shower.

That night, I took advantage of being husband-less and had some great girlfriends over for a moms night after the kids went to bed. I can't think of when the last time all 5 of us were together, so Friday was a much needed fun night. There were laughs:

Bridget and Stacey, laughing, shaking, and pointing.

On Saturday, Conal had his soccer photos and then we went to play at a playground and have a picnic. We also built extensive train tracks around the living room and read a bunch of books. After the boys went to bed, I took advantage of not being able to run and did some Exercise TV workouts. My arms are still cursing thanking me.

And then it was Sunday. Conal was ready for Owen to be home and so was I. When he got home in the afternoon, he was ready to spend some time with the boys so I took advantage of my free time and went out for a long(ish) run. Then I came back, showered, whipped up some grub and we all sat together for a nice family dinner.

Today, Owen had to stay home to do some work. He finished earlier than he thought he would so before he headed in to the office, he asked if I wanted to go for a run. Although I didn't have a run on the schedule for today, I sure as heck took advantage of the opportunity to run and went for an easy run in the wind.

Yep, I take advantage, whenever I can.

You never know what will happen tomorrow, folks, so run today!


Hope you all had a great weekend -- happy Monday!

And, hey! It's the last week of voting so, yeah, please?

THANKS!!!

~ Felice

Doubling up and giving away.

Yesterday was one of those nutty days and for one reason (who happens to be 5 months old) or another (who happens to be 3 years and 9 months old) I couldn't squeeze in my planned run when I wanted to. And when I finally did, I had to stop after 2.25 miles (see reason #1).

Grr!

Two and a quarter miles? That's hardly a run!

So what did I do? Well, stayed in my running gear, for starters. Then I nursed the bambino, made dinner, ate dinner, cleaned up, nursed the bambino again, put him to bed, put the preschooler to bed and then . . . hopped on the treadmill for a few more miles. I couldn't let the original run stand at just 2.25 when I had 7 on the schedule.

All together I managed to get in 5.7 miles. Not really the 7 I was hoping for but close enough in this world.

Today, I rest.

And share with you the word of my exciting new giveaway! Compression socks! You know you want 'em . . . Go, go, go!

Since we're on the topic of giveaways, here's my deal. I don't post any giveaways or reviews on this site. Instead, all of my giveaways, reviews, and information on good deals are posted on my companion site, Happy Runner Reviews. Almost all of the giveaways, etc., on that site are running related, but I do post some that are just items that would appeal to parents, who may or may not be runners. For example, I recently reviewed the Medela Breastmilk Labeling and Storage System.

I generally have about one giveaway a week over there (like the compression socks one going on now; the Rokit Fuel (yum!) giveaway just ended yesterday) so if you are interested in giveaways, reviews, deals, be sure to check Happy Runner Reviews often, or become a follower.

And on that note, I'm off. To not run.

Have a great day!

~ Felice

Going long.

It seems that the treadmill and I have decided to be friends this year. This is not to say that I will be forgoing my outdoors runs in favor of the 'mill. There's no way that will happen. I can't imagine a more dreadful season than one spent running every mile on the 'mill. It's more that I think I won't hate every mile that I have to run indoors. And that's a good thing.

I found a bit of a treadmill groove this week. After taking a few days off after the 5k race, I was itching to run, but I had little interest in running in the cold and dark this week. So, the 'mill it was. And it wasn't horrible. The key to my decent runs was starting slow -- and I mean S. L. O. W. The problem with me and the 'mill is that I always jump into my regular run pace and, for some reason, that doesn't work. I can do that outside, but not in. So, this week, I ran the first mile at a wicked slow pace and then a bit faster for the second mile and got into the groove of my regular pace for the third and fourth miles. I don't know why it takes me so long to warm-up/find a rhythm on the treadmill but it does. It's too bad my time was short because once I was in the groove I felt as if I could have run many miles more.

Yesterday, though, was an incredibly beautiful day -- really warm (for December!) and sunny -- so I was happy Owen was home so I could get outside for a run. I ran a nice 5-miler at 9:20 pace and felt great! Today, I followed up with a 4.4 miler. With more time on my hands, I could have gone much longer for both runs.

All of this "I could have gone longer" is leading up to the inevitable: Training for a longer race. Now that I'm feeling like 5 miles is an easy-peasy run, I'm getting more confident in my (95% sure) decision to run a half marathon this spring.

You read that right. I'm going long!

I haven't run a race longer than a 15k since I ran a marathon in 2004. That's a long time and two babies ago. What am I thinking?

I'm thinking I can do it. The race is in April. Yes, I'll still be breast-feeding but my little guy will be almost 6 months old, so he should be able to handle being away from me for half a day. Yes, I'll have to train in crappy winter weather but I'm at peace with the treadmill (this week). And I have a head lamp. And warm clothes. So, basically, no excuses.

I've started putting together my plan. It's a combination of a bunch of different plans that I've seen, mushed together and tailored to fit my style, goals and time constraints.

So, there you have it. I'm friends with the treadmill, better friends with the warm December weather and hopeful that the 13.1 distance will be friendly to me come April. We'll see how that works out.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

~ Felice

Following the run.

Based on how excited I was to go on my first post-baby run, you would probably think that I would have followed it up by going for more runs. Or, at least, another one.

Yeah, not quite. You see, I'm easing back but, honestly, even I didn't think I would ease back this slowly. I had every intention of running on Monday (after taking Sunday off). My plan for easing back was to run every other day. Seems reasonable, right?

Well, Monday came and before I knew it, Monday went. No run. I had company in the morning and then work to do in the afternoon. We were supposed to have company in the evening, but they cancelled. Unfortunately, too late for me to re-jig my plans and get out for a run.

No big deal, really, except that I couldn't run yesterday, either. So, I made the most of the day and took Niall out for a 2-mile power walk. Not quite the same as a run, but it was a beautiful day so I was happy to be outside enjoying it.

I was even more happy to be enjoying it while wearing my pre-pregnancy running clothes! (Gloating, yes, it's true . . . although I shouldn't gloat too much because I'm not yet back into my regular jeans, just my heavy jeans.)

What will today bring? I'm hoping I get a run in, but that may not be in the cards. I'm quickly learning that flexibility is the name of the game when you have a preschooler and an infant. So, I'll just have to be flexible. That may mean going for power walks instead of runs, running on the treadmill instead of hitting the roads, or lifting weights instead of doing anything else. I'll take what I can get!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

~ Felice

The return to running.

I held off for as long as I could. I lasted two weeks.

Two weeks after Niall was born, I laced up my shoes, tugged on the biggest sports bra I have, pulled on a baggy t-shirt and a pair of running shorts and hit the road. Ah, yes. I hit the road for my first post-baby run. And let me tell you: I loved it. Loved every step of my (just about) 3 miles.

I could have kept going but didn't want to push it. I've been off since I hit 38 weeks in my pregnancy, so with Niall arriving about a week late that's just about 5 weeks of no running. With that much time off, I need to ease back in to the miles. So, ease I will.

Easing back has felt terrific. I have never run such comfortable 9:30 miles. OK, sure, that's not particularly fast but, still. I was practically bounding up my neighborhood hills! Saturday's 3 miles felt like the easiest miles ever and I attribute that to the fact that I had been used to running while carrying about 30 extra pounds, most of them front and center. There's something about being pregnant that makes the miles a bit harder to run. Go figure . . .

So, the Happy Runner is back. Back and running. I love it! I'm even thinking about a race with my running mamas (most of whom, by the way, ran their first 10k over the weekend -- go, mamas!) on December 4th. Will I do it? Based on how I feel so far, I'd say yes. I'm not going to register just yet, in case something changes. But, in my head, I'm planning on it. Woo hoo!

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had a great weekend!

~ Felice

Happy running!

I hope you all had a great holiday and weekend!

This here Happy Runner sure did. We had a terrific Christmas day spent with tons of family (35 at dinner!). I even got a few (much needed) gifts: a pair of fresh Nike running gloves and a headlamp! Who's the cool runner now, huh? That's right, it's me!

I put the gloves to use this weekend, although I didn't have to wear them for long because it was pretty warm (it was 45 degrees on Sunday). Tonight, I plan to test the headlamp. With all that illumination, the ice can't scare me now!

Although I didn't run on Christmas day, I did run on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and it felt great to be outdoors. They were good runs -- each right around 5 miles at a nice, easy pace. Totally enjoyable. I love runs like that and to have three in a row? Well, that's the best!

What about you? Did you enjoy some running? Get any fun gear that I should add to my list?

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you're having a good week!

~ Felice

Two good runs and seeking my pace.

After my lousy attempt at speed work on Thursday, I had two good, easy runs this weekend. There was nothing fast about either run, but that's OK. They weren't meant to be fast. But they did make me feel a little better. My failed speed work is now behind me and I'm moving on.

Specifically, I'm moving on to tomorrow's tune-up 5K. I've been going back and forth about my pace. Part of me thinks I should run the race as a tempo run, with a mile warm-up, then run the race at an 8 min/mi pace, then follow up with a mile cool-down. But the other part of me thinks I should just go out and run it like the race that it is. My goal race isn't until October 3rd, and both are only 5Ks, so it isn't like I'd be burning myself out.

What I may do is just see how I feel in the morning and take the race as it comes. I'd like to run well, whatever I do, in order to give myself a psychological boost. But I also don't want to take away from the rest of my planned workouts for the week.

Such dilemmas!

Luckily, I have a wedding reception to go to this afternoon to take my mind off such weighty thoughts. No heels for me at this party -- I've learned my lesson with those! Instead, I'll be the one in flats, drinking water and seeking out the pasta.

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

~ Felice

Bugs 'n bats.

My last two runs have been adventures in creature-dom.

First there was Saturday's planned 7-miler. The guys went to a baseball game that evening so I decided to just get out there for a relaxed long run around 6:30. It was super humid that day and it just seemed to get more and more so as my run went on.

Before I knew it, I wasn't just swatting the thick air, I was swatting creepy flying ant-like creatures! They had come out of nowhere! And it was gross. Completely. 100 percent. Gross. The flying ant-like bugs were swarming all around; getting in my air, hitting up against my arms and sticking to my sweat, trying to fly in my mouth (but finding that I had quickly gotten smart and kept it closed). Gross. Just gross.

So I cut my run short at a little over 5 miles. Who can run in those conditions? OK, lots of people can do it but I'm not lots of people and it just wasn't worth it to me.

Yesterday's run was a run of a different sort. (No flying ant-like creatures! Woo hoo!) An easy 4-miler. Scheduling was such that I had to head out after 8pm when Owen got home. No problem -- I took my cell phone and a cool little blinking light and set off.

The thing about running in the (mostly) dark is that it is a lot cooler than when running in the blazing sun. And the humidity -- well, it's virtually non-existent.

Have you had many cool, low-humidity runs lately? I haven't and, let me tell you, they are a treat! I felt like I was flying and as if I could just run forever.

Except for two things: 1) Mailboxes look a lot like ax murderers when you are running past them in the dark and 2) bats. Seriously. I have never seen so many BATS in all my life. They were flying all around -- high above me and not bothering me at all but, still. They were there. I knew it. I could see them. Bats may be my friends and all but they are also a little on the skeevy side.

So, there you have it. Creatures, creatures.

Today I'm going to attempt my speed intervals on the treadmill.
Please let there be no creatures in my basement . . .

~ Felice

Getting better.

Short, quick run on Friday. Yoga on Saturday. Easy 5-miler on Sunday.

I'm trying to vary my pace more; to run intervals fast, and slow runs slow. In the past, I've been known to run most of my runs right around 8:40/8:50 pace. Boring. For about a month or so, I've been rocking the intervals and making an effort to slow down my slow runs.

It's the slow runs that get me. I get into a groove and just start running without thinking about it and before I know it, I'm going too fast. But not fast enough for speedwork. Just in between. That lovely in between pace where my breathing feels just right and my legs feel like they could run forever and I'm gliding along happy as can be.

Yeah, that terribly wrong pace.

That's why it's tough: I love the way I feel running at my in between pace but I know that doing so isn't going to do much to help me improve. I need to run fast(er) and I need to run slow(er) and then I can toss in some lovely in between pace runs.

So that's what I'm doing. Or trying to do. Yesterday I met with success on my 5-miler. I kept it slow and felt decent. Now I just need to keep it up.

In other news, June 10th can't come soon enough. My toes are killing me. I have very high hopes for this podiatrist that I have never met and have no knowledge of, other than his listing in my insurance's provider directory. Yes, yes, yes. High hopes that this foot doctor will heal me just like that! Oh, and he will! Mr. Magic Foot Doctor . . .

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Happy Monday!

~ Felice

Running and baking.

This is the way it goes sometimes: A beautiful day but no chance for an outdoor run. That was my Thursday. The weather was perfect (mid 60s) and I so wanted to get out for a run. But, Owen had a meeting and then volleyball after work so I was without someone to watch Conal. I made the most of the day and took Conal for a 2-mile walk around the neighborhood and then we played in the yard for what seemed like hours but was probably only one.

I hit the treadmill for my run after putting Conal to bed for the night. These days, I'm having trouble with the 'mill. I can manage 'mill running only if I play with my speed. So even though I didn't plan for a speedy run, that's what I did: An easy 1.5 miles, then 4 quarter miles at 6:48 pace, 2 at 7:30 pace and a half mile cool-down.

Yesterday evening, I went out for an easy 4-miler at 9:05 pace to wrap up the week.

In between runs, I turned my kitchen into a test kitchen, baking up oatmeal cookies and toasting bagels.

I received a pound of the new I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Baking and Cooking Sticks earlier this week to try out and review. Although this product has been around for a while, the spread has been recently reformulated and re-introduced. According to the web site:

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Cooking & Baking sticks have been reformulated to contain a blend of nutritious oils, including soybean and canola oil, so they have 50% less saturated fat than butter and provide an excellent source of omega-3 ALA per serving, while baking and tasting like butter.

Now, I'm a butter gal. I love it. Love to bake with it, love to spread it on my toast and bagels. Love it. So, a product with less saturated fat and the addition of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid sounded good to me. You can check out the nutrition information here.

I first tried the spread on its own and it takes just like butter, which, I guess, is the point. It's creamier than butter, though. The other difference that I noticed is that it softened quicker than butter when I took it out of the fridge, and stayed softer.

My next test was to try a toasted bagel with both butter and the spread. I really couldn't tell the difference. Both tasted buttery and yummy!

The final test was to bake something with the spread. I decided to try out my favorite cookie recipe: Oatmeal cookies with pecans, chocolate chips and dried cranberries. The only change that I made to my original recipe was to use the spread instead of butter. Overall, the cookies were good: they tasted just like the original. But there were two consistency differences that I noticed. First, the cookies didn't puff up the way they normally do. Instead, they spread out on the baking sheet and were fairly flat. Second, the cookies stayed soft. Normally, I bake these cookies and they are all soft and chewy the first day, but they start to get a little harder by the second day. Not so with the cookies baked with the I Can't...spread.

Here's what the cookies looked like:


It was tough to show the flatness, so take my word for it!

OK, last thing. The spread came packed on ice in this cute little cooler:



All in all, I liked how the spread tasted and how it worked in the cookies. Will I buy it? I'm going to continue to look into the whole butter vs. soybean/canola oil spread. I'd like to read a little more about the pros and cons of each and then decide. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, what do you think? Are you a butter person or a spread person? Or do you take your toast dry? (I've heard that some people do that type of thing . . . )

I'm off to a 2-year old birthday party this afternoon. Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

~ Felice

Weekend runs.

I sped on Friday: 4 x 800 at 6:45 pace. Wow!

I started with a 2-ish mile warm up and then ran my measured route. My first repeat was the slowest and the others were all 2-4 seconds faster. I was happy that I was able to hit just about the same pace each time. Although, it's surprising because my route includes hills so two of the repeats were run with about a quarter mile incline. I would have thought that the repeats with the quarter mile decline would be faster, but they weren't. Maybe I'm a fraidy cat on the downhill? It's likely, for sure.

Now, I do have to be completely honest and say that by the end of each repeat, I felt like I was going to puke. Especially the last one. I was really pushing it and didn't have much left afterward. I would like to be able to keep this pace for future repeats, but increase the number. Maybe not right away but, you know, at some point this year. Once I start to be able to finish them in a non-pukey state.

I felt fine later Friday evening and my legs felt great on Saturday. No noticeable muscle soreness at all. Speedwork success!

I relaxed today: 5.47 miles at 8:49 pace.

Mostly sunny, very windy. I thought it was supposed to be warmer today. What gives, Weather? Not much to report on this run: comfortable distance, comfortable pace, I'm glad I was able to get outside.

* * *

Did you see the Siena/Ohio State game on Friday? Holy Nailbiter! That was an amazing game, with Siena eventually beating Ohio State in double overtime. This gal stayed up well past 12:30am to watch the end, sitting on the edge of her seat the whole time. Tonight, Siena takes on the #1 seed, Louisville. I'm rooting for an upset. Go Saints!

EDIT: Bummer! Siena lost.

(My brackets, by the way, are busted. Every year, the same old story . . . )

Enjoy the last of the weekend, everyone!

~ Felice