Fast 40!

Looking for a way to shake up your treadmill running routine and get fast at the same time? Look now further -- I've got just the workout for you.

I'm loving this fun, fast, 40 minute run. And it really is fun. And will get you fast. And, honest, it just takes 40 minutes.



*     *     *

Warm up for 10 minutes

4 x 2 minute 10K intervals: Run 30 seconds at 10K pace, jog/walk 90 seconds

4 x 2 minute 5K intervals: Run 1 minute at 5K pace, jog/walk 1 minute

4 x 2 minute 10K intervals: Run 30 seconds at 10K pace, jog/walk 90 seconds

Cool down for 4 minutes

Some tips: 

• Use the last 15 seconds of your jog/walk interval to get back up to speed. That way, you start your fast section at the right speed.

• Since you repeat the intervals every 2 minutes, it is easy to keep track of this workout by saying you'll run the 10K intervals at minutes 12, 14, 16 and 18; the 5K intervals at minutes 20, 22, 24 and 26; then back to 10K for minutes 28, 30, 32 and 34. Cool down starting at minute 36.

Enjoy!

A dozen running ideas.

Hey, cool! It's 12/12/12 today!

Here are a dozen ideas to celebrate the day:

1. Run 12 miles
2. Run 12K (7.45 miles)
3. Run 12.12 miles
4. Run 12.12K (7.53 miles)
5. Run 3 x 1.2 mile repeats
6. Run 12 x 400 (quarter mile) repeats
7. Run 12 30-second pick-ups in the middle of your run
8. Run a time trial mile at 12:12pm
9. Start your run of any distance at 12:12pm
10. Run at tempo pace for 12 minutes in the middle of your run
11. Finish your run with some strength moves: 12 squats, 12 walking lunges, 12 push-ups, 12 sit-ups
12. Finish your run with 12 x 1 minute planks

Enjoy!

~ Felice

Bob Harper Kettlebell DVD (review & giveaway).

Or: Why my thighs hate Bob.

Recently, I lamented the end of Exercise TV because it had been my go-to option for at-home cross training. I was disappointed and started to look around for other options, including DVDs and kickin' old school by tearing workouts out of magazines. 1990s style. I know, I know. 


When I was invited to try a workout DVD for Yahoo! Shine in conjunction with their new Get it Guide, I was all over it. I picked Bob Harper's Kettlebell workout DVD because, well, I love Bob. I would love to workout with him but since, fortunately, I'd never qualify for The Biggest Loser I think the closest I'll ever come to working out with Bob is via the wonders of modern technology that is the DVD.


And about that DVD. For starters, it came with a 7lb kettlebell, which is a nice starter weight. Having done the workout a few times now, I think I could use a heavier weight or two, just to shake things up. But, the starter kettlebell works well and I have gotten excellent workouts using it with the DVD.


In fact, as I alluded to earlier, my thighs have worked so hard that I really think they have started to hate Bob. Or at least hate all of the squats he requires in this workout. 


Because, honestly, we're talking a lot of squats. Although it looks like the kettlebell would be an arm workout, it is more of a legs/hips/core workout. And that's fine with me because core work is important to running success so anything that works that area will help me in marathon training.


Aside from all of the squats, I liked that Bob explains how to use the kettlebell very clearly and well, without being patronizing. The woman who exercises along with Bob makes some mistakes here and there and Bob corrects her in a way that, I think, makes it so home viewers can learn the right way better. She also sweats like crazy so, if you're a sweater you won't feel so bad!


Overall, I like the workout and have added it to my rotation. I just need to get a heavier kettlebell so I can keep progressing.


Buy it!
You can buy a copy of the Bob Harper: Kettlebell Sculpted BodyDVD at Amazon for $10.99 or you can order directly from Bob Harper's web site HERE for $5.00. But, unfortunately, the kettlebell DVD is on backorder on that site.


Win it!
Or, try your luck and enter my giveaway! One reader will win a copy of Bob Harper's Kettlebell DVD, thanks to Yahoo! Shine Get it Guide.  To enter, leave me a comment letting me know you'd like to win. That's it! Easy peasy.


Additional entries:

As always, you can gain extra entries. Remember, though, you must complete the required entry first! (Leave one comment per entry for the additional ones to count):

• Follow this blog, or let me know that you already do (leave a comment) 
• Become a fan of The Happy Runner on Facebook, or let me know that you already are (leave a comment) 
• Follow me on Pinterest, or let me know that you already do  (leave a comment) 
• Check out the Get it Guide on Yahoo! Shine and let me know one thing you learned (leave a comment)
• Link to this giveaway from Facebook or Twitter (do as often as you'd like, just leave a comment each time) 
• Link to this giveaway from your blog (leave a comment) 

This giveaway will run through Monday, January 30th at 11:59pm EST and the winner will be announced on Tuesday.

Good luck!

~ Felice

Review disclaimer: I was sent a copy of the DVD to review and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own. 

Favorite treadmill workout.

When I was training for my April half marathon last year, at least two of my weekly runs were done on the treadmill. It's just what had to happen. Since I find the treadmill desperately boring, I tried all kinds of workouts to help me get through the runs. Some workouts were OK, some were really pretty good, and one was awesome. I fell in love with one awesome, easy, fun workout that I believe helped me finish faster than I had expected. I don't remember where I got the workout, so I can't give proper credit, which is too bad because it deserves it.

For some reason, I stopped doing the workout after the half. I don't know why, other than I rarely ran on the 'mill after April so I didn't need special workouts. Now, training for the marathon, I'm back at it. And I love it.

So, for those of you who have been slogging through treadmill runs, I'll share this bad boy with you. I promise you: It is easy. It is fun. It will make you faster.

Presenting . . .

1 mile warm-up (I start at about 10 min/mile pace and then go to a 9:30 pace for the last quarter mile)
12-15 bursts: 2 minute cycles of 30 seconds at 5K pace (I do 7:12) and then 90 seconds easy (I do 9:30 pace)
1 mile cool-down (I start at 9:30 and slow down each quarter mile)

That is it. 

You can do anything for 30 seconds, especially run at your 5K pace. If you are training for a half or full marathon, the 30 second 5K pace bursts will help keep some speed in your legs. If you're training for a shorter race, you'd probably want to go slightly faster than 5K pace in order to get the most benefit from the workout, and you could probably run fewer bursts. If you're not training for anything but you just want to keep your mileage up this winter, these bursts will take some of the boredom out of treadmill running.

So, have at it, friends. Enjoy!

What's your favorite treadmill workout?

Have a great weekend, everyone!


~ Felice

So. Very. Sore.

For one reason or another, I haven't run in few days. Take yesterday, for example. I figured I would run when Owen got home from work. But by the time I put Conal down for a nap, I was feeling sluggish and blah. I needed to do something. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to turn on the monitor in Conal's room so I couldn't run on the treadmill.

So, I hit up Exercise TV on Demand for a little workout. Or, in my case, a tough, butt-kicking workout!

Holy cannoli. I did a few different "shows" (I normally stick to The Shred but yesterday I shook it up) and they didn't feel too terribly tough when I was doing them but, today? Today I am sore. So. Very. Sore. My calves, hammies, butt, back, arms, core -- all sore. Sore in a good way, for sure, but sore nevertheless. The workouts kicked this runner's butt!

The workouts had a lot of lateral moves and a lot of jumping rope. Those two movements called some pretty sleepy muscles into action. Running doesn't involve very much lateral motion, afterall. And jumping? Not much of that in running either.

Anyway, I haven't run in a few days but I'm better off! Sounds weird but it is true. Whenever I get on a cross-training kick I feel like my running improves. Using those under-used muscles, and giving a break to the over-used ones, is a good thing!

So, need a break? Exercise TV on Demand really does have some effective programs to get you moving! Check it out, if you haven't already.

And . . . don't forget to check out my Smartwool giveaway, which ends tonight at 11:59pm EST! Go here to enter :-)

And one other thing! I wrote about the new Consumer Reports report on top treadmills here.

Well, that's it. Happy Thursday, everyone!

~ Felice

The upside of worrying.

Sunday's migraine scared me out of my run yesterday. I was still feeling a bit off and, frankly, I was a little too nervous to go for a run. So I worked out with my tv instead.

It was all upper body yesterday and I'm feeling it today.

I started out with my push ups and then moved on to Jackie Warner's upper body workout. I finished with some more push ups and a bunch o' crunches. These push ups are kinda killing me. And the added weight workout has made these wobbly arms of mine a little sore today.

I consider that the upside of worrying that I'll get another migraine: Stronger upper body. And I'll take it. After my last race, I realized that I need to strengthen my arms especially but I hadn't been doing anything about it. No longer. It's been almost three weeks since I renewed my commitment to the push ups and upper body strength. I feel some improvement. Not a ton, but some. And some is better than none.

What's more, this sun -- as in remarkably sunny November days -- is better than none. I know I go on and on about it but, wow, I just love it. Love this sunshine! Now, I'm just hoping that the weather is perfect this weekend for everyone running the Philadelphia Marathon. 55 and overcast? (But sunny in upstate NY?)

My fingers are crossed :-)

~ Felice

PS: My giveaway over here is still going on so check it out!
And . . . PPS: Sarah is have an awesome giveaway (yeah, yummy) here. Check her out, too!

Next training plan.

After a week of just running to run (and enjoying it a lot!) I'm itching to start training again. Luckily for me, I've been planning to run the Stockade-athon 15K on November 8th. So, with four weeks to go before the race, I'm back to training!

This time, however, I'm not going to stress myself out. I'll train as hard as I need to but I am not going to focus so narrowly on a goal, like I did for my last race. That, apparently, does not work for me. Instead, I'll follow my Take it Easy 15K Training Plan. Which looks a little something like this:

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri		Sat	Sun
1: 10/12-18	easy 4m	easy 4m	hill repeats(6x) (~7m total)	easy 4m	Rest		8m run	Rest
2: 10/19-25	easy 4m	6m tempo	easy 4m	easy 4m	Rest		5K race+ (~6m total)	recovery 4m
3 10/26-11/1	easy 4m	Rest	hill repeats (8x) (~8m total)	easy 4m	Rest		10m run	recovery 4m
4: 11/2-8	easy 4m	6m fartlek	Rest	easy 4m	Rest		Rest	15K race (~11.5 total)

My total mileage for each week will be: 27 for week 1, 28 for week 2, 30 for week 3, 25 for race week.

I'm doing hill repeats instead of speedwork because there are killer hills in the Stockade-athon. The biggest one comes just before the 10K mark and it is tough. I want to be prepared to run strong up that hill and the ones that will greet me after it. Hill repeats here I come!

That's the plan.

* * *

I was out of town over the weekend at a cousin's wedding. It was a blast! Just a total blast. Here's a pic of Owen and me at the reception (the dress was a last minute purchase and I got it for a total steal so I'm one happy mama!):


After the weekend away, today has been a catch up day. Catching up on cleaning, running and the blogs. There were some big races and I need to see how everyone did!

And, hey, don't forget that today is the last day of my Solixir giveaway. Check it out and you might just win a case of Solixir!

~ Felice

Peppy.

In my last post, I wrote about how my legs had felt like lead during Sunday's run. I had Monday off and then, yesterday, was scheduled for an easy 4-miler. I usually go at about a 9:30 pace for easy runs. Yesterday, though, I had to kick it up a notch.

When I headed out, my legs were leaden. Again! I didn't want anything to do with leaden legs so I told myself to shake it up, which, in this case, meant speeding up a bit. I ran hard up the big hill in my loop and then kept on going. I didn't speed up too much, just to an 8:45 pace. It helped. I felt so much better! The leaden legs were replaced with smoothly moving striders. It was just what I needed!

Today, though, I have speed on the schedule. I'm hoping that my slightly faster run yesterday will have prepped my legs a bit for today -- I need them to really work!

* * *

So, if you're interested, the toddler gymnastics class was a big hit. Conal loved it. He used the trampoline, the balance beams, high bar, parallel bars, everything! It was just great.

And . . . Marlene is having a Halo giveaway on her blog here. Check it out!

Have a good day!

~ Felice

Get the lead out.

First, thanks to everyone who gave me gift suggestions for my mom. I ended up giving her a framed photo of her favorite grandson. OK, her only grandson. But she thinks he's a sweetheart so she liked the photo! And we're going to go out to a nice dinner so the main gift will be an evening out. She enjoys going out to dinner (who doesn't?) so that will be a treat.

As for the rest of the weekend, well, I think I started to feel my age.

My schedule called for rest on Friday, fartleks on Saturday and 5 easy miles on Sunday. Who was I kidding? I had no problem with the rest. That went well. Fartleks? Not so much. Saturday's 4-mile fartleks turned into an easy 4-miler. I couldn't get my legs to speed up. So, I let up on myself, thinking that I worked hard on Monday and Thursday and my legs needed a break. I decided I could stretch out Sunday's run to make up for it.

Yeah, that didn't happen. I pushed and pushed and pushed and couldn't even make it through 5 miles. I stopped at 4.91 and my legs felt like big, honking stumps of lead the entire way. I don't know what was up, other than maybe I just need more time to recover after hard workouts. Maybe my age is catching up with me? Who knows. It was a bit of a drag, though, that's for sure.

No time to dwell. I've got to move on to week 4 of my plan. Here's my schedule:

Mon: Rest (I'll take it!)
Tues: easy 4m
Wed: Warm-up: 1 m easy, 800 @ 4:00, 2 x 400 @ 2:00 (w/400 rest); 10 x 200 @ :45 (w/200 rest); 1 mile cool-down (total: 6)
Thurs: easy 4m
Fri: rest
Sat: 5m fartlek
Sun: easy 7m

Total miles: 26

* * *

Today's a big day here in Happy Runner-ville. My little guy starts gymnastics today and he is beyond excited. He's been doing somersaults all over the house and tons of flips on my bed. I hope the class lives up to his expectations!

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Happy Monday!

~ Felice

It's never too early to start foam rolling.

I caught my toddler using my foam roller the other day:

The thought that immediately popped into my head was, "You're never too young to start foam rolling," which I've changed to, "It's never too early to start foam rolling" for the purpose of this post.

This whole post is really apropos of nothing so just consider it a friendly little running tip: Don't wait until you have aches and pains to start using the foam roller. Use it now. Same for The Stick. And the tennis ball!

For a long time -- I guess mostly when I was younger -- I didn't think much about preventing injuries, only healing them after they'd already arrived and thrown their injury-rific wrenches into my training plans. At some point, I started to smarten up and I began trying to prevent injuries. I started using the foam roller (thanks to my husband who got one for me) and The Stick. I use The Stick before every run, to warm up my muscles. I use the foam roller to keep injury-prone areas loose and knot-free. Obviously, I use it often enough that my toddler knows exactly what it is for and wants to get in on the action. Let's just hope he doesn't have any injuries to prevent for a long time!

Check out a foam roller and The Stick, if you don't already have them. They've been two of the most useful running tools for me. I mean, next to my running shoes and running bras, that is.

Have a great day, everyone!

~ Felice

Happiness is . . .

two kinds of ice cream, sure, but I'd settle for just a day without rain. Yes. For me, happiness would be a day without rain. Not a drought-style rainless period, just a day or two of no rain. I don't know if I can even remember what rainless days are like. We seem to have rain every single day here. Yesterday was beautiful, sunny and warm in the morning but by 3 in the afternoon it was an all-out thunderstorm. Pouring rain.

So, I guess that is my July request: Less rain. July, if you can deliver, I will love you forever.

And now let me look back at June.

June stats:

Running (miles): 70
Cross training (sessions): 13

• 30 Day Shred, level 2: 8
  
• 30 Day Shred, level 3: 2
  
• No More Trouble Zones: 2
• Some other exercise on demand thing: 1

Wow. My June mileage was way down from May but my cross training was way up. I'm not too worried about the balance shift because I had a whole week+ when I thought the world was ending in the form of my self-diagnosed runner's knee. I took several days off from running and that healed me right up so I guess it wasn't runner's knee after all.

I'm looking forward to more running in July and some vacations. Speaking of which, posting will be light over the next few days because we're heading to the beach for the holiday weekend. Yay!

Oh! I almost forgot: Happy Canada Day to all of you Canadians!!!

~ Felice

Sunday stuff.

Overcast day, temps in the mid 60s. Owen is putting together Conal's playset. I've been catching up after being away for just over 24 hours. Meaning: Laundry, buying food at the co-op, cleaning the car. Next up: An easy afternoon run.

I've decided to keep track of my monthly stats from now on. So, here's what April looked like:

April stats:

Running (miles): 81.6
Cross training (sessions): 12

• Yoga: 4 (stopped toward the mid-month)
• 30 Day Shred, level 2: 2
  
• 30 Day Shred, level 3: 3
• No More Trouble Zones: 3

Overall, I was pleased with how this month went. My speedwork is just where I want it to be and my regular ol' runs are feeling great. I'd be happier with a few longer runs but I am where I am so I'm not complaining!

And now, I'm turning off the computer and heading out to run. Yay for May!

~ Felice

It was bound to happen: The lousy run edition.

I deserved this one, this lousy run.

I've been all, "Hey, running is fantastic! Look at me speeding through speedwork and gliding through easy runs!" ever since I called off my marathon training. And I wasn't lying: my runs had been great.

Yesterday evening was, perhaps, payback for gloating. It was a lousy, lousy run.

I was all geared up to take on the hills. The wind was strong yesterday but I decided it would just make the workout more challenging. Go me!

Not so fast, Chicky . . .

I don't know what it was but my legs never felt into it. I got up the first hill feeling OK but my legs felt like they had cinder blocks tied to them when I struggled up the second. I even felt off on the flat and downhill portions of my run. I tried to push myself, but that only made my legs feel heavier. So, I cut the run shorter than I had planned and headed home, still feeling heavy and slow.

I haven't had a run like this in a while so I guess I was due. But . . . blech.

Today is a day off because my MIL and SIL are visiting. We're off to my niece's lacrosse game this afternoon so I'll probably try to trick myself into thinking that I am somehow being active by watching the girls speed up and down the field. And, who knows? I may even have to park a few dozen steps from the field. So there's that.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

~ Felice

My addiction.

I admit it: I've become a cross training addict.

Don't ask me how it happened because I just don't have an answer for you. One day, I was all running all the time, no cross training for this gal. The next day, I'm a cross trainer. I blame winter. Winter and my perpetual struggle with the treadmill. Winter, my perpetual struggle with the treadmill and the enthusiasm of Jillian Michaels. Yes, that's it.

I've raved about the Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred enough already. I still love it and definitely recommend it. But I've been branching out, trying new things.

So, for your Friday, here's some other worthy cross training options.

Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones. Yes, more Jillian. I guess I just really like her style. Or something like that. Anyway, there is one abs sequence in this workout that kills me like no other. It's tough in that "it's working!" type of way. She also introduced me to the Surrender, which is one punishing full-body move. Overall, the workout is tough but fun.

The other workout I've been doing is Elise Gulan's Ultimate Body: Yoga Fitness. Elise is an awesome instructor (and not just because we have rhyming names). She includes just the right amount of pep in her yoga instruction and she provides beginner and more advanced options for most of the moves. I decided to get back into yoga a bit after Lisa at Chasin' Bunnies started writing more about it and I'm glad I did. I feel like my body is gaining both strength and flexibility, which will ultimately help my running.

Now, I haven't loved everything that I've tried. I'm far too spazzy for Ilyse Baker's Dance Party workout, for example. I simply cannot get the kick ball change and whatnot. I need routines that don't require much flair and, I don't know, moves that require me to lift my arm over my head and say, "Party! Party! Party!" to the beat just aren't my style.

So there you have it. My reviews. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Friday and have a great weekend! I plan to get in an easy run and a long run -- and maybe a little cross training, too!

~ Felice

Wednesday evening speedwork.

I'm not the best at speedwork and I'm OK with that.

Speedwork leaves me out of breath. It doesn't matter that I am only running half mile repeats a little slower than my 5k pace. Those repeats leave me out of breath. And dripping with sweat. It's a bit on the nasty side.

The schedule called for track repeats last night. Ha ha ha! No track for this runner. The 6 or so inches of snow, followed by the freezing rain that poured down on us yesterday, combined with the late hour meant I would not be running on a track. Who am I kidding? I haven't run on a track in years. It is likely that I will not run on a track until, perhaps, if I'm lucky, March. Maybe April. And it will be a big deal. I'll write about is ad nauseum, don't you worry.

Back to the workout: I ran the repeats on the treadmill. I actually prefer to play with my speed on the treadmill rather than trying to do a steady-state run. So, off I went.

My hammies felt tight when I started but they loosened up by the end of my warm up and they felt fine through the whole workout. In other words, I can't blame my lack of speedwork ability on my legs. It's all lungs. Or, maybe it is all in my head. Hmm . . . I wouldn't put it past that head of mine to set me up for a struggle. It's been known to do things like that. Silly head.

The good thing is that I got the speedwork done and it won't come around on the schedule again until next week.

So. That means I have another rest day today in preparation for tomorrow's tempo run and Sunday's 13 miler. If you get a chance, send some sunny, warm weather vibes my way for Sunday. Yes, I can handle 20 degrees but it would be so much better if the temperature rose to the 30s for my long run. Thanks!

Snow on top of snow.

But, of course.

I'm standing in my family room, typing away on my beloved laptop and, yup, snow is falling outside my windows. Again. As if the 8-10 inches that have been covering the ground for, I don't know, like forever aren't enough. We apparently need more snow up here in Snowy Snowville.

At least it is supposed to be a slightly warmer today. High 20s! Whoa, balmy.

I was back to cross training last night and did another one of the 30 Day Shred workouts. I just love the Shred series and I'm glad I've started working out with them again. As I mentioned a few posts ago, my arms need to be strengthened and I think the exercises in the series will help me to do just that.

I've got a treadmill run on the schedule for tonight and then I hope, hope, hope I can get outside for 11 miles this weekend.

Happy Thursday, everyone. One more day until the weekend!

Give it up for Canadians!

This is not a running post. This is a confession.

Are you ready? Good. Then, here it is:

I love the Canadian accent.

Yeah! No kidding! I do. You knew it was going to be something about Canadians, didn't you? My post title gave it away, huh? You're right. I've got to work on that. Anyway, I could listen to Canadians talk for hours. No, I'm not trying to curry favor with all of those fine running (and non-running! Hiya!) bloggers north of the border. No, ho. I wouldn't do that! Not me! I just honestly dig the accent.

This fact occurred to me last night as I listened to the Rangers' coach, Tom Renney, during an interview after the game. He's a charmer! With all those raised dipthongs and whatnot. Quite lovely.

I'm having a hard time pinpointing exactly what the allure is. There's just something about it.

Ah, Canucks . . .

So, lest you think that I've gone completely bonkers with my tipsy legs and Canadian love, let me tell you about yesterday's run (I know I said this wasn't a post about running but you just can't stop me!).

Last night was Yasso 800s. Why are they hard? I don't know. They probably shouldn't be. Maybe they were hard tonight to make up for the fact that I fell so in love with Thursday's run. Who knows?

Anyway, my plan calls for me to run these in 4 minutes. Whoop de doo. I warmed up for a mile and felt fine. I ran my first 800, and it was . . . well, I finished it. I sucked it up on the second 800. But then the third was OK. After the third 800, I called it a run. Finish on a high note, that's my strategy. Yes. Three and done. I cooled down and that was it.

Afterward, though, I felt much better than I normally do after speed workouts and I'm thinking that these Yassos are all right. Just like those Canadians.

And that's it! Have a great weekend, everyone.


***Edited: For those of you that are interested, I found a little info on Canadian English and their kooky raised dipthongs.

Fun with flax!

First, let me thank everyone who has left advice and suggestions about my rest days. I'm still sorting it out but I'm leaning toward full-on rest rather than cross training. But I may add some cross-training on my easy run days. We'll see. Feel free to leave additional advice or suggestions because, really, I can't get enough of them. I'm like an addict.

An addict with a muffin making addiction, apparently. (Addict with an addiction . . . hmm . . . I guess I'm hard-up for variety in my word choice today.) (And what about that topic change? Smooth, huh?)

This is where the "Fun with flax!" comes in to play. I've been creating muffin recipes lately, part of my attempt to healthify my diet. Today, I made a super-star batch that I have deemed to be healthy. I tried them and liked them. My toddler tried them and simply could not get enough of them. You are welcome to try them as well. Fully fortified my their goodness, I headed off (well, down, to my basement) for my tempo run. One muffin provided all the energy I needed to power on through. Granted, it was only 4.5 miles but I felt strong. Thanks, muffins!

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Flaxy Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 cup muffin pan with Pam or similar spray oil. Or, you could use muffin liners. If you choose to use the liners, though, they can be tough to take off these muffins because they contain so little fat.

1-1/4c. flour (half whole wheat, half unbleached white)
1/4 c. flax meal
1 c. old fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 carrots, peeled, steamed and pureed in food processor
1 banana
1 c. 1% milk
1/2c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (first 6 ingredients). Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until well-combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir until combined. The batter will be lumpy, so don't worry about trying to get it smooth.

Pour batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Ice-o-rama.

It's ice everywhere. That and downed trees causing power outages all around.

It's pretty, though:



And my little guy enjoys playing in the icy, sunny great outdoors:

No pics of him actually outside. But he was on his way, take my word for it. And, yes, that is his mitten falling to the floor. He can't keep them on. I've given up.

I feel extremely lucky that we didn't lose power at all. Many people lost power late Thursday night or early Friday morning and are still out. My parents were told their power won't be back on until Wednesday. No fun.

Since we haven't lost power, I was able to workout with Jillian Michaels and shred it up. Yep, still shredding. I also got in 5 miles last night and my foot felt relatively OK. I followed up with the toe exercises that I prescribed for myself after surfing many bunion and foot related web sites. Today, my toe feels naggingly painful now and then but nothing terrible. In other words, status quo.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Le Ab Rocket est arrivé!

Maybe I'm just in the mood for some Beaujolais Nouveau because, really, the Ab Rocket doesn't seem all that French. But somehow that's all I could think of since Mr. UPS stopped by my house: Le Ab Rocket est arrivé!

It's on repeat in my head and if there was anyone to talk to around here, I'd be saying it -- or maybe even singing it, which would be horrible since I can't hold a tune -- over and over. Le Ab Rocket est arrivé! Le Ab Rocket est arrivé!

Now that it has arrived, I kinda want to check it out. Just sneak in a few sit ups. Do you do sit ups with the thing? Or are they crunches? Or something else -- maybe rocket ups? Ab blasters? Dunno. I think I'll leave it be and allow my mom to use it first since it is her gift, after all.

I plan to ask her for a full review, however, which I will post here. So stay tuned!

On a more serious note -- yes, there is something more serious than the Ab Rocket -- I had a crap run last night. Crap because of my crap bunion. I'm bummed. Things have been going so well since my silly ankle injury and now my bunion is acting up. I feel elderly.

It's my fault and I shouldn't be surprised because I did wear high heels to my party on Monday and they always aggravate my bunion (right foot, big toe). But I didn't expect to be quite so sore during my run yesterday. I found that the pain wasn't as bad when I sped up, so I kept my pace fairly quick and was able to go for a few miles. Once I slowed down, though, I was in serious pain. And walking afterward was really tough. Today, I'm more or less pain-free so I hope to be able to run again this evening. Keep your fingers crossed!