To Those It May Concern

I had big plans for blogging about marathon training. So far, my effort has been sub-par. I guess I figured no one really wants to read about that and it's not really exciting, but I've decided that since I like to read about running on other people's blogs, and this does pretty much cover four months of our lives, I'm going to put in more effort to keeping track.

This is my nice way of saying - if this bores you, there are about a billion other blogs. I'm in a fantastic mood today, by the way.

This past week was our fifth full week of training. It was our first step back week, so the long run was just 6 miles Saturday, followed by an easy 3 on Sunday.

I've yet to take a good pre-run picture, so I made MS suffer for the sake of memory. Color him unimpressed.

If your workouts are getting boring, can I suggest running on curvy roads with no sidewalks? The certainty that you will meet your death with each turn really mixes things up.

About half way through.

In the books.

Key lesson this week: Thai noodle and coconut soup served as an excellent Friday night meal. This is great information, for anyone with an addiction to Surin West.

Snack Time

Gather round and put your nap cots up. It's snack time.

I've never moved away from this K-4 staple and I hope you haven't either, because I've found some great one's lately you should definitely add to your rotation.

Long gone are the days when I burn 9300 calories a day, so I try to stick to something a little lighter.

I'm a little late to get on the greek yogurt train, but unfamiliar dairy freaks me out more than Charlie Sheen, so generally I steer clear. Big mistake. It has a thicker texture than regular yogurt, which I usually buy to feel healthy then throw out six weeks later, and the Athenos brand has fruit in a seperate compartment for you to mix in. Plus its full of protein, which makes you skinny and beautiful. Or something like that.

I finally tried the vitatops after hearing about them virtually everywhere because they were BOGO at Publix. I know you're shocked. These are great when you want something sweet. I almost like the banana nut better than the double chocolate. Great with coffee in the morning, full of protein and fiber, and right around 100 calories. These muffin tops make me happy.

Also great when you want something sweet. Antioxidants. Flavanoids. A lot of big words meaning this is a pretty good tasting snack that is pretty good for you.

And if you don't feel like a nut (sometimes you don't...) here's a great option as well. I like these with some fruit.

There you have it. The hottest in spring snacking for 2011.

Fantastic Friday

After writing this post, I've buckled down a little on the diet front. A few new favorite staples.

The breakfast smoothie. Fortunately, I have a husband who can pull himself away from the latest Charlie Sheen news to mix these up. I thanked him by cutting his face out of the picture in the background. I'm nice like that.

This was lunch yesterday, and true to the post title, it was fantastic. I pretty much felt like Giada that I pushed some spinach around in a pan with some garlic and olive oil. Go ahead and laugh.

High protein, complex carbs. Unfortunately this left me with about 14 calories for dinner and snack. I'm not entirely convinced sparkpeople's calorie counts aren't controlled by Giuliana Rancic.

In case you live under a rock, March Madness has begun. I don't like basketball. I know nothing about basketball. But who doesn't love the opportunity to act like you know something. ("I totally called that upset.") To make it more exciting (or exciting at all for me), loser plans a date night. I love to plan. I hate to lose. This is quite the conundrum for me.

Spring is here, and we've broken out the flip flops. I'm glad to wear them. The Grizz is glad to snuggle with a new pair of shoes. Happy campers all around.

Hope this weekend brings some tan lines for some of you!