Category Archives: Breakfast

13.Fun Miles

Posted on by

6

Something pretty amazing happened at the Fancy Oatmeal house today: after being a couch bum for three days, I decided to set a new running goal for myself.  No matter what, I would complete my set goal, even if I had to walk the majority of it.  Today, I would run a half marathon.  No reason to put it off until the summer.  I can do it now!

And so I did it.

Let me repeat that: I ran my first 13.1 miles (in a row) EVER this morning.  My time was 2:07:29.

This wasn’t my only “first” today.  I read once that I would not need to start taking ice baths until I started running over 10 miles at a time.  Well since that happened today, I decided that it would be a good decision to try an ice bath as well.  I’ve read plenty of blogs about other brave Polar-Bears in training, but I was still one Nervous Nelly.  Mostly about the cold.  And ever since watching Titanic, I am apprehensive about floating blocks of ice.

I had planned, while en route to 13.1 miles, to snag a heap of snow from our front yard, but since the temperature gauge read 37 degrees and rain was pelting our house, I would have to settle with one bucket’s-worth of ice from the freezer.  I set the timer on my iPhone for five minutes and sank in.

It wasn’t that bad when I first sat down…and then I realized I probably didn’t have enough water in the tub with me.

As the height of the frosty water rose up over the tops of my calves, then knees, then thighs, I began to think that this wasn’t such a great idea.  This type of hazing as part of the initiation into half-marathon-dom is just cruel.

But seriously, it would have been increasingly easier and smarter to take a dip in the Bering Sea outside my backdoor.  Noted for next time.

Running for over two hours straight, dunking my lower-half in nippy water, and burning 1,500 calories does have it’s advantages:

A Big Non-Bowel Move

Posted on by

4

Before I even get started with the blog today, I need to say one thing:

No sarcasm.  No “, but….” Nothing else to say.  It’s genuine.  I had a long day today, and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow.  So, how do you like them (teacher’s) apples???

Ok, so onto the main topic of this blog entry:

Today, I put in an order for a treadmill for Dear Hubby and I.  That’s right, folks.  I’ve decided that the best way to burn through my savings progress forward both fitness and sanity-wise is to have a treadmill in our home.  I honestly have felt anxiety pangs and shortness of breath from the thought of not being able to run on a scheduled day because of either a.) a broken community treadmill in the school’s dungeon, or b.) the snow drifts in the winter prevent our go-cart of an automobile from getting me from home to treadmill.  Yea, I’m a freak.  But in my defense, it takes one to know one.

What did we choose to spend our hard-earned/limited moolah on?  A ProForm 600.

It’s a pretty sweet machine.  I’m a pretty big fan of ProForm fitness equipment.

At home in Michigan, I have a ProForm 590T and love it.  It’s also the sponsor of my favorite hotel gym in Alaska.  So what sold me on this particular model?

  • This particular model is of a commercial breed.  It’s got a stronger, more powerful motor and the sales rep told me it averages a longer life than a home version by 8 years.  Do I think I’ll be spending the next 12-14 years on the island?  I won’t count anything out, and the German blood in me tells me to plan plan plan ahead!
  • The ProShox™ Elite 2 Cushioning absorbs 25% of the shock caused by my constant and lop-sided running strides.  I still can’t figure out why the heck I only get blisters on the inside of my left foot.  Maybe I have an emerging club foot; it would be the only part of my body that still is connected to the party scene.
  • According to Proform.com, this treadmill is Nike + iPod® Compatible, so I can “Track (my) performance with Nike + iPod®! It’s the fastest, easiest way to stay in touch with (my) workout. Simply connect (my) iPod*, work out and then sync *(my) results online at Nikeplus.com.”   So does this mean I won’t have to worry about applying a healthy layer of BodyGlyde to my upper arm in hopes that my iPhone band won’t chafe away yet another layer of skin???  Let’s hope!
  •  Probably the most important feature, and what sold me in the long run, is that this model comes with a built in fan.
I ordered the treadmill today from Proform.com.  They offered a 3-4 week window for how long it will take to ship the little bundle of joy to Anchorage.  From there, it will take a nice and gentle ride from Ace Cargo’s headquarters to the island.  From there, I just hope I can find two burly guys who can help me transport Little Sorrel (yes, I’ve named her already…after Stonewall Jackson’s horse.  He’s my favorite Civil War general, and another person who’s own allies caused him harm, in my case the treadmill itself.  Learn your history people) to the house.  Dear Hubby and I have already talked about the noise my running will create in the mornings, and we’re both fine with it waking/keeping him up.  I’m more ok with it than him, but I’ve been the more accommodating of the pair.
So hopefully before the end of October, we’ll have everything all setup.  I know.  That seems like an outrageous amount of time to wait for a treadmill, but the payoff will be worth it.
I have to share my breakfast with you today.  I’m not sure what happened, but I ended up with a touch too much smoothie.  It looked like a giant pool of chocolatey/instant coffee-y goodness.

Teachers Love School

Posted on by

8

It was the first day of school (for staff) today!!!  YEAHH!!!

In anticipation for today, I laid out my clothes and packed our lunches last night.  I went to bed an hour early knowing that my anxiety, all good, would keep me up late.  And there won’t be kids in the building until Friday!!!

Teachers are weird.  We luuuuuuurve the first day of school like it’s the last day of school.

I was fully energized after spending an hour with my fitness boyfriend, Bob Harper; fueled by a blueberry and banana smoothie.  The excitement about kicking off the school year must have got to me because after two sips of breakfast, I realized that I didn’t add the scoop of Cherry’s Jubilee SPIRUTEIN protein powder, the backbone of the whole dang thing.  WOOPS.  Despite that, I enjoy the mess out of my smoothie.

My “high apple pie in the sky” mood was further solidified when I was greeted by this as I walked out the door:

And my classroom is coming together like the edge-pieces of a puzzle.