This is a pretty good article from Runner’s World that includes several dreadmill workouts. You know, for those times when you can’t avoid the hamster wheel.

Black Bean Spinach Enchilada        

Ingredients
{For the sauce}
3 cups organic low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Salt/pepper

{For the enchiladas}
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. cumin
3 cups shredded 3 cheese blend (or pepper jack, etc.)
8 whole wheat or flour tortillas

Directions
Make the sauce: in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, 2 tsp. cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute, whisking. Whisk in broth, bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cook until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, and set aside.

In a skillet, saute the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted.
In a large bowl, combine beans, 2 cups cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 2 tsp. cumin, and cilantro.
Preheat oven to 375.
Lightly spray  a 9x13 inch baking dish, and pour a small amount of the sauce to coat the bottom.
Generously fill tortillas with mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.
Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top.
Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions (optional).

Ha!

Portion control.

A seemingly innocent conversation with a co-worker, made me realize that tumblr has warped my perception of the world slightly.

Sometimes I forget that there are people out there that don’t think that running, lifting, eating healthy etc. is a valid life option.

I forget that not everyone does long runs on the weekends or travels for marathons.

Then I remembered why. Because living a healthy, active life is hard. It takes practice, dedication, and mental toughness. I forget that the desire to work hard to achieve wellness goals is not a priority for the average person. I wish it was, but I realize that it is not.

My co-worker could not comprehend why I would work hard to get my body back into shape after baby, if there’s a chance I might get pregnant again.

He actually said, “Why wouldn’t you just want to stay fat until you’re done having kids? Why not wait and lose the weight once?”

I understand that for him that was a legitimate question. To me, it seems ludicrous. I want to return to a healthy weight because it is the right decision for my overall health.

I am not afraid to work hard to achieve it. If I get pregnant again and have to do this all over again so be it. I will deal with that when it happens.

Rather than getting angry with his insensitive comments, I just felt sad. Sad for him and for all the other people that don’t know what it feels like to set goals and then achieve or even exceed them.

Time to start packing up my own little wall of awesome.

It’s hard to believe that all of these are from March 2010 to October 2012.

Today I am thankful that I can still see my feet, sort of. I think that may be short lived.

Did my own little Turkey Trot around the neighborhood this morning. Really it was more of a meander than a trot, but a 5k is a 5k right?

Enjoy your day with family and friends.

1. Started the day off by heading to the polls with my husband. I voted No and No on two very important state related issues. I will not be part of open discrimination against any group of people.

2. Got in a decent little 3 mile walk around the neighborhood this afternoon. I definitely should have covered my ears. They were burning by the time I got home. It was windy today.

3. Wrote another enormous check (not pictured) to the mortgage broker for the appraisal on our new home. I’m tired of hemorrhaging money. I think I’ve written out around $4,000 in checks in the last week and a half. I feel sick :(

4. I tried a new recipe for dinner Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa. It was delicious.

I met up with Ms. Melinda this morning for a run. We decided to meet at Kaposia Landing in So St Paul (my hometown, where she currently lives). The trail is sandwiched between the Mississippi River and the railroad tracks. It was 40 degrees and overcast, so we had the trail largely to ourselves. I was thinking that I wanted to run at least 3 miles, but probably no more than 4. We ended up doing 6.42 and I could have easily kept going. I haven’t felt this good while running in a long time. Of course, cool temps and good conversation always make the miles easier.

It’s nice to know that no matter how many pounds I gain or how far along I am in my pregnancy, I still have the road to turn to. I am still a runner, it is still possible to work up a good honest sweat, to put in the miles and to come home feeling satisfied and excited for the next time.

As I sit here sipping my cup of coffee trying to warm up, I am realizing how much I missed the outdoorsy smell you get after a sweaty work out in the wind. I don’t know how to describe the scent, but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. It reminds me that I have worked hard.

And on that note, I’m going to go hop in the shower and become less outdoorsy. Then I’m going to start packing some things that we don’t use regularly. We close on our house in 21 days! As much as I hate working all the weekends, I really do enjoy having all the Mondays off.

I just removed all my toenail polish for the first time since the Chicago marathon (I usually just paint over the chips).

I have two black toenails on my left foot and one on my right. I had no idea.

Oops!

This week has been so busy. I have been working late and only had enough time at home to quickly eat and change before running out the door to look at houses. We have seen 9 in the past two days and have four more scheduled for tomorrow night. By the time we are done I only have about half an hour before bedtime.

This constant running has me feeling exhausted and is leaving me no time to go for a run. I have always been able to balance busy days with working out, but this week I just haven’t been able to make it work. I feel “off” when I don’t run regularly so I need to carve out some time in the next few days.

On top of all the running around, my mom had surgery today for a full hip replacement. It went well, but she has a long recovery ahead of her.

My dad had an appointment at the University of Minnesota yesterday to learn about stem cell replacement. I’m still processing what the doctors told him. If he doesn’t go through with the procedure, his lymphoma will most likely come back in a stronger, untreatable form. Chances are high that he would live less than a year. If he has the procedure, he may not survive it. He has diabetes, MS, and a history of heart disease. All of these pre existing conditions make stem cell replacement very risky. However, if it works it could save his life.

Life has been a little overwhelming lately so I will focus on the good things that have/are happening this week:

1. The husband felt the baby move for the first time tonight.

2. We found 2 houses that we could see ourselves living in. One is even close to our current neighborhood.

3. I have a dinner date with two college friends on Sunday night.

3. I have two new delicious looking, healthy recipes on deck that I can’t wait to make.

I really didn’t feel like running this morning, but I have taken plenty of time to recover, so I forced myself out the door. I would love to say it felt amazing, but it didn’t. 2.02 tiny miles felt very hard today. I had to resort to run/walk intervals to get through it. I know that I can’t control the physical changes that are happening in my body daily, but it’s so difficult not to judge myself by my previous standards.

I need to remember that every day I run, there will be a new “normal”. I have to force myself not to think about pace or distance. My whole focus should be on just getting out there and doing something.

That said, I think I have to suck it up and buy a new pair of shoes. My Brooks Ravenna 2’s were shot a few weeks before the marathon, but I didn’t want to switch to a new pair that close to the race. I thought I could make due with my Pure Cadence minimalists through the winter, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. My feet are getting bigger (as well as everything as else) as my pregnancy progresses, and they just aren’t comfortable anymore. I was feeling pain on the outside edge of both feet. So I guess it’s time to plan a trip to the running store.

This will most likely be the first of two posts about the weekend. It’s difficult to sum up what this race/experience was about for me. In fact it wasn’t really about me at all. It never really was. From day one this race was about my dad who had just been diagnosed with cancer. It was about Melinda’s mom who lost her battle with cancer a few years ago. It was about all of the people who gave me money to go out there and kick cancer’s ass.

I never thought that I would be six months pregnant. I never thought that I would cry before stepping into the corral. I never thought I would have so many doubts that I could finish.

But then you’re running and the miles are ticking by, and you feel OK. Better in fact than you’ve felt in months while running. Before you know it you’re at the half marathon point and there are your friends and family, and you realize that this really is achievable. That you really will finish. I mean really, why did I ever doubt that? I know myself to well, there was no way I wasn’t going to cross that finish line.

I didn’t care how fast I was running. I didn’t care how many potty breaks I had to take, I just kept moving. I kept thinking about all the people supporting me at home. My parents tracking my progress from their computer. Egocentric thoughts about time goals didn’t matter. This one wasn’t for me, it was for every person who will never run a marathon, because they are to sick to do so.

The internet being there was a bonus, but it was never the reason for the race. I spotted a few of you out there on the course. It was hard to miss Claire’s Do Epic Shit sign in mile 7. I was so happy to see KC’s smile in real life somewhere around mile 18. You may not have recognized me in the moment, but I recognized you and it gave me energy.

I didn’t get to meet as many people as I would have liked, but we had limited time in the city, and I had a job to do. Someone told me that we were there for tumblr runs Chicago, which included me, but was not just about me. Which in fact was very true. I am a part of tumblr, which does include me, but no part of this was ever about me. It was always about my dad. It was always about cancer. It was always about accomplishing something impossible in honor of someone else.

So congratulations to every single one of you who showed up, crossed that starting line and did something amazing on a chilly Sunday morning. I am proud of each and everyone of you. I am so honored to be a small part of such an amazing and inspiring group of people.

To every person who stood on a corner, held a sign, rang a cowbell, navigated through a strange city and screamed for friends and strangers: thank you. Your energy and enthusiasm made my feet feel lighter and lifted my spirits in those dark moments.

You don’t have to a run a marathon to prove anything to anyone. You don’t have to run a marathon to be considered a “real” runner. But, if you get the opportunity to run one, you should. It will humble you, break you, elate you and change you like nothing else. And that is the kind of experience that life is all about.