Rants, Recipes, and Running

I always like to circle back to these every once in awhile. Last time I did a "currently" update, we were getting ready to close on our house. I feel like a whole lifetime has happened since June! So here is my current "currently's" Reading : "Crucial Conversations" -- it's a leadership book I've been tasked to read by my mentor at work. It's actually really interesting - and talks about how to handle the soft skill of gracefully handling difficult conversations such as "confrontation" or giving out criticism. As much as I'd prefer some mindless reading - it is entertaining. Thinking : About how I want to decorate our house. I need help mixing modern with SW rustic (which is the style of our home). Feeling : Quiet. Ryan is gone. I work from home. If it weren't for my running girlfriends or my "Run Club" kids I coach on M, W, Th....I think I'd be talking to myself. I already have found myself talking...

With just about 6 weeks to go until race day, I thought I'd check in with a marathon training update. So be prepared to be bored with splits and details! ;) As I've said before, this is the 5th marathon I've trained for. It will be the 3rd I actually get to complete. And I will complete it. Gosh, I hope nothing stops me this time! How am I feeling? Really good. I am right on track with my pace. My only problem is I've dealing with the slightest bit of plantar fasciitis. It isn't enough to bother me while I'm running - but I definitely feel it the hours after a sprint workout! But as long as I'm good, and I ice, foam roll, and stretch -- it is all good. What kind of workouts am I doing? I'm running about 40-45 miles/week. Every other Tuesday, I get on the track and do 800 m repeats. On the weeks I don't get on the track, I do an 8 mile tempo run with 1-2 mile repeats. I run about 4-5 days/week. 1 speed/tempo run, 1 aerobic run, 1 LONG ...

If you follow me on instagram, you know that since we moved into this house - we have been busy growing our own foods. When we decided to stay in Tucson, and buy a house -- our goal was to have a house with land and privacy -- where we can grow a garden filled with vegetables and fruit trees! This is a work-in-progress and a multi-phased approach. This year, we just did a small "bed-garden". And Ryan worked (really hard) on leveling out the land, burying drainage pipes, and we got gutters installed - so we can eventually become "RainWater Harvesters"! This is my 1st real success in gardening in the 8 years we have been in Tucson, and I am so excited!! Here are the photos of what we have been growing and making: Olive trees are illegal to grow in Tucson. They cause bad allergies, apparently. But when you buy a house that was built in 1952....they can't make you cut it down! And we are technically not in city limits. So when were realizes we had olive ...