I'm back!

...and I survived the Grand Canyon =)

(all pictures are from South Rim)

The Grand Canyon was amazing beyond words, and I feel so lucky that I got to cross it on foot- in one day! I have a huuuuge recap of my Rim to Rim crossing all ready to go that I'm going to share with you all as soon as I get some pictures uploaded. I also have some exciting stories about rafting down the Colorado River, massive blisters and incredibly sore muscles, being fitted at THE Road Runner Sports store in Phoenix, and so much more!

Checking out the South Kaibob trail... showing the Canyon my guns.

We got back to Charlotte this evening and have the weekend to recover and blog. I'm so excited to share my pictures and stories with you- Arizona was great!

RoadID Review

I know every blogger and their mother has done a RoadID review, but I feel compelled to add my own. It's such an important topic that I don't think it can be emphasized or over-reviewed enough.


I have a horrible secret: I don't run with a phone or any form of identification. I know, I know, shame on me! I usually tie my car key to my shoe and off I go. When I carry my handheld water bottle, I stuff it full of Gu/Bloks/Clif Bars that there's no room for anything else.

I've been wanting to get a RoadID for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it, blah blah blah. I even got my running buddy a gift card for her birthday so she could get a RoadID.

When I found Healthy Ashley's blog, she had just had a horrible biking accident. She took a nasty spill, was thrown off her bike and knocked unconscious. Luckily, a stranger was driving by who found her on the side of the road and used her cell phone to find out who she was and how to get her help.

That was a huge wake up call. No more procrastinating. I headed right over to the RoadID website and ordered my ankle bracelet. Now, in case something happens to me, First Responders will know who I am and who to call.


I chose the color red because I figured it stood out the most (sound reasoning, right?). While I could feel the ankle bracelet on my leg, it didn't bother me one bit during my run. And in my opinion, $20 is a very small price to pay for the piece of mind the ID brings.

If you don't run with ID, you should really consider investing in a RoadID anklet, bracelet, or shoe tag. It's cheap and could save your life!

If you're interested in winning a RoadID, go on over to Running Jennie for her awesome giveaway!

(RoadID did not pay me to do this review; I purchased the ID with my own money. However, if RoadID or any other brands would like me to do product reviews for them, I am willing ;) )

Is the Long Run Overrated?

Written by Olympic marathoner Lorraine Moller, this article discusses the necessity (or lack there of) of the long run in marathon training. The short answer to the question posed in her article title is yes, the long run IS overrated. You can go read the article here.

Runners new into the world of distance running are told to get weekly (or biweekly) long runs in to prepare themselves for the 26.2 miles they'll face on marathon day. According the this article, this methodology is frowned upon for a few reasons. The biggest reason being: a newbie's musculoskeletal system often times lags behind their cardiovascular capability. So while your breathing and aerobic ability might be able to conquer the long run, your poor weak muscles and bones are incapable of handling the miles.

One coach interviewed for the article says a lot of new runners do the long run "too long and too fast, often piled on top of other quality workouts such as tempo runs and intervals."

In order for you to even attempt a marathon, Moller says you need to perfect your oxygen metabolism. Heightened oxygen metabolism will provide greater endurance, which she defines as the "ability to sustain adequate production over the time required to keep one running without having to stop or slow significantly."

Arthur Lydiard, an elite runner of his day, said only one "carefully timed" run of 2.5-3 hours long is adequate enough to prepare for the marathon. Any runs over 3 hours wont provide any cardiovascular improvement. On other words, running slower over a longer distance doesn't do jack.

The article goes on to talk about how wonderful this training idea is, but how it's only targeted for runners who can keep a sub-6 minute pace. If you're a 'slower' runner and training for a marathon, you're just breaking down your body and asking for injury.

So... what do you think? Is the long run overrate?

I have a few thoughts and reactions to this article. First of all, it is written by elite marathoners and seems to be directed only toward those people who fit into the 'fast enough for Boston' category. The overall demeanor of the author seems to chastise those of us who want to run a marathon but aren't fast enough to do it at the speed of light. If you're not an elite runner, well, you should just put off your dream of running a marathon until you can run with the big dogs.

Would the angle be different if this article was written by your average, everyday runner? What if it were written specifically for the 10-13 minute pace runners who want to complete a marathon?

One reason why I love Jeff Galloway's approach to marathon training is that it isn't so elitist. His run-walk approach has helped thousands of run-of-the-mill runners complete a marathon. Unlike Moller, he has nothing against not having the "ability to sustain adequate production over the time required to keep one running without having to stop or slow significantly."

I wonder what Galloway and Moller would talk about over coffee?

I think Moller's training ideology might be beneficial to a seasoned marathon runner who can BQ or come close to a BQ. But for a brand new runner, like myself, I think it's the worst advice anyone could take. The long run is SO beneficial, regardless of how slow you take it, so long as you allow your body to recover properly.

And I'll tell you one thing for sure- I'm not going to let some elite runner tell me I shouldn't run a marathon just because I'm "too slow!"


Do you think the long run is overrated?

Grand Canyon Packing List

By the time you read this, I will be somewhere between the South Rim and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon! And I know you've been wondering- what the heck did she take with her for her 22 mile journey?

I'm so glad you asked =)



Trail running is like boy-scouting: always be prepared. Though I suppose girl scouts can be prepared too. Anyway, this is what I'm carrying in my 100 oz camelbak:

two long sleeve shirts
extra pair of socks
hat
headlamp
three Clif Bars
three Gus
variety of Clif Bloks and Chomps
toilet paper
two small ziploc baggies
Garmin
Gatorade Powder
extra handheld water bottle
RoadID (though if I need it, it will probably be more for a toe-tag)

not pictured:
ibuprofen
sunglasses
sunscreen
camera
bandana

No, the dog butt didn't come to Arizona with us, thus I didn't carry him in the camelbak.



What are some essentials that you take for a long run or trail run?

Potato and Kale Stew

I received this cookbook a looooong time ago when I became a vegetarian. For years, I kept it closed and in the cupboard. It called for way too many weird ingredients, and the meals sounded strange and unappealing.

But my tastes have matured in the past few years and so I've been experimenting with these recipes (and things like quinoa, lemongrass, and kale don't scare me anymore!).

Since the weather has started to turn, I figured why not make some Potato and Kale Stew with Corn Dumplings?


Ingredients include:

Dumplings:
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat, it calls for white)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (oops, I forgot to add that)
5 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten

Stew:
8 cups stock or water (I used half broth half water)
12 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup sherry (or red wine)
2 large potatoes, peeled an cut into 1/2 in cubes
3 large carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups kale, large stems removed cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup cream
1 medium tomato (or a can of diced tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice


To make the dumplings: stir cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder in large bowl; cut in butter until mixture has sandlike consistency; add milk and egg and stir; cover and chill dough for 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Flour your hands and shape dough into 1 inch balls.


For the stew: In a large stock pot, combine broth/water, garlic, sherry and bring to simmer for 10 minutes; drop dumplings into brother and simmer 5-7 minutes; remove dumplings with slotted spoon to a plate; add potatoes, carrots and kale to pot and simmer partly covered for 15 minutes; sprinkle cornmeal over mixture and stir in cream; cook for another minute.

Add tomato and cornmeal dumplings to pot and simmer 2-3 minutes; add cilantro and lime juice. Serve and enjoy!


This was a great tasting stew with a very unique fresh taste (from the cilantro and lime). The dumplings added a nice touch to the stew. This is a definite keeper!

We'll call it a taper week...

Hey friends! This week has accidentally become an offish kind of week, but that's ok. With the 22 mile Grand Canyon crossing coming in three short days, I'm going to call this a taper week!

I took Sunday (the day after the HM) off and Monday I felt pretty uninspired to run. Since I don't usually feel so "blah" when it comes to getting my runs in, I took it as my body telling me it needed more rest. I forced myself to go out this morning though. I got almost 4 miles in before calling it quits. My legs still felt fatigued from Saturday and my mind is so cluttered with things that still need to get done before we leave tomorrow.

I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow! When you plan for something so far in advance, it's kind of strange when the time actually arrives. I'm also pretty giddy to finally go on vacation since our anniversary more than a year ago!

Of course, the highlight of this trip is the "Rim to Rim Grand Canyon Crossing." If I had a bucket list of things to do, it would definitely be on there. We'll be waking up bright and early Friday morning to begin our descent into the Canyon. Armed with my 100 oz camelbak, a handful of Gus and cliff bars, and probably some PB&Js, I don't I'm going to have a problem getting across (famous last words?). We're planning to start on the South Rim and end on the North Rim, where we'll have nice comfy beds waiting for us at the North Rim Lodge. The following day, the crazy people (ultramarathoners of the group) will recross the Rim while I play tourist with the sane-people.

The one thing I am worried about is tripping on the trail and falling off the side of the Canyon to my doom. Of course, dehydration in 90 degree heat and the 6,000+ foot climb out of the Canyon should probably worry me more.


While the Canyon crossing is the highlight of the trip, we're also planning to hit up some touristy things in nearby towns and Indian reservations before concluding our trip in Phoenix.

Unfortunately, the house we're staying in doesn't appear to have internet. Wah. I will schedule some random posts through out the week and whenever I get internet I will definitely post some pictures.

On a side note, do you think I could get this bag through security?


Yeah, me neither.


Ever been to the Canyon? (Was it Grand?)

Run for Green Half Marathon

"It takes courage to push yourself to places you have never been before... to test your limits, to break through barriers." Anais Nin

A year ago, I remember sitting at my kitchen table in front of my laptop, looking at the "submit" button for the Charlotte Thunder Road Half Marathon. I debated over and over in my head, can I do this? Do I have what it takes? This is crazy!

For Half Marathon #4, I registered on a whim, a mere four days before the run. I like to think I'm living on the edge these days ;)

This morning started out pretty much like every other early race day morning. Alarm goes off; put running clothes on; coffee to the face; check e-mail. And just like last week, I had a friendly face to help me do it all.


I've gotta start taking that dog on runs! I mean look at that face- it's just begging to put some miles in.

I was running this race solo, so I was pretty much on my own schedule from the moment I woke up. I ate my pre-long run breakfast (two waffles + PB & syrup) and mixed up a Nuun tablet in a water bottle. I left the obligatory dog-note for David.


Since Davidson is a tiny little town, it was pretty easy to find parking. I arrived with a little over 30 minutes to kill, so I walked around to soak up some race energy and visit the plastic throne.

source
(not so much)

There were about 700 people that made their way to the start line between the half, 5k and 10k. I gotta give it to the race director- he did a great job making rounds and talking to all the runners! He was even warning the half marathoners of the 'hill' we would encounter at mile 11. His advice was to take it slow; once you get past that hill, you're home free. Ha!

I'm not sure who said, "go!" but the blob of runners eventually started running forward- at 7:30 AM on the dot. The first mile was almost entirely downhill, which I would have welcomed with open arms if it didn't mean the finish was up hill (out-and-back course).

For the first three miles, I was trying to keep my pace under control, find my groove, and enjoy the day. The course was very well marked and there were water/Powerade stations every few miles. Looking back on it, I could have gone without my water bottle. The course was a mix of Greenways (paved walk/run/bike paths), roads, and neighborhoods.

Around mile 4 I started making small talk with another runner (I think I mentioned something about how pretty the neighborhood was- turns out he used to live in the development when there were only a dozen houses built!). My new-found friend, I think his name was Bill, did a great job distracting me from my pace and the hills. We chatted about the neighborhoods, work, kids, dogs, and of course, running.

I looked down at my watch and saw we were keeping about a 9:15 pace, and I remember thinking, "I could really regret this, or this guy could help me PR..." Turns out he was a half-ironman (possibly a full? don't remember) and basically eats half marathons for breakfast. From mile 4-11, up hill and down hill, we kept a sub-9:30 pace.

He offered a great distraction from the monotony of running and it was nice to "tailgate" off someone else's pace. That and I'm too stubborn to let off and fall behind him!

Around mile 8 or 9, we started running with another lady, from Brazil, who is running the Chicago full in a few weeks. It was nice adding a third to our groove- it meant less talking for me!

By mile 11, I was really starting to struggle to keep their pace. I thanked them profusely for carrying me through this far and bid them good luck. Form here on out, I was running off and on with other people; most notably were two ladies who were running their first half marathons. It was great to interact with some fresh blood (that and their pace was just what I needed!)

We hit that hill the race director warned us about (although at this point, it felt more like a climb). This one the only portion of the race I walked- and I'm pretty sure walking it got me up it faster than running would have!

We kept turning corners through neighborhoods and at each turn, a volunteer would yell out "three quarters of a mile left!" and "half a mile!" and "only a 3rd of a mile!" I looked down at my Garmin at mile 12.5, and seeing it read 1:50 something, I put my head down and pushed on. I knew I wasn't going to break 2 hours, but I was sure as heck going to see how close I could get!

I ended up crossing the finish line at 2:03:56! Holy CRAP! What had I just done?! My legs felt a new kind of tired, but I was so high on Cloud 9 I hardly noticed. I found Bill, who finished just over 2 hours, and told him he helped me crush my PR by over 7 minutes. I think I could have kissed him I was so happy! (Don't worry, David, I didn't).

My running BFF met me and we walked around the post race party, visited the farmers market, and of course, hit up the coffee shop (I was so chilled I was shaking- it was in the 50s and spitting rain).

The rest of the day included lots of laying around and eating, as well as watching the GATORS crush the Volunteers (well, maybe 'crush' isn't the right word, but we beat 'em!).

Watching the game with a heater on each side.

I still can't believe what I accomplished today! Clearly, I haven't been pushing myself as much as I should be, because I had no idea I was capable of this. After running this hilly race just under 2:04, I am confident that I will run a sub-2 hour half marathon. As soon as Savannah is over, it's my next big goal!

The race shirt and bling.

How's your weekend going?

The day I gave Walking the Finger

If you know me or have followed my blog for a while, you know I'm a big believer in walking breaks. For this reason, it pains me to write this post: The day I gave Walking the Finger.

Since I've started training for my first marathon, I've taken my pace and slowed it waaaaay down. My half marathon PR is about 9:55/mile pace; my goal pace for my marathon is 11:00/mile. Because I've been training at a much slower pace than before, I didn't figure I'd be burning up any races with PRs.

Wrong.

I've been keeping a pretty even 9:30/mile pace for all my runs under 6-7 miles (the fastest I've ever been). I even made a PR in my 10k race last weekend. So what gives?

I'm by no means an expert on speed, BUT my guess would be this: training for a marathon has built my endurance up to the point where I can run 6-7 miles strong. As in, without walking. Where as before I would take walk breaks to recover, now I take "jog" breaks to recover.

Genius, no?

In the short time that I've spent speed training, I've noticed that I can pull a relatively quick 5k time out, but when it comes to pulling a half marathon at the accompanying pace, I just don't have the stamina.

Let me explain: Runner's World has a great calculator that will give you predicted finish times based on a recent race time. If I put in my fastest 5k time - 26:48 - it says I should be able to finish a half marathon in 2:03. This was clearly not the case back in June when I was at Hickory; I finished in 2:10 (a PR that I'm very proud of!). I believe that's because while I had the speed, I didn't have the endurance (and Hickory has hills from hell).

Having completed a few high mileage training runs (over 15 miles), I feel my endurance building. All of a sudden, running 30 minutes without stopping feels like a breeze, and running a 10k straight through doesn't seem so daunting. Could it be that running slower has made me faster?

I'm curious to see how things pan out this weekend at my Run for the Green Half Marathon. My ultimate goal is to run it strong and have fun; I'm also not opposed to taking walking breads, but I'd be over the moon if I didn't walk more than just at aid stations. But aside from that:

Reach Goal: finish in under 2:10:19, thus achieving a new PR
Desired Goal: finish around the same time as Hickory, 2:10
If-All-Else-Fails Goal: finish in under 2:15


What says you? How have you trained for speed/endurance?

Potpourri Posting (about Pumpkins)

Hi friends! Sorry I've been MIA lately. I HAVE been running, but when I finally sit down at night and open the window for a new post, my inspiration vanishes. It's like I all of a sudden have writer's block.

So here's the down and dirty about what's been going on in Danielle-land lately.

• After I finished my 10k race last Saturday, I went home to bake pumpkin goodies and eat my weight in pumpkin deliciousness. Pumpkin bread (amaaaaazing recipe, I definitely will share it with you!), pumpkin oatmeal cookies, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin coffee... I'm not sure why my poop hasn't turned pumpkiny orange yet. (TMI? sorry)

• Sunday, I did some cross training at the gym before completing another NROLFW session. I managed 15 minutes on the stair master before I decided I'd had enough. I've briefly mentioned this before, but we're going to Arizona soon (next week!) on a family vacation where I will attempt succeed to cross the Grand Canyon with my dad and uncle. It's only 22 miles. How hard can it be? (note: do not be misled, I am taking this very seriously!)

• On Monday, I ran an incredible 4 miles around my neighborhood in 36:23. Every time I looked at my Garmin and it read 9-something, a huge smile spread across my face. Of course, running by hoards of kids waiting for the bus encourages you to run faster. Then I ate 2 dozen pumpkin oatmeal cookies. For recovery purposes.
  

• On Tuesday, I tried to run 6 miles at my half marathon pace, because SURPRISE! I signed up for another race this weekend- the Davidson Run for the Green Half Marathon. So I arbitrarily picked 10 minutes to be my goal pace for this race and "ran" with it. I went as 'slow' as I could but still managed a 9:30/pace. What can I say? I'm pretty much a rockstar now ;) (maybe it's all the pumpkiny goodness I've been eating)
  

• Tuesday was also take your dog to work day. Reason number 12853276 why I love my job: I can bring my furry kids to work.

While I worked, Crazy Face beat up my boss's dog, who is probably 5 times his size/weight. I'm starting to understand why his previous owners named him "Kujo."

• This morning, I woke up to my body yelling, "You're a monster! Stop abusing me!" So I decided it was a rest day. Plus, it's garbage day and running on garbage day stinks. More time to eat my pumpkin cookies.
  

I think that about does my potpourri post for today. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a themed blog entry again.


Tell me some random things about your day/week!

Are you a fan of pumpkin?

Hog Jog 10k & Stephen Siller 5k

This morning's race started like every other race morning- the alarm went off, I groggily got out of bed and put the coffee cup to my face. And like every other early morning of a run, I questioned my sanity.

David and Little Paws slept away. But at least someone was happy to be up with me. Please excuse my "this is 5:30 AM and I haven't looked in the mirror yet" face.


As soon as my running buddy arrived, we were off to Charlotte.

This was the second year I ran the Hog Jog- last year I was training for my first half marathon and was just getting back in the racing scene after a 3+ year hiatus. In 2010, the Hog Jog was only a 5k and went through Center City (aka- downtown Charlotte). I had a blast running the Hog Jog last year and vowed to run it every year while I lived in/near Charlotte.

This year, the Hog Jog evolved into a 10k run with a little brother 5k race. If you've never heard of Stephen Siller or what he did, read up on the history of the Stephen Siller race here.

I was surprised at the low numbers this year- 269 10k finishers and 149 5k run/walk finishers. I was also a little surprised that the course didn't even dip into downtown Charlotte. Instead, the course was an out-and-back that began and started at the NC Music Factory (the main sponsors of the race).

The race was somewhat well organized and started promptly after 7:30 AM. We ran through neighborhoods and over interstates, along railroad tracks and behind water towers (you know, the scenic parts of Charlotte.... ;) ). The hills were relentless for the 10k course, but for every gradual uphill we were rewarded with a generous downhill portion. At one point my Garmin told me I was at an 8:00 pace. So that's what if feels like to fly.

I tried to hold back for the first half, but got tired of fighting the downhills. So instead I kept whatever pace that allowed my legs and my lungs to jive the best. The turn around for both races was at the Johnson C Smith University track/football stadium- I thought that was kind of neat!

I walked for a few seconds at the first two water stations but that's about it. I kept a decent pace the entire time. Here are my mile split times:

Mile 1: 9:31
Mile 2: 9:17
Mile 3: 8:52
Mile 4: 9:25
Mile 5: 9:21
Mile 6: 8:37 (whaaaa?!?!?!)
Mile .32: 7:46 (yes, the course was long)

Chip Time: 57:28
Overall Pace: 127/269
Gender Place: 57/164
Division Place: 16/48
Overall Pace: 9:15/mile

I'm so freaking happy with this! For having done ZERO speedwork, I still managed to pull out a 10k PR. Wow.

I've come SO FAR form where I was a year ago. My stats from last year's 5k:

Chip Time: 32:54
Overall Place: 414/556
Gender Place: 198/309
Division Place: 63/85
Overall Pace: 10:49

I'm not sharing all this because I think I'm awesome or anything. I'm sharing this to show everyone that IT IS possible to improve your time! I was one of those people that was happy with the level I was at because I never thought it was possible for me to achieve more. I never knew my speed would improve so much from just a little bit of hard work and sweat.

Proof that you have to set the bar high and push yourself beyond what you think your body is capable of. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish- I am!



What's been your biggest running accomplishment?

Just 9 Miles

The weather has cooled down, Pumpkin Spice lattes are out, and the snot rockets are powering up their engines.

It must be Fall.

Which means the big Florida baby in me is going to be coming out in full force once the temps dip below... 60. That's right, I'd rather run in the heat of summer than the dead of winter.

Now I wouldn't consider this morning 'cold' by any means. It was just low 60s. But it was cool enough that I wanted nothing to do with running shoes and everything to do with snuggling with Thing #1 and Thing #2 (Little Paws and Crazy Face).

So that's why it took me more than three hours after my alarm going off to get out for my long run (luckily, I have Thursday mornings off, so I can afford to procrastinate).

On my training schedule was ten miles. I only pulled out nine miles, but they were a great nine miles. In fact, my last mile was 8:59! Huzzah!!! I cut the run short by one mile though for two reasons: in order to complete another loop, I would have had to go up to 11 miles (and we can't have that) and I'm 'saving' myself for my 10k race this weekend. Sound reasoning, right?

But what I found most interesting about today's long run was my lackadaisical approach to the distance. Nine miles is nothing to scoff at for sure, but it's hard to get uppity about it when I ran 20 miles last week as my long run.

My, how marathon training skews our perception of distance!


So... what's your long run distance for this week(end)?

Go check out Watch MeGo Run's blog to enter her sweet give away for leggings (or don't, cause you know, the Floridian in me needs them more ;) )

Tweet Tweet!

It's finally happened. I'm a Tweeter.

I have to be honest with you all... Twitter confused me for a very, very long time (and still kind of does). But for the past few weeks, I've been poking around Twitter, reading tweets from various bloggers and been thinking, hey- I could get the hang of this!

So this evening I created my account! You can follow me at LngMayYouRun (or is that @LngMayYouRun?). Just be patient with me... I'm still kind of figuring this stuff out =)

Bart Yasso even started following me! *Very cool*

On an unrelated note (or possibly related, this is a running blog afterall) I got 4 of my 6 planned miles this morning. The weather was perfect- overcast with sprinkles and a light breeze (thank you, Tropical System Lee).

But I don't know what was going on with my legs. Things just felt like an uphill battle the entire time. So I took a cue from my body and called it. I got the most out of the run that I could and called it a day. I'm ok with that. (Maybe I'm still partially recovering from last week's 20 miler?)

And because I know you all can't get enough puppy pictures, I thought I'd leave you this snapshot. Crazy Face loves to be all up in my business. He's a weird one.


Tell me what your screen Twitter name (?) is so I can follow you!

What do you like and use the most with Twitter?

Grilled Pizza

How wonderful does it feel to know that we have one more day in the weekend left? =)

I knew Crazy Face was going to wake me up at his normal 6:30 AM potty time, so I decided before I went to bed last night that I was going to just head out for an early run. I pulled out a 10k in about 57 minutes and felt great. For most of my runs, I add in some recovery walking, but not this time. In fact, during the last mile I realized I had been running the entire time! I just zoned out and was going. It felt great.

For dinner tonight, I was in the mood for pizza.

Whenever I get a hankering for pizza, I don't pick up the phone to call the pizza delivery guy. Oh no, I gather my ingredients to make the world's finest pizza at home. Trust me, once you make pizza this way, you'll never be able to go back to take-out pizza. Ever.


Grilled Pizza
You can make your own pizza dough, as I've done, or you can buy premade pizza dough. It's really up to you. Either way, the dough will cook pretty quickly on a hot grill grate.

You'll want to gather your favorite pizza toppings: green peppers, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni, etc. Just make sure they're cooked before you add them to the pizza.

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook time: 6-8 minutes

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 packet (.25 ounce) dry active yeast
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
  
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup grilled onion
• 1/4 cup grilled broccoli
• 1/4 grilled green pepper
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• olive oil
  

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast with warm water. Add sugar, salt and olive oil and whisk until dissolved.
   
2. Mix in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Slowly add 3/4 cups bread flour. Remove dough from the bowl and continue to knead on a counter top, slowly adding in remaining 3/4 cup bread flour.
3. Coat dough ball with vegetable oil and let rest in large bowl, covered, for one hour or until doubled in size.
4. Punch down and divide into two smaller balls. Place smaller balls on a lightly floured cookie sheet, cover with towel, and let rise for another 20 minutes.
5. While small dough balls are rising, prepare pizza toppings (chop and cook); prepare grill to medium heat.
6. Punch down dough balls and roll into flat ovals. When shaping, place each pizza crust on an oiled cookie sheet in order to spread oil on one side of crust.
7. Place dough on grill, oiled side down. Cover lid and let cook 3-4 minutes.
8. Lightly brush top of crust with olive oil; flip crust. Lightly brush new side of crust with olive oil.
9. Add your toppings in this order: cheese first, pizza sauce, prepared vegetables/meat, fresh basil.
10. Cover grill and let cook another 3-4 minutes. Ideally, it should cook until the cheese melts, but you'll want to remove the pizza before the bottom burns.

Ta-da! Now you have amazing tasting grilled pizza. You have to either work fast so your dough doesn't burn, or prepare a non-heated portion of your grill to rest the dough on while you add your toppings. Since the cheese takes the longest to melt, you'll want to add it first to give it the most time over heat.

Lucky for me, I had two supervisors helping me each step of the way.


Happy Sunday everyone!

Labor Day Shenanigans

Hey hey bloggy friends! I hope everyone has had an enjoyable start to their Labor Day Weekend, and more importantly, college football weekend!

I briefly contemplated going for a short, easy run yesterday but the soreness/pain I was feeling in my upper back had me running to none other than my chiropractor. Funny how 20 miles makes my back, shoulders and neck hurt, but my legs are fine! After to little adjusting I felt much better and today, I feel as good as new!

Yesterday we headed to the dog park with Little Paws and Crazy Face (this shall be Roscoe's nickname). They had a blast together, tag-teaming a 150 lb Great Dane. Why is it that the smallest dogs have to harass the biggest dogs?

Two tired Jacks.

This morning I headed down to Crowders Mountain with my running buddy for some hiking, friend, and canine time. She brought her doggy who gets along great with Roscoe.


We hiked over 4.5 miles going up and down that mountain! Good cross training, right?


Now it's time for some football! Go Gators!!

David and me back in the college days.

How are you enjoying your Labor Day weekend?
Are you a college football fanatic? If so, who do you root for?

How to Run 20 Miles (and not die)

Let's do some math. After this week, I have 9 weeks until the Savannah RnR Marathon. With a 2-3 week taper, my last long run will be in 6-7 weeks. I'll be in Arizona for a week, so subtract that. What I'm left with is a measly 5-6 weeks left for training! Eeek!

With a 20 mile trail run/walk, an 18 miler, a 16 miler, and various 15 milers in the bank, I still had the all elusive 20 miler hanging over my head. While my brain didn't feel my body was ready for it, I figured it was time to see what my legs were capable of. After all, I have to do it sometime or another if I'm going to have any hope in running a marathon.

I've been scaling back the duration and intensity of my runs this week in preparation for the big 2-0. Last night, I gulped down copious amounts of Gatorade and water while googling, "how to run 20 miles." The most useful hit was from running-advice.com which basically said: yeah- you'll be really tired after 20 miles but if you're conditioned properly, you can do it.

With that in mind, I tucked the doggies in for the night and got some shut eye.

When I awoke this morning, I hardly needed incentive to get going. I was nervous and excited for this next big step. I filled my fluids up, grabbed some Gus and Chomps, and headed out the door.

There were three HUGE contributing factors that led to my first successful 20 mile run: proper fueling, taking it slow, and finding the right inspiration.

Proper Fueling: Being Proactive

May we all take a moment to recognize the awesomeness that is the Camelbak --------

I was tired of running around in 5 mile circles so I could switch out water bottles from my car, and my waist hydration belt gives me matching chafing marks on each butt cheek. So this morning, I tried out my new camelbak. I was a bit hesitant because let's be honest, the coolness factor goes down when you strap on one of these bad boys (though not as much as a 'fanny pack.') But a runner's gotta do what a runner's gotta do.

I filled the 70 once bladder up with ice cubes and three bottles of Gatorade. At every mile of my run, I had instant, hands-free access to ice cold Gatorade. It. was. AWESOME!

I firmly believe that having this bad boy allowed me to get the fluid intake I needed to cover all 20 miles. I didn't feel even the slightest hint of dehydration.

I also took 3 Gus and a few Bloks along the way. I didn't really feel like I needed them, nor did I particularly WANT them, but I forced them down anyway. In conjunction with forcing myself to drink every mile, I think I stayed on top of my fueling. After all, when you feel thirsty or hungry, you've already reached depletion mode.

Taking It Slow

I'm constantly amazed by the number of runners who set out on their long runs with the hopes of achieving a pace that is way too fast for them (at the point they're at). Then they get injured and are left scratching their heads and wondering what went wrong.

There are a lot of equations, estimations, and calculations as to what your marathon pace (and marathon training pace) should be. Whatever story you buy into, you HAVE to remember to slow it down for your long run and BE CONSERVATIVE. Walking (in my opinion) is OK. I would rather walk during my marathon and cross the finish line than be so stubborn as to only run and then injury myself.


My marathon time goal (even though I know us marathon-virgins shouldn't have a time goal) is anything with a 4 in front of it. As long as I cross that finish line by 4:59:59, I will be so happy. As such, I've been doing my long runs at about an 11:00/mile pace. So far I've been successful, including today's 20 miler.

Plus, my 11 minute miles will still beat the couch potato! =)

Find The Right Inspiration

I run mostly by myself. I know I need to join a running group, but so far I've been able to find every excuse imaginably not to. So because I run by myself, my long runs tend to be very... long. I've found for my shorter runs and speedwork, I do really well with music. For long runs, I do better with audiobooks and podcasts.

This morning, I listened to 4 (or 5?) Marathon Training Academy podcasts. It was great to listen to Angie and Trevor talk about training for a marathon WHILE I was training for a marathon. It kind of blew my mind. By mile 15, this wasn't hard to do =)

I had also made plans to meet my old running buddy (and partner in crime) at mile 17. She was forced to take some time off after training for our first half marathon together due to an injury. She needed to tackle 3 miles today. Having her beside me during the hardest part of each long run (the end) did wonders. Not only did it give me something to look forward to at the ungodly early hour that I started at, but it also took my mind off the stiffness and aches I was having in my... well, all over the place.

So find a good audiobook, podcast, or training partner. And don't underestimate their power of distraction!

So if you've made it to the end of this very long post, thanks!! I had a great run this morning and I'm really feeling more comfortable about this marathon thing.

I just don't want to get too cocky. That's when bad things start happening ;)

I kinda stole the above picture from this awesome blog. Go check it out =)

How do you power-through the long runs?

Tell me how your training is going!!