Sunday, April 29, 2012

Half Day

The day I was waiting for finally arrived: Half Marathon Day.  It was a great run!  There were over 8,000 runners (half and full marathon.)  It started at 7am and began and ended at Hayward Field, a field right across the street from the law school at UO.  My awesome hubby went along and took Trooper to help root for me. 
My friend and I finished at 2 hours and 25 seconds.  If you missed my finish, I have attached a video clip below. 
For the run, I wore a fuel belt (with two water bottles) and took one Gu (energy gel) at the one hour mark.  A few weeks ago, I'd purchased synthetic fiber socks with really good cushion.  They were great: no blisters and minimal friction (would have been extra important if there was rain.)  I also wore my watch so we could have an idea of our splits at every mile marker.  (We averaged 9:12 per mile.) 
Eugene loves the marathon!  People were out and cheering for us almost the whole way.  People were playing music, ringing cowbells, screaming, etc.  One of my other awesome girlfriends even got up early and watched us run by near her house.  We saw some pretty funny "cheerers."  One guy had a poster that said "Worst Parade Ever."  We also saw a bunch of young dudes drinking PBR on lawn chairs in their yard.  At 7:15am.  It seemed like a big deal for Eugene. 
After we ran, we went to Off the Waffle, an amazing waffle place in town.  I am not a huge waffle person, but these "Liege" waffles were ridiculous.  I had mine with an egg and bacon on top and Jim had his with an egg, goat cheese, basil, and avocado on top.  OMG.  I also had a mimosa, which I obviously deserved. 
Next question: will I have the motivation to tackle a full marathon one day?  For now, I need to rest my tired legs. 

Friday, April 27, 2012

Friday Pics

 I keep forgetting to post my embroidery project!  I made this Gnome-Scape on a tea towel for Jim's mom's birthday.  I found the pattern on the Snuggly Porcupine blog. 
 Will work for peanut butter and apple.  These two guys are TIRED.  It's been a stressful week at the Zika/ DiVerde household.  Last night we all got a good night's sleep, finally.  The Legal Beagle has his first final next Friday and will be done for the year (yay) on May 11th. 
PS Trooper prefers Trader Joe's smooth unsalted all natural peanut butter.  (If you were wondering.)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Itchy Pup

Our poor doggie had to have his rear end shaved today!  His hot spots are so bad that he (and therefore we) can't sleep through the night because all he's doing is gnawing on his little puppy body.  The vet also gave him a shot of steroids (which we hate, but he needs some relief) and antibiotics.  Hopefully no doggies at the dog park will laugh at him. 

Monday, April 23, 2012

Half Marathon Viewing Info Edit

Do you want to see me finish the half marathon?  I should be done around 9am Pacific time, and you can see my tired face online.  Here are the details that were emailed to me from the Marathon:

"Online: Your fans can track you through the Eugene Marathon home page on race day. Just follow the "Track a Runner" link (only available on race day) to find live, race split updates.

Live Finish Line Video: Tell your distant fans your approximate finish time and they can watch you finish! Access to the live finish line video from our home page (only available on race day).
Results: Results can be found on the Eugene Marathon website and at the Results tent in the Reunion Area. "
 
I am Bib# 5566.  Check out the Eugene Marathon website for details!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Busy Bees

We have just wrapped up a fun but tiring weekend.  Woo.

On Saturday morning, my running buddy and I woke up and ran 11 miles at 7am.  It took us almost exactly 1 hour and 50 minutes.  (Did you know that I ran 30 miles this week?)  That was our last long run before the half marathon.  We are totally ready.  After we ran, she and her boyfriend came over and I made us all Spanish baked eggs, then she and I went to the Saturday market and the fabric shop.  As always, it's great to have girlfriends, especially as finals approach. 

Saturday afternoon was a BBBS group day at a Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts) studio.  My LS had a great time.  I, on the other hand, felt like my legs were going to fall off.  We were there for two hours, and after running 11 miles, not so easy.  But my LS had a great time and it was awesome for her to be exposed to something new. 

After a few hours of martial arts, I picked up Trooper and took him to a park where our friends were playing kickball.  (We had a really summery, dry weekend.)  Trooper was def the MVP of the game.  Then we grilled and played games before I had to put the Legal Beagle to bed.

This morning was one of my fave 5ks: King Estate winery.  We (my girlfriend and I) left Eugene around 7:45 this morning and drove around 40 minutes out to the winery.  It was a really foggy morning, but by the end of our run, the sun broke the fog and the winery looked beautiful.  The terrain was really hilly and it's a great challenge of a course.  I even rewarded myself with a half a glass of wine at the end.

After we drove back to town and ran a few errands, I took Trooper Z. to the dog park.  The pollen has been really bad here and he's had about 3 days of really intense itching.  The poor pup itches and itches and itches.  I can hear him itching in the other room right now.  We are giving him 2 Zyrtec a day, 1 cyclosporine, and I gave him an oatmeal bath.  Poor poopers. 

And finally, I made a few tasty recipes tonight.  They were both great for a nearly 80 degree and sunny day in Eugene (yayyyyyy global climate change!)  Even the Legal Beagle said they were both fresh recipes.  I made a spicy Cuban mojo chicken with a side of cilantro lime rice.  I also fried a plantain on the side and daydreamed of going to Cuba.

Well, blog readers, my dogs are barking.   

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Happy Birthday, Trooper Zika


This pic was taken the day we adopted our puppers.  If you could see him now, you'd realize how mangy he looks in this picture.  (He's a gentleman who prefers to be well groomed, thank you.)

Two years ago today we adopted our favorite furry companion, Trooper.  We adopted him through Rover Rescue, out of Aurora, Illinois.  According to his foster mom, he was found as a stray in Southern Indiana.

I have become crazy dog owner lady, but I think that's okay.  Trooper will charm your socks off with his sweet little face and tri-color mask, make you laugh when he plays, and cuddle with you while you're sleeping.  He may cost us hundreds of dollars a year in medicine, allergist visits, special food, etc., but his companionship and love are worth every penny.  We heart you, Trooper!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Recipes and Such

My darling friend suggested Rachael Ray's slow cooker recipes.  Yesterday I made the Pepper Steak, which turned out really well.  I cut the recipe in half and it still left us with some leftovers for lunches.  I added in a sliced green pepper along with the red and yellow and also added a half cup of water and some crushed red pepper for a little spice.  Gotta love the slow cooker. 
We are looking ahead to another fun weekend: Thursday night we are attending something called The Law of Wine, which I think is just us drinking wine and eating dinner and learning about the laws of wine.  Or something.  Saturday morning will be my last long run before the big day: 11 miles!  And on Sunday I am participating in the King Estate Winery 5K.  Last year's was lots of fun, and it was only $5.00 for those participating in the Marathon or Half Marathon.
Until then, business as usual!
Oh, and I found a fun website today.  If you are feeling particularly materialistic (which I am more often that I should be), Elements of Style is a fun blog to read/ puruse/ be green with envy of.




Saturday, April 14, 2012

Beautiful Saturday

 Oh my gosh, what a beautiful Saturday!  Sunny and 60s.  We had to get outside.  My little buddy Oliver was ready for some hiking.  We hiked a part of the Ridgeline system of trails. 
 Trooper was jealous of Oliver's awesome yard.  I told Trooper that in a few years we'd have a yard of our own, and if we are really lucky, a fenced in one at that. 
My awesomely wonderful friend and running partner is allowing me to help in her garden this year.  Today we planted beans, peas, and a lot of organic lettuce.  The beans and peas were started from seed, but we purchased the lettuce at the Saturday Market.  I'm already excited about summer veggies. 

After a wonderful day outside, we are relaxing at home.  Jim is making Giada's Chicken Marsala with Mascarpone tonight.  I will probably fall asleep on the couch at a silly hour, but that's fine since tomorrow is our 10 mile run.  We are starting at 7:30am to try to get ready for race day (7am on April 29th!!)


Book Club

This picture was texted to my wonderful husband, who as he dropped me off at Book Club, yelled, "Drink water!"

Thursday, April 12, 2012

April Book Club

Tomorrow night is Book Club night!  It's always a fun reason to drink wine with some great women.  This month we are discussing In The Woods by Tana French.  I didn't really like this book, but I don't read many crime/ mystery books, so if you like that genre, I'd say give it a try.  It's a fast and easy read. 
Tonight I tried out my Book Club snack on Jim and he approved.  I'm going to make these Baked Zucchini Sticks with a side of marinara.  They were Legal Beagle approved, so I think they'll be okay.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

This cherry tree is at the bottom of our staircase in our apartment complex.  A lot of trees are flowering in Eugene now.  We had a whole weekend with little to no rain.  My phone said it reached 67 today!  All three of us were happy to get outside a lot and have a break from the rain.  As you can see by yesterday's post, we enjoyed our Saturday afternoon hiking to the summit of Mount Pisgah at the Mout Pisgah Arboretum.  It was 1.8 miles up and had a pretty good incline, making for a good challenge.  After our hike, Jim grilled us cheeseburgers, which we enjoyed with cold beers, one of my favorite combos. 
This week was a recovery week for half marathon training.  Our run outside was really warm today.  (Last week we were running in freezing rain.)  Our run today was shorter, only 5 miles, and it's really nice to not be super tired and sore this afternoon.  It shows that my body is getting stronger through this training.  My running buddy and I have agreed that we'd like to keep running after the half, and will probably aim for 4-6 miles on Sundays.
We didn't really celebrate Easter around here.  Eugene is nice because the hippies keep everything going on holidays.  (There are even a few grocery stores open on Christmas.)  Legal Beagle worked and is studying (as usual) and I made stuffed peppers and chocolate bread.  As usual, the weekend went by too fast, and it's back to the real world tomorrow.   

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Friday, April 6, 2012

Happy Weekend!

Countdown to weekend.  I think we are going bowling tonight.  I'm excited to bowl with adults and not an 11 year old for first time in a year and a half.  I am a terrible bowler who gets a lot of gutter balls and I don't want any bowling tips AT ALL.  I'd also like a cold beer when doing said poor bowling.  I'm usually lucky if I break 60, but I have fun. 
There are rumors that it may not rain tomorrow and it may reach 60 degrees.  If this craziness happens, after I hang out with my LS, we are going to load up our doggie and go on a hike and soak up as much sun as we can.  I'm pretty sure that even with my Vitamin D supplements all of these clouds have given me rickets.
No Easter plans at our house.  I asked the Legal Beagle if he wanted a ham and cheesy potatoes, and he requested stuffed peppers (Easter fare?)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Baked Bolognese

On Sunday, I made this baked bolognese.  It was tasty and made quite a few meals.  If you are training for a half marathon (or are just hungry) and are married to a hungry law student, this is a good meal to make. 
The Legal Beagle continues to be busy as always.  I think he has something written on the calendar every day this week and a few next.  (One day even includes the word "conundrum.")  Not too long before finals! 
Trooper is up to 3 miles in his jogging regimen!  When I get home from work, I take him on a run, then bring him home and finish my run.  It's a good way to get him his exercise.  This was his longest run this year, and he's pooped right now! 

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Easter Eggs

 Today my running buddy and I ran 9 miles!  We are less than a month away from half marathon day.  While we ran, her doggie spent time with Trooper.  Oliver is a Maltese/ Yorkie mix (I think?).  Jim made Oliver his own spot to watch outside. 
 He's a pretty cute guy.
After we ran we shoved breakfast strata and banana bread in our faces (we burned a lot of calories!) and dyed Easter eggs.  I got the idea for the bumble bee one from Rachael Rae's magazine.