11 Things To Do in 2011

These are not resolutions. Resolutions don't work.  These are goals.  Each follows the S.M.A.R.T. system of goal-setting (I penciled it all out but won't subject you to the whole mess!)  I aim to accomplish the following in 2011:
1.  Complete my third marathon (Grandma's Marathon, Duluth, MN, June 2011)
2.  Break 5 hours in the marathon.  If I don't accomplish this at Grandma's, I'll be looking to run my fourth marathon in the fall. 
3.  Complete my first triathlon (I'm aiming for Albert Lea in May if the logistics work out, otherwise I'll have to do more investigating to find a tri to practice for my next goal.)
4. Complete a half-iron distance triathlon. (Chisago Lakes, July 2011)
5.  Run 1000 miles. (This is a little bit lofty, but attainable if I work hard towards the next goal.)
6.  Follow my training plan (with reasonable exceptions for illness or injury.  I am also allowing myself one "I don't feel like training today" day per month.  These can be banked if not used, but cannot use more than two per month.)
7.  Read one book per month.  This may not sound like a lot, but with all the other things I have going on, getting time to read can be a challenge.
8.  Follow a cleaning schedule.  I found one online and modified it to fit our house and needs. 
9.  Reduce the amount of stuff in our house by donating clothing and other things we no longer use.  I've already got a good start on this.  The in-laws took four bags of clothes for Goodwill last time they were here. 
10.  Learn how to use a pressure-canner.  I've done this with my mom before but have never been confident enough to do it myself.  I'd really like to can my own beans - much cheaper than store-bought and no BPA-lined cans!
11.  Go camping at least once per month from May-September.  This may mean putting up the tent in the yard a couple times, but I'd really like Liam to get used to camping early. 

Happy New Year to everyone!  I hope you accomplished your goals for 2010 and good luck with your goals for 2011!

Give me an apron and call me...

Suzy Homemaker!  I made yogurt!  And cheese!  They're both pretty tasty if I do say so myself.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures before I put them away in the fridge.  Oh well, next time. 
For the yogurt, I used this recipe from the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking".  It was in the crockpot a long time, but took hardly any hands-on time.  Super-easy!  I did use a packet of yogurt starter instead of regular yogurt (the store was out of my preferred brand.) 
The cheese was technically a failure since I was trying to make paneer.  I ended up with ricotta instead.  Oh well, Italian instead of Indian will be on the menu this week.  I used this recipe from saveur.com.  Saveur is absolutely my favorite cooking magazine.  I have never made a recipe of theirs that I didn't like.  Not sure what didn't work for me, but I will be trying it again.  Even if it turns out as ricotta instead of paneer again, it is delicious and cheap!

Weekly Training Log Dec 20-26, 2010

Due to snow, no vehicle, and more snow  I did not complete any workouts during this time period.  None yet this week, either.  Gotta try to get on the treadmill tonight.  It's just incredibly hard to get the motivation up at 9:00PM or later.  Jeep is in the shop today for tires and goes in Thursday for some other repairs.  Can't wait to have a vehicle back so I can go swimming again!


HBBC points Dec 18-24: 5.55 points for run and cool down on Sat. the 18th.  No other points this week.

Weekly Training Log: December 13-19, 2010

I finally got back into workout mode this week.  I've started exercising at noon while Dave's home to watch the baby.  Much nicer than working out at 9:30PM!
Here's the recap for the week:

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Ran 4 miles,easy, 40:00
Wednesday: Tempo Run: 1 mile warmup, 1.17 miles @8:34 pace, .83 cooldown = 3 miles, walk 0.3 mile additional cooldown
Thursday: AM- Cycle on trainer 45 minute easy spin; PM - swim lesson - 900yds (45 minutes)
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Ran 5.25 miles, 51:50, walk 0.3 mile cooldown
Sunday: Off- I was going to swim but took a nap instead. 

HBBC points: (Sat. Dec 11- Fri. Dec 17)
Running: 3 (Sat.)+4 (Tues.)+3.3 (Weds.)=10.3
Biking/Swimming: 2 (30 min. Sun.)+6 (45 min bike, 45 min swim Thurs.)=8
Total points for week = 18.3

Weekly Training Log Dec 6-12

I just got back into training after a (too long) break.  Here's the summary for the week:
Monday: none
Tuesday: Ran 3 miles on treadmill, 30:00, 1% incline, felt better than I thought it would!
Wednesday: none
Thursday: Swim lesson, 45 minutes, total of 800 yds
Friday: none
Saturday: 3 miles on treadmill, 28:53, 1% incline; The run felt fine, but I was exhausted afterwards.
Sunday: 30 minutes on bike trainer, moderate effort, included 10 minutes 1-legged drills (5 each side)

HBBC points (Sat., Dec. 4 - Fri., Dec. 10):  3miles running= 3, 45 minutes swimming = 3.  Total= 6 points

Snow...blech

This is what I woke up to this morning.  There is a driveway under there somewhere. 

This is Parka.  Now you might think that a dog would be smart enough to come in from the cold/snow, but in Parka's case, you would be wrong. 

His breed (Siberian Husky) wins out over any common sense this dog may have when it comes to snow.  And I really am not being mean when I say he doesn't have much.  He's a very happy-go-lucky dog who just happens to not be very smart.  My other dog, Katie (a German shepherd/husky mix), is smart enough to be tucked up in her warm bed in the garage.  Parka has one also, he just chooses to be outside instead. 

So I guess I won't be going anywhere today.  I was really looking forward to having brunch with a group of ladies this morning.  It's been a long time since I've done anything social, especially without the baby.  Oh well, there's always next time.  For now I think I'll stay tucked up on the couch with my coffee and my computer and be thankful that everyone I love is safe at home. 

Weekend Events Dec 11-12

There are FOUR events on Saturday and one on Sunday for our area!  Check one of them out, brave the snow!  But if you have to drive to get there, be very careful.  They are predicting a lot of snow overnight. 
Saturday, Dec. 11
1. Jingle Bell Jam, New Ulm, 4 mile walk/run, 3PM
http://www.heartsbeatback.org/event/jingle-bell-jam-4-mile-walkrun-0

2. Lake Crystal Indoor Backwards Triathlon, Lake Crystal, 8AM


3.  Polar Bear Run Group, Mankato, 7:30 AM, runners of all abilities welcome


4.  Reindeer Dash 5k run and Kid's Santa Sprint, Mankato YMCA, 9AM


Sunday, Dec. 12
Holiday Lights Bike Ride, Mankato, 5PM


As always, check out http://www.mankatomultisport.com/ for more info.  From the area?  Join the Greater Mankato Multisport Club to get regular updates on area events and great deals from sponsors.

Breaktime is OVER!

After two weeks off, I finally got a workout in today!  I was dreading the first one after so long a break, but it didn't feel nearly as bad as I thought it would!  I was able to maintain my usual "easy" pace on the treadmill for the whole 3 miles.  I had to work a little harder towards the end to keep it up, but overall I'm very happy!  I'm looking forward to getting back into a workout schedule now that I no longer have the greenhouse to run.  The plan for this week is to put in some miles on the treadmill, go to my swim lesson on Thursday and swim again on Sunday.  Next week I'll add the bike back in also. 
And now, off to eat some peppermint ice cream (the real reason I got on the treadmill tonight, I bribed myself!)

The missing weekly training log...

Well, I didn't do any training last week so therefore no training log.  Last week at the greenhouse was crazy since it was our final week of being open.  I am finally a stay-at-home mom!  There's a few things I have to wrap up but for all practical purposes my only job is to raise my son.  Right now I'm frantically trying to clean the house before an in-home appointment tomorrow so no workouts for this week yet either.  So, back to cleaning...