Spartan Up! with a Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Today has been a great day. I had an awesome workout this morning, I was able to catch up on this poor neglected blog before lunchtime, and I've handled tantrums so well today that I actually looked forward to picking up the girls from school. On top of that, I received my copy of Spartan Up!, the new book from Joe De Sena, the founder of Spartan Race. If you didn't know, running a Spartan Race is on my bucket list of races and I'm hoping to cross that off my list come September with the Chicago Super.  I can't wait to read the book and find more gems like this one:

"If you don’t shift your frame of reference, 

you become closed off to the 

magic and joy life has to offer." 

To celebrate today and really make it great, I got in the kitchen and whipped up my favorite caramel sauce. I was talking about it with a friend yesterday and, then today, I thought "Why wait? Why not today?" In the last week, I have felt like a very strong runner, I have gotten in the kitchen to bake three times, and I started reading a new book. I am loving not having the responsibility of school or clients anymore and am starting to feel a little more like myself. 

Whiskey Caramel Sauce

Source: Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Makes 1 cup

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup whiskey

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, whiskey, and lemon juice in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and starts to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn  quickly.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour in the cream and salt. Carefully stir in cream, as caramel has a tendency to hiss and splash as the cold cream hits it. Place pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until caramel thickens, 7 to 10 minutes. The mixture should be the consistency of thick cream. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Let cool.

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Note: the book was given to me by Spartan Race but the opinions in this post are all my own. 

Tour of the Gables 5K Race Recap

The running community in Miami has given me so much. It has helped me fall in love with running and meet some of the greatest people around. It has also helped me get others into running. Before leaving Miami I wanted to run a 5K with the woman who has been my running partner for the past two years. This woman has been an inspiration to me in so many ways. I still remember our first run together: running from Coconut Grove to Key Biscayne and getting poured on as we were on the Rickenbacker Causeway bridge. During that run she told me about her love for running and, how in a few weeks time, she would be running the Marine Corps Marathon. She had two kids and was married, just like me. She made me realize that what I thought was an impossibility, training for and running a marathon, was actually not only possible, but also an attainable reality.

So when she told me she wanted to run a 5K with me before I left and wanted to get a PR, I jumped at the chance of running with and pacing her. We signed up for Tour of the Gables 5K and my friend, who is running Rock n Roll Chicago with me, also joined in on the fun. The morning was gorgeous and I helped both of my friends PR. My running partner PR'd her 5K time by 30 seconds (official time 29:28) and I was just as happy for her as I would have been if this race was a PR for me. The run has truly given me more than I could ever give it.

What I liked:

• Smooth packet pickup. 
• Water stations at every mile. 
• Race started promptly at 7:30am. 
• Beautiful course through Coral Gables. 
• The race was walking distance from my house. 
• Smaller race and perfect for getting those best times. 
• Post race tent with food. 
• The company. 
• I never thought I would be "fast enough" to pace anyone and, yet, here I am pacing my friends.
• Gorgeous weather.

What I didn't like:

• No medals. 
• The race shirts are gigantic. I got a small and that shirt fits Alex better than it fits me. 

I don't know what the next race recap will be. There is a trail run and an evening 5K I'm eyeing but I haven't committed to any other races yet. Right now, I am enjoying my Chicago Marathon training and working out with my girls before the Big Move. 

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Lou Gehrig's 10K Race Recap

It's been a month since my last post. Oops. A lot has happened in the last month. Mainly, I graduated from my master's program! I still can't believe I am done with school and that I am that much closer to entering the workforce as a therapist. I needed some time to kind of dumb down before shifting my focus to Chicago and everything that needs to get done before we move up in July. The one thing I have been consistent with has been my running, especially since I found out I will be running the Chicago Marathon in October! I came up with a training plan that has been working well for me so far. My first official longish run was the Lou Gehrig's 10K run, which happened to be the morning of my graduation ceremony.

This was the first time I have done this particular race, but I was very nervous about it because I have had several friends who have done it in the past and have found it to be a tough race because of the weather (hot, hot, hot). This race was also bittersweet for me because it was my friend's first 10K as part of her training plan for Rock n Roll Chicago and the last race I would be doing with my Miami Galloway family. My goal for this race was to simply to finish and, with the heat, distance, and running partners, I was anticipating a 1:15 finish. We ended up finishing around 1:10.

What I liked:

• The company. I am massively in love with my running friends.
• The course was beautiful and went through Coconut Grove. 
• The weather was great. 
• My custom graduation cap. 
• Nice race shirt. 
• Plenty of water on the course. 
• Packet pickup before was smooth. 
• Running before graduation!
  
  
  

What I didn't like:

• The race didn't start on time. 
• Packet pickup morning-of was really slow. 
• No medals. Sorry, I love my medals. 
• We are all a little confused after the event because we thought we had read somewhere there would be post-race beer. Instead, there was plenty of chocolate milk. 

Next race recap will be May 17th's Tour of the Gables 5K. I am contemplating a half marathon trail run. Any advice or tips?

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Tough Mudder Race Recap

Last year I was really into mud runs and obstacle course races. I participated in a string of really good ones. Then, I participated in some crappy ones and I kind of got over mud runs. The problem is that in the middle of my mud run love I signed us up for Tough Mudder, the granddaddy of all mud runs. I was really excited about the challenge and excited about doing Tough Mudder because it was the first mud run I had ever heard about.

Fast forward to last week and I was not looking forward to doing Tough Mudder. I was thinking of every excuse possible to not do it: it's too far, we don't have a babysitter, I just ran a million miles the weekend before. It didn't help that Alex's motivation was even lower than my own. Thankfully, we were doing this run with a big group of friends and I didn't want to let them down. I lined up a babysitter at the last minute and Sunday morning we woke up early and drove the two hours to the race location.

In many ways, I knew what to expect because this wasn't my first mud run. The distance (10.2 ) miles wasn't even scary for me because Superhero Scramble was 9.5 miles. What surprised me the most was the camaraderie of Tough Mudder. While we were waiting to start the run, the MC kept saying how it was more important to help your fellow runners than to race to the finish line. Sure enough, there were plenty of people on the course there to help one another and there were plenty of spectators on the course cheering runners on.

The obstacles were what I expected, but the running was not. Most of the run was through sand and mud and just plain hard. But I like to run and running is the one thing about these mud runs that I know I can definitely do so I pushed myself to run every chance I got. For me, the running was truly the hardest part of the run. There was enough support from my teammates to help me through the obstacles, but the running was something else.

While it was pretty awful, I think my favorite obstacle was the Arctic Enema. That was a complete shock to the system and it was hilarious watching people's reactions as they went in and came out of the tank. My least favorite obstacle was the Monkey Bars; I couldn't even get to the second bar before I fell in the water.

I was so happy to finish this run and was even happier about how much stronger I have gotten in the last year. The best part of the run, however, was doing it with Alex and having him say, "I think I'd rather do a half marathon than this." He may fight it, but I think he's a runner after all.

What I liked:

• Camaraderie of other runners and my teammates. 
• Water every 2 miles, electrolyte gummies at mile 6, and protein bars at mile 8. 
• Challenging run. 
• Fun obstacles. 
• Feeling like a badass at the end. 
• Huge lake to wash off in after the run. 
• Changing tents. 
• Getting that headband!
• Lots of photographers on the course.

What I didn't like:

•  The location was too far for me. 
• Too much running. I'm a weirdo and like a lot of obstacles. We had to run about a mile and a half before we got to the first obstacle. 
• The bibs barely lasted the entire race. 

Next race recap will be July's Rock n Roll Chicago, but I am thinking about signing up for a few 5Ks between now and then. 

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Chi Town Half Marathon Race Recap

The Chi Town Half Marathon was race #2 of my birthday weekend races. The first was the Chicago Quarter Marathon on April 5th and I made sure to take it easy on that run so I wouldn't be burned out come Sunday. I had this little idea in my head that maybe this half marathon (#10) would be a personal best for me. I didn't want to commit to going for my best time because I didn't want to deal with whatever disappointment I might experience if I didn't break my best time of 02:09 (Fort Myers Beach Half Marathon in November 2013).

The morning of the race, I woke up early and took a cab to the start line. My right calf was sore and cramped from all the walking and running of the previous day so I was praying that it cooperated enough to get me through the race. I got a free massage before the race and eyed the 9:32/mile pace group. I knew that the 9:32/mile pace group had an estimated finish time of 2:05. I kind of hovered around them until I decided that my goal for this race would be to simply keep them within sight.

I continued to hover around them as I did my run-walk-run thing. (Which, by the way, does anyone in Chicago do the run-walk-run method?) Even with the end and a new personal record within reach, I never introduced myself. They noticed me (it was hard not to with all my beeping) and did an amazing job at encouraging me along the way. About half a mile away from the finish line, I passed the pacers and even told one of them I would be the person crying at the finish line because she got a new PR.

When I finished I wanted to jump out of myself. My unofficial time was 02:04:10 (official time was 02:04:04). That time was almost 6 minutes faster than my previous time! There were times during the race I didn't think I was going to make it to the end or would be able to keep up with the pacers. Every time a negative thought came up, I told myself to stop. I knew that the minute my brain broke down, my body would quickly follow. The race feels like a blur now that I try to think back to it and all the emotions I felt along the way. I still can't believe I ran it in 02:04 and now my dreams of running a half marathon in two hours feels within reach.

Source: IG @according2kelly

What I liked:

• A new PR!
• Flat course along the lakefront and park. 
• Medal. 
• Free massages. 
• Water and snacks at the finish line. 
• Water throughout the course. 
• Clean bathrooms. 
• Long-sleeve shirt. 
• Fast packet pick-up at Road Runner Sports. 
• Friendly pacers. 
• Small race. 
• Personalized bib. 

What I didn't like:

• I felt lonely being the only interval runner around. 
• It was cold! 
• Course got a little boring in the park area and there wasn't much to see. 

Next Race Recap is April 13th's TOUGH MUDDER! I have no other races scheduled until Rock n Roll Chicago in July. However, I know myself enough to know that I will probably sign up for something before then. 

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Chicago Quarter Marathon Race Recap

For my 30th birthday I wanted to go to Chicago and run. We were going to go anyway to check out the city and look for potential areas to live in, but it just so happens that the weekend of my birthday there were two races: a quarter marathon on April 5th and a half marathon on April 6th. I signed up as quickly as I could and was so excited about being able to run in the city and discover it in a way that I knew I wouldn't be able to by car or walking around.

The first race was the Chicago Quarter Marathon. I will admit that my favorite thing about this race was that they mailed me my race packet. It was so convenient and made our first day in the city less stressful because I didn't have to rush us around to two different packet pick-ups.

For some reason, it didn't occur to me that it would still be cold in April so I packed away all our winter clothes. This really hit me when I realized that I would be running in 30- to 40-degree weather. I had no clue what to wear! I ended up layering up with two long sleeve shirts and a light running jacket. The run itself was just as interesting as I couldn't even feel my legs the first mile because of how cold it was and it hurt to breathe in the cold air. As usual though, I hit my groove at around mile 3 and the rest of the run was easy and enjoyable. Because of the half marathon the next day, I tried to run at a conservative pace and finished in 1:04:19.

Not only was this my first run in the city I will be calling home in 3 months, but this run also happened on my birthday. When I was 20, I don't think running and moving to Chicago with my family were something I thought I would be doing, but this life of mine has taken me on one heck of a journey. 

What I Liked:

• Beautiful course along the lakefront. 
• My favorite part of the course was seeing the Chicago skyline. 
• Marching band mid-way. 
• Fleece jacket with the Chicago Quarter Marathon logo embroidered on it. 
• They mailed out a packet with the jacket and race bib. Best idea ever!
• Race started on time. 
• Plenty of water throughout the course and at the end. 

What I Didn't Like:

• The cold! I had no clue how many layers to put on before the race. 
• This has nothing to do with the race itself, but I didn't like the religious signs that were near the finish line. One sign said something to the effect of "Goad hates all sinners."
• I love the bling, so I was disappointed there were no medals. 

Next Race Recap is April 6th's Chi Town Half Marathon and then TOUGH MUDDER!!

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Shamrock Run 4-Miler Race Recap

I can't believe it's been almost a month since this race, the inaugural Shamrock Run 4-Miler. I think it took so long because I still haven't gotten over how hard that run was for me. I did this race with one of my best girlfriends and my girls in their stroller. The race started at 3:00pm and I anticipated taking around an hour because of the stroller and the start time, but there was still a point during the run that I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it. The girls were well-behaved, thankfully, but it was brutally hot and I felt every bit of pushing 70-lbs of children and stroller, especially up two not-so-fun bridges. Those were probably the longest 45-minutes of my life.

This race reminded me that no two runs are alike and that what's easy one day, might be hard the next day. The best parts of this run were running it with my friend, seeing the girls dance it up at the end, and watching Cati complete another kids dash.

What I liked:

• The theme of the run was fun with green beer and green eggs and ham at the end. 
• I've never run in Fort Lauderdale, so I liked the change of scenery. 
• Running with my friend and catching up with my Galloway running group. 
• Cute medals. 
• Nice shirts. 
• Bag pipes at the start line. 
• Cati running. 

What I didn't like:

• Start time of the race was brutal. 
• The corral was all funky and people were entering it in the direction you were supposed to run in. 
• They didn't announce when the kids races were starting. 
• Bartenders were showing priority to those people who had cash even if you went up to the var with your beer ticket. 
• Water dyed to the color blue. Yuck. 
• Parking was not cheap where I parked. 
• Course could have been nicer if we ran down Las Olas instead of the neighborhoods. 

Next Race Recap is the Chicago Quarter Marathon done on my birthday, April 5th! 

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Celebrate April with Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

It's April! I'm happy it's April because it's my birthday month. I'm so excited about turning 30 that I am going to be celebrating each day this month with one of my favorite foods or drinks (follow along on my Facebook page). I made a list of my favorites and almost half of the list has chocolate as an ingredient. I never realized how much of a chocolate lover I was until I made this list. To celebrate, I'm sharing one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes. I first made this recipe back in January of 2012, but a good recipe is always worth sharing multiple times. This time around, I made a cake and topped it with fudge frosting and sprinkles.

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cupcakes

Source: Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Half of this recipe yields 1-8x8 cake

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mayonnaise (not low-fat)

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups boiling water

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour baking pan and set aside. 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the sugar and eggs and beat with an electric mixer set at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in mayonnaise and vanilla just until combined. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in half of the flour mixture just until combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add half of the boiling water and beat at a very low speed just until the batter is smooth, 5 to 10 seconds. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat just until combined, 5 to 10 seconds longer. Beat in the remaining water. The batter will be somewhat thin.

Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Frost once the cake has cooled. 

Fudge Icing

Source: Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 Tbsp buttermilk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar

Combine the chocolate, butter, and buttermilk in a saucepan and cook, stirring over medium heat, until the chocolate is melted. 

Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla, salt, and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. 

Add remaining sugar if you like a sweeter and thicker icing. 

Frost cake, serve, and enjoy.

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Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

I have had the worst craving for chocolate. I'm thinking it might have something to do with me eating healthier and trying to reduce my sugar intake. Whatever it is, it has left me with this insatiable desire to eat something very chocolaty. I had this particular recipe saved for a very long time because I love what sour cream does in cakes. This cake was good and everyone else in the family liked it, but it wasn't chocolaty enough for me. I will take the blame for that because I didn't add the frosting that Two Peas and Their Pod did in the original recipe. I thought I could get away with some chocolate sauce and was very wrong. Don't make the same mistake!

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
Source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Half the recipe yields an 8x8 cake.

1 cup unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup cocoa powder (we use Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour, plus more for the pan
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a cake pan and set aside. 

In a small saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, just until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add half of the melted butter mixture and whisk until completely blended. The mixture will be thick. Add the remaining butter mixture and whisk until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until completely blended. Whisk in the sour cream and the vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes depending on your pan size. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then invert onto a rack.

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Down 2 Earth Trail Run Recap

Congratulations to MASH Up Conditioning winner Kalynn Carter! 

I tried trail running and I loved it! This race was runner's serendipity. I was supposed to run six miles March 8th and didn't manage to wake up Saturday morning to run (running alone is hard!). Sunday night, before dinner, I logged onto Facebook and saw that Run South Florida had posted a listing of the weekend's races. One of the races was for Down 2 Earth Trail Run. The distances were 5K, 10K, and half marathon. I sent my friend a text message asking if she would run the 10K with me and she responded with "yes!" I signed up that night while Alex was bathing the girls and went to sleep very nervous about the trails. I had run trails before during the obstacle course races, but for some reason, just running the trails scared me.

I don't know why I was scared because I had the best time on the run. It was disorienting and exhilarating at the same time. I was so focused on the path directly in front of me and keeping an eye out for markers that the miles flew by. Nature took care of the intervals and I found myself running most of the 6.2 miles. This race challenged me and pushed my limits. I wondered out loud at least ten times whether we were lost, slipped twice, and fell twice. The best part of the run really was sharing it with my friend and having her love it so much that she said she couldn't wait to run the trails again. Coming from someone who used to always say she didn't like the outdoors, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this race. I guess this just shows me that I love running so much I can do it anywhere and still love it.

What I liked:

• Even though we did two loops, it didn't feel that way because nothing on the trails was recognizable the second time around. 
• Sufficient signage. 
• We unleashed our inner Katniss Everdeen. 
• Trails felt great on my knees. 
• Race director was hilarious and personable. You can tell he loves organizing these races. 
• Small race. 
• Oleta National Park: beautiful trails. 
• The company. 
• Sufficient water on the course. 
• No need for an interval timer. 

What I didn't like:

• I love race medals and this race gave us beads instead. 

Next Race Recap is March 16th's Shamrock Run 4-miler. My next two races are in Chicago and I'm praying it's not snowing or too cold!

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