Thank you all for the wonderful comments and support on my Month 3 Progress post! I always feel a bit awkward publishing these posts, but I believe in the importance of sharing the real deal in accomplishing body goals in a healthy manner. Don’t forget to let me know in the comments of any questions you may have about how I do things for an upcoming Q + A post. I’m an open book, so ask anything. 🙂

Yesterday afternoon, I realized something that needed a quick remedy.

I also craved a burger. Thus, this beauty was born.

I marinated two portabella mushroom caps in a mixture of olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, and sodium-free steak seasoning. Then, Peter plopped them on the grill to cook for about 5 minutes per side with some additional basting action for optimal flavor.

I topped my ‘bella burger with a thick smear of goat cheese, spinach, tomato, pickles, and red onion. Only one vegetable could stand up to this fabulous dinner. None other than my all-time favorite roasted Brussels sprouts.

After that meal, sister night ensued. We can entertain each other all too easily with our random senses of humor. For example, we have a tradition that we must eat ice cream while watching The Biggest Loser. Why? Simply because the irony of it amuses us so. Plus, its tasty.

I now need to back up a bit. Before the fun of my evening began, I went out for a run. I headed to an area I could easily get around for a little over 3 miles. I wanted to do a quick run to push my pace and see what I could accomplish. 

I managed to keep my pace where I wanted (average 8:27), but I really struggled. It felt like everything was against me. I ate too close to my run. I dressed too warmly. The wind was blowing. The evil hill wanted to kill me.

For the record…it keeps going after that curve. A lot.  

It kind of stunk. But was awesome at the same time to know I pushed through. Perhaps this will make my 5K seem easier since it’s supposed to be a flat course and I learned a few things to help prepare myself better.

Did you know? My 5K is THIS Saturday! I can hardly believe my race is on Saturday! I have so much anticipation and I feel so excited for it. I also have all these thoughts swarming my mind on whether or not I will be prepared for the race. Not so much prepared physically, since I do feel ready in that aspect, but prepared with all the little race-day things I know nothing about. Here is what I have in mind for this weekend:

1. Pick up my race packet at early pick-up Friday afternoon.
2. Charge my music, Garmin, etc the day before.
3. Lay out all of my clothing, race bib, technology, etc the night before.
4. Wake up early to eat one of my tried and true pre-run meal combos.
5. Leave early to have time to get there on time and find my way around.

I have no clue from there. I hope I don’t walk around looking like a deer in headlights at the venue because I don’t know what to do. I am thankful that it now looks like Peter will manage accompanying me, which before he wasn’t sure about. That will help knowing I have someone to watch my stuff, get some pictures, and cheer me on! I also feel SO thankful that Lee will be there with me. I know she will help me feel at ease and show me what to do. Until then, I will gladly take any advice you have!

• What pre-race and race day tips can you share?
• Do you like Brussels sprouts?

Please, don’t hate me. For being a beginner runner…and accidentally running 6.35 miles today. In under an hour.

Yes, I accidentally ran 6.3 miles in 59:00. My Garmin died not too long into my run. I apparently can’t do math. I was on a trail that had mile markers, so in my head I calculated the mile-marker to turn around at to achieve a 5.5 mile run. Except on the way back I counted up and then realized in total I had run somewhere between 6.3 and 6.4 miles. Oops! I felt amazing though! Guess my homemade Tropical Flax Bars made for some good fuel. (recipe to come soon)

Every time I lace up my sneakers, I feel shocked at my body’s ability to pick up this sport and endurance quicker than I could have ever expected. I know I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I haven’t done near the amazing things so many of you other runners have. It’s still pretty cool to see what my body can accomplish.

After my run, I showered up for a special lunch with blog reader and friend, Laura. We recently realized we live literally 5 minutes away from each other. She heard me raving about the BBQ restaurant ‘Cue the last time I tried it and wanted to take a visit together. I happily obliged to dining with her.

I ordered a BBQ pulled pork sandwich (the only thing I ever get at BBQ joints) along with some coleslaw to top the sandwich. Despite having a little issue with the bottle of sauce suddenly down pouring on my sandwich, the meal tasted great and I really loved chatting for awhile with a good friend.

Well, I must get a move on some baking now. Look for a couple new recipes later this week. Until then, enjoy some FFF Features from this past week! 🙂

Featured Workout: Once I felt fully recovered from my 24 hour bug, I went to the gym for a light cardio workout. It was fun because I mixed up the cardio with different machines and various intervals. It ended up being just the right amount of challenge.

Elliptical

Cross trainer

Repeat minutes 0-12 for 24 total minutes on the cross trainer and 44 total cardio.

Featured Meal: Summery Salad 

You just can’t get more beautiful than that. Fruit, nuts, cheese, avocado, veggies, and a light vinaigrette. Yum!

Featured Quote: Simple and to the point, but definitely true -

“You DESERVE happiness”.

Featured Reading: Chelsey @ Clean Eating Chelsey - Little Girl, Fat Talk

She summated everything I hope to pass along to Makenzie as she grows into a young lady. Anyone who has any chance of making an impact on a girl’s life, needs to read this!

• What’s something that amazes you about your body?