Happy Half Birthday To Me

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Tomorrow I will officially reach the halfway point for my 30B30 List! Let’s recap… aka: brag.

Completed Challenges (11):

Ongoing Challenges (2):

Challenges en Route (6):

Challenges to Plan (9):
  • Interview a Leader
  • Home Sweet Home
  • Spa Day
  • Visit the Ocean
  • Write a Book
  • Road Trip
  • Emergency Kit and Execution
  • Host a Dinner Party
  • Treat a Stranger
Wild Cards (2):
The Wild Card slots are causing me a bit of anxiety… I cannot decide what to do with them! The two ideas thus far that are at the top of the “possibilities list” are staying vegetarian, as a previous post toyed with, and the 30-Day Photo Challenge, below, which was submitted by Sara. I’d like to have at least 3 more ideas before making a decision, so if you have any ideas, feel free to comment!
Face Cake:
This cake went without a blog post and I wanted to include it somewhere.  So here’s Jess’s Face Cake, part of the Bake and Decorate a Cake Challenge and a fantastic at-work birthday celebration! The cake was a simple yellow cake with chocolate buttercream filling, frosted with vanilla buttercream and covered in sprinkles!
 –What will I do when I actually turn 30? Should I make a new list?!

I’ll Spin!

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Per Heather, Challenge 19 is to try 30 new beers, as 30 is, of course, the magic number this year. The spin on the challenge, pun intended, is that the only way to officially check off this challenge is to spin the wheel at Bukowski’s! Plus, per my challenge rules, the person who challenged me must also help me complete the challenge. –Thus, Heather needed to spin the wheel too!

If you take a look back at my trip to the beer festival in Greenfield back in September, you’ll see that I had no problem with the first half of this challenge. I’d also like to say that I’ve gone above and beyond for this one, continuing to try new beers even though it’s no longer an official requirement. That being said, we were able to finally close out this challenge last night with a somewhat-impromptu trip to Inman Square. Because Lauren and I were on our way to Bukowski’s for a bite to eat, Rich and Heather rallied to join us. And, when the waitress asked us what we wanted to drink, we simply said that we were planning to spin.

Waitress: Do you know the rules? 
Us: ?
Waitress: You Spin. You Buy. You Drink. You might get a Narragansett. And for that, I have no sympathy.
Us: Got it!

Here we go:

-I love this photo of Richard – he’s just so excited to see what he will be drinking!

Turns out, we all landed on a beer that was new to us and I’d say that spinning the wheel is a fantastic idea on any night! Eliminating the decision-making process was a weight off our shoulders – we had zero buyer’s remorse or ordering-anxiety. Just a whole lot of good, old fashioned, beer-tasting fun!

From left to right, we have Rogue Dead Guy Ale,  (Rich), Affligem Abbey Blonde, which is a Belgian Golden Ale apparently (Me), and Reissdorf Kolsch (Heather). For detailed descriptions, here’s Bukowski’s Beer Book. My glass is the prettiest (a gold rimmed goblet? -c’mon.), Heather’s was the biggest (sometimes bigger is better)… but you can’t beat the name Rogue Dead Guy. -Rich wins this spin.

With a full plate of nachos ahead of us, we decided to take another spin at the wheel. Rich landed on Flying Dog’s Old Scratch Amber Ale:

Upon receipt of Heather’s Ipswich Oatmeal Stout, she proceeded to tell me what she knows about Ipswich, MA. First, Crane Beach is located in Ipswich and, second, “If you are a Marblehead, you might have to Ipswich your attitude.” Ha!

For me? -La Cerveza del Pacifico. -Que fantastico…?

Anyways, the night out was exactly what I needed considering the lovely March snow-sleet-hail-rainstorms that decided to drop in this week. So, many thanks to Lauren, Rich and Heather for coming out last night!

-Let’s spin again soon!

I Hope This Works!

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Challenge 6 is Plant an Herb Garden and I have to say that keeping any plants alive, large or small, in my shared 500 square foot apartment is, indeed, quite a challenge! Add to the mix that I haven’t planted seeds since I had to grow lima bean seedlings with a paper towel and a ziplock bag in class – you’ve all done it – and all I can say is that I hope this works!

Fresh herbs are so much more fun than dried herbs, so I’m looking forward to my future – expanded – garden, where I plan to grow cilantro, rosemary, thyme, sage and oregano! Someday, much farther down the road, I would love to have a garden with tomatoes, squash, carrots, peas, beets, radishes, corn, sunflowers and maybe even a pumpkin patch!

Tonight I planted basil seeds that will hopefully be ready to harvest in about 2 months and I potted I have a mint plant that I received over the weekend! This is just the beginning:

Half at the Hamptons: Half Marathon is Complete!

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Half at the Hamptons

I’ll get straight to it and break this thing down for you.

Wake Up Call:

I woke up at 7:30AM on Sunday morning with a nervous pit in my stomach and a moment of sheer panic… I couldn’t decide what to wear.  I wasn’t worried about looking cute, as the following photos will prove.  I just didn’t want to be A: Too hot, B: Lose my insurance card and ID or, C: Find myself 2 miles in with frozen shins.  I decided on my Old Navy black running pants. Then changed to my running capris. Finally, I stepped out of my room in my new Nike pants with the zip pocket. Wait! We might encounter gusts of wind by the coast, so let’s pair those with the Adidas wind pants on top.

Nike + Adidas = Crisis Averted. Phew.

Next obstacle: food. No one wants to be the Girl Who Fainted at Mile 12.8… It just wouldn’t have the same ring to it as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or the Girl Next Door. Thus, I scarfed down peanut butter toast, passion fruit Chobani, coffee and loaded up on an overabundance of gummy Clif Shot Bloks to carry with me during the race. -Thanks again, Nike pants with the zip pocket.

The Starting Line:

As I’ve stated before, Mother Nature has just spoiled me rotten this year. Just as I was able to jump in the ocean on New Year’s without freezing off my eyelids, I ran the majority of my training runs outdoors, despite “Winter in New England!” Mother Nature did not fail me on Sunday either, with temperatures in the 40s and clear, blue skies.

Laura, Alaina and I made our way to The Ashworth for a 10AM start time.

MILE BY MILE

MILE 1:

Slow and steady wins the race. You got this, Grace. You got this. Start Strong, Finish Stronger. 

MILE 2:

I should’ve looked at the course map… I have no idea where we’re going… I hope I don’t get lost. If I’m last, I will get lost.

MILE 3:

Water stops are my favorite!! We found one already! Niiiice…. 

MILE 4:

Should I eat a Shot Blok? Can I open this while I’m running or should I stop… Wait… Got it! They are just like gummy bears, except fifteen times bigger and good for you.

MILE 5:

Me to Laura: How are you doing?

Laura: I am loving this… it’s so gorgeous. Plus, getting out of the city? -It’s like we’re on vacation. Yes, we go on “vacation” and… run 13 miles…?

MILE 6:

Water Stop! I love Water Stops! 

Volunteer: This one has beer in it!

Laura: Awesome! That’s mine! (sip) -That’s gatorade….

Me: Dude.

Keep running without beer.

MILE 7:

Where’s David with those donuts? He said he would be at the halfway point and last time I checked, the halfway point for a 13.1 race meant David would have donuts somewhere around Mile 5, right? And here we are at Mile 7 and no David yet…

MILE 8:

Gu? Vanilla Gu? Yes, I’ll have some. No wait. I don’t want to eat that… I see….

MILE 8.2:

DAVID!!!! YAYYYYY!!!! 

MILE 9:

I’m not sure that eating donuts while running was a good idea. I think it was… I mean, let’s face it, I am eating anything I damn well please today. Shot Blok? Why yes, thank you.

MILE 10: 

If I take one more step, this will be the farthest I’ve ever run.  Let’s run like hobbits, Laura. Run like hobbits. 

MILE 11: 

Spectators: Great job, Runners! You are running awesome, keep up the pace!

Laura and I: Great job cheering, cheerers!! You are awesome at cheering!

-Impromptu dance party. Thanks, Cop, for blaring your music and stopping traffic for us.

-Am I running slower or faster… I can’t feel my legs.

MILE 12:

Me to Spectator, who is holding an 8-week old golden retriever puppy: That is the cutest thing I have seen all day. You win. You have just made my day. Running 13 miles is totally worth seeing that puppy.

MILE 12.5:

Me to Laura: Ya know, we are doing this. And I might cry at the end.

Laura: Word.

MILE 12.8:

At the top of our lungs, Laura and I sing Eye of the Tiger and mentally high-five each other for the 17th time.

MILE 12.9:

Where is the gosh darn finish line?

MILE 13:

I see the my family!!!! 

Mile 13.1

Yep, I’m crying. I knew this would happen.

Me: Look at my seashell medal, Mom!

Recap:

Finishing this race is an unbelievable accomplishment for me, both mentally and physically. If you had asked me even three or four months ago if I would complete a half marathon in 2012 – and really run it, only stopping to walk at the water stops – I probably would have said something to the effect of, “I’d like to, but I don’t know if I could do it….” And yet, I have confidently crossed Challenge 1 off my list with an average pace of a 10:47/minute mile, which just happens to be a faster pace than the Tufts 10K back in October!

Many thanks to Alaina, my inspiration and my challenger for Challenge 1: Run a 10K and Half Marathon. She PR’d at this race with a pace under 10 minute/mile!

And also, thanks to Laura, my running buddy for this race, the 10K and our many training runs.

Here’s the 3 of us with our medals:

Did I mention that we finally got beer at the end? –Cheers to running, y’all.

Just Run

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This weekend I had nine miles on my running schedule for the half marathon. After too much internal debate and convincing, I changed into my sweet new running gear and set out for the Ludlow/Springfield Reservoir in Western MA. The trail is a paved 3.1 mile out-and-back track that follows half of the perimeter of the reservoir. I ran this path once last summer and was looking forward to running it again.

Running in Ludlow differs from running in Boston:

  • The -few- people that were walking or running smiled and said, “Hi, how are you!”
  • No stop lights or exhaust to slow you down, either by waiting or coughing.
  • Babbling brooks. -No, I’m not kidding.
  • I scared a squirrel by intruding on his space.

I started the run with all my running stuff good to go; I had my iPhone set to record nine miles on my Nike+ app, my countrified running playlist blaring, gloves and headband secure and Clif Bloks in my pocket. My plan was to run the first 6.2 (out and back) then stop at the car for a drink, then run 1.5 back in and out to complete the nine. The first two miles are always rough as my legs warm up, and this time was no different. As I was skipping along, I’m fairly certain that I stopped every quarter mile or so to snap photos of the crackled-ice on the surface of the reservoir or the white birch trees bending towards the edge of the water. Every step was unbelievably gorgeous!

Just before the fourth mile, while taking another photo… my iPhone died! Who’s the cool kid who forgot to charge it while she was sleeping? Oh, yeah, that was me. With more than half the distance left to run, I found myself without music, without a tracking system and without a camera!

At that point, knowing I was going to finish the distance no matter what, I had to … just … run. I’ve always had either music or a buddy to keep me company while running. Now, lacking these companions, I started wondering what people think about if running without the usual distractions of rocking out to music, beating personal best distances or dodging people and traffic. Food? Life? Love? Nothing at all?

Personally, I haven’t quite mastered the “clearing my mind” trick yet and can be quite scatterbrained if I let my mind wander off on tangents. I couldn’t even say what I was thinking about at first. After a while, though, I tried to stay focused and repeated these two mantras for at least the final mile or so:

  • Start Strong, Finish Stronger
  • I love running; I hate running; I love running; I hate running.

By the end of it, I was concentrating on every step, feeling each foot hit the road time after time. Just running.

And, obviously, I was daydreaming about my future breakfast…

Totally worth it.

You’re Too Kind, Mother Nature

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Challenge 18 is all all about getting outside, breathing deep breaths of fresh air, and having a great time, no matter what the weather. At Halloween, when New England found itself buried in snow, I thought that I’d be in for it this year… that Enjoying the Seasons would take a crazy amount of effort and positive attitude.

And yet, here we are with February just around the corner, and I ran a quick 2 mile afternoon loop through Cambridge in the bright sunshine, wearing just a long sleeve shirt and running capris — no gloves, no hat, and no thick socks.

Mother Nature, I’m afraid to say that you’ve just been too kind. Yes, I know some of you might be yearning for the snow at this point, especially if you are a snowboarder or you know your kids are chomping at the bit to build that snow fort. For me, though, I love this slightly chilled weather and can live without having to trudge to work in the snow.

Here’s what we have to look forward to this week:

Side Note: Since my last post, I have continued to be – on purpose – a vegetarian. Just to see what happens… I’ll keep you… well… posted!

Inadvertently Vegetarian

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Without any foresight at all, I inadvertently managed to be a vegetarian today! Perhaps more shocking, though, is that I’m excited about it… I wonder if I could keep this up. Con: No-go on burgers, chicken fingers, steak, or barbecue pulled pork sandwiches. Pro: Fewer choices = Less buyer’s remorse & increased food creativity.

Let’s recap today:

Breakfast

Coffee, Kashi GoLean Cereal, Banana and Chocolate Chips

Lunch

Amazing salad with mixed greens, romaine, lentils, black beans, broccoli, hummus, beets, fresh red and green peppers, sunflower seeds and oil and vinegar

Snacks throughout the Day

Pretzels, Almonds, Sugar Cookie stuffed with an Oreo, Mini Bagel with Cream Cheese, Conversation Hearts, Reese’s Heart Peanut Butter Cups for Valentine’s Day, Dark Chocolate and Laffy Taffy!

Disclaimer: We have an abundance of candy and baked goods floating around our office, especially on Wednesdays… I didn’t say that I was a health nut, did I?

Dinner

Whole Foods Grape Leaves, Forty Spice Hummus, Pesto Quinoa with Sauteed Sliced Portabella Mushrooms, Triscuits, Manchego Cheese and Carrots.

This vegetarian-reflection is a result of my drop-in at the Whole Foods on Prospect Street during my walk home from work. I needed a mid-week refill on fresh produce and my goodness, I had forgotten how much I absolutely love that place.

I love the fresh, ground in-store, no-sugar-added peanut butter, the deluxe cheese counter, the best English Muffins ever and, of course, aisle after aisle of this:

After unpacking and reviewing my purchases, I discovered that every item was vegetarian. Apparently, I filled my entire basket brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, heads of garlic, zucchini, bananas, peppers, English muffins and cheese!

What does this have to do with my 30B30? I am now thinking of a possible Wild Card Opportunity: Vegetarian for a Week? Month? More?

After all, today wasn’t so bad!

Have a favorite vegetarian recipe? -Send it along!