A new way to have fun at my favorite Lake

I love everything about Lake Michigan. I like every part of its shore. I like hiking its dunes. I like sticking my toes in its waves. I like sitting in its sand. I like looking at it in all seasons. And now I can say that I like running along its trails.

This week a friend and I did something that we’ve talked about doing for months. We blocked off a morning and drove to the dunes and ran on nearly 8 miles of trails. I asked my trail running friend Sarah to recommend a route. She sent me a map with fun directions like go through Paradise Valley and when you get to the fence, turn around.

Proof that we went all the way to the fence before turning around.

We hopped over fallen branches and ducked under sagging trees. We ran down boardwalks where the ferns and flowers brushed against our legs. We climbed wooded hills and sandy dunes. We did some running, some walking and some scrambling in the sand. We made random strangers take our picture.

We dumped piles of sand out of our shoes. We let the waves of Lake Michigan wash off our dirty toes before we left. It took us nearly two hours and it was time well spent in so many ways. I can’t wait to go do it again.

Who’s in?

Food Thursday: Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Last weekend some grandparents came to watch J’s baseball game in the morning. They were staying for lunch and I wanted to have something in the house besides deli sandwiches (or peanut butter & jelly). I did not however want to cook anything – particularly because the weather is warming up and who wants to heat up the kitchen? So that morning I grabbed a rotisserie chicken and dug out an old recipe. As I ate these sandwiches I kept asking myself why I don’t make them more often.

I love this twist on chicken salad and the original recipe came from Cooking Light so it’s even a healthy twist on chicken salad. Make some tomorrow and you’ll have it in the fridge all weekend for easy sandwiches!

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 TB light mayo
1/2 tsp curry powder
4 cups roasted, skinless chicken, chopped (one rotisserie chicken works perfectly)
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 TB chopped cashew pieces
2 TB finely chopped green onions
buns or bread

Combine the first three ingredients in a large bowl and stir to mix them together. Add the chicken, celery, cashews and green onions and stir until well mixed. Serve on bread of your choosing. We used pretzel rolls last weekend and I like the addition of a little bit of lettuce or spinach on my sandwich.

one of those weeks

Monday was so crazy that I put the 11yo in charge of making dinner – alone in the house while I picked up her siblings, luckily she didn’t burn the house down and dinner was good. The 13yo ate that dinner from a plastic bowl on the way to swim practice. And the kids were so hungry they inhaled what was left, leaving none for me. I didn’t have time to eat anything until 9:30pm – and what I did eat was crap.

Yesterday I barely left my car between 3:45 and 6pm. I was driving the kids here, there and everywhere. I was tired and mentally looking for some sort of break and then I realized it was only Tuesday. (I almost cried.) I still hadn’t been to the grocery store so the kids ate a hodge podge of foods for dinner. I had to bake a cake for the church bake sale (why didn’t I just say no this time?) and once again, I didn’t sit down to eat until after 9pm.

This afternoon is a logistical balancing act. If one thing goes wrong it’s going to be like a row of dominoes and the whole evening will come crashing down. I’ll also have to ignore that rule about not eating after getting fluoride because the 13yo will only have a 30 minute window to eat before practice.

My air conditioner broke. We just found out we have to do an expensive landscaping project to change the way our lawn drains because there was water in the basement after a storm last week. And my library books are overdue.

It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. I think I’ll move to Australia.

Pushing the pedals

I need to figure out how to make better use of my bike. I got the bike two years ago when I decided to try a triathlon. I rode the bike a handful of times before my first tri and figured I’d be fine. I was fine but I certainly wasn’t competitive – my bike leg was s…l…o…w…

I’ve done a couple other triathlons since that first one. I’ve tried a little harder to train on the bike. I have gotten better each time but my bike leg is always my worst. I’m in the front of the pack for the swim. I’m in the middle of the pack for the run. I’m in the back of the pack on the bike. That means any sense of lead I get in the swim is eaten up on the bike and then I’m slogging through the run in the back of the pack.

That’s all fine and good when I just want to accomplish a triathlon. But if I want to improve… I need to figure something out. And I always want to improve. I read a great quote the other day that said something to the effect of “I don’t race but I always compete.” That’s me to a T. I don’t race against people but I always compete with myself. That’s part of why I put myself on the hook for these races, I love the chance to compete.

Which brings me back to the bike. I’m not good enough to compete. So that’s one of my challenges for this summer. Anyone got any advice for me? I know enough to stay in the 2nd large gear wheel 90% of the time so I can use the full range of gears. I know to shift down when going uphill and to shift up when going downhill. But I don’t know a lot of other things…

- What gear should I be using most of the time?
- What’s a good training plan to follow to get better on the bike?
- What’s a reasonable goal to push towards for MPH on my Trek hybrid?

I’m not going to go drop $$$ on a triathlon bike (I’d rather use that money for road trips). But I know that if I have the right plan and knowledge, I can push myself to a new goal. Anyone out there with tips and a schedule to share?

What a difference a year makes

I went out for a run yesterday. It was not the smartest run I’ve ever picked to do – the bank sign said 96 degrees, humidity was probably 90%. But there were reasons for the run and we were taking it slow. I couldn’t help but have flashbacks to a year ago. When we were running down the street, begging for a breeze, I remembered my marathon. When I was feeling the heat surround me and making me feel like I couldn’t breathe, I remembered my marathon. When I was squirting water on my head in an attempt to cool down, I remembered my marathon.

It’s happened before, these flashbacks. Sometimes there is just something in the air that makes that day rise up in my senses. Yesterday in particular I was proud to say that it didn’t bother me. The weather was miserable but I didn’t feel too badly. Not that I wanted to run more miles mind you, but I didn’t feel nearly as physically bad as I did on marathon day. So there’s that.

Later last night as I tossed and turned (I had a lousy night of sleep, lousy), I found my mind wandering through my day and then to the run and then to the marathon. Sunburst race weekend is just two weeks away. Last year at this time I was tossing and turning with a million doubts running through my brain. I was obsessed with the training and remember very little else about last spring. This year, is a much different spring in many ways. This year is all about running strong. I have far more confidence in my running than I had last spring. And I’m beginning to recognize that this strength and confidence comes in part from surviving last spring and June 4, 2011.

I’ll be at the Sunburst starting line again this year, just like I have been each year since 2009. I’ve run every distance offered at this race except the half. This year I’m running the 5K with my 13yo daughter. This year when I cross the finish, I hope to put the bad parts of the marathon behind me.