Ocean Kayaking, Sushi, & Oysters

Hello!
Today I went ocean kayaking at Lynch Park with my good friend Meaghan.  I haven't been ocean kayaking in a very long time, so I was really excited to go.  Even though it was overcast, it was still really hot out, and the breeze from the ocean plus the water splashing on us from the paddles kept us nice and cool.

I planned to take my camera, but the rental guy strongly recommended leaving it behind since it isn't waterproof.  He asked "do you really need to take it?"  And I was like ""YES! I need it!"  I'm a blogger! Why don't people understand?  You can't take a camera away from a blogger.

I realized he was right, and I probably would ruin it, so I left it with him.  I did manage to get a picture of the paddles before our excursion.

We got a double kayak for an hour and a half.  When we asked how we were supposed to know when our time was up (we had no phones or watches) the rental guy told us to ask someone on the beach. We didn't end up doing that, and just went back in when we thought we had been out long enough, and we ended up coming in a half hour early! Oh well! 

Kayaking is really good exercise.  It was a great arm workout for me.  I decided to look up how many calories are burned in one hour of kayaking.

"According to the American Council on Exercise, a 125-lb. person burns 283 calories per hour of kayaking while a 150-lb. person burns 340, a 175-lb. person burns 397 calories and a 200-lb. person burns 454 calories. Higher body weight requires increased energy expenditure for activity." Source

I also learned that kayaking burns less calories than running at 5.5 mph for one hour (obvious), burns more calories than cycling at 5.5 mph for 1 hour, and burns the same amount of calories as playing softball for 1 hour.  Interesting...

When we came back ashore, we walked around Lynch park. I had never been there before, so I had no idea how pretty it is.   Meaghan showed me the Rose Garden, where she said lots of people take pictures for proms and weddings there.  It was stunning! My pictures don't do it justice at all.

After burning all those calories kayaking, we decided to replace them with a nice lunch.  We went to Hale St Tavern, Oyster, and Sushi Bar. I was intrigued by this strange combination.  Do Oysters go with Sushi?

 Meg is brave and ordered 5 oysters.  I'm too much of a chicken to try them. I can barely eat mussels without getting freaked out, so I'm definitely not ready for oysters.  They do look really fun to eat though!  Maybe I'll add trying an oyster to my summer bucket list (that doesn't exist yet...).

 We shared an order of edamame.  Yum!  You can never go wrong with edamame  It's so tasty.

I also ordered the Hawaii Sushi roll.  It was unreal.  I'm a weirdo and only like cooked sushi, so this one was right up my alley.  It had coconut shrimp, avocado, cucumber, and topped with pineapple salsa.  It was really good.  It was one of those dishes that you don't want to end.  

A lovely day with a lovely friend.  :)

Have a wonderful night everyone!

Half Marathon Training Plan

I had a minor freak-out on Monday:

My Half Marathon is in 10 weeks!

How did that happen?

In April I printed out a training plan that would lead me up to September for the Half marathon, but I haven't really been following it, and I started to get nervous.

On June 18th, having not run more than 6.5 miles since March, I went out and ran 10 miles.
I think I just wanted to prove to myself that I could still do it, and I could do it, but it wasn't pleasant and I ended up being sore for 3 days. 

My knees were killing me, and I knew it was time for new shoes.  I headed to Marathon Sports and got fitted. I also got a new sports bra so I can run with one instead of three. You can read about that experience here.

Now that I got the right shoes, the right bra, and the right attitude, I'm ready to take my training more seriously!

I use Smart Coach for all my race training.  I logged on and entered my recent 5k time (so they could gauge my pace), how many miles I want to run a week, and what day I would want my long run to be. 

Here is  what it said my training should look like for the next 5 weeks:

I like this plan because it only has one long run a week on Sundays and the rest of the weekday runs are on the short/totally manageable end.  I know that will work for me since I have to do my runs after work, and I know I wouldn't want to run 8 or 9 miles after working all day.

At the end of the 5 weeks, I plan to update you guys on how my training is going, and to share the training plan for the last 5 weeks of training.  I'm feeling pretty confident right now, but that could change if I get discouraged and fall off the motivation train. 

I really really really want to finish the race in 2 hours, which would mean running at a 9:09 min/mile pace, according to this calculator.  I don't like to get my hopes up too much, because I know If I don't make my goal, I'll be beating myself up about it.  In the past, I have cried after races when I didn't make my goal.  I need to learn to appreciate my body and it's ability to run this distance, and not just focus on the time.  My main goal should be to get to the finish line.  I'd like to do it without stopping to walk, and without crying/getting frustrated.  If I can do that, I think I'll be a happy girl.

:)




Have you ever cried or felt disappointed after a race?  I'd love to know I'm not the only one!

WIAW: Back to Reality Eats

Hello! It's that time again, today is What I Ate Wednesday!
This is my third round of the weekly food journal party that Jen hosts over at Peas and Crayons.  Thanks again for hosting, Jen!  P.S read her proposal story, pretty cute and funny.

This WIAW is called "Back to Reality eats" because all last week I was on staycation, which makes eating healthy a lot easier.  Eating healthy during the work week involves more planning and prepping, which is difficult when you're short on time.  That's why I've gotten into a weekday breakfast and lunch routine of oatmeal+peanut butter and then a sandwich or salad with protein for lunch.  It's a little boring, but at least I know it's going to keep me satisfied until my next meal.  Staying full/satisfied is very important to me since I have a semi-irrational fear of being hungry.  My worst nightmare is not bringing enough food to last me through the day.  I spend most days rationing out my snacks all day so I can make it to my commute home with energy.  There's nothing worse (for me) than starving on the train ride home. 

All food here was from Tuesday, July 10th, aka Don't Step on a Bee Day (Important one for me since I'm allergic to bee stings), Teddy Bear Picnic day, and Pina Colada Day!  Bet you didn't know about any of those holidays!  I'm just a wealth of information.




Breakfast:
Oatmeal with a scoop of Wild Harvest Organic Peanut Butter, Blueberries, Blackberries + Coffee

Snack:
1 Clementine and some of Tracy's walnuts and raisins (she's good at sharing)

Lunch:
Turkey+Provolone on Multi-Grain Bread with Honey Dijon Mustard

1 BabyBel Cheese
another small handful of Walnuts

Snack:
1 handful Animal Crackers + 2 tbsp peanut butter (no pic, felt awkward taking one in front of my coworkers...)


Workout:
I ran a short 2 miles after work.  I ran at a 9:46 pace and finished in 19 minutes and 39 seconds.  Not impressive by any means, but I was still sore from Monday's Crossfit Trial (more on that later) that I couldn't go any faster and I didn't want to push myself.  A short and slow run is better than no run!

Dinner:
1 Glass of Sweet Tea
Wacky Mac with sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, and marinara sauce, topped with Parmesan,  very similar to last Tuesday's dinner.  I guess I'm a creature of habit.  I did try to jazz it up by using Wacky Mac instead of regular pasta.  It was fun, I like to eat shapes, especially wheels.

Nothing like a big ole glass of sweet tea in a mason jar with a handle! These are my favorite glasses.

I ended my day with a little bedtime snack.  A bowl of Wild Harvest Cherry Almond Granola topped with the last of the blueberries.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Walnut Pesto with Fried Eggplant and Linguini

Tonight was one of those nights were we just threw together some ingredients for dinner and hoped for the best.
I got a bundle of basil from my CSA last week and I knew I wanted to make pesto with it.  I didn't have pine nuts, so I made the pesto with walnuts instead, it was inspired from this recipe.
It was a little tricky to blend the pesto in a blender instead of a food processor but it we got it to work.  :)

I was really excited we finally had a reason to use the mortar and pestle!  Usually it just sits on our counter looking sad and neglected.

Once the pesto was ready, we put it in the fridge while we prepared the rest of the dinner.  We chopped up an eggplant, and then breaded it.  I boiled some water for the Linguini, while CJ prepared the eggplant by frying it in olive oil.

One the eggplant was ready, and the pasta was al dente, we mixed in the pesto, topped it with mozzarella, and baked it for about 10 minutes.

 While it baked, CJ whipped up a little appetizer using the pesto, and some cheese and crackers.

And the dinner turned out great!  This impromptu dinner was a hit.

 Delicious!

July Date: Rockport Day trip

Hi Pals!

Yesterday was July date!  For those of you who don't know, each month CJ and I take turns planning a date for each other.  This month it was CJ's turn to plan it, so we went to Rockport for a day of biking, beaching, and eating.  I loved every minute of it.

Rockport is basically the quintessential New England fishing town.  It's very picturesque with all the little shops, beaches, and fishing boats. 

This building is actually one of the most photographed and painted buildings in the world!  It's called motif #1. 

After biking around, we found a cute little beach(^) and hung out there for a while.  CJ doesn't like the beach, but he was a good sport and didn't complain too much about being there :).  I only made him suffer for about an hour before heading to lunch.

We ate at Blue Lobster Grille( I thought about texting my friend Meaghan because she has a blue lobster for a pet!  Yes, I keep an interesting group of friends.)  I didn't take any pictures of the lunch but I got a spinach salad, and CJ got the seafood Linguini.  Our restaurant had big windows facing the ocean so we could look out into the harbor.

For dessert we headed to a gelato shop.  After I sampled three different flavors, I picked the mocha chip, and CJ picked a mix of strawberry and blueberry.

  Yummm!  Not as good as the gelato in Italy, but I guess it comes close.

I highly recommend visiting Rockport if you are looking for somewhere to take a day trip.  There's lots to do:

Kayaking
Taking a tour in a Pirate ship
Fishing
Hiking Halibut point
Visiting Shops
Visiting Art Galleries
 Dining







Just for a recap, here are past month's dates:
April- Science Museum + Dinner at the Paramount (no post)
May- Sunday Brunch and a 6 mile Hike
June- Golf + lunch at Polcari's


Next month is my turn to plan the date.....if you have any ideas, please leave a comment!

If the Shoe Fits....

I recently did something that was long over-do:
I got fitted for running shoes and a sports bra!

For a while now, I've been experiencing pain in my right knee any time I run over 5 miles, and I've been getting blisters in the same spot on my right foot.  Also, I've been wearing three sports bras every time I go out for a run or do any other type of high impact exercise for as long as I can remember.  Wearing less than three sports bras does not provide enough support for me to run in, and it causes some discomfort/bouncing.  Not good.

I finally realized that I needed to go in for a professional fitting for both shoes and bras, and I knew exactly where to go:

Marathon Sports!

I was lucky enough to have a very knowledgeable sales associate help me out.  We  briefly talked about my level of running experience before jumping into my recent running issues.  I told her about the pain in my right knee after long runs, and the reoccurring blisters.  I also mentioned that I may be running on the outside of my feet, and striking with my heel. 

She asked me to stand with my feet together, and to walk to the front of the store and back.
She came to the conclusion that I am slightly bow-legged, and have internally rotated knees and hips.

At first she thought I would need a neutral shoe, because the combination of bow-leggedness and internally rotated hips would balance each other out when running.

She had me try on a pair of neutral Nikes, and head outside to take them for a spin.   I ran down to the end of the block and back as she watched my feet.  After the first run she realized that I am actually over pronating (meaning that my ankles drop in) instead of turning my feet out, which was what we originally thought was the issue.  After reaching this conclusion, she said I needed a stability shoe to provide some more support. 

I tried on another pair of Nike's.  They were called the Nike Zoom Structure.
Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 15 Wide Women's Running Shoes - Pure Platinum, 10

After lacing these up and doing the "thumb test" (seeing how much room is at the end of the shoe)  we headed outside for me to try a little run in these.  I liked the feel of these, they supported me in the right places, and seemed to fit the shape of my foot pretty well.  Even though I liked these ones a lot, she still had me try on a few more shoes just to make sure they were the right ones.  I liked the color combinations of some of the other shoes, but I didn't like the fit or feel as much at the Nike Zoom Structures.

After running in the Nike Zoom Structure's, I found that most other shoes weren't supportive enough.  I realized that I liked the support, and felt more comfortable in a stability shoe. 

Next on the agenda was picking out some synthetic socks.

 Synthetic socks are important because they prevent blisters by wicking away sweat.  I chose a 3-pack of the most colorful ones in the store, obviously.

The final thing on the agenda was picking out a supportive sports bra.  She asked me what my bra size I was, and then found a high impact sports bra with an underwire, and a super supportive bra with adjustable velcro straps for me to try on.

 As soon as I put on the one with underwire, I knew it was the one for me.  I tried to hop around in the dressing room to make sure it was supportive enough for me, and it was!

 

It looks a little different from the basic sports bras that I'm used to, but it does the trick.  The first time I wore it, I was so impressed.  I held me up, prevented bouncing, and I could breathe! Wahoo!

I strongly encourage every runner to go and get fitted for shoes.  I learned so much about my bone structure and my gait.  I'm hoping that this new gear will really help improve my running!  

Fingers crossed for no more knee pain or blisters!