We're Baaaaaaaack!

Just a quick public service announcement (actually, public accountability announcement) to affirm that we Muffies are still on our 50 state quest -- and we do have races lined up for this year.  In typical multi-tasking fashion, we'll be capitalizing on some interview travel that Alena's lined up to do and tackling races in NJ and Texas.  [Since she won't do it herself, quick brag...hard to believe that when we started this blog, Alena was a first year dental student.  And now we're doing races across the country on weekends that she's doing interviews for Oral Surgery residencies.  She's awesome.]

In the meantime, now that we just happen to be neighbors (!!) we'll be taking boxing classes together in the mornings, enjoying the fall weather jogging together in the Arb, and cooking dinner together as often as we can.

And just in case you're counting...
CA, NC, FL, TN, OR, AZ = DONE

NJ, TX = HERE WE COME!

xoxo,

The Muffies

Portland on a Whim

Faithful Muffie followers will note that it's been quite some time since our last post.  This doesn't mean it's been a long time since we raced, though!  In fact, we've been quite busy globe-trotting in 2013.  In January, we met up in Las Vegas to do the Urban Challenge.  This was a scavenger hunt race whose course (and therefore length) was determined by how efficiently we could string together the destination clues.  We must have done a pretty good job (with a little help from our fan club when we had about three destinations to go) because...we won!  We weren't expecting any hardware for our effort, so the gold medals were a fun bonus for about 4 miles of running.

In late April we did our first half of the year, trekking to Nashville, TN for the Rock n Roll Country Music 1/2 Marathon.  This was one of my more ambitious travel adventures; the kids and I took a red-eye from LAX to DTW on Wednesday night, we stayed for 36 hours in Ann Arbor, took a late night flight from DTW to BNA on Friday night (we picked up my dad along the way!), got up at 5 AM to shuttle to the start line, raced, and then flew home with the kiddos the next night.  Seester got to Nashville via road trip, and somehow I convinced her to fly back to LA with me rather than drive back to MI.  Not sure how we would have fared without the extra set of hands!  

Not a lot to report as far as our race performance goes...I forgot to keep track of splits, and we weren't really paying attention to the race clocks.  I'm going to blame it on the rain.  And when I say rain, I mean torrential downpour.  For the ENTIRE race.  Most of our fellow runners (at least the ones hoofing it with us in the latter half of the pack) were running in ponchos or garbage bags.  We were absolutely drenched before we even crossed the starting line, and the rain never slowed down.  For the first (but almost certainly not the last) time in Muffie history, we didn't PR during the race.  But we did finish in under 3 hours, and we continued the tradition of having my official time be faster than Seester's even though she always crosses the finish line before me. (Finish line photos verify this bizarre phenomenon.)

Both of us felt surprisingly good after the race, and when we got back to LA together we spent some time planning the rest of our race year.  We'd originally been planning a race in Missouri for this weekend, but we couldn't figure out workable flights to meet there in time for the race (darn work and school!) We did figure out that the Portland Rock n Roll race (the same weekend) was doable, and when we confirmed that doing the race would earn us an "encore" medal (because that's really what this is all about...collecting medals!!) the deal was sealed.  Less than a month after Nashville, we packed the suitcases and the kids (and Justin this time, too) and headed north.

The forecast called for rain in Portland, but the skies relented and we enjoyed perfect low 60s running weather.  We had a much more humane 6:45 wake up for an 8 am start, with the start line just a few blocks from our hotel.  We took our traditional start line photo decked out in our matching purple shirts (in honor of the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society - we love you Mary Kay!!) and were on our way.

We snuck in with a starting corral full of 2:15 runners, which got us off to a speedy start.  And in the end, we finished 12 minutes faster than our previous best.  

Mile 1: 10:42

Mile 2: 11:04

Mile 3: 10:37

Mile 4: 13:24

Mile 5: 10:52

Mile 6: 11:17

Mile 7: 12:45

Mile 8: 13:38

Mile 9: 11:13

Mile 10: 12:05

Mile 11: 12:27

Mile 12: 11:20

Mile 13: 11:08

We're contemplating a Cleveland race in October...you'll hear about it (at some point!!) right here!

Christmas 5k!

Eva and I just finished jogging in the 35th annual Santa Monica Christmas run. She was wide awake and perfectly content as I pushed her 3+ miles in about 36 minutes. We didn't walk at all, which was a big victory.


I haven't been alive for all 35 iterations, but in honor of my 9th time participating, here are nine reasons why I love this run:
1. It's on Saturday instead of Sunday. When the races are close enough and I'm fast enough, I can do a Sunday morning race and still get to church. But it's much so much better to start my weekend with a race than be rushing around on what is designed to be a day of rest.
2. The t-shirts are amazing. Every year I've done it, we've gotten a microfiber long sleeve shirt with a gorgeous design on the front. This year the shirt was red, and I'd say at least 80% of the runners wore it during the race. Such a cool sight to see a three mile parade of festive red shirts moving along the beach path!
3. It's extremely well organized. They have an enormous number of friendly volunteers, a great start/finish line space right at the ocean, and an amazing commitment to starting the race EXACTLY on time. As a military woman, I like that!
4. Speaking of military, the race partners with the Wounded Warrior project to raise money for and awareness of programs for injured veterans. Awesome.
5. It's a great course for all levels of runner, and caters to everyone as well. With the exception of two very short climbs from the ocean level up to the city streets, the race is essentially completely flat. Lots of people use the 10k as an official training run for the LA marathon, lots of people use it as an excuse to wear Santa hats and go for a leisurely morning walk, and then there's everything in between. The area streets are cleared off and closed off, so the course is plenty wide enough to accommodate all sorts of speeds without causing traffic jams and frustration.
6. It seems to be a family tradition for many area families. Ronen and I have done the race several times; this year was Eva's inaugural ride. But I was one of so many moms and dads pushing strollers, double strollers, and wheelchairs, or running beside their elementary students out for their first race. So cool.
7. I'm sure not everyone who lives along the course loves the race, but the haters stay away and the ones who are left are out on their balconies cheering, or are blasting Christmas tunes out the windows.
8. It's easy to feel like you're getting a steal on parking. If you want super-convenient, you can pay $8 to park in the beach lots right at the starting line. Or, assuming you're feeling up for a warm up and cool down walk, there are a ton of meter spaces really close by. Since most of them aren't enforced until 9 am, one can park, run the 10k, enjoy the expo, and be back in plenty of time before any money is due. FREE! When there are thousands of people paying 8 bucks for something I am getting for free, it's strangely satisfying.
9. The final and most important reason why I love this race is because it benefits Harvest Home, a "shelter" for homeless pregnant women. Actually, it's much more than a shelter; Check out their website at www.theharvesthome.net. This is one of the few times that I'm more than happy to write the check for my registration fee! I don't know exactly how much money they raise each year, but I know it's significant. Exercise that supports a great cause is a total win-win.

Looking forward to a family beach run next weekend, and planning for the Muffies' next 13.1 mile adventure!

Coast to Coast Challenge = COMPLETE!

Nothing like the promise of a special "Coast to Coast" medal and some finish line booze to get a 9-week post-partum momma to the starting line of a half marathon! The Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon is actually what started this every state quest several years ago...it just took us awhile to get ourselves organized and registered before the race sold out. I'd say it was a worthwhile endeavor. I know Seeseter has her own race report in draft form that she'll be publishing shortly, so I won't steal her thunder. What I will add are our mile splits AND a public proclamation that if she hadn't been running with me, there's no way I would have finished as fast as I did. Seester set the pace for the whole race, and as I dug for every ounce of "just keep going" strength I could find, I was so proud of her and how her hard work is so obviously paying off. It was the motivation I needed to really get back to running. (Turkey Trot, Yuletide 5k, and Christmas Run posts just might be forthcoming...)
Mile 1 - 12:43
Mile 2 - 11:23
Mile 3 - 11:49
Mile 4 - 13:50
Mile 5 - 12:53
Mile 6 - 13:10
Mile 7 - 11:25 (must not have been a water station to walk through!)
Mile 8 - 12:15
Mile 9 - 13:51
Mile 10 - 13:15
Mile 11 - 12:35
Mile 12 - 12:45
Mile 13 - 12:04
What I love is how disciplined we were about starting with a manageable pace, and really doing well at maintaining it - mile 1 and mile 12 were almost exactly the same. I think the actual jogging pace we kept was quite consistent throughout; what changed was how long our "water break" was each mile! With both of us doing more training in the upcoming months, I wouldn't be surprised at all if our pace at the next race (TX in the early months of 2013, right Seester?) is under 13 minutes every mile. Should I go so far as to put that in writing as a goal?? I think I just did!

FOUR Muffies!!

We did it!!  All of us!!  And when I say "all of us" I mean me, Seester, Ronen, and...BONZO.  Yes...hiding underneath the salmon colored shirt is our 2nd kiddo, affectionately named after a garbonzo bean.  She was named somewhere around the 7 mile marker of the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon in Jan, based on her approximate size at the time.  (Seester was studying for an embryology exam  that weekend.  We were multitasking!)  In any case, we huffed and puffed through Raleigh with Ronen in the jogging stroller AND Bonzo in my belly.  But did that slow us down??  No way!

In fact, we finished in approximately 2:50 - FASTER than we did in Disneyland.  With a stroller.  And a two year old.  And a fetus.  Not bad, eh?  I confess that I'm not doing much running these days, but I am trying to put the daily miles on the eliptical trainer and I don't know what I'd do without my weekly prenatal yoga classes.  We've got our eye on the Wine & Dine 1/2 Marathon in Orlando in November.  I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of EATING in the meantime.  I've been a casserole person lately -- I'll try to post my two favorites this weekend! 

Raleigh Rocks!!

Team Seester is registered for our next 1/2 marathon adventure -- we're off to North Carolina for "Raleigh Rocks!" on April 1st.  This will be a new adventure for us, as Ronen will be joining in the fun.  It's the start of our Spring Break (which we're excited to be spending with Great Grandpa & Great Paty in Tryon, NC!) but Justin won't be able to join us until a few days into the trip.  Sooo...good thing the vast amount of training that I do (hehehe...) is with Ronen in the BOB!  He does quite well during 10K training races, as long as I have an ample supply of snacks, books, and other distractions.  This will be a new one for us, though -- three hours strapped in his stroller.  (Given the recent stroller outings we've done, I'm also a bit concerned he's not going to be satisfied until we've aquired "Stwabehwy Ice Cweam" for him!  Not likely at 7:30 AM.)  We're thinking about bringing a portable DVD player, Toy Story 3, and Cars 2...and hoping that it keeps him occupied throughout the race.  I'd say there's a good chance he goes absolutely stir crazy -- but that'll make the accomplishment all the more meaningful.  As always, we'll tell you all about it.  It's really starting to feel like we might actually (someday!) get to every state...I know two races doesn't seem like a lot, but the fact that we're finding a way to make 'em happen is encouraging & exciting.  Looking forward to continuing to share the adventure with all of you.

Broccoli and Gruyere Frittata

Thanks once again to the wonderful Weeknight Fresh + Fast by Kristine Kidd we got to enjoy this yummy recipe for Breakfast this morning! (serves 4 or more depending on hunger levels)

Broccoli, 1lb

Olive Oil, 2 Tbs

Bread Cubes, 1 cup - Finely Diced (baguette or country white bread)

Large Eggs, 10

Fresh Chives, 1/3 Cup - Minced

Fresh Marjoram, 2 Tbs - Minced

Salt and Pepper - to taste

Gruyere or Comte Cheese, 1 1/3 Cups - Coarsely Shredded

Large Shallots, 2 - Sliced into Rings

Step 1: Cut the Florets off the broccoli stems and then cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the broccoli stems and then cup into 1/2 inch pieces. In a steamer over boiling water, steam the broccoli florets and stems until just tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a colander.

Step 2: In a 12 inch non-stick ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs of the oil. Add the bread cubes and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the bread to a plate.

Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the eggs, chives, marjoram, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Beat with a fork until blended. (This is particularly fun if you have your almost 2 year old nephew help you stir!!) Mix in 1 cup of the Cheese

Step 4: In the same frying pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs oil. Add the shallots and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Add the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté until heated through, about 4 minutes. Mix the bread cubes into the egg mixture, and then pour the mixture into the frying pan. Gently stir to distribute evenly. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the frying pan, and cook until the eggs are almost set but still moist in the center, about 12 minutes.

Step 5: Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese over the frittata. Broil until the eggs puff, the center is springy to the touch, and the cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, loosen the frittata around the edges and slide the frittata onto a platter. Serve warm or at room temperature, cutting into wedges to serve.

YUMMM!