A Restaurant, a Run, and a Museum

My mom visited me for the long weekend last week! It was so great to see her, I do miss getting to spend weekends with my parents every month or so…adding a whole day of flying sure makes that more difficult.  We had a great 4 days filled with sightseeing, eating, shopping and walking…lots of walking.  I thought to showcase a bit of what DC has to offer plus recap my visit from Mom I would do a restaurant, a run, and a museum review:

metro selfie!

The Restaurant

I picked up a groupon for a 3 course Italian dinner with a glass of wine for a Dupont Circle Italian joint, i Ricci to use when my momma came so we did that first thing when she flew in Friday.  I will say right off the bat there is no way this place is worth the price without the groupon.  The caprese salad appetizer is usually $17…for tomatoes and mozzarella!  However, the groupon was a great deal and we enjoyed a delicious dinner!  Plus it’s always fun to treat mom when she treats me all the time.

The appetizers: Caprese salad and polenta with balsamic mushrooms.  I need to find a recipe for the mushrooms...they were the best part!

Jumbo lump crab cakes with toasted fennel, basil puree & roasted corn salsa for dinner for me!

It was a fun experience trying a new restaurant in a new city with my mom and we left full and satisfied! Would I go back here and pay regular prices...probably not, but maybe a glass of wine and happy hour would be fun!

The Run

While my mom slept in Saturday I got up for my group run with my Fleet Feet group.  The weather was MUCH more bearable compared to last week’s long run and we enjoyed a balmy ;) 30 degrees for the whole run.  I kept with a fun group of ladies as we ran south through Rock Creek Park to meet Abe and turn around.  Our couch, Jo, likes to give “extra credit” so we ran the Lincoln stairs and then had to do again to get a photo…it was worth the photo!  The 8 miles felt pretty effortless and I’m starting to feel like a strong runner again. 

#seenonmyrun

Up the Lincoln stairs to the theme of Rocky!

I then added another 6 miles of walking with my mom around the monuments and visiting Lincoln again to make it a 15+ mile day…hello tired legs for a couple days!

Trying to teach mom how to pose for a selfie

The Museum

Okay, nerd alert…I’m kind of obsessed with Abraham Lincoln. It all started with the book Killing Lincoln, then the movie Lincoln and just learning about his presidency fascinated me…especially since I moved here.  Did you know during his presidency people just walked into the White House, lined up and told him their problems? Could you imagine that in this day and age? So when I mentioned wanting to see Ford's Theater and museum to my mom and she was all in I was pumped! We upgraded our tickets (about $7.50 a piece) and got the headsets so we could learn even more.  While the museum does go into great detail on Lincoln’s assignation and hunt for all the conspirators it also goes into detail on his presidency…all the way from choosing his cabinet, all the generals he went through and the Civil War. 

Theater box, gun used to kill Lincoln, and Petersen House where he died

FUN FACT: Lincoln was the president who instituted Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday.

After the museum you get to go into Ford's Theater and see the box where he was shot…you can still see plays there, but not from that box!

The inside of the box where Lincoln was shot

You then travel over to the Petersen House, otherwise known as the house where Lincoln died, which is directly across the street from Ford’s Theater.  Even though he was shot pretty much point blank in the back of the head he actually lived through the night and didn’t die until early the next morning which kind of fascinated me considering the level of medical care available during that time. 

I would 100% recommend this stop if you ever visit DC, especially if you are looking for something a bit smaller and less all encompassing than the Smithsonian's.

Hope you enjoyed a little piece of DC along with me! Have a great week.

Getting in My Groove

Settling into living in a brand new city has taken a bit longer than I expected. Of course I really had nothing to judge it on...the only other times I've moved it was to college or to Seattle where I moved in with friends and already had tons of friends! It took me a couple of months to realize that staying active is what makes me happy and that is how I want to meet people...big fat duh I know considering that is exactly how I've made some of my great Seattle friends over the past few years...I'll just blame the stress of moving ok?

This week I am most definitely learned what a legit winter looks like living here on the East Coast and how Washington DC actually freaks out of snow MORE than Seattle…I thought that was literally impossible but it’s true.  We had our first snow/super freezing temps  last week and I think kids didn’t go to school for like three days with about 2 inches of snow on the ground.  Add the threat of freezing rain this morning and add another snow day.  Of course the weather was not great motivation for my first week of Rock and Roll DC half marathon training but I managed to get outside for two runs and I’m certain I won’t go out in temps like that again!

I did one 4 mile loop around the National Zoo Tuesday evening that left my toes numb and my face burning.  I attended my first Fleet Feet group run Saturday morning and the only thing that motivated me to go was meeting new runner friends. The temps were a “feels like” under 10 degrees for our whole run and I realized I need to invest in a pair of fleece lined leggings if I want to survive that again. BUT, I did meet a pretty nice girl and we share running goals so I think she will be a great buddy to have along during this training. We completed a little over 7.5 miles winding our way around downtown DC. 

Seen on my run outside the National Geographic Museum

Not enough layers on...

My goal this week is to get outside 3 times to run which should be doable since temps are supposed to come back up into the 40’s by the end of the week…downright balmy if you ask me ;). 

Other than running I’ve been enjoying yoga and strength classes at my neighborhood fitness studio, Stroga (Strength+Yoga…get it!).  The yoga is pretty darn fantastic and I can’t remember that last time I was as flexible as I am right now since I’ve been going at least 2x a week for the past month or so.  Add a couple strength boot camp classes and I feel like I’ll be one strong runner this year!

Along with all this physical fun I’ve been making an effort to eat cleaner, especially during the week.  Moving to a new city and walking by amazing restaurants every single day made my first couple months here a bit more indulgent than I was aiming for so I’m trying to get back into a routine.  Meals each day have been almost identical, making it easy to prep and just heat up each day. 

Breakfast...every.single.day (egg cups with ham)

Lunch...every.single.day (tuna salad)

Dinner...almost ever.single.day

A reminder that the next 8-week I Quit Sugar program starts January 22 and I’ll be sharing some food pics along the way! If you want access to the yummy recipes you’ll have to join before January 22…totally worth it. 

My goal for this week is running 3 times which shouldn’t be hard since I have a hills run with my Fleet Feet group Tuesday, hashing Thursday (will do a blog post on this once I fully understand it…google if you don’t know what I mean) and then Fleet Feet long run on Saturday. My mom is visiting for a long weekend so I’m doubtful much more running than that will occur.  

Have a great week all!

Welcome to 2015 - I'm Baaaccckkkk!!

Has it really been since August since I last posted? HOLY SMOKES! The time feel like it literally flew by.  I went back and forth with myself towards the end of 2014 on whether to keep blogging or not but now that my life has settled down a bit I think I’m going to give it another go…if I even have any readers left that is…if not oh well, I’ll write for myself.

So, what did the end of 2014 bring for me? One big life change…I moved to Washington DC (shocking information to you all I’m sure since I blasted it all over social media).  I took a one year detail with my current employer in the “other Washington” ßa friend of mine made me promise I would never call DC that…sorry, I’ll only do it this time.  Anyways, I’m living and working in the District (as the locals call it) and so far really loving it.  The HISTORY, the POLITICS, the DIVERSITY…I’m pretty much on sensory overload every time I step out my door and I love it!

Kicking off 2015 in DC...my new city!   

I’m still running…like a teeny tiny bit and still eating sugar free (with some cheats around the holidays) but looking to kick off 2015 with some new running goals and just getting to know my new city through running and new friends!  I hope to use this blog to not only talk about running and eating but to give my friends and family a glimpse into life in DC through museum visits, running around the monuments and more.  Plus, I made such awesome friends in Seattle through this blog so hoping it will do the same for me in my new city so if I happen to ever get any DC readers please don't be shy...say HI!

For now here are a few photo highlights of my first couple months in Washington DC!

I ran one race...the Ugly Sweater 5K, which was really just an excuse to buy a shark with xmas lights on it sweater.

Taking long walks to see the DC sights has become one of my favorite activities.  The first glance of the White House and Washington Monument on every walk still overwhelms me...I can't believe I live HERE!

I had my first visitors for New Years Eve. My cousin Kristin and her friend Angela came to visit me and we walked over 11 miles in just one day walking around the Mall.

What’s new for 2015…

Besides just settling into this new city and trying to make new friends I'm planning on getting back to running and just today I signed up for 10-week half marathon training group with Fleet Feet Wash DC and registered for the Rock and Roll DC half marathon in March.  I'm hoping the structured training will lead to a possible half mary PR, but more importantly I hope to meet some runner friends!

Also happening in 2015:

• I’m continuing on as a Ragnar Ambassador for 2015!  This time I’ll be marketing the DC relay and I am sooo excited to run it. There are already talks about a mini re-Nuunion of some of my Hood to Coast ladies that live on the East Coast.
• I got into the infamous Cherry Blossom 10-miler race. I entered the lottery on a whim and got in so I’ll be participating in my first 10 mile race ever…automatic PR!
• The next round of the I Quit Sugar 12-week program kicks off January 20 and I’m staying on board as an ambassador to help people in the forums through the program.  Let’s be honest, after the holidays I’ll need the program as much as anyone.  I can’t say enough good things about this program and I promise it will be the best $$ you spend on yourself in the new year.    

Now that I'm partially settled in DC and trying to get back into running, I hope to keep this blog a little more updated than I have been.  Between the running, new restaurant eating, museum seeing, and more I have no excuse for not having anything to blog about! 

Question: What have you all been up to the past 5 months? Besides not blogging I haven't really been reading any blogs so fill me in...I promise I'll catch up soon, I miss all my blog buddies!

I Quit Sugar - 8 Week Wrap Up

I'm embarrassed to say how long this post has taken me to write. I pretty much went off the blog grid post Ragnar…life has been super busy with some changes (cryptic I know…I will share eventually) ahead so blogging just didn't enter my mind. BUT, I really wanted to get this recap up before I forgot about it all!

I Quit Sugar
Week 1
Week 2
Reading Food Labels - SUGAR 
Week 3
Week 4 
Week 5

Yeah yeah I know I didn't do a week 6, 7 or even 8 week recap, but they would have all been the same and really it was about slowly adding back in low sugar fruits and adjusting to a new normal way of eating for me and it went really well!

In our week 8 weekend read we got a little recap of the program so I thought I would summarize that and my thoughts on each week to bring everything together:

Week One - This was all about identifying fructose and why it is bad for us.  I had a pretty good handle on this before starting this program but it was good to hear everything again and be given more resources to read when I wanted.  I summarized why fructose is bad in my I Quit Sugar post.

Favorite recipe: Paleo veggie bread (still make this ALL the time) with avocado-feta smash
Not so favorite recipe: Berry omelet…eggs and fruit…didn't work for me :)

Week Two - The beginning of quitting ALL sugar for a few weeks to reset our bodies and remove the addictive nature of sugar from the brain essentially.  The message for week two was to eat more FAT. I have no problem doing this and instead of dessert after dinner now I usually have a few pieces of cheese. 

Favorite recipe: Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie
Not so favorite recipe: The cauliflower fried rice, EWW and unfortunately most of this went in the trash.

Week Three - Still no sugar of any kind and we learned how to read labels.  What ever you got out of this process was really up to you and I really used this time to educate myself on the effects of sugar and how quitting for life would be a new lifestyle for me.  Seeing the amount of sugar in products I used to consume on a daily basis (uh…Luna Bars and Picky Bars) was pretty eye opening, but now I just no longer eat them, simple!

Favorite recipe: Quinoa porridge
Not so favorite recipe: NONE really, I really enjoyed everything I ate in week 3.

Week Four - This was clean week meaning no alcohol, caffeine or gluten for just 5 days. Since I knew quitting caffeine would just make me a crazy person I decided to not cut that out, especially since it was just 5 days.  I did pretty well this week and didn't think it was too different from the other weeks since the program is pretty gluten-free as it is and I'm not a big drinker anyways.

Favorite recipe: Sweet potato salmon cakes
Not so favorite recipe: I can't remember anything I didn't like this week either!

Week Five - The last week of absolutely no sweeteners or sugar! During week 5 we were given some tactics to deal with the skeptics we may come along when describing the program.  Really I don't have a problem saying it's pure science people…your body cannot and does not process fructose in a way that is healthy.  If you want to eat mass quantities of it be my guest, but it's not for me anymore. If you want to discuss more happy to do so, just no judging please :).

Yumm yumm granola!

Favorite recipe: My take on Cocco-nutty granola that takes out the nuts and adds oats.  I still make this every other week…sooo delicious!
Not so favorite recipe: Not a recipe but stuffing my face with fried food and beer while on a mini vaca…it was my first taste of what my body does when it doesn't like what I put it into it after being on this program, lesson learned!

Week's 6-8 - The last three weeks of the program were about introducing small amounts of sugar and non-fructose sweeteners (brown rice syrup and stevia) into our diets. The goal is to ALWAYS stay under about 25 grams of sugar per day and this is something I plan on continuing for life.  I used these weeks try making my own meal plans, eating out, and just finding the right balance.

Recent eats have included the best birthday lunch ever of kale salad with garbanzo beans and parmesan cheese with a side of kombucha, sweet potato post with chicken and green beans, and mac and cheese with chicken jalapeño sausage and sautéed mushrooms and spinach (grown up mac as I like to call it).

So what sugar do I eat? I have to admit, happily, my sweet tooth is literally gone so I don't crave it much anymore.  However, low fructose fruits like raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries have been making a regular occurrence in yogurt or just as a snack.  A co-worker has been bringing in bags of blueberries from his garden and my work campus is overloaded with blackberries!  Aside from berries I've been enjoying a few squares of dark (85% cacao or higher) chocolate on occasion and not stressing as much about the sugar content of bread or other condiments with I'm out to eat.

How to I feel after all of this? In a nutshell I feel NORMAL again.  I don't think I even remembered what normal felt like as I've been dealing with stomach issues since I was literally a small kid…just ask my parents…they have stories :).  I didn't loose any weight, but my weight remained CONSTANT, I never felt bloated or run down, and things just moved through my system in a normal way…if you know what I'm saying ;).

The I Quit Sugar program has truly opened my eyes to how much sugar we eat, where sugar is hiding and how great you can feel if you just don't eat it.  I've been able to eat as much gluten and dairy as I want (something I didn't think I could do before) without feeling sick and can still enjoy a glass of wine (or 2 or 3) and chocolate when I want as well.

Join me for the next 8- week program!

I CANNOT recommend this program enough. For the roughly $150 bucks you get amazing meal plans, amazing support on the forums and access to experts and information in a very easy to digest and understand format.  I was lucky enough to be asked back to be an ambassador for their next 8-week program beginning on September 25 so if you sign up I'll be in the forums to help you out.

If you have any questions about the program just ask! If you sign up be sure to let me know…it's always more fun to go through programs like these with someone.

Race Recap: 2014 Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage

So after recovering and thinking about this past weekend for a few days I decided I don't want to draw out a 3 or 4 part recap and I'm just going to shove it all in one super long blog post…so get ready!  Plus, you really only need to hear MY recap, you can go read my teammates blogs for their recaps:

• Robyn - recap not posted yet
• Bethany 
• Nicole
• Marilyn
• Jordanne doesn't blog, but I promise she ran and had fun :)

This was my second year doing Ragnar ultra style and my 6th year running the Northwest Passage race. This course NEVER gets old and I got to run on some new ground this year due to our kind of complicated running schedule.  Nicole manipulated an excel spreadsheet so each of us ran 4 times and that we all got our longest run over with in the beginning of the relay. I ended up covering 35.1 miles over the course which included long gradual uphills on major roads that oil tankers speed by on, long flat river winding roads, running over deception pass, and one super duper long downhill to finish off the 35.1 miles <---you could think that would be glorious but after that many miles the pounding on the road from the downhill did not feel pleasant!  #runnerproblems I know ;)

Start line jump pic!

Team Six Pack With Racks (#199) started at 9AM Friday morning and began the long journey towards Langley on Whidbey Island full of excitement, some nerves, and a van FULL of food, water, and Nuun!

Run #1 - 12.1 miles (started at 11AM Friday) - 2:01:13 - 10:00 pace

My first run was leg 3 and 4 of the course and while the elevation chart may look intimidating it's pretty gradual and rolling really not as hard as it looks.  It was HOT and a bit humid during this run and for most of it you are running on the shoulder of a major road that oil tankers drive down…meaning you get all kinds of road dirt on you.  

Off I go!

I consistently ran about 10:00 miles (my goal!) and ran through the first exchange a little after 8 miles in and received a quick water refill from my teammates. I felt strong the whole way and the last few miles were slightly downhill so that was nice.  I handed off to Marilyn just outside of Bellingham, chugged some coconut water, ate a sandwich and wiped all the road dirt off of me...I felt like a new woman after all of that :).

Coming in to handoff to Marilyn. Ragnar has FREE race photos BTW, just one more reason they are awesome!

Unfortunately, my body did not recover property and I started to get a headache after this run that kind of ruined the rest of Friday. I managed to still cheer for my teammates, but the small headache turned into a light migraine and I got increasingly nervous I would be miserable running my next run.  I stayed super hydrated, caffeinated, and made sure to eat properly but nothing was really working :(.

Myself, Robyn, Travis, Nicole and Jordanne at the Bellingham High exchange

#teamlauren at at exchange! It was run running into Oiselle's Birdmachine team!

Run #2 - 10.66 miles (started about 9PM Friday) - 1:47:27 - 10:05 pace

These miles covered leg 15 and 16 and took our team south through Mount Vernon on very FLAT road.  I decided to listen to podcasts to try and get my mind off my headache and just hoped that running magically cured my migraine.  GOOD NEWS...it kind of did. My head didn't hurt during the run and I just got in a groove and ticked away the miles.  I ran by a lot of farms and saw cows and alpacas sleeping and only heard a couple of scary rustling in the bushes next to me.  Oh and it rained...the rain started just as I started running and was basically a drizzle storm for the first 5-6 miles.  Luckily, it felt nice since it was so humid out and once it stopped I ran enough after to dry off.

After I handed off to Marilyn, I got dry and settled into one of the van seats to try and just close my eyes to kick the rest of my migraine out of my head for good.  I may have slept for about 30 minutes but remaining vertical for about an hour helped.  As most of us (who weren't running of course) tried to sleep a bit Travis (van driver and husband extraordinaire to Marilyn) made sure the next runner got to the exchange and picked up the one coming in...he rocked!  I ended up having a very life changing cup of coffee at a gas station around 3AM and felt totally cured of my headache!

Run #3 - 6.44 miles (started about 5AM Saturday) - 1:03:56 - 9:56 pace

I was pretty excited about this leg. It was leg 23 over Deception Pass and it felt so awesome to not only run over this beautiful bridge, but be the one who took my team from the "mainland" to Whidbey Island.  

Deception Pass selfie

After I ran over the bridge it started raining pretty hard and then the wind came and I started to get a little pissed that I drew the major short end of the stick when it came to running in the rain.  I don't mind the rain but when you add the wind I just got too cold.  I ran the last couple of miles as fast as I could so I could just get dry and warm again.  Poor Marilyn had to run in the rain for the first part of her run but I think it stopped shortly after.  My legs were actually hurting pretty bad at this point in the relay and I had some hip pain that was making me a little nervous.  Add to that 3 blisters forming from running with wet socks and I was turning into a mess.  BUT, the fact that I only had 5.7 miles left left me very hopeful that I would complete all my miles relatively unscathed.  

 
Run #4 - 5.86 miles (started about 1PM Saturday) - 57:50:70 - 9:54 pace

As I took off on my last run I'm pretty sure I had a smile on my face the whole time.  It didn't matter that my hip was hurting, my blisters were rubbing on my toes, or that I nauseous from no sleep...nothing was stopping me from running these last miles as fast as I could.  The majority of this run, leg 32, was downhill and while normally I would love that it made the pounding on my very tired body a bit more painful.

Funny how I really thought I was sprinting to the finish, but this photo makes me look like a snail...haha!

Handing off to Marilyn for the last time was the best feeling in the world and knowing I ran every single one of those 35.1 miles as strong as I could made the sense of accomplishment that much more gratifying!

I took my last Shower Pill shower and got ready to watch Bethany bring it all home for us!!

Come on Bethany!

And just like that, a little over 32 hours after we started we crossed the finish line together and wrapped up an amazing 196 mile journey full of laughs, new friendships, a little bit of pain, but mostly a huge sense of accomplishment as a team.

And then we ate pizza!

 I've said it before and I'll say it again...the best thing about Ragnar is that is takes a normally very individualized sport and turns it into a team sport.  Sometimes the most memorable moments from the whole experience don't happen while running...they may happen while just driving along in the van and learning one of your teammates brothers is a New Kids on the Block member (yes...it is TRUE!), sharing upcoming new life changes with each other (cryptic I know!), and planning the next relay only minutes after finishing this one.

Every single year I've run this race I haven't known one or more of my teammates beforehand and every single year I end the weekend with new friendships, lasting memories, and a huge smile on my face. Thank you Robyn, Marilyn, Nicole, Jordanne, Bethany and Travis for making the weekend one for the record books!

QUESTION: Who is already excited for 2015 Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage?

---------------------------

I Quit Sugar Update:

Okay, I'm done being sappy...just a quick I Quit Sugar update for you all if you are curious. Next week is the final week of the program and the past two weeks I've really just focused on making no sugar part of my life now. I successfully navigated Ragnar without sugar and even without running fuel (minus Nuun of course...that is as necessary as blood!) and am confident that eliminating sugar from my diet is definitely the life for me.  I plan on posting a week 6, 7, 8 recap at the end so stay tuned. 

Six Pack With Racks Success

I plan on posting a recap or two or three soon but I just have to post some photos real quick and say what an amazing experience this was.  Even though it was my second year on an ultra Ragnar team, I didn't feel any less nervous about running 35.1 miles over this past weekend and sitting on my couch tonight I still can't quite believe what my team accomplished this weekend. 

Things weren't always pretty and I battled a migraine, blisters, some pretty intense hip pain and running in heat and pouring rain...but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.  As I powered through my last mile on Whidbey Island on Saturday afternoon I couldn't help but smile at the amazing accomplishment and be thankful that I am even able to endure an adventure like Ragnar! Being able to share it with 5 other amazing ladies and 1 insanely supportive driver was the best part and I couldn't have done it without each one of them.

Robyn, me, Marilyn, Nicole, Jordanne, and Bethany!

Team Six Pack With Racks finished Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage in 32 hours, 17 minutes!

This experience was even more memorable being an ambassador for both Nuun and Ragnar.  Nuun kept myself and my team hydrated, caffeinated, and energized throughout the whole relay and Ragnar put on yet again a flawless event.  They had more teams than ever this year but you would have never known...more port-o-potties, larger exchanges, and amazing volunteers made everything run seamlessly!

Part of my team reppin Nuun and Ragnar!  Sorry your head got cut off Travis :)

As we rode the ferry home on Saturday evening we brainstormed our next relay and even creating our own cross country relay (craziness I know!) and sang "for he's a jolly good fellow" to our driver all I thought was that I never wanted this feeling of accomplishment, friendship and fun to end!

For now I'll just have to re-live the experience with photos, memories, texts and tweets from teammates and hope that this Ragnar hangover never ends!