Minneapolis Taste Buds

I blend my morning shake with my powerful and extremely loud Ninja blender . Seriously, I plug my ears when I run it, and my daughter runs away. It came with two smoothie cups, so I make two at a time when I meal prep. I add everything except the frozen ingredients, give it a quick shake, and put them in the fridge until I'm ready to blend. Your smoothie or shake should taste great and fuel your morning. Whether or not you drink Shakeology , follow timed nutrition or other Beachbody plans, you can try some of my favorites to keep your taste buds happy. I loosely measure liquids and veggies, but I'm more precise when measuring the others. I use containers that came with 80 Day Obsession . I add items in the order shown so the dry ingredients don't stick to the cup. 8 oz liquid Water Unsweetened flax milk (dairy isle) Unsweetened coconut milk (dairy isle) I add extra water if it seems too thick One scoop of high-quality protein Whey Vanilla, Chocolate, Cafe Lat...

I finished my last LIIFT4 workout! For me, finishing a Beachbody program brings up all the feels that marathons do. All of the time, sweat, and hard work paid off in gains in confidence, strength and mobility, and loss of inches. 8 weeks flew by, and I'm stronger than ever. I wanted to share some thoughts for anyone thinking about LIIFT4 . Shorter workouts LIIFT4 workouts are 30 to 40 minutes. It's fast-paced and you're done before you know it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED 80 Day Obsession . It was my first Beachbody program, and I never minded that a lot of the workouts were 60 minutes. But, when I started LIIFT4, my work life and personal life were hectic. I was juggling too many projects, my husband was traveling regularly, and we changed up routines when our daughter started Kindergarten. Fewer days LIIFT4 is only four workouts a week for eight weeks. I tried to stick to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. The program is designed with rest days Wednesday, Satu...

I'm participating in the #last90days challenge that Rachel Hollis and her husband Dave are hosting. This week's theme is habits, and yesterday's live stream was about establishing good morning routines. They talked about the importance of not hitting the snooze button, and waking up at the same time everyday. I used to sleep in. Then I became a runner. Summer months in Minnesota are steamy. My Texas relatives laugh when I say this, but it does get hot here. I'd rather run first thing in the morning before the blazing sun adds to the "feels like" temperature. And, it's great to have a run logged before heading to work. I also used to go to Body Pump at the Y at 5:30 twice a week. My husband thought I was crazy. He's the night owl of the family. I had my daughter almost six years ago. That's another reason I get up early. In addition to squeezing in a workout, I also had needed to squeeze - I mean pump -  before running. So, I've been waking...

I love Twin Cities Marathon Sunday! When I'm not participating, I like to get the dog out for a walk early, bring her home and head out for a solo out-and-back long run on Minnehaha Parkway and West River Road. It's so quiet on race morning. The only cars are the Park Police getting the ready for the leaders. Once I turn around to head south, there's a lot of activity at the water stops. People start arriving at their favorite places to cheer. I haven't logged many long runs these days, since I'm mainly focusing on strengthening with LIIFT4, but I had to get out today. It smelled like fall with fires and bacon wafting through the air. The trees along my favorite spots are just starting to turn. I tried to take it all in before the leads started coming through. After a little run/cheering I headed home to clean up. I'm not in great running shape at the moment, but felt proud I could still crank out 7.5 miles. I collected my husband, daughter, dog, and 3 cow...

Today I visited my physical therapist for a check-up. I hadn't been there since May, right before the Lake Wobegon Trail Marathon. I kept meaning to check-in, but life really happens sometimes, and we put off some of our favorite and most productive forms of self care for 4+months. Oopsie. I was a little nervous, but excited to see the results of my hard work this summer. I know I'm the strongest I've been since my 20s, thanks to 80 Day Obsession, my PT exercises that I'm still very dedicated to fitting in, and now LIIFT4. But I wasn't sure how the healing and strength were in the hamstring that had hurt so badly after an injury in March. My PT confirmed that my hard work paid off, and I felt pretty proud. No dry needling or lasers needed today. There was no need for "therapy," and we could finally start adding exercises just focused on isolating the hamstrings. I think I should always have some sort of a coach in my life, whatever form they take - o...

So, my last post was seven years ago? A lot has happened since then. I had my daughter in 2012. I changed jobs a couple of times, threw in a couple more marathons, and here we are. I'm ready to start writing again. I ran my 10th marathon in May, which was my fourth fastest. I was really proud of that accomplishment after a brutal winter of training, and a weather-related injury. My TC Orthopedics physical therapists never doubted that I'd get to the finish line. One of them even ran the same marathon! They helped ease the hamstring pain and and taught me exercises to strengthen the weak runner's butt. I felt great on race day and was blessed with perfect weather. For me finishing a marathon is followed by a honeymoon phase filled with pride and excitement. But, it also brings up questions like, when will I do all of that great creative thinking I do on my mid-week runs? How can I possibly justify three hours to myself on Saturday mornings now? And, inevitably, will I do...

Mark and I had a great time at the Campus Club Centennial Party last night! My sister and Campus Club Executive Chef, Beth Jones, was signing copies of the new Campus Club Centennial Cookbook. Mark did the layout for the cookbook, and the Campus Club's graphics guy, Joe Burgmeier, did the beautiful photography. The cookbook features many of the favorite dishes served at the Campus Club , including Beth's amazing creations like Irish Stew with Guinness, Chili, and Apple Galette, and Sous Chef, Jorge Ortega's, Steak and Strawberry Salad. Beth also featured many of our family favorites, such as Beef Bourguignon, our mom's pie crust, and my Strawberry Bread. I love that the cookbook talks about easy substitutions, and features the local Minnesota farmers they work with. Many of the recipes include personal stories - Nettie's "Sure to Ge Me a Husband" Rice is one of my favorites. The Campus Club Centennial Cookbook is available for $14.95. Call 612-626-...

I'm very excited for Women Run the Cities 10-miler this weekend! I love the course and most of my long runs involve some or most of the route. I ran it the first 2 years but missed it last year. Wondering if I'll PR . . . can't wait to get my cute shirt tomorrow . . . happy to be volunteering at packet pickup - my first time (long overdue). This is a great race to run with the New York City Marathon on the horizon. Can it really be just 6 weeks away?