So I went to donate blood (which I’ve done before) but ended up donating plasma instead. The feeling is similar to donating blood, except when donating plasma, they filter the blood out, separate it into it’s components (plasma, red blood cells, etc) and once it’s separated, they filter the blood part back into your body minus the plasma, of course.

During the procedure I started to feel a little tingly, so she gave me some Tums (AKA calcium) and it helped!

Drinkage:

All done!

Between the run and the plasma-loss, I was completely drained. I took a 3 hour nap and it was glorious.

Do you donate blood/plasma/platelets? Whether you do or don’t, what are your reasons?

I simply want to help.

My Facebook status earlier read: “Running 3 miles at 1:00pm in 100-Degree Weather = "What Was I Thinking?"

Except I do know what I was thinking…

“It’s only 3 miles, piece of cake”

and

“I have to run before I donate blood”

Yep. That pretty much sums it up.  Needless to say, I did 3 somewhat tortuous miles and it took me forever because I took lots of walk breaks.

As my half-marathon training runs get longer, I’m starting to look for other methods of getting fluids besides carrying a water bottle, which I really don’t like to do. On most shorter runs (3-4 miles) I don’t even bring any water. 

Ideally I would like a Camelbak and may purchase one at some point down the road. But for now, my mom has this “generic” version of a Camelbak that she is letting me use. (As a side note, my mom is pretty active and does martial arts with me as well as yoga, biking, etc. She kind of rocks. )

I wanted to test this out on a shorter run, because I have a 9.5 miler scheduled for Tuesday and I want to be prepared. So I filled the water pouch up with half water/half yellow Gatorade

Ice cubies…
I have to admit, I was under the impression this would somehow go over my shoulders, but it didn’t. It simply belted around my waist and that was it. I was a bit unsure of how it would stay put…but I figured it was only 3 miles!

And I was off!

Before:

After:

Success!! Even though it didn’t go over my shoulders, I had no problems with it staying put and it didn’t feel cumbersome at all. Winner!

The only complaint was that the water pouch didn’t hold as much liquid as I’d hoped. It was so hot that I finished all of the water/Gatorade mixture around mile 2.5. When I do my long run I just need to be sure there is a water fountain or somewhere near by where I can refill it. Otherwise, I loved it!

Post run, I engaged in some TSD. 

Total. Salad. Domination.

I roasted some thinly sliced onion and red pepper in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 mins (I did it while I showered so it would be ready by the time I was done)

I placed them on a bed of arugula and spinach, and added a fresh tomato and some feta. Plus two small slices of Publix multi grain bread toasted with Earth Balance. I have a love affair with toast.

But the star of the salad? This dressing!

I love all the new yogurt-based dressings…they have a shorter expiration date (And are found in the produce section, refrigerated!) but they are so delicious and much healthier for you!

What methods do you use to rehydrate during long runs or workouts?

A month or so ago, POM Wonderful contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying out some of their pomegranate juice.  Since I buy it occasionally anyways (when I can afford it), of course I said Absolutely!

Yum! My favorite way to drink POM juice is to mix it with seltzer water, because it is (to me) very sweet on its own. Once I drank a whole bottle-the small one-and felt a bit nauseous afterwards, I think because it was too much sugar for my body to handle at once. So by all means, dilute!!!  You can’t beat the health benefits of pomegranate though! It’s got anti-oxidants out the wazoo. Yes I just said wazoo.  It also tastes great mixed in smoothies, and one of my favorite breakfast recipes is for Pomegranate Quinoa which you can check out on my recipes page. 

What are your plans for this gorgeous Saturday?

Just thought you should know.

In all actuality, I just came from dinner with my family for my mom’s birthday, and am waiting to go pick up my little brother from the airport.  His flight was delayed so I thought I’d catch up on some work.

Last night, as part of the fitness contest I’m doing through martial arts, we were timed as we completed a 1 mile run. Now, when I was in high school, we were required to run a mile once a month for time. I hated it and this definitely brought back those memories! We would either have to run 4 times around the soccer field, or 20 (I think?) laps around our gym. I used to huff and puff and die.  Every. single. time. And I didn’t even run it fast, I think I was always in the 11-12 minute range.  I was not a runner. I wasn’t even an athlete in high school. And to top it off, all the guys would dash around in a blink and be done in like six minutes. But despite my high school reminiscing, this time I felt nervous but excited. When we started the fitness contest a few months ago, my mile was 10:12.  My own personal PR is 9:49 and that was indoors (A/C!) on a treadmill. Last night I ran it [outside] in 9:09. Holla!!! I’m super proud because it just goes to show you that training does pay off. And I know that next time I will be even faster. 

The fact that I almost threw up is irrelevant.

Let me start by saying that I am a big “scent” person. I smell everything, and my brain has a “scent memory” that takes me back in time with more detail than than any photograph is able. I even keep old bottles of half-used perfume simply because they remind me of a certain time in my life, a certain person, etc. For example, every time I smell Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana I am instantly transported back to standing in the middle of a street in NYC, walking around Ground Zero in the rain. I was with an old boyfriend, I was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a half jean-jacket.  I remember exactly what I was feeling. It was September.

 (Source)

If you’re an outside runner/walker, you know what I’m talking about.  Dryer sheets, lighter fluid, fresh-cut grass, dog poo… When I run, I pass through a myriad of scents. Some of them evoke powerful memories, and others I know are bound to in the future.

If running had a perfume, I imagine these components would all mix together to be a part of it

(Source)

(Source)

 (Source)

 (Source)

 (Source)

(Source)

(Source)

(Source)

(Source)

I wonder if, in 50 years, I will smell any of these things and be instantly transported back to "my runnin’ days…”

In other news, I came across this fun article while looking for pictures for this post:

20 Ways to Use Used Dryer Sheets

Did I leave any smells out? What are your favorite scents?

First of all, I spent the day at the beach and now I have the sunburn to prove it!

Secondly, remember Cocoa Puff?? Well, about 2 weeks ago I was able to find her a home! A friend of my co-worker took her and loves her; I’m so happy!! They are teaching her all kinds of new things and love that she’s so smart! I want to get my hands on some pictures of her and if I do I’ll let you know for sure.

Thirdly, I’ve officially decided that my first half marathon is going to be…

The Niagara Falls International Half-Marathon!!!!

It’s October 24th, and I’m going to fly up to NY that weekend and run it with a bunch of friends. I’m so excited! Ok…a little nervous too, but mostly excited!

Fourthly, I am exhausted and am starting to get bags under my eyes. It’s not pretty. I know it’s because I’ve been working a lot lately on writing and such,  but that coupled with my regular job is exhausting. So tonight I must sleep, like, now.

Goodnight!

Anyways, back to business.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words:

What you are looking at is heaven in a cup. Literally. Mango yogurt topped with every single fruit topping they have (kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, etc) and chocolate chips, with a drizzle of honey.  The guy that made it told me it was the most unique order he had made all day. I took pride in that.

Pure. Bliss.

<3

P.S. Do you like the new blog header? I made it myself. I know it’s pretty “mediocre” but not bad for my first attempt. I’m still working on it (I especially want the text to look sharper) but I was too excited to not put it up! The black and white picture of me was actually taken by the photographer at my friend’s wedding and he gave me permission to use that one. They did an AMAZING job, if you’re in NY and need a photographer, definitely check them out here.

Safety Tips

• Try to run with a buddy
• If you must work-out alone, always let someone, like a roommate, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc know where you are going, the route you will be running, and what time to expect you back.
• If you live alone, call a friend/family member and let them know you’re going running, where you will be running, and that you will call them when you return. Let them know if they don’t hear from you in a certain amount of time,and can’t get a hold of you, to notify the authorities. Do this every time you run. 
• Wear light colored/reflective clothing.
• If you run along a road, run so that you’re facing the oncoming traffic. This allows you to run “defensively” and be prepared in case there’s an accident or something that may harm you. If you can see it, chances are you can avoid it.
• Carry pepper spray.
• Be AWARE of your surroundings. If you run with an ipod, only keep one earbud in so that you can still hear what’s going on around you.
• Watch out for cracks/bumps/uneven sidewalks. When it’s dark, it’s harder to watch where you’re stepping and you could trip and injure yourself. No bueno!
• Take a self-defense class to learn some basic techniques to help you protect yourself. A lot of martial arts schools tend to offer free classes for women (mine does!) occasionally so check around your local neighborhoods.
• Last but not least, if for any reason you don’t feel comfortable or safe working out outside, DON’T. Always trust your instincts.

Do you work-out at night? What’s your favorite safety tip?

I did it! This evening I embarked on an adventure to conquer 6.5 miles and as you can see, I surpassed my goal by almost a full mile! I plotted my route earlier at work using this website and was super excited to run it. However, according to the site, the route was about 6.25 miles and it actually ended up being a bit more. But it’s ok because, while I was tired and starting to feel hungry, I didn’t hit a wall and was able to finish strong.

I didn’t bring any food with me on this run, but next time I might, and for anything longer I definitely would. I did drink about half of a Gatorade bottle before leaving my house but I didn’t bring it along, I just hate running with something in my hands. Even if it’s as light as a water bottle, I feel like it’s cumbersome and throws off my equilibrium.

Along the way I encountered a weird tow-truck driver yelling out the window at me about how he used to weigh 300lbs, not really sure what that was about. Then I ran through two spider webs, one of which I’m pretty sure belonged to Spiderman himself because it was that big. And lastly, a guy jogged by me going in the opposite direction as me and I didn’t see him until he was right on top of me (I was staring at the ground, shame on me!). I literally yelled out “Jesus Christ!” and practically threw myself off the sidewalk. I then proceeded to keep running out of embarrassment, and started laughing out loud. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Lastly, I’m considering devoting my other two weekly runs (excluding my long run) strictly to speedwork. At the rate I’m going it will take me 3 hours to run the half, and I would really love to do it in 2:30 or under. I’m not sure how realistic this is, but as training goes on I will be able to tell better what my time goal should be.

Have you ever encountered anything weird on a run?

Saturday I had the honor to attend a Foodbuzz Tastemaker event sponsored by Carrabba’s, and I brought along my mama!

In case you’re wondering…that is my lens cap in my shirt. I have a fear of losing it. Don’t judge.

Let me just start by saying this was my first Foodbuzz event, and I was blown away by the hospitality and service that Carrabba’s provided! Carrabba’s was founded by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola in Texas and has since grown to over 200 locations. I’ve been a fan for years (favorite dish = Chicken Bryan) so I was super excited to be able to experience some of their other menu items.

I started off with a sweet tea

And we got to sit at the bar and watch all the food being made for us!

We sat next to Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers and her fiance and it was so great meeting her and chatting about her upcoming wedding. We were also talking about how we would love to take a photography class to learn more about our DSLR cameras and hopefully we can! I was having some trouble with the settings on my camera, you can see the difference in some of the photos.

The presentation was done by Angela Gutierrez, who is the manager of the location we dined at. She was very knowledgeable about each dish and gave us detailed instructions on how each one was made, as well as plenty of photo-ops. She said this was her first time doing a presentation like this but I felt like she really knew what to expect from us, and was very well prepared. You could also tell that she knew her way around the kitchen with no problems at all.

Our first course served was the Calamari with spicy marinara sauce.

This tasted AMAZING. To make it they simply season flour with salt and pepper (that’s it!) and dredge the calamari in the seasoned flour before frying. I squirted a bit of lemon on mine and it was perfect; salty, crunchy, hot, with just a bit of tang from the lemon.

I’m drooling a bit just thinking about it.

I love being around other bloggies because I feel so at home. Probably because I’m not the only one with a camera taking pictures of everything!

Next up was the first of three pasta dishes, the Tag Pic Pac which is

“Tagliarini in our Picchi Pacchiu sauce with crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil”

This was my second favorite of the three. The pasta itself tasted so delicious and fresh, almost homemade! Apparently the dish used to be called “Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu” but no one could pronounce it, so they shorted it to “Tag Pic Pac.”

The second pasta dish was the Linguine Pescatore

“Shrimp, sea scallops and mussels tossed with linguine in a spicy marinara sauce”

My favorite part of this was the scallops, they were cooked perfectly. And the sauce was definitely spicy which paired nicely with the mild seafood.

Somewhere along the line I switched from tea to sparkling water

And the third pasta dish was the Penne Franco

“Mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives, with ricotta salata”

And then Angela added in some chicken off the grill! Carrabba’s chicken is AMAZING, I love their seasoning so this dish was easily my favorite! I loved the penne, plus the sun-dried tomatoes and olives added a nice tang to the dish. It was the perfect summer pasta dish.

After we stuffed ourselves with pasta, they brought out…

…Dessert! I love when restaurants have these small desserts because they are perfectly proportioned for a little sweet bite after dinner without going overboard. I apologize for the lack of detailed descriptions about these but I was more excited about eating them than remembering…so bare with me

The ones with the strawberries on top was some kind of pound cake/pineapple/banana.The second one back was a chocolate/coconut/brownie on the bottom, and the back one was a “deconstructed cannoli” with pistachio creme…That one was my favorite. Which is probably why I remember it the most.

Here’s a photo of some of us (I apologize to anyone who is cut out, the person taking the picture wasn’t familiar with my camera)

It was so great getting to hang out with my mom and meeting new people and eating delicious food! What a great afternoon! Major thanks to Foodbuzz for sponsoring such a great event!