The 12's Workout and a Long Run

Maybe it was all the pasta I've been eating this week, but I had a LOT of energy yesterday and frankly, felt like I could conquer the world. When I realized that was an unrealistic goal, I decided to just do a really long workout instead.

So this is a workout in which a few circuit-style exercises are embedded into a long run. I am always a fan of that. The entire run was a loop (not just out and back) for a total of 6 miles. It's a run I've done before, but I have never stopped in the middle of it to do another workout.

The first run segment was 2.2 miles. I did this in my best time yet - 17:35 for a 7:59 pace. Woop!

At my pit stop, it was time for the circuit workout.  Since my favorite number of all time is 12, I decided that I would do 12 reps of everything. Not an incredibly hard workout, but with 3.8 miles still ahead of me, I didn't want to collapse when I was done with it all. 

And here's your motivational text image to get you through it:

Push-ups: you can modify these if you need to, of course.

For the step-ups with a leg lift, I was lucky enough to have picnic tables under a pavilion where I did this workout. If you don't have that, you  can just do alternating lunges. Basically just take a long step forward, bend both knees to about 90 degrees (but don't let your back knee touch the ground) and then come back to standing with both feet together. Switch your lead leg and repeat. 

If you want a little extra sumpin-sumpin' to work your booty, you can do a step-back lunge with a leg lift. For that, start standing with feet together, take a long step backwards, and bend both knees to 90 degrees (just don't let your knee touch the ground). When you come back to standing, lift your back leg as far up behind you as you can, hold it there for a "one-one thousand" count, then carefully return to your starting position. That's basically what I did, except I was stepping up onto the bench of a picnic table and lifting legs up and behind. Count each rep as one, so that will be a total of six per side.

Burpees, oh burpees. They are hated by some, despised by many. But burpees and I have come to terms with each other. I can think of few other exercises that work so many muscle groups so well. Burpees cover your shoulders, arms, quads, hamstrings, core, and of course your heart because they will get that heart rate up. Do what you have to do - grit it out, sing a song, yell and scream, breathe - but just do them.

Now for the part where you see "bicycle crunches"...I didn't do those for all three rounds, but if you can't think of any other abdominal/core exercises then bicycle crunches are a good choice. Other ones I did to switch it up: v-crunches and v-bicycles. Other options for you:
1-minute plank
12 toe-touches
12 cruches with feet up, knees bent to 90 degrees
1 minute flutter kicks

Wasn't that fun? Okay, running again. Just picked up where I left off and finished the loop!

So I slowed down a little bit. 9:08 pace. Can I blame the burpees maybe? I think I'll do that. But that's the thing when you go run a loop. It's not like an out-and-back where you know you can just turn around whenever. When you run a loop you get to the point of no return: the halfway point. You could turn back, but it would make no difference. If you go any further there would be no point in turning back because then you would just be adding distance. And no matter what you do, you have to get back to where you started, preferably before the sun goes down.

I've known runners to ask friends to drive them out to a certain point, maybe 6 or 7 miles from home, and then leave them there to run back. (Remember when I said that runners were a little bit crazy? Yeah, that's what I was talking about.) That is dedication, and that is discipline. Not to mention, it takes confidence and courage to train that way. You have no choice but to get it done!

So if you do this workout, or even just an abbreviated version of it (I'll admit, that is a lot of running), set your mind to start and keep going until you arrive at the finish line. Don't cut out any parts halfway through. You may suffer a little bit, but you will gain a lot physically and mentally.

If you're a Pinterest regular like myself, or if you've even seen examples of seemingly "crazy" workouts (you know, the kind where you're doing hundreds of reps, or even thousands, of a huge variety of complex exercises?) you probably think that sort of workout is simply absurd and never going to happen. Like it's for someone else and not for you. While it's true that "those" workouts are not for everyone, it does not mean they are for no one. And I guarantee that the people that lead those workouts once thought the exact same thing and they did not start exercising like that overnight either. And also, they are still learning.

I'll save my own tale of the unlikely way I became a fitness instructor for another day. But what I can say - and what I do say - to those in the classes I teach is, "Push through it. Don't stop. You can slow down and catch your breath or modify the exercise, but don't stop."

Pizz-adventures

Well a weekend has passed and I just found myself too busy to make a pizza! It's kind of a sadness when a weekend goes by and I have not eaten the delightful combination of bread, tomato sauce, and cheese. But life goes on - I'm not starving. Hence I bring you, travels and pizza. After all, my own za making would be nothing if it were not for nearby pizzas that inspire me. 

• First, The Buffalo.

I probably would not have thought to make a buffalo chicken pizza on my own had it not been for The Bufflo at CJ's Pizza in Columbus, MS. This lovely za is covered in wing sauce, chicken, onions, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, and a spiral of ranch dressing. 

Not too shabby. 

Not to mention, CJ's was apparently voted "Best Pizza" for 3 consecutive years. I don't know who voted (I know that I didn't), but I would definitely say that CJ's does have the best pizza in town. Given of course, I live in a very small town (we're talking about a population of less than 30,000) and the only other pizza joints are Papa John's, Domino's and Pizza Hut. So not to say that they don't deserve that award, but I don't think anyone else could really compete with them. 

 

I do have to hand it to them - for a little pizza shop in a strip mall, they are a force to be reckoned with. Their large pizza is huge. Really, it could feed four hungry people and there would still be leftovers. And it's fresh. You can see back into the kitchen where they do all the prep and that dough is being tossed by hand. My other recommendations from their menu: the Pesto Gourmet (pesto sauce, ham artichoke hearts, onion, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese) and the Chicken Florentina (ricotta cheese, chicken, spinach, mushrooms, fresh garlic and olive oil). The Rock & Roll is also a good, but that's something I would call "man food": pepperoni, onion, green pepper, jalapeños, ham, sausage, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. 

Although the buffalo chicken pizza was tasty and satisfying during this particular eating adventure, it was just a bit greasy. In the past it has not been quite so greasy, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they may have just been a bit too heavy on the bacon this time around. Too heavy on the bacon? Impossible! You must think I'm insane for saying that. But yes, the bacon bits themselves were very large - more like small pieces of ham instead of tiny bits of bacon. But like I said, that was unusual for this place as we have ordered that pizza at least 6 times before and have never had it turn out that way.

• Second, Pizza Rustica.

You're probably looking at that picture and thinking, the heck is a salad doing on that pizza? Hear me out. That is arugula, which is a close sibling of our friend spinach, which is by no means uncommon on a pizza or any other dish for that matter. 

Yes, I know this pizza looks a little bit, well, different. But my goodness, once you tasted it you would not care if it looked like roadkill. 

This is from the restaurant La Famiglia which we visited while on vacation in Destin, FL earlier this year. This Italian restaurant serves more than just pizza, but since we hadn't filled our weekly pizza quota prior to this restaurant visit we just knew that za was what we were ordering. This one is topped with mozzarella and gorgonzola cheeses, tomatoes, ham, grilled chicken, and of course, arugula. What made this pizza so memorable was the crispy thin crust and the gorgonzola, which I never would have thought to use on a pizza as that is one cheese I've never really cooked with. And the fresh crunch of a little arugula on top was just the perfect thing to finish it out. 

Pizza lovers, gather round the table at La Famiglia when you have the chance. Our waiter that evening told us that the place was started up by three "very Italian" sisters. He didn't say they were somewhat Italian, or even half Italian. He said very. So it made sense that the food was so enjoyable...I guess those three really knew the cuisine of their motherland! 

Workout Week

I confess, I have been a bit of a slacker lately. My workouts have been less frequent, less intense, and shorter than they were earlier in the year. I could chalk that up to about a hundred different reasons...work, studying, football season, doing things around the house, the weather changing, wanting to spend time with friends, I'm too tired, Breaking Bad episodes...and so on. They're the same old stories that I always heard when I was working as a personal trainer, but it all boils down to the same darn thing: excuses.

Now I know better than anyone that some excuses are very valid. And I also know that willpower has a lot to do with it. When I write out a workout for myself to do, I may doubt myself a dozen times and make bargains in my head. Maybe we can just do two rounds instead of three?...how about I do mountain climbers for 30 seconds instead of 45?...halfway into this workout already, I think it's okay to cool down now because it's been hard enough. But in the end it's only me who it's going to affect. And the more I allow myself to to this the more I'm going to make it okay.

Don't get me wrong...I have not fallen off the wagon completely. I just see myself slipping a little bit here and there and it's just time for a check-in.

So this week I have made it a goal and priority of mine to get back to my usual "hardcore" workouts each day. I feel confident that somewhere during each 24-hour period I can find one or two hours to get some cardio done.

So for today I'm posting the week's worth of workouts. I know it's only Wednesday, but part of the reason I'm posting beforehand is so that I can hold myself accountable to actually do it.

Monday:
Long run in the morning, 44 minutes.
Done and done. Great way to start the week!

Tuesday:
10 minute run at 8:30 pace
10 minute circuit-style workout (3 rounds)

• 10 push-ups
• 30 seconds high knees in place
• 20 crunches
• 10 burpees 

10 minute run at 8:30 pace or faster
Done. The runs were great but I was feeling it on the burpees. Really had to push through that last set!

Wednesday:

• Nike Training Club Workout: "Razor Sharp."

If you don't have this (free!) app, I would highly recommend that you get it for interval workouts.
To get to this 30-minute workout, go to the app's main screen and then press "Get Workout."
> Choose Goal: "Get Lean"
     > Choose Level: "Advanced"
          > Choose Workout: "Razor Sharp"
You'll need a few pieces of equipment for the workout (dumbbells, medicine ball, and a mat), but you can always improvise or go without. I, for one, do not own a medicine ball so I plan on either using a dumbbell or nothing at all for those exercises.

• 20 minute run at a moderate pace. 

This is the Godzilla of my weekly workouts. When will I do it? Probably around 6pm tonight, when I get home from work (but hopefully earlier), and that means I will probably make a late (9pm-ish) dinner. No, I don't enjoy eating dinner that late, but it happens from time to time and that's just life.

Thursday:
Long run in the morning, 50-60 minutes.
When? After the sun comes up but before it gets too hot outside. The plan would be to start the run between 6:45 and 7:00 am.

Friday:

• Yoga (45-60 min).

Now is a good time to share yet another one of my favorite workout resources: DoYogaWithMe.com. I've searched far and wide on the interwebs for free yoga videos and I have found many. However, this is the best I've found so far. Typically when looking for "yoga" online I've either found basic picture-tutorials or brief videos that skim over a small selection of yoga poses. Do Yoga With Me offers full classes that you can follow along and even choose your level of difficulty and class length. No yoga master myself, I typically opt for beginner or intermediate classes that are one hour or shorter. I've only done a handful but I've never been disappointed. And even sweeter - you don't have to pay a dime or even join with your email address. Finally, fitness the way it should be - free and accessible to all. I say "namaste" to that!

• Light to moderate-paced jog (20-30 minutes).

When? Ideally in the morning, as is ideal for workouts in general. It's not a work day for me, but that doesn't mean there's nothing else to do that day or evening. 

Spicy Breaded Chicken and Butternut Squash Pizza with Muenster Cheese

While everyone is going all pumpkin-crazy because fall is upon us (although I'm having a hard time noticing that because it's still around 90 degrees most days here in my corner of the world), I am all about the butternut.

Butter-what? Yes, butternut. Squash, that is. Don't get me wrong, I think pumpkins are great. Starbucks can make one hell of a melted ice cream drink using a little pumpkin flavoring. And you can make your own, lighter varieties of those drinks at home using some real pumpkins. Or you could use any other winter squash - one of which is butternut.

I could go on and on about how great this vegetable is...low in calories, jam-packed with vitamin A, tons of B6, and a respectable amount of potassium. With a little seasoning and a bake in the oven, it is just a delight to eat. Probably the most difficult part about cooking a butternut squash is cutting it open. Last week I baked one up until soft (about 50-60 minutes in the oven at 350), pureed about a cup of it, and incorporated it into some mac & cheese. Excellent choice, if I may say so myself - you could not even detect the squash and the mac was just so tasty, not to mention, secretly healthy.

If you don't believe me on the health of this stuff, check it out on World's Healthiest Foods, one of my favorite nutrition resources, thanks to my physician.

Even a medium or small-ish sized butternut squash gives you plenty to eat, so after making my mac & cheese I had a sizable amount of leftovers. And since I will never let a leftover go to waste, I just knew that a pizza was where some of these squash cubes were going to end up.

Ingredients:

• About 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup butternut squash, cooked and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt, pepper, seasonings, to taste
• 1 cup chicken breast pieces, baked and breaded
• 1-2 large eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 2-4 tablespoons spicy seasoning blend
• 4-5 slices muenster cheese, cut into fourths

Directions for the prep:

• Preheat your oven to 350.
• For the butternut squash: Cut the butternut squash in half and place on a lightly oiled pan, cut-side up. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each half and add any seasonings on there you like. I did garlic powder, salt and pepper, although a little bit of cayenne pepper goes very nicely on butternut. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the flesh of the squash is very tender. Cut into cubes when done.
• For the chicken: Prepare an egg wash mixture (1-2 eggs and 1-2 tablespoons of milk), and a breading mixture (3/4 cup breadcrumbs, 2-4 tablespoons your favorite seasoning blend. I'd recommend something with a little spice in it.). Coat the chicken pieces in the egg wash first, then in the breadcrumb mixture. (I used chicken breast tenderloins, but you can use regular chicken breasts or any other chicken parts.) Place on a lightly oiled pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through but not dried out. Cut into small pieces when done. 

 

Directions for the za:

• Place a pizza stone in the oven and turn the temperature to 500. 
• Roll out some dough for the pizza crust. I did a thin and crispy white/wheat blend of a crust, which was delicious, of course. 
• When the stone is hot enough, carefully take it out of the oven. Place it on your work surface and place the dough for the crust on top of that. 
• Evenly spread pizza sauce on the crust, and then add all toppings. I didn't do my toppings in any particular order this time - it was really just a mix of cheese, chicken, and squash. Yep, nothing better than a good random medley of toppings on a pizza inspired by fall, my third favorite season!
• Pop it back into the oven, bake it away for about 10 minutes (maybe only 8 or so if you did a thin crust like me), and then take it out to cool it and enjoy! 

I sprinkled just an angel's dusting of black pepper onto the finished pizza. But what I should have done was sprinkle a leprechaun's handful of red pepper flakes. The mild nutty sweetness of butternut squash can handle a little heat. And that is just what I intended to do with these leftovers. Now that is nutty. 

Runway Run

Imagine this...

CAFB Photos

It's a Saturday morning, hot and humid outside at 7:00 am, and you're getting ready to run 10 kilometers, most of which will be in a straight line. You were told it was going to be a "fun run" but can't seem to place where the fun is going to occur.

The race starts and you take off, only everyone around you actually takes off much faster and within 5 minutes you've already been passed by two ladies carrying on a conversation while seeming to sprint and a couple pushing a stroller. You double check to make sure you're not actually walking. Nope, definitely running.

You glance ahead and spot the first mile-marker in the distance. Gosh, it seemed like it took a long time to get here! Looking at your watch you see it's been almost 10 minutes since the race started. Ten minutes! I could have sworn I was going faster than that! Then as you get closer you see it's not a mile-marker at all, it's just an arrow pointing for you to keep running. So you do. And about 20 minutes later you accept the realization that there are not going to be any mile-makers on this course.

In the meantime, there is a quick-footed Asian runner that overtakes you at a pace you swear you were surpassing. He runs over to the side of the course, well ahead of you, whips out his iPhone, snaps a few shots of the morning surroundings, and gingerly joins back into the run. Huh, so that's how people take pictures while running. Still, I'd rather not carry my iPhone while running.

Finally you take it upon yourself to just speed up as much as you can to get this thing over with. That is the reason you started, right? To just get it over with. You round one last corner and the finish line is finally in sight. This is it. The only goal is to catch up to the guy who sprinted past you in his own desperate attempt to finish the damn thing while trying not to let the girl behind you pass you while she's trying to do the same thing.

Then you cross the finish line and finally it's over. Hooray! Except your legs and lungs are not saying "hooray." They are saying, "Why the hell do you torture us this way, you cruel sadistic person? Now we're going to make you feel like you are dying and look like you are are drunk and disabled."

Okay, so that may be a bit of a cynical rendition of my Saturday morning. Although many of those thoughts were going through my head during the run, it was a good start to an overall great day that was otherwise filled with tailgating, football viewing, and my teams winning. Go Georgia Bulldogs and Mississippi State Bulldogs!

My husband told me about this Runway 10k on Wednesday, and the race was to take place on Saturday. A little short notice, sure, but we're already pretty well-conditioned runners so I was not worried about the distance at all. Plus I've never done a 10k before, just some 5k's and half-marathons a few years ago. Even better, this one was free and it was going to be held on the newly re-paved runway at the base where we're currently stationed.

Now most any runner can tell you how mentally taxing it is to run a straight line for an extended period of time. So most runners probably wouldn't jump at the thought of running along 12,000 feet of concrete with no turns, trees, shade, or any change in elevation whatsoever. For me, it was a one-time this-is-cool sort of deal. For a civilian to go out on the runway at an Air Force base, that's just about the quickest way to get arrested. Just, let's not even think about doing that. But for a race where they open it up for people to run on? Well, I though that was pretty cool because it's probably just about the only chance I'll ever get to go on an Air Force runway by foot.

Now, it was told to us runners that this would be a 10k run. That's 6.2 miles for us American peoples. However when I glanced at my watch crossing the finish line and it told me, "You just finished this in 47 minutes," I was beyond belief. I had loosely set the goal for myself to finish the race in about 50 minutes, so when I crossed the finish line I thought, "This cannot be so."

And it wasn't. I later found out that the race was not actually 6.2 miles, but rather, it was closer to 5.8. Okay, not bad, that's still an 8:10 pace.

Looking back on races, like many runners, I always think, why couldn't I have gone just a little bit faster? Would it really have been so hard to get an 8:05 pace?

Well, at least I know now about how well I would have done if this had been a real 10k. It gives me something to work with. And it made me feel like I'd really done a lot with my day before 10:00 am. And I got to go on the runway!

Now can someone please tell me where my pet bull went? I need him to run up to this cool little towel I got for participating in the Runway Run!

Chicken, Bacon, Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza

Last time I made a "white pizza" it was good but not a fan favorite. Let me reassure you, this one was.

If I can remember correctly, I believe the spouse told me, "That was so good, I couldn't even talk," after he'd had just the first slice. 

For me, as much as I love a white pizza, I also have a deep love for tomato sauce. To solve that little dilemma here, all I did was serve the red sauce on the side. Excellent choice, if I may say so myself. 

Now I must also say, this pizza was work. Set aside about 2 hours from start to finish to make it...but don't be discouraged by that amount of time. It is so worth it. I guess you could go a little bit faster if you really tried. After all, I cleaned up as I went along and also unloaded the dishwasher and watched a Netflix documentary during the making of this pizza. You know if you want to watch a documentary, Netflix is the place to go.

So first, let us start with the crust. I didn't do my regular white/wheat crust because I wanted this one to be thinner and crispier. Although my usual crust is chewy and delicious, I was just in the mood to change it up. So I consulted a nearby cookbook called "Delicious Pizza." I thought, I can't go wrong with a title like that! 

I did a brief search for the book on Amazon, but I was not able to find it. Bummer. I guess all the delicious pizza secrets are not for sale! But the recipe for the crust was very basic...flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil. I rolled it out thin, heated up the pizza stone, and then baked the crust for about 4 minutes on its own. That's right...the crust on the pizza stone - no toppings - and bake it for 4 minutes. You want crispiness, this is how you get it. 

Now get your toppings ready, hold your pants on, and prepare for some pizza making madness. 

Gather your ingredients:

• 1 15-oz container of ricotta cheese
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• 5 strips of bacon
• 1 chicken breast
• Handful of asparagus spears (I used a package of frozen)
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

To make it all so tasty and good:

• Pour the ricotta into a small mixing bow. Chop up the garlic into the tiniest pieces you can manage and add it to the ricotta. Add the rosemary into there as well and mix it all about. Let it sit while you do the rest so those flavors can mingle for a bit.
• Prep all the toppings. Heat the oven to 350. Arrange the bacon on one baking sheet and the asparagus on another. I added a little olive oil to my asparagus sheet to make it tastier and keep it from sticking. Pop those into the oven for about 20-30 minutes. I didn't set a timer, but just keep an eye on it until it's cooked the way you like it. I prefer my bacon and asparagus pretty crispy, so they were both in there for a while - the asparagus took a little longer than the bacon. 
• When they're done, chop the bacon into tiny bits, and cut the asparagus spears into thirds. 
• Heat a pan on the stove with a little olive oil, dice the chicken breast, and fry it up until it's cooked through.
• When the bacon and asparagus are done and the oven is empty, place the pizza stone inside and crank the temperature to 500. Now it's just a waiting game for the oven to get that hot. Go relax. Or do what I did and throw together a little Caesar salad to have on the side. You can also use this time to start heating up some red sauce...whatever kind is your favorite. I used some leftover homemade sauce I had on hand. 
• When your pizza stone is hot, take it out of the oven, and do what I told you to do before with the crust. Bake it, alone, for about 4 minutes. No toppings on it yet. Just a lonesome crust. This may cause some sections of the crust to bubble and rise. That's okay. Pop those bubbles and even out the surface again. You'll be able to do this because you're not cooking it all the way through yet.
• After those 4 minutes, take the pizza stone with the crust on it out of the oven and place it on your work surface. Spread the ricotta mixture onto it. You may not use all of it, depending on the size of your za. 
• Place the asparagus spears on top of that, followed by the chicken and then the bacon bits. Finish it off with just a touch of mozzarella and place that beauty into the oven for another 5 minutes or so. With the thin and now slightly crisped up crust, this will cook up in no time. It only took 5 minutes in my oven, but keep an eye on on it until it's cooked to your liking. 
• Serve with sauce of your choice on the side. 

You're going to want to dive into this ocean of pizza bliss long before it's done cooking. Actually, you may even be thinking of doing so during the bacon cooking phase. It's okay to munch on a little bacon, just don't eat all of it before za time.

If you're not a sauce lover like I am, feel free to omit it. Also if you want it a bit spicier, a bit of black pepper or red pepper flakes may suit your tastes.

I know, that looks like ketchup on the side. Now I do love ketchup, but as the old adage goes, there is a time and a place for everything. Mark my words - pizza time is no time for ketchup. That is tasty homemade pizza sauce.

Have a lovely time stuffing your face with this pizza excellence. I know I sure did!