Saved by the Sour Patch Kids

Eight months ago I had this grand idea that this was going to be the year that I ran a marathon. I convinced my dad and sister that this should be the year that they run a marathon too. So we signed up to run the Marine Corp Marathon in October. October was far enough away that anything seemed possible. When the Providence half-marathon rolled around the first week in August, I planned on using that race as my launch pad for my training. And yet somehow that training just didn't happen. Sure, I ran a couple of 12-milers and one 18-miler but there isn't a chance I could say I trained for this like I should.

You can imagine my nerves as this weekend approached and I realized that after eight months, this grand idea was actually going to happen whether or not I was ready or not.

The first ten miles of the race were great. I ran with my little sister and she told me details about all of the college boys she's dating. But at mile 10, I told her that it was time to leave me because I was going to do what I needed to (meaning go slow) in order to get over that finish line. She left me and cruised through the rest of the marathon. And I kept going.

About halfway between mile 16 and 17 I almost gave up. My body decided that it'd had enough and I started to get that feeling you get right before passing out. I slowed down and walked very slow for about a quarter mile trying to decide whether or not I wanted to just quit at the first aid tent until I found some incredible spectators who were holding a huge bowl of candy - sour patch kids and Swedish Fish. I took two and never looked back. From then on my body recovered (with the help of a ton of other spectators who were passing out food/drinks to the runners) and I was able to get back into the race mentally.

And when I "Beat the Bridge" (passed mile 20 within a certain time limit), I have never felt more proud of myself because at that point, I knew I could do it. And I did. I finished a marathon yesterday.

Let me give you a piece of advice. If you're going to run a marathon, run the Marine Corp Marathon. In one word, it was incredible. I've now run 12 half-marathons and one full and this was by far the best race I've ever done. There were supporters everywhere, the course is beautiful, and there is just something inspiring about being served water and cheered on by marines who serve our country. It really is the country's friendliest marathon.

I Made Dinner!

I did it. I made dinner for the first time since Richie went back to work last Monday. And the first time (other than things like nachos and quesadillas) in probably the past three months. I've played sous chef quite a bit, but I made this one all by myself. And it was actually really good, good enough that Richie gave it a 4.443 out of 5. I'll take it. The sweetness of the butternut squash was perfect with the creaminess of the goat cheese, and I highly recommend this dish.

Roasted Winter Squash with Baked Goat Cheese over Fettuccine

Ingredients
6 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (2 1/4 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (4-ounce) packages goat cheese
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 pound uncooked fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place squash and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil; toss well. Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and black pepper. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes, stirring once.
3. Place goat cheese in freezer 10 minutes. Cut cheese crosswise into 8 equal rounds. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dredge each round in breadcrumbs; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 6 minutes.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water. Return pasta to pan; add reserved pasta cooking water, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and garlic, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/4 cups pasta in each of 8 shallow bowls; top each serving with about 1/2 cup squash mixture and 1 goat cheese round. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Giveaway: Handmade Kindle Covers by Elizabethsplace

I'm beginning to think eBook reader covers are like purses - you can't have too many. And unlike purses, when you switch them up, you don't have to worry about forgetting to transfer over everything so really they're even better. I bought a Kindle a month ago (and sent it back a month ago so I could get the new Kindle Touch in November) and already have two covers, one that is functional and the other one that I couldn't resist because it was so cute.

One of my favorite places to look for Kindle covers is Etsy because they're handmade, one of a kind, and so much cuter than the standard Amazon cover. Check out some of my favorite designs by Elizabethsplace. I actually have the blue dotted flower cover in yellow and love it!

Elizabethsplace has graciously offered to giveaway one of her Kindle, Kindle Fire, or Nook covers to one lucky reader. Leave a comment to enter once and follow Play, Laugh, and Live for an extra entry.

For more information on Elizabethsplace and her products, check out her store and Facebook page. She also sells very cute snack pouches, coin pouches, and iPad covers.

Giveaway is open to anyone and ends on Wednesday, October 26th at midnight EST.

Why I Can Run Reason #3 and #4

I was a little distracted with my garage sale yesterday and forgot to post why I can run a marathon. So here are reasons #3 and #4.

Reason #3 - I don't want to waste the money. I paid a good $150 for this race and hate wasting money. If I don't finish the race and get the medal, that $150 will be down the drain.

And reason #4 - My body is strong and I've been training (although not as well as I would have hoped) my body for this day. My body can do it so that's half the battle right there.

Come by tomorrow for a great Esty giveaway!

Why I Can Run a Marathon Reason #2

I'm only on day two and almost forgot to write about why I can run this marathon. Luckily it's only 11PM so I still have an hour to get my reason in.

Reason #2 that I can run a marathon - I've run 11 half-marathons and my body is used to stretching itself a litlte further than it is used to. I'm relying on my body to hold up for the six hours that I'll be moving for the marathon, especially since my longest run was a 4 1/2 hour 18 miler. But I've done this before with half-marathons and it's a mental game. I know my body can handle it and am going to spend the next week convincing my mind to agree with my body.

10 Days and Counting

In ten days I'll be running my first ever full marathon. I've run a ton of half marathons but never run the full 26.2. They say that finishing a marathon is more mental than physical and I'm hoping that's true. As I'm counting down the next ten days, I'm going to use this blog as way to convince myself that I can do it with my top ten reasons I can run a marathon. And who knows, by next Saturday night maybe I'll have convinced myself it's true.

So let's start with #1. I can run a marathon because I will be runninig with my favorite running buddies - my dad and my little sister. I definitely couldn't do it by myself but with my little sister, dad, and aunt running with me, it makes it that much easier. And that much more fun.

Phoenix Rock & Roll - January 2010



Providence Rock & Roll - August 2011



Nashville Rock & Roll - April 2009

Salt Lake Half Marathon - April 2010

Maui Half Marathon - January 2011 (#10)

Spooky Halloween Giveaway

Even though I won't actually have time to celebrate Halloween next week, it sure doesn't mean that I can't pretend. I spent almost my entire day on Etsy yesterday checking out all sorts of cute decorations that I couldn't make myself even with step by step instructions. If you've never searched Etsy before, I highly recommend it, especially for homemade gifts, but do need to throw out a warning that it's addicting.

Out of everything I looked at, these glitter art pieces by CherieBee were some of my favorites.

And lucky for all of you, CherieBee has generously offered to give away any Halloween product (up to $26) from her store to one of my readers. That means these gorgeous glitter art pieces or any of CherieBee's other products could be yours just in time for Halloween. It's as simple as leaving a comment on this post.

So many Halloween decorations are either gorey or just gross, but these are pieces of art and I could see myself keeping up all year round just for the glitter alone. They actually remind me a lot of this awesome episode of Homes by Novogratz where a New York artist did some great glitter pop art.

Winner must live in the US and leave a valid email address. Giveaway closes Friday, October 21st at midnight EST.

**This giveaway is now closed and the winner is #8 Kara. Stay tuned next week for some more great giveaways!

Change is Coming

I feel like we somehow missed September in a whirlwind of natural disasters, trips, and rain. And all the sudden it's October and the day that's been coming for 14 months is almost upon us - Richie starts his job in two weeks!

After he took the bar, I tried to persuade Richie to get a temporary job to keep him busy until he started his real job. Looking back now, I couldn't be happier that he didn't. Because if he had, we would've missed out on some great trips (Hawaii, Europe, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, NYC) as well as strengthening relationshisps with our family and friends. And he's had the time to fine tune his cooking, cleaning, and painting skills. I'll post pictures of our new place soon, but Richie has become my favorite home decorator.

People keep asking me if I'm excited about Richie going to work. I laugh and say yes, but honestly, I'm nervous. I'd gotten used to having a husband at home to take care of me, and I'm not sure I know how to go back to taking care of us both. I've cooked dinner less than ten times in the last year and not sure I remember how to make anything other than pasta. And my hands are softer than ever because I haven't had to wash dishes.

And most of all, I'm scared that between our busy schedules I'm not going to see him. I keep telling myself that working at a law firm isn't so bad, that he won't have to work really long hours. But I really don't know. I'm not sure I can deal with being home alone all the time and eating by myself every night. And most of all, I'm going to miss having someone to hug and talk to when I get home from work every day, even if I didn't always want to talk.

So yes, change is coming. And I have a feeling once it finally gets here, I'm not going to know what hit me.