More chocolate? Yes, Please!

Sorry I have been missing again.  I think summer is just a crazy time, I don't know how so many bloggers manage to keep up with daily posts.  However, I will try to make it up to you, with a little review and a giveaway!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by iHerb.com to review CocoCardio by Madre Labs.  They are the sole distributer of this innovative product.  They want to get the word out and share some with you!

As I become more aware of my health, I try to find new things that will help me.  One thing we have been hearing a lot about lately is the benefit of chocolate.  Not the yummy hershey's bars that call to me in the supermarket line, but healthy dark cocoa that has few, if any, additives.  I'm not entirely sure I understand all the benefits, but I like the idea of being able to add more chocolate to my diet and having it help me.  So, what is CocoCardio?  Well, according the Madre Labs website:

CocoCardio^® is a Premium, 100% Natural (Non-Alkalized) Dark Cocoa beverage which contains Freeze-Dried Beet Juice Powder and concentrated Full-Spectrum, Water-Soluble Hibiscus Extract.

CocoCardio^® is a great addition to a healthy diet and active lifestyle!

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao -- a.k.a. "Food of the Gods") Our certified organic natural (Non-alkalized) cocoa powder has been made to exacting standards. "Natural Process" Cocoa retains higher levels of naturally-occurring polyphenols compared to Alkalized (Dutch Process) Cocoa. NOTE: The more Polyphenols, the more Bitter - Which is Better!
Beet Roots (Beta vulgaris) contain Betalains & Betacyanins (richly colored pigments with antioxidant-like properties) and a host of other naturally-occurring phytonutrients, including dietary nitrates.
Our Hibiscus sabdariffa full-spectrum, water-soluble extract contains naturally-occurring anthocyanins, phenolic acids and other bioactive phytonutrients.

I received my package in the mail and I couldn't wait to try it! When I opened it, the powder looked like...baking cocoa.  I decided first to go natural, just the powder and water. It's a very pretty red color (beets and hibiscus you know) but the first taste was....bitter! This is one time I should have trusted the packaging. It said it would be bitter and they weren't lying. Have you ever tasted baking cocoa? I mean before it's mixed with the rest of the brownie ingredients?  That's the taste.

So for my next attempt, I decided to throw it into one of my favorite, though not healthiest, smoothies. Peanut Butter and chocolate. MMMMMMMM!!!!! It was so good! A nice, smooth, almost peanut butter cup taste. Next I decided to try a healthier shake. Peaches and chocolate. That one tasted pretty good, but it still needed something. I'm normally not a banana person, but I threw half of one in and it was perfect!

I shared some with S,  I think she likes it!

Here are my "recipies" though you can modify them to your liking.

Chocolate Peanut Butter
6 oz skim milk/water
2ish tabelspoons peanut Butter
1 scoop CocoCardio Powder
3 tsp sweetener(I used sugar, but you can use your favorite)
ice
Blend all the ingredients till smooth. Tweek measurements until it tastes right.


Chocolate Banana Peach
6 oz skim milk
1 fresh peach, pealed and pitted(I guess you could eat the pit, but really? hehe, I crack myself up)
1/2 banana
1 scoop CocoCardio Powder
3 tsp sweetener(I used sugar, but you can use your favorite)
ice


Would I recommend this? YES! It adds just enough chocolate flavor to treat myself and it's good for me. You can't beat that. If you would like to buy some CocoCardio, iHerb is offering MommytoMarathon readers a special deal on their first purchase. Use the coupon code WOW123 to get $5 off your first pouch! Now, the part you've been waiting for:

One lucky person will win their own bag of CocoCardio and $25 to iHerb.com!

This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents.
Winner needs to register on iHerb.com to claim their prize.

Giveaway ends August 6, 2011 at 10p.m Mountain time. 

There are four ways to enter 

Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each 

Mandatory entry: Share your best healthy treat! It can be a product or a really good recipe, anything that you like.



Additional entries:

-Follow MommytoMarathon on google friend connect (1 entry)

-Like iHerb on facebook (1 entry)

-Share this giveaway on your blog, leave a link (3 entries so be sure to leave three separate comments)

I hope you enjoy it! 

*All opinions shared are my own. I received a sample of CocoCardio and $25 of products from iHerb.com for review.

75th post

Wow, I really never would have guessed I would stick with this for so long!  I'm excited to get to my 100th and hope to have a nice little thankyou for all my readers when I do.

Saturday was my last REALLY long run.  I did six miles and for the next two weeks and supposed to taper off a little bit.  A 5k on the 23rd and then an easy four miler(did I just call four miles easy? Me?) the next weekend.  I really can't believe I have just less than three weeks until my 10k.  As with my first 5k, it just seems surreal that I actually made it!

I reviewed the 10k course map last week and remembered that there are a few hills.  Both up and down, but mostly down.  Up until now all of my training has been on flat terrain.  Not exactly a good preparation.  Saturday I decided to change that and follow a course that had a few small ups and downs.  YIKES!

It doesn't look like much, just a 2% grade at it's worst, but more than enough for me.

The first mile was not what I would have liked to start with.  My phone was....un-cooperative. Just a bit.  Okay, really, it just didn't work at all so I spent most of the time trying to figure it out.  Finally, half-way through the second mile it started working and I was able to focus on my 5/1 run/walk plan.  I was a little worn out mentally, but knew I had to keep going.  I planned it that way.  The only way to get home was to keep going. 

I finally hit the hill and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run up it.  Of course I was no where near my normal pace, but I did run.  I really didn't think I was going to be able to.  It gives me hope.  Sometimes I look at my pace and really wonder if I am making any improvement.  Yes, I am going farther than I ever have before, but I still feel as if I'm not any more fit.  Then something like this comes up.  A few months ago I would have struggled to even walk up the hill, let alone attempt to run.  It really is amazing to see what a change in my stamina running has made.

The third mile was downhill.  This was also new for me.  I tried to keep the pace slow, too many stories of knee injuries going down.  This wasn't too bad.  I began to look for the road I planned to turn on.  It was on the map, it should be coming up....I saw the road start to curve up again and I knew the road was supposed to be before that.  Fields and storage building but no road.  Then I realized, it wasn't paved.  Just a dirt road through a farm.  Another first.  

Dirt roads are harder than I thought.  The whole mile was along this...path?  The gravel seemed to slip and slide under my feet.  I took it slowly, trying to keep my footing.  The last thing I needed was to twist my ankle.  That said, this was good practice again.  I'm not sure, but I think part of the 10k will be on a road similar to this so I'm very grateful for the surprise.  

The last bit was fairly flat, but I'm pretty sure my pace dropped simply because I was worn out.  This was one of my most challenging runs so far, but also incredibly satisfying.  It's so amazing to see how far I've come.  To be able to not only run six miles, but on such a new terrain....it just makes me happy.  

I don't have any splits, dumb phone, but I do know how long it took me. So, 

Distance 6.00 Mi.

Duration 1:30:30

Avg. Pace 15:03

Avg Speed 3.99 mph

Not too shabby.  Not to shabby. 

I do have a review/giveaway coming up this weekend, so keep your eyes out for that!  Nice way to celebrate the 10k.

An amazing woman

Meet my mom

She is a mother of twelve, has spent years serving in various callings(jobs) in our church, including roughly ten years with the womens organization.  She cooks the most amazing food, can sew just about anything, including my wedding dress, volunteers at the local library, visits anyone who just needs a listening ear.  She taught me almost everything I know.  Literally, I was home-schooled.  Her entire life has been an example of love and service. Now, she and my dad are going to serve a two-year mission for my church.  They are simply wonderful people.  

When I was in high school, she was having problems with her hips.  It was painful for her to move, let alone walk up and down the 16 or so steps that led to our upper floor.  The doctors recommended that she have her hip replaced.  After a bit of convincing, she finally had the surgery and has been doing great.  Those of you that have read my back story, know that a mission in my church requires a LOT of walking.  A LOT!  Well, my amazing mom has been getting up everyday to walk two miles just so she will be prepared.  A few weeks ago, I decided to call and ask her if she would walk a 5k with me.  She thought about it for a minute...then said, "Yes.  I can probably do that." 

Well, that was two weeks ago.  Last week when we were there, she told me she had walked her first ever three miles!  She was so tired at the end she wasn't sure if she could finish.  There were some neighbors out that she wanted to talk to but she knew if she stopped then she wouldn't make the last few blocks.  So my amazing mom pushed through the fatigue and finished!  I am so proud of her.  She did it and I can't wait to walk across a finish line with the woman who has always been my inspiration and example.  She is the reason I am who I am today. I only hope that I can be as determined and dedicated as she.  I love you mom!

Track Tuesday (without the track)

First I have to say thank you for all the great advice on speedwork.  It was very helpful to read your opinions and couple it with things that I have read.  That said, I have made the decision to add speedwork to my weekly plan.  Not much (I don't want to over do it at all) but some.  Doing this on Tuesday gives me the most time between it and my long run.  I plan to only run 4x400 once a week at the pace I got on the McMillan calculator link that SupermomE12 gave me.

Sidenote:  Supermom is doing a fundraiser right now on her blog, See Mom Run Far.  She has joined Team MEB for the NYC Marathon to help children in the U.S. and Africa have access to health, education and fitness opportunities.  She has gotten together quite a few sponsors and for your donations you are entered to win some really awesome prizes.  I know things are tight, you've read enough of my complaints about the cost of this sport to realize I'm right there with you, but if you can at all, donate and help give some youth the opportunity they need to not only be healthy, but develop the great sense of accomplishment that comes from fitness. Thanks!

Now back to the calculator: This thing is SO cool.  I just plugged in my time from my 5k and it tells me all sorts of paces for different types of runs(half of which I have no idea what they are, but someday....)  I know there is another calculator out there for Run Less Run Faster, but I haven't been able to find it again.  If anyone knows what it is, send me the link.  Anyway, the pace range it gave me for 400 meters was 3:07-3:17.  Not too bad, but definitely faster than I have been going.

Last week I tried it for the first time and....yeah, It was VERY hard.  I started out too fast and really thought it wasn't a good idea.  However, I know I made some bad choices in running location.  My form and my mindset were not in the best place either.  In case you were wondering, my idea of running on grass because it would be softer, big thumbs down.  It was all wet from the dew and besides getting my feet a little too moist, I  slipped on almost every other step.  It took twice as much work just to keep me upright.  After the first lap I hit the road and it was much better.

1st 400 - 3:06
2nd 400 - 3:59
3rd 400 - 3:31
4th 400 - 3:26

So I never really hit the range I was supposed to.  Today was a completely different story.  I decided to go to a park that has a sidewalk loop around it and see if it was by chance 400 meters.  It wasn't, but the loop around the parking lot was pretty close.  I ran the first 400 and knew I was going way too fast.  I just felt so good.  I slowed down for the second, trying to get a feel for the pace I needed. This, by the way, is hard to do with runkeeper.  I'm going to have to get a bit more practice to get a feel for what my pace should be. By the third one, I thought I should be dying.  To my complete shock, I still felt pretty good.  Tired? Yes. But only worrying about my pace during the intervals and knowing I only have four to go allowed me to push myself just enough.  I really felt....fast.  That's a new feeling for me.  I think I like it.  Anyway, after a cooldown, I headed home to stretch and check my times.

1st 400 - 2:37!  Way too fast for what I'm working on, but WOW!  I didn't know I could move that fast!
2nd 400 - 3:11  Right where I needed to be
3rd 400 - 3:24  A little slow....
4th 400 - 3:19 Just a little high for my goal, but still, not bad.

All in all, I have to say I really like doing speedwork.  I'm sure I need to work on my technique, and read a bunch more about it.  For now though, It's going to be part of my week and I like it!   I'm running another 5k on the 23rd and I'm really excited for it.  I'm hoping to PR, but if not, at least beat my time from the Nibley 5k. I think I'm beginning to understand how to pace myself differently for different distances. Slowing down for the longer ones, speeding up for a shorter ones.  Until now it's all been the same (probably because I'm just starting long runs).  There is so much more to running than I ever thought and I'm excited to learn more.  Really quickly I just want to say thanks again.  I've learned so much from reading your comments and, for those that have them, your blogs.  It's really nice to have this community and variety of knowledge to draw on during my adventure in running. Thanks

New Clothes!

I LOVE buying new clothes.  Now that I'm running consistently, I decided it was time to get some decent pants and shirts.  Until now, I have been running in old pants that used to belong to my sister-translation: about ten years old-and any t-shirt I had in my closet.  Not the best, or most stylish.

I've been shopping around for a while now and I've discovered something....Running clothes are EXPENSIVE! Maybe I just have expensive taste, but wow!  First trying to find something that could even fit, and then in my price range? Not so much.  Thankfully, I found some hints from a few blogs.

First, I really love the look of running skirts.  So feminine and they hide two of my least favorite things, thigh bunching and the hind end.  Most pants are just a little too tight around my hips for me to feel comfortable.  The problem is, I have found one, maybe two websites that sell them in my size and I just don't have $70-$80 to spend.  Well, I was reading a blog post one day and the lady(I wish I could remember who it was so I could give credit) wrote about how her running clothes were great swim cover-ups because they dried so quickly.  As I read, the thought crossed my mind, most things to do with swimming are made to dry fast, what if I found a swim skirt cover up and used that with a pair of compression shorts for running?  Should work right?  Well, I found one on walmart.com for $10!  It was just the right size, though I would have liked it in pink....

Next step was finding some compression shorts that also didn't cost an arm and a leg.  Even the cheap stuff ran about $30-$40, still a little too steep for my budget.  Once again, my inspiration came from a blog.  Over on Bigger Girls Can Run Too, She wrote about her find at Old Navy.  She too had been thinking about a running skirt and found one there to try.  While I didn't get the skirt (it was just a bit too small)  I did find some compression shorts.  On Clearance.  $7.49!  So AWESOME!  I really should have bought two pair, but I wasn't sure if I would like them.  *sigh*  Oh well, now I know A: Old Navy caries moisture wicking clothes and B: Buy it when it's cheap!

The last thing I bought was a shirt.  I have been having the hardest time find any sweat wicking shirts for any women in my local~non-running~stores, let alone plus size.  Finally, my sister-in-law pointed out that mens shirts work just as well for women like us and Walmart had plenty.  Once again, on clearance ($6.67)!  Not the cutest, but it gets the job done and I don't have to stuff myself into a too-small shirt.  I really just look like an over-stuffed sausage when I do that and no-one needs to see that.

All of this, coupled with my new SPIbelt that I won (more on that later) and I am pretty happy with my new look.  Best of all, it cost me less than $25!  Someday I'll have the money for some super cute running skirts and shirts with all the cute sayings, but for now, this gets the job done.

A few of my rambling thoughts...

So vacations do a number on my blog posts.  I don't have a laptop yet and I'm kind of partial to my own computer.  Between that and just recovering from the trip, it takes me a while to get back into writing.  That said, I try very hard not to let the trips interfere with my running plans.  Last Saturday I was able to get my five miler in before we left for vacation which was a very good thing (it was my only run for the weekend.)  After I ran, I didn't stretch as long as I usually do.  Big mistake, especially with some long hours in the car coming up.  We drove two hours down to Big D's parents for a baby blessing (something we do in my church not long after a child is born) Then four and a half hours up to my parents to spend the fourth there.  I had planned to get up Monday morning and run because we were planning on driving back home tuesday morning.  It was the only time I would be able to get it in.  When the alarm went off, I could barely stand as I got out of bed.  My muscles were soooo tight and I was sore everywhere.  We were going to the local Lions Club breakfast and when my legs finally warmed up enough that I felt I could go, it was time to leave.
So, scratch that run.

The fourth was an amazing day though.  We had the breakfast and then my brother took us out on his boat for a few hours.  When we came home, we got a dessert ready for the family BBQ and headed back out.  I love spending time with my family.  We are all sooo spread out that I rarely get to see them.  I'm the youngest of 12 which means I have lots of nieces and nephews and even a few of them have children.  My siblings are spread from Alaska to Virginia so any chance I get to see my family, I try to take it, even if it's less than half the family.  We played in the pool and visited for a while until it was time for the fireworks.  As the first rockets lit the sky, little M turns to me, very excited, and says, "STARS!"  For those of you who don't know, she was born profoundly deaf in both ears.  At one year, she received bi-lateral cochlear implants.  For her to not only make the connection between the bright lights and her favorite shape, but to also come up with the word on her own is a miracle.  My little girl knows what a star is, and can attach the correct word to that shape spontaneously.  It's amazing.  Now, why do I share this?  It doesn't really have anything to do with running does it?
There are so many reasons I began running, many of them are for my benefit.  I needed to take better care of myself, I needed some me time, I needed something that was mine.  I-I-I  Yet, as I listened to my little girl speak one simple word that we had spent so much time trying to teach her, I realized how much my example will affect her.  I want so much for both my girls.  I want them to enjoy learning, appreciate music, be kind.  But one thing that is so important to me, is that they learn how to care for their bodies.  I want them to have strong hearts, to keep the energy that bubbles out of them right now.  I want them to be healthy and happy.  In order for them to learn that, they need an example.  That is one of the many reasons why I run.  Yes there are still all of those other reasons, I love the fact that I was able to go six miles yesterday.  I can't wait for my first 10k in just four short weeks.  But even more,  I love when we go for a walk.  Little M takes my hand, plants her feet, says, "Ready, Set, Go!" and we run together just as fast as her little legs can carry her.  Then she finishes, laughing and giggling, ready to go again.