13.1 - DONE!

After 12 plus weeks of training and countless long runs... I can now officially say that I have run a half-marathon (And I can officially cross it off my New Years resolution list)!  I am so proud of Derek and I for finishing our first half-marathon!  It is hard to believe that after all that training out race is over! 

Derek and I ran the Lake Minnetonka Half - Marathon and I have to say it was the perfect race for our first half.  The race was smaller which made this long distance race less intimidating!  

The half-marathon course ran along beautiful Lake Minnetonka with gradual slopes (thank goodness not very many huge hills) and gorgeous views of the lake and mansions! 

I have to say that I was a swirl of emotions leading up to race Sunday.  I was excited, nervous and down right scared!  I even struggled to fall asleep Saturday night as I anxiously awaited my 5:50 AM wake up call!  But my anxiousness quickly turned to excitement as my alarm went off Sunday morning!  At promptly 7 Am Derek and our cheering squad (my mom - and awesome sign she made)

were loaded in the car and off to the start line!

And after a little waiting around and a not so prompt 8 AM start time Derek and I were off on our 13.1 mile endeavor!

Katie and Nikki even brought the babies out to cheer us on! Thanks for coming out guys!

Now lets talk the actual running and the stats... shall we?

Race day I wasn't feeling to hot!  Minnesota went from a beautiful 72 degree weather to 30 degrees and snow in just a week... which left me with a cold that I unfortunately didn't shake before race day.  But you know what?  I rallied through it and ran the best that I could!  Despite the cold my legs felt great.  I was pretty glad that I had taken it easy the week before!    Derek and I ran the entire race together and ended up having the exact same race time!   I had a little bit of a side ache issue around mile 11 but we made up our time and came in well under our goal time!   So what was our first official half marathon time?

1:48:58!!!!!!

I wanted to run my first half in under 2 hours and we DID!  We beat the 2 hour mark by 12 minutes!  I was ecstatic to say the least and I am still super pumped!  All in all I am happy that the race went well and that it is over.  But what is next you may ask?  Another half? A full marathon?  I am thinking a few more half's before I take on a full marathon is in order.  Check out the list of half marathons I would love to signing up for or run someday!

Minnesota Half Marathon
Women Rock Half Marathon 
Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon

I may have even recruited a new running partner... My Lil Sis!!

Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

All Set -13.1

Race packets have been picked up and I am just a day away from running my first ever half marathon!

My goal is to run the whole race and hopefully finish in under 2 hours! Hopefully those 12 weeks of training paid off!

Stay tuned for results! Happy Saturday!

Spring has Sprung...

Finally Minnesota is experiencing warmer weather! The snow has finally melted and I feel like I can begin to pack up my winter turtle necks and sweaters!  Derek and I had a wonderful weekend that was spent mostly outside (when you have been cooped up all winter you just can't help but be outside 24/7)!

Friday I took off work a little early and met Derek and his cousin Nate for a beautiful 5.3 mile run around Lake Harriet! I had to laugh that I was dressed in shorts and a tank top while there was still ice on the lake! We ended up grabbing a drink after our run at a little snack shack on Lake Calhoun.  Where we got to enjoy the most beautiful sunset!

Later we ventured over to JJ's wine bar for a light dinner and then called it an early night!

Saturday I woke up bright and early with the sun streaming into my room and I was instantly in a good mood! I was ready to seize the day I guess you could say! My parents came up for the day/night so we spent most of our day walking around little shops and enjoying the beautiful weather on patios and roof tops! Check out our view from Stella's roof top, where we enjoyed dinner!

We ended our wonderful weekend Sunday with church followed by brunch with both Derek and my family! It was relaxing and enjoyable to be able to spend time with both families! We wrapped up our night with our last long run (12 miles) before our first ever half marathon.  Race day is next Sunday!  I have to say I am glad that our race is just a week away! I anxiously awaiting the run!

And just because the weather has been so beautiful, (the type of weather that makes you want to grill everything) I thought I would share a few of my favorite grilling/summer recipes from around the web!

Honey Lime Chicken from The Enchanted Cook

Chicken with Honey Beer Sauce  from  Cooking Light (delicious and one of Derek's Favs!) - could easily use the Honey Beer Sauce as a marinade 

BBQ Chicken with a Spicy Peach Glaze From Delish 

and because who doesn't love a good spring/summer dessert! 

No Bake Chocolate Cake from 101 Cookbooks

Enjoy!

The Perfect Muffin - Chocolate Banana Bread

I made these muffins from Vegetarian Times for the first time last week when my mom sent me home with a million over ripe bananas!  And I was thrilled that these muffins were moist and full of flavor!  Even Derek gave them two thumbs up!  And he requested that I make a second batch!

So I say make these muffins if you need a delicious on the go breakfast, love the chocolate/banana combo, need a healthy snack or are just craving banana bread!  I guarantee you will not be sorry you made them! 

**I think adding chocolate chips into the batter would make them extra decedent!  Try smearing peanut butter on top for an added treat! 

Enjoy! 

My Love for Risotto

 Risotto is a dish that kinda screams comfort food to me and is perhaps one of my favorite meals to make. 

Savory and full of flavor risotto is a dish that I never get sick of.  Simple enough to make on a week night but still one of those dishes that is worthy of a special occasion dinner (Such as Valentine's Day).

What I think is so great about risotto is the endless flavor options you have.  You can virtually add any meat or vegetable you like into risotto and 9 times out of 10 I am sure it will be delicious! I know that without a doubt any time a suggest risotto for dinner Derek is on board (my shrimp risotto is one of the dishes requested most often by him), so I knew the night I told him I was going to experiment with a brown rice mushroom risotto he would be game. 

The original recipe comes from Cooking Light and can be found here.  I made a few adaptations to cater to the ingredients I had!  Check it out! 

Mushroom Risotto

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain brown rice

2 cups hot chicken broth

1 Cup hot Water

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound mushrooms, sliced 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided 

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1/2 cup white wine 

1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions

1- Bring a pot of water to boil.  Add rice and simmer for 15 min (rice will not be done).  Drain and set aside.

2- Heat your chicken stock in a sauce pan on the stove and set aside for later.  In a microwave safe bowl heat your 1 cup water and reserve for later.

3- Heat one tablespoon of oil in sauce pan.  Add your mushrooms and saute for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove mushrooms from sauce pan and set aside. 

4- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to your sauce pan.  Add shallots and saute until tender. 

5-Add rice and cook for about 2 min.  Add a little pepper.  

6- Now stir in your wine and cook until evaporated.  

7- Now add 1/2 cup chicken broth  to rice mixture.  Cook until absorbed.  Stir in remaining chicken broth followed by your hot water 1/2 cup at a time.  You will need to stir constantly - this process will take about 30 minutes.  

 8- Now stir in your mushrooms and parmigiano cheese and serve! 

** I Served our risotto along side baked breaded chicken.  The meal was delicious! 

Enjoy! 

Thoughts and Prayers

My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Boston who were effected by the bombing during the Boston Marathon.

You are not alone! 

Happy Birthday To...

This Guy!

Happy Birthday Honey!
Wishing you a wonderful day full of celebrating, you deserve it!  Thanks for pushing me to be a better person and supporting me 100% all the time!

Here is to many more Birthdays!! 

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Kristine on Pinterest

Happy Birthday!