Out With The Old? Or Is It Not Time?

Push-Ups: 10 (morning), 10 (after shower), 10 (after my run).
So that means 165-30=135

Ran: 3 miles in 29:32 minutes. (HELLO! I did it!)
Ok. Admittedly, this wasn't easy. But man, I did it! I had the treadmill set to 6.0 mph and hung out there for as long as I could. Then, I bumped it up to 6.5 and to 7 and to 7.5. Well, I was ALL OVER the shop. But never below 6.0. My feet were on FIRE.

This is taper week. I am wonky during taper week.
During my run today, I thought, "Man! I should have done more tempo runs." "Man! I should have done more speed intervals." It's like, I can train my body to run faster. And I haven't been doing so. I have been cruising....  Man. Oh. Man.  Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

I also wondered about shoes and have a question for you.
I have a pair of Adrenalines that has 350ish miles (definitely under 400). I have trained pretty much exclusively in this pair of oldies.
Then, I have a new pair of Adrenalines (same model, same color, same size). I have ran probably less than 30 miles in it, with an 8-mile run as the longest distance I have ran in that new pair.
Which one would you wear during your half marathon? Old vs. new? 

I love to cook. And I have been cooking A LOT lately. I am just inspired by I-have-no-idea-what!
Hence, this explains the excessive number of food pictures. Anyway, today's meal revolved around a sauce - aji verde (Peruvian green sauce made with cilantro, jalapenos, olive oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, and sour cream).

Other than using 3 jalapenos, I cannot tell you the exact measurement of the other ingredients. 

It was made by feel. But the liquids were about 1 tablespoon each). 

So, do a quick search on google to get the proportions. 

The sauce was delish! 

It was fresh, light, a hint of heat, and it was green! A pretty shade of green. 

This was great over a roast chicken thigh. But I can imagine dipping toasted flat bread in it too. 

Ok. I really love to cook. And I love to cook for people I love. 

To me, cooking is more than just slapping a meal together and keeping a person from starvation. 

Sure, there are days when I threw stuff together and can't be bothered, 

but most days, I do try to go above and beyond when it comes to food. 

I take pride in my cooking. 

And I take pride in running too. 

Bad To The Bone or Just A Procrastinator?

February's challenge to do 400 push-ups is proving to be just a little of a challenge. I don't know if I am just bad lazy to the bone or just procrastinating doing the push-ups. I was really good the first week and a half until I am just so tired of having sore arms. So I stopped for a day or two, and three and four .....

Today's Push-Ups:
10 (in a.m. while getting ready to work)
2 (on the floor - the Boyfriend wants to see what I meant by "real push-up" and apparently, I still can't do them).
10 (while cooking)
10 (just right before I write this post)

Total Push-Ups Left: 400-185(as of 2/19) +25 (2/22) +25 (2/27) = 165

Oh my goodness. 165 left to do in just over 48 hours.
Thank goodness today is a rest-from-run day. I'm just going to go do more push-ups!

Can I fulfill the challenge? We'll see!

This is for supper tonight.

Oven-baked chicken: Last night, I marinated the chicken  in Heinz 57 sauce, honey, garlic powder, and a bunch of other spices I have on hand (I really just pour and shake and pour and shake). Today, all I did was bake the chicken at about 400 (then turned down to 350).

Stuffed mushrooms: These were just so-so. I can make a pretty mean stuffed mushroom dish. But today, I just craved for stuffed mushrooms and didn't have my usual ingredients for stuffing. So I doctored up a box of Stovetop dressing and stuff away.

My Life's Random Moments (and a rant!)

It is Monday.  Anyone up for a list of randoms in my life?

1. Just ran 5 miles in 59 minutes. Was going to do 3, but I stuck with it. Mind over body.  The best part? The last mile was all hills, baby. I cranked the treadmill up and down to #5 and #1 for a quarter of a mile.

2. My arms (biceps, triceps, back) have been sore since February 1. Gotto thanks Dream Big Runner's Christine for her February push-up challenge. Misery loves company. P.S.: I just did another 20 push-ups.

3. I am slightly behind on my 20-mile/week goal. Need to buck up!

4. I have been helping the boyfriend at work on the weekends and in the evenings.  So far, I have used a real sander, a staple gun, drills, fed lumber through real big-man sanders.  I also shrink-wrapped wardrobes, and today, I placed putty and hand-sanded.  Not bad for a once well-versed city girl, eh?

 

The shrink wrap holder was heavy!
I literally worked my right arms holding the entire gadget upright
and wrapped it round and round the oak wardrobe. 

5. I cooked chicken briyani on Sunday. It's like an Indian curried chicken rice casserole kinda thing and it was SO GOOD! We had it for lunch and for dinner.

 That's the BOYFRIEND eating out of the pot. 

6. I like pretty things and outfits.  I think this outfit is cute. Love the yellow cardigan. It is something I can wear to work.  The kids love it when I incorporate colors or when I put effort into what I wear.

7. I always wear black with shades of gray. I bring city color scheme of black and gray to Southern country of blooming matchy-match colors.

8. Some people out in the world have unkind words and a not-so-pretty inside. I am pretty sure they aren't runners.  Also, I love it that people assume that my boyfriend is dating me because I am submissive and a push-over, or that I am dating him because I need him to be legal, or that I don't know any other American dudes to date, or that we aren't married because there's something wrong that we find in each other or that he is holding out for a better more-qualified girl to come along. Or that I came from a dirt poor, third world country. Yes. I don't have blond hair, blue/green colored eyes. And yes, I am a speech-language pathologist with an accent (what do you expect when I have Singaporean, British, and American influences in Singapore where I grew up?) - but that doesn't mean I am not a good speech-language pathologist. What I have is pride, honor, respect for myself, my parents who gave me life and brought me up, for my loved ones, and for my profession. I am what I am. I don't give a sugary sweet pleasant disposition only to turn around and be a total ugly, mean person. When I give people time, comfort, support, and encouragement, I meant it. And not everyone gets my time or effort.

9. Wow! Can you tell someone really bothered me? Nothing a run and a rant on my blog can't fix, right?  "... I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 (And crazy mere mortals at that).

10. Gonna go do some yoga to calm myself down. Accept, forgive, and forget with grace .....