I Did It!

Yesterday was the Utah Valley Half Marathon.  I signed up to run this race with my friend Laurie Petersen back in January thinking I had plenty of time to train - I was sure I'd be more than ready to run.  I started training in February - stepping things up in March and April.  I was actually doing pretty good until May arrived. 

I pushed myself a little too hard on a long run, injured my lower back and had to pull back for a few weeks.  Then work got crazy busy and Brad got sick and ended up in the hospital for a few days.  Needless to say, I didn't get  much running in during May.  A week before race day, I was only able to run for about 7 miles before tiring out.

Feeling discouraged but still determined to do this race, I decided to just focus on finishing the race in under 3 hours.  Laurie was great about it - saying she hadn't enough time to really train either and we would plan to walk as much as we needed. 

Going in with lowered expectations took the pressure off and I was able to relax and run so I did much, much better than I expected!  With Laurie's encouragement I ran most of the way - stopping to walk only at the aid stations to grab a quick drink and one pit stop.  I ended up finishing in 2 hours and 33 minutes!! 

I'm pretty sore today since I wasn't in shape for that long of a run but it's worth it.  The run felt great and I'm so glad I stuck it out.  Now, on to the next race in August.  :)

A friend posted this on Facebook and I really like the message - it's one I need to remember.  Sometimes I stop putting in the effort to accomplish something that takes a lot of work - at other times I can't seem to find or make the extra time needed to squeeze everything in.

When I've plowed through, made time and stuck with something, the sense of accomplishment has always made it worthwhile.  I just need to keep telling myself - "Don't give up, you'll be glad you kept going."

Lemony Lemon Brownies

I've been neglecting my blog.  It's not that I meant to - in fact I really miss posting my random thoughts, but life has just been really busy so far this year.  I realized tonight that this month is all but over and I better hurry up and get a recipe posted. 

I saw this one on Pinterest and it intrigues me.  Lemony Brownies, doesn't that sound interesting?  You could call them Lemonies instead of Brownies.  I've got to try these out so I'll be making them this weekend.  :)

Source:  Becky Charms

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour {King Arthur All-Purpose Flour}

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt {Sea Salt}

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoon lemon juice

8 teaspoons lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. 

Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry. {even with the yummy glaze}

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze...sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze harden.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it harden.  Cut into bars, and serve!

81st Birthday

Today would have been my Dad's 81st birthday and I've been thinking about him and missing him today.  Just a little bit of trivia about my Dad, he loved cashews.  I do too, in fact they're my favorite kind of nut.  My mom loves pistachios and my dad loved cashews. 

Sometimes when I eat these nuts, I think back to when I was young - watching a movie together or playing a family game and sharing these yummy nuts with my parents.  I love the fun memories and good times associated with these nuts.  Cashews always remind me of my Dad.  Happy Birthday Daddy!  Love and Miss You!

25 Years Already!

Happy Anniversary to the wonderful and amazing man that I feel blessed to call my husband and my best friend.  I Love you Brad!  Here's to 25 more fantastic years!!  :) 

It's T-Ball Time

Winston is on the Cubs this year and Brad is his coach. In the pic above, he's with his best buddie Jackson.  They've grown up together and are really like brothers. 

It's going to be a super fun ball season this year.  Because they played last year, they both think they're pros.  It's so fun and entertaining to watch them.  :)

Where Oh Where Did April Go?

April has flown by for me - it's been a crazy busy month at the Shafer household.  My mom had knee replacement surgery on both of her knees in the middle of March and I've been helping her in the evenings after work.  Brad has been out of town several times on work trips and Winston's T-ball games started up.  Plus, I've been getting up in the mornings to train for my upcoming half marathon on June 9 and to top it off, work has picked up dramatically so I've been working a lot more hours this month. 

My mom is doing well - she's actually ahead of schedule in her recovery.  I'm doing pretty good on my training too - not as far along as I hoped I'd be but I'll be ready in time for the race.  Unfortunately, my house is a mess right now and I'm way behind on getting much Spring cleaning done but there's only so many hours in a day, something has to give.

I'm hoping May will be a much less hectic month.  When life runs at such a crazy pace like April has done, it doesn't leave much time to relax and enjoy the journey.  One nice thing about this past April is that the weather has been great so I've been able to get outside for many runs and I've really enjoyed the spectacular Spring flowers.  The world is a beautiful place in the Spring. 

Running Tips

Being registered to run in two half marathons this year, I have running on the brain.  I'm always keeping my eyes open for good running tips.  I saw this chart on good/proper form on Pinterest and thought I'd post it on my blog too.

It's a great reminder to run tall and relaxed with shorter strides and a quick cadence - always landing midfoot to avoid injuries.  With all this good weather we're having it's time to get out there and run!