July 11, 2013

Heads or Tails

It was such a gorgeous day outside today! I was so thankful to have some nice weather after all the rain we've had lately. It made the decision to do my long run today much easier. Tomorrow is going to be super busy, and I really don't think I could squeeze eight miles in, so I decided to run eight today (my long run) and then four tomorrow.

When I stepped outside, I was expecting the really humid, sticky air we've had for the past couple of weeks, but it was really nice. My goal was to keep my heart rate in Zone 2, which is 149-162. I fell into a comfortable pace of about 9:15-9:20/mi.

I saw a whole bunch of dead turtles on my run today. It was odd, because they were all along a two-mile stretch of road (not together), and they had been run over by cars. Most of them were teeny tiny turtles (smaller than my palm), but there was one huge one.

I've noticed that I see different dead animals on my runs, depending on the season. At the very beginning of spring, I see toads all over the place. Then after that, I see birds (and even a couple of ducklings or goslings). Now, it seems to be reptiles, because I saw lots of snakes last week and now turtles today. Poor little things!

I ran out four miles, then turned around and came back. I started to feel really good at around mile five. The last mile, I picked up the pace as much as I could while still keeping my heart rate in Zone 2, and finished the run feeling fantastic!


My splits were all pretty even, with the exception of mile four. I'm not sure what happened there.


After my run, I took a quick shower and got ready to go to the state park for a walk with Jessica. I'm glad we decided to get together for a walk instead of coffee or something, because it was SUCH a great day outside. We parked near the entrance and planned to walk a three-mile loop, but while we were walking, we took a little detour, which added another mile or so.

On the way home, I stopped at the store to get the stuff for Noah's birthday party tomorrow. We're going to have a campfire outside with the kids here, so I bought the stuff for s'mores. Noah wants to order pizza for dinner, which is super easy, and I bought a cake mix to make his cake. I'm terrible at baking, so I rarely make homemade cakes; but the kids wouldn't know the difference whether it was homemade or from a box, so a box it was.

I wanted something to decorate it with, so I was looking at candies, but then I ended up buying some Oreos to put on it. Noah loves Oreos, but I never buy them, so I think he'll like it. I just made a two layer cake, slapped some white frosting on the sides, and chocolate frosting on top, then used the Heads or Tails Oreos to decorate. Not the prettiest cake I've ever seen, but I think Noah will like it.


When I was done frosting it, there was half of a can of chocolate frosting left. Before I could even think about it, I squirted some dish soap in the can and threw it in the garbage. I'm glad I did that, because later, I was thinking about how I want to eat all that leftover frosting!

Today was Jerry's last day at the job he's had for nearly 11 years. He said leaving was going to be bittersweet; he is excited about his new job, but he's really going to miss the people he works with. We know the new job is a good thing, but I'm going to be a nervous wreck until he's comfortable there! I just hope that he likes the job and the people he works with.

I'm really excited to see the kids tomorrow, and hear all about camp. I've thought about them all day today, wondering what they're doing, and hoping they're having fun. In the morning, I'm going to try and squeeze in my four-mile run before leaving at 8:00 for the 2-hour drive to get the kids. I should be home by around 1:00, and the birthday party starts at 4:00. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I planned the party for the day the kids get home from camp! ;) 

17 comments:

  1. OMG, canned frosting =binge fest for me. Dip some graham crackers in it, and I am heaven. Good for you for throwing it away!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  2. That cake looks so good!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I LOVE frosting and the only way I don't eat it is to do EXACTLY what you did with the soap! Glad i'm not the only one!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. smart idea to add the dishsoap to the frosting

    ReplyDelete
  5. That cake looks SO good. I would have wanted to eat the leftover frosting too. My kids always request the same cake for their birthday: a chocolate cake with rainbow chip frosting. I make the cake from scratch, but buy the frosting, and it's the best frosting ever. Just thinking about it is making me drool!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think your cake is adorable! Good job at destroying the frosting before it was a problem. Now I'm thinking about the chocolate frosting in my fridge even though I don't even really like frosting!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The cake looks like a cake that any little kid would love!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The cake looks good!! Good luck with the new job Jerry!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJuly 12, 2013

    Nice cake ! I hope you have a good birthday party.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just try and remember how much you miss your kids right now the next time they are bickering when you are trying to do a speed workout. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousJuly 12, 2013

    Ugh tomorrow is my long run of 9 miles. It will be the farthest i have ever ran and i'm really nervous about it. IDK how you can say your 8 mile long run felt fantastic but it gives me hope for my run tomorrow!! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousJuly 12, 2013

    That cake looks great! I hope everyone enjoys it (and I'm sure they will). WAY TO GO with dumping the frosting. I've been so off track lately, for some reason. I don't usually have a problem with keeping frosting/sweets in the house, (which is good because I bake often) but the past week I've been a sugar machine. I need to take some lessons from you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Katie! My friend told me about your blog a week ago and I have loved reading about your story. We started our weight loss journeys within months of each other, but I'm still about 25 lbs away from my goal. I'm a mom and I also began running after some weight loss.

    You have inspired me once again that I can get to my goal weight (I've basically maintained this last year). Thank you!! I mentioned you in my post today. I'm happy to be a new follower.

    ReplyDelete
  14. That cake looks fabulous!
    And I do the same thing with left over brownie batter....I squeeze dish soap in the bowl so I don't lick it clean :)

    ReplyDelete

I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

Featured Posts

Blog Archive