June Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

It's Foodie Pen Pal Reveal Day! 

Foodie Pen Pals is hosted every month by Lindsay from the  Lean Green Been.

This was my first time participating and it was really a lot of fun :) 

Jane from Jane's Adventures in Dinner sent me this really sweet package:

Included is a bag of real Italian pasta, a bottle of black truffle oil, and a great pasta
cookbook that includes lots of pictures :) I don't know about you but if there is no picture
next to a recipe I am not making it! Not that my cooking ever looks anything like the
picture in the book ;) There are quite a few recipes I'll be attempting sometime soon like these:

I was paired with Chelsey at Powerhouse Fit Foodie if you want to see what I sent!

If you're interested in participating next month, click here to sign up!

Here's some info on how it all works:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via
email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get
their mailing address and any other information you might need like
allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies
in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the
goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or
even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also
include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining
what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items
depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about
flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re
a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short
guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you
received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry
about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note,
Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've
determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to
send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice
versa.

Thank you Lindsay for hosting :) 

Half-Marathon #2 Training Plan

I'm officially back in training!  As you guys know, I'll be running my second half-marathon on August 18th, in Iceland :)

I've been running consistently since my first half in March so not much is going to change over the next few months, other than being more consistent with my long runs.

I based my first training plan on one generated by SmartCoach and it worked really well so I decided to do the same thing this time and came up with this:

Week	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
June 24 -30	Cross + strength	5 miles	3 miles (speed)	Cross + Pump	5 miles	Cross + Pump	10 miles
July 1 - 7	Cross + Strength	5 miles	3 miles (hills)	Cross + Pump	4 miles	Cross + Pump	12 miles
July 8 – 14	Cross + Strength	5 miles	3 miles (speed)	Cross + Pump	5 miles	Cross + Pump	10 miles
July 15 - 21	Cross + Strength	5 miles	3 miles (hills)	Cross + Pump	4 miles	Cross + Pump	12 miles
July 22 – 28	Cross + Strength	5 miles	3 miles (speed)	Cross + Pump	5 miles	Cross + Pump	10 miles
July 29 – Aug. 4	Cross + Strength	5 miles	3 miles (hills)	Cross + Pump	12 miles	Walk/hike (vacation)	4 miles (vacation)
Aug. 5 – 11	Walk/hike (vacation)	5 miles	3 miles (speed)	Cross + Pump	5 miles	Cross + Pump	10 miles
Aug. 12 - 18	Cross + Strength	4 miles	Cross + Pump	4 miles	Cross	Rest	RACE DAY

I completely avoided speed and hill work the last time because, well, they are just not that much fun in my opinion ;) But I figured a good way to ease into it would be to do one short run a week, alternating speed and hills.

I should note that I will be taking a rest day each week.  I just don't plan them in advance since I never really know what day I'll feel like I need it.  Running will be my priority, so I'll probably only be doing 2 days of cross and strength training a week.

I'm excited  to have a plan again! I feel like my first half was ages ago so I'm really looking forward to the next one :)

Did you train differently for your second half-marathon than you did for your first?

Do you plan your rest days or just take them when you need them?  

P.S. The ticket for BlogHer is still available so please let me know if you'd like to attend!  
(Click here for info)

BlogHer Conference Ticket - Saturday, August 4, 2012 (NYC)

*Updated - Ticket has been sold*

Hey guys,

A few months ago I bought a ticket for the BlogHer Conference in NYC in August.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend after all, so I wanted to see if anyone would be interested in purchasing the ticket from me. It's a one day ticket for Saturday, August 4, 2012.  The current price for a ticket is $149.00, but I paid $102.47, so I'd be happy to transfer it for that price or the best offer.  I have until July 1 to transfer it so please let me know asap if you are interested!

Check out this link for more info on the conference:

www.blogher.com/blogher-12?from=menu

Thanks!

One Lovely Blog Award

When I first started reading blogs one of the things that struck me the most was the sense of community bloggers shared.  Since starting my own blog, I've discovered just how welcoming this community is!  It is so nice to know that there are people out there who share the same interests, aspirations, and struggles. 

When the lovely Meghan over at Uncooked & Unwalked nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Pink Award she totally made my day :)  If you haven't already, please go check out her blog.

 

These are the rules of accepting this award:

• Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
• Paste the award image on your blog, anywhere.
• Share 7 facts about yourself.
• Nominate some other blogs you like for this award.
• Post a comment on each of your nominees’ blogs telling them about the nomination.

1.  I have a terrible memory! My friends, most of whom I've known since elementary or high school, always make fun of me because whenever we're having one of those "Remember that time when...." moments, my answer is almost always "No".

2.  I love daytime talk shows. I DVR Live with Kelly, Ellen, The View, Rachael Ray, and Anderson every single day.  I have actually attended two tapings of Anderson in NYC which was so cool! Oh, and I totally lost it when I saw Regis Philbin at the airport a few months ago and he actually said hi to me :) 



(Source)

3.  My sister-in-law and I have the same first, middle, and last name.  We definitely get a ton of questions at the border when we travel together! 

4.  My favorite movie of all time is Anne of Green Gables.  I watch it at least once year and I still cry when Matthew dies. Every. Single. Time. 



(Source)

5. I have an irrational fear of butterflies.  I know they are supposed to be all cute and pretty and stuff but they freak me out!! 

6.  One of my hobbies is cake decorating.  These are two of my favorites so far: 

7.  I've played several instruments over the years: the piano, the bass, the drums, the guitar, and the clarinet.  I also spent a summer busking on the Byward Market and I sang in a band for a while. Unfortunately music got put on the back burner while I juggled working full-time and pursuing my Masters degree but I can't wait to get back to it.

Which leads me to a bonus fact:  As of this week I am done with Grad School :D!!

And now I get to pass this award on to some of the great blogs I've discovered in the last few months:

My Freckled Life

Ricole Runs (Sometimes)

Melissa Nibbles

Pink Spatulas

Running with Rachael

julie golean

 

Any random facts you'd like to share?

What are some of your favorite blogs?