Tuesday Tangents + Controversial?

(shoes, tights, top)

This run was hard to get out the door for, especially because we are supposed to get hit with snow all week.  It feels like there is no end in sight for this winter.

I did a core workout before I went outside, which helped to warm me up before starting, and I highly recommend doing that on cold mornings.  12.5 miles with Jo and Emilee!

The kids love picking the snow off my hat when I get home.

We are all so ready to be playing outside all day again.  What we would give to go to a park right about now!

Yep, ready for the park.

These guys did make it to the park later for some sledding while Beck napped.

And I made soup for dinner while Beck napped…

Let’s move into the tangents!

*Amanda posted this, and I laughed hard about what Des said.  I can’t tell the difference, but I’m positive both are happening this week for me.

*Ummm, Andrew just taught me that if you put a wooden spoon in the pot, it won’t boil over.  It worked.   Am I the last person on the planet to know this?

*I refuse to throw away any groceries, so the second things are starting to look like they don’t have much time left, I do something to them–> roasted brussels and sweet potatoes, zucchini muffins, apple crisp and the perfect cantaloupe.

*Remember my sister’s oldest child?  He is living his best life in Peru right now, and I want to visit him.

*I listened to this episode from Kara and Des, which got me thinking.

I am a fan of super shoes.  I feel like they allow me to recover from my runs much faster and take out a lot of the pounding when I wear them.  My friend, Vince, told me that he was always injured until he switched to carbon plates every day, and now he is never injured.  I feel less banged up when I am marathon training and using them at least twice a week compared to marathon training in the past without them.  The Vaproflys help me to run faster because of the tilt (I swear it propels me forward), and I’m sure the foam/plate helps me to run faster too.  So I get why many people don’t feel like they are fair, BUT I also think it’s important to remember that everything has advanced over the years–> track surfaces, gels, recovery methods, injury prevention techniques, strength training routines, overall nutrition, gear, sports bras, etc.  I’m sure the previous generations would have loved all those things… Look at my grandpa; I’m sure he would have loved a better track to race on!

I don’t think that times these days are getting faster just because of shoes.  I think the online world helps so much (when I first started training for marathons, I had ZERO information available online for running a marathon)… So many amazing sources of information are available now to help us with our training.  I think there is more of an emphasis on strength training these days.  I think that people understand nutrition better, and we realize that health is #1, and thinner doesn’t mean faster.   I think the coaching is improving.  It is all so exciting, and I can’t wait to see what my kid’s generation does.  The super shoes could be part of the puzzle for records being broken often, but I think there are so many more puzzle pieces involved than just the shoes.  PS I am open to all opinions on this topic, I want to hear your thoughts!

Thoughts on super shoes?   What things do you think are making people so much faster these days?

Any kitchen tips or tricks that you have recently learned?

When you have a fruit/veggie/anything starting to go bad… what do you make with them?

Have any tangents?