9 Months!

Posted on January 31, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

Stats: 18 pounds and 27 inches; 90 percentile for her head!

Favorites: Playing with her teapot set she got for Christmas from Grandma and Aunt Robyn, Monks the Wabbanub, SHOPPING, banging measuring cups, playing drums on her stomach and table tops, singing and humming, and sticking her tongue out.

Lifesavers for Mom and Dad: Her high chair and the fact that she is eating more solids so I can cook and do chores until she is done. Her playpen (she actually likes it).

Things She Hates: Being left alone (sometimes), crawling (she could do it but she is too lazy, she would rather stand), getting out of the bathtub and getting lotion put on her.

Facts: She says “Mamama” and “Dadada” but doesn’t mean anything by it unless she is mad, then she will yell “Mama”. She is teaching herself to stand by using the play pen or coffee table. She loves to put things in her little bucket and then take them out. She likes her Mother Goose class she takes on Wednesdays.

Sleep Habits: It is hit or miss still. I finally started feeding her a lot more when she goes to bed, so she lasts longer but she still wakes up one to four times a night.

Doctors Visits: I was feeling all guilty about the questions they asked me but soon found out it was more for a 12 month old. I can’t wait for her to repeat words back to me and actually mean “Mama” and “Dada”. Doctor said she looked pretty good and no worries.

Eating Habits: Eats about five bottles a day. I give her three meals and two snacks. She loves mashed and sweet potatoes and loves her fruits! I’ve had to sneak spinach and green beans into her baby food and smoothies to get them down.

Milestones: Almost crawling (takes a few steps) but prefers standing, she likes to scoot around the room, she can move from her belly to her butt, she sits up in her crib now, she is very squirmy, and communicates a lot on whether she wants things or whether she is stuck. She is really good about playing with toys. She got her third tooth this month!

Looking Forward To: Crawling (even though that means trouble for me) and practicing standing and walking. She is going on another airplane flight this month to Salt Lake!

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Posted on January 21, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

If you need a quick cookie recipe that doesn’t take too long, I totally found a VERY easy peanut butter cookie recipe. I used a traditional recipe from recipes.com and then just tried to simplify it as much as possible.

Just mix it all together. Form little balls and then flatten with a fork. And then put in the oven. It makes 12-24 depending on the size of your dough balls.

I LOVE Strava!

Posted on January 21, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

A friend of mine is training for a 5k in February and she texted me the other day to ask me what I used to keep me motivated to run. I know most people like to use Map My Run, which I have nothing against, but I really found an awesome app to use. I immediately told her to download Strava Run (and for you bikers out there, Strava Bike). My husband and I are very competitive people and like to have goals to achieve whether it is going against other people or even ourselves. Mike was the one to show me this app and now I am hooked!

The best thing about Strava Run is that it pretty much is going against yourself (unless you find a course that someone else has run and documented). In my case, my neighborhood has a perfect loop that you can run a perfect 5k. I run this about once or twice a week and it will tell me whether I beat any previous records I set. Mike likes to run a loop at NMSU where other runners have recorded their times, so he can see his records along with others.

I like how it shows how my pace was (I was running with the stroller this day) and how I started off faster and then got slower with my pace. That tells me that I need to pick up the pace at mile 2 and 3.

When you finish a run, it will show your overall pace, calorie burn, elevation gain, and moving time. The moving time is especially good for those times you are standing at the beginning trying to get the music started on your headphones.

Here’s where the competitive part comes in. On this particular bike ride, I noticed I had a Queen of the Mountain when I was done. This means that the people who rode before me had a slower time.

You then click on the trophy and it will tell you the time you did it in and the other times of the other riders. You can add friends (and enemies..hehe) and see an activity feed of their rides. I love looking at what other people did to keep me motivated!

You should try it out! It’s really a great app!

Aguirre Springs Ride

Posted on January 21, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

Since the weather has been completely awesome here (I apologize to the people back East), Mike and I have been out riding as much as possible. We took off to Aguirre Springs on Saturday for some major hill climbing.

We like to park on the opposite side of the Organ Mountains and then bike up the pass over into the Aguirre Spring campground area.

I always forget how terrible I am at downhill biking. You never really think about that, but when there are major hills I clam up and think about the fact that I am going really fast and could be part of the asphalt if I don’t play it right. I had to keep stopping because I was developing the “crab claw”, which is from holding your brakes so tight that you can’t let go. I hate to say it but I’ve had the “crab claw” before during races too.

I don’t think you can tell in this picture, but this downhill is intense once you make it to the highest point of the loop. The whole loop from where we parked on the other side of the mountain is about 15 miles. The inner loop, which is very steep, is about 4 miles.

If you look closely in this picture, on the left hand side towards the top, you can see your destination. Just take my word for it, it is a big climb. My Strava totalled about 2600 feet in climbing.

This guy came along with me and decided to show me up and do three loops around the hard part of the course.

It’s a good thing I like him 🙂

On the climb back to where I was picked up, I felt pretty great because the climbing is very gradual. I even made a Queen of the Mountain on the final ascent!

I totally recommend this ride for strengthening hill climbing skills. I did this ride right before my first road race in 2011 and it definitely prepared me for it.

Back In The MTB Saddle Again

Posted on January 15, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

The New Mexico Off Road Series is looming in the future (March 2014) and I am currently trying to get back on the mountain bike to race. The last time I raced big time was in 2011. I’ve been riding since four weeks postpartum, but I will be honest and say that it took about six months to feel normal and even now, I still don’t feel completely 100 percent.

I think my saving grace right now is the road bike, believe it or not. There was a time that my husband would have laughed out loud at the thought, but I am a true believer (and he is too) that if you want to be a great mountain biker than you get in some miles on a road bike too. I have seen it happen to my husband and I can see it happening to me now. It’s funny how 15 miles on a road bike is so little, but on a mountain bike that is a Cat 2 mountain bike race!

I can’t go riding without my lucky charm. I’ve had this Hen in my Camelbak since my first race in August 2009.

UPCOMING RACES

Here is a list of Southern New Mexico races in the next month or so (road and mountain) to help with training:

January 26 El Paso Puzzler (El Paso, TX)

February 1 12 Hours of Old El Paso (El Paso, TX)

February 1 Missile Man Duathlon (White Sands, NM)

February 21-23 Valley of the Sun RR Series (Phoenix, AZ)

And here are some running events too:

January 20 MLK 5k Run (White Sands, NM)

January 26 The Biggest Loser 5k/Half Marathon (Las Cruces, NM)

February 8 Cupid’s Chase 5k (Las Cruces, NM)

Holiday Weight Gain

Posted on January 11, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

I felt so accomplished when Thanksgiving went by without a single pound of weight gain. I think it really helped that Mike and I had a triathlon to train for the week after, and also the fact that we ran a 5k on the day of Thanksgiving. We also went to a buffet instead of having the post Thanksgiving day food laying around the house. Then Christmas and New Years happened…

It could have been the cookies, the egg nog, cinnamon rolls, and other sinful treats that pretty much ruined any momentum we had to our diet. Both Mike and I have weighed in this week and have gotten to the “angry phase” of dieting where you are so mad at yourself for getting to where you are.

TRY THIS!

Needless to say, we have been trying to eat right all week and working out every single day! I have been making smoothies left and right! Here is my favorite recipe:

Liz’s Awesome Blueberry Smoothie

1/2-1/4 c of almond milk

1/4 c spinach

1/4 c blueberries

1/4 c yogurt

Sonic ice (2.49 a bag)

add chia seeds for more substance

We are loving the Sonic ice! It blends so much better and works well with small blenders (like the Baby Bullet…don’t hate).

WORKOUT

I tried this treadmill workout today from www.fitsugar.com. Loving the treadmill workouts lately!

We All Can’t Be Good At Being Antisocial, Right?

Posted on January 10, 2014 by thefasteryoupedal

Today was definitely one of those days that I needed. I’ve had something to do every day this week and found I needed a little “me” time, which meant I actually had time to read a book (which I haven’t done in YEARS) and take the dog and kid to the park. I woke up around 6 with LO, made some breakfast, and then started gutting the garage to fit all of our Christmas stuff that magically doubled this year.

I came across this little gem today while I was scrolling through Facebook during my “me” time. I was cracking up about the whole “Antisocial” thing for New Mexico because I was totally feeling like that this week. I thought it was some kind of joke! Really though. Ever since I’ve had Olivia, I’ve become MAJORLY antisocial. Sometimes it’s just easier to not make plans than to make plans and cancel them because your kid is being fussy right? Plus, I hate to say it, there aren’t a lot of things to do here in Las Cruces, especially in the winter time.

CHECK THIS OUT

So I LOVE the blog www.pbfingers.com and read it almost every day. I came across it a few years ago when I was trying out some quick, healthy recipe that I wanted to make. She is my hero for a few reasons: she quit her job to work from home, she loves Les Mills’ BODY PUMP just as much as I do, she lives in Florida (my dream), she certified to be a fitness instructor, and also has some really good workouts listed on her blog.

Thursdays are my gym days so I did one of her Treadmill Workouts, which was titled “No Joke Walking Workout“. It seriously was no joke! Mind you that a pace of 4 seems like nothing, but it actually is a brisk walk. When you start to max out the incline, you feel like you are going to fall off! I saw a friend of mine at the gym and wanted to say hello while I was doing the workout, but I had to focus so much I couldn’t even give a smile. Again, going with the whole antisocial vibe…

TRAINING

Since I always need something to train for to keep me on track, I thought I would let you guys know that I am coming back to the mountain bike world. On February 1st, I will be racing the 12 Hours Of Old El Paso with Mike and his brothers on a co-ed team. I am super excited because it has been almost two years since I have done a 12 hour race. This course is super windy and has some great hill climbs. The people who put it on are super organized and lot of fun.