A Case of the Runs

Last night, " The Ukrainian " offered me some assistance as I was making these: Above: Cranberry-Walnut Bagels !!! I had no idea that bagels were make-able. They require boiling, so yeah... These actually came out similar to actual bagels, except I think a lighter flour would have made them fluffier. Also, I don't know if I will ever be able to use yeast without having a slight yeast-y smell in the end-product. But the chewy outer part and soft inner part did come out as expected. Also, don't make fun of the less-than-perfect shape. Probably should have made fewer ones that were larger (9 instead of the 12 we made). That's home-made for ya!! Above: A "texture" shot. Yes, I do realize that I need a better camera, but I rely on my phone camera for everything since my actual one is a little too bulky for everyday carrying... Also.... Topricin is hosting a "worst race photo" contest. I had trouble picking out just ONE bad race picture, but

Here's another installment of my favorites...! Current Favorites: running song: The Veronicas - " Untouched " -- I first heard this song during a spinning class that was taking place in my gym. It really gets me pumped if you can get past the first few verses! cereal: Quaker Oatmeal Squares -- It has a nice touch of brown sugar! A 3/4 c. serving has 210 calories and 6g of protein, which is filling and GREAT when allowed to sit in vanilla soymilk for a while. Yep, I've been living on a lot of cereal lately. makeup product: Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow -- lured by one of those free-with-purchase deals, I chose this in the green color. This works really well when I'm too lazy to use powders. It is shimmery and stays great, even on my eyelids which tend to become oily. It also removes very easily. lotion: Cetaphil Daily Advanced -- With the changing weather, my face suddenly decided that it wanted to shed its skin (and lip, agh) even though I lotion up each AM and

This entry is totally unrelated to running, but I found a really fun website that realizes my karaoke fantasies. Of course, it's not that I'm good or anything, but come on, everyone likes to "belt it out" sometimes. Even during runs. Yes, I was even willing to humiliate myself and post a sample recording. It just takes a digital microphone or web-cam (which has one built-in) to play! ------ Link: http://www.karaokeplay.com/ Link: SAMPLE

There is nothing quite like celebrating Friday the 13th with a nice little 20-miler, my second within the past month toward my upcoming marathon . Above: Waiting to pick up "The Ukrainian" from work. Thank goodness for decent (high 60's, low 70's) weather that allows me to run during the day without dying!! Above: First mile; I have had an abdominal strain (which I thought was a hernia) this week, in spite of my best efforts to rest it before this big run. So I found myself unable to carry the extra weight of my phone in my shorts pocket and dropped it off in the car. Above: We went to Hometown Buffet afterward, and I had trouble finishing this plate because I was feeling so nauseated. Definitely didn't get the $$$ worth or regain the four pounds that went away while running... =( This run went so slowly that I'm embarrassed to report the total time. It was going well for the first 14-15-ish miles, but we had to take walk breaks after that point because I

A little late, aren't I? You will see to the right the final version of my Halloween costume. Not the best pic, but we didn't take too many. Can you guess what we were? "The Ukrainian" and I assembled our costumes from various bits and pieces that we scoured the following stores: Target, CVS, K-Mart, the mall (which includes all the trendy stores), 99-cent storeS, Jo-Ann, Michaels, Wal-Mart, Party City, and Rite-Aid. I must also publicly thank my mommy for saving me from having to sew our gloves and boots! She got them done in minutes, while my failed attemptS took hours. Halloween is the beginning of the holiday season in my mind. I went to the mall the other day and noticed that everything was glittery and Christmas-y. I was diggin' it, but I'm sure once the Christmas music goes on repeat on the radio, I will be wishing for some normalcy. But for now, I have an excuse to bake more (just made a quick batch of gingersnaps for "The Ukrainian's" co