Re-Run

What with all this running I've been doing, naturally I am inclined to want to run every race that comes along, especially those that give the proceeds to charity. Unfortunately, shelling out between $25 and $65 per race isn't always an option. SO, in true Melanie fashion, I put some thought into it and decided to market the recycled feed sack bags that I have been creating from...you guessed it, recycled feed sacks. They come in an array of colors and designs and are made with this cool material that is extremely strong and durable.

I call my nifty recycled feed sack bags "Re-Run Bags." If you are interested in purchasing a "Re-Run Bag," please contact me at melesqueda@live.com. If you live close to me and would like to arrange for pick-up, I can arrange that, and the cost is $10 per bag. If you live far away and would like me to ship one to you, the cost is $13 per bag. International shipping will be determined upon order.

Buy a bag and tell your friends about it. If you get three or more of your friends to buy one, I'll give you one free of charge as a thank you.

Here are a couple of bags that I have made and are ready for a home. They are exceptional for groceries, books, beach gear, etc. Each bag contains an inside pocket, perfect for keys, cell phones, library cards, waterpark passes, etc.

I have many different types of feed sacks - including horse feed, chicken, game, deer, cattle, and bunny. If you have a specific request, please let me know.

Ham and Steve are ready for bed. I love my little boys!!

Whole Foods to Thrive - Lentil Soup with Wilted Spinach recipe review

With many thanks to Vanessa from Vanessa Runs, I have had the opportunity to read Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier in exchange for doing a book review.

I opened the book and was immediately drawn to great variety of vegan recipes that are simple and nourishing. While not a vegetarian myself, I have always enjoyed vegetarian/vegan foods and aspire to include more in my cooking repertoire. I love how Brendan Brazier creates recipes that are nutritionally complete and formulated for maximum performance. The first five chapters in the book are a comprehensive guide on optimal nutrition and how our health depends on it. He also teaches us how to be kinder to our earth with our eating habits, including encouraging us to eat locally. While there were a couple of ingredients that I had not heard of yet (Yay! Something new for me to learn!) such as yacon syrup and sacha inchi, most of the ingredients listed in his recipes are easy to find and just happen take up residence in my pantry already.

From the moment the book was in my hands, I was chomping at the bit to try out a recipe. Always seeking out the simplest of recipes, I decided to make "Lentil Soup with Wilted Spinach." As I sauteed the garlic in coconut oil, my mouth began to water like crazy. It is one of my favorite fragrances! I soaked the lentils for the afternoon so it didn't take as long to cook this delicious soup. At the end of cooking, the recipe says to add lemon juice and spinach. This was lovely. The lemon was bright and summery and the spinach tasted amazingly green and fresh.  I am a huge fan of soup, even in the summer, and this was perfect. It was filling yet light, leaving me satisfied with no post dinner sweet cravings.

I will most definitely make this again, and I look forward to many more delicious and nourishing recipes from this book.

So, thank you, Vanessa, for providing me with this exciting opportunity, and thank you, Brendan Brazier for this well-written, informative and inspiring book. :)

Oh baby it's hot outside!! Even my little Ameracauna/Black Orpington mix hen is taking a cool bath. :)

Hard Times in blogging land... Just when I think it's time to get back into blogging, the hard drive in my laptop died. Yup. Dead. I bought the thing in January, without warranty (like a dummy). Right now I am waiting to get it back from our computer guy so I can call HP and see if there is any type of manufacturer's warranty that might help me get this replaced. For now, I get to use a real computer in the evening when my sweetheart gets home from work OR I use my phone (thankful that I just got mobile blogging set up a couple of weeks ago).

On a side note, I saw that there is a Naked Foot 5K in Austin in August....the registration is $35 so I'll be trying to sell some of my wares to raise the money to go. It sounds like a fabulous time for the whole family, and will be after the first week of school. I plan to actually race it and Olivia wants to raise money to do the race too. There will be a free 1K for kids, a whole mile of grass to run, Tarahumara games and competitions, and foot painting for the kids. I don't know how to post a link from text blogging but I'll try to post one when I get on Honey's laptop tonight. Meanwhile, google Naked Foot 5K for more info.

If you live in the area and would like to purchase one of my totally cool recycled feed sack bags ($10) or some farm fresh free range multi colored eggs from happy chickens ($3.50/doz) please let me know!!! Olivia has a face painting/sharpie tattoo business for birthday parties and other special occasions. She has reasonable rates and if you have ever seen her artwork , she is remarkably talented.

Y'all have an awesome day! Peace out!

The Big Race

Today I ran a 4.5 mile race called the Dog Days of Summer - it was "challenging and hilly course" with a HUGE hill at the very beginning. I made it by speedwalking the 2nd half of the hill, conserving my energy in order to complete the rest of the course. At the crest of the hill, I quickly gained speed and passed a good 15-20 folks, only 2 of whom passed me at the very end of the race. Unfortunately I woke up this morning feeling under the weather. My DH had a really bad flu-ish cold with fever, chills, sinus, etc.this week. I managed to stay healthy all week till this morning. While running, I had to take several little walking breaks. I still managed to pass people, and the ladies in my division all beat me by at least a minute and a half, I don't think I could have beat them feeling well. I took 4th place in my division, which is OK, considering the terrain and the way I felt. (Last race, I woke up with a tummy big but still managed to set a great PR of 9:06 miles).

My lovely photographer (the eldest of the fruit of my womb) was distracted by squirrels and dogs, so missed me coming through the finish line. After I kicked off my shoes and Bad Ass socks, I ran through the finish line barefoot so we could have a shot of it - and hopefully a preview of races to come, crossing the finish line in minimalist shoes or even barefoot!!

For fuel this morning, I ate 3/4 of a half bagel with some PB and drank about 16 oz of chia fresca which no doubt gives me tons of natural, jitter-free energy. I had a coupon for Power Bar brand energy goo - which I tasted but istantly gagged on and threw in the trash. LOL.

Now that this race is over, I am looking forward to training in my Merrells and tackling the next challenge.

Till then......

Enjoy your awesome life!

Minimalist Shoes came in!

OK, so the long anticipated Merrell Barefoot Pace Gloves came in yesterday - I love them!! They fit like a glove, literally. I can feel the ground beneath my feet without pain or discomfort. They feel natural. While somewhat narrow (which works for me) they have plenty of room in the toe area, allowing my feet to spread out and be themselves. I got the black ones, which look pretty frickin' awesome with shorts, pants, or workout clothing. I took them out for a spin yesterday, a short little run/walk of about 1.55 miles. Surprisingly my calves didn't cry out for mercy like I had been warned. That could be because I've been running in what has been referred to as gateway shoes - running shoes that are between the traditional thickly cushioned and the true minimalist shoes. Maybe that was a good preparation for my legs. I will not be running in the Merrell's for the upcoming 4.5 mile race because I haven't had the time to fully adjust to them, so I will begin training in them next week. My hope is to run the 10K in September in them, followed by a half marathon in October.
I will try to update on the status after being able to run farther distances in them. Till then, adios, bonjour, good day!


***UPDATE***
I have been wearing the Merrells around the house and on a one mile walk this morning. The more I wear them the more aware of my feet and what they are doing/capable of. It's pretty amazing. I can feel the rocks and ruts under my feet, and my toes are able to grip and feel barefoot with the protection of the Vibram sole, which I still need at this point. I also noticed for the first time this morning how my feet had to work for stability. It was reassuring knowing that my muscles were doing the work, strengthening along the way. So...all in all I am thrilled with the purchase, and I am looking forward to a full transition to minimalist footwear. Thank you, Merrell. :)

Lovin life. :)

At the lake today. 

Hello, Again!

As the case has been with the last several posts, there has been a good amount of time since I last posted. Before I actually write about what has been on my mind, I'll update on what has happened since I last updated.

During the spring semester, I took 4 classes while working full time. That was NUTSO!! I will never do THAT again!! My word. I am not saying that I can't handle it (I got 2 As and 2 Bs), but I wasn't present as mom and wife, my exercise fell to the wayside, and I feel like no part of my life got 100% from me.

As soon as school let out (a benefit of working at the school is I get to vaca with the kids) my mom came for a 10 day visit. She arrived the night school let out. We had a great time, taking advantage of the *very* warm Texas weather, the water recreation, and the generous supply of cool things to do in my sweet little town. When Mom left, we vegged out for a day or two then resumed our summer schedule, which really isn't much of a schedule! We got some library books, visited friends, and have been making numerous visits to the local waterpark. I have been walking with my sweet friend 3-4 days a week, which leaves me feeling renewed and refreshed. Somehow I don't know where the last month and a half has gone, because the time since school let out has been a blur. :)

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I took up running last May. Since I did the Couch to 5K program, I have been able to pick up and run a few miles at a shot. It isn't always easy but it is always fun, rewarding, and refreshing. I love the feeling of solitude that I get while I am running. My neighborhood is BO-RING, there aren't many options as to routes, so I usually run the same route or at least reverse the direction or zig zag through the cross streets till I reach my desired mileage.

When I began running, I wore traditional running shoes. They felt nice and cushy and stable, but my back started hurting after I wore them out. I had shin splints pretty much the whole time but I wrote that off to being a novice runner and figured they would go away sooner or later. When it was time to get new running shoes, I bought another pair by the same company that ended up aggravating my shin splints, making them worse. I decided to go to a local running specialty shop where the specialist said that I have a normal gait and I was wearing shoes for over-pronation. Um...OK. I tried on a couple of pairs of shoes and found a nice, lightweight pair that I liked but that were out of my price range. Later when I got a few bucks together, I ordered a pair of Saucony Kinvaras. All the time I spent in between gave my shin splint a chance to heal.

All I knew at the time was that these shoes weighed a LOT less than my previous ones, my shin splints went away,my running form transformed, and I started reading up on why that may be. Research led me to discover that the Kinvaras are known to be a go between from traditional running shoes and minimalist shoes. Hm...minimalist shoes? Wow - that sounds like something that interests me! I searched for more knowledge and heard about the book "Born to Run" from a friend. I got the book at the library and hungrily devoured every page. I learned about barefoot running and minimalist running and WHY people are doing it.

Fast forward a bit. In the last month or so, I have discovered that listening to music on my runs wasn't cutting the mustard. My mind kept wandering and my playlist got boring. I decided to search for some running podcasts and came across Caity McCardell's Run Barefoot Girl.. Listening to Caity has been incredibly entertaining, motivational, and inspiring. I listened to pocast #7  today and she was interviewing a woman who took up barefoot running despite her skepticism. This got me to thinking.....I tend to be more skeptical about mainstream, common things, about government and corporations, the medical community, the media, and just about anything that people tend to put their faith into. Just give me any grassroots movement, any group of people trying to go against the grain, and you have my attention.

This all leads to why I have decided to take the plunge into minimalist running. I think that it makes perfect sense that minimalist and barefoot running strengthen our feet, improve our posture, and reduce injuries. Perfect sense! I ordered a pair of Merrell Barefoot Pace Gloves (Amazon.com is the BOMB - they bought back my textbooks and gave me credit, woohoo!) and I am DYING to receive them and put them to the test. I don't think that I will wear them for the 4.5 mile HILLY race that I am running in a week, but I definitely plan to step up my training and aim to run the 10K in September and the half marathon in October wearing them.

I have tried running barefoot on a few occasions, and I did better on a smoother surface. The roads here by my home are rough and I think I need to toughen up my soles a little before going all the way. For now, I am satisfied and excited to take on minimalist running.

As you might be able to see, I have so much to say, and it is late on a Saturday night, and it's time for me to say good night, but I have more to say, so I will be back soon. For tonight, peace out, good night, God bless.....see you soon. XO