Date Night= 5 restaurants, a screamer and a breakup...

Last night, after my boot camp class, Cory and I were out running around and at about 8pm the hunger hit. Hard. I got kind of light headed and needed food ASAP. So, I politely told Cory (ha) that I needed to eat. His response?

 "OH GOD! OKAY... WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?!!? WHAT'S THE CLOSEST!?"

Just a little FYI about me.. I'm kind of weird. See, when I get hungry...I get "hangry." Really. Ask my husband.... ok, maybe you shouldn't. You probably wouldn't read my blog anymore.

So, I'm a pretty extremely picky out-to-eater. I don't like fast food (with the exception of Chic-Fil-A...char grilled chicken sandwich mmm) and I'm really picky with other restaurants. I know that most places pack in the calories in seemingly healthy dishes. For example, McCallister's Grilled Chicken Salad has nearly 900 calories. [WHERE do they come from?! Are they frying their lettuce??]

The decision of where to eat usually comes from places I trust are healthy (and know what to order) or places that post nutrition information and I have time to look it up. BUT, when I'm starving all that planning goes out the door and I get frustrated with thinking and just want food.

I suggest Peppers, a deli-like restaurant (that posts nutrition online, per my handy iPhone) that neither of us have been to that was just down the street. We drive there, see that's it's packed and decide to try somewhere else. So Cory suggests going back to Nishi G's... I know they have whole wheat wraps and plain grilled chicken. Bingo.

We drive about 10 mins...again P.A.C.K.E.D. I'm talking no where to park. Another no-go. I knew of another deli down the street, Penn Station, that I heard was good. I figured I could order a  turkey sub on whole wheat and just get on with life.

So, Cory (who is keeping his anger/frustration with me hidden inside) and I go in. I ask for turkey on wheat and the cashier stops me in my hungry tracks. "Umm... we only have WHITE." With a disgusting attitude and the dirtiest look she could produce.

Remember that thing I said about being "hangy?" Well, I blame that... I gave her an even dirtier look, told her we'd be eating somewhere else and walked out. I don't know if Cory apologized for me, but I wasn't waiting around to see (the joys of marriage).

We were back to square one. Cory then suggested "Little Caesar's! Kris, it's $5 for a large pizza (!!!!) " By this point, I'm feelin bad for my poor husband and am contemplating eating my hand. So when he says pizza, I think back to a place near our apartment, called "Stone Pizza." I know they have fresh ingredients and you can personalize your pizza, so I suggest it. Cory's thrilled... thinking we're finally gonna eat! We pull into the parking lot, practically run to the door.

Closed.

The food gods were obviously against us.

 Just as we were about to give up on life and starve to death, we see it. Those beautiful glowing yellow neon lights. Charanda's.

We didn't need to ask each other, a look settled it. That's where we were going. We got a table and literally plunged into the chips. Ahhhh, so this is what Heaven feels like. We quickly ordered- Veggie Fajitas on corn tortillas for me, and Beef Tacos for my hot boyfriend. We were in such a rush to order that we didn't notice our surroundings until we'd eaten a basket of chips and had 2 refills of diet coke. On one side of our booth was (the most adorable) baby boy... screaming his head off. He wasn't crying. He was literally SCREAMING. And the more me and Cory laughed, the louder he got. His parents just loved that he was entertaining us.

On the other side, was a couple breaking up. It was immensely awkward to overhear. Apparently, he cheated on her and was denying it, telling her she needed to "filter this shit." It took some will power (and threats from Cory) to not turn around and tell him what a d-bag he was.

Oh, and did I mention we were sitting outside with 70mph winds? It was romantic.

Despite our surroundings, we got our food, wolfed it down much too quickly and rolled each other out of there. Luckily we just had a 30 second drive to our apartment where we promptly planted our beyond-full selves on the couch to catch up on The Voice.

All in all, it was a perfect romantic night. Ha, hardly. C'est la vie!

Monstrous Thursday

Good morning! Whew, we've made it to Thursday, the eve of Friday which is one day before the weekend! :) (Trying to be optimistic about the 2 gruesome days we have left of this loooong week).

Today is one of those days when I woke up and felt like I'd been asleep for 5 mins. I looked at the clock and couldn't believe it was already morning. Blah. And the monstrous black clouds looming over us outside didn't help the situation much. All I wanted to do was stay in bed and sleep through this nasty weather!

But, being the responsible person I am, I hit snooze about a zillion times until I absolutely had to get up, then rushed around like a maniac (still had time to squeeze in an episode of Saved By The Bell...priorities). This pollen is getting the best of me and with a sore throat, all I wanted was something ice cold for breakfast. Just so happens, I had ingredients for a lean, mean, green, monster! Yesssss.

Ingredients:
-1/2 frozen banana
-1/2 c almond milk
-1/2 c water
-packet of Musceltech chocolate protein powder
-handful of spinach
-about 5 ice cubes
-Splenda
-pinch of xantham gum

-Blend together spinach and liquids, then add all other ingredients until thick, smooth, and delicious.

Calories: 200


This was my first experience with xantham gum. I've been wanting to try it for awhile now but haven't been able to find it in stores; so I finally broke down and bought some here. I've heard that it makes a world of difference in smoothies/milkshakes, and boy does it! Although, I think I added a little too much; my GM had more of a pudding consistency, but still tasted fine. Next time, I'll add a little less.

I used this sample of Muscletech protein powder that I found at the grocery store. I'm trying to find a new protein powder that I like but I'm sometimes scared to buy a huge container if I haven't tried it before. I thought this tasted pretty good- not at all chalky like some protein powders.

Here's the nutrition information. Pretty good! (I used a little more than 1/2 of the packet this morning)

Cals: 160

Fat: 2

Protein: 26

Carbs: 8

Off to tackle the day!

Training Schedule 4/25- 5/1

Here's this week's training schedule:

Monday:
   AM:*15 min elliptical warm-up
          *Tredmill Speed workout: 2 mins @ 2 incline, 7.1 speed; 1 min recover
                                                  2 mins @ 2.5 incline, 7.2 speed; 1 min recover
                                                  2 mins @ 3 incline, 7.3 speed; 1 min recover
                                                  2 mins @ 3.5 incline, 7.4 speed; 1 min recover
                                                  2 mins @ 4 incline, 7.5 speed; 1 min recover
           *Ab + Arm Circuit: 3 rounds-
                                          1. Leg lifts holding 5lb dumbell inbetween feet and 5lb over head (x30)
                                          2.10 lb dumbells: 10 regular bicep curls; 10 overhead press; 10 tricep curls; 10
                                                                hammer curls; 10 diaganol bicep curls
                                          3. Decline bench- situps with 15lb plate on chest
                                          4. 25 pushups
                                          5. 20 jumping lunges (aka Mary Catherine's)
  PM: 3 mile run; Spin Group X class

Tuesday: 1mi warm-up; 4 mi tempo; 1 mi cool-down

Wednesday: AM Weight training
                     PM  Boot camp

Thursday: 5 mi run ~med to race pace

Friday: AM weight training + stretching

Saturday: 12 mi long run

Sunday:  Rest

This week's quote:

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." - Jesse Owens

Babyfaces and Bunny Birthdays

This past weekend was perfect! Two amazing weekends in a row = one happy girl!

Starting with Friday; I had the day off from work for Good Friday, and good Friday it was! I woke up around 7am and went for a 4 mile run around the neighborhood- my planned Thursday run (which I just totally was not feeling Thurs!) The weather was a little foggy + misty but the cool air was perfect! I set my Pandora to the "Counting Crows Station" and soared down the road as I took a trip back to the 90's. There's something about listening to Hootie (when he was still "Hootie") and the Blues Travelers that just puts me in a good mood!

"Once upon a midnight deeeary I woke with something in my head. I could not escape the memoryyy of a phone call and of what you said..."

After my run I headed to the gym for some torture weight lifting, then came home, showered, cooked Cory and me breakfast and got ready for the day (yes, he ate it...in case you were wondering). Then I joined Mom and Furnace for a much needed pedi (I apologized to the girl doing mine before she even started... yes, they were sick.)

Pinkies for me!

Afterwards, Mr. Y and I decided to make the most of our day off and started with some shopping. We received our income tax return last week and decided to have fun with $100 and put the rest into savings. It was really fun to see what all we could buy with our "fun" money.

(Note- yes, we are 11 years old and have never had our own money before and got overly excited about our shopping spree...but, we'll blame the free Earth Day Starbucks for making us run through Target like we were on Supermarket Sweep.)

We've been talking for awhile now about trying out little "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants around town and felt like today was a perfect opportunity. We were gonna go to Bob's Grill...but decided we wanted to take our time eating.

Kidding! Neither of us had ever been to Nishi G's although it's basically a Rock Hill legacy (ha) so we decided to try it. It was actually really good! And cheap! (double points!) I got buffalo grilled chicken on a whole wheat wrap (+lettuce&tom) with a side of green beans (I mean, "grayn bayns"). Cory got a burger with "everything ya got"..which to him, meant lettuce, tom, mayo, pickles... ya know the regular. Instead, he got loaded down with everything they had in the kitchen (including chili, coleslaw, hard boiled eggs and pineapple). Ok..only kidding about the last 2.

Afterwards, we headed to Cory's parent's house and anxiously awaited the arrival of Chad and Page (Cory's brother and wife). They had been to a 3D ultrasound and we got to see a video of our sweet niece, Reagan Joanna Hinton! She is absolutely beautiful!!! It is so unbelievable to be able to actually "see" her before she's even born. We can already tell she's gonna look just like her parents! What a Great Friday!

Saturday, was more relaxed. I met up with a friend in the AM for a 7 mi run. Later in the day, Cory and I spent some time with our families and took some much needed rest time. That night, we had dinner with my in-laws and then joined them + Chad and Page in Charlotte to see The Conspirator. I thought it was a really great movie, although I wasn't expecting the ending. Had I known more about the history (probably should have....did I mention I am NOT a "history buff?"), I could have anticipated how it would turn out; I guess I was hoping for a Happily Ever After.

Sunday was Easter and it was also a great day! Cory and I woke up early and enjoyed some home-made French Toast (that was delicious...to me at least, Cory coulda fed his to Anney while I was in the shower) and then headed to church. We were lucky enough to have both of our families in attendance (minus Melantitus)- we nearly took up an entire row! After church both of our families joined together at Mom's for Easter lunch. SO.MUCH.FOOD. Mom cooked a ham, and also made spinach, fruit salad, deviled eggs and rolls. Jennifer contributed mac 'n cheese, Page made a great broccoli casserole and Julie (mother in law) brought cole slaw and wine! I contributed  an Oreo-Peanut Butter Pie which was heavenly (Read: anything pb is heavenly). Recipe here.

Mom had prepared an Easter Egg Hunt before we got there which we joyfully took part in after devouring the grub (um...yes, we still have Easter Egg Hunts) And guess what? I WON! What did I win, you ask? Three delicious eggs of Cadberry (second in line behind peanut butter).

After eating, Cory and I headed home to enjoy our Sunday (which included napping and loading up on even more sugar- thanks for the jelly beans and cavities, Mom!)

Oh! and I almost forgot! It was (Easter) Lily day!!! Which we named her stand-in birthday. So, Happy 2nd Birthday Lily! She was gifted with an hour of playtime and a banana from her parents and a donated used toy from Anney.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, too!

Post-Race Recovery Week

Here is my workout schedule for the week after the Half. I planned on taking it pretty easy, which is sometimes hard for me when I get caught up in a workout, turning out to be a pretty packed week:

Sunday- Complete Rest Day

Monday- easy 3 mile recovery run

Tuesday- Kickboxing Group X Class (haven't taken this class since Half training started and thought it would be fairly easy, but man, were my arms sore the next day!)

Wednesday- Went for my AM weight training session, but no one showed up! Apparently because of all the school's Spring Breaks, training doesn't start til 9am everyday this week.. since I haven't been since last Wednesday I had no idea! :(
-Ran 3 miles on tredmill at easy pace + 15 mins on elliptal and some light weight lifting/core work
-PM Workout: Bootcamp Group X

Thursday- 4 mi run; easy/med pace

Friday- AM weight training session; stretching

Saturday- 7-8 mile long run

Sunday- Rest

Half Marathoner!

I did it! I'm officially a Half Marathoner!

This past weekend was the epitomy of jam packed! But, I loved every second of it! I got to do all of my favorite things- run (duh), spend time with my sisters, enjoy a beautiful wedding of one of my best childhood friends, shop in Charleston, and lay out in the sun. What more could a girl want?!

Charlotte Racefest Half Marathon Recap

This was my first Half Marathon and technically my 6th race ever! Who knew last August when I was preparing for my first 5k that 8 months later I'd be competing for 13.1?! I get kind of emotional just thinking about how far I've come.

The day before the big race I started prepping. I decided to skip my AM workout and use Friday as a complete "rest day". I ate my regular breakfast of 2 egg whites, a whole wheat english muffin and a cup of coffee and chugged water like it was goin outta style. I ate a pretty large lunch in efforts to carbo load, since I wanted to eat a lighter dinner.  I had spaghetti with ground turkey, fresh tomatoes and a little grated parm cheese. When I got off work, I went home to start getting things ready for the weekend.

I had wanted to eat an early-for-me dinner... but after picking up my race packet and running around I ended up eating around 8:30. I had a quick tuna sandwhich on whole wheat at Mom's- delish!

Once I got home, I laid out all my gear for the morning. Who knew runner's need SO.MUCH.STUFF. to...well, run??! Before I started seriously running, I thought all you needed was a "good pair" of tennis shoes (meaning the cheap ones on sale at Dick's) and you were off to hit the pavement! Oh, how young and niave I was (ahem, 8 months ago).

My packing list:
-Running Shorts
-Granny panties
-Extra clothes for after race
-Sports bra
-Racing bib/safety pins
-Running Team tee
-Water
-Garmin 305
-Prewrap (to go under my Garmin)
-Camera
-Spi Belt
-Gu, Gu Chomps
-Chapstick
-Body Glide (Chafe prevention!)
-Deoderant
-Running shoes (Ascics GT-2160)
-Nike Visor (to keep the rain off my face)
-Wicking socks

Quite the list!

After getting everything together, I was snuggled in bed, praying for a sunny morning by 9:45pm. Suprisingly, I slept pretty darn good and when the alarm went off at 4:50am I felt well rested. I got up, checked my email and was RELIEVED to find this:

Yesss!!! I got PUMPED after that, dressed quickly, checked and re-checked my bag, made a quick whole wheat english muffin w/ peanut butter + banana and threw it in the bag for later (planned to eat around 6:15am). Mom picked me up to drive me to a local Starbucks to meet my running team so we could caravan to the race.

After arriving, we did a quick warm-up and stretched. Thank goodness we used the bathroom at Starbucks! It was a good 30 min wait for the port-a-potties! It started raining promptly at 7:15; just enough time to soak us down before the race even started.

Miles 1-3 were kind of a blur. There were 3,300 runners and the 10k and Half started together; so naturally it was insanely crowded and hard to run without fear of falling and being trampled over by a gazillion crazy adrenaline-induced runners. I chased after one of my teammates, weaving in an out of the crowd until we finally got some breathing room.

Splits:
Mi 1 9:56
Mi 2 9:33
Mi 3 9:41

I passed up the water stations, mentally deciding to take water around mi 6 or 7 when I'd take my Gu. I was feelin pretty good, despite the constant rain, and decided to try and keep my pace around 9:30.

Miles 4-7 were nice; stayed mainly on one road with flat to rolling hills. The crowds of runners started to space out and I was trying to soak in every second. By this point 2 of my teammates and I were running together, although not making a point to stick side by side. By the end of mile 5, I decided to speed up and ran alone for the remainder of the race.

Splits
Mi 4 9:20
Mi 5 9:20
Mi 6 9:17
Mi 7 9:15

Look at that sexy hair!

Mile 8 was killer. There was about a half mile hill and my legs caught up to me. I took water at the aid station and my Gu and started feeling better- it was all mental from here. During all my long runs, my teammates and I would talk so I'd never bring music. Without thinking, I assumed it'd be the same on race day and didnt' bring along my iPod- MISTAKE!  I was so bored with myself and was letting my mind get the best of me.

"What's my pace? Where's the next hill? Why's my ankle hurting? Is that a side stitch coming? Where's that girl I was running behind, did she get way ahead of me? Am I going too fast? Can I do this??!"

Bad news. I wish more than anything I'd had music to take that damn voice out of my head! I'll know for next time. I recovered and got back to speed by mile 9 and took it easy on mile 10; I was starting to feel it!

Splits
Mi 8 9:54
Mi 9 9:17
Mi 10 9:35

Mile 11 was brutal. There was a steep but short hill that I had anticipated the whole way. I threw in 2 Gu chomps to prepare and took it like a man. I was SO suprised at how many people were walking; but I refused.  I just repeated in my head "JUST. KEEP. GOING" over and over. I had promised myself at the start that I wouldn't walk at all. Not even through the water stops. In my mind, I wanted to know I "ran" the whole way... and while I know it's still an awesome accomplishment for those that did take walk breaks, it was just my personal preference to run the entire way.

After that hill, I felt like my legs never quite recovered like I had expected. I was breathing heavy, I was soaking wet and I was bored. I remember thinking "this is not fun, I'm so over this right now" but then my optimistic side took over and persuaded my demon side that running faster meant ending faster, so I kept chugging along.

Splits:
Mi 11 9.56
Mi 12 9.40

Once I got to Mi 12 and knew I had just one more to go, I got excited. The rain let up a little and I was feeling good. I knew at that point I was going to be a Half Marathoner. I could feel the energy from the runners around me. I started seeing the crowds and I got butterflies through the pain in my legs. I just kept saying "hold it right here, you're almost there." I wanted to finish strong, I wanted to see my family's proud faces, and damnit, I wanted that metal! I crossed the finish line at 2:05 with a smile on my face! I did it!

Mi 13 9.40
Mi 0.17 1.30

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

-John Bingham

After that, it was straight home to shower then straight to Charleston, SC for a wedding and accompanying shenanigans with my two faves (including, of course, indulging on wedding food and BEER!)

I just love these two!

Oh, and of course, sweet pea got some pampering, too!

Lookin' fiiiine, got my huur did!

Hello!

Thank you for (probably accidently) stumbling across my blog! I'm quite a newby at this, but after much coaxing from my hunky husband and many friends, I've finally started a blog!

**Warning: There will be grammatical errors (probably frequently) so.. if that bothers you, I'm warning you now! :) **

First, I'm not great with intros... back in college I'd sit for an hour trying to figure out how to start a paper, only to skip the intro and "start" with paragraph two... I think that's mainly the reason I haven't started a blog 'til now- I didn't know where to begin!

So, when I found this cute and informative little questionaire, I figured what better way to get to know a little about me? You'll probably find out more than you want about me, but that'll probably happen pretty often on here! Alright...so, here goes nothin'...


A. Age: 23, brought into the world on June 30, 1987

B. Bed size: Queen; although most nights it feels like we're crammed into a twin, when you've got a husband and a massive dog to share with



Great, big, scary lap dog!

C. Chore you hate: Dishes! Hate, hate, hate washing/putting away dishes... but I hate seeing them in the sink even more (ahem)... so I'm forced.

D. Dogs: Started my love obsession with Lhasa Apso's in 2005 when we got our family dog, Gabbie (aka Gabberdean, Nadean, Deana, Geebba) and it was all over from there. She birthed the love of my life (um..I mean second love of my life) Lady Annabelle Princess Walser Hinton "Anney" in September 2007. Life was complete.

E. Essential Start to your Day: Coffee! Must.have.coffee. before life can begin. If you have had the unfortunate pleasure of encountering me in the AM, well...you deserve a metal of honor.

F. Favorite Color: Pink! (generic girl color, I know.)

G. Gold or Silver: For most things, typically gold.

H. Height: 5'3" (okay, okay... I'm 5'2"... and a half)

I. Instruments you play: "Played" percussion in middle school. I think I'm the only person on Earth who came close to failing band for "not practicing enough"... I loved it with my heart and soul, you can catch me on Drumline2.

J. Job Title: Day job- Inside Sales for a process equipment distributor (machinery for chemical plants, paper mills, etc)  Night job- Lhasa Mama, wifey, wanna-be cook, maid.

K. Kids: 2-3...someday. Me and the hubs are on the "5-year plan" Each time a family member begs us to speed up the process... we add a month. For now, Anney's our love child.

L. Live: Good ole Rock Hill, SC (for those unfamiliar, it's pronounced "Rawk Heel" and it ranks pretty close up there to NYC and LA as far as entertainment/things to do...) Of course when I say "pretty close" I mean complete total opposite.

Someone, please purchase this for me in every color, size S please. You'd make my life.

M. Mom's name: Lebo, Leebs, Leemart, Madgie (aka Leigh)

N. Nicknames: I (as you may have already noticed) have nicknames for everyone. Mine? Kris, Kriech, Triech, Twitch, Cabby, Nitsirk, Krissypoo

O. Operations? None! Knock on wood!!
P. Pets: You've already been formally introduced to my beloved Anney
BUT I'm also mama to Lilly (Willy, Reel, Lillerbug) a lop-eared, sweet little thang the hubs gave me for Easter 2 years ago.

Warning- I appear sweet and super cute, but I'll take that pretty little finger off in one bite.

Q. Quote: "If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it."

R. Righty or Lefty: That's a toughy... see my parents totally screwed me. I *think* I was born to be a lefty but when learning to write, they cruely forced to write with my right hand. I do everything else a lefty... Thanks Mom! :)

S. Siblings: 2 sissies; one older (Furnace, 26) okay.. her legal name's Jennifer and one younger (Melissa, 20...almost 21 eeep!) and of course, ole Nadean herself.

OKI beach pic, circa 2008
From L-R Melissa, Moi, Jen

Sister #3: Gabber Dean

T. Time you wake up: MWF- 5:01am; TTh- 6:01am (gotta get that extra minute!) S,S- depends

U. Underwear: Every day wear: Thong Work out: Granny's

V. Vegetables you dislike: See, I'm one of those weird birds that actually loves my veggies. Mama musta raised me right! I think all veggies can be good, some just need a little more lovin' to be edible; but most are pretty tastey. My fave? Sweet potato x 100000

W. What makes you run late: Not being able to find my keys... this has got to stop! I'm usually pretty anal about getting somewhere on time and get anxiety if I'm running late! I'd rather sit in the car and wait for 10 mins than be rushing to get there. Someone once told me "If you're on time, you're late" and that always kinda stuck.

X. X-rays: on my ankle with I was 5 and on my back in January (minor lower back injury when my parachute didn't open while skydiving, no big deal... I kid, I kid) it was a work-out related injury that I've (fingers crossed) fully recovered from.

Y. Yummy food you make: I like to think I'm a "Cook in Progress" ha! My sweet hubby chokes down my food without complaint... but, he does claim to love my tacos (though, this is practically the most fool-proof food on Earth and even then? He's probably just being sweet about it). I didn't pick up on those genes like Furny. (Or maybe I was too busy practicing back hand springs and handstands while the cooking lessons took place).

Z. Zoo- favorite animal: I love the monkeys! They kind of fascinate me; how smart and human-like they are... and plus, if I were ever trapped with a monkey for the rest of my life, we could definately be bff's with our shared passion for bananas.

The monkeys from when the hubs and I went to the Columbia Zoo...I said I was the one on the left and he was the one on the right that peed itself...

Although... these guys are pretty cute too....

So, there ya have it! The life of Kristin Elizabeth Hinton written out in the ABC's for the world to see. I've probably lost most of you in this century-long post. But, if not... I'm thrilled! (seriously.) Come back for more... I can't promise you'll read anything of any remote importance, but ya never know! :)

And just because I wanna... Here's a couple pics of my and my hottie on our wedding day:

...And here's what we really look like:

Have a great weekend... and while you're at it, do a little rain dance for me! (I'm running my VERY FIRST half marathon in the morning... and they're calling for 90% chance of strong thunderstorms/wind) Perfect running weather if I've ever heard!