I completed my last long run of my marathon training. I wish I could say it was a great run but it wasn't. It was a difficult run. I wasn't able to get the rest I needed going into it and I was sore and tired-body and mind. If though it was challenging, I have learned how to enjoy every run. From that run on, I have been counting my miles and realizing that with every run, I am getting so much closer to my race. I am getting so anxious. Am I ready? Will I be able to run to my expectations? What will the whole experience be like? What will I feel like when it is all over?
I will soon have answers to all of these questions and in the mean time am reminding myself on a daily basis to relax and enjoy the process.
I have 4 more runs in Colorado and then I am off to NY for 6 more runs. After tomorrow I will be in the single digits.
My one take away from this is that if you have ever thought about running a marathon, do it. If it seems impossible, even better. You will grow and learn so much and will enjoy it so much more! You really can do it and will grow beyond your expectations!

Nina Pears

What if...

Do you ever wonder what it would be like if you made a different decision when faced with a choice? I often wonder. I don't have regrets but I wonder how different it would be if I took a left turn instead of a right on this journey. For as along as I can remember, there have been choices. Many times all the options presented were good options but each option would have a led to very different outcomes. I sometimes think about what it would be like if I chose a different option.
I was reminded of this this weekend.
Ten years a go, I was faced with the decision of where I wanted to live and settle down. We weighed the pros and cons and went with our gut. We moved to Colorado and started our family. At that time, we were living in Florida. Florida was very much my home. I grew so much living in Florida and had a great support system. A big part of my life happened in Florida. I didn't have anything that was pulling me out of there. For Morgan, Colorado was home. He grew up here and always imagined himself living here. We thought about it and moved to Colorado based on an idea he had in his head. I left what was known to me for the unknown and excitement of what else there was out there.
I love Colorado and it is more home to me now than anywhere else that I have ever lived.
Going back to Florida, visiting a dear friend that I grew apart from for a bit, made we think about what it would be like if we stayed in Florida. Would her kids and my kids be best friends? Would we be family? Would we take advantage of the beach and everything that Florida has to offer like we do of Colorado? Would life be the same as it is now?
It is fun to think about what could have been or what might have been. It also makes you realize what you have now and why you are where you are now.
I loved being in Florida and visiting. I loved thinking about the past and taking it all in. But one thing I know for sure is that Colorado is home. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. I tried imagining it but as soon as I walked back into my house, ran my neighborhood, and went about my own day, I realized that this is home and even though we could have made a different decision, we didn't. I truly think we create our lives and our homes. Florida will always have a special place in my heart but it isn't home! I plan on visiting as often as I can though!

Nina Pears

Keeping fitness and nutrition a priority through the changing seasons and holidays

I don't know about you, but the time of the year that my nutrition and fitness are at their best is during the summer. Then I hold on as long as I can and slowly slide as the seasons and weather change and through the holidays. Then after the holidays, I slowly build it back up and get to that great place in the summer and then begin the cycle all over again.
Sound familiar?
I tend to hibernate during the winter. It gets dark early at night and stays dark late in the morning. I dress in layers which makes it easy to hide my body. It is work to get bundled up to go outside and exercise. Food is comforting through the holidays and during the cold spells. Things get hectic and crazy and it is hard to find the time.
I am determined to make this year different. I have worked so hard and I want to maintain what I have worked towards. Just think what tit would be like to keep building on it instead of starting over every year.
How can we do this?
1. Meal Plan
2. Have goals leading up to each holiday and celebrate your accomplishments on the holiday not during the whole season.
3. Transform traditional recipes into healthier versions
4. Track your exercising
5. Schedule your exercise time into you busy days
6. Have at home workouts ready and available so you take the guess work and planning out of your workout
7. Have a plan or program set up for after each holiday
8. Find an accountability partner to get you through the season
9. Try new outdoor activities- snow shoe, cross country ski, down hill ski, ice skate, hike
10. sign up for a race so you have something to train for
Bonus- Buy yourself some nice new clothes to work out in and to motivate you to go out side. New boots too!

Nina Pears

MM- Holding on!

I am in the final stretch! Less than 2 weeks away. My long runs are getting harder to fit in with crazy schedules and the amount of hours that it is light. But I feel like my long runs just keep getting better and better. All of my runs have been pretty controlled. I can fit them in at the time I want them to be and can even work around the weather to make sure I am running in ideal running weather. This weekend was different. I didn't think I would get my long run in. I was trying to be okay with it but I knew I had to get it in. I found a way to fit it in but it wasn't ideal. I almost didn't do it because it wasn't my ideal time and weather. Yes, that is right. I almost went without the run because it wasn't when I wanted to do it and then the time came and the weather was not on my side. But being at the place I am at in my training, I went.
My run started off in the down pouring rain. I had 3 layers on. About 2 miles into my run, something hit me and I really started to push myself and enjoy my run more than I ever had before. Maybe it was the rain and the cold that gave me a fresh breath. Or maybe it was because I am m so close to what I have been working towards and I want to savor the last bit of it before it is gone. Sure, I can continue to run after y marathon and even train for another one but it will never be my first marathon again. It may be just as rewarding and I may learn and grow even more but it will be different.
After mile 2, I ran like it really mattered and pushed myself harder than I ever had and felt amazing. the views all around me were breath taking and I enjoyed the entire run using all of my senses to take it it. When I turned north, I ran into a fierce wind but felt so strong doing it because I really had to physically push throughout to run against it.
It was a run that I wish didn't end. I wanted to hold on to this run and this point in my training. My body wasn't tired. My mind was strong and clear. The excitement for the race is building and I felt free! I felt confident in myself. I felt strong and I felt like I could run forever. The relationship I have developed with running is one that I didn't think could happen.
I will hold onto every mile and every run for the next 3 weeks and celebrate it all running through the Buroughs of NY!

Nina Pears

Busy Mom Top Ten List

When I became a mom 9 years ago, I had no idea what I was in store for. At first it seemed like I had all the time in the world and didn't even know what to do with myself. That quickly changed as the kids multiplied and as they get older we just keep getting busier! There are days we struggle and fail but there are also days we succeed and breeze through. Every day whether it is a struggle or a breeze is a victory when you remember why you are doing it! As a busy mom, there are things you cna do to make things go easier. Here are my top 10 that I live by.
1. Plan- meals, activities, days, weeks. The more planning there is the easier it is! The better you plan, the more prepared you are.
2. Learn to let things go. It is ok if you forget something or drop the ball here or there. You are not perfect and do not have super powers and if you learn to accept this, everyone will feel better.
3. Find time for yourself- We give everything for our kids. We put them before ourselves every day. Even if it is a just a few minutes and that means waking up early or staying up late, find some time solely for yourself by yourself. This is my workout time!
4. Work as a team- work together and compromise. Everyone can do chores and have responsibilities.
5. Communicate- Talk as a family. Share the good and the bad and have a relationship where you have trust and respect for each other. It will cause less stress and anxiety!
6. Ask for help. Again, we aren't super human. It is ok to rely on others and ask for help.
7. Prioritize- Establish your top priorities and make sure you are always addressing them and learn that it is ok to let some of the other things go or to say no or later.
8. Establish Routines- Kids love routines and like to know what to expect and what is expected of them. A routine helps with this and makes days and weeks run more smoothly.
9. Have an outlet. This may be a friend, a hobby, exercise, or even therapy. Have some way to relieve the stress and relax.
10. Enjoy every bit of it! The joys and sorrows! It is hard and difficult and sometimes impossible. But always remember to enjoy it all because it is so worthwhile!

Nina Pears

21 Day FIx Mexican recipes

Mexican Salad

Ingredients:

•  1 Red of Lean Ground Turkey with Taco Seasoning
• 1 Green of Tomatoes and Peppers
• 1 Green of Lettuce
• 1 Blue of Cheese
• 1 Orange of Creamy Herb Dressing (Recipe on Page 57 of 21 Day Fix Book)

Instructions:

• Cook the turkey and add the taco seasoning at the end.
• Mix everything together!

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 Red and Orange Bell Pepper
• 1 Medium Onion
• 1 lb Lean Ground Turkey (I used extra lean ground venison this night.)
• 1/4 cup Southwest Seasoning (recipe from 21 Day Fix book)
• Shredded Cheese – 6 blue containers worth
• Fat Free Refried Beans – 2 Red Containers worth
• 2 Small Cans Diced Chiles
• 2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 12 Corn Tortillas

Directions
Dice the peppers and onions. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add diced peppers and onions and cook until tender. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Brown your ground meat in the skillet until almost done. Add chiles to meat and finish cooking through. Add cooked onions and peppers to meat mixture, along with southwest seasoning and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Spray the bottom of a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with 6 tortillas. Spread with one red container of the refried beans. Spread 1/2 of the meat and vegetable mixture over the tortillas and beans.
Layer the remaining 6 tortillas on top of the meat mixture. Repeat spreading the refried beans and remaining meat and vegetable mixture.
Sprinkle 6 blue containers worth of shredded cheese evenly over the top.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is hot and bubbly.
Makes 6 Servings
Per Serving: 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Green, 1 Blue

• Cheesy Chipotle Chicken and Rice
  
  1 cup uncooked rice
  2 1/4 cup chicken stock
  1 teaspoon paprika
  1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder(or adjust to desired spiciness)
  1 teaspoon garlic powder
  1/4 teaspoon cumin
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  4 tablespoons butter
  15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  1 3/4 cup corn (frozen or canned)
  1 2/3 cup cooked chicken (shredded)
  2 cloves garlic
  1/2 onion (yellow or red)
  1/2 red bell pepper
  About a cup Mexican cheese or Colby-Jack  cheese
  About 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  Cilantro
  
  Combine the Rice, chicken stock, paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and one tablespoon of the butter. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for twenty minutes. Add the remaining butter, beans, corn, chicken, garlic, onion, and red bell pepper and turn the heat to medium high. Stir constantly until the onions are tender enough for your taste. You can stir in the cheese and sour cream or just use it as a garnish. Top with cilantro if desired. 
•  
•  

  Mexican Chicken Quinoa Bake

  This is one of the easiest meals to make and everyone in my family loves it!  So simple and fast to make and it can last a few meals.  Great recipe to stretch out your meals and save some money!

  Inspired by:  http://www.willjogforfood.com/2012/01/quinoa-bake.html

  (Total Time: 45 minutes, 6 hearty servings)

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 1 small green bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsps chili powder
  • 4-6 dashes hot sauce
  • 1 can black beans (rinsed)
  • 1 16 oz container of salsa (fresh in produce section)
  • 3/4 cup cheddar cheese

  
  1. Prepare Quinoa: Rinse in a sieve under running water. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a small saucepan, add the quinoa. Turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. While quinoa is simmering, heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic, peppers, and chopped onions, cook 2 or 3 minutes.
  3. Add chicken, spices and hot sauce. You may want to add a little salt and pepper here also. Cook thoroughly, about 10 – 15 minutes.
  4. Spread quinoa in a large baking dish.
  5. Layer remaining ingredients in this order: Chicken, salsa, black beans and finally the grated cheese.
  6. Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes.
  

  

Nina Pears

Marathon Monday- Auto Pilot

If you had a conversation with me at the beginning of my marathon training 6 months ago, I would have never thought my body and mind could have gotten anywhere near the place that they are at now.
It is amazing to think back to my first "long" run when I ran 6 miles. My knees were killing me and mentally I did not know how I could do that run three more times.
Yesterday, when I did my long run, it just felt so natural. I felt like I was on auto pilot. My mind and body just know what to do and they get in a rhythm and I just go. It is am amazing feeling. It is nice to see what the body and mind are capable of. If is a great feeling to see what you have over come.
26 miles always seemed so long. Now it is something I crave and my body has become accustomed too!
4 more weeks and counting!!!!

Nina Pears