13 Races and 13.1 in 2013

Remember when I ran a lot? I'd like to do that again.

One of my main goals for this year is to get back into a regular running schedule, and to check off that half marathon goal. 13.1 in 2013? Yes, please. I really miss running. While I wasn't fast, it was amazing stress relief, and something I can do that is just for me.

And what I found last year, is that I really liked the opportunity to do those shorter races. They were way more fun than my plain old training runs. So why not aim to complete 13 races this year?! 

So here is my schedule for what I'd like to do this spring/summer to get started:

1. Saturday, March 23 - Bunny Rock Run 5K
2. Saturday, April 27 - Either the Deer Run 10K (which I did last year) or the Crazylegs Classic 8K
3. Saturday, May 11 - The Cupcake Run 5K (c'mon, does this not have my name all over it?)
4. Saturday, May 25 - The Color Run Racine (this is more of a fun one)
5. Saturday, June 8 - The Lombardi Run
6. Wednesday, June 12 - SuperRun 5K
7. Saturday, June 15 - Either the Lighthouse Run 10 miler in Racine, or the Rock N' Sole Quarter Marathon (I participated in both races last year and am bummed that they fall on the same day!)
8. Wednesday, July 4 - The Firecracker 4
9. Thursday, July 11 - Storm the Bastille 5K
10. Thursday, July 18 - Festa 5K (no info yet)
11. Saturday, July 20 - Sausage Racers 5K

As for the half marathon, I have a few options:

• The Madison Mini Marathon on August 17th
• The Badgerland Striders Half on August 24th
• The Brewers Half on September 28th

I am hoping to decide fairly soon. I'm leaning towards the Brewer's Half because it gives me a little more time, and will likely not be blazing hot like it was in August last year.

Does this sound like fun to you? Run with me! I'd love a buddy.

Don't live by me? That's okay. We can run together virtually.  A blog running group if you will. Share a race that you might like to do in the comments section, and I'll cheer for ya from here!

Never run before? That's okay. I started totally from scratch last year. And I'll basically be starting over again now. I used a Couch to 5K program, which was a great tool to help me start slow and build steady progress along the way. I totally recommend it.

March Meals

Hello and Welcome! If you found your way here from the Pinterest Challenge, feel free to scroll down to the next post to see my project. Or just enjoy this photo of some delicious dessert. : )

My delicious birthday bread pudding. Yum. 

Holy crap. How is it almost March already? No one knows.

February certainly has sped by in a hurry. And we ate a bunch of good food: Beef stew, gnocchi in tomato broth, Swedish meatballs, Maid Rites (Iowa loose meat sandwiches - not sloppy joes), and slow-cooker Italian chicken salad. Eat them now and be happy.

Oh, the rest of the meals?....nope, didn't make em. But I did get to eat some of my favorite BBQ and pizza during my birthday trip to St. Louis. And had an awesome family birthday dinner here in Milwaukee at Maxie's Southern Comfort. I will be going back to that place as often as I can. The bread pudding and key lime pie were to die for. Yes, we got two desserts.

And now we march on to March Meal Planning. Same strategy as February, a three or four meal plan for each week. I didn't plan as many at the end of the month, because that's usually the point where it makes sense to start cleaning out stuff in the freezer, and when the budget is a bit tighter. Or when I say, "meh," and a Jack's pizza finds its way in the oven. You know how that can go.

Week One
15 Veggie Soup - a copycat recipe of one of my faves from Au Bon Pain.
Cilantro Thai Grilled Chicken
Taco Pizza
Pesto Cheese Toast

Week Two
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Baked Spaghetti with Sausage
Black Bean Quesadillas

Week Three
Oven-Baked Parmesan Chicken
Mac and Cheese - I'm always checking out new recipes. Love the stuff!
Taco Soup

Week Four
Italian Meatball Burgers
Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

You might be thinking, "Kirstin - there are some all-veggie and/or fish meals in there. Are you forcing Chris to starve?" Nope, but there are some nights where I'll be flying solo for dinner. So it's a good opportunity to take advantage of eating things that I like that he doesn't. He does the same when I'm not there.

Something that we also discovered in February that I hope to take advantage of this month are the awesome monthly specials from Bunzel's, a local Milwaukee deli and meat market. Last month we picked up their special and went home with a Godfather pork roast, two chicken patties, a whole cut-up chicken, two lbs of ground beef, and an oven-ready meatloaf for just $20.13. Pretty amazing deal. And all of the meat has been delicious so far. If you are in the area, check them out!

So what are you eating this month? Getting in your corned beef and Irish soda bread?

Winter Pinterest Challenge: All Dressed Up

Oh, you were looking for a post-30th birthday post? Sorry, it might be another minute....

But instead, let's get crafty!

I have been itching to take on a creative project, so I was so excited when the latest Pinterest Challenge was announced. Great motivator to get off my butt and make something...as long as it was something I could finish while watching tv, of course.

There are pictures all over Pinterest of some fancy dressed up bookcases, which were totally inspiring and seemed like a fairly doable project for me. Here is my favorite inspiration post:

Thanks for the inspiration, In My Own Style!

I happened to find a cute patterned roll of wrapping paper at Target that was only $2, and a perfect fit for our little black shelf in the living room. And it followed the same pattern as my inspiration photo.

Check it out now!

The project took me the length of a tv show, and was super easy. I just measured and cut pieces of the paper to fit, and then taped them to the cardboard back. Some of the other tutorials suggest using fabric and covering cardboard to inset into the shelf. I was lazy, and this was easier. Plus, it was a $30 Target shelf that I've had for quite awhile. It was already looking pretty beat up from the move. Now it looks classy.

Huzzah. I love a good quatrefoil print.

Have you made anything lately? If you would like some ideas, check out the Pinterest Challenge from Sherry at Young House Love, and all of the other linked projects.