Am I ready for Ragnar?

I’ve had many non-running friends say to me, ‘What the heck is Ragnar?’  I explain that “It’s an {almost} 200 mile relay you complete with 11 other buddies.  You pretty much live out of a vehicle with others for about 36+ hours.  Sounds awesome, right?”  Then they look at me like I have three heads.  They don’t get it… but that’s alright. 

I’ve been really nervous about Ragnar for the past couple of months… pretty much since I was injured back on July 31^st at the San Francisco Half Marathon.  Will my leg be healed enough to run?  I took 4-6 weeks off of running… which by the way, totally sucks!  When I finally was able to run again, I managed to get sick for two weeks with the flu and a sinus infection.  I am starting to feel more like myself… except a REALLY tired version [of myself].  I managed to gain 10 lbs… apparently I thought I could still eat like I was running 25+ miles each week.  On a side note, my husband tore his Achilles Tendon in August during a tennis tournament.  He has managed to LOSE 10 lbs while being injured.  How the heck does that happen?  I’m totally a jelly belly [that’s what the Kardashians call ‘being jealous’].  Anyways…

Last night, I met up with my fellow Ragnar teammates to decorate the truck and discuss details about Friday.  After I left, my feelings of nervousness were gone and I became excited to doing something so adventurous.  I have great people in my van and I am so glad to be a part of their team.  My leg has been feeling great.  Luckily, my team captain assigned one of the easiest “legs” to me knowing that I am coming off of an injury. 

So to answer the title of this post… I think I’m ready to embark on my first Ragnar experience.  I’m really looking forward to it!  

Oatmeal Creme Pie Cupcakes

One of our very good friends, Phil, from California flew in this morning for a quick trip (leaves tomorrow morning).  The husband and Phil are going on a man date tonight to see the Champion Series Across America tennis match featuring Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, and John McEnroe.  I told them they must take lots of pictures that make them look like they are a gay couple.  Should be good times!  : )

Phil's birthday was a couple of weeks ago so I knew I wanted to make him cupcakes when he got into town.  I originally tried making angel food pineapple cupcakes, but that didn't turned out so pretty.... so it was on to the next recipe.  I went through my many saved blog posts in my google reader and found Oatmeal Creme Pie Cupcakes from Inside BruCrew Life.  They were super simple to make!  I chose not to use the buttercream recipe that went with the recipe.  I googled "cinnamon buttercream" because I thought it would complement the cupcakes better.  I found this recipe and decided to give it a try (it got great reviews).  I decided to make half the batch with the oatmeal creme pies in the middle and half plain (just in case the other cupcakes did not turn out).  Here are the pictures:

[Yes, I made them do the thumbs up--LOL!]

Happy Belated Birthday Phil!  Hope you enjoy your cupcakes and the date with the husband!

Help! Suggestions needed!

I posted on Facebook a few days ago that someone wants to hire me to bake cupcakes for their party.  I was shocked!  I've been baking for a long time now... just for fun.  I think it's time I start setting up a website with descriptions and pictures.  Before I can do that, I need to think of a name to call this company... or bakery... or whatever it's supposed to be called!

Every time I think of a good name it's already taken.  Ugh.  This is where YOU come into play... I need help coming up with a name.  Leave me a suggestion in the comment section below.  Share a link to my blog post on Twitter, FB, and/or your own blog (if you are a blogger) to help a girl out!

Thanks a bunch!

National Take Your Daughter Running Day

As I have said before, I follow a ton of blogs.... one specifically is the Chronic Runner.  Earlier this week, she declared October 1st National Take Your Daughter Running Day.  Of course, I thought this was a fantastic idea.

I never told Keira I wanted to go running with her today.  Funny thing... she woke up this morning asking to go [running].  I'm not a fan of running in the morning, so I told we'd go later.  Several hours later, I decided it was time to hit the pavement.  I got ready and Keira got ready.  We went outside and started stretching:

After stretching, we began our run.  I was really impressed with her ability to run as much as she did (being that she is only 3 years old).  Our results:

.50 miles/9:43

When we arrive back at the house, I dropped her off and asked Roman if he wanted to ride his bike while I went for a run.  He politely declined by saying he was waiting for his best friend (who lives two doors down) to come over.  [He ended up not playing with his friend and I made sure to make him feel really guilty.  What kind of Mom would I be if I didn't make him feel guilty?!  LOL!]  He promised he'd ride his bike with me next time I went for a run. I went off on my own which was fine.  

I felt really good throughout the entire run.  I had minimal pain (which was tolerable).  I never stopped to walk.  This is the longest run in well over a month.  

3.25 miles/35:00

I do have to say running is starting to feel a little easier each time... thank goodness!  Time to ice my leg and call it a night.