MIMM: Sunshine and Dads

by Maria on June 17, 2013

I wonder how many dads out there have bacon hangovers…or burger hangovers…or hangovers in general. Regardless, I hope everyone had a wonderful Father’s Day and woke up smiling this morning!

Marvelous this weekend…SUN!  The weather in CT has been pretty odd, but I’ll gladly take rain and chilly temps during the week in order to sit out in the sun all weekend.

Saturday was a relaxed day with my coworkers at Meredith’s grandmother’s pool. It was lovely. So were the grapefruit margaritas I made. I discovered the section at Fairway that has “older” fruit at a discounted price. A package of 4 large grapefruits for $1.99! That’s what sparked my idea for afternoon cocktails. I went home and juiced those suckers. I also grabbed some fresh mint from the garden, and obviously, tequila (not from the garden.)

An afternoon filled with margaritas and girl talk, sounds perfect right? It was. This picture pretty much sums it up. I didn’t know what hand gesture to use, but this seemed the most appropriate for me.

Afterwards, I headed home and got to work on dessert for Father’s Day. I decided to make zucchini brownies. First non-paleo dessert I’ve made in quite a while! There are leftovers, much to the delight of my coworkers.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I was just not feeling the gym. I would have taken a rest day but I knew that a quick gym sess would actually rev me up.  I was right.

I stepped on the stairmaster and wasn’t sure how long I’d stay on, or if I would attempt the 100 floor challenge. About 3 minutes in, I decided I was going to do it. I’m glad I did, because I beat my goal of getting it in under 15 minutes! It took me a good 5 minutes to fully recover. After that, I chatted with some friends, and hopped on the rower before calling it quits.

We spent the afternoon at my brother’s to celebrate Father’s Day. I brought them each a 6 pack of craft beers from Total Wine. It’s such a great place to mix and match beers to customize your own 6 pack. I made sure to include seasonal beers. My dad isn’t much of a craft beer guy but I also didn’t know what to get him. I ended up getting him a small wine glass with an A on it (for Aldo) and gardening gloves. Completely random, but the great thing about Dads is they love whatever you get them! Dad said he would have been fine with just a card. Easy to please, right?

Growing up, I could never picture my brothers with kids but now that they’re dads, I couldn’t imagine them in any other role. My nieces and nephew are super lucky!

I just hope Mike doesn’t give the girls hell when they want to wear makeup. Oh man, was he scary if he ever spotted me with eyeliner or mascara!

I did manage to food prep between all of my activities this weekend, and I had to make another loaf of PaleOMG’s Buffalo chicken meatloaf. I subbed turkey for the chicken. It’s really amazing and you must make it if you’re a fan of spicy food.

And now, we’re ready for the week, right!? … Right.

What’s marvelous in your Monday?

How did you celebrate Father’s Day?

Maria

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I survived my 2nd Spartan!

by Maria on June 12, 2013

One year ago, I completed the Spartan Sprint. It taught me A LOT. I learned that I was capable of so much more than I thought but it also made me realize that I could be that much stronger. Ever since, I increased my strength training and focused on upper body and back strength. I can honestly say that the work I put in through the year allowed me to enjoy this year’s course, but it could have also been the company.

This year, the Honey Badger team… WAIT… Please tell me you know what a honey badger is! If you don’t, please watch the YouTube video


So anyway, our team grew from last year and included members of my gym fam: Amanda, Gabe, Becky and Steve. It was their first obstacle run so they started out somewhat nervous but they kicked serious butt.

As a second timer, I noticed some changes this year. So what was different?

1. The course route was reversed.
2. The obstacles were easier (or I got stronger?)
3. The obstacles were not much different from last year, just reversed. The monkey bars, sandbag carry, various walls, rope climb, were all still there. However, the tire flip was now a tire pull, but it was cake.


4. It was crowded. The attendance appears to have grown, which is no surprise given the popularity of these events.

5. This year, I also wore knee socks to prevent poison ivy and gloves, which saved me during the rope climb.
6. The barbed wire route was shorter. For me, this meant less bruises and scrapes!

I liked my barbed wire picture from last year much better.

So how did I do? Like I said, I’m definitely stronger than I was last year so I was not sore, except for my calves (those trail climbs!) However, I didn’t manage to complete the rope climb. I was really really really bummed/pissed. Ask Amanda, as I got quite feisty with her after slipping down the rope. I made it to the last knot at the top but just couldn’t pull myself up. I spoke to my Dad when I got home because it irritated me so much. I realized at that moment, my technique was so wrong! I was relying on the knots to place my feet rather than wrapping my ankles around the rope. Doh!

Anyway, our team stuck together through the course, minus Justin and Shannon, because they’re honey badgers! I’m glad we did because it made the race much more fun and Gabe’s assistance over the walls was greatly appreciated.

We finished over 2 hours again, while Justin and Shannon came in around 1 hour and 16 minutes! Like I said, honey badgers.

Photos were published much quicker this year, which is always exciting! Race photos in general are somewhat ridiculous. You rarely look good in them. I know Christina at The Athletarian would agree.

The fire was HOT, as you can judge by the look on my face. I feel as though it was a larger jump than last year too.

I had to share these gems. Our encounters with the gladiators at the very end of the course. Just after them is the desired “Finish Line.”

Our techniques were all quite different, but effective.

I couldn’t have asked for a better group of friends to be with! They made the race that much more fun!

I’ll likely do it again next year, just to get back at that rope!

Have you completed the Spartan or a similar obstacle run?

Are you a rope climber?

Maria

P.S. – I did spot Ashley of Running Bun during the race, but didn’t get a chance to say HI. She provided a great recap the other day, so make sure you check it out.

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MIMM: Makeup Forever

June 10, 2013

You know what day it is, no need for me to remind you. Hope everyone’s day is off to a good start! I had a moderately productive weekend and no sunburns (now in its peeling phase) or bruises, but I didn’t come away without any injuries… I somehow managed to hit my head on the [...]

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WIAW: BBQ Eats

June 5, 2013

Summer BBQs are my absolute favorite! Mostly because it includes day drinking, meaning I can still get to bed at a reasonable hour and not wake up with a hangover. #grandmaproblems But really, one of the reasons I love them is because it allows me to cook/bake yumminess to share with my friends and family. [...]

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MIMM: Sunburns and Spartans

June 3, 2013

I took two days off last week so I only had 1 & 1/2 days of work (thank you summer hours!) before it was time for another weekend! And now, it’s Marvelous in my Monday! Since the accident, I’ve been driving my dad’s car but not anymore! I picked up my new Kia Optima on [...]

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Fitness Magazine’s Meet & Tweet Part 2

May 30, 2013

Sorry to leave ya’ll hanging the last few days but I’ll explain.. in my Marvelous in my Monday post! So hang tight. In the meantime, here’s part dos of the Fitness magazine Meet & Tweet event. (and part 1 if you missed it) I was able to recover after meeting Rocco DiSpirito so Kaitlin and [...]

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Eat, Play and Stay in Norwalk: Hotel Zero Degrees and Mediterraneo come to Main Ave

May 28, 2013

Disclaimer: This meal was complimentary but all opinions expressed are my own.  I have worked in Norwalk for the past 8 years (wow) so I’ve become quite familiar with the area, including the dinning hot spots. With the opening of Hotel Zero Degrees on Main Ave, comes the addition of Mediterraneo. If it sounds familiar, [...]

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Fitness Magazine’s Meet & Tweet

May 23, 2013

I headed into New York City last week to attend Fitness Magazine’s Meet & Tweet blogger event. I was not letting my accident prevent me from a day of fitness fun! I took the train in and met up with Kaitlin of For Love of Carrots. We met at the clock in Grand Central and [...]

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MIMM: Marvelous Miracle

May 20, 2013

I never thought I’d look forward to going to the dentist on a Monday, but I am. Katie started Marvelous in my Monday as a way for us to reflect and be grateful for all the marvelous things in our life. We often focus on the negative things and lose sight of all that is [...]

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Harvesting Baby Cabbages

May 17, 2013

I’m glad so many of you enjoyed Renata’s review of Bodega Taco Bar! We’ll be alternating recaps through the tour moving forward. Our latest stop took us down to Greenwich. Getting there on 95, was not so much fun and neither was the parking situation. But this is always the case in Fairfield County so [...]

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