Update: T-minus 1 Month to the Houston Marathon

Well things have been a bit crazy around here, out of town almost every weekend or with visitors! With more holidays coming up it isn't likely to calm down for a few weeks, but I will get some much wanted R&R and get to ride around my old stomping grounds in Denver followed by a ski trip in Tahoe.

I am about a month away from my first big race of the season, the Houston Marathon. Two weeks later I will be running the Surfside Marathon, which is ran down the beach and will present different types of challenges. Registration is still open for the Surfside race, and if you register by January 2nd you'll get a personalized race bib!

Due to the quick turnaround for the races I will be focusing more on time in the Houston Marathon than in the Surfside race. This will be my first time running a marathon outside of Ironman races so I am still trying to figure out my pacing strategy. At this point I have ran 18 miles at an 845 pace, so I am planning on starting at 9 min/miles and going from there. I have one more long run (going for 20) before the race then I will begin my taper. I still haven't decided how I am going to do this since it overlaps with the start of my Ironman Training for May. I am very excited for my first race as a member of Big Sexy Racing, even though it isn't a triathlon. 




I have recently made the jump to Newton shoes and will be racing in those. I bought a pair at the Las Vegas Ironman 70.3 World Championships and have ran on them ever since. After talking with the representatives at the booth, they helped me pick out the Newton's Distance U's a half size smaller than I typically run in. I'll admit the transition was hard, I had been off my feet for four weeks after Vegas with a partially torn Achilles and they induce a much different gait than most of us run naturally. My calves were very sore the first two weeks, where it's recommended you don't run over three miles until you are comfortable, but after that I started to see some marked improvements. I no longer have the hip, knee and ankle pain I used to experience and I can tell I am using more of the muscles in my legs than before. Overall I am running faster than I used to. I won't be needing a new pair for two months or so but am considering the Newton Ironman Elite they released this year.





I will keep you updated with a race review once it happens!



Recipe of the Week: Easy Peasy Hummus
Hummus is easy to make and easily modified to your preferred taste. As a good source of healthy fats and carbs, it's a great afternoon snack when you want to bridge the gap between your lunch and afternoon workout. 

It can be paired with fruits, veggies or pita bread to keep the variety up through the week!



What you need:

• 4 cups of canned garbanzo beans, drained but keep the juice
• 2/3 cups Tahini (Sesame seed paste, you'll find it in a can in the asian food section)
• Lemons for juice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbls Olive oil
• 4 Garlic cloves, halved
• Paprika and parsley to taste
• Extras: you can add in almost anything, I've used bell peppers, spicy peppers, spinach, cilantro etc... If you use something like a pepper it can change the consistency but this can be balanced out by adding the juice from the beans in small quantities. 

What you need to do:

Depending on your blender or food processors capability, chop the garlic and extra add ins to the needed size. Toss everything but the olive oil, paprika and parsley in and blend to your hearts content. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of paprika and parsley. 

Because I typically make this on Sunday and bring it to the office throughout the week, I add the paprika and parsley in during the blending stage.