Husband, Father, Athlete, Runner, Marathoner, Mental Health Warrior

So I will not mention names, nor will I apologize for what I am going to say or who it offends (I’m in my “house”, front door is ALWAYS open to come in, or leave)…but as my alarm went off…ok I will stop lying, I was up ten minutes before it went off, a barrage of thoughts ran through my head like the montage part of every episode of “Phineas & Ferb” I am weeks away from wrapping up my first year as a runner. What an amazing lunar cycle it has been for me. At first I started running because I wanted, no again being honest, NEEDED to lose weight and lower my blood pressure (go to any of the blog entries from a year ago, in case you don’t know, and you’ll see why). And there is no greater calorie burner than running (as long as you are willing to push yourself, compare an hour of any exercise, and running is most effective). Turns out, along the way, I discovered Me. Weight loss isn’t, and hasn’t been, on my radar in a while. I am not sure the last time I stepped on a scale. I just kn...

Well Yesterday I did it. I completed one of my running goals...to complete the Triple Crown. I also completed my longest race ever. On top of all of that, I did it injured. I will take a couple of days to be proud of myself for accomplishing what I set out to do, and then the clock resets for my next goal, The Kentucky Derby Marathon. Well, it is amazing weather we have had here in Louisville. Every Saturday inbetween the Triple Crown Races, we have had no temps lower than 70, and not a cloud in the sky. Yet for the 3 Saturdays of the Triple Crown, it has been cold, windy, and cloudy. Yesterday was no exception... I must first say, I, mainly due to the getting up at 3:30AM to run, run by myself, but I never run alone. My wife and daughters are always there, waking up early on these Saturday mornings to cheer me on...hours before my daughters' kid races, they are cheering me on at the end. I am most grateful, and most appreciative of them for that support. That being said, the race ...

Now, mind you, my ingredients are based on feeding a family of 4, and having leftovers (more economical for us), so adjust accordingly) 3 lbs of Ground Turkey/Ground Chicken (I used Ground Turkey) 2 cans of Light Sodium Mushroom soup 1 whole onion chopped (optional) 1 tablespoon Garlic powder 1 packet of Goya Sazón Natural & Complete (contains no salt, fyi…this is found in the Latino/Latin/Ethnic Food aisle) Greek Yogurt (this is subbing in for sour cream in the original recipe I saw) Broccoli No Yolks Noodles Extra Broad (naturally 100% cholesterol free) 2 Sodium Free Chicken Bouillon Cubes 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil • Using a steamer, place freshly cut broccoli in steamer and hit Cook • In a large skillet or wok (I used a wok), heat up the tablespoon of Olive Oil, then put the Ground Turkey, chopped onion (if you’re using it), garlic powder, and the Goya Packet in, and brown the Turkey • At this point, put on your water (place Bouillon Cubes in water) on the stove and let it boil. Once...

So yesterday was the Rodes 10K Race, the Second Leg of the Louisville Triple Crown. This was my longest race I have been in. While I have done 3 times the mileage in Marathon Training, anyone runner will tell you that Race Day Running is on a different level than training running. So the starting for this race was chaotic at best. It was so insane, my wife and daughters couldn't stay and watch me start because it was getting unsafe for my daughters to be standing around because the crowd was getting out of hand. So once I crossed the starting line (about 10 minutes after the race start), I hit Start on my Garmin and started. As I came up on the 1 mile marker, I felt good...I decided to check out my Garmin to see my pace. I almost flipped when I saw 9:28. Not because I was doing an incredible first mile, but while I am a beginner runner, I know enough about proper pacing. I also know, this being my first 10K, I didn't want to gas out. Let me explain, I love Science Fiction...alw...

So this Saturday is the Rodes 10K , (the 2nd Leg of the Triple Crown ). And I am the type of runner who doesn't study/memorize race maps, or go and run the course ahead of time, because I really like to be in the moment of the run, as I run somewhere I haven’t been before and enjoy the scenery. But I happened to look at the map, because this will be the longest race I have done, and the first one, that the start and finish are not in the same place. Well, having my support team of my Beautiful, Pregnant wife and our Ultra-Supportive daughters (who have a race that day, after mine), means mapping things out so they can make it to the finish line to see me cross. I pulled up the map and something SCREAMED out at me. I noticed I will run the perimeter of the cemetery where my Dad is buried. My Father, who passed on my 22nd birthday, was always my best friend and biggest fan. Trust me when I say this, if I have any traits/qualities/attributes that you like, I got them/learned them from...

This is a healthy alternative to the fried version, and has much more flavor without killing sodium levels. This literally came to me as I was driving home (most of my creative food ideas do...I'm like Iron Chef lol) Feel free to adjust how you would season either the fries or the fish. All I know is, there are NO leftovers, and my daughters had two servings of fish! Frozen Tilapia Fillets 2 Large Sweet Potatoes Olive Oil Cooking Oil Spray Garlic Salt Other Seasonings to Taste Prep Time: However long it takes you to slice Potatoes into fry shapes; 5-10 minutes on preparing fish in Aluminum Foil Pouches -Preheat oven to 450 -Spray cooking spray on the baking sheet. Slice your sweet potatoes. Then put the sweet potato slices on the sheet. Drizzle olive oil (not a lot). then season how you want (I used Garlic Salt, and some of my own dry rub seasoning). Sit the baking sheet to the side. -However many tilapia there are, tear that many sheets of Aluminum foil. Place fish in center of Al...