run, baby, run. but run faster. and longer. nope, keep going...

oh, how to begin a post about training for a marathon?  as usual, a mix of thoughtful and snarky things fill my mind...

quite simply, training for a marathon is unlike anything else i have done before.  i have experienced many changes in my life in the past month, and i am interested/horrified to see what else might occur in the next three months.

here are some fun facts:

• my 29.5 year-old body is not the same as my 14.5 year-old body.  oh.my.heavens.  (yeah, my freshman year of high school was my peak running time)
• though i have been a runner for a good portion of my life, i never experienced common runner ailments...like blisters.  or chafing.  i think i am currently making up for lost time.
• after long runs, my face is literally caked with salt.  awesome visual.
• don't forget about those sausage fingers.  i look ridiculous as i raise my arms in the air while running in an effort to drain fluid from my hands.  super cool.
• vanilla gu tastes better than blackberry.  
• when running inside, i am in charge of counting laps, and liz in charge of our pace.  we have serious problems if we attempt anything different.
• i have faithfully taken a multi vitamin, fish oil, and glucosamine every day for the past month.  that is a big deal.  
• i get in my head too much when i run. 
• i eat like a crazy person when i am training.  a crazy person with a tapeworm.

do you have marathon questions for me?

30 by 30 update: the homestretch

i know i'm a couple of days behind.  whatevs.  my blog.  which is not to say i don't love all three of you who sporadically read my nonsense.

i have officially less than six months left of this little 30 by 30 experiment.  here's what you need to know:

1) i am about 3 months from finishing my master's degree.  that is insane to me.

2) i have paid back $2100 of my $2700 debt to my pops.  i'm sure he'll be glad when i cross this one off.

11) i cooked a lot last semester, but i am cooking wayyyyyyyy more this semester.  for some of the deliciousness, check HERE. that makes 14 out of 20 monthly cooking blogs.

13) i do not actually own a pet yet (although we think the mice in our vents are playing with toy cars), but i DID do some research.  turns out, owning seahorses and starfish are not for new pet owners.  and probably especially not for new pet owners who have trouble remembering to water their plants.  (don't sweat it...they both appear to still be alive.)

16) i am changing 'finish my book' to 'run a marathon.' april 21st, carmel, indiana.  see ya there.

19) i bought my bass guitar and am slowly learning it, so i am calling this a win.

29) i had a busy reading month.  i have finished 60 out of 100 books now.  here's what i finished in the past month: serenity: better days and other stories, serenity: those left behind, dr. horrible's sing-along blog: the book, sun stand still, 4 months to a 4-hour marathon, imaginary Jesus, why i teach, the long dark tea-time of the soul, the Bible, one thousand gifts, brief guide for writers, gods behaving badly, and after you believe.

wigger equals joy

'i learn to trust you as you learn to trust me, and together we learn to act with hope and love in this or that situation, building up communities in which faith, hope, and love, and the ninefold fruit of the Spirit, become not things to think about, try once in a while, and then stop implementing, but things to think about in order to practice them together.'
after you believe
n.t. wright

dude, runners like to EAT

turns out...when you start working out on a regular basis and putting in some good mileage (our run at the end of week two was nine miles), you are hungry.  all. the. time.

so i decided it would be fun to start planning menus so liz and i could eat good food to fuel our bodies.  here are my most recent meals:

friday night, we had some salmon on angel hair pasta with pesto.  add some garlic bread and sauteed veggies (courtesy of the fabulous--and newly-engaged!--kelsie), and you have a delightful pre-long run meal.

sunday night, i made chicken for the first time in at least seven years.  super easy recipe (thank you, elizabeth heil!).  so here we have baked feta chicken on buttered egg noodles with sauteed asparagus.  it was also great as a leftover.

tonight, i fixed crunchy tilapia, potatoes, and green beans.  also had some raspberries for color.  another yummy meal.

thus far, liz has not rejected anything i have fixed her.  we are trying lots of new recipes, so let me know if you have something you really love.

holly's 2011 reading list

back by popular demand!  ok, no one demanded.  actually, no one even asked.  but if you're curious what this grad student read in the past year, here it is.  i broke it down by month, and the books i particularly liked are in bold.  let me know if you want to know the authors or anything else about the books.

january
the lost art of listening
the hunger games
catching fire
mockingjay
first things first

february


march
the first year out

april
God hides in plain sight
counseling the culturally diverse
process and practice of group counseling
serenity: the shepherd's tale

may


june
the idea of a christian college
college of the overwhelmed

july
where you work matters
how colleges work
the Bible
emotionally healthy spirituality
snow crash
forgotten God
scouting the divine


august
another fine myth

september


october
ish
the dot
31 days to finding your blogging mojo
the prayer matrix
pray
the fire that ignites
dirk gently's holistic detective agency
crazy love
scholarship and christian faith
the furious longing of God


november
the abbreviated psalter of the venerable bede
read, think, pray, live
is everyone hanging out without me?
compassion
counseling research
assessment procedures
a parent's guide to the christian college

december
God's big picture
everyday absurdities
serenity: better days and other stories
serenity: those left behind
dr. horrible's sing-along blog: the book
sun stand still
4 months to a 4 hour marathon
why i teach
the long dark tea-time of the soul
the Bible
one thousand gifts

admittedly, it was a slow year for reading for me.  as always, i am open to suggestions and love when books randomly appear in my hands because someone wants me to read them.