30 by 30: the late post with valid excuses

i have had a busy couple of weeks.  some of that craziness belongs to this update, and some belongs to may's.  so stay tuned for that.

here's what happened from march 22-april 21:

2) i paid off another hundred dollars...so around $300 left until my debt to dad is gone!

11) the monthly cooking blog featured the freshmen.  it's not hard to find due to my lack of blogging, but just in case, it's HERE.  that makes 17 out of 20.

16) i ran a marathon!  woohoo!  i actually ran about 26.7 miles.  missed a turn somewhere in mile 22, so that was a fun adventure.  my time was 4:57, so not nearly the marathon i was hoping to run, but i made a friend in last couple of miles who was really encouraging, saw my family and friends about 6 times throughout the day, and had a pretty joyful spirit the whole time, even while my body was rebelling against me.

i ran the first 7 miles with liz and steph and then had to do the next 19 on my own.  they ran great times.  this picture is at mile 15.  please notice the super cool fanny pack i am rocking (thanks, mom!).

i promise i was not nearly this smiley after my half marathon.  i'd say we look pretty decent for having busted our butts, though.

29) i only finished one book this past month...hopefully, getting grad school out of the way will increase my reading time.  :)  i read career information, career counseling, and career development.  that makes 71 out of 100.

30 by 30 update: that awkward moment when march is july

hello, blogging family that i shamelessly ignore.  it's me, your negligent and sleepy friend, holly.  here are some updates for your reading pleasure.

1) in five weeks, i will be a master of students.

2) $2300/$2700.  turns out, all my dad needed to do to retire was get me to pay back this money.  :)

3) you know what?  i went to epcot over spring break and visited many countries.  so i'm going to call this a win for now.  boom.

8) i am officially changing this one from 'get something published' to 'make five food items from pinterest (check out my food board HERE).

11) i've been cooking my little heart out.  i've done 16/20.  HERE'S my most recent monthly cooking segment.

16) the marathon is in ONE MONTH!  eek.  it's in carmel.  you are super welcome to come and cheer if you want.  i'll need all the encouragement and prayers i can get.

29) i have read 70/100 books.  here are the most recent ones: a technique for producing ideas, wolverine, out of the silent planet, let go, and a diary of private prayer.

oh, hey, i turn 30 in 4 months.  no big deal.

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.

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.

and the crazy things we do...

um, liz and i are going to run a marathon.  yikes.

carmel, indiana.  april 21, 2012.  just in case you wanna come.  :)