Athletes Honey Milk Review and Giveaway!

A couple of months ago, I was having trouble with digesting anything after running anything over 5 miles or so. Apparently my body's way of protesting what I was putting it through with all of that running did so via my stomach. Which didn't work out so well considering that after you have a hard workout, you are supposed to have protein within 30 minutes in order to help repair your muscles. I tried several things, but nothing worked until one of my running coaches, Erica, gave me a couple bottles of Athlete's Honey Milk to try.

So after a long run - I think it was an 8 miler - I came home, hopped into an ice bath (sounds pretty awful now, but it was still quite hot back then) and popped open the coffee flavor of the Honey Milk. Holy yum - was this really a protein recovery drink? Because I have to tell you - it was great! It didn't have that "protein" taste that is very distinctive in pretty much all of the other protein recovery drinks that I've tried. This just tasted great, pure and simple.

OK, so it passed the first test - taste. Next up was seeing how my very delicate stomach (I can't believe I'm writing that, but believe me, my stomach rebels after running long distances) would handle this drink. One hour went by - I felt fine. Another hour...still fine. Normally this is when things are not good, digestive-wise, but everything was A-OK. The Athlete's Honey Milk was a winner with both my taste buds and my stomach! Just to be sure, over the next few weeks I tried all four of their flavors - honey, vanilla, light coffee and light chocolate. Normally I go for vanilla in a protein recovery drink because it's the only flavor I can usually stand, but I have to tell you that I liked all of their flavors, and I especially LOVED the chocolate - it is, without a doubt, the best-tasting chocolate protein drink I've ever tried...and seriously, I have left many a chocolate-flavored protein drink unfinished because they tasted so bad, so when I tell you this is the best, it really is!

Click here to see the stats on the Athlete's Honey Milk - if you're click adverse, I'll tell you that the regular versions have 26 grams of protein and 240 calories, while the light versions have 20 grams of protein and 150 calories. Here's a couple of pictures of the nutritional data on the back of the bottles:

Regular version

Light version

Athletes Honey Milk is available in grocery stores (my local HEB just started carrying it) and online - one thing that I appreciate with ordering online is that they offer free shipping! But you have a chance to win some for free - the nice folks at Athletes Honey Milk have offered to send a couple of cases of Honey Milk to one of my readers! To enter this giveaway, leave me a comment telling why you need a protein recovery drink - is it running, weight training, chasing after kiddos...what do you do that taxes your muscles?

I'll take comments on this post until 10:00 pm Thursday night, and then let random.org draw a winner, who will be announced on Friday, December 3rd, interwebs-willing. U.S. residents only. Good luck!



FCC alert: Athletes Honey Milk sent me two cases of their product to try - the review, however, is all my own opinion.

Friday Mish - Turkey Trot 5K Recap!

First things first:

Happy Golden Wedding Anniversary,
Mom and Dad!!!
Woohoo, 50 years!!!

Yesterday I tortured my family started a new family tradition by getting everyone up bright and early for a Turkey Trot 5K! There were a few protests from the boys, who didn't arrive at our house until after 11:00 pm the night before, but hey, they're young and in college so they must be used to lack of sleep, right?

Anyway, this was the first annual (I hope!) BCS Fitness Turkey Trot 5K - and for a first race, it was a big success! Over 400 people registered for the run; they were doing race-day registration before the race began and had to make an announcement that they were closing registration as they were all out of goodie bags/shirts/bibs. How wonderful to see such a big turn out on Thanksgiving morning! And although a cold front was predicted to hit later that day, naturally it was something like 72 degrees and humid for the 8:00 am race start. Wouldn't be a Texas race with out that kind of weather, it seems!

This was the first time I've run since my half marathon, five days ago. Max and I were going to run it together, while Sam and Jeff walked/ran it. I was feeling pretty good and excited about running again, which worked a little to my disadvantage, since I started out way too fast - I haven't made that mistake in a long time! My first mile clocked in at 10:59...yeah, I couldn't hold that pace for long! Second mile was 11:43, third was 11:59 - but, I actually had a PR for the 5K with a finish time of 35:37 - woohoo!

OK, I know you are just dying to see the pictures, so here goes:

Super-cute race shirt and swag - there was more in this goodie bag than there was in the half marathon bag! Nice job, race organizers!

Max, Jeff and Sam - best shot I could post, as someone was always making a goofy face.

Sam, me, Max - and yes, that would be my half marathon shirt I'm wearing!

Four pairs of running shoes - guess which ones are mine...

Max and I discussing pre-race strategy, which consisted of me saying "please don't leave me in the dust" (he didn't, until the last two-tenths - at which point he sprinted to the finish line) - wish I had that much energy at the end!

Walking to the start line...

...and finished! No finish line pictures since my photographer was actually participating in the race!

This race counted toward my participation in Alissa's, of A Journey to Thin, Thanksgiving day 5K contest. Thanks, Alissa, for the reminder to keep up our fitness, even on a holiday!

After the race, we came home, showered and ate a quick lunch, and then headed out to go see the new Harry Potter movie. Sam wanted to see it in the new XD theater, so we made sure we got there early.

OK, maybe we didn't need to be *quite* that early!

The new theater was super fancy, with leather seats. It had that "new car" smell - a nice change from the "old popcorn" smell that they usually have. Great movie - can't wait for Part 2.

Continuing with our not-normal Thanksgiving, we had a late (for us) turkey dinner in front of the TV - the A&M/UT game was on and we didn't want to miss it! Fun times - the food was important but not the main focus of the day, so that was cool. And I didn't end the day groaning in pain because I ate too much - yay me!

Hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a wonderful day; now, onto Black Friday (yes, we have our eyes on one thing (that I can't mention because someone might read this) so we will be out with the early morning crowds). And then later on today I will be working - James Avery never has sales, so although it will be busy, hopefully it won't be crazy. Have a good weekend - I'll have a review and giveaway for Monday so be sure to come back for that!

Wednesday Workout Update - Half Catch Up

First, I want to thank you all so much for your comments on my Seawall recap post. I appreciate what everyone wrote, and I need to tell you all that while it's true that I was the one who ran the race, all of your encouragement along the way really helped get me through those 13.1 miles. So thank you very, very much!

Now I know you are probably shocked to read this (ha!), but I actually have MORE to say about the half. In no particular order, here goes:

• The baby toe on my left foot was bothering me from about mile 8 on. Imagine my surprise when I took my shoes and socks off later to discover a blister almost the size of the entire toe. No wonder it was hurting!
  
• My supply-filled gym bag worked out great pre-race, but when Jeff asked me if he should have it at the end, I said it wouldn't be necessary. Of course I forgot that, and the last few miles of the run I couldn't wait to be done so I could rip the shoes and socks off my feet and put on my flip flops. Which were in the bag. Which was in the car. Sigh...best laid plans.
  
• Somehow I never connected that I would be outside, in the sun, at the beach, for hours during this run. Sunscreen? What??? I ended up with a sunburn on the back of my neck - ironic considering I spent time at the beach in both California and Hawaii this year, and never got sunburned. My own backyard? Buurrrnn. Defenses down, apparently.
• I have a new appreciation for Aquaphor after I stepped into the shower on Saturday afternoon, only to discover my Chafe of the Week: on my side, rubbed raw by my sports bra band. I hopped out, covered the angry red welt with the Aquaphor, and was able to shower without screaming.
• Partway through the race, maybe around mile 5, both Jenny and I noticed that our hands and fingers were really swollen - it was bizarre. Never had that happen before!
• Not only did I forget to bring my foam roller and/or Stick to help with recovery after the race, I couldn't take an ice bath as our hotel room only had a shower stall. I was definitely sore for a few days afterward, but not bad enough that I had to take any Motrin, which was surprising to me.
• I did have a massage on Monday, which was WONDERFUL. Very nice reward!
• Music was playing at Moody Gardens when we ran the last mile - I cracked up when the song "Stayin' Alive" came on...very appropriate!

And now a few more pictures from Saturday:

This was at Stewart Beach, where the half started. I have no idea what those wood structures are on the beach - giant croquet set, maybe?

That black dot on my leg? Mosquito. They were swarming us before the race began!

I had to include this picture of Kelly - she is so beautiful, both inside and out.

See the horizontal plaque waaay above my head, near the top of the door frame? That is the high water mark for Hurricane Ike - and this was in the Strand area of Galveston, which is over two miles inland...it was really incredible to walk around and see the remnants of the devastation that the hurricane brought on back in 2008. Equally impressive was the number of businesses that had rebuilt after being under water...we really enjoyed our short visit to Galveston and plan on returning again.

I'll be earning my Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow by running a Turkey Trot 5K - and I signed up my family, too! Max will run with me (he better not leave me in the dust), while Sam and Jeff will walk the 5K. And then, I will do my best to not overeat...to all of my American readers, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Seawall Half Marathon Recap!

This post is going to be long and, of course, picture heavy, so in case you don't have a lot of time to read it, I'll start with this:

I did it!!! I ran my first half marathon and have the medal, the pretty, pretty medal, to prove it! Want to see a close up? I love it! Kelly was right when she picked this race out for us - she said that their website was really pretty and the medals were bound to be nice...it's perfect!

OK, onto the recap. If you recall, I declared my intention to run this race back in May. I started formally training for it the end of August, when I joined my running club. I was prepared, thanks to both the running club and the guidance from my running guru, Helen...but one thing that I had no control over was the weather - and boy, was it a hot one on Saturday. Late November in south Texas - it was 67 degrees and the humidity was running high. The race started about 20 minutes late - we were far enough back from the starting line to not know what was going on, but Jeff was up front and later said it looked like they were having trouble with the timing electronics. All I know is that it was getting hotter and the mosquitoes were biting and I wanted to start running, hopefully away from them! Finally about 7:50 am we started - woohoo, my first half marathon!!!

I love this picture of the runners snaking along the course...and the really cool thing? Both Jenny and I noticed it - as soon as we started running, you could hear the quiet pounding of hundreds and hundreds of footsteps - it was breathtaking, listening to all of us run.

The course had us doing a loop through "Beach Town" - it was about 3.5 miles, I think. You'll have to forgive me - I have runner's brain bad right now (couple that with C.R.S. and there isn't much hope for accuracy at this point, lol) so I may not be remembering things exactly. Anyway, I was running pretty steady for that part. Just after mile 3 I tried to eat my first Shot Blok, but my stomach wasn't doing well and I couldn't bring myself to chew it...I ended up spitting it out. I was carrying my handheld water bottle and did drink often, but it was hot, my stomach was nervous, and I couldn't bear the thought of ingesting anything more than water and a couple sips of Gatorade at the aid stations for quite a while. Still, the running was going pretty good at that point.

We made the turn onto the Seawall, and began the long, long run down it. I think it was about 7.5 or 8 miles. It was hot and humid, and the sun was beating down on us. Although our times were staying steady with a 12 minute mile pace, I figured that wasn't going to last. I began to need to walk a bit - maybe for 20 seconds at a time? Anyway, even with that walking, we kept up the 12:00 mile pace until mile 9, which I think is a miracle considering how hot it was. Have I mentioned the heat? ;)

So. We ran and ran. It was nice that there were always a lot of runners around us - I love that about big races! There is a huge sense of "we're all in this together" and I've never experienced it so much as I did in this race...something about knowing that we all are trying to run 13.1 miles really brings everyone together. The aid stations all had themes and everyone was really friendly and encouraging as they gave us our hydration (and offered PowerBar Gels - I didn't take any, though). A couple of things were bugging me - one, the zipper on the pocket of my hand held bottle (that I had my lip balm and my fuel in) was giving me trouble and I pretty much needed both hands to zip it back up, which was a pain considering it was slipped over one hand. I kept getting into it to get my lip balm. Wish my shorts had a pocket for that. The other thing? I wore a pair of compression liner shorts under my regular running shorts - figured that might help with the comfort/possible chafing issue on this long sweaty run. I wore them the previous week for the 6 mile run and they felt fine, but on this run, they bugged me and every time I approached a porta-potty, I debated running in and stripping them off. Although the lines weren't long for the porta-potties, I never wanted to take the time to change, so I just suffered through them for the entire race. You try and test out every possibility during training to avoid something like this happening, but it did. Oh well.

Still running. Lots of spectators on the course. I was looking for both Jeff, and Kelly and her husband, Chuck - and found Kelly first, around mile 6, I think. I was so so so happy to see her! Chuck got it on camera:

This is when I spotted Kelly, holding a bright pink sign with MY NAME ON IT!!! And she was ringing a cowbell - love it!

And this is the beeline we made for her...

KELLY!!! I was never so happy to see her smiling face!

Poor Kelly - I ran up and gave her a big sweaty hug. I think I even hugged Chuck, too - seeing them really invigorated me and gave me a second wind. I can't tell you how GREAT it was to have personal support along the race course!

I like this picture because I look happy, and I want to remember that, not how hard it was. Which is what I believe I said to Kelly as I hugged her - "this is so hard!"

Love that she had the water station crew pose with my sign!

And then we were off again...A few minutes later Kelly drove past us, honking and waving - so awesome! Coming up to mile 8, there she was again! Looking a bit less invigorated at that point, I was.

Quick pose for posterity, and we were off AGAIN (say that in a Forrest Gump voice).

A little bit later, we came upon Jeff, and he had even made a sign! OK, not quite as fancy as Kelly's, but I appreciated his effort:

Can't miss a photo op!

So. Still running...with some walking thrown in. We would run, then walk, then pick a trash can along the route to start running again. Toward the end, it came down to either Jenny or I saying "trash can" and we knew we were going to either start running or walking...I think we need to have that printed on a running shirt - "trash can" - no body will understand it, but it has meaning. Deep, deep meaning, lol. Have I mentioned we are still running? My gosh, 13.1 miles is a long freaking way to run!!! Around the 10 mile mark, Jenny got the look in her eyes that I've seen many times during our workouts - the one that says "let's just get this over with as quickly as possible" - and she decided to try and keep running when I took another walking break. No problem - we all have to get through things in the way that works best for us. We were getting close to 83rd St., where we would finally turn off of the Seawall and start making our way toward Moody Gardens. At that point, I could hear an ambulance in the distance, coming our direction. The traffic was backed up, thanks to us runners and the nice policemen stopping the cars so we could cross the street, and it took a few minutes for the ambulance to get up to us. Just as it was approaching, the woman running behind me called dibs on it! I had to laugh - it was good to know that everyone was suffering through the heat! And apparently that's why the ambulance was called - the heat really got to a couple of runners. Hope they were ok.

It became a matter of survival at this point - on the one hand, I only had about 2.5 miles left to run, but on the on the other hand, I still had 2.5 miles left to run! I ran for a while with a woman named Carol who was doing 50:40 intervals, and then I ran with a man who was (jokingly) mad at his wife for talking him into running a half marathon. When I asked where she was, he said "in the car" - ha! Smart woman. Then came the last, oh, half mile? We ran down the center of Moody Gardens, where Kelly and Chuck were, once again...I sure wished that was the finish line, but nooooooo...still had to run around the back of the joint. Chuck got a picture of me:
And I knew it was almost over. As I ran around the back, I could hear the announcer calling out names as they crossed the finish line, and I was so happy to hear Jenny's name called - I had about a quarter mile to go at that point. I rounded the bend and saw almost everyone from my running club, clapping and cheering me on - woohoo! And then I heard my name called over the loudspeaker - I was FINISHING MY FIRST HALF MARATHON!!!!!

You can see Kelly in the picture, still holding my pink sign! Ricky Bobby says I finished the race in 2:47 - not too far off my anticipated time, and not bad considering the heat.

Happy, happy, happy!

Just past the finish line - Boy Scouts handed out Otter Pops, and then I was handed a bottle of water, but where was the medal?!? Finally another Boy Scout handed it to me...but didn't put it around my neck, and my hands were full of the other stuff! Luckily Kelly appeared and put it on me, which I think was most appropriate considering she was the one who talked me into doing this race in the first place!

I like this picture because you can see Jeff and Kelly reflected in my sunglasses.

Jenny found me and we posed for our traditional post-race picture:

First time with bling!

Then I found the grass and sucked down an Otter Pop - great post-race treat!

Jeff kept trying to get me to drink water, but I was all about the frozen treat!

Then Kelly surprised me with a present:

Love the wrapping!

And that's when the tears came:

She had a necklace made for me that says "13.1" on the copper disc and "Seawall" on the silver disc - such a thoughtful, sweet thing to do, and everything just hit me at that point. I was a blubbering mess for a bit after that!

More pictures - my running club and our medals:

l. to r.: Coach Joni, Tracy, Brian, A.J., Darrell, Doug, Coach Dale, me. The weather conditions in this race were so similar to our 12 mile "death march" run that we dubbed this the "Galveston Death March" - affectionately, of course!

And of course, the post-race food:

BBQ sliders!

I could only eat a bite - my appetite always takes a while to come back after a long run. But that's ok, I really got the food for my awesome pit crew:

My husband, Jeff

From driving me to Galveston, to getting me to the starting line, from all of the photography and making sure I had everything I needed, thank you - I couldn't have done it without you!

Friday Mishmash

Eek! I can't believe in a few hours I will be leaving for Galveston! I know I've been training for this race since the end of August, but how is it here already? I want to thank you all for not only putting up with my crazy running nerves, but for all of the supportive comments and emails - it really means a lot to me, and has helped to keep me calm. Fran even sent me a card from Holland with a cute puppy on it - how did she know I would like that? And Helen has been virtually holding my hand for months now...I feel like when I cross the finish line, the medal will belong to her almost as much as me. So when she comes to Texas for a visit, I'll even let her try it on!

I sure hope this dog is correct!

Some of my running club peeps will be running the half, and we are meeting up for a pasta dinner tonight - I love being part of such a fun group like this! And I really can't wait for the race tomorrow - I've trained, I feel good, and, thanks to my spill in Maui, I know that I can even fall down and bounce back up and finish the race!

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Speaking of comments, I keep meaning to say thank you for the funny comments on that falling-down post. You guys crack me up! Thank you also for the sweet words on my 100-pound anniversary post. November is turning out to be quite the momentous month for me!

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You may have noticed that I have two ads on my blog now. I have been approached by advertisers quite often in the past and was not very interested, but finally decided to give it a try with these two. If you haven't noticed them, that's ok, too - I didn't want the ads to be distracting or annoying, so they are just links. My intention was to use the money to help pay for my race entry fees - the cost for half marathons is quite a bit more than 5Ks, and this would have helped a lot. Unfortunately, our dumb fridge died, so you can guess where that money ended up going. But hey - at least I was able to contribute! I may accept a couple more, provided the product is in line with the spirit of my blog. For the current two, I figured shopping and working out fit right in, lol!

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I know I can't be the only one, but seriously, how is it Thanksgiving next week? And more importantly, how am I going to make it happen? Geez, that sure snuck up on me. Apparently the vacation, new job and half marathon distracted me. Don't even get me started about Christmas...this early-shopper is in trouble!

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Does anyone watch Modern Family? I love that show. And I'm going to confess, to those of you who watched Wednesday's episode: you know the flash mob scene? Where Cam is trying to follow along with the dance? Um, I recognized myself - that is exactly how I dance. A beat (or three) short when it comes to following the rhythm. Here's a link to that scene - Cam is the one in blue.

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It wouldn't be a mishmash without a picture (or two) of Paco! Here he is giving the white-eye to the hanging decoration in my office - my friend Terry brought it back from Thailand for me:

This stance was a welcome relief after the growling and barking he did earlier...Paco notices and is suspicious of every new thing in the house!

And this is my view when I'm sitting at my desk:

Sleeping in the morning sun...on my Hawaiian-print travel pillow, which Paco thinks was his souvenir!

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Since I've been working, I've had the opportunity to dress in something other than running clothes or shorts, which is good for Fashion Friday. What might have been even better for Fashion Friday was if I would have remembered to take a picture of me in those outfits! My brain has either been on overload, or not firing on all cylinders - it's really a toss up as to which is closer to the truth at this point. So instead of my nice work outfits, I bring you my comfy, "run errands" outfit:

Love my purple sweater - got it last year and can't remember where (Steinmart, maybe). My retro Born shoes, and my Ann Taylor Loft jeans that Barbara's sister Sandi convinced me to buy last summer. Oh, and some James Avery jewelry - they will clean and polish any of their jewelry for free, so I've been bringing in my pieces to make them all pretty.

I have to tell you that I get such a thrill whenever I catch sight of myself in these jeans - I seriously cannot believe that my body is fitting into such a cool pair of pants! I really love them and am so grateful that Sandi talked me into that purchase.

Alright, have a good weekend. I'll be back Monday, hopefully wearing a medal!

Wednesday Workout Update - Wow, What A Run!

On Saturday, I had a six mile run scheduled with my running club. I went into that run with one goal - to run the entire time. No walking. Normally on our long runs, I walk every mile for about a minute as I drink some water, but for this one, I wanted to prove to myself that I could, in fact, run it all. And I did! And I felt great during the whole run, too! Now, the weather helped - it was 52 degrees and windy in places, but I dressed almost correctly for it (a hat with ear flaps or something to cover my ears would have been nice), and I finished on my race pace time of 1:12, which is a 12-minute mile. Slow, but doable, I believe, for 13.1 miles. Which I will be running on Saturday...eek!

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I'm finally getting my act together for these races - would you believe I left my Body Glide in the hotel when I ran that race in Maui? How I escaped that one unchafed is a minor miracle. Up to now, I'm always carrying an armful of stuff to the car - iTouch, water bottle, wallet, sunglasses, keys, Body Glide, lip balm, jacket - and if I'm not dropping something, I'm forgetting something. So I bought myself a "gym" bag and boy do I feel organized!

Everything in the picture fits in the bag with tons of room to spare. I plan on putting in a cheap pair of flip flops (once I find some - too bad I didn't think of this while I was in Maui where they are everywhere, unlike Texas in November), an extra shirt (the black thing under the gloves are running capris) and an extra pair of socks. Anything I'm forgetting?

This bag already paid off with my Saturday run, when I got out of the car and realized how cold it was - I reached into it and pulled out a pair of gloves, which I ended up wearing the entire run. Nice!

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As many of you know, I do love to dress all matchy-matchy when I run - I may not be fast, but I can look good! I'm constantly checking the ONE major store in town that carries athletic clothing (I don't count the mall stores because they are tiny and I never go to the mall - oh, and I live half a mile away from it, if that tells you how bad of a mall it is)...anyway, yesterday, when I was on my weekly run-through of Academy, I got the deal of a lifetime on VISORS!!! I know, how exciting, right?!? Look at what I picked up:
And guess how much these babies were going for? All except for the pink were $2.88 each! The pink, because (I guess) it was the last one, was only 88 cents!!! You KNOW I was doing the happy dance when I discovered these, lol! Now if I could just find a purple and a lime green one, I think I will have every color I need. Yes, I NEED colorful visors...they complete me, dontcha know?I also got two different Adidas technical shirts, both in size large (because that was all they had left). One fit - it's a little loose, but fine. The other large is too tight! What rhyme or reason is there to that?!? Back to the store it will go. But still, getting one deep pink running shirt for $4.88 is thrilling to me.

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I'm continuing my taper this week toward the half marathon on Saturday. Jenny and I ran for 30 minutes on Monday, and I'm supposed to run another 30 minutes today. Hasn't happened yet, but it's pretty cold this morning, so I'm not racing against the heat of the day to get out there. I've started eating more carbs this week, and beginning today will start hydrating - it may be too early to be pushing a lot of water, but I don't think it can hurt. Gatorade's G2 (the lower calorie version) will be added to the mix Thursday and Friday. I'm not that nervous about the race, but then again, it's only Wednesday! Talk to me again on Friday. :)

Very, Very, Very Proud of Myself!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my 100 pound weight loss - not only did I lose over 100 pounds, I'VE KEPT THEM OFF!!!!!!!!

Never, in the history of Shelley, have I lost weight and kept it off. This is a first for me. It finally clicked - you know, the whole "change the way you eat" thing - I can't remember the last time I went to a fast food restaurant...and that used to be a staple of my daily diet. If you know of any Taco Bell stockholders, please give them my apologies. ;)

And exercise? Me? Weirdly, yes, not only do I exercise, but I actually like it! In a few days I will run 13.1 miles. It blows my mind that I have trained for a half marathon. Talk about a lifestyle change!

Two and a half years ago I started a diet, hoping to lose weight, but not really believing that I could do it. Luckily for me, I discovered the blogging community of people who were losing weight, as well as people who had lost weight and were working on maintaining that loss, and I think that put it in my head early on that I was going to have to change things permanently in order to keep the weight off. And while I do indulge myself on occasion (see yesterday's Maui post for proof, lol), I've been pretty good about eating healthy, and my reward is still fitting into my smaller-sized clothes! Go me!

To those of you who are in the process of losing weight, I just want to say don't give up. I am living proof that anybody can lose a large amount of weight just by changing the way you eat, and getting up off the couch and moving your body.

November 16, 2010 - 150 pounds!

November 16, 2009 - 156 pounds!

Maui 2010!

Finally, the recap of our trip to Maui - it's mostly pictures, so I apologize in advance if you have a slow internet connection.

We flew from our little airport in College Station (so funny, a businesswoman was in the waiting area and stated that this was the smallest airport she'd even seen - hey, it has TWO gates!) to D/FW,which I had never been to. Holy moly, that place is like Disneyland! I know I'm sounding like a small-town hick, but that airport is crazy big. We landed and the plane taxied on an overpass above the freeway! Then when we got off the plane, we got on a high-speed tram (kind of like Disneyland's monorail) and zipped around to our next terminal. Fun times - I could have stayed on for another ride! And really, we had time...but I spent it exploring the cool stores at the airport. They had a Natalie's Candy Bar - I guess similar to Dylan's Candy Bar, which I've never been to - Jeff and I got a few candy snacks for the plane ride to Maui. Have I mentioned that I go into the travel-food mindset when I go anywhere? Well I do. Luckily for me, I don't travel all that often; otherwise, I'd really have to work at making better choices at the airport. Check out what I found:

Flat taffy! I used to buy this from the ice cream man when I was a kid - always a tough choice, ice cream or taffy. I haven't seen this stuff in forever!

Oh, and look what else is at the D/FW airport:

I didn't indulge, but nice to know I could have!

I passed the time waiting to board reading my new Dean Karnazes book, Ultra Marathon Man, which was really inspiring (and also made me want to order a pizza from Round Table to be delivered as I did a long run). This man literally eats on the run!

Wait, wasn't this supposed to be about Maui? These two are the reason we got to go:

My Mom and Dad - celebrating their 50th anniversary (yes, they married young) and relaxing near the pool at our hotel. My Dad bought a nice ukulele in Oahu and spent many afternoons relearning old songs (he took lessons as a kid). Thanks for bringing us along on your celebration vacation!!!

View from our balcony:
I made a new friend:
Land shark!

Oh - remember when I posted a picture of my bike's cousin last year?

I swear it was in the same spot this year...and I got bold and posed with it!

I just think it's so funny to see it again.

We took this picture when Jeff and I were walking around Lahaina one morning. Parking wasn't the easiest to find, so we decided to leave the White Whale (rental van) parked more "downtown" and hoof it to Aloha Mixed Plate restaurant for lunch. Boy, it got hot during that mile walk, and I was so hungry by the time we got there:

Feed me!

Pretty view of Lanai as we waited for our food...

I fully intended to take a picture of my plate when I got it, but obviously couldn't wait! This was a Kalbi ribs mixed plate, which is a Korean-inspired dish. So good! It comes with white rice and macaroni salad, which was way too mayonnaise-y for me, but believe me, I chowed down on the ribs!

While we were in Maui, the World Series was happening, and as Giants fans (hey, I grew up in the Bay Area and went to many games - sorry, Texas Rangers), we found the Maui Brewing Company and watched one of the games:

left to right: my Dad, brother's wife, brother, Mom, me and Jeff

I did really good with my eating (except for the travel days - then it all went off the deep end) - most of the time I split a meal with either Jeff or my Mom.

At the Hula Grill - and yes, that is half of a salad in front of my Mom! Good thing we split it, right?

That is not to say that there weren't treats...

There was also a flavor that had Kona coffee, dark chocolate, and caramel...and I was so sad when I realized that I left my last bar tucked in the seat back of the airplane on the trip home, darn it!

Oh, and we had plenty of coconut gelato:
Excuse the hair - this was at the end of a day spent wearing a helmet while hanging from a cable in the air - yes, we went zip lining! That event will have its own post, once I get the rest of the pictures...but here's a sneak preview:

Can you believe I willingly stepped off that platform?!?

One more food picture - we had a very nice dinner at Gerard's on our last night in Maui - boy, it was excellent! I had the grilled filet of beef:

Amazing! I ate about half of it, and then passed the plate around - everyone had tastes, and Jeff finished it off. For dessert, I had coconut sorbet...YUM. We certainly ate well in Maui!

We had a wonderful time in Maui and look forward to returning again one of these years! Thanks again, Mom and Dad, for such a wonderful vacation!