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By kilax, January 24, 2012 4:27 am

Do you make many slow cooker recipes?

Truth – I did not even know what a slow cooker was, but apparently, I sent Steven a recipe a long time ago that required one. I didn’t believe we had one until he pulled it out of “junk” (sigh) cabinet.

Oh! It’s a Crock Pot! I am familiar with that word. But I am pretty sure we haven’t used this one since I’ve lived in this house (5 years this May). It was time to remedy that on Sunday! We made this Moroccan Slow Cooker Stew, and I was super impressed with how easy it was to just throw everything in the slow cooker, and let it sit for six hours. 

And I loved the way it made the house smell!

Ha ha. I didn’t realize the Crock Pot would get so messy, as it sat all afternoon. I guess that makes sense. 

The mess and wait were worth it. This stew is awesome. We made some rice to go with it, and it was the perfect combination. The recipe called for cumin, cinnamon and crushed red pepper as the spices, and it just went so well together. We will definitely be making it again!

This slow cooker is pretty nifty… do you guys have any slow cooker recipes to share with me?

It makes me laugh that this thing cooks all day… and I eat it in 5 minutes. Yeah. I still struggle with not eating too fast. 

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By kilax, January 23, 2012 10:04 pm

I really liked that Stephany (Stephany WRITES) did a “blog survey” a few weeks ago. It was a simple form, asking people what they thought of her blog – what kind of posts to keep, get rid of, etc. Then she did a follow-up thanking everyone for their input, and discussing the results. 

It made me think that I have been blogging for many years and don’t ask for much feedback. So, I decided to give it a try! Of course, I must tell you… I am not sure how much the feedback will influence what I write about. I am just so random and stream of consciousness about what I write. But! I would love to read what you think of ilaxSTUDIO.

So please fill out the form below! And please speak (well, type) freely! It’s anonymous!

Feel free to ask “WTF is up with your fill-in-the-blank posts?!”

Thanks to Stephany for the idea and some of the questions!

If you cannot access the form through my blog, click here to access it. 

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By kilax, January 23, 2012 4:26 am

Awhile ago I stumbled across the RelaxReflect Clothing Company when RunToTheFinish wrote about them. I think their idea is so cool (text is from their about page) – 

RelaxReflect’s Mission is to be the world’s most recognizable graphic clothing brand to combine cool design with functional purpose. Featuring retro, edgy and innovative reflective graphics that illuminate when exposed to light, our customers can relax in the notion that they are always seen in the coolest clothes on the planet. RelaxReflect™ is also about clothes that feel and look great while utilizing attractive designs that inspire our customers to choose to be seen and those who value individualism and uniqueness in their daily lives.

All of their clothing has reflective graphics on it, so you can be outside in the dark (for me, working out) and worry a little less about not being visible. 

I contacted RelaxReflect the same day I read that blog post and inquired about doing a review of one of their products. They responded right away, and we had a fun conversation about their inspiration for the company and how they got started.  I ordered the Badass reflective running leggings as a Christmas gift to myself, but they also recently sent me a reflective skull cap to review!

Here is what it looks like not lit up (UA Hood mine, not part of hat):

I really like the hat. It comes in a few different materials (and colors!), and this one is Brush Dryflex – it wicks wonderfully and still keeps my head warm!

Relax Reflect Skull Cap Review:

Pros:

• snug
• comfortable
• pony tail slot
• cute design
• reflective!

I ordered one of the skull caps for Erin for her birthday, and asked her to take some pictures so I can show you that the hat does fit people with normal sized heads (and actually, Erin said her head is very small, so it will fit a medium sized head person perfectly!).

I’ve been really excited about RelaxReflect, because running in the dark makes me nervous, but I feel better about it when I run with my reflective leggings and skull cap (and headlamp) and know that it looks cooler than wearing a vest. Ha ha.

So! To share my love for the company, I am sponsoring my own giveaway (they sent me the skull cap, but I am buying one for one of you!).

One reader will receive a Skull Cap of their own. There are four styles to choose from – All American, Criss Cross, Honeycomb and Stars Stars. See them here for women and here for men. 

RelaxReflect Giveaway Rules

1. One reader will receive a RelaxReflect Skull Cap. 
2. Required to enter the giveaway: visit the RelaxReflect website and leave me a comment telling me which product is your favorite! 
3. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Wednesday January 25. I will use random.org to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Thursday January 26. 
4. This giveaway is open to all readers.

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By kilax, January 22, 2012 11:24 am

Day 820 | January 16, 2012: 7 m run (6×3 fartlek) + strength

Two mile warm-up,  followed by 6 x 3:00 minutes fast (7:45-8:00 pace) with 2:00 minute recoveries, and a mile+ cool down. Same workout as last week, with one extra interval. The snow was melted off the streets and conditions were good for speedwork. Except for the wind. Yuck. The first two intervals felt comfortable, the next three were hard because of the hills, and the last one… I just wanted to be done. Sigh. Still a lot of work to do here! I took the recovery super slow because I felt wiped out.

3:00 times: 7:54, 7:58, 8:00, 7:57, 7:55, 7:53

Distance: 7.0 | Start Temp: 35° | End Temp: 40° | Time: 1:07:57 | Avg Pace: 9:43

I went to Brian’s studio for a strength session a few hours after my run. Remind me NOT to go to his studio. Ha – when I do that, he has all of his torture devices handy – he can’t bring all of that stuff when he comes to my house!

We did a lot with steps, resistance bands, and weights. And more ab focused work. Plank ups, walking across the floor. Ugh. A lot of cardio (jumping over things) too. I got very out of breath a few times!

It’s all good for me. But damn. Brian knows how to make me work!

Day 821 | January 17, 2012: cross

Cardio kickboxing! This is only my third time attending class, and I have never gone twice in a row (or even twice in three weeks), but it keeps getting easier. At first, I thought I was getting better, but I really just think it feels easier because I’ve lost weight. WHATEVER! I’ll take it. I really needed to punch and kick Tuesday night – I didn’t have the best day at work. Class. Felt. Good!!!

Day 822 | January 18, 2012: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I ran my five miles before work. It was kind of cold (8°F) so it was my first time wearing my UA hood to cover most of my face. I was happy there was not much wind!

Also, I mentioned last year that my bluetooth running headset did not work well in the cold. It’s so much better this year – I think because I put my phone in my bra! Somehow, that seems to help… maybe because I am keeping my phone warm? Who knows!

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 8° | End Temp: 7° | Time: 48:48 | Avg Pace: 9:45

At my strength class in the evening we did kettlebells – my favorite! Brian taught us a new move where we were passing it around our legs (think basketball style) – I am surprised I only hit my leg once doing that.

Day 823 | January 19, 2012: rest

Day 824 | January 20, 2012: 6 m run (easy)

I was pleasantly surprised by how warm it was when I woke up (0°F)! The forecast had actually predicted the weather to be a bit cooler, so it was nice not to freeze during my easy 6 miler (I wore two layers).

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 0° | End Temp: 2° | Time: 1:01:28 | Avg Pace: 10:15

Day 825 | January 21, 2012: 14 m run (easy)

14 easy miles… This was a nice, fun run, listening to some podcasts, stopping in the house at mile 10 to go to the bathroom and realizing I needed to charge my phone to keep listening to podcasts… ho hum. 

I am annoyed at how slow the snow makes me though. I wore my Yak Trax for the first time this season for this run. They really helped, but running through the snow still slows me down. By the end of my run, a lot of snow had melted off the streets, so that was nice!

Distance: 14.0 | Start Temp: 7° | End Temp: 19° | Time: 2:28:00 | Avg Pace: 10:34

Day 826 | January 22, 2012: 6 m run (easy) + strength

I’m not sure what my problem is, but I was not feeling this run. I was bored with the new podcasts I downloaded, the wind was making me crazy and I just wasn’t in to it. Ugh. I felt better when I turned on music for the last .4 miles. I’ll remember that for next time. 

Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 23° | End Temp: 26° | Time: 1:02:25 | Avg Pace: 10:24

Updated to add: Steven and I did Circuit 1 and 2 of Level 1 of Shred It with Weights (the Jillian Michaels Kettlebell DVD) in the evening.

Week Summary: 38.0 miles

I saw an interesting article on Monday and wanted to share it – Workouts Have Their Limits, Recognized Or Not. The article is about recreational athletes overdoing it and not giving their body any rest. A good reminder to take a true rest day! I know I am a lot better at that now that Britt is coaching me!

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By kilax, January 21, 2012 12:33 pm

Kandi tagged me for the 11 Random Meme. Sounds like something fun to do before I get to work this afternoon (barf). Meme rules:

1. You must post 11 random things about yourself
2. Answer the questions set for you in their post
3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer <– I don’t tag people. Feel free to participate on your blog or in the comments. 
4. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
5. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

(Hint, a lot of this info can be found on my 100 Things page. I tried to pick some random things that give you an idea of who I am!)

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By kilax, January 20, 2012 5:21 am

Where do you like to search for new recipes? Are you able to read a recipe and tell if you will like it or not?

We have a ton of favorite recipes but are always on the lookout for new ones. Surprisingly, we do not peruse any of the cookbooks we have (two shelves full!):

We mostly tend to run across recipes online or get recommendations from friends. Steven can usually read a recipe and tell if he will like it or not. I am somewhat decent at it. Somewhat.

What I am wondering is how the heck I got so many cookbooks. I doubt I bought more than 10% of those. People really like to give cookbooks as gifts (and I did ask for some of them). But they just sit there. On our shelf. Looking nice (I hope). Hey, that’s what books do, right?

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By kilax, January 19, 2012 4:52 pm

Boy, do I ever need to. (Hey – didn’t I just write a post about getting a grip on reality and getting over myself?)

It’s been awhile since I had such a large workload and I am not handling it well. I am a planner and can plan to get things done, but I have so many interruptions that I feel like I am never getting anywhere. I spend my days at work feeling anxious and frantic. And people can tell. 

People can tell that I don’t work with too! I am not sure how many times I told Gina how stressed I was, but she sent me these flowers!

I came out of a 2.5 hour meeting to find missed phone calls, 10 new emails, texts on my phone… and these flowers. The flowers were the first thing I tended to. What a wonderful surprise in my crazy overbooked day.

I am the type of person who is not good at balancing a lot of to-dos at once. I like to get things done right away. I get an idea in my head and I have to do it right then. Kind of like instant gratification… I can’t wait. I get too anxious. I think I need to be easier on myself. I think I need to work on my natural tendency to worry. 

But I do think I will work this weekend to get caught up.

This post is very similar to my last confidence post, so, apologies. Just stressed and needed to write.

Anyone else a big stessball like me when they get overloaded?

Let’s lighten this up with a photo. I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to look nice at work lately. I am not sure why, to tell you the truth. I guess it makes me feel good? Anyway, Erin and I went shopping yesterday during lunch and I picked up this skirt (you can’t really tell in the picture, but it’s gray):

And I should mention – even though I am crazy busy I am still planning lunch dates and getting away from my desk at work. My sanity depends on it! I had lunch with my new kickboxing friend today, and it was a lot of fun! I am excited to meet up with her again. 

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By kilax, January 19, 2012 5:08 am

Looks like this Random Thoughts Thursday has a bit of a weight loss focus. Please skip this post if you find that to be triggering!

• How does it make you feel when people comment on the fact that you have lost weight? I am always really surprised that people pay close enough attention to me to notice something like that. I see myself in a mirror each day and don’t notice it at all. And I hardly ever notice it on other people. 
• Does your Driver’s License have your weight on it? On Saturday I was telling two of my girlfriends how excited I was that my real weight matched my Driver’s License weight and they were appalled that my weight was on my Driver’s License at all! Ha ha. 
• I thought this short article, The Six Stages of Weight-Loss Grief from Shape was funny. I can relate to most of those, but especially #4, Faux Concern – when people start to say you are way too skinny. That is NOT happening to me now, but the summer I was my thinnest ever (that lasted a month, and I was a healthy weight, I just couldn’t figure out how to not eat my emotions (still can’t)) I got a few comments from people saying they thought I was way too skinny. I wasn’t. They were just used to seeing me heavier. Man, that drove me crazy!
• Last week I acquired three pairs of boots. Nice boots for work, snow boots, and rain boots! Thankfully I got some Christmas money. And of course, you know my personal shopper (ERIN!) helped me out! Do you have all of those types of boots? I have really big calves (17″ circumference) and the first pair fit me awesomely, over jeans, with room to spare. So if you have big calves too (holla!*) check out the link.

  

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By kilax, January 18, 2012 11:45 am

I’ve been given a lot of challenging tasks at work lately outside of my comfort zone. Mostly leadership and training roles. This is good for me.

But it makes me so, so, so very anxious.

I’ve been a ball of stress lately. Getting ready to lead (okay, not even lead, facilitate) a training. Trying to prepare to run meetings. Brainstorming, trying to be creative.

All of this time, I’ve been thinking, “What is my problem?! I am so confident in every other aspect of my life! What is it about these roles that are making me so nervous?

It’s that I’m outside of my comfort zone. It’s that it’s a change for me. It’s that while I may be outgoing and confident overall, I am more of a follower, than a leader.

Yesterday was the day of this training I had to run. I really prepped hard for it. Right before class, I was setting up with my helper (favorite coworker) and the head training coordinator was there. I was saying how nervous I was for class and how happy I was to have the training coordinator’s help in preparing. She said how organized and together I am, and favorite coworker said that too. I was kind of like “But I am so nervous!” (or something), and the training coordinator said – “The only one who does not have confidence in Kim, is Kim.”

Wow, that is so true. That’s what it is. All of these things have been tasked to me and I keep thinking “Why do they think I can do all of these things?”

I’m still struggling with the confidence, but I am going to keep this in mind:

If you only work on what you’re good at, you may get good. But if you work on what you’re not good at, and make that good too, you can become great.  – credit to Men’s Health, February issue. 

Britt has been encouraging me to keep inspiring messages around the house, and this is the first one I put up this week. I actually read it in an article from the February issue of Men’s Health. The article was about physical ability, but I think it applies to all aspects of life. Get outside of your comfort zone and improve on the things that don’t come naturally to you!

In what areas of your life is your confidence not the strongest?

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By kilax, January 18, 2012 5:02 am

The other day I ran across this blog post on criteria for hiring a running coach. The post was written by Jennifer Harrison, a Chicagoland triathlete coach. The article mentions a lot of good things to consider, among them: credentials, communication, goals, likability, balance… basically, find a coach who knows what they are doing, listens to you, understands your goals, helps you fit your training in to your life, and communicates with you the way you prefer.

I’ve actually been working with a running coach – Britt from Chicago Runner Girl  – since December 5, 2011. I was going to write that I’ve always thought it would be fun to work with a running coach, but never had, but… I actually found this not so old blog post of mine where I said I wouldn’t be any good at working with a coach – because I like my schedule to be flexible, and I wouldn’t do the workout if they weren’t there! Ha! How untrue that has turned out to be. Anyway, more on that in a bit.

That short article on what to look for in a coach got me thinking about why I asked Britt to work with me. I didn’t actually look at any lists or suggestions for how to hire a coach. I had been reading Britt’s blog for awhile and had a feeling we would be compatible – she lives in Chicago (proximity), she’s married without children and has fur babies (understands my similar lifestyle), she’s very optimistic (I can use some encouragement) she really pushes herself (runs high mileage weeks/5+ runs a week) and she encourages strength training (knows I want to fit that in to my schedule). Oh! And she has a rockin’ runner’s bod… which lets me fantasize that I could look like that someday if I workout like her (ha ha).

We met in late November to chat about my goals and how we would structure the communication. We discussed a few options, and I ultimately decided I would like a customized running schedule each week (instead of all of the program up front). I give her my schedule for each week a few days in advance of the week starting, and she develops a running schedule based on my availability. We talk on the phone once a week to touch base, and we email a few times a week too. 

So far, it’s worked out wonderfully! It’s funny – I was chatting with Britt on Saturday and telling her how much I liked working with her, when she said how fun it is for her to create a schedule then not have to run it! Ha! I have been thinking the exact opposite – how nice it is to have someone give me a schedule so I don’t have to think about what I am doing, but just get out there and do it. See? Compatibility!

I love being coached.  When I finish a challenging workout it makes me feel strong and confident. And Britt is extremely supportive and encouraging too, which I now realize is beneficial to my running. 

It’s really funny to me to look at that old blog post where I said I like my running to be sporadic, so I am not stressing about fitting things in. That was so true for me at the time! But now, it’s working so well – I get my schedule on the weekend, put it on a special exercise calendar in google (which I share with Steven) and I plan my week out. It’s less stress because Britt knows what I have going on, and made sure the workouts fit my schedule.

Trying to beat my PR from this race!

Right now, we are working on a 5K PR on February 26. We are also maintaining my endurance base too (that was a request of mine). I suppose the real test will be if I make the 5K PR! I think I will be able to unless we have some crazy freak snowstorm.

After the 5K, we’ll see what I tackle next, hopefully with Britt’s coaching again!

What would you look for in a running coach?