Christmas in March!

Hello my loves! today has been such a great day. I started the day early with an amazing yogurt mess…Oikos Honey Yogurt, with Banana, PB and my usual cafe con leche. How can something so simple taste so good?

I then simmered some beans, paid bills, and did laundry; a very productive morning. My sis then called me to tell me she was getting out of work early which meant an early gym session! WOOHOO but then I was like “hey wait, let’s go to the track instead” and thankfully she was cool with that. I iced my shins for about 1/2 an hour and then got ready to go.

Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the track in Forest Hills Park! I felt so great on it; my legs hurt just a tad but not as bad as ayer, Thank You Jesus! I took it easy and walked and jogged around the track 15 times which equals around 3.7 miles depending on which lane you use, I used this to figure it out. I then did a nice looooong stretch and burned 583 Calories in 55 minutes.

After our workout, we headed to Sports Authority since almost everyone has been telling me to invest in a foam roller to help my legs out. Sidenote: the people that work there need a crash course in fitness! I asked about 3 different people to point me to the foam rollers and they all looked at me like I had a penis growing out of my forehead! Thank god my sis was there whom is tall and found it! Thanks Jenn =)

Melissa look it’s Bebbeh’s cousin! Maybe I should dress him up in fancy outfits too lol.

I also invested in a Nike + iPod Sports Kit to track my runs! Thanks Missy for the recommendation =) and since I am an Asics Girl, I also got a little pouch to attach it to my kicks =). I can not wait to use it!!!!

After shopping, I came back home and made lunch; Low Carb Wrap filled with homemade Black Beans with Onions and Peppers, 2% Colby and Monterey Cheese, Avocado Slices, and Salsa.

After lunch, I put my new foam roller to good use with the help of some youtube videos. I managed to stretch my shins out but it was a little painful BUT the guy in the video said that it is supposed to hurt a little. Do you guys have foam rollers? and if so, do you have any tips????

For din din I just had my usual stir-fry!

I am so sorry for the repetitive meals but when I like something, I stick with it lol.

Time to go ice my shins and catch up on some blogs, have a great night loves!

Namaste…

Shin Is a 4 Letter Word!

Hello my loves!!!! thank you so much for all the sweet comments on my last post, you guys are too sweet! It was such an amazing experience and I already have my next race planned! I am so excited! I just hope that my shins cooperate…they have been hurting since ayer…sad panda.

Eats & Workouts

Ayer for Breakfast I had Oikos Honey Yogurt with Tropical Dried Fruit and PB

I was taking a nap, when the mailman woke me up…my fabulous friend Kim sent me a care package…Gum, Chocolate, and Pumpkin Spice! she knows me so well lol

 

and she sent me a small sign that says “Namaste”!

Since I was awake, I decided to make Lunch; a Low Carb Wrap filled with Amy’s Refried Beans, Onions, Peppers, Avocado, Reduced Fat Sour Cream, and Salsa…you would think I was Mexican with all the “Mexican” food I eat lol.

For Dessert I had Yoplait Caramel Delights Parfait.

 

For din din I made Stir-fry with Brussels, Mushrooms, and Tofu in Teriyaki Sauce, PB, Hot Szechuan Sauce, and Red Pepper Flakes…

I didn’t workout ayer because my body was still sore…

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This morning I woke up and just had one thing on my mind…I WANT TO GO RUN!

First I fueled up with 1 scoop of Chocolate LMM

Before heading to the park I downloaded a free trial of Jobstats on my phone. My run was so bad! My legs were so tired and my shins were in pain and my heart rate was so high! My plan was to run 4.3 miles but I only managed to do 2.6 miles in 30 minutes. I don’t know what was wrong with me today, I felt so discouraged! I should mention that the park I run in is Forest HILLS! lol what was I thinking?

I have a question…what do you guys use to track your pace and distance when you are running? I really liked the program that I used oh my phone but I am not too fond of carrying my phone while I am running and I can’t use my itouch because I don’t have Wifi in the park. I have been using Mapmyrun.com but today I realized that it was off by .2 miles….which is not a lot but I am so neurotic about things lol. Also, what do you do for shin pain?

After my run, I came home and had some Kashi Oatmeal with PB and Dried Fruit and my usual Cafe con Leche…

For Lunch I ordered some Tex-Mex food but I was let down…I had Black Beans with Rice, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Tortilla, and Guacamole…I also ordered Shrimp and assumed they were grilled but instead they were fried and just tasted FO! Don’t get me wrong, I love fried shrimp, I just didn’t love THIS fried shrimp.

I was not that hungry when din din rolled around so I just had a Lemon Zest Luna Bar…

 

I love that I am rubbing off on my family! My cousin Joseph just sent me a picture of his din din which he made with his Girlfriend Liz…I heart that they snapped a picture of it and thought of me lol

Grilled Pork Chops, with Chopped Turkey Bacon, Onions and Sunny side Eggs over Rice…

If I were eating meat, I would be all over this dish! I hope you two are enjoying it =)

Have a great night everyone!

Namaste…

Coogan’s 5K Race…

All I can say is WOW!

My race preparations started the night before with a Carb Din Din…most racers fill up on pasta but c’mon, I am Mari and I do things my way lol. So what did I have the night before my race???? PANCAKES!!!! Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with PB, Lite Syrup, and a Banana….yums!

I woke up today around 6ish and the nerves were getting the best of me; I was feeling anxious, nervous, and excited all at the same time. Around 7ish my family came to pick me up and surprised me with the most amazing sign! I seriously have the best FAMILY!!!!!

We got to Washington Heights pretty early but it took us like 45 minutes to find parking.

They were still setting up when we arrived which just made me feel a little more anxious…

I took the opportunity to take a pictures with home fries…

As I waited around I saw JESS! It felt great to see a familiar face!

I parted ways with my family and walked to find my place, alllllllllll the way in the back lol. The nerves were turning into terror at this point; I described the feeling to the girl next to me, like you are waiting in line for a rollercoaster ride…you really want to go on it but there is a little part of you telling you “NO THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA” but once you are on the ride, you are happy that you went through with it….

We waited and waited….

After about what seemed like eternity…I was on my way…

I saw my family and blew them a kiss!

This is where things started to get interesting…I am not sure how many of you guys have ever been to Washington Heights but this place is KNOWN for its HILLS! Was I being too ambitious when I signed up for this race? Should I have waited for an easier course? it was too late! this is where I was and I had two choices, ENJOY IT or DREAD IT!? I ENJOYED IT!

Yes, I felt like my heart was going to pop out of chest when I was going up those hills but I pushed through…I listened to the bands playing and the people cheering and this was better than any cup of coffee! THIS gave me the energy that I needed…

As I was running, this guys finished first! He is AMAZING! Look at his form!

I looped around the park and knew I was half way there…run run run…2 mile sign was in my sight and it felt great…But damn ANOTHER hill! “Push it MARI, PUSH IT!”

Wait is that the finish line? OMG it is! It’s the finish line!!!!!

And just like that I completed my first 5K! I was filled with so much emotion that the tears started to roll down my face! And when I saw my family, I hugged them and cried. This race meant so much to me, not only because it was my first race but because I did it in honor my grandmother who passed away 2 years ago.

My mom, sis, and home fries were there to support me from start to finish.

My sister’s boyfriend came too!

This was such an amazing experience! ohhh I almost forgot my stats! lol…

Distance: 3.1 Miles

Net Time: 33.06

Pace/Mile: 10:40

Not to shabby for my first 5K (with all those damn hills lol)

Thank you for alllllll of your support and encouragement!

Namaste…

7451…

Most of you know that I was featured in Self Magazine back in March of 2008 and one of the things that I stated was “I wanted to be that girl that I envied, running down the street. Now I am…”

Unfortunately I got plantar fasciitis and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I still had that urge to run, it was almost an itch. Whenever I would see someone running, I would get this yearning…I so desperately wanted to put on my sneakers and join them.

Back in December, I stated that I would finally run my first 5K in 2010. I was planning to train for a few months and run my race in May but Jess told me about a race that was quickly approaching and she encouraged me to sign up and I did. What was I thinking???

I started to do the C25K training and I went from running 30 seconds to running 30 minutes! It was not easy, actually as I sit here and type this my legs are in pain but this will not discourage me.

With the encouragement of my family, the motivation from Jess, and the buddy support from Amanda, I AM READY!

Here I am, exactly 2 years from the time that article was published and I am pleased to say that I will be running my first 5K race THIS SUNDAY!!!!

I will be Participating in the Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K!!!!!!

I am so excited! My only goal for this race is to FINISH IT! I want to enjoy every minute of it and when I cross that finish line, I want to stop and just enjoy the moment.

Jess will also be running in this race and wrote a fabulous post about an unnamed blogger (me!) which made me cry lol! Thank you for answering allllll of crazy questions! (I got my safety pins!!!!!!!!) and believing in me!

Time to go stretch these legs…

Namaste…

Worlds Are Colliding!

Hello my loves!!!! I hope ya’ll had a great Thursday! The weekend is almost here, WOOHOO!!!!!!

Thank you for all the sweet comments ayer in regards to my grandma =)

The prayers went really well, about 40 people showed up. It’s nice to know that people still care enough to join us every year to pay respect to my abuela.

Before the prayers my mom, sis, homefries, and I went to Empanadas Cafe for an early din din.

Here is a little info about them, courtesy of their website:

“Empanadas Cafe, a place that opened as a sort of "United Nations of Empanadas," has become the dream caterer for New York's social, corporate and cultural events.

This small an intimate cafe, located on the border of Corona and Forest Hills Queens, is transforming this traditional dish into a gourmet, sophisticated and healthy choice.

The secret formula: rigorous quality control and the use of fresh ingredients.

Atmosphere: Empanadas Cafe is a family business where every detail counts. The decor is embellished by original paintings and photographs from renown Latin American artists; the furniture is hand made and it has the rustic feel of a Latin American country side.

Details to note: This team of two sisters and one brother have made the Empanada preparation into a gourmet trip in which the traditional recipes: shredded beef, shredded chicken and shredded fish pave the way to the non-traditional such as broccoli and mozzarella, spinach and ricotta, mixed vegetables, chop pork and shrimp. The more exotic combinations include the Hawaiian (ham, cheese, and pineapple), sweet plantain and mozzarella and the latest introduction: empanadas for desert--dulce de leche (caramel) and cheese, nutella chocolate and banana, guava and cheese.”

Empanadas Cafe has been featured in various publications…and they deserve all the acclamations!   

The Empanadas come in three different styles; White Flour, Corn Flour, and Organic Flour.

 

Since I am not eating meat, I chose 1 Plantain and Cheese empanada and for dessert I got a guava one…if you look close enough, you can actually see the names of the empanadas, imprinted on them…this makes it easy to differentiate them when you order a large amount.

Inside of the Platano and Queso….

This is the Guava one…I like that they are NOT too big…it’s fairly easy to watch your portions when you eat here…

Inside the Guava empanada…so yummy!

    

I also enjoyed some Cafe Con Leche…

After din din we went to my aunts house…while we were there my “new” phone broke down…I could not hear anything on it. My cousin was nice enough to drive me to Sprint (again!)…they had to order me another phone which I should be getting mañana. I then had to run back to my aunts house so that I would not miss the prayers…by the time I got there I was super sweaty (about 15 blocks)

After the prayers, my aunt put out all the yummy eats that she baked! I felt like I was on a temptation challenge on The Biggest Loser…Thank God I wasn’t because I would have failed!

I enjoyed some Mini Dominican Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Frosting…

And 1 Dominican Cupcake with Dominican Frosting…

AND a couple of pieces of Bread Pudding

Thank God my phone broke down and I was forced to sneak in a mini cardio session before I indulged in these treats lol

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Two of my favorite things have come together…Jillian AND Yoga!!!!

“Jillian introduces a new yoga workout unlike any other. Combining hard-core yoga power poses with her dynamic training techniques, Jillian will get you real weight-loss results fast. YOGA MELTDOWN includes two complete 30-minute workouts that include a warm-up and cooldown. Begin with the Level 1 workout which focuses on quickly flowing yoga sequences to burn mega calories. Then progress to Level 2 which adds twists and balance poses for an even greater burn.” Courtesy of Jillianmichaels.com

I was able to try Level 1 this morning on Exercise TV. I enjoyed the routine, perhaps I am a tad bias since I love Jil Jil but I think if you are a Vinyasa Yoga fan, you might want to give this workout a try. The whole practice lasted about 35 minutes and it included Sun Salutations, Chatarrungas, Balance Poses etc. It kept my heart rate between 60%-70% and I managed to burn a little over 200 calories.

After my workout I refueled with Oikos Honey Yogurt mixed with 1 Banana and PB and my usual cafe con leche

I also snacked on a Luna Lemon Zest Bar during the day…

I had to run some errands today and then headed into the city with my sister to pick something up. On our way back, I talked her into going to 5 Burros Cafe for Linner… first I mentioned the Steak and then said Margarita and I managed to persuade her lol (It was pretty easy haha).

We started off with some Chips and Salsa…

I of course had to get a Piña Colada…”say hello to my little friend”

I ordered the Shrimp Fajita din din plate…which came with Grilled Veggies, Shrimp, Salad, Rice, Beans, Guacamole, and Sour Cream…this was a party in my mouth, delish!

And a side of flour Tortillas (I only had one)

My sister ordered the Nachos Con Carne which I just had to sample! (didn’t touch the meat). This was SO FREAKING GOOD! The next time I go to 5 Burros, I am going to order this with Shrimp!

It was really nice to have some one on one time with my sister…we rarely get to spend any solo time with each other (besides the gym lol).

Check out Amanda’s Yoga Mat Giveaway!!!

Stay Tuned for my next post, I have some exciting news!!!!

Namaste…