Ashten Does Life

Last night was epic. EPIC.

The roommate, Logan, Lindsay, and I ran our first 5K. The Do Life 5K. My mom ran with us for moral support. She basically yelled encouraging words the entire time. But let's not get too far ahead. Let's start at the beginning.

I was pretty nervous about running with people, which is weird since I run with the above people all the time. I think it was because I knew I would be running with other "runners." Thankfully some people walked. Therefore, it made us feel better about walking.

The little boy in the red was my running buddy in the beginning. He was FAST!!! Too fast for me. But absolutely precious.

Our group did intervals the entire race. We ran 3 minutes and walked 2 minutes the first mile and a half. Then we changed to run 2 minutes walk 3 minutes on the way back.

Lindsay and I crossed the finish line together after a short trot through the grass. Don't ask me...the race track had a part that took you through the grass. I did not make this up. Logan and the roommate crossed the finish line just a few minutes behind us.

IT WAS WONDERFUL. I've never been so happy in my life. We were all so happy and tired. And in love with the run. It was amazing. And it was our first attempt. And we did it. WE. DID. IT. I just keep saying that over and over again.

After the run, the roommate had to show off her sweet tubing bruise that has slowly slid down her arm as the days have passed. It still looks fugly.

Mom had an awesome sweat band round her middle. Sexy...

And I jumped around like an idiot yelling and screaming about how we did it.

Who knew I could jump so high? Must be my sweet shoes mixed with adrenaline and endorphins.

We were tired. We were sweaty. We were happy.

It's an awesome feeling to accomplish something you didn't know you could do. We all just started running a month ago (with the exception of my mom who has been running for 3 years and has completed numerous 5Ks and a half marathon), and it has already changed our lifes and daily routines. I look oh so forward to many more runs with these people.

It was also very cool to run my first 5K with the Do Life Movement. The Do Life Movement, a grassroots movement, was started by Ben Davis, a friend of mine from college. He wanted to change his life, and he did. Along the way, he has changed the lives of some many other people, myself included. To be able to share this experience with him is something I will forever cherish.

Keep doing life, my friend, and people will continue to have the will to change their lives. I'm so proud of you.

For more information about the Do Life Movement and the Official Unofficial Do Life 5K Tour, check out Ben Does Life. I got a t-shirt to help support Ben, his brother and his father as the tour the country running 5Ks.

After I completed my first 5K, I think I need a t-shirt to remember it. #runningnostalgia

Call Me Julia Child

While I have not mastered the art of French cooking, I have mastered the art of baked sweet potato fries. Get. Excited.

I've been obsessed with sweet potato fries for a while. If I have the option of sweet potato fries or regular fries, I always opt of the sweet ones.

My recipe for baked sweet potato fries does NOT include butter, brown sugar and/or cinnamon. So if that is what you are looking for, I hate to disappoint, but I do not have one. I think sweet potato fries should be naturally sweet. They are delicious as is. But I did put my own little twist on these awesome baked goodies.

What you will need:
1 sweet potato (or more depending on the number of people you are serving)
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Cayenne pepper

Cut the sweet potato into fries. ***Use some elbow grease because sweet potatos are tough to cut up***

Put the fries on a aluminum foil lined sheet pan, and pour some olive oil on top of them. Sprinkle fries with generous amounts of cayenne and sea salt (you know, within reason). Don't over spice them, but don't under spice them either.

Mix the fries, oil and spices around on the pan. Space the fires evenly so they are not touching. This will help them cook up during the baking process.

Bake them in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Take fries out and flip them over. Return to the 400 degree oven for an additional 15 minutes. The outside of the fries should be lightly crispy, and the inside should be fork tender. ***NOTE: Cook times may vary depending on your oven. Be aware you can burn them. Trust me because I did it the first time***

Remove from oven. Let them cool off a bit if you can stand the sweet potato aroma filling your kitchen and thoughts. Eat with Ketchup or simply plain. Both ways are completely sinful.

In other news, my mom, the roommate, Logan and I will be attending the Do Life 5K this evening at Murray Park in Little Rock at 6:15 P.M. This 5K is part of the Do Life Tour dreamed up by Ben Davis from Ben Does Life, his father and his brother.

If you are looking for something fun and active to do with other active people, COME ON OUT!!! It's going to be a good time. Run, walk, jog, bike, rollerblade, or whatever. Meet a bunch of other active people from the Little Rock area. You may find yourself an active buddy.

I'm pretty excited and nervous all at the same time about to tonight's event. I'm excited to meet other runners and active people in my area, but I'm a little nervous about running with a group of "runners." I've never really considered myself a runner. So to be surrounded with other "runners" is a bit overwhelming. But thankfully I will have my favorites running with me. My mom, the roommate, Logan and Lindsay (maybe...not sure if Lindsay can come tonight).

Also, check out the MYOB Summer Camp blog that I helped 4th and 5th graders in my office's summer camp start. They are writing up blog posts and taking their own pictures. Become a follower and/or leave some comments for them. They love comments and followers.

It's been really awesome interacting with young kids and teaching them about blogging. I love blogging, and I think they are starting to see the endless possibilities that a blog can have. Take some time to check it out, and read what they have to say about summer camp.

Which would you rather have: Regular french fries or sweet potato fries?
~~~Sweet potato fries all the way.

How have you been active today?

Busy on the Lake

1. The roommate likes to sing on the way to the lake.

2. Seeing signs that tell us we are getting closer to the lake give us joy.

3. Tiki Man is the best.

4. Flags flew high in honor of America's 235th birthday.

5. We rode on a boat.

6. The roommate and I looked like death after a run on the Diamondhead golf course. Nobody was ready for those hills.

7. The roommate and her cousin took a ride on the tube.

8. The roommate took a tumble with the tube.

9. Logan and Lindsay ran, and I got this text to prove it.

10. After the epic tubing incident, the roommate was back in the water taking it easy.

11. And then it rained on July 4, 2011. So with that we called it quits.

I hope you guys had a safe and happy Independence Day. I was so happy to be busy on the lake. Happy Tuesday that feels like Monday.

A Wilted Flower

As you read yesterday, the roommate and I got up to run early in the morning to beat the heat, and then I had to go on a field trip to help out my co-workers with 88 (a correction from yesterday) children in our summer camp program.

My co-worker Stephanie, from Mrs. SPJones, and I greased up with copious amounts of sunscreen. I left the house without my sunscreen, so I had to stop and get some before meeting up at the school. I grabbed Water Babies 50 SPF. And let me just tell you, that stuff does not rub in. I rubbed for what felt like days and, then, just gave up. It was no use. The sunscreen had caked on my skin and created a white sheen that was a force to be reckoned with.

Now this field trip was a TRIP compared to the last one at the Bowen School of Law. Stephanie and I started out with a group of four kids. Not far into the hike, Stephanie fell behind me. I credit this to her God-give short legs and my God-given granddaddy long legs. We tall people were made for climbing, as are children.

Not long, I was down to two girls under my charge. They wanted to go to the top. I've climbed Pinnacle Mountain a number of times and reached the top.  But yesterday was a test. My group started climbing at 12:30 P.M. in the height of the afternoon heat. We finished at 3:30 P.M. We took lots of breaks, and I made sure my girls drank plenty of water and Gatorade going up and climbing down. It was the first time both girls had ever climbed to the top of Pinnacle. They were thrilled they had made it to the top, nervous about being so high up and terrified after spotting two baby lizards. Typical little girl fashion.

By the time I got back to our group, I was ravenous and terribly thirsty since I gave the girls most of the Gatorade and water. Every place that my t-shirt touched my bare skin was soaked with sweat. But my Water Babies didn't fail me. That white sheen never left my skin, and I didn't get a sun burn. Yay for skin cancer prevention.

Check out Stephanie's blog for my pictures from yesterday's outing and our awesome "after" picture.

By the time I got home, my brain was on autopilot turning over the same three ideas. SHOWER. SHOWER. SHOWER. DINNER. DINNER. DINNER. BED. BED. BED.

After a luke shower, I stumbled to the kitchen to whip up a rice and bean recipe from Fit Foodie Finds. I can't find the actual link Lee posted with the recipe, but lucky for you, I copied the recipe into my notes via iPhone when I originally found it.

I call it a healthy verison of rice and beans.

What you will need:
1/2 C. cooked brown rice
1/4 C. black beans (mine were from the can)
1/4 edamame
dash of cumin
dash of cayenne
(Lee also includes cilantro, but cilantro has a soapy taste to me therefore I omit it.)

Cook the brown rice via the package direction. My rice called for 1/2 C. uncooked rice with 1 C. water dash of salt and a spot of oil. Cook for 40ish minutes until rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Stir in the black beans and edamame. Add cumin and cayenne to taste. I also gave it a hit of sea salt to kick it up a bit.

After I ate the entire batch of rice and beans, I became a bit delusional and basically fell asleep while still being awake. I was tired to the bone. By the time I crawled, yes, crawled into my bed, I was barely aware of how great it felt to know I was going to get some quality rest since I had nothing to wake up for today.

My internal alarm rang at 8:30 this morning, and I was up checking my favorite blogs and sipping coffee to help the wake-up process.

I, then, proceeded to have the same breakfast as yesterday, except I used a bigger plate and a different coffee mug. Poached eggs rock my socks off right now. By noon, about two hours after I ate the proached egg feast, I was hungry again. I chalk this up to excessive activity from yesterday's run and field trip. So I made a chocolate banana smoothie.

What you will need:
1 1/2 frozen bananas
A splash of liquid (I used half-and-half because that is what I had. But you can use milk, heavy cream, almond milk, soy milk, etc.)
1 1/2 spoonfuls of cocoa powder
2 tspn honey (give or take. I was at the bottom of the honey bear, which makes it hard for me to be certain).

Throw it all in the blender and blend until smooth---hence the smoothie part of this recipe.

It tasted straight up like chocolate ice cream. I would usually put a cup of plain Greek yogurt for that extra creamy texture, but all my yogurt was out of date. Lame. I also threw some Chia seeds on top for that oh-so-important added nutritional benefit.

If you haven't had chia seeds, you definitely need to add them to your diet. They give you an extra source of fiber and other good things your body needs to function. I put them in my oatmeal and overnight oats, on top of peanut butter and honey bagel thins and things like that.

Well I've got to get a move on. I'm trying to wash my sheets, towels and two small loads of workout clothes before the roommate and I leave the city for a weekend at the lake. It is Fourth of July weekend after all. My bags are packed,  but my beach towels have not made it to the washing machine yet...and the roommate gets off work at 4 P.M.

And don't worry the roommate and I will be running this weekend. Happy Birthday America!! You guys be safe this weekend, and keep it classy. I don't want to have to come bail anyone out of jail.

Running With Friends

Good morning friends! And a good morning it has been thus far. I'll show you.

Let's talk about how the roommate and I got up at 6 A.M. to be awake enough to run the trails at the Big Dam Bridge at 7 A.M. The sun was steadily getting hotter, but thankfully the trail was shaded.

It was another glorious run, however, the first half of it was tough on me. It felt like I was breathing in water. Like I couldn't get a real breathe. Thank you Arkansas weather. Humidity is a runner's villan. But after running to the halfway point, I started to fall into my stride, and my breathing got better.

I was more than happy to have finished my run well before 8 A.M. The roommate was not as enthused, but she pulled off yet another awesome run. I know she loathes me for yelling encouraging words and trying to make her talk to me at the end of the run, but I tell myself she secretly loves and appreciates it.

See that's the thing. It is easier to run with friends. I can totally run by myself, and sometimes I would encourage it. But when you're starting out or trying a new routine or going for a longer distance, take a buddy. If you don't have an available buddy, find one when you get there.

I've learned that runners and bikers are of a different breed. They understand what you are doing. They applaud it. Active people want to spend time with other active people. We want people of like-mindedness (if that is a word...you know what I mean).

My advice is get an active buddy. This helps with motivation and accountablity. You are more likely to complete a new goal with another human there to help see you through. I've got four awesome active people in my life who are on this same journey. And we are totally making it happen. So you can, too.

After a sweaty journey, the roommate collapsed on a nearby picnic table and tried her hand at planking.

I think she excelled at planking. She definitely looks as if she is made of wood. I was introduced to planking yesterday, and I love that people go around and take pictures of themselves on their bellies with their hands by their sides. It's an art. (You should totally google it. It's amazing the places people come up with to plank.)


Breakfast was also an excellent choice.

Two poached eggs adorned with sweet and spicy salsa on a whole wheat sandwich thin with a smear of butter. I say two because there were two. One that I inhaled before this photo op. I also enjoyed my morning joe in my new R cup from Nosh Night. It was the bombdiggity.

Well I've got to get ready (mentally and physically) for a field trip of wrangling 75 kids at Pinnacle Mountain this afternoon. All I keep thinking is what have I gotten myself into. Update tomorrow.

How was your workout?

Do you like to work out with friends, or do you prefer to go it alone?
~~~I'm more of a run with friends type, but sometimes it's nice to pound out the pavement alone.