Swim, Bike, Indulge (And My 200th Post!)

According to the calendar, spring is just around the corner, although the view out my window makes me think that winter will never end.  As much as I would like to continue hiding on the couch, that's not going to help me much once racing season comes around, so I decided to make this week all about getting ready for spring training.

Of course the first thing that happened was waking up Monday morning and feeling like I got run over by a truck.  I caved in, called in sick, and spent the day under a blanket and sleeping.

I felt much better Tuesday morning - which is good since it was my 34th birthday!  I picked up bagels for the office and spent the day plowing through some projects at work.  My original plan for after work was to go to the track and pick up sushi, but when Mr. R&R suggested going out for a nice dinner, I was sold! We dressed up a little and headed to Le Reve for what may be the best birthday dinner I've ever had.

We started with escargots for an appetizer:

We both tried the evening's specials for our main courses:

My Main Course: Cassoulet

Mr R&R's Main Course: Sweet Breads and Scallops

And of course, no trip to Le Reve is complete without dessert!

Opera Torte and Dessert Du Jour

Wednesday was about getting back to business.  After work, I made a trip to the grocery store and headed down to The Cave for 30 minutes of Pump & Burn.  I wasn't feeling lifting heavy things, so I dropped my weights a little and had a great workout.

I was a little short on time on Thursday night, so I jumped on the trainer for 30 minutes with the goal of riding each mile faster than the previous one until time ran out - and I succeeded!

On Friday I finally did what I've been saying I was going to do - I went to the pool.  I keep telling myself that Friday night is going to be Swim Night, but I end up staying home or going out for beers because the thought of having to go outside with wet hair post-swim just sounds so unappealing.  I finally sucked it up and went.  Going in, I had no real plans other than to swim for 30 minutes.  It ended up being better than I'd expected.  The water was a toasty 83 degrees, I had a lane to myself, and I knocked out 1000 yards in those 30 minutes.  I even found myself trying to tackle some of my bad swim habits.  Post-swim, I stopped by the market to pick up greens for Walter and Spot and ended up buying a bottle of wine on impulse (the label reminded me of last summer's trip to North Carolina) - and getting carded! I guess there's something to be said about a willingness to stop into a high end market in sweat pants, no make up, and a messy ponytail.

I woke up later than planned on Saturday, but despite a slow start and a rather ominous looking forecast, I ended up driving down to Chicago to meet up with my fellow bloggers/twitter pals Megan and Anastasia.  The three of us went ice skating at Millennium Park:

Took the requisite selfie in The Bean (which is actually a sculpture called the Cloud Gate):

And hoofed our way up Michigan Avenue to the John Hancock Building where we rode the elevator to the 94th floor and were treated to spectacular views of the city:

I wish I could have hung out with them longer, but since the forecast called for some pretty hideous snow (and I really hate driving in the stuff), I headed home just as the snow flurries were starting.

Saturday night was spent watching Spot "camp" in his tent.  He gets very territorial when he's in there.  If I put my hand on the floor in front of him, he uses his nose and front paws to push it out! 

This is my tent. No humans allowed!

Sunday started with a leisurely stroll up the street for breakfast:

and will be followed by: laundry, cleaning up after the camper above (he dug out his litter box overnight), work, a trainer ride, and dinner with Dad and the rest of the family...including Tiny Nephew!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

Feed A Cold

I had lots of good workout plans for the week, but it seems that I've finally caught whatever varietal of plague has been working its way through my office. When I woke up on Monday morning, my throat was on fire and I felt like someone had filled my head with rocks during the night.  I would have called in sick, but I knew there was just no way I could since my desk looks like it's buried under a paper avalanche.  I bribed myself into going to work with the promise of one of my favorite breakfasts:

Peanut Butter & Banana Waffle

And of course, plenty of coffee.

Rise And Grind!

And to make it even more fun, we got a big, fat snowstorm that afternoon.  Road conditions were deteriorating rapidly and my boss made the decision to send everyone home a few hours early.  I'm really happy he made that call, since my 10 minute drive took 45 minutes and I had a death grip on the steering wheel the whole time.  Once I got home, I felt okay (thanks to some wonderful cold medicine) to head down to The Cave for a short workout.  I did the 30 minute Pump & Burn workout, which you may remember from the early days of the Raise The Bar Challenge, but there was an added twist...I increased my weights by 50%.  The squat and back tracks were manageable, but the chest track was really tough.

The workout was followed by a protein shake and my cold medicine wearing off.  Since I was back to feeling like crap, I threw together a quick, veggie-loaded egg scramble and spent the rest of the evening curled up on the couch under my fuzzy blanket.

Egg/Egg Whites, Spinach, Mushrooms, Onion and Feta

Tuesday brought a warm spell. This is typical of Wisconsin at this time of year...6 inches of snow one day, 40+ degrees the next!  My original plan was to run a few miles on the indoor track, but Mr. R&R and I couldn't let the warm weather pass us by.  We ended up walking about 5 miles through slush and random patches of black ice and stopping for dinner.

Bread Knots

Four Seasons Pizza

I think I got an ab workout just staying on my feet, but it felt so good to get outside after months of being cooped up.

I was still feeling under the weather on Wednesday, so I did a 20 minute core workout (HardCore Abs) and crawled back onto the couch.  I didn't even feel like cooking, so chips/salsa/guacamole became my dinner.  Definitely not the healthiest choice, but it was the only thing that even sounded remotely appealing.

Thursday was definitely the low point in terms of this plague/cold.  I took a rest day, but at least I managed to eat real food for dinner before returning to my position of hibernating under the fuzzy blanket.

BBQ Pork, Sweet Potato w/ Yogurt Ranch, Mixed Veggies

Friday finally rolled around, and not a moment too soon. I walked into the office and the next thing I knew, it was lunch time. Since I didn't have time for breakfast or my morning snack, I pretty much inhaled my turkey sandwich. Later in the afternoon, I managed to scarf down a banana in between putting out fires. I was supposed to have dinner with Little Sister and Tiny Nephew (who is growing like a weed), but I didn't want to take a chance of getting either of them sick, so we're going to reschedule.  My cancelled dinner plans left me with some unexpected free time, so I parked my booty on the trainer for 45 minutes and had a really good ride - 13.45 miles in 45 minutes (17.9 mph average). Dinner was provided by the lovely people at Qdoba since I was desperate for something spicy - since it seems be the only thing that I can taste at the moment.

 Saturday was glorious. Mr. R&R (who is at the beginning of this lovely plague) and I slept really late and spent the entire day in our pajamas.  We were supposed to go to a tamale-making party at Mr. Fix-It and Nacho Nurse's house, but in the interest of not passing this cold on, we stayed home.  I may not have worked out or made a dent in the mountain of laundry that seems to have accumulated, but I did test out a bunch of recipes that I've bookmarked/pinned/downloaded over the last few months.

First up was a black bean burger with Sriracha mayo.  I used a loose interpretation of this recipe.

I think the black bean mixture definitely needs to be refrigerated for a while before forming the patties (I used a metal ring to make sure mine were the same size/shape) since it was a bit on the wet side even though I let the beans dry for quite a while before I tossed them in the food processor.

The next time I make these, I'm going to try toasting the bread crumbs first in hopes of absorbing the excess liquid.  I cooked two of the patties according to the directions and the final product was really delicious...especially when paired with seasoned oven fries and Sriracha mayo (I used a ratio of 1 tbsp Sriracha to 3 tbsp Light Miracle Whip).  Yes...I put a little of the Sriracha mayo on the burger and used the rest for dipping purposes!

Up next was a recipe for Cookie Dough Bars.  These things were pure deliciousness, although I think they should have been called "Cookie Dough Mousse Bars" since the cookie dough center was more mousse-like than dough-like.  They were relatively easy to make. The hardest part was waiting for the center and top layers to set so we could taste them!  Believe me when I say that they're worth the wait...and the dishes.

Please pardon the lousy lighting in my kitchen at night!

Finally, I attempted a popular vegan recipe called "Snobby Joes".  I found the recipe on a blog but I think the recipe may have originated in a vegan cookbook called Veganomicon.

This recipe came together really quickly once the lentils were boiled, drained, and seasoned. I goofed up a little and used 3 tablespoons of mustard instead of one, but based on the taste of the finished product, I'd make the same "mistake" again.  I'd like to try adding a seeded, diced jalapeno or some cayenne pepper for a little more heat next time, but it was pretty damned good the way it was! I also think that next time, I'd cut the recipe in half because it made a ton of food.  I'm going to try freezing some of the leftovers and see how that goes.

Of course, I promptly made my sandwich un-vegan by melting a piece of sharp cheddar over the top since that's how I grew up eating sloppy joes, but you could easily skip the cheese or use soy cheese to keep it vegan.

Now it's Sunday and after a solid day of doing nothing useful, I need to go look over some paperwork for my mom, clean my house, do my laundry, and get ready for another full week.  Hopefully I can cram in a workout too!

Where do you find new recipes? Friends? Blogs? Cookbooks?

What's Done, Is Done.

January is over and so is my commitment to the Les Mills Pump/Raise The Bar Challenge.  I'd love to be posting fabulous 90 Day results photos, but it's not going to happen.  I look about like I did at the 30 day mark, which is still an improvement over where I started, but not what I know was possible if I hadn't gotten so off track (and failed to get back on). 

While January wasn't exactly wonderful on the fitness front, it wasn't a total loss either.  I uploaded my Garmin data and discovered that I rode almost 57 miles last month and really enjoyed them - which is a good thing since I foresee spending a lot of time in saddle from now until September.

 Spring/Summer training season is just around the corner and I've got some interesting plans for this year - which I plan to blog about in the near future.

Reset & Recommit

I have a million and one excuses for why the Raise The Bar challenge went off the rails shortly after Day 60: Puerto Rico, Christmas, New Years, crappy weather that makes me want to hibernate...blah, blah, blah.  At any rate, I've managed to undo a lot of hard work in the last few weeks, but all is not lost. I'm resetting the clock to Day 64 (right about when I fell apart), and recommitting myself to this challenge for the next 26 days. 

(source)

Day 64: Freeze It Off or Burn It Off:
Unless you live under a rock (or outside the US), you've probably seen that large parts of the country are experiencing record-breaking cold temperatures courtesy of Winter Storm Ion.  When I rolled out of bed this morning the weather looked like this:

Schools are closed. Grocery shelves have been stripped bare because apparently cold weather = lay in provisions for the zombie apocalypse. And lucky me, I didn't have to drag myself out in the cold and go to work because I happened to have scheduled my very last vacation day from 2013 (my boss let me roll 2 days over into this year) TODAY!

I had a handful of things that I wanted to get done today in between long stints of vegging out on the couch, so I tackled the thing that would have been the easiest to let slide later in the day: my workout. As it turns out, a sweaty, muscle-burning workout (Pump Extreme) was just what I needed to drive the chill from my bones - at least for a little while!

When Mr. R&R got home from work he headed to The Cave to do his workout and I got to work on dinner.  I normally save this dish for a weekend meal since it requires multiple pots/pans, but a steaming hot bowl of pasta sounded like the perfect dinner on a freezing cold night.

sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and onions over whole wheat pasta with a sprinkle of feta

I also made balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts as a side dish and they were fantastic.

Day 65: Rise and Grind
I went back to work today after four glorious days off - and promptly felt like I'd never been away!  I have to admit that it was nice going back to my normal routine.  I ate my meals and snacks on schedule (something I struggled with when my routine was disrupted), came home, and headed to The Cave for some quality time on the trainer before dinner.

 I was really pleased with my average speed - especially since I increased the resistance on the back wheel (read: made it harder) in hopes of being a stronger rider when I get back out on the roads in spring.

Day 66: I Have No One To Blame But Myself
Tonight's scheduled workout was Hard Core Abs.  However, since I was freezing cold, I decided to hop on the trainer for an easy spin/warm up while Mr. R&R did his workout.  I forced myself to stay in my small chain ring for the duration, although seeing low speed numbers was driving me crazy, but it was probably for the best since I'd already punished my legs the night before and planned to do it again on Thursday!

Hard Core Abs was brutal and I have no one to blame but myself.  The workout has always been a tough one, but I was getting better at it...until I let everything go to seed!  I foresee a long road back to the core strength I was rocking before the holidays.

Day 67: Reset, Recommit, Re-Up
I shouldn't be this excited, but compared to the last few days, it practically felt like a heat wave!
 

You Know You're From Wisconsin When 2 Degrees Feels Warm!

I forced myself through 55 minutes of Pump Revolution (one of the trainers in that video just grates on my nerves), chugged a protein shake, enjoyed my chicken pita pizza, and then did something I've been meaning to do for a while: I re-upped my tri team membership for 2014. Yep...you get another season of me trying to keep all the plates spinning while training in all three sports. :)

Day 68: Ice. Cold. Beer.
It was actually a little warmer here today (low 30's), but a steady stream of rain hitting frozen ground made for one very scary walk across the office parking lot and a slow, slippery ride home. I met up with Mr. R&R, Miss Placed, and Yada Yada for happy hour (up the street from my house) and then proceeded to hibernate in the house (along with a yummy pizza) for the rest of the night.  Now that's what I call a rest day!

Day 69: My Driveway Is An Ice Rink
All that freezing rain yesterday lead to my driveway and most of the city streets becoming a giant ice rink. In the interest of not breaking an ankle, Mr. R&R and I stayed in, worked out (P90 strength for him, Pump Revolution for me), and spent some quality time with the bunnies.

Day 70: Something Old. Something New.
FINALLY! I finally dragged my ass to the gym (because I have to check-in there at least once a year in order to keep my membership/pool privileges active) and ran.  I didn't run for very long since I still hate the treadmill, but I RAN, and holy cow...I have a lot of work to do. That 2 miles hurt way more than it should have.

The Proof Is On The Garmin!!!

I also submitted my registration to become a member of the local running club.  I had the opportunity to participate in a few of their Wednesday night fun runs last summer as part of the Iron Cheerleader's tri training, and since I'd like to do more of those runs, why not do it as a member?!?

Now I just need to start running more!

Are you part of any teams or social groups?  What ones and what drew you to them?

The Price of "Tri"-ing - and How To Tri For Less

I stumbled across this article about the cost of triathlon a while back on Twitter and it got me thinking - which lead me to this article.  Training for my first sprint triathlon certainly wasn't cheap, but it was nowhere near as expensive as the article made it out to be, so I'm somewhat inclined to call bullshit.  I feel like these articles are designed to scare people off from triathlon, rather than encouraging them to give it a shot - which makes me a little sad.

 The articles suggest the following:

• As of 2009, the average triathlete's income is $126,000 (trust me...I'm waaaay below that average!)
• It's nearly impossible to get a decent road bike for under $1000
• Swimming is expensive. Private lessons can cost up to $100/hour
• Accessories add up quickly - and they're all absolutely necessary just to get to the starting line.

According to the second article, the cost of completing a triathlon is nearly $4800!  I can guarantee you that I didn't spend anything close to that!  I understand that some triathlons, an Ironman for example, are going to be more expensive to train for than others, but $4800 for a sprint seems ridiculous to me.

For the sake of this little cost analysis, I'm going to run the numbers twice.  The first analysis will assume that I had to go out and buy all my gear brand new at the outset of last season.  The second analysis will take into account that I already owned a lot of the gear as a result of already being a runner/duathlete - and I'll point out which of the items in my arsenal are nice to have, but not absolutely necessary, and how to possibly save a couple of bucks if you want some of them anyway!

First Analysis:
If I'd have had to buy all my stuff (and I'm including the "toys" here) new at the outset, this whole adventure would have run me approximately: $2904.00 It's a huge price tag, but still far below the $4800.00 from the second article.

That breaks down as follows:

• Gym Membership (w/ pool privileges) $156.00 ($52/month at the local YMCA)
• Garmin 910XT $400.00
• Swimsuit $40.00
• Swim Cap $12.00
• Goggles $16.00
• Wetsuit $230.00
• Suit Juice/Suit Wash/Suit Repair Compound $40.00
• Road Bike $750.00
• Helmet $50.00
• Cycling Shoes $125.00
• Cleats/Pedals $90.00
• Cycling Gloves $25.00
• Bike Shorts $80.00
• Cycling Jersey $60.00
• Bike Speed/Cadence Sensor $50.00
• Water Bottle $15.00
• Water Bottle Cage $10.00
• Chamois Butter $10.00
• Bike Bag/Flat Kit $50.00
• Indoor Bike Trainer $150.00
• Climbing Block $25.00
• Running Shoes $100.00
• Running Clothes (shorts/top/sports bra) $150.00
• Sunglasses $20.00
• Assorted Bars/Gels $45.00
• Tri Shorts $50.00
• Tri Top $40.00
• Race Entry Fee $75.00
• Triathlon Team Membership $40.00

Lucky for me (and my credit card) I had already amassed a lot of the things on that list as a result of 8 years of running and a year of cycling/duathlons before I took the plunge into the triathlon world, so the cost was spread out over several years. 

Second Analysis (if the item name is orange it's something I already had from previous years)

• Gym Membership (w/ pool privileges) $156.00 ($52/month at the local YMCA)
• I'm fortunate enough to have a free gym membership and pool privileges through Mr. R&R's job. If I didn't have that, I would have joined the local discount gym for approximately $25/month.  I did, however fork over $40 for the Monday night open water swim program at Pewaukee Lake. The regular price is $50, but my tri team membership knocked the price down by $10.  If you live near a swim-able body of water and have someone who is willing to hang out in the water (or on the beach) with you since you should never swim alone in open water, you can swim for F.R.E.E.
• Garmin 910XT $400.00
• This is absolutely not a necessity. I am a total slave to data/numbers, so it's very nice to have, but before I had a GPS watch of any sort, I functioned just fine with a $20.00 watch from Target - which also isn't really a necessity.  In my case, I combined a Memorial Day Sale at REI and a hoarded gift card to bring the out of pocket price down to $250.00 - which is less than I would have spent to replace my Garmin 305 when it started misbehaving.
• Swimsuit $40.00
• There's no getting around this one. You've gotta wear something in the water!
• Swim Cap $12.00
• Also a requirement, but you can get a basic latex swim cap for about $3.00 on Amazon. I went with a silicone cap because a) I hate how latex caps pull my hair and b) silicone is more durable. 
• Do yourself a favor and order the tackiest, brightest cap you can find - preferably neon green or pink - since you need to stand out in open water.
• Goggles $16.00
• Another must have. My goggles are pretty cheap as far as these things go.
• Wetsuit $230.00
• Unless you plan to swim in really cold open water or are a complete chicken about weeds/fish/etc. like I am, the wetsuit is completely optional.  Another option is to rent a wetsuit just for race day, which around here will run you about $20.
• Suit Juice/Suit Wash/Suit Repair Compound $40.00
• If you don't have a wetsuit, you don't need the stuff to go with it.
• Road Bike $750.00
• If you have an old mountain bike/hybrid/whatever sitting around in your garage gathering dust, it will work just fine for a sprint tri. I spent about $650 on my bike in early 2012 by waiting until the shop was having a really good sale to clear out some inventory.  Another option, if you really want a road bike, is to see if your local bike shop sells refurbished bikes - I know mine does.  One of my teammates got a really nice (read over $1000 brand new) bike for about $500.
• Helmet $50.00
• Not negotiable. You must wear a helmet at any USAT sanctioned race and it's just good sense to wear one any time you are out on the road. If you crash and it cracks or the foam is really damaged, it's time to replace it.
• Cycling Shoes $125.00
• Nice to have, but not a requirement. Most road bikes come with cages on the pedals and they'll work just fine. Bike shoes and the accompanying clipless pedals give you more bang for your buck with each pedal stroke, but you can totally ride without them.
• Cleats/Pedals $90.00
• If you go with the cages, you don't need these!
• Cycling Gloves $25.00
• I like them because they make it easier to hang onto my water bottle and keep my hands from sliding around, but again, they're a convenience, not a requirement.
• Bike Shorts $80.00
• Believe me when I say you want bike shorts.  Unless you're used to it, that bike seat is murder on your bits and pieces - and even after you're used to it, long distances will still require a nice, thick chamois.
• Cycling Jersey $60.00 
• I like them because they look cool, wick away sweat, and they have nice deep pockets in the back to hold gels, but you can ride a bike in any old t-shirt.
• Bike Speed/Cadence Sensor $50.00
•  Another purely indulgent thing. Mine pairs with my Garmin, which is where all those nifty speed/cadence graphs on my blog come from, and fuels my addiction to data.
• Water Bottle $15.00
• Riding a bike is hard work. You will get thirsty. My first bike bottle cost a whopping $3. My current one is a little larger and is insulated so my water stays a bit cooler on hot days - especially if I throw a little ice in it before I leave home.
• Water Bottle Cage $10.00
• Gotta put that bottle somewhere while you're riding!
• Chamois Cream $10.00
• Chafing in your bike/tri shorts sucks. Spend the $10 on a tube of this stuff. Use liberally. Reapply as necessary.
• Bike Bag/Flat Kit $50.00
• Picture this: You're on a bike trail about 15 miles from home and one of your tubes goes flat. Do you really want to walk 15 miles back while carrying your bike so you don't bend the rim and incur repair costs, or would you rather pull out a new tube, inflate it, and continue with your ride?
• Indoor Bike Trainer $150.00
• Total luxury item. I live in a climate that makes riding outdoors nearly impossible for about 8 months a year, so it's nice to have the option to ride inside.
• Climbing Block $25.00
• It's good to have something under the front tire when the bike is in an indoor trainer. There are cheaper options starting around $5 - or you can always shove an old textbook under there!
• Running Shoes $100.00
• Running Rule #1: Do NOT cheap out on the shoes. Go to a running specialty store and get fitted. Trust me.
• Running Clothes (shorts/top/sports bra) $150.00
• You do not need an entire wardrobe of specialty running clothes. Run in whatever makes you comfortable.  The nice part of doing races is amassing a wardrobe of technical fabric t-shirts!
• Sunglasses $20.00
• I picked mine up out of a bargain bin at REI and I use them on both the bike and the run - and when hiking/kayaking/rafting/etc.
• Assorted Bars/Gels $45.00
• Unless you are planning to go long distances or have a stomach like mine that doesn't tolerate much in the way of food before a workout/early in the morning, you can skip this stuff.
• Tri Shorts $50.00
• Again, not a necessity. Yes, tri-shorts make it easier to transition from swim/bike/run since you wear them for all 3 sports, but one of my friends prefers to slip on a pair of regular shorts over her swimsuit when she gets out of the water - and it works just fine for her!
• Tri Top $40.00
• See note about tri shorts
• Race Entry Fee $75.00
• Unless you know someone who will let you race for free, you're going to have to cough up some cash on this one, but there are often early-registration or team discounts. In my case, my tri team membership saved me about $10.
• Triathlon Team Membership $40.00
• This has already paid for itself and then some in terms of race discounts and discounts at businesses that sponsor the team.  It also provided me with a coach in the form of the Iron Cheerleader (cost of group coaching around here is about $325/month) - and I got to know a bunch of really cool people as we trained together.

Long story short...too late...I spent about $818.00 (would have been less if I hadn't replaced my Garmin) to become a triathlete this summer. If you've never been a cyclist or a runner and you're thinking of getting into triathlon, go for it...just try not to buy into the hype that you need all kinds of fancy stuff to become a triathlete. All you really need is a swimsuit, a bike/helmet, and a pair of running shoes - the rest is just icing on the cake.

2013: A Year In Review

It's that time of the year: The time when every blogger on Earth seems to write a 'Year In Review' post.  I'm not usually a fan of following the herd, but this is one bandwagon I'm willing to jump on since it's kind of fun taking a stroll down memory lane as I sift through my archives.

(source)

2013 was another damn good year for me.

I raced.

Favorite Race: Pewaukee Lake Sprint Triathlon
2013 was the year I made the big leap into the world of triathlon and I'm really glad I did it.  I met some wonderful people, learned a lot, and was forced to confront one of my greatest fears: open water swimming.  I can say, without a doubt, that every moment (even the ones that sucked) of training for and racing my first triathlon was worth it and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Proudest Racing Moment: Shoreline Duathlon
I ran the first run leg like I was on fire, roared through T1, and had the best bike leg I've ever had - right up until the moment I crashed.  That crash damaged my bike, banged up my body, and pretty much scared the living $#!% out of me.  My whole body hurt, I had blood running down my arm, and there was gravel lodged in my elbow and my leg.  It would have been so easy to quit when I made it back to T2, but I didn't. My mind overrode my body (something I've struggled with a lot) and I finished that race - and I was only 2 minutes behind Mr. R&R!

I traveled.

Low Key: Mountains, and Ziplines, and Bears! Oh my!
In August, Mr. R&R and I hopped in the car, drove through a few states, and ended up at our favorite little North Carolina mountain hideaway.

It was a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. There were horses, books, rafting, long soaks in the hot tub, zip lines, and a bear!

The trip was made extra awesome by our overnight stop in Louisville, Kentucky on the way to North Carolina because I got to meet one of my online friends in real life!

High Class: Isla Del EncantoI'm  not usually one for beach vacations, but Puerto Rico may have turned me into a convert.

Between beautiful scenery, warm waters, and amazing food, I'd be hard pressed not to want to make a return trip next winter!

And of course there was the wedding - the whole reason we went to Puerto Rico in the first place!  I love a good excuse to get dressed up, but this wedding had me feeling like I was in the middle of a James Bond movie!

I cooked.

Favorite Food Post: Food In A Flash
For one week in March, I blogged about every dinner I made in an attempt to show that it is possible to eat somewhat healthy meals at home without slaving over the stove.  I'm hoping to do more posts like this in 2014.

Runner Up: Fuel The BurnThis post detailed what I was eating in conjunction with my Raise The Bar Challenge.  These healthy meals have become more than just part of a challenge. They've become a cornerstone of the way I eat.

And of course Rabbits And Runs wouldn't be the same without my boys, Walter and Spot.

Favorite Spot Picture of 2013:

 
Favorite Walter Picture of 2013:

Favorite Dual Picture of 2013:

I can't wait to see what 2014 brings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!