Support Your Girls

Confessions first: Prior to writing this blog, I had never been fitted for a sports bra. I also owned sports bras that were way past their prime.

So…when I got this email last week, I knew it was time to head over to Fleet Feet for a proper bra fitting.

I’m not going to lie, I was a little intimidated.  It’s very personal to let someone measure your bust.  Hopefully sharing my experience will show you that it’s no big deal and all women need to be fitted.

Here’s what to expect:  

• I let the staff know that I wanted to get fitted.
• I went into a fitting room, removed my shirt and kept my bra on (I wore a current sports bra), and let the staff member know when I was ready to get measured.
• She brought a tape measure into my room, measured around my rib cage and around the largest part of my bust.
• She pulled some bra options for me to try, let me change privately, and once each one was on, adjusted the straps and hooks to insure the proper fit.

The two that worked best for me:  I measured 31″ under my breasts which puts me in between sizes.  By wearing sports bras with adjustable hooks in the back, I can ensure the correct fit.

Moving Comfort Rebound Racer

Moving Comfort FineForm

Fit Tips:

1.  Scoop your breasts into the cups so they are centered and level.

2.  Fabric should be smooth.  Wrinkles or puckers indicate the cup is too big.

3.  Band should fit more snug than a lingerie bra and lay straight across your back without riding up.

4.  The underwire should sit on your rib cage below the breast tissue and follow your natural shape.  It shouldn’t poke or pinch and the center panel should lay flat against your breast bone.  If it doesn’t, you may need a larger cup.

5.  Straps should not slide or dip into your shoulders.

Take Care:

1.  Wash it gently.  Use the gentle or delicate cycle if you machine wash and be sure to fasten any hooks or straps to avoid snags.  Place your sports bra into a lingerie wash bag.

2.  Let it hang to air dry.  If you must, tumble dry low.

3.  Give it a break.  Rotate a minimum of three bras: one in the wash, one hanging to dry, and a third ready to wear.

4.  Your sports bra should not have a birthday.  Replace them ever 6-12 months!

And lastly, I have to include a little sports bra humor!

Have you ever been fitted? Like me, are your bras older than a year old?

Enough with the boobs, tell me about your weekend!  Did you race or run long?  Our official CMM training run was cancelled due to ice, but I still met up with a smaller group for a 15 miler!

What was the highlight of your weekend?  I had a lot of really nice quality time with my husband 🙂

#choosejoy

Thanks Thor!

Like a lot of the country, Tennessee got hit with another round of snow from Winter Storm Thor.  This week has involved a lot of time on the treadmill, crazy circles around the indoor track, and a whole lot of coffee!

Wednesday:

We kicked off the day with a crepe date at The Perch.

And headed to the gym for 10 treadmill miles.

Please tell me that you’ve done this…

With the bad weather on it’s way, I squeezed in an evening workout at Orange Theory Fitness.  Ignore the crazy hair!  The 2400m row kicked my arse!

I was craving guacamole when I got home!

Thursday:

We rarely see heavy snow in Nashville.  It was beautiful!

Roads were terrible, but Dave and Corrie were able to meet me at the Y to run on their indoor track.  18 laps per mile.  Yes it’s a little nuts, but it’s so fun to run with friends and catch up!

Followed by coffee.

With dinner, I made a new crispy asian brussels sprouts recipe….yum!

Friday:

I had heavy legs, ran a snail pace 8 miles, and biked a little to loosen up.

Just in case you didn’t get enough coffee humor from me this week…

***Don’t forget to SPRING FORWARD before you got to bed Saturday night!

 

Also, I got two very cool shout-outs from other bloggers this week: BIG THANKS to Hungry Runner Girl and The Runner Dad!!!

Do you like Spring Forward?  I don’t because my morning runs will be in the dark again.

Weekend running plans?  I’m doing a 15 miler on Saturday and previewing the Oak Barrel race course on Sunday!

What food or drink do you crave after a hard workout?  I usually crave tortilla chips and salsa, guac, or cheese dip.

 

 

I’m running the Country Music Half Marathon again this year as a St. Jude Hero. Through the generous support of fundraisers and their donors, families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food—because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.  A donation of any amount would be appreciated!!!  CLICK HERE TO DONATE and thank you in advance!

The Friday Five

1.  Chocolate Cocao Nibs.  My favorite way to add a chocolate crunch to my smoothies!

The fruit of the cacao tree contains a small bean from which all chocolate is made. Cacao is an incredible health food in its natural state, filled with energy-boosting nutrients. Loaded with minerals such as magnesium which may contribute to normal bone health and healthy immune function, cacao is also high in copper and manganese.

2.  My friend Liz is an awesome ultra marathoner.  She also writes a blog and is one of the most well-read people I know on all things running.  This week she recommended the Moringa Muscle Soak from Thistle Farms (available in their online store or at  Whole Foods in Nashville).  I have always loved the Thistle Farms mission and their products.  Thanks to Liz, this is my new favorite!!

3.  CWX Tights

4.  The Starfish Story

5.  Uptown Abs!  Has anyone actually tried this workout?  Were you able to complete the whole thing?

Happy Friday and Choose JOY!!!

 

 

Baked Mushroom Marsala

This Baked Mushroom Marsala was a huge hit in our house and it will be made over and over again.  Yes, it’s a casserole, but not in the canned soup kind of way.  It combines the traditional rich Marsala mushroom sauce, al dente pasta, mozzarella, and a crunchy parmesan and panko topping.   It even stayed creamy when we reheated the leftovers!

Start by cooking your pasta until it is al dente…1-2 minutes below the recommended cooking time.

To make the sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden, but have not release their liquid.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add the onions, salt, and pepper.

Saute until the liquid has evaporated.  Add the Marsala and cook until it has evaporated.

Add the butter and stir until melted.  This recipe doesn’t contain cream, so the butter really helps make it creamy.

Add the flour and stir until it has been dampened and absorbed.

Begin to incorporate the vegetable broth.  Add a little bit at a time, stirring the whole time.

Repeat until all of the broth has been added.  Let simmer for 2 minutes.  You just made your own Marsala mushroom cream sauce!

Add the cooked pasta into the large skillet. Stir in half of the parmesan, all of the mozzarella, and 2 Tablespoons parsley.

Pour mixture into a 3-4 quart (greased) baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

And top with panko bread crumbs.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until the edges are golden brown and bubbling. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve!

Instructions:

Servings: 4 really generous or 6 slightly more moderate ones
To serve a crowd: Double it in a 9×13-inch or lasagna pan

1/2 pound (8 ounces or 225 grams) pasta of you choice (I used Gemelli)
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 ounces (454 grams) fresh mushroom, sliced (I used Baby Bellas.  Crimini would also work well.)
1 small-to-medium yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry Marsala wine (It’s not absolutely necessary, but I highly recommend it.  Marsala is super cheap, too!)
3 tablespoons  unsalted butter
3 tablespoons  all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups stock or broth (chicken, vegetable or mushroom…I used vegetable broth.)
1/2 cup  finely grated parmesan cheese
4 ounces mozzarella, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes before perfect doneness. Drain and set aside.

Heat oven: To 400 degrees.

Make the sauce: Add oil to a large skillet over high heat.  Once it is hot, add mushrooms and cook until they’ve begun to brown and glisten, but have not yet released their liquid. Reduce heat to medium-high, add onions, salt and pepper and saute together until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until it has almost or fully evaporated. Add butter, stir until melted. Add flour, and stir until all has been dampened and absorbed. Add broth, a very small splash at a time, stirring the whole time with a spoon. Make sure each splash has been fully mixed into the butter/flour/mushroom mixture, scraping from the bottom of the pan and all around, before adding the next splash. Repeat until all stock has been added. Let mixture simmer together for 2 minutes, stirring frequently; the sauce will thicken. Remove pan from heat.

Assemble and bake dish: Add the cooked pasta into the mushroom mixture and combine. Stir in half the parmesan, all of the mozzarella and two tablespoons of the parsley until evenly mixed. Spoon the mixture into a 3-4 quart greased baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with remaining parmesan and panko. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until edges of pasta are golden brown and irresistible. Sprinkle with reserved parsley and serve hot. Reheat as needed.

Recipe adapted from: Smitten Kitchen

Related Recipes:

Roasted Mushroom and Cauliflower Quinoa

Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

Baked Caprese Quinoa

 

Mile Repeats and No Boundaries

Monday:

Got up super early to meet friends for a 6 miler.  I love the Nike Flash tights when it’s dark out.

I hit the treadmill for 4 more miles afterwards.

For dinner I made a Baked Mushroom Marsala and it was SOOO good!  I’ll have the recipe typed up shortly.

Track prep for Tuesday.  (My 100m splits, Chocolate Outrage Gu, and Cocogo)

Tuesday:

I kicked off the day with a Saladworks $50 Gift Card Giveaway.  It’s not too late to enter…click HERE!

Tuesdays are for running track!

5 mile warmup

4 x 1600m (1 minute recovery) (Goal: 7:27.  Actual: 7:27, 7:28, 7:27, 7:18)

1 mile cool down

Afternoon dentist appointment…boo, but I am cavity free!

For dinner, I met up with J for Mexican, because…wait for it….it’s Taco Tuesday!

We are having the craziest weather in TN right now!  60’s, storms, and they just issued a Winter Weather Advisory.

I met up with the Fleet Feet No Boundaries Group for a soaked 3.5 miles!  This group is really amazing!!  Many of them are training for their first 5k or 10k and they showed up in crappy weather on a Tuesday night to train together.  I had a ball!!!

I was a soggy bird machine!

Lent update:

I’m still not eating desserts.  Yes, I miss the sweets.  However, I am loving my Joy Jar!  I keep it in my kitchen so I can always see it.  I write down something that I’m grateful for at the end of each day.  It’s such a lovely reminder that life is good.

How are you doing with Lent?

Who got into the NYC Marathon?  I’m in!

Was your first race a 5k or 10k?  How many years since you ran your first race?

Saladworks GIVEAWAY!

I am a big fan of Saladworks!  It’s nice to have so many healthy vegetarian and vegan menu options.  A new location just recently opened near me in Franklin, TN.  We eat their regularly, so I was really excited when they asked me to host a gift card giveaway!

Saladworks is the nation’s first and largest fresh-tossed salad franchise concept, with over 100 locations across the country. Saladworks offers a “fanatically fresh” menu of America’s Best Salads with signature dressings, proprietary soups, and Focaccia Fusion sandwiches. All Saladworks salads are made-to-order, chopped on-location, and assembled right in front of your eyes.

You can order from their salad menu or build your own.  I opted to create my own and made my version of a taco salad.

I paired it with their veggie chili.  I’m also a big fan of their butternut squash soup as well.  Soups vary by location and change daily.  Click HERE to see the full soup menu.

Your order comes with your choice of a white or wheat roll.  And if you have a sweet tooth, they have cookies, too!

I received product to try from Saladworks in exchange for a review.  However, the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

GIVEAWAY: $50 Saladworks Gift Card!

One entry per person.  Limited to Kentucky and Tennessee Locations.  Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Monday, March 9th! 

To enter: simply leave a comment telling me your favorite salad toppings!  If you don’t like salad, what’s your favorite type of soup?

February Miles and My Weekend Wrap-Up

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Here’s my Weekend Wrap-Up:

Saturday’s Mood:

I was so excited to meet up with my Country Music Marathon Group for their first 20 miler of this training season!

Great minds think alike, because Jenn and I showed up in matching outfits!

Is this the longest route sheet you’ve ever seen?  Too funny!

This group makes 20 miles so fun!

My Rock n Roll Tour Pass showed up in the mail!!  My 2015 race calendar is starting to feel real…eek!

Don’t forget to use code: JENCHOOSESJOY (all caps) to save $15 off ALL Rock n Roll Marathons and Half Marathons!!

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I’m working with Ah Ha Creative to update my little blog.  Amy (the owner) sent me the perfect surprise in the mail.  She gets me. 🙂

Sunday:

I hopped on the treadmill for 7 early morning shakeout miles.  First at the gym!

Fave treadmill song of the moment….Uptown Funk!

I met up with J for breakfast.

Apparently Jimmy Fallon and I had the same weekend plans.  No spoilers.  I’m still watching, but Season 3 of House of Cards is really good!!

Oh, and my girlfriend Shyla sent me this gem!!!  How do we make this happen?  Runners unite.  Let’s form a Chipotle team!

And lastly, another month is in the books.  It feels so good to be back to my regular run schedule!!!

February Miles: 330

YTD: 547

Did you race or long run?  Share!!

House of Cards?  Did you binge watch it?

Were most of your February Miles outside or on the treadmill?

#choosejoy