The Big Payback is a day of giving online to support non-profits in Middle Tennessee! Starting at midnight on Wednesday, May 3rd, donors have 24 hours to make gifts to 775 participating nonprofits, including schools and religious institutions, which are located in or provide services in the 40 counties of Middle Tennessee. Find out how you can get involved and support your favorite non-profits that make our communities sparkle! I included a list of my favorites and why I love their missions!!
Music City Ultra Trail 25K (27K) Race Recap
This Saturday, I participated in the Music City Ultra Trail 25(7)K. I wasn’t originally going to do this race, I had planned on venturing out on some new trails somewhere close to Nashville while my running group participated. I had heard rumors about the insane course this race offered and was trying to avoid running it. Not very courageous of me!! I LOVE exploring new running routes and I needed some time on quality hills to prepare for Gnaw Bone 50K in may. This race offers three things; 1) awesome climbs 2) great practice for technical skills 3) it helps SAVE THE EARTH!
Easy Vegetarian Pho Broth!
Our go to fast(er) food places are Chipotle and Vui's Kitchen. This summer while I was training for the Chicago Marathon, I had a slight case of food poisoning the night before and then again after my run. It was the only long run I did inside, you know, easy access to bathrooms... I needed something that would be easy on my stomach, and Vui's pho was just the remedy. I now associate it with magical healing powers. Making broth from scratch is something I have always wanted to do and was also a goal for this year in my life, this was a great starter recipe to fulfill my goal! (One more thing!! Hello to my precious friend Jess, from college, who requested this recipe!!)
Snakes on a Trail/on my leg . . .
After climbing rocks, descending on gravel, running through sand, and climbing under and over trees, the only painful part of my body after running 20 miles at the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race was where I got stung. The pain of the sting/bite completely stopped me in my tracks out there on the trails. I screamed and yelled bad words. After the race packet suggested learning to identify poisonous and non-poisonous snakes and their bites, I looked around for snakes and checked to see if I had been stabbed by a stick or something, that is how painful it was. When the swelling and pain got worse 72+ hours after the race, I thought I better get things checked out by a doctor!
Chasing Waterfalls #1: Harpeth River State Park - Hidden Lake
One of my goals for this year is to visit as many State Parks/Wilderness Areas/Waterfalls as possible. Tennessee is so beautiful and there are so many places within reasonable driving distance to explore! Harpeth River State Park was first on my list, I couldn't believe how close it was, only 15 minutes away! (Review includes a handy pros and cons list!)
Girls on the Run - Spring 2016 5K
Today we completed our season ending accomplishment of running the Girls on the Run 5K! But there is more magical goodness happening at Girls on the Run than just running! There is Girls on the Run spirit lining each and everyone of my favorite moments from today including, reaching new goals, doing the right thing, supporting our teammates, taking risks, going the extra mile (kind of literally).
IT BAND/BANNED FROM RUNNING (get it?)
There are 29 more days until I am supposed to be running the Rock n Roll Nashville marathon. Except for this IT band is not healing - and by that I mean, I have not allowed it to heal. My chances of running the marathon are not looking good. I refuse to throw in the towel at this point.
GOTR Community Impact Project & #GIVINGTUESDAY
Anyone who spends at least a little bit of time with me, knows how much I love Girls on the Run. There are SO MANY things I love about GOTR (you can read them here, here, and here), but there is one part of the curriculum that is particularly perfect for #GivingTuesday. Part of the Girls on the Run curriculum focuses on empowering girls to share their strengths and use their unique gifts to positively impact those around them. At the end of the season, every Girls on the Run team creates their own Community Impact Project. The projects are driven by the girls, they are responsible for planning, collecting materials, etc, which gives them a strong sense of ownership and accomplishment. They walk away feeling empowered and realize that together they can have an impact on their communities or towards a cause they are passionate about.
Edible Garden: Back Patio Edition
Remember that one time we built a garden planter ladder? It has been almost one month, and the growth of all of the little baby seedlings is extraordinary! One of the most important parts of any types of gardening, is the soil you use. The soil contains nutrients which are absolutely vital for the health of your plants. If your soil lacks nutrients, so do your plants. Bad soil = bland and nutrition-less produce. I don't use any pesticides or harsh chemical fertilizers on my plants either. I like to encourage good bugs like ladybugs and honey bees to come and eat pests and pollinate, and I do not want to ingest any chemicals!
WE BUILT THIS - Garden Planter Ladder
Four trips to Home Depot, 3 boxes of different sized deck screws, 2 crooked planter boxes, and 1 discarded planter. We have successfully completed our first big project involving wood, a saw, sanding, and a drill.
I have been looking for classes to take on woodworking or how to build stuff, etc. here in Nashville but have been unable to find anything! It was one of my goals for 29 in 29 and I have been looking periodically since last June!! I figured that instead of waiting around for a class to pop up, I could actually start doing something! This was THE PERFECT project for a good ol' learning experience!