AND WE'RE BACK!!!

It's been a long frickin' road, but my running has been struggling the past few months. I'm not gonna lie, since I don't have padded bike shorts and since my knee's been bothering me, I've really only worked out once or twice a month since living here in Arizona. I tried Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred for a few days when I knew I couldn't run and it was too hot to bike, but I didn't have the heart. I'm a runner and if I couldn't run, then what did I have left?

My eating habits went down the drain too. I've been eating junk and drinking a lot. Since I don't have a job, it's easier to get hungry during the day and grab a snack from the pantry. Bad snacks :) But this isn't aimed at being a downer post. This is a new day. The weather is cool and conducive to running so I figured it'd be nice to try the Couch 2 5K program. I downloaded the app and off I went (paced by a British woman's voice telling me when to run and when to walk).

I'm going to admit, I do feel pretty silly doing this program because I was averaging about seven miles per run this spring. And I set a PR at a 5K race in June as well. It was very frustrating for me to start on Week 1 Day 1, because it's basically alternating between jogging and walking every 90 seconds, plus a five-minute warm-up and cool-down for a total of 30 minutes. My frustrations were after building up a good jogging pace, I'd have to stop and walk immediately. But, seeing as how I pushed myself because I felt good earlier and wound up with a knee injury, it's going to be smart to ease into this. I did feel strong and my knee didn't bother me much. I just feel out of shape I guess :) my lungs need to get back in the groove of running too.

I did also have another reason for exercising again (other than feeling utter lazy): my TMJ has been soooooo painful I can't even get out of bed some days. TMJ is intense pain in the jaw joint that leads to crazy gnarly knots in my neck and face and head. I've been given PT exercises for when I'm home, but I've also been advised to exercise. So this was also a desperation attempt to keep the pain at bay. And you know what? I think it really helped!

In about 30 minutes, I walked and jogged just over two miles. Funny because on the first day I'm basically 2/3 of the way to a 5K ha. Maybe I'm jogging too fast? Either way, in summary, C25K = smart for me right now. Maybe this'll give me the kick in the pants I've been needing all summer :) I hope I can stick with it and my knee cooperates.

Running Frustrations and Panko "Fried Chicken"

Let me preface this post by saying I'm not a Southern girl, but I do like me some fried chicken! However, I'm not really a big fan of actually frying things. Lately I've been doing a great job of keeping my cholesterol in check and I'd like to continue to do so :) So get ready for my take on "fried chicken," which is a misnomer since there's nothing fried about this chicken at all.

...After hearing about my recent return to running. As you see on the sidebar to the right, before yesterday morning, I hadn't ran in nearly 2.5 months. And I died a little bit inside not to doing so. Several weeks ago, I severely injured my knee. I'd seen two sports therapists, have been using Rock tape and have several stretches I do every few days for my knee and ankle and all the muscles in between. After going that long without running, I started to lose it.

How am I supposed to workout without running if I can't afford a gym membership (without a job), don't have access to a free pool and my knee hurt after even limited motion cardio activities?? I basically was restricted to OnDemand yoga and stretching, but nothing gave me that same feeling as when I ran. I think this triggered a minor bout of depression for me. Well, maybe that or being rejected by SEVEN companies I've interviewed with now.

Either way, I felt the need to test the water yesterday. My knee wasn't crackling as much and at 10 a.m. the weather in Phoenix had cooled down to 81°!!! It seems as if all signs were point to run.

Except, my knee is not yet ready for it. I could only manage 1.49 miles before it started to bother me. Post-run I underwent some major icing, stretching and then a warm bath.

I'm still extremely overwhelmed. Am I going to be able to run again?? How long is it going to take to get back into it?? How come there are people who run multiple marathons a year, and when I started conservatively training for a half marathon, I could only make it to 8 miles before blowing out my knee?? And am I going to get a job SOON before being rejected by yet another company so I can afford to go to a physical therapist again?

So many unanswered questions. I'm feeling miserable about this entire situation, so I guess I'll stick to my OnDemand workouts until I can ease back into running at the right time...

Let's move in a happier direction, shall we??? How about that recipe I promised you before my running rant.

Panko "Fried Chicken"

• 6-10 chicken breast tenders
• 1 1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 t Italian seasoning
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1/2 c flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 2 eggs
• oil spray

Cooking directions: Preheat oven to 350°, while it's heating, coat a cookie sheet with oil spray (I used extra virgin olive oil). The prepare three shallow bowls for the chicken. In one, combine flour, salt and pepper. Crack two eggs in a second bowl. In a third final bowl, mix Panko, cumin, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.

Note: I only used six chicken tenders and found this was more mixtures than I needed. It could easily be cut in half, or use double the chicken.

Coat a chicken tender into flour, dip into egg mixture and then give them a final dunk in the bread crumbs. Repeat for all the chicken tenders then place them on the cookie sheet.

The chicken tenders should bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

We had ours alongside sweet potato fries, dipping sauces of ketchup and apricot BBQ sauce and a big bowl of salad. Oh yeah, plus a chilled glass of white wine, which kept me amused during my wait for the tenders to cook!

Enjoy! They're a little different than your usual fried chicken, but still juicy and tender inside with a proper crisp on the outside! Dipping them in BBQ sauce was also fabulous :)

Holy Update

So the problem with intense moving and sight-seeing over the past two weeks sans Internet is that I've got a motherload of photos and stories to update. I'm going to tackle it by city and hope this covers the void from the end of July to the beginning of August.

GOODBYE, STOCKTON

In attempt to empty out our pantry before moving, I tested out my first ever oats in a jar. It was alright, but I think I had too much peanut butter left in the jar. I guess I rushed it, you know, moving out and wanting to toss it and all. It was also WAY too hot to hold on to. I might try it again... in several months, since that's how long it'll take me to finish up a jar!

I ended up going with that chai oatmeal I've had a while, plus some of TJ's super berry mix of dried berries and crunched up some walnuts. Good, but too much PB for my taste.

In addition to cleaning out the cabinets there were several going away meals. I'm not going to say who, but a furry member of my household snuck some of my sushi. How rude!!! He gobbled up an entire pinwheel of caterpillar roll in one bite! We also went out with J.D.'s best friend from high school. He's Greek so naturally we dined at the nicest Greek restaurant in Stockton :)

The meal started out with endless baskets of pita bread. I went nuts on that and tzatziki and wound up with limited stomach space for the actual meal. I selected a crisp Sauvignon blanc to go with my meal.

Followed by a fresh Greek salad with a block of feta on top. Oh yeah and I also got all the boys' kalamata olives, which are kind of my favorite. I looove olives.

Next up came the main course, which ended up being two dinners and a lunch over the next two days. Score! I ordered the Mediterranean chicken with pesto, fresh veggies and pasta.

And then, just like that, after several days of intense packing/cleaning, I quit my job with no promise of future employment and left the condo while J.D. drove down to Arizona to begin his first week at his new job. I, on the other hand, enjoyed a week of unemployment at my parents' house in the Bay Area before he flew back up and we checked out of the condo and packed up a truck to move all our crap 12 hours south.

HOME, SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

Since then I've been having mild panic attacks about finding work/insurance. Luckily, I've since been approved for insurance after comparing plans and applying at my parents' house.

During my week of "vacation" at home, I got to do a little sightseeing. Chic Runner posted about the most AMAZING cupcake shop after running the San Francisco Marathon. From seeing her tweets and post, I knew I HAD to visit before leaving the state of California -- the only state I've ever had permanent residence in -- for good! Enter SF's own American Cupcake. Heaven in your mouth. They sell individual cupcakes and also cupcake/wine pairing flights!!!

We made a girls' day of it with my sister's only day off work during the week, to include my mom and her friend! The place had an awesome ambiance on a cute little street with abundant shopping. It was a pain to get to though, taking BART instead of driving. We ended up walking about 2.5 miles or so both ways. It made for a long trek with typical blistery SF summer weather. Worlds away from the 100 degree heat in the Arizona desert. Either way, all WORTH IT for these cupcakes!!!

My sis and I were both curious about the Beer and Chocolate flight, so I decided to order it and split the Tunnel of Love wine flight with her. Mine came with a chocolate mint cupcake, chocolate peanut butter and chocolate coconut. And let me tell you something, these people really know how to pair their drinks!!! With the mint came a Japanese beer that went down smooth, the coconut was accompanied by my fav beer on the planet, hef, and the chocolate PB partnered with something I'd NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS see myself enjoying. Chocolate stout. OM#*@@%#G it was good! I really enjoyed how it complimented the heavy taste of both chocolate and PB but also the creamier notes. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think I could ever drink it as a drink. But it had nice tasting notes. I also let my sister have more than half of that one :)

Finishing up our halves, we swapped and I got to sample the wine flight. Aimee's came with a red hot cupcake, red velvet and simple chocolate. They went with a cab, bubbly and the epitome of summer (in my mind) rosé. I looooove chocolate and wine. All perfect pairings I had the indescribable pleasure of sampling :)

Our mom said "I'd like to try the Walk of Shame" (giggles) and from what I could tell, was pretty yummy! It came with a lemon cupcake I never got to taste because she woofed down all of hers very fast :) butterscotch and coconut cupcakes. They went with various wines and the butterscotch/merlot combo was pretty awesome!

My favorite after all was said and done?

Had to be the wines! :) Like father, like daughter. Which reminds me of a post for another day... my dad makes wine in his garage and has won medals for it!

HELLO, ARIZONA!

Eventually it had to end and I said goodbye to my family, packed up and met J.D. at the Sacramento Airport before driving back to Stockton to load the truck. We made the 12-hour trek out here to Arizona and little Woodstock was such a good boy and slept for most of it! Like his mama, he too suffered a minor injury. Sidenote: I'm seeing a sports therapist for my knee and will be sidelined from running for quite some time :( MAJOR BOO!!!! I have degenerative tissue below the kneecap and some sort of tendinitis below it. So massages, adjustments, stretches and kinesiotape will have to do for now. Woodstock also pushed his limits and jumped out of someone's arms while he was at home with me and thankfully didn't end up breaking anything!! He just suffered from a minor limp and took some pain meds, but no worries, the pooch loves running, digging and rolling around in his new grassy backyard.

Other than that, I've been spending an ungodly amount of time unpacking and getting lost in exploring my new city. We made it out to J.D.'s favorite restaurant of all time, another Guy Fieri feature on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Chino Bandito. Mexican, Chinese and Jamaican fare. But here's the kicker, you order your main meat selection (Chinese or Mexican) in a burrito, rice bowl or quesadilla! Then you get to pick beans and rice (fried, regular or Jamaican jerk). I went with a steak quesadilla seasoned with Chinese flavors, alongside jade chicken, white rice and black refried beans. Again, I sound like a broken record but holy yum!!!!!! It was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed J.D.'s orange chicken quesadilla :)

His

And hers.

Last but not least, the endless job search. I feel like I've been sending out a thousand applications, resumes and cover letters! If all else fails, I've secured several side jobs which should amount to something. I'm dressing the part for success and I do have an interview tomorrow! Something to look forward to :)

I hope someone hires me!!!!

To be continued.....

Also, don't forget you have until MONDAY, AUG. 16 to both enter my Gracie's Gear giveaway and also receive free shipping in my OpenSky shop with the code FREESHIPPING.

Have a good night.... I'm up way too late for a morning interview :)

Seriously?!?!?!

So, not like earth-shattering news or anything, but we got the house. NBD.

Are you kidding me?! That's HUGE NEWS.... WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!! (insert girl hysteria noise here).

Because of that, I've been up all hours cleaning out our former house in Stockton. I say former because today I officially moved out. Moved out as in no longer living there, not as in turned in the keys. J.D. left for Arizona today because his job starts Monday. We packed our little hearts out until nearly 2 a.m. this morning. Then today I stayed behind and packed some more stragglers and cleaned up a bit. He's flying back later next week and we'll finish cleaning then hand over the keys to our landlord and drive down to AZ to move into our new rental!!!!

For the time being Woodstock and I are at my parents' house.

As far as work goes, I'm newly unemployed. That's very frightening, but there are affordable insurance plans I could buy. And I do have some leads on jobs.

As originally planned, I'm still going to go and get fingerprinted so I can be a substitute teacher (hopefully for English or French classes) in Phoenix. Then I'm going to write freelance articles for a few sports/fitness magazines/blogs in the area. I also signed up to tutor English, math, history and French with a private company. And I'm hoping to work some games on Arizona State's event staff. So maybe volleyball, basketball and when the season comes baseball/softball.

Plenty of things to keep me busy until I find a full-time paying job! Provided any of these options pan out, that is.

And knee update. The move up and down stairs is KILLING my knee. It's so swollen and painful. I'm taking some advice and seeing a chiropractor on Monday, because guess what, I'm insurance-free right now :-\ so scary with how much I'm sick/injured.

Hopefully it doesn't last long.....

I guess I'm going to pick up biking tomorrow as my form of exercise since running is clearly out of the cards for me right now. I'm also really excited about moving to Phoenix because they have tons of Lululemon stores down there which means yoga classes!!!

Just thought you'd all like a quick update on my life :) Now back to insurance and job hunting!

xx ♥