Tomorrow I strap up my laces and set out to run 26.2 miles of Washington DC’s streets. As excited as I am that the day is almost here, the road has been anything but smooth. But then again when does anything go the way we plan it to?a

It all started back in October. I was running 40-50 mile weeks just for fun, and a few blogger friends brought up this thing called The National Marathon. I had considered doing a marathon for a while, and with this one being just 3 days before a milestone birthday of mine it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I jumped at the chance.

But then on November 16th after lunch I stood up to a sharp pain in my right leg. I figured these things happen and that I could walk it off. Two days later I ran 6 miles before having to call it quits. That Saturday I ran again and when I was done even walking hurt. I had stupidly and unknowingly caused a stress fracture in my leg.

For the next month I didn’t see a doctor; what can I say? I’m stubborn. I quit running, took up what exercises I could do like yoga and the elliptical, and strength trained. When I finally did see the doctor, my leg had healed somewhat and I was prescribed a few more weeks of rest. The marathon wasn’t even on my mind for these 6 weeks; any amount of running would have been fine.

I had my first run post-injury on December 31st, and I ran a sore and uncomfortable 2.5 miles before calling it quits. It wasn’t a comeback; I was huffing and puffing. But it was running. I decided maybe I could shoot for the marathon with the twelve weeks I had left. Granted, no one would tell you 12 weeks is enough to train for a marathon, especially after so long a break from running, so I was mostly on my own for a training plan.

4 weeks after I started running I hit double digit long runs. 3 weeks after that I ran my best long run—a well-paced 18-miler in 30mph winds. But I noticed as my long runs got longer that my running during the week suffered. Since I really had no running base this time around, there was no consistency between runs and I turned my focus on making sure the long runs went well(Note: I was really breaking just about every “rule” that there is about building mileage at this point). I also bought compression sleeves for my knees and shins to distribute the pressure during runs to prevent any new injuries from flaring up. 

And then there was the 20-miler, the long run which is supposed to mark the pinnacle of your training and prepare you for the big day. Mine went awful. I didn’t plan enough water; I brought food but had no idea when to eat it; the course I chose was flat but unfamiliar. I ended up having to stop and walk more times than felt comfortable and finished far from goal pace. I wanted to quit more so then than ever. The run taught me a lot about what to do on race day but only because I did it all wrong the first time around. Most of all, I realized I was out of shape to be running a marathon and things would have to change before the race.

In the time since that day I’ve been trying to do things right. I’ve had a few good runs which give me hope my legs won’t fall apart somewhere along the way. Most significantly I’ve changed my diet; no one tells you when you go from running 50 mile weeks to not at all you can’t eat what you want anymore, and from November to February for a variety of reasons I gained a spare tire which wasn’t helping me run any faster. I’ve packed my things, made my playlist and now I’m ready to go. All I’m waiting for is the starting gun.

Of course I’m nervous that 12 weeks wasn’t enough. And I’m nervous that my weekly mileage never got over 26 miles in all that time of running and now I have to run it all at once. But I’m counting on the magic of the day and all the things I’ve learned to push me through. And if I don’t make it all the way(but I will) I’ll be more satisfied having tried and failed than if I had never tried at all.

Cooking doesn’t always have to be a one-person deal. What brings people closer together than food? Cooking with others can be fun, especially if you’re with the right people. I first got this idea from Jessica to think about who I’d most like to cook with. All I can say is I better start cleaning up if any of these people were coming over.

Oprah Winfrey:

Why: It’s Oprah. She owns the world along with the OWN Network and probably has every famous person in her cell phone. We have absolutely nothing in common to talk about, so I’d just ask her incessant questions about her camping trip with Gayle(remember those magical episodes?) and when she’s going to run for president.

What we’d make:

Oprah and I share a clear affection for a certain orange spud, so naturally Sweet Potato Rounds would be on the menu. She’d probably want to eat pretty healthy, so we’d also make Balsamic Brussel Sprouts with Red Wine and Maple-Soy Chicken.

Suze Orman:

Why: Suze Orman scares me to death. I’m not even kidding about that; if I saw her walking down the street I’d probably hustle over to the other sidewalk(don’t act like you don’t do that to people you don’t want to talk to). But she would get me to make that kitchen spick and span; there wouldn’t be a better organized pantry after she’s through with me.

What we’d make: I’d be terrified to serve Suze anything that costs more than $5 to make but still want to impress her with flavors so I’d focus on all-in-one dishes like Chickpeas with Sole and Spinach and Vegged-Out Quinoa.

Paula Deen:

Why: Who could say no to the butter queen, ya’ll? Paula and I share a love of all things fat and sweet, just like us. She’s also a big Kathy Griffin fan, and like Kathy Griffin has quite the potty mouth when you get her off camera. What wouldn’t be fun about that?

What we’d make: When you have Paula Deen in the kitchen, you really need to go big or go home. Fudge Pies, Microwave Fudge, Outrageous Triple Chocolate Brownies—and those would just be the appetizers.

Who would you most like to cook with?

I think Longweekenditis is a real disease, even though WebMD doesn’t give you anything when you search for it. It was just one of those weeks…

When you make the same thing for each meal because you’re low on groceries and uninspired to try something new.

quinoa + frozen spinach + leftover chicken + olive oil = perfection

When whenever you cough someone in the room thinks a horse is dying.

When you make the most absurdly delicious fudge on Thursday afternoon because the week just needs it. Don’t worry; that post’s coming.

When your family tells you they think your pet’s spirit lives in a Rhode Island casino and you think they’re crazy until you realize if you were dead you’d probably haunt that casino, too, because then you’d get visited way more than if you were in some cemetery.

When you run out of groceries a little early and salsa goes from being a condiment to being its own food group.

When there’s so little going on in your life that the highlight of your week is a soap opera wedding(who else is excited for EJ and Taylor’s story line? Don’t lie…).

When the one day a week you plan on going to the store it’s raining buckets. If only there were some sort of 21st century way to tell what the weather’s going to be; my Farmer’s Almanac keeps failing me.

But hey, it’s not all bad: Two and a Half Men production has been shut down. There is a God and he hears my prayers.

We all have our expensive habits; mine happens to be food. For me, it’s too easy to get sucked in to buying expensive specialty food like Justin’s chocolate peanut butter, which is amazing if that was ever in question. This time around, I was determined to make my own chocolate peanut butter since I knew it could be made much much cheaper. I used pre-ground peanut butter, but if you want to do this from scratch simply add an extra step at the beginning of grinding the peanuts in a food processor. All in all, the entire jar came in at less than $2, which is some serious savings, and I’ll eat to that.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Ingredients(Makes 16oz):

• 12oz of peanut butter OR 3 cups of peanuts
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder(preferably dutched)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(omit if you’re using salted peanut butter)

Like I said, I started with pre-ground peanut butter but if you want to start with peanuts grind them to a smooth consistency. Pour this into a large mixing bowl.

Add in the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and mix it thoroughly until you get what looks like a large ball of dough.

Melt down some coconut oil and slowly pour it into the bowl, as well.

Mix the contents of the bowl until the peanut butter is smooth and even.

Store in a 16oz jar at room temperature for up to a month.

To me, this tasted like Reeses Puff cereal, which is never a bad thing. There’s nothing this doesn’t go good on: oatmeal, yogurt, carrots, a spoon—you name it. And with that price, it’s unbeatable. Next time I’m going to try this with almond butter, which I’m sure will work and taste terrific, too.

One of my favorite cuisine’s to cook now is Asian. Maybe it’s because there’s something so good about take-out food that you make yourself; maybe it’s because it’s practically impossible to eat out at an Chinese restaurant and avoid gluten; or maybe it’s because I’m Italian/French/Polish and have no place cooking with these flavors and I like being a rebel. Whatever it is, I think fake-out take-out dishes are the bee’s knees right now, and this sauce is a great condiment to pour on anything to give it that flavor. I’ve used it on tofu, broccoli, chicken—you name it—and it hasn’t disappointed.

Sweet And Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon orange or lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a slight boil. Continue boiling it until it has reduced half of its volume and the sauce has thickened.

You’ll know it’s done when it starts to coat the bottom of the pan like this as you tilt it.

Be careful not to over boil and turn this into a candy. In that case, remove it from the heat and stir in some hot water until it reaches the right consistency.

Store this in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

This doesn’t make that much sauce, so you might want to double the recipe if you’re going to use it a lot. On the other hand, it packs a lot of flavor so you only need about 1/2 a tablespoon for each serving. It’s sweet; it’s sour; it’s delicious. And there’s no scary ingredients, too, when you make it yourself.