Michelle's Mango Salsa

Last night, my kitchen was in a horrid state.

One of my main complaints about my apartment is the limited counter space and cabinet space I have, but when I tried to make Michelle's delicious mango salsa last night, I had no room to do it on, and it wasn't by fault of the design of the kitchen. It was my own laziness, and so I decided to do something about it. Thirty minutes later, my kitchen looked like this:

This is a kitchen I can work in!

After that, I went straight to work on the mango salsa recipe Michelle made for Julia's bridal shower. It's a very simple recipe! All you need is two diced mangoes, a quarter of an onion (diced), 4 tbsp lime juice, 4 tbsp cilantro, and 1 tsp salt. Stir it up, let it sit for half an hour or longer, and voila!

I took it to work today and shared with my cubemates, and it was a huge hit! I was hoping to save some to share with my parents this weekend, but I have four more mangoes sitting in my fridge. I think I'll be making more tomorrow!

Three more days until the Bolder Boulder, and my attempt to pick up my speed went well this morning. The same route I always run I managed to run three minutes faster than normal. The run made me think... what if I could PR on Monday?

The Bolder Boulder has kilometer markings, which would make keeping track of my pace a lot easier than with mile markers alone. To PR, all I would have to do is run each kilometer in 6 minutes, and I believe that this is something I can do. Will I be disappointed if I didn't manage to PR? Admittedly, a little. The only thing that would prevent this is that I'm not in one of the first few qualifying waves this year, which means a lot of weaving around people. Other than that... what's really stopping me?

So, with three days to go, it's time to nail down what I want to accomplish for the 10K.

Goals / Plans of Actions

• Run each kilometer between 5 minutes and 7 minutes. This way, if I PR, I PR; if I don't, I don't, but I'll at least have a time I can smile about all the same.
• Take water only around the 4 mile marker! At the half marathon, I proved that I didn't need water every two miles. For a 10K I should not need more than one break. If I don't take this break, then so be it.
• Have fun! That was the entire point of signing up for this race; while I won't be running with Michelle or Laura (they're in different waves), I am running for them and with them. Plus, there will be a lot of cool and fun things along the route!

 I cannot wait for this race! I really do love the 10K distance.

UPDATE - (Warning: TMI, Women Only)

I briefly looked at my calendar and realized--my period is supposed to start sometime this weekend! That would explain why my weight has stagnated, but this also presented another huge problem in lieu of the upcoming race: I cannot run while on my period. I cramp, I get nauseated, and I'm hard pressed to run more than a mile. If I try to do more than that, I'm usually curled up in the fetal position on the side of the trail for a good fifteen minutes before I do a slow walk back home.

Race day is the one month mark from when I had my last period. Now, I'm hoping my period starts within the next 24 hours so the pain and cramping and nausea goes away before the race, but I can only be so lucky. The best thing I can do at this point is have some adjusted goals from the above. If my period starts either Sunday or Monday, this is what I will strive to do:

• Push through to the end! I'll run as much as I can, at the very least trying to pursue a run 2K/walk 1K approach. (I mean, hey. If I can march drum corps during my period, I can certainly run a 10K! And besides, there's no guarantee that I won't be menstruating during the marathon in October!)
• Take water at every aid station! This is critical! Hydration is the most important during periods of pain and suffering and heavy blood loss.
• Have fun! This goal does not change for a second.

At least this time, my PMS didn't come with the emotional trauma. It only came with a weight stagnation and the foreboding possibility of one of my worst racing nightmares. Either way, I'll make the Bolder Boulder a fun and educational experience!