So taper week was a disaster. I ran once, but that one run was pretty awesome. So that's something.

I just didn't feel like running.

Isn't that terrific? 14 weeks of training and I don't feel like running.

I didn't feel great, physically or mentally. I was in a funk.

Did I mention it was taper week? The half is 2 weeks away. Yay! Let's not run! Woo Hoo!

No amount of self-prescribed pep talks or nudging from the hubs was getting me out the door.

Nope. I stayed indoors and worked on projects around the house. I didn't even go to Zumba.

I posted this 5 years ago, and we still love these sandwiches. They're even picky eater approved. Score!!

There used to be a restaurant in Warrenton that had fabulous Monte Cristos. Unfortunately, they are no longer around, and I despaired of ever having their Monte Cristos again.

Then a light bulb went off and I decided to look through my many cookbooks and create my own Monte Cristos.

So 5 years have gone by, and I've, of course, updated this recipe a bit, but I'm happy to share it again.

So after killing my long run for week 13, I woke up Monday morning feeling like poo.

My old friend, Hay Fever, was visiting. I hate that guy.

He always seems to show up right before a race. Never fails. So why should this time be any different?

So the week didn't start off like I intended. I was nursing a pressurized, snot-filled face for the first two days. Then Wednesday, I made myself go to class.

It wasn't that hard. My friend was teaching. Pride got into the ring with Hay Fever and won. Some stupid little thing like not being able to breath through my nose is going to stop me (it did, a little). Or the fact that I was constantly clearing my throat throughout class. That wasn't annoying at all.

Are you guys sensing my sarcasm? Its pretty much dripping throughout this post so far just like my nose was.

See what I did there? I could be a comedian. Not really. I'm just annoyed. And snarky. Really snarky.

Any who, I guess there's really no reason to prolong the recap, so here it is!

On Tuesday, I shared the full month inspirational calendars that I had made up before realizing that they were not what I wanted when it came time to tracking my winter training.

Luckily, it didn't take long for me to come up with a calendar that I did like.

Then I thought maybe y'all would like to use this calendar too. I can't be the only one who doesn't want a full month calendar, because not all training plans fit nicely into a 1-month box.

So the 8-, 12-, and 16-week training plan calendars were born.

So all the brands are coming out with their fall lines, and I'm in love.

What I'm not in love with are the prices.

I love to run, but why do I have to pay through the nose for some of the running gear I like?

 I get that shoes cost. I understand that. Shoes, more than any other piece of gear take a beating, and I'm willing to pay for it.

Same goes for a sports bra. If duct tape were comfortable, I'd tape those babies down. I know the women agree. Boobs are annoying when you're exercising. They get in the way. A good sports bra is the 2nd most important thing. My favorite sports bra is actually from Target, {HERE}.

So what about the rest of the gear?

A cute running skirt that costs $75 is outrageous! Brooks is selling one such one, {HERE}.

I get that it's wool and its wicking and all that jazz, but there's probably not more than 1 1/2 yards of material there, and who's honestly wearing a wool skirt for running if the temp dips down to warrant wearing wool?!?!?!

Not me. I've done my fair share of winter running, and a skirt was never on that what-to-wear list. Not to say I didn't wear wool. I did. In a ski mask, that I made myself. It was amazing. It cost me less than $5 to make and literally took me an hour or so of tv watching to whip up.

That's also not to say that I'm not totally coveting an outfit from Ink 'N Burn. I posted this little number to the hubs wall as a birthday gift hint.

I visited my sister in April, and she made me this terrific chicken curry dish.

It was amazing, and I knew that my family would love it. We have this amazing Indian restaurant near us, and it is one of our favorite restaurants. Big Guy and I share a favorite dish there, the chicken tiki masala. So, so good. This dish reminds us of their dish. I mean, theirs is better, but for home cooking this recipe is top notch.

So I asked Dana to share the recipe, who in turn asked her husband to email me the recipe. The email he sent me was titled, "Shazam!" Now you know how this dish got its name in my house.

I apologize for the single photo of this amazing dish, and its quality, but by the time I remembered to snap a picture, I was on my second helping and had already mixed it all up. Its just that good.

So without further ado, here is Shazam! Chicken Curry!

If there was an award for unfinished projects, I'd be in the running for it.

So I might still be on the runner's high from Saturday, or still buzzing with positivity from cheering on a friend at her sprint triathlon yesterday, but I am super excited about this week's report.

Before I delve into dissecting my week, I'm going to give a shout out to my girlfriend and her 2nd triathlon! She did awesome, and despite some bike troubles, she finished strong and looked amazing during it. I am so proud of you. I'm even more proud of her inspiring my husband to do the same sprint triathlon next year! Go Babe! I may or may not be a touch horse from all the cheering I did, but I love the super loud people who cheer at the races I run, so I strove to be that person .

The very beginning of the Luray Sprint Triathlon.

When we found out our family was expanding, there were a lot of emotions. There were even more emotions when we found out our newest addition was going to be a girl.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my boys more than life itself, but a girl was new and a little bit daunting. Boys are easy, comparatively.

Either way, one of of the first projects I completed that included our updated family names was this plaque.

If you guys read Monday's Report, then you know that my Pink Lady's (Nike Air Pegasus 29) died over the weekend, and if you follow me on Instagram (@SewHalfCrazy) then you'll know that I bought new Blue Devils (Brooks Ravenna 6)

I'm gonna talk about shoes, and how important they are.

Welcome to another edition of What to Eat Wednesday!

I'm excited for today's recipe! It's a favorite of mine.

It's Italian and it's easy. Two of my favorite food features.

If my husband were writing this post he'd probably tell you that I am obsessed with quotes.

It's funny how one bad run can really damage your day and mood.

I've known for a while that my shoes were coming to the end of their life.

I was hoping to eek out some more miles from them. That was a bit selfish and stupid on my part.

I know how important shoes are. I know better. I was stupid.

Here's what stupid got me Saturday.

Smart move, right?

It's only 4 weeks until race day.

Its nothing serious. I aggravated my peroneal tendons. I've done it before, when I've run in shoes past when I should have replaced them.

RICE is my friend. RICE is what I go to when I ache. If RICE doesn't fix it, then maybe I actually hurt myself.

What is RICE? Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate. A runner's best friend.

By Saturday evening, I was dancing the night away. Probably not my best idea, but it was a friend's birthday and really, is there any other reason?

So here's the recap of the week.

I'm so excited to share this post.

It was one of the most popular posts on my old blog, and it's easy to do.

It just requires a bit of patience and maybe, a movie or two.

It's really that easy. No lies. I got the inspiration from this post {HERE}. The original post is from June 2010.

Welcome to another edition of Fit 4 Thursday!

I know last week I shared my favorite recovery smoothie, but today I'm also sharing another favorite.

Now, I'm not one to readily jump on any bandwagon, but I gotta say I am impressed with tart cherry juice.

What's this about tart cherry juice, you ask?

Well, a few weeks ago, my mother-in-law posted on my facebook page that she'd read/heard that a lot of runner's drink tart cherry juice. Then one of my runner friends chimed in and agreed about tart cherry juice, saying that it's got some great anti-inflammatory properties and that she can't drink it straight, but she does mix it with plain carbonated water.

How is it that I'd never heard of this? So then I ask another girlfriend about it, and she again, backed up everything that I'd heard so far.

Who knew?!

Happy Hump Day!

So today, I'm sharing my kids favorite granola bar recipe - or as we call them, Gorilla Bars.

When I first made this recipe, my big guy misunderstood me when I called them granola bars. He thought I had said Gorilla Bars. The name has stuck.

I'm one lucky girl when it come to the freedom I have in my house. My husband is pretty easy-going about most of my projects.

Sayonara week 11.

You weren't great. My calves hate you.

Isn't that a great welcome? Hello Monday. You suck.

Ok, not really, but I'm feeling a bit feisty.

I'm frustrated that I'm finding it harder and harder to wake up for my early morning runs.

The alarm is getting a bit too easy to turn off.

Set more alarms you say? I have 3.

The crumminess of these week has given me clear and concise goals to shoot for this week. There is a silver lining!!

I am getting ahead of myself, though. First things first.