Shape Up Montana "Virtual" 5K Fun Run Review

For the fourth consecutive year, my Montana family and I are participating in Shape Up Montana. It's a three-month fitness and nutrition program offered through Big Sky State Games. Each team member earns points for their team based on the activity they do. Teams compete against each other based on an average points-per-person comparison. This year, in addition to participating on my own team, I also helped organize and coordinate three teams at the school where I work. All of our teams are having a lot of fun getting in shape through friendly competition.

Registered Shape Up Montana participants receive a t-shirt and a printable bib to wear for the Fun Run.

Each week, Shape Up Montana issues a different Weekly Challenge. The week of March 21-27, the challenge was to participate in a Virtual 5K Run/Walk. In the past, my family team has done this together on the farm. This year, I thought it would be cool to organize a fun run on a slightly larger scale and invite anyone from any of our area teams to join. So, I organized a very informal "All-Comers 5K Fun Run/Walk," which was held this past Saturday of Easter weekend. It was a free, un-timed event for anyone to come and do, whether they are in Shape Up or not. No t-shirts, no race bibs, no swag, no post-race snacks. Just fitness and community.

With 36 people participating in Shape Up Montana on our four local teams, I thought there'd be a decent chance that some people would want to come and do it together, but I didn't really know what to expect for turnout.

Jeff and I arrived in town a little past 9:00 a.m. and marked the course with orange spray paint for the run/walk, which would start at 10:00. Around 9:15 or so, the first participants began to show up. You may recall that I'm one of the Track and Field coaches for our High School team. As coaches, we decided that the student-athletes could participate in the Fun Run as a optional track practice-- these were the first attendees to arrive. I ended up having eight High School and two Junior High tracksters participate in the Fun Run, which I thought was pretty cool.

Here's the route. We started in front of the school and went around the block once, then around "The Loop" once before finishing back in front of the school. 

We warmed up as a team in the gym, and as it began to approach 10:00 a.m., other community members, Shape Up Montana participants, family, and friends began to trickle in. I didn't count, but I'd estimate we had a turnout of 35-40 people. I consider that to be pretty successful. It was about 35 degrees outside with a little bit of wind, so I don't know whether that affected anyone's decision to come out or not, but overall, I thought that was pretty good weather for this time of year.

I gathered everyone at the start/finish line a little before 10, thanked them for coming, explained what Shape Up Montana is and described the route we'd be taking, and then we were off!

Jeff and I ran very close to the same pace, and Harvey ran with us, too. We decided this time to keep him off-leash and see how he would do. He stayed near both of us the entire race, and he had the good sense to do "his business" out in a farm field where we wouldn't have to pick it up. Harvey was a little nervous with all the people gathered around at the start of the race, but once we started running, he seemed to enjoy himself. If we continue to take him to fun runs, I'm hoping we can continue to do it off-leash. After the race, Harvey enjoyed lots of pets and scratches from the track kids and other race participants. And, he was the First Place Dog (aka only dog)- I think that sealed the deal for him having a nice time!

As far as my own "race," well, I struggled to catch my wind and the whole three mile run really felt like it took more effort than normal. I timed myself using my Strava app and I finished in 28:51, which is on the slower side for me. To be fair, I didn't really warm up adequately, and I had slept very poorly the night before, so maybe that's why I didn't run that fast. Either way, the event was more about other people having a good time than it was for me to get a PR or anything like that, so it didn't bother me too much.

Jeff was really happy with his time, which was about five seconds behind mine. He has been working really hard to bring his 5K times down, and has had a lot of success on the treadmill that hasn't translated outside. This "race" was a good confidence booster for him, and a new outdoor PR!

Jeff and I waited around the finish line for other people to reel it in. I cheered especially loud for my track athletes as they crossed the line. Our season has just begun, and many of them are not really in shape to run 3.1 miles yet, but their performances really impressed me. We even had a few throwers who came and ran and did very well. As soon as all the track kids came in, we went back in the gym to static stretch as a team and I congratulated them on a job well done.

Then, I headed back outside to watch more people finish and cheer on family members- Tom and Carol both walked it. Afterwards, Jeff and I joined them and another group of walkers at the Cafe for some post-race fueling.

All in all, I consider the event to be a great success. I organized it with minimal effort and tagged it as a Free, All-Comers Fun Run/Walk. No goody bags, no t-shirts, no bibs, no awards or prizes, no post-race snacks-- just fitness and community. I am really pleased with the turnout on a cool day with minimal advertising. All in all, the numbers were pretty good. As I said, we had 10 track athletes, plus 9 or 10 Shape Up Montana participants, and many other community members. Most of all, everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and to be glad they had come out. To me, that is the most satisfying feeling- that I helped organize an event to build community through fitness and exercises. Mission: accomplished!

Getting ready for the start of the run!

Weekly Review 2/28 - 3/5 and Giveaway Results!

Thanks to everyone who read my previous post, my 400th blog post! Today, I'll be announcing the winner of the Giveaway that I did. But first, I want to write about the week that was in another Weekly Review blog post!

Fitness
This past week was a bit of a slowdown as it was bookended with travel. It can be very difficult to get in time for fitness when traveling, but I did make an attempt a few times. I focused largely on trying to get steps on my pedometer this week.

Shape Up Montana continues. Our team is ranked 27 out of almost 250 teams, so I feel really good about that. The teams I am coordinating at school are really kicking butt, too. Our top team is actually in 3rd place in the overall competition, which is AMAZING, and the other two are 23rd and 24th. I am so proud of all of them for being in the top 25!

Here's how my week actually broke down-
Sunday- Drive home from Bozeman. 3 mile pasture hike with Jeff.

I think pasture hikes are Harvey's favorite form of exercise!

Monday- 20 minutes HIIT, 3 mile treadmill run
Tuesday- 2 mile walk, 20 min yoga
Wednesday- 3 mile treadmill run
Thursday- rest. (travel)
Friday- rest. (travel)
Saturday- 30 minutes core and 15 min elliptical

Wow... what a slow week. Only six miles of running and only 20 minutes of yoga. Lots of walking. That counts for something, too, though I guess. I plan to pick it up a little this next week!

YTD through March 5
Running: 97.95 miles
Walking/Hiking: 25.7 miles
Yoga: 415 min 
CC-Ski: 500 min / 14.1 miles (since I started tracking mileage on 1/17) 
Alpine Ski: 3 days
Mountain bike: 10 miles

Farm
We really started calving in full swing last week. In a 24 hour period on February 29 and March 1, we had eleven calves! During calving, people take turns walking through the corrals and checking on the cows, watching for signs of imminent birth and/or distress. If a cow is in active labor, we usually just keep an eye on her and hope that she can have the calf on her own. If she takes an inordinate amount of time, or of we notice feet are coming out backwards, or anything else that's not right, then we may try to go in and help her out or pull the calf. We have had very few cases where we've had to help pull a calf this year, so that's good.

My time to check the cows has been the first-thing-in-the morning shift. I wake up a little earlier than normal and walk out there between 5:45 and 6:30 a.m. depending on the day. Jeff typically goes out at bedtime and then in the middle of the night between 2 and 3:00 a.m. Jeff and Tom split duties during the day. For the overnight checks, we leave notes to each other if there's something to watch out for or a particular cow who is "thinking about it," as we say.

I find that I actually really like starting my day with this little walk. I also like that I'm looking for new life. It's kind of an uplifting thought and a nice way to bring some optimism into the beginning of the day. My pedometer is also happy to start the day right off with some steps! ;)


Life
Jeff and I were in Minneapolis for the National Farmers Union Convention. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see some close friends I have made in this organization and to get caught up on policy and goings-on. I'll write more about the Convention in a separate post. Otherwise, calving is really the main excitement of our lives right now. Also, for me, Track Season starts very soon!! Less than a week away!

Giveaway Results
ICYMI, the previous post was my 400th blog post and I celebrated with a little giveaway! Congratulations to Adria- you are the randomly selected winner of a copy of Hattie Big Sky! You'll receive your book very soon! :)

Thanks for tuning in, everyone! Check back soon for a post about my trip to Minneapolis! 

Salad In a Jar

If you haven't noticed, mason jars are really trendy right now. Just do a Google or Pinterest search and see what you come up with. They are being used for everything from light fixtures to soap dispensers and everything in between, including good old canning and food storage. Here on the farm, we do a fair amount of canning to preserve our garden bounty and Carol also does canned beef every year. We have no shortage of jars around and we're not afraid to use them!

So when this week's Shape Up Montana Weekly Challenge was to make ahead some salads in mason jars, we were completely on board and ready to go! We don't have any garden produce yet, but since we do get a Bountiful Basket every other week, we were able to find some salad recipes that utilized ingredients we had on hand, including lots of fresh produce and grains and some healthy, lean proteins. Yesterday, Jeff, Tom, Carol and I got together and combined our resources and ingredients to put together a whole bunch of mason jar salads to eat throughout the week.

Beautiful jars of Chopped Black Bean and Corn Mason Jar Salad.

The inspiration and recipes for our salads came from an article I found on Buzzfeed. The article featured eighteen recipes, each a different combination of ingredients for mason jar salads. Jeff looked through all of them and found two that worked well with ingredients we already had. When we all got together, Jeff was the task master, too, and coordinated all of the salad creating efforts. The recipes we chose were similar, but contained different ingredients. We made Burrito Bowl Salads, and  Chopped Black Bean and Corn Mason Jar Salad.  Both had southwestern inspiration and flavors, and both had a "dressing" of greek yogurt and salsa.

Jeff places the first ingredients in the jars. I'm showing off his skills with Vanna hands. 

 What took the most time in preparing these salads was chopping veggies and preparing the ingredients. We were more or less starting from scratch, so all the veggies had to be cleaned and diced, chicken and sweet potatoes had to be seasoned and cooked, corn had to be thawed, black beans rinsed and drained, lettuce was torn, rinsed and spun dry. It was a good thing we had all hands on deck because it would have been a lot of work for one person.

While waiting on a few ingredients to be prepped, Jeff and Tom talked farming as Tom read the latest copy of Progressive Farmer.  

 The first salad we started on was the black bean and corn salad. It contained Greek yogurt, salsa, black beans, corn, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cubed pepper jack cheese, and lettuce. Even though this salad is meatless, the beans, corn, cheese and yogurt will pack a powerful protein punch.

Jeff measures out black beans for each jar.

 We tackled the Burrito Bowl jars next. Ingredients for this one include Greek yogurt, bell peppers, cubed sweet potatoes, cilantro-lime quinoa, diced cooked chicken, shredded cheddar cheese, and lettuce. Again, this salad will be a protein powerhouse as quinoa is high in protein and it also contains chicken, cheese, and Greek yogurt.

Tom and Carol spoon some Greek yogurt into the bottom of the Burrito Bowl jars.

 I think the salad in a jar idea is really great because it allows you to prep some meals ahead of time that can be used later in the week. Jeff and Tom will be able to take them in their lunches while they're working on seeding barley, Carol can eat one for a quick lunch in the house or wherever she is, and I plan to bring a jar to my track meet tomorrow evening. It's a great on-the-go meal for busy people.

Putting lettuce in each jar.

If a person didn't want to spend a bunch of time cutting and chopping, you could use leftover ingredients from meals earlier in the week, or buy pre-cut produce and pre-cooked chicken, etc. I think a person could be really resourceful in using up leftovers from the fridge and making up your own salads whenever odd bits of leftover ingredients are around. 

Screwing lids on jars.

One thing that is important to remember in creating a mason jar salad is to put the wetter ingredients and salad dressings in FIRST. Then progress to drier ingredients as you fill the jar, saving lettuce for last. This way things like lettuce and cheese don't get soggy from sitting in the dressing. Plus, the colorful layers really look great in a clear jar!

Finished! Aren't those layers beautiful?

 When you're ready to eat, just dump your jar out onto a big plate or bowl and chow down. Easy, right?

If you're looking for a fun meal to make as a family that's healthy and delicious, mason jar salads could be just the ticket! Even young kids can get involved in helping and layering ingredients, and you can teach them about nutrition along the way. We had a great time making these together over the weekend and I can't wait to dig in! The four of us will definitely get our ten bonus points for Shape Up Montana, and these will work well for the Protein Challenge I'm participating in, too.

Have you ever made mason jar salads? What are some great, healthy meal ideas you use in your busy house?

Fitness Update

I haven't written about fitness in a while and I do have some readers who follow this blog mainly for that reason. So, today I thought I'd give a little fitness update!

I don't have any races scheduled until late May, when I'm hoping to do the Ulm Buffalo Jump 10K on May 17.  I have still been running, however! My mileage isn't very high right now and I'm only getting in about three days a week, especially since we've been doing more skiing this winter, and travelling. But, when I do get a run in, it has been going well. Yesterday I did 4.6 on our gravel road and it went better than expected, especially since I haven't done anything that long in quite a while. If you're curious about my racing intentions for this year, you can read my post titled Tentative 2015 Race Schedule. 

I am also continuing to work in strength training a few times a week and yoga a few times a week, in addition to planks almost daily. I can REALLY see a difference in my running since I've dedicated myself to additional core work. I'm a complete believer in the plank.

We have ramped up our participation in winter sports this year a bit. Jeff and I have gone skiing five days (six for Jeff) this winter and loved it each and every time! We are both having a ton of fun exploring this winter snowsport hobby and are improving our skills each time we ski. You can read some of my ski posts below:

Getting ready to head down the mountain at Whitefish!
Photo courtesy of Skyler Pester. 

Glacier New Year-- Nordic Skiing in and around Glacier Park.
Snow Fun -- Snowshoeing and Nordic Skiing at our own home!!!
More from Glacier-- Alpine skiing at Whitefish, Nordic skiing at Essex.
Downhill Skiing Like a Local-- Alpine skiing at Showdown and Bridger Bowl.
Red Lodge Weekend-- Alpine skiing with our friends from North Dakota.

So far this winter, Days on Downhill Skis = 5, Days on Nordic Skis = 4, Days on Snowshoes = only 1.

Caught in the action of Nordic skiing at Essex!
Photos courtesy of Skyler Pester.

Something else that's new this year for me is a weekly workout group I have joined with some friends. It was started by my beautiful friend Adria probably about six weeks ago. The idea was to give one another some accountability and social incentive to exercise. We're getting in better shape, but also having a blast together, laughing and joking around the whole time. Since there are no actual gyms within many, many miles of where we live, Adria had to get a little creative. We are meeting in the gymnasium of one of the old school buildings in our small town. The school is no longer in use, thanks to school consolidations, but the gym is still used occasionally as a sort of community hall for weddings and events. For us, it is being used as an actual gym to workout once a week! Adria devised five different stations, with two exercises at each station. Each station focuses on a different part of the body-- core, arms, more arms, legs/cardo, legs. We rotate between the stations and jog two laps around the gym between each one, while rockin' out to 80s music on Pandora! It takes us about 40 minutes to get through the whole workout. It's really a blast and a good workout, too!

Lastly, again this year, Jeff and I are participating in Shape Up Montana.  SUM runs for three months, February -April. This is our third year on a team. We are with his parents, his sister and her husband, my friend Adria, one of her friends from her hometown, and another local friend named Sarah. With this being the third year, we really knew what to expect from the program and how we can maximize our success. Basically, each person on a team earns points for the activity they do. As a team, we are actually competing against other teams from all over the state, based on how many points per person our team scores. The competition aspect does create a bit more motivation, but for me, my goals are thus:

- Score more points each week than in the previous week.
- Score more total points this year than I did last year (Last year I scored 492 points).
- Continue to motivate our team as a Team Captain.
- Have fun and find new ways to be active and healthy!

SUM also has weekly does weekly challenges that are either activity based or focused on healthy eating. If a person completes the challenge, they earn a bonus 10 points for that week and are entered into a drawing for prizes. Last week our challenge was to get together with some teammates for a healthy potluck. I did the challenge, and guess what.... I won a prize!

In my third year doing SUM I finally won a prize! ha!

So, that's the skinny on what I'm doing to stay in shape as 2015 begins to unfurl! As my 10K race in May gets closer, I'll make a specific training plan probably when it gets to be about 8 weeks out.

What all do you have planned to be active in 2015?

Green Machine!

The things we do to *win*... 

For the second time this year, my Montana family and I are participating in a program called Shape Up Montana. We did it last year and really enjoyed it. This year, we had such enthusiasm that we had to break our team up into two teams because so many more people wanted to do it. We participate as a team because Shape Up Montana, or SUM, is actually a team competition. Teams can register from all over the state of Montana and we compete with each other for the most points per person on our team. This year the team I am on consists of me and Jeff, Tom and Carol (my in-laws), Katie and Josh (Jeff's sister and her husband), and Tia. Tia is actually not biologically related to anyone else on our team, but the first time I met her she introduced herself to me as "practically a sister" to Katie and Jeff. Good enough for me! Our Team name is WeBangs! If you're familiar with Ricky Martin songs from the 90's, you'll understand the pun. As I've mentioned, I do so love puns. 

So, as a team, we earn points for activity/exercise we do. This can be anything from walking and running, to cleaning and housework, to farm chores... and many activities in between. The nice thing about SUM is that they have done a great job coming up with many, many ways to give people credit for activity they are already doing in their daily lives.

The competition runs from February through April. At the end of this time period, the teams who have the most points per person win prizes. Most of all, it's a great program to challenge yourself to be more active, live a healthy lifestyle, and just to give yourself credit for what you may already be doing. I also like it because it has been a really fun way to do something as a family, and especially with Jeff, who has taken a very strong interest in the program. He told me yesterday that he is "competing to win this thing!"  

I guess we all have been competing to win this year. SUM has weekly challenges for participants to try. If they do the challenge, they earn 10 bonus points apiece. This past week, the challenge was to make a special smoothie according to a recipe they had on their website. This was no ordinary smoothie and was somewhat of a stretch for our rural Montana taste buds in some cases.  Nevertheless, I am proud of our team members because we ALL gave it a try! 

The smoothie has earned two nicknames in my vernacular: The Weird Green Smoothie, and Green Machine. They can be used interchangeably. The recipe is pretty simple. Throw a big handful of spinach, a chopped head of romaine lettuce, some celery stalks, an apple, a pair, and a banana in blender with a little water and lemon juice. Blend to perfection... or something like it. 

Jeff, Tom and I made the smoothie this past weekend right after spending all of Saturday morning doing cow work outside.  I wouldn't necessarily say we were looking forward to the smoothie or that it was really a "reward" after completing some hard work...but it was fun all the same. Jeff and Tom are such great sports!  We had a little difficulty getting past the look of the smoothie. Might have had something to do with being in the corrals prior to eating them. Calf poo has a certain color to it... 

Anyway, here's some photos of the whole crazy experience!

Some of the ingredients- awaiting their blended fate!

Mmmmmm.... See why we called it the Weird Green Smoothie?

"You want me to drink this?"

Down the hatch!

Part of a healthy post-chores lunch: Tomato soup, multigrain crackers, and Green Machine.
I had already finished my delicious roast beef sandwich.

Carol was in Bozeman visiting Katie and Josh for the weekend. They mixed their smoothie up on Saturday, too. I have to say they were much, much classier about it in their approach than we were. Thanks to Katie for sending me the photos of their experience!

They were missing the celery, but close enough!

Doesn't that make the smoothies look more appetizing?!
Nice work, guys!

I think I see the hint of a smile on her face...

That might be the look of skepticism... 

As if she's saying, "wow... I just ate that!"

I think for the most part the consensus was that the smoothie was not that bad... but not really that good either. It was overall kind of bland. There were more than a few comparisons to the smell of grass. Jeff said it reminded him of the compost heap. Appetizing, right? Maybe next time (if there is a next time!) we should blend in some flavorful herbs or some sweeter fruits or green tea. Or some honey... or yogurt.. ice cream...rum... All the same, great work WeBangs!