I feel like Meghann – my lunch consisted of a bunch of random items thrown into a salad bowl!
The star of my salad was a pomegranate. I love how POMs are so time-intensive to cut open, but in the end, you have 2 cups of arils to show for all your hard work!
How to cut open a POM fruit (without ruining your shirt).
My salad consisted of:
- Green lentils (cold)
- POM arils
- Feta cheese
- Carrots
- Lettuce
It was an unusual combination, but it worked! I think the feta cheese balanced the salty flavor of the lentils and the sweetness of the arils.
I had a serving of crackers on the side.
I also snacked on a mini Glo Bar this morning:
The Second Annual PILE ON THE MILES 2009 Challenge
Last November, I signed up for Bobbi’s Pile on the Miles Challenge. I’m really excited to help her host this blogger/reader challenge again!
It’s almost part of the holiday season to slack off between November and December, and then vow on January 1 to get back on track. It’s hard to stay focused on your workout and eating goals when there are office parties, family dinners, and Christmas cookies at every turn. But this year, let’s try something new. Instead of piling on the pounds, let’s PILE ON THE MILES!
Last year, Bobbi’s event had amazing results. As a group, we piled on 1,763.52 miles! In third place was Lacey @ Common Objects and Everyday Events with 127 total miles; in second place was Monica @ Run, Eat, Repeat with 131.38 total miles; and the winner, Sammie @ Running With A Recipe, ran 135.78 total miles!
From November 1 to Thanksgiving, keep track of how many miles you run or walk. We’ve created a group Google Document so you can post your miles on the spreadsheet. Be honest!
To ensure everyone has a chance to win, we’ll be selecting three winners this time.
- The Grand Prize winner will be based on total mileage.
- To qualify for the General Entry category, all you have to do is pile on at least 10 miles during the month of November!
- To qualify for the Operation Beautiful entry, you must spread the Operation Beautiful love while out on your runs. Get creative – carry chalk with you, bring post its, or write it in the sand. But you’ve got to take a picture and e-mail it to me!
We’re working on pulling together some amazing prizes for the winners!
Last year I piled on 67 miles as part of Bobbi’s POTM 2009 challenge. This year, I’m aiming for 100 miles.
The POTM 2009 Challenge is a great way to stay motivated, participate in the blog world, have fun, and be healthy during the holiday season! If you’d like to participate, e-mail me at seebriderun@gmail.com and I’ll send your the link to the Google Document spreadsheet. You have until October 31, 2009 to enter!
- Note 1: I am double checking with Bobbi, but I’m 99% sure that you must physically RUN or WALK the mileage. Biking, elliptical, swimming, etc is awesome, but it cannot count for this challenge because then we have to do all sorts of weird calculations. Yes, POTM is a runner-specific challenge, but I still love all you non-runners, too.
- Note 2: You don’t need a blog to enter – anyone can!
POTM 2009! Remember, if you want to participate, you must e-mail me (seebriderun@gmail.com).










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nice! i’ll definitely will be joining! i’ll email you rightaway! too bad i’m not training for a marathon right now (next one will be in April
)
Ummm…do I have to run for pile on the miles? Because my total would be about 2.
great POTM challenge!!
jenna
oh yeah… when is thanksgiving? haha we don’t celebrate that
Just sent an email to sign me up. I love this kind of challenge. Thanks!
Wow!! What a wonderful incentive!! I am IN!
do you think the latest “Hangry Pants” post is taking a dig at you in any way?
no. heather and i are friends and she’s not the type of person to make blog-digs at other people anyway. i think she’s just going through a troublesome time.
Awe, I TOTALLY want to join POTM but I’m not sure when I can start running again!
I miss running and it’s only been a week, I have no idea how you did over a month!
Fun! I’m in!
I’m in!
Finally a challenge I am good at
I wish my biking miles would count!
ohhhh man! I REALLY want to do it but I can’t with this freakin’ broken foot!!!!!!!!!
what a fun lunch combo! I love pom.
I definitely want to do this challenge. I don’t know how much I can do, but I’ll give it my best!
Oooh, yay! Consider me in
I emailed you because I definitely need a running motivator and this challenge fits the bill.
Does a running and walking combination qualify?????
yes, as long as you are on your feet, it counts
Oh man, I want to do this challenge! I need to fix my bum foot first, though. :/ Does walking on crutches count? Lol.
That salad may be a little random but it looks good!
I’m glad you said run or walk! Once it gets cold, I definitely don’t run, but I do try to walk every day. My normal workout is on the elliptical, but maybe I”ll switch to the treadmill so that it will count…
i can’t run that often cause it hurts my knees
can i count the miles that i ellipticalled or step milled?
im checking with bobbi but im guessing the answer is it must be run or walk. will let you know via an update to the blog post.
You are so lucky you went on that Pom tour. That must have been great to learn so much about Poms and learn how to open them. I need to find me some pomegranates!
Can’t wait for the POTM Challenge!
Yay I am in this is just the motivation I needed!!
Hi Caitlin, do you need to have a blog in order to enter this challenge?
nope! the more, the merrier!
OOh fun! It gets pretty dang cold in Wisco during the next month, and I hate running the treadie, but its a def. possibility!
Yay! I am very excited for the challenge, what a terrific idea!!
I’m so excited!!! I want to participate!!
I’ve emailed you
looking forward to november 1!!
♥
What a great idea & challenge!!!
I know I am worried a bit about the holidays….as I am sure every women is and this is a great way to stay motivated, though I am not sure I can achieve 100+ miles in 3 weeks, YIKES!!!
But I will do as many as I can.
Good Luck Everyone!!!
Aww man, I just ran a marathon yesterday — can those miles count?!?
No doubt, I am participating in this — I had a severe inability to calculate my mileage until last week when I got a Garmin! So, I am all about keeping track of my mileage now. Sounds like a fun challenge!
this sounds like so much fun! i think i’m going to enter! great challenge!
Love it! Count me in!
Love the POM salad!
I’m in for POTM!
I bought a POM yesterday, so I will have to refer to those instructions for how to open one and take the goodness out without staining my shirt!
I love this idea! I’m in!
What a great way to stay motivated
what a great challenge .. I am getting ready for a 5k on THanksgiving morning .. This will really keep me motivated with my exercise schedule until then .. thanks
this is just what i need to get my running groove back!
This is a great challenge!
[...] my working out and eating habits for a while..but have been lazy as usual. Then today i saw in Caitlin’s blog about the POTM 2009 that she is hosting and have decided to give it a go..and accompany it [...]
Great challenge!
Also, I was wondering what kind of bread you normally use for your toast and such? I’m looking for a good, lower cal bread. Thanks!
i like arnold or nature’s path whole wheat bread. they are both 100% WW and have about 100 calories a slice. a good alternative is the arnold sandwich thins, they have 100 calories for the entire sandwich bun.
YAY! I am so excited for this challenge!!!!!
A fun challenge!
I love thrown together salads like that-sometimes they are the tastiest
[...] In other News-I signed up for the Caitlin’s Pile on the Miles Challenge. I am doing this to help motivate myself through the holiday season to keep working out instead of putting on the pounds. Check it out for yourself! [...]
What weekend is American Thanksgiving?
Thursday, November 26th
[...] by busygradgirl I’m super-excited about the Pile On The Miles Challenge that Bobbi and Caitlin are hosting! The competition is to see who can pile on the most miles in just under a month. Last [...]
Sounds fun and it’s perfect timing for me since I’ll be training for Boston.
Hi, I’ve posted a few times and as always, I love your blog
About two months ago I went on my “long run” of the week (11 miles) and ended up with an achy knee that progressed to actual pain on my following runs. I couldn’t do more than 3 miles for a while, and even opted out of a race I had signed up for because I was too scared, upset and concerned to attempt it. After a couple of weeks off, I tried again and got a knee brace, iced, etc, but the pain never went away. I ran tonight for the first time in 3 weeks ( I have been crosstraining) and while there wasn’t pain, I still feel hesitant. I’ve never experienced this before, and I followed your blog as you went through a similar frustration. The only thing that is keeping me positive is seeing you complete double digit runs!! My question is this – how did your knees feel in the “introductory” runs followingg your hiatus? Is a slight achiness okay? I am wearing a knee brace and icing, as well as taking it slow for a while. My “injury” occurred at the end of 2 months of intense running (almost every day, usually more than 5 miles. I also didn’t follow the 10% increase rule at all). I’d love some advice on how you FELT when you started again, physically. Thanks so much!
i am sorry you have knee pain
i FELT physically slow and sluggish. my pace had dropped almost 1 minute/mile. but my knees felt normal. no pain or discomfort or weirdness. they really shouldnt feel achy or sore still. it might mean they aren’t 100% ready for running.
remember that when i start to run again i did like, 7 miles in a week TOTAL. and then 9. and then 10. VERY SLOWLY. i would take it easy for the rest of the week (if you just ran today) and try again next week and see what happens. as you know, its very easy to injury yourself and not very easy to heal. slow and steady DEFINITELY wins the injury race.
good luck
My weekly mileage is still pretty low BUT I will be doing this in spirit! I’ve already committed to Angela’s “Project Snow” so I have no plans on cutting back on running as it gets cold out. I also have no plans on skimping out on spin class and weight lifting through the holiday season. If anything, I could use it as an excuse to take a break from my family!
hey caitlin! quick question about tracking POTM mileage. i don’t have a garmin or pedometer or any way to track exact mileage, and i usually walk/run outside on the street or on paths, not on a track or a treadmill. to get a general idea of my distance i say 10 minutes jogged = 1 mile and 15 minutes walked = 1 mile. is that way ok for POTM?
yes
its all based on scout’s honor, so just try to be accurate in your guesses.
you could also use google earth!
http://www.mapmyrun.com/ is another useful site for mileage tracking and you can save routes there.
I’m excited about POTM, I’ve emailed Bobbi already!
[...] also decided to join Caitlin, Bobbi, and many others in the Pile on the Miles challenge that begins on November [...]
Hi!
This sounds like a great way to stay motivated to keep up with the 1/2 marathon training I’m doing and to stay motivated to stay on track during the holiday season!
I’m gonna email you right now to participate!
Thanks!!!
This sounds like a great challenge – thanks for organizing it! You’ll be seeing an email from me soon.
Hope the book drafting is going well!
[...] Document so you can post your miles on the spreadsheet. Be honest! To sign up, go to Bobbi or Caitlin’s posts and contact them. I am so excited to participate. It will be great motivation to see [...]
[...] sure no one wants to see a picture of that. I hope it gets better soon since I’m doing Pile on the Miles 09 which Caitlin posted about earlier today starting November 1st and I’d rather not be sick [...]
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