Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

After cutting up our Halloween Jack O'Lantern, I saved the seeds, gave a quick rinse to get most of the pumpkin goo off, tossed with olive oil, and spread them out on a baking sheet. Then I sprinkled a little garlic powder and sea salt:

I put the pan in a 300 degree oven. I tossed it a bit after 20 minutes and then roasted for another 35 minutes:

Man these were so good. They came out so crispy and were seasoned just right. So much tastier than the prepared pumpkin seeds in the stores. It's only a bummer that there weren't more pumpkins to get more seeds from.

Definitely better than the candy!

SC Mud Run - Fall edition!

Survived the SC Mud Run AGAIN!

I lucked out with another dynamite team again:

So clean to start!

Theses ladies were go-go-go (I was keeping up but definitely bringing up the rear--looks like I should have done a few more runs) with great spirit and teamwork.  It was a touch chillier than last April, where it didn't quite warm up to the 70s but thankfully, the running warmed us up and the sun came through at good places.

A few things I was pleased with--I managed to get through the "Low Crawl Under Logs" without putting my face under the muddy water so I avoided the major dirty contact lens recovery from my first mud run.  Also, I had a personal goal of doing at least 2 rope transfers on the Tarzans--I did 4.  My memory thought there were only 5 ropes but apparently there are 9.  Next year, my goal is to do all 9.  I also started the Weaver on my own but in the interest of time and keeping things moving, it was quicker to make it a team effort.

The mud pit, still so darn muddy.  The Marines told us to doggy paddle (without kicking) but I felt I was barely moving:

Afterwards was the (second) 15' wall but man, it would have been nice to have less muddy hands and shoes and/or a less muddy wall:

And aaahh, the last obstacle: the fireman carry--which means we're just about done!

We finished with an official time of 1:56:27 and placed 37 (out of 63) in the Corporate division. Pretty darn respectable in my book but I'm just glad we had fun and did really well with the obstacles.

So muddy at the end

Now for some down time before spring when the Mud Run season begins again:

There goes my leg modeling career

Hopefully by then, the cuts and bruises will have healed! Thanks again to my great team!

Getting ready for the SC Mud Run - fall edition

For some reason, my cardio preparation has been a bit lacking for the SC Mud Run next week:

I have run only three times since the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June and my pace since then is definitely much slower (from a 9:52/mile pace last June to a 10:43/mile pace now).  Granted, the SC Mud Run isn't nearly as running-oriented as the Camp Pendleton one.  And since it's very obstacle-oriented, I've been focusing on tackling and preparing more for the obstacles I remember lacking at the last SC Mud Run--specifically getting over walls and transferring ropes.  Fingers crossed!