hallelujah!

not only did she wake up at 4:30 AM (yes, as in the drunks aren't even home yet), but she got out and ran 8 miles. OK, so the first one was inside on the treadmill, watching Roseanne on Nickelodeon, and then I did 6 outside (weather was actually quite tolerable, with barely any humidity), and then came in, woke up the boys and jumped back on the TM for the last mile. Yet, add it all up, and it's a total of 8. In less than 90 minutes. Outside miles averaged a 10:40 pace, or somesuch, I don't have the Garmin in front of me to verify. Inside miles were at a 5.5 mph pace, so those were 11 minutes each. And I didn't feel overly drained or creaky today. Hydration was remarkably good -- I planned my outdoor route to hit two water fountains at strategic points -- and I felt pretty strong and energized the rest of the day. That alone is enough to make me feel like I'm getting my mojo back.

Which is good news. Because I'm needing something to get me through the next few weeks. More info later when it's safe. all will be told eventually, but for now, let's just say I'm making the most of my meditation/relaxation/thinking time during my runs.

4 muggy miles

ugh, ugh, ugh. Who knew that temps lower than 80 degrees would still be unmercifully hot? Well, no matter. I did 4 miles today, and it wasn't really that bad. I was a bit faster today -- averaged 10:27 pace for the whole thing. Gah.

Tomorrow is a scheduled 8-miler -- I'm going to try to get up at half-past ridiculous and do the whole thing in the AM; if not, I'll aim for 5 and get the remainder in over lunchtime. Weigh-in yesterday was down a bit more than 2 pounds from last week, so something is going right.

14.something....

so I didn't do the full 15. But I did get close. And I'm OK with it. Here's the rundown:

got up at 4:50. Dressed, found all the accessories needed (I'd laid out most of it last night, but Hub had borrowed my headphones, and I didn't have any gatorade, so I needed to grab my debit card so I could buy some while I was out) and headed out the door. I decided to Gallowalk it, since the concept of 15 straight through was daunting -- i figured if I knew I was going to be taking walk breaks I'd at least plan it and be consistent. So I set the Garmin for 1 mile run/1 minute walk intervals.

I ran in a different direction than I've been going lately, to give myself a change of scenery. It was hot, but not unbearably so yet. There was a bit of a breeze, but I was still freakin' hot. I made it out about 3 miles to the Walgreen's where I'd planned to duck in for Gatorade, but they're apparently not 24 hours anymore. Crap. So I kept going, praying that I'd find something open soon so I could replenish my water bottle and give me some electrolytes. I was pretty drippy by this point, so I was starting to get worried. I knew worst-case scenario that I'd hit a Neighborhood Wal-Mart at about mile 7, but I was also worried I'd be in trouble if I waited that long. Luckily, I found a Shell station at about mile 4.5. They were doing shift change, so I had to wait to pay while they got the registers ready, but I was able to duck into the restroom at the time, so it was OK. I splashed the salt off my face and cooled down a bit, so it was a very welcome break.

Then I kept going, and the sun started to peek out. And I started to think that I wasn't going to make the full distance outside. It was humid and I was sweating to beat the band. My pace was a bit faster than last week, and the breeze actually picked up some, but I was still hurting, despite my HR staying in the 140-145 range (last week, I had a hard time keeping it under 150). Worse than that, I was feeling another need to go to the bathroom, so a pit stop at home was necessary. I was able to put it off as much as possible, so that I stretched the outdoor portion into 9.5 miles (including walk breaks), before I headed home.

I expected that all the boys would still be snoozing, but it was nearly 7:15 by that time, so DinoBoy was up, and Hub was in the tub (I made a rhyme), gettting ready for church. If I'd not made it home for him to make the 7:30 service, he'd have gone to 9:00, but since I was back, he took off. I knew at that time that I had to do another 5 to feel good about this morning's run, so I decided I'd watch Schoolhouse Rock while I was on the treadmill to help the time pass more quickly. I also decided to change shoes, since I was feeling all the toes of my right foot bumping up against the toe box and I thought I might pay for that later. I'm afraid my shoes aren't quite big enough for that foot -- the problem is the other foot is a full half-inch shorter and if I get the larger size, I am just throwing a blister party on the left foot. grr. So, anyway, I know the shoe change is not something I can count on race day (my luck, I'd forget to transfer my timing chip, even if could arrange for it), but it helped me get through today.

I hopped on and cranked it all the way up to 4.8 mph. Wheee, watch me burn rubber -- NOT. Hell, at that point, I was just trying to not quit. And I didn't. There were a few points in there where I brought the speed down even lower and just walked, but I figured as long as I kept in motion for the full 70 minutes I'd be OK. And that's what I did. I ran/walked a total of 4.98 miles on the treadmill in 70 minutes. Slow, slow, slow. But I finished as much as I could before the timer on the TM beeped at me.

I finished up the run and hopped into a cold ice bath. This week I really did dump all the ice from the freezer into the tub before I jumped in. Elder Child saw me walking to the bathroom with the ice container and thought I was nuts. Hub walked into the bedroom right when I was immersing myself, and he thought I was in pain (I kinda was!) with the squealing and squalling I made while doing it! But it really does help, and it's worth the initial shock.

So I didn't do the full 15, but I feel OK about it. After all, my longest run this year has been only 12, and that was many moons ago. Last week's run was 10 miles and I thought I was going to die. So I'll take the 14 and change and take the 96% of scheduled miles completed and be mostly satisfied. BTW, this is also my first 30-mile week since, well, I can't remember how long it's been since I had a 30-mile week. So I'll take it.

Pulse check

so, how am I doing? with the "new" resolutions, as it were? Let's see:

Tracking all calories in on SparkPeople -- yep, until yesterday, which is OK, since Friday is date night and I have to take a break. Average calories in were about 1500, which is about right for me -- any less than that and I start to feel very deprived. I won't log calories in today, but I will tomorrow, and I've tracked exercise every day.

Not skipping or adjusting workouts -- um, not so much. I've been fighting a cold or allergies, or something (excuse alert, excuse alert!) so I was sluggish waking up Wednesday, when I should have done 7 miles. I ended up only doing 4. Then work stuff beat me down so severely that I didn't run at all on Thursday. I did 4 miles on Friday, which is supposed to be a rest day, and instead of 3 today, I cranked out 5. So I skipped AND adjusted, and came up one mile short for the weekday miles. phoo. But, I really have felt like crap a few days in there (excuse alert!!), and work was a total whip in so many ways this week, plus we had two late nights with school stuff (this would be called "LIFE" I believe), so I won't beat myself up for doing 16 of 17 miles (94%)

Adding back in weight training -- not so much. One day, I woke up and did arms off the OnDemand menu on cable. whatever.

Returning to yoga -- worse than the weight training. I need it, too, but just haven't been able to fit it in. Does it help that I've *thought* about it a lot?

So, there's the week. Tomorrow is a scheduled 15-miler. It's supposed to be freakin' hot again tomorrow, which means I need to go to bed now so I can wake up at o-dark-thirty and hit the streets before 5:00. I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes. For now, I've got to run -- there is a freshly-bathed yet clothingless little boy running around who needs to get some pjs on and go to bed.

'cuz I got nothing...

except whining about stuff I don't want to whine about here. And bitching about missing runs (not too many, just cut the 7 miler down to 4, which means I still owe myself 3 to tack on to tomorrow morning's). Ugh. So, you get this.

Play along in the comments, or post in your own space and link back. At least one person needs to do this, because if the comments remain empty, I may just commit blog hari-kari with the way things are going this week. Not a threat or anything, but de-lurk for a change, gang! You don't even have to do all of them -- I'm most interested in what folks come up with on the Rock Star and Fly Girl stuff!

Blatantly stolen from Ben:

The Name Game

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current street name) Butch Dunkirk
   
   
2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your mom’s side, your favorite candy) Guadalupe Hot Tamale
   
   
3. YOUR “FLY GIRL/GUY” NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your middle name) C-Fu
   
   
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Orange Lemur
   
   
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) None Harlingen
   
   
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 2 letters of mom’s maiden name and first 3 letters of the town you grew up in.)
   Cerco AlHar
   
   
7. Terrorist Name: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom’s maiden name spelled backwards Enon Alinom
   

We were going to see "Little Miss Sunshine Tonight" but dinner ran long so we missed it. So I'm going to hang on the couch with the hub for a while and try to get a better attitude.

4 miles

bleagh. it was too hot and sticky outside, so I ran inside on the TM. 4 miles, about 44 minutes. it was slow and tedious. I have to get up earlier tomorrow so I can do a full 7 outside. I can't do 7 indoors -- too monotonous for words.

In a school-related note, apparently, kindergarten is no fun. such that DinoBoy and I had a, ahem, disagreement about getting ready this morning. But, the palm of my hand and the bottom of his seat had a quick meeting and resolved the situation. Yeah, he wont' be doing that again. it's probably only about the third time he's ever gotten a swat like that. But I wasn't having any of it -- when I tell you to get dressed for school, the proper response is NOT hiding under the covers in your bed. Of course, by the time we get to school, he's all smiles and light. Turkey.

Success and Resolve

Long Slow Distance, indeed. total elapsed time: 1:52:40 for 10 miles. Averages out to a pace of 11:16, which is about 1 second slower than my average long run pace 2 years ago. I guess that's what happens when you gain nearly 15 pounds in six months. gah.

Last year, I'd sped up significantly at this time, which made the 5:00 time a possible goal. This year, I think I'm going to adjust the goal to just make it to the start line. Because if i can make it to the start line, then I know I can finish.

So, here's the new resolution. I am an athlete. I need to start acting like one. I need to start eating like one. I was reading a link on Ask MetaFilter yesterday about a person dealing with an alcoholic, and the thing about the post that resonated with me is that I have an addiction. It's not with alcohol, it's with food. And maybe the term that's better for me than addiction is "entitlement." I feel entitled to food that's bad for me but tastes good. I rationalize my "treats" before I earn them, and in ratios far beyond what I've earned. And that is not what an athlete training for peak performance does.

So it's back to square one. Tracking all calories in on SparkPeople. Not skipping or adjusting workouts. Adding back in weight training, which I haven't done in ages, but did very successfully the spring before MCM. Returning to yoga, which helped with the second White Rock, and which should help neutralize the intensity of the running. It's a lot of time, but I spend at least that much time a day bitching that my clothes don't fit and that I feel like crap. If I want to feel like an athlete again, I need to start acting like one.

So, yeah, I had a success to start with today. a 10-mile success, followed by an semi-ice-bath (just cold water, no actual ice) and ONE breakfast taco. I will come back to this post to steel the resolve when it gets tough, which will likely be more often than not, especially at the beginning.

But I am an athlete. On the inside. Time to make the outside match.

can't bail...

won't bail. It's 81 degrees out, but feels like 84, according to Weather.com. Blick. But I cannot bail on this run. I won't. I've got all the gadgets with me today -- HRM, iPod, Garmin, even the toe-socks from Injinji that I usually only wear during marathons. This is purely mental, this roadblock of mine. Everyone else training for a fall 'thon is out there in this. Get over it. Get over it. Just shut up and run.

Right. So i should go now. My brother used to say when we were piddling around during the day that we were burning daylight. I'm burning nighttime sitting here typing instead of hitting the road. I'll check in later.

ORN

4 miles on the treadmill. Inside. Because it's currently 104 outside. And I woke up late (we all did) after last night's dinner club, and it was already beastly out by the time I could even think about getting ready to run. And the boys were home, too, which complicated matters. But I got it done, and if I can pack in 10 tomorrow, I will have completed all my scheduled runs this week ON THE DAY THEY WERE SCHEDULED. Watch for the skies parting and angels singing. Hasn't happened in about four months.

BTW, the 80s' Trivial Pursuit edition rocks. It helps to have a great team. and a few good guesses!

First Day

Here is the intrepid student on his way to Kindergarten. He was fine. Once we got the backpack out the door, that is.

He woke up on his own while Elder Child and I were discussing breakfast options. He got dressed on his own in his little uniform (7 slim shorts that are still a bit too baggy -- are we sure he's my kid?) while I made his bed. I had to tie his shoes for him, but he was pretty self-sufficient. He carried his own backpack to the car.

He didn't want his picture taken when we left the house, so that's why this is from the back. Once we got to school I told him I'd carry the backpack if he let me take a picture so I could tell how much he's grown later.

Meanwhile, Elder Child hopped out of the car, grabbed his extra bag of school supplies and took off. I saw his best friend's mom in the hallway later and asked if her son let her walk him in. She said yes, and that my kid walked in with them. So, apparently, she's the cool mom. That, or he was too excited to see his friend. Either way, that's fine with me. He's a junior high kid now. But I think we went through the big trauma last year, I really do. Last night, after I'd said goodnight to him, he came to me and gave me a big hug and told me he'd had a great summer. He said he was excited for a clean slate and a fresh start.

They're both fine. I know that. And I was OK. Until I left the parking lot. At which time I was really glad I took the whole day off.

brawl

no sooner had I posted that last entry with the sidebar on the beanball than the Rangers and Angels broke out in a bench-clearing brawl. This could get ugly. Film at 11:00, I'm sure.

ORN & bitching about the heat

hallelujah, she got off her butt and ran today. Not once, but twice. OK, that's because I woke up too late to do a full 7 miles before work, so I had to do four in the morning (wasn't that a Night Ranger song??) on the treadmill and then three on the indoor track at the gym during lunch. So I got the scheduled mileage in, although it's really not ideal to split up the mid-range runs that way. But at least it got done. But can I just say that 3 miles outside yesterday morning felt harder than 7 and change in Central Park on Sunday? Not really rocket science, but it just needed to be said.

So how hot is it in your neighborhood? Today, we hit 105. And tomorrow is supposed to be hotter. WTF? We must have done something really bad to hack someone off in a big, bad way. And humid, too. Ugh, ugh, ugh. It would be bad in any case, but it was even more unbearable because it was such a beautifully moderate weekend in NYC. That's twice this summer I've gotten spoiled by nice (meaning not Africa-hot) weather on a trip. Serves me right for getting away. By myself. When I could run on my own schedule, without concern for children or husband. Selfish bitch behavior apparently nets payback in a big, bad way.

Sidebar -- what is with the Rangers and the Angels beaning each other like schoolyard bullies? Just saw a second pitcher get ejected in the same half of the inning. Jeez, it'd be somewhat humorous if there wasn't the potential for serious injury there.

Anyhoo, there's apparently little relief in sight for us heatwise. And I get to pick up the boys from their first day of school right at noon. Oy.

Yeah, tomorrow is the boys' first day back. Elder Child will be in 6th grade, and DinoBoy starts kindergarten. It will be a day of sadness and tears and wailing and gnashing of teeth. And that's just me. DinoBoy has been beyond grumpy the last two days and today I asked him why he was so sad -- he said that he doesn't want to go to school again because there is too much homework. And then he cried for what seemed like forever, but was really just about three minutes and pulled me tight to him and let me hold him and rock him. And the sucker mom that I am, I made him a deal that if he earned a sticker for every day he did homework, we'd get him a Superman toy after 10 days. That cheered him up, and he popped up off the bed and ran to have dinner. Con artist.

So, I took the day off tomorrow to take them to school and pick them up early. And I took Friday to recover. 'cause it's hot. And I have 14 days of vacation left, for goodness sakes. Even after taking a week off in July, I still have enough vacation time for a nice Alaskan cruise. Sadly there isn't enough moolah for one. So I gotta burn it somehow. And staying home to recover from kindergarten seems good enough for me.

whirlwind!

I'm back. Longer post later, with photos, but just so you have a taste of all that I saw:

• Subway ride -- check
• Hot dog at Yankee Stadium -- check
• Flatiron Building -- check
• Statue of Liberty -- check
• WTC site -- check
• South Shore/Brooklyn Bridge -- check
• Grand Central Station -- check
• Times Square -- check
• Madison Avenue -- check
• Wall Street -- check
• Dinner on Broadway -- check
• Jogging in Central Park -- check
• Rockefeller Center -- check
• Empire State Building observation deck -- check

Yeah, it was a little fun! More later!

Dah,Dah, Dah-dee-dah, Dah, Dah, Dah-dee-dah

Oh yeah, baby, start spreading the news for sure! Skatemom is going to NYC! Never been until now, but Hub got called to a meeting there Saturday afternoon, and since it's our wedding anniversary Sunday and we have airline miles to spare, BOOM! I'm there. And, yeah, guess what we'll be doing Friday night?! Guess! Go ahead -- you might figure it out!

At this time tomorrow, I'll be yelling, "JOHNNY DAMON! You got the sweetest ass in the league!" from the right field seats at Yankee Stadium!!! Oooo-rah!!! That's right, we'll be doing some Yankee dancin'! They can tear that sucker down anytime after tomorrow and I can die in peace knowing I'll have made it to a game there. I was so worried that we'd never get a chance to go. See, 12 years ago we had planned a whole baseball odyssey for our honeymoon, from games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway, to road trips to (then) new Camden Yards and of course, the shrine of the great Game at Cooperstown. But we went to Puerto Vallarta instead, because of the baseball strike, which we knew was coming and which started on the day before the wedding. And they've been talking smack for the past few years about tearing down Yankee Stadium and building a new park for the Bombers, and it killed me to think I'd miss out on the whole thing. And when Hub got to see the damn stadium a few weeks ago, it tore me apart to think he'd get to go to a game without me. But now, we get to walk in together, and get hot dogs together, and experience that whole magic scene of seeing the infield together and see that fabled grass and the inside of the place, where Mickey played, and Babe and Roger and Joe DiMaggio. Hello! JOE DIMAGGIO! He hit in 56 straight games, and that will NEVER be replicated, and he did most of it there at Yankee Stadium. And we'll be there.

I cannot wait. I've never been (I think I said that, but it's still true!) and I'm so excited. I have to find out where we're staying -- Hub said it would be near Rockefeller Center, I think -- and plan a route to run around there Saturday morning. And Sunday's long run may look very different than otherwise! How long I go will depend on what time we have to leave for the airport, unfortunately. But I will run, oh yes, I will.

Yes, I know there is a Red level terrorist alert. One of my friends here at work is going to DC this weekend and she's not thrilled, either. But I ain't gonna let them terrorists keep me from Yankee Stadium. Oh, no. Not after all this time. Not now.

I can't think of a better way for us to celebrate our anniversary. Traditional 12th wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of Linen and Silk. A contemporary or modern 12th anniversary gift has a theme of Colour Gems and Pearls. The flowers associated with the 12th anniversary are Peonies. Pshaw -- I'll take Yankee pinstripes and a diamond any day!

Peace out! I won't be taking my computer, but Hub will have his -- if we have The Internets at the hotel I'll try to update while I'm gone.

6 miles

Done. On the roads, outside, in weather that's just barely tolerable, thanks to the many folks with their lawn sprinklers going. It was early, but not early enough, since I had to rush a bit to cool down and get ready for work -- I spent a little too long flirting with the snooze button. Total time on the run was 1:04:something. I did have to wait nearly two minutes combined for stoplights and such, and that is included in the 1:04. I think. All the splits but two hovered around 10:40ish -- one was exceptionally speedy at 10:17 and another one was just blicky at 11:07. So it all pretty much averaged out to slow, but not horrendously so.

I am noticing that it used to take me about 1.5 miles or so to hit my groove on these mid-range runs, where I'd find a comfortable stride and breathing pattern, and now it's taking about 3 miles. At which point I'm ready to turn around and come home anyway. But until I hit that point, I'm constantly making bargains with myself not to bail early. I'm trying to talk myself out of just walking it in, trying to convince myself that 2 miles is enough, really. It's the same negative attitude that killed my long run on Sunday.

I must find some fresh motivation. Today, I kept thinking about Nytro and her Olympic tri this weekend, and thinking that if she could run a 10K after that swim and that bike and getting stung by a bee, I certainly could do a little 6-mile run with fresh legs. And I kept thinking about Nancy and the girls, and how she's managing to train for a freakin' IronMan, and if she can do it while chasing those two around, why can't I manage a little 6-mile run? So, thanks, Nytro and Nancy, for the push this morning.

slacker loser

yep, that's me. total slacker, total loser. Went out for 13 today and managed to get a whole 1.5 done before I just decided, nah, wasn't going to happen. Didn't help that it was HOT and HUMID and plain nasty. What the hell did I expect? It's August. It's Texas. Suck it up, chica, and get to running, right?

So I instead hopped on the treadmill and after about, oh, three minutes, decided that 2 hours of that just wasn't going to happen today, either. Maybe I'm tired from all the painting we did yesterday (one coat of primer and one coat of actual color yesterday, to be followed by another coat of color later today), or the school supply shopping ($130, thank you very much, although that did include light bulbs, socks and underwear for all three boys, and last night's dinner). Maybe I just need to get re-invigorated. Maybe I just needed a break.

But didn't I say last week that this is where the rubber hits the road and if I want to actually make it to the finish line in October, much less break 5:00, I need to get down and dirty with this program? Yep, I did. And watch me slack today. Oy. I'm just so goddang TIRED all the time, and while physically I can pound out 13 miles, I know I'm not mentally really set for this. There is just too much to finalize in my real life off the road and that's what's making me tired. The heat sapping all strength from me doesn't help any, either. I just need me some fresh motivation, I think.

Anyhoo, the Skatemobile has been having some bat-tree issues, so we're off to Cost-Too-Much to get a replacement so I'm not stranded somewhere in 103 degree heat. Photos of the newly painted office later, too, if I can find the cable. Or, I might wait until the furniture is delivered and the walls properly accessorized. Either way, you'll see it soon enough! Have a nice Sunday!

No Ricky Bobby for you!

phoo. Hub picked me up from work today and we had a lovely tapas dinner at this place near campus. Good bread, nice tasty blue cheese, a great dish of 'shooms w/snails, and assorted other yummy tidbits. We passed on the sweetbreads this time around, but may try them next time.

Anyhoo, when we got done, we headed home to catch the movie at the theatre near us. But it was not to be -- by the time we got there, the only 7:30 screening was sold out. Boo! And it was too late to head up toward the mall (eeep! the mall! on tax-free weekend! NOT), and we sure as heck can't stay up for the 10:00 pm show. So, no Ricky Bobby for us tonight. Maybe sometime this weekend. All we's has to do before Monday morning is make a trip to Home Depot for primer, yellow paint for the kitchen (yay!! my butter yellow kitchen!!), a full gallon of the perfect shade of orange for the office, and a plumbing part for the running toilet in our bath.

Oh, and get school supplies. We'll do the school uniforms and shoes for the boys NEXT weekend. I am so willing to pay the 8% sales tax and avoid the crazy crowds at the uniform place this weekend. I'd order all their stuff online and skip actually going to Parker at all, but I don't know what size skinny DinoBoy needs, and I'm not sure how the sizes run in the junior high uniforms Elder Child will be getting this year. Plus, I'm just not quite ready for school to start yet. Denial about having a kid in junior high AND a kindergartner and all that.

ORN -- I did my 3 miles on the TM today, so I' need 3 or 4 tomorrow, then a half-mary on Sunday. Outside. Oy. I'm regretting that Denver trip still.

Hey, Hey, the Gang's All Here!

OK, so I finally added the blogroll to the sidebar there. When I get two seconds to rub together, I may go through some of those links and toss the dead ones and add some new reads. Fitness bloggers, moreso than just weight loss diaries, seem to be the kind of thing I like to read lately, and of course, I can't go wrong just picking up a few more running/marathon blogs to keep up my motivation.

Any recommendations?

nearly 6

OK, so it's really only 5.5, but I did drag myself out of bed and I did do *most* of yesterday's run today. so tomorrow morning, or tomorrow evening, depending on how things go, all I have to do is 3.5 and my mileage for the work week is done. Saturday mornings are cake, since they're usually only 3 or 4 miles, and the kids aren't usually around, nor do we have hockey for a few more weeks, so I can take my time. Then, just the ever-increasing mileage on Sundays. rock on.

I guess since it's already 20 to 7 I should get dressed. Or shower first. the folks at work would likely appreciate that!

What I really wanted

was to dig into the same mashed potatoes and baked chicken sandwiches the kids were eating, hang out and read the newspaper, and then veg on the couch.

What I did instead was jump on the treadmill immediately after fixing their dinner and did the 3 mile run I should have done this morning. Actually, I should have done it yesterday morning, but I was still dead tired from my 12 miles on Sunday, so I put it off to today. But today I was still too comfy in my bed to get out of it, so I did squat this morning. So I did it just now.

What I really wanted was a Jack in the Box malted mikshake. What I got instead was my power-recovery drink with my chocolate protein powder, a banana, and a spoonful of peanut butter. Yummy, smooth, and while no milkshake, it does fill in for my dinner and tame my chocolate jones with only about 250 calories.