If you didn’t know already, TODAY is my absolute favorite day of the year. It’s Marathon Monday here in Boston and everything about today is just awesome! 
So, why is Marathon Monday so great? Here’s the explanation that I gave last year:
Marathon Monday, as it is affectionately called in Boston, is my favorite day of the year. I absolutely love it! Personally, I think Boston is an unfriendly and cranky city from November – March (maybe it’s just me?), but when Marathon Monday rolls around in mid-April, the city comes alive! Everyone is in such a great mood and the lively, holiday atmosphere (specifically along the marathon route) is like no other day– you can feel the crowd’s enthusiasm for the thousands of runners making their way to the finish line. This single day reminds me why I like living in Boston.
Last year’s running of the Boston Marathon was pretty exciting with Kara Goucher coming so close to winning. I actually snapped a shot of her starting to lose the lead. Man, it was such a bummer. 
Even still, I had a blast watching the runners in the final miles of the race.
There’s just something about Marathon Monday… maybe it’s the energy of the crowds? Maybe it’s watching 25,000 people participate in (and complete) the one and only marathon that I want to run? All I know is that I want to be one of those people someday. I’m not going to lie, I get choked-up every year at the Boston Marathon. Running Boston would be an absolute DREAM for me. It must be the most amazing feeling to cross the finish line of a marathon. *sigh*
Anyway, I am totally looking forward to today. I bounded out of bed at 6:15 ready to go! I love seeing people achieve their dreams. It’s so inspirational watching these runners give it their all for 26.2 miles. Fun fact about this year’s marathon: 11,316 women entered, which is a Boston record. Pretty cool, right? 
GOOD LUCK to Judith, Claire, Katie, Theresa, Beth, Kelly, Patricia, Mary, Kelley, Lauren, Meghan, Kerry, Danielle, Adrienne, Ben, and Britt! I know you guys will rock it! I’ll be cheering you on from Beacon Street! (You can read about all of the runners mentioned here.)
Breakfast
This morning’s breakfast is now a new obsession: Mad Hectic Oatmeal!
About a month ago, Boston.com featured an article about Mad Hectic Oatmeal. This link was then forwarded to me by 4 or 5 different Carrots ‘N’ Cake readers. (Thanks, guys!) The article immediately sparked my interest:
Beth Gallo wasn’t trying to start a business. The South Dartmouth resident, a breast cancer survivor, just wanted to add more healthy food to her diet — preferably in the morning.
So when the 49-year-old mother of two couldn’t find a healthy breakfast food she could get excited about, she began making her own oatmeal with organic oats, dried fruits, nuts, and whey protein powder, changing the mixture over five years to suit her taste.
A day or two later, my Healthworks buddy, Judith, also emailed me about Mad Hectic Oatmeal. She loved it and said that I needed to try it too. So, I reached out to Beth, the creator of Mad Hectic Oatmeal, and asked her if she’d be willing to send me some samples in exchange for a product review on my blog.
Sure enough, Beth sent me a whole bunch of samples to try: raspberry almond, French chocolate, almond pecan, and chocolate raspberry. All of these flavors sound so delicious, right?
Not surprisingly, I broke into the French chocolate flavor first. With a big scoop of Teddie peanut butter thrown into the mix, it tasted very much like a warm, creamy Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Holy yum!
What I like best about this oatmeal is that it’s so easy to make. Usually, my morning bowl of oats has 5-10 different ingredients in it. I feel like a mad scientist creating some crazy concoction! It also takes me a good 5 minutes to add all of these ingredients and then put them away. With the Mad Hectic Oatmeal, I just added water.
I cooked the Mad Hectic Oatmeal on the stove top the same way I always make my oats. It took just a few minutes and they turned out great. You can also cook this oatmeal in the microwave in 60 seconds. You could probably even just add some really hot water to it (like from the office water cooler). The texture of the oatmeal is light and fluffy, so I think the water would soak right in.
Mad Hectic is a local company in South Dartmouth, MA, so it’s only sold in a few stores around the state, but you can also order it online.
Oh, yea, and the French chocolate flavor was sooooo delicious! The flavor and consistency sort of reminds me of eating chocolate oatmeal cookie batter, but, of course, it’s much more nutritious. I highly recommend this product.
Question of the Day
What is your ultimate life goal?
{ 106 comments… read them below or add one }
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My ultimate life goal is just to live it to the fullest! I want a family, a job I love, to see the world and fill each day with friends. I’m working towards it more and more each day!!
I would love to be in Boston to watch the marathon one year!! Such fun! One of my goals is to do an Ironman- I’m not sure I’m willing to officially say it’s a life goal just yet, but I’m thinking it probably will be one day
That oatmeal sounds great!!
My ultimate goal in life is to be happy, healthy and successful. I guess that’s 3 goals, but they are equally important.
Jenn
My life goal sounds really cheesy, but I just want to find a career that I am passionate about and that I can do while still taking care of my kids. My life goal would be able to have a career and still be there at home for my kids.
i wish i was in boston today, sounds like so much fun!
my ultimate life goal is to be happy and postivite about myself. i think i succeed at this goal 80% of the time, but there is always room to improve. achievement wise, I want to run Marine Corps again next year when I’m 30!
Marathons TOTALLY make me tear up as well – I love to see people achieving their dreams!
Wow I would love to try that oatmeal!
My life goal is to raise a family.
That oatmeal looks amazing! I’m excited to order some and try it!
I have lots of life goals, but my number 1 goal is to spend a year traveling the globe. I am obsessed with this idea, and even though I don’t have a timeline in mind, I am confident that it will happen sometime!!!
Geez, what a question! I’m sure my answer could change depending on my mood, but right now it’s to find a career that is “so Cassie.”
how cool to live there/get to see everything!
Yum! The oatmeal looks fantastic! I had a big-bowl-o-oats this morning, with banana, cocoa powder, and some all-natural peanut butter!! Mmmm…
My ultimate life goal is to reach a balanced place in life where my career, family, and love life coexist harmoniously.
I’m so sad, the Universal Sports video player won’t load for me and I can’t watch.
My life goal is to just find peace in my heart to accept myself and to be able to let myself enjoy my life. I am struggling with a nerve disorder that doesn’t really have a diagnosis yet but if I can ever walk well again, one of my life goals has always been to climb Mt Kilamanjaro in Kenya for charity and the other is to live in France for awhile. I minored in French in college and have been there twice on two-week trips but my dream has always been to LIVE there for an extended period of time (like a year or so). Have fun today! My sister went to Boston University and she always raved about Marathon Monday!
Looks like such a fun day!!!! I have to think about what my ultimate life goal is…..I think really just being happy and healthy!!!
my ultimate life goal is to have a successful career as a photographer and for my partner to also excel in his art and not have to work in corporate america as well as that whole happy health family thing as well.
You’ve got me excited about Marathon Monday!! My life goal (at the moment) is to run a marathon…and once I’ve completed that, it’s time to get a new goal
life goal: travel. travel. travel. but as of right now my biggest goal is to run the pf changs 1/2 marathon in january 2011. that is the biggest goal i have my eyes set on right now.
mad hectic sounds wonderful! hope you have a wonderful day, tina – it’s great to see someone so jazzed about anything!
my ultimate life goal? kids, a comfortable house, and health.
I want to run Boston so bad! I get goosebumps just thinking about it!
That oatmeal looks delux- I’m off to order some- thanks for the link!
Have fun today! I definitely want to experience marathon Monday someday, though I don’t know if I’d rather be a spectator or runner. My LIFE goal? That is a big question.. Life goal for the next 6 months is to find a job I like!
My life goal is to stop feeling like I always have to be looking for the next thing — I want to achieve that awesome level of happiness with exactly where I am right now, not where I could be or should be going.
.
I figure I’ll get there by the time I’m 90
WOW-look at all that oatmeal. It looks so warm and comforting. My cousin is in Boston and says its crazy up there. have fun!
My ultimate goal is to run Boston…next Year!! I’m hoping to qualify this May 16 when I tackle my second marathon. It’s going to be a tough day and I’ll be running harder than I ever have in my life, but I really want this and I’m sort of impatient, so I want it NOW!! Well, I mean in 2011.
Ahhhhh! I’m so jealous! This is the first year I won’t be there for it!! My ultimate life goal is to be self-employed and rich all at the same time! Haha…think it will happen??
Definitely post lots of pictures from today if you can! I’ll live vicariously through you!!
Ultimate Life Goal: Make the BOSTON marathon before I’m 30. Which is in 10 years. But still, at least it’s someone achievable!
Thank you so much for the review of Mad Hectic Oatmeal! I’m glad to hear it was awesome. As a breast cancer survivor I, too, am constantly looking for ways to add healthy foods to my diet. I am ordering some now!
I’m so excited that it’s Boston Marathon day, too! I have some friends who are running with a team in the race today and I wish I could be there to watch.
1st: that oatmeal sounds amazing, definitely going to order some!
2nd: Ultimate life goal—run Boston…someday. Need to knock off 20ish minutes from my marathon time—should be no problem, right?
Hey- just wanted to thank you again for showing me this product, I already put in an order for my brother in law as a treat for finals week.
I am totally going to have to try that oatmeal, what a cool product!!! Thanks!
My ultimate life goal at this point is to be successfully and completely self-employed and helping people live their most joyful lives. I’m sure later my life goals will include a child, a trip to Europe, and more fitness stuff!
Hi
My ultimate goal is to live life to its fullest and not have any regrets.
ultimate life goal is to be content/happy. to be the best daughter, sister, friend, and person I can be. I’d also like to get a master’s degree someday and accomplish everything from my ‘things to do before I die’ list
Those french chocolate oats look SO GOOD! When I was in Europe 2 years ago, every morning there was this muesli that had chocolate in it that I became OBSESSED WITH!! It was always at the hotels where they have the complimentary bfasts, but I have never been able to find it in the states
. This looks kinda similar though, so maybe I should try it out. As for life goals…just to look back and never feel like I missed out on anything. I’d love to travel the world.
Hi Tina! A co-worker sent me this You Tube video today and I thought of you. Did Murphy get a day job?!
It’s right up your alley (sorry the link won’t go through, but it’s worth the copy & paste effort). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKoLBSK8SSE
My ultimate life goal seems so hard to thing about – but it would probably be to travel to as many places as possible. It would be kick ass to run a marathon, get married, & have kids too!
I love feeling your excitement through your post. Have a fantastic FAVORITE day of the year!
My ultimate life goal is to see the world with my amazing husband, find a job that I enjoy and benefits people, and raise a happy and healthy family.
Enjoy Marathon Monday!
I would have to say my ultimate life goal is to be happy and fulfilled in every part of my life. (with family,friends, and my career!)
=)
That sounds delcious! I think I could get behind chocolate flavored oatmeal.
Hi Tina I’ve been reading your blog for a while but I’ve never responded to a post before. But I had to respond today! Running Boston is a major life goal for me too! I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do it, though. I ran my first marathon last fall and did not get anywhere near the time I was hoping for. Even if I had met my goal (which I actually think I will in my next marathon… I had a bad day and made a ton of mistakes in that first one, but at least I crossed the finish line), I still would have been like 45 minutes over the qualifying time! So I would need to improve A LOT to qualify, but that’s what’s great about a life goal… you have a lot of years to work towards it!
AMEN to that!!! Boston Monday is the best Monday in the WHOLE word, if not the best day ever!!! I was soooo excited to watch it online…only to discover you had to PAY to view it!!!! UGH! Not cool!!!!!!!!!
But it still was a very exciting day. I can’t wait to see how everyone did! Gonna check up on them later tonight.
YAY Boston Monday!
I <3 the Boston Marathon! I definitely have the goal of running it SOMEday. But for an ultimate life goal, I think that would be to do something meaningful for people who are suffering the most in the world… I would love to work in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Ultimate Life Goal – Any marathon will do!
Retire early and travel the world!
Wow, does that say 17 grams of protein?? That’s crazy high-protein oatmeal!
My ultimate life goal is to be happy and healthy
My ultimate life goal is to open the bakery I’ve been dreaming about since childhood, and to feature a healthy snacks section, to promote a healthy lifestyle while still providing the tasty goodness that people seek out!
How long do you wait to go workout right after you ate a pre-workout snack? Do you eat a bit of peanut butter on bread and wait thirty minutes to an hour or so or do you just eat and workout right away?
@Lorin: I guess it depends on the day. Anywhere from 10-30 minutes?
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