Alkaline Diet

Since I'm not running or training for anything I know that no one is ever going to read my blog hehe. Therefore, I am going to just keep on blogging for myself. I had great success staying on track with my training plan to run a marathon by blogging about it so I am going to do the same thing for my diet. This is not a diet to lose weight, it is a diet for me health and that is why I think I have such a hard time doing it. Plus, its not really a diet but a whole overhaul of the way that I have been eating.

Why the Alkaline Diet? My mother-in-law gave me a book that she received at a spa in Mexico title "Alkaline or Die", sounds scary right? It's based on the principle that we put a bunch of garbage in our bodies causing them to be too acidic which in turn causes every health problem that you can imagine. The theory sounds crazy but at the time that she gave me the book I was willing to do anything. I'm not sure if it was the diet or if I was just getting better, but for the month while I was following the guidelines in the book, I felt great. Almost 100% better. Since I have been off of it I have slowly deteriorated. It could be a coincidence or maybe there is some merit to Dr. Baroody's theory. Either way I feel that I should at least give it another shot. The problem is that you should basically only eat fruits and vegetables and the more raw that you eat the better. I have no problem eating like this in the Spring and Summer when it is warm, sunny, and I am generally happier. When the weather and time changes all I want to do is sleep and eat fatty, carb-rich foods.

My plan is to not go too extreme in following the diet but to simple do the best that I can. I can do most of the day raw and then I will stick to Amy's Organic soups, rice and veggies, some other veggie treats, and whole wheat noodles (fruit can only be eaten on an empty stomach 30-45 minutes away from other food). Our budget is tight but I can add some juicing into the mix as well. Hopefully I can stick to it and it works!!

I'm BAAAACCKKK!

I'm baaaccckkkk!! Well to blogging and exercising anyway, not really to running, even though I am trying.

I had a fantastic month of really good health. I would say I was pretty much back to my old self. I was even able to start exercising again, but for some reason I still cannot run. Last week, some of my old symptoms started to reappear again. My hair started falling out, my joints started hurting, and my legs got wobbly. The problem with my legs is the worst part. It's actually my knees and ligaments/muscles around my knees, the rest of my legs are fine. When the leg problems start it becomes hard for me to walk. My knees feel like they can't support me, sometimes they lock up, I have to take very small steps, and sit down a lot. Sometimes it becomes really bad and all I can do is sit. My energy was still pretty high so I wasn't too upset about it. Plus, my legs started feeling better again Thursday.

Just to recap, I have been to my primary care doctor a million times, 2 rheumatologists, a neurologist, and a homeopathic doctor (who probably helped the most). I have been tested for every inflammatory, autoimmune, and neurological disorder and everything has come back negative except for a high positive ANA test which doesn't yield any answers on it's own. I have to continue to be monitored because the ANA test means that I could develop Lupus or some other autoimmune disease or it could mean nothing. Some people always have a positive ANA test and are fine. Basically, no one knows what is wrong with me.

The great part is that I began to feel better. I even started hanging out with friends and exercising. The weird part is that I cannot run without consequences. I tried to ease back into walking and shuffling a few weeks ago and it made my leg problem worse. I therefore decided to just do some low impact workout. I have these cheesy Turbo Jam DVDs, it's like a kick boxing workout and it is actually a very good workout. I am pouring sweat when I am done. Doing this makes me feel better which is awesome. Herein lies the problem, I cannot even put into words how much I miss running. I am thankful I can workout but nothing compares to running for me, nothing even comes close. This is the best weather to run in and I just cannot stay indoors. I am trying to do 30 minutes a few times a week of super slow walking and a few minutes of jogging and I'll see what happens. Last week I tried to go for an hour and it was great mentally but physically I think it was too much. Today I went for a really easy 30 minutes alternating 3 minutes walking and 2 minutes jogging and I stretched and iced after I was done. I have to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't do and what other people can do.

I guess the most frustrating part is that no one knows what this is or why this is happening. I think it would be mush easier to handle if I had some known injury and some kind of plan to get better. I feel like I'm shooting in the dark here. It makes no sense that I can't jog. I can do a crazy aerobic workout and my job is extremely physical. In case anyone forgot I am on my feet all day at work 5 days a week. I go up and down ladders, unload thousands of 5-25lbs boxes, and probably walk miles. Why can't I jog?!

This welcome back post is all over the place! I just had too much to go over. From here on out I will try to write about my bizarro ailments, finding a new job, and trying to run again!

Paul & Monica's Wedding

Paul & Monica's Wedding

July 16, 2010

My awesome hubby, mom & brother-in-laws

The Harran's

Happy Birthday to Me (yesterday)!

It was my birthday yesterday!

Health Crisis: Still Sick and No Diagnosis

Over two months ago when my doctor told me I had the flu I remember thinking, "Oh my goodness I might not run for two weeks. What is going to happen to my training plan?" Now I am hoping that I soon might view walking as a leisurely activity instead of torture.

I haven't written anything in months because my muscles are literally too exhausted on a daily basis. They become weak at an alarmingly fast rate. By the end of the day I can barely walk because my leg muscles are so weak. Sometimes my arms are so tired that washing my hands takes too much effort. Who knew you even used muscles when you washed your hands? One day at work I was stocking frames, and the act of holding frames for hours fatigued my hands for days. After that I broke things in the kitchen because I thought that I was soundly holding things when in fact, I wasn't. The worst is when I do too much overall and have to spend days in bed. I should clarify that when I say "do too much" I really mean that I am just trying to do normal daily activities like walking and driving. I have had some really bad spells where I have had to miss weeks of work (I previously have missed maybe 1 day a year) and luckily a few good days in a row before feeling bad again. I am so thankful for the good days, like today. I even had some great days with my family in Wildwood. On the rare "good" days I have to try and clean a few dishes, do some laundry, or any normal activity that I have been neglecting. Our house is a disaster right now, cleaning takes way too much effort. oh well!

Basically I just try to get through each day. Work is agony. I shuffle around trying to do as little as possible, which is still way too much. By the time I arrive home I crawl up the stairs and usually pass out on the bed in my pup's room/spare bedroom. I find that it is easier to wake up from nap on that bed. After I nap for an hour or two I get ready for the next day and spend some time with my poor neglected hubby while resting on the couch.

Overall I look fine and to the majority of people I seem completely normal. I am determined to keep being my happy, laughing, and smiling self. I think because of my happy personality many people don't take seriously how bad I am feeling or how much pain I am in, but ultimately if I wasn't laughing I would be crying. Not to mention the fact that I always focus on the positive. Right now I am going through a rough patch but things are really not that bad. I have all my parts and most of them work at least some of the time which is way more than some people have. Plus, I have the best family and friends who have been so supportive and helpful.

So, what exactly is wrong with me? I have no idea! Tomorrow I may post my symptoms and a timeline of what has been happening. Currently, I am waiting on test results from the rheumatologist. I have an appointment on Tuesday and I will hopefully receive some answers. I have also been on steroids for a little over a week. At first they made me feel worse than ever. This might be because I was on such a low dose (5mg) and I felt like I had energy but in a few hours my muscles would just give up and my joints always hurt. Now, I actually think that they are working. I felt horrible on Wednesday, I actually thought that I was going to have to leave work early, but then I took my pill and felt immensely better a short time later. Today I had another good day. Maybe it's the steroids working. I have also been seeing an alternative type doctor and according to him I should be better by next week. Whatever the case may be I just want to get better and I am confident that this will happen!

FLU

In case you have been wondering where I have been, I have the stupid flu. Who even gets the flu in the spring? One day I had an awesome 10 mile run, the next day I couldn't get out of bed. I thought I just had a migraine which happens a few times a year, but then I woke up Monday feeling really sick. Of course I went to work anyway because to get another manager to replace me at 5am is a whole ordeal. I figured I could make it until 7 when another manager arrived. I actually stumbled around until 12 then went home & slept for the rest of the day & night. I thought for sure I would be better the next day. Nope! I only made it until 7 when I had to leave. At this point I went to the doctor who luckily received patients early on Tuesdays. They said I had the flu but would run some blood work for other things just in case (still awaiting the results). After that I took off work & stayed in bed until today, when I felt much better. I may even go to work tomorrow.

I have never experienced anything like this before, even typing on the computer took too much effort. Luckily, I was able to read and I had some great can't-put-them-down page turners by Stieg Larsson. So that's what I did, read & slept, I couldn't even eat booo.

Needless to say, my training has been put on hold. I couldn't even get out of bed let alone run or even walk. I'm not sure how I'm going to progess through this. I was scheduled to do a 12 mile run saturday which obviously isn't happening. Maybe next saturday if I can get my short runs in. My fellow runners from runnersworld.com feel that my endurance will carry over. I sure hope so!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Nature Girl Runs on Dirt!

Miles: 10.01

Time: 2:17:47

• ran on some dirt trails, peed in the woods, got a mosquito bite (on my butt), forded a river twice, tripped and rolled like a stunt man, and cut 10 minutes off of my last 10 mile time

This whole adventure started because my friend Heather (a.k.a Bebe), who is a PA, verbally assaulted me for not varying the surface that I run on. You know these medical types, always telling runners that they are going to blow their knees out in ten years. Once (years ago) I even had a doctor tell me that I shouldn't run because it's "bad for your knees". Maybe they're right but the alternative for me is being a couch potato so I'm going to stick with running, thanks. Anyway, while running on my usual trail I spied a very inviting dirt trail that appeared to travel parallel to the paved one. At the same time, there was a guy in my area that I couldn't seem to lose. Normally people pass me and I never see them again, I tell myself this is because they end at one of the trail heads while I keep going. Anyway, the combination of losing this guy and telling Bebe that I ran on dirt practically made the decision for me. I veered off into the unknown! I was having so much fun and feeling so good that I forgot about my walk breaks, I hoped that I wouldn't regret this daydreaming at mile 7. The dirt trail met up with the paved one and I was at a crossroads. Of course Frost was in my mind telling me to take the path less traveled. The only problem was that there was a steep muddy embankment to travel down and a river to ford. On the plus side someone had strategically placed rocks as a make-shift bridge and there was a stick going over the quagmire of muck. I went for it! I tip-toed around the muddiest parts, hanging onto trees (the stick sunk when I stepped on it) and got to the river. Now, I have crossed many a river in my days of hiking, and the trick is to make sure the rocks are stable before you put all of your weight on them. It was a success! I was over the river! I was having a blast. Unfortunately, near one road crossing the path merged with the macadam once again. This is where I realized that it is much faster to shuffle on pavement than dirt. duh

It was around mile 3 something or other that I really had to pee. I just couldn't hold it. Back to my hiking experience, I have no problem going to the bathroom in the woods, what did concern me was that a fellow jogger or cyclist would wander by. The tree cover is not that great yet and visibility is pretty good. But, there was no way I could hold it for another 4 miles until I got back to the bathrooms in the park. I walked way into the woods and found a fallen tree with another tree in front of it which seemed to provide good coverage. I did my business and was back on the trail jogging in record time. This is when I realized that I had a stupid mosquito bite! That's what I get for peeing in the woods.

I became a little sluggish at mile 5 but my GU perked me right up. The trail was getting fairly crowed and I had two different runners tell me "good job" which I found a little strange. Not bad, just weird. On the way back I debated not taking the dirt trail. I was getting tired and didn't feel like dealing with any surprises. Ultimately I chose to go back the exact way I came; basically because I did not want to mess with my mileage. I had already stopped my watch on the pee break and forgot to start it again for like 5 minutes. I was mentally somewhere in la la land when I TRIPPED. It happened so fast but for some reason the thought that I could not fall on my knees popped into my head. I put my heads down and somehow sprung off of them to roll onto my butt. Crisis averted due to my awesome stuntman-like skills. In reality I most likely appeared to be a weirdo rolling in the dirt. I want to say that my fall was due to a rock but I think I really just stumbled from poor shuffling. Whatever the reason I came away unscathed and was back to the river which I crossed like a pro.

My run was sadly coming to an end. I felt great the entire time. I guess all of the swimming and scaling back my mileage due to vacation really helped. I felt like saying I did an "easy" 10 miles. It was not until my run was almost over that I pushed some buttons on my watch and realized that I had gone faster than the last time I did 10. I was shocked. I ended up going an entire 10 minutes faster! That just made the run even better. What a blessing to run an easy 10 on a beautiful day!

hills?!

I did not feel like running in the slightest and therefore decided to run anyway and attempt to do some hill work. Makes sense, right? The most enjoyable part of the whole matter is that I do not even know how to properly preform a "hill" workout. The following is what I did. I did a normal 5 minute walking warm-up then I jogged to a hill. I sprinted up the hill trying to be as light on my feet as possible. Then I walked down the hill. I did this for .90 miles/ 10 minutes but I am not actually sure how many times I went up and down the hill. It was pretty enjoyable and I almost threw up my Panera lunch. I'm not sure why I equate almost losing the contents of my stomach due to physical exertion, but I do. Oddly enough, I do not like sprinting on flat ground. I think this may have something to do with my running form. I feel that I have better form going uphill. I will have to look into this in addition to reading the chapter in my book about running hills. Its not really in my beginner program so I skipped that part of the book. Anyway, I jogged the rest of my 20 minute run and did my usual 5 minute cool down walk. The problem is that my right knee is now feeling weird. It started acting up at work today. I'm icing them now and hoping that both will be fine tomorrow!

Tough Start

I wish I could figure out why it is so darn hard to get out of the door and going running. I literally had to force myself to put my running clothes on, walk the pup, and then actually go for my run. I even wanted to cancel after walking the dog even though I was changed and everything. So dumb! The crazy part is, after boo hooing the first 5 minutes, I was happy again. By the end of the session I was smiling I was so happy. Why does my brain forget this feeling when its time for me to put my sneakers on? This is why I don't listen to myself and just follow the routine no matter what. I am so glad that I went for my run.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Slackin off

Okay, so yesterday I ran and today is a XT day and I totally slacked off. I leisurely walked about 30 minutes and did Mrytle (only because my hip sorely needed it). At least I didn't take the day off. It was rough waking up at 3:10 am again. I actually woke up around 1 with a mild panic attack (I have issues with this sometimes) so I was basically a mess by the time I actually got out of bed. In addition, I can't stop worrying about being sleep deprived again. I cannot put into words how amazing it was to get a full nights sleep for 7 nights straight. That hasn't happened since September. I didn't even realize how worn down I was. Hopefully I will just find an fabulous new job soon!! I'm trying to not get too down about being back from vacay, I just love the sun, warm weather, and ocean soooo much. At least its about time to start going to the shore here. Its not even close to the Caribbean but there is something to be said for the wildness and salty/beachy smell of the Atlantic
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Back from vacay & back to real running

We arrived home from St. Martin yesterday! Booooo! I did no typical running on vacay. James didn't want me running around the island or even the resort by myself. It seemed perfectly safe, I even saw some other women running, but I didn't want him to stress out. I also couldn't make myself run on the treadmill. 30 minutes on the treadmill seemed like 30 minutes of time not spent enjoying the Caribbean. No way. I did run in the pool and in the ocean, and I swam a ton. Water running was really fun! My calves were killing me between walking up and down all the hills on the resort and running in the water. I run on my toes in the water which is how one is supposed to run I guess lol. Plus, when I say swimming, I mean swimming, not floating around on a raft or noodle. I would literally swim for hours a day in the ocean.

Yesterday, our flight landed in the evening and by the time we picked up LG from NYC it was way to late to run. Therefore, today was my first real run in over a week. I planned to do an easy 6, just to get back into the swing of things. It was a little awkward at first, I should say more awkward than usual he he, but then I found my shuffle stride and felt great. My body felt very strong in fact. All of the swimming and hills strengthened some key muscles I guess. I feel like my form was better as well. My knee was a little sore on the side but not wobbly or weak at all which was great. I can deal with sore but not unstable! All in all my run was a great way to combat the back from vacay blues. The woods were beautiful and changed so much in a week. In addition, it was nice to be back in some wild weather. Everyday was perfect in St. Martin, even when it rained it was only for 10 minutes. Today was insanely windy and the sky was enveloped in cloud cover. It made things more interesting. I felt good at the end but I'm glad I didn't push myself yet. Plus, we had nothing to eat for breakfast and no GU's but I did find an old LARA bar which I ate some of after the 3 mile mark. It gave me a good energy boost and seemed to sit well in my stomach.

Soon to be posted: vacay pictures!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Here we go!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Vacay!

I am very excited to get to St. Martin, in fact our flight is about to board which is great. Not so great is the fact that I have a huge problem flying. This time my anxiety started driving to the terminal! I'm holding it together fairly well, trying to focus on laying on the beach in the sun, listening to the ocean. My phone most likely will not work over there although James' phone will. Maybe I'll post something later this week, maybe not. Say lots of prayers for a safe journey and fabulous trip! Peace
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Not a fan of flying!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

vacay is upon us & an easy 6

I wish that I could think of better titles. I think that I used some form of the word "busy" several times already. I should basically just put boring. I mean with a title like that no wonder no one reads this thing!

This week I am supposed to do 11-12 miles for my long run. The problem is that we will be flying out early Saturday and I can't see myself running around a foreign island for 11 miles. I had originally planned on doing the long run today. I think I already wrote about this right? Anyway I had a normal work day, up at 3:15 am and doing a lot of lifting and physical work, ect. Plus, my wobbley knee is still unsteady! Who knows what this is? There is no pain, it just feel wobbly, weak, or unsteady. If I wear an ACE brace/bandage I am fine. weird. After my dad read about the knee on the other post he asked, "what the heck does a wobbley knee mean"? I honestly have no idea! It's just the word that pops into my head when I think about what my knee feels like feels like. Sorry. Anyway, I decided that I didn't want to do anything stupid and wobble my knee worse so I voted for a nice easy 6 mile run. It was great! who thought that almost 2 months ago I would be going for a fun 6 miles. The weather was perfect and it was super easy. I had to wear my ACE buddy and of course by the end my other knee was sore. Oddly enough the original wobbley knee (left) isn't wobbley anymore, just sore. Now I know why people take ice baths after they run! I have been icing every few hours when I am home so hopefully it will be fine for the trip. I am looking forward to getting in a few short runs, lots of swimming, reading, sleeping, eating, and relaxing on vacay! This may be the last post for a while. My phone will most likely not work on the island. James' phone will so maybe I will give a quick update.

spring tree

Here is that same tree from "signs of spring & seven miles". Look at all of the leaves!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

trail pic

This is part of the trail the I shuffle on. The lighting was terrible and the picture is awkward since it was taken quickly from my phone but you get the idea

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

busy busy!

Vacay is almost here! YAY! I have to make this a quick post, James is almost done cooking dinner (whole wheat pasta and veggies yum). I love when he cooks! Yesterday I completed my run on the treadmill. I was running errands all day after work and didn't get home until 5 p.m. It was rainy, cool, and I just didn't feel like being outside. Plus, I had last weeks episode of LOST to catch up on. Even with LOST the treadmill was rough. It takes me about 15-20 minutes until I become accustomed to it and by that time my run is almost over.

I did yoga abs and Mrytle today.

I think I may have runner's knee. It feels like my knee is weak. Previously, I had been wearing an ACE knee bandage at work when I knew I was going to be lifting all day or on the latter. I forgot to wear it last week on an especially difficult day and since then it has been weird. I'm just going to ice it, wrap it, and probably only do an easy 8 miles Thursday. I have to do my long run Thursday becuase of vacay. No time to proof read or anything. Hope this makes some sense!

week 7 recap

Week 7 Recap:


April 19 - 25

Training:

Monday: 30 minute. Due to my schedule I literally had no time for anything other than 30 minutes of running. I didn't even have time for a warm-up or cool down.

Tuesday: I went to visit awesome friend Jen and here precious bebes! They live about an hour away which means that I didn't get home until 7 p.m. I still had to get lunch and clothes ready for work and spend some quality time with the hubby and therefore didn't XT. There are no excuses for not cross-training but I'm not upset about it since this never happens. I did dance to songs on Yo Gabba Gabba with a toddler, is that a form of XT?

Wednesday: 40 minutes total (30 running). It was a great day. There were rumblings of thunder, crazy storm clouds, and the air felt electric. What a great day to be a runner.

Thursday: Happy Earth Day!!! My mom would sometimes take this day off of work because it was a special day. I grew up with motto "Earth Day is everyday"
Yoga Abs & Mrytle

Friday: Rest Day! it's funny because when I started training I hated taking a rest day. Now I feel like I need it.

Saturday: 10 miles!! total time 2:27 hours

Sunday: Yoga Abs, Mrytle, and shopping! wait, does walking around retail stores for hours count as XT?

Health:

This week started poorly. My husband and I made lots of poor food choices on Monday. It's still hard for me to not eat junk when he brings it home. I think it was easier when I wasn't training. Now I'm so tired all of the time I will just eat anything. Luckily the rest of the week was better. After my initial weight loss I have just hit this plateau where I eat too much or too little. I wasn't concerned about what I ate in the beginning because I wanted training to be my main focus. I think after vacay next week I will try to plan my meals better. I still 16.2 pounds. How crazy is that? You would think I would have lost a little more after I ran 10 miles yesterday!

10 miles!

10 miles

Start: 7:55 a.m. Finish: 10:22 a.m.

Total: 2:27 hours

I started off feeling good except for my wobbly knee and this caused me to not be so great mentally. I kept thinking that my knee was going to wobble out of place and I was going to be stuck somewhere unable to walk. It sounds cheesy but I started up a mantra "I am strong, my body is strong" to bring the focus to something positive. Hey, if mantras work for Kara Goucher maybe they will work for me! About 2 miles into the run I arrived to a really beautiful place in the woods. There were mini fluff balls floating in the breeze and the light was filtering through the trees and dancing on the stream. It looked like a Fairytail Forest and I was content to drink it all in.

Let me clear up any confusion here. I say that I run on "trails" but it is actually a myriad of paved paths that extend for miles in the woods. I would run on dirt paths in the middle of nowhere but I fear that I may become lost. I am not that confident in my navigational abilities and the "map" on my GPS is meerly a line on a screen. Right now the park suits me just fine and I am usually passed by other people on my run.

After miles I finally came to the end of a trail and ended up running on a busy road with no shoulder. This seemed to break up the monotony of the run but after a half mile I was thrilled to be in the woods again.

On a side note, I am in love with my strawberry banana GU. I feel like a GU addict because I crave its sugary goodness and the boost of energy that it brings. I squeeze out every sweet sticky drop!

I was a tad bit annoyed that I stopped the Garmin for a potty break (there is a decent porta john) in the parking lot of one of the trail heads) and I forgot to restart it which messed up my mileage. Luckily, I knew where I had turned around last week at 4:50 miles and was able to deduce that my watch was about .20 miles off. Furthermore, the battery on the Garmin began to die around mile 7 but ended up having enough juice to keep going for the remainder of the run. The face read "low battery enter". It took me about 5 minutes until I realized that I had to press the enter button to clear the message. Duh!

Serious Closing Message:

Up until last weeks run my long runs were something of a lark. I mean, I had my challenges, we all remember "Poncho Princess", but something changes when your mileage increases and you are out there running for hours. Let's face it, at 15 minute miles I was shuffling for almost 2:50 hours today! I don't care how slow I am going, that's a long time. The mental part becomes as hard as the physical part. It is challenging in the beginning to know that I will be out there for such a time, and towards the end I don't even feel my body (which is kinda cool and weird at the same time). There are highs and lows on every run now. I still love running and I have become much more serious about the whole endever. I ran 10 miles today, I am a runner

8, 9 Miles & Gadgets-Oh My!

April 12, 2010 - 8 miles

I have to backtrack a little here since it has been so long since I posted anything of note. In April I decided that I would splurge and purchase a Garmin GPS watch. From the beginning I have had a strong desire to run in the woods, off-road, or anywhere besides the boring route on the road which I had mapped out using my car. I was going to wait until I had been training for a few months but I honestly felt that I was completely dedicated to my goal in addition to running for life (or as long as my legs hold up). Plus, Amazon had some really fabulous sales on older Garmin models! I was so excited when the package finally came!
What is in the box?

YAY! A Garmin!!

It is huge and the graphics remind me of technology from the 80's, but I LOVE it!

Although I was thrilled about hittin' the trails with my Garmin, I still had hydration concerns. I mean, I'm running 15 minute miles here so 8 miles will take me about 2 hours. There is no way I was going out in the woods without my own water supply. I come from a family of "outdoorsy" people and you never venture out on a hike or whatever without enough water in case you become lost or injured. It just so happened that I was running some errands which took me past REI. I went in for a look around and I found an entire wall of hydration backpacks. Exactly what I wanted! I tried on a few styles and settled on one that holds 2 liters and is equipped with 2 zippered pockets and another thing to hold a jacket or something. Now, I was all set for a run!

I was slightly concerned that I had 2 new gadgets and I was attempting to run in the woods for the first time in a long time. My pack felt great! I was ecstatic to not be holding a bottle or wearing something around my waist. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to be outside. I don't have too much else to write about. I LOVE my pack and Garmin. This was by far the BEST run that I have had since I started. Oddly enough, I didn't really think at all. Normally, I have a running dialogue in my mind which is why I always have fun stories after my long runs. I'm not sure what I will write about now!

My watch is ginormous!

Hydration Pack

April 17- 9 miles

I had a long week but I went to my first Yankee's game on Friday night! I had a great time even though it was rain delayed half way through and finally called off. It was a win for the Yankee's! Needless to say I didn't get very much sleep and decided to run on Sunday. I had a long day Saturday and I awoke pretty tired Sunday. I mustered all of my energy and went anyway. I felt like I was dragging through the whole run but the weather was pleasant and the scenery was great. Once again I was thankfully for the freedom that my hydration pack and Garmin allowed me!

Sleep!

My hubby took this picture on his phone last night when I fell asleep on the couch. I wish that I was still sleeping!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Time Flies

I'm currently at the vets awaiting the doctor so I am trying to get a quick post up. I ran 9 miles on Sunday! Woohoo! It was really rough and I was very tired before I even began but at least I did it. Today I had a bunch of appointments after work and I literally had exactly 30 minutes in between things to go for a jog. It was either a nap or a jog and I begrudgingly choose the run. I didn't even have time for a warm-up or cool down. I walked out of my house and started shuffling. When I arrived home I had just enough time to splash some water on my face, put the laundry in the dryer, and get out of the door. I was not sure how I would feel since I did my long run yesterday and technically today should have been a XT day. I'm so weird because I didn't want to mess up the run & XT days that I am used to. I didn't even have time to stretch and it is very likely that my legs will hurt tomorrow
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

another week almost gone

I cannot believe that it is Thursday already! I have kept up with all of my usual workouts this week. I am glad that I was so dedicated to my training plan for the first month because now it has just become a part of my life. I don't even think about missing a workout even if I am tired (except for last Thursday but it was only a XT day anyway). I feel really great. My hubby and I are going on a vacay in a little over 2 weeks and this is one of the first times that I haven't had to scramble to get into bikini shape. I feel good the way that I am. That doesn't mean that I don't hope to lose a few more pounds before we go, but I am fine if I don't.

I started back up with my yoga abs dvd. My neck is feeling much better so I am trying not to overdo it. Oddly enough, my abs are much stronger now. Although I shake from the effort, I am able to hold all of my poses! The other weird thing that I noticed is that the rest of my body is much stiffer. This may be due to the fact that I haven't been stretching enough after workouts. All in all it feels good to back working on my abs with Rodney Yee

Week 6 Recap

Week 6 Recap: April 12-18

Training:

Monday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm up/cool down. I keep falling short of 3 miles in 30 minutes. Today I ran 2.95 miles in 30 minutes. Ugh! I don't know what I can't just sprint at the end. I guess I am a little nervous about breaking my shuffle, sprinting, and injuring myself. After all, I obviously don't care about my time anyway (How You Doin 15 minute miles!) I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.

Tuesday: Yoga Abs DVD, short walk with pup. I had to keep it short today because I am going to see Third Eye Blind in a few hours.

Wednesday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm up/cool down. I went super slow today. My knee is bugging me a little and I just felt like taking it easy.

Thursday: 15 minute walk, Yoga Abs, Mrytle

Friday: Rest Day and Yankee Game!

Saturday: In order to get my long run in today I would have had to wake up at 5 a.m. My other option was to run on Sunday, since I had nothing else planned. I was up late Friday night and decided that I would only run on Saturday if I was feeling "bright eyed and bushy tailed" This was not the case so I ran on Sunday instead of my usual day. I actually did no form of training today. In fact, I ate and sat at a Bridal Shower for the majority of the day! Congrats Monica & Paul!

Sunday: 9 miles! Start: 7:02 a.m. Finish: 9:12 a.m.


Health:

I've been doing well this week so I guess I can officially blame my carb overload last week to lack of sleep.

Busy day!

My agenda is jam packed with fun filled activities today! Of greatest concern is that fact that I already shuffled through the most amazing 8 miles! That's right, I awoke and hit the trails by 6:30. What a splendid idea I had two weeks ago when I decided to get up super early on saturdays. I don't even really have anything to blog about because it was just so fabulous. There are a few pics to post & new gadgets to discuss but that will have to be at a later time. For now, we are on our way to drop Little Guy off at my brother & sissy-in-law's house for a sleep over test run. They generously offered to babysit while we are in St. Martin. Hopefully he gets along with them, their dog, cat, and being in the city. Then we are driving down to the shore for lunch and a movie with my mommy-in-law.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Need Sleep

Today I am going to take Little Guy for a short walk and then sleep, hopefully for hours. I've been showing symptoms of sleep deprivation and I know that I just need to sleep.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Blazin!

WOW is it HOT out! I was not prepared for this kind of heat so soon. I assure you that I am not exaggerating, it is literally 90 degrees! Only a short time ago it was in the 40's. Running in this type of heat is rough. At one time I was happy to be home from work and running by 3 p.m. the latest. Now, I'm not having as much fun running with the blazing hot sun beating down on me. On the plus side, I am really glad that I brought water on my run because I might have passed out without it, and there was a breeze at times. For some reason my 30 minute run felt like hours. I started out okay, actually happy to be running, but became fatigued very quickly. From there on out I just took it nice and slow.

In addition I gave my pup a bath today! He's only 5 pounds and therefore fits nicely in the sink. I love when the weather is warm because I can give him a bath and take him outside to dry instead of torturing him with the blow dryer.

Easter Weekend

EASTER WEEKEND

Dinner at Carmine's

He is Risen!

Happy Easter

My hubby, Me, Trevor (brother), Julia (sister-in-law), Krystal (cousin)

My mom and Gloria (one of her sisters)

Uncle Tony- we celebrated his birthday

Krystal and Gloria- Krystal has a great blog about becoming a vegetarian and living healthier

wwwhealthy4life.blogspot.com

Naptime!

Week 5 Recap and Sleep Update

Week 5 Recap: April 5- April 11

This week was a bit of a mess. By Thursday I was showing full fledged signs of sleep deprivation. For the full info see Background Info: Never Enough Sleep. I have been getting 6 or less hours of sleep for over the past month. Now according to the doctor, some people only need 5-6 hours a night, others need 7-8, I fall into the latter category. Can you tell that I have already had problems with this? I am usually pretty good about catching up on sleep on the weekends or taking a nap during the week but for over a month now I have just been going, going, going and I finally crashed. Early warning signs were the intense starch carb cravings i was having. Of course I think about pizza sometimes but I should have known something was wrong when I actually went out of my way to eat it on a Tuesday, in addition to wanting potatoes and white bread. Later in the week I was literally passing out for a few seconds/minutes at a time and my anxiety was starting to become slightly unmanageable. Not good! Finally, on Thursday I started to have a low grade fever, was barely moving at work, forgetting things, and I even thought I saw my dog run by in the living room in the morning even though he is gated in another room. That's when I knew that I desperately needed sleep. Thursday and Friday I took really long naps and went to bed early. I woke up feeling much better on Saturday and had the best run ever. I slept even more on Sunday and feel like myself again.

Training:

Monday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down. It was really hot out today and I felt like I was going to pass out by the time I returned home. I guess I overheat easily. I am now going to bring water on every run no matter how short!



Tuesday: 40 minute walk. I was feeling super lazy today and could not force myself to do any form of DVD, ab work, or even my beloved Mrytle. I'm lucky I forced myself out of the door for a walk!



Wednesday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down

Thursday: maybe walked for 15 minutes and slept

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 8 mile run! I forgot my start and finish times and I accidentally erased them from my Garmin (still working out the kinks) but I believe that I completed my shuffle in 1:52

Sunday: 30 minute walk & Myrtle




Health:

Monday: lets not even talk about what I ate today :/



Tuesday: today was even worse! I picked up pizza and garlic knots. oh well, at least I am still shuffling!


Wednesday: doing much better with my food choices. I did have cereal for dinner but that is better than pizza! I wrote this before I ate a box of Cherrio's

I gained a pound this week! Oh well! I don't even know what I ate for the rest of the week but I now know that the food choices in the beginning of the week were due to sleep deprivation.

Signs of Spring and Seven Miles

Please stay for the entire post. At the conclusion of my story you will be treated to my amateur photography skills, as I attempt to capture the first tiny signs of Spring!

I kinda look like a runner!

My plan to wake up early was successful! I puttered around the house for over an hour, drinking tea, cleaning the kitchen, playing with the pup, and all of the other things I love to do in the morning on my days off.

The temps were in the upper 40's and although it was chilly when I took my dog out, I resisted the strong urge to wear a jacket on my run. It was a good decision because I warmed right up about 10 minutes into it. Due to the fact that 6 miles took an insanely long hour and a half I planned to bring my own water with me. I voted to wear my Camelbak Alterra. It's a hydration system that goes around one's waist. I know, how can I wear this contraption around my waist if I can't even run with a jacket around my waist? All I can say is that there is no reason to my idiosyncrases. The Camelbak annoys the heck out of me, and leaks on account of the fact that it is over 5 years old (I did run back then). After this run, I decided that I may have to permanently retire it. This saddens me for some reason because I have had it for a long time and it was purchased by my parents on a family trip to Hawaii. Weird that throwing away inanimate objects makes me sad. But I digress! Although I started out feeling strong, I was having some stomach issues. Due to the fact that this could easily happen during the actual marathon I simply kept going. I began to notice all of these weird buildings and structures that I had never seen while driving or even being a passenger. There was a brand new set of condos tucked behind the power company, a pretty bridge down the road, and a sidewalk that went behind a grove of trees for a few hundred yards. I was enjoying my musings when all of the sudden a squirrel jumped out from that lovely grove, right in front of my feet. AHHHH! I am not exaggerating for the purpose of this post when I say that I almost stepped on it. Immediately I recalled this story a co-worker once shared: It was a calm day at work when all of the sudden everyone was running around and yelling. Upon investigation she discovered that a guy went out to throw some garbage in the dumpster when a frightened squirrel leaped onto his face!!! I assure you that this is no urban legend, she was there! Luckily, the guy recovered without any outward damage. Let this be a lesson to you unassuming citizens, never underestimate what a terrified squirrel will do. Now I was on edge, on the lookout for a squirrel attack. Thankfully, I made it out of what was once considered a "cute" piece of sidewalk through some trees. I'm plodding along when I think I hear people. I whip around and there is a couple schlepping along behind me. I am slow, and often get passed, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. I do find it irritating though, when people just hang out behind me talking. I kept moving over so they had ample room to pass and yet they would not yield. Just go around you idiots! Up ahead a saw a problem brewing. On our side of the road coming in the opposite direction was another jogger and a cyclist. My trio and the cyclist were following proper traffic rules but what was the other rogue jogger doing?! Three runners, a shuffler, and a cyclist all heading for a shoulder passing of doom. Right before we were to awkwardly make our way around/through each other without getting hit by cars the morons behind me decided that it is time to make their move and pass me. Well at least the tailgate party was gone. Unscathed, I made my way to the paved path off the road. So far, so good. At this point I had to backtrack and add an extra 15 minutes to my route. I hadn't driven around to see where 7 miles would take me so I therefore added 15 minutes to my 6 mile loop in hopes that it would equate 7 miles. At this point I had been shuffling and walking for 45 minutes and established the fact that it was time to have some caffeine free, strawberry banana GU. I was about to discover if this was yummy or yucky. I felt like Popeye with a can of spinach as I ripped open the little pack and proceeded to squeeze some of the contents onto my mouth. Ummm, it was okay. Rather tasty actually, but it did take some practice getting down the hatch. I also had to dispense with my gum which I wasn't not happy about. I love chewing gum on my runs. Tissues for allergies and gum are essentials on every run. It ended up not being a catastrophe because the night before I had a cracked tooth fixed and I wasn't really able to chew the gum very well in the first place. Continuing, I was still feeling great. The GU had kicked in and it was a nice little boost. I was way past the half-way point and thoroughly enjoying myself. The air smelled fresh and new green growth was seen in abundance. I wished that I had my camera but then I would have never finished my run. On the side of the road by the woods I saw a giant, green, glass jug. It looked as if it was from another decade. I wondered if there was a tribe of wine making gypsies behind the chain link fence. Come to think of it, why was there a fence here anyway? When I surmised that I had about I mile left I decided to run the whole thing, even the meandering, deceptively difficult hill at the end. Then I was done. YAY seven miles! That is by far the most that I have ever ran in many years. Once again, I felt a little tired but strong at the end. I even finished faster that I had predicted.

Start: 7:33 a.m.

Finish: 9:09 a.m.

SPRING Has Sprung

These are mainly pictures of weeds and little things but they are green!

My Grandpa was allergic to forsythia and I cannot help but to recall fond memories of him whenever I see it.


This tree obviously has no leaves yet but I will enjoy taking pictures of it weekly to observe the changes

Don't Mess With My Routine (3/27)

"My ears hurt mom"

Its chilly out!

It's hard to write about something that happened Saturday but here I go...

6 Miles

start: 9:33 a.m.

finish: 11:05 a.m.

It will most likely take me a loooong time to finish a marathon

I think that I heard my mom say this first, "A woman's work is never done". I am not sure of the origins of this quote but it is absolutely true. Keep this in mind as I continue my story. I have come to look upon my Saturday runs as my selfish time. I have a routine and at this time I have to stick to it. My routine is what keeps me going. If I didn't have it I would most likely have given up on my training plan. After all, I am the master of making up excuses for not doing something.

I won't delve into the details, but circumstances arose in which I was not able to keep with my Saturday running routine. This made me crazy! I kept trying to get out of the door and one thing after another continued to prevent me from doing so. Nothing important mind you, frivolous things that could have waited until I arrived home again or, better yet, been taken care of without my assistance. I finally escaped and had 6 miles to contemplate life. I am VERY blessed and I love taking care of my house, husband, and pup (who has a double ear infection) but is it too much to ask for a few hours Saturday morning to run? I decided that going forward the best course of action will be to wake up really early and be out of the door before anyone else wakes up (hehe). I can't even imagine what will happen if/when we have kids, yikes! Furthermore, I deduced that I cannot flip out if my routine has to be shifted.

The weather conditions took a weird turn this weekend. It was in the low 30's with a crisp wind, which actually turned out to be decent running conditions. Out of the closet came the gloves, hat, and sweatshirt. I was hoping to keep them stored away until next winter, oh well. On a side note, my winter gear matches because of my super generous parents and husband. They gave me gift cards to sports stores for Chirstmas so I wasn't strangled running in a winter coat. Back to my story- My route was planned as a nice 6 mile loop. YAY I finally get to loop it! This is going to sound crazy to some, but running is a meditative/spiritual time for me. I like to pray, de-stress, and just think. In any event, on this run a tropical locale kept popping into my mind. This was probably due to the fact that we just planned a trip to Sint Maarten. Nevertheless, my husband and I both desperately want to live somewhere tropical by the beach, but we keep focusing on all of the difficulties this quest would entail. I had this strong feeling that we were supposed to start planning for this anyway and that everything would work itself out. Maybe some of my future posts will be about planning a move!

My run came to an end without incident. I know, everyone is used to my fun and wacky long runs but they simply cannot happen every week. I was slightly fatigued at the end and I might try out different fuel options going further. I have used GU in the past but I am going to see if I can get away with just munching on some dried fruit or something a little more healthy. There are some pretty weird ingrediants in GU. I don't know how eating dried fruit is going to work though. We will just have to wait and see.

nice run

It was a pretty nice day out. The sun even poked through the clouds for a while. Hey, anything is better than the chilly monsoon we have had for the past few days. Wait, I think monsoons only occur in warm oceans. Either way, it has been bad weather wise and the roads were beginning to flood so I am very thankful that it has stopped.


Today I had a nice run. I'm finally at the point where it is simply fun to run for 30 minutes, even the hilly parts. Everything was working in fine symmetry. Don't get me wrong, I still shuffle and my form is atrocious but I felt strong and at ease. I really pushed myself up the last hill and was not embarrassed of the people gazing as they drove by. Usually, I feel that I must look like some type of female Frankenstein clodding around in running shorts but today I may have passed for someone who was trying to jog. All in all a good day.

Joel Osteen

On Friday, April 19 me, my parents, and their friends went to see Joel Osteen! It was one of my Christmas pressies. My brother, sister-in-law, and husband received the gift of not having to go and see Joel again (hehe).

The air was electrified with positive Christian energy! We had such a wonderful time. I was once again reminded that all things are possible through God and to be hopeful for the future because He is in charge.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

My parents

Mom and I with Joel (haha)

"A Night of Hope"

Blah

I am feeling really don't feel like doing anything, no cooking, cleaning, or blogging! I'm in a very blah mood. Don't worry I have already done my workout for the day. I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes (while talking to my mom), Mrytle, and some lower ab work with a medicine ball for like 10 minutes. I would have done my yoga abs dvd but my neck is out and ab work will only aggravate it. What exactly does it mean when I say that my neck is out? It means that I have a nagging pain in my neck and I cannot turn my head to the left. I can turn it to the right though! I'll give you a brief boring history of my neck/back problems. I was in minor car accident about 2 years ago. My car was rear-ended while I was stopped and waiting to make a left turn. The jerk, I mean kid, who hit me was in his 20's and didn't have a driver's license! I didn't sue him because the car only had minor damage and I thought that my neck would be fine in a week. Little did I know that I would have neck/back problems for the rest of my life. Anyway, after my husband and I were married last September I was put on his insurance. woohoo! I was finally able to go to physical therapy and it was fantastic, but now I am back to square one. The sad part is that I'm not really surprised. I have been keeping up with my PT exercises and my back has been awesome, it's just my neck that is messed up. I'm sure it is because of the core work I've been doing and that fact that I simply cannot seem to find good stretches for my neck. My mom is doing some research into yoga poses that help one's neck and maybe that will help. I sure hope so!

Week 4 recap

Week 4- March 29-April 4:


Training:



Monday: 28 minute run + 10 minute warm-up cool down. I miscalculated my turn around time in addition to running back way faster than I went out, thus making the run 2 minutes short. I was over 5 minutes off and had to run around to try to make up some time but still ended up being 2 minutes short. I had an off day.

Tuesday: 30 minutes walking on treadmill, Mrytle, 10 minutes ab work with medicine ball. my neck is out!!

Wednesday: 30 minutes running, just shy of 3 miles + 10 minute warm-up/cool down


Thursday: 30 minute walk, Mrytle, lower ab crunches (neck is still bad), took Guy for a nice walk


Friday: Good Friday. Rest day


Saturday: 7 miles

Start: 7:33 a.m.

Finish: 9:09 a.m.

Its still going to take me forever to finish a marathon!

Sunday: Happy Easter! I am very sad to say that I did no form of workout what so ever. I did not even take my poor pup on a walk. I am very dissapointed in myself and will never let this happen again

Health:

lbs: 116.2 (I cheated and weighed myself Saturday in preperation of the upcoming festivites)

measurements:

Thighs: 20.5

Hips: 31

Waist: 25

As you can see I have lost at least an inch from every measuremnt: thighs, hips, and waist. Pretty awesome!

Monday: wow what can I even say about today. I didn't sleep well and 3am came all too quickly. I ate Doritos before I ran and I am going to have a bagel for dinner. Oh well, tomorrow is another day

Tuesday: still not doing so great today. I had a few cookies but I was running around all day at work so I think that I needed the sugar. I don't feel like putting any type of meal together so your guess is as good as mine as to what my dinner will be.

Wednesday: I possibly ate half a box of Cheerios! I seriously have a problem with cereal. NO more cereal in the house!


Thursday: I am back on track. My poor husband went to have cereal for a snack and was like, "wow, you really did eat the whole box" I told him I have a cereal addiction!


Friday: GOOD FRIDAY this is one of the most special times of the year and I eat very minimally so I have extra time to reflect on the meaning of this day.



Saturday: no problem eating well during the day. My long run works like magic controlling what I want to eat. I always crave good healthy foods in small portions. It's the nighttime that I have to watch out for! We went to dinner at Carmine's in the city. We had a great time catching up with friends and loading up on carbs. I did walk around the city in heels so maybe I burned some extra calories. I know I have good leg muscles though, because walking for that length of time wasn't even a problem.

Sunday: HAPPY EASTER of course I ate a ton of mashed potatoes, eggplant parm, bread, and several other variates of carbs. I had a great day spending time with my family and calories do not count on Holidays, its a fact based on scientific evidence.

Doritos- yuck!

I'm glad that my mobile post worked! So I did drag myself out of the door for my run and it was not so great lol. Let's just say that Doritos are not a good pre-run snack. In fact I may never eat them again. Even though I felt pretty poorly on my run I am glad that I did it. I have never regretted a workout even the less than stellar ones. James came home right before I was leaving for my run and I told him that I ate Doritos and now I was going to suffer and puke on my run. James said, "why would you eat Doritos before you ran? At least wait until after the run so you can enjoy them".
me, "yeah I had a moment of insanity"
Let this be a lesson to all who become possessed by the junk food monster. Don't do it! Or at least wait until after your workout hehe

I'm testing out mobile blogging. I hope this works.

I seriously just contemplated not running. I bought some snacks for my employees since we have a tough day of work tomorrow. Among the snacks was a bag of Doritos which I opened and ate in the car! Then I decided that I shouldn't run because if I did I would vomit Doritos (eewww). Never fear, I am now home about to change into my running clothes and head out the door. Remind me not to eat Doritos and think about NOT running again.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

6 miles

I currently do not have any time to write about my Saturday long run. Let me rephrase that, I have no quiet time to write. I enjoy contemplating my time running and I don't want to rush through it. I will say that I am still going strong and I completed 6 miles!

hair cut

I got a haircut today. Not anything different except I went for side-bangs again. I'm really not sure how to spell side-bangs. Anyway, I went to a new place and was a little nervous. I love having long hair and sometimes hairdressers "trim" several inches off. I must have told the poor girl a million times in a stern voice that I only wanted the ends trimmed. She did a great job and it was only $36! woohoo!

I went for a 20 minute walk in addition to completing my yoga abs DVD and Mrytle routine. I think that I feel asleep for a few moments during the relaxation part at the end of the yoga DVD. I have to catch up on sleep this weekend. I am feeling pretty great. I'm tired but it's that good tired feeling from working really hard. I feel like I am getting stronger.

10 minute miles

I have to make this brief. My poor hubby has been feeling mighty neglected with all of the running. In fact, BLOG may be a four letter word in our house. I had a fabulous day. I got the best $10 pedi with one of my favorite friends and of course laughed so hard I almost gave myself a headache. I did not return until 4pm which is late for me and I was not really feeling like a run. The good thing is that this has become a routine. My clothes and shoes are already laid out. I simply have to change and walk out of the door which I do no matter how I feel. I know that once I get out there I will want to finish. I told myself today that I would only run for 20 minutes but once I started I couldn't do any less than my usual 30. I even ran 10 minute miles today! That's right folks, I shuffled through 3, 10 minute miles. I was going so fast I scared myself haha. Overall, I feel stronger.

another day

It's difficult to think of titles for these boring daily posts.
I had a pretty tough physical day at work, and all I could think about was taking a nap when I came home. I went to take my dog out and ended up passing out for 15 minutes on the bed hehe. Sleep is always a problem! I felt better after my nap, took the dog out and did some XT. I had a few episodes of LOST to catch up on so I walked for 15 minutes on the treadmill then I did my MYRTLE routine (i really love this). I was feeling lazy after that but I put in my trusty Rodney Yee yoga for abs DVD. Suprisingly, I felt rejuvenated upon finishing the relaxing breathing end part (the technical term for this is escaping me at the moment). Off to do some chores, cook, eat, and probably fall asleep before LOST- good thing for DVR.

Week 3 Recap:

Week 3 recap: 3/22-3/28

I am combining my Training and Health/Weight loss recaps into one post.


Training:

Monday: 30 minute run plus 10 minute warm-up/cool down

Tuesday: 15 minute walk on the treadmill, Mrytle, and yoga abs DVD

Wednesday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down. I completed 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Thursday: 20 minute walk, yoga abs DVD, Mrytle routine

Friday: rest day

Saturday: 6 miles in 1/12 hours. 15 minute miles

Sunday: 40 minute walk with my hubby, Mrytle

Overall I feel stronger and more confident. I am more agile and can move with greater ease in all daily tasks. I even sleep like a log! I am normally a very light sleeper but now when my head hits the pillow I am down for the count. It is amazing how you can change your body in as little as 3 weeks. I felt tired this week but it was the good tired feeling that one gets from working hard. I had an abundance of energy this weekend. I cannot believe how much I have been accomplishing during the week and on weekends. I even clean more often! My previous motto was "You only clean if you are planning on entertaining or if it is visibly dirty" Now I just clean for the sake of keeping this clean.

Health:

Monday: had my usual lunch of quinoa and vegetables. snack: salad with fresh guac for dressing. dinner I had pizza: sprouted grain pita crust, veggies and goat cheese, and a sweet potato. I also enjoyed dried fruits and nuts throughout the day.

Tuesday: I forgot to bring my banana to work and that made me want to punch someone in the face. Not really, but I look forward to eating my banana since I only have liquids for breakfast. Seriously, who could eat a solid breakfast at 3:45 a.m.? I was fine though and wasn't even hungry. I will probably just have the same dinner as last night. I was going to make raw veggie "spaghetti" but I'm too lazy to learn how to use the mandolin slicer

I am down about a pound which seems about right. I know that I have been eating great and working out so I am not concerned with the scale anymore. My clothes fit much better and I cannot wait to take my measurements next. I basically ate the same things all week , lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I have reverted back to a book by Natalia Rose which is about transitioning to raw food. While I never plan on being a full raw foodist, her philosophy works really well for me. I feel best physically and emotionally when I am eating good foods. I had no problem eating well. Monday through Friday was easy, the only junk I had was a few pieces of chocolate and half of a bagel with butter. Saturday and Sunday are a little harder. My husband and I had already plannned on getting pizza for lunch on Saturday but I ended up feeling so stuffed after eating 2 slices and several garlic knots that I didn't want anything for dinner. Sunday is a different matter. It's a XT day so I only walked for 40 minutes and I have a bunch of chores and stuff to do around the house and therefore I end up "snacking" on stuff all day. It's not really bad stuff just lots of cereal, ww bread, etc. I knew I should not have let my husband get the cereal! I'm a ceral addict!
After 3 weeks I can really feel the difference when I eat well and when I don't. I usually just plan my meals for Monday - Friday but I am going to have to give some consideration to my weekend meals. Like I said before, I'm not going to deprive myself of any foods that I really want. I find though, that on the weekends I would prefer healthy foods I just haven't prepped anything, feel lazy, and grab whatever is conveniant.

April Showers

30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down

I think rain should be this month's theme. The weather has been amazing lately and as a result I decided to bring my running clothes to work and hit the park on my way home. Of course it starts pouring rain in the morning! The temps were in the low 50's and the clothes I packed were good enough for the weather. It's not like I have a rain jacket anyway. I was a little bummed that I didn't have a hat but I hoped that the trees would offer some form of coverage. It was pouring on my drive home but when I arrived to the park it was only misting. I decided that I was going to try to push myself more on my short runs. I seemed to be going faster but I was on a new route so I can't be positive. At one point the trail is marked and I did a 10 minute mile. I cannot wait for the day that I get a Garmin! I was super tired when I got home and took a nap for an hour. I normally try to catch up on sleep on the weekends but I had so many festivities to partake in that I didn't get any extra sleep. Oh well!