Sunday, May 31, 2009

A kick ass run on a kick ass day

I really need a Garmin. Today’s run was anywhere between 5.8 and 6 miles, but I’m not exactly sure. I ran the outer loop first, but I ran down a road that I THOUGHT was going to take me to the other side of the loop. Instead, I ended up running about what I thought was a 1/4 mile and crossed the street, only to run back to the same place I started, another 1/4 mile out of the way. So that’s an extra 1/2  mile right?
Then I decided not to run the outer loop twice, just the inner loop since the route was so hilly (we’ll get to that later) so that was 1.9 miles. So that’s 2.9 miles for the outer loop, .5 miles for the “off track” run, and another 1.9 miles for the inner loop. However, I also parked my car at the very bottom of the road, which I’d estimate to be about another maybe 1/4 mile…but it could have been a little more…so that would make my run:

2.9 miles for the outer loop
1.9 miles for the inner loop
.5  miles out of the way running on the wrong road
.6 miles running from where I parked and back

About 5.9 miles? Right in the middle.  Anyway, the run took me 1 hour and 47 seconds, which evens out to be about a 10:18 mile. And that sounds about right. This was a challenging run with A LOT of hills. And we’re not just talking slight inclines…I’m talking about an 8 on the incline scale of 1-10. These were hard hills that really kicked my ass and they didn’t seem to end! I’d say half of the run were crazy sets of hills, which is exactly what I needed. I’m hoping the next time I run this to be able to run the outer loop twice.

Here is a picture of me BEFORE this crazy hilly run: (not bad for a cell pic)

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So this was me AFTER:

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I know how goofy I look…my mouth was open because I couldn’t catch my breath….hahaha (I sprinted the end of my run)
Did I mention how much I love Dennis’ Oakleys? They look silly as hell on me but they stay put when I’m running and do an awesome job protecting my eyes. And they don’t leave you with “raccoon eyes.”
To be honest, Breakheart Reservation is very beautiful and peaceful, so even though I was struggling up those hills, it was a really nice run. And I was truly thinking of Meghann while I was out there, thinking “she’s running a freakin MARATHON right now—I can handle 6 miles of hills….this is nothing compared to that!” It worked. (GO MEGHANN!)

After I caught my breath and stretched a little I ate half of my almond butter and banana sandwich

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I ate the other half after I got home and showered, about an hour later.

We hit the grocery store and did some laundry before the hunger really kicked in. This always happens to me—I’ll eat after my run because I know I have to, but I’m not really hungry until about 3 hours later…and by then the hunger is massive. I ate the rest of my leftovers from last night:
1/2 a baked potato with 1tbsp hummus
3 oz or so of BBQ turkey tips
I didn’t show my BBQ sauce, which was Kraft honey BBQ sauce.

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And a salad with some feta cheese and fat free croutons.

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And about an hour later I had my first piece EVER of key lime pie.

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This was pretty damned good. Next time I’ll make it from scratch!

About two hours later I started to get the “on no I’m hungry again” feeling, so I finished off the bag of pretzels (there were only about 1.5 servings left—15 pretzels or so)

And an hour later (right now) I’m feeling hungry again..but I’m going to warm up some peppermint tea to fight the urge. I don’t know—I feel like I’ve eaten enough?

Here is where the “overeating” issue begins. I try to listen to my body but I don’t want to overdo it. I honestly hate counting calories (even though I keep a mental note of how many calories I eat every time I open my mouth) I’ve estimated that I’ve eaten just over 2,000 calories already today so, I’m just about at my limit…if you’re reading this and think I must be crazy please let me know. I could be doing something wrong.

I’m looking into taking a web design course so I can finally start the website for the consulting/freelance business I’ve been wanting to start. Dennis and I have been talking about it and he thinks it’s a good idea for me to learn how to do it on my own—it will be more beneficial to me (and will add to my skill set.) I’m glad he’s supporting me on this. And remember – if ANY of you have advice on this, PLEASE let me know!!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!!

A day at the beach

Yesterday was an *AWESOME* day. The weather was perfect for a trip to Manchester-by-the-Sea and it’s neighboring towns of Magnolia and Gloucester for some hiking, rock climbing (well, kind of) and just watching the ocean do its thing. We also had a few history lessons along the way.

When Dennis and I first moved to Boston, I got a job first. So I moved out here three months before him and lived in a house that my friend from high school (Steve) was living in. He works for a company that contracts work out all over the country, so he’s on the road a lot. For the entire summer I practically lived on my own, but it was in Gloucester right by the beach so I couldn’t complain too much.

So Dennis and I have always felt this place was special because it was the beginnings of our lives in Massachusetts. And my is it gorgeous up there!

I didn’t take too many pictures of my eats, but I started my day out with an oatmeal pancake and some coffee.

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And cafe con soy milk (ha typical use of spanglish for you)

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I just LOVE this breakfast!!

I actually owe you guys some eats from Friday—I made an awesome asparagus, hummus and goat cheese burrito for dinner Friday…

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I used the leftover asparagus from the other night and wrapped it up in a whole wheat wrap.

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And I ate it with a cup of Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable soup. (YUM!) 

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Honestly, as much as I love goat cheese, I think this would have been better with a more solid, saltier cheese like Feta or even Swiss. The goat cheese was good but it mushed in with the hummus too much I think. But it was still a kick ass dinner!

And of course, I HAD to have my new fav yogurt parfait:

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  • 1/2 TJ’s 2% Greek yogurt
  • 4 crushed graham crackers (I use the Low Fat kind…they’re a little drier)
  • A handful of blackberries

I love this stuff! The graham crackers give it a “crust” feeling. So good!

OK, so back to the beach!

We spent about 4 hours just walking around and exploring yesterday and it was awesome. We haven’t been able to do anything like this for a while now with Dennis being so sick so it was just amazing to be able to get back out there! We took just under 200 pictures! Here’s a preview:

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I’m realizing now that about half of the pictures aren’t uploaded on my computer! I have to grab the ones from Gloucester—there’s so many more I didn’t post! But you get the idea. It was a great day.

And I love how Dennis was wearing his Pleepeus shirt! I got him that shirt for Christmas. If any of you have ever seen the show Three Sheets, you’d appreciate the humor.

Oh and just in case you’re wondering how we got all the pictures of ourselves—we have a timer on my camera. So we found places to set the camera up and took self timed pictures. It was actually quite funny watching Dennis run back and forth (until we realized we could change the timing from 10 seconds to 20) This was just another part of the trip that made it so much fun!

Anyway, we hiked through some woods, we climbed some rocks to get to the “obscure” parts of the beaches, and I’ll admit, we got ourselves a great workout. And worked up an appetite!

While we were out and about, I ate a banana and one of those low fat Quaker granola bars. It was enough to keep me going, although when we got home at around 6 I was pretty hungry.

So I made the second half (a little less than a cup) of my Black Bean Veggie soup and we ordered from the Newbridge Cafe in Chelsea (where we live)

Everyone’s been raving to us about how amazing this place is, so we decided to give it a shot.

I ordered the Turkey Tips and a baked potato. I ate about 1/3 of my tips and half of my potato (trust me, they give you A LOT of food)

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I am still having a hard time getting my food to photograph nicely. I can take other kinds of pictures (such as the ones above) but food is tough! There are three turkey tips and half a baked potato on my plate. On the potato I used a tbsp of sour cream and a tbsp of roasted garlic hummus for the extra creaminess and flavor and it was awesome! Next time I’ll skip the sour cream and just go with the hummus! It was THAT GOOD! And anything to avoid sour cream and butter … it makes it much healthier.

Even after ALL THIS FOOD I wanted soft serve ice cream. God it’s been YEARS since I’ve had soft soft ice cream! So Dennis and I got back in the car to make a trip to our local Dairy King (Yes, I said Dairy King) for a soft serve vanilla hot fudge sundae.

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As good as it was I couldn’t finish it, but I ate about 2/3 of it….so quickly I couldn’t take a picture of it in action!

So yeah yesterday was an awesome day!

Today I’m planning to go for a Hills run….ugh….I haven’t been doing enough hill training and I know the course of my 15K involves a good amount of them so instead of running a long run I’m going to do 2 loops around Breakheart Reservation. The outer loop is 2.9 miles long so I’m planning to run just under 6 miles, but only half of it is hilly. I think it will be a good practice run for me. And if I’m not feeling the whole 6 miles I can always use the inner loop the second time around, which is 1.9 miles long and cut the run by a mile. No biggie. I’ll be sure to let you all know how this run goes…I’m already planning on JUST RUNNING and not worrying about time—you’re not supposed to run hills fast!!

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!! 

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Knowing what’s good for you

I’m a little behind, but I wanted to touch on Caitlin's post because she is one of the reasons why I’m blogging right now and I think this is an extremely important topic.

Blogging is definitely different than what many people are used to. Most of the people I’ve talked to about my blog think it’s a really cool thing and enjoy stopping by to check it out, while others think it’s plain old weird. I’ll admit that I still feel funny snapping pictures of my food but I’m slowly but surely getting over that.

But Caitlin brought up very many important positives and negatives about food blogging and I felt it was very important to pass on.

One of the reasons I started reading food blogs was because I needed balance in my life. I needed to find people out there who were like me and who understood the importance of health and fitness, but whom were also REAL about it. It's OK if you don't run one day; it’s OK to eat your much desired piece of cake..in other words, it's OK to be normal.

Obviously discipline is necessary but eating healthy and taking care of yourself physically is a lifestyle, not a prison, and reading blogs such as Caitlin’s has helped to remind me of that. I still struggle with wanting to be faster and thinking I should lose a little more weight (this is only during my bloated months because to be honest, I’m pretty happy with my progress) but becoming a part of this community has helped me in so many ways to realize that I am normal.

I’ve been an athlete my entire life. I played soccer all throughout my school years, in college, and still play now. However I’ve also always been one of the biggest girls on the teams and also, one of the slowest. I’m a pretty good player but my speed always held me back from being as good as I could really have been. Obviously this has played a role in my obsession to be faster.

Everyone else around me seemed to be naturally great at soccer—being fast was natural, being thin and lean was natural, but nothing I was learning working for me. I couldn’t get better, faster, leaner and stronger if I was doing the same things they were because, well, they didn’t need the same things I did.

But no one really saw that. And I got stuck being put in a pool of girls that didn’t need the same type of training I needed and I never really got better.

Now I’m realizing that there are ways to get better by doing what works for YOU individually. However, since I didn’t have the help I needed at hand, I turned to the trusty internet and found Kath’s blog. The fact that she “Eats Real Food” immediately caught my interest. Kath’s blog led me to Caitlin’s blog which lead me to others…and I honestly have to say I haven’t felt better about myself. I feel good because I eat well, I balance myself well, and I’ve honestly learned how to not become so obsessive over things like eating too many pretzels or not going to the gym one day.

I am still very conscious about everything I eat and drink, but in a good way….meaning, I know I enjoy eating something sweet after dinner, so I try to second guess that amazing looking cookie after my lunch. If I can’t fight the urge then I’ll try to find something smaller to snack on after dinner. Instead of that piece of cake I had planned, I’ll have some yogurt and strawberries instead. It’s that simple.

If I had oatmeal for breakfast and pasta for lunch, I make sure to have plenty of greens and protein with my dinner and/or snack to make up for my lack of balance in the first part of the day. Get it? So I’m not really being obsessive, I’m just trying to keep my balance.

Also, I’ve found that counting calories doesn’t work for me. I do calculate some things but I don’t make it a strict part of my day. I have an idea of how many calories are in each of my meals and I estimate that I eat close to 2000 calories a day: About 400 for breakfast, 400-500 for lunch, a 150 calorie snack, 450-600 for dinner, and maybe another 200-250 for dessert/snack. That seems like a lot but I’m pretty active, therefore I’m hungry every three to four hours or so. But it wasn’t until reading these blogs did I realize this was OK. I always was told to eat no more than 1600 calories or else I would never lose weight. I’ve read it, I’ve been told that by my coaches, I’ve talked to my doctor, and everyone seemed adamant about that. But I know this is not true. It’s been working for me for over a year now (along with weight training and cardio which is easy for me since I like to work out.)

Since reading (and writing) these blogs I’ve learned how to better train for my races, how to properly fuel, substitutions for protein other than meat, I’ve made TONS of new recipes and have tried so many different types of food I would never have thought to try before…and I’ve learned a lot about life, balance, and the amazing people behind these blogs. And for these things, I am grateful. And I hope I can provide these same positives for others out there who stumble across my blog too.

I feel these are all important things to remember because we are all human. We all enjoy our cake and cookies, we all have bad days, we all fight with our significant others, we all get pissed off at work—we’re human. We’re not here to do anything other than support each other and better ourselves. That’s what this is all about.

So with that, I’m wishing you a wonderful, peaceful, and happy day. I’m heading up to Gloucester with Dennis to hang out along the beach. LAYTAS!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Sometimes all you really need is a hot bubble bath…

First and foremost---Happy Anniversary to US!

It was five years ago today that Dennis and I went out on our first date. It was also my best friend Shylo’s birthday (Happy Birthday Shylo!!) We have been through A LOT in these five years and although not every day has been picture perfect (who’s is?)  I couldn’t ask for a better guy. 

 

IMG_1180 dennis and me @ the house 

us at cookie's

I had another long day today. In a nutshell, I have been “shadowing” my neighbors’ consulting company to see if I would enjoy running one of my own. Theirs focuses a lot on IT and technical issues, which is what I’ve been learning about these past few days. It’s been very interesting but very draining, since I’m not a technical person at all. Although learning how to install software and get inside a computer is extremely beneficial, it’s so out of my element and it stresses me out.

However, since I have IT copywriting experience (for about a year) I understand a lot more than I realized I did. But I'm not one to do more than just write about it.

Today was a crazy day, people in and out and no room for a break. I made overnight oats for breakfast and took it with me and was SURE to eat it in the car on the way over (I wasn’t driving)

I used

  • 1/3 cup oats
  • 1/3 cup TJ’s 2% Greek yogurt
  • 1 whole banana
  • 1 tbsp crunchy Teddie PB

I ate this at 7 a.m. By 11, I was starving so I cracked into my Clif bar. I figured I’d eat half then and half as my afternoon snack since lunch was coming up soon….well…not such luck. By 2 p.m., we were just winding down and the idea of lunch had come and gone. I was so grumpy, so exhausted, and really just plain old pissed off that I decided I just wanted to go home rather than go grab something to eat.

Needless to say this ruined my entire day. I didn’t get home until almost 4 and was so hungry that I really couldn’t get full. I ate:

The same sandwich as last night—2 pieces of Sesame Ezekiel bread, 2 slices of Swiss cheese, about 1.5 tbsp. garlic hummus, and two slices of onion.  On the side I had some steamed asparagus, tomatoes and carrots.

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After I ate this, I passed out. I fell asleep sitting straight up on the couch for about a half hour. (Seriously.)

I woke up at around 5:15 and still felt hungry. So I made the same dessert as last night too:

  • 1/2 cup TJ’s 2% Greek yogurt
  • 2 crushed up graham crackers
  • a handful of blackberries

It was really good, but again, it wasn’t enough. However, I didn’t want to keep eating so I forced myself to clean up the kitchen and play with the kitties before eating anything else. I had signed up for a 6:30 spinning class but honestly, I was so tired that I felt like I would be doing more damage than good. I’ve been on the go all week, I’ve been working on 6 hours sleep the last two nights (just can’t get to sleep!) and I honestly felt like I should stay home. And I’m OK with that. Not going to the gym doesn’t mean my day has been ruined. I mean, I workout to enjoy it and if I’m forcing myself to go, then what’s the point? It is very rare for me NOT to work out, so when I don’t go, it’s usually for a reason.

So what did I do instead? You guessed it. I took a much needed bath.

We have a kick-ass claw foot tub that I never use. I really like it but I’m about a foot too short for it so I can’t lay back and relax, which kind of sucks. But it’s still nice to get into a really hot bath and just soak. And we have this really great bubble bath from Bath and Body works that smells heavenly and makes lots of nice bubbles.

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I spent about a 1/2 hour in the tub and just let myself relax…and think…and listen to music (I would read but again, I’m too short so I sink) When I got out, SURPRISE!  I was still hungry….so I had about 2 handfuls of my favorite Honey Wheat pretzels and TJ’s peppermint tea. I think I’m finally done eating.

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I knew what my body needed and it was rest.

I will admit, I was a little pissed that my eating pattern got so screwed up today because I feel like I ended up eating more than I would have if I ate normally. But guess what? Shit happens. Not every day is going to allow for an ideal eating day, time restrictions keep you from eating what and when you like sometimes and you just kind of have to deal with that.

I’m only saying this because I feel like since I’ve been writing this blog that people in my life are expecting to see me eat only “Twigs and sprouts” and act surprised when I eat a cookie or a piece of cake (even though I eat at least one sweet thing – if not two -- every day!) I am human you know!!!

OK I’m done … some days I’m not Lil Miss Sunshine, but since I dedicated myself to this blog, I think it’s safe to write about the not so happy days too. (And yeah we really need some sun here!)

So I’ve been really considering running a business of my own, but it’s very scary to think about. I have a strong journalism/marketing background so I’ve been thinking about freelancing/consulting out my services, but we’re in limbo right now so I’m not even sure where we’re going to be living in the next few months. Do any of you have experience with running your own business? Do you have any tips or advice for someone who is considering running a business of their own?

OK I honestly think I’m going to bed. It’s only 8:30…haha Thank GOD tomorrow is Friday….

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Silly commercials...

This morning I was up and out at 7:15 and was on the go all day. I made overnight oats for breakfast but was only able to get in one bite before I ran out the door. I brought my bowl with me but only was able to eat about half before the day was over. I also prepared a Green Monster to take with me for a mid afternoon snack but realized I needed to switch that to my breakfast instead.

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For lunch (at around 1) I had a whole wheat grilled chicken wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, swiss and hummus. It was good but the chicken was really dry and I ended up taking a lot of it out.

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About an hour later I shared a Twix with a friend.

And then on the way home at 6 I ate an apple. So needless to say I was pretty hungry when I walked in the door at 6:30.

I decided I had to use stuff up since I had veggies in the fridge for about a week that I didn’t want to go to waste. So I made a salad to start:

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Believe it or not I couldn’t finish my salad! I did manage to eat about 2/3 of it though.

What else is in here that I need to get rid of? Hmmm….garlic hummus, a half an onion, swiss cheese, and sesame Ezekiel bread that have all been in there for more than a week…

So I made a grilled swiss cheese sammie with garlic hummus and onions on sesame Ezekiel bread. Damn I’m good. (And so was this)

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I used two slices of cheese, about 1.5 tbs hummus, and two slices of white onion. YUM!

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After dinner I was craving sweet but since I had the Twix I didn’t want to overdo it. I really was craving a S’more for some reason. So I decided to go with that—kind of…

  • I used about 1/2 cup 2% Fage Greek yogurt
  • 4 strawberries
  • 2 crushed graham crackers

to make a “Strawberry graham cracker sundae” It was very good and VERY filling. And it hit the spot.

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I’m beat! My knees feel better today since I took the day off but tomorrow I do plan on a 6:30 spin class. I found out my new *favorite* instructor has the same name as me … so I’ll be meeting with her tomorrow for another ass-whoopin (and I can’t wait)

I’ve been pretty distracted these past few days and honestly can’t begin to tell you how tired I am. Without going into detail, we’ve been kind of hanging out in limbo for a while and it’s been really difficult to make any kind of future plans. Writing this blog has helped to clear my head of many of my stresses (simply because I love to write) but sometimes I hit a writer’s wall. I’m feeling one of those tonight…so I’m going to leave you with this song…since it’s stuck in my head thanks to a stupid (I think it's a Captain Morgan) commercial. (But only the chorus so you’ll want to strangle me less)

You, you got what I need but you say he’s just a friend
And you say he’s just a friend
OH BABY YOUUUU, you got what I NEEEEEED
But you say he’s just a friend, but you say he’s just a friend
OH BABY YOUUUUU, you got what I NEEEEEEED
But you say he’s just a friend, but you say he’s just a friend

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I’m Rick James Bitch

I’ll admit--being back on a “regular” schedule was tough for me…but only because I didn’t know what to expect. I had an oatmeal pancake for breakfast at around 8:30 since I had plans to meet my neighbors at 9...which meant I had to eat fast.

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Normally I eat my breakfast, drink my coffee, read over my emails and go through my “To Do” list of the day…this has been my schedule for the past 5 years since I’ve always eaten my breakfast at work. But when I have to rush out of the house I can’t really enjoy myself, so that kind of sucked.

And I got hungry SUPER EARLY! By 10:30 I was already grumbling! I think my run from yesterday caught up to me this morning!

We went to a place called Charlie’s Kitchen for lunch.

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I had a chicken ceasar salad with croutons and I ate the whole thing.

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It was good but it gave me TERRIBLE heartburn.

At around 3, I had a Clif bar. (White chocolate almond…yum) and when I got home at 5:30 I ate an almond butter and banana sammie on a mini whole wheat pita before running to the gym for my 6:30 spin class.

The class was great but my knee was bothering me really bad…I had to take it easy, which kind of sucked because this, so far, was the best instructor yet. There were a lot of hills which I LOVE, but my knee felt very weak so I had to hold back. I usually take one full day off from exercise after my long run to give my knee a break but tomorrow and Thursday are going to be tough for me to get to the gym so I wanted to ensure I get a good workout in today. I thought spinning would be a good choice but I know tomorrow – even if I do have time – I have to take the day off.

After the gym I had the last of my KERF pasta sauce…and the last (Finally!) of my truffle.

1.5 cups pasta, sauce, and about an ounce of goat cheese….no tofu this time. It was too much for me.

The last of the completely un-photogenic truffle

Peppermint tea

And I forgot to take a picture since I was kind of hoping I saved the one from Sunday…it was the same exact portion on the same exact plate. Sorry folks, I’m slacking today.

Ok and now we’re watching some show about the Top 50 Funniest Catch phrases …. and I seriously think “I’m Rick James Bitch” should be one of them. However, I’m pretty sure it won’t be, so I’m dedicating my post to you, Rick James, Dave Chappelle, OK, Rick James…(Or Charlie Murphy?)

Have a great night everyone. Coming soon---nice pics of the Hahavad Yahd…

Monday, May 25, 2009

Such a gorgeous Memorial Day

It was a gorgeous day today here in Boston. The sun was shining, it wasn't humid, and the temperature was around 78 degrees. In my eyes, that is a perfect day for a run!

I went to bed last night with a stomach ache and couldn't fall asleep, so when I tried getting up at 7 this morning for an 8.1 mile run, it didn't happen. I let myself sleep until 9:30 and felt much better.

For breakfast I had 2 Kashi Go Lean Waffles with PB , a banana and 2% Chobani. Jenna was right--the 2% tastes so much better!



I couldn't finish all of the banana...I probably ate half. This breakfast was perfect for my 8.1 mile run, although I had to let it digest for 2 hours before I ran. But I'm OK with that since I knew I'd be out for a while. It held me over perfectly. Talk about the breakfast of champions.

I wish I could have brought my camera on my run. It was so gorgeous--running along the Charles River is beautiful anyway but when the weather is like it was today it's even better.


Source

Since it was so sunny out, I put 30 SPF on my face, arms, neck and whatever was exposed on my chest to ensure no sunburn, and I used Dennis' Oakleys, which saved my eyes!! He recently bought a new pair so I will definitely be putting these bad boys to good use this summer.

I decided to use a different approach to today's run. I spent the 8.1 miles running at a medium to slow pace. I started out at a slow jog to warm myself up and then I felt good enough to pick up the pace. I didn't want to overdo it, so I slowed myself down after about 3-4 minutes of running at a "Medium Pace" (for all you Adam Sandler fans out there--I just cracked myself up)

I guess it was my attempt at using the Galloway method without walking, and also without staring at my watch the whole time. I felt awesome the entire run. I never once felt tired and nothing hurt me (well until the last minute or so of sprinting when my knee started to feel like it was going to pop out of socket--nothing too serious--it's happened before)

I actually never really thought about how long I had been running or how many miles I should have left. I looked at my watch and noticed I had been running for just under and hour and thought, "Wow...I've got this....I've so got this...this run has been awesome..."
I actually almost ran right past my turn around point ... when I saw the Anderson Foot Bridge I thought, "Oh, ha! There's the bridge!"

The only problem I had was that since I felt so good and strong, I really thought I had ran at a faster pace than my last attempt at this distance, when in fact, I ran it about 20 seconds SLOWER!?!? Something isn't right! How could I have possibly ran this slower when last time I ran this route I struggled!! I honestly didn't think my time was right. But the clock doesn't lie I guess, so it is what it is. And I enjoyed myself and didn't hurt myself in the process, and I honestly appreciated being out there.

So my stats:

8.1 miles
80 minutes, 51 seconds
9:58 pace

I'm assuming I burned about 800 calories.

I wasn't hungry for a while after my run. I ate an apple after I stretched only because I felt like I should eat something but it made me feel extra full, almost like I was still full from my power breakfast.

About an hour after I got home and showered, I decided to eat my dinner early (at around 4)
I beefed up my leftovers from last night by adding some tofu and goat cheese for the extra protein.



This bad boy contains

  • 1 cup angel hair pasta
  • about 3.5 ounces of baked tofu
  • 1 ounce goat cheese

I love the texture and the taste of goat cheese. It adds so much to a meal.

And I'm still eating up my fabulous truffle ... there's a lot left in there but I don't want to throw it away!

At around 8:15 I started to get the craving for oatmeal for "dinner."



  • 1/2 cup Red Mill extra thick rolled oats (YUM!)
  • 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp flax
  • 1 tbsp slivered almonds
  • blackberries
  • cinnamon
  • 1 tsp honey
I didn't use bananas this time and I was able to actually taste the oats. I usually cook the banana in with the oats so it changes the texture and flavor a little bit. This was exactly what I needed. Yum.

Tomorrow I start my contract job with my neighbor's company at Harvard University. I'm not sure what my schedule is going to be like; if I will be able to carry around food with me or if I'll have to buy lunch every day. (Yikes!) Since I'll be bouncing around from place to place and I won't be driving, I'm not sure I'll have a place to store my "stuff" so I might have to carry around items that won't perish in my purse. This will be an experience I'm sure. And you'll hear ALL about it...

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Outside brunch and a $50,000 engagement ring

I got to see my friend Danielle and her boyfriend Tim today. We had brunch outside at Stephanie's on Newbury, a cute place in Boston's Back Bay. We were really lucky because we didn't get there until about 10:30 and there was one table available outside.

Since I was up at 8 I knew I wouldn't be able to wait until nearly 11 for brunch, so I had a banana before I left to meet them. I stopped in at Starbucks and got an iced coffee and watched the participants of Boston's Run to Remember 1/2 marathon run by while I waited for them to come down from their hotel. I got really pumped up for them and inside I was really jealous that I wasn't running too! Seriously, I felt like putting my bag down and running along side them. My adrenaline went through the roof! I wanted to run SO BAD!

I watched them for about 10 minutes before Danielle called looking for me. (oops!)

By the time we ordered I really wasn't feeling breakfast food anymore, so I ordered their rustic roasted vegetable stack:
portabella mushroom, zucchini, summer squash and red pepper on hearty multi grain with basil mayo and melted fontina served with field greens

This sandwich was AWESOME! Everything about it. I gave a piece to Danielle and devoured the rest. YUM!






Tim and Danielle



Danielle and I



After brunch we walked around the Back Bay and browsed through its many stores. Danielle wanted to go to Tiffany's so I said, "SURE!" (I'm not much of a jewelry girl but, hey, I can dream can't I?) I found an engagement ring I liked about 4 years ago and decided to try it on for fun. The ring fit me perfectly and looked so nice on my finger....and then I saw the price tag...$50,000???? I had a $50,000+ ring on my finger! I seriously almost had a heart attack when I realized how much it was. Some people just have too much money on their hands...

Danielle and Tim were driving back to NY so we parted ways at around 1:30 and just as I was walking to the train stop I heard thunder...and saw some lightening...and then a few drops...and then BAM! It was storming. Luckily I was able to find cover and Dennis came to my rescue.

Then I came home and made him dinner. But before that happened, I needed a snack.



1/2 cup Newman's Own Sweet Enough Honey Flax cereal
1/2 cup Cascadian Farms Vanilla Almond Crunch
3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 banana

And a slice of Cinnamon Ezekiel bread that I munched down on while everything was cooking.

I made Kath's tomato sauce with a few changes.

I used:

  • 2 beefsteak tomatoes
  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 1 pint pearl tomatoes
  • 1 whole onion
The rest was the same. We even bought and planted some fresh basil and oregano to use. It was amazing! (I've actually made it before so I knew it was good) It's the first time I've been able to truly "master" a tomato sauce. I will definitely use this recipe for many many years to come. Thanks Kath!



I like to use the "appetizer" plates for portion control. Dennis thinks it's silly but I think it works.

About an hour later I had another small portion of my leftover cake truffle thing. It does not take good pictures so I didn't bother.

At around 9:00 Dennis and I sat out on our porch for an hour and hung out. I had a small glass of wine and he had a cigar. (I stink now)
I love being able to sit outside at night. It's nice not having the TV or computer in front of you for a little while you know?

I didn't run my 8 miles today for a few reasons. One--I met Tim and Danielle for brunch. And two--my ankles were a little sore from the TreadClimber machine yesterday. It's seriously the only downfall to that machine...
My plan is to get up and do it tomorrow before the Memorial Day traffic gets too hectic. And then hopefully Dennis and I can do something festive. BBQ maybe?

On another note, I've been doing a lot of reading about proper training for running races. I found some information on repeats, which I found to be very interesting. However, there isn't a lot out there for 15K training. First, I'm not sure how many repeats I should be doing; second I'm not sure what pace I should be running them; and three how much recovery time should I be giving myself in between repeats? I keep seeing so many different answers ... it's hard trying to learn when everyone has so many different opinions....