Almond Blossom Run

I truly enjoyed my 8K(5mi) fun run Sat. morning. Even though I wasn't able to get the proper rest the night before, I still performed decently. My finish time was 39:08 (7:42 mi). After some thought today, I think I need to start racing with my ipod. I train with it most of the time and it seems like I need that distraction and music to help me keep my pace up. Anyway, I finished 64th overall out of 336 runners and third in my age group. I looked up my prior time from this race 3 years ago and it was 44:24, so I shaved a good 5 minutes off my time. I remember being thrilled that I broke a 9 min mile on that race. Now I want to try and break a 7 min mile average on a 5K. Wouldn't that be cool? Got a little work to get there, but I think I can do it if I keep going hard.
Did my 12 mile run this morning and am feeling great now...17 miles in two days. I am on fire! Now, I need to go eat something or I will consume everything in sight later in the day. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

New Motivation

Even though I said I wasn't going to go shopping till I hit goal, I did (kind of). I have 2 pairs of pants that I've been rotating through...a pair of jeans and a pair of jean capris. I have two other pairs of pants...one lime green and one light aqua. And that's it. All of them have enough room in them that I can pull them off without unbuttoning them. While that's not a bad thing, I REALLY needed some pants (that aren't workout wear)!!
Anyway, we ended up hitting a place called Plato's Closet. They are geared towards a younger crowd and the clothes are more current and stylish as opposed to Good Will that's just a mess of everything (not that I don't love Good Will, but you never know what you may find).
I ended up getting 2 pairs of jeans...YAY! At first I was bummed because both are size 8, then I went and looked at the fit description at GAP, and guess what....they're slim fit through the hip and thigh. That explains it. Not that it really matters, since they look good on me, but there was a little bit of a "I'm still NEED to lose" moment when trying them on. What I need to do is quit worrying about what the number says but it's a hard habit to break. And here's the thing, I would still like to lose a few more lbs, but that's not really the focus anymore. Living and eating well, exercising, those are the things I want to focus on. If I lose a few more pounds, great, if I don't, I'm okay with that too. When I first started this journey I set my goal at 145. That's where I am now. I readjusted the goal to 136 some time ago almost as a "let's see if I can get there" dare to myself. And maybe I can get there. The scale is moving down again this week after the 6 lb jump back up the scale from my out of control eating. We'll have to see what happens.
Now I'm finding it's actually really odd to have a pair of jeans that fit. Now the motivation is to make sure they keep fitting or getting looser. I don't have much wiggle room. If I start on the way back up the scale again I can't wear 'em long...that's pretty good motivation I think!

Holy Smokes, that was GOOD!

My breakfast this morning was so delicious I had to share. I made baked apples...can you say YUMMY!! This post is especially for my sister. As I was chomping down I couldn't help but think of her.
If you like Apple Crisp, you should try this...
This quest for a healthy lifestyle is now becoming a fun adventure instead of the task of "being on a diet". It's amazing what a change in perspective can do! I am now thinking in a different way and it's very freeing. For instance, last night grilled cheese sandwiches were on the menu as per my daughters request. I was going to have a half sandwich but knew I wouldn't be satisfied. So, I had the soup (chicken noodle), a huge salad and a baked sweet potato. Perfect!
I have no idea what inspired me to do the apple thing this morning, but none of my normal go-to breakfasts options sounded good. The apple totally hit the spot on this overcast dreary day. It's definitely a good option for dessert as well.
If you are interested in calories, here's the breakdown-
Just the apple- 188 cal, 7.5 fat, 32 carbs, 1 protein, 4 fiber
Totals w/ 1/2c 2% cottage cheese- 290 cal, 10 fat, 36 carbs, 17 protein, 4 fiber
That's a calorie breakdown percentage-wise 21% protein, 33% fat, 46% carbs (recommended is 20%,30%,50%).
If you count WW points- apple 4 pts, w/cc 6 pts.

Want to try it yourself? Here's what you do-
Preheat oven to 350*
Using a melon baller, scoop out the core of your apple, don't go all the way through.
Mix 1/4 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, a pinch or so of raw oats (oatmeal), 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
Add mixture to the hollow in your apple.
Place apple in a baking dish with 1/4-1/2" of water in the bottom
Bake till tender about 20-30 minutes

Enjoy, I sure did!!

Get your own...

It dawned on me today, while I was making a smoothie, that I should share what I use to make mine. If I had to lug out the blender every time I wanted a smoothie, I probably wouldn't make 'em very often. My blender sucks! My nifty little $10 hand held blender, on the other hand, works great.
I toss all my stuff into my big (2 c) Pyrex measuring cup and blend away. It takes all of 30 seconds to clean up when I'm done too. I totally recommend getting one if you don't have one already.

My favorite smoothie recipe right now:
1 C. frozen fruit (I found a huge bag of mixed frozen fruit {cheap}- it has strawberry, pineapple, peach & red grapes)
1 C. Almond Milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 banana

Many times I use frozen blueberries instead of the mixed fruit...either way, it's super good!! Anyone have a smoothie recipe to share? I love trying new ones.

Figured some things out...

Last week I was completely and utterly out of control when it came to my eating. Thankfully it's not all bad and now I know some more about myself, more triggers that help push me down into the "f*-it" mindset. Stress (mine or hubby's), lack of sleep, and pain all became contributing factors to overeating episodes. Standing back and analyzing I just have to shake my head and go "DUH, of course!" but when I'm in the middle of it I don't really want to think about why I'm shoveling the crap in. I'm going to have to work on that.
Today has been great though. I ran 11 miles this morning and burned a whopping 1147 calories. I figured out last week that after a long run it's essential to refuel properly or else I binge later in the day. I'm also figuring out by listening to my body that I have to eat small meals rather frequently. I get full quickly but then 2 hours later I'm hungry again. Small healthy meals and snacks when I'm hungry seems to be key for me.
Something I decided to try for this week is making a list of some of my favorite healthy choices for breakfast, lunch & snack. The list is going up on my fridge next to the dinner planner as a reminder to pick one of those things if I'm hungry. That way I'm not opening the cupboard and noshing on whatever is in sight.
Now, I'm hungry, so I'm going to eat a little snacky and then do some yoga to stretch me out more after my long run this morn. Doesn't that look like fun?It seems I have all kinds of exercise "videos" {including yoga and pilates} for free on our VOD (Video on Demand)....I just found that out yesterday. Now I have a whole slew of new stuff to choose from. No more excuses. I suggest you check it out if you have VOD!
Here's to a great week...now that I've got my head right again.

Just rollin' with it...

This week has been interesting to say the least. After my race last Saturday I started getting an earache. I treated the ear with hydrogen peroxide and it cleared up, but I've been dealing with the sinus drainage too since then. Then Monday while doing yard work I pulled the {very heavy, very large} garbage can over on myself and got pinned underneath...hubby and the neighbor had to rescue me. I got some lovely bruises and scrapes from that, and a serious case of embarrassment. And then the dishwasher broke. And then I had to spend a few hours in Urgent Care tonight with my 17 month old since he got his hand smashed in a door by my 5 year old. YIKES! Thankfully my little monkey is tough. His hand is viciously bruised and swollen but nothing is broken amazingly.
I actually managed to get out for my 5 mile run this evening despite the crazy hectic day/week. At first I wasn't going to go but I figured I would feel better in the end if I just went. So, I put my phone in a plastic baggie and stuffed it in my sports bra {seriously, I did} and grabbed my pepper spray and headed out the door at 9:45 p.m. I was right too, I do feel better. I had a good run and I'm no longer craving the ice cream I was earlier. Now, I'm tired and off to bed.... Is this week over yet?

Mystery SOLVED!

I've been wondering why my 5 mile runs seem to take me so "long". I was frustrated by the times I was getting and thought maybe it was because it's a newer route and once I'd run it a few {more} times I'd get faster. But it wasn't happening. Well the thought crossed my mind that maybe I calculated wrong or something. Weirder things have happened. So I was playing with the "map my route" tool on dailymile and decided to input my 4, 5 & 6 mi routes. The 4 & 6 were right on. The 5 mile route I've been running turns out to be 5.37 miles instead. Whoops! But, it makes me feel a little better that I'm not nuts {highly debatable, I know}. Now I get to plan out a new 5 miler before Thursday...
And now, an update on the "intuitive eating" front. It's definitely a harder adjustment than I thought it would be. Learning to trust myself and my body's hunger cues is difficult when you are used to eating on a "diet". I'm doing okay though. I went grocery shopping yesterday and stocked the house with good food. I am still keeping off the scale for the most part. I have stepped on twice but that's MUCH better than the 2-3x a day I was doing. All in all, things are moving in the right direction...

a PR and a medal...

Today was my first 5K since Thanksgiving. While I didn't achieve the time I had originally hoped for, I am still very proud of myself. I placed 1st in my age group...woo-hoo! And, I set a new personal record for myself by finishing in 23:39. I finished 33rd overall out of 145 total runners and I was the 5th female across the finish line. I gave it everything I had and that's what matters! Now I'm off to bed so I can be well rested for my 10 mile run tomorrow...oy!

*And just a side note...I went shopping and fit into size 6 jeans! Now I just have to find the "perfect pair"*

Ditching the DIET

I'm tired of dieting. I'm sooo done with dieting. What I am NOT tired of is eating healthy and exercising. I was hit with this realization today that the old habits and old ways of eating need to be put in the past. When I eat healthy I feel great! When I eat crap I feel like crap. I need to concentrate my energies on making good choices and eating well because I want to, not because I'm on a diet. I'm going to eat when I'm hungry. Stop when I'm full. Deal with emotions instead of stuffing them with food. My body wants me to be at a healthy weight so I need to trust that if I give it the proper fuel and nutrition I will get to a weight where I am most healthy.
Leslie over at Get off Your Butt and Get Fit had a post that really struck a cord for me. Her sister-in-law, who used to work at an eating disorder clinic, wrote a great guest post and you can read it here. My blogging buddy Lucy over at Eat When Hungry also got my gears clicking and helped my thinking move in this direction.
So, here's to a healthy lifestyle! Eating well and exercising because it feels good.... and that's what's important.

Forget the chocolate...I'm going running!

I'm back in control which is a much better feeling than the emotional place I was hanging out in for a few days. My 8 mile run on Sunday morning was stellar and as I expected, it cleared out the cobwebs and gave me a lovely start to the day. I finished the run in 1:03:53 (7:59 mi) which BLOWS my mind since last July I ran a 10K (6 miles) in 1:03:48... This is such concrete evidence of how far I've come over the last 10.5 months. And the best part about running the 8 miles, I felt awesome after I finished. I could've kept going. I have 10 miles this coming Sunday and it doesn't worry me now. I've got my mojo back :) Boo-yeah!

New Yummies to try...

Time to share a favorite "food" of mine. I had a whole discussion with my sister-in-law yesterday so I figured y'all would love if I shared too. I tried Almond Milk as an alternative to milk and I absolutely LOVE it. It took a few tastes to get adjusted, but now it's pretty much my go-to "milk". It's perfect plain, in post-workout smoothies, cereal, or in my coffee every morning. I buy the unsweetened vanilla and it's 40 cal for 8oz {it's the one to the far right with the 40 on it :D}. All my local grocery stores carry it. My kids like it too, which is a plus. Now, hopefully they'll eat the brussel sprouts I bought today. I'll let you know how it goes....
Anybody else tried or use alternatives to reg milk? How 'bout brussel sprouts? {Honestly I JUST tried brussel sprouts yesterday...but I loved 'em so I went and got some today to use this week. Thanks Missy-poo for making them soooo yummy!}

You hurt my feelings...where's the chocolate?

*This post contains some foul language...cause that's the kind of mood I'm in*

Today was HORRIBLE! Pretty much a cluster-fuck. Out of control in almost every single way possible. I need to find a way to cope with emotions instead of turning my day into this downward spiral. Usually I get an inkling of a "bad day" coming but today I just got emotional and I couldn't pull myself together. So I ate, and ate, and ate. I know my hormones are going wacky right now as that TOM draws closer, but I am not using that as a crutch. It is a part of the equation, for sure, but not something that is going away, so I have to figure out how to handle it.
Anyway, I've been in tears multiple times today and I really just need a fucking hug...something my husband doesn't quite understand. He just wants to "fix" it. And, I think he thinks sometimes that I have no right being sad or emotional...he's the one that goes out and works, I'm just the stay at home mommy.
Throw in some inconsideration from other people as well and you get to feeling unliked and just not "cool" enough.... which then brings back lots of old hurts from times past. Like I said... cluster-fuck. What a shitty day!
But, tomorrow morning I have an 8 mile run scheduled which I hope will help my emotional state. My alarm is set, my clothes are set out and I am going whether it's pouring rain or not.
And now, if you've finished reading this, thanks. The mood and tone of this post is not my norm, but I needed the catharsis that writing gives me. Again, thanks. Tomorrow will be better. Time to move forward...

Well, I tried....

Since my run on Thursday night ended poorly {mainly because my youngest threw a 30 minute fit for daddy as soon as he realized I was gone and daddy was VERY unhappy by the time I got home} I decided to take the monkey bear with me on my run yesterday. And let me tell you, IT SUCKED!!! I hated pretty much every minute of it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE power walking with the stroller and can and will walk miles around town, but running with the stroller is entirely different. I may do it from time to time if I'm desperate, but it isn't something I am going to make a habit...

Join me?

I had a couple rough(ish) days with my eating but thankfully I was able to rein it back in and now it's just a hazy memory. Today has been a good day...not awesome, but solid. A few times the thought crossed my mind to overdo it, but I restrained myself. It was Wednesday, which meant a hectic day for me. I managed to eat at the lower end of my calorie range but the percentage of fat/carb/protein today was way out of whack. Tomorrow I know I'll do better.
I also did some thinking today about taking a break from the scale and challenging myself to something new. My thought was to go 2 weeks completely "on plan" {eating clean, calorie cycling, exercising} and no scale.
I've tried to break the habit of getting on everyday, but I still do it. So I think I am going to weigh once more tomorrow morning then it's c'est la vie to the scale till the 18th.... I really hope that without the number in my face constantly I'll be able to hit goal without over thinking it.
Anybody else want to join me in this? It's just 2 weeks...