Days 4-8: A Recap

Thursday morning I was supposed to run 2 miles, but I woke up too late to get to the gym. I might have been able to run outside, but it's still pretty dark at that time of the morning, and on top of that, it was snowing pretty good. So I decided to throw in a 20 minute yoga DVD. I turned on the TV and DVD player and put in the DVD. Then I proceeded to putz around the house doing "this and that". If I don't take care of "this and that" before the workout, then I will think about it during the whole workout (see previous post RE: brain chatter). So by the time I got done with "this and that" it was too late for yoga because I had to go to work.

By Thursday afternoon, my "sniffle" had become a full blown cold. I didn't work out on Friday, and I stayed home from work. I ended up sleeping most of the day - I hadn't realized how exhausted I was! By Friday night, aside from some sneezing, a runny nose, and a few lingering body aches, I was feeling a bit better.

On Saturday morning I decided to give running a try. I was supposed to run 10 miles, but I just didn't see that happening. I started out slowly, and the first mile felt pretty good. The second mile was mostly uphill, so it was a bit slower. The third mile was mostly downhill, and it was a bit faster. :) During the fourth mile, I was still feeling good, so I decided to turn away from home instead of toward home. I finished with 5.84 miles at about an average 12:00/mile pace. And I was pretty tired.

Sunday was a day off.

Which brings us to today. I was going to run 3 miles this morning. And so I drove to the gym. And then realized I forgot my tennis shoes. Grrrrrr. So I went back home and got my shoes and went back to the gym and ran 2 miles.

After my workouts I've been drinking the Lemon-Lime Recovery Drink from Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life. It looks like the "sludge test" from freshman year science class, but actually tastes great. Although I don't think my husband would try it in a million years. :)


Week 1 totals: 11.6 miles, 25 minutes Warrior Yoga

Days 2 and 3: Yoga and Pacing

Yesterday morning I did a 25 minute yoga workout (told you I was starting slow).

Recently, I've been doing yoga a lot more often. I used to be very anti-yoga, but by forcing myself to do it, I've found that it's made me much more flexible. Sometimes I struggle with getting rid of the chatter in my head. You would think that yoga would help clear the noise, but it doesn't work that way for me. If I don't start with a clear head, I have a lot of trouble finishing the workout.

Today's workout was a 40 minute pace workout. A pretty slow pace, but a pace workout nonetheless. After a mile warm up, I did 2x400, and then 2x800, followed by a half mile cool down. I haven't been running a lot recently and just feel like I need to start slowly to build up my "running confidence". On top of that, I've got a little sniffle, so my breathing isn't quite at 100% capacity. :)

I recently read an article about age, sex and finish time compared to pacing in a marathon. The authors found that older, female and faster runners were better at pacing than younger, male and slower runners, respectively. (March DS, et al, J Strength Cond Res 25(2): 386-391, 2011) So I have the female going for me, but the younger and slower I think is going to trump that! I'm really going to have to learn to concentrate on pacing in my long runs so that I don't burn out.

Have a great day!

Marathon Training, Day One

I ran 2 miles.

I'm starting slowly. ;)

And I still got a blister. I just got my running shoes not that long ago so I'm not sure it's my shoes.

Also, I bought one of those braces for plantar fasciitis that you put on your foot while you are sleeping. It basically holds your foot so that it is flexed. I'm still not sure that's what is wrong with my foot, but this morning my foot pain was diminished. However, my calf was sore. I was not amused. I'll give the brace a week or two at the most before I make my final decision on whether or not it's working.

Finally, rest in peace Jack LaLanne. What a guy! The fitness icon died yesterday at 96 years old from respiratory failure due to pneumonia. I have his Juicer collecting dust in my basement. I bought it from my sister at her moving sale years ago. I should get that out and take it for a spin!

Have a great day!

My Vegan Challenge

All this week I've had "We've got the power, so can yoooooooooooouuuuuuu" stuck in my head. My husband got me She-Ra, Season 1, Volume 1 for Christmas. The kids are loving it, especially my daughter. She is totally into "Princess" and go-go Girl Power! :)

This week I've been undergoing a "vegan challenge". I had joined the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart (free to join), which began on January 3, but I didn't follow a vegan plan for the entire first week. Then I learned about a "vegan challenge" where I work. They were doing a 7-day challenge, and I was determined to give it a try. (A vegan diet contains no animal products - so no meat, dairy, eggs, honey.)

The majority of my meals this week came from Brendan Brazier's Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life and from Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet. In some ways, it was nice (lots of fruits and veggies, new recipes to try), but my food processor definitely got a workout, and so did my digestive tract. Let's just say I had a lot of fiber and flax. :)

Here's my menu so far this week (in somewhat random order, not necessarily by meal):

*Denotes Thrive Diet recipe, or at least derived from a Thrive Diet recipe ;)

Monday:
Quinoa and Sweet Potato Pancakes*
Salad with cukes, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds*
Dressing made with tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and agave nectar*
Homemade vegetable crackers*
Clementine, banana
Energy bar*
Tofu & Kale Spanakopita (Vegan Planet recipe)

Tuesday:
almonds, date, flax, carob powder, Vega powder, almond milk*
Tofu & Kale Spanakopita leftovers
pear, apple
Energy bar*
potatoes/onion
Boca burger
applesauce
prunes, peanut butter, almonds
popcorn with nutritional yeast

Wednesday:
Quinoa and Sweet Potato Pancakes*
lentil soup with quinoa
clementines, banana, pineapple
Energy bar*
Polenta Chili Casserole (Vegan Planet recipe)
almonds, raisins, peanut butter

Thursday:
Oatmeal with pumpkin, walnuts, almond milk
Salad with cukes, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, sesame seeds*
Dressing made with tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and agave nectar*
Clementines, pear, almonds
Homemade vegetable crackers*
Energy bar*
Mac and "Cheese" (Vegan Planet recipe - pictured below)
Chocolatey Peanut Butter Brownie (Vegan Planet recipe - pictured below)

Friday:
Tortilla with peanut butter, banana and strawberries
Mac and "Cheese" leftovers (lunch and dinner)
Homemade vegetable crackers*
almonds, pineapple, carrots
Chocolatey Peanut Butter Brownie











Quite frankly, I miss eggs. I don't really miss meat, but I miss eggs. Thursday night I had a dream that I ate something with egg in it and after I ate it I thought, "Wait, eggs aren't vegan!" and then I woke up. One of my son's favorite meals is "eggs and toast" and we usually have that for dinner a few times a month, so I think those dinners will stay. :)

Energy-wise, for the first 3 days I was kind of tired (probably sugar withdrawal) but by Thursday, I had tons of energy. Basement painting here I come! We are turning part of the basement into a playroom for the kids. I let the kids choose the colors - one wall will be pink, and the other will be green.

Have a great weekend!

New Year, New Goals

This year has gotten off to a pretty good start, and I wanted to share a few goals/resolutions that I have for the year. You are already familiar with some of these. :)

1. Post on the blog more often.
I've been a little neglectful.

2. Run a marathon.
Or even jog one. :) I haven't been running as much as I would like to be. I confess, I've been a bit of a wimp. The weather has been really cold, and even though I bought some cold weather running gear, I haven't run outside. I also have a nagging pain in my foot. It actually started around the time I ran the half marathon. I thought it might be plantar fasciitis, but I don't have any heel pain, which seems to be a common symptom. It's more in the ball of my foot. I feel it in the morning when I first wake up, and also after sitting for a while, like when I'm in a meeting and then stand up afterward. I'm concerned because I haven't even started training yet!

3. Be more personable.
I am horrible at small talk. I've been accused of not being "effusive". So this year, I will "effuse". :)

4. Spend more time with my husband and kids, separately and together.
I always feel like I'm telling my kids, "In a minute." I want to spend more quality time with my kids. And a "date night" with my husband every once in a while wouldn't hurt either. :)

And, of course, eat right, exercise, and get more sleep. All of which will help me achieve my goals!

Happy New Year everyone!