Category Archives: Run

The Weirdest Thing and What I Ate Wednesday #2

Running at 1% incline on the treadmill did feel a little different, but the only way I could really tell was that my legs just felt like they were doing more work than usual.

My 5 miler wasn’t too bad except my damn iPod shuffle headphones decided to give up on me again at mile 3.5. And they weren’t even the same ones that went haywire last week. They’re a different extra pair I have. This time all of a sudden the songs started repeating, cutting out, and the iPod shuffle voice that says “All songs. Playlist 1. All songs” decided to chat me up.  I’m assuming the headphones are upset about the are upset amount I’m sweating, but I’m not sure. Are your  iPod shuffle headphones ridiculously sensitive? I am going to try both sets of headphones again tomorrow, so hopefully I have some functional headphones for Saturday!

The weirdest thing happened after my run. I felt fine initially, stopped at Whole Foods, and headed over to Tuna’s. I wasn’t hungry AT ALL but I forced myself to eat half of a sandwich since I didn’t eat too heavily during the day. For the next hour an a half, I felt super nauseous. Like, almost lost my lunch dinner nauseous.

Jeez, I’ve never been that nauseous after a run before. Maybe I still hadn’t fully hydrated after cocktails Saturday night?

I drank a lot of water during the day, like I usually do – but I still had to go fill up my camelbak for extra water during my run, so I guess I was still dehydrated!

As usual, I googled my symptoms and got some answers.

“Fluid Imbalance

Dehydration can contribute to a feeling of nausea, but overhydration can also cause similar symptoms. To find the right balance of water, weigh yourself before and after you run. The weight you lose will be mostly water weight, so weighing yourself will give you an idea how much water you need to drink. Start hydrating the night before a vigorous run. Before you run, drink 1 to 3 cups of water so you are not too full. Take small sips of water during your run, waiting until after you finish running to fully hydrate. If you are sweating a lot while you run, replacing water with a sports drink enhanced with electrolytes can help you hydrate more effectively; however, you should avoid drinking beverages that are high in sugar and salt, as they can be hard to digest and often lead to nausea or other gastrointestinal issues”(http://www.livestrong.com/article/522155-what-causes-a-nauseous-feeling-after-running/).

I need to get me some Gatorade. Or I could really pretend I know anything something about running and buy some shot bloks and/or nuun. I’ve haven’t tried either of them!

The nausea finally went away around midnight, and I had the rest of my sandwich for a midnight snack.

Good thing I’m taking it easy for the rest of the week.

*****

Ok, that’s enough bitching complaining for now.

It’s link party time!

Per usual, this is what I ate on Tuesday.

Breakfast:

My typ overnight oats recipe and a cup of hazelnut coffee.

I was still feeling a bit funny from Monday night, so I could only finish half of the oats. That was a first!

I finished the leftover overnight oats later for my afternoon snack.

Even though I brought my lunch, we ended up getting lunch from Lebanese Taverna at work. I had my new favorite – a chicken kabob, potatoes (notice a trend lately?), and a Lebanese salad. I tried to resist the pita bread because I don’t think it’s wheat, but when they brought us extra garlic butter, I couldn’t refuse.

When I take pics of my food on my phone when I’m around people, I pretend to be texting. Ha.

I’m in love with the tomato sauce flavoring on the chicken kabobs.

Lunch was absolutely delicious, but since it was the first big meal I ate since my after-run nausea, I felt bit too stuffed.

Dinner had to be quick since it was before a capella rehearsal. I chowed down on a turkey sandwich on toasted wheat bread with cucumbers, pickles, shredded cheese, and tomato basil hummus. Mmmmm.

I wanted to have a second diet coke for the day but tricked myself into having water by putting it in a pretty jar with a straw. As we know, I need to hydrate!

My evening snack was my newest obsession.

Not only is the packaging stinkin’ cute, but you also get dark chocolate balls with berry stuff inside. They’ve got antioxidants or something like that in them, so it’s good I’ll get some of those as I consume half of the pouch.

What have you been eating lately?

Have you made any fun new recipes this week?

Potatoes, Tuberculosis, and Running Revelations

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Recipes, Run, Tough Mudder by

My 3.1 mile treadmill run on Friday wasn’t too bad, but my legs still felt pretty heavy from my long run on Wednesday night.

Tuna and I cooked a supposedly plain but surprisingly yummy dinner by adding a shit ton of Old Bay to all items on the plate (minus the spinach.)

It was pretty darn good!

Potatoes are probably my favorite food of all! These are way better for you than french fries, but still give you that potato fix, and are super easy to make.

CNG’s Quartered Red Potatoes:

Ingredients:
Small red potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Garlic or Garlic Powder
Cilantro
Old Bay
Cooking Spray

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Cut in the potatoes into quartered pieces.

Put the potatoes on the baking sheet and sprinkle (or heavily shake, bahaha) all of the spices onto the potatoes.

Cook for approx 35 minutes in the oven – this time depends on how hot your oven gets! You may want to double check them around 25 minutes, just in case.

You will know when the potatoes are done when they start browning on the tops and are more squishy than they are hard (I’m convinced my best asset is my cooking terminology.)

Add some ketchup and enjoy!

*****

On another note, I’m still a hot sweaty mess. I had another episode of night sweats last night, which was even worse than the first one. I woke up at 2:30am, and couldn’t fall back asleep for awhile, so I changed and read some Hungry Runner Girl.

My washing machine is really getting some action lately.

I made the mistake of Web MD-ing night sweats and it gave me these options:

– Mononucleosis
– Tuberculosis

Seriously? Seriously.

I had mono in college (didn’t we all) so it obviously must be tuberculosis. Maybe I can make my tuberculosis death lovely and romantic like Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge.

*****

Numerous running revelations occurred this morning.

I found some great articles with beginner race tips when browsing Runner’s World online.

Mistake: Too much food
RW columnist Jeff Galloway says many first-timers eat too much before a race, particularly the night before. Carmichael agrees. “You don’t need to carbo-load for a 5-K,” he says. Most people have enough stored energy in their bodies to run a 5-K without taking in any additional calories (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-520–11941-0,00.html).

Mannnn, carbo loading is superfluous? There goes my excuse to have an entire pizza pie on Friday night. Sadface.

Revelations also came via g-chat (of course) from my marathon running, Tough Mudder finishing pal Vicki.

Victoria:  i did most of my tough mudder training last year without music, because i didn’t have an ipod

Sheeeeeet. I forgot that I won’t be able to use my iPod for the flippin’ race I’m training for.

Victoria: oh btw, my trainer said if you run on a treadmill you should always have at least 1% incline apparently it better simulates a flat road, otherwise it’s more like you’re running on a very slight downhill

Crrraaaaap. So I have been training solely downhill. From now on, I promise to always run at 1% incline. P.S. Thank you for the legitimate personal trainer insight fo free. We must continue this arrangement. 🙂

Victoria:  you should get in at least one run in warm weather to prepare for your race. otherwise it will be a huge shock to your system

Say no more. I shall obey and run outside on Wednesday.

Therefore, my Runner’s World/Insightful Friend via her Personal Trainer race week plan will be:

Monday: 5 miles on the treadmill at 1% incline
Tuesday: Rest Day
Wednesday: 3 miles outside in the heat
Thursday: Yoga
Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: My First Race: DC Purple Stride 5K

Wish me luck!

Was your first race experience awkward or amazing?

What do you do for race weeks? If you do a race with short mileage, do you taper?

Overdose

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Music, Run, Running Gear, Yoga by

Since my hip felt better after a late night yoga sesh on Tuesday night, I worked all day Wednesday on mentally preparing myself for my longest ever long run.

I fueled with some healthy eats for lunch that were surprisingly filling.

And had a late afternoon snack full of caffeine and fiber that I later regretted. I’m thinking I should lay off the fiber before long runs in the future. ‘Nough said.

Afternoon snack.

My goal for the night was a 7 miler – which was unknown territory. Unknown territory is usually rather nerve racking.

Wish me luck, I may never return.

My thoughts on any and every run always proceed in the following fashion:

0.00 – 1.00 Miles: “Ok, I’m kind of tired. I would rather be on the couch.”
1.00 – 3.00 Miles: “This is awesome! Amazing! I love running! I am so fit.”
3.00 – 4.00 Miles: “Is it time to stop yet? Maybe I should shorten my mileage.”
4:00 – 5.00 Miles: “I hate my life. No, I can do this. Ahhh! Pain!!! No, you can do this.”
5:00+ Miles: “Dying. I am officially dying. I hope I don’t puke or faint.”

Guess when my headphones stopped working? Uh huh, that’s right, mile 4.35. FML.

Seriously, running gods? Are you trying to jinx me? And on National Running Day, too.

Well they didn’t actually stop working, the volume just cut down really low and I couldn’t turn it back up. BTDubs, my biggest pet peeve is music playing juuuust low enough that I can kind of hear it but can’t hear it. I think my headphones secretly knew that. What an ornery old b*tch. (Umm, the headphones, not me. Duh.)

Luckily, I brought my iPhone to the treadmill with me, so I yanked my sweaty headphones out of my iPod shuffle and shoved ’em into my iPhone. No luck. Bruno Mars was still very softly crooning in my ear rather than shouting and me through dank beats to keep on going.

That was confirmation that the headphones were the malfunctioning piece of equipment. I think I sweated them out. Like, sweated so much on them (most likely build up from the past 5 sweaty months) that they broke.

I had no other choice but to rip them out of my ears and practice my mad pouting skills.

Recap: I was forced to do my longest run ever while running without headphones for the first time.

Before running today I couldn’t fathom those cray cray girls that don’t need any kind of musical aid to finish a run.

After running today, I can’t imagine ever running without musical aid again.

Running without music was so weird. I can see how people could do it with the adrenaline of a race, or maybe if you’re so in shape that you don’t need the motivation of sound to keep you going. Or maybe it’s just the musician in me that makes music a current necessity for me. Maybe I’ll experiment with running without music in the future, but for now, I need my iPod. Kthanks.

Moral of the rant: I completed my 7 miles, even with a big (for me) handicap thrown my way at the hardest part of the run.

I’m patting myself on the back right now, if you can’t tell.

After stretching for a nice 15 minutes, I headed next door to Rodman’s to grab a $0.99 piece of heaven.

Refuel success.

I continued my dramatic smart recovery with some frozen H20 love.

Better safe than sorry.

I went to bed freezing even though I was snuggled in my over-sized wool sweater.

But I keep waking up, all night long, tossing and turning in my sweat soaked sheets. (TMI?)

Huh? I felt like I had a fever or something! I woke up feeling so sticky and hot.

I hoped I didn’t push myself to hard. Am I dying? Am I not ready for longer mileage (for me!!!) like I thought I was? Maybe I’m not built to be a distance runner if my body is rebelling like this.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/397180-night-sweats-after-exercising/ 

Oh. It’s normal.

I know this girl says all sweat is good sweat, but I already completed my daily sweat! Sweat overdose.  I guess I got a BOGO?

I hope I don’t have to wash my sheets and duvet after every long run. Hopefully my body will adjust.

*****

However, I did enjoy the fact that when I weighed myself this morning, I met my 20 lb weight loss mark after clean eating and running for the past 5 months!

Maybe that extra sweat wasn’t so bad after all.

I took a rest day today, complete with a glass of Shiraz and some dark chocolate.

Next up: 3.1 mile run tomorrow.

8 days until my first race!!!!!

Do you ever run without music? Teach me your ways.

Do you ever get night sweats after long runs?

Listen to Your Body and QUIN-OH-AH

Posted in Run by

I would say that I was pretty good at listening to my body this weekend. Well, kind of.

After breakfast on Saturday, I headed to Crunch to whip out some quick miles before rushing over to my aunt’s pool party. I had a feeling going into it that it might not be the best idea to rush through a workout the day before my long run. A lot of runners probably run the day before their long runs, no big deal. But for my beginner-ass self, you can never be too careful. But I wanted to run anyway! And I wanted to run fast (for me) and did 2.5 miles in 26:34 on the treadmill.

It felt great to run fast, and since I was in a bit of a rush, I didn’t bother stretching for quite as long or quite as well as I usually do after a run.

I regretted that decision a few hours later.

My right hip was super sore by Saturday evening. Not your sore muscle after a workout sore, but something might be wrong sore. Definitely an achy feeling going on. I studied some google image hip flexor/IT band pics, but I couldn’t figure out which one was hurting, and if it was a big deal or not.

Eeeek! Sorry for the scary “Ken” picture! (source)

Or maybe it’s this that hurts:

Darn it, why didn’t I stretch?

I wanted to do 7 miles for my long run on Sunday morning. But even at 9:00pm on Saturday night, I knew it was going to be a no-go. I woke up Sunday hoping my hip would feel magically better. I put on my gym clothes, laced up my sneaks, and trotted around my apartment.

Nope. Not gonna happen.

I contemplated running anyway – part of me really wanted to. I’m sure I could have gritted my teeth, ran through it, and limped around for the rest of the week. I had to really remind myself that my new found love of “distance” running is only possible because I have been taking care of my body. Maybe I should listen to it.

I didn’t want to go to the gym and do weights or any other boring shit thing else because it would be too depressing. I wanted to be conquering my long run!

However, I was able to turn the day around rather quickly.

Skinny grande mocha frappuccino from Steal-your-bucks. No whip, skim milk.

Me + Christian Grey + Pool = Happiness. Grumpy mood solved.

I also took a picture of an actual page of the book that I was going to post. But then I was embarrassed of the words on the page.

*****

My hip felt better today, so all day at work I geared up for my long run.

But my the end of the day, I still just wasn’t feelin’ it. My hip definitely still ached just sitting down and standing. I didn’t want to do my long run when I wasn’t feeling my best. I promise I won’t be a long run procrastinator forever; always finding an excuse not to run – but I really am trying to listen to my body, and I have to be true to myself.

Yes, it was lame. But better safe than sorry, so really, no apologies.

Instead I indulged in my ONE trip to Whole Foods this week. I then proceeded to eat approximately half of a tub of guacamole while watching the greatest show of all time, The Bachelorette.

Please.

Please tell me that you were dying on the couch laughing uncontrollably during this scene.

Nate: “Oh my gosh, Is this QUIN-OH-AH?:

Emily: “It looks like it.”

Nate: “It IS quin-oh-ah. Do you guys like quin-oh-ah?”

Emily: “Mmhmm.”

Jon: “I’ve never had it.”

Nate: “It’s uhhh…. a very good fiber.”

At least someone else made a fool of themselves by thinking they were the shit expert on quinoa while pronouncing it incorrectly.

At least I didn’t do it on national television.

Yoga tomorrow, and finally my long run on Wednesday!

The First Step

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Race, Run, WIAW by

I’m so excited because…….

I just signed up for my very first race!!!!

Damn, I must be getting serious about this running thing.

I signed up for the Purple Stride D.C. 5K! Now I really gotta get running. I have no idea what to expect, but now I’ll actually be able to do a race recap. Ha.

The race is on June 16th, and I just found out I have to move six giant filing cabinets (and all of the files) at work the day before the race. Do you think that will eff with my muscles too much? I hope not.

I am super pumped to get to pick out a race outfit, and PR…..since I have yet to even establish a R. Sweet!

I’m not worried about the length of the race, since I know I can run 3.1 miles no problem – but I’m worried about my time! Since I’m a new runner (that’s my excuse, OK?) I’m slow as shit. I run like 10 or 11 minute miles. Everyone talks about race adrenaline though, so I’m going to try try try to make it in 30 minutes or less on race day.

*****

I started the day off with my typical overnight oats in a jar and a cup of Hazelnut coffee. I seriously look forward to both of them every morning.

I have the same overnight oat mixture every morning. (Hey, I’m still Chicken Nugget Girl, alright?)

I’ll fill you in on my exact overnight oats recipe next week on What I Ate Wednesday. The suspense is killing you, I know.

For lunch, I felt pretty blah. I could not bring myself to eat my usual spinach salad for lunch. I just was not feeling it. I ate my afternoon snack for lunch instead! So rebellious.

chocolate covered cherries > spinach

It was the first time trying this flavor, and it was delish. It actually tasted like chocolate covered cherries. Mmmmm.

I also had a lovely ripe Georgia peach from Whole foods.

Speaking of Whole Foods, I have a confession to make.

I have a problem.

I have a Whole Foods addiction.

When I started eating clean, I started shopping at Whole Foods more often. Yes, it’s expensive, but the produce is so much better and there are so many more healthy options to choose from. I would go once a week and load up on all of my healthy goodies for the week.

Lately, I’ve been going two or three times a week – buying a few things here and there, probably equaling the amount of groceries that I would get when I used to go once a week. Maybe a few more items, meaning a bit more $$$.

Guess how many times I’ve been to Whole Foods this week? Guess.

Four.

Four times. And it’s only Friday. That means I went to Whole Foods every day this week except Memorial Day.

I am currently scared to look at my bank account. Don’t make me do it.

Next week, I am only allowing myself to go ONCE. Yikes.

But oh well, this afternoon’s Whole Foods trip brought someone special into my life. I met a new BFF who even rode home with me.

Huh? A passenger?

Until I eat him.

I really need to take a chill pill on the whole Whole Foods thing. But at least the first step is admitting I have a problem, right?

*****

As soon as I got home I started munching on my new favorite snack. Pretzels and chocolate peanut butter. Yes, you heard me. CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER. It has just the right amount of sugar and protein. Lolz.

Heaven.

God’s gift to the world.

Today is a rest day – which I’m surprisingly glad for. I did my Sarah Ivanhoe yoga DVD last night along with an On Demand five-minute ab blast, and my abs are actually kind of sore today. After five minutes. Sad.

But I’m going to be healthy-ish this weekend (as I always say on Friday afternoon….). I’m going to try to get a short workout in tomorrow and my long run (7 miles, eeeeeek!) on Sunday.

Happy Friday!

Dr. Scholl’s, Pita, and Peeta

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Recipes, Run, Yoga by

I didn’t end up making it to Extreme Ride tonight because I had to stop at CVS on the way and buy these:

My left foot is starting to give me a little bit of trouble. Keep in mind that I am known to be a slight hypochondriac slash drama queen though, so don’t take my complaining too seriously.

I broke my left foot in October 2009 and again in April 2010. The first breakage was at work (my job for some extra cash in college was lifeguarding part-time). We were moving a bunch of equipment at the end of a shift and a huge piece of equipment fell and crushed my foot. Long story short, it took a loooong time for my foot to recover from that one.

As soon as it did heal, I took a bad drunken tumble and re-broke the same foot in the same place. I must have had some baaaad karma goin’ on or something.

Since then, I haven’t had too many issues with my foot, except that I have a much harder time doing yoga balancing poses on my left leg.

I heart my yoga mat.

But as I’ve started running longer distances and running more often than usual, the inner edge of my arch is struggling. I bought new running shoes about eight months ago-ish, and can’t really afford a new pair for a few more months (I already have been doing some Summer shopping. Whoooopsie.) Plus, I don’t even know if I have the wrong shoes for my feet, or if my foot is the problem. I figured I would try a cheap solution for kicks.

Once I put them in my sneakers they felt kind of funny at first – but as soon as I took a running stride on the treadmill, I knew I was in love. They felt awesome – it seemed as if I was bouncing along in moon boots. Remember those? From Nickelodeon?

Anyway, they turned out to be a great buy. Running felt great, and my arch was only a tiny bit sore after running. It’s a good quick fix for sure, but I will have to eventually figure out a better long term solution, since ideally, I don’t want my arch to ever be sore. Could be my shoes, could be my stride.

I ran my 5 miles, just like I promised! It was a treadmill run – the miles were a bit rough, but hey, I got them done. Another thing I need to improve on is my breathing technique. Maybe I concentrate too much on my breathing, and that’s why it feels weird, but man, was I suckin’ in air. I was definitely gasping for breath, which is probably not the best way to breathe.

At least I wasn’t making little grunting noises every ten seconds like the Mets fan running next to me. If I can hear you over my cranked up music, you’re too loud. Rude.

I ended the evening with a lovely turkey pita at Tuna’s. He even put mine together for me!

Not the prettiest picture in the world, but it sure tasted good.

CNG’s Turkey Pita

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pita
Turkey slices
Spinach
Tomato
Onion
Shredded Cheese
Garlic Hummus
Caesar Lite Dressing

And in honor of my pita, I will leave you with Peeta.

Oh heyyyyyy, Peeta. (source)

Skorts and Bic Bands Galore

Posted in Run, Running Gear by

I motion for all weekends to be three-day weekends.

All in favor, say “Yay.” All opposed…..oh right, NO ONE IS OPPOSED.

This weekend was very much needed. There was definitely some “dirty-eating” going on, according to Tuna. But I also did get my run on (twice) annnnd made some clutch purchases at the local lululemon Marshall’s.

I’ve been itchin’ to get my hands on some skorts ever since I realized my Nike tempo shorts are getting too big.

They are size XL from my boot days and constantly give me thigh wedgies. So. annoying. I have a a pair of black spandex-y shorts, but still get self conscious when there is someone is on the elliptical behind my (yes, MY) treadmill. And being self-conscious about your hammy jiggle should be the last thing on your mind while pushing through your long run, am I right?

I was pumped to find this black Avia skort for $12.99 at Marshall’s – you get the non-wedgie-prone shorty short, but sweat wicking fabric to cover your bum.

To go along with my new found love of spinning I needed some sweat-proof workout tops. I found a great one in periwinkle on clearance for $9.99.

I wore it with my skort to the gym yesterday and I was all like:

I am also super excited about the new bic band I ordered.

Minnie Sparkle Gunmetal. Prettttyyyyy.

Mal gave me one for my birthday and I am obsessed.

Can you tell how excited I am?

I wear it pretty much three out of four times I run. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I am starting to notice that the check-in girl @ Crunch looks at my bic band every time I swipe in. I don’t want to be known as the girl that wears the same sweat-stained sparkly purple bic band every time she goes to the gym. Though I would love to be known as the alternating between two colors sparkly bic band girl.

*****

Since I have alumni a cappella rehizzy this eve, I have to have my Tuesday rest day today (since I’m sure as hell not waking up one moment before my eighth snooze). I used to love having rest days since they were an excuse to sit on the couch and watch reality shows TV. But now, I really wish I could pause time, get a long run in, shower, and theeeen go to rehearsal. There are not enough hours in the day, people.

Can’t wait to run (or spin?) tomorrow after work. I would go to spin, but ONLY if I make it to the gym without rushing and speeding through traffic. I HATE rushing. If I don’t make it by 6:30pm, I’ll play on the treadmill instead. If I do run tomorrow, I’m doing 5 miles. Telling you guys makes me feel like I’ve gotta hold myself to it!

What is your favorite running accessory? Is there something you absolutely cannot run without?

Are you a morning or evening runner?

Liar

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Run by

Ok, so I lied. Well – I didn’t know I was going to lie. My intent to have a healthy weekend was strong, but my follow through was pretty darn weak.

As of Friday afternoon I was doing well….I ran outside for 4 mi after work. Workout, check. I made the yummy shrimp paella dish. Clean eating, check. And then I had some popcorn…..so, not too bad.

Saturday evening I had an a cappella gig singing at a graduation party. I had potato salad. A lot of potato salad. I then went to hang with a group of friends and ended up drinking many a’ brewski and ordering Dominos. Fail. Sunday snowballed into not even really caring what I ate. I had a delectable brunch, complete with french toast and white sangria…for a snack later I shoveled some hot cheetos into my mouth, (FAV) only to save the best for last – ordering Pad Thai takeout. It was glorious, though the aftermath was not. Oh yeah, and I put off my long run Sunday until Monday in lieu of watching Imortals on Netflix with Tuna.

Epic. Fail.

At this point, should I even be writing a “healthy living” blog at all? Embarr.

So I fell off the wagon an little bit. What can you do? It’s life. And I mean, I had a good weekend. At least I had the dedication to get back on the wagon on Monday morning, right? My whole eating clean thing isn’t ruined or spoiled. It’s just a little hiccup – especially since I want to maintain clean eating inevitably.

It’s all good though. I redeemed myself quickly though, being extra healthy to counteract my bad clean eating karma from the weekend.

For breakfast, I had some overnight oats in a mason jar, left over from the communal sized overnight oats dish I took to brunch on Sunday.

Yes, I only have one pretty serving dish.

For lunch I had a healthy spinach salad, topped with egg whites. I wanted to get some good fuel food in me because I wanted to be in tippy top shape for my long run last night.

Egg whites are surprisingly filling. It’s a great way to get cheap protein. My favorite part of the salad was getting to the brown rice at the bottom!

******

I was actually nervous to attempt my long run last night (yeah, the one I put off on Sunday.) The longest I had ever run before was 5 miles, and that was with a one-lap walk break. I was terrified, actually.

But guess what….I DID IT! That’s right, I ran 6 miles. I ran on the treadmill at Crunch – it took me 1 hour and 7 minutes, averaging 11 minute miles. And you know what, I think I could have gone faster! I was petrified the whole time that I wouldn’t have even steam to make it to the end, so I ran pretty slowly. I started out with 12 minute miles and worked my way down to 11, 10, and 9 minutes. I ended with a 9 minute mile!

My cool down was cut short because the guy next to me let lose a really bad fart. Like one of those healthy runner GI tract farts. It was a bad one.

After stretching for a bit (especially my hips!) I went on home and refueled with some chocolate milk.

Hmm. Maybe it is OK to eat a bit of junk and skip my run on the weekend (even if I lie to myself about how I’m not going to do it) as long as I go back to being the healthy living poser person on Monday. I think I’m alright with that. For now.

Salsa and Being a “Real” Runner

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Run, Tough Mudder by

Awk. First posts are so awkward – I don’t even really know how to get started! I’m thinking maybe if I just pretend it’s completely normal to blog away my normal day that it will be easier. Yesterday I made the best discovery – apparently a secret combination of ingredients I had never tried before. Eggs….and….SALSA.

I had just gone on my first run of the week and I was starving when I got home. I was too hungry to cook up a legit meal so I went to the comfort staple of Breakfast for Dinner (capitalized because it’s actually a THING, you know?) I took 2 eggs and 1 egg white, scrambled it up with a little pepper, and put hot salsa on the side. Delish. (I also had my granola mixture with the eggs. I cannot eat only three eggs for dinner. Sorry.) Guess what I’m having for dinner tonight? That’s right, eggs & salsa. I think I’m going to put it in a whole-wheat wrap with some shredded cheese. Don’t mind if I do.

I have been trying to do clean eating as much as I can. Though I reward myself a little bit here and there with normal junk food or “unclean” (ha) stuff, because otherwise – we all know I’d just end up at McDonald’s at 11:30pm on a Sunday, eating a large # 10 at a booth next to a homeless man.

Before my amazing discovery occurred, I went on a 4.24 mi (not obsessed with mapmyrun.com) on my usual Rock Creek route. I drive about 7 min to the edge of Rock Creek and park my car at a Park. Hee hee. Get it? Anyway, there is always a t-ball game going on, which I like because it makes it feel like Spring and reminds me of childhood since I played t-ball/baseball/softball growing up. I thought I was SO cool with my two braids.

I start running past the Meadows Something Something Summer Camp with stables and horsies and everything. I do down and back runs at the moment, since I am not running smart enough to map out real loops yet. I LOVE running past the stables when I’m starting my run and I smile and stare longingly at the riders galloping swiftly on their horsies. I always forget that when I run past them in my last .25 mi on my route back, I’m downwind. On my way back, I always seem to unintentionally glare at the stables while breathing in through my mouth and trying to hold in my dry heave. What, gagging while running isn’t sexy? The trail continues through the woods (I’ve seen deer three times!) and up around the Mormon temple, under the Beltway, and up Beach Drive.

In high school I was a sprinter and a pole vaulter – I loathed running distances and would actually cry if I had to run a 4 x 400 relay. 100m for me, please! I just started distance (distance for me) running around the end of February/beginning of March 2012. Running is not easy for me like it seems to be for some other people. Every stride is one that I have to fight for! As I’ve started running, eating better, and becoming more in shape, the miles get easier. Currently, my longest run has been a 5 miler – though I’m shooting to do 6 next week! Luckily, I had a finite goal to complete the Tough Mudder in September, which is a 12 mi long course. Supposedly I should be running 5+ mi several times a week by the time the event rolls around. Because I’m not a natural distance runner, I still run pretty slowly (10-11 min miles). For now, I’m OK with that. I know I’m trying my best and not everyone can immediately start running sub 7 min miles, especially if you’re running more than 1 of them! I’m hoping that speed will just naturally come with distance and repetition. I’m also trying to do shorter, speedier miles once a week or once every two weeks.

Yesterday I ran my 4.24 mi in 47:04 , at an 11:06 min pace. I have terrible hayfever/pollen allergies in the Spring, but since it has been raining this week, the pollen count has died down a little bit. I finally felt like I could BREATHE on my run yesterday! It was glorious. Another breakthrough I had yesterday included NOT STOPPING on my run. I’ve been running outside for about a month, and I secretly loved the little stops throughout the route. A stoplight? Woohoo! Tie one shoe tighter here, now gotta stop and stretch that hammie. I’m tired of stopping! Once I stop I feel defeated, like I’m not a “real” runner. What’s the point of even finishing strong? Yesterday I was determined only to take 2 little 30 second stops on my 47 min run – at the water fountain near the playground. It’s at about the 5 min marker and the 42 min marker on my down and back. Perf! (I don’t mind not running LONG distances yet, because I know I am going to have to carry some kind of spiffy water holder/belt and I hate carrying anything on a run. Wah.) And you know what? I DID IT. I was tired of stopping, so I didn’t stop. It was that easy. Knowing I wasn’t going to stop was almost easier mentally because I didn’t have to start running again. And I didn’t have to beat myself down about stopping, either. After my run yesterday I’m finally starting to feel like a “real” runner. Though I know, I’m still a beginner – don’t worry.

Do you ever stop on runs? If you do stop, do you feel guilty?