Monthly Archives: July 2010

Saturday’s Long Run

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Saturdays are almost always devoted to my long run of the week. I sleep in a little, eat some breakfast, work on a few random things, and then get out the door before any afternoon plans we may have. It works well with my schedule, so I continue to follow it.

Before heading out the door, some Special K cereal with soymilk.

And toast with almond butter.

(Yes, these are repeat pictures because Craig has the camera.)

Craig couldn’t join me for my long run today, which I was bummed about, but this meant I didn’t have to push myself while he rode his bike. I ran a familiar route and enjoyed the time to myself. I don’t listen to music while I run, so my thoughts are all I have. I like it this way.

I was feeling good until about half-way through before my stomach started to hurt. I literally developed hunger pains which stuck with me for the next 30 minutes until they subsided for only a short while. In the past, I haven’t needed anything to eat or drink unless I start getting close to a 2-hour run, so I thought I’d be fine today. However, I waited 2.5 hours after eating breakfast before I made it out the door and that was just too long.

The last half hour was a little tough, but I just kept at it until I reached 11 miles. Total time: 1:35.

When I finished, I quickly made myself a Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie and enjoyed its cool, sweet taste that was much more appealing than something solid.

After eating and showering, my body started feeling quite sluggish and beat. All afternoon, I’ve–more or less–had to force myself to eat because nothing has sounded appealing, but I know I need the calories.

I’ve taken it easy this afternoon with some blog reading, resting on the couch, and finishing 50/50 by Dean Karnazes, which was amazing!! I love autobiographies–especially when I can really relate to them. If you are a passionate runner–or enjoy reading running-related books–I highly recommend this one!

I plan on highlighting different parts of this book in future posts because I personally found this book very inspirational!

Baking Machine

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Today I have made:

- Edamame Guacamole (For tonight’s meal at my in-law’s.)

- 3 Grain Chewy Energy Bars (For myself.)

- Rhubarb Crisp (For my in-laws, as a thank you for letting me steal their rhubarb.)

- Whole Grain Glory Muffins (For a breakfast potluck tomorrow morning.)

It is fun taking close-up shots. :)

Workout

Craig and I ran 4 miles together this morning in 40 minutes. Craig had been running 3, so pushing himself to 4 took some encouragement from me, but he was determined and finished strong!

One of the tactics I used for him came from Dean Karnazes’ book 50/50 (50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days) that I’ve been reading–and love by the way! The section I read last night before bed talked about taking “baby steps”–breaking down each run or goal into smaller steps.

So for the run this morning, Craig knew he could run 3 miles, so it was the last mile where he needed some extra motivation. When we got to 20 minutes–and were only half done–it became a little daunting because usually by this point we only have 10 minutes left. Twenty-five minutes into the run, I told him, let’s focus on getting to 30 minutes first.

We chatted a little bit and soon we had reached 30 minutes. Yeah! First “baby step” accomplished. Now only 10 minutes to go. ”Alright,” I told him, “we are going to focus on running to that stop sign.” And when we got there, we made another short-term (“baby step”) goal. With 5 minutes to go, we planned out the remainder of the route so we mentally knew where the “finish line” was and before we knew it, 4 miles had been accomplished! Success!

A lot of water was consumed afterwards.

Breakfast

I am somewhat ashamed to say I bought this Special K cereal that has an ingredients list a mile long, but it sure is good!! (Plus how could I pass up a good sale and coupon. ;) )

So crunchy and sweet!

Instead of regular milk, I enjoyed my cereal with some Original Silk Soymilk.

I rarely drink soymilk plain, but I do like it on my cold cereal!

I also had a piece of Oat Flax Walnut Bread with Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseed spread on it.

A short while later, I needed some protein and knew exactly what I wanted–strawberry flavored Chobani.

Lunch

Lunch was a full plate of veggies. (I feel like I have been lacking in this department lately.)

- red pepper

- celery

- hummus

- carrots

- celery

- cucumber

- arugula with glazed pecans and poppy seed dressing

And a piece of toast with peanut butter and blueberry jam.

Now that my baking extravaganza is over, it is time to relax a bit–especially for my long run tomorrow morning! :)

Pot of ‘Chobani’ Gold

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Today has been an uneventful day, but that’s okay, I don’t mind. I’ve been some-what productive and it feels good not to have a huge to-do list.

I love being at home and wish I could work from home every day, but teaching isn’t exactly conducive to that.

I got started on my run a little later in the morning than I normally do, but I busted out 5 miles in 41:30. My hamstrings were a little tight at first, but they loosened up after a while. I ran along one of my favorite trails, so it was a good run. Now that I feel as though I have recovered from my marathon, I am itching to do another road race!

After I got back, I half of a cold slice of pizza–yum! I think cold pizza is just as good as hot pizza. Who’s with me?

I also had some Chobani Blueberry Greek Yogurt. I heart Chobani! This time I didn’t stir the yogurt and instead dug my spoon down to the bottom to get some of the blueberry goodness with each bite for a creamy, cool treat.

How could I forget to tell you guys that I scored this whole box of Chobani yogurt at Costco the other day. I was estatic when I saw it there! Each container ended up being less than $1! :D

So many containers of Chobani, what am I going to do with myself. ;)

This afternoon, I ran some errands and went to the following places:

- DMV (To get a new title for our Subaru because we own it outright!)

- afternoon coffee (iced decaf latte–I get SO jittery when I have caffiene.)

- Target

- put air in my tires

- wash my car

My afternoon snack was a juicy Pink Lady apple–my favorite!

Nothing special is planned for dinner tonight–a little of this and a little of that.