Monthly Archives: April 2012

New Food Discoveries

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It was a very low-key weekend for us. Craig spent a good portion of the weekend with “the guys” while I tackled my to-do list:

- laundry

- No-Knead Bread was made

- food prepped for lunches (Pumpkin Protein Bars and sweet potatoes baked)

- errands ran

- cleaning done

- long run conquered

Probably the most exciting part of my weekend was that I ran 70 miles this week for my training plan—and it wasn’t that bad at all! My confidence is really building for this marathon! Seriously, I ran 18 miles on Saturday, and when I got done, I hadn’t even felt like I had done a long run. It is amazing how well the body can adapt!

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I enjoy finding new foods to try. Here are some new discoveries I’ve tried recently.

Picky Bars

I was interested in trying these bars after Skinny Runner talked about having one before she races.  Lauren Fleshman created the original Picky Bar. I love that these bars are created by athletes who “get it” and know good food.

I was surprised I was able to find these in Anchorage, but luckily Skinny Raven (downtown location) had some in stock.

I chose the Smooth Caffeinator: Hazelnut Mocha Madness flavor, but of course I wasn’t thinking when I picked this flavor out since I’m supposed to cut chocolate out after getting the results of my food sensitivity tests back.

Oh, well. I still ate it and really liked the bar. It had the texture of a Larabar but a different flavor. The Picky Bar flavor didn’t blow me out of the water, but I would definitely eat them in the future. I just wish they weren’t $3 a piece.

I really like that these have balanced nutrition.

Protein Powder

This Rainbow Light Protein Energizer is my favorite protein powder right now. Lately I’ve been trying a whole slough of different protein powders—trying to find the best tasting one with the best nutrition stats. That’s been hard to come by, but I am really enjoying this one right now!

I’m especially picky about the amount of sugar in the protein powder, so I really like that this one only has 2 grams.

Justin’s Almond Butter

I have to admit, I am not crazy about almond butter—I much prefer peanut butter. But peanuts was one of the foods I was (slightly) sensitive to, so I am trying to eat almond butter instead.

I’ve tried MaraNatha and Trader Joe’s Almond Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds and while both are okay, Justin’s Maple Almond Butter is my favorite almond butter I’ve tried so far. Yes, it does have 3 grams of sugar per serving, but I’m willing to make the sacrifice for something that tastes better.

I liked this little memo from the founder.

LaCroix

I’ve featured this carbonated beverage on my blog before as a favorite, but this is by far my favorite flavor!

I thought the coconut flavor would be kind of funky, but it was not at all. It was SO good. I first picked it up after our trip to Hawaii which was a bad thing because it made me want to go back that much more.

Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread

With everything else I’ve been cutting out of my diet (sugar, chocolate, peanut butter, dairy products), I figured I’d add another one and try to reduce the amount of gluten I eat. (I know, I’m crazy.)

Udi’s Gluten Free Foods makes an excellent gluten-free bread! I really like how it tastes and many times I prefer to have it over regular bread!

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Question

What new food product have you tried recently that you are enjoying?

Weekend Highlights

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It was a very good weekend for me: productive and relaxing. The best of both worlds.

Craig and I helped a couple of friends move on Friday night. Saturday morning I did my long run of 20 miles. I did the first 10 miles by myself, and then Craig joined me on his bike for the last 10. I love the uninterrupted time we have to talk and hang out. I never thought I’d say this, but that was definitely the easiest 20 miles I’ve ever ran! I averaged 8:31 minutes/mile, which is not far off my marathon goal pace of 8:12 minutes/mile. (That would get me a 3:35 and qualify me for Boston!) I hope this is a good indication of how the marathon will go! Saturday afternoon Craig and I went to Bear’s Tooth for a late lunch. Saturday evening was spent cleaning and preping food for the week.

Sunday morning I woke up at 5 a.m. (not by choice), so I got up did a few things around the apartment, and then went out for a 6 mile run. As soon as I got back, I ate a quick breakfast and then went to yoga. I like going to yoga after running because it forces to get some quality stretching in. After church, Craig and I went to Middle Way Cafe because I was craving a salad and as hard as I try, the salads I make at home never turn out that well. The last one I made was so awful that I ended up throwing some of it out—something I never do. This afternoon/evening I’ve been busy prepping more food and trying to get everything in order for the week. Having everything ready to go for Monday morning makes the transition a little bit easier into the start of the work-week.

TRX

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Thursday night I tried a new type of workout—TRX. And it was not easy!

I was invited by a friend to Elite Sports Performance to their core training class.

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Elite Sports Performance is located in a warehouse-type building in Anchorage. (It reminded me of Cross Fit places.)

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The walls were lined with all the equipment and the middle area had lines drawn on the floor for plyometric-type conditioning.

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For the TRX Suspension Training, we used straps that were suspended from beams and adjusted for various activities.

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We started the class with foam rolling, stretching, and plyometrics conditioning. We then moved onto balancing activities on the Bosu Ball and finally spent the last 25 minutes on TRX activities.

Here were some of the different moves we did. Except we were supposed to balance our hands on the Bosu Ball, which made it even more difficult.

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Overall, it was tough! I consider myself in good, athletic shape, but this was a type of workout my body was not used to! I was surprised how my balance wasn’t as good as I thought it was, and my core muscles are definitely lacking.

I have to admit that I get a little frustrated when I don’t succeed at something the first time I try it, so I was a little hard on myself for not being able to keep up with everyone else. But it was still a great workout.

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And now for some random Friday thoughts:

1. There are only 19 days of school left!! Yee haw!!

2. I ran 6 miles this morning. It was a good run—felt good, no pain, and I enjoyed the sunrise.

3. I painted my nails with this Essie nail polish last Friday, and it lasted an entire week without chipping! That’s really good for me—usually my nail polish chips after a couple of days.

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4. I have a 20-miler tomorrow on the schedule for tomorrow. The more long runs I do, the less anxious I get about them.

5. It is the weekend, what could be better?!?!