Category: Body Work

One of the best things that I have come across is the produce co-op that we have in Greenville. For $21.50 every two weeks, we get a huge bag of seasonal fruits and veggies, as many as possible from local farms, and it is amazing. I am constantly trying new things that I haven’t tried before because it has shown up in my produce bag. Kale, leeks, parsnips, eggplant, pomegranate, star fruit, and the like are just a few of the new flavors that have been added to our lives.

My favorite part of getting new produce is looking through new recipes to find something I can try using what is available in my kitchen. I have found TONS of ideas, and liked most of them. If nothing else, looking for recipes and subsequently cooking them gives me another form of “therapy” besides running. Not to mention how fun it is to cook from scratch and make delicious vegan fare.

So far, besides eggplant, kale has been my biggest challenge. I have added it to soups and stove-top dishes and it worked, but it hadn’t yet made me super excited to eat it.

This week, I found two ways to eat it that were amazing, so I thought I would share them with you.

The first one is Better Than Trader Joe’s Kale and Edamame Salad. I made it for lunch one day and ate it along with a handful of roasted almonds and was in love. The dressing was fabulous, as was the combination of Craisins, edamame, and chickpeas. I ate it for the next couple of days as part of my supper and as lunch.

The second one is a combination. We had tacos last night and I had some of  my favorite vegan taco filling that I pulled out of the freezer. I mixed up a batch of fresh guacamole (1 small onion, chopped; 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped; 4 avocados, mashed; juice of 1 lime, kosher salt to taste, handful of fresh cilantro, chopped), put some crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, tore up some kale, topped it with the taco filling, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and a touch of taco sauce, and it was pretty much the most amazing taco salad that I have ever eaten. Something about the stronger flavor of the kale mixed with the Mexican flavors was so much better than when I have used other types of lettuce.

If you have the opportunity to join a produce co-op in your area, do it. If nothing else, you are helping local farmers and helping yourself as you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, then you, too, can find new and delicious ways to add to your weekly menu!

It happens every time.

I train and train for a race, I look forward to being able to run and workout on whatever schedule I choose because I am tired of being tied down to a training schedule, I finish the race, and then I need to get back on a schedule to stay consistent.

It is a never-ending cycle.

And it is happening again.

I don’t have a schedule, and subsequently, I don’t have much motivation.

That’s normal after a long race. I need a couple of weeks to recover and remember that I really do love to run.

But in this cold weather, I can’t seem to remember that. My bed is so warm and outside is so cold. And I hate treadmills, especially since I don’t have one at home and would have to go out in the cold to get to one.

And it is okay. For now. It won’t last too much longer and I will soon be hitting the pavement again. Know why? I want to run. I miss it. I can feel my body aching for it. And going a week between runs isn’t going to keep me satisfied.

Not to mention I have a plan. Not a training schedule per se (yet), but a plan.

• I have set my next weight loss goal (with a time-frame).
• I have decided I want to add walking back into my workout schedule.
• I have set a time in which I would like to finish the Mini Indy (1/2 Marathon) when I run it in May.

I can’t reach any of those goals by staying in my warm bed. I can’t reach any of those goals without some kind of schedule.

So for today, I stayed in my bed. And I may do it tomorrow, too. But soon, very, very soon, You’ll see me back on the road. Even if it means I am wearing 4 layers of clothing so I don’t freeze to death.

What are your goals and how are you going to reach them?

After months of training – long runs, hills, 800 repeats, strength training, yoga – it all came down to last weekend.

A Saturday half marathon – 13.1 miles, followed by a full marathon, 26.2 miles on Sunday.

I was excited and nervous all at the same time.

The Expo at Disney’s Wide World of Sports was fun. We found good things to buy, we heard from some renowned runners, and we got our race packets.

We hung out at the pool on Friday, ate a good pre-race dinner, laid out our clothes and other items we needed for day 1.

Bright and early Friday (2:30 a.m.) we got up, got dressed, and headed out for part 1.

The half was hot, but there was excitement. I hadn’t been to Disney World since high school. It was all new and exciting. Magic Kingdom. Seeing characters. Stopping for pictures. I felt good and the 13.1 miles went by quickly.

We recovered with yoga and some pool time, even a short nap before heading out for pre-race dinner #2 (the same food at the same restaurant as the previous night).

We got to bed earlier and slept pretty well. Morning came early (another 2:30 a.m. wake-up). We were more subdued on day 2. I think we were all tired and wondering how the race would go. The temperature was high. We trained in 20 degrees and we were looking at 80 degrees (or more) by the time we were finishing. But we had hydrated and fueled well.

The first part of the race was a re-run of the previous day. It went fairly quickly and without any problems. The further along the way we got, it got hotter and harder. I was struggling, on the verge of dehydration just over half-way. I had to re-think my hydration strategy so I could continue to run. By that point it was back to everything being new again. I hadn’t seen these areas before. Animal Kingdom. Universal Studios. I was still struggling. It was so hot. But I kept ticking off the miles. And then there it was. In the distance I could see the Epcot ball. I knew I was close. Then the 26 mile marker. I started to lose it, but reminded myself I had .2 miles left. As I crossed the line and then got both my marathon and goofy medal, with my friends standing nearby, I lost it. I cried with joy. I cried with relief. It was over. I had done it. I was officially “Goofy.” It was one of the best feelings of my life.

I set a goal, worked toward it, and accomplished it. It wasn’t easy. There were many struggles with health, exhaustion, minor injuries, and lack of motivation. There were good runs and bad ones. But I finished my training, and finished the races.

It took lots of hard work, encouragement from my running partners, support of my family, prayers offered by me, my family and friends, and the strength of God.

And now I have another sticker on the back of my van.

39.3

I typically don’t have a problem with eating. I like food.

But in the last three or four weeks, I have had a problem. I can’t eat. I’m not hungry.

I have been sick with stomach issues that made it nearly impossible to eat, and now a nasty cold, which makes it hard to eat and breathe at the same time, but this started even before that.

I don’t know why, but I haven’t had an appetite at all. And when I don’t have an appetite, I don’t get hungry for anything in particular, and when I am not hungry for anything in particular, I don’t cook. And thus I don’t eat.

Which wasn’t too big of a problem last week when my stomach was hurting and would hurt worse anytime I ate because I wasn’t running.

But this week, I started running again since in less than a month I will be doing 39.3 miles in two days.

Tuesday wasn’t too bad, I made it through our 8 yassos (800 meters – 8 times – fast) without any issues.

Wednesday I ran the slowest 7 mile run I think I have ever run. My legs felt like lead. I had no energy.

Thursday I could barely make it up the four hills and run to the Annex and back.

It was at that point that I realized what I knew but had never experienced to this extent. If I am going to run, I have to eat. Apparently a protein shake, 1/4 cup of almonds, and a small plate of Orange-Scented Broccoli the day before isn’t enough to fuel a run.

But the problem comes when I try to eat and can’t. And I have a 14-mile run coming up on Sunday, so I am concerned about it. Can I do it? Can I make myself eat?

I really became aware of how much of an issue this is as I made three kinds of cookies last night. Typically I would constantly be snacking on the cookies as we decorate them. But I didn’t. I had a couple, but even then it was more of a taste-testing to make sure they turned out the way I like them rather than I want a cookie kind of feeling.

I am not sure what is going on with my body, but I need to figure it out so I can at least get enough fuel to finish out these last few weeks of training and for the race. Because I haven’t trained this hard and this long to fail here at the end.

Have any of you that are runners ever had an issue like this? If so, how did you get through it?

I think we all would agree that the hardest part about the holidays when it comes to our health is the food.

It’s everywhere. Christmas parties. Snacks people bring to work.

And it’s in our traditions.

I have a list of all the things that our family used to make every year growing up. And I have continued making those traditional treats with my kids.

Not that we keep it all for ourselves – we definitely give away quite a bit to others – but what we don’t give away sits in the house and then you know what happens?

It gets eaten. By me. Yes, the others help, but it is really hard to resist things like pecan turtles, peanut butter balls, crescent cookies, dipped pretzels, molasses gingersnaps, iced cut-out cookies, peppernuts, and party mix.

Last year, I told my family each to pick their favorite thing and we would make a smaller batch of those few things.

But one thing led to another and we ended up making everything anyway. Just not all in one day like we usually do.

At the end of the season I just felt awful for having consumed all these sweets that I had worked so hard to break my cravings for.

This year, I haven’t made a thing. Chalk it up to busy-ness, my lack of energy and motivation, and the fact that I really don’t want it in the house at all.

The kids are asking, but I keep putting them off.

I kind of feel like if I would just allow myself to NOT make some (or all) stuff for one year, then it would be easier to not make everything every year. Because you know what is more powerful than the pull of food? The pull of tradition. It feels like I am breaking a tradition to not make all these sweets. It feels like I am not passing on the great memories of holiday baking with my mom and sisters to my kids.

But if I really think about it, I am making other traditions with them that don’t surround food. And the more I can steer them away from poor food choices, the better off they will be in the long run.

So maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to break this tradition.

I don’t really know. I haven’t landed on what  I really think. I would love to hear from you – about your food traditions and whether or not you struggle with these issues.

Know what is getting me out of bed to run these days?

Motivation? Not really. I don’t feel like running.

A sense of duty to my body to stay in shape? Eh. Not so much that either.

I’m scared to death of the upcoming race? Yep. That’s the one.

Six weeks from tomorrow race weekend begins: 13.1 miles on Saturday, 26.2 miles on Sunday.

Last week I ran 16 miles on Sunday. The furthest I have ever run. Yes, I did a marathon last spring, but we trained to run 5 miles, walk 2, the entire route. I didn’t walk at all for the 16.

This weekend we do 18. Then a couple shorter “long” runs. Then 20. Then we are just 2 weeks to race days.

At this point in training, I am tired. The long hours of running are getting harder and harder to find. To be honest, some days I would like nothing more than to just quit.

But I paid for this race. I have bought an airline ticket. There’s no such thing as quitting at this point. And I really am scared that if I miss workouts at this point, it is going to affect whether or not I can even finish this challenge.

It’s a healthy fear. It’s not keeping me up at night, but it is keeping me running to finish this goal.

Is there anything you have a healthy fear of these days that keeps you moving in the right direction?

When you decide to “get healthy,” there is always a place in your mind that thinks, “If I can only do this for ______________ (days, months, weeks, years), then it will be easy to maintain.”

The problem is, it doesn’t happen that way.

There are sick days that get you out of your exercise routine.

There are stressful times and group gatherings that push you off the eating well wagon.

And when these things happen at the same time – pow – you are knocked down and can’t figure out how to get back up.

Then there are just the monotonous times when you are bored with your workout routine and bored with the healthy food choices, and it is so tempting (and easy) to slack off.

And then you feel guilty. And you feel like it should be easier since you have been doing it for so long.

That sometimes happens to me. But it helps when I remember how hard it was to make the changes in the first place, and realize that it is a little easier now. Some because I know better about what good choices look like and feel like.

But the truth is, I have to make choices every day to stay healthy. I have to decide to get out of bed to exercise. I have to decide to walk away from the tempting foods. I have to decide that even though my whole family may be eating something I really want to eat, but shouldn’t, it’s okay to say no. I’ve come too far to go backwards. I don’t want to put the weight back on. I don’t want to lose the endurance I have built up.

And while some days are easier than others, I have to make those good choices every day. Even on the ones when it takes everything in me to make the right one.

Every day.

Are you making good choices today?

Sunday I ran the St. Louis Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 marathon. It was fun. It was good. I felt great for most of the race and wasn’t sore at all afterwards. I was treating it as a training run rather than a race, but in the moment it is easy to get caught up and try to push it, which I kind of did at times and came out with a time that wasn’t my fastest, but was way faster than my slowest, so I felt good about it.

I ate really well last week in preparation for the race and worked hard at staying good and hydrated. I even took a couple of rest days toward the end of the week, and then ran a 5K on Saturday to kind of loosen myself up so I was ready.

And then Monday came. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday. I have done nothing but eat terribly all week. Cookies. Crackers. Candy. Pizza. Snacks. Just terrible. I did cook overnight oatmeal one night, so had a couple of decent breakfasts, and I made a great crock pot potato leek soup so have had that for a few meals, but other than that, I haven’t made good choices. And I feel it. I am tired, sluggish, bloated, and not motivated at all to change it.

I have managed to not miss a workout this week at all, and have even felt myself pushing harder this week, despite some nagging pain in my shin. So that’s good, but the eating has got to get back in line.

As I have tried to figure out why I am struggling so much, I realized that usually after a race I take a week off from running to rest and recover, but because I am continuing to train for the Goofy Challenge, I couldn’t do that this week. And I wonder if that’s why I have let my good eating habits go out the window for a few days. My mind knows I need a break somewhere and that’s what I can do.

The problem is, sweets are drugs, and once you let them in, it’s hard to get them back out. And it’s Halloween time. And parades galore. And there is candy overflowing the “candy cabinet” in our house. And I’m weak.

But I can’t let my weakness turn into permission to eat junk. I can’t let my exhaustion dictate bad food choices.

So I’m done. I had a few days of indulgence, now it is back to what has become normal for me – eating right. My head is convinced, now to convince my stomach. 🙂

And let’s hope the candy they throw at the Centralia parade on Saturday is all stuff  I don’t like or can’t have.

Do you ever find yourself struggling to re-gain control of food or exercise patterns? How do you get back on track?