My usual running buddy was out of town this weekend. I wasn't sure if I were motivated enough to do a long run by myself. I skipped workouts Thursday-Sunday and was feeling like a wimp because my out of town friend had run 20 miles on her own. Fortunately, her friend Chris called me up and said she'd run with me!
So Monday morning, we decided to do a 7+ mile trail loop three times. It was raining when we started and I was a little worried about it (I hate the rain).
The first 7ish miles weren't too bad. It was sprinkling but not pouring. We cranked it out in 70 minutes.
Miles 7-14ish were alright. Our pace had slowed a little Somewhere around mile 10, Chris and I startled some ducks that were next to the trail. The ducks flapped crazily and were a blur of noise and feathers. Chris and I were so startled that we both screamed! We ended up taking about 75 minutes to finish this loop.
Miles 14ish-21ish. It was pouring rain. Water was going down the sleeves of my jacket. I felt like I was running really hard... yet moving so slowly.
It started raining harder.
So, we did around 21-22 miles in about 3 hours and 40 minutes (including the two bathroom stops). Kind of slower than our usual pace but at least we got it done! I'm hoping to run my first marathon in under 4 hours, so I better keep training.
So the No Cheat Challenge was originally supposed to be two weeks long, but after my friend called in a a second "food emergency" to our nutritionist, our nutritionist had us come in early, weight in, and then decide if we'd earned a cheat day.Well, I'm down 1.2 lbs this week, and 4.2 since we started, although my body fat is about the same. (My nutritionist blames that on the inaccuracy of the body fat calculating instrument). So I decided I've earned it! I've been craving pizza like crazy so I had pizza. I ate half of a large pizza. I didn't know I could eat that much pizza. I will definitely have to go on a nice long run tomorrow. What I've learned: - I'm obsessive about treats. And I still am. There's nothing like a cupcake to motivate me to finish a long run! But I don't need cupcakes all the time.
- I know I can eat clean for 11 days. It really wasn't that terrible, and I although I was kind of hungry sometimes, better planning could have helped (more fresh veggies to fill me up, less salad)!
- My body felt pretty good, and do long runs during those 11 days except for the work-related stress and seasonal allergies.
I think I'm going to be pretty strict about my eating from now on. In a way, it was really nice just having the same routine with my food every day. But I would like a bit more variety, so I'll probably be a little more flexible. And I'll definitely have cheat MEALS, and those will only be once a week.
Today was a crazy day. Very very crazy. But fortunately, I have some good gals that I work with and with whom I am friends, and we were there for each other when we needed it today.
And... I stuck to my plan! Kind of. I ate the right breakfast, snack, lunch, and second snack. I had planned on working out in the afternoon, but there had been a crisis and one of my friends really needed some support, so we were going to go get some drinks (for her) and then go to a Scentsy party another friend was having. But I didn't have any dinner food and couldn't make it that long. So I called my nutritionist, saying, "I have a food emergency!" I was at On the Border and wanted to get the okay to eat a tortilla, grilled fish and grilled veggies instead of a tortilla, tofu, and veggies. He laughed and said it was fine, as long as I stayed away from cookies (which, by the way, have been EVERYWHERE lately!)
Today was Day 9 of the No Cheat Challenge. It was fine for the most part. I'm getting anxious for this to be OVER. My last day, after I weigh in, I'm definitely going to treat myself to some of the things I've been craving the past two weeks. Items include: Peanut Butter Oreos (omg, I love Oreos, and I love PB, so I am flipping out about these), Oreo Cakesters, Pizza with alfredo base, cajun tots with ranch, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, and some MARGARITAS! (I'm a little obsessive about making sure I get to have some of EVERYTHING... but I'll try and pare down the list eventually so I don't go overboard).
The most exciting meal of the day was dinner. I had some fresh cooked carrots, and an AMAZINGLY YUMMY wrap. The Don Poncho high fiber tortilla is a little bland and... well, fiber-y, but edible. But the Morningstar Farms Grillers Turk'y Burger and the 100 calorie packet of Wholly Guacamole made it heavenly. The burger was nice and moist and tasted delicious. The guac was fabulous. And together, it was magical. I'm definitely going to be eating this again.
Went for a 7 mile interval training session again today, since the weather was gorgeous. My running crew and I were still tired from our long workouts this weekend, so we ended up taking it easy. I'm allowed to have as much fuel while running as needed, and since I love eating Shot Bloks like they're candy, I had four bloks (I shared two with my friends, who had forgotten to bring fuel).
Oops, forgot to post yesterday! Things have been a little crazy :P
Day 7: Stuck to the plan! My body was a little sore from Sunday's 18 miler, so I took it easy at the gym and did a light workout, and then took The Stick to my legs.
Day 8: Still stuck to the plan. I was really tempted to snag one of my brother's Jolly Rancher's as I walked out the door this morning. I thought, "Eh, it's just a few calories!" But I knew I'd end up confessing it to my nutritionist and would be mad at myself for not strictly sticking to it (I hate losing. haha). Did some cardio and weights.
Planning on doing 7-10 miles of running/walking tomorrow outside, if the weather continues to be nice!
What foods tempt you?
Almost 1 week down... I did manage to stick to the plan today, although a little out of order because of my 18 mile training run. And my nutritionist gave me the ok to use as much running fuel as I needed, and I got 2 cups of pasta + 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in addition. Today I ran an 18 mile run in the rain with some friends. Something was bothering my tummy--maybe last night's broccoli slaw with taco seasoning? The pre-run apple? The Margarita Shot Bloks? Who knows. Fortunately, I managed to finish the run without incident. And in 2 hours and 50 minutes! Sweeet.
So I've officially decided to run a marathon and have even picked out one... but I haven't signed up yet. I really wish I could run my first marathon with one of my good running buddies, since we seem to have a similar pace and are good at motivating the other to keep going! But she's doing her first marathon out in Montana, where her family is.
Today was Day 5 of the no cheat challenge. I managed to stick with it, even though weekends tend to be some of the hardest days for me in terms of eating clean.
 Banana and almond butter for breakfast!  Also for breakfast, I tried out a new coffee flavored protein drink called 'Click.'  Yummm...review to come!  Morningstar Farms meatless crumbles, broccoli slaw with onions, taco seasoning, and a whole wheat tortilla Yay for being more than 1/3 of the way finished with this challenge. I can't wait til it's over.
Tomorrow, I have an 18 mile run planned. The good news is that my nutritionist said I can add 2 cups of pasta + 1/2 cup tomato sauce to my plan any time I run farther than 12 miles! :)
Do you eat well on the weekends? Or do you struggle like I do? :P
I didn't post yesterday because my mom stole my laptop powercord, and then disappeared and would not return phone calls regarding its whereabouts. *grumble grumble*
Anyway, Friday was Day 4 of the Two Week No Cheat Challenge. I made it through another day! My BFF and I stopped by to visit the nutritionist and also weighed in. I'm back down below my cheat week weight, and only 1lb away from my lowest, and 4.2 lb away from my goal. My body fat % is back down as well.
Here's what I ate for dinner on Friday:
 Morningstar Farms meatless crumbles with taco seasoning and Sriracha in a whole wheat tortilla  Oven roasted asparagus with no salt seasoning... and some added salt Taco seasoning and good veggies make everything better :)
Earlier Friday, two of my gals and I did 7 miles of interval training. I like the term "intervals" because it sounds way cooler than "alternating running and walking." It was a gorgeous day outside, so we decided to go run outside.
While on the trail, I fueled up with SHARKIES! I'd never tried Sharkies before, but the kid in me liked the idea of a fuel called "Sharkies" and the grown-up in me liked the Organic aspect.
I had the Berry Blast flavor, and they're fantastic. I like them how bite sized they are, and that each package has 140 calories. The flavor was good, and THEY'RE SHARK SHAPED! Sweet. Definitely one of my favorite running fuels.
I ate what was on my plan. And it wasn't fabulous but it was bearable. Since I ran out of salad, I ate roasted asparagus with dinner. It was delicious and filling at the time... but now I'm kind of a little hungry again.
And then, today I got an email from Starbucks telling me about Free Pastry Day. :( My BFF who is also on a two week no cheat plan, and my other friend were going to try and keep Free Pastry Day a secret from me, so I won't feel so devastated. But little did they know, I'm on the Starbucks mailing list. And when I found out, I was really bummed.
Stuck to the plan today. It was a bummer when my mom said she'd take me out for my favorite lunch (sushi!) but I had to pass :(
Getting a little bored with eating the same food every day... already. Tried to spice up my salad and no calorie dressing by adding some Beaver Sweet Hot Mustard (because faux ranch + mustard = dijon dressing, right?) Well, I added a little too much mustard and I was worried my nose would explode. I liked the flavor though, it just needed to be dialed down.
Since my plan does say salad OR veggies, I think I'm going to swap salads for matchstick carrots or broccoli slaw. More nutrients, more fiber. Hopefully that'll help me feel more full. And then I can cook them or eat them raw. Options sound amazing right now.
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