accountability

In keeping with my accountability of my progress and work outs, I have decided to post each day of my training on here. Sometimes, that might be all that you get, but I am promising to post it. No matter how slow, how crappy, or how miserable my run was, I will post it. I feel like making that promise will force me to keep up with my training and continue toward my half marathon goal.

Today was Week 1, Day 1 of half marathon training. According to Hal Higdon's training schedule, I need to run 3 miles today, as well as tomorrow and Thursday, with a 4 mile run on Saturday. For some reason, I was moving this morning! Maybe I was excited about starting the training, or maybe it was just one of those "great runs" I was talking about before, but I looked down a few times and I was running in the 7s!

I felt pretty great during my run and was shocked to look at my splits. I never understood how people got faster in the last mile of their run, but it looks like I did just that this morning.

So my plan is to post at least the above pictures for each of my runs during training. That should hold me accountable and help me to get out of bed every morning. The only time I won't be posting the runs will be while I am in Mexico, unless they have free wifi and I can throw up those snapshots without being charged a few hundred pesos. If I can't do it there, I will post as soon as I return to the states, because I will be running in Mexico. Again, I WILL BE RUNNING IN MEXICO... No excuses, not even tequila related excuses. :)

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Last night I made a quick stop at Joe the Trader's to grab a few things, including our dinner. Mike and I were both in the mood for hot dogs, (why?) so I grabbed some chicken sausages instead. Along with our sausages, we had some garlic fries, which were surprisingly delicious for frozen fries. They were just the right amount of crunchy and tasted somewhat fried.

Somehow these ended up in my cart which proves the point of never going to a grocery store hungry... I had these puppies open within seconds of getting into my car.

The good news is that we actually have some food in our house now, which we didn't have any of before. I am really sick of eating crap and ready to get back to my regular eating schedule. Yesterday I tried one of the new salads from Wendy's and was pleasantly surprised. The dressing was not terrible for you and I was excited to see they offer half sized portions now, which are just the right size for lunch.

This was the apple pecan chicken salad (half portion) with pomegranate vinegarette dressing. It was really tasty. But, I just looked up the sodium content and am not very happy about it... so maybe I will steer clear of those in the future.



While we are talking about nutrition and sodium content, I thought I would circle back to my calorie counting. I had stopped for a while, because I feel like I have a really good handle on what I was eating, but I think I need to start back up again. Although I am pretty good about knowing what is going in my body, I don't know that I am staying completely on track. My weight loss has been at quite the standstill lately, which I am actually ok with, but I still have about 4 lbs to get to my 1 year goal. I have no doubt I will get there, but I am just kind of hanging out in the 139-142 lbs range. I am super proud and happy about that, but I think if I got back into my strict calorie counting, I could drop those last 4 lbs easily.

Another reason I want to start it back up is because I know I will need to increase my calories as I increase my mileage with the half marathon training. I haven't done a ton of research just yet on how and what to do change my calorie intake, but I plan on figuring all that out as I get into the 5-10 mile range.

As far as my sodium is concerned, I am pretty convinced that it is not having a huge impact on my blood pressure. I haven't talked to my doctor yet about it, but I feel like on the days that I have a lot of sodium, my bp is no different than on days that I haven't had a lot of sodium. One thing I have noticed is that I get headaches and feel crummy on days that I have things with a lot of sodium in them. Maybe I am just crazy, but I definitely feel a difference when I eat out or eat things that I know are pretty high in sodium.

I think I would like to stick to the low sodium lifestyle, since our bodies just do not need as much sodium as we take in. I know that I will have to adjust that as well, since through running, sweating, and losing sodium, I will need to make sure that I don't get dehydrated. But, I hope to find some sort of balance through it all, since I obviously am going to have this blood pressure problem, and I still don't want to go on any type of medication for it. (FYI, my bp is too low to actually go on bp meds, but this is something that I may have to accept in the future).

Well, would you look at that, I only meant to write a short little post about how I plan on posting my runs throughout my training but I actually wrote a whole post. Lucky you! :)

Yesterday's Stats:

Calories (-) 309
Sodium (+) 1437
Protein (+) 9

the first harvest

Good Morning!

It is Wednesday, so I am gearing up for the downward slope left in the week. We are heading to the beach on Friday, so there is lots to do to get ready. It seems our weeks just fly by since we have a few commitments on the week nights, leaving us little room for laundry and packing and such. In addition to all of that, I also need to find time to get a certain someone's birthday shopping done. I have gotten a few things, but I still have some left to get.

Since there is so much going on this week, we have gotten little to no exercise in. :( We keep making plans to run, but it seems like our list of chores after work keeps getting longer and longer. Plus, since we are taking a half day on Friday, we are trying to put in extra hours at work so that we don't have to take any vacation time. With the busy summer we have ahead of us, we have to reserve all of our vacation for that.

We WILL be running on Saturday and Sunday morning, and I think we are both looking forward to that. Hopefully next week we can really get back in the swing of things.

Dinners have been quick and easy lately, focused on low sodium and increasing my potassium. So far, I haven't seen a big difference in my blood pressure, so I am beginning to worry that it is out of my control. But, I haven't given up hope yet. The truth is that I have been reducing my sodium for almost a year, and have been conscious of it since my dad was first diagnosed with hypertension years ago, so the fact that this may not be related to anything I am doing, is not that surprising. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to avoid complications. My doctor said to monitor for a few weeks and then we will make some decisions on the next steps, so that is exactly what I am doing. 

One item that has been making a regular appearance for dinner is baked potatoes. They are rich in potassium and low in sodium, so they are a good choice for me. On Monday, before we headed to trivia, we made grilled chicken sandwiches with a small baked potato on the side. Eating out just doesn't allow for low sodium choices, so I plan to do as much home eating as possible until we figure out what is going on. At times, I realize this isn't an option, but when it is, I am trying to just make my own food.

I grilled the chicken in a little safflower oil and then topped with a slice of muenster cheese. My baked potato is topped with a tablespoon of earth balance vegan butter. Delicious meal.

Last night, we kept with the theme of baked potatoes and added a fried egg to our meal for some protein. I ended up mixing my egg with the potato and it was sooo good.

Lunches for the last few days have been nothing but salad. But, it was excellent salad.

Do you want to know what is most exciting about this salad? The lettuce came from our garden!!!

After much researching, Mike found that our romaine lettuce was ready for it's first harvest, so we cleaned it up, had a taste, and made some salads. There is something about vegetables that your husband grew that just taste so much better than store bought. :)

Our other veggies are looking pretty good, but we had to deal with a bug problem. They were eating all of the leaves! Mike found some good organic options for ridding our leaves of bugs, so hopefully, they haven't ruined our crops!

I have also been eating the heck out of some mangoes lately. I love mango. It is so messy, but so very good.

After dinner, running errands, and talking to my sister on facetime last night, I was really wanting something sweet. I went for a small cup of french vanilla ice cream with some chocolate covered sunflower seeds on top. Yum.

This morning for breakfast, I finished off some vanilla greek yogurt with some fresh strawberries and banana slices. It was very tasty and very filling.

I am working at the hospital tonight, so I am praying for a smooth and uneventful shift. Then we are only a day and a half away from the beach!!! I can't wait!

Have a great Wednesday!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 235
Sodium (-) 754 (!!)
Protein (-) 12

how low can you go?

If you remember correctly, I was very determined to run my last 5k faster than my best time. I succeeded in that goal by running 9:45 min miles and the entire 5k in 30 minutes and 15 seconds. One of my new years resolutions is that I run a sub 29 minute 5k.

I have 2 5k races coming up in the next 2 months and I really hope I can go ahead and achieve that goal. But really, I have no idea how quickly one can shave a minute and 16 seconds off of their race time. Is that something that takes longer than 6 months to achieve? Should I be happy if I can run the 5k 30 seconds faster? 

There is no doubt that I am in much better shape now than I was for that Thanksgiving Day race, but I wonder if I am any faster of a runner now. I have spent the entire winter running indoors, on a treadmill. That is surely not getting my body ready for any type of road race, but I guess the act of running several times a week is probably pretty good conditioning.

I am really hoping that I can get some outdoor runs in over the next few days. Hopefully that will give me a better idea of where I am and if I can get my times any lower.  My new shoes are not here yet, but I am hoping they show up sometime today like they are supposed to. I hear it is supposed to be in the 70s for the rest of the week, so I plan on taking full advantage. I am so ready for spring.

Recent Eats

I worked at the hospital last night, so Mike and I grabbed some dinner before I headed in. We decided to go to Jason's Deli, which every time I go, I wonder why I don't go more often. I love that most of their foods are whole and don't include most of the things that I avoid on a regular basis - HFCS, trans fat, MSG, artificial dyes and colors, etc. They are a little pricey for the amount of food you get, but I am willing to pay a little more for a quality product.

After having a whole paragraph dedicated to my sodium whoas yesterday, I tried to really stick to my 1500 mg limit yesterday. All of the sandwiches on the menu had pretty high sodium levels, and I wasn't in the mood for a salad, so I just went with what I wanted - The Turkey Wrap.

I got steamed veggies on the side and felt pretty good about my choices. Then I remembered one of my favorite parts about Jason's Deli...

Why doesn't every restaurant give you free soft serve with your meal?

Luckily, these cups are a perfect portion of about 1/2 cup, so as long as you stick to only 1 trip, it is fine. It was just what I needed to get me through a few hours of running around the hospital.

Gym Time

Today's gym session was only abs. After getting to bed a little after midnight, I couldn't seem to wake up at 6. I just needed that extra 30 minutes. I had planned on skipping cardio this morning anyway, since I am really hopeful we can squeeze a run in after work, but I at least wanted to get chest done as well. By the time I rolled into the gym, I had only 20 minutes before I needed to get in the shower. I figured I could do chest, legs and arms over the next 3 days, and 20 minutes is really the perfect amount of time for abs.

I did side extensions, leg lifts, front lean and rest on the stability ball, and another stability ball thingy. Basically, I put a stability ball between my ankles while laying flat on my back. I raise my legs to a 90 degree angle and take the stability ball out with my hands, hold the position and then put the ball back to lower back to start. It always seems to leave my abs quivering, so I guess it is a good one. :)

Have a great day!

Yesterday's Stats
Calories (-) 202
Sodium (+) 244
Protein (+) 16

Butternut Squash Fries = FAIL

I like to think that I have a fully stocked kitchen with all of the necessary tools and gadgets that one would need. Compared to my kitchen before I got married, I would say that we have more than what we could ever need. However, each time my mom visits, she adds something to her list of things that she needs to get me for my kitchen. 

I attempted to make this recipe last night for Baked Butternut Squash Fries. With all the turkey and ham I have had over the last week (and all the leftovers I will continue to consume), I was really wanting only veggies last night.

After running a few errands after work, we didn't get home until about 7pm. Mike and I each had a piece of artichoke bread (leftover from Thanksgiving) while I cut up a butternut squash to make my fries. I know that fries should probably not make up an entire meal, but that is all I really wanted. :) 

I pinned the above recipe over 2 months ago to my "Healthy Meal Planning" board, so I was eager to try them out. It took almost an hour to cut up, coat in olive oil, and bake these fries, so when I pulled them out of the oven, only to find they were soggy and nothing of the "fry" variety... I was a little disappointed. I was too hungry to care. I threw the soft, mushy squash in a bowl, and ate my "fries" with a fork. I guess the rack that the recipe calls for is a must. Add it to the list, Mom!

Even though they were not fry-like, the flavor was delish!

Thanksgiving is OVA!
I need to be done with everything that is left over in my fridge and just toss it. As much as I hate to waste food, I have got to keep myself on track throughout the holidays. I haven't been very good over the last week with documenting my meals in my calorie counter app. I started back yesterday and hope to keep it up! Sodium is my serious downfall... I know I can technically have 2,300 mg of sodium per the recommended daily allowance, but I would really like to keep my intake under 1500mg. I guess I have good days and bad days



Yesterday's Stats
Breakfast - Egg White with leftover chopped ham and cheddar cheese, whole wheat toast with butter
Lunch - Leftover turkey breast, leftover mac and cheese and leftover green bean casserole
Dinner - 1 slice of artichoke/cheese bread, butternut squash "fries"
Dessert - M&M Ice Cream 

Calories (-) 45
Sodium (+) 1075
Protein (-) 31