Turning Over a New Leaf...? Maybe.

Happy HUMP day! I am here for a brief while, and then I am off to the gym. I find that I have phases where I work out a lot in the gym, and then other times work out a lot outside. Hey, it works for me so why not. Not sure what the workout will be today, but most likely some running on the treadmill (egh, I know, I know...it's just too damn hot out and I don't feel like pushing 50+ pound stroller either). I'm thinking, since I missed track last night, that I will do a track workout that is TBD. Regardless, I will get in some speedwork, which is always wonderful. Then I'll probably hit some weights, because I've forgotten how much I looooove them. And thennnn I will head out to the pool with the child so he can get some splashing in. Sounds like a rather enjoyable Wednesday evening to me, no?

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The beginnings of my stuffed portabellas

Ooookay. So speaking of turning over leaves, I have been tuning into my diet lately, weeding out bad food, and figuring out what I can literally "stomach" and what I cannot. I've been dabbling in the raw food diet because it not only intrigues me, but I think there's a lot of credibility to the whole idea. I have been definitely eating a lot less red meat, and I feel like it has totally helped my insides settle down. I stick to chicken and fish now, and those in lower amounts as well. According to Dr. Oz (why do I LOVE his show so much?!), only a quarter of your plate should consist of protein, and that is not at every meal. Half of your plate should be fruits/veggies, one quarter protein, and the remaining quarter should be nuts and herbs and whole grains. They actually put a whole bunch of food on a plate to show you what you should be eating, and it looks pretty damn good. Why would people eat anything BUT that?! Also, I have been looking into cancer-fighting foods. If it's possible to actually prevent cancer through the food we eat, it's insane to think that people haven't tackled this before. Apparently, women who eat broccoli or leafy greens twice a week have a 72% less chance of getting breast cancer. Sounds goood, right? It's a fact that Americans are at fault for much of their own sicknesses, obesity, and even cancer. How have we gotten to this - I thought we were a pretty smart nation (HA - that's a subject for another day...) Buying the right foods and thoroughly preparing them for our benefit is the only way to control our health, however, much of society has forgotten that we ARE what we EAT. I'd rather not be a meatball sub...ew.

Do you guys take the time and energy to buy and prepare healthful food? To me, it's FUN to cook and then enjoy it all! Yummmmooooo. What do you make that is exceptionally good and healthy?

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Happiness Journal

Today I am going to read my book and not feel like I should be doing something else.
Today I am going to have a glass of red wine with dinner!
Today I am going to the gym and LOVING it.

Race Report Woes and Healthy Veggies

Oh man - have had a few tough days here with a teething baby and therefore lack of sleep...but I am here, and I am going to give you the rundown on how the 1/2 went on Saturday. I'll make it bearable, but I do have some b****ing to do about the whole thing.

Sooo, here's the deal. The race has been under a new company for a couple years now, and they have struggled to put on a good race. This race wasn't any better. It had rained the night before (which means downpour in New Mexico...it's the only way it rains here) but turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. We started late because there seemed to be some confusion on where the start line was. Once we took off, the people in the front all went the wrong way, due to a total lack of markers. So, once the middle of the pack got to the first turn we were all merging together as the front of the pack had turned around and was basically running into us all. There was a 3 foot wide bridge we had to cross over, and so every one was suddenly walking and then at a total standstill as we funneled through the bridge. So obnoxious. Once we got over the bridge people began to disperse and we got going on a massively muddy, rain puddle laden trail for the next three miles. Talk about caking up your shoes, throwing off your gait, and totally ruining new shoes if you had bought them (thankfully, I was in my old pain-inflicting shoes, HA). We looped back the start where it became pavement and went out for a couple more out and backs to complete the next 10 miles. Now, listen...how many out and backs can you really have in a HALF marathon. Really? Really? It was ridiculous. By the time I had kicked off all the mud, dislodged a humungooo rock from my shoes and gotten back into it, I was exhausted! I slowed down massively for the second half of the race, and could not WAIT to finish the race. I practically wanted to give up at mile 8, boooo :-(

Soo...I finished the race and had some major attitude, and was basically in tears. Couldn't tell you why I was so emotional. I was thinking to myself - why do I even bother with this running thing? It's not like I'm super duper fast?! Agghhh. I wanted to just give up on it all! But alas, I got over it and realized I was being a douche, once I factored in all the "issues" of the race. The race actually got a LOT of negative comments on Active - one of which stated that it was really an unfortunate race for those of us who went to race it - 13 miles is a looong way, and people train really hard and make this their "A" race. It was a big let-down for the serious runners.

So, my numbers, which aren't very specific, are as follows:

I ran the first 6 miles at 8:30 pace and felt pretty good, but that declined due to the shenanigans at the beginning of the race. So much so that I finished in 1:56:57...you can figure out the numbers for the latter half of the race, but I clearly slowed wayyy down! After talking with Mike about it, he claimed that we could deduct 3-4 minutes off our times to get what we possibly could have run it in. That made me feel better :-) On a good note, I DID run faster than in Tucson in December, and totally untrained as well! I guess impromptu races don't always work out that well...hmmm...yeah my fault on jumping in with two feet.

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Moving on here - do any of you struggle to find new and tasty foods to eat? Things can get superbly boring when you eat the same things all the time, and actually, you can miss out on much needed nutrients. Now that summer is creeping up on us I am looking for new veggies to cook up. It's fun to cook and eat new things, plus it broadens your dietary awareness. I checked out things I like, and things I don't frequently eat and created a list for you all to try out. From the list below, I want you all to pick one thing that you don't typically eat, and buy it on your next grocery trip. Do the same thing for the following grocery trip. Which foods are you going to try? I'll tell you what I tried out on my next post.

Artichokes - only have 60 calories per one medium artichoke, and hold 25% of your daily fiber and vitamin C. Plus they are fun to eat. Steam them for 30-45 minutes.

Radishes - contain antioxidants that are cancer fighters, as well as vitamin C. Slice them up in salads, pastas.

Arugula - one cup is 4 calories, and 28% of your daily Vitamin K. Good in salads, mixed with other greens, or in soups.

Beets - High in potassium and magnesium. Goood in just about anything - I just eat them as sides.

Mustard greens - Have beta carotene and phytochemicals (help combat cancer). I would just mix these into salads.

Fennel - It's a crunchy white bulb that is a good alternate to onions. Works as an inflammatory (good for runners, of course) that can relieve cramping and stomach spasms.