We Are In!

This past Monday at 5 p.m. local time, first-come, first-serve registration for the Covered Bridges Half Marathon opened.  Race organizers predicted the race would close in 30 minutes.  It actually closed within 19 minutes!  I'm excited to report that all my friends and I got in!  It was an orchestrated effort and I was glad that no one was left behind.

I need to make this a short post.  Life is crazy right now!  Work is pretty intense.  In a very challenging and interesting way!  My very first court appearance as an attorney will take place on Thursday.  And I had a date last night.  He was very nice, funny and intelligent.  We are going out again on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it.

I'm happy to share that I had a really great 8 mile run yesterday.  I felt strong throughout the entire run and staying in the heart rate zone was rather liberating compared to always being worried about pace.  This morning's 5 mile run was more social, but I continued to feel strong.  A nice running week so far!

Here are some daily totals.
Monday Totals:
Eats: 1975 calories (20% protein, 55% carbs, 25% fat) - 269 g carbs
Run: 4 miles in HR Zone 1
Men: match.com emailing

Tuesday Totals:
Eats 1998 calories (13% protein, 63% carbs, 24% fat) - 299 g carbs
Run: 8 miles in HR Zone 2; 1:41:12
Men: a nice first date

Have a great Wednesday!

Lovely Morning Hike!

Sunday brought continued warmer weather and my friend M and I, along with the most adorable dog on earth, went on a hike at Matthews/Winters Open Space area.  The trail was snow packed with a few sections of ice and mud, and it was refreshing to be outside. 

With Indigo as your hiking companion, how can you not have fun?  She climbed up and down cliffs but always stayed in close eye contact with us.

It was fun to watch her unbridled joy over being outside!  And the views were awesome.

Pre-hike I went to Starbucks.  I brew Starbucks at home and on their bags of coffee, you can get a free tall coffee by turning in the empty bag...and I paired that with a slice of Honey Whole Wheat and 1 T of reduced fat peanut butter. 

My snack (or Lunch #1) was left-over pizza from last night's trip to Sauce...so yummy!

The rest of the day was so boring food wise...well I'm bored with it and that's not a good thing.  For lunch I had a slice of the bread with 1 t. whipped butter and Progresso's reduced sodium Italian Wedding Soup.  Snack was a Clif Bar, chocolate chip.  Dinner was left over brown rice (1 c.), grape tomatoes and the turkey sausage from Costco.  Dinnerr turned out tons better than I thought it would.  I wanted to pair it with pasta, but I didn't dare let the brown rice sit one more day!  Snack was a slice of bread with butter and jam.  Sorry no photos.  I wasn't feeling that the food was all that photogenic.  Honestly, I'm tired of trying to force myself eating things like bread to get in my 300 grams of carbs.  And I still failed at this today, even with all that bread and rice!  SIGH.  Hopefully tomorrow I'll be out of this food rut.

Last night was an awesome food night.  I picked up a pizza from Sauce - sausage and carmelized onion.  I love carmelized onion!  And beer :).

I spent what felt like a great deal of time on match.com this afternoon catching up on emails.  And I still have one more to send.  A few men seem really interesting, so I'm hoping to have a date soon...

Here are my totals from yesterday and today:
Saturday's Totals:
Eats: 2235 calories (16% protein, 61% carbs, 23% fat) 331 g of carbs
Run: 12.63 miles
Men: emailing on match.com

Sunday Totals:
Eats: 1843 calories (18% protein, 55% carbs, 27% fat) 261 g of carbs
Workout: 4 mile hike
Men: emailing on match.com

Here's to an inspiring week of good eats.  My goal for the week is more veggies!  Have a great evening...

Laura

Long Run and Chobani Yogurt

Happy Saturday!  I have some catch up to do...so this is a long one!

LONG RUN
My morning started with my long run with the running group...we were a small group...did the others know it was going to be a little windy?  I had 14 miles on the schedule...but when I came to this part of the course...

...I thought, 12 miles sounds good.  It took me about .3 miles to finally convince myself that turning around before the 14 mile turn around marker would be a.o.k. 

Our run started north of Denver, in Westminster...and the views of the front range were outstanding.

I loved being outside.  The sun was bright and it was warm, compared to our cold weather of this past week. 

All the great views and being outside couldn't help me overcome some back pain and GI issues.  The GI issues could be due to my increased carb intake...I guess I'll keep an eye on it.  The back pain I think is a result of a near face plant in the stairwell of a parking garage on Wednesday afternoon.  My boot caught my pant leg and I went flying forward...and ended up in the plank position as I gripped the handrail.  Just call me grace!  Issues aside, outside and running is the perfect and only way to start the weekend!  Bonus: hanging out with folks from the running group afterwards!

YOGURT
Thanks to Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point ( I adore her blog!), I am the winner of a case of Chobani Greek Yogurt!  And you are probably asking yourself, how does a case of yogurt arrive? 

In a big ol' box, well insulated with packing peanuts and ice packs! 

So this afternoon, I snacked on the peach flavor.  I have to say that it was the best yogurt I've ever had.  And, I am not a raving fan of yogurt.  But this stuff, I highly recommend!  It was creamy, so much so its hard to believe there is no fat in it, and the peach was real bits of peach, not too sweet but a perfect balance to the tanginess of the yogurt.

My other eats for today were pre-run: my coffee and a slice of the Honey Whole Wheat with 1T of reduced fat peanut butter.

During the run, I had 2 gels, a half packet of gel chews and about 12 oz of gatorade.  This all helps greatly with that daily carb goal.  Not to mention fueling my run.  My fuel is pictured in my shot of all the things I brought with me on today's run...guess I've become quite the pack mule!

Post run, for lunch and run recovery, I had a bagel with onion & chive cream cheese and a reduced fat chocolate milk.  Sorry no pictures...

More eats later...I'm craving pizza from Sauce and I just might give into that craving!

YESTERDAY
Sorry I didn't post yesterday...I was busy on match.com.  This can be exhausting as well as exciting if not a bit scary.  Hopefully a few potential future dates, we'll see how it goes.  I've been on match before...and this time around I notice a somewhat unsettling trend...photos of men with no shirt on...and these aren't candids of the guys swimming or hanging at the beach.  These are inside photos...maybe this is what they mean by "truth in adverting"?

Anyhow eats for yesterday were my usual weekday breakfast:  coffee and oatmeal with frozen blueberries.  I kept my snack to just a banana - two reasons - Fridays have become my rest days, so I burn fewer calories and I knew lunch would not be in my total control.  My lunch was at the Denver Petroleum Club, located at the Denver Athletic Club and I resisted the platter of lemon and apple bars.  My lunch consistented of salad, dinner roll with 1/2 T butter, chicken breast with a creamy sauce, and a few roasted potatoes.  Sorry no picture...might make all the lawyers in the room a little nervous.

Dinner was all about carbs...Amy's Pesto Tortellini Bowl with a slice of honey whole wheat and 1 T of butter.  And even with this- still not enough!

I ended the evening with a lot of water and two York peppermint patties...

Daily Totals (Friday):
Eats: 1924 calories (protein 19%, carbs 55%, fat 26%) - 273 g of carbs
Workout: Rest Day
Men: emailng a few match.com guys

Have a great Saturday!

For Real This Time...

Sorry for not posting yesterday.  I used my blogging time to...dust off my Match.com profile and make it active for the world to see.  I know, a few weeks ago I said I was going to do it and I did make my PlentyofFish.com profile active earlier this week.  I think I had to make peace with the last relationship before moving on.  My last relationship was short but oh so sweet.  I miss the ease in which we connected.  But it is time to move on.  This time around, my goal is to send messages to about five men/each week, instead of waiting for the men to message me! 

Right now I'm enjoying the world's best and strongest coffee.  It smells amazing.  I love when my coffee making skills actually come together.  I also think that I have a little time to enjoy it as I have no workouts today.  I used to resent days off from working out, but I enjoy the extra time and try to visualize my muscles rebuilding themselves as thanks for giving them a break.

And I'm also enjoying my usual breakfast - so much better when I remember to add cinnamon to it!

Yesterday's food was pretty basic...my usual breakfast (oatmeal and blueberries), lunch (turkey sandwich, tomatoes & clementines) and snacks (banana, crackers and Clif bar).  I'll only bore you with my dinner details - I had a 1c. brown rice with 4 oz of grilled chicken breast and some soy sauce and of all things, a 1c. of corn. 

I used to love corn, fresh, frozen, canned, you name it.  Of course I usually topped my corn with butter or bought the corn with butter sauce, so the plain ol' frozen corn wasn't anything grand and I might have overcooked it a little...I don't know if it has any good nutritional qualities but it helped me meet my carb goal...and trying to get 300 grams of carbs per day is really hard work, but Thursday I was successful.

Thursday's run was difficult.  I think perhaps I met my limit of being on the treadmill.  It was slow going to keep my heart rate in the right zone and I was constantly battling a side stitch.  I hate side stitches - I'd rather have my IT band flair up than a side stitch.  I was especially happy at the end of this run...because it was done! I'm looking forward to 14 miles with the group tomorrow.

Daily totals for Thursday:
Eats: 1845 calories (21% protein, 64% carbs, 15% fat) 308 grams of carbs
Run: 5.0 miles in 68 minutes
Men: Match.com profile updated and active!

Have a great Friday!

Laura

Ah, the Pomegranate Martini

Late this afternoon my boss returned from a Casper trip and suggested that we should have our holiday gathering at Delite.  I work in a very small law firm and we are a flexible bunch and it sounded like a fabulous idea.  I love Delite and it is just a short walk from our office. 

But how on earth do you count the calories in shared tapas?  Well, first I had one beautiful Pomegrantate Martini - very nice, not too sweet, really just right.

And then the three of us split an order of edamame, a chicken red pepper pesto flatbread pizza and black bean sopes.  All heavenly. 

My eats this morning and afternoon were far more mundane. 

Pre-run coffee with 1/2 c. 1% milk and 1 t. sugar.

And then Nature's Path Oatmeal with a 1/2 c. frozen blueberries.  And I was so less inspired with the frozen blueberries than the fresh blackberries from previous days, that I forgot to take a pic!

Mid-morning snack was a banana and 1 oz of pretzels.

Lunch was Cedar Lane's Chicken Parmesan and some tomatoes.  I was rushed for time this morning with lots of work phone calls and text messages before I left my house.  But this meal had the same amount of carbs as the turkey sandwich, which is a good thing in my book.

My mid-afternoon snack was a Clif bar...this time chocolate almond fudge...yes, it was yummy.

I'm going to eat a little snack this evening, maybe a slice of toast with peanut butter, but I'm going to take a break from figuring out my calorie count and start again tomorrow morning!

Daily Totals:
Eats: 1220 calories (16% Protein, 68% carbs, 16% fat) (217g of carbs) PLUS what I ate this evening :)
Run: 4 miles, 58:01 minutes (yup, that slow - keeping in my Zone 1 Heart Rate - patience, right?)
Men: zero

Have a great evening!

Laura

East Coast Road Trip!

My post is a little early this evening, because two friends are coming over and we are planning a road trip out east this spring to participate in a half marathon.  We are leaning towards the Covered Bridges Half Marathon, a race that is on my list, but it expected to sell out within the first 30 minutes of the opening of registration.  Even so, I'm hoping this is the one we target.

I'm thankful they are coming over to my place.  When I left work early to "beat" the cold, it was 5 degrees at 4:30pm.  This cold weather is really killing my soul.  I miss running outside.  I'm hoping that I only have one more treadmill day, tomorrow, and then I can return to the wonderful outdoors.  Although I'm also trying to prepare myself that Thursday will also be a treadmill day.

Pre-run, I had my coffee with 1/2 c. 1% milk and 1 t. sugar.  Plus two fig newtons.  I had 6 miles on the schedule and this is a long enough run to make a little fuel pre-run important. 

Breakfast included my last package of fresh blackberries with Nature's Path Oatmeal.

My mid-morning snack was a banana.  No picture.  My lunch was a turkey sandwich with 3 oz low sodium turkey, 1.5 T of miracle whip and honey whole wheat bread  and two clementines.

And some grape tomatoes with balsamic vinegar.

Afternoon snack was a Clif Bar - white chocolate macadamia nut.  Yum.

Dinner was 1c. brown rice, 3/4 c. mashed sweet potatoes with 1/2 t. whipped butter and 1/2 t. brown sugar and 3.25 oz of chicken breast.  And a little reduced sodium soy sauce.

And I'm hoping I can stick to what I have planned for my evening snack.  One beer.  But I do have some room to have a few more calories as I'm projected to burn 2460 calories.

Daily Totals:
Eats: 1881 calories (67% carbs, 19% protein, 14% fat) - 309 grams of carbs!
Run: 6.0 miles, in my target Heart Zone rate which = 13.05 min/mile pace (oh so slow)
Men: zero

Have a good night!

Laura

Big Bird to the Rescue

I love Big Bird.  He was always so kind and wise.  I'm sure he still is, I just don't watch Sesame Street anymore.  Anyhow, my very own Big Bird bailed me out of the prison otherwise known as the ellipitcal trainer.

My Big Bird was not yellow and he really wasn't all that tall.  He was a 75 year old man walking strong on one of the two treadmills in my building's basement gym, at the highest incline.  He had skinny bird legs and a round body.  And he was wise and kind.  When I related to him my previous inability to make either of the treadmills work, he showed me the tricks.  And so yesterday morning and this morning, I did not have to venture out into the single digit weather to get my run on.  Thank you Big Bird!

Sorry no pictures from my day yesterday.  I promise this evening to share some pics of today's eats.  Yesterday, I had a 296 g carb day!  I started with my usual coffee with 1/2 c. 1% milk and 1 t. sugar, and Nature's Path Oatmeal with 5.6 oz of blackberries.  My mid-morning snack was a banana and 1/2 oz of pretzels.  Lunch was a turkey sandwich with 2 slices of the Honey Whole Wheat bread, 1.5 T of Miracle Whip light and 3 oz of low-sodium turkey breast with two clementines and some grape tomatoes.  Afternoon snack was 1/2 oz of pretzels and a Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar and then I went out with friends and had two 16 oz Guinness beers (yikes) and some sweet potato fries and some thai chicken nuggets.  So yesterday's total included some guess work...

Daily Totals - From Monday
Eats: 2076 calories (63% carbs (296 g carbs), 19% protein, and 18% fat)
Run: 4.0 miles on the treadmill
Men: The man I contacted email got back to me and he's currently dating someone, good for him!  I made my profile on Plenty of Fish active and I'll try to do the same on Match sometime this week.  I know, I said I was going to do that a while ago...I guess I wasn't ready yet...

Have a great Tuesday!  More later this evening.

Laura

275!

Well, I didn't make it to 300 grams of carbs, but I came close - and I could have if I had it in me to eat 1900 calories today.  But it being a rest day, I know I'll be lucky to burn 1600 calories today, so no need to push myself to eat 1900 calories, especially if I'm not hungry.

Lunch was a repeat of Thursday's dinner - 2 oz (dry) of Orzo, 1 t. olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and a smoked mozzarella & artichoke & garlic chicken sausage.  This time I had some small grape tomatoes and they seemed really sweet.  This is definitely a keeper meal!

My mid afternoon snack was a slice of the cinnamon pecan bread.  No photo, sorry.

Dinner was weird.  Only because I was trying to hit the 300 g of carbs goal.  I had some of the Foster Farms Turkey Meatballs and 1 c. brown rice.  The star of the meal was 3/4 c. of sweet potatoes with 1/2 t. whipped butter and 1/2 t. brown sugar.  The sweet potato has to be the perfect food...

My evening snack was the same as my mid-morning snack.  1 slice of the Honey Whole Wheat bread with 1 t. whipped butter and 1 t. raspberry jam.  No photo of this repeat, sorry.

Since my healthy eating journey began, I never stayed away from carbs but it wasn't really my focus.  I think this will be a big adjustment and I'll have to find the right combination of getting carbs through fruits, veggies, breads and pastas.  A girl can't live on bread alone.  Because that would require too much butter!

Daily totals:
Eats: 1757 calories (60% carbs - 275 g, 17% protein, 23% fat)
Workout: rest day, I did stretch...and my legs appreciated the stretch and foam rolling.
Men: This evening, I reached out to someone I met on a dating website.  Let's see what happens...

Have a great night!

Laura

Goals Revisited

On Friday, I went to the University of Colorado's Sport Medicine Exercise Physiology and Human Performance Lab for some testing.  I have been thinking about this for a long time and after attending Wednesday's lecture, I decided now was the time.  I've been making little progress in improving my speed over the past six months, and was needing to find out more as to what may account for this.  The testing included a treadmill test, where you wear a mask and the speed is increased in 5 minute increments until you can't take it anymore.  At the end of each 5 minute segment, a blood sample is taken from the end of your middle finger.  The director of the Lab is the very knowledgeable and kind Dr. Inigo San Millan. 

First, I found out that my body fat percentage was 17.5%.  I was pretty excited about this.  Looking in the mirror, I most often see the person I was, not the person I am today.  Cold hard facts help me understand that I'm not that obese person anymore.  Dr. Inigo says an "ideal" percentage would be around 9% but that more realistic for me (age and gender) would be 12 to 12.5%.  And for this, I should be able to attain this if I meet my goal weight of 130 pounds.

I also learned that it is important I focus on my carb intake.  Dr. Inigo thought it was possible that I might be glycogen depleted.  So I need to concentrate on taking in 300 grams of carbohydrates each day.  The other thing I learned is that my lactate metabolism is pathetic.  At 4 mph, my lactate metabolism is a 1.8.  In elite athletes, they hit 1.8 at 12.5 mph.  No typos in that previous sentence.  So how to fix that?  Heart rate zone training.  He also suggested that I get my hemoglobin checked to make sure I don't have an iron defiency, so I've emailed my doctor to see if he'll order that.

300 grams of carbs every day = 1200 calories - in just carbs.  So I've decided to slow my weight loss goals down from 1 pound/week to 1/2 pound/week.  This will give me a few more calories each day so that I can meet this carb goal.  My new daily calorie intake will be 1900 calories, with a day built in to "go crazy" - as Dr. Inigo said.  This "go crazy" day might be hard for me to do, but we'll see how that goes. 

Dr. Inigo talked a lot about eating bread...so yesterday, I made my way to Great Harvest and picked up a loaf of Honey Whole Wheat and a loaf of Cinnamon Pecan Swirl.  I had a coupon from the Canyonlands Half Marathon for a free loaf of the Honey Whole Wheat, so it wasn't such a big splurge.  If I'm going to eat more bread, I want to make sure its some good bread! 

My eats from this morning included coffee with 1/2 c. 1% milk and 1 t. sugar...

And then I had a little oatmeal with my black berries!  My Nature Path's Maple Nut Oatmeal with 5.6 oz of fresh blackberries (the entire package)...I know what you're thinking...fresh blackberries in December?  Well, they started showing up in sale circulars last week and this week all the stores had them...and I couldn't resist.  While slightly more tart than the summer crops, they were still really yummy!

and a slice of the Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat bread with 1 t. whipped butter and 1 t. red raspberry jam.

More eats later today!

Laura

Catch Up!

Oh, I'm a bad blogger.  Sorry for the disappearing act so soon in my blogging career.  Work got a little crazy and I've been fighting some fatigue.  I'll provide an overview of the past few days eats and totals...

First, some picture highlights:

Thursday's dinner was 2 oz orzo (dry), 1 t. olive oil, tomatoes, garlic and one of the smoked mozarella with artichoke & garlic chicken sausage - it was really good!  In fact, I might make this for lunch today...

On Saturday's long run, in addition to my Carb Boom, I brought a chopped up Clif Bar - white chocolate macademia nut.  I'm trying new things on long runs and I enjoyed nibbling on the Clif Bar - except for it being a bit hard due to the chilly cold temps.  I think this is my new favorite Clif bar flavor...

Saturday's eat's also included...a slice of cinnamon pecan swirl bread from the great bakers at Great Harvest.

...and 1 oz of Guiltless Gourmet blue corn chips with 1/4 c. guacamole and a Breckenridge Brewery Vanilla Porter (which is my favorite beer right now)...

Here are the past few days by the numbers...

Wednesday:
Eats: 1770 calories (64% carbs, 12% protein, 24% fat)
Run: 3.22 miles
Men: zero
Highlight: Attended the physiology lecture and decided to go for some physiology testing.

Thursday:
Eats: 1623 calories (58% carbs, 18% protein, 24% fat)
Workout: 57 minutes on ellipitical trainer
Men: zero
Highlight: or shall we call it a low light?  So much for HTFU - I bailed on M and decided to workout in my building's gym - karma baby - both treadmills were not working, so that left the ellipitical trainer.  I hate the ellipitical and while my heart rate was elevated, still not the great workout that running is...

Friday:
Eats: 1642 calories (61% carbs, 17% protein, 22% fat)
Workout: physiological testing (50 minutes on treadmill at varying speeds)
Men: Zero
Highlights: Half day at work and then off to the University of Colorado Sports Medicine Department for physiology testing.  Great experience, see separate blog about this!

Saturday:
Eats: 2085 calories (53% carbs, 17% protein, 30% fat)
Run: 16.0 miles
Men: Zero
Highlights: 16 miles done.  Longest distance since the marathon.  Wonderful company on the beautiful Highline Canal. 

Have a great Sunday!

Laura

Toughen Up Buttercup!

When I provided my first Half Marathon race report to my brother Kevin, where I related how at Mile 11 I wanted to sit on the side of the road and cry, he told me to "suck it up Buttercup."  Since then I try not to be such a "buttercup."  And Coach has even coined the expression...HTFU Buttercup.  So this morning, I woke up to 17 degrees and snow.  Still falling.  And I had a choice.  Treadmill or cold.  And I'm quite proud to say, I chose cold.  I know, some of you are thinking that 17 degrees isn't all that cold.  I beg to differ. 

I put on some long underwear, got the hand warmers heated up, and put duct tape on my trail shoes and I was off.  How bad can a 3 mile run be in the snowy cold?  It was a lot of fun.  My pace was turtle like but I wanted to be sure to not fall...and for the most part, the footing was great, especially where folks hadn't shoveled yet.  I'm happy I didn't opt for the treadmill.  Most likely I'll be on that thing tomorrow morning - highs are expected to be in the single digits.  Or maybe I'll HTFU...

Did any of you watch the Biggest Loser last night?  I love the show for its inspirational qualities.  Certainly, it is not realistic for most folks to remove yourself from society and lose 10+ pounds each week for weeks on end.  But if it inspires people to eat better and move more, I'm all for it.  Last night, they had the final four run a marathon.  And they gave them two months to "prepare."  The blogosphere is all a-buzz over this.  Some folks are mad that the portrayal of proper marathon training was lacking.  I don't disagree, the training aspect of the marathon wasn't shown and I'm not even sure they had a proper training schedule.  I think I heard one contestant say that he had never run longer than 13 miles than on the day of the marathon!  However, we shouldn't forget that these folks are conditioned more than probably most - they've been working out for three months, 6-8 hours/day.  That's a nice base to have, even if you started from ground zero.  I appreciate that they didn't make the actual running of the marathon look or sound easy.  They showed the doubt that can creep in and some of the pain that folks can experience, especially folks who haven't trained properly for a marathon.  I hope the finalists did not suffer any permanent injuries as a result of the marathon.  Can you imagine running a marathon without any crowd support?  With a police car looming behind you?  And where was the medal?  I still like the show.  I would like it even more if it would adequately discuss what "proper" marathon training is all about. 

OK, some eats.  Pre-run, I had my coffee with 1/2 c. 1% milk and 1 t. sugar.  And I forgot to snap a picture because I was trying to convince myself that the snow and cold would not hurt me.

Post-run, I had my usual breakfast.  Nature's Path Maple Nut Oatmeal, sprinkle of cinnamon and 1/2 c. frozen blueberries. 

Tonight, I'm going to a lecture titled The Scientific Preparation and Monitorization of Runners.  Sounds awesome, right?  The discussion will be around lactate testing, fat metabolism and overtraining.  I'm pretty excited about it!  If I miss my evening post, it will be because this ran late...

Have a great Wednesday!

No, You Can't Eat Whatever You Want

They say that you shouldn't try to lose weight while training for a marathon.  Instead, you should focus on fueling your body.  They also say the less you weigh, the faster you run.    And then there is the perception that if you run, you can eat whatever you wish.  Oh how I wish that were true. 

What's a girl to do?  Well, I'm still trying to lose weight.  But as I approach this, I'm going to try hard to pick foods that are of good quality, that actually provide healthy fuel for my body.  I also know that on Tuesdays and Saturdays, I may need to eat more to accomplish my goals.  Tuesdays are usually my longest weekday run and Saturdays are my long runs. 

But more cannot equal reckless eating.  I wish giving myself permission to eat more was easy.  I felt like a big ol' failure in the food department, until I ran my totals.  Today, I'll burn around 2450 calories.  I'll share you with in a later post how I know this.  So today's total of 1943 calories keeps me on track to have a 500 calorie deficit - which is enough to lose one pound per week if I achieve this total deficit each day.  All of this tells me that while I remain viligent, maybe I need to remember to breathe and chill.

My am snack was a banana and a KIND Plus Almond & Cashew Bar.  I LOVE this bar.  It has flaxseed in it and no sodium.  A real easy way to get a healthy portion of nuts. 

Lunch included my turkey sandwich (nine grain bread, 3 oz of low-sodium turkey breast, and 1.5T of miracle whip) and an apple.

Plus some tomatoes with a low fat string cheese stick cut up with some balsamic vinegar on top.

And if that wasn't enough, I had 1 oz of Pirate's Booty.  Whew, you think I'd be full...

Part of my afternoon snack was a caramel by Fran's Chocolates.  This box of caramels was brought into our office by our law clerk (contraband for sure!) and these are amazing.  I had the dark chocolate with gray sea salt.  The best 50 calories ever!

The rest of my snack was a chocolate chip Clif Z bar.

Dinner was a repeat of last night's nacho fix.  It included 1.5 oz of Guiltless Gourmet Blue Corn Chips, 3.75 oz of grilled chicken breast, 2 T. salsa, 2 T. reduced fat sour cream and 1/4 c. of guacamole.  Hit the spot again!  I guess I was in a keep my food separate kinda mood.

And I ended the evening with a cup of Constant Comment tea, with 1 t. sugar and a touch of milk.  The milk is not included in my daily total, but I think that's OK.  I wish you could smell this tea.  It is intoxicating.  It is described as "tea flavored with rind of oranges and sweet spice." 

I should sign off so I can be sure to stretch.  I'm always a stretching slacker and my IT band is starting to talk to me.  Have a good evening!

Daily totals:
Calories: 1943 calories (20% protein, 54% carbs, 26% fat)
Run: 7.05 miles
Men: zero

Laura

A Perfect Seven

I was so happy to be able to get myself to bed by 9:40pm last night.  I knew I had to get some good zzzs in anticipation of my 7 mile run this morning.  The training schedule is kicking it up a little notch and I wanted to be prepared.

Pre-run I had my usual coffee with 1 t. sugar and 1/2 c. 1% milk.  But I also snacked on two fig newtons.  Runs of more than six miles usually require a little fuel before hand.  And fig newtons usually doesn't upset my stomach.  Did I mention the fig newtons were stale?  I guess I need to replace my stash!

I was out the door and went to Wash Park.  I was doing 2 of my 7 solo, and then meeting up with M & I for the final 5.  I is the cutest dog ever and even though she is full-on puppy, she is so good during our runs.  M is a great friend from the running group, and she always has some fun stories to share.  The first two miles were peaceful.  The full moon was peaking from the clouds, but you could still see some stars.  It was quiet and I liked the solo time to get my body warmed up at my own pace.  Especially because M is a faster runner than I.  Those stale fig newtons were not sitting well.  But I met up with M and put that out of my mind.  The last 5 miles went super quick.  What made this a perfect 7?  I wasn't fast at all.  This usually spells "perfect" run for me.  What made it perfect was the balance between reflective alone time and enjoyable social time.  And the fact it was warm out, and Wash Park wasn't over crowded all added to the perfect seven.

Post-run, I ate my rockstar breakfast of Nature's Path Maple Nut Oatmeal, 1/2 c. frozen blueberries and some cinnamon.  So yummy.

Now the challenge is to not eat mindlessly because I did 7 miles this morning!!  More eats later this evening!

Laura