Monday, July 5, 2010

Grade: D+

Yikes! I apologize for my lack of posts - but you know, holiday weekend and all... And speaking of the holiday weekend, I am ashamed to admit that I cannot claim good behavior as far as my blog motives are concerned, hence the D+ rating. No, I did not go running (either day) and I did not hold back on the sweets. I did however, stick to my new vegetarian ways and tried to ingest as much fruit and salad as I could in between cookies, brownies, and eeeeeek! even a beer or two. I also played in a fierce badminton competition; Me and Hubby against Mom and Stepdad - warning to all prospective victims: Mom is terrifyingly good at badminton, and not necessarily nice about it. :-)

But today is a new day, and I am back up to a B+ or A average with a nice long hike in my Vibrams (accompanied by the hubster and the chubster - who was carried in her Baby Bjorn by yours truly!), and a fairly healthy intake of whole grain toast, berries, organic peanut butter sandwich, and another famous fruit smoothie: Contents included bananas, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, rasberries, and a splash of vanilla almond milk - please hold while I wipe the drool on my chin. :-)

Lobster and salad tonight! And hopefully a nice, long run tomorrow....I'll of course keep you posted :-)

Until then...VIVA BENE!

Friday, July 2, 2010

J'ai Ho!

THANK GOODNESS for Slumdog Millionaire and it's awesome soundtrack! I was about two miles into my run when my relentless brain kept chanting "You're so thirsty! You need water! Stop and re-group! You're so thirsty!...". I almost gave in and surrendered to the weakness ringing in my ears, but then the song "J'ai Ho" came on and saved my run! There's something about that beat and the energy that makes walking inexcusable while listening...So, I made it home on running legs only! And this is the farthest I've ever run on my Vibrams - only 3.5 or 4 miles, but still, whooooooooooooptie!

As for food? It's only 3:30 in the afternoon and I've already maxed out my whole-grain allowance for the day with a piece of organic whole grain toast for breakfast, a Kashi granola bar for snack, and a tuna sandwich on whole wheat foccacia for lunch. I did also have a carrot at some point, but I think I owe this tired body a nice big salad for dinner. Hold the heavy dressings, cheeses, or any breaded/fried toppings please, just give me the good stuff!

Until next time, VIVA BENE...and J'ai Ho!!!! (I'm still not sure what that means, but it must be something great!)

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Day: Anonymous

"What? Day: Anonymous?" you may be asking...

Well, after much consideration and loss of sleep over the matter (well, not really), I've decided not to assign days to my posts. Why? I've come to realize that my life hands me daily delays, detours, and unexpected blessings. Sometimes these little interruptions prohibit me from completing my daily run or my daily post. So instead of placing such heavy value on the "day" quantity, I will instead place more value on progress and accomplishments according to whichever variety they tend to happen. Now, don't get me wrong - this is not my ploy to become lazy and inconsistent in my efforts. No, I plan to practice everything I mentioned in my introductory post and do so more and more each day...I just need to approach my writing, ahem, blogging, in a more comfortable, sincere fashion. Okie dokie? Yep, I just blogged "okie dokie"...

As for today's achievements??? Another 3-mile run in the FiveFingers - whoop!whoop! However, today was a bit rougher and a bit more forced. I'm still trying to figure out my optimal time during the day for effective running. Will keep you posted once I figure it out...

On the menu:

Breakfast - Organic whole grain mini bagel with cream cheese (oops!)
Lunch - Banana, kiwi, apple smoothie made with almond milk
Dinner - Possibly appetizers at my most favorite Vail restaurant, Kelly Liken. Don't worry! I'll make health-informed choices while dining out and vow to uphold my vegetarian promise. Kelly makes it easy to eat well at her restaurant, for she prides her menu on locally/regionally produced food (often organic)....so, there!

Oh, P.S. Please notice to the left side of my blog I have posted a new link to "Food Matters". Find a good time to visit the site...very interesting stuff!!!

Until tomorrow (or whenever it is that I post again), VIVA BENE!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Day 5, ahem..I mean 6

THREE WHOLE MILES in my Vibram FiveFingers today!!!! As I mentioned on my Facebook status, it may be a microscopic step for mankind (if that), but it was a huuuuuuuuuuge leap for me! I could literally feel that pregnancy weight eating my dust..what? Anyway, it felt great. I think I broke that threshold of discomfort and explored only the beginning of my possibilities as far as running is concerned! I hope to reach the same mark tomorrow, if not a mark farther down the road.

To celebrate, I think I will enjoy some fresh cherries, grapes, and raw almonds. A mouth-watering fruit smoothie is on the menu for lunch, and perhaps a ginormous mixed greed salad for dinner! Sophia will join in the fun and endulge in some mushed avocado later this evening...I know, you can barely contain your excitement. ;-) Until tomorrow, VIVA BENE!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Day 3/4 Weakness Exemplified

Ugh! I'm so sorry to be a no good piece of solid disappointment, but I must confess that Day 3 consisted of a too-far delayed attempt at a run resulting in horrible timing and a shaky start and run-cancellation due to lightning....boo. Now, I know I seem like the Excuse Queen (already!), but I truly did want to go running, and I was totally psyched about it, but mother nature and my common sense decided together that a run wasn't in the cards. So, I instead prided myself on my still-successful vegetarian diet and only faltered a little at the end of the day to have a homemade mexican tortilla and part of a dark chocolate Toblerone bar - yikes!

Today (Day 4) was a bit better, but it was crowded by many side activities and a 6am wake-up by a little Miss Someone...

Dietary Journal in the abridged version: granola, fresh fruit smoothie, almonds, caprese sandwich on whole grain.
Running Log: Quick little family jog down the street...not even 2 miles - A DISGRACE, I KNOW!!!!

Exhausted.

Day 5 will be a better day, I'm sure of it!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Day 2: Shots and Snuggles

Okay, okay...it's not what you think. I have not consumed a shot since my bachelorette party two years ago. However, Miss Sophia was subjected to her 4-month vaccinations yesterday. She was a total trooper and cried for only about 10 seconds, but the shots did cause her to feel a bit "ugh" the rest of the day. I, therefore, had to sacrifice my run to comfort her. No problem, since "Sophia snuggles" are the best thing in the world, but I was sad to skip a day so early on in my training. Sigh - oh well, that's motherhood for you!

As far as my dietary journal is concerned, I won't bore you with over-the-top detail, but I will give you the highlights:

Mediterranean Chicken Platter (HOLD the chicken!)...My father wittingly commented, "That's like ordering the 'filet mignon' hold the 'filet'" - Maybe so, but without the chicken the platter is still a hearty combination of hummus, avocado, cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, and feta cheese......Mmmmmmm!

For dinner: A delectable "fruit and cheese fantasia" platter inspired by the oh-so-delicious "Pita Jungle".

Running today...I promise! Will report tomorrow :-)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Day 1: Granola, Vibrams, and the Rocky Mountains

Dietary Journal for the Day:

Breakfast = Non-existent due to a mad rush out the door for Sophia's 4-month wellness exam....she passed with flying colors, my little lump of perfect love!

Brunch = A bowl of wonderfully delicious Bear Naked granola (perhaps the best granola on the market - all natural and surprising low in calories. My favorite flavor is the flax-enhanced one with dried blueberries...YUM!) with some almond milk. Yes, almond milk; not to replace the protein value achieved in regular cow's milk, but to avoid excessive dairy intake - and again, low in calories!

Snacks = Fresh plum, and half an avocado with a small scoop of organic red pepper dressing!

Late Lunch = Cheddar cheese on organic whole wheat bread and a banana

And finally, Dinner: Homemade caprese salad, again with whole wheat bread and a slice of watermelon for dessert!

Da-da-da-dummm!!!! An entire day without sweets, meat, or junk - only the rest of the days of my life to go....

Running Log:

As expected, my first Vibram run was terribly weak in comparison to the 5-mile mountain runs I used to do in running shoes before I got pregnant. Now granted, running with Vibrams, while in the long-term will benefit the body, in the short-term, causes the body to re-train itself to place one foot in front of the other in a swift motion. Ahem, I am also going to take the easy way out and blame part of my struggle on the last 15 pounds of pregnancy weight I currently carry in my midsection.

All excuses aside however, a run is a run, even if it is a sorry 1.5-2 mile, gasping-for-breath, crawl through the neighborhood. At least the first one is out of the way. If I can convince my terribly sore, Vibram-conditioned muscles to crawl out of bed tomorrow, I will hopefully accomplish another jaunt - hopefully one of greater achievement, but I know, I know - "take it slow, one step at a time." Until then...