Magna Challenge Update

Goal: Go to the meetings, becuase if I'm not there, people have to run stairs.
Progress - So far, I've made them all.  I do have a trip planned later that involves plane tickets and missing three days.  I haven't told anyone yet.  Meetings are sort of hard to get to because it involves a spectacular drive in rush hour traffic culminating in downtown rush hour traffic.  Nice.
Also, my attendance at these meetings has, ironically, made it harder to work out because it's killed my chance to go to Long Circuit and Pilates on Mondays and Circuit and Zumba on Thursdays.  Even if we do a workout at these things, it's less than I would've had at the gym.

Any changes - no changes at this time.  Apparently they're adding a workout to the Monday meetings, but that shouldn't change my projected attendance.  I've started going to Saturday morning Zumba.  It's fun.  I notice a lot more white women and way fewer men at this class compared to the extravaganza that is Thursday night.


Goal: Run 1 Mile per day, at least
Progress - this goal really started last Sunday, after marathon recovery was complete.
Sunday - 4 miles, sort of easy.
Monday - 1 mile and then one of the homework workouts
Tuesday - 4 miles with Running Beth the Cat Burglar (renamed because she refuses to wear reflective gear in the dark)
Wednesday - Water running (which I don't think I can count just because I can't measure it), 3.1 mile course with Team:Work; I covered more distance than that because I was running back and forth between groups of different paces.  And I killed the downhill.
Thursday - 1 mile run, after the Magna workout, which I think probably also included a one-mile run but I didn't have a timer with me to know for sure, so I ran again when I got home to be safe.

This was an after dark run so I wore my reflective gear.

Friday -  5.5 miles on the elliptical, .5 miles cool down.  It was Friday morning, in the rain, that I decided elliptical distance will count for my streak.  There is a place that counts running streaks and I'm not sure how they feel about the elliptical.
Saturday - 1 mile on the track, Magna workout and then Zumba.  For the Magna workout, I did straight 48 reps of everything except the wide pushups.  I did 16 before the first exercise, 16 after the first exercise, and then 16 where they appear in the line-up.  I am not what's known as "a push up girl".  Oy.

Any changes - I like this goal.  I keeps me honest but also feels possible to accomplish.  I also like that it has an end date, which is the end of this challenge.  If I want to keep it up after that, I can keep going.  October 14th is the cake day for this thing.

Goal: Do whatever workouts are assigned 
Progress - So far, I've done the workouts somewhat grudgingly (if I'm being honest here) because I feel like they're so much less challenging than the Circuit Classes I'm missing.  Yes, I'm keeping a healthy attitude here.  In addition to the one above, here's what a couple of the others have looked like.  Usually my "3-5 minute warm up" is whatever run I'm doing that day, even if it's just a one-miler.  I usually don't take rests unless I know I need them.

Any changes - clearly my attitude about these things could improve.  I'm just frustrated because I walked in and was all "I want to run a 10K in less than an hour" for my 'health goal' or reason why I joined.  And I've gotten no help with that goal and get workouts easier than what I was doing when I took circuit at the gym, which I have to miss for these meetings.  Yeah.  Attitude change.


Goal: Follow the assigned diet (thank goodness the cleanse is done)
Progress - week negative 1 was pre-marathon week, also when the cleanse was introducded.  I was having a panic attack as she was sitting there talking about it because I was all "who the hell tells a distance runner not to eat carbs the week of a marathon?"  I sort of did the cleanse, but decided I could do it about 80% of the time and be happy with the results. 

The long term meal plan is pretty similar except some lean proteins are allowed  (chicken, some fish, eggs) and whole grains like oats (which I eat every day), brown rice and whole wheat pasta.  I have whole wheat pasta mixed in with white and I'm not emotionally prepared to change that. 
Today I made Roasted Brusel Sprouts after buying like 5lbs of them for $5 at the farmer's market; Collard Greens where two bunches turn into three servings; and Roast Sweet Potato.  Other adventures in my recent past include Roast Carrots; Oven Roasted Green Beans which always take five times as long as any recipe says to roast; and Lentil Burgers which are my personal favorite.


Things I've noticed so far

• I eat way more smoothies, particularly the peanut butter, banana, almond milk one.  I have yet to try protein powder.  Did I mention the peanut butter?  I use chia seeds too.
• I feel like I am always cooking and I have no tupperware.  All that food I made today is still in my freezer
• I've switched from eating bread with my eggs to eating potatoes with my eggs.  Here's the nutritional breakdown of the two - pretty similar in calories.  Potatoes win for having less sodium and more vitamin C.  Potatoes on the right.

• Sometimes I am so hungry and feel like I have no energy.
• Chocolate is not the devil.  I like dark chocolate which typically has less sugar and less fat.
• Some genius wanted me to stop drinking Diet Pepsi.  Or not.  I haven't kicked the habit but I have dramtically increased the number of days that I have coffee instead of a soda with breakfast.  In my profession that is called Harm Reduction.
• I was looking at all the food I've made so far and I'm all "I need to make some soups and chili" and then I'm all "I need some tupperware first".  Good soups would include vegetarian chili with whole wheat pasta (because that's how we role in Cincinnati), reg lentil tomato soup and wild rice chicken soup (although perhaps I'll leave out the cream and bacon this time).

Any changes - lord only knows.  So far I'm drinking way more nut milks and temporarily abandoned yogurt.  I guess I should just buy stock in tupperware and be done with it. 

 


Goal: Lose weight  This was not really my goal but a goal associated with winning the challenge.  I still don't understand. 
Progress - I tried Lose It a few days but I struggle getting all of my recipes in there or for recipes I've made before keeping myself honest about what portions I was using last time.  I haven't used Lose It in a couple of days, but we'll see if I go back to it.
I seem to be, um, pooping so much more than I used to so maybe this vegetable diet is going to do all the work for me.  Ugh. 
Any changes - I have no idea.  We'll see.