2017 Run Down

Streak:
Running streak remains intact.  I celebrated with Mom, Dad, and friends of the family.  5K for 5 years.

Races:
Flying Pig 3 Way Challenge: Beat my A goal for time.  Also the first year I wasn't so sore I wanted to die after the race.  That made a nice change.
Loony Challenge: Beat my A goal for time.  I guess next year I need a more aggressive goal?
Feet in the Street 5K: I think this was my favorite race of the year.  I was certainly in the best fitness of the year.  It was an emotional day because of the streak anniversary.  And it was a great running performance.

Workouts:
In addition to running, I tried to lift 3 times/week.  Sundays is single arm/single leg days.  Tuesday and Thursday are following the 5X5 plan (so just one A day and one B day/week).  I threw some other stuff in there from time to time with plyos and other exercises.  Weight lifting has been the most consistent. 

Surprises:
I'm surprised by the real lack of Zumba most months.  Every time I go I think "this is such a great workout for my hips".  But timing wise it's not always convenient. 

3 Good Things 8

1. That Minnesota seasons poster I just got, happy they have June as Pride month
2. Agents of SHIELD is back on for what I think is their final season (but it's back on)
3. A sweet visit to end the work week!

3 Good Things 7

1. I slept in.  Sorry.
2. Running steak is alive and well.  That was a nice run actually, even though it was only a mile.
3. It was a pretty day to be doing so much driving.

Bonus: I find myself thinking of more and more things as I go through this.  My other one was 'that bathroom at Walgreens was a nice stop'

3 Good Things 6

1. I felt awesome on my run.  Amazing.
2. Wound up being able to come home in the middle of my day for that part of my lunch that I forgot to pack.  That was unexpected. 
3. The Qat Lady bought me dinner.  She and my Pooky Bear are just the best!

3 Good Things 5

1. Nice walk with the Dungeon Master during the day
2. Did I tell you how the high was 57* today?  After Thanksgiving?
3. Janice on The Voice killing it with an awesome rendition of Collective Soul's Shine.

Also, my dishes are done.

This was hard because it was a quiet day and I kept thinking, 'not enough good things happened to write about today' but when I started it was easy.

3 Good Things 4

1. That parking spot outside the gym
2. Mushrooms and veggies for lunch.  Mmm.
3. That hotel's 5am breakfast.  The six sausages I had kept me going most of the day.

3 good things 3

1. A few minutes talking to Kris before leaving.
2. Hanging out with Mom and Dad. And Dad actually shopping at Costco.
3. Even though traffic was horrendous, seeing downtown Chicago

3 good things 2

1. That fast run today.
2. Free headband from Kris. Thanks to whomever left it at the pool house
3. Playing tennis with Dad.

3 good things 1

1.  Running in the morning in a beautiful and safe space
2. Hanging out with Mom and Dad and my awesome family
3. Pushing Lu in the stroller on the evening walk

Christmas Eve Supper - remember for next year

Christmas Eve Supper was a super hit this year.  So much so that I feel a lot of pressure to recreate the drama next year.  So I'm writing this mostly for myself. 

Appetizers:

• Olives for Uncle Spaghetti.  Mom picks these out.  This year they came from Jungle Jims which was even better.   
• Manchego Cheese.  Dad needed the instruction to get this kind of cheese.  All that we put out was gone.
• Goat cheese, pears, crackers, nuts just all around the room in different places. For next year, Dad needs more instruction on the Crackers.  I should tell him to get Sea Salt Nut Thins.  He got all these flavored things that didn't go well with the cheeses or pears.
• Plated crackers+goat cheese+sliced pears.  Those were all gone too.  Apparently Mom didn't even get to have any.

Main Dish

• Kale Salad.  Mom insisted and made the salad.  Apparently it comes from a book called 'The Omni Diet' and they are okay with meat.
• This Flank Steak.  Chef Cousin says I shouldn't have washed the meat. I should've added the salt to the rub and let it sit longer.  Dad got two steaks.  We did one 4 mins/side, and one 6mins/side. For next year I need to remember to line the broiler pan and rack in foil.  Because, wow, dishes.
• Sweet potato 'fries' cooked in Ghee.
• Roasted Garlic Puree for either the toast or the potatoes.  (Or the chicken Mom and Aunt Barb ate.)
• Store bought Garlic Aoili also for the potatoes or the chicken for Mom and Aunt Barb
• Homemade Cinammon, sugar, and ghee for the potatoes.  That stuff is legit and I've been spreading it on left over bread all day. 

Dessert 

• Apple cobbler Dad cooked (also from Omni Diet I think?)
• Graters Ice Cream.  I just had the ice cream.  Sorry. 

Always in my fridge

Someone asked what's always in your fridge?

Coconut milk: since I no longer do the cream in my coffee, this is a staple

Eggs: I eat eggs like it is my job.  I can never have enough.

Bacon: No egg is complete without bacon.

Butter: because duh

Drunken Goat Cheese: this is a thing I get at my co-op, and about the only kind of cheese I eat regularly.  I slice and enjoy.

Baked, sliced potatoes: (these live in my freezer) ready to be thawed and fried in bacon grease

Berries: (also living in my freezer) ready for chia seed pudding breakfasts

Lunches for the work week: I have Monday off so that is 'cooking' day.  Every lunch has to have a protein (usually shredded chicken, shredded pork, or flank steak), a fat (usually avocado with the meat), a veggie (bell peppers cut in match sticks, or zuccini, carrots, etc), and a fruit (grapes are this week, SweeTango apples have been big recently.

Fizzy water: Before this week I would've also said LaCroix.  But, after much encouragement I just got a soda stream.  Now I'm filling the bottles with water, keeping them cool in my fridge and then 'gassing them' when I ready to enjoy.

Debate weigh in

The questions at the bottom of this post were hilarious. 

When you buy bread, do you put it in the pantry or the fridge? Is this a real question?  No. Not the fridge.
Almond Joys: Delicious or the opposite of delicious?  More on the delicious side.
Ever freeze candy (or other things that most people don’t normally freeze but you think it is delicious)? What?  Lime juice.  Juice the limes, put the juice in an ice cube tray.  You can thank me whenever.
Ever lost anything important on a run? I lost an ear band one time that I sorely miss.
Ever find anything cool on a run? Every so often I find money.  One time I found a sweet pair of sunglasses.  To this day they are my biking sunglasses.

Running Goals - LOL

Thanks for this question, What are your running goals for the rest of the year?

A - Keep the streak alive.  This is always the main goal.  I run to take care of my body.  I run to enjoy my body.   Those seem like things worth celebrating every day.

B - Keep going with the MAF situation.  Maybe rest up a bit.  I'm noticing that when I decrease my mileage, my MAF pace actually gets faster.  So maybe this winter I'll run fewer miles per week and hope I get a lot faster.  While not running I'm sure I'll focus on weight lifting, with a dose of swimming or zumba or both thrown in.

C - Don't get hurt and don't mess anything up.  I mention this because last Monday I had an odd weakness/pain in my quad.  Like, my quad didn't hurt except when I tried to use it and it wouldn't fire, it'd just get weak.  I'm told this pain is called 'being over 35'.  It really freaked me out and I only ran my mile for the rest of the week.

Avondale 5K

Start time: 8:30am, perfect for me.
Weather: Around 50*, no wind, sunny
Wardrobe: Happy pants, tank, compression socks, now retired NB Minimus Trail shoes
Transportation: Dad carpooled us all to the start, parked at Avondale Town Center

Route:

• Runs through South Avondale and a short stretch of North Avondale (where I grew up).  Full course can be seen here.
• The hills on this course are for reals.  Especially that beast at the end.  That's where I kissed my 'sub 30' dream goodbye. 
• This course is partially open to traffic.  It's closed where the runners are but open for cars to cross the course in some places.  
• There were a lot of police on the course to direct traffic and they were very supportive of the runners.

Plan/Goals: Race the thing! (Back up plan was 'run with your heart and don't get discouraged on the hills')

Execution: I put it down on this course. I was pleased with the whole thing.  This is easily a PR for me and the most fun I've had on a 5K course.
Nutrition: I'd planned to have half an avocado about two hours before the race.  Instead, when I woke up I was still full from the bad decisions I'd made the night before so I raced on an empty stomach.  It was the right decision.
Results:  31:23 or a 10:07 mile pace.  See, picked it up and put it down!

SWAG: For such a small race, there are some very big sponsors (Cincinnati Zoo, Children's Hospital, University of Cincinnati) and the goodies are on point.  I got a cotton t-shirt, which was an awesome surprise.  Re-usable shopping bag.  Hippo rug (which is freaking adorable and waiting for me every time I go home now), little flash light, beer can huggie, and some coupons.  The post-race party had some additional stuff from a sponsor so I wound up with another shirt from there.
Remember for next time:

• I mean, is there a way to forget about that hill? 
• This race is seriously welcoming to walkers and family.  
• I was the only 'non-local' there.  It's okay because I consider this my hometown race. 
• I had planned to listen to music but wound up taking out both ear buds early on because the course is partially open to traffic and I wanted to be able to hear the volunteers and police.
• Apparently I can run a solid 5K on an empty stomach.

Bonus: This race was very well organized.  It did a great job of highlighting the neighborhood.

Second bonus: 5K for my 5 year streak running anniversary! Mom, Dad, and two other people came out to help me celebrate. 

TC 10 Mile Race Report

Start time:7am for Corral A.  My corral started around 7:20am. I think they need more corrals because this race was crowded.

Weather: Not the best.  50s and rain, or 50s and wind.  Roads were wet.  The best part was the amazing full rainbow we saw before the start.  About three minutes before the sky opened up.

Wardrobe:
Throw away clothes: Top and bottom from GoodWill.  I took them off when Corral C started to move towards the start.
Shoes: Purple Skora Phase because I know how those shoes perform in the wet.  I was confident of my footing the entire race.
Bottoms: Nike running shorts because they had pockets for my Larabar and a zipper pocket for my keys
Top: Orange Singlet
Other: Race belt, orange visor, orange compression socks

Transportation: 5:40am bus to the race.  Dungeon master gave me a ride home which was a surprise.

Route: TC 10 Mile route. This is a hard course.  Flying Pig is hard because of the climbing.  In some ways this is harder because there's not really a down.  It's like go up and up and up and oh, look, you're done.

Plan/Goals:
Goal: My A goal is to run an 11:40 for the race series.  I knew I did well on the Saturday races but I purposefully did not look at my results before Sunday because I didn't want to be thinking did I go too hard on Saturday?  So I was really just telling myself to run 11:40s today.
Plan: My mental game was so strong this year.  I'd thought about everything, and had a plan for it.  There's all the normal stuff like when am I going to take gels and which water stops should I use?  I also thought about 'what will I tell myself on the hills?' and 'what pace/effort should I use on the big hills?'; 'what do I tell myself as people are passing me on the hills?'; 'what do I tell myself if my paces are slower than I wanted?' and 'what if it rains?' thought I admit I wasn't totally expecting that.
The real plan I kept telling myself was 'run with your heart' and 'run to feel good'. My mantra, which I also gave to Dungeon Master was “I am a discomfort master.  I thrive in all conditions.  Everything I need to succeed is already within me.  It is here to stay.” I mostly just kept saying 'I have everything I need to succeed'

Execution: Mission totally freaking accomplished.  I started off fast, totally didn't pay attention to my pace on the Franklin Ave hills, then did pay attention to pace until I got to the Cretin Ave hill.  After that, I mildly paid attention to pace but mostly tried to stay strong and feel good.  And it felt fantastic.

Nutrition:
Morning: Salted avocado slices around 5am
During race: Bite of Larabar at mile 4 or so, water just after that.  Bite or Larabar around mile 7.  That is all. The rest of the water stops were way too crowded.  I just stayed away.
Post race: Well, sigh.  This is when the wheels fell off the wagon. 

Remember for next time:
GoodWill - go on Tuesdays which is Blue Tag sale day.  I had a blast this year. 
Strong mental game is the key to having a great weekend.  This is probably the best mentally prepared I've ever been for any race.
Tapering was done correctly this year, even though it felt like too little running.  Results speak for themselves. 
Just Fine: Music is everything.   No time for negative vibes because I'm winning.  I focused on having a positive playlist for this race. Mary J Blidge carried me up 'the hill in a place where there shouldn't be a hill' AKA the River Flats. I'mma still wear a smile if it's raining.  Indeed. Other hits from this playlist include Work This Body, Mountains Beyond Mountains which is appropriate for Summit Ave, and Super Duper Love.

Bonus: I got a ride home!
I got a mug of coffee at the finish
I did not get my free beer
I did not get to ring the PR bell.  But I earned it.

TC 5K - Race Report

Start time: 9am

Weather: Low 50s and some wind.  It was very crisp.

Wardrobe: tank top, arm warmers that were soon taken off, happy pants, compression socks, Merrel shoes, hat to sheild my eyes from staring into the sun

Transportation: 5:40am bus to the train, train to the start (so early because I ran a 10K before this race)

Route: New this year, the course is a loop/lollipop course.  There is a hill.  The loop is so much better than the old course, so much more room for runners.

Plan/Goals: My A goal for the race series is a 11:40 pace.
Goal for this race is stay around 12:00/mile because the 10K went so well
Leave something in the tank for tomorrow
Enjoy the awesome playlist I made specifically for the 5K

Execution: I haven't seen my final pace, but I think I did very well.  I was tired at the end of the race, but hopeful that I'll be able to deliver a similar performance tomorrow.  Update: Though I did very well pace wise, my heart rate monitor went off the rails a couple times. 214 indeed.

Nutrition: I had an avocado, sliced and salted around 5am.  A few sips of water during the 10K race.  Post 10K I had a banana, half a Larabar and few more sips of water before the 5K. There are no water stops during this race.

Remember for next time: New course for the 5K!
There are no water stops on the 5K
The end is less of a down hill than it looks (sorry)

Bonus: I'm very happy with the way this race turned out.  And no, I did not look at my results until after all of Loony was over.
Songs from the above mentioned 5K playlist include Levanatate - Pitbull and Fight Song - Rachel Platten. 

TC10K - Race Report

Start time: 7:15am at the State Capitol.

Weather: 45-50* for the start, some wind

Wardrobe: tank top, happy pants, compression socks, hat, Merrel shoes.  Plus sweats that I kept the bag check and arm warmers which relate to things that happened after the race.

Transportation: I took the 5:40am bus to the train, train to the start.  I really couldn't remember this from last time.

Route: Out and back on Summit Ave.  Start/finish is at the state capitol.  Should we talk about the hills?

Plan/Goals: My A goal for the race series is to be around 11:40/mile and my 'big scary goal' is anything faster than that.
My 'mind goal' for today was to run partly by pacing off the watch and partly by feel. Too fast is too fast.  Something has to be in the tank for tomorrow.

Execution: I ran this very much by feel and was pleased with how it turned out.  I did slow a bit in mile 4 or 5, on purpose.  Again, I have another race today and one tomorrow and there needs to be something in the tank.

Nutrition: I had an avocado, sliced and salted around 5am.  A few sips of water during the race but no food.  Post race I had a banana, half a Larabar and few more sips of water before the 5K.

Remember for next time: Transportation as noted above.
The leaders tend to come 'back' when I'm at about mile 2.
I tended to pass the back of the pack when I was at mile 4.
Corporate Team Challenge tent is heated which is a bigger deal than it sounds like.
Bring a coffee mug for post race coffee from Caribou!  (I totally did that this year and it was everything.)

 
Bonus: Found my results!

TC Loony Challenge 2017

Registration: is online and guarantees and entry into the TC 10 Mile. (Entrees in the 10 Mile are usually by lottery.)  It's very early in the calendar year and Loony Challenge will fill up.

Packet Pickup: 10 Mile packets have to be picked up at the expo.  5K/10K packets can be picked up at the race on race day.  But there's a guaranteed trip to the expo.  This year I made sure I took the bus, which cost me a whopping $1.75.

SWAG: Each race has it's own shirt, medal, and 'gift' which is socks.  So I have a lot of of socks now.  There's also a sweatshirt which I haven't tested out yet and a medal for the race series. The race series medal is always one of the prettier ones I get.

Transportation to and from the race:
Expo: Parked in St Paul near OldJob and took the bus
10K/5K: Bus to train, train to race.  Olive gave me a ride home.
10 Mile: Bus to the start.  Dungeon Master gave me a ride home.

Start Line: 10K/5K have the same start in St Paul, opposite the finish line.  (Below is Olive, myself and Dungeon Master before the 5K by the potties.)
10 Miler is in Minneapolis near the Viking Ship.  Despite the promises made last year, Viking Ship was closed to runners again this year.  I've made a vow never to step foot in the pace so I was okay with it.

Course:
10K - same as the past few years.  Here's the 2015 and 2014 reports.
10 Miler - same as last year.  This course has been around for a long time though 2015 and 2014 races I ran were on a modified course due to landslides and construction to repair said landslides.
5K - New this year.  This course is now a loop and it's a significant improvement over the old 'out and back' situation.  It's so much more comfortable to have the whole freaking road to spread out.

Pace Team: There was actually a pace team for the 10 Miler.  I recognized the 11:00/mile pacer from Red White and Boom last year though I did not stay with him.

Fan Support:
10K - it's decent, there were people cheering in various places along the course
5K - also decent. I think the loop is probably harder on the cheerers than the runners.  Fans probably only get to see their runner once.
10 Mile - big in downtown Minneapolis, then not much along the river bottoms, then good again once the course connects to the marathon course near Franklin Ave. The crowds were a bit smaller this year because weather.  I don't think I can blame the race director for that one. 

Finish: All races share the same finish line.  The the way these races end, running by the Cathedral and then dropping down to the spectacular view of the capitol is my favorite finish line of any race I've done.

Race Recommended For: So, when they call it a challenge, they are for real.
5K - good for families, run/walkers, walkers, and very competitive for fasties
10K - good for newbies because it's so well organized and well supported, very competitive for fasties
10 Miler - good for first timers or someone who wants to do more than a 10K but not a half marathon; good for experienced runners because of the organization and support.
Loony Challenge - Good for anyone who likes doing a lot of stuff at once.  I definitely prefer the weekend of madness to the slow burn of last year's Summit Challenge.

Bonus for me: This year's average pace was 11:22/mile (compared to 11:47/mile for 3-way challenge.)

Loony Challenge 1 Week to Go

Sunday: 4.16 miles and it was hotter than fire.  I met another runner who trains with HR and is as slow as me!  What fun.
Monday: Run 1.2 miles before work.  This is the "am I doing enough" part of the taper. Yoga video before bed.
Tuesday: Run 6 miles.  I don't know how fast, I don't know my HR.  I just know that it felt good.  Last real run before the races.  Big long stretch after running.
Wednesday: 1.22 miles in the morning.  Taper Time!
Thursday: 1.21 miles in the morning.  Pre-hydration begins tonight.
Friday: 1.22 miles in the morning. No cars tried to hit me today.   So already that's an improvement over yesterday.
I met a friend from OldJob for lunch, then stopped in the office for a moment to say hi to some other people as well.  I hadn't been there since leaving.  It was nice to walk back in feeling confident, smiling, and being genuinely happy for the people still there.
Saturday: Raced the 10K and 5K.  Race reports to come. 

Whole30 Day 40. Done!

Pre workout and post workout meals:
5am - avocado slices with salt, almost the whole avocado and it was the correct decision
8:30am - post 10K: banana and half a Larabar
9:30am - post 5K: banana, other half of the Larabar, another Larabar, two hard boiled eggs with prosciutto, coffee!
This is the only time in 40 days I did the pre and post meals correctly. 
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit
Lunch: Eggs, potatoes, bacon
Snacks: I am drinking all of the water with electrolytes I can get my hands on
Supper: Olive helped with the party.  We had carrots, salami, olives as appetizers, along with a few things I skipped, then sweet potato, kale, and steak for supper.  Again, along with a few things I skipped.  And then I skipped dessert entirely.  Because I've made it this freaking far.
Exercise: So, I ran a 10K and a 5K this morning
Shopping: None
Cooking: Olive is cooking supper for "your party at my house"
Thoughts: The biggest thing is how much I'm like not wanting to binge tomorrow after the race.  Like, at all.  I'm looking forward to the beer at the finish line but I'm also really looking forward to the coffee. I've given up on bacon cheeseburger and chicken fingers altogether.

Whole30 Day 39 - Almost...

Pre workout and post workout meals: Again.  Lol.
Breakfast: Coffee, bacon, eggs, sweet potato
Lunch: Salad at Mississippi Market salad bar.  With a friend from Old Job. It was a blast.
Snacks: Larabar.  Banana with cashew butter.  I am 'carbing up'
Supper: Farmer sausages and potatoes. 
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning.  Walk around the expo.
Shopping: Stopped at Mississippi Market to get stuff for the grill out tomorrow.
Cooking: Marinated onions for tomorrow night, marinating the flank steak for tomorrow night
Thoughts: I was, um, sick today.  Like, I'm about to get my period so my stomach hates all the things.  So I'm drinking lots and lots of water, I had some salt tabs and a nuun, and trying to actually eat so I have some energy tomorrow.  Fingers crossed!

Whole30 Day 38

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, coffee.  I feel like there was a fruit but I'm not remembering it so maybe not?
Lunch: Cantaloupe, apple, pork (fake out, I thought it was going to be chicken), avocado, bell peppers, dragon beans
Snacks: None
Supper: Cooked for Olive - Salmon, mushrooms, kale sauteed in bacon grease (you're welcome), sweet potatoes
Exercise: Ran 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: Stopped at the Franklin Ave Seward location (not my normal store) for salmon and goodies for tonight
Cooking: Supper and breakfast
Thoughts: 2 more days.  And then I run.  And then, I eat.
#2 - For real though, I'm glad I did 40 days instead of 30.  It really forced me to think 'how can I make this a livable routine?'
#3 - I'm glad I had different expectations for myself than the first time, it let me not freak out about compliance at restaurants.  Instead I got to focus on 'I'm not going to have a beer, or dessert, or the best bread dish on the menu that I love, so what am I looking forward to about this evening with friends?'

Whole30 Day 37

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding, hard boiled egg
Lunch: Chicken, avocado, cantaloupe, apple, bell pepper, dragon beans
Snacks: Larabar in the afternoon
Supper: Sausage and apples, which I think has been the staple of this round, like the mango avocado bacon salad was last time.
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: Costco!  I got fizzy water, avocados and coconut milk.  And a new jacket
Cooking: Supper, made breakfast ahead for one day this week too.  We'll see when I get to it.
Thoughts: I mean, 3 more days and then race day.  Right? 
#2 I think it's good this one was longer than 30 days.  Because it's forced me to think more about 'how can I make this into a routine'

Whole30 Day 36 - A New Milestone

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.  Sadly.
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with bananas.  Coffee.
Lunch: Chicken, avocado, bell pepper, dragon beans, cantaloupe, apple
Snacks: None.  I am surprised to report I did not have a Larabar today
Supper: Milestone for the day - I had Chopped Salad at Punch.  I did not have bread.  My friends at dessert and I did not have any.  So, this is the first time I've attempted anything like a whole30 and gone out to eat. And made it.
Exercise: Run 6 miles in the afternoon.  Big long stretch afterwards.
Shopping: None.
Cooking: Actually none either because I went out to eat.
Thoughts: Good to know I can go out to eat and not make awful decisions. Chalk one up for the team.  Pooky Bear also told me if lose more weight she has pants I can have.  Goals!

Whole30 Day 35

Pre workout and post workout meals: Lol.  No.
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, cantaloupe
Lunch: Chicken, avocado, cantaloupe, apple, bell pepper, dragon beans
Snacks: None
Supper: Pancetta, chicken, pan fried plantains
Exercise: Ran 1 mile before work
Shopping: None
Cooking: Supper only
Thoughts: So in the "I don't care" phase of all of this.  5 days to go.  Tomorrow will be my first night of eating out.  Now I learn what legal fizzy beverages are available at Punch.

Whole30 Day 34 - My sinuses try to kill me

Pre workout and post workout meals: I tried to eat dried fish.  Apparently it can go off.  I had a hard boiled egg instead.
Breakfast: Smoothie of banana, cocoa powder, cashew butter, coconut milk.  Best smoothie ever.
Lunch: Bacon, eggs, left over green beans
Snacks: Kombucha after I nearly got heat stroke on the run
Supper: Cut up veggies, green beans for real, pulled pork, sauteed apples, cantaloupe for desert
Exercise: Ran 4 miles in the sun, it was way too hot for that nonsense
Shopping: Yes, for supper tonight and meals for the week
Cooking: Prepared lunches for the week including chopping veggies and fruit
Thoughts: I felt really bad yesterday after my sinuses tried to kill me, so I was all kinds of out of sorts when I got up this morning. I'm feeling better now and hoping that things really do cool down.

Whole30 Day33 - The Countdown begins

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Eggs, potatoes, bacon.  Potatoes are a veggie right?
Lunch: Apples wrapped in prosciutto
Snacks: None
Supper: Sausages with spinach and apples sauteed in butter.  Yes, I got spinach in there too. 
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning, when it was already 80*
Shopping: None
Cooking: Made a new batch of cashew butter
Thoughts: Obviously it's SweeTango season
#2 - My sinuses have been acting up because of the heat and all the a/c so this was not a great day in general
#3 - I am starting to think about reintroduction.  Last year, I felt like I had a hangover after the 10 mile, not from an actual hangover, just from a similar depletion of nutrients from racing all weekend.  I'm making plans to combat that.

Whole30 Day 32

Pre workout and post workout meals: No
Breakfast: Hard boiled egg wrapped in prosciutto, chia seed pudding with fruit
Lunch: Steak, avocado, chopped veggies, cantaloupe
Snacks: Salami, then later an RX Bar
Supper: Apples sauteed in butter, sausage
Exercise: Run 1 mile every early because it was so hot
Shopping: None
Cooking: Supper only
Thoughts: It's so hot my a/c has been on all the time and my face hurts because my sinuses are drying out. Sigh.

Whole30 Day 31

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.  Sigh,
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, and an attempt at fruit but the peach was past ripe.  Coffee
Lunch: Steak, avocado, cantaloupe, strawberries, cut up veggies, salami
Snacks: None, and I really thought I'd have the Larabar before lifting but I did not.
Supper: My friend (who still needs a blog name) came over.  We had sweet potatoes, rotisserie chicken (because it's compliant at the co-op), and a dish of sauteed mushrooms, spinach, and prosciutto.  It was good.
Exercise: Run in the morning, lift weights after work
Shopping: Did I mention the rotisserie chicken?  Went to the co-op
Cooking: Breakfast and supper.  Nothing else.
Thoughts: At the Co-op the cashier had a name tag that said their name and then below, it said (them/they) to indicate the person's preferred pronoun.  So of course in the midst of the transaction I screwed up and used a gender pronoun, but corrected myself.  And the cashier was all "did you just correct yourself?  No one's ever done that before.  Thank you, that made me feel good that you noticed"

Whole30 Day 30

Pre workout and post workout meals: LOL.  No
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit, hard boiled egg, coffee
Lunch: Steak with avocado, salami, cut up veggies, cantaloupe, strawberries
Snacks: None
Supper: Eggs, potatoes, bacon, tried to have a peach but failed
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: None
Cooking: Only supper, everything else was made ahead
Thoughts: So, it's still 10 days to race day.  Now I've done 30 days I'm going for extra innings.
#2 - I read this article today from a woman who gave up alcohol (it didn't straight up say she'd had a problem, but seemed to imply that drinking had lead to dark times).  The writer was remarking on how alcohol is everywhere.  Fall down and scrape your knee?  Have wine!  Card for a friend, wine or margaritas are on the card.  Hard day?  Wine!  Great day?  Wine!  I didn't see quite the extent of the problem she'd noticed, but I agree with the sentiment.

Whole 30 Day 29

Pre workout and post workout meals: None, but I should've.  I was hungry
Breakfast: Coffee! Chia seed pudding with fruit.  I should've packed a hard boiled egg too.
Lunch: Flank steak (and it's off the chain), avocado, cantaloupe, strawberries, cut up veggies
Snacks: Half a banana before supper
Supper: Salmon, green beans, sweet potatoes
Exercise: Ran 4.5 miles, lifted weights, both at the crack of dawn
Shopping: None, got it all done yesterday
Cooking: I cooked supper for Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear
Thoughts: Small miracle that I went into Family Dollar to but mouse traps and contact solution, and was not even tempted by junk food or popcorn.  I am usually weak for their popcorn.
#2 I'm not stopping at 30 days but I kind of wish I was. Sigh.

Whole30 Day 28

Pre workout and post workout meals: I am surprised to report I had both.  Hard boiled egg before running in the rain.  Smoothie of banana, cashew butter, almond milk, and a bit of cocoa powder after the run.
Breakfast: Pea pods, bacon, eggs.  Coffee!
Lunch: Apple and cashew butter. 
Snacks: None
Supper: kale, sauteed mushrooms, steak, artichoke with butter
Exercise: Run 7 miles in the morning.
Shopping: Yes, went to Mississippi Market in St Paul.
Cooking: Oh yes, all of the cooking.

• Chopped veggies for lunches (red bell pepper, dragon beans)
• Chopped fruit for lunches (cantaloupe, strawberries)
• Almond milk and dehydrated the almond meal (tried to broil it because I fail at using my toaster oven)
• Chia seed pudding, 3 servings for breakfasts this week
• Chopped salami for lunches (that's my 'plated fat')
• Marinated and then broiled a Flank Steak for lunches (lunch this week is going to be good right?)
• Hard boiled eggs 
• Trying this marinated onions recipe for supper tomorrow night with Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear.  Even though My Pooky Bear doesn't like onions.  

Thoughts: One of the themes of my days off is 'Liz just doesn't eat a big lunch, or sometimes any lunch at all'.  Today breakfast (the real meal, not the smoothie) was around 11:30am.
#2 - Since I search the internet for this every freaking time:  Broil the flank steak 6-8 minutes per side for medium rare.
 #3 - Since I search the internet for this every freaking time too.
Flank Steak Marinade

• 1 part oil
• 1 part acid (today was white wine vinegar, but red wine vinegar, balsalmic, or lime juice are also fine)
• 1-3 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste 

.

Whole 30 Day 27

Pre workout and post workout meals: Hard boiled egg before the run, post run was breakfast
Breakfast: Coffee from the areopress, sauteed apple with farmer sausage and pecans crumbled on top.  Mmmm.
Lunch: RX Bar. Again, I know this is wrong.  Really breakfast was a lunch time and 'lunch' was around 4pm
Snacks: Did I tell you about the RX bar I had for lunch?
Supper: Steak, sauteed kale and mushrooms. 
Exercise: 8 mile run in the morning
Shopping: Got up first thing to go to the Farmer Market.  No pepper bacon.  Sigh.
Cooking: Only breakfast and supper.
Thoughts: Ok, aeropress coffee does seem good when ground to the proper size.  (Normally I grind course for my French Press so I had to remember to re-set the grinder this morning.)
#2 I love mushrooms
#3 First time I did this, I remember eating mangoes like it was my job.  Now apples are in season and the SweeTango situation is all I want to talk about.
#4 Had a discussion today about the difference between dinner and supper.  

Whole 30 Day 26

Pre workout and post workout meals: Sigh.  No.
Breakfast: Coffee. Sweet potato hash browns that left something to be desired, eggs, bacon.
Lunch: Ok, so I had banana pancakes around 3:30pm  I know this technically violates the 'no pancakes on whole30' rule.  But I got sick in the middle of the day.  By the time I wanted food, this was the only thing I thought my stomach could tolerate. 
Snacks: None
Supper: 'hot' chicken salad (chicken, pecans, sauteed apples, crisped pancetta)
Exercise: Run 3 miles, half hour of Zumba
Shopping: It was a busy night at Seward Co Op.  I got some veggies for next week and finally remembered to get salt.
Cooking: Only the meals here.
Thoughts: Finally tried the aeropress.  That would not be enough coffee for my mug on a work day.  But fun on the weekends.

Whole30 Day 25

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with berries and bananas, tried an RX bar that was pretty legit too, Coffee with coconut milk and cinamon
Lunch: Avocado, chicken, cut up veggies, grapes, apple
Snacks: Salami and hard boiled egg
Supper: Bacon, eggs, potatoes, kombucha
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: None, and it was magical
Cooking: Supper, and making more roasted potatoes for the future
Thoughts: The magic recipe for chia seed pudding seems to be 1 part chia seeds, 1 part coconut milk, 2 parts almond milk.  It needs a little coconut milk but not a lot.
#2 Cinnamon in my coffee seems to be okay but slightly less megical than I'd been led to believe
#3 15 days to go.  Really.  Picture me snarling

Whole30 Day 24

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Eggs and bacon and coffee.
Lunch: Chicken+avocado, cut up zucchini, carrots, bell peppers; apple, grapes
Snacks: None yes
Supper: Bacon, chicken, sauteed peach
Exercise:Run in the morning, weight lifting in the afternoon
Shopping: No
Cooking:Supper, and breakfast ahead for the next day
Thoughts: I am bad because there's no fruit or vegetable at breakfast.  It's okay, I had a lot at lunch.

Whole30 Day 23

Pre workout and post workout meals: Um, no
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with bananas and berries, coffee
Lunch: chicken, avocado, salami, hard boiled egg, cut up veggies, grapes
Snacks: Well, I sort of grazed my lunch out over the afternoon.  Olives when I got home around 5pm
Supper: Small steak, big sweet potato, roast zucchini, kombucha
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: None
Cooking: Supper only
Thoughts: Ok, so I had some kombucha on Monday and I'm wondering if that had something to do with my, um, digestion on Tuesday.  So I had some more kombucha tonight and we'll see what happens. 

Whole30 Day 22

Pre workout and post workout meals: Um, no. 
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit.  I think the blueberries are going and made me sick.  Sigh.   Coffee plus coconut milk.
Lunch: Chicken+avocado; cut up veggies, grapes, salami for fat
Snacks: None
Supper: Chicken curry, peaches sautéed in butter with cinnamon on top. 
Exercise: Run in the morning; weight lifting after work
Shopping: None.  Glory!
Cooking: Breakfast and lunch and curry for dinner were all made ahead; peaches I made tonight
Thoughts: Them peaches were legit.

Whole30 Day 21

Pre workout and post workout meals: Hard boiled eggs wrapped in proscuitto before the run.  A big water bottle, Larabar, and some Kombucha after the run.
Breakfast: Chicken leg when I got home from the run.  Sorry, I know that's not really enough
Lunch: Apples sauteed in butter, farmer sausage
Snacks: None
Supper: A small piece of steak.  Half a plantain so far.  I may save the rest.  Sorry, I know there's supposed to be a veggie here somewhere.
Exercise: Ran 9 miles in Excelsior this morning and had a blast.
Shopping: Stopped at the Co-op.  Forgot to buy salt.  Again. I also bought a rotisserie chicken because at the co-op they appear compliant.
Cooking: Prepped fruit and veggies for lunches for the week.
Hard boiled eggs
Slaughtered Butchered the chicken and packed it for lunch
Veggie broth from the carcass of the chicken.  I hope it's good.  It will be my pre/post race drink.
Plus cooked lunch and dinner.  Most of the dishes are already in the dishwasher.  
Thoughts: Including today, I have 20 days to go of this bullshit.  Adding 10 more days feels like doubling the time frame.
WTF - I have a mouse!  I wonder if Family Dollar sells mouse traps.  Otherwise I'm off to the hardware store. WTF Update - Family Dollar is temporarily closing at 7pm.  Die mouse.

Whole30 Day 20

Pre workout and post workout meals: Pre-run I had half an avocado with salt.  This was wrong, or at least I had without enough time before beginning the run.  During the run I had a couple bites of Larabar.  Post run I finished the Larabar and had all the water.
Breakfast: Sweet potato, pea pods, eggs, bacon.  Coffee! 
Lunch: The other half of the avocado, sliced, and wrapped in prosciutto pieces
Snacks: I tried kombucha, just a little bit.  Olive said I'd make myself sick if I had too much
Supper: Steak, jicama and grapes.
Exercise: Long run and weights in the morning, bonus walk with Olive in the afternoon
Shopping: Stopped at the co-op with Olive to pick out kombucha.
Cooking: All the meals, nothing else.
Thoughts: I'm no longer thinking "this is the food I want to eat at the end of this long run"  I've been having those "I'll run and then have a bunch of tacos or beer or bacon cheeseburger" thoughts for years so this is big.  And as I recall did not happen in my first round.
#2 - Oh good.  I'm to the "I hate all of the food and I don't want to eat" part of Whole30.  Excellent. 

Whole30 Day 19 - The post I tried to forget?

Pre workout and post workout meals: None really, and that looks wrong on paper, but I felt fine.
Breakfast: None really, and that looks wrong on paper, but I felt fine.  I did have coffee
Lunch: Breakfast was my lunch.  Bacon, eggs, potatoes, some pea pods, in a scramble. 
Snacks: None that I remember
Supper: First course was a peach sautéed with pancetta.  Second course was bacon, avocado, and shrimp in a bowl with lime juice of the top.  Apparently it was a high fat day.
Exercise: Run 3 miles, do the Zumba.  This was before breakfast/lunch and I really didn't get that hungry.
Shopping: None
Cooking: Just the meals I ate
Thoughts: I forgot to write this on Saturday so it's a day late.  Almost half way!

Whole30 Day 18

Pre workout and post workout meals: LOL. No
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with blueberries
Lunch: Same as every other work day this week.  I did not have a Larabar this week.
Snacks: I had dried apricots with some cashews and pumpkin seeds.  I was hungry from having lunch so late due to my excellent planning
Supper: Breakfast for dinner.  Bacon, eggs, and potatoes.  It was awesome.
Exercise: 1 mile run in the afternoon
Shopping: None
Cooking: I made breakfast last night. I am considering doing it again tonight for myself.
Thoughts: I'm no longer counting days.  I think having such a clear end date is really helping this time.  Like, I don't care what day I'm on.  When is the race?

Whole 30 Day 17

Pre workout and post workout meals: Nothing special.  Lunch was my 'pre workout' meal.
Breakfast: A chicken leg that was already cooked and coffee.  Because I like sleep.
Lunch: Pulled pork, avocado, jicama, canteloupe, pea pods, cut up bell pepper, Lara bar.  My colleagues were totally impressed by the amount of tupperware in my lunch box.
Snacks: None really.  Did I tell you about that Larabar though?
Supper: Pancetta, shrimp, sweet potato with butter and cinamon
Exercise: Run 4.4 miles and lift weights after work.
Shopping: None, though I strongly considered going to the co-op for steak.
Cooking: Supper.  Lord knows I didn't cook breakfast.
Thoughts: I have a colleague who is on Day 3 of her first try, and another colleague who is also doing her second round.  We all agree that missing alcohol is the worst.  Though that's more 'in theory' for me.  In reality, I'm fine sitting at home watching tennis instead of drinking Vodka and I'm sleeping through the night without getting up to pee.  So I think even though I miss it, probably good it's gone.
#2 - Pancetta cannot be cut with a mandolin slice.  Sometimes I have to test things out to learn.

Whole30 Day 16

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.
Breakfast: Same as yesterday, bacon, eggs, pea pods, coffee
Lunch: Same as yesterday this is illuminating, pulled pork, avocado, grapes, strawberries, cut veggies, pea pods
Snacks: Grapefruit
Supper: Tilapia breaded in almond flour and coconut, fried in coconut oil; plantains breaded in almond flour and fried in coconut oil, red bell pepper. 
Exercise: 4.65 miles run in the afternoon
Shopping: Went to the co-op for fish and eggs.  And I forgot to hard boil the eggs.  Now it's time for bed.  Sigh.
Cooking: Breakfast and supper
Thoughts: It's probably time to be honest with myself about the impact of cream on my stomach.  It may be time to switch to coconut milk full time.
#2 I did not want to eat dinner at all, that food was legit
#3 I'm discovering the importance of salting my food (I don't add any salt when I'm cooking)

Whole30 Day 15

Pre workout and post workout meals: Nothing before, real breakfast after the run.  Nothing before/after weights
Breakfast: Pea pods, eggs, bacon
Lunch: Canteloupe, grapes, cut up veggies, pulled pork, avocado
Snacks: Handful of pumpkin seeds
Supper: Green beans, ribs, cauliflower - all cooked by a friend so it was awesome
Exercise: Ran 8.25 miles in the morning.  Weight lifting after work.
Shopping: None
Cooking: Breakfast.
Thoughts: It was nice of my friends to cook me dinner!

Whole30 Day 14 - Taking Control

Pre workout and post workout meals: Smoked salmon.  During workout was slightly salted water, part of a Larabar.  Post workout was breakfast
Breakfast: Eggs, bacon, potatoes
Lunch: The rest of the Larabar that I didn't eat while I was running.  Breakfast apparently filled me up.
Snacks: None so far.  Good to know I'm not turning to comfort food in my grumpy sad state.
Supper: Leftovers from last night (chicken, dragon beans and mushrooms with sesame seeds) plus cantaloupe and snap pea pods.
Exercise: Ran 11.67 really discouraging miles, really slowly.  But it helped me make a new game plan for race day.
Shopping: None.  I try to stay inside when everyone else has Monday off too.
Cooking: Currently making pulled pork.  (It's in the crock pot cooking itself.  Will need to be 'pulled' around 9pm tonight.)
Attempted to make coconut butter.  So far am failing miserably.  It's been blending forever and just will not 'butter'  Nuts are far easier.
Thoughts: I'm going to say, the way I remember things, I felt much better on Whole30 in round 1 by this point.  But I was in a different point in my cycle when I started round 1, so maybe that has something to do with it?
#2 - So this isn't 100% whole30 so far because I've allowed butter in pretty much everything and cream in my coffee.  But today I tried coconut milk in my coffee again after feeling like crap, and I may slowly eliminate the dairy so it's gone the last 10 days.
#3 - Did you know that there are Coconut Cream Pie Larabars and Coconut Chocolate Chip Larabars and the packaging is nearly identical?  Learned that one the hard way.  Thank god this wasn't my first round.  I would've cried.

Whole 30 Day 13

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.  Watch me be a grump.
Breakfast: Eggs, sweet potato, bacon
Lunch: Pulled pork, peaches sautéed in butter
Snacks: Larabar
Supper: Chicken drumsticks, mushrooms, dragon green beans
Exercise: Run 1 mile, attempt to lift weight and give up because my HR was too high, walk with a friend.
Shopping: Headed to the co-op for all of the meat!
Cooking: Wound up chopping veggies and fruit for my lunches today instead of tomorrow
Thoughts:  Day 13 sucked!  Didn't this happen in August before I got my period too?

Whole 30 Day 12

Pre workout and post workout meals: Before workout I had a slice of smoked salmon.  Post workout was breakfast
Breakfast: Coffee, a scramble of eggs, potatoes, small amount of steak, bell pepper and bacon
Lunch: Breakfast was my lunch.  I know this is wrong.
Supper: Chicken curry, sweet potato with butter
Snacks: Olives and a few pieces of salami
Exercise: 4 mile run in the morning, not the best ever.
Shopping: Went to Costco with Good Nacho (I guess that's a good nick name for him?)  Good Nacho got some items for an upcoming trip.  I got coconut milk, chia seeds and blueberries.
Cooking: Breakfast and the sweet potato
Thoughts: It's day 12 already?
#2 Maybe I need to be more honest with myself regarding the cream in the coffee? Maybe there's still a point where too much is too much?

Whole30 Day 11

Pre workout and post workout meals: Lol.  No.
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit, coffee, a couple pieces of steak
Lunch: Same as every other day this week.  It's Friday.  Whatever
Supper: Big Fat Bacon, Booch and Fruit at the state fair
Snacks: Hard boiled egg wrapped in prosciutto
Exercise: 1 mile run in the morning.  Walking around the state fair all evening (and having a blast)
Shopping: None
Cooking: Also none
Thoughts: State Fair is a lot of fun when the object isn't food.  There's a lot of other fun things to see.
#2 Unrelated to Whole30 - State Fair is a lot more fun in compression socks.  I didn't hurt near as bad at the end of the day as Sunday.

Whole 30 Day 10

Pre workout and post workout meals: None, sorry
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with coconut milk and fruit.
Lunch: Same as every other day this week.  I did not eat my Larabar though.
Supper: Pulled pork, apples sautéed in butter and onions, kale with pancetta.
Snacks: None really
Exercise: Ran 3+ miles in the afternoon, lifted weights, few minutes of spin class
Shopping: No.  Remember yesterday?
Cooking: Dinner - pulled pork done in the crock pot and was legit.
Thoughts: I'm wondering if the coconut milk is upsetting my stomach.  Sometimes when I have this breakfast my tummy is all 'bleh'.  It happened today with the coconut milk concoction but I hadn't noticed it earlier this week with Almond Milk.  Too bad too, I like all the calories in the coconut milk.  It keeps me going.
#2 - Spell check doesn't know Pancetta.  It's going to be a long Whole30.
#3 - 10 days already?  That means I'm 25% of the way there.  (This is a 40 day Whole30 because it ends on the last race day.)

Whole 30 Day 9

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit
Lunch: Steak, canteloupe and that was all I ate at lunch because life
Supper: That chicken curry I made earlier this week, with a cut up avocado in it.  That was a legit meal.
Snacks: The small lunch leads to Larabar, salami, and cut up veggies for snack
Exercise: Run 1 mile in the morning
Shopping: Went to the co-op for food for tomorrow because I'm having a friend over
Cooking: Prepped some stuff to go in the crock pot tomorrow morning (pulled pork); prepared breakfast for Thursday and Friday.  Dishes are not 100% done, but very close.
Thoughts: Is it really day 9 already?  I got this.... Oh wait, this is 45 days.  I'm curious to see what happens after the magical 'day 30'
#2 - I didn't have avocado in my lunch today and it really made a difference in how full I was.

Whole30 Day 8

Pre workout and post workout meals: Lol.  No.
Breakfast: Small bite of steak, chia seed pudding in almond milk with bananas and strawberries, coffee
Lunch: Steak, canteloupe, bell peppers and carrots
Supper: Sweet potato, eggs, bacon, bell peppers
Snacks: Salami slices
Exercise: Running and weight lifting at the crack of dawn.  I was dreading getting up but leaving it for the end of the day would've been worse.  I am spent.
Shopping: None
Cooking: Supper and made almond milk for tomorrow's breakfast.  The almond meal is currently dehydrating in the toaster oven.
Thoughts:  Today, I went to a meeting with no coffee and no snack.  Go me.
#2 - I think I am recovering from the surprise bout of carb flu I had and the crappy runs earlier this week.  I'm hopeful for my future...

Whole30 Day 7

Pre workout and post workout meals: Two hard boiled eggs wrapped in prosciutto (that was a good idea) before running.  Coffee and a Larabar after running.
Breakfast: Well, not really because 'after running' was like 1pm.  I like my sleep
Lunch: Sweet potato, steak, mushrooms.  Those mushrooms are legit. 
Supper: Sauteed peaches, bacon, avocado fried in bacon grease.  This wasn't quite a perfect meal.  The avocado didn't quite go with the rest of it.  But those peaches...
Snacks: None
Exercise: Ran 7.3 miles in the morning, thought about lifting weights but did not.
Shopping: I headed down to Lakewinds for some meat and veggies
Cooking: Prepared lunches for the whole week, except maybe I need to hardboil some more eggs?  Lunches this week are: steak, cut up veggies, cut up canteloupe, salami pieces, and I'll probably throw in avocado on the day of each day.
Cooked my own lunch and dinner. 
Thoughts: I've been wanting steak, like hard, so I'm just going to keep eating it. Maybe I need iron?
#2 - I'm like, I've made it already to end of the first week?  That's good.
#3 - I am like all about the butter.
#4 - My dishes are done!

Whole30 Day 6

Pre workout and post workout meals: Slice of smoked salmon before working out, after was breakfast
Breakfast: all the bacon, fried potatoes, 4 eggs, plus a hard boiled one walking out the door
Lunch: Adventures at the State Fair today - bacon wrapped shrimp; kombucha and fruit; gyro on a stick. 
Supper: Salmon shashimi, fried plantains, dragon beans raw, salted.  Dragon beans are the best things ever.  I wish growing season was longer
Snacks: I refer you to 'lunch at the fair'
Exercise: Long run Sunday, got up at 5am and it was awful. I don't remember feeling so crappy last time.
Shopping: None
Cooking: Breakfast and supper.
Chicken in pork broth, and currently cooking crock pot curry (with the chicken in it) as a back up supper for work nights when I don't want to cook but want a dish with veggies and proteins.  (Veggies are mushrooms and purple green beans.)
Thoughts: Trying to be 'whole30' at the fair definitely made me look for new foods and look at things in a different way.  But I'm glad this wasn't my first round of Whole30 and I didn't get so anxious about 'what oil was this cooked in?'
#2 - I have hit the point in my life when I had to look on Urban Dictionary for the word 'cankles' because it came up in conversation today.
#3 - Maybe we need to give 'purple green beans' a new name? 

Whole30 Day 5

Pre workout and post workout meals: slice of lox; bananas with almond butter 
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs.  I couldn't deal with the potatoes.
Lunch: Breakfast sort of counts for lunch too since it was consumed around 1pm.
Supper: Steak, sweet potatoes, dragon green beans.  I guess we know what my go to meal is for this round.
Snacks: First time attempting salmon sashimi at home, had it seasoned with some salt and lime juice.  First thing that's tasted good all day.  Chocolate Coconut Larabar which is almost as good as the coconut cream pie.
Exercise: Crap run of 4+ miles in the middle of the day
Shopping: Went to the co-op for meat and veggies
Cooking: Breakfast and Supper
Thoughts:  WTF.  It's day 5 and I'm already sick of potatoes and eggs?!?  This is not good.
I'm not sick of bacon though.  Maybe I'll just have that while I think about life.
#2 OMG People, it's day 5 and I already hate food. Great.
#3 Really.  This is carb flu. Have a Larabar.  You'll be fine. 

Whole30 Day 4

Pre workout and post workout meals: Lol, that would've involved working out for more than 15 minutes.
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with fruit, 2 hard boiled eggs. Coffee!
Lunch: Chicken, half an avocado, bell pepper, grapes, salami pieces
Supper: Bacon, eggs, potatoes.  Old stand by.
Snacks: A 'food experiment' - I mixed cashew nut butter with cocoa powder.  And then I put it on banana slices.  Yum.
Exercise: Ran 1.2 miles in the rain this morning.
Shopping: None so far.
Cooking: Just supper.
Thoughts:  I have just learned that making bacon ahead of time is a thing that you can do.  I bought 2lbs of it at the co-op, so I will have to try this. How will I get the grease out of the jelly roll tray for later use?  (I guess we call this a first world problem?)

Whole30 Day 3

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.  Sigh.
Breakfast: Bacon, potatoes, eggs, and coffee.  An old stand by.
Lunch: Same as yesterday.  Sorry
Supper: Something labeled as a purple sweet potato.  It had purple skin and white on the inside so I'm going with yam.   Pan Fried Okra  Except I used almond flour instead of corn meal and ghee instead of the oil.  Pan fried steak.  I'm on a steak kick apparently.
Snacks: None so far.  I'm writing this at 6:45pm so there's still time.
Exercise: Ran 4.2 miles this morning.  Lifted weights in the afternoon before supper.
Shopping: Yes, went to the co-op for ingredients for supper. 
Cooking: Breakfast and supper
Thoughts: Did I just not eat dinner when I wasn't doing whole30?  Did I just come home and eat crap?  Because seriously, the only time I plan a dinner for myself is when I'm doing this.  And I only plan all my meals so I know I won't starve and I won't cheat.
#2 - Maybe I should just make a post of all the thoughts I've had while on this
#3 - A friend invited me to the fair.  I spent quite a bit of time looking at fair food.  In addition to turkey legs, several places have different versions of meat on a stick.  And then there's the giant bacon place and the fried avocados

Whole30 Day 2

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: part of a sweet potato, small piece of steak, 2 hard boiled eggs.
Lunch: Salami, pulled pork, avocado, bell pepper, grapes
Supper: Not gonna lie here.  It was bacon and shrimp.  I am considering a fruit smoothie so I get some kind of vitamin.  Update - no smoothie.  Instead I had banana with cashew butter and sprinkled cocoa powder on top.
Snacks: Coconut Larabar because breakfast was not enough
Exercise: Run 1.2 miles in the morning.  Nothing else.
Shopping: None
Cooking: Supper only.
Thoughts: I do feel more hungry at night.  The first time I did this I was all "I never felt hungry".  No.  That's bull shit.  I felt more hungry, or really, Less Full at night.
Unrelated, I seem to brush my teeth more often when I do this diet.

Whole 30 Day 1

Oh lord.  Here we go again.  This may turn into a "whole 40".  My goal is weight loss more than excluding things for medical reasons.  Skinny things run up hill faster than heavy things and I have a race coming up in 40 days.

Pre workout and post workout meals: None because that's how my day was.
Breakfast: Coffee, chia seed pudding with coconut milk and berries on top.
Lunch: Chicken, salted avocado, few slices of salami, bell pepper, grapes.
Supper: Steak, sweet potato, green beans.
Snacks: None.  Because, again, that's how my day was.
Exercise:  Ran 6 miles between breakfast and lunch.  Lifted weights after lunch.
Shopping: All the food for supper becuase my Pooky Bear and Qat Lady were coming over.
Cooking:  Lunches for the week are made on Monday.  Today's only real cooking was supper.
Thoughts: There are a couple things I don't care about as much this time.  Like using butter instead of ghee or cream in my coffee when I'm out and can't get coconut milk.  And gum.  No one will take my gum.

All the posts are coming. This is just a warm up.

Thanks to HRG for the survey. 

Favorite place you’ve traveled to?  South Africa.  Hands down.

Worst pain you’ve ever experienced? I remember a couple migraines I'd rather not.

Who was the last person you took a picture with? According to my computer, it was these selfies with the Dungeon Master. (I'm pretty sure that's going to be her blog name.)

If you could talk to ANYONE right now, who would it be? I want to call Mom and Dad and tell them I had a nice day.

Ever had stitches? Yes

Nail polish… yay or nay? No. Because when I do it, it looks like a five year old did it.  Sigh.

If you could have any career, what would it be? I actually really like the career I've got right now. Again, I am lucky.

Does pineapple belong on pizza? I hate pizza in general. Therefore I am unqualified to answer this question.

You have the remote; what channel? Right now it's between BBC America, HGTV, and catching up on The Voice.

If you were an animal… what would you be? Everyone thinks I'd be a bat.

Did you grow up in the city or country? I'm a city girl all the way.  It makes me nervous to park on people's grass.  I will walk around the house to get to the front door versus knocking on a back or side door.  Because I'm a city girl.

Are you taller than your mom? No, and this has always made me a little sad.

When was the last time you cried? Mercifully, I can't remember.

What percentage of the time are you listening to something while you work out? 
Outside running - about 10% of my workouts.  
Inside if I'm running more than a mile, or on the elliptical - 100% of the time.  
Inside if I'm only lifting - about 10% of my workouts.    
There was a time I couldn't make my body move without music.

Loony Challenge 2 Weeks To Go

Weekly Miles Planned: No more than 30
Actual: 27+


Long Run Miles Planned: 10
Actual: 8.4 miles on Sunday. I know I can go the distance, these runs are just about fitness, so I'm not worried this run was a bit short.

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout
Actual: 8.4 miles in the morning.  Not all at MAF, but most of it was. Sunday modified Kettlebell workout because a) my knee still hurts so no lunges, b) I slept on my arm funny so no windmills.  I added double bell squats instead.  Foam roller at the end of the night.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF
Actual: 7.2 miles, 13:53/mile, 136HR.  This was a really solid, very low HR run.  In the rain.  When I woke up and looked at the radar I was all "maybe I can squeeze this in... I'll wear clothes that can get wet just in case"  And it was raining before the first mile.  No downpours, just light rain all the time.  (Before the run and After the run radar images)

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: Tuesday weight lifting routine first at 5:45am, running 4.5 miles after lifting weights.  That first downhill after heavy squats was really fun.


Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run, maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning. No Zumba though I did consider it.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.16 miles in the morning, 13:20/mile, Avg HR 138.  Lift weights and a brief turn on the spin bike in the afternoon.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.  It was already like 80* and too hot for anything else.

Sunday Not So Long Run

Plan: Totally didn't have one.  I woke up around 9am and went to the Farmer Market.  And had all of the thoughts:

• I was sick yesterday, do a shorter run today and swap mileage for later in the week.
• Then after the farmer market: It's still cool out, just go run, do your 4 mile for Tuesday
• Then: Oh no, Tuesday I have friends after work and an 8:30am meeting.  I don't want to do a long run that early in the morning.
• Then: Maybe you can do 6 today.
• Then: Maybe 7? Lake Nokomis? 
• Then: I'm at the point in training where I don't have to go 10 because I'm not worried about being able to go that far, now it's just keeping up the fitness... 
• By the time I was actually running, I decided I could do 8 no problem without food or water and I was basically right.

Route: This was also largely undecided when I headed out, but wound up being along Minnehaha Creek almost the whole way.  I had to cross paths with the Minneapolis Bike Tour twice which was fine. Ask me about the up hill at the end.

Weather: Low 50s when I started, high 50s or 60 when I wrapped up. A bit of wind from the west which felt good.

Wardrobe: Reflective shorts, short sleeve shirt, pink Altra shoes

Execution: I turned off my beeping watch around mile 4 because it was pissing me off.  This was mostly at MAF, and a solid run.  This was also a music assisted run.  I decided if I was going to run with music on race day, I should practice which ear buds etc at least once before hand.

Nutrition: I had a hard boiled egg before the run, carried no food and no water.  Lovely cup of coffee after the run was heaven.

Bonus: I bumped into a girl I went to social work school with at Lake Hiawatha.  We're neighbors apparently.

2017 Loony Challenge 3 Weeks to Go

Weekly Miles Planned: 34ish.  This should be the longest and hardest week of training. 
Actual: 34 miles running, 3+ miles of walking.

Long Run Miles Planned:10-12
Actual: 10.83 miles on Sunday Morning

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout
Actual: 10.83 miles on my new favorite route for now.  Part of the Sunday Kettlebell workout, though I left out some of the leg exercise because, duh! Three mile bonus walk with Olive, ending at the Sculpture Garden.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF
Actual: 9.21 miles on the Minnetonka LRT Trail.  I had straight up been dreaming about this trail and it was just time to go back.  It's a good thing I went today because road construction teaches me it'll be difficult to get back out there any time soon.  This was mostly at MAF for 70% of the run, and then a fast finish.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.16 miles in the morning, 13:27/mile, avg HR 138.  Stretching after the run.  Tuesday weight lifting after work.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run, maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.2 miles in the morning and then working like mad all day.  No Zumba.  Just, no.

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.15 miles or so. I had a user error with my watch because I found Running Neighbor in the middle of my run and went from MAF to "try and keep up".  Thursday weight lifting.  Including I did 3 sets of pull ups at 65lbs assistance for the first time ever.  And I dead lifted the big bar with 100lbs of weight and didn't die.  But I'm not ready to go up in weight yet.

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 mile run in the morning before work

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Maybe Zumba? 
Actual: 3.25 miles on the Greenway.  Half hour of Zumba before returning to lay on the couch at home.

Long Run Sunday - Fun Run!

Plan: Running should be fun.  This should be fun.  Have fun.  PS - don't look at the watch.  Warm up, run at least 10 miles, cool down.

Route: This is my "thank god the roads are all open again" route from last year.  (Maybe I should really name it that?)  Ironically one side of Franklin Ave bridge was in fact closed to pedestrians, so I had to use the north side today, but it was early enough that crossing the streets was no big deal.

Weather: Low 60s and humid.  There was no wind to start but it kicked up out of the southeast around mile 4 or 5.  That was fine with me.

Wardrobe: NikePro shorts, reflective shirt, visor, compression socks and Green Silence shoes.  I'm realizing now exactly how many races I've run in these shoes.  They are getting to the end of their mileage.

Execution: This was a really solid run.  There was a moment where I realized that I was going harder than I normally go, but I wasn't hurting.  And I hung onto that feeling as much as I could in the run.   Hard but not hurting.  I can keep going at this pace. I practiced 'belly breathing' up the hills, and I did run up all the hills including the Sabo bridge at the end. I also practiced what I'm going to say to myself on race day while I'm climbing.  'Pick up your knees' because that seems to be what gives me the best form up the hill.

Nutrition: Little bit of a failure on this one.  I had half an avocado, salted, before I left the house. I know now that this will not be my race day food.  Because it felt like I had rocks in my stomach 'till about mile 4.  No, um, distress.  It just didn't feel good.  I had a couple bites or Larabar and a couple sips of water along the way, but not much.

Bonus: Like last time, I'm writing all this before I've seen my paces and other stats for the run, so I'm feeling good.  I'll go look in a second, so I can pull some screen shots in for pictures on this blog.  For 'hard but not too hard' this looks good and I'll take it.
#2 - I'm about 40 pages into Mind Gym and was trying to apply some of the principles he talks about to this run.  Mostly focusing on the positive and what I want to do versus all the stuff that could go wrong.
#3 - I had a brief lifting session after this run, not my full 'Sunday' workout by any means.  I decided I'd just do the arm stuff plus single leg deadlifts for balance.  And then I had a nice stretch.

2017 Loony Challenge 4 Weeks to Go - Training had to fall apart some time

Weekly Miles Planned: 34 Miles
Actual: 34+ miles running, 2+ miles walking

Long Run Miles Planned: 12 Miles
Actual:  11.67 miles on Monday. 

Sunday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF, Sunday Kettlebell Workout
Actual: 1 mile run, attempt to lift weights and stop after two exercises; walk two miles with a friend (she needs a name too, I think).   I have to go back and look, but I'm pretty sure this crap I feel is biological. Will be great if I feel like this on race day.  Hopefully adrenaline kicks in or something because this is not excellent.

Monday Planned: 6-10 Miles at MAF
Actual: 11.67 miles, definitely not at MAF, though more of it at MAF than I'd have guessed. I have considered and looked at calendars and medication and made a small tweak to my timing and cycle that I'm hopeful will make race day suck quite a bit less.  We shall see.

Tuesday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 8.26 miles, Avg Hr 136.  This was slow still, but much better than yesterday's crap fest.  Tuesday weight lifting.

Wednesday Planned: 1 Mile Run, maybe Zumba?
Actual: 4.65 miles along the Rum River. 14:42/mile, Avg HR 140bpm.  I can't tell if I like that or not.  (Sunday's run was Wednesday miles, Monday was for Sunday, Tuesday was for Monday.  So now I'm all caught up I think.)

Thursday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Lift Weights
Actual: 4.4 miles, with some intervals but on purpose.  Thursday weight lifting. 

Friday Planned: 1 Mile Run
Actual: 1.2 miles run after work in the sunshine.  I tested out a new pair of shorts.  Apparently mens M shorts fit okay, but I have woman sized hips.

Saturday Planned: 4-6 Miles at MAF, Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 3.25 miles on the Greenway.  I saw several of you out running your 20 milers for the marathon.  Congratulations!  40 minutes of Zumba.  Yes, totally surprised I got up in time.