work perspective

We talk in work sometimes about how working in this field changes your perspective on... everything.

Case and point: I'm watching this wonderful episode of Fixer Upper.  It's a renovation of the home of a former service member and his spouse.  The show indicates that they are now retired and one or both people are poor health.  I think the show should've made a bigger deal of widening the doorways, and the ADA bathroom. That would've been good for people to see and understand.

Instead, what can I see?

• Steps on the front porch?  Build a ramp.  (In fairness, this is a ramp out the back.)
• Putting laundry in the garage?  Do they have to go down even one step to get to the machine?  Because that would be silly.  (The show didn't address this either way, but it was the first thought I had.)
• A leather recliner?  No!!!  People slide out of those and wind up on the ground.  It happens more than you'd think.

This is how I see the world now.  Barriers to access and fall risks.

Sunday Long Run: That was not the mileage I had planned

Plan: Nice and easy, enjoy the run.

Route: Along the creek, around Lake Harriet and back along 40th street.  So I'd run this before and imagined it was a 9.85 mile route.  Turns out it's an 8.85 mile route, so I did some running around the block at the end, to get to the mileage I wanted.

Weather: Started in the low 50s and warmed up a bit as I was running.  Light winds out of the north.  It was a gorgeous day.  I actually picked this route becuase I thought it would help me enjoy the weather the most.

Wardrobe: Shorts, shirt, sunglasses. Pink Altras.  I should've worn a tank instead of a shirt, it was that warm.

Execution: I was a little blah the first couple of miles, because of some non-running related reasons.  But mostly I kept this light and easy and had a blast.  Running around the block at the end was a little ridiculous but that was also my fault for not reading numbers right.

Nutrition: I carried water but only had a couple of sips.  I had a bite of my Larabar almost every mile.

Bonus: Did I mention it's time to taper?

Flying Pig: 3 Weeks To Go

Last big long run is this week, and then it will be time to taper! 

Sunday
Planned:Second longest run, lift weights
Actual: 7 miles run, avg HR 142 not including w/u and c/d. 30 minutes kettlebells at the gym.  There's no class today because Easter so I did what I'm now calling my solo kettlebell workout.  It's high windmills, lunges with KB in each hand (suitcase lunges?), swings, high pulls, and triple crush.  Then whatever minutes there are 'till 30 I use for abs.  Today it was some planking and oblique situps for a couple minutes.


Monday
Planned: Long run
Actual: 14.36 miles.  This is planned as the longest run of this cycle.  This is also hill day for the week.  The hay is in the barn. And welcome back bacon! Bonus evening walk with My Pooky Bear and Qat Lady.


Tuesday
Planned: Speed work, Lift weights
Actual: 1.4 miles on the treadmill, 40 mins elliptical.  30 mins lifting weights.  I was shredded from yesterday, but this turned into a solid workout anyways.


Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.21 miles run outside, in the morning, before the rain.  Friends over for dinner so no Zumba.


Thursday
Planned: Tempo run (148-160bpm), Lift weights
Actual: 1.25 miles on the treadmill, lift weights.  It was too windy and I was too grumpy to run outside.  I wasn't feeling the treadmill or the elliptical either, so I gave it up.  I did lift weights.


Friday:
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 4.3 miles run around Lake Nokomis. Bonus walk with a friend to see the owls.


Saturday
Planned: Speed work , maybe Zumba?
Actual: 5.16 miles easy (apparently I'm totally over speed work).  No Zumba because I slept in and wanted to run along the creek, not the Greenway.

Long Run Monday: Along the River

Plan: Longest run of the training cycle.  Keep it nice and easy.  Enjoy the scenery.  Be back in time to watch Boston.

Route: This is a new route for me.  I headed up the Hiawatha Bike Trail into downtown, then south along the river, back west along the creek, by Lake Hiawatha and then home.  There were a lot of streets to cross in the first five miles (I'm so spoiled by the Lakes).  I even got stopped by a train (light rail). 

 Weather: Low 40s, not much humidity, winds around 10mph out of the N or NW.   All I could think was "Here I am on the Hiawatha Bike Trail with the wind blowing straight in my face.  Again."  But it was nice to have wind at my back for some of the later miles.

Wardrobe: shorts, shirt, compression socks, visor, Pink Altras.  I also wore my reflective arm sleeves.  (It was dark when I left so I needed some reflection but I didn't want a vest for the whole run.)  I wound up being glad I had my sleeves because it was cool and windy.  I kept them on all the way through downtown.

Execution: This was a great run.  I kept my heart rate low until the end when I stopped caring. The miles just ticked away.  The mighty hill up to Franklin was hard but not impossible.  Overall, I had a blast.

Nutrition: I had two hard boiled eggs before the run.  I'm thinking this is also what I'll do on race day since it's how I've been training.  But it's far fewer pre-run calories than I've done in years past.  During the run, I had a bite of my Larabar every mile, and a sip of water whenever I wanted. 

Bonus: I got up to do this run at the crack of dawn so I could be home in time to see Boston Marathon.  Desi is off the pack, but Jordan is still with the main ladies. Update: Jordan finished 3rd and Desi somehow came back and finished fourth.  I love Boston.
Second bonus: This is how Garmin draws the elevation changes compared to Strava.  That hill felt a little more like the way Strava drew it.

Whole30 Wrap Up

Day 28 thoughts:
Still two more days of this nonsense?
I'm surprised that I really kept up with my dishes during this whole thing.
I'm surprised that I didn't eat out once (so far).  And surprised that I have (for now) kicked the Caribou habit.
I'm surprised I had dinner most nights
This taught me to plan ahead for dinners.
I look at some of the stuff in the freezer I'd been taking for lunch and think "that was not enough meat, no wonder I was always so hungry".  Lesson learned: protein.
I have happy hour plans Tuesday and that will be the day I 'break the fast' so to speak.  But Monday I get my bacon back.

Day 29 Thoughts:
Still making the chia seed pudding. I guess I should hard boil some eggs too, so I can keep this up for a while.
Seriously, I'm so glad I left that facebook group.  That was not helpful.
Just had to look at the drink menu and fine a 'gluten free' alcohol drink that I could try for Happy Hour on Tuesday.  I'm not even going to bother with food there.  Holy cow.

Day 30 Thoughts:
My Pooky Bear went to some extra effort to include Qat Lady and I in her Easter Dinner which was really gool.
In general, it's been touching to have a few different friends try to cook for me while I'm on this wacky plan.

Day 31:
You know the first thing I did was get out my bacon.
The second thing I did was get on the scale.  I'm down about 10lbs.  I want to see if I can keep the scale going down into the Flying Pig. 

Short term goals:
No bread, crackers, or noodles in the house until after Flying Pig.
No alcohol consumed at home until at least after the beach.  (Family vacation.)
Stay away from Caribou?  I can't believe I'm saying that because for like the first 3 weeks, dairy testing day was going to be Caribou, and then strawberry milkshakes.
Keep eating Larabars on runs.
Keep doing my dishes regularly.  It sounds ridiculous but this was a really big deal.
Do test Keffir and add that back into the rotation.
Do test legumes and add that back into the rotation.
Have a vegetarian meal every once in a while.

Long term goals:
No bread, crackers, or noodles in the house until after the 10 Miler.  I'm trying to see this way of eating as part of my training cycle.
No alcohol consumed in the house until after the 10 Miler?  It helps that I have my short term no alcohol goal set to way after the Flying Pig is over.
No lattes from Caribou until after the 10 Miler?  If that happens it would be a miracle.

Whole30 Day 30

Pre workout and post workout meals: Pre workout, a hard boiled egg.  Post run was breakfast. Post weights I had a Larabar.
Breakfast: This is the first time I've ever cracked a bad egg.  It did not look okay.  Eggs, hashbrowns and pancetta.
Lunch: My Pooky Bear made Easter Dinner
Supper: Mango salad with steak
Snacks: None really
Exercise:7 mile run, lift weights
Shopping: Run through the co-op
Cooking: Only the above
Thoughts: Real bacon tomorrow.  And maybe gum. And bacon!
I'm also thinking about unpacking all the stuff I put up at the beginning of this challenge and seeing what's in there. And then seeing how much of it I really want.

Whole30 Day 29

Pre workout and post workout meals: Pre workout, I had some crunchy seaweed and a hand full of macadamia nuts.  Post workout was regular breakfast. 
Breakfast: Bowl of mango, avocado, proscuitto, and brisket.
Lunch: Fried plantains, my first try at coconut shrimp
Supper: I tried this cauliflower rice contraption with some pork belly on top.  I have a feeling I will be going back to the kitchen shortly for an egg or some smoked fish.  Also, a whole head of cauliflower was waaay too much for this recipe.
Snacks: None
Exercise: 4 miles tempo, half a zumba class
Shopping: None
Cooking: Pork belly in the toaster oven.
Thoughts: I'm no longer a fan of taking pictures of my food and putting them on Facebook.
I can't believe it took me 'till day 29 to try the "cauliflower as rice" fad.  My take - the cauliflower has a lot of moisture in it.  I couldn't figure out how to get it all in the nut milk bag.  

Whole30 Day 28

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with lots of fruit. 
Lunch: Chicken, sweet potato, pea pods.  This was not enough food.
Supper: Hamburger with a fried egg on top, pancetta, and hashbrowns.
Snacks: In the morning driving from far away back to town couple pieces of smoked fish. In the afternoon after my too small lunch, bowl of berries and macadamia nuts.
Exercise: 1.21 miles run
Shopping: I went to Costco.  Because I am a heathen, I forgot it's Good Friday.  And all of the people were Easter shopping.  On the plus side, I found a new back way home from Costco.  The normal expressway route is going to be under massive construction this summer.
Cooking:  Only the above unless I get off my butt and make hard boiled eggs.
Thoughts: I'm sad I didn't start eating macadamia nuts sooner because they were good.
Actually kind of excited to have Cashew butter again.  (The cashews are fine, but they were cooked in peanut oil, so they were prohibited.)

Whole30 Day 27

Pre workout and post workout meals: Nothing pre, post run I had a Larabar

Breakfast: Eggs, potatoes, pancetta

Lunch: Roll ups of avocado, turkey, proscuitto

Supper: Scrambled eggs, pancetta, sweet potato.  This was a small meal.

Snacks: None

Exercise: Ran 7.6 miles around Medicine Lake.  Lift weights

Shopping: None

Cooking: There is left over sweet potato that I did not eat.

Thoughts: While running, I did not poop my pants, but that was a miracle. This makes two runs this week where I've had digestive distress.  I have no idea what my problem was today.  Best guess is it involves the mango I had for dinner last night.
3 more days of no gum.
My dream now is to sit and watch Boston Marathon eating bacon and eggs.  Real bacon, not this paleo bull shit. 

Whole30 Day 26

Pre workout and post workout meals: Nothing before, Larabar after.
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with bananas, berries.  Coffee with coconut milk
Lunch: Briskett, pea pods, bell pepper, apples
Supper: Mango salad with steak
Snacks: None other than the Larabar
Exercise: Run 1.25 miles on the treadmill, Kettlebells
Shopping: Stopped at Seward for a re-supply
Cooking: Only the above
Thoughts: I want my gum back.  And I get bacon back on Monday.
I've been feeling a bit low lately and thinking maybe I didn't eat enough this week?  Not sure.

Whole30 Day 25

Pre workout and post workout meals: A few hazelnuts pre run.  Coconut Cream Pie Larabar post run. 
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with full pulp Almond milk.  I think this is where I made the mistake for the day.
Lunch: Chicken curry that I'd made Qat Lady and My Pooky Bear last week.
Supper: Honest to goodness, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night.  Oh man.
Snacks: None
Exercise: 6.35 miles run, lifted weights.  I got massively, um, sick.  Found a biff on the run, and then also got sick again while lifting weights.  I'm blaming the full pulp almond milk.  (I made the Almond Milk but left the Almond meal bits in there.) 
Shopping: None
Cooking: Only what's above
Thoughts: Coconut Cream Pie Larabars are my jam.
I miss gum. Monday.  Monday I will have my gum.  And my regular bacon.  Not at the same time. 

Whole30 Day 24

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Eggs, sweet potato, sauteed mushrooms
Lunch: fried plantains, smoked fish (separately)
Supper: My pooky bear made fish tacos sans tacos and fried plantains.  I forgot she was making them or I would've had something else for lunch.
Snacks: None
Exercise: Run 1.23 miles outside.  That is not what was on the schedule
Shopping: None
Cooking: Chicken thighs in the crock pot so now I have meat for lunches for forever.
Thoughts: I organized my freezer so I can see veggies, potatoes and meats.  I need to make more sweet potatoes.  I don't think I have any left.

Whole30 Day 23

Pre workout and post workout meals:Pre workout I had 2 hard boiled eggs, Larabar during the workout, and post workout was breakfast.
Breakfast: Mango, plantains, avocado with shrimp.  It was 11am.  It's like brunch.
Lunch: Mushrooms and pea pods sauteed with chicken chorizo sausage (meh)
Supper: Hamburger with pancetta, avocado and fried egg.  Potatoes on the side.
Snacks: Smoothie of banana, homemade almond milk, strawberries and blackberries.  And prosciutto afterwards.  Because I eat that like it's candy now.
Exercise: 14 mile run in the morning. 
Shopping: None
Cooking: Only above
Thoughts:Are we there yet?

Whole30 Day 22

Pre workout and post workout meals: Hard boiled egg before running/zumba.  Coconut Larabar after.  The coconut is my new favorite flavor.
Breakfast: Well, this may really go down as lunch... The first meal of my day was pulled pork crisped in a pan with mango, avocado, and cilantro.
Lunch: I did have lunch, left over hash browns, 2 eggs, and a little pancetta
Supper: Brisket (see below) with saute bell peppers and potatoes
Snacks: None
Exercise: Run 1 mile outside, Zumba, bonus walk with a friend in the evening
Shopping: I went to Seward and made friends with the butcher.  She is on day 7 of Whole30.  She helped me pick out some sausages that are compliant, and also told me to try Brisket which is not something I've made before.
Cooking: Brisket sitting in the crockpot as I write this.
Thoughts: Make friends with your butchers and other people at the store. It will help.
Coconut Larabars are my new jam.  

Whole30 Day 21

Pre workout and post workout meals: None

Breakfast: Eggs, a bit of sausage and small amount of pork belly, sweet potatoes

Lunch: Roll of turkey, prosciutto and avocado, pea pods, apples.

Supper: Olive cooked me an awesome meal of pork steak, brussel sprouts and baked apple

Snacks: Banana/cashew/cashew milk smoothie in the afternoon because lunch was not enough

Exercise: Short run in the morning, bonus walk in the evening with Olive

Shopping: None

Cooking: Only what's above

Thoughts: The lunch roll ups were awesome, but I needed one or two more becuase I was hungry this afternoon.
I loved having someone else cook me dinner.
More than a week to go, but not much more than a week!
Lentils!  I miss lentils.  Because sometime I want to have a meal with no meat.
Olive said "why test it if you won't eat it anyway?" And that's how I feel about soy.  I'll eat soy, but it was never a massive part of my diet.  So, meh.

Whole30 Day 20

Pre workout and post workout meals: Pre workout nothing because it was after lunch.  Post workout I had a larabar.
Breakfast: Eggs, pancetta, sweet potatoes and a little bit of sausage.
Lunch: Same as always. 
Supper: Mango, avocado salad with a skirt steak on top. 
Snacks:
Exercise:
Shopping:
Cooking:
Thoughts: Mango avocado salad is now my favorite thing ever.  Yeah Mango season.
I am so bored with lunch, and I am making something else tomorrow.
I want my bacon back.
I can't believe I have 10 more days of this.  What have I done? 
Except I want it to keep going too?  I am so confused.

Whole30 Day 19

Pre workout and post workout meals:Nothing pre-workout since it was after lunch.  Post workout I had a seaweed snack pack.  Not sure if that was really "post workout" or "emergency snack" but whatever.

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with bananas and berries.  Hard boiled egg.

Lunch: Like most of my packed lunches, hard boiled egg, chicken, apple, plum, veggies.

Supper: Hamburger with a friend egg and pancetta on top.  Side of hash browns.  Greens also with pancetta.

Snacks: Again, maybe the seaweed snack pack goes here.

Exercise: Run 1.25 miles on the treadmill.  It was an "easy" day.

Shopping: None

Cooking: Juiced 5lbs of limes (thanks Costco)

Thoughts: I want my bacon back. I miss it hard.  I finally told Qat Lady to pick me up a pound of bacon at the farmer's market when she goes.  Because that's where I am with life.
Also considering how to keep this all up after the first 30 days. That's a whole different mystery.
I've done the 'no alcohol at home' thing before, and for sure I'd like to keep that up 'till I go to the beach, maybe longer.
Is there some food I can put back into my diet (lentils and keffir which I also miss hard) and keep up the 'healthy' thing.
What will I do when I go out to restaurants.  I am so confused.

Whole30 Day 18

Pre workout and post workout meals:Pre-workout I had a hard boiled egg.  Nothing post workout.  Because I hate food.

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with lots of fruit, hard boiled egg, couple pieces of smoked fish.

Lunch: Like last week, chicken, cut up veggies, two plums. 

Supper: Salad of shrimp, prosciutto, pancetta, mango, and avocado.  I wanted to eat all of the prosciutto straight out of the container, but I held myself back.

Snacks: None. 

Exercise: Run 4.3 miles, lift weights.

Shopping: None

Cooking: What's mentioned above and chia seed pudding for breakfast tomorrow.

Thoughts: I hate eggs.  I hate meat.  I want something different.
I want salt. I really just want bacon. Is that odd?
I am digging on the smoked fish though.  That was a good choice. 

Whole30 Day 17

Pre workout and post workout meals: 2 hard boiled eggs pre-run.  Post-run I had turkey and prosciutto roll ups and 2 apples.
Breakfast: My "breakfast" took place at 1pm, becuase that's how long run days work.  I had a Spanish omlette of potatoes, mushrooms, red bell pepper and a little pancetta.
Lunch: Chia seed pudding with coconut milk and topped with all of the berries.
Supper: Crockpot chicken curry
Snacks: None
Exercise: 12.51 miles run in the morning. 
Shopping: Costco after the run, to pick up more fruits and veggies.  And La Croix.  I would not survive Whole30 without my fizzy water.
Cooking: Only the above.
Thoughts:Ugh.

Whole 30 Day 16

Pre workout and post workout meals: I had a hard boiled egg before my run.

Breakfast: Mix of sausage and pancetta, avocado, potatoes and two eggs over it all

Lunch: Left over fish (yes, I am a person who eats left over fish now) and sweet potatoes.

Supper: Steak, fried plantains, and mango salsa.  It was very poor presentation but tasted awesome.

Snacks: None really.

Exercise: Morning run, 6.25 miles.  In the evening I tried to have TRX/Kettlebell class but the teacher was sick so I did my own 30 mins kettlebell workout.

Shopping: I stopped at the co-op because I wanted more mangoes for mango salsa.  Apparently I'm in a mango mood.

Cooking: Only what's above.

Thoughts: I never wanted a diet pepsi this whole time, until last night Olive asked me how I was doing without it.  And now I'm having dreams of diet pop.  Sigh.

Whole30 Day 15

Pre workout and post workout meals:Nothing pre run.  Post run was breakfast

Breakfast: 'Spanish omlette' of sausage, potatoes, green pepper, and eggs.

Lunch: Tilapia fried in ghee, breaded with almond flour.  I made a 'salsa' of mango, avocado, garlic, onion and cilantro.  I should've added lime juice to the salsa.  I am so full I may never eat again.

Supper: A bowl of strawberries and blueberries with some coconut milk, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Because I was still full from lunch.

Snacks: I did not have popcorn at Rogue One.  Go me.

Exercise: Running in the morning

Shopping: None surprisingly.

Cooking: Roasted a bunch more potatoes. Made chia seed pudding for either tomorrow or Monday.

Thoughts: Meals are always effed up on Saturdays from me sleeping in so late. Breakfast was almost at noon and lunch was at 3:30pm.  I am full.

Whole30 Day 14

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.  I didn't work hard enough.
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with tons of berries.  I love all of the fruit
Lunch: Same as every other day this week.  I wonder what I could try differently next week?
Supper: Tilapia crusted in almond flour and fried in ghee, sweet potatoes, green beans.
Snacks: Smoothie of bananas, almond milk and coconut in the middle of the afternoon becuase I was hungry after lunch.
Exercise: 1 mile run outside.  4 mile walk with a friend before dinner.  (If i hadn't had the smoothie, I would've eaten my arm off.)
Shopping: Went to the co op for fish and other staples.
Cooking: What's mentioned above, plus I oven baked and froze a bunch more sweet potatoes.  I need to do regular potatoes tomorrow.
Thoughts: I left the Whole30 Facebook group.  All of it is people telling you you're doing Whole30 wrong.
I found the part in the book that describes the 'stages of whole30' and that is actually pretty hilarious.
I'm trying to study ahead for 're-entry'.
And yes, I miss ice cream hard.  That's not something I crave at any other time, so I don't know why I want it so bad right now.

Whole30 Day 13

Pre workout and post workout meals: A few hazelnuts pre run.  I got a bad hazelnut in the bunch and that was not fun.  Larabar post workout.

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with bananas and berries

Lunch: Apples, chicken, cut up veggies, hard boiled egg

Supper: Hamburger (no bun) with a fried egg on top and some smoked fish, side of potatoes and sweet potatoes.  Because I am hungry and that workout was hard.

Snacks: Only the pre/post workout meals

Exercise: 6 mile tempo run, lift weights. 

Shopping: None.

Cooking: None.  I barely got dinner cooked.

Thoughts: So, I tried a heavier than normal deadlift at the gym, and I did it fine without hurting myself, but I got that lightheaded/sick feeling after.  Maybe I should learn to breathe better?
I'm at the point where I've said no thank you to a dinner invitation because it was at a restaurant and I knew there's no way a Mexican restaurant has any Whole30 compliant food I want to eat.
The thing that strikes me most is how many of these 13 nights I've gone to bed with the dishes legit done.  Who am I? 

Whole30 Day 12

Pre workout and post workout meals: I was hungry around 5pm, so I had seaweed, a hard boiled egg and a banana.  This is technically pre-Zumba so it counts as a pre-workout meal.

Breakfast:Eggs, sweet potatoes and the last of that lousy paleo bacon.  That was not my thing.  Coffee with coconut milk.

Lunch: Chicken, veggies and apples.  This was not a big enough lunch.  I should've had some nuts or a hard boiled egg too.

Supper: Kale with pancetta, side of potatoes.

Snacks: Just the pre-Zumba snack

Exercise: Morning run, evening Zumba with friends.

Shopping: None

Cooking: Chia seed pudding for tomorrow, nothing else.

Thoughts: Coffee with coconut milk is totally legit.
I have several friends on 'diets' right now.  Qat Lady and another person are doing Whole30.  Another friend is doing a cleanse.  And Olive is a Whole30 survivor who I think has kept up most of the habits well.
I joined the "Whole 30 - this is my first time" group (unrelated, the cursor stopped showing up on Blogger for no reason, I am very confused).  The comments section on this group is EVERYTHING.  I mean, don't read it and take anything anyone says seriously.  But the discussions are hilarious.  Where is my cursor?!?!

Whole30 Day 11

Pre workout and post workout meals:Nothing pre-run.  Nothing special pre-weights because it was after lunch.  Post weights I had a cup of coffee and a Larabar.  We'll see if the coffee was a good idea.  I'll let you know at 3am.

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with tons of fruit. Chia seed pudding with coconut milk is absolutely legit.

Lunch: Pulled pork (which was really good), cut up veggies, apple, nuts.

Supper: 'Salad' of fried plantains, mango, cilantro, onion, and smoked salmon

Snacks: Hard boiled egg and an apple in the morning between visits.  The pink lady apples are the best things ever.

Exercise: Morning: Speed workout (running).  Afternoon: Weight lifting.

Shopping: None.

Cooking: Really none.

Thoughts: It's amazing how much I'd built 'snacking' into my  day.  Like, "I'll do this workout and then have a latte" or, "oh a visit cancelled, I should run by Caribou".  I'm realizing that now that I can't do it.  I'm wondering how I'll keep up the "can't do it" after this 30 days.

Whole30 Day 10

Pre workout and post workout meals: Nothing pre-run.  Post-run meal got mixed in with breakfast.

Breakfast: Half a piece of fish that was left over from Friday, full mango, banana, hard boiled egg

Lunch: 'Spanish omlette' of pancetta, zuccini, left over hash browns and 4 eggs.  Because I was told I could have as many eggs as could fit in my hand.

Supper: Mangoes, fried plantains and shrimp breaded in almond meal.  Apparently I'm loving the tropical fruits right now.

Snacks: None really.

Exercise: 4.15 miles, nice and easy run.

Shopping: Target for dish soap and a new scrubbie (because I now do all of the dishes), and Lakewinds to see if they had different bacon options.

Cooking: Pressure Cooker Carnitas. Chicken thighs in coconut milk and mustard.  Chia seed pudding for breakfast tomorrow.  Cut up veggies for lunches for the whole week.  Hard boiled eggs.  Almond milk.  Let's talk dishes for a minute...

Thoughts: I am craving Ice Cream.  I'm sure being on my period is not helping.  Driving by the now open Dairy Queen also didn't do much to ease the situation.
I am eternally thankful for my InstantPot.  Because so many of my meals have been cooked in it for this adventure.
I can't imagine doing whole30 if you didn't look to cook.  Or eat left overs. 
What I'm re-learning about myself if I love big lunches and small suppers.
Also, I'm loving the cooking oils/fats I've been using on this diet.  I should've been using ghee a long time ago. 

Whole30 Day 9

Pre workout and post workout meals: I had a hard boiled egg before going to the gym. After the gym I had a 'smoothie' of cashew milk, banana, almond butter, and a bit of coconut milk.
Breakfast: Potatoes, pancetta, eggs and avocado in a hash.  Before I lounged on the couch all day.

Lunch: Grapefruit, mango.  And a 'salad' of smoked fish, avocado, capers and onions. It was actually really good.

Supper: Hash browns, burger with avocado on top, green beans.

Snacks: Only the pre/post workout food

Exercise: Run 3.25 miles and I did not feel good, walk .5 miles on the track with a friend, and then TRX/Kettlebell class.

Shopping: None

Cooking: Only what's mentioned above.

Thoughts: I think the grainless breakfast porridge is not so good for the digestion.  When I've had it, I've had, um, emergencies on both runs the day after.  Honestly, I'm having other biological factors right now that could also be impacting my digestion, so I may give it one more try at a different time of the month.
I came out to Mom about Whole30.  She was less judgey than I expected.
Unrelated to Whole30, I'm re-watching Orphan Black.  I am Cosima if you're interested.

Whole30 Day 8

Pre workout and post workout meals: I had a pack of seaweed before the run.  I had an extra big breakfast after.

Breakfast: Sausage, a strip of bacon, eggs, sweet potatoes.

Lunch: Grain free breakfast porridge with bananas and blueberries. 

Supper: Spur of the moment decision, The Qat Lady (who is also doing the Whole30) cooked me soup, bacon, eggs, potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Snacks: really none, except I'm having a fizzy water before bed.

Exercise: Easy 4 mile run.

Shopping: None

Cooking:Only breakfast and lunch.

Thoughts: I have been on the couch all day with no socks.  No socks!!  This never happens because my feet are the coldest part of my body.  I'm not clear if this is related to Whole30 or something else.  But, no socks!!
All the commercials on TV are for food with sugar.  Except Folgers commercials, but the sugar in the coffee is implied in those.

Whole30 Day 7

Pre workout and post workout meals: None.

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with almond milk (it was actually just as good as cashew milk) and berries.  I should've had a banana with this one.

Lunch: Not like yesterday, I had a chicken leg, left over hash browns from last night, cut up veggies, cauliflower salad and an apple or two.

Dinner: Tilapia with mango salsa, kale, and sweet potatoes. Two friends came over for supper.

Snacks: I had a hard boiled egg in the morning, when I was missing that banana with breakfast, and I had nuts and berries in the afternoon because dinner was really late.

Exercise: 1 mile run outside.  It's a short workout.  No snacks or pre/post meals required.

Shopping: The co op for fish for tonight's meal.

Cooking: Only the meals mentioned above.

Thoughts: 1 week down.  I feel like I should celebrate.
Planning is the key to EVERYTHING.
This program seems like it's geared for people who like to cook; people who are willing to cook ahead; and people who don't mind eating leftovers.
I mentioned I realized how much I'd been snacking.  Now I'm realizing how much other people do it to.  One of the people who came over tonight brought her own additional food (which is just a weird thing she's always done) and had a cup of yogurt at 9pm.  There's probably a time I would've snacked that late, but it didn't seem appealing to me at all tonight.

Whole30 Day 6

Pre workout and post workout meals: Roasted seaweed pre-workout, and hazelnuts and a bowl of berries post workout.
Breakfast: Hash with eggs, potatoes, and maybe piece of avocado.  I was at home for breakfast so I made the most of it.
Lunch: Same as yesterday, chicken, applies, veggies.
Dinner: I made my first hamburger at home.  Ever!  I had a piece of avocado and smoked fish on top.  I also made myself way too many hash browns and the biggest salad ever (which I did not finish). 
Snacks: Just the pre/post workout food.
Exercise: After work, I ran and then lifted weights.  I cut my run down from a tempo to an 'easy' run and cut the mileage for 6 to 4.  Because Whole30 is basically going okay, but let's not go nuts yet.
Shopping: None.  I'm amazed to say.
Cooking: More cashew milk, and hard boiled eggs.  Can you believe I made it 6 days with no hard boiled eggs?
Thoughts: Chia seed pudding is really good with Cashew milk.  I had one last serving of almond milk in my fridge, so tomorrow I'm trying Chia seed pudding sans cocoa powder with almond milk.
This was my first night actually not finishing dinner.  Hello stomach!  Thanks for letting me know what "full" feels like.  Hello brain!  Thanks for reminding me I can actually stop!

Whole30 Day 5

Pre workout and post workout meals: Well, this is the confusing part.  I had two different workouts, one after lunch and a second almost workout after dinner.  Stay with me here...

Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with tons of fruit on top.  Still an excellent choice.

Lunch: Similar to yesterday.  Chicken, two apples, cut up veggies, and a few raisins. 

Dinner: A sort of Spanish omelette of eggs, zucchini, potatoes, and smoked fish.

Snacks: After the run and weight lifting, I had a Larabar.  After Zumba and shopping, I had a bowl of blueberries, black berries and a few hazelnuts.

Exercise: In the afternoon, I had a 3 mile run and then lifted weights.  This makes up for yesterday's lack of doing anything.  After dinner, I went to Zumba but I only stayed about 20 minutes.  Pro tip: Zumba after weight lifting is not a good workout plan.

Shopping: I finally made it to Costco.  I couldn't handle the 15lb bag of potatoes but I found a 10lb bag of red potatoes that I could get behind.  Tons of berries.  And fizzy water.  I also bought ground beef and I am going to practice making hamburgers.

Cooking: Nothing other than dinner.  I didn't even make chia seed pudding for the morning because I have dreams of cooking eggs.

Thoughts:
I'm significantly less hungry than I'd imagined I'd be.
I'm realizing how many of my activities were around getting a snack or a meal at the end.  Like, I'll run to the gym, work out and then have a latte.  Or I'll work out with so and so and then grab dinner.
It's been amazing to hear other people's reactions to this Whole30 thing, particularly the messages people give themselves.  Like "I could never give that up..." or "I could never live without cheese" etc.
Also, I feel significantly better than yesterday.  

Whole 30 Day 4

Pre workout and post workout meals: None
Breakfast: Chia seed pudding with lots of fruit.  That was a surprising win.
Lunch: Mustard coconut milk chicken breast pieces, red bell pepper, roasted seaweed, hazelnuts and raisins.  I was feeling hanger before I ate, but lunch really filled me up.
Dinner: A bed of pan fried green beans, steak stir fry, and two fried eggs over it all.  Because I will put fried eggs on almost any form of beef.
Snacks: None yet, but we'll see if dinner has me filled up or if I need raisins or a banana.
Exercise: Ran 1.23 miles outside.
Shopping: Co-op, bought fruits and veggies for the rest of the week.
Cooking: Besides above, I made chia seed pudding ahead for tomorrow.  Nothing else.
Thoughts: My body is confused.  I didn't sleep well last night and my throat is kind of dry.  But my heart rates while running have been normal.  So maybe it's just that I did a long run in the cold? My body is sore from the long run so I skipped speed and weight lifting.  Or perhaps just moved it to tomorrow?
Also, I think I need to be more honest with myself about how regularly I can eat while at work. I had breakfast during my meeting, and then didn't have lunch 'till almost 1pm and I was pretty hungry.  Maybe I need a bigger breakfast.  Maybe a hard boiled egg too?  (Maybe I will wind up doing some cooking.) 

Whole30 Day 3

Pre workout and post workout meals: Pre workout was a spoonful of almond butter that did not go down well.  During the run was a Larabar.  Post run is a long story, but we'll say a smoothie of cashew milk, banana, blueberries, blackberries and coconut.

Breakfast: Sweet potatoes with eggs and pancetta.   It takes a long time for sweet potatoes to cook.

Lunch: Remember that smoothie that I listed as a post run meal.  It was my lunch too.  Because that's the way timing worked out today.

Dinner: Shrimp salad with avocado and homemade dressing.

Snacks: I introduced the Qat Lady to Costco roasted seaweed which is technically legal, though it is cooked in Canola oil  We also tried tinned oysters and I decided I won't be doing that again.

Exercise: 14 miles run, yoga after the run.  I am exhausted.

Shopping: None today, though I have a note that UPS delivered my macadamia nuts to the drop station.

Cooking: Other than above, I got wise and roasted some potatoes and sweet potatoes for the week.  I made myself some chia seed pudding for breakfast tomorrow. And I cooked a chicken breast and cut it into strips for a few different lunches.

Thoughts:  Mistakes were made here.  Not 'oh no, I have to start again at day 1' kind of mistakes.  I think I could've cooked more food ahead of time.  Especially potatoes and sweet potatoes. I had a hard time with the post run meal because I didn't have any pre-made carbs.  And I realistically have like one lunch packed for the week.
Also, the Qat Lady is on day 1 today.  And apparently was having a massive low blood sugar.  My Pooky Bear walked in and said "didn't you teach me that your brain runs on carbohydrates".  A sweet potato perked her right up. 

Whole30 Day 2

Breakfast: I tried the grain free breakfast porridge.  I did not have vanilla.  I did not use flax seeds, because no.   For nuts I used hazelnut and pecan and ground them up with the immersion blender.  I put blueberries on top.  It was yummy.

Lunch: Eggs, bacon and a mix of potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Dinner: Chicken legs cooked in the slow cooker and spinach salad.

Snacks: Today I learned that as an endurance athlete I should be having 'fourth meal' so I had breakfast porridge again.  It's late though so I don't want it all.  But I hate to was food.  I am so confused.
Update: I put the rest of it in the fridge.  I'm naming it an experiment to see if it keeps overnight and works well on day 2. 

Exercise: Late morning, I did a 6.5 mile hill run.  At 5pm I did TRX/Kettlebell class.

Shopping: None today.

Thoughts: I think my biggest fear is being hungry.  Also, I really need to start planning ahead better. OMG.  All the blogs I read talk about food too.

Cooking: Other than above, I made some breakfast porridge packs for the next few days.  Almond butter, to finish off a bag of almonds I had.  And set some cashews to soak so I can try cashew milk.
Update: Cashews only take 2 hours to soak so cashew milk is made.  It may be my favorite to make because no straining.

Whole30 Day 1

Breakfast: Pre-workout I had a banana and an apple.  For real breakfast I had Potatoes, pancetta, eggs.

Lunch: Chia seed pudding with berries, bananas, and hazelnuts

Snacks: Carrots and Almonds with Olive during a movie.

Dinner: Shrimp and avocados over spinach with homemade dressing.

Shopping: I spent a lot of money at the co-op and somehow left without my steak.  Pisser.
I did get Larabars for long runs.  Do I bring one?  Two?  How many?
Update: Found the steak.
I almost got to keep eating Beeler's bacon, but they list sugar as an ingredient.  Sigh.

Thoughts: There are a lot of food commercials on TV and on the internet.
My biggest fear is getting behind on the dishes.
I have no lunch plans for the week.  I should get on that.
Carbs!  What will I do for carbs.
I keep trying to clean up my kitchen, but cleaning up one thing just moves the mess somewhere else.  (This is a bigger re-organization, because I didn't like the way I was using some of the space.) Maybe by the time this is done my kitchen will be organized too. 

Whole 30 - PreThoughts

So, it's now Tuesday.  I've sort of committed to starting Whole 30 on Saturday.  We'll see if this works.  Below are some rambling thoughts I've had so far.

Gum!  Freaking gum isn't allowed.  I didn't know that 'till today, and honestly that may be more of a problem than the lattes or the alcohol.

Speaking of Lattes, holy crap do I think that will be hard to go without.

Breakfast - what am I going to do?  The Whole30 breakfast porridge actually looks pretty good so I want to give that a try.  Eggs and potatoes are my backup plan.

That makes me think of bacon.  And sulfites.  I think I can't have most of what's frozen right now.  But what about the pancetta I just bought.

OMG people.  The pancetta I have is nitrate free.  Breakfast is saved.

Alcohol - I'm going to be honest.  I think this one will be really hard.  But I'm sort of looking forward to it too.  It will be good to have some kind of limit and moderation on this at home.

Friends - I am planning on having friends over to eat a lot so I don't get lonely while I can't go out. Sigh  It's possible the Qat Lady is going to do this at the same time, but I'm not sure.

Canola Oil - praise heaven this is 'allowed' because that seaweed I buy from Costco is cooked in Canola oil.  That seaweed is one of my go to 'emergency snacks'

Long run food - will be Larabars.  I'll have to scope out which ones are allowed and pick out some nice ones.

Food adventures - I kind of want to turn this into a food adventure and try some of the new things that are allowed.  I'm thinking of this Oyster Salad either with no crackers or with Almond flour as a substitute.  What other food adventures could I have?

Gut - I'm actually kind of worried about all the ruffage and veggies, um, upsetting my stomach.  I had a rough run today and it gave me lots of time to think.  Sigh

Friday update: I have cleaned out the 'prohibited food' in my freezer, fridge, and cabinets.  There is some not allowed food that I am keeping, like my muesli.  And Vodka.  So I put that in my reusable shopping bags and tied them shut. In the freezer, I covered every not allowed thing that I'm keeping (tomato lentil soup, beef with veggies and brown rice, bacon) with a piece of white freezer paper.

I'm still going "what was I thinking?!?!?" but also sort of excited.  I've also found some other people who've done this already and found it useful in different ways, so it's already helped me connect to friends in some unexpected ways.

I'm dreaming of having all of these publish after the whole 30 is over, so I'm setting this for April 17. Fingers crossed! 

Flying Pig: 4 Weeks To Go

Sunday
Planned:Second longest run, lift weights
Actual: Long run, 14 miles.  I had to get this done early today because it's going to rain to beat the band for the next 36 hours.


Monday
Planned: Long run
Actual:1.23 miles outside and nothing else.  It was a fine day but kind of a poor mental health day.


Tuesday
Planned: Speed work, Lift weights
Actual: 6.35 miles easy.  Lift weights.  Apparently I'm over speed work. I had all of the, um, digestive issues on this run.  And then again for a while as I was lifting.  It was (not) awesome. 


Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.25 miles run on the treadmill.  Swing Kettlebells.  (This makes up for the Sunday weight lifting that I missed.)


Thursday
Planned: Tempo run (148-160bpm), Lift weights
Actual: 7.66 miles around Medicine Lake, Miles 3-7 were in Z3 but not quite a tempo.  I had some, um, digestive distress on this run.  Very similar to Tuesday's run where I also had major issues.


Friday:
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles outside in the morning.


Saturday
Planned: Speed work , maybe Zumba?
Actual: 4 miles tempo on the track.  This was a real tempo run.  I don't have accurate pacing information becuase my watch gets confused inside, but based on heart rate, it was a real tempo run.  I stayed for about half of Zumba.  I didn't have enough of a cool down after the run (really I didn't have any cool down) so I was beat.
Currently, I'm planning my long run for Monday so that I can wake up early, run, come back and watch Boston. 

Long Run Sunday: Before the Snow

Plan: Wake up early and run before it rains.  Keep the heart rate low.  This is a rare Sunday long run, because tomorrow it will be raining and snowing all of the day. Sadly I'm serious.  Normally now I've been lifting on Sunday, at a class.  We'll see if I make it today.

Route: Several lakes, the creek, and the Greenway.  I've done this run once before when I needed some extra distance. There were spots that were very lonely and some that were very very busy.  I think all of the training groups in the world were on the Greenway.  I'm guessing many of them were getting ready for Grandmas.

Weather: In the 50s and very humid, not much wind to speak of.  Sunset was pretty.  After that it was mostly cloudy, except a about 10 minutes when the sun poked through.  

Wardrobe: Shorts, tank, and the visor.  I also tested out the injinis in the Pink Altras.

Execution: This run went really really well. Apparently the Whole30 thing can do this for running.  I talked to someone yesterday who had a similar experience when she did Whole30 the first time. I tried to keep the heart rate low, but it crept up by the end.  I'm still really proud of this run.

Nutrition: 2 hard boiled eggs pre-run.  Larabar during the run.  I carried two bottles with me, and mostly finished off one during the run.

Bonus: True story about the Larabars.  The first one I tried was the Cashew Cookie flavor. They were okay and I proceeded with the running.  I tried a Coconut Cream Pie bar yesterday.  They are everything. And then I decided I'd keep eating the Cashew Cookie on runs and save the good bars for other times. 

Flying Pig: 5 Weeks to Go

Five weeks!  How did this happen.  I keep dreaming this race is a 10-miler and not a half marathon. 

Sunday
Planned:Second longest run, lift weights
Actual: 6.25 miles, avg HR 145. Weights was 30 mins kettlebells.  TRX/Kettlebell class was cancelled because the teacher was sick.


Monday
Planned: Long run
Actual: 12.51 miles at Elm Creek.  This is also hill day for the week.


Tuesday
Planned: Speed work, Lift weights
Actual: 4.3 miles easy.  Lift weights.


Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.25 miles on the treadmill.  (The gym has an attendance challenge this month.)  No zumba because I want dinner instead. It's a rest day right?


Thursday
Planned: Tempo run (148-160bpm), Lift weights
Actual: 6.01 miles, at a higher Z3 heart rate rate.  This was a great run.  Lift weights.  Went to spin for a few minutes to cool down.


Friday:
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.23 miles outside the morning.  Bonus 4 mile walk with Olive in the evening.


Saturday
Planned: Speed work , maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.11 miles run around Logan Park.  Zumba because it was my teachers ten year anniversary of teaching. Bonus walk around the Lake Hiawatha with a friend in the evening.

Long Run Monday - Elm Creek Park

Plan: Keep my heart rate low, but don't use the program/alarm on my watch.  Because if my heart rate does go too high, I will be miserable.  The plan was amended to run a fast final mile.  This run was on a paved trail and it also counts as my hill day this week. Because hills!

Route: The Elm Creek Outdoor Adventure Loop, which is apparently my name for it now.  It's a lollipop route.  The out is 4 miles, the candy section is just over 4 miles, and the back is 4 miles again. 

Weather: In the high 40s, super humid and light wind.  This is my most favorite running weather ever.  Though the pictures look a little dreary.

Wardrobe: Shorts, a shirt, visor, and Green Silence on my feet. 

Execution: This run went really well.  My heart rate stayed low.  Some of the hills were hard, but not as brutal as I expected.  Towards the end, I really wanted to be done, so I decided I'd do a fast final mile.  I wanted it in the 12s, and got it down to 12:04.  This goes down as a win.

Nutrition: This was another big win compared to my last long run. I had 2 hard boiled eggs about 45 minutes before the run.  Once I got going, I took a bite of my Larabar every mile.  In the first couple miles I was a little 'bleh!' to eat food, but by the end I was really glad I'd fueled consistently.  I had two bottles of water but only drank one during the run.  You know I downed the other one the second I got done.

Bonus: My post-run nutrition was on point too.  I had a roll up of turkey and prosciutto and then some apples.

Flying Pig 6 Weeks To Go: Step back week

Sunday
Planned: 1-5 miles run easy, lift weights
Actual: 3.25 miles run outside on the Greenway with a, um, stop in the middle.  TRX/Kettlebell class for weights.


Monday
Planned: 1-5 miles run, easy
Actual: 4.17 miles, ave HR 143 for the running portion.  I'm feeling much better than yesterday. Yoga at the end of the day.


Tuesday
Planned: Speed work, Lift weights
Actual: Speed work is w/u, 9x 1:00 hard, 1:30 rest, c/d.  This was a slower speed session especially the last 3, but I'd taken a week off with whole30 and didn't look at my watch at all during the run.  Also, something is up with my watch.  I'm fairly certain my heart rate was never 212 on this run. Lifted weights downtown in the middle of the day.



Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 1.21 miles outside in the morning.  Zumba with friends in the evening.


Thursday
Planned: Tempo run (148-160bpm), Lift weights
Actual: Running was w/u 1 mile, then mile splits of 12:44, 12:17, 11:15; 11:01, c/d 1 mile.  Lift weights at downtown gym.


Friday:
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles run outside.  Bonus walk around Lake Hiawatha to see the owls.


Saturday
Planned: Speed work , maybe Zumba?
Actual: Per usual, I totally slept through Zumba.  I did do the speed work out.  I may have to start putting that word in quotes.  Same as Tuesday.