Dog poop for dinner

 

Alternate title “Will run for nuts.” — I wonder which one would have gotten more attention?

Dinner 

I didn’t actually have dog poop for dinner, but I did make a bowl that looked a heck of lot like shat.

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banana, cocoa, honey, salt, coconut, almonds, chocolate…um yummmmmm

I blame PaleOMG and my friend’s reply to my facebook post earlier today.

 

Enablers–gotta love ‘em! Unfortunately my avocado was not ripe so I just improvised…resourceful, no? I’m just going to admit it–I probably should have had meat and veggies for dinner, especially since I’d already had a nanner this afternoon, but I hate the word should…and what’s done is done! Note to self: don’t eat pudding for dinner on a regular basis if you intend to be a healthy living blogger ;) ! Second note to self: do whatever you want.

Afternoon

Besides laundry (which of course is still ongoing–I swear I draw it out because I love it so darn much ;) !), this afternoon I took care of some facebook creeping emails and chores before I met Angela for a reunion/trail run on the trails I hiked with my pals yesterday. At running speed, the ups and downs were a bit more challenging but we took a pretty leisurely pace (thank god Angela’s on her 2 off weeks and is just moving her body for fun right now!) and I was loving being outside in the fall sunshine. We ran for about 50 minutes and I’m estimating that it was about 8km but that might be overshooting it…at any rate, it was challenging, especially after this morning’s squats! :)

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After the run, I went to the first meeting for Triathlon Club. Since I’ll be running a cycle session for them every Friday morning, I had to introduce myself. I think showing up smelling extra stinky and without thinking about what to say gave them an accurate impression of who I am…and I can’t remember how I introduced myself but I know I promised them a weekly dose of Britney in their playlist.

After the meeting, I had a good chit chat with a friend I haven’t seen much of yet this year before I finally made it home to the shower and my pudding ;) . …now here I am in a chocolatey induced state of relaxation, with some mood lighting thanks to a candle, and with an episode of the Balanced Bites podcast playing in the background. My goals for the night: type my goals, read a section of my crossfit manual, and sleep. Lofty, I know!

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sexy

Do you ever eat dessert for dinner?
Have you ever made an avocado pudding?

It’s about time

Nah, I’m not talking about my race time from tonight’s Go the Distance race, but I do feel pretty content with my 41:36 8km time. I also feel good knowing that the money raised from the event went to such a good cause. I saw quite a few familiar faces at the race, including one friend who raised over $1000 for Hope’s Garden. AMAZING! She ROCKS.

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They sent home the age group winners (2nd and 3rd too) with gift cards for Runner’s Choice (a running store here in London) so I have $10 to buy…something. Suggestions? I felt pretty sick during the race. My stomach is off and I found the chest cold I thought was pretty much gone. Things were clicking and snapping and hurting so you better believe I have a date with my foam roller and I think I need to rededicate not just to doing those awesome strength workouts I’m so fired up about (I started a box of WODs and ripped out routines from magazines and posted a teaser about bootcamp on Facebook today) but also to stretching, foam rolling, wearing my compression socks, and doing the little muscle work that I know is important for injury prevention. Promise!

I’m not sure what was up with my stomach. Nerves? I found myself nibbling all kinds of things this afternoon–I’m definitely one of those stress eaters. I did a pretty good job of fuelling today though, I’d say. I went to yoga this morning. I blogged. I sort of cleaned. My mom came for a quick visit and ran some errands and read some magazines with me (I’m a sucker for this month’s fitness mags since they’ve all got Olympic specials in them!). I sat around. :)

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Now I am so glad to be done for the day. I’m pooped and my stomach feels off! Must be a combination of a busy week, weird eats, the race, and everything catching up to me but I just want to foam roll and face plant into bed. Laundry can wait. Dishes can wait. Sleep is essential! I just had some chocolate (dark–bring on those antioxidants) so cravings are satisfied. I am thinking cough syrup and bedtime are in order. Not going to get sucked into Facebook, into another Jillian Michaels podcast (I think I’ve heard 5 today–catching up on old ones!), or into reading blogs (sorry guys). I am hoping to go home for a bike ride in the morning tomorrow and then come back for some fun with friends in London tomorrow. Somewhere in the next 4 days I’ve got a lot of studying to do…gonna worry about that later! :) I’m preoccupied with how excited I am for finishing the tasks on my summer bucket list, having time to read non-school things at my leisure, for the opening of the outdoor pool (sweet one piece tan, let’s go), and for starting bootcamp<–especially this, but I guess if you’re going to be distracted it might as well be distracted by awesome.

How do you unwind after a long week?
Have you ever raced an 8k? What’d you think of the distance? - For me, I prefer 10k because it’s a bit more comfortable. Or maybe just familiar and I wasn’t sure how hard to push, or maybe it was the cold, or maybe I’m over thinking this! I had a good run and I was on the edge of my comfort zone and those kinds of workouts are important so I’m going to call it all a success. :D
What are you doing this weekend?

  

Checking in


Pennsylvania has been good to me. Sunshine, quality time, shopping, a run…

I started the day off with a bowl of Kashi and Fibre 1 with a banana and soy milk (just like home).

Then my mom and I headed for a bit of shopping/errands! While we were out, we naturally ended up at Target, so we had snacks in the Starbucks there. I chose a greek yogurt with honey and then added a bit of my mom’s coffee cake crumble to make it delicious.

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I also played the crane game :) … and won!

Sorry for the tummy shot!

When we got home I was ravenous so I whipped up a turkey sandwich. Best part of this bad boy = spicy mustard and american cheese. This is home sweet home!

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Here’s my haul: a fedora, anklets, a bunch of headbands that were 10 for 10 at Claire’s, pyjamas (the wild zebra shorts — I don’t believe in boring PJs), and that flannel shirt that screams lumberjack for the low low price of $1.99!

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After lunch, I headed for a run along the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail. My description is scenic but flat :)  It was uber hot and I felt really slow. Partway through my trek back, I turned my iPod off (there were so many birds to listen to and farms to look at, I figured I’d better enjoy it if I wasn’t distracted by my latest obsession (thanks Angela)!)

and I noticed my knee was clicking. It wasn’t bugging me, but that was a bit weird. When I got back to my car, I wasn’t feeling too hot. I went to the washroom and stretched/did some abs/pushups under the trees, and headed home. My foot started to hurt when I got out of the car, which blows. I’ll just whine: I don’t want to be injured! I already dealt with a yucky one this year and am just starting to trust my body again–this is scary! That being said, I’m not stupid. Ice, stretch, rest, etc. etc.

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And just because I like to share everything about myself, I’ll add in that while I was on my run today (mile 5 I think), my Aunt Flo came for a visit. Love her–it’s been five long years. But seriously. I must be relaxed! Might be thanks to the chocolate I devoured in the last 24 hours. I think all that remains in my treat bag is yogurt pretzels, nuts, papaya, and pretzels!

Anyways, besides chocolate, I’ve been seeing a lot of pretty countryside and a buttload of COWS!

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I had a normal snack–peanut butter and an apple–when I got home. The afternoon went quick and some thunderstorms just rolled in along with an epic dinner (we collaborated on this one — me veggies and a salad, mom meatballs and pasta, uncle bob bread <— omg bread)!

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Consider me carbed up and ready to go for a bike ride tomorrow. I am really nervous about the traffic around here–does anyone have tips for how to find SAFE routes? I know Map My Ride might help…I bookmarked a page with some suggestions. I also found some maps from a nearby town that I might check out tonight! I’m planning on going late morning/early afternoon tomorrow (provided the weather is cooperating) so the traffic shouldn’t be awful. :)

So far, so good!

How’s your week?

 

Maybe awesome

Random awesome…

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…I love love love magnolias. In March they’re an even awesome-er sight. It’s cold today but still, Spring is near!

This post is going to be random, and maybe awesome, too.

If you’re worried and want to read something certifiably—not maybe—awesome, check out this

  • an excerpt from Marion Nestle’s book that comes out next week (Why Calories Count)–>takeaway:

“Despite widespread concerns about the health and economic consequences of obesity on the one hand and undernutrition on the other, correcting calorie imbalances presents social and economic challenges that few countries are prepared to meet. Calories, therefore, affect societies in ways that are political as well as personal.

Calories, of course, derive from food. But calories are a convenient way to say a great deal about food, nutrition, and health. For this reason, and because calories are so poorly understood, we thought it would be useful to research and write about calories in all of their dimensions — personal, scientific, and political. And because we are both consummate “foodies” who derive enormous pleasure from eating, we liked the idea of using calories as a way to think about these aspects of food.

Let’s be clear from the beginning: This is not a diet book with a breakthrough scheme for losing weight and keeping it off. Instead, we try to provide an appreciation for what you are up against if you want to control your body weight in today’s “toxic,” obesity-promoting — or as we like to call it, “eat more” — food marketing environment [2]. We intend this book to give you the information you need to interpret food labels, diet claims, and your own reactions to this food environment. Knowledge, we argue, is not enough to counter the biological urge to eat or the subtleties of food marketing. But it is a powerful first step in developing weight-management strategies that work for your particular body, lifestyle, and food preferences.”

  • my latest article on Runners Feed about the benefits of going meatless…10 benefits. get on this. I expect to see plenty of clicks for this bad boy…

Anddddd, onto the recap.

Sometimes I feel like I’m swimming in yogurt. After last night’s post spin snack and this morning’s pre swim repeat (yogurt with a sprinkling of oats), I realized there was more yogurt in my (blurry) chocolate overnight oats, which I added a nanner to!

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Breakfast was awesome today because I got to have it with my friends at Weldon. We are getting excited for our road trip to Kingston this weekend for a triathlon at Queens. I am doing a relay with a friend (a speedy runner who I hope I can do justice in the pool and on the bike).

Now I’m plugging away at the Gazette. I just ate my lunch (spinach/artichoke hummus sandwich and a spinach salad with sprouts and sundried tomatoes) and am thinking about all the work I want to get done before bootcamp tonight!

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Monday’s munchies…

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This post is wildly disorganized.

Swim yesterday was good, my day was busy (though not with my essay, I did get my bike in for a tune up, replaced my broken spring jacket, and taught spin/did a 15 minute run without pain). My hip hurt after the fact and I iced it and got up for swim this morning even though I REALLLLLLY wanted to sleep in! We were supposed to have a staff meeting today so I had a short swim, but when I heard it wasn’t on, I finished up with some more swim (mostly pull) and did 2700m when all was said and done!

I’m pooped.

I’m frustrated that my hip’s not getting better. I finally have that appointment for my bone scan, though I’m wondering if I shouldn’t have an ultrasound instead? I am also going to a new physio on Thursday. This is getting ridiculous. 12 weeks! No answer!

My brain is like this post: in 1209102901 different places. This is not good!

I’ll be back, and hopefully my head will be screwed on the right way soon!

The good and the bad turned good

Good:

  • This weekend is beautiful and sunny, and the forecast looks toasty for the next few days (albeit rainy).
  • I rode my bike for an hour today outside and it was AWESOME…I had to eat the wind for half of it, but I was FLYING the other half! I had Garmin issues…but whatever. Being out there was BLISS! And my hip felt GOOD. Thank god I’m a cyclist.
  • The Nutrition Rx performance eating seminar was AWESOME yesterday and I’ve got lots of ideas and motivation to make nutrition a healthy part of my training. Choosing my eats today was fun — looking for balance, watching portion size, and making sure I’m choosing foods that will fuel me and make me feel good that also taste delicious.
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  • Kin formal was fun! Nina was a perfect date and her friends were oh so nice too. So many pretty dresses…
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The bad…or I have to reframe this to make it good
  • I have a lot of work to do –> I have a lot of things I GET to do. Writing articles about “fit vs. fat”, writing a term paper about whatever the heck I want to (I’ve chosen “The Biggest Loser” and if you care to read one of my first blog posts ever from like 3 blogs ago where I talked about the show and my thoughts on it back then, go for it), working on our Culture Issue for the Gazette, which is going to be so cool because there are such freaking creative people at this paper that it literally BLOWS MY MIND!, etc.
  • I wish I could be running in this sunshine –> But did I mention how ecstatic my bike ride made me? How awesome it is that my hip isn’t killing me any more? That I feel like I’m going to get to run in the near-ish future, albeit for a little bit? Cuz that’s kind of awesome, and I am not willing to beat myself up for only being allowed to go for a little bit, I GET TO GO! That’s what’s going to be cool!
  • I had meat yesterday. I hummed and ha-ed and even had a big plate of pasta, with a bun, and salad at formal to fill up on. I still wanted meat — I’m sure Nina and Mel, who I even texted about this, were ready to smack me — so I just went for it. And you know what? It tasted good, but not THAT good. I am still confused. But I didn’t feel awesome this morning when I woke up or even when I got home last night. I’m not blaming it on the piece of chicken. But it did come with a lot of thinking…and I guess that means I still have lots to do about this whole vegetarian thing.SO –> I’m giving myself credit for having the balls to think about the implications of the food I choose or don’t choose to eat. This is the first time I’ve considered things outside of “Will this make me fat?” for so long, so I feel like this is a huge healthy step for me if I can remember to choose food based on what sits well with my conscience, what fuels my training, and what still tastes good. I refuse to feel like I “gave in” because I chose to eat it and because I’m not all or nothing about this. One chicken breast over the course of weeks versus a club pack every week is certainly killing less chickens, doing less environmental damage, etc. and for that I’m giving myself serious props! This is all a process…


….I also ate like a normal person. Maybe overate a bit, but when I realized this morning that I had dessert and basically an extra portion of dinner last night, came home, and didn’t even go into the kitchen (in the past an old habit was to continue to eat when I got home from social events, usually picking, sometimes bingeing)…that’s huge! The dessert selection was vast. I enjoyed the chocolate chip cookie the most, so I ate it and just sampled the others. Not as good as homemade, but pretty darn good…

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  • This year is almost over and that makes me sad. So many of my friends are leaving for the summer or for good. Whahhhh. –> But I have made lots of strong friendships and I know now I’ve got people to visit all over the place. There are plenty of awesome people staying in London and I know I’ll only make more friends training and in summer school! Life is full of possibilities.

Andddd, smile! I’m off to get some GROCERIES. Yum. And enjoy the sun. Yay.

What did you do this weekend?
How do you turn things positive? Turn that frown upside down!
What would you choose–cookies, cake, brownies, or all three?

Halfway already?

Sometimes vacations take a bit to get going…

that’s not the case with this visit!

Texas has been fun:

  • relaxing

look at my cool shoes and the ocean, but then check out that white van cuz the po po came a few minutes later and broke up whatever was going down...eeek!

UNO brings out the competitive side of me -- in a relaxing way of course ;)

  • eating good food — and indulging a bit

stocked the pantry with ezekiel cereal -- change the fruit, toss in yogurt or almond milk, always add an almond butter spoon!

this is just a fraction of the french bread and butter (with honey and vanilla mixed in) i indulged in last night!

if this isn't balance, i don't know what would be!

  •  family bonding

my sister and I at the aquarium, goofing around


I’m a really good golfer, I swear!
  •  recovering: My injury blows (that’s all there is to it)–and it’s been almost 7 weeks since my hip started hurting. I’m ready to get back to real training, with my half ironman about 22 weeks off (which makes it seem like less of something to worry about when I think about it that way)…but at least I’m spending a week NOT running with a group of people I love and with things to do. Sure, it’s warm here and that’s frustrating because I would love to be riding a bike or running and it’s a bit intimidating to be eating intuitively without being able to exercise intuitively/train, but  I’m up to the challenge! I had my moment yesterday when I was feeling totally defeated, but I tried to foam roll til I felt better.

Today I’m going for a swim before we go golfing! I hope I got my groove back after that practice round the other day — at any rate, it’s nice to get outside and to give the mosquitos lunch in the fresh air! Tomorrow’s a spa day, Friday’s shopping, and Saturday it’s back to the motherland! I am missing my friends but really enjoying this break from real life.

That’s what vacation’s all about!

What’s your fav way to relax on vacation?
Do you golf? Any tips?
If you’re on reading week, how’s it going?