Runner Girl?

I love your comments!  I missed you all too! I am more than excited to answer questions.  It makes me feel important lol.   April asked about my daily diet moderation.  Well, I began counting calories way back in high school to lose about 10 vanity pounds.  I counted off and on for the next seven years.  After my daughter was born I didn’t count calories but I made sure that my daily food intake was mostly fruits, veggies, lean protein and complex carbs.  After all, I was breastfeeding my tiny little girl.   Everything I ate went straight  to her tummy.  I was also working out about 5 days a week.  The baby weight was slowly slipping away. …and then, it stopped.  I knew that I had to be sure to get enough calories to keep nourishing my baby while I became healthier and stronger.  So I began counting again to drop the rest of that weight.  Unfortunately, calorie counting just becomes second nature after a while.  I don’t count everything now but I am aware of about how many calories I eat.  More importantly, I make sure that I get at least five servings of fruit and veggies each day.  Meeting my daily protein requirement is also a goal of mine.  I never really have trouble with either of those though   Calorie counting can be very helpful for some people to maintain or lose weight.  I don’t feel that I need to count everyday though.  I love intuitive eating and listening to my body.  It’s so helpful to me in my quest to become stronger and faster

Onto festivities!

The day we arrived back from Illinois, I was off to spend some of my Christmas money on my very first pair of real running shoes!  Holla!

I had originally planned to go to a local running spot.  But, due to a minor Snuffy Meltdown, I endedd up at Fleet Feet.  I was assisted by a fantastic runner named Shannon.  She brought out many many many boxes of shoes and let me run outside and on the dreadmill. 

We Established That:

1.  I do not over-pronate or under-pronate

2. I have a “straight stride”.

3.  My feet have normal arches and width.

While I was there, I talked to the Sales Associate about cold weather running.  I don’t really like  to run on the treadmill but I also don’t love freezing my bum off either.  So, I picked up some cold weather gear eventually.  Ahem *Project Snow*

 

 

I got the ear warmers, saucany top and some brooks pants.  The top and pants are thick and lined which makes them super warm and comfy.  The face warmer in the pic is Mallards but I have been using it for cold runs.  It eliminates the feeling of breathing in ice. 

I have been contemplating the purchase of a Garmin or Polar for a long time.  I just can’t justify spending so much on either of them when I am still such a new runner and only about 1/3 of my runs will be outside during the next 2 months.   I discussed it with Shannon the amazing Fleet Feet associate and winter runner and  she suggested this lil lovely.

It was cold hence the goosebumps.

Anyway, this was much less expensive at just below $60.  It keeps pace, time and counts calories. 

Plus I can wear it as my watch.

I was so excited that I ran the very next morning at 7:30 am in 20 degree weather.  It wasn’t so bad with my new warm clothes.  In fact, running outside in the freezing weather really made me feel like a runner.

Even though I’m still rockin’ the ipod from 2005

 

Don’t be jealous

Some days are just too cold to bear though.  Is there some kind of rule of thumb regarding how cold is too cold to run outdoors?  Today I ran at the community center on a dreadmill.  I used to work out during the middle of my day which meant I arrived  and departed wearing make-up.  However, since I have been on break, I have been working out in the morning…sans make-up.  I wasn’t going to share this pic but then I thought of Caitlin and Operation Beautiful.  I can’t find the post.  But, I remember her posting about a day she went to work sans makeup during the summer. So, I figured I could show you my un-made-up face.

This was after an AWESOME run indoors.  Of course I was not wearing the hoodie while I ran.   But, I did come home STARVING.

Enter Salad Beast

Not so pretty but incredibly delicious.

It was topped with this

I love this stuff!

The ingredients were recognizable and the nutritionals were nice too

However, the steamable veggie bag did burst during cooking…

You know when you hear something pop in the microwave and you don’t really want to know what you’ll find?

It wasn’t near as bad as I had anticipated, thank goodness.

I have also made more kale chips in the Old School Dehydrator

It gets the job done.

I have had a massive chip craving lately.  I also have an abundance of sweet potatoes. 

So…

The plan is to slice it up and dehydrate it.   I’ll probably use a lil EVOO and Sea Salt.

I thought I had a lot more recipes archived for the dehydrator…anyone have recipes that utilize the dehydrator?

 Also… I told you that Mallard got me a Sony HandyCam for Christmas…

I tried to download a video onto my laptop and I keep getting a message on the screen saying that my drive is full…but it’s not

Anyone have a Sony HandyCam and knwo how to put the video on a laptop?

I want to VLOG so badly!

I wanted to do a New Year’s Eve VLOG but I couldn’t get it to download to the laptop…

It was just Snuffy and I since Mallard was still out of town for work..

That brings us to GOALS FOR 2010

* Run a half marathon…or at least be able to run 13.1 miles.  I would like to do this by September but no pressure.  Oh, who am I kidding, I love pressure! I am officially addicted to running! There is a half in Cincinnati the first week of May but with school thrown in the mix I’m not sure that I have enough time to train.  The course is full of hills.   I just really want to increase my endurance and I think running a half will bring a huge sense of accomplishment!

*Have more dinners as a family.  Our schedules are insane and they will probably continue to be.  But, I think it’s very important for children to have family meals.  I know that once a week is not always feasible but we will do our very best!

*More dates with Mallard!  He will love this one.  We had a blasty just shopping for Christmas gifts together so more dates are definitly a plus.

* Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep each and every night.  I feel so much better when I get sleep and in order to accomplish my running goals I need to give my body adequate rest. 

*Fewer trips to Starbizzle   It’s just a lil out of control.  I have done really well with this one already though.

*Less artificial sweetener!  Some people drink (alcohol) when they are stressed.  I tend to consume processed junk made of artificial sweeteners           I need to kick this habit!

*Continue my education in a nursing program with a definite graduation date.  I haven’t blogged about this too much. But, I am still waiting to get into the nursing program at Xavier.  Most nursing programs have a waiting list.  I am just getting tired of waiting.  I will have three years of clinicals once I get in which means Snuffy will be in first grade by the time I finish!  If I am going to bust my bum to get great grades while working, I want to have a concrete graduation date.  So, I am looking into other programs.  By that I mean that I have taken entrance exams at two different nursing schools.  I’m just waiting to hear back from financial aid.  The financial aid package is the deciding factor.  After all, I’m a baby mama yo!