Running Again!

I am proud to report that today was my 3^rd day in a row to get a run in! Saturday I did 1mile on the treadmill, Sunday 2miles on the treadmill and Today I got out and did 3 miles at Araha Beach w/ Nola in the stroller! It was tough though…mentally and physically. After not running for 3 weeks my mind was playing tricks on me! I hate that feeling – you know – like running is torture! I know I love to run but today I was just wishing that feeling would have taken over so I could have enjoyed the nice weather a bit more. I was running without my Garmin but I took my stopwatch. I assumed I was running about an 11 min/mile pace and ran for a total of 33 minutes.

Oh well, it was still a beautiful sunny day and Nola got to cruise along the beach munching on her pretzels while I killed myself! It’s good to be back out there regardless of the mental anguish I might be feeling. Tomorrow I will Cross Train w. Jeanne at the gym and Wednesday will be a rest day for me. I’m still aiming for running the Functional Fitness 5K this weekend – should be doable since it isn’t a straight through run. I still need to line up a babysitter for Nola or someone to at least go with and watch her in her stroller while I run… Any takers?!

I’m looking forward to trying some new RW recipes, making my Commissary list now!

The ones I am thinking of include a mashed potatoes recipe from an article written by Liz Applegate on the hidden benefits in potatoes! There is even a potato pancake recipe! Liz writes, “Some runners dismiss the lowly potato as little more than a fattening carb source, but the truth is taters are full of key nutrients that boost performance, trim waistlines, and even help ward off cancer.” (Pg. 36)

Then to quench my always-nagging sweet tooth there is a Mocha-Cinnamon Pudding recipe from contributor Pam Anderson (not the Baywatch one).  “With fewer than 200 calories, it provides protein, calcium, and cinnamon antioxidants that protect against diabetes and heart disease.” (Pg. 38)

Thirdly there is a yummy sounding salad dressing recipe that uses frozen blackberries from Mathew Kadey who wrote an article about how frozen fruits and veggies are still nutritious as long as you don’t boil them – and he gives lots of different recipes as examples.  He says the key is to “choose frozen products w/out sweeteners or sauces, which add fat, sugar, and sodium. Avoid bags w/ large icy chunks, which indicate they’ve been thawed and been refrozen. (Pg. 32)

Living here in Okinawa I have found some great uses for frozen fruits and veggies – mainly b/c the produce on base is pretty yuky and the produce out in town is…well…foreign! There are some veggies that I have come to love that are native to Japanland but for the most part they are confusing and not always very good. Every once in a while Shane and I will select a random fruit or veggie and give it a try…sometimes we cut it open and still have no idea what it is or what to do with it. We bought what we thought was an over sized grape once but it had a huge pit in it and wasn’t worth all the work to eat it. Another time I bought what I thought was a squash, got home, cut it open only to find the inside more like a pumpkin. So we pitted it and baked it in the oven…the slices got really watery in the oven and it never really cooked. We still aren’t sure what that was. Recipes here are tricky for all those reason too. The commissary isn’t like your standard grocery store; they only have a few kinds of each item and sometimes have none of some of the most basic cooking essentials. I could go on about this forever but won’t bore you!

More February Inspirations:

Did you know that there is a North Pole Marathon? It is technically run on water that is actually 6-12feet of ice over the Arctic Ocean… Woah! That just might have to go on my bucket list!

 

Virtual Active – DVD’s that simulate running at over 200 locations around the world. These are paired with music and sounds of nature. You wanna know how this awesome videos are made? No joke, by a guy with a video camera attached to a harness on his chest and running all these locations. Google Virtual Active or YouTube it – these videos are smooth and amazing. If I had to do my entire running routine on a treadmill I would totally invest in these videos. In the future the founder of Virtual Active is hoping to get Elite Athletes to run w/ him and give pep talks or info while you train.

More scientific proof that running keeps you healthy (pg43)

Look Ahead – People who run more than 35 miles a week are 54% less likely to suffer age-related vision loss than those who cover 10 miles a week.

Build Bone – Running strengthens bones better than other aerobic activities. A researcher at the University of Missouri compared the bone density of runners and cyclists. 63% of cyclists had low density in their spine or hips; only 19% of runners did.

Sleep Tight – Insomniacs fell asleep in 17 minutes on days they ran, compared to 38 minutes on days they didn’t. They also slept for an extra hour on days they exercised. – I can completely attest to the benefits of running on my sleep. After I got over the initial phase of sleep deprivation and Nola was sleeping through the night – I wasn’t. I hadn’t gotten into a good workout routine yet and there were nights that I would just toss and turn and lay awake for hours. Once I started running regularly again I was out within minutes of my head hitting the pillow – I was exhausted from my workouts and I still sleep great because of my workout routine.

I am very excited to show you my Latest Electronic Running Gadget Ordered: Timex Ironman Triathlon! 

Total miles ran this week = 3.75

Total miles to date = 61.66

Weigh In = 134lbs