After the run

It felt good...granted my right foot was acting up by the end (pain in the arch/ankle which then spreads to the shin/knee/thigh/hip...amazing how they are all joined together!) but this was the longest I have run since Vancouver in May!! Oops...how did THAT happen?! Maintained a good pace, although H-woman's Garmin and mine varied on the speed. We were both close for distance, but her garmin clocked her going faster, yet we ran side by side. Hmmmm...

There was a bit of that wind-storm that hit northern Alberta (just sad about the Big Valley Jamboree) down here in Calgary too last night. I do recall running around closing windows, when suddenly anything not tied down in my place was blowing about, but we really saw the effects on our run this morning. Many branches and such down on the ground, and there was a rather large tree to climb over on the pathway, but the biggest shock was the remnants of a HUGE tree that went down in one of the older neighbourhoods we run through. The Fire guys had already been there, based on the fact that most of the tree was cut up and removed from the road, but the poor truck that it landed on was still there! Or, should that be what was left of the poor truck...the trunk of this tree, still in the ground, had to be 3' around, and it broke a good 3' off the ground. And, very sadly, a 3 year old was killed by falling debris when the family was walking beside one of the many construction sites in town.

Returned from the run and had a little rest while I inhaled another litre of water, then decided that darn grass wasn't going to cut itself! Short of buying a goat, I guess I needed to get my butt out there. It really doesn't take long, especially now that I use the good old-fashioned type of reel mower, and I worked up more of a sweat, so it's all good.

Now I am enjoying a well deserved Green Monster (with almond milk, almond butter, protein powder, sprouted Chia Seeds, frozen banana, Mandarin orange slices and, of course, spinach!), some more water and then I think a wee lay down on the couch may be in order. After all, I am looking a tad disheveled!

Haven't decided what's for supper yet, but I did pick up baby potatoes, fresh peas, baby carrots, patty-pan squash, kohlrabi, basil, peppers (red, green and purple(?!)) and tomatoes at the farmer's market yesterday, so it'll be something fresh and chock full of veggies!

Later!

Resuming the Sunday morning runs

Melissa's is just over 6 weeks away! Ack!!!! So today, H-woman and I are running 11.25km (or 7 miles). It's been a while for me since I've run this long, so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes to get the "groove back".

Brekkie consists of an Ezekiel English muffin with almond butter and raspberry jam, and a serving of Liberte Orange Mango Mediterranean yogurt (it's dang good, but I wish I had looked at the fat grams BEFORE I purchased and tasted it!! Oops!!! 14 per serving...what was I thinking?), and a glass of chocolate moo.

Dinner last night was very good! I just received the latest edition of the Clean Eating magazine, and inside was a recipe for Thai Coconut Shrimp. Yum!! The sauce consisted of red peppers, tomatoes, Thai green curry, basil leaves, light coconut milk, onions, ginger and garlic. While that burbled (official cooking term...) away, I dipped the biggest shrimp I've found in ages in egg white (after tossing in S&P and some chai seeds - was supposed to be ground flax, but I had chai, so I used them) and then in shredded coconut. Arranged on my clay baking sheet and baked for about 15 minutes, or till the shrimp were cooked and the coconut golden. Served it all over a cup of brown and wild rice (I just add about a tbsp or more to the regular brown rice and cook it all together...great flavour and texture). I was a tad full, because I did cook more shrimp than I needed, but it's been awhile since I had them, so I indulged!

Okay...breakfast is now in me, water bottle and running gear ready, so I'm off to H-woman's. Run update later.

Man, I wish this would save your drafts for stupid times like crashes and idiots behind the keyboard (that'd be me!) who accidentally close the file!!! Argh!!!!!

After waking up from a great night's sleep (10+ hours), I caught up on some blogs, and then walked over to the local vets to get some chow for the furbabies, who were apparently starving to death. Grabbed myself a coffee (my usual 5-shot latte, but over ice instead of extra hot...it's already +27 out there!), and came home to plan the day. Breakfast included an Ezekiel muffin spread with almond butter, fresh raspberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum!

Last night's Boot Camp was awesome...painful and exhausting, but awesome! Still trying to recover from Thursday's extra leg workout (ALL legs, as a matter of fact), so our run up Douglas Fir was a little slow and stiff, until I could get the kinks worked out. Some of the people in the group were doing their fit test, as it was the last night of this session, so there were only 4 of us doing the run. I finally got to the top (when did it get steeper and longer?!) and managed to push out a couple of sprints up the final staircase. Back to the group, and massive upper body work. Shoulders and back are definitely feeling it today.

Came home, wanting a burger for supper. No meat thawed, so I walked over to Safeway to pick up the fixins'. Dilemma...how does one have a cheddar bacon burger without running the risk of having leftover cheddar and bacon in the house?! Answer - visit the Safeway meat counter, where they sell Cheddar Bacon burger patties! Shredded cheese and bacon already mixed in...it was perfect, and exactly what I wanted. Fresh and ready to throw on the grill. Grabbed a whole wheat kaiser, some pickle slices and sweet potato fries, and called it dinner. The burger grilled up beautifully (the shredded cheese made an awesome crispy crust on the outside), and was exactly what I was craving. Used the Epicure Sweet & Spicy Mustard as the only topping (besides pickles)....YUMMY. That mustard is sooooooo good...I've already gone through 3 jars since we introduced it in June (and that's me personally, not just for party samples). Do try it if you can, but act fast...it's seasonal and will be off sale as of the end of August. Back to dinner...add a wee Guinness, and I was a happy girl!

So, now what to do today? I need to cut the grass, clean the building (which I will do tomorrow, since it's supposed to be cooler), laundry, change the litter, clean the kitchen, do the dishes, the list goes on...ah, life as a single gal in the big city. The good times never stop!!!

Have a great day, and enjoy your long weekend (if you are celebrating one, that is!).

Whole Grain goodness

Tried the Brown Rice Lentil cakes with Cilantro cream (for this week's challenge), as listed in the July/August Clean Eating magazine. It was really good, and quite simple to make.

Also had an avocado (with peppers, carrots & romaine) salad on the side, but I didn't have any black beans to add to it. Next time, I'll use the cilantro cream (yogurt, cilantro, lime juice) for the salad, and the salad dressing (yogurt, avocado, lime zest & juice, Dijon, honey and cilantro) for the cakes. I found the first a little runny, although tasty, and second was too thick for salad. More like a mayo by the time it was blended. All told, it worked out to 580 calories (2 cakes, 2 tbsp cream, 1 c salad (with beans) and 1/4 c dressing), 11 g fat and a whopping 21 g of fibre! And only 450 mg of sodium.

LOVED the scale this morning, as I am down 3 pounds from last week! Was very conscious of lazy eating (which I did too much of the week before) and I think that helped a lot. And rather than eat, I went for a 6.5k walk Saturday night, and purposely didn't take any money or bank cards, so I couldn't pick something up on a whim!

Had a good run at lunch yesterday (only walked a couple of times) and finished up with my usual squats/plank/push-ups and crunches in the park afterwards. Although they were still tearing down from Folk Fest, so part of the challenge was NOT getting hit by a car/mini-van/moving truck on the pathway...yes, the BIKE/PEDESTRIAN pathway...okay, so it's the only access to the island, but still...must we do this at noon when it's crazy busy already???

Today was stairs (busy, but not as insane as it's been in the past), with 3 each push-ups and triceps dips, sprinting stairs x 4 (there's a small set nearby, only 3 sets of 5 stairs - perfect for sprints), run to the stairs and walk back, followed by the usual toning in the park. Tried to find a good set of monkey-bars to do some chin-ups, but no such luck. Then Boot Camp after work...much running today. In fact, we did very little mat work, other than dragging them around. I don't think we actually used them, come to think of it! But I don't care...heart rate up...good. Sweating profusely...good! Legs like jello...GOOD!

Came home from Boot Camp, long enough to feed the cats and change, before heading off to Canadian Blood Services for my semi-monthly (is that right?? Every 56 days, I guess) donation. I have always 'bled out' rather quickly, but after Boot Camp and the tons of water consumed over the last few days, man!!! 4:12!! Took longer to rest afterwards (they make you sit for 5 minutes before you can go for juice and cookies) than it did to bleed. And next appointment booked for September. Which got me thinking about one of my rewards for my long term goal...I do want a tattoo, but I also enjoy being a "Lifetime" member of CBS...because I donate a minimum of 4 times a year. When you get a tat, you're off limits for at least 6 months. It's hard to give up...I've donated now 33 times since I first walked in the doors in 2001 and have committed to Lifetime since 2002 (7 years and counting)...that's hard to walk away from. I shall have to rethink this...the diamond circle pendant is looking better every day! Except I still really want a tat...what is a girl to do?!

Well, I'm off to bed...it's suddenly 10:30, but at least it's cool tonight (someone actually complained about the cold today!) so I should be able to sleep without fans and such.

Maple Roasted Salmon, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Just had to show it off...it was FREAKING FANTASTIC!!! I pan-fried the salmon, so the skin was crispy (OMG...that's always the best part), and oven-roasted the beets, so that they were sweeter. This will definitely be made again, and soon.

Before... After...

My goals

Mulled on these all week...I admit I have trouble when I try to write them down, but here goes anyway.

Long Term:
Reach goal weight of 170 this year! I have been a Weight Watchers member for almost 11 years now, and yes, I am very good at maintenance...now I just need to prove that I can hit goal just as well! I admit I'm a stubbornly slow learner, but enough is enough. The switch has finally been flicked, and I'm on a roll. I WILL keep it up!


I will reach goal by:
- continuing to attend weekly meetings/weigh-ins, despite Weight Watchers Alberta's best attempts to allude me (they keep closing the meetings I go to!)
- continue with Boot Camp 3 times a week. I HEART Boot Camp and Trainer Josh...I am seeing such awesome results: that is what is keeping me going.
- sounds like too much exercise, but I will also keep up my lunchtime work outs. I absolutely hate just sitting at my desk, and the pathway and the river call out to me. It's crazy not to take advantage of my free outdoor gym so close to work!
- drink my water. I'm pretty good during the week, but do fall off on the weekends, so I'm being very conscious of the intake.
- journal. If I bite it, I write it - period. Simple, right?!


So, rewards for hitting goal. I've always bounced around with this, but I have a few ideas. The first is a tattoo. I want one to commemorate my first marathon in May anyway, and am trying to think of something personal that can incorporate that and hitting weight goal. OR a diamond circle pendant. Have it in my mind that I would try to get .75 or 1 carat of diamonds, to represent the pounds I've lost (including those that I found again along the journey!) and it would be a very visible thing. For example, I love the ring I bought for my marathon, and every time I look at it, I remember all the hard work training and the immense pride that I felt for finishing.

Or, the accountant in me wants to calculate roughly what it cost me to reach goal (I don't think I really want to see that number) and spend that much on clothes & shoes. I think I'll stick with a combination of the first two rewards!
Oh, and a smoking hot dress for the annual Christmas party at work!

Short Term Goals:
1) reach 199 pounds (for the first time in probably 6+ years!)...I am very close, so this one will be rewarded soon.
- How? By continuing the hard work I'm already doing. I should see this goal complete in the next 2 weeks.
- reward: new work outfit, head to toe.
2) Run Melissa's 22K faster than last year. In fact, I'd like to see it completed in 2.5 hours. That will be a PB for a half for me, as well.
- How? Training starts on Monday. H-woman and I are going to run after Boot Camp and on the weekends, getting in some good, consistent long runs. And I will focus on running at lunch, to get the mileage up.
- reward: mmmm...this one is hard. I can't say new runners, because I'll need them for the race...I have tons of outfits...oh, here we go. A new, decent winter running outfit. After all, it's approaching (hard to imagine in +29C weather, but it is coming!), and I do love to run in the snow.
3) Losing weight by the decade (every 10 pounds).
- How? Keep up the work listed in the long term goal. Just be sure to celebrate every decade I go down.
- reward: new outfit, head to toe.
4) De-cluttering my life (I think this also affects your weight).
- How? Focus on one room/closet at a time. Get in, get it cleaned out and leave it like that. Chip away, a little at a time, since the job is overwhelming to look at as it is.
- reward: funky home furnishings.

Okay...that's it. Time for me to go make dinner. Should have it done just in time for the guy who was calling me at 6:30 (mmmm...he's late) and showing up at 7 (still late) to see the suite, to actually show up and completely ruin it for me!

I love renting suites...it is such a joy dealing with all the jerks out there!

Sweatin' Saturday...

And it's got nothing to do with exercise! It's currently 29C (84F) and it's been like this since Tuesday...I don't mind the heat during the day, I just hate the fact that it hasn't been cooling off at night. That's what everyone complains about Calgary about...way to prove them all wrong. I did manage to finally get some sleep last night...think it had something to do with the "surpassed dosage recommendations" of Advil, and utter exhaustion!! Even had a wee nap this afternoon, so I may just catch up on my sleep by the time the temps start to drop to the mid 20's.

With everyone else I know all enjoying Folk Fest, I decided to stay home and putter around the building. Okay, a) I still don't have my car, and b) I was waiting for a fridge for one of the suites, and to show it (hopefully) to prospective tenants. I do have some guy showing up in about an hour, although the one that called mid-week, who would be here between "noon & 4" was a no-show. Grrr... I hate it when people do that...if you find someplace else, it just takes a quick phone call.

Just waiting on a beet to roast up in the oven (wrapped in foil, like a potato...I hear it makes it quite tasty) as I'm going to make the Salmon & Goat Cheese salad that Angie blogged about a few weeks back. It was supposed to be supper last night, but after walking home in the heat, with a stop at the grocery and then drug store, dinner turned into corn chips, salsa and 7% sour cream. Not sure how that happened (mmph, yeah) but by the time I was done noshing, I knew an official dinner was out of the question. Did up the maple pecans (I don't like walnuts) and it's very hard resisting them in the kitchen...there's something about warm, sugary pecans that just calls out to me!!

After I show the suite and finish supper, I'm going to go for a walk. I think it'll be nice, as the sun won't be as intense. And maybe that will help me cool down a tad. Then up early tomorrow, to go for a run, go to the grocery store, get my mom's jeep and head out to an Epicure party. Heck, I need the money to pay for my car!


That's it for me...off to melt some more. Sorry, by the way, for all the soggy bloggers out in Ontario...I'll take some of your rain and cold, really I will!!! Trade?!?!