It can be like when I tell my students about the GOOD OLD DAYS when if you wanted to send a message to a friend during class you had to do it like with ACTUAL PEN AND PAPER and then fold it up and somehow LITERALLY send it across the room before your teacher noticed. OMG the HORROR.
And now? This is what I deal with. DAILY.
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| But we need them for safety! says every parent in America |
So first of all, I did the Whole30 from December 28-January 28. Starting before New Year's Eve/Day was a special kind of torture normally reserved for inmates at Guantanamo, but it definitely taught me a LOT about my food habits and how I eat. For instance, I realized I am addicted to ALL nut butters, and not just peanut butter! I'm an equal-opportunity nut-butter addict. But another thing I realized is just how GOOD I feel when I eat cleanly. And I was eating entirely too many "junk" carbs--stupid crackers, stupid cheerios, stupid things that aren't even good but I'm hungry now so gimme a handful. That kind of stuff. I mean, it's NOT even good. Why am I eating it?
All in all, when it was over, I hit 139.5 pounds for the first time since seriously 7th grade. I got MUCH leaner and you could definitely tell, especially in my middle. I have before and after pictures but I'm not going to post them here because, ew, people, do you remember what I do for a living? That's the last thing I need my students and their smartphones to see. But it's safe to say it was a BIG difference. Now, my challenge is to continue to eat cleanly (but HELLO SUGAR! Oh how I've missed you) and still be able to fuel my long runs and workouts. I am trying to stay as dairy/legume free as I can and limit the sugar to GOOD sugar (like, make sure it's tasty enough to actually be worth it). I need to be good about incorporating good, quality carbs. Not the handfuls of generic wheat thins nonsense. So I recently got this:
And I will give it a good review and let you know what I think!
So over the past 5 weeks or so, I’ve been stuck in this whole Polar Vortex Nonsense that Mother Nature has decided to throw at the East/Midwest clearly since I said OUT LOUD that I was going to do the Athens Marathon on 4/13. Thanks a lot, Mother Nature. So needless to say, training has been a bit tough. It’s been me, alone, in my basement for WAYYYY more miles than I’d like. I still have my crew of girls but the ice has made things difficult. We’re not afraid of cold or snow, but we are hesitant to mess with this ice as I had a running friend slip a few weeks ago and tear her patella tendon. 12 weeks on her back, friends. I can’t mess with that. And poor Ana is injured, too, which really blows. At least she’s not missing great running weather, but I feel for her since I’ve been there and I know how frustrating it is!
Coach Emily has been great about sending me tough treadmill workouts and I do always follow the 1% rule even though the girls at Salty Running have said it’s not necessary. I dunno, I still feel like it works for me, so I’m going with it for now. This weekend I have 14 on tap with some speedwork thrown in, and it will be...on the treadmill. So if you have any good podcast suggestions or Pandora stations, please please PLEASE SEND THEM TO ME AGGGGGHHHH 14milesonatreadmill. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
At the end of the day, everything I am doing: what I’m putting into my body, what I’m doing on the treadmill, trainer, road, and pool...I’m trying to remember that it will help me get this goal. It’s within reach now, and missing it by a minute has, if anything, made me even more determined than I was before. So follow along if you want to see how this all ends.
Besides, everyone loves a good underdog story, right?
5 comments:
Congrats on your Whole30! I just finished one this week, too. I kicked the snacking habit, tuned up my breakfast and lunch, and discovered that almonds give me acne. Which is sad, because I freaking love them.
Dang, I missed potatoes. I've had hash browns twice in the last 3 days. They RULE.
Glad to hear you're still doing some killer running despite the snow. Spring cannot come soon enough. Speaking of which: As a teacher, do you notice a drop in your students' performance (concentration, cognition, etc) toward the end of winter? We're wondering if our 7 yo might have some seasonal affective disorder (or just needs to run around outside more).
I did 20 on the treadmill last weekend. Good luck getting through 14.
And great job on the whole 30! It is amazing how much better you feel when you eat cleanly regularly. One salad does not a clean diet make. I prefer the Paradigm Diet over any paleo/non-legume based approach. But if it works for you, stick with it.
CJ, 20 on the 'mill?!?! That's crazy talk! Impressed! I got through the 14. It wasn't too bad until the last 3 or so, and then I was just ready to be DONE. But that's usually how it is outside, too, right? Ha!
Robyn, congrats on your Whole30! So sad about the almonds. I do love almonds! About your observation, I TOTALLY notice a drop in performance in February-March. I always call it the "3rd Quarter Blues/Slackoff" since the weather stinks, there aren't any holidays (save President's Day and St. Patty's but we give massive state tests during St. Patty's--boo). Once we hit 4th quarter, it's like everyone comes to life again. I wonder if it is also related to S.A.D., too, as I know that I totally feel bummed out when we get our cloudy mess for a month or two.
Sara, you inspired me to get 'It Starts with Food' from the library and I've really enjoyed what I've read so far. I plan on doing it soon, but I really need to prepare since I'm vegetarian and honestly I'm a little scared of a world without rice, beans or quinoa. It's going to take some mighty planning! But I'm very intrigued! I can't wait to see where the next step in your journey takes you :)
@Moxie! That rocks. How is it going? Have you started yet? I know they have a plan for vegetarians/vegans, but I agree: it seems like you'd be mostly eating vegetables all day long, and that's a little mind-boggling! Let me know how it goes and share your favorite recipes with me! It was a little meat-heavy for me and I missed my quinoa, but I really did love the results. :)
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