Day 5 starts tomorrow - Modified Juice Fast

I'm not "hungry", but I do miss eating and chewing hot food.  I have been lightly heating my soup so that has helped with the cravings.  

A 4 mile run today, kept it easy and felt great again.  Shakeology and 1 1/2 bananas about an hour before my run was perfect.  I made the fruit juice after the run and had Gazpacho for dinner.  I probably should have had more juice today but I wasn't really hungry.

Observations:  Energy levels are excellent.  Sleeping well.  My ring is loose and I'm not as bloated in my stomach.  I am wondering how I will handle the cravings in the next few days.  Watching my family eat has been the most difficult.  If I stay busy, it's not much of an issue.  Food Network is off limits right now (unless it's Bizaare Foods or something equally gross).

Fruity Fun

3 apples, juiced

2 cups frozen fruit medley mix from Costco (mango, pinapple, papaya and strawberries)

Mix in blender.

Loved it.  Sweet and turned out like a sorbet and ate with a spoon.

My Own Gazpacho

6 carrots

4 celery ribs

3 roma tomatoes

2 cups spinach

1 red pepper

1 garlic clove

1/2 lemon

Juice ingredients and add to 1 avocado and a handful of wheatgrass in blender.  Season to taste.  

This was so tasty and filling.  Definitely appreciated the avocado's ability to satisfy my hunger.  The lemon added a nice kick.

Day 4 - Juicing

I feel like I've cheated.  For dinner, I cooked a sweet potato and mixed it with juice in a blender.  I know, it isn't that big of a deal.  I will admit that this cannot be a "juice" fast when I do stuff like that.  So it's a modified juice fast.  I also have eaten whole fruit so there ya go.  Running leaves me wanting more sustenance.


Today started off with a chocolate Shakeology and 1 1/2 bananas again.  I got in my 13 miles, the longest run before Seattle next weekend.  My cell phone was secured in my belt and off I went.  The day was sunny but cold.  Scarf, gloves, hat, sunglasses, underarmor, shorts and knee high socks to keep me warm but not hot.


At mile three, I took a 1-2 minute walk break as I was suddenly feeling a wave of tireness wash over me.  My plan was to get in the 13 but I prepared myself if I lacked energy.  Not to worry, this has happened when I eat a lot of food.  After the walking, I picked it up again and decided to walk a minute as needed but I felt like I could get the miles done.  I thought of friends who have completed ultramarathons of 100 or more miles (ok, a marathon is a pretty big deal, too) and found a way to get through it.  Just get in the miles.


Each mile I felt surprisingly better and never needed to take a walk break.  I think I ate my banana too soon before running and maybe it didn't have time to do its work.


Today's recipes:

Liquid Sunshine

2 oranges

1 lemon

1 inch gingerroot

1 apple

1 pear

2 cups chopped pineaple

Yum Yum Yum.  The original recipe called for the first 3 ingredients.  It was too sour for my taste so that's why I added sweeter fruit.  This made 32 oz.

Mean Green Juice

2-4 cups spinach

1 cucumber

2 apples

1/2 lemon

1 inch gingerroot

4 stalks celery

Forgot to add the apples and wondered how I would ever force it down.  Looked at the recipe again, sighed with relief and added the apples and it was much better.  Phew!

Sweet Potato Soup

4 celery ribs

6 carrots

1 red pepper

1 clove garlic

2 tomatoes

1 sweet potato, baked or microwaved

Fresh basil leaves

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Juice the first five ingredients.  Add juice to the basil and sweet potato in blender.  Mix and heat. 


This was delightfully wonderful!  I like sweet potato soup so that helps.  If you don't like sweet potatoes, you would hate it.  Just sayin'.  My husband would gag with every bite.

Juice Fast - day 3

I'm starting my third day of a modified juice fast today.  The first day I added an apple and a banana to my menu.  Yesterday, I ate 1 1/2 bananas and Shakeology before my 10.6 miles run, 1/2 banana after the run and an apple after dinner.  

I had plenty of energy to complete my run yesterday and I attribute that to timing my food with my workouts and Shakeology has always provided me with a lot of energy in the mornings before exercising.


Observations: 


I haven't had the insatiable feeling I assumed I would be experiencing.  My energy levels are great so far.  


I experienced some stomach cramping yesterday but nothing serious.  A low-grade headache appeared last night which isn't surprising since my caffeine consumption has been cut significantly.  Limited coffee and no pop.  I am counting on the headache to dissipate in the next day or two.


Bedtime came an hour earlier than normal for me.  I was so sleepy.  I did wake up an hour earlier than normal, so there was a nice balance.


Here are day 2 recipes and my thoughts on them.


Sweet Sludge

2 carrots

2 apples

1 pear

4 cups spinach

thumb-size peeled piece of gingerroot

Yum.  Really liked it.  It was sweet and gingery, like me :)

One Potato Sweet Potato

1 sweet potato

2 carrots

1 orange

1 pear

I forgot to add the orange.  My husband sipped it and said it tasted dirty?  Maybe I should peel the sweet potato next time?  I wash all my ingredients so I'm not sure what happened.  Maybe it was the missing orange.

Soup Experiment #2

1 tomato

4 carrots

1 red pepper

1/2 onion

2 cups spinach

1/4 cabbage

1 clove garlic

1 avocado

Blend avocado with other ingredients. 

I added a tsp. of salt, basil and pepper.

Flavorful and filling.  Will make again.  Avocado wasn't ripe enough.

Juice Fast- Day 2

Day one of the juice fast is complete!  My day began with coffee, a habit that is hard to break.  I'm not willing to part with my morning coffee but I am willing to reduce my consumption. I had two cups instead of three.  It's a start.  

The first recipe I tried was the ABC juice.  Here's the recipe.  

Apple-Beet-Carrot Juice

1 Apple

2 Beets

3 Large Carrots

1 Piece Ginger (thumb sized)

4 cups Kale

I'm willing to give this one another shot but I need to change up the ingredients.  I will try it with one beet and 2 apples next time.  And spinach instead of kale (because I just bought a lot of Spinach from Costco).

Before I ran yesterday, I drank a  Shakeology  and got in my 8 miles and felt fine.  I didn't feel weak and assume my previous day's calories are still floating around my body, waiting to be used.  

After my run, I made this juice:

3 large Carrots

2 oranges

2 cups cranberries

Here is the pulp from this juice:

This was so bitter! I left the peel on the oranges (my daughter begged me to remove them next time) because I read that they will add more nutrients to the juice.  I couldn't make myself drink this so I added it to the blender with ice and a banana and it was a smidgen less bitter.  2 tablespoons of agave nectar made it drinkable but my tongue felt like I had been licking batteries for the rest of the day.

My daughter had soccer practice starting at 7:00 pm so I made dinner for the family before we left and plotted my own dinner for when we got home.  During her practice, I shopped at Costco and picked up a cart full of vegetables and fruits, as well as food my family could make on their own if I feel especially grumpy about making food I won't be eating.  

I enjoy hot food for dinner in the cold days of winter.  This may be "cheating", I'm not sure.  I don't care, I just can't fathom drinking another cold juice for dinner.  I juiced the following ingredients and then lightly heated it so I could have warm soup.  Adding garlic salt is probably another no-no.  I won't concern myself with it.  It was tasty~

Vegetable soup:

4 roma tomatoes

4 celery ribs

1/2 onion

1 red pepper

fresh basil

3 carrots

Bunch of spinach

1 t. garlic salt

I ate an apple after the soup as my belly was grumbling and I was concerned I had too few calories for the day.  Overall I felt good and never did I feel like I was starving.  But this is just day one.  

Other observations:  Making juice can be messy.  And drinking beet juice produces pink pee.  

Day 2 starts today.  I'll begin with Shakeology and get in my run early.  I'm anxious to try new recipes.   My family thought it would have been funny if I had a doctor's appointment and had to pee in a cup.  Ha-ha!  

Fast!

7 days.  168 hours.  10,080 minutes.

That's how long I will be "juicing" starting today until the morning of Thanksgiving next, aw, come on, do I have to say Thursday?  You must be from Canada if you didn't know that!  But I love you anyway.

Since my amazing and perfect race at Winthrop (what, I can languish in my marathon PR day for awhile), my nutrition has been less than stellar.  Picture a college dorm room.  Not the one you see in the brochures depicting the Honor Society students studiously studying statistics (that's alliteration in case you were wondering).  Instead, it is the one with a study group filled with average GPA students who are cramming for a final exam, living off stale pizza, pop, artificial orange puffs and anything else that doesn't require preparation time...or nutrients for that matter!  I have been one of the imaginary students.  Yup.  A 41 year old, pop inducing, chip dipping, chocolate hoarder for the some of October and November

Leading up to Winthrop, I had my nutrition nailed down and was feeling like a rock star without the drugs and alcohol.  I was happily ingesting the proper ratio of nutrients and physically seeing and feeling positive results.  I have been leading 3 week groups on Facebook that focus on exercise and nutrition. We work together for accountability and motivation as we face our own demons, whether that's an obsession with sugar in all it's saccharine  forms or having an urge to buy a salt lick from the local feed store. We use the 3 weeks to get back some self-control, increase our activity level and eliminate or reduce certain foods.  After the 3 weeks, each individual chooses what they will incorporate into their daily lives.  Some choose to continue eliminating certain foods as they've found they are instigators of bloat, headaches, etc.

After watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on my instant Netflix, I decided to take a week to get back some self-control and clean out the late-night popcorn and sugary treats that had been a mainstay for these past few weeks.  I'm not one to promote a gimmicky "diet" for weight loss.  I know from first-hand experience as well as studies that if it's not sustainable, it's going to be another lose weight, gain more weight situations.  My goal is to reset my taste buds and clean out my system.  Since the Seattle Marathon is the Sunday following Thanksgiving, my running mileage will be decreased, leaving this week to be ideal for attempting a short fast.  Plus I'll get to eat on Thanksgiving!

My plan:

• Start Thursday, November 17 and end Thursday morning, Thanksgiving.
• Limit coffee to one cup a day.  
• Shakeology will be included, up to 2 shakes a day.
• Shakeology, juice (that I make), water and tea are allowed.  
• If I'm lacking energy for a workout, I will allow myself a banana.

My juice fast started TODAY!  I bought a juicer from Fred Meyer yesterday for $99.99 and it came with a $20 gift card which made it an even better deal.  I would have loved to buy a VitaMix juicer, but at $649, it's not in our budget.

I tried my first juice recipe today, Apple, Beet, Carrot Juice found here Juice Recipes.  I've never used a juicer and was hesitant about what to include and read that you can include small seeds, rind, leaves, etc.  This could get interesting.

First discovery while making this particular juice:  use a plastic mat under the juicer as the beet juice is unforgiving on the kitchen counter.  A pair of kitchen gloves may be necessary to keep the stains off my skin as well.  After processing the ingredients, a burgandy liquid stared at me and I was questioning my sanity.

The pulp it produced seemed massive and I need to figure out if it is edible in any form for recipes.  I hate to waste perfectly good food.  The crimson concoction tasted...beety and rooty.  I don't know if that's a good thing.  I finished off my juice with occasional facial expressions only found in funny Hallmark cards.

I'm not giving up.  I've read that adding more apple may help with some of the bitterness.  I see a shopping trip to Costco in the very near future.  There are a lot of vegetables and fruits in juicing.  Shakeology is definitely a cost saver when you consider the ingredients packed into the product.

I will be weighing in today and the last day, along with measurements.  I don't know if I'll share the numbers but I am willing to share if my numbers change.  A girl has to keep some secrets.

Race For A Soldier

Sunday morning of the race, I woke up with tight, fatigued legs and a stiff back.  I was elated!  There were no blisters, chafing, or injuries!  

My Half-Fanatic shirt on over a thermal long-sleeved shirt was necessary with a cold morning anticipated.  I topped my head with a ball cap and knit hat to keep my ears warm, along with gloves to keep my fingers from freezing.  The road leading to the designated parking was backed up and when I finally reached the turn, I was told the lot was full and to park in the further lot.  

After a 3/4-1 mile walk to the start, I was anxious to find Marie Zornes who had graciously agreed to pick up my race bag.  After I walked around the crowded registration area, I decided to head to the porta-potties and there found Marie!  Yay!  The line was long and it gave me time to get my race bib and chip on while catching up with Marie, Kristen and Betsy.  

"What's your goal?" I had been asked.  I laughed that just finishing would be good today.  It would be nice to finish under 2 hours.  Betsy's husband, Matt, was leading the 1:50 pace group and I lined up near his group in anticipation of trying to keep up with them.  

My concern was how stiff my back was feeling.  I've had some issues with low back pain associated with my discs getting squished (the technical term).  The first mile was a test-run to see how my body would respond.  I kept in front of the 1:50 group and after starting with some tightness in my legs and back, I quickly loosened up and felt my stride open.  I hit the first mile in 7:33!  

The 1:40 group was within striking distance and I was excited to see how my body would respond to the faster pace after yesterday's 50k.  I could see Bob Martin and Peter Stackpoole leading the 1:40 group and I was anxious to give them a hard time as I passed them.  If I could pass them.  What was I thinking trying to run this fast after yesterday?

7:32 for mile 2 and after passing the 1:40 group, I went through mile 3 in 7:03 and wondered how I would be punished for that feat.  I held my lead over the group for a short time and was soon overtaken by the group.  The hills started in the late 3rd and 4th miles, slowing my time down to 8:15 for the 5th and slowest mile of the day.

As we ran through the Canterwood neighborhood, I wondered how anyone could afford such luxurious homes aka estates.  Mile nine was Kyle Farr's mile, and I touched the picture as I ran by and said a little prayer for his family and military members.  

This part of the course had moderately rolling hills and finished with a flat 13th mile.  I gave everything I had in that last mile and as I caught up to another guy, I challenged him to a race to the finish.  He kept up with me for about a tenth of a mile and faded behind me.  As I rounded the last corner, I saw the 1:40 group finishing just in front of me.  The clock read 1:40!  That's within 9 minutes of my best time!  

After stumbling through the finish line, the reality of both races settled into my legs.  I walked around and visited booths, consumed some much-appreciated hot coffee and found out I had taken 5th in the master's division.  I was the 13th female out of 517, and 70th out of 936 total.  

The race was well-organized and had a huge turnout for a first run.  Congratulations to the event organizers, race director and one mom who is determined to make a difference in other's lives.  

Kyle's Mile

VIDEO: A mother's mission to help soldiers with PTSD

bib number:	355
age:	41
gender:	F
location:	Port Orchard, WA
overall place:	70 out of 936
division place:	1
gender place:	13
time:	1:40:08
pace:	7:39

Point Defiance 50k - 10/15/11

First, apologies for not writing this race report in the SAME MONTH I ran it!  I will spare you my excuse and give you my sincerest puppy dog eyes so will keep reading my blog.

I didn't intend to run this race.  I didn't mean to sign up for it.  Why would I run a 50k the day before a well-planned, long-ago signed up entry into a half marathon?  That's nuts, crazy, maniacal (?).  Um, well, see, last year I ran this race and followed it up with a marathon the next day.  That feat evolved me into a 4-star Maniac.  So actually, it could be that this is the beginning of sanity as it's a drop-down from last year.  That's my story.

Last year, I finished this race in 5:41:28 and followed it up with the Poulsbo Marathon the following day.  The double ultra/marathon weekend awaded me with 4 spinning gold stars on the Marathon Maniac website.  This time around, I would be running a half-marathon the next day.

Since the Winthrop Marathon on September 25th, I had run 10.5 miles as my longest run.  Suddenly a 31 mile run sounded very long.  I packed my trail clothes the night before the race and made sure to include a blanket, huge sweatshirt and other dry clothes to wear after the race.

The morning of the race, I arrived 30 minutes prior to the start, found a parking spot fairly close to the start/finish line at Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park and packed in my drop bag.   The 50k consisted of 3 loops through the trails of Point Defiance park.  The weather had been dry and the trails were in excellent condition.

The run started out running along the waterfront from Owen Beach and a climb up stairs to Five Mile Drive.
My goal was to be comfortable but I wanted to finish with a better time than the previous year.  I felt out my stride and rhythm, felt good and made the decision to see what my legs could do.  I knew the half marathon on Sunday was reportedly hilly and the reality of placing in any form wasn't realistic since my legs would be trashed.  I might as well toss 'em in the garbage can today!

The first loop went by quickly, listening to my Itouch and talking with other runners.  Last year I was stung repeatedly through a particular section and as I approached the same area, my heart started racing as last year's memories flooded my thoughts.  Thankfully there were no stings this time around.  My ankles have scars from the stings last year.  A surprise element this was was a change in the course:  Achilles Hill.  A short but steep hill and I saw no point in trying to run it.

I neared the finish, and as I gripped the rope at Nelly's Gnarly Descent, I carefully made my way down a steep slope and suddenly my feet slipped in loose dirt.  As I fought to recover my balance, my body slammed forward into the tree limb the rope had been attached to.  It wouldn't have been a big deal but this particular section of the limb was home to a broken off branch.  Pain seared through my left rib and I stumbled my way down the trail and through the finish line to complete the first loop in 1:39:28

Oreos and pretzels sustained me through the aid stations and I refilled my water bottle.  My rib screamed at me and I knew nothing was broken, well, I hoped.  The pain stayed with me throughout the race but it was manageable.

The second loop was less crowded as many runners were finished with their 15k race.  The loop again went by quickly.  The volunteers were amazing, making sure we were safe and refueled.  I spent some time chatting with other runners who were at my pace and was thankful to have the time go by quickly.  As I finished the second loop, I was especially careful with the rope crossed the line with a 1:39:33 split.  The even splits shocked me and I made it a goal to keep an eye on my overall average and attempt to keep it the same.  That would mean I needed to not look at my mile splits as trail miles are notoriously slower than road miles.

The last loop was lonely as the 15 and 30k runners were finished.  My legs still felt good and my goal was to keep my average at 9:42 or better.  I had to stop a couple of times to refuel but never felt like I needed to take walk breaks except on Achiles Hill.

My last loop felt great, no falls, amazingly, and I was thrilled to see my average staying consistent.  I had been told that I was the 3rd woman and the 1st woman.  I try not to think too hard on these things as I've been misinformed many times.  The idea that maybe I was first put a little spring in my step in case the 2nd woman was right behind me.

As I flew down Nelly's Gnarly Descent and to the finish line, I saw the clock at 4:58!  Sprint!  I made it under 5 hours in 4:59:06 with a third loop split time of 1:40:04!  I was the third female finisher!

After consuming some amazing barbeque, I wrapped myself up in a sweatshirt, blanket, gloves, and hat and soaked in the icy waters of Puget Sound for 10 minutes.  It wasn't as terrible as you might think.  I caught up with some old and new running friends and soon the shivering started and I knew I needed to head home and get in a hot shower.  I saw blue lips stare back at me in the rearview mirror and knew I should have left a little sooner.  I was so thankful for heated seats!

It was time to start thinking about the half marathon scheduled for the next day!

http://defiance50k.com/

bib number:	47
age:	41
gender:	F
location:	Port Orchard, WA
overall place:	19 out of 112
division place:	1 out of 13
gender place:	3
time:	4:59:06
pace:	9:41
lap1:	1:39:28
lap2:	1:39:33
lap3:	1:40:04