Tag: nutrition

14 Weeks Done and Dusted

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.” – Charles Schulz

I struggled a little with last week’s long run. It just felt hard. This week’s long run was longer than last week’s so I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I knew I had to get it done. I’ve been trying to figure out the nutrition stuff – I know that is part of my problem. I’ve always found exercising on a full stomach a bit nauseating, but I also don’t care for the idea of getting up earlier than I already do. So it’s a struggle – what to do? what to do?

This week I opted to try out a Vanilla Honey Stinger Energy Waffle (super yummy). I had it waiting in the bathroom so I could wash my face, brush my teeth and then eat something before I did anything else. I’m a slow getter readier so it was another hour or so before I’d done all the things I needed to do (get dressed, stretch, do the dishes, the normal running prep stuff) and was out the door for my run. I then topped up with a gel at the half way mark. The gel was Glukos Lemon-Lime. I was not a fan of this. Texture wise it was good. Flavor wise it gave serious colonoscopy prep vibes. It is sold out on their website, so someone must like it. I did notice a difference in how I felt though, in a good way. It definitely was encouraging.

I’ve also found my way to #runnertok. I love the tips people give – sharing their running challenges and strategies. I’m a little terrified by those that honestly share their need-a-bathroom-but-there-isn’t-one-near stories – so far I’ve been able to plan routes where I know in advance the location of porta-potties and public restrooms. Maybe I’ll do all my training on these routes.

Where am I in my training plan? I’ve got a 10k scheduled this weekend. I figure if I’m gonna run the distance I might as well get the medal. Next week I officially start my marathon block. I have registered for a 1/2 marathon this fall. There just happens to be a half marathon in the Springs the weekend I am scheduled to do 14 miles. So why not?

Porta Potties at the 3 mile mark

Never Ending Journey

~ Monica ~ Leave a comment

Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering.” ~ Santosh Kalwar

I started my fitness journey the year I turned 40. I was ready for a change, but not because I was worried about what I looked like or what people thought of me. I was focused on my health. Motivation is huge when it comes to big changes and my motivation was I wanted to be as strong as I needed to be at 40 and also for the rest of my life. And I ended up with a result that was never the goal. I lost 100 lbs.

I 100% know I did that work. I started with a couch to 5k. I discovered CrossFit. I counted calories and then I moved to Paleo and eventually settled into just eating how I ate, mostly making good choices, but with some wiggle room for splurges. I found people who believed in me and encouraged me. I found community. And I discovered that when you have a community of like minded people who are invested in you as much as you are invested in them the work isn’t so hard. It really didn’t even feel like work. And for many years that was the norm.

But things changed. We moved back to America and I realized how unique that community was. It wasn’t something that could be duplicated. Even though I tried. I tried several gyms – Globo gyms, CrossFit gyms, and online programs. I tried to get friends to be that community, but that’s not how it works (or at least not how I could get it to work). I was going to have to do this on my own.

Doing it on my own is hard. It’s been full of fits and starts. I have had some periods of success, but there have also been some pretty big fall backs. There have been medical things and life things that have derailed me and I’ve allowed them to become excuses. I’ve gained some weight and lost some weight. I’ve lost some strength and gained some strength. Currently I’m in a place of gained some weight and lost some strength. I’ve been further off the rails, but I don’t want to get there. I want to get back on track or rather I want to be back on track, but I’m having a really hard time actually wanting to do the work to get there. For the most part I’m talking nutrition. I have been able to maintain the fitness side of things.

Marathon training will most likely contribute to some strength loss. I do not have the capacity to do both and I’m okay with that. But marathon training and weight gain are not expected. So I’m trying to dial in my nutrition. Clean it up some. Find what works for me at this stage of my life and I’m finding that challenging. But I can do challenging. I know I can.

Breakfast Salad