One of the things I like about running is that there are all sorts of different challenges that you face, but it all comes down to two things; mental and physical strength. You need both to run for any decent amount of distance. I was feeling kinda nervous for this run. This was mostly because I hadn't run since last Sunday when I had to stop about 1.5 miles in because the pain in my shins and calves was so terrible. I've been going easy on them (icing, resting, and stretching!). Luckily I didn't have too much discomfort through today's run.
What I should have been nervous about was the GIGANTIC HILL that we were faced with! When I'm running by myself I stick to really public areas, but when I'm running with someone else, its fun to explore! We found an extremely long dirt (key for shin splints!) driveway that had an insane-gradually-increasing-steepness. Guess what I was saying the whole way up?! (hint: it wasn't, "I think I can, I think I can.") Thats right, "Conquer it! Whatever you do, don't stop!" Totally worked for me. I set myself in 2nd gear and ran (slowly) to the top. One of the biggest things I've noticed with any physical activity is that your mind is ready to give up before your body is. My mind was begging me to stop, but my body could do it. It wasn't a long run, but I felt really good about the difficulty level. Now I just need to build some longer distance confidence! 80 days until 13.1 miles!!!
Food Diary: Day Four:
 |
No I didn't eat an entire jar of Almond butter! (Not that I couldn't!) That my friends is what is called overnight oats! I wake up super early, so these are great for on the run. There is absolutely no cooking! Just waiting.... usually I just make it in a bowl and cover, but I had just a little bit of almond butter in there that I didn't want to waste! Here is the recipe: Overnight Oats: 1/4 C Rolled Oats 1/4 C Greek Yogurt 1/4 C NF Milk 1/2 Banana Chia Seeds Fruit and nuts and spices to taste! Mix everything together and cover in the fridge all night! Wake up to an amazingly tasty breakfast! |
 |
| Snack! I love these Hummus to-go packs! I almost forgot to include that single cracker in the photo! Thankfully my co-worker Hayley reads my blog and reminded me! |
 |
| Work lunch looks an awful lot like Work Dinner from last night! Still tasty! |
 |
| Dreaming of mai tais... |
 |
| Pre-run energy boost! Spelt English Muffin w/ banana and peanut butter and dried fruit on the side! Sometimes I get really hungry when I run, this was the perfect antidote! |
 |
| My Dad has been very into dehydrating lately! I enjoyed some pineapple and apple! |
 |
| Dinner: Duck egg omelet! My Mom can't eat regular eggs so I tested one out. I didn't notice a difference in the taste department.... but it was a tough egg to crack... ;) |
 |
| I have to finish the day with something delicious! Air popped popcorn is my newest favorite thing! I don't like anything on it! Today I tested a small amount with some brown sugar on there, but it wasn't anything like kettle corn, so I think I'll stick to my plain popped goodness! |
Duck eggs eh? I've never tried...heck, I've never seen one.
ReplyDeleteRunning is SO mental. Seriously.
I'm curious if you've been losing weight lately? It seems like you're filling your body with healthy stuff and running a lot!
Duck Eggs are kind of intense! They are really hard to find. The only place around here that I've seen them is at Central Market. Over the Winter they had some production issues (i.e. they weren't laying). This was the first time I had tried them and to be honest they tasted exactly the same. The shell is a bit harder to crack and I think the yolk is a bit bigger (more protein?) Really no reason to make a switch though considering they are twice as expensive!
ReplyDelete