My time at Grandma's Marathon yesterday was 4:36:57. This is a PR by more than 50 minutes! I'll post a detailed race report after we get back from vacation.
-posted from my iPhone
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Training Log June 5-11 & Pre-Marathon Ramblings
How do other athletes keep life and weather from interfering with their training? Am I just not making it a high enough priority? There are days that I don't work out because I don't feel like it. There are far more days that I don't work out because I don't feel like I can take the time. My husband was great all winter about watching our son for the few hours he is home and awake each day so that I could get my training done. Now that summer is here, I just get "but I need to [fill in some random project here]..." And of course, then I feel guilty about "making" him watch Liam.
The other challenge this spring has been weather. On days that I do need to take Liam with me to train, it inevitably is extremely windy (he hates the wind in his face and cries) or raining (do you think people would call CPS if I took my son out in his stroller in the rain?). Even if I don't have to take him with, it's been difficult to get any type of recovery or easy workout in when you're fighting 20+mph wind almost every day. We have a treadmill in our basement, but with the rain we've had this spring we also have water in the basement. So no working out in the basement until it dries out. (As I type this, the water is receding. Fingers crossed that this continues and it dries out soon!)
Enough rambling about various excuses. My marathon is less than a week away (Eeeeeek!) and the "big" triathlon I've been training for is just five weeks after that. My race season is soon coming to a close.
And that is why I've been thinking about all the reasons I don't feel like I have trained enough. I can almost guarantee I will PR at this marathon (knock-on-wood). Even with taking the past month easier than planned, I am still more well-trained than I have ever been for a marathon. Yet, doubt still creeps in. Especially during this week of tapering. I just keep wondering "Did I do enough?", "Can't I do something now to make up for missing something else?" And I know the answers to these questions: It will have to be enough, and no, now is not the time to try to go making up for anything. Now is the time to rest and let my body get ready.
So here is the "enough" that I did last week:
Sun: 3-sport brick: Swim- warmup in lake: Bike- 28.52 miles, 1:57:38; Run 3.09 miles, 30:17
Mon: Rest- scheduled
Tues: Off - unscheduled
Weds: Brick: Swim- 1050yds, Bike easy 25 min, 6.07 mi
Thurs: Run- Tempo- 8.74 miles, 90:00
Fri: Swim 900yds - drills- couldn't get comfortable in my stroke so worked on form drills instead of scheduled swim
Sat: Rest- scheduled
Weekly totals:
Swim: 1950yds
Bike: 34.59 miles
Run: 11.83 miles
Five days till the marathon. Ready or not, here I come!
The other challenge this spring has been weather. On days that I do need to take Liam with me to train, it inevitably is extremely windy (he hates the wind in his face and cries) or raining (do you think people would call CPS if I took my son out in his stroller in the rain?). Even if I don't have to take him with, it's been difficult to get any type of recovery or easy workout in when you're fighting 20+mph wind almost every day. We have a treadmill in our basement, but with the rain we've had this spring we also have water in the basement. So no working out in the basement until it dries out. (As I type this, the water is receding. Fingers crossed that this continues and it dries out soon!)
Enough rambling about various excuses. My marathon is less than a week away (Eeeeeek!) and the "big" triathlon I've been training for is just five weeks after that. My race season is soon coming to a close.
And that is why I've been thinking about all the reasons I don't feel like I have trained enough. I can almost guarantee I will PR at this marathon (knock-on-wood). Even with taking the past month easier than planned, I am still more well-trained than I have ever been for a marathon. Yet, doubt still creeps in. Especially during this week of tapering. I just keep wondering "Did I do enough?", "Can't I do something now to make up for missing something else?" And I know the answers to these questions: It will have to be enough, and no, now is not the time to try to go making up for anything. Now is the time to rest and let my body get ready.
So here is the "enough" that I did last week:
Sun: 3-sport brick: Swim- warmup in lake: Bike- 28.52 miles, 1:57:38; Run 3.09 miles, 30:17
Mon: Rest- scheduled
Tues: Off - unscheduled
Weds: Brick: Swim- 1050yds, Bike easy 25 min, 6.07 mi
Thurs: Run- Tempo- 8.74 miles, 90:00
Fri: Swim 900yds - drills- couldn't get comfortable in my stroke so worked on form drills instead of scheduled swim
Sat: Rest- scheduled
Weekly totals:
Swim: 1950yds
Bike: 34.59 miles
Run: 11.83 miles
Five days till the marathon. Ready or not, here I come!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge Day 10 & What I Have Learned
Day 10: Again, the bread is my achilles heel.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with pecan milk & strawberries, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Wrap from grocery store deli, coconut water, naan & hummus
Dinner: Enchiladas (corn tortillas, ground beef, poblano peppers, onions, cheese & homemade sauce), spinach salad, black bean salad
Snacks: Cheese & triscuits, wine
What I have learned from the Sugar-free Challenge:
1. I already eat a diet fairly low in added sugar. I didn't have to do much adjusting on the the meals I was able to keep sugar-free.
2. There are a lot of things that have sneaky added sugar in them. Salad dressings, spice mixes, peanut butter, tortilla chips...the list could go on and on.
3. I really like bread and I'm not willing to give it up. That was really the only thing I wouldn't want to do without. Sure, my morning oatmeal tastes a little better with a bit of agave nectar, but it's okay without. However, unless I start baking all my own bread (a good idea, but not feasible), I can't find bread in my one-grocery store/ no bakery town that does not have added sugar.
4. I can't do without energy gels for long run fuel. Whether I use a product like Gu, or just plain old honey, I need the fuel mid-run. I just can't chew dried fruit while running. Also, the stickiness dried fruit leaves in my mouth is far worse than a sports gel. Sure, there are definitely parts of the year that I don't need these, but I can't imagine a 20-mile run without them.
Going completely sugar-free is not for me. I can, however, see myself repeating this challenge occasionally just to make sure I'm keeping my sugar consumption in check. Everything in moderation, right?
Breakfast: Oatmeal with pecan milk & strawberries, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Wrap from grocery store deli, coconut water, naan & hummus
Dinner: Enchiladas (corn tortillas, ground beef, poblano peppers, onions, cheese & homemade sauce), spinach salad, black bean salad
Snacks: Cheese & triscuits, wine
What I have learned from the Sugar-free Challenge:
1. I already eat a diet fairly low in added sugar. I didn't have to do much adjusting on the the meals I was able to keep sugar-free.
2. There are a lot of things that have sneaky added sugar in them. Salad dressings, spice mixes, peanut butter, tortilla chips...the list could go on and on.
3. I really like bread and I'm not willing to give it up. That was really the only thing I wouldn't want to do without. Sure, my morning oatmeal tastes a little better with a bit of agave nectar, but it's okay without. However, unless I start baking all my own bread (a good idea, but not feasible), I can't find bread in my one-grocery store/ no bakery town that does not have added sugar.
4. I can't do without energy gels for long run fuel. Whether I use a product like Gu, or just plain old honey, I need the fuel mid-run. I just can't chew dried fruit while running. Also, the stickiness dried fruit leaves in my mouth is far worse than a sports gel. Sure, there are definitely parts of the year that I don't need these, but I can't imagine a 20-mile run without them.
Going completely sugar-free is not for me. I can, however, see myself repeating this challenge occasionally just to make sure I'm keeping my sugar consumption in check. Everything in moderation, right?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge Days Eight & Nine
Day Eight
Breakfast: Toasted Oats (Yep, added sugar. I was out of pecan milk to make my oatmeal with and I needed something quick and easy.), with skim milk, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Deli sandwich from grocery store (Again with the sugar, aargh! I would have picked the salad but it's hard to eat salad while you're driving.) Water
Snack: Apple
Supper: Corn tortilla with cheddar cheese, brown rice, black beans, andouille sausage, red pepper and spices
Evening snack: Asparagus (freshly picked= YUM!)
Day Nine
Breakfast: Oatmeal with pecan milk & fresh strawberries, coffee with whole milk
Pre-run fuel: Gu chomps (see this post as to why I won't give up sugar in my running fuel)
Post run/Lunch: Cheese sandwich (I just can't seem to lose the bread!), coconut milk
Dinner: Corn tortilla with cheddar cheese, brown rice, black beans, andouille sausage, red pepper and spices
Snacks: Naked Juice Blue Machine
Tomorrow is the last official day of the challenge and therefore the last day I will bore you with the gory details of my food intake. Watch for Day 10 and a "what I learned" post sometime this weekend!
Breakfast: Toasted Oats (Yep, added sugar. I was out of pecan milk to make my oatmeal with and I needed something quick and easy.), with skim milk, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Deli sandwich from grocery store (Again with the sugar, aargh! I would have picked the salad but it's hard to eat salad while you're driving.) Water
Snack: Apple
Supper: Corn tortilla with cheddar cheese, brown rice, black beans, andouille sausage, red pepper and spices
Evening snack: Asparagus (freshly picked= YUM!)
Day Nine
Breakfast: Oatmeal with pecan milk & fresh strawberries, coffee with whole milk
Pre-run fuel: Gu chomps (see this post as to why I won't give up sugar in my running fuel)
Post run/Lunch: Cheese sandwich (I just can't seem to lose the bread!), coconut milk
Dinner: Corn tortilla with cheddar cheese, brown rice, black beans, andouille sausage, red pepper and spices
Snacks: Naked Juice Blue Machine
Tomorrow is the last official day of the challenge and therefore the last day I will bore you with the gory details of my food intake. Watch for Day 10 and a "what I learned" post sometime this weekend!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge: Days Six & Seven
Well, I forgot to post day 6 and now I can't remember what I ate. No major sugar bombs, though.
Day 7 looked like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal with pecan milk & blueberries, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Corn tortillas, guac, taco meat & cheddar cheese, asparagus
Dinner: Multigrain pasta with olive oil & parm-reg, broccoli
Snacks: Peach, pineapple
Pretty uneventful really. I imagine the next few days will look pretty much the same.
Day 7 looked like this:
Breakfast: oatmeal with pecan milk & blueberries, coffee with whole milk
Lunch: Corn tortillas, guac, taco meat & cheddar cheese, asparagus
Dinner: Multigrain pasta with olive oil & parm-reg, broccoli
Snacks: Peach, pineapple
Pretty uneventful really. I imagine the next few days will look pretty much the same.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Training Log May 29-June 4/ May Monthly Totals
While I didn't get all my workouts in this week, I did workout on all days that I was scheduled to. That's a huge improvement over the past several weeks where I was having trouble getting things fit into the daily routine.
I had both good and bad workouts this week.
THE BAD:
Monday was supposed to be a 20-mile run. I let Dave sleep in so I got started later than I wanted to as they were predicting a hot & humid day. I planted Powerade every 2 miles, starting at mile 3. The water stops for the marathon are at the same places. My plan was to walk through the "water stops" at least until the half-marathon point. My first few miles felt good. I had to pull the pace back a little knowing that I tend to start out WAY too fast! By the time I got to mile 6, my plan had changed to walking one minute every mile. The heat and humidity were really getting to me. I had forgotten to take my Gu at mile 5, so that probably didn't help. I took my first Gu at 7 miles- 70 minutes into my run. After my walk at mile 8, I just hit a wall. I started running again briefly and then felt like I needed to walk. (One of my rules is always walk before you absolutely have to walk.) I decided to walk to the 8.5 mark and see how I felt. At that point, I decided to turn around and head back toward home. If I felt good enough after I got home at 17 miles, I could always run a short loop to make 20. Boy was that being optimistic! I only felt good enough to run 2 minutes/ walk 1 minute and managed to keep that up until 12.5 miles. At that point I was having trouble running at all so I ended up walking the last 4.5 miles home. I was pretty useless the rest of the day. I was tired!
THE GOOD:
Saturday's open swim with the multisport club was awesome! I had no anxiety about the open water and I swam 1200m for the day. We had 25 people at this weeks swim. I wish we weren't going to be busy the next few weekends. I really love having the opportunity to swim with a group, even if it is more than an hour away.
Here's the week:
Sun: Off
Mon: Run/walk 17 miles
Tues: Recovery swim- 800yds
Wed: Brick: Bike 50 min, 13.76 miles; Run 30 min, 3.25 miles
Thurs: Recovery swim- 900 yds
Fri: Off
Sat: 1200m open water swim (1312yds)
Weekly totals:
Swim: 3012 yds
Bike: 13.76 miles
Run: 20 miles
Monthly totals:
Swim: 3812 yds
Bike: 49.83 miles
Run: 62.3 miles
I had both good and bad workouts this week.
THE BAD:
Monday was supposed to be a 20-mile run. I let Dave sleep in so I got started later than I wanted to as they were predicting a hot & humid day. I planted Powerade every 2 miles, starting at mile 3. The water stops for the marathon are at the same places. My plan was to walk through the "water stops" at least until the half-marathon point. My first few miles felt good. I had to pull the pace back a little knowing that I tend to start out WAY too fast! By the time I got to mile 6, my plan had changed to walking one minute every mile. The heat and humidity were really getting to me. I had forgotten to take my Gu at mile 5, so that probably didn't help. I took my first Gu at 7 miles- 70 minutes into my run. After my walk at mile 8, I just hit a wall. I started running again briefly and then felt like I needed to walk. (One of my rules is always walk before you absolutely have to walk.) I decided to walk to the 8.5 mark and see how I felt. At that point, I decided to turn around and head back toward home. If I felt good enough after I got home at 17 miles, I could always run a short loop to make 20. Boy was that being optimistic! I only felt good enough to run 2 minutes/ walk 1 minute and managed to keep that up until 12.5 miles. At that point I was having trouble running at all so I ended up walking the last 4.5 miles home. I was pretty useless the rest of the day. I was tired!
THE GOOD:
Saturday's open swim with the multisport club was awesome! I had no anxiety about the open water and I swam 1200m for the day. We had 25 people at this weeks swim. I wish we weren't going to be busy the next few weekends. I really love having the opportunity to swim with a group, even if it is more than an hour away.
 |
| Open water swim with Greater Mankato Multisport Club |
Here's the week:
Sun: Off
Mon: Run/walk 17 miles
Tues: Recovery swim- 800yds
Wed: Brick: Bike 50 min, 13.76 miles; Run 30 min, 3.25 miles
Thurs: Recovery swim- 900 yds
Fri: Off
Sat: 1200m open water swim (1312yds)
Weekly totals:
Swim: 3012 yds
Bike: 13.76 miles
Run: 20 miles
Monthly totals:
Swim: 3812 yds
Bike: 49.83 miles
Run: 62.3 miles
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge Day Five
Well, today was a huge failure. There was sugar all over the place. The highlights:
Long workout: It was suggested for the sugar free challenge to use dates as long-run fuel. Good idea, in theory. I discovered today however, that I cannot chew while I run. Also dates are VERY sticky and hard to get down if you're tired. And you thought Gu was bad... Luckily I had brought some Gu with me in case I needed it. I did. One try with the dates was enough!
I have also decided that coconut water is entirely too expensive to be using as electrolyte replacement. I would have gone though $10 worth just today! I can buy a lot of Powerade powder for $10. Also, I like to train with the same electrolyte replacement that is available on the next race's course. For my upcoming marathon it's Powerade. After that I will switch to HEED, the available drink for my half-iron distance triathlon in July. I learned several years ago to not try a new electrolyte replacement on race day unless you want to spend half the day in the port-a-potty!
My dad's birthday supper. How do you not have cake when it's one of your favorite kinds? And I'm pretty sure the cream o' crap soup that was in the green bean hotdish has added sugar, but that was the only vegetable being served so I ate it.
I do intend to clean it up again for the remaining five days of the challenge. I only have one workout long enough to require fueling during this time so I shouldn't have too many booby traps along the way. At least I managed to turn down the offer from my mother to send some cake home with me!
Long workout: It was suggested for the sugar free challenge to use dates as long-run fuel. Good idea, in theory. I discovered today however, that I cannot chew while I run. Also dates are VERY sticky and hard to get down if you're tired. And you thought Gu was bad... Luckily I had brought some Gu with me in case I needed it. I did. One try with the dates was enough!
I have also decided that coconut water is entirely too expensive to be using as electrolyte replacement. I would have gone though $10 worth just today! I can buy a lot of Powerade powder for $10. Also, I like to train with the same electrolyte replacement that is available on the next race's course. For my upcoming marathon it's Powerade. After that I will switch to HEED, the available drink for my half-iron distance triathlon in July. I learned several years ago to not try a new electrolyte replacement on race day unless you want to spend half the day in the port-a-potty!
My dad's birthday supper. How do you not have cake when it's one of your favorite kinds? And I'm pretty sure the cream o' crap soup that was in the green bean hotdish has added sugar, but that was the only vegetable being served so I ate it.
I do intend to clean it up again for the remaining five days of the challenge. I only have one workout long enough to require fueling during this time so I shouldn't have too many booby traps along the way. At least I managed to turn down the offer from my mother to send some cake home with me!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge: Day Four
I had a couple things today that didn't quite meet the sugar-free standard. The bread in both my lunch and supper had added sugar. But knowing how much sugar actually goes into a loaf of bread (around 1 TBSP per loaf ), I don't feel too bad about how I did today.
Breakfast: I remembered today that I have frozen berries in the freezer. I'm really glad I did! The berries were so much better in my morning oatmeal. The cinnamon/vanilla version was good, but reminded me of a winter and made me want to hibernate. The berry version tastes summery and light. And, if you were trying to convince kids to eat oatmeal by making it a neon color (ala Trix yogurt- that stuff is weird), berries accomplish that as well. My blueberry version this morning was a deep purple.
Oatmeal with pecan milk & blueberries
Coffee with whole milk
Lunch: I was lucky enough to get to a favorite eating spot- the St. Peter Food Co-op & Deli. (My husband calls it healthy hippie food.) It was delicious!
Greek sandwich (whole wheat bread, cheese, spinach, carrots, tomato, artichoke hearts, & olives)
Two-bean Balsamic Salad (black beans, chickpeas, garlic, red onion, parsley, olive oil & balsamic vinegar)
Basmati Salad (rice, red pepper, celery, raisins, cashews, & spices)
Coconut water
Snacks:
Hummus and pita chips
Peach
Dinner: I was actually hungry for meat, odd for me. I figure my body either need the protein or the iron.
Locally produced cheddar cheese
Bread
Garlic summer sausage
All in all, not more than a few grams of added sugars so not too bad a day.
Breakfast: I remembered today that I have frozen berries in the freezer. I'm really glad I did! The berries were so much better in my morning oatmeal. The cinnamon/vanilla version was good, but reminded me of a winter and made me want to hibernate. The berry version tastes summery and light. And, if you were trying to convince kids to eat oatmeal by making it a neon color (ala Trix yogurt- that stuff is weird), berries accomplish that as well. My blueberry version this morning was a deep purple.
Oatmeal with pecan milk & blueberries
Coffee with whole milk
Lunch: I was lucky enough to get to a favorite eating spot- the St. Peter Food Co-op & Deli. (My husband calls it healthy hippie food.) It was delicious!
Greek sandwich (whole wheat bread, cheese, spinach, carrots, tomato, artichoke hearts, & olives)
Two-bean Balsamic Salad (black beans, chickpeas, garlic, red onion, parsley, olive oil & balsamic vinegar)
Basmati Salad (rice, red pepper, celery, raisins, cashews, & spices)
Coconut water
Snacks:
Hummus and pita chips
Peach
Dinner: I was actually hungry for meat, odd for me. I figure my body either need the protein or the iron.
Locally produced cheddar cheese
Bread
Garlic summer sausage
All in all, not more than a few grams of added sugars so not too bad a day.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge Day Three
Three days down, seven to go. I'm not having any trouble with cravings- I'm usually more of a salty snack person anyway. I am finding it a pain to avoid some of my usual go-to snacks, mainly dried fruit. As I am reducing my sugar intake, my fat intake is going up. And so, as least temporarily, is my weight. My body's response to the changing diet has been to gain 2 pounds, probably water. At least I hope it is.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with pecan milk, chopped pecans, cinnamon & vanilla
Coffee with whole milk
Lunch:
Pita with hummus x 2
Big huge plate of asparagus, freshly picked from our ditch!
Dinner:
Multigrain pasta with avocado, garlic & tomato
Snacks:
Pepperjack cheese
Hummus & chips
One snafu today. I forgot to check the chips. The chips I usually eat don't have added sugar. I checked those prior to starting the challenge. We are out of those. I forgot to check the chips we did have before eating them. Luckily only 1gram of sugars per serving (does some of that come from the corn?) so not too bad of a cheat.
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with pecan milk, chopped pecans, cinnamon & vanilla
Coffee with whole milk
Lunch:
Pita with hummus x 2
Big huge plate of asparagus, freshly picked from our ditch!
Dinner:
Multigrain pasta with avocado, garlic & tomato
Snacks:
Pepperjack cheese
Hummus & chips
One snafu today. I forgot to check the chips. The chips I usually eat don't have added sugar. I checked those prior to starting the challenge. We are out of those. I forgot to check the chips we did have before eating them. Luckily only 1gram of sugars per serving (does some of that come from the corn?) so not too bad of a cheat.
Help Me Win Lunch With Chrissie!
GoTRIbal is a website I belong to for women endurance athletes. They are currently running a contest where the winners get to have lunch with Chrissie. In order to win, I have to be one of the first 10 people to recruit 75 followers for GoTRIbal on Facebook or Twitter.
You either need to follow them on Facebook or Twitter and:
tweet the following:
"I follow #GOTRIbal cuz of @ErinPurrington"
or post this on their Facebook page:
"I'm a GOTRIbal fan cuz of Erin Purrington."
I encourage you to check out GoTRIbal's website even if you don't want to become a follower. Lots of great H&F stuff for the runners, swimmers, cyclists & triathletes among us. www.gotribalnow.com
If you do become a follower, thanks for helping me out!
Edited to add links:
https://www.facebook.com/GOTRIbal
https://twitter.com/#!/GOTRIbalbaby
You either need to follow them on Facebook or Twitter and:
tweet the following:
"I follow #GOTRIbal cuz of @ErinPurrington"
or post this on their Facebook page:
"I'm a GOTRIbal fan cuz of Erin Purrington."
I encourage you to check out GoTRIbal's website even if you don't want to become a follower. Lots of great H&F stuff for the runners, swimmers, cyclists & triathletes among us. www.gotribalnow.com
If you do become a follower, thanks for helping me out!
Edited to add links:
https://www.facebook.com/GOTRIbal
https://twitter.com/#!/GOTRIbalbaby
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge: Day Two
First off, I have a confession. After I posted last night, my headache got to be too much for me and I had a Coke. I've been getting exercise induced headaches for a while now and good old Coca-Cola is the only thing I've found that makes them go away. Well, Challenge Day One- no gold star for me.
So, on to Day 2! I knew another exercise-induced headache shouldn't be a problem since I only had an easy swim planned for the day. Today, I was going to succeed.
Breakfast: Same as yesterday, but I added vanilla extract to my oatmeal also- homemade so just vanilla bean and vodka, no corn syrup. Did you know most vanilla extracts contain a sweetener, usually HFCS? I discovered this a couple years ago. Blech!
Oatmeal with pecan milk, chopped pecans, cinnamon and vanilla.
Coffee with whole milk
Post-Swim Snack:
I get ungodly hungry after I swim. Much more so even than after I run. So I try to bring something with me to snack on while driving home (a 40 minute drive). I usually bring a homemade energy bar but that has honey and dried sweetened cranberries so those were out. So I ended up with just plain almonds. I would have liked to bring some fruit but it wouldn't have kept well in the car or in my gym bag. I also stopped and got some coconut water to drink. Holy cow is that stuff expensive!
Almonds
Coconut water
Lunch:
I've been craving a pita with hummus & veggies all week so that's what I had. I made the hummus last night and the pita this morning. Ah, homemade bread... It took all the willpower I had not to eat the entire batch.
Whole wheat pita x 2
Hummus
Red bell pepper
Afternoon snack:
Whole wheat pita
Cheddar Cheese
Dinner: Nothing fancy- just leftovers.
Chicken breast
Peppers, onion & garlic sauteed with coconut oil
Spiced up kidney beans with sour cream and cheddar cheese
Evening Snack:
Apple
I did it! I made it the whole day avoiding added sugars! It actually was pretty easy today. Since I had some leftovers from yesterday's lunch, I knew I had one meal that was good to go. And luckily, the recipe I followed for the pita bread told me I could omit the sugar and still have great results (and delicious results they were!)
Tomorrow- long run. I'm experimenting with supplementing my electrolytes on a daily basis instead of just during long workouts (that's why I bought the coconut water). I hope to avoid the dreaded headache and not have to drink another Coke!
So, on to Day 2! I knew another exercise-induced headache shouldn't be a problem since I only had an easy swim planned for the day. Today, I was going to succeed.
Breakfast: Same as yesterday, but I added vanilla extract to my oatmeal also- homemade so just vanilla bean and vodka, no corn syrup. Did you know most vanilla extracts contain a sweetener, usually HFCS? I discovered this a couple years ago. Blech!
Oatmeal with pecan milk, chopped pecans, cinnamon and vanilla.
Coffee with whole milk
Post-Swim Snack:
I get ungodly hungry after I swim. Much more so even than after I run. So I try to bring something with me to snack on while driving home (a 40 minute drive). I usually bring a homemade energy bar but that has honey and dried sweetened cranberries so those were out. So I ended up with just plain almonds. I would have liked to bring some fruit but it wouldn't have kept well in the car or in my gym bag. I also stopped and got some coconut water to drink. Holy cow is that stuff expensive!
Almonds
Coconut water
Lunch:
I've been craving a pita with hummus & veggies all week so that's what I had. I made the hummus last night and the pita this morning. Ah, homemade bread... It took all the willpower I had not to eat the entire batch.
Whole wheat pita x 2
Hummus
Red bell pepper
Afternoon snack:
Whole wheat pita
Cheddar Cheese
Dinner: Nothing fancy- just leftovers.
Chicken breast
Peppers, onion & garlic sauteed with coconut oil
Spiced up kidney beans with sour cream and cheddar cheese
Evening Snack:
Apple
I did it! I made it the whole day avoiding added sugars! It actually was pretty easy today. Since I had some leftovers from yesterday's lunch, I knew I had one meal that was good to go. And luckily, the recipe I followed for the pita bread told me I could omit the sugar and still have great results (and delicious results they were!)
Tomorrow- long run. I'm experimenting with supplementing my electrolytes on a daily basis instead of just during long workouts (that's why I bought the coconut water). I hope to avoid the dreaded headache and not have to drink another Coke!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sugar Free Challenge: Day One
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with pecan milk (homemade- just water and pecans), chopped pecans and cinnamon.
Coffee with whole milk.
Usually I have dried cranberries on my morning oatmeal. Yeah, just try finding dried cranberries that aren't sweetened. Anyway, dried fruit isn't off limits, but discouraged so I searched around in the cupboard for a while before settling on the pecans and cinnamon.
Lunch:
Peppers, onions & garlic sauteed with a little bit of coconut oil, salt.
Chicken breast topped with some leftover guacamole.
Kidney beans seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, sour cream, salt & aleppo pepper. Topped with cheddar cheese.
The only things I had to check the label on here were the chili powder and the cheese. Some sour creams have some odd ingredients, but we use Daisy so I knew that was just cream. Everything else was either raw ingredients or homemade from raw ingredients.
Snacks:
Apple
Generic triscuits & pepperjack cheese
Dinner:
And here I began to struggle. My headache that began at 3pm has become progressively worse. I made cheesy bread with hamburger and broccoli for Liam. I wasn't sure what I was going to eat. In my headache fog, I burned the broccoli. I salvaged the few non-burned pieces for Liam and wondered again what was I going to have for supper? Well, I caved and had cheesy bread. Only 1.5 ounces of bread so not a lot, but it still qualifies as added sugar. I still need to get some vegetables or something else in yet tonight but unless this headache lets up, I may not eat much more.
Oatmeal with pecan milk (homemade- just water and pecans), chopped pecans and cinnamon.
Coffee with whole milk.
Usually I have dried cranberries on my morning oatmeal. Yeah, just try finding dried cranberries that aren't sweetened. Anyway, dried fruit isn't off limits, but discouraged so I searched around in the cupboard for a while before settling on the pecans and cinnamon.
Lunch:
Peppers, onions & garlic sauteed with a little bit of coconut oil, salt.
Chicken breast topped with some leftover guacamole.
Kidney beans seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, sour cream, salt & aleppo pepper. Topped with cheddar cheese.
The only things I had to check the label on here were the chili powder and the cheese. Some sour creams have some odd ingredients, but we use Daisy so I knew that was just cream. Everything else was either raw ingredients or homemade from raw ingredients.
Snacks:
Apple
Generic triscuits & pepperjack cheese
Dinner:
And here I began to struggle. My headache that began at 3pm has become progressively worse. I made cheesy bread with hamburger and broccoli for Liam. I wasn't sure what I was going to eat. In my headache fog, I burned the broccoli. I salvaged the few non-burned pieces for Liam and wondered again what was I going to have for supper? Well, I caved and had cheesy bread. Only 1.5 ounces of bread so not a lot, but it still qualifies as added sugar. I still need to get some vegetables or something else in yet tonight but unless this headache lets up, I may not eat much more.
Training Log May 22-28
The last full week of May. Ugh, where has it gone? My marathon is only a few weeks away and I am feeling less prepared than I was a month ago. I didn't get nearly all my scheduled workouts in this month for various reasons. The result is that I am now feeling sluggish from a lack of exercise, making it even harder to get out. My goal for this next week is to get out every day, even if it's just for a walk.
Here's last week's recap:
Sun: Land Between the Lakes Triathlon (read recap here) 400m swim, 20.5mi bike, 4.2mi run
Mon: Rest
Tues: Ran 3 miles
Weds: Off
Thurs: P90X Yoga - This was a mistake as it is still causing soreness 5 days later, affecting my long run.
Fri: Ran 4 miles
Sat: 800m open water swim with the multisport club
Today marks the first day of the 10-Day Sugar Free Challenge! Starting tonight, I will have a daily recap of what I ate during this challenge and how I am avoiding the sugar that seems to be added to almost everything!
Here's last week's recap:
Sun: Land Between the Lakes Triathlon (read recap here) 400m swim, 20.5mi bike, 4.2mi run
Mon: Rest
Tues: Ran 3 miles
Weds: Off
Thurs: P90X Yoga - This was a mistake as it is still causing soreness 5 days later, affecting my long run.
Fri: Ran 4 miles
Sat: 800m open water swim with the multisport club
Today marks the first day of the 10-Day Sugar Free Challenge! Starting tonight, I will have a daily recap of what I ate during this challenge and how I am avoiding the sugar that seems to be added to almost everything!
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