Exciting Saturday Night

After a very long day I think I'm settling on staying in for a quiet Saturday night. I woke up pretty early today because I was able to go to a free independent film screening and indoor bbq! The films were amazing and the food was even better....mac n cheese, pulled chicken and coleslaw, sweet potato salad and bacon wrapped hog! It was delicious but definitely not enough food to fill me up. My friend and I headed over to the Cambridge Brewing Company and it was amazing! I forgot to bring my camera but I had an awesome burger (I guess my post half marathon burger craving is still around!) and tried a bunch of new beers. Unfortunately I had to cut the day short because I had a shift at work, but it was still a really enjoyable day.

My eating and exercise this week has been really off. Since the race is over I feel like this huge weight has been taken off my shoulders. My problem now is that I don't have too much motivation to run or work out period. I don't really know what's going on. I think I'm going to sign up for a gym class right now so that I can try to get back in the swing of things tomorrow! My eating has been okay, but I just feel like I'm eating a lot more than normal. This is not good! Hopefully my recognition of this will help me get back on track soon. Anyway, my eating hasn't been horrible, and with all the new time opened up (umm....from lack of working out) I've been doing a lot more cooking! I feel like when I was deep in 1/2 marathon training I let go of cooking a bit. There just wasn't enough time and I always felt like I was grabbing and going.
Here are a few things I've made this week:

Salad and lentil soup...I can't remember what brand this was but this soup was horrrrible. It was SO bland and after dumping too much salt in it I ended up just throwing it away and eating something else. Can't win em all.
My first attempt at making mussels! These were great and were mixed with a little pasta sauce. I may have overcooked them a tiny bit but it was my first time. Some raw string beans on the side :)
A delicious lunch of carrots, smoked mozzarella pasta salad from whole foods and a chobani pineapple greek yogurt with some chia seeds. This flavor was amaaaazing!
I've been wanting to make the lentil and cous cous salad that I mentioned for weeks now and finally did! I pretty much followed this recipe to the t. I used a cup each of green lentils and israeli cous cous, 1/2 a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, way more mushrooms and spinach than the recipe called for, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Everything all mixed together! This is not a great photo so it doesn't look that appetizing...
I didn't have time to actually eat the salad that day but I made sure to the next day with a side of blackberries. The salad was great! I may have added a pinch too much of balsamic and it needed more salt. I think it would have tasted soooo great with some feta cheese. I may add some in next time.
My new favorite soup! I just discovered udon noodles and I'm obsessed. These babies are thick and chewy and I could eat this veggie soup for dinner every night of the week. I may do just that starting tomorrow...

I'm having some job search related stress so I think I may get to work a bit on that. Have a good night!

New Bedford Half Marathon!

So I'm officially a half marathoner!! I meant to write a pre-race update but was so nervous I couldn't get myself to!

The whole experience still feels so surreal. I distinctly remember back in September/October when I called my mom in excitement because I had just ran 4.5 miles. Last year when I was in South Africa a few of my friends ran the "two oceans" half marathon, and I remembered feeling so jealous. I never would have imagine that just one year later I'd be running a half marathon. Not to get too cheesey here, but it really goes to show that if you set your mind on something you really can achieve whatever you want!

As far as sticking to my plan, I did really well for the most part. The last few weeks were a little iffy because there was so much going on, but I always made sure to get my long runs in. Probably the biggest mistake I made was going out on St. Patty's day. That Thursday was only 3 days before the race, but I got peer pressured into going out. I ended up drinking a lot more than planned and I know it affected me after the race because my stomach was not happy!

Now onto the race weekend:
I can't even begin to describe how happy and thankful I am that my wonderful mom, older sister and my sister's boyfriend came to support me in the race. They drove all the way to Boston Saturday morning and we did a little sight seeing. I wanted to make sure my eating was on point all day, so after eating a banana and kashi granola bar for breakfast, I made a homemade burrito for lunch. I stuffed my whole wheat wrap with leftover brown rice, refried vegetarian beans, salsa, sour cream and a little hot sauce. It was delicious! My family wanted to go out to eat when they got here and I ended up ordering shrimp cocktail, just so I wasn't sitting there not eating.

We headed to New Bedford around 5:30 and made it to our hotel around 7. The hotel was beautiful and filled with runners! My mom and I shared a room and she let me have the big bed. Thanks mom :) We split up and went out for separate dinners that night...my mom and I heading across the street. I started off with a huuuge bowl of mussels -- probably not the best choice the night before a race but I couldn't resist! The restaurant had a runner's special of whole wheat pasta, lots of veggies, in an olive oil based sauce. I was happy they had this on the menu and it was great, but a tiiiny bit too oily. We headed back to the hotel and after laying out my race clothes I was in bed by 10:30! I fell asleep watching "the best thing I ever ate: burgers" on the food network and knew EXACTLY what I'd be eating when the race was over.

The next morning we woke up around 8 to go down to breakfast. The race didn't start until 11AM which was really lucky for me because I am NOT a morning person. I ate a big banana and a whole wheat bagel with some peanut butter for breakfast. I drank about half of my blue gatorade/water mix as well. My mom and I walked over to the YMCA to pick up my race packet and then went back to the hotel to change. Around 10:30 we headed over to the race start!The weather was PERFECT. It was about 40 degrees and really sunny. I wore my favorite and most comfy shirt from South Africa with my Tufts 10k long sleeve underneath. I was sooo nervous at the start! I was shaking a little but couldn't stop smiling either.

As soon as the race started I suddenly felt calm. All the nerves I had been feeling just slipped away and I felt pure happiness. Who cares what time I finished in? I was doing something for me and I would not diminish my accomplishments by worrying about time or comparing myself to others. I had signed up for this race with 3 of my friends and I was the only one who followed through and actually ran it. I am beyond proud of myself for completing this on my own!

The first 3 miles flew by, and then suddenly we started hitting hills. More like gigantic mountains! While going up these huge hills I honestly felt like I wasn't gonna make it! Boston is pretty flat so I had zero hill training. But I did make it! And I loved the sign at the end of the hill that said "see, just a hill!". There were cute and motivating signs all throughout the race and it really helped make the time just fly by. I saw my family around mile 6 and it was such a great motivator! I gave my mom a hug and my sister ran with me for about a minute. I was sooo happy to see them and it definitely gave me more strength to keep on trucking.
The last few miles were along the beautiful harbor. I felt completely calm and happy while running, and couldn't believe I didn't have to stop at all! At mile 12 there was another big hill, and once I was over it I started feeling really tired. I got pretty slow and was ready for it to be over! As soon as I saw the 13 mile mark excitement just rushed over me and I started sprinting to the finish line. I saw my family cheering me on and I was just beaming. I crossed the finish line and took a biiiiig breath of relief! I was immediately handed a water bottle, some oranges, and my race medal! I FINISHED A HALF MARATHON!!!We snapped a couple of pictures and chose to skip the free food from the race and head out to lunch instead. I happily gobbled down my huge burger and fries! I said goodbye to my family and caught a ride back to Boston with a friend. As soon as I got home I showered, then hopped into bed and stayed there for the rest of the night :) My friends surprised me with beautiful flowers and since I was still hungry I ordered mozzarella sticks for dinner. Haha, not quite the healthiest dinner. But who cares?

I still can't believe I actually ran a half marathon. I've been taking it slightly easy the past few days (except for competing in an indoor triathlon last night...woops) and plan to continue taking it easy through next week! Then who knows, maybe another half marathon ;)

10 Random Thoughts

1. I just ate an entire box of Annie's mac n cheese. I've actually never done that before...

2. By this time next week I'll have completed my first half marathon!

3. I just started using StumbleUpon and it only took 15 seconds to get addicted. Not good.

4. I've been putting off my "final" long run for two days with really lame excuses. On Sunday I was supposed to but had to complete a work project first. Then it was just "too late" to go running. Today I was all ready to go and when I went outside it was snowing! I convinced myself I'd get a blister or something so I just went back inside. Is tomorrow too close to Sunday to do a long run?

5. The past 4 nights I've fallen asleep while having imaginary phone conversations with Jonas in my head.

6. I watched Jurassic Park today instead of doing homework. I love Allen Grant.

7. My mouth is watering at the thought of making this warm israeli couscous and lentil salad. Yum!

8. Last night for maybe the first time in my life I got on my hands and knees and scrubbed the bathroom! It was so gross it was making me sick. It's rough being a college student.

9. I don't care about St. Patty's day. I'd rather be Italian than Irish any day!

10. I'm going to see my family (hopefully!!) this weekend!! yayyyy!!

That is all. Hopefully I'll be getting some sort of long run in tomorrow (> 8 miles).

Fear

I wanted to write this post a few hours ago and boy am I glad I waited until I got back from the gym. As usual, my mood has been 100% lifted after a good sweat session.

I returned from a verrrry relaxing week in Florida. I had an amazing time, but unfortunately lacked on my food and fitness goals. I managed to eek out a few runs (a 4 miles and an 8.5 miler) but that was about it for movement. As for eating, after just the first day I found it literally impossible to eat anything healthy. I attempted to keep breakfast simple, opting for my normal banana/toast/pb combo, but once lunch rolled around I was spent. I ate plenty of this:and this....
Anyway, since I've been back I've been feeling a little strange. I've been incredibly tired, which is pretty funny since I spent the entire week laying on a beach. I've also had a little trouble getting back into my normal eating routine. Today was a good day though, and I definitely feel back on track. I hit up the gym tonight with a 45 minute zumba class, a 2.5 mile run and about 15 minutes of strength.

The title of this post comes from the fact that my half marathon is in TWO WEEKS and I am terrified. I had trouble with my long run while I was in Florida and I can't believe I have just one more scheduled long run before the real thing. I don't really know what I'm afraid of. It's not failing, because I know I'll finish even if I have to crawl over the finish line. I think I'm just afraid of disappointing myself. I've mentioned my trouble with comparisons on here before and I just hope I don't spend the entire race wishing I had done something different. I don't know. My mind is feeling a little jumbled...

On a totally other note, I picked up my very first chobani greek yogurt today and I loved it! I bought the raspberry flavor and mixed in some chia seeds. It was delicious and sometimes I felt like I was eating fro-yo! Plus, the 14g of protein is insane! Yay for new healthy food!

Tomorrow I have zumba in the morning then am heading to Whole Foods to restock my fridge. I'm determined to eat as healthy as possible the next two weeks to make sure my body is up to par for the half marathon. The last thing I'll need that day is stomach cramps because I ate french fries all week. I'm off for some biggest loser catching up. Good night!

Double Digits

I really should be studying for my 9 AM midterm that I have tomorrow but I can't hold in my excitement any longer! Today I ran 11 miles!!!!

The proof:(My Garmin didn't start working until .8 into the run...equaling 11 miles total. I'm assuming the final time would have been about 1:56!)


I had missed my last two long runs and was nervous that with my upcoming trip to Florida I would get sidetracked again. My half marathon is less than a month away and with temperatures in the 40s, I knew it was now or never. I started "prepping" last night by drinking a bunch of vitamin water and eating some whole wheat pasta with the last of my Grandma's sauce. I made a great playlist and read a couple of blog posts on how to enjoy long runs. The furthest I had run up until today was 8.5 miles and that was with a friend, so I was beyond nervous about this run.

Today I woke up and had 2 clementines and lots of water before heading to class. About an hour and a half before my run I ate a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, a banana, and drank a gatorade. I figured that would be the most filling and fueling food I could eat before a big run. I was so nervous all day that I felt myself becoming really nauseous and anxious at points. My mind was really tearing me down and I was filled with thoughts of "there's no way I can do this", and "I'm going to dissapoint everyone when I can't finish this race". These negative thoughts started after a pretty tough 6 mile run on Tuesday. I had just returned from a sedentary weekend at home and knew I had to get a run in ASAP. I couldn't believe it but I had to stop after both the first and second miles and walk due to a cramp in my side! I haven't gotten a cramp since the summer and could feel my nerves creeping. I was able to finish the last four miles without stopping but was still pretty upset with the run overall.

Today I ran the entire 11 miles without stopping except for the occasional traffic light! One thing I did realize was that those traffic light stops definitely helped. Even if I stopped for 5 seconds, it was enough time to just shake out my legs and keep going strong. I ended up finishing in a little under 2 hours which is great for me and right on target for where I want to be in my first marathon (average speed = 5.6 mph). My legs were super tight after the run but I'm sure that's to be expected. I also was starving once I got settled at home and was shoving pretzels in my mouth like crazy! I think on my next long run I'm going to experiment with gatorade/gu/some other energy fuel during the run to see if it helps/hurts.

Overall, I am SO proud of myself. I accomplished something I never imagined I could. I remember during soccer and track when I used to try to cheat my way out of running a complete mile! During this half marathon training I feel like I've been coasting a little. Keeping up with the workouts has been rough, but the workouts themselves haven't been that challenging. This was the first time I really had to push myself and push through the pain multiple times. I just kept repeating to myself that IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE EASY! If it was easy, everyone would do it. So this is my big step at taking pride in this accomplishment and not diminishing it based on a time. I am proud. Period! Now off to study and eat some fro-yo. Florida in two days!! wooooo!

Comparisons

It's been a rough few days! I've had a loooot of school work this week and had a big exam this morning that I was studying for until 4:30 AM last night! Ahh the wonders of being a college student. I also have gotten back into my workout schedule which has been really hard. I was so sore on Monday after my strength training workout...it felt like I hadn't been in the gym for months, let alone just one week! I always find it so crazy how quickly my body gets out of shape (not that I'm saying I'm out of shape now). It feels like it takes years to build up strength, and then in just a few weeks it goes away! Crazy.

After my exam this morning I felt great knowing I had a little break coming up. I had taken off work tonight because I had plans, but since they fell through I was looking forward to my afternoon run, and then some quality TV watching. The weather in Boston was BEAUTIFUL today. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. Gorgeous. I went for a 4 mile run around the river and finished in exactly 41 minutes. For me this is really great. That's about exactly a 6.0 mph pace (I give myself an extra minute for the random traffic light stops and people that get in the way). Still, I find myself comparing my run times to my friends and the bloggers that I follow. It feels like everyone around me can just easily run 8 minute miles. It makes me a little apprehensive about the half marathon because I know for a fact I won't be keeping up a 10 minute mile pace the entire time. I don't know why sometimes I get so stuck in the comparisons that I can't really see my own successes. I do the same thing with my body image. Sometimes I feel like it won't matter how much weight I've lost or how good I think I might look, because people around me will always look better. It's unfortunate and it's something I feel like I've struggled with my entire life. When I got back from my run, I decided to look back to the goals I wrote down in August. One of my favorite goals I wrote was: Do not diminish, but take pride in my successes. I feel like I need a constant reminder that everyone is on their own path, people will always be ahead and behind me and I only need to concentrate on my successes, my failures, and my journey.

In other news, I found a do it yourself frozen yogurt place in Boston (Mixx Frozen Yogurt Shop)!! All I can say is oh my god. This place is awesome. Just check out this picture:Since it was my first time I overdid it a bit and tried a little of every flavor yogurt and a million toppings! This thing was unbelievable though and I cannot wait to go back.

That's all for now. I'm going to NY this weekend and can't wait to see some of my friends and family. It's been a looong time since I've seen a few of my friends and I'm getting pumped to have a fun night in NYC with them. Adiiiios!

Sickling

Wow it's been a long time since I last wrote...woops!

First off, Hi Mom :)

Second, I am sick. I was really hoping to go through the whole winter without getting sick but I guess that's a bust. I usually am sick every other week so this has been a long stretch without being sick! Unfortunately, this means that I haven't worked out since Monday and my entire schedule and life feels like it's been flipped upside down. My eating has spiraled out of control and I've been sleeping sooo much. I know most people lose their appetite when they get sick but not this girl. I just get bored and hungry! Usually my nights are spent getting work done, but since I haven't been working out a lot of time has opened up in my days. Now, I've been spending the nights in my bed eating. Not good. I really want to get over this so I can back to my training. It's just over a month until the half marathon and even though that sounds like a lot of time, what that means to me is 5 long runs left. Not a lot. I also am going to Florida in a few weeks and NEED to get this eating under control. I'm making myself freak out a bit because I feel like I'm back in the "I'll start tomorrow" mindset. I need to just keep telling myself that there is no starting tomorrow because nothing ever stopped! I'm just having a rough few days.

This weekend I'm going on a spirituality and leadership retreat. I was really excited for it because 1. it's free 2. it sparks great conversation and 3. it's a nice break from the city, but now I'm just worried. This sickness is making me exhausted all the time and I don't know how I'm going to function. The days start with 6AM yoga and I just don't know how I'll get myself up. I guess we shall seeee. We also have an assignment which I'm stuck on: Find an item that symbolized to you something about who you are as a spiritual person. It can be related to your religious identity or not, but it should reflect something about you at your deepest spiritual core. I have no idea what to bring! I can think of a few things at home that I'd bring with me but there's nothing in my little mess of a room that makes sense. I'll have to do some quote searching...

In other news, Valentines Day is coming up which I'm going to try to ignore. Next weekend I should be heading to NY to see some friends and hoefully get to seemy family. I'm excited but quick trips to New York always stress me out a bit. It doesn't seem like it, but it's actually a really long trip! 1 hour on the T + 1/2 hour waiting at the bus station + 4.5 hours on the bus (minimum) + 1 hour train from Penn + 1/2 hour of random things = about 8 hours! Practically an entire day. Oh well. Gotta do whatcha gotta do.

So now that I wrote it down, I think I want to make a few goals for the next two and a half weeks (until I leave for Florida). Hopefully this will help me stay on track until then!

GOALS
1. Get better!! #1 priority
2. Once better, get right back on half marathon training plan
3. Be slightly more stringent with eating
4. Lose 4-5 pounds - I know this isn't a huge amount of weight but I think it's a fair goal...and 5 pounds will make a difference in how I feel in a bathing suit!

And finally some random food:Last night's dinner: leftover chili that I made for the superbowl mixed with some spaghetti squash! So good!Little salad on the side with greens, tomatoes, snap peas, marinated mushrooms and balsamic.Breakfast this morning: 1 egg and 1 egg white cooked over easy, a side of seriously burnt toast (I hate our toaster!!) and an apple. I've been eating sooo many apple since my sister bought me an apple slicer for Christmas. I love it!! I hate biting into apples and the slicer just makes it soo easy to eat.A delicious piece of cake/pie? from our school's winter formal a few weeks ago. This thing was so good I finished the whole thing!And this isn't food (obviously) but here is the dress I wore to the formal. I LOOOVE it but I hated shopping for it. Dress shopping is always harder for me than any other type of shopping. Things just never seem to fit correctly and I get sooo frustrated. A big thank you to the friend in this picture who put up with shopping for me for 2 days straight :)

That's all for now. Good night!