back on the band wagon

I gave up calorie-counting for Memorial Day weekend.  It really just wasn’t going to be practical to be jumping on-and-off the computer all day with everything going on.  Not to mention all the yummy goodies everywhere!  Cinnamon rolls and mimosas at Heather’s promotion!  Rita’s gelati TWICE!  Birthday cake, outrageous brownies, lemon bars, mojitos, sangria…and that was just FRIDAY.  Raspberry angel food cake with raspberry buttercream icing awaited me in Carmel.

I went into the weekend knowing I’d be faced with temptation at every turn.  I did my best, most of the time, to make good choices yet still enjoy myself and the food.  I am a foodie, after all.

Well, you win some, you lose some.  According to the scale, I didn’t do too much damage, but I didn’t lose any, either.  So, basically, I’ve been at the same weight for a couple weeks now, which is fine, don’t get me wrong.  But I’m supposed to be LOSING two pounds a week…  I’m fine until I think about how much I COULD have lost if I’d just been stricter.  And then I remember how good the cake tasted.

Thankfully, all has returned to (relative) normalcy around here, so I’m back on the calorie-counting band wagon.  Yippee!  After four days off, I realized I actually feel better when I’m counting.  Maybe it’s a control-thing, maybe it’s just my personality, maybe it’s because I’m typically eating healthier food, maybe it’s a combination of all three, but I really do enjoy it.  I know it stresses a lot of people out.  Or they think it’s too complicated or time-consuming.  But I love it.  I just wish I had an iPhone so I could do it when I’m on the go, too…

Between eating more produce and cleaning out my fridge, I’ve come up with some great meals since last night.  Dinner last night was roasted broccoli and cauliflower (leftover from the party), hummus and tomatoes and fruit.  Breakfast this morning was a banana, followed by a post-workout yogurt, mango and granola parfait.  Here’s what I had tonight:

Roasted cauliflower (olive oil, cumin and paprika), a Wasa Fiber cracker spread with a Laughing Cow cheese wedge and four dried figs.  Yum.  I spooned up a mixture of mango and watermelon as well, but I may save that for dessert–I got full!

I really do feel better when I’m eating smaller meals (like 200 calories) every 2-3 hours.  I’m a fan of cottage cheese with pineapple, or an apple and peanut butter or cheese and crackers.

Off to get some more exercise: disassembling Hadrian’s crate, lugging it upstairs and into the car, followed by a walk (for him) because the weather is so nice!

finally, a runner

I went for a run yesterday in Carmel on the Monon trail in my new, expensive shoes (see yesterday’s post).  I had anticipated doing about five or six miles and waved goodbye to grandma at 7:40 saying I’d be back in less than hour.

…Ten and a half miles later…

I just didn’t want to stop!  This has never happened to me before.  I mean, I’ve really grown to love running and I’ve had my share of great runs, but I’ve never, EVER, just ‘kept going’ against my better judgement (hello Holly?  you’re wearing brand-new shoes…) for such a distance.  But this was EUPHORIC.  Seriously.  Despite my still paltry amount of sleep, I felt well rested and the weather was beautiful.  The shoes on my feet felt like pillows and I had all sorts of energy.

The Monon trail is about 1.25 miles from grandma and grandpa’s house, so by the time I got there and had done just a couple miles, it would have been time to turn around again.  But it was just so beautiful!  The trees provided almost complete shade, there were tons of people out running and biking and walking their dogs.  I even saw a girl wearing the same purple top as me–I called out “nice shirt” as I went by.  I also started paying attention to the mile markers that were counting down to the start of the Monon.  It was only a couple miles away.  I quickly did the mental math and figured out it would be about 10 if I made it to “0.0.”  So, the competitive side of me came out and I surged ahead, all the while feeling the most amazing runner’s high I’ve ever felt.

And the run just went so fast!  It was a combination of my actual speed and comfort (about 9-minute miles, I think–a pretty easy pace for me) and being so distracted by everything around me.  The quarter-mile markers just whizzed by.  This was especially nice on the way back, as I was starting to get a little antsy that the rest of my family might be worried I was taking so long, or (gasp!) up and breakfasting without me!  I was back to Main Street in Carmel before I knew it, and just had to chug back to the house.  I’ll be honest, the rising temperature and sun coupled with the very slight incline up the road to grandma’s house was enough to slow my pace a little on the last mile, but I still felt drugged I was so happy.  And God must have been smiling on me yesterday, since all I ended up with after a 10-plus mile run in BRAND NEW SHOES was a slight rub under one toe–praise God!

I have considered myself a runner for awhile now.  I started running in high school for fitness, then in college for ROTC, but never more than three miles or so.  My friend, Betsy, and now-husband, Andrew, introduced me to long-distance running and I challenged myself to do more.  Both of them had run cross-country in high school (I hadn’t even known it existed…) and continued running in college.  Before long I could do six miles slowly.  Despite completing a marathon (VERY slowly) my senior year of college, I still didn’t fee like a true runner.  It was still a chore.  Something to check off.

Fast-forward four years: I’ve upped my running, gotten a bit faster and completed another marathon.  I gladly ran at PT before work in the mornings and maybe some Saturdays as well, but I still didn’t LOVE it.

It wasn’t until I got out of the military and met Susy at the gym that I truly began to ‘find myself’ in my running.  She challenged me to go faster and longer than I ever had.  She is the most dedicated runner I’ve ever met.  She faithfully runs six or more miles every day but Saturday, her rest day.  Not that everyone has to follow her formula; I find running every other day works better for me.  She did the math the other day and figured out we’d run more than 2,000 miles together in the last two years…TWO THOUSAND!  Holy cow!  I just wonder how many words that was…

Both becoming a runner and feeling like a runner has been a struggle for me.  I’d been putting in the miles for years, but I hadn’t yet found any joy in it.  Part of that probably has to do with how “easy” running is at any point.  Part of it was my body.  I was a bit of a chubby kid and I’ve never really “looked” like a runner.  Even my dad said so once… that’ll scar you for life.  And no, do I look like the skeletal, fat-less, boob-less (well, that part might be true), muscle-less women in tiny tops and running underwear competing on tracks all over the country?  Not in the least.  But am I a runner?  Yes.

a (very long) list

I’ve been conspicuously absent these last couple days…things have been busy around here this last week!  So much to blog about, so little time…  So, in honor of efficiency, here’s the short version:

1.  We sold our house!  We got an offer last Saturday morning during the yard sale, spent two days going back and forth, and just signed our paperwork Friday.  Our packers and movers are scheduled for the 16 and 17th of June, and then we’ll drive away Sunday the 19th.  It’s not really enough time for me; I had wanted (and anticipated) being here through the end of June, if not into July.  Pray for me!

2.  I turned 28 yesterday.  While I realize this is not old, by any stretch, I’ve officially moved into the “late twenties” bracket.  The question “what do I want to do with my life?” rears its ugly head more and more.

3.  My friend, Emily, and I are “Irish twins” one year removed.  We celebrated Thursday by going on a three-mile trail run and then brunching (post-parking lot baby-wipe bath) at the Blueberry Cafe.  They’re famous for their pancakes and their muffins.  We split an M & M and pecan pancake and the spinach, bacon and sun-dried tomato quiche.  YUM.  Then the “muffin man” came out.  Seriously.  A giant black man in a painter’s cap wearing a shirt emblazoned with “The Muffin Man” on the back paraded around the dining room with a tray full of beautifully decorated muffins and stopped by each table to sell his wares.  I almost died because I didn’t have my camera.  Or rather, Andrew’s camera.

4.  We held Heather’s promotion to Captain at our house Friday morning.  While incredibly unconventional (no one gets promoted at their house…they do it at work or the club), it was exactly what Heather wanted: casual and intimate.  The house smelled of cinnamon rolls and everyone gathered was truly someone special to Heather.  We decorated with flags and red, white and blue ceiling hangings.  I was honored she wanted it to be at my house and so glad we did it just the way we did.

5.  Later that same day, we held our “Bon Voyage Bash” at the house for Heather and ourselves.  At the time we planned the party, it was intended it to be a joint celebration but we hadn’t yet sold our house.  Glad we did!  We’re going to be out of here before we know it!  (sniff, sniff)  The movers and packers are scheduled for 16-17 June and we drive away on the 19th!  TIME FLIES.

6.  I had to throw away a whole batch of lemon bars and start over.  Not to toot my own horn, but this does not happen to me very often.  If ever.  I don’t even think I remember anything turning out so badly that I had to throw it away, except for those cookies I made in high school with a bad stick of shortening…  Anyway, I should have listened to the voice in my head that said, “hmm, this crust doesn’t look quite right” when I took it out of the oven after the pre-bake and it was unevenly cooked and cracked all over.  But no, I proceeded with the lemon curd-like topping.  Again, when I heard and saw it bubble all over the place, I should have known I was in for a big disappointment.  The next morning, after allowing them to cool overnight, I realized what had happened.  Because of all the cracks, the topping leaked UNDER the shortbread crust and cooked there, so the next morning I basically had an upside-down lemon bar mess.  I decided I needed to master this. Gosh darn it, we were going to have lemon bars at our party!  I attempted the same recipe again, this time paying special attention to crust preparation.  Unfortunately, after checking on it during the pre-bake, it had already started to crack!  Ihad  thought we were home free!   Thankfully, Heather is a whiz and helped me push all the cracks back together and quickly pour the topping.  I ended up with awesome tasting (and looking), if not a little underbaked, lemon bars for the party.

7.  Andrew and I are in Carmel right now visiting with his grandparents and his immediate family, who came down for the long weekend.  I forgot my running shoes.  There is a great paved walking trail here on which I love to run, and I need to keep exercising!  I’m taking these couple days off of calorie counting since it’s my birthday and it would be impossible, really, so I at least need to do SOMETHING to mitigate the extra calories in cake and ice cream and who knows what else I’m taking in…  So, I bought new shoes.  Yup.  A bunch of us piled in the car and headed to the local running store.  I’ve been wearing ASICS Foundations for the last four or five years (not the same pair, just the same style), so I’d actually been thinking of getting re-fit and trying whatever else is out there that would fit my feet and pronation.  After watching myself run in a neutral shoe first, then again in each of five mild-stability shoes, I decided on the Saucony Pro Grid Hurricanes.  Very happy with them.  NOT with the price tag.

8.  I.  AM.  SO.  TIRED.  Heather and I have been staying up so late and getting up so early.  I don’t require a lot of sleep on any given night, but after five days (or weeks!) of this, I get grumpy.  Sorry Heather 😦

9.  Andrew helped out and dropped Hadrian off at what we call “puppy camp” Friday morning before Heather’s promotion.  I wrote him a list of directions, phone numbers and everything he needed to bring (food, bowls, leash, bed).  We crossed paths on the road as I was returning from the gym at 7:15 and he was driving out.  When I arrived home, I noticed he’d forgotten the food and the bowls.  Later that afternoon while we were in the car together, he popped the trunk (of his rental Civic), and realized there was a dog bed in there.  Good grief!  I’m amazed he made it with the dog himself! 

10.   The end.  More to come, and some photos from our party, next week when things die down just a bit.