Utah Valley

I did it. I'm in. Time to really start training. Right now I'm running about 5 days a week. About 40 miles a week. I think I max out at about 50-55 miles a week. I've never done that much so we will see if I've got it in me. Two hurdles I'm REALLY trying to over come (and so far less than successful) is a good sleeping pattern/habit and cutting out the sweets. Oh my goodness the sweets--I successfully turned down my friend's sugar cookies this morning but came home looking for something to eat and found the cookies I hid in the fridge on Sunday. Yea, they are gone now. My goal has been/is to eliminate the sweets from my house--just not in the way I eliminated them today. Maybe a ribbon tied to my wrist to remind me of my goals? I don't know. Need advice here. What do you do to beat temptations/remember your goals?

Word of Wisdom Living

Can I just say I love this blog?!? Love it! OK, amen.

Running Updates

No posts last week. I spent the warm days sitting outside with neighbors and it was glorious. Today is rainy and cold. I hate how the weather dictates my mood and my energy level. I put in a solid 40 miles last week and it seemed like a piece of cake. Today, I couldn't get out of bed. Ever have those days? Man, I am excited for some warmer weather. I actually ran in shorts last week! Anyway, I put in 40 miles because I decided to start training for the Marathon and see how I feel. Before I made a decision to sign up. Turned out to be a bad decision. I felt great and got very excited for the marathon... then found out it was sold out. Dang it! I emailed the race director to see if there are any exceptions and he did give me one suggestion so I may still be in.

Anyway, I wanted to give some quick tips on getting started and then some good recovery info. I started reading Run Your Butt Off. It's a pretty basic weight loss plan but I have learned a few good things. For someone just starting or getting back into running from a long break your run/jog can be as slow as your walk and that is ok! Actually probably even more than ok! Don't push your self to hard because you will hate it and give up quickly. Running is an endurance sport so give yourself to build up that endurance. Just run at a speed that feels good and you will get that runner's high.

Next, recovery after a long run. Eat and drink right after finishing a good long run. You need to replace some electrolytes and you need some protein. Good options are coconut water (definitely an aquired taste) with whole wheat toast and peanut butter. Or chocolate milk. Or protein shake and toast. I think the recommended time is 30 minutes. Eat within 30 minutes. Next, change out of your cold/wet/sweaty clothes. This seems like an obvious one but in case it isn't you have to get out of those cold clothes. Your core temp drops after running like that and the cold clothes will make you freeze! Side note on stretching--did you know that stretching before a run is actually a debated topic? Static stretching before a run can actually tear your muscles and instead you should opt for dynamic (movement) stretching. Anyway, stretching after a run is a good idea to cool down your muscles and I stretch in the shower for the heat. Try it. After this little routine I feel like a new women. Ready to run another long run. Other advice, I have heard that ice baths are amazing! You really just need good cold water and a cold pool will work just as well. I tried this after the marathon and honestly, was good to go after an afternoon in the water.

Running Stuff

I have been thinking the last week how much of my "running" blog has been food and nutrition info. Two reasons I think: 1) Nutrition is so much more a part of the equation that most people estimate. Especially if you are running solely for weight loss. 2) It is the part of the equation that I STILL struggle with the most. Honestly, I experiment a lot. And most of the time I think I figure out exactly what not to do. I'm still looking for the right here's what to do. I generally end up eating too much so I have that heavy slow feeling or I don't eat enough and then every step I'm thinking I'm going to pass out from hunger. The perfect balance of how much and what to eat is really hard to find. First step--cut out the crap food from my diet is there. We don't eat out much. And when we do I try to pick good choices. Mostly I struggle with the how much... anyone have good thoughts I would love to hear.

With that said, I've been contemplating signing up for the Utah Valley Marathon this last week. It is 12 weeks away and I'm trained enough that I could jump right into a training routine and be ready to go by then. But, I'm struggling making the decision. This is something mentally I want so bad. My sis-in-law is doing it and it would be fun to do together, I've always wanted to check out this course, Provo canyon on a Saturday morning with thousands of others--yes please! But, is it the right thing for my body? One of my running books recommends only doing a marathon about every 9-12 months because of the stress on the body. That you really can only compete well when you have had that much break in between. And St George was still only about 6 months ago. And, I'm positive I gained a sugar addiction while training for St George. Too much push to get better that I needed sugar to keep me going through the day (bread, cookies, Gu's, etc). I don't want to do that again. Oh what to do?!?

Granola Bars and Stomache aches (I guess... probably no one wants to know about this)

So, my latest food experiments have been trying to go gluten free and completely eliminating eggs from my diet. I have had an egg intolerance since high school but I have mostly just seen problems when I eat eggs straight. Like, I can eat cookies and cakes and such that have eggs in them but I can't eat dishes that are egg based. It gives me the feeling like someone has kicked me in the gut. Not fun. Anyway, for the last year or so I have dealt with stomache aches that come and go and I honestly have not been able to nail down what is the connecting factor. And like I said in the title, no one probably wants to hear about this... anyone has funky food allergies or intolerances?? So starting last Tuesday (after my last episode) I decided I am done! Before, I wasn't willing to give up the cookies and cakes so I wasn't willing to take gluten and eggs out. I am happy to say that I have felt a TON better since last Tuesday... It will be a gradual change. There are just too many good things to eat.

With all that said, I have to share one of my favorite treats--so beyond healthy--plus almost gluten free and no eggs. Homemade granola bars. I will give you the recipe as I got it from my friend Des and then give it to you with the way I make them. Both are so yummy!

Berry Powerful Bars (From Des at Unconventionalkitchen.com)
1 Cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
14 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp each of flaxseed, chia seed, sesame seed
1 cup unsweetened whole grain puffed cereal or brown crisp rice cereal
1 cup assorted dried fruit
1/4 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt.

KTrejo Granola Bars
1 Cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1.5 Tbsp each of ground flax seed and chia seed
3/4 Cup brown crip rice cereal (did you know you can buy brown rice krispies at walmart??)
1/2 Cup each of puffed millet and puffed kamut (Ok, you can use any type of puffed cereal--these are just the two I have tried and really like)
1/2 Cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup creamy almond butter
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions are the same-ish for both recipes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square pan. Spread oats, and nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until oats are lightly toasted and nuts are fragrant. About 10 minutes (shake pan about halfway through). Transfer to a larger bowl. Add cereal and dried fruit. Toss to combine. In a sauce pan, combine almond butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Cook over med-low heat stiring frequently until everything is melted and combined. Pour over oats, nuts, cereal, fruit mixture and stir to incorporate. Pour back into 8 inch glass pan and spread evenly. Pack down to get a smooth, solid, piece of granola. If you are using the chocolate chips sprinkle over top now. Allow chips to melt into granola. When the pan is cool enough stick it into the freezer to set the bars. When bars are set they will cut nice and evenly into squares. I cut mine into 12 (works out to be about the same calorie count as a quaker granola bar) and then wrap them in plastic and leave in the fridge for grab and go.

I will be honest--I could eat the entire pan in one sitting. It's tough to get these to make it through a week. I almost always double the recipe. PS... have you hear the buzz about how good chia seeds are for you? This recipe is really jam packed with super foods. Here's the proof:

Chia Seeds http://chiaseedssuperfood.com/
Brown Rice is awesome for exercies! http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128
Kamut (ps... this is not gluten free) http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-kamut-grain.htm
Millet http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53
Coconut Oil is great for weight loss http://www.coconutoil.com/
Plus, dark chocolate http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20030827/dark-chocolate-is-healthy-chocolate

Pre-Long Run Dinner

I feel like I have been out of habit since October. Generally I eat according to what runs I have planned but I haven't done that for the last few months. I'm ready to get back in the habit. I planned for a long run today--16 miles. So, I needed some good carbs for dinner last night. What I came up with which may become a Friday night/pre long run routine was this: Homemade Pizza. For the crust I used Greek Pita bread. Just nice because everyone in my fam likes different stuff on their pizza. So pita, then a thin layer of spaghetti sauce, then sliced roma tomatoes, sprinkled with my favorite pizza and pasta spice mix, shredded mozarella, a few slices canadian bacon, then toped with diced red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, zucchini, and yellow squash. Even my non-veggie loving hubby thought it was delish! Total calories are probably under 350 (200 of them just from the pita--so easy to cut that back if you wanted but again I was looking for easy to digest carbs). And it worked. I had a bagel with peanut butter for my breakfast and I was not hungry on my run. Happy day! I should take pictures. This blog would be so much better with pictures.

Oatmeal recipes

Ok, last post for tonight. Have I mentioned how much I love oatmeal for breakfast? One of my faves. Anyway just found a few recipe ideas and needed somewhere to save the link for myself. Here it is: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=204&sid=19260040.