Craving something sweet

So, this marks my third week on the paleo diet and although I've managed to avoid all those things I thought I'd struggle with giving up, I have started to feel the need for something sweet. I started with freezing banana chunks, which have been great. But I find I tend to eat way too many bananas in a day this way.

I made a quick stop at Trader Joe's yesterday and perused their dried fruit section. Most everything was sweetened or freeze dried, which I don't like because the strawberries are more like flakes than anything I can sink my teeth into.

As I kept looking, I came across "Just Mango Slices," which were unsulfured and unsweetened. I've got to admit, my expectations were pretty low. I was expecting the mango to taste more like cardboard. When I opened the package, the strong smell of mango was divine. This really elevated my expectations, which honestly, were not let down! The mango was so good, chewy and sweet and just so tasty. In fact, I'm almost done with the package and it's been a day!

The package says the serving size is four pieces, which is about 120 calories. No fat of course. I probably eat about six slices in a sitting, although today I've had a few more than that! I'm really surprised at how tasty it is. I'm planning on buying another pack for my trip to Delaware this weekend, although I need to be careful not to overdose on this! Definitely a really tasty snack that satisfies the sweet tooth.

It's the simple things that keep you happy and help you through paleo!

To a new year and new adventures

It's hard to believe 2012 went by so quickly! It was such a big year for me. New job, big move, long runs! Here's hoping 2013 is full of some great opportunities . . . and that appears to be the case so far.

The first half of my year is packed with travel, including Toronto, Phoenix, Paris (and hopefully a few side trips to Amsterdam and Belgium). They are back to back trips, so I'll be a busy woman, packing and unpacking and trying to avoid the dreaded flu.

My goal is to run another two half marathons this year. I'll plan to run the Lynchburg race in August, my third year in a row, but need to find another, flatter race to run. I'd also like to add a couple of 10Ks as well, but I'm not sure I'll run another marathon for at least another year. I'm waiting for the running bug to catch me again...it's been hard to get my head in the game where long distance running is concerned.

Crossfit is still going well - I actually love it, even though I still have to scale some of the exercises. I still can't do a handstand pushup, but it's a goal of mine this year. Everyone is so supportive and I love competing against myself and seeing what I'm really made of. I can now backsquat 95 pounds, which isn't a ton, but a lot for me!

And I've even joined the paleo bandwagon and am doing a 30 day challenge with a colleague of mine. This is week three, and I've lost almost eight pounds so far. I definitely see the benefits in cutting out all the junk of course, and while I've done pretty well cravings wise, occasionally all I can think about are waffles or peanut butter...Once I get through the thirty days, I'm committed to sticking with paleo five days a week and giving myself two days to splurge a little, within reason. I read that it will actually help reset my metabolism that way. We'll see how long I can keep up with it. I lost 40 pounds eating regular foods, but I noticed the past few months, I was binge eating and allowing myself to eat things I had given up for quite some time...too many baked goods, candy, and just junk. My regular meals were pretty healthy, but the in-between was slowing me down.

I will say this though, Paleo has really helped me expand my cooking repertoire. I've made a great vegetable soup base, which I added shrimp to in one batch and clams and sweet potatoes to in another. I'm going to try chicken next. My brother gave me a crock pot for Christmas and that has come in handy with some pretty tasty chicken dishes. I've also been a big proponent of shrimp lately and stumbled across a really tasty paleo coconut shrimp recipe, which I adapted to chicken too. I'll share the recipe the next time I make it and can post photos.

My breakfast has been the same every morning and I definitely struggle with the fact that eventually that's going to get really boring. But it appears that the only type of egg I can eat without ketchup or cheese is basically scrambled eggs...although I did manage to FINALLY make a perfect omelette the other night, so maybe there is hope. I've been really proud of myself for not indulging in ketchup or ranch dressing the past two weeks - those were certainly crutches and staples of mine. Balsamic vinegar has helped in the salad department. But I need to find new ways to eat breakfast. Scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and strawberries is going to get old at some point.

So that's my quick update. As I venture further into crossfit and paleo, I hope to post more often. And of course, I'll share my adventures traveling, which never seem to disappoint.

Til then . . .

Remembering

These past couple of months have flown by. So much has happened, which I plan to update in another post. But I wanted to just take a minute to address the school shooting which took place just a few miles from where I live in Connecticut.

Initially, I didn't realize the extent of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary, but as the reports began to flow in, so did the tears. To think 26 people were killed, 20 of which were children, just makes no sense. I suppose I'll never know why people make the choices they do, but I still wonder what goes through someone's head to commit such a heinous act of violence.

Those that know me, know I am from Littleton, Colorado. A town synonymous with it's own act of violence.  While I did not attend Columbine High School, I knew many who did and had my own connections to what occurred there so many years ago. And despite thirteen years, that day is etched in my mind with the utmost clarity.

As I watched the news and stories began pouring out of Sandy Hook, flashes of April 20, 1999 came back to me. I remember everything about that day, the tears, the screams, the questions, the fear. Our school was in a lock down and helicopters were soaring overhead. I remember finally being let out of school and my mom not being able to get to me because of roadblocks. I took the bus home and literally ran the entire way to my house, just wanting to hug my parents. In speaking with my mom and dad last Friday, they told me that without a doubt, they knew how some of the Sandy Hook parents felt, wondering where their child was, or if they were ok. My dad still has a difficult time talking about what happened with Columbine. He was on a business trip and knew I was planning on touring Columbine as a possible high school to attend. He wasn't sure where I was and couldn't get in touch with me (I didn't have a cell phone at the time and all the phone lines were tied up). All he could do was pray he said.

Columbine left an indelible mark. I was forever changed by that day and I have carried it with me all these years. Though I don't talk about it much these days, when shootings like the one in Newtown happen, it's hard not to think about Columbine. Sadly, it seems to be the shooting all other shootings are compared to. But now, I fear Sandy Hook has become the new benchmark.

My heart breaks for all those impacted by the shootings in Newtown. Just like Littleton, it was a small town, tight-knit, and I know it will be forever changed by the tremendous loss of life. I pray for the families of those who lost loved ones, especially the children. I don't have children and can never think to know what it might be like to lose a child in such a violent way, but my heart aches for their loss. All I can say is, Heaven has 20 little angels watching over us.

As Christmas quickly approaches, I can't help but think of all those families who will have unwrapped gifts under the tree, an empty seat at the dinner table. I can only pray they find the strength to soldier on in the midst of their grief and that they find comfort in knowing that there are good people in the world, good people who do care and love and hope. I know I plan to try that much harder to spread some joy and good in the lives of those around me in honor of those who were taken all too soon.

The wounds left behind last Friday may never heal, but I hope as a country, we can come together and open our eyes to the violence and tragedy we continue to endure. At some point, we have to say enough is enough. We can't continue to allow this type of hatred to pervade our schools, our malls, our communities. I do believe we are a great country, capable of great things. But we've lost our way. I can only pray we find it soon.

As John Lennon wrote, "Imagine all the people, living life in peace." Wouldn't that be something?

Trouble Walking? Me? No! I'm just...CrossFitting

So tonight is my third CrossFit class this week and fourth total. A few things I've learned this week:

1. Somewhere between fifth grade and today, I forgot how to jump rope. This skill simply evaporated from my repertoire and I look like an absolute fool even attempting it. I trip over the rope, get the rope caught in my pony tail, miss a foot and tangle myself in the rope. It's sad, just sad. My solution is to buy a jump rope this weekend and practice.

2. I never knew what sore meant until now (well really until my marathon). I can remember being sore, or what I thought was sore after training, but this is a new level. My legs are so sore, I can barely sit down and stand back up. The stairs become a tremendous feat, hell even walking is difficult. Every time I roll over in my sleep, I wake up from the severe pain and effort it takes to move even the slightest bit. My body hurts!

3. I used to think squats with dumbbells were a pain...that was until I started doing over head squats and wall balls. Now, I'd give anything to squat with a 12lb dumbbell.

4. Thank God I trained for two years - the skills I learned are certainly coming in handy. While there's no doubt I feel like the new kid on the block at CrossFit, at least  have some sense of what I'm doing...sort of.

Tonight we're doing upside down push ups (yeah right), pull ups (I'll be doing a modified version), box jumps (again, they'll probably have me to a modified version), toe to bars (ha, yeah right) and MORE squats. We'll see how it goes. I'm enjoying the challenge and the discipline and accountability I have by going back to some form of training - it helps to keep me on track. I'm also trying the paleo diet, although very modified  and only every other day. I do miss carbs . . . I'd like a bagel.

What gives me hope, is that if I keep it up, hopefully in six months, on my 27th birthday, I'll feel a sense of real accomplishment seeing all these expected changes in my body. And hopefully I'll be a ripped beast!

Here's hoping I can walk tomorrow!

CrossFitting!

I finally took the leap and attended my first CrossFit class at the CrossFit Danbury box yesterday. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I worked with a personal trainer for about two years and ended up losing close to 40 pounds, which I gained in college (forget the Freshman Fifteen, it's the Freshman Forty!). Working with my trainer Amanda, I substantially increased my strength, endurance, everything. But since I've moved, I've been looking for something to replace that training. Not to mention, for the past four months I've been mainly focusing on my running...and since the marathon, I'm ready for a change of pace.

Thanks to a new colleague who joined my office a few weeks ago and my friend Brian's encouragement, I finally went to my first "beginners" class yesterday. Before diving in, I had all these scary thoughts about what I was getting myself into. All I could think of were all the intense, beast-like photos I had seen of friends lifting insane amounts of weight. I was nervous I'd embarrass myself or not be able to keep up.

Thankfully, all that personal training came in handy. I was able to keep up, despite some of my lingering marathon issues, and felt relatively strong throughout. I think we came on a day with a fairly easy WOD (Workout of the Day), as my friend Brian promises me it's going to be much more intense, but I've decided to commit to going three days a week, starting next week. Brian assures me I'll be a ripped beast in six months, so here's hoping!

Honestly, it was amazing how supportive and encouraging everyone was. These were people I had never met in my life, telling me I was doing a good job and helping me to make sure I was doing the exercises correctly - definitely a change of pace from the typical gym. There is also a level of competitiveness, which for anyone who knows me, knows I love. I think this could end up being really good for me, although I promised Karen (Brian's wife) I won't get too obsessed - we'll see!

I'm looking forward to continuing with it. Not sure if I'll adopt the paleo diet that comes along with CrossFit, but I am pretty confident I'll reach my goal weight through this program, as long as I stick to it. And maybe even make some new friends...which we all know I need to do since I moved.

Here's the WOD I completed yesterday:

1. STRENGTH/ SKILL WORK
5X5
PRESS
REST 60 SECS
5 STRICT C2B PULLUPS
REST 60 SECONDS

2. WOD
4 RFT
400M RUN
12 PP 95/65

So here are my main CrossFit goals:
1. Get to my goal weight
2. Do a pull up
3. Do a full push up (chest to the ground - as of now, I can do a very small one and totally kick butt on the girl version!)

So if all predictions are accurate, by April, I should be a ripped beast. Here goes nothing!

26.2

Gosh, who would have thought a marathon would have taken so much out of me, physically, mentally, and emotionally. With that said, I'm happy to report that I completed the marathon! That's right, this body took me a whole 26.2 miles and I crossed the finish line.

And here's all the gory details: The Saturday a week before my marathon, I went on a quick, three-mile taper run...not even a mile into the run, I hit a piece of uneven ground and as luck would have it, I sprained my ankle. After screaming a couple of expletives, pain and disappointment induced of course, I hobbled back to my parents' house. After making my way to the chair and icing my ankle, I just burst into tears. I had trained so long and so far for this marathon and a week before, I sprain my ankle. Go figure.

The following Monday, I hopped on a plane to Orlando for a big work event, with my ankle wrapped tightly, still painful and still swollen. I got through the week, although on very limited sleep and not without some major travel disruptions (including a cancelled flight, waiting on the tarmac for an hour, another six hour delay, lost luggage, etc.). My ankle was still black and blue and still swollen, but I had put in so much effort and just couldn't let this injury sideline me.

So the race began...I felt alright, although my quads were super tight. Around mile nine, I re-twisted my ankle, which was painful. I kept running. At mile twelve, my ankle gave out again. I kept running. By mile 16 or so, I was hobbling/jogging, but I kept going. Around mile 22 I had a mini breakdown, wondering if the race would ever end. I started to tear up. I asked God to just help me through it, and as if he knew I needed it, a song that means so much to me, "Be Still," by The Fray started playing on my iPod. At that point, I just knew I had to keep going...and keep going I did. It took me six hours...should have taken me a little less than five, but with the ankle, I was just happy to cross the finish line. My friends and brother cheered me on the entire way - meeting me at every check point with their homemade signs, screaming for me to keep going, and even breaking out into song at one point - Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." I couldn't have done it without them.

After the race, I could barely walk. My brother had to half carry me to the car and throughout the next few days I can honestly say, I have never been so sore in my life. I couldn't stand up or sit down without incredible pain in my legs. Even as I slept, whenever I turned over, my body would scream with pain. A week and half out though, I'm starting to feel better, although I still have some hip pain and oddly enough, my feet still hurt a bit in the mornings. My ankle is still swollen, although the black and blue has subsided. I'm still debating if it's worth heading to the doctor, because my gut is telling me I might have a stress fracture. I'm testing it out tonight at the gym, for the first time in a week.

Although my plan was to run one marathon and then stick with half-marathons and shorter, I'm not so sure that's the case. I really want know what I'm really made of and knowing my time should have been so much better, I think I'll starting training again come the spring. I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to the sores all over my back, the endless long distance runs, the gu chomps and gels...but there's nothing that compares to crossing the finish line knowing you just ran 26.2 miles - no one can ever take that away from you, no matter what the time was, no matter the circumstance...I proudly display my 26.2 sticker on my car, despite it all.

Until the next race  . . .

Bye Bails

It took me a week to get my emotions together to write this blog entry. Last Monday my parents called me and insisted I call them back as soon as I got to my apartment after work. Of course I knew something happened. My thoughts started racing - who could it be? Something happened to someone I loved...and then it hit me, it was Bailey. Sure enough, when I finally reached my apartment, through the tears already welling in my eyes, I asked my parents, "Is it Bailey?" All they had to say was yes and I knew what had happened to our 12 year old yellow lab.

I'll be honest, I have never been so emotional over an animal in my entire life. And I guess to some extent, Bailey wasn't just an animal, she was a member of our family. I remember when we went to pick her up, somewhere near Evergreen, Colorado. My brother and I didn't know we were getting a puppy, but I remember how thrilled we were when we realized it. The breeder brought the dogs in, a line of five or six yellow lab puppies. Then came a straggler, a puppy walking in a bit slower than the rest. She stopped, looked at us and proceeded to pee on the floor. We knew then we had found our dog.

We named her Bailey, after the first town we ate breakfast in in Colorado. Little did we know, Bailey is a pretty common dog's name. But every time someone told us they had a dog named Bailey, my dad would always say, "Yeah, but I bet they're not named after Bailey, Colorado," and sure enough, they never were.

Bailey was an amazing dog. She wasn't "anyone's" dog really, but loved each of us equally...although I won't lie, I think she was partial to my Dad and me. When I left for college, the first semester I was gone, Bailey took all her toys and piled them up outside my door . . . if that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

I have the fondest of memories of my puppy. From our long runs, to eventually our long walks. I remember playing fetch with her and letting her sleep in my bed (against my dad's protests). She used to sleep literally like a person, with her head on the pillow, taking up the majority of the bed. I remember how crazy she'd get after the bear would pay us a visit and I remember how much she loved just laying outside in the garage watching people walk by. She never ran away, never bit anyone, and would never take a treat until you told her it was ok. She loved it when I spilled ice in the kitchen, because she'd get to lick it up and she couldn't stand my mom cleaning her ears. She gave high fives and kisses and would immediately run for her bed when you told her it was time to go "night night." She was simply the best dog we've ever had.

I went home last weekend and my mom told me Bailey had been bit by a bee. Her ear was swollen with fluid and I spent most of Saturday researching how to make it better. We gave her benadryl, I tried to get her to let me ice her ear, which wasn't easy. Mom and dad planned to take her to the vet the following Monday to see if they could drain the fluid. But it was more than just a bee sting. Bailey's allergies were worse than ever, her paws were swollen and chewed and it looked like she was developing a tumor on her paw. She had an extremely difficult time climbing the stairs and would often wait at the base of the stairs for hours until someone forced her to make the trek. She was getting old and while none of us thought she'd go this soon, we all knew it was coming. The vet said she was in a lot of pain and he felt it was time. My mom made the decision and that was it, our beloved Bailey Bails was gone.

The first few days were difficult, I cried even thinking about her. The days have begun to get better, but even as I write this post, tears are welling in my eyes. Bailey was part of our family for nearly half my life...wherever we went, Bailey went. Whenever I came home, before I even said hello to my parents, I yelled out for Bails. It's still unbelievable to me that she's no longer here. I think part of me feels like she's just at the kennel and Mom and Dad haven't gone to pick her up yet...but I know better.

I know my puppy-girl is in a better place, she's not suffering anymore, she's at peace, but it still hurts. I still miss her. We were truly blessed to have such an amazing dog. I'm thankful she loved us as much as we loved her and deep down I know she's up in Heaven playing with her stuffed "babies" without a care in the world.

Take care old girl, be good, we love and miss you Bails.