Happy trails to us

As mentioned previously, I am back in training with the Couch to 5k program. However, what I haven't lately mentioned is the break I took for the past two weeks - first because it was triple-digit hot everyday and then second to acclimate myself to my new semester routine. During that break, we all reveled as I discovered a fascination with trail running.

Here I am in the second week of classes and I'm working out my workout routine. Basically, my running days will be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays for the next couple of months. Since Kevin and I are both home by 4 on Tuesdays we've dubbed it Trail Day. Thursdays are neighborhood jog days and Saturday depends on our schedule, but we're always shooting for a trail somewhere.

Today was our first Tuesday Trail Day ...

It was also the first official run I've attempted since Aug. 12. I planned on repeating the last week I completed (Week 3), but accidentally hit the start button for Week 4 and decided, what the heck and gave it a try.

Success!!!

All things were in my favor: the weather was beautiful, the trail was fairly empty, and I had lovely music on the phone. The running itself wasn't so bad either! In fact, it was almost enjoyable. I got a kick out of the random dog that would run across the trail - without an owner in site. Maybe that's how dogs are in the wild?

This week's run routine involves running for 3 minutes, walking 1.5 mins, running 5 minutes then walking 2.5 minutes and repeating for a total of 16 minutes spent running and 18 spent walking (including 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down).

I started dragging in the last 2.5 minutes of my final run, but out of the brush came Kevin and Chester as part of their run! They joined me for a bit, but then ran past because I'm a lot slower. Chester was cute, however. I could tell he was torn between staying with me and going with Kevin. In the end he went with the faster choice and I finished my run in blissful solitude.

Kevin and Chester headed my way :)

Seriously, I was alone the rest of the time and loved it. I had calm music in my headphones and just took it all as an active meditation. I didn't stress about how long or how far I was running. I just focused on sidestepping the next rock in my path.

While Kevin finished his run, I chilled my the water fountain and watched the dogs playing with each other. This park - about a 20-minute drive from my house is pretty fantastic. Kevin said he and Chester both had a blast and we're pretty excited to make this part of our weekly routine.

Changing it up worked

Well, yesterday was Weigh Day and I sadly reported no weight loss. I was a bit shocked, to be honest, considering the fact that I walked more than 30 miles last week.

But I my explanation came last night - and I'll leave it at that.

Things are settling down in my world. Rearranging my schedule, based on priorities, has really made a difference!

Now, my schedule is as follows:

6:30 - Wake up, eat breakfast, study
8:30 - Leave for classes
9:40 to 12:45 - In classes
12:50 - Leave for internship, eat lunch in car
2:00 - Arrive at work
5:00 - Leave work
5:30 - Arrive home, change into workout clothes
5:45 - ? Work out
Dinner, study after dinner

I don't feel nearly so rushed with this new schedule - and not nearly so exhausted by 5:30. It's wonderful :-) Plus, with the new semester starting in two weeks, work and school switch places and everything else remains the same.

I'm still busy - weekends are practically non-existent for me now since my training walks take at least 4 hours each and I'm working to raise money for the 3-Day.

Also, I am adding some new stuff to my workout regimen - and seeing many changes in my shape!

Check out my latest sale purchase!

A la Abby, I sit on the balance ball while reading and find myself wiggling a lot to stay settled. I hear this works on your core.

Plus, my attitude is changing. Having walked long distances several times, I feel a confidence growing in my body. Dare I say, I almost feel fit!

Summer: Jobs and Salads

Tomorrow starts the first day of the rest of my life!

I know, I know - pretty melodramatic. But for reals (that phrase always makes me think of Apol btw), I start my first legal internship tomorrow! I'm clerking for the Missouri Public Defenders Office. My alarm is set for 6 a.m. and I will be in the gym by 8 ... then, when I'm done on the tread mill, I will have to suit up (literally!) in time for class. When class ends, I will fly back to Kansas City for work.

6:00: Wake up, make breakfast
7:00: Leave for gym
8:00: At gym, on treadmill
9:15: Shower for work/class
9:40: In class
11:00: Lunch time
11:20: Second class
12:45: Head to Kansas City
1:35: Afternoon snack
2:00: At work
5:00: Off work
6:00: Eat dinner
6:30: Homework!
9:30: Bedtime

Just typing it out makes me tired! But to be honest, I just went over my training regimen and it's only going to be that bad on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And that's *if* I work 5 days a week - which I'm not certain will be the case. I'll know more tomorrow.

What is certain, however, is that this summer is going to be crazy! Time for cooking will be minimal. And time for researching recipes and such will be even harder to find! It's a bummer too because summer is finally finding Kansas - and with this heat comes an intense desire for cold foods! I don't have a pile of yummy salad recipes and stuff and I could really use a few.

Tonight I defrosted boiled shrimp and ate a plate full of watermelon. I just couldn't bring myself to turn on the oven - it's so hot in my house! If anyone wants to take it upon themselves to find yummy summer dishes that are cool and crisp, I would be very grateful! Clearly, no one needs a new lettuce-based salad, but other summer food is very welcome! So far I have a great tuna salad recipe (the secret is garlic powder), a wonderful stoplight salad made with peppers, and a fantastic black bean and corn salad.

In that spirit, here is the recipe for the Watermelon "salad" I had with my shrimp tonight.

Cut watermelon in 3/4 inch pieces - removing rind in process. Spray with Balsamic Breeze spray dressing. Enjoy. :-) That's all. Simple and lovely. This is the recipe that inspired me, but I was missing a couple of ingredients and didn't feel like sorting out the nutritional stats. The version I made was only 60 calories per cup of watermelon. YUM!

Ode to my Old Routine

Ok, so my food routine is back to normal (Yay!), but there are changes I'm trying to make in my daily routine (as I said in yesterday's entry) and I just didn't feel like starting today. Sorry, girls.

Classes start at 9:40 - so technically, I don't need to leave my house until 8:45 to be on time. However, I've been up since 6:30. Yes, I could have raced around my house getting ready and left by 7 in order to get to the gym at 8 - and I will be doing that once I get my routine changed, but I am just so behind in my "world" right now, that I am taking this as my last morning to relax. This is one time when I wish changes weren't necessary, but I let myself get derailed from my Susan G. Komen 3-Day training thanks to finals, and the clock is ticking. I need to get back out there!

I like my morning routine the way it was. I like starting the day with a relaxing jaunt online, catching up on my blogs, my friends blogs, and the myriad of health articles that are delivered to my in box each morning.

I like to linger over my first cup of coffee and enjoy my oatmeal and eggs. I like to take a few moments each morning to marvel in the mirror at the changes in my body. What can I say? I like to start the day off in a calm way before sprinting out the door to my first class and the plethora of activities and "to-do" list entries that mark the passing of my days.

Oh, and I like to sleep in. But starting tomorrow the alarm goes off at 6 and leave the house between 7 and 7:30.

No place like home

There's no place like home. Such a fitting statement since I live in Kansas!

Second Spring Break is over and I am waiting for my first class of the day to start for summer school. I got up at 6 this morning and had my usual egg whites and oatmeal. It's nice to be back in my routine!

The food choices I made last week were less than spectacular and I am paying for it. My face looks worse than many 12-year-olds' and I feel huge, bloated, and icky.

But a semester comes with changes to the routine and I'm looking forward to those this summer semester will bring. My classes are from 9:40 to 12:45 each day. That means I am back to having gym time! By getting to school between 7:30 and 8 each day I will be able to get a workout in before each day's classes. Then, I can study through the afternoon and maybe even spend some guilty-free evenings with the boyfriend.

I have a job interview this afternoon and another tomorrow afternoon. If one of them works out, however, my afternoons and evenings will quickly fill up, but the mornings will still be perfect for my 3-Day training and my gym visits.

Food changes

Something is off this week ... I've been limiting my calories to 1300 for months, but lately it's not working for me! In fact, I have exceeded my daily calorie allowance every day this week. No bueno.

Thank goodness for my calorie tracker! Thanks to the daily journal I keep online, I can study my eating habits and see if there are any applicable changes that could possibly be the culprit. And I found a suspect!

This past week I shifted to a new oatmeal for breakfast. Previously, I ate reduced-sugar instant oatmeal (can't stand the "real" stuff - sorry oatmeal snobs). Last time I was at the grocery store I found a high-fiber instant oatmeal and thought I'd give it a swirl. Fiber keeps you fuller longer, right? It has 50 more calories but I figured the trade off would be worth it. Time to go back to the reduced sugar.

Also, I ate a REAL egg a couple of times this week. I've been having a hard time getting the right amount of fat so I figured shifting to one real egg a day would work (eggs are our friends again). I will say, eating a yolk in my eggs was pretty wonderful - so rich and yummy. No idea I missed it that much.

Even my dog didn't want to go for a run!

I went for my first 6am run this morning. Even my dog looked pissed that we were running that early. She just wanted her post wake-up nap. I normally run right after I get home from work around 6pm, which means I don't eat until 7:30-8pm, sit down for homework at 8:30 and off to bed at 10. Cleaning the house, socializing, playing with the dog, gardening...nope, no time!

There just isn't enough hours in the day, so I have to change things up a bit. If I'm going to make working out a part of my life, I need to make sure it doesn't take up my life. I need time for the 3 H's...Homework, Housework and (soon-to-be) Husband. If I don't make time for the 3 H's, they get neglected and then I stop working out to catch up, then I just stop working out in general because once you stop it is hard to start again...it's a vicious cycle.

Starting now I am getting up 40 minutes earlier to add a 2-3 mile run at least 4 times a week. Then I can mix it up with long walks, bike rides or yoga on the weekends. Sounds like a good plan, right? I will have to figure something else out once it gets cold again, but I don't want to even think about that now. I'm too busy basking in the beautiful warm and sunny weather and enjoying an early morning jog, even if my dog isn't.

My Sunday routine

Oh sweet glorious routine! How do I love thee.

It's Sunday - the day I read most of my assignments for the next week's classes. I go to the grocery store for food for the upcoming week. I plan my meals and talk with Kevin about the nights he will be joining me. I pack my gym bag for the week and do the laundry.

Right now, I'm steaming potatoes for tomorrow's lunch and waiting for low-cal brownies to cool so that I can bag them up for lunch tomorrow as well.

I have a paper due this week and am about half way through it - and I am completely calm because I am starting my week off on the right foot. I will be in bed by 10:30 - with all laundry folded and put away and the school bag packed for the day.

The food I eat is tied to this routine as well. Adding breakfast into my life has probably been the biggest change I've made since starting the 50n50 endeavor. In fact, I attribute most of my weight loss to the fact that I now eat breakfast every day. It's more than that though. When things are really bad in my world, I don't eat for days. I forget. And my body starves. But these days, I plan and enjoy all the food that I eat.

I can tell, on days that I don't plan, that things aren't quite right. Maybe I end up eating potatoes for dinner or I have to resort to yogurt for breakfast (something that is NOT filling to me at all!). Perhaps I didn't plan out the right amount of food for the week and my lunch lacks my usual mid-afternoon snack. I end up eating something straight out of the fridge or cupboards the moment I get home. Something that lacks the nutritious value of baby carrots or the protein of string cheese. Then, it throws off dinner and puts the whole day out of whack.

Self-control, will power, ocd, insanity ... no matter what you call it, I call it necessary for survival. If I were to miss planning my food for a few days I know that I would immediately fall off the wagon, so to speak.

For me, routine is imperative. Routine keeps me balanced and keeps me sane - literally. The greatest mood swings occur when my world order is shaken and out of whack.

It can start off simply - a messy desk makes me less productive - and then it can escalate - a messy house makes it hard for me to concentrate and sees me forgetting little things. Finally ending in disaster - not paying bills on time for several months and avoiding creditor calls while riding a carousel of shame and spiraling ever-downward.

I've alluded to a few times when this has happened, one was fairly recent and I am just now feeling myself free from the disorder and chaos in my mind.

Finally, after almost two years of turmoil, I have a routine.