Marathon Music

As I was running yesterday I had an idea that will hopefully help to motivate me to continue to run my butt off. I would love other people to help me build my playlist! I am going to need about 6 hours of music. So, hit me! What are your favorite running songs? What song makes you think of me? If you were running a long distance, what would help propel you just a bit further? I think it will be fun to have music picked by friends.... it will be like people are cheering me on!

Just leave the song(s) in a comment to me :)

Running thoughts

Today I took a run. I was planning on going 4 miles, but I had only drank 2 cups of coffee and 8oz of water for the entire day (it was 4pm) and the heat was getting to me. I was tooooooooo thirsty so I called it off after 3.2 miles. While I often seek the quiet mind during a run, I don't always achieve it. Today is a prime example. My thoughts were on turbo-speed. I was having a hard time even getting into any of the music on my ipod and often a song would trigger all new thoughts. Here is a peak inside my mind.

<Here we go again>- OOooooh, I love this song! The video is even better. I wonder if I could dance on a treadmill. No, I can't even walk or run on one without holding on.
Oh shoot! Broken bottle on the ground. College kids drinking and playing beer pong. I wonder as I am running by if they see me as some weird old lady who is scoping them out? Do they even notice me? Probably, since I yelled, "F-ck!" while jumping on glass with my barefoot shoes. I wish I was running faster. That would be more impressive, if I was flying by these kids rather than running at a pace that makes me feel like I am doing a satirical play where I go in slow motion.

<Thrift Store> Maybe I can find the right pace. I did play this song 11 times on my last long run because it was just right. Yep, definitely a power song. maybe I should shop at Goodwill more. No, what if we got bedbugs or head lice. Head lice clean up SUCKS. I should probably check Edie again. Oh, shoot! I think I was supposed to give the dogs their flea treatment this last week. Ooooh, and heart guard.

Damn. This hill is hard. I am thirsty. I hope no one I know sees me right now. Is that Christina coming down the hill in the Subaru? Oh, it is! I wish I was running fast rather than walking up this hill and dying. I don't look very bad-ass while i am dying. Oh, good, she didn't see me.

<Dirrty>Ok, Erika, pull it together. Pretend you are running in that outfit Christina Aguilera wore in this video. She was tough. Get some swagger. Wait, she was wearing leather ass-less chaps. Those sound really HOT to run in. And probably should only be worn by women in their early 20s.... and sexy men in really good shape. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if my saggy mom butt was so saggy in back that it tucked right into the legs of the chaps? Yeah, Erika, NEVER wear chaps.

Speaking of butts.... I am concerned as to where the bloomers of this running skirt may have migrated to.  Is it worse to pick a wedgie while running or to pretend you don't notice it, but each breeze that blows the running skirt up shows to everyone that you have a massive wedgie? Is there a sly way to take care of this problem? Maybe I could squat down to "fix my shoe" and take care of it?

Running down this hill is fun. I wish all hills were only downhill. Maybe I should walk up it so I can run down again? Suck it up, baby, Mankato won't get any flatter before the marathon in October.

Why do I feel like I might die today? Can I pull it together tomorrow for a longer run?
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And on and on it went. 3.2 miles of constant brain chatter. Hopefully tomorrow will be a quieter brain since I am hoping for 8 miles. I don't know if I can handle my brain going on and on and on for 8 miles.

Trying to get back on track, nutritionally speaking.

I seem to have fallen WAY off track with eating well. It was easy to do. In the early days of having Fritz I was burning tons of calories nursing him and then this summer I was usually walking to do all my errands, so I would walk 4 miles a day plus get in regular workouts too. It is winter now and cold out so I am not walking anywhere. Fritz still nurses a lot, but it seems that my body has figured this out and isn't burning quite as many calories doing it. Plus, the past 2 weeks he has really suddenly taken a liking to eating solids. I have gone from 123 in November to now about 131. Yep, 8lbs in a pretty short amount of time. It probably also has to do with being off call and perfecting my Bloody Mary recipe. All 8lbs is in my gut, a nice little beer belly... my own version of the Freshmen 15. So, I decided to do a post for complete and total accountability with what I am eating. I LOVE reading other people's posts with their diet diary for the day. I guess I am obsessed with food in that way. Sometimes, through logging, I am able to see exactly where I am doing well and where I need work.

Breakfast:
I drank a ton of coffee. My first cup of coffee for the day my lovely husband made for me and it tasted REALLY good, so I am assuming there was probably 2 oz of half and half instead of 1 oz. So, 3oz of half and half for the day.

Then I made a breakfast sandwich with a Flatout flatbread, egg beaters, piece of American cheese (ok, it is "cheese food" not real cheese, but it is delicious), and Canadian bacon. I ate 80% of it and was stuffed. Must be all the fiber in the flatbread.

Lunch #1: (did I mention that I eat a bazillion times a day?)

I got these yummy mini peppers and little fancy cucumbers. I am pairing them with a bit of reduced fat ranch dressing (making my own with greek yogurt would be even better, nutritionally) and an oz of turkey.

Lunch #2:

A client gave me fresh bread and strawberry jam. I had no choice but to eat a slice :)

Afternoon snack:

Venti skinny mocha (thank you, awesome husband, for bringing me happiness)

Dinner:

I made a turkey and cheese sandwich and grabbed a few chips, but I ended up not being all that hungry and eating only 1/3 of the sandwich and about 4 potato chips. Edie finished the rest quite happily.

Evening snack #1:

Protein shake made with 1% milk, Max protein powder, and a few cherries

Evening snack #2:

Apple and laughing cow cheese.

Between all this eating I got in two of these bad boys with herbal tea:

So, my nutritional stats for the day are: 1323 calories, 41 grams of fat, 87 grams protein, 23 grams of fiber

Not too shabby. I am still trying to find the right balance for my body.


I also managed to get in a run and another workout today. I REALLY wanted to eat food from Patrick's. Like a patty melt, beer battered cheese nuggets, and beer. I can often mentally justify these things to myself by telling myself that it is just a little treat and in moderation, but I have been indulging FAR too often and it is time to rein it in. I just wish raw veggies tasted as good as fried junkfood. And don't tell me that they do, I will just call you a big fibber.

Sore toes

I haven't been running or really doing much of anything physical the last 2 weeks other than going snow shoeing 1 time. The reason for this is that my toes are far too sore in this cold weather!!! So, besides being all arthritic and old feeling at the ripe age of 32, I also have developed Raynaud's Phenomenon (or Disease or Disorder).

Last year when Fritz was born, it was in my nipples. Holy hell, breastfeeding hurt like crazy. It got better once the weather warmed up and I didn't notice it again until it got cold this winter. This winter I have the joy of having it in my toes. Better than the nipples, but still not very comfortable. Raynaud's is a vasoconstriction issue, so when my toes get cold the blood stops pumping to them. Since it is Minnesota and winter, my feet are cold All. The. Time.

When the blood resumes pumping to my toes, they become swollen. So, they hurt when the blood stops pumping and they hurt when the blood overcompensates. Because of this issues, my toes are actually becoming covered in blisters and the starts of blisters because it doesn't take much to damage tissue when that tissue isn't getting enough blood. My toes hurt if they touch one another. It hurts to wear shoes. Socks that are too tight and shove my toes together are excruciating, but not wearing socks and my feet getting all cold is not acceptable either.

Here is what they look like when the blood starts pumping to them again after a cold attack. You can see my toes are swollen and they are actually more red than what shows up in this photo. (My foot looks all weird because of the angle and the way I was picking it up)

So, there you have it. My reason number 127 that my husband should move with me to New Mexico. I cannot wait for spring!!!

Ok, that was my whine for the day. Now you know why I don't run outside and haven't been very active at all with the cold snap that came through last week.

Recipe and training plan

I have been craving chocolate like CRAZY. I try very hard to not eat sugar. Sugar is my kryptonite. If I eat a wee bit of sugar then suddenly I am eating cake for breakfast, 2nd breakfast, 1st lunch, 2nd lunch, afternoon snack, etc. If I stay away from it, I do much better. Now, me not eating sugar also means I do not do maple syrup, honey, agave, or any other sweetener that is still filled with calories. I do not do sugar alcohols either as they mess with my tummy in a very gross and stinky sort of way. I do, however, consume a lot of Splenda. More than I should. You have been forewarned that this recipe contains Splenda. If you want to make it and use something else to sweeten it, go for it! :)

I found a brownie recipe that seemed decently healthy! It uses Splenda, but it also uses primarily black beans and eggs. Here is where I found the original:
http://www.ohtastensee.com/2012/09/27/low-fat-sugar-free-black-bean-brownies/

I plugged their nutrition information in and there is NO way that is correct. Sorry. I was getting about 3x the number of calories when I plugged their ingredients in.


Now, here is how I adjusted it to fit my needs:
2 eggs
1/2 cup of egg whites or EggBeaters (to reduce from 4 eggs to 2)
1 TBSP of coconut oil
1 TBSP of unsweetened applesauce (this took place of 1/2 the oil)
1 can of black beans, rinsed (I also chose the lowest sodium I could find)
1 TBSP vanilla
3 TBSP cocoa powder
1/2 tsp of baking powder
sprinkle of sea salt
1 cup of Splenda

Then over the top I sprinkled PB2, which is a powdered peanut butter that ROCKS. It has WAY less fat/calories but a good peanut flavor.

I baked at 350 for 25 minutes.

When I did nutrition calculations on my above recipe using MyFitnessPal.com I got (for 1/16 of the recipe):
52 calories, 6 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 2 grams fat, 4 grams protein

Not too shabby! Certainly better then eating a real brownie for those trying to watch their calories. The carbs are coming from the beans and we could all use more beans in our lives.

So, the verdict on these: Eh. They are ok. The texture is very different from a brownie. It is more custard-y, bread pudding-ish. They are a little too sweet with not enough chocolate flavor. The flavor of the coconut really comes through, which is nice. I think next time I will also add some coffee since coffee tends to bring out the richness of chocolate. They won't go to waste. I will likely eat all of them while trying to convince myself that this is what brownies taste like.


And now for the exercise portion of my post:

I am working out my training plan currently for running.

I would like to try to fit in 4 runs a week. This will include 1 long run of hopefully 1 1/2 hours or more.  When the weather gets nice enough outside for me to switch to running outdoors then I will likely track distance again, but for now I am still focusing on time only. I also should be cross training 1-2 times a week. My goal is to get at least 5 hours of physical activity in per week, which really is not very much. We will see how this works with family and work and all those normal obligations that can make things difficult.

This last week I managed to run for 4 hours and 2 minutes and walked for 1 hour. I got 4 runs in with my longest run being for 1 hour and 37 minutes. I feel like this is all rather respectable. I am sure most people can figure out what this "training" is for, but I don't want to jinx myself by saying it out loud this early.

I also found some running shoes that I am in love with:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Lontra-Womens.htm

I currently run in Bikilas, but the shoes above look so much warmer for this cold and snow! However, like most people, I don't have $150 just laying around for new shoes everytime the weather changes.

Need to get on track

One of the hardest parts for me of this whole home renovation business is that I have fallen WAY off course with eating and exercising. I have been eating crap and just not finding anytime to work out at all. This is not good and makes me very nervous as anyone who has ever struggled with these issues knows it can be a very easy slide back. I need to get back on course. Today. Fortunately, my weight is still doing ok-ish. It is still within the range that I like it to be in, but it is on the higher end of that range as I guess I gained 4lbs. I am hoping most of that is water retention from the extreme heat. I still need to get back on track though, regardless of what the scale says.

Today I am back to cruising my favorite nutrition blogs and planning out my meals/snacks so I don't just end up grabbing the first thing I see when I walk in the kitchen. I need high protein and low-ish carbs. I have been slipping with the carbs. A piece of bread here, a few crackers there.... slippery slope.

I need to find time for the exercise thing. Working on the house as been lots of manual labor, but I need a bit more. Hopefully tomorrow I will get a moment to maybe ride my bike or run or something. I have been eyeing up fall races....

Day 3 of renovations

Today is going to be a short day of work. Joe has volunteered to help with a fundraiser for 4H and I can't be over there with the children since there are some health concerns going on in the bathroom. As Joe has been tearing down the ceiling, mystery poo keeps raining on him... super powdery and we don't want the little ones inhaling it. Besides the mystery poo, there is also the major mold problem to worry about. So, we (kids and I) are hanging out at home playing video games, nursing, and exploring low cost loans. What are the loans for? Hopefully new windows! We didn't realize just HOW BAD the windows in the house really were. They are originals.... so about 120 years old. Not all of them open and many of them won't stay open without being propped. Many are missing the screens and some of them have storm windows, but many don't... or the storm windows that are there don't function. We had hoped that we could go a year or two with the current windows, but they are B.A.D. so I think we will need to be looking at getting new ones before winter if at all possible. I am hoping to also get our house on the list for weatherization. I am just guessing that this house is going to be COLD this winter. Kids will need plenty of sweat suits and wool socks :)

I missed out on running a 5K today. I had been planning on it, but with closing on this house all of our priorities have had to shift. We simply have to get the house ready so we have a place to live this summer :) Races can wait. Although, I heard there was a cloth bag that all the runners got besides the t-shirt. Damn! I love that kind of stuff!

Edited to add: We got further then I had been planning for today! Joe got the entire ceiling down and now is ready to pull up the bathroom floor next weekend. It was a nasty, dirty job. A dear friend then watched Fritz for me for 1 1/2 hours while the three older kids and I went back to tackle more painting. SOMEONE (ahem, Joe) talked the girls into lime green paint for their walls. Do you know how hard it is to cover purple walls with lime green? Yeah, it is that bad. It will likely take 1 million coats. Good news is that the ceiling in their room is finally white! 4 coats of ceiling paint is what it took to cover the blue/green color that was on the ceiling before. My goal is to get the walls done, pull their carpet and then paint all the trim in their room..... hopefully this week. I also hope to get the wasps killed off who have made a home in the window. Well, I hope to get Joe to kill them off :)

Owen's room will be much easier as it is smaller and has normal walls, but it is a dark pink/purple right now and I am not looking forward to trying to cover that. And we want to sand off the popcorn ceiling before we paint. We totally know how to party around here!

New bike

I got a new bike yesterday! I already had a bike, but it was an Electra cruiser, which looks awesome and is very comfy to ride to the store, it cannot get up hills or go with any sort of speed at all. So, I picked up a Specialized Vita, which is an entry level sort of bike that I could do a triathlon on, but mostly I will be using it for cross training as I prepare for a marathon.

I need to figure out how to post pictures of my rides. This area is so beautiful and that beauty is uplifting to my tired, mommied-out soul. Yesterday I rode 9 miles and today I rode just shy of 6 miles. I was planning to go just a bit further, but my husband got called out to work so I needed to get home to take over kid-duty while he earned a paycheck.

There are now parts of my anatomy that hurt that I didn't even realize existed. I now understand padded bike shorts. I think tomorrow I better run so that I can allow my lady business to recover. Running is a bit rough right now because of arthritis acting up in my joints and the fact that I don't have the stamina that I had pre-baby. It was so fun to just go and run for 90 minutes without really thinking about it, but now I just can't quite do that. Also, even though I am out without my baby, I am not really baby-free. I check my phone every 5-10 minutes to be sure my husband doesn't need me to come back yet and if I think about the baby too much then my sports bra starts to fill with milk. He is effecting my run even when he isn't with me :)

We will see what I can bust out tomorrow!

Running, exercise, baby, and food

My youngest was born now 5 weeks ago. I know that wasn't very long ago, but I feel the need to hurry up and get back on track. Prior to getting pregnant I was training for a half-marathon and early in my pregnancy I was still running 7 miles at a time. As my pregnancy progressed, all my joints started hurting more and running became difficult so I spent my time swimming and walking and on my elliptical. I eventually cut back on how much I was doing because I was not gaining weight at all. I didn't cut out exercise, but took away the really long or intense workouts. I was staying pretty active, but then at about 35/36 weeks I started having excrutiating nerve pain through my hip and leg. I would have these pains shoot through and then all the muscles would spasm and I would often find myself on the floor. That put an end to exercise. It put an end to even running errands or living a normal life. Thankfully, the pain was gone as soon as he was born, but now I have been really inactive for 2 months!

I have a marathon to run in September! Yay! I am going to try for a full and we will see what happens. I have started this last week to return to exercise. I went running one day and used my elliptical again and have just started walking around town with baby as well. It is difficult because he really doesn't want me to have even 30 minutes to myself, but hopefully that will change as he gets a bit older. Of course, yesterday I had to have some abnormal skin cells removed which put a whole lot of stitches into my belly button, which means that for the next 2 weeks or so I am going to be pretty sore and pretty limited once again on what I can and cannot do for activity. Good fun! Oh well, small price to pay to be sure those cells are removed.

I am now trying to balance out nutrition with breastfeeding and exercise. I think this can be such a challenge because, ideally, I would still like to lose about 10 more pounds, but breastfeeding also makes me killer hungry. Breastfeeding actually burns more calories than pregnancy! I find that often I need to have a snack in the middle of the night while nursing, which is nuts. The exercise I am currently doing is no real big deal for calories.... to go for a short run or walk really burns very little. HOWEVER, once I get back to running for 1 hour or more without stopping, that is when I am going to have a few more needs for nutrition. I don't eat sugar and I try to take in mostly healthy carbs (fruits, veggies, and a few whole grains), lots of protein, and some healthy fats. It is just hard for me to balance out my hunger, my want to lose a touch more weight, and the needs of my body while I nurse my little man and get back into exercising regularly and training up for a marathon. Hopefully, we will figure it out!