Tomatoes

The kids' first day of school was yesterday, and so far, it feels kind of strange. Noah is now in middle school (!!), so our routine is definitely different than it used to be in the spring, when the kids went to the same school at the same time. Noah has to get up at 6:00, and out the door at 6:45. Eli has to be out the door at 7:45, so there's a whole hour gap between their bus arrivals.

Yesterday and today, I walked Noah to the bus stop, and then realized I had the perfect amount of time to squeeze in a three-mile run between taking the kids to the bus stops. So I ran three miles (Jerry was home with Eli) and then got Eli and walked him to the bus stop. I kind of like having that gap in there, because rather than sit around and twiddle my thumbs for 45 minutes before taking Eli to the bus, I can get in a run. Then after dropping off Eli, I can shower and start my day.

I was actually pretty excited to run today, because I got a new pair of shoes from Altra Running to try out. They sent a pair to all of the bloggers who are doing the Runner's World Half & Festival next month, because they are a sponsor of the race. I am a huge nerd for pretty much everything to do with running... except for shoes. I don't know diddly squat about shoes! I'm partial to my Brooks Adrenalines, because I've never had an issue with them--I just wish they came in prettier colors for wide feet!

Anyway, the Altra One Squared shoes that they sent look very different from your typical running shoe. But I was giddy when I opened the box, because I couldn't believe how light they were. And then I walked around the house in them, and I wanted to sleep with them on my feet--that's how comfy they are! The toe box is ginormous, making it look like I have duck feet, but I love that I can spread out my toes.

I was excited to take them for a quick spin, and planned to just run a mile around the neighborhood. The shoes have a zero drop platform (I had no idea what this meant, but learned that it means your heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground), and Altra recommends just doing short runs at first while you get used to them.

They definitely felt different than what I was used to, but they were really comfortable. I didn't have any problems, so instead of just doing a mile, I ended up doing three.

57 degrees this morning! Without the humidity, it would feel like fall

Today was my first day trying the shoes, so I can't say if I'm going to switch completely over when it's time for new shoes, but it's nice to have another option. Other shoes I tried on at the store just aren't wide enough for my big feet.

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I mentioned the tomato and basil bruschetta yesterday, and I still have this ridiculous craving for tomatoes--it's SO strange. I go through phases where I crave a certain food, and I eat it all the time for a while, but I've never craved tomatoes in my life. Yet, this morning, I made an English muffin with diced tomato, and eggs with cheese.

Then for lunch, I wanted the bruschetta again. So I chopped two Roma tomatoes, and added some olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Then I sliced the bread and toasted it, and rubbed a little garlic on it before topping it with the tomato mixture. It was SO good. I think I actually moaned when I took a bite.

The tomato thing is weird, but at least it's a healthy craving ;)

I was happy to see that the scale was back down three pounds this morning, so I knew that most of what I gained on vacation was water weight. I haven't been very hungry yesterday or today, so I wonder if that's my body's way of making up for the extra calories on vacation? Since starting intuitive eating, I've really enjoyed paying so much attention to my body and how it feels, and what I'm craving, and all that. I just find it so interesting.

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After taking the entire summer off of races (other than a few easy 5K's), I think I'm ready to start training again. I'm running the 5K and 10K next month at the Runner's World Half & Festival (I have coupon codes for those, if any of you are thinking of running it), but other than those two races, I don't have anything on the schedule. I was feeling kind of nostalgic looking through my old training log from when I was training for my first half marathon, and it made me want to do Hal Higdon's half training again.

The Monroe Half (my hometown race that I did last year) is on November 9th. So starting on Monday, I think I'll pick up Hal Higdon's plan on week 5, and run the race in November. I'm not going to be trying to PR, but I feel ready to follow some sort of structured plan again after taking some time away from that, and his plans were my go-to when I was a beginner. (I may be running the race with my friend Adam, depending on if he's keeping up with his training).

One of the things I miss about being a beginner is that feeling of accomplishment over a new distance. I remember feeling awesome after my first 5-, 8-, and 10-mile runs, because it was such a big deal. One day, those distances didn't seem so big, and now they've become typical, if that makes any sense. I think by following the plan, and not always doing more than necessary just because I can, I may feel that build-up of excitement as the distance increases again. And who knows, maybe I'll work on trying for a PR in the spring!

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Punta Cana! Part 2

Oh, wow, what an amazing week! I'm so shocked that's actually been 10 days since we left for Cleveland and then Punta Cana. The week went by ridiculously fast. While it was amazing and I had a blast, it definitely feels great to be back home. After a long travel day, we got home at around 10:00 last night--and the kids started school this morning! I'm going to try and recap the vacation, but this post will probably be all over the place.

We stayed at Dreams Palm Beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. My sister had been to Punta Cana a couple of times before at a different resort, so she's the one who told me about it. I get way too overwhelmed when trying to plan a trip, so I love that Jeanie enjoys doing it, because she basically did all the planning and research for me! She read good reviews of Dreams Palm Beach on Trip Advisor, particularly for family vacations (with kids), and it sounded great to me.

The closest I'd ever been to a tropical vacation was when I went to Key West in January 2013, and that was to run a Ragnar Relay! So this was totally new to me, particularly the all-inclusive resort. That was actually what appealed so much to me--a trip we could save for and pay off BEFORE getting there, without any hidden costs or overspending while we were there. We'd been saving for a big vacation for a long time, and I was surprised at what a great deal we got on it (it ended up costing half of what I'd been planning for).

Anyway, my main goal for this vacation was to relax. I've had a very tough year, between losing Sarah and Mark, and then having to put Paolo down, and I really needed some R&R time! That mission was definitely accomplished on this trip.

Basically, each day looked pretty much like this:
Wake up.
Get dressed in bathing suit and suit cover-up.
Go to breakfast.
Go to the pool.
Sit at the pool for hours, get in and out of the water to cool down, play with the kids, and sip lots of beverages from the pool bar.
Go to lunch (or just eat at the beach--they had hamburgers and hot dogs, french fries, and chips every day, and sometimes paella).
Sit at the pool some more.
Go to the room and get ready for dinner.
Go to dinner, either at the main buffet, or one of the restaurants.
Have drinks and play a board game or two in the lobby.
Try really hard to stay awake and go to the show at night (never successful at this).
Go back to the room and sleep.
Repeat.

I realize that list sounds incredibly boring--there were a TON of activities going on at the resort, and we were given a schedule every day, but I was honestly really content to just relax at the pool (which is strange, because I've never been a pool person!). It was really nice to read my book, or play with the kids, or chat with Jeanie and Jerry. Here is what a typical schedule might look like as far as the activities:

We did some of the things--we just kept the schedule nearby and made a last-minute decision when the time came for each activity. The kids and Jeanie did the scuba diving lesson a couple of times. Jeanie and I did pool aerobics, which was actually really fun (and the only real exercise I did the entire week). Jerry did horseshoes, and won a bunch of fake money to use at an auction. I did a fruit carving demo, and it was hilarious--I was terrible at it, and the girl next to me did better than the man who was doing the demo.

I have no idea what my apple was supposed to be--bahaha!

But the majority of our day was spent at the pool...

This drink was called a Tucan--so yummy!

The kids loved getting sodas from the guy who paddled around in a kayak

Jeanie and the boys with their drinks

Jerry and I used the kids' underwater cameras to take pictures of each other

We hung out on the beach a couple of times, but the kids liked the pool better, so that's where we spent most of the time.

I had been worried that I was going to get there and completely pig out on food, because it's all included in the cost of the resort. But that actually didn't happen. Most of the food was just so-so tasting, and I didn't want to eat it if I didn't really love it. Also, I was worried to eat meat or anything that wasn't kept at a good temperature, so I basically ate vegan, with a couple of exceptions, most of the week (but not to confuse "vegan" with "healthy"--I ate french fries, pasta, and hash browns and things like that). But I did eat reasonable portions, so eating too much food ended up not being a big problem for me (the drinks, on the other hand...).

A few things that we tried were really good, though! I ordered a vegetable curry at the Seaside Grill, and that was awesome. Eli and I went to a cooking demo on the beach where they made paella and sangrias, and the paella was phenomenal. Even the kids wolfed it down. The pasta station at the buffet was delicious, too--you pick out the ingredients you want (I liked onions, mushrooms, garlic, and bell pepper), the pasta shape (penne), and then sauce (I chose marinara and alfredo mixed) and then someone cooks it to order for you.

Vegetable curry at the Seaside Grill

The one food I tried that ended up being the shocker of the whole trip for me was actually a fruit. When I first saw it sitting at the buffet, I thought, "Ew! Do people actually eat that?!" because it looked like orange snot with ants in it (sorry for that gross description, but that's the best way to describe it, really). Then one morning, the butler brought Jerry and I a HUGE spread for breakfast, including a couple of plates of fruit. And on the plate was that fruit that I had no idea what it was.

Our "breakfast in bed" from the butler!

I do like to try new things, and since it was there in front of me, I did take a little taste. And I was shocked! It was SO amazing. I later learned that it's called passion fruit--I'd heard the name, but had never seen one before. After that one bite, I started eating that every day for breakfast with some toast. I made the kids take a bite of the passion fruit, too, and Eli then went up and got his own because he liked it so much. He even bought passion fruit-flavored gum at the airport on the way home ;)

Passion fruit (photo source)

I had wanted to eat intuitively while I was there, but it was nearly impossible--not because of eating too much, like I said, but because I couldn't go with my cravings. I was craving meat really badly several times, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it (out of fear of getting sick). But I did my best to eat what I wanted and not eat too much, and I am happy with how it went. (For the record, my sister, Jerry, and the kids all ate meat and none of them got sick--it was just an irrational fear of mine).

The thing I'm finding hardest about intuitive eating is how to fit in alcohol. At the resort, it was impossible to say no--and I honestly didn't want to. I was there to relax by the pool and sip yummy cocktails, so I didn't worry one iota about what effect that would have on my weight. At home, I obviously don't drink like that, so this was a week-long special occasion as far as alcohol goes. I tried several different cocktails, and I paced myself (most of the time...), but I definitely expected that the calories in that many cocktails would add up. This morning, my weight was up 7 pounds from when I left for vacation 10 days ago (!), but I know that probably 4-5 pounds of that is just water retention, so I'm really not worried about it.

Something that was a big change for me was that instead of seeing the gain and thinking, "Okay, back to counting calories/points, and staying strict to lose that weight", I thought, "Okay, now I can truly eat what I'm craving, and I'm definitely not craving any more cocktails!" ;)  This morning, I wanted eggs with cheese (two things that I didn't eat in Punta Cana). For lunch, I was craving tomato and basil bruschetta of all things--this was VERY strange, because normally, I don't even like tomatoes! And after that, all I could think about was vegetables, so I made a ratatouille with probably a dozen different veggies for dinner. I really do think that my body knows best, and right now, after a week of drinking and eating junk, my body is craving some healthy food.

I was worried about fitting into the bridesmaid's dress I have to wear this Saturday (yes, my brother's wedding is just five days after coming home from vacation--terrible planning on my part!). I tried on the dress last night, and while snug, it's still fits. Whew!

I will save the bikini post for another day. I wore a bikini for the first time in my life, and I felt that deserves its own post! I'll even post a few photos ;)

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Motivational Monday #76

I received quite a few Motivational Monday submissions last week before leaving for vacation, so I decided to split them into two posts. As this post goes live, I am likely driving home from the airport in Cleveland after seven nights in Punta Cana! (If you've submitted one in the last 10 days, I'm not ignoring it, I promise--I just had these posts prepared before leaving for vacation).

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Susan, and her sister-in-law, Sarah, just ran the Toronto Women's 10K! It was their first run together, and Susan was happily surprised to finish in 1:06, considering she hadn't run a 10K in over a year. Sarah was excited to finish in 1:01!

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Amy is very proud to have completed her first sprint triathlon! She completed a 1/2 mile open water swim, a 2 mile run, and an 8.5 mile bike ride in 2:05. She had a couple of hiccups along the course--during the run, she took a wrong turn and ended up going about a mile off course. To avoid missing the cut-off time for the bike, she had to hitch a ride to the transition area, but her run distance was still correct. She had been told that there was no time limit, but the time keeper had already left when she came through the finish area. Regardless of all that, she is very proud to have finished, she felt better than anticipated, and moved faster than she'd expected!

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Robin recently completed her first 5K! She was sparked to start walking following a family trip where she found herself stopping her son from doing things because she couldn't keep up with him. The very next day, she started walking 5K three times per week. She signed up for the Color Vibe 5K, and she proudly walked the whole distance. The course was tougher than anticipated, because he went though the uneven terrain of fields and horse paths, but she kept going. She was so proud that she cried when crossing that finish line! (Robin's race report)

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Sarah made a goal at the beginning of June to hike every mile of the 27 miles of nature reserve not far from her house. She recently completed the final missing piece--a half-mile of trail that doesn't connect to anything. Not only did she complete her goal, she ended up hiking 65 miles, because she did some trails multiple times! She even convinced her husband and mother-in-law to do some trail time with her.

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Martine has had a great summer with a lot of accomplishments--losing over 30 pounds, reaching her 10 percent at Weight Watchers, working out with a personal trainer, and attending a weekly spinning class. Most recently, she completed the Lacamas Lake Half Marathon in Southern Washington. Her husband had a conference in Portland, and she decided to tag along--her first thought being, "VooDoo Doughnuts!" haha. Instead of heading to VooDoo, she decided to see if there were any local races going on, and she discovered the Lacamas Lake Half. The course was very hilly, and a lot of it was on a trail, but she really enjoyed the scenery and the race!

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Great job everyone! Keep up the awesome work! Hopefully I will write a regular update on Tuesday.

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Punta Cana! Part 1

We made it to the Dominican Republic! Everything actually went really well. On Sunday, we drove a couple of hours to Cleveland, because our flight left from the Cleveland airport (there were fewer layovers that way). The kids were actually really excited to go to Cleveland, because they were dying to go back to Melt Bar & Grilled. We went there in 2012, when I ran my first marathon in Cleveland.

We had that for dinner on Sunday night. I remembered how huge their portions were, so I didn't even order anything, and decided just to eat a little of the kids' and Jerry's food. Eli ordered a pulled pork sandwich, so I ate half of that, and it was delicious! The fries weren't good at all, so I didn't eat any of those. It was nice to leave there feeling satisfied, but not stuffed.

That night, we just went to the hotel with plans of going to bed super early. We had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to get to the airport. I wasn't the slightest bit tired, and I ended up getting caught up in the show Naked & Afraid and staying up until 10:00. I was too excited and nervous to sleep much anyway, so I only got about an hour's sleep that night.

On Monday morning, we got up at 4:00 and got ready quickly to head out the door. I wasn't sure what to expect at the airport, because we'd never been to the Cleveland airport before. Our flight wasn't until 7:20, but they recommended you check at least two hours early for an international flight. This was actually  my first time flying internationally! It felt kind of strange following those signs in the airport instead of domestic.

We checked our bags and made it through security really quickly. We were at the gate by 5:10! So we just walked around the airport, and let the kids get snacks for the plane. Then we went to Bruegger's Bagels to eat some breakfast and kill time. And finally, we went to a bar to wait for about 45 minutes before boarding. I had a couple of glasses of wine (flying is much easier for me when I've had wine), and the kids had juice, and then we boarded the plane.

We had to fly to Pittsburgh for a very short layover (we didn't even get off the plane--we just had to let some people on, and then we left again in about 20 minutes). I sat with Eli, and he told me I could have the window seat. I have no idea why he gave that up, but since I prefer window seats, I was grateful. Jerry and Noah sat right behind us. Noah was nervous at first, because he hadn't flown in a few years. This was our first time flying together as a family--the kids have flown with my sister and my parents' once or twice, but never with Jerry or I. Having the kids there was a nice distraction from the fact that I was flying (because I'm such a nervous flyer).

The flight to Punta Cana was long (3.5 hours). It's hard to entertain the kids for that long. We let them buy TV time on the plane, but once we got over the ocean, the TV wasn't working anymore. I had to fill out customs forms for all of us, which took up quite a bit of time. Finally, we landed in Punta Cana!

The airport was unlike any airport I'd ever seen before. It was an open-air building, and very small (which was good, considering the amount of luggage we had!). We didn't pull up to a gate, but instead, just went down some steps off the plane and onto the ground. It was super hot and humid coming off the plane. First, we had to buy some sort of traveler's card to enter the country, which was $10 per person. Then we got in line for customs, and that only took a minute or two. And then we went to get our luggage. The whole process only took about 10 minutes total. Much less than I expected!

We booked our trip through Apple Vacations, and we had a private transfer from the airport, so we didn't have to wait for anyone else. We got in a van and our driver took us to the resort. The drive was interesting--and it kind of made me feel guilty about being here. Their way of life here is definitely different than the states, and I guess I just wasn't expecting how poor everything was. There was a lot of garbage littering the streets, and there were people on motorcycles doing things you'd never see in the states--no helmets, a young girl riding, several people on each motorcycle, etc. Seeing the conditions on the way to the resort made me feel like an over-privaledged American (if that makes sense), and it just made me feel extra grateful to be able to experience an all-inclusive resort like this.

When we got to the resort, it looked nothing like the drive there, of course. It was beautiful--all palm trees, white sandy beaches, and gorgeous decor. Our room wasn't ready yet, so the concierge showed us to the dining room where we could have lunch while we waited. I had a terrible headache, I think from being dehydrated, and I didn't end up eating, but the kids and Jerry did. After that, we sat outside and talked with the concierge about the resort. As we were talking, my sister came up behind him to surprise the kids. We hadn't told them this, but Jeanie booked a room for five days to come spend time with them, too!

They were really excited to see her, and of course asked if they could stay in her room ;)  Our rooms are right next door to each other, so it worked out well. She offered to babysit any time at all while she was here, so that Jerry and I could spend time alone if we wanted. We went to the beach and hung out there until our rooms were ready. We were all extremely tired from the travel day, so we didn't even end up going to dinner--instead, we ordered in room service. It still feels kind of strange to me that everything is all-inclusive. Room service, all drinks, all meals, everything is included. We brought a lot of tip money, so we've been tipping well. The tips are technically included, but the people that work here work HARD, and a tip is certainly well-deserved. The workers really appreciate the tips and are excited to help us out because of it. The staff here is amazing, and they really make the whole experience even more fun.

This is Andrea, one of our favorite servers. Eli gave her a dollar that I folded
into a ring, and she keeps calling him her "boyfriend" now ;)

Tuesday and Wednesday, we spent literally the entire day relaxing at the pool. My sister paid extra for butler service, and the butlers are fantastic! They gave us a cell phone to call them whenever we need anything. We asked them if they could find us some chairs by the pool (people get up super early to "reserve" chairs with towels, and it's hard to find anywhere to sit). When we were ready to go down to the pool, the butlers had chairs ready and waiting for us, in prime locations (next to the swim up bar, naturally!).

With our Chi Chi drinks (virgin ones for the kids, of course)
And yes, I'm wearing my bikini! I'll write about that later.

I've been trying to avoid the sun as much as possible, but I still got burned on my shoulders and back. Noah and Jerry are burned as well, and Eli's just a little burned. I brought a ton of SPF 50 sunscreen, and I've been applying it pretty much every hour, but it's been unavoidable. I'm glad I brought swim shirts for the kids, because those at least protect their backs and shoulders. Today, we're going to hang out in the rooms most of the day, so hopefully that will help with the burns.

I've been doing well with intuitive eating--I haven't been eating too much, and I've been eating what sounds best to me. The hardest part is the alcohol! The servers put another drink down next to us just as we're finishing the first, and it's so hard to say no. I've been loving a drink called a Chi Chi-something (we just tell them we'd like a Chi Chi, because it's hard to remember the full name of it). It's orange juice, coconut milk, and rum, blended with ice. It tastes kind of like an Orange Julius--so good! If I gain weight while I'm here, it'll definitely be from the yummy drinks.

Anyway, this post is already longer than I'd planned. So far, this vacation has been absolutely fantastic! We are loving it, and it's been awesome having my sister here to kind of show us the ropes (she's been to Punta Cana a couple of times before at other resorts). It's been so relaxing, which is just what I was hoping for :)

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Motivational Monday #75

As you already know, I'm probably on the beach sipping a mojito right now ;)  I didn't want to skip over Motivational Monday, however, so I prepared this one (and next week's) before I left. Some great stories today!

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Last weekend, Rhonda (on the right) completed the IronGirl Sprint Triathlon in Seattle! This was her fourth year participating in the event, and each year, she's improved her times. Her girlfriend, Joyce (on the left), did the event for the first time this year, and Margene (center) placed third in the 70-75 age group. They are all members of Sunset Family Fitness in Seaside, Oregon, and are grateful for the help to get in shape and complete this race!

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Sharon did great at her triathlon recently! It consisted of a 500 meter swim, 15 mile bike ride, and 5K run. Her main goal for the race was to simply do her best and pace herself, and not worry about where she stood in relation to the other competitors. She went slow and steady in the swim, didn't rush through the transitions, and finished by giving it her all. It turned out that she ended up going faster on the bike and on the run than she had in her previous triathlon, and this one had longer distances. She even ended up taking first place in the Athena division (women who are 165+ pounds)! (Sharon's race report)

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Deb had a scare during her pregnancy when she discovered that she was hypertensive, and that was the push she needed to start eating healthier. Her pre-pregnancy weight was 315 pounds, and she started using My Fitness Pal in December of 2013. She started running in mid-March, and ran her first 5K in May. She now logs 20 miles of running per week, and is just 10 pounds from a "healthy" BMI. Her photos show her at 277 (she didn't think to take a photo at her heaviest) in size 28 jeans, and now at 180 in size 12 jeans! Her children are 5, 4, and 10 months, and this summer, she was thrilled to be able to really enjoy playing with them.

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Bergen accomplished a HUGE goal recently--a chin-up! If you've ever tried one of these (other than in elementary school) then you know just how difficult they are. She does Crossfit, and has been working hard to do this for about five months. Usually, she practices with bands to help her, but when she was at the park, she decided to give it a try--and she did it! In her words: "There is something really liberating about being able to grab a bar and pull yourself up, especially when you used to weigh 320 pounds." Amazing!

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Meg and her friend completed the Running Through the Vines Half-Marathon in Michigan last weekend. It was much hillier than they expected, and they had a few minor set-backs, but they finished within the course time limit (with seven minutes to spare), with a time of 3:23:52. (Meg's race report)

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Congrats to everyone on some awesome accomplishments!

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How to support your runner

(Click here to skip down to the tips for supporting and encouraging your runner)

I spent pretty much all day cleaning the house and packing for our vacation. But I knew that my little younger brother, Nathan (I really need to quit calling him my "little" brother, haha) was going to be running his furthest distance to date: 15 miles. Now, I just wrote yesterday about my ridiculously humid run, and how I ran out of water. I ended up calling my mom to bring me some water. I certainly didn't want Nathan to deal with that today.

I sent him a text to ask what time he was planning to run, and he said 4:00 pm. So I asked him for his route, and told him that I would plan to meet him at around mile 6 and again at around mile 11, with ice cold water to refill his water bottle. He hasn't slept much in days, and ended up sleeping through his alarm this afternoon, so he got a late start. He called me at 5:00 to say he was going to eat a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and then head out. He ended up starting his run at 5:15.

It was hot today--around 80 degrees when he started, but the humidity was awful, and a lot of his route was with full sun exposure. So I tried to think of everything he might need--I packed a 32 oz. water bottle full with ice, and then topped with water, so that it would be super cold. I grabbed a Gu and a pack of Shot Bloks. Finally, I got my secret weapon: a popsicle.

When I ran the Chicago Marathon, a spectator happened to be handing out popsicles at the 18th mile of the race. I grabbed one as I passed by, and the only way I can describe it was that it was PURE BLISS--it was heavenly. In that moment of the marathon, there couldn't have been anything else that would have satisfied me the way that popsicle did! I think of that often, and how I'd love to be the spectator handing them out one day.

Anyway, I bought some popsicles so I could bring Nathan one. I used an insulated bag to put everything in, and added a few cold packs to keep everything ice cold. I checked Nathan's route, and figured out a good spot to meet him, which was around mile 7.

When he got there, I poured the ice water into his hydration pack, and unwrapped a popsicle for him (I always look for mango popsicles, because I think that's what I had in Chicago, but I can't find them; so I got cantaloupe and honeydew melon ones instead). He said he was doing good, but the first few miles were bad. He had thrown up his PB&J sandwich after a few miles--probably from eating too soon before the run in the heat.

He said he still had Gu, and he was pretty sure he'd be good with the water he had until he made it to my parents' house (he was running from his house to my parents' house, which is exactly 15 miles). I just told him to call me if he needed anything. I picked up some beer from the store on the way home, so I could put it in my parents' fridge for him. (There is nothing like a cold beer after a long, hot run! It's secondary only to a mango popsicle.)

My mom suggested that we take the kids to cheer him on a few miles away, so the kids made signs, and we started driving to where we expected him to be. At the last minute, I decided to stop at home, and throw on my running shoes, so I could run the last few miles with him. After a quick pitstop, we found him running about 2.5 miles away from my parents' house. We got out of the car, and the kids brought their signs next to the road as Nathan came by.

I joined him for the last part, and I'm not going to lie--running a 9:50-ish pace actually felt really difficult today, even though I was only doing 2.5 miles! I felt bad for slowing him down, but he didn't mind. Probably because he knew I had cold beer waiting for him at my parents' house ;)

It was great! I finished the run with Nathan, and he crossed a new milestone off his list. We sat on the back deck by the lake and had a beer, before he had to go so he could take his girlfriend out for dinner.

When we were in the car to go cheer on Nathan, my mom said that she never would have thought to do this when I was training for my first marathon, because she just didn't know about how to support a runner. My sister and her husband said something similar when they were training for their first marathon--that they had no idea how hard it was, or how big of a deal it was, until they did it themselves.

If they had known, they would have done whatever they could to support me when I did my first. So today, I had the idea to made some suggestions for non-runners to support their friends or family members that are training for a big race:

*Keep in mind that a new distance is a very big deal to the runner! Their first 5K, 10K, 10-miler, half-marathon, 14-miler, and each distance up from that. The 20-miler is something that most runners feel very nervous about while training for their first marathon, but is a huge accomplishment. Every time we hit a new furthest distance, it's exciting.

*Offer to help however you're able to during their long runs. Long runs can be really tough, mentally and physically. Run a few miles with them, or meet up with them halfway to give them water or cheer them on. Seeing a familiar face midway through a run is awesome, and gives us a mental boost!

*Go to a race to cheer on your runner. You can make a sign, bring a cowbell, bring a cooler full of popsicles(!), hand out candy (Twizzlers are easy to grab and run with), and yell and cheer for all the runners. Some people don't have friends/family there to cheer them on, so it's nice to have crowd support. The louder the better!

*This may be a little overboard (and we don't "expect" it), but having a party or even a small get-together after a big race like a marathon would be really special. Running one's first marathon is a REALLY big deal, but non-runners usually don't realize just how much it means to the runner to have lots of support during training, during the race, and especially celebrating afterward.

*Calling or sending a quick text to say "Good luck at your race today!" or "How was your race today?" goes a long way, too. It makes us feel good to know that you care enough to remember that we had a big race that day.

Stephanie is running a half-marathon this morning!

*Finally, runners like to talk about running... a lot. As a big race approaches, it may be a little annoying to listen to it all the time, but try to remember how much it means to him or her. Running a first marathon is a huge event, so it's only natural that we want to talk about it. I try not to bore my non-running friends/family members with running talk, but when I was training for my first marathon, it pretty much took over my life for a while.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas for helping to support your runner!

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Well, we are leaving for vacation tomorrow, so I am not sure when my next post will be. I will have very limited internet (and no phone service) in Punta Cana, so I may not write for a while. It's going to be strange going off the grid like that, but I'm looking forward to doing pretty much nothing but relaxing on the beach!

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Twelve mile mental workout

Over the past four weeks, I attempted to do a long run at least six times. I would set out with full intentions of running 8+ miles, but I just didn't have the drive. That's one of the downsides of intuitive eating, I guess--since I don't earn any extra points or calories for running long, it's been hard to make myself JUST DO IT.

This week, I really decided enough was enough, and I was going to do two 4-mile runs, a semi-fast 3-mile run, and a long run of 12 miles. No excuses.

I did the 4-milers, and yesterday, I ran a semi-fast 3-miler. Today was going to be the day for the 12-miler, no matter what. Rain, shine, treadmill, outside, feeling good or not, I was going to get it done. Jerry said he'd run the first five miles with me (the kids were at my mom's), which was helpful, so I got up this morning and got ready to run right when it was light enough outside.

We were going to do a 5-mile loop of the neighborhoods around here, and then I'd head out for a solo out-and-back for the other 7 miles. I didn't want to be influenced or discouraged at all by my pace, so I changed the face of my Garmin to show just the distance, and nothing else. I don't know why, but I checked the weather before heading out--and saw that the humidity was at 100%! That's the WORST to run in--worse than a hot sunny day is a very humid day.

When we were ready to go, we went outside and even though I was expecting the humidity, I still gasped and said, "No way!" I immediately started thinking of reasons not to do it, and that I'd do it tomorrow, or on the treadmill. But this was my last chance to do it before vacation, so I was going to put in some serious effort.

We started running at a very comfortable pace, because I knew I was going to need my energy later. We chatted the whole time, and even though we were sweating like crazy from the humidity, it was fun to run together. At around mile three, Jerry said his knee was feeling really tight. I tried to convince him to walk home from there, but he said it wasn't hurting, just tight, so he wanted to keep going. Just before mile four, I could tell it was bothering him, and he agreed to walk home at the four mile mark.

He took a shortcut home, so when I got there, he was outside with my handheld water bottle, another bottle of water to drink right then, and a Clif gel. I sucked down a bunch of water, then ate the Clif gel, and then grabbed my handheld to bring along with me. I assumed that the handheld would be enough water for seven miles (I later realized I assumed wrong...)

I actually felt pretty good from miles 5-7.5. Then I took a route that I rarely run, and discovered that they are redoing the road, so it was all loose gravel today. I never realized how much harder it is on your legs to run on loose gravel. I did that for a mile and half, and I was really exhausted. I was already more than halfway through my water bottle, and I knew I wasn't going to be able to make it home. There aren't really any options other than knocking on doors and begging for water, but before resorting to that, I called my mom to see if she could bring me some. (Jerry was sleeping)

I kept running, and just before mile 10, my mom (and my kids) drove up to give me a couple bottles of water. It was heavenly! I refilled my handheld, and gulped down half a bottle. I poured some on my head, neck, and arms, and then kept running. I only had two miles left, but it seemed like I was SO FAR from home. I was tempted to get a ride back with my mom, but being "just" two miles from home, I knew I could push myself to finish. I also knew that I needed this 12-miler as a mental boost, even more so than physically.

I can't even describe how I made it home. It was one of the hardest runs I've ever done! For the last mile, it took so much effort not to stop. I turned down my street, and was thrilled when I heard the beep of my Garmin signaling 12 miles. I collapsed onto the porch, and gulped down the ice water Jerry had left out for me. I was SO glad that I did it! I really needed that run to give me a mental boost before vacation.

That's a butt print on my porch--my clothes were completely soaked

I was definitely disappointed to see my pace, but I honestly wasn't surprised that it was in the 11's. The humidity makes my lungs feel like I'm racing even when I'm running at an easy pace. I actually burned 1,232 calories--MORE than 100 calories per mile! My Garmin's suggested recovery time was 68 hours, haha. Usually, it's about 24 hours.

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I intended to do a bunch of housework after my run, but I was really stiff and achey afterward. Instead, I worked on a project that we'd started yesterday--organizing the kids' Legos. I have no idea what possessed us to do this, but we decided to organize them by color. Most of the Legos we have were the ones that I played with as a kid, and even my older brother and sister played with. They're about 30 years old! And of course, there are newer ones, too. We have two huge tupperware bins full.

This isn't even half of the Legos, but it took us about four hours to sort!

The kids always want me to play Legos with them, but it's frustrating to find the pieces we're looking for, so I thought it would be nice to keep it organized. We have several sets of instructions for different projects, so now we can actually build them without searching for pieces all night. I actually really like building things with Legos, if there are instructions to follow.

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Tonight, the kids have a birthday party to go to, which is about an hour away. I think my mom is going to come with me, so we can go shopping or to dinner or something while the kids are at the party. Tomorrow, we are going to clean, clean, clean the house so our house/catsitter can actually find things! I always like coming home to a clean house after vacation, too. Only a couple of days until we leave--I'm so excited!

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Update on my intuitive eating experiment

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I recently read a book on intuitive eating (or what the author calls "hunger directed eating"). It's called "How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too" by Josie Spinardi. I'd read lots of books about intuitive eating, so I was very skeptical that this one would be any different, but I was really impressed with it. It explained intuitive eating in ways that I'd never really understood before, and even better, explained HOW to do it (as opposed to just what to do).

Most people know the basic principles of intuitive eating: 1) Eat when you're hungry; 2) Eat what you want  most; and 3) Stop eating when satisfied. It sounds SO simple, right? Well, I'd tried it about a dozen times before, and never lasted long. The second I'd binge, I'd think, "See? It didn't work," and I'd go right back to counting points or calories or whatever. After reading the Skinny Jeans book, and putting it into practice, I now realize what I was doing wrong.

When trying to eat intuitively before, I would still hold onto this thought of losing weight being the top priority, so I was still being somewhat restrictive. I didn't truly give myself permission to eat anything I wanted, and I avoided certain foods that I felt I might binge on. I also didn't eat enough. I didn't really understand how to know that I was satisfied, and I would stop eating before I was truly satisfied (physically and mentally). The combination of those two things would lead to a binge.

This time around, I really wanted to give it my all and fully trust the process. I even prepared myself to gain a few pounds in the beginning while I figured it all out. I decided to try intuitive eating not for the sake of losing weight, but more so to be able to eat in any situation without stressing out over it. I was tired of counting points, and I was having a really difficult time sticking to it because my heart just wasn't in it. I figured it couldn't hurt to give the intuitive eating one more try.

I'm so glad that I did! I am absolutely loving this way of eating. It's been a huge stress relief not to think about food all the time, and not to have to plan everything out in advance. I've learned a lot about my body just by paying attention to what it's been trying to tell me.

The Skinny Jeans book describes the beginning of this way of eating as the "Doughnuts and Doritos phase", because at first, you naturally want to eat nothing but what you deprive yourself of while dieting. Eventually, your body will stop wanting all the junk, and you'll crave healthier foods--but at first, it's normal to crave (and eat) "junk" food. This is the phase where I fully expected to gain a few pounds, but surprisingly, I'm actually down 4.5 pounds since I started the intuitive eating. I still consider myself in the "Doughnuts and Doritos phase", because I get excited to eat foods that I avoided for so long. But I've been completely trusting my body, and I've been eating what I crave--whether it's healthy or junky.

The thing that has surprised me the most about this whole process is that I don't actually want to eat a lot of the things I normally think I want to eat. For example, when I'm counting points or calories, all I want to do is eat ice cream. It consumes my mind until I end up bingeing on it. So I thought that as soon as I gave myself permission to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if that's what I wanted, I would do just that. What I discovered, however, is when I ask myself what I'm craving, it's never ice cream! I've only had ice cream twice since starting this experiment.

I've discovered that I actually don't really crave sweets as much as I expected to. When I do crave something sweet, it's usually in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. In the mornings, while I have full permission to get a doughnut for breakfast, it actually hasn't sounded good. When counting points, all I thought about was sweets!

Whenever I would see peanut butter Pop Tarts in the store, I always wanted to buy them; but I didn't, because I just "knew" I would binge on them. I'd had them once before, when they first came out, and I did binge. So when I gave myself permission to eat them, I bought a box. I ate one, and it just wasn't very good. Nothing like I'd imagined or remembered. In fact, we ended up throwing them away after a week, because nobody in the house really liked them!

On Jerry's and my anniversary, I bought a small bag of Birthday Cake M&Ms for us to share. Again, I always wanted to try them, but never bought them for fear of bingeing. We each tasted them, and neither of us was impressed enough to eat more than two.

These were not good at all!

Some of the junkier foods have definitely been worth eating, though! The ice cream that I had at the dairy farm yesterday was delicious. I had a single scoop, and ate all but a couple of bites. I made homemade fettuccine alfredo one night for dinner, and it tasted like what I imagine Heaven to taste like.

I've been eating and drinking things that I used to avoid--like orange juice. I never wanted to waste my calories on juice, but it sounded good to have with my eggs for breakfast one morning, so I bought some. And I love that I can do that without feeling guilty for "wasting" calories on a drink.

This has pretty much been my go-to breakfast--it makes me feel great,
it keeps me satisfied for hours, and it almost always sounds good when
I ask myself what I want for breakfast.

When we went out to dinner after the Tigers game last weekend, we went to a place that is known for their Chicago-style pizza. It's deep-dish, and loaded with cheese--definitely not something to fit easily into a calorie budget. In the past, I would have blown off my points, stuffed myself with pizza, because I planned to get back on track the next day. This time, I ate two slices, and felt good. We had four slices leftover, so we brought them home. It sounded good for breakfast the following morning, so I ate a slice for breakfast. And again the next morning. I didn't feel guilty, and I didn't feel like I was "blowing it" by eating the pizza.

Something else that I've been paying particular attention to is how my body feels after eating different foods--both good and bad. I've discovered that eggs with cheese, Ezekiel toast with butter, and some fruit makes me feel good and very satisfied for about five hours. I've discovered that I'm much more physically satisfied with savory foods than I am with sweets. I've discovered that homemade chicken noodle soup gives me a stomachache (not sure why), and that fried food makes me feel tired. The fettuccine alfredo that tasted amazing? It didn't make my stomach feel very good. I've learned that cinnamon raisin granola and milk makes my body feel great and gives me energy for several hours. I never used to pay much attention to this kind of stuff before, so I've found it really interesting!

Homemade chicken noodle soup--it tasted fantastic, and
was very healthy, but my stomach disagreed with it for
some reason

Despite all that I just wrote, I haven't eaten ALL junk. I just eat what I really crave, and I'm trusting that after this "Doughnuts and Doritos phase", I'll crave healthier foods. I've been eating a lot of fruit, because I love it, but haven't been craving many vegetables yet. Hopefully I will as my body adjusts.

I think the hardest part about eating this way is knowing when I'm satisfied, or have had enough food without being stuffed.  I've probably been erring on the side of eating a little more than necessary than too little, because I don't want to cause a deprivation binge; but the Skinny Jeans book really did help me to realize when I'm satisfied. For example, when you eat the first bite of what you've been craving, it should taste like a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. When you get to the point where it just tastes like a 7, then you've probably had enough. I've found this to be pretty accurate for me.

Something I've found to be helpful is that I don't go to the grocery store and buy all the stuff that I think I might crave--I only buy it if I have a craving that very moment. Instead, I know that I can go buy it at any time, so I'll just wait until I actually have that craving (and am physically hungry) before buying it. For example, I always see Oreos when I'm grocery shopping, and I think, "Oh, I can buy those now!" but deep down, I realize I don't actually have a real craving for them in the moment. So instead of buying them to keep around for later, I just leave them at the store and give myself permission to go buy them if I really want them later. And so far, it hasn't actually happened.

Well, this post is way longer than I intended--I'm just pretty excited that I'm doing so well with it. I've only binged once, and I realized it was because of having too much wine--I felt a "false hunger" after the wine, so I was eating to try to satisfy that--but because I wasn't truly hungry, I was never satisfied. Instead of saying, "See? It doesn't work!" and quitting, I learned that I just need to be careful when drinking wine that I don't follow that false hunger.

Our upcoming vacation will be a big test for me, because usually, on vacation, it's easy to go way overboard and say, "Oh, I'll just get back on track when I get home". But the reason intuitive eating appealed so much to me was that it's the same in ANY situation, including vacation. So I'm going to follow the same principles I've been doing all month, and hopefully continue to see progress.

So far, I'm just really happy with how everything is going. I've really enjoyed discovering all these new things about my body, my cravings, how I feel after eating, etc. It's been a fun and interesting experiment!

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If you happen to have a Motivational Monday submission this week, I'd really appreciate it if you could email it to me by tomorrow evening. Since I'm going on vacation, I won't have a MM post for two weeks, unless I prepare one in advance. If I get some tomorrow, I'll put together a post for Monday. I know you've all got a lot of accomplishments to brag about! ;)

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Dairy farm

First, thank you all so much for the kind words on yesterday's post. I am SO impressed with so many of you that shared things you're able to do now that you couldn't previously. Those things should be on Motivational Monday! Please feel free to send me a picture if you want to share them.  I was really nervous to post yesterday, as I am anytime I write about something personal like that, but I'm glad I did. Ironically, the scale was down three pounds this morning! haha

This morning, I emailed Eli's school to ask if we could come check out his classroom, because we're going to be gone during the school's open house. Eli was mad at me because I hadn't put in a teacher request for him, and he didn't get the teacher he really wanted. I was bummed, because I really liked the teacher he wanted as well, so when we got to the school, I talked with the principal about switching him. She was so nice, and said that it would work out fine--so now Eli has the teacher we'd hoped (I know her because Noah had her in preschool and in third grade). 

Tomorrow, I'm going to take Noah to the middle school to check out his classroom as well. I cannot believe he's going to the middle school! It's seems like he was just starting kindergarten yesterday. He's nervous about the new building, so I want him to be able to find his way around before we go on vacation. Our flight lands in Cleveland at 7:00 the night before the kids start school--and Cleveland is a little over two hours away from home. Usually, the kids start school the Wednesday after Labor Day, but this year, it's Tuesday, which surprised me. I'll just (hopefully) have them sleep on the drive home from Cleveland. 

Jerry was off work today, so we decided to go to a local dairy farm this afternoon. We usually go once or twice each summer. They have a bunch of animals you can pet and feed, and they have fresh ice cream that they make there. 

It's kind of strange, but I'd only had ice cream once since starting the intuitive eating at the beginning of this month. Ice cream is my very favorite food, but whenever I ask myself what I truly want to eat, I'm surprised that ice cream is never the answer. Today, though, ice cream sounded perfect, so I figured I might as well have really good ice cream at the dairy farm.

We ate our ice cream first, and then walked around to check out the animals. I always love feeding the goats! Their mouths are so small and they nibble all the feed right out of your hand.

We went inside the barn where the calves were, and my heart pretty much melted when I saw several kittens running around.  There was a really pretty mama cat lying on a chair in the sun, and about four or five kittens (all black except for one, which was gray). The mama cat was very friendly, and let us pet her, but the kittens were very skittish. 

One of the kittens was hanging out with a calf, and it was SO cute to watch them interact with each other! The kitten would walk back and fourth right under the calf's nose, and then stand up nice and tall when the calf took notice. 

It was almost like the kitten was teasing the calf, who was pretty clumsy on his feet. So cute! There was a sign on the door that said NOT to take home any of the cats or kittens, and when we asked what that was all about, they explained that people had been taking kittens home when they were way too young to leave the mother. 

The pigs were hilarious. There were three of them, and they were so fat and content to just lie on the hay and sleep. They weren't fenced in, so they could just get up and walk away, but they obviously weren't interested ;)  It was hard to tell if they were even breathing, but then we saw them looking at us when we walked by.

Of course the kids are now begging for a kitten, but there is no way that's going to happen ;) 

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The intuitive eating has been going really well, and I'm very happy with it! I'll write about that tomorrow. Tonight, Jerry and I are going to watch a movie.

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