Run well, eat well, live well

After my run tonight.
I always manage to look happy
after a run...because it's over!!!

I am soooooooo done with winter!  I love running, and I want to start loving it all over again, but the cold, snow and windchill this past winter, has made me less than enthusiastic about running.  It is such a chore to get myself to runs and I have to talk myself into them.  I'm always good once I've been running for a couple of kilometers, but starting is BRUTAL!  It's hard to regulate your breathing when the wind is slapping your face so hard.  And breathing all together is just harder on the lungs when you're dealing with sub zero temperatures.  Done I say!  I need spring.

That being said, I had a pretty decent run this evening.  I ran the best pace I have in almost two months.  Wow!  It's been almost two months since I pulled my hamstring.  Where has the time gone?  I can barely believe that it's less than two weeks till my half marathon.  I remember the first day of the clinic.  I was so unsure of myself and wondered if I would actually be able to run a half marathon.  Well I'm not going to break any records, but when I run my first half marathon, I'll be one week shy of my running anniversary.  Now that's something to be proud of.  I went from being pretty much sedentary to running a half marathon in one year. You really can do anything you want if you want it badly enough.

I ran 9K tonight at a 6:40 pace.  It was speed work night, but I am not doing speed right now.  We ran to a road close to the running room which is an oval and everyone else did their laps for speed, I just ran around in circles with Dawn.  We chatted, we laughed, we bitched about the cold and wind.  You know, really bonded.  My hamstring feels the best it has since I injured it, and I really want to run the Chilly Half pain free.    So forgoing the speed was a good thing.  Too much strain would have put me back where I started.  I'm still doing exercises to strengthen my glutes as that is where my issue lies.  Weak ass.  So squats, bridge, and core exercises are my focus. Graham, my physiotherapist, has seen a huge improvement in the mobility of my hip and that is key to my recovery.  So I'm VERY hopeful that in the next week and a half, with our mileage tapering, that I will be in real good shape for the Chilly Half.  Fingers crossed!

My go to meal.  Chicken breast, green beans with garlic and
pepper flakes, mashed white turnip.  Boring but filling!

Eating has been good, but when I'm running longer distances, I find myself ravenously hungry!  I'm still following the same eating rules (with some maintenance additions) I have for the past year and a half.  I eat veggies (no white potatoes), fruit, and lean meat.  I also eat almonds, and some kind of nut butter (2tbsp) before a long run for a quick jolt of protein (I also digest it pretty well).  But mostly I eat chicken with a couple of sides of veggies.  And I eat until I'm full.  I load up on meat more than anything else.  I've been getting some great deals on meat.  Chicken breast for $2/pound, pork roast for $1.47/pound, extra lean ground beef $1.97/pound.  I stocked up this week. And extra virgin olive oil for $3 a liter?  Score!  I swear that since I have started eating healthier, my grocery bill has gone down significantly.  I know I used to spend tons of money on junk food and going through drive thru's.  I don't miss the expense of that, or the gross feeling that I always had afterwards.

I wandered over to the Live Well network and see that they have posted my makeover episode of the Steven and Chris show on line.  So if any of my American friends wish to watch, the link is right here.  And the good news is you don't have to watch the whole show if you don't want to. They show it segment by segment.  Watch segment 5 too if you have a moment.  It's quick, I promise.  Right at the end Chris (host) calls out my little guy, and he's just super adorable (my little guy, not Chris:)  Enjoy!

This is what I remind myself everyday...No excuses!