Monday, December 29, 2014

Similar to Facebook's year in review videos, Strava came up with videos for their athletes! Mine is HERE (if the video doesn't download for you), glad I have a place to share it! Thanks Strava!


2014 Strava Story

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Saturday, December 27, 2014



Here's my lesson of the day. Don't go to a mediocre Italian restaurant on Christmas Eve, and proceed to order sketchy dishes like mussels, carpaccio and "fresh" wild salmon. No, stick to the classics. Pasta. Meat sauce. Things that have been probably boiled and simmering for hours. 

I'm pretty sure the culprit that night was the mussels. They were mighty suspicious and pretty awful tasting. They had cooked them down to little nubs, and the mussel meat inside was probably the size of a pea. I think we all knew that it was a bad idea, but we were so ravenous at that point that we ate them anyway. NOT WORTH IT.

Christmas morning I woke up and was literally doubled over in pain. I made my way to the couch and Jon brought me lovingly wrapped gifts all excited and I just moaned and pushed them away like the wonderful girlfriend I am. After a couple hours and a good chugging of pepto bismol, I was finally able to half-enjoy Christmas. Jon was also hit by the food poisoning but it didn't effect him quite as bad, and his response was a bit delayed.

I attempted to go for a run, even though I knew it was a bad idea. It was near 3pm and I hadn't eaten a bite of anything. I ran 6 miles at a 12 min mile pace. It didn't bother me so much because I knew I was in rough shape, and expecting a slow jaunt. I didn't eat anything until 7pm. Wayyy under the amount of calories that I need for my training plan.

The day after Christmas I took the day off of work, and my stomach almost felt WORSE somehow. Our stomachs were making all sorts of noises for the entire day and night. So much regret.

Jon had a race this morning. I had signed up for it too, but tried to be the smarter person and transferred my bib to a friend since I'm still at a crucial base building point. It was hard. I miss races, and I wanted to be there for my boyfriend since he had been training so hard recently. I needed to hang back though so I could get in my 14 mile run. 

On a side note, as much as I love Brazen Racing I wish that they would stop with the baby shirts for New Years. I get it, but there are some things that just should never be put on a shirt, and babies is one of them. Also, clowns. 

Also, I feel like I need to tell you that Jon did an awesome job at his half marathon. It wasn't easy, with over 2k elevation. He finished in 2:15, even though he too felt the food poisoning lingering. Here's a picture of him with the baby shirt making a hot dog sandwich.
no more babies.
Fast forward to this morning's run. I took my heart rate sitting before I went out, and it was already high. High 70's...just sitting! Typically my hr is in the low 60's, even sometimes in the 50's if I'm very relaxed. My stomach still wasn't 100% but felt better than before. I went out for 14 miles, and it went alright until about the mid point where my paces slowly started getting slower and slower until I was basically walking and my hr monitor was buzzing every 15 seconds telling me to chill out. 

I love my HR monitor. I love it, I wear it every day, and it's taught me a lot. But days like today I want to smash it to the ground and beat it with my bare fists and then throw it violently into the bay and watch a pelican swoop it up and poop it out. 

I got so mad at it, that at the very end I was walking and my HR was 158 because I was so angry. It didn't help that my poor unknowing boyfriend was texting me and adding to the buzzing chaos. He received a very stern and unfriendly text, and then a crying girlfriend that ran and hid in the bathroom after.


Yep. I'll admit it, this is the first time that I was actually brought to physical tears because of the training. There had been some previous close calls, but this one I just couldn't contain myself. I can only pretend to be positive and loving it for so long before I snap. I kept telling myself on the run, "This is so great! I'm not even sweating, I can go on for days! Sure, I'm slow, but I am uninjured and this is awesomeeee! Look how beautiful the clouds are! I love life!" I don't think it was even 20 minutes later before I blew up like a grenade.

Anyway, I just wanted to confess one of my lowest moments training with MAF, because I know it's not uncommon. THIS IS GOOD FOR ME (AND YOU) AND WORTH EVERY TEAR AND MILE.

Ok, now to bring it back to a more pleasant place before I go. I made more zoodles (zucchini noodles). For Christmas, Jon bought me this awesome fancy spiralizer thing that actually has several types of blades and uses almost all of the zucchini. I blanched them (threw them in boiling water for a very short period of time) and then threw them in some pho broth. SO. GOOD. I seriously did not miss the rice noodles at all, and no this isn't me lying to myself like before. I "mmmm"ed after every bite. So yeah, go forth and make yourself some zoodles next time you get pho! Such a perfect combination.

I have another 10 mile run tomorrow, so you might get another post after that. We'll see if I can maintain composure this time. Hopefully the food poisoning is officially gone by then and my hr can take a chill pill.




A rough one...

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Christmas Eve!

This morning my boyfriend decided to polish up my ugly google doc that I made for my training plan. I decided that it's worth sharing for anyone that wants to have their own sheet. Here's a little before and after to give you an idea of how much he's improved it!

BEFORE

AFTER

Clearly I don't know very much about excel sheets or google docs. He made it much more visually pleasing and simple. You can find the new document HERE. To make it your own, just go to File > Make a Copy and you should be able to make edits in your copy. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll try to troubleshoot some things for you.

All you have to do is put in your mileage in the Training plan, and as you do your runs, list them in the "Actual" section. It should update the totals automatically, and the difference should also be automatically updated. That way you can see if you ran over the suggested amount, or under.

There's also a notes section which I find useful if I want to put any races that I want to do, or just...anything! You can add additional notes in each section by right clicking and "insert note". I do this sometimes if I have a race, or if there's something I should remember about that specific run.

Jon's training log is much different than mine. His is focused more on writing notes, and creating a journal instead of strictly numbers. He is working with a coach, so this log is created specifically for working with a coach and getting feedback from him. Here's his as an example.

Jon's Training Plan Example

He also provided a template for you guys to use if you'd like. I think it's really nice looking! Find his template HERE. Again, just go to File > Make a Copy and then edit everything yourself. All you need to do is put your start date. 

If you are looking for some specific training plans, I highly recommend Hal Higdon's marathon and half marathon training schedules. As for 50 mile plans, they seem to vary a lot. My friend and I happened to pick the easiest one, based on this website. While I'm learning that you need to respect the distance and be properly prepared, I also have learned that it's better to be undertrained than overtrained. Remember that staying healthy and injury free should be your priority, so find the plan that's right for you. 

Here are some other websites with training plans. 

  • McMillian Running - I have actually bought training plans before from here, and I really liked them! The important thing to remember is to be very transparent and open about your current health and training. 
  • Runner's World Training Plans - I haven't gotten into these training plans as much, but I do know that they're widely used by other people. I feel like a lot of these are time based instead of mileage, which may be a problem if you are a much slower runner.
  • Jeff Galloway - If you're looking for training plans that are run/walk based, this is the place to go!
  • Ultra Ladies 50 mile training plan - A little too high in mileage for my first 50 and current training, but seems solid!
  • Outside Online's 50 mile training plan - Another good 50 mile training plan


Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!





Training Logs! My Holiday Present to You

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Sunday, December 21, 2014


One of my favorite run bloggers is the Ginger Runner. If you aren't familiar with him, you should definitely check out his website and product reviews. He also has some amazing videos that he's been creating recently, the latest featuring his fiancee MileLongLegs in her first ultra run called "Altering Expectations".

He's been doing several challenges for his fans to do during the holidays. One was a scavenger hunt, and I LOVE SCAVENGER HUNTS. Another was to post a "gingermas" themed photo on instagram, tagged with #MerryGingermas. Go check them out. Thank goodness I have a patient boyfriend, and some patient dogs. They aren't that patient, they just want treats. The dogs, that is.


The joke here is that we tried to dress like the Ginger Runner, and Mile Long Legs. Granted, she's a model with this super long gorgeous hair, and I am not. Nor do I have mile long legs. What I DO have is a neon backwards hat, sunglasses and CEP socks, while he has his beloved Salomon vest (that Jon also LOVES), and they both love beer. His motto is "TRAIN. RACE. BEER."


Saturday I had a long run scheduled, so the scavenger hunt worked out perfectly. My friend Brian joined me, and together we jogged at my slow and steady pace to find the items. There were 9 items total, and we would also get more points for each mile we do so I ran 14 miles. If you're really curious about knowing details and think you can squeeze out a run before midnight, then go for it. Here's the link.
Yep this was in a cop's front  yard. Racing a reindeer.

The Nativity Scene we found first. 


The run was actually very frustrating for me. I think the excitement of the scavenger hunt made my heart rate unusually high, and the quick starts and complete stops every 5 minutes were also exhausting. I was getting slower with each mile, and I was also frustrated to hold my friend back. This is one of the major reasons why it sucks doing MAF training.

We found most of the items, except the "Real Santa".  I don't know if I should break it to the Ginger Runner that the guy doesn't exist, but whatever. It was fun despite the slow pace and tired legs. Oh and we managed to write GR in some soggy baseball field in mile 3. My shoes were completely soaked for another 7. My "G" is a little messed up, but look how nice that "R" is!


This morning I went out again and my legs instantly were not feeling it. They were tired from yesterday, but I managed to get them out for a slow 10 miles. I came home pretty frustrated again, but I should also learn to expect it since I am building up my mileage. I hit 44 miles (including my 1 mile walk/run warmups) this week, which is pretty hefty considering that when I was training for my marathon my biggest week was 49 miles. I have to say, I'm pretty impressed that I am still going so strong.

If you need something to listen to on your long runs, I highly recommend Amy Poehler's audiobook "Yes Please". It is hilarious! I don't know if you've ever listened to comedy while running, but it's one of my favorite things ever. There's nothing better than laughing AND running combined.

Another week over, we are 1/3rd through our training plan. Here's hoping that my legs come back stronger after tomorrow's rest day. Merry Gingermas everyone!

Merry Gingermas!

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Wednesday, December 17, 2014


NEWSFLASH: Food Poisoning will make you slower (raise your heart rate). Also, don't eat questionable looking eggs in an old salad bar.

This is just a quick post to say that I got my Spiralizer in the mail today. If you Pinterest recipe ideas for a lower carbohydrate diet, you see all sorts of stuff about zucchini pasta. I had to try it myself. I set the bar pretty low because I've gotten myself a little too excited about this sort of thing before and have been massively disappointed. Although I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the spaghetti squash pasta, but it was kind of an ordeal to make it.
freshly spiralized zucchini
The spiralizer was pretty easy! All you do is twist the zucchini through it, and bam, long shredded "noodles". If you take out the green part it looks pretty legit. The noodles go on for dayyys so if you don't want to be choking them down, you should probably cut them into shorter pieces.
Looks pretty pasta like if you ask me...
I cooked them in two ways just to try it out. I sauteed them in olive oil and I boiled them in soup. I put a little too much salt and oil in when I sauteed them, but the consistency was there. It was also pretty decent in the soup version too, so I plan on throwing these in my pho instead of the rice noodles. 

I highly recommend trying one out. You can also do this with a potato peeler if you have the right kind. Looking forward to eating a lot more zucchini in my near future. :)


The Spiralizer has arrived! Zucchini noodles GALORE!

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Tuesday, December 16, 2014


I'm not going to sit here and tell you that eating no sugar/low carbohydrate is fun. Most of us grew up with a carb-laden, sugar coated lifestyle. I'm from mid-Michigan myself, which means that we grew up on packaged goods and fast food (it's cheap, and when you have to drive an hour to get anywhere, it's quite convenient). My parents also made great home cooked meals which I won't leave out, but it was typical American food. Meat and potatoes. Pasta. The works.

If you are one of those people that never liked sweets, always ate healthy, grew up on organic and unprocessed foods....then good for you. *slow clap*   Just kidding, but seriously, what planet are you from?

Doing this high fat/low carbohydrate diet has been very revealing. Not only is my body snapping back into shape, but the most noticeable thing for me is steady energy. No more fatigue and wanting to crawl under my desk at work for a quick nap. I still do get rather hungry, I feel like I eat a lot and plow through meals that are much larger than I'm used to eating. For instance, at our favorite shabu-shabu place, I went through two plates of meat and my entire plate of leafy vegetables and tofu!

Well I don't need to go into detail. I just wanted to post some of the new things I've discovered either on my own, or through informative podcasts from nutritionists and dietitians (mainly Ben Greenfield, and Dr. Tamsin Lewis since I've been binge listening to Endurance Planet podcasts).


First up is a new pricey obsession of mine. I used to love the GT Chia kombucha drinks, but they were slightly higher in sugar than I wanted, so I found these guys instead. MAN are they delicious! The only downside that I see about them (other than the insane $2.99 price) is that they use Organic Stevia Leaf Extract. I just don't like sugar substitutes in general, but I think I am just a little scarred from my Diet Coke addiction (that I thankfully kicked hard in the butt about two years ago). I'll drink these in moderation, as a treat for myself.

This beverage is divine though. I have only tried these two flavors so far, but they are both SO GOOD, and full of probiotics! There is a wonderful aftertaste of coconut, kind of like drinking a piña colada, but a fizzy one. If only they didn't make such a dent in my wallet, my fridge would be stocked full of them. Be sure to check the labels though because there are so many flavors and the nutrition facts can vary widely between them.

You should be aware that it's common for people going on a high fat/low carb diet to need to up their sodium, so I have learned to solve this with Himalayan Sea Salt. I bought a grinder of the stuff and it is so good! It isn't bleached out and has tons of minerals for your body. I also discovered this incredible salt called Omnivore Salt. It's expensive but oh-so-good! I don't know about the health benefits there, I just like the taste. I am seriously contemplating getting a bunch of these for Christmas presents, I like it that much.



Next up, I found that one of the best sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin A & D are from Cod Liver Oil. Since I don't like to take pills, I opted for the liquid version (I also think it will be better absorbed that way). I'm not going to lie. It is kind of gross, but I think most of it is mental. It really barely has any flavor at all, and would probably be fine tossed on a salad, I'm just a big baby.


Another thing I've been eating are Brazil nuts. I can't help but think of that scene in Best in Show when I eat them. Anyway, I freeze them since they will go rancid, and I also buy them in the shell. Pretty tasty too, and gives you a good dose of selenium and vitamin E. Do not consume more than two a day though, because you can get too much selenium which can cause brittle hair or nails (or even hair loss).
Last on the list for today is roasted seaweed! I don't know if it's my Korean blood or what, but I love seaweed! This brand is my favorite, but can be quite pricey. I barely buy them but they used to have them where I worked. I now eat a Kirkland brand pack, which actually packs about 5x's more sheets of seaweed, but they're often soaked in oil and it puts me off. I don't mind oil, but I prefer them to be not soaking my hands in the stuff. The benefits of seaweed is that not only is it low in carbs (about 1 gram per serving), but it gives you a little extra sodium and also is a great source of antioxidants and iodine. They also are a great alternative if you're a regular potato chip eater.

 Well, I hope that helps ease the pain a bit. It's a good time to experiment and get creative! Eat plenty of vegetables, and don't be afraid of carbs. Especially if you are doing harder efforts, you should adjust your diet for that. A rough guideline that I found is HERE. Lastly, HERE is a great article from Ben Greenfield for supplements that will help you perform on a low carbohydrate diet. Be smart!







More things that I love! Food food food!

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Monday, December 15, 2014



I foolishly thought that reaching the end of week 4 of training would have a more epic and rewarding experience. When I started my training and research, for some reason I had this magic number in my head that by week 3 everything would just snap into place and not be awful.

True, things definitely are not as bad as week one. To give you a quick recap, week one was terrible. I was so cranky and I had chills from the lack of sugar, and my runs were slow and slower.

It seems to be difficult to NOT set myself back every week. I am definitely more aware of how every single thing I do seems to effect my heart rate. I also am much more in tune with my body, and can even tell in the morning if I have an unusually high heart rate, or if the run is going to be rough.

The setback this week was the holiday party. You can't avoid stuff like this during the holidays. I still eat well, thanks to my pretty solid will power, but it's hard to keep the stress levels low. I also danced for two hours. :| I heels. I won't lie, it was fun.



Let me just say that I firmly believe that heels are spawned from the devil. I don't encourage them, and I certainly don't wear them day to day. It's like a once a year occasion, and in result, I walk like a 4 year old in them. Meh, whatever. Particularly they are bad for runners because they shorten your Achilles tendon, a very important thing that you'll want to keep in good flexible shape if you do a lot of running and hills. But seriously, these heels weren't even that bad. Three inches, I'd say, which most girls would laugh at.



I ignored my own advice and danced around in them until I could barely walk. The next morning I felt it. My feet hurt, and my heart rate was higher. My pace for my 12 mile long run was 11:30. Then the following day, my long run #2 was still slow at an 11:10 min pace. I got REALLY angry for the last mile because the heart rate strap was either too loose or too tight, and at the end I could not keep my hr under 150 without walking. CURSE THE STUPID GARMIN HR STRAP. It is not made for petite girls. That's one of my only gripes about the thing.

I'm still struggling a lot. Running fast is a bit of an addiction for me, I miss the feeling. I miss going all out. I miss doing weights and climbing. I miss the killer hills and trails. I get really jealous if people are running fast around me, or telling me about their awesome runs. I have this race that I signed up for in a couple of weeks, actually TWO (the New Years Eve, and New years Day half marathons for Brazen), and I'm not sure if I want to try them out at my MAF pace or if it's a bad idea.

Actually, I'm pretty certain it's a bad idea, because I think you get over or around 2k feet of elevation. Sigh. I know that this hard work and restraining myself will pay off in the long run, but it isn't easy and I wonder if there's another way or if I'm just desperately looking for shortcuts.

The good news is that I feel great otherwise. I'm not too tired even though I'm logging in over 40 miles a week, I have no injuries *knocks on wood*. I am certain if I kept up with my fast running that I'd be nearly broken by now. The food stuff is also going well, and I seriously have to say that if you experience a lot of food comas or fatigue, you should really check your sugar and fat intake. I think after this, I'll post another food post about my favorite healthy snacks.

Anyway, I just don't know. I'm afraid that I'll never be able to get fast again. I guess we'll see how this week goes. Must...stay...positive.

Here's a picture of the fam to end this post on a high note.






Confessions of a MAF-er. Week 4.

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Thursday, December 11, 2014


 If you hadn't heard, the Bay Area has been preparing for this major storm all week. It finally arrived last night, with some pretty major rain and winds. There was a lot of flooding in other areas, but our location in San Mateo seemed pretty tame. I even got a chance to go for a rainy and calm run.

I had gone at my lunch break, so my stomach was full of a bunch of random foods, and I had drank about two cups of coffee. As a result, I was pretty wired for my run which made it difficult to keep my heart rate down. Usually coffee doesn't effect me that much, but I think we made it extra strong and I don't usually run after letting it sink in for so long.

The run was slow, but I got to enjoy the rainy weather. I even looked over and saw this little sea lion face peek up at me. I never see them over in the bay area, so he must have made a special trip over with all of the extra rain water. I went to reach for my camera and try to take a photo through the plastic bag but he didn't resurface near me. Sooo you get a drawing of how I remember it. It was really damn cute. Yeah, I'm an artist...no this isn't my best work, but if you'd like to see more just go HERE.

I had the night to myself since my boyfriend had a long work dinner tonight. Normally I would just make myself some eggs or eat some tuna out of a pouch. You know, something really helpless and pathetic like that. I decided instead to use this spaghetti squash that's been sitting on our table for months, and make some pasta that way.

It was a success! The spaghetti squash has about 10 grams of carbohydrates per cup. The sauce I used had no sugar and was divine. I don't like sugar in my sauce anyway. I even got a chance to roast the seeds.

To end the night, I decided to toy with a recipe that I've seen floating around on pinterest and the internets. Avocado fries. I don't like avocado, but I really want to because it looks good and I know it's good for you. I just find it completely tasteless and the texture grosses me out. This recipe fixes all of those problems! The texture of the shredded coconut is so good, mixed with some spices like paprika and garlic. I didn't even need to fry it, these are just baked. I will be making these again for sure.

Here is the recipe I went off of, but I didn't do the step where I needed to fry them. The process was a little messy and time consuming, but it was definitely worth it!





Feeling productive! Spaghetti squash with meat sauce, and avocado fries!

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Monday, December 8, 2014


Friday morning I received and email telling me that my Garmin Forerunner 920XT that I had ordered from Running Warehouse was being shipped to me! I WAS SO EXCITED, because on the website it had said that it wouldn't even arrive to their warehouse until the 13th, and that was just a rough estimate. To be getting it over a week before scheduled was so exciting!

The 920XT is brand spankin' new, and came out not too long ago. Happy to have it in my greedy little hands.

A full review will come later on my friend Rini's and my review site FiveFootGear (coming soon!), but I just wanted to share my excitement.

A few words of note are that while the watch is huge, especially on my little asian wrist, it is surprisingly light. Noticeably lighter than it's older version the 910XT. It is also in color! Being an artist, I know that it just sucks battery and is a pointless perk, but I love it!

Had to make some adjustments
Also, the heart rate strap had to be adjusted for my size. I haven't measured my torso, but for my last heart rate strap I also had to make adjustments so I guess I'm not that upset. I am annoyed at how complicated the strap was to figure out though, as far as adjusting. I don't like that I had to make any cuts into the fabric but it was a simple fix.

I love that it's like a fitbit and tracks my moves, and connects to all my apps. If you're on Garmin Connect, add me! My user name is HeatherIhn. I'm probably going a little app crazy, with way too many devices, but you know what? DATA IS FUN FOR ME. Yeah I'm boring, yeah I color inside the lines (for the most part) but it's who I am!

Anyway, more to come later. I'm going to be doing my first run tomorrow with this beast and I'll have more to tell.

It looks pretty good on my 5'11" boyfriend's wrists.





The glorious Garmin Forerunner 920XT has arrived!

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Sunday, December 7, 2014

There hasn't been too much to report since last week. I'm eating the same things, running the same slow pace, and it's still been rainy and wet here in the bay area. Oh, I guess you'd notice that I did update the look of the site. It's got some kinks...some stretched pictures and overlapping things, but hopefully I'll get those things smoothed out in the near future.
I took some progress photos and compared them to last week. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't really see much of a difference. Trying to be more consistent with the outfits that I wear and the lighting, but the lighting is unusually tricky to get. Can't say I'd be disappointed if I ended up plateauing here, not really looking for a six pack. Might end up just ditching the progress photos if I don't see much improvement in the upcoming weeks.
I'm thrilled to report that I HAVE made some progress, although slight, in my running. I'm trying to focus on a longer warm-up, and to build into my heart rate zone (145-150) slower. (I set my warmups as a separate run so I can get a better idea of an average pace). I've had a lot of success, and it helps me relax a little knowing that I have a little more space to slow down or speed up if I want to. I also managed to get my 8 miler in UNDER an 11 minute mile, which doesn't sound very fast but it's a goal I've been aiming for. Today's 11 mile run ended up being 11:09 but I was running on tired legs. I find at the tail ends of my runs it's really difficult to keep my heart rate down because it crawls up.

I don't eat before any of my runs, but I've also been having a hard time eating enough on the days that I do go on a long run afterwards, so I might need to start eating a bit in the mornings just to give myself a little extra jolt and nutrition. I guess it didn't help that I didn't roll out of bed until 10:30 this morning, and I didn't start my run until 11:30. 
Some things I'm struggling with that maybe other MAFers can help me out on, is I really miss strength training. I've listened to some podcasts about strength training in the maf method but I don't have giant weights or boulders that I can throw down in my house, and I miss doing core work and leg work. I also am not sure to include my warm up into my running plan because I'm walking for 90% of the warmup. I suppose that counts...
Lastly, here are some photos I took this week. These are all done at the Bay Trail near our house. The scenery has been spectacular because of the recent rain. I love this trail, and I love that we are footsteps away from it. It's a beautiful, long, and flat trail that I highly recommend. It's mostly asphalt but there are sections where the side paths have soft dirt (beware of the cat poop bombs). I'll be posting specific posts later about trails, and trying to organize my blog a bit better instead of it just being a giant running diary.
Thanks for reading! By the way, I've included a place where you can receive an email subscription if you want to know when I post new stuff at the bottom right section of the blog.


Making Progress and week 3 recap of high carb/low fat eating.

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Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Happy week of rain for those of you in the bay area! Sooo much rain, after such a long period of NO rain. I'm still pretty ecstatic to see it, even if that means that drivers on the freeway go 20mph and I have to actually mow our lawn.

It was a wet run!
Unfortunately, all of my techy devices that I love to bring with me aren't waterproof. Actually, none of them are. I keep thinking of buying a waterproof phone case, but always fall back to a couple of zip lock bags in my semi-waterproof jacket. I also put saran wrap on my water-resistant Polar watch, because I just don't want to take any chances. It was pretty wet out today.

The run didn't go like I hoped. I felt like I was going a bit faster, and since I turned off the notifications to Strava, I dreamed of coming home and seeing paces in the 10 min mile range. I didn't get a proper warm up because it was SO COLD OUTSIDE and I stupidly wore these flimsy shorts and needed to get my heart rate up to stay warm. 

My high tech waterproofing
So the final pace average? About an 11:55 min mile. To give myself a bit of credit, I DID include about a .3 mile walk when I attempted to warm up. Still was pretty pathetic.

I also am still sore from horseback riding. :| 

I came home and reallllly wanted to give up. I am really losing my patience here, so I honestly don't know how long I will last. I am trying my best though. Hugs and words of encouragement are welcome, haha.

For those of you that have been running in the bad weather or nights, my boyfriend showed me quite a convenient trick if you have an iphone (a similar feature is probably available through Android, but I only have an iphone). You can go to the messages, click on "details" in the right corner of the person you want to message, and then click to share your location for either an hour, to the end of the day, or indefinitely. We use it for an hour or so, just to kind of keep track and make sure that everything is going as planned, and nobody is hurt. 

It is a nice feature if you want to keep an eye on a loved one, but don't want to be all creepy.





TJ's Salsa Verde!

Next up, is food! Today I have been RAVENOUS! Completely insatiable hunger all day. I think it's my body finally responding to the several day soreness from horseback riding. I keep eating and eating, and drinking a lot of water, but nothing seems to help. I came home to some chicken I made in the crock pot and just hovered over it and downed two chicken thighs in about 3 minutes. By the way, you've got to try this chicken. I forget where I initially found the recipe, but all you need to do is throw some chicken thighs in a crock pot and dump in a bottle of salsa verde! I put in about a half cup of water, just because my crock pot is huge and I don't want them to overcook. SO GOOD.

A bit high in sodium but I'm not exactly licking
the plate clean here.
Mmm so juicy and tender!






Soup made with our homemade bone broth!


Sorry for the terrible formatting, I still don't fully understand blogger.

You might see a pattern developing, but I am obsessed with our slow cooker. I swear by the thing, and I don't know why more people don't use them! Healthy and juicy meals every time with hardly any effort, and they're always hot and ready by the time you get home!

I even made bone broth for the first time in my life with our leftover turkey bones. I did it a bit spur of the moment, and as we were running out the door to catch a movie, I threw the thing in the crock pot with some whole carrots and onion, and filled it up so the water was to the top, and we just let it cook until the next day. My lovely boyfriend strained it, and it turned out so delicious and perfect! The only thing I'd do differently is put in a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in to leach some of the minerals out more.

Bone broth is wonderful for anyone, but can definitely benefit runners with the amino acids and minerals, and is great for your ligaments and joints. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make, and I'm definitely going to be making more soon.

I have another 5 miles to go tomorrow, so hopefully there will be less rain and more smiles. Oh, and while I work I have been drowning myself in podcasts from Endurance Planet. They are extremely informative, especially if you're interested in MAF training or a low carb/high fat diet. You can look up "maffetone" in the search engine, or I like to listen to nutrition advice from Ben Greenfield. Great stuff, and Tawnee is very informed and is a great interviewer that always seems to be asking the questions that I'm thinking in my head.

Some more food, and running in the rain!

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