I'm pretty sure the REAL final countdown is going to be the last ten days...but it is absolutely terrifying how quick these weeks are going!

First of all, BAM.

For the first time EVER I have hit 400km in a month!!! For us 'muricans, that is almost 250 miles! The more miraculous part is that I have not needed a single ice bath, nor have I needed to crawl into my desk after lunch to nap. I remain a fully functional, house cleaning, grocery getting, hard working, energetic little bee!

I wanted to organize a chart in which I could visualize my progress a bit better (yeah, that's the artist in me). I'm sure there's an easier way to do this in google docs, but I managed to do okay. The first column is the date obviously, the 2nd is the mileage with the orange and yellows being my long runs, the middle is the average pace, and the last is heart rates. For the middle, I picked the cooler purples to show the faster times, and the red to dark red to show my slower times. And for the heart rate, everything over 149 is in orange, and everything under is in green, and yellow is JUST right. You can see that there is definitely some progress even though I seem to be pushing my heart rate higher than I used to, but only by a couple of beats. Keep in mind that I've also increased my mileage a lot since I began.

Runs have gone well for me, except for maybe today. I ended up stacking all five together without taking a rest day between, for scheduling reasons next week. Tomorrow will be my off day, and I will resume Mon-Wed, rest, and long run on Fri and Sat. It wasn't bad doing my runs stacked together. My legs feel so great that I would really like to run every day if my brain wasn't telling me that I'm asking for trouble.

My run on Wednesday was my fastest overall run yet, at a 10:22 pace. The 10 miler the next morning was also pretty fast for me, at a 10:25 pace. This morning I tried something new and went up to Marin for the San Francisco Running Company's 2 year anniversary run. There were a ton of people including quite a handful of elite runners. I'm a little fan girl since I listen to podcasts on my runs and am familiar with a lot of runner names. Unfortunately I'm also extremely introverted and awkward, so I didn't introduce myself to any of them, wah wah...

Since I still wanted to follow my MAF pace, I ended up being completely alone at the back of the pack. I knew that would happen, because the runners in Mill Valley are another species, I swear. The entire pack is lightning fast! It's fascinating. There is also a great love for the SFRC, and everyone is proud to wear the logo. You can now order stuff from them at their store online HERE, so I highly recommend checking it out! The mug is my favorite mug that I own, Brett, the store owner, CLEARLY cares about the quality of the items he has his logo on. The shirts we have are ones we want to wear daily, and the mug keeps things hot for hours!

I ended up running through the Tennessee Valley trail which is a relatively flat out and back to the beach. It was much hillier than I'm used to unfortunately, so I really struggled through it. At least I got to enjoy the beach which was brilliant and peaceful. I ended up doing an additional four miles on the bike trail in Mill Valley, and that was flat but the sun was harsh. And no, it actually was probably still in the 60's but I am a baby with anything that isn't windless, 60 degrees, and flat apparently.

Tennessee Valley Trail, the BEACH!

So what's next? I need to start working on hills...FOR REAL. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but this week, I might start walking up some and running down for both leg strengthening and turn over. The trick is not over doing it, so I might just do one hill day per week, and maybe incorporate some on my longer runs on the weekend. I also need to get off the stupid bay trail but it's so easy and close!

Lastly, FOOD. I love it, and I've been experimenting with new things! I found this awesome bread recipe here. Don't get put off by the name, I am not exactly looking to be in ketosis but I don't think it's a bad thing either. These buns are delicious and taste really great! I love that there aren't a billion ingredients, and I leave out the fake sugars. I make sure to only eat a half a piece, because they do contain a lot of fiber. I haven't had any problems with them though, if anything they've been great for my digestive system. I also experimented with this Cloud Bread. While it's pretty delicious and has a nice texture, it is super light and unsatisfying. The tops also tend to be a little sticky, not sure if that was my fault. I would continue making them since they are so easy, but I prefer the keto buns. 

Keto Buns - SO GOOD

Cloud Bread in the making, so light and fluffy!

Great texture, very light.

I've also REALLY been enjoying our meat from US Wellness. Despite them being frozen, the meat has been very soft and delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Here's a burger that we made from the 85% fat ground beef. I threw on some spicy mustard and sauerkraut with tomatoes and onions. I could eat this every day. We are going to be regular shoppers.

Last is our usual scallops with tomatoes. Jon and I stock up on the big bags of frozen scallops at whole foods, which makes for a really quick and easy source of protein. This time I threw in some more greens and put it on some zucchini noodles. Also, amazingly delicious. I'm getting really hungry just looking at this food again.

I took out a lot of the dairy I've been eating aside from the occasional goat cheese and greek yogurt, and I've also been eating less red meat and more fish. I think it's helped a lot with inflammation. I used to have tired feet sometimes, but that has completely gone away. I've never realized just how important and impactful each type of food can be on your body, and I've also never felt better! I don't eat before any of my runs, and I will only eat during my very long runs over 3 hours. It's been good so far, and my energy has been very consistent. Can't talk enough about it...(sorry)

I apologize for cramming all of my info into one weekly post! I'm going to try to break it up a bit more next time. OH YEAH, and I've ran a lot in the Hoka One One Valors this week and they've been awesome!!! They're my go-to shoe now, and I haven't had an issue with them at all. I also ran in some of the new Bondi 4's today, and did the 12 miles in them no problem. I don't really like how they did the tongue on them though, and prefer the Valors. The Bondi's seemed to run slightly large, I usually wear a running size 7, but I kept tripping over the toe since they were a little too big. I AM curious to try out the Cliftons since I've heard nothing but rave reviews about them, but I'm going to wear out some other pairs first before I can justify another shoe purchase. Ok, going now!

Hoka One One Hoka One One Valor I LOVE FOOD LCHF low carb low carb high fat low heart rate MAF slow running training

401km DONE! And 9 weeks left!!!

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What a week! I managed to log in 55 miles, but the best part of it all *KNOCKS ON EVERYTHING MADE OF WOOD* is that I feel totally fine. 

The first part of the week I was feeling a bit swollen and sluggish. My shorter runs were all in the 10:45 min/mile pace, and they weren't terrible but not the best either. I just felt slow, like my legs were very heavy. The sunrises were all incredible though! 

A foggy run on Tuesday...the fog was like a blanket!

Saturday came and I went out on my 20 mile run. The first ten miles felt unusually good, but as soon as I turned around my heart rate started creeping up. I have to say, I think part of it is mental because it is just weird that exactly at the turn around point is when it starts to go up. The increasingly hot sun was also making my heart rise. Before I had gone out, I drank a cup of decaf coffee with a tablespoon of coconut oil and a tablespoon of grass fed unsalted butter. I also brought one of these Pocket Fuels with me. I wish it didn't have added sugar, but it was delicious! They have plenty of other flavors, but I'm a sucker for chocolate.

Honestly, I don't think I even needed to take it. I wasn't hungry at all during the entire run. My regret is not drinking any water. I didn't realize that I needed water really, because I don't sweat much and I don't really crave any water when I'm running this slow. However, while reading Phil Maffetone's Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, he mentioned that it can really raise the heart rate and cause a plateau or reduction in performance. I THINK this might be an important piece of the puzzle, because I know for sure that I do not drink enough water when I exercise.

When I finished, my Garmin enthusiastically announced that I had a new half marathon record. I was a little surprised! I was tired and my legs were a little sore, but surprisingly not near what they usually are. I rested, then we went grocery shopping and they started to feel better. My feet feel a lot less swollen than they did the week before. I have been cutting back on the amount of dairy I take in, and I really believe that it's helping reduce inflammation.

I drank a lot of water throughout the rest of the day and tried to eat a lot of vegetables. I passed out pretty early, and then woke up bright and early today (Sunday) for my 10 miler this morning.

I was shocked that I actually had to push myself a bit harder in order to reach my heart rate of 149. My legs were fatiguing!!! This is usually a very good sign for me, and I had a feeling it would be a faster than usual run. I stopped twice at water fountains after learning the importance of hydration (haha), but overall my run was pretty quick. I finished, and realized that I had my best 10k time (cutting about 30 seconds off), and my overall average was 10:29 at 149hr. INCREDIBLE! This is only two weeks after my previous 10 miler that I was ecstatic about, that was a 10:44 min mile.

I couldn't be happier with my progress this week. I have an easy week lined up next week, with the "long" runs being 10 miles Saturday and 8 on Sunday. I am curious how my body is going to handle this, and if I will see some faster than usual times this week and next. :)

Some cute birds that I creeped up on.

Okay enough with the run talk, now about the food! I have also improved my diet a lot this week. I had placed a large order with US Wellness Meats, so Jon and I indulged in some grassfed steaks on Wednesday. I think eating organic grass fed meat is important because of the balance of the fatty acids are different than grain fed meats. It includes a lot more of the super healthy Omega 3 fatty acids which balance out the Omega 6 fatty acids. I'm learning that it is very important to have your fatty acids balanced, so having my daily teaspoon of cod liver oil is helping me out there too. I certainly wasn't eating enough before.

My Filet Mignon

But back to the steak. IT WAS SO AMAZING. I got the filet mignon, and I got Jon a ribeye. They weren't cheap, but they were worth every penny. The steak came to us frozen, and I thought that it would really hurt the flavor of the meat. We were WRONG. My steak was sooo buttery, soft, and makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It doesn't hurt that Jon is a great cook. We also included some sautéed mushrooms and greens (spinach and asparagus).

I really liked it.

Another food that I got this week was sauerkraut. I have to admit that I never...actually...TRIED sauerkraut before, because I thought it looked gross. :( I certainly was missing out. This sauerkraut in particular is so good! I'm trying to take in more probiotics, and I think my digestive and immune systems are thanking me. I would be all about having kimchi with my meals, but it really makes my skin (and everything it's near) stink. :P I would like to be a bit adventurous and try making my own sauerkraut soon.

Grassfed beef hotdogs with sauerkraut! MM good!

Jon and I also have been devouring a lot more vegetables than we used to. Our recent Whole Foods trip was kind of ridiculously healthy (also, expensive...). We had about 3 bins of spinach and greens (I'm really digging the Mache blend from Organic Girl), and red peppers, mushrooms, kale, green beans, asparagus, tomatoes, and all sorts of good foods. 

We also just went to the farmer's market today. We found a stand with grass fed beef and organic free range chicken. We got a chicken, a dozen eggs, two rib-eyes, and two filet mignons for under $40 total. The steaks were buy one get one free because they were frozen from December. We also walked away with more veggies that were going for cheap. The trick is to go the hour before they close! One of the vendors even threw in a free bag of organic lettuce mix for us. Jon cleaned up our beets, saved the greens and stems, and I plan on sautéing them later this week!

This week really ended on a high note for me. I have never felt so on the right track before. I feel incredible, and having faster runs is giving me a lot of hope. Jon has been reaping benefits from this as well, even though he still eats pizza, beer, and chocolate. He has trimmed up, and his running has improved dramatically. 

Looking forward to my easy week! More updates to come!

endurance I LOVE FOOD low carb high fat low heart rate MAF slow running tips and tricks training

A fantastic end to the week! Running recaps, and diet tune ups.

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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.

I LOVE FOOD low carb MAF training

A rough one...

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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. :)

I LOVE FOOD low carb tips and tricks

The Spiralizer has arrived! Zucchini noodles GALORE!

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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!

I LOVE FOOD low carb tips and tricks

More things that I love! Food food food!

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 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!

I LOVE FOOD low carb training

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

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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.

I LOVE FOOD low carb MAF recipes training

Some more food, and running in the rain!

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