Black Beans and Brown Rice Extravaganza!

Well, I decided I was gradually ease into the 28-day challenge. I want it to be a lifestyle change, not a diet or a challenge.

Sunday I made Engine 2's Black Beans and Brown Rice Extravaganza It's yummy. There's a lot of chopping but it is well worth it!

Sunday I threw in some salsa. Yesterday I ate it without any topping or dressing. Tonight I sprinkled a tablespoon of Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar in my bowl. This is definitely something I will add to my rotation.

Next I'm going to try making the Plant-Strong Burgers using lentils.

Engine 2 Challenge

I am thinking about starting the Engine 2 Diet Challenge. I watched Knives over Forks a couple of years ago. For the most part, I have been semi-vegetarian. I really do not like meat, never had. I just do not like the texture. However, I do like a nice burger. I also like chicken and fish.

Right now, I probably eat red meat once every two or three months and chicken two or three times a month. Well, I take that back, I eat turkey sausage almost every day for breakfast. Other than that, I get most of my protein from beans and protein powder.
Today I felt like crying. I’m sick and tired of being tired. I know a lot of it has to do with my consistent running. The other part is my thyroid. I am convinced this increased dosage is doing nothing for me. If I go back, she’s only test me again and probably give me another increase.

So, I have been researching thyroid function to see if making any nutritional changes might help. This is one of the reasons I am thinking about doing the challenge. I have already tried a few of the recipes. I especially liked the Raise the Roof Sweet Potato Lasagna. I think it will be challenging and interesting to see if I can get more sustained energy from eating a plant-based diet.

Well see….

Easter Brings Hope

Today was a beautiful day. Easter has always been my favorite holiday. I love the message of resurrection, renewal, rebirth, and hope. How light comes from darkness....

Today I tapped into that message of hope and checked off a goal on my fitness list. For the longest time, one of my goals has been to be able to run around this loop at Wills Park. This is the path I usually walk. I know that in order to prepare for Peachtree I need to be able to run uphill. It was my intention to try running around this loop in June.

Last night I spent some time catching up on my blog reading. I read something about how running is also mental. So I spent some time visually myself running around that loop. For whatever reason, when I woke up this morning, I decided to give it a try. I did it! I really took my time, checked in with my body, stayed present with my thoughts, focused on my breathing, and run around that loop 1.25 times. So, now my next goal is to do two laps. Before my race, I will complete four laps.

Today was a real confidence-builder for me. For the first time, I believe I can be well-prepared for this race. I know it is a little out of my reach, but I can do my best to be as prepared as possible.

Peachtree Road Race Training

Check out what I received in the mail today!

It’s really starting to sink in that I am going to do this. The Peachtree Road Race has been on my bucket list since I started my fitness journey. This year is the first year I have had the courage to go after it.

I am so excited and nervous. Tomorrow I finish Week 9 of my training plan. I’m running about three miles. I have five weeks left in the plan and 11 weeks left until the race. I pray I’m able to run/walk/crawl 6.2 miles by then.
I went into Big Peach Running today. They’re always so nice and friendly. I went in to purchase some NUUN to help me with my hydration goals. One the guys asked me what I was training for. Me? I felt like a real runner. One of these days it will sink in that I am a runner now.

So, we chat about Peachtree and he gives me the best advice ever – HAVE FUN! He told me the funniest story about supporting a friend during her first Peachtree. She told him to go ahead and run his race. He waited and waited and waited for her at the finish line. She finally shows up all happy. He was so worried. She was having a blast. She stopped for a doughnut and a beer along the course. She did exactly what he advised her to do -- have fun!


In the end, that’s what it’s all about. I am having a wonderful adventure. While I want to be prepared and take my training seriously, I do not want to forget to enjoy the journey!

There's no such thing as a bad workout?

Today was not a good day. I have been doing so well on my Couch to 10k workouts. I cannot remember the last time I needed to repeat a day. Well, today was one of those days. I decided to run at Wills Park. It's usually my spot to do my walks because there are inclines. I can walk 2.5 loops with no problem. Running is another story.

I couldn't finish the last 10 minutes. It's okay. This lets me know I still have a lot of work to do. The Peachtree Road Race course has inclines and hills. I need to be prepared for them. I am going to start running at Wills Park more often. I tried my best not to compare myself to others out on the path. I reminded myself to just run my race and remind myself of how far I have come.

Once I stopped this pity party, I was okay. I'm prepared to give it another try! I will get to the point where I can run around that loop nonstop!

HIIT = DOMS

I had a really nice HIIT training workout on Thursday. It felt great! I felt great! I didn’t feel like going to the gym to lift so I did a combination of kickboxing, dumbbells, did two sets of deadlifts, my Spartan 30 pushups, and used my stability ball. It was a nice 30-minute workout. No big deal, I thought. Well, yesterday Thursday I woke up and I could barely move. WTH???

My knees and quads were stiff! It really doesn’t help that I work from home and only had to move from my bedroom to my office. I made it a point to get up often, stretch, and ice my knees. However, when it was time for my workout, I knew there was no way I should try running.

So, I decided I would try to go for a walk instead. It was not cute. By .75 miles my muscles loosened and I felt pretty good. I walked two miles. I was going to do another loop but didn’t want to overdo it. I came home, stretched, and used my foam roller.
This morning my body feels fine. I’m ready for Week Nine, Day 1! Even though I plan to workout at the gym tomorrow, I’m thinking I need to do that at-home workout again. I obviously gave myself a pretty good workout without all that fancy LA Fitness equipment.

Flooded Out: Week Eight, Day 3

I spent all day looking forward to my workout. I signed up for the health and wellness program through my employer so I was also anxious to earn points for my workout. Double the benefits. Since it had been raining like crazy for the past two days, I was so grateful that the weather had improved. I thank God.

Four o'clock couldn't come fast enough. I put on my HRM, my sneakers, grabbed my iTouch,a bottle of water, and headed out the door. I made a left into the Greenway and encountered a closed gate with this sign:

My heart sank. A huge part of me just wanted to go to Wendy's a get a large fries. Instead, I texted a few friends and headed out for plan B. Traffic was horrible. Because I've been doing great with my hydration, I had to pee. So, I stopped at the grocery to pee and pick up some zucchini. It then dawn on me that plan B wasn't going to work because that path is along the river. It was probably flooded too.

The gym is a no-go around 5. No way was a going to get a treadmill. Plus, I needed one for more than 30-minutes. On top of that, I don't want to risk injury by running on a treadmill, if I can help it. So....I decided to try my back-up gym at my complex. It was crowded too--only two treadmills there.

In the end I decide to do strength training and pray the path(s) is/are clear for tomorrow. If not, I will do what I can on the treadmill tomorrow.

Now, I'm off to try a zucchini chips with sea salt and paprika recipe.

Three Months!

I have exactly three months to get myself together for the Peachtree Road Race. Today I completed Week 8, Day 1. I almost blew it. As I was driving to the greenway, it started to rain a bit. I turned away. No way am I running in the rain, I told myself. I thought about going to the gym. My knees don't like running on the treadmill. I'm doing my best to stay injury-free. So, I go back home and hop on my laptop.

Thirty minutes later, I notice it's not raining. I head back out. I realize I cannot be a wimp. There is a possibility it may rain on July 4. It was kind of rainy last year. So I am going to make it a point to train in the rain over the next three months. I will be finishing up the plan next month. Then I just start working on distance and endurance. I also need to work on tackling some hills.