Greenland

No pics from the long run yesterday:(. Oh well...it still was fabulous. A group of us (Jane, Jess, Maddy, Staci, Micky, and I) headed up to Greenland openspace for an 8.4 mile lollipop loop. A gorgeous place where you feel out in the middle of no where...rolling hills, train tracks, views for miles. Greenland is a usually muddy/windy mess, but on this day, it was pleasant and very much a joy.

Afterward, we headed to our once-upon-a-time weekly breakfast stop, The Egg & I. A tasty warm meal and great conversation ended our Sunday morning outing with a smile on everyone's faces. Props to Maddy for her tackling her first Greenland loop...keep it up studly.

Last night CPY put on a free Carnival Event. It was an absolute blast! They combined all of the classes they offer (hot, hot fusion, power, sculpt, bootcamp) into one 75 min class. The room was packed to the brim...probably close to 60 people, and we were lucky enough to have the hands of about 10 adjusters! Lots of different kinds of music, different styles, different teachers. So much fun.

After an amazing massage, I am now loving the smells of my tasty tofu baking in the oven...I must go enjoy it!

new, tasty, and fun...

James showed up with this card for me...what a crack up. On the inside it had a big whale on in and the pink and green characters yelled "get Whale soon...get it...get whallle soon...". Hilarious. If you are wondering why he scratched out 'sick' and wrote what he did...yes, I did in fact cut the &%#! out of my thumb Monday night with a brand new knife I bought that day. No fun I say.

I had the best oat bran concoction yesterday morning after my beautiful hour run in the still-snowy Garden. Mixed in was pumpkin, carob chips and chopped almonds...yummers! After the picture I added some kefir to the top...it doesn't look as purty with the liquidy white stuff over the top:). This kept me so full for hours!

After my nock off Magic Bullet bit the dust (it was literally smoking, shooting black stuff everywhere- not a pretty scene folks) Monday morning, I headed to Bed Bath and Beyond looking to get the real Magic Bullet, but instead ran across this little puppy. I've wanted a food processor for a long time and told myself that I'd treat myself to one if I continued my attempts to cooking/baking new things post CPY NUT program. And it comes with a blender too! What a deal! I'm so excited to use it...first up Chocolate Covered Katie's Fudge Babies I suspect.

Off to a run before work! Happy day to all.

winter wonderland...

An amazing trail run in the Garden of the Gods with the girls this morning. I think we all were feeling twelve again as we slipped and slid in the puffy white stuff, laughter and giggles the entire time. No falls surprisingly enough! :) A few pics to tell the story...

Inspiration.

Last night's 'Beauty Mark Night' was absolutely amazing. It was so inspirational, though-provoking, and moving for me, and I believe, everyone who attended. If you haven't heard of Diane Isreal's movie 'Beauty Mark', you must check it out. Diane and our SkirtSports rep, Maggi traveled down from Boulder to show the movie and speak to 70+ women that are affiliated with the store in some way or another. I think the film spoke to each and every person in a slightly different way...and it really touched my heart as I looked around at everyone's eyes as they watched. Hearing Diane speak was so incredibly motivating...and I could instantly feel my shoulders drop, releasing the pressures.

Thanks to my friends and family who helped pull this event together. I couldn't have done it without your support and presence. I am sad that I didn't take any photos...just couldn't make it happen:(.

After a wonderful night, we all were back at the store less than 12 hours later for our Sunday group long run. I took some photos of everyone, just before heading out...you can see it took a little bit to get the photo opp ready:).

A very tough, but wonderful route this morning. Started at the store headed north on the trail, headed up the Sinton Trail for a lovely 3 mile uphill, a left at 30th street up to the Mesa Overlook, down through Beetleman (sp?), and back to the store. A windy, but gorgeous 11.5 miles. Haven't gone that long in a while...and my legs are letting me know already today:). Love being with the girls...so thankful they are in my life.

The pic below is of my awesome LuLuLemon poster I have on my fridge. It has very inspirational statements on it, and after last night I am vowing to take a good long look at it everyday, with the intent of taking from it whatever I need to hear for the day.

halloweeeeenn...

A few Halloween funnies...great costumes this year!

My handsome brother
My punk rock mother

testing time...

Well, I made it through the toughest part of the nutrition cleanse...breaking habits, clean eating, and lots of broth. Now, it's time to partake in nutritional experiments for my own body...the purpose of this whole thing!

Thanks to 4 days of clean eating and 3 days of homemade veggie broths (and a vitamin/mineral supplement for calories and protein), my body is at a very alkaline state. A state that can be very telling as I reintroduce foods in my diet. For the next 8-10 days I will be alternating between a day of clean eating, followed by a "test day". During the test day, I will be eating clean, but be adding in my test food throughout the day. Today I started the testing series with Soy. Soy is in the super highly beneficial category when it comes to energy and my blood type (A), and it's also something I hardly ever eat. I wanted to know if soy is something that I should add to my food regimen. The results were: soy milk, edemame, baked tofu, all good. Felt great, energy-wise (good considering being sick with a cold right now:(). Miso on the other hand did not treat me well; tired, upset stomach, no good. It was very interesting being able to really feel what's going on in my body, mind, spirits in regards to the instant effects of food.

I think the following are the remainder test foods: wheat (gluten), cottage cheese, oatmeal/oatbran, yogurt/kefir. Wheat/gluten is always something good to know...the other three foods are things I eat on a regular basis, and will most likely continue to...so again, good information to know.

More to come on my food revelations... I'll definitely keep you updated on my findings!

Heather- I am using almond milk every day...usually almond butter too...I always think of you!

NUT

I've been a bit MIA in regards to my blog for a while now...but for good reason. I've been participating in the NUTrition program through CorePower Yoga! NUT started last friday and the first part was weekend-intensive; Friday eve, Sat and Sun from 8-4p. Within that time we took 5 yoga classes and began eating very clean foods thanks to Whole Foods. We have about 20 people in our class, and then we are split up into groups of 5 with one coach. Gordon, a friend of the stores that I've known since I've worked there, is my coach and he is great. He's an ultra runner and has been through the nutrition program a handful of times.

A lot of the focus in the program is about eating for your blood type and finding out what your dominant gland is. There is a book about it 'Eating Right For Your Blood Type'...we didn't read it, but we talked about energy boosting foods, and energy depleting foods, based on what blood type we are. Interestingly, as an 'A-type'...I found out that some foods that I eat every day are definitely in my energy depleting category. One major purpose of this cleansing process is for us to test different foods to see what reaction our bodies have (to see how energy-depleting foods we eat all of the time really are). After eating clean for 4 days, and 3 homemade broth days, our bodies are now at an alkaline state, a state that allows us to clearly see what our body's reaction to particular food (headaches, tiredness, stomach issues, moodiness, sinus stuff). Soy for instance (pretty much all soy products ), is shown to be very good for 'A's' and I never eat soy...so that's definitely a food I will be testing. Cottage cheese and hummus (which I eat all of the time) are in my super energy-sucking category, so I will also be testing those.

I'm on my second day (of 4) of clean eating, which prohibits dairy, gluten, processed foods, caffine, peanuts, and any particular foods we wish to test later in the process. I honestly have not had one single sugar craving, not one true hunger pain since Friday. We can definitely have other nuts (almonds, almond butter, etc), unlimited veggies, lean proteins, some fruits, and some protein-filled, gluten free grains. I have truly enjoyed the new variety in my diet and creating new meals!

I was very nervous about giving up my tasty coffee, with my (horrible-for-me) sweet creamer every morning...but Monday has been the only day I truly missed it. Without caffeine I am now sleeping very soundly and ready to go to bed. Caffeine hides the "I'm-tired" feelings for most people and I am now very aware my my mind is ready to hit the hay. I was also nervous about my energy level, but I have honestly had very high energy since this process started on Friday. We are taking a protein/vitamin/mineral supplement throughout the clean eating, testing, and broth phase (substantially more during broth days).

Last night was the first Tuesday night class/meeting of three that we will do throughout the program. We had an amazing, yet so hard, sculpt class thanks to Heather (she is a great teacher) and then discussed more about the cleanse as we ate our clean dinners that we prepared. It was fun to catch up with everyone and see how the first day went. Honestly the people in the program are the major tool to staying focused and getting through all of the changes, the food preparation and planning, the withdrawals...because everyone else is going through it too.

When most people hear cleanse, they sometimes hear fast...and that is definitely not what this program is. We have been totally prepared for this process and I am very excited to learn more about the effects food has on my body. More to come via blog throughout this journey. I know many things will be revealed, and I can't wait to share!

Burrrr....

A frozen Sunday morning made Waldo Canyon a slippery, yet absolutely gorgeous, experience! Dani, Jess and I stopped numerous times to just take it all in...the silence, the iced-over spiderweb, and being surrounded by white.

PS- Spill/fall count for the winter so far...Dani-1, Jillian-1, Jess-0

With frozen eyelashes and leaves in hair, we went up to Dani's house up in Green Mtn Falls and enjoyed coffee and Oat Bran (Heather- you would have been in heaven!) with tasty toppings, fire-side...so peaceful and relaxing!

After breakfast I hurried home to grab my camera and take advantage of a frozen Colorado Springs. I stopped to take some shots of the pond by CC, Wood Ave, the paved path by The Navigators, and lastly, The Garden of the Gods.

I haven't learned a whole lot about Adobe Photoshop yet...I'm actually looking for a class at this moment in time...so these pics are pretty raw...simply using the new Canon! :) A few pics from Mom's bday lunch at Mona's, Adam's cute new cottage in Denver, and some Downtown Grand Junction art!

F is for Foto...

More Frisco fabulousness...

Our hike from Frisco to Breck...

The trees were amazing...

Where's Waldo?...I mean Dani? Can you find her? This is the bottom of a tipped over tree by the way...unbelievable.

Waiting for our ride back to Frisco...thank you bus!

We found this 1970's book about skiing naked. Every page had a picture of this girl naked...some more revealing than others. We were cracking up!

I love this photo...love them too.

Bradzo.

Overlooking the Dillon Reservoir.

"2/3 left to go until the summit you say?...ok, time to turn around."

Balance beam practice.

Insane colors!

End of hike/run on Day #2...getting lost is so much fun, and always an adventure!

Frisco.

A fun, amazing girls weekend up in Frisco...ahhh, a total breath of fresh air, literally. A few pics of the adventures. More to come...

wow.

I think I am officially obsessed with this photographer and her blog... check it.

grandparents...

Are great. :) Mom and I went up for a visit this past weekend, and last night I ventured up for some homemade chili! Yum.

They showed me their garden...old wine barrels with various things; sugar snap peas, dill, crooked neck yellow squash, broccoli...just to name a few. Very cool.

Below, Grandma is telling me that her husband is a litterer. That is one of the stickers from his oxygen tank she is holding up in her hand.

The gazebo that my Grandpa is sitting in is right in their backyard. It is beautiful, and they've named it Hummingbird Crossing. They have a few hummingbird feeders that hang from the top, and they sit there, almost every evening in the summer, and feed the birds. Champagne in hand, they enjoy the company of the birds, and eachother...even after 58 years. Love it...and love them, a lot.

Junk in the trunk...

Because I told Dani I would.

Junk in the trunk. The trunk of my VW Jetta is somewhat disorganized. No wait, it's a pure disaster. Last time Dani and I played tennis I opened up my trunk to grab my tennis balls and racket and said "Wait Dani, don't look!" For some reason I just don't care that my trunk is a mess...I just let it be that way and go on with life. Maybe it's a convienience thing...like it helps to have these random things at my disposal when out and about? Well, after reviewing the list below I might be evaluating the truth in that last statement.

* two winter jackets
* a thick US map with individual states on each page
* a coffee carafe
* 5 lb dumbbells
* a plastic princess tiara (from john for Halloween run b/c I am the P)
* a pair of brand new K Swiss running shoes, really?
* an ice scrapper/brush
* a computer keyboard (crap, that's Ken's)
* all black puma shoes (from Fitness 19 days)
*VHS tapes (have no idea of what)
* a soft plaid blanket (which I've used twice in the last 2 weeks!)
* a broken photo frame
* resistance training tubing/bands
* first aid/roadside aid kit (duh)

Ok yeah, I really need to clean this thing out. Don't judge me, it will happen soon:). I dare you to revel your deep dark, unorganized secrets!

Boston!

Spent Monday through Thursday of this week in Boston, visiting New Balance... and wow, what a trip! Loved every minute of it...well, maybe all but the 5 1/2 hr avg sleep each night. Oh well, you only live once, right?!
New Balance pulled out all of the stops to treat their "Elite Dealers" of the Running Specialty world. An immaculate hotel, a trip to the NB factory, a Boston Red Sox game, and countless hours with the incredible people part of the running world.

The first day we took a trip one of the five NB factories located here in the US. It was about an hour away in Lawrence, MA. It was unbelievable. The 1st floor was the tech lab/smash lab where shoes (both NB and competitors) are tested, demolished and picked apart, and athletes were evaluated and recorded in various shoes. The second floor was the factory store that sold old and new models produced just a floor above. The factory existed on the 3rd floor...where NB shoes were either built entirely or put together. The top, 4th floor was design and marketing. We spent about an hour on each level, where they explained the ins and outs of how each location operated.

Wednesday, we spent the day learning about new NB apparel (materials/styles) and shoes coming out in the next two years...very cool stuff. They will use this new fiber called X-Static that is 99% silver and antimicrobial. Yes, for those runners out there that don't like to wash your running clothes (I won't name any names)- it kills odor causing bacteria, so you don't have to wash it all of the time. NASA currently has an astronaut in space using underwear with X-Static. Anywhoo...I thought it was pretty cool. We were given a long sleeve with the fiber in it, so i'll let you know once I test it out. A Boston Red Sox game was the plan for the evening and we were wined and dined yet again once we stepped foot in the stadium. I don't think anyone dressed warm enough for the occasion and my face was definitely wind-blown. Being at Fenway Park was so amazing and I will remember it always.


A few more pics from the week. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend this conference. Boston, the people of NB, and the Elite Dealers that attended, were an absolute joy.

fun

Had a great last few days this weekend! Saturday night started with my wonderful friend, Jessica making me dinner- what a treat! Then we met a group of friends over at the Colorado College quad to watch the movie 'Up!' outside, under the stars. It made me feel like a kid again, pulling out the blankets, taking my shoes off. If you haven't seen this movie, you must. Within all of the laughs, the movie portrays hand fulls of very important life lessons. My favorite: Elle's Adventure Book and her desire to fill up her "Stuff I will be doing" pages. Love it.

Sunday morning, our group took a short trip up to Monument for a run up to Palmer Lake. The weather was perfect, gorgeous scenery, and even though I was with my dear friends, this run was anything but enjoyable or easy. I think I realized at the end of this run, that the rest of the clan was in the same boat. Thank you Jessica for listening to my complaining. I'm like Russell, "I'm tired, can we stop??!!"... as he gets dragged on his face.

After a shower and a trip to the store, Dani, Jill and I were on our way up to 11 Mile Reservoir for an over-night camping adventure. In typical CO fashion, we enjoyed our walk along the water with a short, mid-afternoon drizzly rain...but were rewarded by a beautiful rainbow! We all laughed as we each found ourselves preparing to build a fire for the first time on our own...this meaning we've never been the chief officer in the process. But we actually did a great job and weren't faced with any obstacles!!
Once we had the fire roaring...we busted out the winezo and delicious food! Seriously...who eats like this when camping?...we obviously do. Dani made her special mexican avocado/black bean dish with chicken. We also had guacamole chips, spinach salad with tomatoes, almonds and feta cheese. Heather- I know you are proud!
After dinner, we positioned some heavenly, Bailey's-dipped marshmallows over the fire. Thank you Dani (or her daughter Chandra I should say), for the grand idea...I don't know if I can eat mallows plain again. We sat by the fire until midnight, just enjoying the outdoors and the company of one another, and then it was bed time. We awoke to a absolutely gorgeous morning; the water quiet and blue. Thanks to no form of hot water (Dani and I assumed the other was bringing-whops!), we packed up and were on our way to hot coffee and breakfast nearby.
This afternoon, I enjoyed some Mommy time as we walked and window shopped in Old Colorado City...love her. This weekend was so fulfilling and I am so happy I had the opportunity to soak up the outdoors while we still have a few nice days left!