Sunday, January 31, 2010

NUT day 4...

Today was probably the best feeling day I've had since Thursday, not sure why...especially since it started with an 11 mile run. ?? :) We decided to do the Boulder Spring 1/2 Marathon March 14th, and with much of the course on dirt, lodging costs more reasonable, and a less of a drive...this option is sounding better than the original plan of the Better 1/2 in Gateway, CO.

Post run and beverage at Starbucks (decaf vanilla robiuss tea for me), I got to spend some quality time with the Madster for a bit (who is a stud and ran the longest she has today and did great!), see the Kol Kol's new house (that is so amazing), and hit up yogs with Brads (Jill). I came home and made my broth for the next three days...I know, your mouth is watering:). My house def is a'smellin like some veggies.

Nanight folks!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

NUT day 3...

Day three of the cleanse was not one for the record books. Didn't feel satisfied again all day. I am guessing this is mostly due to my frustration with cooking things! Arg. I don't know which spices go with which, how long to cook vegetables before they turn to mush, what tastes compliment each other....and the list goes on. One of the main reasons I like to do this is that it forces me to experiment and try new flavors. For some reason, I just wasn't into it today.

Today was a normal Saturday at the store, busy rush, then not...repeat numerous times. I hit up Julia's hot yoga class (hot is very hard for me, definitely have to pump myself up for it) at 4:30pm, then quickly showered and met some of the local running crowd for the Full Moon Run. The moon was absolutely gorgeous, however some of us were thinking about the armed and dangerous man that was being searched for in the area by the Manitou police. Just a short 30 min run this eve as tomorrow is long run day with the girls:). Off to bed!

Friday, January 29, 2010

NUT day 2...

Day 2 of NUT started off much better than yesterday...a C2 class with Julia at 6:30am. There is something grand about waking up to yoga...low lights, warm room- ah, perfect. I didn't do such a great job with food choices and packing today:(...didn't feel satisfied all day until about 4pm when I had some buckwheat with rice protein, almond milk, almond butter and blackberries. I am going to be testing chicken and turkey (the only meat products approved for blood type A's), and we can't have soy (tofu) right now, so my protein sources are nuts, nut butter and rice protein. My bod is used to more protein so I think it's having to adjust to that. I've been upping my fats, which I think is helping. This weekend will be a test as the Full Moon Run is tomorrow night, followed by long run Sunday with the gals....then, it's broth time starting Monday. I love my coach and group...they are all so great. Reading their daily emails about their experiences, frustrations, mini celebrations, has made going through this that more memorable.

Tonight was my first Photography class! It was so awesome, our teacher is great.. and I know I will definitely learn a lot throughout the next 6 weeks. And whether or not you like it...pics and experiments will be documented here:). Time to upload my pic of the day!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Day 1...

Day 1 of the cleanse went very well...that is, after my snowy, cold, uncomfortable run. I ate my am snack too close to running this morning. My tum tum felt no good the entire time- boo. Lesson learned. Post run I enjoyed a healthy serving of buckwheat with almond milk, blackberries, toasted walnuts, and a dab of almond butter. This kept me full for several hours! Like usual, my tasty kombucha tea helped get me through my afternoon slump. I find myself having minor cravings for the nasty 3...sugar, alcohol and caffeine. Another boo. Three more days of tasty clean eating...then, the dreaded broth.

Monday, January 25, 2010

zzzzz's...

I woke up feeling pretty rested after NUT weekend. I felt refreshed and content having had a change in my normal weekend routine. Around two o'clock, while at work, I started to feel super tired all of a sudden. I had eaten really well throughout the day (kobucha squash smoothie, fruit, spinach walnut turkey salad, kombucha tea)... slept well the night before... what could it be? Then I started looking back over the last 10 days or so and realized my workout regimen has been a little OC (out of control). Four out of the last 7 days have been double workout days (mostly run + yoga), and I can't think back far enough to remember the last complete day off from physical activity I've had. Hum, not good. So, instead of 90 min hot class after work, I came home and crawled into bed for a, what turned out to be, two hour nap. I totally passed out so I really must have needed the rest. I love being active, it's something I've done my entire life. Being physical is part of my daily routine, what gives me a spring in my step the rest of the day...however, sometimes the bod just needs a rest. I just hope I can stay present in my body to realize when those moments are.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

reality...

Day 3 of NUT wrapped up this evening, and after a fabulous weekend full of meeting new friends, hours of food talk, outstanding food and tons of yoga, I pulled out of the CPY parking lot feeling like I'd been hauled back into reality. Harsh. After a few moments of ponder, I realized that just because the weekend was over, didn't mean my focus on me was over...it's actually just beginning.

I can't wait to feel the effects food has on my body again. If you had asked me Friday morning if I had really gotten off track since the first NUT program, I would have told you "no, not really". I have indeed made huge changes in my diet that stemmed from the first time around, but bad habits (i.e. my cravings for sugar, drinking alcohol too often, coffee creamer) have crept back into my daily routine. This was made apparent about an hour into Friday night.

We have another great group (of all women) and I'm so glad to have a village by my side throughout this experience. The first of four days of clean eating officially starts on Thursday, but since we've been eating clean since Friday night, I don't intend on changing that in the next four days.

More food sharing to come!!...

Friday, January 22, 2010

NUT round 2...

We had quite a showing for the Friday morning 7am run + Wooglins breakfast (which is the real reason this weekly run exists). I love feeling like I'm starting off the weekend early, with friends and with lots o' laughs. Yes that is my giant blueberry pancake sitting there in front of the empty chair.

Speaking of pancakes... Tonight kicked off another CorePowerYoga NUTrition progam! I got so much out of the last program (in mid October), that I just had to participate again. You know when you've experienced something new once, and you have this drive to do it again to see what you missed out on the first time around because you may have let too much of your head get in the way? That's exactly what I'm feeling. I've made HUGE changes in my diet since October (lots of soy, no more meat, low gluten), and have been feeling really good, so I can't wait to see what results I get from new foods that I test. I have remained eating pretty clean since the last program, but my desire to cook, pack my lunch and experiment with new foods has seriously plummeted and I am needing a jump start. This program also provides a huge personal gift...time/focus on just me. A block of time where I make no excuses for not putting me first. I noticed last time that when I am eating clean, preparing my food, packing my meals...my life/my days seem to move at a slower pace. I am in control of my mood and energy when this is the case.

This time around, we have a smaller group (which is good) of all women (except Gordon of course:)...the co-lead). I am really excited for the weekend, full of lots o' yogs, scrumptious prepared food from Whole Foods, and feeling a sense of community and friendship with perfect strangers.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

In honor...

After a glorious run with Chels in the Garden, I decided to kick it HEAB style...:)
My smoothie...

1/2 c light van soy milk
1 c unsweetened van almond milk
1 TB van rice protein powder
1/2 tsp royal maca powder
1/4 tsp of xanthan & guar gum
cinnamon and nutmeg
1/3 avocado
1 TB almond butter
Ice

= yumstick. However, I was expecting a more avocado flavor...oh well. Next try. :)

Monday, January 18, 2010

feeling...






A few more from yesterday's adventure... As usual, it started with a fire hydrant.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

What a day. Jammed packed with all that I consider wonderful. Run time with the girls, a Mantiou photo shoot, sweet crepes, yogatanz, and dinner made by mom. For photos today, we headed to Manitou Springs and maintained an emphasis of people and emotion. My new 55-250mm lens made a huge impact on capturing that emotion, I love it! Just finished going through the photos from today and thought I'd share...










Just for you JT...I'm trying to capture all of your favorite places to drink! :)

Thursday, January 14, 2010

ohhh...

College reunion night on Tuesday with Linz and Katie! So great to catch up with you both. Ok, Linz...back to CO you and Micah must come! :)

Today, I definitely needed a handstand. Nutrition program part 2 (actually I'm just taking it again and hopefully helping Monika and Gordo out a bit) is coming up next weekend...starting the 22nd. Five yoga classes in 2 1/2 days...can't wait. I also can't wait to mix up the exercise a bit due to my non-running couple of days thanks to the still sore and tight glute/hip. Boo.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

full...

Certainly a full day...a full weekend for that matter! (The Metro, Winter Series race, work, date with the Brads, running...) This week's Sunday morning run with the girls was north on the Santa Fe trail...nice to be flat after yesterday's mountain run! No picture as I was not on top of things.
Dani is my hero and helped me "dispose" of my Christmas tree. Bye tree! For $3.50 we gave it to the shredder. I should of been $5, but that's all we had...so, I had to bust out the "googly eyes" and sense of humor to get the $3.50 to fly...success! Thank you thank you Danster! Now you can sleep tonight.

Next up, it was another Sunday photo escape for Staci and I. Off to the Broadmoor we went. We realized that this time of year there is a lot of "brown" everywhere. We snagged some sweet shots inside though. We laughed at the geese (is that what they are called?...I referred to one of them as a person, so I don't know) making noises...it really sounded like they were laughing at us. A guy on the bridge was getting a kick out of us...especially when I told Staci to shut up.


Next, we swung up to the Manitou Arcade to see what we could find. Some pretty unique, silly, colorful shots...
This one is just plain freaky.

One of my favs from the day.

Sunrise...

Up early for Sunday running with the girls. It's not in the teens today (temperature wise) so we will all have a little giddy in our step...well that is the optimistic thought that is. The ol' IT band and glute are still hostile this am thanks to yesterday's competitive desire, so not sure on the distance or time for today. Another picture date with Staci is on schedule for this afternoon, so hopefully I'll have some to share later. Until then...happy Sunday everyone!:)

Saturday, January 9, 2010

WS #1- cheyenne mtn state park...

Some pics from today's race. The route was absolutely beautiful...however, it gained about 1200 feet in elevation within the 6.7 miles. Ow, my left bum is pissed. Thanks John for putting screws in my shoes...what a difference!





Friday, January 8, 2010

the metro...

I am sitting here, awake still, about to go to bed so that I can get up and participate in the first Winter Series race in Cheyenne Mtn State park tomorrow morning. Going in totally blind, but am excited for the adventure. I had a great time this evening at the Metropolitan with new and not so new friends. Heard some great advice from my wonderful friend Monika...woman- you are so incredibly wise and have a rare heart. Thank you for sharing it with me:). Pics and a full race report tomorrow. Tata.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

notes on a scandal (just kidding...that's a movie)

Sort of feeling all over the place these days. I am thinking it does have to do with the wide-open/new-beginning the new year brings to the mindset. Anyways, a few notables...

* Running is still moving forward. A group of about 10 of us are training for the 'Better 1/2' (1/2 marathon) that takes place in Gateway, CO (about 40 mi from Grand Junction) on March 20th. This is a very small race, but very scenic and we are all really looking forward to it. The IT bands still battle me every run...but I'm really working on keeping them in check. Us girls do a long run every Sunday still and we all very much look forward to that every week...especially if crepes are involved afterward.

* Got to visit with some of the Keaveny's this past weekend...so much fun. It was great to catch up with you guys! For those we didn't see...a get together soon I hope!

* I am loving my new years resolution...definitely forcing me to play more.

* For some reason this year is looking like it will be a year of growth and self revelation for me. Not sure exactly where the feelings are coming from, but something is telling me so.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A sunny, yet cold, Sunday run in Jan...

Great run with the girls this am. Headed from my house into the Garden of the Gods. As I ran, I was feeling extremely lucky that I get to leave my front door and enter a beautiful oasis without stepping into a car- wow, very grateful. Looks like pastels were the color of the day. I, however did not receive the message as I sported my usual all-black attire.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Day one.

Day one of 2010 is here. Mixed emotions of hope, fear and excitement for the next 365 days linger throughout my soul this evening. One cannot help but feel that Jan 1 brings this sense of having a clean slate...an opportunity with more of a chance.

Check out my goal for this year here .

A story through pictures from the last evening of 2009...















New Year's Day was spent taking a camera adventure to Old Colorado City to see what we could capture. Staci and I are both very much in the learning stage with our new Canon Rebel cameras, so we had so much fun experimenting with the remaining light for the day, and the eclectic spirit of the area. Evidence...