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I’m munching on a bagel thin with peanut butter, almond butter, and sunflower seeds while I try to figure this stuff out!

(I know- no oats!!)

I’m so excited it’s Friday—which means I get to see my most favoritest person in the world tomorrow- my momma!!!

Ok back to work on this blog-nonsense

Have a great Friday!!!!

To say the husband is a diehard WVU fan is an understatement. He HAD to see the game tonight, and when we found out it wasn’t going to be on our tv, he was on a mission to find it. Three restaurants later, we ended up at Cooper’s Ale House, which is quite the interesting weeknight scene. I’d say it’s full of “regulars”. By regulars I mean drunks. And by that I mean they thought they were our new best friends. It was an odd combination between pure entertainment and utter discomfort.

Anyway, the one guy that insisted on sitting at our dinner table YELLED REALLY LOUDLY every time he talked. Just like Carl.

I decided to distract myself with some nachos. Pretty much the exact inverse of my taco salad lunch. Reverse ratios of lettuce to tortilla chips

This salsa was amazing! I ate most of it (minus the olives) but brought a little bit home along with some of the husband’s fries.

Well, I’m going to keep this short because I’m pretty sure I completely broke my blog earlier, and I have no idea whether this will even making it past publishing. Cross your fingers…..

1. I can’t find good looking lettuce

2. I’m too darn lazy to wash it and cut it up (and I don’t like most of those bagged ones that give you maybe half a bowl of salad.)

But luckily I thought ahead the other day and chopped & washed the whole head of lettuce for my taco salad!!

I already had the seasoned corn & black beans mixed in with the lettuce, so I just added some avocado, jalapenos, tortilla chips, salsa, and some Caesar dressing just for kicks.

I wanted some Morningstar Farms Chik’n Nuggets on the side, and was so sad to see only 2 lonely nuggets in the bottom of the box.

This salad really has me craving some real tacos…

I wasn’t quite filled up by that, so followed the salad up with a Quaker True Delights toasted coconut banana macadamia bar and some Jello Rice Pudding. This True Delights flavor is starting to grow on me….I sure wish they’d come up with a shorter name instead of listing all the ingredients. The rice pudding was…ok. Good for convenience, but kind of had a watery aftertaste.

(Hello somebody needs to wash her placemats….)

Well I’m glad I decided to take it easy and just go for a walk instead of run yesterday- not to be a baby, but my I woke up with my feet hurting 10x more than after running Sunday. Good thing I didn’t run! I think I’m going to stick with non impact activities the rest of the week, then start up a new training plan on Monday.

Oatmeal, cottage cheese, pumpkin, almond milk, chia seeds, pecans, and peanut butter!

Along with a nice foamy mug of coffee.

Race Photos

Ok I promise this is the last time I mention the half marathon, but official race photos were just posted. They actually weren’t as bad as typical race photos haha…well maybe they were…

<—I’m in the background there

<–What the heck am I doing in this picture?!? Maybe someone should tell me that you don’t have to literally prance over the finish line- it’s ok to step on it.

So I guess we had croak monsters and soup for dinner. It’d be a lot better story if it came from a 2 year old and not my husband.

To make the croque monsieurs, I heated up some milk on the stove, and stirred in some Smart Balance & spelt flour. Once it had warmed up, I mixed in some grated Fontina cheese. I kept whisking until it had made a nice, thick sauce.

While the sauce was heating up, I toasted some whole wheat bread, then topped it with brown mustard, provolone, and sliced avocados. I spread a little of the sauce on top of the cheese & avocado, then some more on top of the whole sandwich. Under the broiler for a few minutes and yummy, grown-up grilled cheese was served!

Mmm avocado grilled cheese sandwich- something I never thought would taste good a few years ago….

I also had some Campbell’s Light Mushroom Barley soup. It was just so-so.

Snack

I was extra hungry this afternoon, so I did some snacking: Oikos Caramel Greek Yogurt and Kashi Stoneground crackers.

I’m not gonna lie- the yogurt was expired. I ate it anyway. Oh well- I’m still alive I figure yogurt’s cultured anyway…..

Recovery

I am just itching to run!! But since I said I was going to take recovery seriously, I didn’t run. Yet. I had to get outside for a bit after work since the sun was shining, so I went for a short walk around the neighborhood, followed by a quickened version of Yoga for Runners. (Meaning I just did some of the poses, I didn’t listen to the class…don’t tell anyone I cheated;))

If the sun is shining tomorrow though, I’m gonna have to get moving a little more

Happy Wednesday!! Hope you have a great evening

Lunch was a conglomeration of leftovers. The last two slices of pizza, some lima beans, and the very few remaining veggies from my tropical rice dish.

Work is an insane madhouse today!! I keep looking longingly at the sunshine through the window…..

How’s this for inspiration?

No matter how much you love running (or other workout), we all have our days when we don’t want to do it, or think we can’t. Thinking I can’t gets in my way more than I’d like to admit.

I know there are a TON of inspirational running stories out there, but this one hit home more so than usual, because this guy was running in the same race I was….and he went twice as far. With a brain tumor.

Not even brain cancer could stop this marathoner

I’ll leave you with 3 of my favorite running quotes:

“Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.”   -PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

“If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.”     -Priscilla Welch

“Run if you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.”  – Dean Karnazes

What inspires you to run?

And some pretty simple oats: oatmeal, flax, chia seeds, cottage cheese, and peanut butter.

Having simple oats ending up being perfect this morning- there were huge banana nut muffins and little mini cinnamon rolls waiting at work, which I gladly helped myself to.

Music

This is a little after the fact, but by request, here’s my playlist from the half:

“Funny” Pictures

I don’t have anything interesting going on, so here’s some ironic “fitness” pictures for you:

No wonder we have obesity problems……

I mixed black beans & corn with paprika, chili powder, and cumin, then served it on a bed of chopped lettuce with salsa, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, and a little cheese.

So quick yet so good

Now on to the fast food quiz results: (If you haven’t taken it yet, go do it now before you see the answers!)

1. Which of the following breakfast items at Denny’s do you think has the fewest calories?

a. Ham and cheddar omelet (595)

b. Country fried steak & eggs (464)

c. Three slices of French toast with syrup & margarine (1000)

d. Three pancakes with syrup & margarine (650)

2. Which of the following items from Chili’s do you think has the least salt?

a. Cajun chicken sandwich (2220)

b. Classic combo chicken & steak fajitas (2660)

c. Guiltless chicken platter (2780)

d. Smoked turkey sandwich (2920)

3. Which of the following items from Macaroni Grill do you think has the most fat?

a. Traditional lasagna (54)

b. Chicken Caesar salad (69)

c. Pasta classico with sausage & peppers (50)

d. BBQ chicken pizza (24)

4. Which of the following from McDonald’s do you think has the most calories?

a. Two Big Macs (1080)

b. Two Egg McMuffins (600)

c. One large chocolate shake (1160)

d. Four regular hamburgers (1000)

How did you do?!

You guys are smarty pants, but not one person got ALL 4 answers correct!

The breakdown:

1. 20% correct

2. 20% correct

3. 53% correct

4. 60% correct

These questions were asked to a group of 523 registered voters in California.

The results?

- NO ONE answered all 4 questions correctly

- <1% got 3 out of 4 correct

- 5% got 2 out 4 correct

- 68% got ZERO correct answers

(These questions were asked at the conference I was at last week- in a room full of 200+ RDs, 2 people got all 4 questions right.)

What does this tell us?

Even if you are well educated about food & health, there is just no way to know what’s in our food. Your omelet will be different than my omelet, which will be different from Denny’s omelet!

How does this make you feel about posting nutrition information on menus?!

I think it’d be a great tool to help people make healthy choices- I can’t wait for more places to hop on board!

Since my main goal is injury prevention, I’m taking recovery from the half marathon seriously. It’s helpful if you look at recovery as part of your training plan. (Not that I was very good at sticking with that…)

What to do at the finish line

Don’t stop moving. Going from 100 to 0 can be dangerous. Keep walking around for a little while after you’ve finished. Grab a medal, check out the festivities, get your camera from the car- anything to keep you moving for a little while.

Hydrate. You hydrated leading up to the race, you hydrated during the race, and now you have to hydrate after the race. It’s very difficult to meet your needs during the race, so replenishing fluid loss is super important. Your urine should return to a pale yellow or clear within in a few hours from the race. You can also weigh yourself before and after to come up with amore precise hydration estimate.

EAT!! Even if you’re not hungry, eat something with carbohydrates. The period just after exertion is the prime opportunity to refuel and replace lost glycogen and glucose stores- your body is more receptive to carbohydrates during this time. If you really can’t eat, have a drink with carbohydrates in it. A litte bit later, go for some protein too. A carb to protein ratio of 4:1 is optimal, but no need to do any crazy math.

Stretch. Light stretching, nothing too intense if you’re already feeling the aftermath of the run.

Get warm & dry. ‘Nuff said.

Ice. Ice baths can be a great way to help ice your whole lower body at once, but they’re not mandatory. Definitely ice any injuries or nagging pains that are more than just sore muscles. You don’t have to do a full on polar bear plunge to reap the benefits of an ice bath. I used to dump a whole bag of ice cubes in frigid water than hop in – but then I got my sanity back. Now I fill the tub with chilly (but not freezing) water. I get in while it’s still filling up to eliminate some of the difficultly of submerging yourself in cold water. After I’m completely in and the water covers my legs, I turn the water off and dump in a bowl of ice. Sit for 10-15 minutes. It helps if you keep your top half warm, have a warm drink, and good reading material for distraction.

(Some people say a hot bath would feel much better- it probably would, but it could cause more damage since heat can increase inflammation and raises body temperature. Some people say it’s helpful because increasing circulation can help eliminate waste and the heat helps loosen muscles.  I’m not an expert here, but I lean towards waiting a day or two before hitting the hot tub.)

The Day(s) After the Race

Light activity. Or complete rest. You be the judge- listen to your body. Ease back into things with light, low-level activities like walking, swimming, cycling, or water running. When you move back into running, keep the intensity low. Gradually build back up.

Stretch. Keep stretching- make sure you warm up first, then do gentle static stretching (no bouncing!)

Massage. A massage right after the race may feel great, but too soon could make your muscles feel worse. 24-48 hours post race is the optimal time for a massage. If you can’t get a “real” massage, take matters into your own hands. Stroke (don’t knead) muscles towards your heart. Foam rolling or using the “stick” can help too. Massage helps work out lactic acid and built up waste products.

Elevate your legs. This can help drain blood & refresh blood upon standing. You can get the same effect from recovery (compression) socks.

Hydrate. Nope not off the hook yet! Drinking enough fluid is important to restore blood volume- adequate blood volume is important for adequate blood flow, which helps muscles heal faster.

Sleep. Many of your body’s repair processes kick into high drive while you’re sleeping. Plus your body’s tired- give it the rest it needs! Use some of the extra time you would normally be training to catch some zzzz’s. Getting enough sleep can also help keep you from getting sick (a hard race can decrease your immunity for ~72 hours- so wash those hands!)

Eat. While a race isn’t an excuse to eat everything in sight, you might need to. The best strategy is to listen to your body. It’s perfectly natural to have an increased appetite for a few days post race- go with the flow. Chances are your body knows what it needs better than you mind does.

Reverse taper. When you’re ready to start running again, think of it is a reverse taper period. Kind of like how you slowly built up your training in the first place. Start with low mileage and low intensity, and gradually go from there.

Finally- respect the stress of a race!!! Your body worked hard, you need to treat it right afterwards! Post marathon depression is very common- look for something else to focus on or work towards until you’re ready to think about what comes next for you

Have you taken the fast food quiz yet?! Answers coming tonight!!