I know I talk about running a lot. I think that's probably because it's going really really well. I'm seeing improvements after a year of sitting at a plateau (a speed plateau, my distance has steadily been improving). So, when I come on to blog, running kind of takes over. But, food is a big part of my life too. It's also a big part of my running. Do I think that my speed is improving because I turned vegetarian? Not necessarily. But I definitely think its related to my increased intake of healthy, clean foods and decreased processed, saturated fat laden food consumption.
When I was coming home from university, to a home where both my parents eat meat, I was a little worried to say the least. I've never been passive in the meal preparation process but I knew that if I was going to be eating vegetarian at home, I would really have to step up.
I've been making (and help make) foods that my dad could either add meat to, or are filling enough to eat without meat (although for the most part my dad does eat meat with the meals I prepare). So far it has been going very well, although it has only been a week. My mom doesn't eat with us but she recently watched Food, Inc and is considering switching to locally raised meat. Although her motivation may be a little misguided (I have a hard time believing that someone can make such a decision based on a movie) I'm really proud that she's making an effort to become more ethical about her eating.
Since I've been home, where we have a bit of an increased food budget and increased storage space, my diet has improved significantly. Well, maybe not significantly, but I feel a hell of a lot better. I started trying out spinach smoothies with my breakfast and post workout. A few handfuls of spinach, frozen bananas and strawberries, milk and a half a scoop of protein powder. It's a really great way to start out my morning. That goes along with my egg and toast. What can I say...I love a good breakfast.
I also discovered edamame. Or I guess, shelled edamame because what I have isn't in those little pod things. Its got a buttload of protein and is super easy to prepare and oh yeah, it's super tasty. So I made some pad thai yesterday and my dad added a piece of chicken, I just mixed in a half a cup of edamame. It was delicious. It's definitely going to be making a regular appearance in my meals.
Okay, that's enough about food. Writing this is making me hungry. Snack time I'd say.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Home Sweet Home
Its not that I don't want to blog... I just don't have time. Well, that's a lie. I have time. But when I'm home I really don't go on the computer. This is a nice feeling because in NL, I was pretty much attached to my laptop and I know I spent way too much time on it.
I got home from NL (for good) on Saturday morning, and it truly has been a great four days here in NS. Althought sat I was pretty hungover from my dozen beer on Friday night (13 maybe?) and my hour spent crying, and my 5am wakeup call. Although seeing my parents and sister pretty much cured that tummyache.
I did my next to last long run on the half training on sunday. I did 11.0 miles in 1:47 :) I think it was a 9:47 pace, although I had a few 1-2 minutes breaks which aren't in that time.
I'm not going to lie. That run was freaking hard. I had my mom's garmin with me, so I was aware of my pace everytime I looked down at that watch. I think I'm going to ask for a garmin for my big grad present. Although it was kind of scary knowing my pace all the time, but I think it will do wonders for my running.
Anyways, back to the long run. It was a fast pace and after aout 8 miles I was hurting. My feet, specifically my left foot, get's a serious pain around the ball of the foot. It was throbbing pretty bad, and breaks didn't help. I iced it afterwards and hopefully next week will be better. I'm running with my mom and her friends for 12 miles on saturday (my last long run before Bluenose) and I think it will be a slightly slower place. Im not looking to kill myself here.
So, fitness nerd update. Actually, it's not an update since I haven't mentioned this before but I've been doing this whole "100 pushup challenge" thing, and its awesome. I did the week 2 exhaustion test and I did 16 pushups!!!! 16, good form, on my toes, real pushups. I haven't done that many in...ever? It's crazy.
Well, I guess I'm gonna go watch Biggest Loser with my dad. I didn't run, or workout today. I went out with my sister and her nursing friends last night and it was pretty messy. Super fun though, her friends are awesome and I can see myself hanging out with them a lot this summer. 5 dollar 2oz martini's=good times.
Since I don't take pictures of my awesome meals (yet), here's a goodnight webcam picture of me thoroughly enjoying the end of the new gossip girl.
I got home from NL (for good) on Saturday morning, and it truly has been a great four days here in NS. Althought sat I was pretty hungover from my dozen beer on Friday night (13 maybe?) and my hour spent crying, and my 5am wakeup call. Although seeing my parents and sister pretty much cured that tummyache.
I did my next to last long run on the half training on sunday. I did 11.0 miles in 1:47 :) I think it was a 9:47 pace, although I had a few 1-2 minutes breaks which aren't in that time.
I'm not going to lie. That run was freaking hard. I had my mom's garmin with me, so I was aware of my pace everytime I looked down at that watch. I think I'm going to ask for a garmin for my big grad present. Although it was kind of scary knowing my pace all the time, but I think it will do wonders for my running.
Anyways, back to the long run. It was a fast pace and after aout 8 miles I was hurting. My feet, specifically my left foot, get's a serious pain around the ball of the foot. It was throbbing pretty bad, and breaks didn't help. I iced it afterwards and hopefully next week will be better. I'm running with my mom and her friends for 12 miles on saturday (my last long run before Bluenose) and I think it will be a slightly slower place. Im not looking to kill myself here.
So, fitness nerd update. Actually, it's not an update since I haven't mentioned this before but I've been doing this whole "100 pushup challenge" thing, and its awesome. I did the week 2 exhaustion test and I did 16 pushups!!!! 16, good form, on my toes, real pushups. I haven't done that many in...ever? It's crazy.
Well, I guess I'm gonna go watch Biggest Loser with my dad. I didn't run, or workout today. I went out with my sister and her nursing friends last night and it was pretty messy. Super fun though, her friends are awesome and I can see myself hanging out with them a lot this summer. 5 dollar 2oz martini's=good times.
Since I don't take pictures of my awesome meals (yet), here's a goodnight webcam picture of me thoroughly enjoying the end of the new gossip girl.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Hockey trumps studying
Im feeling very stressed out about my two remaining exams. I probably haven't studied enough, but I still have all day tomorrow, and almost all day Tuesday. I should be alright...but they are my last two exams of my undergraduate. And I have like an 83 and 85 in them (Im hoping to keep those A's intact) but I dont feel as prepared as I should.
Ten miles of hilly running in St.John's doesnt scare me at all, but 2 little exams have me stressing out all night instead of studying.
Speaking of ten miles. I had my third ten mile run this morning (of my training for my half in May). I was a little "ahead of schedule" on my training so Im just staying at 10 miles until a month before the race (this upcoming weekend), doing an 11, then a 12, then a weekend off, then race day :) Im actually super excited for this half marathon!
Why you ask? Well, Im running faster, thats for sure. I finished todays 9.77 mile run in about 1:36, which is a 9:55 pace. Im running harder. Today was not the same as last week. Last week I was floating. I felt like I could run forever and finished on a sprint. This week, pain. Both physical and mental. I just felt like I was working for every step. And boy, was I working hard.
But I finished it. And it feels good to have another long run under my belt. A little sad because it was my last long run in St. John's. Back to Dartmouth on Saturday. Im actually really looking forward to being home, but St. John's is truly a beautiful place: to run in and to live in.
And tomorrow, although I am going to be studying, Im also going to be watching the Boston Marathon. I read about the course online and it made me want to run it. Not any marathon, but that one! Running Boston is definitely a lifetime goal of mine. And Ill do it eventually, I know it.
Anyways, game 3 of Pittsburgh/Ottawa is on, so Im gonna watch that, maybe shovel a bit more food in my face and go to bed early. Big day of studying tomorrow and then Im almost done!
Allison :)
Ten miles of hilly running in St.John's doesnt scare me at all, but 2 little exams have me stressing out all night instead of studying.
Speaking of ten miles. I had my third ten mile run this morning (of my training for my half in May). I was a little "ahead of schedule" on my training so Im just staying at 10 miles until a month before the race (this upcoming weekend), doing an 11, then a 12, then a weekend off, then race day :) Im actually super excited for this half marathon!
Why you ask? Well, Im running faster, thats for sure. I finished todays 9.77 mile run in about 1:36, which is a 9:55 pace. Im running harder. Today was not the same as last week. Last week I was floating. I felt like I could run forever and finished on a sprint. This week, pain. Both physical and mental. I just felt like I was working for every step. And boy, was I working hard.
But I finished it. And it feels good to have another long run under my belt. A little sad because it was my last long run in St. John's. Back to Dartmouth on Saturday. Im actually really looking forward to being home, but St. John's is truly a beautiful place: to run in and to live in.
And tomorrow, although I am going to be studying, Im also going to be watching the Boston Marathon. I read about the course online and it made me want to run it. Not any marathon, but that one! Running Boston is definitely a lifetime goal of mine. And Ill do it eventually, I know it.
Anyways, game 3 of Pittsburgh/Ottawa is on, so Im gonna watch that, maybe shovel a bit more food in my face and go to bed early. Big day of studying tomorrow and then Im almost done!
Allison :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Last round of exams
So I really really want to start blogging more.
The more I read other peoples blogs, the more Im inspired to write in this more, but unfortunately I have these little things called exams. Ive had two so far (a 3 hour biochemistry exam from hell, and a 30 minute joke of a Political science exam) and two left, both of which will be a little difficult but not too bad I think.
But back to what I was saying. I religiously read a handful of health blogs daily, and a ton more a bit more casually. Not only do they inspire me to write in this, but they inspire me. Period.
I've actually been reading a lot of blogs "about me" and "favourite posts" and looking at the marathon posts. I want to run a marathon so bad now. My goal is to do one before I turn 25, but I think Im going to start training for one next summer. This summer is all about the halfs, and smaller races and I think Id like to lose a few more pounds before I start training for the ol' 26.2.
The point is, I am going to run a marathon, and I cant wait. I know its going to be hard as hell, and yeah, its going to be hard on my body, but I know I can do it.
And this summer, I think Ill be doing more than the one half marathon. I know there are a few around NS this summer, so Im thinking Ill be doing 3 :) Hopefully. Now if I get a job and cant get the time off, thats another story.
And about this blog, I really want to start doing the whole "pictures of my food" thing because Im proud of what I eat and I want to share it! When I get home, Ill have access to a camera and usb and what not. I love that Im vegetarian now. It started as a thing to do for health, but after watching the trailer for Earthlings, there are definitely some ethical reasons for me to not eat meat aswell. I love animals, and if I dont need to eat them, why should I? If you don't believe that the meat/animals we eat, arent horribly abused during their lifetime, then you need to watch that trailer.
Anyways, I think Im gonna go pick up some beer and chips and watch the hockey game. Not kidding. Ive been studying all day, and this is my reward! Have a great night everybody! If anyone is reading :)
The more I read other peoples blogs, the more Im inspired to write in this more, but unfortunately I have these little things called exams. Ive had two so far (a 3 hour biochemistry exam from hell, and a 30 minute joke of a Political science exam) and two left, both of which will be a little difficult but not too bad I think.
But back to what I was saying. I religiously read a handful of health blogs daily, and a ton more a bit more casually. Not only do they inspire me to write in this, but they inspire me. Period.
I've actually been reading a lot of blogs "about me" and "favourite posts" and looking at the marathon posts. I want to run a marathon so bad now. My goal is to do one before I turn 25, but I think Im going to start training for one next summer. This summer is all about the halfs, and smaller races and I think Id like to lose a few more pounds before I start training for the ol' 26.2.
The point is, I am going to run a marathon, and I cant wait. I know its going to be hard as hell, and yeah, its going to be hard on my body, but I know I can do it.
And this summer, I think Ill be doing more than the one half marathon. I know there are a few around NS this summer, so Im thinking Ill be doing 3 :) Hopefully. Now if I get a job and cant get the time off, thats another story.
And about this blog, I really want to start doing the whole "pictures of my food" thing because Im proud of what I eat and I want to share it! When I get home, Ill have access to a camera and usb and what not. I love that Im vegetarian now. It started as a thing to do for health, but after watching the trailer for Earthlings, there are definitely some ethical reasons for me to not eat meat aswell. I love animals, and if I dont need to eat them, why should I? If you don't believe that the meat/animals we eat, arent horribly abused during their lifetime, then you need to watch that trailer.
Anyways, I think Im gonna go pick up some beer and chips and watch the hockey game. Not kidding. Ive been studying all day, and this is my reward! Have a great night everybody! If anyone is reading :)
Monday, March 29, 2010
22
Birthday post! Today is my 22nd birthday and boy is it exciting. I love other peoples birthdays but mine...not as exciting. Especially since Ive been away from home for my past 4 birthdays. I already got my presents from my parents: money for those gorgeous pair of running sneaks and a lovely healthy cookbook. Tyler also got me a cookbook for easy vegetarian cooking (although the recipes are not the healthiest) and my sisters present is on the way. Its a surprise, although its probably either running socks, sunglasses or shorts because those are the 3 ideas I gave her.
I got another long run in yesterday although this was a bit different than normal. Why? Because on Saturday we got about a foot of snow here in lovely st john's and Im just so sick of running on snow I decided to do this long run on the treadmill!
Distance: Since it was on the treadmill it was exactly 7.0 miles. Since Im a bit ahead of schedule on my long runs I decided Id give myself a bit of a break on my long run this week, so instead of doing 10 which was kind of planned on, I just was thinking of 6-8, and I did 7 :)
Time: 1:12.38. I was happy with this time although Im cheating a bit because I did stop and walk a few times and stopped my watch while I was walking so in reality it might be a few minutes slower than 1:12. Oh well.
Route: Ugh, the dreaded treadmill. Now I really dont mind the treadmill as much as some other runners do but my last 3 runs have been on it and none of them have felt amazing. Not that they are excessively slow or laboured, they just dont feel amazing. This one was no different, which leads me to...
Felt: Alright I guess. It was good to get it done. I was in my new shoes and my feet were paining me a bit but other than that I was in very little pain. I was just bored and felt blehhh I guess.
Other than that, I finally made it into the weight room this week! Actually I believed its called the "toning room" cause they're all equipement and no free weights are involved. But it felt really good and Im no longer scared of going in there like I used to be! Hopefully this weight training will help me lose a few extra pounds before the half (Id ideally like to get around 140-145 and Im currently sitting at 148-150 depending on the time of day). I've noticed a big difference in my running since Ive started losing a bit of weight again and its something that I really would like to focus on. Although its good to have goals and something to work towards, Im not really very big on the whole "weight" thing. It really truly is about how you feel and not what you weigh.
Im started to get really excited to go home to Nova Scotia for good. I miss home so much and I cant wait to have a permanent residence again!
I got another long run in yesterday although this was a bit different than normal. Why? Because on Saturday we got about a foot of snow here in lovely st john's and Im just so sick of running on snow I decided to do this long run on the treadmill!
Distance: Since it was on the treadmill it was exactly 7.0 miles. Since Im a bit ahead of schedule on my long runs I decided Id give myself a bit of a break on my long run this week, so instead of doing 10 which was kind of planned on, I just was thinking of 6-8, and I did 7 :)
Time: 1:12.38. I was happy with this time although Im cheating a bit because I did stop and walk a few times and stopped my watch while I was walking so in reality it might be a few minutes slower than 1:12. Oh well.
Route: Ugh, the dreaded treadmill. Now I really dont mind the treadmill as much as some other runners do but my last 3 runs have been on it and none of them have felt amazing. Not that they are excessively slow or laboured, they just dont feel amazing. This one was no different, which leads me to...
Felt: Alright I guess. It was good to get it done. I was in my new shoes and my feet were paining me a bit but other than that I was in very little pain. I was just bored and felt blehhh I guess.
Other than that, I finally made it into the weight room this week! Actually I believed its called the "toning room" cause they're all equipement and no free weights are involved. But it felt really good and Im no longer scared of going in there like I used to be! Hopefully this weight training will help me lose a few extra pounds before the half (Id ideally like to get around 140-145 and Im currently sitting at 148-150 depending on the time of day). I've noticed a big difference in my running since Ive started losing a bit of weight again and its something that I really would like to focus on. Although its good to have goals and something to work towards, Im not really very big on the whole "weight" thing. It really truly is about how you feel and not what you weigh.
Im started to get really excited to go home to Nova Scotia for good. I miss home so much and I cant wait to have a permanent residence again!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Good Days
So, since I got an extension on my paper I figured Id update this thing for the first time in a while...also to brag about all my awesome food I ate today, and my great workout and what not. Todays food:
Breakfast: Two slices of potato bread with natural crunchy peanut butter and a banana made into a sandwich, with some green tea of course.
Lunch: Lentil and vegetable soup with a whole wheat pita, Spinach/mushroom/orange pepper salad with olive oil dressing.
Supper:Two egg omlette with mushrooms and cheddar and some delicious homemade sweet potato fries.
I just feel like Ive had a lot of fresh, unprocessed (except for the soup) foods, and one of my favourite things was that there was a super variety of different kinds of tastes.
Also I had a really great run/workout. I FINALLY made it to the weightroom, I built up some courage after a really awesome run (2 miles in 18:11) and just went for it. Im going to try and do that at least 3 times a week from now on.
This past weekend I had another long run. Got just under 9 miles in, probably around 8.75 and I did it in 1:33, which Im happy with. Hopefully this weekend I can get up to 10 miles and stay there for about 3 weeks, and Im going to really start working on pacing and splits. My goal for this half (if I can stay injury free) is 2:15 so its going to be hard but I think I can do it! Thats about a 10:30 mile throughout the entire thing and I would really love a negative split so maybe a bit faster than that for my last 6 miles. Once I have my actual plan of mile splits and what not, Ill be sure to put it on here.
In other exciting running news: I finally got new running shoes!! Ive had my current ones since August and have run and trained for two half marathons so I was definitely ready for new ones. I got the Mizuno Wave Riders! Here's a picture:
I have yet to run in them but Im hoping my feet adjust quickly because these ones have got a bit less cushioning then Im used to. Sometimes on long runs I get a bit of pressure pain in my feet and Im hoping these will help.
Breakfast: Two slices of potato bread with natural crunchy peanut butter and a banana made into a sandwich, with some green tea of course.
Lunch: Lentil and vegetable soup with a whole wheat pita, Spinach/mushroom/orange pepper salad with olive oil dressing.
Supper:Two egg omlette with mushrooms and cheddar and some delicious homemade sweet potato fries.
I just feel like Ive had a lot of fresh, unprocessed (except for the soup) foods, and one of my favourite things was that there was a super variety of different kinds of tastes.
Also I had a really great run/workout. I FINALLY made it to the weightroom, I built up some courage after a really awesome run (2 miles in 18:11) and just went for it. Im going to try and do that at least 3 times a week from now on.
This past weekend I had another long run. Got just under 9 miles in, probably around 8.75 and I did it in 1:33, which Im happy with. Hopefully this weekend I can get up to 10 miles and stay there for about 3 weeks, and Im going to really start working on pacing and splits. My goal for this half (if I can stay injury free) is 2:15 so its going to be hard but I think I can do it! Thats about a 10:30 mile throughout the entire thing and I would really love a negative split so maybe a bit faster than that for my last 6 miles. Once I have my actual plan of mile splits and what not, Ill be sure to put it on here.
In other exciting running news: I finally got new running shoes!! Ive had my current ones since August and have run and trained for two half marathons so I was definitely ready for new ones. I got the Mizuno Wave Riders! Here's a picture:
I have yet to run in them but Im hoping my feet adjust quickly because these ones have got a bit less cushioning then Im used to. Sometimes on long runs I get a bit of pressure pain in my feet and Im hoping these will help.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Running in Shorts
Woah, its been a while. Since Sunday I believe? Anyways Sunday was a day filled with studying, aka I read one chapter of psych, it was a weak weekend, work wise. Sunday night was brutal, I didn't get to sleep until about 4am (because of the cappuccino and daylight savings) and I was up the next morning at 730, so I was not a happy girl. I had some mushroom sloppy joes for lunch and just had extreme pita for supper (yumm- small veggie on ww). I managed a 3 mile treadmill run in the late afternoon (in 30 min, with some intervals/breaks) and it felt alright, although my body was still pretty sore from the long run. I went volunteering for an hour and a half then came home. It was about 8 by that point so I had a yummy snack of pita chips, hummus and some homemade guac.
Tuesday morning I had a fried egg on toast for brekky. It was a delicious egg, I love eggs so much :) For lunch I had a flatbread sandwhich with goat cheese, two hardboiled eggs and lots of spinach, with a white milk and berry bran muffin (from tim's, I won it in Roll up the Rim!). It was all pretty tasty but I could have gone without the goat cheese on the sandwhich for whatever reason.
When I got home from school/some random volunteer thing I had gotten my letter from Dal med school, I didnt get in :( This was really really hard news to hear EVEN though I know its rare for students to get in right out of their undergrad, it was still hard to hear. But after some tears and some binge eating (kind of, nothing too bad), Im feeling much better. Ready to look for other opportunities for my future, that is until I apply to Med School again :) Speaking of binge eating, although I didnt feel like eating at all, I went to the store with Tyler and we picked up a yummy bruschetta pizza and some ww tostito's and fresh salsa, and just watched a movie.
This morning I had a delicious breakfast: two slices of "potato" bread with lf peanut butter and a banana, made into a sandwhich, and green tea of course. Between my classes I went for a run outside... IN SHORTS. It was warm enough, and that makes me so happy! I did about a 20 min warm up, two hill repeats (both about 1:30) and then made my way back to school. It was about 45 minutes in total but I have no clue what the distance was. It was nice to be outside for a while. Post workout I had a few bites of the leftover pizza I brought for my lunch, and guzzled back the water. Later in the afternoon I grabbed a ww bagel with butter and green tea and had that with some leftover baked beans (I was in need of some protein).
After spending my afternoon half researching, half sleeping, I made supper, and....I took a picture :) Im not going to lie, one of the reasons I started a blog was because I loved reading other peoples blogs and looking at pictures of their meals, its given me sooo many ideas for my meals, and pretty much gave me the motivation to become vegetarian. Anyways for supper, was some baked tofu which I cut up and coated with flour, egg and crushed corn flakes, some homemade fries and a spinach salad with red onion, mushrooms, tomato and olive oil as the dressing. Sorry about the terrible quality of the picture, its with my computers webcam :)
Mmm, now for a night full of studying psych (midterm on Friday night!)
Happy St. Patty's Day!!
Tuesday morning I had a fried egg on toast for brekky. It was a delicious egg, I love eggs so much :) For lunch I had a flatbread sandwhich with goat cheese, two hardboiled eggs and lots of spinach, with a white milk and berry bran muffin (from tim's, I won it in Roll up the Rim!). It was all pretty tasty but I could have gone without the goat cheese on the sandwhich for whatever reason.
When I got home from school/some random volunteer thing I had gotten my letter from Dal med school, I didnt get in :( This was really really hard news to hear EVEN though I know its rare for students to get in right out of their undergrad, it was still hard to hear. But after some tears and some binge eating (kind of, nothing too bad), Im feeling much better. Ready to look for other opportunities for my future, that is until I apply to Med School again :) Speaking of binge eating, although I didnt feel like eating at all, I went to the store with Tyler and we picked up a yummy bruschetta pizza and some ww tostito's and fresh salsa, and just watched a movie.
This morning I had a delicious breakfast: two slices of "potato" bread with lf peanut butter and a banana, made into a sandwhich, and green tea of course. Between my classes I went for a run outside... IN SHORTS. It was warm enough, and that makes me so happy! I did about a 20 min warm up, two hill repeats (both about 1:30) and then made my way back to school. It was about 45 minutes in total but I have no clue what the distance was. It was nice to be outside for a while. Post workout I had a few bites of the leftover pizza I brought for my lunch, and guzzled back the water. Later in the afternoon I grabbed a ww bagel with butter and green tea and had that with some leftover baked beans (I was in need of some protein).
After spending my afternoon half researching, half sleeping, I made supper, and....I took a picture :) Im not going to lie, one of the reasons I started a blog was because I loved reading other peoples blogs and looking at pictures of their meals, its given me sooo many ideas for my meals, and pretty much gave me the motivation to become vegetarian. Anyways for supper, was some baked tofu which I cut up and coated with flour, egg and crushed corn flakes, some homemade fries and a spinach salad with red onion, mushrooms, tomato and olive oil as the dressing. Sorry about the terrible quality of the picture, its with my computers webcam :)
Mmm, now for a night full of studying psych (midterm on Friday night!)
Happy St. Patty's Day!!
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