Flowers

Did a little something different for yesterday’s run (~3.6 miles). I left the iPod at home and focused instead on just enjoying the lovely evening. The sun is setting later and later, giving me just a few more minutes of light each time I go out. Last night there was, here and there, a cool evening breeze bringing me the scents of burning leaves (blech), early spring flowers (mmmm), and even hot spiced cider (tasty).

Note to self: buy some apple cider at the farmers’ market this weekend, and track down some cinnamon sticks.

I have no idea how much I weigh right now, since I haven’t stepped on a scale in about four months. Even though all my clothes fit okay, I look pudgier in the mirror, the result of winter’s excesses. While I don’t feel an overwhelming compulsion to lose weight in order to fit some outer ideal, I do feel the need to ensure that I’m at an efficient weight for all the physical activities I want to do. Face it: the less weight I’m carrying around, the easier I’ll be able to run. However, it’s all about good nutrition, eating whole foods, and listening to my body.

Looking at a half marathon trail run near Santa Cruz, CA in late August. The altitude changes scare me a little, because there’s nothing quite like running up a steep incline, but I like running on dirt, out in the trees.

A good hike, a bad run

I discovered a notebook that I'd been using last year to keep track of my running and nutrition. In one of the entries, I mentioned how I wasn't feeling well during a run, so I did just 2 miles instead of my usual three, and I was okay with that, because I'd rather have an okay run of 2 miles than a sucky one of three.

This afternoon I ate a rather late lunch. A burrito, about as big as a baby. Then I tried to run about 90 minutes later. My body just wasn't having it. So I let myself walk, albeit briskly and uphill, and then ran on the easy parts. I still got a great workout. Even got some extra core-strengthening exercise in, what with the constant tripping over tree roots and flailing about around my center of mass, which was rapidly moving forward, in order not to hit the dirt.

I'm excited to hit the trail again tomorrow, this time just a hike with my boyfriend, and I know that my next run will go much better. Especially since I won't try to do it after eating a giant tortilla filled with beans, rice, and grilled veggies.

Grocery dilemma

Good runs on Tuesday and Thursday this week. First was just about 3 miles, second was about 3 1/2. I should keep track of them on mapmyrun.com or similar. Tomorrow morning is the long adventure run, since I'm able to do it in full daylight. I'm heading out to the local county park, which might have some actual dirt trails for fabulous earth running. There's a 2.2 mile loop, plus the mileage on the streets to get there, so my run should be about 4 miles.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's visit to my local farmers' market. I haven't been out to buy real fruits and vegetables in ages, so it should be a good time. After reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and discovering the existence of huge, monoculture organic farms, I had a tough time buying spinach at Whole Foods the other night, because it came from Cal-Organic. Still, but slightly less, mentally and emotionally wracking was trying not to buy anything in packaging. I wandered up and down the aisles, seeing for myself what a huge market has been formed for organic processed foods. That evening, I think I left with carrots and apples from the produce section, brown rice and black-eyed peas from the bulk foods (in bags I'd brought myself), a pot scrubber, a quart of enriched unsweetened almond milk, and two whole-wheat rolls from the bakery. There may have been more items in my basket, but I can't remember. Shopping's tough when you care so much about what you buy! I'll have to see where I'm willing to compromise.

Feeling totally fat and bloated today; I'm hoping it's hormone-related water retention and will all go away after next week. At least until it cycles around again.

Hoping to start up with ballet and tap at a local dance studio. I need to take "placement" classes, so they know what to do with me, I suppose. I mean, I could tell them: beginning ballet, beginning tap. It's been so long since I've done either. They have a strict dress code, too, which makes me wonder whether it'll be the right combination of discipline and fun for me.

New Year's Resolution!

I don't bother much with massive, life-changing resolutions. I believe in taking small steps. There was some real soul-searching involved in my resolution for this year, since I wanted to make it a real, meaningful accomplishment.

For 2011, I resolve to floss every day.

I made this resolution on Wednesday the 12th. So far I'm two for two. :)

Going for a run this afternoon. Did 3 miles on Wednesday (it was rough!) and planning another 3 miles for today. This time with the iPod, just so I have a distraction and mood-booster. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed my quiet 5K on Weds, I was just really dragging by the end. Gotta keep up with training for that half-marathon this year.

Read about Paleo and Fruititarian diets these days, both from blogs wherein it changed the person's life, so it's the diet they think everyone should be on. I, of course, find it interesting that one person can (allegedly) thrive eating a ton of meat while the other (allegedly) thrives on eating a ton of fruit. Just goes to show me that no one way of eating is for everyone, except the general caveat of "eat real food". I'm sticking with that concept, working on eliminating anything that goes through a massive chemo-industrial process in order to render it fit for consumption.

I could use more restful sleep at night, but otherwise, life is good! Especially since I had kale for lunch, and that kale was lacinato, a.k.a. "dinosaur" kale. Rawr!