More Wholesome

Time for a "more than you ever needed to know about how this is going" update. One thing I should have anticipated but didn't was having to go pee every 15 minutes. Yesterday I was sipping on water all day long in between juices but I've been less intentional about it today and still have to pee all the time. I considered going to see a movie as a nice treat and distraction but then realized I would be missing half of it from bathroom breaks.

As expected, the coconut juice was scrumptious. The others I'm less enthused about today and am so, so, so grateful I am only doing three days. Originally I had thought I should be a badass juice bitch and do 7 or 10 but holy crap am I getting bored and want to cook something. I'm sure that you would get used to it and find your groove in the juice routine but my 4th bottle of Sweet Green had me rolling my eyes. Maybe it's just all that detoxing negativity. 

I did get a ton of sleep last night. Don't think I have gone to bed at 9:30 pm willingly since I was eight years old. Then again, I was up at 6:30 am to turn in an article on New York time. It's about 10:30 pm now and after I finish writing this I am going to promptly get in bed and PTFO. Is it because I'm more tired? Or tired as usual and paying attention to my body? Or am I just fucking bored mindless? 

One thing I will say is never have I been so excited to be a good little vegan and stuff myself silly full of plant-based whole foods. Maybe the juice cleanse is best used as a way of putting your diet in perspective. When I'm eating a shit ton of crap and telling myself I want to start eating better, when it comes time to order something I always feel like I'm deprived or missing out by making the healthy choice. Of course, it's not deprived at all and really it's the unhealthy choices that make us miss out in the long run, but in that minute decision time, you don't see all that clarity. You just feel hungry and want to smack on something yummy. 

One thing is sure, after this, that black bean burger/kale and quinoa salad/tofu skewer is not gonna feel deprived at all. It's going to be freaking DANK and I will be in healthy vegan heaven at every meal knowing it didn't come from a bottle and I can chew it. Like I said, perspective people.

The juice cleanse has begun. We are 4/18 juices in. Shoutout to Juice In The Raw for their super deep freeze products. These bad boys sat in the fridge all night after I unpacked them from their dry-ice travel container and were still hard as rocks in the morning. Have learned to let them sit out on the counter for at least a few hours before event attempting to sip. Really I'm enjoying myself a nice slushy cleanse. 

First off, they are deeeeelicious. Definitely tastier and more delicately balanced combos than I've ever managed to make juicing at home. And I haven't even tried the Coconut Fusion which I'm assuming will lull me into a sweet coconuty slumber of contentment. 

I've felt a little hunger once or twice today but just before it's time for another juice. As some who perpetually is putting their hand to their mouth all day, constantly snacking, it is both nice and weird to take a break and feel the power of pure hydration and nutrients coursing through my veins. 

I'm anticipating nighttime being the hardest as that's when I really love to hunker down with some treats and get my movies in but then again, I might just get a bunch of sleep from avoiding the wee hours of temptation.  

So I should probably wait until I actually run a race before I sign up for anymore but was looking at my calendar and my 5k Runner App progress and realized there was no need to wait till November. Should be on schedule to run a 5K by Halloween! 

$40 later and I'm signed up for the Run Like Hell 5k in downtown Portland and browsing running costumes and found this girl's blog and holy crap she's good. I think I want to go with a more gory Halloween take but I am trippin' over this girl's costume skills. 

Today's Workout:

Yesterday's workouts:

Yoga: 1 hour long Hatha class. Very stretchy, very relaxing and very much needed at 9 am after a minor blow-up at home.

Running: 1 min running alternated with 1.5 min walking 8 times, plus 5 min of warm-up and cool down walking courtesy of the 5K Runner app. Ended up being about 2 miles and felt fannnnntastic. I forgot how much I enjoy the early stages of building up your endurance. Later on when there are longer solid running blocks I really have to focus in and watch my pace and see how my body's doing but for now I like getting to work up a sweat and relax without really thinking about it too much.

Strength Training: 30 sec plank, 20 crunches, 10 sit-ups, 40 squats courtesy of the 30 Day Fitness app.

In other news, I am officially signed up for my first half marathon! WHATTTT?! It does feel a little crazy to sign up for one before I've even gotten back to running a solid mile I bought myself some time by anticipating a race schedule. I'm signed up for Portland's Tofurkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning (a 5k) and am aiming to do a 10k around Valentine's Day (eyeing one Valentine's Day in Coronado) and now I'm signed up for the Rock n' Roll half in Seattle for June 2015. Plenty of time to train with some nice distance building races along the way. And secretly I'd like to do the Portland Marathon by October of 2015 so that would put me in pretty good schedule for that.

MMK! Ready for a very good year of committing to my running routine it looks like. Positive vibes, strength training, and stretching with high hopes I don't injure myself on the way. 

This past winter I took up running for the first time and built up my tolerance ("endurance") over a 10 week training course in Central Park from a vehement non-runner to a 5k finisher. Then my knee started to give me troubles and I became pretty focused on hating my job and life in New York which took up all of that positive running energy. 

I thought that moving back to the Pacific Northwest would be a great time to pick it back up. Before leaving New York I was reading Born to Run and Eat and Run and stalking Tony Krupicka on Youtube. Very inspired by all of the great wild men (and women) running heroes out there who make me want to pick it back up... even if it means starting all over.

So today I did it.

Today's Workout: 

Running: 5 min warm-up walking, 1 min of running followed by 1.5 minutes walking (8x), 5 min cool-down walking. Courtesy of the 5K Runner app. 

Strength Training: 30 second plank, 5 push-ups, 20 crunches, 5 sit-ups, and 35 squats. Courtesy of the 30 Day Fitness app. 

It wasn't pretty, in fact, I think the word is "humbling," but I did it. I couldn't run more than a minute or two without feeling winded and it seems impossible that I was able to do this for 30 minutes without stopping only a few months ago, but alas, there is no shame in being weak if your efforts are pointed at getting stronger. 

I'm happy to share my very unimpressive mileage and pace because I remember reading other fitness bloggers and wondering if they could always run an 8 minute mile and if maybe I just wasn't built for it. Let this be a record of where I'm starting at. Things will improve. I don't know if I'll ever run an 8 minute mile but I can promise you we're gonna watch that pace go down and that distance increase. 

I am signed up for the Tofurkey Trot in Portland on Thanksgiving morning and feeling pumped knowing that in three little months I'll be back to my 5k finishing mind and body. 

Honestly, yesterday I had a milkshake, Taco Bell and a Blizzard from Dairy Queen and thought, "Hmm, now might be a good time to get my body back in balance." 

I've been wanting to make an effort in living better, and to document it from the beginning so here we go. 

Where we're starting from: 5' 7'' and 162 lbs the last time I checked. I have been 129 lbs at my lowest (very depressed and hardly eating) and this might just be the most I've ever seen myself at. Ideally I'd like to level down to 140-145 lbs but mostly I just want to be a stronger and more wholesome me. Preferably with less cavities. 

The methods we'll be employing: yoga, running and minor strength training and trying to find foods that make me feel like a healthier person. I was vegan for a year and a half and felt pretty freaking fantastic so might be headed in that direction. 

Also, I would REALLY like to quit my sugar addiction. My mouth is ridden with cavities and my gut is busting with candy. Tips on how to kick the nasty habit are so appreciated!