Good Just Got Better

[and ice] hard and fast [timed runs have been happening a lot lately] has finally caught up to me: shin splints. You’re not welcome, but hello again.

Hopefully a rest day will help, but even walking around today hurt. Yikes.

-A

Found this while perusing the gluten free section at the grocery store. It was next to quiche, which I love, but rarely splurge on. Decent substitute. 

According to the one I ate [the packing I’m posting isn’t gluten free, but same company, just a variation of the product] one souflee = one serving, I had planned on splitting it into two, but it was teeny tiny once I got it out of the box.

180 cals

2 servings of veg apparently

2g of fat

9g of protein

5g fiber

60mg of cholesterol eh

vit A 130% DV

only a few all natural ingredients: butternut squash, egg whites, eggs, sugar, corn starch

not bad for a quick snack.

-A

well, duh it’s not A. but seriously, you guys. i feel so great after getting back in the pool. it was a bit of a rocky start—the pool was closed due to storming—but i’ve gotten back in the swing of it and it’s great to be back in the water.

i’m going to try something different today though. this school has too nice of a gym to not use it, so i’ll probably check out the weights and see about some cardio machines. of course i didn’t even realize i don’t have my headphones until just now.

looks like it’s going to be a quiet workout.

-B

Seven miles. I’m baaaaaack. First long-ish run in the new hood!

First I ran through a “cemetery park” [white circle] and squeezed out as much mileage in there as possible [which wasn’t much.] Oddly enough, I didn’t feel weird running next to dead people. It was kind of… peaceful. I just felt like I couldn’t spit on the ground because god forbid someone saw me and thought I was being disrespectful. I also realized if someone came in there to mourn, I would’ve felt bad and gotten out of there ASAP, so I probably won’t do that again… but the plows did a better job on those paved paths then my own neighborhood.

Then I took a stroll past the 101.5 studio [gray circle]… which is a street over from my road. I swear I didn’t realize this when I moved. I’m not a creepy stalker.

Ran around campus too until I had to pee really bad, but I still kept squeezing out miles by running in lots of neighborhoods and doing circles all over the place. Not what I’m used to, but it works. Oh oh and I did another killer ab workout before I went. Feelinnn’ good. :]

-A

Jumping in my car and heading out to a park I haven’t explored yet. Ran around in the snow for twenty-five minutes, got jumped on by a wild fat dog, was profusely apologized to, and realized EVERY town has a peaceful spot - you just have to hunt it down. I was lost in the middle of some woods and literally frolicking with little baby deer. I came so close to letting another running opportunity slide by, but as predicted, forcing myself to throw on the spandex and cold weather gear was worth it.

-A

• times i’ve been to the pool since the new year: 1 (but it was only for 20 minutes because there was a storm)
• times i’ve been to the gym since the new year: 0
• have i been eating healthy? somewhat. i definitely could be eating worse. i’ve been subsisting on more meal replacement bars than i care to admit, and i know that honey nut cheerios aren’t the best lunch choice. dinners have been good though, we made stir fry last night and had delicious columbian food the night before.

day eating has become almost a non-thing for me. i need to get back to the pool so i can be hungry again.

-B

Okay, so I bought it over a month ago and I had said I would share my opinion well here it is:

MISTAKE. I hate to say it. I did SO much research and heard so many good things from everyone everywhere - including on Tumblr. I have tried to run with it a TON of times. I’ve waited, stood still as told by the instruction booklet, in front of my house in the freezing cold trying to pick up a GPS signal… to no avail. ONCE I actually ran with it. I never played around with the bells and whistles, because what’s the point if I can never get it up and running - and because it literally won’t let you do anything until you get a GPS signal. I’ll admit. I live in Almost Nowhere, New Jersey. Perhaps that’s the problem? The Garmin I used for my car [before I got my Droid] used to take awhile to pick up a signal too… so not sure if my area is the problem or what, but at least that thing EVENTUALLY worked.

I popped into a running store on Nassau in Princeton today and talked to someone working there. I had thought Garmin only had 3 models, silly me. [I think that’s all I saw on Amazon. God, I am so jaded. And such a whore for Amazon.] Guy working there was all “Oh yeah, the 305… yeah… well, I have experience with that one, and it sucks.” Me: 

I’m definitely going to look into REALLY splurging for a smaller watch that will actually work. Luckily, Amazon is fantastic and I have plenty of time to return the one I have now. I’m going to test it out when I move and possibly keep it if it works. And thanks to the snow and ice, I haven’t been going on any other 14 mile adventures and killing my phone battery, so I have time to make another choice. I’ll keep y’all updated!

-A

“We can’t stress enough how important it is to work the lower back. Not only is it part of your core, it’s also a key element to better performance and injury prevention. Add the Cobra Plank drill to your workout 2 to 4 times per week and you’ll be able to look forward to a stronger lower back and the bonus of slimmer abs.”

I love this move! I do the “superman” [what the move starts with] when I do abs and it really does work the lower back, but I’ve never seen this entire move done. Love it. Can’t wait to try it… and explore more on Nike’s youtube channel.

-A

going back to my normal (read: healthy) eating habits. no more dessert, no more fried food, no more huge meals.

the holidays were fun and delicious, but they’re over now and i need to not feel like a christmas dinner anymore.

-B

…was so wonderful. I was out the door before 730am and was completely alone out there running along the river. 5 miles, watched the sun come up. Totally a new tradition for me. A solo one. One that no one can ever take away from me. 

-A