Patience, the NEW Endurance Sport!

Last week was a good week.  Only one headache, well probably two, but better than the previous week.  I think water was the problem.  I also went to the health food store and bought a bunch of quinoa (KEEN- wah).  I bought the whole quinoa and noodles made of it too.  I also bought several vitamins too.  My hair has quit growing in the last 6 months.  I am guessing it is from the increased activity using up all of my nutrients.  (my hair used to grow about an inch+ a month, now it is growing about an inch every 10 weeks)  Hopefully over time, I will get used to this level of activity.  I am noticing that I really do not tolerate "garbage" at all any more.  A little is fine, here and there, but more than that makes me straight away sick.

OK- I need your quinoa recipes.  I am making "Rice with Eggplant and Potatoes" for dinner tonight, courtesy of KungFuBlonde and Montelepsy.  It is one of their family favorites and I am sure to be one of ours too.  Thanks again guys!  If you want the recipe, I'll PM it too you.

I am planning on running 25 miles again this week.  I'll be out of town for a few days and Michelle is going to do a training run with me on Thursday.  I don't want to over do anything, so I figured, I'd stick with the lower miles for this week.  I posted somewhere that I was going to stick with the 25-30 mile weeks, until I get 10 lbs off.  Then I will up my miles by 5.  Once I get 10 more off, I will add 5 more miles a week.  I am not sure what this plan is called, but it feels right.  I am also going to do a time trial 5 k every 10 lbs.  It will be an interesting study.

Have a GREAT week everyone!

Dinner report-  WOW!!!  That recipe was FANTASTIC!!!  I went to the store 2 times yesterday to get an eggplant and FORGOT each time.  So I took it as a sign and did extra firm tofu and potatoes.  I also did 2 C uncooked basmati rice and 1 C uncooked quinoa cooked in chicken broth in my rice cooker.  Holy cow!!!  I did have extra rice :)  Even my "rice hater" husband had seconds.  My baby gobbled it up.  My girls were a bit hesitant, but all loved it!  My super picky 11 year old kept going back for more.  Whoo hoo!!  The recipe is below in the comments.  There is a bit left over for my lunch tomorrow!  YEAH!!!  Thanks to Rachel (kungfublond)!  We can see why this is Mike's favortie recipe!!!

Running- 5.01 miles, 1:03:15, ave 12:38, best 8:24, Laps-12:28, 11:57, 12:07, 11:16, 12:12  We stopped for a potty break and a stretch.

We ran up 6th east and over toward Springlake to the canal trail gate and then back.  It was dark and cold.  My legs felt GREAT.  It was a nice run. Kim R came with me today :D

The following is for future reference.  34 degrees.  I wore thermals and tights on the bottom.  Long sleeve race shirt, long sleeve cotton shirt.  Fleece sweatshirt, ear muffs and gloves.  I took the sewatshirt off.  My neck was freezing at first, but was ok for the majority of the run. I went through a TON of tissue.

Biking- 36 minutes = 3 miles of running.

As we left this morning there was a soft yellow orange glow over a purple blue silhouette of the mountains.  It was breathtaking!!  It is really beautiful here  :D

33 degrees.  I tried running without the long johns under my running tights.  BAD IDEA!  My legs were FROZEN the entire time.  Ok at 3 miles they felt a bit numb and less painful.  I swear my knees were creaking like the Tin Man.  The top was good.  I wore the same tops as yesterday.  I brought a scarf today, but really need a gator.  I am going to try the ski mask tomorrow :D

The run was fine.  It felt great, except the COLD!!!!  Maybe my legs like the cold.  It's like running and having an ice bath at the same time ;) Kim ran with me the first two miles, but had to turn back for work :(   We ran the same out and back as yesterday.  I like it.  It is the same distance to Salem and back but feels a TON shorter.

The hotel I am staying in has a gym.  I am trying to use up most of my weekly miles before I go so I will have less on the treadmill to run.  We will be staying in Walnut Creek CA.   I am going with my parents and my brothers and sisters.  It has been more than 20 years since we've gone on a vacation with just us.

Running 5 miles, 1:01:58, ave 12:24, best 7:59, Laps- 13:19(stretch stop), 12:36, 12:35, 11:14, 11:19

45 minutes Yoga

This pic is the cover for our family cookbook by my very tallented brother Adam Ford.  His blog is AWESOME!  The title of the Cookbook is "Never Trust a Skinny Cook"  It's a joke in our family :)   http://adamscreation.blogspot.com/

I got out at about 8:40am, 37 degrees.  BEAUTIFUL morning!!  We went to Wal-Mart last night for milk and I ended up with a treasure!  In the men's athletic wear I found some double layer nylon sweat pants with really deep pockets.  Yeah!  $15 :D  I wore them over my running tights and I was nice and toasty!  I was a little disappointed that it was not colder, so I could give them a really good test! Oh well!  That day shall come all too soon!

The run today was just nice and easy.  I stopped to stretch a few times.  I was painfully slow, but there was no pain involved :)  I am amazed at how much easier 5 miles is now since I spent all of last month biking my brains out!  I've got to say, my running is MUCH easier with no biking.  I am going to have to contemplate the meaning of these things :) No migraines either! ;)  Oh yeah- and those STUPID 8 pounds are miraculously gone this week... hummm?  Seriously- suddenly GONE!!  Could it be the tofu?  Quinoa?  I bet it's that stinking tasty salad I ate all day yesterday!!!

The picture below is my FAVORITE in the world.  It just CRACKS ME UP!!!  Yes, I am 7 years old at heart!

Running 5.05 miles, 1:08:43 minutes, best 9:03, ave 13:37, Laps- 14:52, 13:48, 13:13, 12:58, 12:13

58:41, ave 11:24, best 7:42 10:43, Mile 2 - 10:18, Mile 3 - 9:36

Laps- 12:34 warm-up

10:43 - could talk and felt faster, but fine.  This is a slight down hill.

10:18 - wanted to talk, MUST talk, but no talkie!  felt ok

9:36 - no want to talk, no can talk.  slight, slight, up hill.  Legs got lead-like and breathing went to steam train instantaneously!  It felt REALLY good to STOP going this fast ;)

13:06- cool down, could talk again :) 

Michelle came over this morning to run with me :D  OK- she really came over to squeeze three faster miles out of me, and VOILA!!!  she did :)   I weight 7 lbs less today than when I did the time trial 5k with Michelle a few weeks ago.  In 3 more lbs, I want to do the 5k again.  Maybe for Halloween :D  THANK YOU MICHELLE!!!!

One of my members sent this picture to me.  While I know I am not as heavy as the woman in the silhouette, this is my picture of the amazon goddess working her way out!  ;)  Yes, I really look like muscle girl under all of my lubb! ;D

parents tread mill (YUCK!  It needs to be adjusted, it slipped the whole time!)

fisherman's warf.  We had very little time to spend in SF so we went straight to the warf to EAT!!!  Eating is our families favorite sport!  We at at  Alioto's.  I was a lovely restaurant that overlooked the bay.  I had clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl and a crab Caesar salad.  The bread and butter is my favorite!!! 

ghirardelli square. Then we were pressed for time to get out of the city before traffic (2-3pm)  We had no choice but to speed walk to Ghirardelli square for sundaes!  I had a hot fudge sundae that was TO DIE FOR!!!!  I had them give me more fudge.  YUMMM!!!!

We checked into the hotel and went traipsing around the Walnut Creek area.  We went to my parents high school, Clayton Vally.  We went to the country club, Aunt Helens and then out to dinner with my Uncle Scott and Aunt Kathy.

I loved the hotel we stayed in.  It was an Embassy Suites and it had a huge courtyard with coy ponds and a tropical forest.  Good times, fast times!!! :D 

some famous trail in walnut creek. headed to the hall of fame.

The trail was called the Iron Horse TRail in Contra Costa County http://www.ebparks.org/parks/trails/iron_horse.  This was a paved trail for pedestrians, equestrians and bicycles.  THey had huge bridges over main roads and crossing lights at all other roads.  THe cars actually stopped for us EVERY TIME!  I would move here for the trail alone.  Not to mention the perfect humidity and temperature.  I posed from my brothers Blackberry and didn't have much time.  The Hall of Fame thing was really neat.  These athletes were remarkable with not only sports but academically as well.  THe majority went to Berkley and Stanford.  I was pretty impressed. 

We had an adventure with running this morning that added 4 miles to my run.  At about two miles into the run DAn, by bro, needed to take a walking break.  So Aly and I continued on to mile 3.  At about Mile 2.78 the trail crossed the road, but we did not see it, so we went up this hill for a quarter mile and then turned back to meet Dan and continue home.  Well, we must have just missed Dan, who continued on the correct trail for another 3 miles.  He later told us he had gone so far that there were actually McCain signs.  He had crossed over an entire political district :)  We went back to the hotel, hoping that he had gone there.  No luck!  We ate, we showered, still NO DAN!!  So, since I didn't need to do my hair and Aly did, I decided to go back to find him.  No cars allowed on the trail and since my horse was unavailable I asked the concierge for a bike.  He happened to have one.  A pink bike with mostly flat tires!  I road off in a "non biking" outfit and found him in about 2 miles.  Since he was a mess, I gave him the bike and I walked/jogged back so he could shower and I could cool down.  I had already showered and there was no time for me to re-shower before the Hall of Fame induction.  Anyway, we all made it, good thing I had put on 'guy' deodorant.  I got back to the hotel barley in time to throw on my suit, flat iron my hair and grab my make-up to put on in the car as we drove madly to the country club.  Anyway, funny story, these older ladies that we had run into on our first run were coming back when I was looking for Dan.  I asked them if they had seen my little brother?  They looked really concerend and asked how old he was.  I laughed and said 38!  They laughed and said no.  I passed them again after I had given Dan the bike and they said that they had seen him on the bike I was riding and wondered if that was him, I confirmed!

Great time, great adventures!!!

1:12:17, ave 11:51, Laps- 11:06, 12:11, 12:03, 11:21, 11:19, 12:07