A hint of a soccer blinder!

Blinder = A fantastic performance where one displays both skill, strength, speed, determination and leadership
Shocker = An utterly disappointing and embarrassing performance where one should consider hanging up the boots for good

Two terms that had been introduced to me by a Scottish soccer coach in university. Last night, after taking Wes' advice and being patient in my pursuit to find my old soccer self, I had a hint of a blinder. I felt like I was finally starting to keep up a fast pace, run off the ball, push forward and come back. Don't get me wrong, I'm still sucking some serious wind and at times left "picking up my shorts" after getting schooled by much faster and stronger guys with ball skills. But overall, it just feels good! We won a close one last night, 14-12... I netted 2 and had 3 assists! More imprinted, I played some solid defense and had a lot of fun!

I may have also had "words" with another player, ending with him getting thrown out of the arena, but we don't need to focus on that... Kirk, just thought you'd like to know that I still have the passion! POLSKA!!!

Ok, ok... enough reliving the glory days. I took this morning off running because I can't get to sleep after a late soccer game and 4 hours of sleep/recovery is not enough to get me through a run and the long day ahead. I'm going to try to get out on a run today at some point, may be a little tough with meetings and trick or treating. In the meantime, gotta stay away from the baskets of Halloween chocolate stationed every 3 offices in my building!

Data for today:

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Coffee with milk (30 cals)

Non-fat latte (115 cals)

Chicken breast strips with bamboo shoots (200 cals)
1.5 cups veggie medley (200 cals)

Total (835 cals)

Dating 101

Urgh, is it Monday already? I feel like we didn't even have a weekend and we gained an hour on Saturday. Quick weekend recap... I got a good night's sleep on Friday night to get ready for the 18 miler on Saturday. The run was wonderful! Nancy ran the first half with me, and the second half was with Jess, her son Gabriel and Wendy! Danielle joined us for the last couple of miles and we all headed out to brunch... families, husbands and children! Tosha and Regan also joined for brunch, so there was a huge group of us!

So as the youngest (not by much) member of our group of friends, I am the only single one in the bunch. I love spending time with the girls and their husbands and families because I am reminded of the amount of love and support these women get from their families.

When I moved here in May 2005, I had been dating someone for 6 years. We met in soccer training camp my first year at University and hit it off immediately. There were a number of bumps in the road but when I moved here I was convinced that we would eventually be married. Then something happened when I got here... I started to open my eyes to what a real loving relationship was supposed to be. I had for a long time known that he didn't treat me the way I deserved to be treated, or the way I saw other men treat their significant others. So I finally decided that 6 years was not a waste of time or effort, but that I was still better off being single at 25 than being unhappy with him. That was about 16 months ago.

I decided to take some time off dating... I did the rebound thing and the get hurt thing first, and realized that if I wasn't happy with myself, I would never be happy with anyone else. I spent almost a year taking the time to find my way on the West coast, and training with the girls was a huge part of finding what makes me happy and what keeps me strong. I finally agreed, after lots of convincing from friends, that I would join match.com.

I would say that I have truly connected with 3 men in my life, and with each it was SOOOO easy. Almost instantaneous sparks, no effort connection. And no, I'm obviously not with any of then now for a number of reasons or unfortunate circumstances. :) But this dating thing is not so easy... what happened to the no effort connection? I'm not expecting to find "the one" on a first date, but I would love a hint of the sparks, the butterflies or the can't wait to see you again feeling. Nothing. Even when I thought there could be some potential it quickly turned south.

I can't help but wonder if I'm going to be like some of my single friends... starting down the volume dating road where I kiss (or don't come close to kissing) a lot of toads before I find my prince? An online profile can be very accurate, or frighteningly deceiving, and you don't really know if there will be a connection until you meet. So the game plan is do stick with it... volume date, meet lots of people so that when I do meet that special someone, I will have filtered through a lot of crap and know what really matters to me. I gave it a fair shot this weekend... both Saturday and Sunday night. Saturday was not so bad, and I think we'll be going out again soon... Sunday, not nearly so good. But I think that's the point, learn from the good and the bad dates, don't give up and don't get discouraged. Let's hope that "connection" is just around the corner!

Back to business... soccer tonight, stats for today:

Egg beater sandwich (245 cals)
Apple (75 cals)
Coffee in milk (30 cals)

Smart Ones Lasagna (290 cals)
Broccoli (30 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)

1/2 cup pearl barley (100 cals)
1/2 cup corn (60 cals)
3 oz stuffed salmon (300 cals)

Total (1420 cals)

Taking the day off!

A couple of weeks ago I did Danielle's Friday morning cycling class the day before a long run. As usual, I fully participated rather than spinning my legs as planned. I paid for it in the long run the next day. So after soccer on Monday and Danielle's spinning on Tuesday, my hamstrings and IT bands were tight... and I am still feeling the pulling in my hamstring. So today, rather than doing Danielle's class which I know I would not do at a leisurely pace, I booked a Shiatsu appointment at the club.

Skipping cycling killed me because last night we went to happy hour with my team to celebrate my manager's paternity leave, and I didn't exactly stick to plan. Or not at all. We were at a pub, and being the human that I am, I couldn't resist sampling the shared calamari, nachos, chicken fingers, potato skins (I don't even like potato skins), wine and chocolate cake! It gets worse, I can't believe I'm fessing up to this... I drove my manager home to see his wife who has a C-section scheduled for Saturday morning. They are both good friends of mine and when she knows I'm coming over, she always has food ready! She, 2 days from delivering a baby, baked me an apple strawberry cobbler! I always tell people that their friends will understand when you turn down food... but I just couldn't do it! First, I just can't say no to someone who has gone to all that trouble for me, especially since she is about to deliver a baby! Secondly, it smelled so good, fresh out of the oven and she served it up with vanilla bean ice cream and tea. Gaaaah! New day today, got to get back on the train... how often do I say that? :( That was really painful to write down... I wish I had spinning this morning to work off the additional calories consumed last night!

Back to Shiatsu. Jess has raved for a long time about the benefits of Shiatsu, so I thought... maybe this will work! Little did I know what Shiatsu entailed... Japanese for "finger pressure", this is THE most painful form of massage I have ever had. And I have had plenty of painful massages, but this took it to a new level! It's supposed to improve your circulation promoting healing and overall better motion. I have to admit, I walked out a little straighter, and feeling a lot looser. The real test will be the next few days, and definitely the long run tomorrow! I will report back with the results of course!

So in an effort to get back on track today, here are the details:

Banana (100 cals)
Coffee in milk (30 cals)
Egg beater sandwich (195 cals)

Tomato soup (100 cals)
Tuna sandwich with fat free mayo (175)
Apple (75 cals)

Cheese string (60 cals)
Soup (100 cals)
Cheese puffs (150 cals)

Total (985 cals)

Temptation

This morning I met Nancy, Jess and Kathy for a 6 mile run. Wow, my legs are still super tight from soccer and cycling… but I want to make sure I keep the miles up. I do want to prevent injury, but this close to taper time I just want to keep running!

So on to the topic of my blog today… temptation. My team has been working really, really hard so I wanted to do something nice and brought them a box of bagels, cream cheese, danishes, muffins and cinnamon buns. Oh, and I also brought them a big box of chocolates from Paris! I would love to eat a bagel but I know that it would last about 2 hours before I got hungry again. So I had my usual morning coffee and 20/20 shake today to hold me over until lunch.

I’m at work now and my team is streaming in and picking up some goodies. The box is within arms reach, and smells soooooo good! I can smell the cinnamon and apple and berry. I read in a book that just looking at and smelling food CAN actually make you gain weight. The idea being that it releases some sort of hormone that makes you want to eat… everything in sight. Solution, MOVE THE BOX ALREADY!!!

Done, box is now in the kitchen where I can’t see it and don’t have to walk by it. Safe and sound. Here are the details for today:

Bread with PB and J (100 cals)

6 mile run (610 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Sashimi (450 cals)

Non-fat latte (115 cals)

Total (985 cals)

Truly Blessed

I know I have mentioned this so many times before, but I have to say it again. I am blessed with having the best friends and most motivating training partners a girl could ever have. Jess, Wendy and Danielle are now tapering for the NYC marathon. I am still climbing since the Seattle marathon is 3 weeks after NYC. That being said, I have 20 miles on the schedule this week, and the ladies have about 6.

Nancy and Sarah are training for the Seattle half marathon and they have about 8 miles on the schedule this week. Tosha who has run 4 marathons is just joining us for long runs cause she enjoys running. So given that I have at least 12 more miles on the agenda than anyone else, you'd think I'd be running alone. But no! My supportive friends have figured out a way to run with me for all but the first 2 miles of the run (some running longer than planned)! How you say? Here is the amazing plan that Jess put together:

8 a.m.: Aleks leaves the Starbucks on Alki for 20 minutes of solo running wherever she wants
8:20 a.m.: Nancy meets Aleks back at the Starbucks and they run the first half of the gmap route way below
9:50 a.m.: Aleks and Nancy return to Starbucks; Jess, Danielle, and Wendy leave with Aleks for the second half of the gmap route
10:10 a.m.: Hey! There’s Latosha, at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook! She joins in the fun
11:20 a.m.: We’re back at Latosha’s car. She drives over to the brunch place and waits for us.
11:40 a.m.: All done running!
Noon: Brunch (this gives us a little buffer)

I think some are going to stray from pieces of this plan, but this is the general idea. 20 miles of running with wonderful women followed by brunch! HOW LUCKY AM I?!?!?!

This morning I met with Wendy and ran about 6 miles. It was tough! I was totally feeling the pain for soccer on Monday followed by spinning with Danielle. My hamstrings were tight! I’m definitely going to spent some time in the hot tub and stretching at the club before the long run on Saturday!

Bread with PB and jam (100 cals)

6 mile run (610 cals)

20/20 pro club shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Sandwich (400 cals)

Non-fat latte (115 cals)

Total (935 cals)

I used to be able to play soccer! :)

What happened to me? It's so sad... I used to be a decent soccer player! It's amazing what 6 months off can do! Not only have I lost that quick step and pace and ability to run off the ball, but my touch is way off! Moving off the ball is practically more important than what you do when you have the ball! I know WES knows what I'm talking about! All the more reason to stick to it, improvement is coming but I feel so slow these days! Oh well, we won our game last night, even if it was a little ugly. A win is a win is a win!

This morning I got up to do Danielle's cycling class... I was a little slow from last night, but managed to get up to speed! I think I burned more calories in the last 3 songs than I did all class! Just when I thought I was dead tired, she started an amazing 3 song set beginning with Green Day and it just rocked! She just has this way of putting us in the zone!

I'm hoping the rain holds off today... I'm planning on meeting Tosha for a run after work. 6 miles, no route planned yet! Looking forward to seeing her! She's been battling a cold so I haven't seen her since before Paris... I have withdrawal! Speaking of withdrawal, I have some serious Regan withdrawal! Countdown is on to Friday spinning! :)

Here's the data for today:

Pria bar (170 cals)
60 minutes of spinning (515 cals)

Egg sandwich (250 cals)
Milk in tea (30 cals)

Sandwich (400 cals)
Non-fat latte (115 cals)

Chicken noodle soup (100 cals)
20/20 chicken sausage penne pasta (390 cals)

Total (1455 cals)

Back to Redmond

So after an extremely long flight home, I'm finally back to the grind on the West coast. This morning I got up at 5 am for the 6 am spinning class. I made the mistake of checking work email when I got up, which is never a good idea. I ended up going in to work at 6 am to put out fires before Monday meeting hell started at 8:30. Sometimes life happens I guess...

The good news is that I have soccer tonight so at least I'll be exercising today! We don't have any women subs for tonight's game so it will be a full 50 minutes of interval type running. Here is the data for today:

yogurt (100 cals)
oatmeal (170 cals)
coffee with milk (30 cals)

sandwich (350 cals)
8 oz garden vegetable soup (50 cals)
latte (100 cals)

crackers and cheese (105 cals)

whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce (500 cals)


total (1405 cals)

Meal Tracking in Paris

Today I didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in and running late. I was meeting my team at 8:15 am which meant I had to get running by 6 am. Unfortunately, these days it’s dark until about 7:30 am in Paris, and I just wasn’t comfortable running alone at that time. Maybe I’m just chicken, but what if???

So I’m hoping to get a chance to run after meetings, before dinner. My guess though is that I might not be that lucky. If I can’t do that, I will at least do my hotel workout (strength workout) after dinner… it may not be running but it’s better than nothing!

Tracking meals while being in Paris is making me much more careful about what I’m putting in my mouth. I know I have to be accountable to you all, and you’re keeping me honest! Here is what my last couple of trips to Paris looked like:

Morning at the hotel before arriving at meetings:
Cereal with milk
Bun with meats and cheese
Yogurt
Coffee with milk
Morning meetings:
Plain and chocolate croissants
Coffee with milk
Followed by 3-4 course lunch and dinners… couldn’t even list the sabotage there!

So here is what my day is like so far... now that I'm meal tracking and blogging about it:

Cereal with milk (250 cals)
Coffee with milk (50 cals)
1 piece of lean ham (30 cals)
1 small piece of cheese (80 cals)
I have strategically place myself as far away from the croissants at the meeting as possible. Staying away from these today… even though I can smell the goodness from across the table.

Grilled veggies (75 cals)
Beef slices (200 cals)
Potato (50 cals)
Green beans (15 cals)
Brie cheese (100 cals)
Bun (100 cals)
Skipped the Crème Brulee and Chocolates for desert! Have to move them out of arm’s reach. And thank goodness for that, 400 calories for a ½ cup of crème brulee!

Total (950 cals)

Solo Running Tour of Paris

I got to bed at a great time last night... 11 pm. Set my alarm for 7 am, thinking I'd get out for a nice early run. Unfortunately my clock isn't quite set yet and I woke up at 3:30. I was wide awake so I took a melatonin supplement and caught up on work email until 5 am. I didn't drag myself out of bed until almost 10 am this morning, and had absolutely no motivation to go running alone. I decided to combine two run routes and motivate myself by the scenery along the way. I got dressed and got out the door.

I get it, compared to the US, it is less common to see a woman running in Europe. When I was in Poland for my brother's wedding, I expected the stares from the locals. But Paris is a BIG city! In total, I saw 4 runners on today's run... an entire 7 mile loop along the Seine, past the Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.... 4 runners! Why can the french all eat and drink, not exercise and still look the way they do?

Anyways, I was wearing my pink running shorts and a light purple long sleeve top... I have never gotten so many stares and comments and whistles in my life! This just doesn't happen to me in Seattle... well, except when I'm running with 4 other women. :)

So the run was ok, but I am still having that high heart rate problem when I run alone. There are no hill climbs in the area, the biggest rollers are the bridges across the Seine. Somehow, my highest heart rate was 177 and I averaged 164. I can't seem to slow myself down when I run alone, I think it's because I'm self conscious... and when people look, I just try to run faster to get by them. I need to stop that. :)

Total distance was about 7.1 miles, 70 minutes including all of the lights.

Today's route!

Ok, I managed to get away with eating well for breakfast/lunch today... so I just have to keep that motivation at dinner tonight!

1/2 pria bar (85 cals)

7.1 mile run (760 cals)

Cottage cheese (182 cals)
banana (100 cals)
Yummy french steamed milk in coffee (50 cals)

1/2 pria bar (85 cals)
orange (60 cals)

2 glasses of red wine (260 cals)
Small greek salad, light on dressing, 1/2 feta given away (200 cals)
Arrabbiata Penne... skipped the creamy pasta or fish sauce! (400 cals)
Tiny butt end of a baguette... almost non-existent, and I sat beside the bread basket! (30 cals)
Espresso (0 cals)
Apple crisp... 4 bites (150 cals)

Total (1602 cals)

The cottage cheese really is better in Paris!

I'm finally here, and it feels like it's been forever since I saw the girls at the club... but I guess it was just over 24 hours ago! How do I have withdrawal already?!?!?! :)

The flight over was great! I slept for 6 hours on the Seattle to Copenhagen flight and napped on the connection to Paris. I just read Dean Karnazes' book that Jess leant me... and I am so excited to run! We got off the plane at 5 pm local time, but we didn't make it through traffic to the hotel until 7 pm. By then, I'd lost the buzz cause of the long travel and just wanted to grab dinner from the grocery store across the street.

I could spend my entire life eating baguettes, cheese, tomatoes and wine! Instead, I grabbed some dark wheat bread, cottage cheese, couscous salad, carrot salad and lean ham slices from the grocery store. I have said it before, but the cottage cheese in Europe is too good to be true. It seems like it must be higher in calories but it really isn't that bad. It's so creamy and delicious... about a cup and a half for 182 calories!

So I'm catching up on email and going to get some sleep... it's 9:15 pm here. Since we don't start meetings until 3 pm tomorrow I can sleep in (which I'm sure will be 7 am for me) and go for a nice long run! Inspired by Dean, I'm going to leave the iPod in the hotel and just listen to my breathing and footsteps... placing one foot in front of the other. This should help me run a steady pace and catch some of this beautiful view too! Can't wait to update you all tomorrow! :)

The Monday After

After feeling pretty sore on Saturday, Sunday wasn't all that bad. Surprisingly the 22 mile soreness had all but completely worn off by this morning! Jess and I planned on doing a spinning class followed by weights. At first I was feeling lazy, just a case of the Mondays. :) But I quickly keyed it up because this was my last workout before leaving for Paris later today. So I worked really hard and sweat my butt off! The music was great and my heart rate peaked at 182 beat/minute. I think that sets my record for a spinning class!

We met Latosha and headed downstairs for an upper body and ab workout. Typical of working out with Jess, it was a pretty tough workout and we'll be hating each other today. I also decided to go up in weights for some sets today, so I'm hoping I feel the pain tomorrow! Seriously, who wants to hurt? We are all suckers for punishment aren't we?

Ok, so have a great week everyone! I'll be updating the blog while I'm there, just at unusual times. :) I am of course planning on working out and I'm going to fight the urge to drink French wine and eat lots of bread and cheese.

Today's data:

1/2 pria bar (85 cals)

Spin class and weights (760 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Whole wheat pasta (455 cals)
Sample Clif Bar (100 cals)

Total (960 cals)

22 miles... who's idea was that?!?!?!?

T-6 weeks to the marathon! So far, I have had 3 runs in the 15-16 mile range including last week's 16 mile run with the girls. I had planned 18 miles today, ramping down to 12 next week and then doing 20 and 22 the following 2 weeks before tapering.

Not exactly how it worked out. :) Jess, Wendy and Danielle had planned to do 20 miles today as their last long run before NY. The plan was to run from Mercer Island to the Pro Club in Seattle and back. 10 miles each way. So I was a little concerned that it was a big jump to go from 16 to 20 miles, but decided to try it and if all else failed, I could walk in the last 2 miles.

Let's back up to yesterday. The cycling class that Danielle teaches on Friday mornings is a strength class. So lots and lots of climbing. I always tell myself that I will just spin my legs and take it easy because I don't want to really work my hamstrings and glutes before a long run. Never happens. Yesterday, just like every other Friday, I was motivated by the great music and all of the strong people in the room. Note to self, STOP PURPOSELY sitting next to Brian G... I like to sit next to him to push myself to try to keep up, but I always pay for it... who tries to keep up with that guy?

So today on the run, the first few miles were rough and I wondered if I was going to make the first 10 miles. I finally settled into the run and felt great the first half. Turns out it was more like 11 miles each way, but I felt great when we stopped in at the club to use the washrooms and fill up our water. At that point, I felt a little soreness in my right hamstring that I have had for weeks now, but overall felt like I could run the 11 miles back to the car. I did know that I would hit "that 18 mile wall" though, the wall that I hadn't yet experienced. The course had quite a few hills today, and yup... I hit it alright. Except I hit it at about mile 15... and just kept running into it. I even had to walk 2 of the hills on the run! My hamstrings and glutes just couldn't take it!

But I am lucky, I was running with 3 amazing women that were right there... encouraging me through my longest run yet. I just kept taking in the Gu at the designated times, and finally ended made it back to the cars. :) I have never been so happy to finish a run... a whole 22 miles! Ok, not so smart to go from 16 to 22 miles in one week, but I'm happy to have a hard run under my belt. I wanted to know what I was capable of doing when faced with the wall. Boy, I'm sore now... hamstrings, glutes and back! Can't wait to sit in some hot tubs tomorrow!

The treat at the end of the tunnel? Noah's whole wheat sesame seed bagel with peanut butter and banana! :)

I know, I know... LONG post but I have to send a shout out! My girl SMOE is running her first 10 km race tomorrow, DURING "OKTOBERFEST" IN WATERLOO, ONTARIO!!! Waterloo is in the top 5 Oktoberfest outside of Munich... it's party central all month! I am so proud of that girl! She is another weight watcher success story, I'm so proud of her. When I met her over 2 years ago she wouldn't even consider doing this... and here she is, running 10 km and planning on the Hamilton 30 km race in April. I know she's going to do it!

Here's the data for today:

Whole wheat bagel with light cream cheese and jam (350 cals)
4 Gu (400 cals)

22 mile run (2350 cals)

Whole wheat sesame bagel with peanut butter and banana (600 cals)
1 blueberry pancake with blueberries and light syrup (125 cals)

Total (1475 cals)

Friday the 13th Weigh In

Today I faced the scary truth. I haven’t weighed myself in three weeks, before the wedding week actually. So here’s the scary truth part… up 3.4 lbs to 155. I would like to blame it on the wedding, on being sick and on having an insane job with lots of travel and stress. But really, I still make time to workout 6 days a week… why am I wasting all of the effort? Why do I weigh 10 lbs more than last summer when I only played soccer a couple of times a week and drank like a fish? I can only blame some of this on muscle gain!

There is a lot of motivation for me to get back to goal weight… the beautiful women I work out with, my skinny jeans, my skinny tops, and the biggest motivator… the marathon. I want to have a strong run and have fun while I’m at it. I want to be at 145 come marathon time… that is about 6 weeks away. 140 by the time I go home for Christmas. Tough goals… did I mention that I’m in Paris for work next week? The capital of food and drink? Jet lag, all day meetings, agency dinners, no sleep. But I can’t forget… is there a more beautiful place on earth to run? Two routes that keep me sane in Paris:

Notre Dame (5.5 miles)

Louvre (6.1 miles)

Baby steps right? Start right… have a plan for Paris. Yes, I will start with the Paris plan this weekend. Then I’ll go from there.

Hope you’re all having wondering Fridays! Here's the data for today:

½ pria bar (85 cals)

60 minutes spinning and weights with Jess (650 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Coffee in milk (30 cals)

Sandwich (450 cals)

1/2 apple (40 cals)
Oatmeal (170 cals)

Quarter chicken, leg quarters, no skin (190 cals)
1/2 cup spanish rice (140 cals)
3/4 cup broccoli salad (115 cals)
3/4 cup greek salad (45 cals)

Total (1555 cals)

Swamped!

Swamped at work the last couple of days, going from one meeting to the next. Haven't had a chance to blog... but I will for sure tonight! :) I will also have time to catch up on all of your blogs, I feel so out of the loop and it's only been a couple of days!

Now if I can only stay away from the junk food... the stress is getting to me! Actually, I'm kinda nauseous from the anxiety... not really in the mood to eat. That's even worse!

Soccer Monday

For as long as I can remember, I have played soccer. Grade school, soccer. High school, soccer. University, soccer. So when I moved here in May 2005 I did what I knew would allow me to meet people and stay fit all while doing something that I loved. I immediately joined 3 soccer teams and fell in love with the idea of being able to play both indoor and outdoor soccer year round. Not exactly possible in the harsh Ontario winters! :)

Then I swung my focus to running and triathlon training. I no longer enjoyed the 10 pm games when followed by a 5 am run. Traveling for work also put a damper on soccer. So by March 2006 I have pretty much stopped playing altogether.

We are now running later (7 am) on Tuesday mornings so last night I decided to play a late soccer game. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time in a soccer game, hoping I would get away with wearing the watch. Wow... I knew soccer was a great workout (indoor last night) but it was a shock to the body! It's like an interval or tempo workout on drugs. Fast starts and stops and lots of shorter and longer sprints down and up the field. I had forgotten how different it was from a long 10 mile/min run. My heart rate was up in the 175 range within the first 30 seconds of the game. That's like a solid hill climb heart rate! Then it happened... the ref told me to take off my watch. Oh well, I was hoping to find out how many calories I burn in a typical soccer game but it wasn't meant to be.

The team was really aggressive and my upper body is actually sore today from pushing off the opposing team players. Oh, and for the first time in my soccer life, I got a bloody nose in last night's game. It was coed and I got a nice forearm to the nose and teeth. I look funny today... like I'm really blotchy or sick... but it's just a shiner in development. :) I tried to cover it up with makeup, I hope it worked!

So I'm still going stick to the regular workout routines, including Monday mornings. But, I'm going to add the soccer on Monday nights. I was a little sad at the speed I had lost in the months off of soccer and I think it is just the perfect cross training that I'm looking for. Last night I committed to playing the next season which starts next week. I'm going to try the heart rate monitor again, but strap the watch to my bra. :) I just have to know at least once what the effort really is! I know Jess would side with me on this.

This morning we met for a run at the club... 65 minutes with almost no lights, it was great! Some off road fun with some good hill climbs. Great workout! But seriously, my butt was so sore! Additional benefit to playing soccer!

Here's the data for today:

1/2 Pria bar (85 cals)
20/20 shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

1 cup light cottage cheese (200 cals)
1 cheese string (80 cals)
1/2 Pria bar (85 cals)
Apple (75 cals)

Oatmeal (170 cals)
Plum (30 cals)

65 minute run (680 cals)

Total (1045 cals)

Thanksgiving Monday!

Quick weekend recap! Saturday was a long run day (16 miles) and it went really well. I think wearing flats on Friday may have helped and I haven’t worn heels since! I ran with Jess, Tosha and Wendy along a beautiful route which made the time go by so quickly! And of course, Jess’ son Gabriel was our bike escort! :) Sunday I went to the club with Tosha just to ride the bike (very leisurely) and sit in the hot tub with the salts for 20 minutes. It was all about recovery.

I was out very late last night at a Canadian gathering in Bellevue, WA. Why you ask?!?!? Canadian Thanksgiving of course! :) Needless to say there was no shortage of food but I kept it under control for once! I may be 4000 km away from my parents but there was something really comforting about spending the night last night with 9 other misplaced Canadians.

So I slept in today because I knew I needed more than 4 hours of sleep to go into this hectic Monday. I also have a soccer game tonight at 9:30 pm so I knew I’d be getting cardio in at some point. Thank goodness I did! I came in and got hit with 3 of the worst possible fires I could fight… all in one day! Couldn’t have been worse… before one was put out, another came up! Not so unusual for MS but boy, did it take it’s toll. The great news?!?!?!?! I didn’t do the freak out and eat thing! That is a first… normally I reach for junk food. Today, I just kept walking back to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle instead.

I’ll be stuck at work for a while still and just ate a banana. I have a pria bar and oatmeal on hand so I don’t have to worry about hitting a drive through on my way home before the game tonight!

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Coffee in milk (30 cals)
Sandwich (450 cals)
Banana (100 cals)
1/2 Pria bar (85 cals)
Egg beater sandwich (180 cals)
Corn on the cob (100 cals)
Rice Krisps (60 cals)
Crackers with jam (180 cals)

Total (1475 cals)

The things you'll give up: Part 2

So here it is... I'm addicted to high heels. But how can you NOT be? They're so pretty and come in so many beautiful styles and colors. And they make you look SO GOOD. I am convinced that I look 5-10 lbs lighter when I wear heels. Something about the high heel just gives you that long leg and sexy hot walk!

But let's face it... not so good for runners. For one, orthodics and heels just don't go together. The other, everyone and their mother warns against wearing heels especially if you pronate (which I do). I know, it's not good for me and today I took the first step and wore flats to work. I want to pull a Jess and say "but they're sooooo cuuuuute" but this is one battle that I wouldn't even win with her. So I'll work on it... it will require hemming jeans that are meant for heels, but it's the right thing to do. I will also have to alter my preferences and shop in the flat section of the shoe store and hope I can bypass the sexy heel zone. But I will make a concerted effort!

I have a long run planned for tomorrow (16 miles) and should have probably taken it a little easy at the gym today. Not so much. I went to Danielle's spin class and no matter how much I tell myself that I will take it easy and just spin to get ready for tomorrow, it never happens. Danielle just pumps me up. Her music, her attitude and her smile. You can't beat it... not any instructor has pushed me as hard as she does!

Then Jess and I headed down to the weight room to work on our wannabe hot upper body and arms. I hate her. I'm going to hate her more tomorrow when I'm trying to run and my chest is burning with every bouncy step. One thing is for sure though, I will hate her a little less when I start to lose the fat and see the definition I've been searching for! I hope for her sake. ;)

Here are the stats for today:

1/2 Pria bar (85 cals)
20/20 ProClub shake (290 cals)
1/2 banana (50 cals)
Coffee with milk (30 cals) - I REALLY wanted a latte but decided to save myself the extra 80 cals, it took a lot!

Au Bon Pain Vegetarian Minestrone soup with added chicken (245 cals)
Non fat latte with 1 pump sugarfree vanilla (125 cals)
Pria Bar (170 cals)

1 hour spin class and upper body (700 cals)

Total (995 cals)

The things you'll give up: Part 1

Earlier this year I gave up drinking completely for a month and a half during Lent leading up to my brother's wedding. It was less of a commitment to Catholicism (I have never really stuck to giving something up for Lent), rather a commitment to looking better in my bridesmaid's dress. Done and done... it was tough for the first few days and there were difficult moments (eg. during my first trip to Paris when I didn't have a sip of wine), but overall not that hard.

After last week's wedding binge I decided to give up drinking until the marathon. Then we went to dinner last night with my team after a very inspiring 10 hour offsite and I needed a drink! I realize that sounds like I may need to attend an AA meeting, but seriously, sometimes you just want a glass of wine. They had a fantastic wine list and not one person in the group of 30 didn't have a drink. So I gave in. Two glasses of wine for 3.5 hour dinner.

The bad news is that they had a fixed menu and the choices weren't what you would call low calorie. So I stuck to portion control (even though I so could have downed all of the goodness they offered) and had half of a desert.

The question is... to drink or not to drink. I am going to be heading back to Paris again in a couple of weeks for work. Is it realistic for me, a wine lover, in a job where I am always traveling or eating out with our teams, to not drink at all? Why did I manage the 45 days through March? Was there more motivation back then?

Yes, there was. I really, really wanted to look good at my brother's wedding. :) And the truth is, drinking a glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week isn't going to hurt me in my marathon training. Getting absolutely hammered, eating junk and missing the next morning's workout will absolutely hurt my marathon training. But this is not the kind of drinking I'm talking about. So new resolution... drinking wine with dinner ON OCCASION is acceptable. Done.

So today. Jess, Tosha and I went out for a 6 mile run. Followed up by strength training. Total calories burned with the time between the run and the strength training was about 850 cals. So far, the eating has also been good today. Going to aim for the 1300 calorie mark today.

1/2 Pria bar (85 cals)
20/20 ProClub shake (290 cals)
Coffee with milk (30 cals)
20/20 Chicken sausage penne pasta (390 cals)
1/4 chicken without skin (190 cals)
Salad (40 cals)
Egg beater on toast (180 cals)
Apple (75 cals)

6 mile run + strength training (850 cals)

Total (1280 cals)

Wednesday

I'm at an all day offsite from 8 am to 6 pm on Wednesday for work. This is followed by a team dinner. So my Wednesday update will be late, but I know I'll have to blog all of the goodies I might want to get into tomorrow (including wine) so I'll just use that as motivation to stay away!

Stay tuned... a little bit of a test for me! :)

Hope you all have wonderful days!!!

Keep fit and have fun! ;)

Bonus points for anyone that can identify the couple behind that motto. Hint, they're Canadian. And remember, searching online is cheating. :) Answer will be revealed in my Wednesday wrap up.

-----------
Quick update from the offsite... thank goodness I am held to reporting to you because typcical of MS offsites, it's all about food here. So I had breakfast before coming and stuck to plan at lunch. Afternoon treat time and dinner will be the next big challenges. :)

20/20 Pro Club shake (290 cals)
Non-fat latte (110 cals)

Salad/Veggies (100 cals)
Salmon (300 cals)
Fruit and 2 bites of desert (200 cals)

Total (1000 cals)

What's in a routine?

There really is something about being on a schedule and having a set routine. Whether it’s the support of my training partners or knowing what the daily plan is, it never fails to get me back on track after a bad day/weekend/week.

I got a decent night’s sleep last night and met Jess and Kathy at the gym for a 5:30 run this morning. Have I mentioned before that summer is over and it’s really dark and chilly in the mornings? ;) Jess and I were sporting our new reflective running bibs (pink of course... see hyperlinks if you're interested). We were out for 6 miles and back in about 1:06. About 10 minute miles taking into account that we were stuck at some lights. We got back to the club at 6:30 and the sun hadn’t even peaked it’s head yet!

I have pledged that I will dedicate more time to the all important weight training so Jess and I followed up the run with an upper body and core workout. I haven’t done weights in a few weeks so I know I’ll be cursing her tomorrow (and the day after no doubt)!

Here’s the data so far. Tonight is a date night (yes, same match.com guy we talked about a month ago). I have given up alcohol altogether after last week’s wedding bender. Not one sip of alcohol until after the marathon on Thanksgiving weekend. Good thing date guy isn’t a drinker! :) We’re also cooking tonight so I don’t have to stress about taking a huge hit on the calorie count.

Pria bar (170 cals)
Pro Club shake (290 cals)

Rainbow roll (350 cals)

Chicken (150 cals), grilled veggies (100 cals) and salad with dressing (80 cals)

Grapes (50 cals)

Total (1190 cals)

6 mile run and 30 minutes of weight training (925 cals)

Wedding season is officially OVER, but it was costly!

The last post I had was my super inspired, going to go out and conquer the world post after the crappy running article I read on Tuesday morning. And I was inspired! I got to enjoy one of Westminister's beautiful parks (Mundy) and had a great run. Then I went to bed.

It seems as though the traveling and lack of sleep finally caught up with me. I woke up with a sore throat on Wednesday morning and that pretty much put a damper on the rest of the week. It quickly got to the coughing, sneezing, no energy, drippy nose stage. I thought I could take a day off and get right back at it but I was so wrong. The wedding events coupled with sleeping on random couches, futons, blow up mattresses with different family and friends made for a long recovery period. When the wedding rolled around on Saturday and we were taking pictures in our tube top short dresses I knew I was doing myself in.

I got about 4 hours of sleep on wedding night and could not sleep last night. I was hoping to get to the gym this morning but at 12:30 last night I knew that 4.5 hours of sleep wouldn't cut it and would not help me get over this cold.

Soooo... I took the extra 3 hours of sleep. I can't believe I have been sidelined since Wednesday and I'm still not feeling great. I cancelled my plans for tonight and headed straight home after work so that I can hit the sac early. I'm meeting the girls at the gym for a run at 5:30 tomorrow morning so I need to get some good sleep!

The most disappointing part of last week was that I was in beautiful Vancouver which was the perfect venue for a long run. So much for that. Sarah was nice enough to offer advice on where to run, and I was out of commission! The benefit of having family there is that I will return... and I plan on checking out the best places to run!

Now the bad news... last week was a write off when it came to diet and drinking! Some TMI... I was PMSing, sick and staying with daily pot smokers... dangerous combo! I don't smoke pot and I have nothing against the choices my cousins make, but their "munchies" did not help my cause. It's not even funny... every night... pot. Following the pot, well... I can't even talk about it. I don't know how many times I have said this, but today is a new day. And it was.

Oatmeal (160 cals)
Apple (75 cals)
Cafeteria salad (450 cals)
Pria bar (170 cals)
Hulled barley (200 cals)
Shrimp scampi (400 cals)

Total - 1455 cals