Today’s run happened!  And it included a lot of wildlife – several rabbits, a large black cat, and I’m sure there were a few other things I’ve forgotten.  Made for an entertaining run for sure.

Eat

B – Pre run handful of cheerios, mid-run GU gel, bowl of Fiber one frosted wheats, glass of 1% milk

S – a few peanut m&ms

L – 1/2 homemade white bread sandwich with smoked pepper turkey, mustard, and cheese.  One carrot, a cup of strawberries, and one caramel delight girl scout cookie  (that cookie was 70 calories!  crazy)

D – smothered Indian cabbage, spinach potato dumplings, cucumber yogurt salad, papad (which are like thin crispy spice indian chips

Pray

Unfortunately, I didn’t plan well today, and have yet to do this.  We all have our days, I supposed, but I’m bummed I didn’t prioritize it more.  Hopefully I can read some scripture before bed.

Run

I have conquered it!  WOOOHOOO!  9.2 miles baby.  I can’t believe it.  It was 70 degrees when I started, but quite humid.  I was pretty slow and low on energy today, probably because I didn’t have a rest day yesterday, which is what I’m used to.  My pace was good for the first half of the run, but I definitely slowed down during the last 3 miles.  They just dragged on forever – I thought it would never end.  I finished in 1 hr 46 min, with a fair amount of brief walking breaks and a bunch of hills to slow me down.  Oh yeah, and the heat.

I got to try out my GU gels.  I got a pack of the chocolate bonanza, and they are yummy! Basically it’s like eating uncooked brownie batter…not that I’ve done that  Washed it down with some water from a drinking fountain at the park, and I was good to go.  I didn’t notice a huge impact on my run, but I think if I had done it about 15 minutes earlier, it would have helped the end-of-run slump.

Tomorrow I’ll be at the gym, probably just on the recumbent bike for a bit, and then perhaps some light upper body weights.  Should be a nice day off for my tired legs.

Cloudy and gray morning, with thunderstorms – which means, delaying the long run yet again!  Yay!  Er, um…boo.

Eat

B – glass of OJ and small bowl of Fiber one shredded wheat

S – couple of peanut M&Ms

L – carrot, peach, and 1/2 sandwich of rare roast beef on homemade white bread with horseradish, plus two girl scout cookies (I have a bit of a cookie thing…)

D -Indian night!  I love Indian food – probably my favorite kind of food.  We had basmati rice, smothered spiced CSA cabbage, and spicy lentils with CSA eggplant, CSA zucchini, and CSA green beans.  The lentil dish is AMAZING!

Pray

I spent some time reading Psalm 10, more of Jeremiah, and skimmed John 5.  I have to say, John 5 is weird!  I was trying to figure out what was in it to learn, and I kinda came up dry.  Maybe tomorrow?

One of the blessings of today was catching up with a friend and former student of mine on the phone – it was such a joy to hear about her mission trip to Uganda and what God has been teaching her about herself, about our own culture, and about faith.  I was so inspired, and it made me want to do an overseas trip even more than I already want to – which is a lot!

Run

A short 2.4 mile run, mostly on the treadmill.  I just don’t think I’m cut out for gym training, I don’t know how people do it.  If I had a friend who was excited about working out and wanted to spend an hour there, that might be fun.  But generally, I just get bored.  *sigh*  Also, I may have strained my hip/quad/hamstring?  I’m not really sure, but I had a good deal more soreness today than usual.  It may be from squats yesterday, or due to the fact that I neglected to stretch post-run today.  Either way, it’s not pleasant, and makes me dread the 9.2 mile run I’ve been putting off long enough.

Speaking of the long run, I think it shall happen tomorrow!  I’m trying to get psyched up for it  I got my GU packs today in the mail, so I’m excited to try those out too.  I also got another couple of pairs of running socks – one pair just wasn’t cutting it in terms of the laundry!  I’ll ‘fess up to not washing them after each run.  It just wasn’t.going.to.happen.  Hopefully the weather will be nice.  I was kind of regretting I didn’t attempt my long run last night because it was beautiful – 75 degrees and no humidity with a slight breeze!  Perfect.  I doubt tomorrow morning at 6 am will be nearly as glorious, but one can hope, right?  :-)

Wish me luck! Or pray for me!

Day 2!  It’s been a hot week, and then today, I woke up to cloudy threatening skies.  Unfortunately, the heat has yet to break.  *sigh*  I’m looking forward to September, what can I say!

Eat

Breakfast:  Bowl of Fiber One Frosted Wheats, small glass of 1% milk

Lunch: White bread sandwich with spinach, sundried tomatoes, feta, pesto, and smoked pepper turkey.  Carrot sticks and apple, plus a glass of ice water

Dinner: We’re planning on some German CSA cabbage, bratwurst, and perhaps some leftover CSA potatoes.  Definitely not the healthiest of meals, but we have a lot of CSA stuff to get used up, and I wanted to try something different

Pray

Reading through the Psalms – today was Psalm 10.  I also read some of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah is one sad and depressing man!  Seriously, it’s sometimes a bit of a downer, though very convicting.  I also finished up John 4.  On my mind for prayers – receiving peace about various blessing God has given me, being thankful, praying for my husband, and…for patience, as always.  Oh, to be more patient

Run

Because of the crummy weather, I ran at the gym today.  And unfortunately, my ipod died halfway through.  Gr!  I’m guessing it was about 2.5 miles total.  Cooled down with a little bit of recumbent bike, and then some seated rows on the weights, and squats.  Tomorrow, I have to work up the motivation to do my 9.2 mile run.  Honestly, I’m dreading it.  With the humidity and heat, running is fast becoming NOT fun.  Plus, as the distances get longer and longer each week, even though my body is adjusting and my endurance is increasing, I can also feel the toll it’s taking on my joints.  I think after this half marathon in August, I’ll be scaling back my mileage a bit, and focus my long runs more on a 10K distance.  But we’ll see.  I get my GU packs in the mail soon, and I’m curious to see how that will impact my stamina and energy when I start to get tired around 75 mins.

Hopefully this isn’t totally boring, but at the very least, it will be GREAT accountability!  Today was a good day – it was beautiful outside!

Eat

B: Small glass of OJ before hitting the gym, then bowl of cheerios and glass of milk afterwards

L: Glass of H20, fresh pineapple chunks, one carrot, and a spinach wrap with pesto, smoked pepper turkey, 1/2 slice of provolone cheese, lettuce, and slices of red pepper – toasted, and dipped in some balsamic vinegar

D: We’re going out to eat, so I’ll have to update tomorrow to let you know  Hopefully I can exercise good self-control, but since we’re celebrating our anniversary, I think it will be a special occasion with a “special” calorie count!

Pray

Read Psalm 9, part of Isaiah, and John 5.  No amazing revelations while reading, but as I was thinking about the fruits of the Spirit, I realize that I struggle with being at peace with things.  Or at the very least, feeling okay with the way things are.  There’s something slightly odd about always longing for more or wanting something to change – you’re never satisfied with how God has blessed you or transformed you.  I guess I realize there is always room for personal growth in faith, but I struggle with the “peace” aspect of it, and I think that influences how I see my surroundings as well.  It would be nice to be content, thankful, grateful, and yet aware that I’m “not there yet.”

Run

2.5 miles, mostly on the treadmill.  I tried to up the speed and incline since it was a shorter run – definitely a more interesting work out!  I will have to keep in mind in the future though that the gym doesn’t have good airflow, and therefore, I should NOT wear one of my new running tanks that’s a bit heavier with the fabric.  I got pretty toasty and sweaty.

My next real run won’t be until Monday – we’re going hiking this weekend, so that will make for a nice substitute and a good break from pounding the asphalt.  :-)