5K training plan (Active.com)

So, I'm totally doing a 5K on May 9.

It's one of those fun ones, with no real race or time goal involved.  Perfect for my first 5K post-leg-break.

It's the Foam Glow 5K, coming to Nashville on May 9, 2015!!!  (Click pic to go to site and see video)

I'm excited but a little scared.  Mostly scared because it's at night, and there is foam, and I have weak ankles.  So I'm going to spend time not only training to run a 5K, but working in physical therapy on my ankle issues.

Anyway, I started a 5K training program this week, and I'm very excited about actually having completed day 1 last night.

Click this link to go to Active.com's program that I'm following.  Here's a snippet from it, showing what I am supposed to do for the first 2 weeks:

The only thing that I'm changing is that instead of outdoor running, I am training on a treadmill.  There is no sidewalk or running area anywhere  near my place and it's cold out anyway.

My first 30 minute workout went very well.  I stuck to 30 second intervals, and ended up going for 1.55 miles in that time, which puts me at about a 1 hour 5K time right now (probably actually longer than that, since this was a zero incline treadmill workout).  So there is definitely room for improvement! 

I look forward to see how the rest of the training goes.  I love to compete with myself, so I will try to go further than 1.55 miles in 30 minutes tonight, by adding in some 60 second running intervals (but probably sticking to mostly 30 second ones - I'm still a beginner and don't want any injuries!).

Anyway, it's amazing to me how much better I feel about pretty much everything after one workout.  Like life could be good or something.

Updates on my updates:

1) The 1 mile run went great!  It was a very hilly mile, and I hadn't trained AT ALL, so I walked oooooooooooh about 75% of it.  However, I had a blast and we raised money for a great cause! Here's a picture of me with some of my team:

2) The ED center rescheduled me for next week because of last week's storm, so I still haven't gone there, and honestly I'm starting to have second thoughts because they are expensive!  Maybe I should just get a "regular" psychiatrist and a "regular" counselor instead of insisting on ED specific ones??  Hmmm.

Anyways, I'm thrilled to be running again, even if it is for 30-60 seconds at a time.  I stretched afterwards, and my legs are not that sore today!

me before killing last night's workout

What have you done to make yourself proud lately?

xoxoxo

looking inward

First, a brief report on The Color Run:  I had a terrible cold, but decided to race anyway!  It was Stacey's first official 5K, and he rocked it, finishing in 30 minutes.  The race course was only 2.83 miles, and I finished in 39.  I ran a lot of it, and really enjoyed myself.  The color didn't feel good in my sick lungs, though, so I stayed away from it as much as possible.  My team was called "Mopey Zoo Lion" and this was our second run together.  We all decorate our own T-Shirts with mopey lions, and here is the back of Stacey's:

Now on to today's topic, which is looking inward.

Knowing my body as well as I know it these days, I have noticed that I have gotten a little bit bigger lately.  My size 18's are a little snug, and my stomach is a bit pouchier than it was last month.  In several of the professional racing pictures of me, I noticed that my hips and thighs have gotten quite large again.

My hips don't lie!

I'm not freaking out and hopping back on the diet bandwagon.  Instead I am looking inward to figure out why I have been turning to food for reasons other than hunger so much lately.

Some of it is emotional eating.

Sadness: The "holidays" are here again, which is a sad reminder of how different life is without Mom.
Stress: This semester is stressful as I try to improve my GPA and study to retake the LSAT and prepare my law school applications.  My life is in transition right now, as I am so close to the next step in my life, which will include planning a wedding (not officially engaged, but Stacey and I have discussed getting married before law school) and planning a move, along with planning for law school (hopefully!).

So I know the triggers for my emotional eating, and I'm glad that I've come to know my body so well that I have caught this emotional eating before it got too out of hand.

So what am I going to do, now that I've noticed this unwelcome change in my body?

I'm going to stay away from the scale and the diet books.

I'm going to take care of myself as I recover from a terrible cold.

I'm going to browse the Intuitive Eating community forums.

I'm going to work on eating more vegetables and fruits to give my body the natural medicine it needs to get well.

I'm not going to weigh myself, google the best way to lose weight quickly, sign up for Weight Watchers for the 10,000th time, make a hardcore cardio exercise plan and force myself to stick to it NO MATTER WHAT, or feel badly about myself in any way.

I love myself, and that includes my body.  I even love myself and my body when I am heavier than I'd like to be.  How revolutionary!

I will get back to a more comfortable (for me) size as soon as I am supposed to.  There is no rush.  I will be an intuitive eater who does not eat her emotions one day.

Today I have learned that I have made progress towards that goal, by simply being in tune with my body more than I used to be.  As I said in an earlier post, I am no longer avoiding mirrors or posing for full body pictures.  I am no longer scared of my body, nor do I  hate it.  This is progress.  So I'm proud.

I'm not blogging about this to admit to a failure, and to hang my head in shame at having gained weight, to give a report on how I'm going to fix it.  No siree.  That is not what this blog is about anymore.  It's about getting healthy and happy.

I am blogging about this to share an interesting part of this recovery journey with you all.

10/30/2013 - feeling encouraged!
(and rocking my half marathon tee!)

4 Bridges Half Marathon recap (subtitle: I DID IT!!!!)

Okay, so as those of you who check in on my Facebook page already know, I actually completed the half marathon that I have been planning to do since January!  What a relief.  There were some moments near the race day that I seriously thought to myself "Who am I kidding?", but I persevered.

And yes, I walked some.  Okay, I walked more than I would have liked.  But I freakin' did it.

I am a half marathoner!!!  

Hear me roar!!!

This is going to be a long recap of the entire race experience, so go grab a beverage and make yourself comfortable.

First of all, the day before the race my cheerleaders and I had to travel from Memphis to Chattanooga, because I had the crazy idea that my first half should be somewhere pretty.  Chattanooga is really pretty!  So much scenery, including mountains!

I brought my cheerleaders, Stacey and his daughter LaPrecious with me.  After we checked into our hotel, we went to the race site (Coolidge Park, Chattanooga TN) to pick up my packet.

I was super excited to see my name on my bib!  What a cool surprise.  It made this race seem so much more official than the 5Ks that I've done.

After we picked up my packet, which included a really cool race shirt, we walked around the park and found where the start line would be.  We also did some general site seeing.  Chattanooga is gorgeous!

I was concerned about the weather for the race.  The forecast said that it was going to stay between 40 and 60 degrees, which to me seems pretty cold.  I had an awesome race outfit, but was debating switching from my long sleeved running shirt to the Tshirt provided in my packet.

laid out the night before!

The night before the race I could barely sleep, I was so nervous.  I had done a 13.1 miler a week prior on my own which didn't go so well.  I was desperately hoping that the excitement of race day would help me run more than I did on my own attempt.

the course

The race started at 7 a.m., so I decided to eat my breakfast at 5:30 to give myself time to digest before the run.

I chose to have a plain bagel and peanut butter for my breakfast, as recommended for me from some marathoners as being the "perfect" race day breakfast.  Something about the carbs, protein, and fat combination, along with it being pretty easy on the stomach.

This was pure fuel eating for me, as I was not hungry at all at 5:30 a.m.  It was the first time in my life that I had actually eaten just for fuel and it was interesting to say the least!  I didn't like eating when not hungry, but I understood the need to fuel before a race.

I chose to go with the long-sleeve running shirt instead of the T-shirt, because it was FREEZING.  Here I am before the race, trying to get jazzed.

I tried to find a pacer that would work for me.  I was aiming to finish the half in three hours.  I couldn't find anyone before the race started, so I just stood in the middle of the crowd.

When the race started, I set my Garmin as I crossed the start line.  I was going to wait  a little while until I started my audio book, because I wanted to just enjoy the crowd for a bit.  And it was exciting!  All of the running energy surrounding me made me feel like a strong warrior!

A little after the 1 mile marker, I looked at my Garmin, and was upset to find that it had stopped working.  I tried to reset it, and it still didn't work.  It had charged all night long, so it was definitely malfunctioning.  I was sad about it, but I kept on, hoping that the mile markers would actually be shown every mile (they mostly were).

There were aid stations about every mile, which was nice.  Some had only water, some had powerade and powergels, and every one starting at mile 8 also had snack options.

Around  mile 3, I found a pacer for a 6 hour full marathon.  (The half marathon and the full marathon were running at the same time).  I did some quick math and figured that if I stuck by this guy I would maybe hit my 3 hour goal.  I told the guy my goal, and he pointed to the guy next to him and said that he was going to do the half in 3.  I decided to stick with that guy for the rest of the race.

I stuck with him until mile 7 or so, and then I lost him at a hill.  It was a very hilly course!

4 Bridges Half Marathon Elevation Profile!!!  Yikes.

At that point, I was feeling pretty worn out, but excited that the race was more than halfway done.  I looked at my watch and saw that I was halfway done and it was 8:40, so I was almost on schedule for a three hour half.

I happily accepted some apple slices at the mile 8 aid station, along with a bit of water.  I walked that mile 8 the entire way, and totally lost sight of my pacer guy.  At mile 9, I was rejuvenated with Powerade and ran all the way to 10, then ran/walked the rest of the race.

There was a giant germ-infested bowl of Reese's pieces at the next aid station, and I grossly grabbed a few.  The sugar rush really helped me get through the final 5K!

At mile 11, my lower back suddenly ached terribly, and I had to stop and stretch a bit.  It was a sharp pain, but I stretched and then kept on going, and it went away.

At mile 12 I felt like I was about the die, but was so thrilled that it was almost over.  I saw that it was ten minutes past 3 hours at that point, and I was a little let down to have not met my goal, but still excited to be almost done.

The final mile I switched from my audio book ("Not  Young, Still Restless" by Jeanne Cooper - AMAZING memoir!) to my Jock Jams Pandora station.  I wanted to be PUMPED at the finish line!

Finally, the finish line was so close!  The race had the one feature that I always love to see at races: The last stretch was past a corner!  This made it possible for all racers to run the last stretch and to look like maybe they had been running the entire time.  I love it.  :-)

The final tenth mile stretch was exhilarating.  The crowd was great!

And when I crossed the line, I saw that my time was 3:23.  (Later, the official results actually said that my finish time was 3:18).

Someone placed a medal around my neck, someone else handed me an official water bottle filled with ice cold water, and someone else handed me a bag of snacks.

I took out my headphones and searched for my team.

Finally, they found me.

I was so proud of myself.  I was a half marathoner!  I had accomplished this, for real.  I felt the spirit of Mom with me the entire time.

I only realized after I had accomplished this that this was the very first thing that I had done completely without Mom.  Mom had never known me as a runner, though she knew that I dreamed of being one. This was all accomplished in a world without Mom in it.  It was the first goal that I had made, seen through, and accomplished without Mom.  It was a very healing experience.  Mom would be so proud of me.

I placed first in the division of
women born on October 7, 1984
with blonde hair and green eyes!

Anyway, after the race my legs felt like noodles.   Stacey and Precious took me to Chillis for a post-race chow down.

Sitting never felt as good as it did after the half marathon.

Injuries:  blister on my right heel, blister on my left pinkie toe, and sores all around the bottom of my sports bra.  Also, my left heel hurt so badly whenever I put pressure on it that I suspect that I may have plantar fasciitis. No knee pain thanks to the braces, and no chafing thanks to this guy:

cheaper version of Body Glide
($5 at Wal Mart)

I'm thrilled that this race is behind me.  I am planning to do more training soon, but I had to take some time off because I came back from Chattanooga with a very bad cold with flu-like symptoms.

There is a 5K tomorrow that both Stacey and I are doing, even though neither of us are 100%.  Still looking forward to it, though.  The Color Run should be a blast, and hopefully really easy compared to a half marathon.  ;-)

I'll share more about my upcoming training plans on a future blog post.  I hope that you enjoyed reading all about  my first half marathon!!!

Some possibly helpful epiphanies...

The last few weeks I have had several little epiphanies about my EDNOS/Diet Addiction Recovery Plan.

I thought that I would share some of those first, and then end this post with a vent about how scared and excited I am for this weekend's half marathon.

Okay, so here are some of the epiphanies, in no special order:

1) In my dieting days, I always thought "Exercise more to eat more!" and I'm realizing exactly how backwards I had it.  That approach motivated me to exercise using food as a reward.  For me, that did not help me gain a healthy relationship with either food or exercise.

the ole' "twinkie on a plunger" trick...

 I realized recently that I've stopped thinking that way since stopping tracking those things.

Now I exercise because I want to, not to earn food rewards.  Also, when training for a race, sometimes the opposite of that rule is true, and I need to "Eat more to exercise more!"  That isn't the new rule, because if I made that a rule then this would be too diet-y, but it definitely has been a pattern, and helpful.  For example, if I try to run 10 miles at 2 in the afternoon when my relatively small breakfast was at 9 in the morning, for example, I'm going to crash and burn around mile 3.

It improves my exercise greatly when I eat more.  Of course, it improves even more when I eat more healthy foods, but my performance is improved with ANY food, even if that food is a leftover slice of pizza and a poptart.  The point here is that I'm finally understanding that age old adage about how food is fuel.

Any fuel will work, of course premium is best, but energy is energy.

2) I was hanging out with my 11 year old cousin, and he lied about having already ate dinner so that he could continue playing video games with his friends.

I'm not condoning the lie, but just to imagine a life where food was so unimportant that I would rather play with my friends than eat dinner was liberating.  I used to see eating that way, too.  Sure I had favorite foods, and enjoyed eating sometimes, but eating was not my top priority when I was a kid.  It didn't even make the top ten list.

Sometimes I need to remember to listen to my inner child.  This is especially true for me when it comes to recovery, because that was the only time in my life when I didn't have a messed up relationship with food.  My inner child can remind me that there are so many things in my life that are more important than food.

(Of course, obviously food and eating are very important things, but I'm sick of focusing on them so much!)

Hmmm...  okay, I guess that is only two.  I know that there is a third, but I can't remember it for the life of me.  So, I will go on to the second part of this post.

I'm so freaking excited and terrified about the half marathon that is happening in three days!!!!!!!

I became a runner in January.  I had noble intentions to be able to run most of this half marathon.  At this point, however...  I'm running a mile at a time.  I take a walk break every mile.  I'm cool with this for my first half.

My new running mantra:  Finishing is winning.

I'm super excited for the beginning of the race.  I imagine that the crowd will be exciting, and Chattanooga looks really pretty in pictures.  My first time there, and I chose to go running on  their bridges.  :-)

Please send me strength on Sunday morning!  I can't believe that the half is finally here.

the medal that I'm going to get!!!

So I'm excited but scared.  I know that I can do this, but I also know that it won't be easy.  I'm mostly looking forward to it being over!  That finish line is going to look GOOD.

I have a new audio book that I plan to listen to during the race.  I love listening to music while I run, but lately I've found that when I'm going a long distance, I'd rather listen to podcasts or audio books.

I need new shoes, but I have been warned to not get anything new right before a race, so I will keep these guys around for a bit longer.  It's amazing how quickly shoes lose their support when you run a lot...

Anyway, my next post will be after the race, so I will be a new woman.  Seriously, I do expect to be a new person after this race is over.  What an accomplishment!  I am proud of myself for signing up.  I can't imagine how proud I will be when I finish.

Camp for Good Grief 5K

First of all, TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!  YAY for being born 29 years ago!  Now to the actual point of this entry:

Yesterday I ran another 5K!  It was a very special race, too.  The folks at Camp Good Grief are the same folks who run the Center for Good Grief, which is where I go for grief counseling.  It's a wonderful organization, and I fully intend to be a donor to them some day.  The work that they do is important.

Anyway, this was a great run for me!  The course itself was very hilly, so I took quite a few walk breaks, but I still managed to beat my last official 5K time according to my Garmin.  Yes, that's right, I have a Garmin now, thanks to my wonderful boyfriend and my birthday.  :-)

PINK!

I'm hopeful that this new gadget will inspire me to run outdoors more the next couple of weeks...

The run was special for many reasons.  Everyone running had lost someone special to them.  I was literally surrounded by people who understand what I'm going through.  It was magical.  It was wonderful to see  how not alone I am, and also it was such strong symbolism for what all of us who lose someone have to do every day:  Keep going.

Each bib had a spot for you to write the name of who you are running in memory of.

MOM

Like I said, a very special race.

Plus, Stacey took this extremely flattering shot of me, pre-race.

HOTTIE.

And, Stacey even decided to (illegally!) run the 5K himself.  Here he is, about to cross the finish line, sans bib.

I'm so proud of him!  It was his first 5K.  His first official one will be in a couple of weeks at The Color Run!!!  Now he knows that he can do it.  :-)

I placed #245

So the good news is that I ran a 5K, and I actually did run the majority of it.  The bad news is that I cannot imagine doing a 20.5K (a.k.a "half marathon") in just a couple of weeks...

I think that I will have to do a couple of short runs this week, one half marathon attempt next weekend, a couple of short runs next week, and....  Then again, I don't want to overtrain.

Anyway, Stacey is about to take me out to brunch for my birthday, so I have to go!

Color Me Rad 5K

BEFORE...

I had such a rad time at the Color Me Rad 5K.  

First of all, I had a great team!  Three cousin friends and two new friends (friends of cousins who are now my friends!) all ran with me.  We were "Team Mopey Zoo Lion".

Here's the entire team before the race:

Team Mopey Zoo Lion:
Me, Debbie, Danny, Jeff, Mollie, and Ty in the front

The race was full of all sorts of people!  Different ages, different sizes, different colors (hahahahaha), and different levels of fitness.  I really enjoyed that part.

I had planned to try to run the whole thing, but my training has really fallen behind.  I ended up doing a mixture of running and walking.  Most people in this race were walkers, so I never felt out of place during my walk breaks.  Jeff and Mollie were the only two in our group who ran the entire time, and I came in third place for Team Mopey Zoo Lion, which I was pretty proud of.

We had a great time.

Here is the team after the race:

I had a bit of a color mustache, as well as colors everywhere.  I remember looking down at my neon orange cleavage halfway through the race and thinking that this was a much healthier reason for that than Cheetos.

I had such a fun time, and it has definitely inspired me to keep on running.

I need to get back to the treadmill, and back on track for my half marathon training.  This 5K was rough on me.  My body ached all over yesterday because I hadn't trained correctly.  I cannot imagine adding 10 miles to this distance.

But it will get done!  I still have the goal of running a half marathon in October.

I love having running goals.

One of the things that I'm focusing on in order to get past my EDNOS is to stop counting calories.

I plan to use my appetite as a guide for how much to eat, and my training as a guide for how much to exercise.  

This was a great experience, and I'm so glad that I made it!  It's always fun to see my cousins.

5 Weeks to 5K!

Okay, so I signed up for a 5K for June 22nd...  

Sign up here if you will be in Memphis on 6/22:
http://www.colormerad.com/race.i?raceid=112&t=Memphis

And I started my half marathon training in January.  So if I had followed my plan 100% I would be able to run a 5K already.

But somewhere along the line, I stopped trying as hard.  And I'm basically back to only being able to run for 1 mile at a time comfortably.

So this won't be a real couch to 5K, since I have still be running a couple of times a week most weeks, and since I can run 1 mile comfortably...  but still.  I am going to consider this a new starting point for my running.

Since I really want to run the entire 5K on June 22nd, I need to increase my distance from 1 mile to 3.1 miles in 5 weeks.  Can it be done?

I say "YES."

Here is my entire "5 Weeks to 5K" plan:

• Three runs every week. 
• One or two days of cross training, too.
• "Intervals" means that I will run the distance listed, then walk a quarter mile, and repeat if time allows.
• "Speed training run" means that I will run the longest distance of the week as fast as possible, trying to improve every week.

Week 1 (May 19-May 25)
run 1- 1 mile intervals (walk .25, run 1, repeat)
run 2- 1.25 mile intervals
run 3- 1.5 mile speed training run!

Week 2 (May 26-June 1)
run 1- 1.5 mile intervals
run 2- 1.75 mile intervals
run 3- 2 mile speed training run

Week 3 (June 2-June 8)
run 1- 2 mile intervals
run 2- 2.25 mile intervals
run 3- 2.5 mile speed training run

Week 4 (June 9-June 15)
run 1- 2.25 mile intervals
run 2- 2.5 mile intervals
run 3- 2.75 mile speed training run

Week 5 (June 16-June 22)
run 1- 2.75 miles!
run 2- 3 miles!
run 3- Day of the race!  Run the entire 3.1 miles.

Phew.  This seems like a lot of running. 

And I also am taking a little test called the LSAT on June 10th.  Oh yeah, I am starting summer Spanish classes on May 29th.  So I'm hoping that my runs will be a good time to clear my head and to have some focused "me" time outside of all of the studying.  Running is such a good way to feel better about myself.

And making this goal would feel so great!  And give me another (way more fun) goal than acing the LSAT...

Have you ever trained for a 5K?  

Did you follow the C25K program, write your own plan, 

or wing it?

a runner's body

Have you ever seen someone running along the street or at a nearby treadmill and thought to yourself "Some day I will have a runner's body like that!"?

I know that I have.

I think that most people have an idea of what a runner's body should look like, and many of us strive for that ideal when we begin to run or to think about running.

I know that I had those thoughts quite often in the past.  They motivated me to want to run.  I was more about getting that long, lean, look than I was about being a runner.

But I had an epiphany recently, while I was running.

Here's what I realized:  Right now, at this very moment, I HAVE A RUNNER'S BODY.

You wanna know how I know that?  Because I am a runner.

There is no reason to strive for some "ideal" that is likely unrealistic for most people, especially for those of us who cannot devote every day to running and who are genetically destined to be pears or apples.  Instead, we need to all focus on getting healthy, embracing ourselves as we are, and embracing our bodies as they are (and remember all the while that the size of our bodies does not dictate beauty, either outward OR inner beauty).

I'm not there yet, but I'm working hard towards it!  Today I ran 1.25 mile straight, 2.5 miles total.  By the end of March, I will be able to run 3.1 miles straight (a 5K).  By October 6, 13.1 miles hopefully...  So there is no doubt in my mind that I am now a runner.

And if you run, you are a runner, and you have a runner's body.  So enjoy it!!!

a runner's body

Distance Training vs. Calorie Burning

Since Januray 7th, I have been a runner.

Yes, a RUNNER.  One who runs. 

I finally am one of the chosen few.  One of the elite.  One of the special and unique.

Only joking.  Almost anyone can run!  If one can walk, and one has the desire to do that same basic movement only faster, than one can probably run. 

I've tried in the past to be a runner.  It was always very hard to do, and the rewards were so few that I quit every darn time.

I found it more rewarding to get on my stationary bike, or do the elliptical, or just walk uphill on a treadmill than running.

So because I was missing out on the rewards of running, I quit.

What reward was I looking for back then?

CALORIES burnt.

The fact remained that I could burn way more calories on my bike or on an elliptical than I did when I went running, particularly because I couldn't run for very long or very fast.  It seemed pointless to do running intervals when I would burn so few calories doing it.

Why am I runner now?  Why do I now feel confident that I won't quit, and that I will be a half-marathon runner by the end of 2013 (October 6th to be exact)?

Because I've changed my mindset.  My new reward is the half marathon.  So I am now training to run 13.1 miles.

Every new distance reached is a reward.  Every time that I run another mile, I'm happy.  When I'm on the treadmill, now I'm looking at the distance first, the time second, and the calories third (if at all).

So far, this is how my training has gone:

Every week, I must have three running days.  They don't have to be in a row, and there is no time rule except a minimum of 30 minutes.  I try to cross train at least two other days a week, but I'm not strict about that either.

Week 1:  Half mile interval.  I ran half a mile then walked half a mile
Week 2:  3/4 mile intervals.  I ran 3/4 a mile, then walk 1/4 mile, and continued the patter
Week 3: (began today!) I ran 1 mile, then walked 1/4 mile, and so forth.

I've improved my 5K time dramatically in just two weeks.  I'm so excited!!!  It felt SO GOOD to run an entire mile today.  And then I did it again, after walking 1/4 mile.  I'm stoked.

I am LOVING my running workouts.  I look forward to them.  They relieve stress, energize me, and make me feel strong, fit, and beautiful.

I have heard these kind of things be said about running in the past, and I never understood why I couldn't get there.

Now I know.  I had to change my focus from CALORIES burned to DISTANCE training.  Now I get it.  Now...  I'm a runner.  And it feels great.

Working, Healthy Eating, and 1/2 Marathon Training Day #1

Today was day one of my internship!  In case you guys are curious about it, here's the internship that I'm doing:

TN State internship site!!!

It should be a great opportunity for my future, since my goal is to be an attorney.  These are the people who could write me excellent recommendation letters for Columbia Law!!!  So I'm excited about it, despite that the job itself seems routine and boring to me so far (but that's because I have TONS of office experience, which is a good thing.)

Today was also day one of going back to a more healthy diet.  I've decided against going full force Eat To Live even for 5 days a week.  Instead, I'm starting off relatively slow.

Instead of "NO PROCESSED FOODS!!!" and adhering to strict portion rules regarding whole grains, I'm just trying to eat a healthy and vegan diet through the week, with minimal processed foods.  And the processed foods that I do choose have to be natural, organic, and/or at least kind of healthy.

Also I'm not counting calories right now, because I'm eating healthy foods, cooking, and listening to my hunger signals (therefore I'm not measuring so even if I plugged it into MFP, I would be off).

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast- oats (old-fashioned) cooked with almond milk with sliced banana
Lunch- out to lunch with co-workers, vegetable sushi roll and tofu sushi
Snack- organic red delicious apple and coconut yogurt
Dinner- a beautifully thrown together bowl meal: brown rice, garbanzo beans, tomato, orange bell pepper, asparagus, steamed greens, and red onion, with EVOO and red wine vinegar
Snack- a whole wheat sandwich round with natural peanut butter

today's dinner (and probably tomorrow's too)

Like I said, no measurements and there was always food leftover (except for the snacks, those were eaten completely) so I cannot accurately count calories.  But I think that I ate a perfectly healthy amount of perfectly healthy food today.

The third thing that began today:  my half-marathon training!!!  It went very well!  I have written a training schedule for myself, which includes three weekly runs (run/walks in the beginning) and 2 to 3 cross training days.

Today was the first day of week 1, which is half mile run/walk intervals.  I absolutely LOVED focusing on the mileage instead of the time or the calories.  It was liberating.

So all in all, those three goals are going splendidly.  I'm very proud of myself after just one day of following through.  And I feel amazing.  (Though a bit stiff from the workout, not gonna lie!)

Excited about exercise...?! Really excited.

[source]

Remember this post? Well, I'm all done with that. I'm excited about exercise again!!!

I'm pretty sure that it is because I have been switching it up. Rediscovering the Wave has been amazing to me!

Another reason that I'm excited: I finally got that free exercise bike from my cousin yesterday!!! It's just a basic recumbant bike, but it has the ability to increase the resistance, which is a challenge for my leg muscles.

Plus, it's in the front room. Which is the main TV room, so now I can look forward to watching DVD shows as well as DVRed shows, all while exercising! How exciting. :-)

One more reason that I'm excited about exercising: I have some new goals.

1st goal: to become a runner.

Yes, I badly want to be a runner. I have spent years telling myself that I couldn't run for many reasons. Mostly, that I am very prone to shin splints.

Well, I finally figured out that if I do shin strengthening exercises a couple of times a week, and ice my shins after a run, I can pretty much avoid shin problems. :-) :-) :-)

This weekend, I did three days in a row of running intervals. Run one minute, walk one minute, run two minutes, walk one minute. Back to one minute. And so on! It felt amazing! I felt so strong and beautiful while I ran. And I know that it worked my heart and a lot of other muscles, since I was drenched in sweat and sore the next day. I'm almost ready to start calling myself a "runner". Almost. I'll let you know. ;-)

Now I'm dreaming of 5Ks and half marathons in 2012... we'll see.

Another goal of mine: getting bikini ready. And yes, I know that this is a shallow, common goal. But I still want it!

I'm pretty sure that I'll look good in a bikini this summer, since last summer I rocked one at 180 or so, and thought that I looked good.

Why not really challenge myself into working on my thighs, butt, abs, back, and arms by working towards getting bikini ready?

I can't think of any reasons. So, official goal: get bikini ready.

The final reason that I'm getting more excited about exercise: It's a big stress reliever. Seriously. Here's my current week day schedule:

• Go to work for 8 hours.
• Go to class for 3 hours.
• Go to the library and study/do homework for an hour or two.
• Get home around 10pm.
• Eat a late dinner/take bath/study more/laundry/etc.
• Get some sleep...

What better way to start that crazy day than 40 minutes of high-intensity exercise??

What motivates you to exercise?

Do you have any fitness goals right now?