I am still here!!

Run: 5 miles

I must admit, since the heat is on out here in the black hole I've been doing a poor job of keeping up my training. Though I've often gone without a workout for 3 or 4 days, this week I've decided (and don't have much option) that the heat won't hold me down. I even started to run at my most desired time of day -10a.m.- and it is HOT! 90 degrees hot. Strangely, I'm liking it. I think it's because I am about to go home to Oregon for a month where I know everyone is sporting their infamous Oregon tans and I will be golden.

This is where I share my favorite product of the moment

Sun Bum. It is not tested on animals, made in the U.S and recommended by Skin Cancer Foundation. Not greasy and smells like sweet coconut but not overbearing. I have yet to try their chap stick and I am a pretty big chap stick connoisseur...

Speaking of cancer, I became obsessed with juicing after I saw this fascinating documentary The Beautiful Truth. You can watch it free here. I discovered it on a couch day when I wasn't feeling too hot after visiting my dentist. It was an interesting time to discover it, you'll see why after you watch it.

Here's the summary from the website:

Raised on a wildlife reserve in Alaska, 15-year old Garrett was interested in the dietary habits of their animals.
After the tragic death of his mother, Garrett s father decided to home-school his son and assigned a book written by Dr. Max Gerson that proposes a direct link between diet and a cure for cancer.
Fascinated, Garrett embarks on a cross-country road trip to investigate The Gerson Therapy. He meets with scientists, doctors and cancer survivors who reveal how it is in the best interest of the multi-billion dollar medical industry to dismiss the notion of alternative and natural cures.
It has been said that more people live off cancer than die from it. The Beautiful Truth is a movie that can put a stop to this travesty. Here is a very practical guide to the intensive nutritional treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases that many would consider to have been impossible to obtain. But thanks to the work of Max Gerson, M.D., and his daughter, Charlotte Gerson, this knowledge is readily available.

Do you juice? How often? What are your favorite concoctions?

DIY: Summer Scrub

Workout: Legs & Back P90X & AB Ripper

I don't know about you, but since I started running, my feet have turned into that of a hobbit.

I found this great recipe and tweaked it a bit to make an even better scrub. It's amazing for my feet, legs and hands. I left a tiny jar by the sink for my hands and one next to the bath. It's highly recommended you take caution when using since the oil can make the shower slick. I use it in the bath and clean the tub after so no one else eats dirt on their turn to shower.

DIY: Summer Scrub

Yield: about 1 cup
Time: 10 minutes

 

1/2 cup Sea Salt

1/3 cup Raw Sugar

1/4 cup warm Coconut Oil

About 30 Drops Essential Oil (I used 15 drops Grapefruit & 15 drops Lemon)

Optional: 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Citrus Zest (Grapefruit in this case) 

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and transfer to a tight sealing jar. I like to use mason jars for everything, the prettier and more eclectic the better. A pretty jar makes it a little more special.

?Por que?

Run: 6 miles

It was a good run today considering the desert brought on its humidity and along with it a monstrous emerging of green like gnats. Who knows how many I ate. Sick.

As if having the itchy creepy crawlies all morning isn't enough, get this: I am trotting along minding my own business when I slowly come up on this woman who is jogging with weights in hand. I think to myself, "Damn, she's crazy tough". And I slowly start to huff past her (no weights mind you, other than the stroller that's pretty darn light). Just as I am past her, she whispers, "bitch". !!!??? Huh? ?Por Que, Senora?

Have you ever encountered any haters during a run or workout?

My Best Workout Accessory

My wristband.

I bought it at American Apparel where you can always rely on the perpetuation of 80s gear. My wristband has a wonderful multiuse purpose: guarding my wrists from kettlebell smack, wiping the sweat from my brow, the snot from my nose, the food from Nola's face, etc. It's also an utterly discusting piece of equipment.

Run: 7 miles

After my legs and back workout on Thursday, the dreaded second day hurt was awful, so much that I am feeling the pain today!  Still, I managed to get in 4 miles of feeling like my butt had been transformed into a kettlebell itself and my hamstrings a punching bag for Dan Hardy (my favorite MMA chap). My legs are weak. Note taken. I felt good today, other than the fact that it was hot and insanely dry. And when I say dry, that means your sweat evaporates so fast it's never actually there. Nope, probably not going to stop whining about that.

What's your favorite workout accessory?

Shamrock 10 Recap & Birthday Fun

Run: 5 miserable miles

Well, I made it through my very first official 10k along side my accomplice the whole way. While it was a little bottle necked for the first couple of miles, we got into a dodge and weave groove. We managed to up our mile splits by a minute throughout, making the last mile my PR at 8:43. Not too bad for a bird who only started running only 3 months ago. Here's us looking fresh pre-race.

Coffee at this awesome little stand was first thing on the agenda post race. I couldn't help but to be a bit jealous of the simplicity of this place. When I first opened my little shop, the intent was that of something similar, but the demands of the area instigated more diversity.

Next up, a stroll through South Park and a turkey burger for lunch at this awesome (kid and dog friendly) place. Such a cool neighborhood reminicent of Portland. I finally got myself some great earrings that Nola can't yank out at this cute little shop. The owner is even working on developing her own magazine. What a dream to live here... Portland with a ton of sun!! YESSSSS

 

The evening was finished off with sushi (we were given exactly 60 minutes to enjoy our time by the reservationist) and the movie This is 40. So ridiculously funny, I think someone stole my diary and made a movie of it.

This brings me to my first run of the shining new age of 34 29. I woke early today to get the run in before it was 115 degrees outside (really 89, but hotter than 68 is miserable). I snuck out of the house at 6:45 to get in a solo, uninterrupted, stroller free run of 6-7 miles. But immediatly was hit with knee and hip achy pain. I pushed through to the longest 5 miles on the planet to still have achy knees tonight. I know my water intake has not been nearly enough and I have neglected strengthening simply because I'm lazy. Other than focusing on these things, do you have any tips/advice for me?

Eat This!

Run: 5 miles

This recipe is too good to not share. Be sure you follow the dressing recipe exact or you're going to get a paste real fast. I think there's a reaction with the lemon and tahini. I learned the hard way, but added a few tablespoons of water and fixed the problem. So don't fret if you get the glue like I did... it's an easy fix.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon-Tahini Sauce

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI-LEMON SAUCE

Serves 2

Provisions:

1 head cauliflower, sliced into 1″ discs or broken into florets

Cumin powder, to taste (about 2 generous teaspoons)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Olive oil, for brushing

1/2 cup tahini

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 big spoonful plain yogurt (if mixing the tahini sauce)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200C / 400F.

Slice the cauliflower into 1″-thick discs (all the way across), or separate into large florets. Arrange on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush each piece lightly with olive oil (coating both sides) and sprinkle with the cumin, salt and pepper. Place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or until golden brown, carefully flipping once halfway through.

In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic and yogurt. Add a pinch of salt to taste, if desired. Drizzle or spread atop each crispy piece of cauliflower.

If tahini becomes oily or too thick when mixed with other ingredients, mix the crushed garlic with the lemon juice and drizzle over the cauliflower, followed by the plain tahini.

I'm a winner!!

While perusing one of my favorite blogs, I stumbled into a giveaway for a ticket to the Vida Vegan Conference and I just found out I WON!!! For reals!! What perfect timing since I will be home in Oregon for the month; just finishing up my first half marathon, checking in on my beloved little coffee shop and visiting my friends and family. It's going to be a super awesome month!

 

 

 

Race to 400

Workout: Kettlebell Race to 400 & AB Ripper X (from PX90)

Chad made up this legendary workout while we were members of the Skogg Gym. The goal is to get through these four basic workouts as quickly as possible. My best time was in the prime of my Kettlebell career earning a time of 12:14. Pretty darn good.. Today my time was 18:07. Ouch. I will admit while I have done pretty well on keeping up with my running (164 miles this year), my strength training has been nil.

I don't have a video link but you can easily find these moves on youtube or myomytv  I finished the workout on both sides before moving on to the next phase. Here's the workout :

Right side
50 clean/press
50 swing
50 snatch
50 clean

Left side
50 clean/press
50 swing
50 snatch
50 clean

Discounts & Off to Palm Springs!

SHAMROCK COMPRESSION SOCKS!! These are definitely a need for me especially since my birthday is March 16 and I am running the San Diego Shamrock 10k. Even better they're 40% off with the code SOM3. I've been wearing my watermelon greens for a few weeks and love love them. I've noticed a lot of people also wear them for after their runs for better recovery. Haven't tried that out yet, but would love to hear about your experience with compression socks. A brief summary for those who have not tried these babies out:

- Promotes blood flow for speedy recovery
- Foot-bed compression
- Built-in "Stabilizer Zone" for optimal support

- Advanced materials for moisture control

- Made in USA

- mmHg rating 22-26

Getting hot out here!

Last Night's Run: 4 miles

It's beginning to warm up out here in the desert, meaning I have to start running earlier or later. Which is no where good for Nola's schedule... I was shooting for 5 miles but Nolz's patience was simply non existent. Moms out there, how do you do it?

A snack for Nola and I today (this was only a small portion of what she devoured). Smoothie~pineapple, kale, spinach, banana, almond milk. Next time I'd add kiwi or ginger.

Happy little bumble bee

Mi familia. I am so lucky!

San Diego Love

Yesterday's Run:7 miles

This is where I imagined I was during my run. And where I am hoping my runs will be this weekend... The energy from everyone playing near the beach and bay are so easily absorbed it makes running so much more enlightening.

Being from Portland and an owner of a coffee shop, I am a bit obsessed with coffee shops... So I've got to share the awesome decor of this newly discovered shop.

SO COOL

While my longest run has been 7 miles, I am obsessed with looking at my total mileage for the week. I also have begun to carry a huge guilt if I take 2 days off in a row. Then I look at my mileage for the week and I make it up there and feel relief.  I've told myself I will not run any less than 4 miles from this point on... preferably 5. It shocking to see on record how much I am running and that I actually love it! I've also discovered music is more important than I thought. While I am zoning out and focused on my breathing, the soundtrack to my run is crucial. While war battle music is great every now and then, I have shifted on to thriving on zen out music. What's on your playlist? 17 days until my first 10k (and my birthday)!

 

 

 

 

 

Run+Juice & San Diego!

Run: 4.5 miles

Four years is how long I patiently waited for my Breville juicer. FOUR LONG YEARS. It has become our family ritual to juice every morning for many reasons solely based on knowing the health benefits are immeasurable. Chad (my husband) is like a toddler in the sense of eating his vegetables. His meals are more frequently than not, of the brown palate. So I like to squeeze in as many as I can in his a.m. juice that he chokes down. When it comes to our actual toddler, Nola's favorite part of the morning is snagging her fresh pressed vegetable nectar. Sounds good worded like that eh? And there's nothing more rewarding than the silly red or green stained smile on her precious face.
Here is this morning's kicker: We all got about 4-8 ounces
5 carrots
1 apple
large bunch of purple and green kale
3 tiny beets
1 handful spinach
1" fresh ginger

Love the froth on top! Yum

I never did find that fresh turmeric last time we were in San Diego... Any ideas?

Off to San Diego for the weekend! Chad is running the Tough Mudder in Temecula...sure would be awesome if he had one of those gopro cameras to virtually run it with him. Even so, Nola and I are going to savor our running on the beach this weekend and sipping a little hot delight from our favorite coffee roaster in Bird Rock.

Running buddies

Run: 5.25 Miles

Here's my littlest running buddy being blinded by the ever so unforgiving desert sun.

Fortunately, winter is prime as far as weather out here (if you can stand the smell). We're talking the complete opposite of the weather in Oregon where I grew up. In Oregon you wait and wait and wait and wait for summer, and then it shows its unrivaled beauty in July. Out here in the SoCal desert, it's like a sucker punch in March and holds you down for the count until December. Training for my first half Marathon in May will be a challenge through April. Luckily, we have an escape route to San Diego if need be.

My new found partner in crime are my Mizuno Waver Rider 15 shoes. First real running shoes and they're UHMAZING! Not to mention super cool looking.

Chinese Congee saved me

I’m not certain, but I may have had the stomach flu… I had an awful rumbling stomach and nausea causing me to lose my appetite for about 8 days. On day 5, I asked my acupuncturist what I could do and she suggested Chinese Congee to eliminate any toxins in my system.

What in the world is Congee? It is a broth or porridge made with rice and lots of water and cooked until the rice grain bursts open. There are many variations of congee (I found a lot of them being savory and with meat). But my gal gave me a simple vegan recipe that I only adjusted a tad.

1 cup white rice
5 cups water
10 dates (I used Medjool because they grow here and are easy to access) pitted and diced
1 teaspoon of dried ginger root or 1” fresh ginger diced

 Toss all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn to a simmer for 45-60 minutes. Add water as needed and be careful not to burn. Stir occasionally.

It took about a day for my stomach to start feeling normal. However, I was able to eat the Congee immediately without an angry response from my stomach. The Congee smelled delicious and tasted good enough to eat as every meal for 3 days.  I didn’t get sick of it and now I actually crave it. This recipe will certainly be kept for any future stomach ailments.

 

 

The juice to make it happen

Total miles for week one: 9

My 11 mile goal was a little ambitious; I was feeling great and wasn’t considering rest days. Although I was in ship shape and ready to go yesterday, I took a rest. Days off for recovery are just as important as work days. And I certainly don’t want to injure myself being overzealous. Now if I could only get a little more sleep...

Today’s Workout

I warmed up with a 2 mile jog-walk and a little unreasonable resistance with Kona (our 85 pound Bernese Mountain Dog) and of course, Nola tagged along in her stroller. Today was my Kettlebell workout and I used the 18 lb. bell. I found this work out here.

1.      Reverse Lunge-right

2.      Reverse Lunge-left  

3.      Suitcase Dead Burpee

4.      Dynamic Pushups

5.      Bent Over Alternating Row

6.      Alternating Swings

 

10 reps 4 times

Squeeze Me!

My go to juice every morning is: 3 carrots, 1 beet, 1 small apple, a handful of spinach and roughly ½ to 1 inch of ginger. This is the perfect portion for Nola and me to share (I omit the ginger in her portion). It’s an extraordinary ease to have our little beetle bug love fresh juice the way she does. Nonetheless, this combo is getting a little boring. So next week our juice will be composed of carrot, granny smith apple, pineapple, orange and turmeric root. I will play with the portions and post what I come up with. From my understanding Turmeric root can be hard to find in whole, raw form. I have been told Whole Foods sometimes has it so we will check it out this weekend on a trip to San Diego. An interesting list of 20 health benefits for turmeric can be found here.

 

 

Bonus!

We have the BEST property manager at our condo! I was asked to show a potential buyer our unit due the shortage in floor plans similar to ours (or maybe because our place is so hip); I joyfully accepted. I spent about 45 minutes chatting away about how much we loved our condo and how it has made living in such an isolated area more bearable. The couple viewing our place was quite pleasant; or maybe I am so sheltered from social life I will latch on to anyone who will chat with me! Anyhow, they ended up purchasing a unit and our manager mailed us a referral check for $1000! Awesome.

 What to spend it on… At first, my mind scrambled. Running shoes, compression socks, headphones, hair-do, pedicure, Beco potty trainer for Nola. Then I took a deep breath. Yessss a Vitamix! I’ve been lusting over these babies for some time now, never imagining our union would be so soon. The purchase is quite an investment but how can you put a price on your health? The sale was an easy layup with my husband, Chad; likely due to the fact that he wants to spend his share on something totally unusable and merely cosmetic (building a kickboard under our kitchen bar??). Ideally he would be working on the pile of dirt for a yard we have, but it is his share so do as he may. Regardless, tomorrow is the big day.  We are headed north to Palm Springs to the local Costco to search out our new beloved. I will be sharing recipes and lots of photos in the near future.

On a side note, I am happy to say I completed 4 miles today without stopping for a walk until the 3.5 mile mark. Two miles was the goal but I felt great so I kept going. Our running path is an exact mile loop around a horse stable where the local rodeo is held every winter. Today there was a commotion of horseback riders with their beautiful Pendleton blankets, gleaming trailers, dusty cowboy boots and the nay of over excited horses. This was certainly a factor in my exhilaration (daydreaming of riding bareback). My furthest run up to this point  is a 5k so I am excited to be up to par. My pace was about 1.5 minutes slower than ideal but I am delighted my miles are good this week. Strangely, I am excited to hit the pavement tomorrow.

 

Week one

I created this blog to document my life transition, to inspire and be inspired. This is week one of the new me as a runner. I have always loathed running while admiring the life of a devoted runner. In the past I have been a Kettlebell enthusiast and still prefer it for strength, endurance and cardio. I plan on using my bells for my workouts on strength days. I know this additional training will propel me into the world of running (the cardio you get from it is incredible). I will be following Skogg System as guidance for workouts.

My childhood friend and now sister-in-law (we married twins in order to get past our constant quarreling over the same taste in boys) told me she signed up for a half marathon on her birthday this year. Being that birthdays are of great importance to her, I told myself that I didn’t have any other option but to sign up too. It IS her birthday after all and that’s what she wants to do, so let’s do it! 13.1 miles. OKAY, now I’m scared. I have not loyally followed a fitness routine in roughly 2.5 years (a few months before getting pregnant with Nola). While I am struggling to run at a comfortable pace for more than 2 minutes, I keep in mind all of the amazing and admirable women’s runner-mother blogs I have unearthed and I am inspired to keep going. I look down at my sweet baby girl humming away in our (awesome) stroller and I am inspired. It’s not too bad that we are in the desert for winter and the weather is prime for this transition (I’m still scared).

I have completed 5 of my 11 mile goal this week so far and feel pretty good. Although I quickly learned that I must be flexible in my training regimen when Nola came down with a fever and peculiar rash. It is a bit of a game changer since we have to drive 2 hours west to San Diego (where we dream of living) to visit our doctor. Naturally, we made a day of it when we woke up Wednesday morning to a rash and fever free-happy baby. Nonetheless, one of my Kettlebell workouts had to be cut out this week. And that’s alright; I won’t beat myself up about it. We got to breathe in the sea air, let our dog, Kona charge through the ocean water and Nola giggle away at the tiny bits of sand pouring through her little fingers. It was a good “sick” day. Next time we will bring our running shoes!