Saturday, August 20, 2011

I Begin Training and Clean Up My Act

So it's official, I signed up for the Quad City Half Marathon on September 25th. That's not much of a horizon and I have done some serious slacking since Racine (July). During my period of slothitude that lasted from approximately July 18th to mid August, I learned that, like many runners, I crave the structure of a training program.

This morning I slogged through 6.61 miles by myself. To make things interesting I drove to downtown, parked my car and ran a different route -- over to Washington Park (drinking fountains and bathrooms) and back. There are a few respectable hills. Overall the run went well, maybe it was just the change of scenery more than anything. I really intended for this to be a little over 7 miles but was meeting Reindeer Mary for coffee at 8 and didn't get my ass out of bed early enough.

We had a great breakfast at Cafe Moxo in downtown Springfield. Mary's out for a while with what may possibly be a Morton's Neuroma and some nerve damage to her foot (can't believe that girl toughed out a half marathon with all this going on). Then perused the Old Capitol Farmers Market.

I recently decided to clean up my diet. Nothing too fancy, mostly just minimize or eliminate processed food, more fruits and vegetables ---- you know the story. My goal is to drop about ten pounds. After a week I have lost zero. But I feel a little better, maybe less like a bloated cow. My rings are looser on my fingers.

Couple of things I did this week:
  • Made some grilled chicken using a marinade of honey, vinegar and herbs (delicious). The chicken came from a local farm, supposedly the chickens get to eat grass and bugs and other stuff that chickens are meant to eat. The honey is from a farm just up the road. Not sure if it's just me but I did think the chicken tasted better.
  • Started using sea salt in place of the finely ground "regular" salt
  • Using plain yogurt -- delicious mixed with fresh fruit. Makes wonderful smoothies (add a little orange juice or honey for sweetness)
  • Made some spaghetti sauce from scratch (and broke food processor in the process :( )
  • Picked up a loaf of whole grain bread from a local bakery

5 comments:

Ransick said...

Signing up for races is good motivation to go out there and get it done. Nice run!

Midwest Miler said...

Yes, having a race on the agenda really helps me to get out the door. I also have better runs when there is a training plan being followed. I think it is better to mix up the distances and the paces.

Kate Geisen said...

I love having a plan. Then I'm not being lazy, it's a "rest day". :) good luck with your training and the clean eating. Sounds like it's off to a good start!

Lauren said...

Im all about plain greek yogurt. Mostly Face 2%. Fruit adds more then enough sweetness for me.

Kate Geisen said...

I'm sure he would, but, you know, it's not the same. :)