Sunday Runday

Completed my longest run yet this morning – 15.39k/1:37:37mins (10:13min/mile pace)! I wanted to make sure to get one last big long run in before I start dialling it back a bit before the race. I will do another long run next weekend but more likely closer to 10k. I am super proud of myself for running this morning since I was not in the mood at all, despite the beautiful weather, and had to force myself to put my running shoes on. Once I was outside and starting running though, I always change my mind. I ran a long the usual route I do at home towards Indian Point but made it much farther than usual. There were some gorgeous (not to mention HUGE!) houses out there and the views were incredible. I had my running playlist with me, my favourite running son being Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams Come True. It seriously amps me up which is hilarious and is a perfect pace to run too :D I'm glad I accomplished this distance today since I can now feel confident I'll be able to complete the Bluenose Half Marathon in two weeks. Not that I thought I wouldn't finish, but I'm not going to lie, I am imagined myself crawling across the finish line! I think it's safe to say I'll be able to finish it still running :)

I've been trying out different gels and such to find what I like best for fuel on my long runs. I am not a fan of the gels as I find them way too thick to slurp a whole one back while running. You have to chase it with lots of water and it feels like I'm eating pudding :S So I got a pack of GU Chomps Energy Chews in Blueberry Pomegranate to see if those would work instead. Let's just say, I am definitely a fan! They are absolutely delicious and much easier to eat than the gels. Although they don't make it to your bloodstream as fast as a liquid would, I just ate them about 15 mins before I felt I would need an energy boost and they can be eaten very quickly. One pack also holds two servings (so can fuel an 1 1/2 to 2 hour run with one package) and they fit nicely in the pocket on the top/back of my Lululemon Inspire Crops. I will definitely be stocking up on these for my long runs as well as for the Half. Highly recommend these, especially for those who are fans of gummies :)

I really enjoyed my trip home (although it was way too short, I didn't get everything done I wanted to) and am sad I'll have to drive back to Halifax tonight. We managed to get a game of Rummy in last night – Mom was leading the whole time while Dad snuck in at the last second and creamed us all.

{Dalhousie cards with all the buildings. They're actually kind of distracting lol}

I also took a couple of pics on my run that I thought I would share:

{I have a lot of shots of the churches but the tide was out this morning and the sun was shining so I thought it made a nice picture}

{And a little ways up the road I found the Easter Bunny (or Easter Bear I should say?) – I guess he does exist! :P}

Sadly, I lost my water bottle on today's run. I ran with it about a third of the way and left it by the side of the road so I could pick it up on my way back but had no idea where I left it! I even went back after with the car and still couldn't find it. Won't make that mistake again! I'll be using my hand-held water bottle for the race (which I forgot to bring home) which is nice and small and can be refilled as I go.

Happy Sunday,

S

Yumm… Bread & Butter Pickles

FINALLY pushed myself to get up for a morning run. It used to be surprisingly easy to get myself up and out the door but during the past week or two it's been torture. Not only do I not get up when my alarm goes off, but I then continue to press snooze for another 45 minutes! And when I hit snooze I often feel worse when I get up – the extra time in bed is NOT worth it. So needless to say I feel good about starting the day off right. Did a short run, 5k/31:40 mins on the treadmill.

So I got home pretty late last night from volunteering and hadn't had anything for supper. Even though I hate eating that late at night I was STARVING so I made a yummy two egg/egg white omelette with sliced turkey and cheddar cheese. YUMMMMM. I also found the BEST pickles at Superstore the other day. Seriously, the best you'll ever have (if you like sweet pickles, that is).

{It's not as huge as it looks, the plate was just really small :P}

We are seeing Billy Talent tonight! I'm pretty excited :) I don't listen to them as much any more but I loved them in high school/my undergrad so I know the words to most of their songs. And the best concerts are the ones where you can scream out all the lyrics! SUM 41 was supposed to open for them which would have been so much fun to see (super nostalgia since I LOVED them in jr. high/high school). But they dropped out last minute due to one of the band members being injured or something so that was kind of a bummer :( Oh well, it will still be a great show. I'll post some pics from the concert later tonight!

Enjoy the nice weather :)

S

Wheat – the root of all evil?

I've been waiting all week for today! Gotta love Fridays :) I'm taking a rest day so I can get things done (apartment looks like a bomb went off which is very unlike me and I'm currently out of clean dishes…). So I thought it was about time I did a post on the wheat-free diet I've been following for the past couple of weeks.

I found about about it from my parents who have been "wheat-free" for about  the past month or so after reading the book Wheat Belly by William Davis (you can find out more about it by visiting the WheatBellyBlog). It says some pretty interesting stuff. It basically describes the transformation of wheat through genetic modification into the new "modern" wheat we eat today. Davis believes that the current sky high obesity rates are due to over-consumption of this new/modified wheat. He also talks about how many health problems such as fatigue, digestive issues, even skin conditions can be solved by eliminating wheat from your diet. The book is a good read and a lot of his arguments against the grain are well put, although there are a few problems as with any new "miracle cure" (illustrated well in this Globe and Mail article).

Despite the controversies, I do believe a wheat-free diet could be beneficial for many, but not for everyone. It is likely that different people are affected by wheat consumption in different ways (obviously, if wheat is THE cause of modern obesity then why isn't' everyone overweight?!). A lot of people I know eat massive amounts of wheat on a daily basis and don't have any health-realted problems (that I or they know of). But, as described in the book, I definitely used to notice changes, with regards to my appetite, after eating wheat products. If I ate toast or pancakes for breakfast in the morning I was likely to eat a much larger breakfast or be hungry less than an hour later. Even after a HUGE bowl of pasta can you honestly tell me that a little while after you couldn't eat seconds? Wheat has been shown to increase insulin production which leads to increased appetite and storage of fat so it makes sense. It's also a good decision to eliminate GMO food from your diet, as best as you can. Although it's hard to escape GMO food these days, as it is the more efficient and cheaper method and most packaged/processed food is likely to contain GMO ingredients, by cutting out wheat I have somehow also been steered into a total healthier diet altogether!

By cutting out wheat I've had to make sure to purchase alternative flours and grains to make my own breads, cereals, etc. In doing so I've changed the way I eat in general. I've been cooking at home more to have things to take for lunch, snacks, etc. since eating-out is pretty difficult (in such a way that you can't just get whatever you want, you need to check the ingredients first. A LOT of places now a days have gluten-free alternatives so I shouldn't say it's difficult, it's just not as easy?). Thus, I also spend less money and eat less processed food as I love to make things from scratch at home. By making most of the things I eat myself, I also know exactly what's going in them and am paying closer attention to which food groups I'm eating or need to include more of. By paying closer attention to everything I am eating I'm also able to cut down on fatty and sugary foods which you don't think to much about if you're grabbing lunch at a restaurant or buying some pre-packaged foods. Since I'm eating really well, it drives my need for exercise even more (training for the half marathon is a pretty good motivator too!). And to top it all off I don't feel like I'm actually depriving myself of anything in particular as you can continue to eat the treats you love as long (as they don't include wheat of course). Other diets I've tried all tell you to cut calories and sugar and fatty foods (which is obviously healthy) but when this the main driving force of your dieting mantra it can be extremely difficult to maintain in the long run since you feel like you're cutting out a lot of treats you love (especially for me, I would be shaking with withdrawal if I had to go without icecream!)

All-in-all I've been feeling great lately, eating healthy and exercising more all by cutting wheat from my diet. No, it's not as easy as I'm making it sounds as you need to have a some self control (especially when you co-workers are having birthing cake and you can't have any!) and be willing to put in a little extra work if you'd like to have some wheat-free alternatives of staple foods such as bread, pasta, etc. in order to still have a balanced diet (bacon and chips are wheat-free to but they can't be all you eat!) I will say brown rice pasta is identical in taste and texture to whole wheat pasta, in my personal opinion!



So basically, I don't believe wheat itself is the demon behind people's weight issues these days and that cutting it out is all you need to lose weight and feel great. I think once you're ready to make the decision to go wheat-free, you're also finally in the mind-set to living a health life style. Only took me 25 years!

S

Update:

I got myself some new shoes this week! I am absolutely in love with them :)

{I think the crochet pattern adds a nice touch for the summer}

As I have unfortunately been cursed with clown-size feet, my shoes seem to barely make through each season. So although I love Toms and Keds, it's hardly worth me spending $50 - $60 on shoes that will fall apart after a couple of months. So I was ecstatic when I found these at Walmart of all places! And since they were only $12 a pair...


I got them in black as well!

Happy Friday :)

Mellow Monday, Trendy Tuesday

No run on Monday, I took a day to rest my legs from Sunday's run. It was also a crappy day because of all the rain outside. I thought we were heading for some nice weather finally! Today seems to be a lot nicer with the sun shining this morning so hopefully it truly is Spring time!

{View from my window at work, wasn't looking forward to going outside at the end of the day}

Plus I had to be up at 5:30am Monday morning to drive Matt into Bedford. They are working on a foundation in Liverpool again this week so if I drive him in I can keep the car while he's away in case I need it. It was HORRIBLE getting up that early but worth it I guess. Got to go back to sleep for an hour or two when I got home but I made it an early night, after watching Game of Thrones of course! What a fantastic show. It's times like this I wish I had splurged for cable so I can watch it with everyone else. Oh well, I didn't run into any spoilers before watching it so that was lucky :) Great first episode, can't wait for the rest of the season (literally, I can't wait, I need it now!)

Made myself I yummy meal last night of quinoa with shrimp, edamame and mushrooms with cilantro and a touch of sesame oil. Delicous :)

I've been really into quinoa lately and looking for different ways to cook with it. For this, I first toasted it in a dry pan then cooked it by simmering it in vegetable stock. It was much more flavourful this way than just cooking it in water.

Yet again made it to the gym this morning, I honestly don't know how I'm doing it! I'm literally the worst morning person. It's just so nice to have it done and not have to worry about fitting a run in later in the day and the gym is much less busy in the mornings (although the YMCA is generally not too hectic which I love). Did 6.5k/46:16mins which is an average 11:34/mile pace, a bit faster than usual. I was a little stiff this morning so my run did feel a bit strained but my muscles seemed to loosen up by the end. Tried out my new Run: Swiftly Tech Short Sleeve shirt that I just bought (@fledgelingx I'm slowly adding to my collection!). Super comfy and light and dries very quickly. It's the short sleeve version of my Run: Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve which is great for running outside during cold mornings. I'm slowly expanding my running gear collection and loving it :)