What I Ate Wednesday 1.20.16

 

I am off to the city a little later this morning for event industry stuff and part of me wonders if I should be schlepping myself across town to the upper west side to pick up my number for Sunday’s half marathon. It was my original plan, to pick up the number today, but with the way the weekend weather is looking, I honestly do not think I will be needing my number.

I am not really bothered by the fact that I probably won’t be able to run this race, in case you were wondering. Of course I signed up because I wanted to run but it’s January which means I sort of knew there was a chance that the winter weather would interfere. We shall see I guess!

Anyway, what I ate yesterday…

Breakfast:

Early morning small bowl of oatmeal with banana and coffee before my treadmill run < – must have food in my stomach to run!

I picked up a big bag of mandarin oranges at Trader Joe’s the other day. Not only does my son love the cute little mandarin oranges but I love them too especially when added to oatmeal.

Here’s an ugly sneak peek inside my post run oatmeal in a jar which contains the mandarin oranges mixed with oatmeal, blueberries, Skoop B Strong, and peanut butter.

My biggest problem lately is that I don’t leave enough peanut butter at the bottom of these jars to be eaten with the oatmeal.

Lunch:

Get used to seeing the grain free English muffin with peanut butter and jelly because I have been eating it every day that I am home for lunch.

I haven’t been working from Panera recently. I don’t know what happened but I somehow fell out of the habit. So, instead of buying a cup of coffee, I treat myself it seems to a Kombucha if I am somewhere that I see one < – My local Target now carries Synergy which means Target shops are going to have to be reduced just like my grocery shops during the week!

Dinner:

Just a quick and routine veggie loaded stir fry with chick peas and brown rice.

After Dinner Snack:

I can’t call popcorn dessert because dessert = sweet and this popcorn was not sweet. So let’s just call it my after dinner snack.

I didn’t even know it was National Popcorn Day yesterday when I decided to pop up this bowl!

[bctt tweet=”Take a peak at what I ate yesterday #WIAW #oatmeal @healthyskoop #popcorn #fitfluential”]

Check out what everyone else is eating today here.

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Do you like to have a sweet or salty snack after dinner?

How is the weather by you today?

 

Peak in the life of a Long Run

 

Earlier this year I shared a peak in the life of a treadmill long run post. The point of that post was to give you some insight as to how I go about positively preparing for and running long on the treadmill.

Staying positive and mentally tough is necessary for all runs though and is just as important as your physical ability.

The mental strength I continue to develop for running definitely stems from the tough runs I encounter, both indoors and outdoors, in which I do not give up on the run or my positive thought process.

Saturday’s long run was mentally challenging for the FIRST HOUR.

Sometimes the miles we run fly by in a blur and sometimes, like on Saturday, you remember each mile mark which makes today’s peak in the life of a long run post possible.

I woke up like usual, had oatmeal with banana (plus water and coffee) like usual and got ready to head outside. Even though it was warm (55 degrees) I felt that winter morning fatigue where you are cold and don’t want to take off your pajamas.

That sunrise though, as soon as I opened the front door, made me smile.

Mile 1 @ 9:44

Hmm. I know this is a warm up but I am going fairly slow for me.

Mile 2 @ 9:34

I think my calves are feeling tight. It’s okay, I am still warming up and clearly I need more warm up time today than usual.

Mile 3 @ 9:40

Seriously? What’s up with me today? When will I find my groove? Just keep going, things will fall into place. My calves feels stiff which is so odd but they are guaranteed to loosen up soon, I promise. You aren’t sick, you aren’t tired, nothing is injured, just keep going.

Don’t push, just run. Find where you are comfortable and stay with it.

Mile 4 @ 10:34

Uh huh. I should probably order myself a Black Friday pair of new running shoes. Clearly my Energy Boosts are shot, maybe that’s why I am struggling this morning.

Do not overfocus on your feet!

I don’t know what’s going on but I know it can only get better from here. It’s warm outside, appreciate the morning air.

Worst case scenario? Cut the run at 10 miles. You can run 10 miles no problem today.

Mile 5 @ 9:56

You know, I suddenly feel as though things are starting to look up. I feel myself falling into groove. It’s happening, I know it is.

Mile 6 @ 9:06

Yes! This feels awesome! I knew I could get past the first few miles and find my comfort zone. Just don’t get crazy here, it was a rough start so be mindful and cautious for a bit.

Mile 7 @ 9:00

Were my calves really bothering me today? Did that happen during this run? I feel fine now.

I opened a raspberry hammer gel at this point, I always take one with me for runs longer than 10 miles.

Mile 8 @ 9:00

If I told the average person having a tough run to just hang in there for an hour and everything will feel awesome, I think they would assume I am insane.

But gosh, I feel great now and it’s as if the first hour of this run didn’t happen.

Mile 9 @ 8:18

Hey you first 5 miles, TAKE THAT!

Mile 10 @ 8:30

OHHHHH I used to love this song as a kid!

….Ain’t nobody gonna break my stride, nobody gonna slow me down, oh no….I got to keep on moving…

I really need to make an 80’s playlist – please remember you want to make this playlist when you get home. Do not forget about it like you do most of the things you think about while running.

Mile 11 @ 8:47

You didn’t think I was actually going to stop at the 10 mile mark did you? I always give myself the option knowing that 99.9% of the time, I wouldn’t take it.

Mile 12 @ 7:48

Seriously, I love running. I am so proud of myself right now for not giving up at the beginning of this run. No matter what else goes on today, I have this feeling of pride in my ability, both mentally and physically, and it’s a big deal feeling.

Mile 13 @ 8:09

Time for a cool down and then my favorite post-run breakfast.

Is this long run really over? In some ways it felt like quite the morning journey and in other ways it went by so quick.

Blueberry Pie Protein Oatmeal — The winner of the Skoop Giveaway by the way is Ellie! She has been notified, thanks to everyone for entering!

So put this long run in the books filed under the chapter of mental strengthening because that’s what it was.

It will now be one of those runs that I will reflect upon the next time things start out icky, the next race I run where I get a cramp or feel weird or feel like I can’t continue. Because I know that I can.

Each time we complete a mentally or physically difficult run, we teach ourselves that we can.

[bctt tweet=”Peak in the life of the long run #running #fitfluential #longrun #mentalstrength “]

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How did you get through your last tough run? What did you tell yourself?

Anyone order new running shoes this weekend?

Favorite post long run meal?

WIAW- Don’t Let Me Down And Red Mango At Home

 

I don’t know what it up with the stars this week but it seems every day I have a quotable phrase to share from my horoscope:

“The best way to avoid disappointment is to lower your expectations.”

While this may be great advice, it does not hold true for all situations, especially at meal time.

I expect a lot from my food. There is absolutely nothing worse than a bad meal or unsatisfying dish that leaves you wondering what’s next.

Truth: I have ordered the exact same salad at The Cheesecake Factory for the last 14 years. One disappointing night back in the year 2000, I made the mistake of ordering something different and was extremely disappointed. It was terrible, unsatisfying and made me want to redo dinner. Lesson learned.

Since today is What I Ate Wednesday, I thought I would show you some of the meals that have yet to let me down.

Pre-Run Breakfast:

I wake up super hungry every day. Since I work out in the morning, I typically eat before AND directly after my runs making breakfast more like a two-part event.

Before a long run, I always start with the same breakfast — oatmeal.

I try not to overload my stomach before heading out the door but refuse to leave hungry so if for some reason this sized bowl doesn’t fill me, I add more.

Nothing worse for me than running on empty, or even feeling like empty. 

Post-Run Breakfast:

I daydream about this bowl throughout my run. Happiness= Oats mixed with plain greek yogurt, fruit and loads of peanut butter.

I know people love overnight oats but I am a lover of cooking the oats and then eating them cold with everything mixed in. I really should do a recipe post for this method.

Lunch:

Lunch is the one meal out of the day that can lead to disappointment since I never know what I want.

On Sunday I had an appointment smack in the middle of the day which totally affected when I would eat.

I wanted to make sure I ate before I left the house even though I wasn’t super hungry and certainly didn’t know what I was in the mood for.

Since I had French toast on the mind, I went with a slice of cinnamon raisin French toast as a sandwich for eggs, banana and peanut butter with a side of fruit.

I was more than satisfied with this mini meal for a few hours which worked well for the people I interacted with since I remained calm and focused rather than ravenous and mean.

Dinner:

In the event that I am unsure as to what I am in the mood for, I start with sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes can’t let you down.

I switch up my seasonings and flavors every day. This bowl from the other night includes sweet potatoes roasted with a cumin/paprika combo with roasted vegetables, chick peas, quinoa and avocado.

If you are looking for a how-to for your sweet potato fries, click here. Michelle from Peachy Palate recently did a post dedicated to the topic.

Dessert:

The whole purpose of a nighttime dessert is to a give you a great end to the day. It must satisfy the sweet tooth, the mind, the craving and the appetite.

I require a lot from my dessert and you should too.

Remember the Red Mango offer from last weekend? You better believe I got my BOGO for my freezer.

Look what I made myself at home!

Red Mango frozen yogurt topped with strawberries, chocolate chips and peanut butter.

I could get used to eating Red Mango every night in the comforts of my own home.

So rumor has it the temperature this morning is above freezing. Heat wave.

To be honest, the thought of layering and wearing the scarf that covers my mouth to protect myself from the cold air doesn’t sound all that appealing.

I think I have adjusted to being able to breathe comfortably inside the gym and may wait a few more days before venturing outdoors.

Have a great Wednesday! Be sure to check out what everyone else is eating for WIAW!

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What is your favorite pre-run meal? Post-run meal?

Favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?