I like the sleeping side of me. I find her amusing. She lives a life I never recall but I see evidence of her existence.
This morning I woke around 2 am feeling like something was jammed into my ribs. Thinking it was the sheet balled up, I pulled at it, trying to get it out from under me. It still felt like I was laying on a tennis ball. Tired and irritated, I reached under me and pulled out a wadded up sock.
At that moment I realized I had pulled off both of my socks and one had somehow wedged itself under my ribcage.
Just crawling in to bed right now, I found the other sock, also near the head of the bed. I laughed and pictured how that all must have gone down. I'm amused to know that I lead another life at night that I don't always remember. It's like being two different people. And knowing myself as well as I do, I can imagine why or how I went about doing something. The socks must've come off because I got hot. How they ended up near my head is a bit more mysterious.
I also love those nights when I remember nothing at all, because it means I slept. Deeply. Those are rare nights for me. Usually I do not sleep completely through the night, so I awake with memories of getting up a few times during the night. I also have very vivid dreams that I remember well into the next day, on a regular basis. So having a night that is a complete blank is rare. And to know that I do stuff during that time is just intriguing.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Fruity Spring Rolls and the Journey to Mt. Hamilton
I'm riding The Art of Survival Century at the end of May, so on today's agenda was a 30-something mile ride. None of the club rides suited my needs and I wanted to get back early enough to do some homework (bahahaha!...about that...), so I tried mapping out a ride on MapMyRide.com. Nothing looked interesting. It's kind of nice to do a new route, but not if you're unsure about how well traveled it is or the state of the bike lanes. On a whim I decided to go back up Mt. Hamilton.
The Century I'm doing is flat, so there's really no other reason to do hills other than it's good for me and will maybe help me gain some strength back in my legs (getting there!). I haven't been up Mt. Hamilton since early last summer, so it's been awhile. I don't remember it being particularly difficult, just a long steady climb.
I've also been trying to fuel myself with healthy foods as much as possible, which can be a little difficult while participating in training events. Running any longer than 10 miles in training, I bring along a GU. Which is really just sugar in gel form. While not an ideal replacement of nutrients for your body, it is incredibly convenient and does not involve any chewing and greatly limits the likelihood that I will choke on it and die. Also, it's fairly hard to digest solid food while running. My stomach does not appreciate any attempt to make it do so.
Cycling though, allows for some creativity and solid food. Your stomach doesn't bounce around while riding a bike. Unless you're doing it wrong. So why not have really tasty, healthy, real food?
You might remember my go with "Feed Zone Portables", my athletes-on-the-go cookbook. Lots of great ideas with an incredibly horrible description on how to wrap the stupid things. Anyway, it's really great to figure out new exciting foods to take with me on my rides. These rides can last several hours. I on the other hand cannot last that long without refueling, especially if I'm exerting myself substantially. It's nice to drop by Starbucks mid-ride for a cappuccino and pastry, but really that is not an efficient replacement of much needed nutrients.
I was at Sprouts yesterday and came across this:
This is rice paper. As you can surely read. If you've ever had a spring roll at a Thai or Chinese restaurant, this is what they are made with. Not the fried egg roll things, those are different. These are just clear rice paper.
While I had already planned some prosciutto quesadillas for my ride, when I saw this on the shelf, I instantly thought- portable food! Portable food is awesome. On my last ride I brought a banana and a chicken breast. I just shove them into my jersey pockets and go.
Since I already had the savory quesadilla planned, I decided to try to make something sweet. And then I decided on Strawberry and Banana Spring Rolls with peanut butter.
So this morning I cut up a banana and some strawberries and rolled them up into the rice paper. It was interesting. After completely fouling up the first one, I got a good technique down and the rest went much better.
All you do is dip the rice paper (which comes out looking like a plastic disk) in warm water for about 5 seconds, put it on a plate, put your filling on it, and roll it up.
I know, they look kinda weird, but they were delicious! The thing about spring rolls is that they're kind of sticky. So you can't really just stack a bunch on top of each other and go for it. I should get some of that foil that's lined with wax paper. But for now, I just rolled them up in foil.
I wasn't chomping at the bit to go do this ride, as much as I love the ride, since I knew it was going to be at least a little tough. Boy do I underestimate mountains sometimes.
It turned out to be a beautiful day. Perfect temperature, sunny, and everything is green right now.
There's a "warm up" section of the ride before you dip down in to a valley just before starting the actual climb up Mt. Hamilton. Turns out to be an 8 mile warm up. And it's steeper than I remember.
I stopped in the valley for a bathroom break at the county park (dirt trails there for hiking and mountain biking). As you start to climb up out of the valley (sad that you're already in your last gear) Mt. Hamilton disappears out of view and it's just you and the road. And the occasional cyclists who miraculously zooms past you. And cars too. But I got up there before it got busy, so that helped with vehicular traffic.
I stopped to take a photo climbing out of the valley and got the first view of Mt. Hamilton (and Lick Observatory) since diving into the valley.
So very far away.
I couldn't believe how I was stuck in this same last gear for so long. I don't remember having to be in that gear the whole time last time (although who can actually remember what gear you were in 6 months ago?). I thought about how much fitness I had lost this last year due to injury and getting in to a relationship. That's what happens when you get in a relationship you know. You forgo workouts in exchange for spending time together. I started to berate myself a little while struggling up the mountain.
After what seemed like forever, I spotted a sign that said "Lick Observatory, 5 miles."
So close....yet so far. 5 miles is nothing on flat or downhill. 5 miles is forever going uphill. I started to switch back and forth between standing and sitting. I was tired and slightly downtrodden at my loss of fitness. Well Carrie, that's why you're climbing Mt. Hamilton now. To get stronger.
Every once in awhile I got another view of the observatory, taunting me. I was now close enough that I could see a few people leaning on the railing looking down into the valley, and presumably discussing how slow I was coming up the road. But I'm guessing they were the motorcyclists that had zoomed by me. Or perhaps the couple of cyclists that had managed to fly up the hill with ease.
And then there it was. I passed by the dormitories and back behind the largest telescope. I knew I was almost there. I came to the most beautiful stop sign in the world and an even more beautiful sign pointing in the direction of the observatory. "Lick Observatory 1/4 mile".
I had planned on resting before making that last 1/4 mile push. I remember that last part being exceptionally steep and I was exhausted.
But a quarter mile, a quarter mile! I had to keep going. I turned up the hill and pressed on.
Finally!
I coasted in to the parking lot and dismounted my bike, trying to suppress the groan that escaped my body as my muscles spasmed and cried out. I looked down the valley toward San Jose and snapped a few pictures.
You can see San Jose in the far valley, before the Santa Cruz mountains in the background.
Mt. Umunum marked by the small little rectangle on top (you'll have to click on the photo to enlarge it). Hick's Road leads up to Mt. Umunum Road and is my nemesis currently. I have never made it up Hicks without stopping to rest my legs briefly- several times. One day I will. It's steep and unforgiving. The old military tower on top of Mt. Umunum is a constant reminder of my struggles with Hick's Road.
And there it is, Lick Observatory. And some guy who came up the hill with the Mini-Cooper convention.
A lady walked up to me and asked if I had ridden all the way from the bottom. I said I had. She asked how long that took. A couple of the fast cyclists standing nearby enjoying the view looked over. Whatever. I looked at my garmin. "Well, 2 hours and 14 minutes actually." I told her, avoiding looking over at the fast guys. It was almost 19 miles uphill. I might not be fast, but I can chug along. At least she was impressed even if the other cyclists were not. I got the impression she couldn't fathom coming up that hill on a bike, especially with it taking so long to do so.
I pulled around the back to sit in the courtyard and eat my little lunch. They have a gift shop and coffee shop there too. I was tempted to go in but I didn't need to spend money and I certainly did not need any caffeine for the harrowing ride down. I needed to be as relaxed as possible.
I sat in the sun and enjoyed my fruit spring rolls and prosciutto quesadilla, leaving one small piece for the end of the ride.
After about a half hour, I headed back down. I tried to stay relaxed and work on my descent and my turns. I placed my hands low in the drops and let the bike shift back and forth around the turns underneath me. It was such a long descent my body got tired and my lower back started to ache. My hips no longer wanted to move separately from the bike. My turns started to get messier. Hairpin turns. I coached myself in my head. Lean the bike, not your body. But my body was so stiff it no longer wanted to lift off the bike and allow it to move freely underneath me. I slowed down.
I got to where I could sit up and stretch a bit, and then the descent started again. Again I went down into the drops, relaxed my shoulders and let the bike lean in and out of turns while I held my body still above it. My back had relaxed a little, so again I worked on my turns until my body stiffened up and quit taking them smoothly.
I stopped at the county park again to use the restroom, had one more small climb before the last descent, then cruised through the turns that weren't quite so steep or tight. As I pulled into the intersection at the bottom, I could see my jeep waiting for me and had a small urge to just blow through the stop sign. Those last ten feet separated me from my vehicle. From being able to dismount this bike for the last time today.
I waited for the cars to pass, then coasted over, clipped in on one pedal and standing on it, pushing with the toe of my other foot.
And I was done.
Turns out I actually did quite well. I plugged my data into Strava, the online sporting competition/bragging rights thing, and I had a ton of PR's! Mind you, Strava does not stop the watch when you stop for lunch or take pictures, which is a bummer, but oh well. It tracked my ride and it turns out I might not be in as terrible shape as I thought.
A little screenshot of my strava account. 37.5 miles, in less than 3.5 hours. Over 4800 ft of elevation gain. It took me an hour less to get down than it did to get up.
In case you can't see that elevation profile very well:
There it is. That is a mountain. And I climbed it today. On my bike. And I have since not accomplished much at all. Just the thought of trying to focus enough to do physics or calculus homework is just too much to bear. But I did take a hot bath, nap, make food and eat it, prep more food, and I'm almost done with laundry. So it's not like I've been completely lazy. Plus I looked over my computer code a few times since it isn't working and I can't figure out why. Something about thermal diffusion and advection, which I don't entirely understand and therefore incapable of tweaking the equations we've been given. Bah.
I have an 8 mile run tomorrow. Nice and easy, just cruising. Monday's ride is going to be flat.
The Century I'm doing is flat, so there's really no other reason to do hills other than it's good for me and will maybe help me gain some strength back in my legs (getting there!). I haven't been up Mt. Hamilton since early last summer, so it's been awhile. I don't remember it being particularly difficult, just a long steady climb.
I've also been trying to fuel myself with healthy foods as much as possible, which can be a little difficult while participating in training events. Running any longer than 10 miles in training, I bring along a GU. Which is really just sugar in gel form. While not an ideal replacement of nutrients for your body, it is incredibly convenient and does not involve any chewing and greatly limits the likelihood that I will choke on it and die. Also, it's fairly hard to digest solid food while running. My stomach does not appreciate any attempt to make it do so.
Cycling though, allows for some creativity and solid food. Your stomach doesn't bounce around while riding a bike. Unless you're doing it wrong. So why not have really tasty, healthy, real food?
You might remember my go with "Feed Zone Portables", my athletes-on-the-go cookbook. Lots of great ideas with an incredibly horrible description on how to wrap the stupid things. Anyway, it's really great to figure out new exciting foods to take with me on my rides. These rides can last several hours. I on the other hand cannot last that long without refueling, especially if I'm exerting myself substantially. It's nice to drop by Starbucks mid-ride for a cappuccino and pastry, but really that is not an efficient replacement of much needed nutrients.
I was at Sprouts yesterday and came across this:
While I had already planned some prosciutto quesadillas for my ride, when I saw this on the shelf, I instantly thought- portable food! Portable food is awesome. On my last ride I brought a banana and a chicken breast. I just shove them into my jersey pockets and go.
Since I already had the savory quesadilla planned, I decided to try to make something sweet. And then I decided on Strawberry and Banana Spring Rolls with peanut butter.
So this morning I cut up a banana and some strawberries and rolled them up into the rice paper. It was interesting. After completely fouling up the first one, I got a good technique down and the rest went much better.
All you do is dip the rice paper (which comes out looking like a plastic disk) in warm water for about 5 seconds, put it on a plate, put your filling on it, and roll it up.
I know, they look kinda weird, but they were delicious! The thing about spring rolls is that they're kind of sticky. So you can't really just stack a bunch on top of each other and go for it. I should get some of that foil that's lined with wax paper. But for now, I just rolled them up in foil.
I wasn't chomping at the bit to go do this ride, as much as I love the ride, since I knew it was going to be at least a little tough. Boy do I underestimate mountains sometimes.
It turned out to be a beautiful day. Perfect temperature, sunny, and everything is green right now.
I stopped in the valley for a bathroom break at the county park (dirt trails there for hiking and mountain biking). As you start to climb up out of the valley (sad that you're already in your last gear) Mt. Hamilton disappears out of view and it's just you and the road. And the occasional cyclists who miraculously zooms past you. And cars too. But I got up there before it got busy, so that helped with vehicular traffic.
I stopped to take a photo climbing out of the valley and got the first view of Mt. Hamilton (and Lick Observatory) since diving into the valley.
I couldn't believe how I was stuck in this same last gear for so long. I don't remember having to be in that gear the whole time last time (although who can actually remember what gear you were in 6 months ago?). I thought about how much fitness I had lost this last year due to injury and getting in to a relationship. That's what happens when you get in a relationship you know. You forgo workouts in exchange for spending time together. I started to berate myself a little while struggling up the mountain.
After what seemed like forever, I spotted a sign that said "Lick Observatory, 5 miles."
So close....yet so far. 5 miles is nothing on flat or downhill. 5 miles is forever going uphill. I started to switch back and forth between standing and sitting. I was tired and slightly downtrodden at my loss of fitness. Well Carrie, that's why you're climbing Mt. Hamilton now. To get stronger.
Every once in awhile I got another view of the observatory, taunting me. I was now close enough that I could see a few people leaning on the railing looking down into the valley, and presumably discussing how slow I was coming up the road. But I'm guessing they were the motorcyclists that had zoomed by me. Or perhaps the couple of cyclists that had managed to fly up the hill with ease.
And then there it was. I passed by the dormitories and back behind the largest telescope. I knew I was almost there. I came to the most beautiful stop sign in the world and an even more beautiful sign pointing in the direction of the observatory. "Lick Observatory 1/4 mile".
I had planned on resting before making that last 1/4 mile push. I remember that last part being exceptionally steep and I was exhausted.
But a quarter mile, a quarter mile! I had to keep going. I turned up the hill and pressed on.
Finally!
I coasted in to the parking lot and dismounted my bike, trying to suppress the groan that escaped my body as my muscles spasmed and cried out. I looked down the valley toward San Jose and snapped a few pictures.
You can see San Jose in the far valley, before the Santa Cruz mountains in the background.
And there it is, Lick Observatory. And some guy who came up the hill with the Mini-Cooper convention.
I pulled around the back to sit in the courtyard and eat my little lunch. They have a gift shop and coffee shop there too. I was tempted to go in but I didn't need to spend money and I certainly did not need any caffeine for the harrowing ride down. I needed to be as relaxed as possible.
I sat in the sun and enjoyed my fruit spring rolls and prosciutto quesadilla, leaving one small piece for the end of the ride.
After about a half hour, I headed back down. I tried to stay relaxed and work on my descent and my turns. I placed my hands low in the drops and let the bike shift back and forth around the turns underneath me. It was such a long descent my body got tired and my lower back started to ache. My hips no longer wanted to move separately from the bike. My turns started to get messier. Hairpin turns. I coached myself in my head. Lean the bike, not your body. But my body was so stiff it no longer wanted to lift off the bike and allow it to move freely underneath me. I slowed down.
I got to where I could sit up and stretch a bit, and then the descent started again. Again I went down into the drops, relaxed my shoulders and let the bike lean in and out of turns while I held my body still above it. My back had relaxed a little, so again I worked on my turns until my body stiffened up and quit taking them smoothly.
I stopped at the county park again to use the restroom, had one more small climb before the last descent, then cruised through the turns that weren't quite so steep or tight. As I pulled into the intersection at the bottom, I could see my jeep waiting for me and had a small urge to just blow through the stop sign. Those last ten feet separated me from my vehicle. From being able to dismount this bike for the last time today.
I waited for the cars to pass, then coasted over, clipped in on one pedal and standing on it, pushing with the toe of my other foot.
And I was done.
Turns out I actually did quite well. I plugged my data into Strava, the online sporting competition/bragging rights thing, and I had a ton of PR's! Mind you, Strava does not stop the watch when you stop for lunch or take pictures, which is a bummer, but oh well. It tracked my ride and it turns out I might not be in as terrible shape as I thought.
In case you can't see that elevation profile very well:
I have an 8 mile run tomorrow. Nice and easy, just cruising. Monday's ride is going to be flat.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Curried Chickpeas and Rice
I'm loving my long weekends. On Monday/Wednesday I have a class from 3:30pm to 5:20 (M) or 6:15(W). On Tuesday/Thursday I have class from 9 am to 5:20 pm with no break. Then I'm off Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
I'm also excited to be cooking again. I guess last semester was not a good set-up for cooking. I never brought enough food for lunch and then made poor choices when searching for food at school (say, in the vending machine perhaps). Now I'm on a mission to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet.
Tonight's dish was an attempt at dressing up the good ol' rice and beans standby. I like rice and beans. Of all sorts. And being as I frequently forget to take meat out of the freezer, or I run out of meat, or just to shake things up a bit, I've decided to have more beans in my life.
I had a bag of brown jasmine rice on hand (yes, it is definitely worth it to switch over to whole grains from white processed stuff- it might just save your life...and waistline). So let's see...jasmine rice....great northern beans? Hmmm...no. Black beans? Nah. Hmmm....how about- the great garbanzo bean?! Aka, the chickpea. When saying the name of a recipe, chickpea sounds far more gourmet than garbanzo bean.
Now for the vegetables. I have to put vegetables (or fruit) in everything now. No more just plain meat and starches. Load up on the good stuff! Well, onion was a good start (yellow). Also for whatever reason I was thinking celery. I have too many carrots in my fridge right now, so I had to throw those in. How about some red bell pepper? Don't mind if I do.
The carrots I threw in with the rice to be sure they were soft. I browned the onions and then threw in the chickpeas.
Hmmm...flavoring, spices? This one was a little tough. No sugar allowed. Chili lime? I don't have chili powder so I just used red pepper and lime juice. Then I sniffed the pan. That's how I cook. Lots of sniffing. First sniff what you've got, then hold the next potential spice to your nose. Go back and forth sniffing them. Do they go well together? Do they smell good together or does going back and forth make your nose jump a bit?
I threw in some nutmeg...guess this thing is getting curried. In went the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and salt. At this point I considered adding canned coconut milk. (By the way, you should always have some canned food on hand to make stuff- diced tomatoes, beans, coconut milk, etc) I decided the coconut milk would be a bit much for today, so I passed on that.
Meanwhile, the rice simmered in a bit of beef broth with the carrots.
(Once it was done simmering.)
Then I mixed it all together.
For a little added crunch and texture I threw in some raw, unsalted sunflower seeds at the end.
And voila! Dinner is served!
My next challenge is going to be making a meal out of fruit. Probably not until this weekend after I go grocery shopping again. Can you make a filling meal out of fruit that doesn't remind you of breakfast? Fruit and cheese plate aside?
I remember a day when I was a kid that my mother didn't feel like cooking (she was an amazing cook and was always coming up with new and exciting things...that I wasn't always thrilled about). So she declared we were going to have watermelon for dinner. And we did. That's all we had for dinner. We all ate watermelon until we were completely stuffed.
So how long is my adventures in food-land going to last this semester? Who knows, but I'll definitely forgive myself if I'm eating Pop Tarts out of the vending machine during midterms.
I'm also excited to be cooking again. I guess last semester was not a good set-up for cooking. I never brought enough food for lunch and then made poor choices when searching for food at school (say, in the vending machine perhaps). Now I'm on a mission to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in my diet.
Tonight's dish was an attempt at dressing up the good ol' rice and beans standby. I like rice and beans. Of all sorts. And being as I frequently forget to take meat out of the freezer, or I run out of meat, or just to shake things up a bit, I've decided to have more beans in my life.
I had a bag of brown jasmine rice on hand (yes, it is definitely worth it to switch over to whole grains from white processed stuff- it might just save your life...and waistline). So let's see...jasmine rice....great northern beans? Hmmm...no. Black beans? Nah. Hmmm....how about- the great garbanzo bean?! Aka, the chickpea. When saying the name of a recipe, chickpea sounds far more gourmet than garbanzo bean.
Now for the vegetables. I have to put vegetables (or fruit) in everything now. No more just plain meat and starches. Load up on the good stuff! Well, onion was a good start (yellow). Also for whatever reason I was thinking celery. I have too many carrots in my fridge right now, so I had to throw those in. How about some red bell pepper? Don't mind if I do.
The carrots I threw in with the rice to be sure they were soft. I browned the onions and then threw in the chickpeas.
Hmmm...flavoring, spices? This one was a little tough. No sugar allowed. Chili lime? I don't have chili powder so I just used red pepper and lime juice. Then I sniffed the pan. That's how I cook. Lots of sniffing. First sniff what you've got, then hold the next potential spice to your nose. Go back and forth sniffing them. Do they go well together? Do they smell good together or does going back and forth make your nose jump a bit?
I threw in some nutmeg...guess this thing is getting curried. In went the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and salt. At this point I considered adding canned coconut milk. (By the way, you should always have some canned food on hand to make stuff- diced tomatoes, beans, coconut milk, etc) I decided the coconut milk would be a bit much for today, so I passed on that.
Meanwhile, the rice simmered in a bit of beef broth with the carrots.
Then I mixed it all together.
For a little added crunch and texture I threw in some raw, unsalted sunflower seeds at the end.
And voila! Dinner is served!
My next challenge is going to be making a meal out of fruit. Probably not until this weekend after I go grocery shopping again. Can you make a filling meal out of fruit that doesn't remind you of breakfast? Fruit and cheese plate aside?
I remember a day when I was a kid that my mother didn't feel like cooking (she was an amazing cook and was always coming up with new and exciting things...that I wasn't always thrilled about). So she declared we were going to have watermelon for dinner. And we did. That's all we had for dinner. We all ate watermelon until we were completely stuffed.
So how long is my adventures in food-land going to last this semester? Who knows, but I'll definitely forgive myself if I'm eating Pop Tarts out of the vending machine during midterms.
Breakfast Bowls!
Before I get into my scrumptious breakfast this morning, let me give you a bit of background. I'm trying to improve my eating (and exercising) habits. Some of you might be shocked by that and think I already eat so well and exercise so much. Well, no I don't. I have all these great ideas about eating well and exercising well, but in practice, that doesn't always happen. And in truth, quitting my job as a hotshot to become a grad student has wrecked havoc on my activity level.
Let's be truthful here. Sugar is amazing. I love sugar. It's fantastic. However, sugar can actually be pretty dangerous to your health. I've also been eating more than what I need to, being as most of my day is actually spent sitting on my butt. So I decided to make some changes, and my awesome new school schedule is helping with the activity level. I now have plenty of time to go on club rides, get my runs in, and do strength training. So I set up some rules for my activity level and nutrition.
Activity level rules:
1. No injuries this year!
2. Run 4x/week, starting at a very low mileage and working my way up slowly. My next marathon is in December (California International), no need for high mileage. There will be a few half marathons before then, but easy does it.
3. Cycle twice a week- make it fun! Ride with the club if possible. No serious cycling, fun only.
4. Be consistent with weight training, stretching, and injury prevention exercises.
Nutrition rules:
1. Sugar is for special occasions only. If I have to add sugar to it in order to eat it, I'm not eating it. Oatmeal now goes in morning protein shakes instead of eating it with agave, maple, honey, or whatever.
2. Eat tons of fruits and vegetables. The bulk of my food should come from here. Fill up on that first.
3. Healthy carbs!!!! Dude-do you really need tons of pasta? No.
4. Protein should come from a variety of foods, not just beef.
5. It has to taste good. If your food doesn't taste really good, you'll crave something that does.
6. If you're hungry, eat.
Yesterday on my ride I brought along baked sweet potato wedges, and boy did they taste awesome after summiting the mountain. I also had a small bowl of fruit and a cup of coffee (I drink my coffee black and I love it). There's something about food after working out really hard that makes it so much more delicious.
So Runner's World had a section in it about breakfast bowls. I skimmed it. I had a breakfast bowl yesterday morning (I just use my own imagination, screw recipes) with butternut squash, two poached eggs, 1 tomato, and a little salt. It was pretty good. Filled me up too for the ride.
Before a short workout, I still have to eat something. But before a run I have to be really careful what I eat and how long ahead of time I eat it. So I had a smoothie for breakfast today (protein powder, whole milk, a banana, some berries, and oatmeal) before my 5 mile run.
After my run came this amazing creation:
I know, it just looks like a hot mess. Maybe that's what I should call it. Breakfast is not time to worry about presentation though. Plus this photo was taken with my flip phone, so there's that.
My breakfast bowl (aka Hot Mess) consisted of butternut squash (steamed from the day before), 2 poached eggs, one tomato, half an avocado, some green onions, and a little salt. It tasted way better than I thought it was going to! And way better than yesterday's bowl. The addition of avocado added a creaminess to it that would make you think there was cheese in it. The onions were a nice touch too.
This leads me to an important point. Fat is important. Fat adds flavor, it helps us to feel full, and most importantly, it helps us to be satisfied with what we just ate. If you aren't satisfied with what you just ate, you're either going to be miserable or you're going to go eat something else that's going to make you happy.
Some people aren't affected by food. It doesn't make them happy, it's just another necessary thing in life. I personally love food. And if what I eat doesn't make me happy, well then that's just depressing.
This makes me so excited to fill my fridge (and fruit bowl) with all sorts of fruits, veggies, squashes, etc. There's all sorts of healthy and tasty foods to be discovered and to make into new concoctions!
Let's be truthful here. Sugar is amazing. I love sugar. It's fantastic. However, sugar can actually be pretty dangerous to your health. I've also been eating more than what I need to, being as most of my day is actually spent sitting on my butt. So I decided to make some changes, and my awesome new school schedule is helping with the activity level. I now have plenty of time to go on club rides, get my runs in, and do strength training. So I set up some rules for my activity level and nutrition.
Activity level rules:
1. No injuries this year!
2. Run 4x/week, starting at a very low mileage and working my way up slowly. My next marathon is in December (California International), no need for high mileage. There will be a few half marathons before then, but easy does it.
3. Cycle twice a week- make it fun! Ride with the club if possible. No serious cycling, fun only.
4. Be consistent with weight training, stretching, and injury prevention exercises.
Nutrition rules:
1. Sugar is for special occasions only. If I have to add sugar to it in order to eat it, I'm not eating it. Oatmeal now goes in morning protein shakes instead of eating it with agave, maple, honey, or whatever.
2. Eat tons of fruits and vegetables. The bulk of my food should come from here. Fill up on that first.
3. Healthy carbs!!!! Dude-do you really need tons of pasta? No.
4. Protein should come from a variety of foods, not just beef.
5. It has to taste good. If your food doesn't taste really good, you'll crave something that does.
6. If you're hungry, eat.
Yesterday on my ride I brought along baked sweet potato wedges, and boy did they taste awesome after summiting the mountain. I also had a small bowl of fruit and a cup of coffee (I drink my coffee black and I love it). There's something about food after working out really hard that makes it so much more delicious.
So Runner's World had a section in it about breakfast bowls. I skimmed it. I had a breakfast bowl yesterday morning (I just use my own imagination, screw recipes) with butternut squash, two poached eggs, 1 tomato, and a little salt. It was pretty good. Filled me up too for the ride.
Before a short workout, I still have to eat something. But before a run I have to be really careful what I eat and how long ahead of time I eat it. So I had a smoothie for breakfast today (protein powder, whole milk, a banana, some berries, and oatmeal) before my 5 mile run.
After my run came this amazing creation:
I know, it just looks like a hot mess. Maybe that's what I should call it. Breakfast is not time to worry about presentation though. Plus this photo was taken with my flip phone, so there's that.
My breakfast bowl (aka Hot Mess) consisted of butternut squash (steamed from the day before), 2 poached eggs, one tomato, half an avocado, some green onions, and a little salt. It tasted way better than I thought it was going to! And way better than yesterday's bowl. The addition of avocado added a creaminess to it that would make you think there was cheese in it. The onions were a nice touch too.
This leads me to an important point. Fat is important. Fat adds flavor, it helps us to feel full, and most importantly, it helps us to be satisfied with what we just ate. If you aren't satisfied with what you just ate, you're either going to be miserable or you're going to go eat something else that's going to make you happy.
Some people aren't affected by food. It doesn't make them happy, it's just another necessary thing in life. I personally love food. And if what I eat doesn't make me happy, well then that's just depressing.
This makes me so excited to fill my fridge (and fruit bowl) with all sorts of fruits, veggies, squashes, etc. There's all sorts of healthy and tasty foods to be discovered and to make into new concoctions!
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