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Riddle me this

I had an awesome run on the mall tonight.....or so I thought. Every time I looked down at my watch I saw an 8. And a few times I even saw a 7.

So why was only 1 mile under 9 minutes then? That's a great question. I'm still scratching my head and I think Nike is, too. Look at the route that I ran tonight:

So I apparently ran 4.01 miles, but 4 miles is about .3 before the end of my route according to Google. So who knows how far/fast I ran? Kind of disappointing- at the beginning of my run seeing some of those numbers on my watch I was all like "yeah, I'm a badass, yeah, can't wait to post these times on my blog so I can look like I know what I'm doing, yeah, yeah, rock out Kelly Clarkson" and now I'm all like "c'mon Nike, I want more than a "good effort" message when I finish because that was more than a good effort that was like i.am.going.to.vomit.i'm.running.so.fast type effort I just gave there."

Alas, I guess the silver lining is that if it was 4 miles or 4.3 miles it was STILL a great run- and I'll just go ahead and say it was faster than my watch says :)

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Baked pest chicken and roasted butternut squash. Easy and delicious!!!

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Fear of the bathing suit

It's funny what fear of getting into a bathing suit will do to you.

Case in point: when my alarm clock went off this morning at 5:40, I promptly rolled back over and thought "I'll just cancel Bar Method tonight and run tonight instead. Problem solved." But as a laid there I started thinking that in THREE weeks (to the day!!) I'll be landing in Hawaii and be living in a bathing suit in front of all my coworkers.

Yea. Scary thought. 

8 x 400s (I started at 7.0 and worked up to 7.7!) with a 5 minute warm up and 2 minutes rest in between later, I'm happy I forced my butt out of bed. One workout doesn't seem like it makes a difference, but if you add up all your "missed" chances to sweat I bet it adds up!!

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Groceries!

Little late to the grocery post... the BF and I had a WILD night and got our groceries knocked out on Saturday night. Telling 'ya, it's hard to keep up with us! 

The BF thinks I'm crazy for my list making-- I make an initial grocery list based on the recipes I want to use, listing out each item that I don't have in the kitchen. Once that's done, I consolidate all of those recipe lists into one master list separated by grocery department. Bit obsessive, no? Don't judge. I swear it's effective when you're in the store and just have to scan by department instead of jumping recipe to recipe.

About $90 this week- but so much fresh produce I don't mind at all! I was disappointed because neither TJ's or Giant had Portobello Mushroom caps, so I'll need to head out at some point this week to try and find them.

Trader Joe's

Meat: 4 chicken breasts 12 oz Turkey Italian Sausage (I got chicken sausage)

Produce: 1 red onion 4 large portobello mushrooms 2 bags spinach 1 red bell pepper 2 limes 3-4 tomatoes 1 bag kiwis 1 container peaches 1 carton blackberries celery butternut squash 

Dairy: Greek yogurt Pesto OJ

Misc: Tomato sauce 2 cans black beans Cooking spray

Giant: 2 lbs flank steak  3 cans soup

Here's the line-up for the week (all on my Pinterest page)

Lunch- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Monday- Grilled Flank Steak Tuesday- leftovers + roasted butternut squash Wednesday- Baked Pesto Chicken + Spinach salad Thursday- Leftovers Friday- Spinach and Sausage stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps (if I can find them!) 

YUM!

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*Magic* (insert Jazz Hands)

This morning I had a run that can only be described as magic- doesn't really make sense and you can't figure out why something happened but I'm perfectly ok accepting whatever happened as reality.

Case in point: check out my splits:

I haven't run a sub 9 mile in about a year....and today I had 4 of them? What in the heck was going on?

I'm telling you, it was the perfect combination. My belly was FULL of sugar from last night (again, how in the hell did those Starburst Jellybeans get in our apartment??), I had stretched everything out in Bikram, and the weather was cool and overcast. And I had these bad boys on:

On the website, CEP says that you'll run 5% faster with 6% less effort- I actually ran quite a bit faster than 5%. Sucks that I'm terrible at figuring out percentages but going from a 9:20 as my average pace in the half 2 weeks ago to an overall 9:04 pace this week is more than 5%- I think? Anyway, I'm going to have to go ahead and say that these are the best new thing that I own.

Mine are neon green

They're super comfortable

My calves didn't hurt the entire run (and they're usually the first thing to start aching during a run)

On top of looking like a highlighter today on my run it just felt really really awesome. I set out to do 6 miles today but I was feeling so good that I just kind of kept going-- you can see from my splits that I did take a mile to slow down and chill out but then I got it in my head that I wanted to go fast again. My watch didn't pick up a signal until about half a mile in- and then I ran for a s-l-o-w half mile after I finished so all said about 9 miles this morning! 

I swear it was magic this morning but as a back up I doubt I'll go on a long run without calve sleeves again!!!

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Today's run: a lesson in color blocking, and/or highlighter legs

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Last man standing.....

Yesterday, I was the last man standing, and I'm paying for it today.

I use a stand up desk at work. I started using one about a year ago after reading an article similar to this one about how sitting all day will "kill" you. I'd been having a lot of back pain (presumably from shotty posture while sitting all day) and decided to give it a whirl.

Except my company didn't quite think it was fair to buy me a stand up desk (understandably so, those jokers can get expensive!!!) so this is what I used:

Yep. A bunch of boxes. It was REAL ghetto, and I occasionally had to change boxes out when the weight of my computer/etc. got too much, but it worked great. 

Fast forward a year: my old director moved positions in the company but LEFT his standing desk (yeah, he was high enough up the food chain to get one). So guess who is legitimate now????

For everyone thinking "how in the heck do you stand all day?" it really isn't bad. I'm a coach, so about 4 hours of my day are sitting with my team. I also have a mix of meetings, so I'm usually only standing 2-3 hours a day for the most part. I also have a cushiony mat underneath and don't wear heels to work. Generally I enjoy it- I don't feel as lethargic as I used to and I don't have back pain as often when I get home.

But yesterday I stood from 9-6. It was the last day of the month and I was on the phone all day trying to woo potential clients to sign the contract before the end of the month. After work I met up with some friends for happy hour and continued to stand for 2 more hours. 

By the time I got home my ankles looked like I was 6 months pregnant and my knees were throbbing....and this morning it was the same story. Instead of attempting my long run I opted for a nice Bikram Yoga session instead.

Lesson learned. You don't want to be the last man standing ALL the time....

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thighs on Flickr.

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Check out those thighs!

Not mine. These:

And yeah, that's not my picture either. It's from MyRecipes.com

I've never cooked chicken thighs before (is that some sort of rite of passage??) and was skeptical, but CookingLight has never seriously steered me wrong so I decided to give it a try. It was awesome-- I made some minor modifications mostly by accident so this wasn't spicy at all and it paired nicely with some roasted broccoli.

Here's the recipe (adapted slightly from CookingLight April 2012):

2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 package cremini mushrooms

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces 1 TBS fish sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons lower sodium soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce (Trader Joe's has a great and inexpensive one!) 1 teaspoon water 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch Squirt of fresh basil (Giant has this tube of basil? weird, but good)

How to assemble: 1. Heat a large frying pan with canola spray over medium heat-- add garlic and mushrooms and cook for about a minute, or until fragrant. 2. Add chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through. 3. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients (minus basil) and whisk until smooth. When chicken is done cooking stir in sauce and cook for about a minute. 4. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

HOLY YUM! Seriously finger licking good-- and pretty healthy. Cooking Light nutrition facts said for 3/4 cup it's about 300 calories. I omitted the oil so I'm guessing my recipe is about 250 calories per serving. It's not 100% SB friendly since it has sugar and cornstarch, but those ingredients are fairly minimal.

I will definitely be cooking with chicken thighs more often! 

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The best laid plans...

Are just that. Plans. Being the OCD control freak that I am (wouldn't you want to date me??) I make plans with the full intention of keeping them. And I get really upset when my plan doesn't work out perfectly. It's something I'm learning to deal with better but I'm still not quite there.

Case in point: for the past 2 days I haven't been able to go to Bar Method. My new boss scheduled a meeting that lasted just past 6:30 on Monday and I had a similar meeting yesterday that sprung up out of the blue. SUPER frustrating, especially since Bar Method charges you if you don't cancel your class within an hour--and I of course held out and didn't cancel, thinking "oh I'm sure the meetings won't last that long and I'll be able to make it." But then again, that's why I plan a lot of workouts-- if a few don't happen I still feel good (still did p90x arms Monday and ran 4 miles yesterday). 

Another case in point: my scale is broken, or I've hit the dreaded plateau of weight loss. I'm SURE it's the first, and it's not all of the "treats" that have snuck back into my mouth (where did you come from Starburst Jellybeans/trail mix/dark chocolate Reeses???). The whole goal of losing 15 pounds before Hawaii is slipping away a bit BUT I know with a little tighter control over the daily intake (just keeping to my planned meals and cutting out the processed sugar again) the number should hopefully start to creep down.

But my plan of finding one piece bathing suits that are flattering and non mommish and ones that I'll feel comfortable with? Going SWIMMINGLY (haha I'm so funny). I purchased and fell in love with another J. Crew one piece. Seriously, these cats are on to something great. I think I like this one better than the black 1 shoulder- fun print, great ruching and the ability to be completely strapless. 

1 out of 3 ain't bad?

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Green Monster

It looks really gross. But it tastes really good. I'm such a good salesman, right?

This my friends, is what I'm dubbing the "Green Monster." My second foray into spinach smoothies that I keep seeing around the blogosphere. 

1. Yeah, you REALLY can't taste the spinach

2. This made a TON (see all that leftover in the blender)

3. It was really tasty

4. It packs a punch for breakfast! (~350 calories, about 32 grams protein)

Try it. I promise it's not scary and although it looks a little bit like sewage it tastes really awesome. I can't wait to have another one tomorrow!

GREEN MONSTER SMOOTHIE

1 tablespoon Peanut Butter 1 cup skim milk 1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I used the generic GNC brand) 2 cups spinach 2 strawberries Ice 

Start by putting spinach in your blender first, so that the blades can really chop it up! Add all of the other ingredients and blend until smooth. This makes a HUGE amount, so you can either split it with someone for a modest breakfast or drink it all yourself for a monster stay put stick to your ribs breakfast (which I chose to do, duh).

Enjoy!

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Starting up again

Today was my first "serious" run back since the half last weekend--and it was GREAT!

I always see various treadmill workouts on blogs that I read but I've never followed one to a "t"- I've always scaled back some of the speeds because I didn't think I could do it. Not today! I completed this nasty workout from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life AND tacked on some additional intervals at the end!!

When I first looked at this I was all like "yeah there is no way I can run at 9.0, or 8.6, or 6.6 after I've already done some sprints. And then I told my negative attitude to GET LOST and told myself I was going to try my damndest to follow it all. And I did!

Except when I got to 36 minutes I wasn't quite ready to be done, so I added:

36-37: 7.0 37-40: 6.3 40-41: 7.3 42-47: 6.6

Grand total: 5 miles! That's right at about a 9:25 pace, including 5 minutes of walking! GO ME! 

I've spent the rest of the day on cloud nine. I'm signing up for the Brooklyn Half Marathon tomorrow with the sis, so it's back to the grind with half training. I'm excited to have a base from the DC half so hopefully I can shave 4:18 off my time!

Here's what I have planned for the rest of the week:

Monday: p90x arms AM, Bar Method PM Tuesday: 4 miles (speedwork) AM, Bar Method PM Wednesday: Bar Method PM, maybe p90x legs Thursday: 4 miles AM, Bar Method Lunch Friday: Rest Saturday: 7 miles Sunday: rest 

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Groceries!

Back to the grocery store! I made it through the entire week without having to go to the store. It helped that a friend took the BF and I to dinner on Tuesday, I had already paid for dinner at 918 F street on Thursday and my boss bought lunch from Jose Andres new food truck on Friday-- but hey, meant that I officially didn't pay to eat out (minus 2 Starbucks SVL's).

With that in mind, I knew this week was going to be a high $ amount. We're just out of a lot of basics- BUT split over two weeks it's still less than we'd normally spend.

Here's the list:

Trader Joe's:

Meat: Chicken Sausage Chicken thighs Tuna Steaks

Produce: 2 bags spinach red onion 2 containers mushrooms bag broccoli florets lemon cucumber celery

Dairy: egg whites eggs milk cream cheese greek yogurt

Grains: Rolled oats High Fiber cereal

Misc: Sweet chili sauce soy sauce chocolate (low carb) trail mix dark chocolate covered almonds

TJ Total: $75 and change

Giant: Rotisserie Chicken Strawberries Blackberries Fish Sauce Sesame seeds Cheddar Cheese Cream of mushroom soup 4 cans Campbell soup (for the boy) croutons (again, for the boy) OJ (yep, for the boy) fresh basil tissues Toilet Paper

Giant Total: $50 and change 

First of all, it's UNBELIEVABLE that we got less than half the amount of goods at Giant and it was almost as much! That's crazy!!!! Like I mentioned, it was an expensive week--but we saved a ton of money this past week by eating up leftovers.

Here's the menu for the week (all from my April issue of Cooking Light!):

Monday: Seared Sesame Tuna Steaks, Creamed Spinach and Mushrooms Tuesday: Leftovers Wednesday: Spicy Basil Chicken, Roasted Broccoli Thursday: Leftovers Friday: Leftovers  Saturday: Brother in town!

Lunches:  Tzatziki Chicken Salad (no chips!) Breakfasts: Green smoothies, oatmeal, protein shakes, eggs and sausage Snacks: trail mix, fiber cereal and greek yogurt, celery and peanut butter

I'm prepped for the week! 

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Dessert is stressed spelled backwards...but that's not what I need right now. Cue the pound cake with whipped cream, chocolate chips and strawberries I just had for dinner.

Definitely not South Beach approved, or Hawaii approved. But so what I needed tonight. I'll get back on that horse tomorrow?

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South Beach?

I probably should get back to mentioning South Beach at some point in this blog, since that's the title and everything. Whoops.

I think because I'm now in a modified phase 2 (I'm eating high fiber cereal, sweet potatoes, plan yogurt, dark chocolate, wine and I'm scared to eat any grains) I haven't really specifically spelled out how everything is South Beach. Essentially my diet has been "no white stuff and no brown stuff that used to be white stuff." I know at some point I'll need to get over my "fear" of eating grains again, but at this point I don't really miss them and it hasn't proven to be an issue at home or in front of friends.

I'm finding that most of what I used to eat can be easily modified to make it South Beach friendly-- burger without the bun, chickpea pizza from Rustico, Kale Chips for a crunch etc etc. It comes down to wanting to stick with the diet whatever the situation--but leaving some room to really enjoy a treat now and again (like Pinkberry, or the delicious awesome huge piece of Carrot Cake from Founding Farmers I shared with the fam on Saturday).

The point of this post is that it's probably going to be a little less "this is South Beach, this is not, these are the exact calories for this phase" and more of "this is how to modify any situation to make it somewhat South Beach."

And why no Weigh In Wednesdays? Because the scale hasn't moved in two weeks. Blah. 

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Rock N Roll DC Recap

I've always been a huge proponent of finding the "silver lining" to a situation. After Saturday's race I was a little disappointed in my time so I had to think pretty hard about what the silver lining was to the day. After two days of reflection, though, I think there's a lot to be happy about:

I didn't walk at all!

I averaged 10 seconds faster per mile than my fastest long run during training

I got to spend the weekend with most of my family

It was sunny and warm during the race instead of cold and windy like I thought it'd be in March

But there were also a lot of things to be not-so-happy about:

My 53 year old father beat me (by about 7 minutes- go Dad!)

I didn't hit my goal time of 2:03-- I ended up with 2:04:19

The hills nearly killed me

This is what the elevation map looked like for the race:

This is what it felt like:

Yeah, it wasn't pretty. Turns out if you avoid hills during training then they aren't fun to run during an actual race. Meh, the good news is that I did zero minutes of walking even though there were several times I just wanted to quit altogether. If my family hadn't been there and I wasn't risking looking like a total tool in front of them, that might have happened.

Overall, though, the race was well organized, the water and Gu stations (what up peanut butter Gu--you're awesome!) were plentiful and the weather was fantastic. I'm sure I would run this race again if I planned a little better on the front end.

The good news is that after this race I've got a solid game plan for the rest of the year. Here's what I'm thinking/hoping for/planning right now:

Brooklyn Half- May- 2:01

Chicago Half- July-1:58

Outer Banks Half-October-1:55 

Now these are not goal times-these are "I must get under these times and hopefully significantly under these times or I'll consider the race season a huge failure" times.

Like I said earlier I'm taking a few days off before jumping back into training, but after this race I'm more than determined to get faster. And quickly!!

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Photos?

Crazy, right? So yeah. Photos on this thing. I got a snazzy thing called an iPhone (apparently they've been all the rage for a few years now?) and it's SO EASY to put pictures up here now. 

I may work for a tech company, but when it comes to actually using technology I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. So hopefully now that I don't have a sh*tty Droid that breaks most of the time I'll be able to upload more "daily eats" and other fun pictures of what I'm up to.

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