Monday, September 19, 2011

THE MOST AMAZING WEEKEND!






WOW! I had such a great weekend I'm not sure I'm going to be able to fit it all in one post! After Felice got back on Thursday night, I realized that I had been so used to living alone, that my routine of working hard all day prevented me from allowing myself to have any fun AT ALL! I definitely needed this weekend full of relaxing, and that's exactly what I did!

Friday night I stayed in with Felice and we watched Season 1, Episode 1 of Mad Men. I had attempted to get into this show when it first came out but was too preoccupied with other things to keep up with it.


Saturday, I went to the BC football game against Duke with Tricia and her roommate Laura - which was so much fun. I ran into a LOT of BC friends that I hadn't seen in a while and it was so nice to catch up with them. It was a beautiful day! Unfortunately, BC lost, so now they're 0-3 ... but I'll be going to the game again next Saturday so hopefully they can snag their first win! I then met up with my Team Challenge group in Quincy to walk ~4 miles on Quincy Shore Drive. I met a new group of people, as I normally stick with the running crew, so that was a nice change.

Sunday morning I ran my first 10k in Gloucester at the Lone Gull and made GREAT time of 53:45 and running my longest distance ever! To some, 6.2 miles might not seem like a lot, but to me, I was just happy I finished! I placed 50th out of 175 in my age group, which, considering how many people were at this race, I'd say is pretty good! I felt so sore afterwards, but then immediately went off to the Esplanade to meet the SHPE Outreach group for a wonderful afternoon picnic with other SHPE university students! There was sandwiches, cookies, and Clara's Tres Leches cake! :) Ended the weekend watching the Pats defeat the Chargers at Sarah's apartment and then catching some good Emmy awards at the end of the night.

Workouts:

Friday: 4.3 mile run (outside at work); 37:06; discovered a new route out back that I'll definitely be running more (despite the cooler weather) because anything more than 3 miles on the treadmill is unbearable!

Saturday: 6 miles of walking (2 miles at the Reservoir, 4 miles with Team Challenge)

Sunday: 10k Lone Gull Race in Gloucester, MA; 53:45; beautiful morning race on the beach!

Fundraising:

Currently at $1628! (44% of the way there) -- I'm going to have to find some more creative ways of fundraising so I can continue to get all of this wonderful support!

Food:

Friday:
Breakfast: Chobani greek yogurt with Kashi cereal
Lunch: Turkey wrap
Dinner: Back beans with sauteed peppers, mushrooms, and onions over cucumbers and lettuce with a whole wheat piece of bread
Saturday:
Breakfast: Chobani greek yogurt with blueberries and Kashi cereal
Lunch: Turkey wrap (forgot to take a picture!)
Dinner: Burrito!

                               

Sunday:
Breakfast: Cinnamon Swirl instant oatmeal with almonds, banana; Post run: Eggs and apple
Lunch: Fage greek yogurt with blueberries and Kashi cereal
Dinner: Last of my black bean leftovers with onions and red peppers and cucumbers on a spinach salad with whole wheat bread (same pic as above!)

Friday, September 16, 2011

FELICE IS BACK!

So Felice came home last night (finally!) after traveling around the country for pretty much a month. It's so cool that her job during the week is going to client sites and getting to stay in nice hotels, but I'm definitely happy to have my roommate home for the weekend! I feel like I've been so caught up in the routine of working, eating, work out and sleeping that it's easy to forgot to add a little fun in there too, and hopefully I'll get to do that this weekend with a movie, dinner, and much needed catch-up with Felice! It's nice to have some fun fall weekends set up in advance, like with one of my best friends Ashley -- I have a NY trip and hopefully a hiking and farm/food trip coming up!! :)

Workout:

2.5 mile morning run, abs and arms workout, and 15 minute bike: Kind of tough getting going this morning because I was still sleepy (that's what I get for working out so early), but I picked up "Runner's" Magazine to get some good tips on recovery post-workout and types of shoes I might be looking into. I'll definitely want to get new running shoes before I get too close to race time, that way I can wear them in.

Fundraising:

Still at $1548! I am going to be sending out some more emails to new people next week, as well as sending personal letters so some immediate family members in hopes of bringing in another wave of funding. I was also thinking it might be cool to do bake sales in October, or try and get local restaurants to support me with gift cards and raffle them off at work! It may involve some creative event planning, but I'm DETERMINED to exceed my goal!

Food:

(Again, no pictures, I promise I'll be better today!)

Breakfast: Same as always. Strawberry Chobani with blueberries and Kashi cereal


Lunch: Boar's Head turkey breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce and spicy honey mustard.

Dinner: Leftover whole wheat pasta with Newman's Own marinara and a side salad with spinach, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and cucumbers!


Running is mental too!

Sorry about not posting yesterday! I had started to write the blog after my 8pm class (I did the class Distance Learning so I could stay at work and not have to try and rush back to Boston during rush hour) but was pretty drained. I've got to figure out a better method for organizing my to-do list for the day - I always find myself saying I'm going to get "X Y and Z" done for the day, but more and more work piles up throughout my workday that it's hard to make sure I do everything!

Regardless, Wednesday was a good, overall day:

Workout:

5 mile run outdoors with Tim (from Team Challenge) in the Brighton area -- a tough day for a run because it was 85 degrees and so completely humid, but sometimes it's necessary to run in less-than-ideal situations, because weather conditions cannot be controlled for the race day, so better to be ready for anything! Once again, enjoyed talking during the run instead of relying on my iPod, because it made the time pass by much quicker.

Fundraising:

REACHED MY CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK! Alison, the Manager of the New England Team Challenge, gave me a week goal of getting to $1500, and I'm currently at $1548! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far, you all are making such an important difference in the lives of so many Americans who are affected by these debilitating diseases. Did you know that Team New England is only $5000 away from raising $50,000 so far?!?!!? INCREDIBLE!

Food:

(No pictures because I forgot!)

Breakfast: The usual. Strawberry Chobani with 1/2 cup of blueberries and 1/4 cup of Kashi 7-whole grain puff cereal.

Lunch: Boars Head Lower Sodium Turkey breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce, onions, and spicy brown mustard; and some carrots

Dinner: I had a Groupon to Sunset Cantina that expired today so I took Elizabeth and Brandon to dinner and I had a turkey burger with steamed veggies and jalapenos, sprouts, tomatoes, lettuce, and green beans... yum!!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Busy bee!



With so much to do, it can be somewhat of a challenge to find enough time in the day for everything! Yesterday was a 4:30am - 11pm day (yep, that's right, 4:30am). With a morning work out, full day of work, class, a meeting, and errands before finally getting home - it felt like the day flew by! Fortunately, I got more sleep last night, but, despite the less amount of sleep, I wasn't too tired!

Work out:

35 minutes on the elliptical and a strength training (from Fitness Magazine) routine was the perfect combo this morning, as I was a little sluggish from the lack of rest. And it's a nice break between my 4 mile Monday run and (hopefully) 5.5 mile run tonight (Side note: my left foot is killing me right now from attempting to wear size 8 Gap flats (they were on sale for $16!) when I'm definitely a 9 - hoping this doesn't interfere with the run)


Fundraising:

Currently at $1468 and it's awesome throughout the day receiving the emails from my website telling me that someone has given! I am so grateful to have such generous and kind friends! Hoping to continue this rising streak so make sure to tell your friends and family to donate, too, at http://www.active.com/donate/NE11TCVEGAS/MFowler33

Food:

Breakfast: Strawberry Chobani nonfat Greek yogurt with 1/3 cup of blueberries and 1/2 cup of Kashi 7-Whole Grain Puffs

Lunch: Leftover whole wheat pasta with Newman's Own marinara sauce and a side salad with spinach, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, and onions


Dinner: Tuna sandwich (in class!) on whole wheat bread, with a side of carrots and almonds (not shown) AND I proceeded to eat 1/2lb of carrots with 1/2 tub of Tribe Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (YUM) when I got home from class. :)


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

"Innovation begins with an eye"

So I'm reading "The Art of Innovation" for my Intellectual Assets class, and it's not only surprisingly well-written and interesting, but I find that I can't put it down! It's also very motivating for the inner-inventor in everyone -- the author provides lots of a fun anecdotal stories about various big businesses that came to IDEO for a product solution and how his engineers went about solving the problem through "human factors" innovation!

So this week, and I'm sure as the weather starts to get cooler, will be all about pushing myself even when I don't want to do any more. Running outside is not always going to be ideal, and I'm going to need the training to get up to 13.1miles, so I'm hoping my mental part of running can strengthen just as much as my physical aspect has in the past few weeks.

Workout:

In the spirit of "pushing through it," I went past my normal "3 mile treadmill runs" at the gym this morning, and made it all the way to 4 miles in 34 mins, 50 seconds... not too shabby! Granted, my body could definitely tell when I hit that 3 mile mark and the last mile was pretty tough. I'm also learning to run without my iPod, which is not as easily done when you're staring at a wall inside. I followed the run with 15 minutes of P90X Ab Ripper X and then had a very busy Monday!

Fundraising:

Still on the rise!!! I'm at $1388, so 38% of the way there! With a lot of time left, I'm definitely hoping to exceed my goal of $3700. I've got a lot of people who have said that they will give in the upcoming weeks, so that's wonderful -- thank you all!

Food:

Breakfast: Raspberry Chobani greek non-fat yogurt with 1/2 cup of Kashi 7-Whole Grains Puffs (can you tell I like consistency??)
Lunch: Other half of my whole-wheat tofu and veggie wrap with carrots on the side. Very yummy!

                                     
Dinner: Half a cup of whole wheat rotini and Newman's Own marinara sauce with a side of spinach, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions (and fat free Italian dressing), AND some carrots and roasted red pepper hummus on the side :)

                                     



Monday, September 12, 2011

I need new running shoes

Being that I never used to run this much, or this far, before, I also never had to worry about buying new running shoes. In fact, the only time I'd switch to new shoes was when I got them as a birthday or Christmas gift. Running this week put a lot of pressure on my knees and also on my lower back, so I definitely think I'm in need of some new shoes -- suggestions?

Workouts:

Friday: 2.5 mile walk - in need of a rest day after a long week of running. I also lifted possibly the heaviest couch ever up to my second story apartment, so I'd consider that my arm workout for the day...

Saturday: 5 mile run - Ran with Team Challenge at Carson Beach and it was beautiful out. Got a little hot mid run and I think I was pacing myself too quickly.

Sunday: 3.5 mile run, 1 mile walk - Ran to the Ferry's in Hyannis and part way back to the HP cape house with Ashley but both of us were tired from running so we walked the rest of the way. It was a beautiful day!

Fundraising:

On FRIDAY I officially hit the $1000 mark! Unbelievable! I am so grateful to have all of this support by my friends and peers! As of now, I'm exactly 1/3 of the way there -- but this much support is making me want to reach for the stars and get $7500 in donations! How cool would that be???? I think I can do it :)

Food:

Friday:
Breakfast: Raspberry Chobani greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/4 cup of Kashi 7-whole grain puffs cereal (and one instant coffee)


Lunch: (No picture, sorry!) 3oz of lean turkey breast slices on 100% whole wheat Arnold's sandwich bread with spicy brown mustard, spinach, and onions

Dinner: Rushed to eat dinner because I had a late meeting from 7-8:30 and didn't get home til 9 so I was starving and ate Lean Cuisine Chicken Teriyaki with a side of vegetables and LOTS of carrots and hummus.



Saturday:
Breakfast: Raspberry Chobani greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of Kashi 7-whole grain puffs cereal

Lunch: (Again, no picture, I forgot!) Grilled Veggie Wrap with roasted red peppers, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies with balsamic vinaigrette that the chef DOUSED ON (not yummy) at "Fresh Ketch" on Cape Cod with Ashley!

Dinner: Baked salmon with a side of brown rice and roasted yellow squash -- homemade meals are the best!


Sunday:
Breakfast: Cinnamon Swirl High Fiber Quaker Instant Oatmeal with a handful of almonds

Lunch: Half of a 100% whole wheat wrap with tofu and tons of delicious, fresh veggies from "Common Ground" on Main Street. One of the best lunches I've had in a WHILE.


Dinner: (No picture) Black bean soupy vegetable mix with red peppers, onions, jalapenos, zucchini, and carrots with tomato salsa, cayenne pepper, cumin, mexican spice, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce... yum!


Friday, September 9, 2011

Marshmellows don't grow on trees

Title of my blog came from an article I read in the most recent Times magazine about "Healthy Eating" and how too many Americans define dieting as low-fat and fat-free instead of maintaining more moderate portions of natural and organic foods. Things like nuts and whole milk aren't bad ... in moderation. It was really interesting to see how quickly portion sizes were altered once someone thinks "Oh, but it's low fat!" Goal of the day: Think about where your food is coming from! If you're picking up your lunch or a snack, and it's coming from a plastic bag, thing about where whatever it is (chips, a sandwich, etc) is made. Minimizing processed foods in my diet has definitely given me a new appreciation for fresh foods straight from the ground. 


Workout:


2-mile outdoor run, 30 minutes of elliptical, abs: Running outside was so much nicer than the treadmill, especially because the cool, 5am air and lack of cars made it easy to zone out and relax. Definitely beginning to feel sore in my hamstrings and back from all this running though, so I mixed it up with some elliptical and finished off with abs. Overall, a pretty easy day in preparation for a long run this weekend.


Fundraising:


All I can say is WOW!!! It feels so great to have this much support from my peers and coworkers. I found out that J&J matches (DOUBLE!) gifts so that will definitely help me reach my goal! It would be great if I could exceed it, giving more than just the minimum $3700. Currently, I'm at $645, so I still have a ways to go, but considering the webpage has only been up for 3 days, I'd say it's going great! Thanks to Emily's parents, (Lisa and Paul Cody) for the top donation of the day yesterday at $100 :) THANK YOU EVERYONE!


Food:


BreakfastWelp, forgot my Chobani yogurt in the fridge at home. I try to do a great job of packing all my food (and I really mean ALL because I always bring in a big grocery bag of it to work) the night before, but my yogurt got left out yesterday. Fortunately, I keep a stash of Quaker Instant Oatmeal at my desk so I had a serving of the "Cinnamon Swirl" flavor mixed with a handful of nuts and a side of sliced strawberries



Lunch: Leftover stir fry chicken from last night with chopped red peppers, zucchini, carrots, and onions over some spinach.

                                                      

Dinner: No picture to show for this one! I had to eat my tuna sandwich and carrots in class (I have class every Tuesday, Thursday from 6-8pm) and couldn't really take a picture of it without everyone staring at me, but, rest assured, it didn't look that appetizing... it was filling though!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

The beginning!

The initial purpose of this blog is to track my process as I train for the Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon that I'll be running in Las Vegas on December 4th. I'll be giving updates on my workouts and times as well as healthy meals (and how to make them yourself!) that boost my energy and keeps me moving!


However, in the long-term, I'm hoping to continue maintaining the blog, for my interested friends and peers that enjoy cooking healthy meals (for cheap) and staying in shape. Over the past 6 months, I had a pretty big 180 from my prior eating and lifestyle habits: I no longer drink and I cut out processed foods as much as possible, replacing them with fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, and lean meats. I lost 20lbs, but increased my energy and motivation to work hard, save money, and continue living healthy. 

Workout:


3-mile treadmill run and strength workout: This was tough, I really dislike treadmill running -- especially when SportsCenter is on and it's the same news that was being reported as yesterday. I can't focus on the environment and instead am left watching the clock, praying for 3 miles to come quicker. Definitely looking forward to an outdoor run this weekend! The strength workout went great, but left my upper arms and shoulders completely sore the rest of the day


Check all my workouts at: http://www.mapmyrun.com/profile/2803868/


Fundraising Status:


Currently at $210, with BRYAN ROGERS donating the first and current high of $100 :) Thanks to all my supporters!



FOOD
So for yesterday's meals,


Breakfast: 6-oz of Strawberry non-fat Chobani greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of Kashi 7-whole grains cereal


Yum! Greek yogurt has lots of protein which means no problem staying full til lunchtime!


Lunch: Black beans (cooked from scratch!) over lettuce with a side of steamed broccoli, grape tomatoes, and sweet potato french fries... and for dessert? Strawberries!


Lots of veggies, and the black beans are super filling! All it took was pre-cooking them the night before (soaking them for an hour, cooking for 45 min, adding just a little salt at the end) and then reheating


Dinner: Stir-fry lean chicken tenderloins with roasted zucchini, jalapeno, red peppers and caramelized onions mixed with low-sodium soy sauce, served with 1 piece of 100% whole wheat bread and a side salad of spinach and grape tomatoes


Grill pans are great for this -- start the veggies first and cook the chicken separately, then mix together, adding the soy sauce to allow it to infuse into all the ingredients. Also, topping the stir fry on the bread was super delicious.