A Weight Off Your Mind

I love Oprah Magazine. There, I said it. That and The Economist and I'm in heaven (I know, very different publications). While Oprah Magazine sometimes disappoints me with their occasional based-on-shaky-science re-publication of anti-commercial-agriculture propoganda, in general: Oprah feeds my soul. Paul always kids me when I'm reading that magazine "Is Oprah telling you how to live?"

This month's issue had an incredible article on weight by Marianne Williams called "A Weight Off Your Mind". Here are a couple of quotes from the article. I've scanned it if you're interested in a copy, just let me know.

"Being overweight is a spiritual issue. And spiritual growth is required to overcome it."

"You've subconsciously tried to get rid of difficult feelings by eating them."

"I was never a food addict, but for years I was a compulsive eater."

And finally, the paragraph that completely resonated with me:

"Imagine your excess weight as a brick wall you are carrying around. This wall has been built by your subconscious; its purpose is to separate you from other people and from life itself. Looking closely, you see that every brick has something written on it: Shame, Anger, Fear, Judgement, Pressure, Exhaustion, Stress, Heartbreak, Injustice, Protection, Jealousy, Inferiority, Embarrassment, Self-abnegation..."

All of a sudden, after reading this article I can FEEL my weight. I can see how it affects me in day-to-day interactions and why I've allowed it to stay on, even made choices that made that a certainty. This article has helped me and I thought it may help you. Pick up an Oprah or send me an e-mail and it's yours.

Abby

2011 Races

This week I've found that going to the Y in the evening, after Olivia goes to bed, is wonderful. I have guilt-free "me" time and I've spend the last few nights speed-walking 5Ks to get back into the swing of running. I also spent some time tonight finding races for the first 1/2 of 2011. Here's what I'm planning to do; let me know if you'd like to join me!

January
16th - Fort Ord Foray

March
13th - St. Patrick's Day 10K in Los Gatos

April
10th - Santa Cruz 1/2 Marathon

May
1st - Big Sur 9 miler
15th - Bay to Breakers in San Francisco

Self-Esteem

In September 2009 my friend Quinn and I listed all of my extra-curricular activities, including boards I sat on, events I co-chaired, campaigns I worked on, etc. There were 14 things on the list at that time and I was burnt out. Over 2010 I’ve worked hard to make good on what I’d committed to, all the while checking off the list and I’m blissfully at 2 as of today. I’ve already signed up for a couple of new positions in 2011, but I’ve made a promise to myself that from now on I’ll never do more than 5 so that I can focus on my family, friends and other priorities at all times.

And one of those priorities, as you all know, is my health. I was reading an article last week about exercise and weight. It said that maintaining a healthy weight through exercise actually helps our brains and memories retain and make decisions. Additionally, the more extra weight we carry not only weighs down our bodies but also weighs down our ability to be quick on our feet mentally.

Last week I also had a conversation with a person in the industry for whom I have great respect. He was commenting on my ability to retain information and said “Just wait 15 years…it’ll change.” I know he was joking (kind of) but that jolted me.

My self-esteem isn’t tied to how I look, my ability to run a 10-minute-mile, or how much I make. It’s tied to how well I do my job. I don’t know if that makes me odd, but for me it’s all about excelling professionally. All of those other things are good and can make me happy, but the bottom line is that when a grower tells me they feel I’m representing them well on an issue or a shipper calls me because they know I can get them the answer they need I FEEL GREAT. The idea that I may not have the ability to remember, retain, and basically keep on my toes in 15 years scares me.

What I’m getting at here is that I now have another reason to be healthy. And I’m realizing that by becoming healthier I may be better at my job not only 15 years from now, but today. That, coupled with being the best mommy I can be, is what my self-esteem is tied to, what gets me up in the morning, what makes me feel good about myself. I now have another reason to make sure I get to the Y, or take Olivia for a walk every day. Doing so makes me better at everything that’s important to me.

Butternut Bisque Shared

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite ways to get at least 2 servings of vegetables in a sitting. This is a soup that I make regularly during the fall and winter and I can't count the number of times I've shared a bowl of this soup, crusty bread, yummy salad and a glass of wine with good friends. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Bisque

6 C. Chicken Broth
1 large butternut squash – peeled & cubed, about 6 cups
1 medium sized tart green apple – peeled, cored and chopped
1 large onion – chopped
1 ½ t. sugar
1 t. salt
pinch of rosemary
fresh ground pepper
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
3 T. dry sherry
2 egg yolks
1 pint half & half

Combine stock, squash, apples, onion, sugar, salt, rosemary and pepper in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender – about 1 hour. Puree squash until very smooth. Return to pan and bring to a boil. Melt butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and puree. Simmer 5 min. Mix in sherry. Beat yolks and cream in a small bowl. Blend in some of hot soup. Whisk mixture back into soup. Serve!

Re-warming is fine, but do not boil.

A Brand New Day

Halloween night - so much candy. And of course, in the midst of it I got an itch to make a mango-blueberry pie with all of the fruit in my freezer. Our house is filled with sugar right now. We need more trick or treaters! This weekend I helped co-chair a great event, the annual YF&R Harvest Dance (see attached picture of Livey in her firefly outfit). I loved doing it (especially since our committee was filled with great friends) but it's a relief to have it complete. One more event (CWA's Annual Bus Trip, also put on by great friends) in 2 weeks and I'm going to step away from co-chairing special events for a little while so that I can focus.

Paul and I have decided we want to try again for a baby mid-2011. That means I need to focus on my health as a priority. Hence today's blog title. I've done a lot of good work this year, but October wasn't the best month. After the mermaid I lost some of my gusto and haven't been running as much as I'd done before. Today at lunch I'm going to speed walk a 5K at the gym. I also brought 5 produce items for my lunch/breakfast today to reinvigorate my 10-a-day challenge.

I got an e-mail from a dear friend who I've called my cousin for years as her parents are my parent's closest friends and essentially family members, Allison (Silveira) Ribaya. About a year ago she learned that her 15-month old son Gavin had a Wilms Tumor on his kidney. He had surgery to have it removed and immediately went into chemo. Thankfully a few months ago he was given a clean bill of health, although he will have to be tested every six months until he is six, at which time we hope he is declared officially cancer-free. To learn more, visit their blog.

She and I were commiserating about the difficulties of weight loss and she said something that is so true, it was (forgive the Oprah reference) an "aha moment". She was saying that as she loses weight it's as if she is shedding the stress, anger, fear and sadness she had felt over the last year. What an incredible statement.

There's a reason we gain weight. Sometimes it's the way we know to quell our day-to-day worries, even our happiness's (who hasn't celebrated a victory with a big slice of cake?). But I'm learning that I've used food to help me through my emotional ups and downs for the past decade and I really don't need it. Exercise is so much more effective. And I know it will get easier as I go along. Going to the gym isn't going to be such a chore if I keep doing it.

Thank you to Allison for letting me share our conversation, it was enlightening for me and I hope it is for some of you as well.

Mermaid Complete!

Jennifer and I completed our mermaid triathlon (ended up being a biathlon) on Sunday - it was great! They had to cancel the biking portion due to a lack of CHP officers, but the swim and run were really fun. I had a really slow time compared to the rest: 1:09, but I didn't care - I was really happy with it. It ended up being a 400-meter swim and 5K run. I hadn't been running as often the last month, so I figured I'd speed-walk, but in the end I ran about 1/2 of it. I was disappointed not to bike, but we'll definitely do it again next year. A full list of results can be found here: http://results.active.com/pages/displayNonGru.jsp?orgID=218713&rsID=100287. I'm in the 30-34 age group.

Now I need to find another event to do. Send me ideas!

Green Beans

Olivia ate green beans last night! And she said "yummy, mommy!" She carried on the Taylor family tradition of dipping them in ketchup, and really liked them. It made me so proud - she's starting to eat more and more vegetables when she sees us eating them. Another reason to keep this up! She also ate the rainbow trout my boss Jim caught and brought to us.

I'm still struggling with weight loss, although over the last week I've made a focused effort to think about everything I'm eating, why I'm eating it, and what it's "giving" me. Is it because I'm hungry, or something else? Anything but for hunger isn't smart or healthy but I do it all the time. More on my philosophical musings on this topic to come.

Biking Again

I've not biked so much since my days at Davis, and then it was all flat! Jennifer and I biked along Highway 1 in Marina/Seaside yesterday morning. It was sunny and gorgeous and I felt like my legs were going to fall off on some of those hills! We speed walked afterward, at first running, but my legs were like jello, I couldn't keep them straight! We're getting ready for next Sunday's triathlon, I'm actually getting pretty excited. Here's the website if you're interested in the course: http://www.mermaidtriathlon.com/09/SANTACRUZ/SANTACRUZ09.html.

Swimming in the AM

This morning I swam at our local YMCA, which I joined a couple of weeks ago. It was hard to get up (honestly, I snoozed twice) but the swim felt so good. The pool was 82 degrees and I really worked on my freestyle breathing (I'm not good at alternating which side I turn my head).

I also got my life insurance medical tests back. Overall they were very good, but I am at high risk for diabetes according to my fasting blood sugar levels. I already knew that, but it's hard to see it again, from a different source. More inspiration to do what I'm doing!

Olivia Ate Broccolini!

Last night Olivia ate a piece of broccolini. Granted, she sucked out the middle and gave daddy the "skin" to eat, but she ate it! I'm so proud. :)

I joined the YMCA last week and LOVE it. There's even a play area for kids and I can put Livey in swim lessons. I need to do some "block" training: swim/run, run/bike, bike/swim over the next couple of weeks to prepare for my mermaid triathlon on 9/26.

Jennifer and I went to a clinic to prepare for the ocean swim on Saturday. It's SO SCARY swimming in the ocean. We're swimming around the ship at the pier on Seascape beach (Aptos, CA) which is about 400 meters. It's so cold that every time I put my head in the water I stopped breathing a little, then got scared (you only see green) and then yanked my head up and sat there breathing for a minute until I felt better. It's freaky! I made it around the boat and back, but it took me 40 minutes to do what I'd normally swim in 15 in a lap pool.

Yesterday Jennifer and I went for a bike ride/run along Hwy 1. It was fun and really hard to get up some of the hills. My chain fell off once, which wasn't that hard to reattach (probably thanks to my UCD years) but I had a hard time of running after the hills on that bike for 4 miles and speed walked about another 1.5 mile. Jennifer's such a great inspiration for me to get out there, pushing me to try while understanding when I need to slow down.

More to come on the triathlon...

Back into Swimming, Riding

A quick update: tomorrow I'm going to start swimming again to prepare for my mini-triathalon on 9.25.10. I've not been as active over the past couple of weeks, partially due to a busy schedule, but I'm a little nervous that I'm losing my drive to exercise. I'm also going to get my bike out of the garage! I have a really tough time motivating myself to get out and exercise when I'm tired or worried about day-to-day things. I know swimming will make me feel great tomorrow and bike riding is going to be necessary as I prepare for my 11-miler.

Hiding the Scale

I've done a good job of eating my 10-a-day all week, partially because I've been visiting the salad shoppe! Yesterday I had 5 servings in my salad (beets, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes) a banana, 2 plums, strawberries, corn and tomatoes from my garden. I had a little trouble on Wednesday because I was in a conference all day, but I had about 7 throughout.

I was so excited to harvest fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden yesterday. I was even more excited when Olivia was interested in them. I've had a bit of trouble getting her to eat vegetables lately. Of course, tomatoes are actually a fruit, but she hasn't wanted them since she was about 1 year old. She loved plucking off the stem and popping them in her mouth. She'd get a tart one and give me a "nose crunch" but then she was reaching for another. I love that she preferred the tomatoes to the pasta on her plate (whole wheat pasta, but pasta nonetheless).

I also hid my scale. I'm sick of it. I think it actually makes me less productive because I expect such big changes quickly. And that's that. :)

Monday's 10

As I said yesterday, I was going to post my servings all week...

My 10 servings yesterday...
1 Banana
2 apricots
BIG salad - 5 servings (bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, beets, mushrooms)
BIG heirloom tomato - 2 servings
dried mangos

So far today...
1 Banana
BIG salad & steamed veggies at conference - 4 servings (carrots, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes)

I'm staying at a friend's tonight (at a conference) who is a wonderful, fresh veggie cook. I know that she'll either make us a delicious, produce-laden dinner or we'll go somewhere delicious and healthy!

Finished in 3:30! Fastest time: 9:35

I had the Salinas Valley 1/2 Marathon this weekend. What a beautiful course, full of fields and local friends all out for a run. I ended up running the first mile (14:08 pace, 11:00 fastest), and then realized I wasn't feeling well. It felt like my chest/heart was struggling so I speed walked the rest, with a few running sprints here and there. My fastest time was a 9:35 pace - my best ever! We climbed 440 feet, went 13.1 miles and I had an average speed of 16:08. I was pretty happy with the results.

Now I'm gearing up for my mini triathlon on 9/26! It includes a 400-meter ocean swim, 2.5 mile run and a 11 mile bike ride: http://www.mermaidtriathlon.com/09/index.html. This is my perfect opportunity to cross-train and gain running speed.

I've had a hard time keeping up with my 10-a-day. I've just let life "get in the way" over the past few weeks. I didn't make it the priority it had been before, but now I'm completely dedicated to doing it again. To push myself to do so, I'm going to post my 10 each day all week. I'm also going to have breakfast again - I'd lived on coffee most days until noon over the past month. So of course at lunch I'm starved. Breaking bad habits is hard to do, but I'm exercising more than I have in 10 years, and I know I can change my eating habits for the better too.

First Big Race Results

Yesterday I ran in the San Francisco 1/2 Marathon. It was gorgeous. This photo shows the start at 6:30 a.m. It was right next to the Ferry Building on Embarcadero. We ran next to the piers, through Fisherman's Wharf (only the runners and sourdough bakers were out - the smell was heavenly) through Fort Mason and up to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, then through the Presidio down to Golden Gate Park.

I did not finish the race. It was timed, so at 10:00 it was over - they were actually dismantling at 9:30, when I was at about the 11th mile. I ran the first 10 miles, walking about 5 times up some big hills and to take short breaks to regain strength and "gu". I ran about my normal speed (16-minute/mile) but I've never run it for that long, up that many steep hills. It felt amazing. At 10 miles though, I'll admit, I was pretty wiped. I walked another two to meet my girlfriend and get on the muni, and at that point we were done.

Could I have ran/walked to the finish line even if it was no longer there? Physically, yes. However, I was the last one running - everyone behind me had tapered off, and I wasn't completely sure of where to go. Moreover I was really proud of myself and knew that I had a couple miles of walking ahead of me, so I was okay with not getting to the finish line. Next year, I'll be crossing it in a crowd of people, I'm sure of it.

Now to shine some light on my loved ones running with me: my friend Erin crossed in 2:43, my brother Ben in 2:15 and my sister-in-law Amelie in 2:01! I'm so proud of them.

In two weeks I'll be running in the Salinas Valley 1/2 Marathon. This one is flat, and not timed, so I think I'll be able to finish it. I've also signed up for the Mermaid Triathlon on 9/26 (a 400-meter swim, 2.5 mile run and 12 mile bike ride) and will be signing up for the Santa Barbara 1/2 marathon on 11/6. This is getting addictive!

10:54 Fastest Time Last Night

Last night I took a 2-mile run on the trail around my house and really pushed myself to go as fast as I could, knowing that I'd have to sustain it for 2 miles, which I figured would take 1/2 hour. Here were my stats:

Fastest Pace: 10:54/mile
Average Pace: 14:35/mile over 2 miles

This is REALLY good. But, it shows me that I probably won't be able to keep up with my friend on our run this weekend (she's more a 12:30/mile) although I should be able to finish the run.

I chatted with a friend who's a really good runner on Monday and he said that when he ran the Big Sur Marathon he allowed himself to take walking breaks at each mile to rest. He said that there were people who passed him in the first few miles that he was passing in the end because he maintained his energy throughout. I like the idea of taking a minute to walk at each mile marker, so I think I'm going to try that this weekend. Wish me luck!

1 Week Away

Well, I'm 1 week away from my big run - 13.1 miles! It's supposed to be beautiful, starting on the embarcadero in San Francisco, then traveling up and down the Golden Gate Bridge and back through the city to Golden Gate Park. Our "wave" will probably start around 5:30 a.m., so I'll have 3.5 hours to complete it. That's an average 16-minute mile, with a 400 elevation climb. I can do this. I've walked/hiked 13.5 miles in 4 hours, climbing 1,000 feet - this is going to be hard because I'm not used to running quite this far, but it's a great way for me to measure my successes and determine where I am.

This weekend it was a little hard to keep up with my 10-a-day; I was out with friends and family for much of the weekend, and while I definitely incorporated them into my meals, I hit about 7 on Sunday and 5 yesterday. For some reason, weekdays are much easier because I can pack my lunches and have a refrigerator to store them in. It's all about preparation...I need to get better at that.

I wanted to take a quick moment in today's blog to honor the memory of a classmate of mine who passed away on Friday. Kelly Freitas (Alvarnez) had breast cancer at a very young age (31) and I know she's left this earth for another, more beautiful place. Her obituary may be found here: http://www.grunnagle.com/Obituaries.html. Tonight I will be attending her rosary, along with many throughout our community, and fondly remembering her life on earth while also reflecting on how lucky we all are for our time here together.

Running with Friends

Running with friends is so good for me. Last night DeeDee came over and we ran the trail. I usually run a 15-minute mile for about 4 miles, but last night our fastest pace over a mile was 11:45! Of course, we had to slow down eventually so we could catch up and walk and talk, but I really had to push myself for a good mile to keep up with her. Also, when we came home I made our little ones (a month apart) applesauce and big salads for us! Well, and maybe a little artisan cheese from Star Market, but very healthy nonetheless!

Pain is Just Weakness Leaving the Body

This is a phrase my friend Denise Pickles used to say often - she's a great athlete and I've found this applies to all kinds of life's trials. This week I thought of it often, especially while running. I have so much to say, I can't believe it's been so long since I've written.

First, I ran the Spreckles 10K on July 4 - what a great day! I ran 4/5ths of the 6.2 miles and it felt great. I realized I'm slow but I have a lot of stamina. Now for my time...it was 1:40 - I was one of the last 3 people (but not the last!). That means I was at a 16-minute mile. I need to be at a 15-minute mile for 13.2 miles on July 25, so I need to push myself over the next couple of weeks. Regardless of how well I do, running on the Embarcadero and the Golden Gate Bridge at 6 in the morning is going to be amazing.

The best thing about the Spreckles 10K was that I ran next to strawberry fields for about 2 miles. There are few things better in this world than running next to fragrant, warm strawberries still on the plant. I was also so happy to see some of my favorite growers out there running next to (well, maybe way ahead of) me out there. They and so many more were cheering me on and giving me words of encouragement throughout the week.

This weekend I had a good 1 hour run at a 15-minute/mile pace, but I need to keep that up for a longer period. Last week I had a busy week with work and some personal challenges, but I found that running really helped to center me and helped me to pull myself out of my own perspective so that I can better tackle the issues.

Today I decided to start tracking what I eat again - I'm generally keeping to my 10-a-day, but I still snack on too many calorie-laden foods (give me a slice of kalamata olive oil bread with a slice of laughing cow, or 5!). These are the types of things I need to limit in my diet. However, I came across this great recipe (incorporating a little bread) the other day for Panzanella salad. I used large heirloom and regular tomatoes and regular basil from my garden, but it was DELICIOUS: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1995713.

1/2 of What You Eat

A quick post: I'm on a conference call right now and just heard from the Produce for Better Health Foundation that 1/2 of what we eat each day should be fruits and vegetables. Only 6% of the U.S. population eats as many vegetables as are recommended and only 8% eats as many fruits as are recommended. AMAZING.

Lovin' the Swiss Chard

On Sunday I was motivated to try some new veggies to meet my 10-a-day, which I realize I haven't been talking about as much lately, although I've been meeting this goal. It's easy to eat the same things each day. This frittata was a hit with Paul. I took out a large skillet, and put a little butter and olive oil in. Then I added sliced mushrooms, 5 cloves of garlic, and a bell pepper. I chopped up a bunch of Swiss chard (picture included for those who aren't familiar), sauteed that for about 5 minutes, then beat 11 eggs and added them, some fresh sage, fresh basil, green onions, salt and pepper. I cooked the frittata over medium heat on the stove for about 5 minutes, then grated cheddar on the top and baked it in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. It was so delicious! The chard gave it a neat flavor, and the basil gave it a really fresh taste. And I made enough that we've kept eating it and plan to all week.

I also ran again last night - 25 minutes. It's such a stress release, I realized last week was especially hard because I didn't have a physical outlet for my energy. I also just signed up for the Spreckels 10-K on Sunday, since I need to get my stamina up for the two 13.1-milers I have coming up in 4 and 6 weeks!

Sacks of Potatoes

I ran last night for the first time in almost 2 weeks - and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to do it and just gave myself a 25-minute, 2 mile run along the trail. I spent the entire day procrastinating doing it though - thinking it would make me tired, and with a 21-month old you need your energy! So I took my time, not running until 7:45 p.m. It felt so good. I came back refreshed and full of energy, exactly the opposite of what I'd expected.

I also realized this week that a lack of energy is a huge problem for me. It's easy for me to have the energy to do my job, participate in activities, etc., because that's mostly mental, and I've conditioned myself to be able to sustain it. The physical energy I need to keep up with my daughter is a challenge for me.

My dad's always been supportive of my getting physically healthier (while loving me for who I am, all the while) and has told me to imagine the weight in terms of "sacks of potatoes" I'm carrying around with me each day. I'm carrying around 10-10lb. sacks of potatoes every day. I'm recognizing that instead of exercising, which I think will tire me out, I reach for something sugary or caffeinated to give me quick energy. For an hour I'm "up", and then I crash, more tired than I was to start out with. I feel like I'm completely changing the way I think - and I'll admit, it's hard! I've gotten by pretty well with these habits, but I'm really starting to crave a healthy body...and longer runs!

Bronchitis

I've been away from this blog for a week because bronchitis took me down! I wasn't able to run since last Tuesday, unfortunately, but I'll be back to it tonight.

Last night when I got home from work I was giving Livey a snack before going to the park and realized I was hungry too. Normally I would have grabbed some crackers or something easy like that, but I realized I'd only had 4 of my produce servings that day so I looked around for what we had. I found cucumbers that I'd bought a week before and grudgingly took them out. I love cucumbers, I just always think they're so time consuming to prepare. 30 seconds later they were peeled (a task that completely entranced Olivia) and sliced and we were out the door to the park. Why do we make things so much bigger in our heads?

I also had an interesting revelation this last week. When I crave something "bad" I just reach for one of my 10 servings and sometimes realize I'm not hungry at all when what I'm eating isn't my "craving". I think eating has become my way of dealing with things, and instead I need to do other things, like taking Olivia to the park. We had so much fun, and food became the last thing on my mind.

That's my Jam!

Last night's run was FANTASTIC. I was in my new shoes and ran along the trail by my house. It was so much fun. My running song of the day was "Long Day" by Matchbox 20, which totally reminded me of college and also got me going after what was honestly a pretty long day. I love what I do, but I was mentally exhausted. I'd had meetings much of the day and then had to fax a letter out to the CA Senate Ag & Food Committee in preparation for a meeting they are having today, so Livey watched Elmo at my desk while my friend/colleague Darlene and I faxed and mailed. I rushed Livey home at 7:30 p.m., put her in the bath, fed her dinner while she splashed around, then Paul got home at 8:00 and for a minute I thought "I don't need a run tonight, it's late..." but then I got up, put my running shoes on and bounded out of the house. I did 20 minutes of continuous running and about 10 minutes of walking (about 2 miles). If the sun wasn't setting I could have kept going. I'm really starting to understand what they mean by "runner's high". It felt wonderful.

I'm running with Jennifer and DeeDee tonight at Toro - they're both faster than me, but patient, thank goodness. Now for the title of today's blog. It's an inside joke my husband and I have about music we either really like (i.e. RUSH, for him) or music we really don't like (i.e. RUSH, for me). Last night I definitely found "my jam".

6 Weeks Away from 1/2 Marathon

I weighed myself on Friday and honestly couldn't get myself to write on the blog, I was so disappointed. I'd gained 2 pounds. I've since lost one of them, but I was really bummed. I think drinking a lot of water over the weekend helped; I'd had a lot of salty food over the week. I need to remember to keep doing that to flush my system out, and to help my runs. I also only ran 2 times last week - although they were good, I had to miss both of my regular runs with friends due to events and such. I'm 6 weeks away from my first 1/2 marathon - it's crunch time!

Although my weight went up slightly, I'm still feeling really good. I really feel like my body is testing me - like it's not going to "give it up" until I've proven I'm sticking with it. There's nothing like motivation - I've told you how I'm doing this for my family, so that I can have more kids. Olivia (20 months) counted from 1-10 this weekend. I've got to stay healthy so that I can watch her cross that stage in her cap and gown in 20 years. (UC Davis! UC Davis! UC Davis!) Of course, it doesn't matter at all to me where she goes, as long as she's happy. (UC Davis!)

A Bounce to My Step

Last night I had a great run along the trail by my house. It felt like I'd finally found a good stride. It almost seems as though my body has been rebelling over the past couple of weeks, not believing that I'd keep up with this plan, making my runs hard, and has now given up and given in to the cause.

I felt so invigorated during and after my run, and listened to my "good for my soul" mix on my ipod. This Wilco song (California Stars) really got me going: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXTxKTlMtlM. I also slept like a rock last night!

I'm totally looking forward to my run tonight and am going to Fleet Feet with friends to find some new running shoes - I'm tired of these darned blisters! They have you run on a machine that helps you to understand how you run and what types of shoes will help you run better. Paul's b-day present to me is a new pair of running shoes...we'll see how much these set him back!

3 Beets 1

Corny title, I know! Now I have day-in, day-out support with Jim and Joann in my office following the 10-a-day plan. This morning Jim and I had a lovely breakfast of berries and bananas.

Last night I had beets for dinner, along with a small bowl of pasta. They were so delicious! Here's what I did:
3 large beets
drizzle of olive oil
chopped fresh rosemary
1T dried oregano
chopped fresh sage
salt & pepper
feta cheese

Cut up the beets (into 1/8ths) and toss with the herbs. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper and toss until lightly coated. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 1 hour. Top with feta cheese to taste. Delicious!

Gunshots

Last night was a scary one. It had been a great but tiring weekend, so Paul and I had headed to bed early. Our neighbors were having a party, so there was a constant hum of a bass guitar which made Paul frustrated, and he put earplugs in so he could fall asleep. I had watched the "Sixth Sense" that afternoon and was having visions of a creepy version of Donnie Wahlberg coming out of my bathroom when the music stopped and Paul pulled the plugs out and we settled in to sleep. Just after 10:00 we heard 5-6 shots of rapid gunfire, then silence. We called 911 and were told they'd received a lot of calls, but I have no idea what happened from there; nothing's been reported in the papers yet.

What does this have to do with my blog? I love to run along the trails by my house, but shootings like this (the second in my 2 years in this neighborhood) freak me out. I know the gang members who perpetuate this violent tit-for-tat aren't looking for me - they're going after one another. But I live close enough to it that I worry about walking into a fight. However, I love Salinas. I love living in this town, and I don't want to allow a small minority of violent people to keep me from living my life with my family here. I'm going to do all of the things I learned to do last time: I'm keeping my porch light on. I'm going out for walks. I'm talking to my neighbors. I will not let this keep me from my fitness goal or living the life I want to live. I will remain aware. And I will do all that I can to make my community safe. And I will run.

Fastest Mile Yesterday...Weigh in

This will be a blog of highs and lows. Yesterday Jennifer and I ran at the Hartnell track and my first mile was my fastest ever: 11:50/mile. I couldn't understand why it felt so hard to run and why I got shin splits when I was doing it, and then I realized I was running about 1-2 minutes faster than usual. That felt great.

Today's weigh day: I'm the same at 241. But let's dissect the situation: this week was my birthday, so I ate an inordinate amount of desserts and went out to eat a lot. I kept to my 10-a-day all but 2 days (the 13.5 miler day because I was too tired to stay awake and eat and my birthday - both days I had 7 servings). I ran/walked 16 miles throughout the week, but over the course of only two days. I need to spread that out over at least 3-4 days a week and focus on doing some other types of exercise as well. I will not feel defeated by my lack of weight loss this week, I know what I need to do.

Last night I got home around 7:00 from running and Paul had made a healthy dinner filled with veggies: artisan lettuce salad with beans and feta, steamed broccoli, fresh berries, a little cheese and bread. When Olivia went to bed I found myself wanting to open the cupboards and dig around for a treat. After all, I'd had a really productive day, gotten some big projects off the ground, and I deserved a little treat. Whoa. That's my mentality! I forced myself to do something else - Paul had been doing house chores and I told him I wanted to get out of the house and go shopping just to get my mind off of food (replacing one thing with another). He wanted to go for his run, so it wouldn't have been fair for me to just leave. He said our gardening needed watering so I went outside for about 15 minutes to do that and it calmed me down. I realized I was really nervous for my weigh-in. Then why was I trying to sabotage it? I let myself have a little treat (a tablespoon of nutella) and then I had some carrots to finish up my 10 for the day. I need to learn other ways or rewarding myself than by eating something sweet.

Overall, it's been an enlightening week. I think I've already learned a lot of important lessons and appreciate all of the ideas coming my way. Keep them coming, although my main focus will remain 10-a-day and a 10 minute mile, your suggestions give me great perspective and will help me get there.

32 Today!

Today's my 32nd birthday! Last night my husband Paul made me a huge salad and steamed broccoli grown by a good friend field for our dinner. He's really behind me on this effort, having watched me try trend diets for years and yo-yo-ing.

I've had some great success with the 10-a-day and have made sure to keep to it for most of a week now. I've had a big boost of energy from it, I'm finding that I'm not as hungry for other types of food, and I'm really enjoying what I'm eating. However, I don't think I'm losing any weight yet. Thing is: I have a huge sweet tooth and although I'm eating my 10-a-day, I still nibble on sweets when they're around. My doctor, my mom and a handful of friends have suggested I look at South Beach diet. They've told me it fits right in with my 10-a-day goal, but it helps "restart" your body and gets you onto healthy sugars. I'm going to pick up a copy of the book this week; perhaps this will help my body get into the mode in needs to be in by giving me a kick-start.

Jim Bogart, my boss, is going to try eating 10 fruits and vegetables a day to encourage me in this effort. He's great at working out, but not always good at eating all of his fruits and veggies. Here we are, together working toward getting healthier!

13.5 Miler Was Killer!

Yesterday Jennifer and I did the walk from my house in Salinas to San Juan Bautista. Paul and I have done this before, but we started in SJB last time. It was a lot harder this time, I think because instead of hiking the 1,000 feet in the beginning of the walk, Jennifer and I walked 9.5 miles, gradually going up 500 feet, and then hiked up the last 500 over the course of about a mile. I couldn't handle it! I was so tired from the first 10 miles, I had to keep stopping to take a breath and had the sensation that I would faint a few times. I felt crazy: I've done this before! I also felt angry. How have I let my body get to the point where I can't finish a 13.5-mile walk/hike?

I'm used to setting pretty high goals for myself and I'm very used to being able to accomplish them over time. However, these goals are usually job-related, or center around organizing a major event or fundraiser. I feel like this is going to be one of the hardest goals I've ever set out to accomplish because my body really isn't in strong athletic shape, and now I'm only 2 months away from a 13.2-mile marathon in San Francisco, where there will be a lot of hills. This walk was a major wake-up call - but I'm not stopping!

Friday: Weigh Day

I'd like to weigh in once a week on Fridays to track my progress. I know, this is about being healthy, not the weight, but the weight is naturally my easiest benchmark to measure against. Today's weight, after one full day of this blog, is: still 241.

Last night I went shopping for produce and milk and found myself pondering "could chocolate-covered raisins count as one of my servings?" I resisted, but I really do feel that I'm figuring the rules out as I go. I met my goal yesterday with a serving each of: banana, blackberries and strawberries (in my morning smoothie), romaine lettuce, green beans, an apple, 1/2 of a small avocado, blueberries, some cherries, and a few slices of dried mango. Should I count a serving of dried fruit? Input is appreciated.

Looking back, my day was pretty fruit-heavy, and I want to try to balance it out. I'm a sweet-tooth, and I know that a strawberry is better for me than a brownie, but I still need to get those greens in.

A lot of people have asked me today for Jennifer's smoothie recipe. To make it you blend together the items listed next in the amounts you choose (a scoop here, a pour there). Here's what you put in it: protein powder (she brought me a big tub of vanilla to get me started, it was pretty good), 1 egg (wash the shell with soap and water first), 1/2-1 banana, a handful of spinach, some blueberries (frozen or fresh), 1/4 cup of dry oatmeal, milk (cow, rice, soy, almond, etc.), yogurt, ice if you like, and any other fruit you may want to include. I like that you can change it up easily based on what you have. Another friend suggested adding wheat germ for an extra kick of fiber.

I didn't run yesterday because of the rain, but I plan to exercise quite a bit this weekend...will let you know how it goes!

Smoothie Time

This morning I made my friend Jennifer's protein smoothie. Oh my goodness - I'm full! I got 3 of my servings: banana, blackberries and strawberries, and it was really good. I didn't add the raw egg yet, but tomorrow I'm adding fresh spinach. My daughter was so interested in it too - I think I'm going to start making her a modified version in the mornings.

I got an e-mail this morning about keeping up with the 10-a-day from one of my favorite colleagues from days gone by. He said "Eating 10 F&V's a day will require discipline and will pretty much keep you eating all day, and not much else, facilitating weight loss and health improvement to say the least." I think he's right! I've always had a lot of produce around our house, but this morning I realized we needed to do some serious shopping to make sure there's enough for all of us. I pretty much wiped out our berry supply this morning!

I'm also realizing that the more I'm eating fruits and veggies, the more I'm sharing them with Olivia. Her generation is on track to be the first to not outlive their parents due to the obesity epidemic. I'm finding that this "walking the walk" applies to many areas of my life.

Amazed

I'm amazed at all of the support I've received in just the past 5 hours since sending out a notice about this blog - thank you. I just went on a great run using the Couch to 5K program on my iphone. I'm in week 5 and for the first time, I made it back to my house before my 30 minutes was up. Considering I've been using the same trail this entire time, that's an indication that my runs are getting faster.

Tomorrow is my first day of eating 10 servings of fruits and veggies. A girlfriend asked me this afternoon if that was 10 of veggies and 10 of fruits. I don't think I'd have room in my stomach! My goal is to eat a total 10 servings of any fruits and veggies each day.

Another girlfriend gave me her recipe for a protein shake which calls for a couple of servings of fruits and veggies. She adds spinach (which I'm totally into) and raw egg to hers. I'm a little hesitant to go for the raw egg, although if you wash the shell it's supposed to be completely safe. She says these keep her full all morning, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it's working.

First Day

Today is my first day writing this blog, and my first time doing ever doing anything like this. It's a little intimidating writing all of this down. Today I weigh 241 pounds and I'm stuck. I've been running with friends for two months, but I'm not getting much faster...because I'm overweight.

Every day I work for an industry I've grown up in, I'm passionate about, and that grows the healthiest food in the world. However, I don't live the talk. I don't eat as many fruits and vegetables as I should to live a healthy life, or even when I do I still eat too many unhealthy foods.

I visited my doctor last week and my weight had shot back up. He told me that the running was good, but in order to really be healthy for another pregnancy I need to lose 65 pounds. Last time I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes, and if I don't make a change I have a 60% chance of getting Type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

Thank you for following me on this journey - my goal is to eat 10 fruits and vegetables a day and be able to run a 10-minute mile. I have a half-marathon on July 25 and another on August 7. I'm going to walk the walk...or rather "run" it. Thanks for reading...