Long Run - 1:15 Hours on Goleta Beach Bike Path

I have raised $390 of my $1950 goal. Please support me and Donate Today!

Time: 7:00am, 01:15 hours
Meal: Two Brown Rice Cakes with (still my favorite thing ever) PEANUT BUTTER!! Yummmm...
Distance: 8 Miles

I was looking back over my activity log and realizing that my average pace of 9:30 is an outstanding improvement over the 11:00 average I was pacing at just two months ago. I feel kind of like the bionic woman...I'm not sure why I have more strength and "umph" in me, but I suspect it has something to do with my shying away from simple carbs over the last two months.

Well, that's kind of a loose statement, and now is as good a time as any to explain the change I've consciously made to my diet. Inspired by my stepmother, who has lost over 30 pounds on a variant of the South Beach Diet, I began to contemplate what carbs I am eating that I could do without. I knew "no carbs" was not physically possible for me (sounds torturous), but decided I'd compromise by cutting out the carbs I can do without. It ends up mapping out like this:

(lots of space here that I can't figure out why blogger is inserting but not worth debugging since I'm lucky if 1/2 of a person is actually reading this...so if you're that 1/2 of the person just keep scrolling.)

Can Do Without	Can't Do Without
Pasta	Beer!
Cereal for breakfast	Coffee (more specifically, my Hazelnut Coffeemate Creamer)
Sandwiches (bread)	Oatmeal
Large servings of fruit	Granola bar before hiking
Noodle Soup	The occasional Pho Thai
Hot Chocolate	The occasional cookie

Not an exhaustive list, by any means, but it gives you an idea. Believe it or not, the above outlined attitude has caused me to lose over 12 lbs in the last 2 months. I feel great, have more energy, and (to bring it full circle) am a stronger runner, cycler and hiker.

However, I almost forgot about how my body begins to complain once we start getting up to these longer distances. Some people are built for running, I am not fortunate enough to be one of those people. For me, at these longer distances, its a constant battle to keep my muscles in check. Traditionally, I've had issues with my calves and knees, but today (and all week, actually) my hamstrings are feeling it. It doesn't feel tight, per se, just weak. So, I'll be working with Dr. Nicole on how to strengthen and loosen those puppies up.

All in all, however, I'm doing (and feeling) great!