Meat massacre and first two days of training

First two scheduled workouts down, many more to go!  Yesterday's mission was to find my 1 rep max for bench press, overhead press and back squat.  I ended up at 60, 55, and 95 respectively.  Then I did a quick 3 rounds of bodyweight stuff: 20 squats, 15 kb swings with 25#, 10 lunges with 10# and 5 assisted pullups.

Tonight was a 3 mile run.  Stats are as follows:

Distance: 3.1 miles

Time: 35:50

Avg HR: 154

Max HR: 171

Not too bad for a quick 5k.  Definitely an improvement over my first attempts at 3 miles.  And, even though I find the running boring, it's getting easier.  (Per the display on the treadmill) I was able to increase my pace comfortably, and I've noticed my HR is decreasing a little bit, too. 

After I got back from my run today I had a decent sized banana.  On Saturday I made the mistake of having some banana and water before my 3.5 mile run, and I found that I got a little heart-burny so I don't think I'll be doing banana before a run again.  Also, banana seems to be fine after longer runs, but my time is decreasing on these 3 mile runs and since my HR is right around 155-160 most of the time, I don't think I'm burning enough glucose to really need a banana afterwards.  I felt pretty darn good fuel-wise today in comparison to the first couple runs... I am pretty sure I basically bonked on the first run.  Lately I've felt comfortable at the level of carbohydrate intake I'm at.  Perhaps I'll save the sugary fruits for the longer weekend runs and stick to sweet potatoes after the shorter ones.

And now... the meat massacre!





Blood spray from tenderizing the meat!

 



Monday's lunch and breakfast: leftover salsa chicken on
zucchini, squash and onions.  Eggs and broccoli slaw,
avocado and blueberries.

I kind of messed up my Whole30 yesterday by marinating the meat in tamari.  I could've done without it, but I was trying to impress my husband (and he was definitely impressed with the flank steak)... so, not exactly sure where I'm going to go with that.  I'll have to consider it tomorrow and decide what I'm going to do!


Shoes and pre-pre-training week run

Hallelujah, I have new shoes!

I've needed some new running shoes for awhile now.  I started in these... two seasons old trail shoes:

Then, out of necessity (the New Balance's best days had long passed) I ran in my Pumas, which I had been using for CrossFit:

In general, I've found most Pumas to be very narrow and these are no exception.  I definitely do not have a narrow foot, so I always felt like my heel was sliding off the sole when I ran.  They work pretty well for CrossFit and lifting, but they are not a distance running shoe.

Today I bought these, the Nike Free Run +:

And I absolutely LOVE them.  The uppers fit like a comfy glove, the heel is just wide enough to feel stable, but not too wide, and there is just enough arch support, but not too much.  I took them on a 3 mile run this afternoon on the treadmill and from what I can tell, they are going to be a great pair of shoes.  I was going back and forth between these and the Free 3.0 v2, but I could only find them online and really wanted to see them in person before I made a decision.  My local sporting goods store had these in stock and they were $10 off, so I was pretty excited!

I struggled a little on this afternoon's run.  Miles 1 and 2 were okay, I kept about a 12 minute per mile pace, heart rate around 150 bpm.  Mile 3 was tough and I walked for a couple minutes.  I have had hip pain in the past from running and backpacking and it already hurt a little when I hit the gym today.  I saw a chiropractor a couple years ago who said my left leg is 3 mm shorter than my right (my guess is this happened when I fractured my pelvis 12 years ago) and he suggested I wear a small lift.  I lost it, but it may be time to get a replacement.

Today's approximate stats are...

Distance: 3.2 miles

Avg HR: 134

Max HR: 174

Time: 45 mins

I forgot to stop my HR monitor until I got home, so the time is a little inaccurate.

Unofficial plans for the upcoming week are to run twice, 3 miles each time, and two full body weights sessions.

On the nutrition front, I decided to come off my freaky diet early, and I've been eating clean paleo since I made that decision last Thursday.  It was very difficult to maintain something so strict, mentally and physically.  I know I made the right decision and haven't had any issues with overeating or cravings.  I'm still considering doing the Whole30, and our house is ramping up for a full month of clean eating starting February 20th.  I'm sure I'll be posting recipes, and look in the sidebar for a link to photos of what I'm eating and cooking!



Spreading the paleo love

A couple months ago I hesitantly asked my husband if he would ever consider doing a 30 day paleo challenge with me.  To my surprise, he agreed!  Our household paleo challenge, which will be known as the 'healthy eating challenge' from now on, begins February 20th. 

He will be on a not-so-strict version of paleo, with occasional potatoes in the mix and maybe a little cheese, while I am considering embarking on my first ever Whole 30.  I thought the Whole 30 might be a nice transition from the stupid Crazy Weight Loss Diet I've been on for the last six months, to something a little less, uh... weighed, measured, and inspected under a microscope, unmaintainable... well, you get the idea.  I'd really like to shift from counting calories and measuring portions all the time to something realistic, and I think this will be a good way to do it.

Workout today:
3x5 push press 45,50,55
3x5 back squat 60,65,70
3x5 deadlift 75,85,90