Pounding the trail

So much can be said about today.....it was a very successful day overall and I'd have to say that I am HAPPY.

Let's start with food shall we??? Tonight was a Whine n Wine event at my friends which meant.....rice krispy treats, brownies, chocolate dipped strawberries, wine, chips, muffins and all things yummy...and non-vegan. Well, I am VERY pleased with how I did! Here we go....this is what ended up in my belly today!


 The usual breakfast!

My early lunch

 My after lunch, before workout salad

my amazing vegan food!!!!!!!! jalapeno cheddar burger (veg) and "chicken" salad!

I had 3 organic choc strawberries, a single bite of brownies and a glass of wine!

The workout:
This encouraged my decision to go explore a new trial today. It was a long drive but it is a 21 mile long trail that is safe for people to run alone (for the most part) so I felt the need to try it out to get some road miles in and also to explore where I will be doing most of my marathon training. So...with twentysixpointfreakingtwo pounding through my head and my new run for Boston bondi band, I was off!

The New Balance Minimus Zero Road shoes came today...didn't like them!!!!!!! The side of the shoe doesn't really fit like a glove....sigh. So these will be going back....so far the Merrell Arc 2, NB Minimus and Saucony A5s were a no go.

 So I ran the trail with my merrell barefoot pace gloves which I do happen to LOVE but....they cause blisters on the back of my heal because they have a gathered back..not your typical running shoe. If I wore socks with them it wouldn't be a problem but I want the true minimalist feeling so I don't wear socks (and yes, my shoes AND feet smell awful...but I'm ok with that). Today I had slight irritation on my left heel but the 4 miles I ran on the trail didn't do much damage.

I have five other shoes to try:
Merrell Barefoot Road Run Glove
Altra Zero Drop Delilah or Altra ONE
Vivobarefoot 1
MIzuno Wave
Under Armour Toxic Six

I have a pair of Merrell Barefoot Road Run Glove that is being sent to me because I sent back my arc 2s. I am also considering the Barefoot Run Pace Glove 2s if I don't like the ROad Run Gloves....mainly because I really do love my dash gloves if it wasn't for the damn back!

I've also been considering trying the Vibram Five Fingers Spyder, Bikilia or Seeyas but haven't seen any in my size on line so I may try REI during one of the days I go run on the trail.

I also used my new phone, the Droid DNA today. My Droid Nexus kept dying....let me tell you..I love the DNA!!! I had runkeeper, charity miles, and my fit radio running for almost an hour and it barely seemed to drain the battery. Hooray for a phone that I Can run with all my apps going!

I listened to Dubstep today....pretty good! I also ran with my Bondi Band armband which didn't slip and I'd recommend to anyone who does outdoor runs that doesn't like the traditional armbands that have elastic and Velcro (I've ruined a few shirts from the consistant running). It is big enough to fit my big phone, my car key (one of the big digital ones), pepper spray, and probably a license or something. I ran with a sparkletts bottle and it didn't bug me as much as I thought it would! Another hooray moment.

The most exciting part of the run came around 2 miles in....I passed a building that said "Viva La Vegan"...Oh my goodness!!!!!! A grocery store with ALL vegan items! I nearly died with joy...and yes, that is where my burger and salad came from in the pics above. I will be returning Saturday for some yummies.They have EVERYTHING. So the town that I ran in has the 21 mile Pacific Electric trail, farmers, farmer markets, a vegan store, a sprouts, the gym...umm yeah, I'm in love and I"ve decided that some day I will move here! Somehow someway...someday!

Here's me after my 4 mile trail run! I used Charity Miles today and donated to ASPCA. I feel the urge to help animals right now. I burned 634 calories according to my Polar HRM FT40...runkeeper said I burned 561 or something like that. Pretty darn tootin close I'd say. I'm already sore! Dun dun dun!!!!!

But yay me, I did it!

 

 Tomorrow I tackle another fear- first session with my PT at the Cobra Kai Gym. Oh! My pt plus his fiancé and another pt are hosting a bootcamp from May 22-July 3 (my birthday) at the gym. THey will have teams of 5 people and will be competing against each other. 4 days per week we will meet to train and have weekly weigh ins and food log review.....it is $75 for 6 weeks, 4 days a week compared to $100 for 4 sessions with my pt. I'm considering doing it. The only problem being that I would have to miss Mondays unless I can find a sitter to watch Azali while I'm at the gym. ANd it would mean changing the days that she spends at my gmas/aunts for school. It ends in time for her summer school so she'll be home with me...overall, I think I'm going to do it! Any thoughts would be appreciated! Pt would fit into my momma schedule better but the thought of this transformational bootcamp has me uber excited and pumped!





No matter where we live, what we do, how fast we are, what our dreams are, what we are running from, or where our miles lead - we are a running family. We mark miles, we ache, we try, we fail, we triumph and we endure. -Kristin Armstrong, Today, Mile Markers blog, Runner's World.com