Runner’s High

So…I’m becoming a runner. And I love it. My obsession with running is a fairly new thing, but it’s one of the best things that’s come out of my move.

Before I got my job, I was living at home. It was great to have a rent-free place to live, and have nothing to do but look for jobs, but I was getting antsy. All winter long I was stuck doing the same circuit-style workouts in my tiny bedroom and it got so boring. I also was dealing with some bad body image at the time, so life was just rough. Yeah, it was great to be free but I needed a change.

Once I moved to Tulsa and got all settled in, I was hitting up my complex’s fitness center every other day or so (alternating with circuit-style workouts in my apartment). It was great to have all that equipment so close and for free. And then when it started getting warm, I ventured to the riverside trail literally across the street from my apartment. First I was just walking, but at the beginning of last month, I started running on a whim. I was doing a mix of running and walking, with a lot more walking while I built up my endurance.

Even on a rainy day, I’m not sick of this view.

I used to hate running, because I felt like I could never catch my breath. It felt a lot more exhausting to me than biking, or playing tennis. But I always dreamed in the back of my head that I could someday become a runner.

And while I’m still quite a newbie, I’m proud to call myself a runner. I finally have running shoes instead of trying to run in Converse (bad idea — I hurt my Achilles’ doing that!), and I’m consistently going for runs outside 3 or 4 times per week. Having incredible weather helps — it’s been so warm that I can barely motivate myself to go to the fitness center to cross-train. And having my weird schedule means I can go for a run right after I get off work and I get the best weather of the day and fewer people are out.

The face of a proud runner.

The best part is, I can really see myself making strides. Yesterday, I ran my first 5K — the entire 3.1 mile distance — without a walking break (I stopped at a park at the halfway mark to shake out my legs for a couple minutes, but then I ran all the way there and back without breaking). It felt incredible to be out there, in the rain, just me and my music and the trees flying by. I still have to work on my breathing — I do feel out of breath sometimes so I need to find a better pattern that feels more natural — but my endurance has really improved. And running is really giving me a high! I truly look forward to my runs, and they’re the highlight of my days.

I might not be the fastest runner, and I may not be running that far, but progress is what it’s all about for me and the fact that I have a new-found love fills me with such joy. I finally understand why people love running so much! And I hope my love for running continues to grow with each and every run.

What’s something you never thought you’d love but now you do?

Week through my iPhone

Ever notice how everyone always apologizes for ‘crappy’ iPhone photos? Ummmmm, crappy? Maybe it’s just because I came from an Android with a lame camera, but I love the iPhone 5 camera. Sure, it’s not like a DSLR but it takes gorgeous photos for a smartphone and who wants to drag around a huge camera everywhere? I know I take a lot more photos now that I have a nice phone.

So here’s some highlights of my past week, as seen through my iPhone lens.

My work outfit on Saturday. I love the pink+brown combo.

I’m getting back into taking outfit selfies when I’m wearing something I feel cute in. This was my work outfit on Saturday and I only regretted it when I stopped by the farmer’s market after work and it started pouring. Sheer shirts+rain don’t exactly mix.

Homemade sweet potato hash.

I don’t have time for elaborate meals anymore, so my “dinners” are usually thrown together things like snackplates or this sweet potato hash. This tastes incredible, but is really simple. I take a sweet potato, remove the skin, chop it up small in a food processor and blend it with sea salt, garlic powder, nooch and cayenne pepper. Then I throw it in a pan with coconut oil, spinach and hemp ‘tofu’. Then I toss it in a bowl and serve it with raw seeds and local hummus. I don’t even know how it’s so good, but it is.

Sweaty selfie after running my first 5K.

I haven’t talked about it much yet, but I’ve started running in the past month. I just love living so close to an awesome running trail right by the river. I’ve been doing a walk-run approach because I’m still working up to running consistently, but I love it. My Achilles’ was also injured for about a week but buying actual running shoes has helped. I ran my first unofficial 5K on Monday and I’m so excited for my running future. I can finally run about 10-12 minutes at a time with no walking breaks!

My huge produce haul from Whole Foods.

In the summer I spend SO much on produce. Like, this was literally half of what I spent at Whole Foods this weekend. I’m basically obsessed with watermelon, fresh berries, lettuce and cauliflower at the moment. All devoured straight from the fridge. That yellow ball up front is a new melon I spotted called a Fonzy melon. It’s really soft and sweet, like a subtle cross between honey and vanilla.

I have a thing for jumpsuits now.

I’m getting more adventurous with my fashion choices and I don’t hate it. I never thought I could pull off a jumpsuit, but it helps that I found one that doesn’t drown me and has some cute ruffly details to add some interest. The fact that this was $13 at American Eagle is even better. Now I want #allthejumpsuits.

This deliciousness was consumed within 15 minutes.

I stopped at a cute little juice bar near the outdoor shopping center where I got my jumpsuit. I’ve been dying for some fresh juice/smoothies since it’s been so hot and humid here. I got the “Summer Love”, which has blueberries, grapes, pineapple, peaches, dates, vanilla, chia seeds and coconut water. Basically all of my favorite things. It was kind of a cross between a fresh-pressed juice and a smoothie with a thicker texture and I loved it. I can see myself making more stops here in the future. The fact that it’s less than a 10 minute drive from work sweetens the deal.

What’s been going on in your life lately?

Take Me Back

Thank you, so much, for the responses to my last post! I’ve had some honest and heartfelt posts in the past, mainly about my ED, but this post was hard for me to write because it brought up so many memories and feelings about the house I left a year ago, and that may never be the same again. Natural disasters are sadly something that everyone can relate to, but it’s great when communities can come together and rebuild. The best part of this is that the fire is now 55% contained as of Saturday night, and so many homes have been spared, as well as the lives of some animals caught in the fire who were saved by the incredible firefighters.

Today I want to talk about something more fun…namely, the mini-vacation I took last week! I call it a mini-vacation because it was just a trip into the mountains (about a 2 1/2 hour drive) and we were there for only 4 days, but it was a nice escape from real life for a few days and it kinda prepared me for our longer trip to visit the grandparents in August. I’m excited for that vacation, but also nervous. It’s the first time we’ve gone back since I’ve been vegan, and since my grandparents all live in Wisconsin, it’s definitely not the most veg-friendly environment. My mom’s being really accommodating with the trip and is promising a trip to Whole Foods (and possibly my first trip to a Trader Joes!) once we land so I’m hoping I can find plenty of vegan options and not stress out too much about eating and exercise.

Anyways, onto the vacation pics! I’m going to go wordless style on this and take you through the highlights of the trip in order. And…go!

Selfie on the way to Estes Park. Don’t worry, I wasn’t driving!

Finally in Estes.

Elk right outside our car! They’re pretty normal around those parts.

 

View of the mountains from the condo.

 

Excited to go to dinner and a movie (we saw The Internship).

Late night Starbies after the movie.

 

Poooool.

 

I got a little burned…

Winery with the parentals. Only a month and 10 days before I can partake 😉

It’s not everyday you see llamas on your way to dinner.

Cute swing by Fall River.

View of the condos from below.

Chillin’ by Fall River.

On Fern Lake Trail.

Big rocky cliffs on the Fern Lake trail.

Seestas on the trail.

 

 

 

Big Thompson river.

Snow on Trail Ridge Road…in June!

Um…wow!

 

 

Beaver at Trail Ridge Road visitor center…not real!

Awkward wolves at a gift shop in town. It’s been a running joke in our family for a few years.

Baja blackened tacos at Native Foods in Boulder on our way back home. New favorite vegan restaurant!

Gluten free PB parfait at Native Foods. I was stuffed after eating half of this, and one taco!

 

Besides all that, we packed even more into 4 days, like tennis, bumper boats and mini golf, window shopping in town and making fun of  the local TV station’s funny commercials. My family’s been going to Estes Park every summer since I was 9 or 10 and I love it every time! Even though I might not be living with them next summer, I hope I can still go back…I miss Estes already!

Do you go on vacations to new destinations or old favorites? Any tips for veg-friendly long distance plane and car travel?

Almost Wordless Vacation Recap

So I haven’t been on the computer in a week, and it honestly felt so freeing to just forgo technology (well, besides my phone and iPod) and just enjoy a few days of fun with my family. I also had an extra day away because I had to go up to my college town for some job training for my weather anchor position at the school’s TV station. I’m actually starting to get pumped up for school to start in just a week–well, maybe not school but having my own apartment and being on TV.

Anyways, here’s my mostly wordless vacation recap of my trip to Estes Park, CO with some words at the end about my intuitive eating/exercise experiment!

The cheese-free individual-size hummus pizza at Poppy’s…I devoured it all!

The view of Fall River from the condo.

Tanning by the pool.

Noodles in the deep end of the pool.

A mini Stanley Steamer model (steam-powered car) in the EP Museum.

Spicy sweet and sour tofu & veggies at Thai Kitchen…super spicy, but so good!

Sissy time!

The view from our hike around Lily Lake.

Tall iced soy skinny mocha enjoyed by the Big Thompson River.

Some awesomely bright flowers!

First time trying the Coconut Bliss brand of coconut milk ice cream–verdict = so good, even for the insanely high price ($6/pint). I had some chocolate hazelnut ‘ice cream’ topped with fresh raspberries.

The coolest owl cookie jar!

This really cool, super-vintage looking church just outside EP. It was even cooler inside!

The Big Thompson river.

First time trying vegan sushi! I had the sweet potato rolls filled with Japanese sweet potato, avocado and cucumber. And I loved the pickled ginger on the side.

Me and my sister down by the river.

I think I honestly kicked some serious ass on my self-imposed intuitive eating and exercise challenge. I didn’t record any of my meals or exercise in the calorie counting app I have since last Tuesday and I didn’t freak out (too much) about my macro balance. I feel like I ate more than I usually do, which I know is still probably not enough, but it was definitely a start. I feel like my meals out were pretty balanced–the first night, I had a small vegan pizza covered in veggies; the second night I had a Sunshine veggie burger (without the bun) topped with fresh guacamole; the third night I had sweet and sour tofu and veggies with a little brown rice on the side; and the last night I had a strawberry, spinach and walnut salad with balsamic and some vegan sushi. I honestly loved all the dinners that I had and didn’t have too much of a problem finding something healthy and vegan at the restaurants we went to. I challenged myself to try the Coconut Bliss brand of coconut milk ice cream despite it being higher in calories and saturated fat than my tried-and-true brand. I skipped my usual cardio circuits but was not a couch potato–I played tennis with my dad for an hour one day, walked around town a lot, went on a hike and did some swimming in the condo’s pool. I felt a little more comfortable in my skin than I usually do at home, despite wearing just a swimsuit a lot of the time. I tried a lot of new-to-me things, had some old favorites (veggie straws, baby carrots and PB Puffins, say what?!) and didn’t try to think too much about the food. Overall, the 5 days I spent intuitively eating were some of the best days I’ve had in awhile, and I want to try to keep eating the same way. Now that I’m home, I have more access to veggies, protein, etc. but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep eating more adequately and enjoying my food. And while I’m excited to go back to my regular exercise, I realize that a few days with less intense workouts won’t kill me. So I’m going to try to live every day like I did on my vacation–without the pool time, of course 😉

Do you eat intuitively or plan out your meals? Have you ever had vegan or vegetarian sushi?