Week 10 Day 3 - Finished One Hour Runner

Yep, I skipped Day 2's 40min run. I felt like crap all week and I wasn't making anything up. AND I don't feel bad about it. The plan was to build up to 1hr worth of running and that's what I did. If I could run 54min last Friday, then I could run 60min today.

Anywho, it took a while for me to settle in and get comfortable, about 35min. That's a bit ridiculous. I couldn't get my breathing together. It's like I couldn't breathe deep enough, but then again I didn't feel like I needed to. I just would have been more comfortable if I had. I don't think I got that part together until I picked up the pace towards the end. Luckily for me, I was accompanied by Marvin Gaye. His voice and lyrics made my time on the track so much better. I was snapping my fingers. The people I passed must have thought I lost it. But hey, I dare you to listen to Come Get To This and see if you can keep from snapping your fingers or tapping your toes. And if it doesn't move you, well you just have no soul. That's right, I said it :P

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Flow Series

Music: The Master 1961-1984, Disk 3 by Marvin Gaye

I have a healthy obsession for Marvin Gaye. He had such a beautiful voice. It's a shame not too many people make music like that anymore.

Jog Stats
60min/5.16mi
Avg Pace: 11:38/mi
Heart Rate: 169 Avg/193 Max
Calories: 609

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

Yep, more yoga. The hip mobility routine worked wonders after my long run last week. I had no soreness whatsoever. Hopefully I'll have the same results this time.

Breakfast: Tofu scramble w/breakfast potatoes and hemp toast w/soy marg
Pre-run: Little bit of Vitamin Water
Lunch: PB&J w/hot tea
Snack: Cinnamon sugar almonds and a smoothie w/strawberry, blueberry, banana, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Walnut, white bean & spinach phyllo rolls from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan along w/steamed broccoli

These tasted really good. But I'm really sure that I jacked up the recipe. I had no idea what I was doing with the phyllo dough. I need some type of tutorial or a Phyllo Dough For Dummies book.

Week 10 Day 1

I've been feeling pretty lazy and crappy the past couple of days. I had a headache on Saturday and woke up with one today too. I was thinking about running yesterday just so I could get some energy. Well, that didn't happen. I stayed in and watched tv, and I'm not a big tv person. I was going to try a new recipe yesterday, but going to the store for the ingredients and actually cooking it was too much for me. Oh well. I wanted to stay in bed all day, but I didn't. I should have. I ended up getting my period. Yep, that explains it all.

Music: Electric Soul mixed by DJ Lil Dave

Jog Stats
30min/2.68mi
Avg Pace: 11:12/mi
Incline: 1.0

I ran on the uppity treadmill with the tv monitor at the Y. I had no idea how to use the damn thing. I'll figure it out one of these days. Also, I've come to realize that short runs are not for me. A 5min warm up is not enough. About time I get all loosened up, it's time for the cool down.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, flaxseed, turbinado sugar, and unsweetened soymilk
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Soba noodles w/mixed veggies in miso tahini sauce
Dinner: Half tempeh burger w/spicy oven baked fries and steamed broccoli

Yeah, I'm such a light weight today. I may finish dinner if I don't pass out first.

Week 9 Day 3

It was cold and very windy. I'm surprised I didn't get blown off the track. Part of the run felt like I was running uphill. Yeah, that's a lot of wind.

I was amused when I checked my time and saw that I had 40min to go. I thought to myself.. Oh, I can do that. It takes me 15-20min to get warmed up anyway. I crack myself up. That would have never crossed my mind 4mos ago when I was checking the time during a 60sec running interval. By the way, I started running 4mos ago today. This is the longest I've stuck with anything. Boy have I changed.

Okay, so next week is the last week of One Hour Runner. Here's the plan..Week 10: Run 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes Weekly total: 130 minutes. But before all that, I plan to rest up for a night of dancing aka cross-training:)

Music: Northern Exposure, Vol. 1, Disk 2 mixed by Sasha and John Digweed then switched to a mix by DJ Statik 22min into the run

Yeah, Disk 2 isn't good for running at all. Too much non-music going on. Not sure if that makes any sense. You'd have to listen for yourself to see what I mean. So I had to go with old faithful. I did sing a bit after I switched up the music.

Jog Stats
54min/4.78mi
Avg Pace: 11:18/mi
Heart Rate: 164 Avg/189 Max
Calories: 563

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

This routine is perfect after a run. Hamstrings got a good stretch during Trikonasana. But is it just me? Or does that pose also strengthen your triceps? If it's not supposed to do that, Oh Well. My arms need the work anyway.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/raisins, cinnamon, turbinado sugar, vanilla, unsweetened soymilk
Snack: Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness smoothie
Lunch: Finished the smoothie and also had baby carrots, hummus on hemp toast, and hot tea w/soy cream and sugar
Dinner: Tempeh, kale and sweet potato leftovers

Week 9 Day 2

I'm starting to wonder if Garmin is overestimating the calories I burn. But it was a good workout. I did a couple laps in the 9-10:00 range. It felt good. My cardio hasn't caught up to my legs yet though. Good thing is that I've improved since the last time I ran for 38min.

Music: Northern Exposure, Vol. 1, Disk 1 mixed by Sasha and John Digweed

Jog Stats
38min/3.38mi
Avg Pace: 11:14/mi
Heart Rate: 173 Avg/186 Max
Calories: 400

Lunch: Oatmeal
Early Dinner: Leftover tofu cacciatore

I got a late start today. I was up really late, or really early. Don't ask me why. I'm just hard headed. Don't worry. I'll eat more tonight. I just haven't decided what yet.

Week 9 Day 1

The sun was out today. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks. It's been overcast and cold these days. But after the rain, it was sunny and about 60*. I ran with two shirts on. One would have been better. It's supposed to be warm again tomorrow. I must dress accordingly. Moisture wicking shirts to the rescue. Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for 38min, then 54min on Friday. I think it will be cold again by then. So if I don't get a case of the sniffles with the changing weather and all, it should be a good run.

Music: Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle

Decent album, but I prefer Mer de Noms to run to.

Jog Stats
30min/2.65mi
Avg Pace: 11:19/mi
Heart Rate: 171 Avg/187 Max
Calories: 313

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Flow Series

Mostly sun and moon salutations. It felt good.


Breakfast: Leftover chickpea cutlets, kale, mashed cauliflower and onion gravy (Wasn't in the mood for breakfast food)
Pre-run: Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness smoothie
Post-run: Same
Lunch: PB&J (My favorite sandwich in the world)
Dinner: Tofu cacciatore w/artichokes (instead of mushrooms) over pasta, sauteed spinach, and garlic toast
Snack: Granola bar

The chickpea cutlets are from Veganomicon and the onion gravy was a variation of the Sweet Vidalia Onion Sauce recipe. Of course I didn't have vidalia onions and I'm a gravy girl, so I added more wine and mustard, along with water, Bragg's, black pepper and thickened with corn starch. It was very tasty.

Week 9 Day 1 Practice Run

Yeah, that's what I'm calling it because Garmin's foot pod accessory isn't that great indoors. I ran yesterday after 5pm. I ran on the indoor track at the Y since it's pitch black at that time now. Anyway, the thing was no good at calculating my speed. It said I was walking when I was jogging. And in the end, it was about a mile off from the distance had actually done. I ran for 30min, and I improve my distance just a tad every time I run it. Well, Garmin clocked me at 1.69mi. Yeah, that's way off. I actually ran faster than usual trying to get Garmin to stop yelling (beeping) at me. So once the rain clears up, I'm going to do it again outside. And if the rain doesn't clear up, I'll just be bored to death on a treadmill somewhere, but darn it, I want my numbers correct.

In other news, I've completely recovered from this weekend. I did lots of dancing and probably burned off more calories than I ate. I really wouldn't be surprised if I did. If I go out every weekend, I'll have 6-pack abs in no time. But it wasn't the dancing (or drinking) that got me, it was the lack of sleep Friday and Saturday nights. The worst part was I got in at 5:30am on Sunday and had to be at a TIPs seminar by 10am somewhere deep in Philly. I got home around 5pm. I'm really surprised I didn't lose my mind. I was running on a small cup of coffee and a protein bar. And I'm not the nicest person when I haven't eaten or slept. But I was on my best behavior because I actually had to learn stuff and take a test.

That's all for now. I'll report on my official run later.

Week 8 Day 3

Today was a good run. I started out smiling. I was thinking, I'm going to be 31 tomorrow, and I feel great. I've always been healthy, but I've never been fit. I've never had a weight issue, so people assumed that I was active when I was the furthest thing from it. I've never been athletic. Never played a sport in high school. I was in a million clubs and sang in a couple choirs instead. So being physically active was never me. Maybe things would have been different if I wasn't anemic. Who knows? All I know is that I'm more active than I've ever been and I like it. It just gets better from here. I can't wait to start half marathon training. I think it's time to rename my blog.

Yoga: 40min
Yoga For Every Body: Going With The Flow Of Life

I picked a routine from the intermediate section of the DVD. I just felt like doing a new sequence. It was all good. Nothing was too hard for me. If anything, I'm improving on a lot of things.

Jog Stats
49min/4.24mi
Avg Pace: 11:33/mi
Heart Rate: 172 Avg/184 Max
Calories: 501

Yoga: 25min
Yoga For Every Body: Hips, Knees, Ankles and Feet

Yep, I did more yoga after my run. I didn't stretch afterwards, so I figured I'd do yoga instead.

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack: Fruit & Nut granola bar
Lunch: PB&J and hot tea w/soy creamer
Snack: Bolthouse Green Goodness juice
Dinner: Amy's black bean enchiladas w/steamed kale

I never do tv dinners but I'm going out tonight and have no time to cook a full meal. I had such a hard time finding the most healthy packaged meal. Is that an oxymoron? Anyway, I'm a BIG label reader and it wasn't easy.

Week 8 Day 2

Slight change to the running schedule this week. I doubled up since I don't want to run on Saturday (my b-day). I'm saving my energy to dance the night away. Anyway, it was a good run, but still windy and cold, about 48*. My pace was better than yesterday. I'm guessing that I run faster to keep warm. I really, REALLY dislike cold weather. Other than that, the improvement of my pace doesn't make any sense. But I'll take it.

Music: Mer de Noms by A Perfect Circle

Good album, but luckily I didn't choose it for my long run. It ended in the middle of my cool down.

Jog Stats
36min/3.26mi
Avg Pace: 11:03/mi
Heart Rate: 175 Avg/190 Max
Calories: 394

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/maple syrup, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed, and unsweetened soy milk
Snack: Apple and sugar cookies
Lunch: PB&J (I had a craving after my run)
Snack: Bolthouse Green Goodness juice
Dinner: Leftover soba noodles w/tofu in miso tahini sauce w/broccoli and swiss chard sprinkled with sesame seeds
Late night snack: Apple and sugar cookies again

Week 8 Day 1

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

My thighs welcomed this routine. They were tight and my right quad was sore from Sunday's run.

Music: The Michael Baisden Show on WDAS

I really wasn't in the mood for much music. Mike is entertaining and makes me laugh too. I found myself laughing on the track.

Jog Stats
30min/2.68mi
Avg Pace: 11:12/mi
Heart Rate: 116 Avg/146 Max
Calories: 320

This is my best pace yet. I'm surprised because it was 51* (cold in my book) and very windy. I had to run through the wind. So how my pace increased is beyond me. I felt like I was slower. I'm really not understanding the heart rate thing. I did concentrate on breathing. I guess that played a role, but it's still weird that my heart was barely beating. Oh well.

Here's today's grub...

Breakfast: Cereal w/raisins and unsweetened soy milk
Pre-run: Fruit & nut granola bar
Post-run: Chocolate soy milk diluted with unsweetened soy milk (It's just too sweet for me now)
Lunch: Leftover black beans w/tempeh, brown rice and broccoli
Dinner: Leftover soba noodles w/tofu in miso tahini sauce w/broccoli and swiss chard sprinkled with sesame seeds(Good eats)
Late night snack: Sugar cookies (I baked another batch tonight. I subbed half the oil for apple sauce. They seemed too oily the first time I made them.)

100th Post

I'm surprised it's my 100th post already. I really don't chit chat this much in person. I'm more of a listener. Anyway, I've been away from here for a bit. I've been out and about. My friend, Nisa, is in town from Minneapolis, and I've been running all over the place ever since her arrival. I've been all over Jersey, Philly, and I went to NYC. I had to put off Friday's run til today and didn't get a chance to blog Wednesday's run til now. So here goes...

Week 7 Day 2 on 10/31/07

Jog Stats
34min/2.95mi
Avg Pace: 11:30/mi
Heart Rate: 176 Avg/186 Max
Calories: 347

I sped up towards the very end. First I thought, what was I thinking? Then it started to feel better. My best pace was 6:22/mi. Of course that didn't last long.

Week 7 Day 3 on 11/4/07

Music: Nude Dimensions, Vol. 1 mixed by Miguel 'Migs'

Jog Stats
45min/3.93mi
Avg Pace: 11:26/mi
Heart Rate: 172 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 458

Today was the best run ever. My longer runs usually average around 12:00/mi. Well not today. I started out slow then picked the pace up. It took a bit to get warmed up. My pace in the first 18min ranged from about 11-14:00/mi. After that, my pace ranged from 10-12:00/mi. I'm just glad that my average pace is in line with a short run day. I guess that means I'm getting better at this. At least I hope I am. I got into a groove and I don't think it had anything to do with my choice in music. I don't know. I had a couple things on my mind, nothing major. But enough to keep my mind occupied. I'll ponder the meaning of life for my 60min run. Well, the best part about today's run is that at no point did I feel like I was overdoing it. I could have gone longer. I may run tomorrow. I really don't feel like extending my week through Saturday. We'll see.

On to Week 8...Run 30 minutes, 36 minutes , 49 minute Weekly total: 115 minutes

Week 7 Day 1

I ran in the park today. It was about 46*, definitely not my cup of tea. But I was fine once I warmed up. It took a while for my hands to catch up though. I need some thin gloves.

In other news, I took my speed test today. I made 15 correct drinks in 8 min. I am now a certified mixologist. It's bar hopping time, I mean uh, time to research potential employers.

Yoga: 25min
Yoga For Every Body: Hips, Knees, Ankles and Feet

Music: Global Underground: NuBreed Disc 2 by Steve Lawler

Jog Stats
30min/2.63mi
Avg Pace: 11:23/mi
Heart Rate: 175 Avg/188 Max
Calories: 311

Breakfast: TJ's Toasted Oatmeal Flakes w/raisins and unsweetened soy milk (Finished the box)
Lunch: Chocolate Mint Clif Builder's bar
Dinner: Veg*Triathlete's Greenie Tahini bowl (This could feed two grown men)
Snack: More cereal (On my 2nd box)

I have a serious sweet tooth. I want a smoothie, but my bananas aren't ripe yet. It's just not the same without bananas :(

Week 6 Day 3

Just because I'm feeling better doesn't mean that I feel like running. But I did it anyway. When I started, I felt like I couldn't go slow enough. I just wasn't comfortable. I couldn't get into a groove. I had to switch up music a couple of times too. The fact of the matter is I really didn't want to be on the track today.

And I just don't get the whole heart rate thing. On days I feel like I can speed up and keep running, my heart rate is off the hook. On days I just want to get it over with and think that speeding up will be uncomfortable and unnecessary, my heart rate is lower than it should be. Today for the first 20min or so, my heart rate is in the 160s. My target heart rate is 151 or something like that. After that time, it dropped drastically like all the sudden I went for a walk. It ranged from 156 to 77 bpm. I'm convinced that my heart beats when it wants to, how it wants to, and is determined not to follow the guidelines of some generic chart. I just have to go by how I feel.

In other news, I ran for 41min and I didn't want to die. So here's next week's plan...Week 7: Run 30 minutes, 34 minutes, 45 minutes Weekly total: 109 minutes

Music: Surrender to Love by Kindred the Family Soul
A lovely husband and wife team from the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, and home of the Eagles who always choke :)

Jog Stats
41min/3.41mi
Avg Pace: 12:02/mi
Heart Rate: 127 Avg/168 Max
Calories: 390

Breakfast: TJ's Toasted Oatmeal Flakes w/raisins and unsweetened soy milk (I finally went shopping:)
Snack: Same
Lunch: Black beans w/tomatoes, corn, and quinoa (I actually broke down and cooked the other day.)
Dinner: More cereal because I miss it so

**Updated**
I baked sugar cookies and I'm waiting for them to cool off. I have one heck of a sweet tooth today.

Week 6 Day 2

Yep, it's that kinda day when I don't want to get out of bed. Honestly, I'm surprised I did. Because I sho nuff didn't go to class today. I could have taken my speed test and been done with it, but I didn't feel like going a whole 20min out of my way. And that requires me to put a comb through my hair to look halfway decent. Not happening. Yep, just that kinda day. And the weather isn't helping. It's rainy and 20* colder than last time I ran 2 DAYS AGO?!?!? If I get sick, you know why. Anyway, my yoga routine explains it all. It made me feel a bit better though.

Yoga: 20min
Yoga For Every Body: Practice During Menstruation

Music: Musique, Vol. 1: 1993-2005 by Daft Punk
Instead of listening to Kanye West's blatant jack of a Daft Punk song, I'd rather listen to the original. Come on, people!! Make your own music, please.

Jog Stats
33min/2.85mi
Avg Pace: 11:35/mi
Heart Rate: 176 Avg/189 Max
Calories: 337

You see the time stamp, right? Well, so far I've had PB&J with hot tea and a few cashews before the run. I really don't eat that much around this time. I'm debating about cooking a little something. Or just having PB&J again and calling it a night.

Week 6 Day 1

Today's run started out good but ended up annoying me. I jogged on a bike path that's supposely 4mi long. I figured I'd go 1.5mi out then back. Well, the bike path ended at about a mile or less. So I had to jog pass my car and around the neighborhood. I like to have things all planned out so I know what to expect. It was also pretty warm, about 76*. I was burning up and the bandanna didn't help. I never wear one when I'm jogging, but I looked like who did it and ran and didn't feel like doing my hair since I was going to wet it in the shower anyway. Bad move. My pace was cool, it could have been better if I didn't have to stop to cross the street about 3 times. There were some little hills and inclines too. You can't get that on the track. Maybe I'll do the park next. Well, another park in a neighboring town that my aunt told me about. It would be good to see some new scenery.

In other news, I passed my midterm and final today. I wasn't even expecting to take them, but my instructor insisted that I knew the stuff. And he was right. I got a 95% on the midterm and 99.3% on the final. Now I just have to pass the speed test. Drinks anyone? I'm not buying, but dammit I'll make 'em.

Music: The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3 by Jill Scott
Mature listening only for the grown and sexy:)

Jog Stats
30min/2.61mi
Avg Pace: 11:30/mi
Heart Rate: 180 Avg/193 Max
Calories: 303

Pre-run: Half apple
Post-run: The other half
Breakfast: PB&J
Snack: Another apple and part of a chocolate Clif Builder's bar
Dinner: Veggie combo from Norma's
Falafel, tahini, hummus, tabbouleh, stuff grape leaves and pita bread
Drinks: Pineapple rum w/Pepsi, pineapple rum on the rocks, and a shot of pineapple rum (Good stuff, can't you tell?!)
Late night snack: Finished the Clif bar

Oh, I have to share this song, Hate On Me by my girl Jilly from Philly. It's my new theme song for when you're surrounded by folks with negative energy and have nothing good to say.

Plans

The One Hour Runner program should be wrapped up by Thanksgivingish. What will I do next? I'm seriously thinking about half marathon training. Runner's World has personalized training programs for whatever distance you want to run and how long you want to train. It sets your pace and includes tempo runs and speed work. You can also choose your long run day. It should be interesting, especially since I have a good feeling that I'm going to hate speed work.

No, I don't plan on running a half marathon although it's not totally out of the question. I like knowing that I can do something. Maybe I will one day. But for now I want to get better at running. It's only been 3mos and some change, but I have no doubt that I can run 13 miles. The hardest part would be planning the route and music, and finding a comfortable contraption to carry all my crap. Oh, and let's not forget I have to talk myself out of throwing in the towel. Okay so the whole mental thing is the hardest of hard parts. But after that, if my body doesn't go on strike, it should be an attainable goal.

Oh, and here's this week's plan...Week 6: Run 30 minutes, 33 minutes, 41 minutes Weekly total: 104 minutes

Week 5 Day 3

I was pretty busy yesterday. I was decorating, up and down subway stairs, all over the place in the downtown Brooklyn Macy's (which has 6 floors) to help my Auntie J (bday girl) find an outfit, serving food (just a tad grossed out by the meat and having ham juice flung on me, eww), and being bar wench. I should have strapped on the Garmin to make an official workout out of it. The good thing is that lots of family came together. I saw a cousin I haven't seen since we were babies (we were born 3 days apart). I got to see the bday girl and her boyfriend do the Hustle (I've always wanted to learn that dance). There was an awesome Soul Train line that kept me laughing. I saw my dad dance for the first time in ages. My grandmom was happy to see all her children together for once. Auntie J and Uncle C (her twin) were both very teary eyed to see that family and friends came out to celebrate their 50th. It was a good night.

On to today...my schedule is all jacked up. I got in from NY this morning before 9am. I've been in and out of sleep since I got home. I still don't feel rested. I was still tired when I went to the track around 6ish. I took it really slow. I got my mosey on to some neo-soul. It's amazing how much I listened to the lyrics. It kind of had me zoned out. Then when I checked the time, I had a minute and some change left. Yep, a slow, easy peasy run. Honestly, I just wanted to get it over with so I could get home and get back to bed. No good food today. I'll work on that once I'm fully rested.

Music: Floetic by Floetry

Jog Stats
38min/3.12mi
Avg Pace: 12:11/mi
Heart Rate: 171 Avg/181 Max
Calories: 343

Breakfast: Starbuck's tall vanilla soy latte at a rest stop
Snack: Some of a chocolate Clif Builder's bar
Lunch: PB&J
Snack: Apple and finished the bar
Dinner: Tofu scramble leftovers w/salsa, hemp toast, soy marg and OJ

Week 5 Day 2.5

Change of plans. I'm heading to NY in the morning. So I figured I'd update my blog with something other than a rant. I went to the track, did my thing. But did my thing to the wrong program. Yes, I mistakenly programmed the Garmin with Day 2's workout. I didn't realize it until I finished. I already cooled down, so I wasn't going back to finish it. I'll get it in on Sunday and just rearrange my schedule next week. Anyway, my heart rate was high yet again. Would that have anything to do with the stalker? The run wasn't hard at all. I spent most of the time thinking about that fool. Hmm, maybe it had something to do with the weather? It was disgustingly humid. I woke up hot and uncomfortable.

I ended up doing yoga afterwards. Boy was I tight. Maybe I should do yoga after running instead of before? I don't know. Well, here are my stats...

Music: Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 by my girl Jilly from Philly

Jog Stats
32min/2.79mi
Avg Pace: 11:28/mi
Heart Rate: 181 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 334

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: General Practice: Floor

Breakfast: Tofu scramble w/red bell peppers, salsa and hemp toast w/soy marg

Snack: Smoothie w/strawberry, banana, blueberry, flaxseed and unsweetened soy milk

Lunch: Tofu veggie leftovers

Dinner: Tempeh burger

Week 5 Day 2

I just wasn't in the mood. Went to bed late again. Got up too early again. Annoyed again. I didn't feel like doing anything. So I picked a short yoga routine then headed to the track. No Y today. Not in the mood to figure out Garmin's foot pod. And I wanted to get the run over with as soon as possible. The track is about a 5min drive from the here. The Y is 15min.

Today's theme was breathing. I figured since my heart rate has been off the hook recently that I should pay more attention to breathing. Well, it's amazing how much deep breathing I don't do. I realized that as I damn near got high during yoga. So that's how you're supposed to do it? Same approach on the track. Take deep breaths, keep it moving, you're almost done. Anyway, my heart rate was kinda low. I just can't win.

Yoga: 25min
Yoga For Every Body: Open & Strong Heart

Music: Some unknown mix by DJ Statik that I forgot I had. Starts off with underground hip hop, then moves into Latin rhythms. Good stuff.

Jog Stats
32min/2.77mi
Avg Pace: 11:34/mi
Heart Rate: 128 Avg/170 Max
Calories: 332

Breakfast: Hemp toast w/hummus, tomato, S&P and salad w/tahini dressing

Lunch: Falafel sandwich

Dinner: Tofu veggie leftovers

Snack: Smoothie w/strawberry, banana, blueberry, flaxseed and unsweetened soy milk

Late night snack: Apple

Week 5 Day 1

Well, I did a bit more yoga than usual, but the time flew. I'm getting better at Warrior III Pose.

You know, I'm really surprised that I'm not at all sore from dancing. Wouldn't it be nice if I could turn the track into a dance floor with a disco ball in the center? I'd have a 5:00 pace:) Okay, I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture.

I'm tired of all the weather changes, so I ran at the Y. I haven't quite figured out the foot pod accessory for the Garmin yet. So I have no pace or distance today. But I do know that my pace was faster, because I started out fast on purpose. My heart rate was way high. I wonder if it has anything to do with being tired. I just can't get enough sleep these days.

Yoga: 45min
Yoga For Every Body: General Practice Routine

Music: The Sunlounge 2 mixed by DJ Statik (same DJ who spun Saturday night)

Jog Stats
30min
Heart Rate: 179 Avg/186 Max

Pre-run: OJ

Breakfast: Hemp toast w/hummus, tomato, S&P (something in this bread reminds me of tuna. I like it though..very nutty)

Snack: Honey BBQ Fritos (salt craving)

Lunch: Tuscan bean polenta w/spinach

Dinner: Tofu w/steamed broccoli and red peppers with ginger miso-tahini sauce over brown rice (I'm not a big picture person, but I liked the colors)

Week 4 Day 3

Today's yoga routine included some twists, ab exercises, thigh/hip stretches and sun salutations. But what about the butt area? My butt is really sore today. Must be those darn lunges. I guess that means I'm doing it right.

I told myself to take it slow on the run. For one, my butt is sore. Two, I didn't eat enough yesterday. And three, 35min is technically my long run, so I need to slow down to make sure I get through it. I'm not sure why my average heart rate is higher. That's something I have to read up on. I'm wondering if the weather has anything to do with it. It was pretty cool, 63 and windy. Maybe your heart beats faster to warm you up? It felt chilly to me. But I ended up taking off my jacket around lap 2. Anyway, the run felt really easy. Nothing was sore, well except for my butt which was already sore. Other than that, it felt like I didn't work hard enough. Well, there's always next time.

Okay, so on to Week 5. Here's the plan: Run 30 minutes, 32 minutes, 38 minutes Weekly total: 100 minutes

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Self Esteem Booster

Music: The Michael Baisden Show on 105.3 WDAS FM

Jog Stats
35min/2.95mi
Avg Pace: 11:51/mi
Heart Rate: 165 Avg/184 Max
Calories: 343

Breakfast: Two multi-grain pancakes (blended oats, walnuts, wheat flour, corn meal, flaxseed) w/soy marg and maple syrup
Snack: A few black bean tortilla chips
Lunch: Grilled tofu w/veggies and a baked potato
Dinner: PB&J and grapes

Ah yes, no class today. I actually cooked something.