Happy Halloween Running!

Happy Halloween! We are going to have a gorgeous day today - high of 77 and a low of 46. I woke up early (awake a little after 5am, and couldn't fall back asleep, so I got up about 5:45) which meant I got to watch the gorgeous day unfold. Clear sky with that crispness you can almost see. It doesn't feel that long ago that our lows were in the 80s; what a change!

With tutoring after school and trick or treaters probably starting to come by not long after I get home, I was a bit puzzled on how I could get in some activity today. Until I realized I should just go back to basics. So I threw on some workout clothes (Halloween appropriate), laced up my running shoes, and headed out the door.

Yes, it's been a long time since I've run outside. The heat plus all the nerve pain stuff has made it super challenging. However, I have been doing some running at the gym and knew I'd be keeping it short, with some walking thrown in. I ran a bit over a block, walked a few blocks, and followed that pattern for the rest of the "run," arriving back home a bit more than 10 minutes after I started. Barely anything, but I figure I should be cautious to start, and make sure the baby is happy with this new activity :). 

Still, that all over buzz your body feels when it's all toasty warm in cool, crisp air is fantastic. I'd forgotten how wonderful that feels! I've so missed running, especially outside, and I'll take that 10 minute chunk any day. So long as the rest of the day leaves me feeling just as great, this may become a daily occurrence!

Hope you all have some great Halloween runs!

A Happy Hike!

Since I've moved to Arizona, this  blog has been pretty lacking in outdoorsy adventures. Mostly because desert really isn't my thing, apparently. The bay area always felt so inviting: "come into the redwoods. Enjoy the waterfalls. Sit on a log and take in the cool mist." Arizona feels like it's out to get you: "watch your footing on the loose rock. You might fall off the drop off or into that cactus. Careful where you put your hands and feet - there could be a rattlesnake or scorpion. Watch that heat" Part of the problem is so far, I'd been letting Ed choose our trails. And the trails he chooses? Sort of challenging. 

Now that I'm emerging from the other side of morning sickness (knock on wood), I decided that we could try an excursion, but that I'd pick the trail. I discovered that many trails in our area are actually leveled, with the trails Ed likes being black diamond (loose, uneven footing, major obstacles, steep drop offs, etc). I found us a nice easy trail, described as a flat desert loop, and off we went. 

Ed was a bit skeptical, but honestly, this was exactly what I needed. The trail was smooth, wide, and easy, and I never had to worry about what my feet were doing. 

Instead, for the first time, I could actually appreciate our surroundings! We had fun admiring all the jumping cholla (while being careful not to get too close).

This guys seemed particularly jumpy, and we had to be careful not to step on any, especially when we'd step off trail to let bikers go by. 

We were surrounded by some pretty mountains, which made everything even more scenic. And of course, made me want to take lots of pictures. 

Had to document our growing little one - a little over 14 weeks!

The Superstition mountains were straight ahead, and looked quite beautiful.

I was even more grateful for the easy trail about 45 minutes in, when the hot temperature got to be a bit much (which honestly usually happens). However, thankfully the trail remained easy, which helped me keep my head and my happiness. Ed let me use his hat, I kept up with my water, and pulled up my shirt a bit to try to get cooler. I forgot that in the span of an hour, the desert can go from a cool 65 to a hot 88. Oops. Should probably be more careful!

In any event, we finally made it back, and Ed went out for another loop while I headed to the visitor's center for some nice cold water. 

When I picked him up 25 minutes later, we reflected on what a great hike it was, heat notwithstanding. "Ah" Ed reflected, "so this is the kind of trail you want." 

Exactly. Something where I can enjoy the nature without worrying about every step I take. Where I can enjoy just spending time with Ed. 

What a lovely Sunday.

Our Next Big Adventure!

So, there's a reason I've been so quiet over here lately :). We're excited about our little runner in the making and can't wait to share more details about this happy event! Now that I'm starting to feel a little better, I do have some fitness goals to keep me in shape during this journey, so I'll hopefully be blowing the dust off this blog and getting writing again. For now though, I'm happy to just be celebrating this next step in our lives. 

One week later

So, I'm closing on my first of 4 weeks of hardcore primal eating, and I have to say, it's been great!

Here's a look at some of what I've been eating:

(fried egg with mushrooms and arugula)

(creole salmon salad)

(grass fed sirloin with green beans and pine nuts, and kale and mushrooms)

(bison burger, with guacamole, mushrooms, tomato, wrapped in lettuce, with a side salad)

 

(homemade almond butter!)

("Paleo Paella" from my new recipe book. Shrimp, chicken and veggies in cauliflower "rice")

 

(bacon wrapped mahi mahi, topped with guacamole, mushrooms and onions, wrapped in lettuce, with a balsamic pesto salad)

Notice any patterns? Lots of good protein, good produce, and good fats. And definitely no grains, legumes (green beans don't entirely count, since they are more like seed pods and can be eaten raw), alcohol, or dairy. We are trying to be good about the grass fed/organic, but are a bit hit or miss, which I'm okay with at this point. Fruit has been a great desert, but I haven't even been needing that every day. Homemade almond butter is amazing, and we've eaten almost the entire batch already. Definitely a new staple. I'm also super proud that I made and ate a dish with cauliflower, which I historically haven't been a big fan of. End up that when you season it, it can taste amazing! I am loving that this food philosophy is getting my out of my comfort zone with some foods and showing me new things to try.

Ed and I have both noticed since eating this kind of food, we feel much more satisfied all the time. I think I'm also starting to feel more energized (though that could be psychosomatic). I really haven't found this switch to be hard at all, I think because we were not huge bread people to begin with (except on special occasions as an appetizer with olive oil and balsamic).  I have missed my yogurt breakfasts, and the glass of wine, but I can add both those in after the first month if I want. 

No change in pain symptoms yet, which I can't say I'm shocked by, though I still have a little hope. In any event, I am feeling really good and glad to be putting so many more healthy things in my body, after a summer with more than enough indulgence. We'll see how things go when I head back to work (tomorrow...gulp), but fingers crossed that boundless energy this eating plan promises shows up :).

 

Until then, I'm just going to enjoy feeling healthier starting the new year!

 

Going Primal...

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted! In my defense, the first month of not posting saw craziness with finishing out the school year, and then a car accident when brought both Ed and I down to zero running. The last six weeks, we've been having a wonderful time out in California. Lucky for you, this means that I have some actual running to talk about :). Not quite yet though, since I need to assemble my pictures.

In the meantime, I wanted to chat about something that at first glance might not seem running related. My diet. Now, if you've been reading this blog any length of time, you know that my body has issues. From the chronic pain I have in my pelvis, leg and both feet, to asthma, to allergies, to sensitive skin, and plenty else besides, my body doesn't act like you'd think a person in your 20s body would be. After a comment from my mom (via my sister Ashley), the suggestion of cutting gluten came up. And, as I researched it, I stumbled upon Primal eating.

 

(source)

Now, I'd heard about the caveman diet a while ago and thought it sounded far out there. Something for extremists. However, as I read more and more, I saw a lot of people with chronic pain, or anxiety, and especially allergies who said that eating primally got their bodies back to normal. Since the only options I've gotten this year to deal with the pain have been a heavy duty pill, Neurotin, that makes me totally zoned out and sleepy (and can cause some nasty side effects), and surgery for my pelvic pain (that would be a 6ish month recovery), trying something as simple as changing my diet has a lot of draw.

So, I decided that on coming back from our trip, I'd give this a try for one month. I've read the book, and know the do's and dont's, and it jut makes sense. This means, for the next month I will not be eating: anything processed, grains, corn, legumes (i.e. beans), dairy, alcohol, anything super high carb. After the first month, I can add in some high fat dairy if I want (and it doesn't affect how I feel), and a glass of wine or a little chocolate every now and then. But, I won't be eating anything that my body isn't designed to consume (according to this philosophy). I will be eating lots of protein, fat, and vegetables, some fruit, and a multivitamin, vitamin D (already taking both of these per doctor orders), and probiotics (recommended). After one day, I will say that I feel pretty good. My body definitely doesn't feel that overly full feeling that it was feeling for a lot of our trip.

And, since it's always more fun to share, I thought I'd post on here about it. While I don't want to get my hopes up, since it's been 6 years now of this pain with no relief in sight, I feel like I'm making choices that are good for my body, and am very happy with that.

So, here's a day of eating Primal!

Breakfast:

 

Dark yolk egg, fried in butter, on sauteed arugula and onion. I was never an egg person before, but now they are pretty much the daily choice. Having vegetables as breakfast is yummy, but definitely not something I really ever did before. I'm getting used to changing my mentality. 

Lunch:

 

Cajun salmon, on an arugula salad with carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and pecans, with a basalmic, olive oil, mustard dressing.  The breakfast definitely kept me full until lunch, and this lunch was super tasty. I was pretty hungry, and did end up eating it all. 

Snack: No picture, but I had an apple with some almond butter. I don't think the almond butter was technically paleo, since it was processed, but we had it on hand. I'm planning to buy almonds from costco and make some almond butter sometime this week.

Dinner:

 

Grass fed rib eye, kale and mushrooms sauteed in butter and lemon, and green beans with pine nuts. The jury seems to still be out on green beans, since technically they are young seeds more than beans. I probably wouldn't have eaten them (for the first 30 days when you're supposed to be really strict) except that we already had them on hand. They were delicious. 

Dessert: I ended my meal with some pecans and a handful of strawberries, as I was a bit hungry before bed.

And, this is how my eating broke down. The idea is that you don't really need to track with this kind of eating, so long as you're following the "rules," but that it's not a bad idea to do so at first, so that you can have a clear idea of what you're eating.

 

From what I can tell, This is pretty darn good. The goal is to keep carbs between 50-100, so I am super good on that. I'm not sure about the rest, but I think pretty good. Maybe a little more protein and less fat? In any event, I consumed around 1500 calories, and felt pretty darn full and satisfied all day. We'll see how today goes! 

Do any of you have experience with eating Paleo/Primal? Has it helped your running? Please share!

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

While we've been very happy with our membership with the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, we decided that we wanted to branch out and check out another local garden, a bit more out of town. We certainly weren't disappointed. 

Boyce Arboretum is due East of where we are, about 40 minutes away. We were struck by how much is was like just going on a hike, with the benefit of perfectly planted surroundings and beautifully maintained trails. 

We were thankful for the beautiful weather (especially compared to our 100+ temps this week). 

There were a lot in bloom, including some poppies. 

 What we most enjoyed, though, was how everything was nestled beneath these huge stone walls. It certainly felt like the ideal of what you'd imagine as the wild west.

Of course, there were more blooming cacti, which are just wonderful. I came into living in the desert more or less hating cacti, but I can't help but feel some affection for them when I can see how pretty they can become. 

Ed, being Ed, wanted to go off down some of the more narrow paths and explore. 

This trip also encouraged our budding appreciation for golden barrel cacti (so much so that we now have two of our very own!).

What I am most impressed with, with desert plants, is their verticality. The height that so many gain when in bloom is astounding. 

 In search of narrow trails, we soon found another that fit the bill, the "high trail" that was up above the park. We'd seen others hiking, and sought it out for ourselves.

It did not disappoint. 

Finally, I got to have a trail experience that I'm familiar with. Beautiful and accessible single track. 

We were up high above a creek bed that did even have a little water in it, once we got further up. 

Once we crossed over the creek, we began heading back up again. 

I thought these signs were super cute for restricted areas!

I could not get over the perfectly groomed nature of this trail. Why can't they do this in other places in Arizona?

 As we headed back into the main part of the park, we got to see some more pretty blooms.

The classically funny Beduoin (sp?) tree.

More lovely barrel cacti.

As we were headed back, we were very excited to spot an unusually exciting creature. 

A Gila Monster! 

He headed into hiding pretty quick, but was pretty awesome to see. Funny that we still haven't seen a rattlesnake or scorpion since we've moved, but we've seen a gila monster. 

By this point, it was definitely warming up, so we decided to end our visit, even though there was still so much more to see.