Bummed

I know I've been quiet this week, and I've been dealing with some emotions.

I was super excited for the Murray 5k Moonlight Race last Saturday. It was a night run which I've never done before. Everyone was lit up with glow sticks and blacklight makeup. It was going to be epic. I felt great, despite minor injury, and couldn't wait to get running. I was getting squirrely!

The gun went off and my racing pal & I headed out. Everything was fine. The twinge in my achilles (sustained from Love Your Body 6k) was there, but it wasn't painful. My chiro had done a good job... and then we hit a good stretch of unpacked horse trail gravel. Suddenly, my race went spiraling out of control. Pain shot from my hip down through my Achilles. This was bad. I wasn't even a mile in and already hobbling. Once we got back to paved terrain, I tried running in grass, but I stepped in a hole. I swear, I'm not making this nightmare run up! At 3/4 mile, I wasn't even sure I could make it back to the pavillion where we started, since the course was looping back that direction. I tried to jog a little, but I couldn't go more than a few steps without thinking "Ow, ow, ow!" I had to stop. The clock was ticking in my head. This was bad. A couple of groups passed asking if I was okay if I needed help. I lied and told them it was just a cramp. I hobbled past the pavillion where the crowd was cheering. Already runners were returning from their 3.12 mile run (it had only been 21 mins!) I wanted to bite them like an angry dog after the mailman. So envious.

I considered turning in my runner tag right there. It would be so easy. Why do this to myself? Because quitting was unacceptable. So I grit my teeth and hobbled by the cheering crowd who were encouraging me "You're doing great."

I grimaced, unconvinced.

Around mile 2, I saw my running buddy heading back toward the finish line. I grinned and cheered her on. She was doing great. Me? Not so much.

I cringed as a lead bike light shined behind me. He directed me into the dark unknown, past sporadically placed volunteers, then down a really creepy trail (yay, more ungroomed horse trail gravel! Pain. Pain!)

The last volunteer sidled up beside me. I swallowed. "Am I the last one in?"
"We think so."

"Crap."

I have never been last. I know there's a first time for everything, but this was seriously embarassing. Luckily, the nice young kid (who was also a runner), got my mind off the pain and I was able to be distracted enough to walk out my kink. We passed mile 3 and I felt like I could run again. He stayed beside me, and I told him I was ready to bring on the sprint to the line. He was probably pretty surprised when this chubby little mama kicked on the afterburners. "Holy-- You ARE a sprinter!" (direct quote). His breathing accelerated and we both saw the finish line. "Don't make me beat you," he laughed, obviously loving the speed. I dug in and flashed under the finish. The camera man popped in front of me and asked if I could do that again, cuz he didn't get it in time. I waved him off. I just wanted to cry. I felt so humiliated that I was the last one in. My running pal (who always beats me, even if I'm 1/2 a mile ahead-- go figure!) congratulated me, and she always comments on how fast I smoke through that last bit before the wire, but I was just SO. ANGRY.

Reliving it now gets me upset all over again.

Please don't bother with "You were injured. You couldn't help it". Or "Wow, you pushed through 3 miles of a race totally trashed". I just feel like finishing last, even while injured, is like an Asian F (A- by American grades)-- unacceptable. Quitting is unacceptable, and coming in last is, too.

I've been hobbling around all week, hoping my issue clears up. Saw chiro Thurs and he did another laser treatment on my Achilles and adjusted my foot & ankles. I really want to do Highway to Hale on the 29th, but I don't know if my legs will allow it. I feel like getting a good time in Hwy2Hale would give me some sense of vindication.

On a bright note, I picked up 30 lbs of grass fed/pastured critter today from a CSA Share from Christiansen Farms.
OMG!!! THERE WAS BAAAAAAAAAACON!!!! You should have heard the sound that came out of my mouth when I opened the little white package "pork side". IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS IN OCTOBER!

When I got home, I ran to the corner and back. Feels like my foot is healing up, so I'll see if I can't pay for Highway to Hale today or Monday.

NEW PR!

Ran my first race in Vs. GOOD GUTS! I AM A MONSTER IN THESE THINGS! Ran 1.25 miles straight (never did that before IN MY LIFE), did a little walking, but ran the bulk of the 6k race. Set a new PR: 58.43, taking at least 5 mins off from last year!
I feel incredible. Bam, boom, over the moon!
I am going to own next Saturday's 5k!

So excited.

VICTORY ROAR!

How Did You Do?

So how did we do on our goals last week?

My goals were:

• Log a minimum of 10 miles this week
• Drink 180 oz of water daily this week until my water weight is gone
• Go to the gym 4 days this week
• Go to bed no latter than 10p EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
• Work daily on editing my novel for at least an hour.

By the end of today, I will have my 10 miles-- ALL OF THEM IN MY VIBRAMS! Transitioning has been super easy. I think wearing flip flops 9 months out of the year has helped.

I managed 150 oz of water my first day, and haven't been able to force more than 60 on myself since, LOL

Went to the gym 2 days this week. Grace was sick and I slept on her floor 2 nights and woke up really sore and even more tired. I still got my miles in, but not at the gym

I think I made it to bed by 10 two nights. The rest was 11. Let's keep working on that.

I worked on my novel several days this week, but have not worked on it in the last 48 hours. However, I did WRITE every single day this week. Yay! Also had a write in on Wednesday and my friend & I are thinking of making it a regular thing, so that will be nice. She's always had a secret desire to write, so it will be good for the both of us.

I have a race coming up this Saturday. Time to really crack down on diet and exercise
Goals for this week:

• Log a minimum of 12 miles this week
• IF daily
• Monitor my blood sugar daily (have been giving my fingers a break since my last check up)
• Drink 64 oz of water daily
• Go to the gym 4 days this week
• Go to bed no later than 10p EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
• Work daily on editing my novel for at least an hour.

On a separate note, some things have been popping up on facebook that have caught my attention, primarily my echoed feelings about being anti-McDonalds. Here are 2 of the pics to look at and ask yourself do you REALLY want to put that crap in your body?

Goals For The Week

Welcome to the final week of September!  Fall is officially here (as of my birthday), and the weather is cooling off.  As the temperatures become more comfortable and bearable again, what sort of things do you have planned?  I have several goals outlined for this week.

• Log a minimum of 10 miles this week-- I already put in 2 yesterday
• Drink 180 oz of water daily this week until my water weight is gone
• Go to the gym 4 days this week
• Go to bed no latter than 10p EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.
• Work daily on editing my novel for at least an hour.

On the menu today:
Chai spiced rooibos custard
Red Robin monster burger (I got a free burger coupon, so Andy wanted to make sure I used it)
2043 cals, 24 carbs, 183 fat, 86 protein

UPDATE: Hit the gym this morning and my friend Melissa was kind enough to film my first sprints in my new V's.

Funny thing though, I think I broke the treadmill. I paused it after my sprint on 10 mph and it wouldn't start again! *Puffs with pride* (I so fast I broke a treadmill!)
Thanks again to Melissa for recording the footage.
FOOT-AGE! BWAHAHA!
Sorry. No pun intended there.

Dirty Dash Aftermath

As you saw on my Road to Glory post, The Dirty Dash race is great fun.  However, it did have its consequences.  It wasn't being caked in mud, picking out boogers that I wasn't sure were mud or dried blood, or brown pudding-like ear wax.  It was this:

And this (cuts on inside of leg & back heel):

  

And this (muddy wash, ew!)

But it's okay, cuz my birthday was Friday & I scored these:

And this (rad handmade tribal horse head pendant on horsehair necklace):

And this (yogurt maker!  Homemade creme bulgare = LIFE CHANGING!):

And I'm blessed with these guys:

Muscle Nog

I feel blessed to live in the great, industrious state of Utah.  It's always growing and changing (just look at the freeway constantly under contruction, hahaha).  Really, there's a reason we're called the Beehive State.  I have access to raw dairy, grass fed critter, and real honey straight from the hive.  Even better:  I live in a town full of Primal goodies!  Less than 2 miles from my house is Amano chocolate, Kara chocolate, and Crio Bru (what's really crazy is they're all within a block radius from eachother!). 
However, a new and even more exciting company has recently popped up, Muscle Nog.  If you read my Quick N Dirty Egg Nog recipe, you'll know how much I love egg nog.  Now  Muscle Nog has come along with a wonderful, creamy protein shake that is surely after the warm fuzzy cockles of my heart!  Charlie Mitchell very generously hooked me up with not one, not two, but FOUR samples of his exciting new protein powder-- two of each flavor.  He's even in the process of developing an actual egg nog flavor which I demand to get in on! ;)

The great thing about Muscle Nog is not just that it's produced locally, but that it's an egg based protein.  They don't spray dry it, or denature it in any way.  This is a highly bioavailable protein for your body.  The quicker your body can access protein after a workout, the quicker and easier you're going to bounce back.  Did you know that pasteurized egg whites you get at the store are not as bioavailable as Muscle Nog?  Pasteurized egg whites are low heat pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria, have to be refrigerated to prevent growth of harmful substances, and can cause gas.  Ew.
Muscle Nog takes the egg whites and processes them into crystals.  These crystals can be reconstituted in water or your favorite milk for a rich and creamy recovery treat.  Muscle Nog reaches into the biological bank and maintains equal value and quality as close to a freshly laid egg as you can get without all the messy, gooey, sticky cracking involved from the egg cartons.  Muscle Nog digests slowly so you get more anabolism out of it and less catabolism.  The slow digestion is especially beneficial to individuals, like myself, who have diabetes.  The slow release of nutrition results in a more even insulin response, and less of a spike and crash.  Trust me on this one, I tested my sugar like a madwoman for your benefit just so I could make that statement!

BUT HOW DOES IT TASTE?
Yeah, I knew you were going to ask that.

I stacked up Muscle Nog against my beloved zero carb Isopure creamy vanilla and low carb Isopure chocolate whey powders, aaaaaand...
It's great!  It was a thousand times better than Jay Robb's egg based protein powder, which I have also tried (IMHO, Jay Robb's egg based protein is, hands down, VILE!).
Isopure dissolves more readily when used in a shake, however whatever got stuck to the back of my spoon with Muscle Nog was good enough to chew, bite, and lick off.  The Muscle Nog was like drinking the delicious, gooey stuff that's left when your ice cream melts.  Unfortunately the ingredient list isn't quite primal, but for a protein drink the deliciousness is definitely off the richter scale! Nom, nom, nom<3

I am aware that there's a difference between egg based protein and whey based, but I honestly felt that Muscle Nog deserved to be compared to a high quality protein such as Isopure. So here ya go:

NUTRITION FACTS FOR NILLA NOG:
Serving size 2 scoops
110 cals, 2.5g fat, 2g carb, 20g protein

NUTRITION FACTS FOR ISOPURE ZERO CARB CREAMY VANILLA:
Serving size 2 scoops
210 cals, 1g fat, 0g carb, 50g protein

NUTRITION FACTS CHOCO NOG:
Serving size 2 scoops
110 cals, 2g fat, 4g carb, 20g protein

NUTRITION FACTS ISOPURE LOW CARB DUTCH CHOCOLATE:
Serving size 2 scoops
220 cals, 1g fat, 3g carb, 50g protein

But let's not be limited by shakes.  Oh, no, no, no.  I got FOUR samples, remember?  So I made myself some waffles & pancakes.  That's right, sucka.  You heard me.  Mmm-hmm... WAFFLES AND PANCAKES!


Isopure made a very dry waffle, but was easily remedied with ample sugar-free syrup and butter.  Muscle Nog made a wonderful, eggy waffle, cuz, gee, IT'S MADE FROM EGGS! 


Use your noggin, and go get nogged!

Disclaimer: Muscle Nog provided me with a free sample of this product for review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review in return for the free product.

The Road to Glory

For the record, this is what hard earned glory looks like:

A few months ago, my Primary president announced she was going to be doing the Dirty Dash 5k.  Then she looked at me and said "And you're doing it with me."
I shrank down & went "Okay".  Cuz what good presidency member tells her president no? LOL

So we did it!  And we survived.  I completed the mud laden obstacle 5k course in the same shoes I ran my first 5k in.  They were ready for retirement, and I wanted to send them out in style.  They were worthy of a warrior's funeral, and deserved to go out fighting!  So I let them go in a blaze of earthen glory.

(Before)

(After)

I thought I was being smart doing the race without socks, but my shoes got full of packed mud and rocks.  So I did 3.12 miles in this:

This is not the end of the shoes though.  The great thing about it all, is that I donated them.  They will be cleaned up and given to some needy person somewhere!

Victory kiss!

Thanks for the fun, Lizzie!  I wouldn't have been brave enough to do it without you.