Technological Genius

I’m most often considered the go-to woman in my family for technological or mechanical issues – which, frankly, doesn’t say much for the skills of my family…  

However in this case my big iPhoto issue was finally solved this morning by the super advanced act of rebooting my computer.  Who knows, but I’m glad it worked.

As I mentioned, I’ve been redoubling my efforts to stay strict Whole30 for the week in anticipation of several small and a couple upcoming larger trips where I will not have nearly so much control of the food offerings.  

I haven’t been feeling especially inspired in the kitchen (time to explore some new Paleo recipes) but at least I’ve eaten some tasty food which makes me feel good.  I’ve been pretty surprised recently by how gross I feel after eating “off-plan” foods.  I think that one dessert will be fine (and it will) but it actually makes me feel really lethargic and blech and more importantly that sugar seriously sets off my sugar cravings for the next day.  When I’m eating Whole30 it’s actually pretty easy most of the time – when I venture into other territory it suddenly becomes much harder to stay on track.  Let’s just say moderation is not my strong suit…  For now though, I’m doing my best to stay strict at home and I’ll cross the exception bridge when it comes.

As usual, lots of eggs.  This time with a side of cantaloupe.  This particular meal was only two eggs and just a bit of fruit because it was only a couple hours before CrossFit and I seem to need an eternity to fully digest bigger meals.  

and more prepared turkey from Whole Foods.  Not the most exciting, but it is better than grabbing food from a convenience store…

Some of that turkey ended up being eaten on the go during a particularly busy day.  I also indulged in the prepared food section for some vegetables: a roasted eggplant salad which I’d like to try to recreate.

Monday was my first time trying out double CrossFit.  I went to my usual 12:30 class for the regular workout: some technique work on snatches and then a tough WOD:

3 rounds

• 1 min AMRAP kettle bell swings (35#)
• 30 sec rest
• 1 min AMRAP wall balls (13# to the 9 foot target)
• 30 sec rest
• run 400 meters
• 2 min rest
• repeat

Because the two minute rest was coming, I really tried to push my pace in the 400 meters (plus it helped that I was neck and neck with one of my CF friends and I didn’t want to let him beat me!)  I spent the first minute of my rest seriously catching my breath.

 

The day was a crazy one because I had to stop in at my viola repair person 3 separate times!  First a seam needed glueing and then I had to come back after it dried and then there was a problem with a string so he agreed to see me again at 10pm.  (And to jump ahead, there was still ANOTHER issue and I had to come back again on Tuesday. Grrr.)

 

Anyway, after teaching I headed back to the box since I couldn’t go home anyway.  This is when I worked on my deadlift and got my 15 pound PR.  Plus I did some toes to bar (until my ripped up hands needed a break), some double unders, and finished with 100 sit ups.  

 

Dinner was more eggs (I told you I haven’t been so inspired recently) but this time I filled the 3 egg omelet with onion, red and orange bell peppers, avocado, and fresh basil from the garden.

 

 

Tuesday morning sweet potato mash (I left out the banana to keep my sweet tooth calm)

 

 

CrossFit:

Worked on sets of 2 power cleans up to 95 pounds.  I got 105 up once, but I couldn’t quite manage the set of two.  Still working on making sure I get under the bar fast enough – I think that’s standing in my way of getting heavier right now.

 

10 min AMRAP: 5 power cleans (80#) and box jumps (20″)

Still working on my June goal of an unassisted dead hang pull up – not sure if I’ll make it or not…

 

I was starving  for lunch so I quickly ate part one when I got to my parents’ house:

the rest of the turkey with avocado

Then headed to shower and then ate part two: (I was in a big hurry to start teaching at this point)

Microwaved some frozen green beans drizzled with olive oil and salt.

 

 

Dinner was surprisingly good considering the complete lack of food in my fridge.  Tuna fish (packed in olive oil but mostly drained) over romaine lettuce and a side of roasted broccoli and carrots (plus seconds of those) all drizzled with tahini sauce.

(At this point I just eyeball my sauce with a mix of tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, olive oil (just a bit), and water.

Finished the night with rooibos tea and coconut milk - a good way to get the dessert feeling without dessert.

I didn’t take many pictures on Wednesday because I was frustrated with my non-working computer, but I had a single egg for a mini-breakfast (just got started too late and I didn’t want to be too full) and headed to 9:30 CrossFit.  Wednesdays are a funny class – always tiny, this time there were just three of us.

We started with strict presses in sets of 8.  I went up to 65 pounds and I definitely could have done more, but I underestimated and ran out of time.

WOD:

• 25 yard sled push (200#)
• 25 yard sled pull (200#)
• 30 second rest
• 15 burpees
• 200 meter run
• rest 2 minutes
• repeat for 4 rounds

Lunch turned out really well – and I cooked my very own chicken.  (I’m working on my meat-cooking abilities still.)

 

Almond flour breaded chicken cutlet: flavored some almond flour with paprika, adobe pepper (for some spice), salt, and pepper.    Dipped the chicken in egg white (only because I used the yolk for my mayo sauce) and then into the flour mixture then cooked in a bit of olive oil for about 5 or 6 minutes per side.

 

With a side of roasted asparagus and a dressing of homemade mayonnaise blended with some fresh basil.  (I really wish I had my parents’ fresh herbs growing at my house!)

 

 

I taught a few lessons and then brought some grapes for my car trip to New Hampshire to play a short fundraiser quartet concert.

 

 

There was quite a debacle with me having the wrong address (I ended up missing 45 minutes of our hour long rehearsal before the concert) but it turned out alright in the end.  I thought there would be more food at the event, but mostly cheese and crackers (which I skipped) so i was pretty ravenous on my drive home.

 

Then there was a bunch of construction traffic so I detoured to the best Whole Foods in Cambridge and enjoyed a big (but Whole30) meal from the hot bar.  I was SO tempted by all the desserts (it’s amazing how that happens anytime I let myself get too hungry) but I managed to resist (just barely) and drive home.  It was a little silly because I definitely needed to do some actual grocery shopping, but I didn’t trust myself to stay in the store any longer so I just left after eating dinner.  

 

Of course after my food digested (and I chatted with some friends) I wasn’t craving sugar anymore at all.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting long enough, but sometimes that’s much harder than others…

 

Anyway, glad the blog is up and running again.  I’ll check back in soon.

 

 

 

Arrgg

I was all set to update the blog this morning and for some reason iPhoto keeps quitting on me.  I don’t have time or energy to deal right now, so photos will just have to wait.

My work schedule is definitely lighter these days, though I still feel short on free time?  Sometimes I schedule too many plans for my own good.

I’ve been spending a lot of time planning my summer – lots of trips coming up!  Mostly pleasure but some under the guise of  work.  I was feeling a little stressed about having so much time away and realized that honestly I was most concerned about being away from my own kitchen and from CrossFit.  

I definitely don’t want to hold myself back from going away, but I realized that if I’m that anxious about being out of town I better make sure everything is running smoothly while I’m here.  So I’ve re-doubled my efforts to stay strictly Whole30 while at home and hopefully I can manage to stay reasonable but still enjoy some treats while away.  

I do feel like my meals recently have been boring.  Lots of eggs, turkey, green beans, broccoli.  My staples are good, but I’d like to be doing some more cooking.  A week-long house guest didn’t help me get back to the kitchen, but hopefully this week can include some more involved meals.  

So happy to be back to CrossFit this past week without having to worry about keeping myself ready to run 13 miles.  I went all out this week – everyday, plus twice yesterday!  Some notable highlights included an Rx “Cindy” where I got through 13 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats in the allotted 20 minutes, and yesterday a 15 pound PR to reach a 215 pound deadlift.  My June goal is to be able to do a dead hang pull up without any bands – we’ll see if I can achieve it.  

I’m definitely getting more excited about the heavy lifting side of the workouts – with my additional time at home it was fun to go back to CrossFit later in the day and just focus on lifting having already completed the WOD in the afternoon.  

So hopefully my computer will cooperate again soon.  I’d like to be able to move back to regular blogging to help me stay on track while not gallivanting off for long weekends.  :-)

Weekend in Vermont and Another Half Marathon

An adventurous (and hot!) weekend all around.

Friday morning I enjoyed my usual breakfast of eggs (3 eggs fluffed up with coconut milk and filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves) and fruit (finished up my cherries.)

My friend Staci came over around 10 and we spent a couple hours packing and organizing and some grocery shopping and then we were off to Vermont to visit Dawn. 

 Stopped part way in at some outlets.  First up was lunch on a bench:

Lettuce and turkey wraps (a few of these)

(on a side note you can see how well my hands are healing from the pull ups)

with a peach to finish – summer fruit here I come! 

We also stopped at Starbucks and I found a perfect summer drink: rooibos tea made extra strong with some coconut milk I brought from home and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

 We arrived in Vermont and after a bit of visiting Dawn and Staci and I walked a couple miles to the river and went for a cold evening swim before making dinner.

Staci and I took charge of this one.

Lots of shrimp

A Whole30 – approved mint and parsley pesto from this recipe.

 and tons of roasted green beans.

I thought we had bought enough beans for twice as many people, but we ate them all, they were delicious.

My serving times two plus extra beans…

 and some cantaloupe for dessert.

We ended up staying up late chatting – having too much fun I guess.

The next morning we headed into the nearby town for a relaxing yoga class and then back home for a repeat lunch of turkey lettuce wraps drizzled with some flavorful olive oil. 

 Then it was off for a kayaking adventure.  Actually, it became way more of an adventure than originally planned.  We headed fairly far into the glacier lake (with glacier-like temperatures we had been warned about…)  Just as we turned around to head back the wind picked up dramatically.  My relaxing paddling turned into a full fledged workout and even then we were just barely moving forward.  Eventually we decided to cross the lake the short way to reach the side near the road in case we needed to bail and drive back.  

This may not have been a good decision – the middle of the lake was pretty terrifying!  There was definitely a time or two I thought we were going to tip over (though we managed to stay upright) and I was getting repeatedly splashed in the face.  

Of course after we finally made it to the road side the weather seemed to instantly calm down and we were easily able to make it back.  If we had only known we could have just waited it out.  Oh well.  

Back at the house I was hungry and enjoyed some more fruit for a snack (half a mango plus some blueberries) plus some of my sweet potato custard I had brought with me for my pre-race breakfast.  

The late afternoon was just about relaxing  - I actually took a nap and a shower and then we all sat down to dinner.

Dawn’s husband made a delicious crab meat and avocado salad served over greens and cucumbers

 and a side of asparagus

 My bowl plus seconds.

For a little carbo-loading I also split this sweet potato.  I’d never had a white one before, but it was delicious – I’ll look for them in the future. 

 More berries for dessert plus an animated game of bananagrams.  

 Made it asleep by 10:30 and up at 4:45 to get ready to run!

I got myself ready and out the door by 5:15.  Ate the rest of my sweet potato custard in the car and drove the hour and a half to the race parking.  From there they bussed runners to the starting line of the Covered Bridges Half Marathon.

At this point it was already so hot!  I drank a lot of water – and waited twice through the long portopotty lines.  Stretched, warmed up, and we were off!  I actually ended up dumping a big glass of water over my head even before we started running.

Miles 1 and 2 were rough – it was in the upper 80s and no shade at all.  The road had a steep pitch which bothered my shins a bit and I got a little nervous about what I had gotten myself into two weekends in a row…

Miles 3-5 were my favorite – a loop around an adorable town, enthusiastic onlookers, and even a band playing.  Not as flat as I remembered though.

Mile 5 was a big hill – lots of people around me walked up the hills but I made it a point to only walk a little bit at the water stops and otherwise keep moving even if I had to slow down.

Mile 6 and 7 were the most shady and the most beautiful by the river, but the road was a dirt road with lots of pebbles which was not the most comfortable in my Vibrams.  Still enjoyed the shade though.  At every water stop (every two miles) I drank most of a cup and dumped another one on my head – it helped to keep wet.)  I ate one of my peanut butter/white rice balls for a much needed boost of energy.

Mile 8 was the one steep hill, but I kept running – it was only a short one.  Plus at the top a very nice resident had brought out her garden hose and was spraying those of us that wanted (which was almost everyone – it was SO hot!  

Mile 9 and 10 were uneventful but definitely felt awfully long.  As more people around me took walking breaks, it was tempting, but I knew I’d be happier if I kept running however slowly.

Miles 11-13 were tough.  My legs were pretty done and it was only getting hotter.  The cheering fans were helpful – and especially the kids with super soakers.  I did manage to sprint a little at the end, but only once I could really see the finish line in front of me.

I was slower than last weekend by almost 10 minutes (averaged 12 minute miles) but considering it was almost 50 degrees hotter and it was my second in a week, I’m just happy to have finished without collapsing.After a bit of a running break I’m going to attempt to focus on speed.

I didn’t stick around at the finish line too long, but I did grab some more water and half a banana.  There was a shuttle back to the parking lot, but I decided a mile walk might actually be good – though I took it awfully slowly!  

I broke up the drive home by stopping in Exeter NH for a friend’s surprise birthday party!  She let me shower and I had a wonderful time with some old friends, her adorable children, and delicious food.  I enjoyed some grilled chicken, sweet potato black bean salad,  and spinach blueberry goat cheese salad.  Lunch was mostly Whole30 (minus the cheese) but I decided to indulge in some cake and ice cream  for my post-run treat.  

I ended up sticking around for many hours before making the final track home and collapsing.

Two half marathons down – and now back to my regularly scheduled CrossFit.  

Modified Murph

Woke up Monday morning already feeling much less sore than after Sunday’s race.  I attempted to sleep in and at least relaxed in bed for a while and then decided to head to 9:30 Memorial Day CrossFit.

My plan was to foam roll and stretch and maybe to a light workout, but everyone was so excited about the WOD – Murph.

• run one mile
• 100 pull ups
• 200 push ups
• 300 squats
• run one mile

I knew my body did not want to run more after the race, but I decided to just do the inside piece without the mile runs.  Broke it into 20 rounds of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, and 15 squats.  

 

The no-band pull ups still take me a while (mostly I have to break them down into sets of 2 or 3) but push ups and air squats are my forte – and I swear all the squats made my leg muscles feel better.

 

Unfortunately I experienced my first rip (actually my first 6 rips…) As if my other half marathon aches and pains weren’t enough.

 

Eeewww.

I ended up hanging out at CrossFit for almost two hours  - a holiday atmosphere at the box.  

Then I had to dash over to my parents’ house where I agreed to teach one lesson.

Next finally food: a three egg omelet with smoked salmon and scallions and a side of watermelon.

The rest of the day I spent out with a friend (and on his boat!) I had a couple drinks but then ended up not eating for hours and resorted to some distinctly non-Whole30 junk food late at night.  Arg.  

Tuesday I slept in a bit and then made another big omelet for breakfast (this time with a sautéed apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.)

Later off to CrossFit: 

Worked on strict presses  - a set of 3 at 75 pounds and then couldn’t quite finish all 3 at 80 pounds – I think without having tired my arms out the day before I’d be able to get the full set.

WOD: 5 rounds, 2 minutes rest between rounds

• 15 kettle bell swings (35 pounds)
• 15 burpees

I actually found this WOD not too bad – those 2 minute rests definitely help push through.

 

Lunch was leftover chicken tikka masala mixed with some sautéed zucchini.

I started teaching and then ended up having two long cancellations in the middle of my day.  I was overtired and grumpy about being stuck at work and ended up snacking on food at my parents’ house despite not really being hungry.

After teaching Dawn came over to keep me company – and go through all of my closets to get rid of all the clothes

I’m just 100% sure that eating carbs and sugar make it much harder for me to avoid more carbs and sugar.  I know I want to stop this problem right away – so I’ve now had two days of strict Whole30 and feeling way better.

Wednesday: 

9:30 CrossFit

Completed the WOD but stuck with light weights so my body can recover and rest before Sunday.

Deadlifts: 5 sets of 2 (I stayed with 65% of my current max – 130 pounds

WOD: 21-15-9

• calories on the rower
• power cleans (stayed with a light 55 pounds)

Swung by Whole Foods and put together a delicious lunch – swiss chard, chicken apple sausage, and tahini sauce.

I also prepared dinner which I ate during a short break at 6:00.

Cauliflower mash (flavored with garlic salt) and herb roast turkey.

A very long day of teaching (but I’m not complaining because I managed to clear out my Monday and Friday schedule for the rest of the school year!) and enjoyed a final snack at 9 when I finished.

Perfectly ripe cantaloupe.  YUM.

Early bedtime.

Thursday:

Woke up very hungry: 3 egg omelet with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves and a side of cherries (times two.)

Gave myself a real rest day from exercise and instead did some shopping with Dawn – a new bathing suit and a pair of jeans.

Back to work and a big lunch.  The rest of the cauliflower mash and two chicken apple sausages.  

A bit later the other half of my cantaloupe.

This big and late lunch kept me full for ages.  (Perhaps 2 sausages was overkill)

I finished teaching at 6:15 and dashed out the door to read some chamber music with colleagues.  

We ended up playing until almost 10:30 and I was glad to eat some carrot sticks on the way home.

Finished up the carrots at home and then made sure to brush and floss my teeth – determined to quit the late night snacking.  

 

Two clean eating days and I already feel a million times better.  Looking forward to a trip to Vermont this weekend and another race on Sunday!

 

Run to Remember Half Marathon

Half Marathon number one complete!  

I’ve run just one before this and it was a few years ago (pre-injury) and I was nervous pre-race.  I’ve been doing lots and lots of crossfit and a fair bit of running, but I didn’t do a great job sticking with an actual running plan.  

I took a couple days off and felt rested, but the few days off also made me start to doubt my abilities – maybe I forgot how to run?  :-)

The Saturday before the race I started my morning with a very early Baptiste hot yoga class.  I tried to take it easy – skipped some of the balance poses, spent an extra long time in pigeon pose and focused on stretching out and not overdoing it.  

Afterwards in the car I enjoyed some of my favorite sweet potato concoction.  

(Sweet potato, eggs, coconut milk, banana, spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger)

I headed over to CrossFit to do a bit of foam rolling and a light workout just to get my body (and mind) ready to run the next day.  

5 relaxed pace rounds:

• 30 seconds air dyne bike
• 10 light-weight deadlifts (just 45 pounds to activate my hamstrings)
• 200 meter run (this was mostly to mentally remind myself I knew how to run)

Stopped by Whole Foods on the way home and treated myself to a prepared sword fish and pepper kabob which I served over cauliflower mash.

and some cantaloupe for dessert (plus another slice)

I spent the afternoon at my friend Rachel’s house and then got a last minute call from my Mom about joining her at the ballet in the evening.  It made for a slightly later bedtime than I wanted, but I decided it was worth it.  Ended up eating my packed dinner in the car though (chicken breast and sweet potato.)  I also ended up eating a banana with peanut butter before bed.  Plenty of carbo-loading…  (I just didn’t think going to bed hungry seemed smart.)

Morning of the race I got myself out of bed at 4:45 and managed to eat a few bites of breakfast (maybe half this small bowl of leftover sweet potato custard.

I packed up my mid-race fuel.  I’d been debating this for a while (and I should have tried more experimenting during training) but I was hesitant to eat gu’s or shot blocks since I haven’t been having much sugar.  My CF coach suggested this weird concoction and I thought I’d just go for it: peanut butter rolled in rice.

I made three balls and put them in a plastic baggie and into a small belt pouch I wore during the race.  

Sadly I have no pictures from the race – I left my phone in the car and I was racing on my own!  (No, I decided not to make any friends or relatives stand around in the freezing rainy weather to watch.)  

Standing around before the start was indeed freezing (40 degrees, rainy, and windy) but I shivered in an old fleece sweatshirt I had brought to ditch right before the start.  I also cut up an old pair of leggings and wore them as arm warmers for the first half of the race.  

I stretched out, used the port-o-potties twice, and chatted with some very nice runners.  Eventually we were off!  The first mile and a half was really crowded and hard to figure out my pacing.  There was also a bit of up and down (more than I was expecting).  Eventually the crowds thinned out a little and I was running along.  I met up with someone who I had chatted with at the start and we ran together for a couple miles.  

I grabbed water at all the stops (every 2 miles) and generally walked for a few steps while sipping before starting on my way again.

We ran by MIT and there were lots of policemen handing out high-fives (there was lots of tributes to Officer Sean Collier).  Much of the race was on Memorial drive right along the river.  It was an out and back course so I got to watch the winners flying by on their way back.

Around mile 6 I ditched my make-shift arm warmers and focused on picking up the pace.  My calves were surprisingly not sore.  I did start to notice the top of quads around mile 7 (my hip flexors?) but I generally felt pretty good.  At mile 8 I ate one of my peanut butter rice concoctions – it was surprisingly good.  I made sure to eat it right before a water stop, but overall, I think I’d use this again as weird as it is.  

In my mind I focused on getting to mile 10 and then counted on some race excitement to push me through the last few miles.  

The end of the race was through parts of downtown and next to the Boston Commons and the Boston Garden.  Mile 10 felt like it lasted an eternity, but by mile 11 I was feeling confident.  I even managed a pretty good sprint at the finish line.  

I finished in 2 hours and 27 minutes – not fast by any means, but I’m happy to complete the distance – and soon I’ll focus more on adding speed.  I did definitely run the second half of the race substantially faster than the first half (which makes me think I could have started out a bit faster).  More to work on… 

It was a little funny finishing the race without any friends there to celebrate, but I collected my metal, grabbed a banana, and stretched out for a bit before walking back to my car.

In typical Emily fashion, it took me quite a while to find my car, but I did eventually make it home.  

I was most definitely sore and stiff  - walking up my apartment stairs was a challenge!  

After showering I headed over to Jon and Jonathan’s for a relaxing visit.  I brought ingredients to make lunch (basil mango shrimp) and enjoyed some baby time as well as some adult conversation.  

Back home I had a snack – cherries and a fruit and nut bar (the Clif bar version of a lara bar – yum) and actually ended up crashing for a nap.  

The evening was spent with friends – I ordered a salad at a mexican place with pulled pork, guacamole, black beans, and cheddar cheese and then watched a few episodes of the new Arrested Development before heading home and crashing.  

More to write about, but this post is getting awfully long – I’ll save some fun for later.  Unfortunately, it ended up being a tough week for eating – I didn’t do a great job getting back on my Whole30 plan and it’s just been a tough recovery.  I’m feeling back to my normal self finally – just resting up for more running excitement this weekend.  More updates to come…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rest Days

After pushing so hard at CrossFit last week, I knew my body needed a real rest before attempting my half marathon on Sunday.  So I’m trying to be smart: Wednesday included a very short walk, Thursday was a total rest, and today I took a gentle stroll with my Mom.  I’m feeling so antsy!  Hopefully this will help my legs feel better rested.  I’m not worried at all about the cardio, but I’m nervous about my calves!  

Thursday I slept in and then met Dawn for some shopping (finally some new workout tops) and at some point I stopped by Whole Foods for a strange late breakfast/early lunch.

Two hard boiled eggs with tahini sauce from the salad bar and some cherries on the side.

Munching on cherries held me through my teaching day and finished the night with a simple salad of baby spinach, turkey, avocado, and olive oil.  

Plus cashews (times two) 

A super early bedtime to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Woke up Friday morning for a therapy appointment and then frustratingly left my phone back home so I returned and decided to eat some breakfast while I was home.

Two eggs (made with some coconut milk and cinnamon plus half a cantaloupe which was delicious – not as amazing as mango, but up there as one of my favorite fruits.

Combined walking with my Mom with getting an oil change and then over to her house for lunch.

A big stir fry of broccoli and portobello mushrooms flavored with garlic salt and the rest of the turkey on the side. 

I must admit, I’m totally getting sick of turkey – I decided it was time to be brave and attempt cooking some meat.

I found a slow cooker recipe for chicken tikka masala and gathered my ingredients with another stop at Whole Foods.  

 In before teaching and then ready by the time I was finished.  I headed back to my apartment and enjoyed a serving over the roasted cabbage I had leftover in my fridge. Success!  Hope to start cooking some more in the near future – I haven’t been very excited about my meals recently.  

 A bit later ate a banana with cinnamon for dessert and then added an unpictured scoop of peanut butter.  Not Whole30, but I had an open jar and no almond butter.  Eh, there are worse infractions.  I think for me the no sugar and no grains seem to have the biggest affect.  Definitely planning to stick strictly to that.

And now I’m planning a very early bedtime.  Trying to get myself on an early-to-bed early-to-rise schedule before the race.

 

Returning

I know I haven’t blogged in weeks at this point but I thought I’d return this evening and just get right back into daily life.  I have tons of pictures and half written posts, but at this point I might as well just start with today.  I had some extremely busy weeks – and managed to be without my phone cord for a while so I was unable to upload pictures.  I went to lots of 6:30am CrossFit classes and was determined to go to bed as early as possible.  So here I am back again.  

A little more than a week ago I officially completed 100 days on my strict Whole30 eating plan and decided to venture out into some “off-plan” foods.  I started with some amazing ice cream which was a worthwhile treat, but the rest of the week was a struggle.  For me, a little sugar just makes me crave more and right now attempting to be more moderate just isn’t working.  A little treat turns into a major indulgence and a planned exception turns into three more.  

So for better or for worse I’m headed back to another Whole30.  I’ll re-assess in 30 days but in the meantime it’s just much easier for me to be strict. 

After some serious over-eating on Monday evening I wasn’t hungry when I woke up this morning so I just headed out without breakfast.  (Not my usual, but late night eating just counted as breakfast for today.)  

I met up with an old friend of mine to catch up and walk.  We ended up walking 5 miles including some hills.  I distinctly remember those hills being challenging when we used to walk them last spring, but all this CrossFit has definitely increased my fitness level.  

Speaking of CrossFit, I headed over to class after our walk.  Fun workout today.  First we completed 5 sets of single deadlifts  - I used 195 pounds which, while definitely heavy, made me feel like my current max may now be more than my previous 200.  

The WOD included deadlifts and box jumps.  I’ve been working to complete the workouts with the full weights as prescribed whenever possible and today was a success.

9-7-5

• deadlifts 115 pounds
• box jumps 24 inches (yup, I managed all my box jumps on the tall box.)

rest 2 minutes and repeat for a total of 3 rounds

I always enjoy WODs with smaller numbers – even though there were lots of rounds I could stay mentally with it and keep pushing through.  Practiced some handstand push ups and double unders at the end.

 

Starting tomorrow though I’m taking it easy for the rest of the week – half marathon to run on Sunday!  Eeek!

 

When I finally made it to work and showered I put together a quick lunch.  Something like fried rice but without the rice?

 

Using the wok I stir fried broccoli with toasted sesame oil, coconut aminos, and fresh ginger.  Added shrimp and at the very end I cracked an egg on top and stirred everything around.  

Started teaching right away.  Thank goodness these are the final lessons before my students complete their auditions – I’m SO sick of hearing endless scales and excerpts.

A 10 minute break at 6 I snacked on a few strawberries to hold me over for the last three lessons. 

At 9 I spent a while chatting with my Mom and she ended up making me a mini-meal for dinner.  My first time trying pork - cooked with some stewed apricots and prunes.  And a side of mashed cauliflower.  

A good meal – not a very big dinner, but today is a light day after all the excessive eating yesterday.  I was a little hungry arriving home, but the feeling has mostly past and it’s past time for bed anyway.

Goodnight!