Music & Medication

I'm sorry that I haven't kept to my typical blog schedule this week.  Due to the head cold that refuses to quit, my work outs haven't been anything spectacular.  Monday and Tuesday I took off because I felt like I could barely stand straight (don't you just love a fuzzy head?).  Wednesday, I went back, but had to keep it pretty slow on the treadmill because I was still feeling a bit light headed.  Today, I did about 100 minutes on the elliptical.  Certainly easier than running if you're not your usual self.

I've been adding a ton of music to my running playlist.  Here are some of the new songs:

"Hey Mama" Mat Kearney - Just a fun song with a decent beat. 

"Titanium" David Guetta featuring Sia - Great beat and I love Sia. 

"Pumped Up Kicks" Foster the People - This is a good warm up song for me.  It's kind of chill, but for some reason it works.

"Dark Horses" Switchfoot - Off their new album and it's SO good for running.  This song definitely motivates me to keep running.

"Mercy" Duffy - Nothing new, but it's a fun song for me to run to.

"Howlin' for You" The Black Keys - Just a cool song :).

"Sweetness" Jimmy Eat World - I've liked this one since college. 

"Brighter Than the Sun" Colbie Caillat - Just a song that makes me smile.  I like to run to songs that put me in a good mood.

"Your Love is a Song" Switchfoot - This one isn't very upbeat, but I really enjoy the song, so I added it to the list anyway.

"Wake Up" Arcade Fire - I love to start off my running playlist with this.  It starts off kind of slow, but the beat ramps up at the end.  It's great for warming up or stretching before a run.  You've probably heard it before.  It was the song in the preview for "Where the Wild Things Are" that made your heart swell and gave you hope that it might just be the coolest movie you'd ever see.  Ok, maybe it didn't do that for you, but that's how I felt when that preview came on.  Music has that affect on me.  The music in a preview can make or break my opinion of a movie before I even see it.

On to other things that affect me/us...medications.  I have been an insomniac for years.  I have been taking sleeping meds on and off for a very long time.  My doctor recently put me on a medication that I'd never heard of.  I, being the excellent patient that I am, started taking it without really looking into the possible side effects.  Super smart, right?  No!  I've been on this med for a couple of months now.  After visiting a different doctor for serious muscle pain, I decided to go through and check the meds that I'd been taking to see if one of them might have been the cause.  My sleeping med just happened to be the culprit.  All that to say, make sure you're paying attention to the things you're taking and how they might adversely affect you ;) 

I'll leave you with this awesome work out towel found on Pinterest ;)  I'm pretty sure that it was made for me. 

Miles, Pounds and Songs

T and I ran 7.1 miles through the German countryside this morning.  It was a great run.  We dealt with hills, sore bodies, a lot of animal feces and a misting rain.  I am so proud of us for sticking it out through all seven miles.  We even sprinted the last little bit.  The first three miles basically consisted of making sure that my body could do it.  After I established that even though I was in some pain, I could keep going, it took a lot of mental strength.  I had to tell myself at the beginning of each new mile that I could handle it.  I made sure to tell Will and a couple of other people that I was going to run 7 miles today.  I knew that having that accountability would make me push through a full seven miles.  We rewarded ourselves at the end of the run with iced chai lattes.  I'll even let you in on a little secret... I tried to reward myself with one of those sour cream doughnuts, but the lady at the cash register didn't hear that part of my order.  I'm taking that as a sign from God ;)

I finally saw some movement on the scale today!  It was even in the right direction ;).  I'm now down a little over 38 lbs.  I lost 2.4 this week.  I am really starting to think that the last couple of weeks have been due to my calorie deficit being out of control.  I made sure to get more (mostly healthy) calories in this week.  Hopefully I'll be able to keep that going!

I have some new running songs to add to my list on here.  I am so addicted to music, and I get bored with my running playlist quickly.  I'm sure I'll be posting new songs pretty regularly.

"A Little Less Conversation" (JXL Remix) Elvis Presley
     "A little less conversation, a little more action."  The lyrics say it all.  The beat to this is really fun to run to, also.

"Pain" Jimmy Eat World
    Maybe it's just me, but the title seems to be super appropriate for a running playlist ;)  Love this one.

"Run-Around" Blues Traveler
     I have always loved Blues Traveler.  This song is just fun.

"Canned Heat" Jamiroquai
     "Got canned heat in my heels tonight!"  This is another old-ish song that I've always liked.

"Check Yes, Juliet" We the Kings
     "Run baby, run!  Don't ever look back!" 

"Magic" B.o.B featuring Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
     This song is so much fun and it gets me excited about running.  I've also loved Weezer since I was a kid, so I'm a sucker for Rivers Cuomo.

Ok, so those are my new running songs.  Does anyone have any other new songs in their playlist worth sharing?  I'm always open to new suggestions ;)

I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to information on running.  I seriously love researching exercise and running.  I was looking up ways to deal with running pain and prevent it.  I like to pass along what I've learned, but please remember that I am in not a doctor, nurse or anything like that.  I'm just sharing what I read from reliable sources.  On with the info.  Apparently, you're supposed to take a cold bath after running and save those hot soaks until 24 hours after your run.  I tried it today.  I was feeling a little blue lipped during the cold bath.  Hopefully it will help my legs recover a bit faster!  I'll keep you posted.

10-K, Recipe and New Songs

I ran 10-K with my running buddy, Terilyn!  We planned on running six miles, but once we got to the gym we decided to add the extra 0.2 and go for the full 10 kilometers.  We ran hard for the last minute.  It was a really enjoyable run.  We took our pace down a bit so we could last longer. 

10-K Run:
6 miles @ 5mph
0.2@ 7.5mph
Cooldown

Total miles = 6.42
Total calories burned = 1,175

Today was a weigh in day.  I lost 0.2lbs.  Definitely not what I was expecting, but I think that part of my problem is that I'm not getting in enough calories, so my body is trying to hang on to every lb.  It's not that I'm not eating, I'm just eating mostly low fat/low calorie foods.  I have been eating mostly vegetables, nuts and fruits.  Also, I did more extensive weight training this week, so that might have something to do with it.  We'll see what happens next Saturday with the scale.  On a VERY positive note, I am now three sizes down in jeans. 

Last night's Dinner:

 

This is roasted grape tomatoes on quinoa pasta with a little fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano on top.  It was delicious!  I was very impressed by the quinoa pasta.  I get tired of whole wheat pasta, so I wanted to try something new.  The kids didn't even notice that it was different.  My mother and father-in-law passed along the recipe for the roasted grape tomatoes.  I'll do my part and pass it along again ;)

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

2 pints grape tomatoes
3 garlic cloves pealed and thinly sliced
2T olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
1/4 t fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Combine all the ingredients except the basil in a roasting pan.
Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes
are just bursting.
3. Carefully transfer the tomatoes, using a slotted spoon, to a serving bowl.
4. Transfer the liquid from the roasting pan to a small saucepan
and cook on medium high heat for about 5 min.  or until slightly thickened.
5. Drizzle some of the thickenid balsamic sauce over the tomatoes.
Top with fresh basil and serve with toasted french bread or with cooked
pasta.

I've added a few new songs to my work out playlist. 

"Monster" Paramore

"Run This Town" Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West (clean version)

"Devastation and Reform" Relient K

"Ain't No Other Man" Christina Aguilera

"White Tooth Man" Iron & Wine

"Boy With a Coin" Iron & Wine

Current Running Playlist

I promised my running playlist, so here it is :)  I want to preface this by saying that this list isn't indicative of my general taste.

"Till the World Ends" Britney Spears - I've never owned a Britney Spears album in my life, but for some reason this song makes me want to run.  Double embarrassing...it was also written by Kesha (I refuse to do the dollar sign ;)).

"I Wanna Go" Britney Spears - See note above ;)

"Parachute" Ingrid Michaelson - I love her, and this is just a fun song.

"Stronger" Kanye West (Clean) - "Tha-tha-tha-that don't kill me can only make me stronger"  It's something that I like to be reminded of when I'm starting my second mile ;)

"Starry Eyed" Ellie Goulding - I love her!  She's British and I really fell in love with her version of Elton John's "Your Song."

"Lights" Ellie Goulding

"Hate On Me" Glee Cast

"Gold Digger" Glee Cast

"Crazy in Love" Beyonce & Jay Z - I just love this song.

"Wonderman" Tinie Tempah &  Ellie Goulding - My friend Seanna introduced me to this song.  I'm such a dorkie anglophile, so I was in love from the moment her rapped the word petrol ;).

"Set Fire to the Rain" Adele - Adele is probably my favorite vocalist.

"Uprising" Muse

"Airplanes" B.O.B. & Haylie Williams

"Dog Days are Over" Florence & the Machine

"Hallelujah" Paramore

"Love Stoned/I Think She Knows" Justin Timberlake -  A lot of his songs would make decent running songs, but I like this one.  If I play it at the end of my work out the second half makes for good cool down music.

Okay, that's all I have for work out music today.  I am now down 35 lbs!  I'm keeping to my schedule, but today I got to go to the gym super early (5:30) and without the kids.  It was nice not having to be in the family room because the equipment there is somewhat limited.  This morning I shortened my bike ride a bit and added 10 minutes on a rowing machine.  I love rowing machines!  I'm hoping to add some rowing on to my work out at least once a week :).  I hope that everyone is doing well!  I'll try to post again on Sunday.

Current Favorite Songs...

I figured that after two posts in a row about food I needed to mix things up a bit.  Here are a few songs currently making my playlists recently.

"Sigh No More" - Mumford & Sons
"Love will not betray,
dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man
you were made to be.
There is a design,
An alignment, a cry,
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love
as it was made to be"

"MarryYou" - Bruno Mars
I love the sound of this song even though I can't say I agree with the view on marriage ;)

"Forget You" - Cee Lo Green (the edited version ;))
This is another one that I really love the sound and feel of.  It can make me smile even when I'm in a super crappy mood.

"To Build a Home" - The Cinematic Orchestra
An incredible song.  I love the way it builds and swells.  I could listen to this song on repeat for hours.

"In These Arms" - The Swell Season
Such a beautiful song.  Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sound so great together.

"Flightless Bird, American Mouth" - Iron & Wine
Love this song.  It's so chill and very pretty.

"Someone Like You" - Adele
I'm slightly obsessed with her new album, and this is my favorite of the whole cd.  A beautiful song.  Daniel sounds pretty cute singing the chorus ;)

"Parachute" - Ingrid Michaelson
It's a pretty big departure from your typical Ingrid Michaelson, but it works and it's fun to sing along to.

"Transatlanticism" - Death Cab for Cutie
This was the song I listened to all the time when I was in Hamburg for three months in college.  It's still one of my go-to songs when I'm missing the states and my family.

"Canvas" - Imogen Heap
I love her music.  This song is so great.

"Blood Bank" - Bon Iver
I can't get enough of Bon Iver.  This song is often stuck in my head.

"Wake Up" - The Arcade Fire
An amazing song.  Hearing it on the preview for "Where the Wild Things Are" made me want to see that movie.

"Norwegian Wood" - The Beatles
I don't think this one needs an explanation.

"Paris (Ooh La La)" - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
I downloaded this before we drove to Paris for Christmas.  It's a really fun song.

"Cosmic Love" - Florence + the Machine
I love the epic feel to this song.


Okay, that's probably enough for now.  I listen to A LOT of music, so there are plenty of songs making the rotation these days.  ;)