8 Miles & -40 lbs

I'm a third of the way to my weight loss goal!  40 pounds down :)  I still have a long way to go, but I'm consistently losing, which is great!  Anna weighs about 35 or 38 lbs, so it's like I've lost a small kindergartner.  How's that for perspective?  Even better than the weight loss, I feel so much healthier (Ok, maybe not at the moment because of this head cold, but generally). 

Things I can do now that I couldn't before:

-Run for 90+ minutes without stopping to walk
-Keep my heart rate in the cardiovascular zone while running (it was off the charts before)
-Enjoy chasing after my kids at an amusement park all day
-Fit comfortably in pretty much any seat I chose to sit in
-Buy clothes in pretty much any store that I want to
-Look at a picture of myself without cringing

This is really just the tip of the iceberg.  I know there are a ton of other things, but I can't think of them right off the top of my head ;)

I ran 8 miles yesterday!  I had to do it by myself, on a treadmill, because T was going hiking.  I definitely missed her, and the great outdoors!  I have decided that running on a treadmill for longer than six miles or so is just the pits.  It's a bit too repetitive and boring for my taste, but I didn't stop to walk at all.  I had to re-start the treadmill about 4.5 miles in, but I kept my feet going so I didn't lose momentum.  The problem with trail running without someone else is that I am still new to running and running 8 miles by myself outside doesn't seem like a super safe idea.  Also, T is really great at keeping us on course out on the trails.  I would probably get hopelessly lost ;)

8 Mile Run

Stretch
0.25 miles @4.5mph
1.75 miles @5.5mph (BIIIIIIG mistake.  Due to the congestion in my chest and overall gross head cold, I ended up with major cramps in my rib cage/chest.  If you're sick, try to take it easy.  Don't follow my example)
6 miles @4.5mph (I hated going back down, but it was the only way I was going to survive this one)
Cool down = 0.25 miles
Stretch

Total Miles = 8.25 miles
Total Calories Burned = 1,503

Confession- I may have led you astray when it comes to the salad dressing for a breakfast salad.  The blush wine vin is really great, but when you eat it for breakfast repeatedly, you might end up with heartburn....ouch.  I discovered the err of my ways and switched to...

It's made by the same brand as the blush wine.  It's a poppy seed dressing, and it is SOOOO good!  It's excellent with the berries/spinach/nuts.  I don't know if you're like me, but every time I eat anything with poppy seeds I think about "The Shower Head" episode of Seinfeld.  Elaine takes a drug test and pops up positive for opiates because of the poppy seed muffins she loves ;).  It always makes me chuckle.  I figured it was just something silly from a t.v. show, but according to Snopes, it's true!  If you work at a place that makes you take random drug tests, you might want to skip this dressing.  Stay-at-home moms, feel free to indulge (within your caloric budget of course ;)).

Dinner, Weird Breakfasts and Tomorrow's Goal

A couple of nights ago we had goat cheese stuffed salmon for dinner.  It was really delicious.  Thanks for the suggestion, Seanna!  Anna loved it, but Daniel wanted nothing to do with it.  Oh well, you win some, you lose some!  We also had some roasted zucchini and hummus with pita bread.  I'm going to try to make some home-made hummus this weekend.  I was thrilled to find tahini at our commissary!  Yesterday's dinner was a simple marinated chicken.  Tomorrow we're going to go see Harry Potter at the movie theater, so I will probably make some sort of pasta.  I bought some noodles from the commissary that are made with quinoa.  I figure they're worth a try!

I finished Born to Run today.  It's been a busy week, so it took me a few days to finish it.  I definitely think that it could have been put together a bit better, but it's a great book for people who love to run.  This is where my weird breakfasts come in.  In the book, McDougall suggests having salad for breakfast.  It's supposed to help hydrate you after sleeping, give you a huge burst of antioxidants first thing in the morning, and it's loaded with good carbs that will take some time to burn off.  It's supposed to give you energy for your run and keep you full without feeling weighed down.

My breakfast salad:
A couple large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
6 or 7 blackberries
Handful of blueberries
Handful of sliced almonds
Sunflower seeds
Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

I have been LOVING this breakfast salad.  It is full of protein and antioxidants.  It also tastes great!  I've never been a fan of fruit in salads, but with this salad dressing, it's amazing.  The almonds and sunflower seeds give it some great texture and they're a great source of protein (which my doctor said is a necessity when you're losing weight at a decent pace).  I don't eat meat until dinner time, so I get most of my protein from almonds, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

Wednesday's run was great!  I wore my Vibram Five Fingers, and it made the run a lot of fun.  I did end up with a few blisters and insanely sore calves.  You run differently in minimalist shoes than you do when you're wearing Nike's that are supposed to correct every flaw in your run ;)  Hopefully I'll be back in the Vibram's next week (with a bit of moleskin acting as a buffer between the shoe and the blister areas).

Wednesday's Run:
4 miles @ 5.5mph
1 mile @5mph
Remaining time @4mph

Total miles covered = 5.53
Calories burned = 981

Tomorrow's run goal is 6 miles @ 5mph.  It will be interesting, but I think that by staying at 5mph (which is really comfortable for me now) I'll be able to lengthen my run.  Hopefully I'm right.  Will says that after running a couple of miles it ends up being mostly a mental battle.  I've definitely found that to be the truth.  I just have to make sure that my head is in it :)