Jan. 1-11.

Posted on January 11, 2016 by HaleyComet

Well, I procrastinated. I’ll condense each day to save the reader from boredom. To really write about my workouts (for myself), I need to not have more than 5 days in a post.

Jan 1!: EPSCAR (El Paso County Search & Rescue) 5k: “rain, snow, or 20 below.”
Huge fans of the search & rescue, saving people from Pikes Peak, the Incline and other areas of the county. And feel sorry for them when saving ill-prepared tourists from tackling our outdoor attractions.

I didn’t feel great about my pace, but then I looked at the elevation profile from my watch.
Screen Shot 2016-01-11 at 2.11.44 PM
2: 30min walk at dog park. Kettlebell: 50 swings, v-ups, presses.
3 & 4: Forgot! Can’t recall, but I *know* I did workout. This is why I need to log…It’s really bothering me that I can’t remember.
Tuesday, Jan 5: CrossFit: 8 rounds: 100m row, 10 squats (w/35lb kb)
Jan 6th : 2mi walk-Garden of the Gods.

Same spot: 1 day difference! Wed walk, Thurs walk.

Jan 7th:1.5mi walk-GoG
Jan 8: Skiing. 3hr. (UGH. Terrible drive through a storm and was really tired. Good snow and no people though.)

9: Yoga: 1hr “active recovery”. It was not as yin as it usually is. Felt hard.
10: 30min walk, dog park. Kettlebell: 50 swings, 20 presses, v-ups, Russian twists.
11: Warmup: airdyne. Workout: Weightlifting (pushpress, front squat), prowler (40kg+heavyassprowler), 20lbs. slamballs.

Push press warmup. It’s hard to get lifting pics when there isn’t anyone to take one!

FOOD! I’m doing Whole30, and I’m not caught up enough to log each thing I eat per day. I’d like to get back to that, but not right now. The first couple days weren’t as hard as I thought, thankfully. Guess I’m used to doing these.
Some notes, new things, & recommendations:
I made my own ghee! It’s not perfect, but my first batch was pretty good. I thought I burned it, but when it cooled, it was a nice buttery color.

1. ghee, 2. furikake (delicious so far), 3. addicting mayo, 4. Grapefruit season!

NomNom Paleo’s spicy tuna cakes are really good-and really easy! I ate on them for 2 days.
Primal Kitchen (from Marks Daily Apple) chipotle lime mayo is better than I expected. I like it better than the regular mayo. (Found at Whole Foods)

1. Eggs w/veggies & tomatillo salsa, 2. spicy tuna cakes w/brussels, kale & spinach, 3. Big tuna salad, 4. carrot & short rib stew

I had seafood 4 days this week. I’ve been craving it lately.

I leave you with this!

2015-2016.

Posted on January 11, 2016 by HaleyComet

Well. I don’t know where to start, it’s been so long.

2015: moved to CO. Bought a house less than a month later (originally unplanned). Did Pikes Peak marathon. Started school a couple weeks later. Fall semester KICKED MY ASS. Didn’t work out. Got ~~fat~~ (ok, how do I strike through here? Oh! Found it.) unhealthy.

Last January I blogged my 2015 “goals”. I didn’t even come close to 365 days of working out. I don’t even know when I quit that, but it was pretty early. Then:
Other goals:
knit at least 5 projects (making my way through my neglected project box)
read 10 books
3-5 new marathon states (Booked: South Dakota, the rest…up in the air)

Reality:
Knitting: 2 projects. I call that pretty decent considering I hadn’t knitted anything since Dec. 14.
Books: more than 17! I have 17 saved on my Goodreads acct, and I know I forgot to put in several. Between driving across the country (Texas) several times to/from CO, I listened to some great audio books as well.
Marathons: 3 (all new states). Whew, just under the wire here. I had planned on 2 more, but new house/K’s work travel cancelled those. I couldn’t leave in the middle of the move (that I mostly did on my own). That’s ok, life things that are more important than races and I’m totally fine with it.

Food/weight/fitness. I fit all the food in my mouth. Gained a bunch of weight. (UGH. Mad at myself but really trying hard to not beat myself up) I know how to fix it. The fall semester was horrible for these things as well. Workouts were very sporadic, until Dec break, I hadn’t been to a CF class since Oct/early Nov. NOT GOOD for my physical and mental being. I was not a happy person. That’s ok….again, other things were more important, but I really suffered.

I did get a 4.0. Whoo! Whew. That will really help later.

So, what else? 2016? This is a HUGE question mark. I’ve feel like I’ve been treading water/flailing for 2 years now. Since the end of 2013 (end of my first 365), I had “finished” losing weight, and finished the 100miler. I don’t do well without goals, purpose, or vision. Being unstable in where we were going to move, not having fitness goals…just doesn’t work for me. So, I guess the good news is I have something to work towards: getting healthy. Again. (Ugh. Why is this a pattern?)

Health/weight: 365 days of doing something active! 2 Whole30’s. ‘Easy’ to tackle with my routine. Just takes time. I hope I can do this no matter what. I’d love to do 4 again this year, but I don’t know if that is feasible, (more on that below) so, 2 is a reasonable expectation.

Running: not too sure. Depends on the year. If things don’t change, I’ll get a couple more states this year. Not sure which ones. If they do, I suspect I’ll actually get more running in.

Challenges: There are several big unknowns/events on the horizon that may or may not happen. If they do, it’ll be big changes. If they don’t, then things continue on mostly the same, which is good too. Routine is good for me and I know I can focus on getting my ass into shape, no matter what happens. This possible change would be huge, and amazing, but I’d really be denying myself if I didn’t enjoy the full experience. We’ll see.
Others:
House projects. We have a 3 page running list and have stalled on some things as they snowball. For example: “lets redo the floors!” Great. No problem. Well, now I hate the fireplace (with a PASSION) and it’s not staying. (Fireplace Dr. appt next week! One step.) So, can’t redo the floor before we do the fireplace. Need a new storage cabinet/island in the kitchen, but should get a new stove first…And on. And on. This will also be easier when I’m working again. So, maybe 1 big project and a couple smaller ones are a reasonable goal.
Reading: I exceeded my goal and don’t anticipate this falling to the wayside. Our library is EXCELLENT and it’s much easier now that it used to be. (LA libraries & education system are awful) So, no set reading goal.
Knitting: 2-3 projects. I feel this is more reasonable.

BLOGGING. I need to keep this blog up. 1 post per week, minimum. Should be reasonable as well. I do well holding myself accountable when I write it down, and it’s “out there” for the world. If my life changes happen, I suspect this will be far more frequent to keep it documented.

Side note: so many people are against resolutions. Sure, it sucks when you fail, but making a conscious effort to change, or work on something, usually leads to good things. “Losing weight” “eat healthy”, those things don’t usually get people anywhere. Specific goals, usually do.
What am I doing to keep up my goals?
1. this blog
2. getting strict with my food again. I know I”m not a moderation person, I shouldn’t try to be.
3. Fitness/goal journal. This is new, but I hope that seeing it on my table every day will keep me accountable. I can ignore the computer and this blog. Harder to ignore the physical book.

Update (post day): I wrote this 5 days ago and never hit ‘publish.’ Oops.

I doubt anyone read all of this, but if you did, I leave you with this.
Apparently, one can’t leave boxes, and boxes, of LaCroix and Pelligrino in the garage when living in Colorado. I pretty much blame my Yankee husband for this as he pointed out we have tons of shelving storage in there AND he should have known that they would have turned into frozen projectiles, as he is from the frozen tundra of Ohio and I am from the south (and have never lived somewhere this cold). Thankfully only the garage lights were broken, and not the windows in my car. Whooops. That was a terrible mess to clean up!

Nothing like trying to clean frozen, exploded, water.

Super sad face.

April 2-first week?

Posted on April 4, 2015 by HaleyComet

I kept procrastinating…didn’t feel like uploading pics, then was busy, then was VERY tired…then having tons of fun…I attempt to catch up…

April 2… Weather was less than pleasant this morning and kind of threw off my day.
Nothing special food wise…
Breakfast: bowl of red curry veggies, 2 pieces of bacon
Lunch: big bowl of brussels/broccoli salad, bowl of curry
Dinner: ugh, I’ve forgotten. I really need to type it up after every meal or take a pic.
RUN: 1mi, 9:34.

April 3: early morning into Denver. I forgot to eat breakfast and used the last of my coffee. I was so worried about getting my stuff together, making bone broth for my travel mug, and getting out the door…I was very ‘off’. I even took salad out of the fridge and left it on the counter. Sigh.
“lunch”: stopped at Mmmm…Paleo for a coffee. Saw they had several Whole30 compliant options and picked up a meat stuff, bacon wrapped date. DELICIOUS. I never would have thought of this. Cheese stuffed, almond stuffed, bacon wrapped…yes. Meat? Never crossed my mind. It was great to have a safe option while I was out all day, since I failed to prepare. If you’re in Denver, I recommend stopping in!

turkey enchilada stuffed date wrapped in bacon…

Dinner: RAVENOUS when I got home. Well, not ‘ravenous’, but I was crashing hard.
Big piece of salmon and salad. Sauteed that sucker in bacon grease and coconut oil and it was so good. Wish I had bought more. Oh well.
RUN: 7p, after dinner settled. I was so tired and hadn’t eaten enough, but I did it. Why bother to change out of your fuzzy house socks? No need!
1mi: 10:27

High fashion running

April 4: CF in the morning, then errands and dog park. Didn’t eat enough–again. Sigh.
We tried Skirted Heifer and it was great! What a good option after CF.
(grass fed beef, egg, jalapenos, avocado, etc)
RUN: 1mi: 10:51, even after a hard CF workout and being out all day!

April 5: BUSY FUN DAY!! ❤
Garden of the Gods, then the dog park, then after a very quick stop at home to drop off the dogs and grab some veggies for me, we went to Pikes Peak. It was 2p-ish and getting late, but we could see the weather up there was so clear that we took advantage of it.
EXHAUSTING day.

avocado, red pepper in lettuce. Gourmet, right?
(not shown: brisket)

K’s first time up Pikes!

April 6: Today wasn’t great. I was really feeling my dehydration and under nutrition from the weekend. It really caught up to me. I felt really horrible all day. Still ate great though!

smoked chicken leg

April 7: My appetite is really suppressed….not getting hungry until lunchtime.
B/L: BIG bowl of roasted veggies and a chicken leg.
red curry, 1/4 sweet potato
Dinner: broccoli brussels salad
I went to an REI Outdoors class: How to Hike 14ers. GREAT teacher (72 years young, climbed all CO’s 14ers TWICE, Denali, Kilamanjaro, Leadville & Hardrock 100, etc etc etc)
However, a Boy Scout Troop was there as part of their plan to hike Pikes in June. Well, these ‘boys’ were probably 13-14ish years old. They were more interested in texting and talking to each other than listening. I was LIVID. The instructor wasn’t a loud talker and didn’t have a mic (which was fine), but I couldn’t hear over their conversations. What made it worse was their leader didn’t make them shut up! I wanted to walk out so badly, but K said I really needed to go to the class as it did provide great tips and insight. Really ruined what should have been a great evening. Effing uncontrolled kids.

Guess I need more coffee. Now I’m in a bad mood thinking about last night!

In summary (if you’ve bothered to read this far):
Whole30 is going great! Haven’t felt the carb withdrawl, anger, ‘flu’, etc that I was expecting! GREAT news. Guess I wasn’t as far off the deep end as I thought (despite what my too-small clothes and scale says). And, we’re having tons of fun!

On a good note, here is a pic of the eclipse from near my house!

Where I try to establish normalcy

Posted on April 2, 2015 by HaleyComet

Entrance to the dog park. This place is HUGE.

Monday night (after I posted the last blog entry) I was so motivated! I was going to do the Incline the next day! I was going to shop for the Whole30 I want to start tomorrow! Debating a month-long run streak (1mi minimum)…ALL THE THINGS! Then, *someone* (not me) left the bedroom door open and the dogs got restless and I was up many times with them coming and going. Then one dog was upset and kept nudging my arm, his pathetic head on the side of the bed, wanting me to let him up. Why was he upset and needy? Because the other dog was in HIS bed. Nevermind that we have no less than 4 dog beds and several dog blankets. ANYWAY…no Incline today. Maybe I’ll try a 1mi jog.

Guard dog

March 31: 30min walk in dog park. Stayed for at least an hour and read a book. This place is HUGE! Real trails for walking and/or running. Hills. A big stream with rocks going the length of one side. The dogs (and I) love it.

April 1: HERE WE GO! Walk in dog park.
Breakfast: 2 chicken drumsticks roasted w/Paleo Powder. Curry roasted cauliflower. Lunch: red curry (as I work on this post), roasted carrots, lots of hot tea

Lunch2?: big bowl of broth, ‘ramen’ style, sweet potato noodles, veggies + herbs
Dinner: broccoli & brussels salad (delicious!) Note: I didn’t use any dried fruit, and didn’t have an orange either. Used 5tbsp of olive oil and extra lemon. Oh, and more bacon since this was my only dinner dish… Either this salad is that good, or brussels are growing on me. I think it’s a little of both!
I almost made a huge mistake, on day 1. I put honey in my tea travel mug to take to the dog park. Thankfully, I left it in the car. I’m glad I hadn’t even had any! I’ve been using it all week to help ward off any allergies in my new environment. Whew. Close call. Side note: the Yeti travel mug is AWESOME. It stays hot for HOURS. Sometimes too hot and I have to leave the lid off to let it cool off. But, seriously, keeps temperature all day.

Run: 1mi. 10:14 pace. Starting at ZERO. Moderately hard pace, several hills. I had to walk a steep hill to catch my breath (didn’t bring my inhaler).

Shitty phone pic does this view no justice. Storm rolling in over Pikes Peak, taken at the start of my 1mi run. Beat the storm!

I think I’ll end this post there. If I wasn’t clear, I’m doing another Whole30 AND a 30 day run streak: 1mi minimum. It’s not my plan, or intention, to run a huge amount of miles. Rather, get used to 1. working out every day, 2. get my lungs used to this altitude, and 3. try to get a *little* fitness during this acclimation time and Whole30.
I’ve races to do! And SOON!

Why did I wait so long? What I’m LOVING!!

Posted on January 23, 2015 by HaleyComet

I’ve had my eye on an InstantPot since the beginning of 2014. At that time they were $200+ on Amazon and my CrockPot was being unreliable. For someone that makes bone broth almost every week, this was not acceptable. I couldn’t justify the InstantPot at that price and I needed a new slow cooker as well (and the one I wanted was very expensive…I do love my kitchen toys).
(No one reads my blog, I am not paid, I do not get any money from talking about things I like or products, and get no credit for linking things to Amazon. I’m just making it easier for you to look at them.)

Fast forward to November and my CrockPot lid handle broke. InstantPot went on Cyber Monday Lightning Deal! I WAS SO EXCITED. Here’s my chance. I still felt like I didn’t “need” it since the CrockPot lid handle is only $6 to replace… but I could get it then and hold off on a new slow cooker since it’s having other issues too. This version of the IP has been out a while now, and the price has consistently been closer to $100, which is much more reasonable!

MIND. BLOWING.

I was so excited for it that I took it with me on my holiday travels. I hauled it in the car all over the country (it’s very sturdy, I didn’t worry about it breaking) and made so much pho and bone broth over the holidays.

You guys (like 4 of you reading this). It makes amazing broth so fast. FAST. With less than half the amount of bones than I used in the slow cooker. I usually follow NomNom Paleo’s recipe, or some version of.
Broth:
InstantPot: 1.5lbs bones: 30min-2hrs (depending on type and how much of a hurry you’re in)
Slow Cooker: 3-6lbs of bones: 24-36 hours.
The 1.5lbs (up to 2ish, I just throw them in) makes THREE batches of bone both that gels. THREE. And those 3 batches are all done in less than 6 hours (3 if you only do it for 30-60min at a time). The slow cooker takes over 24hrs to get it to extract all the nutrients and gel, and if I try to run it a second time, there’s a good chance it won’t gel.

Delicious meat jello! ALL THE NUTRIENTS!

Soups: 10 minutes! I use the broth as a base and throw in raw veggies and meat, and it’s done in 10 minutes or less! I made an amazing chicken soup and it took 8 minutes.

Broth: 30min. Soup: 10min. Perfect for a sick day/week.

I wanted the pressure cooker to learn to make pho (sweet potato noodles for the paleo version) since the traditional stove-top is very unreasonable (18+ hours!) and for bone broths. Hard to justify an appliance just for broth, yes? Well, I’ve made pho 4 times in the past month and I lost count how many batches of broth.

Just the pho made the pot worth it.

Last night I made a hatch chile stew and K said, “I really think you’ve already gotten your money’s worth out of that thing.” Pretty sure he’s right. I don’t know how, and why, I lived without it.
These don’t look great, but 1. it’s good and 2. these are going in the freezer.

I didn’t feel like firing up the oven to roast some sweet potatoes, so I thought “I’ll try them in the IP while I chop veggies for my salad.” Well, 8 minutes later, perfectly soft sweet potatoes and no mess! Since 1/2c water goes in the bottom and the potatoes sit on the provided steam rack, there was no mess!

Sounds insane and unbelievable, but it works and it’s safe.

Oh. And since it’s a 7-in-1 appliance, I don’t even need a slow cooker anymore. I’m throwing mine out and have no plans to replace it. Don’t be intimidated by all the buttons! If you can work a slow cooker, you can work this. Use the setting you need (I usually use “manual” and set the time) and that’s it! I can’t wait to try coconut milk yogurt!

Hello, lover.

It really is everything people say it is. There are tons of recipes online and many bloggers post creative things they’re making (even canning vegetables!).

Workout! I wrote this while walking on the treadmill! Double-win.

2015. 365. Goals and shit.

Posted on January 20, 2015 by HaleyComet

Last year I didn’t have my heart into the 365 days of ‘purposeful’ workouts. I don’t think I even made it 2 months? And many aspects of my life suffered. My health, mental health, motivation…it’s all related. Since I’m a fan of the positive snowball, I’m doing it again this year. And will finish. It seems manageable since I had a VERY successful 2013 (19 marathons/ultras +100miler, fast, strong, healthy!), took ’14 ‘off’ and was sick and unhappy way too often. Just looking back on the end of 2014, I was sick in Sept, again in Oct. and most of Dec. and at least 10 days in Jan already! Definitely related. Now it’s time to hit it hard again this year: take care of myself, get healthy, get strong.

Now, it’s not going to be easy. I’m already very unsettled right now with a major life change(s), but it’s nothing I haven’t been through before. It’s the uncertainty that I’m not thrilled about. Hopefully things will be figured out in Feb, then finalized, by the end of March, so the end is (again, hopefully) near! But, any routine and taking care of oneself only helps these stressful times, so that’s what I’m going to do. Try to maintain some semblance of health and stress reduction during this time. (oh, and these are all good changes, btw!)

For many years, I’ve had the goal/resolution/life rule to learn or do something new every year. I don’t have anything specific this year -yet- but with the changes happening, I’m not worried about it. I know that life will settle down and I’ll find a new hobby or trip to throw my money and time at (Hello, Skeleton School in Lake Placid or Park City…I’m looking at you). Things in the past have been: learning a new sport, run farther (50 & 100 miles), a certain trip/experience, learning to knit, etc. SOMETHING new to grow as a person. I visited at least 2 new places and did new things at those places last year (Zion NP & Lake Placid), and learned some new knitting techniques (how to make a hat, knit with 2 colors, new stitches). So, the “learn something new” thing will work itself out.

Other goals:
knit at least 5 projects (making my way through my neglected project box)
read 10 books
3-5 new marathon states (Booked: South Dakota, the rest…up in the air)
These ‘goals’ feel pretty random and I don’t feel commited. So, many I shouldn’t even write them. I really am more worried about, and concentrating on, getting healthy physically and mentally. Overall, I’d like to get through this big change with some sanity, grace, and not lose my mind. Which is probably where those 3 items come in: they are balance. They balance the mental, the physical, and the feeling that I am accomplishing things. I am aware that I can’t control a lot of this right now, and I’m choosing to take a lot of this on myself as it helps my partner and our finances, so when/if it gets hard and stressful, I need to remember those things. I think I can do all this, as I’ve done it before. Just keep telling myself that…

HERE WE GO!

Since I was traveling, then sick (again!), I’m starting my 2015 on Jan 19. Who says the 365 days have to start on Jan. 1? Not me.
For a while, I’m going to log some food. I don’t know how much I’ll keep this up, but I need to get back in the habit.

So. Let’s go 2015!

Day 1, Jan 19: 40min walk with my cousin. Easing into this.
If it’s in the 60’s and I can wear sandals, it’s time to walk! (I wore real shoes for my walk)
Day 2, Jan 20: CrossFit! 1hr. Tried the new location of the old gym we used to belong to (2012-13). I enjoyed it.
Squat Snatch: 2x35lbs, 2x45lbs (way too easy), 3x65lbs, 2x75lbs.
WOD: 3rds for time RX
400m run
15 push press (65lbs)
15 toes-to-bar
15 box jumps (20in)
Food: 3 boiled eggs, 1/2 grapefruit
1/2 apple pre-wod, 1/2 after
2 burger patties, big salad, 1 sweet potato
another burger, salad
Oooof. My hands are not in CrossFit shape! Not acceptable!

Day 3, Jan. 21:
AM: 40min walk
2 pieces bacon, 1/2 grapefruit, handful of nuts….uhhh…it’s 2:30p and apparently I need to eat!…big salad w/tuna.
CrossFit workout didn’t look fun, so I decided not to go.

UPDATE: Jan 22. (I will workout today, but not yet. That entry will be the next blog post. I just wanted to get this published.)
Life has thrown another curveball, and my knee-jerk reaction is to protect myself, our little family, and our finances. So. I don’t know what CF gym I’ll be joining again (I wanted to go back to our old, good, place). I don’t even want to go back to the place where I was going in Nov or Dec (that’s half the price), because I feel like I’m in survival mode. I can workout at home. I’ve got weights, tires, a pullup bar and plenty of places to run. We’ll see. I’m sure my husband will completely disagree and tell me to go back to the gym, but I just don’t know if I’m comfortable with that right now. I can get by on my own through March just fine.

This year…oof. I hope it gets a lot better.

I wanted to end my blogs with something light and funny, and I’m lacking pictures in this wordy post, so I’m leaving you with my attempt at a food pic. The dogs were waaaaay too interested in my lunch.

I can haz tuna?

Eat all the things!

Posted on October 29, 2014 by HaleyComet

Has anyone else seen Hungry Games? No, not the movie. It’s a new Richard Blais show on Food Network. The show explores the games our brain plays on us when we are craving and eating food. It’s light and accessible, but still really interesting.

After watching the latest episode: Burgers, I wanted a burger. Because: tv.
(I did not fall for the pizza and ice cream episodes! I was strong!)

Lazy jalapeno roasting

I’ve eaten stuff in these mini romaines all week. Tacos, shrimp, burgers, tuna. They’re brilliant. Way to go, Costco. Way. To. Go.
The best thing I made this week! It was so good!
Spiralized Teriyaki Zoodles and Shrimp.
While I did really enjoy it and will make it again, next time I will reduce the amount of sesame oil. I also sauteed my veggies in bacon grease, as I needed more calories. I don’t use “cooking spray” for anything. Many of her recipes are classified as “light”, which is great as they are veggie heavy, but I need more calories if I’m going to be lifting heavy things. OH..hahaha…I used 1/2 pound of shrimp. Not “3-4” . I’m from the coast, we don’t eat just “3-4” shrimp.

Chopsticks make anything better!

Chopsticks like a boss.

Chicken sausage from Costco, horseradish mustard and jalapeno kraut. Love it when one of my pics will be “ok” and then the shit rolls around and mustard falls off and gets all over the broccoli. Yay. I don’t even care if the pic looks like crap.

Thanks, wiener.

They’re pretty good.
Excellent soft boiled eggs, 1/4 sweet potato with coconut cream & cinnamon.

Very lazy dinner.

I went to get sushi with my cousin. The waiter recommended this tuna salad and it was excellent! Tuna, squid, crab, avocado, cucumber, more veggies, seaweed…spicy chili.

(sorry for the dark pic. Restaurant was dark and I wasn’t about to use a flash.)
(Oh, and I totally brought coconut aminos so I wouldnt have to use soy…)
(pps: the waiter was excited about the coconut and said, “I love that stuff!”)

Obviously this isn’t everything I’ve eaten. Just the highlights. My staples are salads, sides of bacon with a plate of veggies, and avocado dip.

I think that’s it! I’d say it was a pretty good food week.

Food & rest days

Posted on October 21, 2014 by HaleyComet

It really sucked taking 2 days off, and my 3rd (today), I’m going to “open gym” and doing a workout more suited to not killing my quads.
READ: not doing the class because I’d go too hard and not scale enough because I can’t control myself.
I really wanted to go to the gym yesterday. I’m going to have to slow my roll and scale some of the workouts. I don’t want to since I technically *can* do most of them…but it’s not worth the pain, feeling like shit, and extra forced rest days. So, if I slow the hell down (or lighten the weights, duh) I can stick to a schedule I am happy with, rather than being upset that I suck. Sigh.

10/19: 45min AM walk.
10/20: 1hr AM walk.

Some things I’ve eaten this week:

‘sloppy joes’ over 1/2 sweet potato. They were really good. I added extra to make it spicier.

Some salads

Spinach, red pepper, tuna beets, carrots, celery, balsamic, and anything else I could find.

More sloppy joes, post WOD, pre-errands.

Scrambled eggs w/veggies (yellow pepper, garlic, onion, spinach)

So good!

Some squash soup (coconut milk, curry powder, broth, roasted squash, etc)

My hilariously pathetic attempt at a Sonoran dog, with guac.

Bacon-sorta-wrapped chicken sausage w/green shit

Extremely lazy lunch yesterday of ‘fried’ cheese with 1/2 Honeycrisp apple and 2 tbsp of NuttZo.

Looks gross.

Everything else is either boring or repeats of the above. I ate more bowls of the spaghetti squash and meat sauce from last week as well. My food is lasting forever now that I’m the only one eating it!

8 weeks: Back at the Box.

Posted on October 15, 2014 by HaleyComet

Over the river (Mississippi) and through the swamp…to CrossFit I go…

8 weeks. Just under 8 weeks until I see K again. I’m resting my knee: no trails. Uneven terrain seems to really aggravate it, so I’m being smart and avoiding my favorite place and races. 😦 No races until Nov. 29, and that one will be a week-of decision as it’s local. Officially, no events until Jan. when I have 3 planned. Even those I’ll be ok with cancelling as none of them are new states and don’t require more than a 1 night trip. Since I’m not doing any races, this is a short term goal to focus on. 8 weeks. Of course I’m not going to stop after that.

8 weeks: to kick my own ass.
8 weeks: to eat optimal food.
8 weeks: to MOVE. More.

I’m not going to step on a scale. I did that last week and it wasn’t pleasant. I don’t want, or need, to obsess over a number. I know a range in which I feel great, in which I look pretty good, and can perform pretty decently at CF and running with only half-assed training. But, bodies don’t always respond in the way we like them to, so no scale. If I do the above things, my body -and mind- will change for the better.

The gym is at the base of that big bridge I have to drive over. Big bridges over the Mississippi are a part of daily life here. Thus, the logo. (Sidenote: really not good for my pretty severe GEPHYROPHOBIA. I only have a problem with them over water. I know where it stems from -several incidents/witnessing accidents in childhood. I *HAVE* to cross bridges over water with my windows down and even then I still get a high HR and sweaty palms…also, my mom thinks it’s funny to email me news articles when bridges collapse in water.)
Now that I’ve given myself anxiety for the evening, lets move on. We all have our issues, ok?

Step 1: Workouts.

I FINALLY bit the bullet and paid for a membership. I’ve been dropping in to this box over the past month or two, actually maybe since August. Things kept coming up so I didn’t join: went to Ohio for 2 weeks, then Washington, then my knee hurt, then so on and so on…paid the registration ‘fee’ (covers WODify account and shirt) and did a discounted 6 month contract (with no-fees if we -hopefully- move at some point).

CFDB bag. Vibrams. Minimus. Reebok Oly Lifters. Jump Rope. Cute G WEAR tank.

The WOD:
10rds for time:
21 double-unders
7 ring dips
7 toe-to-bar
7 pistols

I scaled to 5 rounds. Time: 11:24.
I can’t do anything resembling a ring dip anymore without a band. I can’t do more than 1 toe-to-bar and I can almost do one pistol on my left leg only…my damn right knee is really starting to piss me off and it’s making me weak.
So. I’m starting somewhere (the bottom) and it’s really exciting. I’m actually ok with the current state of fitness affairs. At least I can still do a pullup, DU’s, handstands, and Olympic lifts. And I’m sure there is plenty more I can do. I’m not dwelling on what I can’t do anymore, because I know I will do them again. Probably sooner than later. We shall see tomorrow…

Food
Again, something I’m not going to obsess over. When I eat well, I feel great. The end. I don’t want to add pressure to myself and log everything, but if I attempt to, it will help me be more accountable.
Today:
Post WOD: spaghetti squash with ground beef and veggie sauce (leftovers). Bell pepper from the garden.
Lunch/Dinner: chicken salad over veggies, some chicken with sriracha, mayo & ketchup.

Not a food photographer.

Some bone broth

Nutrients.

There you have it.

Lets talk normal stuff.

Posted on September 29, 2014 by HaleyComet

Since I’ve been back from the Blerch, eating through Seattle, & Ohio, I’ve been craving vegetables and fish. Thankfully I stocked up the last time Whole Foods had wild caught salmon on sale. Some things I’ve eaten this week:

mushroom & truffle eggs

Shouldn’t have made the basil pesto look like a log of poo

And another meal of the same

Pesto didn’t turn out much better…

Didn’t even try this time.

Can I have some?

Finally something different

I could live off this.

My knee. Sigh. I’ve rested it a solid week now. Iced it religiously for 5 days, and no-so-religiously for 2-3. Today I tried some intervals (not fast sprints, just decent slower running in between kettlebell movements) and it wasn’t feeling great. Gggrrr. It’s becoming really annoying. It’s not painful enough that I think it’s a major tear or rupture (read: No way I’m going to the Dr), but I’m not used to feeling anything that uncomfortable when I run other than the normal muscle discomfort after 30-50miles. Yes, I know, I know, you can go ahead and hate me. So, what to do? Nothing of course. I think it just needs more rest. Unfortunately, I’ve got a double (2 marathons) this weekend. I should be able to make it through them fine considering I finished the Blerch the day after I fell, but it will probably be slow and less-than-~~fun~~ ideal. K will look at it and give it some sports med/trainer movements and try to narrow down what it may or may not be. Then, we’ll decide what to do. I’m getting around fine and obviously can still physically move/run, so I’m doing the healthy thing and will ignore it a while longer (and rest)!

While resting my knee, I worked my arms, shoulders, and back doing CropFit! Functional fitness, FTW!

This week I’ve completely redone the garden. I needed new dirt and the boxes had become overgrown. Then my wonderful fur children decided they NEEDED to hunt and dig something that had been living in there. My 2 year old rosemary that survived the harsh winter and a week of below-freezing temps (3 days in the 20’s!) was near death. Got that transplanted to a pot and went to work…

Before

Mess.

Dog damage

Fuckers.

During

Out with the old

Moving dirt.

Please let me play in it…PLEASE

Digging asshole

In charge

After
(the middle section isn’t finished, but that won’t be finished for a couple more days. This is close enough to finished)

Before I got this chicken wire fence up, the dogs ran thorough my rows, dug, and dug up 2 cauliflower. My carrot seeds were meticulously planted. I’d worked so hard for 4 days, for it to be destroyed in just a couple minutes. I was furious. Actually, furious doesn’t describe it. But, I’m hopeful. I threw in more seeds, said “fuck it” and the dogs knew they were in trouble. My uncle has carrots and beets sprouting already and when he thins his crops, we’re going to put some of his baby plants in my middle section. So…hopefully between what they didn’t destroy and the transplanting, I’ll have some strong crops. I’m really excited to have a TON of beets. I love them.

Carrots, beets, cauliflower, bok choi, cilantro, chard

Dog proof

After the dog drama, my mom and uncle both praised my extensive work and care to another uncle. I was floored. See, we’re not an overly praising family. (How I ended up independent and not really needy is beyond me.) My uncle is a master gardener and hunter and could (and mostly does) live off the land. He’s impressed and thinks it will do well. And my mom said, “Maybe that agriculture education at Texas A&M wasn’t a waste after all.” Ha. Gig’Em!

haleycomet365

365 days of workouts, Food, and hopefully some fun!

Tag Archives: Paleo