I think I can I think I can

We are in week two of the Lakeview Circle Boot Camp. So far, so good. It is still difficult to get out of bed at 4:45am to exercise but once I get up I feel good. The boot camp type exercises are good for me; I do not ever do arms and abs and I am also enjoying the variety of cardio that Pete brings each day. It has been fun and challenging and I look forward to the results.

As part of the camp, Pete has instructed us on nutrition. Many are out there for weight loss and he emphasized that most of their results will come from their diet, not from an hour of exercise. He cautioned them to not let morning exercise let them become more sedentary throughout the day as it tends to do when you first start an exercise program.

For me, I have finally taken the next step toward healthy eating. A few years ago I started concentrating on lean proteins (rather than chicken nuggets) whole grain carbs (rather than french fries) and reducing sugar. Those are good things, but in my 33 years of life I have never eaten fruit and I can count on one hand the vegetables that I will eat and I can also count on one hand how many times a week I actually eat them. I hate all of them. So I started this week making myself eat vegetables at lunch and dinner, at least 2 servings. I am still out on fruit. I ate half a strawberry last night and only gagged once. I tried to eat a whole strawberry this morning and just could not do it.

I know I can make progress in this area. It is all in my head. I could not take gu until recently and that was a huge thing for me to overcome, so I can overcome fruits and vegetables, too. A little at a time. I eat a lot of carbs and my goal is to one day take in 80% of those carbs from fruit and vegetables rather than grains.

I am also taking steps to cut out processed foods. That has lead to a major sugar detox. Wow, I knew I was addicted to those kinds of foods, but my body is freaking out right now. I switched from whole grain bread to bread made from sprouted grains, so for two days I have not had any processed carbs, so essentially no sugar (since I could not eat the strawberry!) and I am having extreme cravings that make me fight the grumpies. Everyone says that when you are "on" sugar you crave it constantly and when you are "off" sugar you do not even miss it. I cannot imagine that, but I am going to try to achieve it.

I have been able to add in a bike or run workout each day in addition to the boot camp and the running is feeling better and better. Saturday I was able to run in the rain and that was so refreshing! I forgot how great that can be. Now I need to get back in the pool. We turned off the heater to save on the electric bill and I think it is still a little chilly (78 degrees) but it is time to get back in there.

Nice

It is warm. I am so happy. VERY windy, but that is to be expected this time of year and I will take wind over cold any day.

It is so nice to be out. I get some kind of workout in most days. I have been running on the trail while Soren is at practice now that it stays light so late and I have really enjoyed those evening runs.

We get "Inside Texas Running" magazine and this month my name was in it! I noticed that there was a writeup about Cowtown so I looked over it. I knew I was in the top 10 women finishers, but I did not know that I was in the top 20 overall finishers! I was 19th. It was cool to see my name in print. I saved it :)

I am still recovering, I guess, from the 50k. I can run, but it is slower and much more labored. I have lost almost 2 full minutes on my 5k. We did the Burleson run last Sunday and I ran a 24:14. Terrible. But I know I can get back to where I was and I am really in no hurry.

I need to sign up for a race. It is really the only thing that motivates me to push myself hard and not skip workouts. Pete thinks I should do some olympics and he usually knows best. I will decide this fall what IM I want to do in 2011. Leaning toward Arizona or Florida. To get into FL you have to be at the race, so it will most likely be AZ.