Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Have a heart


So I’ve been vegetarian for 4 months now and I am working myself towards vegan. I don’t think I will ever be 100% vegan, I can’t see myself reading through ingredient lists and getting rid of anything that has milk in it, but I am lactose intolerant, so going from vegetarian to vegan isn’t that big of a deal. But I will miss eggs. I will say that I feel good. I feel really good about what I have done and I feel healthy and skinny and happy that I am no longer eating beings that I would totally have as pets. But at the same time when I stop and think I get overwhelmingly sad. I am sad that it took me 31 long years to make this leap. I am sad that I live in a world that is so content to look the other way and I wonder how I looked the other way for so long. It’s like all of a sudden I am completely raw to animal suffering. I want to help them all and know that I can’t. But I am happy to do my small part. I am helping to stop the suffering of at least a few animals in my life time and lessening my load on the environment. I wish I could convince everyone to make the same decision. Going vegetarian is not as difficult as you may think. Harper is a vegetarian at home, but I haven’t asked her school to stop giving her meat yet. I may in the future. I don’t believe you need meat to be healthy by any means and she gets a multivitamin and lots of calcium from all the yogurt and cheese she gorges on daily. So, I think when she moves classrooms I will make the switch for her. I think that Harper will be happy to pass up meat when she learns where it really comes from. I am lucky that my husband is not a picky eater and has been totally cool with no longer having meat at dinner. I did buy him chicken last week at the grocery and it is still sitting in our fridge, lol. I will make him cook it though, I don’t want those birds to have died to just be thrown away! How about you, what stops you from making the leap?

My running is going pretty well. I did run a 10 mile race in extreme humidity this past weekend and almost quit. It was my worst race ever and took me almost as long as a half marathon. I dry heaved on the side of the road at one point and hit the portapotty twice. It was brutal. I have 14 miles on tap for this weekend, I look forward to some nice long fall runs. I signed up for the Huntington WV marathon, it is Nov 7. I haven’t been on my bike or in the pool since my last tri in late July! Bad Monica. For now I am content to just run. I am also going to start trying to get yoga in 2-3 times a week.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Up before the sun and on my way

My alarm goes off at 5am. Usually my eyes pop open a few minutes before and I lay there debating trying to sleep for 8 more mins or just getting up so my alarm doesn’t wake up Gary. Fonzie seems to be able to sense as soon as I open my eyes and immediately he is up, ears perked, breathing in my face, wondering if today is his day. Today, will he get to run? I peel myself out of my cozy king size bed and tiptoe past Harper’s room down our creaky wooden hallway and stairs. Down to the bathroom to pop in my contacts, brush my teeth and get dressed. Grab a banana and leash up the dogs and I am out in the pitch black of my neighborhood streets by 5:06. I walk the dogs down the street and back home to allow them time to go to the bathroom and to get my system up and running, get my blood pumping, shake off the sleep. Some days I then go to the pool, other days I run. Today was Fonzie’s lucky day b/c Tuesday is a running day. By 5:23 we were in the car driving the mile up the street to the CVS parking lot where we meet our friend Bruce. Most days we head over to the track and run laps trying our darndest to go fast enough to call it speed work. But some mornings like today we head North up Fairmount, turn on Richmond and run into the Beachwood park. As the sun starts to come up we are greeted by rabbits, deer and the occasional skunk! By 6:20 we are heading back into the CVS parking lot, 5 miles under our belts, exhausted Fonzie at my side, I am ready to start my day. I get home and usually Harper isn’t even awake yet. I have just enough time to make a shake and grab a shower before greeting her. There is no greater joy in the world than seeing the genuine smile on your child’s face when they see you first thing in the morning. Today I was met with a huge smile, and a book being eagerly jammed in my face. So, we sat down in the rocking chair and read Brown Bear, Brown Bear before the crazy morning get ready for work in 30 min routine set in. Usually I have her and I ready by 7 and we then take the dogs for a half mile walk and I drop her off at daycare around 7:30. I am at my desk by 8.


I made it through day 1 of my cleanse! It was a little tough. I craved sugar at least 2 or 3 times, but here is what I ate, for anyone curious: protein shake (hemp powder, almond milk, unsweetened PB), 2 slices whole grain toast with Earth Balance soy “butter”, banana, pear, 2 veggie burgers dipped in some olive oil salad dressing, carrots, a few mary’s gone crackers flaxseed crackers, popcorn, dinner – scallops w/corn on the cob and roasted potato/fries, peach. Not so bad right?
Monday, August 2, 2010

I'm back and training!




Hi there Bloggy friends, hopefully some of you are still out there. I had thought I’d abandoned this blog, but I think I am back as there is a lot going on in my training and eating world right now! Since I last left you I went through a bout of the stomach flu, had a great weeklong visit with my mom while the husband was out of town for 10 days, chopped off all my hair (allll of it) and donated it to Pantene Great Lengths, picked a fall marathon and I competed in the Fairport harbor sprint tri.

First up, the Tri. If you’ve been reading my blog you will know that me and open water swimming are enemies. But the weekend of this race I met up at the beach with a swim teacher and my friend JenC and I had a swim lesson. I must say it really helped me a lot. The main thing she taught me was to not breath when I sight. To just sight with my eyes up like a crocodile (well the reptile image came from Jen). It was like a light bulb moment. I had a great lesson and even though I was still sick from a stomach bug I decided to go through with the tri the next day. Mother nature had a different plan and as I drove the 45 mins that Sunday back to the beach the clouds rolled in and sprinkling began. The water was looking very scary and the sky was dark and cloudy. Needless to say I was scared. The race directors kept threatening to cancel the swim, but eventually about 30 mins late they called for the waves to get in the water. Standing on the shore I was shivering in the cold rain in my tri shorts and sports bra, but once we were corralled into the water it felt great, the water was as warm as a bathtub. I had to stand in the water for 15 mins while the other waves went off. My nerves were building up but by the time they told us to go I was just ready to get it over with. The race director cut the swim in half, so we only had to swim a measly 250 yds and then run up the beach to transition about .25 mile. Now normally I end up breast stroking my way through the whole swim, but not this time! I did start off with the breast stroke, but once I got some space around me I was able to freestyle and sight off of a lovely lap line they have at this beach. I did go back into breaststroke a few times, but I would venture to guess that I swam freestyle for at least 175 yards. I was really proud of myself! The rest of the race was just okay. My stomach was kicking and I felt pretty week, I finished around 1:20, which is nothing to write home about. But for me it was a win. Now I had contemplated doing a oly triathlon in Sept, but I just have too much going on running wise to get the training in. So, my plan is to swim hard all winter and next summer I will do a few oly’s and international tris.

My running has been going great. I decided to do the Huntington WV marathon on Nov 7. I have a friend from work who is doing it. I have a small dream of doing a marathon in all 50 states, so you won’t see me doing any more OH marathons. I hope to do WV this fall and one in MI next spring. I am saving NY in hopes that one day I will get in the lottery for NYC marathon. I just started up my training and had a great 10 mile run yesterday. It’s been awhile since I ran double digits, but it felt great. I really do enjoy distance. I have 2 half mary’s in Sept. I have been doing speed work at least 3 times a month and I have high hopes that my next half mary can be close to 1:50, if not under! 4:15 fall marathon here I come.

I am looking at buying a new all carbon road bike if I can get the bike shop to come down on the price, as it’s an ’09. It’s a Specialized Ruby Compact. I am excited. I hope they will take the price I offered. If I get it I may sign up for another sprint tri just to race on it this year.

So, like I said I chopped off all my hair. I am getting used to it. The guy who cut it (Shawn Paul at Cedar Hill salon for you locals) did an awesome job, but sometimes I look in the mirror and it takes me by surprised. But I am loving the quick morning shower and not having to deal with all my hair under my helmet and swim cap. It’s hard to feel sexy with short hair, but I feel spritely and cute at moments. Plus short hair makes me feel skinny, lol.

Speaking of skinny. Ugh, I have put on a few lbs and have been eating sugar like it’s going out of style. So, today marks day 1 of my attempt at a 21 days cleanse. I have done this cleanse before, it’s based off the book Quantum Wellness, but I have never made it 21 days. Last time I lasted about 17 days then ate a bunch of cupcakes the day before a half mary and got horribly sick! I am excited. I have been a vegetarian since mid April and I think this will be easier for me this time. Basically I will not be eating any animal products, added sugar, or anything processed or chemical laden. Good bye diet coke :( This cleanse is also supposed to be gluten free, but I am not going to be sticking to that. I did last time and I found gluten free products horribly expensive and not very tasty. But I will be sticking to rice and oats for my grains for the most part and they are gluten free. But if I want a piece of toast with soy butter on it I will have it! Being vegan is only hard for me when it comes to cheese. I already don’t drink dairy b/c it makes me sick. The sugar is the big thing for me. Today will be hard, but by Wed I know I will feel wonderful. I am excited to get rid of this sluggish belly feeling and have my energy shoot through the roof like it does when I eat strictly whole foods. Why oh why do I always go back to the processed crap!?! I am going to reread “The Quantum Wellness Cleanse” and “The Kind Diet” as motivation.


About Me

My Photo
Mnowac
distance runner attempting to run a marathon in every state, vegetarian foodie, mediocre triathlete, sucky swimmer, mommy to Harper, tea lover, coffee drinker, animal saver, hubby snuggler, race addict, full time working 31 year old living in cleveland
View my complete profile

Marathons so far

  • Sept 2012 - Corning, NY - TBD
  • April 2012 - Louisville, KY - TBD
  • Sept 2011 - Erie PA - 4:25
  • June 2011 - South Bend IN - 5 hrs+ (it was 98 degrees!)
  • Dec 2010 - Rehoboth Beach DE - 4:26:06
  • Nov 2010 - Huntington WV - 4:11:44
  • Oct 2009 - Towpath - Cleveland area OH - 4:30:35
Powered By Blogger

Total Pageviews