Month: June 2012

I almost didn’t run yesterday, but it was so nice and sunny out (finally) that I couldn’t resist!

I took a picture… because in Seattle, it lasts longer.

My quarter-miles:

11:07
10:37
10:10
10:20

In four circles. Squares?

 

I skipped icing my ankle afterward because I jumped straight into the shower to get ready for a happy-hour meetup — big mistake. It’s sore and a bit swollen today, so no high-impact stuff for me. Maybe just a nice walk!

Kristin and Shannon from {r}evolution apparel are in town on their sustainable fashion tour, so I met up with them and a few other ladies for drinks in Ballard. I backed their Kickstarter campaign to launch their company and produce their signature piece, the Versalette, and I can’t wait to receive my reward — one of the first Versalettes!

{r}evolution apparel presents The Versalette from {r}evolution apparel on Vimeo.

I’m heading to Portland a week from today for the second annual World Domination Summit, and Kristin and Shannon will be two of my 11 awesome roommates in a hostel dorm! I went to this conference last year not knowing a single person, and now I have a bunch of cool traveler/entrepreneur friends to room with. Very exciting.

Oh, and if any Portland Tumblr people want to meet up, I’ll be there July 5-15. Holla!

This is it! The final weigh-in and post about my one month of eating Paleo.

As predicted, the scale is up. Way up!

Starting weight, 5/30: 150.8 pounds

Paleo week 1, 6/6: 146.6 pounds

Paleo week 2, 6/13: 143.7 pounds

Paleo week 3, 6/20: 144.4 pounds

Gain this week: 2.9 pounds

Total loss over four weeks: 3.5 pounds

I see some differences in my stomach, hips and thighs that I’m definitely happy about. I’m still about 9 pounds away from the shape I used to be in (and would like to be in again), but I’m happy with the way things are going so far!

—-

RECAP OF WEEK 4

How I ate: I ate wayyy more sugary fruit, Paleo treats and dark chocolate than I should have this week! I ate more haphazardly — meaning I had fewer sit-down meals and just grabbed things here and there — and that meant I wasn’t getting the protein/veggie/healthy fat combo at every meal, which I know keeps me full and cuts down on cravings.

I got really sick of photographing my food, and the combination of not documenting what I ate + craving sugary things led to me overindulging in dates, mangos, berry smoothies, Paleo cobbler and cookies, etc. Those things aren’t as bad as the processed treats I used to eat, but they’re still not meant to be eaten in huge quantities. It’s an ongoing struggle to learn how to practice moderation!

How I exercised: I exercised the most this week and still gained weight, which just goes to show you that you can’t outrun a bad diet (or I gained some muscle — probably a combination).

Thursday: Level 1 of 30DS and 2.6-mile walk
Friday: Level 2 of 30DS and 1-mile walk
Saturday: Rest 
Sunday: 11-mile bike ride
Monday: Level 1 of 30DS and physical therapy
Tuesday: No More Trouble Zones and 2-mile run/walk

How I felt: Being able to exercise almost normally again is a huge morale booster! I still have a lot of energy. I am having issues with sugar cravings, though, and I think they get worse the more I give in.

How my body has changed: You can judge for yourself from the photos above! A month ago, I felt self-conscious everywhere I went and worried about sucking in my belly. Now, I feel more like my old self — like I’m becoming an athlete again. Every time I work out, I feel more confident even if there is no noticeable physical change right away. The fact that my ankle is strong and I can run again makes me way happier than any amount of weight loss could!

—-

So, what’s next? I will continue to eat Paleo for the most part — I’ll probably follow an 80/20 style of eating. I’d like to plan for one non-Paleo meal a week, since I really do love Mexican food, cheese, bread, etc! I just want the non-Paleo food to be thought out and chosen on my own terms, not eaten out of desperation or wild cravings.

I won’t post food photos unless I eat something really awesome and feel like sharing it/the recipe. This blog will focus more on its actual name, Dev on Running, now that I can run again! I haven’t decided yet whether I’ll continue weekly weigh-ins and progress photos — thoughts?

Thanks to everyone for the support this past month! Now… let’s go run.

Per my running program:

– Walk ¼ mile at a brisk pace
– Run ¼ mile (50% speed/effort)
– Repeat cycle 4 times
– Total distance: 2 miles

And I did it in the rain.

What you see here is the result of programming my Garmin 305 to record quarter-mile intervals (I followed these instructions), which was so helpful! The Garmin beeped every quarter-mile to signal that I should start running or go back to walking.

My ankle didn’t hurt at all and the running got easier during each interval.

I don’t know what “50% speed/effort” is exactly — to me, that would be, uhh, walking — so I just ran at paces that felt comfortable:

11:47
11:34
11:12
10:45

Now I just need to ice the ol’ ankle (it’s not swollen, but I might as well) and maybe do this again tomorrow!

Who’s oh-so-happy to be running again?

THIS GIRL.

Aaron is sick and hasn’t ridden his bike in several weeks, so he was really anxious to hit the trail yesterday. As soon as he hopped on his Bianchi and began pedaling, I heard him sigh with relief and say, “This is where I feel at home.”

Today at physical therapy, my PT had me warm up by walking on the treadmill while she worked with another patient. I walked for about five minutes before she came over, leaned up against the machine and said, “So. Do you want to run?”

I had no idea she would have me running today! I was instantly excited, but also unsure of myself. I nervously said I would try it, and then bumped up the speed so I could jog very slowly.

It has been 50 days since my accident and about three months since I last ran. Today, as my feet hit the treadmill, things didn’t feel quite the same — there is a dull sort of ache in my left ankle — but nothing hurt, and I felt improvement after each interval of jogging for two minutes and walking for one. I felt even better as I bumped up the speed. Overall, I jogged verrrrry slowly for six minutes.

And it felt like coming home.

My PT canceled my Wednesday appointment because I’m doing so well; my next (and last) visit will be a week from today.

She also handed me this, and encouraged me to start tomorrow.

I’m back, bitches.

We went to the Ballard Farmer’s Market

bought some really delicious bacon

discovered how easy it is to make almond flour with Aaron’s new blender

made excellent Paleo cookies (and added ½ cup of dark chocolate chunks to the recipe)

threw our bikes on the Subaru

headed to the trail

rode nearly 11 miles in 55 minutes (slow and steady)

and came home to a wonderful dinner, thanks to Aaron’s crock pot skillz.

Not pictured: Breakfast (leftover steak, berry smoothie), snack (fresh mango), lunch (apple with almond butter, farmer’s market bacon, sweet potato fries), Cold Mountain (heartbreaking) and Scrabble (Aaron won).

Lots of sugar this weekend. Not nearly enough vegetables. Wouldn’t be surprised if the number on the scale goes up or doesn’t change on Wednesday.

BUT I had a fantastic weekend and am extremely happy and content with life. There’s plenty of time for vegetables… tomorrow.