Happy Hump Day! Being busy is making this week FLY by. Plus, tomorrow is my Friday since I have the actual day of Friday off for bridesmaid events including nails, a bridesmaid luncheon, the rehearsal, and the rehearsal dinner. I can’t WAIT.
On that note, I have some excellent news. I went back to the seamstress last night and she said she can let my dress out and “doesn’t know what happened”. I didn’t even respond to that comment so that she would still fix my dress, but apparently its going to be ready tonight, so I plan to go right after work with my fingers and toes crossed, praying that I can not only close the dress, but breathe in it too. Wish me luck!
I had a 4 mile run on my schedule yesterday, so after my visit with the seamstress I ate 1/2 a frozen banana (1 pt) straight up, and it was GOOD. I’ve never eaten a banana while it was still frozen but it has a great texture and stays kind of soft even when frozen so it’s easy to eat. I also had the rest of those Gu Chomps from yesterday (67.5 calories worth or 1 pt) and then set out on the run.
It was HARD. I hate how sometimes I run and it feels like I can go forever, and sometimes I start and I can tell right from the beginning that it’s going to be rough. It’s not usually a physical thing because I know my body is capable of running the distance, its much more mental. This 4 miler was 10x harder than the 6 miler I ran on Saturday, but I kept talking myself through it and repeating the popular mantra, “Pain is temporary, quitting is forever” over and over in my head until it passed. It wasn’t really PAIN, it was more just uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to stop to walk. I know a lot of people like to do the walk/run method, but for me, once I take a walking break, the run is basically over. I lose my motivation to keep running and it just screws with my head. But yesterday, I was able to push through, and I always feel so good and so happy when the run is over. The stats:
Distance: 4.0 miles
Duration: 39:15
Avg Speed: 6.1mph
Avg Pace: 9:48 min/mile
Calories: 467
Whew that was a rough one, but I did it, and only have to do 3 tomorrow before my long run of 7 miles this weekend… eek.
After the run, I wanted a snack and found a piece of leftover Humboldt Fog, which is a goat milk cheese with a line of ash down the middle. I had some of the Crunchmaster Crackers from Costco on the side, and ended up eating about 2/3 of this for ~4 pts (it was supposed to be to share with Wil but I was greedy).
It was less blurry in person. Damn Droid.
For dinner, I made Roasted Tempeh and Green Beans. I heated the oven to 400º and while that was heating, cleaned the green beans and cut up the tempeh. I cut the tempeh into 3 sections for 3 points each, and roasted 2 of the 3 (so there’s leftovers). I made a very similar dressing to the night before with 1 tbsp honey (1 pt), 1 tsp olive oil (1 pt), minced white onion, mustard, and salt and pepper and dipped the tempeh in that. For the green beans I just added 2 tsp of olive oil and then salt and pepper, and then threw everything in the oven for about 30 minutes, mixing it up/turning it over at the 15 minute mark. I drizzled the rest of the dressing over the tempeh once it was done cooking.
The whole plate was 6 points, 3 for the tempeh, 2 for the dressing and 1 for the olive oil on the green beans. SOOOOO good. I’ve never had roasted tempeh OR roasted green beans before, and roasting them both gave them an awesome texture and flavor. Though I do like raw tempeh, I think it tastes better roasted so I’ll probably cook it from now on when I have the time.
Dessert was a smoothie courtesy of Wil.
It had skim milk, nonfat plain yogurt, frozen peaches, strawberries, and blueberries.. plus the secret ingredient.. honey! it was so good with honey in it, though it did feel weird having a fruity smoothie that wasn’t green.. my how times have changed for me.
Breakfast this morning was quick and simple since I had such a hard time waking up (AGAIN).
A peach (1 pt), toasted light english muffin (1 pt), 1 hard boiled egg (2 pts) and one hard boiled egg white (0). This breakfast was really satisfying and I have been loving these light english muffins lately. They’re pretty bulky for just 1 point and taste great even plain!
How do you deal with mental hurdles during exercise? Lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot when running, so I am curious to hear your ideas and strategies on this!
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Beth's Journey 
Sometimes it’s really hard to overcome mental hurdles while exercising, so I always try to think about how I’m going to feel after I finish. I know if I just quit in the middle of my workout, I’ll feel so guilty about it. But if I push through and finish my workout, I know I’ll feel good mentally and physically.
i hear you girl. some runs suck and some feel amazing. one thing to remember, after every bad run comes a GOOD run! (there’s just no way we can have two in a row, right? right. 🙂 ) also, run w/ buddies. this alleviates the mental part, and running just becomes running, no strings attatched. if you are doing the same route, switch it up. if your route is an out and back try and create one with more turns so you are constantly changing direction and not on a long straight away for more than a mile. <— ALWAYS helps me.
I can totally relate! And I have actually quit in the middle of a workout before. I think it’s a combination of a mental/ physical thing, but no matter how in shape you are, not every workout is going to be fun. But the awesome thing is that you stuck with it and finished the run.
By the way, I’m glad to hear you got the dress fixed!
I definitely can relate to that. I always take walking breaks but I feel like I’m just making it harder on myself and making it take longer.
However the one time I pushed through and forced myself to run the whole distance, I ended up throwing my back out and was stuck on the couch for a week.
So I think we need to find what works best for us individually!
New playlists on the iPod! It gets me excited to run and to listen to the new jams.
I will shop around iTunes, find some new great songs and build out a whole new playlist.
New running shoes always works wonders for me as well, but that is a pricey motivation tool. 😉
Finally reading other folks blogs also gives me a boost to get out and take care of my body.
new music helps alot and knowing how you will feel when you are done helps me…..
I love listening to podcasts on my ipod. I get caught up in listening in the story. I really enjoy the Nutrition Diva’s Quick Tips because the podcasts are only a couple minutes long and I learn all sorts of things about nutrition. If I run inside on the treadmill, I like to watch an episode of true blood or huge (my latest addiction).
Good luck with your runs 🙂
That happens to me all of the time when I run. It drives me crazy. One day I have a great run the next day I run for 10 minutes and want to cry. I usually just take breaks whenever necessary.. if I force myself I wont want to do it at other times.
music! zone it out with music, honestly its the only way i can get through a run. otherwise i let my thoughts or the challenging bits get the best of me 😦
also need to say that this smoothie is not fair! i just gulped some water right now cuz im so thirsty so u can imagine how hard it was to see that smoothie MMMMM ❤
Frozen bananas are so good. I pre-chop them before I freeze then so they’re in bite sized pieces. If my mental state is getting the best of me during a run, I do what ever it takes to switch it up. Sometimes I change songs constantly until I find one that puts a little pep in my step or even change my route.
I’ll mix up a play list, get a new route, run with a friend, or mentally break the run into chunks so it doesn’t seem like I’m going quite so far (or fast!)
I just remind myself that sometimes working out sucks. It is hard and I will hate every second. But, there are also those days where exercise feels AMAZING and I love every second of it. I tell myself that I have way more good days than bad.
If I am really struggling, I will pick something else. Maybe running sounds awful (or if it is really hot outside) – then I’ll do a dvd at home or hit up the air conditioned gym.
You are right. It is completely mental.
I know my body is completely capable and fit enough to run long distances, but my mind just isn’t there and I haven’t been able to overcome that yet.