Chug-along-chica!

Good job of cranking out the miles today. I better watch out - before I know it, you will be wanting to run 5-6 miles/day. As your mileage and fitness go up, your times are going to naturally come down, because will start to come closer to your potential. Now, about the consequence for staying up too late . . .

From a diet perspective, I really think that we have improved a great deal, and are overall eating very healthy. I don't think that a pazookie once a month, or some pringles once in a while constitutes a bad diet. You are doing a great job, keep it up. Love you.

Lybi,

Good job on getting out on a Monday morning! We are a different species from Sasha. We can only read his blog in wonderment! I read his top ten excuses not to run yesterday. It's a list that he pulled from the bloggers. He's been reading my blog! Actually, I find the blog very motivating knowing what I have to write. I am going to read that list periodically to see if I can avoid the excuses a bit more.

Oh, I forgot... This might help with the last little bit of diet clean up you indicated you need. I think of food as fuel. So instead of telling myself I can eat whatever food I want because I run and burn the calories, I ask myself if it is the best fuel for what I want to do in the next few days. It really helps me make good decisions. I haven't eaten ice cream (which I could eat 3 meals a day) in months.

It seems like there are some 'species' of people out there who can set their mind to do something new and radically different from their regular routine, go cold turkey and follow through with exactness. Most people on the other hand (me included) don't do to well trying to change to many things in our life all at once. Seems like it took me about 15 years or running before I could bring myself to make dietary changes needed raise my health/fitness to a higher level. In the mean time I learned that I could run a bunch of miles a week and STILL gain 10-15 lbs over a year by eating lots of junk. Personally I think we're OK if we're a bit patience with ourselves, and not expect perfection but just improvement, and just by making small steps over time we just might look back after 10 years or so and say WOW! Look how far I've come!!

That being said I don't I could ever give up ice cream completely for more than maybe a week or 2. There's gotta be a place & time for an occasional indulgence doesn't there?

Lybi, it sounds like just a semi bummer day. A run is the best cure. I have my best runs when rolling out of bed seemed impossible. Those are the days that are most important for me to run. Hey, think of commando points, they can be turned in for valuable runner high moments. 10 points if you get up and go next monday morning with an extra 100 for a cart wheel without crash and burn.

Lulu - very good thinking. Just think about pouring in gasoline mixed with sand or something else that you think will make the engine purr in delight, but break down later for a special treat for your car :-)

Wow. What inspirational entries. I agree with Tom that small steps and persistence in trying to be better will create big changes in our lives. Change takes time.

Well, back to Twilight. I laughed out loud when I read that you thought Bella would eat her mom. I thought you were serious and wondered how you thought Bella would pull it off until I read the next sentence.

I think Bella will be very attractive as a vampire like most vampires are, but I don't think that will be her power. Because the Arizona boys weren’t attracted to her. Being extra sensitive to smell could prove interesting, especially in the beginning stages of being a vegetarian vampire.

Have you ever heard of the Pendragon series by DJ MacHale? During my last year of teaching my students introduced me to the series. I like it. Currently, I am reading book eight, which came out in May. Today I found myself down because I can't figure out how Bobby Pendragon, the protagonist, will beat Saint Dane, the antagonist, and save Halla (which is everything--all the has ever existed in the past, present, and the future). I was so frustrated not knowing whether Pendragon and his friends would defeat Saint Dane, I skipped ahead and read the last few page. There wasn't much hope there either. I’ll have to wait for Book 9 or 10--for closure. Seriously, I was so wrapped up in the book, I had to stop and remind myself a few times that the characters and story weren't real.

Let’s hear it for good books! Yay!

Happy Running!

Thanks for the comments Lybi-

That internal struggle (and the Sasha voice winning) is what causes the dramatic improvements. Keep it up and you too can crush your high school times.

I missed the entry where you thought that Bella would eat her mom, where is that?

I agree with Tom, gradual steps and looking back is how I think I function, I think back to my lifesyle with our kids, exercise and eating to even 10 years ago, and I can see great improvements, so I just hope that in the next 5 to 10 years will show the same. I would be horrified to the way I used to feed my family then, and also the lack of activity then. I do wish I had more self control with sweets and ice cream ect., but I'm hoping it will come. (Then what will I look forward too?) A balance I think is the answer!

Michelle it is a sad sad day when the thing you look forward to most is a lack of sweets...JK, no balance IS great.

The Bella post was on Crumpyb1's blog.

Sasha and Lulu. Just for you two I ate oatmeal today with absolutely no sugar. Fuel is disgusting, that's all I have to say about that. But I guess I will never overeat it, so that's good.

hee, hee! Love you, Lib. Try adding fruit to your oatmeal tomorrow. Fuel doesn't have to be paste tasting, does it? I didn't know you were so into these vampire books!

Lybi, Laura is right. A bit of fruit will make your oatmeal seem like a treat. Blueberries, actually any berries are especially good. Also, unless you ate a boat-load of oatmeal, that by itself may not be enough calories. Consider adding fruit and an egg or some lean protein to the meal. Anyway, thanks for having some oatmeal for me today - now I don't have to eat any (YUCK!) :-).

Lulu - one way to solve the boat-load problem is instead of cooking the oats, just moisten them with something, I use soy milk, I have also used apple juice in the past. I also add raw Spanish peanuts, dried dates, and some fresh fruit. It actually tastes very sweet to me. You can always sweeten it with honey if the fruit does not cut it.

In regards to the oatmeal topic....besides the toppings Sasha suggested, some of the other things I've done to add some flavor/zip to oatmeal include adding raw walnuts, almonds, yogurt, raisens, shredded wheat, and (don't freak out) cottage cheese. The last one may sound a little weird but it's actually pretty good in combination with some of the other stuff. For basic sweetening honey is my personal favorite.

Who knew that oatmeal could generate so much interest?! I used to eat oatmeal before running. It looks like I may have to go back to it with all these new recipe suggestions. I am going to make my lunch now and it won't be oatmeal. I do make a wicked salad. Multiple kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, kidney beans, avocado, cheese, sprouts and whatever else I throw in there.

Lybi,

I hope you don't feel like we hijacked your blog! :-)

Wow, I don't think I've ever had 17 comments before...and all this from oatmeal! Well, I am REALLY excited about the idea of putting nuts in my oatmeal because I love nuts, and we have some peaches too. MMmmmm peaches. Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

Laura--those are not vampire books. The are transcendental Calgon-Take-Me-Away, put off everything that can possibly be done 'til later, read them until you drop fine escapist literature.... Also, if you want to get to know new ladies in the ward, bring a copy of one of these books to church and ask if anyone has read them. Soon you will be swarmed with enthusiastic ladies frothing at the mouth and talking non-stop. Of course, it must be said that it is totally fantasy-land when it comes to the romance part. Not a real love IMHO. The ideal is that the couple can sit around and stare deeply into each other's eyes--for eternity...Still kind of fun though, sappy, but fun.

What is it with these vampire books? My wife just finished one and started another that she can't seem to put down. Should I be worried?

Tom, she'll recover! In the meantime, prepare to be a little more affectionate than usual. He he he.

:-))

vegsource.com is a great resource for vegetarian meal ideas, and all kinds of other stuff to know if you're thinking of going veg. (i'm not, btw.)

your comments on the twilight series cracked me up. :D it's all true! unfortunately, the books were TOO far from reality for me to function while reading them, so i will just have to find other books to love. jeremy and i are going to reread "a series of unfortunate events" together, so i can remember the bad beginning, etc, before i read "the end." barbara brooks wallace's mysteries are fun, too. they're like reading dickens w/out the work.