Day 13: West Marin Ride

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You may have heard that we are in a bit of a drought here in sunny California. I think it's rained once since November. The weather has been spring-like, clear and in the 70's. It sure doesn't feel like winter. So today, I took advantage.

I was up early to meet the Marin Tri Club folks for a 25 mile ride described as, "good if you haven't been on your bike in a while." Yep, that's me. I've been on a spin bike and rode the few miles to my gym and back, but I haven't done anything more since my Turkey Roll ride on Thanksgiving.

Breakfast: HeartThrive energy bar (apple)

We hit the road by 9:20, leaving out of Nicasio, a picture perfect town in West Marin, and heading toward Point Reyes, even more of a quaint, country cottage town. We rode the 10 miles to Point Reyes and, while the cardio was no issue, my legs were burning. They're out of practice. We re-grouped in Point Reyes and had some decision-making to do. The group decided to ride back to Nicasio and then do a repeat of the out/back, which would total about 40 miles.

I was only looking to do about 25. Plus I wanted a bit of a change of scenery, so I decided to split from the group and ride further on toward the visitor's center. But first, a group shot before we departed.

Me, Croco, Nancy, Carlos and Gioia

This was the first time I met Carlos, who runs Novato Adventure Boot Camp where a lot of these ladies go to keep their bodies tuned up, and Elise (Elise took the picture). Hi you two!

Anyway, I cycled off on my own, enjoying the relaxation that comes from setting my own pace without a care in the world. When I was nearing the visitor's center I saw a sign toward Limantour Beach - 8 miles. I sort of knew I wasn't going to make it the whole way but wanted to take a peek. I stopped near a sign and had to settle for a selfie being I was all alone.

Lucky girl, I am!

I started down Limantour road, I had no idea what it was like. But I found out. Flat at first, and then it started climbing. And climbing. And climbing. It wasn't steep, thankfully, but it just didn't let up. I gave up on going the 8 miles and decided to settle for a view of the water. Any water. I took in the serene, quiet beauty of the ride. Cool, clear, only birds and the sound of my wheels on the road.

Just me and the open road.

I pedaled and pedaled and finally saw a tourist sign on the sign of the road. That must mean a view of something.

A view of Tomales Bay

That was all I needed to feel satisfied and turned back toward Nicasio. I'd ridden 13 miles. When I got back to Point Reyes I stopped for a snack.

Some of my choices at Toby's Feed Barn

Whole foods!

Snack: Banana, almonds

After the break I got back on my bike for the 10 or so miles back to Nicasio. There were so many cyclists on the road it was almost like an amusement park. I felt so much gratitude in being out there with them all. This is why I do it. For days like this. And to fit into my skinny jeans.

Back to my car for a stretch and another snack. 27.41 miles in 2 hours, 15 minutes. Woo-hoo!

Snack: Apple, 2 rice cakes

A few Garmin snaps for your review.

12.1 mph average - I'll take it!

Yep, that was a hill alright.

Gorgeous day! Full Garmin stats here.

And then on to the rest of my day. I had some shopping to do but found myself getting hungry so I stopped for lunch at the Whole Foods salad bar.

Lunch: pea spinach soup and a small salad with pulled pork.

Then a good amount of shopping before heading out to dinner. Japanese...yum!

Dinner: a wide assortment of sushi, sashimi, and you name it, I had some.

There you have it. My day, in a nutshell. And now, I'm done. Tired. Pooped. Headed to bed. And I am going to sleep in tomorrow. Late.

Day 12: Lemon Poppy goodness

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Whoops! Forgot to post this last night. Better late than never, right?

Breakfast: Oatmeal (1/2 cup dry) with a fried egg

I had that hungry feeling all morning. The one where you feel like you're going to need to eat and eat and eat and not be satisfied. By 9:30am I felt like I needed another meal.

Snack: Banana, almonds, 2 brown rice cakes, orange.

That sort of did the trick. It got me to lunch anyway. I was on the road most of the day for work and hadn't packed a lunch. I stopped in at the same natural grocery store as yesterday, The Golden Carrot. In Thursday's post I'd forgotten to tell you about the bar (I just went and added it - it was the Lemon Poppy flavor). Today I got apple and a cranberry flavors too. I know these fall into the "processed" category but the ingredients are so wholesome and they are made locally.

Lunch: HeartThrive bar, lemon poppy

They are so yummy and satisfying. I'm posting the pics again. If you happen upon these I suggest trying them. They are made by The Healthy Baking Company and I'm seriously considering ordering some direct (you have to buy them by the dozen I think).

More driving, more snacking:

Snack: last piece of spicy hot beef jerky

I went to the gym after work and did another 4.5 mile run. My pace was 9:47, six seconds slower than last week, and I was super, super happy with that. It means it wasn't a total fluke!

After the run I did chest/triceps/PT and added in more core exercises. I'm having this pain in my rear, right pelvis area (hard to explain where it's at) and man, it started burning. I must have pulled some random muscle. I was thinking it's my hip but it's too high and back to be that - which actually eases my anxiety about it. I don't need hip problems!

After the gym I hustled to change as I was meeting a friend for dinner.

Dinner: meatballs, chicken, rice, brussells sprouts, squash

It was a mishmash sort of meal but so yummy. And satisfying. I think I needed a "big" meal the way I've been eating lately. I was tempted by chocolate for dessert but stayed strong. No alcohol either. It gets so easy to say no when you've been saying it a while. My resistance muscle is strong these days.

I've gotten some great emails lately, I plan to respond this weekend. Ok, I have to run...thanks for reading!!

Day 11: Is snackmeal a word? It should be.

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It didn't work out for me to make a hot breakfast this morning. In fact, I was at work and on the road before I had a chance to think about my morning meal. I spotted a "natural foods" store in the strip mall I was passing and decided to pop in to see what I could find. I spotted these Heart Thrive Energy Bars and checked out the label. Looked good enough for me.

Breakfast: HeartThrive Energy Bar

I had that with some hot mint tea. I'm getting obsessed with mint tea these days. So refreshing. Curious how it seems zippy and energizing when I have it in the morning, and calming and relaxing when I have it in the evening. How does that work?

Snack: Banana

I was driving around a lot today and lunch slipped away from me. In the end I pulled into a favorite deli and got some beef jerky.

Lunch: 2 long (think 10 inches) pieces of beef jerky, 3 mandarin oranges, 1 brown rice cake.

I'm calling that a snackmeal. It's not really a meal but more than a snack too. I guess a snackmeal is when you eat enough snacky type items to call it a meal. I'm going with that.

Snack: 1 brown rice cake

I arrived at the gym with my stomach growling. I knew that would affect my workout, and obviously not in a good way. Unfortunately I didn't have any energy gels in my bag this time. I started with spin class, which was already underway when I arrived. I was super-wheezy and left the class to get my inhaler. It didn't start helping until the class was over.

After spin I did back/biceps/PT exercises and a few of my old core exercises. It seems like even the "easy" core exercises are not getting any easier so I decided to step it up and add a few tough ones in to strengthen my core/abs. I only have to hope my back doesn't suffer as a result.

Got in my car after my workout and had another...

Snack: Brown rice cake

I used to eat those all the time and I'm happy to have them back in my life. Crunchy, a tad salty, and really quite wholesome. With only two ingredients - Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice and Sea Salt - I think even Michael Pollan would approve. Then I arrived home to find dinner being made, which was nice.

Dinner: Black beans, avocado, eggs

I had a bit more than is pictured here, stealing bites off the kids' plates when they were done.

Later, after a round of Candyland, the kids asked for a snack. And food sounded good so I made one for myself as well.

Snack: Brown rice cake with peanut butter smeared on

Hellloooo peanut butter! That rounded out the day's food nicely. I'm pretty sure I didn't eat quite enough again today. I'm trying to make a decision about what to do about that. Do I modify the program to allow me to eat more quick/easy foods (yogurt, cheese, bread) and more carbs (pasta, tortillas)? I'm kind of thinking of adding in gluten as long as the items I eat are homemade (ie - not heavily processed). Obviously that leaves out pasta as I don't see myself whipping up homemade fettuccine anytime soon. Bread is more possible, just need to borrow a bread maker.

Anyway, I'll figure it out. The weekend is approaching and I know getting more food will be easier because I'll have more time to prep.

Day 10: Holding steady

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I stayed up way too late last night. I was tired, though I just couldn't get myself to settle and go to sleep. The alarm went off bright and early and for the first half of the day I felt good with plenty of energy. Around midday though, I started to crash. Coffee would have done the trick but I wasn't really tempted. Something about detoxing off the caffeine makes me not want to go back on it. Which is kind of sad because I like coffee.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with a fried egg

This breakfast didn't keep me as full as the last time. Probably because of the more regular exercise and burning through the calories? Or being on my period - that makes your appetite stronger, right? I dunno. Anyway, I felt hungry most of the day and that, coupled with poor planning, made for a sad eating day.

Snack: 2 slices of deli ham

Midday came around and I had no plan for lunch. I stopped by my house to see what I could scavenge.

Lunch: 2 slices of deli turkey, a large avocado.

I know, I know - another day of not eating so great. But work was busy and I was just dragging due to lack of sleep so I barely noticed.

Snack: Banana, orange

I ran some errands after work and then grabbed something for dinner.

Dinner: Trader Joe's Spinach & Bacon salad.

550 calories and 35 grams of fat, that seemed like a good balance to the day's food intake. The salad had cheese in it, which I didn't notice until I tossed the salad. I went ahead and ate it of course. After dinner I had a cup of hot mint tea. It was very relaxing.

So there you have it, a simple day with simple food, mostly. I've been wondering how long I'm going to keep this challenge up. I'd like to finish it but at the same time, I feel like I can accomplish my purpose without finishing the 28 days necessarily. My purpose to check out the gluten-free thing with gluten is mostly resolved, I don't think I have an issue. And the purpose to break some bad eating habits is going great, though I would like a bit more time eating cleaner than usual so I'm not quite ready to dive into a bowl of steaming curry noodles. Not yet, anyway.

Day 9: Bent but not broken

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Yesterday was the official start of week two of the 28 day eating challenge. That means nuts, beans and gluten-free grains are now on the menu. I know, I've been eating them here and there before yesterday. At least now it's on the list.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp maple syrup.

It didn't keep me as full as yesterday. That's likely due to my exercise yesterday and the fact that I didn't have an egg with it. But I was busy at work so I wasn't tempted to eat anything other than the snacks I'd packed.

Snack: Banana, 13 almonds

Lunch: Burrito bowl w/ grilled chicken, black beans, rice, pico de gallo, avocado

I had a staff meeting to attend in the afternoon and because of winter breaks, we celebrated December birthdays today. Well, I couldn't NOT eat the pie they'd gotten, right? Well of course not but I wanted it. So I had slither of a slice of chocolate nut (like pecan pie with several nut varieties and chocolate chips) and a slither of a slice of the blackberry pie. I actually found the nut pie to be too sweet to enjoy. But the blackberry was nice. They were both made locally and, of course, had sugar and gluten.

Snack: 2 slithers of pie, oranges

This could have been the beginning of the end of my eating day. I've read so much about sugar and carb consumption triggering the desire for more, more, more. I worry some will see their being powerless and sort of give up, but I think it's just good to know what different foods do to our bodies (and minds), and then recognize how it plays out for us as individuals.

After work I went to the gym, 25 minutes on the upright bike (finally able to do level 9 at full speed), legs/shoulder/PT exercises. And then home for dinner, which was a homemade version of lunch.

Dinner: black beans, rice, pico de gallo, avocado, small slice of soft cheese.

After dinner I played with the kids for a while and then started the too-long process of putting them to bed. I need to figure out how to shorten the bedtime thing. It takes a full hour between story reading, teeth-brushing, potty going, toy requesting, one-more-hug wanting bedtime stuffs. I'm telling you all this because I think I used the drawn out bedtime ordeal, plus whatever other stress I'm under, plus maybe even the pie choice, as an excuse for what happened next.

Snack: Lots of tortilla chips. Lots.

It wasn't the whole bag or anything but it was more than a bowl. Fortunately I came to my senses eventually and asked why I was sitting on the couch eating almost-stale tortilla chips. Why am I doing this challenge? Because I want to. Why am I choosing not to eat processed foods during this challenge? Because I want to. I signed up for this, it is my choice. Enough with the undermining my own goal. I put the remainder of the chips down the garbage disposal and also put a stop to the excuses.

So I had a great day on the whole. Good, wholesome food choices (mostly), great exercise, and some fun with the kids after work. I'll admit, I feel crappy about the tortilla chips, but that's a good thing and important to remember, it helps when I'm facing the same kind of urge the next time, "remember, you felt crappy after eating that junk last time." The lesson is to balance it. Not beat myself up but not ignore the natural, negative consequences either.