Priorities

I just had the most amazing run today. I headed out knowing I would be in for a long one but I had no idea of exactly how long it would be. Three hours and fifteen minutes and 20 miles later I was back home.

The route I had chosen was a waterfront trail that follows the shore of Lake Ontario. It’s a relatively flat, interesting route that stretches on for miles. I knew that I could run one way and then turn around and do the same route on the way back without it boring me and without getting lost.

It felt incredible to accomplish something so big. My previous longest run had been 28k so this was 5 km longer and the biggest difference between the two runs was my time. Last time I went out on a run like this I took it very slow. I stopped halway for a 10 minute break, walked here and there and was generally running at a slower pace. I felt so goo today that I took no, zero, nada walk breaks and only had to stop once around 18 miles for a bathroom break.

The reason I had the motivation to do this was largely because in the last few days I’ve really made some big decisions and I want more than anything to follow through with them.

• I will be an athlete
• Training will come first, now and always
• I will train while balancing friends and work
• I can do anything I set my mind to

I have been toying with the idea in my mind for awhile now. The idea that I could be a great athlete if I made it a priority in my day to day life to work toward that goal. Part of me was afraid to step out of my comfort zone which is running. I was scared to do any other kind of activity not knowing if I would be good at it or not. I was scared of failure. I know its ridiculous, how else do you get good at something other than by practicing.

Now that I’ve tried other thing like spinning and gotten back into yoga, it actually feels good really good to switch things up. Strength training seems to make a really big difference in how my legs feel when I run. I’m also hoping to build up core and upper body strength so I can be swim and whatnot.

I’ll be bringing training up more and more and I plan on starting a journal to record all my workouts including how I feel during , before and after. Food will also be recorded I hope so I can learn to eat optimally. I went out to buy a notepad to use yesterday and will start on Monday.

Some yummy eats from the last few day.

The End of Hills

Image via Wikipedia

Last night I had my last official hill training run!

For the last seven weeks we’ve been working up from 3 hill to reach the peak of 9. That works out to 10km running up and down, up and down. The run always starts off with a 1.5 km warm up run on a relatively flat surface to get our heart rates up. We then run down the hill, run back up do a little turn around and back down again, repeated 9 times.To finish off there is another 1.5km loop. All in all its a pretty intense run coming in at 13k.

I was feeling crampy right before the run which is probably due to the recent diet change but I changed into my running gear regardless. I decided to go and at least listen to the talk on women and exercise that was planed before the run then see how I felt afterward. The talk was very interesting, they breached subjects such as supplementing, differences in body composition in men and women and how hormones effect exercise/performance. Even a few men showed up to listen. Good job guys!

I had made up my mind to at least try and do the run pretty much as soon as I walked in. I love my run group! Their so good at motivating and encouraging you when you’ve given up. Also everyone was really enthusiastic and it seemed to be contagious. By the time we walked out to start, I was looking forward to starting!

You know what? I actually had so much fun. The run was not nearly as brutal as I made it out to be in my head and I felt so incredible after finishing that I coudn’t keep a smile off my face.

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Rain and Tea

Woke up nice and early this morning to try and get my body clock back on track! I used to be such a morning person but these days I can’t seem to get to bed before 11 even midnight and end up sleeping until 8:30-9… Yes I need a alot of sleep but I used to manage when I would get to bed by 10 and be up at 7-7:30. I find the days seem so much longer when you have that extra time in the morning! I really missed it.

It’s raining cats and dogs out today. I find it funny how this weather makes you just want to curl up in sweats and read a book! I comprimised and took an uber long hot shower before starting my morning. It definitely helped…at least a little.

I decided to start off the day by making some energy bars as per The Trive Diet. I had soaked about a cup of almond overnight and wanted to do something ‘special’ with them.

Into the food processor went:

1 cup dates

1/4 cup soaked almonds

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup hemp protein

1/4 cup ground cacao

1-2tbsp whole sesame tahini

1/2 cup blueberries

So it ended up tasting great but the texture was much more spread-like than that of a bar.

Oh well, I figure its probably because I soaked the nuts when the recipe didn’t call for soaked nuts. I try to always soak my nuts though since it removes those enzyme exhibitors and makes them a whole lot easier to digest. Whats so bad about an energy spread anyway? It makes for a change.

I sampled a few spoonfulls of this mix and then went on to whip up my energy pudding which I took a picture of and proceeded to delete because it was so darn ugly.

Make it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean. I promiss it tastes a lot better than it looks.

Mix together:

1 tbsp flax

1 tbsp chia

1 tbsp coconut butter

1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tbsp Udo oil

1 tbsp cacao poweder

1 square raw chocolate chopped

1 tbsp agave or brown rice syrup

Mix and enjoy!

I spent some time catching up with emails. Soon enough hunger hit and I had a smoothie in mind!

Smoothie of the day was:

Mango

Pear

Blueberries

Flax

Chia

Ice

a little guar and xanthan gum (it was too runny for my taste)

The result?

Yes, i know it’s a really bad picture, my kitchen lighting is the worst.

It was very satisfying and gave me the energy I needed to get myself out of the warm house into the cold rain so I could make it to my hot yoga class!

Yoga used to be my exercise of choice before running took over. I always had a little ache in my heart that I had given it up since it used to take up a huge place in my life. I loved the way it made me feel and it nurtures your spirit in a way that running unfortunately can’t.

Anyways it felt so great to be back on the mat. The class was relatively easy if I compare it to the classes I used to go to, but boy I’m feeling it now! You think your in good shape until you start mixing up your training!

I now have a one month yoga pass (it was the introductory special) and a 10 class card for gravity/spinning. I also plan on getting a suit and starting to swim at a local pool. I hope this will keep me from getting bored this winter and/or burning out. I also think its important to work different muscle groups and do some lower impact activites to spare my joints. Not to mention it could get me some serious muscles. (hee hee)

I grabbed an apple after class.

By the time I got home I needed something comforting, warm and hearty.

Miso soup it was!

I grated some carrot and threw in some dulse for a satisfying bowl.

I also had a zucchini stuffed with hummus and nooch and a few rice cakes with energy spread.

One pear and a few chocolate squares melted was dessert.

If you haven’t noticed I’m a chocoholic. Yes I am aware it’s a serious problem . Taking any steps to fix it? Not anytime soon hunnies.

I just made myself a cup of Detox Tea to warm up a little. I used licorice root, burdock root and astragulus. Herbs are a fantastic tonic and an effective way to get the body in proper balance so it will be able to perform at its peak. Licorice is a great anti-inflammatory and has been shown to increase endurance. It also had many other uses that can benefit athletes as shown here.  Burdock root is one of my favorite herbs, it is extremely nourishing and is effective in detoxing the blood. I add it to all my tea mixtures. Astragulus is a well known immune system strengthener and is also an antioxidant. Since flu season is around the corner I figured I had better start adding it!

I have been making herbal teas since I was very young. My dad introduced me to them and would give me lessons on their uses and would point out the plants on our hiking trips together. He had his dried herbs set up in glass bottles on a shelf in the kitchen and I would choose and herb to add to the pot at a time. We would then drink the tea and read up on their uses.

I started my own extensive herbal collection last year when I worked at the health food store. These days I go through phases where I make myself teas everyday and spend a lot of time reading up on new herbs and checking out tea shops. Other times my teas sit in my cupboard untouched for months.

I really enjoy studying herbal medicine and believe it can heal disease and increase lively hood.

On another note, my run group is meeting tonight. The plan is to do 9 hill but I don’t know if I’ll be motivated to go if its still pouring out! If I don’t I’ll head on down to a spinning class after dropping in for the pre-run talk.

Have a great, wet afternoon,

Emma

Muscle Woman?

There’s this spinning studio near my house that offers classes in gravity training. I was always curious as to what exactly gravity was but never actualy stopped in to see. So last night I was looking into different cross training techniques and read something about gravity machines. Turns out its an incredible full body workout that can be adjusted to pretty much any intensity you like. I was intrigued! So this morning I got up bright and early late and headed over to the later of the two classes to try it out.

Let me tell you it was tough but I had so much fun. It was a group of 6 only so we all got individual instruction. I worked some muscles I didn’t even know I had! By the end I was shaky and sweaty but I ended up buying a 10 class card and plan on doing it a few times a week!

I had a smoothie before the class which consisted of

1/2 cup blueberrie

1/2 mango

2 tbsp flax seeds

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp vega sport protein

7 icecubes

water

It was very purple and tasty but still no pictures to prove it!

I had many figs when I got home plus an apple.

I got to lunch around 1 and had

Salad with dulse, half a cup sprouts crushed rice cake and Live hummus dressing (added lemon and apple cider vinegar plus a drop stevia)

Also had a couple rice cakes with coconut butter, smushed medjool dates and hazelnut/almond butter.

I had a meeting to attend to in the afternoon.

Around 3 I was hungry (again!)

So I had a Miso bowl with dulse and coconut oil

Went for a walk later and ran into a pear tree that was just loaded with fresh juicy pears.

I filled up my purse and stuffed myself with them. What are the chances! Pears just happen to be one of my all time favorite fruits (beneath figs of course) and I now have two huge bowls filled with cute mini pears! Yum-my!

I ate a medjool date stuffed with coconut oil and a few spoonfulls of Live Hummus before leaving for my 8k run with my run group.

It went soo well (thank god!). I was starting to think I was broken or something. After more than a week of crummy runs I was getting really down on myself and feeling depressed. I actually had a mini breakdown earlier and vented to my roommate who in turn told me it was normal and it always happens like that in movie (lol!). Anyways, a good fast 8k was enough to lift my mood and I feel like I’m back on track!

Dinner was:

More pretty squash dusted with cinnamon and a salad with avocado, tomatoes and live hummus dressing.

Had a few more pears for dessert and a square of dark chocolate.

For a pre -bed snack I ate the rest of my Live hummus

and had some on a rice cake with nutritional yeast.

A good day all in all!

Have a great night,

The Loot

I had another hard run this morning. I did 5 k and it took me 30 mins! I feel like my body is giving up on me and its scary. I wanted to cry halfway through. This used to be so easy.

I have a few theories as to whats going on, one is I am not eating enough, two is as per Brendan Brazier I have two much stress in my life. As theory number two is unlikely (job, responsibilities are really non- stressful right now), I have started amp ping up the food and I’m (trying to) eat more often instead of sporadically like before.

I have always eaten quite a lot but its been relatively low calorie things and I always had my bigger meal in the evenings (this is another thing i want to change).

I am 100% devoted to focusing on my nutrition and getting back into training full throttle.

I had a few squares of chocolate and an energy mix before heading out which consisted of a tbsp hemp protein, a tbsp of each flax and chia, a tbsp of coconut butter, half tbsp of each brown rice syrup and coconut oil.

I know I said not to eat flax before running yesterday but according to The Thrive Diet its a great fuel! I figure the peanut butter was where i went wrong anyways.

On a positive note I got to wear these!

Spanking new lululemon run gear!

Hard Run

I woke up this morning feeling like I could run the 16 miles I had planned. I was full of energy and actually looking forward to it.

I figured I should fuel up before going out so

Mistake #1

I had a big breakfast.

A few squares of this

And an ezikiel english muffin with peanut butter and jam

Mistake #2

Ladies and gentlemen, let me warn you, do not eat flax seeds before running!!

Unless you want to be forces to take several bathroom breaks along the way that is!

B-day Recap

On Thursday night, me and the girls went out and had an amazing time. I had waaay too much to drink but it felt good to let loose and just enjoy myself. We danced the night away and thanks to TIFF the bard were open until 4 am!

Can you guess what we did after that?

What any other torontinians do after a night out. Get street food!

I had a veggie dog with the works and omg it was so good. I don’t regret it a single bit!

After getting in at 5 am I slept in until 11. My plan was to sleep longer to prepare for my all nighter but I coudn’t sleep any longer.

I am so bad when I am hungover, so I ate alot of junk and took it easy all day.

Dinner was:

Delicious!

I did the all nighter that night which was soo brutal after that long night out.

I got home at 9 and slept until 4.

Woke up

Ate:

The only thing breakfasty about that was the bread with peanut butter and jam!

My other roommate got home later and since she had missed my birthday she wanted to take me out.

We decided on a raw food restaurant nearby called Rawlicious.

We ran into a street fair on the way and took time to look around.

And do some tasting.

We made it to the restaurant eventually.

It is such an adorable place.

There are tables that are set up so you sit on the floor on cushions to eat! They even have a private room in the back with pillows at a large banquet table you can reserve for larger groups. I know what i’ll be doing for the next special occasion that come up!

We split the nachos since we had both eaten earlier. They were really filling and I had leftovers for breakfast today.

S left for a minute to look at desserts. Minutes later they come out with this…

Cheesecake with rasberry coulis!

and a chocolate ball with a coconut icing center.

We split both. They were sooo delicious. A hundred times better than regular birthday cake.

This really sparked my love for raw food again. Expect to see more raw food as of now!

MAYBE even a 30 day raw challenge?

Who knows, stay tunned to find out.

Love,

Emma

Two day birthday

Tomorow is my official birthday but since one of my roommates was leaving for work today she wanted to celebrate a little early. What kind of friend would I be to turn down a two day birthday celebration anyways!?

So after a late wake up I got kicked out of the house not too long after. I had a longer run on my mind but the route I had planned went out the window soon after I got out and I instead decided to run by the lake shore. It was hard in a great way. I felt like I was really working and was able to push past my soar legs and clock in at 1 hour 25 minutes for 15 km.

Best of all I got home and found this.

A delicious breakfast salad.

Made with peaches, apples, pistacios, sunflower seeds, lettuce, tomatoes and a balsamic vinegrete.

Totaly perfect as a post-run meal.

I smeared my toast with sesame paste and brown rice syrup. mm mm

I snacked in the afternoon.

An apple leftover from this day

Banana and almond butter

And a big bowl of miso soup!

I needed to do some major groceries so what else to do than to make a trip to Whole Foods?

I’ll post a picture of my load later, the roomies already think it’s funny that I take pictures of my meals, I don’t know what they’ll think if I start organizing my groceries for a photo shoot!

So me and Kate ventured to whole food at around 6. I had a stop at the salad bar planned for a pre-dinner birthday. Kate had never been and she was so happy to find some things she wanted and loved the salad/hot food bar.

Our plates

Mine is on the right, kate had the soup and orange soda as well.

I went with black cherry

Loved it! This and the root beer are my favorites so far.

More shots of the plate

I ate it all up! That’s vegan chicken on the top, was sooo good.

We stopped for a come of Toffuti after.

Vanilla almond in a waffle cone!

The Toronto International Film Festival is starting tonight so I am heading out on the town to meet the stars and see what’s going on.

Have a great night!

Signal Hill Hike

St John’s is beautiful!

I am truly a maritimer at heart, I love the people, the ocean and the scenery; everything just makes me feel like I could call a place like this home.  I guess this makes sense since my family is originally from New Brunswick and though I have never lived there myself, I have visited often loved them both.

This was my first time in Newfoundland and though it’s technicaly not part of the maritimes, it has that same slow, fishing town feeling that I felt in all the other time I spent in Cape Breton, Grand Manan Island and elsewhere in the maritimes. It was like a mini vacation! It’s times like this that make me realise how unique my job is and how lucky I am to be where I am in my life!

So after my last post, I headed out in search of a grocery store to buy me some breakfast! I ended up in downtown St John’s and made a stop at Starbucks for a china green tea. I decided to just get myself a booster juice for breakfast (there was one right next door after all ) instead of running the town in search of groceries. Bad decision! I ordered and specified that I didn’t want yogurt because, in case I forgot to mention this, I am quite severely lactose intolerant. You can see where this is going!

Anyways, I met a coleague by chance who was having breakfast close by and we chatted while she ate. We got back to the hotel around 12 and she retiered to her room to sleep, she was on day 11 of flying! She deserved some TLC time.

Anyways at this point my stomach is doing somersaults which I dismissed because I had a beautiful walk up to signal hill planed!

A few Iphone pictures I snapped on the way-

Beautiful view of the city. That big boat is a German cruise ship that had docked for the day. There were German tourists everywhere!

I always find walks in nature re charge my batteries in a way nothing else can!

The walk took me about 2 hours and I speed walked most of the way. I had walked by a cafe called The Big Sprout on my way over and was looking forward to checking it out for lunch. I forgot to take pictures but I had a great miso soup and a hummus platter with spelt bread and avocados! Also picked up a dark chocolate frog from the health food store closeby. Unfortunately I didn’t really enjoy any of it since my stomach had gone into full rejection mode and the bad cramping started up.

I met up with my crew at 5:30, and I ended up only feeling better at 10 that night. I grabbed a granola bar at this point and it held me over until I got home at 12:30. Funny enough my fabulous roomy was on my flight and we took the bus home together. I had a big bowl of miso soup and some rice crackers with lots of coconut butter when I got in since I had barely eaten all day. This was perfectly satisfying and I fell asleep full and content.

More on my surprise birthday breakfast by my roomies in the next post as well as my exhilarating 15 km run.

Off to do a major grocery run!

Ciao,

Emma

Eastern Provinces

It’s been a busy week since I got back from Winnipeg on Friday. Time just flew by. Even my two days off which I can normally stretch out seemed to  just disappear.

On Saturday, I started off my day with an 11km run. I had been slacking on running for the past few weeks and instead of increasing mileage which is what I should have been doing, I was decreasing it and had only got in a few 5 km during the week which is not enough to keep my fitness up. So the 11km felt great and snapped my led legs back into action.

After this, a few friends and I decided to go apple picking! It sounded like a great idea until we realised how miserable it was outside. We got to the orchard and instead of doing the hard work ourselves, we picked up a few bags of pre-picked apples and called it a day.

The hard work came in later though!

We had dinner planned at V’s house. With over 30 pounds of apples we knew we had to make some scrumptious desserts. I volunteered to make a classic apple pie since no fall dinner is complete without one and i was up for a challenge, and V made an apple crisp. After a few hours in the kitchen…

The result?

Delicious! Paired with homemade gnocchi, red wine and fresh corn we stuffed ourselves!

I skipped on girls night out after since I knew I would have to have to be well rested for the next morning.

Sunday was my running room meetup. We had an 18 km scheduled. I ran with the 1:50 pace group and boy did we ever run! I had a blast trying to keep a 5min-5:15  pace with my partner for the majority of the run. I even went on and did an extra 3 km after for a total of 20km in around 2 hours. Running with a group can sure make you sweat!

After an afternoon nap, I headed off to the aiport for my 6 pm flight to San Diego.

The next few days were long days, 12 hours each with minimum rest in between (10 hours).

I’m happy to have 18 hours in St John’s, Newfoundland to sleep (done), hike, eat and relax.

Food has been hard on this trip. My rice was not working our for me and I don’t know if this diet is for me. I feel better when I eat raw foods. Veggies, fruits, salads are what fills me up and gives me energy. I need that living energy, enzymes and natural sugars. I need to experiment with it and maybe I will have to re-think the subject of this blog.

I will get better with pictures I promiss! The camera was left at home again.

Off to hike up to signal hill!

Have a fabulous day!

Emma