Holy Cabooses

Wow. It's been awhile since I've updated. Here's the skinny....

Well, my training has capped at 6 miles for my long distance run, though this week I am scheduled for 8. We might make it seven--I feel as though a 3 mile increase in mileage (the week also calls for a 5 miler and two 3 milers) is a little steep and am surprised the training log suggests it since it's almost a 20% increase and you're typically supposed to stick to a 10% increase to avoid injury.

Nevertheless! I soldier on. Certain things have been hindering my performance lately, 90% of which have been my fault. For instance, smoking...more than a teeny bit. I've begun having 1 or 2 a day and this is no good. I can feel it in my chest, and not only that, I feel my limbs becoming sluggish much earlier during runs since the oxygen is not being transported as well nor am I taking as much in. This ends tomorrow, thank God. Not only that, but I think smoking just makes me stupider in general. It's starving my brain for oxygen. Addictive natures be damned...

Another issue I'm having is a decrease in meds, causing shifts in my body and energy. I'm much more tired and my body hurts just in general. It's a rough process but it's not forever.

Review for Livestrong.com:
This is an incredibly useful website for not only monitoring your caloric intake, but also the nutrients that you're taking in and how MUCH you should be taking in given your lifestyle and your calorie needs/goals. It's grrrrreat! Along with that, it has so many resources and records of all sorts of foods making food journaling incredibly simple. Plus it's just fun to see if you've met your protein/fiber/carb intake.

Along with that, the website offers many articles on nutrition and exercise.

My one complaint, however, is that often when you type something into Livestrong's search engine, several website options come up, most of them advertising diet gimmicks. It's obnoxious. Other than that, hey, I enjoy it.

Review for Trader Joe's No Salt Added Marinara Sauce: DELICIOUS! I have noticed that my sodium intake is often way over what I actually need for the day, and skeptically purchased No Salt Added Marinara Sauce for those quick convenience meal times. Mind you, I LOVE SPAGHETTI SAUCE. I could eat it plain. I love it even more than I love ketchup. That's saying something. Clearly, the bar was set high for ol' No Salt. But I was highly delighted when I used it last night, and found that I enjoy it even MORE than regular bottled sauce! Not only that, but it didn't leave me with that I'm-craving-something-sweet-and-need-3-cups-of-water sensation.

My one complaint is that it does have added organic evaporated cane juice. Unnecessary, and I'd rather not have an extra blood sugar spike if I can avoid it.

Review for Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs: Yum Yum Yum Yum Yummy Delicious.

Review for Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne: I like it. Don't cook it too long however or it becomes irredeemably rubbery. As it is, it still is a bit rubbery when cooked but still tasty and not too chewy.