SOWL Weekly Weigh-In

It's time for the weekly weigh-in and again, the SOWL widget is updated.

It has been a Crazy Week of Running for me.  Last Saturday I had a really emotional day so when it came time to my Long Run of Emotional Recovery, I really ran long!  When I got home and weighed in, I had hit my next mini 5 lb goal!  Amazingly I weighed the same Sunday morning and this morning as well.

My body is weird, for some reason I gained and lost 4 lbs this week.  I just don't get it.  I didn't eat anything I shouldn't have, I just kept on with the normal routine but I think it must be water retention or maybe even I'm building muscle.  My clothes are definitely looser but the weight loss is slow.

Also of significance, I have finally lost 1 more pound since May 26th!  June was a terrible month and I unbelievably managed to gain 8-10 lbs.  I finally got my schedule under control and lost the gained weight plus 1 more lb. Now I'm back on track but behind 10 lb. on monthly goals.  I should have been 159 lb August 1st but I screwed up June and it took July to get back on track.

It is amazing how difficult it is to lose weight (and easy to gain) after 40.  I just keep focusing on the fitness and running and I know it will come.  I suspect that my progress will be much slower from here on out but I will be happy with any progress! I'm happy for this challenge because it is holding me accountable and keeping me on track.  Thank you so much Kerrie!

Hey! I hit my mini goal! It's time for my mini goal reward!

Crazy Week of Running

Well, it was a crazy week of running for me! After the 12.8 mile Saturday, I had a much needed day of rest on Sunday.

Monday was another crazy emotional day and I was determined to get my strength conditioning workouts in and a 5 mile run.

First thing I did was spend some time making Spicy Bok Choy in Garic Sauce.  I really have fun with cooking.  I haven't had the time for some real cooking in a long time.  I love to cook, both for family and to entertain friends.  It was great to take the time to make a kitchen creation thanks to SWOL Challenge #2.

Then I spent some time blogging about Saturday's run and the Bok Choy recipe and then finally I got to my strength conditioning DVD.  It was really getting late but I was determined. 

I got out for my run after 11 p.m. and It was still very hot and humid.  I was excited to take the Petzl Tikka Plus headlamp and Amphipod Xinglet's reflective vest for a trial run.   As I headed out I felt like such a dork but it was so cool!  I could see and be seen and I no longer fear after dark runs. I only managed to run 2 miles of the 5 miles I had planned but it was late and I just was glad to get enough miles in to push me over 100 miles for the month.  :)

Jicama Chili Sticks

I am posting another new vegetable for SWOL challenge #2.  I know the challenge was try one new fruit and one new vegetable but I found this strange looking vegetable and I had to give it a try.  It's called a Jicama [hee-kuh-muh]. 

Again, as I said in my my SWOL challenge #2 post, I read that jicama contains a high amount of vitamin C, is low in sodium, and has no fat. One  serving or 1 cup of cubed jicama contains only 45 calories.

Here is the recipe I decided to try.  I read this is the way it is sold by street vendors in LA and in Mexico so I thought it would be a good recipe to start with.  

SOWL Challenge #3: Confess! What is your worst eating moment?

The Summer of Weight Loss challenge #3 is Confess! What was your worst eating moment?

Again, I am way behind since this challenge was posted on July 14th but that's one day after I joined the challenge.  I finished challenge 1 on July 14th and challenge 2 is partially finished as of July 26th so here I go with challenge 3.

I'm not sure about this one but I suppose I could discuss my weight loss history.  I would say I was between 125 and 140 for most of my pre-baby life.  Not ideal but not overweight.  I think it was babies 3, 4, and 5 that pushed me over.  I had them 18 months apart approximately and it took it's toll.  After baby 3 I lost the weight but then 4 and 5 happened and that was the end of it. There was too much stress in my life at that point and I think I peaked in 2001. I soon lost about 1/2 of the weight but that was about it for several years. There are always ups and downs but I think it was divorce 2 that pushed a big up, never near the peak, but up. 

Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce

I know I just posted SWOL challenge #2 today but I said I would be cooking Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce for dinner and I did!  It was SO good I had to post about it before I head off to workout. Here is the recipe from Allrecipes.com. 

Spicy Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound bok choy
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

The Long Run of Emotional Recovery

I originally had this run posted under my Ragnar Relay Training Diary but it was eventful enough for an entire post.

Saturday was a very emotional day and I had to get out the door to run it off. I had planned a 10 mile run. The schedule says 12 miles but last week I only managed 8 miles in The Run (Walk) of Mishaps so I planned 10 miles.

SOWL Challenge #2: Try one new vegetable and one new fruit

The Summer of Weight Loss challenge #2 is to try one new vegetable and one new fruit.  I am week behind since I just found the challenge on July 13th!  I finished the first challenge on July 14th so I'm really behind.  I've been focusing more on my fitness progress than nutritional aspects.  I have just been sticking to healthy diet options, and fueling and recovery for runs. 

So I went shopping and here is what I found.  I haven't tried them yet but I wanted to post what I found to try.   I love to cook so finding recipes to enjoy them will be fun for me.