Running and NO Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

... there has been running 


Friday 
on treadmill 
5minute warm up 
10minute running & 1 minute (repeat 4 times/44 minutes) 
5 minute cool down 
5.5km in 55 minutes. 
fairly good slow run... who am I kidding more like a jog, but it's better then nothing!! 
At the 30 minutes mark my leg started to hurt again, the pain runs straight down my leg and is constant. I try to focus on running and chant my mantra "pain is temporary, quitting is forever"... it seems to do the trick.
After my run I have been really focusing on getting a good stretch making sure I get every single muscle. It tends to be a mix of Yoga posses and stretches, which has kept my pain free. 


Sunday 
on treadmill 
5minute warm up 
20minute run & 1minute walk, 10minute & 1minute walk (repeat 2 times/44minutes) 
5minute cool down 
6k in 55minutes 
I had a great first 20minutes run... GREAT!! I was flying (well to me I felt like I was flying), then I decided to take a 1 minute walking break and after that it all just felt apart. AGAIN at the 30minute mark leg pain. The last 20minutes I really struggled and had to push myself. 
I ended up running 5k in 45minutes... BLAH! I'm not happy with it that's like slower then turtle speed and with my 1st 5k race being next Saturday I don't think there will be much improvement on that time,I'll be happy if I can keep it at that. Heck 4 months ago I would have never thought I would be running a 5k, so really the time doesn't matter what matters is that I'm not sitting on the couch. 


Now on to the baking part of my Sunday. 
I saw these Bars on Nicole's blog Making Good Choices and I knew I had to make them, she adapted the recipe from Averie at Love Veggies and Yoga


No Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars 
adapted from Averie at Love and Veggies Yoga
1 Ripe Banana 
1 1/2 cups oats 
1/2 cup of Shredded Coconut (I used sweetened) 
1/2 cup Slivered Almonds 
1/2 cup of Mixed Dried Berries (Blueberries, Goji Berries, Raisins, Cranberries, Raspberries)

1/2 cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips 
1/3 cup Maple Syrup 
1/4 cup Honey 
1/2 cup Peanut Butter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams (Peanut Butter with Dark Chocolate) 

2 Tbsp Flax Seeds 
2 Tbsp Chia Seeds 
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil 
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 
1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

1. Mash the Banana 
2. Add the oats, Coconut, Berries, Chocolate Chips, Almonds, Maple Syrup, Honey, Peanut Butter, Flax & Chia Seeds, Coconut Oil, Cinnamon & Vanilla Extract and Mix it all Together. 
3. Press into a 8X8 Pan, previously lined with Parchment Paper or Plastic Wrap. 
4. Freeze for a couple of hours.
5. Turn over on cutting board and cut into 12 Bars. Wrap them individually and keep them in the freezer so they stay fresh.

Bite size pieces I cut up for the kids

These are super easy and quick to make and very YUMMY. The Best part about home made Granola Bars is you can basically add anything you want to them, customize depending on you and your family's liking. 

My son really loved these, my very picky Vegetarian 10 year old didn't try them due to the dried Berries... So next time we will have to make these Nut Free (for School lunches) and NO dried Berries for miss Picky.  

This is the week before my 1st 5k race... trying to read everyones Blog on what to expect on this big day. 

I've never even been to a race to watch... I have no idea what it will be like. 

I have to pick up my Race Packet on Wednesday ... NOT even sure what exactly that means but I'm looking forward to it. 

The plan is to run 2 more times before Saturday's Race, I'm planing on a 3k run Monday and a 2k run on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday will be rest days... Does that sound ok? 

Hope you all had a great weekend. 

old habits are hard to break...

on the treadmill 
5minute warm up 
5minute run & 1minute walk (repeat 5 times, 30minutes) 
5minute cool down 
4k in 40minutes. 
This was my second run since taking 2wks off. 
I decided to add 1minute to running and add an extra 10minutes to the session. 
It started of really great, shin was pain free and so was the calf. 
After 30 minutes of running my right leg started to hurt, the pain went from my knee right down the side of leg I managed to hang in for the last 10 minutes. 
After the run I had to rush to get dinner on the table and ... totally did NOT stretch. 
I KNOW, I KNOW... BAD BAD BAD. Old habits are hard to break... I really do need to take stretching more serious, I have to start thinking of it as part of my running and there should be no excuse not to do it. 
As far as the pain running down the side of my leg... probably just aches and pains due to running and not related to the cyst. 
Speaking of cyst, today I had my Ultrasound and X-ray, hopefully they will figure out what is causing the cyst in the first place.  My Dr should have the results back on Friday. Keeping my fingers crossed it is nothing that will keep me from running. 


On another note, I finally decided to give Banana Soft Serve a try. What could be easier; Frozen Bananas, a splash of Almond Milk and a blender... 

I just happen to have 3 frozen Bananas in the freezer ready for my Green Smoothies. Cut them into pieces and in the blender they went, added a splash of Almond milk (if you are using a food processor you would probably not need the almond milk).

  
Blend for 5 minutes, stopping once in a while to scape down the sides, making sure that all bananas get blend up. After a while it should start to have the consistency of soft serve, nice and creamy!! 

I topped it off with a little shaved Dark Chocolate... YUM!! AMAZING!! 


3 Bananas was enough for 4 servings... it was a success with the whole family. The Kids LOVED and have already requested I make more Banana ice Cream.  
Guess we need to start buying LARGE amounts of bananas for Smoothies and Soft Serve.
Thank you Gena @ Choosing Raw, that post did change my life!! 


I leave you tonight with Linzi @ Destination 26.2  she is celebrating her 100th post and having her first ever giveaway, go check it out!! 

Feeling Good

Woke up and the shin was feeling Good, calf was feeling Good and I needed to shake the case of the Lazies and get back into running. 

Brittany left me a comment yesterday and I have to say she is so right, why is it that you can workout day in day out and feel great and energized but as soon as you take a week off from the gym or running you feel sluggish and BLAH? 

So as soon as I got home today changed into my running gear, no time for excuses to set in,  headed to the basement where my beloved treadmill was waiting.  

on the treadmill

5min warm up 

4minute run and 1minute walk (repeat 4 times) 

5min cool down 

3km in 30 minutes 

Can I just say that it felt so good to be running pain free. I kept waiting for the pain to start but the shin feeling Good, the calf feeling Good. I did feel little aches and pains but that was simply from NOT moving for the past 2 weeks. 

After my run I spend 20minutes stretching and I made sure to stretch every muscle properly and took my time... feeling Good.

I have to admit that I didn't have a great day as far as my eating went, especially hours before the run. There was no pre run snack to fuel my run ... well there was sharing of a small bag of chips, but I certainly it did more harm then good and certainly had no part in fuelling anything. During my run I could feel the chips just sitting there and they were upsetting my tummy. NOT feeling GOOD!! 

Tomorrow is another day... I really feel like running again tomorrow but I should have a rest day in between runs, I need to take it slow. So the bike it is ... which I HATE!! UGH!! 

I have another NEW to me Product I just have to mention because I LOVE IT, I could eat the whole tub in one sitting and I'm NOT kidding. 

Liberte Mediterranee Coconut Yogurt!! YUM YUM 

I know, the Nutrition Facts are a bit scary!! That's a whole lot of FAT in one place and the calories YIKES!! 

I'm so used to having NO Fat, LOW Calorie Yogurt and to have something like this, is simply SINFUL. AMAZING. It has little pieces of Coconut and is really thick and creamy. 

Hope you had a Feeling Good Monday!! 

A case of the Lazies and Wheat Berry & Chickpea Salad

wow, do I ever have a case of the lazies ... No running, no workingout!!
This is terrible!! I need to snap out of it fast. 
Tomorrow is a new week and I'm planing on starting to ease myself back into running, perhaps a 4min run/1min walk for 30minutes and 30minutes on the bike. I will take it from there and see how my shin/calf holds up. 
This weekend we did manage to do some cleaning, laundry, some shopping for pants since the kids are growing like weed and all their pants look like they are crossing a flood.
There was also some cooking with some NEW to me Products. 
My Friends all complain that since I took up running there has been very little baking and cooking because I'm always busy with running, meals tend to be quick and easy... and there has been no baking. So this weekend I decided to cook up something different. 


New to me: Wheat Berry 

I did a little research on this grain and found some interesting information;

• Wheat Berry is the whole unprocessed wheat kernel, which means none of the germ or bran has been removed, and so it is nutritionally intact. This grain is a very good source of fiber, keeps the digestive system healthy, helps to lower cholesterol and promotes bowel regularity. In addition, it contains a wide array of nutrients that may help to reduce risks of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

• Because it is unprocessed, wheat berry does take some time to cook before it softens up. To prepare: bring 4 quarts of water in a large pot to boil. Add Wheat Berry with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for every 1 cup of wheat berries. Partially cover and let simmer, stirring often for about 1 hour until the grains are tender but still chewy (I would try a few kernels to see if it's the right for you)  Drain and rinse with cold water. 1 cup uncooked wheat berries will yield 2.5 cups cooked.

I looked around for a couple of recipes where I could use Wheat Berry. I saw some were it was used instead of Oatmeal but decided that Salad was the way to go. 
After comparing a couple of recipes I came up with a mish mash, which turned out quite tasty I might say.

Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

Salad;

1 cup of Organic Wheat Berry

1 (14 ounce) can of Organic Chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

1/2 cup of roasted red peppers, drained, patted dry and chopped 

1/2 cup of Light Feta Cheese, crumbled 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Dressing; 

1 cup of freshly squeezed Orange juice (about 2 oranges) 

2 tablespoons of Lemon juice 

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil 

2 teaspoons of Honey 

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 teaspoon of salt 

1/4 teaspoon of Paprika

1. Cook Wheat Berries according to above directions. Transfer the wheat berry to a large bowl and set aside. 
2. For the Dressing; bring the orange juice to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, cook until the juice is syrup and reduced to 1/3 cup, 15minutes. 
3. Transfer the orange syrup to a bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 10 minutes. Once cool whisk in the Lemon juice, EVOO, Honey, Garlic, salt, paprika and set aside.
4. To Assemble the salad; stir the chickpeas, roasted red peppers, Feta Cheese and the dressing into the bowl with the wheat berries, season with Salt and Pepper. *** I only used about 1/2 of the dressing, because I don't like a lot of dressing on my salad.  

 Serve on a bed of greens; like mixed greens or Baby Romaine or Baby Arugula.

 
LOVE this combination of the chickpeas and the Wheat Berries... the berries add a nice earth crunchy texture to the Salad, it also makes it very filling. You could easily use a simple EVOO and Lemon juice as a dressing for this salad and it would be great too. enjoy!! 

one day at a time..

So there has been no running, no walking, no biking, no yoga, no stretching, nothing since Saturday. I decided to rest and give my leg a chance to heal. 
Monday it was time to head in to see the Dr. and take advantage of the great free Health care Canada Provides. 
The shin pain was still there and my calf was hurting too and not getting better. It hurt to walk up and down stairs and nothing seemed to make the pain better, you know it's time to see your Dr. if after a week you still have the same issue. 
My Dr. was convinced that this is simply a case of shin splints and the pain in my calf is my leg compensating for the pain in my shin. She recommended one week of NO RUNNING and R.I.C.E (Rest, ICE, Compression & Elevate), she also perscribed an anti-inflamatory to use for the next two days/twice a day. 
She did however feel like it would be a good idea to send me for an Ultrasound to rule out a Blood clot, due to the fact that I am on Birth Control. I didn't have any of the symptoms, but you never know in these cases. 
So Tuesday I went for my Ultrasound and was very confident that indeed it was NOT a blood clot. 
HOWEVER today I got a call for my Dr. and she wanted to see me to go over the results... I hate that!! It's never good when they ask you to go in to go over test results.
Good News not a blood clot.
Bad News they found a Popliteal Cyst aka a Baker's Cyst. It is fairly small, only 2.5cm and from examining my leg you would not be able to tell it's there and it's NOT what's causing the pain... I guess we just lucked out finding it. 
What is a Popliteal cyst you may ask, it is a cyst that forms when the joint lining produces too much fluid in the knee. The extra fluid builds up and pushes through the back part of the joint capsule which in turn forms a cyst .
The symptoms are knee pain, which funny I haven't had during running ... I mean the usual aches and pains, after a long run especially when I first started running. But nothing that would make go to the Dr. I had more knee pain when I was 25lbs heavier, so really it's nothing.  These cyst can also suddenly burst which causes pain and swelling in the calf.  
Treatment it all depends on how big and painful the cyst is. They can drain the cyst or in some cases remove it. Rest and elevating the leg for several days also helps. 
But the key is find the reason why the cyst got there in the first place as they do tend to come back, most common reasons are osteoarthritis, injury to the knee (cartilage tears)  or other knee problems.  
So where do I go from here ... well next week I go for a Knee ultrasound and  x-ray to see if we can find the cause of the cyst. 
The Dr. wants me to rest for another week, this means no running. At the end of next week I can run on the treadmill IF my shin and calf feel better. Once we get the results back then we will decide the game plan. 
I guess this probably means I wont be running the Harry's Spring Run Off on April 3rd and not sure what will happen with my 10k race on May 2nd. 
I still have 3 wks left on my running program and with having to ease back into running I'm not sure how long it will take me to be up to 'speed' again.
I'm not happy about this little set back, but I'm taking it one day at a time and it's all part of the experience. 


How did you deal with injury and not being able to run and how did you ease back into running? 

...no running

I have been resting my leg. 
So there has been no running since Thursday's 10minute attempt to run. 
My shin still hurts especially going down stairs.
My calf is still sore. 
Ice is my friend.
It sucks and I'm upset about it. 
Yesterday I tried to sprint out of the rain and just couldn't, I felt a sharp pain on my shin and had to stop and hobbled the rest of the way. 
Honestly I wanted to cry, not from the pain but from not being able to run. 
I've come so far and now this... I know, I know it comes with the territory.
I'm doing so well on my training and in the 3 months since taking on running I've lost 15lbs, I feel great and  love how my body is changing and becoming stronger.
Just the thought of having to stop running, makes me worried/scared.
It really didn't help that everywhere I looked I saw runners out, running in the rain and all I could think about is how badly I wanted to be them. 
The plan for Monday is to see the Doctor just to make sure it's nothing serious and hopefully I can run after work. 


Please check out Robin @ Running Circles Around the Turtles she wrote a great post on Disclosure and being aware of how much information you share on your blog/twitter about yourself and your running routes and running alone on trails. 


I'm off to ice my shin... hope to have good news tomorrow.

Week 11: Session 2, another failed run

I haven't run since Monday, my right shin has been really bugging me and I decided to give my legs a rest. 

Today was supposed to be a run day, my legs felt better BUT not 100%. 

On the treadmill I went,  warmed up for 5minutes, ran for 10minutes and then had to call it quits... I was in pain, not intense pain but the kind of pain that I didn't think I should be running in. 

I hopped on the bike and was on there for 10minutes before heading back on the treadmill. Walked for 10minutes and thought that the leg felt really good so I gave running another try ... NOPE still in pain. 

This really sucks!! I think I could have gotten a really good run in today. I was looking forward to it, actually craving it.

I'm mad... that I've come this far, was doing so well and now this. It's frustrating!! 

SO the plan is to rest Friday and Saturday and then run On Sunday.

Starting week 11 over on Sunday means that I wont be finishing my 13wk walk/run Program before my 5k race in 3 weeks!! 

I don't want to make a big deal out of it yet, let's see how Sunday goes and then I will go from there. 

Keeping my fingers crossed that this is nothing and I get back to running in no time. 

On Sunday at the Grocery Store, these Bars caught my eye and I just had to try them... PUMPKIN PIE, yes please! 

I'm not a big granola bar person, I always find them too sweet and I would rather just have a piece of Fruit but was so looking forward to having this one since I LOVE Pumpkin Pie and I really like Kashi Cereal. 

The Bar had a layer of an Pumpkin pie like icing on top... and looked delish. 

I really wanted to love it ... but I have to say I was disappointed. It was really sweet, too sweet for me. I didn't enjoy it at all, I wished I would have picked the Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Granola Bar instead. OH well, I'll just take it into the office I'm sure the co-workers will love these. 

I've gone and done it...

So I finally found some courage and registered for my First 5k Race. 
On April 3rd I will be running Harry's Spring Run Off @ High Park in Toronto. That's 3 weeks away!!
A 5km Loop over the scenic Traffic free, paved roads of High Park... should be fun.
It's fairly easy run but has a BIG Hill right at the end. The plan is to run the course before Race day. I'm just hopping to finish and looking forward to my Medal !!   

AND why stop at that I also registerd for a 10k Race. 
On May 2nd I will be running Sporting Life 10k, after all the Running Program is for a 10k.
This course is considered one of Canada's easiest and fastest Downhill 10k's, straight down Yonge Street!! Gald to hear that... I could use EASY and FAST!!

I'm a bit stressed out about this ... who am I kidding, I'm REALLY WORRIED about it.
WHAT was I thinking yesterday when I signed up for these? I must have had a mental lapse.
Will I be able to do it? WHAT was I thinking signing up for TWO Races?
The last session of week 11 didn't go that well and today was supposed to be a run day but my shin is still hurting so I'm resting.
The 5k is 3 weeks away which means I can't miss a day of my Training, which stresses me out a bit... and I usually don't get stressed about anything.
I have never done anything like this before, so I'm just wondering if I bit off more then I can chew? 
I can barely run for 25minutes... wow I'm such a Negative Nancy today!!
I guess the good part about it is I just realized while checking my calendar that my 'Aunt Flo' wont be visiting during that time... which at least is some good news, one less thing I have to worry about. 

Que Sera, Sera... 

How did you feel when you signed up for your first Race?

A Date on a School night, what a treat!

Hubby and I went on Date tonight so see our Toronto Maple Leafs play against The Boston Bruins. 

I'm NOT a sports fan and really don't know much about any sport. Hubby on the other hand LOVES his sports... he watches just about any sport and he certainly loves The Toronto Maple Leafs. 

He doesn't like being in photos much, can you tell? 

Our seats were right behind the net, first row!! I don't like Hockey and I was excited, can you imagine Hubby? 

I have to say Toronto has one good looking hockey Team, it's also one of the Teams with the youngest Players in the league.  

Our Boys in Blue ended up winning in overtime, I thought it was great game and had so much fun!! 

Can't wait to do it again! 

Hubby and I should really do this more often, we had such a great time and it was nice to spend time just the two of us. Especially in a setting such at this, I find that when you go to see a movie you spend 2hrs in silence... being out at a game was so much fun and I absolutely would like to do this more often even if I'm not a sports fan. 

What is your prefect Datenight? 

Week 11: Session 1 and a Lunchtime Run

We had a busy weekend at the house, so there was very little time spend running. 

I tried to run on Sunday morning, jumped out of bed and decided to get my run in before having breakfast!! After 25minutes I was ready to give up. I still managed to get in 3.5km which is not shabby I guess BUT it was supposed to be session 1 of week 11 and it turned out to be just a run. No biggie dust it off and move on.  

Mr. WeatherMan was calling for Sunny Skies and a high of 12C for Monday and what better way then start of my week with a lunchtime run? A redo of week 11: session 1. 

WHO ARE YOU and what have you done with Claudia... honestly? What happened to Lunchtime trip to the Eaton Centre or perhaps strolling along Queen St West, maybe even sitting out on the patio? 

Well that was last year, this year we have 'Lunchtime Run Claudia' get used to it. 

Around 10:30am I had my pre run snack ... a Bananawich, also known as Peanut Butter in a Banana

Unfortunately there are no showers at work... I know what you're thinking. How could I run and NOT shower after? Am I not worried about being all sweaty and stinky at the office? 

WELL we do have bathrooms with running water and really that's all you need.

I decided to have no 'Shower Clean-up' by packing up some BabyWipes, a Towel, Deodorant, Toner, Tinted Moisturizer and Body Mist. 

I changed into my running clothes just before heading out on my run, this includes running socks and sports bra.  I also packed some fresh undies to change into after, this is very important unless you run without.

I was so impressed that I managed to remember everything.

I think the only thing that I meant to bring in but completely forgot was my Evian Mineral Water Spray... it would have been a nice treat BUT not necessary. 

Week 11: Session 1 (redo) 

run outside 

4min warm up 

run 25minutes, walk 1minute and run 25minutes (51minutes) 

5min Cool down 

7.77km (4.83miles) in 60min my average pace was 11:54

Oh BOY... Loved running during my lunch BUT I had some issues.

The first 25minutes I did OK ... not great but OK, I wasn't sure what to do at a red light? Do I stop the Garmin? Do I jog on the spot? I was also overdressed, I had to stop and remove one of my layers (stop the Garmin). 

Running along Harboufront was great!! Loved seeing all the runners out, everyone is so friendly and saying "hello", waving. 
Really enjoyed running along the waterfront, it was such a nice break from my work day.

(on Bathurst Street) 

(Harbourfront) 

(The Rogers Centre and 1/2 CN Tower) 

Once I headed back into the city, up Bay Street along Front back to Spadina that's where I was dodging the lunch crowd... NOT FUN!! Some People were nice and moved out of the way BUT some where not so nice. 
That was also the half way mark of my run and where I started to have issues. I think I must have taken about 4x 30sec walking breaks and then maybe 3 set of red lights... SO it really wasn't a continues 25minute run. I wasn't impressed. 
I also used Map my Run to figure out my route I figured I would run around 7.5k in 51minutes and I ended up being 10minutes short, so I ran in circles for a while and then decided to run to Fresh and pick up a Power Shake; Fruity Green (Broccoli, Spinach, Pineapple, Mango, Banana, Orange & Greens+)  and a Sandwich for Lunch. 
YUM!! The Power Shake didn't even make it to the office (which is only a 3minute walk from Fresh) 

The Sandwich was  Goat Cheese and Red Pesto on White Baguette with Butter, Mixed Lettuce, Tomato, Red Pepper, sea salt and black Pepper. PERFECT! 


I had a great lunch today, including the running part and I plan on doing this again on Wednesday, if the weather keeps up like this. 
Not sure If I will repeat session 1 or move on to session 2 which is run 30minutes, walk 1minute and run 25minutes.  


Do you run/workout during your lunch hour and if so how do you freshen up after?

Week 10: Session 3

Run OUTSIDE 
5min warm up 
run for 22minutes, walk for 1minute and run another 22minutes (45 minutes) 
5min cool down 
7.64km in 55 minutes
Another great run outside except for the fact that it was SOOOOO COLD!! It was really windy outside and the windchill was well chilling! 
I warmed up on the treadmill at home for 5 minutes, gave myself a GOOD long stretch and then headed outside. Walked for another 5min and then started my run. I'm hoping that with all the stretching and warm up/cool down I wont be as sore as I was on my first run outside. 
I really enjoy running outside, but I did NOT enjoy the ice cold wind in my face. The first 22 minutes of my run went really well BUT the last 22 minutes was really COLD and I just wanted it to be over... FAST. I had no issues with my endurance and my legs,hips and knees felt really good, the last 4 minutes I was starting to feel tired and my knees were starting to hurt, but nothing I could not handle. 
I didn't use my ipod on todays run, mostly for safety reason. I was a bit worried about running and not being aware of my surroundings. I live a very hilly part of the city and quite close to the Cemetery, which is were I've been running, I don't have to worry about stopping for cars or traffic lights and it's a very peaceful run. 
On Sunday I did see some runners and walkers out but today it was very different, I didn't see a single person which sort of made me think that perhaps the Cemetery is not the greatest place to run in.  
This week some of the American Running bloggers have been bringing up the topic of safety and how they carry pepper spray while they run which is a great idea. 
HOWEVER carrying Pepper spray or mace in Canada is actually a prohibited weapon!!   


Here are some the things we can do to stay safe;

• Be Aware of your surroundings, know who is ahead of you and behind and be aware of where the closet people or population is. 
• Carry a whistle 
• Follow your intuition... if something doesn't feel right, then it's probably not. 
• Project Confidence... attackers are looking for someone they can control.
• Ditch the Headphones!! 
• Leave contact information 
• Run in familiar areas, but alter your route pattern 
• Carry a personal alarm  
• Run with a buddy 

Note to self; I need to find a better running route and a running buddy. OR perhaps I need to get a dog as a running buddy? 


Do you worry about your safety and what do you do to keep safe during your run?

Week 10: Session 2

back on the treadmill 
5min warm up 
run for 20minutes and walk for 1minute, run 20minutes (41minutes)  
5min cool down  
5.50km in 51minutes
WOW... like honestly, running for 20 minutes straight!! NO WAY!! I had a HUGE smile on my face after the first 10 minutes of running. I had no issues with ONLY the 1minute walking break, I was ready to run again when it was up and running for another 20 minutes went just a great as the first 20 minutes. 


I was supposed to run yesterday BUT since I decided on Sunday that I was simply too good to stretch I really paid for it Monday and Tuesday. I was even having a hard time walking, my Hips were in so much pain!! So last night I decided to give my body a good stretch and also added some Yoga in the mix. That seemed to do the trick, this morning I felt 100% better. So lesson learned ... NEVER EVER skip your stretch before and after running, you will pay for it later!!
I am so ready for the last session of week 10. Friday I will conquer 22 minutes run, walk for 1minute , run for another 22 minutes, no biggie!! 
THIS was a BIG deal for me today!! I am so PROUD of myself for coming this far and conquering everything that still to come. I just feel amazing!! 


My question for you today; 
What are you proud of today?  

Week 10: Session 1, First Run outside & Kashi

The plan was to run on Saturday but sometimes things don't work out according to plan. Instead of running I took my 10 year old Princess to the mall for some girl time. I know what you're thinking and even I can't believe I have a 10 year old. 
Running was moved to Sunday.

What better way to start Sunday then with Waffles?  We really like Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk Pancake/Waffles mix in a pinch. 
I toped mine off with Greek yogurt, Blueberries, Kiwi, a swirl of Maple Syrup and some of the Kashi Toasted Berry Crisp sample I received the other day. This was one YUMMY Waffle! The cereal reminds of Granola, it's got that nice sweet crunch. Not sure if I would have it just with milk, but then again I'm not a Milk and Cereal kind of Girl. I do find that it would be a nice addition to my yogurt or as a toping. 
If you haven't picked up your free sample of cereal head over to Kashi and check it out.

Sunday was a beautiful day in Toronto so I decided to take it outside!! YIKES. 


My 1st Run OUTSIDE 
Week 10: Session 1 
5min  warm up 
Run for 10minutes and walk for 1minute (repeat 4 times/44mintues) 
probably a 10 minute cool 
4.06 miles in 44 minutes.
I had a some issues figuring out how to work the Garmin... I guess that can happen if you decided you are too good for instructions!!  So I only got the miles for the running portion it does not include the warm up and cool down. 
I was so excited about running outside and trying to figure out how to use the Garmin, that I completely forgot to stretch before and after and let me tell you I'm paying for it today. My hips are sore and so is my right knee and shin. Which could also be from running on hard surface compared to running on the treadmill, I really hope that is not the case. 


Let's talk about my fear of running outside. If you have been following my blog you know that all my running up to this point has been on the treadmill.  I feel comfortable running at home, where no one can see me and I can sweat like a pig and not worry about it. AND I have always heard that running on the treadmill is easier because it propels you, so all you have to do is keep up. 
I was really worried that once I ran outside I would have a really hard time. 
Well I'm happy to say that this is simply not the case! I felt amazing running outside. I had no problem running for 10minutes at a time. This was a great run, probably one of my easier runs to date.
I loved feeling the cold air on my face and breathing the fresh air. I can't believe what I've been missing out on. I absolutely understand now why people get addicted to running. 
I can't wait for my next run, which should be on Tuesday... not sure if it will be an outside run or on the treadmill, it all depends on the weather and how early I can make it home. Not sure if I feel comfortable running at night by myself yet.
My next running session will be 20minutes running and 1 minute walking followed by another 20minute run. 


Have you always run outside? Or did you start on the treadmill and then move to running outside?