New Shoes (finally!) and a shoe and skirt review

Got myself into town today to finally get some new shoes. I was determined that one way or another I would come home with something.

A few weeks ago I tried out some shoes and was pretty sure I wanted the Asics Gel Nimbus 10. But ... they're $180 plus taxes and I wasn't quite sure I could swallow that. The Running Room does have a great return policy, but still. I tried looking for them online and across the border, but couldn't find them much cheaper.

So, I went into Sportsmart and decided to try one model down from that shoe.... the Asics Gel Cumulus 10. It was almost as comfortable in the toe as the Nimbus, and quite a bit cheaper at $139. I was pretty sure this was the shoe I was going home with. But as I walked around the store in them, my toes felt good, the cushion was nice .... but the back of them seemed awfully high and the more I walked the more it irritated me. So that choice went out the window.

I decided to suck it up and head back to the Running Room and try something else. I was going to find something in there regardless of cost. If the only shoe that happened to feel good was the most expensive, then so it would be.

I had the saleslady assess my feet again. Nice to know that she came to the same conclusion as the previous saleslady. Maybe they do know their stuff :). I told her right up front which shoe I liked, but that I really couldn't afford it and was looking for another option. We tried on a few and I settled on ....

The Mizuno Wave Nexus 3. They are the ugliest bright yellow. I'm not a fan of yellow in pretty much any shade, and certainly not bright. Thankfully when they are on they are not so bad. But they're comfy, and so far feel supportive. They come up ever so slightly higher on the sides just below the ankle ... but not in the back. I'm wearing them around the house right now to get the feel of them. I'd wanted to take them for a test run on the treadmill but I did some yard work today and it's just been a long day and I'm out of energy. They said I could try them 3 or 4 times on the treadmill (as long as I only wear them indoors) and if they aren't working I can bring them back.

While I was there I also decided to try on some running skirts. They intrigue me, what can I say. I had looked at the one's at runningskirt.com but having never worn one, I wasn't ready to order. Theirs is more like an actually skirt with a panty lining. Neat idea, but honestly I've got some pretty good sized thighs and I'm very concerned about rubbing & chafing.

At the running room I tried on two skirts that I liked. I put them on and off 4 times EACH. I could not decide which I liked.

This one is the Running Room's Pink Ribbon Skirt. It is SO pretty. I could totally see myself wearing it for many places other than running. It was quite long too - just above the knee. As a "skirt" this is a great length, but I wasn't sure how I'd feel about running in it. I almost bought it just to wear as a casual skirt - I liked it that much. And SUPER comfy. There are thin shorts built in underneath and they are almost as long as the skirt. This skirt is $54.99

The other one I liked was Mondetta Performance Gear's Hurdle

Jersey Skirt. It was quite a bit shorter - mid thigh, maybe even shorter. This is more the length that I imagined a running skirt to be. Definitely more just a skirt for running ... but I suppose that IS what I'm looking for. I actually loved the way my legs looked in this skirt. But, the one thing I didn't love was that because the skirt was shorter, so too were the shorts underneath. I think the shorts could have been just an inch or so longer and they still would have been shorter than the skirt, but they would have been long enough to cover the thigh bulge. This skirt is also $54.99

In the end I could not decide between the two so I didn't buy either. If I had more money at my disposal I would have bought both and given them a trial run. I'm still determined to get a running skirt, but may have to check out the other running store in town. I'm also going to look for some reviews online. Maybe the shorter skirt would be OK if I had some Glide to prevent chafing. If anyone reading this has any experience with running skirts I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sometimes a 2nd impression makes all the difference

Last week I blogged (here) about a woman who came out with my bootcamp instructor and I did not like her. She came out to watch as there was a possiblity that she might substitute once in a while. I predicted that if she came back I was going to butt heads with her.

Well .... last night she came out. My regular instructor went on a date night with her husband for his birthday. And guess what ....

I loved the class!!!!!! She was awesome!

That first time she came out she was all hard nosed Miss Tough Girl without a heart. But last night she was fantastic. She IS tough, but she's also smart & fun. I sweated WAY more than normal and I loved every second of it.

She mixed up cardio and strength moves so fast you didn't realize which you were doing because your heart never stopped pounding. I loved it!!! The only thing I didn't love was she had us do jumping jacks between sets while we waited for the others to finish and catch up and, well..... being a Mom, jumping jacks for prolonged periods are tough (if you've had a baby you know what I mean). Also, it was really irritating my sore foot - so I just substituded with high knee runs on the spot. I think that accomplished the same thing.

I didn't 100% stick to my eating plan yesterday, made a couple minor changes, but also was quite hungry after class so I went a bit higher on points - 26.

Today's plan:

Breakfast - Oatmeal & grapefruit
Lunch - raw veggies & hummus, ham wrap sandwich on a La Tortilla Factory hi fibre wrap, and Broccoli Soup
Snack - Yoghurt w/Vector cereal
Dinner - Crunchy Tilapia with coleslaw (homemade oil/vinegar dressing) & mashed potatoes

Total points - 22

Exercise - I'm going to give my foot a bit of a rest and do the elliptical and some weights tonight

Hummus Recipe

Jen at Priorfatgirl posted today about her love of hummus. Alot of people mentioned the ease of making it on your own. So I said I'd post a recipe. I just bought a tub of hummus but I really should just make it again.

It really is a super simple recipe to make, with SO many variations. Plus ... it's super cheap to make. Probably the biggest expense is the tahini, but you use so little so a jar will last a long time.

Store this in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. And have fun with the varieties you can make. Look to the prducts available at the grocery store for further suggestions of combinations - or just get creative. You could also take a batch and split it to make a few different combos.

HUMMUS (singing) "any way you want it ..... that's the way you need it"

1 - 19 oz. can Garbanzo beans (Chickpeas)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 1- 2 lemons (approx. 2-4 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper (and/or other spices) to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Drain Garbanzo beans and reserve liquid **see notes. Add beans to food processor along remainder of ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Add water (or reserved liquid) and continue to pulse until desired consistancy.

It is best once the flavours have blended for a while in the fridge (a few hours or overnight). But you can eat it right away.


NOTES:

Liquid - a lot of recipes recommend using the reserved liquid from the drained beans. However there is a lot of salt in that liquid and you may want to just use water and then adjust salt to taste.

Garlic - use as much or as little as you like. Apparently roasted garlic is a more mellow taste, but I like it zippy.

Lemon juice - You can use bottled, but fresh just seems to taste best. Again, you might want to experiment with the amount you use. Start with less and add more.

Tahini - (paste of ground sesame seeds) Usually found in the specialty (Middle Eastern) area of your grocery store. I've heard you can substitute peanut butter, but I wouldn't. I have made hummus without any tahini, but it's much better with it.

Olive Oil - do NOT leave out in an attempt to lower fat/calories. It's a healthy oil and it definitely makes hummus … hummus!

Seasonings - Add to taste. There is a ton of variety here. You can add any of the following on their own or in combination (be creative): black pepper, cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper, hot sauce, chipotle or jalapeno pepper (SPICY!), roasted red pepper, sundried tomato, chives, cilantro, chili pepper, parsley

Well, new location but not new instructor - which is OK. I was sort of hoping for someone new just because I like variety, but how can you complain when you already like the person. We did a ton of stairs. These stairs are super long too so by the time you get to the top your heart is just begging to jump out of your chest.

Only thing was I found the class to be too short. We ran the track for warm-up. Then ran a lap of the track, then up and down all the sets of stairs (ummm, guessing about 6 full sets and 4 half sets). Then we used the rubber bands and did some chest, back and shoulder work. Then a couple minutes of plank and lower abs and we were done.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this class should be at least an hour & a half. Though there was a ton of people in class who would strongly disagree.

Eating was not fantastic yesterday by any means: Kaiser bun w/ham, English Toffee Cappucino, 2 sticks licorice, mac & cheese, 3 cookies, pea soup, 1 pierogi, ham sandwich. That came up to 32 points and I labelled it my "Carb & Sugar day" - yuck!

Today is going better....

Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Raw carrots, celery & red peppers with spicy hummus, Ham Sandwich
Afternoon Snack (pre work-out) - yoghurt & strawberries, Small La Tortilla Factory wrap with Almond Butter
Dinner - Beef stew (with lots of veggies)

This comes out to 21 points (which is where I should be)

Temporarily on Hold

We apologize for the inconvenience, however this blog has temporarily been on hold. :)

Work is crazy right now. Life is crazy right now. Something has to give.

Normally my work is a pretty boring place, especially in recent years. However, at the moment I have to organize a shipment of a 40' container to Sweden that contains well over 100 different items. I have to look up each item individually and assign it with these stupid tariff codes for customs. It's amazing how much they can break items down - and honestly I don't believe in the end it really makes that much difference. Even when you go to the border, those guys guess half the time. But ... it has to be done. It's painfully boring and slow work.

Then at home I also have all of our company bookkeeping to do and as it's a new company it's slow going to make sure it's all set up correctly.

But ... tonight I start another new session of bootcamp. Which means I'll be going twice a week for the next 6 weeks. This is at a different location with a different instructor. There is a massive set of bleachers there so I imagine that will be a BIG part of our workout. I'm quite excited, though a bit nervous about who the instructor will be.

Sunday I got out for a really nice long run by myself. The trails were super, super busy and I had the dog with me. But now my foot is bugging me again. I probably should rest it, but I don't want to (whiny baby).

I had ventured away from tracking for a few weeks and what do you know ... I put on a couple pounds. Though that's coupled with impending TOM so I'm not too concerned. A couple days ago I brought out my trusty notebooks again and am writing everything down - no matter if it's good, bad or ugly. I've made myself spreadsheets in Excel, I've used online journals, I've posted on forums ..... but I think the thing that works for me best is the little dollar store notebooks and a pen by my bed.

Bootcamp times TWO!

Last night was my bootcamp class. Every week the instructor tells us that we're welcome to stay for the 2nd class if we want to. Everyone else rolls their eyes and says "yeah right!". But me ... well the idea has been milling around for a while. Almost just to see how I would do.

So yesterday I posted on a forum I'm on that I was going to stay and do the 2nd class.

I got to class and first thing ... the parking lot is FULL - like crazy full. Apparently the local hockey club was having their team photos done. I eventually find parking and then fight my way towards the room that we always start in. As I get there, the instructor & class are heading out the door. Apparently because of this hockey thing, the room we were use was locked up and unavailable. The city is horrible about anything that happens at this facility (poor equipment, communication ... ).

One thing I can say about my instructor is she is amazingly adaptable. Whatever curveball she is thrown, she will catch and toss right back. So we head out to a side parking lot and gravely field to do our class. But she has another surprise for us. She has another instructor with her who wanted to watch over the class (and co-instruct) because she will be teaching a few of the sessions in the future. Right off the bat I don't care for this woman. Apparently she's very hard core (which is fine) but I get the sense that there is not a warm bone in her body. She tells us that she makes her students count out every rep - out loud - and we're not allowed to stop until we do. I can promise you right now she will NOT get me to do that. If I wanted to count out loud I'd be an instructor. I do think you should be ABLE to count for yourself, I just don't see why I should be forced to do it out loud. But the class was pretty good considering the conditions. We did lots of running to warm up. Then we ran flights of stairs. Although, again here, this other instructor rubbed me wrong. I had left for a moment to go the bathroom and when I came back I asked someone how many flights of stairs we needed to do each set - and was told ONE. When I came to the other set of stairs I noticed people were doing multiple sets, so I asked the instructor what we were supposed to be doing and she told me FOUR sets. Then the other instructor said I was lucky she wasn't in charge because she makes her students do push-ups or something for not doing the right amount. My blood boiled. I am NOT a slacker - ever! And I said as much too. I always push as hard as I can, much harder than most of the students. Then near the end of class (after doing sprints, lunges, push-ups, dips, bicep curls, squats...) this "other" instructor takes over and tells us all to get down on the ground for sit-ups. Now I'm not a wussy, but this was a dirty, dusty field covered with tons of rocks and twigs, and in odd places bits of glass. I just thought it was SO stupid. I actually got down after a few minutes and did a few sit-ups, but then I got up and said this was crazy and I went and did a plank against a curb instead. I'm thinking if this other instructor comes back to lead a class we are going to butt heads!

Anyhow, even after all of that, I stayed for the 2nd class. Partly because I'd had a slack couple of days, but mostly because I had already said to my online friends that I would (ahh the power of accountability). I think I actually shocked my instructor - I don't believe she really expected I would stay. I think I may have shocked the other instructor as well because not only did I stay, but I definitely pushed it harder than anyone in that class. I can't believe the difference between that group of people and the ones in my group.

I did well with eating yesterday. I had posted my intended meals on that forum as well and managed to stick to it. This is a great little victory for me. Now I just need to keep it up.

Tonight I'm making chicken enchiladas for dinner. Not really the lowest calorie meal I could have, but I will keep portion size small. The big challenge tonight will be that I have to bake. I volunteered to supply something for a cake walk at school. I tried to pick up something premade at the grocery store yesterday so I could avoid the temptation (homemade baked goods do me in!), but there just wasn't really anything suitable. So I'm stuck baking. :(

Thank You Prior Fat Girl!

I haven't gotten around to posting for a few days. Was a busy weekend and has been an unusually busy few days at work this week.

I wanted to give a big, huge THANK YOU to Jen at Prior Fat Girl. I won her contest last week to receive a Hungry Girl 200 Under 200 Cookbook. I'm SO excited and can't wait for it arrive. This weekend I was at Costco and they had the book there ($13.50 Cdn and it looks like it's worth every penny). I just quickly briefed through it, but I can't wait to try some recipes from there.

On Sunday I had the most amazing run! It's been quite a while since I've just run for the sake of running. I had no time goals in mind, didn't do anything training specific - like intervals, I just RAN! I chatted with my friends, I looked around at the scenery and didn't give a single thought to running. It felt SOOOO good!

Then this morning I woke up earlier than I normally do and felt fairly energetic. So I went downstairs and hit the treadmill for 5K. I'm not normally a morning exerciser, but that felt fantastic.

I'm struggling alot lately with tracking and eating more than I should be. I can't seem to track 2 days in a row at all lately and I'm eating even when not hungry (boredom maybe??). Feeding at least 5 adults and 2+ kids, we've been having more variety at dinner, and I know I'm taking more than I should be. I find even if I just take a little bit of each thing, it still adds up to alot more than what I've normally been eating. I need to limit my choices to just those foods that I really want. There's just no reason to have a bun when I'm alreay having pasta. And I don't need to eat chicken and pork just because there is 2 options. It's all in my control and I need to remember that.