Climbing Binge, Running off the Anxiety, ASICS GT-2000's How I love you so, and some food pictures.

I can already tell that this post is going to be all over the place.  I haven't been posting my regular workout schedule because I'm not really training for anything right now and I don't want to bore you with three weeks worth of updates.  If you would like to read all of the last three weeks of past workouts. You can click on my Strava page.  Or you can also join Strava, and we can follow each other....

Climbing Binge and Running off the Anxiety

Last week I went on a 10-mile trail run, and I climbed over 1100 feet during this run.

Strava keeps track of my weekly mileage and elevation, and I do have an addictive personality... After that run, on Tuesday, I wanted to see how many feet I could climb for the whole week.  My original goal was to climb 2500 feet, and then I decided to bump that goal up to 3000 feet.  I ended up climbing 2,991 feet.

Close but, no cigar

 I ran all 7 days last week, and I hit 42 miles.. That's  something I normally wouldn't do because I enjoy my rest days.  However, I think because I had started classes last Monday,  I'm feeling a bit more high strung than usual.  Running is one of the ways that I blow off steam. It also makes me feel more relaxed.  I used to drink alcohol on a regular basis, and I used alcohol as a way to cope for a very long time.  I'm glad that I don't drink anymore.  But, sometimes during times of stress, those nasty cravings will rear their ugly head....  I will always have to try to  remember how far I have come.

Picture from the foothills on Saturday

Sunday's Run, Doesn't this look creepy?

Here's the view from the other direction. I still felt uneasy
running in an isolated area.

ASICS GT-2000's How I love you so!

** Feel free to skim through this part of the post, if you don't need a stability shoe, my feet pronate and I have worn a stability trainer for most of my running years.**

At the beginning of the year, I was rotating two pairs of shoes.  the Brooks Adrenaline 15 and the Saucony Guide 8.  Both shoes are good, but they aren't perfect.

I've run about 100 miles in these shoes, and I've just about
given up on making them work.

The Brooks Adrenaline 15 is a nice firm ride with lots of cushioning, this pair has been especially troublesome because the fit of the shoe was cut too small.  I also don't like the fact that the heel to toe drop on this shoe is 12mm. I think this may have been making my heel striking even worse.

I like you much better than the Brooks.

The Saucony Guide  8 is lightweight for a stability shoe, and it fits like a glove.  The heel to toe drop is also a less severe 8mm.  My only issue with this shoe is that it is not as firm as I would like it.  My arches (flat feet) need a little more support sometimes. I like this shoe for mid-long runs, but I would be worried about wearing it for a 20 miler.

 The ASICS GT-2000 3 feels like the best of both worlds.  The heel to toe drop is 8mm, but the ride is nice and firm, and the cushioning is great.  I seem to be more drawn to these shoes.

Loving you is easy cause you're beautiful...

 I started wearing this shoe right before I got sick (early February) I wore them for two short runs of 3 miles each, But, I didn't really start training in these until after the half marathon.  These shoes are my favorite pair to wear right now.

My hip also hasn't been bothering me so much either. I wonder if it's because of the lower heel to drop ratio, and maybe because I'm not heel striking as much?  I also haven't been doing any intense interval speed work either...

Food Pictures

During the week, my husband gets home from work before I do most nights.  He's in charge of dinner most of the week.  But, on the weekends, I really enjoy cooking and baking treats for my family.  I wanted to show you some of the things that I have made over the last couple of weeks.

I finally figured out how to make crispy tofu.

j

Multi grain dinner rolls.  These have hemp seeds, hemp oil and oatmeal
in them in addition to regular wheat flour.  I have to sneak in
protein and Omega 3's wherever I can with my picky kids.

Almost vegan cookies.  These are pumpkin, hemp, chia,
cranberry, coconut, dark chocolate chip cookies.
The only thing that isn't vegan are the dark chocolate chips.
I used Vegan margarine, and pumpkin puree as the liquid base.

Avocado Egg Rolls. Not the healthiest meal, but it
tasted so good!

Vanilla Cake, with berries on top.

I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for reading :)