A Littlle Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Howdy!

As I sit down to work on my blog today, I think I am suffering from a case of of split personality. Every time I start to write, I am torn between writing about the hilarious joke Eric just told me and covering the latest news article regarding the health and fitness world. I love reading blogs that are entertaining and light hearted, but I'm not a huge fan of the ones that just talk about how much they work out or what they ate that day. What am I learning from that?? On the other hand, if I wanted to read a research paper, I would just go pick up one of my textbooks. I strive to find a healthy balance of information and humor. What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you read blogs to be entertained or to find out new information?

This is what I don't want you to feel like after reading my blog! [source]

The October Veggie Challenge is going pretty well so far. I have found so many fun ways to use mushrooms (or I just use a lot of them when I do use them), that I have already finished off and entire bag! Today, I stuffed as many mushrooms as I could fit into the pita I packed for lunch! The mushrooms had to make friends with black beans, hummus, avocado, and spinach, as they were all sandwiched into the pita as well. Talk about a veggie party! Yes, yes I know that was corny.


Half-marathon training is off and running (no pun intended). I am really enjoying the cooler weather and taking my runs outside whenever possible. I have started adding hills to my  runs to prepare for the hilly terrain of the White Rock. "Terrain" sounds a little dramatic, but there will definitely be some decent size hills during the race. Although my legs complain the entire way up, I know running hills is a killer workout.

According to Runners World, adding hills into your training routine can help you:
  • increase leg strength (I can feel my glutes lifting and my hamstrings tightening all the way up!)
  • increase speed
  • increase muscular endurance
  • prevent injury (by increasing leg strength)
  • burn more calories compared to the same distance on a flat surface

Even knowing all of those benefits, I still have to give myself a little pep talk every time I leave our neighborhood. So far, I have found 3 different routes near our house. If I take a left out of our neighborhoodd, I find myself on one of the two nice flat and inviting routes. However, if I take a right, I know my legs are going to be talking to me before I even finish my warm-up. Not that that's a bad thing! So here's to going Right! Check out this article by runnersworld.com to learn how to add hills to your training program. I have been adding, "hilly power runs," to my routine twice a week.

Food for thought:
What makes a good blog?
Have you found any good veggie recipes lately?

Yours truly,

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5 Comments »

5 Responses to “A Littlle Bit of This and A Little Bit of That”

  1. I like a combo of what you ate/did in the gym supplemented with the facts. As for the marathon training, the cold actually makes me want to stay in! I hate the cold! I also have 2 main running paths with some variations based on the distance I need. I either come down Wellborn and loop main campus, or come down Finfeather / Agronomy and run on west campus. The problem I have is that my brain gets way too used to the way the end of my run looks and as soon as I see the "light at the end of the tunnel" my body decides it's okay to get tired. Do you ever get this problem when you're about a mile away from home coming back on your usual path?

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  2. I love the idea of a veggie challenge. I am lucky enough to have a boyfriend who will try anything and doesn't balk at my "pizza." On busy weeknights when I am craving comfort food, but don't want the calories I load up on this specialty. I just buy a pre-made pizza crust, bag of my veggie cheese (diaya is awesome - you can avoid a LOT of cholesterol and animal fat this way even if you are a dairy eater), crushed tomatoes (as a healthier sauce substitute) and tons of different veggies. Some of the best are mushrooms, spinach (I usually put a layer of the fresh stuff between the sauce and cheese) & green onions. If you still "need" that meat taste, turkey pepperoni is the way to go! HINT: a dash of sea salt over the tomato sauce makes a lot of difference. This was pretty long....i should have blogged it....oh well!

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  3. Monica: Thanks for the feed back. I will try and stay in the middle of the road. Yes, I definitely have the same problem! Especially if I am running a loop that makes me pass back by my house!

    Gretchen: You are very lucky to have an open minded boyfriend! But Eric just wouldn't be Eric if he didn't eat like a dinosaur! Your pizza sounds absolutely delicious. I will have to try it asap! I have switched to mostly soy products lately, so I will have to give diaya a try. Thanks for the great idea!

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  4. okay, i know you won't believe me, but i sincerely enjoy running up hills. i don't know why, maybe it gives my quads a break and works my glutes/hammies more?? maybe it's easier on my knees? or maybe i'm just a masochist, who knows, :)

    as for blogs, my favourites are those i can learn something from, mostly health and fitness, not necessarily recipes. what can i say - i'm a nerd. i actually find learning entertaining :P

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  5. Veronica: So apparently rapid text on my iphone thinks your name should be Monica. Sorry about that!

    Angela: I don't think you're crazy! I wish I loved running up hills as much as you do. I'm glad you find learning entertaining. That's how I feel about books as well. I can't remember the last time I read a fiction book. Right now I'm reading a book called, "You are what you eat." It's really entertaining and interesting!! Thanks for the feedback!

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