Last day at the office!

I could not be happier that this is my final day coming into the city to work in an office. I much prefer to work at home. I am glad I could be of help to my current client, but I have learned that I need to be able to control my environment, work hours, etc. My previous client seems to be picking up steam, so I am going to be more available to help him get the ball rolling. While it was nice to have the steady income, I just don't think I like the idea of giving up my freedom for it. Hopefully, my first client will be able to pay me very soon and I won't have to worry so much. With all the work that needs to be done around the house, I am not sure how much longer I can wait.

Today's workout was decent. 10 minutes up hill, 10 minutes stair climbing, and pulling some weights was a nice change of pace. I am still recovering from the accidental gluten ingestion. The weight hasn't left as of yet, but I am sure it will take my intestines a couple of days to detox. I can't believe how much this has set me back. This allergy is going to take some getting used to. When C was diagnosed, I was mostly good about it with my grocery shopping, but would allow myself the occasional glutenous treat (pun intended!). Now, that isn't allowed, so there is a lot more research required. I did go to Starbucks today, but only for a coffee (real coffee, not that foo foo stuff). I was eyeing all the yummies behind the display case. I grabbed a Naked Smoothie...some treat!

However, there are some benefits to following this GF lifestyle. Many of my problems have reversed. I had my first 28 day cycle (has never happened), and until today, has been fairly light. Today, more in the medium range. I have a feeling that if my mother had taken her own doctor's advice about staying away from gluten when she was a teenager, many of her feminine issues would never have occurred. Of course, there needs to be much study on this. I have a sneaking suspicion that the American lifestyle of loading up on breads has caused not only the obesity epidemic, but also many of the illnesses people suffer from, rather they are overweight or not. My stepdaughter has so many feminine issues, but is not in any way overweight. If she could give up the gluten, I think she would feel a lot better.

OK, I am stepping off my soapbox now! Have a good day!

Update from Starbucks (and a little bragging!)

Received information from Starbucks on the ingredients of the Java Chip Frap. Just as I suspected: the chocolate chips include some cookies and have "unbleached unenriched white flour" in them. Explains the tummy ache, headache and 2 pound weight gain (my intestines bloat from the dying of the celia). Ugh! Just another thing I have to take off my treat list.

Today was a great run! 4 miles in 38:25. Tomorrow is cross training and I am very glad. Had a little ham trouble this morning. Tomorrow will be slow uphill and stair climbing, with a lot of stretching. Saturday is a rest day. Sunday, the long run. Hoping to make an hour.

GF followers, beware!

OMG! So, I have been treating myself with the yummy and fabulous Java Chip Frappuccino, thinking it was just milk, chocolate, whip and so on. No, no, no! Apparently, there is some form of gluten involved in the creation. I managed to get the worse headache, which is finally waning, and a serious tummy upset. I looked it up and it seems all Fraps are OK EXCEPT Java-Chip. Ugh! That so sucks! I contacted Starbucks to find out the deal, so I will report their answer later. So not feeling great right now!

Yesterday, against my body's wishes, I forced myself to the gym for the free weight class. It was good and I was glad I went. This morning, I managed a 5K in 29:20 at a nice easy pace. I was supposed to do a full 45 minute run, but it seems the treadmill did not agree with my plans. It timed out at 30 minutes and forced a cool down. I spoke with the staff and they said I simply picked the wrong one. So, tomorrow I have a 50 minute run scheduled and I know to stay away from number 4. Let's hope number 3 is more compliant to my wishes!

Next week I will be home. My contract with my client is ending, and I am actually pretty happy about it. I prefer to work from home. I didn't think I would, but the freedom of getting my work done at my leisure rather than someone else's schedule appeals to me. I also have a lot of office cleaning that needs to happen, not to mention some yard work! Plus, it gives me a couple of weeks with my girls before they start back to school. C has a pretty hectic schedule starting soon, so it will be good to be home for that. The only problem will be my lack of income. I am hoping I find another client soon. Writing business plans will be much better than acting as someone's lacky!

Cross training

This is a subject most runners I know like to avoid. Cross training is one of those activities that I really don't like. I know it is imperative to becoming a faster runner, but the whine wants to come out with "I don't wanna!". However, I force myself to partake at least once a week, sometimes twice. There is a class at my gym that is all free weights. I try to go every week, and it is great for my entire body. We do squats, lunges, and various lifts that target the triceps and biceps. As a runner, I find that my upper body is never as conditioned as I would like it to be. So, I force myself into this free weight torture. Other cross training I like to employ is the stair climber. It is a great workout for the backside and can really work up a sweat. I have also been known to participate in a spin class. I think the trick with cross training is to mix it up. Otherwise, the workout gets stagnant. I also add some core strengthening exercises, and that about rounds it out.

BTW, all this diet and exercise stuff seems to be working. I find that my clothes are getting too loose! Pretty soon I will have to partake is my favorite cross training activity: Shopping!

Stress and diets

As many runners will attest to, running is a great way of venting stress. While it is still important to be careful and not injure yourself during a hard run, it really is a great way of taking out your troubles. This morning, I woke up stressed. It was the weirdest thing because I never really get stressed out about things; a little high strung, but not really stressed. Why stressed first thing in the morning? Well, I had a dream about cake. I love cake and have always had a sweet tooth. Recently, I was diagnosed with having an intolerance to gluten. This should be no surprise, as my oldest daughter has full on Celiac Disease, and my youngest is also sensitive to gluten. So, per my doctor's recommendation, I gave it up, cold turkey.

At first, no issues. I simply cleaned out the cabinets and fridge, and made sure to stay away from the grocery store bakery. I also found some gluten free treats for that sweet tooth. However, I find that I still crave the sweets I used to enjoy: cookies, cakes, pies, all the stuff that I packed on my rear end! Sure, the GF sweets are ok, but they lack the texture. Luckily, Pamela's Products makes an excellent pancake and baking mix. While I have only tried the pancake recipe, I am excited to try the coffee cake recipe.

There is good news to following the diet that is best for my body: I have dropped more than 10 pounds pretty  effortlessly. I actually dropped most of the weight before I started running. While running, though, I have only shed another 2 pounds. I am sure this is mostly due to water retention and letting my stomach get the better of me. I tend to overdo it on the cheese (hey, I gotta have something, right?) when I make eggs. I also snack on GF cereal (Chex Cinammon is so yummy). And, one of my favorite junk food indulgences is Starbuck's Java Chip Frappacino. GF and so yummy! Yes, I know, full of calories and fat, but so yummy! I only allow one per week, and that is only if I had attained a goal (Can anyone say a 5K in less than 28?!).

I always try to remember that being GF isn't the worst thing in the world. A friend of mine has a son who cannot ingest Gluten, Eggs, Dairy and most anything kids love. The poor kid is stuck with adult food forever. She is glad to find the reason for his ailments that have plagued him for years, but it still sucks for that poor guy.

Many like to equate GF to the Atkins diet, especially at restaurants. The two are very dissimilar. On Atkins, there are very few option. Green leafy veggies, limited amounts of fruit, meat and cheese. However, on a GF diet, all fruits and veggies are allowed, as well as natural ice cream (read the ingredients), grains (oats, rice and corn, but no bulgher, wheat, rye or barley), meats, dairy, etc. It really is much easier than most imagine. But, I never forget the indulgence of a huge piece of German Chocolate cake and the moist texture GF flour just cannot provide.

Lovin' the downhill!

I love running downhill. You can run totally relaxed and feeling slow, but you have gained a full minute on your typical run. Today, my first mile was in 8:30 and my second was in 8:18. It was nice to gain so much ground so fast, but when it was time for the last half mile, which is mostly uphill, I was ready to die! I really hate uphills! But, I do not run away from them all the time. Tomorrow morning, I have to go pick up my car that I dropped off today. And, you guessed it, since I dropped it off and got to run downhill, tomorrow I have to run up hill to pick it up. What goes down must go up, right? I expect my times will be more in the 10-11 minute range, but it is good practice. Uphill running is amazing for that gluteus maximus! If only my lungs could keep up with my legs!

I will check back tomorrow, if I make it!

Not a great week

Not sure why, but my training is not going so well this week. Sunday, I did not have much energy and ended up doing mile repeats at a slower than average pace (9:40). Yesterday, I increased to 1.5 mile repeats, but at an average of 9:50. Today I kind of threw in the towel and opted for some cross training. Uphill walk for 10 minutes, stair climber for 10 minutes, pull weights for 20 minutes and abs for 10 minutes. Tomorrow I have to drop off the car at the local mechanic's and run home (about 2 miles). I am hoping an outdoor run will help get me over this slump. I am looking forward to the end of my current employment contract (next Friday). I really prefer to work at home. It makes my time a lot more flexible for exercise. I am thinking of incorporating some of my exercise videos to punch things up. I think I may be getting into a rut. Ugh!