Things I'm Loving (May Edition)

I don't know where the time has gone! It's June already and I feel like I'm playing catch up. However, I couldn't let another day pass without sharing my May Favorites.

These funny looking things are called "altramuces" or more colloquially "chochos." In English they're called Lupin beans but I've never seen them in a supermarket in the States or heard anyone talking about them. With good reason too because it's a real chore to cook Lupin beans.

If you don't cook them correctly you can get poisoned! It takes at least a week of rinsing and soaking and boiling to make them edible. Here in Spain they're eaten as a snack like potato chips or nuts. You put them in the fridge and in the summer you have a nice, cool, satisfyingly salty treat!

"Tinto de verano" is another summer time treat. It's a typical drink made from red wine and lemon soda. Whenever I go to a restaurant I order it and sometimes I even buy it bottled from the supermarket.

This vegetable I recently introduced myself to and since then have become obsessed! Leeks are so delicious and I like them best sauteed with just a touch of oil and some salt and pepper. I'm also digging soba noodles. Be sure to check out these vegan recipes if you want to know some quick and easy ways to cook both leeks and soba noodles.

GoogleImages

In a quest to save money my husband and I have started making our own bread and our own hummus. We eat hummus almost everyday and a small container at the supermarket is almost 2€. While a bottle of garbanzos is only 0.30€ and makes a large container that lasts more than 3 days!

GoogleImages

Not sure why, but once the warm weather hits the cravings for sweets intensifies. Since my husband and I are now vegan it gets harder and harder to buy pre-packaged goods anywhere really. I don't mind making our own things but there isn't always time to do so. Plus, at the end of a long day I like to grab something already cooked in the cupboard. These soy ice creams and dried fruit pieces really help to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Flavors: mango, papaya and ginger

Okay, so now onto a couple of non-food related items. 

I'm loving my hair accessories right now for the summer. It's such a cute way to easily spice up any hair style.

These are just a few. Please Look at Week 37 Hair, Week 46 Hair, and Week 50 Hair Part 2 for more pics.

I also can't live without my all-natural sunscreen I purchased from Smart Girls Who Surf, my African black soap, my coconut oil or my nail polish. 

I sweat a lot and I love washing my face with my black soap at the end of the day. It contains no chemicals and quickly washes away all dirt, oils, and makeup from my face effortlessly.

During the day I apply and re-apply my sunscreen because we all know we have to protect the delicate skin of the face from those harsh rays! I also use it when I go running because it's waterproof.

The coconut oil I like because it is a denser oil that helps my hair to better retain moisture with the hot, dry, summer climate here in Córdoba. I find it works better than olive oil and isn't as thick as castor oil.

Finally, nail polish is something I've always loved. But I usually only rock it in the summer because that's when those vibrant colors I like are in season.

What are some of your favorites from May?

May Reflections: Hair and Running

HAIR

Another updo with two daisies.

Last month was my 1-year HHCJ anniversary. It's strange but I didn't celebrate it with any bells and whistles. In fact I didn't really celebrate it at all! Last year when I started this journey I felt like a year was a long way off. Now that it's been a year I'm wondering where the time went.

In general I'm content with the progress that I've made. My continuing goal is to maintain healthy hair. I'm not obsessed with length, although I do want to continue to retain length. However, I doubt I'll do any further length checks.

I'm still figuring out what my hair likes and how to cope with my hair given my schedule restraints. I mentioned in the post Henna Application 2, that I wanted to try washing my hair every 2 weeks to cut down on manipulation. I don't like it. A clean scalp is important to me especially with all the exercising I do and 2 weeks is simply too long.

Now I want to try washing my hair with my twists in. (Check out Week 50 hair for more info) So this weekend I will wash and deep condition my hair with my twists in. When I apply my kimmaytube leave-in I will unravel each one individually, detangle, and then apply product.

On Tuesday of this week I did a "quick fix" because my hair needed some attention. I rinsed my scalp with a cheap conditioner really well and then applied my Aussie quick fix deep conditioner while I showered. My twists were still in the whole time. I rinsed it out and then applied my kimmaytube leave in, my Qhemet Biologics moisturizer and some coconut oil.

Since my hair gets very frizzy, I retwisted the perimeter of my head just so I would look presentable. I loved the results, my hair felt and looked great.

Overall, I'm trying to spend less time on my hair without sacrificing the health or appearance of it. I've learned to love my hair and how to manage it so that it's not only healthy, but also looks great too. I'm so happy I had the courage to embark on this journey because it's given me much more confidence in rocking my natural hair.

RUNNING

The conditioning program I started back in March has been going well. While I don't always get every, single, run in during the week and weekends I feel good. I feel like I'm still in shape, taking care of my body and am ready to start training on July 1st.

I've also already signed up for my second marathon in October! (more on that later!)

I've learned so much from when I started running in 2009 until now. I've gone through injuries, life-changes, and everything in-between, but I've stuck with it. I'm still running and still enjoying myself.

My goals for the future are to try trail running and ultramarathons! I plan to run my second marathon in October and the Seville marathon again in February of 2013. After that I want to concentrate on trying some trail running (smaller races at first) and then some ultramarathon training.

My over-arching goals are to stay fit, stay healthy, stay injury free and to continue to enjoy running! For the blog there's much more updates, thoughts and goals to come!

Week 50 Hair Part 2

In my haste to post my hair update this week I completely forgot to share one of my new hair purchases: butterfly clips! This is one above that I bought and I also bought three other smaller ones in different colors.

I'm really into hair accessories for the summer as well as head wraps. Tons of scarves have just been collecting dust in my drawers with no real use. 

They are too thin to wear during the winter and some are too small to wear around my neck at all! However they are perfect to be used as hair accessories. 

Youtubers have really inspired me by showing me how to tie and rock them in cute ways. I've already tried a bunch of different styles that I hope to share in the upcoming weeks.

Also, my puff that I showed in Week 37 Hair is going to be my primary protective style over the summer. As I've stated before, Córdoba weather is incredible drying and I'm already noticing that I have to apply more product to my hair.

So to protect my ends from excessive drying I've decided that when the real heat arrives I will tuck my hair away. The headbands that I showed in Week 46 Hair I plan to rock to spice up the puff along with any further hair accessories I buy.

My goal this summer is to retain moisture so that I don't experience any unnecessary shedding or breakage. I will definitely come back with pics of my scarf styles and once I finally start rocking my puff.

A quick break

This was me mentally the last few days! (GoogleImages)

So this post is an "addendum", so to speak, to yesterday's post about taking it easy ("Tómalo con calma"). I've been off from work for the May festivities here in Córdoba since Thursday and I haven't run since then!

My first day back running was today after I took a break on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

I don't feel guilty, bad, fat or any of those negative things I used to feel when I would miss even a day from running. Honestly, I feel like my body needed a bit of a break. Plus, what better time to take it than when I'm off of work as well?

This post just reiterates the importance of listening to your body and relaxing when you need to. This morning I felt recharged and ready to get back out there. 

It was starting to feel like a bit of a chore with work and having to get up before sunrise because of the heat. Now I feel like I've renewed my dedication while also giving my mind and body a needed escape. 

I recommend that everyone take a mini-break from life whenever they can. You will thank yourself later!

"Tómalo Con Calma"

GoogleImages

 Exactly, so why does every training day have to be the hardest training day? Well, it doesn't, and most importantly, it shouldn't because your body won't be able to fully recuperate.

 

I've written a few articles on this topic (such as Beginner Runners Part 2 -- Start off Slow, and, I am not invincible) and I keep coming back to it because:

1. It is so important and
2. I forget every now and then

The days that I take it slow are just as important, perhaps even more important, than the days I have to kick my own butt. 

In theory, about 70% of the miles (or kilometers) I run each week should be at a comfortable pace. 

This will help me to run faster on the days I need to and I will get more out of my training, according to my beloved Runners World magazine.

Currently, I only have 1 fast run per week, 2 slow runs, and 2 long runs at a steady pace, which I tend to run slower than my race pace. (Check out my conditioning program for more details.)

However, I have it in my mind that every time I run it has to hurt and I have to exert the maximum amount of effort possible. If I don't than I feel like I failed or that I didn't get the most out of my run.

It's crazy because I genuinely appreciate the days that I can take it a bit easier. In fact, I notice the difference in how my feet and legs feel when I do. 

They don't feel as tight, don't ache as much, and I have a lot more energy to do other things like spend time with my husband, go out, and go to work.

To help me slow down I've been running with one of the women I work with who runs at a much slower pace than I do. I run at her pace so we can chat while running and I don't even think about how "slow" I'm running. 

When I can't run with her I have to really focus on my speed. I pretty much know how long it should take me to run my current route when I'm running at a normal pace. So I concentrate on running slower than usual by looking at my watch and seeing how long it takes me.

I'm doing well, I think. It helps when I can read things that tell me that taking it slow will help, not hinder, my training.

So just some further reinforcement once training starts again this summer. My goals this time are to learn from past mistakes and not make them again!

How do you take it slow when your body needs a break?

Hydration Revisited

GoogleImages

I wrote a post way back about hydration and how important it is to hydrate when exercising in general, and especially, during hotter months.

Hydration has come back into my mind because I will be,yet again, training during the brutal summer months here in Córdoba. Where I live, the fall and winter are incredibly mild but the summer months are extremely dry and extremely hot. 

Temperatures can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius) during the day and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) at 12am. So there's not even much of a respite when the sun sets!

The best way I knew how to combat dehydration when I started training was to use a Camelbak. This allowed me to bring hydration (in the form of water) wherever I was.

It worked well but I've recently come across some literature that states that water alone may not be the best way to replenish liquids we lose while exercising. 

I was attracted to these articles because after an intense run I would drink at least 2 quarts of water (or 2 liters) and not feel completely hydrated. I'd still feel thirsty and a bit sluggish.

To combat this feeling I would make sure to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables with high water contents like cucumbers, watermelon, melon, lettuce, tomatoes...things like that. Eventually my fluid levels would come back to balance and I would feel OK.

This time around I want to try something different. I sweat a lot. After an intense workout I can lose anywhere from 2-3 pounds (about 0.96 to 1.36 kilos). That's a lot in my opinion. I want to make it easier for my body to hydrate itself during and after workouts. 

This is just another way I'm trying to take better care of my body like my foot stretches or my dynamic stretching routines. I hope this extra pampering will help me be a better and more efficient runner.

Here are some tips that I hope to incorporate into my training:

If you run for less than an hour...

The best way to hydrate is with mineral water because it supplies the body with liquid, calcium, and magnesium. You can make your own mineral waters by adding 200mg of calcium, 100mg of magnesium, and 1 gram of baking soda for each quart (or liter) of water you drink. 

According to this magazine, the baking soda helps enzymes in the muscles work at their optimal level for a longer period of time. Another good way to hydrate is with diluted fruit juices (2 parts water to 1 part juice).

If you run for more than an hour...

The best way to hydrate is with an isotonic drink that has a balanced mix of carbohydrates and sodium. When you run for longer than an hour our cells not only get thirsty, but they also get hungry for carbohydrates, which is their energy.

To make this use mineral water, carbohydrates (maltodextrin), calcium, magnesium and salt. You should only use about 8 grams of maltodextrin for every 3.38 ounces (or 100 milliliters) of water. 

In addition a 1:1 ratio of water and fruit juice is another choice (50% mineral water, 25% apple juice, 25% grape or pineapple juice).

Hydration after training...

Of course you have to continue to hydrate after running because your muscles need to recuperate energy, nutrients, and minerals. 

The best beverage is beer without alcohol because it is an isotonic drink. It contains calcium (which helps carbohydrates reach the muscles), magnesium (which aids against muscle cramps), and phosphorus (which aids in the growth of bone marrow). 

The runner up is chocolate milk, which I used to drink after running before I went vegan, and finally, vegetable broth (a surprise to me).

I am very excited to try these drinks using my Camelbak! You can buy maltodextrin online and at different health food/sports stores so I will check it out this summer. 

Either way I'm sure that I will be more properly hydrated and, as a result, feel better during and after my workouts.

Like the magazine states, water (just water) should never be drunk by athletes because it doesn't contain calcium, sodium or magnesium! It's just not adequate enough. Other "no-nos" are:

lemonade

iced tea

sodas

non-diluted fruit juices

oxygenated water

Many of these drinks contain way too much sugar and lack other nutrients like the ones mentioned above.

What do you drink to stay hydrated during and after workouts?

Week 50 Hair

Well, it's almost Week 50 Hair. It will be this weekend but I actually washed my hair yesterday because I had to.

I'd gone almost 4 WEEKS without shampooing my hair! It was simply because of lack of time (work is no joke) and laziness. So it had to be done.

This time around I think I will just wash my hair with the twists in. So I will shampoo every week but only once every two weeks I'll take the twists down.

I want to see how it goes because I really don't like having a dirty scalp, especially with the weather getting warmer and me about to start training. Even now I sweat A LOT! 

So I know this is a super short post but just wanted to let you know what is up with the hair. Maybe I'll come back with pics next week as I wash with the twists in. 

I'm nervous because I know I'm going to have to battle frizz. We'll see how it goes...