November Goals

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Yesterday I glanced at the calendar and realized:

I have a lot of crap to accomplish this year before my marathon!

February seems like a long way off (although next week is my half marathon!)...to me anyway. But the calendar brought it all back into perspective, which is a good thing. I function rather well with goals and to-do lists. It's so satisfying to accomplish something and then cross it off a list. So satisfying.

To help jump start myself this month in preparation for the rest of the year, and the following year, I created a check list. Many of them are on-going but that's OK. I want to at least be thinking of them and acting on them.

1. Try more hairstyles -- Obviously not marathon related but also important to me. Read my post Week 23 Hair for more detail.
2. Try different gym classes -- At first the gym membership was mainly to get my mom to the gym. She's one of those I-have-to-go-with-someone-else-or-I-won't-go people. That's fine, however, I'm enjoying going to the gym now as well! There are a lot of class offerings that I want to try. So even if my mom isn't interested we are going to have to go solo. To ease her into the transition I scheduled us up for a pilot class: Pilates. It's on November 10th and I'm really excited because I've been wanting to try it for awhile. Since it's a pilot class we will be given special attention. There are only 6 people to a class and we get 30 minutes.
3. Re-incorporate Fartlek -- I need to find a track! The same problem I've had since moving to the States. There are a few near me so I need to make more of an effort to incorporate them into my routine and my schedule.
4. Vegan recipes -- The first vegan recipe I made (with no help from online searches!) really inspired me. I am committed to this vegan challenge and motivated to find more vegan recipes. I made a new one last week and will post it to the blog on Thursday so check it out! There's also a cookie recipe I can't wait to make. I now follow a few vegan "experts" on twitter and have bookmarked a few recipe databases for vegans. Check out: peta.org and vrg.org (Vegetarian Resource Group) if interested.
5. Go out more -- Yes, the hubby and I are in a rut. We need to get out more.
6. Stretch -- This is something I always promise myself and I'm good for about 2 weeks and then I get lazy. This week in preparation for the half marathon I'm not doing any running. I'm going to the gym and doing some cardio in classes or on the static bike, maybe elliptical, and STRETCH. I want to have refreshed legs come Sunday. After the half marathon I'm still going to stretch because I'm sick of having tight legs all the time!
7. Foot exercises -- Also been lazy in this area. All the exercises I'd like to incorporate into my regimen are written down and organized. But I haven't done even one. I haven't even put them on the blog! So this month I'll share with you all what I plan to do from now until the marathon.
8. Tapering -- This part of marathon training is a mystery so I need to start researching it.  I've already decided to start tapering January 29th 2012.
9. Energy -- I am super curious about all the gels, jelly beans etc. that marathoners out there use to stay hydrated and fueled during their runs. I want to try some of it to see if it works for me. Mainly because I don't like the feel of water slushing around in my stomach when I run. So I usually don't drink anything, which is a bad practice.
10. Winter gear -- I went running at 7am on Sunday as part of my last "mock run" before the half marathon. I wore some shorts over leggings, a moisture-wicking shirt (that also maintains your body's temperature) and a long-sleeve shirt over that. I WAS FREEZING! Mostly my fingers. I couldn't finish the last 2 miles because I thought my fingers were going to fall off. Never again, so I need to get some winter running gear. I got injured around the end of November last year so I have no experience running in colder temperatures. That long run was learning the hard way.
11. STAY INJURY FREE AFTER THE HALF MARATHON! -- Self-explanatory. :)

So those are my goals. Let's see how these 4 weeks pan out.

Do you have any goals for the upcoming month? The end of the year? Tomorrow?

Week 23 Hair

Next week is my 6 month HHCJ mark! 

I'm excited to see if my hair has grown. It's interesting when you establish a routine because you don't really notice the progress that you are making.

For me, I don't feel like my hair has done much since the last time I measured it. 

Not for any particular reason. I still do the same things, but I think I'm getting a little bored.

One positive thing about my wash routine this week is that it was a lot easier to detangle and I didn't have many shed hairs. This morning I went to run at 7am, and it was 30 degrees, so I wanted to wash my hair quickly and warm up.

Today I had the quickest detangling session since I started this journey.

To help motivate myself, I'd like to try some new products to "spice up" my routine. However, I still have lots of stuff to use up. I do need to purchase more deep conditioner so I hope to do so on Monday.

At the beginning of my journey I definitely went overboard with the products. I'm just discovering that now as I've still been using the same products for 6 months now.

Mainly because I was really inspired by the women on youtube. I wanted to try everything! There's still a bunch of things I'd like to try at some point.

Next week I will talk a lot more about my next steps in my journey. But I'll tell you one thing I know, without a doubt, that I want to work on:

Trying new hairstyles. 

I keep telling myself I will practice cornrowing and flat twisting and the dozens of other cute styles on youtube. But I never do. Actually, I'm rather good at cornrowing other people's hair. So I do know how to do it. I just need to take time and practice.

The hard thing is that I wash my hair every week and for me that is a chore! I do my long runs on Sundays as well as accompany my mom to the gym. So after all that I don't have the energy to spend extra time working on styles.

As they saying goes, people find time for what they want to find time for. For me, I'd rather spend time:

Exercising
Writing
Watching other people do great styles on youtube
And now, finding vegan recipes.

Hair is a priority, but not a "top" priority...yet. Yes, it's a bit ridiculous because my hair is one of the main reasons I started this blog.

Like I said above, I believe I'm entering a HHCJ rut. So to snap myself out of it, I will try to make hairstyles a top priority in the near future.

We'll see how this develops over the coming weeks.

Week 24 Hair

Length check

Detangle

Shampoo

Deep condition

Kimmaytube leave in

Twists

(Weekly) Recipe: Stuffed Acorn Squash

This was supposed to be a weekly thing but I've been slacking recently. Not really slacking, it's just that I haven't made anything new or interesting. However, I'm trying to get back into it.

This recipe I invented on the fly. I wanted to make something to celebrate my vegan challenge and this is what I came up with. It was SUPER good! You all have to try it! It may be vegan but you can add things to it if you like or it can be the vegetable side dish.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 1 acorn squash (feeds 2 people)
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2  white onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 zucchini
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 eggplant
• 1/3 cup white wine
• oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste

First you want to cook the acorn squash. So rinse it, scoop out the seeds, and then cut it in half. Place it in a baking dish, cut side down, with a little bit of water (about 1 Tbsp.). Put it in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

While that is cooking you can cook the rice and rinse and chop up all the vegetables. Add first the onion and the green pepper and cook until fragrant with some extra virgin olive oil. 

Next, just add everything together (including the spices) and mix well. Add the white wine and lower the heat so it can simmer. Cook the vegetables until they are done to your liking. Add them to the rice once it's done.

When the acron squash is done, stuff it with the rice and veggie mixture. (You will have some of the mixture left. So look below for another recipe!)  Put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes and then take it out and start grubbing!

I can't tell you all again how DELICIOUS this recipe is. You have to try it! With the leftover rice mixture you make a new recipe the following day.

I was in a rush so I didn't have time to take pictures. But it was also SUPER yummy! This is something you can do with the other half of the eggplant when you make the above recipe. Plus, you can add any other veggies you need to use up before they go bad.

Rice and Beans with Veggies

•  1/2 eggplant
• 1/2 onion
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1/3 cup white wine
• Any spices and other veggies you like!

Cook the onion and broccoli with some extra virgin olive oil until they have a little bit of color. Then add the white wine, eggplant, mushrooms, spices etc. and lower the heat. Cover and simmer until done. Mix it with the rice and beans and you have another quick meal!

Back on Task

This weekend has been the most active weekend in a long time! That's why I wanted to share it with you all! It is so obvious that I don't have the chance to get out much, isn't it?

But now back to training.

Sunday

I ran my 12 miles and felt great while doing it. I don't know how, but I ran it faster than I wanted. I guess I was just excited to be back out there. I normally run it in 90 minutes, but I ran it in 85 minutes this time. Didn't plan on it but...well, next week I have 10 miles to run and I hope to bring the time up. You know, really focus on my running form, my breathing, and my pace. It's also my last "mock run" before the half-marathon.

Monday

My mom also went away for the weekend so she wanted to make up for the 3 days she missed by going to the gym everyday this week. However, she came home from work with a nasty headache. So I went on a 60 minute walk with my brother and did some light stretching.

Tuesday

I went on a 30-minute early morning run and did some ab exercises. Fall is getting closer and closer because it was FREEZING out! Although, the temperatures rise to the 70s during the day.

After work I went with my mom to the gym to get her 60 minutes in. We went to her favorite class: Sha'bam. For me it was only OK because we went to a different location. I didn't like the steps in the new location so I probably won't go to that class again.

Wednesday

My mom has body combat while I'll be doing weights and some ab exercises.

Thursday

Another early morning run (30 minutes) and then the gym after work.


Friday

We hit the gym again! This week is "Launch Week" so all the classes will be introducing new steps. But I have weight training again so my mom will have to get embarrassed all by herself learning the new steps!

Saturday

This is my rest day but if my mom wants to go to the gym I'm up for it.

Sunday

My last "mock run" before the half-marathon! The goal is 10 miles. I plan to imitate everything I will do the day of the event. 

I plan to: 

• get up at the same time 
• have the same breakfast
• wear the same clothes
• do the same warm up and stretches  
• run at the same time 

I'll provide a detailed summary of everything later.

This is turning out to be another active week. Next week I plan to limit how long, and how much, I run in preparation for the half-marathon.

But, again, details on that coming soon!

2011 NC State Fair

Friday of last week I went to the NC State Fair. It's held every year although this was only my second time attending. I actually didn't stay for as long as I would have liked but I ate everything I'd planned to!

We went the day we got back from our lovely anniversary getaway. So we were tired that night. However, since it was the last weekend we had to go. Initially, I had planned to add these pics to the anniversary post, but I got carried away!

So here's a couple of pics to wrap up my busy weekend.

I love taffy! Didn't eat any but it was neat how the machine kept spitting them out.

All your fried wants. Actually the fair also featured fried pickles, kool-aid, candy apples, snickers...the list goes on.

It was a nice night to go. There wasn't a lot of people and the weather was nice and cool.

Fried dough, funnel cake, whatever you call it, it's some good stuff. I was good and shared one.

Also in the mood for cheesy fries.

For dessert we had a cinnamon bun.

Chema wasn't brave enough to try a turkey leg...and I don't eat much meat. So we just stared in awe. I wonder what they do with the leftovers?

Of course the ferris wheel. We didn't get on any rides. That's when you notice how old you are when you are at the fair and don't even want to get on the ferris wheel!

What's not shown here is my half-eaten candy apple. I hadn't had one of those since I was a kid so I had to endulge. I remember why it's a kid's treat: those candy pieces are annoying when they get stuck in your teeth! I could have sucked on it like a lollipop but a red mustache isn't all that flattering for a 27-year-old. I also felt like I was going to have a mouth full of cavities the next morning.

It was business as usual on Saturday. Day 1 of our vegan challenge started and then Sunday was my typical long run day. My marathon training weekly update is coming soon so don't miss that!

All in all a nice, well-rounded, weekend. Next stop: Halloween!

Celebrating 3 years

Yes, Chema and I celebrated 3 years this Sunday, October 23rd! However, we went on a mini getaway to Grover, NC (right on the border with South Carolina) from Thursday to Friday of last week.

It was GREAT! It was so nice to get away. We ended up taking more than 300 pictures!

We stayed at a bed and breakfast. Our first experience with one but it was a nice transition because we had a suite with our own bathroom.

As the name suggests it is a historic place. It has tons of history from the Revolutionary War era and each room is decorated with a theme from that time. 

Our room was The Colonel Cleveland Room. Colonel Cleveland was a real person. The county where the bed and breakfasted is located is named after him. 

Another interesting detail is that the owner of the bed and breakfast was a former White House Chef. 

But talking about the place just doesn't do it justice! So I hope you enjoy the pics!

This was our bathroom. Full of yummy smelling lotions, soaps and perfumes for us to use! Behind the mirror were brand-new boxers, just in case you forgot to bring some.

 Our king-sized bed!

 The detail in the decoration around the fireplace was amazing. It was like this all around the bed and breakfast.

 Here you can see some old-fashinoned hat boxes, our lovely smelling towels, and dozens of other odds and ends.

 

 This treat was waiting for us on arrival. Homemade baklava, stawberries and chocolate.

 Here's a close-up. It was a shame there wasn't more of it!

I'm not a fan of dolls. But here they are.

 These are authentic irons by our fireplace.

These bookends are adorable.

The chef in the picture is the owner of the bed and breakfast. Yes, that's Bill and Hilary Clinton!

 Oh, and the Queen of England in the center.

Tons of maps from that time. The great thing about this place was that you could touch EVERYTHING! There were no limits. It was like being in a museum but you could play with the displays!

 Some close-up shots with former presidents.

Here I am pretending to freshen up at the vanity mirror in our room.

 It even had an old-fashioned perfume bottle.

The following pics are some shots from outside. Again, the details are astounding and by no means are these pictures exhaustive. Remember, we took more than 300 pictures!

 I wanted to sit down but it was too chilly. I bet it's nice in the spring though before it gets too hot.

 There was even an authentic campsite in the backyard!

 Some animal skins.

Where we had our breakfast.

This is an old battlefield in South Carolina. We were told that it was one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. The path is about 1.5 miles and takes an hour.

Apparently, the same guy who designed the Washington Monument designed this one too. No, I don't remember his name.

 Chema was fascinated by this tree because it has four trunks.

There I am! I'm trying to put my face a bit more in the blog. So here's another random picture!

There were a lot of these gravestones about.

 As well as these placards describing important places along the path.

It was an interesting experience. I recommend this bed and breakfast to anyone who loves history and who loves to eat. I bought this deal on LivingSocial and the room, a wine-tasting tour, and a free appetizer and dessert at one of the area restaurants was included. As well as a tour of the culinary museum where you learn about all of the knick knacks in the place.

I almost forgot to show you what we ate!

Our free appetizer: cheesy spinach dip with flatbread.

Our 2 main dishes: Fried catfish sandwich and smothered chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes.

It was sooooo good!

 

My one regret is not staying longer. We didn't even have time to do everything included in the deal. We didn't get to go on the wine-tasting tour or take advantage of our free dessert. Plus, there are dozens of beautiful places to visit nearby.

At least we know where to go the next time we want a quick getaway!

Introducing My First Guest Post Ever! : Meet Shannon

I feel honored to introduce my first guest post ever! 

My blog is relatively new, almost 6 months old, so I didn't even dream of anyone taking much interest in it...not yet anyway. But I was contacted by a fellow blogger earlier this week who wanted to guest post.

As you all know my blog talks about my running, my training for a marathon next year, my hair, my life, and my food. Basically, my overall experiences with trying to stay healthy and injury free. 

So I feel Shannon's experience stays true to that. Plus, she is hilarious! I hope you all enjoy her post! Don't forget to comment and visit her blog!

Oh, and if any of you lovely people want to guest post in the future, don't be shy. Just shoot me an email at: nonataylor@gmail.com. I would love to hear any and all ideas!

Things I'm Loving (October Edition)

Here we are again with odds and ends that I've used over and over again and love in October. I can't believe it's already been a month since my last post. But go check it out if you haven't already! 

OK, let's get started.

Debate/Discussion: Forks Over Knives (plus an announcement!)

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My husband and I watched this documentary a few days ago and what they said in it really rang true for us. If you haven't heard of it I definitely say check out the official website for more information.

A good friend sent Chema the film. He kept hounding me that I had to see it but I wasn't really that interested. Granted, I had no idea what it was about. I think I just wasn't in the mood for a documentary-type film.

However, we finally found some quiet time and watched it. Amazing. 

The premise of the film is about a study started in China back in the 1970s concerning the prevalence of cancer-related illnesses throughout the country. If I remember correctly, one of the communist leaders of that time contracted cancer. So he wanted to educate himself, as well as his people, about the disease. This study tracked millions of Chinese people in every region of China and wasn't completed until the late 1990s.

It showed how diet, can promote or suppress different types of cancer. 

One would assume that because all of the people in the study had the same ethnicity, and were in the same age groups, that the prevalence of cancer would be the same. That was not the case. In fact, different regions had very different types of cancer.

I am definitely not doing the documentary justice so I say rent it, buy it, or borrow it from a freind and watch it. But there were three people in the film that were able to treat things like high cholesterol and diabetes with diet. 

A strictly vegan diet was able to reverse, in many cases, chronic illnesses, more so than medication or surgery.

A couple of people in the film had gone through triple bypass surgery. After switching to a strictly vegan diet their health improved radically. It was really interesting to see.

Chema and I were inspired by the film. We've decided that starting November 22nd we are "going vegan" for 6 months. 

We chose this date for 2 reasons:

• We went shopping before we saw the documentary and bought kefir and salmon. Sorry, but I am not about to waste food! 

• Our anniversary is on Sunday and I organized a getaway for us at a culinary institute. Sorry, but I am not about to waste money!

I already know that it is going to be really difficult to have a strictly vegan diet. For me, not so much because I haven't eaten red meat or pork in years and I hardly ever eat fish or chicken. I do have milk with cereal and I enjoy yogurt but those products will be easy to give up as well. There's already soy milk in the fridge!

Another negative is that Thanksgiving is coming up. It sucks that I won't be able to eat traditional foods but I found a lot of cool recipes for vegan macaroni and cheese and potato salad. Two of my favorite side dishes. 

It's going to be an adventure discovering new recipes and adapting to situations when we want to eat out. The good thing is that I already subscribe to some vegan centered blogs so I hope they give me some new-found inspiration.

Funnily, when I told my younger brother and my mother that I was "going vegan" they attacked me! They said it was a lie. Everyone knows that meat and dairy are necessary for protein and nutrients. 

I mean they went off! 

My younger sister also said that I would have to start taking tons of vitamins because all the people she knows who are vegans don't get all their nutrients. 

(Side Note: My mom has agreed to "go vegan" with us for a month. Mainly to lose some weight before her birthday in November!)

What are your thoughts on the documentary, the topic, vegans, diet? Do you think it is healthy and/or possible for athletes to be vegans? Do you know any vegans who are athletic? Do vegans really lack necessary nutrients? Is it wrong/bad/unhealthy not to eat dairy or meat?

Half-marathon countdown...

 I just looked at my calendar and realized that I'm running the Raleigh City of Oaks Half-Marathon 

 

IN 3 WEEKS!

(Check out the course map HERE)

Time flies doesn't it? Thankfully, my foot has completely recovered because I was getting nervous. 

This will be my 2nd half-marathon. 

I ran my first in Spain of last year in 1 hour and 36 minutes. 

However, I don't want to run a PR for this race.

I signed up for the half marathon as further preparation for the full marathon in February. If I was only running the half I would attempt to run a PR. 

This time around I'll be happy to just run it in the same amount of time.

This Sunday I plan to run another 12 miles. Yesterday I ran 90 minutes. That's usually how long it takes me to run 12 miles at my long run pace. But I didn't actually "measure" the distance. 

I've been using this strategy to run since my foot has been giving me trouble. Meaning, I've been running based on time rather than distance.

Since it's all healed I'll run my 12 miles on Sunday. The following week I will run 10 miles and then on November 6th the half-marathon.

I won't make the same mistake I did last year and not recover properly. 

That's what caused my IT band injury. 

This time around I plan to continue do my weight training but not run.  To substitute I'll do classes at the gym or the static bike. 

The following Sunday (November 13th) I will run 8 miles.

Hopefully, this will give my body ample time to recover because I want to aim for 14 miles on November 20th. 

If my body feels up to it I will also re-incorporate speed training (Fartlek) the second half of November. Or the beginning of December at the latest.

I'll post some race preparation once it gets closer to the day and of course the race recap!

Overall, I'm excited about the race and I hope I finish without getting injured!

Week 21 Hair

I did my protein treatment today! I'm proud of myself! Although the hair process hasn't been completed yet. (I have in the deep conditioner as I write this).

Aphogee STINKS!!! For those that have tried it already, you know. But for me it was an unpleasant surprise. I also hate hooded dryers. It's uncomfortable, hot, and it burns my eyes and my forehead.

I am, however, doing the protein treatment once a month. Right now I don't notice anything special. I probably need to use it a few more times.

Anyway, I'm just happy I got out of my laziness to do it! 

I also tried a different process washing my hair to save water. Instead of detangling in the shower I did it before I washed. I put my hair in sections, about six, then sprayed them with plain water. Once it was saturated with water I added my Suave conditoner and started removing shed hairs. I then twisted each section back up. 

After that I got into the shower and shampooed my hair in sections. It worked out pretty well. The next step was: 

• The protein treatment 
• Sitting under the hooded dryer until it was hard
• Rinsing it out
• Putting in the intense moisture conditioner
• Deep conditioner

Once I wash out my deep conditioner I'll do the rest of my routine. The laziness is setting in so I'll probably do super humongous twists and leave them in until Wednesday. 

My husband and I are going away from Thursday-Friday because our 3-year anniversary is on Sunday! He doesn't know about it yet because it's a surprise. But I will include a post next week with pictures on where we went! But I think I want my hair out for the trip.

Since I didn't wash my hair last Sunday my hair hasn't been in twists this entire week. I alternated between buns and Updo #1 as well as Lazy Day Style #4. It wasn't that bad. Not as much "work" as I expected. Maybe I'll alternate weeks.

Week 22 Hair 

• Detangle out of shower
• Shampoo hair in sections
• Deep conditioner
• Kimmaytube leave in
• Twists

 

Randomness

I am officially a gym-goer! I got my membership yesterday. Actually, speaking of the gym yesterday...

I FINALLY TRIED ZUMBA!!

It was hilarious because as you all know my mom has been wanting me to go with her for weeks. For some reason or another we haven't been able to go. Well, yesterday was the day.

My mom actually thought the class was Sha'bam. We walk in and I see a different teacher so already I'm suspicious. My suspicions were realized when the instructor turned around with a t-shirt that said "Zumba" on it.

I turn to my mom and tell her: "Um, I think this is Zumba". My mom says: "Oh" and shrugs. So we stay. I'm thinking that it's a good thing because she's wanted to try it for some time.

We are in there doing the steps for about ten minutes and my mom turns to me and says: "I'm ready to go!". Yes, I almost fell to the floor laughing! Here I was apprehensive about it and my mom wanted to give up after 10 minutes! Of course I didn't let her. We stuck it out for the entire 60 minutes.

Really, it's understandable why my mom wanted to leave.

• The room was RIDICULOUSLY CROWDED
• Everyone, but us, knew how to do the steps
• The instructor was hyper-active and didn't teach us how to do the steps before she started
• There was a lot of booty shaking. My mom is not a booty shaker.

Overall, it was a pretty hilarious situation. I should have taken pictures of my mother's "stank face" because she had it the entire class! Personally, I think it's OK. Would I do it again? Probably not. Mainly because it's not enough of a workout for me. I do give it some credit though because there is a lot of jumping around. But I'd rather do body combat or Sha'bam or body pump. So, yea, that's Zumba.

[We went to the gym today and my mom had her appointment with the personal trainer. I did weights after a warm up on the elliptical. Wednesday we had a rest day so tomorrow morning we are hitting a class to make up for it. Then running for me on Sunday followed by Sha'bam!]

In other news I'm trying to re-work my diet a bit. I typically don't eat anything before a run. If I do I feel nauseous. It doesn't matter if I wait 3 hours after I eat. For that reason I typically like to run in the morning. I eat breakfast after I run.

This week I've been incorporating Cliff Bars into my eating regimen. Last week I bought some vitamins and I have to take them with food. Usually I eat half the Cliff Bar and then have my normal breakfast after I run. So far so good.

Anyone have any suggestions on what to eat (and what not to eat) before a run? Or any suggestions on how I can train my stomach so that I don't feel queasy when I do eat?

In an entirely non-related note, I decorated my mom's house for Halloween! This is definitely the first time it's ever been decorated. Ok, my younger brother and Chema helped too. Marvel in the magnificence that is scary stuff. 

(Hey, I haven't been able to celebrate Halloween for 4 years so I'm into it this year).

This was my vision and my favorite part.

Clearly, my brother's idea.

We all helped with this one but Chema did the hard stuff.

This was a brother and sister colaboration.

This was my mom's idea!

I can't wait to give out candy to all the little trick-or-treaters!