It's Going to be a GREAT Day!

I know it's only about 10am, but so far, today seems like it's going to be an AWESOME day!

"But why?", you may ask. Well, mainly because I got myself up and out of bed at 5:30 this morning and went to the gym for a run. Yup. Even though it was only 24 freezing degrees outside and my car was a monster block of ice, I shivered my way to the gym for a run.

Want to know what makes it better though? My run was pretty epic! I did a 35 minute run and managed to do 2.6 miles! That's 13:27min/mile! That's about 40 seconds faster than most of my usual runs! AND (yes, there's still more!) I managed to run the 30:12 of the 35 minutes! Frigging sweet! My lungs still aren't too happy with me, but I've stopped caring. They're going to have to get on board with the rest of my body and start functioning at high capacity again. Darn slacker organs.

I'm also pretty psyched because I went to Ocean State Job Lot the other evening and scored a fair amount of gluten-free food for real cheap. Seriously- I got two boxes of pasta, 3 boxes of crackers, a loaf of bread and 2 huge things of coconut water for $10. SWEET!! The gluten-free challenge is getting better. I'm not having as many cupcake based dreams cravings as I was before. I think my body is starting to get used to the switch. I am proud of myself because I had lunch with a coworker at an italian restaurant yesterday- I can proudly say that I did not eat any rolls, nor pasta, nor even the croutons in my salad. I also ordered this amazing risotto meal with peppers and onions and scallops in it! YUMMY! I ate half and have the other half for lunch again today.

It feels good to be eating healthier again. Today's menu consists of:

Breakfast-  Oikos greek yogurt with blueberries on the bottom (and a handful of almonds mixed in).
Snack 1- Granny Smith apple with Bee's Knees Peanut Butter
Lunch- Left over risotto meal and a LARGE salad with cut up deli sliced turkey/chicken/ham
Snack 2- Pine nut roasted hummus and baby carrots

Haven't figured out dinner yet, but I'm sure it will be pretty awesome as well.

What are some of your favorite snacks?

How I Know I'm Awesome... Or Changes I've Noticed

Not to brag or anything, but lately I've been feeling pretty awesome about myself. 

"But this doesn't seem to really be a new development for her," you might be saying to yourself. Believe me. It kinda is. I've always had, what is clinically called, shitty self-image. I can be the most positive person on the planet, unless I'm talking about myself and/or my abilities. Then I become an evil green-faced, fanged monster.

Source

 

 It's not pretty, to say the least.

Anyway, lately, even though I was in a sort of rut with my training, I've been feeling pretty darn swell about myself. And I decided to list the reasons why I feel so amazing. (In no particular order) I present:

Reasons You May Be Awesome-ness Personified

• People leave flattering comments on your blog/facebook/dailymile/via email and text telling you how you have inspired them to become more physically active.
• You're mom and dad/other relatives or friends are constantly bragging about all the exercising you are doing.
• People compliment that you look like you have lost "half a person or so".
• You had to buy another container to hold all of your workout clothes.
• You have to hold up your old workout pants and underwear while doing a short run on the treadmill because they are falling off from all the weight you have lost (that was me this morning.... not fun).
• Even though you possess only a fair amount of rhythm, you are still made dance captain in a show (ok, so maybe this one is just directed at me, whatev).
• The new shorts you JUST bought at Old Navy are now too big and fall down when you attempt to put anything in your pockets.
• You have the sweat glands of a 13 year old boy (and a soaked white t-shirt to prove it) and they kick in about 5 minutes into any form of physical activity.
• You no longer feel tired or sore after a 3 mile run (though you realize you are going to have to push yourself more).
• You put on a pair of leggings for dance rehearsal and they're now too big so you have to strategically roll them (true story!).
• You are no longer scared or self-conscious when perusing the fitness section of a bookstore.
• You willingly decide to do a 30 day ab challenge.
• You feel pretty ALL the time... even with no makeup while in your pjs and with your hair in some sort of crazy bun.

Ok, so maybe most of these solely apply to me, but still, aren't those exciting factors?! Those are some of the changes I've been noticing lately and they make me feel so happy. I may not be the fastest runner in the world, I may not have the best endurance, but damn if I'm not making some progress with myself anyway. Guess I will keep doing this running thing a bit longer ;)

In other news, this morning I got up at 5:15 AM and met my friend T at the gym. (Can you believe it?! I was up before the sun!!) We each did about 40 minutes of cardio- I did a 2.5 mile run in 38:54 on the treadmill. Then, we did the 12 minute ab circuit room and some arm machines. It was a great workout and I'm pretty sure I will be feeling it throughout the rest of the day. I'm now getting ready to go to work and then tonight we celebrate my mommy's birthday! YAY!!