Well, now that I have new shoes and it’s warm out, I’m all about the running. It probably helps that I’ve also signed up for two races in February: The Brain Freeze (a 10-km) and The Hypothermic Half (half marathon, 21-km). Both of them are in February and it is likely that they will be COLD, hence the names. While the idea of getting hypothermia doesn’t particularly excite me, it’s a good way to keep motivated through the winter!

This morning I went out with my dog and had a really nice run. It was a balmy -8C and some of the paths were pretty icy, but we made it through. My right hip flexor was a little bit sore, which is probably from the imbalance in my lower back. So I have to keep working on my IT-band roller and strengthening my lower back. My new shoes are amazing. New shoes are amazing in general. It makes me happy to know that my feet are being taken care of. I might go in and get a running evaluation done by a physiotherapist, who is also a triathlete.

On Friday night I got a really good massage, but it has made my back feel like there is something seriously out of wack. It’s only because it’s looser than it has been in AGES. This week I’m hoping to get a chiropractic adjustment and then another massage next week. Oh, I need it! I’m also hoping to get in some yoga this week, one in a class and maybe one or two on my own.

I’m taking care of business and getting shit done!

Here is my BT long of my run this morning. Does this thing work?

Right. So it’s been a while since I’ve updated. It’s also been a while since I have trained. My two weeks “off” for the holidays turned into four. This was mostly due to my health being very poor. Not my physical health, my mental health. Usually I can work through one of my “downs” quickly and with the help of exercise. However, with the weather being utterly miserable, my schedule being out of wack, and my motivation being at zero, I just couldn’t do it. I could barely get myself out of bed, let alone to the pool for a swim or to the gym for a run on the treadmill. It felt terrible and I am so glad that it has now passed. In fact, right now I am riding high after a great run this morning. It is currently a balmy -2C outside. It’s like springtime! We had brutal temperatures between -20 and -40 for several weeks in a row. So this is the equivalent of being in Cuba!

I have been thinking about my overall health lately. I find it really funny that just as I had given myself permissed, and asked it from my coach, to take a hiatus from training without any pressure, I felt like I missed it and wanted to get back into it. So here I am on a big up-swing and making goals for myself while doing good things for my brain chemistry like eating lots of Udo’s oil and taking Vitamin D supplements. I think that this week will be my first official week back from my hiatus from training and this blog.

I feel like I need a better way to keep track of my training. My coach gives me my workouts, but I feel like I should track how much sleep I’m getting, what I’m eating, and how my workouts felt. I signed up for Beginner Triathlete’s Training Log things, but it’s not very user-friendly. I mean, I’m getting the hang of it, but it’s not great, and I wish that I could put it into this website. Maybe I’ll see if there isn’t something better, even though I paid for this already.

Another facet of my life that I would like to work on is my nutrition. As a vegan, I am generally very careful  about what I put in my body. However, for the past few months I have developed some very bad habits, which are very unusual for me. Instead of making a “real” meal, I have been relying on processed foods a lot (ie. veggie dogs are my favorite food right now). I eat potatoes a lot and lunch generally consists of a Clif Bar, some toast, and an apple. This is not good and so unlike me! However, I have been thinking that maybe this is just the kick in the pants that I need to start transitioning to a raw food diet. I have essentially decided that I will not be 100% raw.

There are several reasons for my decision to not be 100%. It is essentially impossible here in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where our food in the winter comes from very far away. I have been looking at books and recipes and we just don’t have access to a lot of things that other people do. Coconuts are rare here! I have heard that you can find a “young” coconut, but I have yet to find one on my own. Also, there are certain things I’m not willing to do, like not go to restaurants or see friends in that social setting. Food is social, absolutely, and I will not compromise my veganism, but it is just way too hard not to eat out with friends. Also, I love crunchy things like toast. Toast is probably my biggest complaint about raw food. I know that bread is generally not good for one’s body, but I think that my body might be the opposite. My body LOVES carbohydrates! If I don’t have enough carbs in my diet, I start to feel all wonky and devoid of energy.

That being said, I would like to be 50 to 75% raw to start with. I’m hoping this transition will be done by February. I started tonight with having an awesome salad with Red Star nutritional yeast, Udo’s oil, a homemade tahini dressing, some baby bok choy and a mix of greens, tomatoes, and some hemp seeds. It was fantastically delicious and super filling! It was quite large as well. This week I’m going to do some grocery shopping and see if I can stock my fridge with some awesome raw stuff. I’m going to make a really great raw chilli that I learned from one of my former raw food potluck friends. It is really tasty and is super easy to make. I figure if I can incorporate a few new raw recipes into my life a little bit at a time, it will be fairly easy to make this transition. While veggie dogs will likely still have a place in my life (15 grams of protein in ONE!), they will not be such a staple.

Here is my training log for today.