PT Diaries

I had an off week. My legs were sore and tight at the beginning of the week and don’t feel any better today. Work was busier than usual and had a hard time sleeping. I either tossed and turned all night or suffered through crazy nightmares. This combination made me irritable and cranky; so keeping positive and on track with my training this week was definitely trying. Monday was my rest day, which was needed after my long hilly run last Sunday; but sleep deprived I went my Tuesday personal training session with de Wolf feeling lethargic. Wednesday I ran 9 km, slower than I would have liked. Thursday I was in a mood but went to my second personal training session anyways. Come Friday I was exhausted after work but forced a short 6 km run before going out for dinner. Fatigue finally caught up to me and I actually slept 7 hours. Saturday morning I felt sluggish. I could have sat around, read the paper and sipped on coffee and Baileys till noon. But the sun was shining and I knew I should stick to my scheduled 19 km run in case the rain came on Sunday.  I psyched myself, pulled on my favorite Nike crops and luluemon shirt, pressed shuffle on my iPod and started running.  I had a slow start but gained momentum around 7 kilometers and felt strong through to 14 kilometers. I popped a Cliff Blok at 15 kilometers. I refused to carry a water bottle on my runs but find that a few Cliff Bloks gives me the boost I need.  My glutes were burning during most of the run and I mentally struggled, feeling as if I was behind pace; yet somehow managed to finishing 19.1 km in 1h 49mins. Considering my negative state of mind and the pain in my legs I was content with my time; for this week.  Saturday night I attended my friend’s birthday party and indulged in a little alcohol for the first time in 20 days.  Although I didn’t have to nurse a hangover this morning I was “fuzzy” and sat around watching “Mean Girls” on TV. Once the credits ran at the end I was mortified that I’d lost 2 hours of my life on such a ridiculous movie. I tried to read but was unable to relax so I laced up for a short recovery run, hoping it would take the edge off; with no avail. Blah! I’m looking forward to my rest day tomorrow…. maybe I’ll make an appointment with a registered massage therapist to loosen up my legs.

PT Girl xo

I had a restless sleep and woke up feeling lethargic and cranky; lucky husband! Sigh

Groggy with my eyes half shut I got out of bed, leashed up my Yorkshire terrier and my French bulldog and brought them out for their morning walk. When I got back up to the condo I changed into my NIKE gear, drank a glass of water, grabbed my iPod, and heading down to the gym. It wasn’t cold out and it wasn’t raining so I’m not sure what possessed me to decide to run the treadmill rather than my usual route outside?

Aware of my dysfunctional relationship with the treadmill, I entered the gym attempting to psych myself “This is a short and easy run. I can do this in my sleep. Just focus on the tunes and be done in less than 40 minutes!”

Running on an empty stomach in the morning isn’t usually a problem if I keep it to less than 10 km. But as soon as I started I felt weak. My mind wanders and I couldn’t grasp a single positive thought. With the unchanging scenery I stared at the timer on the treadmill watching the seconds tick by in ultra slow motion. “My god I can’t take it!!!” I succumbed to my negativity and jumped off as I reach the 5 km mark.

When I arrived at the office I realized I was starving and my carb craving was in full swing. I was salivating at the thought of chocolate, pastries and pasta. I don’t get these intense cravings very often and tried to recognize what was triggering them.

Why do we crave carbs?

• Going too long without eating causes low blood pressure and increase cravings
• Consuming white rice, white bread, sweets and sugar products will fuel hunger since these foods are high glycemic and low in fibre.
• Protein helps to keep blood sugar normal, make sure your  get enough
• Low calorie diet
• Poor sleeping habits and high stress levels
• Low consumption of high fiber carbs, especially if you are exercising regularly can cause cravings as well as low energy levels.

I figured that my sleepless night combined with the low calorie diet I’ve been on for about two weeks and yesterday’s Valentine sugar overload were to blame for my crankiness and my cravings. Rather than surrendering to my sugar longing I planned a healthy dinner that would curb my evil sweet tooth.  Check out my Healthy Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti Squash. This recipe is loaded with healthy carbohydrates, nutrients and protein. Yum!

PT Girl xo

I’m a stiletto girl at heart and until I started running a few years ago, I didn’t own a pair of sneakers or what I called flat shoes.

Did you know that the stiletto shoe was named after a dagger in the 1930’s? I think that sublimely the name is partially what makes women feel so powerful.  How can you not feel sexy in a pair of five inch black patent Gucci stilettos?  This style of shoe elongate our legs, making us look taller and thinner. We stand prouder and something about them makes us exude confidence.  This type of shoe is clearly not designed for comfort;  so I was very familiar to foot pain and I often doubled my agony by purchasing my heels too small, cramming my big eight and half size feet into a seven and half.

But I didn’t know true foot soreness until I experienced running blisters!  I ran in a size eight pair of stylish looking NIKE‘s for almost 2 years. My feet were always covered in blisters, even drawing blood on my longer runs. I was constantly soaking my throbbing feet and spent a small fortune on Band-Aids. One day I noticed that my middle toe was black and over time the nail fell off. It was then I told myself “If I’m serious about running I need to accept my real foot size.” I decided to go to a pro running shop and get advice on purchasing  the proper type of running shoe for my feet. I was advised to buy a more practical sneaker (such as New Balance or Mizuno) in a half a size bigger than my true size. The thought of buying a size nine shoe was mortifying to me, but my feet have never been happier.

I will always be a lover of  the stiletto shoe, but now I wear the right size and even though I look like big foot I run in comfort.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

PT Girl xo