AF Canyon Half Marathon

Went to bed at 11 PM. Woke up at 3 AM. Bus took us to the top of the canyon. Race started at 6. Mile 10 sucked and then I got a second wind. Finished in 2:13:07(chip time's different from clock time at finish). I'm happy with how it went considering 1)it was harder to find time and energy to train this time around and 2)I had a baby 7 months ago.

More Half Marathon Training Songs

I can't believe that the AF Canyon Half Marathon is a week from today! I've added songs since I posted my half marathon training playlist a couple of months ago and I thought I'd share. 

Sprints (7.0 MPH +)
Rockafellar Skank- Fatboy Slim

Running (6.0-7.0)
Chris Cox Megamix- Britney Spears
Chicago is So Two Years Ago-Fallout Boy
You Really Got Me- Van Halen
Please Don't Go- Mike Posner
Feel This Moment- Pitbull ft. Christina Aguilera
Ocean Avenue- Yellowcard
Harder to Breathe- Maroon 5
Don't You Want Me- Glee
The Queen and I- Gym Class Heroes

Slower Jog (5.0-6.0)
Next to Me- Emeli Sande
Just Give Me a Reason- Pink
Teenage Dream- Katy Perry
Boyfriend- Justin Bieber
Hold it Against Me- Britney Spears
Beautiful- Mariah Carey ft. Miguel
Learn to Fly- Foo Fighters
Slide- The Goo Goo Dolls
Swing Swing- All-American Rejects

Cool-Down and Stretching
Crash Into Me- Dave Matthews Band
A Real Hero- College
Yellow- Coldplay

6 Research-Based Reasons to Reduce Your Dairy Intake: Guest Post at Clarks Condensed

I was so excited to be asked to guest post over at Clarks Condensed! Head on over to check out 6 Research-Based Reasons to Reduce Dairy Intake.

Health & Fitness Friday: Half Marathon Training and Postpartum Weight Loss

Monday: 4 miles in 44:00
Tuesday: Tracy Anderson Post-Pregnancy Workout
Wednesday: 3.5 miles in 36:20
Thursday: Rest
Friday:3.7 miles in 38:00
Weekly Mileage: 11.2

This week my total mileage was really low and I realized how much slower I am now. I wanted to finish this half marathon in less than 2 hours (last half time was 2 hours, 20ish seconds), but I'm starting to think that's too lofty of a goal. Based on my workouts this week, I'm thinking that finishing in under 2.5 hours is a more realistic goal.

On the subject of health and fitness, I'm about 4 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. This has taken way longer than I had anticipated, but to be fair, I haven't really dedicated myself to losing the weight either. So, it's time to get serious! I'm  down 26 pounds from the day Noah was born, and still 17 pounds away from my goal weight. Here's to getting it done!

Linking up with A Daily Dose of Davis!

Half Marathon Training Playlist

As I've mentioned before, I'm training to run my second half marathon in June. A huge part of staying motivated when I feel like my energy is totally sapped is listening to music, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite songs to run to, divided into categories based on what running pace they're best for.

Sprints (7.0 MPH+)
Untouched- The Veronicas
We Found Love- Rihanna
Beauty and a Beat- Justin Bieber
Shake It- Metro Station
Hey Ya- Outkast
Do Somethin'- Britney Spears

Running (6.0-7.0 MPH)
The Boys of Summer- The Ataris
Till the World Ends-Britney Spears
If I Lose Myself- OneRepublic
Audience of One- Rise Against
Rockin' Into the Night- 38 Special
Animal- Neon Trees
Crossfire- Brandon Flowers
Until the Day I Die- Story Of The Year
E.T.- Katy Perry ft. Kanye West
Womanizer- Britney Spears
Girl on Fire- Alicia Keys
Praise Chorus- Jimmy Eat World
Dog Days Are Over- Vicci Martinez
Umbrella- Rihanna
California Gurls- Katy Perry
Futures- Jimmy Eat World
Love is a Battlefield- Vicci Martinez and Cee Lo Green
Fighter- Christina Aguilera
Stronger- Kanye West
Boom Boom Pow- Black Eyed Peas
Burn this City- Cartel
Chicago is So Two Years Ago- Fallout Boy
Crystal Baller- Third Eye Blind
Gold Digger- Kanye West
I'm a Slave for You- Britney Spears
Ocean Avenue- Yellowcard
Bulletproof- La Roux
Last Night- Diddy ft. Keyshia Cole
SexyBack- Justin Timberlake

Slower Jog (5.0-6.0)
Bittersweet Symphony- The Verb
Buzzin- Shwayze
Young Forever- Jay-Z
Vindicated- Dashboard Confessional
Love the Way You Lie- Eminem ft. Rihanna
Battlefield- Jordin Sparks
Fall- Something Corporate
Meant to Live- Switchfoot
Say it Right- Nelly Furtado

Cool-Down and Stretching
Come on Get Higher- Matt Nathanson
Free Fallin'- John Mayer (I hate the original but love this version)
Better Together- Jack Johnson

Vegan 101

source

When I tell people that we're almost-vegan, they usually gasp in horror and ask, "What do you eat?!" I totally get it. Meat has grossed me out for the last 15 or so years, but up until Noah was born, I was all about dairy. Cheese, yogurt, ice cream....I loved dairy! Then, when Noah was a few weeks old and showing signs of reflux, our pediatrician recommended that I try cutting it out of my diet. Two weeks later, his reflux symptoms and his demeanor had improved noticeably.

In the first few days of eating dairy-free, I subsisted on Clif bars (but only one particular flavor because most of them contain milk) and cereal with almond milk. Part of this was due to the fact that we had no time to go grocery shopping with a new baby and Josh in the middle of finals, but part of it was that we had no idea how to eat this way. It was pretty miserable, but we figured it out quickly and now eating (almost) vegan feels pretty normal. Here are some of the animal product replacements we like:

• Almond Breeze Almond Milk and Chocolate Almond Milk
• Extra-Firm Tofu (no brand preference)- Tofu can be used to give a dish a little more substance, and we usually use it in place of chicken or eggs.
• Boca Meatless Crumbles- A ground beef replacement that we use in spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, and tacos.
• Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, and Provolone Soy Cheese- Cheddar's nasty, in my opinion. We're not picky about the brand, but Go Veggie is what's in our fridge right now.
• Tofutti Sour Supreme- Obviously a sour cream replacement.
• Brianna's Poppyseed Dressing- I hate vinaigrette's, so this is one of the only dairy-free salad dressings I've tried and liked.

In addition to lots of fruits, veggies, whole wheat pasta and bread, and eggs (this is the one animal product I do eat regularly), we also love these vegan recipes:

• Sloppy Joes. These are made with meatless crumbles, green peppers, onions, and BBQ sauce and are really easy to make.
• Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps. So. Addicting.
• Breakfast Burritos. The main ingredients here are tofu, green peppers, spinach and mushrooms. Because of the spicy, smokey kind of taste, I much prefer this for lunch or dinner.
• Crockpot Vegetable Minestrone. We use vegetable broth instead of chicken and skip the parmesan.
• Grilled Black Bean and Avocado Wrap. We replace the sour cream in this recipe with Tofutti Sour Supreme.
• Mexican Quinoa Salad
• Black Bean Burgers. This recipe does contain eggs to keep the burger together. I've heard of making a paste with chia seeds instead, but have never tried it.
• Spicy Quinoa Stuffed Avocado
• Lettuce Wraps. The vegan version of PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps.

I eat eggs and the occasional turkey sandwich. When I'm finished nursing I'll probably add a little dairy back into my diet. We're not swearing off animal products for the rest of our lives, but both Josh and I have been surprised by how much better we feel, how much easier it is than we thought it would be, and how good some of the animal product alternatives are. If reducing or eliminating animal products is something you're considering, hopefully this provided you with some basic information to get you started. Good luck!

Training

Today I started training for the half marathon I'll be running in June! I'm freaking nervous about taking on such a huge physical challenge this soon after having a baby, especially because I wasn't allowed to work out for the last half of my pregnancy and I feel like my strength and stamina took a hit. But, I've done harder things and I know I'll be glad I decided to take on this challenge when I cross the finish line. And to inspire myself a little, a picture of the last (and only) half marathon I ran in July 2011.