Why I Run

This morning I did something I never thought I would be able to do: I ran 5 miles. 

When I say that I have never been a runner, I mean that I was never I runner. I DREADED the timed mile run days in gym during elementary and middle school.  I loved soccer when I was little, but I tended to play defense because I couldn't deal with running the length of the field. Granted, I had sports-induced asthma and chronic allergies as a kid, which made sustained cardio difficult at time. I was active through dance, but never got into running.  In college and post-college, I danced and exercised sporadically but nothing consistent. Trying to go on a run would just bring dread and pain, and I never really knew what I was doing. I really never learned to "run" properly, and I would just start, regardless of form or pacing. I was also very self-conscious about running. I ran slowly and I was very aware of all the other more fit and better runners around me, especially when running around a college campus.

Last year I signed up for a 5K with some friends, and ready or not, I had to figure this thing out. I  humbly resigned myself to literally start from the very beginning. I used some app to get me up to 5k by the run (maybe Couch to 5K, but I can't remember) and started slowly, alternating running with walking for months until I could run 3.1 miles without stopping.  The 5K was really just a fun run (Color Run), but still, crossing that finish line let me check off a bucket list item. I ran sporadically that summer, but I moved and then made the mistake of running when it was too hot and I didn't have enough water, resulting in a heat stroke (yeah, never will make that mistake again) and I just never quite got back into it. I live in Florida now, and trying to figure out how to run in Florida during August is equivalent to figure out how to run through a swamp on the Sun, so I just let it go.

I didn't make running a specific New Year's resolution, but I knew I wanted to get back into it. So on January 1st, 2017, I laced up my running shoes and ran a slow and cold mile around my neighborhood. And since then, I've stayed consistent and have run 2-3 times a week.

A few weeks into January I got the crazy idea to give myself a long-term goal for running motivation, and a friend and I signed up to run a half-marathon. Luckily, it was in November so I had plenty of time and it was also in Disney World, so it would be a lot of fun.

Now the race is still a while away, so I'm nowhere near going into training mode, but I finally feel like I can call myself a runner. I've been on enough runs to see good and bad days, to realize that mile 1 does not define your run, and to find a rhythm and a pace to actually enjoy the act of running.

Running has taught me to slow down (literally) and have patience. I am not a fast runner. It takes me a while to run and the more miles I am trying to add on, the longer I am running with just myself and my music. I am okay with that. At first it drove me crazy that it would take me so long to get from point A to point B, but I slowly learned and accepted that it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to point B, its just about getting there. I think I've learned a lot about God through running, and running has helped me not only open a silence and stillness to hear Him more, but also has helped me become more accepting of His timing. I'm running towards a destination, a next step, and its more important to consider how I get there than how fast I get there. I'm putting in the work to get there, and that's what matters.

I'm getting better about not comparing myself to other runners when they pass me by on the trail. I try to instead give them a mental congratulations for getting out there and running, because I don't know what mental battles they have ragging against them. Some days it sucks and I run really slowly, other days, like today, I only plan to run 2.0 miles because I'm tired, but I break through that wall after mile 1.0 and just see where the road takes me.

A little announcement...

A lot has happened since my last post 7 months ago. I took a little hiatus to focus on a very big undertaking in my life, which was applying to doctoral programs in psychology, a feat that consumed me since about Summer of 2015 until the past few weeks.

The undertaking that was applying to grad school is finally over. The long months of studying, researching programs, writing and rewriting (and rewriting and rewriting) statements of purpose,  flying all of the country for full-day interviews, waiting for acceptance offers, negotiating financial aid packets and agonizing over the choice have finally come to an end. I knew going into this process that it would take a lot of work, but I couldn't fathom the physical and mental endurance it would take. The application process tested me mentally, but ultimately allowed me the opportunity to take stock of what I have learned and channel that towards my future goals.

Recipe: Sauteed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

January Goal Progress for Nutrition!

I made myself plan out meals for the week in a very real and structured way. I know that I never have time for breakfast and that some days I have to pack a lunch that doesn't need to be refridgerated, so I made sure I planned specific meals for that.

 

I also picked a new recipe to try (thank you Pinterest!) I love seafood, so this shrimp recipe is light and packed with flavor, lots of veggies and yummy quinoa! I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp instead of uncooked to save on time and roma tomatoes instead of sundried. I added a litttttlllee too much lemon juice (whoops...didn't measure) so it was very lemony, but still delicious!

 

 

The recipe is from The Kitchn

 

Saucy Sautéed Shrimp over Lemon Quinoa

Serves 2 to 4

1 cup golden quinoa ( I just used whatever quinoa I had at home)
Olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 cup full-bodied white wine, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 small red onion or 2 large shallots, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, finely sliced (I used roma tomatoes!)
1 pound fresh small pink shrimp (I used frozen, pre-cooked shrimp!)
Rinse the quinoa thoroughly under running water. In a 2-quart (or larger) saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Add the drained quinoa and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the salt, the lemon juice (about 3 tablespoons), 1/4 cup white wine, and 1 1/2 cups water.
Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat. Simmer for covered for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa. Stir in the lemon zest and half of the minced parsley.
While the quinoa is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over low heat in a deep heavy skillet. Add the garlic, red onion or shallot, bell pepper, and tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic and tomatoes are soft and fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or get crispy; let it cook slowly in the butter. Turn the heat to medium and add the second tablespoon of butter and the remaining 2/3 cup white wine. Whisk constantly and bring the wine to a simmer. Cook until slightly reduced and shiny. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and keep the sauce warm while you cook the shrimp.
Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a separate large skillet or wok, heat the remaining tablespoon of butter over high heat and sear the shrimp quickly until cooked — about 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the pan with the vegetables and sauce and toss with the remaining parsley. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediate, topping the lemon quinoa with shrimp and its sauce.

Happy Eats!

January Goals

Every year I make New Year's Resolutions and every year I feel like I just end up trying for a bit and then forgetting about them. Overall, I'd like 25 to be a healthier year, so I've decided to break down my resolutions to monthly goals.

My January focus is a Physical goal: re-vamping my diet.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

I have not been to great about every sticking with a certain style of eating. Throughout college, graduate school and now post-grad life, I've had a lot of anxiety around food. I tend to avoid food when I get stressed out in order to have an area I can control. If the kitchen is too crowded and I don't have room to cook, I'll just grab something I don't need to cook. If there isn't enough room in the refrigerator, I tend to not grocery shop or get anxious about what to eat. I have a peanut allergy that has recently gotten worse, which really cuts peanuts out of my diet as opposed to me just selectively eating peanuts. I had a period of time where I had a lot of medical testing to see if I had any other food allergies or if I had developed a gluten intolerance. While nothing has come up in the past, at different points I have cut out dairy, selectively been gluten free but have not fully embraced a holistic way of eating. I have the biggest sweet tooth which leads to me to choose sweet treats (aka chocolate) most of the time over other options. Even though I believe in healthy eating, I have never been able to fully grasp onto that lifestyle.

My big goal for the year is to get a strong grasp on my health in a holistic way. I have chosen to start with what will be fueling my body. I've recently joined The Healthy Grocery Girl Nutrition Plan as a way of trying to commit (slowly) to a whole food plant based diet. It is a program that slowly breaks down transitioning to a holistic way of looking at food, and I'm sure that I'll be reviewing it on here, so here it goes!

As for the rest of my physical goal, I want to increase my cardio by trying to do some in house workouts 2-3 times a week for a start.

Spiritual Goal: Finish reading "My Sisters the Saints" by Colleen Carroll Campbell and post a book review

     Dedicate 5 morning minutes to prayer daily

Mental Goal: Dedicate at least 30 minutes a day to writing, whether for blog or for personal thoughts

   No screen time (phone, iPad, Computer) in bed (hopefully this will help with sleep!)