Wednesday

Food poisoning...

But before...
Easy gym workout.
ABS in the park.
Biking.

Tuesday

5 mile run with Mike
1.5 hours gymnastics
30 minutes run walk with J at Running Room

Monday

20 minute run on treadmill

20 minutes on elliptical
30 minutes on treadmill

Stretching

Edmonton Journal

I had the interview yesterday, and spent most of the day relaxing. I was sure tired.
Here is the article:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/cityplus/story.html?id=38d50445-796f-4518-8328-0900573fde4e

I'm so proud to be mentioned as President.

It finally happened...

One week. 20 hours of sleep. I finally feel fucked.

Physiological effects
Generally, lack of sleep may result in
aching muscles *
blurred vision *
clinical depression
colorblindness
daytime drowsiness and naps, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)
loss of apetite *
decreased mental activity and concentration *
depersonalization/derealization
weakened immune system
dizziness *
dark circles under the eyes *
fainting *
general confusion *
hallucinations (visual and auditory)
hand tremors *
headache *
hyperactivity *
hypertension
impatience *
irritability *
nausea *
nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement)
psychosis-like symptoms
sleep paralysis (while awake) *
pallor
constipation
slowed reaction time *
slurred and/or nonsensical speech *
sore throat
stuffy nose *
weight loss or gain *
severe yawning
decreased desire for sexual activity
delirium *
temper tantrums in children[1]
symptoms similar to:
Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder[1]
alcoholic intoxication *

Diabetes

Friday and Saturday

Friday:
30 minute bike
1 hour horse training :)

Saturday:
4.5 hours in a factory! (Manual labour)
1 + hour horse training
4 mile run with my Dad

What an exhausting weekend. Was up at 4am to drop Lisa off at the airport, then at work for 8:30. Should be heading back to the city and for dinner with my folks right away. Good but tiring weekend.

OH! I got another scholarship! A social entrepreneurship one!! YAY!!

Food Hangover

Hmmm... decisions, decisions... hahaha.

A "friend" is leaving Edmonton, and a gang went out to celebrate. She is a super skinny, and incredibly out of shape person... earlier this summer, she was on the treadmill for 5 minutes and puked... the entire group ended up eating a lot of junk food, like ice-cream. I fell into it, as it was the purpose of the social function... her favorite things to do are watch tv and eat crap.

Anways, I feel so sick today.

I guess I've learned that my body now decides what I should eat. My boyfriend felt equally sick. We decided to go on a big health kick, to avoid getting food hangovers...

I wonder if fit people prefer to hang out with other fit people, to avoid doing things that most people consider normal... gluttony, sloth...?

Oh well. Good reason to go on a long ride today, and perhaps a run with my Dad tonight.

Workout-Thursday

Lamaze takes the GOLD for Canada in show jumping! YAy!

1. 30 minutes biking (236 calories)
2. 20 mins eliptical warmup (200)
3. 28 minute/5 km easy jog (300)
4. 15 minutes stretching/abs
5. 25 minute swim (150)

All easy... and I got asked out for coffee by a guy at the pool who I saw yesterday... he also ran the half-marathon. I wonder if I'll make it tomorrow, as I might be going home to go riding.

The World's Healthiest Foods

Let's see what I eat regularly:

Vegetables
Asparagus *Expensive, but delicious.
Avocados
Beets
Bell peppers *Green are usually cheap, so I eat it regularly.
Broccoli *Bought some yesterday.
Brussels sprouts *Recent purchase
Cabbage
Carrots *Old time favorite
Cauliflower
Celery *
Collard greens
Cucumbers *
Eggplant *Making my attempt today
Fennel
Garlic *
Green beans
Green peas
Kale
Leeks
Mushrooms, crimini
Mushrooms, shiitake
Mustard greens
Olives
Onions *
Potatoes *
Romaine lettuce
Sea vegetables
Spinach *Every day!
Squash, summer *
Squash, winter
Sweet potatoes *
Swiss chard
Tomatoes *
Turnip greens
Yams

Seafood
Cod
Halibut
Salmon
Scallops
Shrimp
Tuna

Fruits
Apples *
Apricots
Bananas *
Blueberries *All the time in the summer
Cantaloupe
Cranberries
Figs
Grapefruit
Grapes *Only when cheap
Kiwifruit
Lemon/Limes *In my water
Oranges
Papaya *Recent discovery
Pears
Pineapple *
Plums
Prunes
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries *
Watermelon

Low-Fat Dairy
Cheese, low-fat
Eggs *
Milk, 2%, cow's
Milk, goat
Yogurt *Daily

Beans & Legumes
Black beans
Dried peas
Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
Kidney beans
Lentils
Lima beans
Miso
Navy beans
Pinto beans
Soybeans
Tempeh
Tofu

Poultry & Lean Meats
Beef, lean organic *Fuck organic
Calf's liver
Chicken *
Lamb
Turkey
Venison

Nuts & Seeds
Almonds *
Cashews
Flaxseeds
Olive oil, extra virgin
Peanuts
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Walnuts

Grains
Barley
Brown rice *
Buckwheat
Corn *
Millet
Oats
Quinoa
Rye
Spelt
Whole wheat *

Spices & Herbs
Basil
Black pepper *
Cayenne pepper
Chili pepper, dried
Cilantro/Coriander seeds
Cinnamon, ground
Cloves
Cumin seeds
Dill
Ginger
Mustard seeds
Oregano
Parsley
Peppermint
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Turmeric

Natural Sweeteners
Blackstrap molasses
Cane juice
Honey ***MY DAD IS A BEEKEEPER!!
Maple syrup

Other
Green tea *Every day!
Soy sauce (tamari) *
Water *Obsessively consumed

Wow, you know you are bored when...

Beaurocratic Drama

I had a great date with M. Tried to find a cheap pair of running shorts, but no luck in the mall. Had a nice dinner, and then went skating for about 50 minutes. It's a surpisingly challenging sport.

Hmmm. Apparently that burned 347 calories. Must have burned off one third of my vegetarian lasagna, hahahaha. :)
______________________________________________
Other than that, I've started to learn what is going to happen due to my resignation as President of a major student organization. I basically resigned because I was running a one person show, spending 30 hours per week trying to keep things going. I was getting misinformation from my superiors, and in general had a total lack of support. Although I renovated the entire community centre with money from the remaining budget and a few volunteers, I found many disturbing things in the process such as rat shit in the kitchen. No response from the superiors. And certainly no cleaning was done despite the fact that many students use the kitchen. Anyways, in the end, it was better to not be involved. I'm done at the end of the month, happy with what I accomplished in the last four months.

Anwyways, I finally heard from an RA about the $20 000 budget. Turns out it's going to sit around, and it's going to be brought up at an RHA meeting. The point is that the general public who unwillingly donate to the funds will not be aware of it, and then it can be used by whoever wants it...

I hate the beaurocracy at this university. It lets things slip through the cracks. I was given incomplete financial information from previous executives, yet they were never audited... which is why I'm walking away.

Exercise After Half-Marathon

Sunday: 13.1 miles
Monday: 30 minutes biking, 10 minutes stretching, 1 hour walking (not sure, but I walk everywhere and I always have a lot of things to do)
Tuesday: 30 minutes biking, 35 minutes eliptical cross trainer, 20 minutes stretching/abdominal exercises, over an hour of walking (transportation)
Wednesday: 30 minutes biking... not sure what will be next...
Update:
20 mins elitpcal
10 min jog
35 min upper body weights, stretching, abs
20 min easy swim

Now I've gotta clean my house, and then get myself cleaned up. I have a date with Mike tonight... we are going ice-skaing, shopping, and grabbing dinner! We are both celebrating the half-marathon. He slightly kicked my ass, but I'm proud of M. He's lost the spare tire, and is looking fit, happy, and hot! Hopefully I can watch some Brokeback Mountain before the date, and get some fresh fruit/veggies and maybe some chicken.

Ciao everyone!

After the Half-Marathon

Welcome to my blog. I've always wanted to have a running blog, and here I am, towards the end of my 6-9:30am shift working at the university gym, that I've decided to begin writing about my experiences.

For me, running is a major basis of my identity. It's one of my proudest accomplishments, but it's more than that... running has opened my eyes to the world of fitness and nutrition. It's made me wiser, fitter, and definately happier.

I just finshed another half-marathon. The Edmonton ING Half-Marathon on Sunday, August 17th. I finished it in around 1:45, which was awesome. I was almost at a sub 8 minute mile! I was ranked 39/621 female runners!

I'm not sure how many half-marathons I've done at this point, but probably over 20. I've also completed two full marathons, Edmonton ING and the Queen City Marathon (Regina). It's only recently that I've actually started to feel fit and proud of my body.

I started running when I was 17 and finishing high school. I learned how to run with my Dad, and we still run together quite frequently. What started as two miles per day to get fit for horseback riding (show jumping) and prepare for university turned into a lifestyle that led us both to the marathon.

Over the years, I've changed a lot. I went from an ambitious high school student to a drug addict, and now I'm back to doing really well. I got addicted to drugs after finishing my first marathon, at the start of my second year of university. I really hurt my family and lost many friends, and also ravished my body, gaining about 40 pounds and losing my mental sharpness. When I finally came off the drugs, I was helped by a supportive boyfriend and loving family. I lost the weight my doing my second marathon, and went on to get a 4.0 (A average) on my first drug free semester.

I rushed to finish my BA to get into an Afterdegree program in Accounting (cooperative education program!), which I'm thrilled about. I also got a scholarship from the School of Business that I now attend! I like the idea of starting a career in Accounting, but eventually I'd like to study the Law.

Anways, now that I've given a brief biography, I'm ready to start the real blog. I need to recover, and then train harder. I want my next race to be FAST!