STRESS GRRR ... and sashimi

[Pre-warning: Boring Paragraph Alert]
Had a stressful start to the day today. The local bank here in Barbados called to tell us there's a problem with our monthly transfer to our bank in the UK. It's not actually the biggest deal since we are leaving in a matter of months, but anything to do with money is always shitty and frustrating and weighs on one's brain. I'm hoping writing my blog today will help me to calm myself.


My muscles are definitely sore today. Not too bad, but I can definitely feel it. Which is good. I read a lot of stuff online yesterday about how a lot of people training for marathons, especially women, don't lose a lot of weight (or any). Sheesh. Well, I'm sticking with it of course. My ultimate goal isn't to lose weight, it's to get in great "shape" and have more energy, give myself something to focus on, and prove to myself I can complete something I set my mind to and not give up 1/3rd of the way in like my usual pattern. And when it comes to physicality, it's not really the numbers on the scale that I care about, it's noticing a change in my body. Which I think I already have, kind of. I definitely feel more muscular in my arms and back. I think yoga + running is a really great combination. I'm going to try out an ankle strengthening routine I found on youtube tomorrow. OK ENOUGH RAMBLING

Food:
9.30am - Bowl of greek yogurt, granola, blueberries, honey
12.30pm - 2 cups coffee
2.30pm -6oz Cobia (kingfish) sashimi with a green apple and a tiny bit of grapefruit, soy sauce, wasabi
7.15pm - 6oz piece salmon, pan-roasted, and some carrots, carmelized w/ honey and balsamic, salt n pepper.
9pm - few bites of roasted chicken

Exercise:
4.45pm - 1 hour dog walk

Power Yoga Recovery

My grandma posted this picture on Facebook of her with her father in front of his restaurant he owned and operated while she was growing up, taken around 1954/55:

We will definitely be hanging this in our restaurant.

Definitely feeling a bit fragile today from yesterday's 5-miler, but it feels good. And as I mentioned yesterday, of course Stuart had to show me up and do 6 miles on the treadmill! And this morning he did another 5.4miles. Can someone please just slap him and tell him to do this damn marathon with me? He is totally capable, I don't know why he's so put off by signing up. Oh well.

We got a buttload of fresh fish from Stuart's fish supplier from the hotel he works at, and OMG it's incredible. We've already made sushi with it for lunch yesterday and today. It's a race to eat it all before it goes off. Most of it we froze.

Did some Power Yoga today. Surprisingly, I got through the whole thing, which has never happened before. I couldn't do all the moves, like the arm lifts (where you're balancing your whole body on your arms), but I'm sure I'll get there.

FOUR WEEKS OF TRAINING DONE. 1/6th of the way there! I freaking rock! Oh yeah, today was weigh-in day:

Weight today: 119 (Weight last week: 120)
I'm putting 119 because I can see the teensiest tiniest movement of the needle below the 120 mark so that's enough for me to say I've dipped a bit. Also I can't bear to put 120 for the 3rd week in a row with all the hard work I did last week.

Food:
11am - Pizza for breakfast (what? we had to eat up the leftovers from last night), 2 cups coffee
3pm - 6oz of salmon and kingfish sushi with soy sauce and wasabi, 1 apple
7.30pm - A bowlful of Cobia (Kingfish) and salmon over some lentil Dahl
9pm - 1 cup coffee (*cough* - it has been awhile since my nighttime coffees though)

Exercise:
1pm - Power Yoga, 1hr 15mins

5 MILES YEAH

Got my ass up at 6.30am this morning, got out the door and completed my 5 miles in just under one hour! The beginning was damn tough especially because I was climbing hills and the heat was a killer, but After I passed about the 2 mile mark, it all came together and I felt like I could have run forever. A good morning I'd say.

It was so hot already at 6.30 this morning I considered treadmilling it, but the thought of 5 miles on the treadmill sounded like torture, so I ran all around Sandy Lane, dodging cars and monkeys, and I'm glad I did.

Exercise:
7am - 5 Mile "Long Run" - 5 miles total, 58 mins, about 500 calories burned (?) - probably.
8.15am - Post-run Yoga

Food:
6.35am - 1 banana
8am - 1 piece multigrain toast
12.30pm - Eggs benedict.
4pm -  4 oz of salmon and kingfish sushi
8pm - Pizza. About 5 small slices, w/ cheese, tomato sauce, mushrooms, basil, truffle oil, 1 glass red wine

UPDATE: Stuart did 6 miles on the treadmill this morning. What a freaking jerk. I am so proud of him.

Another baller dinner day.

Food:
9.15am - 1 piece multigrain toast w/ butter, 1 cup coffee
1.30pm - 2 bajan fishcakes, 2 pieces grilled shrimp, like 5 bites of a chicken caesar salad, 1 corona w/ lemon
7.30pm - Most Baller Dinner ever. These are small portions of each course. From what I can remember -

Canapes: a cheesy crisp w/ goats cheese and honey, one bite of compressed watermelon with proscuitto crumble, crispy chicken skin with caviar, and a foie gras and rhubarb macaroon.

Amuse: Mushroom foamyness (cant remember exactly what it was)

Sashimi: Kingfish sashimi with pineapple, cucumber, watermelon

Sea Urchin Linguini with clams, tomatoes, herbs

Pea velouté with smoked salmon crustini and caviar (Pictured below)

Colorado lamb with polenta, olives, anchovy. (Pictured below)

Desserts: Berry compote iciness with a nitrogen meringue (I think), and the finale - a chocolate crispiness with hazelnut foam, pictured below.

Exercise:
12noon - Swimming leisurely for like an hour

Rest day, yaaay. I'm committed to getting up early tomorrow and doing my big 5-mile jog outside of the house. I've already planned my route on the google map pedometer I found.

Sooo.... I'm eating in my husband's restaurant again tonight! (He's the chef) WOOT. I'm so damn spoiled seriously. The temporary pastry chef there is leaving tomorrow and they've invited her to dinner + 1 guest, and she chose me! Freaking awesome. Update on what I ate later.
------------------------------------

Holy shit, the dinner was amazing. Since he's practically the only one who reads this, thanks honey! Here's some highlights:

Pea veloute with smoked salmon crustini

Colorado lamb with polenta, olive crumble and anchovy

"The Tal" - chocolate, hazelnut and other stuff I can't remember. Heavenly.

3-mile short run, also Red Lentil Dhal

Food:
10am - greek yogurt, granola, blueberries, bit of brown sugar, 2 cups coffee
2pm - Bowl of Lentil Dahl w/ greek yogurt
6pm - Bowl of Raisin Bran w/ 2% milk
2 roasted chicken wings

Exercise:
11.30am - Pre-run Yoga
12noon - 3-mile "short run" on treadmill - 36:50mins, 380 calories, 3.2 miles total
1pm - Post-run Yoga

I made this for dinner last night and there's loads leftover which is great, will be my lunch and/or dinner today. I used black lentils instead of red and also chickpeas:

Red Lentil Dahl w/ Carrot and Sweet Potato

There's pretty much nothing unhealthy in it except for maybe salt. Even Stuart said it tastes baller. God I hate people who take pictures of their food, but I thought this one deserved a post since it took me like 30 mins total to make and it tasted so good and is so healthy. I promise I'll keep the food pics to a minimum and will also NEVER post something which I've already taken a bite of or is half eaten. That is just disgusting.

Crosstraining/Chicken Wings/Baby Monkeys

Food:
9am - 3-egg omelet with mushrooms and ham
1.45pm - greek yogurt, granola, blueberries, 2 cups coffee
8pm - Lentil and Chickpea Dhali, with carrots, sweet potatoes, parsley, onion, olive oil, tomatoes, curry powder, garlic, topped with a spoonful of greek yogurt
9pm - 1 green apple

Exercise:
9.45am - Crosstraining, 25 mins swimming laps in the ocean
4.45pm - 30min dog walk

I went to a restaurant here in Barbados yesterday and ordered "Honey BBQ Chicken Wings" for $26 Barbados dollars (around $13 USD), and 2 beers with a friend, we thought we'd split it before going on the catamaran. The dish came out and there were literally 3 wings. We had to split the last one. This is one reason I miss America. Also another reason we almost never eat out here.

Saw that same pregnant monkey on the dog walk I saw last week, AND.......

Pregnant monkey friend had her baby!

Motivation/Hair Pulling/3 Mile

Holy crapola I am so unmotivated lately. So, when I first started this blog a few weeks ago I wrote my goals and reasons for wanting to do this marathon in September (Here's the post). One of the reasons was "To gain confidence." and I added this blurb:

             "I'm a pretty secure person, but a major character flaw I've recently recognized in myself is that I  have trouble completing things. I'll be all gung-ho about something for the first stages, then lose interest or move on to something else without following through."

So true. I also found a book last night that I had started reading a few months back about wine. The book is dog-eared around 1/3rd of the way through. I'd say that's a pretty typical example of the point where I give up on things. SO - if that is what is happening to me now, I have to FIGHT THROUGH IT! Can't slack off. Must complete my goals. (Btw I'm only about 1/6th of the way through marathon training so I'd better quit whining).

This blog has really helped keep me motivated so far. Definitely going to stick with this as well.

Trichotillomania update: (read this post to see what this is all about for me) Still not pulling! I am extra proud of myself this time around because I haven't used hats or tape on my fingers or anything-- just pure will power. I hope anyone reading this who has the same problem isn't discouraged if they haven't gotten to the point I have yet... I am finding that as I am getting older, more confident, and less stressed out in general that I am having an easier time controlling it.

Here's a picture I took on the Oregon coast of an 8-legged dog in front of the lighthouse from The Ring:

Scary.

Food:
9.30am - 1 piece multigrain toast w/ peanut butter and banana
12.30pm - 1 bowl lowfat greek yogurt, granola, stewed blueberries, honey
2.15pm - 1 golden delicious apple
7pm - Eggs benedict. yum.
9.30pm - cup english breakfast tea w/ lemon (out of earl grey, dammit)

Exercise:
11am - Pre-run yoga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ks2LFQ-XI
11.30am - 3 mile "short run" - completed in 34:10 and 354 calories
4.45pm - 40 min brisk dog walk