Hello Old Friends

Last week, I had the opportunity to reunite with four of my closest friends to spend 4 magnificent, kid-free days on a lake in Idaho. These are the kind of friendships that have lasted and are so sincere and special despite the distance between us all. It was such an amazing time together and I am so grateful we were able to get together.

I figured there would likely be some free time to go for some hikes and/or jogs so I decided to pack along my old running shoes. These shoes have seen far more races, training runs, time at the gym and random jogs than a single pair of shoes should ever see, but alas they reside in my closet for the heck of it. I was glad I brought them because on one of the mornings, one friend and I decided some exercise could do us some good and headed out on a jog/walk. 

When I slipped my feet into these old pals, it felt so familiar, so comfortable, like wearing an old pair of worn in jeans, or better yet...sweat pants! In spite of the fact that there is no padding or support left on the bottom, they were perfectly molded to my feet and I felt right at home! 

Upon my return from the reunion I decided to take them out for a quick 2-miler to see how they felt when they truly hit the pavement, see if I am more of a "Born To Run" conformist than I thought. To be totally honest, I didn't actually notice much of a difference from my current running shoes. I didn't feel anymore sore the next day to to lack of support or vice versa. It was a fun little experiment and I may try running on them again with a bit more distance. I would be curious to see if anything changed with my hamstring pain if I ran in the oldies for a few runs in a row. We shall see. 

Though there was not much to report in the end, I have to say that it was kind of fun rediscovering these old friends!

I'm Baaaack

Hello friends! 

It has been a looong time since my last post. My family and I were in Mexico since mid June. You can read about some of our experiences here. When you think of Mexico do palm trees, sandy beaches, and drinks with little umbrellas pop into your mind? That was not really the scene for us. My husband was able to have his sabbatical this summer and we spent it in San Miguel, which is central Mexico.

being silly in front of the cathedral.

the beautiful, yet dangerous, cobblestone streets

I knew before I got there I wouldn't be running. Logistically it would be too hard. I didn't feel comfortable going out by myself, and all the sidewalks were cobblestone (have you read the post where I fall? Correction, the posts...multiple falls). We had both our girls and only our single running stroller. So I committed to working out with Barre3. I love going to the studio at home in Portland, but I joined their online community (only $15 buckaroos) and worked it out 5 days a week while the girls napped. So handy.

This morning I went for my a run. It had almost been as long as my last blog post. Usually after a break that long the first run is a little humbling. I find myself wondering why in the heck I ever would say I enjoy running, and I am so sore the following days that my second run usually is even more painful.

However, I felt strong, even pushing my two littles. It was just a quick 2 miler. But I felt good, the girls behaved (they were in a goldfish stupor) and it was nice to be in familiar neck of the woods. I contribute this unexpected strength to all those hard leg workouts Barre3 had me doing. I just bought a pass at the Barre3 studio, so my Barre days are not done. My goal for the last 4 weeks of my summer vacation is balance (in workouts and every other area of my life)...does that sound familiar??? I think I blog that goal every other post. I usually blame time for the reason I am not balanced, on summer vacation then, there are no excuses!

Jess

We are still here!

Yes, yes I promise we are still alive and this blog is still up and running.

With Jess's 5 week trip to Mexico and my move to Washington, I would say things have been a little crazy and blogging took a back seat for a bit.

Our move to Washington was insane with lots of ups and even more downs but we are beginning to settle in and loving here. We have been blessed with truly amazing weather and are enjoying our life here thus far. I have been running fairly consistently since being here but only short little 2-3 milers with my daughter in tow. I am still learning the lay of the land and where to run and how long each trail is, if it's stroller friendly, etc.

Currently neither Jess or I have any upcoming races on the horizon. I think we are enjoying the break and enjoying our summer. We will see what Fall holds. So hang in there and keep reading!

Moving North

One half of The Mommy Miles is moving...in 6 days! My family and I are packing up and heading North to Washington. We are very excited about this transition and I can't wait to find some great, new places to run.

As we pack up and I move my little family, I may be a little bit quiet on the blog. Hopefully I can jump back into things quickly and find my stride. I will keep you posted and look forward to sharing my new running adventures!

Katie

12 in 12 in review

I did it. I love the feeling of accomplishing a goal. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I am not one of those people who heads out for a run just for the heck of it. 

Unless I have a goal, a race, something I am working towards, I have trouble getting motivated. This, oddly, is specific to running. So although I might enjoy a variety of workouts, running is the hardest for me to get done, but also the workout that I feel the most rewarded by completing. Make sense? Anyways. I'd thought I'd take a look back over this last year and the races I completed. Click on the month to go back and read the full recap. And of course...stay tuned as I workout what my next 12 month challenge will be.

1. July 2011, Deschutes Dash 10k Final Time: 1:06:14 (10:40 pace)

2. Aug 2011,Haulin' Aspen 7mi. trail Final Time:1:18:33(11:13 pace)

3. September 2011, Fairhaven 15k  Final Time: 1:39:00 (10:37 pace)

4. October 2011, Girlfriend's Half Marathon Final Time: 2:18:53 (10:36 pace)

5. November 2011, Turkey Trot Not chip timed, Garmin time 43:01 (10:35 pace)

6. December 2011, Virtual race 5k  Garmin Time 28:50 (9:18 pace)

7.January 2012, Virtual Race 5k  Garmin Time 30.55 (9:58 pace)

8. February 2012, Heartbreak 10k  Final Time 1:03:00 (9:40 pace)
NO PICTURE...How did that happen?

9. March 2012, Shamrock 15k   Final Time 1:31(9:50 pace)

10. April 2012,  Bridge to Brews 10k Final Time 1:00:28  (9:44 min pace)

11. May 2012, Rock n' Roll Half Marathon Final Time 2:16:06 (pace 10:22)

12. June 2012, Wild Canyon Games! **not timed**

Detox (Jess)

I have done all sorts of detoxes and cleanses over the years. This was my first 48 hours cleanse, and it was the hardest. As I am working on my 60 days of healthful eating, it seemed like a great time to do a quick cleanse. Since my experience was very similar to Katie's recap here, for this post I will focus on some thoughts I have about the process. By no means am I a doc, I only have my personal experience to go off of.

This last weekend I learned a few crucial lessons on having a successful cleanse. I suffered from not thinking ahead and I came away with some thoughts on preparing your body, calendar, fridge, and family for what is about to happen.

Preparing your body:

It seems simple enough. Follow the recipes, eat the snacks, drink the tea, and whamoo-bamo you'll be feeling like a million bucks. Not so much. It is crazy how much our bodies come to depend on the little indulgences we have throughout our day. I know this cleanse would have felt a whole lot better had I taken the few days before to cut back slowly on my caffeine and keep an eye on my sugar intake. Instead I over indulged on both the days leading up to the cleanse, and paid for it with a headache and foul mood. 

Preparing your calendar:

I cannot stress enough how important it is to give your body rest over the cleanse. Trying to press through and do life as usual is really tough when you are low on energy. I also slept great (thanks to the caffeine break) and appreciated the early bedtime. Cleanses and detoxes are a great way to jump start new habits or get back on track with healthy eating, but make sure your jump start happens at a time where the focus can be on what you are doing for your body. 

Preparing your fridge:

Look ahead at all the recipes. Read up on why you are eating this or that. Think through what that meal time will be like. Unlike Katie, I didn't stick to the meal plans 100%, I used all the same ingredients, but in different ways to make new meals for lunch and breakfast on the second day. The smoothie was great, but it felt more like a breakfast option to me, quinoa wasn't too bad either, but I loved it cold with veges and the lemon/olive oil dressing. I was careful not to add new things but I did want to feel good about what I was eating. Also, Katie noted that the recipes made way more than what we needed, so looking it over before going shopping would have saved us some serious cash. 

Preparing your family:

If being by yourself for 48 hours, focused only on your food and body is not reasonable, welcome to real life. I think all of us struggle, no matter what our family looks like, to carve out time to take care of ourselves. Talking through your plans with your family and either doing it together or having someone who can pick up the slack for your lagging energy is going to make everything easier. Justin worked late on Saturday night and I was cranky and irritable by the time it was bed time for the girls. It was a mommy fail. If I had planned it more carefully, it would have been more enjoyable for everyone. 

Again, these are just my thoughts. Little things I learned along the way this last weekend. I am glad I did it, I always learn a lot when I am being conscious of my food. It is an ongoing journey to be healthy and balanced, I am always grateful for a new challenge and experience that keeps me focused.

Jess

Your thoughts:

Have you tried a cleanse or detox?

What advice would you give?

48-Hour Detox recap (Katie)

This past weekend, Jess and I both did Dr. Oz's 48-Hour Weekend Cleanse. I'll share my experience now and Jess will share hers later in the week.

The detox overall was fine, not great, not awful but fine. Saturday morning I made my quinoa breakfast and was surprised by the amount it made, I was pleasantly full which was a great way to start the cleanse. In looking ahead at the plan, I decided to go ahead and pre-make the juice options that were listed.  I could drink these juices anytime and as much as I wanted throughout the weekend so I wanted to have them on hand (a good call). I got through the morning just fine between my quinoa, juices and a mellow morning at home. When my daughter went down for her nap I made my lunch (a yummy smoothie that was by far my favorite meal of the weekend). Once again I looked ahead at the plan and knowing we had plans that evening, decided to go ahead and prepare the dinner and the other snack option (veggies). I spent almost the entire nap time in the kitchen after already spending a long time in the kitchen that morning. I didn't love that but it was nice to have everything already prepared.

After my daughter woke up, I took her on a short walk to the park. By this time my energy was very low and my head was starting to ache. I watched her play at the park for a while then upon my desperate need to use the restroom (I had to pee ALL the time), we walked back home. I was wiped out! I ate an early dinner and was not at all satisfied by the taste or the lack of fullness. But that was the last thing I ate that day as the rules state not to eat after 7pm. One thing it does suggest is a cup of detox tea before bed and I did drink that. It's not my favorite tea but it was nice to sip on something comforting before laying my aching head on my pillow.

I woke up Sunday morning with a throbbing headache. I did not want to get out of bed and knew right away I was going to be tired and worthless all day long. I continued to follow the plan with breakfast and juices for snacks. By lunch my headache was debilitating and I felt very weak. I decided to make a double portion of smoothie for lunch and then I went to bed. I napped for 2 hours and woke up with the same headache. At last I caved and decided I would try a small cup of coffee and an ibuprofen. They worked like a charm! I was peppy, energetic and pain free for about an hour. The coffee soon wore off but luckily the headache did as well. I managed to get through the rest of the day just fine. My dinner did not sound or taste good so I didn't finish my portion but just sipped on more juice and again had my tea before bed (I added a squeeze of lemon which was nice).

Strangely (or maybe not?), though I went to bed feeling hungry and  fatigued, I woke up Monday morning feeling fresh and quite good. I didn't feel hungry, I had no headache and I was happy to get out of bed and start the day. It was a great feeling....and an even better feeling when I got to enjoy a full cup of coffee and some eggs for breakfast! Detoxing is a good thing, it's healthy and keeps your organs clear and functioning properly but oh man, it sure is nice to not feel so restricted after so many "no-no's".  One thing I noticed is that I craved good, healthy foods all day and was not drawn to the junk whatsoever.

Reflections:
-I did a 5 day whole foods detox last year and I struggled way more with this 2 day one.
-While it was clearly challenging, I am glad I did it.
-I will certainly do another detox again but I would like to try a different one.
-Do not underestimate the power of water.
-When detoxing, try to keep your calendar clear so you can have the freedom to lay low.
-I think the detox tea before bed was very important, it def helped "clear" things out.
-The dinner made far too much, definitely halve the recipe (would save $ on groceries, too).
-I love the lunch smoothie so much, I have already had it again since.
-This really opened my eyes to how many foods I randomly pop into my mouth throughout the day.