Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Whole30 + Mini Marathon Training = One Crazy Month!!

So it's been another long stretch since I've posted on the blog!  I'm definitely more active on Instagram, and I've noticed lots of bloggers I loved to follow have fallen off the blogging wagon.  Maybe it's because of the ages of our kids that keep us busy, busy, busy!!  It's fun having things to do, but sometimes it's more fun having NOTHING to do (which rarely happens in my case!)

The Indy Mini Marathon is quickly approaching, and I've been putting on the miles at the gym on the treadmill.  One thing that definitely has helped this time is the mini iPad.  I've been catching up on lots of shows (The Middle, American Housewife, and The Goldbergs mostly) that I never have time to watch at home.  I've been going to the gym 2 days a week (my day off work, then Saturday or Sunday depending on sports schedules) and doing a short run (3-4 miles) during the week and a long run on the weekend.  The longest weekend run before the race will be 8 miles which is longer than last year's training regime.  So all in all I'm feeling pretty good about May 6th and am not dreading it yet!  I think I said last year I was going to keep running after the mini, but that did not happen.  In fact, I didn't start training this year until February....yikes!  Much later than I had planned originally, but at least I got started and was able to keep with it.  This will be my 5th Indy Mini, and I hope to beat my previous times....we shall see!   Here's my official running plan I made myself....

Now about the Whole30!!!  April 1st I started a new round of Whole30.  If you follow Melissa Hartwig at all on social media, you know she encouraged her followers to start a round of Whole30 on that date.  Looking at the calendar, the month included Easter (think Reese's Eggs) and my twin's birthday (think peanut butter icing), so I knew if I made the commitment, I'd be missing out on two of my favorite things to eat.  Now granted, after doing Whole30 several times, I try my hardest to eat that way 90% of the time.  But for some reason this year after the holidays, my eating went way down hill.  As I described it to my co-workers, "I fell off the wagon, then rolled down the hill!!"
This is a very bad thing if you want your clothes to fit...which is where I was.  My jeans were tight and I just felt bad most of the time.  So I made the commitment to doing Whole30 the month of April, and I survived Easter and the birthday without cheating.  And let's just say I'm so glad I did!  Here are the benefits that I have noticed after 26 days of this.....
1. my clothes fit again
2. I swear my body has Whole 30 memory
3. my back fat has gotten smaller
4. I feel better
5. I'm not as tired in the morning when I get up
6. my mini marathon training has felt great (I don't dread getting on the treadmill....HUGE!)
7. all around I think my mood/attitude is better (my family might protest this one)
So I'm so glad I decided to do this again.  Technically this round is over April 30th, but I think I'm going to go for a Whole36 so I don't mess myself up before the mini.  I'd hate to have issues in the middle of Speedway, Indiana with only port-a-pots.  What's the first thing I'm eating day 37, I'm not sure yet....but I'm leaning towards this!!