Pumpkin, Coconut, Marshmallow, Blueberry Goodness Bowl

YUM!

I woke up early when Jeff left **(early because I could sleep in if I wanted! probably should have because we will probably have a late night!)

So of course I made myself breakfast! My usual pumpkin filling combo-- not in pie form today--

Base: 1/3 cup organic pumpkin puree
1/2 cup egg ( today I used 4 egg whites and had to beat it all more than if you use 1/2 cup of egg beaters or carton egg whites)
Dash of baking powder
Tsp Brown Sugar
Tsp Pie Spice
1/4 cup oats

Beat very well.. microwaved for forever ( about 3-4 minutes depending on the quality of your micro! mine took like 5 to firm up)

Toppings
Bluberries! ( frozen wild- they defrosted immediately)
A few Mango pieces
Coconut (unsweetened)
Marshmallows!!! shhhhh ( they have a little fructose corn syrup in them!)
* and Flax Seed Butter- the Naturally More brand on the past weekend's post ( its sweeter but has less sugar than peanut butter - odd huh? NO DELICIOUS! )

the marshmallows melted a little too!

Tea ( one green tea bag and one early grey tea bag!)

Body:

I had such a fantastic workout yesterday (last night) so I am not concerned with fitting one in (early) today- However- I should be able to get to the gym this afternoon after I get home from meeting up with my mom!

Mind:
Relaxing on this today, this week was a doozy! Making myself literally sick from stress/hormones was not cool- I am going to do suduko and read 1 article for my hyperglycemia paper. just one ( in case you couldn't tell with my nutrient metabolism posts- I love cell metabolism!! It is SO fun to find out pathways of how one thing interacts with all these other to make something else! )

Soul:

Mom mom mom! I love my mom! She is so amazing! She is the most amazing and inspiring person I know. She had four kids between the ages of 21-26! I haven't even had ONE yet and I am 26!! She drove me back and forth to school, then to gymnastics practice, then to cheerleading practice right after that AND had to take care of my brothers and sister at the same time AND work and cook food for us AND take care of our home too! Whoa! Putting up with my dad is a WHOLE other story but that is another insane feat in itself now, especially with his injuries.

She has done so much for me and so selflessly that I only wish now that I realize that, if i could only give back to her twice as much as she has given to me- I would still be not giving her enough.
Love you Mom!

She is bringing me blinds for our house and we are shopping too! i'm happy to be getting some mroe house things- I am completely nesting- I hate the way that sounds- but even if I was living on my own I feel that I would still be wanting to nest/make my house a "home" etc etc.
See you lata!

Hot Delicious 24-inch Pizza

I went to the gym after my metabolism exam and I am BEYOND overjoyed that I did!

Body:
I biked 12 miles in 26 minutes! Random Hill Program is Awesome! I also did 30 minutes on the Elliptical! This felt TRULY AMAZING! I have not been able to get in a great workout for about two weeks it seems ( although my yoga and 3 mile run on sunday DID feel kinda fantastic as Yoga+Runs usually are!)


Mind:
SMOOTH SAILING UNTIL FINALS! By this I mean, I still have to interview a freshmen with april about her food choices, code and analyze all the data, start and finish a research paper on Intermediate Hyperglycemia ( the precursor to Diabetes Type 2), and write a response paper for minority health readings. All of this will be WAY more managable though than this past week though!

I posted about nutrient metabolism without looking at my notes! Woohoo! And I am so happy I did well this week on my two presentations and exam! Sigh of Relief~ Thanks for all your well wishes!

Soul:
Get to see my mom tommorow! We are meeting half way between where we live and doing some shopping, exchanging of blinds and catching up! Hooray!
Our friends arrive tomorrow evening AND this amazing friend-not really because she left to go to grad school just after we met- is coming into town too! We both joke about how we feel like we would have become best friends but timing wasn't there... so it will be an absolute fantastic, stress free, fun filled, visit filled weekend!



After I got back I called Jeff and we decided on pizza from our FAVORITE place! Well.... we usually just get a slice each because they are these HUGE 6 inch wide, 12 inch long slices . So I looked at our coupons to get the number and I see their 18 inch pizza is $9... So I figured with friends in town this weekend, we could get te 24 inch for not terribly much more.

Jeff came home with this bad boy:



The picture does not do it justice- It was literally a 3 foot by 3 foot wide box that he could barely fit into his truck! Do you see that cup!? That is a big, 18 oz cup in the background! Unfortunately, the guy on the phone wouldn't tell me how much it cost- so i assumed it would only be a little more than $15 -I was way off! Jeff told me it cost $27 !! For one pizza ( granted it was huge and could feed two families!)

Yikes! Thank goodness it was cut into small squares, so I could enjoy three and a little guy missing from the photo! and Hooray For LEFTOVERS! And hoooray for such an amazing boyfriend Jeff that buys me a $27 pizza~

Another view of our gorgeous tree- I love fall foliage!

I feel on top of the world! Ah

Advanced Nutrient Metabolism: Pyruvate--Acetyl CoA and Pyruvate-- Lactate, Lactate Metabolism and PPP

I mentioned before , fructose ( which is excited by glucokinase in the liver) gets phosphorylated in the cell into fuctose 1-P ( using up one ATP) which then gets converted to glyceraldehyde 3-P. This glyceraldehyde is the backbones of triglycerides ( glycerol with three attached fatty acids). High fructose syrups/ high fructose intake is thought to impact this process by 1. Exciting glucokinase , stimulating the glycolysis of glucose--> pyruvate-->acetyl CoA.

Acetyl CoA is the building blocks of..... Lipids! More fat!
and 2. Fructose turning into glyceraldehydes ups your triglyceride levels- which can increase your insulin resistence - which increases insulin release- which increases blood glucose-- which means Diabetes to follow!




PPP is the pentose phosphate pathway.

We use this pathway to bar off glucose for a little while. Why you may ask? Of course, to make it into other important stuff -
1. ribose- so we can form nucleic acids , DNA... and
2. So we can make NADPH2.

NADPH2 is involved in this cute little process that lets us get rid of a free radical.. h2 O2 ..hydrgoen peroxide. If we do not get rid of it, it will cause our red blood cells to burst- Not GOOD !!

So, NADPH2 interacts with Glutathione ( 2 GSH)... which requires an enzyme ( of course!) Glutathione Peroxidase - this turns H2O2 ( the bad guy) into H2O.. water!

The PP Pathway starts with 3 molecules of glucose

glucose-6-P glucose 6-P glucose 6-P

--with the help of glucose-6-p-dehydrogenase----key enzyme (again with the enzymes)

-6phosphogluconate -6phosphogluconate-6 phosphogluconate


these each break-off Carbons as CO2 ... and Turns NADP into NADPH2 ( horrary!)
making

5-Carbon Compound - Ribose ( yah!) - 5 carbon Compound

These all can easily convert to...

glucose -6- P -glucose-6-P and -glyceraldehyde

All of which can go back to glycolysis or the g-6-p's can go to glycogenesis


Lactate Metabolism!

I know you all are dying to know this!

So glucose---> pyruvate ---> Acetyl CoA ( in high oxygen situations)
Well in low oxygen situations, or say high demand exercise
pyruvate---> lactate
this conversion also gives us the ultra-important taxi: NAD+

NAD+ is a taxi that goes back to the glucose stage to convert glucose--> pyruvate (aka glycolysis)

This is important in keeping us alive- without oxygen, lactate gets sent into the blood, then into the liver, then gets conerted there back to pyruvate and back to glucose- then back to the beginning of glucose.


I am done! I took my test and feel VERY good about it- keep your fingers crossed!
Thanks for reading about Nutrient Metabolism!

Advanced Nutrient Metabolism: Glycogenesis-- Glycogenolysis---Glycolysis----

Glycogenesis
The formation of glycogen. After you eat, your body will store glycogen in muscle tissue and in liver cells. Your liver & muscle will use this for when you place a demand on your body such as exercise. Your liver also regulates/maintains blood glucose levels as needed so glycogen storage is also important for liver functioning.

It only uses 1 ATP (energy molecule) to branch 1 glucose onto/to form glycogen..BUT its such a good deal because when we break apart glycogen we ultimately get 36-38 ATP's worth of energy! Talk about bang for your buck!

The liver also acts as a vacuum ( :-(.. i wish I could afford a i-Roomba!)... it collects all this other "crap" laying around ( i.e lactate) to form glycogen. This is called gluconeogenesis and a significant amount of glycogen formation depends on this process ( about 1/3).

Pathway:
Glucose ( from our food) interacts with either these two enzymes
--- hexokinase in the muscle cells and liver
---glucokinase in the liver only

Then glucokinase stimulates glucose to use up 1 ATP and forms glucose-6-phosphate
Glucose-6-phosphate----> glucose 1-phosphate
glucose-1-phosphate----helped by Uridine Triphophate UTP---> UDP-glucose
UDP glucose----helped by glycogenin primer---> Unbranched Glycogen
Unbranched glycogen--- helped by Glycogen Synthase ( branching enzyme)--> Branched, Glycogen

Hooray! So Now that we have stored glucose into a better branched form- What happens when we need the energy?

Glycogenolysis!

Liver glycogen gets exported to blood
Muscle Glycogen gets exported to muscle cells

This is stimulated/turned on ( ooh la la) by glucagon and epinephrine ( thus these are called allosteric modifiers because they influence the enymes- glycogen synthase ( forming glycogen) AND glycogen phosphorylase

Glycogen phosphorylase is a big enzyme in glycogenolysis and is also turned on/off + / - (modified) by cyclic AMP

Pathway

Fasting/Starving + -> glucagon in liver + with the help of Protein Complex + Adenylate Cyclase

Flight or fight Ahh!!! + epinephrine + with the help of Protein Complex + Adenylate Cyclase

+ Adenylate Cyclase ---- +

is all excited, uses up a molecule of energy ATP...... > forming Cyclic AMP (cAMP)

cAMP is interacts with protein kinases that inhibit the branching enzyme glycogen synthase I mentioned above by turning it into the inactive form (B)
cAMP is thus modified by Protein dependent kinases... first the inactive forms then turn to active... which then turns phosphorylase kinase B inactive to active...

Phosphorylase A --- > breaks down Glycogen---> Glucose-1-phosphate ---> glucose ! and lactate


So now we have lots of free glucose to use up
Glycolysis!
glucose---> pyruvate
yeilds total of 2 ATP but in the future we will know that we end up with more b/c of krebs cycle

Red Blood Cells depend on glycolysis because they have no mitochondria, as do Eye cells as well as they have limited blood supply.
Our Kidneys, Testis, leukocytes and White Muscle Fibers all have no mitochondria so we need this process as well.

If we have high levels of ATP , high levels of alanine, hexokinase and Citrate- these all inhibit glycolysis

High levels of fructose "turn on" glucokinase which turns on glycolysis
The main control point is PFK .. phophofructokinase which can turn on or off the production of fructose and hence the glycolysis process.

Pathway (this is a doozy)

Glucose--- gets into the cell as glucose and is phosphorylated using up 1 ATP to make-->
Glucose-6-Phosphate---isomerase turns this into---> Fructose -6-Phosphate
Fructose -6-Phosphate---uses another ATP---> Fructose 1-6-Phosphate

Fructose 1-6-P is then broken down into Glyceraldehyde 3-P and dihydroxyacetone-3-P (DHAP)

DHAP--- runs into NADH-- froms NADH2 ( which will give us 3 ATP x 2 for krebbs later) and then can turn into Glyceraldehyde 3-P like the other molecule formed

Glyceraldehyde-3-P makes a 3 Carbon Intermediate #1 (3CI #1)

3C I #1 MAKES 1 ATP (x 2 because 1 glucose moledule yeilds 2 carbons so this process is doubled) --- forming 3 C I #2 --- which changes to 3C I #3

3cI#3 turns into PEP ( phosphoenolpyruvate)

PEP MAKES 1 ATP (x 2) by changing into Pyruvate !

Pyruvate is then turned into Acetyl CoA ( high oxygen conditions, which also forms NADH2 ( future yeild of 6 ATP) or Pyruvate forms Lactate ( no oxygen, which takes NADH2 and forms NAD + which then acts as a taxi to keep the cycle going).

The pyruvate---> lactate is the process that keeps us alive say when we are drowning and have no Oxygen- ( it only lasts for about 400 kcal worth of energy) .. The taxi NAD+ goes back up to help convert glucose to pyruvate so we can continue to have energy!

And I didn't even look at my notes for any of this!! Phew!!!

Confidence~ Thank You!

I am feeling confident about this exam today! Wooohooo!

I studied this morning on campus, met with the professor to go over questions and just had lunch with April my project buddy ( I totally brought my camera and It DIDNT WORK! i think the battery is dead... darn! I had a yummy salad with a tiny slice of roast beef, glob of cottage cheese, kidney beans, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, celery, tomato, cauliflower, and two pieces of honeydew.... :-( sad face b/c i tried to take a pic! ) and... we scored an interviewee for our project!( interviewing a college freshman about their diet choices)

So... I wish I could take the exam right now and get it over with. I don't want to study much more because I feel like it would only jumble things up! I figured I could blog a little in my "spare time" and get my mind off the exam ( de-stressify!) I also brought gym clothes with me so I could de-stressify at the gym after this crazy week!

My next post I will type up info on :
glycogenesis ( the formation of glucose to glycogen)....
glycogenolysis ( the subsequent breakdown of glycogen back to glucose)..
glycolysis ( the breakdown of glucose to pyruvate),
the breakdown of pyruvate to Acetly CoA OR lactate ( which then get further broken down) and

.... PPP pentose phosphate pathway- which breaks down glucose into compounds that are then rebuilt back into glucose for the pathways above ( I know weird right? why break it down only to build it back up?)


And just a side note, THANK YOU , THANK YOU , THANK YOU! For all the wonderful comments, supportive feedback, etc. to my post last night. I was quite nervous about posting it because I would hate for people to be turned away by reading and knowing more about my history. I ultimately feel great about posting it, because it felt like I was finally letting my guard down. I love every single comment that I get, it makes me feel so fantastic to know other people pay attention to what I'm writing and it feels phenomenal.

Thank you everyone!

Larabar Giveaway!

Larabar Giveaway!!!

This is me eating my larabar as study fuel for nutrient metabolism exam!

I would love love love to try more larabars! Please please please I would love to take some off your hands! I have only tried the cherry pie (PHENOMENAL) and the cashew cookie- another YUMMY delight. Veggie Girl tells me I MUST TRY THESE LARABARS! Carrots and Cake is always eating LARABARS! Kath eats LARABARS Caitlin at SeeBrideRun is always Munching on LARABARS! PLEASE send some to me so that me, B-HEALTHY can enjoy LARABARS!

Why I write this blog

Presentation was AMAZING!! HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!
I even managed to get in two super great hours of studying for Metabolism Exam!
I was going to post about metabolism next, but the section is on pathways which is super hard to write ( easier to draw) but I will probably post what I can later.

Today I woke up sick, after going to bed last night not feeling well. I actually threw up- completely SUCKED! It was totally involuntary and felt awful but I think it was related to the odd foods I ate last night in our food presentations class AND to nerves.


Presentation Results: I got tons of "wow such a great job" from my classmates on break- It made me feel fantastic!

Body:

rest... rest...rest.. .I need to RELAX!

Mind:
Presentation #3 of 3 .... DONE Haaaleeeluujah haleluja haleluja!
Studying going very well for metabolism
Lunch tomorrow - meeting April for recruiting interviewee for monday's class!
I get to eat at the dining hall.. woohoo

Soul:
I cannnot WAIT to see my mom on friday! Hi mom! I love you! What time are we meeting?

Caitlin at her blog: SeeBrideRun , asked about reasons why people write in blogs, eating disorders and food-blog relationships etc. I have been meaning to write about more of my history and reasons for blogging so here goes. I already have gotten strange looks from people that wonder why I take pictures of my food etc. Being in the nutrition field and intrested in eating healthy most of my life, eating disorders (e.d) have usually come up for a topic of discussion. I have had several friends that suffered from different eating disorders. In college, I began studying psychology ( Neuroscience) and nutrition in college and researched eating disorders for many many classes. Even in graduate school, I just finished a project about college women and e.d.

That is just a preface to why I started food blogging. I started for so so so many reasons!

I love to write. Writing is such an amazing release for mental energy and I find it so therapeutic!

I would like to get into publishing/research/writing as a professional after obtaining my master's in nutrition, so I figured it would be a fantastic way to start.

I found myself making really creative foods and recipes and wanting to take pictures of it because " it just looks so good!" and be able to make it again!

I wanted to improve my photography, and get out my creativity in an influential positive way.

I love the "community" created and love making "friends" that have the same interests as me- which has been hard for me to do over the years.

Now comes the hard part, I did suffer from an eating disorder for almost 10 years. I know, 10 years seems like such a long time! I struggled with bulimia from high school through and out of college. Not always severe, but I realize now how bad it was at some points.

Through a long recovery process, I have written several blogs that I have kept private, and seen a few therapists. I found that writing was a way for me to face my problems, not stuff my face and feel quilty about it , then engage in even worse behaviors to make myself feel better. It was such a viscious cycle, writing ( poetry at first actually) helped me work through my thoughts, work through my feelings that I often dealt with in such incredibly awful, unhealthy ways.

I read a book (suggested by an RD) that impacted my life and that is what really jump-started my recovery process. I also met a truly, absolutely amazing person (Jeff). I realized how wonderful of a person he was, but most importantly, he led me to realize how wonderful of a person I was... I realized how much I had taking life for granted, even though I did know that logically during those 10 years. I didn't "see" it, Jeff made me "see" it.

The book helped me find that several areas of my life were very unbalanced. I would workout way too much when I wasn't studying ( too much "body") Or I would spend days studying like crazy and not be able to exercise ( too much "mind"). I never really did anything to fill my soul....spiritual, etc.

I filled my emptiness with food in hopes of filling my hunger in other areas of my life, and food never helped it.

I didn't realize how un-balanced my life was then. I find myself now worlds better. I eat food to fuel my body, not to nourish areas of my life that need other means of fufillement. I talk to someone about why I am sad or angry or upset or frustrated, instead of shoving down a cupcake and feeling even worse, than trying to "fix it". I write about it , if it seems an appropriate way to deal with whatever issue it is. It seems like an easy concept, I know for people who have not experienced eating disorders, it is tough to fully "get it".

I write my blog because it helps keep me balanced- remind myself of the great things I am doing , the struggles that I have overcome, the people that I may inspire.

I write in hopes of encouraging others to keep a more balanced lifestyle- balance body, mind, and soul.

I would love to help people recovering from eating disorders, if nothing more to be a form of support. Be someone supportive who has lived through, who knows the depths it can take you. Some one who knows what its like to recover, because YOU CAN RECOVER!

Tuesday Tuesday

Dinner:
Half of a Bison Burger ( got it at Trader Joes! Fantastic, lean, super high in protein, 1 patty has 240 calories but 43 gram of protein.. thats 172 calories worth of protein! about 7 grams of fat)
Half of a slice of colby jack, pickle, asparagus, tomato slice, onion ( Jeff made the burger and asparagus while i was at class!)
I know its not a big dinner-
but... in class we had all of our food presentations ( mine was yogurt)

SO NOT Pictured ( b/c I didn't know the WHOLE class was going to bring in so much food - otherwise I would have brought my camera!!! )

There was presentations on ( and thus food) :
Banana pudding
Sag Paneer ( indian cheese and greens)
Chili
Grape Leaves- Lebanese style
Pumpkin- Hopi Pumpkin was AMAZING! and pumpkin seeds
Custard (blech! gross!!!)
Beer! (shh we are a dry campus)ass ( not pictured) I had a small cup of chili, a cup of banana pudding, pumpkin seeds, hopi pumpkin ( apples, raisins, cinnamon, pecans, .. ), pretzels, about 3 oz beer! Lunch:
Grilled chicken- veggies and hummus.. mini whole wheat tortilla wrap ...some nuts!

Breakfast:
Mini whole wheat tortilla, eggs,
Fruit: cranberries, blueberries, small banana smothered in pb!

Wow, what a busy day! I don't even know where to start!
Yogurt Presentation went superb!

Body:
Gym... bike 4 miles 10 minutes, elliptical 30 minutes
* i will unfortunately be resting tomorrow so that I can study all morning for my exm thursday and prepare for my presentation tomorrow afternoon... boy i cant wait till friday

Mind:
Class!

Presentation #2 of 3 DONE!

Presentation #3 in good shape - updating cards, meeting with professor tomorrow

Exam: next post as a studying mechanism will be first section of material

Soul:
not feeling right.. i don't know what it is but I am pretty sure my body section was so heavy these past few weeks with thos longer runs ( my knees still ache) and now its my mind section super heavy for this week's exam/work ...

I can only fit in so much everyday right...? I have to admit that my long term goals are weighing on me as well... marriage???, friends weddings, babies, career, etc etc...

So tomorrow I think if I get up early again ( prior to 7 am) - I can grab breakfast, head to the library- get some super studying in/prepping.. come home for lunch break (or stay on campus) and then meeting with the prof., class, more studying for exam on thursday...

FYI ... I am not going to do pictures until friday unless something I make is really incredible- I just need to focus as much energy as possible into my work!

monday monday

Breakfast:
Breakfast Pumpkin Pie for One

- I put a little cranberry fruit sauce on the side ( frozen wild organic blueberries, frozen organic cranberries, frozen pineapple- heated up in the microwave!) and
- a half of a tiny banana w/ Naturally More Flax Butter! ( I haven't gotten this stuff in about a year- but its yummy- it has more protein (10g) than regular peanut butter, Less sugar, and less overall fat... which is a tough combo to actually make! I enjoy the flaxseeds in their as well !

Close Up...looks like a mini -pie slice...

Like my pjs!?
Yum Yum Yum!

Lunch:
Spaghetti Squash for One ( small guy)
I used it as my "serving dish" and put all the spaghetti in one half, with extra mixed veggies and vegetarian crumbles in the other
Chobani

Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast
Leftover spaghetti squash and veggies
Sweet Potato Fries!



Body:
Rest...
( I also did an intense yoga and strength session after my short 3 mile run yesterday so I wanted to focus on my work today anyway)

Mind:
Finished up both presentations but still have to rehearse them tomorrow

Soul:
Woke up early! I am hoping to wake up early again tomorrow and start a morning workout schedule... I HATE working out in the morning! I love working out in the afternoon as my "reinforcement" for a good day- but I want to adjust to the mornings because it just works out better with the rest of my life if I can get to it since classes are in the afternoon 4-7 and my homework usually gets done best before those hours.

Meeting my mom on friday! We also have friends coming into town this weekend! My best friend I grew up with got engaged! A girl I knew in college just got engaged last week too!
My newlywed best friend Andrea just got back from Hawaii and is pretty sure she is pregnant! Wow!
see you in the am

To Run or Not to Run

My expected first half marathon was this weekend. I did not run it. There were so many reasons that I should NOT run it, I found it hard to find a reason WHY to run it other than it was a goal.

I have had feasts of glucose, protein and electrolytes. I double-knot. I lock the door behind me. I had to prove what I was made. Just keep adding mile after mile on my internal odometer. I ran 3 miles, 8 miles, 12 miles. Some days more, some days less. I rewarded a long run with a short run. And a short run with a long run. Rain tried to slow me. Sun tried to microwave me. The early frost made me feel like a warrior. I cramped. But I paid no mind to comfort. On weekends. On holidays. I made excuses to keep going. Questioned myself. Played mind games. Put my heart before my knees. Listened to my breathing. Worked on my tan. I hit the wall. I went through it.

( this was adapted from a nike quote I found very inspiring- good job nike!)

I did not run the 13.1 mile 1/2 marathon this weekend. I had been debating all week because I have been fighting off this cold, trying so hard for it not to get me down. I felt the pressure bricks laying on top of me, the yogurt presentation, on top goes the native american health presentation, then the metabolism exam... I had to drive three hours , then spend a few hundered on a hotel the night before, then pay $80 to wake up at 6 am and run. Then drive back three hours .

It just seemed like all of this extra effort that was NOT worth it at this point. I started training in July with the hopes of placing very high. Once I hurt my knee, everything changed. I wasn't sure if I would even be able to run again.

After slowly rebuilding my distance, increasing my cross training, running 12.5 miles last week, I realized that I don't need to drive 3 hours or spend $300 to finish in a 13 mile race. I ran my race, I ran 12.5 miles in under 2 hours- about an 8 minute mile pace for 12.5 miles! I knew I could have kept going.

My initial goal was to place in the top ten and I was training at 6:20 minute miles, 7:00 minute miles, longer runs were a mix of 7 to 8 minute miles. I was on my way of acheiving it until my knee injury.

I realized after a long week of reflection, anxiety, pain, stress, sniffles, breathing trouble that this was just all ... silly!

I run whether I will "win" the race or just finish. I ran my race, and I acheived more than I could have hoped for. I already know that I can do it. That was my race, to find out if I actually can and would. I did.

This is where I start.
I start training again, a long-long-long training program to build back up to where I started. My knees won't go before my heart. My schoolwork does not get put aside to run, and if I start getting sick, I will wait until I get better.


So I felt that although no one probably knew, I had to write out what happened and why and that I am confident this is not going to be the only race in my future. I will be running many more, probably skipping many along the way.


Sunday, I ran 3 miles with Jack-brown-dog nice and easy. We stopped to smell nearly everything and when we came home I realized how AMAZING our crepe myrtle trees look in our front yard. I will take a picture today but I only hope they haven't quickly faded their gorgeous colors.

I made pumpkin pie breakfast for one again and I have a long week of studies ahead of me!!