Exercise: GAH! We went out on a nice relaxing walk last night and my achilles tendon started hurting. No idea why, except that I probably should have been wearing better shoes.
It felt better this morning so the boy and I suited up and headed out for our run. Once I started to run, I “felt” it,. This is the same tendon I injured last August, so I kissed the boy goodbye and walked home to pick up my bike. My plan was to catch up to him near the end of the run, which I so could have done except that I took a little detour.
The Sugarland Run Trail branches off the bikepath about 1.5 miles from our house and I used to run on it for my 7 mile loop. The paved trail twists through the woods and has many bridges that go across the winding stream, very pretty and great on a hot day due to the tree coverage. That portion of the trail ends at a busy road, but the trail continues a couple blocks away. I’ve been wanting to go on that portion for months and see where it goes.
Today, just as I was going to pass it, I turned to finally see where it went. It is the same winding type path with bridges and tall oaks towering above you. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. I sped down the trail and saw all sorts of birds – a bluejay in particular. It is amazing to me how the environment changed so much just a few steps from the road. No houses, no people, just me – speeding along. I came to a fork in the trail, took a right that led to a neighborhood so I finally turned around and headed back up the trail to the street so I could try to catch up with the boy. I was peddling like a mad woman, but I was just a little too late. Not that it mattered. 🙂
Where do you exercise that makes you feel serene and peaceful? What kind of exercise is it?
Breakfast (5pt; 393 cal): All that cold air necessitated a big bowl of oats. This morning it was chocolate cherry oats. My bowl contained: 1/2 C oats, 1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries, 1T unsweetened cocoa, 1T flax meal and I topped it with 1/2C soy milk. They warmed me right up and hit the spot.
Mid-morning Snack (3pt; 153 cal): Egg whites with spinach and a wedge of Lauging Cow original on 1/2 of a La Tortilla Factory wrap. Yummy. I prefer it on toast, but I didn’t have any bread. Love the rear view in this picture.
Lunch (6pt; 468 cal): A yummy quinoa salad, apple, and yogurt for lunch. My “salad” contained: quinoa, apple, edamame, feta, red cabbage, almonds, and a touch of italian dressing. So many yummy flavors and textures – sweet salty savory creamy crunchy.
Mid-afternoon snack (2pt; 171 cal): Carrots and string cheese with a mock mocha. I love mock mochas almost as much as real ones. Today I brewed a cup of Newman’s Own Extra Bold and added a packet of diet hot cocoa and 1/2 c soy milk.
Dinner (7 pt; 474 cal): I have been thinking about this salad for days! For the Salad Challenge tonight I finally had my Warm Black Bean salad:
- Romaine/greens
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- carrots
- celery
- green pepper
- red cabbage
- onion
- Side of black beans from California Tortilla
- Wholly guacamole
- 1/2 a La Tortilla Factory wrap
I did put the black beans on the salad, but I thought all the colors were just too pretty to cover up. I also had a small bowl of puffed kamut w/ soy milk.
Calories In/Calories Out: 1660/2392 (edited 2/25)
Daily Points: 23/19
WPA: 16.5/35
AP: 26
I love grainy salads! The town I live in has great running/biking paths as well so I usually stick to those. They go through the woods and it’s so pretty. I’m getting used to running sans i-pod!
It’s nice to just be alone with your thoughts and zone out on a run. I find the repetitions of the sound of my feet hitting the ground to be very relaxing and it allows me to zone out more. Even when I’m running with the boy, if I’m pushing hard, I stop talking and zone out on the sound of our feet and breath.