Sunkissed Raspberries

The good news: the antibiotics seem to be helping already. The tooth pain has diminished a lot. The bad news: antibiotics make me feel a little sick to my stomach. 😦 Thank you for all the well wishes! I am crossing my fingers that the healing process continues (and does so quickly).

I stopped at the produce stand to buy some fruit. I have been craving fruit and veggies all week!

The raspberries barely made it home. I sort of ate a lot of them before I got home. 🙂 For lunch I cooked some more soup.

Rosemary Chicken with White Beans and Bacon = 220 calories. It was pretty good. The chicken chunks were a little too big for me to eat but I liked the soup.

I barely toasted half a bagel (so it was warm but still a little soft) and spread some light cream cheese on it.

It took me forever to eat that half bagel. I have to chew very slowly. This whole situation has pointed out to me that I eat way too fast normally.

QUESTION: Are you a fast eater? How do you slow yourself down?

The lunch should keep me from getting sick from the antibiotics. Later, I’ll eat the rest of these beauties:

Spending the afternoon relaxing, healing, sucking down water, and watching episodes of “Weeds.” This weekend is The Bite of Oregon. I had wanted to go experience it, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

QUESTION: What are your weekend plans? Anything fun going on?

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Soup is Not Filling

I’m so sick of this tooth! I had the root canal on Tuesday and have been in pain ever since. 😦 That does not bode well for my training. I need to be able to eat real food and I’m telling you, soup is NOT filling.

For dinner last night I tried to eat some real food and was pretty successful. Michael blackened some salmon again (it was soft enough for me to eat) and we steamed some veggies. I overcooked the veggies so they weren’t crunchy at all. I was able to eat with no problem, so that’s good.

I topped the veggies with some Goddess Dressing (broccoli and sliced baby carrots).

It was nice being able to eat real food. I can’t wait for this drama to be done with.

I also got a package in the mail yesterday that cheered me up a little. My Bondi Band!

It’s purple with white writing (even if the picture doesn’t look it). I love it. I’m glad I got that saying on it. It’s totally me. I run because I like to, because I like that my body can do it…but I let’s be honest. I also love cheesecake and pizza. 🙂 I also got a decal for my car:

It’s kind of goofy, but I like it. 🙂

I spoke with my dentist this morning. I decided to stay home from work today and take it easy. Last night was ROUGH. I was in so much pain I was crying. And my threshold for pain is pretty high. I have numerous tattoos. I RUN. I’m training for an insane relay race. I can TAKE PAIN. But this tooth is bringing me down! My dentist is prescribing me some antibiotics. That’s usually a last resort for me because I hate taking them. I hate the side effects, I hate the way I feel on them. But I’m desperate at this point and Hood to Coast is in 21 days. I need to be on my game!

Hood to Coast Relay: In 21 Days!!!!

Photoshopping Skinny

Has anyone else seen this picture?

I think the “scandal” happened in 2009 but I firmly believe it’s an ongoing problem in media. This pictures sparks two conversations for me.

First, why is it okay to photo-shop model so much that they look like they are dying? She’s grotesquely skinny–deathlike in my opinion.

Second, are we still susceptible in this day and age to feel like we need to aspire to that above image? Or do we as smart women think, “That’s photo-shopped.” And move on?

So the scandal was that Ralph Lauren photo-shopped an ad making the model above disgustingly skinny. Notice how her head is larger than her pelvis? Um…don’t think our bodies are suppose to look like that!

A spokesman for Ralph Lauren said : “‘For over 42 years, we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the calibre of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.”

Hmm. Fancy words. No real fault being admitted, though.

My visceral response to seeing pictures like that is “Vile.”

Although…Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein are notorious for having anorexic-looking models that have no boobs, no hips, no curves.

And on the same subject…how do men feel when they see the pumped up male models selling jeans but showing off insanely large arm muscles? I KNOW I have a few male readers out there…give me your opinion!

It doesn’t make good business sense to photo-shop at all. The ads are there to sell a company’s clothing. Wouldn’t the average woman be more likely to purchase an article of clothing represented attractively on a normal sized model? Normal meaning like a Size 8 or a Size 10. Or even a 12. I think size 12/14 is the new “average.”

My opinion? I may be talking into the wind on this subject matter but as a person who SHOPS for clothes that fit MY body, I am more apt to go to stores that have real ads. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum: Lane Bryant AND The Gap. I’ve been obese, and skinny.

As a skinny person who used to be obese and NEVER thought I’d EVER be skinny…I would longingly gaze at skinny people wearing cute clothes and think, “I would be so happy if I was her size.”

Now that I AM “her” size…I am less concerned about being skinny and more concerned about being fit. I’d much rather look like this:

Than the anorexic Calvin Klein model above.

What do you think is more attractive? A fit, lean, muscular body like this:

Or No Curves. No Hips. No Boobs like this:

Eeew eeew eeew!

QUESTION: What do you think about these pictures?

Mushy Dinner and Top Chef

After the dog park, I went home and Michael made me dinner. He made me ravioli for dinner because it was soft and I could eat it.

Since I haven’t been able to eat much, I was starving. My stomach felt hollow and grumbly. Michael made the ravioli and put pesto on it. I ate the 1 serving and was still so hungry. He made me a second serving. I was okay for calories so I wasn’t too worried.

It was tasty and I was able to eat them.

While I ate my ravioli, we watched last night’s Top Chef episode. Anyone else see it? I don’t want to ruin it for anyone…

Last week was a bit of a controversial episode. One of the contestants, Alex, allegedly stole another contestant’s pea puree! I was so shocked. I’ve never liked Alex on the show and that sealed the deal for me. Not only did the editing imply that Alex stole the puree, he WON that week’s competition. With the pea puree.

Last night’s episode was about ethnic cuisine. The “Quick Challenge” was cool. The chefs had to create Ethiopian dishes. I happen to love Ethiopian food, so that was a cool challenge. I won’t talk about the rest of the episode in case I spoil it for other people!

QUESTION: What did you think about the “pea puree” scandal?

Sellwood Dog Park

After work yesterday I drove to Sellwood and decided to spend some quiet time alone in the park.

Oaks Park is a great park that I always forget about. It’s so close to our house, too. I brought my book, a blanket and some water. I walked around the park a little bit to check it out first.

Sellwood Park is right on the Willamette River, too. The weather was absolutely perfect for sitting in the park. I spread out the blanket and sat down to relax and unwind.

The sun wasn’t too hot. There was a beautiful view of the river. I watched the waterskiiers, people boating up and down the river. There was a peaceful breeze too. It was pretty much the best spot in Portland.

I read my Sookie Stackhouse book and just listened to the lapping waves on the beach.

I quickly got distracted from my book, though. I realized I was in a dog park and I got distracted watching all the dogs play. They were hilarious! There were no fights and the dogs all played together like they were best friends.

Then I saw these two bears!

They were HUGE! I have no idea what breed of dog they were. One of them came over to say hi to me.

There were a bunch of different dogs that came to visit me where I was sitting. I decided to give up on the book and just watch the puppies.

I stayed at the park for about an hour and a half and then headed home. Michael was so sweet and took care of me.

Zombie Run

Remember how I got that root canal yesterday and then didn’t sleep well? Yeah, I think I got maybe 4 hours of sleep last night. I woke up not very happy this morning and have been a zombie ever since.

Especially in the two hour long work meeting this morning. I was dragging ass. I DEFINITELY did not feel up to running. To be honest, I’ve never NOT wanted to run more than today. Then I started to think about it.

• I’m exhausted and running on 4 hours of sleep = excellent simulation of how I will be able to run in Hood to Coast completely sleep deprived.
• I need to practice running a few times close together– again to simulate Hood to Coast and having my 3 Legs about 10 hours apart.
• I ran last night at 8:30pm with the plan to run again today at lunch. I needed to just suck it up.

So I made a compromise. I decided to run in the gym in my office instead of the 4 mile loop I usually do.

The GOOD thing about running the Esplanade Loop is that I am committed to running the entire thing. You’re kinda stuck on the other side of the river if you decide to be lazy. So I am never lazy. 🙂 But I find that when I run the track, or run the treadmill, I don’t have that same staying power and I tend to get bored easily.

Today I ran on the treadmill in the gym. It was nice, I had the gym all to myself and it was a peaceful run. Amazingly enough I was NOT a zombie once I started running!!

I ran at a fast pace, felt light on my feet, felt suddenly energized. I did about 30 minutes on the treadmill at that pace and then did a bunch of work with the jump rope and ab ball:

I felt pretty fantastic. And the best news? My legs felt awesome! No stiffness, no soreness, nothing! I was fully prepared to be slow and sore from last night’s run and I wasn’t. 🙂

I still can’t get over how awesome of a workout that jump rope is! It’s baffling but I was running at a fast pace on the treadmill and my heart rate never maxed out like it did with the jump rope!

The outcome? I feel pretty awesome after my workout. Energized. Happier. Stronger. Excited about Hood to Coast!

Today’s Stats:

Time: 38:24

Calories Burned:  352

Miles Run: 2.25

Activities: Treadmill, jump rope, ab ball

Feeling pretty darn good about my workout right now. 🙂

QUESTION: Do you have a new workout that you’ve discovered and love?

A Tuesday Night Quickie

For the better part of Tuesday afternoon and evening my face was mostly numb. Which is probably a good thing! I had plans to meet my friend Erika for happy hour and decided not to cancel the appointment. I thought it would be a good distraction and since I was on a liquid diet anyway….why not? 🙂

We met at the Night Light Lounge in SE Portland, off Clinton Street. It’s a funky little part of town and neither of us had ever been there. They had a really nice outdoor patio! We sat outside for a good 3 hours or so talking and drinking.

I had 2 beers (Hopworks IPA). She ordered some fries. I tried to eat a few but couldn’t really chew.

What happens when you barely eat anything all day, eat only soup, and then have two beers?

Yeah I got pretty buzzed. It felt good though. It distracted me from the pain and discomfort. After Happy Hour, I took her home and saw their wedding album from last month. It looked really nice.

I stopped at the grocery store to get soft, mushy food I could eat.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I got yogurt, pudding, soup and ice cream. There was one ice cream I almost bought until I saw the calories! I almost fell over in shock.

That tiny little ice cream cup that fit in my hand was 310 calories!!!

Ooooof!!! I put that back and got a raspberry ice cream that was 110 calories. That’s more my speed.

I had planned on going for a run Tuesday. My Hood to Coast training begins this week and while I was uncomfortable with my tooth I decided that my tooth shouldn’t interfere with running. Training must go on!

I will admit that drinking beer and then going running is probably not the brightest idea but I was no where near drunk. It had been a few hours and the buzz was gone.

I ran the half mile or so to the nearby track and did 2 miles around the track without walking or stopping. My legs felt like they weren’t a part of my body! I was pretty fast.

It was starting to get dark so I ran home to have my soup for dinner and go to bed.

Run Stats:

Time: 32:40

Distance: A little over 3 miles

Calories Burned: 373

It was a fast little run and I felt good. Stretched. Foam Roller. Soup for dinner!

I really love this soup. It’s yummy and really low in calories.

I added some shredded Colby Jack cheese and light sour cream. I skipped the tortilla chips I usually add (nothing crunchy!). Dinner was about 110 calories + the calories for the cheese and sour cream.

I did NOT sleep much last night. The pain pills I got were pretty worthless. I was uncomfortable and upset and I think I finally fell asleep after 1am. That doesn’t make me a happy camper this morning.