Getting Clean

So, for starters, the post-boot camp me is doing quite well. I ran 12 miles on monday morning as part of the marathon training and felt pretty great right until the last 1/4 mile. I pretty much ran out of juice which is due to not taking in enough calories during the run. I'll have to remedy that situation this coming weekend when I have to run 15 miles. A big plus to the early morning run, though, is the addition of EndoRush to my long workouts. This was recommended by my drill instructor and works wonders for giving you a nice boost when getting going on a long run, or otherwise strenuous activity. You can purchase bottles of this at most health stores. However, the main thing to keep in mind is that one bottle contains four servings. This stuff is high in caffeine, so I actually take less than a 1/4 bottle right now while I'm getting my body used to it. (I drink very little caffeine these days- no coffee, no caffeinated soda- the only caffeine I get is in green tea.) Oh, and it doesn't taste all that great, but it works well, so I'll take a few chugs before my training runs.

I also had my post-camp evaluation last night. The instructor noted that I was doing well with the 8lb weights during camp. She also commented that she would like to see my shoulders widen a little more (which would happen with more muscle) and that would not only lift my upper body, but it would make the extra weight I currently carry in my abdomen less noticable. So, she recommended that I pick up a set of 12 lb weights and start doing some of my workouts with those. I'll be swinging out tonight to get them and am anticipating a rough first week with the new weight- just like I had initially with the 8 lb's.

So, the long weekend was spent well. I had a great friday night out with some friends. We were celebrating two birthdays and had a fabulous dinner at LuLu's in Bayview. Then they asked if I knew where we could go for a couple more drinks and I mentioned that my brother has a friend who owns a new place just down the street called Telluride. I did warn them that I had never been there and had no idea what the atmosphere was like, but I knew they had a large patio where we could sit outside. So, we headed over and had a great time there as well. The patio is huge and is actually the entire lot next door to the bar. Drinks were reasonable as well with a good selection of beers. Plus, one of my friends was very impressed with the Chardonnay they were serving for only $4 a glass. (far more impressive than the $6 they paid at LuLu's for a much smaller glass of wine) Saturday was also a great time. Mom and I made a run down to Kenosha to the Prime Outlets. I was very excited that Nike had some great sales, so I got some new running apparel. The evening was spent celebrating the birthday of my running partner. Her daughter cooked dinner for everyone and we had a couple drinks around a fire later in the evening.

Sunday was not quite as fun, but I accomplished a lot. I cleaned my apartment. It took about 6 hours. It's not a large place, so you can just imagine the state it was in that it took that long to get it all done. During August with boot camp and full weekends and whatnot, I did minimal cleaning. So, I got everything in order and cleaned and dusted and vacuumed. It has been really nice to come home to a clean place for the last day. Of course, this leads me into the second way that I am getting clean....
I am reading a new book called, "Clean Eating". It isn't a diet. It is a lifestyle change. There are many aspects to this new lifestyle, but the basics of it is that you cut out the processed crap from your life. When you go to the grocery store, you mainly stay in the periphery of the store and avoid the interior. (with a few exceptions- that I'm still reading about) The meal that my running partner's daughter made was a Clean Eating recipe and it was fabulous. Pasta (yeah- I get to keep eating pasta!!!!) with some seasoning and boiled shrimp and tomatoes. Very simple, but delicous and satisfying. So, that's the new plan. I have to finish the book, and once I do, I'll blog about a few more of the rules, but I'm really going to try with this one. I know it won't be easy- I am very ingrained in my processed life- but I think this will help me continue my journey towards being a healthy individual.