Erin Does Life.

Yes it does keep the colour - check my picture :) 28.media.tumblr.com/tum… I’ve never seen an orange one though, wow!

Pretty! Yeah, the orange one is like the regular cauliflower, just… orange. I think it has more beta carotene or something.

Oooh shall have to download it when I get home!

YES! It’s awesome! SOOOO much easier to reply to notes (as you can see by the sudden torrent of replies from me ; ) )

We had one at the weekend, disappointingly (but kinda reassuringly at the same time) it tastes just like any other Cauliflower…

Yeah, I kind of figured it would be. But does it keep its green color? We have some orange cauliflower in the fridge we need to use too… maybe we’ll just roast them all together tonight : )

it looks like its from the depths of the ocean. Weird. How did it taste?

Totally does. I’m not sure how it tastes yet - we will probably have it tonight for dinner. I’ll let you know!

Look at you! Soon you’ll be adding a bike to that mix and it’ll be swim-bike-run for you! :)

I KNOW. So excited!! We’ll see how it goes, but so far, a whole new adventure. And I can use a new adventure!

hope your hip feels better soon!!! i had hip bursitis issues - i feel your pain!

Thanks, Lindsay! I appreciate it. Fortunately it’s not bad - only bothers me when I sit for long stretches of time. That’s about the best kind of bursitis I can hope for. I’m sure it’ll be better after some lateral strengthening. It’s really my hamstrings that are being punks and preventing me from running like I’d like to…

Erin this is fucking INCREDIBLE! Great job!

Thanks Kal - I am still beyond thrilled! Now I have to figure out how to vary my training each week until my lessons in January. Hmmmm…

Why didn’t I know about this extension before? 

http://missinge.infraware.ca/

Hello easy replies to notes!!

This is a big day.

First, I swam 1800 yards. It took over an hour (probably like 70 minutes?) but I’ll take it. The farthest I’ve ever swam in my life. Thanks in HUGE part to @Nava’s hydration advice, it was largely cramp-free.

AND I finally learned how to actually put my face in the water, mid-stroke, and breathe! This is a HUGE deal! Twenty years in the making! I can’t tell you how much easier it made swimming so long - I was starting to seriously strain my neck. God knows how many bad habits I’m probably creating now in my swim strokes that I’ll have to unlearn later, but for now, I’ll take it.

Also went to the chiro today for the sore hamstrings and stiffness around my hips. I have a bit of bursitis (good times) probably caused by muscle weakness around my hips and IT band, which apparently forces my glutes and hamstrings to overcompensate in stabilizing my knees.

So. Who’s got two thumbs and is gonna be doing some lateral strengthening? That’s right - THIS GIRL.

For those keeping track at home: 
Calorie budget - pretty confident I’m on track (need to enter everything though)
Water - Yep, two liters down the hatch.
Activity - Check.
Weigh-in - Later this week. Le sigh. 

I’ve been away from my tumblr (we hosted Tgiv! With 12 guests! Busy, busy, busy) - but so glad I saw this!! LAURA! You look incredible! Bona fide bad**ery right there!

flaquitalaurita:

Thanksgiving 2010 vs 2011

~230 to ~160

Anybody have any recommendations? I see a few for swimming a mile, which seems to be a sensible goal.

Suggestions? Any that are especially well-planned for beginners?

ETA - this is the only one I’ve found via the Google…

I haven’t been on the scale in about a week, and I’m pretty confident it will be a gain. It’s ok - to be expected during the holiday week.

I’ve also come to the conclusion that it isn’t Thanksgiving dinner itself that’s so damaging (actually, I’m firmly in the camp that indulging in Thanksgiving is a good thing, because it’s ONE MEAL.) It’s the several “mini-Thanksgivings” that follow in the form of leftovers that subvert the best of intentions. “Turkey” sandwiches with bread stuffing, bourbon cranberries and maple-roasted brussel sprouts with pecans? Boursin-style spread (made with 1/2 cup margerine, no joke, and it’s STILL got half the calories of the real deal - there’s something to think about) with untold quantities of wheat thins and Ritz crackers? Leftover green bean casserole and sweet potatoes with orange, cream and cinnamon with cinnamon brown sugar pecan topping? Homemade scoop and bake rolls? Nom. Again, and again, nom.

(Oh, and if you’re wondering, my goals of eating whole foods, work out each day, and drink tons of water in the days leading up to Thanksgiving went straight to hell. And that’s kind of ok - eating and activity were not the best but not an abysmal failure either.)

Fortunately, as of yesterday, I feel that I’m getting a bit more toward my usual routine. WAY MORE VEGGIES. Way more water. Ran 11 miles yesterday with the pup, which felt good (but I am incredibly sore, probably because I need to do a better job of keeping my weekly mileage up consistently.)

Today’s goals: 
- At least two liters of water (this has been really challenging as we are having our bathroom remodeled for the last month and basically the toilet is unavailable most of the day. First world problems, to be sure, but a challenge nonetheless!)
- Record all calories and meet my calorie budget today.
- Eat a lot of veggies in the fridge - we have a new CSA delivery this Friday!
- Some kind of activity today. My hamstrings are REALLY tight (I might go into the chiropracter to see what’s going on there), and very stiff today after yesterday’s run, so might go swimming instead of running.

Well, mostly, anyway. I don’t think I got within the specified times (something to improve on) but the distance was there. Starting to feel a little more fluid in the water - even if it’s just in my head, it’s much easier to keep going when you don’t feel like you’re struggling.

Total: 1050 yards/40 min ish.

Warmup: 2 x 50 yards

2 x 100 yards

Core workout: 
12 x 25 yards (each 25 yards supposed to be finished in 40 seconds, but it’s an odd number of laps to time on my watch, so will have to figure out another way to do this)
12 x 25 yards

Cooldown 2 x 50 yards

(The pool I swim in is short and an odd length, so I estimate conservatively 3 laps is 25 yards; each lap is actually 8.75 yards one way.)

Why does swimming make me so friggin hungry??? Running actually quells my appetite. 

In other news - I joined our city rec club today. Indoor track and activity room - weights, treadmill, elliptical, bikes - for $30 a year. Yes please. 

It’s three days before Thanksgiving, and I’ve been preparing food (testing pies, no less) like a madwoman. We’re hosting about ten guests at our house on Thursday, so lots to do. However, if today is any indication, I’m pretty worried about how this week will go for food choices and activity. Most of my day has been filled with eating inappropriate amounts of Ritz crackers with coconut spread (ohmygodthatstuffiscrack). I can already feel that I need more green things in my meals. 

So, one less-than-stellar day - I’m down but not out. My less-than-modest-plan to stay sane and not feel like crap is as follows: 

- I will be active every day this week (including tonight - and Thursday)
- The dogs will walk every day this week (including tonight.)
- I will eat whole foods only Tuesday and Wednesday. This is not only to keep my food choices sane but also to give me the energy I need to complete the monster to-do list before me. No pasta, no flour, no sugar, no margerine.
- I will get eight hours of sleep. 
- I will have at least 2L of water every day. 
- I will do my best to get all of the really calorie-dense things sent home with guests on Thursday and try to give away the rest or just throw it away (and will make sure to have tupperware on hand for that purpose.) Delicious, but just because it’s there does not mean it must be consumed.
- On Friday and through the weekend, only one meal (dinner) will involve calorie-intensive leftovers (e.g. stuffing, sweet potato casserole, etc.) 

What are you doing to stay sane this week?

Check this out…

It was included in our CSA share. It’s Romanesco cauliflower, apparently - I’ve never had it before. Crazy-looking, no?

I meant to meet up with my running club crew for a change, but the meeting place was not especially clear so Mingus and I set out on our own. NBD though… it was a new place to run so I was happy!

For some reason this run was MUCH easier than last weekend’s eight-miler. I imagine it had something to do with a 30* drop in temps (from around 60* to around 30*F), and not going pretty much straight up hill the first half. Plus, new scenery helps.

View from the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis. Gorgeous!

Minneapolis downtown skyline from the Stone Arch Bridge.

Ice along the river bluffs! This does not bode well…

We ran by the memorial for the 35W bridge collapse victims and survivors twice. 13 people died. It still makes me so sad - I remember that evening so well.

To balance the somberness, we also saw a female cardinal and a beautiful bald eagle (common along the Mississippi River) that flew very low - just to the top of the tree. So close I could see its balled-up tallons! A couple of crows was giving the eagle a hard time. Also saw lots of cute dogs, including a very focused jack russell terrier at the park where we started playing fetch with his owner.  

Mingus is tired now - the hallmark of a great run. It’s funny that now, when he hears my Garmin, he reacts the same way as if I were handling his leash… : )

10.02 miles
1:30:51
9:04/mile 

Me: These are my new size 8 jeans. 

T: Nice! Wow, you’re half the size you were!

Me: No I’m… oh.