Things That Happened in January:

• 2 dinners with non-running friends
• Spent A LOT of quality time with extended family
• Read 1.5 books – almost done with the second one
• Flossed every single day (TMI, but a huge personal accomplishment that I’m pretty proud of)
• Tried 3 new recipes
• Had a pretty balanced fitness month:

– 9 Strength Training Workouts
– 13 Yoga classes
– 5 Bike Trainer Workouts
– 1 Swim Workout
– 14 Run Workouts ($88.30 towards my $1/mile fund)
– 6 Rest Days
– Ran 1 race

Things That Didn’t Happen in January:

• Chickened out on my Bike Riding class, postponing it to February
• Have yet to run at the track or on a treadmill
• Didn’t swim enough – 1 workout for the entire month is not acceptable

“A-ha” Moment of the Month:

One of my biggest goals for the year is to better manage my finances, so at the start of the month I revived my Mint.com account and set-up a budget.

Every day – and I do mean every, single day (it’s a daily task on my To-Do List) – I logged on to reconcile my daily expenses. Doing this for 31 consecutive days has been a real eye-opener.

I learned that all my money goes to Whole Foods and running-related purchases (surprise, surprise).

And thanks to abnormal purchases like car expenses (smog check, registration fees, 4 new tires), a hair appointment (I only go every 3 months), 2 pairs of new running shoes (okay, so maybe not an abnormal expense), I definitely went over budget this month.

I also learned that I waste a lot of money on impulse purchases like:

• Songs on iTunes
• Books for my Kindle from Amazon
• Office supplies

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am that February is here so that I can stop being “in the red” and start fresh again. That being said, I’m really glad that I started doing this. By the last week of the month I found myself thinking twice about making a purchase.

Thus far, I’m happy with the way the year has started out and hope it continues into February.

Who doesn’t love Fridays?! Here’s to a few things that got me through the week!

New Tires and a Smog Check

It had been 5 yrs since I got new tires. In my defense, I actually went to get them replaced last February, but was told they were still good. But when the rain arrived last week I could tell that it was time to get new ones. I actually felt unsafe driving my car. I got 4 new tires and the alignment fixed. It drives so much better now!

It’s also car registration time and I was due for a smog check. Blah. Let’s just say car maintenance is not my strength so I was bracing myself for a lecture from my mechanic of all the things I’d need to get done. To my (and my bank account’s) delight, they said everything looked good and to bring it in for a maintenance tune-up in 8,000 miles! Yay, my tax return can be spent on fun things now!

Slow Cookers

I posted the slow cooker recipe I made this week here. I’m all about leftovers and it lasted for 4 nights – a time and $$$ saver!

Remember The Milk

It’s the Evernote version of a task manager! I have tried *many* To-Do List apps and this one is hands-down my favorite. It syncs to both my iPhone and iPad making it so convenient for me to keep track of all the things I need to do. And I’m actually getting it done! Pay car registration on time? Check. Get passport photos taken? Check. Balance checkbook? Check. All things that I would normally procrastinate.

Icy Hot

Kiehls Hand Lotion

At work, we are asked forced to put together a plan of 3-5 main SMART goals (SMART = Specific Measureable Attainable Realistic Timely Goals) at the start of every fiscal year. Then we have to write action plans on how we are going to achieve each goal. Upon that, we revisit these goals and set mini-goals each quarter that support the main goals.

I am not a fan of this process in the work environment (too much work politics to take this process seriously). But ironically, I found myself going through the same process when thinking about the personal goals I would like to set for myself this new year. I’ve spent a lot of time during this staycation thinking about specific and measurable things that I think I can accomplish in 2012 and came up with 3 resolutions and 5 BHAG’s (BHAG = Big Hairy Audacious Goals).

Resolutions
(Not a goal but a lifestyle change I want to adopt)

Practice meditation regularly

This could also be a BHAG because my mind moves “a-mile-minute” so learning how to focus and slow down will be huge for me. My yoga studio offers Meditation classes that will be a good place to start.

Have more balance

It was recently pointed out to me by non-running friends that in 2011 I was completely absorbed with everything running – running friends, training, races, blog posts and they felt disconnected from me. These are important relationships that I want to continue so I need to find a way to bring it all into balance {Blogger Note: There may be non-running/sports posts to come in 2012…}

Stop the “What If’s” and “I Wish’s”

When I’m in a yoga class and I see a fellow yogi execute a difficult pose perfectly, I enviously admire them and think “What if” I could do that. Or I’ll be catching up with a friend who is so passionately about their job and think “I wish” I had that same connection with my work. I want to change this and stop wishing and wondering, and be a person who makes things happen.

BHAGS

I would like to PR a half-marathon this year.

Ideally I would have liked it to attempt this at the Kaiser Half Marathon on February 5th, but I think I’ve lost too much fitness in the past month. So I am going to try to attempt this at the Oakland Half Marathon in March.

I would like to complete my next marathon. In 4:30.

I actually think a Finish at 4:30 are doable at my next marathon, which happens to be the Ogden Marathon in Utah on May 19th. It’s a downhill course that has received rave reviews and I’m so excited to run it with Alyssa and Courtney! Downhill repeats down California Street!

I would like to learn how to ride my bike, and feel comfortable enough on it to be able to participate in a race.

I’m not going to say my BHAG is to do a triathlon because I have to learn more about the bike and feel comfortable enough before even attempting to use it in a race environment. I know nothing about bikes; I may as well be a 5-year old trying to learn how to take off the training wheels. It’s a big deal for me.

I would like to read 25 books in 2012.

Time is my biggest challenge in accomplishing this, but my new iPad makes it realistic and attainable. (Side note: the iPad was by far the best purchase I made in 2011…don’t know why it took me so long to get one!)

Build my savings to “X” amount of dollars.

I have a budget, and if I actually stuck to it, I would have easily achieved this goal in 2011, but I didn’t. So it’s back on the table in 2012.

Secondary Goals

I also have a bunch of secondary goals that I think are fun, and are supportive to help me to accomplish the BHAGs:

1. Save $1 for every mile run in 2012

2. Become friends with the treadmill

I recently read an article in Running Times magazine where Magdelena Lewy-Bouvet talked about doing speed work on the TM because it helps keep her body fresh and intact since she’s not getting any younger. Well I’m not that much younger than her, so I think I better start doing what she does.

3. Run parts of the SFM course regularly

I feel embarrassed that I live near one of the hilliest cities in the world and am the biggest wimp when it comes to running hills. I want to be better at it and maybe one day, run the SFM Full race so I can cross it off my Bucket List.

4. Practice Gratitude Daily

I actually l created a blog to post one thing every day that I’m thankful for. I never kept it up so I’m trying again and thinking of it as a 365 project. I have a link to it at the top and bottom of this blog.

5. Properly warm-up and cool-down from each workout

6. Respect Rest Days

7. Practice yoga 3-5 times a week

After not doing any yoga for over a week, I realize how critical this is. Not only does this build core strength and flexibility, the cost per class also decreases the more classes I go to, justifying my studio membership.

8. Improve my posture

Stop slouching over the computer!

9. Have a purpose to every workout

10. Stick to using Mint.com

11. Foam roll regularly

12. Learn how to breathe on my left side while swimming

13. And learn another swim stroke in addition to freestyle

14. Keep a more detailed training journal

15. Read Hemingway

It’s a rather long list of mini goals, but all realistic, attainable and changeable. Change happens so I’ll revisit this mini list often to assess how I’m doing and see which, if any items are still viable.

Earlier this month, when I first started thinking about 2011, all I could think about was the 2 DNF’s I had this year. And then I didn’t want to reflect upon the year anymore. But I’ve had a lot of downtime during this week’s staycation, looked beyond those 2 unfortunate incidents and found that there was a lot of good that happened this year:

I ran my first (and so far only) trail race at the Coyote Hills Half Marathon.

I got a few PR’s:

- The half-marathon distance and didn’t even realize it until 6 months later while on Athlinks.
- The 10K distance.
- The one marathon I did complete this year was 17-min PR.

I embraced yoga, which has become an integral part of my life.

I only had 2 “down” months (June and December) due to injury, which is pretty good for me.

I got an iPad and have read the most books since winning the 2nd grade readathon.

I traveled and was able to spend a lot of time with my family and close friends.

I went to the NKOTBSB concert.

I took stand-up paddle-boarding lessons.

I learned how to ride a bike again.

After being separated for 4+ years, I reunited with Laduree.

I went to Spring Training — twice!…

…then to a lot of Giants games…

…including Opening Day when they raised 2010 World Series Banner…

…and Opening Night, when the players get their championship rings. And I also got a high-five from Brian Wilson during the Giant Race.

I came to understand what nutrition is right for my body, which has completely changed how I eat and what I eat – for the better.

I realized and am grateful that I have a solid team supporting me:

- Smart people who advise me: a personal trainer, running coach, nutritionist, therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist, a studio full of yoga instructors…

- Surrounded by lots of family and friends…

…who love me…

- And a running community who continues to motivate and inspire me. These folks aren’t just “fellow bloggers” or “Twitter friends” anymore – they have become real-life friends and some of the closest ones that I have.

I can honestly say that I am ending 2011 in a much better place than where I was when it started. It was a good year and I am looking forward to 2012 being even better.

Oh and let’s not forget that the 49ers are going to the playoffs!

Who’s Got It Better Than Us?!

After 5 days at home, I found myself on the road again, this time for a weekend trip to LA.

I had a rare opportunity to spend a few days with some of my dearest friends. We’ve all been friends since our freshman year of college and have managed to keep in touch over the years. One of my friends lives in the area, and the one lives on the East Coast, but was in town visiting family for the holidays. Since I’m just an hour’s flight away, they invited me down so we could spend a couple of days together. It’d been a really, really long time since we had the chance to all hang out together.

{photo taken on my iPhone by a 4-year old}

We’re all from Hawai’i and *love* to eat, so it wasn’t surprising that the entire weekend was scheduled around food:

Back Home In Lahaina

In my opinion, this place has the best Hawaiian food in California. Heck, I’ll even go as far as to say the West Coast!

{lau lau, ahi poke, fried rice, somen salad, chicken katsu, kalbi, rice}

{saimin}

{bread pudding}

…mot to mention haupia (coconut) cheesecake — quite possibly my favorite dessert of all time.

{haupia cheesecake}

Their only locations are in Southern California — Torrance and Manhattan Beach — both of which I’ve dined at multiple times. Every time I’m there I ask them to open a Northern California location. Maybe some day it will happen.

Cafe Rio

My friends and I spent our college years in Utah, where this place called “Cafe Rio” originated. It’s like Chipotle; (Mexican food), but they have this amazing sweet pork barbacoa that is served in a huge tortilla salad.

Before arriving, I had no idea that Cafe Rio had opened in Manhattan Beach so this was definitely a nice surprise!

And like Back Home In Lahaina, I also wish that they had locations in Northern California. The closest thing we have is Costa Vida in Sacramento (which I fully admit to making road trips just to dine there).

Korean Tofu Soup

I was first introduced to Korean Tofu Soup a few years ago when I worked in Cupertino. There was a great place near my office where my colleagues and I lunched at quite often.

It’s different types of piping hot soups. You can choose from mushroom, beef, vegetable dumplings, etc. It’s served in a clay bowl with tofu and a raw egg that cooks as soon as you add it to the soup. (Confession: I choose not to add the egg.) You’re also provided with a bowl of hot rice. In addition, you are served a bunch of little dishes of a variety of kim chee. It’s an ideal meal during the winter.

I don’t know what the name of the restaurant that we went to, but it was in Torrance and it was delicious!

I can always count on my friends to take me to the best restaurants!

Other Highlights of the short trip include visits to The Strand and the Manhattan Beach Pier:

{kelly & donna’s 90210 beach house}

{scootin’ down the pier}

I am so blessed to have such special friends. It’s been 19 years since we all first met and I’m so glad that we are still good friends. They don’t use social media sites, so we really do have to make the effort to keep in touch and I’m so glad that we do.

PS I would be remiss if I didn’t give a special shout out to Mikilani – our 4th who couldn’t join us but was there in spirit!

PPS I attempted a short run while at The Strand. It didn’t go so well. If you’re keeping track, I am now going on 16 days and counting since being able to run. More on this tomorrow.

Here are some favorites from last week’s annual birthday/Christmas shopping trip to New York:

Bakeries

I have been eating a bland diet since September and fully planned to indulge after CIM. I may not have been able to finish the race, but I was determined to reward myself for months and months of training.

My number one goal was to visit as many bakeries as possible. I can’t remember all the names of the bakeries I dropped in to, but the ones that stand out are:

Minamoto Kitchoan
A Japanese bakery with the best wafer cookies and jelly candies. It was so good that I visited two days in a row. I am eating my last vanilla wafer as I write this. Thank goodness they have a San Francisco location!

Two Little Red Hens
My cousin had been raving about this place ever since she got her birthday cake from here in June. The Apple Pie is the freshest apple pie that I’ve ever had – and it had lots of crust (my favorite).

Since pies are my favorite kinds of dessert, I also had the Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie, which was pretty darn good too. I also tried their biscuits which weren’t as good as Clinton Street Baking Company’s, but still delish!

Laduree

I first tasted the infamous Laduree macaroons in Paris back in September 2007. Since then I have visited their web site many times and contemplated having some FedEx’d to me. They are *that good*.

When I heard they finally opened their first (and only) US location I was determined to visit.

The 4+ years was worth the wait and I was thrilled to be reunited with it. I got a box of 8 and would have to say that the Coconut and Coffee macaroons are my favorites.

Restaurants

I fully admit to eating my way through the town. I think I ate at just as many restaurants as I did bakeries. The ones worthy of mentioning are:

Dos Toros
When I was here this past Spring, we went all over the City searching for a decent place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and found nothing. In fact, we ended up having sushi instead – on Cinco de Mayo!

A friend of mine told me about Dos Toros – a taqueria started by two Bay Area brothers. I had a chicken burrito, which was not greasy or messy at all. And the guac was among the freshest I’ve ever tasted. Definitely “California-worthy.”

Locana Verde
We ate here after visiting the 9/11 Memorial. It’s an Italian restaurant that is owned by Robert de Niro. The food was amazing, but we had heard that their hot chocolate was among the top rated in the City.

We perused the dessert menu and was disappointed not see it listed. Turns out that you just had to ask for it! It was served with 2 huge marshmallows and did not disappoint.

Ippudo
It’s no secret that I love ramen. My Bay Area runner friends and I have had many a post-run meal at Genki Ramen in San Francisco’s Richmond District. I had a hard time believing that any place would be better than Genki, but I was proven wrong.

Ippudo > Genki.

{those are ramen noodles under the bar glass}

Like at Genki, I had a veggie-based ramen. In addition to the usuals, it also had pieces of the type of nori that is wrapped around cone sushi (sorry, I think only my Hawai’i friends will understand this). It was a nice add of a different kind of flavor.

You could also order an extra plate of ramen noodles, which I did (of course). You know you’re at a good Asian restaurant when the place is filled with Asians and this Asian gives it 5-stars.

{i don’t eat pork buns but i heard they are good}

Good ambience too.

Woodbury Common Outlets

On my birthday, we went to the Woodbury Common Outlets located outside of the City. My favorite stores were:

Lululemon Outlet
You can’t be surprised about this. I first visited this Lulu Outlet last year. For an outlet, I was so impressed with the wide selection of items in all sizes. The prices were significantly cheaper than current retail value and I was able to stock up on pants, and jackets, which are typically the higher priced items.

This year, the selection wasn’t as good. There were only dance and yoga products, no running gear. Also, there was a limited selection of smaller sized items. I just picked up a few yoga items and that was it. Still exciting to visit though!

AG Jeans
I first visited the AG Jeans Outlet during my first Woodbury trip back in 2005. On that trip, I got some Sam & Bailey AG Jeans for $30. Yes, $30. Retail price on AG Jeans are about 5 times that amount.

It just so happened that I was wearing one of the Sam & Bailey jeans during this visit, which the salesperson noticed as soon as I walked in. I knew I was in good hands. Any girl will tell you that shopping for jeans can be a long, tiring and possibly stressful process.

I explained to the salesperson exactly what I looking for. She set me up in a dressing room and brought me pair after pair of jeans to try on. I didn’t have to search for anything myself! There were two pairs that I was happy with and was out of there within 30 minutes! It was the most painless jeans shopping experience ever.

Kate Spade
The Kate Spade Outlet had a 90% off sale. Repeat – 90% off. At first we went crazy and compelled to buy something just because it was discounted so much. But then we decided that we shouldn’t force ourselves to buy something just because it was “such a great deal.” We ended up not buying a single thing from this store, which was a big deal for me – I feel like I’ve evolved as a shopper.

Other Highlights:

The 9/11 Memorial

The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular
I fully admit to falling asleep during the show. The Rockettes were fun to see, but the Nutcracker storyline bores me every time and automatically makes me zzzzz.

{treated myself to a rockettes cupcake from magnolia bakery}

Shops at Bryant Park
They reminded me of the Christmas markets in Europe and it was fun to watch the ice skaters at the free ice rink.

The Tree
I guess I have to mention the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. It’s a must-see but to be honest, it’s kinda ugly up close during the daytime…

…and is way too crowded to be at in the evening.

Tuesday, November 22

AM: 1-hour (6-miles exactly) Easy Run

PM: Bikram Yoga

Wednesday, November 23

Since this was the last day of work before the long holiday weekend, I worked from home and was able to spread my workouts out over the course of the day (and still get in a full day’s work):

AM: 45-minute Swim. Didn’t count laps again, instead, I just swam freestyle (cause that’s the only swim stroke I know) to the tempo of whatever song was playing on my playlist. The thing is, I forgot to change the playlist on my iPod so I swam to my running playlist, which is all fast songs. Thus, this turned out to be an up tempo swim.

Lunch Time: 1-hour Strength Training with my Trainer. I hate push-ups and was under the belief that doing push-ups on the TRX was much easier than doing traditional push-ups on the ground. I usually negotiate with Dave to alternate between the two every week. This time, he decided to prove to me that TRX push-ups were harder than traditional push-ups by making me do “Atomic Push-Ups”:

You better believe they were every bit as hard as they looked. And I did at least 50 of them. Actually I think I did more, but I was so traumatized I lost count.

PM: Bikram Yoga

Thursday, November 24

Every single muscle in my body ached from those damn atomic push-ups. I had nightmares about them. I’m not quite sure how I managed to pull it off, but I did 6.23 miles of Speed Work.

Then I proceeded to *stuff* — and I mean *stuff* my face for the rest of the day. Hey, I haven’t had any dairy since September so I fully enjoyed my Dungeness Crab Brie Mac and Cheese, as well as all the other fixings. I didn’t regret it at the time, but now that I am starting a very light last-week-before-a-marathon week, I wish I factored that in before overdoing it.

Friday, November 25

Rest Day. It was Black Friday and we kept up our family’s 20+-year tradition of spending it in downtown San Francisco:

• Drove up to the City and valet parked at Nordstom
• Got a hot drink from the Nordstrom Espresso Bar
• Shopped at Nordstrom, and then checked our bags into their Concierge Desk
• Walked to Neiman Marcus for lunch at the Rotunda Restaurant – because their Chicken Consommé, Popover’s and Lobster Club Sandwich are all a part of the Black Friday tradition. Then perused the handbag department.
• After lunch, shopped at the stores on Grant St; i.e., Banana Republic, Lululemon, Kate Spade, etc
• Made our way back toward the San Francisco Center; stopping at Macy’s to see the SPCA pups and kittens in the window displays

{this kitten looks like how I feel}

• Perused Bloomingdales and the other stores on that side of SF Center.
• Had a light afternoon snack at the Nordstrom Cafe
• Did a final round at Nordstrom, picked up our bags and then called it a day

Unlike the crazy discount stores that open at midnight, downtown San Francisco doesn’t get crowded until the late afternoon when families start arriving for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Union Square.

As for the purchases, since I’m going to NY on a shopping trip next week, I kept things to a minimal and just got a few essentials (Tip: get a proper bra-fitting at Nordstrom), a bunch of basic black and white T’s from Banana (40% off), and a new bag from Lulu (as well as one for my sister). It was definitely a great day to get into the Christmas Spirit.

Saturday, November 26

AM: 8-mile run at a pace much faster than I intended. This left me sorer than I wanted to be.

PM: Bikram Yoga

Sunday, November 27

Run Wild for A Child 5K Race

We are now down to 6 days until CIM. S-I-X days.

Some goodies from Pinterest:

Happy Friday!

I can honestly say I can’t remember much of October. The things that stick out are:

* Attempting to run with my Heart Rate Monitor again, but giving up after a week because of terrible chafing – yet again.

* The soul-crushing Nike Half Marathon

* Buying a bike and taking a “Learn How to Ride A Bike” class at REI that I never blogged about (maybe I’ll write a post on this over the weekend).

It’s a good thing I track everything because October was actually a very good month. I ran the most miles that I ever have in a single month – 140! And for the most part, my body held up. Well, sort of…

Ever since Nike, my right hip/glute has been bothering me more than usual. Yoga has definitely helped but if I don’t go to Yoga religiously it flares up. After my 15-miler 2 weeks ago, I started to feel referral pain down in my hamstring. Then last week I started to feel more referral pain in my hip flexor – something that I’ve never felt before but 100% knew it was related to the Piriformis. I wouldn’t say it’s been painful, but would describe it as “growing discomfort.”

I had a massage last night where my massage therapist told me that I was smart to come in when I did because I “avoided a train wreck.” I also went to see my chiro this morning who did ART on the area. Both agreed that I was spot-on in my self-diagnosis and was smart to get it taken cared of before it turned into an injury.

Both advised me to continue with the yoga classes (I might bump up to 6-days/week) and have weekly massages up until race week, then I’ll be fine. I don’t have to miss any workouts and I only need to see my chiro one more time before race day for a tune-up. It’s also a good thing I have discounted massages through my annual membership!

November is going to be a hard month leading up to CIM on December 4th. My weekends will be filled with long runs, and it’ll be a fine balance of fitting in all of my weekday workouts, yoga classes and my non-running related responsibilities, while still trying to maintain some sort of life balance. I’m not even sure it’s possible. But what I do know is that there are 3 things I am going to focus on:

1. Sleep

Over the past year, sleep has been a major health issue for me to the point where I even had to start seeing a therapist for it. Luckily, I’m now at a point where I know how to manage my insomnia and can identify what the triggers are.

I usually don’t start to feel worn down until the last 2 weeks before a marathon, but somehow it’s hit me hard in the past week. I have felt so exhausted and yesterday even felt like I was coming down with a cold or something. I left work after lunch, came home and took a 2-hour nap which is just short of a miracle because I *never* nap. It did wonders and I felt like a new person.

2. Record my diet

After much trial and error, I know what I need to eat before a run to control my GI issues. It’s a very bland and not very balanced diet. My nutritionist (and chiro!) are both encouraging me to find ways to reintroduce small amounts of healthy fats and fiber back into my diet. While I’m very nervous to do this (especially with the longest runs of my training cycle coming up), they both think it will help with the whole “Why am I feeling so exhausted” situation.

I’ve been slacking on logging my food, but I think it if I start using My Fitness Pal again, it will help me figure out ways to balance out my diet.

3. Have more gratitude

Last night I was the designated candy distributor at my cousin’s house for Halloween. This is how most of the night went down:

1. Multiple doorbell rings
2. I open the door and the kids don’t even say, “Trick or Treat”. Instead, they just hold out their bags.
3. I give them 1 piece of candy (we had to ration) and they reach in my bowl for more.
4. They turn and leave.
5. I yell, “You’re welcome” as they walk away.

I was so shocked by this behavior and it made me feel like I need to be more thankful. So it being the month of Thanksgiving I am going to resume posting my daily gratitude list on my “Attitude of Gratitude” blog.

But overall, I just want to be more mindful and in-tune to my mind and body so that I can make it to December 4th still standing!

I love it when challenging situations turn out for the better:

Situation #1

I’ve lived in my home for the past 4 1/2 years and for the entire time that I’ve been here, I have always run out of hot water. A couple of years ago I even forced the property management team to replaced my water heater, even though they said nothing was wrong with it. It never made any difference and after 10-minutes in the shower, the water would turn ice cold.

A couple of weeks ago the property management team wanted to do some maintenance work in my home – replace light fixtures, inspect appliances, etc. It was a busy week, my house was a mess and the last thing I wanted was to have people in it when I wasn’t home. But I consented to have them do the work. One of the things they replaced was the shower head, and ever since then, I have had an abundance of hot water! And not just hot water, scalding hot water! I have repeatedly tested it out, by taking super long showers and have yet to run out of hot water! Who knew a new shower head would make a difference! I am so happy about this!

Situation #2

So if you’ve been reading for the past month, you are familiar with my well-documented stomach issues. After tracking my diet obsessively for the past month, I’ve determined that foods high in fat are the triggers. This has forced me to stop eating out very much and to make some pretty significant changes to my diet.

The good news is that I’m a little lighter in lbs and body fat. I’m back to my comfortable weight that I haven’t seen in over 2 years (about 7 lbs lighter than 3 months ago when I started this challenge). And although body fat fluctuates, depending on how hydrated you are, mine has dropped about 7-9% since then. I’m 5’0″ so this is a pretty significant change for me. The best part of all of this is that I am able to run comfortably at paces that used to be a lot more difficult for me.

Situation #3

The heat in the Yoga studio for Bikram is most intense in the middle of the room, so I try to get a spot in the back row, near the door. Last week I got there late and was so sad to be stuck in the middle row. I thought I was going to die from heat stroke, or drown in my own sweat.

But mid-way through the class the instructor turned on the air and fans to circulate the air in the room. I was situated right under the vents and fan. It cool air felt glorious and now that spot in the middle row is my new favorite place to be in the room!

Situation #4

A couple of weeks ago I bought a container of freshly squeezed orange juice at the Farmers Market. For whatever reason, I never drank it, and eventually it went bad. Yesterday morning I pulled it out of the fridge and put it in the kitchen sink. But I was running late for work so I decided to leave it there and would dump it out when I got home.

When I got home, I put my bags down and walked into the kitchen to a “nice” little surprise. The container had exploded and my kitchen was covered in orange juice from floor to ceiling. It was *everywhere* – even inside of my brand new toaster (that I love so much). It took me almost 2 hours to clean up the mess.

The good news is that I finally deep cleaned my kitchen, which is what I have been wanting to do for months. I scrubbed the walls, cabinets, floors, appliances – every nook and cranny of it. Except the ceiling, I’m still trying to figure out how to clean that. Any suggestions?

Situation #5

I fell during my run on Tuesday. I am still looking for the silver lining for this one…