Well I finished marathon number 4 at the NYC marathon on 11/7/2010. Let me tell you, that was my favorite marathon so far that I experienced. But first let me updating you on my weight loss journey, I have lost 40lbs since March 21, 2010 and I feel great. Three weeks ago I went shopping for jeans and am able to fit in a size 14, I have not been able to wear that small of a size since 1995. Suffice to say I am stoked about my progress.
Back to the ING New York City marathon updates, we started out the day by taking the Staten Island ferry to the start of the marathon in Staten Island. There were thousands of us runners bundled up in old sweatpants and sweat shirts to keep us warm from the freezing and windy temperature of NYC in the early morning hours. The scenery on the ferry was gorgeous as we can see the lady of liberty and Ellis island and the skyline of Manhattan.
I was in the last corral of the day and we started at 10:55 am almost two hours after the first corral started. We ran thru five burroughs of New York and finished at Central Park. The people came out in droves to cheer us on and to offer high fives to us, I loved the experienced and love the people of NYC.
Well I will have one more marathon on 01-01-11 in Texas to complete my quest to become a member of the Marathon Maniacs club, I can not wait, I am hoping to have a personal best at that one. In the meantime I am still on my journey of losing weight and enjoy running 25 to 35 miles per week.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Portland Marathon is in the books
I did it, finished the Portland marathon in the pouring rain in wet shoes and lots of blisters but I crossed the finished line at 6h26min. Next up is the NYC marathon on 11/7/10 as part of my quest to become a marathon maniac.
Portland marathon was my third marathon within one year, I started on this marathon journey last fall running my first marathon at the MCM and felt in love with the sport ever since. I was an obese person last fall when I ran the MCM, I weighted 234 lbs and today I am happy to report that I am no longer classified in the obese category, I am just an overweight now weighing in at 194 lbs, a 40 lbs deficit within one year.
Until next time I hope you'll find happiness in whatever you do.
Portland marathon was my third marathon within one year, I started on this marathon journey last fall running my first marathon at the MCM and felt in love with the sport ever since. I was an obese person last fall when I ran the MCM, I weighted 234 lbs and today I am happy to report that I am no longer classified in the obese category, I am just an overweight now weighing in at 194 lbs, a 40 lbs deficit within one year.
Until next time I hope you'll find happiness in whatever you do.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Five Weeks unil Portland Marathon
I have not posted since May, 2010 and am sorry about that. I have been busy, with a new job, training for three marathons this fall and winter within 90 days of each other and living my life to the fullest.
Yesterday I went for a 20 mile training run at Sloans lake with Cindy and we had a blast. It did not feel like that at 4:30 am when I got up and did not want to run a all, I felt tired, my mind was dictating me to stay in bed, and to defer the run until today. The beauty of having a training partner is they motivate you to go out when your mind dont want to and that what Cindy did for me yesterday, once we got out to Sloans lake and started our run, I felt fine and was glad that I did it. What I learned from this experience was that, running and life are very similar, do what is the hardest to do and you will feel great once you did it.
On my weight loss note, I am now below 200lbs for the first time since the early 1990's, I am so pumped, also I am still a vegan and working to get my weight down around 150's.
Until then my friends, keep up your training and eating well and live your life to the fullest.
Yesterday I went for a 20 mile training run at Sloans lake with Cindy and we had a blast. It did not feel like that at 4:30 am when I got up and did not want to run a all, I felt tired, my mind was dictating me to stay in bed, and to defer the run until today. The beauty of having a training partner is they motivate you to go out when your mind dont want to and that what Cindy did for me yesterday, once we got out to Sloans lake and started our run, I felt fine and was glad that I did it. What I learned from this experience was that, running and life are very similar, do what is the hardest to do and you will feel great once you did it.
On my weight loss note, I am now below 200lbs for the first time since the early 1990's, I am so pumped, also I am still a vegan and working to get my weight down around 150's.
Until then my friends, keep up your training and eating well and live your life to the fullest.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Thai Spiced Sweet Potato & Kale Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
2 red chillies, sliced plus extra to serve
3 limes, 1 juiced and 2 cut into wedges, to serve
3 T peanut oil
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 cup of tofu, cubes
1 cup of rice noodles
8 cups vegetable stock
Soy Sauce
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
To make the spice paste, put the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chillies, lime juice and half the oil in a blender or spice grinder and puree until smooth (add a little water if necessary).
Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Add the spice paste and fry gently for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, kale, and vegetable stock. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Add the rice noodles. Season to taste. Top with the sliced chillies and serve with wedges of lime.
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 stalks lemon grass, finely chopped
2 red chillies, sliced plus extra to serve
3 limes, 1 juiced and 2 cut into wedges, to serve
3 T peanut oil
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 cup of tofu, cubes
1 cup of rice noodles
8 cups vegetable stock
Soy Sauce
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
To make the spice paste, put the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chillies, lime juice and half the oil in a blender or spice grinder and puree until smooth (add a little water if necessary).
Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Add the spice paste and fry gently for 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, kale, and vegetable stock. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Add the rice noodles. Season to taste. Top with the sliced chillies and serve with wedges of lime.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Vegan and Running
Just a quick update on my new vegan lifestyle, I lost 19 lbs since January of 2010. I feel so much better, more even keel, the mood swings have leveled out and my running have improved as well. The picture on the left was taken yesterday prior to my 8 miles run and the picture on the right was taken last October 2009 prior to my first marathon at the Marine Corps marathon.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Seitan Sausage Sliders with Daiya mozzarella and Marinara Sauce:
Marinara Sauce:
1 ½ cups of diced onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp Marsala wine
pinch of fennel seeds, crushed red peppers
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Saute onions in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add remaining ingredients in order and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Puree slightly, leaving some chunks. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Seitan Seasoning mix:
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1-1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp crushed red peppers
½ tsp celery seed
¼ tsp each: basil, thyme and oregano
Combine in a spice mill and process until finely ground.
2-8 oz pkg seitan, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of Marinara Sauce
20 whole wheat small dinner rolls
¼ cup of Daiya mozzarella
Salt, pepper to taste.
Toss seitan with Seasoning Mix and 2 Tbsp of oil. Saute with in 1 Tbsp oil until browned add marinara sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
Please sausage mixture on rolls and top with Daiya mozzarella. Broil to melt.
1 ½ cups of diced onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp Marsala wine
pinch of fennel seeds, crushed red peppers
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Saute onions in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Add remaining ingredients in order and bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Puree slightly, leaving some chunks. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Seitan Seasoning mix:
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1-1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp crushed red peppers
½ tsp celery seed
¼ tsp each: basil, thyme and oregano
Combine in a spice mill and process until finely ground.
2-8 oz pkg seitan, chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups of Marinara Sauce
20 whole wheat small dinner rolls
¼ cup of Daiya mozzarella
Salt, pepper to taste.
Toss seitan with Seasoning Mix and 2 Tbsp of oil. Saute with in 1 Tbsp oil until browned add marinara sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
Please sausage mixture on rolls and top with Daiya mozzarella. Broil to melt.
Becoming A Vegan
I have made the transition to a plant based diet for one month now and I want to share with you how great I feel. I lost 8 lbs and feel that I have control over my eating again. I dont overeat like used to, and my energy have been on an even keel instead of the wild fluctuation that I experienced prior to this new eating plan. I love tofu and kale and quinoa so much now.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Marathon #2 is in the books!
Well I ran the 8th annual Little Rock Marathon over the weekend, it's my second one and I am happy to report that I did great. I finished with a new PR 6:19:20, which is almost 47 minutes better than when I ran the Marine Corps Marathon last October at a pace of 7:06:19.
Granted I am not a fast runner but nonetheless I am a runner and very proud of my accomplishments. I ran two marathons carrying a 50 lbs fat suit and still manage to finish, wow I cant wait until I shed this 50 lbs fat suit when I do my next marathon this October, hopefully I will finish in the 5:30:00.
Until then I have a few shorter races on tab, the Bolder Boulder 10k, a couple Barking Dogs duathlons, and maybe a 5k.
Granted I am not a fast runner but nonetheless I am a runner and very proud of my accomplishments. I ran two marathons carrying a 50 lbs fat suit and still manage to finish, wow I cant wait until I shed this 50 lbs fat suit when I do my next marathon this October, hopefully I will finish in the 5:30:00.
Until then I have a few shorter races on tab, the Bolder Boulder 10k, a couple Barking Dogs duathlons, and maybe a 5k.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Two Weeks Until Little Rock Marathon!
Well my weight has fluctuated in the up position and I am not happy about it. I have been training hard with my running, ran 160 miles this year so far, and 67 miles in the past few weeks in preparation for the upcoming Little Rock Marathon, and I have reversed back to eating what I want when ever I want. Granted I have put in a lot of mileage and I get hungry quite often after those long runs, I see now why people say it is not a good thing to try to lose weight when you are training for a marathon.
Today is a new day for me and I will try to watch my calories consumption, will choose foods that are filling but not hot high in calories, like lettuce, fruits, cucumbers, carrots, hummus, brocolies....stuffs that I will learn to enjoy.
Today is a new day for me and I will try to watch my calories consumption, will choose foods that are filling but not hot high in calories, like lettuce, fruits, cucumbers, carrots, hummus, brocolies....stuffs that I will learn to enjoy.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Back to the Program
These last five days had been difficult for me, I have experienced a melt down and food was my comfort friend. I have been doing so well with my weight lost since I started on January 1, 2010, I lost 11 pounds and exercised regularly. However, these last five days were a different story, I reverted back to my old habits of eating whatever I want as much as I want without any care or worries. I have used foods often in my life as a way to cope with my emotions and that is what I did again. I am glad that it only lasted five days this time though and I am back to thinking clearly again to know that foods should be use to fuel my body and not for any other reasons.
New goals for the coming weeks and months for me this year. I will find a new way to deal with my emotions instead of using food. I will try to run 5 days per week at 4 miles each time. I will follow my SparkPeople program to the best of my ability, and I will learn to meditate/pray daily. For my long term weight loss goals, I want to lose 50 pounds, but here are my sub goals #1for weight loss, lose 10 lbs by March 17, 2010. #2 to lose 20 lbs by May 17, 2010. #3 to lose 25 lbs by June 24, 2010. #4 to lose 30 lbs by July 31, 2010. #5 to lose 40 lbs by September 30, 2010. #6 to lose 50 lbs by December 31, 2010.
New goals for the coming weeks and months for me this year. I will find a new way to deal with my emotions instead of using food. I will try to run 5 days per week at 4 miles each time. I will follow my SparkPeople program to the best of my ability, and I will learn to meditate/pray daily. For my long term weight loss goals, I want to lose 50 pounds, but here are my sub goals #1for weight loss, lose 10 lbs by March 17, 2010. #2 to lose 20 lbs by May 17, 2010. #3 to lose 25 lbs by June 24, 2010. #4 to lose 30 lbs by July 31, 2010. #5 to lose 40 lbs by September 30, 2010. #6 to lose 50 lbs by December 31, 2010.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
My First Quiche!
Well my quiche turned out great and tasted delicious :) And it's low in calories, this cooking stuff is fun I am enjoying it.
Attempting To Make my first Quiche!
This is my first time attempting to make a quiche, wish me luck. I follow this recipe from Simply Recipes.
Caramelized Onion Quiche Recipe
Note that although this recipe calls for making a pie crust from scratch, you can easily use an already prepared frozen pie crust. Just pre-bake it using the directions that follow.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 recipe pie dough (see Pâte Brisée recipe)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 large red onions (about one pound total), French-cut (see below)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs
- Pinch nutmeg
- 6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
Pre-Baking the Crust
1 On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-by-1 1/2-inch round tart pan, pressing dough into corners. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
2 Preheat oven to 350°. Line pastry with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least two-thirds with baking weights - dried beans, rice, or aluminum pie weights. Bake first for 15 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Carefully remove parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with the tines of a fork and return to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly golden. (Fork holes are for any air to escape.) Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.
Caramelizing the Onions and Preparing the Quiche
The onions will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop before they are ready to go into the quiche. So timing-wise, if you are making the entire quiche from scratch, it makes sense to get started on the onions once you've put the crust into the freezer to chill before pre-baking.
1 Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and are translucent. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for an additional 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are well browned. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 10 minutes more, until onions are completely caramelized. Remove from heat.
2 Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread onions over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Serves 6-8.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Cold and Windy Day for a 12 miler
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Listening to my body
I got up today planning to go for a long run around 12 to 13 miles, but I did not. Now I could have gone out and run this morning but decided not to because I felt that my achilles was stiffed and I dont want to aggrevate it, I dont want to get hurt and have to miss out more days of training. This is simple stuff right? well with me nothing is like that, I am the all or nothing kind of person, and I am hard on myself, i need to learn to listen to my body and trust that it knows best and not my mind, because most of the time my mind does not know best.
So the lesson of the day for me is to be ok with delaying my long run for another day and dont judge myself so harshly. trust my body's message.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday Blahh
Today is the 18th of January, 2010. I feel blah today, I gained 1.3 pound over the weekend, but I dont think that is the reason, because I also ran 10 miles and had a wonderful time with my family, or maybe it is the reason, granted I did eat carbs in the evening, and did graze quite a bit last night. I think I judge myself way to harsh with the scale and with my weight gain, and the more I judge myself the more I like to graze. It is a vicious cycle!
I do want to share my victories though, last week I ran a total of 20 miles and inline with my goals to complete 1000 miles this year, so far this year I ran 48 miles already, I should feel good right? But I am not because my weight loss has been slow only 6 pounds so far this year, but I need to be positive about that too, because that is six pounds closer to my goal.
This week goals will be to run another 20 miles, to eat sensibly and try to not eat when I am not hungry!
I do want to share my victories though, last week I ran a total of 20 miles and inline with my goals to complete 1000 miles this year, so far this year I ran 48 miles already, I should feel good right? But I am not because my weight loss has been slow only 6 pounds so far this year, but I need to be positive about that too, because that is six pounds closer to my goal.
This week goals will be to run another 20 miles, to eat sensibly and try to not eat when I am not hungry!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
New Year New Goals - on Day #6
Today is day # 6 of my new running program, I want to run 1000 miles for 2010, to run 2 marathons in 2010. These are some big goals but I am the type that like big challenges. I am not built like a runner and have not ran very much, in 2008 I ran 64 miles total, but I have always love the endurance aspect of running so in 2009 I decided to challenge myself with the goals of finishing a half marathon and a full marathon and I did it! I finished the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon and I finished the Marine Corps Marathon. As a result I ran 658 miles for 2009.
For 2010 I want to get my weight in order (to lose 50lbs) as well, for me this challenge is and had been the hardest to conquer. I love food, consider myself to be a foodie, but I dont like carrying the extra weight around when I am running. I am hoping that with some modification in my meals and the 1000 miles challenge and two marathons, this year will be the year that I can get a handle on this issue.
I signed up the Little Rock Marathon in March, 2010. Signed up for the lottery for the NYC Marathon in November, 2010 (keep my fingers cross) if dont get in with NYC then my next choice will be to run the RnR Denver Marathon in October, 2010.
I use the dailyburn.com to track my daily foods intake and keeping me accountable for what I put into my body, so far so good.
For 2010 I want to get my weight in order (to lose 50lbs) as well, for me this challenge is and had been the hardest to conquer. I love food, consider myself to be a foodie, but I dont like carrying the extra weight around when I am running. I am hoping that with some modification in my meals and the 1000 miles challenge and two marathons, this year will be the year that I can get a handle on this issue.
I signed up the Little Rock Marathon in March, 2010. Signed up for the lottery for the NYC Marathon in November, 2010 (keep my fingers cross) if dont get in with NYC then my next choice will be to run the RnR Denver Marathon in October, 2010.
I use the dailyburn.com to track my daily foods intake and keeping me accountable for what I put into my body, so far so good.
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