June 14, 2011

Tapering for Vancouver. Ran 3 miles today at a 9:51 pace! Woo-hoo!! It felt awesome! I am still kinda impressed with me! Getting excited about Vancouver and not too concerned (if at all) about being on a raw diet. I’m going to do this!

June 14, 2011

Tapering for Vancouver. Ran 3 miles today at a 9:51 pace! Woo-hoo!! It felt awesome! I am still kinda impressed with me! Getting excited about Vancouver and not too concerned (if at all) about being on a raw diet. I’m going to do this!

June 14, 2011

Tapering for Vancouver. Ran 3 miles today at a 9:51 pace! Woo-hoo!! It felt awesome! I am still kinda impressed with me! Getting excited about Vancouver and not too concerned (if at all) about being on a raw diet. I’m going to do this!

June 12, 2011

Met Christine at Leif Erickson trailhead in Forest Park at 6:30 p.m. Ran 5 miles up and 5 miles down at a great pace. Christine has taught me that there is joy in training on hills and I intend to use that information to carry me on my training for Portland. I expect to make my way back out to Leif too – hopefully to run with someone again early like that. Running with a buddy helps get up those hills. I felt really strong afterwards. Christine wanted to go get a latte after the run and I was worried that I might cave and have a coffee – but I didn’t. Luckily the coffee shop also made really great just fruit smoothies and that was what I got. Also got a small fruit cup which was yummy (pears, blueberries, strawberries, the usual.) I think it’s key to point out that my running was strong after being raw for 12 days.

June 10, 2011

So the raw thing has not been hard to adjust to. My weight has gone up. When I started this journey on June 1, 2011 I weighed 139.2 – I was just coming off the cleanse, had not eaten for 11 days. On June 8, 2011 I weighed 137.4 and that was an inching back up from the lowest which I think was around 135 on June 4th. So as my weight inches back up I think about my diet. Lots of veggies, but also lots of nuts. Probably too many nuts, since they are so high in fat, albeit good fat. So I’ve got to pay more attention to that. Otherwise, though, I’m not having any issues. I feel good. My attitude is good. I’m sleeping good. No complaints.

June 5, 2011

Made Ben a gourmet raw vegan meal for after Church. We had a nice salad that my mother had made and then we had zucchini linguine with pesto sauce. It was so very easy to make and it tasted good too! Then I made a raw apple pie. That was yummy too! I will make it differently though next time. Maybe process the apples a little so they are not so big. But there were no complaints.

June 4, 2011

First day of food after going raw on June 1, 2011. Haven’t really had food because I am just coming off the Master Cleanse. Today I get fruit for breakfast, fruit for lunch and then some veggies for dinner. Had planned to invite Ben over for a gourmet raw dinner, but then realized that we can’t eat gourmet yet and have to just have salad. So he came over for salad. Not just any salad, my mom’s great root vegetable salad with the tahini dressing. Yum. The idea of eating this regularly does not cause me any concern with respect to going raw!

Also ran in the Starlight Run. A 5k run with my running buddy, 9 year old Maude. It was the first really hot day of the year. I think it got up to 85. The run started at 7:45 and it was still pretty warm. Even with that, Maude and I did really great (she did AWESOME) and ran the race without much issue. I was a little light headed and nauseous after the race and I’m sure that had something to do with not having eaten food for 12 days! Ben bought me a 100% juice Jamba Juice and that settled my stomach.

Going, Going, Going . . . RAW

Today is day 10 of the Master Cleanse for me. It's a good day. After 10 days of not eating solid food and surviving on lemon juice and maple syrup, tomorrow I get to drink fresh squeezed orange juice. A-W-E-S-O-M-E! No, I don't get to eat solid food, that won't happen until Day 13, but orange juice day is my favorite.

I do the Master Cleanse four times a year. Once every quarter. It gives my body an opportunity to reset. Flush out all the crap I may have consumed and the 10 days of not eating helps me focus my thoughts on eating conciously - the way I believe we are suppose to eat. Please don't misunderstand -- I love food and I enjoy eating and don't eat perfectly every day -- but one or two days of not conciously eating can lead to a host of bad food choices and I personally like the reset the cleanse provides.

What makes this particular cleanse significant, however, is that when I come off of it I will be attempting to eat a primarily raw diet. I've been a vegetarian for two years. Not a true vegetarian because I have eaten my share of fish, but a vegetarian all the same. During this cleanse I felt the need to take a step and move closer to what I think my body desires -- a raw, natural, vegan diet.

Technically, today, June 1, 2011 is the first day of that journey. While I didn't eat anything solid, I drank fresh lemon juice and pure grade B maple syrup that was not heated -- and I feel good about that. Day 1 going raw is behind me. :)

The test will be once food is introduced again how I handle it. Truth be told, I love bread and I don't know how raw food will translate that love for me. We have a dehydrator and it is a given that some form of "bread like substance" will be necessary to make this work. . .

Eating at restaurants will be a bigger challenge as well -- there are a handful of fine restaurants in the Portland Metro area that have raw options, but outside of them it's all about a salad. . .

Excited to see how my transition goes. Feeling good about the decision.

Peace