It is going to be a LONG winter

I have made myself accept the fact that it is going to be a long, cold, windy winter. Last night the gusts of wind were so bad poor Walter was being blown over. No joke. A gust would come up and he'd fall right over.... so I guess I shouldn't be shocked that after no accidents for the longest time, he pooped on the floor. I can't be mad at him.... kind of hard to squat to poop when you're constantly being blown over. It does put a damper on my training schedule but I am running when I can and I am going to look into some other options when the weather is too horrid to run outside.
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Half Marathon Training Day 14:
Andrew and I went out yesterday for a quick little run since we knew the weather was about to take a turn for the worse. We did 2.5 miles at an easy pace which I was surprised to see was my fastest yet!

We averaged about 14:42/mile but my best pace was 10:00/mile! Look at that! On Day 8 my average pace was 15:31/mile. I've been reading the book Chi Running, thanks to my cousin Amber, and must say that reading that book has helped my form and basically made me a bit faster! Also, absolutely NO SHIN SPLINTS!! Thanks Amber!

Since I ran yesterday and that was supposed to be a rest day I might make tonight a rest day. I am going to see how the day plays out (work, homework, home things, etc.) and go from there. If I do end up going, I will do an easy 3 miles. Tomorrow will for sure be 4 miles. 

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Foodie Food:
I finally watched the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead by Joe Cross and think he is on to something with this whole juicing thing. Now, I am not going to do a fast or reboot like they do in the documentary. What I am doing is supplementing my food intake with (mostly) organic, homemade juices to see how my body feels. I have been having 3 juices a day since Saturday and holy cow do I feel good. On top of doing the juice I am eating small meals 3 times a day because I find that is the only time I am hungry. Saturday I had juice for breakfast, juice and a small bowl of tofu and noodles for lunch, and then juice, a bowl of soup and a couple of crab cakes for dinner (Andrew and I went out to eat). That is ALL I ate. I was really shocked that I felt so full and satisfied for the entire day.
*TMI ALERT*
If you decide you want to juice, you WILL spend your first morning/mid afternoon on the toilet while your body expels almost everything in your bowels. I'm not trying to be gross. I am being honest. I honestly did not think I had that much garbage in my system. It isn't painful, it isn't like being sick, you just get cleaned out. Have some baby wipes handy for the softer touch of wiping. May I also suggest some Poo~Pourri?
*END ALERT*
I do not have a juicer but mom and dad were kind enough to let me borrow theirs for awhile. I want to buy one with our tax refund money. The one I found is only $46.00 and gets amazing reviews. They have nicer ones, like the one he uses in the documentary, but I don't want to pay $150 for a juicer right now. The $50 one works just fine.

Joe Cross also has an iPhone app called 101 Juice Recipes. It is a recipe guide and it is amazing. That is what I use to make my juices. They have all been delicious. I have not been disappointed yet. So far I've had a Bloody Mary juice, Joe's Mean Green (probably one of my favs), Kickin' Cucumber Melon (with jalapenos!), Little Green, and Green Apple. All have a mix of bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, honeydew, green apples, kiwi, ginger, lemon, lime, kale, spinach, parsley, and zucchini. This morning's breakfast was a Mean Green and boy was it tasty and filling!

Lots of produce in my fridge and two mean greens already made up! (Each juice makes two servings)

Went to Country Market yesterday and stocked up on some beautiful fruits and veggies! What I have in the fridge and what you see here will make me 16 juices and last me until Saturday. It is about $35 worth of produce and it will last me 6 days. About $6.00 a day and I get to have 3 juices(meals) per day. So for those of you that think "Ugh! Produce is so expensive, I can't do that!" Um, yes.... yes you can. Buy produce that is in season or find sales/best deals and quit buying processed garbage. THAT is expensive. 

Mom's juicer after I just made my mean greens. I use the grocery bag to catch the excess stuff (I call it fruit and veggie paste) and then it is super easy clean up! The thing is really easy to wash too. It comes apart so easily and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is kind of fun! 

And to the "Won't I get hungry?" question. I had my mean green this morning and am now having a small cup of coffee. I am not hungry. Not in the slightest. I will probably get hungry around 11:30 or so and I will eat a greek yogurt or some cut up veggies I have for a snack. Then I'll drink my second juice around 12:30 and eat something small, small salad or some tofu stir fry I made up, and then I usually don't get hungry again until 5:00. I'll have another juice with my dinner which is usually a protein and a grain. Tonight will be a tuna steak I got from Country Market and tri-color quinoa. Then I'll be done for the day. 

I have not craved sweets AT ALL since I started juicing. Not once. Last night I had a tiny bowl of ice cream and didn't really feel any kind of satisfaction that I used to from eating it. I also don't crave salty things like I used to.... it is weird that I don't have cravings. When I'm hungry I just want to make something clean and healthy.... 

I just feel really, really good. 

Oh, and on a side note, the skin on my face is incredibly soft right now too. I think that is a mixture of the juice as well as switching to my Purity face wash by Philosophy and Hope in a Jar.

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Cuteness of the Day:

"What do you mean this bed isn't big enough for me?" 

Mia, my mom's dog. She is so cute and so funny. I just love her personality so much! 

Have a wonderful Monday everyone!!!