Another Recovery Week

Week-Beginning Thoughts:
After some weird left foot plantar fasciitis type stuff, I'm taking it easy this week to let everything rest up a bit. I'm still running, just with zero speedwork and a little less mileage. Next week, I'm hoping to start a little more training for whatever events I end up doing at national. 


Monday
Did: bootcamp
Forgot to take a picture of the boards today. Pretty sure we did 45s work/15s rest, 4x through:

1) ropes
2) box jumps (rounds 1&3) /step-ups (rounds 2&4)
3) 44lb KB deadlift to high-pull
4) suspended chest press/suspended tricep extension
5) jump rope
6) ladder drill/moving plank with hip slap
7) high/low cross sit-ups

The finisher was 3 fence runs. Wanting to take it easy, but incapable of letting a chance to run in 60 degrees pass me by, I just did one, and then headed out.


Tuesday
Did: 10KTuesday, 6.33 @ 9:10/mi (Whaaaat?), Big 5
Used KT tape on my foot as a sort of "security blanket", and enjoyed a surprisingly easy 10KT this morning with the crew. I was shocked at the pace when I we stopped; it had felt a lot slower/more comfortable than a 9:10. 

super-even splits too!
(after the warm-up mile)

Wednesday
Did: 2mi @ 9:10/mi, Big 5, bootcamp
Had a surprisingly fast two miles this morning (sub-9 for the second mile). Enjoyed a great day of kettlebell work at bootcamp.

1) 26lb, 2) 35lb, 3) 18lb, 4) n/a
5&6) 35lb row-18lb push, 7) 26lb, 8) 44lb

skipped the runs since we'd done 2 before

Thursday
Did: 1mi WU, 24min 1min/1min fartlek, 1mi CD
Total: 5.09mi @ 9:08/mi avg, Big 5, 15min abs, 1.5mi walk/run with stroller
No time for much commentary today. Followed B's workout, but took the fartlek super easy-- probably around an 8min/mi for the push part and 9min/mi for the recovery. 

Did some ab work over lunch to get some stress out (Thanks, YouTube!).

Then took advantage of the first gorgeous weather we've had in forever to enjoy the park with my kiddo this evening. I'd planned on just walking a lap and then going to the playground, but, as soon as the buckle was clipped, a little voice said, "Maybe we run a little first? Then go to playground?"

How can you turn that down? <3 So we ran a bit, and walked a bit. 


Friday
Did: bootcamp, 1.5mi lunch walk

Tempted by the beautiful sunshine and warmth, I enjoyed a fully unplugged lunch today. Instead of eating at my desk, half working and half clicking through news feeds, I left my phone in the office and brought my lunch to the park. Best choice ever. 


Saturday
Did: 11.14 @ 9:28/mi avg, Big 5
After having to start our long run at 5:30am one Saturday awhile back, we've all kind of realized it's freaking awesome to be done with double-digit miles before 8am, and have made it "the norm". While I miss running the river and the greenway (because we won't do those before dawn), it's been fun to explore well-lit roads on foot, and tie together a few familiar routes to get more miles. 

I was a bit nervous about the distance today. I've only really been "back" for six weeks. Couple that with these foot issues, and I wasn't sure how today was going to shake out. Fortunately, running with B&B pushed all of that stuff to the back of my mind. We went at a slow, comfortable pace. I didn't look at my watch once. I didn't even have mile autolaps turned on (that's wasn't intentional). I just chatted with friends and enjoyed the run. 

elevation profile

I had a little bit of soreness on my left arch to start, but nothing demoralizing. For all I know, it could've just been the feeling of my tape under my sock. Throughout the run, I had a few instances of tightness in my left IT band, right glute, and right hamstring; it all seemed pretty fluid thought, so I'm not concerned. We got through the run, and I loved feeling like I could have gone another four miles beyond that, as long as I still had my crew with me. While these long runs are certainly good training, they always just seem like an extended hangout with friends. :) 

Sunday
Did: 3.0mi @ 9:21/mi with stroller, 2.75mi run/walk @ 10:46/mi avg with stroller, Big 5 (delayed)
Double run morning with the running mamas today. Loved feeling NOTHING in my foot today, and enjoyed full morning of stroller miles with friends. 

Total Mileage for the Week: 31.16mi (so much for easy?)

Week-end Reflections:

• With Saturday's 11 miler leaving zero residual anything, my confidence is back. Endurance is back. Strength is back. Now, I just need to get my speed back.
• I'm thrilled to have had ZERO foot issues on Sunday and hope to be able to return to speedwork after giving myself one more week to recover. 
• My dietary changes have become "the norm". While I'm super proud to say I'm over halfway to my weight goal, I'm even happier that the clothes that had been fitting snugly are back to fitting well. I'm feeling better about myself, and am so glad I've stuck with it. I've broken so many bad habits, and feel no desire to return to them. 

Race Report: Indoor Track Meet

Before-the-Race Thoughts: 

So, my husband and I were invited to join club's Masters Track and Field team last year. Not because we're fast, or remotely competitive at that level, but because we're both in the 30-34 age bracket (masters track and field starts at age 30), no one shows up for those age groups at the national competitions, and the club wants those points for the team totals. 

But, seriously, that's why. 

I'm excited about this opportunity. I've never been on a real sports team before (intramural volleyball in college is the closest I've ever come), and I see this as a chance to experience all of the awesome things I missed out on as a kid/high schooler because I chose to pursue arts instead. 

That said, the meet where "no one in this age group shows up" isn't until March. Our first meet is local, and will give us the opportunity to see what track meets are like and practice on a 200m indoor track, which is what we'll be running on at national. 

Unlike national, though, this is an actual, well-attended meet with teams from around the country. Unlike national, the 30-39 "masters" athletes are going to be lumped in with the "open" division tomorrow. Unlike national, I'm going to be running alongside actual, legit athletes... who will finish in about 2/3 of the time it'll take me to run. 

This is exactly the sort of situation that made me shrink away from athletics in school: the fear of not being good enough. I knew I would never be as good or fast as anyone else, and, therefore, didn't think I'd be welcome. I don't like it when I'm not in an alpha-type role. I like feeling confident in my role, and using that confidence to welcome others in, and encourage/support them. When I'm not in that role, I'm incredibly uncomfortable, even if I have others encouraging me (and I had nothing but full support and excitement from everyone at ATC regarding my participation on the team).

I looked up the heat lists, and Googled the other athletes in my heat. All of them are legit T+F athletes. Like, when I typed one name in, Google auto-completed it to "<name> track and field". 

I'm scared of being laughed at. I'm scared of the thin, toned athletes looking at me like I don't belong. It's funny to think at how far I've come in this confidence thing, but how I'm still struggling so much in this sort of situation. Why do I care what they think of me? I'm not there for them. I'm not there to compete against them. I'm there to get comfortable on a track, and there'll just be a few other people there too. Who cares? 

Me. I care.

I feel like a total poser. Like I don't deserve to have a team uniform. I'm not a competitor. I'm a stand-in. 

I feel like this fish.
...only a lot less comfortable with my poser-ness

After-the-Race Thoughts:
So, it wasn't "as bad" as I thought it was going to be, but there was still definitely a lot more to be nervous about than other people seemed to think. We arrived at the meet, which had a lot less signage and vibe of "official-ness" than I thought it would. The whole thing, honestly, was a lot less rigid and organized that I'd imagined. There were tons of events happening simultaneously, the audience wasn't focused on much of anything, and there really wasn't even an audience. 


Basically, it was a track meet, not very dissimilar from the All-Comers meets ATC puts on each spring. 

family track meet morning 

We watched the field events, got our hip numbers, and then just kind of hung out, meeting other masters teammates, and trying to keep the kid ocupado while we waited for our stuff to start. I also got a chance to talk to Coach and ask all my "dumb, newbie questions", like, "do I have to stay in my lane the whole time?" She was great at telling me where we'd start/finish, and a little about these cone things that would be on the lane lines telling us when we could cut in to Lane 1. Definitely made me feel a bit more comfortable.

Jerry did the mile, and it was nice to see him go first. Even with zero training, he still held his own and clocked a sub-6. 

this isn't intimidating at all
(yeah, right)

I signed up for a single event, the 400m. I figured this was short enough that, even on a 200m track, I wouldn't get lapped, but it was a long enough distance that I'd feel comfortable with it; it wasn't going to be an all-out sprint. I also liked the idea of having two laps to help pace myself. 

About a half hour before my start time, I wandered over to the warm-up area... and felt completely out of my element. Tall, athletic guys (the 60m was right before my event, so they were clearly sprinters) were stretching and doing strides. I awkwardly went through my dynamic warm-up routine, and was grateful to see another ATC singlet come over and wave to me. I ran about a mile around the indoor arena, and, when I returned, there were four more ATC singlets in the warm-up area, all supportive, and encouraging. Thank goodness for them, because, soon after they arrived, I had some stressful news.

At this meet, I was NOT considered a Masters athlete, and would be required to use starting blocks. 

I know nothing about starting blocks. I don't know how to adjust them. I don't know where they're supposed to be relative to my line. I don't know where to move them and when. I don't know how to put my feet on them. I was so nervous about this that I almost broke down crying in the warm-up area. Why? Because I hate feeling like I don't know what I'm supposed to do. 

seriously, what do you do with these contraptions? 

One of our vets stepped in and talked to the official, and, eventually, we were told that it would be a last-minute referee decision whether or not I had to use blocks. OK, as long as I could talk to someone on the track who would help me know how to set the blocks up and make sure I didn't get DQ'ed. 

When they called us from the warm-up area to walk to the track, there were six of us: the five masters athletes, and myself. 

Insert a new conundrum: no one else from my "open" heat had showed up. 

Was I going to run by myself? I'd kind of prefer that to running against "open" athletes. 

Would they let me just join the masters heat? That would be awesome. At least there were people there that I could keep up with, or at least be just behind. 

Eventually, they decided to let me start with the masters heat. We got out on the track, did some strides (because that was what everyone else was doing), got set, and then one of the open women showed up. I had a moment of panic when I thought they might pull her and me off the track to run our own heat (nononononononono), but they ended up just getting her a set of blocks and having us all run one heat. 

My heart was pounding in my chest as we waited for the gun. Literally pounding. I was in Lane 2, which was great, especially because this was a banked track (i.e. there's an incline for the outer lanes). I started "behind" everyone except the other open athlete, which was also great. When the gun went off, she shot past EVERYONE, and I found myself in a comfortable third. Third is good. Heck, sixth (out of six) would be good. I just wanted to be within a few seconds of someone else. 

I'd had tentative hopes of a 1:30, but, honestly, I didn't know if I could do that comfortably with my foot (taped it again, and, spoiler alert: it felt just fine running). I just tried to run comfortably, but focus on form. The first lap flew by, but I started to get a little tired by the 300m mark and kind of phoned it in for a bit until I'd rounded the last corner and kicked just a little to finish in... 

1:17.10

Pretty sure that's a 400m PR for me. Woot. 

I still feel like this fish. But I'm totally owning it now.:) 

"I'M A SHARK, MFers."

I'm proud of myself for getting out there today. I could have walked off that track as the very last person, a minute or more after the last finisher of my heat, and I would still be just as proud. It's easy to do things you're already comfortable with or good at. It's a lot harder to put yourself outside of your comfort zone and do something new and unfamiliar. I've done a lot of "new" things in the past few years, and found that every single one of them has been worth the initial discomfort. I've learned from each experience, and become stronger and better for having had them. 

I am my own worst enemy when it comes to this sort of thing. Every athlete I met was warm, welcoming, and encouraging. We all may run different paces, and be at different levels, but running and sports tie us together in spite of that. We are all athletes. 

Here's to more fun days at one of the many athletes of Atlanta Track Club.

Race Report: Hearts and Soles, Stroller Edition

Today was awesome. I don't even know how to write a race report/recap that depicts how much today meant to me. For the first time since Women's 5K in 2016, I had the opportunity to run a race, at my pace, pushing my baby in a stroller, at an event hosted by my club. 

I signed up for the "competitive stroller" wave, which meant I had to hold a 9min/mi, something I haven't done since... August. While this is something I'm completely capable of (my last stroller race was a sub-8min/mi), having been out of the game for a while with injuries made me a little nervous. Thankfully, I had another running mama, B, joining me. 

We made a pact to stay together the whole time, and I am eternally grateful for that. There were three entrants total in the "competitive stroller" division (which was a bit of a misnomer, since the division specifically excluded awards or points of any sort): us, and a guy who was surely clocking closer to 7min miles. Knowing we'd always have each other's support on-course made me so much more comfortable, and it made my race a lot more meaningful. I ended up spending my race talking to her, encouraging her, and thinking about how this race was really the culmination of so much for both of us. 

zoom zoom 

We met in ATC's training program three years ago. Since then, we've run each other through our respective pregnancies, coached other runners together, supported each other's marathon training, met at o'dark thirty for morning speedworkouts and #10KTuesdays, and spent almost every Sunday for the last year at the river, pushing our kids in their strollers. We've become mothers together, and our friendship has grown so much through sharing life as "working mother runners" together. 

The race itself went swimmingly. I was nervous about my foot (I'd felt some soreness in my left PF earlier in the week), but everything held up and I didn't notice it at all while running. We clocked an 8:03 for the first mile, and it felt SO. FREAKING. EASY. that I was sure my watch had to be wrong. Nope. Just the "race day excitement" kicking in. Thank goodness. That meant we didn't have to worry if we slowed down on the mile 2-3 hill. We would still hit the 9min/mi requirement. 

I could've gone a bit faster on the back half, but today wasn't about pace, it was about making the most of the opportunity we'd been given. I never felt like I wanted to slow down. The hill that usually takes a ton out of me on this course wasn't too bad. All in all, I was amazed to feel like I could have run another few miles at that pace when we crossed the finish line. This "no pressure" race style is definitely "all that and a bag of chips". I need to find a way to channel it more often! 
  

final time: 25:54 (8:21/mi) 

H+S Training: Week 3/3

Monday

Scheduled: 3mi w/4x150m accel

Planned:3 mi w/4x150m accel, bootcamp

Did: 3.15mi @ 9:28/mi avg with 4x150m accel, Big 5, bootcamp

Tuesday

Scheduled: recovery 10KT

Planned:10KT

Did: 6.88mi @ 8:55/mi, Big 5 in the shower :P 
Felt cold and sick last night, so I didn't set an alarm for a 5am run. That was a good call, since I slept almost 11 hours, and woke up feeling about 95%. Still deciding to run, and attempting to fit in into my day, however, was questionable.

When my lunch break finally rolled around, I got to the locker room only to realize that, while I'd brought clothes, shoes, my handheld, and a sweaty band, I'd forgotten a pretty essential item: a sports bra.

FML.

Running later wasn't an option with other family obligations tonight. Not running was an option, but I'm kind of committed to this 10KTuesday thing... and I'd planned out today's food assuming I'd be burning 600 calories. 

So, I did it anyways, in a normal bra. 

Downsides to this were plentiful, and included:

1. Chafing. OMG. The chafing.
2. Having to wash said bra in the shower post-run and attempt to dry it with a hair dryer before putting it back on for the rest of the day
3. Not being able to take my shirt off and run in just a sports bra when I realized I was way over-dressed, because, well, you can't just run in a bra... especially a nude-colored one

The run itself went well enough. I never felt like I could relax, because I was constantly having to dodge cars, watch my footing on the city sidewalks, consider my next direction, and be aware of others around me. Clearly, though, that didn't affect me much, because my pace was baller. Either that, or I just wanted to be DONE. :P

Props to all you mid-day/end-of-the-day runners. I absolutely hated this and cannot wait to get up at 4:05am tomorrow to get my workout in before my day begins. 

Wednesday

Scheduled: 1.5mi WU, 8x300 (67)/100, 1.5mi CD

Planned:easy 3, bootcamp

Did: 2.04mi @ 9:43/mi avg, Big 5, bootcamp

The others only wanted 2mi this morning, so that's what I did too. For bootcamp, I opted into their Tuesday KB workout instead of another bodyweight circuit. It seemed "easy" on the board, but definitely got harder and harder each round.

Pullovers- 22b
Goblet squats- started with 44lb, moved to 33lb
Rows: started with 33lb, moved to 22lb
Swings: started with 44lb, moved to 33lb
Curl to OHP: started with 33lb, moved to 22lb
Deadlift to HP: 33lb

Feeling strong. :)

Thursday

Scheduled: rest

Planned: 1.5mi WU, 8x300 (67)/100, 1.5mi CD

Did: 1.25WU, 7x800/100, 1.25mi CD = 4.4mi total @ 8:47/mi avg, Big 5
Though I preemptively cut this workout a bit short to ensure I was home with plenty of time for some family stuff, I still feel pretty good about it. 

1.25mi warm-up on the track, then:

300m 72s
100m jog @ 10:42/mi
300m 73s
100m jog @ 11/mi
300m 74s (noticing a pattern here?)
50m walk, 50m jog
300m 75s 
50m walk, 50m jog
300m 71s (really focused on pushing through the finish line)
50m walk, 50m jog
300m 72s
50m walk, 50m jog

1.25mi cool-down on track


Items worth noting:

• left PF (the non-injured one) still seems a little tender from last week's 200m
• had a strong 8-10mph headwind for most of the 300s
• I'm definitely not "back", but I'm in a good place
• the Big 5 streak is still going! :)

Friday

Scheduled: 3mi easy

Planned: rest, yoga, stretch

Did: freak out about my foot

Oh, crudmuffins. My left PF was pretty sore this morning, and throughout the day. I've convinced myself there's something really wrong with it. Maybe a Grade 1 tear? Maybe a bad strain? I should not have pushed so hard in speedwork yesterday. 

I've been icing and ibuprofen-ing today, but I'm pretty terrified of waking up tomorrow and not being able to run. We taped it up tonight, and I guess I'll just see how things go in the morning... 

H+S Training: Week 2/3

Monday

Scheduled: 3mi w/4x150m accel

Planned: rest

Did: rest
Totally dead after 15mi of hills, insufficient sleep, and a very, very full weekend. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: recovery 10KT

Planned: easy 10KT

Did: 6.3 @ 9:23/mi, Big 5
This felt a lot more like a 9:45/mi run. Also, I'm totally over these 20-something degree runs. Can it be spring now? 

Wednesday

Scheduled: rest

Planned: 3mi easy treadmill run (10min/mi?), bootcamp

Did: 2mi treadmill @ 10:11/mi, Big 5, bootcamp
...and, just like that, my reprieve is over, and we're back in full-steam-ahead project madness at work. Spent my morning treadmill run watching design seminars, then jetted over to bootcamp. 

because 4:30am is prime treadmill+professional education time

I was so glad to see today's bootcamp workout was bodyweight-based. We had a LOT of ab stuff, but not much high-intensity-- perfect.  

Thursday

Scheduled: 1mi WU, 3x(800m/200m, 400m/600m), 1mi CD

Planned: as scheduled

Did: 6.24mi @ 8:58/mi avg, Big 5
I went in with zero expectations of pace, and zero ways of checking pace during my laps (thanks to forgetting to modify the active screen settings on my Garmin). I ran completely by feel. My only real goal was to make sure the 400s were all faster than my 800s. 

I took 100m walk breaks after each interval, then jogged the rest of the recoveries. I was surprised to find that, though the interval itself felt hard, I didn't need the full recovery to recover. I felt cardio-limited on everything, and had a constant feeling of "ugh"/"stuck" throughout the workout... until the very end, when I let loose for a random last 200m with B&B. That felt gooooooooood and free. 

For funsies, I pulled up last year's blog from this same point in training. REALLY cool to be able to compare splits and feelings from the same workout. Looks like I'm not too far off from where I was. 

pretty interesting to read how the EXACT same workout went last year :)

Friday

Scheduled: 5mi easy

Planned: bootcamp, then a 5mi easy, with stroller, if possible, afternoon

Did: 3.15mi @ 9:23/mi avg
Skipped bootcamp this morning to: 1) focus on AM parental duties and 2) ensure an early start to the work day (before 7am), but got in a 5K with B. It was my first time running the route I tore my PF on since the injury. 

Saturday

Scheduled: 8mi easy

Planned: 10mi easy

Did: 10.07mi @ 9:33/mi, Big 5
When your running partner has 10 on her schedule, and is agreeing to meet you at 5:30am on a Saturday, in 25 degrees, you do the extra two miles with her. :) 

This was my first double-digit run since early September, and it felt great. No foot problems. No leg problems. Just a bit of cardio trouble, which is to be expected, especially since I was the one doing most of the talking today. Finished strong, and, for the first time since September, I felt like I could take on a half marathon. I'm really happy to be back to that level again. 

Bonus: despite starting and ending our run at a Starbucks, I did NOT go in and buy a drink. This makes 33 days of "Starbucks sobriety". lol..  

Sunday

Scheduled: 3mi easy

Planned: 3mi treadmill

Did: 30min weights, 3.03mi with stroller @ 9:22/mi avg, Big 5 (late) 
Wanted to get (2) strength sessions in this week, so I doubled parenting duties with some morning lifting, including:

3x10:

• bicep curls (10lb dumbbell each hand, typ)
• shoulder press (10lb)
• tricep extension (10lb)
• bent over row (10lb)
• wide row (10lb)
• row (10lb)
• dead lift (15lb)
• chest press (20lb)
• chest fly (10lb)
• pullover (15lb)
• squat
• donkey kick each leg
• fire hydrant each leg
• straight leg raises
• potato thrusters (32lb)

3x20:

• crunches
• kimura sit-ups

...and then planned on an easy 3mi of stroller running later, in preparation for next weekend's race. 

...until I went to prep the stroller during kid's nap and realized my husband had the stroller in his car... and he wouldn't be home until after dark.

So, I did what any normal person would do: messaged my running mamas and asked if I could bum a running stroller for the afternoon. #winning

I forgot to Big 5 at the playground (kid= MAJOR distraction), but did it before bed. Kind of counts, right? 

Total Mileage: 30.87

Week-end Reflections: Pretty proud that I haven't just gotten back up to consistent 25mpw, but am crushing 30mpw, while managing some personal stuff, this new nutrition regimen, and ramping up on a new project at work. 

This Nutrition Thing

This is a bit of a random hybrid-entry between my family blog and my running one. 

Motivated by a desire to feel, look, and race better (as well as have something beyond a time goal to work towards while I came back from injury), I renewed my commitment to mindful eating as a sort of new year's resolution. I also feel a strong desire to do whatever I can to ensure my kid gets all the necessary nutrients, and felt like, for our family, focusing on "real food" was the way to do this. 

Inspiration:

• Racing Weight
• The Dorito Effect
• Paleo diet
• Whole30
• 100daysofrealfood.com

I developed a loose set of guidelines for myself to help curb my own bad habits, not following any one specific diet, just focusing on things I wanted to do for myself. Some were devised with the goal of getting more nutrients into my body; some were to keep things I didn't want in my body out; and some were just to keep me from overindulging in things that I know are problems/triggers for myself. Generally, I followed them. As the month went on and I educated myself a bit more, I revised these a bit to get focus on whole-grain versions of flour, bread, rice, etc. and limit processed stuff with added "flavors". 

Guidelines:

• no boxed/pre-packaged things (i.e. cereal, ritz crackers, etc)
• no powdered sauces (i.e Hamburger Helper, Rice-a-Roni)
• no bottled sauces (I'm  not much of a sauce person, but do have a soft spot for this peanut soy sauce thing)
• no juice (I tend to drink it in 16oz increments if I have it-- better to just stay away)
• no Starbucks (I had a bit of a flat white obsession last year, and having a Starbucks in my building's lobby didn't help my intake or my budget)
• no Panera lunches (it's sooooooo easy to get these from the office though)
• no delicious biscuit cracker things from the office snack bin
• no mindless snacking on a sleeve of saltines, or a bag of tostitos 
• measure and weigh all food, track daily calories (I didn't have a self-imposed limit of how many to eat each day, but rather used this as an accountability tool. Having to write down what I ate made me think twice about everything I put into my mouth)
• no Clif bars
• no things with limitless shelf life
• no premade muffins

good-bye, free office snacks
(though, really, I only liked the biscuit thingies anyways)

I'm not a big candy person, but having to consciously abstain from taking a Reese's or a Snickers bar a couple times a day was definitely a conscious decision

Major habit changes:

• taking out processed carbs meant I had to fill my belly with something beyond crackers and granola bars, so I found myself eating a LOT more veggies out of necessity
• instead of snacking on breakroom chips and crackers, I brought raw nuts, apples, and tubes of natural peanut butter to satisfy me between meals 
• Sunday nights became weekly meal prep time, where I'd make:
• egg muffins for breakfasts
• roasted vegetables for half the week
• pre-prepped salads for lunches
• hard-boiled eggs to snack on during the week
• homemade chili (disclaimer: I did use store-bought tomato sauce as part of my base) or stew to freeze for the later half of the week
• a meal plan for the week
• all breakfasts included home-brewed coffee with only a tablespoon of heavy creamer and 1/4c whole milk in my Contigo mug, which meant I'd still get to enjoy a warm beverage upon arrival at the office 
• lots of time prepping lunches and snacks, and bringing a BIG bag of food to work each day

food prep Sunday

overnight oats for breakfast

egg muffins!

on-the-go lunch of salad and nuts

ALL THE BAKING

typical day of food

^what's for dinner

The first half of the month was pretty rough, since I had to make a LOT of changes to our normal food routine. The back half, however, has gone pretty well, and I'm starting to feel like a lot of the changes I've made might actually be sustainable!

Good habits I've developed:

• putting coffee ground in the coffee maker the night before so that my kid can make my coffee for me in the morning before he has breakfast
• actually filling my Bento boxes with lunch food the night before so I just have to grab-and-go in the morning
• logging foods in MyFitnessPal to check nutritional content (make sure I'm getting enough protein, carbs, calories, etc)
• eating veggies and nuts
• using apples and carrots as midafternoon snacks at work
• eating a good breakfast post-run in the morning (i.e. not grabbing a poptart, but having hard-boiled eggs, egg/veggie muffins, or overnight oats)
• NOT going to Starbucks (y'all, breaking this was HUGE for me... and my wallet)

That said, this has been the lightest month of work I've had in my entire tenure at this job. Who know what'll happen in the coming months as work ramps up, Jerry resumes full-scale training (running), and life, in general, ramps back up. It's been good for our bodies, and pretty good on our budget too. 

End of Month Results: down four pounds, saved about $60/mo by not buying lunch/Starbucks and paying closer attention to what we buy at the grocery store