Sweeet2th's Journal, 06 October 2014

Yummy, I love butternut squash soup, me too!  

You're gonna to great on your half in 2 weeks. I'm excited for you!!!  

WOW - great running record..your half will be a breeze! 

Super gemacht..  

Awesome :) 

Sounds great! I've got to harvest my herbs too, and plant garlic for next year....your lentil soup recipe sounds awesome. Is it easy for you to share it? 

Fantastic you're doing so well. The soup sounds delicious, care to share the recipe? 

Very impressive! Keep it going! 

great! this is inspiration for me. I just started and I whish one day I can run a 10K again Congrats!! 

Ok... you have me and my teen kids psyched to run a 5K... only I hate running. Any suggestions for working up to a 5K! I can do elliptical for 55 minutes are 139 HR no problem, but trying to run on a treadmill feels like every muscle in my chesk is tearing away from my rib cage! Might be the indoor soccer shoes I am running in... so what should I do AFTER I buy some running shoes? 

Thanks for the support, everyone! Here's the recipe. I just cut and pasted what I put in my food journal, but feel free to adjust any quantity of ingredients you choose to suit your tastes. Sweeet2th's Home Made Curried Red Split Lentil, Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup. (Gluten-free, Vegan, GMO-free, Nightshade-free Autumn soup featuring carrots, red split lentils, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, ginger and Kashmir Garam Masala curry spices.) Ingredients: 9 servings red split lentils, 12 servings organic diced carrots, 10 servings organic homemade vegetable broth, 2 servings organic coconut oil, 4 servings organic olive oil, 12 servings kashmir garam masala, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsps turmeric, 3 tsps ginger, 2 cups chopped onion, 4 cups cubed butternut squash, 6 cups cubed sweet potato, 1/8 cup minced garlic. Directions: Add olive oil, spices, salt and black pepper to heated large soup pot. Add onion, garlic and ginger. Saute until soft. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and vegetable broth. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are almost tender. Then add lentils. Cook an additional 5 minutes. Once lentils are cooked, transfer soup to blender/Vitamix/food processor or use immersion blender to desired consistency and serve.  

My advice for learning to love running is start out EASY. There are a lot of Couch-to-5K apps/programs out there designed to get even the most sedentary folks up and moving in the right direction. But don't over do it. Trying to go too far, too fast is a recipe for burn out, injury and an instant hatred for running. Personally, I don't like running on a treadmill compared to outdoor road running. But, as a young woman running alone; time, daylight and personal safety don't always allow for outdoor runs, so I have a treadmill in the basement I use when I can't get outside. If you have to run on a treadmill, bring something to entertain you and keep your mind off your miles. I find binge watching comedies on Netflix works wonders! (I spent two weeks rewatching episodes of BoJack Horseman on the treadmill and it made the time just fly by!) I've also tried creating playlists of fun music videos on Youtube to help pass the time. Just find what works best for you. Good shoes designed for your feet, weight and mileage are pretty important if you're planning on making running a regular part of your fitness routine. If you can, go to a specialty running store and find a salesperson who knows how to help you pick out the right shoes for you. If that isn't available in your area, there are a few websites that can help you determine which shoes might be best for you, like Runner's World. That website helped me out a lot when I was just starting out! This time last year, I was huffing and puffing my way through a 20-minute crawl on the treadmill, and today, I just got back from a 7-mile road run up some pretty steep, gnarly hills and barely broke a sweat! It's amazing what can happen in a year if you're dedicated, consistent and train smartly! You can do it! :)  

Awesome motivation you give us all, Sweeet2th! I agree on your advice re:learning to love running. sprinter in high school, hated distances ... then just started this year ... but had to walk for a month, then did the walk - run, then just flat out running. and while the first 1/2 mile to mile is tough, all of the sudden it's fluid and i feel like i can run for miles and miles(so that's the runner's high?). and that was something i'd never experienced. now ... because i have done it too often without breaks, i have knee issues. i have taken a few weeks off and look to get back on the trail and insure i get outdoor running in prior to december laying waste to my psyche. :) any advice you have on form to protect knees, love to hear. i was fitted by the running spot for my gait and feet, etc. but i think form is my issue now. or maybe i am destined for elliptical and stationary bike from here on out? 

Disclaimer: Remember that none of this information should substitute professional medical advice. Definitely check with a doctor or physical therapist first once those aches and pains arise! You might want to seek out a professional running coach/trainer if you want to make running a regular part of your week and avoid injury. Here are two online resources that may also help you out: greatist dot com/fitness/most-common-running-injuries-and-how-avoid- and vimeo dot com/33667983 It might help to get a functional movement/fitness assessment from a personal trainer too. I performed one on myself and figured out the root cause of my lower back pain (a wicked anterior pelvic tilt!). Just about everyone has certain muscular imbalances and/or weaknesses, and identifying and correcting those issues might help your running. But that's just my two cents.  

thank you! i may have runner's knee ... based on what i just read, stands to reason, when i shorten my stride and keep my knees bent, it's fairly effortless, but i also think a day between runs is important for me too. i am actually set to see a physical therapist, later this month. they should be able to determine whether my knee issue is serious or not. thanks again. keep journaling - the posts are always motivating and full of good information.