Maintaining a Healthy Diet While Traveling

I have just returned from a long business trip and found this article to be helpful.  Eating Well On the Road

I find it very difficult to maintain a healthy diet when I'm out of town. The projects I've been working on have required me to work long hours which makes it very hard to make healthy choices. Even though I try to keep healthy snacks and plenty of water in my bag, when people bring in donuts and sweets it is hard to resist especially if I haven't eaten a meal in hours.I definitely put on a few pounds on this trip. I recall one day all we had was donuts and chocolate pie! I'm very ashamed of that!

 My goal is to eat clean and get back to the gym this week. I've got to get in shape for the 5k I'm doing on St Patricks Day!

I consumed too much sugar this week and need to cleanse the toxins from my system. I'm also looking into a therapeutic massage.I'm glad I am receiving some much needed time off. It's time to rejuvenate!

I feel good....

Last night, after working I decided to try out my hotel's fitness center. I'm glad I did. I was a little nervous about the glass windows, but I guess everyone else was watching the College football championship game. It was cool having the whole place to myself.

I've also been eating healthy for the most part....I stocked up on healthy foods for my mini fridge in my hotel. I'm glad I did.

The room didn't have any fans, so it was incredibly hot in there. I started off with a stationary bike workout and did 5.8 miles in 20 minutes. Then I did a treadmill workout for a mile. I wanted to run longer, but the heat was killing me!

The best thing about working out at night, is that I sleep so much better AND I felt great this morning! I felt so refreshed and had more energy than usual. I'm going to try and remember this is why I do this!

My business trip will be over soon and I'll get to go back home to my family. I miss them and I need to get back to MY gym. I have 2 5k's in March and want to be prepared.

St Pat's Day Kegs & Eggs 5k









Special Kids 5k



Mayor's 5k Challenge in Nashville

On Sunday, November 13, I participated in the Mayor's 5k challenge in Nashville. It was a great experience. Mayor Karl Dean urged Nashvilians to get out and get healthy by running with him. I also took this as an opportunity to get one more 5k in before my next event on Thanksgiving, which is a 4-miler. It's less than a week away and I walked/ran the course today. This is my second year doing Borodash so I was familiar with the course. It's mostly flat - which I like and this morning was fine weather-wise.

Finish line at the top of the hill!

I hope you enjoy my pictures. Nashville is a great place to run! But there are lots of hills. I'm hoping to end 2012 strong on my last race next week.

Reflection on 2011

I've been blogging for about a year now. I hope I've been able to inspire others to get healthy. Here is a link to my first post last year. Loving Life - first blog post 2010.

A year ago I could not run a mile. I could not walk a 5k without pain. Now its November 2011 and I see how far I've come. I have done 4 walks for charities and 4 5k's this year so far. My longest event was 9 miles and the shortest was 1 mile. I'm also proud to say that my 5k pace is 6 minutes faster than my first one. I've also been involved in other fitness activities such as Zumba for Cystic Fibrosis and Tae Bo. This is my motivation to keep going. In 2012, I am hoping to do a longer race than a 5k. Thanks to my family and friends for support and encouragement when I'm feeling frustration. I'm proud of myself for not giving up even when I have felt like it.

Running changes everything. I enjoy looking back at my running pictures over the year. This keeps me motivated and encouraged for 2012. I look forward to setting new goals for myself and living life to the fullest.

Welcome weekend!

I'm glad it's the weekend. A few days rest then back to work again. There are no races planned this weekend but I signed up for a last minute 5k for next weekend. (Am I addicted to this running thing?) The mayor in Nashville has challenged the city of Nashville to walk/run a 5k with him. It's a free event and takes place in downtown Nashville. I'm looking forward to the challenge! I think it's great Mayor Dean is taking steps to make Nashville a healthier place to live. The south has a reputation of obesity and this is a great way to change that. Here's more information about the challenge:
Mayor's 5k Challenge

Nashville Centennial Park

Here is a map of the course: http://maps.nashville.gov/Mayors5K_Challenge/

But this weekend I will rest and enjoy time with my family. Tonight we are playing Rock Band in our living room and having a blast! I hope to spend some time with my one week old grand-daughter too!

Phoenix

Preparing for my next race-Komen Race for the Cure

Great news! My business trip has been postponed, so I will be able to participate in Komen Race for the Cure on Saturday. I am so happy about that. This is my favorite event of the year and am looking forward to it. The only thing I am worried about is that I haven't had much time to train, with all the grandma stuff going on this week. I'm hoping to get a good workout in tomorrow, rest on Friday, and have a great race on Saturday.

I guess its also time to watch my diet and eat foods that will help my performance. I hope I remember that. I received my race packet in the mail with my shirt and bib. I still have to pick up my timing chip either Friday evening or Saturday at the race. I checked the weather forecast and it looks like it will be a chilly morning. That's usually a good thing for races. I just hope its not too cold.

Komen Race for the Cure 2010

I hope to take lots of pictures this year to share. This is a very powerful event and draws thousands of people. It's great to see so many people come together in the fight for breast cancer. My mother-in-law, Nancy Sue Done died of breast cancer before I was able to meet her. I run in her memory.

I also hope to finish under 49 minutes, my last PR. If I don't, I won't be too hard on myself since I have been too busy to train. My last race was in September, about a month ago. I'm just thrilled that I'll be able to do this - regardless of my pace.

Fenton Payne & Fred 5k

Another 5k is in the books. I overslept and almost missed it. I'm glad it started early though since its so hot and humid here. I managed to do walk/run intervals for the duration of the race. Running across the finish line is......AWESOME!

My official time was :50:34. I could have been a little faster, but I had a few complications. I wore thin socks so I could feel my shoes slipping. I'll probably get a blister. Then the shorts I wore over my tights, the elastic broke so they kept falling down. I finally removed them. I'm glad I had tights on. That would have been embarrassing! This is a learning experience. I'll be better prepared for my next 5k on September 24th.

I'm glad I did it. It would have been easy to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. 

Now off to rehydrate and refuel for my day.

Here are some pictures of the event:

Race bib

Hot, sweaty mess!!

One more race t-shirt

Inspiration of the day

I'm struggling with motivation this week. I like this photo. My next event is in 2 days......I'm trying to mentally prepare for this.

What are your favorite inspirational quotes? Please share....