In which I run my favorite distance – 5 miles

I love a 5-miler.   It’s short enough to fit into one hour and long enough to really clear my head.  When I run 3 miles, it’s so short sometimes I spend the whole distance waiting for it to be finished, thinking about what I’ll do afterwards.  But with 5 miles, you really have to settle in for the long haul.

6:15 am my and my running buddy (see below) left for a good fiver.

I finished them in about an hour, but I don’t know exactly because my Garmin died at mile 3.79.  My splits are approximately as follows:

Mile 1 – 12:04

Mile 2 – 18:33 (stopped to talk to a friend)

Mile 3 – 12:14

Mile 4 – ????

Mile 5 – 11:00

It’s amazing what a couple weeks of solid running will do for you.  Honestly, I have run more consistently the past two weeks than ever in my life.  I always averaged 3 runs per week, maybe 4 during serious training.  I always used to give in to silly excuses to cancel a run.

Since I’ve been dedicated to following the plan, however, I have felt my fitness and comfort with running increase quickly.  I only had one brief moment of tiredness in the whole 5 miles.

I am contemplating making 5 miles my normal morning routine.  It’s a nice, easy distance.  I can finish it before even the earliest of my responsibilities.  We’ll see how I feel about getting up at 5 am tomorrow to run at 5:45.

I also am thinking about adding some more serious core work.  I know running is hard on my posture and therefore on my chronic back neck tension.  So, I hypothesize that if I really work at strengthening my core, at the end of training, I won’t be a hunchback like normal.  We’ll see how well I follow through.

Post run, I swept and mopped my floor (a mostly daily occurence), made breakfast for my husband, showered, and, finally hungry, made a bowl of health and yum for my breakfast.

My bowl contains

• 2/3 cup oats
• 1 TB almond butter
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup yogurt

I am off to eat!

 

In Which I sweat

 Can you see the drips?  Yeah, it’s the tropics and we sweat a lot here when we run.

After a speedy market run this morning, I headed to the gym.

Up the path . . .

Around the bend . . .

To . . .

The Gym!!

Or officially, the Fitness Center

For $25 a month, here’s what you get in a 3rd world, tropical country.

Some machines . . . (the elliptical has some quirks)

More machines (I think someone was having a sale . . .)

A treadmill (yay for me)

And weights; the only things I really need and couldn’t bring along or purchase here (too pricey)

Here’s where you’ll normally find me.

As I ran nowhere, dripping sweat everywhere, this is my view.  Actually, I am most often staring at an American magazine like Shape or Lucky (thanks mom!!!!  you really know what I need).

Today I got through my three miles on the treadmill and a full (almost) weights workout.  I had to modify (another post on that soon) in order not to touch the floor.

I also discovered that I need to wear bug spray when working out here.  I also think I will bring disinfecting wipes to wipe down the equipment before and after I use it.  Someone should.

 

In which I go to the grocery store at a hideously early hour

Ever get up at 5 am to go to Safeway or Publix?  Never may that happen.  But that’s more or less my Saturday routine, except we don’t have supermarkets, we have the local open air produce market.

I buy many different kinds of very fresh fruits and veggies.  I can make for lunch vegetables that were still attached to a vine/in the ground/one the tree less than 24 hours before.  Of course, being in a tropical country, the produce varies quite a bit from the colder-weather things I am used to, like kale and berries.  Here you will find papaya, pineapple and mango.  The general staples also include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini, carrots and cabbage.

I went nice and early this morning so I’d be able to get to my gym and work out before the temperature got too high.  The weekend market is a huge event in this town.  People start walking there at 4 am to buy for the week.  I personally drive at the reasonable hour of 6 am.  Although the market is quite large, (at least, as large as anything is in this tiny, tiny, 3rd-world nowhere’s-ville can be) I go to two or three stands, buy my produce from the same people I trust, and escape.

Every Saturday after the market, I have a big veggie sterilization party, and then I let everything dry out.

This morning I spent $14 (US) and got most the the produce I need for the week.  I will also go back to buy some bananas a few times, as they don’t keep long enough to buy all at once.

Last week I was so excited to find bell peppers that were red instead of green!!!  The concept of ripening food on the plant has escaped some farmers in the nearby country from which a few items are imported.  Fortunately, they have caught on that the tourists like ‘overdone’ peppers and are starting to fulfill the demand.

 

How much do you spend on produce in a week?  What’s your favorite online recipe resource?