Crossfit workouts...Success, Cleanse...NOT!!

I have finished up my third week of using the Crossfit Endurance info to guide my workouts.  I am enjoying my early morning crossfit strength workouts.  Many mornings I go outside and do them in the moonlight.  To give you an idea of what these workouts are like, last Friday I did 5 rounds for time of 5 Jerks/5 front squats/12 later jumps over a bar/12 pushups.  These 5 rounds took me 13:29.  On other days I am jumproping, doing lunges, power cleans, pullups, rows with dumbells, burpees, and one morning they had me do 30 front squats and then run a mile for time.

Then in the afternoons, about four days a week, I am focusing on my running.  Shorter and faster workouts!!  Doing a lot of tempo work and interval work.  I seem to be making some progress on my running...

Yesterday I went out for a 10 mile run and felt GREAT!!  I picked a hilly route.  It was a beautiful morning, cool and breezy.  And I just felt like with an effort just above easy, the miles were flying by.  Most of them were sub-9 minute pace.  My longer runs usually are at close to 9:30 pace.  I ended up with 9:09 average pace, with mile 2 being at 10:05 because you climb the entire mile.  And I didn't feel totally spent at the end of the run.  I am very happy with how the run is beginning to feel.

We have our local 9 mile race this Saturday.  I am hoping to be able to run at 8:20 pace.  It is fairly hilly, so that is a pretty hard goal for me to reach.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

NUTRITION:
This is constantly a work in progress for me.  My kids think I eat the healthiest of anyone around.  And for the most part I do.  But as far as having a perfect 21 day cleanse, that is NOT going well.  In fact I have started it twice, on August 16th and then again on September 1st and both times fallen off quickly.

I have decided that I will eat as clean as possible. But getting the gluten, caffeine, and an occasional glass or wine or bottle of beer out of my diet is not going to happen.

On a more positive note, my husband had his yearly physical last week and his cholesterol was about the best the doctor has seen.  He also has cut down his blood pressure medicine to 1/4 of what it was a year ago.  I credit this to the changes that we have slowly made over the past few years.  He takes salads for lunch everyday rather than lunch meat sandwiches.  He is almost vegetarian, with meat at 2-3 meals per week.  He makes a fruit smoothie almost every morning after his morning run.  And in general makes much better food choices.

I made an "Indian Feast" for my family last week, which consisted of Indian Red Dahl (Lentils), Coconut Rice, Mango Salsa, and Tofu Saag.  All the recipes were out of the 30 Minute Vegan Cookbook.  It was delicious.

Last night I made Vegan Meatloaf and it was delicious.  My entire family loved it.   Here is the recipe:


VEGAN LOAF

1 pkg. Tofu (crush with fork)
1 pkg. (12 oz) of Smart Crumbles Vegetable protein
1.25 cups of instant oatmeal

2 celery stalks and 1 small onion diced and microwaved for 1.5 minutes

1/2 t. rosemary, sage and thyme
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
3T of soysauce
2T of ketchup
1T of brown mustard

Mix it all together VERY well, put it in a meatloaf pan, and put some more ketchup on top.  Cook for one hour at 375 degrees.

It tastes very much like meatloaf without all the grease.

I am having trouble finding time to post.  I am back at school teaching and Megan and Lizzie are in cross country.  Matt hasn't gone back to Ohio State yet.

My goals for the week:
-Keep the SUGAR low
-Stretch every night
-Drink more water every day
-DON'T EAT WHILE PREPARING DINNER (this is my downfall)
-Blog more than once every two weeks!