Juice Fast: Day 2

OK, here's the post I want to write about yesterday:

I drank juice.

I didn't eat any food.

I was hungry.

I was grumpy.

The end.

But, since I choose to blog about my experiences, I guess I owe all of you a little more.  Except that I wasn't a very good blogger yesterday.  I failed to capture even one picture of all of the beautiful juices and smoothies I made.  Seriously.  Not even one!  I don't even have a good excuse.  Honestly, I just didn't do it.  Each time I made my juice or smoothie, I was in a rush because I, once again, have taken on too much.  So, I told myself each time that I would take a picture the next time...do you see where this is going.  And then, suddenly, it was 10pm and I was about to go to sleep.  And that's when I panicked about the fact that I didn't have any pictures for my post.  So, I did what any reasonable person would do.  I began putting together the juicer that I had cleaned just a couple of hours before and I started to load fruit and veggies on the counter.  Until Paul, in a state of confusion, asked me what I was doing.  When I told him I was recreating my juices from the day so I could take pictures of them for the blog, he gently reminded me that I was on my way to bed because I had to get up at 4am to go running with my running partner...you know, to train for that little marathon I have in a few weeks.

So, I dropped the ball on taking pictures.  But, I didn't drop the ball on the challenge.  I stayed committed all day.  I made wonderful juice concoctions full of beets, carrots, apples, celery, romaine lettuce, oranges, peppers, and many other fun fruits and vegetables (but not all at the same time).  I drank smoothies to fill me up and I felt good.  Except when I was hungry...which was actually a lot of the day. 

Here's the thing.  I really like this challenge, but Day 2 was definitely tough.  Don't get me wrong, I actually felt pretty good.  I felt less bloated and somehow "cleaner and clearer." But, I was also irritable and hungry and headachy.  So, I'm calling Day 2 a reasonable success.

I'm still glad I signed up for this challenge.  I like these things because they make me more mindful of what I'm putting into my body and how foods make me feel.  I'm such a mindless eater most of the time that I end up eating handfuls of random things throughout the day that I don't even know I'm eating.  I can't tell you how many random handfuls of cheddar bunnies and chocolate chips end up in my mouth on any given day.  So, this challenge is good because I actually have to pay attention to what I'm putting in my body.  I'm being more mindful.

But, I'm not going to lie.  I'm really looking forward to my bowl of yogurt and granola on Thursday morning...and my glass of wine Thursday night.  Wait a minute!  Isn't wine just grape juice...?

18 Miles!...oh yeah, and a juice fast

OK, before I recap my first day of the juice fast that Emilie has created, I have to talk about my biggest accomplishment yet.  On Saturday, I ran 18 miles!  That's the farthest I have ever run.  When I did my 16 mile run a couple of weeks ago, I had a REALLY awful run.  By mile 13, I was really doubting my ability to complete a marathon and I found myself telling Paul that I didn't think I was going to do it.  Then, when he told me I could drop out if I wanted, I got really mad and told him that there was no way I was going to drop out and have to tell everyone I decided not to do it.  Yeah, it wasn't my finest moment...hmmmm, now that I think about, I bet that's why Paul ran ahead of me for most of the 18 mile run on Saturday :)

So, because of my horrible experience during my 16 mile run, I was really dreading the 18 mile run.  My legs have the tendency to seize up around mile 11.5 and then I'm forced to run with permanent charlie horses...it's not fun AT ALL!  But, this week, I was proactive and made sure I drank Gatorade during the first few miles, and I used my camelback to stay hydrated the whole time.  It worked!  I only had one tiny little leg cramp around mile 15, and it went away as soon as I stopped to stretch it out.  I finished the run feeling good and strong, and I even felt like I had a couple more miles in me.  So, I'm hoping my 20 mile run is just as good.

I'm in the home stretch of marathon training.  The Vermont City Marathon is May 26th, so I only have a few weeks left.  I have reached the point in training where I fluctuate between complete excitement, total fear, and ominous dread.  One moment I am exhilarated by the thought of crossing the finish line, and the next moment I'm terrified of standing at the starting line.  Luckily, I have been through these feelings before with half marathon training, so I can talk myself through them. 

So, on to the second half of this post.  Emilie, my favorite blogger (it's true Emilie!) and Clean Food Challenge creator, organized a three day juice cleanse.  Since I always do the Clean Food Challenge along with Emilie, there was no question as to whether I would participate in the juice cleanse.  It started yesterday and ends tomorrow night.  Totally manageable!  I modified the cleanse slightly to accommodate the high mileage I'm running right now.  I didn't want my runs to suffer, so instead of just juice, I added smoothies to my day. 

My smoothies are pretty much just fruit, greens and water, so I figure it's close to all juice.  I'm also including  hemp seeds in my smoothies for some protein.  Oh, and I'm also allowing myself one cup of coffee each morning.  There is NO WAY I'm giving that up!

Yesterday went pretty well!  I had a smoothie for breakfast and dinner, and I drank Odwalla juice (Green Machine) for lunch.  I planned to make juice in the morning, but I didn't have enough time after my early morning run.  I also guzzled a lot of water!  I had some points during the day when I REALLY wanted to eat actual food.  At one point, my coworker was munching on tortilla chips and I wanted them so bad!  But, overall I felt like I could handle it.  So, I'm now on day two and I'm drinking my smoothie as I type.  I have some yummy juice for lunch and dinner will probably be another smoothie...or maybe one or two glasses of juice.  I'm wondering if today will be more difficult than yesterday.  I find with the Clean Food Challenge that I always struggle half way through.  I guess I'll just have to see what happens.  I'll keep you posted.

July Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

After missing Foodie Pen Pals last month due to my travel schedule, I was so excited to join again this month.  I really love this program!  Foodie Pen Pals is entirely Lindsey of the Lean Green Bean's creation.  I LOVE this program.  Each month that I participate, I meet new bloggers and discover fun new foods.

This month, I was paired with two non-bloggers, and I had so much fun both sending and receiving my packages.  I sent goodies to Becky, who is vegan.  I had so much fun picking out her treats.  Since Becky doesn't have a blog of her own, she wrote a guest post for my blog.  Here's her write-up on the exchange:

This was my first month participating in Foodie Pen Pals and I was lucky enough to receive a box from Willow! 

I am vegan and she was careful to include only delicious vegan treats for me.

In my box, I got a nice note from Willow and...

All Natural Pop Chips

I love potato chips.   I have seen these at my grocery store for ages and have always wanted to try them.  They are really good- different- light and airy but they still taste like potato chips and are healthy too!

Archer Farms Simply Balanced Berry Blend Freeze Dried Fruit

I just tried this is and it is so yummy - I have a feeling it will be even better mixed with vanilla soy yogurt for breakfast tomorrow!

Archer Farms Pecan Sticky Bun Granola

I have a serious granola addiction.  I tore into the bag immediately and it is awesome!

Archer Farms Roasted Almonds

Who doesn’t love nuts?!!?

Tazo Iced Green Tea

The insanely hot summer we are having demands cool drinks in mass amounts.  This will be perfect.

Justin’s Maple Almond Butter

I love this stuff so much that I sent it to my pen pal in her box this month too.  Great minds...

Perfectly Simple Cranberry Almond Bar

I’ve never seen this bar before, but I already know it will be the perfect pre-gym snack.

Willow- Thank you again for putting such a great variety of treats together for me! 

Becky 

I'm so glad you like the box, Becky!  I really had so much fun putting it together for you.

My box came from Ruby, who lives five minutes from the Mexican border!  She was great about putting together some fun treats for me that I could not get in my region. 

This first item is like sheets of candy apple coating, but it looks like it might have some spice to it.  Ruby wrote in her note that I should cover apples with it, so I'm saving it for a few weeks when the apples in my region will be in season.  I can't wait to try it out!

The is some kind of hot sauce that is typically drizzled over fruit (as per Ruby's instructions).  I tried it over watermelon and it added just the right amount of spicy kick.  I loved it!

Ruby also sent two granola bars, which I immediately added to my snack drawer at work.  I already ate one of them :)

I haven't tried the noodles, honey, coffee or tea that Ruby sent yet, but I'm really excited to!

Thank you for a wonderful package, Ruby!

Foodie Pen Pals is such a wonderful way to get to know other bloggers and blog readers and discover fun new foods.  If you aren't already part of the Foodie Pen Pal Program, I encourage you to join!  Lindsey does a great job of pairing everyone up each month and organizing the whole program.  Here's what she has to say about it:

-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

If you’re interested in participating for June, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions.

You must submit your information by August 4th as pairings will be emailed on August 5th!

If you want to see what all of the other participants sent and received, head over to this spot and check it out.  Over 1000 people participated this month.  That's a lot of food love!