Whole30 -- Day 20

Guess what, y'all? I'm two-thirds of the way done with my Whole30! (Again, this will likely be more like a Whole45, Whole70, or Whole100 since I'm loving it so much, but to be two-thirds of the way done with the first 30 feels pretty great.)

I thought that today was going to be pretty relaxing, but it turned out to be a bit busier than I thought. I woke up around 8:30, lounged for a bit, and then cooked breakfast.

After JFA (my family's code for "just f-ing around" on my blog and Paleo-related sites for a while, I decided I should probably head out for a run since tomorrow is supposed to be freezing again, with snow coming overnight.

Yay, spring break.

I threw on my running gear and ran 1.3 miles down the road to BFF's house, picked her up, and continued downtown.

It was a really nice run with plenty of talking, goofing off, and getting off task -- like when we saw the newest addition to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines and just had to check it out:

Inside "Glass Colour Circle"

My run ended up being 5.1 miles, the furthest I've run in, oh, like a year. It was crazy-windy and a super hilly route, too, as I ran a huge portion of Grand Avenue, including Hell Hill. (I feel like I should trademark that name. This hill doesn't really have a title, but it's so ridiculously awful and never-ending that it should have it's own designation.)

Needless to say, I am incredibly sore right now. I think I may have overdone it a bit, as the arch on my left foot is killing me. I seriously think I need to ice it. I'm a baby.

After my run I took a shower and then ate a quick snack (more on that mistake later) and then decided that I'd better head to the store if I wanted anything to make for dinner tonight. I was fresh outta food.

First, I went to Half-Price Books, trying to find a couple of Paleo cookbooks: Practical Paleo and Against All Grain. Not only could I not find those books, but I could not find any Paleo books. Apparently crazy health people like to keep their cookbooks, not sell them for 25 cents to a book store. Amazon it is, I suppose -- unless someone (Mom?) wants to buy them for me.

Second, I stopped at Whole Foods. I accidentally bought non-compliant sausage the other day, and I needed some more Applegate Farms chicken sausage for my breakfasts. I unwillingly shelled out $7.99 for four links, grabbed some less expensive chorizo links and bacon as well, and threw in some kale and Larabars, too.

Third, I stopped at Trader Joe's for a few other necessities, including macadamia nuts, almond butter, eggs, avocados, etc. And then, finally, I was able to head home and cook.

After dinner, I lounged around for a bit and then had long-distance arts-and-crafts blog-design night with my sister-in-law. We Facetimed for two hours and redesigned her blog, Here Comes Happiness. Check out the header that we made...

...and then head to her blog to check out the rest. (Semi-related note: if you like my blog, you will love Aly's blog. First, she is super knowledgeable about fitness and posts totally kick-ass workouts. Second, she is soooooo funny: I seriously laugh out loud at almost every post. Third, she is very, very motivational. You'll love her, so go follow her.)

(Another semi-related note: I have gotten really into blog design in the last couple of months. I redesigned my blog, obviously, and I also designed my mom's. I also worked on Maggie's and designed this banner for another friend:

I am really enjoying getting creative [and letting my OCD freak flag fly] with blog design. If you have any questions or would like help with your blog -- not that I'm an expert, by any means -- please let me know.)

But back to what's really important: my oh-so-exciting adventures.

Aly and I chatted for about two hours (before, of course, heading to the club since it's a Saturday night), and now I'm bumping and grinding on the dance floor writing this post!

Breakfast:

I was devastated when I realized that a.) I was out of chicken sausage, and b.) the sausage I did have was non-compliant. Wah. So, I chopped up a sweet potato and sauteed it forever with chopped green pepper, shrooms, and jalapeno. At the very last minute, I added three eggs and, as usual, topped all of the above with half an avocado and some Graddy's Salsa.

Lunch: This is where the epic fail comes in, friends. I ate about two or three hours prior to my run and didn't eat anything right before. I just wasn't hungry.

Big mistake.

Around mile three or so, I started getting kind of light-headed. I ended up walking quite a bit there toward the end, only because I literally thought I could pass out at any moment.

When I got home from my run, I took a shower and then prepped a snack:

I didn't have any leftovers from last night to whip up for a quick lunch, and I didn't really have anything to make. So, I resorted to a chopped apple and a handful-and-a-half of pecans. While it tasted good, it was nowhere near an appropriate Whole30 meal.

I feel like this was my number one mistake of the past 20 days.

Dinner:

Well, this picture looked a lot nicer on my phone and, hopefully, on Instagram. Yikes, it sure is ugly on the blog.

Good thing it tasted awesome.

First, I made my go-to quick meal: chili-garlic shrimp. Seriously, all this entails is sauteing garlic and crushed red pepper in about a tablespoon of olive oil and dumping some shrimp in there to sizzle. It's so good.

Second, I made the exact same salad that Maggie made last night because it was so ridiculously yummy: Iowa Girl Eats' Warm Kale Salad w/ Bacon, Dates, Almonds, Crispy Shallots, and Parmesan. In order to make it Whole30-compliant, I left off the Parmesan (obviously) and omitted the maple syrup from the dressing. That's it -- otherwise it was perfect-o.

I ate half of the dish for dinner tonight, but I'm not going to lie: I just may dig into the second half as soon as I post this, as I'm getting a bit hungry again (perhaps because I foolishly skipped lunch after a five-mile run).

Physically: Aside from feeling light-headed during my run (and super sore after), I feel good. My energy has been up, and everything (tummy, head, etc.) is going well.

Emotionally: Great! It was nice running with BFF today and talking to my sister-in-law tonight -- good girlfriends are good for the soul.

Cravings: Nothing -- except for more of that kale salad.

Seriously, if all I'm craving is a salad, I think this Whole30 thing is going pretty darn well. :)

G'night, friends!