On the 1st day of 2018 I did two things I really hate: mile repeats and eating veggies.

Welcome to 2018, everyone!

As you can see, I started off my 2018 on the treadmill because, you know, freaking below zero temperatures and wind chills outside.  Well, I really started off the day by complaining about how cold it was all morning, putting on 3 layers of clothing, and then swearing under my breath every time the dogs told me they had to go outside--which was about 3,000 times today.  And then I did a lot of online shopping for winter running gear which eventually turned into finding a marathon to run that I haven't ever run before. And then I finally got on the treadmill, in-between taking the dogs out.

So what workout did my training plan call for?  My most favorite workout ever, and by "favorite" I mean "the one I hate the most:" mile repeats.  Here's how I felt about that:

Mile repeats.  Ain't nobody got time for that.  Except me.

But I got three of those little bad boys done, and then noticed that all my animals were nowhere to be found.  Until I went upstairs, that is.

I'm glad they decided to keep my bed warm for me while I was running downstairs.

Anyway, let's talk about how the eating went today.  You'll be glad to know that a) I ate and b) I ate reasonably well.  Did my oatmeal, homemade chili leftovers, and added nuts for snacks to replace some of my snack bars.  I also managed to keep my twice-a-day vegetable promise, but for some reason I simply cannot get excited about eating them.  I can't even get used to eating them.  As soon as it's lunch or dinner time, at first it's all YAY TIME TO EAT but then it's all GAWD I HAVE TO EAT VEGGIES FIRST.  I don't know what my mental block is.  Unless it's the fact that my body has to get used to so much real food again instead of the processed "health" bars that I have been eating for the last few years...and my mental whining is just a withdrawal symptom.

Who knows.  All I know is that I always feel good after (never during) I eat a bowl of veggies instead of wracked with guilt like I did last night after eating that red velvet cake. So I guess that's my main food resolution for this year - eat food that makes me feel good and leaves me guilt-free afterwards. If that's your food resolution as well, below are some helpful tips on how to to stick to that resolution.  And by "helpful" I mean "only marginally helpful because these are mainly written for my own amusement."

• To ensure that you will eat vegetables, it is helpful if you actually purchase them and keep them in your refrigerator.  If you use Walmart grocery pickup like me, you can even get someone else to pick them out for you in the store and throw them in the back of your car.
• After placing said veggies in your refrigerator, it's best if you use them before they spoil.  
• I find that sauteeing a whole crap-ton of them in a little olive oil and garlic is a nice way to make them more palatable and not feel like you're eating raw nature.
• I am told Pinterest has a lot of ideas for adding some variety to your veggies.  This is a fantastic idea.  However, I haven't verified this yet simply because if I get on Pinterest I will do a search for "humor" and then lose a good 2 hours in there before I even get to any veggie stuff.
• If green and orange things just aren't your style, add other real foods like nuts.  Just make sure they don't come with lots of little chocolate pieces or you're kind of defeating the purpose.
• People keep suggesting kale chips to me.  While these may be guilt-free, I find that they are just as bad as Ny-Quil tastes.  

I know that eating more veggies/real food is sucking for me right now, but I'm hoping that it will develop into a habit over time and I won't notice the suck so much.  I instead hope to notice a 4:05 marathon time in April.

Learnings?  Where are they?  Oh there they are:

• One of these days I'm going to a post of all of the horrible selfies I take before I get one that's usable for this blog.  (Believe it or not there are worse ones than the ones I slap up here)
• I got through those mile repeats by telling myself the lie that the first one is the toughest one.
• The only animals that braved the downstairs while I was on the treadmill were the cats.  I now know who my real athletic supporters are.
• If this "eating veggies" thing doesn't translate into faster marathon times, I will be a tad upset.

Tomorrow's workout: An upper body weight workout of some kind.  Haven't decided which one yet...