Favorites of 2009, Part II

Good afternoon! We are currently in Pennsylvania at Bri's mom's house celebrating Christmas part V. We had an excellent "Christmas" breakfast that involved mimosas and (disgusting) spiked egg nog. The only meat options were sausage and bacon. I recently gave up pork so I stuck with all of the non-meat foods: quiche, bagels and lox. Yum!

My training schedule calls for crosstraining, so Brian is going to put me through a crossfit workout. Should be fun! Yesterday we went for a 3.5 mile run (PDR!) and about two miles into the run it started sleeting. We finished the run soaking wet- it was awesome!

Continuing the recap of my favorite products that assisted me in my healthy living journey (If you miss part I, you can find it here):

Balega running socks
I purchased a pair of these socks at my local Fleet Feet store and I have to say, I'm in love! At first I was skeptical that a pair of socks could make a difference in my running, but they do. These socks are thin, lightweight and super comfortable. I am also a huge fan of how breathable they are. If you are in the market for new running socks, I highly recommend!

My Garmin Forerunner:

I love my garmin forerunner! I was torn between the newer model (405) and the 305, but after reading numerous reviews I went with the 305. It is awesome! I love that I can go out for a run and know the distance I've gone without having to map it out beforehand. It also helps me pace myself; before I purchased it I wasn't sure what pace I was running at. I'm also a big fan of the garmin training log. When you hook the forerunner up to your computer, it automatically logs the date of your run, the number of miles ran, the average pace, number of calories burned, etc. It is so helpful in my training. I can't rave enough about it!

Nike Tempo Shorts

Nike tempo track shorts are fantastic! I think I own around six pairs. They are lined on the inside, should one choose to run commando (which I don't, but the option is there!). The shorts are the perfect length for running- not too short yet not so long as to interfere with running. These shorts are great on the milder winter days to wear over your running tights- they definitely help keep the tush warm!

Oatmeal

Oatmeal. Oh oatmeal, how I love thee. I can't believe I only stuck to instant oatmeal packets before. I was missing out! There is nothing better on a cold morning than oats with walnuts, a bit of maple syrup and peanut butter. Super healthy and it keeps me full for hours to boot. Speaking of peanut butter:

Mighty Maple Peanut Butter! This seriously may be the best peanut butter on the planet. It tastes amazing in oatmeal, with apples, pears or just by itself! I limit myself to one tablespoon a day, and usually eat it with an apple. Amazing!

Foam Roller:

I started running this past May. I broke into easily with the Couch to 5k training plan. By September I was running approximately 3 miles four times a week. Around this time I started having some serious knee pain on the top of my right knee about 2 miles into each run. So much so that I had to stop running once the pain started because it was that intense. After a bit of googling, I diagnosed myself with iliotibial band sydrome, where basically your IT band becomes increasingly tight and rubs on your knee, causing a sharp pain. I went to an orthopaedic doctor, who confirmed my suspicions. He recommended a number of stretches and the foam roller. WOW. The pain from the foam roller is intense, but in a good way. If you have ever experienced IT Band issues, the foam roller definitely helps work out some of the kinks! I am happily back to my pre-injury running distance, and I am certain that the foam roller has a lot to do with it.


Greek yogurt:

Greek yogurt is amazing! I was a huge fan of yogurt from the get, but after looking at the ingredient list of some of my favorites, I saw that a lot of them were full of HFCS and unhealthy, unnatural ingredients. I had been reading about greek yogurt in blogland, so I decided to give it a try. Delicious, creamy and tons of protein. On the days I don't have oatmeal for breakfast, I have greek yogurt with granola and fruit. Chobani, Fage, Stonyfield- I love them all! I also use the plain greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute. It's fantastic!

Google Calendar. My fiance actually introduced me to google calendar six months ago. I use it to monitor my work events, social events, and to track the workouts I have completed. Not only does it keep me organized, it also serves as a great motivator. I love to look back and see all of the workouts I have done, and I get a great sense of satisfaction in writing (typing) down the workouts I have completed.

So there are my favorites of 2009. What do you think? Anything that you would add to the list?