Am I hardcore now? and then a rough transition to my nutrition

Once again I find myself with a week between posts. I'm not sure what that tells you, except that I am boring. Plus, it has been Africa-hot here and I've spent many a run on the air conditioned treadmill (with last Friday's debacle and all the "don't be a dumbass" speeches I've been getting).

Having no new magazines to read and actually, sort of, wanting to run outside, I was determined to hit the roads on Saturday and Sunday. And I did.

Saturday's run was mis. er. able. 4 miles at 8am in 85+ degree, humid weather. It sucked. A lot. I drank 24oz of water in 36 minutes. I was so thankful I was actually following my plan and only running 4 miles. I was nervous about next day's 18. I gave BoyToy strict instructions to wake me up before 6am to make sure I was up and out before the heat hit.

I need not have worried about the heat and humidity. Sunday I woke up at 6:10 (grrr...BoyToy) and running by 6:35. It was much better running conditions. 72 degrees and way less humid. My first 8.65 miles felt ok, not great, but better than the last few felt. I was running about 9:20 miles before I met up with Linda so she could kick my ass.

I met Linda at 8am in our usual spot (after submitting to the call of nature behind the market). We had talked on Saturday about running a little easier this week as we expected it to be hot and humid. Remember when I said I needn't have worried about that? I should have worried about the rain.

We were 3.5 miles from our cars (exactly as far away as we go) when the sky opened up to a torrential downpour. I mean, it was build an ark rain. (In case you think I am exaggerating, I checked the radar when I got home - it was red and yellow). Within 3 minutes we were drowned rats. Soaked shoes and all. It rained for the rest of our run. Just when we thought it was letting up - another wave of hard rain came through. All we could do was run. We weren't getting any drier. I could feel the standing water in my shoes. I started to wonder why I was even attempting to avoid the puddles. I won't mention the chafing. Oh the chafing.

For those you, ahem...Troy, who say that running in adverse conditions is "how we earn it". Linda and I earned something on Sunday. I hope its a PR in October, but I'll settle for new shoes.

I also met with the nutritionist this week. She had analyzed my food diary. I'll make this quick.

The good things:
I eat a variety of foods (this is thanks to BoyToy and his refusal to eat the same thing twice in a week).
I don't eat many fried foods.
I eat good breakfasts.
That's it.

The bad things:
Not enough protein.
Too much grazing. And grazing on the wrong things.
No portion control (so yes, a shit load is NOT an acceptable quantity)
Too many processed foods.

The plan:
All carbs I consume should be whole grain. From bread to buns to rice to cereal. No simple sugars. (except for 1 mini candy bar after meals - no more than 3 per day)
Protein with all meals AND snacks.
Snacks must come from my snack list.
Eat every 3 hours (6 times per day). (WOO-HOO!)
Portion control. (Dammit.)
One free day each week to eat (and drink!) whatever I want.
Watch my pee for signs of dehydration.

So far, so good I must say. I grocery shopped on Sunday and bought whole grain bread, cereal, pitas, and tortillas. I bought carrots, zucchini, blueberries, apples, string cheese, and ingredients to make my own trail mix. I'm feeling full and eating clean. We'll see how this goes.