Day 14

The second week of the challenge has flown by and my second long run while on the diet was much better than my first.  I intended to heed the advice of fueling early and often, but I drifted off to sleep after a 5AM waking from the baby.  I ended up getting out of bed at 7:45 which gave me no time to prepare the breakfast that I was planning while still giving the meal two hours to digest.  I decided to stick with the menu plan and make Paleo pancakes anyway and hope that the decision wouldn't come back to haunt me. 

Annabelle eating the original Paleo diet: dinosaur

This was my second attempt at making Paleo pancakes.  The first time I tried, the recipe consisted of almond meal, almond butter and oil.  The results were less than satisfactory.  I figured this time I'd try to inject some carbohydrates into the mix and found this recipe instead.  This was a much more successful attempt, but in retrospect, I think unsweetened apple sauce would make a better substitute than the shredded apple.  As written, the batter was a bit hard to work with and despite making silver dollar pancakes, several were mottled by unsuccessful flips.  The cakes themselves were good.  The lovely wife even enjoyed them with some maple syrup.  I had mine plain with some scrambled eggs and an orange on the side.

I decided to apply some of the additional guidance from "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" and I consumed 1/2 of a banana ten minutes before starting the run.  I felt great for most of the run even though the trail was pretty slushy in many sections.  The air temperature was a good deal warmer than last week, there was little wind, and the course was mostly flat.  I finished the first twelve miles with an 8:04 min/mile pace.  Slightly faster than I was intending, but I can't complain.  The last few miles I ran solo and decided to give myself a break once I reached fifteen miles.  Sixteen miles would have been nice, but I decided to take a strong fifteen miles over sixteen miles with an enormous fade.  I still have a good deal of time before the marathon so I'm not concerned.  I'm just relieved that today's run was so much better than last week.

Speaking of running, I've targeted the Cook Forest Half-Marathon as a tune-up race.  I was originally thinking of running the Mill Creek Distance Classic in Youngstown next weekend, but seriously, it's in Youngstown (apologies in advance to all my Ohio friends).

After a nice warm shower, I decided to catch a quick cat nap to recharge from the run.  All the while, the lovely wife was crafting something delicious on the floor below me: Paleo Jambalaya.  This was a recipe adapted from Robb Wolf's book, but the lovely wife decided to double the amount of cauliflower and seasonings and the result was fantastic.

A Paleo taste of N'awlins and some applesauce 

After our late lunch, I spent a few hours working and by then the sun was shining and it was in the mid fifties.  When it was time for a break, we packed up Annabelle and went for a nice walk to the park.  This was also a great remedy for loosening up my overused legs.  Dinner was quick and simple, leftover steak from last night tossed in a spinach salad with a Dijon and garlic vinaigrette.  It was after the meal that I discovered something wonderful.  A simple Paleo concoction of my own design which I'm calling "I can't believe it's not apple crisp".  This recipe is simple, but takes time to get it right.  Feel free to substitute but I can't guarantee the results.

Directions:
In the fall, gather an assortment of locally grown apples (I recommend Trax Farm's pie baking mix).  Chop the apples and combine with water in a stock pot.  Boil for an eternity and then puree the resulting mixture.  Can the resulting sauce using the method of your choice.  Wait six months and crack open the jar.  Combine the apple sauce with a handful of walnuts and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.  You won't regret it.

Despite the copious amount of time I needed to spend at the office, I accomplished everything I could have desired this week. This included: grinding out three hard running workouts, pushing through three Crossfit workouts, keeping a strict Paleo diet, writing a mountain of software, and having a delightful lunch during the week with the woman I love.  Does life get any better than this?  I suppose if you take out the software writing, then the answer is yes.

Workout:
15 mile run - decent pace 8:04 over the first 12 miles faded a little during the last three.

Food Journal:
Breakfast: 6 Paleo Pancakes
                  3 eggs (scrambled)
                  1 orange
Pre-Workout: 1/2 banana
Post-Workout: 1/2 banana
                           Whey protein shake mixed with water
Lunch: 1 orange
             Paleo Jambalaya
             Homemade Applesauce
Dinner: Steak and Spinach Salad
              Ham (I was still a bit peckish, o.k?)
              I can't believe it's not apple crisp