Apple Crisp, Lemon Cake, Pizza....Oh NO!

I deviously went off of the GAPS Diet while I was back home in Minnesota. Here is just a "taste" of what I ate:

• Pizza (Yellow Mushroom - the BEST)
• Apple Crisp
• Lemon Cake
• Ice Cream
• Candy Corn
• All fruits
• Breaded Chicken
  
• Sweet Potatoes
• Alcohol

Ok....I'm stopping there. I'm embarrassed. That list alone makes me feel like a failure to those of you who follow this blog day-in and day-out as I proclaim the "evils" of all those foods to me. But then again, I stop and wonder, "Does it really make me a failure OR does it make me just a girl trying to maintain some sort of normalcy?"

In the end, I've decided that it doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm HONEST with everyone reading this and following me on my journey.

I have good days and I have bad days. I have many, many, many more good days than bad, though. I learn from my mistakes and I move on.

Just so you all know, though, eating like this is definitely a mistake! I have not been feeling well since I began eating in that way. My stomach has been so upset - so bloated - so uncomfortable. Thankfully I was able to "get sick" a little this morning.

I jumped back on the GAPS upon waking today! I know that "this too shall pass."

Food aside, it was an amazing weekend with my best friends and family!

Pied Pipers get FAMOUS

And here's ANOTHER way you can get into the SOLD OUT San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon & Half Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 (see previous Blog post for more information).

This one is called - The Pied Pipers get FAMOUS!

"Last year Nike hosted the world’s largest running event with nearly 780,000 participants. This year, the Nike+ Human Race is back on October 24. This 10K run will once again celebrate the sport of running and give participants everywhere the chance to run together with others around the globe. Nike is hosting runs in more than 30 cities around the world, but with nikeplus.com, every city and every road can become a race day course. By combining the virtual running world with the physical, the Nike+ Human Race is open to anyone, anywhere." - From Nikerunning.com Human Race FAQ

Here are a list of links that currently are near & dear to my (and all Pied Pipers) hearts:

1. The Human Race 10K (10.24.2009)
2. Nike+ Human Race Ambassador's Challenge (Pied Pipers)
3. Hear from Your Ambassadors
4. Pied Pipers: Starts with a You, Me & Us
5. The Sound of the Pied Pipers
   

I want to give you your entry (you will still have to pay the entry fee) into the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon or Half Marathon, if you will help the Pied Pipers get FAMOUS.

All you need to do is link this Blog Posting to your health/fitness Website/Blog/Social Media Sites.

The contest will run from Sunday, September 20th - Sunday, September 27th.

The person who comes up with the BEST of their Top 3 Creative Things to Promote this Blog Posting Link will win! Please email them to me at sarahkayhoffman@gmail.com. I will choose the BEST and winner will be notified on or before Monday, September 28th. GOOD LUCK!

San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon & 1/2 Marathon

Are you ready to Run Like a Girl?

Did you try to get in to the San Francisco Nike Women's Marathon or 1/2 Marathon via Lottery, but not get chosen?

Well here's your second chance at it!

This is a Sold Out event! The event is in San Francisco on October 18th. For all the details please click HERE.

And if those details don't excite you, maybe a few more details will:

• NIKE+ MEMBER REWARDS - Make sure you are a Nike+ Member. Hands down one of the best features to Nike Running (in my opinion).
• LIVE RUNNER TRACKING - Nike is going to alert (via text) your biggest fans on race day your progress throughout the race. (My Mom will love this, since she'll be 1,000+ miles away!)
• And yes, it's TRUE. Once you cross that finish line, there will be men in tuxedo's waiting for you - to give you that little Tiffany's box!

Today I bring to you your second chance of getting into this! I have a few ways to do this. Here they are (PLEASE MAKE NOTE: For ALL winners - you will still need to pay the entry fee. What I provide you is the access code to get in. You take it from there!):

• Pied Piper (Entry to) SF NWM Challenge -

As most of you know by now, I am an Ambassador for the Nike Human Race 10K for the Pied Piper Team (October 24th).

1. Join the Nike+ Human Race: http://bit.ly/UZ1xd
2. Join my Pied Piper Ambassadors Challenge: http://bit.ly/152Z2N
3. Join the Pied Piper (Entry to) SF NWM Challenge: http://bit.ly/14vlAQ
4. Start syncing your miles (Yes, this will mean that you are a Nike+ Member. To see a full list of Nike+ "Gear," click HERE.

The person to sync the most miles AND recruit at least 1 person to join the Pied Piper Nike+ Human Race Team (that person must also have at least 5 miles synced) will win their entry to the NWM.

Per the Challenge description, contest will run from Monday, September 21st - Wednesday, October 1, 2009.

• Spreading Pied Piper Passion

The Pied Piper (who has synced at least 10 miles) to recruit the most new people (each new person MUST have synced at least 6.2 miles) for our Human Race Pied Piper Team will win their entry to the NWM. (I will take a screen shot on Sunday night so that I know who was already on the team before contest begins on Monday.)

Challenge runs from Monday, September 21st - Sunday, September 27th. Please email me (sarahkayhoffman@gmail.com) your new recruits on Sunday, September 27th. I'll let the winner know who they are on or by Monday, September 28th.

Good Luck! See you at the Finish Line.
And ps. There is still one more way to get in.....see my next Blog posting.

Negative Goes Nowhere

I've needed a lot of positive energy this week.

I'm feeling great. My stomach has been still doing wonderful. A little mess-ups here and there make me sick, but at least now I know what the main cause is!

Life has been really good to me lately. It seems like things are coming to me in ways they never have before. It's so exciting for me. And all is well, happy and positive.....

But then just when things are so happy and positive, I find that there is negativity in places and people that I never thought it would come from. The people, situations and the like that should be happy and uplifting suddenly become those very people, situations and the like that quickly fade to negative energy.

At first, it comes down hard. But then you step back, look at what's actually happening and you begin to realize that, just as they always say, "People by nature don't want others to succeed." And you realize, too, that this is OK. Not everyone has to be your #1 Fan. Not everyone has to be supportive. Not everyone has to cheer you on.

What matters, though, is that YOU are your number one fan. YOU believe in you. YOU have someone who is supportive and someone who is there to cheer you on. I have PLENTY!

I find solitude in knowing how very fortunate I am and feel. I am blessed - absolutely blessed - with the people and passions in my life that make the positive person I am.

And I take that all in and persevere. As a very good friend of mine says, "Keep it moving; leave those people behind."

Positive Energy goes a long way; Negative goes Nowhere!

I invite you all to check out my latest Nike Blog, too: The Sound of the Pied Pipers

Enjoy!

(And just for another reason to smile tonight - life back in smalltown, MN - with family! Mikey & Ba Ngoai!)

Artisana Organic Coconut Butter

So I've discovered another new "dessert" for myself.

It's called: Banana + Artisana Organic Coconut Butter. It's so amazing. I eat the banana and dip it in just a little of the Coconut Butter.

If you like Coconut-flavored anything, this is the butter for you! It literally melts in your mouth. It's a little sweet and filled with flavor.



I was so tempted to eat a second banana and more coconut butter before bed, but I refrained!

In Nike news, my Pied Piper Team is now in 1st place! If you haven't joined our team yet for the upcoming 10.24.2009 10K Human Race, please jump on board with us. There's no better way to say it than how Nike says it...."Just Do It."

Official Human Race '09 Shirt & A Food Mistake

For Labor Day, Ryan and I headed to So Cal to visit my aunt and uncle and then to Primm, NV to see Reba! It was a wonderful weekend!

The night that we went to see Reba there was literally nothing for me to eat, as we stayed at a Casino. So I played my machines, had some drinks and saw the Queen of Country herself. And then I got this great idea that I was going to have a big burrito and a little ice cream for dessert. It tasted so good. It seems like it's been so long since I've parted ways with Mr. Ice Cream. 15 minutes later, though, and I was reminded of why we "all" parted ways. My stomach got huge. I sat through Reba with my "pregnant-looking" stomach. Not fun!

The bloating went away the next day. I've been back to my strict GAPS since (as I always do). My left side has bothered me a little tonight. I don't think I've completely "cleaned out" since then. Other than that, though, still - feeling unbelievable! 100% transformation!

My sweet tooth has started to get to me some, which was made evident by the ice cream episode! So tonight for dinner I had as my main "meat":

• Lean turkey - ground + cooked in coconut oil + sprinkled with a little honey

It was good and it took my "edge" away. That, and of course, my raw nut butter + banana (which I'm up to about 3-3.5/day).

I've lost weight, but am hoping it's not muscle weight. That's a hard part of this. Low-to-no carbs = weight loss. That was okay with me. Losing muscle not so much! I'm working on it. Keeping up the healthy fats via avocado, nut butters and coconut oil, while still trying to lift whenever I can.

Which brings me to topic 2 of the day: Running has consumed my workouts (which puts me into calorie deficit). I'm getting so addicted to it, though. It's a high that no drug can give!

Anyways, my team (the Pied Pipers) are running so well! I'm so proud of everyone and what they are contributing to the Nike+ Human Race 10K Ambassador's Challenge!

I have a Mother who joined my Team and here is the letter she sent to me:

I never ran. In high school, I could barely run a single mile.

I belong to a local MOMS Club and a group of us thought it would be "fun" to train for a 5K. There were about 8 of us that used the couch to 5K program and 4 of us actually ran the 5K in October. I watched the half marathoners come in at the finish line after I was done running and saw people that were finishing that on first glance, didn't look like they'd be able to run 13.1 miles! I thought, "If these people can do 13.1 miles, I should be able to."

I continued to run all winter long--even in the New England winter- and convinced 2 other friends to sign up for the half marathon as well. We trained hard and the three of us completed the half marathon. I had 3 goals for that race--1. To not be last 2. To run the whole thing and 3. To not puke. Check, check, and check. Again, after I was finished running, I watched people finish the marathon. I decided right there that if I was ever going to do a marathon in my life, I should do it now. (It helped that I was feeling great after running the half marathon.) I was still motivated, enjoyed my time running, and had a very supportive husband.

I ran all winter long and all 3 of my running friends got pregnant with their third child and moved away. I'm alone this time training (aside from the music on the ipod) and have been working to get ready for my marathon. As of right now, I've completed 10.5 weeks of hard training. This includes waking up before 5am to run 5 times a week and doing a strength training dvd at least 3 times a week. My husband made me a fancy spreadsheet to track my runs and I have a clear plan for the last 6.5 weeks left until race day. (The Nike website is pretty awesome to look at all my runs also)

It seems that people are always amazed that I'm training for a marathon and I keep surprising myself with how I am able to push and test my body. I'm in way better shape now, after 2 children than I probably was in high school. My friends are encouraging and I have even gotten a couple of friends to start training for their own first 5K's. My friends will ask about my morning run and will check in to see how I am doing with training. I have had help with childcare and will map routes around homes of friends to help with water, bathroom, etc. This statement is so true---"If I can do it, anyone can do it." I went from a total non-runner to running about 40 miles a week in the peak of marathon training.

It's true that my feet are incredible gnarly now and I will most likely need bunion surgery after my race, but it is so worth it. I have my eye on the prize! I never would have imagined just a couple years ago that I will be running a marathon--never ever.

That first 5K was October 2007, the half marathon was October 2008, and the marathon will be at the same race in Hartford that I started with in October 2009.

Thanks
Kathy Sykora



I am so proud of her for all that she has accomplished and all that she will accomplish.

This is what the Pied Pipers are all about. Dedication. Commitment. Passion. And they are truly inspiring leaders.

Kathy just finished a 20K last weekend, where she sported the "Official Human Race 2009" T-Shirt. This is a Dry Fit Nike Shirt that you cannot buy. You must get it from an Ambassador.

And here's how you can register to have the chance at getting one now!

1. Join the Nike Human Race http://bit.ly/UZ1xd
2. Join my Pied Pipers http://bit.ly/152Z2N
3. Join the Human Race T- Shirt Challenge http://bit.ly/ENmml

Good Luck! I'd love to hear from you!

Starting on Monday....

Even if you were to stop reading this right now, you would know exactly what I'm talking about.

"Starting on Monday, I am going to....."

You may have this phras so programmed in your head that you find yourself saying it on Tuesday at 9:30am ("Ok, starting next Monday, I'm going to....")

The most common ways we finish this sentence are with:

1. Go on a diet
2. Exercise
3. Find a way to make more money

I have finished that sentence with all three more times that I can count. (ps. Still stuck on #3 but working at that one - perhaps always) I digress - I have stopped saying, "Starting on Monday." The day I just picked up and implemented - took my first single step - was the day I became more in control and forward thinking. And because I did so, it has made all the difference in my life today.

The truth is simple - "Every journey begins with a single step."

Don't start on Monday.

Don't start "when x occurs or when x doesn't occur."

Start now.

"Just do it." (And speaking of which, have you joined my Pied Pipers yet for the 10.24.2009 Human Race 10K Challenge? There is no better day than today to begin!)

I'm still on the GAPS and still doing amazing with it. But, I have to be honest and say that I've been doing Soy Lattes from time-to-time. Soy is supposed to be a no-no for me, but I've learned that in small doses it's OK for me. It does not bloat me. As a matter of fact, I still have not been bloated (except for the MN mistake-weekend!) And this is fabulous news, just in time for Pumpkin Spice Latte season. This is my favorite latte. I am praying that my stomach can handle it a few times!

I really love knowing that food heals. It has made all the difference in my life.

I am hoping that very soon I can add more foods in. I have just been too scared to, since I'm feeling so wonderful! I still basically live off of meat, broth and fats. I have had some nuts in the past couple of weeks, too. For instance, today I had a bunch of raw cashews. They were so good!

Due to all my running and working out in general, it's been hard to keep up with food. My metabolism feels like it's through the roof, which is a good thing! But still, I'm hungry a lot of the time. I'm still learning to manage that.

For anyone out there who has stomach issues, I'd be more than happy to discuss GAPS with you. This has been a "miracle." Literally, nothing short of a "miracle" in my life!

Happy Holiday Weekend!