Paleo and CATnip

Today is Day 15 of my 30 day paleo self-challenge.  It's still going well.  The cravings are all but gone.  Yesterday the woman behind me in the grocery checkout line plopped down this HUGE thing of cinnamon rolls, all slathered with icing.  My first reaction was "Ewwwww."  It did not seem appetizing at all, and usually cinnamon rolls are a big trigger for me.  I guess suffering through the first week-plus of cravings was worth it!

When I first started my challenge, I was at 193.2 lbs.  Today I was at 189.8 lbs, for a loss of 3.4 lbs or just over 1.5 lbs per week.  I'm happy about that but I would be happier if I haven't been losing that same four pounds over and over for the past few months.  If I show the same kind of loss for the next two weeks, then I'll be ecstatic.

Friday night I ran the CATnip Friday 5K.  Or as I like to now call it, the precipitating factor in the heat sickness I suffered from all weekend.  It was still close to 95 degrees at 7:00 p.m.  It was beyond hot. 

I was an idiot and did not bring a fuel belt with me.  When I first started running, I always carried water with me no matter what the distance.  I could run a block to 7-Eleven for a slurpee and still carry water with me on the way there.  The last time I did an evening run in a heat wave I carried water with me, but that was a run that came after a whole day of sweltering in my living room at home.  For Friday's race, I spent my day in air conditioning.  In other words, I just didn't believe it was going to get that damn hot. 

I feel as though I could have PRd if it hadn't been, you know, hotter than Satan's crotch (as Draz would say) and/or if I had brought water.  I started out feeling fabulous, and my legs stayed fabulous the whole run.  My breathing was a problem for the first half of the race and then that evened out too, contributing to the general feeling of fabulousness there.  What sucked was the headache, dizziness, nausea, and then even chills by the end of the race.  Can you say, warning signs?  I can!  If it hadn't been for the encouragement amazing woman I paced with for most of the race, I would have walked at least half of this race.   Special thanks also goes to the mom and her sweet little boy who gave me a cup of water.  It wasn't his fault he didn't know that ice cold water and running in the heat don't go all that well together.  I would have scarred that boy for life if I'd taken his cup and then immediately chucked it all back up on his neighbor's lawn. 

Once I crossed the finish line (official time 0:42:04, not bad for feeling like I needed a paramedic) I found the water and food people and downed two bananas and two bottles of water and felt so much better.  I never did really sweat the whole time, however -- even after drinking close to a gallon of water during the day beforehand -- so on the way home I got some gatorade.  Always important to properly hydrate!

The CATnip folks put on a great race.  There was plenty of food and water for everyone, even those walkers who finished past an hour.  I even saw burritos and BBQ sandwiches, although I had to skip those.  All in all, a great race.  Too bad it took place in a sauna.

One odd thing was how great my legs felt, not just during the race but afterwards.  Usually I can barely move after a race, particularly once I've sat down.  Not this time.  And before the heat sucked it out of me, I had so much energy.  I felt like I've always imagined a real runner feels.  I wonder if it's a consequence of the paleo diet.  The last time I ran was a couple of days before I started this.  I'm anxious to get back out there and test this theory.

But first, this heat must go away.  Theory is that today is our last day of scorching temps.  I hope so!

Cheers,
the CilleyGirl

P.S.  One last thing to add.  I am hanging out with a friend's cat for a couple of hours this week so she doesn't get so lonely.  Last night was my first visit, and to my surprise I didn't have a horrible allergy attack.  Granted I dosed up with benadryl beforehand, but usually even then I'm all sniffly.  I wonder if this too has anything to do with paleo?