Jenna, Author at Runs on Espresso

Eat All The Gluten!

Posted on February 16, 2015November 23, 2021 by Jenna

March 11th is D-Day. I have my endoscopy that afternoon. From now until the 11th I have to be sure to eat gluten. The GI specialist has basically already diagnosed me with celiac disease but the endoscopy is the icing on the cake.

I am currently on a whirlwind tour to eat all of the gluten. What do I want to eat, or try, that I won’t be able to after the 11th?

I am eating mac n cheese, having my last frozen pizza, turnovers, pop-tarts and burritos. I am going to restaurants and ordering lots of favorites made with gluten. Pizza and pitas. Cheeseburgers and fries.

I did spend some time looking at gluten-free foods at both the grocery store and Costco. It amazes me how much more expensive gluten-free food can be. At Costco we picked up a loaf of Udi’s gluten-free bread for $8.99. $9 for a loaf of bread. Seriously? Seriously. I guess some shopping around is in order. I did find out Whole Foods has an entire gluten-free bakery line. I guess I trip to Whole Foods is in order.

My life is about to make a major change and I am going out with a bang!

Can I Take Celiac Disease on Vacation?

Posted on February 5, 2015July 13, 2019 by Jenna

Vacations will be hard.

My boyfriend and I love traveling and eating at local places, trying new things. But celiac disease will really limit what I can eat while out. It seems everything on every menu contains gluten.

Hula pie would be out. The oreo cookie crust contains gluten. — Hula pie would be out. Oreo crust has gluten.

It doesn’t help that I love foods that contain gluten. Waffles and pancakes. Garlic bread and pasta. Local beers.

Hawaii was an eye opener. I tried to limit my gluten to one meal a day. When I “saved” my gluten for dinner I felt fine all day.

We always research ahead of time where we are going to go. There were very few places that had specific gluten-free items on their menu. I had to assume with a lot of things that appeared to be gluten-free.

I think the hardest meal for me was breakfast. On vacations I love stuffing myself silly with crazy pancake or waffle dishes. I don’t eat a lot of pancakes or waffles usually so it is a special treat. I may not be able to have these ever again, as most places aren’t offering a gluten-free versions of pancakes or waffles.

All of these things I can figure out how to make at home. There are alternatives available. I will struggle while eating out, while on vacation. I know if this is celiac disease I have to give up gluten. I will feel much better but (and as bad as this sounds) giving up gluten makes me feel depressed.

One night while we were looking over menus for the next day I became very upset. I didn’t want to eat anywhere because everything I wanted on the menus would make me sick. I didn’t want to go somewhere where I would have to pick a sub par breakfast item. I didn’t want the omelet. I wanted the brioche french toast.

I love being able to just order anything off the menu. To go anywhere to eat. But now this freedom is in danger of being taken from me. I don’t have a choice anymore. I think this is what makes it most difficult. I will have to pick a runner-up meal over what I really want.

I signed up for 26.2; am I crazy?

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Jenna

I have been running off and on since college. I have run three half marathons and dozens of shorter distances over the last few years. I have dreamed about doing a marathon but have never signed up for one… until now.

My first PF Chang's half marathon. Now I will conquer their marathon! — My first PF Chang’s half marathon. Now I will conquer their marathon!

To celebrate turning 35 in 2015, I signed up for a marathon in January 2016. Yes, I am running 26.2 for the first time at 35. I don’t know why but this seems significant to me. I want to prove to myself that I can do this.

Last week I received an email from PF Chang’s Rock n Roll Arizona with the lowest price for next years event. The marathon was $80. I debated and doubted myself all week. Can I do it? What if I fail? Am I able to run more than 13.1 miles?

I posted a few thoughts on Facebook and two people from my running group said they were thinking about doing the marathon as well. They gave me the push I needed to sign up; that was the encouragement I needed. I did it. I signed up for a marathon. I know with the support of my running group I will be able to get through the training and conquer 26.2 miles. They helped me break 2:30 in the half and set a new PR 9 minutes faster than my previous PR. They are amazing, supportive people.

I figured since I was starting the blog back up for my possible celiac diagnosis that I will also start writing about running and my attempts to complete 26.2. The celiac disease and training will go hand in hand; if I have celiac disease I will need to relearn how to eat to run. It is going to be hard and will require complete dedication. It will also be an emotional undertaking as well and I know crossing that finish line will be the greatest feeling in the world.

What is one thing that scared you but became your greatest accomplishment?

Do I Have Celiac Disease?

Posted on January 26, 2015July 13, 2019 by Jenna

I would have never thought I had such an emotional attachment to gluten but the idea that I may have to give it up for life has left me on a roller coaster of emotions. One moment I am ecstatic that I may have the solution to my digestive problems but then I am reminded of something else I may never be able to eat. The more I look into the more I realize how prevalent gluten really is. It seems to be in everything but meat and produce. Some of my favorite foods have gluten. As a runner, how will I eat for long distance and races?

It is a little depressing to think about. It is overwhelming when I start reading and researching. My brain is going from acceptance to denial every other minute. I start to accept that I might have celiac disease and then I see something, like a soft pretzel, and get incredibly sad I may never eat another one again. My emotions are all over the map.

A little background…

Pasta is a favorite and something I would have to give up.

Most of my adult life I have had problem with digestive issues. I always chalked it up to IBS and lactose intolerance (and not being able to give up cheese). Towards the end of 2014 I started having more problems and I was in constant pain. I decided I needed to go to the doctor and get everything checked out. I made an appointment for January, the earliest I could get in.

The appointment was on a Wednesday and I swear they took about half my blood in the draw. The doctor said I would get my results at the end of the week, which to me meant Friday. I was surprised to have gotten a call Thursday morning. I was busy at work and unable to answer. I called back as soon as I could and of course the woman was busy. When she called back I made sure to answer. She let me know that my blood results were positive for celiac disease. Of course this doesn’t mean I have it but from my research it is pretty accurate, around 98% accurate. I also was able to look at my test results; >10 is positive. I had >100 which correlates to positive biopsies. It seems all signs point to celiac disease. The odds are not in my favor.

I have an appointment with a GI specialist in February and will most likely have an endoscopy to determine if I really do have it.

Pizza and pretzels would be out as well.

I have decided to start the blog up again to write about my possible diagnosis. It can be cathartic to write about all these thoughts and feelings tumbling through my head. If I am diagnosed I plan to write about my attempts to go gluten-free. I will try new foods and recipes. I will stumble and I will fall but I know I need to do what is best for my body.

What are your favorite foods? Do you think you could give them up for life?

Just Keep Swimming

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Jenna

I have a tendency to sabotage my goals. I can do really well for a long time but then something happens, usually at work, and I unravel. I lose my focus and drive. Usually it takes a decent amount of time for me to get back on track.

I read this quote a while back and it has stuck with me. I often think of it when things get rough. What mantra helps get you through bad days? Click the picture to view original source. — I read this quote a while back and it has stuck with me. I often think of it when things get rough. What mantra helps get you through bad days?
Click the picture to view original source.

I need to remember my goals are more important than a bad day or two at work. Instead of unraveling all my hard work I need to push through to keep going and achieve. My current work is not my end all be all. I have future plans but in order to get there I need to focus on my goals, not my job.

My goals are more important and of more worth than what goes on at work because my goals mean something to me. My goals mean more than my work. This place is just a paycheck for the time being. I have big plans for my future and I can’t let the money source ruin them.

I know I will achieve all of my goals but I know I can reach them sooner if I stop going of the rails every few months. I am working hard to reach my goals. I do not want to keep taking a step back every time I start to progress. I am actively working to better myself, to not let work and bad days bring me down.

It’s not easy and I struggle daily. But don’t we all? We only move forward by learning from our mistakes and falling on our faces. We can only hope to improve and not fall as far or as hard next time.

I let my bad day affect me last week but I actively worked to make sure it didn’t keep going. I took some time off from my goals but I made myself get back on track quicker than I usually would. That is my victory. Now that I am aware and willing to change I hope next time I will only wallow for a day or maybe even an hour. As long as I improve I am one step closer to my goals. As long as I keep going I am winning the battle.

What was your victory last week? What aspect of yourself are you working to improve? What goals are you working towards and what is your biggest obstacle?

Book Corner: For the Love of Her

Posted on August 25, 2014June 16, 2022 by Jenna

I grew up comfortably middle class in the midwest. I don’t try to hide the fact that my parents gave my brother and I a great life and instilled in us the value of working hard and living well. I bring this up because it is in stark contrast to the way Christopher Ty was raised. It saddens me that people in parts of our country have to grow up so poor that they used tin cans for water glasses. My life was vastly different from his but my parents raised me to question everything and learn as much as possible. I love reading non-fiction books to help me see the world through other’s eyes. Christopher Ty has opened my eyes to his childhood in Georgia.

Click the book to be taken to the Amazon purchase page.

All Christopher Ty wanted as a child was a mother’s love. Many of us take this for granted. We rebel against our loving parents. We challenge and frustrate them as teenagers and young adults. But we know they still love us. We are spoiled with love. Christopher Ty wanted that kind of love but what he got instead was beatings at bath time because the wet skin made it hurt more. He got a fingernail through his ear cartilage because he didn’t hear her calling for him. No child deserves to be treated like this. All children should have loving parents.

As I am reading and being immersed in Christopher Ty’s world I am reminded of A Child Called It and Why Me? All three of these books are well written and really draw you in. Then you realize they are a true story. These horrific acts actually happened to someone. To a child. I read a lot of true crime books but the books about child abuse really get to me. Maybe because they are so much more personal, written by the person who was abused. Even though it is a tough subject I think if we read about it we can understand it better and hopefully figure out how to prevent it from happening to someone else. I know that is a big if but I can hold out hope.

Christopher Ty really paints a picture. I can see the neighborhood he lived in, Tate’s Alley, and am reminded of the description of the ghettos in Mumbai in how the houses were put together. I can smell the mayo in the jar as he drinks water from it. My stomach actually turned a bit on that one. I’ve never liked mayonnaise and the description made it seem like I was drinking from an old mayo jar. I could smell the mayo.

I see his mother and hear the lilting “Oh Tyrone” when he knows he is in trouble for something. I see his grandfather rolling up in his Cadillac. Christopher Ty paints such a vivid picture throughout his book that you feel as if you were there. You also want to reach out and tell him he is worthy of love and give him some of your strength.

I was glad to see that he met a woman who showed him what a family really should be; that a family supports and loves you and doesn’t harm you. I was almost in tears when he finally left his family, happy tears. I was happy to see him finally leave that situation behind him, physically. I hope that with time he is able to leave the situation behind mentally as well.

After reading For the Love of Her I want nothing but good things for Christopher Ty. He showed himself at his most raw and vulnerable, which is difficult for most people. He is brave. I feel like I know him know and want nothing but the best for him. His book is well written and, as I said, it feels as if you are there. I would recommend everyone read this book. It may help someone in a similar situation see they are not alone and reach out to someone.

On goodreads I gave the book 4 out of 5. I wanted to give 4.5 but that is not an option. The reason I didn’t give it 5 is I feel there was more he could have told us. The book was quite short and, of course, focuses on his relationship with his mom. There were flashes of supporting characters and I would have liked to know them more. I wanted to know more about dad and grandpa. Two of his siblings were mentioned quite a bit but his brother Brian is only mentioned in passing. I think Christopher Ty could have painted a more thorough picture of these characters while still focusing on his mom. I felt I could really see Christopher Ty, his mom and at the end the woman who saved him. I wanted to see the other characters. I wanted to know them better. This really was my only complaint with this book.

Have you read For the Love of Her or a similar book? Would you feel this is a book you may want to read?

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book from Christopher Ty in return for this review. All of the opinions are my own. I truly enjoyed the book and would tell you if I didn’t.

Book Corner: In the Garden of Beasts

Posted on June 22, 2014June 16, 2022 by Jenna

I am sure I’ve mentioned it before but I absolutely love to read. My goodreads challenge is to read 46 books, one more than last year. I am currently up to 31 or 67% finished. Goodreads tells me I am 10 books ahead of schedule. I have really tried to give myself time to read this year. I would like to try to review a few of those I’ve read, either this year or even in the past.

I want to start with “In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin” by Erik Larson.

This was the second book I read by Larson and I quite enjoyed both books. Larson tends to give a lot of detail, so much so that you feel like you are there. Larson uses a lot of personal letters and diaries so you feel like you know these people.

Both books I read by Larson are non-fiction, which I get is not for everyone. If you are interested in history I would recommend looking into Larson’s work.

In the Garden of Beasts takes place in pre-WWII Germany, specifically 1933. I have read several books on this period but this book contained a lot of information and insight I don’t recall reading before. It really showed how Hitler and Nazi Germany came to be and how many were blind, or chose not to see, what was really going on.

The book focuses on the family of William Dodd, the new American ambassador who has been sent only to collect the debt Germany owes. Dodd was a professor and is a tad out-of-place in the embassy. He is an outsider and never really fits in.

Early on few see what Hitler is really capable of. Dodd even thinks he can talk to Hitler and show him the error of his way. Dodd stumbles through his duties and social norms of being an ambassador. He is smart but in over his head. Eventually he comes to see what Hitler really is but no one wants to hear it.

A parallel story throughout is that of Dodd’s daughter. She is a wild child, the party girl of her day. Before Germany she married and divorced in secret. She loved the German nationalism, at first. She dated Nazis and Russian communists. She was young and naive. She was having a ball and in love with life. Eventually she see the horrors up close and becomes appalled.

Overall this is an excellent book. I would recommend it to anyone but especially those interested in the WWII era. You see the horror unfold and wonder how it happened under the world’s nose. No one wanted to see it. No one wanted to believe this evil was happening because no one wanted another world war.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t often give out 5’s so this is a pretty big honor in my world. I know this is not a long, in-depth review but I am not a professional and just wanted to get a few thoughts out.

As an amazon associate, if you buy through the In the Garden of Beasts link I will receive a small commission.

New Rules of Lifting and Other Random Fitness Thoughts

Posted on June 21, 2014June 16, 2022 by Jenna

I am currently reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess You can purchase the book through my amazon link (I will earn a small commission). I feel I am learning a lot. Or maybe re-learning. I first started weights in high school and have learned a lot over the years.

Here is something I learned and found interesting:

Your body digests warm starches faster than cold ones. So cold pizza provides slower and steadier supply of energy than warm.

I did not know that and I guess it’s good I like cold, leftover pizza!

Also, many recipes in the book sound tasty, have a decent amount of calorie and of course tons of protein. I am always looking for ways to increase my protein. My macro goal is currently 45/30/25 but I hope to move closer to 40/30/30. I struggle to hit 25% protein some days. It is a slow process but I will get there.

I will be sure to post some pictures of the recipes I try. I am hoping to get a Foldio from photojojo to aid in taking even better food photos.

I may have to modify some of the lifts from NROLFW routine because I only have dumbbells. I am just getting to the section about the actual routine so I will know more shortly. I do plan to eventually have a power rack and bar/plates but it takes money. I have also debated joining a gym. It seems like an unnecessary expense for now.

I also need to decide on my running. I love running and like training for events but something is holding me back. I can’t figure out what. I keep blaming the heat. I can walk in it for about 15 minutes but it just gets too hot.

Half or full marathons require summer training. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I have a few shorter races I want to do in December through March. I may focus on training for these distances come fall. I would like to increase my speed. I didn’t do as well in these last winter as I would have liked.

I also have thought about taking ballet and jazz again. I enjoy and miss dance. Ballet Arizona offers adult classes; I just need to buy the passes and start going.

I also want to increase my yoga and maybe start going to a studio. The only problem is there is only one studio near me and it is only a Bikram studio. I have no issues with Bikram but I’d like to do a variety. I may buy the Bikram Groupon next time it comes up, just to have some classes to go to.

I was going to start going to a woman’s boxing class. I had a Groupon and finally had the courage to go. Last night I put on my gear and drove about 20 minutes for this class. I get there and there is not a lot of cars in the lot but I see some women. I think they must be coming to the class. I walk in and it’s dark and three guys are standing near the door like they are about to leave. I ask about the class and they tell me the class isn’t done on Friday nights but I can come back in the morning. Uh, I have plans on Saturday morning. I planned around this Friday night class, which apparently doesn’t exist.

I basically called them out. I told them their website isn’t specific so I had asked for clarification. I was told the times were for Monday – Saturday. To me, that means the three class times listed are available every day they are open. This is why I usually don’t do business with places who can’t even bother to give good information online. I even checked their facebook page (which they haven’t updated/posted to in 6 months) and the time says “always open” Uh, no, you are not.

So needless to say Sonny’s Boxing Gym in Goodyear has lost my business. I was planning to continue going after the Groupon if the classes were good. Now I am not even going and we are going to fight Groupon to get a refund since we were lied to about their hours. So frustrating. There are limited fitness places near where I live. Apparently, no one wants to be fit in this area…

I am seriously thinking of opening some kind of studio to fill this gap. It is ridiculous. The college area has a ton, as do the richer areas. You don’t think us middle-class folks want to work out? I guess in the meantime I will just continue to work out at home and adding to my collection of gear.

What do you do for exercise? What do you want to try? What are some of your favorite books on fitness?

Second Guesses

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Jenna

I have been having second and third and fourth thoughts about my decision to do a marathon. It is a topic I have gone back and forth on for quite some time and I thought I was ready for it. But after committing, I am second guessing myself.

What if I don’t have the commitment to train for 26.2 miles? I struggled with my half training. I started off great, had some problems but finished strong. I didn’t meet my time goal but was quite close. I always think, “If my training had gone better I could have made my goal”.

What if I am not fast enough? I am trying to increase my speed but what if I don’t make the 5 hour course limit? I want to finish. I don’t want to be the last person across the line. I don’t want the trailer vehicle to pick me up because I am too slow.

And about a million other what ifs are constantly running through my head. I need to keep talking about it, writing about it and banishing the negative thoughts. I don’t want to run from the things that scare me (no pun intended).

I would say my biggest concern is being too slow. I am going to focus on increasing my speed. I am working on a sub-30 5k program right now and keep skipping workouts. I can’t do that any more. I am committing myself to completing this program and then my next program and so forth.

I am planning three half marathons to do this fall/winter/spring to keep me going and I hope to achieve sub-2:30 in each of them. There will be a few shorter distances as well. Mostly because I have done these races the last couple of years.

What do you do to motivate yourself to achieve a goal? What rewards, if any, do you give yourself for meeting your goal? How do you overcome your fears to complete a goal?

Marathon or 26.2 Miles

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jenna

Either way you look at it, it’s quite a feat. A feat I have decided to undertake. Not anytime soon but in the near future. I plan to document my journey. I wish I had done that with my half. I hope you will follow along with me! (You don’t have to do the running, just the reading. I’ll make it easy on you!)

I have decided on the Vegas Rock n Roll Marathon in November 2015. There are several reasons for this.

I will get two medals (Desert Double Down)
I will have plenty of time to work on my speed (gotta finish in 5 hour course limit)
I will be 35. I want to be like I was 35 and I finished!
I’ve heard the course is flat/fast/easy.
It’s at night.
It’s on the strip.

I decided this yesterday. And last night I started looking at a few things. Things I want to research include:

Training Plans for hitting 5 hours or less (I’d prefer 4:30 or so)
Nutrition during training
Nutrition in days before
Nutrition day of
Recovery/Sleep (warm-up, cool downs)
Breathing
Reverse taper (for after)
How to find all the time
Cross training (yoga, weights, ??)

When I first started my half training I wasn’t eating enough and skipped a few runs. I think this impacted my training and I’d like to avoid that in future. I want to eat enough but not gain weight. I’d prefer to maintain. I think fueling is just as important as the running.

I know I can run faster but my breathing is what is holding me back. Stupid asthma/allergies. I want to look at and try different techniques to become better at breathing while running faster.

I am interested in the reverse taper idea because I always struggle to get back into running after. And I hate walking if I am not walking to somewhere. (I can run for 13.1 miles for no reason but I can’t walk around the block without getting bored. Weird, I know.)

I am always interested to hear about others experience. Please share your marathon tips!

And buckle up, this will be a bumpy ride!