2010 Tournament | Half of Jess

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Reward #4: 5K for Project Barefoot

by Jess on April 15th, 2010 in 2010 Tournament, Vibram FiveFingers

Back in March, I created a tournament bracket that has goals I’ve set for myself as well as rewards I get when I complete those goals. Some are weight goals, others are life goals, like running a 5K race.

My first 5K race was the Carlsbad 5000. I crossed the finish line in 33:21, and it was one of the most amazing feelings. Ever. It’s something that I’m proud of, it’s something that I worked hard to accomplish, it’s something that makes me more than just a number.

When I started my healthy living quest in February, I had no intention of running a 5K. I could barely run a mile, much less three. After awhile, one mile turned into two, which eventually turned into a lot of miles. I began thinking bigger, bolder. Originally, I didn’t think I’d be able to run a 5K until July. It’s only April, and I can already cross the 5K off of my list. But I won’t stop there. There’s a 10K in May and a Half Marathon in June that I still have to train for.

I was originally going to reward myself with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 because I like video games, particularly ones where you shoot people and blow them up. It relieves stress like no other. But, instead of dropping $60 on a prize that would only encourage me to continue sitting on my butt, I decided to reward myself with a pair of Vibram KSO.

Yes, they are a bit expensive, but totally worth it. I mean, my other alternative was a video game. This one at least gets me motivated to run.

Yes, they look like gorilla feet, but they help facilitate barefoot running by adding some protection.

After I bought them, I wore them for the rest of the day. I even ran 1.4 miles in them at the gym. I ran on the treadmill because I wanted to gauge distance AND speed. I honestly felt like I was flying. It’s so light! And it feels natural. I can’t hold an 8:45 pace for longer than two minutes, but with time and practice, I’ll get there. There is a small blister brewing on both of my big toes, but what’s a blister? It’ll go away in a few days.

Even though barefoot running is different, my form naturally changed. I didn’t think about landing on the ball of my foot. It just happened. The Vibrams are pretty comfortable, and it’s a lot easier running in them than I thought it’d be. Believe me. After yesterday’s real barefoot, Vibrams are a treat. There’s more padding than I expected. I seriously thought there would only be a thin layer of protective material, but it’s actually quite rubbery and thick on the soles.

Did I get weird looks at the gym? Didn’t notice. Don’t care. I’m comfortable in them. For the moment, my calves seem alright but I can feel that they were more tired than usual. They would quiver and shake during parts of my strength training. Nice. Natural calf raises.

The verdict? I love them. Thanks, Steve.

Gorilla feet equals happy barefoot Jess! Call of Duty, you’ll just have to wait for now.

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Reward #3: Feeding America with Brownies

by Jess on April 4th, 2010 in 2010 Tournament

In light of March Madness, I created a tournament bracket that has goals I’ve set for myself as well as rewards I get when I complete those goals. Some of the goals are exercise and weight goals. Others are life goals that I want to accomplish, such as volunteering.

For the past six months, my mom has been volunteering for an organization called Feeding America. Feeding America is a hunger-relief charity that provides food for low-income people, particularly children. The branch that we volunteered at distributes food for elementary schools in East County San Diego.

How it works:

The volunteers come in on Thursday morning or afternoon. We function on an assembly line, placing food into brown paper bags. When I volunteered, the food packages contained canned spaghetti, uncooked rice, uncooked beans, crackers, cookies, and a small carton of milk. On Friday, these packages are delivered to the schools, and volunteers distribute them to children who qualify for the program. The food is supposed to last throughout the weekend. According to Feeding America’s website, they feed over 14 million children a year and ONE DOLLAR can buy NINE pounds of food.

I had a great time volunteering with my mom even though I was dead tired. I rarely function before ten in the morning, but knowing that my time was going towards something productive, something bigger than myself, made it worth it. My mom is the one on the left.

It sounds ridiculous that I get to reward myself with a batch of brownies for volunteering and reaching out to help my community, but I needed some incentive to wake up early. I’m going to go back and volunteer again this coming Thursday. If you’re interested, you can find your nearby Feeding America food bank here.

For doing something good, I rewarded myself with something DELICIOUS: peanut butter brownies. And no, I did not eat the entire batch. I had one piece.

The brownies are healthy, rich, super low in fat yet super sweet! And there’s no high fructose corn syrup. I used No Pudge Brownie Mix which requires 2/3 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt.

After making the batter, I added five tablespoons of Better ‘n Peanut Butter and swirled the peanut butter with a knife. The peanut butter is a hit or miss. You either love it, or you don’t. I love it. You can get both the brownie mix and peanut butter at Trader Joe’s.