Don't Mess With My Routine (3/27)

"My ears hurt mom"

Its chilly out!

It's hard to write about something that happened Saturday but here I go...

6 Miles

start: 9:33 a.m.

finish: 11:05 a.m.

It will most likely take me a loooong time to finish a marathon

I think that I heard my mom say this first, "A woman's work is never done". I am not sure of the origins of this quote but it is absolutely true. Keep this in mind as I continue my story. I have come to look upon my Saturday runs as my selfish time. I have a routine and at this time I have to stick to it. My routine is what keeps me going. If I didn't have it I would most likely have given up on my training plan. After all, I am the master of making up excuses for not doing something.

I won't delve into the details, but circumstances arose in which I was not able to keep with my Saturday running routine. This made me crazy! I kept trying to get out of the door and one thing after another continued to prevent me from doing so. Nothing important mind you, frivolous things that could have waited until I arrived home again or, better yet, been taken care of without my assistance. I finally escaped and had 6 miles to contemplate life. I am VERY blessed and I love taking care of my house, husband, and pup (who has a double ear infection) but is it too much to ask for a few hours Saturday morning to run? I decided that going forward the best course of action will be to wake up really early and be out of the door before anyone else wakes up (hehe). I can't even imagine what will happen if/when we have kids, yikes! Furthermore, I deduced that I cannot flip out if my routine has to be shifted.

The weather conditions took a weird turn this weekend. It was in the low 30's with a crisp wind, which actually turned out to be decent running conditions. Out of the closet came the gloves, hat, and sweatshirt. I was hoping to keep them stored away until next winter, oh well. On a side note, my winter gear matches because of my super generous parents and husband. They gave me gift cards to sports stores for Chirstmas so I wasn't strangled running in a winter coat. Back to my story- My route was planned as a nice 6 mile loop. YAY I finally get to loop it! This is going to sound crazy to some, but running is a meditative/spiritual time for me. I like to pray, de-stress, and just think. In any event, on this run a tropical locale kept popping into my mind. This was probably due to the fact that we just planned a trip to Sint Maarten. Nevertheless, my husband and I both desperately want to live somewhere tropical by the beach, but we keep focusing on all of the difficulties this quest would entail. I had this strong feeling that we were supposed to start planning for this anyway and that everything would work itself out. Maybe some of my future posts will be about planning a move!

My run came to an end without incident. I know, everyone is used to my fun and wacky long runs but they simply cannot happen every week. I was slightly fatigued at the end and I might try out different fuel options going further. I have used GU in the past but I am going to see if I can get away with just munching on some dried fruit or something a little more healthy. There are some pretty weird ingrediants in GU. I don't know how eating dried fruit is going to work though. We will just have to wait and see.

nice run

It was a pretty nice day out. The sun even poked through the clouds for a while. Hey, anything is better than the chilly monsoon we have had for the past few days. Wait, I think monsoons only occur in warm oceans. Either way, it has been bad weather wise and the roads were beginning to flood so I am very thankful that it has stopped.


Today I had a nice run. I'm finally at the point where it is simply fun to run for 30 minutes, even the hilly parts. Everything was working in fine symmetry. Don't get me wrong, I still shuffle and my form is atrocious but I felt strong and at ease. I really pushed myself up the last hill and was not embarrassed of the people gazing as they drove by. Usually, I feel that I must look like some type of female Frankenstein clodding around in running shorts but today I may have passed for someone who was trying to jog. All in all a good day.

Joel Osteen

On Friday, April 19 me, my parents, and their friends went to see Joel Osteen! It was one of my Christmas pressies. My brother, sister-in-law, and husband received the gift of not having to go and see Joel again (hehe).

The air was electrified with positive Christian energy! We had such a wonderful time. I was once again reminded that all things are possible through God and to be hopeful for the future because He is in charge.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

My parents

Mom and I with Joel (haha)

"A Night of Hope"

Blah

I am feeling really don't feel like doing anything, no cooking, cleaning, or blogging! I'm in a very blah mood. Don't worry I have already done my workout for the day. I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes (while talking to my mom), Mrytle, and some lower ab work with a medicine ball for like 10 minutes. I would have done my yoga abs dvd but my neck is out and ab work will only aggravate it. What exactly does it mean when I say that my neck is out? It means that I have a nagging pain in my neck and I cannot turn my head to the left. I can turn it to the right though! I'll give you a brief boring history of my neck/back problems. I was in minor car accident about 2 years ago. My car was rear-ended while I was stopped and waiting to make a left turn. The jerk, I mean kid, who hit me was in his 20's and didn't have a driver's license! I didn't sue him because the car only had minor damage and I thought that my neck would be fine in a week. Little did I know that I would have neck/back problems for the rest of my life. Anyway, after my husband and I were married last September I was put on his insurance. woohoo! I was finally able to go to physical therapy and it was fantastic, but now I am back to square one. The sad part is that I'm not really surprised. I have been keeping up with my PT exercises and my back has been awesome, it's just my neck that is messed up. I'm sure it is because of the core work I've been doing and that fact that I simply cannot seem to find good stretches for my neck. My mom is doing some research into yoga poses that help one's neck and maybe that will help. I sure hope so!

Week 4 recap

Week 4- March 29-April 4:


Training:



Monday: 28 minute run + 10 minute warm-up cool down. I miscalculated my turn around time in addition to running back way faster than I went out, thus making the run 2 minutes short. I was over 5 minutes off and had to run around to try to make up some time but still ended up being 2 minutes short. I had an off day.

Tuesday: 30 minutes walking on treadmill, Mrytle, 10 minutes ab work with medicine ball. my neck is out!!

Wednesday: 30 minutes running, just shy of 3 miles + 10 minute warm-up/cool down


Thursday: 30 minute walk, Mrytle, lower ab crunches (neck is still bad), took Guy for a nice walk


Friday: Good Friday. Rest day


Saturday: 7 miles

Start: 7:33 a.m.

Finish: 9:09 a.m.

Its still going to take me forever to finish a marathon!

Sunday: Happy Easter! I am very sad to say that I did no form of workout what so ever. I did not even take my poor pup on a walk. I am very dissapointed in myself and will never let this happen again

Health:

lbs: 116.2 (I cheated and weighed myself Saturday in preperation of the upcoming festivites)

measurements:

Thighs: 20.5

Hips: 31

Waist: 25

As you can see I have lost at least an inch from every measuremnt: thighs, hips, and waist. Pretty awesome!

Monday: wow what can I even say about today. I didn't sleep well and 3am came all too quickly. I ate Doritos before I ran and I am going to have a bagel for dinner. Oh well, tomorrow is another day

Tuesday: still not doing so great today. I had a few cookies but I was running around all day at work so I think that I needed the sugar. I don't feel like putting any type of meal together so your guess is as good as mine as to what my dinner will be.

Wednesday: I possibly ate half a box of Cheerios! I seriously have a problem with cereal. NO more cereal in the house!


Thursday: I am back on track. My poor husband went to have cereal for a snack and was like, "wow, you really did eat the whole box" I told him I have a cereal addiction!


Friday: GOOD FRIDAY this is one of the most special times of the year and I eat very minimally so I have extra time to reflect on the meaning of this day.



Saturday: no problem eating well during the day. My long run works like magic controlling what I want to eat. I always crave good healthy foods in small portions. It's the nighttime that I have to watch out for! We went to dinner at Carmine's in the city. We had a great time catching up with friends and loading up on carbs. I did walk around the city in heels so maybe I burned some extra calories. I know I have good leg muscles though, because walking for that length of time wasn't even a problem.

Sunday: HAPPY EASTER of course I ate a ton of mashed potatoes, eggplant parm, bread, and several other variates of carbs. I had a great day spending time with my family and calories do not count on Holidays, its a fact based on scientific evidence.

Doritos- yuck!

I'm glad that my mobile post worked! So I did drag myself out of the door for my run and it was not so great lol. Let's just say that Doritos are not a good pre-run snack. In fact I may never eat them again. Even though I felt pretty poorly on my run I am glad that I did it. I have never regretted a workout even the less than stellar ones. James came home right before I was leaving for my run and I told him that I ate Doritos and now I was going to suffer and puke on my run. James said, "why would you eat Doritos before you ran? At least wait until after the run so you can enjoy them".
me, "yeah I had a moment of insanity"
Let this be a lesson to all who become possessed by the junk food monster. Don't do it! Or at least wait until after your workout hehe

I'm testing out mobile blogging. I hope this works.

I seriously just contemplated not running. I bought some snacks for my employees since we have a tough day of work tomorrow. Among the snacks was a bag of Doritos which I opened and ate in the car! Then I decided that I shouldn't run because if I did I would vomit Doritos (eewww). Never fear, I am now home about to change into my running clothes and head out the door. Remind me not to eat Doritos and think about NOT running again.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

6 miles

I currently do not have any time to write about my Saturday long run. Let me rephrase that, I have no quiet time to write. I enjoy contemplating my time running and I don't want to rush through it. I will say that I am still going strong and I completed 6 miles!

hair cut

I got a haircut today. Not anything different except I went for side-bangs again. I'm really not sure how to spell side-bangs. Anyway, I went to a new place and was a little nervous. I love having long hair and sometimes hairdressers "trim" several inches off. I must have told the poor girl a million times in a stern voice that I only wanted the ends trimmed. She did a great job and it was only $36! woohoo!

I went for a 20 minute walk in addition to completing my yoga abs DVD and Mrytle routine. I think that I feel asleep for a few moments during the relaxation part at the end of the yoga DVD. I have to catch up on sleep this weekend. I am feeling pretty great. I'm tired but it's that good tired feeling from working really hard. I feel like I am getting stronger.

10 minute miles

I have to make this brief. My poor hubby has been feeling mighty neglected with all of the running. In fact, BLOG may be a four letter word in our house. I had a fabulous day. I got the best $10 pedi with one of my favorite friends and of course laughed so hard I almost gave myself a headache. I did not return until 4pm which is late for me and I was not really feeling like a run. The good thing is that this has become a routine. My clothes and shoes are already laid out. I simply have to change and walk out of the door which I do no matter how I feel. I know that once I get out there I will want to finish. I told myself today that I would only run for 20 minutes but once I started I couldn't do any less than my usual 30. I even ran 10 minute miles today! That's right folks, I shuffled through 3, 10 minute miles. I was going so fast I scared myself haha. Overall, I feel stronger.

another day

It's difficult to think of titles for these boring daily posts.
I had a pretty tough physical day at work, and all I could think about was taking a nap when I came home. I went to take my dog out and ended up passing out for 15 minutes on the bed hehe. Sleep is always a problem! I felt better after my nap, took the dog out and did some XT. I had a few episodes of LOST to catch up on so I walked for 15 minutes on the treadmill then I did my MYRTLE routine (i really love this). I was feeling lazy after that but I put in my trusty Rodney Yee yoga for abs DVD. Suprisingly, I felt rejuvenated upon finishing the relaxing breathing end part (the technical term for this is escaping me at the moment). Off to do some chores, cook, eat, and probably fall asleep before LOST- good thing for DVR.

Week 3 Recap:

Week 3 recap: 3/22-3/28

I am combining my Training and Health/Weight loss recaps into one post.


Training:

Monday: 30 minute run plus 10 minute warm-up/cool down

Tuesday: 15 minute walk on the treadmill, Mrytle, and yoga abs DVD

Wednesday: 30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down. I completed 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Thursday: 20 minute walk, yoga abs DVD, Mrytle routine

Friday: rest day

Saturday: 6 miles in 1/12 hours. 15 minute miles

Sunday: 40 minute walk with my hubby, Mrytle

Overall I feel stronger and more confident. I am more agile and can move with greater ease in all daily tasks. I even sleep like a log! I am normally a very light sleeper but now when my head hits the pillow I am down for the count. It is amazing how you can change your body in as little as 3 weeks. I felt tired this week but it was the good tired feeling that one gets from working hard. I had an abundance of energy this weekend. I cannot believe how much I have been accomplishing during the week and on weekends. I even clean more often! My previous motto was "You only clean if you are planning on entertaining or if it is visibly dirty" Now I just clean for the sake of keeping this clean.

Health:

Monday: had my usual lunch of quinoa and vegetables. snack: salad with fresh guac for dressing. dinner I had pizza: sprouted grain pita crust, veggies and goat cheese, and a sweet potato. I also enjoyed dried fruits and nuts throughout the day.

Tuesday: I forgot to bring my banana to work and that made me want to punch someone in the face. Not really, but I look forward to eating my banana since I only have liquids for breakfast. Seriously, who could eat a solid breakfast at 3:45 a.m.? I was fine though and wasn't even hungry. I will probably just have the same dinner as last night. I was going to make raw veggie "spaghetti" but I'm too lazy to learn how to use the mandolin slicer

I am down about a pound which seems about right. I know that I have been eating great and working out so I am not concerned with the scale anymore. My clothes fit much better and I cannot wait to take my measurements next. I basically ate the same things all week , lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I have reverted back to a book by Natalia Rose which is about transitioning to raw food. While I never plan on being a full raw foodist, her philosophy works really well for me. I feel best physically and emotionally when I am eating good foods. I had no problem eating well. Monday through Friday was easy, the only junk I had was a few pieces of chocolate and half of a bagel with butter. Saturday and Sunday are a little harder. My husband and I had already plannned on getting pizza for lunch on Saturday but I ended up feeling so stuffed after eating 2 slices and several garlic knots that I didn't want anything for dinner. Sunday is a different matter. It's a XT day so I only walked for 40 minutes and I have a bunch of chores and stuff to do around the house and therefore I end up "snacking" on stuff all day. It's not really bad stuff just lots of cereal, ww bread, etc. I knew I should not have let my husband get the cereal! I'm a ceral addict!
After 3 weeks I can really feel the difference when I eat well and when I don't. I usually just plan my meals for Monday - Friday but I am going to have to give some consideration to my weekend meals. Like I said before, I'm not going to deprive myself of any foods that I really want. I find though, that on the weekends I would prefer healthy foods I just haven't prepped anything, feel lazy, and grab whatever is conveniant.

April Showers

30 minute run + 10 minute warm-up/cool down

I think rain should be this month's theme. The weather has been amazing lately and as a result I decided to bring my running clothes to work and hit the park on my way home. Of course it starts pouring rain in the morning! The temps were in the low 50's and the clothes I packed were good enough for the weather. It's not like I have a rain jacket anyway. I was a little bummed that I didn't have a hat but I hoped that the trees would offer some form of coverage. It was pouring on my drive home but when I arrived to the park it was only misting. I decided that I was going to try to push myself more on my short runs. I seemed to be going faster but I was on a new route so I can't be positive. At one point the trail is marked and I did a 10 minute mile. I cannot wait for the day that I get a Garmin! I was super tired when I got home and took a nap for an hour. I normally try to catch up on sleep on the weekends but I had so many festivities to partake in that I didn't get any extra sleep. Oh well!

Week 2 Health Recap:

The beginning of this week was a struggle. Let us recall that I ate a ton of pizza and garlic knots on Monday. Other than that I was fine. I'm not upset that I ate all that pizza, it was delicious! On a better note, I discovered a terrific lunch; quinoa and Green Giant steamer vegetables in light sauce. My job and work schedule make it difficult to eat lunch. I need something that won't leave me feeling too full. The Green Giant steamer packs are a little over $2 and I eat one a day so it's not ideal financially but I love them and they make my life easy. In addition, I made some good food choices at McDonald's (salad and a few fries) and parties (ate a little of my favorites without going overboard). This upcoming week I am going to try to incorporate even more raw fruits and veggies into my diet. I made a fabulous raw caesar dressing which will make greens really tasty!


Sunday 3/14: 120.5


Sunday 3/21: 117.8


Still going strong!

Caped Crusader

This is what I looked like upon completion of my run.

I awake feeling hungover from an excess of caffeine, sugar, and Christian worship. I try to recall all the amazingly positive feelings from the night before but all I can do is crawl out of bed and get ready for my 5 mile run. I have a ton of stuff to do today and I cannot delay any longer.

Everything bothered me at the beginning of this run. Which is odd considering the weather was beautiful. If I recall, I was more upbeat last week while I was being lashed by rain and wind. For whatever reason little things kept bothering me. My shoes were too loose then too tight, my hair kept falling out of the buns that they were twirled into, I was dressed too warmly, I had to pee (sorry for being honest!). My jacket was the first situation to be addressed. For some reason I simply cannot wear discarded garments around my waist. Placed there, they seem to act as nets waiting to entangle my swimming arms. Due to the fact that I was on a well traversed path I tried once more to suck it up and wear the stupid jacket around my waist. Alas, it was no use, I was going to have to cape it. I swung the garment into a more rope-like device and tied it over and under my shoulders thus creating a weird cape. Who knows the origins of this idea, but it works for me. This was the final touch to my outfit of misfits. Who wants to wear clothes that match anyway? Also of note, are my over sized black sunglasses. While I assure you these look fabulous laying on the beach or strolling by shops, they don't seem to have the same effect while running. I bet Wallmart has some more technical looking ones. I make a note to get some asap.

Right off the bat I wanted to go to the bathroom. At one point I passed a dog training facility with a portapotti on the other side of a chain link fence equipped with barbed wire at the top. I pictured myself climbing to the top, whipping my jacket/cape off, throwing it on the barbed wire, and reaching the other side just like in the movies. My only deterrents were the dozen or so people and dogs actually training by the portapotti. Instead, maybe I could just run off of the road and into the woods or knock on a kind stranger's front door? None of these seemed like valid possibilities. Something more important was happening anyway. Where was my turn around point? I vaguely remembered picking a telephone pole as a half-way marker. Really? A telephone pole? What a great idea seeing as though there are about 20 on this road. Maybe it was the one by the sign? No, it is definitely the one by this person's driveway. Whatever, I'll just turn around and know that I either did slightly more or slightly less than 5 miles.

On the way back I adjusted my shoes one more time and promised to stop for the rest of the run. My mental circumstances were much improved on the way back. I may have even been jogging, I sure felt like I was flying. Towards the end it seemed that I could keep going for miles and miles longer. I guess Galloway's plan is working because he believes that you should never feel exhausted after a long run. All in all, despite the whining in the beginning of the run everything worked out wonderfully. I learned that I should run in shorts from now until winter, buy new "running" appropriate sunglasses, and make sure my hair is secure before venturing out. With regard to my clothes in general, I simply do not care if I match or clash.

MYRTLE hip routine

This is what my pup does when I do any form of workout at home. He brings his toys, puts them all around my "workout" area, and plays. This makes my workout a little more interesting to say the least. The other day I was doing the yoga boat pose and he catapulted onto my stomach to go for a ride. I should just put him in the other room but I'm a sucker for his cute antics.

It's another fabulous day! I was extremely busy at work which I would consider an 8 hour workout. Unfortunately, it's not in my training plan and I stuck with my XT regimen when I returned home. My hip was doing very well today and to make sure I was 100% better for Saturday's "long" run I only walked for 15 minutes and did some core and hip work. I completed the core workout with much less trauma than last time. Woohoo! I like to look in the mirror and pretend that I see muscles developing already! I also decided to get crazy and add a hip routine into the mix. On the advice of a very nice blogger from runnersworld.com, I added the MYRTLE workout by Coach Jay. It is 12 exercises that increase strength and range of motion in the hip area. I usually detest any form of strength training but I enjoyed this workout. It consists of fun things like donkey kicks and leg swings, and there is even a video on youtube so I could see what every move looks like. My legs weren't swinging like the girl's in the video but now I have something to aspire too!

Shuffling is hazardous

My hip is feeling much better! I did some research and discovered that it is a fairly common injury and I think doing some strengthening and stretching will help in the future. Someone suggested a sports massage therapist which would be awesome! I guess if I could afford a massage therapist I wouldn't have to run in a poncho.

I shuffled through an easy 30 minute trek and strolled along on a 10 minute walk with my pup. I wanted to take it easy so as not to aggravate the ole hip. Everything was going rather smoothly, I even wore a green shirt for St. Patrick's Day. Before I continue I would like to add that if you have not read my profile I would just like to mention that I am awkward in all aspects of life, especially running. Not only do I shuffle, but I lean forward while maintaining a straight back and haphazardly swing my arms. All in all it must be an unsettling sight to those passing by. So, I'm floundering along when all of the sudden BAM! I am lurched forward, limbs flailing. It was only by Divine Intervention that I caught myself and didn't smash my face into the cement. I did a mental check: arms, legs, knees, hips, everything was okay. YAY! I looked back at the cursed piece of sidewalk that tried to foil my run, it was barely a blurb in an otherwise smooth facade. I realized that maybe if I picked my feet up when I ran I wouldn't trip so much. Then again what fun would my daily journey be if I couldn't shuffle along and enjoy the scenery?

When I returned home victorious over the sidewalk, I went through some yoga stretches. I was doing some relaxing breathing thing laying down with my arms in the air. When I brought my arms down I realized that I couldn't actually turn my left arm. It was stuck! I mean it was really stuck. Once I figured out that I didn't dislocate my shoulder or anything I decided just to bit down and force it to move, whereupon something cracked. Maybe not the best idea but it worked! I iced it just in case but everything seems fine. This is what happens when an awkward person tries to do yoga!

Week 2 Recap

Week 2:

Monday: 40 minute jog including 10 minute warm-up/cool-down

Tuesday: RICE rest, ice, compres, elevate. My hip was bothering me enough to take an extra rest day in hopes that it would feel better

Wednesday: 30 minute easy jog and 10 minute walk with Little Guy

Thursday: XT-15 minute walk, core workout, MRYTLE hip routine



Friday: rest day!

Saturday: 5 miles (alternating 5 minutes shuffling/3 minutes walking)

*start: 9:37 a.m. end: 10:54 a.m. 1hour and 17 minutes

Sunday: 40 minute walk with Little Guy

This week was a little more of a struggle than last week. My hip was a problem in the beginning of the week and I am happy to report that it is almost 100% better now. In Runner's World I found a marvelous yoga routine made specifically for the iliotibial band. I felt strong on my long run and I am looking forward to continuing my training plan.

Another rainy run and now the SUN

I apologize for the folowing written mess. I just wasn't in the mood to blog.

I know, I didn't write yesterday! sooo bad because now I am feeling completely different than I was.

MONDAY recap-


Sunday night I had bad dreams about Shutter Island, a movie I've never seen, I have no idea why. I slept poorly and awoke VERY CRANKY!! Let me tell you, I was in such a mood. Good thing no one else is up at 3:20 a.m. except my pup and he is too precious to be mad at. I have to take him out for his walk and for some reason I feel that 3:00 a.m. is a really creepy time to be outside. I can't even explain why. So, I'm outside and then there are some cats (I hope) fighting which sounds like an evil banshee coming to eat me. This did nothing to dispel my foul mood. Did I mention that it was raining? I began to drive to work and found that the highway was closed due to flooding. Really?! Therefore, I had to detour myself all over the place in a town I'm not even that familiar with. I finally found a cop to give me directions and made it to work. I was cranky all day and appeased myself by promising to eat a pie of pizza when I got home. I was lucky that it only took me an extra 30 minutes to get home with all of the flooded disasters. This is where some big decisions came into play. I sure didn't feel like running and my hip hurt all day so I had an excuse. But I ran anyway, again in the rain. This time it was about 10 degrees warmer and there was no wind so it was pretty nice. To get myself out of the door I said that I would only run for 15 minutes. Of course once I started I felt great and ended up doing my usual 40. By the time I got home I felt much better. My husband and I still got pizza though and I ate 3 1/2 slices and 6 garlic knots. Pretty crazy. I couldn't help it, I wanted pizza and there was no stopping me. There are just certain times of the month that you don't want to get inbetween me and my pizza and chocolate!!! hey, at least I ran.

TODAY-

What an amazing day! After being bombarded by rain since Friday it was amazing to see the sun shinning. My heart goes out to all of the people cleaning up their homes after the big storms. We were so blessed not to be affected by this. It would have been a great day to walk for hours but I decided to take the day off. My hip was bothering me pretty badly yesterday, I ran anyway, iced it, took ibuprofin, and although it felt better today I figured I would give it a rest. I even had to modify my core work-out because half of the moves are done standing on 1 leg and that wasn't going to help my hip. The good thing is that the pizza monster went away. I had no problem going back to eating healthy. Well, that's a slight lie. It was kinda tough but the rest of the week is probably going to be like this so I'm just going to have to find a way to deal with it!

Week 1 weight loss

My main goal is to positively change my life which of course includes eating better and losing a few pounds. I decided that I was not going to be on a restrictive diet or deny myself anything. After all, training is my main priority and I don't want to overload myself with too many things at once. I just focused on eating lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. It worked! I was never hungry and after Tuesday my junk food cravings subsided. One day I really wanted a Mahi Mahi taco from Baja Fresh for lunch so I had it. Another day I thought that I really wanted some ice cream cake after dinner. Instead of just eating it right away I told myself that I could eat it if I still wanted it after 30 minutes, and in 30 minutes I didn't want it anymore. I treated myself to a Kashi pizza and snacked on Rice Krispies (love them!) this weekend. It was a fabulous week.

I wasn't going to do this but I think if I put my numbers out there it will be another motivation to keep up training.

Monday: 124.4 lbs

waist: 26 inch
hips: 32.5 inch
thighs: 21.5 inch

Sunday: 120.5

YAY! 4 pounds slimmer!

Week 1 recap

Week 1 Training Recap:



Monday: 30 minute run plus 10 minute warm-up/cool-down

Tuesday: 40 minute XT (30 minute walk, 10 minute core work)


Wednesday: 30 minute run plus 10 minute warm-up/cool-down)


Thursday: 40 minute XT (30 minute walk and a Runner's World core workout)

Friday: rest day!

Saturday: 4 miles in 50 minutes (alternating 5 minutes shuffling & 3 minutes walking)

Sunday: 40 minute walk & yoga abs DVD

Overall I feel great! I was a little tired in the beginning of the week but I had way more energy from the middle of the week on. I have been sleeping better and waking up feeling more energetic. I lost about 4 pounds and even cleaned my house! What a productive week!

my master plan is working

My master plan is for other people to see me running and be inspired to get out and get moving. Therefore, I was very happy when my husband woke up and suggested that we go for a walk first thing this morning. I'm not sure what prompted this, it wasn't even nice out. In fact, we experienced crazy rain storms last night and it was still misting out this morning. Whatever the reason, we went on a great 40 minute walk. There were a bunch of downed tree limbs from the storms and random remnants from yesterdays St. Patrick Day's festivities. All in all it made for an interesting trip. Luckily, we returned home just in time to beat the severe weather that blew in. Shortly after we walked in the door thunder was booming and hail was falling! Since, it was Sunday I also did a yoga ab workout DVD. I cannot believe that my abs still hurt from thursday's core workout!

Poncho Princess

I had a 4 mile run scheduled on this rainy day. Did I finish it? You will just have to read to find out!

I was actually nervous last night laying out my running clothes. I knew that today's forecast was rain and wind. In fact, the National Weather service has placed us under 2 flood watches and a wind advisory because of this storm. I have run in the rain but only in the summer when fat drops feel like Heaven cooling you off. This was going to be much different. I assessed my gear: did I even own anything waterproof? On the assumption that I didn't, I bought a poncho from the dollar store earlier in the day. I put a pile of clothes together that might offer some protection and would just have to see what the morning would hold.

I woke on my own at 6 a.m. which is like sleeping in for me. It was raining but not pouring, and about 35 degrees. I had some tea, a banana and put on my plethora of garments. As you can see from the picture I was a sight to behold! I am wearing my husbands super large Guinness hat which comes equipped with a bottle opener. This was literally the only hat that was close to fitting. I pile my hair under a bandanna to make it stay on my head. There is a poncho under my possibly water resistant jacket to offer some protection. And away I go! I drive a few minutes to a nice running area where I had tracked the miles on my car. I usually start from my doorstep but on Saturday runs my miles count. Anyway, I get out of my car and just start my walking warm-up then running. I untuck my poncho from my jacket and I look like I am wearing a giant green tutu. The wind is whipping rain in my face, which is freezing by the way. I'm having trouble breathing and I begin to think that my jacket is not really water resistant. In fact, it definitely isn't. The wind is the worst! I am really struggling and hating everything. I wish I had brought some music to distract me from how miserable I am. After a while, the wind lets up and I am able to compose myself. I find my shuffle rhythm. The rain isn't so bad and my core and upper legs are warm and dry thanks to my poncho tutu. I'm beginning to like the rain and enjoy myself. This could be semi-enjoyable! I like the puddles and watching drops of rain fall off of my hat. I remind myself that I normally really love the rain. I know that I am going to finish this run and I can't wait for the sense of accomplishment that I will feel when I am done. At the turn around point the wind really picks up and is whipping my face with rain. I am really soaked through but not cold. I am barely moving when I crawl up a hill because the wind is blowing so hard. I am having a love/hate relationship with this session. Another runner passes opposite me and instead of the polite nod we give each other a courageous smile and an encouraging wave each knowing what the other is feeling. Hey, at least we are out here! Despite being drenched I am feeling good. The end is in site and I finally finish!! YAY!! I DID IT!! After a short cool down I jumped in my car. Luckily I brought a towel to sit on. My core and tops of legs were still pretty dry thanks to the poncho! I realize just how soaking wet my shoes are. They feel like little sinking boats. But, I am so ridiculously proud of myself. I know that I can survive and somewhat enjoy running in the rain in cool weather. I can do anything!

I completed my 4 miles of walking/running in 50 minutes which is about what I expected. In my plan, Galloway wants his runners to go at a very slow pace, walking and running, for their long runs. This was only 4 miles but I want to become comfortable with his plan because I will be implementing it for the actual marathon.

After today I may invest in a water-proof jacket to get through April showers. Or I may just wear my poncho again :)

W1: D4

40 min. cross-train (walking and core workout)

I was typing my title and I can't believe that it has only been 4 days! I actually feel great. Well, I felt great this morning but after struggling through a core workout I feel not so good. I woke up energetic which was great because I had a really tough physical day at work. Although, I did come home and pass out for a half hour I rallied in time to fit in a walk, core workout, cleaning, and dinner.

The core workout was featured in Runner's World and it was rough. It is always humbling to go into a workout and realize just how weak you actually are. Furthermore, I REALLY dislike strength training! Hopefully, it will help my running and give my sexy abs for the summer.

Shuffling

For the purpose of this blog I will most likely continue to use the term "running" when referring to my gait. I would like to make it perfectly clear that I am in no way actually running, I rarely even jog. In fact, I most often clod along in what I have termed "shuffling". My feet barely leave the ground and my speed is faster than a walk yet slower than most people jog. I just wanted to set the recore straight in case someone happened to drive by while I was "running"! I have come to terms with how slow I am and I do not care how long it takes me, I will finish a marathon this year!

Spring is coming soon!

Ahhh the signs of Spring- warm air, green sprouts of grass, the air has an earthy smell, and bugs. Yes, today a bug flew into my eye and I knew that Spring must be just around the corner.

I'm trying to get this whole blog thing down. It is going to be pretty boring to document the same training routine everyday and as a result I think that I shall just do a weekly training recap. I will post my training plan and unless I deviate from it I will probably not record the time and stuff everyday, just weekly. Who am I kidding this thing is boring anyway!

I didn't have any revelations while running. The weather was a warm 55 which feels like summer considering we had a blizzard two weeks ago and I was wearing a hat, gloves, and a million layers of clothes.

It's weird the things that you contemplate while running. I most often run music free although I will bring my mp3 player with me on longer runs in case of an emergency. Anyway, I was shuffling along and saw "play" money and for blocks there was a trial of pieces from the game of LIFE.

W1: D2

40 min. cross-train

walking and core work

Another beautiful day out! I guess the up-side of living in a region with seasons (e.g.-stupid winter) is that I REALLY appreciate nice weather. It has been fabulous going outside in a t-shirt! If I lived in a warm local year round would I appreciate every perfect day? Probably!

I woke up alright this morning but have had a mild headache all day. Not bad enough to take medicine though. I was feeling pretty unmotivated so I decided to take my chi chi Little Guy with me on my trek. He may not be able to run for hours with me but a brisk 30min. walk suits him just fine.

Made some more fresh OJ, eating some veggies and taking a nap!

Week 1: Day 1

I officially start my training program today although I have been running on and off for a few weeks. I am pretty proud of myself for training Saturday and Sunday despite the fact that my schedule was packed and my start date wasn't until today. The "old" me would have taken the weekend off!

Today was 40 minutes total, 30 jogging (really slow shuffling lol). I think I did around 3 miles but I'm not sure becuase I run off-road for a big chunk of the time. I am thinking of purchasing a Garmin. To be honest, I really want one now but I feel that it will be a good mini-goal to work for.

It was an amazing day! So warm! I was way over dressed and it was wonderful to peel away the layers. I felt good after my run and I even made fresh orange juice. I love how 4 oranges makes half of a glass of juice, but it is the BEST juice ever.

Thank You Jeff Galloway

I have run on and off for years and always had dreams of running a marathon. I was serious about this in 2009 and got back on track with a regimen. Of course I let my life get in the way, my upcoming wedding and new job were good excuses to hold of on the marathon. Therefore, I told myself that in 2010 I would make it happen. In January I was excited, I had a trainning plan, and I was ready to go. Unfortunately, it just didn't work. After two weeks of trying to log all these miles and race around at work (see Background Info: never enough sleep) and run at home I was so tired! I ended up just sleeping for a whole week. I would work, come home and sleep, cook dinner, spend some brief time with my hubby, and sleep. Needless to say I was a little unhappy about the whole endever. I started to think that maybe I should just put it off again. Maybe when I had a better job or when I wasn't so tired. I knew though, that later would never come. I am the queen of excuses which is part of my problem in life! I have to stop making excuses for myself. Therefore, I spent a few hours at Border's books purusing the running section for anything that would work for me. I finally hit the jackpot with Jeff Galloway and his book Marathon: You Can Do IT! Sounds cheesy, I know. At first I schoffed this book and his notion of running/walking a marathon. I wanted to run a marathon. It doesnt count if you PLAN on walking/jogging right? Well, after much debate I reconciled with myself that this was proabably the only way I was going to do a marathon without hurting myself and if I didn't actually RUN the whole darn thing who cares. At least I will do it. The training plans are easy, only having one long run a week, and ecourage readers to go slow (awesome!). The more I read his book the more I became I follower of his philosphy; its more about the journey and enjoying what you're doing than having the fastest time. Let's face it, I wasn't going to set any records anyway! I always loved to run and I don't want it to become a chore. Anyway, I have been loosely following the plan for two weeks but once again I fell into the procrastination trap: I'm not going to run a marathon for like 7 months do I really need to train everyday? YES! This is why I started the blog. I am sure no one will really ever read it, I googled "running blogs" and I think there are literally thousands of people with the same goal and much cooler blogs LOL. Although there is something about just having it out there that I think will keep me on track.

never enough sleep

Job: Manager at a retail store

Hours: 5am-1:30pm

Description: Physically demanding

I don't want to delve to far into my job but I will talk about how it relates to my training and life goals. First of all, I have a very physical job which involves being on my feet for 8 hours, running around, and heavy lifting. I wake up around 3:20am Monday-Friday, with the occasional weekend or overnight. This winter has been pretty rough, forcing me to wake up as early as 2:30. For the first few weeks/months, these hours were fun. I would come home and still have a whole day to accomplish things. After a while though, the lack of sleep got to me. I was averaging maybe 5 hours of sleep if I was lucky and it wasn't even a restful sleep. Somewhere around the holidays I just feel apart, mentally and physically. Then I became obsessed with trying to get enough sleep. I wouldn't make any plans on the weekends so I could sleep, I would take naps when I got home, and I would fall asleep on the couch at night. I had anxiety about not getting enough sleep. Finally, I think that I have found a balance. I am at the point where sometimes I sleep more and sometimes I sleep less and I can tell when I am really tired or just lazy. It is still a struggle though to get my wonderful husband to understand that I am not falling asleep on the couch because I don't want to spend time with him, I am just exhausted and literally cannot keep my eyes open!

let's start at the beginning!

Let me preface this by stating that although the following is of a serious nature, I am not usually this stern.

My GOAL is to COMPLETE a marathon via any means necessary, whether it be walking, shuffling, jogging, or crawling. It is my HOPE that by partaking in this journey I will in turn positively change my life.

Someone once told me that I have an "artist's" personality, meaning that I'm either black or white, one extreme or the other. I would pretty much agree with this. When I start something I am 100% manic about whatever it is. Then, once the novelty wanes, I stop. For example: I eat really healthy for a few weeks and then I eat very poorly. I eat nothing or I eat a ton. I run for a few weeks and then I sit on the couch. "Everything in moderation" holds no meaning to me.

That is why I set this LONG-TERM goal for myself. One cannot train and complete a marathon in a few weeks, it takes months. My belief is that if I can finish this I can do anything! One huge change I want to make is with regard to my job. I desperately need a job that I actually enjoy and can contribute positively to society. I am just not sure what it is. In reality, I'm probably just too lazy to find it. Therefore, on my daily shuffles and walks I want to contemplate my life, where I am and what I want to do. Maybe God will give me an idea or point me in the right direction sometime in these coming months of training.

So, there it is. I hope you will share in this journey with me.

Shuffling:
- moving in a dragging or clumsy manner
- a gait which is quicker than a walk but slower than a jog

Salvation:
-the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc