Just A Little Update

I don't really have anything specific to write about tonight. So I'll just touch base on some things.

The Iron Girl duathlon is in less than 10 days in Bloomington, MN.  Since my training was shortened due to my injury, I am really worried about whether or not I'm prepared, atleast as much as I was last year.  Last year, I had done quite a bit more training for this event.  I didn't really start training this year until a month ago.  I've done a couple of brick workouts over the past two weeks, my most recent one being yesterday. (Here is a great resource on brick workouts).  I plan on getting another run in tomorrow and another brick work out some time this weekend.  I will say, I only did one brick workout before my race last year.  I am also trying to get my fueling cleared up before the race so that I don't run into leg cramping like I did last year or an upset stomach.  If you want to come out to cheer, check out their website for more information.

My eating has been off again. I think it started since we haven't been going to the grocery store and haven't been staying up with the clean eating plans I actually pay for each month.  Today I was reading Ann's blog over at Twelve-in-Twelve.  Everyone knows I am an avid reader of Ann's blog.  Today she wrote about this October Unprocessed challenge. I'm seriously thinking about joining the challenge, along with Pat, to see if we can do it for 31 days, ending in a Halloween candy binge (just kidding).  I know this would be really good for us. Does anyone want to join us in the challenge?

Ann also had an interesting article on her Facebook page today.  The question was "What food should you eliminate forever?" The answer was "The one you are most terrified to give up."  I had to think about this for a moment, really being unable to decide between which two things would scare me the most to give up.  I know I can give up soda, I don't really have an obsession with coffee and I'm not a huge desert person (I've learned that if it's not in my house, I wont eat it.) So what would I give up forever? Processed sugar product would be one of them. This includes candy which is a horrible weakness for me.  The other one would be bread.  I like bread.  Who doesn't like bread?

Which food would you be most terrified to give up?

It's Been Worth It

When I was searching my brain for something to write about today, I kept coming back to the changes that I have experienced over the past year and a half. I know I've written about this before but I am still in awe of things that are so much different.

The change that keeps coming to me is how much better I feel when I run and how much further and faster I can accomplish that feat. I think back to when I first started running how much it really hurt. At the very beginning, even three years ago when I was running in the snow with Anne, I remember coming back home feeling exhausted! I usually wasn't running more than a mile or two and it was probably more walking than running. I remember one particular night, getting in my car after a workout, I was actually dizzy and had to sit in my car before starting it for just a little while until I got my bearings back.  I have felt the dizziness since then but its been rare.

I remember how bad my shin splints were. I remember having to stop and stretch because my feet just wouldn't flex. My shins were just too tight and it just hurt too much. But I stuck with it.

I don't know when I pushed past that because it doesn't hurt as much anymore. Now I have more mental barriers versus physical barriers. Those barriers are still there but to a lesser degree. Maybe it's just because I'm more confident? I know I can achieve any distance I put my mind too. It may take some training and pushing but I've learned it's so worth it!

If my body has made this much in changes in the past two or three years, where will I be in another two or three years? Where will I be in a year? Where will I be if when I get my weight down? How much easier will it be? These are all questions I have to think about. If I keep pushing, I know I will feel better. So why not keep pushing and striving for goals?

Tomorrow I will fill you in on my goals for the year.

A Look Back

A Look Back

As I continue to look forward to my race on Sunday, I have also taken some time to look back on the
last year since committing to this event. In some ways, I never thought I would be where I am but in
other ways, I thought I would have been further in my journey.

A year ago, the thought of running made me sick. I knew I had never been a strong runner and was not looking forward to recommitting to shin splints, side aches, and numb feet. I remember when I had to run the mile in Jr. High in under 11minutes, I walked about half of that mile. I probably could run the mile when I was in high school, right at the end of ski season when I was taking my gym course in the spring. I was passing people and it felt great! I wanted to embrace that feeling again. It was one of those nonessential high school moments that I will never forget. I started out slow. My goal was to run a mile without having to stop to walk.

So I just started running. I was walking mostly and running a little bit here and there. I had no set
schedule and no watch. I would just run as long as I could without stopping to walk or rest. I would
watch the time on my iPod. I wouldn’t go all that long, maybe 20 seconds and then I would walk until I felt like I had my breath back, then I would jog again for a few seconds. I thought I was going to be able to run a 5k by Thanksgiving. I didn’t quite make it.

I started keeping track of my progress on Dailymile. It was great to have a place to see how much I was improving. It also helped with my motivation. I was working out after work, before I had the chance to go home and sit down on the couch. I did this in the late afternoon light and in the dark after daylight savings time. I did it until it got really cold, when I stopped for 2 months.

I wish I could say that it was the cold air that made me stop working towards running. In reality, it
was actually a compliment about how much more toned I was looking since I had started working out. Instead of keeping the hard work up, I just stopped. I wish I could explain what was going through my mind when I decided to just stop working out because I had one compliment. I would think it would work in reverse and actually push me to go harder to get even better results. But it didn’t. I thought that because I was looking thinner, I could just take a break from exercising so I did.

Into March, I decided enough was enough and I needed to get my butt out the door. I didn’t belong to
a gym so I made sure I bundled up before I headed out into the cold. I wasn’t exercising many times
a week but I was still doing it right after work before I went home for the day. I started out again not
doing any running plan. I was jogging a block or so and stopping to walk and then jogging another
block.

In early April, I joined a group of bloggers online. We committed to doing a 5k on Memorial Day in the Twin Cities. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I was never one to put myself into a situation where I didn’t know anyone. I’ve written about that before. When I started really getting a goal in front of me is when I started training using Couch to 5k. It is an excellent program and I would recommend it to anyone. I ran that 5k in 40 minutes. I was so happy! I had ran 7 minutes without stopping. That was the longest I had gone without walking and I was so happy! 

I had my second 5k race two weeks later. I ran that one a full minute faster at 39 minutes. I was happy about that one too. I still hadn't been able to run more than five minutes at a time. I knew I had a lot of training ahead of me for the rest of the summer. I was hopeful that it wouldn't get too hot. I didn't have another opportunity to run a 5k until Labor Day. I ran that one in 38 minutes. I'm getting faster but I feel like I should be progressing faster than what I am. But overall, i'm pretty happy about my progress.

I just read the athlete guide for my race. I was aware of a time limit on the bike portion of the race (2.5 hours) but I was not aware of a time limit on the run (26 mins for 2 miles). I guess I'm not really worried about the first 2 miles but I am really worried about the second set of 2 miles after I finish my ride. The last time I did a brick workout, my shins tightened up and I could barely walk. So, now im worried because I typically run just under a 13 minute mile when my legs are feeling good. I hope hope hope I dont get pushed off the race!

Tomorrow I will talk about the goals I thought I would have achieved by now.

Sweat Will Get You Change

Sweat! We all do it. I never used to sweat. Sure, my face got red and I looked really warm but I wasn't really sweating. I mean really really sweating.

I hate this picture.

Lately, when I have been running, I've been really sweating. My face is sweating, even my arms and legs are doing it. I HATE the feeling of sweat! I hate it when it drips down my face. I hate it when it makes my arms slimy. I know it's my body's natural way of cooling itself down and I know it's healthy. I just hate the feeling of it. This makes me laugh because I don't really care if I look sweaty while I'm working out. I just don't like how it feels but then I'm also proud it because it means I'm working my body hard. Go me, go sweat!
 

"Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change. "

Jesse Jackson

Fake It and Nike +

It's finally starting to get nice outside again. I'm hoping that maybe this is finally the end of winter. It sure has been a brutal one!

Well, because the weather has been a little bit nicer, 42 degrees today, I decided to call up my friend Kinsey to see if she wanted to go for a walk/jog with me. She is the person that helped me get moving in the fall. She had an injury which had her laid up for quite a few weeks. I really needed someone there to push me and having someone there depending on my showing up helps me immensely.  The goal for the afternoon was to do 2 miles in 30 minutes. I wasn't sure if I could pull it off since I hadn't worked out for over a week. And there were hills! Oh boy, were my calves killing me when we hit that hill but I pushed through and finished that interval. My calves were tight but I walked through that too.

I was reading Jen's blog over at Prior Fat Girl.  She said she's been in "Fake it till you make it" mode. I've been feeling that same way lately...a lot! That's really why I need someone there to push me through those times where I really just want to stop and lay down. And the motivation I got from my successful 2 mile run in just over 27 minutes will push me through tomorrow's work out. AND according to Kinsey's Nike +, the first mile was run in a time of 12 minutes and 18 seconds! I think that's pretty good motivation to keep going.

Speaking of Nike +, they are pretty neat. I can really see why to get one, or something similar. The things I keep track of on Dailymile are automatically kept track for you on the Nike +. I think I eventually would like to get something like this because of how easy it is but it is definitely not in the budget right now. I do really like how it keeps track of your pace from mile to mile. I know I could get that from a watch that has some sort of GPS system, once again, not in the budget. Hopefully sometime soon! If you have any recommendations for gear like this, let me know.

I Just Want to Scream!!

Sometimes I just want to scream...
Sometimes I just want to scream in frustration at my choices! I want to scream about the horrible choices I've been making! I want to scream about the binging! I want to scream about the majority of my time outside of work being spent on the couch! I want to scream that it's cold outside and I can't go for a run! I want to scream when I don't update my blog!

And sometimes I just want to cry about it...
I want to cry to make myself feel better. I want to cry about how much I'm failing. I want to cry when I dont work out and it's bed time. I want to cry when I watch the scale move up or stand still. I want to cry when I feel alone in this. I want to cry after I binge. I want to cry when I realize I'm in denial.

And sometimes I just need to pick myself back up...

I worked out tonight...aerobic for 30 minutes and then Yoga for 40 minutes. I sat down and made monthly calendars for the rest of the year. I crossed today off the calendar as a work out day! I ate a somewhat healthy dinner. I conquered eating carrots without ranch dressing. I am updating my blog. 

And sometimes I dream...

I dream about the day I can complete the burpees on the Wii.

I dream about the day I can go down a pants size. I dream about not being addicted to fast food. I dream about completing my race! I dream about getting up early so I can work out before work.

I scream. I cry. I pick myself back up. I dream.

Overcoming Temptation

Two things tonight...well three. 

1. I'm watching the Biggest Loser.

2. My very own husband told me that he finally caught up on his reading of this blog. My very own husband also told me that in my video last week, it looks like I have no neck. I guess I am going to have to work on that.

and 3. I came home from work ready to wimp out of my workout tonight by skipping out on it. Until I read a friend's Facebook post about skipping a nap to get on the treadmill. So, after throwing a load of laundry in the machine and getting some dinner into the oven, I did a 35 minute work out on the Wii. I really only have three nights to work out this week and I need to take advantage of that. So I'm really happy that I overcame that temptation to sit tonight.

This weekend Pat and I are heading to South Dakota to visit his family. I have never used a hotel workout room before but I think this might be the right time to give it a try. I really need to figure out if our hotel has such a thing. I am really looking forward to getting on the treadmill at my parent's house. I haven't really taken the opportunity to run since it's gotten cold outside. I need to really just overcome that wimp talking in my head. I just need to get over it.

I Hate Working Out Inside

Oh I suppose it was a weigh in day. I am down to 220.2 lbs. I want to live in denial and not post my weight for last week, which was a gain. But I will be happy this week that I am down in poundage overall this week.  So is that 8 lbs lost in 8 weeks? I need to get moving on that number. Blah.

So as many of you know, I have been running (more like walk/jogging) the past few weeks outside.  Somehow I managed to injure my back. It's very random to me. So I decided that tonight, I would work out on the elliptical machine that we own.  It has been living in the basement since we moved into our house. Pat was able to use it down there but I could not. Our basement has a drop ceiling and every time I would get on the thing, my head would pop up into the ceiling.  So, we finally moved the machine into our office, where a higher ceiling exists.

Using the elliptical made sense in my head. It is a low impact work out which is good for my back and it didn't require me bundling up to workout outside. I also have the luxury of turning on the tv and watching some tube while I'm exercising. There I am, working that machine and five minutes into it, my legs already hurt! Sure, I understand that there is some resistance that is has that my body doesn't give me when I'm on the road. It was a struggle for me to go 30 minutes and I only went 1.2 miles!!!!! I feel weak. Blah! I know it's better than sitting on the couch all night but after thirty minutes, I wanted to put on all those thermal shirts and sprint down the street in the complete darkness of my neighborhood, just to release some frustration with the elliptical.

I think I know why I had exercising inside. It's boring! Yes, sometimes I do hate it that I tend to go out-and-back when I'm outside but if I go so far out, I HAVE to come back, one way or another. And yes, I am one of those crazy people that grew up in Minnesota and I love the snow and the cold weather is invigorating.  Although I'm not as crazy as my buddy Christian who runs 6 miles barefoot in the snow and enjoys it. I would rather have snow over sand. For now on, I will continue to workout outside and I will use the elliptical when its raining or windy or just too damn cold (which it sometimes happens here).

Turkey Day 5k is just 10 days away. If you are spending the holiday in the Twin Cities I would recommend doing this event. You can register online or on the day of.  I did it with my family last year and I think it will become a new tradition. So start a new tradition with your family this year. Although it was really hard to get out of bed that morning last year, I didn't feel quite so guilty having two Thanksgiving meals later in the day.  And everyone is sooo impressed that you got up early that morning and did that 5k. It feels good physically and emotionally. Oh and you're bound to run into one or two people you know.

For tomorrow's post: 10 year high school reunion special

It's Getting Cold Outside

Happy Halloweeny! 

While Pat and I were outside a couple of weeks ago raking the plethora of leaves in our yard, one of our neighbors stopped by to introduce herself. Somewhere in the conversation, she mentioned that Halloween is a little bit quiet around here because most of the parents in the neighborhood take their kids into town.  We live in a rural neighborhood where the houses are fairly spaced apart. But she said she makes her kids walk the neighborhood and they usually go with another set or our neighbors.  She said that they are usually the only ones out on Halloween night. So we took her advice to heart and only bought a couple of bags of candy, which is probably one too many. The bag of Kit Kats was opened about a week ago and the other bag hasn't been opened yet.  Halloween candy is a weakness for me but I think I'm doing pretty well this year.

Onto my main topic of the day. That's right, it's that time of the year when it gets cold outside. Daylight savings time ends next weekend so besides getting cold, it's also going to be dark by the time I get home at night. I don't really mind the fact that it's cold, I do mind that it's dark outside. Our new neighborhood is not well lit, well, it's not lit at all! There are no street lights around.  I am usually an afternoon/evening workout person so I am trying to come up with some ways to solve my darkness problem. I have thought about bringing my work out stuff to work and walking/jogging right after work in Verona where they have street lights. That would mean I wouldn't get home at night until 6 or 6:30. The other couple of options I've thought about include buying an Indoor Trainer. The other option is for Pat to help me move our elliptical machine upstairs. It's in the basement right now and I can't use it because the ceiling is too low down there. My head just works its way right up into the ceiling if I try to use it.

I've also thought of outdoor solutions. I'm one of those strange people that actually does enjoy the snow up here in the great north. I know nothing beats sitting inside on a snowy night with a cup of hot cocoa but I also love being all bundled up and making snow angels. So I was trying to come up with activities I could get into during the weekends or on my days off that involved winter weather. I've thought that I should get back into Nordic Skiing. That would require a bit of extra money for purchasing wax and such but not overly expensive. I haven't skied since high school so I have no idea what condition my skis are in and I don't really like to ski by myself and Pat doesn't have Cross Country skis. We could rent him some I suppose.

Snow Shoeing is the other outdoor winter activity I came up with. I haven't ever tried it but it could be fun and a great work out AND it can be done anywhere. I wouldn't have to find specific trails to do it on.

For today though, I think I am just going to bundle up against the 40 degree weather and go for a walk. 

Hills

I did a two mile walk with Pat before dinner tonight. While we were walking it, it didn't really feel like we were walking it all that fast...but then there were the hills. Gmaps doesn't account for the hills. At the entrance to our neighborhood, there is a nasty hill and that nasty hill always comes up at the beginning and the end of the workout. My calves were killing me on the way up the hill. Pat offered to go get the car (jokingly) to pick me up. I love running down the hills, it makes running seem so easy when I have gravity working with me.

I know my body is going to hurt in the morning because of these nasty hills. But the pain is going to be a good pain...I think. I did do some stretching after tonight's workout. I know I have pain issues when I don't stretch. But tomorrow, I might have pain even with the stretching.

I'm really trying to take advantage of the sunlight after work while I still have it. It really is an outside motivator to get myself to exercise. My neighborhood is really dark so I wont be able to work out in the winter. I love exercising outside in the winter. (I know I'm weird) I was thinking I might be working out in Verona, since the streets are lit, and then I'll be heading home after that to make dinner. It's just a thought. While it's still light outside after work, I will be taking advantage of it.

I had weigh in this morning. Just like I had predicted, I did gain some weight. I weighed in this morning at 223lbs. So its only a gain of 0.6lbs.