As I stated previously in my Goals - Short Term/Long Term post, I'm going to maintain accountability by posting my goals and then following up on my progress on the ol' blog.
1 week = 8 lbs lost; work-out 6 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes/day; track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise
Let's evaluate the week, shall we?
Diet
By "diet", I mean counting my calories. For the most part, I'm still following South Beach principles as far as food choices go, but I'm upping the ante by paying attention to specifically how much I'm putting in my body. The biggest struggle I encountered was recognizing I needed to establish a "NET" calorie goal because the more I work out, the more I'm going to need to fuel. I set a 1200 NET calories per day target and with the exception of eating too few calories the first two days, I did well. I also became VERY lax over the weekend which is something I don't want to make a habit.
Exercise
I set a target of working out 6 days of the week for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. That didn't quite happen, BUT considering I went from VERY minimal exercise to a 4-day workout, I feel pretty good about the week. I spent 2 days walking (with incorporating a bit of running at the end of each walk) and I spent 2 days riding my exercise bike. I managed to burn a total of 1366 calories with an average of over 40 minutes per workout.
Hydration
This is an on-going struggle. I hit over 100 oz of water each day, BUT my target is 144 oz, so I have a lot to work out in this category.
Sleep
My goal is to hit 7 hours of sleep per night. Out of 7 days, I hit this goal 5 nights. Still a work in progress, but I'm getting there.
Weight loss goal = 8 pounds Actual weight loss = 7 pounds
Thoughts: I am pleased with the results, but I do see where improvement can be made. As I mentioned above, I became a bit too lax over the weekend. Even though I went to restaurants with a plan, it was easy to stick to the ordering plan, but difficult to pass up table freebies - bread, etc.
Next check point (1 month) will be on September 26th!
A wise person I know suggested that I not overwhelm myself with how "lost" I've become in my weight loss journey. She thought it best to break my ultimate GOAL into smaller, more attainable check points.
With that in mind, I've come up with my 1 week, 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, and 12 month check points. Seems a lot less daunting that way.
I figured to keep myself accountable, I would go ahead and publish these check points to my blog and then follow up on my progress when appropriate.
1 week = 8 lbs lost; work-out 6 days a week for a minimum of 30 minutes/day; track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise
1 month = 20 lbs lost, run/walk 4 days/week for a minimum of 45 minute; cross train 2 days/week for a minimum of 45 minutes; be able to run 2 miles non-stop (@ 14 min/mile pace); track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise; reevaluate daily calorie target
3 months = 40 lbs lost, run/walk 4 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; cross train 2 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; be able to run 6 miles non-stop (@ 13:30 min/mile pace); track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise; reevaluate daily calorie target
6 months = 70 lbs lost; run 4 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes;, cross train 2 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; be able to run 10 miles non-stop (@ 13 min/mile pace); track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise; reevaluate daily calorie target
9 months = 100 lbs lost (GOAL); run 4 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; cross train 2 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; be able to run a half marathon non-stop (@ 12:30 min/mile pace); track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise; reevaluate daily calorie target
12 months = maintain weight loss; begin full marathon training; run 4 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; cross train 2 days/week for a minimum of 60 minutes; track all calories, water, sleep, and exercise; reevaluate daily calorie target
Since I offiically got back on my wagon (for real this time) on Monday, 8/29, I will check back in on my first check point on Monday, 9/6.
I'm in a funk. A bad funk. I do nothing but work, think about work, play my Zuma Blitz on Facebook to zone out, read from my current book (Wither by Lauren DeStefano) to zone out, and/or watch my latest obsession on Netflix (Eureka) to...yeah, you guessed it...zone out. The zoning out is my version of survival mode to get me through this awful summer at work.
I've put on quite a bit of weight over the past few months. I'm terribly embarrassed over this. It's not just from a lack of movement. My diet plan has just been non-existent. Well, to be fair...every day I wake up with a plan, but my follow-thru sucks.
I've been getting sleep, finally. That's a plus. I'm just not happy, though, and my lack of happiness combined with my stress is causing some emotional eating.
I don't have a plan on how to get on the right track. I know that I have to get this excess weight off of me STAT. It is making me uncomfortable in mind, body, and spirit. I used to be so proud of myself and now...I just feel...discouraged, disappointed, disgusted...
My training for my upcoming half marathon is a joke. You would think I have 4 months before the race by the way I've so nonchalantly done absolutely nothing in preparation. Tonight I managed a pathetic two miles - mostly walking. My body hated it. My mind rebelled. My heart is just...not right.
I have thought about dropping from my race, but well...isn't that just too easy? What about the next one on Oct. 9th? Or Oct. 29th? Am I just going to continue to fall deeper and deeper into a hole I can't get out of?
No...I'm going to face the music and do The Hottest Half. I just know it isn't going to be pretty and that I deserve the wretched results.
So...until 8/12 when I leave for Dallas...I vow to move every day in someway. Let's see what I can do in 3 1/2 weeks. I may still be struggling emotionally, but it's time to put the big girl pants on and do something about it.
I hated June. I think I hate June every year come to think of it. Oh well...it's neither here nor there cuz a new month is upon us.
One little cool thing about June though is that mi casa turned 11. Ye gads, can you believe it?! 11!!! How am I old enough to have bought and lived in my very own home for 11 years??? I can tell it's 11, though. Ruben is needing some work. My second garbage disposal blew out and needs replacement. The whole interior of the house could use a fresh coat of paint. The master bathtub/shower is needing some retiling. Pretty sure two new toilets would be lovely! Once I open up the can of worms called home-improvement, there will be no turning back. The cool thing is that in less than 7 years, Ruben is 100% mine...all mine thanks to some refinancing I did several years back. Now that is a good feeling! =)
Let's look at July...
The parentals are abandoning ship AGAIN. My father is heading out to Scotland on a golf trip with two of his brothers and my mother is going out to Los Angeles to visit with my brother and sister-in-law and then continuing her jaunt out to Vegas for some R&R. This means I head to their house for Oliver-sitting. I thought to ask Linda and Craig (and Coco) to join me and my monsters for a long-weekend staycation. We plan to eat, watch movies, and soak up the sun poolside.
I also plan to get some mad mileage in. We need not mention how The Hottest Half is *gulp* six weeks away and how this chickadee isn't nearly where she should be training-wise. I blame work for zapping the life out of me, by the way....well and a stupid blister on the back of my heel, but whatever....
Since I'm gonna be at the parental's house for about a week, I figure it reaps a couple of advantages. It saves on my electric bill at home (thank God) and they have a home gym. I can cross train my heart out on the bike when I'm not walking, running, skipping, crawling out my mileage on the pavement in this AWFUL heat.
So happy July to you all! May you have a wonderful much needed holiday weekend filled with fun, family, and friends!
So you promised you wouldn't judge me and that's the only reason I'm showing this to you guys...
This year hasn't quite turned out how I had hoped so far with regards to my weight loss and fitness goals. Desperate times call for desperate measures. No worries...I feel like I'm getting back on the right path, but let's just say some damage has been done and I've had a few set-backs, so I'm working my way back to where I once was so that progress can be made. In the mean time...survival mode has been put into place.
Step 1 is to get sleep. I'm getting that. The goal is 7 to 8 hours a night.
Step 2 is to hydrate. I'm doing that. The goal is to drink 1 gallon of fluids a day (combo of water and Crystal Lite iced tea).
Step 3 is to eat right. Remember the same game I discussed in an earlier post? I like that concept and that's how I'm working my week days. Following the South Beach diet, monitoring my calorie intake, taking cravings into consideration (I have a mad need for oatmeal and chicken salad lately) and sticking to my plan.
Step 4 is to MOVE. I am not in the same shape I once was. Sad, true story. My body and my lungs are just not cooperating. Three bouts of bronchitis in the past 3 months do not a happy, healthy Kim make. I created a mileage plan and the goal is just to accomplish the mileage whether it be through walking, crawling running, or skipping (haha) my way to completion.
and here it is:
So, there you have it. For the first time in a long time, I feel motivated and encouraged. This is a good sign. I will keep you posted on my progress! =)
I flew into LAX on Saturday, 4/30. My brother Eddie and I had a plan to go to the Expo after we ate lunch after he picked me up from the airport. We both have A.D.D. At 3:45pm, Eddie reminded me I needed to pick up my packet. We had dinner reservations at Banderas with some friends at 5pm. Ooops. Eddie and April dropped me off at the area near the Expo and then I walked a really fast half mile to the actual packet pick-up. My little swag bag had a sample size Clif Bar, Barnie Butter, a fruit strip , bandaids, and coupons. I was pleased. I would have liked to walk around the Expo and maybe do some shopping (you know how I love to buy me some NUUN), but alas...there was no time. After my speedy half mile back to the car, we took off to the restaurant...being 25 minutes late. :(
Since we all know I really like having a friend in the race with me (despite the fact that we only see each other at the start), this race was no exception. My friend and co-worker Carie came cross-country with her husband (and also co-worker), Joe. Their son and daughter-in-law live in Huntington Beach, the same city my brother and sister-in-law live in. Though Carie eats 13 miles for breakfast every weekend, she had never actually ran a half marathon, so she was eager to jump on-board my crazy train.
My brother and I met Carie and Joe at Starbucks EARLY Sunday morning and then my brother took us all to the start. Carie and I did the whole porta-potty thing and hung out until it was go-time and then we parted ways.
My legs felt like lead for mile 1. I was so stiff even though I had stretched. I just couldn't seem to pull the same speed I had in the earlier miles the previous week. Just after mile 1, there was a huge downhill. I decided to run it to gain some time. When I hit mile 2, I was pleasantly surprised to see I had regained my lost time from the first mile and that my legs felt better. This boosted my confidence. Mile 3 offered up another downhill opportunity,so I ran that one, too. I gained more time.
The course was absolutely beautiful. It offered up a lot of scenic views of the ocean and the mountains. We ran along some beautiful homes and fragrant flowers. Shade was offered along the way, as well.
The race was well organized with 9 water and/or Gatorade stations along the first 13 miles (the marathoners and half marathoners broke off from one another right around 12.25) and there were numerous porta-potty opportunities along the way. Rarely would anyone actually have to wait in line for their use. I know I didn't have to and that made me happy! I was a bit put off when I did have to wait for a light to cross the street around mile 5, though. I've never had that happen in a race before.
One of the reasons I chose The OC Half was because it offered a negative net elevation. I think, in my head, I confused this with it being a flat course. It was anything but flat. I also know that about 2 months before the race, they changed the course for whatever reason, so perhaps that had something to do with the hills. Regardless, I totally know why I never drive a course before I run/walk it. I'm better off not knowing what I'm up against.
The course got kind of weird around mile 7. I started feeling a little sick and I was moving really slowly. I started feeling better around mile 8 and then right before I hit 9, it was a straight uphill. Ugh. The same thing happened right around mile 11. Double Ugh. I just kept marching along.
I told myself no charlie horses. I carried (and drank from) my new handheld Amphipod 20 oz water bottle filled with water and a lemon-lime NUUN tablet and I stopped at every single drink station and had 1-2 drinks. I'm proud to announce that I managed to complete this race charlie horse free (and without getting lost like I did the previous week).
Carie killed it with a time of 2:05:02. She is awesome! Now she is talking about going back to the OC to run The Surf City Half on Feb. 5th. It's tempting, so we shall see! This one truly is a flat course and that truly makes me happy.
Upon completion of our race, we were all handed a bottle of water, a bottle of Gatorade, and a little goodie bag with a banana and a Clif's Mojo sample size bar.
Time- 3:28:55
Finishing Song - Natasha Bedingfield's Touch
Next Stop- The Hottest Half on 8/14 in Dallas - I will be running this race in its entirety (save for walking thru the water stations) - I have a training plan in place - there will be a PR...just you wait and see!
How many times have I gotten off track on my diet plan in the past 6 months? How many times have I had to regroup, recommit, refocus, and all that jazz? Does it matter? Point is, I've gotten back on the wagon.
I, like so many other peeps I know (specifically of the female gender) emotionally eat. When I'm upset, I eat to soothe my soul. When I'm happy, I eat in celebration. When I'm mad, I eat to calm my inner beast. When I'm sick or hurt, I eat to ease my pain. There is always an excuse, it seems.
I was stressed out over the whole car purchasing thing.
Finally getting into a relationship after a year of not even dating caused me some anxiety as you can't be a 34 year old woman without some emotional baggage from past relationships that creeps in the back of your mind when getting involved in new relationships.
Work pretty much always has me in one tizzy or another.
Being sick for the past week and a half has put a dent in my training plan for my upcoming two back-to-back half marathons. My lungs are still not where they need to be, so I haven't been able to run. I can walk, though, so I have had to reconfigure my plan. More on this in another post.
My point - if at first I don't succeed - I just need to GET BACK ON THE WAGON until I get it right once and for all!
I'm so sick and tired of trying again. I know I can be successful - I've proven that. Remember this girl:
She was me not so long ago.
I know I'm not where I want to be, though, and the only way to get there is to commit to the process - mind, body, and spirit. I need to stay focused. I need to remain loyal to my food plan AND combine that with an exercise (cross training) program along with my running schedule to get me to my goal.
I was supposed to run the Tomball Bunny Run 5K on Saturday. I was hoping to get a new PR with this race since I PR'd this 5K last year. Then sickness happened.
As I last posted, I had some weird side pains going on and went to my doctor on Monday. She determined it was muscle strain and prescribed muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory pills. Then Tuesday evening I just started feeling blah...all chest congestion-y and whatnot, so I went to the store and bought some Mucinex and prayed that would kill it dead. By Thursday, I still felt crappy and my cough sounded similar to a dog barking, so I decided I needed to go back to the doctor. I didn't want to go all the way back to my doctor because it takes so long to see her with drive time and waiting time and all that jazz, so I went with Plan B.
With the parentals being on vacation, I had to go home during lunch to let their beloved Oliver out midway through the day, I decided to go to the Ready-Clinic outside the H.E.B. near my house. Let's hear it for the rent-a-doctor who basically diagnosed me by asking me a series of questions on his computer and checking the boxes when I replied "yes". Um...I'm pretty sure I could have done this on WebMD. He concluded that he didn't think I had the flu. I knew I didn't have the flu. Once you have it as an adult, you remember it too well. I explained to him that I needed to be better by Saturday for my race. He told me to stick with the Mucinex and then to add Flonase. Why he didn't give me a cough syrup, I have no idea. Why he didn't give me some kind of antibiotic (especially considering I was running a slight fever), I have no idea. All I know is that come Saturday, I was not better.
I was not able to run my Bunny Run. I was not able to meet MayRay in the City as she ran her first 5K or be there when Lauren PR'd (again). I was not able to attempt a PR of my own. I am sad.
This also puts me behind in my own training for my two half marathons I have coming up in rapid succession. Le Sigh. I'm still forming my game plan, though, don't you worry. I'm gonna kick this sickness to the curb. I am.
In other news, I am dating the sweetest guy EVER. He knew that my Delilah kept escaping from my yard because the back gate was cut on an angle, so he built me a new back gate over the weekend. He also replaced some broken fence slats and put down some stuff to make my grass green (once I promised to water it). =D I'm not used to such niceness. I like it.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you stay allergy/illness free!
No jokes today because I'm not sneaky enough to pull them off. My smile/smirk gives me away every time. tsk tsk...
So, I bought a new car this week. Yeah, that's kind of a big deal. I mean besides a house it's the most expensive thing a person buys...or at least this person. It's my second car purchase...I'm practically an old pro. I wheeled and dealed my way into a 2011 Chevy Traverse 2LT. Her name is Ruby. Do you like?
In other news, I found out I will not be able to participate in the 2012 Houston Chevron Marathon as I will be attending my cousin's wedding in Springfield, IL that weekend. Family is very important to my family, so I know that I belong at the wedding. This means that I will be changing my registration for The Woodlands half marathon to the full marathon. This gives me 6 more weeks to train and an extra hour to complete the race (as compared to Houston). A win/win situation, perhaps?
So, what's in store for April? The parentals leave for vacation tomorrow which means I will be pulling dog duty at their house for an entire week. Perhaps this go-around I will actually take advantage of their home gym. Yes?
I have the Tomball Bunny Run 5K on April 9th. This is my second repeat race for the year and my second 5K for the year. Consequently, last year's run gave me my current PR. I'm hoping to outdo myself and PR-it again. It's possible cuz I am KIMpossible. yeah...and a total cheeseball, clearly. Lauren and Meredith are going to be running their hearts out with me. Who else is in?
Later that night, I have a date to the Rocket's Game (and killer seats, I might add)!
On April 20th, my brother and sister-in-law are coming into town to celebrate Easter. I was thinking I was going to be an only child that day as both of my sisters are abandoning the family on Easter in favor of their stupid tropical vacations, but I'm not bitter or anything. I haven't seen Eddie and April since Thanksgiving, so I am excited about their visit!
On April 23rd, I will run my 2nd half marathon for the year - The Hippity Roc Half in Cypress, TX. If I get my lazy booty into gear and if it isn't too hot out there, who knows, perhaps another PR? I'm on a roll here!
Of course, we know that April 24th is Easter AND it's my double cousin Danielle's birthday - 17 - ye gads.
Last, but not least, I leave out on April 30th for my vacation.
I woke up at 4:30am, having only gone to bed 5 1/2 hours earlier. ugh. At least I was able to get in 8 hours the night before! I had hydrated my heart out all week long and gave myself one last opportunity Sunday morning with a Nuun tablet in my water and some oatmeal as breakfast. I left my friend Julie's house in Fort Worth at 5:40 to go pick up Melissa at her hotel. At 6:30 and we were off to The Finish Line as we were instructed to park there.
The highway was jacked up, yo. What should have taken us 30 minutes to achieve, took us well over an hour. We weren't alone in this, so we weren't panicking about missing the race or anything, but it left a sour taste in our mouths prior to starting. Rachel was ahead of us somewhere - we never were able to meet up with her. Once we finally parked, I had to stop at the porta-potties - it was like a desperate situation as in there may or may not have been dancing going on to avoid an unfortunate incident. We then finally made it onto the shuttle bus and arrived somewhat near the starting line around 8:15ish (for the 8:00 race). We made one more pitstop at the porta-potties and then walked up to the 15th corral just as it was walking towards the start line. Yes, it was like that. I guess in a way it was a good thing we didn't have to do a whole lot of standing around as it was 51 degrees at the start. Brrrrr....
I felt great from the get-go. I had a huge smile on my face and I was just trying to absorb stuff - you know...trying to be a good blogger and whatnot! I have to say the cool air was welcomed, especially after Saturday's beautiful but scorching upper 80s. Around 1.7 miles, I was approaching the 2nd band and they started playing a new song - I felt like it was just for me as it was one of my all time favorites - Brown Eyed Girl. I could just imagine my friend Laura and I squealing "We are brown-eyed girls" as we used to do in college. another smile. Shortly thereafter I hit mile 2 and got slapped in the face with a very steep hill. I tried to run up it, but then realized halfway up it that I was killing my energy, so I got smart and walked the rest of it. Once it was behind me, I began running again. I saw some people (in tutus) dart across the road in front of me because they wanted to take a picture of some spectators. I looked and sure enough - it was my caped crusader friend, That Pink Girl (only she was now Pink Gurl) and some of her super hero super star spectator friends! I, too, darted across the road (only after looking both ways first since this was not a blocked street). It was around 2.5 miles or so and I was so happy to see them. I hugged TPG and got a picture with her and carried on. another smile. 3 came pretty fast, then the 5K mark. Started having some stomach issues and needed to find a bathroom STAT which brought mile 4 on pretty quickly. There was a line and I knew I couldn't wait until the next set of bathrooms, so I was forced to wait in the line. The entire process took me 6 minutes. not smiling anymore.
I resumed running - more hills. I started getting that all too familiar pang in my right side, then in my left. The side stitches were returning. When this happened during my training runs, I called it quits. I couldn't do that here. I made it to about mile 5 and then I decided to walk for a bit. We were in an area called Highland Village. If you are from Houston, I would liken it to River Oaks. Beautiful older LARGE homes with amazing landscaping lining the streets. Such a pretty picture, so serene. I often joke that I run slower than most people walk. Well during this time, I was walking faster than I run. smiling resumed. The winding through this area ended around 6.5 miles and I began running again. Side stitches were very much still an issue.
I saw TPG (she took my pic as I approached) and her gang around mile 7.5 and they were such a welcomed sight. I complained about my problem. TPG said she would walk with me for a bit and explained to me that I'm breathing too shallow and need to take deeper breaths. She also had me put my arms above my head to help with this. We parted ways with a promise to see each other at the finish line and I resumed running. My sides felt a bit better. smiling and running.
I hit mile 8 and there was a female police officer that made me chuckle. She was encouraging us to keep on going and telling us we were doing a great job. She then added that what we were doing "is not considered normal behavior." So funny. smile returned.
I hit mile 9 and I started to feel the twinge of pain in my calves - charlie horses were coming to attack. I tried to fight them off, but I was forced to return to walking as they were less painful that way. Intermittently I tried to jog here and there. By mile 10, my calves were screaming. Whenever I tried to run, my toes curled and forced my feet to sort of buckle inward. It was a very weird feeling. At 10.5, I couldn't take it anymore, so I pulled over and stretched my calves using the curb. I then tried running and made it about a quarter of a mile before they started screaming again, walking resumed. so not smiling, like not in the slightest.
At mile 11, there was another band playing another favorite song of mine - Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" (Ahhh....Glee). I wasn't going to give up on my PR - I had it, I knew I had it...I just had to keep trucking along no matter what!
At mile 12, I desperately wanted to finish out the race running. I tried and failed. About a quarter of a mile before the finish line, TPG jumped out from the sidelines and came to my rescue. She said encouraging, beautiful words, and ran with me until we hit the 13 mile marker. She sent me on my way to finish and I ran out the remainder with a big smile on my face. I crossed the finish line with tears in my eyes.
I was emotional because I came back from an injury (pelvic stress fracture) and PRd - despite it being a tough race with lots of pain. I was emotional because there was one amazing friend who ran with me and encouraged me and then when I crossed the finish line, there was another who had finished almost 45 minutes before me ready to give me a hug. I was emotional because I hurt..
After getting my bottle of water and medal and hugging Melissa, we went to get a banana, a Snickers Marathon bar, and a bottle of Cytomax and then we went to go find TPG. We got some pictures and then we headed out. My calves were screaming so badly, I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to drive. Shockingly, once I got out of my shoes and into my flip-flops, they started being a little nicer to me.
Melissa and me: Half Marathon finishers!
Pink Gurl and me (she's my fave super hero)
Melissa and I went back to her hotel to shower and change and then we went with her boyfriend, David, to eat at Chuy's (we were FAMISHED) before heading back in our respective cars to Houston.
Official Time: 3:18:03 (a PR of over 6 1/2 minutes)
Finishing Song: "Rock Star" by Nickelback (kinda fitting for a Rock 'n' Roll race, eh?)
Next stop: Tomball's 5K Bunny Run on April 9th (totally feeling a PR for this race)
On a side note - I need to do some research on these charlies horses. I used to think they were as a result of improper hydration, but that cannot be the case as I consumed mass quantities of water and Nuun all week long. I wonder now if my issue is from losing too much salt. I am a VERY sweaty girl when I run. Perhaps I need to start carrying salt tablets or green olives? ha! Anyone else out there suffer from this? Tips appreciated!
Well, first of all I've been drinking water like it's my job. true story. Went out to do my 10-miler on Sunday and let's just say it didn't end up being 10 miles. Someone was dehydrated. someone never learns. So, the cup and I have become one.
my new camera!
Last week I received a call inquiring as to whether or not I wanted to participate in a focus group. Hmmm...I'm all about helping my fellow marketers...I mean Marketing was my major in college and all that jazz, but what was in it for me? Oh...$100, well okay. So on Monday, I headed over to the Galleria area for a 2 hour focus group regarding the purchase of my mattress. They fed me dinner. I had a few laughs with the other focus group panel members. They sent me on my way with $100. So guess who had some extra cash to apply to her new camera fund? This girl! If you are wondering what happened to my former camera, see here.
Tuesday I decided to get all wild and cRaZy and sign up for Beach Palooza. That Rachel - I'm telling you - she sure does some whackadoo things (like The Warrior Dash this past weekend) and this time I decided to jump on her band wagon. Beach Palooza is a 5K obstacle course taking place in Galveston on September 24th. If you are interested, register by March 29th to get the lower price of $35. You get a t-shirt, a pineapple hat (who doesn't need one of those?) and a finisher's medal. We all know how I feel about medals! This could be a really fun bloggy meet-up...*hint, hint*
Wednesday I cooked dinner for a fella. We ate my buffalo chicken and watched some tv. It was his first time to meet my monsters. They were shockingly on their best behavior. Penelope pulled a rag toy out of the toy bin for him to throw for her so they could play fetch. In case you are just tuning in, Penelope is blind. I don't know what got into her, but this wasn't the first time. A few months ago, she pulled the same stunt when LaShaune came over for the first time after we went to see a play. My weird little wonder-pup.
Oh and I finalized my outfit for my half marathon that is this Sunday - the Dallas RnR. *gulp* I'm not ready for it. Someone (me) has allowed her A.D.D. to kick in and distractions have led me astray from my training. Ah well...I'm gonna go out there and do my best and then kick my A.D.D. to the curb for the next two I have lined up in rapid succession. I shall wear a white Nike dri-fit tank, black Nike capris, and a pink Nike hat (the pink hat is in honor of my good friend That Pink Girl who is coming on out to cheer me on).
Last, but not least, I decided it was time for me to leave some emotional crap behind me, so I deleted about 200 emails (a journal of sorts) which I had saved in a special file. These emails spanned across a very painful 2 years for me. I had been torturing myself lately by reading them and felt it healthy to "destroy" them. We can't change the past, that is for sure. It is true we can learn from it, but beating our selves up over it never did anyone any good. I feel a bit cleansed.
At the end of last year, I listed my goal of running 4 half marathons. Yes, 4.
I've since upped it to 6. Yes, 6.
My parents think me nuts. I prolly am, but not for this.
Many of you agree, but there are those out there who do these things like once a month. So, when you compare my measley 6 to...say 12, well I'm not so hands-in-the-air-like-I-just-don't-care cRaZy, now am I?!
What if I were to add one more?
What if that one more were...um...say in August...in the Texas hellish heat?
Then would it be safe to say I've gone completely loony-toony?
Here's my thought process on the matter. I have 3 half marys within 5 weeks - all of which will be completed by 9:30am (PST) May 1st. My next one isn't until October 9th (which I totally officially registered for on Tuesday - yay!). That means I will go 6 months without one. 6 WHOLE MONTHS. I'm pretty sure medals keep me motivated. 6 months of Texas hellish heat...and let's not forget HUMIDITY...without a medal dangling in the distance will make it really hard to stay motivated to keep that mileage rollin', don't ya think? Yes, I do.
So, I did a wee bit of research and found The Hottest Half in Dallas on 8/14. They only promise that "it will be hot" and that I "will survive". Hmmmph...well...it will be hot in Houston and I will survive it as I'm putting in my long run that weekend, so why not visit some friends in the Dallas area and get a medal while doing so?
I mentioned this race to my buddy Melissa a couple of months ago when I first found it during my research. We chuckled at the very notion of it. BUT...it remained lurking in the back of our minds. Could we? Should we? Melissa (clearly the crazier of the two of us) brought it back up to me when we did our 10K this past weekend. Now it's all I think about (slight exaggeration).
I mean they do promise I will survive it...they wouldn't lie, right?!
That Pink Girl is considering this race, too, for what it's worth and we all know she is perfectly sane.
In case you are not in the know, I've decided to do a 30 Day Challenge, only it won't be completed in 30 days cuz I roll down a path less traveled, yo.
I am currently on Day 02 - Where you'd like to be in 10 years.
Do you think this question would be easier answered if you were already married and/or if you had all the children you planned on having? yes? no? maybe so?
I remember back about 9 years ago or so one of my employees asked me where I saw myself in 10 years. I told him it was impossible to answer as I had no way of knowing if I would be single or married, if I would be childless or a mother. He said it shouldn't matter and I begged to differ. Hindsight being 20/20, he was right. It shouldn't have mattered. One can come up with a 10 year dream-self regardless of one's circumstances. I was just a kid then and didn't know better.
The only fair way to answer this is to break up the idea of 10 years into different categories.
Love Life - Please God let me be happily married in 10 years time.
Home - In 7 years, my first and only house will be paid off. I kinda hope to be in a new home in 10 years time. It doesn't have to be new-new, just new to me (the custom built one I've been designing in my head for years would be AMAZING, though...). Of course, if I'm not married, it wouldn't make sense and I would be perfectly content staying in my then paid-off home.
Work - Let's face it, if you know me at all and my work situation, you know that I'm not going anywhere. I would just hope to have even more responsibility and to continue to grow in my skills/confidence/leadership and to better tame the beast that sometimes rears her ugly head.
Health - I will still be on the right path of living a healthy life in mind, body, and spirit. My diet will still follow the guidelines of The South Beach diet. I will still maintain an active lifestyle - focusing on cross training and running. Hopefully I will have multiple marathons under my belt. I better be maintaining my goal weight!!!!
This is my first repeat race EVER and it will be only one of two repeat races that I have scheduled for the year (though, of course, I reserve the right to add to that list as the year progresses).
I had two goals for The Bayou City Classic.
1) PR (last year's time was 1:26:38)
2) Run the entire distance, walking only through the water stations
I did have one friend to run this race with me - Melissa - who, consequently, ran this race with me last year, as well. I love knowing at least one other person running a race. It doesn't matter to me how much faster they are - it's just nice knowing someone else is experiencing the same conditions and that there is a natural built-in support, you know?!
I wish I could say I prepped all week long for this race like a true champion, but sadly...I'd be lying. My diet plan was practically non-existent. I have a bit of insight into my psyche as to why that occurred, though, and I'm working on it so that I can get back on the right track and stay there. My running plan didn't happen. A little birdie barely managed to convince me to hit some minor mileage on Thursday night, but other than that I hadn't done anything since last Saturday's 9-miler. My hydration plan was lacking. I finally got the water thing down on Friday, but that's not saying much when I had caused such a deficit in my system. =/
Enough about my downfalls...onto the recap:
Saturday morning, Melissa and I agreed to meet at my work so we could drive together to the race. We got there VERY early so that we wouldn't have to deal with road closures and all that jazz. It was quite windy, though not really cold. We met up with a couple of her friends and started the race just after 8. My legs felt kind of heavy right from the start. I had some defeatist thoughts come through my head. I fought them. For the first mile, we navigated down town and then we hit Memorial Parkway. I really don't know how they get away with calling the course "flat and fast" because Memorial Parkway is anything but flat. I had forgotten this from last year. =/ I thought about walking up the hills, but then I reminded myself that wasn't what I had set out to do (see goal #2), so I just pumped my arms and carried onward.
There were water stations set-up every 1.5 miles. Initially I had considered skipping the first and third, but since the sun was beating down on us pretty brutally and I could feel the salt caked on my face, I knew I needed to hydrate, so I did walk through all of the water stations. I was happy when I finished drinking my water just past mile 3 and I heard Melissa and her friend shout my name from across the median as they were approaching mile 4 on the opposite side of Memorial Parkway.
I started getting a bit discouraged as I hit the 5th mile marker and realized I was going to be cutting it SUPER close to last year's time. I knew there was one last big hill to conquer and I thought about giving up and just walking the rest of the race - see...total defeatist. I didn't register for this race to give-up on it, though. I pumped my arms hard up that hill. I rounded the corner and saw the 6th mile marker. I looked at my watch and knew I had to high-tail it to have a hope of PRing. I sprinted my heart out. It worked.
I look like a VERY serious runner here.
Official Time: 1:25:50 (48 seconds faster than last year)
Finishing Song: Dead and Gone - TI featuring Justin Timberlake
Melissa and her buddies were there to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line - awesome! I then consumed massive amounts of water and we got our finisher's t-shirts. Then came the swag. Wowsers - check out the loot I got!
Yeah, buddy - I got 3 packs of Shot Bloks, a 5-hour Energy, and many Clif's bars. Sweet!
All in all, a good race, a positive experience, and I was quite proud to say I accomplished both of my goals - a PR and I ran the whole thing, only walking through the water stations.
Lessons learned: eat right, stick to running/training schedule, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate as my actions for the week will affect my performance!
I have been drinking water all week long like I'm being paid a sponsorship to do so. The KIMpossible from 2 years ago would not recognize herself today, that is for sure! As I have mentioned before, I was so THAT girl who could go the entire day without drinking a single beverage. so true. so bad.
I wanted to set myself up mentally and physically for a killah 9-miler, so here's what I did on Friday in preparation for Saturday's run:
1) Carbo loaded - though typically I limit my bread carbs to 2 of my 3 meals, I allowed one with each of my meals. For breakfast, I had a PB&J sammy on whole wheat bread. For lunch, I had a hamburger patty (no bun) with a side of homemade BAKED sweet potato fries (the fries are considered a bread carb on South Beach). For dinner, I bought myself a grilled chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A. Of course there were healthy sidekicks (fruits and/or veggies) with all of these meals.
2) I drank plain water all day long with the exception of the last two 16-oz cups which both had the added bonus of Nuun in them. I figure a little extra electrolytes could only benefit me in the long run.
3) I foam rolled some areas of contention. My calves seem to get tight lately on my runs, so those got foamed out first. My upper back and shoulders are always an issue, so they were foamed out next. For good measure, I finalized the process with my knees only because my left knee has been suffering from some minor runner's knee as of late and I didn't want my right knee to feel left out.
4) I took an Epsom salt bath. That Pink Girl does this before her really long runs. Though 9 may not be considered "really long" by some, for THIS girl at THIS point in the game, it is.
5) I lotioned up my legs and shoulders with this product I remembered I had bought soooo many years ago from Origins for tired legs. Why I could have possibly thought I needed such a product years ago when I lead a relatively inactive lifestyle is beyond me, but I'm thankful I still had the product in my possession and that it still appeared to have its original potency. It had that subtle spa-menthol smell and a definite cooling effect. I figured it was a preventive measure.
6) I had a nice long talk with my monsters (read: my dogs) about how I desperately needed 7 to 8 hours of sleep. I told them how proud I was of them for allowing me the courtesy of 7 straight hours without interruption the night before (Thursday night) and how grateful I would be if they allowed me this privilege once again. I then made sure I did my part by getting my booty to bed at a decent time.
Of course, the best laid plans seem to always be ruined...the dogs woke me up at a ridiculous hour to go potty. So much for our heart-to-heart. I noticed when I put them out that it was drizzling and humid out. great, just great. I wondered if I should postpone my run until Sunday. I decided just to go back to bed. We slept for another hour and then they were STARVING. Poor things...you should really feel sorry for them since we all know how mistreated they are. So, they ate and I decided to go ahead and take my thyroid pill. Then we resumed sleeping. When we woke up again au natural, I made myself a nice breakfast of oatmeal - 1/2 cup of oats, 1 cup of water, 1 TBSP Splenda brown sugar, and an unmeasured amount of cinnamon. Delish! I added a banana and it was the perfect breakfast! I don't like to eat and run, so I hopped onto FB for a while, before gearing up, sayin' my prayers, and heading out.
It was much much cooler than I realized (apparently a cool front came through in between my interrupted sleep), so I felt a bit chilled in my tank and capris, but I knew I would warm up turbo fast. I swung by the ol' mailbox at 2.5 miles for a drink and then resumed my run. I swung by the ol' mailbox at 5 miles for a drink and some Clif's Shot Bloks and then resumed my run. I swung by the ol' mailbox at 6.5 miles for a final drink before heading out to complete my run. I did need to stop and stretch at 7.5 miles because the wind was killing me at this point. It was so gusty that it was making it so hard to run. I then continued on my jaunt to complete my 9 miles. Did you notice I never once mentioned intervals? That's because I didn't do them. My body hates them, I'm sure of it. I decided to forgo them and to just run the mileage and my body responded so much better to this technique.
I expected to be sore and uncomfortable like I was last week when I ran my miserable 8, but I wasn't. I actually feel great. I chalk this up to preparation and prayer, honestly. I'm also proud to announce that 4 out of my 9 miles were completed at a sub-13 pace. This is such an improvement for me. I also managed to take over a minute off of my average pace from last week's 8 miles. How crazy is that?! There is definite improvement in the air, my friends, and that makes this girl VERY happy.
After my run, I showered QUICKLY to get to family lunch. I once again used that tired legs lotion - you know, just in case my legs decided to give me trouble later.
Yay for BJ's Brewhouse and their delicious turkey burger (subbed veggies for the fries, of course)! I also added a side of their chili because I was starving having burnt 1228 calories during my run.
In other HAPPY news, I had to go to an INCONVENIENT Academy to pick-up my race packet for the Bayou City Classic 10K which is on 3/12. Traffic was horrific trying to get there for some reason and I was in a truly foul mood by the time I arrived. I decided to peruse the Clearance Section whilst there and low and behold I found ONE Nike Dri-Fit Tank in my size for $9.88 (normal retail price $36.99). Um..SCORE! That practically made my day.
So...a good weekend and counting! I'm wishing the same for all of you! =)
Saturday I knew that no matter what, come rain or shine, however I tried to spin it, I HAD TO hit 8 miles. Hal Higdon said so, after all, Who am I to argue?! =D Seriously, though, with my half marathon one month away, if I didn't hit 8, I knew I was in BAD shape.
I planned out a route in my head and got down to business doing 5/1 intervals. The first 2 miles seemed effortless. The third mile breezed by. At this point, I started getting cocky. I seriously considered tacking on an extra mile for a grand total of 9. I was, after all, feeling ON TOP OF THE WORLDISH. Mile 4 and still going strong and then eventually I hit the 5.25 mile point and I took a nose dive. This wasn't really all that surprising considering I hadn't run all week AT ALL and that the most I had hit prior to this run in any one jaunt was 6 miles. It took everything in me to finish all 8 and I have to say that the last mile was particularly pathetic. I actually walked most of it as I got a blister on my left heel since my sock had slid down AND I had pain the ball of my left foot (courtesy of wearing heels the night before, I'm thinking) AND then, of course, I had an attack of the charlie horses (my b.f.f.s).
I took off Sunday.
Monday, I got a MUCH needed massage. I have a monthly membership at Massage Envy, but for some reason I forgot to go in January and February...that is, until I couldn't bear it any longer. My friend, and massage therapist, Sarah, worked her best torture techniques on me, but some of those knots are going to require another session, so I booked another appointment for next week. I did feel better, though, leaving than I did going in, so that is progress!
I woke up this morning SO SORE from the release of all the knots in my neck, shoulders, left leg, and upper back. I had hoped to run this morning, but it just wasn't going to happen. I took an Epsom Salt bath instead and then I hydrated with the ol' H2O all day long like it was my job. I'm talking a bajillion gallons, at least.
After a way overdue dinner with my friend Amy, I headed home for that run. In my head I wanted to do 4.5, but I never tweeted or blogged a specific number because had I done that...well...we all know I would have been required to follow through on it. ;) I knew that I wanted to run the mileage outright - no walking and no stopping and I knew that I wanted to feel good about the run.
I mapped out the course in my head and I got down to business.
Here are my stats:
Mile 1: 13:34
Mile 2: 13:10 Mile 3: 12:47
Mile 4: 13:15
Mile 4.5: 13:15/avg
Did you check out Mile 3??? Wowsers (uh...for me...it's all relative, after all)!
Bottom line, my little lamp chops - I felt AMAZING and STRONG - for all 4.5 miles. Well, okay...a bit tired the last mile, but this indicates to me that I should run the Bayou City Classic 10K on March 12th without intervals! This makes me happy.
Oh...I almost forgot to mention that I did run past a house that must have been a "coffee shop" if you catch my drift in the way that Amsterdam has "coffee shops". Oh wow - the wretched pungent smell of "coffee" temporarily filled my lungs as I ran past said house. So, my disclaimer is that I personally did not use any kind of enhancement ... um ... "coffee" for my run (though I'm pretty sure that kind of "coffee" would not be considered a stimulant anyway). Ugh.
I have never had a week day run feel this good, not to mention this is the most I have ever run in a weekday (4.25 miles was my previous best). A run like this restores confidence. A run like this rocks my world!
What do I think lead to this accomplishment? I freed my mind of all things cluttering it. I released my body of all tension. I was properly hydrated (for once). I told myself, "you've got this!"
So, let's hope Thursday's run is just as dandy and that these two runs shall lead me to a FANTASTIC 9 miler on Saturday!
May you, too, have your best Run EVER or the equivalent in whatever area of life you've been struggling with!
It's March, y'all! Spring is in the air...well I suppose it's been in the air since we've been dealing with some HUMID conditions and some upper 70 to mid 80 weather for a couple of weeks now. Today is a beautiful day, though, so I choose to focus on that!
Now the really cool thing is that I did the Bayou City Classic race last year, so how fun to have an opportunity to PR on the exact same race! This will be the first of only two races I will be repeating this year. I make no guarantees on the PR, though, as my running has been questionable at best coming off this injury. I've had only a handful of decent runs, but...I'm not giving up!
I signed up for the Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half on October 10th (while in Scottsdale, AZ for my cousin's wedding) since I had a coupon code for saving $20. Note - this was before The Houston Half hurt me, so I don't have any great expectations for this race either - JUST TO FINISH. It would be really great to finish with a better time than my Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half, though....just sayin'. It's doable, but I'm trying not to set myself up for disappointment if it doesn't happen because...well...it's been a rough road getting back in the game. It's especially awesome knowing I will be running the course with two of my friends - Melissa and Rachel! I'm also excited to drive up to Dallas - I'm staying with a friend of mine I haven't seen in over 2 years, Julie. I will get to meet her 1 year old, too! I have some other friends in Dallas I would love to see while I'm out there (if you want to meet up - let me know)! And of course, there is That Pink Girl (recent Ultra marathon finisher ---- so proud of her!) - don't you just love how you can make real life friends out of blog buddies?! Can't wait to see her!
March = March Madness! The last few years I've been INCREDIBLY lucky at work and made some money having no background on any of the teams at all! So fun! All of my employees and fellow co-workers get so jealous of my mad skillz. awesome.
March means St. Patrick's Day! The funny thing is I never really do anything to celebrate, but I like to claim my 1/8 Irish Heritege, so there you go!
March also brings my birthday! I'm trying to piece together my wish list. I know I definitely want a good (read: expensive) set of earphones for my iPod. I've had this big struggle lately. When I put the cord behind me, my sweat makes it stick to the back of my neck which pulls on the cord driving me nuts. When I put the cord in front of me, sometimes I don't pin it right with my shuffle and there are issues. I don't need these kind of distractions. This is the set I'm currently eyeing - Sennheiser Adidas PMX 680i Sports Headset. Does anyone have them? Thoughts? I also know I want a renewal of my Runner's World subscription - love that magazine!
I've yet to hit my monthly mileage goals, so hopefully March will be the month! The plan is 50 and it starts TODAY!
