Ok, so I got up early today for my run (Day 1 Week 1 OHR). By the time I fiddled with the Garmin, trying to figure out how to manually calibrate it, which I didn't, it was 5:40 am before I hit the 'mill. We have the wake to go to this evening so I had to do this morning run, but I'm starting to like this early bird thing so I'm good with this.
Anyway, first I couldn't calibrate the Garmin so after 30 minutes, I think it says I ran 9 miles ha ha...HARD-LY. Then I made SURE I saved my workout this time, which I did. But then I'm getting 'Data Transfer Failed' errors on my PC. I can see that the computer is connecting to my watch, because it says 'connecting with 'Cyn's Garmin', but the data doesn't transfer.
Then when I try to view the data on the watch in History mode, I don't see any heart rate info, pace info, calories burned - nothin? All it says is this:
Start 5:40
AveLap 30'00"
Lap 1 30;00"
Run 1 9.23 (what is this?)
Those are the only stats I see in History Mode for 'Run 1'
So - something is not set up right somewhere - either the communication between my watch and the wireless antenna that plugs in to my USB port, or something between the ANT+ and my PC. I've double checked everything on the watch and on the PC, and now I'm afraid I'm going to have to do a soft reset and just start it all over again.
The only thing I think I missed is during the first upload, the Garmin Connect site is supposed to open and I'm supposed to enter my log in info, and that never happened.
I will figure it out eventually but I am very surprised at how difficult this has been? I feel like all the setup steps were laid out backwards or something and somehow I missed something somewhere. I am actually pretty tech savy, considering my employment ha ha. I am failing miserably at this though!
By the way, I did have a truly great run and did manage to keep an eye on my heart rate which averaged around 145 - 150. The 80% of my max rate is 143, so that's where I tried to keep it. However, by doing that, I covered much less in terms of distance - so that does tell me I've been working hard! More like 80-90% of my max heart rate. In any case, 30 minutes gets easier each time and doesn't seem so 'long' anymore.
If I can just figure out the Garmin I'd be a happy girl! ;-)
Edited later: Look what I find on the Garmin site today (Now I don't feel so clueless ha ha, but I still can't transfer my data):
Question: Why does it fail when I try sending data to Garmin Connect?
Answer:
The Garmin Connect website is still being developed and we are aware of some issues which are being worked on. Once we have merged our old MotionBased website over to the new Garmin Connect website, you will have access to all of the features and the data transfer issue you are experiencing will be resolved. We expect the Garmin Connect site to be fully operational by Autumn 2008.
In the mean time you can use our free Training Centre software which can be downloaded here: http://www8.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=999-99999-04
Last modified on: 09/11/2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
I'm a C25K Grad!
I've been 'MIA' for a few days, but just a lot of 'life' goin on I guess and this is my first opportunity to post. Chris has had a rough couple of days, poor kid...he had to miss the Homecoming Dance last night. He really didn't realize it until this morning, but he was so out of it yesterday that I'm sure it never crossed his mind. Let's just say, it bothered us more than him. He's been doing pretty well - seems to be on an 'every other weekend' cycle of seizure activity, and hopefully I'll hear from the neuro office tomorrow on a med increase, which I believe is in order at this point.
Also learned of the sudden loss of a close family friend Friday, and this week is going to be a little rough - especially for my husband. (It was his best friend's brother) These things are not easy for anyone of course...but I don't do well with wakes and funerals, mostly because I can't bear to see others in such deep pain and suffering such a loss. I can handle my own sadness in my own way, but to see others grieve is so hard and I never know quite what to say/do.
This is not meant to be a 'depressing' post though! (Just sharing the 'life' stuff really!)
With Chris down and out, I did not do my final C25K run yesterday, but I did do it this morning - WITH my new Garmin (yes!) AND I hit the road outside too, which was very cool! So I'm officially a C25K 'graduate' and feel really very very good about this accomplishment! My 'graduation' picture is posted to the left. So for anyone currently working through the C25K program, or thinking about it....trust me when I say, it is a very manageable program for beginners, and you will definitely see some results over 9 weeks. I am very pleased, and looking forward to moving on to One Hour Running now. For the next 3 weeks, the plan calls for 30 minute runs, 3X's a week. Which I am fine with sticking here for a bit, because I don't feel 'ready' to add more time yet.
So - a few thoughts on the Garmin....first of all, just a side story here....when my husband purchased it at Best Buy Wednesday evening, the clerk somehow ran his card FIVE TIMES. Yes, FIVE. Well if you use debit/credit cards, you know that the funds are immediately 'taken' from your bank account. In our case....the 'purchase' of FIVE Garmins in one day literally cleaned out our checking account! All was not 'corrected' until over night Friday - so let's just say, it was an interesting 48 hours on top of everything else going on around here! :-) But I lived to tell you about it, so all is well.
I found the Garmin user guide a little 'clunky' and 'brief' - especially with regard to downloading the software to the computer and installing drivers etc. I managed to fumble through it, but the user guide makes it seem MUCH more simple than it really was. I ended up downloading Garmin Connect AND some 'trainer' program - I'm not sure I need both or what, but I plan to use the Connect program for now. If any Garmin users can shed any clarification on this, do share! I couldn't tell if I got what I needed half the time...there were a lot of things like 'communicator plugin' and drivers etc. that were not mentioned in the user guide.
Once I got it all figured out on the computer (sort of), I hit the road, and as is typical for my outside runs, it was still tough compared to the treadmill. I took two 45 second walk breaks in 30 minutes. Breathing is an ISSUE for me outside. It was cool checking my heart rate and stuff, which averaged around 155 or so for the duration - I did get up to 162 (my max heart rate is 179). My pace was averaging something crazy like 17 minute miles, so I think I need to calibrate the foot pod. On the treadmill I was manually calculating somewhere around 12:30 - 14:00 miles. Not that it really matters right now, but it's a good gage to measure improvement.
I don't have any fun little charts or maps to display from my Garmin today - why? Because after I pressed 'Stop' at the end of the run, I didn't know I had to 'press and hold the lap/reset button to save your workout'. UGH, here I was at the computer almost 1/2 hour trying to figure out why my data wasn't transferring and here my History was 'empty'. Live and learn I guess! Now I know, right?
So my goal for the next 4 weeks is to run outside as much as possible, and try to improve the distance I cover in 30 minutes. My first 5K is on October 25th. I was going to do one on the 19th, but then I found this 'Great Pumpkin' type race along Lake Erie that seemed more fun, and it's a charity race for a couple of local organizations that I'm familiar with.
I got some gift cards for my birthday so had fun shopping at Target last night for some running clothes. I am not ready to brave running 'tights' yet ha ha, and opted for a little 'loser' fit running capri for fall running. Also got a fitness ball to use for my strength training - need to work the core a bit more!
Now I'm off to blow up the ball, which I hope will be be a little more simplistic then getting the Garmin up and running!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Also learned of the sudden loss of a close family friend Friday, and this week is going to be a little rough - especially for my husband. (It was his best friend's brother) These things are not easy for anyone of course...but I don't do well with wakes and funerals, mostly because I can't bear to see others in such deep pain and suffering such a loss. I can handle my own sadness in my own way, but to see others grieve is so hard and I never know quite what to say/do.
This is not meant to be a 'depressing' post though! (Just sharing the 'life' stuff really!)
With Chris down and out, I did not do my final C25K run yesterday, but I did do it this morning - WITH my new Garmin (yes!) AND I hit the road outside too, which was very cool! So I'm officially a C25K 'graduate' and feel really very very good about this accomplishment! My 'graduation' picture is posted to the left. So for anyone currently working through the C25K program, or thinking about it....trust me when I say, it is a very manageable program for beginners, and you will definitely see some results over 9 weeks. I am very pleased, and looking forward to moving on to One Hour Running now. For the next 3 weeks, the plan calls for 30 minute runs, 3X's a week. Which I am fine with sticking here for a bit, because I don't feel 'ready' to add more time yet.
So - a few thoughts on the Garmin....first of all, just a side story here....when my husband purchased it at Best Buy Wednesday evening, the clerk somehow ran his card FIVE TIMES. Yes, FIVE. Well if you use debit/credit cards, you know that the funds are immediately 'taken' from your bank account. In our case....the 'purchase' of FIVE Garmins in one day literally cleaned out our checking account! All was not 'corrected' until over night Friday - so let's just say, it was an interesting 48 hours on top of everything else going on around here! :-) But I lived to tell you about it, so all is well.
I found the Garmin user guide a little 'clunky' and 'brief' - especially with regard to downloading the software to the computer and installing drivers etc. I managed to fumble through it, but the user guide makes it seem MUCH more simple than it really was. I ended up downloading Garmin Connect AND some 'trainer' program - I'm not sure I need both or what, but I plan to use the Connect program for now. If any Garmin users can shed any clarification on this, do share! I couldn't tell if I got what I needed half the time...there were a lot of things like 'communicator plugin' and drivers etc. that were not mentioned in the user guide.
Once I got it all figured out on the computer (sort of), I hit the road, and as is typical for my outside runs, it was still tough compared to the treadmill. I took two 45 second walk breaks in 30 minutes. Breathing is an ISSUE for me outside. It was cool checking my heart rate and stuff, which averaged around 155 or so for the duration - I did get up to 162 (my max heart rate is 179). My pace was averaging something crazy like 17 minute miles, so I think I need to calibrate the foot pod. On the treadmill I was manually calculating somewhere around 12:30 - 14:00 miles. Not that it really matters right now, but it's a good gage to measure improvement.
I don't have any fun little charts or maps to display from my Garmin today - why? Because after I pressed 'Stop' at the end of the run, I didn't know I had to 'press and hold the lap/reset button to save your workout'. UGH, here I was at the computer almost 1/2 hour trying to figure out why my data wasn't transferring and here my History was 'empty'. Live and learn I guess! Now I know, right?
So my goal for the next 4 weeks is to run outside as much as possible, and try to improve the distance I cover in 30 minutes. My first 5K is on October 25th. I was going to do one on the 19th, but then I found this 'Great Pumpkin' type race along Lake Erie that seemed more fun, and it's a charity race for a couple of local organizations that I'm familiar with.
I got some gift cards for my birthday so had fun shopping at Target last night for some running clothes. I am not ready to brave running 'tights' yet ha ha, and opted for a little 'loser' fit running capri for fall running. Also got a fitness ball to use for my strength training - need to work the core a bit more!
Now I'm off to blow up the ball, which I hope will be be a little more simplistic then getting the Garmin up and running!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to me! I usually don't make a big fuss over my birthday. I'm not generally in to being the center of attention, not one for big blow out celebrations, and typically do a lot of 'quiet reflection' over the past year.
This year is a little different. No big blow out party planned or anything like that, but I am celebrating LOUDLY on the inside! My boss joked today and said 'this is when your candles start going out'. My response to that was, 'honey, the way I see it, my candles are just getting LIT!'
I got up early for my 30 minute run today - on the treadmill. It was great - Tuesday's run is history. One of my favorite songs to run to is Keith Urban's 'Somebody Like You'. The opening verse says it all:
'There's a new wind blowin like I've never known, I'm breathing deeper than I've never known. And it sure feels good, to finally feel the way I do...."
During the run this morning I was thinking about some of my thoughts early in the C25K program, and made a note to read back on some of my 'first running' posts. Some of this stuff is great:
"Did I mention I am so NOT a runner? I have never run in my life. I have never been an athlete."
"It is so easy for me to say 'I can't do this' when I think about training for a 5K. Am I nuts? I have said I am NOT a runner...this is new, scary territory for me. I have been thinking about doing this for over a YEAR and fear of failing has kept me from taking the leap to just try it and see what happens."
"I'm happy to say I got through the first workout and (obviously) lived to tell about it! It was the perfect starting level for me, not too easy (lord no!), but just challenging enough"
"Well, I got through the first week of C25K! I couldn't be more pleased with myself! As I was falling asleep last night, I couldn't help but reflect on how much I accomplished by just 24 minutes of running."
"I started Week 2 C25K today, which increases the running intervals to 90 seconds, with a 2 minute recovery walk. (love that ha!) Of course this was the first thing on my mind when I opened my eyes this morning...'will I be able to do this'?"
"I felt a little fatigued today. Interesting how my days off from running are a bit of a downer!"
"I knew there would be days like this, so the important thing is that I did not quit"
"Next weeks' workouts have three minute runs....again I have the nagging doubts that I can seriously DO that..."
"I feel closer to a 'real' runner now that I can swing more than a 90 second jog!" (*snicker*)
"The best part of finishing Week 4 is that on the last 5 minute run, I just kept going, and ended up finishing up with an 8 minute interval!"
"It was only Thursday that I did the 8 minute runs with the 3 minute walk in between - I found it difficult to comprehend how I could possibly do 20 minutes straight! "But I did it!"
"Someday I will look back on this post and smile I'm sure...because I know I will only get better as time goes on!"
Yes, it is a great day for me. I am happy that I've come as far as I have in just 9 weeks. This is the first birthday in a long time that I truly look forward to good things in the next year of my life - and beyond!
For now, I am looking forward to hangin with my fam this evening and a fun weekend ahead with friends and family. There is truly much to be grateful for and I plan to celebrate!
Cheers All!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
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Wednesday Weigh-In and Learning To Change Gears
To get the business of the day done - still no change on the scale over last week! I will say that this week has been pretty erratic in terms of day to day fluctuations, to include being up to 157 on Sunday, but, I am happy to say, I've settled back down to where I was - so at least no 'official' gain to report. I feel confident that things will start to move again, because the numbers were bouncing today and I saw 152 briefly lol, so maybe that's a good sign. The scale settled at 153 so that is my official weight (again) for this weigh in. Also, down another 1/4" in the hips - so THAT is reassuring too!
I've been doing great with the food tracking so far this week- it seems portion size is my point of pain at the moment, but even that is not SO bad. I am being very conscious of getting in my 'five a day' fruits/veges. I love that Clementines are in season - delicious! Juicy, sweet - only 35 calories! I eat one every afternoon at my desk and it fills me up! (I could eat two they are so good) I have a little stash of 12 almonds at the ready in my desk, just for that day when a piece of fruit doesn't quite cut it for a snack. That is just 1/2 a full serving by the way...no more leaving the whole can in my desk!
Overall, I am pretty much 'over' the scale stuff...it is a very small part of The Big Picture after all. I know it will eventually start moving again, my job is to continue what I am doing, continually evaluate and tweak where needed, and just trust in the process overall!
Now, my first run for Week 9 C25K last night did not quite go as planned. It started yesterday afternoon at my desk, when I was suddenly hit with the Stomach Issues that consistently seem to plague me at or about the time I ovulate. Crazy but true....I will even go so far as to say that I 'suffer' more ovulation symptoms than I do PMS! I feel sick, tired, crabby and irritable. This can last 2-3 days! I reviewed my food log for the day, and nothing jumps out at me as a culprit for causing such discomforting symptoms (let's just call it.... BLOAT) Of course I also planned to run outside as well - which the last run I did outside was a hard one for all these same reasons, so I got a bit frustrated. Walked to the drugstore for a break and got some Titralac which helped things. (swear by that stuff!)
I also had a bit of stress at work yesterday and then craziness as soon as I got home from work, so that, coupled with not feeling well- would have been enough for me to say, forget the run today.
But, I didn't want to be that easily defeated! I still headed to the track last night for a 'work-out-my-frustration' run. My stomach was feeling better - not great, but I felt like I could run. Well, I ran a mile in 12 minutes...and hit a wall. This was the first time in 9 weeks that I could not self-talk my way through the discomfort. It just wasn't happening! So I walked a lap, and ran again, walked, ran, walked, ran etc. It was still good! The workout sort of evolved into a classic 'track workout' - I did sprints and intervals combined with fast walking. It was not overly organized, I just did what my body felt like it could do at each moment. The sprints were awesome - my form felt good, I felt almost, um, athletic? I still worked up a heart pounding sweat - but I had this breathing issue again, which really seems to hit me outside. Not sure if it's the air in general or the smell of the track? Because of the excess 'air' in my stomach - maybe that impeded my ability to get good quality breaths? Who knows. I still worked the track for 35 minutes and even ran the bleachers at the end - I could only do 3 sprints up/down before my quads started screaming, so it will be fun to see improvement there. Maybe next time I can do 5?
So, even though I was a little disappointed I could not do 30 minutes of slow sustained running yesterday, I still got a great workout in and am proud that I could 'adapt' to the circumstances of the day. I feel I've been so focused on 'Following The Plan As Written' and thus, will beat myself up if I have to miss a day, or modify. Yesterday I gave myself permission to modify and it worked out great. I definitely need to practice more running outside - that is for sure! Thursday might be a better run, I may throw in an extra 30 minute slow run on Sunday to sort of 'make up' for yesterday...we'll see how it goes! At least my 'official' workout schedule calls for 30 minute runs for the next 4 weeks, so I'm sure (hope) over the next month, my endurance will improve before I start increasing again towards One Hour Running.
I also did my upper body workout while watching Biggest Loser, so it felt good to check that off as well!
So I guess overall, I'm learning to take the good with the 'bad' in this journey. Maybe I'm a little slow getting there, but I have much to look back on over the last 8 weeks to pat myself on the back for!
I've been doing great with the food tracking so far this week- it seems portion size is my point of pain at the moment, but even that is not SO bad. I am being very conscious of getting in my 'five a day' fruits/veges. I love that Clementines are in season - delicious! Juicy, sweet - only 35 calories! I eat one every afternoon at my desk and it fills me up! (I could eat two they are so good) I have a little stash of 12 almonds at the ready in my desk, just for that day when a piece of fruit doesn't quite cut it for a snack. That is just 1/2 a full serving by the way...no more leaving the whole can in my desk!
Overall, I am pretty much 'over' the scale stuff...it is a very small part of The Big Picture after all. I know it will eventually start moving again, my job is to continue what I am doing, continually evaluate and tweak where needed, and just trust in the process overall!
Now, my first run for Week 9 C25K last night did not quite go as planned. It started yesterday afternoon at my desk, when I was suddenly hit with the Stomach Issues that consistently seem to plague me at or about the time I ovulate. Crazy but true....I will even go so far as to say that I 'suffer' more ovulation symptoms than I do PMS! I feel sick, tired, crabby and irritable. This can last 2-3 days! I reviewed my food log for the day, and nothing jumps out at me as a culprit for causing such discomforting symptoms (let's just call it.... BLOAT) Of course I also planned to run outside as well - which the last run I did outside was a hard one for all these same reasons, so I got a bit frustrated. Walked to the drugstore for a break and got some Titralac which helped things. (swear by that stuff!)
I also had a bit of stress at work yesterday and then craziness as soon as I got home from work, so that, coupled with not feeling well- would have been enough for me to say, forget the run today.
But, I didn't want to be that easily defeated! I still headed to the track last night for a 'work-out-my-frustration' run. My stomach was feeling better - not great, but I felt like I could run. Well, I ran a mile in 12 minutes...and hit a wall. This was the first time in 9 weeks that I could not self-talk my way through the discomfort. It just wasn't happening! So I walked a lap, and ran again, walked, ran, walked, ran etc. It was still good! The workout sort of evolved into a classic 'track workout' - I did sprints and intervals combined with fast walking. It was not overly organized, I just did what my body felt like it could do at each moment. The sprints were awesome - my form felt good, I felt almost, um, athletic? I still worked up a heart pounding sweat - but I had this breathing issue again, which really seems to hit me outside. Not sure if it's the air in general or the smell of the track? Because of the excess 'air' in my stomach - maybe that impeded my ability to get good quality breaths? Who knows. I still worked the track for 35 minutes and even ran the bleachers at the end - I could only do 3 sprints up/down before my quads started screaming, so it will be fun to see improvement there. Maybe next time I can do 5?
So, even though I was a little disappointed I could not do 30 minutes of slow sustained running yesterday, I still got a great workout in and am proud that I could 'adapt' to the circumstances of the day. I feel I've been so focused on 'Following The Plan As Written' and thus, will beat myself up if I have to miss a day, or modify. Yesterday I gave myself permission to modify and it worked out great. I definitely need to practice more running outside - that is for sure! Thursday might be a better run, I may throw in an extra 30 minute slow run on Sunday to sort of 'make up' for yesterday...we'll see how it goes! At least my 'official' workout schedule calls for 30 minute runs for the next 4 weeks, so I'm sure (hope) over the next month, my endurance will improve before I start increasing again towards One Hour Running.
I also did my upper body workout while watching Biggest Loser, so it felt good to check that off as well!
So I guess overall, I'm learning to take the good with the 'bad' in this journey. Maybe I'm a little slow getting there, but I have much to look back on over the last 8 weeks to pat myself on the back for!
Monday, September 22, 2008
A Garmin on the Horizon, Yessss!
All is well today! I had a kick butt workout yesterday, finished Week 8 with a 28 minute run very comfortably and then did an upper body workout that actually has me a little sore today which is nice! Today I've got my old 'home made' WW log out and I'm tracking on it at my desk at work. My very first 'ding ding ding' moment came this morning as I bagged up some Kashi Heart to Heart cereal for part of my breakfast. I actually measured out the 3/4 cup serving size and my first thought was 'that's it? that's all I get?' . Guess what, I've been dumping TWICE that(if not more) in a baggie on most days! That's an extra 110 calories a day, 550 calories per week! Oi vey...makes me wonder what other little surprises are in store for me this week.
Another really cool thing - last night while skimming through the Sunday ads after dinner, I came across my birthday present. On sale at Best Buy....the Garmin Forerunner 50 with heart monitor and foot pod, for $149.99! That's 50 bucks off...I cut it out and gave it to the hubby and said 'put this in your wallet and take it to Best Buy'.
I think this model has everything I need....there was a Polar watch I've had my eye on, but the $229 price tag is a bit steep. If anyone has any opinions or other suggestions - feel free to share. I want something that monitors heart rate, pace, distance etc.
I decided to pass on the Cleveland Heroes run yesterday. For starters, it was a two mile 'fun run' and then the 5 mile race. I decided to stick with my original 5K plan....yes I can run two miles, but I don't know....I'm on this path to my first race as a 5K, not a two mile fun run. Not that there's anything wrong with that either...I just wanted to stick with my plan I guess.
Here's to a good week for everyone!
Another really cool thing - last night while skimming through the Sunday ads after dinner, I came across my birthday present. On sale at Best Buy....the Garmin Forerunner 50 with heart monitor and foot pod, for $149.99! That's 50 bucks off...I cut it out and gave it to the hubby and said 'put this in your wallet and take it to Best Buy'.
I think this model has everything I need....there was a Polar watch I've had my eye on, but the $229 price tag is a bit steep. If anyone has any opinions or other suggestions - feel free to share. I want something that monitors heart rate, pace, distance etc.
I decided to pass on the Cleveland Heroes run yesterday. For starters, it was a two mile 'fun run' and then the 5 mile race. I decided to stick with my original 5K plan....yes I can run two miles, but I don't know....I'm on this path to my first race as a 5K, not a two mile fun run. Not that there's anything wrong with that either...I just wanted to stick with my plan I guess.
Here's to a good week for everyone!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Hey Cyn, What's with the 'tude?
My week started out great and went progressively down hill - I have been crabby the last couple of days! I had to do my Week 8 Day 2 run Friday after work since I had other commitments Thursday evening. Friday is usually a day off for me so it felt 'odd' - I almost felt resentful (?) that I had to run? I was in such a 'mood'. This week has been strange over all for me, a lot on my mind and a lot just going on in general. So I literally had to force myself to do the run - it's wierd how some days I look forward to it, and once in awhile, I don't? Maybe because running is still 'hard' - I'm not effortlessly running out the door each day for a pleasant, enjoyable run ha ha. I keep reminding myself, it's only been 2 months. Two months after a few years of relative inactivity. What exactly do I expect beyond what I've already accomplished? I have to keep myself in check here - something else I have discovered about myself lately, I set the bar way too high sometimes for myself, and I am way too hard on myself if I don't 'do it well' every time. I can make excellent progress - and I have, but then I think - it's not good enough. I think I need to be doing MORE, and my body is just not there yet and then I get impatient with myself.
Anyway, I got the run done and felt good afterwards of course - that's how it always goes! I was having stomach issues so it wasn't the most comfortable run (not 'SWEET' by any means) but I got it done. Again, this little 'tude I had about it really frustrates me after the fact. I LOVE running, I think about running all the time...so what's with the 'tude on Friday?
I have my W8D3 run today and a strength training workout to do...another area where I was big 'slacker' this week. So this week is all about regrouping and checking the attitude at the door so to speak. All of my workouts are written in my planner, including strength training and walking on my non-running days. (Another area of slackness this week *ugh*)
Since the scale is still 'stuck', my goal for this week is to go back to basics in terms of the nutrition side of things. I will be a good WW and log all my food and track my points and watch my portion sizes so that I can see where I might be slackin'. I'm fairly certain my downfall is in the portion sizes (well and, ahem, nuts....). I've made some slight changes over the last couple of weeks...like switching from 2% to skim milk for my coffee, and having fruit instead of Baked Lays at lunch - just small things like that. But, there must be somewhere else I can tweak, so I have to track in order to see where that is. Wouldn't it be great if I find I'm not eating ENOUGH? Ha - not likely but one can hope right?
Hope everyone has a great week!
Anyway, I got the run done and felt good afterwards of course - that's how it always goes! I was having stomach issues so it wasn't the most comfortable run (not 'SWEET' by any means) but I got it done. Again, this little 'tude I had about it really frustrates me after the fact. I LOVE running, I think about running all the time...so what's with the 'tude on Friday?
I have my W8D3 run today and a strength training workout to do...another area where I was big 'slacker' this week. So this week is all about regrouping and checking the attitude at the door so to speak. All of my workouts are written in my planner, including strength training and walking on my non-running days. (Another area of slackness this week *ugh*)
Since the scale is still 'stuck', my goal for this week is to go back to basics in terms of the nutrition side of things. I will be a good WW and log all my food and track my points and watch my portion sizes so that I can see where I might be slackin'. I'm fairly certain my downfall is in the portion sizes (well and, ahem, nuts....). I've made some slight changes over the last couple of weeks...like switching from 2% to skim milk for my coffee, and having fruit instead of Baked Lays at lunch - just small things like that. But, there must be somewhere else I can tweak, so I have to track in order to see where that is. Wouldn't it be great if I find I'm not eating ENOUGH? Ha - not likely but one can hope right?
Hope everyone has a great week!
Friday, September 19, 2008
A Confession and Looking Ahead
Well, two days since weigh in and the scale is still not budging. I keep saying I'm not going to let it get to me, but guess what? It's getting to me...a little. I do not want to be a 'large, fit runner'. I want to be a 'slim, fit runner'. I am realizing this is a 'danger zone' in weight loss. This is when one could say 'f-it', I can't lose, so I may as well eat! I'm not quite to this point, but yesterday I slipped up big time.
NO - I did not succumb to my old M&M addiction, so that is good news. But I did eat way more than one serving of Planters Nutrition Mix for Energy. Way WAY more. Ok, nuts are good for you, healthy oils and all that...but also high in calories, high in fat - so in MODERATION, they are one of the top 5 healthy snacks of all time. MODERATION is the operative word here...and I just kept mindlessly munching away at my desk yesterday afternoon. Part of it was my 'scale turmoil' in the back of my mind, and added to that was an emotional eating component. Consequently, I literally binged on nuts. It could have been much worse - see Barbie there in a much more precarious situation ha ha.
I have some restlessness going on at work that I'm working through and yesterday was just one of those days when things started to click in my mind and I started some 're-evaluating' and thinking ahead. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I work with great people in a wonderful environment - it's just that some of my day to day work is becoming a bit 'schlep-like' and I'm craving 'newness', or something...more to come on that another time.
I almost wasn't even going to blog my little nut mishap, but this is a natural part of this journey...sometimes we fail in order to learn and move on to success. So move on I will, today is another day. I also did not run last night, nor could I wake up this morning to do it, but I have been feeling a little tired this week, and I think my body needed an extra rest day from the increased running times? I will do it this evening, and Sunday - so I'm still good for the week.
In moving on, I have some plans in place now in terms of the physical aspect of my journey. By next weekend, I will complete C25K. This is really a great gift to myself for my 41st birthday, which is next Thursday. I have my 'last' C25K run on Saturday the 27th, so I'm pretty excited about that! My first 5K will be on October 19th - a little local race in my community. And then on Thanksgiving, I hope to run a Turkey Trot 5 K in Virginia where we will be visiting family for the holiday.
(Be warned, the following may sound a little 'manic' but it's all good, really)
STarting the week of 9/29 though, I will be moving on to the One Hour Running program, which goes for 10 weeks. By December 6th, I should be able to run for one hour straight. I can't imagine.....
For the rest of December, I plan to simply RUN, whatever I can get in, at least 3 times a week. I'm not going to follow a training schedule other than, just run. It's going to give my body a 'rest' of sorts, and with the holidays and all the craziness of December, this is a good time to step away from training plans. If the OHR program takes me longer than 10 weeks, I've got December as carryover for that if needed, otherwise, I will Just Run.
Then, moving on to January, I am going to start a 10K training plan that runs for 12 weeks. That will take me to about the end of March 09, or into April depending on how the training goes (repeating weeks? injury? ) I've got a nice cushion of time built in here so that I am good and ready to run my first 10K - The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, 1/2 Marathon & 10K on May 17th, 2009! *gasp* Who would of thunk it?! I haven't even gotten to the first 5K yet and I'm already planning the next distance. (**side note, if any of the techie people out there can tell me how to get the picture/countdown from the Cleveland Marathon site to my blog, I'd be forever grateful!)
In the spring while working on the 10K training, I will do some 5K races as part of the training. I also plan to join a running club in April, NEOFit looks like a small personable group and a good fit for me. They have a six month marathon training season (full and half) that works towards participation in the big fall races. It costs $100 (cha-ching, investment) but I think that is money well-spent. I will be preparing for a 1/2 marathon which will be the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October 09 where I hope to meet up with one of my newest Blog Friends and well, anyone else that we can grab (drag) along the way!
Any more experienced runners out there can feel free to knock me down a notch if any of this seems remotely unreasonable! But everything I've read about training for 10K's requires a 6 month base of just endurance building, which is exactly what I am doing with C25K and One Hour Running. So I'll have that covered. So I think a 10K by May 09 is reasonable as long as I stay healthy. That is still 8 months away after all. And the 1/2 marathon is just over one year away - so that is attainable, right? It suddenly occurs to me that I will be 42 years old when I run the 1/2 Marathon in Detroit next year, and it will be the one year mark since running my first 5K. Wow. How cool will that be?
How can I let a little over-indulgence of nuts get me down when I have all this great stuff to look forward to?
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wednesday Weigh-In and a SWEET run!
I am completely ok with this, but I never thought it would take me TWO MONTHS to lose 10 pounds. SHEESH! But I really am ok with it. Basically the whole month so far I've been hovering at 153/154.
To evaluate, I think there are two things going on here. First, I'm probably eating 'too much'. It's not so much WHAT I eat, but maybe I need to be more aware of the quantity, as well as maybe tweak some my choices? The running makes me hungry on some days, but not to the point where I feel like I've gone out of control.
The other factor is the strength training. I started using 8lb dumbells for my strength training, which I'm still only doing twice a week, but I also can literally see the muscles forming, in addition to what's developing in my legs too! So I know I'm building muscle. Now that I've started burning more calories per run, I'm hoping the scale will start to move a little bit for me.
But here is where I can measure the best progress: So far this month (2 weeks), I've lost an inch & 1/2 , the majority of which comes from my hips/thighs, so I'm quite happy with that! Overall, in just two months, I have whittle away 6.5" ! It breaks down like this:
Bust: - 1"
Waist: - 1.5"
Hips: - 2" (sweet!)
Thighs - 1"
Arms - 3/4"
Neck - 1/2"
To make it even sweeter, imagine my surprise when I happened to look back to my old tracking log back to February this year. Since then I have lost 2.5" from my bust, 3" from the waist, 2.5" from the hips, two inches from the thighs! That is a total of TEN INCHES. Ten inches, and (drum roll please) 18 pounds. That first 10 or so pounds was some start/stops with Weight Watchers, my accident aftermath etc.
So I have to stay focused on the big picture here. I am shrinking, there's no doubt about that. My body is changing, my mind is stronger....sometimes I consider ditching the scale altogether, but I'm ok with what's going on here, so there's no need to get all dramatic ha ha.
Last night? The Sweetest Run EVER...my scheduled 28 minutes turned out to be 29.5 minutes because I was jammin on the iPod and didn't want to stop until the song was over. When I pulled the towel off the treadmill console, I was SO jazzed to see that I had gone longer, and probably would have been able to do more. I burned 315 calories and 100 fat calories. This week is shaping up to be a lot better than last week!
Now if only I could go spend a week at the Biggest Loser Ranch and drop the remaining 23 pounds in ONE WEEK......but that's another post!
To evaluate, I think there are two things going on here. First, I'm probably eating 'too much'. It's not so much WHAT I eat, but maybe I need to be more aware of the quantity, as well as maybe tweak some my choices? The running makes me hungry on some days, but not to the point where I feel like I've gone out of control.
The other factor is the strength training. I started using 8lb dumbells for my strength training, which I'm still only doing twice a week, but I also can literally see the muscles forming, in addition to what's developing in my legs too! So I know I'm building muscle. Now that I've started burning more calories per run, I'm hoping the scale will start to move a little bit for me.
But here is where I can measure the best progress: So far this month (2 weeks), I've lost an inch & 1/2 , the majority of which comes from my hips/thighs, so I'm quite happy with that! Overall, in just two months, I have whittle away 6.5" ! It breaks down like this:
Bust: - 1"
Waist: - 1.5"
Hips: - 2" (sweet!)
Thighs - 1"
Arms - 3/4"
Neck - 1/2"
To make it even sweeter, imagine my surprise when I happened to look back to my old tracking log back to February this year. Since then I have lost 2.5" from my bust, 3" from the waist, 2.5" from the hips, two inches from the thighs! That is a total of TEN INCHES. Ten inches, and (drum roll please) 18 pounds. That first 10 or so pounds was some start/stops with Weight Watchers, my accident aftermath etc.
So I have to stay focused on the big picture here. I am shrinking, there's no doubt about that. My body is changing, my mind is stronger....sometimes I consider ditching the scale altogether, but I'm ok with what's going on here, so there's no need to get all dramatic ha ha.
Last night? The Sweetest Run EVER...my scheduled 28 minutes turned out to be 29.5 minutes because I was jammin on the iPod and didn't want to stop until the song was over. When I pulled the towel off the treadmill console, I was SO jazzed to see that I had gone longer, and probably would have been able to do more. I burned 315 calories and 100 fat calories. This week is shaping up to be a lot better than last week!
Now if only I could go spend a week at the Biggest Loser Ranch and drop the remaining 23 pounds in ONE WEEK......but that's another post!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lose Big to Win Big
For anyone who is a Biggest Loser Junkie like myself, the new season begins tonight on NBC. I have watched every season of this show, and I never get tired of it. Now, don't get me wrong - there are some things about the show that are a bit irritating. For starters, the little 'planted' advertising they do. That can get a bit annoying, but that's business I guess.
The biggest issue I have with the show is the rate of weight loss from week to week. I realize of course, the more weight there is to lose, the larger the weekly losses will be, especially in the beginning. And we all know that if we had a personal trainer telling us exactly what to eat and when, and exercising with us every day (4-6 hours per day!)...well sure, we could see some pretty impressive results pretty quickly. I just think maybe some viewers may set some unrealistic expectations for themselves based on the show, and that is unfortunate.
But the show as a whole really appeals to me on many levels. The basic premise of weight loss stands tried and true....exercise and healthy eating of a variety of foods leads to weight loss. But also, the psychology of the journey is fascinating to me. I love the first episode, because I like to guess who the top two 'losers' will be. I base this soley on how the episode is edited to highlight each participants character. Who will be the fighters? Who will be the underdog but come out on top? Who will be the competive team? Who will be in it soley for themselves, and who will be the team players? And the best question of all, at what point in the game for any of the contestants does this transformation become a personal quest, not a financial quest?
I love making these 'judgments' in the first one or two episodes and that watch how it all plays out over the weeks. I am fascinated by the transformations, the physical stress, the emotional component, the interpersonal relationships....it's all good stuff to me! My 13 year old daughter watched last season with me, and she was hooked too.
As I continue on in my own 'transformation', I will be watching this season from a different perspective. I hope to 'lose big' also in my journey, but as far as I'm concerned, I've already 'won big' just by getting started!
PS - Just as an aside, I loved Ali Vincent, last season's winner. I think saw a lot of myself in her attitude and her motivation, without really realizing at the time why I was so drawn to her. In some photos, she almost seems to have lost too much weight though...love the muscles, but I guess I'm more of a 'curvy' girl, ha ha!
The biggest issue I have with the show is the rate of weight loss from week to week. I realize of course, the more weight there is to lose, the larger the weekly losses will be, especially in the beginning. And we all know that if we had a personal trainer telling us exactly what to eat and when, and exercising with us every day (4-6 hours per day!)...well sure, we could see some pretty impressive results pretty quickly. I just think maybe some viewers may set some unrealistic expectations for themselves based on the show, and that is unfortunate.
But the show as a whole really appeals to me on many levels. The basic premise of weight loss stands tried and true....exercise and healthy eating of a variety of foods leads to weight loss. But also, the psychology of the journey is fascinating to me. I love the first episode, because I like to guess who the top two 'losers' will be. I base this soley on how the episode is edited to highlight each participants character. Who will be the fighters? Who will be the underdog but come out on top? Who will be the competive team? Who will be in it soley for themselves, and who will be the team players? And the best question of all, at what point in the game for any of the contestants does this transformation become a personal quest, not a financial quest?
I love making these 'judgments' in the first one or two episodes and that watch how it all plays out over the weeks. I am fascinated by the transformations, the physical stress, the emotional component, the interpersonal relationships....it's all good stuff to me! My 13 year old daughter watched last season with me, and she was hooked too.
As I continue on in my own 'transformation', I will be watching this season from a different perspective. I hope to 'lose big' also in my journey, but as far as I'm concerned, I've already 'won big' just by getting started!
PS - Just as an aside, I loved Ali Vincent, last season's winner. I think saw a lot of myself in her attitude and her motivation, without really realizing at the time why I was so drawn to her. In some photos, she almost seems to have lost too much weight though...love the muscles, but I guess I'm more of a 'curvy' girl, ha ha!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Psycho-Babble
If you have a quick look to the left, behold my 'Seven Week' picture. It's just 3 weeks since my last update pic, but since I'm posting another one when I finish C25K, I had to space it out just right. Now let me say - I am not one that likes to have my picture taken, let alone posting it out to the world like this, but on the flip side, I love to see other people's before/during/after pictures because it's quite motivating! Seeing myself change week to week, even if it's small changes, that's motivating too. I just showed my daughter Grace my three pics, and in true 9 year old style, she said (after mouth opened wide) "Oh My GAWD!" Gotta love her - so dramatic that one....
Now for some psycho-babble....I've been thinking alot about the me I was just about 2 months ago, and the 'me' I'm becoming, or perhaps 'uncovering'? Yes, I had a little scale mishap that jolted me into action, hence the blog title.... but there are other events that led me to start this journey. I think about it a lot recently because, frankly, I don't even recognize the person I was just two or three months ago. I'm not talking in the physical sense either. I'm speaking of my spirit.
This past May 14th, I was in a very serious car accident. I was driving home from my bus stop after work, maybe 2 miles from my home, when an oncoming car went left of center and came barreling at me. No attempt to correct, coming faster instead of slower. I had nowhere to go (without slamming into a telephone pole) and I thought, 'this must be an old person having a medical emergency'. Anyway, the guy slammed into me, front driver side and basically took out the whole driver's side of my van, both tires, running board, the gas tank cover etc. My totalled van by the way was a Ford Econoline conversion van - thank god for that because that huge damn van saved my life! The other driver was in a cadillac. We later learned that the other driver was on numerous prescription drugs on which he had NO business being on the road. (morphine, neurontin and some other neurological type medicine) He also had only two toes on one foot, and three on the other. Crazy stuff.
I was not seriously injured thank goodness. I did about 6 weeks of physical therapy for whiplash and a strained trapezius on my left side. I had a pretty nice breast hematoma from my seat belt, (which still 'twinges' here and there) bruises that I had no idea how I got them. A contusion on top of my left shoulder that had hit the side window....But I did have one pretty significant injury that pretty much turned my life upside down for a time.
Although I did not hit my head, about 10 days later I developed 'post concussive syndrome'. Suddenly I was forgetting things (like did I give Chris his medicine 1/2 hour ago?), could not focus my attention on anything, anxiety attacks, could barely even READ without everything jumbling up in my head. This made working difficult, it made things difficult at home - I thought I was going crazy and that made me even more anxious. Some days it was all I could do to get out of bed and get through the day. I am a multi-tasker, quick thinker, efficient person. This 'injury' was THE PITS for someone like me to deal with. Of course, once my doctor explained that my brain probably got slammed against my skull pretty good and there was a name for what was happening to me, I felt 'better' - but it was pretty rough there for a few weeks. I think I already had a sort of border line 'depression' (dysthymia) going on prior to the accident, and then getting my brain knocked around pretty good sort of pushed me over the edge I guess. I felt so vulnerable and 'weak' - physical therapy only highlighted to me how out of 'shape' I was, and the concussive symptoms made me feel basically worthless - I had lost my 'edge' I guess.
My doc thought a little 'boost' of my brain chemicals might help, so I started taking 10mgs of Lexapro. I've done the anti-depressant thing years ago, so I was pretty open to this - I just wanted to be back to 'normal'. Well, Lexapro has been great for me - very few side effects and the fog started to clear for me pretty quickly. After about 3 weeks, I was feeling better (mentally) than even before the accident. I was able to start really looking inside myself at where I needed to make changes, I discovered I wanted to be a 'stronger' person both physically and mentally. I discovered that although my life has been challenging for me, I had been sitting back floating day to day allowing life to just 'happen' to me. I was suddenly empowered to think of something, anything ....just to challenge myself and overcome the challenge, and then try something else. It was not enough to just 'recover' from the accident, I suddenly wanted more.
The accident 'happened' to me, there's not much I can do about that. But what I could do was find a way to get something good for me from it. Once the fog cleared in my head, I was able to clearly see what I've been missing all this time - I create my own happiness, fullfillment and dreams, and I can make my life into anything I choose! Sure, things are always going to 'happen', but at the same time, I can make things happen too! There ARE things I can control in my life, I can set goals and challenge myself to reach those goals because I WANT to and choose to, not because I have no choice.
When I first told my husband I was going to try running, he was dubious. When I told him I want to be physically strong, because then I feel mentally strong - he smiled gently at me. Now that I am seven weeks into this journey, he can see what is going on with me now. He gets it. Now I get it!
My first challenge was to get through C25K. When I'm finished with that, I'm going to do a One Hour Runner program. (10 weeks) In January I am going to step up my training so I can run in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in May. Maybe it will be the 10K, or hell - why not go for 13.1? In between, I'm going to do two 5K's this fall, and then more in the spring. I'm looking forward to it all - that's the most amazing thing to me!
I know this now, my spirit craves to be challenged - If I do not have something to work towards, I settle into a day to day doldrum routine and life starts happening to ME instead of ME creating my life. I was a classical pianist 'back in the day' - as a kid I was practicing every day, challenging pieces - working towards a goal. A big recital, a competition...I thrived on it. This is the same thing. It's just a different 'new' challenge for me. Somewhere along the way, I got buried in life 'stuff' and didn't have time to challenge myself, set goals to work towards that were fullfilling to me in all ways. Now I see things with more clarity - this is me hitting myself up side the head...DUH, it took me how many years to learn this about myself?
I truly believe that running has helped me muddle through these thoughts and come to this place. It's a great thing.
What else am I going to discover on this journey? About myself? About other people? What new adventures are ahead for me? I don't know all the answers yet, but I sure can't wait to find out!
Run on.....
Now for some psycho-babble....I've been thinking alot about the me I was just about 2 months ago, and the 'me' I'm becoming, or perhaps 'uncovering'? Yes, I had a little scale mishap that jolted me into action, hence the blog title.... but there are other events that led me to start this journey. I think about it a lot recently because, frankly, I don't even recognize the person I was just two or three months ago. I'm not talking in the physical sense either. I'm speaking of my spirit.
This past May 14th, I was in a very serious car accident. I was driving home from my bus stop after work, maybe 2 miles from my home, when an oncoming car went left of center and came barreling at me. No attempt to correct, coming faster instead of slower. I had nowhere to go (without slamming into a telephone pole) and I thought, 'this must be an old person having a medical emergency'. Anyway, the guy slammed into me, front driver side and basically took out the whole driver's side of my van, both tires, running board, the gas tank cover etc. My totalled van by the way was a Ford Econoline conversion van - thank god for that because that huge damn van saved my life! The other driver was in a cadillac. We later learned that the other driver was on numerous prescription drugs on which he had NO business being on the road. (morphine, neurontin and some other neurological type medicine) He also had only two toes on one foot, and three on the other. Crazy stuff.
I was not seriously injured thank goodness. I did about 6 weeks of physical therapy for whiplash and a strained trapezius on my left side. I had a pretty nice breast hematoma from my seat belt, (which still 'twinges' here and there) bruises that I had no idea how I got them. A contusion on top of my left shoulder that had hit the side window....But I did have one pretty significant injury that pretty much turned my life upside down for a time.
Although I did not hit my head, about 10 days later I developed 'post concussive syndrome'. Suddenly I was forgetting things (like did I give Chris his medicine 1/2 hour ago?), could not focus my attention on anything, anxiety attacks, could barely even READ without everything jumbling up in my head. This made working difficult, it made things difficult at home - I thought I was going crazy and that made me even more anxious. Some days it was all I could do to get out of bed and get through the day. I am a multi-tasker, quick thinker, efficient person. This 'injury' was THE PITS for someone like me to deal with. Of course, once my doctor explained that my brain probably got slammed against my skull pretty good and there was a name for what was happening to me, I felt 'better' - but it was pretty rough there for a few weeks. I think I already had a sort of border line 'depression' (dysthymia) going on prior to the accident, and then getting my brain knocked around pretty good sort of pushed me over the edge I guess. I felt so vulnerable and 'weak' - physical therapy only highlighted to me how out of 'shape' I was, and the concussive symptoms made me feel basically worthless - I had lost my 'edge' I guess.
My doc thought a little 'boost' of my brain chemicals might help, so I started taking 10mgs of Lexapro. I've done the anti-depressant thing years ago, so I was pretty open to this - I just wanted to be back to 'normal'. Well, Lexapro has been great for me - very few side effects and the fog started to clear for me pretty quickly. After about 3 weeks, I was feeling better (mentally) than even before the accident. I was able to start really looking inside myself at where I needed to make changes, I discovered I wanted to be a 'stronger' person both physically and mentally. I discovered that although my life has been challenging for me, I had been sitting back floating day to day allowing life to just 'happen' to me. I was suddenly empowered to think of something, anything ....just to challenge myself and overcome the challenge, and then try something else. It was not enough to just 'recover' from the accident, I suddenly wanted more.
The accident 'happened' to me, there's not much I can do about that. But what I could do was find a way to get something good for me from it. Once the fog cleared in my head, I was able to clearly see what I've been missing all this time - I create my own happiness, fullfillment and dreams, and I can make my life into anything I choose! Sure, things are always going to 'happen', but at the same time, I can make things happen too! There ARE things I can control in my life, I can set goals and challenge myself to reach those goals because I WANT to and choose to, not because I have no choice.
When I first told my husband I was going to try running, he was dubious. When I told him I want to be physically strong, because then I feel mentally strong - he smiled gently at me. Now that I am seven weeks into this journey, he can see what is going on with me now. He gets it. Now I get it!
My first challenge was to get through C25K. When I'm finished with that, I'm going to do a One Hour Runner program. (10 weeks) In January I am going to step up my training so I can run in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in May. Maybe it will be the 10K, or hell - why not go for 13.1? In between, I'm going to do two 5K's this fall, and then more in the spring. I'm looking forward to it all - that's the most amazing thing to me!
I know this now, my spirit craves to be challenged - If I do not have something to work towards, I settle into a day to day doldrum routine and life starts happening to ME instead of ME creating my life. I was a classical pianist 'back in the day' - as a kid I was practicing every day, challenging pieces - working towards a goal. A big recital, a competition...I thrived on it. This is the same thing. It's just a different 'new' challenge for me. Somewhere along the way, I got buried in life 'stuff' and didn't have time to challenge myself, set goals to work towards that were fullfilling to me in all ways. Now I see things with more clarity - this is me hitting myself up side the head...DUH, it took me how many years to learn this about myself?
I truly believe that running has helped me muddle through these thoughts and come to this place. It's a great thing.
What else am I going to discover on this journey? About myself? About other people? What new adventures are ahead for me? I don't know all the answers yet, but I sure can't wait to find out!
Run on.....
Friday, September 12, 2008
Project Early Bird
I was scheduled for Week 7 Day 2 run (25 mins) last night, but because of yet another parent meeting, I would not have been able to do it until after 8pm, and that is just too late. So, I set my alarm for 5am today and decided to experiment with an Early Bird workout. I was up at 5:10, had one cup of coffee, turned on the morning news and hit the treadmill. I have to say, it wasn't too bad.... It was 5:25 before I actually got on, and I didn't get much of a cool down walk but since I would be moving anyway getting ready for work , walking to the bus etc., it was fine. Next time I have to plan for better stretching before/after - I did some, but felt pressured about my time so I skimped a bit there. I was done by 6 and did my normal before work / before school routine and out the door by 7:40!
The first 1/2 of the run, I took pretty slow, and then the last 12 minutes I alternated 1 minute running intervals (4.8-5.2mph) with 2 minute jogs (3.8mph). That was fun actually. I am in the throes of female ailments this week, so I have to give myself kudos for managing to wake up that early and get through the workout! Breathing was MUCH easier this time, but I wasn't feeling very 'fast'. Then, for some reason, about an hour after my run, I got some serious '3-Advil' cramps which surprised me because I thought activity would curb those a bit...It wasn't until I got downtown that those started to subside, but wow, I hate to think how I would have felt had I NOT taken anything, yikes! Just love being female...sorry to whine guys but, it really is impactful to us ladies!
Another observation, my hands were SO swollen after my run that I could barely get my rings off?! I don't know if they were that swollen before the workout when I first got up, but I only noticed because I take them off to put lotion on, and one ring I could not even get over my knuckle. Yesterday the scale was up three pounds, so I did not even bother weighing today. The rings told the story loud and clear ha ha..however, as I type this now, the one ring I could not get off this morning is now spining happily around my finger - strange. Does exercise make you swell like that?
I am a morning person, so getting up early is no biggie really...BUT, I'm more of an 'enjoy-my- coffee-in-treasured-silence -while-reading -the-paper' sort of morning person - not 'Hey, how about let's run two miles and sweat buckets' kind of morning person! I think I could get used to it though. It feels good knowing it's 'done' for the day, and I may do it again over the weekend.
I burned about 260 calories too which is a nice way to start the day! Speaking of calories....
I picked up the latest issue of 'Self' the other day, and there are some great articles centered around 'goal setting' and achieving said goals in say, 30 days. One of the plans/goals is to 'lose 8 pounds' in one month. Well, I have the exercise piece pretty much set so I don't need to change anything there...but there are some great food ideas that fit very well with my 'food personality'. I thought I'd share some of the ideas here - I don't know about any of you but I tend to eat the same things pretty much every day, especially for breakfast and snacks, so this was good timing to kind of change things up a bit! Next post I'll share some of the lunch and dinner ideas.
BREAKFAST (about 400 cals each)
Almond Banana Smoothie - 1 cup vanilla soymilk, 1 banana, 2tbsp ground flaxseed, 1Tbsp almond butter and 1/4 almond extract in a blender (YUM)
Apple Stacks - 2 pieces Wasa Crispbread with 1/2 cup nonfat ricotta, 1 chopped apple, 2 Tbsps each chopped dates and chopped wlwanuts, and cinnamon
Creamy Cranberry hot cereal - Cook 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1 TBSP dried cranberries, 1Tbps ground flaxseed and 2 tsp maple syrup. Top with 1 chopped apple and 1/2 cup skim milk.
SNACKS (130-150 cals)
1 oz melted Brie on a 35-40 calorie cracker (such as Kavli or Wasa)
24 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp low fat granola mixed with 1 Tbsp dried sweetened coconout and 1 Tbsp slivered almonds
I hope everyone has a great weekend....looks like a wet one just about everywhere though! Our Houston office is closed with all of our 'Business Continuation and Disaster Recovery' procedures in place - so our attorneys there will continue to receive their email and have access to clients and documents while Ike is traveling through....sad to say, but SOMEone will be billing time depsite a natural disaster, I have no doubt!
The first 1/2 of the run, I took pretty slow, and then the last 12 minutes I alternated 1 minute running intervals (4.8-5.2mph) with 2 minute jogs (3.8mph). That was fun actually. I am in the throes of female ailments this week, so I have to give myself kudos for managing to wake up that early and get through the workout! Breathing was MUCH easier this time, but I wasn't feeling very 'fast'. Then, for some reason, about an hour after my run, I got some serious '3-Advil' cramps which surprised me because I thought activity would curb those a bit...It wasn't until I got downtown that those started to subside, but wow, I hate to think how I would have felt had I NOT taken anything, yikes! Just love being female...sorry to whine guys but, it really is impactful to us ladies!
Another observation, my hands were SO swollen after my run that I could barely get my rings off?! I don't know if they were that swollen before the workout when I first got up, but I only noticed because I take them off to put lotion on, and one ring I could not even get over my knuckle. Yesterday the scale was up three pounds, so I did not even bother weighing today. The rings told the story loud and clear ha ha..however, as I type this now, the one ring I could not get off this morning is now spining happily around my finger - strange. Does exercise make you swell like that?
I am a morning person, so getting up early is no biggie really...BUT, I'm more of an 'enjoy-my- coffee-in-treasured-silence -while-reading -the-paper' sort of morning person - not 'Hey, how about let's run two miles and sweat buckets' kind of morning person! I think I could get used to it though. It feels good knowing it's 'done' for the day, and I may do it again over the weekend.
I burned about 260 calories too which is a nice way to start the day! Speaking of calories....
I picked up the latest issue of 'Self' the other day, and there are some great articles centered around 'goal setting' and achieving said goals in say, 30 days. One of the plans/goals is to 'lose 8 pounds' in one month. Well, I have the exercise piece pretty much set so I don't need to change anything there...but there are some great food ideas that fit very well with my 'food personality'. I thought I'd share some of the ideas here - I don't know about any of you but I tend to eat the same things pretty much every day, especially for breakfast and snacks, so this was good timing to kind of change things up a bit! Next post I'll share some of the lunch and dinner ideas.
BREAKFAST (about 400 cals each)
Almond Banana Smoothie - 1 cup vanilla soymilk, 1 banana, 2tbsp ground flaxseed, 1Tbsp almond butter and 1/4 almond extract in a blender (YUM)
Apple Stacks - 2 pieces Wasa Crispbread with 1/2 cup nonfat ricotta, 1 chopped apple, 2 Tbsps each chopped dates and chopped wlwanuts, and cinnamon
Creamy Cranberry hot cereal - Cook 1/2 cup plain oatmeal with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1 TBSP dried cranberries, 1Tbps ground flaxseed and 2 tsp maple syrup. Top with 1 chopped apple and 1/2 cup skim milk.
SNACKS (130-150 cals)
1 oz melted Brie on a 35-40 calorie cracker (such as Kavli or Wasa)
24 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp low fat granola mixed with 1 Tbsp dried sweetened coconout and 1 Tbsp slivered almonds
I hope everyone has a great weekend....looks like a wet one just about everywhere though! Our Houston office is closed with all of our 'Business Continuation and Disaster Recovery' procedures in place - so our attorneys there will continue to receive their email and have access to clients and documents while Ike is traveling through....sad to say, but SOMEone will be billing time depsite a natural disaster, I have no doubt!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Wednesday Weigh-In and a Tough Run
I 've been thinking back to when I did Weight Watchers in 04-05, I successfully lost 48 pounds (176 - 128) in about 8 or 9 months. I did very little in terms of structured exercise, and if I do the math, I guess I averaged about 1.33 lbs lost per week. I do recall having 'bigger' losses in the beginning (I was much heavier then though), I recall never having a gain, and never hitting a significant plateau, other than perhaps a week here or there where I stayed the same.
I summarize this only because when I got on the scale this morning and saw that I had stayed the same this week, I got quite indignant with myself over the fact that I had lost 'so much quicker' on WW with no or little exercise, and now here I am putting forth all this physical and mental energy for 'NO CHANGE' on the scale? I should be losing faster! This is crazy! Then as I sipped my morning coffee I started to calm my bad self down. ;-) I did the math above, and realized, well, I really am losing at about the same pace as I did before. Sure, I have other factors to consider now....for starters, I am now 'over 40' and we all know that 'switch' that goes off literally the day you turn 40, and EVERYTHING about your body as you knew it has changed forever. Yes, I am building muscle now, which 'weighs more' but takes up 'less space' etc. Yes, I'm sure there is hormonal shifting and re-shifting going on...I know all of this. I shouldn't get so hung up on a number on the scale...my logical brain KNOWS all of this. But still, ugh...seeing no change on the scale kind of reinforced the idea that this is no easy task I am undertaking, consistent attention and hard work is required, and I still have a long. way. to. go.
It has only been a little over 6 weeks after all, and I'm 8 pounds less and a bit smaller than I was. I have averaged the same 1.33 lbs lost per week as I did 4 years ago, so that is something! My hormonal 'schtuff' is much more regulated and balanced than a year ago at this time and I feel so much stronger and healthier than I have in many years. So perhaps I've managed to shut that 'after 40 switch' off? I hope so!
Last night I did my 25 minute run outside on the road. YIKES - it was hard, hard, hard. All day I was looking forward to a run outside because it's cooler now, less humid etc. So mentally, I was really pumped for this run! Off I went to the track only to find cheerleading practice going on so I decided to hit the road and run around the neighborhood there - which is a nice, tree-lined park setting with curves and gently rolling roads. Well, for starters, I think I've gotten a little too comfortable on the treadmill. Then I had breathing issues, so I don't know if it was allergy type issues or what, but I had some mild wheezing going on (small history of mild allergy related asthma) - my legs carried me fine, no tightness soreness or heaviness there, but I could not get comfortable, even had a side stitch starting. I never have breathing issues in my basement on the 'mill.
I spent the whole run talking to myself to relax, check your form, you can do this....I managed to get through 25 minutes without stopping, but boy was it tough! I am calling this my PMS Run - because I can't think of any other reason why this would suddenly be so difficult! I guess everyone has those days, and boy I sure had mine! Even after I went to bed last night, my breathing was little 'painful' - like I couldn't get a deep breath and it almost hurt to take a breath. I hope I'm not getting sick. It is all better today though, but I am going to check the air quality report for yesterday to see if that explains anything. Anyway, I got through it, that's the main thing and hopefully the next outdoor run will be easier. Perhaps if I try it in the very early morning it will be better?
I do know that I need to step things up a bit now..especially the weight training that I am REALLY struggling to fit in. I have planned an upper body workout for this evening, Thursday and Saturday. My runs this week are Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday. And, I think I need to be more consistent with a 4th day of cross training (cardio). I had been taking a long 3 mile quick paced walk on Sunday mornings, but I missed it this past week.
That is all my rambling for today! Here's to a better run next time, and a better weigh in next week!
**Edited to add this from weather.com, which explains the breathing issue I think....
Mold Activity
Mold Spore activity for yesterday, 09/09/08:
High
I summarize this only because when I got on the scale this morning and saw that I had stayed the same this week, I got quite indignant with myself over the fact that I had lost 'so much quicker' on WW with no or little exercise, and now here I am putting forth all this physical and mental energy for 'NO CHANGE' on the scale? I should be losing faster! This is crazy! Then as I sipped my morning coffee I started to calm my bad self down. ;-) I did the math above, and realized, well, I really am losing at about the same pace as I did before. Sure, I have other factors to consider now....for starters, I am now 'over 40' and we all know that 'switch' that goes off literally the day you turn 40, and EVERYTHING about your body as you knew it has changed forever. Yes, I am building muscle now, which 'weighs more' but takes up 'less space' etc. Yes, I'm sure there is hormonal shifting and re-shifting going on...I know all of this. I shouldn't get so hung up on a number on the scale...my logical brain KNOWS all of this. But still, ugh...seeing no change on the scale kind of reinforced the idea that this is no easy task I am undertaking, consistent attention and hard work is required, and I still have a long. way. to. go.
It has only been a little over 6 weeks after all, and I'm 8 pounds less and a bit smaller than I was. I have averaged the same 1.33 lbs lost per week as I did 4 years ago, so that is something! My hormonal 'schtuff' is much more regulated and balanced than a year ago at this time and I feel so much stronger and healthier than I have in many years. So perhaps I've managed to shut that 'after 40 switch' off? I hope so!
Last night I did my 25 minute run outside on the road. YIKES - it was hard, hard, hard. All day I was looking forward to a run outside because it's cooler now, less humid etc. So mentally, I was really pumped for this run! Off I went to the track only to find cheerleading practice going on so I decided to hit the road and run around the neighborhood there - which is a nice, tree-lined park setting with curves and gently rolling roads. Well, for starters, I think I've gotten a little too comfortable on the treadmill. Then I had breathing issues, so I don't know if it was allergy type issues or what, but I had some mild wheezing going on (small history of mild allergy related asthma) - my legs carried me fine, no tightness soreness or heaviness there, but I could not get comfortable, even had a side stitch starting. I never have breathing issues in my basement on the 'mill.
I spent the whole run talking to myself to relax, check your form, you can do this....I managed to get through 25 minutes without stopping, but boy was it tough! I am calling this my PMS Run - because I can't think of any other reason why this would suddenly be so difficult! I guess everyone has those days, and boy I sure had mine! Even after I went to bed last night, my breathing was little 'painful' - like I couldn't get a deep breath and it almost hurt to take a breath. I hope I'm not getting sick. It is all better today though, but I am going to check the air quality report for yesterday to see if that explains anything. Anyway, I got through it, that's the main thing and hopefully the next outdoor run will be easier. Perhaps if I try it in the very early morning it will be better?
I do know that I need to step things up a bit now..especially the weight training that I am REALLY struggling to fit in. I have planned an upper body workout for this evening, Thursday and Saturday. My runs this week are Tuesday / Thursday / Saturday. And, I think I need to be more consistent with a 4th day of cross training (cardio). I had been taking a long 3 mile quick paced walk on Sunday mornings, but I missed it this past week.
That is all my rambling for today! Here's to a better run next time, and a better weigh in next week!
**Edited to add this from weather.com, which explains the breathing issue I think....
Mold Activity
Mold Spore activity for yesterday, 09/09/08:
High
Sunday, September 7, 2008
It's official: I AM a Runner!
See Cyndi smile, see Cyndi jump up and down and clap her hands. Yesterday I finished Week 6 with a 25 minute run! Woo hoo! It was SO good too! I did it on the treadmill after I created an awesome playlist, and I covered the panel with a towel so I wasn't 'clock watching'. The first time I looked at the time, I only had 3 minutes left to run and I was still going strong! So, from here on out, I am done with 'walking' intervals as it relates to the C25K program. Week 7 will be 3 - 25 minute runs, Week 8 = 28 min runs, Week 9 = 30 minute runs! How cool is that? I think I can say I am 'officially' a runner!The great thing about this phase of the program is that I'll be burning more calories - I noticed yesterday I had burned about 285 calories in my 35 minute workout. So I hope this means some of the pounds will start to come off a little quicker - I'd like to see 2 pounds a week instead of 1, but again - any loss is a loss so no big deal.
I had such a busy week that I did not do any strength training, including abs, so tsk tsk to me. I did get as far as creating a workout chart so that I can specifically mark my reps & sets for each specific exercise. So my goal for this week is to put a little more focus into the strength training and make it as important as the running. I'm starting to have a bit of an issue with my thighs and the fact that they are NOT shrinking. Yes I am more toned, but it appears that this will be the last place I lose the fat! I'm not sure if I should be doing any lower body toning in addition to the running - if anyone has any thoughts on that, please offer them!
At a party last night, some cop friends of mine told me about the Cleveland Heroes Run coming up on September 21st. It's a 5 mile race, but there is also a 2 mile run/walk as well. It is held in the neighborhood where my husband grew up, and since we know a lot of police/firefighters, I think it will be a fun 'first race' for me. Two miles will be a breeze for me by then, so it won't be overly 'stressful' for me. I wish I could do the 5 miles, but I'm still working on 3.1 miles - this time next year, I can do the race and actually be competitive! Something to look forward too.
Also, our good friend's girlfriend is a runner, and last night she told me to call her in a couple weeks and she will go on a long run with me down in the Metroparks on a weekend. So that's kind of cool! I love how running is really becoming a part of who I am and how it is fitting into my life so well. I told her she will have to pace me, because I am obviously slower than her, but it will be a good workout to keep up with her and I won't feel intimidated or anything. I like solitary running, but it could be fun to have a partner to go with once in awhile.
Today is the start of football season, and I love Sundays! Our game isn't until 4:00 today (Go Browns!), and my husband is there (season tickets) but I still have the Sunday comfort food cooking in the crockpot. I made 'Slow-Cook Turkey Chowder' from my WW cookbook. Sundays in the fall are the best for cooking comfort food - roasts, stews, soups, YUM - things that cook all day and smell wonderful! Of course, it has to be healthy fare, and as I try new recipes I will share them here. So, without further ado, here is the Turkey Chowder recipe: (I doubled this for 12 servings so we have leftovers for crazy Monday!)
Makes 6 servings
4 slices smoked bacon (I used turkey bacon)
1 pound turkey breast cutlets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium baking potato, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (or a hodgepodge of whatever veges on hand)
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 (10.75-ounce) cans low-fat condensed cream of mushroom soup (I used mushroom AND cream of chicken)
2 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (I used poultry seasoning instead of these individually)
1. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain and chop.
2. In a slow cooker, place bacon, turkey, potato, carronts, onion, celery, soup, broth, seasonings. Stir well. Cover and cook on low until soup is thick and the turkey and vegetables are tender, 8-10 hours.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Wednesday Weigh In
I'm logging a one pound loss this week, down to 154. I'm happy with that because at least it's consistent! Weight loss attempts in the past have yielded a bit of a 'quicker' rate of loss, but I'm good with this as it feels more like real and permanent loss. That is the goal after all! Maybe I would have done better minus the BEER over the weekend, but hey, I'll take whatever loss comes my way!
Could I eat less? Maybe - but I want to be able to maintain this loss without starving, so I'd rather increase the exercise (did I say that?) rather than cut out the fuel. I'm pretty good with my food choices - no sweets, minimal bread (whole wheat only!), minimal pasta (brown rice ok). I've developed a habit of eating a golden delicious apple every night for dessert. That is HUGE for me...even while on WW, I ALWAYS had a low-fat 'diet' ice cream dessert. I always saved two points for that. These days I'm perfectly happy with my crisp, ice cold, juicy, golden delicious apple! No M&M's for this girl...it's been weeks and I don't even think about it!
My goal for September (my birthday month yeah!) is to step up the strength training. I've been doing it, but I don't think I'm working it hard enough. I'm contemplating a sculpting class at the rec - found out I can 'drop in' any time as a resident and pay as I go. That would work because my schedule around evening school events for three kids can get a little crazy - I would miss a lot of classes if I had to commit to like an 8 week class package.
I did get to start Week 6 last night thank goodness. It was tough getting going, but as always, it felt good to get it done! (Run 5, Walk 3, Run 8, Walk 3, Run 5) I am getting a bit faster, my average pace for running was 4.3 - 4.7mph - a big improvement for me!
I'm off to start the day, which includes a call to the neuro because Chris is in a 'bad place' again and I think we need to do a med increase. (but another fever! what is up?)
Good day!
Could I eat less? Maybe - but I want to be able to maintain this loss without starving, so I'd rather increase the exercise (did I say that?) rather than cut out the fuel. I'm pretty good with my food choices - no sweets, minimal bread (whole wheat only!), minimal pasta (brown rice ok). I've developed a habit of eating a golden delicious apple every night for dessert. That is HUGE for me...even while on WW, I ALWAYS had a low-fat 'diet' ice cream dessert. I always saved two points for that. These days I'm perfectly happy with my crisp, ice cold, juicy, golden delicious apple! No M&M's for this girl...it's been weeks and I don't even think about it!
My goal for September (my birthday month yeah!) is to step up the strength training. I've been doing it, but I don't think I'm working it hard enough. I'm contemplating a sculpting class at the rec - found out I can 'drop in' any time as a resident and pay as I go. That would work because my schedule around evening school events for three kids can get a little crazy - I would miss a lot of classes if I had to commit to like an 8 week class package.
I did get to start Week 6 last night thank goodness. It was tough getting going, but as always, it felt good to get it done! (Run 5, Walk 3, Run 8, Walk 3, Run 5) I am getting a bit faster, my average pace for running was 4.3 - 4.7mph - a big improvement for me!
I'm off to start the day, which includes a call to the neuro because Chris is in a 'bad place' again and I think we need to do a med increase. (but another fever! what is up?)
Good day!
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