I just wanted to document real quick that I think I'm back to where I was 7 years ago when I lost a lot of weight. I bounce around between 166 and 167 lbs which is a good 30+ lbs less than where I started in May. I drink about 40+ ounces of water from 5:30 to 7am (on my way to work and when I get into work) and I think that has helped tremendously. I believe it kicks my matabolism in gear and flushes me out. My skin looks and feels awesome. Overall I feel awesome!
I still have about 20 more lbs to lose. The belly fat is still there although there is less of it but I'm nowhere near flat abs. I'm sure this is because all I've been doing since May is running and no weight training. Yesterday I did pushups and crunches for the first time in about a year and I'm feeling it today. With the weather getting cold (too cold to motivate me into running outside), I plan on changing up my routine and doing more resistance training.
I'm trying to do it without joining a gym only because I don't want to spend the money. I saw an ad for Cardinal Fitness for $10/month. Now that may be worth it because there is one close to both my house and Brett's. I prefer using the machines. So we'll see. I know I need to do something because I could only handle running about an hour on the treadmill (about 5 miles) before I get bored. Although I am changing up the pace on the treadmill. I run outside at about 5 mph so I've been increasing it to 5.5 to 6 mph on the treadmill for short spurts.
My biggest fear is putting back on the weight because I won't be running as much for the next 3 months or so. And my diet isn't the best. I drink 12 ounces of my protein shake before lunch and pretty much have a 6" turkey or tuna subway meal for lunch and pretty much the same for dinner. I know I am not eating enough veggies and pretty much no fruit and probably drinking too much pop. It hasn't been affecting my weight because I was burning close to 1000 calories during my runs. Now I'm only burning about 600-650 calories. So I know I need to watch my diet. I just don't look forward to it at all. This is where I falter. With the cold weather and it getting dark by 4pm, my motivation is zapped. I am trying to sign up for some races in the spring to keep me motivated. I'm worried that I'll get out of this awesome place that I'm in and not get back. This is the second time I've gotten back in shape but it was a bitch to do. Lots of food deprivation. I don't want to go through that again.
I just need to keep all this in front of me so that I don't lose the battle!!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Monster Dash 1/2 Marathon Results
All I could say was WOW as I walked from the North Garage at Soldiers Field across the museum campus to the start of the race at Grant Park. I was worried that the weather would be frigid considering we had 50-60 mph wind gusts the last few days and knew that kind of wind off the lake would not be pleasant. So when I woke up at 5:15 and checked my iphone for the current temps I was very happy to see it was around 48-49 degrees and the wind was only 5-9 mph coming out of the NNE. THAT was doable. And the forecast called for mostly sunny skies. Even better.
It was about 7:15 when I came up to Shedd Aquarium and caught a glimpse of the sun rising above the lake and shining off the beautiful Chicago skyline. I mean it was picture perfect. There is no other city that captures that beauty. It put me in a great mood to start this race.
As I waited at my pace area I saw a friend of mine that was doing her first half. She has lost close to 80 lbs and looks awesome. She warned me that she'll be walking most of it and for me not to stick with her. Which secretly I was happy because I really wanted to challenge myself and see if I could beat my time at Indy.
So we slowly make out way to the start line and I start jogging when all of a sudden the toe of my right shoe snags one of the mats (I think these mats have sensors in them to monitor your time) and I began the humiliating tumble to the ground. It felt like minutes passed and all I could think of as it was happening was NO!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!! Nothing like eating humble pie in front of thousands of people. I tried my best not to create a domino effect and luckily I didn't get trampled on by the runners behind me. I guess it was good that I was close to the back of the pack so there were mostly walkers and slow runners. One of the guys working the race helped me up. A guy behind me joked that I was suppose to fall at the end of the race, not the beginning. That allowed me to laugh at myself and not to beat myself up over it for the next 13 miles. Which I did for about 1 mile and then figured most people didn't see it happen and have probably forgotten about it already. But in the back of my mind, I feared the scene being sent viral on youtube or facebook since EVERYTHING nowadays is up for publicity. So far, I haven't seen anything, thank goodness.
I really enjoyed the run. The scenery was beautiful. Most of the run was along the lakefront which at first I was confused because the course map showed the race south along the lakefront but we were running north (as felt by that nice north wind). At the time I didn't realize that the race coordinators had to change the route at the last minute because President Obama was in town campaigning for a IL senate candidate on Saturday night. Not sure what that had to do with Sunday unless he was still in town. But I was fine with that. We ran through Lincoln Park and other nice neighborhoods. The only complaint I had was that a lot of the course was through unlevel and cracked sidewalks which is a hazard for runners. I was careful not to sprang my ankle. Running along the lake was fabulous. If I lived downtown I'd so do that everyday. There are no words to describe how beautiful the lakefront is. The other downside was that this was not a closed course so naturally on a beautiful fall day, there are A LOT of people walking/running/biking along the lakefront so sometimes you had to dodge pedestrians.
The last half of the race was nice because the wind was at your back. Trust me, that helped beyond belief when coming up to mile 10/11. The last mile of a half marathon is the longest mile EVER!! I can't imagine the last mile in a full marathon. FORGET THAT!! It takes every last bit of stamina in me to cross that finish line and it's only my determination that gets me there. I did not stop running the entire race except to use the bathroom around mile 6 or 7. Naturally there were only two portapotties so I lost about 5 mins getting that taken care of.
I've noticed a couple things in these two races. One, there are people of every size who participate in half marathons. Now I am definitely not a world class athlete and acknowledge that I have about 10 more pounds of body fat to lose but when I see people who appear heavier or more out of shape than I am crossing the finish line ahead of me, I really wonder if I'm not as good as I think I am. I mean, I think running a half marathon is challenging. My pace is a little under 12 min/mile or 5 miles per hour. It's not fast but certainly not slow. The average time for women to complete 13.1 miles is between 2 hrs 15 mins and 2 hrs 21 mins. I do it in around 2 hrs 33 mins. That's about a 10 1/2 min mile pace or a full minute faster. It doesn't sound like much but try doing it for 13 miles.
I think my issue is my strategy. I try to run at a consistent pace throughout the race. This leads me to the second thing I noticed. There was a couple who were running for a few minutes, then walking. They beat me through the finish line. It was funny because I'd pass them as they were walking, then they'd pass me when they started running and just when I thought I was well ahead of them, they pass me and cross the finish line first. That got me thinking that maybe I need to change my strategy. Either train to run faster or maybe incorporate the run/walk. But in my mind I feel it's more of a challenge to run the whole thing :)
Another lesson learned is not to drink pop the night before a race. I had pizza (it's a good source of carbs right?) and a can of pop. I think the issue was that I didn't drink any water afterward and because I pee constantly when I drink water, I barely drank any water before the race. Needless to say, around mile 3 or 4 my left calf about locked up in a cramp. I was so worried because I was determined to finish this race since it cost me close to $100. So I ran through the pain and could barely walk when I crossed the finish line. No pain, no gain!! I did drink a TON of water and ate 3 bananas after the race. Luckily there's no permanent damage.
I did not know my official time when I finished the race. I don't keep track of it during the race since really my goal is just to enjoy the race and to finish it. I figured it had to be around the 2:30 mark since I had a general idea of what time it was when I finished. So on Monday I checked the official time and found that I actually finished in 2:36:03. About 3 mins worse than Indy. I was a little bummed but still felt good about it. I figured it was due to the 5 min potty break. Then I read a post on facebook that the course was actually 13.35 miles! So I did the math and calculated that if the course was the standard 13.1 miles I would have finished exactly at 2:33!! Not that this matters to anybody but me :)
I would definitely do this race again. A lot of people dressed up in halloween costumes which was surprising. Not that I'd dress up but you can't beat running along the lake in Chicago. I would just hope the weather is as perfect. I have been extremely lucky that my first two half marathons have been in relatively warm sunny weather. I don't plan on running anymore half marathons until next Spring. I need a break :)
It was about 7:15 when I came up to Shedd Aquarium and caught a glimpse of the sun rising above the lake and shining off the beautiful Chicago skyline. I mean it was picture perfect. There is no other city that captures that beauty. It put me in a great mood to start this race.
As I waited at my pace area I saw a friend of mine that was doing her first half. She has lost close to 80 lbs and looks awesome. She warned me that she'll be walking most of it and for me not to stick with her. Which secretly I was happy because I really wanted to challenge myself and see if I could beat my time at Indy.
So we slowly make out way to the start line and I start jogging when all of a sudden the toe of my right shoe snags one of the mats (I think these mats have sensors in them to monitor your time) and I began the humiliating tumble to the ground. It felt like minutes passed and all I could think of as it was happening was NO!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!! Nothing like eating humble pie in front of thousands of people. I tried my best not to create a domino effect and luckily I didn't get trampled on by the runners behind me. I guess it was good that I was close to the back of the pack so there were mostly walkers and slow runners. One of the guys working the race helped me up. A guy behind me joked that I was suppose to fall at the end of the race, not the beginning. That allowed me to laugh at myself and not to beat myself up over it for the next 13 miles. Which I did for about 1 mile and then figured most people didn't see it happen and have probably forgotten about it already. But in the back of my mind, I feared the scene being sent viral on youtube or facebook since EVERYTHING nowadays is up for publicity. So far, I haven't seen anything, thank goodness.
I really enjoyed the run. The scenery was beautiful. Most of the run was along the lakefront which at first I was confused because the course map showed the race south along the lakefront but we were running north (as felt by that nice north wind). At the time I didn't realize that the race coordinators had to change the route at the last minute because President Obama was in town campaigning for a IL senate candidate on Saturday night. Not sure what that had to do with Sunday unless he was still in town. But I was fine with that. We ran through Lincoln Park and other nice neighborhoods. The only complaint I had was that a lot of the course was through unlevel and cracked sidewalks which is a hazard for runners. I was careful not to sprang my ankle. Running along the lake was fabulous. If I lived downtown I'd so do that everyday. There are no words to describe how beautiful the lakefront is. The other downside was that this was not a closed course so naturally on a beautiful fall day, there are A LOT of people walking/running/biking along the lakefront so sometimes you had to dodge pedestrians.
The last half of the race was nice because the wind was at your back. Trust me, that helped beyond belief when coming up to mile 10/11. The last mile of a half marathon is the longest mile EVER!! I can't imagine the last mile in a full marathon. FORGET THAT!! It takes every last bit of stamina in me to cross that finish line and it's only my determination that gets me there. I did not stop running the entire race except to use the bathroom around mile 6 or 7. Naturally there were only two portapotties so I lost about 5 mins getting that taken care of.
I've noticed a couple things in these two races. One, there are people of every size who participate in half marathons. Now I am definitely not a world class athlete and acknowledge that I have about 10 more pounds of body fat to lose but when I see people who appear heavier or more out of shape than I am crossing the finish line ahead of me, I really wonder if I'm not as good as I think I am. I mean, I think running a half marathon is challenging. My pace is a little under 12 min/mile or 5 miles per hour. It's not fast but certainly not slow. The average time for women to complete 13.1 miles is between 2 hrs 15 mins and 2 hrs 21 mins. I do it in around 2 hrs 33 mins. That's about a 10 1/2 min mile pace or a full minute faster. It doesn't sound like much but try doing it for 13 miles.
I think my issue is my strategy. I try to run at a consistent pace throughout the race. This leads me to the second thing I noticed. There was a couple who were running for a few minutes, then walking. They beat me through the finish line. It was funny because I'd pass them as they were walking, then they'd pass me when they started running and just when I thought I was well ahead of them, they pass me and cross the finish line first. That got me thinking that maybe I need to change my strategy. Either train to run faster or maybe incorporate the run/walk. But in my mind I feel it's more of a challenge to run the whole thing :)
Another lesson learned is not to drink pop the night before a race. I had pizza (it's a good source of carbs right?) and a can of pop. I think the issue was that I didn't drink any water afterward and because I pee constantly when I drink water, I barely drank any water before the race. Needless to say, around mile 3 or 4 my left calf about locked up in a cramp. I was so worried because I was determined to finish this race since it cost me close to $100. So I ran through the pain and could barely walk when I crossed the finish line. No pain, no gain!! I did drink a TON of water and ate 3 bananas after the race. Luckily there's no permanent damage.
I did not know my official time when I finished the race. I don't keep track of it during the race since really my goal is just to enjoy the race and to finish it. I figured it had to be around the 2:30 mark since I had a general idea of what time it was when I finished. So on Monday I checked the official time and found that I actually finished in 2:36:03. About 3 mins worse than Indy. I was a little bummed but still felt good about it. I figured it was due to the 5 min potty break. Then I read a post on facebook that the course was actually 13.35 miles! So I did the math and calculated that if the course was the standard 13.1 miles I would have finished exactly at 2:33!! Not that this matters to anybody but me :)
I would definitely do this race again. A lot of people dressed up in halloween costumes which was surprising. Not that I'd dress up but you can't beat running along the lake in Chicago. I would just hope the weather is as perfect. I have been extremely lucky that my first two half marathons have been in relatively warm sunny weather. I don't plan on running anymore half marathons until next Spring. I need a break :)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monster Dash - Another 1/2 Marathon
Signed up for another 1/2. Yeah I know, I'm crazy. Most people train for their first and pretty much give up running for a while. Not me!! And really that was part of the reason why I signed up. I needed the motivation.
I also thought it would be fun. It's not the "Chicago Marathon" but it's still a 1/2 marathon in Chicago along the lakefront. Plus they have some pretty cool gear. The medal is oval shaped and doubles as a belt buckle (not that I'd EVER wear a belt buckle, I hardly wear belts!) and they are giving tech hoodies which are black with reflective striping and sleeves with holes for your thumbs. Way cooler than the cotton t-shirt I got for the Indy 1/2. Although this one cost me $75 plus $16 to park in the garage at Soldiers Field! I really need to plan for these races ahead of time because the later you wait to sign up, the more expensive they are. If you signed up for this race on Saturday, it costs $169! Really!? If I wanted to run 13 miles along the Chicago lakefront, I could do it for free some other weekend.
So tonight I pick up my race packet. My biggest fear as usual is the weather. The forecast did say sunny and 61 for Sunday but now it's saying 30% chance of rain. I already know it's going to be cold. The race starts at 8 in the morning so it will definitely be in the 40's at best and it's in chicago so I expect it to be somewhat windy but I can't do rain with wind in 40 degree weather. On the other hand, I don't know if I can stomach throwing away almost $100 on this and not at least attempting it. Fingers crossed!!
I also thought it would be fun. It's not the "Chicago Marathon" but it's still a 1/2 marathon in Chicago along the lakefront. Plus they have some pretty cool gear. The medal is oval shaped and doubles as a belt buckle (not that I'd EVER wear a belt buckle, I hardly wear belts!) and they are giving tech hoodies which are black with reflective striping and sleeves with holes for your thumbs. Way cooler than the cotton t-shirt I got for the Indy 1/2. Although this one cost me $75 plus $16 to park in the garage at Soldiers Field! I really need to plan for these races ahead of time because the later you wait to sign up, the more expensive they are. If you signed up for this race on Saturday, it costs $169! Really!? If I wanted to run 13 miles along the Chicago lakefront, I could do it for free some other weekend.
So tonight I pick up my race packet. My biggest fear as usual is the weather. The forecast did say sunny and 61 for Sunday but now it's saying 30% chance of rain. I already know it's going to be cold. The race starts at 8 in the morning so it will definitely be in the 40's at best and it's in chicago so I expect it to be somewhat windy but I can't do rain with wind in 40 degree weather. On the other hand, I don't know if I can stomach throwing away almost $100 on this and not at least attempting it. Fingers crossed!!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
First 1/2 Marathon - Indianapolis 10/16/2010
I know it's been a while since I last posted. Good thing nobody reads this but me :) I have a lot of respect for people who keep up on their blogs, I do not have that fortitude.
It's Oct. 17th and I'm looking outside to a beautiful sunny day, blue skies and around 55 degrees going up to around 70. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this. This has to be the best summer/fall EVER!! I don't want to forget it for a number of reasons.
Yesterday I ran my first half marathon in Indianapolis, 13.1 miles and yes I will specify that .1 because I earned every tenth of a mile!! I started on my weight loss journey on May 25th, never with the intention of running a half marathon. But running has ALWAYS been the key to quick weight loss for me and I enjoy it. It's a true solo sport and being the fiercely independent person that I am (Brett would say anti-social) running totally suites me. I don't have to depend on anybody but myself.
In the beginning I just vowed that I will walk every day no matter what as long as it wasn't raining. How hard is that right? I mean there is no pressure to walk. Then I started to walk/jog, then jog more than walk until I worked myself up to trying to jog 3 laps around my trail which is 3.6 miles per lap. It was sometime in August I think where I ran my first 10 miles nonstop!! I was so proud of myself. It was NOT an easy feat. Most people can't imagine running nonstop for more than 2 hours. Trust me, it's grueling. So why did I want to try and do 13 miles?? Easy answer, just to see if I could do it. I wasn't out to break any records. I just wanted to finish the race with a mini-goal of doing it under 3 hours.
I ran 12 miles for the first time last Sunday. A week before that I had an intestinal virus from hell. I was literally on the toilet every day almost every hour of the day spilling my guts out. Needless to say, I did not run one bit that whole week which was the most I've not worked out since I started in May. That started to freak me out knowing that I was a week away from the race.
So when I finally started to feel normal again, I did not hesitate to get back on the trail and see if I could do it. It really was more of a mental thing than a physical. My legs actually felt awesome from not running in a week. Talk about fresh legs. And because I was so sick I wasn't eating and lost 2 lbs and actually broke the 167 barrier!! Too bad it was all water weight but I didn't care, it was still awesome to see 164.4 on the scale. So physically I felt really good, I just needed to know that I could do it. And I did! It took me 2 hrs and 15 mins which was about 11.25 min miles. Not bad. Now I felt confident that I could finish the race.
I did not run on Monday, ran 7 or so miles on Tuesday, didn't run on Wed even though I wanted to which left me to decide if I should run on Thurs before the race. I've been reading a bunch of marathon blogs and first timer tips and almost all of them said to not workout 2 days before the race so your legs can rest. Of course, I couldn't resist. I did a light run of 3.5 miles. Again, it was really just a mental thing. I figured I'm not running a marathon and wanted to approach this race with the same mentality as any other time I've ran more than 10 miles. I usually run every day during the week, then when Sat comes around, I get up, drink my protein shake and go run.
I didn't want to psych myself out because it was an actual race. I wanted to treat it like a typical Sat run. Grant it, there was going to be 6200 people and it's an actual event versus a jog in a forest preserve but mentally I didn't want to make it more than that. And that worked for me. Now I have to admit, I was a little anxious about it. I did not sleep well at all the night before. Just being in a different bed in a different location doesn't allow me to sleep well. Add to that a screaming crying kid a few doors down and I definitely wasn't going to get a peaceful nights rest. I also woke up every couple of hours because I was afraid my alarm wouldn't go off and I'd be late for the race. I knew I had to be in the parking lot well before 7:15 so my plan was to leave around 6:15. I had already drove to where the race was going to be held and knew exactly where I had to be so at least that wasn't stressing me out. But I wanted to make sure I beat the traffic and because I am extremely anal about stuff like this, I knew I'd leave extra early. Which I did.
I was probably one of the first cars in the lot. The volunteers hadn't even started working yet. They were still in their pre-game huddle so I picked a spot on the end for easy exiting and literally sat in my car for about an hour and a half reading my book. Luckily I was parked right under a street light so that made for easy reading. By 7, I had to pee so bad that I left my car and went looking for a portapottie. Unfortunately the closest ones were by the start of the race so I had to walk about 10 mins away. At this point I still needed to drink another protein shake and get my sunglasses because it was suppose to be brillantly sunny. So I rushed back to my car and took care of those things and grabbed my ipod and headed back to the race site.
At this point, there were TONS of people milling about and a ton more waiting to use the portapotties. I couldn't believe how long the lines were and there were probably 50 potties. Of course I knew after just drinking 8 ounces of shake I'd have to go again so I jumped in line. I barely made it through before the race started (had about 5 mins to spare). I registered under the slowest pace 17 min mile because I knew I wasn't going to be fast. What was amazing is all the different shapes and sizes of the people participating. There were people in their 50's, 60's, there were people who were overweight, there were the typical runner-shape people who were lean with no body fat. It was pretty cool seeing all kinds of people taking on a marathon/half marathon. So I felt pretty comfortable in my skin.
The one lesson I learned is that I need to register under a more realistic time. There were 7 corrals based on your pace. Obviously the ultra marathoners are in corral A because they run at least a 5 min mile pace. Then you have corral H which is the slowest at 17 min mile pace. When you are in the last corral, it takes forever to get past all the slow people. I was shocked by how many people were actually walking the race! These people create huge bottlenecks so you have to zigzag around them which wastes a lot of energy in the first few miles.
I am not and never plan to be a professional runner. I don't have the fancy garmin watches which give you your pace, speed, heart rate, calorie count, etc. I have a POLAR watch with a close to dead battery and I only use it for the time watch function. I consider myself a recreational runner with the sole purpose of allowing me to eat some of my favorite foods without feeling guilty. So I guess I learned that it would have been helpful to honestly figure out my pace and get placed in the right corral. I don't know how that would have affected my final completion time since your official start time is when you crossed the start line. I don't have the official results from my time chip but when I crossed the finish line the time on the billboard said 2:38:44 or something like that which equates to about a 12 min mile pace. Not bad for the first time.
In the end, I'd totally do this race again. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The trees were all in full color and spectacular! I LOVE fall. The weather was actually perfect, if not a tad brisk at the start. It was 42 degrees and clear blue skies which made it colder. I debated if I wanted to leave my fleece jacket in the car but I couldn't handle the cold. When you can see your breath it's hard for my mind to accept standing outside in a long sleeve underarmour shirt and t-shirt. But I saw a lot of people with short sleeves and tank tops on!! Brave souls. Although by the middle of the race, I was so ready to take off my jacket. But I knew I wouldn't because it would take time to take off my ipod and headphones. But it wasn't too bad. There were a couple of steep inclines along the course. Around mile 3 and a horrendous incline after mile 10. I was trying my best to jog up those hills but felt like I was barely moving. Most people were walking them but at this point I was determined to not slow down. And I got through them. What was funny was there was a guy in front of me with a bright orange shirt on that had the quote from Phillipeans 4:13. Something to the effect that through Christ, I can gather the strength to endure anything!!! It was so motivating and at a perfect time. Running the last 3 miles was brutal. By the last 1/2 mile I was so ready to stop but all the people cheering you on really helped me finish strong. I literally sprinted (as fast as I could at that point) to the finish line. It was a little anti-climatic since I didn't have anybody there to share it with which was okay but would have been nice to have a little celebration. Guess that's the price you pay for being so independent.
Today my calves are screaming sore because of those inclines but I'd totally do it again. The race was very well organized and in a beautiful location. I still don't have any plans to do more than 13 miles even though I said before that I'd never do more than 6 miles. At the 12 mile mark there is a turnoff for the marathoners to go on and I couldn't imagine having to run another 13 miles! I give them props, it is an incredible challenge. When I was running to mile 6, there were marathoners who were coming up to mile marker 12. They were running twice as fast as me which means around 6 min mile pace. Incredible. Every single one of them was skin and bones and mostly guys although there were a handful of girls. Inside I was cheering them on because it is not an easy feat. And right now, I still don't aspire to be them although Brett wants me to try and run a marathon just to see if I can do it. No immediate plans for that. I would like to do the Arizona half marathon in January. I think it would be cool to travel to different cities and run races as a hobby. You get to experience different scenery and run on a different course and get to spend a little fun time there as well. Most vacations you tend to gain weight because it interrupts your workout but this would be the best of both! I know, how obsessed am I :)
Now my fear is trying to maintain this regimen during the coming winter months. My biggest fear is slowing down, not watching my eating habits and gaining all the weight back. I've come so far and worked so hard that I don't want to mess it all up. I guess that should be my motivation. That was the other bad thing about not having somebody else with me on my first 1/2 marathon, I didn't have somebody taking pictures of me or the event to visually document my achievement. Sometimes pictures are worth more than words. I'll just have to lock the day away in my memory!
It's Oct. 17th and I'm looking outside to a beautiful sunny day, blue skies and around 55 degrees going up to around 70. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this. This has to be the best summer/fall EVER!! I don't want to forget it for a number of reasons.
Yesterday I ran my first half marathon in Indianapolis, 13.1 miles and yes I will specify that .1 because I earned every tenth of a mile!! I started on my weight loss journey on May 25th, never with the intention of running a half marathon. But running has ALWAYS been the key to quick weight loss for me and I enjoy it. It's a true solo sport and being the fiercely independent person that I am (Brett would say anti-social) running totally suites me. I don't have to depend on anybody but myself.
In the beginning I just vowed that I will walk every day no matter what as long as it wasn't raining. How hard is that right? I mean there is no pressure to walk. Then I started to walk/jog, then jog more than walk until I worked myself up to trying to jog 3 laps around my trail which is 3.6 miles per lap. It was sometime in August I think where I ran my first 10 miles nonstop!! I was so proud of myself. It was NOT an easy feat. Most people can't imagine running nonstop for more than 2 hours. Trust me, it's grueling. So why did I want to try and do 13 miles?? Easy answer, just to see if I could do it. I wasn't out to break any records. I just wanted to finish the race with a mini-goal of doing it under 3 hours.
I ran 12 miles for the first time last Sunday. A week before that I had an intestinal virus from hell. I was literally on the toilet every day almost every hour of the day spilling my guts out. Needless to say, I did not run one bit that whole week which was the most I've not worked out since I started in May. That started to freak me out knowing that I was a week away from the race.
So when I finally started to feel normal again, I did not hesitate to get back on the trail and see if I could do it. It really was more of a mental thing than a physical. My legs actually felt awesome from not running in a week. Talk about fresh legs. And because I was so sick I wasn't eating and lost 2 lbs and actually broke the 167 barrier!! Too bad it was all water weight but I didn't care, it was still awesome to see 164.4 on the scale. So physically I felt really good, I just needed to know that I could do it. And I did! It took me 2 hrs and 15 mins which was about 11.25 min miles. Not bad. Now I felt confident that I could finish the race.
I did not run on Monday, ran 7 or so miles on Tuesday, didn't run on Wed even though I wanted to which left me to decide if I should run on Thurs before the race. I've been reading a bunch of marathon blogs and first timer tips and almost all of them said to not workout 2 days before the race so your legs can rest. Of course, I couldn't resist. I did a light run of 3.5 miles. Again, it was really just a mental thing. I figured I'm not running a marathon and wanted to approach this race with the same mentality as any other time I've ran more than 10 miles. I usually run every day during the week, then when Sat comes around, I get up, drink my protein shake and go run.
I didn't want to psych myself out because it was an actual race. I wanted to treat it like a typical Sat run. Grant it, there was going to be 6200 people and it's an actual event versus a jog in a forest preserve but mentally I didn't want to make it more than that. And that worked for me. Now I have to admit, I was a little anxious about it. I did not sleep well at all the night before. Just being in a different bed in a different location doesn't allow me to sleep well. Add to that a screaming crying kid a few doors down and I definitely wasn't going to get a peaceful nights rest. I also woke up every couple of hours because I was afraid my alarm wouldn't go off and I'd be late for the race. I knew I had to be in the parking lot well before 7:15 so my plan was to leave around 6:15. I had already drove to where the race was going to be held and knew exactly where I had to be so at least that wasn't stressing me out. But I wanted to make sure I beat the traffic and because I am extremely anal about stuff like this, I knew I'd leave extra early. Which I did.
I was probably one of the first cars in the lot. The volunteers hadn't even started working yet. They were still in their pre-game huddle so I picked a spot on the end for easy exiting and literally sat in my car for about an hour and a half reading my book. Luckily I was parked right under a street light so that made for easy reading. By 7, I had to pee so bad that I left my car and went looking for a portapottie. Unfortunately the closest ones were by the start of the race so I had to walk about 10 mins away. At this point I still needed to drink another protein shake and get my sunglasses because it was suppose to be brillantly sunny. So I rushed back to my car and took care of those things and grabbed my ipod and headed back to the race site.
At this point, there were TONS of people milling about and a ton more waiting to use the portapotties. I couldn't believe how long the lines were and there were probably 50 potties. Of course I knew after just drinking 8 ounces of shake I'd have to go again so I jumped in line. I barely made it through before the race started (had about 5 mins to spare). I registered under the slowest pace 17 min mile because I knew I wasn't going to be fast. What was amazing is all the different shapes and sizes of the people participating. There were people in their 50's, 60's, there were people who were overweight, there were the typical runner-shape people who were lean with no body fat. It was pretty cool seeing all kinds of people taking on a marathon/half marathon. So I felt pretty comfortable in my skin.
The one lesson I learned is that I need to register under a more realistic time. There were 7 corrals based on your pace. Obviously the ultra marathoners are in corral A because they run at least a 5 min mile pace. Then you have corral H which is the slowest at 17 min mile pace. When you are in the last corral, it takes forever to get past all the slow people. I was shocked by how many people were actually walking the race! These people create huge bottlenecks so you have to zigzag around them which wastes a lot of energy in the first few miles.
I am not and never plan to be a professional runner. I don't have the fancy garmin watches which give you your pace, speed, heart rate, calorie count, etc. I have a POLAR watch with a close to dead battery and I only use it for the time watch function. I consider myself a recreational runner with the sole purpose of allowing me to eat some of my favorite foods without feeling guilty. So I guess I learned that it would have been helpful to honestly figure out my pace and get placed in the right corral. I don't know how that would have affected my final completion time since your official start time is when you crossed the start line. I don't have the official results from my time chip but when I crossed the finish line the time on the billboard said 2:38:44 or something like that which equates to about a 12 min mile pace. Not bad for the first time.
In the end, I'd totally do this race again. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The trees were all in full color and spectacular! I LOVE fall. The weather was actually perfect, if not a tad brisk at the start. It was 42 degrees and clear blue skies which made it colder. I debated if I wanted to leave my fleece jacket in the car but I couldn't handle the cold. When you can see your breath it's hard for my mind to accept standing outside in a long sleeve underarmour shirt and t-shirt. But I saw a lot of people with short sleeves and tank tops on!! Brave souls. Although by the middle of the race, I was so ready to take off my jacket. But I knew I wouldn't because it would take time to take off my ipod and headphones. But it wasn't too bad. There were a couple of steep inclines along the course. Around mile 3 and a horrendous incline after mile 10. I was trying my best to jog up those hills but felt like I was barely moving. Most people were walking them but at this point I was determined to not slow down. And I got through them. What was funny was there was a guy in front of me with a bright orange shirt on that had the quote from Phillipeans 4:13. Something to the effect that through Christ, I can gather the strength to endure anything!!! It was so motivating and at a perfect time. Running the last 3 miles was brutal. By the last 1/2 mile I was so ready to stop but all the people cheering you on really helped me finish strong. I literally sprinted (as fast as I could at that point) to the finish line. It was a little anti-climatic since I didn't have anybody there to share it with which was okay but would have been nice to have a little celebration. Guess that's the price you pay for being so independent.
Today my calves are screaming sore because of those inclines but I'd totally do it again. The race was very well organized and in a beautiful location. I still don't have any plans to do more than 13 miles even though I said before that I'd never do more than 6 miles. At the 12 mile mark there is a turnoff for the marathoners to go on and I couldn't imagine having to run another 13 miles! I give them props, it is an incredible challenge. When I was running to mile 6, there were marathoners who were coming up to mile marker 12. They were running twice as fast as me which means around 6 min mile pace. Incredible. Every single one of them was skin and bones and mostly guys although there were a handful of girls. Inside I was cheering them on because it is not an easy feat. And right now, I still don't aspire to be them although Brett wants me to try and run a marathon just to see if I can do it. No immediate plans for that. I would like to do the Arizona half marathon in January. I think it would be cool to travel to different cities and run races as a hobby. You get to experience different scenery and run on a different course and get to spend a little fun time there as well. Most vacations you tend to gain weight because it interrupts your workout but this would be the best of both! I know, how obsessed am I :)
Now my fear is trying to maintain this regimen during the coming winter months. My biggest fear is slowing down, not watching my eating habits and gaining all the weight back. I've come so far and worked so hard that I don't want to mess it all up. I guess that should be my motivation. That was the other bad thing about not having somebody else with me on my first 1/2 marathon, I didn't have somebody taking pictures of me or the event to visually document my achievement. Sometimes pictures are worth more than words. I'll just have to lock the day away in my memory!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Unofficial end of summer Sept 6, 2010
I know I haven't written in quite awhile, guess it's a good thing nobody reads this thing but me and maybe Allison :)
Well my favorite time of the year is coming to a close :( I just have to say that this was BY FAR the best summer I can remember in a long time. Not only have I lost 30 lbs!!! But the weather was hot and humid just like summer's are suppose to be (I know I'm weird). I have to admit that this past weekend actually felt nice. It was about 72 degrees with a cool breeze. You could smell that fall is right around the corner. If we have an actual FALL (meaning it doesn't immediately drop to 40 degrees over the next few months) then I'm really looking forward to it.
I ran my first 10 miles on Saturday!! First time ever in my life that I ran that long without stopping. That is 1 mile shy of 3 times around my favorite trail. As much as I wanted to make it all the way on that 3rd lap, I just lost steam, plus my knee was getting pretty sore. But 10 miles!! That is a huge accomplishment for me. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Then this morning I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast because I have not been there is months. I got my usual and it was pretty good but pretty greasy. Which I'm sure it has always been that way but now that I'm not use to eating it, and boy did my stomache pay for it. So as to not get into the details, let's just say that I'm not anxious to go back.
So because that indiscretion made me feel guilty, I ran another 10 miles today. I know I have issues. I knew this would happen. I swing way to the other extreme so now if I eat bad things I feel I have to push myself extra hard to work it off. Believe me jogging 10 miles is hard work.
I've been limiting myself to one "whatever" meal a day. So if it's pizza, a hamburger and fries, Jimmy John's sub, or Chili's, I'll restrict myself for the rest of the day meaning that I'll just eat my protein shake. I figure that I'm eating about 1200 or so calories a day and I continue to jog at least 4-5 miles a day during the week. So far it seems to be working since I'm maintaining.
Yeah I'd like to lose the last 20 lbs to make my original goal but I'm content with where I'm at right now. I like being able to eat the foods I like whenever I want as long as I keep up with the cardio. And trust me, I realize that as soon as I make any reductions in the cardio I absolutely have to change my diet. Carbs and sugar are still the enemy and unfortunately they will always be the enemy. I know now that as soon as I restrict those two things from my diet the weight will literally fall off.
Another crazy logic stuck in my head is that by not going grocery shopping, I'm able to stick to my diet. I have not had bread, milk or cheese in my fridge since May and I seriously think that is helping. It may not be helping my pocketbook but it's helping keep the temptation away. Yeah I know I could stock up on healthy foods but it's soooo much easier to just run to subway for a salad or Wendy's for a chicken sandwich. I'm actually surprising myself with my ability to restrain from ordering fries or pop. My downfall is around lunchtime 11-12pm when the only thing I've "eaten" since 5am is 2-6 oz protein shakes. That's about 300 calories. So by 11am I am beyond starving and it's tempting to go to Subway and order a spicy italian sub (the worst thing to get) along with the chips and pop. I have been able on numerous occassions to just order the salad with grilled chicken breast with a side of honey mustard. Grant it by 3pm I am STARVING again but it's all about the number of calories!!!
I'm worried about the coming winter months. I've always hated running when it's below 50 degrees out. The cold air kills my lungs but maybe this year will be different. I think I am really going to try to maintain my jogging regimen. When I ran that 10 miles for the first time it was 58 degrees out and I had to admit it was so much easier to run without the humidity. I just hate wearing 4 layers of clothes to start out in and not being able to take them off as I start sweating. I know there are sweat wicking type clothing out there but I'm cheap when it comes to buying that stuff. I have a hard time spending $30-40 bucks things like that. Those who know me, know that I LIVE for Kohl's. Yeah I know it's cheap clothing that doesn't last more than a few years but I like quantity over quality. If I can get 20 items for $200 bucks versus 5 items for the same amount, I'll go for the 20 any day. And for the record, I do have some clothes from Kohls that have lasted 6 years now so it's not all that bad :)
So onto a new season!! I guess you could say that half the battle has been won (losing the weight) now that other half has to be conquered (keeping it off!).
Well my favorite time of the year is coming to a close :( I just have to say that this was BY FAR the best summer I can remember in a long time. Not only have I lost 30 lbs!!! But the weather was hot and humid just like summer's are suppose to be (I know I'm weird). I have to admit that this past weekend actually felt nice. It was about 72 degrees with a cool breeze. You could smell that fall is right around the corner. If we have an actual FALL (meaning it doesn't immediately drop to 40 degrees over the next few months) then I'm really looking forward to it.
I ran my first 10 miles on Saturday!! First time ever in my life that I ran that long without stopping. That is 1 mile shy of 3 times around my favorite trail. As much as I wanted to make it all the way on that 3rd lap, I just lost steam, plus my knee was getting pretty sore. But 10 miles!! That is a huge accomplishment for me. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Then this morning I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast because I have not been there is months. I got my usual and it was pretty good but pretty greasy. Which I'm sure it has always been that way but now that I'm not use to eating it, and boy did my stomache pay for it. So as to not get into the details, let's just say that I'm not anxious to go back.
So because that indiscretion made me feel guilty, I ran another 10 miles today. I know I have issues. I knew this would happen. I swing way to the other extreme so now if I eat bad things I feel I have to push myself extra hard to work it off. Believe me jogging 10 miles is hard work.
I've been limiting myself to one "whatever" meal a day. So if it's pizza, a hamburger and fries, Jimmy John's sub, or Chili's, I'll restrict myself for the rest of the day meaning that I'll just eat my protein shake. I figure that I'm eating about 1200 or so calories a day and I continue to jog at least 4-5 miles a day during the week. So far it seems to be working since I'm maintaining.
Yeah I'd like to lose the last 20 lbs to make my original goal but I'm content with where I'm at right now. I like being able to eat the foods I like whenever I want as long as I keep up with the cardio. And trust me, I realize that as soon as I make any reductions in the cardio I absolutely have to change my diet. Carbs and sugar are still the enemy and unfortunately they will always be the enemy. I know now that as soon as I restrict those two things from my diet the weight will literally fall off.
Another crazy logic stuck in my head is that by not going grocery shopping, I'm able to stick to my diet. I have not had bread, milk or cheese in my fridge since May and I seriously think that is helping. It may not be helping my pocketbook but it's helping keep the temptation away. Yeah I know I could stock up on healthy foods but it's soooo much easier to just run to subway for a salad or Wendy's for a chicken sandwich. I'm actually surprising myself with my ability to restrain from ordering fries or pop. My downfall is around lunchtime 11-12pm when the only thing I've "eaten" since 5am is 2-6 oz protein shakes. That's about 300 calories. So by 11am I am beyond starving and it's tempting to go to Subway and order a spicy italian sub (the worst thing to get) along with the chips and pop. I have been able on numerous occassions to just order the salad with grilled chicken breast with a side of honey mustard. Grant it by 3pm I am STARVING again but it's all about the number of calories!!!
I'm worried about the coming winter months. I've always hated running when it's below 50 degrees out. The cold air kills my lungs but maybe this year will be different. I think I am really going to try to maintain my jogging regimen. When I ran that 10 miles for the first time it was 58 degrees out and I had to admit it was so much easier to run without the humidity. I just hate wearing 4 layers of clothes to start out in and not being able to take them off as I start sweating. I know there are sweat wicking type clothing out there but I'm cheap when it comes to buying that stuff. I have a hard time spending $30-40 bucks things like that. Those who know me, know that I LIVE for Kohl's. Yeah I know it's cheap clothing that doesn't last more than a few years but I like quantity over quality. If I can get 20 items for $200 bucks versus 5 items for the same amount, I'll go for the 20 any day. And for the record, I do have some clothes from Kohls that have lasted 6 years now so it's not all that bad :)
So onto a new season!! I guess you could say that half the battle has been won (losing the weight) now that other half has to be conquered (keeping it off!).
Friday, July 16, 2010
Friday July 16th
I need to get the word "diet" out of my head. I need to think "lifestyle change" instead because really, that's what it is right?
When I think diet, I think of a short term thing, a means to an end but with my body type, there is no end. I will never be able to eat whatever I want and not gain weight, especially when it comes to sugar.
I decided to splurge today and have my chocolate ice cream. I knew ahead of time that I was going to feel super guilty and probably physically ill but I just had to have it. I've been thinking about it for weeks and figured today was as good of a day as any so I did.
I didn't get my favorite Oberweis, instead opting for my usual convenient second choice of DQ. I went for a small (as if it mattered) m&m blizzard with chocolate ice cream, the standard fare. (I don't care what new flavors come out, I barely even look at the menu to check because I know what I like and I get it EVERY single time :)
So I go home, turn on the tv to add insult to injury (nothing like a picture of health right?) and indulge. Only it didn't taste as good as I remember. I was IN LOVE with this treat practically eating it on a weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) basis (thus the 30 lbs weight gain). I think it's true that once you wean yourself off of this sugar kryptonite your taste buds change.
I'm beginning to think that this whole "lifestyle change" is truly mental. My brain remembers the happy feeling I use to get when I ate this but my body is like "eh, it's not all it's cracked up to be". Which is a good thing. I really don't want to go back to eating this stuff. I feel a million times better staying off of it.
So now I know. I've done it. I'll pay the poundage price for doing it but I don't have plans on doing it again anytime soon.
I've also concluded that I'm "over training", or in other words I'm obsessing about exercising. I've been there many times before so you'd think that I'd learn but like my Dad, I have a little OCD. I feel like more is better but in the end, it's not doing my body any good. I know my body needs a few days rest to recoup. It's just that the weather is exactly how I like it, hot and humid so it's hard to resist. But tomorrow is suppose to be 91, clear blue skies and humid...PERFECT!! Time to redeem myself!!
When I think diet, I think of a short term thing, a means to an end but with my body type, there is no end. I will never be able to eat whatever I want and not gain weight, especially when it comes to sugar.
I decided to splurge today and have my chocolate ice cream. I knew ahead of time that I was going to feel super guilty and probably physically ill but I just had to have it. I've been thinking about it for weeks and figured today was as good of a day as any so I did.
I didn't get my favorite Oberweis, instead opting for my usual convenient second choice of DQ. I went for a small (as if it mattered) m&m blizzard with chocolate ice cream, the standard fare. (I don't care what new flavors come out, I barely even look at the menu to check because I know what I like and I get it EVERY single time :)
So I go home, turn on the tv to add insult to injury (nothing like a picture of health right?) and indulge. Only it didn't taste as good as I remember. I was IN LOVE with this treat practically eating it on a weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) basis (thus the 30 lbs weight gain). I think it's true that once you wean yourself off of this sugar kryptonite your taste buds change.
I'm beginning to think that this whole "lifestyle change" is truly mental. My brain remembers the happy feeling I use to get when I ate this but my body is like "eh, it's not all it's cracked up to be". Which is a good thing. I really don't want to go back to eating this stuff. I feel a million times better staying off of it.
So now I know. I've done it. I'll pay the poundage price for doing it but I don't have plans on doing it again anytime soon.
I've also concluded that I'm "over training", or in other words I'm obsessing about exercising. I've been there many times before so you'd think that I'd learn but like my Dad, I have a little OCD. I feel like more is better but in the end, it's not doing my body any good. I know my body needs a few days rest to recoup. It's just that the weather is exactly how I like it, hot and humid so it's hard to resist. But tomorrow is suppose to be 91, clear blue skies and humid...PERFECT!! Time to redeem myself!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
July 13, 2010 - Week 8
Lost a whopping .4 lbs. Yeah, I guess I deserved that after Sunday but still, it hurts. I know there are many reasons why the numbers aren't higher but at the end of the day, I know I've lost inches and again, that's what really matters....at least I have to keep convincing myself of that.
I think this is my last week of purchasing the IP products. They are just too expensive and at the rate of my weight loss so far, I think I can proceed on my own. It's a scary proposition because that makes it THAT MUCH easier to go back to my old habits but I'm still determined. I'm going to have to do this on my own eventually.
I've come to realize that I will never ever be able to eat with abandon. I very much miss my ice cream especially since this summer has been so perfect (heat wise) for enjoying an ice cold chocolate shake or m&m blizzard :) These treats just cannot be enjoyed on a weekly (or daily) basis. They will have to remain the "every once in a long while" type treats.
So I'll finish up the IP product that I currently have, take my measurements and weigh myself next week and take it from there. I'm confident I have learned enough from these last 7 weeks to do this on my own. My goal is still to get into a size 8 jean but I do need to modify the diet to allow a little bit of cheating so that I don't experience another Sunday like last Sunday!! And I will alter my workouts to 60 mins instead of 2 hrs so I can increase the intensity. Sometimes more is not always better. We'll see how it goes!!
I think this is my last week of purchasing the IP products. They are just too expensive and at the rate of my weight loss so far, I think I can proceed on my own. It's a scary proposition because that makes it THAT MUCH easier to go back to my old habits but I'm still determined. I'm going to have to do this on my own eventually.
I've come to realize that I will never ever be able to eat with abandon. I very much miss my ice cream especially since this summer has been so perfect (heat wise) for enjoying an ice cold chocolate shake or m&m blizzard :) These treats just cannot be enjoyed on a weekly (or daily) basis. They will have to remain the "every once in a long while" type treats.
So I'll finish up the IP product that I currently have, take my measurements and weigh myself next week and take it from there. I'm confident I have learned enough from these last 7 weeks to do this on my own. My goal is still to get into a size 8 jean but I do need to modify the diet to allow a little bit of cheating so that I don't experience another Sunday like last Sunday!! And I will alter my workouts to 60 mins instead of 2 hrs so I can increase the intensity. Sometimes more is not always better. We'll see how it goes!!
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