#winning

Sorry, had to make a Charlie Sheen reference! I've never liked the guy much but I'm loving his crazy. It's hilarious and I'm sorry, if someone was tasked to write a script for him to come off as crazy and hilarious they wouldn't have come close to what he's delivered in interviews. I do feel bad for this family though.

ANYWAY! I ended up getting sick. I was out of work Monday and Tuesday and still felt like crap Wednesday and Thursday. It was a bad cold and I had a low fever and then it turned into possible allergies. I had really bad itchy and watery eyes, no, really bad. I started taking Zyrtec on Friday because I can't function taking Benedryl. It knocks me out.

Long story short, not one workout this week, and even though I felt sick I had my appetite for the most part. I was super worried I'd have a decent gain but by some miracle of god (after the weekend and half-ass counting points while I was sick) I managed to be down .6!

I actually skipped my meeting today so I could sleep in and rest but I weighed on my home scale on Friday for work and again today. Today it says 173.6 and hey, I'll take it.

I'm thinking the previous few weeks of doing well helped me out but I can't mess around anymore. I am going to kick ass this week!

John and I have been talking about playing basketball for a while. We're huge Magic fans and besides that, I played basketball in middle school and high school. I was really into and actually pretty good. I was a really good shooter and really loved but what held be back was my lack of confidence and my sophomore year of HS the coach said I was too short to make varsity so I ended up quitting after that year. I regret it in some ways, I wish I had finished out HS playing. In middle school my dream was to play for the WNBA. I did go on to play lacrosse my junior year but I didn't have the same passion for it.

So yeah, the point of the story, we bought a ball and found a park to go play! It was beautiful out today and we shot around for a bit and then played a game of HORSE. I won! I didn't even get one letter! It took me a while to get my groove back and I'm by no means as good as I was in high school but it was fun! We did a little one on one too but I was so tired and out of breath I quit. I also made the mistake of wearing sandals and my sundress but I thought we were only going to play HORSE! :)

We had dinner out tonight at this Mexican place in Tampa called Algusto's. It's really good and if you're in Tampa I recommend it! We were pretty hungry after basketball so I went a little crazy with the chips but not too bad. We had some salsa and guacamole and then for my entree I got green mole chicken. I estimated the best I could with e-tools help and I estimated my meal to be 19 PP. Luckily I had 15 PP left and earned 1 AP.

We went to Urban Outfitters and then to Target to get some cleaning supplies (apartment cleaning mission tomorrow) and shared a frozen yogurt. When it was all said and done I used my 1 AP and 9 WAP. I don't like having to estimate but I did the best I could. E-tools said 5 PP for 15 tortilla chips (they were small size chips) which sounds low but I'm going to go with it.

Tomorrow I am planning to do an outdoor run while John bikes but it may rain. In that case I'll hit the gym for a run. I got some new knee things, patella bands(?) to try out instead of my shitty knee sleeves. I'll see if they help.

Okay, time for bed, I'm sleepy!

All the bitches love me...

Sorry, I'm listening to that Dougie song which I half love and half think is a joke. :)

I realized I haven't posted in a while. Last week went pretty well. Towards the end I use more WAP than I would have liked. I ended up losing 1.4 putting me at 174.2. I was happy but was hoping for 2.

So far this week is going well. Yesterday I had a tough strength and cardio circuit type workout. I was super sore today. I still managed to drag myself to the gym and ran a 5k distance on the treadmill in around 35 min.

I am super sore so I may rest tomorrow or do light cross training.

Thursday I have spin class and Friday is a rest day and I will have to weigh-in Friday since Saturday is our engagement party. :)

I am trying really hard this week and hope to see at least 172.something on Friday!

Glee tonight was epic. I just downloaded two songs from the episode. Darren Criss is hot.

yikes

So this has been a really good week. I haven't snacked at night all week! Not only that, I stayed in my daily points target most days. I went over a little last night and I went over by 2 tonight.

That being said, I'm ending the week with 23 banked WAPP and 20 banked AP.

I did the following exercise this week:
S - 8.5 mile bike ride
M - 5k run (struggle, slower pace)
T - rest
W - spin class (intense!)
R - 30 min. cross train (elliptical)
F - 5k run (great run, great pace)

I'm proud of myself for working out FIVE days this week. :) I really want five to be my minimum.

I wanted to post this tonight because I've also noticed the scale not budging much the past few days and it has me down. I deserve a two pound loss. I want to see 174 on the scale so badly even if there is a point something after (except .8, fuck you .8). I worked hard this week and I don't see why I shouldn't have lost.

That being said, it is what it is at this point. I just have to keep going and kill it this next week and so on.

Jen is coming over tomorrow and she'll help cheer me up if needed but hopefully she won't have to! We are making a WW dinner, I'll be sure to post about it!

Off I go!

A bad run and negative talk.

So yesterday after work I set-off to the gym to run a 5k distance. I haven't run in a week (other than short 1 mile cardio intervals) so I want to get a decent distance in. I ran 4 miles on my last run and it was a great run.

It was gross, dark and rainy out yesterday when I got out of work so I headed down the gym in the building. There are two treadmills there, one was taken and the gym was pretty crowded so I was lucky to snag one. I was cranky about it though because the open one is the one I hate. I feel like that treadmill sucks. It's harder for me to run on, always. I don't know if it has a natural incline or if it's just a POS and I can tell but whatever.

I started off my run listening to Glee songs and it didn't take long for this run to turn into the worst run ever.

My whole body felt heavy, from my legs to my torso. I felt like I was a brick. On top of that, my pelvic organs started to hurt (almost like cramps) and after the second mile the top of my left foot started to get a pain.

To top it off, I was wearing a shitty pair of workout capris that kept sagging and it made me feel like my stomach was bouncing more so that turned into me thinking how fat I was the whole time.

No wait, something else happened to annoy me! Around mile 2 when I was struggling hardcore, the other treadmill opens up and this tiny, fit girl comes on and starts running at a 6.5 like it's nothing. I'm not a bitter person, and today I say good for her but yesterday it was the last thing I felt like seeing. There I was struggling only to be next to Miss Fitness USA.

There was a lot of negative talk going on in my head. I won't go into details but it sucked. I questioned myself  Am I really a runner? I don't think I am, I should stop.

Between mile 2 and 3.1 I almost stopped at least twice if not three times. I slowed down to a 4.6 at times with the intention of giving up but then I'd kick back to a 4.8-5.0 and make myself go. I started to even feel nauseated towards the end. I know people say you should listen to your body but I thought my body was being a baby and I hate giving up.

When it was all said and done, I completed my 5k. It wasn't the pace I would have liked to keep but I didn't quit.

So why was this run so horrible?

I'm sure it had to do with the 8.5 mile bike ride from Sunday. My legs aren't used to that and I'm sure that is why they felt heavy. My body was probably having an off day, simple as that. I know I can bust our four miles at a 12/min mile when I'm feeling good. Yesterday just wasn't one of those days.

Anyway, I am also happy to report I have not snack at night the past two nights! I know I have to stay in the habit a lot longer but I'm happy because I've consciously told myself NO when the thought has crossed my mind!

I'm hoping to see a good loss on Saturday. I just need to keep this up!

Workout plan recap:
Sunday - 8.5 mile bike ride X
Monday - 5k run X
Tuesday - off X
Wednesday - spin class
Thursday - cross train
Friday - strength/cardio intervals

Lots of updates!

So it's been a while since my last post but I come with lots of updates. I'll try to keep it short though.

1. I'm engaged! John and I got engaged when were in NYC. I am so happy and we are so excited for what the future holds. No solid wedding plans yet but it looks like the date will be in Spring 2012.

Here is a photo from right after he asked me! :)

2. So as far as my weight goes I'm not sure. After our trip and the holidays I knew I'd be up. I got down to 171.8 before the trip. If I can get out of this and not be over 175 I'll count it as a success. I'll update this weekend about where I'm at.

3. I only have one more challenge coming up which is New Years dinner/drinking. I'm going to try and be as good as I can but I'm also going to consider it a last splurge.

4. Assuming I'm around 175 I need to lose 15lbs before I'll start trying on wedding dresses. I refuse to try them on before I hit 160. My goal is 145.

5. It's time to get serious for 2011. Not only do I want to make my goal for myself but now with a wedding coming up I need to get serious!

6. Running, what's that? I haven't been running much the past month. I still have a 5k distance in me but I've def. lost my 10k endurance.  I am going to start running again this week because I want to maintain a 5k endurance but I also want to focus more on strength training and toning.

7. I got a bike for Christmas! John got me a bike so we can start riding together.

Okay! So that is my quick update. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

"Hi it's me, I'm bored again..."

Okay, I'm not really bored, but I wanted to make a quick post.

So far this week is going pretty well. I have 20 WAP remaining and by Saturday should have earned 10-11 AP.

Tomorrow I am going to attempt a long run. I am going to go four miles minimum but push for five. Keeping my knees in mind I won't over do it if I feel pain.

I am not that worried about the 10k on Saturday. I know I'll get though it even if I don't get a PR. Although a PR would be a nice surprise!

The weather for Sunday says it will be a high of 80 and a low of 54. The previous nights low is 56 so I'm thinking at 7:30 a.m. it will be really nice for the race!

There are only two water stops on the course so I may try and carry a bottle with me but I haven't decided yet.

I'm excited to do the race, running is hard but rewarding and I love the feeling of finishing a race. Part of me is still contemplating the Disney Princess Half but with the knee issues I may just do the Gasparilla 15k that weekend.

I'll leave you with some canoe photos from the weekend!

Quickie/sleepy!

I didn't get a chance to post this weekend. It was a busy yet fun weekend. Saturday we ran errands and got sushi for dinner. I wasn't feeling great in general so we took it easy that night.

Sunday we went to Big Cat Rescue which is a really great place and you should check it out!

So back to Saturday, I went to my WW meeting and I was down 1 pound which brought me back even after the 1 pound gain the week prior.

My goal this week is to lose 3lbs. I know it's asking for a lot and since I've already used 15 WAP it's going to a lot of discipline the rest of this week.

Today I went to the gym after work to attempt at 4 mile run. I stopped at 2 miles because my knees started hurting and I don't want to push it since I shouldn't be running at all.

That being said, I might not be able to do the 10k. :( It's three weeks away so we'll see but my knees are still giving me problems and I need to work on strengthener my legs and not pushing my luck with trucking though a 10k. So we shall see...

Well I gotta run. Want to fold some clothes before bed and have time to relax.

I'll check back in Sunday since Saturday will be busy with Halloween festivities!

Hello, hello...

Thought I'd post a mid-week update.

Over the second half of the weekend my stomach was still acting up. I felt really sick Sunday after meeting up with Daniella. I came home and took a 2 hour nap and had some ginger ale and felt better.

On Monday UPS came and delivered my dress I bought from Urban Outfitters. I can get it on but it doesn't fit well. It's too tight in my hips (which is odd because I don't have big hips) and it won't zip well over my busy area.

The dilemma came up on whether or not I should keep the dress and hope that I achieve my 13.4 loss before the trip or return it. It's a $65 gamble!

I decided to keep it and see where I am in a month (30 day return policy). The dress is really, really nice and I want to keep it and wear it so GAME ON!

This week has been okay so far. Okay isn't going to be enough to get to that goal. I did a short workout Monday night and did a little cross training (30 min.) and yesterday I did a kickboxing class which was pretty good.

Tonight we are going to see The Flaming Lips but since the show starts late I am going to fit in a quick 30 Day Shred workout when I get home.

Tomorrow is an off day since I have acupuncture but Friday I am going for a 4-5 mile run outside afterwork. The high is only 81 so it should be beautiful outside! :)

I checked my weight today and I was about the same. I really want to lose at least 1lb this week so I need to be perfect with my points over the next three days! I can do it!

In other news John will be out of town Thursday through Monday for his 10-year HS reunion. :( Luckily my mom and sister are coming to visit on Saturday and Sunday. :)

I also have another long run planned for Sunday.

Last but not least, I finished Order of the Phoenix! Two books left!
Okay, I better go!

Weigh-in/Another 10k

So this past week my weight has been fluctuating a lot. Overall it was down but I'm thinking the fact Aunt Flo is here was causing a lot of changes.

I woke up early this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to go to the 8:30 a.m. meeting.

I was down 3.6! Wow. I feel great! I think the 10k last Saturday helped and I also snacked a lot less this week but I ate most of my WAP. I also just noticed I lost a point. Yay! It's a good thing. Heh.

I can't let this get away from me. I have to do good this week and keep the momentum going forward. I officially have 13.4 lbs to lose for my NYC goal which is 8 and a half weeks away. I can do it! It will take hard work!

Yesterday I had a pretty bad day, I won't get into the details but luckily it turned around when I got home. I took a nap and then around 7 p.m. John and I went to Whole Foods to get a bite to eat for dinner. I had a little salad and two bites of his pizza.

Then we went to the new Nordstroms Rack that opened by us which is amazing. It's a discounted Nordstroms with items 30-70% off.

I found my dress for Halloween! I'm going to be a take on Joan Holloway from Mad Men. I got a great Calvin Klein dress for $40 (originally $130!). I also got a pair of really awesome shoes for 50% off.

So much win. This place can be dangerous for my bank account though so I must watch it!

John also got pants, a tie and cuff links for his costume which is a take on Don Draper from Mad Men. :)

I'm trying to think of where we should go for dinner tonight. We always eat out Saturdays. I want sushi but I can't go crazy with points so it might be a bad idea. Hmm.

We are just going to relax and run some errands today.

Tomorrow we are going for a bike/run (either in the morning or early evening) and I'm going to meet Daniella for lunch and another trip to Nordstroms Rack so she can check it out. :)

Oh! I ordered this dress the other day as a night out dress for our trip (obviously, will need tights and a a big jacket!) to NYC. I am hoping it fits good. Now it has some reviews and they're all good so I'm happy!

Okay, last but not least! I signed up for the Founder's Day 10k on November 14th. I'm hoping to improve my time buy a few minutes! I'm excited to have another race to keep me focused on my running. :)

Quick update: physical therapy

So I had my first PT appointment tonight for my knees.

The doctor thinks my inner leg muscles (hard to explain) are weak and the outer are a tight which is pulling my kneecap out to the side a bit.

He went over a handful of exercises with me that I will do at home.

He also watched me run and pointed out I'm a heel striker and and that I should try and hit more mid-foot.  He also explained how my form is sort of a up and down motion which is causing more impact on my knees and that I should focus on more of a leaning forward motion (reminds me of what I've read about chi running).

The doctor is also a runner so that was cool.

He recommended me taking it easy with the running which I don't want to do. I told him that I'm doing a 10k in about a month and he said to at least maybe skip long runs for the next week or two.

So yeah, that is all!

Has fall arrived early in Florida or is this a sick joke?

It seems as if fall has arrived early in Florida! Normally this time of year it's still pretty hot and gross out. This past week however has been really nice! Now mind you, fall for Florida is a far cry from what fall is for the other 80 percent of the country. It's been lows in the low 60s and highs in the low to mid 80s but the humidity has been low and it's felt cool.

On Sunday night my stomach started feeling weird, hard to explain but it wasn't good. Monday it was feeling pretty icky and my appetite was off (however I was able to eat all my points, surprise...) so I decided to take the day off from working out and rest. By Tuesday it was still feeling off so I decided another rest day was in order.

Yesterday it felt better but not great. I decided to give the gym a go and see how it went. I ran 2 miles on the treadmill at a decent pace and felt okay. After that I got on the elliptical but after 10 min. or so my stomach was hurting a lot. :( I decided to cut the workout short but still managed to earn 3 activity points so I was happy. I'm just proud of myself for going.

Tonight I have my first physical therapy session for my knees so I'll be taking the day off. I hope it goes well and I learn some good exercises and stretches.

I have a TON of laundry to fold and put away tonight. I figure I'll do it while John is at his Japanese class and I'll watch Project Runway (go Mondo!).

John and I have been making a lot of WW recipes lately. E-Tools now has a feature where subscribers can review and rate recipes which is super helpful. If you've made WW recipes before you know it can be very hit or miss.

On Sunday we made a Winter Squash Lasagna (I've made this before). I like it a lot but I will say I can see it not being for everyone. It's butternut squash, cheese, golden raisins and has pine nuts sprinkled on top.

On Monday we made Mustard Dill Chicken and it was really good! Sorry, no photo of this one! Super easy to make too.

Finally, last night we made Chicken Parmigiana which also came out great!

I like that I can search for 5-star recipes now. Heh.

- - - -

In other news, I've been feeling down lately about a variety of things. My job, lack of friends, etc....

I get myself so caught up in the things I don't have sometimes that I lose sight of what I do have.

I am so lucky to have a really great family who loves and supports me, who are there for me no matter that and I know will always have my back.

I'm also really lucky to have John. It's like when you're younger you always wish you'd find the perfect person to be with and I did. Of course our relationship isn't perfect, as neither of us are, I'd never say that (it annoys me when people do!). I just found the person who is perfect for me and I'd venture to say John found the person who is perfect for him.

Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the negative and things that don't matter. I am guilty as ever as sweating the small stuff.

I just have to make sure I balance it with remembering all of the good stuff, cause there is sure a lot of it!

- - - -

Final notes!

I stopped taking my birth control on Sunday. It wasn't serving it's purpose in which my doctor had me start it for and I don't want fake hormones in my body for nothing.

So now I have a visitor, ugh, I hope she doesn't mess up my weigh-in Saturday!

I am going to have two perfect days today and tomorrow point's wise and really hope to see a pay off on Saturday!

Talk to you then...

:)

What's next?

So what is next?

Today I retired my “10k Training Plan” that was pinned up at work. It’s done now. I feel happy and also a little sad. I replaced it with a “Workout Guide,” so I have something visual to keep my on track for working out five days a week.

First things first, I don’t want to lose my endurance to run a 10k distance. Therefore, I am going to continue doing one long run a week of at least 5 miles.

As far as races, I’m unsure. I’m definitely doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving but that is more of a fun/leisurely event and it’s also just a 5k distance.

Once thing I learned this weekend was that I love the 10k distance! I was able to really get into the groove and cruise for a while. When I run 5k distance it’s so short and it’s hard to not be focused the entire time on the end versus the journey there.

There is a 10k on November 14th in Celebration, FL which I’m considering. It’s a little inconvenient but I’m thinking we can go to Orlando Friday night, spend time with my family and head to the race nice and early Sunday. I’ll have to see as it gets closer.

Another possible long-term goal is the Gasparilla 15k, which would be an additional 3 miles to tack on over the next five months which shouldn’t be too hard. Plus, they offer free pace leaders you can meet with to run with a group. I like the idea of that!

I’d be lying if I said part of me isn’t still thinking about the Disney Princess Half. It’s just such a commitment and like I’ve said before I want to focus on other things. Plus with my knees still acting up I don’t want to hurt myself. I know I could do it but we’ll see. It’s a no for now but who knows if the crazy run bug will bite me. Also, it’s a bit costly and between Dakota’s vet bills, our upcoming trip to NYC and the holidays around the corner, $120 is a lot to do.

Another consideration for not doing the half and sticking to the 15k is I really would like to work on my speed. I am proud of my 10k time but during parts of it I felt slow. I’d really like to work on getting my time down to 10 min. miles (esp for 5k distance). I know weight loss will help with this too.
I’m still working for the 165 NYC goal. It will be close and I have to work hard and be diligent but I know I can at least get close.

In other news, John and I found a cheap hotel in NYC for our trip and I’m really excited. We were worried we’d have to pay more than we bargained for but I found a deal this morning.

Workout plan for the week:

M: 30 min. elliptical/15 min. cycling
T: strength
W: 3.1 mile run (outside)
R: day off
F: 2-3 mile run (outside?) + strength

Ugh, my stomach has been acting up all day! It has a burning feeling that is almost like hunger right now. Blech.

Race for the Cure 10k!

So the day has come and gone! I complete the 10k I've been training for over the past 12 weeks!

The 10k started at 7:30 a.m. We set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. and I was tired! We left the house around 6 and it's good we did because it turned out we were in a rush for me to get to the start line.

For breakfast before the race I had a bagel thin with some almond butter and half a banana with some water.

We got to downtown St. Petersburg and parked. There was already some traffic but not too bad since the 5k started later. We ran into a Starbucks to use the bathroom. We had to walk a bit to get to the race start and I wanted to pee one more time and the lines for the port-o-potties were crazy. Luckily we made it and I got in line for the race. The 10k wasn't that packed so the pace markers were sort of irrelevant and I hung in the middle.

I made sure to use Body Glide to avoid chaffing from my ipod band, watch, knee sleeves and shorts! (Works like a charm! I was fine!)

The race started a little late (around 7:40 a.m.) so my nerves started to get to me as I waited in the crowd alone. I kept thinking how I might now be able to do it, how far it was, etc. Then I told my negative thoughts to STOP and I agreed to enjoy the view and enjoy the run for myself as much as I could.

Let's re-cap mile by mile!

Start to Mile 1: I was feeling good and wanted to keep a good pace but nothing too fast because I didn't want to burn out. The first mile went down a street and up and around the St. Pete pier. It was a nice part of the course right on the water. As I was coming up the stretch to the pier I saw my friend Mary coming down the other side on the way back (she is a long-time runner and speedy! She finished in 45 min.) We waved and I kept going. I got to mile one pretty quickly (around 11:45 min) and was feeling good. I took a cup of water and kept going!

Mile 1 to Mile 2: As I came off the pier loop I looked up and I saw John! He was doing the 5k and 8:15 a.m. and happened to see the 10k group and waited to see me!

Mile 1 to 2 seemed a lot longer. I tried not think much about it and seemed to be maintaining a 12 min/mile. I got some more water and went going on!


Mile 2 to 3: This mile went pretty fast for me. Nothing stands out about it really. Other than the fact I turned onto the second extra round abount for the 10k. Based on the map I knew it was going to be long. I reached mile 3 shortly after I turned onto that road and thought, "5k!" half-way there! At this point it started getting pretty warm. Earlier it was cool but this is when I started to notice the heat. Yuck!

Mile 3 to 4: I never thought I'd get to mile 4. I was going up a side street for what seemed forever waiting to get to the turn around point. I was hot and really wanted some more water. At this point I was hanging around the same women. Some were faster but would stop to walk and fall back to where I was. I decided to keep up with one lady who was consistently ahead of me even with her walking breaks.

Mile 4 to 5: This mile seemed a lot shorter and I got two cups of water at mile 4. I needed it! At one point I debated walking for a minute the second I slowed down my knees felt like hell. They felt okay running but the walking made them feel tight as anything! So I kept running. Shortly after the mile 4 mark the 10k course merged in with the 5k. It kind of sucked because the crowd got big and that meant some weaving around people. Luckily that point of the 5k group were still runners so I didn't have to weave in and out that much. When I hit mile 5 I felt really emotional. I realized I had one mile to go (and change)! My accomplishment was hitting me at this point and I felt like crying but I didn't. Right around that time my Glee version of I'm A Slave 4 U came on and I said to myself "Let's do this!" and I picked my pace! I wish I had my split times because I know mile 5 was a fast one for me. It had to be though because mile 4 was my slowest (I think).

Mile 5 to 6: A little past the mile 5 marker I checked my watch and I had 15 minutes to meet my goal time of 1:20. I thought I CAN DO THIS but I knew I couldn't slow down. I started getting some pretty annoying side stitches (I'm assuming because of my picked up pace) but I kept telling myself that I was almost done and to push through it! I kept checking my watch and thinking "Where is the finish line?!" I started to worry I'd just miss my goal time and It'd annoy me but I tried to tell myself no matter what happened it was okay and I was doing my best. I finally rounded a corner and saw the mile 6 sign! I picked it up and despite my side stich kept trucking!

Mile 6 to 6.2: I kept running and finally saw the finish line in view! The clock read just over 1:19 and I booked it! It was tough because the area was more crowded with all the 5k finishers so I had to do a bit of weaving but I crossed the mat at the clock time of 1:19:48!!!! That means my chip time was even less! *JUST IN* My official chip time is 1:19:20.

I AM SO HAPPY! When I crossed I felt like I was in a daze. I finished my first 10k and beat my goal time! I maintained around a 12:30 min/mile overall.

I stretched and roamed around a little before I met John at our meeting place.

At first I thought my knees were okay but they became super tight and achy fast. I do think the knee sleeves helped though.

John and I came home, showered and felt beat! We rested for a bit and then had a nice lunch at Seasons 52. We were so sleepy and had time to kill so we napped in the car for 20 min. after lunch. Heh.

At 2 John got his hair cut and I got a pedicure! It was a nice treat after a long run. I got a pretty bronze-orange color for October/Halloween!

After that we came home and napped until 6! Then we ordered Domino's Pizza to be delivered. I got a thin crust with light cheese (and I've learned this means a tiny sprinkle) which is fine with me! I ate half of my medium pizza. I was famished!

I ate all of my 7 activity points I earned today but the race made me hungry!

Tonight we are just relaxing! My legs are so tired!

Okay, time to go relax more! Thanks to everyone who wished me luck and for the support.

Thinking thoughts...

Yesterday wasn't a good day for a few reasons. My knees were bugging me and it was upsetting, I was feeling burnt out with my job, discouraged about my lack of weight loss and sad about my lack of friends.

I won't get into the details of everything.

I ended up skipping my strength yesterday because the idea of squats and lunges on my hurting knees seemed bad. Not to mention I was at the doctor until almost 5:30 so I got home later than expected.

So in terms of weight loss (or lack there of) I keep getting so upset. I feel like I'm stuck and I'll never get to my goal of 145.

Just an hour ago I was sitting at my desk having these thoughts. I want so badly to lose 20lbs before John and I go to NYC in December and I keep thinking of how I'm failing and won't get there.

Then my mind sort of went, "Well you're the only one who can give you what you want." It's true, no one can do some magic and make me 20 lbs lighter. I have to get my act together and focus on healthy eating habits.

So that is what I am going to do. I am going to focus on my eating habits more. I have two weeks left before the 10k but like I touched on in an earlier post I need to move some attention away from running and put it back on tracking, healthy habits etc.

With that said, I don't think I will be doing the half-marathon in February. At first I was really excited about it and part of me still wants to do it but part of me knows focusing that much on increased mileage etc. is going to perpetuate my lack of attention to my eating habits.

Could I do both? Maybe, but I want to prioritize and this what is best for me.

I am not going to quit running. In fact I want to continue with 5k/10k distances and really work on getting solid 10 min. miles.

In addition I am going to re-join the gym I think and also start doing spinning again as well as at least two days a week of strength. So all in all my activity level will not drop, it will just change. I want to at minimum keep two run days. One short run day (5k distance) and one long run day (5-6 miles). John has a bike and maybe for Christmas I can get one so we can ride together. :)

So anyway back to my main man(woman?) eating habits/weight loss:

When I was very successful and losing weight almost every week (2005-early 2007) I was VERY diligent about tracking. I found that with my body and what worked for me I could not use my WAP and expect to lose. Maybe using 5-10 would be okay but for the most part if I wanted a nice loss I had to forget about those WAP. Now, back in those days I was working out 5-6 days a week and I would use my AP. The difference between then and now is I didn't work out as intensely (i.e. 5 mile runs) so I'd never get more than 3 AP.

Things I am going to start focusing on and habits I want to change:

• Honest tracking, track everything, one BLT = 1 point (i.e. bite of John's dinner = 1 point! That should help deter me!)
• Snacking during the day. I eat healthy but I am a HUGE snacker which gets me in trouble with going over points. I need to plan for a mid-morning snack, mid-afternoon and after dinner snack so I can stay in points.
• Snacking at night. This just needs to stop. It is a bad, bad habit that there is no need for it.
• Eating out! Eating out is a big thing for John and I. It's the social thing we do with friends and John and I are also big foodies. We love watching Food Network and trying new places. Mind you, we have a list for our trip already... ;) When I eat out I need to make sure it's somewhere that has options. I also have to realize I might be the only one not having a delicious fattening plate but that it's okay.
• Emotions. That is a big thing for me. I am an emotional eater and very emotional in general. When I am feeling a certain way I need to ask myself why I am feeling like this and try to address the problem without food!

Okay so that leads me to my final item...the reward jar! I am going to get a jar this weekend that will collect some type of item (let's say paper clips for now). For each day I succeed in something listed below a paper clip will go in the jar. One paper clip = $1! I can collect it before our NY trip and cash in.

Rewarded behaviors:

• No night snacking = 2
• Staying within daily points = 1
• Banking APs earned = 1

So as you can see the night snacking is rewarded a little more because that is such a bad habit. I was going to add an item for a completed workout but let's not go crazy. I don't want to owe myself $500. ;)

Reward bank begins Saturday and will be cashed in on December 4th!

That is all for now! This was long, hope you read. :)

Keepin' on keepin' on...

So I am still finding myself doubting my 5k time from Saturday. What is wrong with me? I checked the course! I guess it's an effect of a low self-esteem. :\

Yesterday I was going for my long run of the week, 5.5 miles. My knees felt iffy all day so I told myself I'd play it by ear and if I wasn't feeling good I'd swap it for a shorter run and do the 5.5 another day.

Apparently Monday runs = runs with all types of issues. My knees felt eh but I had more GI distress and also I was getting a sharp pain where one of my incisions was from my surgery in February. It could have actually been related to the GI distresses. Sigh.

So you could probably guess I wrapped it up around 3.1 Long run attempt #2 will be Wednesday. I want today to be an easy day so I'm just going to do 30 Day Shred level two or Shred It!

My midnight snacking has been bad again. I'm completely aware of my snacking (not sleep walking or anything) but I wake up to pee and feel like I need to snack. It sucks starting the day with -4 points. I will beat this bad habit!

I just had lunch and it was delicious! I had a small sandwich using one slice of 15-grain bread, sliced chicken breast, lettuce and a tiny bit of light mayo and mustard. Yum! This bread held up really nicely sitting in the fridge overnight! I also had a side of my new love, chick pea salad! Yon can make any variation but I used: can of chick peas, reduced fat feta, English cucumber, tomato, 1tbsp EVOO, white balsamic, salt pepper - yum! It's approx. 2 points for half of a cup.

In muh belly now!

In other news I've been falling off the wagon with the no soda/caffeine thing. I realized today I've been allowing too many "once in a whiles," so I am cutting it out 100 percent again.

Finally, I am very hot and cold about this half marathon in February. Especially now with the knee pain. I def. want to wait to see what a doctor recommends.

Tonight I need to start Order of the Phoenix!

Inaugural Lockheed Martin 5k Run/Walk

So on Saturday I went to the Lockheed Martin Inaugural 5k run/walk. Considering it was their first one it was pretty well organized. It started and 8 a.m. and after standing outside for only a half hour I was already sweating. Ugh, Florida...

I'd say only 100-150 people were there so it was nice to run in a race that wasn't that crowded.

Boom! We went off and I tried to start off with a faster pace, nothing crazy but I tried what I thought would be close to a 10 minute mile pace but slowed a little. It's really hard for me to tell me how fast I'm going. I could really use a gps watch! Anyway, I got to the mile one water station around 10:32 from what I remember and was shocked but kept going. The course was a little boring on a road that went around the facility but the part I hated was the road was a tad slanted and I was worried that was going to hurt my knees but it seemed okay.

When I got to the mile two water station but I can't remember what my watch said. It was hot and I wanted to keep going. I walked through the water stations which I actually think helped my pace.

When I was getting close to the finish line I looked at my watch and went WOAH and tried to pick it up. The race was very casual and there wasn't a clock (just a woman yelling out times as people crossed) so I was glad I timed it on my watch.

I crossed at 32:27 and was so excited but also skeptical. I felt like it was too good to be true. I thought the course seemed short and maybe it wasn't really 3.1 miles?

It was a personal record 5k time! I beat my last 5k time by 5 minutes! It's been two months since my last race.

I got home and immediately went on this gps map and took the race map with me. It came out to 3.1! Well, a little over but it's probably impossible to be 100 percent exact. 

I think it comes down to the fact I'm used to running longer distances now that the 3.1 seemed shorter.

Part of me still finds it hard to believe but I need to stop that nonsense and own my success! I saw the verified fact so it's time to celebrate!

Other things to note:

My knees felt okay after the race. I made sure to stretch good. Today was a rest day and tomorrow I have a long run (5.5 miles) and I think I'll be okay for it.

My race bib with date and time:

All my race bibs since I had started Couch to 5k:

Time to clean up from dinner and get ready for True Blood and my favorite, Mad Men!

A win and a loss plus peas on the knees.

So I went on the treadmill at work and knocked out the 5.25 miles. It wasn't easy and my inner whiner was being really loud from miles 2 to 3. It was nice being able to watch shows on my iPhone. I ended up watching the LOST Pilot part 1 and some of part 2. I love that show so much. I started to get emotional during the first five minutes. True LOST fans will understand.

So anyway, big win! I drove home and was famished. So hungry! I thought I had a game plan for dinner but I thought wrong.

I got in the kitchen and tried to think what would be fast. I had spelt pretzels and hummus. I took a pre-portioned container of hummus that we get for John to bring to work. Turns out it was 4 points and if you add the pretzels there was 6. All my points...

I felt ravenous and thought "I can't just eat that!" So I had 1oz of sliced turkey (1) and then made an Amys veggie burger on a sandwich thin (1).

In addition to this I had some carrots with mustard (0) but the next grab is what killed me.

The evil dark chocolate. Generally I am okay with dark chocolate in the house. Well tonight I took a 1/4th of the bar I picked this weekend. Okay, fine, wanted something sweet...then I went back for more. I ate half the bar which clocked in at 5 points. Fuck. My. Life.

I am typing this now to vent because I feel sad, ashamed and like I've failed.

I did a run for nothing? No, I know that isn't true. I built my endurance and my body is burning fat more efficiently (thank god). I just feel disappointed.

Week after week I say "This week I am going to stay in my daily points!" and I've yet to do that.

Sure, I have 5 WAP left for the week and have 13 activity points untouched but it still sucks.

I think this next week I'm going to post my daily points in here. Maybe if I feel accountable to you guys it will help me.

Does anyone have advice for what to do when you're feeling exhausted and famished after a long run and need to eat? I guess planning is key and I was sort of winging it.

Back when I was doing my best on WW and losing mostly every week I was too far on the other side. I remember eating chocolate one night and trying to make myself throw up. I couldn't and was so upset. So I went to the gym for the second time that day to burn off more points. That isn't healthy. I never made that behavior a habit but even though I was losing I wasn't in a good place either.

I need to find a good in between place.

Oh, I almost forgot, I'm about to put a bag of peas on my knees and ice them. They hurt. :(

Running pains...

So yesterday I set off for my 5.25 mile run. The whole thing turned into one big problem.

Let's start off with the fact that I went to use the gym in my office building and there are only two treadmills. There is the one I like and the one that for some reason I decided I don't like. No reason really, both are in good condition and work fine. I think it's because at some point I decided the one I now don't like has a smidge of an incline to it even when it's at a 0. So naturally that was the only one open.

I sucked it up and got going. At around my first mile I was really uncomfortable and had to pee. I sighed and paused it and ran to the bathroom. I got back on and I still felt like I had to pee. Ugh! I kept going...

The first two miles I was also experiencing gastrointestinal distress. It was really uncomfortable and getting annoying fast.

Mind you, this whole time my "inner whiner" was out in full force. I kept ignoring it and kept trying to focus on my running.

Then out of no where my facial pain (I have a mystery facial neuralgia I get acupuncture for) started going wild. It generally is very mild since I started acupuncture. That turned into a headache which minutes later turned into sharp pains in my shoulders. What, the, frack?

That was it. I hit stop just short of 3 miles and then walked for 5 minutes.

I felt a bit defeated and headed home.

Some days you're on and some days you're off. I know my body is conditioned and fully capable of going 5.25 miles but today I just had to listen to all it's complains and let it rest.

When I got home John informed me I can get a Netflix app for my iPhone and watch movies on it! I wish I knew this earlier!

Today I am going to kill the 5.25 mile run while I watch the pilot episode of LOST. I've seem the entire series but I love it. <3

Tomorrow I rest and the 5k is Saturday!

Short run to improve speed/worries for weigh-in!

So yesterday I had a short run and strength training. I ran two miles between a 6.0 and 6.5 on the treadmill. I've been running outside more but I wanted to be able to get a good feel for the faster pace. I normally run between a 5.0 and a 5.5 I know I can run two miles at a 6.0 and feel like I need to push myself to improve my speed.

It wasn't easy but I did it. I'm not sure of the time because it included a warm-up walk and I didn't really care to know. I know it was under a 10 minute mile.

I am nervous for my weigh-in Saturday. I have been doing my training plan for almost 8 weeks now and seen minimal weight loss, as in less than two pounds. Sure my eating hasn't always been in line and I'm waiting on some blood test results but I really want to see under 180 come Saturday.

I've had good workouts all week and have a 5 mile run tomorrow. I'm hoping to see good results! Eep!

Reminds self:

Credit: Oh She Glows

Week 7 of 10k training/weigh-in (or lack there of) + 5 miles!

I have to be quick but I wanted to post!

First off, week 7 of training was my first week I missed more than one day and I ended up missing TWO long runs. I missed both my 4.75 mi runs. By Sunday my feet hurt from walking around theme parks and standing at the concert I was done! My 4.5 mile run I had posted about which I did last Monday outside went great at least.

I ended up missing my meeting and it was hard for me to say my weight based on my home scale and to be honest I can't even remember! I was too excited to get to Orlando!

Points went okay over the weekend/trip. The only bad meal I had was Friday night when we were rushing to eat at House of Blues. I had a bad veggie burger (bad as in on a kaiser bun and cheddar cheese) and sweet potato fries! I was famished by the time we ate and literally had 30 min. until doors! Luckily that was Friday so it didn't fall into my new week. :x

Other than that I ate well over the weekend.

So yesterday I looked at my training plan and low and behold it was a 5 mile run! CRAP!

I decided to do the run indoors on the treadmill to help me ease into it and I said I'd take it one mile at a time and had to at least complete 4 miles. I knew the 5 miles would take about an hour. I just kept pushing and although my speed wasn't great I finished all 5 miles in just under 60 minutes! :)

Only 1.2 miles to add onto my time!

I've decided that once I run my 10k on October 2nd I'm going to stop working on distance and focus in increasing my pace to 10 min. miles.

I currently have no desire to train for a half-marathon so I want to focus my energy on increasing speed.

That's all for now!