New Kicks

I ran 8.1 miles (1:18:36) yesterday in my new Brooks Ghost 3's. It was like running on the backs of sheep, or baby butts, or clouds if you really want to be cliche. Longest run to date and the shoes were awesome.

The really cool thing is that I ordered them from Zappos.com. Apparently when you buy Brooks gear from them right now you get registration into Brooks Run Happy University (nifty little site) and a New Runners Pack from Brooks. I am waiting on mine but it is supposed to include some tech socks, body glide, Gu products and other information. Cool, huh?

The 8 miles were mostly uneventful. I worked on slowing my pace so I didn't burn out too quick and we hit 5 killer hills. We took three walk breaks during the first 3.5 miles but none the last 4.5. Isn't that weird? It is so difficult for me to warm my body up but once I do I feel like I could go forever.

Any suggestions on how to warm up more efficiently?

Redemption Run Update

Well did I do it?

Yes and no.

I ran solo on Friday morning. 6 miles even in 56:57.

I planned on 7 miles but it was storming pretty bad about the time I went to start my run. I waited 20 minutes in my truck and finally took off after the worst passed by. So I feel okay with the 6, especially since I had almost already talked myself out of running at all due to the weather.

I'm going to call it a win.

Speaking of....Champion is such an amazing company that I managed to get in on their giveaway and win a brand new sports bra! Go me. Interestingly enough, I just bought one of their bras a few weeks ago and have abandoned my Enelle's for these new Champion ones that totally rock my socks. Or my boobs if you want to be more specific.

Also, I'm thinking I will shortly be in the market for new running shoes. That or some glucosamine supplements. The knees are getting kind of achey so that means either my shoes are wearing out or I need something extra in my routine or diet. Any recommendations on shoes? I usually wear Asics but am willing to try something new.

And since I've been in a funk and have the creaky knees to deal with I am taking a running break until Tuesday. That's only three days off but its the longest I've gone between runs since May. Hopefully I'll have fresh legs and a happy outlook come then.

Happy Running!

Redemption

Okay I'm going to be frank here.

Today's run sucked ass.

Sorry to be so crude but oh my I have not had a running day like this in ages. My head was not in it from the git go. Beginning with my sleep the night before. Erratic and filled with dreams of running in a blizzard (tired of being hot much?). I informed Phyllis right off the bat I wasn't going to enjoy this and then two minutes later I looked down and realized I didn't have my Garmin on. 

WTF?

I never ever ever forget that thing! Luckily for me but not for Phyllis she was wearing a new pair of shoes that gave her fits and we called it after about a mile and three quarters. Walked the rest of the way back to the vehicles and said done.

We had seven miles on the books and got three. And not even three running.

Tomorrow I will redeem myself. I will run those seven miles. Even if I have to do it all alone. No matter what mindset I am in or how I am feeling. It will get done.

Send motivation please.

UPDATES UPDATES YADA YADA

Okay so the absolute busyness and chaos continues. Let's get through a few quick bullet points, okay?

• Outhouse race was crazy wild and fun. We were beat by the NYC Fire Department. Which was good in a way because they would have never lived it down. It was super close though. We gave them a good run.
• 17 miles last week. Not bad.
• I am falling in love with running hills. I actually look for them now. I might possibly be part mountain goat. Without the hair and the horns, and uh yeah the smell.
• Still haven't signed up for the 10K in November. I must get on that.
• Weight is holding steady. Calorie counting is pretty good most day. A few days a week I don't count but don't go crazy either.
• The husband has run three whole days on the treadmill. Impressive!

We had a cool spell here in Arkansas that really made running a pleasure, but the past week its been pretty warm again. This morning it was super muggy and right on the verge of the sky breaking open. We didn't get lucky enough to get a shower during our 4.5 miles this morning, but it was still a good run.

I can tell my endurance has really improved and that will sure make a gal feel good! I've got a 6.5-7 mile run on the books this week along with another 4-5 miles. I'm really looking forward to every single mile!

Have a great week and HAPPY RUNNING!

MIA

Yes, I've been running. Promise!

Lots actually. I've been running and working and corralling kids so much that I haven't had any time to blog.

Sunday 3 miles on the treadmill.
Tuesday 4.25 solo miles with three monster hills.
Today 6.25 miles with Phyllis and at least 4 monster hills.

Tomorrow morning I'm running again and then in the evening I'm doing this.


It's just me and Phyllis pushing 300lbs of outhouse and man.
In a race. But obviously not in Breckenridge.

It's all part of the New York City Gives Back to Mena, AR festivities.
Wish me luck.


I'll get back with you on the results.

New Long Run Distance

Waaahoooo! I am in the best mood today folks! Runner's high really is a beautiful thing.

It was a cool 70 or so degrees this morning. A major break from our normal 99+ temps this time of year. Phyllis and I completed 7 amazing miles in 1 hour and 6 minutes. We ran on a busy highway, around a college walking trail, through a pretty residential neighborhood, around a small lake, and through some business parking lots. It was a super fun loop.

Miles 0-2: Was working on finding my groove but settled in pretty quickly. Phyllis was all ears as I had a lot to say. Lots of things on my mind and running my mouth and running my legs seem to go hand in hand.

Miles 3-5: We took a very short walk break at mile 3.5, fixed a Camelbak hose malfunction and kept on chattering. I worked through a killer side stitch (probably from all that talking), and kept on trucking. I just looked down at my RoadID with its little inscription of "Pain Is Temporary, Suck It Up Buttercup". Believe me when I say I was full of it today. My mouth wouldn't stop and neither would my energy. I felt great the entire run.

Miles 6-7: Normally 6 is my limit, but today I just kept on going. We got back close to the parking area and I just hit the little walking trail at the park and looped it three more times to make it 7. It was total euphoria. I was floating and probably could have kept on running for a long while, but I'm not dumb and I don't want to hurt myself.

This was in my top five best runs ever. The weather was near perfect, the breeze was just enough to cool us off and not work against us. The mountains were gorgeous as usual, the sun was shining off the lake, the roads were shaded. Everything fell into place for perfect running Nirvana.

Have a great day and Happy Running!

9 Miles In and it's Only Tuesday...Wait, it's Monday???

• Wooohoooo! Super duper awesome 6.3 mile run on Monday morning. 1 hour exactly. Longest I have ever ran in my life! Phyllis is the perfect running partner. No, you can't have her.
• 3 miles in intervals this morning, hill walking and strength training tomorrow. Longish (maybe 4-5 miles) run on Wednesday. Two days of rest to follow.
• Cause ya know what? ------ The Dam Night Run is on Saturday! Hoop hoop! So excited for this 5K. It will be my first chip timed race, they supposedly have a great afterparty and....it is all downhill!
• Hopped on the scale this morning. 130.5lbs even. Well that goal wasn't hard to reach. What do I set if for now?
• I had three pieces of Squash Pie for dinner. 120 calories a piece. Does anyone want the recipe? Southern savory cooking at its best.
• Also, someone got mentioned in a little list of running blogs on a great site called Traxee. Check it out, yo.

>

Yuck Yuck Yuck!

That is how I feel today.

I am totally paying for all that mindless binge eating. My tummy is torn up.

I had no energy on my run this morning. I felt so heavy! Phyllis and I completed 5.5 miles but I just had nothing else in me past that. That is proof positive that you are what you eat. I ate junk, I feel like junk. I've been laying around moaning and groaning all day wishing I could take it all back.

When I got home from my run I was hurting and in a foul mood. But not for long!!! Last week I found out that I won a terrific giveaway from RunMom at Secrets of a Running Mom.

And my brand new RoadID Elite came in the mail today!

Oh happy day! I love getting new running gear, especially after a not so happy run. I am in love with this company and have been wanting a RoadID since I first found out about them.

Thank you RunMom! Thank you RoadID guys!

P.S. Get $1 off your RoadID order by using ThanksAshley786876 as a coupon code within the next thirty days!

Confession #5

Aaaaah!

I'm craving salt, irritable, bloated, retaining water, snapping at everyone (even the dog), and breaking out. Anyone want to take a stab (did I mention I am stabby) at my general ailment?

I freakin' hate PMS.

Confession time: I have stuffed my face for the past two face. Literally. Did not stop eating. Nothing was safe. I am so ashamed yet I feel that I should put if out there. I even went through a whole carton of Hiland Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream in two days. Popcorn, steak, jalapeno poppers (not with light cream cheese either) wrapped in bacon, cereal, the list goes on. Sure there were a bunch of healthy things, like the nearly pound of cherries and peaches and egg whites and veggies and salads. But the sheer amount was just ridiculous.

Nothing was satisfying me. And to top it off I feel like I was really lazy with my exercise. I only got in about 7 miles on the treadmill. I did do some strength which is more than last week but gah!

I am really looking forward to my run in the morning. I'll be getting up super duper early and meeting Phyllis for 5.5-6 miles. I think it will make me feel so much better and turn me right back the way I need to be. I've set a new goal of 130. I'm sure right now I am at 135 due to all these damn munchies. I just have to remember how hard I worked to get here and how much I love it.

My new mantra is going to be: "Size six. Size six. Size six."

It's Wednesday Already?

Wow!

I just realized I have not posted since Saturday. Sorry about that.

Nothing too earth shattering to report, although I have made that quinoa and eggs dish twice since posting it. It is that amazing!

Monday morning I did 2 miles on the 'mill. Today I did a little under 3 miles on there. That thing sure is coming in handy. I'll have to remember to thank my husband about a gazillion more times.

Tuesday I did some cardio on the Wii Fit, a total of about 30 minutes. Then 3 SparkPeople videos, and let me tell you that 15 minute ab video is killer! I followed that up with some Polly yoga.

It's been a pretty light week and other than my long run scheduled for Saturday morning I don't have much else planned.

Did you have a good holiday weekend?

Did you indulge? And if so, what was your best splurge?

Restaurant Review and New High Mileage

So as I said, I was on the road yesterday and this time I actually made time to eat at a restaurant as opposed to a drive thru. I was also meeting a friend and we really wanted to eat at Marketplace Grill with all its super yummy and decent variety of healthful options. Unfortunately they don't serve alcohol.

I know, I know. You don't have to have a lunchtime drink. But we do. Have you read the headband? Also, I live in a dry county so when I'm in a wet county, I drink.

Since Marketplace was nixed we decided upon Cheddars. Neither of us had been there but a few people had said it was good. I tried to ignore all the name implied and hoped for a salad. Well they had salads but every single one contained some high fat, high calorie, or high carb ingredient. I ended up with a fried chicken salad. Easy cheese and salsa instead of dressing. I had not eaten fried chicken in ages and yesterday was a high calorie day on the calorie cycle.

Honestly, it just wasn't very good. And I hate it when restaurants just throw three huge chicken strips on top of the salad. Would it kill them to slice it up for you? Have you tried cutting your chicken on top of all that loose lettuce? Food always flies off my plate when I do that.

The salad itself wasn't horribly high calorie, despite the fried chicken. But I totally made up for it with the drink. That was the one redeeming quality at Cheddars. The Texas Tea was awesome! Sweet tea, lemonade, amaretto, and vodka. Maybe something else but I don't know. They even had a disclaimer of limit two per customer. I only had one and it did a good job of improving my mood.

My friend ordered the tilapia with mango salsa. She said hers was okay, but the mango salsa left a lot to be desired. We both make mango salsa at home and this was a poor imitation. She agreed with me that the food just wasn't that great.

I won't be going back to Cheddars. Just saying.

Yesterday I only got in 1.7 miles. Pathetic! I ran out of time. I had to make a mad dash to the shower and an even madder dash to get all three kids clothed and loaded and on the road. I felt guilty about my abbreviated run but totally made up for it today.

Fat Girl bright and early. It was ten before six. I was waiting on my running buddy and when I opened my door to get out and get ready I noticed I had company.

This guy or gal, is definitely the ringleader. Always the first to approach a human. Dude came within a foot of me this morning. All I had on me was sports beans and a oats and dark chocolate crunchy granola bar. Neither of which I was sharing with a flock of ducks.

My buddy, Phyllis arrived right about the time I was chasing the ducks out of the way of an elderly lady pulling in who may or may not have seen the ducks.

We had an amazing run! I felt awesome. I got an annoying side stitch that never really went full blown. It left after a mile or so. We got in 5.6 miles in 52 minutes. New long distance for me!

I can't wait to do it again next Saturday.

What did you do today?

Long Run

My longest run to date started at 6am on Sunday.

5 miles even. 47:52 minutes.

It was awesome. A bit rusty the first half mile. But you know how that goes.

A bit of nauseousness around mile 3.75, but that went away.

No side stitches whatsoever. Hallelujah!

Finished strong and felt great.

Although walking was a bit difficult for a while. I felt like I should still be running.

Can't wait to do it again. Next week-5.5 miles.

How My Day Got Better

Today's run SUCKED!

Honestly. No joke. Major suckage.

I waited until noon to run on the treadmill. Errands and doc appointments kept me from getting it done at 7am as usual. And as usual, a middle of the day run was terrible for me. I made it 1.75 miles before calling it quits. I had no energy. I had not eaten in almost 5 hours, my legs were lead. I hopped off and did some quick SparkPeople videos. Specifically the Butt Ball Workout, 6 Minute Upper Body Ball Workout, and the 15 Minute Abs Workout.

Once that was done I made myself a sandwich and had some super yummy dark chocolate with espresso beans and felt much better. I think I just needed some food!

About 2pm my doorbell rang. Mr. FedEx man had dropped a package at my front door and to my delight it was my long awaited FREE pair of Asics! A while back I won a gift certificate from Run Like A Mother and my shoes finally came.

Look at these beauties! So clean and shiny. It was totally time for a new pair cause I think I had about 400+ miles on my old pair. They will now be my running around town when I'm not actually running shoes. I can't wait to take these new Asics out for a run. It was a great little pick me up to get these right after a really sucky run day.

On a side note, I bought some chia seeds and some quinoa today. Recipes and suggestions please!

It Almost Got Me

Today has been....um, well. Just well.

I did 3 miles on the treadmill. Then two SparkPeople videos. These are super convenient but they feel very effective. I did the 6 minute Butt Blaster and the Beginner Abs Workout on the ball. I wanted to do the Upper Body Ball workout but since the husband let me sleep in I was running out of time.

After that we loaded up and went to the river. It took ALL day. We didn't get home until 5. I was spent. The kids were cranky. The husband left to go close our store up.

Not long after that and right in the middle of one my darling daughter's ten minute long screaming tantrums, a wine bottle exploded in the kitchen.

Followed shortly by my head.

My husband has been making wine. Usually the top just pops. This time it burst out the side. Glass and peach wine everywhere. I cleaned that up, fending off the screaming 2 year old. She was totally wiped out and in full on freak out mode so I took her to bed. When I got in her room I noticed a huge pink stain on her cream colored carpet. Cherry Limeade Sunkist soda. I don't buy this crap. I certainly don't give it to the kids. Now it is in the carpet.

I cleaned up this mess, ya know after cleaning up a gallon of wine off my counters, appliances, and wood floor. All the while fuming over the person who caused it all. No my husband didn't spill the soda but he did buy it and give it to a 2 year old without a sippy cup. He also concocted all this wine in my kitchen. So I'm laying the blame on him.

And all through this, the girl is still screaming.

I really really really wanted a cigarette.

WHAT?

Oh, you didn't know I quit smoking just three weeks ago?

Yeah. Shameful, I know. You can't smoke and run. At least not well.

Smoking is the complete opposite of leading a healthy lifestyle. I know that. I wasn't a heavy smoker, no more than 3-4 a day. But much more if I was drinking. I am proud to say though that I think, no I know, I AM DONE.

So instead of thinking about smoking during an extremely stressful episode, and instead of raiding the ice cream in the fridge, and instead of stepping outside and screaming at the top of my lungs, I did yoga.

I was really sore and tight today so I thought I would try Polly's Yoga For Runners short 10 minute video.

It was the perfect thing. I feel loose, calm, and centered. I know that I won't always be able to resort to yoga during apocalyptic moments but tonight it was a lifesaver.

How do you handle stress?

Done and Done

Whew! I am glad that is over with.

I know some people absolutely hate to run on a treadmill. I'll admit I am not just overjoyed by the idea, but when the choice is either run on the treadmill or don't run at all, well its not that hard to pick.

Introducing: Fat Girl's New Training Buddy!

(I think she needs an actual name though. So I can be like, "oh I'm gonna go for a run with _____." Or, "_____ really kicked my butt today.")

This is what I did today. I was running intervals hence the overall slow time. I also wasn't being too specific about it. I would run at a 6.5 for 4 minutes then back down to a 5 for a couple minutes. Ramp it up again for a while and then slow my pace. It kept it fun and I only had to stop once to take the dog out, refill a sippy cup, and fix the TV for the babes.

Also, notice the calorie burn. Does anyone know how accurate this is? I always thought that a mile equaled roughly 100 calories.

No its not the nicest most expensive model, but it is new and it is MINE!

My view from up here. Not too shabby. There are advantages to having a small house. Also, this baby folds up nicely into this corner I've stuck it in.

I tend to watch my feet a lot. It keeps me from checking the numbers too often. I also like to check out my legs. I feel powerful and fit knowing that they are working so hard.

Post workout after a towel off. It was a good one.

How about you? Treadmill or no way in hell?

Sometimes You've Just Got To Have Pasta

Good evening all!

I'm feeling especially cheerful today. I've had a great day health wise. I'm talking stellar, top notch, couldn't have done better.

Before we get to the details of today though, let's backtrack to yesterday. I put in a little over two miles on the treadmill. One quick mile and another mile of hill walking at a 10% incline speed set at 4. It was brutal and I was dripping in sweat even in the nice cool a/c.

Anyways, I had my eating all lined out and had only consumed 550 calories after lunch. Then I got a call that instead of picking up my eldest son at our normal location, I was going to have to drive an additional hour past there to where his Dad lived to get him. His Dad and step mom had come down with a stomach bug and were in no shape to be traveling and I wanted to get him out of there before he caught it! No worries though. I was excited at the prospect of a trip to Fayetteville. I lived there 6 years before moving back to the boonies and was positively giddy with all the dinner options presented to me on Sunday evening.

So when I got there and swooped up the kiddo, we proceeded to meet a friend (and swoon over her darling newborn) for dinner at Noodles.

I LOVE NOODLES!

I missed this place like no other. I'm not even going to pretend that what I ordered was healthy, but it was sure good! I had the Parmesan Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Sauce. I like my food spicy and it did not disappoint. Of course our dinner also included bread and dipping oil along with salad. Oh and I also indulged in two cosmopolitans. I promise that I did glance at the low carb options but that just didn't seem like any fun.

Noodles is a restaurant that demands carb overload!

The kids split a Chicken Spinach Alfredo pizza and I cross my heart I did not even sneak a bite. Not that it would have mattered anyways, cause on the way home we hit up Sonic for ice cream and I had a Mocha Java Chiller. What? It was a two and half hour drive and I needed coffee. Yes, I am aware I could have had it sans ice cream but I had already blown the bank for the day. And you know what? I don't feel bad at all.

On to today, and I am coming in at a calorie total of 1205. Wooohooo! I also went with my buddy Dala to do her C25K and got in 2.5 miles and then when I got home I rocked out on the treadmill for another 1.10 miles. I'm feeling fit and healthy today.

I began the morning with a smoothie. This one included spinach, almond butter, chocolate powder, banana, strawberries, and almond milk. Snack was a Sargento Pepper Jack Cheese stick wrapped in a piece of low fat ham. Lunch consisted of grilled chicken breast salad on romaine with salsa as dressing and a little bit of shredded cheese. I also whipped up some hummus from scratch and enjoyed that with my lunch and then again with carrots and bell pepper strips as a snack. Dinner was grilled white fish, corn on the cob, and sauteed spinach, onion, and bell pepper. A good good eating day!

Did you indulge this weekend? If so, are you back on track today?

Post-5K

Hello all you happy people!

I know that if you are on a health journey in any way, shape, or form then you should be happy because you are doing something wonderful for yourself.

I've had a few hiccups the past few days with my own health journey. Only on the eating end of things. I just can not have 1700-2000 calorie days more than once a week! Get a hold of yourself woman!

I didn't run after my 5K until Tuesday. I realize that time off wasn't really necessary after a race of that distance but my legs were stiff and sore and I really wanted the break. Tuesday I did an easy 2 miles on the husband's granny's treadmill (more on that in a sec) and came home, popped in The Shred and proceeded to endure Jillian's tyrannical self for 20 minutes. This morning I managed to complete 2.5 miles outside before having to race home and get my middle child to vacation bible school.

I feel like I am behind on running after taking Monday off even though I made up for it on Tuesday. And I also feel kind of....lost. The 5K is over, what now? I've been viewing the Arkansas race calendar and am pondering doing the Dam Night Run at DeGray Lake in July. Also on my mind has been a 10K in Ft. Smith in November. Am I crazy to want to run a 10K? Nah. It would just be a prelude to the Little Rock Half Marathon that I am also considering. I need to just sign up for a few races so I can start following a training schedule again.

You know what? Training is about to get a whole lot easier. Instead of using Granny's treadmill or missing a run, I'll be running on my very own! The husband let me order a new one from Sears and it should be here next week. I am so excited!!!! I'm hoping to run at least 5 days a week now.

Today I am going to control my eating, ice my knee, and play outside with the kiddos.

What are you doing on this happy hump day?

Happy Running Day To You!

Today is.....




I rolled out of bed at 6:15 this morning. Out the door by 6:30 (had to beat the Arkansas heat) and was back in the door at 7:15. 3 miles of running and about .75 miles of walking. Monster hills on this new route I tell ya!

Will you run today?

Hills & Heat. Holy Guacamole It's Hot Out!

Hello all!!!!!!

After my run this morning I officially logged 46.47 miles for the month of May. Yay me! That's the most miles I have ever run in a month. I'm getting there folks. Coincidentally I saw a tortoise (not really, probably just a box turtle) and a hare (common rabbit) side by side on the road Saturday. I wonder if they were racing?

Friday morning I ended up inadvertently doing hill repeats. I ran in an area unfamiliar too me and made two loops with a total of about 6 monster hills. I cut my run short at 2.5 miles deciding that those hills made up for the rest of my missed run. Do you ever talk yourself into things like that in the middle of a really tough workout?

Did I mention it was hot? That hill repeat run was done at about 9am and I was dying! This morning I ran about 7:30 and it was a bit better. I'm just going to have to get myself out of bed earlier if I want to beat the heat.

Since it feels like full on Summer here in Arkansas and the kids are out of school, I've had to find a new route to run closer to the house. I tried a good one out this morning. It has about 4 hills one way and of course that many the way back. I walked two of them and am not ashamed about it. It's a very nice road, shady and scenic with lots of livestock to interact with. I think I'm really going to enjoy it this summer. And once I conquer it with no walking at all on the hills I will be really proud.

Do you walk hills? Take breaks during your workout? How hot is it where you're at and what do you do to beat the heat?

Confession #3 AND #4

Confession #3: I obsess over numbers.

There I said it. Go ahead and scold me. But...I want to know exactly how far I ran in exactly what amount of time and I'm cranky if I don't.

I use a Garmin Forerunner 50 with foot pod as my only tech gadget. Definitely not top of the line as far as running companions go but it does the job. Or so I thought. When I got my Garmin I read the manual front to back and specifically read that it should not need to be calibrated to measure accurate distance. So I went with it and was running around 10-9:45 minute miles. A few more months and I could do a 9:30-9:15 minute mile. All was going well until I started to doubt my times. So I took it to the local high school track and calibrated it to the inside lane. After one loop around it showed that I had ran .35 miles. A whole 10th of a mile over what it should have been. So I dialed it down, adjusted the number and kept on running. After the calibration, my miles were coming in around 10 minutes or even sometimes 11 minutes. I just knew I couldn't have been running that slow. It felt so much faster. And then I would read here on the Internetz about these speed demons doing 6:30 miles and lord I felt slow.

Yesterday, I did a long run for me. By the time I was done, 40 minutes and 30 seconds later, my Garmin said I had only gone 3.85 miles. I was totally let down. Not even a 10 minute mile. How could that be, I really was booking it in my opinion. I hopped in the truck and decided to drive it. Exactly. As close to the sidewalk as I could. 4.3 miles later I was confused. Could there be that much of a difference? What do you think? Trust my truck or my Garmin? I think a recalibration is in my Garmin's future.

Confession #4: I ate 6 mini chocolate doughnuts for breakfast.

I entered it in my food journal on SparkPeople and am just going to deal with a not so healthy decision. I have stellar eating planned for the rest of the day and I'm not going to let the guilt get too me.