Christmas Eve Run

It was cold and dark this morning. A good excuse to try out my knuckle lights. They made that crazy cool light orb picture above. I got in some exercise and a visit with a good friend. And the nearly 500 calories I burned on my 4+ mile run are making me feel better about all the spiked eggnog I plan on consuming.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!

Pain Sucks

Knee pain. Ugh.

Taking a two day break and icing.

Pray for me.

The Winner and A Hill That Got Me

Okay without further delay the winner of the vegan cookbook is.......

T!  I've emailed her and as long as she gets back with me soon the book is hers!



I conquered a solo eight mile run Friday morning. My running partner was out of town and I knew I could do it, even though my head was not in it. Physically I was feeling fine. Mentally I wasn't looking forward to almost and hour and a half of solitude.

You get used to having someone to log the miles with. When I first began running, I was always by myself. I honestly don't think I have ever been that determined in my entire life. I was going to run those three miles if it killed me. That was something that I needed to accomplish on my own. I didn't have any friends who ran. I was also too intimidated to run with the very few people I knew of that were runners. It took me a long long time to build up enough base to run with Phyllis. I like that our pace is about the same, that our schedules our pretty flexible, and that we never run out of things to talk about. Not having Phyllis on a run is like forgetting my Garmin or my water. She is kind of like a talisman now.

I made it through the 8.06 miles in 1:19:19. I just shut down my brain, tuned into the music, and pounded the pavement. I attempted a hill that was so steep and so long that your knees nearly hit your chin. I walked twice on that sucker... and I never...ever...walk hills. I'm going to try it again soon, because its just a hill and I might as well get over it.

Another giveaway coming soon!

Every Damn Day

Please make way for a guest post on the joys (or not) of running. Lindy is a fabulously funny mother, blogger,  and occasional runner. Read more of her at Future Blackmail.




Some people are put in our lives for a reason and some people are put there, solely, to annoy the hell out of me. My husband falls into the latter category, as it pertains to running and possibly other topics that will go unmentioned in this post.

When I run, I max out at a 5K - possibly a 4 Miler if the weather is right and the planets are properly aligned. Also, I won't lie - I will run farther if Starbucks is the finish line because Starbucks is my dangling carrot, people. My husband though? He's one of those annoying runners. You know the kind...the kind that run because they want to.

Full Disclosure:
I love that he is a runner. Heck, running (and biking or *cycling* as they call it in the biz) decreased his body weight by over 120 lbs, three years ago. I know and have seen the effects that running can have on your body and your overall health, first hand. It’s worth it and I commend you all for caring enough about yourselves to do it.

How I Really Feel:
If I have to hear one more time – “I’m going to the gym, do you want to go?” I may have to leave him.

Yes, *of course* I want to go to the gym. But, you see, I have this other problem. Mainly - there is a direct correlation between him going to the gym with all the kids and me staying home without all the kids.

On the sliding scale of what is more awesome in that equation – I’m guessing you all can figure out which one tends to win out over the other.

That hasn’t, however, stopped me from buying the look of a runner - the running shoes/clothes/iPod/Nike+/etc/etc/etc. Because as a friend once told me, what’s the point of running – if you don’t look good running? It’s a sentiment I took to heart and also why I may refuse to run in any color except pink and black.

Speaking of running clothes, have you seen the Nike shirt that says “Every Damn Day.” on the front? Yeah – you can read that two ways. A formidable opponent and modern day go-getter would read it “Every! Damn! Day!” Someone such as myself would read it as “Every? Damn Day”.

What I love most about running though is that it also makes my husband’s flaws seem a little more obvious. Gone are the days of me wondering what he’ll do today that will piss me off. With running, I already know. He will leave his sweaty-ass clothes, in a pile, on the floor, for me to take care of. Or if I’m lucky, he’ll leave them balled up in the bathroom sink.

And do NOT get me started on the protein shakes. One of the happiest days of my life was when our blender broke and he couldn’t mix up his whey anymore.

Alas, who knew the devil made portable shakers?

Seriously. WHO? KNEW? Cause I call bullshit.

But….please don’t read this post and be all depressed about running and it’s awesome home-life side effects because, in fact, the exact opposite is true. I’m jealous of him and his ability to self-motivate. He doesn’t let anything stand in the way of his run. I can’t even say to him that his workout is taking away time from the family – because the truth of the matter is is that running, in my family, is a group effort. My two stepkids (middle and high school aged) both run Cross Country for their school teams and our daughter (at 7) just finished her first incremental full marathon.

He involves them – guides them – encourages them – motivates them – praises them.

And the fact is, is that I’m jealous.Because I want to be the person that reads that shirt as Every! Damn! Day! – just like he does.

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.

Friday

This gorgeous view was part of my 6.25 loop this morning. I am blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

The run was hot though! Despite the killer scenery the temps were soaring and I was thankful for a full Camelbak. My running partner was battling a nasty headcold and wasn't feeling as energetic as usual so we took it easy still finishing in an hour even.

I'm happy to report that I have been behaving myself and watching the quantities of what I put in my mouth. I'm also getting some extra exercise by coaching my son's soccer team. Can you say fun?

A Religious Experience

Run to this song in the rain and tell me you don't feel God. I dare you.

Come to decide that the things that I tried

Were in my life just to get high on

When I sit alone come get a little known

But I need more than myself this time

 

Step from the road to the sea to the sky

And I do believe it, we rely on

When I lay it on come get to play it on

All my life to sacrifice

 

Hey oh, listen what I say oh, I got your

Hey oh, now listen what I say oh

 

When will I know that I really can't go

To the well once more time to decide on

When it's killing me, when will I really see

All that I need to look inside?

 

Come to believe that I better not leave

Before I get my chance to ride

When it's killing me, what do I really need?

All that I need to look inside

 

Hey oh, listen what I say oh, come back and

Hey oh, look at what I say oh

 

The more I see the less I know

The more I like to let it go

Hey oh, whoa

 

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder

Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided

And there's nowhere to go

 

In between the cover of another perfect wonder

And it's so white as snow

Running through the field

Where all my tracks will be concealed

And there's nowhere to go, ho!

 

When to descend to amend for a friend

All the channels that have broken down

Now you bring it up, I'm gonna ring it up

Just to hear you sing it out

 

Step from the road to the sea to the sky

And I do believe what we rely on

When I lay it on, come get to play it on

All my life to sacrifice

 

Hey oh, listen what I say oh, I got your

Hey oh, listen what I say oh

 

The more I see the less I know

The more I'd like to let it go

Hey oh, whoa

 

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder

Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided

And there's nowhere to go

 

In between the cover of another perfect wonder

Where it's so white as snow

Running through the field

Where all my tracks will be concealed

And there's nowhere to go

 

I said hey hey yeah, oh yeah

Tell my love now

Hey hey yeah, oh yeah

Tell my love now

 

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder

Where it's so white as snow

Privately divided by a world so undecided

And there's nowhere to go

 

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder

Where it's so white as snow

Running through the field

Where all my tracks will be concealed

And there's nowhere to go

 

I said hey oh yeah, oh yeah

Tell my love now

Hey hey yeah, oh yeah

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!

Solo

I did it!

My first solo longish (for me) run. 6 miles in 57 minutes. I didn't get mental and it was actually fun.

Tiny Motivation

Okay all you happy healthy runner folk, I'm back.

I pushed reset. Totally. Calories are being tracked, and I am happy with that.

Running has been good. No, actually great. I got in about 15 miles last week. Saturday, I had plans to run with a friend but that fell through. No worries though, I ended up taking my best girlfriend in the whole wide world.

She was super pumped and happy to go. I haven't taken her in the jog stroller since May and I forgot how much she enjoyed it. We did 3.1 miles in 30 minutes even. Much quicker than I used to be able to push her. It was hot! Let me tell you, it was HOT! I looked like I had just taken a fully clothed shower by the time we were done. I felt great though. I just looked like hell.

I really really enjoyed running with her and listening to her point out all the interesting bunnies and cars and her screaming Wheeeeeee! when we coasted down a hill.  I guess I will be kind of sad when daycare starts on Thursday and I have will have all this uninterrupted running time. Nah. Probably not.

After our run, and for her being such good company, we played at the park before picking up a Skinny Blended Vanilla Latte with protein powder for me and a chocolate milk and a scone for her. I have two coffee shops right in the neighborhood I run in and they are used to seeing me coming in so sweaty. On our way back, my sweet girl even tried her hand at toddler running. She looked so cute and focused in her tiny skirt and shoes. And her form was quite similar too mine. Maybe I have a new running partner to look forward too.

Experiment Time

Starting today I am going to stop counting calories.

But only for a week.

I woke up early and weighed myself. 130lbs even.

I plan on eating the way I know how to this week and weighing in again next Monday. I eagerly await the results. I want to just listen to my body, eat food that's good for me, and not obsess on meeting or beating my daily calorie limits.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am a huge proponent of tracking what you put in your mouth. It was one half of the awesome duo that was key to my weight loss. I just feel like I've been obsessed with it for almost a year now and I want to see if I can just EAT, not count and maintain my weight.

Wish me luck.

In exercise news, I pounded out 4 long boring miles on the treadmill this morning. I missed my long run this weekend and that put me in a running funk but things will be fine. I know this.

Have a great week and Happy Running!

Beating The Heat. Sorta.

I have to get up early if I want to run outside.

Like super early. And in case you can't tell....I was TIRED.

Ugh. We weren't even working on a sunrise yet. 5:25 a.m. to be exact.

And looky here. Still 80 degrees. What did I do to deserve this insufferable heat?

4.15 miles later and the sky was looking like this.

Not a bad way to start your morning once you wake up shake the kinks out.

And a post run skinny vanilla blended latte with chocolate protein powder

makes it that much better.

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.

>

I'm Fine. Really.

Hello there! I'm doing much better! Even sans makeup and on the INTERNETZ I am happy happy happy!

What? You didn't know I wasn't doing so hot?

It was really more of an internal turmoil, not so much external. Although the last time we chatted I was bummed about my missed long run.

Folks, I was totally beating myself up for falling back into really terrible eating habits. Hence the reworking of goals and yada yada yada.

I am proud to say that the last few days I've stayed on track, gotten in all my exercise, and am pretty pleased overall.


And now on to address an email and a comment I received.

First up, I received an email from a lady who basically wants to know how I lost all my weight. She says she has been a runner for a good amount of years and is currently in marathon training but she isn't losing any weight. I have no answer for this. At least not for her. I am a firm believer in everyone is different inside and out. What works for me won't necessarily work for you.

But, to answer the how did I do it question....I did it through good ole' fashioned calories in versus calories out. Expend more calories than you take in. Get yourself a daily calorie intake of what is best for you. Try this calculator to figure it. Then go to SparkPeople, get a free account and record every single thing you put in your mouth! When I started my health journey it was with walking and reducing calories, but not by an extreme amount. Then I did get kind of extreme. When I started running and losing weight, I wanted to lose more weight. So I made my daily calorie limit 1300. Pretty low for an active person. Some months the weight would fall off. Others it stood still. I took cheat days and would absolutely gorge when I did. Eventually I evened it out to eating around 1500 a day and still losing weight. Actually when I increased my calories a bit I lost those last 10 I was trying for. Lately I've been around 1600-2000 a day. Some days more. Which is why I am back on track and trying to keep it at 1500 to lose another 4 lbs.

All this talk of extreme calorie counting brings me to the comment I received. A reader asked how I had the energy to run only eating 1200 or 1300 calories a day. The answer is... I didn't. I often felt very sluggish on my runs and couldn't seem to break past the 3 mile wall. Only when I increased my eating to 1500 or so did I see an improvement in my running and weight loss.

So it seems I am a swinger. I swing from one extreme to the other and have a hard time finding a happy medium.

For now, I am going to keep increasing my mileage, keep my calories somewhere in the middle, and just be super duper happy with my body because I have worked hard for it and it is mine!

And one reason I love this body is because it carried me through 6 whole miles Monday morning without complaint. This run was pretty good overall. The first three miles were like running underwater. Arkansas humidity is insane! At mile 3.5 we took a 2 minute walk/water/Sports Beans break and the remaining miles were a piece of cake! Mmmmm, cake. Sorry, I got distracted. Anyhoooo....it was a good run and I am pleased with my miles. Tuesday I hill walked on the treadmill and did SparkVideos and this morning I did a easy mile warmup and then two miles of intervals on the treadmill. Despite being inside in my chilly house, I was sweating like crazy. Those intervals kicked my butt!

Tomorrow I will rest. Rest as in, deep clean my house, take the kids swimming, and hardly sit down. Friday will be 3 miles on the treadmill and Saturday another long run. I can't wait! My husband laughs when I say I can't wait to run 6 miles at 6am on a Saturday morning.

Hope you are having a healthy happy mentally stable week! Happy running!

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?

Planning Ahead

A few posts ago, I was lamenting about where to go from here. What to do. How to maintain.

I love this calorie intake calculator. And I also really like the idea of calorie cycling. I think I've been doing calorie cycling all along by having cheat days and then really low cal days. Anyways, I plugged in all the numbers and got myself a schedule that falls between weight loss and maintenance. I really like it and when I weighed myself this week, I was down another half pound.

Many of you suggested I set another goal. Great advice! I signed up for another 5K and am planning on signing up for a 10K in November. I have a great running partner now and we have a set weekend date for a long run. Long for me anyways. I don't know about her but right now 5 miles is long. I'm hoping I can increase it up to 7 or 8 miles before the 10K. And...if the 10K goes well and life cooperates then I really think I want to attempt to train for the Little Rock Half-Marathon. But that isn't until March. Plenty of time to figure it all out.

I read an interesting little article in Women's Health last night about how to order fast food, healthier. Every other weekend, we find ourselves on the road at dinner time on Friday night and Sunday night. Like clockwork, we have no choice but to eat out twice a weekend, every other weekend. And we're not talking sitting down and eating. No time for that, and I'm not a huge fan of dining out with cranky, road tired children. So we grab something and hit the road again to get home as quickly as possible.

The article gave a few good suggestions:

• At Pizza Hut you can order any pie "fit and delicious". They give you extra sauce and veggies and only half the cheese. I don't know about you but I freakin love pizza!

• Popeyes offers "naked chicken" on sandwiches and salads. Saves you about 100 calories over fried. But I love Popeyes fried chicken. Especially the super spicy kind. I'll try this though when I know I need a light day and I'm traveling and the husband insists on this Southern favorite.

• We love Subway (kids included) and evidently you can order any sandwich as a salad and save up to 520 calories depending on the size and type of the sandwich.

• Starbucks will give you an 8oz. drink if you ask for it short and this will save major calories depending on your poison. They will also add protein powder and according to the magazine article, theirs is only 30 calories a scoop.

• And at numerous burger joints you can order a veggie burger or sandwich and it comes without the patty. Or order it protein style and get the sandwich without the bun. I wouldn't do either of these. I like my protein and carbs. But just an FYI.

I personally love Taco Bell and their Fresco menu. I know you could order like this at the Bell forever but they are finally advertising it and listing calorie counts and such on the menu. I can eat like three tacos for dinner and not go over my limit!

What do you order in a pinch on the road?

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.

Up Before The Sun

I got up this morning at 5:15.

The coffee pot woke up with me (since I had enough sense to prepare it last night) and my running gear was waiting on the kitchen counter. I was super quiet and out the door by 5:30.

I drove 15 miles into town for a running date. My date showed up on a motorcycle. That put a smile on my face right off the bat. Even if it was 6am.

We ran 4.65 miles in a little under 42 minutes.

I felt a real sense of accomplishment when this run was over. Phyllis (my date) has run a few half marathons and is one of those women with major stamina and endurance. Something I felt I was lacking. She is a great running partner and I really felt pushed to not slow her down and to prove I was a "real" runner. I got a side stitch (as usual) around 1.5 miles. I walked that one for about 45 seconds before picking up the pace again. The cramp continued but I ran through it. It moved to my other side and then finally left. Now that I know this is possible, I am going to always try and make it past that 1.5 mile cramp without walking. By two miles I was really warmed up. The run became super easy and the hills and false flats didn't even bother me. We came down a super fun hill towards the end and it felt like flying. I honestly think I had at least another mile in me.

After the run we had blended coffees and conversation. It was a lovely start to the day. And blasting through 450 calories before 7am didn't hurt much either!