Friday, July 29, 2011

How Much Do I Want It?

So I'm a little conflicted today -

My body handled the burrito last night okay, I'm a little UGH today but I didn't sleep much and its been a long week, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. Weight hung out around 177lbs again so at least I'm maintaining right now even if I'm bloated and squishy.

Work is kinda dull today - which allows for some time for thought (never a good thing) and my question to myself is how bad do I want it? The only effortless weight loss I've ever had was in February when I cut out all animal products. It was easy for me - something that wasn't negotiable. Nowadays, its too easy to let myself slip and eat crappy foods. I was doing well, but its impossible to eat out and I get neurotic about counting calories. If I don't hit a solid number every day (usually between 1400-1500 calories I feel like a failure). Fluctuation days are hard for me (higher one day and lower the next) due to the level of exercise I maintain.

My runs are getting longer and I'm about to start demanding more from my body with my additional Zumba classes and demanding schedule. I can't take the risk of my stomach freaking out all the time. I have to make sure I can eat quickly and healthy without thinking twice about it and I have to be able to politely decline foods without having to provide a laundry list of reasons why I won't eat that crap. Whenever I decline food, people look at me like I'm abnormal and I have to explain that I'm "training for a race", "I don't want to feel terrible" or "just looking to lose a few pounds" which they look at me like I'm stupid because I'm a healthy size 6.

At this point, life would be easier if I could just say "I'm sorry, I'm vegan" and leave it at that. People don't question when I said I was vegan - there was just a mild curiosity that was spurred by people being intrigued by the lifestyle. Granted, these changes cannot happen overnight - the next few days are going to be yucky for food as we'll be traveling. However, as of August 4th when things are "back to normal" its tempting to just transition back into that lifestyle long term like I had intended to a few months ago.

The true definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. I'm staying the same with my nutrition right now in the same horrid patterns I have been and things aren't improving. I'm thinking its about time that I start changing things around for the better. My brain can't handle this type of diet where its too easy to mess up and justify eating poorly - does this means that I have issues with food, probably...but I just don't like depriving myself whenever we go out to eat and its been really hard to stay consistent with eating.

I know there's a book out there about vegan nutrition for endurance athletes - I might need to investigate this. I was planning on heading to Borders today and see if I can get some books for cheap (since they're going out of business). Maybe I can find it for a good price. I'm really starting to think that for the sake of my digestive system, going vegan/vegetarian might be the best thing for me. OY - this will be tricky to explain to the hubby. He has a harder time when I'm vegan than I do

So onto my title - how badly do I want to hit my goals? How badly do I want to feel better? I know that I want it, but I keep eating poorly and destroying myself and all my efforts (well not ALL my efforts, but you know what I mean). Do I want to reach my goals and take care of myself enough to justify a mostly vegan lifestyle for potentially the rest of my life? After what I've experienced in the last 2 days - my answer is an overwhelming yes - but I know that my brain is impulsive and might not be as agreeable in a few hours

:-/

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Yay I'm feeling human again!

I got a nap after work and Zumba was amazing tonight! I feel fabulous and am going to brave eating actual food - the pretzels and pudding just left me ravenous for a real meal. On the menu - Twisters burrito with Christmas chile. Lets hope my stomach doesn't freak out! I need real foods!

Wow I Feel Horrid...

So yesterday was awesome - had a killer run and went out with my MIL and FIL to celebrate her birthday. We went to Zio's and I kept my foods within my maintenance calorie range for the day. Went to bed feeling full - but not crappy. Woke up this morning to a semi-squishy 177lbs - which isn't too bad I guess considering I ate more than expected.

I was running a little late this morning and didn't have the time (nor really the want becuase I was feeling kinda lazy) to pack food today - just feeling a little MEH at the moment, so I stopped at a usual taco place that's open early and got my usual breakfast that fits within my cal count and is usually okay with my tummy. I made it about halfway through my food before the stomach pains started and OMG they were the worst ones I've had since before my Vegan Investigation! Holy Gods I haven't been in that kind of pain in a long time. Some of them were so bad it literally took my breath away and I had trouble catching it again. Needless to say, I couldn't stomach finishing my food so I threw it away - I tracked that I ate 2/3 of it (which I think was generous, but I'd rather over track than under track).

I started pushing fluids and getting up and walking around regularly and the stomach pains stopped about 2 hours ago, but it was really frightening. I haven't experienced symptoms that badly in over 6 months and I did NOT like it! I know my fat content has been higher than normal in the past 24 hours, and the past week hasn't been that great either. I am truly starting to think I might have some gallbladder issues that I need to address with my Doctor the next time I go in (which will be early September) since this seems to be directly related to eating foods higher in fat content.

Now that its been a few hours since my tummy issues started slowing down, I'm starting to get my appetite back - I might go see if they have something bland for me to eat at the cafe here at work so that I don't end up starving myself. I have Zumba tonight and I need to ensure that I have enough fuel to get through that workout. If I didn't have a workout tonight, I'd just take it easy and IF for the rest of the day - but I can't do that today and expect to have enough energy to get through a 60 min cardio class.

Getting ready to head into an indulgent weekend of Birthday and travel, I'm not exactly hopeful that I'll be able to manage these tummy issues - but hopefully I'll do okay. For now, I'm just going to keep pushing fluids and eat boring bland food for the rest of the day. If I don't hit my cal counts, I don't care. I just want to survive my workout tonight

Here's my updated mileage from my run yesterday - I wasn't able to update it when I emailed my workout entry from yesterday. I hope things get better! UGH!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 92.71 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 13,594 Calories GONE

EDIT UPDATE: So I got myself some pudding from the cafe - chocolate, nothing fancy and now I feel like crap again. Totally nauseous and totally lethargic. I'm sure a walk/run would make me feel better, but I'm wearing flip flops today. I just can't seem to win at the moment. If I didn't have to work and we weren't worried about production, I'd go to urgent care and get the ball rolling on this damn thing. I'm tired of feeling horrid....no bueno...hubby is worried about me too :-(

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Speedwork Is Awesome!

So today's workout was amazing! It really pushed me harder than I have been pushed in a while! I'm feeling better and stronger which is fabulous!

Nutrition has been okay but today is my mother in law's birthday and we are heading to am Italian restaurant for dinner so I'll probably be more around maintenance than at a deficit for the day.

Don't have much more time to update so this will be brief, but I feel amazing and can't wait until I start adding longer distances to my runs!

Speedwork workout week 7 #3
Warm up 5 mins - 0.25 miles
Run for 5 minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recovery run for 5 minutes at 5.0 MPH
Run for 5 minutes at 6.0 MPH
Recovery run for 5 minutes at 5.0 MPH
Run for 5 minutes at 6.0 MPH
Recovery run for 5 minutes at 5.0 MPH (with a brief 45 second walk to shake my legs out)
Run for 5 minutes at 6.0 MPH
Quick 1min dash to restroom - its amazing how running makes one gotta go! Haha!
Run for 5 mins at 5.0 MPH
Cool down walk for 0.25 miles

Total calories burned: 595
Total distance traveled: 4.20 miles with 3.75 miles running - the farthest I've ever gone! Woot!
Total workout time: 51 minutes  

That's it for me! Time for carbs! Woot!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Over 200 Posts! WOW!

I didn't realize that my post yesterday was the magic 200! I guess that means I've got a lot to say! haha!

As expected, my weight didn't go down too much last night, woke up to weighing 177lbs (which is still 2 pounds less than the day before, but not a major woosh either) - I didn't feel well last night, tummy felt like hell, didn't sleep as much as I wanted and didn't drink as much water as I wanted to. Today is going much better though. I've already had a ton of water and ran a mile on the treadmill and feel fabulous.

Only downside - I decided to pack different food for lunch today and I had managed to eat it all by 7am because it just wasn't super filling - I didn't count up the calories while I packed it and it put me WAY short for the day so far. So a few mins ago I had to go to the cafe and get a turkey wrap to keep myself from chewing my arm off before I leave at 230! I was just ravenous and drinking more water just wasn't helping the hunger - so I had to resort to work cafe food. However, I've already plugged it into my food tracker and I'm still exactly where I want to be for the day - so I'll make it work, I just get to only eat 1 grilled cheese sammich instead of 2 for dinner! haha!

I knocked out a nice little 10/min mile on the treadmill today and really enjoyed myself. It was a little push to run that fast - especially since I've been doing lots of LSRs, but nothing super hard that wasn't possible. It makes me even more excited for my speedwork training tomorrow! Yippee!! I can't wait for it! Tonight is Zumba at Curves which is always awesome! I always have a great time at those classes and its a great workout too! Hopefully my weight will start to balance out tomorrow or the next day - pudgy squishy just isn't working for me right now!

I think that's about it for me! Hope all is well for you all!!! I'll update tomorrow after my fabulous speedy workout!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 88.96 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 12,999 Calories GONE

Monday, July 25, 2011

Another LSR totally made my day!

So today was another running day and it was amazing! However, it was a long ass Monday at work and I felt yucky for most of the day (gotta love crap eating from yesterday to make me feel terrible today). I didn't really feel like eating dinner, so I ate popcorn for dinner and that's really about all I can handle right now. I've been trying to drink water but I don't know if I'll drop a lot of weight tonight like my typical wooshes. It might take me a few days to catch up from the food-fest of this weekend but that's okay. I just want to start feeling better...ugh....I guess green chile cheese fries & Buffalo Wild Wings in the same day wasn't the best of ideas - but the food was damn good! haha

So after my client tonight and my popcorn dinner, I hopped on the treadmill for another running day. I kept it at 5.0 MPH again the whole time and easily made it through the 5K run. I was able to keep an easy conversation with the hubby the whole time (we were watching America's Got Talent - so we talked about it while I worked out) My legs were a little tired at the end but I figured that's because I have just ran two 5K distances two days in a row - which is something I've NEVER done before. I've always allowed for a rest day in between so today was a good push. I will give myself a good roll out on the foam roller once I'm done with this blog. I was tempted to pick up my pace for the last mile or to keep running longer than the 5K distance - but I didn't want to absolutely destroy my legs so I didn't. Speedwork training will happen on Wednesday and I am totally excited about it! I'm thinking about doing a 5/5 split (5 mins at a speedy run and 5 mins at my 5.0 speed for recovery) throughout the 5K distance, or a full 40 mins - not sure yet but it should be super fun.

It should be absolutely awesome and I can't wait! Things are going well and I am really pleased with my progress. Today is one of those days where I truly feel like I am working towards my goals and it feels damn good. I am definitely happy right now! Hopefully I'll get a good night's sleep after that one. These LSRs are truly doing wonders for my training program and my mentality. I still feel like crap because of my tummy, but the run definitely helped me feel little better

Workout of the Day - Week 7 #1
Warm Up - 5 minutes (0.25 distance)
Run for full 5K distance at solid 12/min mile pace - 5.0 on treadmill (3.12 miles)
Cool Down for 7 minutes

Total Distance Traveled: 3.75 miles (but only tracking the run like I did yesterday)
Total Calories burned: 540 Calories
Total Workout Time: 50 Minutes

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 87.96 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 12,859 Calories GONE

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Long Slow Runs Kick Ass!

This weekend has been a little rough for me nutritionally. I didn't have to work at the dance studio like I thought I did - so I got an unexpected weekend off which was really awesome. We only have one more week of having my stepson here so vacation mode is starting to sink in - we are more willing to break our routines as he won't be here for much longer. I had a great weigh in on Saturday morning of 172.6lbs (which is the lowest I've been since the Vegan adventures in February) but after that nutrition turned into a cheat weekend.

Yesterday, I didn't eat prior to my Zumba class and then took my car straight to get the windshield replaced. They got my car done super quickly and I had enough time to meet the hubby for lunch at one of our favorite burrito places - which was a treat since I haven't eaten there in months. Then last night the hubby and I had an unexpected date night and we went to see Harry Potter - which was awesome! We had a quick dinner beforehand at Johnny Rockets which wasn't bad - I had a bacon cheeseburger that was pretty tasty. Once the movie was over, we went to pick up the kiddo (who was hanging out with some of our family) and they had picked up pizza from Dion's. The hubby and I each had only once slice and both started to feel yucky within about 10 mins! I guess that's just reinforcement that our bodies are starting to get used to our healthier diets!

Today I woke up feeling a little blah and a little squishy but not too bad. Weighed in between 174 and 175lbs (I got 2 different readings both times I stepped on it). I let the kiddo sleep in and I grabbed some quick food in the pantry to eat (fiber one brownies) to stave off my hunger until he woke up. I watched the conclusion of the Tour De France this morning and once the kiddo woke up we ate cereal. Around 1100 this morning, the hubby met us for lunch and we went to a local burger joint for some "taco burgers" and green chile cheese fries. It was a total splurge lunch but it was damn tasty.

After coming home and training a client, I hopped on the treadmill for my afternoon run - which was just textbook perfection!! I had decided earlier this week to focus on a long slow run instead of pushing for my 6.0+ speeds and risking exhausting myself too early. I bought fans for the treadmill at WalMart and clipped them on before my run today, which made a HUGE difference - the whole time I never felt super hot and I was really quite comfortable! The required run today was 25 minutes - which I easily knocked out and I decided to keep going after that. I ended up running for a full 37 minutes and completing a 5K on the treadmill today at an easier 12/min mile pace. After cooling down, re-hydrating and walking for a few minutes, I was refreshed enough that I could have easily ran longer - but I ran out of time as the hubby was almost home and it was his running day too - he's actually running his last workout of week 5 right now!!! So proud of him! He is rockin' that 20 min run!!

Anyways - not sure what we're going to do for dinner, but I'm not really worried about it. If I only end up maintaining my 172lbs this week and through my birthday weekend then I'll be happy with that. I am physically strong enough to run a full 5K right now and I have over 2 months to train for my 10K. I am thinking about changing my training methodology around a little bit at this point. I don't really see the point in completing the remaining 3 weeks of C25K as planned out if I can comfortably run the distance in these 6 weeks.

I think what I'll do is take an endurance training approach to my workouts from now on and run the 5K distance for the next week or two - with one of them each week focusing on speed work while the other two are just focusing on getting comfortable with the distance. After about a week or two of this training, I am planning on starting the Bridge to 10K program, which will start training me for the longer and harder distances that the race in October will prepare me for - SO EXCITING!! Tomorrow is another running day - can't wait to see how it goes!!! Another long slow run is in my future and I can't wait!!!

Week 6 Day 3 Workout
Warm Up - 5 minutes (0.25 mile distance covered)
Run for 37 minutes at 5.0 MPH (only 25 required for workout)
Cool Down for 7 minutes at easy walk

Total Calories Burned: 560
Total Distance Traveled: 3.75 miles (3.12 ran - so this is all I'm counting below)
Total Workout Time: 49 minutes

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 84.84 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 12,319 Calories GONE

Friday, July 22, 2011

Excess Food, Size 6 Jeans, Weight Loss & LSRs

Alrighty everyone - I realize I've been a slacker and haven't posted in here in a few days, so here's my well deserved update. This week has definitely been awesome! I've been watching the Tour De France and totally geeking out about that - I just love watching crazy feats of endurance!!! It also makes me want to buy a bike...maybe that will be a present to myself once all the debt is paid off. I have a mountain bike, but I don't have a road bike - so this might be the next present to myself...

I took Tuesday and Wednesday off work as a surprise to the hubby and I also decided to take a few days off from dieting while we enjoyed our time off - which was super nice. From Monday night to Thursday morning I ate whatever I wanted and it totally was totally fun, which included Blizzards (I ate TWO over the 3 days! haha!), pasta, nachos, egg white omelettes (filled with veggies!), pumpkin muffins, Brazilian Grill....that's all I can remember now...there was lots of food! haha!! My weight was up to 179.8lbs yesterday morning - but I dropped all the water weight and was back down to 174.2lbs this morning! Woot! Gotta love that WOOSH feeling!

In the middle of my food frenzy, we went shopping and I found a killer sale on jeans (I found $50 Levi's on sale for $19.99 at Kohl's!). Normally Jeans + excess food squish don't mix very well, but I felt brave and figured I'd try a pair on! The last time I bought a pair of Levi's (earlier this year) I was perfectly in a size 8, so I grabbed a size 6 (just to see) and OMG they fit like a glove!!! They are perfect and SO comfy!! I guess if this doesn't prove that I'm making progress, I don't know what will! My other jeans are starting to fit looser as well - so all this totally makes me happy! OH - and I also tried on a pair of the Reebok ReFlex shoes....those are AMAZING!!! The next $90 I get to spare, I'm totally picking up a pair of those!!

The plan for now is to stay on track until next weekend - I'd love to make some progress and hopefully hit my first 10lb goal before my birthday. I'm only about 3lbs away now, so I think this is totally possible, especially if I'm still holding a little bit of water weight from the past 3 days. I'll hop on the scale tomorrow and see what happens - if I have dropped any more weight this week, I'll update my ticker on Spark, but official weigh in won't happen until next Saturday.

Running training is going well. I've been struggling in my workouts due to the heat, but hopefully I'll adapt pretty soon! We got the treadmill moved indoors, but I really think I need to buy a little fan to clip onto it - I just feel totally UGH if the air isn't moving around me when I run so I think this will really help. I've got a 25 min run this weekend, and I think instead of doing a 25 min run at 6.0+ MPH - which is my expected workout, my body is longing for a LSR - a long, slow, exhausting run at whatever speeds it wants to.

I am really tempted to slow my pace down, not really care about hitting my numbers and just run as long as I want. Part of the joy of running for me is just going - no stress about time, pace, heat, etc - just enjoying the process - which is sometimes lost when I'm pushing so hard for a certain time.

Yesterday, I felt yucky, so I didn't get any running done at work but I did have Zumba last night so I got a good workout in. I think my body was telling me that it wanted to rest and today I feel much better! I slowed it down on the treadmill today and just knocked out a mile at a nice easy 5.5 MPH and I feel incredible afterwards! Initially it felt odd to run that slowly again, but once I got used to it I could totally have kept going at that pace and I really think this is what I'll do for my run on Sunday. I just really enjoyed it, relaxed into the run and had a fabulous time - which definitely helps me re-discover my love for running, even if it wasn't as fast as I've been training for.

Overall things are good - got a busy weekend coming up and hopefully nutrition will stay in line throughout the weekend! I'll update after my workout on Sunday - so I might be scarce for a few days (unless I run on my own at home) I'm determined to hit my 10lb lost goal by my birthday (and if I'm super lucky I might see the 160s again!) so I don't think it will be hard to stay on track!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 81.72 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 11,759 Calories GONE

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

W6D2 workout!

So I was really good this morning and got my run done early! I had to drop off my car at 7am to get new tires so I was up early today.

Yesterday I was having some tummy issues and I didn't eat much last night so I was hungry when I woke up. I ate some food and drank about half a diet coke before hopping on the treadmill, which currently lives in the living room and not the office.  That's something I'll have to update about later though. 

We are on our way to breakfast and going to enjoy our day off together before going back to work tomorrow - so this is actually an email blog update coming from my phone.

My run this morning was tough but I got it done at a solid 6.0 MPH. Considering I wasn't feeling too good yesterday, I am pleased with the run.

I'll detail it all more later. For now here's my workout stuff:

W6D2 workout
Warm up
Run for 10 minutes at 6.0 MPH
recover for 3 minutes at 3.0 MPH
Run for 10 minutes at 6.0 MPH
Cool down

Total distance traveled: 2.6 miles (guess because I accidentally pulled the pin when I cooled down!)
Total calories burned: 350
Total workout time: 36 minutes

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

YAY for Runs!

So I'm going to make this quick because I'm off to enjoy TWO DAYS OFF with the hubby and the kiddo. I got the time off last week and totally surprised them last night with the news. Last night we went to Zio's for dinner and I enjoyed lots of yummy food. For dessert I got a blizzard at the mall which was super yummy. Was really full when I went to bed last night and was still full when I woke up this morning!

Watched the 16th stage of the Tour De France this morning which was awesome. I also decided that I've built good running habits while I'm at work and I should try to keep them up while I'm at home - so I strapped my running shoes on and ran a quick mile at my usual 6.5 pace in the garage. It was hot, it was yucky, but I sucked it up and ran it - and I feel better afterwards. Now I'm going to jump in the shower and head out for our day off together. I've got Zumba at Curves tonight which will be super fun!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 78.12 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 11,249 Calories GONE

Monday, July 18, 2011

So Nice I Did It Twice!!!

Wow I had more energy today than I thought!!! I felt so amazing after my run today at lunch that I ran an additional TWO miles today!!! BOTH at my usual 9:16 pace!! Woot!!! And - I'm still not wiped out - I really feel that I could keep going if I didn't have to get back to work!!! In these two runs, I managed to burn an additional 300 calories, which will definitely help with any additional foods we eat over the next few days!

PLUS - I now have the bragging rights to say that I ran over 4 miles at work today! That's killer!!! I feel like a bad ass!

Now I can go home tonight and relax knowing that I've definitely completed a fabulous workout for the day :-D

Tonight's menu is spaghetti - for some reason that sounds super yummy right now!! Whole wheat pasta, ground turkey and some yummy marinara sauce...mmm.....dinner time needs to hurry up! haha!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 77.12 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 11,079 Calories GONE

VINDICATED!!!

OMG - today's run was a complete 180 from yesterdays run!!! I feel SOO good after my first run of Week 6!!! Words cannot describe how much better I feel today and I'm totally jazzed and ready to do it again! Now I'm even more energized to get my treadmill indoors at the house so I can feel like this every time I run! I was really tempted to skip ahead to the end of the week workout and run for 25 mins straight - to truly prove that yesterday's run was just really crappy and that I really can do better. However, I talked myself out of it, reminded myself to "trust the program" and rocked out today's run (all of which were at my usual pace of 6.5 MPH!). Now - as usual, I can't wait for my run on Wednesday!!! SOOO EXCITED!!!!

I really don't have much to update about. Nutrition was good all weekend - up a little bit in water weight but weighed in at 175lbs this morning so definitely not bad for surviving a weekend! I had a craving for pancakes yesterday - so we all made pancakes for dinner! It was super fun - but caused that slight jump in the scale. I'm definitely not worried though since I stayed within calorie counts!

I think I am going to take the next 3 days to have a slight diet break. I've been dieting for a few weeks straight and I think 3 days of eating at a normal calorie range will do me some good. I made sure to eat a bigger breakfast today and I think that helped make a difference in my run today - so I think a few days of eating around maintenance will do good. Hopefully my weight won't shoot up too high! haha!

I think that's about it! I'm going to run again later today since I don't have Zumba tonight and I'll update once I do! I want to make sure I get my burns & steps as high as I can considering I'll be eating semi-indulgently over the next few days. Hope you all are having a good day!

W6D1 Workout
Warm Up
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 3 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 8 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 3 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down

Total Distance Traveled: 2.32 miles
Total Workout Time: 34 mins
Total Calories Burned: 330

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 75.12 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 10,782 Calories GONE

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Week 5 DONE!

But it sure as hell wasn't easy. We are working on clearing out the office - but it didn't get done before my run today, so I woke up and ran on the treadmill at 845 this morning. I was actually up around 6am and had time to hydrate & eat a granola bar before getting my run in so that I wasn't pushing myself in a fasted state. However, it was so warm in the garage (even though I had the fan going and the cooler on!) that it just sucked to run out there. I couldn't find my rhythm and was never able to really relax into the run. I didn't hit my usual stride of 6.5 MPH the whole run today - but I maintained my run at 6.3-6.5 for the first 5 minutes and then ran at 6.0 MPH for the remaining 15 minutes. The 6.0 was tricky to maintain, but I refused to slow down anymore and pushed myself to keep up the pace

It hit my goals of being ran at a sub-10 pace - so I should be proud of that, but there's no reason why I should struggle so much during a workout and it should have been better. I usually feel better after a run - but today's struggle just left me feeling really crappy. Hopefully my run will go much better tomorrow. I've got to make more playlists for my week 6 and week 7 workouts today - so that's what I'll be doing for part of the afternoon today. I've already been working on the office for a few hours, so it will be nice to sit on my butt for a few while I make those mixes.

Nutrition has been good and I weighed in at 174.4lbs yesterday morning and this morning as well! I'm thrilled about that and I'm only 3.5 pounds away from my first 10lbs lost goal! Woot!

I watched the Tour De France this morning and really enjoyed it (I've been watching when I can on the weekends) - and saw a commercial for something totally awesome!!!

MASSIVE DO WANT!!!!

http://www.proform.com/tour-de-france/?gclid=CIfvwN-CiaoCFWc0Qgodw2wNxQ

UGH! Maybe I'll be able to swing the $1300 for one sometime soon. Since we're working on being debt free, I doubt I can get one until next Spring, but DAMN those things are WAY cool! I love the fact that they run on Google Maps!!!

Okay - so anyways, now I'm just chillin' at the house and relaxing a little bit. I'm still a little cranky about my crappy workout this morning but hopefully that will go away soon! I just couldn't find my stride on this run today and hopefully I'll be able to zen out sometime soon

Alright, that's it - hopefully I can get the office done today. I'll be sure to post pics once I do!!!

W5D3 Workout
Warm Up
Run for 20 minutes (varying speeds of 6.0 MPH - 6.5 MPH)
Cool Down

Total Workout Time: 30 Minutes
Total Calorie Burn: 375 Calories
Total Distance Ran: 2.42 miles

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 72.8 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 10,452 Calories GONE

Friday, July 15, 2011

Happy Friday!!! Wahoo!!!

Hey everyone!! HAPPY FRIDAY (finally!!)!! This has been a long week for sure and I'm excited about the upcoming weekend!

Official weigh in will be tomorrow, but if things keep going along the path they have been - its gonna be FABULOUS!! I'm definitely getting closer to earning my first batch of Zumbawear (which has mostly been sitting in a box because I feel I haven't "earned" them yet! haha). I've worn one of the sports bras and one of the tanks - everything else has been sitting in a box waiting patiently! haha!

However, I think I am already seeing some great progress! Today I wore a pair of denim knee length capris that used to be a little snug around the hips, but today I ran in them and they were FALLING DOWN! EEK!! It wasn't the most comfortable run as I had to use my left hand to hold up my jeans - but in a way I'm super happy!! Clothes fitting looser is definitely a good thing!!! Now I just need to make sure I've got a belt with me whenever I want to run as well!

Other than my pants slipping down off my hips, the run went great! Knocked it out in my usual 9:16 pace and I feel good afterwards! I'm also practicing getting used to working out with my hair down (since all those Zumba queens look so awesome whipping their hair around!) - so todays run was with hair NOT pulled back. It wasn't too bad, but it was falling in my face and getting mildly annoying. This will definitely take some getting used to! haha!

In other news, last night's Zumba class at Curves was awesome! I had a newbie there who is now totally hooked on Zumba! Woot!! I've also noticed the nutrition is paying off here too - when I feel leaner, my classes go SO much better! I just feel lighter and really have more fun in class - so this is more motivation to keep it up! Tonight is Zumba at Baila and I'm excited! I always love this class! I'm tempted to throw in a new song that's super cute - but we'll have to see how I'm feeling later tonight (which probably means it will be thrown in! haha!)

Anyways, official update blog on weigh in & measurements will come tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to get some progress pics taken - but if I don't then I'll get some soon!

Enjoy your Friday everyone! Oh and BTW - I'VE PASSED 70 MILES AND 10,000 CALORIES BURNED RUNNING THIS YEAR!!! OMG YAY!!!! That just feels AWESOME!!!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 70.38 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 10,077 Calories GONE

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Happy Thursday!

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a fabulous Thursday!! I am having a great day! After work yesterday, we hung out with a friend of ours that we hadn't seen in a long time! He just bought a house so the hubby helped him with some minor fixes that needed to be made (plumbing stuff mainly) and we went out to dinner. We went to one of our favorite places and I had a really yummy turkey and provolone salad with a reduced fat dressing that was within my calorie counts - but really high in volume - which caused a little jump in the scale this morning (nothing bad but I was 176.6ish). I'm definitely still on track for a potential 174lbs weigh in tomorrow or Saturday!

Today was "Wear Your Favorite Concert T-Shirt" day at work - so I'm sportin' my 5 Finger Death Punch shirt I got at their show last year. While its not my favorite concert, it was the only one I could find at 445 this morning so it works :-D

I brought my running shoes to work again (they have a permanent home in my car now so I can run on a whim if I need to) and I was able to knock out a mile on my first break! I was stoked to be able to comfortably run the 9:15 pace in my concert shirt & relatively snug blue jeans!!

SEE - this is me POST run!!! (I flipped the picture around so the "5" on my FFDP shirt wasn't backwards in the mirror - my OCD kicked in! haha!)
Photobucket

I actually had a coworker comment today that they can tell I've been losing weight (which was really special!) I've been pretty vocal about my weight loss goals and running goals to help justify to them why I don't participate in potlucks and such - so everyone knows about it. Its really nice to hear that my hard work is starting to be visible! She said my face is looking leaner and that I'm looking really good (SCORE for less chubby faces! haha!) - I told her that really meant a lot and I appreciated it! I think I've also convinced her to come to my Zumba class tomorrow - so hopefully she'll get a great workout too!

Anyways, I felt better post run, as I always do these days. I can't wait until its another running day (Sunday) but I have Zumba in the meantime which will be awesome! Tonight is Curves, tomorrow is Baila and Saturday morning is Curves. I also picked up a new personal training client and we are starting together on Saturday as well. I am super stoked to help her reach her fitness goals!! I got word from the After School program that the schedule looks great and I'm super excited to get that started as well! That program will start in September and end at the end of April! Its going to be a busy few months, but it will be totally worth it!

I think that's about it for me - tomorrow is payday, so I can continue working to save some money to pay off more debt by the end of next month. I have a $1300 credit card balance that I'd like to get completely paid off between now and then. It will be a stretch - but its do-able. Its actually additional motivation to keep eating better - since when I eat at home its cheaper than eating out! haha! My car also desperately needs new tires, so I'll be trying to get it into the shop in the next few weeks as well. Oh and I need to replace my windshield - it got hit with a rock and now has a crack in it...its annoying...but I found an awesome glass guy who said he'll replace it for free because I have full insurance on the car! Gotta love it! Life is busy though so I'll have to figure out when I can do that. Hopefully soon.

I also noticed I've really been adding to my mileage over the past few weeks! Maybe I'll surpass 100 miles by the end of July or Mid-August! That would be awesome!!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 69.38 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,937 Calories GONE

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Gotta love those extra miles!

So as expected, I made my lazy butt get on the treadmill on my last break and I knocked out another mile in around 9:17. I love it! I've already burned 1550 calories and traveled 7234 steps according to my Bugg today...I love feeling healthy and active!! It definitely feels good! I love the fact that my body is progressing so much and getting healthier! I can really tell that I'm stronger than I was earlier this year - my body is doing things I never thought it could and things that used to be hard are now getting easy! Woot!

With all the activity I'm having today I am definitely getting hungry and will be ready for dinner by the time I get home, I'm thinking some grilled cheese & popcorn sounds fabulous! After that we are going to hang out with some friends, so that will be super fun! Gotta love it!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 68.38 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,787 Calories GONE

W5D2 DONE!

Hey everyone! I had a great run today and feel awesome! Nutrition has been great (snuck a peek at the scale this morning and it read 175.4 this morning!!!!) so things are definitely going in the right direction! I just might hit my goal of 174lbs by my weigh in on Friday/Saturday! Woot! Even though I'm down to 175-ish, I feel a little bloated and squishy today - so I'm hoping for a nice little woosh in the next few days so I feel lean and strong again.

The next 3 days are all Zumba days - hopefully they go well! I don't get another running day until Sunday, but I might sneak in some quick miles here and there just to help keep me moving. I finalized the schedule for the After School program - I managed to fit all 5 schools into 3 days (Tuesday through Thursday) and things are definitely going to be getting busy this September, but it will totally be worth it! I sent everything off to the director of the program and hopefully it will all get the "okay" and we will be good. Unfortunately, I don't think I can change around the schedule that much more to work around the stuff I've already got going on - so part of me really hopes that it works for them as well and that I don't need to make any additional changes.

Okay - now back to today's run. I was a little concerned since this is the longest stretch of running intervals in the full workout, but I totally rocked it! Today was two full rounds of 8 mins each, and I held my pace at the solid 6.5 MPH without really struggling at all - which really makes me excited about my solid 20 min run on Sunday! I was able to settle into each of my intervals and just really enjoy the experience of running. I also mixed in "halfway" reminders into my music playlists, so it made it really easy for me to gauge how long I'd already ran. It was really a struggle though for me to fit it into my lunch today (I only had about a minute to spare when I finished) so starting next week I'll have to come up with something else to do, but I'll cross that road when I get there! I'll get my runs in - its just a matter of if I do it before work or after work and how much I value my sleep :-P

W5D2 Workout:
Warm Up
Run for 8 minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 5 minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 8 minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down (i.e. walk briskly back to my desk and cool down there! haha)

Total Distance Traveled: 2.18 miles
Total Workout Time: 29 Minutes
Total Calorie Burn: 285 Calories

Not sure if I'll run again today - but whenever I say that I always manage to squeeze another run in. I don't have Zumba today, so I really might try to get another one in to make sure I'm moving enough today! If I do, I'll post another update later! Hope you all have a great day!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 67.38 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,647 Calories GONE

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

OMG!!! NEW PR!!!! YAY!!!!

WOW I feel totally amazing!!! After my blog yesterday I was totally itchy to see if I could break my PR and potentially get a sub-9 minute mile!!! For my first break at work today, I hopped on the treadmill and pushed myself to GO!!!! The first quarter mile I ran at 6.5 MPH and then picked the pace up from there. I raised it to 6.8 MPH and then stuck with around 7.0 MPH for the next 2 quarters. The last quarter mile, I was paranoid I wasn't going to make it and so I upped the pace to 7.5 MPH and then topped out at 7.7 MPH for the last 10th of a mile!! I put a Pitbull song (Give Me Everything) on repeat on my iPod and totally pushed myself to go faster and faster!

So - without further ado...my new PR for my 1 mile runs is.... 8 MINUTES 35 SECONDS!!! I managed to shave off OVER 30 seconds from my last PR run at 9:06 back in April!!! Holy cow!!! If this doesn't reinforce that my speed training is working & paying off, then I don't know what else will!!! I am absolutely THRILLED with this time!!! I can't believe it!!! My body is capable of doing things I NEVER thought possible! I've NEVER ran a sub-9 minute mile and now I just DESTROYED that time!!

In other news, weight was back down to 177lbs this morning, so I'm happy about that! I've got Zumba tonight and it should be super fun as always! Don't know if I'll run anymore today - I want to ensure enough recovery time before class so my legs aren't thrashed too badly.

Badwater is going great!! I'm not able to follow the webstream online while I'm at work, so I'm following the Twitter updates! There's a rookie runner who is just taking the field by storm!! He is rockin' it!!! I am super excited to be following this event! Some people have football - others have soccer, or baseball....I have Ultras! haha! This is the stuff I geek out about!! I've found other geeks online who are super excited about this too - so I'm embracing the nerdiness with them!

UPDATE: AHHHH!!!! OSWALDO LOPEZ IS THE 2011 BADWATER CHAMPION WITH A TIME OF 23:41:40!!!!!!!!!!! SO AMAZING!!! I'M SUPER STOKED!!!! Its so amazing that he ran 135 miles in 120+ degree heat, through Death Valley IN JULY for 23 hours straight!! It just is SOO inspiring!!!

Anyways, that's about it for me. I couldn't be happier with my new 1 Mile PR! I think that's just amazing that my legs are capable of going that fast for that long! I am SO proud of myself!!! This is one of the many reasons I love running - there's ALWAYS new opportunities to better yourself!! If these are the changes I can make from April to July - I can't wait to see the changes I can accomplish in the next 3 months!!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 65.2 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,362 Calories GONE

Monday, July 11, 2011

And the Bad-Assery Continues!

I got another mile ran today and I still feel AWESOME!! I love this!! I really think my body is starting to adjust and adapt to the 6.5 MPH pace!! I maintained this happy pace throughout the whole run and actually contemplated picking up the pace for the last quarter mile! I kept it at 6.5 and didn't pick up the pace, but the fact that my body feels ready to go faster is awesome!!

Todays run was completed in 9:18 and I'm really happy with that! I'm really looking forward to seeing how my runs later this week go! I actually need to go back into my blogs and see what my current 1 mile PR is - I might push to see if I can break it sometime soon!!!

EDIT: After looking back, my current 1 Mile PR is 9:06 set on April 19th...I definitely think that with the way I've conditioned myself I can totally take this on!! I'm going to shoot for a sub-9!! Woot!!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 64.2 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,217 Calories GONE

DAMN that felt GOOD!!!!

Happy Monday everyone (or as happy as a Monday can get!)

Today has been going well so far! I weighed in at 179lbs this morning - which is great considering the past few weekends I've been stuck around 181-182lbs after the weekend's foods and need to recover. I'm hopeful that I can continue to make some progress this week and maybe even see 174-175! I'm keeping sodium down and planning on a nice light dinner when I get home - perhaps some whole wheat pasta & veggies.

Today also celebrates "Happy Badwater Day" - marking the beginning of one of the greatest road races in history. The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile road race through Death Valley. Its one of the most difficult races in the world and runners regularly have to run on the white line of the road so their shoes don't melt!! OY!! Its astounding what people are able to accomplish with a little bit of determination & insanity! I'll be tracking today's race to see how it goes!! I'm sending lots of "ultramarathoning love" to anyone competing this year!!

Speaking of running - I started Week 5 today and the run was AMAZING! I know I ran yesterday, but due to my schedule I can't afford to take a day off and do multiple workouts on the same day during the week. That would just wipe me out too badly I think (not exactly something I want to push until I *HAVE* to, ya know?)...anyways, back to the running - the last time I completed the C25K program, Week 5 was my huge turning point. Its when I truly began to discover a love for running and everything that I can do with it!

Today's run was no different - I really truly enjoyed my run today, even though it was probably the hardest one yet! I maintained my 6.5 MPH speeds and totally rocked out my homemade playlists - which today consisted of Adele, Breaking Benjamin, Muse, Mumford & Sons, Pitbull (love him!), Katy Perry & Ke$ha - not a bad little mix I think! I had to cut the warm up & cool down short in order to fit it into my lunch at work - but starting next week I might start to struggle with fitting it into my daily work schedule (crap!) - so I'll have to start running either before or after work on my treadmill at home...not sure how that's going to work yet, but I'll make it happen! I am loving this training TOO much to make it not work! haha!

Here's my workout for today:

W5D1 Workout
Warm Up
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 3 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 3 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down

Total Workout Time: 29 Minutes
Total Mileage: 2.18 Miles
Total Calories Burned: 300ish (I forgot to look at my Digital Display when I finished, so I'm guessing here)

So now onto the title of this blog - my run today made me feel SO good!!! I LOVE the powerful kick ass feeling I have when I finish something I've never done before!! Not sure if I'm going to try to run again later today - I feel so refreshed after this workout that I think I can handle another mile if I wanted to. I'll see how I'm feeling in about an hour and perhaps give it a shot! I think another mile at 6.5 MPH could definitely do me some good - if I end up doing that, I'll be sure to update with the information! Next running day is Wednesday - which is two 8 min splits...that should be super fun!! Wahoo!!!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 63.2 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 9,082 Calories GONE

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Week 4 DONE!!

Whew! It took a TON of motivation to hop on the treadmill today. Since I wasn't running at work (indoors & air conditioned) and I didn't get my butt up super early to run before it got warm (I was enjoying my lazy morning) I got the joy of running on the treadmill in my hot garage at 145pm in the afternoon. Probably not the brightest thing ever - but its done and I'm happy that I finished it. The last 5 minutes were definitely a push, but I maintained my speeds of 6.5 MPH the whole time - so I am happy! I think next Sunday I'm going to get up when my hubby does (around 6am) and get my run done then - just so its not too hot. I think that might work out a lot better than trying to run in the heat of the day in the middle of July in the desert.

Since I'm not getting a ton of activity, I might actually walk on the treadmill a little bit this afternoon (but no more running due to the heat) just to get my calorie burns & movement up a little higher. Its almost 3pm and I'm only at around 1500 calories burned. With my goal of 2450 calories a day, I think I need to move around a little more today

Nutrition has been good the past few days - definitely the best weekend I've had in a while! It might not have been perfect, but its better than it has been recently. Yesterday we went to Jason's Deli and Cold Stone for ice cream with some friends. I managed to fit in a Beefeater sandwich & a "Love It" ice cream with Black Cherries into my calorie count for the day! Water weight is a little up (about 3lbs) due to some extra sodium and lack of fiber - even though I've hit my calorie counts, but I've been pushing fluids for the past few days and hopefully I will drop it back down. I'm really looking forward to my weigh in this week! I'm really shooting for around 174lbs - which would be about a 2lb loss since my last weigh in. I think that's really do-able. Hopefully it will work out well!!! Dinner tonight is some homemade slow-cooker Goulash that I'm going to serve over some whole wheat pasta. Its been in the slow cooker for about 3 hours now and it smells SOOO yummy! I hope it turns out well!!

My new Zumba gear is here and its SUPER cute!! I purposefully bought everything in a size Medium (since it seems like I'm in between sizes anyways) - which is additional motivation to hit my first goal of dropping 10lbs. Their sizes are definitely made for dancers - so they run really small. I got 2 new sports bras, 3 new tanks (including 2 for Zumbatomic), some super cute aqua blue leggings (that match both my sports bras), a Zumbatomic baseball hat & some bracelets - all for around $95 - so I'm super stoked. I also got a pair of pewter grey Zumba Wonder Capri Cargos that are super fantastic as well - I like them so much I am going to order them in black tomorrow too!

My dance studio is running a weight loss challenge for the next 8 weeks for our students and me and a few other instructors are participating as well. Granted we can't win any of the prizes - but it will definitely help to stay motivated and accountable for the next 2 months. Today I'm going to prep some whole wheat pasta & rice to make it easier to pack my lunches over the next few days!

I think that's about it for me! Now off to go prep some food and veg out for the rest of the afternoon!!!

W4D3 Workout:
Warm Up for 5 minutes
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 2 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down for 5 minutes

Total Distance Traveled: 2.52 miles
Total Workout Time: 32 minutes
Total Calorie Burn: 335 Calories

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 61.02 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 8,782 Calories GONE

Friday, July 8, 2011

Okay...I feel better now...

So yesterday was a crazy day for me. I had a good talk with the hubby and it seems like he's in the same place I am - we are both ready to move on to the next phase in our lives. We are ready to take that next jump into the people we are destined to be, we just have to be patient for a few more months and we'll be there. He got a great opportunity at his job yesterday and I had another potential personal training client express interest in starting training (which would be another $250-ish a month!) - if that works out then that's awesome! That definitely helped me feel better!

Last night, the hubby and I surprised the kiddo with tickets to a local minor league baseball game (for any of you Simpson's fans - our team is called the Albuquerque Isotopes!) We had a ton of fun and I even indulged and got a giant frozen yogurt in a waffle cone! I stayed within my calorie burns and weight is up to only 178lbs this morning which is definitely not too bad. Sleep was definitely minimal last night, but it was really worth it! We had a lot of fun!

This morning was tough waking up for and I felt super lazy when I got up. Thank goodness its Friday! However, I did plan ahead and wore running friendly clothes to work! On another note - to just add to the awesomeness of my Friday - I got a killer Groupon coupon this morning (two Fandango movie tickets for $4!) so this means that we can totally go out to an awesome movie soon for a great price! *does happy dance* Considering how pricey movies are these days - I was totally stoked about saving some money on our next date night out (especially with Harry Potter, Captian America & tons of other movies coming out soon!) My new Zumba gear is "out for delivery" so I'm hoping I have it before going to my class tonight! Woot! Totally excited about it!!

Okay - back to fitness stuff - I decided to say "screw it" and run today if I wanted to. I can't afford to exhaust myself - but running gives me a sense of peace that is impossible to find anywhere else. I have come to the conclusion that I will listen to my body - if it wants to run, then I'll let it run - if it needs to rest, then I'll let it rest. I've been consistently working out long enough to know when I need to rest & when I can work out. I'm going to stick with my running program for 10K training on my scheduled days - but on "off" days if I want to run a quick mile, I'm not going to stop myself! :-P

I went running on my first break today and decided to run a full mile at the current pace I've been doing for my workouts - which is 6.5 MPH. Time-wise its longer than the intervals I've been running (which for week 4 is 5 mins) - but it was really nice to just relax & run. I'm working really hard to make my "comfy running pace" 6.5 MPH and little by little its becoming more comfortable. Just for comparison - last year my comfy running pace was around 5.5 MPH, so I'm currently working on shaving 2 minutes off my mile time - consistently! When its phrased that way, it definitely seems like a bigger accomplishment. When I'm able to really ease into it and just enjoy the running process 6.5 is definitely a good pace for me right now. I can only imagine what it will feel like when I'm down another 10lbs - I bet that will feel super awesome!

The air conditioning was *finally* working in the gym - so that was really nice! The first quarter mile was a little tough today, and I actually contemplated only running 1/2 mile on my break and walking the rest. It definitely took me a while to ease into running today - the water bloat from the past few days really didn't help either. But after I relaxed into the run and got going the rest of the mile came really easily. With running the full mile today, I learned that I'm currently running at a 9:15/mile pace! Definitely not bad!! I am really happy with my progress! If I can maintain that pace for a full 5K - I'll run it in 28 mins!!! This makes me SUPER happy and even more motivated to keep pushing hard!! I am well on my way to reaching one of my goals!!!

I'm not sure if I'll run again today - its amazing how satisfying just a quick mile can be. If I run again, I'll be sure to update. I might Zumba on lunch too - not sure....Little by little things are getting better. Hopefully they'll continue to improve, and when it doesn't, hopefully I'll have my running shoes :-D

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 58.5 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 8,447 Calories GONE

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Damn you horoscope!

Kind of fitting for today????

Leo Jul 7 2011
How do you know when something is meant to be, Leo? Does it give you a sign you need to interpret? Or is it instantly recognizable? While either is possible, sometimes you don't immediately recognize that you are where you are meant to be. That is probably the case right now. You could be feeling a sense of longing for an ideal life you have imagined. What you are experiencing now, though, may not fit into what you envisioned. Give it time. As your current situation evolves, you will see that it is exactly what you want and need.
--
Copyright (c) DailyHoroscope.
Download it now -- http://bit.ly/DHmobile

Waiting blows...

I have no clue what's wrong with me today - but I am just super cranky & can't get out of my funk. I've got an "eff it all" attitude and nutrition hasn't been the best the past 2 days - but I'm staying within my calorie counts & weight is right around 176lbs still, so I can't really complain. Sodium has been higher than I wanted so I'm feeling squishy - but otherwise I'm right where I want to be.

I've been feeling restless & antsy for about 2 days now and its making me super cranky and my "BS" tolerance level is non-existent (no bueno for the day job). I can't really describe it -but its almost like I'm yearning for something MORE to do. Like I want some solid concrete proof that I'm heading in the right direction. I am halfway tempted to enter myself into a damn 5K race just so that I can run full out with no concerns (part of me thinks this will help). I've been keeping myself entertained at work with reading & researching Ironman triathalons recently (and actually contemplating that I *might* be able to do one! OY!)

I know that I'm training for a 10K right now, but I'm in Week 4 and starting to feel restless again. I know I have ADD - this is already a common known fact (and totally obvious to anyone who reads this blog regularly). I know I'm not supposed to run more than 3 days a week - but I WANT to run more than that! I know that I have Zumba tonight - but I just WANT to run and run and run and not stop today. I don't want to exhaust myself and I don't want to risk injuring myself. BUT - I *LIKE* exhausting myself!! I *LIKE* knowing that I've pushed myself super hard every day - there's something satisfying knowing that you are living 100% to your full potential, and right now I'm just not getting it....ugh....

So what do I do - I teach Zumba classes 4 days a week, which is awesome - but doesn't fully exhaust me, yet I don't want to start running all the time and risk not having the energy to teach classes. I work a 40 hour/week day job. I already have no social life. Any free time I have is at home resting or cleaning. I know I have to get my weight down if I want to be successful at endurance running - but that takes time too. That won't happen overnight and I think I'm moving in the right direction. I think its more than just pushing myself.

I think its restlessness that directly results from impatience. I hate waiting - I always have. Patience has never been one of those virtues I possess. And right now, life is nothing BUT waiting. I am waiting to pay off bills & get out of debt - but I only get paid every 2 weeks, so this can only be rushed so much. I am waiting to run again because its the safest thing for my body - even though some stupid part of me will probably go for a run today or tomorrow just to shut my brain up. I am waiting to grow my hair out - so then I can reach my goals and then start dying it again (I miss my red hair!) I am waiting for my weight to drop off (and stay that way this time!) I am waiting for the damn FedEx man to show up with my new cute Zumba clothes. I'm waiting for Zumbatomic to start in September for the public schools - but I'm terrified about making it work with the current schedule I have (I'll feel better once this is finalized I think!)

I love being able to change things and I am a total instant gratification kind of person - being able to prove just how much I can impact in my life...so when things stop moving I go NUTS! PLUS - my birthday is coming up, and I know its going to be fun...but every time the spotlight is on me I tend to get really nervous. I need to find an outlet for this - I'm thinking Zumba will be this outlet - since I have to be in the spotlight as the instructor anyways.

UGH - enough rambling...need to shut brain off....still have 1 hour of work...OY its one of those days!! GROWL! HEY - it could be worse though...I could be a lazy lard butt who just sits around doing nothing! At least I'm getting antsy because I want to be MORE active!! haha!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

W4D2 DONE!

Hey everyone! So today was another running day! Wahoo! I know you're not supposed to run back to back days - but I didn't really have a choice. It was either run Tuesday & Wednesday back to back or do 2 full workouts again tomorrow (Zumba & running). 2 full workouts was tough enough yesterday, I didn't want to push my luck and have to do it again, so I ran today!

This run seemed to go much better than yesterdays - not sure exactly why. This one just seemed a little more effortless! I'm happy about it! It was still super hot in the gym, so I didn't push it too hard, but I still covered a fair amount of distance during my runs today & I maintained my sub-10 min/mile pace the whole time again, which makes me happy!

After keeping nutrition back in line & pushing fluids yesterday - my weight was back down to 176.6lbs this morning! Yippee!! All of the extra water weight from this weekend is gone and now I can focus on dropping that number even more by my weigh in on Friday! I've got about 5lbs left before I reach my first 10lb goal - which is definitely attainable!

It actually crossed my mind that I just *might* be able to see the 160's by my birthday! Wouldn't THAT be a killer accomplishment?!?!? I think I'm going to shoot for it, and if I miss it - oh well, anything is progress, right?!? I've got 25 days - so it might be a bit of a push, but with the way I drop weight quickly I think its a possibility - I tend to drop a bunch and then maintain for a few weeks, then drop again. Maybe I'm in a dropping phase right now!

Oh - and all my new Zumba gear should be here between Friday & Monday (I'm watching the tracking numbers regularly! haha!)...I'm super antsy....have I ever mentioned that I HATE waiting for things to ship to me??? :-P

Alrighty - enough rambling for me - here's my workout

W4D1 Workout:
Warm Up
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 2 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down

Total Distance Traveled: 2.61 miles
Total Workout Time: 33 minutes
Total Calorie Burn: 335 Calories

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 57.5 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 8,277 Calories GONE

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Week 3 Done & Week 4 Begun!

So I did get a running workout done on the 2nd - just didn't have time to post the blog. Was nice & lazy the past 2 days (its SO rare that I get rest days) so I had to make up for W4D1 earlier this morning. Week 3's last workout was really yucky, but I stuck it out and made it through it. It was hot in the garage & I got super tired of the damn podcast I was listening to. Also, the treadmill was facing the wall (with a poster on it) so I got REALLY tired of staring at the same spot on the wall for my 3 min runs. So after my workout I said "f*ck it!" and turned the treadmill around - so now at least its facing into the garage instead of the wall - we just need to be careful and not fall off since now we'll fly into the garage wall! haha!

We are working on getting the office set up as an indoor workout room and eventually will move the treadmill in there. That will be nice since its indoors which will be cooler, I can run whenever I want to and not have to worry about time of day & I can watch movies on the computer in there which will make the longer runs easier.

Ate like hell this weekend and my tummy really hated me - I'm slowly becoming more convinced I have issues digesting fats & that high fat foods totally destroy me. Slept terribly last night and am having to compensate with caffeine today because of it. The running workout (W4D1) really helped me wake up though and I'm happy I got it done! I got cranky with the podcasts I was listening too (the techno was just awful) - so I sat my butt down with my MAC this weekend and made my own playlist with timers for my run this week. It was SOOO much nicer to run to my own music (Breaking Benjamin, Muse, Usher, Pitbull, Rihanna, Blessed By A Broken Heart, Taio Cruz & others) It made the longer runs (5 mins) almost effortless! I really enjoyed it!!!

Anyways, have Zumba tonight & ordered more Zumba gear for the sale that was yesterday! Got 2 new sports bras, 3 tanks, 1 pair of leggings capris, 1 Zumbatomic instructor hat & 8 bracelets for $95 - can't really complain at all! I also found some good sales online & in stores - so I got another pair of Zumba Cargo Capris for only $35 online (with free shipping!) and a really cute Nike workout skirt for $10 at Big 5 - so now I'm anxiously awaiting the delivery of all my new clothes! Woot! The Zumba stuff should be here within 3 days and the cargos should be here by the 11th - so hopefully it won't be too long to wait! I'm so impatient sometimes! haha!

Alrighty - that's enough for me! I'm back on track today and looking forward to making some progress this week & weekend on my nutritional goals! I'm tempted to not allow myself to wear my new Zumbagear until I hit my initial goal of 10lbs lost, but then again I'm just not that patient! I'm already down 5lbs and this order can count as my accomplishment for 10lbs lost (plus I ordered everything in Medium sizes so that's motivation enough to keep up with my weight loss just so everything continues to fit well)

Here's the information from my W3D3 workout followed by my running workout from today, which was W4D1 - ALL of the intervals were run at a sub-10 min mile pace, which means I'm still hitting my goals! Woot! Especially considering it was super hot in the garage & the air conditioning wasn't working correctly so it was really hot in the gym this morning too. I would have pushed the speeds faster - but I didn't want to totally wear myself down today, especially since it was so hot AND I have to teach Zumba tonight. Now that the runs are getting longer, its harder to maintain my speeds, but I'm determined to do it!! Wahoo!

W3D3 Workout:
Warm Up
Run for 90 Seconds at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 3 Minutes at 3.5
Run for 90 Seconds at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down

Total Distance Traveled: 2.06 miles
Total Workout Time: 30 Mins
Total Calorie Burn: 250 Calories

W4D1 Workout:
Warm Up
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 2 Minutes at 3.5 MPH
Run for 3 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Recover for 90 Seconds at 3.5 MPH
Run for 5 Minutes at 6.5 MPH
Cool Down

Total Distance Traveled: 2.25 miles
Total Workout Time: 27 minutes
Total Calorie Burn: 300 Calories

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 54.89 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 7,942 Calories GONE

Saturday, July 2, 2011

So What Have I Accomplished in 6 Months??

Okay - so one of my SparkFriends totally inspired me to do a 6 month "update" blog, kind of a "how am I doing on my 2011 resolutions?" thing. I timed it along with my weigh in this morning so I could have updated body stats as well. I took some photos in the same poses and swimsuit that I took my initial 2011 shots in - and I think I see some great progress so far!

So here it goes!!!! I made some awesome resolutions for 2011, and I'm excited to talk about my progress with all of them! WARNING - this is a LONG blog, but I really took the time to update EVERYTHING that needed to be addressed on my progress & goals, so its worth it!

My First Resolution was: I want to be HEALTHIER at the end of 2011 than I was in 2010 - whether this means weight loss, inches lost, muscle gain, more sleep - it doesn't matter, just healthier!!

How am I doing on this one? I think I'm doing well! Not as much progress as I wanted, but this year has truly been a learning experience for me in lots of ways.

January Starting Weight: 182lbs
July Weight: 176.2lbs (Total Difference 5.8lbs)

Measurement Changes (all measurements are in inches):
Body Fat Percentage: January - 27.37% July - 26.46% (0.91% loss)
Neck: January - 13.5 July - 13.5 (same)
Shoulders: January - 40 July - 39 (1 inch loss)
Bust: January - 37 July - 38 (1 inch gain - but I won't complain about boob size change!)
Chest (under bust): January - 34 July - 33.5 (0.5 inch loss)
Waist: January - 33 July - 31.5 (1.5 inch loss!)
Belly Button: January - 35.5 July 34 (1.5 inch loss)
Hips: January - 40.5 July 40 (0.5 inch loss)
Butt: January - 42.5 July - 42 (0.5 inch loss)
Thigh (upper/mid): January - 25.5/23.5 July - 25/23 (0.5 inch loss on both points)
Biceps: January - 13 July - 12.75 (0.25 loss on both arms)
Calves: January - 16 July 16 (same)

So overall - I am down 5.8lbs, 0.91% BF% and a total of 8 inches lost! I am totally stoked about this!! I'd definitely say that I'm healthier - I'm strong enough to lead multiple fitness classes a week and my body seems stronger than it ever has been! I can't complain at all!

Here's some progress pics I took and put next to the pics I took in January - I'm thinking I'm really leaning up nicely!

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Alright - after all that - now I'm onto resolution #2, which was: I want to accomplish things I've never done before (such as a full unassisted pull up, run a 5K in less than 30 mins, etc)

I think I've covered this one for sure! In February, I went straight vegan for 4 weeks - which is something I NEVER thought I could do!!! It was a truly amazing experience and the stuff I learned is just incredible! That experience can never have been learned via books or research. As far as fitness goes, I am now able to successfully hold the Crane yoga position - which is AHH-some!!!
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I haven't ran a sub-30 5K yet, but I'm training for it. The last time I ran the distance, I completed it in 30:30, so I'm totally close to hitting that mark! I'm also currently training for my first 10K race as well, which will be held this October. My current plan is to go back to the same 5K race I ran last year and beat my time - which is in mid-September! I think this is a possibility!!! All in all, I think I'm doing a good job on this resolution too!!

Resolution #3: I want to develop a healthier relationship with food. This one has (and probably always will be) a work in progress. The Vegan Investigation showed me that my body responds very well to high carb, lower fat/protein diets. When I started re-integrating animal products back into my diet again, I really REALLY struggled (which is why I don't have as much progress as I had wanted by now). After discovering a book that I'd bought months ago (just never looked at in depth), its helping me plan out an Omnivore diet that is really balanced and healthy. Binge days still happen and I'm still prone to stress eating - but I'm better than I was. I am able to understand my different triggers and work to overcome them before the binges happen - however I still have a downfall whenever I eat out (that's always the hardest time to stay on track). I am not able to calculate out all my metrics since January on the Bugg site (since there's some days in there I didn't track food) - but I do have all my numbers for June so here they are:
Average Cal Burn from 06/01-06/30 - 2,728
Average Cal Intake from 06/01-06/30 - 2,032
Average Deficit over the month - 696 calories
Only had 6 days where I didn't hit my 2.450 burn goal the whole month and only had 5 days where I ate at a surplus of any kind (one was only 77 cals over and the highest was 545 over) - Lowest Day burn was 2250 cals, Highest Day was 3,628 cals burned

I think this shows that I am getting better with food - I am getting more comfortable eating more (which for a recovering anorexic is HUGE!) and I'm still seeing progress - most of my recent weight loss was all in June once I got nutrition back in line, as I had a terrible pattern of losing/gaining going on for a few months earlier this year. Hopefully this will continue to improve over the next few months.


Resolution #4: I want to grow my hair out and donate it to Locks of Love.
I have decided to go with the donation program through Pantene - but it goes to the same cause - creating wigs for cancer patients. I am still sticking with this one and I'm stoked! They need 8 inches of ponytail to qualify for a donation - I have over 5 inches in my ponytail right now and its still growing fast. Now that its long enough that I can pull it back, its totally easier to ignore it and just let it grow. I've had a few weeks where I just get itchy and want to see some instant changes (in the past I'd totally change my hair color) but I had to find other outlets for this - exercise, shopping, tattoos...whatever managed to shut up that little voice that wants me to dye my hair! haha! Its been over a year and a half since I've dyed my hair last and this blonde is 100% my own color! Some days I like it, and some days I get bored - I guess that's the downside of being accustomed to dying my hair so regularly in the past. Once my ponytail gets long enough - there will be the question of should I cut it super short so I can dye it again - or keep growing it out so I can still pull it back after cutting the donation hair...hmmm....decisions...

Resolution #5: I always have a goal to be a better person than I was at the beginning of the year - whether that means making progress emotionally, physically, financially or mentally, I just want to continue to develop as a person. Becoming stagnant doesn't help at all.

This one is a resolution I have every year - and every year I manage to succeed in accomplishing this one. Emotionally & Mentally are kind of the same, so I'm putting those together - I'm working on a lot of different things. I've noticed that my self esteem is directly linked to how I feel physically. When I overeat & feel like a cow - my self esteem goes down the crapper. When I treat my body well, I feel amazing - which radiates into all aspects of my life. This discovery is continued motivation to stay on the right track. My physical changes are all outlined in Resolution 1 (so I won't repeat all those) but I really think I'm kicking ass on those ones too. Financially, the hubby and I are shooting to be completely debt free by next Spring/Summer. I completely paid off one of my credit cards yesterday and it feels fabulous to have that weight off my shoulders! My next goal is to have another $1300 bill gone by the end of August (see prior blog about money stuff if you want more in-depth information on my debt plans).

Overall - I think that 2011 is shaping up to be a great year so far! I'm developing so much as a person and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring!!! Its going to be amazing, that's for sure!!

Today is a running day so I will post that workout later. The hubby is coming home for lunch and I need to figure out what I'm going to make. I'm thinking Asian noodles with Shrimp or Grilled Cheese....hmmm...how much do I feel like cooking...haha...I'll take pics if I make the Asian Noodles for sure :-D

Hope you all enjoyed this update as much as I did! I think sometimes its easy to get caught up in all the craziness of life and you lose perspective of what you actually are accomplishing. I think this blog was really helpful in showing me exactly what I've done this year so far and truly how much I'm developing as a human being! I can't wait to see what the next few months bring and now I'm super stoked to see how I do on all these resolutions in the next 6 months!!! Woot!!