Looking Like I'm 20 again..

I got a nice FB complement yesterday after my photo post. I'm looking like I'm 20 again. I owe it all to running and weight lifting! I'm feeling good, good enough to feel like I'm 20 all over again.

When I first lost all my weight, I got a lot of complements. I still do get some, mostly from people I haven't seen in a while, but they are far and few in between. Funny how some people (name-less) never said any thing to me about my weight loss. Maybe those are the people who expect me to put it all back on? Instead, I'll just concentrate on all the nice things people have said to me and not worry about those that have not said a word. It really does help and I appreciate every kind word and complements. It remind me of how far I've come and why I want to continue to exercise. So thank you to all that have kind words to say and help to support me in my fitness goals.

Even when the complements stop and they will.. I need to look to myself to keep up my goals. To keep running by buns off  because it's going to be a lifetime battle to keep going, to never give up on myself again.

Even this morning, after hearing all the nice complements this past weekend. I was tempted to stay in bed and forget about working out. I look good so why shouldn't I cut back. Well, that's exactly what happens.. just when your looking good, feeling good, you want to quit.. then go back many steps... to not be in the same place. This is when I do need to keep going. Keep going to keep looking and feeling like I could be in my 20's again. I'm not kidding myself.. I'm not 20 and not even close to it... I do how ever feel better then I ever did in my 30's. So, I'll thank everyone for the nice complements and make a mental note.. even if I'm not 20.. I sure do feel good! Isn't that all that really matters?

Running when your sick?

Is it a good idea to run when your not feeling well?

Friday and Saturday I was feeling sick. I had some weird throat thing that made me cough along with an achy body and I'm sure a fever too.

I managed to get through my Friday and Saturday morning workouts but didn't do any extra running in the afternoon.

I decided to look up when not to run. Sick with any symptoms below the neck. Well, my illness certainly fell below the neck. If it was a cold, no problem, but this was some weird 48 hour virus that attacked and zapped all my energy.

I was lifeless all day Saturday when shopping and Saturday night all I could do was lay on the couch. I finally went to bed at 8pm and slept until almost 7am. That's unheard of for me. The only time I woke up was at 11:30pm when Steve & the kids got home from the neighbors mini party.

I woke up this morning feeling some what still tired, but felt good enough to go for a run. I didn't have that throat, rough feeling and I wasn't coughing any  more. I set off to run my 4 miles and half way through I thought I could do it 2x's. I got home and decided, it probably wasn't a good idea to over-do it. I am still not 100% but I feel at least 85% better then I did yesterday.

I did go to the gym and lift weights for 30 minutes and no extra running on the cross ramp! I was heading out that way to go pick up some bananas anyway. I figured I felt okay to lift a little but I'd take it easy. After all, I didn't do any weights Saturday and did just a few minutes on Friday.

Well, off to take a mini nap.. Still feel tired.
My weekly totals for running were not what they were the last 2 weeks. I'll post later after a nap.

My weekly total was 54 miles. Not even close to my max of 75miles for the week. No one ever said I had to run that much. I need a few days off from being sick so hoping this next week will get me running again...

The morning after...

The morning after a party is tough. I was up late and up early. I had to re-adjust my weekend workout plan and go to the back up.. back to the gym. I ran on the treadmill today for an hour at 6.0 but will all hills.

I was happy to see a gym friend so we chatted while she walked and I ran for 30 minutes. It helped make the time go by more quickly. Running on the treadmill is just not the same at running outside. It's soooo slow! I just didn't want to brave the elements today. It was cold, wet, sleeting and just not nice out!

I didn't even lift weights today. Too tired.. worn out from all the pre-party and party prep yesterday. Maybe tomorrow after some rest, I can go run outside and enjoy my workout...

So much for working out!

No one showed up at 5am to let us into the gym. We sat in the car for 30 minutes until the owner finally came and opened up the doors.

Steve and I decided since we lost 30 minutes of workout time we would try something new. We both headed to the treadmill. Steve just went at a constant pace 5.5 mph with a 0.2 incline. I decided to try an interval workout. I would run at 6.5 for a minute and then 8.0 for a minute alternating between the two for 30 minutes. I did run at 9.5 just to see how it would feel for 1 minute. I was flying and I kind of landed weird on my ankle. Probably not a good idea since I could easily hurt myself and that would be it for running.

I did find out that running at 6.5 on a flat surface seemed slow. I could do 7.0 and not run out of steam for an hour. I'm not sure I would mix going faster with hills but it does not compare to running outside with wind and hills so I probably should step it up if I run on the treadmill.

I don't know if time went any faster on my workout but it did help to mix things up. The 30 minutes went by fast. I didn't feel tired. In fact, I felt like I didn't even run when I got out of the gym. I can't say I liked going 8.0 since it felt fast but not crazy fast. I just would rather keep a stead pace to build my endurance.

I was able to run 3 miles in about 22 minutes. So, that's a little over a 7:20 mile. Not a bad time! I'll have to try it again and just keep up a stead pace to see how I do. It's hard to pay attention to everything the first time you do something new.

I'm glad I tried interval running. I so needed the change from the cross ramp. I was just tired of my normal routine. Now I feel energized and ready to try more tomorrow..

Tomorrow is Saturday.. my running day outside. Hope I have good weather.. if not... I'll be on the treadmill for 2 hours.. I'm sure time won't fly by if that's the case!!

Do I need a day off?

I could use a day off....but do I need a day off? That is the question of the day.

Steve was tired this morning and wanted to sleep in. I left to the gym without him. It's not easy going to workout by yourself when it's still very dark out, everyone is sleeping and you don't really feel like doing anything.

I know it's not possible to sleep in for me, so no use trying. I know I'd feel guilty and be kicking myself for skipping a workout. So, I go... decide to do whatever.. just to be there at the gym is enough. I'm still burning calories, still toning my body and doing what I need to do to get me going every day.

I so could use a day where I don't workout.. maybe that would re-charge me and I'd be all Gung-Ho again?

Or maybe I need to mix my workout up a little more. I do the same thing day in and day out, listen to the same music, watch the same new TV every day. Same old, same old...

I hope this weekend by not going to the gym and doing all my running outdoors will be the re-charge I need. A 2 day break from the gym.. more fresh air.. a goal reached for running 2 hours.. Maybe this will be the trick?

One more day to go.. Friday.. one more workout at the gym..

Forgot, I'm signed up tonight for a free class at the gym using some arm straps that give you an all over body workout. I forget what it's called.. TRX? I'll let you know how it goes...

Get In Gear

I need to get in Gear!l... and it's not the Mpls race this coming weekend that I'm referring. The last 2 days I've been cutting back on my outdoor run. Just going 4 miles and calling it good. Is that so bad? Not so sure????

I'm not making any progress if I don't try and push myself. I was kind of feeling like I needed a fitness break, so I cut back on my outdoor run. Not sure this is what I should be doing?

Today, I decided to do my normal cross ramp but had in my mind that I should do some other machine, treadmill..nope... elliptical... maybe.. ,but I didn't.. back to the familiar same old,  same old... Which is okay...

I did mix up my morning weight lifting. I did everything in reverse and I added in some new machines. I should do this every time to mix things up, so my body doesn't get too use to what I do every day.

What else would I like to do to Get in Gear? Biking... I'm going to bike my 4 mile route with GPS in hand just to make sure my 4 miles is 4 miles! I really want to mountain bike and I should stop waiting for Steve to come with me. I did it last year by myself and should get out there again. I just would enjoy it more with company. Plus, if I were to take a bad fall... I'd have someone there to help me out and vice versa. Not that I'm planning on falling but accidents do happen out there. I'll bring my phone instead and there is always 911... right?

As I was running this morning.. I decided that this was the weekend I would try to run 2 hours all together.. outside. Yes, that's right... no gym on Saturday/ Sunday.. just me and the road. I will stop and stretch my toes if I feel the need but my plan is to just run.. . slow  9 to 10 minute miles. I'll do my 4 mile route 2x's followed by 2x's running the neighborhood. This give me plenty of opportunity to quit if I have any leg/foot issues. I don't want to risk getting injured and not be able to run. So, I'd rather make sure I pass by home a few times to allow myself an out if needed. It will be mind over matter just to get through the whole 2 hours.. Can I do it? If I can't... I'll keep trying...

So, it's time for me to Get in Gear in more ways then one!

Running & Workout Goals

I have a few running & workout goals that I work towards each day. Here's my list:

• Just do some form of exercise every day
• Run for an hour on the cross ramp
• Run outside if the weather is nice, at least 4 miles to 6 or more...
• lift weights at least 5 days a week  (15 to 30 minutes)
• Cross train... do some other type of exercise/activity at least a few times a month, bike, ski etc..
• Work towards a goal... I have a plan every day when I start on what I'd like to accomplish..
• Decide if I'm taking it easy or going hard on any given day, all depends on my energy levels.
• Don't give myself permission to not work out

My big goal is to run a half marathon.. 13.1 miles without stopping... It's going to take me a little over 2 hours at a leisure pace. No deadline.. just want to do it on my own. I have no plans to actually sign up for a race, just to run it on my own is good enough!

Yesterday, my afternoon goal was to just get out and run. Don't worry about the time or my heart rate. I had low energy levels and was unmotivated. It's mind over matter. I just said, I will run or walk but I will go out because it's too nice outside to not go. There were a few times on my run that I would have like to just walk but I kept running. I just did 4 miles and not my usual 6 but for a day where I don't feel like running that's good enough.

I'm hoping today I will have more energy to run longer outside. My plan is to just enjoy my outside run. No need to go fast.. just enjoy the nice day..

I'm already thinking to the weekend ahead. I want to skip the gym (mix up my routine) and just run, run as long as I want. I'm hoping to run at least 8 miles. I'll do my 4 mile route 2x's and if I need to stop to stretch my feet for a few minutes, I'll do just that! Plus, I'd also like to do some mountain biking so I'll save my energy and try something different for the day.

Liked these quotes...

Even if your running slow.. your still lapping everyone on the couch..

The words.. your CRAZY or OBSESSED are just a lazy persons way of telling you, your dedicated.

Monday.... Monday...

Oh that favorite day of the week.. Monday... Ha!

I only have about 6 more weeks of getting up at 4:30am to go workout. After the kids get out of school for the summer, we will be going to the gym much later! No need to get up before the sun rises and go to bed at 9pm. I'm looking forward to sleeping later. I'm sure this will take time to get use to the new schedule, but it's a much needed change.

On the news this morning the question was asked on what keeps you consistently exercising every day?

For me the answer is simple... fear of getting fat again! That's right! It's simple, exercise will keep the weight off and allow me to eat. It's when I don't exercise I go into panic mode for fear the weight will start to creep back up. That's one of the reasons I weight myself every day. I don't want to one day step on the scale and discover I've gained 50 pounds. It was too hard to lose it the first time. I don't want to go though that again. It's easier to just be consistent, schedule exercise into my day and stick with it. It's too hard to quit, too hard to not exercise too hard to work my way back up to the fitness level I'm at currently and too hard to not eat some days what I want.. healthy or not!

So happy Monday... a start of a new week.. closer to a change in my workout schedule to mix things up!!

And speaking of mixing things up... Checked out the Farmington race route yesterday. Not what I expected. It seems a lot longer then 4 miles when we drove it. I don't really feel comfortable running it by myself as its through neighborhoods I don't know, the fair grounds and along a busy road. I'll stick to training close to home on familiar, more scenic routes and probably skip the race since I'm less then thrilled with the looks of it.

Also on my weekly running totals... 74.5 miles! I skipped out on my last 2 miles yesterday morning, just because I thought I'd be running an extra 4 in Farmington which didn't happen! I just never got motivated later on in the day to do the extra running... Oh well, I'm not complaining about my weekly mile total!

Feeling Good About My Numbers

Feeling good... my running numbers are in for the week... 78.5 miles! Wow...  I'll actually get the last 4 miles in later on today. Going to Farmington to walk/run the 4 mile route of the race coming up this summer. I want to get to know the route, so I know how to pace myself on the race day. I'll have a few weeks to practice the run and time myself before the big day.. . on Saturday, June 16th.

Unfortunatly with all this running my weight number didn't go down 5 pounds. I was down a few pounds for the week but it goes up and down up and down.. Good to know I can still maintain in the same range but with all this extra running I was hoping it would help me to lose some weight with the extra calories I burn.

That's the problem with exercising and trying to lose weight is that Exercising makes you hungry. I can't seem to lose with exercising but maybe I'm at the weight I should be 133-135... if that's the best I can do.. I'll have to live with that. It's just that my goal of 129 is sooo close and within reach but then again I keep trying half hearted and that's the problem.. I just don't have it in me to take in less calories.. I want to eat and run and be happy and live my life.. So, I'll keep changing my number.. feeling good about where I am right now.. but it's always on my mind that number I can't seem to hit!

Energy Zero!

I'm tired, zero energy right now. It's my day to run 1 hour outside then run in the gym for an hour on the cross ramp with about a 30 minute break in between.

I did get Steve to run the last 20 minute or 2 miles with me today. It was nice going slow and easy on the last part of my run with my heart rate dipping to 115, not too much effort.

I can tell you the last 20 minutes of my indoor cross ramp run was slow going. I couldn't wait to be done working out. I was hungry, tired and spent!

I'm now on the couch... energy levels.. zero.. and now my kids want me to run with them around the block... later.. later.. when I pep back up.. so for now.. I'll sit on the computer, read a little of my book... and maybe take a little recovery nap!

Until tomorrow morning... when I do it all over again.. I'm hoping to go to Farmington today to run the race course. It's 4 miles of a very flat run. Looking forward to a new place to run this summer!

Running Pals....

I could use a few running pals... I do like running alone as I don't have to keep pace with anyone but myself. Plus, I can concentrate on my run and not on anything else. Sometimes it would be nice for the company to mix things up. Maybe it would push me to run faster or maybe the time would go by quicker. I guess for now, all I can do is keep asking.. maybe Steve will run.. maybe someone else I know will want to run too?

One of the things about running with someone else is.. if they are not at your same level, either faster or slower someone has to give. It's not easy on either end.. that's why it's better to find a running partner that is about equal.. Well, guess I'll keep waiting for Steve to take the next step.. running outdoors... I'll have to be patient because I think he would be the best match.. He will be about the same level soon and eventually push me to keep up. He just has to want to do it too! He will someday... ;o)

Update on my new Atkins version diet.....

Made it through day 1...
Eggs b-fast
taste of bacon
and a handful of frosted flakes (not on the diet but needed to get rid of the egg taste)
Banana 1

Lunch - Sweet potato
           Arby's Jr Roast beef sandwich (with bun)

Dinner - Chicken, salad and some rice (not on diet the rice)
Snack - 2 bananas, more frosted flakes and 3 chocolates

Okay, didn't do so great following a diet yesterday and I didn't run  6 miles in the afternoon only 6.5 in the morning.

I'm not doing the diet again today. I don't like eggs that much and what else would I eat for b-fast. Plus, I didn't really stick to the Atkins.. I'll just go back to what works for me... Rice/ Salsa/ salad, fruit and veggies. Can't forget some chocolate and almonds.. and I wonder why I can't lose the last 5 pounds. Ha!

Something New...

I'm trying something new today. A new type of diet.

I hopped on the scale today, as I do every day and was down 2 pounds in 2 days. I did 12.5 miles of running each day, 20 minutes of weights and cleaned for a few hours to burn more calories. Plus, cut way back on the Easter Chocolates and watched what I ate, meaning more veggies.

Back to the new type of diet. I'm going to try my version of Atkins. I already had 3 scrambled eggs for b-fast and a handful of frosted flakes(okay not on the diet) and a small taste of bacon. For lunch I'll have a microwaved sweet potato plain, then for dinner I'm making baked chicken breast and a salad. Snacks.. air popped popcorn.

I also tried a new drug today. Instead of taking 1 or 2 Excedrin with 65mg or 2 for 130mg of caffeine,  I am trying out 1 jetset pill with only caffeine at 200mg to help wake me up at 4:30am and give me the energy boost I need to run for an hour then lift weights for 20-30 minutes. All the articles I read, most athletes use some form of caffeine. I don't drink coffee so this is the only way I can get some. I do exercise in the afternoons and weekends with out anything. I just like the extra help early in the mornings. I'll also take a little caffeine before a race.

With all the new changes I'm making today, I hope to see some results.... More running miles, more caffeine and a new diet to kick off my weight loss. Results?

I can go for miles and miles

Yesterday I did another 12.5 miles total running plus and extra 0.3 miles with Logan. I have plan to up my hour run by 15 minutes at least 2x's this week to slowly increase my running time to 2 hours. It will be a slow process to combine all 12.5 miles into one long run.

Running with Logan yesterday I noticed his breath. It was heavy and hard. We weren't even half way around the block and he was out of breath and working hard just to run at a jog. I realized I should be running every day with my kids. At least one time around our block. 3x's around the block is a mile. So, we will work on it a little every day for their health too.

It's nice to know I can go miles and miles and feel good....

Over and Over and Over and Over....

Do I ever get sick of doing my workout in the morning over and over and over and over again? Yes, sometimes. The last 2 days have been particularly hard to be motivated. I just don't let anything , anyone or myself talk me out of not going. I have to get up, get out of bed and get moving!

I just start off running at a slower pace and maybe back off on the resistance from 8 or 9 to a lesser 7. I don't need to work myself so hard every day. I don't need to push myself just because I think I have to. I need easy days and the last 2 days I've needed that. If I need a whole week or month of easy runs I'll do it. I just am happy I made it through a workout regardless of how hard I push or don't push myself.

I am looking forward to getting outside to run again today. Maybe that's what is making my indoor morning runs so difficult. It's that I love to run outside. I love the fresh air, I love just being outside with the birds, seeing the green grass. The time I run just flys by. Unlike indoor running, staring at the TV, same old same old.. So, I'll save my motivation and my harder running for what I like best right now.. that's my afternoon running outside...

Plus, I'm also going over and over again on weight loss... it something I think about on a daily basis.. I have to .. I have to keep up my weight loss. Trying for more.. baby steps.. 0.8 pound loss which is pretty much a sip of water but down in the right direction for today.. It could be up tomorrow but I'll keep doing it over and over again.. losing and gaining the same weight just to maintain that 50 pound loss...


Update... okay so my afternoon run wasn't so easy.. I had a hard time getting going. I procrastinated for over an hour. Ended up eating too big of a lunch. Even the nice weather didn't get me all excited to go out. I even cheated and took 1Excedrin to get some much needed caffeine in me. I don't' think it ever kicked in. I did go out to run and felt fine but quit after 54 minutes. Good enough... I need a rest! I can't rest, I promised Logan we'd run the block 1x then go get running shoes for him.. off I go...

Huff... puff....

I had one of those less then energetic mornings. It took me 2 extra minutes to do my normal 6.5 mile run. I'm guessing since I had my best ever week totals for running 75.5 miles I need a little scale back on running for a bit of a break. I didn't want to take the day off, since the recommended amount of exercise is 30 to 60 minutes of cardio per day. I just don't need to run as much or as hard every day of the week.

My weekly running totals are all dependent on the weather. I won't run outside in snow, rain or if it's just too windy or cold. I'll be skipping an outside run today but might go to the gym and run on the treadmill. I'm waiting to see how my energy levels feel later on today. I'm okay with not running anymore then my 6.5 today as that's plenty.

Trying to lose 5 pounds this week. I ate way too much Easter candy, chocolates last week. I ran so much I could have easily lost the weight but decided to enjoy a bit too much junk. I didn't put on any weight but didn't bother to lose it either. Time to clean up my eating and get the candy out of my diet once again.

I'm hoping tomorrow I'll be fresh and ready to go.. energy levels back up and a spring in my step!

Happy Anniversary

It's my One Year Anniversary today.... One year ago I signed up to workout 7 days a week at Fitness 19. I went from 3 days a week to all 7 days, 365 days of the year.

I went from running 20 minutes a year ago to now 2 hours... I logged my most running miles ever this week at 75.5 miles. I never would have thought a year ago I'd be a runner. I never thought a year ago I'd be still motivated to get up every day and work out. I never thought a year ago I'd even be running 75.5miles in one week.

I took baby steps to make this one year anniversary a reality. I did it for me. I did it to improve my life. To feel better and look better then I ever have before. I'm looking forward to my 2nd anniversary.. This is my life... this is my new life..and I love it!

Happy 1st Anniversary to ME!!!

I'm coming up on my 2nd year of 50 pound weight loss in October... A huge accomplishment!!!

Weekends....

Weekends are made for exercise. I love the extra time I have to workout. The gym doesn't open until 8am, ce I'm use to getting up early anyway, butI do still sleep in a little until 6:30am, then I am up and ready to go run by 7am. Today, I was more excited to run then most days. It was only because I would be trying out my new gel shoe inserts. I have gel inserts, but they were only for my heal. The new gel inserts covered the whole foot, even my toes to cush them. It worked, my feet felt great the whole run. No toe cramps!

I decided to do an hour slow 6.0 mile run again today. I'm thankful Steve likes to come with me on my run. He doesn't always want to run, so he takes the bike. It was a perfect morning, no wind, plenty of sun shine and around 50*F, cool enough so I didn't get overly hot and sweaty.

After my hour run, I changed my sweaty clothes and was off to the gym to do the cross ramp for another hour, 6.5 miles. I felt good doing another hour right after my run. I just took it easy too but still finished my same workout in 62 minutes. Why oh why would I do 2 hours of running? Well, training for a half marathon. I needed a break inbetween

No time for weights today, we had the school health fair. The whole family biked 15 minutes to school, checked out the health fair and biked home.

I got in plenty of exercise and enjoyed the nice weekend weather... now to set up the new patio furniture and soak up some sun...

Bother-some and Good-some...

I have found that some things about running are some what bothersome. What might that be?

Here's my Top 10 list of bother-some things about running...

10. Forgetting to take out my dangling earnings before a run. They hit my head over and over again.
9. My ear buds.. static or just not working
8. My foot hurting, self explained!
7. A tiny rock in my shoe... that is constantly on the move. Princess and the pea syndrome.
6. Cars going too fast by me
5. Trucks honking, scaring the daylight out of me.
4. Messing up my timer on my watch
3. Gravel on the road.. harder to keep your footing
2. Wind.. wind and more wind..
1. My arm band for my Ipod rubbing against my skin.. starts to feel a little rubbed raw..

Some things about running that are Good!
Top 10 Good-some things about running:

10. I feel great during and after a run..
9. It warms me up and gets my heart pumping
8. A time to think.....
7. Nature.. you can take it all in...
6. Alone time ..
5. Calories burning...
4. Toning my butt... legs...body
3. Working towards my running, race and  marathon goals..
2. A sense of accomplishment
1. My fat is crying.. all the sweat!

My running goals for today are as follows...
5am - run for an hour or 6.5 miles on the cross ramp, with 45 minutes going backwards
afternoon- run for an hour outside, easy slow run 6.0 miles

I'm looking for a higher mileage total this week.. I just hope the rain coming the next few days doesn't stop that plan????

Running Lingo

I've been reading a lot of running magazines and books about running. I can tell you that no matter how many times I come across a new running term it just doesn't register in my head. It's like learning a new language, I see the word, read it and then forget what it means. I'm sure one of these days after seeing all the new terms it will eventually stick. I'm not trying to memorize the stuff, just somewhat understand what they are talking about.

I see this PR all the time. I know it's stands for your best running time or something like that, but it should be BRT not PR.. lots of times the articles assume you know what PR is.. I just say it's Personal Running Time but what happened to the " T" after the PR?

Whenever you take up something new, there is always a lot to learn about the new "lingo". I feel somewhat out of the loop not really understanding everything about the running world. There are Farkles.. I think that has something to do with short running bursts, but have no idea of why they are called Farkles? Must stand for something that I just don't get.

There is a lot of talk about splits and not the kind where you are literally doing the splits with your legs, it's time splits after a mile, to figure out your mile time. Do I do these? No, and only because I have no idea of where in my run is exactly a mile. I don't have a GPS on my watch and I have no other way to figure that out so it's not helpful.

There is lots of talk about improving and training. I still can't figure out how many miles I really need to run every day or every week. I guess it's all up to the runner. I really don't know how to improve my run except to run more. Runners I read about do short bursts of fast running and pace running. Well, I have yet to figure out my pace. I go by heart rate which isn't really talked about that much. It's just mentioned if your a beginner to be able to talk while running then you know your going at a good pace. Well, what about race time. Doesn't any of that matter? How do I figure out how fast I can run for a half marathon?

Eventually, all this new lingo will become second nature and I'll understand it more then I ever imagined. For now I'll enjoy being a newbie and slowly take up new terms in the running world and enjoy reading all about my new found passion.. even if I just don't get all of it right now....





** Running update for today.... I ran for a hour..60 minutes outside today for aprox 6 miles I'm guessing. I just went slow and kept my heart rate around 130 to a max of 140 with it mostly being in the 133/134 range. I felt great like I could keep running but unfortunately my feet didn't feel that same way. I had bad foot/toe cramps so I did have to stop for a tiny second to crunch up my toes and wiggle them just to keep going. I'm going to look into buying more cushion for my shoes. I think a whole foot gel would help this issue. I have one for my heal but now it's time to extend the cush!

Have a Plan!

Do you have a plan? A plan to workout everyday?

My plan is simple, get up at the same time every day, put on workout clothes, stretch for 15 minutes and head out the door to run and lift weights for 1-1/2 hours. My optional plan is to run outside for 4 miles or longer which ever I choose. I also leave the option open to other types of fun exercise such as biking, walking, hiking or skiing etc...

If you don't have a plan of action how are you going to make changes in your life? How do you plan to get fit? How do you plan to keep off the weight and not add pounds?

Life is always stressful and busy. That's not an excuse to not make a plan for yourself. That plan is not going to work if you talk yourself into saying..I am too stressed, too tired and too busy to workout.

People are creatures of habit. Good habits and bad. Make exercise and eating healthy a habit, make that your plan. A plan you need to do every day. Everyday for you... to make you less stressed, less tired and healthier with a good plan of action.

It's not always going to be easy sticking to a plan. It's a big mind game between wanting to do something and then actually carrying it out. Just don't give yourself an option to not do it.

Some days it's going to be easy working out, other days it's force. You will never regret a workout, you will regret not working out!

Write it down, make a plan right now...


Here's my plan:
Workout 5am, run for 6.5 miles, lift weights 20 minutes
Afternoon, run 4 miles outside - easy run
Evening, while watching Survivor walk or run 1 hour
Eat Healthy

AM- 1 med Banana and 2 small slices banana bread
Noon  - Rice with 1 tbsp smart butter and pepper or fresh salsa
Eve - ? (what ever Steve makes in small amounts)
Snack - popcorn, Must limit chocolate today!!
few almonds

To keep busy today, I have plans to work, go to the library and go back to the gym this evening.

'** Rosemount 4 mile run.. best run time yet for 4 miles!!! 31:29... 7 min and 52 seconds per minute.  I would still like to get down to 30 minutes!! Sooo close!!! Yippeeee... I'm sure racing with the added adrenaline I'd be able to make my 30 minutes but it's nice to know on a somewhat easy training day I can get really close to a goal time!!

A little of Everything

Here's a little of everything for today.

Salt was not my friend this past weekend. I managed to put on 3 pounds of water weight and thankfully, today I was down 2 of those 3 pounds. I had more salty ham last night and I'm hoping that's the 3rd and last pound of water weight?

Running was hard yesterday. The run it's self didn't feel hard, it was just getting out to run that felt hard. I wanted to run, it looked nice enough to run but I was mentally not ready to run. It took me a good 4 hours to talk myself into going out and just doing it. I have figured out that if your not dressed for exercise, it's harder to get motivated. I changed into my running clothes, eased into the idea of going out by doing a 20 minute session of stretches. I tried out some new stretching with a book I picked up at the local library. I walked outside to get the mail to check out the temperature and decide how I should dress for my run.

It was a windy day yesterday and a bit chilly. Since I was having a hard time motivating myself to just go, go.... I decided to take it slow. Run it as slow as I wanted and I was not going to push myself at all. I just wanted to do it. I also had a mind set that I would just try 10 minutes of running and see how I felt. I've read that telling yourself just try something for a few minutes more then likely you'll do more. It does work, I got out and within 5 minutes I was feeling good and running felt easy for the most part but I still didn't push myself. It's okay to have easy run days. I needed that.

Today, I have a plan of going for a run an easy run again but longer. Instead of just running 4 miles and stopping, I'll keep going.. running for an hour not paying attention to the miles I run. It's all about just running for a whole hour at a slow easy pace. I usually run for 37 minutes so I'll have at least 20 extra minutes to run. Not a huge amount to add on to running. It's best to increase slowly... I'm not going for burn out!

I'm hoping it's less windy today.. liking the cooler weather to run.. I don't get so sweaty.

So there it is.. a little of everything for today...

I decided to try the 4 mile Rosemount race route. I drove the route to figure out where I'd be running. I still got a little confused on my run when the neighborhood path split. I lost some time there, but luckily I chose the right path. I finished without a lot of effort after 33 minutes and 55 seconds.a mile time of 8.38 per mile. My last year race time with slip on shoes was 35.22 or an 8.51 minute mile. My run today was in cold weather around 50*F and very windy. When I ran the race last year it was over cast, humid and in July. The route has rolling hills.. not exactly flat and not extremely hilly.

I did a little looking into last years time and ages for a goal to be able to place this year. Here's what I found out.... I'm hoping this will help prepare me for race day. Aiming for a 30 minute 4 miles, which is a 7 min 50 second mile. I can do it..

Weekend Gains...

Week #16... Start of a fresh new workout week...

Let's take a look back at last week, week #15 totals.. 63.5 miles I ran for the 7 days! Not bad, not bad!! I skipped running my 4 miles outside on both Thursday and Sunday. It's good to take a mini break! So it was a gain week for # of miles ran.

It was also a gain day on the scale after eating candy, salty ham, etc... I'm hoping it's just water weight? Not to worry, I'm still in the same weight range. A normal trend it seems for me.

It's also a gain on my speed. I upped my treadmill speed from 6.0mph to 6.5mph. It may not seem like a whole lot but it felt faster, a bit harder and I threw in random hills. I'll keep this speed for a week and next Sunday try for 7.0mph. That could be too fast to run for an hour so might just do half hour of 6.5 and the last half 7.0 and sprint the last minute at 8.0. That's my gain plan!

I'm also going to continue to run outdoors every day. Sometime today, I'll fit it into my schedule. Maybe after a nap since I didn't sleep so well last night. I should time my mile run time too. Must have goals, right!

Post times later.. keeping it honest!

Okay... napped for 30 minutes, plus I ran even though I had a hard time getting motivated. That wind is rough today! I took it easy and finished in little under 39 minutes for a very easy 4 miles today.  Now off to nap again... ugh!!!

Easter...cise...

Easter and exercise and eating right.

Hummm... now here comes the challenge. Pressure from family to be at home for all of Easter, make food and still fit in me time.

Well, I got up early, went to the gym and ran for an hour. I needed that time for me to burn the calories I'd be eating. I upped the mph from 6.0 to 6.5 and the last minute I ran at 7mph. A grand total of 60 minutes, 6.5 miles and 738 calories burned. No time for weights today. I do have time to run outside now, but I feel tired. Tired is a sign that I need to ease up. As much as I would like to get in more miles for a better grand total at the end of this week for running, I know I should just be okay with what I did accomplish.

As I was running today, I thought this is hard. I want to stop running. I want it to be easy. 30 minutes into my run, my heart was only at 137, I didn't feel tired and was glad I kept running. The 59th minute I felt good, enough to go on.. but I was glad the hour was up. Even running that last minute at a faster pace 7.0mph, I could have ran for longer at that same pace. So, it ended up being a little over a nine minute mile I ran today. A nice pace to work on improving for an easy run day.

In the next week, I will go run Rosemount's race trail a 4 mile route. I also want to check out Farmington's 3 mile race route where it's all flat. I should get a really good mile time and I'm anxious to see how I compare.

Speaking of comparisons... I went on-line and looked at past race results for 40+ year old women. I wanted to see what type of mile time I needed to place. I'm hoping to do much better this year but mostly I just want to improve my personal best. Whatever my personal best is.. will be just fine by me. It is what it is...

Back to Easter, healthy eating.. not in the cards today. I've had candy, bacon, donuts, pudding, cheese and that's just breakfast. Dinner will be bread, ham, potatoes and key lime pie.

Monday will be back to healthy eating.. more running, weight lifting and working... Got to live a little!!

Summer Race Schedule...

Check back for South of the River races...

Eagan 5K Saturday, May 19th at 9:15am, 3 first in the race awarded only
Burnsville 5K, Saturday, June 22 at 8:30am
Farmington 1 mile & 5K - Saturday June 16th, 8am, 8:30am
Apple Valley - 2 mile & 5 mile, Wednesday, July 4th @ 8am
Lakeville - 4 mile, Saturday July 7th 4 @7:45am & 1 mile at 8:45
Rosemount - 1 mile & 4 mile, Saturday July 21 @ 8am, 8:25am
Savage - 4 mile Saturday, Oct 27th at 2pm

I will be doing the Farmington Race (it's flat, hoping to get a good mile time) plus it's only 3 miles
Rosemounts 1 & 4 mile race, 2nd year doing this race
I might consider A.V. if we don't go anywhere for the 4th.




 I looked up the past race results in my age group. Here's what I need to run to place. Plenty of time to train.

The mile time to run is 7 minutes and 25 seconds or close to that!

My 4 mile should be around 29 -30 minutes. 

Therapy

There is no better therapy session then running..... zoning out to music, watching the pavement, listening to the birds, seeing the houses, trees and grass pass by as I run on and on...

I have a lot of thinking time on my hour long runs. I'm able to work through anything that is bothering me. Some how it never make me sad. Running keeps things positive in my mind, even if the situation isn't so wonderful.

I don't always come up with a solution to what's troubling me.. most of the time I just use my running time to  reflect on the situation. I come away much calmer. I see things more positively. I don't get down on myself or feel angry, sad or hurt.

I never knew exercise could be so therapeutic. I look forward to it. I  know if something needs to be though through it's time to go for a run... Time to treat myself to a therapy session... best of all.. My therapy session are  free and running frees my mind to being the happy person I should be!

Looking good enough? Crazy...

I'm at the point where I should be looking good enough, right? Some people, (friends & family) think since I've lost 50+ pounds and have been working out, that its okay to slack, miss workouts and start to cut back on all. I just think they are CRAZY and they think I am CRAZY...

Is there a middle ground? Should I care if some people think I am working out too much to maintain and tone. Working out too much to have a goal of running a half marathon and compete in some local 5K races this summer. What's so bad about training?  Oh yeah.. I hear it over and over about those that never train for a race and just go at it. Well, to me that's like taking a test and not studying. How do you think your going to do? Sure you'll get a grade and finish it, but is an F or D your going for? That's not my plan. I want to feel prepared, prepared enough to get an A.. or I'd even settle for a B.. That's not going to happen if I decide to slack off.

How will I know when I'm good enough, tone enough, healthy enough? I guess when my goals run out or I die. I decided once I started losing the weight, that this was not a diet I was on. It was a life plan, full of healthy eating and exercise. I don't want to go back to the couch, back to the computer and sit on my big old butt for hours, eating cake, ice cream or what ever else I can stuff into my mouth and have 50 pounds of fat on my body ever again.

So am I good enough right now? Sure, but I still want to improve myself. I will always want a challenge...

Next time you call me crazy for not wanting to miss a workout..for running every day.. you have to stop to think of how far I've come.. where I want to go... So please don't try to stop me.. I have a plan, a healthy life style plan. I won't give that up.. Even if I'm told I'm looking good enough or you think I'm crazy for all this exercise..

Steady and Slow

I just read that it's not how fast you take off the weight, it's how long you keep it off. Steady and slow is my weight loss right now.. I'm going for the long haul of keeping it off for good.

It's not always an easy task staying focused on maintaining or losing. I have lots of oops moments where I should have made better choices or I think I've exercised enough where I can eat what I want. I always get back on track and think of something to keep me focused. I know steady and slow will keep me going.

Right now I have summer and my daughter's wedding in August for my motivation. I want to look and feel great. I'm willing to work hard along the way to make that a possibility.

Yesterday, I got a nice complement. A woman I had just met, thought my oldest daughter and I were sisters. How nice to hear I look younger.. My face might not be fat and round any more, but taking off weight does make you look younger, heavier = older. I don't want to be a frumpy 40 something. I love the fact I can wear skinny jeans and look good. Or at least think I do...lol...

So don't think all the weight has to come off over night. The weight was put on over years. I have to remember that when I think about why I can't lose the last few pounds to reach my 129 goal. Maybe I won't ever reach that? Is weighting 133-135 so bad? No, but I really would like to reach my goal even if it does seem unrealistic to maintain. After all, I've been suck around this same weight for almost a year now. I go down then right back up again. Guess I like to eat but I love my exercise too. Somethings got to give.. I'm hoping it's a downward trend.. but I will get there.. I'm determined some days others not so much. So steady and slow will get me there... I have to believe that

Maniac..

www.ruggedmaniac.com Check out this fun run.... I signed up to volunteer. I will get the option to run the race after I help or save it for a later date. I think this is a good way to check it out before I commit to racing in this crazy event at Taylors Falls.

It's only a 5K which is little over 3 miles. The fun part is that it's through mud, over and under obstacles and also up and down a mountain. It's a timed event but I don't think I'll be making any great times. It's just for the fun and say I did it. At any rate.. I get to do it for free after helping out.

Oh.. and there is a training program.. I have until September 15th. Plenty of time to get fit.. and follow the suggestions on the race day.

Come and join me... no presure to do the race. Volunteer and enjoy the fresh air, fun, music and drinks....

Looking forward to this one!!

Where am I?

Where am I? Where am I at on my progress?

Here's the low down on all.. this week hasn't been my weight loss week. I haven't even tried to lose any weight. I just want to eat. Still manage to eat healthy for the most part, but I do like my chocolate.. I think it's good to take a break from trying to lose all the time. Next week, I should feel refreshed and ready to tackle more weight loss. This week, I'm focusing on just maintaining what I already lost and keeping up my exercises.

I'm trying to increase my running miles outside this week. I was doing sooo good until yesterday. I made the mistake of asking Steve to go with. I thought he would run too. I figured running on the dirt path around the lake would make him want to try it. It's only a mile around 1x and he could do as many laps as wanted. Well, I ran alone. I met up with him after running 1-1/2 miles then decided to just walk with him. I figured I'd be super thirsty and locked out of the car without any way to get at my water bottle for who knows how long. He could be out there walking and taking his sweet time thinking I'm still running. Ugh!! Plan back fired! I did get in 3 miles with walking the rest of the way.

Today, I will run outside on my 4 mile route. I'd like to add in one more mile. Not sure where I'll run and how I'll calculate that, unless I go out before and take the GPS on my bike or in the car? Guess I need to figure out a plan of action, so I'll stick with it today.

I also need to work more on toning my arms. I do about 20 minutes of weights per day. Not much time is spent on my arms. I never seem to work my arms to the point where they are sore. Might need to do more and lift heavier weights. I just want to be able to tell I work out my arms. Not going for big muscles. lol... just really nice arms.

So where am I? Still here.. Still working on me... still motivated to do more...

Todays 4 mile run time 35:56.07.. a few seconds longer then my best time. I don't always time myself just because traffic sometimes gets in my way and makes me stop to wait. Plus, it's nice to have easy run days where I don't try and push myself. Today's run felt good. I had some hocolate chip ccookie dough .. a little sugar to get me going!

Who Me?

I'm always taken by surprise when I'm told that I'm an inspiration to someone.

This morning Steve told me I was his inspiration. At first I was like, yeah Right! are you talking to me? Are you sure you just said and meant that?

I'm not sure why I have a hard time excepting the thought being someones inspiration An Inspiration to lose weight, be in good shape and keep up the motivation day in and day out. Maybe it's too much pressure to think that if I fail, I will let others down?

It's nice to know that I am an inspiration for a lot of others. It does feel good to hear it. I've heard it from friends, neighbors, gym acquaintances, men, women and my own family. It feels good. It leaves me thinking....this is the first time in my life I've ever been told I'm an inspiration. Makes me want to do more in other areas in my life, besides improve myself/health to inspire others.

Wouldn't it be nice to inspire others to be a better person by volunteering your time, do some good in the world.. etc... But for now.. I'll appreciate all the people that have come up to me and said I"m their inspiration.

I appreciate everyone for being my inspiration along this journey. I take from others to be a better me.. and now I'd like to pass that along to someone else.... Let's all inspire each other..

Weekly Totals

My Weekly totals are in... my week ends on Sunday instead of beginning.

Running total (includes, outside run, cross ramp and hiking) = 53.2 miles
Biking total = 14 miles

Grand Total = 67.2 miles

Weight-loss total.... Zero.. maintaining.. ugh!!!!!

Total aprox. hours working out =  11 hrs, gym hours
                                                      3  hrs, hiking hours
                                                      1 hr 20 min biking
                                                      2 hrs outside running
Grand Total working out for 7 days = 17 hours

What I did different this week?

I ran both Saturday and Sunday 4 miles outside followed by a 3.5 bike ride to the gym, then worked out at the gym, cross ramp 60 minutes or 6.5 miles and weights for 20 minutes, then my bike ride home 3.5 miles.

Plus, on Wednesday, I go to the gym and walk on the treadmill for 1-1/2hours while enjoying Survivor on TV.

I didn't get the high miles this week due to vacation days, but did the best to still fit in miles hiking the park and running at the hotel.

I'm hoping with the nice weather ahead, I'll be running more outside in the afternoons and evenings. Hoping that will help with the weight-loss. If nothing else it's helping me train for a half marathon.

I didn't do anything extra for my buns. I know, I know.. I said I would start doing some squats, butt lifts etc.. I'll have to add that to my todo list or it just won't get done. Baby steps... baby steps.....