Addicted

Coming off of two excellent race weekends has me all messed up - like, it's making me think I actually enjoy running! ;-)

I registered for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in April!

Now my challenge will be not losing all of the fitness I have gained in the last several months. I have yet to sit down and make a plan, but I know I want to keep some long runs (several a month) in my schedule.  Who knows, maybe I'll do a half marathon training run and run the full 13. 

I've done this race before. It wasn't my most shining moment. But I'm coming to realize it wasn't about the course or the race - it was about my training and my mental place. It was about the way I fueled myself and the way my mind worked during races back then.  I am in a different place now (and they've apparently changed the route now, phew!) I have decided to give it another try. 

If anyone wants to join me, you are welcome! ;-) I always love to have people to run with during races!

Go! St. Louis Half Marathon, Done!

Beautiful am in the STL

Aaaannnnd, it's over.

Thankfully.  

Today was hands down the HARDEST race I've ever run. Both physically and mentally, I was exhausted. 

I feel like it was uphill almost the whole way (even if it wasn't). But when you look at the elevation map, it is pretty exhausting. They called miles 6-8 "Holy Hill" and it was a race-within-a-race, with it's own separate time. However, I still feel like mile 2.5-4 was all hill and so was 10-11 and a few little ones from 11.5-13!! 

I KNOW I start off too fast and lose steam, so I was trying to rein it in. But I always get so caught up in the excitement and the people that I just go with the flow. Even if the "flow" is 9:28 min/mile! Oops. I felt really good from miles 1-4, but started slowing, as you can see, around mile 5.  Obviously "Holy Hill" was a slow time for me, but miles 9-12 were just bbboooorrrriinnng. No spectators, no music, no FUN!

Another issue? I bob and weave. I remembered (after the race) that I did it last time. I remember being frustrated around mile 8 that my RunKeeper was telling me I was hitting mile markers about .25 miles ahead of time. And again, by about mile 8 it was FRUSTRATING how far ahead it was! I finally tore my headphones out of my ears and swore I would get out of my own head for awhile. 

Mile 5. Awesome view of downtown

Then there was just silence. The Rock'n'Roll half last October had entertainment and tons of spectators. There wasn't a mile without something to pay attention to, but this one? Silent. Lots of focused runners, which is GOOD but not motivating whatsoever!

As you can see, the splits were weird. I am used to a 5K and 10K split, but I guess since they did the "Holy Hill" race within the race, they did miles 6 and 11 instead.  My Holy Hill time (so 2 miles) was 21:58, so I was slowing down a TON on that stretch. My 11 mile time wasn't terrible, if I had any steam left at all to keep going. 

I was literally staring at the finish line - walking. I could SEE it down the road and I still couldn't bring myself to sprint, at times even to run.  

You see, I put SO MUCH pressure on myself to PR in this race. Not just PR but knock 10-15 minutes off of my time! With the amount I have been (or haven't been, as it were) running, that was ridiculous to think in the first place. But I kept thinking "I said it on my blog, I have to PR!"   Then a spectator helped me out....

I wore one of my favorite running shirts. It says "I RUN FOR  ME" As I was rounding mile 9, a spectator yelled "I LOVE YOUR SHIRT!"  And I remembered. I run for ME. I RUN for ME. I don't run to impress my kids or my husband.  I don't run for you guys (no offense).  I don't run for money or fame or notoriety. I run for ME. For my health and for my sanity. For the thrill and for the relaxation (sometimes!)

So the pressure? It was from me. The stress? From me. Who would I be letting down if I didn't PR? Myself.   Part of me, at that realization, let go. I didn't need to kill myself to finish the race. I didn't need to push to impress anyone. Looking back, I get a little sad that it was so easy to let myself down, but it is was it is now, right? 

The 2:15 pace runner was passing me at mile 11. Mile 11!! Actually closer to 11.5 because I crossed the 12 mile mark with him. He was yelling at anyone walking "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING FOR 1 MILE!" But I just couldn't even push myself that last mile.  He saw me after I finished and came over and said "What a strong finish!" but I didn't notice because I also had two medics rushing me asking if I was ok... Guess I didn't look so fresh after my 13.1 ;-) 

I walked through and got a TON of food (I always accept everything because I know I have two small scavengers that will eat anything I let them!), hobbled as far as I could before sitting on the curb and waiting for my family to find me. I snapped this picture just so I had some proof I survived. With my bling. I do love me some bling! And yes, that is a cookie ice cream sandwich. 

Best.post-race food.EVER. 

So, yes. I made it. I finished.

I did PR, only by 3 minutes. My official time was 2:21:01. My RnR time from October was 2:24:06. Since I "gave up" around mile 9, I was surprised to PR at all. Even though I did, it still feels like an epic failure. Overall just a depressing run. I almost walked off the course around mile 8, I actually had a few thoughts that this was my last half, that I am just not made for this mileage. 

But I won't give up. Mostly because I RUN FOR ME.  So why not continue and keep bettering myself? 

Besides, this was only #5 in #13in2013!!  I have a long road to go this year! :-)

Race Weekend!

It's the big Go! St. Louis Marathon weekend here and they have a great way of getting whole families involved in the fun! Yesterday I ran to the Expo after work (WORK! I work now!) and picked up our race packets. I talked to the pace team representatives and have decided (in my head, not on paper) that I will try to stay close to the 2:15 pace runner. 

Today was the Read, Write and Run program runs for the local schools, as well as the 5K and the kid's fun run. My daughter has been looking forward to this run (and her medal :-)) for so.long! She was excited to pull out her running shorts (which she ONLY wears for races, it's too cute!) 

PURE JOY when she got that medal!

Posing :-) 

We had her run the 100 yd dash (shhhh that was for ages 5-6, but she'll be 5 in a few months! Plus, she ran a MILE in October, the 50yd dash was ridiculous!)

She did awesome. She had a smile on her face the whole time and watching her ENJOY it gave me a lot of inspiration that I will take with me tomorrow during my half!

The race shirt is a nice shade of ... well, the best description is day-glo salmon. It's not quite my cup of tea, but it's still a nice race shirt. I do LOVE the design. 

I'm in corral B. To be fair, there are only 4 corrals so B probably doesn't mean much, but I am excited about it! 

I did my checklist tonight: I have my 5 hour energy (for before we leave), my Honey Stinger (for just before the start line), my BioFreeze portable tab (for my knee, if I need it), SportBeans (I mixed a package of berry and a package of fruit punch for a personalized blend ;-) and I got my bottles filled with my typical Pink Lemonade Nuun. My race plan, as always, is to get water at the stations and stick to my Nuun and no sport drinks offered. It's always safer that way for me! 

I will be KT taping my knee in the morning for sure. It's been quite tricky lately, I'm just hoping the tape will keep it sane. I will be waiting until the end of the race to start popping pain pills since I had such a bad reaction last time. 

So here goes nothing!!!

Goal: 2:15            

STRETCH goal: 2:10          

DREAM Stretch goal: 2:05

Looking back

I've been doing the virtual races to help keep my training consistent and to help me get all of my 13 races without the pressures of entrance fees, expos and travel. The most recent one, the Anywhere5K, actually submitted times and I was able to claim those times on athlinks.com. Have you ever checked yours?? I found most of the results of my timed races there!


Anyhow, I went to check out my most recent time and had a moment. You know, that moment when you realize you are doing exactly what you set out to do. In this case, I set out to be better. Not better than anyone else - but a better ME. A better version of myself. And looking at this race history showed me that I am doing just that.

I was surprised and proud at how far I've come since that first race. My THIRD half marathon is this Sunday and I am running with the knowledge that I can just keep getting better!

March Stats

Well, another month has come and gone and it's time for another check in. Here are the numbers - I'm pleased to say that my body fat percentage is FINALLY on its way down! 

These are my total losses since Jan 1, so it's not looking too shabby.   I am ok with the gain in my arm because I'm getting some pretty great definition in my arms! 

I am starting a new job on April 1 (squee!! sooo excited!) and had to go out shopping for some work appropriate clothing (because my recent Mommy uniform of jeans and tshirts won't quite cut it). I was thrilled to find that I could fit into this size small shirt and size 8 dress pants!

I still feel like I have some left to lose, but I am close to my goal weight (my sweet spot seems to be around 152/153) and I remember back when I started, I stated that I would love to get to a 10 and an 8 would be a PIPE dream, but here I am!

Now I'm just working on fine tuning my workout routines around my new work schedule, training for my upcoming races (2 more in the quest for #13in2013!) and still trying to provide my family with the most healthy food I can make for them!

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St Patrick's Day Virtual 10K, done!

So this weekend is the #13in2013 sponsored St. Patrick's Day virtual race. 

I did NOT want to run this morning. I have lost my workout mojo and haven't been able to find it. My knee has been tricky lately - I think my kneecap hates plyometrics. Learning I need to avoid it for awhile, but thankfully running doesn't hurt too terribly much. 

I wore a knee brace. I was ready for this, after all, I did 10 miles last week. 6.2 should be easy peesy, right? 

Except it's 45 degrees outside. And I'm a weenie. Mile 1 I was sure my lungs would explode. Mile 1.5 I was sure my hands were gone. Mile 2 I couldn't feel my legs anymore (so it wasn't so bad) and by mile 2.5, I had worked up a SWEAT! 

I had Runkeeper telling me my pace every mile. I was shocked when it kept telling me 9:36, 9:42 etc per mile. My 5K time was just shy of my last 5K PR - 29:12. 

Miles 3.5-4.75 dragged. But when I hit my interval change at 4.75 miles, I knew that the next interval change would indicate I had less than a half a mile left to run. I hit that 5.75 mile mark and SPRINTED. 

And made it - in 59:59, almost 10 minutes faster than my Halloween 10K time from October!!! 

So much for not wanting to go for run today! 

Next weekend, I have an Anywhere5K and the weekend after that is my third half marathon! A few weeks after that, I have the Chance to Hope Run in Color Hope in Motion 5K. I am so excited for that one!   My 4.5 year old daughter will be running her own races the same days as my half and the Hope in Motion 5K. 

Meal Plans & Long Runs

We've had a yummy two weeks! However tomorrow is meal planning day and I am unprepared. Hoping to find some delicious new ideas to incorporate all the goodies we get at our produce co-op on Tuesday!

Monday (2/25):  Steak, cheesy spaghetti squash & roasted red potatoes "And SALAD, Mom!" (as my 4.5 year old reminds me if I forget to mention salad in our nightly meal plans. She's learning fast!) 

Tuesday (2/26): Chili mac (we never wound up having it the week previous because of weather!), roasted portobello mushroom caps & salad. 

Wednesday (2/27): Stir fry. Portobello mushrooms, sugar snap peas, peppers, broccoli, carrots, onions, served over rice. 

Thursday (2/28): Pulled Pork Verde Poblano (Tosca Reno's cookbook) (no pictures because we've had this before :)

Friday (3/1): Our new favorite pizza!! Turkey pepperoni, green pepper & homemade sauce.

Saturday (3/2): Superfood Fusilli. My daughter is pretty predictable. If you ask her what she wants for dinner she will say 1) Pasta and red sauce or 2) Pizza.  So I found this "pasta and red sauce" recipe. Packed full of veggies! She didn't notice them and loved her pasta with red sauce. :-) Served with green beans and a salad. 

Monday (3/4): Now these weren't dinner but they are worth a mention (or three).  My dear husband loves cinnamon rolls and has been without now for three months. So a friend found this recipe on Gracious Pantry and I got to work making them! 

I did change some of the recipe - I didn't use any of her filling. Instead, I used coconut sugar, cinnamon and butter. I wound up using about a cup of coconut sugar, a few Tbsp of cinnamon and probably 3Tbsp of butter. 

The only picture I got of them baked.
Before I could eat them.
Yes, I had two. They are that good.

Dinner this night was scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, grapefruit and hash browns. Cinnamon rolls for dessert just seemed to make sense :-)

Tuesday (3/5): Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffin recipe (although I just made it a meatloaf shape). Also mashed potatoes (with Greek yogurt), corn and fresh green beans. And "salad, Mom!" 

Wednesday (3/6): Burgers on Ezekiel Sesame buns, roasted asparagus, sweet potato fries & salad. 

Thursday (3/7): Scrambled eggs (I might be a WEE bit obsessed with them right now!), bacon, toast & clean buttermilk pancakes. 

Friday (3/8): Pizza, of course! 

Saturday (3/9): I went on a long run today (more on that later) and my 4.5 year old and hubby took charge of dinner. They made DELICIOUS buffalo chicken wraps, green beans & salad. What a great surprise for me that they took care of everything! I'm one lucky girl!

Sunday (3/10): Hubby will be smoking a turkey breast, so we will most likely have smoked turkey, mashed potatoes & maple/bacon brussels sprouts for dinner. 

Today I finally was able to go on a long run. It was looking grim as of last night. Around 2am, my littlest started throwing up. He and I were awake from 2am-5am, changing sheets, taking baths and cleaning up. Thanks to my awesome hubby, who got up with the kids, I was able to get a few hours of sleep. I woke up thinking I was ready for my run. The weather forecast had been PERFECT for today. However, they were wrong and it was POURING rain!  So I wrote off my run and settled in for a snuggling day. I had a few errands to run (booking a location for a VIP bridal shower (JEN'S!) and some Easter shopping) but once I came home, I settled onto the couch with my little guy. 

He turned a corner and was feverish, but not throwing up anymore, plus the rain stopped and the temperature went up to 65 degrees! So off I went!

I wound up running 10 miles, a straight out-and-back. It was a decent run, considering I haven't run in a few weeks and haven't run a LONG run in almost a month. Looking back, I ran my half marathon in October with a 10:43 pace and today I ran at a 10:24 pace, so I'm whittling away at my time. Slowly! I definitely need to get OUTSIDE more for my runs. It is so dramatically different for me to run on a treadmill vs outside. Hoping the weather is on the upswing so I can start running while my daughter is in school, taking my son in the jogging stroller.

I have a half marathon coming up (April 6!) and I would LOVE to get a sub-2:15 time.

So that is our last two weeks!

 Any great clean recipes that we simply MUST try? 

Training

So I ran my last half marathon in 2:24 and am looking at my next half in April. I have this crazy idea in my head that I can run a SUB2 HOUR HALF! Crazy talk, I'm telling you.

I tried a run from the sub2hr training plan - HO-LEE-COW. The training plan said "run 2 miles slow. Then intervals of .25mi at 8:40 pack *for you keeping track, that's a 7.0 on the treadmill* and :30 slow recovery. TIMES 12. Then run a slow mile"

That's something like 6 miles if you do it right.  I could only do 4 rounds of the intervals after the 2 mile "warmup" run. Then I ran/walked the last mile. My run was 4.26 miles and I did it in 46 minutes. Not too shabby, but definitely nowhere near the sub2hr pace. So I am going to reevaluate and maybe look into a sub2:15 PR!

Clean eating is going well still. Fallen off a little this weekend. STILL, regardless of how much I've changed, I  run to sweets for comfort when I begin to freak out! On a whole I've been doing great avoiding commercial sweets and have been leaning on fruit and not processed chemicals. But I definitely clung to the chemicals this weekend!

Sooooo I am going to start researching some alternate lifting plans, running a lot more and cleaning up my eating just a bit more. We're around 80-85% clean now, but there's always room for improvement, right??

Stats updates coming later this week!

Three week update.

(sorry for the break in posts! My little guy turned 2 and I've been busy planning his party and executing it!) 

So we started our clean eating adventure three weeks ago.  I am (unofficially) down about 6 lbs and I feel great! My kids are really loving it (but again, I'm not keeping them as strict as I'm keeping hubby and myself!)

Once you get a routine, it's actually quite easy to maintain! I feel like it's easier to do this than IQS because IQS was eliminated even NATURAL sugars- honey, maple syrup, molasses. Now that I can incorporate those into our food, it seems like it's a breeze to keep up with! 

Meal plan for this week: 

Monday: Portobello mushroom stir fry (meatless) served with brown rice

Tuesday: Italian crockpot chicken served with quinoa and a salad.

Wednesday: Pulled pork poblano verde (yes, again, it was THAT good), homemade guacamole, brown rice & salad. (or maybe serving in a wrap, I haven't decided yet)

Thursday: Smoked turkey breast, baked sweet potatoes, fresh green beans & salad

Friday: Chicken sausage with sloppy peppers

Saturday: out for dinner (will be as clean as possible!)

Sunday: Trader Joe's 17 bean soup, grilled cheese (with Ezekiel bread) and salad.

I've been working out a ton. Today I worked out harder than I can remember ! And in the midst of it, I realized I have a half marathon in 12 weeks! So I will be phasing out of some of my classes again to shift to more running. It was 18º out this am and you could tell all the outside runners were on the dreadmills today! I am hoping the weather breaks a little in the afternoons so that I can run with AJ in the stroller while he naps. I know I can go 5-6 miles on a treadmill, but getting up into longer runs REALLY requires a trip to the park/running trail! 

My goals for my race: 

Realistic goal: Sub-2:15 half marathon

STRETCH goal: Sub-2:05 half marathon. 

I think if I start really training now, I can meet my realistic goal no problems. I think if I PUSH myself, I can meet my stretch goal too.  I guess we'll see in 12 weeks!

Current Stats - January + 13in2013

I'm starting fresh with a new stats chart.  I don't want to compare to where I was this time last year at all.  My physical health is completely different and I don't want to get hung up on where I ~was~. This time I need to focus entirely on ~where I am going~.

So here's my new chart (well, same chart, just new data :-) 

I will try to update this once a month. I have had my body fat tested at the YMCA with a Bioelectric Impedance Analysis. They have a handheld one that I can request to use any time there is a trainer in the fitness area. I had it done about mid-November and my body fat was 26.4%.  The trainer did tell me that if I hadn't eaten breakfast that day, but did this recent time, that would be enough to throw it off. I was pretty angry that it had gone UP even though I have been strength training regularly for 6 weeks!

I also signed up to do #13in2013. 13 races this year. I have a pretty good game plan and am already registered for my first two (yay!) but there's a lot more races to plan!! Thankfully (for my wallet) the hosts are having six free virtual races over the year, so I won't have to worry about 13 entrance fees, which was my ONLY hesitation when contemplating signing up! 

Clean eating is going fabulously. My kiddos are even asking to eat the foods I've set aside as our snacks. My first instinct is always "no! That's OUR stuff!" until I remember - the WHOLE POINT of this is to get my whole family HEALTHY! :-) If my kids want grapefruit and almonds for a snack - OF COURSE they can have it! 

I will keep posting interesting recipes that we're finding too. There is SUCH a wealth of information! I admit, I am still planning every last meal and morsel because I'm so much better with a plan. I don't reach for any old thing when I know what I'm supposed to have!

2013: Clean Eating

After the beach, hubby and I agree we've just kind of given up. We've been eating and drinking whatever we please, not focusing on the goals we had for ourselves and letting ourselves get to a bad place. 

It all ends tomorrow! 

After doing a lot of research and having a few friends who have moved to a clean eating lifestyle, we've decided to give it a try.  I can't buy into just throwing away everything in my current pantry, so we will be working through that (mostly pasta, white flour, etc) by mixing it into the "new" stuff. 

I spent the better part of 2 days pouring over Clean Eating Magazine, He and She Eat Clean, The Gracious Pantry and random Pinterest sites. I found meal plans, different "rules" at every site and all kinds of different recipes. 

Saturday my family and I set out to shop for our new clean lifestyle. We started at Trader Joe's. 

I picked up: 

whole wheat pizza dough (for the ham & cheese turnovers)

whole wheat pasta (fusilli and penne) 

chicken sausages 

California Protein bread

whole wheat mini pitas

quinoa

Israeli cous cous

fennel bulbs

raw cashews

raw sunflower seeds

frozen mixed berries x 3

frozen tuna steaks

brown jasmine rice

Ak Mak crackers

17 bean soup mix 

By the end of my TJ's trip, I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed. Reading labels, trying to remember all the "rules" I read.... 

Then we headed straight to Whole Foods. There I picked up: 

Kefir (although I found it MUCH cheaper and the same brand at Aldi today!)

Sprouted grain hamburger buns

English muffins

Unsweetened coconut flakes

Wasa Rye Crisps

After those two stores, I was WIPED OUT! I was frazzled and overwhelmed at the thought of what I was supposed to be doing.  

I came home, regrouped and updated my grocery list. Today, with fresh eyes, I headed to Aldi to find the remainder of my list. 

We picked up: 

blackberries

strawberries

zucchini

frozen corn

turkey breasts (we will be smoking these tomorrow and using it instead of lunchmeat from now on)

celery

clementines

Kefir

cottage cheese

feta

parmesan cheese

ground chicken breasts

sirloin steaks

grapes

grapefruit

red onions

stoplight peppers

(highlighted foods I would love to ease out of our diets in the next few months!)

SO after spending a small fortune on groceries, I sat down to meal plan the next two weeks.  The biggest challenge for me is going to be, hands down, eating 5-6 times a day. I am the queen of waking up, having some coffee, heading to the gym for my 2hrs of workout, having lunch, snacking through the day and then everything goes downhill from there! 

I spent close to 2 hours today looking at meal plans and plotting out every bite I will take for the next two weeks.  I'm sure I will make some tweaks here and there, but this is my blueprint! 

This will definitely be an adventure for us. I am not FORCING this on my kids, although to a degree they will follow it because I cook. :-)  My hubby, though, is on board. Both of us are sick of feeling "gross" and ready to be the healthiest parents we can be!

I will be quitting processed sugar, but allowing fruit and allowing natural sugars as well (honey, molasses) in moderation. I am trying to get to a place where we are eating 5 or less ingredients, but that will come. 

I met with the circuit class teacher that I LOVE a few weeks ago and worked out with her. I wanted her to evaluate what I do and what I can improve. Her suggestions to me were to do cardio for 30-60 minutes at least 5 days/week and to do 5 min of ab work every other day. I haven't started to implement that (we are SO out of routine with my husband home on vacation and my daughter not in school!) but it's my plan starting Thursday!

So here's my (anticipated) plan: 

Mon: Arm/back lifting routine, cardio plus class (30m), circuit class (45m)

Tues: Ab routine, Yoga (1hr,15m)

Wed: Leg lifting routine, cardio plus class (30m), circuit class (45m)

Thurs; Spin class (55m)

Fri: Off

Sat: Long run

Sun: Off

I registered for my third half marathon this week.  I will be running the Go! St. Louis half marathon the first weekend in April. Excited to be training again!! I am going to do it right this time - getting in my long runs come hell or high water!!  I am hoping that my clean eating will aid in my running and I will get faster. My goal time is between 2hr and 2hr15min. 

I will post soon with my updated stats. I can tell you I'm up - WAY up - in my weight. :( All the working out in the world couldn't counteract the food and booze I've ingested in the last three months. I've fully earned my new measurements, but don't worry about me - it's coming off and it'll come off FAST, I will see to it!