T-14 Days!

It was a good week for me to be a runner! 

Thursday I headed to the park for that "no more than 4 mile" run I mentioned when I last posted.  I have found that I am better with out-and-back runs - the certainty of knowing where I stop, the "run home" that always gets me moving - they just work for me. So with four miles in mind, I started running. I hit 2 miles, though, and was making such good time and felt good, so I said what the heck, let's go for 2.5 before the turnaround. 

I ran most likely my FASTEST 5 miles EVER on Thursday!! I felt good! I know I can SPRINT that fast, but I can't usually go for longer distances with that pace. I was on a such a high knowing I had it in me to run that! 

Sara has having some foot and leg pain so she was unable to do our first taper run this week. Hoping she rests up and gets better (only TWO WEEKS until the MO' Cowbell race!) in time for the race!  I seriously considered just not going this morning.  My family was out late last night seeing our favorite Beatles cover band, I had a few drinks, stayed up late to finish some laundry, etc.  Sara and I have been meeting at 6:30! That means I've been setting an alarm for 5:45 (and getting up around 6 ;-).  I told myself last night I would "sleep in" and set my alarm for 6:30.  I contemplated rolling over as "Sunday morning" started playing, but I got up anyways.   I was running a little behind my own schedule but still forced myself out the door.  

I despise the first mile, mile and a half, two miles of a run. Is that just me?! They are SO hard, drudgery and if it were up to me, I would quit during that part every time (is this why I see so many people RUNNING before RACES??). I feel heavy, clompy, slow and in pain for easily that long. Once I pass through that, I can ease into a rhythm.

  

Apparently, I excel at "the turnaround."  If you look back at my runs, especially recently, more often than not I get faster the further I am into my run!  My "turnaround mile" is usually one of my fastest (my last few runs my last mile has been my speediest of all.)  I love having my Garmin and being able to analyze the data from my runs. It gives the number-geek in me a chance to shine. :-) 

Total stats for today looked good! I cut 4 minutes off the 8-miler time from August 31st, so that gives me a small hope that I am improving, even slightly.  

I took Terrie's Friday morning cardio class this week and didn't fall to the back of the pack like I have been in recent months. THAT felt good too! The class had the equivalent to **34** flights of stairs on Friday - it's an amazing workout! Another "NSV" on my journey. 

My IT band has been acting up today, so I am going to scale back this week. Yoga and a run around my neighborhood (slow and low mileage) on Tuesday, hopefully a quick run Wednesday and Thursday will be Yogalates and another quick neighborhood run. Sunday I am planning on a 6 mile run as my *gulp* LAST taper run!! I can't believe the race is coming so quickly! I can't believe how excited I am for this race!! 

Now to make myself a Uni-Kitty costume for the Halloween 10K! 

Whole30 Date & Another Leg Day

Well, we have an official start date for Whole30 - March 30.  My mom is visiting and she said that if we waited until she was here, she'd do it with us! Here's me holding her to that promise! <3  I have several other friends that have said they were interested in joining us too - You know who you are ;-)  Maybe we'll have to start a FB page or a weekly check in post! 

Tomorrow is leg day again. This week in Jamie Eason's training, one extra day of training is added to the weekly plan. It's a repeat of the muscle group that's "lagging."   My legs aren't lagging, but as a runner, I'm mostly interested in growing the strength there.  So tomorrow is leg day again. 

My legs still hurt from Monday. 

On the off chance I can WALK normally tomorrow, I can't wait to have another four days of pain! Yippee! :-) 

I had a shining moment today, a big NSV for me and moreover, a MENTAL win.  I was at the grocery store picking up a few things I needed to make lettuce wraps (Zomg, you must try them!) and I wandered past the refrigerated coffee creamers.  I thought to myself "I won't be able to have this anymore - maybe just one more before I'm done."  Then something struck me and I was able to put it back. I thought "You have ALREADY detoxed from this - WHY would you add it back to your diet only to have to pull it out again??!!"  

 Seriously - this is going to be challenging enough. And I have full understanding that my life is NOT over because of this meal plan. I am hoping that the proof is overwhelming after 30 days that I FEEL better and I AM better because of the fuel I am putting in my body. I am already drooling over so many of the recipes we've looked at that I honestly can't wait to get started!  It will be an adjustment! I want my family to benefit, but I don't know how my carb loving kiddos will react when I tell them no more breakfast cereal, crackers at lunch or rice with dinner!   But one thing I have always believed and have stuck to - if it's on your plate, you try it - and I am NOT a short order cook. I make one meal for the family, take it or leave it.  So I will either come out the other side of this with amazingly adventurous little eaters or some VERY hungry little people!! 

Next few weeks, I will spend time trying to ease carbs out of my life gradually so that April 1 isn't a shell shock. I've already started loading my plate up with more veggies than anything else, most night passing on whatever starch/carb is being served.  My afternoons - lunchtime to before dinner - does NOT look like that, but I am working towards it. 

Baby steps!

Half Marathon #4!

Today was half marathon #4, the MO'Cowbell. It's advertised as the "fastest, flattest half marathon in the midwest" and it didn't disappoint! 

I woke up at 5am and started my pre-race routines - eating a banana, trying to decide if I need KT taped, etc.  We woke the kiddos up at 5:30 and headed out. 

We drove to the park and  I can't remember being this nervous before a race! I was starting to freak out when my little guy said "Mommy! I see stars!" "Twinkle twinkle little star, up above the world so high." He sang it through once, in his cute little way, and it really calmed me! So I asked him to keep singing. <3 And he did!

By the time we got to the park, I had pretty well talked myself out of the nerves. We lined up and rocked out to "Don't Fear the Reaper" (it IS the MO'Cowbell half, afterall!), ringing our cowbells and off we went. 

I made a pact with myself not to kill myself for a PR. I know, I know. Seriously, me not try to PR? But it put so much pressure on me, I just couldn't do it this time.  So as I was running, if Runkeeper was telling me I was going faster than 10:30 min/mile, I consciously tried to make myself slow down.

I had a discussion with someone at the expo on Friday about my last half and how AWFUL mile 8 was and she said I was definitely hitting a wall. Talking to her I realized that despite thinking I was getting the race nutrition I needed, I haven't been having ANY carbs!! So this time, I ran without my hydration belt and grabbed Gatorade. I took the GU pack instead of the honey stinger I usually use.  And amazingly - There was NO wall. I ran the WHOLE race - only walking so that I didn't wear my water/Gatorade instead of ingest it.

The wonderful part is that once I hit 10 miles, it was just another Wednesday morning run!  I am thankful that I'm in a place where 3 miles is something that I can do a few times a week instead of a huge distance. It made the last few miles really fly when I could say "Just 30 more minutes" or "2 miles, I do that before work everyday!" It was just such a nice place to be not to be MENTALLY drained during the race!

Of course, my phone died. FIVE MINUTES before I finished - my phone died!! THAT was my huge disappointment. I guess all in all, that's not a bad disappointment :-)

I finished in 2:21:40, 39 seconds behind my PR from April. BUT - the huge victory here is that I felt GOOD. No, I felt GREAT! Mentally, I wasn't defeated. I had a great time on the race, I didn't stop moving, I KNEW I could finish and I did it.  I'm excited that I have a solution to my mile-8-hatred and I almost can't wait to do another half to try to PR - I came SO CLOSE this time!

MORE BLING!

Next weekend is the GO St. Louis Halloween 10K. Last year, I did the 10K then the half the following weekend. I almost think the half first is a better plan (ask me about that assessment again next Sunday night!) because now the 10K will seem like a cake walk!

8/13

Virtual Race - FitNuts/September

FitNuts had another virtual 5K! The last weekend in Sept, the day we got home from vacation. 

Not my best time, but it was a huge NSV for me. I was having a horrible awful day mood-wise. Instead of turning to food, I left my house and went for a run. It wasn't my best 5K time - but it was still a victory for me. 



I skipped my run Monday, I knew I wouldn't be able to fit it in with going back to work. Tuesday was just a quick 1.5 miler. I have a half marathon on Sunday 10/5 so I didn't want to push myself TOO too hard.  Tuesday while running I twisted my ankle on a stick on the sidewalk. Thankfully it wasn't a long term hurt but it surprised me and slowed down my pace.  

Wednesday I headed to the Y and did my favorite cardio plus and Circuit classes. I hurt myself (MY FAULT, TERRIE, NOT YOURS! :-) ) so I took Thursday off. 

Friday I took a quick run just to keep comfortable. My hips were tight, my calves hurt and my feet were sore. My lower back was so incredibly sore but I made it 1.5 miles. 


 Saturday my family went apple picking. MAYBE one of my most favorite times of year :-)  We picked over 50 lbs of apples! Insane! I couldn't stop getting them, they were so big and lovely!! 


7/13

Better than last year....

Today my little girl turned 5. FIVE, people. I have a FIVE year old!  It amazes me the road I've taken since she was born. 

• I am entirely unaware of what I weighed before I got pregnant. I was using fertility medications and had just plain old given up. 
• I was 210 lbs the night before she was born. 
• I lost weight, down to 160, and hit 160 the DAY I got my first positive pregnancy test with my son (my daughter was just shy of two years old)
• I went up to 210 lbs with that pregnancy -  And was STILL 199 when I came home from the hospital! 
• I weighed into my challenge this week at 159. 

Sometimes I just need to see those numbers are a reminder. So for the last year, I have bounced between around 150-162. I need to remember that even though I fluctuate, I haven't gone up, I haven't gone back to where I came from! My happy place seems to be around 152-154. I am hoping to get back there. We'll see if I can get lower if I start running faster and further!

I have a partner within the weight loss challenge that I am doing. It seems like the perfect match - her introduction was all about moderation.  PERFECT.  I (obviously) have a history with my "all or nothing" mentality! 

Today was one of the most hot/cold days I've had yet on my journey. If you recall, last year my daughter's birthday was an edible tragedy! Today, we started off with homemade poptarts (pie crust + cinnamon sugar or no sugar added preserves!).  

We headed out to Grant's Farm for the morning.  If you are unaware, Grant's Farm was the home of Ulysses S. Grant and (if I paid attention I would know how) but somehow it was acquired (married into the family maybe?) by the Anheuser Busch family.  They have spent 100 years accumulating animals on their 80 acre land and it is open to the public. It's a fun morning, the kids fed baby goats bottles of milk and threw corn to ducks. We saw an elephant show and our tram almost got charged by a bull.  The downside - all the food is crappy.  And they give you free beer "samples," which are truly cups of beer, probably 4-6 oz at a time.  So I had three of those over the course of our time there. I didn't want to eat the food, I couldn't bring myself to do it, so we shared a soft pretzel (2 for the 4 of us) and headed out of the park for lunch.

We went to one of our favorite local places, The Wolf Public House, for lunch. The food is amazing and the whole place is like Caribou Coffee and Panera had a baby.  Very rustic, very hip and awesome. This is from their website: . We support sustainable local family farmers raising animals kindly without the use of antibiotics or added hormones. We respect our environment and compost or recycle 95% of our waste.

So it makes me feel good about our choices to eat there.   Today I went out on a limb and tried a salmon BLT. It was ahhhhhmazing.  Absolutely amazing! And instead of potato chips, I got the veggie special of the day - a cold salad of zucchini, kalamata olives, feta in a vinaigrette. Delish! 

So, -2 for the beer, but +2 for my lunch choices, I think. Especially since I ordered an iced coffee with half and half instead of my usual Vietnamese coffee (coffee + sweetened condensed milk). 

We came home and I started making E's requested birthday dinner - Pizza. Now, I had the benefit of knowing what her birthday dessert was (which she didn't) so I wanted to balance my calories out. Instead of indulging in pizza (I make a whole wheat/corn flour pizza crust, so it's clean, but it's still carb-y and loaded with calories!) I made myself baby portobello mushroom caps with a tsp of pizza sauce, some mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni. BOY were they delicious! I tasted the pizza but I was quite happy with my dinner! +8 for me (the number of mushroom caps I ate! YUM!) 

What was dessert, you ask? 

Individual DQ cakes! 

I didn't finish mine. Which is another small victory. As recent as a month ago, you would have had to pry it from my clenched fist. Today, I ate half and was completely satisfied. So we put them back in the freezer to save as a treat for another day! 

All in all, even though I made some "bad" choices today, I feel like I did ok. I didn't get in a formal workout, but we did walk a lot at Grant's Farm and I did hit my 10,000 step goal, along with my 10 flights of stairs. 

So onto tomorrow. Just hoping to show SOME loss on the scale at my first weigh in on Monday, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I guess!