Saturday, June 28, 2014

Weekly Weigh-in (no longer obese!)

Starting Weight: 232.2
Last Week: 188.8
This Week: 185.2
Change from Last Week: 3.6
Total Loss: -47.0
Goal: 149


185.2 = BMI of 29.9 - "Overweight" - no longer Obese!!


I really kicked ass this week - I was in such a funk of the bloating, that I just stayed on plan this week.


Though on Wednesday, when my At Work WW meeting, I was at 188.6!! I had decided that I was going to go to my regular WW meeting this morning, so I stayed vigilent and it paid off.


Not only am I at 29.9, I am at 20% lost! I got the new 10% charm (opposed to the old key chain) and I got another one too. 50 lb washer is just 3 lbs away!


I will admit, I am pretty terrified. I've seen 185.2 before. I saw it on 2/27/2011. For one day. And then work got crazy and I started gained. Then at the end of March 2011 my husband got laid off and started cooking wonderful dinners and I kept gaining. And even when I did C25K the first time in the Fall of 2011, I kept gaining. And in February 2012 we decided to move, which required a selling of one property and buying another and I kept gaining. And we moved and it took a while to get settled, and I kept gaining. Until 12/1/2012, when I re-joined WW after seeing pictures of me at Disneyworld and after my MIL passed away. I had seen the scale say 236, though it was 232.2 when I re-joined WW. Yep, 50 lb gain in 21 months!


And what I didn't mention was that I was still going to WW during the first 6 months of gaining. That is part of why I am scared of the At Work WW - The atmosphere was not the same. I didn't feel the same support from co-workers. I didn't feel comfortable talking to them about issues.


So now I think I may continue with the 2x/week WW meetings! The scale from the At Work doesn't get registered into the main computer, so I can keep them separate. I may not make all of the Saturday morning ones, but knowing that I can go there and weigh-in (if you go to 2+ center meetings in the same week, you can only weigh in at the first one) at both.


But I need the scale to keep going down and I am going to do everything I can do do that, even if it is just .5 lb a week - slow and steady wins the race!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Didn't mean for a 2 week hiatus

Work was crazy and so was the end of the school year and getting adjusted to summer schedules and all....and I will admit the eating has been far from stellar - but that isn't the reason I have been away. I just really haven't had any time.


Shortly after I last wrote, we went away for the weekend, including all of us taking Friday off (well, except for my son, because the previous day was his last day of daycare, ever!!!!!)


I was nervous about going away, especially since the day before I hit 185.8 which is a BMI of 30, but is also a 20% weight loss. Of course I haven't seen that number since :(


The day we drove up, it was pouring so we couldn't go to the theme park, so we hit the movies, but not before hitting the Lindt outlet and the Stonewell Kitchen outlet! But I did eat my bag lunch from home. And made wise choices at dinner. And at the park the next day (I didn't get to go ziplining because our schedule got thrown off because of the rain :( ).


Being in the White Mountains made me long to be back hiking and backpacking and rock climbing and camping and kayaking. Someday. Soon! The second night and at the 2nd theme park on Sunday, my food choices weren't as good.


I felt bloated and gross. On Tuesday my weight was up 5 lbs!!!!! Which was a decade up - ugh! I only went to work 2 days and then had 3 days off - my daughter's last day of 2nd grade, and planned and executed her early birthday party and generally ate poorly. Again, it left me feeling bloated and awful.


But I am back on track. I hope to have a good weekend eating! Though TOM will be here soon.


So back to running.....The week I last wrote, I got my 2 runs in, including 4.5 miles the day before we left (more than my "normal" Thursday run, and then 4.25 the Tuesday after and 4.75 that Thursday. All of this without any fuel in the morning. I've got to start getting up a little earlier to get a little something in me so I am not so tired when I go out.)


Saturday the 21st me and my friend did Foam Fest, which is a foam, water and mud obstacle race. So much fun!!!! I purposely didn't sign up for the BAA 10K the next day because I presumed I would be sore and tired, but not so, so I got up and ran a 10K (not race) anyway. I ran in the same time as my 10K race (with all the hills) so I probably could have done pretty well in a race.


I got out this Tuesday and today I woke up to what sounded like pouring rain, but I knew I wanted to get my miles in to hit 50 for June. When I went to the bathroom it didn't appear to be raining much at all so I decided to head out to get in 3.9 miles. Part way through it started pouring. But it was a warm rain :) It was a lot of fun. And by the time I got home, soaked, it had pretty much stopped.


I am a little worried about my left foot. I am feeling slight plantar fasciitis soreness. I am so worried about overdoing it. Running a 1/2 is just not worth it! I don't have to get in all the miles - I just want o be able to do some running and strength training and biking on the bike trainer. So I will proceed with caution as I go into the beginning of 1/2 marathon training (I am doing 7 miles this weekend).

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Running: Where to now?

I am at this weird place, feeling a little lost.

Not only did I not run this morning, because I am still sore and no reason to push it. I am going to try to get in 5 miles on Thursday because I won't be able to get in a run this weekend.

And then next week I can run my "normal" 3 miles on Tuesday and 4 miles on Thursday. Then I have an obstacle race on Saturday the 21st. And then my weekends should be able to get back to "normal"with a long run on Sunday. Half-Marathon training is slated to start on Sunday July 6th. But I will get a long run (probably 10K) in the weekend before since my mileage for June won't be high.

I looked at Hal Higdon's Novice 1/2 Marathon training plan and I am not thrilled - I want more miles! And I worry about so much cross training the day before a long run. I had adapted my own plan off of the "Train like a Mother" 1/2 Marathon plan, which I think I will adapt more closely, though I think my runs during the week may be more "just runs"versus hills and speed and tempo and all that.

I've got to get into strength training and cross training.

For now I just need to be patient and enjoy the fun things I've got going on the next couple of weeks, and once June 23rd comes around and our summer schedule kicks in, I can start a more organized training schedule.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

I survived my first 10K!

I was more nervous about this race than any other. I knew I could go the distance, though I hadn't done it since Mother's Day. It was the hills and the heat that I was worried about.




There was a 5K before the 10K and I realized it was going around the campus at Boston College, so I wanted to make sure I was there before the 5K started so I wouldn't have any traffic problems.


I had plenty of carbs for lunch and dinner on Friday - probably too many :)




I didn't go to bed as early as I would have liked - 'Say Yes to the Dress - Atlanta' season premiere was on :) I have this slight obsession with wedding dresses, as I want to go try on dresses again once I hit my goal.




I woke up at 5:15, left at 5:45 and was there well before 6:30, 2 hours before my race :) I ate breakfast (2 whole wheat waffles with strawberry jam and a small banana) in the car.  I picked up my bib, but the Expo wasn't open until 8. I wandered around and listened/watched the 5K start. I got to watch the end of the 5K (whopping 17 minutes or so later) - not something I ever get to see. I got to see Shalane Flanagan in person. I used the bathroom in the stadium - much better than Port-a-potties :) And then I just waited.




I got towards the end of the shoot - I wouldn't want to be totally at the end, but close enough, and we were off.


The race is and out-and-back, downhill, then uphill. There are flat areas and the hills are gradual, but one is long. This is the area called "Heartbreak Hill" on the Boston Marathon route. It was quite warm - even though it started at 8:30, we were in full sun the majority of the time. I grabbed water at every water stop (there were quite a few) and poured the majority either on me or onto my bandana.
I did commit a cardinal sin of racing, twice :) I grabbed some Gatorade, which I don't train with and I did think at one point I would see it again, but that was more the heat than anything else.


My official time was 1:13:07 - I'll take it! My PR (while running on my own) was 1:15 and with the hills I was just hoping for 1:20. Of course now I am eager to try a 10K without the hills! I probably won't get a chance until October. My splits started out at 10:00 min/mile and ended up more than 13:00. I was able to gun it at the end. I finished before 300 other people, so I am satisfied with my results.


I don't do well in the heat at all - I feel completely hung over and am very out of it. I had a bagel, some banana, and a red Gatorade. It took me a good hour to feel normal. I hit the Expo to get my t shirt (they were out of Women's Large, so I took a Women's medium instead of a Men's Medium).


I got home around 11:30, took a shower, went to my daughter's last soccer game of the season, and tried to take a nap. I couldn't sleep well, one because I had a 8 oz coke with lunch, and 2 because I was starving.


We'll see how my legs feel in the morning! My knees are already quite tender.





Friday, June 6, 2014

I forgot how much I weighed!

Thursday morning I woke up, used the bathroom, and weighed myself. A typical morning. 186.4. I got into bed - I was grumpy. I had had tacos the night before. I hadn't gone crazy. I was convinced that I had gained 2 lbs since the morning before. For some reason I thought I weighed 184.4, not 187.2. When I realized that, which took until I went downstairs to log in my weight in my spreadsheet, was I happy.

I just want the 10K over. I don't think I have ever been this nervous about a race. The hills are just so daunting to a 'train-on-a-bike-path' girl. And for it to be 1.22 miles longer than my longest race. But I will do it and hopefully finish. Time doesn't matter.

Of course TOM showed up again at 24 days. Third month in a row. I had been 28 days for years (of course when I was trying to get pregnant it was 32 days). So for the 2nd time in 3 months, I will be racing on the worst day of the month. And a longer race to boot! At least this race I will have a car sort of near by, so I won't have to be running with or gear checking any supplies :)

I think part of the reason I am eager to get this race over is I want to concentrate on losing weight, at least just for a month before I start 1/2 training on July 6. But I've got so much going on in the next few weeks: work stress, end-of-year stress, last day of daycare ever (!), weekend away, birthday party to plan and execute, new project at work. So much new stuff and I just so badly want to loose 4.4 lbs!!!! But right now I will take 1.2 so I can have a BMI under 30!!!!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Weight Watcher Meeting This Afternoon

Scale still says 187.2. I am okay with that. TOM is going to arrive very soon. Hopefully after it is gone (and the 10K this weekend is over) I can get back to trying to lose....though a long weekend away could derail some of that.

Tuesday morning I went for a 4 mile run 1.25 miles away from the house and back, then down to the neighborhood with the "hill", which I went up and down twice. I am not going to run again this week until the race, even with it being National Running Day today.

Yesterday was my son's pre-k graduation :) 8 more days and we are done with daycare. I can't wait!


Monday, June 2, 2014

What a busy and fun weekend....

I was 187.2 on Saturday morning, despite the pasta dinner, so I changed my official weekly weigh-in.

Me and my 7 year old had a blast at Color Me Rad. It was in the 40s when we woke up, so we put on running tights and long sleeve white shirts. But by the time we got parked at 8:30, it was warmer, so we changed into tights and tank tops.

The course was a lot hillier than I expected. It was at a farm, so the course was on plowed fields. But you had to climb a steep hill to get up to the fields, and then it was up and down and traversing a lot for 3 miles, and then came down the hill at the end.

Trying to explain "pace" to a child is not easy. She ran a mile in 6:35. I tried to explain to her she wouldn't be able to do that here, but all she knows is running as fast as she can and walking. I encouraged her to run some, especially because I wanted practice running up and down hills, but we did a fair amount of walking as well. In the end, probably did 50-50.

After we got home (it was a nightmare getting out of the "parking lot" (ie another field) - we sat for 40 minutes and didn't move an inch, and then once they didn't allow any more cars in, we were allowed to get out. We took a nice long shower, then she had a soccer game and then a birthday party. During the birthday party I spent my generous gift card to Crate & Barrel - that was so much fun!

Sunday I knew I wanted to get a run in. I wasn't sure how much or where. I knew I wouldn't drive to the bike path. I didn't set my alarm. But I was up early anyways. I did eat something (whole wheat waffle with strawberry jam and part of a small banana) and headed out in the neighborhood. I had thought maybe I would try to get in 5 miles. But I started out fairly quick (which leads me to believe that my slow pace during the week is mainly due to starting to run within 1/2 an hour of getting up, plus not eating anything). I was loving just running, running, running (which for me meant less than 11:00 mile). Then I wondered if I could possibly PR a 5K, so I bolted for 1/2 of the last mile....but too fast and I couldn't keep it up (or really didn't desire it...if I had had a metal, or even a spectator waiting at the end maybe I would have) - I finished in 32:18, probably the fastest non-race 5K I've ever run.

Last night I figured out my training plan. I officially won't start until July 6th. Which leaves me for June to be this weird month.

With 2 non-traditional races (May 31 and June 21), a 10K next weekend which will probably lead me without the ability to walk for days, a vacation and a non-kid weekend, I am not sure how many miles I will rack up during the weekends. I can get in 7 during the week no problem, but I want to get in 6 miles at least 2 more times besides the 10K.

Then come July, I have a 2 mile fun run on the 4th, and then the 6th I am supposed to start with 7 miles! (not to mention the BBQ and fireworks the night before and then a BBQ after).