January 25, 2012

WiW: Week 95

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23.5

I missed last week's WiW because Rex and I were on vacation in Colorado. That is actually a whole 'nother post. It involved illness, and falls and a lot of reading and tv watching. I haven't run or worked out since we got back, mostly due to injuries and illness.

The weather in Colorado cut out some of our skiing, so I didn't get as much working out done there as I had planned on. It remains to be seen if I'll still be capable of training for the half in March.

Posted by me at 11:11 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2012

WiW: Week 93

Weight: 146.0

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23.5

In spite of only running once last week, I'm still totally on track for the half. This week, the weather has been bad, company is in and I'm trying to get everything ready for a trip. I don't see any runs in my near future, I'm just hoping the snowboarding can at least keep me from falling back in my training.

Posted by me at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)

January 4, 2012

WiW: Week 92

Weight: 144.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I had grand plans for the last week. I was going to run Friday, even though we had company. And of course I would run Monday, and then Shred Tuesday to get fully thighed up for the snowboarding trip.

And then Thursday night, Rex and I spent the entire night puking and...other things. Food poisoning.

I felt like a wet rag on Friday, and honestly was still hurting all weekend. Monday wasn't much better. Tuesday, I still wasn't up to par, although how much of that was a desire to avoid exercise, I don't know.

Tonight was a late gymnastics night, and it's fairly cold, although not below limits, and I have a headache. I'm canning the run, but planning to do a Shred when the ibuprofen kicks in.

Cause *this* is how you train for a half marathon.

Posted by me at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2011

WiW: Week 91

Weight: 146.8

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I did it! I finished the challenge!

And then I took Monday off, in honor of my tired, tired feet and Christmas.

And then in spite of that, I got off my ass and ran again tonight! And I was really fast (for me)!

In weighty matters, I was at my lightest in months on Christmas Eve morning. Then we had Pizza Hut for dinner, and then Christmas Day happened, and then I swore I was going to back on on Monday, and suuuure I can make up for the sticky bun I had for breakfast, but there's no coming back from La Madeleine.

Then I did much better and Shredded and ran and why isn't any of that weight going away?

Posted by me at 8:59 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2011

WiW: Week 90

Weight: 145.2

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I'm only 1 run away from hitting Rob's challenge of 400 miles by his 40th birthday! That's 400 miles this year!

Still haven't lost any weight.

And I'm so tired.

Posted by me at 10:24 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2011

WiW: Week 89

Weight: 145.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I managed to get my three runs in last week, but it took me til Sunday to do it. Then I had to start this week's runs on Monday. I was really happy to have a day to rest on Tuesday. I spent all day today gearing myself up for a run, only to be rained out. I don't really have any days to spare at this point, but I can't change the weather! Worse is that it isn't looking good for tomorrow, either.

I've backed off the Shred again, since my legs were toast after two 40 minute runs in two days, and I'm scared to tire them out too much knowing I have to run a bunch of make-up days. But I also don't want to give up those squat muscles. Lord knows I don't want to go through the Day 1 soreness again. And that snowboarding trip is sneaking up on me fast!

Posted by me at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)

December 7, 2011

WiW: Week 88

Weight: 147.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I was doing well last week, and then this week started out with arctic temps. Call me a wuss, but I have a 39 degree minimum. The HIGH for Tuesday was 40! Add to that the cold that Owen gave me, and I took today completely off. I did manage to Shred Monday and Tuesday, with minimal soreness after the first day, and a very tight right calf after the second. My abs are sore when I cough, but I'm honestly not sure if that's from the Shred or the Cough.

Posted by me at 1:14 PM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2011

WiW: Week 87

Weight: 145.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Thank goodness, the first week of holiday gluttony seems to be over.

I took all of last week off, sort of unintentionally. In fact, I had had big plans, but the food and the laziness and the sickness got to me.

Monday, I decided to pick up where I left off and pulled out a 35 minute run. Tuesday was the first time in quite a while that I've woken up sore from running and stayed that way most of the day.

Unfortunately, Tuesday was also the day I swore I was going to start Shredding again. I have a ski trip to prepare for, after all. I tried not to push too hard, since I still have to keep pushing on the running, but I was sore within minutes of finishing. I'm truly concerned that I won't be able to walk by Thursday.

Posted by me at 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2011

WiW: Week 86

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Monday it rained, Tuesday we a had a (big) late dinner, and tonight we were just lazy.

I'm never going to get a half this way.

Posted by me at 9:41 PM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2011

6.21: Make up your mind

It's not Wednesday, but I'm going to talk about running anyway.

I have a well-known dislike of running, as well as a compulsion to do it to avoid feelings of sloth and jiggle.

I run three days a week, typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I try not to stray from those days because it messes up Rex's schedule and my motivation. Recently, I've skipped more than rescheduled, for everything from weather to illness to prior engagements.

I'm trying to not do that anymore.

It's Monday, and so I should be running. But then it started to rain, and it's cold, so that's a no. Then it stopped. Then it started. Then it stopped. Then there was lightning. Then there wasn't.

It's like riding a rollercoaster. I don't want to go, but I have to. I have an excuse not to go, but I need to. Maybe it will stop. Maybe it will start again. Ahh!

The weather eventually made the decision for me.

But I'll still feel guilty about it.

Posted by me at 8:12 PM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2011

WiW: Week 85

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I guess I finally got my mojo back. In spite of only running once per week for a couple weeks in a row, I upped my time to 35 minutes this week. The first time was pretty slow, I just barely managed a 5k. It was warm and humid, and I was running with friends. Tonight was cold and windy, I had a stitch the whole time the wind was behind me, and I still managed to run the 5k in under 32 minutes.

I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere!

Posted by me at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2011

WiW: Week 84

Weight: 145.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I finally stopped making excuses last week and got back up to 25 minutes running. This is particularly amazing, since it was the only day we ran all week. I didn't feel like I was going to die at the end, so I decided that this week we needed to keep stepping it up.

Monday there was weather.

Tonight we upped it to 30 minutes. And I still didn't feel like I was going to die! The school carnival is Friday, so I'm not sure when I'm going to have a chance to reinforce that success, but I'm actually excited that we're upping our distances.

And I'm wondering why I would ever want to run any longer. How boring!

Posted by me at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

November 2, 2011

WiW: Week 83

Weight: 145.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I actually ran! All last week! Not so much this week, but it was Halloween, and I have no desire to be out on freak night.

Turns out I run a lot faster when I'm alone.

It also turns out that this having a group to be accountable thing is taking me down. When I was on my own, there were no excuses. Now I have two friends, and when they don't run, it feels like I have a pass to skip, too. And they don't run a lot. They're sucking my motivation.

On the other hand, I love getting some actual social interaction.

Priorities.

Posted by me at 2:22 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2011

WiW: Week 82

Weight: 145.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

I finally ran again! And pretty fast (for me!)

Posted by me at 2:20 PM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2011

WiW: Week 81

Weight: 145.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Posted by me at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2011

WiW: Week 80

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

Hmm, I ate less than usual last night and woke up a pound heavier.

And I'm still ridiculously sickly. Stupid cold.

We're still moving though. In spite of the cold, I managed to pick up the pace on Monday to somewhere approaching my usual. This running as part of a group is hard, since not everyone is at the same place training yet, and not everyone runs the same speed, even when we can make the same distance.

I've started doing a few sit-ups and pushups in the hopes that I won't be so ridiculously sore when I start Shredding again.

Posted by me at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2011

WiW: Week 79

Weight: 146.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

Not sure what happened, but I forgot to post this. Actually, I forgot to write it.

The good news: I'm back to running. And my crew is with me.

The bad news: We're really slow.

Hey, at least we're moving!

Posted by me at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2011

WiW: Week 78

Weight: 146.2

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

A few days running can't come close to competing with all the eating out I've done in the last week. On top of that, I've been exhausted and feeling yucky lately, and I seem to be on a weight gaining upswing that's more than just the food. Or maybe I really AM eating that much.

I guess all I can do is just keep running.

Posted by me at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)

September 24, 2011

Murphy Maize Days 5k Take 2

I signed up for the race in spite of the fact that I wasn't at all trained for it. My longest run in months was 25 minutes the Monday before the race, and I followed that up with a 20 minute run on Wednesday because that's how long I made it before I ran out of gas.

I knew going into the race that I wouldn't be running the whole thing, and in fact my goal was really to just run more than half of the race. Nothing too lofty.

It was cool this morning, in the 60's when I left the house. About as nice as a race in daylight can be. I'm still not used to running in the sun!

I managed to run for the first 26 minutes, which was way farther than I thought I was going to get right up until it happened. I walked for one minute, and then managed to run to the finish, even up the big hill cruelly placed at the end of the race.

In my age group, I finished 21 out of 48. Overall 171 out of 320. My chip time was 32:40, which isn't so bad, although I'm remembering how miserably I did last year, and my time is only 14 seconds faster. Last year my excuse was blood donation, this year, poor training.

Results here.

Posted by me at 11:22 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2011

WiW: Week 77

Weight: 144.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I skipped running Friday due to a PTA event (those things kill me!) and all the cleaning I did for the first batch of in-laws.

I made up for it on Monday when I managed 25 minutes without walking! Naturally, i woke up a bit tight on Tuesday, and I think it actually got worse tonight, but I ran anyway. I was hoping to meet or exceed Monday's run, but I'm not totally disappointed that I only made 20.

EIther way, I'm not ready for Saturday's 5k, but I registered anyway. There's pretty much no way I'll be able to run the whole thing, but at least I'll get a t-shirt.

Posted by me at 11:31 PM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2011

WiW: Week 76

Weight: 145.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

I've run like 5 times, why are my muscles still so soft and jiggly?

And what is with this weight? It dove, it climbed, and I kept expecting it to be a temporary bloat thing and now it's become obvious that it wasn't and I'm stuck with these 5 pounds again.

Posted by me at 9:50 PM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2011

WiW: Week 75

Weight: 144.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

Two runs this week! And I ran the second night even though I had a cold! I skipped the third for two reasons: I was supposed to have a girl's night (cancelled!) and I felt like ass on a cracker. Apparently running doesn't cure colds, who knew!

Anyway, I got up to 15 minutes straight of running, and I'm pretty sure I can get back up to 20 or so next week. Especially if the temperatures stay down, which doesn't look likely but maybe I'll get lucky.

Posted by me at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2011

WiW: Week 74

Weight: 143.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Up until a couple days ago, my weight has been rapidly climbing. And while I will admit to eating out more than usual and probably eating a bit more, I didn't eat 3.5 pounds in 1.5 weeks more! And I ran! That should be good for at least 5 pounds, right?

In the last few days, I opened one of those ultra giant bags of M&M's, and I've actually lost a little. So confused.

It's back to being too hot to run.

My measurements are the same, but my shorts feel different. Not sure if it's because *I* feel fatter, or if things are rearranging or what.

It's time to start moving.

Posted by me at 8:32 PM | Comments (0)

August 24, 2011

WiW: Week 73

Weight: 142.4

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I ran!

For the first time in two months. The temperature dropped down into the low 80's (which naturally meant there was a breeze to run into) and I didn't have a good excuse, so I got up off my ass and did it.

I wasn't sure what to expect of myself. I started with a 20 minute clock, expecting that I would have to walk a time or two.

I managed 11 minutes and just over a mile before I walked to a minute. Ran another 5 (which was REALLY hard to complete), walked one more minute, and then ran 2 more to complete my 20.

For the first time I can remember, the cool down walk was actually hard.

My legs were already sore from I-don't-know-what, but otherwise they held up quite well until the tired got me all over. Breathing was rough for a while, but it passed. I had a stitch or two that followed me the whole way through.

That'll do.

Posted by me at 12:38 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2011

WiW: Week 73

Weight: 140.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

This not exercising thing really seems to be working in my favor. I think this is the lightest I've been since I gained the weight in the first place, and I sure as heel haven't done a damn thing to deserve it.

The sad part is, as light as the scale says I am, and as nice as the measurements still are, I'm not feeling particularly slim. I think I felt skinnier when I was heavier and running. That would make more sense if the measurements were back up. And my clothes still fit, so yay for that.

With the way the scale has been dropping and the thermometer has still been climbing, I can't say I'm all that eager to get back to running. And I'm totally out of the habit of getting my ass up and doing something. Amazing how long it took to get into the habit, but how short a time it took to get out of it.

I'm hoping my motivation will return with the cooler weather. But I've been so still, and it's been so hot for so long, I'm not longer sure either will ever come again.

Posted by me at 9:41 PM | Comments (1)

August 10, 2011

WiW: Week 72

Weight: 142.4

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

My weight is doing well, considering I haven't done a thing in two months. I'm starting to feel like I need to move though, and maybe tighten things up a bit, but it's still just so freaking hot.

Posted by me at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2011

WiW: Week 71

Weight: 142.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23.5

It was 110 today. It's been over 100 for 33 days straight.

And I thought I needed a treadmill for winter.

Posted by me at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2011

WiW: Week 70

Weight: 142.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Still haven't moved, but I've been losing weight. I'm sure it's lost muscle, and I'm certainly getting jiggly, if not spreading, but I'm still 5 pounds lighter than I was before I started this whole exercise thing, so I'm having a hard time getting upset about it!

Posted by me at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2011

WiW: Week 69

Weight: 144.4

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

It's still hot. I'm still not running. Or Shredding.

I have less than two months before I have two 5k's to run, it better cool off soon!

Posted by me at 9:21 PM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2011

WiW: Week 68

Weight: 144.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Still nothin'. It's still ridiculously hot, and I still haven't gotten back to the Shred. And the longer I don't Shred, the less I want to start, even though I feel terribly guilty every single day for spending so much time on my ass. Hopefully it won't be much longer before my guilt overpowers my laziness.

Posted by me at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)

July 6, 2011

WiW: Week 67

Weight: 143.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I have no idea how I lost a pound and a half last night. I can only assume that muscle-weighs-more-than-fat thing works both ways.

I haven't worked out at all since last week. It's been ridiculously hot, which is a perfectly legitimate excuse for not running. It's no excuse at all, though, for why I haven't done the Shred more than one time this summer. I keep meaning to, but I just... don't.

I guess I need to get on that.

Posted by me at 9:20 PM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2011

WiW: Week 66

Weight: 144.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

I had an appointment with Dr. Dukes on Monday, and apparently explaining that I had barely budged off the couch for three weeks has motivated me to run in spite of the heat. I ran Monday and tonight, and I'm happy to report that I'm still good for 2.5 miles in spite of the break and the heat. It's time to add my ice-pack-in-a-sock and see if I can up that to 3!

Posted by me at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2011

WiW: Week 65

Weight: 144.8

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

Another week of not much formal exercise. I did the Shred on Friday, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, it was hard, but at no point did I feel like I was going to keel over and die. I would never have guessed it by my body's reaction. I could barely moved without groaning for two days, and was still moderately sore for a couple more. My body's reaction really seemed over the top, and it kind of makes me wonder if there's something else going on...

I ran tonight, for the first time since the Firefly two and a half weeks ago. I went 5 minutes over my minimum, and I wasn't really exhausted until those last 5 minutes. My legs held up great, and my breathing wasn't too bad either.

It was a fairly cool night, though, and I have no idea how I'm going to manage to run all summer when the temps go back up.

Posted by me at 7:51 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2011

WiW: Week 64

Weight: 144.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Yeah, haven't done a thing since last week. Considering the way I've been eating, I'm shocked that I've only gained a pound since I left for Maryland.

I need to start getting back into some organized exercise, but it's just too hot outside to want to run. I've been needing to get back into something that involves my upper body, so I'll probably start the Shred again, or possibly an interval workout I found online. I've been putting it off because I was afraid to derail my 10k training with the soreness from all those squats.

Posted by me at 9:53 AM | Comments (0)

June 8, 2011

WiW: Week 63

I'm out of town, I haven't exercised since the race (unless you count rock climbing and horseback riding, which FUN! but omg I'm so sore), and I have no scale.

And next week isn't going to look much better!

Posted by me at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)

June 4, 2011

Firefly 10K 5k: Take 2

clock time 32:46

I've been training to run this as a 10, but the heat has just really been killing my pace lately, not to mention the issues I've had in the last few weeks making my long runs. The 10k had a requirement to finish the first 5k in under 30 minutes, and before I even got to race day, I had figured out that I could run the first half in under 30, OR I could run a 10k, but at these temperatures it was unlikely that I could do manage both in one shot.

Of course today was ridiculously hot. I don't have a temp at race time, but I'd guess between 87-90 based on what the last few nights were like. The line for the porta potties was crazy. I waited 25 minutes to go, and almost didn't make it to the race start. Then, I couldn't get near the front, sort of a necessity if I were to have a chance of getting to the 10k course. I didn't even cross over the start line til about 1:10 after the start. The traffic was thick all the way through. Last year's race had like 350 people, this year was about 10 times that!

The first mile didn't feel so bad, but after that, it's uphill for what seemed like the next 2 miles. I didn't start really hurting until about 2.6 miles in, and I was sure by that point I wasn't going to make the cutoff anyway, so I stopped even considering it. When I finally dragged myself to the finish line, they were actually still waving 10k'ers on, but by that point, I was DONE.

My iPod time was 32:46. Chip time was 31:34. I placed 529/2376 in the 5k overall, 42/277 in my age group. There were 496 10k runners (they weren't ranked in the 5k scores.)

Results here.

Posted by me at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

June 1, 2011

WiW: Week 62

Weight: 143.2

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

I finally managed another long run!! It wasn't particularly fast, but at this point I don't care if it took all night, I'm just on a high that I finally ran 6.2 miles without dying, collapsing, or needing a Depends. The rest of the week went ok. I did some walking with Angie, a short run that could have gone better (the wind/heat combo was INSANE) and a longer run that was alright. The rest of the week should go pretty easy, until the Firefly, which I'm still leaving open for a 10k, but I'm pretty sure I've already talked myself out of it.

Posted by me at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2011

WiW: Week 61

Weight: 143.2

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

Still haven't managed to get a long run done. The first part of this week has sucked hard due to female issues, so bad that even if the weather hadn't killed Tuesday's run, I would have skipped, and so bad that Angie and I just walked instead of running. It's getting down to the race wire, and at some point it won't matter how I train, it will just be what I can squeak out on race night.

Posted by me at 1:45 PM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2011

WiW: Week 60

Weight: 141.2

Waist: 29
Hips: 36
Thigh: 22.5

I don't know what the hell is going on with my long runs. Last week, I was going along fine until my gut cramped up and ended my run rather dramatically. I got in a good, fast run on Sunday, and made my goal. Monday I ran with Angie, and I was sort of glad it went a little shorter than planned since my gut started acting up again.

Tuesday is where I get really confused. My goal was 70 minutes, but a little less than halfway through I was just so tired. Nothing was really hurting, although I had an annoying back ache. My gut was rumbling but hadn't yet hit critical mass. My breathing was ok, legs were still functioning. I was just generally, incredibly, tired.

The kids have been sick, and it's possible that I'm coming down with something, although it's staying pretty low grade. Some nights, I'm not getting much sleep. PMS? Hypochondria? Mental block?

I don't know what's wrong, and I'm starting to get pissed at myself. I was doing so well, was in such good shape to be running that 10K race, and it feels like it's all slipping away.

I have just over two weeks to get my body and my head straight.

Posted by me at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

May 11, 2011

WiW: Week 59

Weight: 142.8

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36
Thigh: 23

I don't know how I have such good numbers this week, because I haven't done crap. Last week, I had that great long run, but I didn't do much else. I did a 4 miler on Saturday (it was hot!) and I haven't run since. My running buddies all flaked on Monday, so I took the day off. Owen has been sick, so I used some flimsy weather as an excuse to take Tuesday off, and I was planning a nice, cool long run tonight, but some real weather is screwing that up as I type.

I will get a long run in this week. I will I will I will!

Posted by me at 9:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 4, 2011

WiW: Week 58

Weight: 143.4

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

Crap, it's been so long since I started this WiW that I've forgotten the details of the week. At least I can get the numbers in!

Posted by me at 9:55 PM | Comments (0)

May 3, 2011

Oh, god, I enjoyed it!

I don't know what magic happened tonight, but my run was awesome! My legs felt great the whole time, my breathing never labored, and aside from a stitch around 50 minutes that went away pretty quickly it felt good. On top of that, I was moving pretty fast, and pretty much smoked my previous 10k times.

30:00 - 3.06 miles
60:00 - 5.95 miles
62:30 - 6.20 miles
70:00 - 6.93 miles

If I had known I was so close to making 7 miles, I would have run that extra minute, even though it was uphill!

The weather was about perfect: 60 degrees and no wind. I never really got hot, even when I stopped. Pretty much the worst thing I can say about tonight was I chafed on the inside of my upper arms. I'll take it!

Posted by me at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2011

WiW: Week 57

Weight: 142.0

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

I never did make up last week's failed long run. Between weather and a chunk I scraped off my big toe and the loving relationship between my ass and the couch, I just didn't go. It really boosted my confidence when I managed to pull off my 65 minute run this week. I'm a little concerned that the only reason I made it was because a cold front came in, and that the return of warm weather will derail me again, but I guess I'll find that out in the next week or two.

Also thrilled that my weight was pretty stable at around 5 pounds down for the last week. I'm starting to think I might actually manage to lose those 10 pounds before I reach year 2!

Posted by me at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2011

WiW: Week 56

Weight: 143.0

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I'm starting to love Wednesday weigh-ins after Tuesday night runs. I got to walk around all day today thinking "Five pounds down! Halfway!" even though I know some of that will likely be back tomorrow.

And even though I didn't actually do my long run last night.

I mean, I tried. I got about halfway through, and I had to walk. And when I started back up, my legs were leaden, my hip hurt, and I was dragging. I finally just called it at 40 minutes. I don't know if it was the temperature (74, not that bad), the humidity (really bad), a lack of determination, onset of menstruation or just an off day.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about it. Make it up? Give myself a break for the week? (I'm still running the C25K, so it's not like I'm doing nothing.)

Posted by me at 10:41 PM | Comments (2)

April 16, 2011

Warrior Dash

On Saturday, my friend Becky and I ran the Warrior Dash. It seemed like it would be fun, 3.24 miles of running, broken up by 14 obstacles to wade, climb, crawl, jump and slither.

And fun it was.

I was initially was more worried about the obstacles, figuring all the running I'd been doing should serve me well for the distance. The obstacles ended up being more fun than challenging, and the run was harder than I expected, probably because of the uneven terrain, hills and all the pauses to do obstacles.

We got wet right at the start, but managed to stay pretty clean until the last obstacle: crawling through a mud pit under barbed wire.

The day started out cool, and we were worried about the water temperature and being wet all day. It warmed up quickly, and was actually quite a nice day for a run. Not quite nice enough that after the mud started drying were we willing to get firehosed and soaked again.

To sum up: Fun, better with a friend, would do it again with a friend or group, but probably not alone.

The stats:

Chip time: 41:22
Pace: 13:21
184/587 age group
3473/7393 overall

Posted by me at 9:51 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2011

WiW: Week 55

Weight: 142.0

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I'm starting to love weighing in the day after my long run. I drop about 3 pounds! Sadly, it doesn't stay off for the rest of the week, but it was nice today to be my lowest weight since I started this thing, even if it goes back up some tomorrow.

These long runs are kicking my ass for days afterward. I need a day or two off, but the C25K schedule just doesn't allow for that. I didn't up my run this week, since I have a race coming up on Saturday. I'm not sure doing the same distance was any easier, but at least it wasn't any harder. I'm also moving Friday's run to Thursday so I can have a day off right before the Warrior Dash, although I'll be working the school's Luau, so I'm not sure it's much of a break!

Posted by me at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2011

WiW: Week 54

Weight: 142.8

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

My cold last week didn't ever get horribly worse, but I somehow managed to take it easy anyway. I ran a shorter run on Thursday, figuring that if I got worse, at least I did something, and if I got better, I'd still have enough oomph to do a long run on Saturday. Then on Friday, everyone flaked on the C25K, so I just took the night off. Saturday, I thought my throat was getting sore again so I took it easy. Sunday was just insanely windy.

Tuesday I got back into it. It was rough, but I ran 65 minutes, 6.2 miles. I guess I can run a 10k, even if it was slower that usual. Now I just have to keep it up for the next two months!

Posted by me at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2011

WiW: Week 53

Weight: 145.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

The big news this week is that instead of upping last weeks run by 5 minutes, I upped it by 10. And I even felt pretty good at the end! My pace was a bit slower than what's become my usual, but not by much. I'm fairly confident that I'll be able to kick the 10k's ass, if I can keep it up.

The bad news is that by this morning, it was pretty clear that I'm coming down with something, and my hip didn't recover today the way it did last week. I was already trying to decide if I'm supposed to do a single longer run, then a medium run and the three shorter C25K runs, or keep pushing the two longer runs. This decision gets harder every week as the C25K runs get longer.

Posted by me at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2011

WiW: Week 52/One year wrap-up

Weight: 144.0

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 36.5
Thigh: 23

I've officially hit one year! For some reason, I'm not as excited about that as I should be. Maybe it's because in a whole year, I haven't managed to make a fairly attainable weight goal. Or maybe it's because I still don't feel like I have more energy than I did before. Or maybe it's the constant nagging and sometimes screaming pain from everything from run-of-the-mill sore muscles to whatever the hell this hip thing is.

I thought all this exercise was supposed to make me perkier, thinner, and healthier.

On the up side, I'm in considerably better shape. I mean, I can run for 45 minutes straight! I feel a little less blubbery, can sing in the car without getting short of breath, and I'm on track to run a 10k in a couple months. I feel like I can't just give all that up, even if I can't definitively say that the benefits outweigh the pain.

Posted by me at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2011

WiW: Week 51

Weight: 145.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I've been doing pretty well bumping up my runs. I mean, I managed a 40 minute run, with a better than 10 minute pace. I'm not sure how long I can keep up all these workouts, though. I mean, I'm only doing two hard runs instead of 3, but then I have 3 other days where I C25K, and Shredding those days, too. I worked out six days in a row last week, and it seems a little overkill. Heck, Tuesday I just plain ran out of time to do my Shred, and I'm having a hard time feeling too bad about it.

Posted by me at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)

March 9, 2011

WiW: Week 50

Weight: 146.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

This week, I restarted doing the Couch to 5K with a group of friends. Obviously, I don't need to do the build-up, but it's nice to get out with a group of girls and stay motivated. So I'm doing the C25K three days a week, and then on the days in between, I'm doing my longer runs to stay trained for the Warrior Dash in April, and the Firefly in June. I did the Firefly last October as a 5k, this year they moved it up and added a 10k. I'm fairly sure I can train up to the distance, but they have a stipulation that you have to complete the first half in under 30 minutes so they can clear the course for traffic. Since I've only once in my life run a 5k in under 30, and that was only by 7 seconds, and I got to stop after that, I'm not really sure how this is going to play out. The long run I did this week was pretty fast, so that bodes well, but it was also nice and cool.

I'm also still going to throw in some Shreds, so far on the days that I C25K, since the runs aren't that strenuous yet. I'm really impressed with how easy the first week of the C25K is this time around. I mean, I know I'm in way better shape, but it's nice to see just how much better. I remember feeling like I was going to die last time, and now I can talk through the whole run, and it doesn't feel much worse than a fast walk.

Posted by me at 9:39 PM | Comments (0)

March 5, 2011

Mardi Gras 5k

I woke up this morning and it was 44 degrees and so windy the flapping of the flag across the street had repeatedly awoken me during the night. Pretty much the exact conditions that I normally give myself permission to puss out of.

I'm too cheap to back out of a run I paid for, though. Besides, how could I ever wear the t-shirt if I didn't do the run?

I'm so glad I went. In my head, I've had this fantasy of running in under 30 minutes, knowing that I'd be thrilled if I finished in under 31. When I crossed the finish line and saw the clock at 30:32, I could have jumped for joy. You know, after I could breath again.

Then I checked the website for my chip time, and I've been floating ever since. 29:53!

Even better, my hip felt great during the run, and it still feels great now. Dr. Dukes had warned that I might want to run/walk this race after what he did to me, but I felt AMAZING. I could totally kiss him right on the mouth!

I finished 23rd out of 103 in my age group, and 312 out of 907 overall. My pace was 9:37/mile. (Results here.

Posted by me at 8:29 PM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2011

Hopefully healing

Aside from my Ob/Gyn, I've never made an appointment with a doctor with the expectation that they would put my hands on me in any significant way.

Today I saw a sports doctor/chiropractor/ART specialist, and it took me until now to realize why THIS appointment with THIS doctor felt so different from any of the other many appointments I've been to over the years. I was also a little nervous because a lot of my pain disappeared the day I made the appointment, much like when you take a car to the mechanic and it suddenly stops making that strange noise you hear every day.

He found a few places that were tight right off the bat, places that I hadn't known were sore until he pushed on them. It was deeply uncomfortable for me when he worked on those place, but nothing compared to the hot poker feeling I experienced when he dug into some other muscles later on. I can't keep track of all the muscle names, or even exactly what was wrong with each part, but I do know that I have some tight muscles, some rotation in one hip and probably some damage that's resulted from everything from pregnancy to carrying kids on my hip.

How much he really helps remains to be seen. From what my friend who recommended him has said, I'll be more sore tomorrow and maybe beyond. Not sure when the feeling better part is supposed to start, but I'm willing to give this a few more visits/weeks and see where it goes.

Posted by me at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

March 2, 2011

WiW: Week 49

Weight: 146.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

God, I hope I'm ready for my run on Saturday. I've managed 5k's since last week, in spite of wind and wildly varying temperatures. My hip has gone from Yeow to just uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure I scared the pain away by making an appointment with a chiropractor/sports medicine doctor that a friend recommended. In exchange, what seems like the nerve pain I've had in the past in the back of my leg has come back. Ah, well, either way I have something for him to treat.

I'm planning a short run for Thursday, then taking Friday completely off.

Posted by me at 9:26 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2011

WiW: Week 48

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 24

This was a bad week for eating. I went to a party on Saturday and didn't eat too badly, but I drank plenty. Monday we went to Outback for Rex's birthday, and today I had Mexican for lunch with Rex and a friend. Add in some regular monthly bloat, and I'm back to square one on this weight loss thing.

God, I'm getting sick of talking about my weight, and how it never really changes.

I talked to a couple people this week who did that HCG diet thing and lost 35 and 40 pounds in under 2 months. Sure they had more to lose, but I've been busting my ass, trying to do this the "right" way, and I have nothing to show for it, weight-wise. The scale keeps flashing the same number, I'm still wearing the same jeans.

Color me pissed.

In running news, my hip isn't getting any better, and now I have some minor knee discomfort on the same leg. I managed to run a 5k tonight, and one of my fastest, but it was HARD. If I weren't registered for a race, I would have bailed halfway through the run. I realize now that my speed may have been the issue (I mean, YAY! fast, but I want to live to finish).

Blah. I'm going to go wallow in my bloat.

Posted by me at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2011

WiW: Week 47

Weight: 145.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I cannot believe that after only one week off of organized exercise, and all that walking, how terribly, horribly sore I was after two days of Level 1. Friday was cold, and I was embarrassingly sore, so I skipped and ran Saturday instead. I only managed 20 minutes, but I managed to run 20 minutes. I consider that both a success and a failure. It also leaves me concerned that I can get up to a reliable 5K in two and a half weeks.

The upside is that I've managed two runs for 25 minutes, and I'll do my best to up that on my next.

Posted by me at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2011

WiW: Week 46

Weight: 145.4

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

So, no workouts in the last week, but it seems like I walked a hundred miles while we were at Disney World. And in spite of eating like the power was out and everything in the fridge was about to spoil, I gained less than a pound while we were there.

And now, we're home, and I have three weeks to get prepped for a run, and it hasn't gotten out of the 20's all day. I'll be Shredding tonight, and as long as it takes to warm back up to something reasonable. As much as I carried Owen last week, I might be able to do one-armed on the right side, but the left has likely gone back to mush.

On a side note, my dad saw the girls do the Shred while he was here for Christmas, and asked me about the video. He mocked me a bit, thinking it couldn't be as hard as I made out. After a few weeks of doing it, he admitted he was wrong!

That said, I'll be starting back at level 1.

Posted by me at 8:49 PM | Comments (0)

February 1, 2011

WiW: Week 45

Weight: 144.6

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

I thought taking it easy last week would keep me from getting sicker. Not so much. I finally gave in and started running in spite of the hacking cough (which oddly seems to go away DURING the run, but comes back with a vengeance after) and somehow managed to keep my 30 minute run and even push it to 5K. Monday's run got cut short by some really strong wind. If I had known how bad it was, I wouldn't have gone out at all, so I guess I get some credit for making 2 miles.

I also realized this week that the race I signed up for is in 5 (less, now!) weeks, and I'll be out of town for one of those weeks, not running and stuffing my face. Yikes!

Posted by me at 11:26 PM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2011

WiW: Week 44

Weight: 146.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Last week, I started getting a cold. When I felt kind of assy, I took it easy, hoping not to anger the cold and give it a reason to take me all the way down. When I didn't start feeling worse, I made up a run on Saturday (30 minutes! I'm back!) Monday I was feeling worse, and it was too cold to run, so I took off. Tuesday I made myself do Jillian Michael's Yoga Meltdown. Less aerobic than the Shred, but still quite painful.

I had grand plans for tonight. I really wanted to run. The weather is nicer than it's been in weeks. I don't want to lose all that extra mileage. But I'm stuffed, and I cough every time I take a deep breath. The longer I sit here, the more it hurts each time I swallow. I'm pretty sure I made the right call, but I still feel like I'm making excuses.

I registered for a race at the beginning of March, to make sure that I don't let myself back off.

Posted by me at 9:08 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2011

WiW: Week 43

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23.5

Apparently Shredding myself into oblivion did something for me last week, because I was able to start back up with a 25 minute run. Go me. It didn't do anything for my weight, though, which has done nothing but go up since Christmas. Maybe that damn level 2 was putting on muscle? I don't know, and to be honest, I don't really care. I was just hoping to be down 5 pounds at the beginning of February, and it doesn't look like that will ever happen.

Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (2)

January 12, 2011

WiW: Week 42

Weight: 145.4

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23.5

This is one of those weeks that rationally isn't so bad, but it *feels* like crap. My weight finally stabilized at 2 pounds up from my low, which is where I would normally feel moderately svelte, but now that I hit that low I feel fat and blobby. And in spite of planning (and doing) the Shred on the regular days, plus every day it's too cold to run, I still feel like I'm turning into a squishy ball of lard because I'm not running. Not to mention I'm afraid after finally breaking the 25 minute barrier I'm going to go back to square one.

To sum up: Feel like crap, no good reason to.

Posted by me at 6:56 AM | Comments (0)

January 5, 2011

WiW: Week 41

Weight: 147.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

Well, this has been a surprising week. I've miraculously managed to up my runs 5 minutes without crying, and I've gone from my lowest weight in a year to nearly where I started nine months ago. I'm pretty sure the four pounds in four days is water weight from my overly friendly Aunt. I'm hoping I've hit maximum hydration, because I've fairly sure I'm carrying enough water to float a cruise ship.

It's really hard to be so excited about my accomplishments when I'm losing so much ground toward my ultimate goal.

Posted by me at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 3, 2011

More and less

For the last few months, since I got sick and fell so far behind in my "training," I guess, I've been having a really hard time on my runs. Most of the time I manage to make my 20 minute minimum, but it seems like the only reason I push that far is because I know the end is coming up, and I refuse to give up. Which, goody for me, but I feel like death, and there's no way I'm going to make 25 minutes, much less a 5k.

I've kept pushing on, thinking it would get easier, it's because some weeks I'm only managing two-a-weeks, the Shred is wearing me down, it's cold. I finally came up with a new plan to extend my running: I was going to run 20, walk 2, then run another 5. The C25K had done something like that, and I figured it couldn't hurt. I didn't want to start that tonight, though, since I'd only run twice last week, on Wednesday and Thursday, and I didn't want to step up when I was probably already going to be short of oomph.

And then.

And then!

I ran tonight. And I felt good. For the whole run! Even the extra 5 minutes I tacked onto the end, because I didn't feel like I was going to die. And when I finally did stop, it was because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow if I didn't, not because I was wheezing and my legs felt like lead.

I wish I knew what made tonight different, so I could do it every time I run. And I truly hope this is the new normal, and not just a fluke.

The only down side of tonight (and I hate to bring it up, on such an upbeat post) is that I ran with both my old iPod/Nike+ pod combo, and my new iPhone using the Nike+ GPS app. The mileage didn't just not agree (which I expected), it was off by nearly a third of a mile. I'm not 100% convinced that the GPS app is strictly accurate (mostly based on iTunes reviews, which I don't necessarily trust, either,) but I'm sure it's closer than the pod.

Maybe that's why the 5k races I've done have felt so much longer than my 5k training runs!

Posted by me at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2010

WiW: Week 40

Weight: 143.8

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

This is the last WiW of 2010!

I have no idea what's been happening, but I'm finally losing weight. The week of Christmas, when I skipped three workouts.

I'm not complaining, mind.

I Shredded yesterday, level 1 in deference to the three missed torture sessions. Today, I'm way more sore than I expected to be. I mean, jeez, it hadn't been that long!

Anyway, run today, probably run tomorrow because the weather turns cold again, Shred on Friday (not sure if I'll go with level 1 or 2. Depends on how much I hurt, I suppose.

Oh, and I've decided to register for the Warrior Dash. Motivation, you know.

On to 2011!

Posted by me at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2010

WiW: Week 39

Weight: 145.4

Waist: 29.5
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Well, I didn't manage three runs last week, but I did manage five workouts, so I guess it's still an improvement.

This week, I've manage two runs and a Shred, in spite of increased company. I'm pretty sure I'm done for the week, though, unless I can get half an hour alone (HA!) tomorrow. I've already decided to give myself Friday off for Christmas.

I think Shredding has actually changed my body shape some, although it hasn't been melting off any pounds. (That may have something to do with the good eatin' of the last week, too.)

My goal for the next week is to not fuck things up too bad.

Posted by me at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2010

WiW: Week 38

Weight: 146.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

Well, Friday's run didn't happen, but I did an extra Shred on Sunday to make up for it. This week, I decided to flip my workouts around because of cold and company, Shredding MWF and running TTH. Then I flipped things around again to take advantage of a warm front before it got cold again, so I ran tonight. The wind was absolutely nutso and I'm totally blaming my SLOWEST PACE EVER on it. I almost quit 10 times in the first 4 minutes, but I'm glad I stuck it out. I got all caught up in a daydream at the end and when snapped out of it, I wasn't miserable any more. I threw in an extra minute of running, just for fun! I don't think cutting back to two runs a week is doing me any good, and I'm sure bunching them together is even worse, but holy crap has it been cold outside. Two is better than none, right?

Now, can someone explain to me why running doesn't improve my Shred, and Shredding hasn't made running any easier? And while we're at it, how did one Chimichanga derail the last month of weight loss?

Posted by me at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2010

WiW: Week 37

Weight: 145.0

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Twenty minute runs are still kicking my ass, but at least I'm doing them. And I'm doing them in spite of what I consider subarctic temperatures. I'm also still working Shreds in between runs and as hard as they are, at least I can function the day after without wobbling around like an old lady.

I'm also back to my low weight since I started this whole exercise thing, so I guess it's a good week.

Posted by me at 8:32 PM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2010

WiW: Week 36

Weight: 146.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

Thanksgiving, house guests, blood donation. I suppose I should be grateful it isn't worse.

Posted by me at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2010

WiW: Week 35

Weight: 145.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

I guess the upside of the last week is that I actually got three workouts in, two runs and a Shred. The downside is that with guests coming in and Thanksgiving, there likely won't be more for a while, and I'm sure I'm going to eat back everything I burned off.

C'est la vie!

Posted by me at 9:36 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2010

5.20: Why is being healthy so painful?

I was supposed to go out of town this weekend. Since I knew I wouldn't be getting a run in, and I figured I'd have lots of days to recover, I did the Shred on Friday afternoon.

I've been meaning to start up again for a while, but I always have an excuse. It's a running day. I forgot to do it while Owen was napping. I had something more important going on. I didn't want to get sweaty. I was sick.

I finally got fed up with myself and my excuses and did it.

And now I remember why I was putting it off.

Doing the Shred was bad enough. Apparently I have absolutely ZERO upper body strength. And my legs? The ones that I thought would be strong from running? I guess running uses absolutely none of the same muscles as the Shred, because they didn't do a damn bit of good.

Oh, my, am I sore. I can barely make it up the stairs, and down is even worse. My chest and shoulders protest any but the tiniest movements. Even my abs, which are usually fairly resilient and I would have thought to be moderately strong from running, are sore.

Being sore while out of town would have been a bit embarrassing, sure, but we do a lot of sitting around with Rex's family, so it wouldn't have been too taxing. Instead, I'm home, with a huge list of things that need cleaning before family starts coming into town Monday night. Frankly, I'm just not sure I'm going to be able to scrub the shower and Swiffer the kitchen in this condition.

Posted by me at 8:16 PM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2010

5.18: Baby it's cold outside

And I was out there running. Up until a year or so ago, if you had told me I would be running several miles at a time, I would have laughed in your face. If you told me I would be running when it was 45 degrees outside, I would have just walked away, because obviously you don't know me at all.

I'm honestly not sure if I'm more proud of the fact that I went running tonight, or that I voluntarily went outside in these temperatures.

That said, I think I might be asking for a treadmill for Christmas.

Posted by me at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2010

WiW: Week 34

Weight: 145.2

Waist: 31
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

One run since last week. I guess it's better than none, but really.

Monday, it was cold AND rainy. Cold I could deal with, but I'm not getting wet when it's 50 degrees out. Full disclosure: I didn't want to run and was glad it rained.

Tuesday, I had a headache. Now, I've had a headache every day for the last week and a half or so, but low level. I took some Tylenol to try to knock it out before I had to run, but the act of putting my hair in a ponytail almost knocked me on my ass.

Tonight it's so windy that I think if I ran into the wind I could go for 20 minutes and never leave our front walk.

I think it's time for a treadmill.

Posted by me at 9:06 PM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2010

WiW: Week 33

Weight: 147.0

Waist: 31
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

I'm ashamed to even write this week.

I haven't run at all since the last update, and I'm not starting back up tonight. I went to all the trouble of buying cold weather clothes to run in, and then managed to get ANOTHER cold before I could wear them.

I'm starting to measure bigger, the scale is telling me I'm gaining, and I'm sure I'll barely be able to pant out two miles when I get back to it.

Posted by me at 8:33 PM | Comments (0)

November 3, 2010

WiW: Week 32

Weight: 145.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23

The good news is, I finally got back to running after over a week and a half off for this stupid cold. And even though I had given myself permission to walk a minute or so in the middle of that first run, I didn't need to.

The bad news is that I only did 20 minutes on my second run back, when I had hoped to push it up a notch. I was going to start the training for a half at the end of January next week, but I'm not even up to where I should be to start the training, much less ready to do 4 miles. The hip pain that was mostly just an annoyance didn't get better with the time off, it actually seems to be worse. And instead of easing up as I get warm, it gets worse. I'm not sure if it's muscle pain, something damaged, or just being an old lady.

Also? It's cold out there! I need some better cold weather gear and a lot more resolve. It's easier to complete the run in the cold, but sooo much harder to get started!

Posted by me at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2010

WiW: Week 31

Weight: 145.4

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

Stupid cold.

I haven't run since last Wednesday. Friday was the school's carnival, and I decided I'd just let that be my exercise, let sickness take the weekend, and run again on Monday. I had lost my voice on Thursday, again on Friday, and was still sounding rough on Saturday. I really thought that by Monday, I'd be well on my way to feeling better.

It's Wednesday, and I still feel like ass. The sore throat has been coming back, the cough is getting ridiculous. I'm anxious to get back out there before I lose what little leg and lung I have left, but I'm afraid of what all that heavy breathing will do to me.

Posted by me at 9:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 21, 2010

WiW: Week 30

Weight: 145.6

Waist: 30
Hips: 37
Thigh: 23

Not much to say about the last week. Monday's run was derailed by a girly issue. That's also the day I started feeling like I might be coming down with something. I ran Wednesday since the sick wasn't bad yet and I figured I'd need my pity day later in the week.

Oh, and I completely forgot to do my update and measurements on Wednesday, so I'm a day late.

Posted by me at 8:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2010

Firefly 5K

Last night, I remember that I had seen someone wearing a Run On t-shirt and remember that someone had said they sold running gear. I was curious, so I checked out their site, which led to looking at the races they had listed for this weekend, which somehow led to me running a race less than 24 hours later.

Huh.

It looked like my kind of run. Cool, dark and relatively flat. And as an added bonus, they give you LED lights to wear!

It really was cool. When the line of runners was all stretched out, there were at least 100 yards of people, all flashing in the dark.

And even better, I redeemed myself for my last race. My chip time was 31:14, slower than my fantasy time somewhere in the 29's, but something I'm totally proud of. I finished 25 our of 62 in my age class, and 147/351 overall. (Results here.)

I'm pretty sure I need to recalibrate my iPod again, although I heard someone say they couldn't guarantee the accuracy of the route. I can't wait til I get some form of GPS. My iPod told me I was done before I could really see the finish line, which was a bit of a letdown.

Now, about that half marathon training...

Posted by me at 9:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 13, 2010

WiW: Week 29

Weight: 146.2

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

I think I may have eaten out at least once a day every day last week. I can't believe I'm not waddling.

I moved up my regular Monday run to Sunday this week because we had family coming into town. It goes without saying that I didn't eat so well on Monday, either.

I don't really have a good excuse for yesterday and today. I just can't back away from the M&M's.

Then I shortened tonight's run.

Bygones!

I'll do better tomorrow...

Posted by me at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2010

WiW: Week 28

Weight: 146.8

Waist: 30
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

As much as I hate going outside when it's cool, I think I must be a cool(er) weather runner. My pace has improved almost 30 seconds in the last week or so, from around 10 minutes per mile to right around 9:30. I've managed to adjust my breathing to one breath for every three steps, from a breath for every two over the entire run. I don't know nothin' 'bout nothin', but I wonder if that has something to do with my speedier pace.

On Monday, I learned just how cheap, and how dedicated to my metrics I am. I saw a penny on the ground not too far from my house. I didn't want to screw up my pace numbers by stopping to pick it up, so I finished my cool down at the penny, stopped the iPod, got my penny and headed home.

Posted by me at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2010

WiW: Week 27

Weight: 146.2

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

Ahh, I feel like I can finally relax a little! I think two races in two weeks was too much. It was hard to figure out when to train and how much and how to hit the sprinklers and giving blood wasn't the brightest idea, either.

I wasn't sure how I would feel on Monday. I'd been feeling sort of overdone, but I ran a fairly fast 30 minutes (at least I think it was fast, the stupid iPod kept time but stopped recording distance partway through).

Today started out with a trip to IKEA, where I bought a couch in two giant boxes that I got to load into the van by myself. When I got home, I got to unload them by myself, too, and then assemble the sucker. Then a PTA function for which Rex and I got to make and wrap 120 hot dogs and then help serve them. That alone will make me sore tomorrow. I considered pushing my run til tomorrow, but I got off my ass and did a short run tonight instead. And I totally rocked the pace! I also did the whole run taking three steps per breath (I usually move quickly to two per breath).

Mostly, I'm just happy that I've finally broken the weight curse of Weigh-in Wednesday.

Posted by me at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2010

Murphy Maize Days 5k

Ugh.

That's all I have to say about that.

Oh, wait, this is a blog all about me, by me. You have to hear me whine. Ha!

My goal going into this race was to run the whole thing, and hopefully finish as well as I did last week.

The day started out great: 72 degrees, light drizzle. My kind of weather. I actually slept some last night. I had friends racing, friends and family along the course cheering, and no major pains or discomforts.

Which is why I'm so pissed that I had to slow to a walk. THREE TIMES.

Yeah, yeah, I finished, yada yada yada. Go me. And I didn't walk a lot, maybe a half mile total, maybe less. And my time wasn't terrible, 32:54. (Race results here.)

Still, I'm not considering this a success. And now I'm left with the dilemma: do I try another race in the hopes of meeting my goals, or admit that I dislike racing even more than I dislike running and let it go?

Posted by me at 10:57 AM | Comments (1)

September 22, 2010

WiW: Week 26

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

Today is the 6 month mark of starting Weigh in Wednesday. Which makes it quite a kick in my (big, squishy) tushie that after several weeks of (slightly) lower weights, today I am back up to where I started.

Meh.

I've had an off and on headache since Sunday's 5k. Giving blood today, when I was already feeling a bit wonky and trying to get ready for another race on Saturday might not have been the best idea. The wonky increased after they took my blood. I'm not usually affected. I really don't know if this is all in my head, if something else is going on, or if this is just one more reminder that I'm getting old and old sucks.

Meh.

I ran on Monday, even though I had done the 5k Sunday morning, mostly because I didn't want to shift my runs and miss my sprinklers. Yeah, I love them that much. I just did a short run, and then a fast walk. I was planning to do a 4 miler tonight, but after the blood donation, I pulled that back to a short run with the option to walk. Which I did, a bit.

So now I'm terrified that I'm not going to be able to pull it out for Saturday. And while I'm fairly sure I shouldn't be doing any hard training the night before the race, I may have to do something just to prove that I can.

Meh.

Posted by me at 9:17 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2010

Test run

I was planning to break my race cherry next weekend at our town's annual celebration of corn. Instead, I unofficially ran a 5k in Richardson's Corporate Challenge in order to earn a participation point for The Man's company. Sadly, we didn't sign up soon enough to be on the roster, so I didn't have a chip to get a real time. On the up side, Rex walked with the kids, and they walked the whole course and still had enough energy to run across the finish line. I'm so much more proud of them than I am of me! Their time was about 1:01:00.

About the run: I started toward the back of the herd, and it was at least a minute or so before after the first people crossed the chip reader before I did. I assume the clock started when the first person started the race, so I'm guessing I can subtract a little time off what the clock said when I crossed the finish line. I had planned to take my own time using the iPod, but I had an issue getting it started at the right time, and then I forgot to stop it when I crossed the finish line for at least a minute or so. Because of the information the Nike+ records, and what it doesn't, I can't even calculate my overall pace reliably. In any case, the clock read 30:46 when I crossed the line, which puts me at better than a 10 minute mile. Take off a minute or so for the slow start, and I'm guessing the reason this distance was so hard today was because I was going at a really fast pace (for me). And there were hills. Did I mention the hills? They weren't big, but it seemed like the entire distance was going up or down, but never truly flat.

After I finished, I took a couple minutes to douse myself in a fountain, sat until I didn't feel like I was going to die anymore, and then headed back to the course to try to find the rest of the family. It took me a while, and I probably walked another couple miles finding and crossing the finish line with them.

It was more fun to cross as a family than it was to finish the race fast and alone.

Posted by me at 8:56 PM | Comments (1)

September 15, 2010

WiW: Week 25

Weight: 147.4

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

The end of last week was sort of a bust. We had Pei Wei for dinner Friday, and while I was careful not to eat too much, my run was still cut short. Not because of a full stomach, but because of a weird reaction my guts seem to have to Chinese food. I was hoping to have a do-over on Saturday and meet my original 40 minute goal, but I pussed out after 20 minutes. The part that pisses me off the most is that aside from my gut issue on Friday, the rest of me felt great, and like I could have handily made my goal.

I vindicated myself on Monday with a 40 minute run. It was humid, and while my legs weren't *too* bad by the end, I was working really hard to breathe for the last 15 minutes. I'm actually impressed that I stuck it out.

Today's goal was 40 minutes, unless I was feeling awesome at the end, in which case I'd do 45. I split the difference, and according to my Nike+ I was a bit slow. Honestly, I think the mileage was a bit low compared to previous runs on the same path, but I'm not going to fight it too much. I'd rather figure out why my iPod isn't recording the first time I set it up. Something odd is going on with that thing, and I don't like it.

I'm unofficially running a 5k for the Corporate Challenge on Sunday, so I'm planning a short run for Friday. With a 5k on Sunday, I haven't quite figured out what to do next week. I'd love to take Monday off, but I'm unwilling to give up a week of sprinklers, and I still want to get three runs in.

I also haven't made an official decision on the half marathon, although I'm on target for Week 1. My Monday run for next week is supposed to be 5 miles, which obviously isn't going to happen, so that might end it. I'm not sure I'm ready to move up to 5 anyway, although I guess that's just the fear talking.

Posted by me at 9:28 PM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2010

WiW: Week 24

Weight: 148.4

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

It's pretty bad when I can complete my runs and still be slacking. It's also sad that running a 5k feels like phoning it in. Who have I become?

It's not helping that I had one not-so-bad eating day that led to a worse one that led to a bag (the GIANT size) of peanut butter M&M's. My mind says I'm pudgy, the scale says I'm pudgy, the mirror says I'm pudgy. Any one of those tends to lead to a loss of control, the three combined has me wondering what the point of all this work is.

And yet, I press on.

Posted by me at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2010

WiW: Week 23

Weight: 147.8

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

The last week has been both awesome and horrible.

On Friday, I ran 4.5 miles in 45 minutes. That's the longest I've run, the farthest I've run, and one of my better paces. I give credit to cooler weather and the sprinklers. LOVE the sprinklers.

Saturday night, my throat started hurting. By Monday, my throat was improving, but the congestion was moving in. I did a short run, and it actually wasn't too bad.

Until Tuesday morning, when the congestion really set in. Today, I decided not to push it. I feel like ass, I'm stuffed to high heaven, and the coughing is just beginning. It's not worth making myself so miserable, but I hate missing a run, especially on a nice cool, wet night.

I'm really hoping I'm better enough by Friday to go out, both because it's supposed to be cool, and because I don't want to lose all the awesome I achieved last week.

I still can't believe it. Four-point-five miles, and I felt decent at the end. It's mind boggling.

Posted by me at 12:18 PM | Comments (2)

August 25, 2010

WiW: Week 22

Weight: 147.8

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

I finally got back up to a 40 minute run! By the end of last week, when I had failed miserably once to make my 40, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever be able to pull it off. Making my goal on Friday mattered way more for me mentally than physically.

Of course, now I have no more excuses.

For the first time in I can't even remember how long, the temperature was under 100 today. And not just a little under, 20 degrees under. I had grand dreams of how easy that was going to make tonight's run, and how much farther I might be able to go, just because of the cool.

Ouch.

I wouldn't say tonight's run was any harder, but I'm not sure it was much easier, either. I was less hot, and I'm not still sweating my hiney off and hour after I got home, but I didn't feel like I could run forever, either.

How do people run forever?

Posted by me at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 18, 2010

WiW: Week 21

Weight: 147.6

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 23.5

It's still hot. I got back up to 35 minutes last week, and told myself that I could ease off for a run if I felt like it, and then do my first 40 minute run since the vacation on Wednesday. I went ahead and did a short run on Monday (with my best pace since I recalibrated!), since I didn't get back from a PTA meeting until 10pm, and figured I'd be all rested and refreshed to do the full 40 Wednesday (today).

Two problems.

One, we aren't going to be home tonight, since we're taking the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for a last hurrah.

Two, I solved problem one by running this morning. But I was dragging. I mean DRAGGING. By the time I got to 20 minutes, I was starting to wheeze and my legs were numb like I was finishing a marathon. Or at least, a much longer run, since I don't know what a marathon feels like. I went ahead and cut short, which was a shame because now I'm going to feel guilty about it, and because it was nice and overcast and who knows when that will happen again. And naturally, the temperature has dropped since I got home, and it's even rained a little.

The plan is to do that 40 minute run on Friday. My plan is also to have a great time with my kids, and enjoy our last days of freedom.

I'm determined to achieve both.

Posted by me at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2010

WiW: Week 20

Weight: 147.8

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 23.5

I'm not even sure what to say anymore. I put on a pair of pants that fit beautifully last October, and my thighs looked like overstuffed sausages topped off by a portobello sized mushroom cap.

I was (sort of) ok with not having lost any weight, because I could see that I was a little more toned and my one pair of go-to shorts got the tiniest bit looser. In my (highly deluded, apparently) mind, I was 10 pounds heavier but basically the same size as last fall.

That's nearly as disappointing as when I calibrated my Nike+ and realized how far off my distances really were.

In happier news, I'm picking up distance pretty quickly after my vacations. By next week, I'll be back up to where I was when I took off. The temperatures have been in the low to mid-90's, which I think has been the hardest part of getting back into running. I've started carrying an ice pack to try to keep cool, and I've come to the conclusion that a run without sprinklers probably isn't worth running.

Posted by me at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)

August 5, 2010

WiW: Week 19

Weight: 149.0

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

So the workout thing hasn't been going so well.

Life, on the other hand, has been going along quite well.

I got one workout in two weeks ago, between returning from Maryland an leaving for St. Lucia. I also managed a Scentsy party, a girls night and a ton of errands that included a successful clothes shopping trip.

Then I spent a booze and food filled week of fun and relaxation in St. Lucia. There was sitting without interruption, sleeping in, doing nothing, ziplining and golf. And when I got home, I was no heavier than I was when I left. Sure I was crazy bloated when I left, but I still consider it a success.

The real problem has been since I got home. It's hot here. And I don't mean a little hot, I mean well over 100 during the day, and still in the mid 90's at 10pm, which is sort of my cut off for how late I'll run. I did one daytime run, and I've sworn that I'll run tomorrow, no matter how hot it is. I have GOT to get back on track.

(Yes I could run in the morning and it would be cooler. No, I still don't see any way to convince myself to get out of bed a minute earlier than the kids make me.)

Have I mentioned I finally signed up for a race? A 5K, in late September. I was totally ready for a race three weeks ago, but now I feel like I may almost have to start from scratch.

Also, I'm still kicking around the idea of a half marathon in early December. I'd need to start training for that uh, now, but the first run are 4, 4 and 6 miles, so I need to get back to where I was before I can think about that kind of schedule.

Posted by me at 12:28 PM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2010

WiW: Week 17

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

Not much new to report. I didn't do any workouts since last week. My eating hasn't improved. Between a dinner at Carrabba's (did you know that Maryland law requires that restaurants put the calorie counts on the menu? I'll never be able to order Pasta Weesie again!) a meal with a friend at home with dessert, and dinner at my mom's, I figured I'd have at least a few extra pounds to lose when I got home.

I fully intended to run when I got home, but it was hot and I was sleepy and I didn't want to wake myself up with a run.

I know, excuses.

Posted by me at 9:48 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2010

WiW: Week 16

This is going to be a pretty pathetic update. I left Tuesday for Maryland, with grand plans to run either on my dad's treadmill (broken!) or at the beach (hot, no sleep, didn't want to hold the rest of the world up with my tummy issues) and to do my measurements on Wednesday. I knew weights were out, and I figured my runs would be fairly quick, but I was going to maintain as much normalcy to my workout routine as possible.

I completely forgot to do measurements. My shoes were wet when I packed them, and by the time I got them out of their bag, they stunk to high heaven. Half of my suitcase was filled with workout related gear, none of which I've touched. My schedule has been crazy packed, and by the time it eases up, I think I'm going to call project Vacation with Exercise a bust.

Bummer.

I plan to return (to Texas, to running, to metrics) on Wednesday. Until then, I'm going to eat as much lettuce as possible and enjoy my family and friends.

Posted by me at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 7, 2010

WiW: Week 15

Weight: 148.4

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I'm still generally pooped, more than a little attached to the couch, and not losing weight, but I'm still somehow improving my runs. On Monday, I ran for 40 minutes. Straight. I never would have thought I could do something like that 4 months ago. I ran 3.83 miles, with a total workout distance of 4.55 miles.

I've run about 150 miles in the last 15 weeks.

I guess for now, that will have to be enough.

Posted by me at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2010

WiW: Week 14

Weight: 148.2

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 37.5
Thigh: 24

I don't know what's up, but for the last couple weeks I've had repeated nasty headaches and felt just physically worn out. I had about gotten used to the morning hot flashes that seem to have become the new normal, but now I'm starting to get them randomly throughout the day. I haven't been sore, exactly, other than last week's speed intervals, but my legs tire out just going upstairs. I'm pretty positive I'm taking in enough calories (HA!) and I'm not exactly melting away here. I thought maybe my thyroid was off in the other direction, but the only trouble I'm having sleeping is when my pesky kids wake me up. I'm not going to admit to my thyroid running hot until I make my goal weight, in any case.

I thought exercise was supposed to make you feel all healthy and shit.

Whatever. The cool weather has been doing wonders for my pace, regardless of how I feel. If it stays cool, I'm going to ramp up my time again. I still can't decide if I'm going to go for a half marathon in December, but I still have a couple months before I have to start the training program. I really need to get a 5K race under my belt, so if I decide to go a different direction with my exercise routine I still get to cross "Finish a race" off my list

Posted by me at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2010

WiW: Week 13

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

The heat is really getting to me. Somewhere inside me, I decided that 87 was the maximum temp that I'd go out and run, and yet tonight it's 90 and I'm still planning to run. A shorter run, sure, but still. I shudder to think what July and August will be like.

On Monday, I thought I'd try to mix things up a bit and do some speed intervals. I decided to cut it down to 20 minutes to make up for the extra effort, and do 60 second of running alternated with 90 seconds of jogging (I picked those times because that's what the C25K app has, and it's easier to let that ol' bitch keep track of the timing.) After my first run interval, I downgraded to running/walking. I wasn't managing to recover in the 90 seconds of walking, either, and by the end of the 20 minutes, I felt like I had started the C25K all over again. WAY harder than I thought it was going to be!

By this morning, the tops of my thighs were pretty sore. I really didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal. Especially since all the metrics (pace, calories, distance) are so far below my usual long run, which doesn't hurt at all once I cool off.

I guess that's a sign I need to keep doing it.

Posted by me at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2010

WiW: Week 12

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

So I finally managed to get back on schedule after last weekend, and then my wonderful Monday night girl's night knocked me back off again. It was totally worth it, and I'd throw my physical fitness over for an emotional workout like that any day.

Anyhoo. Tuesday morning was cooler than usual, and a lovely shade of gray, so I took Owen to a track at a local school to finally calibrate my Nike+. Only I forgot to google track length before I went, so instead of basing my calibration on a 400m lap, I based it on the ever-so-much longer quarter mile lap. In any case, my walking was almost spot on without calibration (based on my erroneous distance), and the running wasn't far off, but I calibrated it. I'll have to go back and do it again correctly, so for the moment my numbers don't really relate to my past mileage OR real mileage. Brilliant!

I also did less total distance, and more walking, but at least I did something. I plan to run tonight and be back on schedule again.

[Insert angry rant about my weight here. Even I'm getting tired of hearing about it.]

Here's hoping the heat doesn't kill me.

Posted by me at 8:45 PM | Comments (0)

June 9, 2010

WiW: Week 11

Weight: 150.6

Waist: 31.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24.5

This week was MESSED UP. I got my period, we were traveling through two runs, I managed to get on a treadmill and learned that my Nike+ calibration is probably off a whole lot in the wrong direction, and I was dehydrated and not doin' right that night so I cut it short. In spite of not eating poorly (I thought) on the trip, I was up a cow and a half when we got home.

Some of those are fixable. I'm hoping some of the weight is water and bloating and will drop off quickly. If I run Thursday and Saturday, I won't technically be down any runs, although I'll still have a hard time making my Nike goal for the month, which is as much due to losing the data for that one run as anything. I managed a full 30 minute run last night, and even though it was on the slow side, I felt pretty good through parts of it.

The biggest bummer that I can't overcome is the calibration issue. I always knew that the "out of the box" calibration was probably off, but I figured it would be close, and that what was most important was being able to compare each run to the others. I figured if I was really lucky, it might even be off in my favor.

My first clue that there was a real discrepancy was on the treadmill Sunday. My Nike ped said 1.74 miles, the treadmill said it was only 1.5. That's a big difference on a short distance. I checked last night's run on mapmyrun. The site said 3.37 miles, my ped said 4 miles even. Yikes!

I still want to check the ped against a measured track, but let's face it, the thing is off and off bad. It's unlikely I've actually run 5K, and my pace is way slower than what I've been counting on.

In my race against myself, I'm doing great. But my race in reality isn't getting too far.

Posted by me at 9:12 PM | Comments (1)

June 2, 2010

WiW: Week 10

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 31.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

Yay! I finished the C25K program!

Now what?

As much as I don't really like running, I do feel like I need to do it now, if only to keep up the level of fitness I've achieved. And while I don't like the actual run, I do like the feeling of accomplishment and strength. Without the C25K app, I feel like I'm losing some of that accomplishment, since I'm not checking off workouts to a goal anymore. Nike+ gives me some of that, but I need all I can get! And while I could up my goal to a 10k and find an app for that, I'm not sure I want to spend that much time every week doing something I don't love.

Plus, the heat is getting to me, and I'm already running late enough as it is.

So far, I've come up with running some of the less flat areas of the neighborhood, since up until now I've felt every inch of elevation like they were steep hills. At some point I want to throw in some sprint intervals. I also need to add in some upper body work. We have a Bowflex, I just haven't managed to go upstairs and use it. Stupid, I know. I do better when I have someone (or something!) telling me specifically what to do.

Which is why I'm trying to decide between a treadmill (have I mentioned the heat? And it's not going to get any cooler.) and maybe a gym membership.

But not right now. Right now, I'm going to bed.

Posted by me at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2010

WiW: Week 9

Weight: 148.0

Waist: 30.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

It's late, so I'll make this quick.

I cannot BELIEVE that I started working out 9 weeks ago, and that on Friday I'll run the last of my C25K program. It doesn't seem like it's been that long, but the state of my lungs and the length of time I can run begs to differ. So do the temperatures! It's getting hot, and even by 9pm it's still hot enough to make running hard.

I've started running late to try to avoid the heat. It's not ideal, getting back at 10 and trying to cool down and fall asleep (or write about exercising!)

I'm starting to see a pattern on my runs, too. I'm not sure if it's because it's Wednesday, and my legs haven't had enough rest, or because it's Day 2 of each week and my legs haven't adjusted to the new distance, or if it's something entirely coincidental and/or unrelated, but mid-week I have a really hard time finishing my run. My legs feel like lead, I'm working hard to breathe, and my side cramp comes back. I don't look forward to mid-week so much anymore.

Posted by me at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2010

WiW: Week 8

Weight: 148.8

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

Not much exciting happened in the last week, except that I ran my FIRST 5K! I'm up to a 28 minute run, so I guess that means I even had a fairly good pace. Go me!

I threw in a little sprint at the end of week 7's run. I think I'm going to try to add in more speed rounds whenever I feel like I have any extra energy.

My weight is still disturbingly high, but at least moved in the right direction this week. More importantly, I'm finally starting to feel like my body might be tightening up.

Posted by me at 9:42 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2010

WiW: Week 7

Weight: 149.8

Waist: 32
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I've already covered how my first 25 minute run went. I'm happy to say that my second attempt went much better. I pushed it to Saturday morning because of a dinner of Mexican and the girls' TKD belt tests (WAY TO GO, GIRLS!). Saturday was crazy, with cake baking, shopping and prep for Katie's birthday party, the actual party, and then the after party. I fit the run in somewhere between baking the cake and lunch and groceries at Sam's. I'm not a big fan of people seeing my look of painful desperation while I run, so I prefer not to run during the day, but Saturday was cool and beautiful. First time I felt like I should have brought sunglasses, though.

Monday was CRAZY windy and I wasn't feeling so hot, so I downgraded to a long walk to check the distance on a new route.

And now to whine. What the hell is up with my weight? I expected a little fluctuation because of my weekend eating, although I wasn't nearly bad as I could have been, given the circumstances. And I did get my period (way early), but still. I'm 7 weeks into this, and I weigh more than when I started, and none of my measurements have decreased. I'm not making a big deal about watching what I eat, but I've definitely cut back since I started. It's hard not to get discouraged. I'll finish out this program, but I'm not really sure what else I can do if I don't start losing in the next couple weeks.

Posted by me at 9:54 PM | Comments (0)

May 6, 2010

Well, crap

This is one of those things I can't believe I'm going to tell the world, but it's too funny to keep to myself.

Tonight's run was supposed to be 25 minutes with no walking intervals. I was...concerned, but eager to get started and get it done. I felt great when I left the house, but about 5 minutes in, I started to wonder if my gut was going to take over this run. By 10 minutes in, I was debating stopping and getting my business done with while I still had some control over the where. I decided to try to tough it out, which seemed like a mistake immediately after I passed my last good stopping point.

About 18 minutes in, I tried pushing the button on my iPod to see how long I had left. Between there and the end of my run, I mispushed something several times. Both apps seemed to continue in spite of my mistakes, so I didn't really worry about it.

With maybe 5 minutes left, the stomach issues became desperate. The upside is that I was in a section of neighborhood that is only developed on one side of the street. The downside is that I went behind a thigh high barrier and copped a squat up against a low rock, from which I had an awesome view of all 4 houses in the cul de sac across the street. Luckily, no one walked by, drove past, or took their trash dow to the curb while I was, uh, busy.

Crisis past, I pulled up my shorts and got back to my run. (Note to self: fanny pack with tp worth the fashion faux pas.) I finished the run, started my cool down and pulled out the iPod to check my distance. That's when I noticed that the distance had stopped on the Nike+ app, even though the time was still running, and the C25K app seemed to be a bit off as well. The hell I'm not counting this as a complete run, though. I figure the minute I stopped was totally offset by the 15 minutes of clenching to that point.

I got home, stripped down to jump in the shower, and found this:

I'm either totally badass for finishing the run with a rock in my panties, or really pathetic for having to stop in the first place.

Mostly, I'm pissed that my Nike+ stats are off, and I smudged THREE TOES of my brand new pedicure.

Posted by me at 11:00 PM | Comments (1)

May 5, 2010

WiW: Week 6

Weight: 147.8

Waist: 31.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

Wednesday's run was shitty and amazing, all at the same time. Amazing because I completed 20 consecutive minutes. Shitty because, well, I was running. I had headwinds at the beginning and end. One minute in, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to three minutes, much less finish 20. I felt like my pace was slow from the beginning, and by the end I was positively crawling. I was setting goals for myself all the way through (I can make it to the end of the street, I can make 10 minutes, the end of this song) until by the end I was running because the sunset was so pretty and I couldn't let it down. If you had dangled a Tic Tac in front of me, I would have run for it. I would have run for THE LOVE of the Tic Tac.

I think I was losing it.

It didn't help that I had downloaded a 20 minute podcast for the run, and a 5 minute song for the warm up/cool down, and I ended up listening to the same s l o w song SIX times in a row. I was hoping to concentrate on the words of the podcast, and instead I was trying to tune out this sad song about suicide.

The other two runs were intervals, which no longer have the power to scare me. Running 10 minutes is still hard, but it's so much easier than 20 it feels like cheating. Sadly, starting tonight I don't have any more interval runs left, just solid jogs for 25, then 28, then 30 minutes. *skeered*

I also seem to be on a downward weight trend. I hope it keeps up, even if it's slow, because it's much more motivating to go down instead of up. I'm actually slightly under my day-before-my-official-weigh-in weight. And in just 6 weeks!

Posted by me at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

May 3, 2010

Better, but still not good

I think for the first time since this running thing started, I can see some improvement in how I feel when I run.

Don't get me wrong. I still find it...unpleasant. But where before it was a tie which pain was going to take me down first, my lungs or my legs, now the two alternate. In those very brief moments when I can overcome those pains, that stinkin' stitch that I thought I was done with comes back.

There are times, though, when I can forget that I'm huffing like a steam engine pushing through the Rockies. Times when my legs are tired but not feeling like marble columns, heavy as lead but way less flexible. Times when my aches recede and I can bring myself to just relax and enjoy the freedom, the peace, the solitude.

Except I don't. I don't feel free, I'd rather have some good adult conversation, and I'm bored with my own company. All I can think during those times is that I would rather be just about anywhere but here. I could be reading, sitting, comfortable. It's not like I'm seeing any actual results (read: weight loss. I'm still shallow enough not to care about the rest of the health benefits.)

And just how long am I going to do this, anyway? Once I hit my goal, do I get to stop? If I stop, I'm wasting all the pain and suffering I've put myself through the last 5 weeks. But if I keep going, I'm just continuing the discomfort cycle. If I were hitting my thumb with a hammer, I'd be stupid not to stop, right?

Right now, I'm just going to console myself knowing that things are getting better.

Posted by me at 9:11 PM | Comments (2)

April 28, 2010

WiW: Week 5

Weight: 150.2

Waist: 31.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

Oh. My. Hell. Up another pound? Really? We went to Conroe last weekend for a party, and I did drink, but I didn't think I ate all that much. When I got on the scale Monday morning, I thought there might even be a slim chance of breaking even, and instead I was up over TWO POUNDS. Worse, it wasn't water weight or anything, because it hasn't dropped away. I know I've been no angel on the food front, but I'm doing better now than I did in the beginning, and I just keep getting heavier.

Running seems to be causing me some intestinal issues, too. At first I thought it was the result of too many M&M's, but I've been off them for over a week, and nothing is getting better. In fact, I'm all crampy after I run, and sometimes it lasts into the next day or two. I now have two things to be happy about at the end of a run: I'm done, and I haven't crapped my pants.

I'm really looking for some sort of breakthrough, here, in size, in weight, and in desire to run.

Posted by me at 9:58 PM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2010

WiW: Week 4

Weight: 149.2

Waist: 32
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I ended up skipping Friday's run to go to the school's fundraiser Luau. I was exhausted from set up/attending/tear down, and I think I got a decent workout anyway. I don't remember being up and moving around wearing me out so bad before: either I'm more out of shape than I thought, my thyroid is really trying to kill me, or I'm getting old.

I made up the run on Saturday, even though it was RAINING. Week 4 had seemed so daunting, and I couldn't believe that I ran every bit of the run portions. I actually felt halfway decent when I got back in the house, maybe because it was so cool. Running in the rain turned out to not be so bad after all!

I'm totally counting mowing the lawn as exercise, since I haven't added anything else in yet. I'm still afraid that the shred might derail my running, but I'm not denying that I probably need to add some strength training or something in. Also, I need to eat less.

Bah, I'm hungry.

Posted by me at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2010

Normal, dammit

Well, shit. I got all my bloodwork back from my physical, and everything is normal, including my thyroid. It's not borderline normal, it's not at the low end of normal, it's dead center of normal.

Which means my tired fat ass? Is tired and fat because I'm freaking OLD.

And the 10 pounds I've gained in the last 4 months? I'm not getting any help getting rid of it.

I was really counting on having a little medical help getting rid of this weight. More energy. More zing. More zest.

I'm glad I'm healthy and all that, but I'm really not sure how I'm going to get this weight thing under control if this is the new, normal me.

Posted by me at 9:19 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2010

Go me!

I can't believe it! I ran all of the C25K Week 4 Day 1 run! I thought the program was crazy, going from running 9 minutes total last week to 16 minutes this week, with way less recovery time between runs. Sure, my pace dropped off badly during the running portions, but for once it was my legs that were dying instead of my lungs, at least for the first two or three running sections. And I even did it in the rain!

I still don't like running, but I'm feeling pretty damn proud of myself right now!

Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2010

WiW: Week 3

Weight: 148.8

Waist: 31.5
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I wasn't sure I was ready to start week 3 on Wednesday. Then it was CRAZY windy outside, even crazier windy than usual. As much as I wanted to attempt week 3, I didn't want to get knocked out by a giant headwind, so I figured I'd go on a hard walk. I ended up doing some running, including one two minute stretch. My other option was to skip Wednesday, do week 3 on Thursday, run Saturday and I'd be back on schedule, but there's no way I could have skipped two days and done week 3, so I'd have been back a day anyway.

By the time I actually started Week 3, I had totally psyched myself out. I was totally shocked that I managed to run 3 continuous minutes! Sure, I was making squeaky wheezing noises, but I did it! The whole workout seems to go a lot faster, even though those two 3 minutes runs feel like they last FOREVER. The workout is also two *real* minutes shorter, which is probably why it goes by so fast.

I had my doctor's appointment today, and at this point I'm pretty much praying that my thyroid is low. Nothing else really explains my desperate NEED to stay on the couch. My doc even did an EKG while I was in the office, donating blood and urine and scheduling a MAMMOGRAM. When the hell did I get old enough for one of THOSE??

Aside from the tired, everything looks good. I'm already talking myself up onto a roof in preparation for Week 4. Frankly, I think I'd rather jump.

Posted by me at 8:57 PM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2010

WiW: Week 2

Weight: 147.2

Waist: 31
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I finished week 2, but I have to say, the third day was harder than the second. I don't know if it was because I had two days off over the weekend, or it was because it was windy. I have serious doubts over being ready to start week 3.

I'm still disappointed in the lack of weight loss. And I was horrified at what was looking back at me in the mirror when I was trying on clothes. Then I took a shower in the upstairs bathroom, a room that has lower mirrors than my bathroom, and I saw an awful lot of cheese that wasn't there before. And two giant dimples, one in each cheek.

Now THAT'S what I call motivation.

I'm doing a little better with the food, but not much. I went ahead and made an appointment for a physical next week. I'm hopeful that I need my thyroid meds upped, because that would help explain the tiredness and the inability to lose weight. (Yeah, I know it's only been two weeks, but this isn't the first time I've tried.)

Posted by me at 9:53 PM | Comments (0)

March 31, 2010

WiW: Week 1

Weight: 147.4

Waist: 32
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24.5

I don't even know where to start.

First, YAY! I finished week 1! And I didn't die! I've run ever other day since Thursday. I was sore on Friday, worse Saturday, by Sunday I was feeling a bit better, and by Monday I felt basically normal. And run 3 might have actually been a teensy bit better than run 2.

I had planned to shred on my off running days, but after that first fun, I thought I better wait until I have a couple days to recover from that first shred. I'm glad I waited, because I'm not sure I would have made it through that second run if I had been any more sore.

I'm a little annoyed that I don't have distances for my first two runs. I'm using the Nike+ along with a C25K app on the Touch. I finally got that bug worked out on run 3, my total including warmup and cool down was 2.66 miles. Hmm, I need to put that on the calendar, I guess.

I'm peeved that I've gained a bit of weight, but I haven't exactly been and angel with the eating. Sunday we went to a birthday party and had (yummy) fried dinner and cake, so I guess I can't really act too surprised. I really need to do better with my diet in general, but I'm just craving crap all. the. time. Worse, I think all this wonderful extra exercise is making me hungry. And tired. I thought exercise was supposed to give you more energy?

Anyway, I'm going to keep up with the running, try to eat less (HA!), and I might try working a shred in on Saturday, since I'll have Sunday off to recover from it. I'm also looking at a situps app. I'm totally doing this because the technology is fun.

Whatever works!

Posted by me at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2010

WiW: Week 0

Starting weight: 146.8

Waist: 32
Hips: 38
Thigh: 24

I lost 10% of my goal, just by thinking about it! I wonder if I could keep that up...

Sadly, my first run has been taken down by a thunder storm. If it had just been lightly raining, I might have given it a go anyway. Almost wish we still had that treadmill. I'm still trying to decide how to adjust my schedule; I'm thinking I'll shred tonight, run Thursday and Saturday, and go back to the MWF running schedule next week. I'm a wee bit worried about trying to recover from the shred the first few days, but that's going to be a problem no matter how this plays out.

Posted by me at 8:00 PM | Comments (1)

March 23, 2010

Weighty matters

About a month ago, I started writing about my weight, and how I was 10 pounds up from the lightest weight I've been since Owen was born. Then I saw something shiny and never finished writing about how enough is enough, it's time to lose my "winter fat."

Since then, I've lost a pound and gained three. For those of you playing the home game, that means I'm up to 148 pounds.

Then on top of my need to take control back of my muscles, my eating, and my jiggle, Rex started talking about going somewhere warm and beachy this summer while the kids are at my dad's. Somewhere that inspires bikini wearing.

So I've come up with a plan, a goal and a timeframe. I'm going to post updates on Weigh-in Wednesdays to keep me honest and (hopefully) shame me into sticking to the plan.

The goal: 12 or more pounds (136 or less).
The date: July 1, 2010.
The plan: Do the Couch to 5K program three days a week, ideally MWF after the kids are put to bed. Shred TR while Owen is napping. Saturday and Sunday will serve are make-up and rest days.
The metrics: Post weekly weight on WiW, along with waist, hip and thigh measurements. Show calendar with actual workouts.

I will admit that I'm skeptical about this working, after my last foray into diet and exercise. Also, I love the feel of control of having goals and a plan and all, but sadly, I'm less keen on the hard work it takes to make it happen. Having to write down my results for (potentially) all the world to see really helps to keep me moving, though, so I'm confident that I can keep this up.

I think.

Posted by me at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)

January 1, 2010

Coincidence

This isn't a resolution. I don't do resolutions. But now that the guests have gone and the leftovers are finished and (almost) all the chocolate has been consumed, it's time to start my silly Wii running again. And when I'm in some version of Wii shape, I'm going to get my ass out of the house and try real running.

In my mind, I'm already ready to run a short race. In my mind, I do pretty darn well. In my mind, I'm harder, faster, leaner and I'm not breathing all that hard.

Hopefully what they say about envisioning the future you want really does help make it happen, because I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Posted by me at 10:58 PM | Comments (1)

November 3, 2009

4.3: The return of diet and exercise

I'm not sure how I managed it, but I didn't gain any weight while we were in San Francisco. We did do a fair amount of walking, but we also weren't skipping any meals.

Since we got back, though, well, let's just say I've been hungry. Really, really hungry. And tired and crazy busy and sedentary. I've also had a lot of Mexican food, which is always a fat button for me. I just CANNOT resist those chips, and let's face it, even a salad at most Mexican places isn't what one would call low cal. And while I was really proud of myself for (Wii) running the day after we got back, I didn't run again for a week.

So it's time to crack down again. To step away from the Halloween candy and get off the couch. I waited til the last possible minute, but I did run last night. And I didn't eat as much as I wanted to yesterday, which has to count for something.

Now that I've fulfilled my NaBloPoMo obligation for the day, it's time to get back to it.

Posted by me at 8:51 PM | Comments (1)

October 24, 2009

Wednesday weigh-in: Week 7 wrap up

This was written on Wednesday, but I couldn't find a single free wireless connection from our hotel no matter how I held the laptop.

---

I've been up by a pound or more since last week's weigh-in. I did some crazy exercise (after which I woke up a pound heavier), but I haven't been great about what I stuff in my pie hole. Not horrible, but not all salads and shredded wheat, either. Add to that it being Wednesday, the day the scale like to fuck with me most of all, and I was totally shocked this morning to find myself down two pounds from yesterday, and right around my starting weight, also known at The New Goal.

We're in San Francisco now, so why I'm going to try to be conscious of what I put in my mouth, and I'm sure I'll get plenty of accidental exercise sightseeing, I'm not going to stifle my vacation by trying to find a gym, or skipping any meal that I get to eat without serving someone else while simultaneously catching flying sippy cups and trying to coax Owen to eat something besides french fries without screaming his head off.

I fully plan to take up some form of exercise when I get home. I'm not sure if I'll be as hard core, but I still want to try running on the road instead of in place, and I think the shred really does have something to offer. I might not try to do them both in the same day, though! I really do think I'm more fit, and that some parts of me jiggle a bit lessened I suppose that's more important than a number on a scale.

The end:

1. The last time I Wii ran, I managed 4 miles in 20 minutes. I was hauling ass, and I'm not sure I can do it every time, but it sure felt good to do it once. I'll probably try alternating with the shred.
2. I'm going to try to keep the eating under control, but not quite as strictly as I was. I think that kind of deprivation leads to backlash in the form of eating entire pies and such.
3. Owen is weaned! Goal accomplished!
4. I didn't lose 5 pounds. I didn't even lose 1. I managed to get back to my starting weight, though, so yay! on that.

Final stats:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8
• 9/23 140.4
• 9/30 139.8
• 10/7 140.2
• 10/14 140.4
• 10/21 139.4

Posted by me at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2009

Wednesday's curse

I've started to fear Wednesday's. No matter how low my weight has been over the last week, on Wednesday, it's right back up there.

At the end of last week, I was actually starting to think this whole diet and exercise gig was producing some results, finally. The low weight actually stuck around for three days, before I ate one little meal out and it jumped. And then jumped again. And then after a really good day with some heavy workouts, it stayed up there.

We leave for San Francisco in a week.

Last week:

1. The shred is turning into more of an every other day workout. Between life and sore muscles, every day just wasn't working. I am, however, running most days, including the days I shred. Granted, it's Wii running, but I'm up to almost 3.5 Wii miles in 20 minutes.
2. I've backed off the ice cream again, but I think I'm eating a little more real food. Not a ton more, but enough that I think ice cream would be overkill. And it seems like the scale agrees.
3. Owen still asks for boobie, but I'm slowly trying to convince him that the word he needs to use is "hungry." He gets the concept now, but hungry still isn't his go-to word.
4. At this point, I'd settle for hitting my starting weight before we leave. So, one pound, one week.

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8
• 9/23 140.4
• 9/30 139.8
• 10/7 140.2
• 10/14 140.4

Posted by me at 8:47 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2009

Wednesday weigh-in

This diet and exercise thing is killing me.

On Saturday, I woke up the lightest I've been in probably months: 138.0. I figured it was an anomaly, and that my weight would go up at least slightly the next day, but it would still be real, honest-to-goodness weight loss. Also, seeing a nice, low number on the scale is good motivation to eat better, and I haven't had that in a while.

Sunday I woke up, saw the expected flux, and decided that today would be a good day to start the 30 Day Shred. I had no idea what to expect, but thought it shouldn't be too bad, since I'd been doing some form of exercise for the last month.

Ouch.

I made it through Level 1, barely. I only had to stop to catch my breath or ease my muscles a couple times, and the ab work felt almost good. Rex did it with me, and with the exception of the push-ups, I think I might have done a slightly harder workout than him. I saw this only because he works out at TKD 3 times a week, and so I expect him to be in fairly decent shape.

Holy hell was I sore on Monday. I powered through, and did the Shred again, although I had to rest more and skip more movements. I had some honest doubts about my bodies ability to support me a few times.

Yesterday, I could barely move. My chest hurt so bad from the flies and push-ups that I wanted to scream every time Owen poked me. And the fronts of my thighs were so sore, I almost screamed when he bonked his head on my leg. I can still barely make it up the stairs, and I don't sit on the toilet, I fall upon it.

I took last night off, figuring if I hurt this bad, I needed some recovery time. I'm still crazy sore today, but I think it's abated enough to try again tonight.

Oh, and in spite of the salad I had for dinner last night (I passed on McDonald's fries! And a fountain Coke! My favorite things!) I managed to gain a pound overnight.

To sum up:

1. I'm feeling guilty giving up the running, but I just can't handle it right now with the Shred. And since the Shred is about killing me, I figure it must be a good workout, so I'm going to try to do it daily until we leave. Unless I die first.
2. I may have been going a little heavy on the nightly ice cream this week. Time to dial it back a bit. Otherwise, I've done fairly well resisting temptation (fries!)
3. Owen is still poking me in the boob regularly, but I'm holding strong. Here, have a cracker!
4. Lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks, without amputation. Ha!

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8
• 9/23 140.4
• 9/30 139.8
• 10/7 140.2

On the upside, I noticed this weekend that I'm starting to look tighter, which is really the whole point of this torture, right? I just wish my pants didn't feel tighter, too!

Posted by me at 11:32 AM | Comments (1)

October 1, 2009

Not losing (motivation)

Well, look at me! I'm only a half a pound heavier than when I started this whole thing, 4 weeks ago.

As for the goals:

1. I'm up to 20 minutes of running in place, and I don't feel like I want to die anymore. I bought a Nike+, sewed a shoe pouch for it myself, and got an armband for the touch, but I haven't actually had a chance to leave the house to try real running. I'm doing a total of 30 minutes of aerobic activity every other day, and still doing the ab stuff the other days, but usually no more.
2. I had a few bad eating days this past week. One of them seemed to have no effect on the scale, but two in a row killed me. I'm still trying to recover.
3. Owen is totally boob free. He hasn't stopped asking for it yet, but he doesn't flip out as often when he's told no.
4. Lose 5 pounds in 3 weeks. Possible, but really, look at my track record.

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8
• 9/23 140.4
• 9/30 139.8

Posted by me at 9:09 PM | Comments (0)

September 30, 2009

Full update tommorrow

A quick weight update, because I haven't worked out yet, and I must GET. OFF. MY. ASS.

This morning's weigh in was 139.8, which is still up from my starting weight, but down from last week. It's not my lowest weight of the week, either, but I think eating at Chili's two nights in a row really got me.

Posted by me at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2009

Fight the fat!

Well, I haven't technically lost any weight since I started this, but at least I weigh less this week than last. By a smidge. Nothing feels looser yet, but then it's been a while since I've worn my shorts, what with the cooler weather we've had this week.

On a more positive note, while I still don't like running, after 10 minutes of Wii running (in place), I don't feel like I'm going to die at the end anymore. In fact, the last time I ran, I was barely winded! I'm incredibly impressed by that, since I've never been much of a runner or fan of aerobic activity.

As for the goals:

1. I've turned to doing mostly aerobic exercises on my Wii nights. I try to add a little something heart raising to my ab workouts, but I'm not being strict about it.
2. I've loosened up a bit on the eating by adding a bit of ice cream every night. The down side is I've lost a bit of my control during the day, but I think the extra food (at least part of it) may actually be helping. At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.
3. Owen is down to one feeding a day, and with the way he's been treating me and constantly asking for boobie, I'm actually looking forward to cutting him off (And also, it makes me want to cry a little bit.) My current hope is that he'll stop abusing me when there's no chance of a boob, period. I'm not betting any money on that theory, though.
4. Lose 5 pounds in 5 4 weeks. Yikes!

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8
• 9/23 140.4

Posted by me at 9:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2009

Weighty matters

I know it's only been a couple of weeks, but this whole weight/exercise thing is really starting to bring me down. After another week of doing some form of exercise every day, and carefully watching what I eat (and resisting, oh, the resisting!) I've managed to gain another .2 pounds. The hell?!?

I know everyone (including me!) says that muscle weighs more than fat, yada yada yada, and your clothes are fitting better, right?

NO!

If anything, my shorts are more snug, and I appear no smaller, tighter or toner in the mirror than I did two weeks ago. The only benefit I've seen so far is that I don't want to cry so much after I do the plank or those sit-up things where you keep your legs off the ground the whole time. I know that should be some sort of victory, but dammit, I WANT RESULTS.

Here's where I stand on the goals:

1. I think I'm going to have to add to the exercise. Maybe add more to the ab toning workout I do every other day.
2. I can't eat much less. As it is, I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough, and between that and the nursing, my body is trying to hold on to some fat. Stupid body LISTEN TO WHAT THE MOUTH IS SAYING. I could eat better, more fruits and veggies. For some reason, I'm totally off healthy food right now, and while I'm fairly sure it's a phase, I need to grow out of it.
3. I've cut the boy down to two feedings a day. He's not happy about the lack of boobie, but at least he isn't asking for it in the morning. I'll try to drop another one in the next week or so, although it's going to be tough since we're having some sleeping issues right now.
4. Lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks. It's possible, but that sure is cutting it close.

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6
• 9/16 140.8

Posted by me at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2009

Motivation

Last week, Beth posted her weight on the internet, as motivation to get back in shape for the second time this summer.

I was struck by the similarities of our desires. I, too, had worked out and tried to eat less to prepare for a summer beach trip (much less successfully, but I tried, dammit!) I, too, had gone on vacation and said to hell with my diet, I'm on vacation! As of last week, I weighed 139.4 (my scale is accurate to .2 pounds). And as of Wednesday of last week, I had 7 weeks until Rex and I leave on a trip away from the kids, the first since Owen was born.

I had thought about posting a picture of my scale, and just never got around to it (also, my toes are not as pretty), but I did start up with the exercise again last Thursday. So far, in spite of a weekend away from home, I've managed to...gain a pound.

I swear, I thought I was eating well, given my circumstances. But I'm not giving up!

So here are my goals:

1. Step up the exercise. I'd rather be firmer and tighter than weigh less.
2. Eat less. And better. This is hard, because I'm weaning Owen, and experience tells me that I'm still hungry as if I'm eating for two long after the second person drops off.
3. Wean the boy. He's getting cut off 6 weeks from today, in spite of both of us fighting it. I'd prefer to do this slowly and smoothly as opposed to cold turkey, so I'd better get crackin'.
4. Lose 5-10 pounds. Realistically, I doubt I'll be able to take off more than 5 in the next 6 weeks. My ultimate goal is 10, with an option for another 5 depending mostly on my thighs.

And here are my stats so far:

• 9/3 139.4
• 9/9 140.6

Posted by me at 12:59 PM | Comments (3)

September 30, 2008

Let's check your stability during Flip the Bird

There are a lot of things I like about the Wii Fit. I like that it works me. I like that I can choose which exercises I feel up to on any given day. I like (when I'm winning) the competition between Rex and I and against myself in the rankings. I like that I can learn Yoga poses (or some facsimile) and screw up the rhythm boxing in my own living room, because working out badly in my own home is still better than not working out at all because you don't want other people to see how inept you are.

No, I have no issues.

There are a few things I think could be done better, like having to listen to the trainer go on and on after every pose, and having to wait between ski jumps. I don't really need the Wii's conversation when I start it up, either, asking me if the weather is getting cooler and whatnot.

I think my biggest peeve, though, is one I experienced tonight. For the past three nights, my weight has increased slightly. Just a tiny bit each time, so little that the Wii's only comments referred to normal fluctuations and it didn't even ask me about my poor eating habits. Tonight, though, was good. I lost the last three days combined weight plus a little, and what did the damn thing say? "You aren't going to be able to make your goal in the time you've chosen."

WHAT?

No good job, no way to go, nothing positive. So my peeve? I want the option to tell the Wii to SUCK IT.

Posted by me at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2008

Touch me and I'll kill you

Owen has been doing this thing lately where he cries/moans/makes this noise that makes me want to rip off my leg and beat myself with it pretty much every. single. time. I set him down. And I wouldn't normally mind holding him all the damn time (too much) if he weren't constantly pinching me and yanking on my shirt and shoving it into his mouth and then barfing.

Makes you want to be me, huh?

The combination of these two behaviors is making me nuts. I'm starting to act unfriendly toward him, which makes me feel horrible, because he's my sweet little boy. Also, he doesn't seem to be getting it, so what's the point? It drives me nuts that my two choices ALL DAY LONG were to be relentlessly touched/pinched/mouthed or listen to the hounds of hell. I'm not even able to bask in the glory of the sleep I got last night, since he only got up once (well, twice if you count when Rex got up with him at 5, but since I got to stay asleep in bed, I don't).

I'm going to try to work off some of my angst on the Wii. Last night, I ran farther than I have in years. It's possible that I went a whole quarter mile. Well, in place, that is. I wonder if it's significant that I've Fitted for two days, and had two days of Owen hell? If so, that's backasswards, since I thought exercise was supposed to reduce stress.

Posted by me at 8:34 PM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2008

Wii unfit

Back in July, Rex and I bought the Wii we had been talking about getting for months. I think we called it our anniversary gift to each other, but that's a little weird since we don't usually get each other much of anything. Whatever, we bought the damn thing.

While the girls were in Maryland, we religiously did the fitness test. Rex is naturally pretty good at both athletics and video games, so he easily scores younger than he really is.

I started in my 70's. No shit.

I thought after a few days, I'd get the hang of Wii'ing, but I think my best age to date is 39. I scored that tonight.

I really wanted to get the Fit, but I haven't managed to hit a store that had any in stock. I'm not willing to wait in line for hours, or get up any earlier than I already do, but I do wander through the video game aisle at any and every place that might carry them. Today, my persistence paid off. While hauling Owen's hiney around Target. I should get a few years off just for that! Anyway, Target had piles of the things, and even some consoles.

After the kids went to bed, I synced the thing up and got weighed and measured. I'm pretty sure my Mii gave me the finger after she saw my weight, but I'm in the healthy BMI range so SCREW YOU, MII.

Ahem.

The Fit said I was 42. Not bad, considering what the Sports Fitness test has been saying about me! Then Rex did his initial test, and damn if he wasn't in his 20's. His BMI is pixels away from obese, but he has the balance of an infant.

On the upside, I'm kicking his ass at the Yoga poses, and I retested and I'm already 4 years younger.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch tv and each my cheese puffs on the couch.

Posted by me at 9:29 PM | Comments (0)