today!!

D is coming home TODAY!

I. AM. SO. EXCITED!

YAY!

I ran yesterday and we talked about running this weekend together. He signed up for the half-marathon with me, although he hasn't been running because of his military schedule. It will be fun to go out and run together, I think, although I have a feeling he's going to be way faster than me. He has long legs!

Yesterday's run felt good. I was surprised how fast I cruise the hills on the way down from the water tower. At the tower I had run an 11 min. mile pace (17 minutes at 1.5 miles). But I was done in less than 32 minutes!

Which means, I believe, that I need to add another (flat) mile at the end of this route .. for FOUR miles.

I love this! A year ago I couldn't run to the water tower without stopping to walk multiple times. Now I'm thinking I need to add to the workout! :-)

Yesterday's run:
Distance: 3-ish miles.
Time: 32 minutes
Avg. Pace: 10:40 min. mile.
Course: Loop around the park for warm up/cool down, then up to the water tower
Conditions: 60 degrees and cloudy, little wind. (I wore too many layers. note to self, I didn't need the sweatshirt AND the jacket)

One pound

I lost a pound!

It's official. I have lost and kept off one pound -- so I'm down to 127 on my scale -- for two days.

I'm very excited!! My clothes fit better, my jeans are more comfortable. I'm not there completely but I'm very close. Two more pounds and I'm back to my before-deployment/stress/christmas weight. Seven more pounds and I'm at my "goal" weight.

The last few days I've switched up my eating to take the same amount of food I eat and spread it over more time. So basically, I'm eating lots of snacks (and thus resisting the conference room donut stash)

So for breakfast, instead of eating cereal and a banana, I just eat cereal. And then I eat a banana like two hours later. For lunch I've been eating soup and bread, followed by some chocolate, then followed by some fruit and hour or so later, than followed by some yogurt/cereal two hours later. Same for dinner.

I'm eating the same I normally would over a course of a day -- but I feel like I'm eating all the time. I'm snacking. And all that snacking means 1) my blood sugar level is stable and 2) I'm not hungry mid-day when I go looking for whatever goodies are in the conference room.

Yay!

Other good news: D is coming home TOMORROW!! Woohoo! :-)

I haven't run as much as I would have liked so far this week. It's been rainy and gloomy outside, and running on the treadmill inside is HARD mentally.

So I pulled myself through two miles yesterday. Hopefully it clears up today and I can go outside today.

And then, it's getting ready for my man to come home!!

a slow 11 miles

I ran with Mom today, which meant I ran really slow. 13 minute miles slow. And walked alot.

After the first 3 miles I realized I drank waaaay too much before we left and had to the use the bathroom. My tummy was not happy with my feet, and so I doubt I could have moved them any faster than the pace we were going. So we made a detour back to the house, which means we did 5 miles before taking a bathroom break.

The next 5 I could have gone at my own pace, but decided I liked and wanted the company of running with someone today more than I wanted to run fast. Which I'm paying for now because my tendan behind my foot is sore (slower pace means shortened stride, which means sore tendan) but that's okay. I'll run my normal stride this week and probably for the next few weekend because ...

D is coming home in FIVE DAYS!!

Distance: 11 miles (about 1 mile walked)
Time: No idea. More than 2 hours, probably 2:20 or 2:30. We walked alot.
Conditions: semi-windy, warm 60-70 degrees, somewhat cloudy.
Course: 5 mile luceline, break, 5 mile hill loop.

meal vs. pre-meal

Well, the scale wasn't so kind this morning. 130. Grr. Probably all the crap I ate two days ago, and the chocolate from yesterday, finaly caught up with me.

Even though I've ran 9 miles so far this week.. and I'm on schedule to run at least 20, if not 22.

Last night I found myself eating handfuls of cereal, then crackers and salsa, than making myself a frozen enchillada (low sodium and fat of course) with veggies on the side.

It's almost like I'm eating pre-meals to my meal. Which is probably why I'm gaining/not loosing any weight.

Since D left I've often found myself craving a "sit down" meal like we used to have. Rarely would I snack while we cooked together, I was so busy laughing and talking and enjoying us. But now, it's like I can't stop snacking!

So two thoughts:

One. If I find myself pre-mealing, I can give myself permission for that to be a meal. Especially since I find myself doing it when I'm kinda hungry but not hungry enough for a full meal (and then I prepare the full meal anyway, see above). There's nothing to say cereal can't be a meal, or crackers and salsa.

Two. If I decide I actually want a meal, and not just snacks, I need to put off the pre-mealing and just eat the meal. I can do this because, if I didn't want the meal in the first place, I have already given myself permission to just eat pre-meal food.

friday afternoon run

Well, my eating was healthy today EXCEPT for the 300 (or so) calories of chocolate I ate.

Yeah... damn hersey's kisses and reces pieces in the break room. The whole couldn't-keep-my-eyes-awake didn't help, either. All afternoon I was craving sugar so I could boost my energy.

I think I need to limit my sugar.

But other than that, I felt quite satisfied.

It was a gorgeous day today, so warm and sunny! I went for a run around the park and then up to the watertower. About three miles. I took it pretty slow, but it felt good. Hard in some parts but really much more relaxing and destressing.

I can't wait until I can run fast!

Distance: 3 miles (about).
Time: 34:25 minutes.
Avg. Pace: 11:28 min. mile.
Course: Warm up and cool down around the park, up to to the watertower and back.
Conditions: Sunny, warm, 60 degree.

emotional eating?

I need to get back on eating track. I haven't gained any weight (still at 128, for like the ump-teenth week) but I could feel the cravings.

It was hard to walk by those mini donuts at the grocery store. And the candy in the breakroom. And, and, and ...

I'm passing most up because of sheer determination and will power. But it wasn't always this hard. Seriously!

And with D coming home in ONE WEEK from TODAY ... well, why do I feel like I'm loosing this battle?

And then I thought, maybe I'm seeking comfort food because of the stress of his coming home. Okay, I know that sounds weird because I'm SO excited his military deployment will be o-v-e-r. But in a week my whole routine will change, and it will change for the foreseable future, and change is far from the "normal" that I've been looking forward to since his departure. I had no idea the emotions of his homecoming would be so overwhelming!

So maybe I need to just accept the emotions I'm feeling. And pack lots of healthy snacks.

On Wednesday I ran...
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 21:45
Avg. Pace: 10:45 min. mile.
Conditions: At the gym.

another rest day

I didn't run today.

I was all set to. I packed by gym bag, I ate a healthy lunch, I ate a healthy snack. But then during work I was driving back from the boonies and my eyes were glazed over from a crazy-long meeting and I was craving something to keep me awake. So what did I have? A cadbury creme egg.

I know they're in the stores because of Easter. But each year I remember back to studying abroad in Ireland and visiting London and how they sold the chocolate eggs in vending machines in the tube. They were rich and definately a treat -- and for whatever reason, I caved.

It was good. Really sweet. And it reaked havoc in my stomach. 171 calories are packed into that tiny thing!

Needless to say, it gave me the sugar rush I needed to drive home accident-free. And then I crashed on my bed, still wrapped in my coat, where I tried not to fall asleep before dinner.

I'm not too disapointed, though. My goal is to run 18-20 miles. I'm planning on doing an 11 mile run on Sunday with mom, and I've already ran 3.5 miles. So if I run one more 3.5 mile run, or break it up over a few days, I should be okay.

The key is not to over train. I'm so close to the half marathon, I don't want to get injured! And I'm liking this slow-but-steady approach to upping mileage. It seems doable.

a 10 min. mile pace

Wow.

I averaged a 10 minute mile today at the gym.

I ran around the track, and if I calculated correctly I was running a lot of my laps at a sub-10 min. mile pace. Which is crazy.

But I was on fire! I didn't let the guys running behind me catch up to me, although he came close a few times. And I passed a slower runner who was plodding along.

I did a lot of sprints, with my fasted 1/13 of a mile (yes, that's the lap at the track at the gym) at a 7 minute mile pace if I calculated it correctly. Which is crazy! It didn't last that long -- about 33 seconds.

But still.

Distance: 3.5 miles.
Time: 35 minutes.
Avg. Pace: 10 min. mile.
Conditions: At the gym's track (counter-clockwise)

5 mins. ab work.

today

I didn't run yesterday, it was cold and windy and it occasionally burst into snow.

I could have gone to the gym, I was only scheduled for five miles -- an hour on the treadmill instead of two hours to run 10 or 11. But I was just so disapointed. The weathermen had promised sunny skies and balmy, warm weather.

I'm surprised how easily I was discouraged, although I know much of it was health related. This past week I felt exausted most days, and I worry I have another batch of mono. I spent much of the mornings lying in bed instead of being out and about. Maybe I needed a rest day instead of a long run.

I did do something I've been wanting to do for a while, though: Clean. With D coming home in less than two weeks now, I want my apartment spick and span. I've kind of let the dust and the grime pile up while he's been away because, hey, I've been the only person living here.

Okay, today's the day to get back on the band wagon. My strategy is to pack my gym bag, and if it's nice when I leave work, to run at home. If it's not nice, I'm prepared for the gym.

So, my goals today:
1. Eat mindfully.
2. Run and do ab and arm work. (I want to increase to 8 minutes for ab work and 5 minutes for arm work).

the hill

I didn't feel like running today, having been exausted all week and pretty dedicated to cleaning this weekend. But I went outside and did a loop up to the watertower and it was worth it! I warmed up by running around the park and then tackled the watertower hill, and I think it seriously helped my ability to run all the way up that crazy incline.

It's funny, though. At the top of the first hill I thought to myself: That wasn't that hard.

That wasn't that hard.

Last year I could not, for the life of me, run up that hill without stopping. I always, always, always had to walk. I thought about this while approached the second hill and third hill and then the crazy-ass hill to the water tower. And as I was going up the crazy-ass hill then I thought: If I couldn't run all the way up before, why did I always try?

Why did I try?

I have been going up that hill since I moved here two years ago. There are plenty of other neighborhood routes I could have taken, plenty of nearby trails I could have driven to and run. But the hill was there, beckoning me, laughing at me, daring me to conquer it.

Today, I conquered it. I ran it in a sub-11 minute mile, possible as fast as a 10:30 minute mile.

And you know what?

It's double-daring me to run it at a 10-minute mile pace.

And I can't turn down a doubled dare.

Distance: 2.8-2.9 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Avg. Pace: 10:30-10:45 min. mile

3 miles

I didn't feel like running today.

All day I had that tired, drag-myself-around-the-office feeling. Almost like when I had mono the last time. Or the time before that, or before that...

I went to the gym and I felt like quitting before I even began. There wasn't any treadmills open, the creepy old guy was running on the track. It would be so easy to go home... but I was already there. So I jumped on an eliptical for 10 minutes until a treadmill opened. I told myself I would run 20 minutes. Than 2 miles. Than 30 minutes. Than 3 miles.

Before I knew it, I was on fire!

It felt good. And I'm feeling good.

The best news of the day/week/month: D is coming home in 16 days. 16 DAYS! That's two weeks earlier than we thought. Which means in two weeks the deployment will be behind us and it means that we will have made it. We will have made it.

Damn, I've missed him these past few months.

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 32:38
Avg. Pace: 10:53 mins.
Where: On the treadmill

5 mins. ab work.

let down

I'm having kind of a work project let down. More than a month straight of work and there hasn't been any feedback. There's still the hope that today I may hear something back. And I suppose no news is good news, but still. There's usually something and the quiet is, well, bothering me.

I'm also having the same let down with my scale. I've been running and eating reasonably, but the number hasn't budged. Again, no news is good news. It could be (heaven forbid) going up instead of going no where.

But I thought that if I ran, you know, FAR that I would be thinner. That it would just naturally happen, I wouldn't have to stress about my calories per day. That my clothes would fit better. I would be an athletic thin but thin none-the-less.

And with SPRING almost HERE, and D almost HOME, well I want to be 125. I want to look cute and thin and athletic and looking amazing in my cute spring and summer clothes.

Sigh.

I look over my food journal and I realize that I'm really not eating that much. Most days I clock in around 2,000 calories, which should be about right for a person of my size running 15-20 miles a week. But obviously that hasn't been working for the last month, so I'll limit it down to about 1,800 calories.

Here's my weekly schedule:
Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Run 3-3.5 miles, 8 mins. abs.
Wednesday: 30 min. swim.
Thursday: Run 2-3 miles, 8 mins. abs.
Friday: 30 mins swim.
Saturday: Run 2 miles, 8 mins. abs.
Sunday: Run 5 miles.

Totals: 12-15 miles; 24 mins ab work; 60 mins swimming.

not sore

I'm sore, but not as sore as I thought I would be.

10 miles, hills, and not that sore the day after.

I'm getting stronger!

And another plus: it's staying lighter out longer.

I know most people hate losing an hour for day light savings, but I love it. I drove home from work at 5 p.m. and it felt like spring! Like summer was just around the corner, just a few more days and the snow would be gone and D would be home and we would be bbqing outside and enjoying the long summer evenings.

It's so close I can almost smell it...

So I celebrated by mapmyrun-ing some of my local routes. I've found quite a few different variations between 2 and 4 miles around here. What a fun little google tool!

10 miles

I. did. it.

I ran 10 miles! My "oh my goodness that's crazy-ass long" 10 miles. My "how the heck do people run that far" 10 miles. And I did it!

I went on a rather hilly (okay quite hilly) route by my parent's house. I ran the first 4 miles with mom, which was nice. It was nice to have company and to go at a slower pace at the beginning, since I tend to go too fast at first. Surprisingly, I must have ran close to an 11 minute mile (11:20 maybe?) to finish in UNDER two hours.

I was on fire! Even with all those hills. And the equipment helped.

The good: The new long-sleve wick-away shirt, the Gu (I finished with energy, although sore muscles), the new no-spill water-bottle and holder, the map with the miles (I forget which way to turn and like knowing how far is left) and the running tights.

The bad: The new wick-away unders. Ughh. Wedgies are no fun.

Distance: 10 miles
Time: About 2 hours (Just a little less!)
Avg. Pace: 12 min. mile.
Miles run with mom: 4 miles (at a 13 min. mille pace)
Conditions: Started at 30 degrees, warmed to 50 degrees, some breezy parts.
Gu: 3

two miles

I went about two miles up to the water tower this morning, and it felt good. I stopped to walk briefly twice, mostly because I think I started too fast. I reached the water tower after 11 minutes, which surprised me. That's an 11 minute mile! And nearly straight up hill! Of course, I ran even faster downhill. :-)

But you know, there were a few times there where I caught myself and I was cruising. I wasn't just plodding along, I was running. I had stride. I felt strong. I was going to make it up that damn hill.

Ahh, I love running outside!

Distance: About 2 miles
Time: 21:36 min.
Avg. Pace: 10:48 min. mile. (Wow)
Conditions: Sunny, 25 degrees, no wind, somewhat icy roads.

ahhh to run outside

For the first time in at least six months I went running outside today.

And you know what? It felt good.

It was harder than the treadmill, between concentrating on not slipping on the ice/snow/slush and running up and down the smaller hills in my neighborhood. It's somewhat how I imagine trail running, although will better views and way less cars.

And my new running tights and wick-away T-shirt worked wonderfully. I wasn't really cold at all!

I had to stop to walk twice, although those breaks were short. It just felt so good to be outside. I went at a slower pace because I wasn't sure how I would handle the hills and the cold, and I ended feeling like I could have gone a ways longer. I didn't because the sun was going down, but that's a good sign. Especially because I'm hoping to run 10 miles on a somewhat hilly course on Saturday.

Oh, and did I mentoin that the time went faster? That I wasn't as bored? I immediately forgot all my stress at work instead of letting it stew in my head, which happens a lot when I run on the treadmill. It was so nice!

My eating was in line today too, I clocked in just under 2,000 calories which is my limit. I lost a pound this morning (back down to 128) so hopefully that stays off! Although my tummy is still very bloated, I'm thinking because it's that type of month.

Distance: About 3-ish miles.
Time: 35 minutes.
Conditions: 38 degrees, cloudy.
Course: Hilly neighborhoods arond my apartment.

Ab work: 5 minutes.

talking myself out of the bagel

There were bagels in the conference room today. I over heard the woman who brought them in talk about it. She said something along the lines of, "if I'm going to have a bagel I feel bad so I bring everyone a bagel."

Just the thought of a bagel was tempting!! But I resisted, although it took some mental coaching... You don't need bagel. You've already planned out lunch. Lunch is only an hour away. No you don't want a half a bagel. You get a bagel each Sunday before your long run, you don't need this one. You don't want even a little bit of the bagel. They're probably stale and crunchy. They've been sitting out for a while.

Yes, I successfully talked myself out of the bagel.

And then my coworker brought it cookies. Thank goodness the lid stayed ON and the smell didn't beckon.

So I did well. I think I ate about 1900 calories, which is right around my goal.

But the running? Not so well.

I packed some old shorts and sports bra in my gym bag and yikes! They were tight. I didn't think it would be such a big deal but when I started running I couldn't breath. Seriously. The bra was so tight I couldn't breath.

Did they shrink? Has my chest grown? Is my belly expanding? I'm not really sure. I feel a little bloated (my period is coming) but lately my tummy has felt rounder than normal durring my normal weeks too. I'm not sure why, and it's frustrating!!!

Anyway, I lasted 5 minutes running. Then I biked slowly for 20 minutes. I bet I burned 100 calories total.

And I learned my lesson. Wear sports bras that fit. And try them on if you haven't worn them in a while.

Tomorrow: Outside running. I'm working 8-5 tomorrow (hopefully) and will come home and run the hills outside (!!) to the watertower. It's suppose to be in the 40s and I could use the mental lift, even if I have to walk a little bit. I need something different than the gym!!!

And I'll be sure to wear a bra that fits.

not sore

I'm surprisingly not sore today.

I'm really not. Sure, a tad stiff, but I've had 3-mile runs do me in worse. So a hard-ass 9 mile run doesn't leave me sore? I don't understand.

And I also don't understand how I gained a pound. If I really burned 800 calories running, then none of my calories should have counted before lunch. And for lunch I had 2 pancakes and a hard-boiled egg, and for dinner I had veggie-black bean dip with crackers and an ice cream bar. That shouldn't add up to more than 1,300.

So how the heck did I gain a pound?

Is it because I'm not sore today?

This whole weight-eating-right-running-long-distance thing is sooo confusing.

9 miles

Okay, I died after mile seven.

My legs were sore and I had no energy left. None. I mustered up enough of whatever was keeping me going to run to mile 8. And then I walked some, ran some, walked some, ran some, until I was finally done.

I'm amazed, though, that in total I only walked about 5 minutes. How is that possible? I felt like I was walking sooo much. But out of 113 minutes I only walked 5 of them. That's, like, 4.5 percent. Which may be considered statistical error to some...

But wow, that last mile hit me hard. I guess I'm still recovering from my two weeks "off" for the Mississippi trip, and I need to remind myself of that. But what's going to happen in the race if 10 miles in I feel like this, and then I have another 3 miles to go? Limp to the finish line?

But then I have 6 more weeks to train. Six more weeks of mid-week runs and ab work and swimming and long runs. Really four more weeks of long runs, since two weekends will be "recovery" runs. Now 5 miles doesn't seem so far!

I can do this. I can.

But next week... I'm trying Gu after a mile, since that's when I seemed to hit the wall of zero energy. This energy drink shit (I mixed it into my water) felt like it was weighing me down the whole time, not pepping me up.

And I'll continue... To eat a Clif bar immediately after I run. I didn't get that overwhelming nausea (although I got a little bit) that I did last week. It's been about 3 hours since I finished running and, besides sore and stiff legs, I'm feel pretty good. And that's a good sign!

Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:53
Avg. Pace: 12:30 min mile.
Minutes walked: 5 minutes.
Walked: After 30 mins, after 60 minutes, then after every mile until the last mile, when I walked briefly after every 2/10 a mile. Ouch! I'm sore.

cold-weather walk

I went for a walk outside today, along the blustery, snow-covered roads, and it felt good. I walked a mile up to the watertower and back, although some of the curbs brought chilly wind!

My legs, though, feel refreshed. I wanted to stretch them out a bit from yesterday's strong run but not overwork them, since tomorrow is a 9 miler on the (ugh) treadmill. It's just too cold and the roads are icy and slick. No need to flirt with a sprained ankle!

I wore my new running tights under a wind-breaking layer and I was pleased how warm my legs were. I can't wait to try them out running!

I'm not counting this toward my running mileage, which I'm reserving just for running. (I don't count my 5 minute walking warm-up or cool down at the gym either). But it's worth a mention:

Distance: 2 miles.
Time: 37 minutes.
Avg. Pace: 18:30 min. mile.
Course: Hills up to the water tower.
Conditions: 20 degrees about and windy, snowy and icy roads.

Craving a run

After two days off my legs were aching. Two days of non-running -- one because I needed a day off, one because the mountains of snow forced me to have a day off -- left me, strangly, craving a run.

Craving a run? Well, not exactly. But my legs wanted to stretch out. And then, after I passed the half-way mark, I felt good. Really good.

Strong. Confident. Powerful. Fast. Yes, fast!

I ran most the distance at an 11-minute mile pace, that's a whole minute faster than I normally run! I've been averaging 12 minute miles for, like, months.

And then, out of the blue, I run fast. Woohoo!

Distance: 3.16 miles
Times: 35 minutes
A few short inclines
Avg. Pace: 11:05 (fastest yet!)
People left on the machines after I got off: 0.

Ab work: 5 minutes

And, for the last two days, I've eaten well. More because I wanted to than anything. I listened to by tummy and ate when I was hungry, didn't really snack too much and ate smaller meals when I wasn't that hungry.

And, today, my running improved. Coincidence? I think not.

Today: oatmeal with a banana, coffee with soy milk; pasta salad with tofu and veggies, a pear and a few pretzels; a cliff bar; pasta with veggie marinara sauce, a chic pea pattie and a pair.

snow

The wind is a blowing and the snow is a falling... it's a lot worse than I thought. I (somewhat foolishly) decided this morning that I would come home for lunch and my gym bag. That's a normal routine for me. But damn, it's bad out there. And it's going to get much, much worse.

Which means no gym stop on the way home tonight. No way.

That leaves me two options:
1. Use the apartment treadmill, if it's free or not broken.
2. Do a video.

And since I fell off the bandwagon last night, I'm definately doing one of the two tomorrow.



I wish I had a snow day.