Breaking the circle

I saw this comic today and it is pretty much the circle of my eating habits. I don't think it is a good system at all, but it is what it is. How do you go about breaking the circle, though?

They say exercise is a good stress reliever. And yes, I feel great while I'm doing it. But what about the rest of my day? What is a good stress reliever then?

I need you, my few and far between readers... tell me what do you do to relieve stress when you can't exercise it away?

This guy is my hero!

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/23264975/detail.html

I've been tracking my miles... hopefully I can make it that far!

Enough said!

Mentality

Sometimes it is just so hard to jump that mental hurdle. I literally have to scream and yell at myself to get my butt in gear. Once I get moving, I'm good and glad I did it.

But that initial moment when it is that 'do or die' second of actually making the decision to move is hard.

I get into these funks where I am not so careful about what I eat or the exercise I do. Training for the half-marathon isn't always enough. I have no reason other than to just prove it to myself that I can do it.

Every time I go to the doctor, for anything, they seem surprised at how healthy I am. I mean besides my weight, I have nothing wrong with me. I do not have high blood pressure. I don't have high cholesterol. I'm not on the brink of getting diabetes. I can do strenuous exercise and not get winded.

Because of this, it isn't always easy for me to get and get moving. I have to conquer that mental hurdle to say that I *need* to do this to become even more healthy.

I had a cute catchy title

But forgot it. Such is life these days.

This past weekend went wrong, just one thing after another!

Saturday morning was a beautiful day. I was looking forward to running the 5K with my dad and step-mom. They arrived at my house around 8am. The race started at 9. We left around 8:15 and drove to the community it was being held in.

Part of this is my fault in that I forgot to write down the exact address that was listed. But I figured that there would be signs. The event was called "Relay for Life 5K." So, we saw some Relay for Life signs and followed them.

We ended up at some high school parking lot. We got out of the cars and headed towards the area with all the tents. A lady saw us and stopped us. She said "Are you here for the 5K?" Well, yes, of course.

Oh, but it isn't here. You need to go back to the main road and it is at one of the club-houses.

What?

Um... ok.

We left and drove around and couldn't find it at all. I called Steve and got the address and he told me how to get there. We weren't even close.

But we drove and once we got to the road it was on, we saw all the runners (it was close to 9am at this time). However, I didn't see ANY cars. Where was parking? I rolled down my window and asked. They said parking was at the clubhouse. We drove down the road and found the clubhouse (3 miles away - the parking was at the end of the run)!

We parked and found our way to the registration table. My dad and step-mom received their packets, but my name was no where to be found. They gave me a packet anyway but told us the race had already started since it was after 9. The last shuttle bus to the beginning of the race had already left. We could drive down to the beginning and have a bus take us back to our cars after the race was over.

No, thanks... we just got in our cars and left. As I was pulling out of the clubhouse, I saw the first of the runners. We would definitely have been the last ones past the finish line if we had decided to run anyway.

Well, I had a nice visit with my dad and step-mom as we decided to sit in Starbucks and enjoy a cup of coffee.

After that, they left to go home and I went back to my house.

There was a Healthy Kids Fair at the local YMCA. It was free to everyone (not just Y members) so we decided to take the kids. We pack everyone up and head there.

As we pull into the Y parking lot, we don't see anything. We unpack the kids from the car and start to head inside. A worker stopped us on the way in and said we were in the wrong place. The fair was at their other location a few minutes away.

Back into the car we got and away we went. Once we got there, it was a good time. I wish I had known about their water park, though. Meghan had a blast in the water. I just wish I had her bathing suit so she could've gone more than knee deep.

Saturday night was the Bon Jovi concert - at least that was awesome.

Sunday was my day to run 6 miles. However, we woke up to rain. I checked the radar and it was supposed to rain all day. So Steve and I decided to head indoors to the gym instead. I got on the treadmill, ready to do 6 miles on it and couldn't get past 1.5 miles. I did 4.5 total - but I walked 3 miles and ran 1.5 miles.

It was just a bad weekend all around.

Hopefully this week will be better.

Oh the gusts!

I thought today's run would be pretty easy. I mean it was a mere 3 miles, like I've been doing since the beginning of time. Last night's 4 mile jaunt was a breeze. Today's 3 miles should've been even easier.

Boy was I wrong!

I looked up the weather before I left. This is not something I normally do, but was just curious to see how warm it was outside before I went out there. It said it was a nice 72 degrees. However, the wind was blowing at 9mph with gusts up to 19!

I think that little tidbit of info really screwed with my mind. I went out there and felt like I could've walked faster than I was running. I felt like I was fighting the wind the entire time. I know I wasn't, but in my mind I felt like I was.

However, I didn't give up. I almost did, a couple of times in fact. I just kept telling myself that when I get to my turn around point, the wind will be at my back and the rest will be 'a breeze' compared to this. And yes, when I turned around it was great! Except for the fact that I had used up all of my energy running against the wind up to that point. So even running with the end for the last part of it, I couldn't use that to my advantage and run faster. I just didn't have the energy within me to kick it up a notch.

On another note - I was thinking about getting an iPod Nano. I think my big 30GB iPod is getting to be big and bulky the farther I run. I need one of those little ones that just clip onto my shirt. I'll have to look into that. I also think that I need one of those water bottle carriers. I saw some online at Dick's Sporting Goods for pretty cheap. I don't think I need a big one (I saw one that carried 6 (6!) water bottles). But when I was running on Sunday for the 5 miles, I got pretty thirsty. It would probably be a good idea to get one for my longer runs.

Another Biggest Loser Challenge?

Steve and I have decided to try to get a "Friends and Family" Biggest Loser Challenge started. This one will be more 'loose' than the one I did with my co-workers. But that is only because of time and geography. We will have weekly weigh-ins and weekly reports on the weight that was lost. But we won't all be together for the initial and final weigh-ins.

If anyone who is reading this (I know there are only a few of you - but I love you all) and is interested, let me know. I think we are going to start on Monday the 19th and let it run for 8 weeks. The cost is $20 per person and currently is set to winner take all. However, depending on how many people we can get signed up - we might be able to split the pot into 1st and 2nd prizes.

We have a couple of friends that don't want to share their weight with us. We said that was fine, they could just tell us their percentages. It definitely is totally on honor-system and will be on the honor-system the whole time; again having to do with geography, since we have a couple from Orlando joining us in the challenge.

So - let's get moving, people!

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And on a side note:
Don't think that I don't see you, but I do. I know you're out there. It's ok, though. I guess it is good enough that you are kind enough to visit my lonely blog - even if you don't leave me a message letting me know. :)

Yay for me!

For the first time ever, I ran 5 miles outside. I've run 5 miles indoors on a treadmill before. But the treadmill pretty much makes you go. It keeps your speed for you.

Outside, you are doing it all yourself. And I did it!

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it, but I just stuck to it and kept going (remember my new saying? "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop!" ~Confucius). I almost stopped a couple of times to get some water. But I kept going.

I tried a new place yesterday. It is Lake Park in the Northdale area of Tampa. It has a jogging trail that I tried. Going in, I had no idea how long the trail was or what it was like. I had never used it before. I was pleasantly surprised to see distance markers along the path. However, the first marker (0.25 miles) seemed to come pretty quickly. And the path extended past the last marker (of 1.0 miles). I ran to the end of the path anyway and turned around since the first marker seemed really close to me.

So I ran down and back, down and back then down to the 0.5 mile marker and back for a total of approximately 5 miles. I was disappointed that the trail didn't loop around and that it just ended. However, I did notice one other jogger on the trail and the 2 times I saw her, she was going in the same direction. I never left the path, so perhaps it did loop around and I just didn't notice it.

I went home and looked up the park map (why I didn't do it beforehand, I don't know). It shows a trail that goes all the way around the park, but I don't know if it was all jog-able or not. I mean, when I got to the end of the trail I was using, it ended at a parking lot. So I don't know where to go if I was to keep running. I'm sure the trail picks up again somewhere, I just don't know where. And I don't know how much of it is marked. I guess I'll need to walk it one day and just see what happens.

Isn't it ironic?

Yeah I really do think...

Sometimes when I run, I get this song in my head (even with the background noise of my iPod).

When I was a kid, my Dad would take us running just before dinner. He made us run 2 miles with him. He thought it would help us to be fit. I HATED that time. I dreaded it every day. We ran regardless of the weather. He measured out a mile from our house and we ran to that point and turned around.

Of course my sisters and I all 'ran' at different paces (me being the slowest). So my Dad would run circles basically running with Helen (the fastest) and then turn around to find me and run with me a bit then speed up to run with Janice and back up to Helen and so on and so forth through the run.

He caught me walking quite a few times. I just hated it, I never wanted to do it.

I'm not sure if ironic is the right word I'm looking for now, but I do find it funny that my choice of exercise now is running.

I signed up for a 5K on Saturday the 17th to benefit the Cancer Society. My Dad and step-mom are coming in from Leesburg to run it with me. I'm sure I still won't be as fast as my dad is but I'll be faster than Lynda (with her bum knee).

The 5K actually messes up my training schedule as Saturdays are usually 'off'' days for me. I can swap Saturdays and Sundays out if I want to - my training schedule is that flexible. But the issue is that per my schedule, I'm supposed to be running 6 miles that weekend, not the 3.1 of the 5K. I guess we'll just have to play it by ear and see if I need to run 6 miles on Sunday or if I can just run another 3 miles that same day (saturday).

The tools of the trade

I have a bunch of 'tools' that will help me in my journey.

The first is www.gmap-pedometer.com. It is an application by Google Maps that you can use to lay out a course on regular roads and it will tell you how far of a distance it is. I use it to plot my running courses to get an accurate measure of how far I've run. I use the 'satellite' option so that I can spot landmarks when I don't know the name of the streets. And if I don't want to follow the main roads (like at work, I use backroads to run) I use the 'manual' option in recording my route. Have fun playing around with it, I love it.

I also use www.dailymile.com. It is a training log for workouts. It tells me my average speed if I put in my time and distance. It keeps a log of how far I've run, how many times, etc.

I also have an excel spreadsheet where I also keep this information as well. It is easier for me to see my speeds and distances in this spreadsheet than dailymile and comopare them than on dailymile. Plus I have different tabs in my workbook to also keep track of my weights and my training schedule to make sure I'm following it.

My watch, which helps me with both of the above tools. I bought a cheap $15 watch at Target. All I wanted on it was a stopwatch. I use it to time my runs. It works great except that it is giving me a watch tan line ;)

I bought face sunblock for my runs that occur during the daylight hours. I was told that I looked like I was getting a tan and that worried me. I was worried about getting skin cancer on my face because I was running out there in the sun 4 times a week. So I bought some facial sunblock and have been using it. Don't know if it is working or not, but it makes me feel better that it is there.

I also bought a headband from Fit2Run (the running store here in Tampa). It is one of those ones that helps pull the moisture off of your head (that's what they're for, duh!) but supposedly it 'wicks' the sweat away from you and out into the air. So it helps keep you dry. Yes, I look like a dork wearing it, but hey, anything to help keep the sweat and sunblock out of my eyes.

FitDay is the one I don't use enough - www.fitday.com. It is a free website where you can log your food intake. If you don't have the nutritional information on what you are eating, you can look it up and it gives you the average of all the different brands out there (from my understanding anyway). It really helps you keep track of your food intake and you can see what foods you need to eat more of (like protein over carbs).

As I'm typing this, I'm unable to connect to FitDay. I'm at work and it is a possibility that the site became blocked (though I don't know why it would be). I was going to share with you my specific FitDay page. Perhaps that would keep me on track better, if I was thinking that you all were watching what I was eating as well.

You can use FitDay to also track your exercise if you want to. But I've not done it before. I have used it to track my weight, but again - not consistently.

The biggest and best tool of the trade is my iPod. I don't know what I would do without it. I need the background noise. I don't use it to set my pace as I listen to all types of music with different beats. I just need the noise and the distraction of it.

Those are my tools and the items that help me get through my workouts. Hopefully one of them will help you as well in your journey (whatever it may be).

I feel so lazy at times

I know everyone goes through lazy spurts but I seriously feel lazy all the time lately.

I mean I get out there and am doing my runs. But if I'm not out there doing it, then I just want to sit and do nothing. Literally nothing.

I thought that if people were eating right and exercising regularly, they were supposed to have more energy throughout the day. Are they not? I just don't seem to have a lot of energy the rest of the day.

Perhaps it is because I feel like I don't get enough sleep. And I know sleep is important. But I just don't have enough time in the day it seems. I mean I get up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:30 (at the latest). I get off work at 4 and head to pick up the girls from school. I'm home around 5. I get to play with the kids for about 30 minutes, then I'm up and making dinner. After dinner then comes cleaning up (BAH - I hate doing dishes!). Then it is time for baths (if it is bath night) and first Melissa goes to bed. After that I get a few minutes to spend on the computer. Usually I just check my e-mail and spend a few minutes on Facebook catching up with people and playing a couple of games. Then I get the kids stuff ready for school the next day - I have to pick out their clothes and lay them out, if I don't, who knows what the heck they will end up in. After that, I get Meghan ready for bed and we got to bed. Yes Meghan is a night owl. She often falls asleep after me (and I go to bed between 10 and 10:30).

Then the alarm goes off at 5:30 and it starts all over again.

Wow, I'm exhausted just typing it all out.

I have to get better, right?

I have to get better, eventually, right? I need to really take a look at what I'm doing with my life and make it better.

I mean I live a pretty happy existence. I have a job that I love, yes love! I have a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful daughters.

This is Melissa:

This is Meghan -- OK and maybe not so cute with blue lips from her first popsicle, and yes, she is now eating a green one ;):


But what don't I have? I don't have the self-control I used to have. I used to be able to turn my head at anything that was bad for me. I used to exercise 5-6 times a week. I used to weigh 155 pounds.

But I'm working on it... just need to take one day at a time; one meal at a time. Eventually I'll be able to "Just Say NO" again and again to those bad for me foods, right?

It all starting to make sense now

Ok - so this post isn't going to be about running at all. Sorry if you were looking forward to one :P~

Meghan is my 3 year old daughter. I've heard from several people that the two's really aren't terrible, it is the three's. And so far that has been true for us. Meghan wasn't an angel by any means when she was 2 but she was definitely a lot nicer than she is now.

She has become very bossy towards us (which we don't allow). She has started using baby words instead of her real words (answering "GaGa" or "GooGoo" when we ask her stuff). And she has started hitting us (thankfully just us and not Melissa - our 6 month old). And she has been afraid to go to school. She doesn't want to go into her classroom if her teacher is there. She needs to get dropped off in her old classroom and the director take her to her classroom.

But it is all starting to make sense now.

About a month ago as we were driving home from school (daycare), I asked Meghan about her day. She told me that she was sitting on the floor and Michael stepped on her. I thought she meant by accident (that he tripped or something). I asked her what happened and she said that she cried but was OK now. I let it drop.

Then on Wednesday Meghan said that Michael pushed her. I asked her if Michael said he was sorry and she said no. I asked her if she told Ms Renee (her teacher) and she said that she cried and screamed. I didn't like this at all.

So yesterday (Thursday) when I picked her up, I asked Ms Renee about it. I told her what Meghan had said and Renee answered that Michael was an aggressive child. He has a speech impediment and that he does not speak at all - which come to think of it, nope, I have never heard Michael make a single sound.

Renee said that she is working with Michael on his aggression and trying to get him to communicate in other ways. But she obviously can't watch him 24/7 with 10 other kids in the class as well.

But no wonder Meghan has started displaying such awful behavior when she was always such a well behaved one before. And no wonder she doesn't want to go into her class - she is probably being bullied by Michael. No wonder she is starting to hit us, she is learning that from Michael.

I think today I'll stop for a few minutes and talk to the director about Michael and see what else can be done about this. It definitely is not a good thing for Meghan to be near him but I don't want to deny Michael an opportunity either. There just needs to be some sort of compromise, right?

Oops, I forgot

I went running at lunch time today and I forgot to take my new RoadID. What's the point of having one if I forget to actually use it?

It wasn't even that I forgot to just attach it to my shoe, I left it at home so I didn't even have it with me. I need to remember to put it in my bag tonight before going to bed.

Today's run was slow for me. Still had a pretty good pace, but definitely not one of my best times. I'm sure it is because this week I've been eating like crap and not drinking my fluids.

I will start eating better again on Monday. I just need to get this week out of my system. Saturday night is date night for Steve and I and we're going to The Cheesecake Factory (and hopefully a movie, too). I told him I couldn't care less about dinner, I just wanted the cheesecake.

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. Now to just decide which flavor I want!

Slow Today

Whoops! Forgot to post on Sunday. We went to the gym as usual and I did 6.28 miles in 70 minutes.

I took Monday off.

Today, I ran around my neighborhood. I started out ok, but felt really slow at the end. I ran 3.14 miles in about 39 minutes. Yes that is very slow!

On a side note - for the Biggest Loser challenge at work, I lost a total of 21 pounds in 8 weeks. I'm very proud of myself for that. I made 3rd place out 18 total. Only the top 2 places paid, so I didn't win any money, but it is all good.

The Road ID

It came, it came!

When I made the decision to sign up for the half marathon, I also made the decision that I needed to be safe in my training. One thing that does that is the Road ID. It is like an insurance policy. You hope you never need it but will be glad when you do.



I purchased the one that goes on my shoe (instead of my wrist or ankle). The pink part is a pouch so I can carry an ID card or my car keys (which I definitely need since all of my running pants don't have pockets).

If you want to, you can see it close up by clicking on the picture. If you don't feel like it, it has my name, city I live in and Steve's number to call (which I, of course, blacked out). Then it has a saying "The journey of one thousand miles starts with one step." I might have to start tracking my miles to see how long it takes me to get to 1,000 miles.

I can't wait to try it out!

On another note - the Biggest Loser weigh in was this morning. It said I lost 20 pounds total. Yay for me! However, if we are at work on Monday, we can also weigh in on Monday. So I will be good this weekend and weigh in on Monday as well to see if I've lost any more weight. I'll let you know then.

I did not eat dinner last night or breakfast this morning. I also went to the gym this morning before work and could barely do anything. I only did 2.0 miles in 36:41. That is such a slow pace for me. But at least I did something!

Yikes!

Approximately 8 weeks ago, I joined the Biggest Loser challenge at work. We had to pay $25 to be in the competition. There are 18 people in it and the top 2 people get the prize money ($338 and $112 respectively).

Final weigh-in was to be on Monday the 22nd. Perfect for me as I work out hard on Sundays when we go to the gym. Well today, it turns out the 2nd place person won't be at work on Monday. THEY MOVED THE FINAL WEIGH IN TO TOMORROW MORNING!!! YIKES!

I'm so not ready. I was in 4th place at the end of week 7. I needed to lose approximately 3 pounds to be in contention for 2nd place. I don't think I did it. And now I'll not know for sure if I would've made it had I had the weekend to work out like planned.

I did work out at the gym after work today. I ran 6.1 miles in 70 minutes. I know it isn't healthy for me to do this, but I skipped dinner and will be skipping breakfast and go for a run before work (and the weigh in) in the morning. I am allowing myself to drink plenty of fluids, but no food until after the weigh in. I just figure doing this for one day won't hurt me too much. I know if I were to keep skipping meals, then that is when it becomes unhealthy.

Either way, I should be proud of my journey. At the end of week 7, I had lost a total of 19 pounds. I still have a long way to go, but 19 pounds isn't anything to scoff at.

The best time yet

I didn’t get a chance to blog yesterday. But I had a good day, running wise. I went at lunch time like normal. I completed my route in 35 minutes and 44 seconds. That is the fastest time I’ve done my work route as of yet. I’m very proud of myself.

Now, if I can only get the rest of my life in such great working order – I’d be set! Actually, things aren’t so bad. I just always feel like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done. I never seem to have the time to just even clean the house. Thankfully, Steve does help out A LOT. He takes out the garbage, sweeps/mops, does his own laundry and picks up when necessary. He does not cook or wash dishes, but that is ok. I like to cook, though I hate doing the dishes.

I didn’t run today at lunch, but I will tomorrow. I’m getting my hair cut tonight. I am going to get it cut short for the summer months and running in this heat and humidity. I’ll definitely post some pictures tomorrow if I have the time.

Today's workout

Sundays are gym days for Steve and I. We take the girls to his mom's house and she watches them for us while we go and workout. Today was a nice and good work out.

I was able to go 6.07 miles in 70 minutes (60 minutes running and 10 minute cool down). Afterwards we had to rush home to attend my niece's birthday party. Thankfully I was successfully able to avoid the pizza and cake that was there.

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Side note: Would anyone care if I talked about other things that go on in my life besides my workouts and training? I guess it really doesn't matter what you think since it is my blog... but just wanted to check first :)

254 Days and counting

Well, I did it. I took the plunge and signed up for my first half marathon. It is the Women's Half Marathon taking place in St Petersburg, FL. It benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

It is 254 days away on November 21st.

I'm excited over it, although I didn't enjoy paying the $85 registration fee ;) But it is all good, it *is* for charity. And it *will* help me keep healthy.

I've asked Steve to make sure he is waiting for me at the finish line. Everything I've read said for the first one, not to worry about finishing in a certain time frame, just to try and finish it. I know I can do that as long as someone is waiting for me at the end. I hate running my races with no one at the end to look forward to seeing.

So.... 254 days and counting!

And oh, today's workout was at the gym because it rained again today. I can run further at the gym but it isn't as hard since it is on the treadmill. I did the 'hill' workout so it was a little harder but still thought it was pretty easy. I did 3.75 miles in 45 minutes today (a 5.0 mph pace).

Useless Day

I was a bum today. I didn't work out at all. I went out to lunch with a co-worker instead. I miss going out to lunch with my co-workers, but it is probably all for the better. It not only saves me money but it saves me from expanding my waistline.

I was, however, able to avoid the bake sale that went on after lunch. I did feel bad that I didn't donate any money (all proceeds were going to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) but I felt great that I successfully avoided eating any of the junk food they had there.

I will be running tomorrow on lunch (weather permitting, of course). Otherwise I'll have to do weights in the gym. I need to do more weights anyway. Cardio is great, but weights are what need to be done to get the muscles to burn those calories in a more efficient manner.

The "Energy" Drink

I didn't get a chance to run at lunch time today due to an urgent meeting being called. But it is all good. One quick phone call to Steve (my husband for those that don't know) to ask him to pick up our children from daycare and I was off to the gym after work.

As I was walking in, a lady offered me a free drink. I don't remember the name of the drink, but it was basically an energy boosting one. She said the bottle contained 2 servings so to only drink half of it before my workout. What the hell, I thought. I drank half of it.

First it was kind of gross. It was supposed to be fruit punch flavored and I could tell that it was trying to be fruit punch. But it contained no sugar so it didn't taste right. Think Kool-Aid before the sugar was added.

Second, it upset my stomach. Not right away, but while I was running on the treadmill, I could feel my stomach hurting. It was not a good feeling.

Third... I didn't feel any more energetic or have more energy to do my workout.

Like I said before, I don't remember the name of the drink or else I would tell you all to stay away from it. Seriously. All I can remember is that it came in a plastic bottle and the plastic wrapper on it was silver and had a silver cap.

So for today... I was able to do 5.50 miles in 70 minutes.

Welcome to my journey

The start of any journey is just placing one foot in front of the other. And that is what I am doing.

I'm relatively new to running. I do like to run, but I can tell that my form is bad. But you know what? At least I'm doing it.

So far my journey has consisted of running 3-4 days a week on my lunch break at work and on Sundays at the gym. I have run a few 5ks (3.1 miles for those that don't know) and am doing pretty well at those.

I've set my sights higher now. I believe I will start training for a half marathon that is coming this November. Then that gives me over a year to make sure I can do a full marathon in February 2012.

Let's start on this road together....