A Walk Without a Dog

Today, I took a walk.  I went somewhere I’ve never been before, and walked around for a half-hour or so.  In a new place, one I’ve never visited with The Hubs, or with one or both of the dogs for an adventure, or even on my own or with a girlfriend, I walked.  The path was steep, so I climbed and climbed, slowly and slowly.  I watched my footing, as one does when navigating unfamiliar terrain. 

I did not think about my deep sadness.  I did not ponder grief.  I did not recall watching my dear bully struggle, in pain, and labor for breath.  I did not think about how useless and stupid I felt, watching him in his last moments, unable even to help him die with dignity.  I didn’t brood about how deeply affected my family has been by our big strong dog’s sudden but still somehow drawn-out passing. 

I didn’t mull over how much work I had waiting back at the office, or consider what I should do first upon my return.  I did not make a mental list of tasks and priorities.  I did not plan what’s for dinner or what I’ll do this weekend. 

I wasn’t even avoiding meditating on all these things.

I just watched my footing.  And I walked.

Is it Friday Yet? Oh right, it IS Friday...

I have been slammed with bad news, one thing after another, since yesterday's post.  Really freaking awful news.  Family stuff, then work stuff, and then more and completely different family stuff.  None of it is anything I want to post publicly about, but suffice to say I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. If I get one more phone call with terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad news, I think my head is going to explode.  On a related note, I'm no longer taking calls.

I DID make it to my group fitness class last night, but I was completely unplugged.  Couldn't focus and just was NOT feeling "in my body" or "in the moment" at all.  I was sweating, but really, mentally, just going through the motions.  Got home to find my husband had made a relatively light dinner, so that was a plus.  Of course I followed it up with a couple of my delicious home-made cookies... so there's that.

Today there was more bad news, a light breakfast, and an offer to have pizza and watch the USA/Canada hockey game in the conference room at work.  I bailed on the lunch I'd packed and indulged.  Now I'm full, need to get back to work, and still feeling really unfocused.  Ugh.  I have 145 squats to do today for the 30-day Challenge... have done 60 so far and I intend to complete it, but that's about the extent of my fitness plans for today.

Another group fitness class tomorrow... hopefully I can rise out of this funk long enough to really participate, both mentally and physically, in that one.

Because I'm an optimist at heart, even on days like this one, I searched Facebook for something I could use to brighten my day and ease up on the negativity I'm experiencing right now.  Mostly (weird day on FB I guess) all I found was some TRULY RIDICULOUS "fitspiration" images that pretty much made me sick to my stomach.  I re-posted the worst offender when I got pissed.

But I leave you with these:

Essential life lessons:  love unconditionally...smile often...and to fight for the life you've been given...and to live it fully in the time you're given. May we all aspire to leave a legacy of strength and love.

If You're Looking for Inspiration, You've Found the Wrong Blog Today

Did you ever have one of those days where you get up, shower, get dressed, put on your makeup, start blow-drying your hair, and then realize you hadn't rinsed your hair after putting in the conditioner?  Then you go to work, telling yourself, "I'm DEEP-CONDITIONING today," and forget your phone?

Yeah, that's how my whole month is going.

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude, but I'm having a rough go of it recently.  I'm tired, all I do is work, and I haven't been able to go for a run in two weeks because I'm working 12-hour days.  I just keep telling myself to hang in there, these things will work themselves out eventually, all I need to do is keep at it.

Maybe by tonight I'll find that elusive "second wind" and feel more hopeful, but today I am In The Bell Jar, Man.

So yes, if you're looking for inspiration, you've come to the WRONG place today.  Sorry.  I've got no inspiration today, for myself or anyone else, but I'm trying to stay strong, focus, and just keep moving forward.  Treating Life and Work like a Really Long Training Run today.

These pictures make me feel a little better, and remind me who I am.  I'm off to work now.  

Have a great day?

Screw the Slump

I've mentioned I've been in a slump lately.  I'd say it's been going on for a few weeks now, perhaps more than a month.  I've been following some great advice from a fellow blogger, sticking to my routine as much as possible, getting plenty of exercise, but my eating has been pretty wacky.  I've gained a little weight - about 5 lbs since April 1, according to LoseIt.  As of this morning I'm officially back over 170 again.  It's not so much that I need to Completely Freak Out, but hitting that 5 lb mark was a real wake-up call.  It's time to set up some mini-goals to move toward being back on track.  Baby steps, get your mind right!

Here's the thing:  I know what started this streak of low motivation.  To begin with, I have a little confession to make.  Something I've never mentioned... because I'm a little embarrassed by it.  I'm a runner... and a smoker.  There it is.  I smoked for maybe 18 years, then my husband and I both quit, in 2008, using Chantix.  it worked wonderfully and we had no issues with wanting to smoke for three years.  Then we had some big life changes / challenges, and we both fell off the proverbial wagon.  That's what's so embarrassing - to quit for three years and then start up again!  So STUPID!

So we've decided to quit (again).  I'm looking forward to lots of improvements in performance... once I get used to the fact that everything smells terrible!  I rather miss having my sense of smell deadened by tar.  I'm told you get used to it eventually, and I remember that from the time before, but that's a toughie.  When we started the program, I sort of gave myself permission to ease up on my routine. That's all well and good, but it's time to tighten it up again.

So here's my five-point Baby Steps plan for getting my mind back on track:

1. LOGGING:  For the next week, I'm going to strictly log all of my food - I've been a little loose with my logging lately.  
2. WRITING:  I'm going to write something for the blog every day for the next seven days.  Maybe just a few sentences, but I'm going to try some Enforced Reflection.  I've got plenty of material saved up since I haven't posted in over a week!
3. TRAINING:  I will do some kind of exercise every day this week - even if it's just 5 minutes of sit-ups.  Except Friday; that's normally a rest day, and this week I'll be working out of town and driving home late on Friday, so that's out.
4. EATING:  Be mindful of snacking.  In general, one of the behaviors I've noticed recently that's getting me into trouble is mindless eating / eating for reasons other than hunger.  Example:  I was doing pretty well, eating clean, until I had a Minor Meltdown when I got slapped around by my sweet tooth on Saturday afternoon.  
5. WATER.  I have not been drinking enough water.  In fact, I think the main cause of Saturday's meltdown may well have been thirst.  I didn't notice how thirsty I was until after I'd eaten three servings of Skinny Cow Dreamy Clusters.  I will drink my 64 oz of water every day this week.  it's just three of my 20-oz bottles.

Perhaps with these adjustments, I'll be in the green next week with a loss - or at least not another gain, no matter how small.

This week will be challenging for eating well.  I have two nights out of town, but I think I can eat dinner before I leave on Wednesday (or pack a sandwich to eat in the car), and bring breakfast / lunch stuff.  That still leaves me to worry about dinner, which is a Red Zone for me, especially on the road.  Suggestions are welcome!

Steady As She Goes

I'm having so much trouble getting myself under control this week, food-wise. I feel like I've lost all motivation to make healthy choices in that department. I don't feel like I'm Quitting; but I do feel like I'm... On A Break. Not sure what to do about it.  (Is that ALLOWED?)

I've been focusing a lot of energy on planning for my four upcoming events: here's my list of things to do Friday to prep for the Big One on Saturday:

It's all very well thought out. Now why can't I consistently apply these same principles to the food I eat??

If I knew the answer to that one, I guess we'd be all done here & I'd be at my Goal Weight already, right?

Food Orgies & A Reckoning

Continuing my update on last week:  (warning this is a long post so if you're pressed for time... sorry.) Thursday and Friday both started off well but ended up as food orgies.  It was a little ugly.  Here's how it went down:

I headed to the office Thursday morning armed with my standard Greek-yogurt & granola for breakfast, and some leftover black beans & rice for lunch.  I was eating fairly light since we had the group dinner to look forward to after work and I figured it would be a sure calorie-blow-out, and of course I wouldn't have a chance to hit the gym.  Work went well and I got out of there by 5:30.  By the time we were seated, I was starving. (Have I mentioned how hungry I've been all week? It's the weirdest thing...)  I started off with a raspberry cosmopolitan and had a few bites of the various appetizers that went around the table.  I ordered a salad with honey-mustard dressing, the chorizo-stuffed pork tenderloin, about a 1/2-cup of Yukon gold mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans.  Somewhere in there, a second raspberry cosmo happened, and then there was dessert.  We ordered several for the table to share, and I had more than a few bites of them as well, though I must admit, none of them actually tasted as good as they looked, so it wasn't too hard to put down the spoon. There wasn't any nutritional info to go by, but my best-educated-guess is it ended up around 1,100 calories for the one meal.  So yes, a bit of a food orgy.  A great time was had by all, and yeah, I ate a ton of calories, but I didn't end the day feeling over-full or sick from high-fat fried foods... I was glad I ate conservatively during the day!

Friday.  This is where, I have to admit, it all completely went off the rails.  Once again, it started out alright, but Friday was the first day of the month, a HUGE busy day for us cost accountants, and it was a tough one this month.  I had my yogurt & granola for breakfast but by the time lunch came around, I was 3 hours behind schedule, stressed, and not in a frame of mind for making healthy long-term-goal-affirming food choices.  We sent the take-out menu around for Famous Dave's, and someone went to pick it up for everyone.  I ordered the Devil's Spit burger, no cheese, with fries.  I did eat all of the burger and maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of the fries.  I'm gonna call it about a 700-calorie lunch.  Recoverable... but that's not the frame of mind on this day.  By 6:30pm, everyone in the group was still working hard, with no end in sight, so the boss ordered some pizza.  There were 3 pizzas, one Veggie, one Supreme, and one Taco. I had one slice of each.  I know this was a poor choice, I mean literally, while I was taking that third slice, I asked myself... "If there were only two kinds of pizza here, would you really be having a third slice?"  The answer was definitely NO. But I ate it anyway.  I finished my long, long day just before 9pm and got home to find my loving husband hanging out, drinking some beer, and listening to all our favorite music.  I was exhausted and annoyed and really needed to decompress, so I busted out a bottle of Shiraz & joined him on the couch, enjoying a well-put-together medley of mid-to-late 70's hits and little-known gems.  I had three glasses of wine (which is to say, it turns out my wine glass is perhaps a bit large... I found when I poured the third glass, it emptied the bottle.  Yup, I topped off this insane food-orgy day by drinking an entire bottle of wine.)

I have no defense or rationalization for Friday's indulgence - no it's not indulgence - Thursday was an indulgence, Friday was just this side of a binge.  That was a real shit-show.  All I can do is move forward.  Saturday was all about reckoning.  I had a light breakfast and headed to work to finish up - spent about 3-4 hours at the office and my month-end Close was finally done.  I headed straight home from there and took Coty out to the Lake for a 4.37-mile run.

It was cold windy out there, we'd gotten about an inch of snow overnight.  But the roads were pretty clear.  Well, maybe not "clear" as there was snow on the road for about 2.5 miles of the route, but it was packed and not slippery so I was able to run about 3.5 miles of the loop.  That first mile felt a lot like punishment for my "sins" of the previous 48 hours or so, with the wind in my face and my body not yet warmed up, but I kept reminding myself that I'd be warm soon enough if I could just keep pushing until my heart rate got going.  Again in the last mile, I was away from the protection of the tree line and the wind was cutting in, while running up that nasty hill.  I literally talked myself through it.  I imagine it would sound pretty funny - I should tape my audible self-talk during a difficult portion of a workout!  Here's about how it went:  "Here we go - this is not a problem.  Hill? What hill?  This ain't no hill for a climber.  We love the wind, don't we Coty? Wind.  Thinks I'm gonna slow down?  We'll show that wind.  Nothing's going to slow this run down.  It's frickin' COLD out here, it'll only be colder if we slow down, I'm just gonna keep on jogging up this hill and once we turn that corner we'll be out of the wind and we can relax and ease on down to the finish line and get in that nice warm car."

 Now THAT. Felt. GREAT.

Last night I headed out with Jason for burger baskets and a few cocktails at our favorite watering hole.  We even ran into a dear old friend who we haven't seen in years!  It was a great way to cap off the week.

Our friend Pete.  Haven't seen him in years!

What a treat.

Bubba caught a good snap of me at some point.  Found it on my phone this morning, forgot he took it!

Today started with a great bowl of Cream of Wheat - made with milk, no salt, and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.  Wonderful, healthy-ish(?) and warm start for a very cold day.  I ran to the grocery store for avocados, which quickly devolved into a QUEST for ripe avocados (I was so distracted with work all week, I never thought to pick some up and let them ripen on top of the fridge.)  While I was out & about, Jason texted me that he "Needs 2 McDoubles".  And that The Teenager needed 2 McChickens as well.  I've been contemplating Friday's excesses and managed to exercise some control.  I got their sandwiches, and nothing else.  I had yogurt and granola for lunch!  I win!



And of course today is Superbowl Sunday!

As a Sunday, today's a weigh-in day.  I was up about 0.8 lbs over last week's low.  Not a shock considering the food intake of the past couple of days.  Could even be a normal water-weight swing too, so I'm not going to let myself get twisted up about it.  I should be able to work that off with one good on-plan week and be back on track.

On a lighter note, we are heading to a friend's house this afternoon to watch the game.  The guacamole is made and I can't wait to enjoy this annual tradition!!  The SuperBowl is my second-favorite holiday (behind Halloween, of course).  I just have to remember that I'm NOT there to eat a bunch of junk food.  I AM there to enjoy the company of our dear old friends and all the best that the U.S. has to offer:  spectacle, showmanship, marketing, and maybe, just maybe, even a little football.

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Saturday night, Jason and I went out to dinner, celebrating... my new job!  Yes, last week was pretty stressful as I was offered, and accepted, a new position and gave notice at my current job.  I've got two short weeks left to transition my responsibilities to my temporary replacement.  It is NOT going to be easy.

photo credit: smartblue via photopin cc

So anyway, we had a gift card for Outback Steakhouse so we headed there for dinner and a few drinks to celebrate the beginning of another new beginning.  I had a sirloin & salad, and splurged on the lobster mac & cheese, but only ate about 1/2 of it - too much cheese for me, it was a little overwhelming.  (I know, "too much cheese" - is there really such a thing?  Turns out, yes.)  We skipped the appetizer & dessert in favor of a second round of drinks (Ketel One Citron & water for me).  Not too bad calorie-wise for a dinner out, but I didn't stop there... once home, we broke out some sparkling wine, and boom, there's the killer for the day... That's another 500 to 700 calories!
YIKES!

Well that's that... had a great food & exercise week but my calorie-count was blown for the whole week in one night.  But it was a great night, well worth it.

Sunday's weigh in was a disappointment - no change at all.  I suppose it was to be expected, but I really had it in my head that I'd be down a pound or so for the week.  I spent the day having a little pity-party, or maybe I was just hungover.  In either case, I was (still am) pretty achy and stiff and sore in a hundred places which I'm attributing primarily to the header I took Saturday at the Lake.  Plus it was really cold out so I wasn't much prepared to go for another run.  I did take Coty for a quick one-mile walk but I wouldn't call it "exercise."

Monday will be a new day, and a new week begins again.

What Happens at the Gym, Stays at the Gym?

I have a funny little story for you today!

I FINALLY got my sorry butt back to the gym last week.  I checked my iPersonalTrainer app to see:  it really has been months.  My last gym workout was in September!!  The plan was to go after work on Wednesday and Thursday when my husband is off work and can take the dog for her walk.  Tuesday night I dug out my gym bag and set it by the door so as not to forget.  In the morning, I did remember the bag and headed to the office to take care of some TCB.

I left work a bit early to get there before the rush, found a parking spot and headed in (trying to resist the urge to hang my head in shame for being absent so long).  I made my way to the locker room, only to find that the changing rooms were taken so I had to change clothes in the main locker area - something I really hate.  It's one of those junior-high / high school phobia things; I always hated changing my clothes in public.  But okay, here we go, I need to work out, I'm not gonna waste time waiting around to change... let's get it done.

What do I find in my bag?  Sports bras, check.  Shoes, check.  Socks, check.  Pants, check.  NO SHIRT!

No shit! No shirt!

I cannot possibly articulate the abject horror that overwhelmed me when I realized I had no t-shirt to wear over my sports bra.  No exaggeration:  Horror.

I'll admit, I did briefly consider saying "F*** it," putting my clothes back on and heading home.  I had to remind myself of a few things, as follows:

• "It's been THREEEEE MONTHS since your last gym workout!"  
• "Going home is NOT an option."  
• "It's not like you're naked, you're fully clothed, all you're missing is a cotton tent to hide behind.  Do you think no one knows you've got fat under that shirt???"  
• "That belly roll is WHY YOU'RE HERE.  Get over it and get out there and start getting RID of it!"

And off I went to do my workout.

I started off with 10 minutes on the stationary bike to warm up, Level 3, then hit the weights with my handy iPersonalTrainer app for 45 minutes, and finished up with another 10 minutes on the bike, Level 4, for a total of 5 miles.  I've never been much of a fan of the stationary bike, but with this mileage challenge I think it will be good to do more cross-training (ie, not always on the treadmill) in addition to the weight training.  So I did start out on a low resistance because I'm not very familiar with it.  I honestly didn't know what the correct setting would be.  I'll be playing with the resistance and other settings over the next few weeks as I re-acclimate myself with my gym.

Photo credit: pescatello via photopin cc

Found this funny pic online to demonstrate what it felt like working out in just my tank-style sports bra.  But you know, it really wasn't that bad.  No one stared, no one told me to go to the Principle's office and find some proper attire.  I don't intend to make a habit of it (and I damn sure packed my gym bag the night before my next gym workout, with TWO t-shirts), but I don't have to run away from it either.

Just do it - really!

I found this quote earlier this week and kept reminding myself of it as the days went on:

Lowell Thomas:

"Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can."

Yeah, I did a lot of that this week.

It was an eventful week and I think I have enough material to make a couple of blog posts, so I think that's my plan for today:  write and think and hope that this process helps me to stay on track (and follow the guidance of that quote) for another week.  It's a good indicator that I should have taken some time earlier in the week to write, but what's done is done.  I have both the time and the inclination today, so here we go!

You'll recall from my last post that I really ran hard last Saturday, then had a hard run on Sunday that I just wasn't able to finish.  Monday I was still very sore and feeling worn out, plus it was absolutely FREEZING outside, so while I did walk the dog, I did it in jeans and three shirts and a parka and hiking boots.  It was just a walk, not a workout, but I made sure we did more than the standard minimum 1-mile - I got in about 2 miles and called it good.  Jason made his "famous" Chicken Fried Rice - a healthy-ish version of Chinese fare  - and I had a bit more of it than I should have.  We watched the second part of the Biggest Loser premiere and I got my 20 sit-ups and 20 push-ups done while Jillian Michaels kicked the crap out of the contestants.  I ended up about 130 calories over my daily goal of 1220.  Actually I got half of my sit-ups and push-ups done before work that morning (feeling ambitious!) and nearly forgot to do the rest, but on the show they had a guest - a really great NFL football player whose name I can't remember (boy would my husband be appalled at that, he was really impressed that they had this particular guy on, apparently he's amazing.) Anyway the football player said to the group "Get Moving!" and something just "clicked."  I got right up off the couch and got them done right then!  Thank you, Biggest Loser!

Tuesday I had my weekly running group, which meets at Meg's house at 5:30pm.  I've gotten to know Meg a little since becoming involved in the Lake Run Club in the past year, and they live near our neighborhood - about a half-mile from my house.   I was REALLY glad to have the group run to motivate me.  My body was still recovering, apparently, from Saturday's and Sunday's exercise, and if not for the planned outing, I may have just taken Coty on a short walk and spent the rest of the night on the couch.  I knew in my mind that this was exactly the right time for another run - to recondition my legs and lungs and help them get over the "hump" of this soreness - but it's hard to remember that and get it done when you're still stiff and sore.

I was running late after work, so instead of walking to Meg's, I jumped in the car with Coty and drove over.  It does seem silly to drive such a short distance, but I didn't want to miss the start-time because I don't know the route well enough to run it on my own in the dark. We ended up getting there about 10 minutes early and got to warm up and socialize a bit as the other runners arrived.  The weather had improved - temps in the low 40's which is relatively warm for January in this area, and I was excited to be running without my 4-layers on top, and in my capri bottoms rather than the bulkier options I have to wear when the temps are in the 20's.  Meg ran with me, so I definitely wasn't getting lost.  It was great having someone to chat with during the run. We got in 3.2 miles in about 41 minutes.  Not a great pace because I had to take a couple of walking breaks.  As I said, I was NOT feeling it on Tuesday!  But I was really glad to have gotten it done.  There's something to be said for sticking with your plan even when you don't feel like it.

Like the guy said, I did a little more than I thought I could.

Photo credit: SweetOnVeg via photopin cc

Lessons from the first week of 2013

This is going to be a long post.  I realized this afternoon that I haven't written anything new here since December 27 - really, 12/27???  What is that, like 10 days?  Somehow I thought I'd updated at some point.  Oops.  I guess I lost track of time - I've been working a lot the past two weeks.  I don't talk much about my job here, but I'm a corporate accountant so the first day of any month is an important one, certain things have to be completed on "Day 1" to close the books on the previous month; this applies ten-fold for the first of the year, so there's really no such thing as New Year's Day holiday in my world.

I worked a full day the Saturday before new year's (I did get in a 3-mile run before work though), Sunday I was off, had my weekly weigh-in (down nearly 2 lbs!) and did a 5.3-mile run.  Then I worked NY Eve, and about 6 hours on New Year's Day, which was a Tuesday.  Then Wednesday and Thursday were 10/11 hour days, and Friday was a normal full day of work.  It wouldn't seem like such a long week if everyone else wasn't off on PTO enjoying extra time with their families!  And I kept reading (on blogs, on Facebook, etc) about all my friends and how they were kicking off the new year right by getting extra exercise, trying new recipes or activities, etc.  I was stuck at work eating pizza (just once!) and (more importantly) NOT able to get any exercise!  Ack, I don't want to talk about it any more... it was a long week, and not how I would have preferred to kick off 2013, but what can you do...

Since I haven't posted in 10 whole days, the first thing I need to share is that I have a final tally on my 2013 Mileage Challenge:  I posted this challenge on my own Facebook page, on the Lake Run Club page, and on the LoseIt! community page as well as here on the blog.  The final tally from all sources was 468 miles - so I rounded it up to an even 500.  There you have it, my first mileage goal for 2013 - run, bike or walk a total of 500 miles.

Which brings me to the next thing I want to share:  I went to a "Predictor Event" on Saturday.  The LRC folks were doing a group run and Predictor Event.  Here's how they described it:  

"Gather to make our individual predictions for the 2013 racing season. Predict your total miles for 2013, number of new races, number of days you run, new distances, new marathon states, new PR at a distance, etc. You get the idea. Use your imagination, but challenge yourself in some way. The predictions will be hermetically sealed in a PBR growler, and then at the year's end will be opened (hopefully) to everyone's delight. Could be amusing, embarrassing, and impressive."

Mostly I just really wanted to get out for a good run after a whole week without exercise.  The event started at 11am so I was able to drink some coffee and have a bowl of cereal in the morning before driving out to the lake.  I got to thinking, what would my predictions be?  Obviously I already had a couple in mind:  the 500 mile goal I'd already established, and completing my first half-marathon.  I decided to come up with a few more challenges for myself.  Here's what I wrote down and submitted to the Predictor PBR growler:

1. 500 miles running (yes, I think I can and will be able to do that without adding biking, though I'd like to add biking to see just how quickly I can meet the 500-mile challenge).  If I count only running / walking mileage, I think I can get there, but it will definitely be a challenge to average 10 miles a week.   There are a lot of weeks that I don't quite get there.  In any case, it sounds do-able, but not easy!
2. Complete first half.
3. 5K time under 35:00.  This feels like a real challenge.  My PR for 5K is currently at 37:18.  I'll have to learn to do speed work and get a lot more comfortable at that 11-minute pace to make that happen.
4. 10K time under 1:12:00.  Again, certainly a challenge, but I'll be putting it to the test in less than 4 months!
5. Speaking of that 11-minute pace... I also came up with a goal for my Test Miles.  Test Mile under 10:00.  Now, I've been accused recently (thank you Michelle!) of mentally holding myself back.  This one feels like a PIPE DREAM to me, but that's what goals are for.  Felt to me like this one really fit the mold of what the Predictor Event was all about.  Stretching, dreaming, not just about what can be done, what would just be COOOOL!

So Coty and I headed out to the lake, ran the 4.5-mile loop and felt great.  Wow, after the week I had, I really needed that.  My race PR for that loop is actually about 54 minutes and we did it in 55!  I turned in my predictions, but didn't stay long because the meetup was in a restaurant and I figured it was kind of a party-foul to have the dog in there.  As I headed back to the car, it started snowing.  Such a lovely sight when you're out there away from town.  You can't see it in the picture, it was just barely getting started then, but on the drive home it was really coming down and I couldn't tell where the roads were icy beneath the snow and where they'd been clear!

First run of 2013!

I had my weekly weigh-in today and saw the effects of the poor diet and lack of exercise:  those two pounds were back.  Ugh.  Well, I can't say I'm surprised.  Now that the first-of-the-year craziness is mostly over, I'm happily getting back to my routine, even have a plan in place to get to the gym on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

I finally did my first set of sit-ups and push-ups today - see my previous post about goals - my goal for January is to do 20 each on 20 days this month!  I did them in 4 sets of 5 each, all in a row, took about 10 minutes.

I tried to do a long-ish run again today but it wasn't happening.  The additional snow from yesterday was part of it, but I was really pushing myself Saturday to complete the loop so quickly, and I am SORE today. Drove Coty to the park to pick up the Trail and do the same 5.25-mile route that we did last Sunday.  We walked a 1/2-mile, ran a mile, walked a bit, then ran another mile.  On the third mile, I just hit a wall.  I had been feeling sore in my thighs, hamstrings, and glutes, and even my ankles were sore.  I got through another 1/3 or maybe 1/2 a mile and the dog tripped me up a little.  I started walking and basically I just couldn't start running again.  (I tried once, but by then I had to pee so bad I couldn't even contemplate running!)  (TMI, sorry.)


So I found myself about 2 to 2.5 miles from the car, in 24 degrees and windy, and sore as hell.  At first I was really kicking myself, feeling like a failure for not completing my planned run.  Then I got to thinking about how hard I worked the day before, and reminded myself that all the new snow - about an inch - and ice were making my body work harder than the week before.  Today's run is NOT last Sunday's run.  It's a whole new ballgame, every time.  I kept walking at a good pace to keep my heart-rate up (& make sure I didn't freeze!) and kept on chugging.  By the time we got back to the car, I was over my little bout of self-pity and feeling pretty good.

Now for the plan for this week:  tonight, watch the Biggest Loser premiere!!  Then:  get my work done, walk the dog on Monday / Tuesday nights, Gym on Wednesday & Thursday, rest on Friday, long run Saturday and Sunday.  And to get those sit-ups and push-ups done every day.  Let's have a great week!

Race Recap: Park 2 Park 2012

I've caught up to FOURTH OF JULY!  Yay!

So this was the big day:  my third run of the Park 2 Park 5-miler.  This is a FUN race: park your car at the finish line, take a bus (or catch a ride) to the start, warm up running around beautiful Miller Park and listening to the animals at Miller Park Zoo rustling around, calling out to everyone, expressing their curiosity as to why so many visitors are milling about but none have come to visit them, listen to the Star Spangled Banner and run back to your car!

It's a 5-mile route from Miller Park to the "Corncrib" - the ballpark home of our local Frontier League team, the Cornbelters.  The route was changed two years ago - they used to run from Miller Park to Fairview Park, one of several locations where the community hosts fireworks in the evening.  This was my first run of the new route and I was hoping the changes would take us through some more shady areas!  The first time I ran P2P - you'll never believe it but it's true - it was raining and actually quite chilly.  It was fantastic!  I finished in just over an hour.  The following year, I was not so lucky:  it was hot and I got dehydrated during the race.  I had to stop at the mile-three water-stop for about 5 minutes and take several glasses of water and Gatorade.  My time definitely suffered in the heat.  I was hoping to beat the "hot" time, even dreaming that with all my recent training I might bust out with a PR...

Jane and her husband and son picked me up a little after 6am, and it was already near 80 degrees.  Wow, but it was HOT!  (You'll notice this is the theme for the day.)  This was her son's first-ever race!  I think I was more excited for him than he was.  The ride over was fun, he had all sorts of questions about the logistics and I was pleased to have enough experience with racing to be able to help answer some of them.  It made me feel like a real pro!

We got there early enough, we had plenty of time to mill around and chat with friends from our running group, stretch and use the facilities, and take a 10-minute warm up walk around the park.  With the route change, the starting line had been moved and I got a little confused at first, but we found the crowd before the singing was done and set ourselves up at the back of the pack.  Jane took note of the police cruiser that would be following at the end of the line and said something I'd never thought of before:  "There's the vehicle we have to beat!"  Indeed, as long as we don't get to the finish line in the back of the cruiser or an ambulance, I think we've done as well as need be!

Just before the start of the race, I noticed a soldier in full gear, boots and rucksack and all, prepping directly ahead of us.  I was in awe that someone was even considering such a feat in this weather.  It is amazing what our soldiers are trained to do.  He was ahead of us much of the way, and steadily pulling ahead in fact.  I lost track of him somewhere between Mile 3 and Mile 4 but someone posted photos of him online: (link is to the LRC Facebook page, which is an open, public group, but I didn't get a chance to ask if it would be alright to post the actual photo here).  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=363280177070931&set=o.8635502435&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf  Pretty inspiring stuff.

Jane and I had decided to start the race together, and I was using my new Garmin to help me maintain my pace and not head out too fast, which has been my habit the past couple of races.  The plan was run 6, walk 1 and stick to about 11:30 pace while running.  The first mile was great, good pace, feeling loose.  We passed right by my friend Tony's house, but I wasn't paying attention and forgot to look for him.  We were on a street heading East, with a little breeze at our backs.  After about a 1/2 mile we turned North and lost all the shade, and the breeze.  I'm guessing by now the temp was somewhere in the mid-80's.  We stuck to our intervals and kept right on trucking, going strong.

Mile 2:  Got some water at the first stop, still feeling pretty good.  I was carrying a water bottle with me, but it was already turning into warm water.  Maybe slowing down a little, but the Garmin sort of yells at you when you go outside the pace-range you've defined for your workout, so I was able to dig a little deeper and keep up.  Here's a picture one of the volunteers took around this point:[Side note:  Notice my shirt: it's a promotional shirt for the We Care Twin Cities half Marathon event.  This is the first location 1/2 marathon in our community, being organized by the Lake Run Club for the last weekend of September.  I'll be running the 10K event and volunteering for the 5K, hoping to help with the organizing in some way over the next couple of months.]

Mile 3:  The half-way point.  This is where I started flagging.  Seriously, I know I'm harping on this, but it was HOT out there and it was really draining me.  I started ignoring the Garmin's prompts to "Speed up!" and taking longer walking breaks.  At this point I switched to Gatorade at the water-stops and the main purpose of the water-bottle in my hand became to pour liquid on my head rather than into my mouth.

Mile 4:  Still, by the way, searching for the SHADY part of this route!!  See that picture up there?  See any shade in that picture???  Nope, none.  Straight up North, no shade.  The breeze was nowhere to be found, blocked by buildings and houses.  I could tell I was starting to hold Jane back and told her to please feel free to go ahead without me.  I was almost able to keep up with her but just... not... quite.

Pretending I'm not dying.

Finally, with about a mile and a half to go, we turn West and THERE!  Oh thank heavens, praise all the gods that are or ever were, there's a BREEZE!!!  Still no shade, but that breeze was like jumping into a pool.  (At this point I'm completely soaked, stem to stern, and let's just assume it was from pouring all that water over my head, so that breeze really cooled me off more than it should have.)  Here's another picture from somewhere in the Mile 3-4 time frame:

Shortly after that turn into the breeze, the route headed North again.  have I mentioned how this whole route is on a slight incline?  The elevation increases slowly but steadily pretty much the entire time you're travelling North.  And of course, the temperature is rising as well, this year...

Walking as much as running now, I trudged along up this short strip of Constitution Trail and hit the 4-mile marker in the shade.  There was someone there with a camera, but I haven't been able to locate any photos of me.  Must have dodged the lens!  At this point I'm seeing people actually running BACK to the starting line... they've completed the race, recovered a bit, and they're headed home!  How do they DO that??  But it was refreshing to know I had less than a mile to go:  even if I walk most of the way, I'm done inside of 15 minutes.  I still had a slim hope of at least beating my time from 2010, but I no longer really cared.  I wanted to know I finished again.

That last mile was, at least, mostly in the shade (a blessing as it was near 90 degrees, maybe more by now.  All I know for sure is when I arrived at home and checked, it was 98.)  I took one last walking break with about a quarter of a mile to go, just as I crossed the street and entered the Corn Crib parking lot.  Lots of folks were out along the route now, seated in lawn chairs even with the sun beating down on them, cheering on all the runners and shouting encouragement.  I took a deep breath, said "F**kit" under my breath, and got my legs moving again for the last push.  Made it across the finish line and managed not to collapse until I was out of the chute.  Jane found me, she was with her husband and son - he had a GREAT first race experience and it was fun to hear him tell how it went (while I attempted to regain consciousness).  After a while, I made my way to the snacks and Gatorade, found my husband and cooled off in the ballpark's breezeway.

Ultimately, it was a good race and I'm proud of how well I did under the circumstances.

Official Park 2 Park finishing times:

2009 (cool and rainy):  1:09:3.4
2010 (warm and dehydrated):  1:13:0.2
2012 (freakin' HOT):  1:10:47.7 - 2 minutes shaved off of last time, and less than two minutes behind 2009.

As tough as it was, this race went pretty well and I'm pleased with my time overall.  As usual, not as well as I had hoped, but well enough.  I beat the cruiser anyway!

A new running partner and a very tough run

Still updating from my little hiatus:

The Saturday after our last TNAM meetup, I met my new friend Jane for a morning run.  She lives right in my neighborhood and we've been in both Catch the Wave and Heat Wave groups together.  We hit the Trail with a plan of running 6-minute intervals, walking 1-2 minutes, and running another 6.  We jog/ walked about 4 miles that morning, but I was chattering away like a silly girl half the time, and we ended up walking quite a bit more than planned.  It was great to have a chance to get to know each other better.  I really enjoyed having a one-on-one partner to run with - quite a change from my normal solo runs.  It's funny, even with the groups, because I bring the dog with me, I'm often running a bit behind or ahead of others to make sure Coty stays out of the way of the other runners.  It was a great run, and I'm looking forward to doing it again some time soon.  

Free image courtest of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Monday following, we met again for our weekly Heat Wave group.  I know I've mentioned the radical heat wave we've actually been experiencing here, and this day was pretty extreme.  The high had been 103. At 5:30pm, I parked the car at the park where we meet up, and just before I got out, the radio announcer said the current temp was 98.  He was about to advise the Heat Index (how hot it "feels") but I decided I just really didn't want to know!!  I wanted to get out there with my girls and get going before I changed my mind!

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had a really tough run that night.  Even Coty seemed to be struggling a little (not running ahead much, keeping pretty close, etc.) but MAN, I was really BEAT!  I did have a water bottle with me, but couldn't keep up with the planned intervals (just a 4-5 minute interval).  Looking back, I realized I hadn't had enough water during the day at work, and had maybe not eaten enough at lunch either.  The heat was really brutal and I was struggling, big time.  Jane stayed back with me for about half the time, but I could tell I was slowing her down and told her to feel free to go on ahead.  The group leader caught up with me at the turn-around point and stuck with me till we got back to the park.  That was seriously one of the toughest runs of my life... and it was only 2 miles!!  Took me about a 1/2 hour to do that much.  Really, REALLY tough night.  

I learned my lesson, though, from that night's bad run.  Wednesday would be July 4, and I was registered for the Park 2 Park 5-mile race here in town, and the temperatures were NOT going to let up before the race.  I spent all day at work Tuesday drinking water, water, and MORE WATER!  Tuesday night, since we both had the next few days off of work, Jason and I headed to our favorite local bar for dinner.  I had two beers and 3 gigantic glasses of ice water, and a cheeseburger.  Headed home to bed early and set the alarm for 5:45am.  Jane was picking me up to drive to the race together.

 More on that tomorrow, with a P2P race recap, and my official time for my 3rd try at this unpredictable race.