Another Cold Beginning

As I was hanging out this morning, allowing myself to wake up and get ready for my run, I was reading my friend's running blog. She had shared about how she completed her first 10 mile run. I paused and thought about that - at a rate of 10 - 11 minutes per mile, that is 100 - 110 minutes or just under 2 hours. I am not sure when I would find the time to do that length of a run. I am glad that I can fit in a couple of miles of run/walk each day, but I am not sure how I would ever fit in much more. Sure, when the sun comes up earlier or when the indoor track reopens in the morning, I can get back to doing 4 to 5 miles round trip. But, where would I find 2 hours. Perhaps on a weekend, or on a day off. I guess I will have to be content in the time that I have and be glad that I am that much more active than I used to be and in that much better overall health.

The other thing that struck me was that she complained about how hot and humid it was on her ten mile run. I guess this caught my attention because as I walked out the door, it was 43F. I think I prefer the cool to the hot, thank you very much.

Either I am just getting faster with continued effort or the cold really makes me move. Today, I fit in 6 laps at the track. I started out running and after a couple of laps, the cold air was tough on my lungs. I switched back to walking, although, I only did 1/4 of a lap before returning to running. I wound up running a lap, walking 1/4, running 1 1/4, walking 1/4 and finishing with a lap of running. I knew that I could handle the cold air for short periods and figured it was better to keep on running. I know that with time, my lungs will adapt to the cooler air and I will be able to go further. The best part was that my average pace for the total outing was 11:15. When you consider that I walk up and walked some at the track and walk part way home, that is a pretty good pace.

Eating was pretty good yesterday. There were some caramels sitting around at work and well, I can't resist a soft, buttery caramel that melts in your mouth - unfortunately, I think I had like 4 or 5 of them. Hopefully, they are all gone and won't tempt me again today. Today should be good for eating - not much to stand in the way, plus I have fresh tomatoes that I am taking for a sandwich today. Yum!

Brisk Morning!

Well, suffice to say, it was cold outside. But, there must be some value in that, as my pace for my walk/run was at 11:30, a full 30s faster than my typical morning. I wound up pushing myself to do 3+ laps of running followed by sprint intervals for a total of 5 laps at the track. Again, I was time constrained. In theory, meeting the other ladies bright (or should I say dark) and early, sounds like a great plan, but I have yet to fully execute on it. Sure, it was dark up there this morning, but I could go earlier and do more distance. Although I did have to really push myself to complete three laps. I started with a plan of running 4 laps straight and then walking 1 lap. That turned into, maybe I run 1, walk 1 and then run 3. I decided I could keep going after 1 and then was good. I likely could have pushed for the full 4, but allowed myself a chance to catch my breath, besides I love sprint intervals.

Eating was a mess this weekend. We had more meals out then I care to remember. We even went for ice cream - but at least we walked there. Yesterday was a pretty good return to normal, so hopefully, today won't find me munchy mid-day simply because I ate bigger this weekend.

With the cold and the dark, I'm thinking that in a couple of weeks (October?), I might have to change up my schedule and workout inside 2-3 days and run outside the other 2-3 days. I guess I will just wait and see, when it is too cold, I will likely have to move it all indoors for a few months.

I need to get back to walking at lunch as well. It is a great stress relief and makes me feel good too. Plus, bonus activity like that will help me reach my goal faster. This will make me feel better about working out inside in the mornings too.

Friday!!

Well, where did the week go? I actually made it to the track each morning this week, but I was trying to wait on light and eventually concluded that if I continue to wait for light, I will have no time to exercise. I talked to the two women that I see up there every day and they told me when they get there and I said that I would target that time and if I saw them, I would stay and if not, I would go. It sounded like a great plan, but still life gets in the way and I didn't get there quite that early. The good news though is that I did get there early enough today to actually fit in 5 laps. Of course, I felt completely out of shape and only ran 3 of the 5 laps. I could have probably done 6 if I had actually run them all.

Eating - oh no! I'm not really sure why, but it has been a really tough eating week for me. I think that our busy schedules are a contributor, stress is a contributor and being tired. I had a bowl of Cheez-Its the other night and they were so good, I had more - when I went to get them, they were almost out, so as any (in)sane person would do, I finished them. I'm not sure why I would allow 3 servings of Cheez-Its for a snack, except well they are addictive. Then, last night, we switched around meal plans and went to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant. That wasn't the problem, the problem was that it was after 8. So, I was hungry and ate more chips than I should. I had a reasonable dinner. But, it was so late, I still felt stuffed when I went to bed.

Needless to say, the scale was not moving the way that I wanted...but, I at least know why.

I am hopeful that today will be a better eating day. There are no specific evening plans, except perhaps a friend staying over.

S-T-I-C-K-Y!

When I woke up this morning, I checked outside and saw that the roads were dry. This was a good start, as it was supposed to be raining this morning. I got ready and came down to check out the weather. I was glad to see that it was not supposed to rain for the next couple of hours and the radar was reasonably clear. For whatever reason, as I got ready this morning, I failed to drink any water. I don't go for very long runs, so I don't carry water with me - it seems awkward to me to run with something in my hands - so, I always hydrate before I go. I headed out and it was dark. Now, like I said, it is supposed to rain so it is overcast. I got to the track and my walking friends were there. I was glad, I had decided on the way up that if they weren't there, I wasn't going to stay with the darkness. I started out with a one mile run. I probably could have run further, but since I hadn't had water, I thought it was probably best not to push. I walked a half mile and then ran the last quarter of a mile and after a walk out of the track, ran the .45 miles from light post to home. Unfortunately, even at 6:30 when I was leaving the track, my friends were but shadows on the track. I think that means that I will have to definitely stick with my approach of only staying if they are there. It is just too dark to stay alone.

What really surprised me was how humid it was. Even though it seemed cool out, it was very sticky. On the run home, I think that it was actually misting. Either that, or the air was so wet that you could almost feel droplets.

It was a pretty good run. I am noticing that when I run, my pace fluctuates from around 8:40 per mile to 10:00 per mile. I am actually very pleased with that pace range - I never would have guessed that I was running that 'fast'. I think that I could actually sustain the range pace over the course of a 5K and could do a 30 minute 5K. I don't have any planned right now.

It was good that I got out and ran, because I did not go for a walk or run all weekend. I had great plans to get up and go, but it was so cozy in my bed and our days started so early that I would have had to get up like I do during the week. I just couldn't see myself getting up at 6 am to run on the weekend. I am more of a 7 am runner on the weekends, especially now that it is darker in the morning.

Eating was reasonable over the weekend. We ate out and snacked, but I was able to balance my portion size with enjoying the treats and was able to sustain my weight for the weekend. I just need to get it down - I am just a few weeks from my goal of being half way through the weight loss and starting to think I won't get there. We will see, if I eat well and run everyday, maybe I can pull it out.

Just Two Laps

Now on the surface, I am a bit disappointed when I say I only ran two laps, but in reality, I am glad that I ran even though it was only two laps. You see, a while ago, when I got busy doing something and wasn't ready to start my workout on time, I might have been inclined to simply skip it. I would have wondered at the value of only having a few minutes or only going a lap or two. The fact that it was suddenly 20 minutes after 6 and I hadn't left for my run yet would have been a deterrent. But now, I recognize that all activity is good and even better than the activity itself is maintaining a habit. If I allowed myself to skip the workout, then I might be more inclined to do it again the next day and progressively, I would get away from doing it all together. So, today I only did 2 laps at the track, but a total of 1.55 miles. It was good to get out. I need to get moving earlier so that I can fit in more in the future.

Yesterday, I was more successful - I did sprint intervals. I started with a one lap warm up run, did sprint intervals for 4 laps (1 mile) and then wrapped up with one lap cool down run. It felt great. I haven't had a chance to see how fast my sprint was, but I know that I was much slower on the walk between sprints - suggesting to me that I was going faster on my sprint. I really think that it is helping me with my overall speed and breath control. There is something about pushing yourself routinely that changes you.

Eating was a challenge yesterday. I did really good until we came home from the soccer game. I was feeling munchy and found some Cheddar Jack Cheez-It. Yum! Normally, I control myself and have just one small bowl of crackers. Last night, it was three! Not only that, but I had a glass of wine (a tall one, the bottle was almost out and I couldn't leave that little bit behind) with them. It was yummy and it is okay to have a treat on occasion.

Hoping that the eating is better controlled today. I don't think I can stay away from the Cheez-Its, but hopefully I can have just one bowl.

Wednesday

Today was the first day of school for my kids. Not all of the schools in town are back in session, but ours went back today.

In spite of, or maybe because of, I was actually up early today. I wanted to head to the track before getting them up and ready for school. Unfortunately, the sun rise wasn't cooperative and I still only had a short amount of time to actually work out. I decided today that I would run when I got to the track. I wound up completing the same amount of distance today (1 mile run at the track) and I did it in 7 minutes less! I guess that is the difference between 11:26 pace and 14:40 pace. I wonder if I just ran, what my actual average pace would be? Of the 2.1 miles, I actually walk for about .8 miles, so I think that if I just ran, it would be better. I rely on the .55 miles walk to start to be my warm up and need a little cool down as I leave the track.

Eating has been less of a challenge now that I am back into a more routine schedule. The biggest challenge is that we have so many sports activities over the coming weeks. It makes our dinner time shift back and forth - some nights very early, other nights very late.

The scale continues to progress towards where I need to be.

What a Weekend!

I love a busy weekend. I love company. I love going out to eat with friends and family. The problem - I don't fit in my exercise, I tend to eat more. I do well at meals, but seem to have more opportunities to snack, enjoy dessert and share a glass of wine with friends. The result - I feel disappointed in myself. I wonder why I couldn't enjoy with going so far beyond my daily targets. I wonder why I couldn't make time for a quick walk or run.

Then, I spend the next few days trying to re-adapt my body to normal. I find myself hungry at times that I shouldn't be, simply because I had more food the days before. I find myself struggling to work out - not only convincing myself to do it, but then feeling 'unfit' when I do.

The good news is that I do make it back to a good balance of healthy eating and beneficial activity - the problem is that I have lost days in advancing to my goal, because I have spent them heading the wrong way and recovering.

I am only a few weeks from my mid-point of my goal period and my lowest weight is still 2# from my goal and I haven't yet fully recovered back to that lowest weight. I so much so had hoped to not only meet, but to exceed my goal for the mid-point. Now, I am hoping just to make it to my goal. A fact that leaves me disappointed. I am happy for the progress that I have made, just bummed that I allow myself to make decisions that set me back.

I started my day with a 1 mile walk at the track, which is a 2.1 mile walk in total. I ran yesterday, but my knees were bothering me, so I felt that a walk was a smarter workout. It is staying dark way too late anymore. I keep leaving home later and later and the past two days, when I finish my workout, the street lights are still on. That is not a good thing, there are still two plus months before we fall back, eventually I will not have light to go outside for a workout in the morning. I will have to return to some DVD workouts. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I just like the outdoor workout.

Eating was mostly on track yesterday. Right up until I had some ice cream for dessert. We have a leftover cake and ice cream from my son's birthday. I just needed a little something at the end of the day. At least it wasn't a large serving. Today, I'm hopeful for another good day of eating, which will help me continue back in the right direction.