Checkpoint!

This week was a recovery week and I needed it.  I did something to my foot/leg the week before and it needed a chance to rest.  It isn't 100% better, but almost so I am glad I didn't push it.  Since I skipped doing this post last week I guess I'll list both weeks here to keep myself honest.

Last week:
Ran 18 miles (4,5,4,4) which is exactly what was on my Smart plan from Runner's World
Walked at least 6 miles ( I don't always track but those were tracked walks)
No other exercise or videos, just taking it easy to feel better

Two weeks ago:
Ran 29 miles (4,4,5,10,5) All but the last five were on the plan, I threw in an extra run just because it was nice out and I had the time to do it.  The discovery I made was that I need to do something nutrition wise for longer runs, not the 4's and 5's but for runs longer than that.  I never take water because I am afraid I'll need to pee and I had not been using any kind of food gel or chew or whatever.  I bought a bunch of different things to try and then didn't have a long run this week to try them out on.  No so sure about the gels though, I opened one to try for my extra 5 mile run just to see and it was so sweet I couldn't make myself eat it all and I like sweet things.  I'll experiment with flavors and textures and we'll see what happens.

This is hosted by Mari at Bookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

Last week had my second 10 mile run ever.  This time I did on the treadmill and I wanted to quit more than once, but I figured once I made it to the halfway point I would just have to do all that work again to get the run in and it was better to stick it out.  I also took a few days break from calorie counting.  Valentine's Day and knowing that as of Wednesday I will have given up potato chips and french fries led to the consumption of more sweets and fries than usual.

This week:
Ran 23 miles (4,5,10,3)
Walked 1 mile
No other exercises

I have been following two training plans, kind of putting them together to get ready for my first ever half marathon at the end of April.  I make sure to do the longest run either recommend and tend to also end up over the miles for both plans since they have different length runs and when I meet people to run, we try to go for 4 or 5 miles even if that is not what is written on the plan.  This weeks ten mile run felt hard.  I was super thirsty, maybe because I did it at the end of the day, but I have trouble drinking while running and if I stop I don't want to start again.  Even in races, I love the idea of a water stop, but unless I actually stop I spill the water and choke and always think it might have been better to have skipped it.  How do you manage to drink while still running?  Straw cups help a bit and I bet a water bottle with a closed sort of top might help too.  I've been pondering if I can run the whole half without drinking anything and I am thinking I will end up too thirsty at the end and compromise energy as I get thirstier.  Things to figure out in the next two months!

This is hosted by Mari at Bookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

This was week five of my half marathon training.  I put the two plans I have together and came up with my plan for the week and I stuck with it.  This is amazing for me because I am not always the best at sticking with fitness plans.  Maybe since I know there is something I am working towards I am holding myself more accountable, but I have been doing so much better in that regard since starting to run last summer.

This week:
Ran 24 miles (4,5,4,10)
Walked 3 miles
1 workout video (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred)

This was my first ever 10 mile run and my longest run outside to date.  I had planned to run with a friend on Saturday morning, but the snow caused it to just be me.  It felt like a very slow run, but I stuck with it and made it to 10 miles.  I miscalculated where I would be and ended up having an almost .75 walk home.  Next time I'll have a better idea how  long different loops in town are!

I went over my calories for the week by 305 but I also saw my lowest weight since I started making an effort to lose weight again.  My biggest challenge is stress and going out to eat.  I am not replacing a lot of our snacks as they are consumed, so it is getting harder to find something to just grab which hopefully will help me make better choices or at least force me to grab a piece of fruit or vegetable instead of something salty, sweet and processed.

Checkpoint!

Okay, this is two days late, but I didn't want to skip it even though it was late. Last week I ran my first 10K race for Superbowl Sunday. The weekend before I did a practice run for the course, not emphasizing on speed at all, just enjoying it and making one wrong turn that added .2 to the run. I had fun and was looking forward to the actual race. Going into it my goal was to run it between 1 hour and 1 hour ten minutes. That morning I really started aiming for the one hour mark and was right on track for the first two miles, even the hills especially at mile three didn't get me too off track, and then I started to run out of energy and slow down. I ended up finishing in 1:02:51. Definitely in between the times I set for myself and close, but not quite my ultimate goal for this race. This is the longest I have ever maintained a ten minute per mile pace. I've done it for two or three miles, but never 6.2 so it was a success!


Last week’s training:
Ran 15 miles
Walked 7

Not quite my usual, but it was supposed to be an easy week on my one training plan. This week I have a ten mile run planned with a friend for Saturday. So far all my long runs have been on the treadmill so I am really hoping the weather holds out so I can do this one outside and with someone to talk to.

Checkpoint!

This week I did much better eating wise than in prior weeks.  I stayed under my calories for the week by 464!  I am not sure if I've ever stayed under that much to date!

Exercise wise:
Ran 29 miles
Walked 3 miles
1 Fitness Workout- Latin Cardio Dance from Dancing with the Stars

My long run was 9 miles this week and I have worked on getting a little bit faster.  I got outside with friends once and ran a practice for this weekends 10K on my own doing my best to follow the map of the course.  I  made a wrong turn and added .2 to the run, but I have a good idea what the course looks like and know I've already done it, so that should take some of the anxiety away this weekend.  Now I just need to decide how many days prior to the race to take off, at least one, but maybe two.  Depends how I am feeling.  I have two different training plans that I am alternating between for the half marathon, so this week I don;t have quite as long a run which is good with the current race.  My long run is supposed to be 7 but I may just count the 6.2 as I don't want to do that too close to the race.

Personal Milestone:
This week I reached 100 miles of running for the month, which is my highest monthly running amount since I started running last summer. 

Checkpoint!

This week I feel good about the exercise I did, but calorie wise I went way off track.  I have a couple of ideas why I went so off course, but the most important thing is to refocus and stick to my goals.  I am not sure the scale has moved at all this month, but I'm not going to let myself give up!

Activity this week:
Ran 23 miles
Level 1 Of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (26 min)
Level 1 of Jillian Michaels Shed and Shred (45 min)
Crunch-Joy of Yoga (36 min)

I used to do the 30 Day Shred all the time and I was glad to see that it didn't feel anywhere near as hard as it used to.  I think I'll try level 2 next time.  In Shed and Shred I am still up in the air. but the inner thigh exercise made me sore for a few days so I may need to try that move at least again!  Hopefully if it makes you sore it actually doing something too.  Years ago the Crunch video was my favorite at home yoga workout.  I still remembered all the things the instructor was going to say and I was a bit sad at all the flexibility I have lost over the years.  I guess that is just incentive to keep at it!

According to MyFitnessPal I went over my weekly calories by 815, so not as bad as the week before.  I only went over the first four days so hopefully I've gotten back on the right track.  I think i said last week my goal was to stay under or at my calories for the week, well I am going to try that again for this week.

This is hosted by Mari at Bookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

This past week I did well in some areas and faltered a bit in some others.  I went over my calories by quite a bit, it seemed like I was always hungry or eating because of stress.  So it is something to work harder on this week.  According to My Fitness Pal my goal between food and exercise is 1200 calories a day.  I have a hard time sticking with this and usually try to add in extra exercise so I can still eat.  I averaged between 1300 and 1400 a day overall, but only actually went over my amount on three of the days.

Exercise for the week:
Ran 24 miles
Walked 3.5

I didn't do any strength training or other exercises for the week.  I started walking at lunch two days a week with a coworker, which is good stress relief in the middle of the day.  Also, I took the time to do a long run this week.  Friday I ran 9 miles.  I made the decision to register for the half marathon at the end of April after the run, if I can do 9 now in three months I can do 13.1.

Goals for next week:
Get in more cross training.
Stick better to my calories, stop letting stress and eating just to eat be ways to sabotage myself.

This is hosted by Mari atBookworm with a View.

Checkpoint!

This is hosted by Mari at Bookworm with a View. 

I've jumped back into my quest to be healthier and lighter.  The month of December was hard for me and especially the two weeks around Christmas and New Year's Day, but on January 2 I jumped back in.  Not the first, I had a cold and just wasn't too motivated!

Last week:
Ran 21 miles
Walked 2 miles
Zumba 20 minutes
Bellydancing 30 minutes
P90X Yoga 90 minutes

I used My Fitness Pal to track  my calories and ended the week above my goal by 145 calories.  For 7 days that felt pretty good.  I made myself be very honest about everything I ate and recorded even one chip here or there.  On Friday when I over did eating I decided I needed to workout again even though I had run in the morning.  I did not manage to get a long run in, my longest was just under 5 miles.  I ran with friends outside one day and the rest were on the treadmill.  I made sure I did something fitness wise everyday to try to set myself up for making exercise a habit in my life.

Events:
Superbowl 10K- Feb 5
West End St. Patrick's Day 5K-March 18
Emmaus 4 Miler- April 1

Possibly doing the a half marathon on April as well.  I need to make a decision as I know it sells out, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for it.

Goals this week:
Stay under my calories.
Make sure at least one day a week has a strength component
make a decision about the half marathon.

Checkpoint!

The new year is just days away and, thanks to Shelia at Book Journey , I stumbled upon this meme over at Bookworm with a View.  Every week people post how they are doing in their own fitness goals and what is coming up.  I became a runner in July.  I toyed with the idea in the spring, for a few weeks I ran daily increasing the time little by little, and then I took a break for a day, that turned into a week which turned into a few months.  In July I recommitted myself by signing up for a 5K in August.  Since then I've signed up for a race a month to keep myself from being able to quit.  It took six months, but now I no longer fear quiting quite so much.  My next 5K is on Saturday to celebrate the end of the year.  Then for 2012 my new challenge is a 10K on Super Bowl Sunday.  This week I have been toying with the idea of signing up for a Half Marathon at the end of April.  Last week my long run was 9 miles, my longest ever! The idea both scares and excited me in equal measures, I want to click and sign up but worry that 13.1 will be too much for me.  I'm not a very fast runner either so not only will it be a long distance but it is going to take me awhile.  I want to decide before the end of the week because I know the race is filling up and I don't want to wait too long.  I guess by next week I'll be able to record my choice, which I think is going to be yes, I just need to wrap my mind around the idea a little longer.