Thoughts & Things for your Thursday

I have a few thoughts and things to share today -- most of which are centered around one gnawing fact:  I keep waking up at 3am and can't get back to sleep!

My issue of waking up at the Devil's Hour hasn't happened every night -- but it has happened often enough that it's becoming a problem.  It seems to only happen on days when I haven't had a run or a workout -- and it only seems to happen during the summer months. 

This struck me as odd, because I'm usually super stressed out during semesters and much more calm and peaceful during breaks (summer & winter breaks).

Some research

Of course I turned to Google -- I searched and searched and stumbled upon a few different theories:

• Something in chinese medicine associates this time period (2-3am) with the liver?
• Catholics associate this time (around 3am) with the Devil's hour and some have reported seeing doors close or dark figures lurking as they awake in a panic
• Adrenal gland issues?
• Low blood sugar -- due to spiking sugar throughout the day.

Which is it?

I'm not going to rule anything out -- but the Low Blood sugar option seems like the easiest place to start.  If it's something more sinister I'll need a medical professional or an exorcism!

What am I going to?

My main concern is that my body is somehow out of whack.  For me, falling asleep and staying asleep is the ultimate prize at the end of each day.  The more restful sleep I get, the more I'm motivated to do good works the next day.  The more tossing and turning I do, the more worthless I am the next day.

So my plan is three fold:

1. Workout or run each day - hopefully this will exhaust me enough to sleep all night
2. Watch my blood sugar - by watching what I'm consuming and limiting the bad stuff (ie. refined or simple sugars or simple carbs without protein during meals, too much snacking, lots of processed junk) I'm hoping to balance this blood sugar thing out.  I'm also going to try to have a small snack before bed of an apple and almond butter or carrots and peanut butter.
3. Track my nights of no sleep -- hopefully by collecting more and more data, I'll begin to see larger trends.

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night?  

What do you do to fall back to sleep?  

Do you watch your blood sugar? Any tips and tricks would be great!

Share your experiences & let me know in the comments below ^_^

  

Big Break, bigger belly

Annual Check up

Lately, I blink and a week has gone by...

My life as a montage would consist of a blur of images of me at work - me asleep - and me back at work all set to a cheesy 80's ballad. So. Lame.

I've just decided that this post will serve as a quick check in before a blink again!

Weight: at the doctor's office yesterday 198.8lbs.  Height 5'5".  All numbers are good -thank goodness - but I have to go back for blood work next week.  During the doctor/patient chat, I was informed that my weight has fluctuated right around 195 for the past three years.  I am mortified!  Here I thought I was doing so well...

Let's Recap...

Here's a quick timeline in case you haven't followed my blog from day 1 --

Back in 2011, I had my wake-up call -- while sifting through wedding photos (my own wedding photos as well as my brother in law's wedding photos from the same year).  All I could focus on was how big my belly was!  I gain weight like my mother -- in the face and stomach -- so my legs always look fit giving my silhouette the whole "olive on a toothpick" feel.

I started doing weight watchers around August 2011 -- and poured all my energy into learning about nutrition, fitness, etc...  I also started running and planned to run my first every 5k... and I did April 2012!  I used to couch to 5k program and ran the whole thing without stopping **proud**!

By January of 2013, I had completed a handful more 5k's a 10k and had hit my all time lowest weight of 172.  I looked good -- and felt amazing -- even though I wasn't at my goal weight of 150.

2013 was a rough year... and my weight started to creep back up.  My running became spotty and my eating was anything but consistent.  I decided to take a "break" from weight watchers -- and have had a touch and go relationship with food and my weight since...

It's now 2016 and I can't believe this happened... In the moment, it's like I was telling myself, "it's okay to eat all this cruddy food and to lay around the house -- I'll be better tomorrow"... Too many tomorrows have happened!

My Big Break -- from weight watchers and being dedicated to fitness -- has led to a Big Belly!  As I look down all I can see is my giant stomach -- so embarrassing!

What now?

Reflecting back to when I first starting attacking the problem of the belly, I see that I was the most successful when I fully dived in.  When I immersed myself in all things health and fitness, and became almost dogmatic about my eating, the pounds melted away.

The pounds started piling back on when the belly problem wasn't the focus or priority.  I almost feel like I was in a state of arrogant denial.  I would kid myself with statements like, "I don't need weight watchers, I know what's balanced..." or "I can run tomorrow... without losing fitness..." or "I'll just switch from running to other workouts... maybe yoga... I don't need cardio...".

*Face palm*   No wonder my weight has circled 195 for three years.  I've been floundering!

This week's goals

• Workout!  Including at least one run
• Follow Weight Watchers eating plan -- with fidelity!
• Take it one day at a time!

How have you been doing?

Have you ever found yourself floundering?

What made you feel the most successful?  

Marathon Update Monday

Marathon Update:

Life is definitely full of twists and turns -- my plan for my very first Marathon has changed, again.

The date has moved from March 3rd to April 3rd -- adding another 4 weeks to my training cycle.  This is both a good and a bad thing.  Good because more training means more prepared.  Bad because it's even further away :(

Why?

I had to move my marathon date due to scheduling conflicts beyond my control.  Darn you adult-ing!! Full of responsibilities and stuff... BOO!

Turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones

I'm going to use my additional 4 weeks to do a "prep" cycle -- where I'll do lower mileage and focus on quality miles versus quantity.  I'm also going to hope that these extra weeks will help when it comes to "adjusting for weather".

Have you ever had to adjust your race dates?  

How did this effect your motivation?  

What stumbling blocks have you had to turn to stepping stones?

I did it!!

I ran 13.1 miles without stopping!! 

 It was hot and I pushed myself but it wasn't sunny and there was a nice breeze. 

When the starting gun went off, I had my butterflies and a very realistic belief that this might not end well. 

I was so doubt-y of myself because I have this stupid ingrained belief that, " maybe I can't..."  I teared up with my nerves and fears and self doubt. 

It took a lot in me to shake that all away and just run...Then I got into my rhythm-- pushing myself while keeping a cool head. 

My slow little trot was just enough to keep me between the 3:00 and 3:30 pace keeper flags. 

I tried to remind myself that, "slow isn't a sign of a character flaw - quitting is."  So I did not quit!  At first I pushed a little too fast, but then settled into the back of the pack for the long haul. 

I had enough steam left in me to push the last jaunt!  

How was your last racing experience?

Do you ever tear up during a hard workout or scary race start?

Last Training Run & Some Randoms...

How did that happen?

Today I ran 3 miles on the treadmill at a medium/hard pace.  This marks the last training run before my half marathon!  I can't believe it!  I really can't!  How did this happen?  It feels like I blinked and boom race day is this weekend!!
 

Here are some Random pictures from this training cycle:

• Running for over 3 hours with this very old iPod nano in my shorts pocket killed it!  Apparently my body heat and perspiration were enough to render it dead...  
• I'm always hungry -- and you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry.  Keeping snacks like these pretzels stashed in my office help calm the beast.
    
• I've dabbled in baking with yeast lately.  I've successfully created pizza dough, dinner rolls, and now Cinnamon Rolls (as seen below).  They are my current obsession and I want one or ten every single day.  SO GOOD!  
• 

I've also become slightly obsessed with naps --- I've never been a good napper, but lately I've had one after every long run and felt SO MUCH BETTER after each one.  Naps on a normal day just result in me lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling or my phone.  Naps after a long run result in serious sleeping -- with drool and messy hair and everything -- but I wake up less sore and less stiff!

How is your training going?  

Have you ever killed an Ipod?  

What's your current food obsession?

Weigh in Wednesday #2

Why Weigh in Wednesday?

For the past few years, I've had at least one weigh in day a week.  This day has been Sunday for the longest time.  For Weight Watchers, weigh in day meant a complete resetting of the weekly activity and bonus points.  Weigh in day for me is synonymous with renewal and restart.  A chance to see where I'm at progress wise.  A chance to see what I have to change for the upcoming week and what went well that I should continue doing.

Having my weigh in day on the weekend meant starting the week fresh.  It also meant that I would over do it almost every weekend -- why not, right?  I mean the weekly points "start over" anyway?

This was a problem for me.  Every weekend was the same -- instead of using it as a time to focus and plan for the week, I was carefree and would eat way too much!

So I decided to make the change.  Instead of weighing in on Sunday morning, I now weigh in on Wednesday morning -- first thing.

At this point, the change meant something to look forward to mid-week as well as a way to stay on plan during the weekends.

How'd it go?

This week, my second week back on weight watchers full throttle, was not perfect.  Not that it had to be... but I definitely try.  I was obsessed with bagels and cream cheese this whole week and had one for breakfast nearly every day.  This was both good (consistency) and bad (lots of points!), so I decided to switch things up to a lighter option -- a Frittata with Broccoli and Cheese... Half the points and has more protein and fiber.

I also, due to my half marathon training, ran 18 miles this week... so I earned  LOTS of activity points :D.

By the end of the day yesterday, I was seriously craving Wendy's, so I decided to treat myself!  I over did it a bit, but that meant I was too full for dinner so it evened out a bit.

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, so what did the scale say?  Down 2.2 pounds!!  I was so excited I weighed myself four times!!

Keeping the Momentum

Success breeds success!  I want to use the success of this week and turn it into more success!

What worked:

• Eating at home!
• Planning meals in advance
• Consistent breakfasts
• Running regularly!

What needs to be changed:

• Giving into cravings! -- Just because I really really really really really wanted Wendy's, doesn't mean I should have it!

How did your week go?

Did you lose/gain?  How much?

What are you keeping/changing for this week?

Week 7 of Half Marathon Training

Seven weeks!!  It's almost race day!!!  

Progress report

This weeks runs were a mix of indoor and outdoor with my longest run outside.

Here’s what I had scheduled for this week:

• Tuesday –2 mile walk 2 mile run 2 mile walk -- On treadmill at work.  Felt good!
• Thursday – 3 miles easy.  This run felt REALLY good.  I was able to run out at a good pace without feeling exhausted.  
• Saturday – 11 mile long run at super easy pace.  I forced myself to run even slower than I could so I would focus solely on distance instead of speed/time.  This run took a lot out of me, but was SO encouraging!  I felt it in my body, but I was able to do it!! :D

Goals for this week

• Try to stay calm!  I've been freaking out about the 3.5 hour time limit, the rain, spending the night with a friend the night before, etc... YUCK
• Stay focused on the goal -- my goal is to finish!  Not in any set amount of time.  I'm just going to try my best and do what I can

How were your runs this week?

How is your training going?

Do you fuel and/or hydrate mid-run?

Week 6 of Half Marathon Training

 

This week:

• 2 - 3 - 2 walk/run/walk -- Tuesday on Treadmill, rescheduled due to meetings for Wednesday... Was a terrible run...
• 4 MIle Run -- Friday on Treadmill -- Great run :D
• 9.5 Mile run -- Sunday on long winding country roads... 

Thoughts from this week:

Ups and Downs

This week started with the crappiest run ever.  I was supposed to walk 2 miles, run 3 miles, and walk 2 miles.  With the start of the school year, chaos, and last minute meetings, my plan for a Tuesday treadmill run went down the drain.  Instead, I had to push my run to the end of the day Wednesday which meant running on tired feet at the end of the day.  Late in the day running also meant that I had to contend with other gym-goers.  

The start of a new school year means a rush of newbs to the gym.  Watching these rookies diddle around with the machines, weights, and exercise equipment is like watching monkeys at the zoo.  While it's amazing to see youngsters dedicated to their health, it is also a little irritating that my favorite treadmill is taken by a teenager walking 1.5 miles per hour.  

By the time I got on a treadmill, I only had time to do the 3 mile run (not the 2 - 3 - 2 that I needed).  As I got into the groove, my ankle pain started flaring up -- resulting in  my ability to complete only a mere 2.68 miles.  

Disheartened, I vowed to push further on the other runs of the week.  Friday's 4 miles took a lot of mental effort.  Another end of day run, a slightly less crowded gym, and a still annoying ankle pain meant constant mental reminders of why the heck I'm doing this!  By mile 3, my ankle had loosened, the gym had cleared, and I actually felt good.  This helped pump be back up, though I was still worried about my long run.

Something about the weekend long run -- it feels like a monumental weight I carry all week.  Knowing I had to tackle 9.5 miles first thing Sunday morning was a fact that loomed like a dreaded to-do list task! (dishes, yuck!)  I just had to view it like a deposit into my running bank.

"Depositing in to my running bank"

On one of the many blogs I follow, I read about how a girl training for a marathon views all her workouts as little deposits to be withdrawn on race day.  I loved this analogy, so I borrowed it this week when I felt overwhelmed by the thought of 9.5 miles.

Random ankle pain 

Breaking in new shoes means new aches and pains for me.  One such random pain was in my ankle and really affected me early in the week.  To address this, I switched to my older trainers for a few runs AND I made sure to wear sneakers to work where I stand on my feet all day.  Both of these adjustments meant happy feet/legs for my long run over the weekend.

How was your week?  

Do you use any tricks to motivate yourself for running?

How do you get through your long runs?

Week 5 of half marathon training

Progress Report

It’s the end of the week and time for another quick update on my training!  My legs are holding out and I'm feeling strong -- but still scared...

This week:

• 1-3-1 Tuesday on the treadmill
• 5 miles **skipped**
• 8 miles – Saturday morning outdoors 

Thoughts from this week:

This week was a struggle. I didn’t want to run, I didn’t feel like stretching, and I most certainly didn’t wanna eat right. 

I partly gave in (missed mid week run) and partly forced myself to suck it up. 
All in all it was a great week!!
Goals for next week:

• Complete all 3 training runs – don’t be a baby 
• Stretch – your body deserves it
• Rest up 
• Foam roll your knees and calves – I’ve gotten a few knots worked out this way!

What are your goals for next week?

Do you foam roll? Why?  How?

How was your week??

Week 4 of Half Marathon Training

Four weeks!!  We have reached the halfway point! 

Progress report

This weeks runs were all outdoors and a little later in the morning to get some heat training in. I was blessed by cool weather on my long run day!

Here’s what I had scheduled for this week:

• Tuesday – 1 mile walk 4 mile run 1 mile walk. On this day I ran two miles instead of four and had pasta in my stomach.  Not good!  Ended up throwing up – I was reminded of the scene in Band of Brothers when the mean drill sergeant fed his men a huge pasta dinner and then made them run in full gear up a 20 mile hill. Ugh. 
• Thursday – four miles easy.  This run felt good.  I was able to run out at a good pace without feeling exhausted.  
• Saturday – rested instead of racking up more miles
• Sunday – 6.5 miles at an easy conversational pace.  Pushed this one a bit too much and felt wasted!  

Goals for this week

• Try including different fuel and hydration strategies on long run
• Try new shoes!!!

How were your runs this week?

How is your training going?

Do you fuel and/or hydrate mid-run?

Week 3 of Half Marathon Training

Progress Update:

Yesterday marked the end of Week 3 of my Half Marathon Training.  In total, I've been in training for 12 weeks!  I can't even believe it!

This week I had the following scheduled:

• Tuesday -- Walk 2 mi, run 3 mi, Walk 2 mi -- Treadmill
• Thursday -- 3 Miles easy -- Treadmill
• (missed) --Walk 2 mi, run 2 mi, walk 2 mi
• Sunday -- 5 miles easy -- Road Run!

I was able to finish all the runs except the second walk/run combo.  I'm glad I missed it because the 5 miler ended up taking a toll on me.  I'll be stretching later today for sure -- maybe even doing a little icing!

Goals for This week:

• Complete all Runs -- make most of them outside!  (The race will be outside after all!)
• Eat Consistently and with Fueling in Mind (Since I'm addicted to tracking each bite I eat, I'll be using myfitnesspal.com but only to ensure I'm consuming enough fuel).
• Sleep in at least once (I love sleep!)
• Enjoy at least 1 fun outing with hubby

What are your goals this week?

How was your last week of training?  

Have you tried anything new lately?

Training for Race Day Elevation

My 10K experience

The first and only time I have ever ran a 10K was the most miserable race I’ve ever experienced.  Prior to this race, I had successfully completed a handful of 5K’s.  Each of these shorter races left me feeling strong and accomplished.  I completed each 5K quicker than the last and didn’t drive away feeling completely wasted.

As a rookie runner, I’ve only trained on the trails and roads near my home.  To prep for each race, I would just set my watch to the time or distance I was aiming for and head out.  It was easy, convenient, and so seamless it was hard to punk out.  This approach to training has its advantages; cheap, effective, simple, and of course convenient.  This approach to training also has its disadvantages… mainly, you train on the same terrain day in and day out which isn’t necessarily the same terrain for race day.

I showed up to my 10K on a chilly day in March completely unaware that the course ahead of me wasn’t just longer than an actual 10k (6.5+miles instead of 6.2 miles) but there were MONSTER hills on the course!  A total gain of 279 ft when I was used to training completely flat — nearly no gain.

The hills broke my spirit from the start.  The course’s starting line was a huge hill for the first quarter mile.  Then you round the corner to be faced with an even steeper hill (15% incline) for the next half mile.  To make matter worse, the course was designed around a tiny campus, so to get the mileage in loops were formed.  You have to face the starting and follow up hill FOUR times before you can “move on” to the next segment of the course.  Knowing that I had to take on that hill not once, not twice, but FOUR times broke me!  Mentally I just wasn’t prepared.  Physically I wasn’t prepared at all!

Lesson learned — TRAIN ON HILLS!

I ended up biting down, cursing each hill, and finishing the race.  I decided to just embrace the downhill stretches and use every curse word I knew to get through the uphills.

Putting my Experience to Work for me

I vowed never to feel that unprepared and broken (before a race ever really started) again.  Never again!  Now I prepare for the race day course by doing my research!  Here are my steps:

1. Go to the race’s website and find the course map & elevation map if they have it posted — most do.  If they don’t, I recreated the course using MapMyRun.com — they’ll make an elevation map for you!  They’ll look like this:
2. Grab a notebook, pen/pencil, and calculator to start calculating inclines…  Each of those peaks and valleys is a red flag in my mind and about this time in my training (week 4 or 5) I’m going to start incorporating hill runs in my training using either designed road courses that match or a treadmill.
3. For each hill/valley, calculate total elevation increase in feet and divide by total distance run in feet — (using conversion relation 1 mile = 5,280 feet).
4. This number, written as a percent, is the incline or grade of that portion of the course.  On a treadmill, you can make a workout to run however far (quarter mile, full mile, etc…) at that incline to prep for race day.

I’ll be working on this course later today and will provide updates on how this has impacted my training!  Stay tuned!!

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A quick note — I should mention that this route includes some highway running — the stretch from mile 7 to the end… THANK GOODNESS!!  When I saw this, I swear I heard angels sing!

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Do you train on hills?  

How do you incorporate them into your workouts?  

How else to you make sure you’re “Race Day Ready”?

Week 2 of Half Marathon Training

Progress Report

First of all, sorry this post is so late!  I didn't realize until I started to write the Week 3 update that week 2's had slipped by!

Secondly, week 2 whizzed by!  I'm getting so excited to say that it's almost FALL!  WOOHOO!  I prefer running in cooler weather but still love the sunshine and clear roads, so Fall is by far my favorite season.  Although here in the south, Fall only lasts for about twenty minutes -- I make sure to include a run in that time!

These were the runs scheduled for this week:

• Tuesday -- 2 mile walk, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk -- on Treadmill
• Thursday -- 3 miles easy -- on treadmill
• Saturday -- 2 mile walk, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk (missed)
• Sunday -- 3.5 mile easy -- Outside!

I missed the run leading up to my longest run of the week, 3.5 miles, for two reasons:  (1) I didn't think running with two days so close together would lead to success on the long run and (2) I couldn't get out of bed!  A wimpy excuse, but really I didn't wanna!

Missing the 2-2-2 was actually okay... I felt strong on my 3.5 mile run and not stiff or overworked.  When the mileage starts to creep up I'll have to be more dedicated and "on top" of things.

Goals for Week 3:

• Stay calm on each run -- don't worry about pace/time/cadence -- Just run!
• Repeat positive mantra to push out negative self talk -- you CAN do it!
• Eat reasonably!

What are your training goals?

How was your week in training?

How do you push out negative self talk?

Week 1 of Half Marathon Training

This week marks the first week of Half Marathon Training -- a transition from the couch to 5K training to a new 4 day per week training plan.  (See below, I'm using this plan from Fitness Magazine).

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Here's how my week went:

My week's overview via MapMyRun.com.

• Monday's workout - 2 mile walk, 1 mile run, 2 mile walk
  • it should be noted that I walked my dog for the first 2 miles -- which meant carrying him for over a mile because he's a lazy turd -- I carried him like a 15lb football and then dropped him off at home to complete the rest of the workout.
  • It was HOT!  93 degrees and super humid.  Notes for next time -- bring WATER!  I hate carrying anything with me when it's hot and humid, I'm too afraid that it'll slip out of my hands.  Maybe I'll try stashing a bottle somewhere on my route so I can hydrate without having to carry?
  • This run was done first thing in the morning, so I hadn't eaten anything.  This usually isn't a problem for me, as my runs are relatively short, but on this day I definitely needed a little something...
• Wednesday's Workout - 1 mile easy
  • This was a fun one for me.  The weather was hot, but since I was only doing a mile I didn't stress it too much.  I made sure to do a dynamic warmup.
• Saturday's Workout - 2 mile walk, 1 mile run, 2 mile walk
  • Having one of these under my belt helped with the mental aspect.
  • I vowed not to bring the doggy along, but then ended up bringing the dog and hubby for the last 2 miles.  They didn't make it the whole way -- both of them were hot, sweaty, and miserable by the first half mile so I finished this portion out alone
• Sunday's Workout - 2 mile long run
  • Another Humid one!  77 degrees with 93% humidity.  It was so humid, all of our windows were foggy!   Humidity is harder for me than actual heat.  If it's a dry heat, I'll sweat and actually feel recharged.  When it's humid, I sweat and sweat and sweat with no relief -- as a result I feel disgusting and sluggish.  (Maybe soggy is the better word.)
  • Started this run with the same dynamic warmup and felt ready to go.
  • A quarter of a mile in, my calves felt super tight -- have to remember to stretch my calves more purposefully before my next run.
  • The last half mile or so, I felt some discomfort in my left foot -- I noted this and kept going.  It wasn't a stabbing or sharp pain, more of a sore muscle pain so I'll stretch it and check on it later tonight.

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Plan for Today:

Shower, breakfast, church, grocery shopping.

Recovery Yoga - http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-world-yoga-center/class-4-recovery-yoga

Then maybe hanging with some friends!?!

I also plan to SLEEP IN tomorrow!!  I'm very excited!  Why?  I switched my running days to Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday -- earlier than I had originally planned due to a heat wave that's hitting my area.  This way, I can use the treadmills at work for the Tuesday/Thursday runs and only have to beat the heat at Saturday/Sunday when there is considerably less traffic in my neighborhood.  I'll keep you posted of any other changes.

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What was your week like?

What's your plan for today?

How do you beat the heat?  Hydrate mid-run?