Mileage Update #7

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles
Monthly mileage as of 8/30: 81.99 miles

  

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage goal as of 8/30: 850.86 miles

68.06% complete
  

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-8/30/14): 2600.87 miles
  

This week's mileage: 22.27 mile week
Sunday 8/24: 3.17 mile walk
Monday 8/25: 2.04 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 2.86 mile interval run, 1.34 mile walk
Tuesday 8/26: 2.04 mile walk
Wednesday 8/27: 2.04 mile walk, 3.36 mile interval run
Thursday 8/28: 2.04 mile walk, 45 minute cross training- stationary bike
Friday 8/29: 2.04 mile walk, strength training- Body Revolution phase 1 workout 1
Saturday 8/30: rest

Next week's workout schedule (workouts may be rescheduled as needed)
Sunday 8/31: walk 3 miles, cross training
Monday 9/1: run
Tuesday 9/2: strength training
Wednesday 9/3: run
Thursday 9/4: strength training
Friday 9/5: cross training
Saturday 9/6: walk 3 miles, cross training

I'm ready to take on September and make it a perfect workout month. I think I've scheduled my workouts well so that I am able to fit them all in without feeling overwhelmed. 

I skipped my three mile long distance run this weekend because my legs were still sore from strength training. That was to be expected because it's been so long since I've done a workout DVD, but I don't anticipate needing to always take a rest day after strength once my body gets stronger. I also plan on doing the DVD on my lunch break at work since it is only a half hour and it will give me more time to recover. 

I have two half marathons this month and I am really excited for both of them. It's my first year running both although I've done the same or similar course for both races before for other races. Should be fun regardless.

And our garage is on it's way to being functional! Patrick is taking the next week off of work and is going to be doing a lot of work around the house. My brother-in-law is coming over next weekend to fix the electrical in the garage and then we can start cleaning it up. Patrick will have his "man cave", Isabel will have her art room and I will have my gym area. 

I'm not sure what I'm more excited about.. Having a gym area to do my DVDs and have my stationary bike (and hopefully one day a few other cardio items like a treadmill and elliptical) or having a space to display my running memorabilia. I would really like to find a cool way to display my medals and racing bibs. My bibs are currently in a scrapbook, but I may need to put them on the wall to have the visual as motivation while I'm out there training, especially on days when I may not be interested in doing it.

We'll see how it turns out, but I am really excited to get it started!

2015 Running Goal

I wanted to decide on a goal for next year. Running goals keep me motivated and I really like pushing myself to see what I can do.

I am doing really well with my goals for 2014. I really like making progress towards these goals and I'm going to be really excited when I reach them.

All I knew for my goal for next year was that I didn't want to have a certain number of races that I wanted to complete. Everything else was fair game. I just wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do though. Something new, something special.

I decided to head to Facebook to ask for suggestions. The first one was "the one". The goal that will be what I attempt to accomplish next year.

The suggestion was to pick a place and find the distance between where I live and that place. Once I reach the number of miles from point A to point B I then treat myself on a trip to that place. I knew if I were going to make this my goal it would need to be some place that wouldn't be too expensive to get to and I wanted it to be special. My first thought was to find out where my grandfather was buried.

All I knew was that he was buried in Missouri, so I asked my mom exactly where. Of course, by asking her it brought on her curiosity of why I needed to know. The surprise I had planned lasted a total of 2 minutes...

It is 1702 miles from here to there. 4.66 miles every day over the course of a year.

$1 for every 1 mile that I walk and/or run. $1702 to help with the cost of gas, hotels, food, etc. 

The chance to take my mom to visit her dad's gravesite that she hasn't been to since he died in 1989. The headstone that she has never seen in person.

It's going to be such a push for me to complete those miles throughout the year. I'm not doing it just more me, I'm doing it because I really want to do this for her. What an adventure it would be!

Hopefully the following races next year will help me get there:

January 8-11, 2015- Tracy's Dose of Dopey

March 15, 2015- LA Marathon
April 12, 2015- Hollywood Half Marathon???

April 26, 2015- Ojai Half
May 24, 2015- Mountains to Beach Marathon
June 21, 2015- Mammoth Half Marathon

Race miles and training miles. That's how I'm going to get the mileage. That plus dedication and commitment. I'm ready for this chance to prove to myself that I can do this, not just for me, but to do this for my mom would be so special. I would be able to help her cross an item off of her bucket list. 

How cool is that!?! 

4 more months until the new goal starts. 4 more months to work on the current ones. Here we go!

Back on Track

The past couple of weeks I've been off track with quite a bit. Work has been overwhelming and stressful and I've allowed it to affect a lot of areas of my life. I'm not proud of that, but it is a fact.

But I am finally feeling ready to take control of my life and get things into a better place. Mentally, physically, financially, etc.. 

I've decided to take a break from Weight Watcher's. It wasn't making sense for me to pay about $45 every month when I wasn't putting my all into it and when I'm training it is more difficult to lose. I know the training one has caused issues before, so I have no idea why I decided to sign up again when I was already in training.

Weight Watchers does work. I love the program and I love my leader, but in order for it to work you have to be dedicated to it. I'm not right now. I'm more dedicated to running and that's okay. After 12 weeks I had lost 4 pounds. Clearly not a significant amount, but I am down 4 pounds and happy about that. It's just not financially worth it to spend $135 in three months to lose 4 pounds. 

So instead I will use my own method. Will it work? I don't know. I guess it's the same as with Weight Watchers in that it will work if I work it. I physically want it to work, I mentally need it to work.

I took my starting weight, measurements and before pictures on Wednesday.

Bust- 40"
Waist- 34.5"
Hips- 44.5"
L Thigh- 25.25"
R Thigh- 24.5"
L Arm- 12.25"
R Arm- 13"

I went out and found a nice journal. I decided that what I wanted to do was write down what I was eating but not focus on points or calories. Then on the back side of the page I am using it to journal about my day. I think it's been helpful so far, although it's only been 3 days.

 

I'm going to try to make better choices and continue to focus on running, cross training and strength training. I would like to eventually get somewhere in the healthy weight range for my height (between 135-169). I'm not going to be unrealistic about it. In fact, if I had to choose a goal weight it would be 160.8, an even 20 pounds. But at this point I really just want to find a balance of eating healthy and working out.

I know myself and working out is what makes me happiest. As long as I can get a handle on what I'm eating while getting in the workouts I have scheduled for myself then I think I can see some really positive progress.

Here goes nothing. I mean, what do I have to lose at this point? As long as I keep trying then I'm making forward progress. And that's good enough.

A Little Bit of Everything..

Race Schedule (as of 8/21/14)

September 7, 2014- Ventura Pier 2 Pier Half

September 20, 2014- Harvest Half

October 26, 2014- Rock N Roll Los Angeles

November 15, 2014- Las Vegas 5K

November 16, 2014- Rock N Roll Las Vegas

November 27, 2014- Simi Valley Thanksgiving 5K

December 14, 2014- Santa to the Sea Half

December 28, San Diego Holiday Half

January 8-11, 2015- Tracy's Dose of Dopey

March 15, 2015- LA Marathon

April 26, 2015- Ojai Half

Training Schedule (as of 8/21/14) 

Training is for Tracy's Dose of Dopey in January (5K Thursday, 10K Friday, half Saturday, full Sunday) and also includes my race schedule. This is not a recommended training plan as the race distances were not part of the original training plan provided by Jeff Galloway on the rundisney website.

August 23, 2014- 9 miles

August 30, 2014- 3 miles 

September 7, 2014- race (13.1 miles)

September 13, 2014- 3 miles

September 20, 2014- race (13.1 miles)

September 21, 2014- walk 4 miles

September 27, 2014- 4 miles 

October 4, 2014- walk 5.5 miles

October 5, 2014- 15 miles

October 11, 2014- 4 miles

October 18, 2014- walk 7 miles

October 19, 2014- 17 miles

October 26, 2014- race (13.1 miles) 

November 1, 2014- 6 miles

November 8, 2014- walk 8.5 miles

November 9, 2014- 20 miles

November 15, 2014- race (3.1 miles) 

November 16, 2014- race (13.1 miles) 

November 22, 2014- 7 miles

November 28, 2014- walk 4 miles

November 29, 2014- walk 10 miles

November 30, 2014- 23 miles

December 6, 2014- 6 miles

December 14, 2014- race (13.1 miles) 

December 19, 2014- walk 5 miles

December 20, 2014- walk 12 miles

December 21, 2014- 26 miles

December 28, 2014- race (13.1 miles) 

January 3, 2015- 7 miles 

January 8, 2015- 5K

January 9, 2015- 10K

January 10, 2015- Half

January 11, 2015- Full

January 17, 2015- 3 miles

January 24, 2015- 5 miles

January 31, 2015- 8 miles

February 7, 2015- 6 miles

February 14, 2015- 13 miles

February 21, 2015- 4 miles

February 28, 2015- 8 miles 

March 7, 2015- 6 miles

March 15, 2015- race (26.2 miles)

March 21, 2015- 3 miles

March 28, 2015- 5 miles

April 4, 2015- 7 miles

April 11, 2015- 4 miles

April 18, 2015- 6 miles

April 26, 2015- race (13.1 miles)

I'm trying to decide on a running goal for next year. This year's goals were to complete my running streak of 500 days in a row that was cut short at day 235 due to an injury. I am still working towards running 1250 miles and completing 14 half marathons before the end of 2014. 

I love having something to work towards, but I also think I need something a little less next year, but I'm having a tough time doing less when I want to choose something that will push me to do more. I have time to decide, but it's been on my mind and will continue to be on my mind until I make a decision..

This weeks long distance training run- 9 miles scheduled. Goals for this run: stay between 12:30-13:30 minute miles, run all intervals (no extra walk breaks), finish all 9 miles.

I went out yesterday and invested in some better socks as well as some athletic tape to keep my bandaids in place. 

I took 2 full weeks off and then the blisters came back. I'm stubborn and decided to find a way to still run without pain. So far so good!

I reached all three of my goals for today's run and even though parts were difficult (like the uphill portions and 93% humidity at 7am) I finished and need to focus on that. I have a tendency to focus on the things that I didn't do or didn't do well and I really should start seeing what I have accomplished the way other people do.

 

This month (August) marks three years since I started running. I've accomplished a lot in that time yet I only focus on how much more I could have done. I can't seem to see what I have done as anything special, even though it kind of is (and I would tell anyone else how impressed I am with them). But because it's me, I feel like I should be able to push further, faster, harder, stronger and instead I find my comfort zone and stay there. 

To be honest, I am impressed with myself. Three years is a long time for me to stick to something that I hated once upon a time. Hate is a strong word and I don't use it for much, but I hated running. With a passion. 

Then I realized that I can do it. I didn't have to run distances without walking, in fact with the method I use it is encouraged. I shouldn't look at my completion of marathons and half marathons as less just because my time is slow or because I walk. I still finished the same race, course, distance as everyone else. There should be no justification. 

I'm never going to win a race, and I'm never going to go out to try to. I'm not out there to race. I'm out there for me. Sometimes I race against myself, sometimes I just go to enjoy the run. Either way every run I go on is an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. 

This past week included two somewhat decent runs, 2.10 and 2.87 miles. I am hoping to do a little more next week and to begin to include cross training and strength training. I made a schedule (because we all know how well that has worked for me in the past), but I'm looking forward to attempting to try again. 

Sunday: walk 3 miles

Monday: run

Tuesday: 30 Day Shred, bike

Wednesday: run

Thursday: Body Revolution

Friday: jump rope, bike

Saturday: 3 mile long distance training run

Maybe at some point I'll be able to report back and say I've had a "perfect" week. Until then I'm just going to keep moving forward. I can't go back and I don't want to. What I want to do is learn to appreciate my body and what I do have along the way so that I'm not looking back and thinking "I wish I had that body again, the one I thought I hated when I had it.."

There have been many examples of pictures that I have looked at and wished I could go back to that body. For some reason, the top two are the two I go back to when I think of where I want to be again. It was post 30 Day Shred and I still didn't think I looked good enough.

 

I can't go back though. I can only move forward. I'm not willing to commit to another 30 day program right now, but I can commit to the workouts that I have scheduled because it's a small portion of my day and the workouts are doable. I'm the only one holding me back from getting the body I am happy with, I'm just not putting in the work to get there. And maybe the process is taking longer than I would like because my head isn't ready to see that "after" body. I don't want to get to that healthy toned body phase and still not be happy.

 

That's why I'm also learning to love the body I have now. Who knows, maybe one day I'll see a picture from this time in my life and realize it's not as bad as it is in my head. I'm working on quieting those negative voices in my head and working on focusing on the positive ones. Maybe one day they will all be positive..

Weigh In #12

Not what I was hoping for, but expected. After getting back into the 170s over the weekend that little switch was flipped to put me back into self sabotage mode. I don't know why, but it may be time to put the scale away to avoid the sneak peeks throughout the week. 

The good news, and what I am choosing to focus on, is that I have been successfully tracking for a total of 16 days in a row, including today. The good, the bad, the ugly.. All of it. This is the longest tracking streak I've had in quite some time. 

So, I gained this week. I'm not going to brush it off like it's nothing, because obviously I don't want to keep gaining again, but I realized it's not the end of the world and I managed to make it through the weigh in and meeting without letting the gain affect my mood. I know that going 8 points in the red was a factor as well as the fact I had a lot of sodium at dinner the night before. 

It wasn't surprising at all that the scale was back down this morning.. 

It has given me some extra motivation to make sure that the last weigh in of August is a good one. I really want to end August weighing less than I started it. And that will be the same goal for September- to commit to myself to do my best. To track and to end the month weighing less than the start of the month.

 

The weight may be coming of slowly (painfully slow in fact) but it is coming off. Yes, 4 pounds in 12 weeks is slightly embarrassing, but considering I didn't really commit to the program or to myself I guess I just have to be proud that it's down. I mean, it could be up. It could be up a lot more than when I started.

 

I just have to keep telling myself the same things. Whether I listen or not is another story...

 

"Make better choices. Enjoy the choices you do make. Track it all. Move more. You are worth it. Be proud of who you are and where you are in this."

Mileage Update #6

Monthly mileage goal: 105 miles
Monthly mileage as of 8/16: 32.02 miles

 

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage goal as of 8/16: 800.89 miles

64.07% complete
 

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-8/16/14): 2550.90 miles
 

This week's mileage: 13.33 mile week

Sunday 8/10: n/a
Monday 8/11: n/a
Tuesday 8/12: n/a

Wednesday 8/13: 2.04 mile walk
Thursday 8/14: 2.04 mile walk
Friday 8/15: 2.04 mile walk
Saturday 8/16: 7.21 mile interval run

Back in the Game!

After two full weeks off I am finally back to running.

I spent some time yesterday updating my training plan to reflect the weeks I had missed. I set my sights high for this weeks long distance run. I wanted to make up for last week's missed half marathon but wasn't quite ready to run a half. 

Instead I looked on Jeff Galloway's training plan to see what last week would have been. It showed 7 miles on the calendar.

7 felt doable, but I wasn't going to commit to anything. I had only gone for three walks and I wasn't sure how my heels were going to feel. In my head I told myself anywhere from 3-7 miles would be productive. I tracked a 7 mile course that I could turn around and come home if need be.

 

 

There was no turning around. I felt sluggish at first, and out of shape. It was hard to catch my breath and my heart felt like it was never going to return to a normal beat. The first 3 miles were almost all uphill. But I pushed on. My heels weren't hurting so I kept going.

Mile 1- 13:14
Mile 2- 13:25
Mile 3- 12:48
Mile 4- 12:55
Mile 5- 12:51
Mile 6- 12:35
Mile 7- 12:34
Total distance- 7.21 miles
Total time- 1:33:34
Average pace- 12:59

I don't really know what to say about this run. I felt slow. I felt tired. I felt ready to give up. I felt happy.

I missed running. I missed the feeling I get while running. I missed the feeling I get after finishing a run. I missed lacing my shoes for a long run. 

I found myself jealous of people I don't know who were out for a run. I don't like that feeling. I'm glad I was able to take the time off to heal, but it felt incredible getting back to it today.

And the two weeks off also gave me a chance to focus on my eating. After gaining 5 pounds three weeks ago I was ready to quit. I didn't want to put my body and my mind through focusing on weight loss anymore. Instead I realized that quitting was not the answer and instead I refocused on making August my month. 

And wow, has it been!! 

Week 1 of August I lost 2 pounds. Week 2 (last week) I lost 2.6!! All it took was tracking and committing to myself to lose weight for myself. 

All I know is that I feel good. I feel on track. I'm ready to see success in running and in my weight loss. I'm not quitting.. I'm not even considering it as an option.

This week is going to be nice and easy. My goals are simple: 2-3 short runs with my long run on Saturday and 2-3 workouts on the stationary bike. No pressure.
There's been a lot going on in my personal, weight loss and fitness life. A lot that I want to share in the coming days! Stay tuned..

Still Sidelined

I had so much motivation going into August. I set up a nice training plan to keep me motivated and active. I was ready to take on the month and attempt a perfect, no excuse month, getting in every workout scheduled even if it meant rescheduling.

And then something so small as a blister has put me out of almost all activity since Sunday. 

I cannot begin to explain the frustration of having the desire to go out and run, or stay in and do a DVD or even walk the dog and not be able to. I have been walking the dog, but I have to wear flip-flops and I can't go as far. 

There are worse things, but for someone who makes the silliest excuses when there is no motivation it can be frustrating to use an excuse to not go, no matter if it is valid.

I attempted a 2 mile walk yesterday. I made it the 2 miles, but my heel was hurting and I don't want to push it and do more damage, keeping me out longer. I'm just impatiently waiting to get back into it while trying to keep in mind that this may be my bodies way of telling me to slow down or that it needs the break.

I was able to transfer my registration for Sunday's race to a nearby race in September, so all is well in regards to that goal of 14 half marathons in 2014. The goal I'm worried about now is my mileage goal of 1250 miles in a year. I started this month ahead for the year, but that can only take me so far. I would really like to get this blister healed so I can get back out there and track more miles. 

This weekend will be forced rest and I will be looking for something to help speed this process along. It just makes me wonder how (after 3 pairs of the same shoe) this one caused so much discomfort and what I'm going to do when I try to break them in again. 

Until my next run, I will be sending out positive running thoughts and PR vibes to those running and/or racing this weekend. 

I haven't been on the sidelines too often (one race I missed for being sick and I was out for a solid 2 months after having surgery on my wrist), but this is not something I am enjoying...

Weigh In #10

I did not go into this week with any expectations other then the fact that I wanted to track the entire week. I got to Sunday and about -50 something points when I gave up and continued the downward spiral of self hatred. It wasn't pretty and I'm definitely not proud of myself or what I have been doing to my body.

I stood there Sunday, with tears in my eyes, telling myself that I need to quit Weight Watcher's. That I was wasting money each month by paying for it but not following the program, not losing weight, not doing anything positive to be a healthier person.

But I didn't. I made it through Monday and come Tuesday morning I realized exactly what I needed to do. I need to actually do the program. The reason it hasn't been working is because I have not been working the program. I know what works and I know how to see success. I just haven't been putting in that effort and it's not right of me to want to quit something for not working before I put in a real effort to it.

I started August with full intention to have a "perfect" month of workouts. I made a schedule that I was planning on sticking to as closely as possible and I was ready to make it mine. My body had other plans though and as soon as I started breaking in my new pair of running shoes my body rebelled and I have two blisters, one on each heel.

There are so many worse things, however these blisters (the one on my left heel in particular) brought me to tears last night (for multiple reasons). They hurt, and putting my shoes on to take Camper for her walk brought on such intense pain that I stopped about two steps in and took my shoes off in a panic to make it stop. But, the main reason I started crying was because I was upset to not be able to workout or run in order to let them heal.

I was signed up for a half marathon this coming Sunday and I was freaking out that I wouldn't be able to run, ending my goal of completing 14 half marathons in 2014. Yes, I admit my reaction was dramatic, but I allowed myself the night to freak out before working on a solution this morning.

I still need to figure out how I'm going to break in these shoes without causing a new blister, but I am allowing myself the rest of this week to heal before attempting these shoes again.

As for the motivation in working out? I'm just hoping it sticks around until I can wear my shoes again and I can start back up where I left off. The week off will be taken as a sign that I need it and can focus on my eating instead.

As for the race? Well, thankfully the race director is beyond amazing and allowed me to transfer my registration from the race on Sunday to another of their races in September. I am still on track to complete 14 half marathons in 2014! Thankfully it's not too far away, and to be honest, I've completed this race two years ago and it was HOT on the bike path. I'm also close enough to run on the wash any time I want without paying for it..

The course in September is the same course that I ran in January when there were some pretty strong winds. I am hoping the winds stay away in September (although you never know!) and I can attempt to PR the course.

For now, all I know is that August is going to be my month. Since I can't make it a perfect month in regards to working out or tracking I'm going to just make it as best I can. That means that I'm going to be tracking, making better choices and working out as soon as I can.

I can't expect things to change if I don't change anything. So, here I am, making some positive changes. I am worth this. I am capable of doing this. I am no longer doing this for anyone else and I believe in myself enough to do this for me.

Mileage Update #5

Monthly mileage goal: 105 milesMonthly mileage as of 8/2: 108.16 miles (July) 8.40 miles (August) 

 

Yearly mileage goal: 1250 miles

Yearly mileage goal as of 8/2: 777.27 miles

62.18% complete
 

Total mileage recorded to date (1/1/12-8/2/14): 2527.28 miles
 

This week's mileage: 27.72 mile week

Sunday 7/27: 2.12 mile walk with dog
Monday 7/28: 2.04 mile walkTuesday 7/29: 2.04 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 2.12 mile walk with dog
Wednesday 7/30: 2.04 mile walk, 1.34 mile walk, 2.12 mile walk with dog
Thursday 7/31: 2.04 mile walk, 2.12 mile walk with dog
Friday 8/1: 2.04 mile walk, 2.66 mile walk with dog
Saturday 8/2: 3.17 mile interval run, 0.53 mile walk with dog

August Training Plan

My motivation has been revived. I'm not going to question why or how, I'm just going to go with it and hope it stays around for awhile. 

I made a training schedule for the month of July and didn't quite follow it as closely as I would have liked. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do for August, but I knew that whatever I did, I needed to see success. 

I have always been one to push myself and test my limits whether it's running or strength. I've completed a couple marathons and multiple half marathons. I've set goals that I'm working towards that keep me going. I've completed both 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30, doing both for the full 30 days in a row. I'm not really one to say no to doing multiple workouts in a day because you have to do what you have to do in order to get things done no matter what your schedule looks like. I figured this month would be no different and so I scheduled a month of workouts. 

Saturdays and Sundays will be my long distance run and walking the dog. Whichever day I don't run I will be using the stationary bike for a minimum of 30 minutes. 

Mondays and Thursdays I will be walking at work, running and walking the dog.

Tuesdays will be my "rest" day where I will be walking at work and walking the dog.

Wednesdays I will be walking at work, cross training (jump rope), strength training and walking the dog. 

Fridays will be my other cross training and strength training day but cross training will be the stationary bike. I will also walk at work and walk the dog. 

For this month strength training will be Jillian Michaels Body Revolution phase 1 workouts 1 and 2. 

This week- 

Scheduled: 

Friday 8/1: walk at work, strength training, cross training, walk dog

Saturday 8/2: 3 mile training run, walk dog

Actual: 

Friday 8/1: 2.04 mile walk at work, phase 1 workout 1 strength training, 32 minutes stationary bike cross training, 2.66 mile walk dog

Sunday: 3.17 mile training run, dog will be walked tonight. 

I'm trying to see how many of my scheduled workouts I can actually do this month. I'm going to stay flexible to changes but do my best to get them all done. I'm hoping by the end of the month I can show an after picture of the above calendar except all of the workouts will be highlighted and marked as complete.

I feel motivated and ready to make this month the best I can. No one is standing in my way but myself. That stops right now.