Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Day One, Good to Go

I will never take a week off of running during training season again.

You all know how freakin hot it's been here, so it makes sense that all will power I had totally got zapped as the temperatures rose above 100 degrees.

Last night, I had to get real, so I went to the gym and jumped onto the dreadmill for a 5k.  Worst 5k ever (aside from the Wolftrap 5k, which was heinous due to the billion hills).  I barely made it alive off the treadmill, then I did a quick set of weights for shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest/back, glutes, quads, and inner/outer thighs.  Horrible.

However, I'm glad I did it.  The first run back after time off is always the worst; I expect Wednesday's run with my beginner group to be a lot smoother and my Thursday night run to be awesome.

Anyway, I got back in the exercise saddle and hit my caloric burn of just over 2500 (target).

I did a great job with food:

Breakfast:
- protein packed kashi crunch cereal (HIGHLY recommend)
- banana

Snack:
- yogurt

Lunch:
- pita sandwich with turkey, pepper jack cheese, onions, and tomatoes (used our toaster oven to make it melty and crispy
- 100 cal. pack of cookies

Snack:
- 100 cal. popcorn
- Peach

Dinner:
- HUGE salad with homemade dressing (mom--the Karen Otteinger dressing with the Ramen noodle seasoning)
- Radishes with french bread and a little butter
- 1 glass of wine

Calories came in around 1400, which is a bit low for my target (1500).  I'll probably make up for it tonight at the BierGarten Haus (mmm), but I'm already planning on the salmon with the herb butter on the side and a big beer.

Tonight is Step, so cross training is a go!

What did y'all do in the heat?  Did you keep working out or crap out, like me?

Monday, July 26, 2010

I forgot! Running groups!

Hi friends!

I totally forgot.  I'm starting a beginning running group on Wednesday nights in the District at 7pm.

For now, you need to be a member of the Y, just because it's too hot to run outside, so we're using that track.  When it gets cool enough, anyone can feel free to join us.  However, my 7pm advanced running group (basically, you're joining me for a 5-6 mile run on Thursday nights) is open to any and all.  Just shoot me a comment if you're interested!

False Starts

It is so hard to get started back on a routine, isn't it?

I did a lot of great planning this weekend (see last post).  I went to the grocery and did a power sweep through the store--bought lots of fresh veggies, stuff for healthy lunches, and good filling snacks.  I made a running plan that I'm comfortable with...then last night, the sneaky Sunday night time warp happened.

It's that weird time vortex where one second, it's 9:30 and you're excited that you're going to go to bed before 11, then something happens (I called my mom because I thought I had SO much time to kill before 10:30...) then I looked up at it was 10:30.  No big deal, takes me 10 minutes to get ready for bed...I'd still make my mark of before 11.

I was certainly IN bed before 11, but somehow I wasted like 2 hours on the internets and all of a sudden, past midnight.

I knew then that my 6:30 gym time was just not gonna happen.  Didn't help that one of the cats is on steroids, and they make him thirsty...and because of course he's the special one and of course, he only drinks water out of the running faucet...so I was woken up twice through the night because he was thirsty.  Poor kitty.  

So, my gym time didn't happen this morning.  It's okay because, unlike most of my days, I actually have time for the gym tonight.

20 minutes on the dreadmill, then 20-30 minutes of weights.  

I did a few good things though--my bodybugg subscription recently expired, so I renewed it for 6 months.  I'm getting back on this daily, even though I need to be careful of obsessively calorie counting, because with training, I need to keep an eye on my intake and on food trends that might show up in my training/recovery.

I also packed a healthy lunch last night (turkey breast, pita sandwich, carrots, and a beautiful peach from the market) that was ready to go when I woke up late this morning (typical.)  It seriously takes 5 minutes to make lunch the night before, I need to make a commitment to just do this.

The thing I don't want to do?  Get on the scale.  

It's such a headgame because I recognize I've gained a little weight back (I'd guess about 5 pounds), but somehow, I feel like if I don't step on that scale it won't be true?  Go figure.  

I should take my own advice: "don't obsess on the number because it's one of the least accurate representation of how healthy you are when you're a fairly healthy weight to begin with...and because it can always always change...it just takes time."

So here's to taking time...


Sunday, July 25, 2010

Plans plans plans

Quick update...plans for the week!
Food:


Monday:
-       Breakfast: Cereal, peach
-       Snack: Yogurt
-       Lunch: Amy’s meal, carrots, 100 cal pack
-       Snack: Banana
-       Dinner: Big salad, chicken

Tuesday:
-       Breakfast: Cereal, peach
-       Snack: Yogurt
-       Lunch: Salad, cheese, triscuits, 100 cal pack
-       Snack: Popcorn
-       Dinner: “grilled” veggies, chicken, rice

Wednesday:
-       Breakfast: Cereal, applesauce
-       Snack: Yogurt
-       Lunch: “grilled veggies” and rice leftovers, 100 cal pack
-       Snack: Popcorn
-       Dinner: Pita thingys

Thursday:
-       Breakfast: Cereal, banana
-       Snack: Yogurt
-       Lunch: Pita, 100 cal pack
-       Snack: Veggies
-       Dinner: Whatever will wants

wiWill comes into town on Thursday night, hence the wild card.  

Working out:
Monday: 20 minute run, 20-30 minute full body weights
Tuesday: Step
Wednesday: 40-50 minute run (my beginning runner's group will meet for this first time this night, so I'll likely have a very light workout here)
RThursday: 40-50 minute run
Friday: Off
Saturday: 8 mile run
Sunday: 20-20-20

More later!

as

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Weekend of Car Problems

Hello from hot and humid DC...I had intended to spend this Saturday morning getting up early and getting out for my first long run...but in case you weren't aware, we're in the middle of a sever heat wave.  It literally says on the weather map "oppressive" across the DC area.  I didn't even know that was a category...

Anyway, it doesn't matter anyway because I had to take the car to the dealership at 7:30 for repairs (sigh.  $$$$$) and I'm still there right now.  It's only been an hour, but it feels like some sort of time warp.  And place warp.

I'm not kidding, the guy to my right is drawing some sort of psychadelic butterfly woman with a rainbow background.  Not like doodling, either, like full on massive sheet of paper with pastels.  Sooner I can go home, the better.  There are at least three other people in the room with me who are conversing with the tv.  Not in a crazy kind of way, but in the way that they're literally having a conversation with the today show.  Example: TV: "If you have an allergy to wheat gluten...it can cause *list symptoms" Person: Mmmmmhmm, sure nuff!

I'm in a real conundrum.  I took about a week off of working out.  Mostly because this week was hell on wheels at work.  Don't get me wrong, unlike my last job, I actually enjoy my work and so it hasn't been horrible, but it's taken a toll on my exercise and sleep time.

But that's not the conundrum.  The real reason I've taken a week off is because I really hate running on a treadmill.  Really hate it, but it's been too hot to go outside unless I'm up really early, and I've been too tired to do that.

I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to motivate myself to get up and get out there.  I have a marathon AND a Ragnar relay breathing down my neck, so I really don't have a negotiable way out.

Since Chadd's out of town this weekend, I have plenty of time to plan.  What do I do well?  I plan.

If I ever get to leave the dealership, then I'm going to go home and after some fun time with my weightloss buddy, start doing some planning.  I'm going to come up with my meal plans again, I always prefer to do that because it takes all the last minute what to eat guess work out of my nights, especially when making a quesadilla sounds like the only option.

I'm also going to brainstorm things to do instead of running ... maybe it's that I have to go and spend an hour on the bike or cross trainer (x-train), maybe it's that I go swimming at the Y (in this heat? yes please...), or a walk.  It's still hot outside, but I could probably manage walking (knowing that I'll likely jog)

So.  That was written a while ago, in between then and now, I stopped by the diner next door for food, then walked the mile to Ikea to look for a new solution for our desk (we're getting rid of it, since we never use it...) but we need something to put all the stuff in that was in the desk.

Can I just tell you....it's ridiculously hot outside.  I literally was sweating through my shirt walking the mile back from Ikea.  I'm sure I looked like a crazy homeless person, walking down the highway, but whatever, better than sitting here in the mechanic's...which is playing some terrible 3-d animated kid's show about dogs that race car.

Okay.  Thank God.  I'm writing this at 10:45 at night...the car is almost repaired (a long story that isn't worth getting into) and my weightloss buddy and I had a great day at Joann fabrics, crafting, eating pizza, and chatting.

Hopefully I'll actually get my food/workout plans together tomorrow.  I'll share them soon, whether it's tomorrow or the day after...or the day after that!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Back, like for realz

Okay.  This time, I swear, I really am back.  Thanks, Anna for the push!

Things have been busy at work (what's new?) but still great.  Fitness has actually maintained its place in my life with teaching so much, training with my amazing trainer for 2 months, and trying to spend as much time with K (especially at the gym) as possible before she leaves for Boston this week (sad!)

I recently got some irritating news regarding my ability to workout, though.

In December, I noticed a lump a little lower than my left hipbone.  Don't freak, it's not a big deal.  At first, I thought it was a muscular thing--just something from running, etc.  It would go away if I pushed on it...knot in my muscle, I figured.

Turns out, it's a hernia.  Likely congenital--so I was born with it--and easily repaired.  Since it's not painful or pressurized, that's good news...but because of the marathon coming up, I don't have time for recovery...until after.  My surgeon told me I can't teach BodyPump until after I have the surgery and recover.  I can lift upper body OR lower body, but no compound movements with very heavy weights--think of all those "oh I got a hernia by lifting a heavy box incorrectly."

So...there.

Epic suck.

The good news, however, is that I will now have time for running...which is especially important, because in even better news, I have a full team for the Ragnar Relay!  12 people, most of us strangers, embarking on a 193 mile relay race over the course of two days.  I cannot wait.

I also have the Marine Corps rapidly approaching (end of October)...so I suppose it's good that I now have more time to run.

I found my old Jeff Galloway marathon book, which is a pretty good resource, so, that starts this week and since Chadd's out of town this coming weekend, I'll start my long runs as well.

Having to change a fitness routine that was working so well for me is epicly frustrating...I'm sure running will keep me in shape, but I really don't like having to play gentle.

So...I'm getting back on wearing my BodyBugg every day (I've been doing every other week) and keeping a better monitor on my food intake.  No use letting everything slide for a stupid hernia...just need to be more flexible.

So.  There's that.  I promise to post every day, even if it's just a "so today I ran 5 miles and now I'm tired.  The end."

Thanks to my loyal readers (especially Anna!)