Week 23: Day 5

Good morning!! 

First things first, my new socks AND shoes came in!!  I will highly recommend Zappos.com to anyone who's looking for shoes...that was some darn fast shipping!  I have exactly one very small issue, however. 

I had no idea the shoes were two different colors?!  I even checked the website again and absolutely NOWHERE is it mentioned...luckily, I don't hate it.  :)

They are growing on me.  Now, the socks pictured go up to my knees and are all-around awesome.  I felt super cool...kinda like a school girl who was pushing the rules.  :)  If I had ever gone to private school, I can guarantee you I wouldn't have done that then.  BUT, as an adult, I have some confidence...and lack of consideration for what others are thinking about me.  It's kinda nice.  Ha, ha.  These socks came in a "set" of 6, all with the black stripes, but the other colors are purple, green, orange, yellow, and red.  Then I got another set of six striped knee-high socks, but those are multi-colored.  I cannot wait to have a little extra money and buy some outfits to go with these combinations!!!  Building my "race wardrobe" is going to take some time, but at the end it will be SO cool.  These shoes are truly the ultimate "minimalist" shoe.  Very thin, VERY light...I was nervous that I may have overlooked their description and maybe they are more for wrestling or walking on the beach, but when I went back to double check they are definitely for running.  Specifically "cross country" running, so to my relatives in California - I may make it there yet!

Dieting wise, I'm going to go out on a limb and anticipate a drop very soon.  I think I said I would weigh on the 27th?  Yeah...the numbers should definitely be down by then.  Something has occurred after being missing for a couple months...I'll stop there, sorry to any boy readers.  ;)  I will also take my measurements that morning, just in case the scale doesn't obey.  I have to mention that the kids have been messing around with it a LOT (I moved it to the kitchen so I wouldn't be so tempted every morning in the bathroom just to sneak a peek)...it's not an excuse, just sayin'. 

Also, I was doing some Googling last night and have found another training program I like!!  I feel like I have only been half following this 10K training...mainly because I'm so excited about the half marathon, I have been increasing the distances even though the training doesn't call for it.  Basically, I'm planning to start Hal Higdon's "Novice-1 Marathon Training" program on August 1st.  It is a plan for training to run a FULL marathon, but at the end of 8 weeks, he recommends doing a half!  August 1st will have me 8 weeks out from the Women's Half Marathon.  WOW.  That is coming up fast!!  I have signed up to do the Tomato Fest 5K, so I will definitely be running in that, but since it's only 3.1 miles and I'm supposed to run 7 that day, I was considering running a couple miles before the race starts.  Not at "race pace", but just jogging or walking a bit as a warm-up.  OR, I could do the race twice!  Ha, ha, ha.  I may be getting ahead of myself.  Since I am actually running this one as a RACE this time (against my time of 28:20 last time), I may be pretty worn out at the end. 

The rest of July's running plan is this:

Friday	Saturday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Cross	8 miles (run at least 4)	3 miles run	Cross	3 miles run	REST	Cross	9 miles (run at least 4.5)

Sundays are still REST days.  In the new training, I will rest on Sundays and Thursdays.  It's very, very similar (same trainer, after all), but only one day of Cross Training and I will start attempting a different tactic on the long run days.  Maybe.  We'll see how the next two Saturdays go.

"Cross" training for today has yet to be determined.  I really wanted to get out and run with my new shoes this morning, but Zoe woke us up screaming at 3:30 and then 4:30 came way too quickly, so I allowed myself to go back to sleep.  I am considering a zoo trip which will count...otherwise, I may just hit the Y when Shaun gets home and do some elliptical or biking.  Or a combination!  Tuesday I plan to take Zoe swimming for our last Tuesday alone together.  Awwww.  Then, next Friday I will PLAN to take the kiddos to the pool again.  I realize these are not your traditional "cross training" activities, but I really focus on keeping my body moving and playing with the kids and raising my heart-rate a couple of times at least...I figure it's better than sitting on the couch or a bench and watching them play! 

I ran into a little snag with shipping all of the promised goodies to Canada (cost of shipping to there is crazy!), so Bonnie is now trying to find out how much everything will cost her there so I can send out a check.  Unless any of my friends in Michigan are planning a trip to Windsor very soon???  :) 

I have one last thing to mention.  Last night for dinner I had the yummiest meal.  I mean, it was crazy simple, but it was SO tasty!!  I was browning some sausage to make spaghetti for the kids and Shaun, but I didn't want to make a whole box of spaghetti, so I browned a full pound of sausage and removed almost 1/2 before adding the sauce.  This half I added to half of a package of Steam Fresh Whole Grain Rice with Broccoli and Carrots.  The "broccoli and carrots" ended up not being as many veggies as I thought it would be, so I used a whole bunch of celery instead of a spoon to scoop it up and eat it!  Yummmm. 

That is all for now.  I will probably post tomorrow after the long run, but may not post again after that until the weigh in on Wednesday. 

Hey Erin, could you weigh LJ that morning, too??

xoxo - ALSO, PLEASE CLICK THE BANNER AND VOTE FOR ME AGAIN!  You can vote once every 24 hours.  I am dying to be in the top something or other.  I'm #5 on the Health and Fitness list, but #160-something on the main list. 

Week 22: Day 2

Good morning!!  I said I would post last night.  I didn't.  It happens.
Aaaannnnd now my husband just reminded me of something else I completely forgot to do last night.  UGH.  What has happened to my super-smart brain??  I forget everything.  This is no exagerration.  Oh, except I can totally remember stupid things that happened years and years ago.  Awesome.

Moving on, quickly.  Yesterday I set out for my day one of my 10K training and supremely failed.  It was hard stuff!!  Might have been just a mental thing, but I was supposed to run 2 miles (did it, felt great), then 4 one minute aerobic intervals (uh...tried it...felt good for about 20 seconds), then run another 2 miles.  I mean, I get that "running" doesn't have to always mean full out running, but I just cannot figure out how running slower can feel any better?  It's like hopping or bouncing.  Something like that.  I cannot find an "easy" pace.  Except my normal pace.  I appear to be averaging about a 9 minute mile, so I realize I could slow down a tad and still not be going super slow, but then I find it hard to even balance!  I hope someone else out there shares my feelings on this.  For my first 2 miles, I had run from my house to the track and did one extra loop on a cul-de-sac, so after my failed aerobic intervals, I chose to NOT do the extra loop and instead just ran home which ended up only being 1.09 miles.  Fine. 

When I got home I looked up another 10k plan my friend had sent to me that is 8 weeks long and it looks much more doable for me.  I promise to STOP switching plans at this point...I will follow the "Hal Higdon" Novice 10K plan for the next 8 weeks.  Same friend is one I am doing the half marathon with in (eeek!) 11 weeks.  WHAT!?  We discussed "strategy" for completing the half yesterday and, as of today, I am planning to walk a few miles in the beginning, run as many miles as I can, then walk until the final sprint over the finish line!  I just don't think intervals works for me.  I will try it over my final couple weeks before the actual run, however, and I may change my tune at that point.

Here is the *new* week plan:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
2.5 miles	30 min. CROSS	2 miles + strength	REST	40 min. CROSS	3 miles

I have no idea what I'm going to do for my 30 minutes of cross training today, but every Friday I will go to the YMCA and find a fun class to do. 

Contest bonus question for today:
If you could eat anything for one meal and the calories/fat grams, etc would not count - also assume you wouldn't get too full - what would you choose to eat?

I think my answer would have to be greasy, deep dish pizza with extra cheese and ham and pineapple.  4 pitchers of beer.  Finished off with a banana split.  Ahhhhhh.....

xoxo

Week 21: Day 6 (...and contest details!)

Good afternoon!!

Up to 33 followers...love it!  :)  I have to tell you that I was in a bit of a funk yesterday after the no loss weigh-in, and I was seriously thinking "Why do I care about weight anymore?  Why don't I just eat whatever I want and just focus on the running for now?"  Wanna know why?  YOU!!  You readers and followers and especially commenters!!!  I need it.  I crave it.  I know I would feel sooo bad if I failed at this point.  Every day when I hear a new person tell me they are "inspired" or "motivated" by something I have done...well, it makes tracking my food worth it.  It makes analyzing every little sliver of pizza worth it.  It is really gonna be worth it when I randomly drop 5 pounds after a few weeks of plateau, right?!  Yay!!

So, today is exercise recap for the week.  I have had a really good week!!  Monday was the Firecracker 5K (see previous post).  I am still pretty excited about the outcome of that race.  I don't think I posted the "latest news" from the race...when I went to the Nashville Striders website (here) I discovered I actually should have placed 3rd in the Athena category!  I could have sworn I registered correctly, but my time was definitely faster than the woman whose name is listed as 3rd place.  Woo-hooo!!!  My father thinks I should call a lawyer.  :)  I just assume God knows she needed that cool water bottle more than I did!  Next year's goal...finish 1st in the category, or no longer qualify for the category!!!  (Athena is 150+ pounds for women - in all honesty, I will likely always qualify for that category.  I'm 5'8"+, so it's fine)

Anyway, Wednesday was a rough run.  I mentioned getting back outdoors, so I am expecting some tough transition days.  I got up at 5 am and headed out to the quarter mile track for my 30-minute run.  My legs were super tight and I just kept "deciding" to quit...every lap was my "last one".  When the music finally stopped, I was SOOO happy.  I figured it out to be 3.1 miles, so basically another 5K, but almost 2 minutes slower.  Still, happy to have completed it and felt really good at the end!!  I got home and "journaled" about how I felt so I would have something to refer back to when I think I'm going to quit in a few weeks.  (hotter weather, longer runs...whew!)

Friday was awesome.  I felt good and rested, I slept through my alarm so I headed back to the Y.  Air conditioning and an indoor flat track - yes, thanks!  3.33 miles in my 30 minutes of running and that marked my final workout for the Couch to 5K!!!  I was so excited and happy to end on a positive, good note!!  Hooray!  I had planned to do something today, but cannot get motivated to get out the door.  I'm tired, I'm working on a photo book for my father-in-law's birthday, I took the kids to the park all morning while my husband went golfing (for his birthday)...I just have a million excuses to stay home!!!  There is a body pump class at 4...it's 2:30 now...we'll see.  I'm not making any promises.  ;)

This week's running schedule:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
2 miles, 4x1:00 AI, 2 miles	REST	4 miles, 3 GP	REST	5 miles	REST

"AI" - Aerobic Intervals 
"GP" - Gentle Pickups

Here are the explanations for Monday and Wednesday's routines...
2 MILES EASY, 4 x 1-MINUTE AEROBIC INTERVALS, 2 MILES EASY Start by running at a comfortable pace that feels easy enough to carry on a conversation. For your aerobic intervals, push the pace a bit, but don't run all out. After each bout of fast running, jog slowly until you feel rested enough to speed up again. Finish with two easy miles.
4 EASY MILES 3 GENTLE PICKUPS Maintain your easy, conversational pace for four miles. Then do three gentle pickups. Gradually increase your pace over 100 meters until you're running at 90 percent of all-out effort, and hold it there for 10 to 20 meters, then gradually decelerate. Walk in between the pickups to recover.

I have mapped out a route at http://www.mapmyrun.com/ that is 2 miles from my house to the quarter-mile track I have been running, then I will do my aerobic intervals at the track and run back home.  I haven't mapped out a 4 or 5 mile route just yet...my neighborhood is not a great one for running.  Taking it one day at a time...I can always do the 2 mile route and back for the 4 miles, then my gentle pickups in the street.  We'll see.

****Very frustrated with a Blogger FAIL that just occurred.  I had a nice lengthy blog posting written and something happened with the auto save and then the "post" button didn't work and this is the last time it saved.  Great.****

SO - with that in mind, here are the details for my very First CONTEST!!  Fun!  I am planning to conduct a very official drawing on Saturday, August 16, 2011, at 12:00 noon CST.  Wanna be involved in this drawing??  Well, here's how you get your name in the hat...or, more likely, a large bowl. 

        *Be a follower of this blog!  That's right, click follow and your "user name" will be on 1 entry.
        *Be my friend on Facebook! Search for Audrey Jeffries.  I should be the ONLY one.  ;) 1 entry.
        *Post a comment on this post with details about your current fitness goals!  1 entry.

During the week, I plan to post a question a day to give you more opportunities to comment and earn entries!  Also, if I see you "share" this blog link on your Facebook page, you will get another entry!  Isn't this fun???  Oh...you wanna know what you can win?  In an attempt to promote fresh fruit eating, here is the prize...the Core & More!  It is the best melon baller I have ever used with a strawberry corer on the other end.  I use this every single day.  We eat a lot of fresh fruit.  AND YOU SHOULD, TOO!!  So, get going..."follow", "share", and, of course, "comment"!!! 

xoxo

Week 21: Day 2

I'm all confused with today being Tuesday.  I don't know why this happens every time there is a holiday weekend, but this time seems to be the worst.  I just want to go back to bed!!  The kids also seem a bit out of sorts.

Anyway, I think I'm going to start telling you my weekly workout "plan" on Mondays and then updating on Saturday how everything went.  If I have something out of the ordinary to share, I will butt in during the week, but otherwise look for only a couple postings a week over the next month or so.  Sundays are all "rest" days following my new training program.  (I will, though, post weight loss numbers on Fridays...so that makes 3 posts per week!)

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Firecracker 5K! (28:20)	REST	C25K: W9D2     30 minute run	REST	C25K: Final workout!  30 minute run	Zumba!

This is my plan for this week.  Wednesday and Friday I am going to get up at 5 am (what?!?) and see how it goes getting my run out of the way first thing.  If I hate it, I will switch it up next week to evening runs.  I really want to get back outside, and I know this isn't possible with our current 90+ temps during the day.  Next week begins my 10K training program from Runners World magazine.  It adds in some things I haven't had to do with the Couch to 5K plan...like "Aerobic Intervals" and "Gentle Pickups".  Not to mention the 4 mile runs here and there...some 5 mile runs...oh, 6 mile runs.  I mean, I realize it's training to run 6.2 miles, but I guess I just hoped I could get there without actually having to....RUN 6.2 miles?  :)  Ha, ha, ha. 

Ashley!  What sort of plan/routine are you following these days?