Week 7 & 8 Recaps

WARNING:  This is a long and boring update that I'm really writing for my own personal benefit!  I'd love for you to read it, but it certainly won't hurt my feelings if you skip it!!  I've just found keeping updates is very helpful for me to be able to look back at how far I've come objectively.... :D

WHAT I DID

((WEEK 7))  I ended up not running on Monday the 12th...but because I didn't write it up then, I have no idea why now!  My guess is that I was in pain from the five mile run the Saturday before!  Tuesday was "Diva Night" at Fleet Feet. I was the lucky door prize winner of a six month membership to Riviera Fitness!!  I had considered joining, but the locations aren't super convenient so I had decided not to.  But, since the membership is free, the gas to get there and back is a small price to pay.  So I got up bright and early the very next day and did Body Pump.  I turned around that same night and ran 3.5 miles with my running group (at a pace of 11:52!).  Since I was running the Cookie Dash 5K that weekend, I opted to not run again until the race.  (You can click the link to read about the race...if I get started talking about it again I might not be able to stop--it was a great experience!) 

((WEEK 8))  Monday, I went to do Body Pump at a different location-at 5:30 in the morning!!  I think I would prefer to go that early if that location were closer...but as it is, it's kind of a hassle to get over there and back in time to get my daughter to school by 8.  I added weights to my bar...but by looking at my heart rate, I still wasn't working that hard.  (And, shockingly enough, the next day I wasn't very sore at all.)  I ran with my group Tuesday night.  I'm not 100% sure how far we went because I forgot to stop my Garmin.  I can say I was DYING almost the whole time.  I started out the run limping along, and by the end all I wanted to do was lay down!  NOT a good run at all.  Wednesday-back to Body Pump.  Thursday was my day at the cross country park.  I will definitely go back there-as soon as I can forget the complete AGONY of the ridiculously steep hill on that loop.  I'm not kidding you--the website says, "There are rolling hills except for one exceptionally steep section that is hard - both uphill and downhill."  You know a hill is steep if the downhill is hard!!  I probably did three miles there (not quite sure because I stopped my Garmin when I stopped to die on that hill and forgot to start it back until much later).  The first part wasn't bad, but that hill really took it out of me!  Saturday it was supposed to be storming so I slept until 7...only to wake to find sunshine!  It turned out to be a good thing that I didn't join the group because I was extremely sore.  I joined up with two gals from my group as well as my neighbor for 5 miles.  I'm going to blame the heat and unbelievable humidity for my poor performance that day...but at least I did finish it.  I think that's what counts.

I also bought a trigger point massage thing that is supposed to be a self-help therapy tool for what is believed to be scar tissue in my leg.   I've been using it every day since I got it and I think I can tell a difference.  It's not completely better, but I think it's helping.

WHAT I LEARNED

I like running in the woods--just like my husband said I would.  When I get in better running shape, I can certainly see myself trail running.  

I really am worth my salt!

I believe strength training is helping.  The first time I went I barely had weight on the bar.  It was HARD and I was very sore the next day.  The next time I increased my weights and I wasn't very sore at all the next day.  I talked to the instructor of the class the third time I went and she said I had obviously worked out before (true) because muscles have memory and they "remember" pretty quickly.  She encouraged me to keep raising my weights, which I have done.  I do think it's making a difference in strength, which will no doubt help my runs (even if it's not causing any weight loss-yet).

I do NOT like running in humidity.  I'm telling you, maybe it's and excuse, but I felt like I couldn't breathe on that 5 mile with the girls!

I can run faster than I give myself credit for and can still sprint at the end of a race!!!  (See the race recap for the full story on that!)

Self-help trigger point massage therapy hurts as much as a massage therapist!  But at home no one has to hear the funny noises I make!!

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

Keep on running.  The physical therapist told me I had to choose between running and coming to therapy because, in her opinion, therapy wasn't going to help me as long as I kept running....so, I canceled (well, postponed) my orthopaedic doctor's appointment until after the 10K I've been training for.  I believe I've slowed down enough and am paying attention to what I think my body is saying enough that I'm not going to "injure" myself.  I really think it's just a matter of strengthening the muscles in my leg, conditioning (my body as well as my mind) and working to break up the scar tissue...

Keep on using the trigger point massage thing every single day.  I might even get the DVD that shows specific things to do with it to work on different areas of the body.
 

One very important thing I'm going to work very hard on--staying positive.  I want to rewire my thoughts to not focus on the pain.  Knowing how much I love quotes...please indulge me:

The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies, and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behavior.

Tony Robbins, American self-help author and motivational speaker

ZONE UPDATE  

Nothing to update here...I'm not living the Zone lifestyle anymore.  I will say this--I believe I had more energy with that way of eating.  But, the careful measurement of everything was getting very difficult.  And, I'm somewhat of a legalist so if I was going to do it, then I was going to do it right and that was actually pretty stressful.  Not to mention, my darling husband didn't like it at all after the novelty wore off.

 

I'm currently reading Mastering Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels.  So far, it has the resounding ring of truth to my ears.  She basically says if it doesn't have a mother or didn't come from the ground, don't eat it.  It's all about bringing your hormones into line--which is what I think I need.  So...this section will likely be changed to "Metabolism Update" soon???

Thanks for reading, come again soon!

:D

Week 4 Recap

WHAT I DID

Well, I'm a little surprised that I didn't get any comments at all on my last post!!  I think I'm just too much of a nerd....because I thought it was kind of funny.  But, maybe not so much.  :D

Anyway...it was a great week.  My son was in town so we did some pretty cool things (like visit the COOLEST CAVE EVER!!).  AND, I still did all my runs. (Yea me.)

Monday it snowed a blizzard here.  It didn't stick, but it was just so nasty out there.  When the flakes stopped coming down, I bundled up (because it was still about 45 out there and the wind was blowing)..and ran 3 miles doing 5/1 intervals with an overall pace of 11:57!!! (that's my fastest pace yet!!!)  

Tuesday was my group run and I found out (because I hadn't checked the schedule) the intervals had increased to 6 minutes running 30 seconds walking.  We did 3 miles and only "cheated" the last couple of walking intervals. 12:03 overall pace.

Thursday was the day my son and I went to the cave, so I ended up telling myself it was fine for me to take that day off and run on Friday instead....Which I did and managed the 6/.5 intervals with an overall pace of 12:06. 

Saturday morning my left calf was pretty sore when we started out, but it loosened up after about the first mile.  I ran the 4 miles at 6/.5 intervals-even UP the hills-with an overall pace of 12:12.  Afterward I felt so good, I came home and worked in the yard for 3 hours.  Still feeling great, I went hiking with my son and husband-nice slow hike up a mountain trail (4 miles in 2 hours...we also stopped several times to look around and enjoy it, butI did mention it was "slow" right?....).

WHAT I LEARNED

Try to never do back-to-back long-for-me runs and then add in yard work and hiking.  When I tried to go out to do my run Monday...I couldn't even get started I hurt so bad.  I could barely walk that night.  I went to a massage therapist who was worried it could be a STRESS FRACTURE!!  Thankfully the x-rays were negative!  (YEA)  The dr told me what I've been saying all along--CROSS TRAIN/STRENGTHENING EXERCISES!!

Other than the scare (after the fact), the week was GREAT.  I had great runs; they felt good.  I'm getting faster and my heart rate is coming down.  I think the good thing about the possible stress fracture is that I learned the value of PACING the training.  That's something I've been trying to be mindful of, but lost sight of momentarily.

I learned something very interesting about NSAIDs (anti-inflammatories).  They have to be in your system for a few days (at least) to get the anti-inflammatory effect.  If you take a couple of Motrin, that might help for pain relief, but doesn't help swollen muscles--until you've taken the proper doses for a few days.

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

I say it every week...maybe this will be the week I do it--CROSS TRAIN.

I'm very reluctantly taking this week "off" from running.  I hate it...but I would hate to end up in an air boot worse than that....so I'm going to do what needs to be done.  

I'm going to see physical therapist later today to get some exercises for my calves....and I'm going to do them!

ZONE UPDATE 

I STILL haven't lost any weight.  I'm recording EVERY SINGLE BITE of food I eat at Livestrong.com (Daily Plate)....and I'm staying under 1900 calories a day.  I'm frustrated, but I know that WHEN I start cross training I should see the scale move.  After all the research I did on heart rate training, I know that I'm training at a level that won't actually burn much fat at all.  Not that I'm training heavily for anyone else, but for me it's intense right now (according to my heart rate).  I do think I feel better when I stick to the plan, so for now, I'm going to stay the course.

Week 3 Recap

WHAT I DID

Tuesday--My week should have started yesterday but I was (**cough** EXCUSE **cough**) sick.  I really did feel bad, but I found out today I can feel bad running or I can feel worse sitting at home in my jammies.  I behaved in accordance with a decision already made and joined my running group for a three miler.  The pace started out PAINFULLY SLOW.  If you recall, one of my coaches told me Saturday to slow it down in the beginning so that I can actually run longer...so that's what I did.  This was the first Tuesday run I've done the correct intervals the WHOLE TIME!!  (YEA ME!!)  The sacrifice was a slower pace overall.  I ran a total of 31 minutes and walked 6 so my average pace was 12:20.

Wednesday was a scheduled rest day, so I did just that-in my jammies with a box of Kleenex next to me all day.

Thursday I loaded up on meds and went out to do a solo 2.5 mile run.  After reading Lisa's fantastic post about living with integrity I decided to do what ever it took to finish my correct intervals.  I slowed my pace down a bit...and with only 2 very minor hiccups, I DID IT AGAIN (ran the whole time with the correct intervals-5/1)!!  That makes the first solo run I've finished with correct intervals....and remember I was sick to boot.  (I think I deserve a cookie!!??)  My average pace was 12:36.  I ran a total of 26 minutes and walked 5.5.  When I got home I did some calf and ankle exercises--much needed since I'm still having a very hard time with my left calf.

Friday should have been cross training, but unless cleaning house counts, I dropped the ball on that one.  (It could have been a rest day, so I don't feel like I'm "cheating", but I do want to do some cross training, so maybe I cheated myself??)  

Saturday I intentionally missed my (optional) group run.  In my "defense", I picked hubby up from the airport at 12:30 this morning, we got home and in bed about 1:30!!  I had to choose between going with the group at 7 on very little sleep or going solo for today's four miler.  I opted for the latter....and I DID IT AGAIN (finished the four mile run having done all the correct intervals)!!!  My average pace was 12:26.  I really have to thank Lisa again for her post on Integrity....

WHAT I LEARNED

I'm learning that doing whatever it takes to behave in accordance with a decision previously made sometimes means it won't look exactly like I want it to.  When I started running with the slower group on Tuesday I thought I'd made a huge mistake because going that slow was almost painful.  I'm still not 100% convinced that going slow is the absolute best option, but I can say that going slower has lowered my heart rate, which I believe really has helped me be able to run longer.  (Based on my heart rate research...) AND, the whole idea of "running" full steam only to fizzle out before reaching my goal has been my MO for most of my life.  Maybe slow and steady really can work??

After doing research on heart rates, I was able to determine my max heart rate and training levels.    I think this explains why slowing the pace down a bit in the beginning has helped me run for a longer time.  I haven't decided if I like the trade because the pace feels SO SLOW.  I think what this tells me is that after I build up endurance I'll be able to (gradually) build up speed so I'll have both. 

I learned I CAN run with a stopped up nose almost as well as I can with a clear nose!! 

HYDRATION and FUEL are key elements.  (I'll talk about more these topics in a later post.)

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

Hydrate, fuel (see the Zone update below), continue to train with my heart rate levels. 


CROSS TRAIN!!  (Realistically this won't happen this week since my son will be in town!! **YEA**!!)

Next week's plan:

Monday 2.5 miles

Tuesday 3 miles (group run)

Thursday 3 miles

Saturday 4 miles (group run)

ZONE UPDATE  

I think I had my first food hangover!  I ate popcorn at the movies and then the next day had STEAK and dessert (for hubby's birthday-dinner out).  I don't really know if it was the food or from being sick, but I had a marked decrease in energy the next day.  Even with being sick, going back to the ZoneFormula way of eating, I seemed to have much more energy, so I'm calling it a hangover.  This really does make me happy because I think it means I've been eating better. 

After hearing about fueling from Tammy Beasley, RD, CSSD, LD, I decided to increase my calories.  I'm not stressing as much about having an EXACT balance of 40-30-30, but I am trying to make sure I FUEL at the right times with a good balance.  Pretty much everything she said lined up with what I've been doing (except for the increase in calories and she suggested more carbs).

I also started using Daily Plate at Livestrong.com.  I really love this site and it's unbelievably easy to use.  I wish there was a way to link up the FormulaZone.com site to Daily Plate, or that the FormulaZone site had a better food diary....but, such is life-you can't always get what you want!  So for now, I'll be using the FormulaZone site for menu making and the Livestrong site for the diary.

Thanks for stopping in...come again soon!

:D

Week 2/Day 1

WHAT I DID

I warmed up about 7 minutes, stretched, then I ran 2 miles...well, I ran 21 out of 25 minutes.  I started fairly strong and ran 5.5 minutes then walked 30 seconds.  That ended up being my longest running interval.  My average pace was 12:24, with the fastest being 9:00.  This was the first shorts-run of the season.  

WHAT I LEARNED

I almost want to say I didn't learn anything on this run...but there's "always" something to learn, or something that's being reinforced.  I don't like to run at night.  I had a lot going on yesterday that caused me to have to put off the run until the end of the day.  I don't like that at all.  I'd much rather run first thing in the morning.

I've been listening to a podcast called Running Stupid...I'd link it but I'm not sure yet that I like it!!  But, he talked about something I had never heard of before called S-caps.  They are electrolyte tablets that help with cramping.  It's funny because just after I heard about them on the podcast I read this guy's post about a recent 50K trail race he just shredded to pieces (!!) and he talked about them as well.  Now, I've not yet had cramps while running, but I'm thinking I'll know what to take when I do eventually get to that point. 

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

Tonight's group run is 3 miles.  I haven't made up my mind if I'm going back to Spine Care today or later in the week, or maybe not at all.  I think I'll wait to see how I'm feeling after tonight's run.

CROSS TRAIN!! 

ZONE UPDATE  

Okay, we've been trying this "new way of eating" for a week now....I'm cutting my calories this week because I feel like I'm eating a ton of food on this plan.  Naturally, darling husband has lost like 6 pounds and I've lost (maybe) 2....but, such is life.  I do think I'm sleeping better...he said he knows he is, without doubt.  Interestingly enough, I "always" have at least one truly CRAZY dream, every night, but I don't recall having had one all week long.  I think that's very strange.  I have seemed to have more energy throughout the day.  The down side is that it requires A LOT of planning (my downfall), and is taking considerably more time and creating more dirty dishes!!  All-in-all, it's worth it!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D  

Week 1/Day 3

WHAT I DID

Well, I did something I thought I would never do....I went to a chiropractor!!  Having been an insurance adjuster for 10 years, I'm really not very fond of them...but Spine Care came highly recommended by some runners in the group (namely, my coach).  I have to say (after 2 appointments)...I'm very glad I went.  He told me I need to build up strength in my ankles and calves (which is what I thought), and my core.  He did not tell me I needed an "adjustment" in my spine-which would have made me run out screaming!  He did some electrical stimulation on my calf muscles and then had me do some exercises with a super heavy resistance band.  He also said I'd only "need" to go a few times.

I went to the first appointment on Wednesday and called it "cross training"...so I "rested" Thursday and ran two miles yesterday.  I did a seven minute warm up walk....and then I tried really hard to do the four/one intervals but I didn't make it.

I just looked at my time, and I'm actually VERY PLEASED...I did two miles in 23 minutes....average of 11:36.  I ran a total of 18.5 minutes of that time.  My average speed was 5:20, but my fastest speed was 7:80 ((pace of 7:42)).  That's better than I thought it was going to be.  My longest run interval was five minutes.

I noticed a MARKED improvement in how my calves were feeling.   After the run (and shower) I went to Spine Care for my second appointment. 

WHAT I LEARNED

After looking at my stats, I'm reminded (AGAIN) that how I feel is never going to be a good measure of how I'm doing.

I CAN DO THIS!!!!!!  I can't remember if I said it in the post after the group run (and I'm too lazy to go look)...but Tuesday night was probably the first time I really thought, "I CAN do this" without having doubts.  I think I've pushed past the initial excitement of it, although I do still really love to run, it's not the same as it was in the very beginning.  I'm not saying I won't have doubts again, but I honestly see myself running the marathon in December....and maybe even doing an ultra after that.  

Dress cooler.  The thing is I really HATE being cold.  Since I haven't been running as much as I'm starting to now, I've been okay most days, but I got very hot after the two mile run.  We'll start running longer distances each week so I've got to remember that.

 

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO 

Stick with the plan.

Cross train in earnest.  The chiro suggested a balance ball and resistance bands, but for now I have a great Pilates DVD that I'll break out.  I might even do that G-Ball work out again. 

"NEW WAY OF EATING" --ZONE NEWS--

By the way, the "new way of eating" is still going strong.  I've been having a really hard time eating all the food on the plan so I think I'll cut my calories down a bit.  I set up my plan for "moderate weight loss" so changing it will lower the count down just a bit for each meal, which will be good for me because I am not liking how full I feel after meals.  I know what I'm eating is very good for me and there's not one meal that's over 500 calories ((!!!)), but it's still a lot of food volume-wise.  (Darling husband has lost about 6 pounds, and is sticking with it.....I haven't lost any weight, but I think there's a biological reason for that right now, so I'm going to resist thinking about it for another week!!)

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon.

New Ways...

WHAT I DID

I started my "new way of eating" yesterday.  We aren't calling it a "diet" because the idea is that it will become the way we eat from now on.  I don't remember if I've talked much about it here...but I read a blog the other day that really got me to thinking (I'd link it if I could remember where I saw it...).  The writer talked about being on the Zone diet and how when she eats a lot of junk food she gets a "food hangover".  Many of the commenters have had the same experience.   A food hangover is not something I've ever had...but it sounds very interesting.

By that I mean I know how horrible an alcohol hangover feels...I have come to understand what drinking does to my body and why over indulgence causes me to feel so bad.  So, if the same can be true about food, that means there is a state of health that is superior to the one I'm currently in.  

Does that make sense?  

I know the food I eat is not just complete junk, but I also know I don't eat well.  If there is a way of eating that will result in feeling bad when I'm eating unhealthy foods--I WANT IT!!  That very idea is exactly why I don't drink very much anymore...because I can not stand the way a hangover feels.  It's just not worth it to me.  I want to get that same mentality about food!

WHAT I LEARNED

The funny thing is....my husband and I both ate considerably more food (in volume) than we usually eat in the course of a day.  But, there's a HUGE nutritional difference.  For instance, his usual breakfast is a sausage biscuit and two hash browns.  There's 720 calories, 46 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein, and 64 carbs in that fairly small amount of food.  This morning's breakfast was two and a fourth egg white and cheese burritos** and 27 grapes for a total of 475 calories, 15 grams of fat, 43 grams of protein and 42 carbs.  The "plan" calls for basically eating all day (three meals and two snacks), but no one meal is over 500 calories, and snacks are about 200 calories each.

**That's two and a fourth burritos, not 2 1/4 egg whites....just wanted to be clear there.  

Did you know all the FLAVOR of an egg is in the YOLK??  (But so is the fat...so maybe there's a spice I can add to that burrito?)  :D 

  

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

As I always say...STICK WITH THE PLAN!!!  We're committed to doing this for three weeks before we evaluate if it's something we really want do.  The down side is, it's a lot of food which means the grocery bill was a bit higher.  But, at the same time, there were quite a few "staples" that I didn't have, so I don't think it will be as high next week.  Not to mention....what's health worth??

Thanks for stopping in....

What's that??  OH, you want to hear about my RUNNING???!  Sure, I can tell you about that, too.

:D

  

WHAT I DID

I ran 2.5 miles with my group--well, with the larger group...I think someone messed up and put me with a sub-set that's faster than I currently am, so I was mostly with the slower moving group.  I haven't uploaded my time yet, but I ran most of it, and I WASN'T LAST.   Now, I'm not knocking whoever it was last, because he/she was out there just like I was....but, my semi-competitive nature just won't allow me to be last, even though my body won't allow me to be first!!  

WHAT I LEARNED

Pain from an injury continues to ramp up, while pain from soreness will get better during a run.  I've been (mostly) experiencing pain from soreness.  I say that because (usually) I feel better at the end of my run than I do within the first few minutes.

Also, I am a BIG TIME whiney winnie butt!!  When I'm by myself I hyper focus on what my body is doing and I want any pain to STOP.  I'm a very "in-the-moment" kind of gal so I don't usually stop to think that in 2 miles I'll be feeling much better so it would be better to keep on going.  Running with the group really helped with that because I "had to" push through the aweful part.  

One coach and I were talking during the last 1/4 mile.  I was saying that at that point I really felt like I could go another couple of miles.  She said that I might just have to resign myself to the fact that the first two miles are going to suck! 

WHAT I'M GOING TO DO

The thing I have to keep firmly in my mind is that usually by the time that second mile is over, I'm feeling pretty good.

AGAIN...STICK WITH THE PLAN.

I'm also considering going over to Spine Care for a consultaion.  They were there last night talking to us about stretching.  ...Being a former insurance adjuster, I've never been too "up" on chiropractors...but, at the same time, I've dealt with a lot of people who seem to get a huge benefit from them.  I talked to the "dr" last night about my calves and she explained to me what was going on (which I understood, and it made sense, and fell completely in line with everything I thought, and everything I know to be true....and it's not something I can really explain in an intelligent way!).

Because I've had so many problems, she suggested (naturally) that I come in for a free consultation.  We'll see.

The schedule for today is cross train or rest.  I'm most likely going to opt for rest!!  The next group run is three miles, Saturday morning at 7 am.  It's in a park that I love...the weather is supposed to be perfect.  I can NOT wait!

Thanks for stopping in, come again soon!

:D 

By the way, thank you all for your encouragement.  It really does mean a lot to me.