The Holidays: Tough to stay focused!

So, once the holiday season (and coincidentally my insanely busy season at work) hit, I didn't run nearly as much and probably fell back into some less-than-desirable habits.  This happens to a lot of people, and I really try not to let "food choices" determine whether I've had a great day or not.  Moving toward a healthier lifestyle is about a lifetime of making better choices.  I try to keep the attitude that every day is new, and even when I slack on the super-healthy choices... I've still come a long way from where I started, when I weighed about 260 pounds and was feeding my family lots of bad-fatty/sugary foods on a regular basis.

Even though I feel that I've "slacked" over the past few months, I can look at the way our lifestyle has changed and say that we're still moving forward.  The way we cook is different, the things in our pantry and fridge are still, for the most part, the things that should be there.

We went out of town for the week of Thanksgiving, and I ran while we were in Missouri.  I ran a little bit once we got back, but then the cold weather arrived and it was just... brrrr.  I allowed myself a little break, thinking I'd hit the gym more regularly.  That didn't happen.  My daughter no longer had crack-o-dawn volleyball practice, so I did a lot more sleeping in!

The good news is, my clothes all still fit : )

I headed back to the gym today, walked as fast as I could on the treadmill for 3 miles with a little incline (about 40 minutes), then did a weight circuit.  It felt reallllly great to get my body moving again!!!  It was also great to exercise and watch some mindless tv ("Fashion Police", which my husband hates).  It had been so long since I'd been to the gym (although I had been running) that the trainer had to re-activate my FitLinxx account!  God bless the YMCA.  I love those people.  No questions asked, no making me feel guilty.  Just a welcome back and a smile!

If you've lapsed in your workout routines, or indulged a little more than you feel you should have over the holiday season... Please keep a positive attitude!  Remember that every day is new.  Every single day is a day that you can begin making better choices.  Improvement doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing, it simply needs to be BETTER.  If small steps are what you need, then take small steps.


Sometimes when we decide we're going to overhaul our lives, it's a huge step and it's really difficult... which leads to feeling badly about yourself when you don't "make it".  Revise your plan, and change one small thing each day.  Be in this for life, not just until you hit a goal : )

Viva Las Vegas! Running the strip!

My husband and I celebrated our sixth anniversary with a trip to Las Vegas : )  I packed all my running gear and was looking forward to running on the Vegas strip!

It was really nice weather for running in the mornings.  On Monday I ran (mixed in walking because I knew it was a long way) about 5 miles, on Wednesday Jack joined me for a 5-ish mile walk, and then on Friday before we left I ran the strip again.  It was sooooo much fun, there was so much to see, and I wish I could run there all the time.  If you ever do this, be sure to go before people start waking up.  You don't want to try and run the strip when it's full of people, it will just frustrate you like rush-hour traffic.  I woke up at 7 most days and was out there by about 7:30.  I don't think there's a night-time that would work, since people are out and about all night long.

I went for another run on Monday morning after we got back home (I worked reallly late on Saturday, so Sunday morning wasn't happening), trying out a new park in my area of town.  I went about 2.5 miles, and was feeling very tired and heavy-- yet again, I should have left earlier.  WHEN WILL I LEARN?!?!  It gets hot when the sun comes up, even in October.  Argh.  I didn't run today because I had to be up at 5 to accompany a family member to surgery, so if I'm sleeping in my own bed tonight, I'm planning to get up and go tomorrow morning.

It's been a really long time since I saw a drop in my weight, but I have to say, I'm feeling fantastic.  I don't feel as super-flabby as I used to, and my body is happy when I give it a workout.

Here's a quick little happy from Vegas.  Man, I love that guy!

Just what I needed to hear...

I picked up the November issue of Runner's World magazine today and was thumbing through it while eating lunch. Today was a really long day, and after my run last night (which was one of those "am I made of lead?" kind of things) I was having one of those "am I doing this right?" brainstorms in my head. It was good to see Runner's World looking at me from the news stand in the grocery store... I haven't read it in a while, and I always find some great stories in it. I remember the first time I ever read it, sitting in a spa in Las Vegas reading about Matt Long, a NYC firefighter who ran a marathon after having been run over and shattered to pieces by a bus... in this issue I saw an ad for his book, The Long Run. I'll definitely be picking that one up!

At any rate, I've mentined before that I'm a slow gal. I'm generally happy just to be putting one foot in front of the other and completing my distance goals without walking most of the time. I've thought that at some point I'll look into improving time, but for now my goals are more completion and distance-oriented. Last night at the park I saw my friend Jan-- a total sweetheart and avid runner. She was there with a friend of hers doing speedwork, I passed her a few times as I was plugging along on my first Bridge-to-10K workout. As I was running, I wondered if I was doing this right. Am I supposed to be working on speed? Should I work on speed for my body? How on earth do I go about working on speed? Will the world end if I just keep up the slow and steady?

In Runner's World on page 36, there it was. "Tips for beginners from an easygoing coach" (Jeff Galloway's "The Starting Line" column).

Fact or Fiction? Whatever your pace, there's no such thing as running too slow.


FACT. Running is a free-form activity; we alone determine how fast, how far, and how long we run. The empowerment of running is open to anyone, at any speed. Your definition of "slow" may change as you grow more fit, and will change again as you grow older.

Thanks Jeff : ) That's just the information my heart was looking for today.
There are some interesting articles this month... one about shoes, one about bras (kudos to RW for not neglecting the chesty runners!), one about gluten, and a pretty compelling story about Bart Yasso... who among other things was an alcoholic who turned into a running legend with the help of a dog. There's also a story about a girl whose brother suffered a heart attack while running a marathon, so she's picking up where he left off and training to run one in his honor.  It's a good read!

...and for my next trick, I will start the Bridge to 10K program.

I'm setting out this evening to do the first of the Bridge-to-10k program runs!  I think it's something like jog 10 minutes, walk 1 minute, then repeat 3 or 4 times.  I'm looking forward to being able to finish this : )

So last week, I ran FOUR miles : )

Last Thursday I decided I was going to finish a 3.5 mile run.  I finished 3, why not 3.5?  Well as usual, mile 1 was the hardest, mile 2 was also a push (I had super lead feet and was feeling soooooo sluggggish).  You know, 3 wasn't all that bad... and when I rounded the curve after that third mile, I was feeling very much on top of the world like Wonder Woman.

So when I got to the 3.5 mark, I felt very "oh why not?" and finished 4 miles... and felt QUITE ACCOMPLISHED!  I had finished, this was definitely a personal distance record, and I hadn't walked any of it.

Runkeeper posts to my facebook page, so of course I had congratulations and stuff.  I also had a couple of remarks from my runner friends that I needed to not add so much distance so quickly-- especially since I am a "clydesdale", "athena", or whatever cutesy name you'd like to give to a big-boned, heavy runner with several pounds to spare.  Evidently upping your distance too quickly increases the chances of stress fracture.  After freaking out a little bit because I was afraid I was breaking some important bone by being awesome, I decided to calm it down and just be smarter from here on out.

Whee!  That being said, I went out this morning and did 2.5 miles.  We've been having some of the most incredible weather EVER-- that's right EVER-- around here, and it felt wonderful to be outdoors this morning.  Even after running 4 miles last week, the first part of my run is "uggghhhhhh".  If yours is this way too, don't worry because you've totally got someone who feels your pain.

I ran 3 miles again yesterday : )

This felt good because it meant the first time wasn't just a fluke.  Yaaaay!  Next time out, I'm going for 3.5.

An Incredibly Inspiring Video...

This popped up on Facebook, posted by a couple of my friends.  I clicked the link, figuring it would be talking about someone's 120 pound weight loss journey... but did not expect to be crying like a baby at my desk 2 minutes later, just wanting to give this guy a big hug.

Some of us underestimate ourselves... and some of us believe, move forward, and blow the stereotypical "you can't do that" business right out of the water.  You can probably imagine which of the two categories this guy goes into ; )  After the last paragraph of yesterday's blog post, it was really cool to see someone with a similar attitude.

Don't skip this one.  Take 4 minutes to watch it.



If I've somehow messed that up and the video doesn't embed, here's the YouTube link: My 120 Pound Journey

Ben's also got a blog you can look into, if you want to learn more about him: Ben Does Life