and I run...I run so far away

So this weekend I did 2 5ks. I do not recommend this unless you are an actual serious runner. I run 2-2.5 miles a few times a week on a good week. But this weekend there was the Race for Hope in DC. I have a colleague with a brain tumor, so I started a team with my office for that one.

On Saturday, K had a fundraiser for her school. We missed it last year, so I had promised her we could do it this year. The good thing was that we walked most of that one. The kids all took off from the school at a full out run. The parents were all jogging behind. After about 6 blocks the kids were all walking. I caught up to K, and suggested we run slowly. She wanted to walk. So we walked about 1/2 mile..then I got her to run for about 1/2 mile. Then she walked the rest of the way. The last 1/2 mile I had to pretty much drag her. I could barely even get her to run past our house (only a few doors from the finish line) so DH and K's siblings could cheer for us. But it was fun. And K thinks I am nuts for running that far ever.

Sunday's race was fun. It was raining - kind of a lot. But it was still inspiring and fun cuz we had about 18 people from my office do it too. I missed my goal time by 9 seconds. I finished in 40.08 - I really wanted to finish in under 40. I blame it on having to tie my shoes about 1/2 mile in as they came completely untied. (I'm sure it wasn't walking the block in the middle).

Oh well. The good news is that this weekend also signifies my renewed efforts for weight loss. Since last summer I have lost about 40 lbs. But I am now getting into some bad habits again, so I am recommitting. I will again do the Crack the Fat Loss Code plan - which is high protein, low carb, low fat. I will commit to working out at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Plus some Wii Fit on the side. My goal is 10 more pounds before our beach trip in late June/early July.

What's Gotten Into Me

So I just finished the carb-deplete cycle of my diet again. I am excited to be allowed carb and sugar again! yay! I have to say I really love this diet plan. The weight keeps coming off (down 39 lbs now!), and with the exception of that first week, I don't feel really denied.

But what is getting to me know is my current attitude towards exercise. Over the weekend DH bought me "My Fitness Coach" for the Wii. And it is great! It doesn't require the Wii Fit (which I still hope to get for my birthday - hint hint), but is a personalized exercise program. You have to fill in all your pertinent information (including taking measurements!!) and complete a fitness test (how many situps/pushups in x time, resting pulse, pulse after 2 min of cardio, etc). Then it personalizes an exercise program based upon your goals. It is really cool.

I also love the Thirty Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. Quite a workout and only 20 minutes.

But the scary thing is that since Sunday - I have not only worked out every day - but 3 days I have worked out 2x (morning and evening). I have NEVER done that in my life. Seriously. I don't know what has gotten into me, but I like it!

Starting the New Year off Right

Ok...so I kinda fell of the exercising wagon back in November. I had my annual convention, followed by our Disney trip, then Thanksgiving - where I caught a horrible cold, that lasted until like, last week, then Christmas, etc. All lovely excuses.

But now I am back. I started it off with 2 hours of ice skating on Saturday(which while I suck at, I don't actually fall down) with my girls and a friend. Let me tell you - ice skating for 2 hours while trying to hold up a four year old is hard work! I was pretty wiped.

Then yesterday we went bowling (ok, not so much exercise) with friends, and then I used my brand new Wii Fitness Coach that hubby bought us! Yay! I did the training exercise so it could figure out just how pathetic I am, and then did a short yoga workout. Not bad for a Sunday.

This morning I got up earlier and got hammered by Jillian on the 30-day Shred. Killer. Tonight I want to try a custom work out on Fitness Coach.

I can't run for another week, as I am on the carb-deplete cycle of my diet, but at least I am starting off in the right place!

Workin' It

So for the last 3 weeks I have been on this crazy diet. It is called Cracking the Fat Loss Code. It is a plan that is supposed to train your body to use your fat loss stores for energy and not just what you are eating. For the first week you have to totally carb/sugar deplete. It is not easy, but its just a week, so bearable. After that, you rotate carb up and down days. In three weeks I have lost about 15 lbs. Not bad. Not sure about the science of the diet - but these days I need the discipline. I am a carb-lover (pasta/bread/etc)..so this isn't easy for me. But it is working - maybe not from the science, but just cutting out a LOT of calories/fat.

I have also been upping my exercise. I am trying to do 5-days a week now. During the deplete week I tried to run. It wasn't even funny. I made it a mile, and then hit a brick wall. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I walked for a block, and tried to start running again - no dice. It was awful. So instead I stuck with a new 25-minute workout tape that is KILLER. It is called the 30-day shred, and is done by Jillian, the trainer on Biggest Loser. I have been doing this 3x a week for 3 weeks, and man it really kills you. I highly recommend. I am on level one (of three levels)...I don't expect to move to Level 2 for at least a year!!! I am also back to running (now that I have some level of carbs/sugar), and had a great run yesterday. I also signed up for my 3rd 5K for the end of this September. REALLY want to break 40 minutes.

Of course, on Friday I leave for Paris. I don't have any planned exercise - but expect a LOT of walking. Also expect a lot of bad eating- cheese, wine, pastries, chocolate. But at least I feel like I am in a mode now that I will be able to get back into it when I return.

Any good dieting/fitness tips!

Fun Ways to Exercise as a Family

So DH and I could use some more exercise. And after a scary series in the Washington Post about childhood obesity (although my kids have no weight issues yet), I have decided we need some family exercise. I think we start with a half hour walk. I proposed this to the girls earlier in the week and got lukewarm response. So I decided I would make it a game. I made a bunch of Bingo cards to use on our walks (see pic). Each of the squares has a picture of something we might see on the way - a bird, a fire hydrant, a porch, a swing, a squirrel - stuff like that. So last night we tried it for the first time. Oh my gosh, they LOVED it. It was more like a scavenger hunt to them. The only part that was bad was that they were screaming whenever they found one of the things. They were so excited, but they were scaring people. Seriously, a guy jogs by with a dog - and they are both like "DOG DOG DOG!!!!" at about 50 decibels. And the guy nearly hit a telephone pole. They want to go again tonight, so if we can tone it down a bit, I think it will work out great!

Family-style Workouts

So we took the girls ice skating on Sunday. We had tried a few months ago and although K did get out on the ice, she quickly dissolved into tears because she said she was scared because there were too many people. On Sunday morning, while they were at Sunday School, I was running errands and happened to notice the rink was nearly empty. I figured this was our shot. K took lessons last fall, and I really wanted B to try it.

So I picked them up from Sunday School, dropped by and got DH and DS and we headed over. Thankfully it was still quiet. Me, K and B all got out on the ice. DH was willing to go, but we weren't sure Big Man was up to it. I think he needs to be a little older. I was not looking forward to it, as I haven't skated in years, and the last time I hated it. It was actually fantastic! We all had fun. They had painter's buckets kids could use to lean on and B LOVED them. She didn't even want me pushing her or helping she was so proud to be doing it herself. K stuck to the wall much of the time, but would come out on the ice holding my hand.

We skated for almost an hour! That is quite a workout let me tell you! But it was a blast, and we all can't wait to do it again.

Mental Exercise

I had a great run this morning. Its been a while since I could say that. I have been pretty good about keeping up the running - but the actual runs have been mediocre at best. Lots of walking in between some running. Its amazing to me how mental running is.

You can train your legs and your lungs to handle the run, but your body (or I guess I should say MY body) just doesn't want to do it. So it becomes a mental game - mind over matter - just decide I am going to run the whole way, I am not going to stop, I CAN do it. This morning I just woke up with a different attitude and decided I would do my regular run and I would run the whole way - no stopping, with a surge at the end. And I did. But my body definitely had moments where I wanted to stop. And I just had to ignore it, listen to my music, and keep pushing.

Lets hope I can keep this attitude up!

Baby I Was Born to Run

ok..maybe not, but I did complete my first 5k today! YAYYYY for me! I had three goals for today -- finish the race, do not walk at all, and finish under 40 minutes. I made 2 out of 3. I finished at 40 minutes, 20 seconds. Bummer...I wish they had put the clock somewhere you could see it sooner. I didn't see it until I was about 100 yards away at 39.57. Oh well..very close. We had a good day - not too hot, and there were lots of racers. Their megaphone wasn't working so the start was a little weird -- first I knew we were starting was when everyone ahead of me started to run. I hit the play button on my iPod, but it didn't start, and so my first 200 steps running I was fiddling with that, but after that it was pretty good. My first mile was 12.54 at mile two I was at 25.57...I really thought I might make it, but oh well. I am very happy with how it went, and my DH and kids were all at the finish line. I am very proud of myself - 5 months ago I couldn't run for 60 seconds -- now I did 40 minutes and over 3 miles.

And, what do you know..the scale is finally starting to catch up!

Random stuff...

I promise to post some new house pics this weekend -- the hardwood floors are down, and the great room is just about done - it looks great. Hopefully when we get home they'll be some progress on the upstairs.

Big Man is getting his ear tubes on Tuesday. I'm excited in that I think it will make him feel much better, but I'm not excited about watching them put him under.

I ran 2 3/4 miles today -- my longest yet, and I am now sure I can do my 5k next weekend - yay! If only my sneakers did not burn the ball of my foot. But having tried 4 professionally-fitted pairs, and having no luck, I am working with inserts that may help. I have stopped wearing my 10-year old shoes, which were killing my hips. These new ones kill my feet, but only while I'm wearing them (my feet are fine once they are out of them), and the rest of my body feels much better.

Things I hope to accomplish this weekend - 1) return pair of sneakers that don't work (will still have the one pair I'm stuck with from the last store to try and adjust with pads and such); 2) go to Home Depot - return tile samples and purchase PAINTABLE switch plates (which we asked for but the contractors didn't install), purchase paint for the downstairs bathroom, and look at medicine cabinets for the kids' bathroom; switch out big man's clothes for fall (and take out those that are too small); and finish marking clothes/items for Danis Duds consignment sale. We also have lessons tonight (gymnastics) and tomorrow morning (skating for K, swimming for B) and hope to go to Fall for Fairfax. The weather is supposed to be awesome. Maybe we'll even do some geocaching!

Yoga is NOT Stretching

Last night I took my first yoga class. (an aside -- those of you who only know me from this blog may be under the mistaken impression that I am athletic or fit or something. I assure you this could not be further from the truth! I am in the process of trying to lose about 50lbs on ww, and working to get into something other than couch potato shape. Seriously.) So anyway, I thought yoga would go well with the running and help me stretch out some muscles. I did not expect the degree of workout I got...and believe me, I didn't even do half the stuff!!

This yoga studio just opened up down the street from us over the weekend, and had classes that start at 8pm. I was so excited. I wanted to join Curves a while ago -- but all the ones in the DC area close at 8. Seriously, what is that about? My kids go to bed between 7:30 - 8 (at least we try), so I need something that starts at 8 or later -- yoga seemed perfect. The class was KILLER. I mean I liked it, I think. I will go back, but man was it HARD! You don't just stretch the muscle - you hold it there til it burns, then hold it another few minutes!!! I was sweating like a dog in under 10 minutes and then my hands and feet were all sweaty making it impossible to hold poses that I couldn't really hold to begin with. Definitely not what I expected. But good, I think. The last 10 minutes made it all worth it. We did this cool down and a inversion (which is basically where you try and get as many parts of your body in line above your head - without having to do a headstand, although that is an inversion too) that were awesome. It was very relaxing and really helped calm some lower back muscles that had been bothering me. Don't think I'll be a yogi anytime soon, but I will go back.

I DID IT!

I did it. Today I ran for 20 minutes non-stop, no walking breaks...20 whole minutes in a row. 5 weeks ago I could barely do 90 seconds. Seriously. I am so proud of myself. I have no idea how far I went (the program suggests time OR distance -- not both). I just run in random zig zags around my neighborhood, so there is no way to know. Think I'll wait a few more weeks til I worry about that. For now I am too pumped (although I'll probably be a little sore later)

And my $135 running shoes that I went to the specialty store to get and end up totally hurting my feet? The store says I can bring em back and they'll figure out what is going on and replace with something else, if necessary. yayy!

Now if only I could work on the eating. In the 5 weeks I have been doing the running program, I've gained 4lbs. URRGHHHHH. I am afraid to go weigh in at ww. But I probably need to in order to get back on the wagon.

I feel like I was stood up...

So I am feeling weirdly discouraged. I have been working for about a week to prepare for this big event at work. Lots of writing, researching, etc..to prepare one of our members for this big presentation. Felt completely organized, totally prepared, was psyched. The event was this morning. I meet with our speaker this morning at dawn (yes, I actually got up pre-dawn to jog this morning - 8 minutes 2x! yayy for me!) went through all the prep..expected q&a's, etc. We were good to go. Get to said event, event starts, and about 30 minutes in, gets cancelled. For weird reasons, that are sadly, legitimate. I feel like I got stood up by my prom date. Now I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Help! I'm being followed!

So. I have been doing this exercise program for about a month now. It is called Couch Potato to 5k (CP25K), and was designed by some experts on Cool Running.com. Now before you get the wrong idea -- I am not a runner. My whole life I lived by the mantra "I only run when chased". Seriously, even as a kid, I did not run. But for some reason this program seemed compelling. And, I realized something. I AM being chased. By a big old butt that I can't believe belongs to me. So, with my big butt chasing me, I have started running. The program is cool. Each week it alternates running and walking at increasing intervals, until, at the end, you can run for 30 minutes.

Currently I am up to running about 5 minutes alternating with three minutes with walking in between. It doesn't sound like much, but when the program started, I couldn't imagine running for 90 seconds, so this is big for me. The program is helped hugely by these free podcasts. They tell you when to walk and when to run. I can't imagine how people do it without these -- you would have to keep looking at your watch or pedometer constantly!

So..I can't really imagine myself running a 5k in a few months, but who knows? If you'd have told me I could run for 5 minutes without stopping (much less do it 2x in a 20 minute period, along with 2 3-minute runs), I'd have said you were nuts!

So far my funniest moment came about a week into the program. I hoped on the scale, figuring there should be a big loss, given I am now actually exercising. But nope. My first thought? What the (*#$, I'm not doing this for my health! Then I laughed, and realized, I am doing it for my health!

Hopefully, combined with weight watchers, in a few months, nothing will be following me.