Starting Over

I was prepping for a half marathon at the beginning of April; 2 days prior to the race I went to work and within a few hours developed excruciating back pain. Almost a week later (and 3 doctors later) I was diagnosed with 2 bulging discs, a very close precursor to herniated discs. With physical therapy and following doctor's orders my back is much better now.

I haven't run since then. I want to change that.

I truly miss jogging and the time I have to clear my head. I also have gained a little weight and want to shed those pounds.

2 Week Update

I've been on a good training schedule for the past 2 weeks and it's paying off! In that time I've lost ~5 lbs (though I still think I look like the gentleman to my left when I run), and I'm getting back to an okay jogging pace (not fantastic). Work has calmed down a bit and I'm settling back into an exercise routine. It's hard to keep up with dieting and running, and I've been tired a lot.

On that note I'll head to bed. I've got a 6 AM wake-up call for the elliptical.

Goal-less and Flabby

Since Jessie and I ran the Lincoln Presidential Half-Marathon in early April I've only run a handful of times. I've also been really bad about my diet, eating whatever I want (aka carb overload) in moderate portions. I've been busy at work the past few months so I haven't even attempted to get back on a normal exercise schedule. When I was training for the race in April I had a very specific goal and a window to achieve it and I worked off my butt to get there (even if it was a slow time).

Solution = A New Goal

My new goal is to run in the Detroit Free Press International Half-Marathon. This race allows runners to cross into Canada and back into the US all in 13.1 miles. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I really want to do this race at some point in my life.

And.....I'm tired of being flabby.

Challenge Yourself

Healthy (adj.): possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality.

I have really pushed myself when running, and it is paying off!  My times are steadily creeping down, and I am confident that I will be able to complete our half-marathon in April.  I am so thankful for my sisters and the motivation they provide me.

Push yourself to do things that you thought might be impossible.  I was resolved to the fact that I would never be able to run more than 2 miles at a time...I now know I can do better than that.

 I will run 13 miles, and it is going to be amazing!

I am healthy.  I am eating better (most of the time) and taking care of myself like I never did before. It's a wonderful feeling knowing that I am extending my years by taking care of myself both physically and mentally right now.

The Bad Habit

Dun dun DUN!  It sounds like we have a recurring theme of not strictly adhering to our running schedule. 

Unfortunately, I have been suffering from uncomfortable back pain after slipping on the ice (multiple times), so I have been plugging along at a slower pace.  In the words of Lady Antebellum, "When it's all said and done, you can walk instead of run. 'Cause no matter what you'll never be alone."  Doing this training with my sisters have been a true blessing!  There is very real sense of accountability because my sisters are the last people I want to let down while simultaneously providing  true encouragement as they are two of my best cheerleaders.


Now let's discuss what the real demon of the week.  The Bad Habit.  My carbs and Diet Pepsi habit.  While you may roll your eyes at me as you read this, I have a very difficult giving these two things up.  I work at a bakery-café where I have unlimited access to bakery treats and Diet Pepsi...it isn't an easy task to stop cold turkey.  As I have mentioned in The Real McCoys, I want to provide Evelyn with good eating habits so she doesn't wake up in her mid-twenties and realize that she needs to make a major lifestyle change to avoid serious repercussions in her later adult life.  I saw this video on Disney Junior one morning, and while it made us giggle, the message is an important one.



Want some simple, serious advice that will change your eating habits?  Don't buy soda, sweeties, and salty treats when you are at the store.  If it isn't in your kitchen, you can't eat it!  At work, I keep packs of almonds in my purse; whenever I think that I want a bakery treat, I either eat a small apple or munch on some of the almonds to curb my appetite.  Being prepared with some healthy snacks will save you in the long run--no vending machine junk for you!

Thank you, everyone, for all your words of encouragement!  It is an amazing feeling to know that so many people are cheering for us as we continue our training!  I hope your week is filled with all kinds of amazing fun.

Sarah

No more free wheeling

I didn't do an amazing job of sticking to the plan last week. I still skipped one run. However, it was an improvement over the week prior, AND my long run on Sunday was a success. It's still really cold, and really slick outside, so I ran six miles on the dreadmill. Upsides? I caught up on American Horror Story: Coven and the dogs kept me company. I managed to do about an 11 min/mile pace throughout the whole run with no stops.

#RWdogsontherun

I did my best to put off that long run because the five-miler last week felt awful. However, I ate breakfast about two hours before my run, which kept my stomach from rumbling. I often am running on empty since I do most of my runs after work, so it was a nice change to feel like I had good energy from start to finish. Also, it felt like everything just.....came together. I wasn't uncomfortable or tired until the very end. Bored, yes? But the beauty of the treadmill is it keeps moving forward until you shut-er down.

For the fueling breakfast, I made "healthy pancakes" and had one serving with two pieces of turkey bacon, a little maple syrup and a banana. Once I got over the fact that they are really not like pancakes at all, I didn't mind the slightly chewy texture. Unfortunately, they were gone so fast, I forgot to take a photo. Here's the recipe, though. 

Healthy Pancakes

1/3 C. regular oats (not quick oats)

3 T. egg whites

1 T. non-fat milk

1 T. fat-free cottage cheese

1/8 t. vanilla extract

1 T. flour

1 non-cal sweetner packet (I use real sugar instead)

2 T. water

pinch salt

Combine all ingredients and stir until well mixed. If you want, fold in berries or cut up fruit. I just served mine on the side. Spray skillet with nonstick spray, get pan pretty hot and drop batter into pan to form three pancakes. Flip and respray to prevent sticking. Cook until both sides are slightly browned. 

These macros are slightly off if you real sugar, but it will give you an idea. This would be a great recipe if you are diabetic or watching your sugars. Instead of syrup, I've used a little apricot jam as a topper-- also delicious.

Cals: 201

Fat: 2 g

Sodium: 295 mg

Carbs: 32 g

Fiber: 4 g

Sugars: 6 g

Protein: 13 g

Long Run Week 2

#polarvortexreprieve 

Sorry--you're getting two posts from me today, but I wanted to do a self accountability post following
Training Week 2.

I'm doing a four-day-a-week running program, with long runs on Saturdays. Last week, I totally slacked off, and I'm blaming it on the Polar Vortex. I don't know who came up with the term, but they really should have called it the "Vortex of Bitter Cold, Bitter Attitudes and General Winter Humdrums." This is, by far, the worst wintery weather I can remember in the central I-L in some years, and it's not helping my motivation.

So, I ran three miles on Tuesday, accidentally (riiiiight) skipped my other two midweek runs, and decided to wait until Sunday to do my five-mile long run. The Vortex broke for one day, the temperature climbed into the 40's and I headed out for my first outdoor run since before Christmas.

Roller derby turned winter running socks.

My first problem was tackling the wardrobe. I dressed in layers with a windbreaker on top, some long cooky socks, gloves, hat...You know, it's winter right? I regretted it less than a mile in, and started stripping off layers. Once I didn't feel like I was boiling under all my layers, I could try go focus on the task at hand.

As expected, it was a pretty brutal run. I wasn't physically or mentally ready for it, but it needed to happen. I took a couple of breaks at busy cross streets and worked on maintaining an even pace. For total disclosure, every time I stopped running, I paused my RunKeeper app, so it didn't reflects those breaks. However, my running pace was slightly over 11:00 minute miles.

This abysmal showing motivated me to take this week seriously, so my next long run doesn't feel like such a failure. Cue the sad trombones, because this also means I have to cut back on the Norb's cheese sauce. The good news is, each week is another chance to improve.

Here's to a fresh start.
Jessie