Yesterday was one of my off days from running so I decided to start lifting some weights. All I did was some upper body work with some free weights. Now, I know nothing about lifting weights and I sometimes feel silly when I have these experienced weight lifters working out beside me, but I want to continue to add this into my half-marathon training. If anyone has any advice in this area, send them my way! I also think I'm going to reference this "Strength Training for a Half-Marathon" article for just some general ideas.
Since yesterday was my off day, I had a real struggle motivating myself to run today. I had a 3 mile run to do and I was just not feeling it, but I know if I am serious about this half-marathon, I must keep up with the schedule! So I ran. I don't know if it was because I did not want to be running, but I ran my first mile in just 10 minutes and all three in 32 minutes! I did not believe my phone app when it announced my time. That's a full minute faster than my last time!
That was a great feeling of accomplishment and just what I needed to get back my motivation. I am starting to understand and appreciate that feeling I have after a great run. I must keep that knowledge in mind when I am struggling to put on my tennis shoes...
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
4 Miles!
This weekend was no match for me! Yes, I ate more than I would have normally, but I also made sure to get in more activity. I am extremely blessed to live in such a beautiful area, so this weekend I got to enjoy a nice hike up the bluffs that are just within walking distance of my apartment. Furthermore, I upped my half-marathon training and ran 4 miles today. Running 3 miles was really difficult for me so I was slightly dreading four; however, these 4 miles seemed to go, do I dare say it, easy? I ran 2 miles toward the Mississippi River and then turned around to run the second 2 miles back. I'm not sure if it was the 61 degree temperature, the classic rock music on my Spotify, the path I chose to run, or some other factor, but I had a great 4 mile run! I can only remember one other time in my life when I ran 4 miles without stopping. So this was a huge accomplishment today! I am so excited to continue this training and to keep improving my running ability!
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Challenges
When eating healthy is not your norm (or even when it is) and you are not a natural athlete, everything can appear to be a challenge. And challenges usually only mean one thing: an excuse to quit.
These past couple days have already presented me with several, minor challenges. I have received my first running related injury...a blister! Those things are just annoying. In an effort to cushion the blister on my pinky toe, I placed a band aid over it. This band aid then proceeded to give my other toe a blister! So now I am researching how to prevent blisters from running. I will gladly take any and all tips you might have on how to help reduce this issue during my training!
My second challenge was related to weather and having to run indoors. So far, I have been very lucky with the weather. I've been able to work it out so that every day I needed to run, I was able to do so outside. When running, I enjoy being able to take my own path and actually travel somewhere, so I love just setting out for the neighborhoods and running whatever street I want to run at that moment.
When the weather is bad, it is clearly not conducive to running outside. I belong to a really great gym (Snap Fitness Bluffside), but it does not have an indoor track; therefore, if I want to run indoors, I have to run on a treadmill. I am not the biggest fan of running on a treadmill for long distances. It seems odd to me to run in place for that long and have others constantly working out around me. I just constantly feel judged! Plus, treadmills just seem harder!
Well, I finally had to face this situation on Thursday and I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. It was not my best run at all, but I ran it. I am going to have to get use to this when the winter hits, though! And for me, I feel like winter is almost every day here in Wisconsin...
My third challenge is my desire to be social. Being social almost always equals food. Whether you are meeting over a meal, gathering for drinks, throwing a party, enjoying a BBQ, etc., being social constantly involves food. It's hard because you want to be around people, but you don't want to offend anyone by not eating, you don't know if you will be strong enough to avoid the food that is there, and you don't want to feel awkward or out of place. Furthermore, people love to give food as gifts and that would just be rude to not accept a gift!
Anyway, this is constantly a challenge and this weekend definitely proved that. I had two wonderful friends visit, had a lovely happy hour with coworkers, and was given a pie as a gift. All of these things were incredible and I enjoyed every minute, but it means I have to work hard to get back on track. Weight Watchers builds in flex points into their program for these exact moments. I may not be able to track everything I eat in one meal or I may eat more than my daily allowance, but that is okay and the occasional indulgence is encouraged. It is important not to beat yourself up about these moments, but rather enjoy them and continue on your weight loss journey.
Challenges are a part of life and a part of the weight loss process. In the past, all of these in one week would have derailed me for months. But not this time. This time, I am keeping my goal in better focus.
These past couple days have already presented me with several, minor challenges. I have received my first running related injury...a blister! Those things are just annoying. In an effort to cushion the blister on my pinky toe, I placed a band aid over it. This band aid then proceeded to give my other toe a blister! So now I am researching how to prevent blisters from running. I will gladly take any and all tips you might have on how to help reduce this issue during my training!
My second challenge was related to weather and having to run indoors. So far, I have been very lucky with the weather. I've been able to work it out so that every day I needed to run, I was able to do so outside. When running, I enjoy being able to take my own path and actually travel somewhere, so I love just setting out for the neighborhoods and running whatever street I want to run at that moment.
When the weather is bad, it is clearly not conducive to running outside. I belong to a really great gym (Snap Fitness Bluffside), but it does not have an indoor track; therefore, if I want to run indoors, I have to run on a treadmill. I am not the biggest fan of running on a treadmill for long distances. It seems odd to me to run in place for that long and have others constantly working out around me. I just constantly feel judged! Plus, treadmills just seem harder!
Well, I finally had to face this situation on Thursday and I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. It was not my best run at all, but I ran it. I am going to have to get use to this when the winter hits, though! And for me, I feel like winter is almost every day here in Wisconsin...
My third challenge is my desire to be social. Being social almost always equals food. Whether you are meeting over a meal, gathering for drinks, throwing a party, enjoying a BBQ, etc., being social constantly involves food. It's hard because you want to be around people, but you don't want to offend anyone by not eating, you don't know if you will be strong enough to avoid the food that is there, and you don't want to feel awkward or out of place. Furthermore, people love to give food as gifts and that would just be rude to not accept a gift!
Anyway, this is constantly a challenge and this weekend definitely proved that. I had two wonderful friends visit, had a lovely happy hour with coworkers, and was given a pie as a gift. All of these things were incredible and I enjoyed every minute, but it means I have to work hard to get back on track. Weight Watchers builds in flex points into their program for these exact moments. I may not be able to track everything I eat in one meal or I may eat more than my daily allowance, but that is okay and the occasional indulgence is encouraged. It is important not to beat yourself up about these moments, but rather enjoy them and continue on your weight loss journey.
Challenges are a part of life and a part of the weight loss process. In the past, all of these in one week would have derailed me for months. But not this time. This time, I am keeping my goal in better focus.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Running
I don't run fast, but I'm faster than I used to be! For me, I was always happy if I finished a mile around 12 minutes. Yes, I know, for runners out there that time is less than impressive and I used to be embarrassed by that number. I have so many friends in my life who are either consistent, casual runners, or marathon runners that I was always ashamed to share my running times with anyone. (How I became friends with so many marathoners, I will never know! But I love you all and thank you for always being an inspiration!)
Anyway, as I am going through this training, I've been keeping track via an iPhone app called MapMyRun. That app enables me to run freely around my community and it tracks my distance, speed, time, and calories. It's a handy little tool!
Tonight on my run it registered me as doing 3 miles in 32:46 which means that I ran these 3 miles at a pace under 11 minutes! I've NEVER done that before and I was SO proud and happy when it announced my time!
I know I will have good and bad days with running, but I'm going to take this really good day for right now!
Anyway, as I am going through this training, I've been keeping track via an iPhone app called MapMyRun. That app enables me to run freely around my community and it tracks my distance, speed, time, and calories. It's a handy little tool!
Tonight on my run it registered me as doing 3 miles in 32:46 which means that I ran these 3 miles at a pace under 11 minutes! I've NEVER done that before and I was SO proud and happy when it announced my time!
I know I will have good and bad days with running, but I'm going to take this really good day for right now!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Weight Watchers: Calculating Points and Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Panini Recipe
Now that I am more than a month into my half-marathon training, I figured it is about time to get back into Weight Watchers. I mean, the company is still taking money out of my account each month, so I should probably go back to a meeting!
As someone who struggles with weight and finds food to be a challenge, Weight Watchers has provided me with some much needed structure. I've tried to do it without Weight Watchers and I can only get so far. So, yesterday I began counting points once again. Getting started with counting points is always a challenge, because you have to calculate every piece of food and every meal you make. It's not until you are at it for awhile the you start memorizing certain food points and can refer back to previous meal calculations. Weight Watchers has great online tools to keep track of everything, but I still like having a notebook to write all my points down! :)
Anyway, I made sure to calculate some of my favorite breakfast meals so that I can easily refer to those in the future. In addition, because I live and work on a college campus that provides me with a meal plan, I am constantly eating at Erbert and Gerbert's Sandwich Shop that is located in one of our food courts. So, this morning I also calculated some of the sandwiches offered there:
As someone who struggles with weight and finds food to be a challenge, Weight Watchers has provided me with some much needed structure. I've tried to do it without Weight Watchers and I can only get so far. So, yesterday I began counting points once again. Getting started with counting points is always a challenge, because you have to calculate every piece of food and every meal you make. It's not until you are at it for awhile the you start memorizing certain food points and can refer back to previous meal calculations. Weight Watchers has great online tools to keep track of everything, but I still like having a notebook to write all my points down! :)
Anyway, I made sure to calculate some of my favorite breakfast meals so that I can easily refer to those in the future. In addition, because I live and work on a college campus that provides me with a meal plan, I am constantly eating at Erbert and Gerbert's Sandwich Shop that is located in one of our food courts. So, this morning I also calculated some of the sandwiches offered there:
Considering my daily points allowance is 26, these totals were not so great to see! It's good to know these now, though, so I can alter them in the future and fit them into my daily plan.
Another (successful) food adventure I tried today was a new Weight Watchers recipe:
7 points
1 serving = 2 sandwiches
 |
| Made with fresh tomatoes off my very first tomato plant! |
Click on the link above to go to the recipe. It took less than 10 minutes to make and was really delicious. (I used basil instead of arugula.) Definitely worth a try!
Monday, July 22, 2013
Couch to Half-Marathon Program
When I first started seriously considering running a half-marathon, I began to research training programs. I knew that I needed something that was going to start really slow and not immediately assume that I could run 6 miles! For me, the Digital Running's Couch to Half Marathon Training Plan was the perfect program for what I was looking to do. It is a 6 month program (I have 10 months) and truly begins with a run/walk of just 2 miles.
I began this training on June 11, 2013. So, obviously, I am in my second month of training and I am still going! The two mile runs were fairly "easy" for me considering I did run on occasion prior to this training; however, I am now into doing 3 mile runs and those are not as "easy" at this time. But, they are getting easier!
Just 3 weeks into my training I went on vacation for two weeks. Any other time in my life I would have used that as a break from all exercise, but I was dedicated and tried to fit in runs whenever I could. My first night at home in St. Louis, I made sure to run the second I got done with my 8 hour drive. Now that I live in Wisconsin, though, the St. Louis humidity and 90+ degree temperatures were not fun at all! It was definitely not the best run, but I did run/walk 2.5 miles!
I am hoping this motivation continues throughout the months to come. I am especially worried about ResLife training/Residence Hall Move-In that starts in less than a month! My plan is to just block off time each week to run and to not let anything get in the way of that! Any help in this area is definitely welcomed!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
My journey to now
I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I do not remember a time when I felt a "normal" size, but rather was always seen as the chubby one, the overweight kid, and even the obese student. I often tried to hide it, like it was something that could be hidden from others, but baggy clothes and a desire to run does not make you skinny and fast on your feet. When I was in elementary and middle school, I was teased on the playground, felt on display during gym class, and hated shopping with others. I hit 200 pounds when I was just thirteen. I could not run the mile under 15 minutes. I shopped in the "larger" sections of department stores. And every New Year I would pledge to lose weight.
No matter how hard I "tried" to lose weight, though, I just kept gaining. I could go into all the reasons that led to my ultimate weight of 263 pounds, but instead of dwelling on that, I would rather share with everyone how I got to where I am now and where I still hope to go.
Back in 2009, when I was working as an Admission Counselor at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, I had a friend talk to me about Weight Watchers. Now, I had been to Weight Watchers before, but something was different this time around. This time, I was in a place where I could control my environment around me. I was living on my own for the first time in a little apartment about a mile away from my office. I controlled what food was in that house and no one would see me working out like a crazy lady in my living room to the Dancing with the Stars Cardio Dance DVD.
My meetings were on Thursdays after work in the basement of a Senior Center. Thursdays were perfect because the weekends were always harder with food, so I had Monday-Thursday to "recover". I quickly made friends and started seeing results. Weight watchers was something that I could understand. It was a way to live in the real world and manage real food.
I had never been an athlete. I did a dance class when I was 8 and I was on a 4th Grade volleyball team. Other than that, I was good at being a student, a Girl Scout, and a clarinet player. So when it came time for me to start adding "activity" into my routine, it was hard. I was nervous to do anything where anybody would see me. For a time, I was confined to my living room. I brought up a Gazelle cardio machine and would do that while watching my favorite TV shows. I also bought numerous workout DVDs to do in the evenings. Eventually, this wasn't enough and I was getting bored.
I always wanted to be a runner, but all my good intentions and desires never translated into physical activity. Once I joined Weight Watchers, however, I figured it was as good a time as any to start trying to run. I began running at night through the neighborhoods near my home. The nighttime provided a protective shield. Fewer people would be out and my uncomfortableness would be less noticeable. I didn't run far and I didn't run fast. In fact, I think my running was the same as my walking just with a little more bounce! But, I was doing it.
Since 2009, I have lost close to 100 pounds. It was a combination of the right time and place and Weight Watchers. In the four years since belonging to Weight Watchers and officially starting this weight-loss journey, I have had plenty of ups and downs with keeping the pounds off. Overall, I have kept the majority of it off, but life transitions including significant moves (Kirksville, MO to Athens, GA to La Crosse, WI), graduate school, and new jobs has definitely presented it challenges with eating healthy and exercise. For someone who relies on food for comfort, transitions will always be hard, but I am determined to finally reach my Weight Watchers goal.
This summer I decided to start training for a half-marathon. Here in La Crosse, the Festival Foods Grandad Half-Marathon is a rather popular event to say the least. After having several friends run in the event this past year and several others ask if I would run it in the future, I decided to give it a try. Since moving to La Crosse (and eating the campus food!), I started to gain some weight back. I thought training for a half-marathon would not only improve my running skills, but also help me get back on my weight loss journey.
It's with this latest journey and challenge that I wanted to share my adventures with everyone. I know I will have highs and lows over this next year of training, but sharing this with everyone will hopefully help keep me motivated and focused. I know I am not alone in my struggles with weight, however, it is often something people think they have to go through alone. The first thing I realized after joining Weight Watchers was that being open about my struggles made the journey that much easier. So now I am focusing that openness into my half-marathon training and inviting you all to share in my adventure.
Thank you all for reading this blog, for following me, and for supporting me always.
Wish me luck and check back often to read about my progress!
No matter how hard I "tried" to lose weight, though, I just kept gaining. I could go into all the reasons that led to my ultimate weight of 263 pounds, but instead of dwelling on that, I would rather share with everyone how I got to where I am now and where I still hope to go.
Back in 2009, when I was working as an Admission Counselor at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, I had a friend talk to me about Weight Watchers. Now, I had been to Weight Watchers before, but something was different this time around. This time, I was in a place where I could control my environment around me. I was living on my own for the first time in a little apartment about a mile away from my office. I controlled what food was in that house and no one would see me working out like a crazy lady in my living room to the Dancing with the Stars Cardio Dance DVD.
My meetings were on Thursdays after work in the basement of a Senior Center. Thursdays were perfect because the weekends were always harder with food, so I had Monday-Thursday to "recover". I quickly made friends and started seeing results. Weight watchers was something that I could understand. It was a way to live in the real world and manage real food.
I had never been an athlete. I did a dance class when I was 8 and I was on a 4th Grade volleyball team. Other than that, I was good at being a student, a Girl Scout, and a clarinet player. So when it came time for me to start adding "activity" into my routine, it was hard. I was nervous to do anything where anybody would see me. For a time, I was confined to my living room. I brought up a Gazelle cardio machine and would do that while watching my favorite TV shows. I also bought numerous workout DVDs to do in the evenings. Eventually, this wasn't enough and I was getting bored.
I always wanted to be a runner, but all my good intentions and desires never translated into physical activity. Once I joined Weight Watchers, however, I figured it was as good a time as any to start trying to run. I began running at night through the neighborhoods near my home. The nighttime provided a protective shield. Fewer people would be out and my uncomfortableness would be less noticeable. I didn't run far and I didn't run fast. In fact, I think my running was the same as my walking just with a little more bounce! But, I was doing it.
Since 2009, I have lost close to 100 pounds. It was a combination of the right time and place and Weight Watchers. In the four years since belonging to Weight Watchers and officially starting this weight-loss journey, I have had plenty of ups and downs with keeping the pounds off. Overall, I have kept the majority of it off, but life transitions including significant moves (Kirksville, MO to Athens, GA to La Crosse, WI), graduate school, and new jobs has definitely presented it challenges with eating healthy and exercise. For someone who relies on food for comfort, transitions will always be hard, but I am determined to finally reach my Weight Watchers goal.
This summer I decided to start training for a half-marathon. Here in La Crosse, the Festival Foods Grandad Half-Marathon is a rather popular event to say the least. After having several friends run in the event this past year and several others ask if I would run it in the future, I decided to give it a try. Since moving to La Crosse (and eating the campus food!), I started to gain some weight back. I thought training for a half-marathon would not only improve my running skills, but also help me get back on my weight loss journey.
It's with this latest journey and challenge that I wanted to share my adventures with everyone. I know I will have highs and lows over this next year of training, but sharing this with everyone will hopefully help keep me motivated and focused. I know I am not alone in my struggles with weight, however, it is often something people think they have to go through alone. The first thing I realized after joining Weight Watchers was that being open about my struggles made the journey that much easier. So now I am focusing that openness into my half-marathon training and inviting you all to share in my adventure.
Thank you all for reading this blog, for following me, and for supporting me always.
Wish me luck and check back often to read about my progress!
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