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Despite my little injury yesterday, I sucked it up and went out for a quick little 1-mile run this afternoon with the hubby.
My shins didn’t bother me until I got home, at which point I iced them after a shower and now they’re feeling pretty good. (Course, I haven’t attempted to climb stairs in the last 5 hours, so that may change shortly.)
My one-mile loop took 12:30. Pretty darn good considering Scott is just starting to get into running/jogging and he said this was probably the most he’s ever ran. I’m pretty proud of him for jumping into this adventure – and having lost almost 20 lbs in the last month!
I’m actually looking forward to the rest of the week of running. Wait … it’s the beginning of the week. Hm. Well, then.
Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement. It definitely helps keep me looking on the positive side of things!
I woke up totally ready to just skip running, but after seeing a sweet comment from my mom on my last post, I knew I had to do it.
Even though it was VERY little running, and a LOT of walking. See, I was feeling the beginning of shin splints. Not cool.
Scott and I did the loop near his place – 2.8 miles total – and we probably ran/jogged about a quarter of it. I had quite the noticeable limp by the end of it. Ooops.
So, stats:
2.8 miles (prob run about 3/4 mile – 1 mile)
Time: about 45 min
Not my most impressive time, but at least I got moving, right? I’m thinking there will be some time during this month that I have to take a break. I don’t want to hurt myself, but I also don’t want to give myself too much slack to hang myself with. So, I’m thinking 3-4 “free” days throughout the month.
This morning (Day 4), I’m feeling much better and don’t feel any real pain in my shins. I’m hoping to make the mile loop by my house without any problems.
As mom would say – 3 down, 27 more to go! 🙂
I’m stealing this new challenge from Lisa at School of Raw – from her “Release your inner chubby child challenge”
30 days of running.
*gasp*
Rules are simple: Run every day for 30 days. Doesn’t matter how far, though I’m shooting for at least a half mile each day. I’m even gonna allow myself a little bit of walking in there if I need to.
Why do this? Why not? I’ve slacked off for a while and need to get back to doing something. And I figure now is a good time before the snow makes things very difficult/dangerous.
Stats for Day 1: (Thursday)
1.46 miles (via mapmyrun.com) in 17:20
Think I can do this? (Even if you don’t, please lie. I cry easily.)
I’ve slacked off for too long … specifically, since the race. It’s time to get back on track. Here’s my plan:
Workouts this week:
Tuesday – run (at least a mile)
Wednesday – off
Thursday – yoga/wii fit/video (pick one)
Friday – run (at least a mile)
Saturday – yoga/wii fit/video (pick one)
As for food, I’ve been doing VERY badly lately. Mostly in the aspect of not eating enough throughout the day and then being famished around 9 p.m. NOT cool. Here are a few things I’m gonna focus on:
– eating breakfast as soon as I get up (this morning, I didn’t eat anything ‘real’ until almost 1 p.m. – and I was up at 10.)
– green smoothie in the afternoon.
– salad with dinner
– pay attention to my protein intake – my uncle (a retired doctor) told me I might not be getting enough.
– lay off the sweet carbs. I’ve been craving breads/muffins/cookies/cakes lately.
On a separate, but related note, I’ve got good news!! I enrolled with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition for their distance learning program. I’m so excited to be focusing on something positive and learning more about nutrition and how to live a healthier life. Plus, I can’t wait to share all my knowledge and help others become healthier. I finally feel like I’m doing something good for myself and my future!
Last week was a non-running week for two reasons.
1. I was incredibly sore from the race still. Shin splints are killer.
2. I lost my shoes. Actually, I left them at Laura’s – but I thought I had lost them.
So, I took it easy last week and after a migraine yesterday that kept me from doing much more than laying on the couch and popping prescription pills before work, it was time to get moving.
It wasn’t a really heavy workout – 20 minutes of running = 1.75 miles – but it was enough for me. It felt good to get back on the treadmill. (Anyone else prefer treadmill to running outside? I don’t know why I do.) Plus, I picked up some new running shoes. YAY. I figured, if you’re gonna do this right, do it right. 🙂
Now, for a few blogging giveaway announcements:
Check out Just Another New Blog to win a 32 oz. canister of coconut oil. (I”ve been putting this in my green smoothies – SOOO good!
Carrots ‘n Cake is giving away a copy of Clean Food. (Plus, she’s got the cutest video of her pug on there!)
Heather Bakes is giving away some of her favorite things – I want those Lara bars!
Which of these giveaways would you like to win?
Ever have one of those days where you find yourself in a funk and you wish you had just stayed in bed? Well, I’ve had one of those days for a week and a half.
I’ll cry at just about anything – including, but not limited to:
- any country song – especially if it deals with the military
- this article about the Badwater Ultramarathon
- OnStar commercials
- The Nanny Diaries
- this story on a mom reunited with her biological son
- finding out the batteries in the wii fit were dead
I kid you not. I get teary-eyed at just about everything. I’m pretty sure this is a ‘side effect’ of going off my anti-depressants almost 3 weeks ago.
And then there’s the sadness – which is probably connected to the medicine as well. And really, when you want to cry at just about everything, how can you be happy? Throw in stress from work, paying bills, etc. and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Plus, I’ve been incredibly sore after the race Saturday, so I haven’t really worked out much because I didn’t want to injure myself seriously. Add some tummy issues and I’ve been pretty miserable. (I’m thinking of cutting out dairy and/or gluten for a while to see if that makes a difference.)
Throw on top of that a scale that seems stuck at 141. I know I shouldn’t worry about that – and even be thrilled that I’m maintaining even when I’m not being incredibly diligent – but it’s still kind of a blow to the motivation.
I think that’s about it … (Isn’t that enough?)
So, here’s my trouble … When I get this way, I used to turn to food. Food has always been a comfort to me. (This may explain why I had the urge to bake cupcakes last week – and nearly cried when I had to make 3+ trips to the store.) But, I don’t want to find comfort in food. I don’t want to bring back that distorted thinking that food will make me feel better when I’m down or fill an emotional void, or whatever you want to call it.
How do you get yourself out of a funk – without spending a lot of money or resorting to a binge?
For now, I’m hoping a trip to the water park tomorrow for a little exercise will help.
Oh holy God. I swear I thought I was going to die at some point during this race! The hills were incredible. This really was a challenge. I’m not sure if I would have known how challenging it was if I would have done it, but I”m glad I did.
I certainly wasn’t out there to break any records – just have fun and finish! My official time was 51:30 – which was under my goal of 60 minutes. I can’t thank my friend Laura enough for being such a cheerleader. I know I slowed her down, but she totally kept me going!
- Me & Laura – damn, I’m short!
ready to run!
Since this run was in honor of Pfc. Ryan Jerabek, USMC, who died in Iraq in 2004, there were lots of Marines there from his unit. It was tear-jerking at moments to hear Ryan’s dad talk, so I tried not to listen much – the tears came WAY too easily! So, I’m glad I didn’t see these pictures until after I got done. Hubby took them for me.
Marines from 2/4 - yes, they ran 4 miles with that flag.
Another group who ran in formation - and combat boots.
Laura hung with me until about the last 3/4 mile. Then I had to take a quick break and told her to go ahead. Her little girl, Bella, ran with her across the finish line.
Laura coming to the finish line
Laura & Bella finishing the race
Me, I caught up with this little man, Collin, and told him he had to make sure I didn’t stop until we got to the finish line. He totally kept me going.
Me finishing
ew, sweat much?
WHEW! Finished!
And, to round out this post … I have to share with you the one woman on this run who was a TOTAL inspiration … She ran every step of those 4 miles – hills and all! I’m just kickin’ myself for not getting her name. But I tell you what, she certainly won’t be forgotten in my mind – ever.
Total inspiration!
***Updated to add*** I totally forgot that I had Scott scan in these photos … apparently I DID run a race before – I must have been about 8 here.
Jess running - circa 1988ish
How freakin’ cute was I? 🙂
Wow. 20 weeks. Can you believe it? Some days I really can’t! Here are a few things I’ve learned over the last 20 weeks:
- No matter what happens, you have to stay positive! Some days will be harder than others, and you’ll fall off the wagon, but the important thing is to realize you’re doing it, forgive yourself for making a mistake and recommit to being healthy. As Jenna, a fellow blogger, said in a recent article: You will not gain weight from one indulgent night on the town. It’s OK.
- You can’t expect to get healthy if you’re not doing it for yourself. In addition, you can’t force anyone else to become healthy. When you want it for YOU is when it will happen.
- Start with small changes. No one says the only way to get in the pool is to jump into the deep end with both feet. It’s TOTALLY OK to wade in from zero-depth entrance. If cutting out all soda is too much, try cutting out one a day. If trying a new fruit/vegetable a week is too much, try one a month. Go at your own pace. And don’t let anyone else tell you how you should be doing things – only YOU know what is best for YOU.
- LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! It’s the only one you’ve got – so be nice. Everything you feel is your body’s way of telling you what’s going on. It may take a while to decipher what it’s telling you, but it will happen.
- Numbers on the scale are just that – numbers. They don’t mean anything. Base your weight-loss on how you FEEL.
- Celebrate your accomplishments – no matter how small. Set up a reward system and stick to it. Find inexpensive things (nail polish, new magazine, new book, CD, etc.) to reward yourself for accomplishments. It will make you feel good and keep you motivated.
- Don’t be afraid to try new things – you never know what you may find you like. Try yoga, or a spinning class, or running (the C25K program is awesome for beginners). Try new, healthy foods like lentils, millet, almond butter, a green monster/smoothie, chia seeds, quinoa, etc.
Here are a few photos I had Scott take of me today. I couldn’t decide which I liked better – I see flaws in each – but at the same time, I have to compare that to the photos I took 20 weeks ago (bottom). Even though I didn’t reach the 20 lb. loss mark, I’m still extremely proud of the 15.6 lbs I have lost.
Jess at end of 20/20 challenge
Jess at end of 20/20 challenge
Jess at end of 20/20 challenge
Jess at end of 20/20 challenge
Jess before 20/20 challenge at 156 lbs.
Jess before 20/20 challenge at 156 lbs.
I’m running my first race this weekend and have NO Idea what to expect. (It’s only 4 miles … )
Please share any tips/advice you have with this newbie. (What to eat, what not to eat, what to wear, what not to wear, don’t trip, etc.)
I’m getting nervous!
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 19 weeks of eating healthy and working out!!
This week was good – I got back to my ‘normal’ schedule after a few weeks away. After five or six weeks of hovering around 142, I’m finally down to 140.4! That’s a loss of 15.6 lbs. WOW!
On a side note … I tried running outside this morning – It didn’t go very well. I walked more than I ran the 2-mile loop. But, I figure some days just aren’t going to be perfect, right? I’ll just think of today as interval training.
So, I came home and made a HUGE bowl of oatmeal with bananas, almonds and almond butter. Healthy comfort food I feel good about indulging in.
oatmeal with bananas, almonds and almond butter
Outside the kitchen 