Monday, October 28, 2013

Rock N Roll St. Louis Half Marathon

I went into my last half marathon with very little training but at least with knowing that I was running a half marathon. I had completely forgotten that I had even signed up for this particular race. I just haven't been running and training like I should be. So overall this was a horribly slow race that I felt pretty darn miserable for most of the run.

I started the race by meet several of my coworkers at work and then we rode the metro link from downtown to the race start. My friends Rebecca and Tracy were doing the full and several of the doctors and nurses I work with were doing the half. I hung out with Rebecca and Tracy while we waited for the race to start.
We took selfies while we waited to start.
After the start, Tracy and Rebecca quickly left me in their well trained dust. I held a decent run/walk interval for a while before getting passed up my Dr. Mark, whom of course I had to grope, it just wouldn't be right if I didn't smack him on the butt, right? So anyway after I was mildly inappropriate with one of my physicians, I kept chugging along but I started to notice some pain in my right ankle. My 5K time was 43:23.


A very crappy picture of me somewhere around mile 6 when I smelled sausages. I tend to be my most social when I'm running so I of course I had to say something. So of course they gave me a PBR, cause why not? I was still maintaining a decent pace for my lack of training and my 10K time ended up being 1:29:12.

My ankle started to really bother me in mile 7 but I kept going knowing that I had a couple of coworkers waiting to cheer me on at the 8 mile marker. By mile 9 though I gave in and had the medical tent wrap up my ankle. After that I couldn't run any more but I was bound and determined to cross the finish line. I had had a couple of DNS but I have never had a DNF and I didn't want this to be my first.


My 10 mile time was 2:34:29 and the next three miles were even worse. I struggled to finish the race and even sat down a couple of times along the race to rest my ankle. I was limping pretty bad and the pain was making me miserable. That last 3.1 miles took me nearly an hour and I ended up finishing in 3:37:59.

PFTW 10/28 - 11/3

Monday
Rest and Recovery day

Tuesday
Rest and Recovery day

Wednesday
Personal Training

Thursday
1 hour on a walk 4 run 1 interval

Friday
Personal Training

Saturday
Run 3 miles on a walk 4 run 1 interval

Sunday
Run 1 hour on a walk 4 run 1 interval

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Training Recap

Monday
3 miler at the park across the street from work. I did the 4 minutes walk and 1 minute of run and I felt fine. Ended up finishing my 3 miles in 42:41.

Tuesday
Ran for 1 hour with the 4:1 intervals in the park across the street from work again. I completed 4.14 miles.

Wednesday
Personal Training appointment, mostly chest and back.

Thursday
Rest day

Friday
Rest day

Saturday
Rest day. Spent a little bit of time at the race expo. Picked up a stick to roll out my calves in addition to my foam roller. Got some cute gray and pink 5 inch inseam running shorts, a few GUs and a cute fleece hat to wear during runs so my head doesn't get cold. I couldn't spend much time at the expo since I barely made it to the event before it closed but overall it seemed like your standard rock n roll expo. There was a big brooks shoe that you could ride ala ride the bull but alas I did no try it out.

Sunday
S. Louis Rock N Roll Half Marathon completed in 3:38:02. I had a lot of problems with my right ankle and ended up having to stop at a medical tent to get it wrapped but I did finish and I will have a race recap up soon. I never did the walk to run ratio, I just did whatever felt ok.

Monday, October 21, 2013

PFTW 10/21 - 10/27

I'm once again starting over since I never keep going. I'm trying a very basic walk/run ratio, currently walk 4 minutes/run 1 minute. I'm going to do this for a little while until I feel like I've started to improve then I'll move to a 3:2 and so and on and so forth. For now I'm just focusing on rotating 3 mile and 1 hour runs until I start a marathon training program in December. That's right I'm going to take another stab at the Go! St. Louis Marathon. Last year I was a DNS for this race which was kind of sad for me actually since I have run and completed a race in this series every year since I first started this craziness in 2010. Anyway enough of my rambling, here is my plan for the week...


  • Monday
    • Run 3 miles
  • Tuesday
    • Run 1 hour
  • Wednesday
    • Personal Training
  • Thursday
    • Run 1 hour
  • Friday
    • Personal Training
  • Saturday
    • Run 3 miles
  • Sunday
    • St. Louis Rock N Roll Half Marathon
      • Goal A 2:53 - New Half Marathon PR
      • Goal B 2:55 - New Course PR
      • Goal C 3:20 - Not my worst half ever... :)

I'm aware that I have scheduled no rest days in there but I'm fully willing to ditch that Saturday run if I feel like my legs are too tired. Add on to all of that lots and lots of foam rolling and hopefully Sunday won't kill me.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Weekly Recap

Overall this week was pretty much a bust exercise wise. I did my 2 personal training appointments and no other cardio this week. I honestly can't justify it besides just feeling tired and working a ton. I wasn't injured or sick. If I plan to run a marathon in April I need to really get serious with training and soon. December 1 will be were I need to start the marathon training.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Weigh in Thursday

Well due to working Tuesday night and never really going to sleep until late Wednesday, I bring you weigh in Thursday. 



This week was fairly good. There were some definite areas for improvement for for food and exercise but I hit my goal. I know not that hard since I weighed in at 203.2 last week but at least I'm working with a downward trend. I am hoping for a 1 pound weight loss for this week bringing me to 202 by Wednesday. I'm going to try a little harder to watch the calorie intake on my food and I'm going to aim to complete my 2 personal training sessions and 3-4 3 mile runs this week which will be helpful. 

If I can just maintain an average of 1 pound a week then I will reach my goal of 135 pounds in 68 weeks. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Go! St. Louis Halloween 5K Race Recap

Go! St. Louis is one of my favorite local race organizations. They put on more and more races every year and now I can say I've run one of each of their 3 races. Last year I volunteered for this race when it was only the 5K and 10K routes. This year they added a half marathon and had the 5K start at a different time. There was one water stop and sadly no port-a-potties, which turned out to be a downfall for me.

Overall, it wasn't the best race for me or fiance. His ankle was bothering him and I haven't been training, well, at all. My overall finish time for the 5K was 46:22 and his was 46:23. I won! Haha

The 5K started before the 10K and the half marathon so there weren't a ton of spectators on the course but the volunteers were nice, the weather was perfect and the course wasn't to hilly. The medal was kinda crappy compared to some of the other medals this organization has had in the past so that was my major source of disappointment in the race.

Only a few more days until my surprise half marathon...

Monday, October 14, 2013

PFTW 10/14-10/20

Monday
  • Rest
Tuesday
  • Personal Training
Wednesday
  • Run 3 miles
  • Bike 30 minutes
Thursday

  • Bike 30 minutes

Friday

  • Personal Training

Saturday

  • Run 3 miles

Sunday

  • Run 3 miles

Sunday, October 13, 2013

This Weeks Recap

Monday
  • Ran 3.3 miles in 51:44 in the park across from my work. Ran the same route as the very first 5K I ever ran.
Tuesday
  • Rest day
Wednesday
  • Personal Training Appointment
Thursday
  • Ran 3 miles in 45:54 right after work in the park across from work. It was absolutely beautiful running at dawn, the weather was perfect and the run was wonderful.
Friday
  • Rest day  -  I was supposed to have a personal training session but I was so exhausted that I ended up spending the day sleeping.
Saturday
  • Rest day
Sunday
  • Ran the Go! St. Louis Halloween 5K with my fiancé. My GPS showed a total of 3.38 miles in 47:02. Official time was 46:22 for me and 46:23 for fiancé. 
  • Spent some time on the bicycles with bonus kid and my 9 year old cousin. Bonus kid is finally getting the hang of riding without the training wheels and soon I should have an extra buddy for my bike rides.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

LIfe as an Absent Minded Runner


Well I had hemmed and hawed and thought about running the Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I've run the STL RnR every year since it came to town but I really haven't been in the best of shape and haven't been keeping up with my training. By the time I started putting a lot of thought into it, the price was 110 bucks for registration and I just couldn't bring myself to spend the cash on a half marathon that I wasn't trained for.

Fast forward to yesterday, I'm doing my daily computer routine, which starts with checking my emails. Inside my personal email is an email for my race confirmation. I was a little confused but apparently at some point I registered for the half marathon and now I'm running it in just a couple weeks.

So in case you were wondering I have 1 half marathon and 3 5Ks left before the end of the year, more if one of my coworkers talks me into a running series that runs from mid December thru to February with every other week having a increasingly long run.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Weigh in Wednesday


My goal was to get down to 204 so mission accomplished and then some. I'm really happy about hitting my goal and hoping to hit next weeks goal which is 203. Which is hopefully very very attainable!

Friday, October 4, 2013

Fun Foto Friday


That's the truth around here... Race # 20 in the books and 21 & 22 scheduled this month!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday


Well it's a fresh start. I managed to stay under my 1700 calories yesterday an packed my lunch for work yesterday and today. 

My goal for next week is to be at 204 pounds so just 0.8 to lose for the week. 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

October Goals


Miles to run : 39

Miles to bike : 40

Races to run : 1

Personal Training : 8

Goals: 
  • Be able to run 1 mile without stopping.
  • Lose 4 pounds
  • Eat a completely healthy diet for 1 month. No fast food, no fried food, and less than 1600 calories per day.

Monday, September 30, 2013

PFTW 9/30 - 10/6

Monday - Personal Training

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - Run 3 miles

Thursday - Run 3 miles

Friday - Personal Training

Saturday - Run 3 miles

Sunday - Bike 30 minutes

September Goals Recap


Miles Ran : 26/40

Races Finished : 1/1

Personal Training : 9/9

Goals: 
  • Be able to run 2 miles without stopping.
    • Failed this goal completely
  • Comment more on the blogs I read
    • Made a few comments so better than before
  • Not die or get injured during the Quad City Half
    • I did not die and I walked away by my own power. I didn't have the piriformis or hip flexor pain that I've had in the past either. So success!
  • Log all my food, everyday on myfitnesspal 
    • 13 days out of 30 

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Weekly Training Recap

Monday -  Biked 2.09 miles in 32:43. Mostly just around the basketball court at the apartment complex while fiance worked with bonus kid on riding his bike without the training wheels.

Tuesday - Rest

Wednesday - Biked 5.76 miles in 36:52

Thursday - Personal Training

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Personal Training

Sunday - Rest

Missed one of my runs this week due to working extra and sleeping more than usual. Also I've been using runkeeper instead of my garmin forerunner 610 for tracking my activity lately. I loaned my garmin to one of my coworkers who is training for a marathon this October and she dropped it and cracked the screen. She is going to get it repaired and likely buy it from me anyway as I'm looking to upgrade to the garmin forerunner 620.

I've been reading lots of reviews about the forerunner 620 and I'm liking what I hear, especially that it is now water proof to 50 meters. The only hesitation I have to purchasing one is that there is no bike setting so all of the bike rides would count as runs and it would look like I was a super fast runner. I really like that they are going to have training plans as I have been looking to create a strong training plan that balances my weightlifting, biking and running efficiently. I am really interested to see the estimated recovery time that the watch recommends and it even can estimate your VO2 max. I'm like a kid at a toy store!

My run today was scheduled as a 3 miler but fiancé, bonus kid and I got flu shots and I pretty much always feel miserable after getting a flu shot and today was no different. I spent most of the day in bed.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Fun Foto Friday


Word... Fiancé , Wedding, Weight Loss

but seriously they spelled weight wrong....

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Not Just a Runner Anymore

Well I've been talking about it for a while and I finally did it while I was in Moline, IL, I bought a road bike.


I picked up the Giant Avail 5 from a local bike shop. So far, I'm very happy with my purchase, the price still stings a little bit but overall it was worth it.

The bike is very lightweight, I don't know how much it weighs exactly but it is very easy for me to lift with one arm.

The ride is pretty comfortable, the standard seat actually didn't make my rear-end all that sore which is a nice bonus.

While I don't know much about the exact parts and specifications but it rides smoothly.  I've only put about 9 miles on the bike but overall I'm very happy with the bike.

Disclaimer : The opinions in this post are 100% mine. I was in no way compensated for this post.


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday



Well this is my last weigh in Wednesday of September. I said that I was throwing my diet out the window in September, focusing on exercise and being a non smoker. I haven't had a cigarette, I have exercised 13 out of 25 days so far this month. Moving forward I hope to make the food choices that will make the weight come off. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Quad Cities Half Marathon Race Recap

Disclaimer : This is my honest opinion of my experiences. I was in no way compensated by anyone for this post.

Boyfriend and I headed to the Quad Cities this past weekend for the Quad Cities Marathon series. We left on Friday morning for the 4 hour drive to Bettendorf, Iowa. We stayed at a Courtyard by Marriott in Bettendorf and absolutely loved it. The room was nice and the staff was fabulous for our visit. The hotel had a wonderful pool and hot tub that we made use of more than once. We didn't do anything to exciting on Friday night. We had both been having pretty stressful weeks so an evening of relaxation and enjoy each others company was exactly what was needed.

Saturday morning we slept much later than we usually do thanks to the fantastic black out curtains in the hotel room. I seriously need some of those for our bedroom at home! We grabbed a quick breakfast at a local favorite and headed to the race expo. We got to the expo just as it was opening and there weren't many people crowding the place yet. However I was very disappointed in the expo overall. Maybe it was just because we got there so early that there wasn't the same vibe that most expos usually have but there didn't seem to be many vendors. I went in with a list of purchases I had planned and ended up walking out with nothing but the swag bag provided and a business card to a local bicycle shop that said he might have the bike I had been looking for at a better price. We decided to visit the bike shop, I was able to find what I wanted - more on that in another post. After we grabbed lunch and went by a local running store to get what I needed. The rest of the evening was spent at the hotel and dinner at noodles and company.

Sunday morning finally rolled around and it was race day! The race was billed as the Midwest's favorite marathon and I expected something really big but I just wasn't that impressed.

Start Line
My favorite part of the start line were the heat lamps! The weather was pretty close to perfect to be honest, it was a little chilly at first but the 50 degree weather was perfect while we were running. There were no corrals and the 5K, half marathon and marathon all started at the same time. It seemed to be well organized at least and everything started without a problem.

Miles 1 - 5
Since all three races started the same and ran together for about 3/4 of a mile I got to run with boyfriend for a little while. Once it was time for the 5K route to split there seemed to be plenty of signs and volunteers to make sure that everyone was on the right course. For the marathoners and halfers it was up the highway on ramp for us, my least favorite. However once we were on the highway, headed out of Moline, IL and into Bettendorf, IA it was pretty beautiful. We ran on the I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River and it was a wonderful view for a while. Once we came off of the bridge we ran through Bettendorf for a while which was the hilliest part of the course until about mile 4.5 when we came onto a running path.

Miles 5 - 9
Mile 5 brought us onto a beautiful running path that followed the banks of the Mississippi. The weather was perfect and the breeze was so nice. I started to slow down in the these miles as I hadn't been training for distances longer than 3-4 miles. I knew it was going to happen and I knew I wasn't going to push myself any faster. I was actually feeling really good until the half way point and I reached the halfway point in 90 minutes. If I had been able to keep up my pace I would have probably been able to set a new personal record. However it was about mile 7 that I made it to Davenport, IA and when my left ankle started to really hurt and I decided to slow way down and just finish under my own power instead of causing myself to need medical attention. We were still running along the Mississippi so I decided to just enjoy my view.

Miles 9 - 13
Miles 9 - 13 started out across another bridge and brought us onto the Rock Island Arsenal, an active military installation, again the weather was beautiful and the scenery was fantastic. The marathoners that had split from us earlier rejoined us on the Island and then split from us again and rejoined us on the island at half marathon mile marker 11. We all ran together over one more bridge that took us back into Moline, IL and at the bottom of the ramp the marathoners split off one more time. At this point, I was hurting and I new I was going to have my worst finish time ever. I didn't feel dead though so I just kept walking even though my ankle was hurting me pretty bad.

Mile 13 - 13.1 and the Finish
I was so ready to be done and I tried to finish at a run and I did. Once I crossed the finish line and I went to have the time tag cut off my shoes, they were reusable - a new one for me; my boyfriend found me and was inside the finishers area which I was surprised to see. Before I could say much one the race officials asked me to stand over to the side and kind of kept me there, not allowing to me to leave. Finally boyfriend and the race MC came over to me and well....


So I got 2 types of bling that day! 

After the race we went back to the hotel room and enjoyed the hot tub some more. We ordered pizza to the room and just spent the evening together, relaxing and enjoying some time together. 

Not my best race but that's completely due to a lack of training. I'm glad I went and finished but I'm starting over and my few races will just be 5K distances and I'm going to get back to running 4 days a week.



Monday, September 23, 2013

PFTW 9/23 - 9/29

Monday - 30 minute bike

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - 30 minute bike

Thursday - Personal Training

Friday - 3 mile walk/run

Saturday - Personal Training

Sunday - 3 mile walk/run

This week I'm doing things a little different than in the past. I am ditching the couch to 5K. It wasn't working for me. I'm going to just consistently try to build up to finally being able to run 3 straight miles and from there I am going to create a better running plan. My next race is a 5K in 3 weeks so I'm not concerned about any other training. I'd love to beat my personal record in the 5K which is 36:06 but I'll be happy with a finish.

I'll have a couple extra posts up this week in addition to the normal stuff, including a race recap.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Weekly Training Recap

Monday - Personal Training

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - Personal Training

Thursday - rest

Friday - rest

Saturday - rest

Sunday - Quad Cities Half Marathon - Official time 3:27:03 More in an race recap to come soon!

A pretty much worthless, lazy training week.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Fun Foto Friday


Coming this weekend… Ah every start and finish line photo, ever...

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday


Another week, another gain. Even though I completely expected it since my diet has been horrible and my exercise has been practically nonexistent, it still makes me sad to know how far I had come from when I was originally 209 pounds, just to wind up back here.

Monday, September 16, 2013

PFTW 9/16 - 9/22

Monday - Personal Training

Tuesday - C25K W4D2

Wednesday - Personal Training

Thursday - C25K W4D3

Friday - rest/travel day

Saturday - C25K W5D1

Sunday - Quad Cities Half Marathon - given that my training has actually been closer to couch than 5k. I'm planning on taking this very very slow and easy and possibly even just switching to a 5K instead. I'm hoping though that I can work out a run/walk combo that will get me through without getting hurt or getting kicked off the course.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Weekly recap...

Monday - personal training

Tuesday - 2.32 mile run

Wednesday - personal training

Thursday - rest

Friday - rest

Saturday - rest

Sunday - rest

I slacked a lot this week and my diet was a spectacular failure, unless I was going for most fried food eaten by someone who is actually trying to lose weight, not gain it.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday


Sorry that weigh in Wednesday is actually weigh in Thursday but yesterday was a little hectic. 

Tuesday afternoon I woke up at 3:30 in the afternoon and decided against all logic to go for a run in the 98 degree heat, outside, after eating chili and a sandwich and not drinking nearly enough water.... I was miserable and slow and I felt like I was going to throw up. Then I went to work for my first 12 hour shift of the week. Then I came home and ate breakfast and went to my personal training appointment. Which thankfully was mostly shoulders and back since my legs were dead.

After I finally managed to get some sleep I spent the evening with bonus kid since boyfriend had a late night meeting and my bosses kept blowing up my work phone, trying to get me to come into work early because apparently it was balls to the wall busy. So as soon as boyfriend got home and got in his workout, I changed and headed into work. After six hours they sent me home early cause it went from balls to the wall to dead.

So anyway the point is, my post is late, and I'm sorry.... :)

Monday, September 9, 2013

PFTW 9/9 - 9/15


  • Monday
    • Personal Training
  • Tuesday
    • C25K W4D1
      • Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 2-1/2 minutes, Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, five minute cool down walk.
  • Wednesday
    • Personal Training
  • Thursday
    •  C25K W4D2
      • Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 2-1/2 minutes, Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, five minute cool down walk.
  • Friday
    • Rest Day
  • Saturday
    • C25K W4D3
      • Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 2-1/2 minutes, Jog 3 minutes, Walk 90 seconds, Jog 5 minutes, five minute cool down walk.
  • Sunday
    •  C25K W5D1
      • Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 5 minutes, Walk 3 minutes, Jog 5 minutes, 5 minute cool down walk.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Training Update

Sorry for slacking on my posts lately, I'm here to give you an update on how my training and other goals went this week.

Monday was a rest day and a day off work. I had a lazy day with my boyfriend, the bonus kid and my parents. We drove home in the afternoon and settled back into a little bit of routine.

Tuesday was back to work and school for everyone. I did week 2 day 3 of the couch to 5k plan at the gym and ended up with 2.17 miles in 31 minutes.

Wednesday was a post 12 hour shift personal training session and boy was it tough. We focused mostly on chest and my bench press is definitely improving but I was having difficulty with keeping my heart rate under control. I'm sure my heart rate had to do with the fact that I didn't drink enough water at work and that I was exhausted but it was still frustrating.

Thursday was a planned run that I missed. I ended up sleeping pretty late and then since the boyfriend was still sick I kind of slacked and lied around with him.

Friday was supposed to be a personal training day, however, for some reason I had it in my mind and  on my phone calendar that my training appointment was on Saturday and I didn't realize my calendar was wrong until well after the appointment was over. I'm still confused that my trainer never called or text to see why I didn't show

Saturday after I got off of work and got a few hours of sleep it was time to get up and get everything ready for bonus kids birthday party. He turns seven soon and we had a nice turnout of kids from the bus stop and school plus a few family and friends. Our apartment complex has a playground with a BBQ area that you can reserve. Overall it was a lot of fun even if it was hotter than snot. I again slacked on my run that day.

Sunday the boyfriend and I slept in and ran a few errands. We ran week 3 day 1 of the couch to 5k on a local trail right before sunset and it was really nice. My calves were a little sore during the run and the humidity was 85% tonight so it was kind of like breathing underwater. We ended up finishing 1.96 miles in 28 minutes for the training plan and since we were talking and not paying attention to where we were on the running plan we went a little further. All total we did 3.1 miles in 49:20.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Fun Foto Friday


Starting to see some benefits! Hope you are too!


Speaking of seeing benefits, today marks 1 month since I quit smoking! I didn't want to say anything at first since it isn't my first attempt at quitting. However I'm doing pretty well with this cold turkey attempt. I was at work one night and went out to smoke right before midnight and I just decided I was done. I gave up was left of my pack to one of my coworkers that smoked the same brand and bought some gum. 

My Past Smoking Costs
Number years I have smoked:11
Number of cigarettes I have smoked:40,150
Total amount I have spent on cigarettes:$10,037.50


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Weigh in Wednesday


201.2
I'm not surprised by this at all. I've been more focused on my 6 workouts a week and getting all my food recorded rather than focusing on restricting my diet in any way. 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

My Crazy Schedule

After a wonderful weekend in my hometown with my parents and my boyfriend and bonus kid, its back to work. First however it is back to the gym.

My sleep schedule is out of whack yet again as I lived like a normal person over the holiday weekend. I slept until about 10 am today and lounged around the house for a few hours before finally realizing that I needed to get to the gym and get a nap in before work. I have a personal training appointment right after work tomorrow so I hate that I keep running, then working 12 hours and then doing my weightlifting.

My run went well enough, finished week 2 day 3 and had a little trouble towards the latter intervals, I started to feel nauseated so I slowed it down just a little bit. I made up most of it I just shortened all of my intervals.

I totally screw up my work schedule this weekend. I have to make my schedule 6 weeks at a time, usually at least a month prior to the schedule starting. I always ask my boyfriend if there is anything I need to ask off for when I make my schedule. Bonus kid's birthday is coming up and this weekend is his mom's weekend to have him. However, boyfriend and his ex wife and their families still do one birthday party for bonus kid and of course I wanted to be there. However I ended up scheduled to work the Friday night before the party. I asked around with the other charge nurses to see if anyone could trade me Friday for Thursday. Well out of the blue one of the ladies text me and said she could make the trade, of course I said YES! The only problem was the trade was Friday for Saturday not Thursday. Now I have to sleep until the party, then manage to get up for the party, leave early for work and work all night. Sigh, oh well, I'll figure it out.

Monday, September 2, 2013

PFTW 9/2 - 9/8


  • Monday
    • Rest Day

  • Tuesday
    • C25K W2D3

  • Wednesday
    • Personal Training

  • Thursday
    •  C25K W3D1
  • Friday
    • Personal Training
  • Saturday
    • C25K W3D2
       
  • Sunday
    •  C25K W3D3

Sunday, September 1, 2013

September Goals

Miles to run : 40

Races to run : 1

Personal Training :9

Goals: 
  • Be able to run 2 miles without stopping.
  • Comment more on the blogs I read
  • Not die or get injured during the Quad City Half
  • Log all my food, everyday on myfitnesspal 

Holy Humidity

Sorry about the lack of blog post yesterday. I sat down to write one and ended up falling asleep and sleeping until 6 am today.

The boyfriend, bonus kid and I are in my little hometown for Labor Day weekend. We are spending the weekend with my parents who are of course spoiling bonus kid rotten!

Other than that I am falling behind on my runs. Friday I spent the day hanging out with bonus kid since he didn't have school and I was off of work. We went to the park and then ended up meeting up with my parents and my nephew to walk around one of the new malls in town, which is outdoors, bad idea for the midwest FYI. After that we all had dinner together and my parents headed to another mall and took bonus kid for some ice cream while we ran home to pack him a bag since he wanted so bad to spend the night in the hotel with his new extra grandparents.

Saturday was fairly busy for the boyfriend and I, he ran some errands in the early part of the day while I got a little extra beauty sleep and then we cleaned up the house, packed up and set off on our 2 and a half hour drive to my parents house. I grew up in a little country town in southeast Missouri, where I happen to also not get cell service with my Sprint cell phone, which makes me very happy actually, so I'm sorry if I miss something on the social media sites.

Since both days were scheduled for runs and I missed both, I needed to make sure that todays run was back on track. Today, boyfriend and I got up only a few minutes before my parents, they get up close to the butt crack of dawn, and we headed out for our W2D2 of C25K. It was so humid that we both felt pretty miserable and couldn't run all 90 seconds of the intervals but we did fairly well and completed 2.05 miles in 31 minutes running in the outdoors instead of in the gym under the fans. The temperature was 76 degrees, humidity was at 83% and it sprinkled a little on us during our run.

Something I desperately need to start doing is taking workout clothes to work and running after my shifts, that would be 630 or 7 am which is going to be the best time of day for a run in the muggy city of St. Louis. Also I should probably either buy a new garmin watch or at least find the USB so that I can download my runs.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Drained

That's been the best description for the past few days of my life. Between working 3 very busy in a row, working out all of those days and just keeping up with life it was very draining.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were my three 12 hour work nights this week, I ran Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and had a personal training session on Tuesday and Thursday. Maintenance had to come work on the apartment on Thursday so I managed to stay awake for 21 hours, while I was waiting for the maintenance people to come and go I went out for a Mani/Pedi, then gave blood and had lunch with my boyfriend. After all of that I came home and finally crashed. Apparently I really needed sleep since I slept for 18 hours.

Today I have a fairly relaxing day, I'm spending the day hanging out with the bonus kid since he is off of school and I'm off of work. I have a phone interview at 11 and then I think the bonus kid and I might go do some running around. I really need a pair of cross trainers, lifting in my running shoes is starting to get difficult.

I'm planning on running tonight after my boyfriend gets home from work and other than that it's just me and the kiddo hanging out at the house.

Fun Foto Friday


Amen! Not quite 2 weeks in but almost!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday

I'm running late for work so i don't have a lot of time to explain this post.  However I'm very disappointed with the number this morning I weighed 198.6 at the gym. It's very hard todo the amount work the doing lately and see a 4 pound weight gain. 

So while I was typing this at red lights on my drive to work some little old lady rear ended me! Then drove away!!!!! Luckily no damage my car but still are you kidding me?

Edit so wow that's horrible picture quality huh? 200.4 is what it says. Sorry folks

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Another Run in the Books

Sunday went better than planned, with the exception of my diet. Boyfriend and I got up, went to church, had lunch at Fuzzy's Taco Shop, went grocery shopping at Sam's Club to stock up on lots of healthy things to eat and cooked up a bunch of stuff, then we headed to the gym. Sunday's run was fabulous, I felt great and got the 2.08 miles done in 30 minutes with fuel left in the tank. After bonus kid got dropped off from his mom's we had dinner and hung out for a bit before heading to bed.

I really messed up my sleep schedule over the weekend and ended up sleeping all night and not being able to sleep all day before working all night Monday night. I of course woke up to walk bonus kid to the bus stop so I figured since I was awake I might as well get my run in. Another 2.08 miles in 30 minutes, felt ok, some mild calf soreness and a little abdominal cramping, next round of running should increase my mileage just a smidge. I'm entirely to eager to be busting out 10 min miles every time. I'll get there eventually and surpass, my goal is 8 minute miles FYI.

Anyway, after all my glorious working out, I got absolutely no sleep before heading to work for my first shift of 3. This morning however will be dedicated to a personal training appointment, which will be focused on squats according to the calendar she keeps for me. Next appointment will be a reassessment which I'm a little nervous about, I'm sure that most of the measurable exercises have improved but I'm not sure that my weight will have dropped much since last month.

I think that tomorrow will be my hardest day to motivate myself to keep going with this. I will have to work, then run, then sleep, then work. Those days are mentally and physically tough for me. I'm going to break through though, I am going to do this.

In other news, my boyfriend is thinking about doing the 5K event at the Quad Cities. It will be the first race he has run that I wasn't running with him so I hope he does it cause I'll be all proud of him. Also he asked me if I wanted to do the Halloween 5K in town in October, I said sure but we could do the 10K instead, cause you know I'm evil like that. He said he would think about it, which since he reads my blog, you need to decide soon before registration fees increase. Also my best friend has decided he to wants to join me on my crazy dream of running. He asked me to do a 5K with him in December - it is a 15K and a 5K the same day, being the mean, evil person that I am was like sure we can do that, oh and here's a link to a 10 week training plan for a 15K that you should totally do and just run the 15K with me, then in April you'll be ready for a 21K. I'm mean to my boys. :) I managed, after multiple attempts, to finally get my latest gadgets to work on the blog. I have updated the map on my Race the States page, it is much nicer. Also I now have a new page that shows my workout and race plan.

Monday, August 26, 2013

PFTW 8/26 - 9/1


  • Monday - C210K W1D3
    • 5 min warmup, alternate 60 sec of running and 90 sec of walking x 8, 5 min cool down
    • I'm moving my cardio to Monday instead of Tuesday because I work Monday and Tuesday night and I have a personal training appointment Tuesday morning. I enjoy my sleep entirely to much to work until 630 am do an hour personal training and a half an hour run, then wake up at 4 pm to head back to work.
  • Tuesday - Personal Training Appointment
  • Wednesday - C210K W2D1
    • 5 min warmup, alternate 90 sec of running and 2 min walking x 6, 5 min cool down
  • Thursday - Personal Training Appointment & C210K W2D2
    • 5 min warmup, alternate 90 sec of running and 2 mins walking x 6, 5 min cool down
    • I work the night before so my plan is to train in the morning, go home and sleep and run in the evening but if not I might push the run to Friday.
  • Friday - Rest or Makeup Run 
  • Saturday - C210K W2D3
    • 5 min warmup, alternate 90 sec of running and 2 mins walking x 6, 5 min cool down 
  • Sunday - C210K W3D1
    • 5 min warmup, jog 90 sec, walk 90 sec, jog 3 mins, walk 3 mins x 2, 5 min cool down

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Reality Check

Well my grand plan for yesterday ended up as a bust. I've been having a fair amount of trouble sleeping lately and Saturday was no exception to that. My boyfriend and I ended up deciding to get breakfast and head out to the new outlet mall that opened up this week. We spent most of the morning walking around checking out the shops. It was really nice and although we only really purchased one thing it was a really nice day.

When we finally made it home I'd been awake for nearly 24 hours so we ate some dinner and I finally fell asleep. I ended up sleeping for a good 8 hours, which meant I woke up at midnight. Not only is this a really weird sleep schedule for a normal person but it's a weird one for a night shifter, so I don't know how I'm going to get this straightened out for when I go back to work on Monday. Plus I skipped my run, in favor of sleep.

I had a particularly rough morning Saturday when I decided to change from my work clothes into regular clothes. Back when I started this decision to lose weight and become healthier I originally weighed 209 and had been near that weight for a long time, however I lost about 35-40 pounds over the course of about 18 months and was looking and feeling much better. My clothes were to big and I never thought I was going back to that size so I took my, 'I'm out of college and earning a really paycheck' bank account and my slimmer self out for a little clothes shopping and got rid of everything that was much to big. It felt great and I loved it. Fast forward to now when I have regained all but about 5 pounds and I find that I have nothing to wear that fits or flatters my body. I know that with hard work and a little time I'll be back into those clothes and someday to little to wear them but it can be very discouraging.

I realize that my weight should not be tied to my enjoyment of events but it does have an impact in ways. I have a few things coming up that I really wish I could just get back down to that 170 range. I want to see the progress but I don't want to do the work though.

I'm going to change my plan for the next week to try to eat up the missed run and I have 2 personal training sessions next week so it's a start. However it's meal time that is truly killing my hope of weight loss. Weight Watchers doesn't seem to work, neither does counting calories. I think that after I run today that in order to really change things, the boyfriend and I are going grocery shopping and I'm going to make all 21 meals and 14 snacks on Sunday and that's exactly what I'll eat for the week.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Back on the Run

This week I started back on my couch to 5K, Thursday was week 1 day 1. I ran it on the treadmill, mostly for motivation for time and speed, since I was still recovering from my sinus infection. Warm up, cool down and the walk periods were all at 3.5 mph and the run was at a 6.0 mph, I kept the incline at 1.0 and I completed the run as directed. 2.07 miles in 30 minutes, not the greatest time ever but it is a start.

After my run I headed home to get some sleep before I headed back to work. I was still not feeling great, my throat was starting to hurt but I had thus far avoided the bronchitis that usually follows any case of sinusitis I have. Medication on board and I still couldn't sleep, I was just miserable and starving. I ate anything that sounded good and was readily available which landed me a pretty nasty stomach ache.

Friday was my rest day, although I don't know how much rest I actually got. After working my overnight shift, I had to stay over for a training class. I of course didn't get to bed right away, I spent some time chatting with the boyfriend and watching my new obsession, Amish Mafia! Have I mentioned I am addicted to this show! I love me some Lebanon Levi, sorry baby... I was also super excited to see 18 visitors to my blog before noon on Friday, and my very first comment made me feel excited and special, so thanks to everyone that stopped by to take a look!

After I finally made myself turn the TV off and got some sleep it was back to work for one more shift before the weekend and while the busy night and running my butt off around that ER should count as a workout it sadly doesn't so I'm home for the day and planning on getting some sleep before getting week 1 day 2 of Couch to 5K checked off my training list for today and week 1 day 3 tomorrow.

Also I laughed to hard when I read this The Awful Truth about Jogging over at CAUTION: Redhead Running. You should definitely read this article and checkout the Friday Faves at Redhead Running!

What's your training look like this weekend? Any races on your calendar?

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Half Marathon Ready in 30 Days?

Well, I'm still recovering from a nasty sinus infection but I did go to my personal training appointment yesterday and I'm hoping to make my return to cardio today. I've been so sporadic with my return to running and with the Couch to 5K plan that I've decided to completely start it over. I haven't been able to keep up with the intervals that the program is expecting me to be able to run, so I highly doubt that in just a few short weeks I'll be running a full 3 miles.

If I start the Couch to 5K plan today and stick with it, and with 30 days until the Quad Cities Half Marathon and planning on 4 days of running per week I should be at a point in the training plan where I am running 2 miles without stopping. I feel that with my cardio and weight lifting I should be able to complete the HM without injury and with a reasonable time. If I can accomplish those 2 goals then I will be perfectly happy at the finish.

I signed up for the Quad Cities half marathon a long time ago when I was also still planning to do the Go! St. Louis Marathon, I expected that my health and running would be significantly better at this point but I've let it go so much in this year that I'm practically starting over. I'm hoping that the 30 days of training will prepare me well enough for this half marathon and that I can move forward from there.

I'm currently using a Couch to 5K app on my iPhone and am planning on using the Couch to 10K app to build from there. After that I'd like to move onto a half marathon or marathon training plan. I'd like to have something that I can use on my iPhone but I wouldn't mind something that I could type into my calendar and that doesn't require me to be outside but also doesn't limit me to the treadmill. I'd love to hear your opinions on training plans for the 21K and 42K distance.   

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday



Lost this week 0.0 pounds

Down 11.8 pounds total

Weight to lose 62.2 pounds

Monthly goal +0.2 pounds / 5

I'm a little disappointed since I saw 195 on the scale on Sunday but my diet this weekend and Monday was horrible so it's not to shocking. I've been having trouble with motivation lately. My twice a week personal training sessions are great but pushing myself to do cardio 3-4 other times a week isn't happening. 


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday

Well I'm back from vacation. I had a lot of fun, didn't exercise a whole but tried to keep myself, the boyfriend and the kid pretty active. 

Up 0.2 pounds from pre vacation. 

Down 11.8 pounds total

Weight to lose 62.2 pounds

Monthly goal +0.2 pounds / 5


Monday, July 1, 2013

July Goals

Miles to Run : 45

Pounds to Lose : 5

Races to Run : 1

Cross Training : 4

Personal Goals to Accomplish :
  • Unpack everything from the house
  • Pick up 2 extra shifts at work

Sunday, June 30, 2013

June goals recap

Miles Run : Planned 61/Actual 23

Pounds to Lose : Planned - 10/Actual +0.4

Races to Run : Planned 1/Actual 1

Cross Training : Planned 4/Actual 0

Personal Goals to Accomplish :

  • Get completely moved out of my house and into the apartment. - Done!
  • Work 3 extra shifts at work. - Worked 2.5

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Weigh in Wednesday

This edition of weigh in Wednesday is brought to you a day earlier thanks to vacation. 



Down 1.6 pounds

Down 12 pounds overall. 

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Trainer

Today I met with my new personal trainer for the first time. I'm very happy with my trainer, although I'm a little sad. My weight today was 203.7. I'm back above 200 which I never wanted to happen again. However Sara seems like a great fit for me. She seems to understand that I'm not going to radically change overnight. She adapted many of the exercises to my low level of fitness, didnt push too hard and as far as my nutrition she is having me start out just writing everything down and since I work nights, when I eat it, then she wants me to work on making one meal healthy for the whole week. So just lunch then when we've nailed down lunch to either breakfast or dinner. 

The plan is for two days a week of weightlifting with her and two days a week on my own of cardio. 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Weigh In Wednesday

So another gain. WTH! It's really starting to frustrate me. When I stop trying it seems to come off very slowly but if I am trying I gain?!

Current weight 198 lbs
Change from last week +0.8 lb
Overall -11 lbs

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Weigh in Wednesday


This weeks weigh in 

Up 0.6 pounds from last week.
Down 11.8 pounds from my heaviest.
I'm ok with this half pound gain since I've been sick and on steroids for the past week. Plus at some point during the week the scale was reading 199.6 so I'll take this and I'll go forward and continue to fight.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Dedication


Well I worked one of my extra shifts last night and had to stay over for a charge nurse meeting. I was not feeling like going home, changing and going to the gym. I managed to talk myself into it though. I said at first well I'll sleep and then get up an hour earlier than normal and do it then, but I know me and I knew it wasn't happening. I would end up sleeping in and would not have gotten my workout in.
So I chilled for a little bit at the house and then I convinced myself to get off the couch and I went and jumped on the treadmill for my 3.1 miles and finished n 45:36. Not my fastest 5k but I am still coughing a lot so I'm trying really hard not to push myself. I've also been trying to run just a little faster each time by removing 1 minute from my total time as well as burn more calories each time. Then after I finish on the treadmill I get on this stair strider thingy that the boyfriend loves and I loathe to round my calories burned to the next 100 but it burns like 9-10 calories per minute and gets me to the burn I want quickly.
I was worried with being on the steroids that my weight would balloon way over 200. I couldn't resist stepping on the scale today. I'm not saying a thing since I weigh in in just 31 hours.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

June Goals

Miles to Run : 61

Pounds to Lose : 10

Races to Run : 1

Cross Training : 4

Personal Goals to Accomplish :
  • Get completely moved out of my house and into the apartment.
  • Work 3 extra shifts at work.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Work


A less than stellar night at work and having the boyfriend out of town on a business trip have me a little on the melancholy side but I'm hoping that I can hit the gym for a 30 minute run and a yoga class and cheer myself up. Hopefully I'm far enough over this cold to make it through 90 minutes at the gym!
I decided to start making a better effort to track my caloric intake. My diet is my serious downfall. I have a fairly active job but I tend to get upset and binge or mindlessly snack. Also I used to eat out a lot and I never thought about portion size or how much butter something was covered in.
As an aside, two more of my coworkers mentioned that I'd put on weight and that my scrubs are too tight. I get that I've put on weight and that my scrubs are tighter than they used to be but they really have no place to say such things. How I hate working with 174 women!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Cough Continued

Another day without a workout, although yesterday did drag me to the doctor. The chest cold had reached a point that lying flat would bring on a coughing fit so severe that I had a bronchospasm and had to either use my inhaler or sit up and gasp for air. It was non stop and I gave up.

Now I'm on a steroid taper and a prescription cough suppressant. I did manage to get a few hours of sleep after taking my first doses so it was a welcome blessing. While the cough and sinus congestion isn't completely relieved, I am feeling better so I hope that by the end of the week I will feel up to running and getting into the gym.

My new personal trainer-to-be called me today. I was sleeping so our conversation was very brief, but I'm supposed to call her back to set up an appointment for my first session. I am very hopeful that I will be able to reap some substantial benefits from my determination and her assistance.

I'm thinking about signing up for another 5K in June, and the boyfriend may sign up along with me. Also I'm new to live journal but I'm going to see about see about pulling over just my race reports from my old blog. If anyone has any advice on how to make that work as a separate page that is tied to this blog let me know!

Weigh In Wednesday


My very first Weigh-In Wednesday...
196.6 pounds I took a picture of the scale but it isn't letting me upload a picture from my iPhone. :(
Edit: yay! My iPad will let me upload photos!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

New

New start, new cold.

First though, a little bit of the past. I was never a very fit person in my young days, and during nursing school I saw my weight hit the highest it ever has, 210 pounds. I was miserable, I was always tired, short of breath and never felt comfortable in my own skin. I was in an unhappy relationship, working overnights as a dispatcher and finishing up nursing school.

It was the beginning of 2010, when I packed up, moved out, and joined a gym. It was part to be more active and get myself back after being so miserable for so long and part that the place I was living didn't have the water on at first. I went to the gym and would go late at night, I would put the treadmill on 3.1 mph and I would take my notes from class and I would walk for 1 hour. I would shower at the gym so I didn't stink and I would go home.

I signed up for a 5K. I had wanted to do one for years but had never had the motivation or the training to complete it. I didn't run the whole thing but I finished a 5K in 43:43 and I felt great. For some reason though I didn't run another race for a year and I did the same race and finished in 40:46. I ran another 5K and my first half marathon that year.

In 2010 and early 2011 my weight dropped from 210 to 170. In June of 2010 I was hospitalized for a severe allergic reaction to a medication. I was placed on steroids and I was scared that I was going to die.

In 2012 I managed to run 12 different races, including 3 half marathons. I was motivated and enjoying my new hobby but my weight slowly crept up in spite of my running habit.

By 2013 my weight had reached 185 but I didn't do anything about it. I was depressed and stopped training for a marathon that I had been hoping to run this year. By May my weight was back up to 196 and I was starting to feel pretty upset about myself. To top it all of, since I've started living with my new boyfriend and have lost my in home washing machine (he lives in an apartment but moving in to my rental house wasn't an option) I had to wear a pair of scrubs to work that I wouldn't normally wear. I had almost completely replaced my wardrobe after losing 40 pounds and after gaining 26 pounds back somethings are tight again. Well I wore these tight scrub pants to work and my manager pulled me aside to let me know that I needed to buy bigger scrubs. That was Friday night...

Saturday afternoon I woke up a little under the weather but I had a baby shower to go to and some errands to run. Later in the day I joined the gym down the street from my new domicile. I prepaid for 24 months and 4 personal training sessions. Problem is I have been in bed with a nasty head and chest cold so no workout for me during the holiday weekend. With my history of asthma and chronic bronchitis who knows how long I'll have this dry, hacking cough.

Looking forward beyond this minor set back...

*I never, ever want to weigh more than 200, ever, ever again.
*I want to get back to 170 by August 31, 2013
*I want to get to 135 (GW) by November 30, 2013
*I want to complete Couch to 5K by June 23, 2013
*I want to complete Couch to 10K by August 3, 2013
*I want to complete my training for a half marathon by October 3, 2013
*I want to complete my training for and run a marathon by March 15, 2014