New Years Resolutions

I haven't been able to write much lately - being the working mom of a 1 year old has it perks...but lots of free time isn't one of them!

However, I did want to quickly record my resolutions for this year for the world to see so that hopefully it will give me a bit of accountability

1. Read through the Bible using "The Daily Bible: New International Version: With Devotional Insights to Guide You Through God's Word."  I've started several "read the Bible in one year" plans before but this Bible has it all laid out for me with commentary after each reading to help me to understand what it is I just read.  It is also arranged so that the reading are put into chronological order so it will be easier for me to follow the whole path of the Bible.  If this is the only goal I make this year, then it will be a good year.2. 100 Days Challenge with John "The Penguin" Bingham.  Intentionally move (exercise) for at least 30 minutes DAILY for 100 days in a row
3. Complete the 200 sit-ups and 200 squats programs.  I've attempted these before and failed to complete them.

This is going to be a rough year for me.  Hubby deploys again soon, leaving Baby Girl and I to fend for ourselves.  Hopefully the daily Bible devotions and exercise will help keep the stress down!

I think I did OK with last year's goals.  I managed to run a half marathon so I am in fact physically ready to train for a full marathon...however... with the above mentioned deployment as well that that cute little one-year-old, I don't know that I will have the TIME to train for a full marathon in 2011 (this is why it isn't a goal for this year - but I will keep running and perhaps do a few halves).  I also think I am better at asking for and accepting help from others.  I've made a conscious effort to not let myself get overwhelmed and frustrated when help is just a phone call/doorway/e-mail/etc away.

Super Saturday #13

Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to change Fitness Fridays to Super Saturdays because I just can't seem to find the time on Friday's to blog anymore.  I  love my job but I get so spoiled in the summer!
Weigh in:
Dear Bathroom Scale,
I suck, I know :(  I didn't come by last week and this week wasn't so great either.  The good news though is that I think I can see a light in the tunnel...  yep, it's there...I can see it...
Your pal,
Cole

The last few weeks haven't been the greatest on my get-back-in-shape goals.  Baby Girl got sick (strep throat), work was hectic, and a few more excuses.  Yes, I know most of them are just that...excuses... and there is no excuse for not taking care of myself, not eating right, not exercising...

The scale this morning was back up to 189 :(

Last week's goals:
Well, last week I didn't really have any goals so I'll go back to the week before last...

:-/ Since I did manage to go grocery shopping, I will bring healthy food for lunch Tues-Fri (Monday is an inservice day and 15 of us from my school are going to a science day at NASA so we are going to eat there) I can't remember last week, but this past week I didn't do so well on this.  I brought my lunch once, left it at work so I didn't have my lunchbox the following day, and one day I ran out so quick (running late) that I forgot to pack it, and one day I packed it but left it on the kitchen counter.  However, I mostly chose healthy foods in the cafeteria like spinach salad and tuna.


:-( Follow my training plan for workouts I walked a few time but I haven't run at all.  I planned to this morning but I woke up with a headache.  It's starting to let go so hopefully I can go run before it gets too hot.

:-( Do squats/sit ups/push ups for some cross training Didn't do these either.

:-/ Stop munching on the snacks that I give to the students (usually pretzels/crackers/etc but I will sit and mindlessly munch if I'm not careful) I decided to ease out of supplying snacks for my kids.  They can still bring in a snack to eat but I won't supply it for them.  This cut down on some of my snacking but I still have a bag of treats for the *extra special* rewards behind my desk.
 
This week's goals:
I'm going for the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) approach this week...
 

1. Exercise!
2. Eat right!

What I'm reading:


I finally managed to finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) and I am barely on the first few pages of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3).  Maybe I'll get through them all before the last movie comes out...maybe lol

Weigh-in:

Dear Bathroom Scale,
I didn't forget you this week...  I...  Uhhh... I thought I'd give you a break from having to put up with me.  Yeah, that's it :)

 I didn't weigh in this week, because, I honestly did forget until right now!  Oops. 

I guess though, that isn't really a bad thing.  It means that my weight isn't top priority in my mind.  I'm not dwelling on it and I'm not letting it bother me so much.  I'll weigh one morning soon...if I think about it ;)

Last Week's Goals:

:) My top priority this week is to GET WELL! Without that, the others just don't seem to matter as much. Well that is one accomplished!  I think everyone in the house is finally back to normal and the sickness has left the building!

:) If I am able to get better, I do hope to get in at least 2 runs this week.  I started following my 12 week training plan so I actually ran Tuesday (2 miles), Thursday (2.32 miles), and Saturday (3 miles)

:( as well as incorporate my sit ups, push ups, and squats again 3X's I didn't get in any squats/sit ups/push ups but I did walk several times this week with the family

:) Drink plenty of water I took and filled my water bottle several times during he day :)

:/ Pack/eat healthier foods I didn't pack my lunch at all this week - didn't go grocery shopping until Friday- but I did try to choose healthier foods in the cafeteria at lunch like Spinach salad with tuna 2 days, and baked chicken another...oh and there was that one day that I grabbed the veggie pizza (but hey, my choices were veggie pizza, pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, or something-that-almost-looks-like-a-hamburger-if-you-squint).


This Week's Goals:

1. Since I did manage to go grocery shopping, I will bring healthy food for lunch Tues-Fri (Monday is an inservice day and 15 of us from my school are going to a science day at NASA so we are going to eat there)
2. Follow my training plan for workouts
3. Do squats/sit ups/push ups for some cross training
4. Stop munching on the snacks that I give to the students (usually pretzels/crackers/etc but I will sit and mindlessly munch if I'm not careful)

Currently Reading:
I'm still working on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2).  I just haven't had time to read much this week.  However, I am starting to be able to see over the mountain of paperwork on my desk and there is a light at the end of the tunnel - and the tunnel is ending pretty quick

Here is a 2 sentence teaser from the page I am currently on:

" 'If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work,' said Ron, tipping a stack of books onto Hermione's bedside table one evening.
     'Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up,' said Hermione briskly.' "

Fitness Friday #8

Weigh-in:

Dear Bathroom Scale,
YIKES!  This week has been so busy that I have done almost nothing "right."  Sorry about that! Please be nice...
Your friend,
Nicole

Dear Nicole,
I know you've had a hectic week with the start of a new school year and trying to figure out a crazy schedule.  You've been stressing and you know that, for you, stressing tends to lead to eating things that are not so good for you.  However, Today, I will give you a ....
194.3
Your pal,
The Bathroom Scale

Last Week's Goals/Results:

:( Although I did fine with Week 7 of C25K, I am going to repeat it. The reason for this is that I start back to school and will have to run in the hot hot hot Florida summer afternoon sun after work. I want to make sure I am comfortable with what I'm doing. Not only did I not repeat this week, but I haven't run AT ALL.  NONE. ZIPPO.  ZILCH.  NADA!  Not even once.  I explained gave excuses in a post earlier this week.  I am however, going to get up and run in the morning while it is still cool enough to manage being outside for more than a minute or two.


:( Log 4/7 days. None.  Not even once.

:( Take my vitamins. Maybe once.   Sigh...


:( Don't let the stress of a new school year get to me this week. HA HA  Yeah, that's a funny one...

I managed to maintain my weight this week...but it is honestly a shock to me as I'm not quite sure how I managed to pull that one off THIS week!

This week started pre-planning for the new school year which starts on Monday.  I will be teaching in a whole new way using a whole new curriculum, and I'm not always so great with accepting change (that isn't of my design or idea).  I understand WHY things had to change, however, I'm not sure I'm loving HOW they changed.  Only time will tell...

Because I was stressed this week and VERY busy (I am essentially doing the job of 2 teachers in one), I didn't follow my fitness plan much.  I didn't cook at all this week (We are still eating out of our pantry trying to use some of what we have extra) and I went out to lunch DAILY with coworkers,  Lunch out wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't chosen the pizza, the hamburger, the enchiladas... but they were SOOOOooo  good and it was (what I thought) I needed to feel comfortable for the moment before returning to the chaos.  I didn't run because I couldn't find the right time to do so safely (its either too dark or too hot).


This Week's Goals:

• Figure out how to make time to run 3X's a week (Try to do week 7 of C25K)
• Include some Cross Training (push ups, sit ups, and squats) 2-3Xs a week.  I don't have to go outside to do these.  My living room floor is perfect!
• Take healthy lunch/snacks to work and avoid the snack machine and cafeteria.
• Take my vitamins.
• Drink 64oz of water (or more) a day.
• Enjoy the fresh faces of the students who are eager to learn this year!

Smile!

My post-run breakfast made me smile today :)

Whole wheat English muffin, blackberry jam, and a bananna :)

Fitness Friday #1

First off...the weight ......

.
...
.....
...
.
:::Drum roll please:::
.
...
.....
...
.

197!

w00t! :)


Starting weight: 200 (6/01/10)
Current weight: 197
Goal weight: 140


Last week's Goals were:
1.I have already run 2 X's this week...I will run once more. Did it! Did it! My legs are finally remembering how to run :) I did however have to have a pep talk with myself this morning before getting out of my nice, warm, cozy bed! I even had to gt up before the baby did if I wanted to get out there before the Florida summer sun made it too hot to go out.
2.I will drink at least 64oz of water daily. I *think* I did this...but.....

3.I will log EVERYTHING I eat onto my food diary (even the chocolate ice cream I ate today!) WHAM...didn't do this one :( I forgot/put off/neglected logging - which is why I'm not sure I made goal #2 or not...but I think I did. I know, I know...that's not as good as KNOWING I did...sheesh...get offa my back already! ;)
4.I will weigh myself again on Friday and report back here. Did that one...see above :)

5.I will call this "Fitness Friday." HA HA...see the title? Yep...that was an easy one! lol
OK so that was only a 1/2 week. This week is the REAL thing! No more cheater goals like numbers 4 and 5 up there...those were easy ones lol :) So, without further ado...


This week's goals:

Log my food into my food diary. I need to do this for myself to see if there are any patterns (yes, I'm a nerd like that) to be sure that I'm not only cutting my cals but to make sure that I am eating healthy foods for my body.

Run 3 X's this week (C25K week 3) and walk after dinner as often as possible. The hard part of running this week will be that I have to take the baby with me each time this week. She loves the rides and I love every minute with her...but if I'm honest with myself (and you), I don't like running with the stroller. I don't like not being able to use my arms to run. I didn't quantify how many walks because lately, it's been raining every night so it isn't possible to load up the baby and walk. If the weather permits, I will be going for a walk!

Drink 64oz of water a day. Hopefully I will KNOW I did this one because I will have done #1 :)

They look pretty similar to last week's huh? Yeah, I know. But I want to accomplish them and make them a habit...then I'll add some more to them! :)

After all,

...watch your actions, they become your habits...

Here's to having healthy habits!

Capoeira

Hubby and I went to our first (ok, MY first, his first in a long time) Capoeira class. WOW! Yep, that about sums it up, just WOW! It was really hard and I ended up using pretty much all the muscles I knew I had and then a few I didn't even know were there, but it was so much fun! If you have no idea what Capoeria is, first go check out a few videos on YouTube. Just punch in "Capoeria" and there will be a bunch! This one is really cool, and I like this one too, but I think the main reason I like it is because it's a kick-ass girl!

From my understanding (and someone please correct me if my info isn't quite correct), Capoeira originates in Brazil where slaves weren't allowed to practice any form of martial arts. So, those sneeky Brazillian slaves disguised thier fights as dances and thus Capoeira was born.

This was a free demo class given by a guy Hubby met online who is starting to give classes. THe problem is that the only place he is having classes is about 45 minutes from our house on Saturday mornings. 45 mins sucks, and Saturdays are when I have my marathon training runs, there is NO way I can get into both on the same day. Luckily, he was able t give us the number ofa girl who gives classes a little closer to us and on several days throughout the week, so who knows, this could become a habit!

Today was also the first day of group training for Team in Training. Knowing I was going to go to this class with my hubby, and that I have a 10K tomorrow, I only walked. Trust me, I got plenty of exercise at Capoeira, and tomorrow I'll run 6.2 miles (or if my muscles ae still ticked off at me from today, I'll waddle for 6.2 miles).

For now, I'm going to go soak my poor poor muscles!

How many push ups can YOU do?

To answer my own question : NOT MANY...yet. I came across hundredpushups.com and thought "maybe I can do this... maybe." According to the website, if you are faithful and determined, by the end of 6 weeks you should be able to complete 100 consecutive good form push-ups. I have always hated, despised, abhorred, and loathed push ups. I'll do any other torturous exercise known to man except for push-ups. Even the girlie-on-your-knees push-ups suck. However, I really do need do work on upper body strength and how cool would it be to be able to brag to my military hubby that I can do 100 push ups? So I shall start this program, in addition to my running, to help with my upper body strength. My only consern at this stage in the game is my rotator cuffs/shoulders. Due to an old injury...well... they aren't as stong as I'd like them to be. But we'll see how it goes. Hopefully the push-ups will strengthen them as well.

For anyone who is interested in this site, either who want more info on it or what to maybe join the challenge with me, the link is of course in this post, but I will also add it to my favorite links over there on the sidebar!

Time to start training again

I woke up this morning and decided that I should go for a short 2.5 mile run so I put my shoes on, wrote Hubby a note, and took off. Although I have done marathons and triathlons in the past, I have done little more than sit on my butt for the past few months, so I need to get my butt in gear. About 1/2 mile down the road, my foot hit an uneven piece of road and down I went! After of couple of seconds of "Man, what just happened?" I picked myself up...hobbled a little, then walked a few steps before finally tentatively trying to jog again. After a while my ankle didn't bother me too bad so I picked it back up to pace.

I made it the 2.5 miles, but not nearly as quickly as I would have liked, or that I would have been able to even just a few months ago. Blame my ankle, or just blame the fact that I have been LAZY and not ran at all in the last 2 months (I have however gone for a couple, but only a couple of 1000yd swims). Guess I have some work to do! My ankle didn't bother me too bad at all once I got going, until I stopped running and came home...OUCH!!

So as I sit here with my leg propped up on pillows and ice on my ankle, I have decided that despite my current pain, I am signing up for a few races. The first two are virtual races, meaning that I strap on my Nike+ and my iPod and hit the road wherever I happen to be on the dates of the races, then just sync it all when I'm done.

The Human Race, a 10K (6.2 miles) is August 31 and benefits either the Lance Armstrong Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, or the UN Refugee Agency. Even though all of them are worthy charities, I chose the Lance Armstrong Foundation since my biggest wish is for someone to find a cure for cancer - Hopefully in time to save my dad! This should make a good training run for my second race.

The second race I signed up for is the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) on October 19th. This race benefits Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training that I have done so much work with. I ran this last year with Cathy, a friend from my triathlon team, and it was a blast. Instead of a typical 1/2 marathon finisher's medal, we received Tiffany's Key chains. Unfortunately they weren't the sterling silver key chains I was hoping for, but it was still a pretty cool finisher's gift.

I'm still thinking about signing up for a local 1/2 marathon in November, but we may be gone on a family camping trip for Thanksgiving so I don't want to sign up for it until I know for sure I will be here to run it. Then of course, there is also the Disney 1/2 marathon in January!! :)

I also stepped on the scale, my mortal enemy, for the first time in a while and WAS NOT pleased with what I saw at all. YIKES! My brother's wedding is in a few months and I'm in it...so guess that is yet another reason to get my butt in gear!

Parking Issues

Why is parking such a hassle? I mean seriously, I get more "road rage" in a parking lot than on the actual road. I understand, especially in Florida, that the prime parking spots include anywhere with shade and close to whatever destination you are trying to get to. But WHY oh WHY do people think they can't park if they can't get to one of these prime spots? What is the point, especially in these days of high gas prices, would you drive around for 20 minutes looking and waiting for one of these prime spots? It just makes no since. PARK ALREADY!

Today, at Wal-Mart of all places, I was nearly killed. OK so maybe it wasn't that bad. More like my Jeep was nearly dinged because the woman in the car in front of me pulled 1/2 way into a space, then suddenly must have seen a better parking spot 20 feet closer to the entrance. So rather than sucking it up and pulling the rest of the way into her spot and walking (gasp!) a bit further, she quickly throws it into reverse and zooms out in order to get to the closer spot before anyone else can, forgetting(?) that I was right behind her. Was it really that important that she save a few steps by parking in a spot 4 spaces down? She wasn't elderly or handicapped in any way that made it appear as though walking was difficult for her or caused her some hardship, so what was the big deal?

And no, it wasn't that I wanted the closer spot, I hadn't even seen it yet. I was actually planning on parking in the spot on the other side of where she originally pulled into, I just didn't want to be bumped into.

In conclusion, save some gas and get a little exercise...just park!

I can't find my Wagon

I fell off my wagon and I can’t seem to find it now :( If you see it please let me know so I can climb back on.

It’s a cute little wagon, purple of course, and it is filled with "good-for-me" foods like fruits, veggies, and whole grains, my running shoes were in there along with my pink heart Speedo, swim cap, goggles, bike helmet and gloves, and a few other workout-related items. I believe it even had a set of free weights in it and probably a thing of Biofreeze too. I’m not real sure but I think I once saw a tae-bo DVD in there somewhere.

I thought I saw it rolling down the street not too long ago so I put down my 3rd slice of extra cheese and pepperoni pizza to chase after it, but found there was a quarter pounder with cheese tied to each leg slowing me down. I then got a cramp because I tried to use muscles I hadn’t used in a while - the running ones. I was quite upset that I couldn’t get to my wagon, but luckily Ben and Jerry were there to comfort me.

I planned to look for it yesterday, but then I didn’t want to run late for my friend’s son’s 12th birthday. I mean...the kid’s only going to turn 12 once right? And it would be rude not to eat the ice cream and cake that this adorable new 12 year old handed me. By then it was too dark to look for that wagon (It doesn’t come equip with lights after all).

Please, if you see my wagon, hold it down so that I can climb back on. I bought some seat belts to install on it this time to prevent this slippage next time!

I am Triathlete...Hear me Roar!

Now you guys can not only say that you know a marathoner, but a marathoner/triathlete! WHOOO HOOOOOOOO

Yesterday I completed the Disney Triathlon at Fort Wilderness. It was a .9 mile swim, a 36 mile bike, and a 6.2 mile run and I did it in 5 hours haha :)

I was never TOO concerned about the swim portion. My only issue with the swim was people all around me as I'm trying to swim. I'm used to swimming in a pool with lanes...or with my team, even when we did open water swims in the river I would pull out in front of everyone but like 1 other person, so there was no one around me. I had a mini panic attack to begin with with everyone so close, being kicked in the stomach and nearly swam over (seriously, the one chick nearly swam on top of me!) before I was able to kick my way out (literally) and get my own spot and into a stride. Once I did get going, I was OK. I ran into one of the buoys though haha!!! It was the last one before the finish and I literally hit it with my head, knocked my already-starting-to-come-off swim cap off (my goggles were under my cap to prevent them from being kicked off - a tip I got from another triathlete). So I swam the last 75 yards or so with my swim cap in my hand!

Transition from Swim to Bike was : Run up the beach (sand) onto the road (concrete) and for about 200 yards to the transition area...all barefoot! Good thing I'm a country girl and ran around barefoot my entire life!

The bike was BRUTAL! In the interest of safety, the bike was upped from the normal 24 mile ride to a freaking 36 mile ride. 12 extra miles that were hilly! YUCK! Every time I thought "this has to be the last hill" I was wrong! For some reason I really hit a wall on the bike. I knew going in that the the cycle part was going to be my worst leg but for some reason I couldn't seem to get into that "runners high" (which yes happens on the bike too) and was just stuck in the "bite me zone" for most of it. By the time I hit mile 20 I was ready to cry, throw my bike, and curse out the next person who zoomed by me saying "On the left" lol but I got over it and was never so happy in my life to get off of a bike!

Transitioning from bike to run was funny. Can you say JELLY LEGS!?!?! I nearly fell when I did get off the bike! haha But I ran my bike up to the transition area (probably an extra 100 yds that you weren't allowed to ride, you had to be off your bike). Since I'm too chicken to clip into my bike, I didn't have to change shoes for the run so my 2nd transition was pretty fast to start the run...ok...in my case the slow jog/walk.

The run was a loop that you had to do twice, and part of it, probably about 1/2 to 3/4 miles were in ankle length grass with holes and ditches and crap. It started raining also so the grass was wet...great excuse for me to not run (didn't want to risk twisting my ankle after all) but now my shoes/socks/feet are wet and squishing. I somehow managed not to get a blister, although I do have a sore spot where I keep expecting a blister to pop up but it hasn't.

Finishing was great! My coaches were there as well as the teammates who finished before me to cheer me in the last little bit. It wasn't as big as the marathon finish but it was just as sweet!

Lessons learned for my next (yes there will be another) Triathlon:
Sunblock is my friend! I have the most hysterical tan lines from my shorts now as well as my shoulders and down my arms. We were body marked so the number "904" can clearly be seen on my arm as well as the square where my Team in Training tattoo was.

Wet and tired is not the time to be fiddling with safety pins and attempting to pin a number on your chest! I definitely want a race belt. No one told me anything about them and I never thought about how I was going to put my race number on after the swim.

I need an aero bar. My shoulders are still killing me!

Don't fear clipping in! If I ever plan to do a century ride, in addition to aero bars, I have to bite the bullet, get the pedals and shoes, and learn how to clip into my bike.

Bring real food. I had plenty of water, sports drinks, gu, and sport beans but I was so hungry for some reason near the end of the bike. I would have killed for a granola bar! And yes...I did eat breakfast!