Space Coast 1/2 Marathon

 

This morning I did my first running event since finding out I was pregnant almost 2 years ago.

At the end of last school year, my friend and co-worker LeAnn came up to me and told me that one of her "bucket list" items was to run a half marathon and asked if I could guide her.  I did one better, I told her I'd do it with her...

and so our training began!

I started her off with the Couch to 5K program, and since I was so far out of the running loop as well, I did it too.  Then we progressed on to an actual half marathon training program....but I went and got SICK SICK SICK for 3 weeks leaving me only 2 weeks until race day.

Race day = TODAY!

It was a beautiful...albeit EARLY... morning!  LeAnn and her husband picked me up around 4:45am (Hubby and Baby Girl were going to meet us up there a little later) so we had plenty of time to stretch and get psyched up for the big blastoff (It was space themed for the SPACE coast...what do you expect other than a "3...2...1...BLASTOFF" kind of start?).

We were feeling fantastic and hit the halfway mark before we even knew it!  We even saw some dolphins jumping in the river which we took as a good luck sign :)

We were doing great until the last mile and a half...then all of a sudden my calf seized up on me in a massive cramp!!!  OUCH!!  I slowed to a walk for the first time just before the 12 mile mark, then stopped outright to give it a good stretch before toughing it out for the last mile.  LeAnn never stopped but did slow down enough for me to catch up to her (she was afraid that if she stopped, her legs would refuse to start again -- I can't blame her!!)

At the very end she and I broke into an all out sprint (which after 13 miles isn't very sprinty but we felt like it was!).  She finished seconds ahead of me (which I will publicly say is because of my calf, however the truth is I think she had more in her than I did at the end, plus she had the adrenaline of knowing her first marathon medal was waiting on her!).

It was an awesome run and I am so proud of LeAnn!!!  We have decided that we want to sign up for another one in late February!!

LeAnn and I with our new bling

Baby Girl and I after a sweaty reunion

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.' "

12 week 1/2 marathon training plan

A friend of mine and I have decided to run a local 1/2 marathon in November.  It will be her first 1/2 marathon so I am trying to help her out with the training.  I am NOT a coach, just a friend with a little bit more experience than she has at running endurance races, so I came up with this 12 week 1/2 marathon training program (OK, so I modified it from one I found online to suit our needs)

I appreciate any advice/criticism/critiques from any more experience than I:

Week- Monday- Tuesday -Wednesday -Thursday- Friday -Saturday -Sunday



1 (Sept 6-12)- Rest -2 mi- Rest- 2.5 mi- Rest -3 mi -2 mi EZ


2 (Sept 13-19)- Rest -2 miles- Rest- 3 mi- CT or Rest- 4 mi -2.5 mi EZ


3 (Sept 20-26)- Rest- 2.5 mi- CT- 3 mi- Rest -5 mi -2 mi EZ


4 (Sept 27-0ct 3)- Rest- 3 mi- CT- 4 mi -Rest --6 mi 3 mi EZ


5 (Oct 4-10) -Rest -3 mi- CT -3 mi- Rest -7 mi- 3 mi EZ


6 (Oct 11-17)- Rest- 4 mi- CT- 4 mi- Rest- 8 mi- 3 mi EZ


7 (Oct 18-24)- Rest -4 mi -Rest- 4 mi- CT- 9 mi- 3 mi EZ


8 (Oct 25-31)- Rest- 4 mi -CT -3 mi- Rest -10 mi- 3 mi EZ


9 (Nov 1-7)- Rest- 5 mi -CT -4 mi- Rest -11 mi -Rest


10 (Nov 8-14)- 3 mi EZ- 4 mi- Rest- 3 mi- CT- 12 mi- 3 mi EZ


11 (Nov 15-21)- Rest- CT- Rest- 3 mi -CT -5 mi- 2.5 mi EZ


12 (Nov 22-28) -Rest -2 mi- 20 minutes -Rest- 20 minutes- Rest- Race Day!


Thoughts?  Comments? Advice? 

Fitness Friday #9

Weigh-in:
Dear Bathroom Scale,
I've not run as much this week, but I did throw in some other muscle-soreness-inducing exercizes.  I ate fairly well and drank a lot of water...so come on...be nice!
Your pal, Nicole

191.8!   WHOOO HOOOO  I'll get outta these 190's soon (hopefully!)



Last Week's Goals/Results: 5/6

:) Figure out how to make time to run 3X's a week (Try to do week 7 of C25K)  I think I have it!  M/T/W do some cross training at home.  Run Tuesday night when Hubby is off and home, Suck it up Thursday and run slow in the heat of the day, then run Saturday mornings with the baby



:) 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!
Saturday pm - Squat exhaustion test - managed 50 squats before my legs got too wobbly
Monday am- 86 squats (sets of 13,16,9,9,39 with 60 sec rest between each)
Monday pm- 40 minute walk with Hubby and Baby Girl.
Tuesday am - 83 crunches (sets of 15, 18, 10, 10, 30 with 60 sec rest between each)
Tuesday pm - Week 7 Day 1 of C25K (again, again)  I figured with over a week off and with sore legs from the squats, it was safer to stick to week 7 one more time.
Wednesday pm- 45 minute walk with Hubby and Baby girl, and 82 squats (sets of 13, 16, 13, 13, 27 with 60 seconds rest between)
Thursday pm - I was supposed to run but has an AWEFUL day at workand came home and crashed.  I did however go for a walk with hubby and Baby Girl.
Friday am - 98 squats (sets of 15, 20, 14, 13, 36 with 60 seconds rest between), and 107 crunches (sets of 17, 18, 17, 15, 40 with 90 seconds rest between)
Didn't manage to get in any push ups but those are set to be included next week.


:) Take healthy lunch/snacks to work and avoid the snack machine and cafeteria.
Monday: I brought my lunch but had to run home at lunch to switch the carseat out of my car into my husband's and was persuaded to have lunch with him at McDonalds.
Tuesday: (the lunch I packed for Monday)Turkey sandwich on whole wheat, apple slices, cheese stick, greek yogurt
Wednesday:  Leftover shish kabob (shrimp, onion, red- green- and yellow peppers, chicken), fruit salad (strawberries, pineapple, kiwi), and 2% fat Fage Greek Yogurt with Blueberry
Thursday:  I brought lunch but had such a bad day that I didn't even get a chance to eat lunch.  I did manage to scarf down some Greek yogurt at my desk at one point but that was all.
Friday: Fruit bowl, 0% Fage Greek Yogurt (mixed with some of my fruit), cereal bar, string cheese stick

:| Take my vitamins. Took them once or twice but forgot most days

:) Drink 64oz of water (or more) a day. I know I did M-F because I had my water bottle with me at work and I made sure I filled it up at least twice.

:) Enjoy the fresh faces of the students who are eager to learn this year! Although I have had a really rough week, it was not the kid's fault. My schedule was changed which created chaos.  My kiddos are great (even the ones who weren't so "great" lol)



This Week's Goals:

1.  Continue to bring healthy lunch/snacks to school.
2. Eat a healthy dinner even though Hubby will be away for most dinners this week.
3. Get in my runs and cross training.
4. Add in the push ups.
5. TAKE MY VITAMINS!
6. Drink 64 oz of water a day.

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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!

Fitness Friday #7

Weigh-in:

Dear Bathroom Scale,

I've been up and down this week, as you know because I couldn't stop checking in on you all week.  Earlier in the week I was THRILLED when you showed me a 193.8!  WHOOO HOOOOO!!  I know I celebrated a bit this week because of my husband's advancement as well as my baby brother being home so please don't let me have screwed up that beautiful 193.8!

Your Friend,

Nicole

Dear Nicole,

Yes, you were way down earlier, but the Chili's (twice) and the Durango's lunch, you have probably had a lot of sodium.  So my answer to you is....

....

..

194.3

..

....

Not much off of what you wanted.  Hope you're happy.

Love Always,

Your Bathroom Scale

Dear Bathroom Scale,

Yes, I'm happy because it's still down!!

Thank you,

Nicole

Last Week's Goals/Results: 2/4

:) Continue with C25K. Week 7 here I come! I did it! :)  Week 7 is DONE!  All three days were a 5 minute warm up, a 25 minute run, and a 5 minute cool down.  on Day 1 I had to have a couple of short walk breaks on the 25 minutes.  On day 2, however, no breaks!  I ran straight through!  But then on day 3, I had Baby Girl in her stroller and I just didn't have it in me :(  I ran sluggishly and had to stop several times.  I also didn't make it nearly as far as I had even on Day 1.



:( Log 4/7 days. I didn't manage this.  I think I logged 2 days or so.  As I mentioned above, I had a lot of celebrations this week and although I tried to make better choices, I still enjoyed myself a bit and forgot to log.


:( Take my vitamins. I forgot more than I remembered.


:) De-stress by doing something for myself each day. I got a mani/pedi with a friend, read a book, went for walks, and yes, I accomplished my goal.

My husband was officially given the notice that he made First Class! We pretty much knew he was going to, but this made it official so we went out to eat to celebrate.  My baby brother is home from the Navy for a couple of weeks so he came to visit and again, we went out to eat.  I had some girl-time with a friend and...you guessed it...we went out to eat!

 This Week's Goals:

Pretty much the same as last week...

• 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. 
• Log 4/7 days.
• Take my vitamins.
• Don't let the stress of a new school year get to me this week.

half marathon training

I have a friend who recently decided she wants to run her first half marathon! YAY!!! So together we planned to run a local half marathon at the end of November. She's not been real athletic and has proudly put herself in the "Couch Potato" category for several years in a row, so I started her off with the Couch to 5k (C25K) program from Cool Running this summer and told her to try to be up to about a 5K by the end of summer. My thought was that by the time school started we could choose one of the MANY half marathon training plans and go from there.

She is doing amazingly well and I'm so proud of the progress she has made, however she isn't up to 3 miles yet - but she's diligently working on it! School starts in a week and she is able to go about a mile and a half (at a 10 minute mile pace) which is SOOOOO much farther than she could go without stopping when she first started! ::Doin the happy dance for her cause her legs hurt right now::

I'm not too far ahead of her to be honest. Yes, I have done several full and half marathons, but I took about a year and a half off with myself squarely in the couch potato mode as well, so I too started using the C25K at the beginning of the summer too.  However, my body remembered it could run (hers never knew it could)so I am up to week 7 and running 2.5 miles or so (not counting the warm up/cool down).

This will be the first time I've trained for a race without a coach, (not to mention pretty much being someone else's coach!). With my other marathons/half marathons I usually did Galloway's 4:1 intervals and told my friend that it would probably be a good idea that we stick to some kind of interval for this race as well (I was thinking maybe hoping down to 3:1's or something if we needed to). We both have small babies at home making training a bit more tricky (and often need to run with the strollers). So my question to all of my running friends is...

Do you have any tips for us, and what is your favorite half marathon training program for a novice? Hal Higdon? Jeff Galloway?  Someone else? We have from now until the last weekend of November to train (about 16 weeks or so if I just counted correctly).  Thanks guys! :)

Fitness Friday #6

Weigh-in:
Dear Bathroom Scale,
I'm not talking to you again until you play nice!
Sincerely,
Nicole


and his answer is.....


195.0


WHOOO HOOOOO


Dear Bathroom Scale,
Thank you!  Are we good now?
Your Friend,
Nicole

Last Week's Goals/Results: 2/4

Re-run week 6 of the C25K. Ran Week 6 Day 1 on Saturday and again on Monday, took a 1.5 hour hike through a nature preserve with the family on Tuesday Morning. Days 2 and 3 on Wednesday and Friday as I was supposed to! :)



Keep up the good work with the Vitamins. Forgot Most of the week :(


Log my food at least 4/7 days. I only logged 3 days this week


Read a book/take some pictures/do something fun for me once a day. Saturday: Caught up on a guilty pleasure (The Vampire Diaries), Sunday: took a nap and let the dishes sit in the sink, Monday: Read some of "Murder Most Royal", Tuesday: Took a hike with the family through a local nature preserve,  Wednesday: took a bubble bath, Thursday: Watched a movie (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Friday: Shopping/lunch with a friend.
 
Evaluation of the Week:
 
I didn't do nearly as well on my goals as I had hoped but apparently I still lost.  Perhaps it was because of the carb-cutting. I'm not sure because I didn't log ...  sigh.

This Week's Goals:

Pretty much the same as last week...

• Continue with C25K. Week 7 here I come!
• Log 4/7 days.
• Take my vitamins.
• De-stress by doing something for myself each day.

I'll show you mine...

Marlene over at Mission to A(nother) Marathon offered to show us her if we showed her ours (medals that is)... so without further adu, here is my current collection:

It's rather small compared to Marlene's but I'm proud of them!

Marlene also asked which ones are our favorites and why.   Hmmmm....

My San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon metal is special because it was the first marathon I ever completed.  I ran it with the help of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program which raises money to help LLS fund it's caner research as well as help the patients.

And of course my Mickeys!  Who doesn't want to run 26 miles through Disney? (Really, you don't?  huh... why not?)

I have to add these too.  They are age group medals from a local 10K back home put on by the father of a friend of mine who was/is a marathon runner.  He got cancer and now uses these runs to raise money for The American Cancer Society.  I'm proud to run in it yearly!  One is 2nd in my age group and the other is 3rd in my age group.

Then of course there is my one and only Olympic triathlon medal.  The Disney Tri (Which they don't do anymore - this was the last year they did it.  They still do tris but not THIS one!)

Which only leaves one.  I don't want to say it isn't special, but it isn't as cool or meaningful to me as the others, though I'm still proud of it.

And like Marlene, I don't really have a good way to store most of my medals (hers are in a shoebox - all 26 of them!).  Should I hang them all?  Put them on display?  Would I even have a place to display each of them individually?  I do have one displayed individually in the guest room.  My first medal.  The San Diego Rock and Roll marathon.  I have it hanging on a nail next to a framed (and signed) poster of a painting inspired by and painted just for the 2006 marathon.

But the rest are just stored on a short shelf in the guest room.

So what about you?  How do you, or do you, display your medals/awards/accomplishments (running or otherwise)?

Fitness Friday #5

This week's weight:

Listen here Mr. Bathroom Scale...

I've been MORE than patient with you.  I've done all you've asked and then some.  I think I have been pretty darn nice about this whole thing so far if I do say so myself.  Now, I expect you to show me a different number this week!  I'm SICK of seeing 196!

So,  SHOW ME THE MONEY...er, uh, I mean...NUMBER! (unless you've got some money hidden.  Then I'll take that too...)

Apparently my scale is as obstinate as I am because he answered by going in the OPPOSITE direction this week. 

197.2

Last week's goals/results:

Run 3X's this week. Week 6 of C25K :) Woke up Monday with a headache so so running that day so I ran Week 6 Day 1 on Tuesday. Thursday I had an inservice so I had to get up very early and didn't have time to run in the morning before I left, however, Hubby and I did a quick run/walk Thursday afternoon when I got home - it was WAY hot (89*F with 68% humidity, making it feel like 100*F).  I plan to finish my 3X's weekly by running again tomorrow morning.
Take my multivitamins DAILY! Took the vitamins Monday through Friday.  I wasn't home Sat (still at the wedding and had forgotten to pack them), and I forgot Sunday.
Log my food. Logged Monday, Tuesday (Over on sodium), Wednesday (over on cals), and so far I'm logging today so that's 4/7 days this week.

Evaluation:
:,( I am very sad/disappointed/depressed/upset/confused/ _________ (fill in the blank).  I can't figure out why I'm not losing and why this week I actually GAINED!?!  I know I didn't make great choices yesterday (Chili's with the girls - but I ordered a chicken Caesar pita...better than some of the other choices I could have had there!) but I had great food choices the rest of the week.  On the days that I logged, I was in the "Lose 1/7 lbs a week" range or under on all but one day.  Wednesday wasn't like I blew it...I was still under the amount of cals I need to maintain my weight so I shouldn't have gained.  Can ONE day blowing it (which I think I might have done yesterday) screw the whole thing up like that?  I didn't think so before.  Eating like that on a regular basis, absolutely can cause a gain...but one day?  UGH

:-/ I did a great run on Tuesday then on Thursday I did a so/so run with Hubby.  I couldn't run Thursday morning before I left for my inservice (no time) and by the time I got home it was HOT HOT HOT so we ended up walking more than I usually do. I plan to run in the morning again with Baby Girl.  This was week 6 of the Couch to 5 K, but I only did Day 1 (hubby and I didn't try to stick to any set intervals when we ran, just paid attention to our bodies knowing that it was so dang hot).  I think I may re-do week 6 next week.

? I start back to work soon so I will have to figure out how/when I'm going to run until it cools down some.  Once it cools down I can run right after school with no problem,  But running at 3pm in August/October in Florida = crazy!  We don't have the money to join a gym just yet but it is an option we are trying to do.  However, I don't like the idea of always running on a treadmill either.  I like to be out on the road more often.  I have to leave the house around 6-6:15am so getting up early enough to run and come home and get ready (not to mention get Baby Girl ready) isn't a real option.  There is a good streetlight right by my house, but they are very sparce throughout the rest of the neighborhood.  Besides, I'm NOT a morning person!

:) I did manage to take my vitamins (Woman's One-A-Day) Mon-Fri so that is 5/6 (I don't count Saturday since I wasn't in a position to take them even if I had wanted to!)

:-/ Also, I was concerned about my sodium last week.  Of the days I logged I was only over on sodium one day - but I know I was also over yesterday as well based on what I ate.  5/7 days I was good on sodium.  I think I'm still going to watch it but maybe it was just an off week the week that it was so high.

 Next Week's Goals:

1.  Re-run week 6 of the C25K.  I plan for M/W/F.  I would have to bring Baby Girl with me on Wednesday and probably Friday too but that's OK.
2. Keep up the good work with the Vitamins. Takes 21 days to make a habit (and one day to break it) so I need to keep up with this habit!
3. Log my food at least 4/7 days.  Logging everything every day is really tedious but I think if I log most days then I will at least be getting a good idea of what I'm eating.
4. Read a book/take some pictures/do something fun for me once a day.  I am really upset right now over this bathroom scale refusing to move for the past several weeks and then moving UP this week, so I'm going to try to de-stress a bit by trying to take some "me" time every day this week.  Even if it is just a few minutes while Baby Girl is taking a nap.

Thoughts?   Comments?   Advice?   Help?

Smile!

My post-run breakfast made me smile today :)

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

I WON I WON I WON

I feel like one of the Miss USA winners....shaky hands covering my face, mouth open wide in disbelief, tears streaming down my face smearing my mascara...

OK, so maybe I'm not quite THAT excited.  But I am pretty darn excited.

I won a free pair of Yurbuds Earbud Enhancers for Hubby from Lacy!

It's the first ever giveaway that I've won from a blog :)  ::doin' the happy dance::

Thanks Lacy!!

What are Yurbuds?  Well since you asked... They are custom fitted earbud covers.  Guaranteed not to fall out of your ears while you run, jump, sweat, or are otherwise active.  Many people have trouble with standard earbuds, because, well, ears don't always come in standard sizes.  For example, Lacy's ears are small and my husband has larger than average ears.

How did I win?  I'm so glad you asked!  I won because I apparently made Lacy laugh.  I know, shocking, right?

To quote her quoting me,

"She entered on her husband's behalf and had the most comical quote describing his frustration.

'(He refers to his head as a taxicab with the doors open, calls his ears his satellites and explains that this is why he works at NASA...if he doesn't laugh at himself everyone else would).'

I laughed all week at the imagery and felt bad for my fellow struggler on the opposite end of the ear size battle."

So, in a nutshell (Help me, help me, I'm in a nutshell and I can't get out!), I won by making fun of my husband's ears.  Hey, it's nothing he hasn't said about himself.  I only quoted him :)

All we have to do is take a picture of one of his satellites..er...ears, with a quarter next to them in order to get this great gift.  So this afternoon I took said picture of my husband's ear.

Getting him to lay down was easy.  convincing him to let me take a picture of a quarter next to his ear without telling him why...that was a little more challenging.  "You're trying to prove how big my ears are aren't you?  Who were you making fun of my ears with, huh?"  LOL  (He said it while laughing, not in anger or annoyance...he knows I'm up to something but I won't tell him what!)

He never (OK, rarely) reads my blog so he probably won't know that they are coming until they are here.  Guess he should read my posts a little more often huh?  he he he (I love you, Baby!)

Fitness Friday #4

This week's weight
(Done on Wednesday morning.  I knew Thursday morning would be crazy hectic trying to get everyone and everything ready to leave, and I wasn't sure if the hotel gym would have an accurate scale for me to weigh this morning --Does Running around crazy getting everyone ready to go count as a "run" for Thursday?)

196.4

::sigh::  I think this number is stalking me.  I may need to get a restraining order!

Dear 196,
GET AWAY FROM ME AND STAY AWAY FROM ME! My friends in the 180's are waiting for me!


Last week's goals:

• Run at least twice.  **Doing the happy dance and patting self on the back!**  I ran my scheduled C25K runs M/W/F (Friday on the treadmill at the hotel) PLUS an extra run with Hubby on Tuesday. That makes 4 runs this week!  DOUBLE what my goal was. We also walked with Baby Girl several times this week as well.
• Log my food for the days that I am home, and be mindful of what foods I choose and how much I eat while we are gone. I logged Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at home.  I also (on my phone) logged a good portion of Thursday and today. 

2 for 2!  Go me! :)

Evaluation:
:( I did an extra day of cardio but it seems as though I still didn't lose.  I had a particularly high sodium count on Tuesday before weighing Wednesday morning so perhaps that had something to do with the weight - maybe I'm retaining some water?

:)  I feel great about being able to get in the extra run, and it was extra fantastic that I could do the run with my hubby (who it seems I rarely get to do much with other than errands or daily chores).

:) I'm glad I was able to log fairly consistently because, as I was hoping it would, it made me aware that there may be an issue that I need to look at as far as what I'm eating rather than just how much.


This week's goals:

1. Run 3X's this week. Week 6 of C25K :)
2. Take my multivitamins DAILY! I keep forgetting to take my vitamins...argggghhhhh.  Gotta get back into the habit of taking them.
3. Log my food. I've noticed the few days that I have logged that I've had quite a bit of sodium.  I want to reevaluate the sodium after this week to see if it really is a problem that I need to tackle.

If you are making an attempt to be healthier, how are you doing on your goals?

Fitness Friday #3

"Dear bathroom scale,
I know I wasn't very good this past week.  But please please please don't go higher than you did last week...please!  If you only stay the same then I swear, I'll be a good girl from now on.
Your Friend,
Nicole"

......

And the answer is......

......

196.4!

My plea was granted!  WHooo Hoooo :)  Thank you dear Bathroom Scale.  I swear I will keep up with my end of the bargain!

These were my goals last week:
1. Continue with my running (3x's a week). I'll be at my Mother-in-law's Sunday/Monday so it may end up being Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday rather than my normal Monday/Wednesday/Friday... then again...maybe I'll bring my running stuff to her house and let her watch the little one while I go for a run... Hmmm... decisions, decisions...

2. Try one new healthy recipe. Any suggestions?
3. Log my food/water
4. I will plan my snacks and meals and eat them at set times so that I'm not munching just to do it.

Well, I managed to reach one of the goals...#2.   I made Chicken Pot Pie that was delicious!  I found it on a Weight Watchers site.  I don't do WW or watch points but it was only 4.5 points per serving...however for those like me who need "real" numbers, there were around 250 cals per serving and 4.7 g of fat, but A LOT of sodium.  Hmmm  Need to do better on that.

I have also found a new yummy (healthy) snack food.  Dried vegetable chips.   YUMM-O!   I may have to try to make some of my own.

As for #1... I brought my clothes to run Monday at my MIL's but forgot how uncomfortable her guest bed is.  I slept OK but woke up stiff and my back was a bit sore, so I decided that I would wait until Tuesday and run at home T/Th/Sat.   Well, we didn't get home until LATE LATE LATE (for me) on Monday night so I didn't get to bed until nearly 1am. I totally missed my window of opportunity to run the next morning seeing as how it is too hot to even think about running by 8am.  I was still in dreamland until Baby Girl woke me up.  "OK, I'll run Wednesday and get this started again"...or so I thought.  Baby Girl got a cold and coughed all night Tuesday night so no sleep for mommy.  No sleep = no run.  Sigh.  I did manage to run this morning. I did Week 4 day 3 of the C25K plan (5 min warm up, run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, 5 min cool down.  I actually had about a 7 minute cool down because I wasn't quite to my house at the end of my 5 minutes of cool down walking.  I figured after a week off it wouldn't hurt to repeat the last day of last week before starting week 5 next week. Next week is 5 minute warm up, run 5 minutes, walk 3 minutes, (repeat 2 more times), 5 minute cool down.

We did however, take Baby Girl for a walk after dinner on Tuesday and Thursday.  I plan to do it again tonight - weather permitting.

As for goals #'s 3 & 4.... I wasn't home.  OK...Yes I was....and I made poor choices.  I wasn't home on Monday, that part is true.  Also, Wednesday I did have to take my daughter to the doctor in the morning and didn't get home until early afternoon, but other than that I was pretty much home on Tuesday, Thursday and today.  Thursday and Friday were better than earlier in the week, but 2/7 isn't a majority!

AHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG

I know what to do.  Why am I not doing it??  I think I am lacking motivation :(

So...in hopes to motivate me by keeping my motivation at the front of my mind, and taking some of my own advice that I recently dished out to a friend of mine...here is some of my motivation that I need to keep in mind:

1. Baby Girl needs me to be a healthy adult roll model so that she grows up to be a healthy adult.  I need to make a healthy lifestyle a habit now so that she doesn't see me struggling with it later on when she is old enough to realize what is going on.
2. Baby Girl needs me to be active enough to play, run, and generally have fun with her.  Who wants a party pooper mom who won't play with her?  Blah...no fun!
3. I need to be in shape to run the 1/2 marathon in November with my friends. They've never run a marathon before so they are counting on me to know what I'm doing and be able to do it!

With that motivation in mind...here are my goals for the week:

1. Run at least twice (I say 2X's rather than 3 because hubby and I have a wedding to go to out of town* so will be gone for a bit.  I don't know that I want to run in a strange, unfamiliar place.  Maybe the hotel will have a treadmill...that would be cool!)
2. Log my food for the days that I am home, and be mindful of what foods I choose and how much I eat while we are gone. I should say log my food even when I'm gone but I'm trying to be realistic here.  We will be with friends that my husband hasn't seen since he was stationed in Japan with the Navy and some that I've never even met.  It will be difficult to log everything by logging in on my phone and guessing at what everything was that I just ate.  Rather than logging it online in my food diary via my phone (which is a PITA), I'm thinking I'll print out a couple of these to carry with me. (if you'd like a different printable food journal, here are some others.)

Keep it simple, right?  2 simple goals.  I should be able to manage that!  At least, in theory.

No...

I WILL be able to manage that!  I can do this :)

*Which reminds me....Because we will be gone, I might not get around to doing Fitness Friday until Saturday or Sunday next week!  We may bring a laptop and I might get it done but if you've ever been in a big wedding then you know...there is no guarantee I will have time!

Starting over again (again). The starting of Fitness Friday

A friend of mine started a blog to journal her weight loss and it has inspired me to start blogging again and focus on my own weight loss journey. (Go check out her blog and offer a word or two of encouragement)  Since 2007 I have gained 50 lbs!  YIKES!  Way too much to be healthy, so I'm starting over again (again).


I actually started getting serious about this a few weeks ago but I didn't blog it.  Perhaps like Patty, the blog will keep me accountable.  So, for those of you who are friends of mine on Facebook and/or who see me in real life on a regular basis...let me hear about it if I don't update this too often!  For the rest of you...comment me here and send me a stern finger-shaking via e-mail!

OK, throwing all shame out the window I will face up to it.  A few weeks ago I stepped on the scale and saw a 2 in the hundred's spot!  Luckily, there were zeros in the tens and ones places, but I had officially gone into the 200's and it quite literally FREAKED ME OUT!!  I started then.

Exercise: I've started running again.  I'm doing the Couch to 5K to get me back into the swing of running and have agreed/committed to running a local 1/2 marathon in November.  I'm on week 2 and feeling great!! I plan to run 3 X's a week (at least).  I also plan to start throwing in some other non-gym, no-equipment-needed exercises such as squats, push-ups, and sit-ups for some cross training. These may be done sporadically through the day between baby pick-ups and play-times. If I can ever scrape up enough to join the gym I will start swimming again...I love swimming!!

Food:  Nothing special here...just trying to choose more healthy alternatives and put down the fat-filled, greasy, empty calories.  I will usually have a Slim Fast shake in the mornings for breakfast because it is fast and easy, but I won't really be following the full Slim Fast program (I won't be having one for lunch nor will I be having their snacks throughout the day).  More fruits and veggies, and less sugar and processed foods.

I weigh myself first thing Friday mornings before I eat or drink or do anything so hopefully that will give me the truest estimate of my real weight.  Last Friday I was down to 198! :)

This week's goals:
Yes, this week is already 1/2 way over.. but I can still make goals can't I?

So...

1. I have already run 2 X's this week...I will run once more.
2. I will drink at least 64oz of water daily.
3. I will log EVERYTHING I eat onto my food diary (even the chocolate ice cream I ate today!)
4. I will weigh myself again on Friday and report back here. 
5. I will call this "Fitness Friday."  (If you want, I'd love anyone who wants to to join me in making fitness or healthy goals each Friday.  You can post them here in the comments or on your own blog -please comment me and let me know you did so I can go read and be inspired too.  If nothing else, consider making health-related goals just on your own, even if you don't let me indulge in my voyeuristic side and get all nosey into what you are doing!)

Run the Disney Marathon in 3 minutes

Feel the energy... This is why I love to run marathons, and can't wait to start training for Disney Marathon 2011...

Oops...I was wrong... :(

Well, my last post may have been a while ago...and a bit hopeful. Unfortunately, since then, I have learned that I now have high blood pressure. Although running would be a great way to help combat HBP normally, being pregnant, it isn't allowed. The doctor does not want me to do anything that would raise my heart rate unnecessarily as it could harm the placenta and in turn my unborn child.

So I guess my running shoes will be taking a bit of a longer break than I planned. I have however bought a Yoga for Mommies DVD to try. I haven't tried it yet, it's kind of a let-down from running to yoga but I'll give it a shot.

Not giving up my running shoes

A friend of mine told me the other day that "baby booties are better than running shoes anyway." Well, I have no intentions of hanging up my running shoes just yet...

Ok, so I may have to dust them off a bit at this point but I don't plan on retiring them for the entire 9 months! I haven't run since about 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant. I just haven't felt like running between the morning sickness that lasted all day every day and the fatigue that made it so that I could hardly keep my eyes open...

oh yeah, and did I mention my full time teaching job AND going to school for my masters?

No, I'm not hanging up my running shoes for good, I just had to give them a small break. I'm feeling better lately so I'm hoping to be back in them soon, although I'm thinking I may have to do more treadmill work than roadwork so I don't get too hot. I would choose to be pregnant in the hottest part of the year in the hottest state!

I even bought a new maternity running skirt from runningskirts.com to get me going, and I plan on registering for a jogging stroller so I can go after the baby is born too!

::yawn:: Maybe I'll start next week...

The Most Magical Marathon

Disney Marathon Weekend has come and gone ... and I am still able to move!!! While some hard core endurance runners may not be too impressed with my time, I'm happy with my accomplishments. It was my 3rd full marathon, and each time I have improved my time. My first one I walked, with a sprained ankle, for most of it and finished right around the 7 1/2 hour mark...not pretty at all. My second, Disney Marathon 2007, I finished in 6 hours 26 minutes with blisters all over my poor feet. This year, however, I finished in 6 hours and 17 minutes feeling fine (muscle soreness and a small bit of chafing in a strange place, but nothing major at all). I even danced, jumped, and worked up another sweat at the victory party because I felt so good! Here is how my day went on Sunday -

1:30am - Hubby wakes up and starts the shower. Being on night shift normally, he wasn't really able to sleep all night even though I didn't have to get up until 2am.

2am - Even though I've been awake for a little while, the alarm goes off and I officially get up and start getting everything ready. Race Ready capris, singlet with all my ribbons, Garmin, toe socks, Sharkies, sport beans, Luna moons, muscle fuel, sun block, chap stick, ear phones, iPhone, band aids, hand warmers, salt packets, ID tag on my shoe, emergency info on the back of my race number... check check and check. Make hot water in the coffee maker for my oatmeal and shovel it in.

2:40am - Robin knocks on the door to get me so we can start walking towards the meeting area. Chris is busy making a sign for me, "Go Princess Nicole!" Could he be any cuter? haha

3:00am - Robin and I meet the rest of the Team in Training full marathoners for pictures.

3:15am - Get on the bus headed toward the start line. "Are we nervous yet?"

3:30am - Arrive at Epcot staging area, find a place for our team to gather, stretch, and warm up. Eat my banana.

4:00am - Hubby surprises me by arriving early and meeting me in the staging area! YAY!! I told you he was sweet! :)

4:30am - Check our finish line bags,use the porta potty (3 times), and start the LONG walk towards the corrals. Seriously, that has to be nearly 2 miles right there...can't that count towards our 26.2??

5:00 - In the corral, huddled together for warmth, eat my granola bar and shake up my muscle fuel in the bottle of water I brought. Looking around at all the people who are running this thing with us. Thousands of people of all shapes, sizes, and walks of life getting ready to run over 26 miles. Some for personal glory, some to prove to themselves that they can, some for charity, and some just because they thought it would be fun (?fun!?!). Whatever the reason, we were all here, waiting anxiously for the start.

5:45am - Wheelchair start. WOW are they FAST!!! Can I hitch a ride?

5:50am - official start. Fireworks, fire blasts into the sky, Micky, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald there to wish us all luck and get this thing rolling! Unfortunately, there was a split start and the spectators were only allowed on the far right hand side - I was put on the far left hand side so even though Hubby was there, we didn't see each other :( I called him after I passed where he should have been and he decided to go on to mile 9 and get a good spot to make sure we could find each other.

Mile 1 through 5 - Feeling GREAT! Adrenaline is pumping and I can't believe we've already done a few miles! Running though Epcot with all the lights in the sidewalk and the "golf ball" illuminated was definitely a cool thing to see to get you motivated!

Mile 5 - Still feeling pretty good but Erin (the girl I was running with) and I decided it was time for yet another potty break. The line for the porta potty wasn't short, and stopping sucked but we decided that not stopping would suck worse later if we didn't stop now! The worst part was trying to hold your breath as to not inhale the aromatic fumes in the porta potty and squat over the seat so as to not actually touch it all while out of breath and with tired legs. We get to take this 8 minutes off our final time right?

Mile 6 - On the road to Magic Kingdom, not nearly as cool as being in the park but we do go over an overpass with runners running under making for a very cool picture. Erin stops to snap a picture (I have asked for a copy) and we keep on going towards Magic Kingdom.

Mile 9 - Right at the sign for mile nine is my awesome husband with his "Princess Nicole" sign, and of course a kiss for luck and encouragement!

Miles 10 and 11 - Through the Magic Kingdom and Cinderella's castle! Lots of energy, people cheering, characters dancing, go...go...go... :)

Mile 13.1 - Half way there!!! I'm feeling great but Erin isn't. She's hurting and feeling nauseous. I gave her a salt packet hoping that it would help her to get some sodium in her. She said she felt better after a water stop. Worried that it was her Sharkies that was making her feel this way, she was afraid to take more. I worried that this wasn't a good idea. Her body will need fuel to finish the race!

Mile 15 - Animal Kingdom! The cast members have live animals on the course to chear us on! Goats, sheep, parrots... Erin still isn't feeling great but is hanging on. She loves the animals!

Mile 16 - Another potty stop for Erin. I didn't need to go so I took the time to stretch out a little and text message a few friends as to our progress!

Miles 16 through 19 - Erin isn't doing good. She is no longer able to keep our 3:1 pace but isn't giving up. We see Coach Michele at a medical tent at mile 19 helping another group of Brevard TnT gals with a few issues. Erin is finally able to convince me to go on without her (Only because Michele promised me that she would stay with her) so I ran on with Cathy, Shelly, Ashley, and one other girl doing 4:1's

Mile 19 through 24 - I'm doing OK hanging with the group running 4:1's even though Erin and I had been doing 3:1's

Mile 24 - I found the wall!! I'm not sure what happened but around mile 24 the wind came out of my sails! I suddenly felt DEAD! I wasn't about to give up and quit but I could no longer hang with the 4:1 group and fell a little behind.

Mile 24 through 26 - I was behind the group but never really out of sight of the group. I had to slow down a bit and walk a bit more but I never gave up all together. I refused to let myself "walk the rest of it." Instead, when I needed a break, I picked out a time or a landmark and walked until I reached that point and started to jog again.

Mile 26 - Only two tenths of a mile left! I can see (and HEAR) the finish line!!!!! Hubby told me he would be there but I can't find him. Knowing he is there to see me finish is a great feeling even though I can't see him. I see the race clock in front of me and it isn't the time I had hoped for but I know it is still better than last year's and I'm feeling pretty good!

26.2 - FINISH LINE!!!!!! So happy to be done, proud of what I have done, and ready for an ice bath! The weight of the Micky medal on my neck feels amazing! Pose the for picture with the medal, one hand holding the medal, the other hand in a Sign Language "I Love You" sign for my Daddy,and I'm off to find Hubby.

After the race, even though I felt SO much better than after previous marathons, walking through the parking lot to my husbands truck was quite a trip, but not nearly as funny as I'm sure the scene was with me trying to get into my husband's big Redneck Truck!! THEN, after we arrive at the hotel, I have to climb up a flight of stairs to get to my room!! WHO PUT THOSE THERE!?!?!

Hubby started a luke-warm bath for me to get into and then started slowly filling it up with ice in order to ice down my poor legs. I wouldn't ever get into an ice cold bath, but if I start off luke warm and then add the ice, I'm OK. I also poured about a cup and a half of Apple Cider Vinegar into the bath (for some reason, it really works!) and soaked until my legs were numb - about 20 minutes. I then stood and showered off in a luke warm (which felt really hot after that ice) shower to wash out my hair and get rid of the vinegar smell.

6:00 - 8:00 pm - The Victory Party was a BLAST! Believe it or not, I was on the dance floor doing the twist, the cha cha slide, the electric slide, the conga line, and even "How low can you go?" although my low wasn't very low! The DJ had all the cancer survivors come to the dance floor at one point and played "I will survive" as they all danced together. It was a great sight to remind us all why we were there! (The picture is of the survivors dancing)

8:30pm - A few Tylenol PM's to knock out some of the soreness, and I hit the hay right after the party.

It's possible that had Erin not had such a bad race and needed to stop, we could have made less than 6 hours, but all in all I'm happy. I am glad I didn't leave Erin until I knew that someone was there to keep her company, those miles can be very lonely when you are feelig crappy and have no one to keep you going.

Yesterday and today I feel OK. Only one small blister on my toe and my body definitely knows it worked hard, but I'm not dieing and I'm not cursing the day I decided to sign up for this crazy thing called a marathon. In fact, yesterday, I signed up for a 1/2 marathon in March!

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." - John Bingham