As I mentioned in my last post, I have been kind of Blah this week. Unmotivated and tired. Not physically tired. Not really sleepy. Just mentally tired from the toll of work, kids, commute, no downtime. It is exhausting. Yesterday, I skipped my run just because I didn’t feel like going. I treated myself to a trip to the mall during lunch instead. It was wonderful to spend an hour window shopping and it was very motivating. I want to wear pretty clothes again!
Today, I was feeling the same apathy towards my planned run. I was looking for excuses. Maybe it’s raining. No. Meeting? There were no excuses, the weather was perfect and I just needed to do it. I made a deal with myself that I could walk if I did 10 minutes and still wasn’t feeling it. Walking is better than sitting on my butt. So I read a few posts in my favorite running blogs. Looked at my motivating pictures. Changed into my running clothes and got down to it.
The first half mile sucked as much as I thought it would. I started out uphill and just felt so tired. The next 5 minutes got better and I knew that I could do this run. They might be slow and uninspired but I would get my 3 miles in, but it was still sucking. The next 10 minutes got a little better and little better. Then I had to quicken my pace a little in a crosswalk to get out of the way of a truck and I realized that pace felt good and that miracle of miracles, I felt good. I decided to keep up the quicker pace for as long as it felt good and wouldn’t you know, it felt good all the way back to my finish point.
I’m so glad that I made myself get out there. I feel so much better this afternoon for having gone. I feel much more eager to run tomorrow and do my monthly 5K assessment. The cure for not wanting to run is running.
Blah. It’s how I feel right now. It’s no wonder. Friday and Sunday, I ate crap and way too much of it. I am really angry at myself. Especially, yesterday because I was only eating out of boredom and I was perfectly aware of that with every bite of cheese and crackers I stuffed into my face. Add to that, the run I skipped yesterday and well, it really wasn’t my finest day.
There was a good day sandwiched in between the badness. Saturday, I completed my 5 mile run before most people even roll out of bed. The joy of having a toddler and an infant means there is no such thing as sleeping in. The run went well, it was a cool morning and I ran on the path behind my subdivision that goes along the Monocacy River. I decided to do 9/1 run/walk intervals and it worked really well for me. I had 12-12:30 miles throughout. I would love to be faster but this is where I am right now. The only bad part of the run was this:
Blurry image. I took it through my armband holder.
Mud! A big stretch of it that was about 15 yards long. No way around it, I had to tiptoe through it. My Saucony’s are not so pretty anymore.
Saturday night I made a dinner of Bourbon-spiced pork with sweet potatoes and apples. Or as I like to call it Autumn. It was beyond delicious and you will definitely be seeing the recipe here since Hubby asked to have it again next weekend.
Hopefully, the bad eating is behind me and I can muster up the enthusiasm to get in all my runs this week. I’m glad I don’t have one scheduled today. I didn’t get much sleep last night. Scott was at the Ravens game and didn’t get home until almost 2:00 AM. I hate night games, I can’t sleep well until he is safe at home. Also, because I watch way too much ID channel. I’ll be getting to bed early tonight.
How do you cure the blah’s?
Welcome to my workout weekly.
Running
Sun 9/16- 5 miles, 66 minutes (maybe, GPS issues)
Wed 9/19- 3.12 miles, 37 minutes
Thu 9/20-3.01 miles, 34:47 min
Total: 11.13 miles
Eh, life got in the way this week and I wasn’t able to get all of my runs. Saturday turned into super family fun day and I never found time to
Family Fun Day at the Frederick Fair
run. Tuesday, I was meant to have run 3 miles but tornado warning squashed my plans. These things happen. This weekend should be a little calmer and I’ll be able to get runs in on both days. Likewise, work looks to be slow next week so lunchtime runs shouldn’t be a problem barring more natural disaster warnings.
In fact, next Thursday my work is having a 5K during lunch. It would be a no brainer to do it except that it takes place on the main campus and I work at a satellite site. So do I gear up, catch the shuttle and run or just do my normal run around the office? I’ll probably decide on that day. It would be a no-brainer if I had someone to do the 5K with me but my co-workers aren’t big on activity or socializing.
I’ll be repeating my 5 miler this weekend. I am just trying to build as good a base as I can going into my 10K on October 14. 5 miles this weekend, 6 miles next weekend and then I haven’t decided weather I’ll do 5 or 6 the next weekend, i.e. the last long run before race day. The schedule I have been loosely following has 7 miles scheduled but I don’t think that is right for me right now.
I also signed up for another race in November. the Baltimore Zoo ZooZoom 8K on November 18. This is one of my favorite races, in no small part because it was the first race I ever ran. Way back in 2003. I can’t believe that was 9 years ago! I remember it like it was yesterday. I haven’t run it since 2007 and can’t wait to go back. It is a hilly course that winds through Druid Hill Park in Baltimore and ends with a mile through the exhibits at the Baltimore Zoo. Such fun. All the proceeds go to the zoo and quite frankly, it is a zoo that needs the help. Best of all my friend, L., who will also be running the Freedom’s Run 10K and who has run all the past ZooZooms with me, will be there too. Only this year, we have kids to take on our trip to the zoo. The last time we ran this, neither of us had kids, now we both have two. I can’t wait.
Other workouts:
A couple of walks. I am still struggling here.
Food:
I’ve done OK. I had some treats over the weekend and have just been snacky all week. I am still in the lose weight range but it is more calories than I am aiming for. I’m trying to stay off the scale this week. I caved last week but this week, I’m not as eager to see it since I haven’t been at rock solid with my eating and I missed some runs. I can tell that the pants I have on are a wee bit roomier.
Goal for next week:
Run 15 miles
One non-running workout (still)
Track every single bite that goes in my mouth. Slay the night time snacking demon that dwells within me.
Runs
Saturday 9/1: 2.44 miles, 30 min
Monday 9/3: 4 miles, 52 min
Wednesday 9/5: 3 miles, 36 min
Thursday 9/6: 2.53 miles, 30 min
Total Running Miles: 11.97 miles
Other workouts
Umm, I went for a walk on Sunday with my 2 year old. At her pace.
So I’m not really getting it done outside of running, but I think I had a pretty great week of running. You can always find time for what is important to you and for me, right now, running seems to be the only fitness activity that fits that bill.I have that 10K on the horizon and that keeps me focused. If only I could be so dedicated to my eating.
Next weeks goals:
Run 12.5 miles
1 non-running workout (I’ll keep putting it on here until I manage to do it)
Oh, also!
Hello, my name is Laura and I am a sugarholic. It has been 7 days since I last had sugar (excluding coffee creamer because I’m nevah evah gonna give that up). 7 days! That’s big for me. I can’t say it has been easy or that the cravings have gone away because they haven’t. But I have done and I plan to keep avoiding sugar until I get it out of my system.
On that note, I am going to have to stay away from my beloved Pinterest because seeing all those delicious, fall/pumpkin goodies is breaking my sugar-lovin’ heart.
Since the spring of 2009, I have only run 3 races, all 5Ks. My running has been intermittent due pregnancies and other life craziness, until recently when I have finally gotten some consistency with my running. So I was a little nervous when I hit the enter button for the 10K portion of the Freedom’s Run in Shepherdstown, WV.
The race is in less than 6 weeks which doesn’t give me much of a margin for error in my training. A 10K at the end of October or in early November would be more reasonable, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to run this gorgeous course at a beautiful time of year. My husband ran the half-marathon here a few years back (being 7 months pregnant, I skipped that one) and it was a great time. The next year, I had no fitness level and couldn’t dream of participating. The year after that, pregnant again. Finally, this year, I’m in.
There is a 5K option but I want to see as much of the course as I can and I want the pressure of a 10K. I can run a 5k tomorrow with no problems. It might not be fast but it would be pretty easily handled. A 10K is going to take some training, but I have no doubts I can do it. I ran 4 miles on Monday with minimal walking (less than a minute total) and I have 5 more weekends to add two miles to that. Worst case scenario, this race is walker friendly and I can walk those last few miles in. But I want to run. 
So I have my training plan mapped out, 4 runs a week. And for the next 6 weeks I need to get focused on my calorie intake. I don’t think I can drop 20 pounds by race day but even 5 pounds would be nice. Imagine running with a 5 pound sack of potatoes versus without. I must quell the night time snacking monster that dwells within me. He is my saboteur.
37 days of focus. I think I can, I think I can.
*Photos from Freedom’s Run website. http://www.freedomsrun.org/Course.aspx
Yesterday, during lunch I went for a run. During that time, I was in a helicopter crash but I survived. Unfortunately for me, we crashed down in zombie territory and I was forced to run for my life. Luckily, I had radio communication from the nearby town and they were able to guide me and have me pick up some crucial supplies on the way. The zombies were hot on my tail the whole time.
It was all great fun!
I completed Mission 1 of the Zombies, Run game/iPhone app. And I have a new running love.
There is a video on the website that describes the game much better than I can.
https://www.zombiesrungame.com/
When the zombies get close you can hear them growl, a sound that I found ridiculously unnerving and caused me to pick up the pace to escape them. It was excellent fartlek training. That is great for me because I tend to be a lazy runner and am hesitant to really push myself. Clearly, I’m going to have to though because I think the zombies got a little too close.
I can’t wait to go out today for my next mission.
St Jude 5K
August 18, 2012
Frederick, MD
I meant to pick up my packet on Friday afternoon so that I could sleep in a little on Saturday morning. But it started storming on Friday and I didn’t feel like dragging the littles out in the rain, so I planned to get up early (and let’s face, sleeping in was a long shot anyway). The alarm went off at 5:30 and I got up and started prepping for a 6:30 departure. Packet pick-up was from 6:30-7:45, the race was less than 10 minute from my house, but anyone who knows me knows that I had to get there early. It’s just how I roll. Less than 2 minutes after we arrived I had my packet in hand and we were left with more than an hour to kill. If you need to kill time with a 2 year-old in tow though, Baker Park is the place to do it.
Best dressed runner in the field.
Before we left the house, I told my daughter that I was going to run in a race and the she, Daddy and Landry would cheer for me by yelling, “Go, Mommy!” She immediately corrected me and told me that she was also running in the race and the Daddy and Landry would yell, “Go, Mommy! Go, Caroline!” Ummmm, welll umm we’ll see. And so I left it at that assuming she would forget about it.But anyone who knows 2 year-olds is probably laughing now. Because she , of course, didn’t forget and kept insisting that she was going to run. I looked around, lots of people would be walking, lots of strollers, lots of kids running and decided what the heck. We took our place at the very back of the pack and sent our cheering squad, Scott and Landry, up a couple of blocks to wait on us.
The race started and Caroline was a natural. She took off and loved every second of her first race. That lasted only a few blocks until I dropped her off at with her Daddy, but it was absolutely the highlight of the race for me. She loves to run and I would be so happy if she would grow up loving to race.
The rest of the race was pretty uneventful. The course was flat and wove around the park and through the surrounding neighborhoods. As usual, in Frederick, there was no crowd support. This is sadly, not a town that supports running. The residents balk at being inconvenienced by races. One letter to the editor after the Frederick Marathon a few years ago referred to “being held hostage by running terrorists.” It’s like that. So no cheering outside of the race start/finish area. There were also no water stops. Not really necessary in a 5K but it was the middle of August, so it wouldn’t have been unwelcome. Not a big deal though, there was plenty of water and gatorade at the finish, as well as the standard post-race offerings.
My cheering squad
All in all it was a very nice race. Nicely run and organized. I will run again next year if it is held.
Tomorrow morning I will be getting up bright and early to run my first 5K in over a year. In the spring of 2011, after a year of living in the new mother fog, I finally got my act together and managed to drop about 20 pounds that I had gained when I was pregnant with my daughter. In doing so, I went through the Couch-to-5K program* and capped it with a local 5K in May. Two weeks later I had a positive pregnancy test and here we are today, having recently completed the C25K program once again.
I am really looking forward to it. I love races. Not that I would ever have a chance it hell of finishing anywhere near the front of the pack, but the atmosphere, community and challenge are just so great at a race. Even Especially at a small local race such as this. My running fever is already sparked but this will really turn up the flame. I better start figuring out how to pay for race entries.
There are two things I really love about this race.
1. It benefits St. Jude, on of my favorite causes. I’m lucky that no one in my family or friends has ever needed St.Jude’s services but it is wonderful to know that if we ever do they are there and that we would never be turned away because inability to pay. I am happy to fork over the race fee for this cause.
2. It’s a family event. Strollers and dogs are allowed, though I will not be running with either. My family will be there supporting me, I just chose not to run pushing 50lbs of kids while be yelled at by a two year old. There will also be lots of walkers, which means no chance of me finishing last.
I only have one goal for this race That is to run the whole thing. Run as in no stopping to walk. It shouldn’t be a problem, I have run that far without stopping a couple of times already this week. Not that there is any shame in walking. I have never run a race further than 10K without incorporating some walking. Walking is awesome. I just have a goal for myself and I want to show that be bigger doesn’t mean you have to do less. Overweight people can run. We don’t have to do it halfway. I may not be running as fast as I would it I were lighter but I will be running.
I’ll be back tomorrow with the report!
*This is not my first foray into running. Back before I had kids I ran all the time. Lots of 5Ks, 10ks, half-marathons and even a marathon under my belt. I just let myself give it up when I was pregnant.
Yesterday was the middle of the month. I decided that I had been working hard in August and I would take some measurement and weigh myself to see how this month of real focus was going. The results were depressing. Less than a pound lost and no noticeable difference in measurements. I felt fatter than I had 10 minutes before when I was convinced I was going to see some changes.
I might have consoled myself with a less than stellar lunch but I had finally (after being back-ordered for too long) gotten my new running shoes and I was eager to try them out during a lunch time run. I put in 3 miles and then came back in and put my work clothes back on. Do these feel loser? No, they couldn’t possibly. A few minutes later still red faced and ready to break into a sweat at any moment, I hopped into the elevator. The elevator with mirrored walls. Halfway through the ride, I caught myself thinking, “wow, i look pretty good. I look thinner”
How does that work? I don’t know, but there is something about running. Something about it makes you see yourself differently. My body hadn’t changed from morning to afternoon, but I went running and suddenly I felt thinner, more attractive, fitter.
That’s what running does. It makes you feel better. It makes you see yourself differently. It makes you like yourself better. That’s why I’ll keep running even when the scale doesn’t budge. Even if it never does*.
* But I really, really hope it does…and soon.
** And then I tried to find free images of plus sized runners on the internet and got nothing. Disappointing. We are out there. We will not be ignored!!
Frustration: Cutting calories, regaining running form, putting in hard work for 3 months and having a total loss of 6 pounds.
Frustration: Really focusing on food and running as much as possible in the month of August only to step on the scale mid-way through the month and seeing a loss of a whopping 0.8 pounds (that’s ZERO point eight).
Frustration: Dropping $145 on new running shoes only to have heel, ankle and knee pain on their first outing.
So yes, friends, I’m frustrated. The lack of weight loss is baffling to me. I, like so many who struggle with their weight, could write a book on nutrition and exercise (my problems are emotional not from lack of knowledge). So I know how to count calories, measure foods, good foods versus bad foods (yes to protein! no to refined carbs!). I know that it’s the calories you eat that really make or break weight loss, much more than exercise. So I’m just vexed at to why my diet of 1500 net calories, most of which are coming from clean foods is not resulting in dropped pounds. I blame breastfeeding. It’s the only thing I can think of right now.
I will keep on doing it though. What choice do I have?
It’s not all bad news though.
My running is going great. My endurance gets better every run. My motivation is strong and I am just in love with running again.
And I’m calling myself a runner again. Even if my body isn’t where I want it to be. I am a runner. I am part of the running community. I get excited when a Road Runner Sports catalog shows up in the mail. I’m lusting over lululemon bags and clothes. I think about running. A lot. And I love it. Now if my body would just get the message and shrink down to a size where I could fit into the workout clothes I am coveting.
The aforementioned shoes? Well, we’re just going to hope the pains were a fluke, because I’m not getting another new pair of shoes until these are done.
More good news, they are opening a new Sport and Health Fitness Center down the street from my house. My teacher husband gets a significant membership discount which combined with the fitness center membership reimbursement I get from my job, means we can get a family membership for a low, low price. I’m so excited. All of the gyms I’ve belonged to before had childcare as an afterthought. Just a small room with a few toys and an uninterested babysitter. I didn’t really care because I didn’t have kids. Now I do and I would feel guilty dropping them off in one of those places. But the Kidz Zone at S&H looks awesome and I know that my littles are going to get excited when I tell them we are going to the gym. That matters, a LOT.
So there you have it, weight loss is for crap but hooray for exercise!!
I kind of started this blog and then dropped off the face of the earth. That happens when you have a job and two small insomniac children. Internet time for mommy gets punted.
fat mom gets fit 