Thunder Thighs and a Big Booty

As a "runner" (I use that term loosely...) I have been working hard to run longer as well as faster. I began running in 2010, but became injured during training for a half-marathon and had to take 2 weeks off completely and then work my way back into training 2 weeks before the race. Needless to say, at that point I was using a run/walk method to train and complete the half.

Since I started attempting to seriously run again this spring, I have continued using the run/walk method, gradually working my way into more running than walking. So my time per mile is typically between 12 and 14 minutes. The fastest I have ran a mile in is 12 minutes exactly. That was during a speed workout on the treadmill. So I really feel bad for those of you who run a sub 10 minute mile and think you are slow. Please...

Stay outta my lane...

http://completerunning.com/archives/2008/02/18/photo-of-the-week-slug-lane

I read today that for every pound a runner loses, they can typically run 2 seconds per mile faster. So my goal of losing around 15 pounds would give me a 30 second faster mile time. But, you see, the thing is, I am having a hard time losing ANY weight. I have fluctuated between 142 lbs. and 144 lbs. over the last month. At 5'3" that puts my BMI into the lowest end of  the "overweight" category. I've always been considered "muscular" and have been told I'm built like a cheerleader, short and stacked. But there's nothing like your Wii Fit telling you that you are fat! I have never had body image issues until after my pregnancy and more so since I started running. It's like I am comparing myself to other runners, and I know I shouldn't. I mean the whole purpose in running is to feel good about myself, right?

Dressing room self portrait from today...

Another self portrait from today...workout clothes.

Where I am struggling now with the weight loss is that I typically watch what I eat (meaning out of approximately 21 meals a week, about 18-19 are low fat, healthy meals), I work out 5-6 days a week, and I still seem to be stuck. Maybe it's the sweet tea I drink once or twice a week? I've cut down tremendously, and I even get unsweetened tea and use Splenda pretty often, too.

 This is my new 'Tea Tumbler'. 

It's one of those reusable cups so I can get 99 cent tea for the rest of 2011!

 It's an addiction, I promise I can't help it...

Maybe it's the Sunday lunches at my MIL's house? Or maybe I'm not working hard enough or long enough when I do workout? I have tracked my calories for weeks at a time, to no avail. I don't think I can pinpoint any one thing. Too many calories consumed, too little calorie burning and too much worrying about it!

Obviously in 18 days when I begin to follow a training schedule for the half marathon in November, my workout intensity will increase somewhat. I hope that by running more, running faster and continuing to eat healthy 95% of the time (moderation, right?!?), that I will see some results. I just hope that increase in intensity does not find me injured again.

I'll leave you with two of my favorite posters by Nike about positive body image:

So I want to know, What advice do you have for losing weight, running longer and faster or both?

Blah!

Today I feel blah!

I feel fat, bloated and tired. I think maybe Sunday's bout with the stomach "yuckies" has caught up with me energy-wise. And this past weekend's food has caught up with me on the scale.

It is storming outside right now, and that definitely does not help the mood, but I think weighing myself yesterday and today is the main culprit. I don't usually weigh myself, but lately I have been obsessed. Gotta stop!

My plan for today is to clean my dirty house and run a few miles tonight. I really have come to dread and despise running at night. I have noticed when I run or workout in the morning or early afternoon, I feel so much more energetic and less depressed for the rest of the day.

My ideal workout time would be early morning before anyone is up, but I am SO not a morning person. Really I am a night owl. I have to force myself to go to bed around 12 every night. And even though I don't have to get up at any certain time each morning, I really should try to go to bed around 10. I think I would feel 100 times better!

What time do you workout? Are you a morning person or a night owl like me?

One of My Inspirations

Beth from Shut Up and Run! had a blog post this week that really resonated with me. She talks about her choice to eat healthy, even though she is naturally thin and could eat just about anything, because she runs, bikes and swims like a madwoman, burning off a million calories a day:

 I may have stolen borrowed these pics off her blog.

"I believe it’s a lifestyle. It’s finding the connection between how you feel mentally, emotionally and physically and what you put into your body. There is NOTHING I eat in a given day that I eat without being completely conscious of how it is or is not contributing to the well being of my body. Awareness is key. When we get disconnected, we make poor choices."

Disconnected. That is truly how I felt the majority of my life. Disconnected from my body. Like I had no control over how my body looked, and more importantly how it felt. It has taken years of my adulthood to realize that I have a choice. I can feel good, or I can feel bad. That is one reason I started this blog: to record my journey to become connected to my body again through healthier eating habits and exercise.

No, I am not naturally thin, athletic or fast. And I have to work like hell to just maintain where I am physically. I have to exercise 4-5 days a week. I can't eat donuts or ice cream or pizza or even drink sweet tea 7 days a week without blowing up like a beluga whale. And believe me, I would love to drink sweet tea everyday, all day long.  But, in the end, I have to take care of my body. It is the only one I have. It can do amazing things like grow a baby, give birth, and run. Maybe not fast, but boy can I run!

Beth is an inspiration to me. Not because she is super thin, or because she is totally hilarious (which she is, you should read her blog). But because she takes care of her body by eating well (most of the time, nobody's perfect...) and consistently working to maintain and even improve her fitness level--if that's even possible. The woman's a athletic freak of nature, just sayin'...;-)