Rest days suck!

I never in a million bajillion years thought I would ever feel that way. I took two rest days, Friday and Saturday because my knee was hurting. I was afraid running or any other activity would jack my knee up to the point where I would have to take weeks off my half training. Or maybe not be able to do the half at all.

Those two days were hard.

Friday, I was busy at work, cleaning out and organizing with a teacher friend, getting ready for the upcoming school year (school starts on the 15th). I was exhausted that night, but still wanted to 'get my sweat on'. I just don't feel good about myself if I don't have sore or tired muscles. You know, that good tired.

Then Saturday, I went out to lunch with my mom and did some shopping. We ended up at Dairy Queen with blizzards. I got the Nutter Butter blizzard, which by the way, is fabulous if you love peanut butter the way I do! As we sat outside eating our blizzards and enjoying the abnormally mild 85 degree weather, I saw, not one, but two people run by. An omen? A sign that I shouldn't be eating that blizzard? Whatever it was, I knew I had to try to run again, soon. I was not going to give up.

Aren't those DQ commercials annoying?? Especially the chest hair?

Finally, last night I did it. I had 4 miles on the schedule for Saturday, but like the week before, I pushed the long run to Sunday. It wasn't easy. This was the longest distance I have done in over a year. There was a lot of stopping to stretch out my right calf and knee. There was some tightness, and some weird feeling like my hip, knee and foot were somehow out of line with each other. There were times when I really just wanted to stop. But I did it. I finished 4 miles without any of the horrible pain that I expected. My hip and knee are a little sore today, but nothing unbearable.

This week brings a 5 mile run for the weekend. That in addition to going back to work should be interesting.

I worked all last week and found it hard to workout without having a decent amount of caffeine before hand. I think Coke Zero and I are going to become great friends. Except for the fact that it makes me burp the whole time I'm running or working out.

God only knows what Phenylalanine does to my body. But hey, at least there's no calories, right?!? I'm probably better off drinking sweet tea...

What do you eat before a run?

I don't know if it's the heat or my diet or what, but lately I am finding myself struggling to make it through even a short run or a 25 minute workout with Jillian. Yes, it's hot outside, but most of my workouts have been indoors in the comfort of my air conditioned home.

Excuse the shweatiness

I once read that summer workouts, whether indoor or out, are affected by the air temperatures outside, as well as the humidity. Of course it is more humid in my house in the summer than in the winter when the dry hot air is blasting through the vents. But could that really be why I'm struggling to push through a workout? I seriously doubt it.

So then I turn to my eating habits to see if that has something to do with my energy levels. This morning I ate a granola bar (almonds and yogurt, not the little chocolate filled kind) and drank half a cup of coffee. Then I proceeded to eat a small container of low-fat strawberry yogurt. And now I am munching on some plain wheat toast. Lunch will typically be a salad with chicken and fruit, and sometimes if I eat out, like yesterday, a chicken or turkey sandwich with my salad. Dinner is often some kind of lean meat, a vegetable or two, like corn, and then fruit for dessert. I think I eat pretty balanced, but it seems like something is missing.


Maybe I need more protein? I'm not a huge meat eater, other than chicken and turkey or lean pork. Red meat and fish are just not my thing. I try to get protein from nuts, protein powder in my smoothies, and some dairy products. Sometimes I even eat energy bars like Luna or Powerbars. Yesterday post-workout, I had a whole wheat bagel with almond butter on one side, peanut butter on the other (I'm conservative with that expensive almond butter!!) with banana:

Yeah, don't hate on my Christmas plate in July!!

 I also have a love/hate relationship with caffeine. Of course, I am a sweet tea lover (real or fake sugar) and I have coffee every morning. On the days I drink a ton of caffeine, I feel like I can workout harder if I do it before I crash from post-caffeine wind up. But like yesterday, I had tea at lunch and then by the time I started Ripped in 30, I was exhausted and that was after a nap.

Most days I drink lots of water and/or Powerade Zero (after a workout). The last few days I have been lacking on water because I was sitting in professional development classes with a big cup of sweet tea. And I drank and drank until it was gone--I prefer to drink my calories, obviously. I started wondering about dehydration last night when I had double Charlie Horses in my hips. Talk about painful.

After everything I've eaten this morning, I still don't seem to feel energetic enough to hit the treadmill and run a few miles. Some days are better than others, but lately, I just feel drained when running or working out.

Sometimes when I try to run in the morning or around lunchtime, I struggle more than when I run at night. Maybe I need to have a full day's calories before I workout??

So I guess my question for you is,  

What do you eat before you run or workout to give you the energy to keep going?

Maybe one day I'll learn

I'm kicking myself right now because I indulged a little too much today and now I am paying for it. I took the little one to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie, which was so cute, by the way, and perfect for little ones with short attention spans (it only runs 1 hr 3 mins). Before the movie, my mom and I took her for lunch at our favorite fast food restaurant, Chick-fil-a. Let's just say I did not make good choices, and then proceeded to eat an entire bag of these during the movie:

425 calories of yumminess

Those sugar filled drops of goodness paired with a huge cup of sweet tea from Chick-fil-a, and I was ready to crash at the end of the movie. I was dizzy and sick to my stomach. Why did I think I could just eat like that after two weeks of eating nothing but healthy balanced meals and drinking only water?? I dunno either.

I have no self control when it comes to fast food. That's why I only allow myself to eat at Chick-fil-a once every 2 weeks or so, if that. I almost never eat at McDonald's or other fast food places. That's a disaster waiting to happen. Besides the bad food choices, almost every restaurant in this city has sweet tea now. It haunts me, every where I go...

 I also think that I really need to go to an optometrist and have my eyes checked. I have been getting headaches, neausa and feeling dizzy when I sit here at the computer, read a book for long periods of time or watch t.v. So during the movie today I noticed that a headache was starting. I don't wear glasses or contacts. Haven't had my eyes checked since I was in college.  Definitely time to have the eyes checked out.

Later this evening, after mowing heartbreak hill the yard, I hit the treadmill for a quick run. Had to stop a few times because of intense indigestion and reflux. When I finally thought I had my stomach settled, I hit it hard, running my fastest mile yet! But when I got to around 1.42, I accidentally hit the emergency magnet thing (doh!), stopping the treadmill, and losing my time. I guessed at where it was, started again, but only lasted for another .2 miles or so. The reflux was back with a vengence, and I didn't want to lose my dinner. That'll teach me to eat greasy, sugar-filled food and drink sweet tea like it's water. Until I forget how horrible I felt today and find myself at Chick-fil-a. I found out they are building a new one only a few miles from my house. I'm in TROUBLE!!

Do you struggle with self-control when at restaurants? What food can you not resist?

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?

Facelift and a Good Run

I changed the header to add a little bit of more of me. My running shoes (sanity-Brooks Ariel) and obviously, my sweet tea. I started to change the background, colors, etc. but decided to let it be for now. You will find that I like to change things up from time to time. I'm still experimenting with this whole blogging thing, so please bare with me!

I got a good 2 mile run in tonight. I tried to work on keeping the same pace as long as I could and not taking so many walk breaks or "stop and stretch" breaks. It went really well and I felt good after the first mile. Why is it the first mile is always the hardest?? So that was my sanity for the day...

As for the sweet tea, I did indulge in a gargantuan small sweet tea from Chick-fil-a. I should be a spokesperson for Chick-fil-a and McAllister's, as much as I talk about their food and sweet tea! Classy, I know, but when you live on a budget, you take what you can get!! Maybe one day when all the debts are paid off, hubby and I can begin to enjoy some finer dining experiences. Our city does have some great local restaurants. We just don't spend a lot of our money eating out. Hense, the weekly Chick-fil-a and McAllister's visits! At least both places have healthier choices for those of us that choose to order them (ahem...most of the time, me, but less often, the hubby).

Where is your favorite "cheap" place to eat healthy?

Thursday's Thrills

Thanks to last night's 2 hours of tornadoes and almost 3 inches of rain, today turned out to be a cooler, windy day with almost no humidity. So the little one and I went to play at the park and enjoyed an early dinner at my favorite sweet tea "brewery" as I like to call them.

We also had a few games of Hi-Hi Cherry-O going while she had to wear her eye patch. She has Amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye. She is supposed to be wearing the patch for 6 hours a day! That is no easy feat with a 4 year old! I have to get creative and keep her entertained as much as I can.

Sometimes I think when she's older she's going to hate me for putting pictures of her on a blog and on Facebook for everyone to see. I just love to share her with the world, she's my ray of sunshine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As far as running goes, I did run a mile this morning on the treadmill. I only did a mile because it was speed work. I really need to start working on tempo runs. I have read that tempo runs are what prepare you for a half marathon more than any other running workouts. However, speed work has really helped to lower my time per mile. Even with frequent occasional walk breaks, I am still faster than I was 2 months ago!
 
I did mow the grass when we got home today. Mowing straight uphill with a push mower is really great exercise for my legs! And my yard is a huge hill...

 This is just the yard around my driveway. Only a third of what I mow.

Any recommendations for how to incorporate tempo runs into my training schedule? Or just general advice about preparing for a half-marathon?

*I'm adding some info about my upcoming training schedule for the half-marathon in November on my running page above.

 

 

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'...;-)

C'est La Vie!

Today I fell off the healthy eating wagon and had some Dairy Queen for lunch. Instead of ordering a salad (I knew I would have salad for dinner) I opted for a BBQ sandwich and some french fries. And then split a mini Reece's Blizzard with the little one. Maybe we didn't really split it, maybe I ate most of it, but still, at leas it wasn't the WHOLE thing!! Really, is it possible to eat healthy at Dairy Queen? Even their salads are covered in bacon, shredded processed cheese and high calorie dressings (I realize that's my choice, darn you honey mustard!).

Dairy Queen was our only option because we were stranded at the car dealership for several hours at lunchtime. It was the only restaurant anywhere near us. Excuses, excuses. Lack of planning on my part, should of ate lunch before we left the house, or at least got something healthier on the way there. C'est la vie!

After our long wait for the car to be fixed, we headed to a park so little one could play for a while. It was hot, but nice in the shade. I sat and watched as tons of people walked and ran past on the park's trails. I was so jealous. Should have brought my running shoes. Should have brought the jogging stroller. Again, lack of planning. It's summer vacation, what can I say...my brain shuts down as soon as school's out. So needless to say, today turned into a non-running, rest day. C'est la vie!

 Two of my main reasons for running

Finally, we stopped for dinner at a healthier place. Seriously, my favorite place to eat, and not just because of the sweet tea. McAllister's Deli is truly my saving grace some nights. Love their salads. I try to justify all the sweet tea I drink while I'm there by eating salads. I know, I know, eating a salad doesn't cancel out every bad food decision I make. A girl can dream, right?