August 14, 2015

Tempo run, bonfire, and Larabars

Today was Day 3 of calorie counting, and it's still going well! I have to work on finding the right amount of calories for me, though. I had a really bad run yesterday, and I suspect it was from not eating enough the day before. I had eaten a little over 1300 calories on Wednesday, which, when I've counted calories before, is on the very low side. (I wasn't intentionally trying to eat so little; it was just a really busy day and that's what it wound up being). I think I would feel my best with a minimum of 1500 on my inactive days.

I was scheduled for an eight-mile tempo run (yes, eight miles!) yesterday. The Hansons tempo is slower than a typical tempo, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds. I decided to do it on the treadmill, so I could just maintain a constant pace and not have to think about it, and I figured I'd aim for 6.0 mph (10:00/mi). Since I don't have a marathon goal pace, I just have to pick paces that seem to work out for each run.

I had carbs for breakfast (two pieces of sourdough toast with coconut oil), and about half an hour later, I hopped on the treadmill. About a mile in, I just was not feeling well at all--I felt very tired and weak (which is actually "normal" for me on the first couple of days of doing Weight Watchers--going from eating too much to cutting it back is tough for a couple of days). I took a walking break, and tried negotiating with myself to at least get through five or six miles, but by mile three, I was really feeling run down. So I called it quits.

I can tough out cramps, or heat, or sometimes even nausea; but the feeling I got while running yesterday wasn't anything like that. So, today, I made sure to eat more (1600 calories) to hopefully feel better during my six-mile run tomorrow. I may have to do caloric cycling (having a lot on some days, and less on others) to feel my best. It always takes some experimenting to find out what works best for me! I have a very long run on Sunday, so tomorrow, I'll probably be eating well over 2,000 calories.

Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty low-key, as was today. This morning, I got all of our bills paid--strangely, I love doing that. Then the kids and I took Joey for a walk across the street to the access road, where he could run off leash. It's gotten pretty overgrown back there, and Joey loves jumping around and running into and out of the water.

Oh, I got the results of my MRI, too. I read them in the morning online, but my doctor called in the afternoon to go over them. The MRI was normal, except for the scoliosis/arthritis that was shown on the x-ray. I think that's a good thing? I was kind of hoping it was something that could be fixed, but maybe when I see the orthopedist, he'll have some ideas to make it less painful.

This afternoon, we did some yard work (why does it seem never ending?!) and Jerry made a fire to burn a bunch of wood that we had from when we built the garage. It's been sitting in the fire pit since last fall.


Jerry and I decided to plan a bonfire/get together this fall. It's something we used to do every year, and I always looked forward to it, but for whatever reason we haven't done it in a few years. We invite several friends from high school, and it always ends up being fun. This year, we're going to do it the night of the Detroit Marathon; that way, after the race, I'll be able to celebrate with my friends.

I did something completely idiotic today. I opened a Larabar (I love Larabars!!), and after taking a couple of bites, I thought it tasted weird, like the nuts in it were rancid or something. I looked at the expiration date, and saw it had expired in May. I just bought it last week! So I went to the pantry to look at the others (there were eight of them in there) and check the dates. All of them had expired in May and June.

I was super bummed (I wanted a Larabar!), so I dug out my receipt from last week, and brought the bars to Kroger to return or exchange them. The woman who was working customer service said I could go get new ones from the shelves, and I would just exchange them. So I went over to the section with the Larabars, and started looking at the dates. All the flavors I liked were expired--May and June, again.

I went back to customer service to let the woman know, and she called someone else over (probably to clear them off the shelves). She pointed out the dates, and then said, "Wait, it says 2016..." At first I thought it had to be just that particular bar she was looking at, but no--she went through each and every bar, and they all expired in May or June of 2016! I felt like a complete idiot, hahaha. Apparently, I just don't like the Cashew Cookie flavor, because that was the one that tasted weird to me!

18 comments:

  1. 1300 or 1500 calories is definitely too few calories. Eating too few calories is terrible for your metabolism and can actually cause you to gain weight. You should definitely look at a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) calculator. I'd also recommend the book, The New Rules of Lifting For Woman. A large section of the book explains how important it is to eat enough calories to maintain your weight better than I could ever. (You can read most of it on Googlebooks)

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    1. It's crazy that My Fitness Pal actually recommends I eat 1200 calories per day! I don't even know how someone could get in three full meals with just 1200 calories. I've found through trial and error in the past that I do best with about 1500-1700 calories (more on the days that I run). Thanks for the book recommendation!

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    2. I would also look at the macro breakdown. I have found that 50-25-25 works best for me during my training times. Hope it works for you too!

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  2. I've been trying to be very careful with my eating this week, too. My 6 miles this morning were ROUGH. I wasn't in a hurry so I just let myself go at the pace I could. I hope your Sunday run goes better.

    Thanks for always sharing "you" with all of us in the blogospere!

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  3. I love Larabars, and Cashew Cookie is my favorite!! A couple of months ago, I bought a case and after eating a couple I realized that they tasted "off." It was hard to describe, not really rancid ... more like something was missing. I posted a message on their Facebook page asking if they had changed the recipe and they responded the next day ... the recipe hadn't changed so they offered to send me coupons for free replacements. I've bought several cases since and haven't had any issues. Don't give up on the Cashew Cookie, LOL!

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    1. Okay, I'll give it another try! ;) I love cashews, so I thought I'd love that one. But the ones with peanuts and/or chocolate are my favorites!

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  4. Rats! Now I want a Larabar. They are sooo good. I haven't had one in a while because they can trigger a binge for me sometimes. I've made my own versions with dates and dried fruits and some chopped nuts.

    I'm sorry your tempo run didn't go as well as you would have liked. Hopefully, once you find your calorie "sweet spot," your energy level will be back to normal.

    Martine

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  5. Cherry Pie Larabars are my favorite. I always have one in my purse or knitting bag in case I am tempted to eat something full of preservatives as a snack while out running errands.

    I love reading your blog. You are so motivating and I like how candid you are. You have a wonderful "voice" in your writing.

    While I am not a runner, I do intervals with an online bootcamp 5 days a week. I may take up running yet.

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  6. I've been playing with my calories on MFP too. With your exercise level, I wouldn't go below 1500. More on days you run. I would set it to lightly active, 1lb/week loss, and then eat back 50% of your exercise calories (minimum). I have a friend who's training for an Ironman and still losing weight on MFP! But it's soooo important to have enough calories for your exercise!

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  7. Haha that's pretty funny about the Lara bars.
    Have you considered choosing to focus just on your weight loss for a while rather than keeping up the running? I know that's obviously a huge goal for you, but it seems like you've really been struggling with the weight loss. Of course you could keep running, but just maybe not marathon training...might have an easier time sticking to a calorie limit that will allow you to shed weight. Sometimes it's easier to focus on one goal at a time...

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    1. Well, I just took 6 months off of running because of my injury, and it made me depressed, which caused me to eat more... I use running for more than weight control. It really helps with my depression and anxiety! I was marathon training the last time I took the weight off, so I know I can do it; it's just about finding the right numbers that work for me (that allows me to lose weight, but have enough energy for running as well). But I agree, focusing on one goal at a time is much easier! When I first started losing weight, I did it with diet alone, because diet and exercise seemed much too overwhelming for me.

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    2. Yeah, totally get that. It's finding the right numbers for sure, and something I struggle with. If I run a lot, I get ravenous. Since I'm currently trying to lose weight for my wedding at the end of the year, I've limited it to just some short runs a few days per week, so that I can keep my diet in check.

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  8. I'm jumping on your six week tracking challenge, hope you don't mind! I've used MFP on and off, but I find it harder and harder to go back to tracking each time. I think I get tired.

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  9. So I have a question as a non-runner. I just started my weightloss journey and am walking for now. Hopefully I'll build up to running. My question is this: when you're running and you start to feel bad or feel you can't finish, why not walk to rest of the way instead of quitting? I'm not trying to sound mean, I honestly want to know if there's a reason to not walk for the remainder of your miles. This question is for Katie and any other runners who read here. Does it mess up your miles or something? Is it ok to run and then walk the rest of the way if you're having a "bad run"? Of course I don't mean when you're injured, I understand stopping then. I hope this question makes sense. :)

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    1. That's a very legit question! There is nothing wrong with walking the rest of the way, and that's probably what I *should* have done (after eating something). I was just feeling so discouraged that I was being a baby about it ;) But yes, walking the rest of the way if you can't run is great!

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    2. Thanks for replying and being honest about it. I know we all get discouraged. Walking is helping me a lot and I think it gets overlooked as a form of exercise when people can't run. I'm glad there's no rule that says you shouldn't walk when you can't finish a run! :)

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    3. Great question Sara. I am in Florida and there are just days that the heat and humidity are so bad that I do in fact have to walk out the rest of my planned run. During the summer I certainly allow myself to do that!!

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    4. Thanks for your input Krista!

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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