Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 10

That's little Duckling in the background. He loves to play with my hair ties in the mornings.

Yes, this is a day late. I have just had a long and emotionally draining week. Jerry is still having a tough time, but he went back to work on Tuesday. He was able to get in to see a therapist last Wednesday and he said it helped; he has another appointment soon. So, he's doing what he can and I think that time will help.

I don't really have much to say today because the week was very uneventful. It almost felt like a staycation with Jerry at home, only it wasn't much fun (considering the circumstances).

I managed to get in all three runs this week--including my first three miler in about three years!

Thursday- Jerry took Joey for a walk so I could sneak out and run by myself. I'm always relieved when I don't have to run with him, as terrible as that sounds. He loves to go, but it limits my routes (since he can only go about a mile) and I have to be careful about my pace so I don't wear him out. It's sad to think that he used to practically drag me on our runs!

Anyway, I was aiming for about 2.75 miles since I ran 2.5 miles the previous run. I didn't map out a route, I just guessed as I went and I was almost spot-on. I ran 2.72 miles; I could have run past my house to reach 2.75, but it didn't matter that much to me to hit that particular number. The run actually felt pretty good! The first two miles were pretty easy (relatively speaking). I struggled a little after that, but that was to be expected as I'm still a "beginner".

Overall, I finished 2.72 miles (12:08, 11:51, and 11:36, with overall average pace of 11:53/mi and an overall average heart rate of 155 bpm. I don't know why my heart rate got so high.

Sunday- Ran with Joey for the first mile. We looped my neighborhood (which is almost exactly one mile) and then I dropped him off and kept going. It was nice and cool outside, so it felt good. After I dropped him off, I ran a route that I knew to be about two miles. I felt nostalgic as I ran, because I haven't done that route in such a long time.

I knew I wanted to finish three miles (that's been my goal all along) and I focused on going slow (I thought I was going much slower than I was, actually, but I didn't look at my pace at all until I was done). Overall, I finished three miles (12:17 with Joey, 11:51 and 11:17; overall average pace of 11:48/mi with average heart rate of 153 bpm.

Tuesday- I headed out early, as soon as it was light outside. I had Joey with me, so I looped the neighborhood for the first mile and dropped him off at home. Then I decided on a loop that I knew was roughly two miles. Since I hit my three-mile goal, I'm no longer trying to add distance to each run. I'm happy with doing three three-mile runs each week. My main focus now is to stay consistent so that they just get easier. I'd love to be able to run at my MAF heart rate (136 bpm) but I'm nowhere near that. Maybe after I get used to doing some three-milers, I'll add intervals into one of my runs each week to build fitness.

Anyway, my legs felt very heavy and tired during this run for some reason. The weather was really nice and I'd expected it to feel easy. I ran as slowly as possible, hoping that it would feel easier. I overshot my three-mile route and did 3.10 miles--12:59 with Joey, 12:19, and 11:56 average paces per mile. Overall average of 12:22 and heart rate of 153 bpm. As soon as I finish this post, I'm going to go for a run and I just hope my legs feel stronger this time.

I had a disappointing week on the scale, but considering how well I've been doing thus far, I'm not worried about it. I did everything the same as I have been, so I don't think I could have changed anything for a larger loss.

I was at 144.8 last week, and this week I was at 144.4. I'm getting excited for the 130's!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 9

This has been a rough week. The arthritis in my back has been hurting really bad and it's been limiting as far as what I can do around the house. I absolutely hate that my back becomes an obstacle that I have to work around just to do typical activities. I try to get all of the important things done as early in the day as possible because the longer I'm on my feet, the more my back starts to hurt.

I only ran once this week. I think that sitting in front of the computer so long last Wednesday is what made my back pain flare up, so I decided to skip my next run and hopefully the rest would help. I did go for a run on Sunday. I took Joey with me for a mile and then did an out-and-back, for a total of 2.5 miles. I felt like I was running pretty well, but the air was SO thick with humidity it was hard to tell.

My mile pace with Joey was 12:28, and then 11:55 for a mile, and then 11:38 for the last half mile, for an overall average of 12:03/mi. Average heart rate was 152 bpm. It was a tough one, and I think it's because of the humidity. 

I did have a good drop on the scale this week, though--I was at 146.8 last week, and today I was at 144.8. This is a huge milestone, because my BMI is officially "normal" again! (At 5'4", a normal weight rage for me is 107.6--haha!!--to 145.4.) My ultimate aim is 130-135, and I'm hoping to get there by Halloween. Not for any particular reason, it just sounded like a good motivation. I plan to schedule my yearly physical at around that time, too.

Anyway, yesterday the week went from bad to really shitty...

On Monday, Jerry went into work at 8:00 and they asked him to go to South Carolina right away to work at another plant until Thursday. A few hours later, he and his coworker/friend "Joe" (not his real name) were on a plane. They went immediately to the plant--didn't even stop at the hotel first--and worked all day. At around 2:00 in the morning, my phone woke me up. I keep it on "do not disturb" when I sleep, but I can still get messages and calls from Jerry and the kids.

I saw it was Jerry calling me, and I knew immediately something was wrong. He knows how hard it is for me to sleep and he would never call at that time unless it was very important. My first thought was that he'd gotten hurt and he was calling from the hospital. When I answered, he was really upset and I thought maybe something had happened to one of his parents.

Then he said that Joe died. I was STUNNED. They had been in the break room with two other guys and I won't go into detail, but Joe had a cardiac seizure while they were sitting there talking. They immediately called 911 and started CPR, but everything happened so quickly; the paramedics said they'd done everything right, but he couldn't be saved.

Jerry is having a VERY tough time right now. Neither of us has been with someone when they died and he wasn't prepared for the emotional toll it would take. He'd held Joe's hand and talked to him while it was happening, and I told him how important that was. If it had happened at the hotel, Joe would have been alone; or if Jerry hadn't traveled with him, he would have been with strangers. At least he was with a friend.

Jerry had to stick around to speak with the coroner. He called the plant here in Michigan to let them know what happened so someone could contact Joe's family. Another coworker/friend even offered to fly down there and travel back with him (I thought of this as well, but Jerry insisted that he could come home by himself). 

His coworkers have all been so great. His suitcase was in the rental car and Joe had had the keys, so someone went out and got him some clothes (he only had what he was wearing, which was sweaty and dirty from working all day). He was able to get a flight home in the afternoon and after some delays, he made it home around 7:00 last night. He hadn't slept since Sunday night, so he crashed hard last night after we talked about everything.

He's still in disbelief and he keeps thinking "What if...?", wondering if there was something they could have done differently through the day to prevent it, but how can you prevent something that you have no idea is going to happen? He feels guilty that people are worried about him, because he said this was about Joe and not him.

I keep thinking about Joe's wife and my heart is breaking for her. That could just as easily have been Jerry. We're at the age now where it's very real that friends/peers may die from things like heart attacks and strokes, which always felt like decades away. When Audrey's husband Kevin died in December, it woke something up inside of me and I realized just how mortal we are. I'm glad we've been working on getting healthier.

Jerry's boss told him to take the rest of the week off. I got the name of a therapist from my own therapist, so hopefully he'll be able to see them soon.

So, yeah. Not a great week!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 8

If I'm going to be posting awkward mirror selfies, I really need to do something about the lighting in my bathroom. There aren't any windows except for a skylight directly above where I'm standing, so it casts a shadow of every wrinkle (both in skin and clothes) on my body. 

I'm so glad that several of you said you may try out the beans and greens recipes/ideas! If you haven't seen it, I wrote a (very long) post yesterday called A Month of Beans and Greens; it took me forever, so thank you for checking it out, haha. 

I'm going to try to keep this short though, since yesterday's post was so long.

First, my weigh-in:

I had quite a bit of a jump down from last week's 149.6, so I'm thrilled with that! My diet has pretty much been the same all along. Even now that my planned month of beans and greens is over, I've still been eating mostly the same stuff (as you can see on yesterday's post, I love curries). I want to have really good numbers when I get my annual physical this fall, and the soluble fiber in beans as well as oatmeal (which I have as part of my breakfast) are great for lowering cholesterol. I figured I probably spent the first half the year raising my cholesterol with all the junk food, so now I need to pay my dues before my physical ;) 

Several months ago, I made a bet with a friend where I would have to pay a significant amount of money if I ate sweets before August 22. I've done that before and it always works well for me. I chose August 22 because I had a family reunion with my mom's family that day. I hadn't seen a lot of my cousins in at least a decade and I wasn't thrilled to look like I "let myself go", so I wanted to work really hard to lose some weight.

So, the reunion was on Saturday and I felt good about going. Even though I'm not as thin as I was 10 years ago, I'm also 10 years older--so of course I look different. Eating well and running again has made me feel better about myself, regardless of how I look, so I'm happy about that!

About the sweets, I still haven't had any and I don't plan to. Right now, I don't even crave them anymore, but I know that if I eat even a single Oreo, I'll go right back to eating my weight in cookies and non-dairy Ben & Jerry's.

As far as my running this week...

Friday- I should have gone out first thing after the sun came up, but I waited until almost 11:00 and it was hot in the full sun. Despite feeling kind of miserable, my heart rate was lower than usual, which is cool. I ran 2.05 miles at an 11:43/mi average pace and average heart rate of 149 bpm.

Sunday- I definitely didn't learn my lesson on Friday about going out early; this time I went at 1:00. I didn't have Joey (he was with my mom) so I did an out and back on the main road and I think that route makes me run a little faster. There isn't anything interesting to look at, really (no houses, just open road) so maybe that's why. Also, once I hit the turn around point, it's so hard to keep from picking up speed in order to get back sooner! Anyway, I ran 2.11 miles at an 11:32/mi average pace with an average heart rate of 152 bpm.

Tuesday- Learned my lesson about the heat, and I went out at 7:00 in the morning. Joey was with my mom again and it was only 55 degrees, so I was expecting to have a really nice run. However, about half a mile in, I just wasn't feeling it. I was breathing hard and I just kept trying keep my heart rate down by slowing down and matching my breathing to my steps (four steps inhale, three steps exhale is best for easy running--if you're bored, check out my super nerdy post about How To Breathe While Running).

I was doing okay with about three quarters of a mile to go, when suddenly a dog ran out into the street, barking and running right at me. I'm not exactly Speedy Gonzalez, so the dog caught up to me immediately and started jumping on me. The owner ran after him right away so it was only a few seconds, but it scared me enough to make my heart rate shoot up. I'd also unintentionally run faster because of the dog, and I had SUCH a hard time catching my breath after that. The rest of the way home, I was dying. So, needless to say, not a great run. I finished 2.22 miles with an 11:40/mi pace and average heart rate of 150 bpm (I swear it had to be higher than that!).

I have to say, I'm very surprised with myself that I'm still hanging in there--it's been eight weeks, and not only have I continued with my weight loss/running goals, I've actually been blogging about it. This is the most focused I've been in longer than I can even remember! It feels nice :) Thank you for reading.

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 7

As I was writing the date on this, I realized that it's the anniversary of when I started losing weight in 2009. On this day, 17 years ago(?!), I was 253 pounds. I *hate* this "before" photo of me, but seeing the pictures side-by-side really drives home how far I've come.

Of course, I didn't just lose all the weight and keep all of it off for all this time. I've gotten as low as 121 pounds and as high as 197. I feel my best at around 130 pounds, give or take 5. My ultimate goal for maintenance is about 133.

So where was I on the scale on this day, 17 years to the day after I started counting calories?

I was at 149.6... I broke into the 140's! It wasn't that long ago that I was super excited to see the 150's again. A few months ago, I really didn't even dream I'd ever see the 140's again. I'm now only five pounds from being a "normal" BMI (I'm considered "overweight" until I'm under 145). I've been asked several times recently how tall I am--I'm 5'4". 

I've still been doing the same stuff I've been doing over the last seven weeks: lots of fiber, no sweets or snacks (occasionally I have a piece of fruit in the afternoon if I'm hungry, or even a small portion of leftover dinner). Running three days a week, adding just a tiny bit of distance each run. I think what has helped me the most is the not snacking. I used to snack after dinner, but now I've been eating a large dinner and I don't have interest in snacking later.

For my running this week:

I've had to modify my routes so that I run past my house about a mile in (to drop off Joey at the house, which I mentioned last week). Thankfully, my neighborhood is is almost exactly a mile around the perimeter, so I take him around the neighborhood and then drop him off at home and add head back out until I hit my goal for the day.

Friday- My previous run had been 1.53 miles, so I planned to aim for about 1.60. Since I don't know a 0.6 mile route from my house, I just had to guesstimate and I overshot a little (not a bad thing!). I ran 1.70 miles at a 12:08/mile pace and average heart rate of 151 bpm. My "Joey mile" was 12:23; years ago, he would be out in front of me, pulling me along, the entire time; but now I've had to deliberately slow myself so he can keep up. I feel really bad for him; he would run with me until he legs gave out if I let him. I'm hoping once it's not so humid, it'll be easier for him. He's got SO MUCH FUR, the humidity has to be really hard for him.

Sunday- Same sort of thing. Previous run was 1.70, so my plan was to aim for about 1.80. Again, I dropped Joey off (that first mile time was 12:18) and then I did a guesstimate to continue the distance. I overshot again and hit 1.92 miles. I could have kept going in order to hit 2.0, but I decided I wanted my 2-miler to be a special day of its own. Finished the 1.92 miles at an 11:54/mi average pace (11:27 without Joey) with an average heart rate of 151 bpm.

Tuesday- The weather was GREAT for running! Unfortunately, as soon as Joey and I started out, my legs just felt heavy and I was feeling very tired. I was bummed because it was my 2.0-mile day. Since Tuesday was the last day of my running week, I couldn't put it off. I just pushed through it, and was thrilled when I hit the two-mile mark! It wasn't that long ago that I was struggling HARD to run half a mile. Now, my average heart rate is down a little and my pace is getting a little faster (without trying). I finished two miles--12:04/mi with Joey and 11:14/mi without Joey. Overall, I did 2.00 miles with an average pace of 11:39/mi and average heart rate of 152 bpm.

The running has actually done wonders for my day-to-day mood! Even after all these years, I still get really nervous before a run (even a short easy run). I have no idea why. But as soon as I get home, I walk straight to the bathroom, put the shower on straight-up cold water, strip as quickly as possible and jump in before I cool off. The cold water feels SO good! And then I feel good about it the rest of the day. It's exciting to see the improvement so far.

A few random personal things from recently...

Joey- I took him to the vet about his balance/"clumsiness", and after a thorough check-up, the vet didn't find anything concerning. We think it could be his hearing; he's definitely had hearing loss over the last year or so, and a sudden noise can startle him to losing his balance. But he has no balance issues when he runs with me, and the vet was very impressed that he can run a mile at his age. (Granted, we are not running to qualify for Boston, but running nonetheless. The vet also did some bloodwork since he's getting old, and she said there was a slight abnormality with his kidneys. She doesn't think it's alarming, but we're going to retest him in a few months and compare the results. 

When I tell him that my mom is going to come pick him up, he gets SO EXCITED. So we go outside and he stands like this, watching the end of the road for my mom's car to turn the corner.

Eli is starting the fire academy in a couple of weeks! I can't remember if I mentioned it here or not, but he wants to be a firefighter and has been working really hard to get in shape before he starts the academy. As a mom, I am terrified of him becoming a firefighter; but I am happy that he's chosen to go back to school to do something that interests him. He put in his two-week notice at work yesterday. He still lives at home, but spends most of his time at work, the gym, and his girlfriend's apartment.

Noah is still working full-time and living at home to save money to buy property (he wants to build a house). He's just now starting to look at other options for jobs. He would ideally like to get into a trade like electrical. We've been helping him explore those options. For now, he works a lot (he picks up overtime for the extra money) and when he's not working, he's usually spending time with his boyfriend (yes, you read that correctly; he is very happy and Jerry and I are happy for him!). 

Jerry and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary on Sunday. We did the most unlike-us thing we could have chosen... we went to the Henry Ford Museum! I have probably mentioned (several times over the years) that I hate going to that museum because I chaperoned field trips every.goddamned.year. when the kids were in school. But I've changed so much over the last 4-5 years. When I became vegan, I started reading more about veganism--which led to reading more about the impacts of diet on the environment (I *highly* recommend the documentary called "Eating Our Way to Extinction", free on YouTube). That led me to interest in politics, which led me to learning about war, which led me to learning about history. All things I never had any interest in. 

Anyway, Jerry and I went to the Henry Ford Museum and it was like looking at it with fresh eyes. I really enjoyed our time there! (Jerry has always loved the museum.) We were there for five hours and didn't even see everything. My favorite part was that there is a temporary exhibit called Fabric of America: Our Fashions, Textiles, and Technologies. So perfect for me! There were quilts (including one from the 1700's) and lots of clothing and furniture from throughout the last couple of centuries. It was super interesting (even Jerry liked it).

I was stunned to see this quilt called the Vine Quilt from the late 1800's. Every single one of the leaves and vines are hand-appliquéd! Having appliquéd petals on a couple of quilts myself, I know how much time this must have taken. And most of these individual leaves are pieced with multiple fabrics!

The cats are still spoiled rotten. Estelle is about 18 years old and just recently, she's started to show her age a little. She's gotten smaller and is starting to look a little frail, like Phoebe did for a few years before she passed. But Estelle still gets the zoomies occasionally and she always shows the "kittens" who's boss. Chick and Duck (mainly Duck) are about as needy as two toddlers, which drives me crazy. But I'm still obsessed with Duck and we are totally codependent, haha.

I brought them some "cat grass" from Eastern Market in Detroit. They LOVE this stuff!

Well, I guess that's enough update for now. I *promise* to post my Beans and Greens post by Friday. I'm writing that here so that I actually have a deadline and I stop procrastinating!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 6

I'm still here! I had an insanely busy week last week. I wasn't planning to skip a post, but my therapist asked if we could meet on Wednesday instead of Tuesday last week and I had my days all screwed up. Tuesday felt like Monday and Wednesday felt like Tuesday. Anyway, by Friday I decided to just wait and post today.

About a year ago, I decided that I was probably never going to fit into my old clothes again, and I started working on resizing what I could and even merging two pieces to make something bigger. Which is what you see with the shirt I'm wearing in this pic... I thought the camouflage sleeves would work well with a Jurassic Park hoodie. I cut down both sides as well, in order to expand the width. Then I just took the cuffs from the hoodie and put them on the camo sleeves.

I had also started picking up a few things from Salvation Army here and there, kind of accepting that I wasn't going to lose weight. I've spent a lot of time tailoring and altering the clothes how I like them. And now, after just six weeks of working on my weight, everything is way too big! (I've gone down 2-3 sizes.) I'm working on resizing them--I actually really enjoy tailoring my clothes, so it's been kind of fun.

It's made me start looking more at the quality of the clothes I buy, too. I look for 100% linen (my favorite!) and cotton, mostly. I especially like 100% cotton jeans. I've never liked stretchy jeans--they get distorted and they don't hold up well--but the cotton ones are super durable and they maintain their shape. (That said, the jeans I'm wearing in the photo are stretchy--they've been sized up and down several times, as well as patched more times than I can count. I should get rid of them, but I'm going to wait until I have a few good pairs that fit well.)

My biggest issue now with buying my pants from thrift stores is the number of skinny jeans they have! I've always been a flared jeans person because I have huge calves. When everyone was wearing skinny jeans, thrift shopping was great! Everybody was donating their flared jeans. And now that flared jeans are back, the store is loaded with skinny jeans. I'm hoping a new trend comes along soon.

Anyways, that was a long tangent. I've still been doing really well with my diet and with running. Even though my "beans and greens month" is over, I've still been eating a lot of beans and greens. I discovered that you can add greens to just about anything and not really notice them. I eat rice almost every single day, and it's easy to throw some beans into that as well. I promise to work on my beans and greens post this week; I'd started it and then got overwhelmed.

As far as running goes, I had an unusual victory. My pattern for just about every goal I work has been to start a streak of something and then when I miss a day, I quit. Especially with running.

Well, last week I missed a day. I had planned to run three times a week, no more than two days in a row without running. Like I said, it was a crazy week... but it was also SO humid. I found myself absolutely dreading going out for a run. So, I made a decision to skip a run; but only if I didn't let that make me quit. Yesterday was the last day of my run week and the humidity was killer, but I made myself do it so that I wouldn't quit.

A quick recap of the last two weeks:

Friday (the 31st)- Ran 1.12 miles. It was 84 degrees, sunny, and humid--fun! Since I didn't know a good route that would be just over a mile, I started an out-and-back; toward the midway point, I decided to try for a lollipop route and it ended up being perfect. I was aiming for 1.10 miles. Finished 1.12 at 12:25/mile and average heart rate of 153 bpm.

Sunday- Joey was at my parents' house, so I decided to do an out-and-back on the main road (I don't like taking him on the main road because cars go so fast and drivers aren't great at paying attention). It was raining outside, and I actually really like to run in the rain. This run was a good turning point for me--for the first time since I started running again, I *felt* like a runner. It felt so familiar and I got in "the zone" where my mind wanders and I forget that I'm running. Short-lived, of course, but it was good for my mentality. Finished 1.30 miles at a 12:03/mile pace and average heart rate of 152 bpm.

Tuesday- It was only 55 degrees outside in the morning, so I headed out right when it was light outside. Something my psychiatrist and my therapist have talked about several times is the importance of mindfulness--being aware of the present moment--and I've been trying to work on that while running. Paying attention to all the things I can hear and see and smell; feeling my heavy breathing and my heart beating fast.

During this run, I started to think about why it is that I don't *love* running, like most runners seem to. And I realized that I actually really do love it--if it wasn't for how uncomfortable my breathing is. Other than that, I love feeling the breeze on my skin, seeing the familiar sights in my neighborhood, the slight ache of my muscles. That's why I want to get to the point where running three miles feels easy again. Finished 1.38 miles at a 12:30/mile pace and heart rate of 152 bpm.

Saturday- It was hot and humid, but I headed out early in the morning to get it done. I mapped out 1.5 miles in my neighborhood and headed out with Joey. Surprisingly, I didn't feel awful. About a mile in, I was actually feeling pretty good. It was around that time that Joey started falling behind a little bit. He's old, and I've noticed as we've increased the distance, he tires out toward the end. I feel bad, because he gets SO excited to go that I can't leave him home. So, I might have to start planning to pass by my house about a mile into each run, so that I can drop him off. I'm taking him to the vet today; he's been having problems with his balance and coordination. I hope it's nothing serious! Finished 1.50 miles at a 12:32/mile pace and average heart rate of 152 bpm.

Tuesday (yesterday)- Joey was at my parents' house again (they love having him over), so I chose to do the out-and-back on the main road again. Holy hell, it was SO humid and there was absolutely zero breeze. So I was pouring sweat immediately and it wasn't evaporating. I was shocked, then, when I looked at my watch to check my distance for the turn-around point and I saw my pace was in the 11:00's. My pace has been about 12:30-13:00/mile so far. When I turned around, I decided to see if I could finish out the mile under 12:00. When my watched beeped to signal a mile, I saw that I finished it in 11:36! And then I was encouraged to try to finish the run with a sub-12:00 average. The last half-mile, I ran at 11:09/mi. Finished 1.53 miles at 11:27/mile and average heart rate of 155 bpm.

I feel like running is definitely getting easier--when I first started six weeks ago, I felt like I was going to die--and I feel kind of excited to keep going and increasing my distance. I'm now a little more than halfway to my goal of three miles.

Well, I have to get Joey to the vet, so I'm going to cut this off here. I am really going to try to get my beans and greens post done this weekend. Jerry's and my 23rd wedding anniversary is on Sunday! We actually have plans, but I'll write about that next time.

(I almost posted this without my weigh-in, hahaha)...

I was at 151.2 today, which is down three pounds from two weeks ago (since I didn't post last week). It's definitely slowed down, but that was expected. I'm still doing everything the same, though, and it's been consistent, so I'm happy with that. I'm so close to the 140's!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 3

It's hard to believe it's only been a week since my last post, because this has felt like the longest week ever. Usually time goes by unbelievably fast!

Posting these Wednesday Weigh-Ins again has been so helpful in getting back on track with my diet and exercise. Getting started was the hardest part, but now that I feel like I'm in a good groove, I feel pretty determined to see it through. And the fact that I saw such good progress in the first couple of weeks was motivating, too.

Running is still HARD. Of course, I don't expect that it'll feel like it did back when I was running regularly and/or training for races. But I just hope it starts to feel easier as I continue to build mileage, because wow, am I out of shape.

This week:

Wednesday- I think I wrote about this last week. Ran 0.80 miles, 12:46/mi pace, average heart rate of 150 bpm.

Friday/Saturday- When I woke up on Friday morning, I let Joey outside and when I opened the door, I smelled smoke really strongly. I thought maybe there was a fire in the neighborhood, but it was 3:00 in the morning and very quiet; I would have heard if there was something like that going on. Still, it was strong enough that I woke Jerry. He told me it was from the Canadian wildfires.

When the sun came up, the sky was so hazy looking. The visibility was terrible. I couldn't even see the trees at the other side of the marsh across the street, which only happens when it's *very* foggy outside. I looked at the weather app, and the air quality was piss-poor (and yes, the smoke was from the wildfires).

This is where the "old Katie" started to nag me. A few weeks ago, I told myself I would run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; since "old Katie" had a habit of being very all-or-nothing, it would have felt like I somehow failed if I chose not to run on Friday due to the fires. But I could hear my therapist's voice in my head telling me that I was only practicing self-care; running in such bad quality air would definitely not be taking care of myself.

Still, I was worried that I was subconsciously using it as an excuse to procrastinate or skip my run. Trying to let "old Katie" go, I ultimately decided that I'd skip the run Friday and try for Saturday; if the air was still terrible, I'd even put it off again. The hard part was simply the change in plans--I thrive on routine--but this is an obstacle that I've needed to work on for a long time. A change in plans doesn't have to offset my goals.

It rained Friday night, which helped clear the smoke quite a bit; on Saturday morning, it was much better. I headed out before I could change my mind, aiming for anything more than 0.80 miles (my previous run). It felt hard, like all of the runs have felt so far, but maybe slightly less hard than before. I ran 0.85 miles with a 12:43/mi pace, average heart rate of 155 bpm. This is interesting, because my previous run's heart rate was 150 bpm and I felt HORRIBLE, but at 155 bpm for this one, I felt (slightly) better.

Tuesday- (I'll explain below why I didn't run Monday) I set out to run anything more than 0.85 miles. From the very beginning, my body felt heavy and I could have sworn I was running backwards by how slow it felt. Since I couldn't care less what my pace is, I just focused on trying to reach the distance. I truly thought I might have to stop midway, but after half a mile, I could "see" the finish line and that was enough to make me push on. I was going to stop at 0.86 miles, but I was practically in front of my house, so I just continued until hit 0.90.

Despite feeling terrible, I'd run 0.90 miles with a 12:34/mile pace and average heart rate of 154 bpm. Since I was deliberately going very slowly to try to avoid getting to the point where I can't breathe, I was really surprised to see my pace was faster. So maybe I am improving a little, just not in the way I hoped. (Like I said, I don't care about my pace as much as I do the distance and especially the *feeling*; I ultimately want to be able to run three miles and have it feel easy again.)

The reason I ran Tuesday instead of Monday was because Jerry and I spontaneously decided on Sunday morning to go for a bike ride at the Metropark (this led to sore hips and thighs). A spontaneous bike ride is *extremely* unusual for us. Ever since lockdown, we sort of got into the habit of being far less active in our free time. We've never been one of those couples that goes out kayaking, cycling, running, etc. every weekend (that would be great, but it's never been us).

In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I rode my bike. Three years ago? Five? Jerry even got our bikes tuned up last summer and we never. took. them. out. So, when I was feeling kind of antsy on Sunday morning, I told Jerry that I felt like *doing* something--I didn't know what that meant, just that I had some energy to burn. He suggested going for a bike ride (probably not even being serious) but I actually thought that sounded like a good idea. And now that he has a truck, we're able to easily take our bikes somewhere to ride (we don't have sidewalks or bike paths near home, and it's pretty dangerous to ride on the roads).

We parked in the same place that Jessica and I used to park for our long runs when we were marathon training. One direction of the path leads into the Metropark, and round-trip is 10 miles (I'm surprised I remembered that, considering I haven't done a long run in probably seven or eight years).

It wasn't too hot or sunny, which is why I ended up really enjoying it (if it had been sunny, I probably wouldn't have gone). There were a lot of people out walking, biking, fishing... it was rarely busy when I used to run that route, so it was nice to see people out being active. And it was inspiring to me to make me want to be more active, "just for fun".

We took our time and chatted the whole way, and we really enjoyed it. We stopped for a picture on the bridge where we'd had our first kiss back in 1999!

Remember that time I went for a long bike ride with my helmet on backwards? Hahaha, Jerry never lets me forget it.

We both said we should go again next weekend; the whole thing, including the drive, only took about two hours and it set a good mood for the rest of the day.

Anyway, I feel good about my activity for the week. I did all three runs, increasing the distance (just slightly) each time; and I did exercise when I didn't even *have* to ;)

As far as my diet... three weeks in, and I've still been making some variation of beans and greens for dinner. I usually cook every other day; I'll make four portions and we eat it two days in a row. It's so odd not having to feed kids! Of course they're welcome to eat what I cook, but beans and greens aren't exactly the most enticing for 20- and 22-year old boys.

If I were cooking for just myself, I would eat dahl literally every day, but I've been making a variety of things to keep it interesting. I've been taking pictures and at the end of the month, I'll do a post of all the variations I've made. I honestly think that the beans and greens are what is making my weight drop like it is. We haven't had any processed/convenience food (for a while, Jerry was obsessed with breakfast burritos--tofu scramble with potatoes, peppers, vegan cheese, and chopped vegan breakfast "sausage" on a tortilla--and we ate it way too frequently).

The beans and greens are so filling that I don't even have thoughts of snacking after dinner. The sodium reduction alone is probably responsible for the large drop in what I assume was water weight. After last week's large loss on the scale, I assumed this week would be negligible; but once again, I was pleasantly surprised to see the scale moving along in a downward direction.

I was at 159.6 last week, and this morning I weighed 157.4.

It feels SO good to see progress. My poor food choices over the last couple of years had been hanging over my head and just felt so heavy all the time. But I guess I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to change it. I want to keep this momentum and make some permanent (healthy) habits!

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 1

Surprise! I actually stuck to my plan and I'm posting a Wednesday Weigh-In.

First, though, I want to apologize for last week's blog update email. I use a company called "follow. it" to take care of my rss feed--basically, whenever I publish a post, they send out an email saying that there is a new post on my blog. I even pay extra so that I can personalize the sender, subject line, and get rid of the ads (even if I left the ads on there, that money doesn't even go to me--so why would I do that?!).

Well, the site wasn't taking my payment a couple of months ago, so I decided to try again later--and I forgot. My payment defaulted and I didn't know it, but they reset the things I'd personalized back to their "free" plan (tacky ads, no subject, etc.). Meanwhile, I'd contacted their support so that I could make my payment (the site still wasn't accepting it), I made the payment and apparently everything was good to go. And then I was pissed when I saw the email that was sent out after my last post. You can't even really tell what it is! If I didn't know what follow.it was, I wouldn't have even opened it.

So anyway, I *hopefully* have it taken care of now. I guess I won't know until I publish this post. Moving on...

I honestly had absolutely no idea when or what my previous weigh-in was, but curiosity got the better of me and I looked it up. It was on May 15, 2024--I am stunned that so much time has passed since I stopped writing frequently.

Back then, my weight was at 145.4. Now I kind of wish I hadn't looked, because I hate seeing the effect the last couple of years has had on my weight.

A note about my shirt: I've been really into altering clothes lately--I started by just doing visible mending of some clothes with patches and embroidery to hide stains or tears, as well as covering logos with appliqué. Anyway, my therapist talks a lot about the importance of self-care and it started a routine that I've been doing for nearly a year now and I love it:

My therapist's office is right around the corner from a huge Salvation Army store, and after my sessions, I go pick out a "project piece" for the week. For the shirt in my weigh in photo, I saw the green hoodie and loved the color--but it had a Moosejaw logo across the front. With some inspiration from Pinterest, I gathered up scraps and made the "very hungry caterpillar" to get rid of the logo. I also embroidered "eat the rich" under the caterpillar to let out a little political frustration, haha.

Anyways, now I pick out a project piece each week after therapy and make something that either turns out cute or turns into a dust rag or more scraps for another project. But it's been a really fun routine that I look forward to every week. And then I usually wear my project piece to therapy the next week.

Here is another shirt I did. When I was in elementary school, we had a very fun custodian who all the kids really liked. He used to call me "Katydid" and I remember feeling special that he gave me a cool nickname (although I'm sure all the kids had nicknames).

Before I even get into my weigh-in today, I should mention a few things that may affect my weight loss/gain this time around. First, my age--I started having perimenopause symptoms about a year ago and from everything I've heard/read, it becomes *very* difficult to lose weight in the peri/menopause years. I keep hoping I'm the exception 😂 

I'm also not as active as I used to be. For several years, I was remodeling the house and garage, refinishing furniture, building things with wood, and it seemed like I always had some project that was very labor intensive. My favorite pastime right now is sewing/crafting, which requires a lot of sitting (I do keep my iron all the way across the room from my sewing machine so that I have to constantly walk back and forth, though--every little bit helps!)

Following my surgery, my thyroid (or the half that's left of it) has been doing the job so far of keeping up with my thyroid hormones. As long as that stays good, my thyroid shouldn't cause problems with my weight.

Anyways, about this week... I actually did pretty well. Jerry and I stuck with our plan of having some sort of beans and greens dinner every day. I've been taking pictures, so maybe at the end of the month I'll post the meals we've had. I've been trying to be creative so that it doesn't feel like eating the same thing all the time and it's surprisingly easy to adjust most meals to include a bean and a green. My digestive system seems so much happier now that I'm back to eating loads of fiber and mostly whole foods.

As far as running goes, I chose to go the way of a full beginner again (well, myself as a beginner). I've done four runs since my last post (first one was right after I posted), and my only goal for each run is to run a little farther than the previous run. Even if it's just a hundredth of a mile, I will eventually reach my goal of three miles.

Let me tell you, that first run was HUMBLING. It doesn't help that I picked the hottest/most humid day in the middle of a heat wave to start. For the first day, I decided to start by just going around the block and if I felt okay, try to go farther.

Well. I felt like I was going to die after the first lap around the block--0.41 miles--and I stopped there. It hasn't been *that* long since I ran around the block, but it felt ten times harder than before. And I wasn't even going fast--my pace was 13:01/mile. I don't know if the weather had anything to do with it, but it was already 80 degrees with full sun at 6:30 AM, and the air felt like a steam room.

Friday was run number two and since I know that running around two blocks is half a mile, I figured I'd do that. It was just as hot, and I was really not looking forward to feeling as miserable as the last one. However, because the distance is so short (relatively speaking), I told myself I'd be back home in less than 10 minutes, tops.

It definitely felt just as hard. Harder, even. I almost started walking as soon as I hit 0.42 miles, but I managed to push myself to finish. Total of 0.51 miles, pace was 12:42/mi.

Monday, it was 70 degrees and raining and I couldn't have been more thrilled. ANYTHING was better than the heat and humidity from the previous two runs. I was afraid to try adding another block to the distance, so I ran the same two blocks as before but added a short 0.02 by going just past my house. Total was 0.53, with a 12:49/mi pace.

Which brings me to today. The air was thick with humidity when I stepped outside to fill the squirrel feeder--and that was at 5:30 this morning. I was hoping that I was miraculously back in shape when I headed out to run and it would feel fantastic. Alas, that was not the case (shocking, I know). When I run a block going in a different direction, it's 0.63 miles total, so I chose to try that today. I figured that if it was too hard, I'd just try to make it to 0.54 miles and then walk the rest of the way.

Well, it was definitely hard, so I kept reminding myself to slow down. It's easy to pick up speed without realizing it and suddenly I'm struggling to breathe and I have to slow myself back down. Being this out of shape isn't fun at all.

Anyway, I gave it my all in order to finish out the whole 0.63 miles--I was only a couple of houses from home when, of course, Joey had to stop and poop. So I had to stop my watch for about 15 seconds while I picked up his poop and I could have used that as an excuse to just stop there, since I'd already gone farther than last time, but I started running again and finished it out. Ran 0.63 miles with a pace of 13:04/mi.

I'm going to consider my running this week a success. Even though it was extremely difficult for me, and I was very humbled, I did what I'd said I would--run a little farther each time--so I am happy with that.

And finally, my Wednesday Weigh-In. I didn't do an "official" weigh in for week 0, but I was at 168.8 last Wednesday, and today I was at 166.2. I don't really have any expectations for my weight because of the variables I mentioned earlier, so I'm good with this.

For this coming week, my plan is to just keep doing what I'm going. Lots of fiber, portion control, and building up my running fitness. I have to say, knowing that I was going to be posting this today was VERY helpful all week--the accountability factor is real. One week down, and now onto week two! 

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Reader Question: Will MAF ever make me faster?!

Despite the fact that I no longer "train" (or run regularly, for that matter!) I still get asked a particular question pretty frequently. As a running coach, it makes sense that I get questions about running ;)  And running is one of my favorite things to talk/write about!

This question has to do with heart rate training--specifically, MAF training. In short: 'MAF' is a heart rate training method that was developed by Dr. Phil Maffetone; and coincidentally, his method involves a heart rate called Maximum Aerobic Function (i.e. MAF heart rate). From here on out, when I write MAF, I'm referring to the Maximum Aerobic Function heart rate. Heart rate is given in bpm (beats per minute).

(If you want the full, more-information version, here is a post I wrote about the MAF method of training and my thoughts on it.)

Please don't take this as gospel, because it's been a while since I read the MAF book, but the gist is this: a typical person's MAF heart rate is a simple number that is calculated by subtracting their age from 180. (Let's say you are 40 years old--your MAF heart rate would be 140, because 180 bpm - 40 (age)=140 bpm.) 

To train using the MAF method, you do all of your running at or under your MAF heart rate. In the example above, the 40-year old woman goes for a four-mile run several days a week--and each time she runs, she must keep her heart rate at or below 140 beats per minute. Always. No matter the situation.

Let me tell you, it feels VERY SLOW. But we'll get to that in a minute.

According to Dr. Maffetone, if you always run at that MAF heart rate, you will naturally get faster while maintaining the same heart rate. Your muscles and cardiovascular system are getting more efficient each time you run at your MAF rate, and therefore, it takes less effort to do the same amount of work (your running pace).

So, here is the big question/problem that people ask me about frequently: Running at the MAF heart rate is SO SLOW--I have to walk a lot of the time, especially when going uphill, and it feels like I'll never get faster. Does it really work? Will I get faster if I only ever run at my MAF heart rate?

First, let me be clear that I have not done the MAF method 100% for more than a couple of weeks. (I use the MAF formula frequently, but I'll get to that later.) I hadn't really studied the method until a friend told me about it, and the whole idea made so much sense to me. I loved it!

Until I tried to run at MAF pace and was soooo slow that I was very embarrassed. (Wisdom I wish I knew then: Don't ever be embarrassed at what pace you run. Seriously, that's dumb.)

I didn't do MAF training for long because I just didn't have the patience to see it through. I wanted to run FAST, dammit! So I ignored it for a few years. I read a book called Hansons Marathon Method in 2013 to train for the Chicago Marathon. It involved a LOT of running, but it really stressed that most of the running should be SLOW and easy. I didn't even know the meaning of "easy"--all of the runs I thought I was doing at an easy pace were not, in fact, easy. They were pretty much "garbage miles"--too slow for speed work, too fast for cardio efficiency.

(I hope I'm writing this in order--but this is the end result, regardless...) I wanted to train with the Hansons Marathon Method, and decided to use my MAF heart rate as the rate I would use for my easy runs. And finally, I read a book called '80/20 Running' by Matt Fitzgerald--he says to spend 80% of the TIME spent running per week at an easy pace, and 20% of the TIME can be spent doing work that raises your heart rate into a particular zone. (It's key to note that it's *time* and not *distance*.)

I sort of combined the methods to train for Chicago: the training plan in the Hansons Marathon Method Book (you can find my review of the whole method here); the 80/20 rule; and using my MAF heart rate to be the heart rate I spent 80% of my time running.

I took this picture after the hardest training run I've ever done: 3 x 2 miles at race pace (for me, that was 7:55/mile at the time). 

Training for a marathon is more of an extreme example for this particular question about MAF training. I used the method mostly during my training for a 10K (spending 80% of my time at MAF heart rate and 20% of the time doing HARD speed work).

I came in second female overall at a 5K that I decided to use as speed work.

I had results. Really good results, in fact.

I wish I could answer the question that I'm asked so frequently--about whether following MAF exactly as it should be will yield the best results--but I can say that the MAF training heart rate number was perfect for my own training.

The pace I had to run at that number felt way too slow (and yes, I had to walk quite a bit to lower it) in the beginning. At that time, I'd been trying to follow the MAF program as written; however, I got impatient and decided to combine it with the 80/20 Method. Then I could get my "fix" of fast running once in a while.

Using the combination of the MAF easy runs (80% of the time) and very hard speed work (which I'll describe), took my 10K pace from about 11:00/mile to 7:55/mile in about six months. I trained SO HARD and definitely got the results I wanted. (Unfortunately, I was burnt out after going after such a lofty goal.) I hit my 10K goal, which was thrilling.

I absolutely think that the MAF method on it's own probably works--thousands of people rave about it. And actually, if you want to read a book about a famous runner who followed this sort of heart rate training and felt SO SLOW at first, check out Rich Roll's memoir called 'Finding Ultra' (the link is to my favorite running books, so you can find it there). 

So, for the official answer to my question...

Yes, I believe that the MAF method works if you do it like you are supposed to. I didn't do it for long (only a couple of weeks) but I could understand how it starts to feel easier at the same heart rate.

Also, when I first started training with MAF heart rate, I felt super slow. But I forced myself to trust the process (I think my pace was 13-something a mile--when I was used to calling my "easy" runs 9- or 10- something per mile, haha!). I remember my MAF heart rate being 146 bpm, and I always kept my pace below that number when I was doing "easy runs".

Per my own permission, I spent 20% of my running time each week doing speed work--intervals and/or tempo runs. And I went hog wild with them, making each of those workouts really count. Seriously, I gave them my ALL. I think that was important--what's the point of half-assed speed work?

I think the combination of the two methods is a great way to train, regardless of the distance. I wrote out several places that use the method; you can check out my free training plans on this page. The plans can even be used for walking--I've discovered I have to walk VERY fast to get my heart rate up to MAF; and holy smokes, it's a tough workout. 

You could actually use this method for any sort of cardio exercise you like to do, now that I think about it. The whole point is to make your body more efficient at the workload you give it; and it does this by being trained, over and over, at that particular exertion (your MAF heart rate). Eventually, you'll have to work really hard to get it up there!

(If I remember correctly, I think my "easy runs", using MAF heart rate during 10K training, went from 13:00 minutes+ per mile to just under 10:00 per mile. At the same heart rate of 146 bpm! I wish I could tell whether it was the MAF method, the 80/20 Method, or a combination of the two that did it, but I'll never know for sure.)

After all is said and done, it wouldn't hurt to TRY doing the MAF Method exactly as intended--see what happens. (And definitely email me and let me know.) If you really don't see good results after the time that Dr. Maffetone suggests, you can always decide to try a different method (or try adding speed work, like I did). But there certainly isn't anything wrong with giving it a try.

I think the hardest part about it is all mental--making yourself run/walk/bike/etc. much slower than you want or that you're used to is mentally challenging! I'm sure that once you start to see results, it will be encouraging, though. 

(Oh, this is a random question that deserves a spot here as well: Dr. Maffetone says that you don't have to change your MAF heart rate every year on your birthday. He says that as long as it's working for you and your health hasn't changed, you don't need to change it. I found 146 bpm worked so well for me when 10K training that I used that number for a couple of years.)

This post isn't nearly as clear as I hoped it would be, but I wanted to try to write this info in one place for anyone who may be wondering the same question. Give MAF a try, and let us know how it works out for you! Or, make it your own and work the MAF method into your own training like I did.

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Like Nothing I'd Ever Seen

I (like usual) was procrastinating my run today. When I was in bed, I told myself that I was going to get right out of bed and into my running clothes. And then Jerry told me that he'd made coffee for me, so I decided to do the Wordle and Duolingo while drinking my coffee, then I'd head out.

I still had coffee left after Wordle and Duolingo, so I decided to look at my craft board on Pinterest and see if there was something that I'd want to work on this week. I had so much inspiration--but not the right fabrics/clothes. So, continuing my procrastination I decided to head to Goodwill and see if I could find any good deals for project clothes.

I didn't end up getting what I needed for the project I had in mind, but I think I really need to make a list--it was hard to remember things when I was there. I did come up with a cool idea to do as an experiment, and I was planning to write about that today. But then.

Then.

Once I got home and talked myself into running, I had quite the eventful run that I thought was worth writing about. First, remember when I said IT ALL COUNTS, no matter whether you stop and chat with a neighbor or tie your shoe, or get, say, mauled by dogs.

I was running--or walking--I'm doing run/walk (90 seconds running, 30 seconds walking), so I'm not sure. Anyway, I heard a noise behind me (I wear ear buds, but I have them on an "aware" setting, so I can still hear everything around me). I turned to look and couldn't believe just how close a dog was to me--a VERY aggressive dog. (I'm not sure what kind of dog it was--maybe a boxer or boxer mix? I don't know dog breeds very well. There is a picture later in the post.)

I've seen umpteen dogs since I started running 13 years ago. I know the body language of friendly, scared, playful, protective, warnings to stay away, and--aggression. If you've ever been confronted by an aggressive dog, it's scary as shit! When we first got Joey and I brought him for a temperament test at a doggy daycare, he failed immediately because the hair on his back stood up and he bared his teeth. (Later, the owner called and asked if he'd like to come back to try again--she had a good feeling about him--and he passed.) Whenever Joey is confronted by a bunch of dogs, that's how he reacts. He's not being mean or aggressive, however--it's just his way of introducing himself to the pack. He's cool after 30 seconds or so.

The owner of the doggy daycare had explained to me the major signs of aggression, and one of them is baring teeth on both sides of the mouth. I've only ever seen a dog do it a few times, usually right before biting.

Anyway, I was running, heard a noise, and then stopped in my tracks and turned to face a very aggressive dog. I started firmly and loudly telling it to go home. (Usually, that works like a charm for unleashed dogs; they aren't aggressive, however.) I was starting to panic, though, because this dog kept coming closer as I was slowly backing up. My voice got louder until I was yelling at the top of my lungs, "GO HOME!"

Then, out of nowhere, I see two more dogs--they are running full speed toward us. They were about the same size--one of them looked like the aggressive one, and the other looked like an Australian shepherd(?). I had basically resolved that I was going to be mauled, and I was desperately trying to think of a way out.

Suddenly, something happened that I'd never seen before. It was amazing and SO cool to see and I wish I had it on video.

The two dogs coming up behind the aggressive one (all three coming toward me now), simultaneously flanked the aggressive dog. The other boxer (I'm going to say boxer, even if I'm wrong, just for clarity) rammed into the side of the aggressive dog while the Aussie bit the neck of the aggressive dog and PINNED HIM TO THE GROUND. The other boxer grabbed the other side and they held him there for a moment. I took the opportunity to get away (backwards, because I was afraid to turn my back).

On my left, I could see an elderly couple come out of their house. The man yelled something to the woman and then he started walking toward the street. All three dogs noticed and got up. (I was far enough away that I stopped and took a couple of pictures because I wanted to call animal control when I got home.) Right as I was taking the pictures, the dogs noticed me again and the aggressive one started coming toward me. The Aussie and other boxer sort of forced the aggressive dog back (the other boxer actually jumped onto his back). 

This picture is right after the aggressive dog noticed me for the second time, and the other two stopped him from going farther. The aggressive dog (the center one in the photo) looks SO innocent here, I know--but I can't even describe how terrifying it was when it was just six feet or so away, hair on end, teeth bared, deeply growling, barking, and looking like it was about to lunge at me and tear my face off.

The man yelled to the woman as the aggressive dog started running toward their driveway. Once they were back in the house, the aggressive dog ran right up to the door (so I assumed that's where he lived). The other boxer and the Aussie crossed the street to another house.

I went on my way, shaking horribly with adrenaline. I'd never stopped my Garmin, so my intervals were messed up. I ran during the walking by accident, walked during the running, etc, several times. The whole incident was on my mind and I wasn't worried about the run/walk intervals getting screwed up. I did 30 minutes or run/walking, so it counts! ;)

I circled the whole neighborhood (about a mile) and when I got back to the front, I saw a police car go by, heading the direction I'd been when the dogs came out (the far back of the neighborhood). I was very curious if he was there because of the dog incident, and I debated whether to run all the way down there. Since I'd been planning to call animal control anyway, I decided to go check it out.

As I was getting pretty close, I noticed the car was parked in the driveway of the elderly couple's house. I saw the car backing out and I ran faster to try to get there. But then I noticed the officer turn around and go to the house of the boxer and Aussie.

I caught up just as the officer was getting out of his car. I stopped (gasping for breath, haha) and asked if he happened to be there because of dogs, and he said yes. I explained to him what had happened to me and he said that the elderly couple had come out to try to help me when they heard me yelling, but when the aggressive dog started going toward them, they went back in the house to avoid getting attacked. They called the police for help. All three of the dogs actually lived in the house where the Aussie and other boxer went.

Anyway, the owner was outside and talked to the officer (who issued her a ticket). He gave me his business card and asked me to email him the picture I'd taken.

So, after a terrifying run, I'm glad (and lucky) that I didn't get bitten--and it was mind-blowing to watch as those dogs most likely saved me from being severely hurt. I truly had never seen anything like it.

Post-shower, I'm going to head over to the elderly couple's house to thank them for looking out for me--it was very nice of them. What a run!

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Run-Walking

I really debated whether to write about this, for fear of failing (again). But I'm kind of excited about it right now. Also, I tend to work much harder at goals when I make them public. Whether I succeed at this or not, at least I'll have it documented. I like that.

As I've said many times, I haven't been able to find one tiny part of me that wants to run. I miss running! I really, truly miss running. But the thought of going out for a run just doesn't appeal to me. I know that doesn't really make sense, but it's the best I can explain.

Anyway, I've tried getting back into running lots of times now. Using MAF training, 80/20 training, all easy runs, just heart rate, with pace, without pace, etc. One that I haven't done (since 2012, when I trained for the Detroit Marathon) is a run-walk method of training.

Jessica and I were both injured (runner's knee; IT band syndrome) so we did a run/walk method. We just decided to run 0.9 miles and then walk 0.1, and do that for our entire run. Interestingly, our pace was very similar whether we were run-walking or plain running.

I believe this was a round mile 24--we were MISERABLE in the heat!

I always get excited about trying new things--the novelty of it can sometimes carry me through until it becomes a habit. A habit is what I'm hoping for!

The most common training method for run-walking is the Galloway Method (developed by Jeff Galloway). In a nutshell, you run a "magic mile"--run your fastest mile and that speed is used to determine what ratio of run:walk you should do.

Me, being resistant to running has hard as I can for a mile, just guesstimated what my time would be. If I was to run all-out, going-to-puke fast, I think I could probably run a 10:30/mile pace. So, based on that, my recommended run to walk ratios (in seconds) are: 90/30; 60/20; 45/15; 60/30; 40/20.

That's a lot of options! So, you make a choice about which ratio you want to use (the first number being the number of seconds run, the second number being the number of seconds walked). And then you do that ratio for your entire run. I think I'll probably start with the 90/30 ratio. Since I'm used to running straight through a run, it'll feel weird to talk such frequent walk breaks. But I bet it will feel so good! 

As far as a training plan, I am going to follow my own plan--Base Building for Beginners. There isn't any speed work; it starts at 30 minutes, 3 days a week; and it's meant to be done at a very easy pace. I think it'll be perfect for experimenting with the Galloway Method. 

Since I stopped caring at all what my running pace is, I think the Galloway Method is a good way to get back into running. I have no idea what my pace will be with walk breaks compared to running straight through. But I'm looking forward to trying something new and seeing if it can get me motivated to get out the door for a run--over and over ;)  I'm actually, 100% honestly, excited to get started tomorrow!

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Three Things Thursday: Running Advice

This is kind of an unusual topic, considering I haven't been running (at least not regularly) for a while now. That's not to say that I don't think about or read about running, though! I still love the topic--I just don't love actually doing it right now, haha.

Anyway, I thought I would write the three best pieces of advice I've received in regards to running. They are invaluable to me!

1. If it feels too hard, slow down.

I used to think that there was no way I could run. I always skipped out of the mile in gym class and I didn't do sports in school. I didn't run a single step until I was in my late 20's.

When I first started running, I couldn't go far at all--which is to be expected, considering I'd never run before. It just felt SO HARD. I couldn't understand how anyone could run for three minutes, let alone MILES at a time. It seemed impossible.

When I told my brother about how hard it felt, he told me to slow down and he guaranteed that I would be able to run for at least twice as long. He said even if you're running so slowly that you could walk faster, it's totally fine--just go as far as you can and it will get easier. That sounded very far-fetched--twice the distance?

Well, lo and behold, it worked! I was able to run much farther and I wasn't miserable the whole time, either. I ran so slowly that I'm sure a turtle could beat me in a race, but I went the distance.

2010, before I discovered sweat-wicking clothing. I can remember exactly how a cotton shirt feels when it's plastered to your skin.

It got much easier after that. Now, as a certified running coach, I give this same advice--always. Especially with the kids on my cross country team! They come up with ten billion excuses about why they can't run, and I just tell them that cross country is all about running, so they have to run. If it feels too hard, though, then just slow down. No stopping. And *all* of the kids on the team were capable of running a mile without stopping--just by slowing down.

2. Run your easy runs EASY, and your hard runs HARD.

This advice is everywhere--look at any running website, magazine, book, etc., and you'll see that an "easy" run is meant to feel EASY. There are physiological and biological reasons for doing slow runs, which I won't get into, but the slow runs are super important to become the best runner you're capable of. And running slowly 80% of the time can make you a faster runner in general. It certainly worked for me. (A book that I found very informational about this is '80/20 Running' by Matt Fitzgerald.

One thing that I do slightly differently from a lot of running plans is that I suggest walking for recovery between interval speed work rather than a "light jog"--I find that when I walk, I'm able to recover much more quickly and then I'm able to run much harder on the speed interval. I put everything I have into sprint workouts--while walking the recovery periods--and I think it makes a big difference in training.

I love how strong and determined I look in this picture--that look was totally fake! Inside, I was thinking, "Don't blink, just stare ahead. Hurry up and take the goddamn picture already! Don't blink... and go ahead and exhale." (In just about every race photo I have, my eyes are closed, so I was determined to keep them open for this one.)

A "middle ground" type workout would be a threshold (or tempo) run, which is run hard (but not an all out sprint). Basically, when doing speed work I run as hard as I can WHILE STILL BEING ABLE TO FINISH at the same/similar pace. So if I start sprinting for 60 seconds but I can only make it 30 seconds before I feel like I'm going to die (and then my pace drops off), that's too fast. I want to be able to run for the full 60 seconds as fast as I can without slowing down. It takes a few intervals to really get the feel for the correct pace (almost always, my first interval is too fast).

3. Every little bit "counts".

My running has evolved over the years (from existent to non-existent--hahaha!) but something I remember in the beginning was that I believed my run didn't "count" if I stopped to pet a dog or say hello to a neighbor or chat with my parents while running by their house, etc. I didn't stop for *anything* because I thought it wouldn't count as a run.

A spectator offered Jerry and I a shot of bourbon during the Detroit Half-Marathon in 2015. Our run still counted!

Later, I also didn't really "count" a run if it was less than three miles--I have no idea where that number came from or why I chose it, but the thought of going for a two-mile run (well, there was no thought of it because it didn't exist in my mind at the time).

For a long time, I believed that run-walking didn't "count". When I was injured and was run-walking frequently, I realized that it's not necessarily easier than straight-up running. Regardless of how hard it feels, though, I think run-walking totally counts! (Jerry and I ran/walked the race in the photo above)

These days, I think it all counts. A short jog around the block that includes a walking break and stopping to tie your shoe? Totally counts. Stopping midway through an out-and-back run for a Slurpee before turning around and running home? Absolutely counts. Running with a friend whose pace is much slower? Still counts.

Stopping to dig your purple thong out of an icy sidewalk, then having to collect your own unwanted underclothes all along your route? Definitely counts.

Also, and this should probably be its own category, *nobody cares what your pace and/or race times are*--so don't compare your running to someone else's. It took me a LONG time to stop caring about my pace, but running was so much more enjoyable when I was doing it slowly!

And there we go... three pieces of running advice, passed along, that helped in my own running journey. I think I'm finally starting to feel some running inspiration... 

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