Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 4

I flipped this photo to reverse the mirror image--this shirt was one of my "projects of the week". I love doing reverse appliqué! It's super easy and it's so fun to see the design revealed as you snip away. (The PURRVANA wasn't my idea; I got inspiration from Pinterest. But I love it! Also, can you believe it's been 32 YEARS since Kurt Cobain died?!)

Time seems to have slowed down quite a bit over the last couple of weeks, and it feels nice. Usually, I feel like I just blink and it's a month later. The only time that time seemed to slow down was when I was running ;)

Speaking of running, I reached a mile this week! I'm choosing to celebrate that, because I truly feel like a beginner again and a mile is a big deal for beginners. My first run (meaning, a month ago; not back in 2010) was 0.41 miles at a 13:01/mi pace and I felt like I was going to DIE. This week, I noticed that it felt *slightly* easier. Strong emphasis on slightly.

Thursday- My previous run had been 0.90 miles, so I decided to aim for 0.95. It was only 60 degrees outside, and I think that made a significant difference in how I felt. Since I was feeling relatively good, thought it would be a nice opportunity to go for my first mile. And I did--I finished 1.0 miles in 12:25 with an average heart rate of 153 bpm.

Saturday- It was on the cool side again, and I felt pretty much the same as Thursday. I had no idea what route to run--I can tell you 20 different three-mile routes from my house, but for these shorter runs, I'm basically guessing each time I go out. On Saturday, I figured I would do 1.10, but I did a terrible job guessing and had to run past my house. I turned around too soon and was at 1.04, so I just stopped there instead of entertaining my neighbors' Ring cameras for the third time. Ran 1.04 miles at a 12:38/mi pace and average heart rate of 155 bpm.

Tuesday- I went out at 6:30 and it was about 70 degrees (not terrible) but the air was thick with humidity. I ran about as slowly as I could, hoping to feel good throughout. It actually ended up feeling the best of all my runs so far! Still not easy, but I didn't feel completely spent toward the end. I ran 1.10 miles at a 12:42/mi pace and average heart rate of 153.

When I look back at my first run, my average heart rate and max heart rate are both significantly lower than yesterday's, but I think that might be because the duration was so short. It was only five minutes to start, so my heart rate didn't have much time to build up. Once I reach my three-mile goal, I'd like to work on lowering my average heart rate. Ideally, I'll be able to run at my MAF rate of 136 bpm; at my MAF rate was when I didn't dread running because it felt so easy. I would love to feel like that again.  

Anyway, as you can see, I've added a little to each run and four weeks later, I'm up to 1.10 miles. If I continue at about this rate, I should be able to start three-milers in October--the best time of year to run!

This was the last week of Jerry's and my beans and greens experiment. Since we started this for health reasons, the purpose of the beans and greens was to get a lot of fiber via whole foods--and beans and greens are basically the perfect whole-food high-fiber meal. I'll write more about this in a separate post. I made a big variety of versions of beans and greens, so I'll post photos and recipes/links with all that. Now the problem is that I have to figure out what recipe each photo was for! I should have written it all down.

I wish I'd thought of this beans and greens thing earlier, because holy cow--the weight is dropping off quickly.

I was down 3.2 pounds this week. In the last four weeks, I've lost 14.6 pounds--I'm more than stunned!  These are the factors that have been working for me:

*I'm vegan for the animals, but a vegan diet is probably the only reason I didn't get back up to 250+ pounds over the last couple of years. (There are a lot of vegan junk foods, however, so it's easy to gain weight, vegan or not.)

*I quit eating sweets several months ago. My sweets-eating was getting out of control, so I made a bet with a friend where I would lose quite a bit of money if I ate sweets before the end of August. It was rough at first--it actually took much longer than I thought it would to get rid of the cravings--but now I have zero cravings at all for sweets. I literally don't even think about them (and believe me, that is CRAZY TALK). I mean, my blog is Runs for *Cookies*! Even after this bet is over, I don't want to eat even a single cookie, because I'm like an addict and I just lose all control when attempting moderation.

*Eating a ton of (natural) fiber. Whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit. (That literally looks like a line from the health food books I love to hate.) In the beans and greens post, I'll write a little more about the specifics; my breakfast plays a big role in my fiber intake. My diet sounds extremely boring, I know; but my spice collection is huge and just by changing out spices, the same meal can taste completely different. My diet is far from boring (in my eyes, anyway).

*Not snacking. This wasn't a "rule" I made; I just naturally fell into it when I quit eating sweets and started eating very filling meals. The fiber makes a big difference--it's impossible to eat a high fiber meal very quickly, so meals are longer and more filling. I eat dinner at about 5:00-ish, and I'm not hungry again all evening (I go to bed at 9:00). Most of the time, I don't eat lunch; but if I'm hungry, I'll eat something (usually a small portion of dinner leftovers). 

*Cutting way back on salt. I've never had high blood pressure, so I never paid much attention to sodium intake. Since I've been eating only whole foods this month, however, my sodium intake was cut drastically. I also scaled back on how much salt I cook with. I've noticed that my weight doesn't fluctuate much at all day-to-day and I think the sodium plays a big part. I used to swing 3-4 pounds overnight sometimes, depending on my dinner!

That's all I can think of right now. Overall, I think the switch to whole foods has had the most impact on my weight this month. My body feels *so* much better, too, and it's only been four weeks!

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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 2

Mirror selfies are the worst--so awkward!

Believe me, nobody is more surprised than I am that I have kept up with this for two weeks, haha. Knowing that I had committed to posting here on Wednesdays has actually been really helpful, though--now I remember why I liked the accountability (and also hated it sometimes).

This week hasn't been eventful at all, so this is going to just be a quick recap and weigh-in.

Jerry and I have still been eating some form of beans and greens every day for dinner, and I really love it. I don't think my digestive system has EVER been this happy! To find recipes/ideas, I've basically just been choosing bean dishes and then adding greens whether the recipe says to or not. Dr. Greger's cookbooks, How Not to Die Cookbook and How Not to Diet Cookbook, have a lot of good recipes that include beans and greens, too.

I had a container of salad greens that I bought with the intention of having salad before dinner every day, but didn't end up doing that. Next time, I need to make my dressing before buying the greens--otherwise, I get lazy and don't feel like getting out the blender and all the ingredients to make dressing. I didn't want to waste the greens, though, and I wondered if I could incorporate them into the beans and greens. (This was a mesclun/spring mix, so it included some red and green leaf lettuce; and cooking lettuce seemed really weird to me.)

When I googled it, I was very surprised to see it's actually super common to add lettuce to soup and other hot dishes! I made creole beans and added several handfuls of the mesclun mix (chopped) while it was cooking. It all wilted just like any other green and I honestly wouldn't have known what the heck kind greens were in there. We ate it with red rice and it was delicious!

Of course, this morning I happened to read that there is a big outbreak of some parasite in fresh produce, causing cyclosporiasis (main symptom is explosive diarrhea, can last weeks). And guess which of the 34 states who are reporting cases has the highest number? Correct, it's Michigan. Particularly, my county and two bordering it. And the most likely source for it? Lettuce mixes. Naturally.

It can't be killed with the typical chemicals, bleach, vinegar, or from freezing, but cooking food to at least 158 F will kill it. So maybe being too lazy to make salad dressing saved my ass (literally) this time. Jerry and I are going to Eastern Market (a farmer's market) in Detroit this weekend, so I'll buy a bunch of greens there. Collard greens freeze really well.

There is also a Vegan Fest in Detroit on Saturday! Other than my friend Bonnie, who lives in West Virginia, I don't know any other vegans. I'm excited to go check it out and talk to some of the vendors, and not feel like "the weirdo" with crazy harebrained ideas, like choosing not to eat animals ;) If anyone else is planning to go, let me know and I'd love to say hello.

[I started this post by saying it would be short and to the point. Have I *ever* done that?!]

Anyways, my food has been great this week--tons of fiber, beans and greens for dinner, lots of water. No sweets or snacking after dinner. Eating a filling dinner has helped a ton in cutting out the snacking.

As far as my return to running...

It's been SO HARD. I've been doing what I planned (three days a week, only goal is to run farther than the time before, in order to build my endurance up to three miles again). I am still just so stunned at how hard running feels. I had forgotten what it's like to be a true beginner, and to say it's humbling is an understatement. It's also been super hot and humid over the last couple of weeks. I've been doing my runs in the morning, but it's still not very hospitable.

-Last Wednesday, I did 0.63 miles at 13:04/mi. Average heart rate of 148 bpm.

-Friday, I had a VERY hard time. I kept telling myself to just go slowly, I can reach 0.64 miles (just slightly more than Wednesday). I ended up doing 0.65 at 13:23/mi and had an average heart rate of 150 bpm. (The air felt thicker, so I think that had something to do with it feeling so hard.)

-Monday, I was totally dreading it. I'd had such a rough run on Friday that I didn't want a repeat. Thankfully, it ended up going much better than I expected. I even thought about doing a full mile, but then I realized that would mean I'd have to do more than a mile next time. I'd rather just do smaller increments until it feels easier. So I ran 0.75 miles at 13:00/mi with average heart rate of 153 (interesting that my heart rate was higher but I felt better).

-I ran early today, knowing how hot it's going to get, and once again, felt like I was going to die. I pushed hard to finish 0.80 miles at 12:46/mi and 150 bpm heart rate.

And finally, my weigh-in...

Last week, I was at 166.2, and I was 158.6 today--what the heck?! Believe me, I am shocked. I was unsure I should even post this, because it's very atypical; I must have been retaining some serious water weight or beans and greens are magical foods. I definitely notice a difference in my clothes, though, which is nice. I'm not expecting a big loss (if any) on the scale next week after a week like this, but right now I'm happy to see the 150's again!

[It's funny, I remember saying, probably several times over the years, that I "never wanted to see the 150's again". It hits a lot different on the way down than it does on the way up!]

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Running Recap: Sept 1-7

I started this post in the afternoon, but didn't have time to finish it before cross country practice. I was SO TIRED today (my insomnia has been terrible lately) and I really wanted to stay home and relax after a busy day. However, there is something about practice that makes me feel so happy and energized when I'm done. Today was an especially fun practice (long run day!) which I'll write about this weekend. I just feel so proud seeing the kids work hard for their goals--and they certainly worked hard today.

Now I'm home and I'm dying to just crash in bed and (please please) sleep. I forgot how much time cross country takes out of my day, so it's hard to squeeze it in on busy days. The actual practice is only an hour, but I do a lot of work at home for it (adding up mileage, setting individual goals for each runner, planning practices, nerdy spreadsheets, etc.).

Today I had to meal plan for the week, go grocery shopping, run three miles, cook dinner by 4:15 (I like to have it done so Noah can eat before his night class), prep the cross country stuff, write a blog post, and then go to cross country practice. Each thing on the list is simple, but when you put it all together in one day it's exhausting! In a good way, though.

I did learn something very valuable today: Grocery shopping at 1 PM on Thursdays is the best! There was practically NO ONE at the store. I spent much longer than usual writing a meal plan this morning and by the time I was done running and showering, I had to rush through the grocery store. I probably shouldn't share this valuable information online, but considering how much I hate grocery shopping, I was very excited to discover the optimal time to shop, hahaha.

Anyway, I only had two runs this week (not counting this morning's run). I've been in the pattern of running one day, then skipping two days, then running one day, and so on. I had planned to run three times per week, but I'm happy as long as I don't skip more than two days between runs.

These days, my running goals are very different from several years ago. Running three miles every few days at whatever the pace happens to be is nice--I am loving not having pace goals, heart rate goals, or any other goals I usually push for. Maybe I'll want to run farther or faster in the future, but with all the stuff I have on my plate right now, this is ideal.

Saturday - 3 miles outdoors

I only mention "outdoors" above because I go through phases of running outside and running on the treadmill. Lately it's been outside, even when it's been really hot. I'm definitely ready for fall weather! On Saturday, I was having a very rough day mentally, which definitely affected my run--I just felt drained and I hoped the run would make me feel better.

It felt SO hard! I ran my first mile in 12:43, but it felt like I was running at a 9:00/mile pace. My overall pace when I was done was 12:18, and I felt like I had just raced a 5K. It's so odd how one day you can have an amazing run and feel fantastic, then just a couple of days later feel like death while running.

I guess this is my "well, that sucked" face, haha--I swear, my face was much redder than it looks!

Monday - 3 miles with Jerry at the State Park

Considering what I wrote above about skipping two days between runs, I hadn't planned to run on Monday (Labor Day) but in the words of Forrest Gump, I just felt like running. I already wrote about it on this post, so I won't bore you with the details again, but Jerry and I ended up going to the State Park. We ran the 3-mile loop at an easy pace, having a great conversation without distractions--it was so nice! A big change from just two days prior.

Well, I'm off to bed. Jerry has the day off tomorrow, and we are determined to get some serious work done in the bathroom. It would be awesome if I can get the wall between the bathroom and bedroom done--right now it's just one big open space!

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Weekly Running Recap: August 25-31

I'm kind of excited to actually be back to writing running recaps! I know they aren't the most fun thing to read, but when I'm writing about running, it means I'm actually doing it.

I feel like I've gotten to a place (for the first time ever!) that I'm starting to see running as an outlet. There are several times over the past couple of weeks where I would have just procrastinated the run or not done it at all because I was dreading it. Now, my initial reaction is, "Oh, man, I have to run today!" but when I stop and think about the run itself, it starts to sound good.

I like that I don't have a "real" schedule or any particular goals when I run. Sometimes I really need that structure, but at this point, I like doing things without a plan. I already wrote about my run from last Thursday, so I'll just go through the last couple of runs.

Sunday

Sunday's run was pretty funny. I started off going at a leisurely pace, just enjoying that I wasn't home cooking dinner. Running on Sunday evenings is kind of fun because you get to see all the stuff that people are throwing away--Monday is garbage collection day. (I mean it's fun to see things like furniture; I'm not digging through trash cans or anything!)

I'm going to try and do a little drawing on this satellite picture and hope it's not too confusing. The little yellow star is me and the little red star is a good-looking man running with his shirt off. The red arrow will come into play in a minute. (The other colors are just my running route.)

The guy was running downward on the map toward that little loop. The loop is at the end of the peninsula, so I like to run down there and circle the loop (which is exactly 1.5 miles from home, so it's a perfect three-mile run from my house) and then continue--only I stay to the left instead of the right in order to circle the whole peninsula.

Well, on Sunday, when I was at the spot where I placed the yellow star, I saw the shirtless guy (turquoise star) running the same route I just did. I knew, I just knew, he was going to circle the loop and then continue his run behind me. The red arrow is basically just where we passed by each other going opposite directions.

I was not delusional enough to think that I'd outrun him, but it would be embarrassing for him to circle the loop and then catch up to and pass me. So, I naturally picked up my speed--I couldn't help it! See where my route goes from blue to green? That's where I picked up my pace to pretty much what I could stand.

Inevitably, he caught up to me right at the two-mile mark. I called over to him that today is my easy run day; if I really wanted, I could crush his pace and run laps around him, hahaha. He laughed and then kept going, getting farther and farther ahead. Then my goal was to keep him in my sight; and after a few minutes, I didn't even see him anymore. He was definitely running fast! Although, it looked like it might have been an easy run for him, too.

Anyway, I had picked up the pace so much that I just kept going. When I got home, I saw that I'd definitely moved a little faster when trying not to get passed by a boy.

It's funny that you can see exactly where my pace went from about 12:30 to 10:30

I was exhausted after that! When your first mile is 12:39, and then you third mile is 10:20, that's a LOT of time to make up. I was pretty impressed with my 11:34/mile pace when I was done.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, I did three more miles outside. At first, I really didn't want to do this! I had been working in the garage and in my bedroom, I had to go to Lowe's for some stuff for that, I hadn't cooked dinner, and I was just exhausted. However, I started to think about how it would feel to go out for a run and I found I was kind of looking forward to it. 

This time, I figured that since my pace was almost 13:00/mile last time, I'd try to go faster. My main goal was to beat my total time from my previous run--which was 35:20. So, I ran the same route and consciously tried to run faster. 

My first mile was 11:53, and I could have SWORN I was going 10:30-ish! My legs felt so tired. So, I picked up the pace to a point where it felt like a tempo run--I knew I could finish, but it felt so hard. My second mile was 10:45--I was happy to see sub-11:00!

I kept going at what felt like a tempo pace, and then I saw that my overall pace was 11:30 (with at least half a mile to go). I knew I wouldn't be able to hit sub-11:00 for my overall average (I was already pushing myself pretty hard). But then I decided to aim for sub-11:20. It doesn't sound like much of a difference from 11:30, but I was making up time from the first two miles as well, and it was so hard! I kept glancing and seeing the numbers going down so slowly.

When I turned onto my street (I had two houses until mine), I saw that my pace was exactly 11:00 and my distance was at 2.99 miles. I ran as hard as I could for the last moment--even going a little farther than three miles, just in case--and when I was done, I saw my overall average pace was 10:52! I was really surprised, but then when I saw my third mile, I was even MORE surprised: I ran it in 10:02. I wish I'd known it was so close, because I would have pushed for that sub-10.

The whole goal was to beat Sunday's time of 35:20; well, I crushed it with 32:57. I was thrilled with that! It's funny how my weight really doesn't have anything to do with my pace. In 2010, I could run a sub-30:00 5K at 180-ish pounds (as a beginner runner). Now, I'm under 135 pounds and it's a struggle to stay under 11:00/mile. It actually makes it kind of fun so I can see myself getting better.

When I first started running, I kept trying to beat my previous times, even if it was just by one second. I almost wrote that I'd like to try that, but then I'd have a goal and that would put more pressure on me, so I am just going to stick with running however I feel like it. This week went really well!

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Running Recap: August 18-24

Since it seems like I might actually be getting back to running regularly, I'm going to just start calling these recaps by their dates. I'll start my running week on Thursday and end on Wednesday (so that I can write Thursday's post after the week ends). Since I already recapped last Thursday's run, I'll just skip it and only have two today.

I'm going to keep these posts short and simple. Since my goal right now is to be a "hobby jogger" (a friend of mine calls it that and I think it's perfect for my goal!) I am not going to go into heart rate or speed work or tempo runs or anything like that. My plan is to just run three miles, three times per week; the only real rule is that I can't go more than two days in a row without running. I did this years ago and it was super helpful to keep me from waiting until the end of the week to do the runs.

I did both of my runs outside this week--even though it was midday and it was hot! The older I get, the colder I get; and I'm able to tolerate the heat much better. It's about the only time I'm not cold.

I actually chose to wear a tank top for my first run this week--really! I don't even like wearing short-sleeve shirts but it was so hot that I didn't even car who saw my arms flapping in the wind (if there was any wind, haha).

It felt hard! I was running really slowly, but my legs felt like lead. I went down the road that leads out of the peninsula, which is kind of busy (for around here, anyway) and people drive about 65 in a 45--and they're always distracted. I like that route sometimes, when I'm looking for something different, but I have to be careful. Anyway, I had negative splits (getting faster as I ran) so I thought that was cool.

I felt really accomplished when I was done. So sweaty! In a good way.

Today, I really didn't think I was going to run. I wanted to skip it! Brian came over to work on the bathroom some more and I helped him with that. We got the bathtub set and while we wait for the "stuff" to cure (I have no idea what it is, but it looks like mud and it holds the tub in place once it dries and cures), I just have to pick up some more 2x4s and the water fixtures for the shower. He may come back tomorrow to add the surround to the shower.

After that, I worked on more sewing stuff (my pile of clothes to mend or alter is growing way too big). Then I went out to the garage and finished building a work table for my jointer and planer. Then I learned Eli hit a pot hole and blew out a tire on Jerry's car, and I don't even want to write how expensive it is for tires. He really needed new ones as it was, but this expense couldn't come at a worse time.

At that point, I thought for sure I wouldn't get a run in, but I did--I changed my clothes and went out into the heat and humidity, and I sweat loads during a three mile run.

I felt like I ran so much faster than the previous run because it felt so much harder! But I think that's because it was hotter. (I just realized this run should have gone on next week's recap--whatever! I'll recap on Thursdays with whatever I've got, how 'bout that? Haha.

Anyway, I'm going to watch a movie with my two boys--I'm excited they both agreed to watch one with me! ;)

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Running Recap: August 12-18, 2022

It's kind of pointless to continue calling this the "Return to Running" recap like I was before, because I pretty much feel like I'm starting over from square one! I hadn't run in a few months prior to Monday.

I don't know what possessed me on Monday, but the weather was a little bit fall-like and I had the urge to go run. Before I could talk myself out of it, I hurriedly threw on some running clothes and my Garmin and headed out.

I know I always have some sort of plan for running (whether I follow it or not) and I usually have an agenda, whether it's lowering my heart rate, getting faster, or running farther. 

Well, I'm stating right now that I have no agenda. My biggest goal is to run three miles, three times a week until I'm confident that I'm running regularly. No matter the pace or time or heart rate, my only goal is to hit three miles. That takes a lot of pressure off! And since I'll be coaching cross country again this year, I want to be able to keep up with the kids.

I discovered a cool new feature on the Garmin Connect app that allows you to add your runs' stats to your photos. I figured that would be super efficient on my running recap posts. 

On Monday, I ran outside. It felt hard! My legs were tired and my throat got very dry to the point that it hurt to swallow (I definitely need to drink water before I leave the house to run). I did one of my favorite routes and I was happy that I managed to do pretty well! It was hard, but do-able.

I was actually really surprised by my pace--I was sure I'd be logging 13-14:00 minutes per mile. Still, it wasn't easy!

My second run was today. I was tempted to skip it, but when I was complaining to Jerry that my stomach just doesn't seem to be shrinking right now, he reminded me that I was in my best shape when I was running. That kind of lit a spark in me--I am eating really well and getting my shit together (I was hit with bad news a few times over the last three weeks and it's been emotional). I think that getting back to running will help me to feel a lot better about things (or at least forget for a while).

Today, it was miserably hot outside, so I chose to do the treadmill. There was quite a bit of dust on it! The first mile felt like *forever* and I waited and waited to hear the beep that signaled a mile. Finally, I looked at the Garmin and saw that I'd run 1.32 miles--I guess my auto lap wasn't turned on (usually I get a notification at each mile).

I varied the speed quite a bit as I was running--faster and slower--to make it feel hard but not TOO hard to where I wouldn't want to do it again. I was so hot when I was done! But I'm really happy that I'm still able to run three miles. I honestly wasn't sure if I could.

I'm curious to see if eating vegan has any effect on my running. Jerry went for a run today and he said it was one of his best runs yet and he wonders if it's because he's been eating vegan for about three weeks now.

Okay, so if I can just keep on running, I'd like to start posting my weekly recaps again (Wednesday through Thursday, so today will mark the end of this week). My body feels really good about it and it helped me to take my mind off of everything for a little bit. Maybe it'll even help me get back into reading! I used to read on the treadmill, but I haven't finished a book in a long time because I just don't take the time to read anymore.

Anyway, I did not only one, but TWO runs this week and I feel great about that :)

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