Challenge update

I was pretty amazed this morning when I woke up and my body was feeling pretty good. Still sore, yes, but better than yesterday. I'm actually really amazed at how easy this recovery has been, especially compared to my Cleveland marathon.

After Cleveland, my toenails were so sore I couldn't even sleep on my stomach because they would touch the bed and it hurt. I got a blister under my big toe and my second toe, and they turned black--but I never lost them, as a lot of runners do. I had a few blisters on my feet. I was chaffing in places I didn't even know I could chafe. My stomach was messed up for a couple of days--I spent a LOT of time in the bathroom. I also remember being so sore that I had to use my arms to lower myself into a sitting position (like holding onto the side of the toilet seat and slowly lowering myself with my arm strength) because my legs hurt so badly.

I've had none of these problems this time around! My toenails aren't the slightest bit sore, I don't have a single blister, I didn't chafe anywhere, and while I'm sore, I can still lower myself into a squat without using my arms. I also didn't have any stomach issues whatsoever, which I can probably thank Rik for. During the race, there was a moment where I thought, "Oh no, my stomach is NOT happy" and Rik said I was probably drinking too much. He suggested that at the next station, I swish the water around in my mouth and then spit it out instead of swallowing it.

I tried that, and after a mile or so, my stomach was good again. After eating a GU, I felt my stomach churn again, and decided to try out the ShotBloks I'd brought. Those were much easier on my stomach, and I started to eat one about every mile after. I didn't have any issues after that. So my recovery has actually been really great! I bet I'll feel totally back to normal in a day or two.

I just saw this picture that Jessica took of me and Rik
just before crossing the finish line

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I am now 44 days binge-free. I think the last time I went this long was during the year that I was losing weight. The six-week challenges I chose for myself (no peanut butter, and trying out Weight Watchers) have helped me tremendously to get back on track.

The six weeks were done on Saturday night, but I am continuing with Weight Watchers because I actually like it right now. When I first started, I was fully expecting to have the same thoughts on it as I did before, but I was determined to give it a fair chance, and it has helped. I'm almost back to my goal weight range, I don't feel deprived, and I am back in control.

I think the main reason it was helpful in the beginning was that I paid money for the online program, and I didn't want to waste the money by quitting. I paid for three months, so I was determined to get my money's worth out of the three-month program. That stopped me from bingeing more times than I can count. The "free fruit" is the thing I actually like best about WW--because sometimes I just feel snacky, and when that happens, I can eat fruit and be very happy with it (grapes are still my latest love affair).

Giving up peanut butter for six weeks was also extremely helpful in staying binge-free. Everything that I usually binge on contains peanut butter in some form or another, and if I couldn't binge on peanut butter, then the binge just didn't seem worth it.

Now that I have stayed binge free for over six weeks, I am more determined than ever to keep the streak going. I know (from experience) that one binge always leads to another, and the longer I go without, the easier it will get.

Another challenge I had almost forgotten about was one I made back in the spring--when our local ice cream shop opened for the season, I said that I would not get ice cream there, even once, during the entire season. If I wanted ice cream, I would have to drive much farther for it. And I actually followed through with that challenge as well!

And finally, a challenge that I made, but didn't write about. I decided that I wasn't going to eat any Halloween candy for the entire season except for on Halloween Day, when I can use all 49 of my weekly PointsPlus on candy if I choose to. This way, I wouldn't obsess over candy when I saw it on the shelves at the store. So I haven't touched any Halloween candy yet--but I plan to eat some on Halloween for sure.

I really like doing these little short-term challenges, because it makes me feel like I'm in control of myself. When I quit doing my 30 in 30 list, I had said that I was going to start doing weekly goals, but I really liked the six-week challenges. Long enough to be pretty tough to do, but short enough that it doesn't feel like forever. So now I'm going to try and come up with another six-week challenge for myself!

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Post-marathon glory

I have been basking in post-marathon relief ever since I crossed the finish line yesterday. It feels SO GOOD to be done, and to have finished with a good experience!

When I got home yesterday, I saw that my boys had made signs for us while we were gone:

This one is Eli's. Those are flowers, and a cookie, and a picture of me running
and him holding a sign that says "Go Mama Go"

This one is Noah's. Flowers, a cookie, and even my blog address ;)

Aren't they adorable?

I immediately took a shower to wash all the salty sweat off my skin, and I felt a thousand times better. I put on some cozy pants and my new sweatshirt that I bought at the Expo, and sat to write my race report. While I was typing, I had one of the treats that Rik brought with him from Wisconsin--a peanut butter cup from a sweets shop near his house.

Saturday was the last day of my six-week challenge of not eating peanut butter, so yesterday was fair game. It was fantastic! I savored every bite of it. I think I forgot to mention that I also had one with breakfast before the race yesterday. I've definitely missed peanut butter, but I don't plan on going crazy with it now that the challenge is over.

After I typed up my blog post, Rik, Cynthia, and Angela came over to celebrate with me. As they were coming in, I heard someone say "Congrats!" and I looked up with shock--it was my brother Brian and his girlfriend Becky! I was so happy to see them--Brian wasn't able to come in for my race, but I think it was even better that he could come celebrate afterward. Apparently everyone knew he was coming but me--I was definitely surprised, and very excited.

My little brother Nathan came over as well, and then my mom, so we had a full house. We ordered a ton of pizza and breadsticks, and had plenty of beer to go around. We also had some of the snacks Rik and Cynthia brought--cheese and sausage (yum!) and the cookie cake from Angela that I was dying to dive into.

I ate two pieces of pizza, two breadsticks, a piece each of cheese and sausage, and a big slice of cookie cake. My mom brought over apple pie and ice cream, but I was pretty full and didn't have any of that. A couple of hours later, I had a second piece of the cookie cake, and I didn't feel the least bit guilty about it. I also had 4 beers (they were the Labatt 52 calorie beers, so they probably don't even count as "real" beer, haha) and a glass of wine.

Renee and Jessica came over, and they brought me some yummy (yet healthy) treats--I was actually relieved to see something healthy after the tempting stuff I'd had. Renee brought some homemade soup, cookies, and wine; and Jessica brought a fruit tray--tons of grapes and strawberries. (Yes, I'm still hooked on grapes). Then Stephanie came over, and brought me a bottle of wine as a "thank you" for giving her my spot on Jessica's relay team! (I have some pretty awesome friends).Their team did really well, finishing in 4:20 ish. It was fun to visit with them for a little while and hear about the experience from their views.

I actually wrote everything down and tallied up the PointsPlus I ate through the whole day, and it was 99. I get 26 daily PP, so I used those and all of my weekly PP and most of my activity PP. (I had earned 29 PP during the marathon, based on the calories burned). I didn't feel like I went overboard--I wasn't completely stuffed or anything--but those PP added up quickly! The cookie cake was the heftiest amount of PP, which is no surprise.

But every single bite was totally worth it. And I didn't even get off track. I wrote everything down, and today I am right back to "normal" eating. Angela, Rik, and Cynthia all left this morning, so I am back into my routine.

My legs have felt pretty good today, surprisingly. I'm definitely sore, but nothing unbearable. My knee feels uninjured (yay!!) and I can sit and stand okay :) It felt so strange this morning that I didn't have to run--this is the first Monday in 18 weeks that I haven't had a run on the schedule.

As far as running plans in the future, I'm probably going to take a full week off, and then start training again a week from today. I have a 5K race in NYC on November 3rd, but I am just running that for fun, so there is no pressure (it will be too crowded to try and PR anyway). Then the next race after that will be the Ragnar Relay Florida Keys on January 4-5.

I'm not going to do any formal training for it, but mostly just run how it's comfortable to me--what I used to enjoy doing before marathon training. I'll probably do 3-4 runs per week: one long run, one speedwork run, and one or two short, easy runs. I think as long as I get in a long run of about 10 miles every so often, I should be fine for Ragnar.

I am starting to carefully plan and think about races for next year. I don't want to do a lot of races--I just want to pick ones that are really important to me, and focus on those without doing a bunch of others "just because". I don't even care about getting faster anymore--if I was focused on speed yesterday, to try and hit a 4:20 or 4:30 time, I would have missed some awesome moments that made the race enjoyable to me: looking around and enjoying the sunrise while I was on the Ambassador Bridge; running and chatting with my cousin Kaitlin, and Jessica; stopping for a minute to stretch my calves to make the race more comfortable; high-fiving kids and spectators along the course; and having lots of conversation with Rik.

I am definitely more concerned with having a fun, enjoyable race than I am with focusing on a certain finish time now. So that will come into play when I choose my races for next year as well.

Looking back on yesterday's race, everything went perfectly, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Yes, it was still very tough, but I don't think it's possible for a marathon to be "easy". I enjoyed it the best that I could in the circumstances :) And I got to eat two pieces of cookie cake!

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Detroit Free Press Marathon report

26.2 miles. That is SUCH a long distance when you really think about it. Even driving that far takes a while!

I had two goals for this marathon: 1) To enjoy it more than I did the Cleveland Marathon, and 2) To finish under five hours.

I will spoil the ending, and tell you that I accomplished both of those goals today! I was pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it more than Cleveland, since everything seemed to go wrong in Cleveland (the race was "red flagged" because of the heat, my knee was absolutely killing me through the whole race, I had stomach issues around mile 22, etc.)

I felt like a sub-5:00 finish was pretty much in the bag, because that's about an 11:20/mi pace, and I've been training at a 10:30/mi pace. But I didn't want to set my goals too high, because then I'd risk being majorly disappointed, and God knows I never want to do this again.

I got up at 2:58 this morning (my alarm was set for 3:00). I didn't want to have to rush out the door, so I took my time getting ready. Jerry was running his first 5K in Detroit today, so he got up and ready as well. Then we went and picked up Rik, his wife Cynthia, and Angela from my parents' house, and we headed up to Detroit. We got there and parked by 5:15. I had to pee SO BADLY before the race, and we had to walk what felt like miles to get to the starting line, and I didn't see any porta potties the entire way. I was seriously in pain from it. But finally, I spotted some porta potties and there wasn't a line. Whew.

We made it to our corral, and smushed our way into the section near the 4:40 finish time pacer.

Why yes, I was freezing. How can you tell? (Oh wait, good thing my bib was high enough to cover my nips!) Also, is it just me, or does my head look like it was photoshopped onto my body?

I wasn't sure if I could actually stay with that pacer the whole time, but I felt a whole lot better starting there than I did with the 4:30 pacer, so that was the plan. But I didn't care who paced me, I just wanted to finish with a "4" in front of my time.

Once the race started, it took a while for our corral to get to the starting line. We inched our way forward, and then finally, we were off. It was hard to move, because there were still a lot of people, but eventually it thinned out a little. We actually were ahead of the 4:40 pacer for a while. The first big landmark was the Ambassador Bridge, which goes to Canada. That was a looong way uphill, and I actually ran the whole way, without bitching!

The scenery was GORGEOUS once we got to the top. The sun had just peeked up over the skyline of Detroit, and I thought it looked amazing over the river. The border patrol people were actually really cool! They were looking at all the runners, making sure we had our bibs visible, but a lot of them were giving high fives and cheering.

I was very impressed with the Canadian cheer stations--the Canadians definitely know how to show some enthusiasm! I think running through Canada was probably my favorite part of the race (of course, I was still feeling good at that point). Just after the relay station (there was a relay marathon as well--5 runners per team), I saw Jessica ahead of me (she was on a relay team). I wanted to catch up with her, but I knew it would exhaust me, so I didn't make a huge effort. She looked like she was going pretty fast, too.

Then we had to go into the tunnel for the "underwater mile". At mile 7, you run downhill into a looong tunnel under the river, and then uphill at the other end to come out.

The tunnel was scary. It kept getting hotter and more humid as we got deeper in there, and all the runners were shouting and cheering, which echoed and was really loud. I was so glad when I could see the light at the end of the tunnel (literally), and then to feel the cool air as we came out was so nice.

Just after that point, there were tons of people cheering, and we knew to look for Jerry, Cynthia, and Angela there. We saw them (well, heard them first, because Jerry is LOUD), waved and smiled, and kept going.

At mile nine, I heard someone say "Katie!" and I turned around to see my little cousin, Kaitlin. I knew she was running the half-marathon today, but I was shocked to see her in that kind of a crowd. I gave her a hug, and she ran along with us for the next four miles or so until the half and full marathoners split. Talking with her passed the time quickly, and before I knew it, we were halfway done!

We were still ahead of the 4:40 pacer, so we were making good time, but after about mile 15, I started to really feel my legs slow down. My calves tightened up a lot, and my legs were just feeling tired. I told Rik, "Man, an ice cold beer would be SO good right now!" And poof! At mile 16 or so, someone was handing out little Dixie cups of beer. It totally hit the spot :)

At mile 17, the 4:40 pacer caught up to us. We ran with him shortly, but he passed us, and I was okay with that. We were still going great on time, and I was sure we'd still hit a sub-5:00 finish.

It was shortly after that, however, that I really started feeling awful. I was just so tired, and I wanted to be DONE already. We saw Jerry, Cynthia, and Angela at mile 19, just before we went onto an island called Belle Isle. I was really upset, and was trying my best not to cry. Angela was filming us, so I really didn't want to cry on camera! I sucked it up and kept going.

Belle Isle was really pretty, but I couldn't fully appreciate it, because I was just feeling crappy. It was all I could do to run until the next water station so that I could walk for 10-15 seconds while I drank. My calves were still feeling SO tight that it was hard to run, so I suggested stopping to stretch. It felt wonderful! We stopped for maybe a minute and a half, and after stretching, I felt a lot better. Well enough to keep moving on.

When we came back off the Isle, we were at mile 23. I knew then that I would finish, but 3.2 more miles felt like FOREVER to me. My legs were so sore and stiff. We stopped and stretched once or twice more, and that enabled me to keep going. I was glad that I had banked enough time in the first 17 miles or so to be able to go more slowly at the end and still finish under 5 hours.

Someone else was handing out tiny little shots of beer at mile 24ish, and that was a total tease. I knew I wanted a cold beer at the finish! We chugged along, and when the finish line was in sight, I was SO relieved. The last quarter mile felt like forever, but I saw Jessica's relay team cheering from the side, and then we saw Jerry, Cynthia, and Angela. I love seeing familiar faces when I feel like crap!

I crossed the finish line with a time of 4:51:51, and was very happy with that! I'm happy enough with it that I don't ever feel like trying to beat that time, so I am DONE with marathons :)

It was hard to walk after that, but Rik and I got our finisher's photo, and then met up with Jerry, Cynthia, and Angela. Cynthia very conveniently happens to be a yoga instructor and personal trainer, so she stretched me out on the grass. It felt SO good!!

I was actually able to stand up after that! My legs were freezing, so I wanted to put on the pants that I had brought with me, but I couldn't bend very well (at least not without spilling my beer...) so Jerry had to help. It was pretty funny :)

I have to say, I am super proud of Jerry as well--he did great on his 5K! He finished in 28:51.

We had to laugh at the medals, though. We each got the same medal, but mine was much larger and heavier than his:

I'm exhausted now, so I'll write about the post-marathon stuff tomorrow. But here is my technical stuff (splits, official time):

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Marathon eve

Well, it's the eve of my second marathon, and I'm just as terrified as I was on the eve of my first. I don't know why it's so scary--everything has been going smoothly, and I'm pretty much guaranteed to have a better race than I did in Cleveland.

This morning, Rik and I went for a short two-mile run to just see how our legs were feeling in preparation for tomorrow. We ran around my parents' neighborhood a couple of times at a 10:03/mi pace, and my legs felt great. My whole body felt good, actually, with the exception of my congested sinuses.

Then we went to Eastern Market in Detroit to browse around before going to the Expo. Eastern Market is a huge farmer's market. I love to look around at unusual and interesting foods! The only thing I ended up buying there was some tea--Michigan Cherry & Almond black tea.

After that, we went to lunch at the first place we could find before going in to the Expo. It was a little sports bar. We actually met up with Matt Johnson, who does a podcast called Runner Academy, and his girlfriend. He recently interviewed Rik and Ada on his podcast, so it was fun to be able to meet up with him for lunch.

I had a very hard time deciding what to order. There wasn't a single healthy option on the menu! I was honestly considering skipping lunch altogether, because nothing was sounding good, but then I asked what kind of soup they had, and it was a stuffed pepper soup. Beef and tomato-y broth with bits of green pepper and rice. That sounded really good, and it couldn't have been too unhealthy, so that's what I got. The soup was fantastic, so it ended up being a good choice.

After lunch, we headed over to the Expo. The Expo was ridiculous--total chaos. They had it set up so that it was like a maze with only one possible path that you had to go back and fourth through in order to get to the back where the packet pick-up is. I always like to pick up my packet first, and then browse, because if I buy something, I can at least stick it in my bag.

It took us about 10 minutes just to wind through the crowd to the packet pick-up. On the way, however, I bumped into Shannon, a reader that I met while running a race in the spring. She is running her first half-marathon tomorrow, and I chatted with her for a minute.

I finally picked up my packet. Remember how I had a little too much wine on the day that I decided to register for this race? Well, apparently, I said my name was "Runs for Cookies", because that is what was printed on my bib!

A little embarrassing, but also kind of funny :)

On the way back through the maze, I heard someone say, "Is that the cookie girl?" or something like that. When I looked, she said she reads my blog sometimes, so I said hi, but didn't get her name or anything. (So if you're reading this, please don't be shy!)

I like the shirts we got...

And the back...

When I did the 5K in Detroit a couple of years ago, the shirts were TINY. I had a medium, and had to squeeze into it. I was worried that would be the case this year, but thankfully, they were sized well. We browsed around the Expo for a little while, and then Rik and I got a couple of pictures. This was in front of a map of the course.

Normally, I don't buy shirts at Expos, but I found a hoodie that I really liked, so I ended up buying it. If you look closely, you can see the Detroit skyline, including the bridge with runners on it.

After the Expo, we went back to my parents' house to have a pasta dinner. I still hadn't cut into the cookie cake, and the kids were asking me to, so I finally cut it into wedges and gave the kids each a piece, along with the neighbor kids. I didn't eat any today, but I'm going to eat a big piece of it tomorrow after the marathon. I'll choose the piece with the most frosting, of course ;)

I have to say, I'm really happy with the way I've handled my food choices so far this weekend. I was worried I was going to go end up going way overboard, especially with the sweets yesterday, and all the baked goods at the farmer's market today. But I've counted everything I've eaten, so I've been doing well.

Tomorrow I'm going to be eating a lot, but that's because I'll be burning a lot during the marathon. After the marathon, we're going to get pizza, so I'll have pizza and wine and cookie cake tomorrow night. Almost makes all that running worth it! ;)

I'm determined to be in bed by 8:30, and it's now 8:13 as I type this, so I am going to try and get some sleep. I have to wake up at 3:00 in the morning to leave at 4:30!

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Could this be any more tempting?!

I woke up very congested today, and I am SO hoping that I can kick this cold before Sunday. I'm still doing everything I can, and at least my throat isn't sore anymore, but the congestion is driving me crazy!

Jerry and I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon cleaning the house. It wasn't super messy, but we took our time. Rik sent me a text at 11:00 to say that he and his wife Cynthia were on their way to Michigan, and they would be here at around 5:00. I started thinking that maybe La Pita wasn't a good idea--it's a 40 minute drive, and since they were driving here from Wisconsin, the last thing they'd want to do is get back in the car to go to dinner.

So I changed plans, and made a big pot of turkey chili. I'm actually glad it worked out that way, because then I wouldn't have to spend a bazillion PointsPlus on dinner.

Angela, the producer of From Fat to Finish Line, flew in today also--she wanted to film Rik and I meeting for the first time, and film some more stuff while we're all together. Rik, Cynthia, and Angela are all staying at my parents' house this weekend, so I went over there to wait for them to arrive. I brought the chili with me, and figured we could just eat there.

Angela arrived about a half-hour before Rik and Cynthia. And guess what she brought with her?!

That cookie cake, I kid you not, is the size of a large pizza... maybe even bigger. How in the hell am I supposed to stay on track this weekend?! That is my very biggest weakness--cookies with butter cream frosting. Especially the Mrs. Fields cookie cakes.

Rik arrived bringing all kinds of goodies, too--cheese and sausage, wine, lots of little chocolates, and this amazing pastry called a Kringle. All the stuff was local to him, so of course I wanted to try it all.

This is a Kringle. The nutrition info was on it, and for 1/12th of the ring, it was 220 calories. I had a piece that was a little smaller, about 200 calories (6 PP). I could've eaten it all, because it was really good, but I am trying my best to rein it in this weekend.

So we ate chili and chatted for a long time. I am really happy with the way I handled my dinner and dessert today. I ate chili, which was 8 PP. Then, I had one piece of chocolate covered licorice (a mini piece a couple of inches long), and one mini chocolate covered pretzel. And finally, I had a small piece of the Kringle. So when all was said and done, I ate about 16 PP.

We haven't cut into the cookie cake yet--maybe tomorrow. I'm going to have a piece, but I'm going to weigh it out and count the PP for it. Then hopefully everyone else will eat the rest.

Meeting Rik was exactly how I thought it would be--I didn't feel nervous at all, because I already felt like I knew him. We've been talking on the phone and on Facebook for a year. Tomorrow, we're going to run two very easy miles in the morning. Then we're going to Eastern Market in Detroit, followed by the Expo to pick up our race packets.

The nerves about the race are REALLY starting to hit me!

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Yummy food!

I woke up feeling about 90% of my normal self again! The injections I got at Urgent Care yesterday helped a ton. I'm very confident that I will be completely back to normal by Sunday, thank goodness.

I had the most delicious breakfast this morning. Recently, my dad gave me a ginormous bag of onions that he bought at a farmer's market. I decided to cook about half of them down into caramelized onions. I do it very simply--just spray a huge deep skillet with cooking spray, and load it up to the top with sliced onions, and sprinkle with salt. I cook it over medium heat for a long time, until they are deep brown.

I've been making pita pizzas lately, and topping them with the onions. For breakfast today, I used them in an omelet. I just used one egg, one egg white, about 1/4 cup of the caramelized onions, and one ounce of fat free feta cheese.

This was so good that I decided to caramelize the rest of the onions to have this all week long!

I met Jessica for coffee (tea for me) in the late morning. She's running the same race I am this Sunday, but she's doing it as part of a relay team. She'll be running the second leg, so I may see her on the course. We actually know quite a few people who are racing there this weekend.

While we were chatting, one of the employees brought us two cookies "on the house". Just what I need!!

I didn't want to be rude, so I took the cookie, but I didn't eat it. I wrapped it in a napkin and took it home with me, to give to my kids. That was hard. It's obvious that cookies are my weakness!! Especially cookies with sugary frosting. But I'm trying to save all my extra PointsPlus for this weekend, when I'll really need them!

I managed to keep that cookie on my counter all day without eating it. I'm a rock star.

I made a very old Weight Watchers recipe for a raspberry pie (or, I think it was originally strawberry pie, but I used raspberries). I had bought a big bag of frozen raspberries from Sam's Club for protein shakes, but I don't like using them in shakes because of their seeds. So I was looking for something else to use them in, and decided to try out this recipe. My mom used to make it all the time, with strawberries.

1 PP raspberry pie

I have no idea where it originated, but you use:

1 (4 serving) box of sugar-free vanilla pudding mix (must be Cook & Serve, not Instant)
1 (4 serving) box of sugar-free raspberry Jello mix
2 cups water
About 2 cups of raspberries (mine were frozen, so I just ran them under water for a minute); I didn't measure these, because they are zero PointsPlus.

Whisk the water and pudding mix together, and bring to a full boil. Remove from heat. Add the Jello mix, stirring until smooth. Pour into a pie plate. Sprinkle the raspberries all over, letting them sink into the Jello mixture. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting.

The entire pie only has FOUR PointsPlus! I had 1/8 of the pie, topped with 1/4 cup of Cool Whip Free, and it was a total of just 1 PP. It was surprisingly really yummy. Normally, I'm not a fan of artificial sweeteners, but I made an exception for this (I wanted something dessert-y, but low in PP). I'm sure you could use the non-sugar free versions to avoid the artificial sweeteners, but it would add calories.

I've been working on my food plan for the weekend. I'm nervous about this! If I have a plan, I'm pretty good about sticking to it. If I try and wing it, I usually end up caving and eating everything in sight. The hardest part of the weekend for me is probably going to be La Pita tomorrow night. But I've already calculated the PointsPlus for what I'm going to eat, so I will do my best to not go overboard.

My blog posts might be sporadic this weekend, since Rik will be in town. Most likely, I will just be posting later than usual. I'm SUPER excited to meet Rik, and I'm actually starting to get excited about the race. I just hope that everything goes well--no issues with my knee, mainly. If my knee holds out for this one last uber-long run, I will be very happy!

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Urgent Care and Wed. Weigh In

Still sick. But hopefully not for long.

Last night, Jerry and I were lying down and watching a show before bed (okay, it was Hoarders--we like that show!) and when I stood back up, I couldn't breathe out of one nostril. So I was getting congested. I had to keep clearing my throat, too, because I could feel a post-nasal drip sensation in my throat.

This morning, I felt a lot of pressure in my head, and I can't taste anything. I took Airborne, I downed three cups of tea with honey, drank lots of water, and just didn't feel any better. I still haven't felt any symptoms in my chest, however, which is good! As long as the cold stays in my head, I can run on Sunday.

After lunch, I decided to go to Urgent Care to see if there was anything I could do. I thought it wouldn't hurt to check for strep throat. The wait at Urgent Care was long, and I was tempted to get up and leave, but I had already paid my co-pay.

I finally saw the doctor, and explained what was going on. I told him I'd never normally go to Urgent Care for a little cold like this, but I am supposed to run a marathon on Sunday. He checked me out thoroughly (including testing for strep, which was negative), and ended up giving me two injections--an antibiotic and a steroid. That combo worked wonders for me a couple of times in the past five years or so when I've had these symptoms. He was confident I'd be good to go by Sunday.

---

Today is Wednesday, which means it's my weigh-in day.

My weight was 141, so I lost 1.5 pounds this week.
Body fat was 24.2%, which is down 0.5%.
Waist was just shy of 27 inches--I really should just measure once a month, because the weekly changes are minute.

Overall, a great weigh in! I'm almost back in the 130's which I haven't seen in a long time. I think it was May? That's when my summer weight gain started.

For those of you that asked about my body fat monitor, it's by Omron, and I bought it on Amazon. There is a link to it on my "Favorite Things" page. This is the same one we used when I worked at Curves, and I found it to be pretty accurate. Here is a post I where I wrote a little more about it.

For next week's weigh in, I am only hoping to at least stay the same. Rik is going to be here from Friday until Monday. I still plan on counting my PointsPlus, but we are going to La Pita on Friday for dinner; Saturday, we're carb-loading with pasta; Sunday is the race, and then probably pizza and beer for dinner. My weight also goes a little out of whack when I do a really long run, and I think a marathon counts as a long run. I won't be upset if I don't lose weight next week, and I won't even be upset if I gain a little--key word being "little". But I am working out a plan so that I don't go overboard.

Sunday will mark six weeks of no peanut butter! I'm almost a little scared to eat it again, for fear of going overboard. But I will have to come up with a plan to work it back into my diet. I'm definitely going to have the peanut butter flavored GU at the marathon! :)

My brother Brian is in town until Friday (unless he decides to leave tomorrow). I hinted (not very subtly) that I'd love for him to come back to Detroit on Sunday for my race. He said he has to be at home on Saturday, but he may come in for my race. (That usually almost always means no). But if I happen to see him Sunday, I think it would put a little pep in my step!

Well, I must get my house cleaned up, so when Rik gets here, he doesn't think Jerry and I watch Hoarders for decorating tips ;)

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Distracted driving

All night long last night, I kept waking up because my throat was so sore. I still wasn't feeling congested (good thing), but my throat continued to feel worse. I kept hoping I would wake up in the morning, and I would feel back to normal.

Today, I wanted to focus solely on getting better as soon as possible. I drank a quart of water right when I woke up, and then I gargled with warm salt water. I took some Airborne, and ate breakfast. I was trying to decide whether I should run or rest today. I was scheduled for a four-mile easy run, and I really didn't feel like I was sick enough to skip it.

I've always used the rule of thumb that if you're sick from the neck up, it's fine to exercise; if it's from the neck down, then rest is best. Since it was really just my throat that was hurting, I chose to run. Running always makes me feel better, no matter what is going on.

I dressed in what I'm probably going to be wearing at the marathon on Sunday, and headed outside for a four-miler. Rik and I talked over the weekend about our pacing plan for the marathon, and we agreed to start with the 4:30 finish time pacers (a 10:18/mi pace) and then fall back if it feels too fast. So today, my goal was to get a feel for the 10:18 pace, and try to run at that pace the whole time.

I only looked at my Garmin after each mile split, and I did great the first mile--then I went a little too fast for the last three, but I'm glad that I felt good enough to do so! My throat didn't bother me at all while I was running, probably because I breathe through my mouth and my throat gets dry anyway.

My last few runs have been progressive runs, which is good--meaning that each mile was a little faster than the mile before. I wasn't deliberately trying to do that, but it shows that I still have some energy in the tank when I finish. However, I will be completely shocked if I somehow manage to pull a 4:30ish finish time! I would just like to get under 5 hours, and I would be just as happy with 4:59 as I would with 4:30 or even 4:01 ;)

While I was running on the shoulder of a busier road this morning, I heard a car coming up behind me. I got over as far as possible to the right, because I know drivers don't really pay attention (I see people texting and driving ALL THE TIME while I'm running). The car got closer, and when it was right next to me, the driver floored the gas and made the engine rev really loudly while the tires squealed. I looked to see the car swerve toward me, and then swerve again away from me, like they were trying to scare the shit out of me--which it did.

Why would anyone do something like that?!

Just recently in a neighboring city, there was a woman who was standing in her driveway watching her daughter get on the school bus before school. A car came down the road, driven by a 17-year old girl who was distracted while driving (not sure what the distraction was), and ran over the woman in her driveway, killing her. Isn't that awful? I feel bad for everyone involved, including the teen driver--that would be a very harsh lesson learned.

I always try to be very aware of drivers while I'm out running, and I try to make eye-contact with drivers before I cross in front of them (even when I have the right of way). I forgot to write about this during my last 20-miler, but I was almost hit by a car about 3 miles in. I had pushed the button for the crosswalk, and when it changed to the walk sign, I started running slowly across, watching the driver who was waiting to turn toward where I was running (to make sure she saw me). I got halfway across when she gunned it and came at me FAST. I jumped backwards, and she was so close that I hit my hand on the hood of her car to get her attention, and only then did she see me.

Anyway, I guess my point is that running is a dangerous sport! ;)

I spent the rest of the day lying on the couch drinking tea almost non-stop. The thing that has worked the best for my throat so far is ginger tea. I actually combined a few remedies into one--ginger tea, honey, and apple cider vinegar. It wasn't the best-tasting tea I've ever had, but it worked wonders on my throat! I felt almost back to normal for a little while after drinking it. Estelle kept me company on the couch.

Estelle never sits on my lap (or anyone's lap). She hates to be held. But she somehow knows when I don't feel well, and she becomes a lap cat. She did this after my surgery, too.

I'm really not feeling any better than I was this morning, so I am probably going to be spending tomorrow on the couch, too.

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Borrowed time

I've been on borrowed time for a while now, and I think my time is up. I haven't had so much as a head cold since May of 2011. I used to get sick at least 3-4 times a year, but it's been 17 months now. Jerry has been sick for a couple of days, and today, my throat is very sore.

And I'm running a marathon on Sunday. Worst timing ever to get sick!

I am hoping and praying that this thing runs its course before the weekend. Usually when I get sick, it gets pretty bad. I almost always wind up with bronchitis. But if I have the same bug as Jerry, then it shouldn't be too bad. Right now, it's just a sore throat, so hopefully I won't get any other symptoms. I don't know if Airborne actually works, but I've been taking that to minimize the damage.

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Yesterday, I really had the urge to go out for a short run. This rarely happens to me, and I figured an unscheduled three-miler couldn't hurt, so I got on my running clothes mid-morning and went outside to run. I started my Garmin, and made it about halfway down my street, and then I thought, "I want to run hard today--I haven't run hard since the 5K race I ran in March."

So I picked up the pace, and I ran hard. The first mile, I wasn't really trying to run at a race-pace, but eventually, that's what it turned into. I was running as hard as I comfortably could for the three miles, just to see where my body is right now in terms of speed.

It was rough. I felt like a beginner again, running for the first time, where my lungs were burning. I'd almost forgotten what that felt like. But knowing it was only for three miles helped me to push through, and I felt SO good! I felt like I really worked my legs, and I was out of breath when I got back to my house. I miss that breathless feeling of a good workout.

I was surprised when I saw my splits--I haven't lost my speed as much as I thought I did this year:

9:01, 8:54, and 8:15... average pace of 8:42/mi. If I had run just a little farther, to finish out a 5K, I probably would have been right on par with my personal record for a 5K race (26:57). Seeing those numbers was exciting for me! It makes me want to work on speed training after this marathon is over.

What's kind of crazy is that my "hard" pace for this three-miler was Renee's pace for her 20-miler; and Rik's pace for his full marathon! The thought of running that far at that pace just blows my mind.

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Today, Jerry and I had a "date day" while the kids were at school. He was off work, and we decided to go see a matinee. I also still had 26 weekly PointsPlus to use up (tomorrow is the last day of my week, so any weekly points I don't use by tomorrow night will be gone--and I don't like to waste points!)

At first, I was thinking about using them on a cookie slice from Mrs. Fields (with buttercream frosting, of course). I looked up the nutritional info on my phone, and I knew the 26 PP would cover the cookie, but the amount of fat and sugar was scary! I decided I should probably save a treat like that for a day when I do a long run (maybe Sunday after the marathon?)

I looked up the PointsPlus in movie theater popcorn, and it was 7 PP for 5 cups (without butter). That just wasn't worth it to me! I want butter on my popcorn. We went to Target to see if maybe there was a box of movie theater candy that looked good, but none of those seemed worth the amount of sugar and PP.

My throat was feeling sore, and I thought ice cream sounded good. So we decided to splurge on lunch at Taco Bell, and then after the movie, we'd get a vanilla cone from McDonald's. Taco Bell is the only fast food place (other than Subway) that I don't feel bad eating. I haven't eaten McDonald's or Wendy's food in over 3 years, because it brings back bad memories of binge eating when I was obese. I didn't eat Taco Bell much when I was obese, so I don't associate it with binge eating (if that makes sense). Maybe that's just really weird. I don't know!

Anyway, I wanted to spend roughly 20 PP at Taco Bell, so I ended up ordering a CrunchWrap Supreme and a Fresco Crunchy Taco:

The CrunchWrap Supreme was 14 PP, and the taco was 4 PP--so it was definitely a splurge for lunch, but at least it wasn't pure sugar and butter like the cookie would have been ;)

We saw the movie Taken 2, and I loved it! I loved the first one, and was skeptical that the second would be as good, but it was. Liam Neeson's character is great in those movies.

As planned, we got a cone from McDonald's on the way home, and I am so glad I decided to spend my weekly PP the way I did. Those cones are the perfect treat, and only 5 PP.

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I got some new tea from Teavana called Caramel Almond Amaretti, I was in heaven when I opened it and smelled it! But I have to admit, I was a little turned off by the color. All I kept thinking about was that gross strawberry-flavored milk:

I'm sure it wouldn't look like that if I hadn't added cream to it, but how could I not add cream to a tea called Caramel Almond Amaretti? It tasted good, so I just tried not to look at it while I was drinking it. I've been drinking lots of hot tea today to soothe my throat!

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Reader Questions & Answers #26

On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game!  (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).

Q. I've lost 135 lbs and I'm a pretty healthy eater. I sometimes struggle to let go and indulge every now and then. When I do I feel like people are watching what I eat. For example, I pinned a dessert on Pinterest and it posted on Facebook. Somebody commented about it not being healthy. Another example, we went out for dinner and I got pancakes (I love breakfast for dinner) and my brother said "there's a lot of calories in those pancakes." I know some of this is probably paranoia but do you ever feel like people watch what you eat because you've lost a large amount of weight?

A. First, a huge congrats on your weight loss--that is amazing!! I can absolutely relate to the comments on what you're eating. Most of it comes from the blog, though. I used to post my daily food logs (just for my own accountability, not because I was asking for advice), and I would get comments like, "You eat too many carbs", "You don't eat enough protein", "You eat too much fat", and even recently, "Grapes are unhealthy--just sugar and water".

I've learned that no matter WHAT I eat, people are going to have an opinion about it, so I just ignore those comments and do what is best for me. I'm very in-tune with my body, and I know what foods make me feel good, what foods make me feel like crap, what foods make me gain weight, lose weight, etc. I've never claimed to be a perfect eater, and I certainly wouldn't be happy eating a "perfect" diet that didn't include my favorite foods, healthy or not!

When someone makes a comment about your food having a lot of calories or something, I would say, "I know, isn't it great that I can indulge and still maintain my weight loss?" It will get old after a while, and the comments will probably stop. But you know your body, and what is best for you, so don't worry about what anyone else says.

Q. When you first started running how did you find it in you to just run by yourself? I HATE running by myself despite that I listen to music. I really don't talk a lot when I do run with someone but I think it is the motivation that I have someone running with me that keeps me going.

A. It's kind of funny, but the reason I originally chose running as my main exercise was because I could do it alone. I'm an introvert, and the thought of doing group exercise was anxiety-provoking for me. Now, I enjoy running with a partner once in a while, but there are lots of positives about running alone.

When you run alone, you can go at whatever time is convenient for you, without trying to figure out a schedule that works for both you and a partner. You can run at your own pace, so you don't have to slow down or speed up. You can focus on your own goals, whether it's to run farther or faster. 

I find podcasts pass the time faster than music does

Running with a partner certainly has its advantages, because it passes the time so much faster. It's distracting, and you can even forget that you're running when you're having a conversation. If you have a running partner and that's what you enjoy, then there is no reason you should have to change and start running alone.

But if you need to run alone, for whatever reason, maybe you could find an "accountability" buddy, who you text periodically during a run to say how far you've gone or any thoughts about the run. I did this recently with Lealah, because we each had a 20-miler scheduled on the same day. It really helped me mentally when I stopped to "check in" with her!

Q. My sister and I have started running together. We are both obese, but she is about 40 lb heavier, a few inches shorter, and she runs a little slower than I do. We're kicking around the idea of signing up for a 5k several months from now. My question: Should I try to keep pace with her in the race, or even walk with her if she needs to slow down that much? How do you handle this situation when running with a partner or group? I don't want to hold myself back, but I feel like I'd be letting her down if I left her behind.

A. This is a really great question! Most of the races that I do have been with friends. However, we all run our own race--meaning we go there together, hang out together until the race starts, and then we do our own paces during the race, and we meet up again after the finish line. We all have different goals, so we focus on ourselves during the race.

We arrived together, dressed alike, but ran at our own paces.
The finish line is the best part, anyway ;)

If this is agreed upon before the race, then there should be no hard feelings at all. However, if you agree to stay together during the race, then you should stick with that plan. It would be very hurtful if you agree to run together, and then when she is going slower than you would like, you take off and leave her in the dust ;)  

You should certainly talk about it before you even register for the race. Just say something like, "So do you have a time goal for the race? I'm going to try for xx:xx!" And then it kind of informs her that you won't be running together unless she plans on running that same time. Chances are, she would feel badly for holding you back if she knows you could go faster. When I run a race with Renee, she's much faster than me, but I wouldn't want her to slow her pace in order to run with me. We just meet up at the end, and talk about how we did.

The exception might be if you're doing a fun, novelty race--like The Color Run, or Warrior Dash, or something like that. Then it would be fun to stick together as a group. But again, I would discuss it beforehand.

As long as both of you discuss and know what to expect on race day, and then follow through with that plan, there shouldn't be any hard feelings!

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And now a question for all of you...

What's your favorite "cold weather" meal?
One of my favorite things about fall and winter is cooking lots of soup! My very favorite would probably be Split Pea Soup in the slow cooker.

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