Blackout

As I expected, my weight was up this morning: 138.5, which is up two pounds from last week.

I ate way too many almonds and Twizzlers yesterday. I had bought the individually-wrapped Twizzlers thinking that they wouldn't be a problem, since they're such a pain to open each one; yesterday, my fingers apparently got quite the workout ;) Back on track today, and I'm hoping to see 135-ish next week.

Today was a much-needed rest day. I read some more of the Hansons Marathon Method book. I'm glad I bought it! I read a LOT about the program online, but the book goes way more in-depth about why the program works. I like to know the physiological reasons for running at certain paces, and going certain distances, etc. It helps me to realize the purpose for each workout.

I think I'm still running my "easy" runs too fast. There are lots of charts in the book, which the nerdy part of me loves. According to the race equivalency chart, based on my most recent half-marathon time (1:52:07), I should be able to run a marathon in about 3:55. The chart is very close to having predicted my other PR's, so I guess 3:55 is a realistic goal (but I laughed out loud when I saw that). Since I'm not running to PR in Chicago, that number hasn't really meant anything in my training.

The Hansons' Method is all based on pace (not heart rate), and the pace is calculated based on one's marathon goal. So I think for the sake of training, I'll just pretend that I'm going to be going for a 3:55 marathon, and I'll base my training paces on that finish time. With that in mind, these are the paces they suggest for my training:

Easy run: 10:00-10:40/mi
Long run: 9:38/mi
Marathon pace/tempo: 8:58/mi
Strength run: 8:48/mi
Speed work: There are lots of different charts, based on what the workout is.

These seem so slow to me, considering I've been doing my easy runs at roughly a 9:20/mi pace. And the McMillan Calculator gives me very different paces. But since I'm following the Hansons' training plan, I'm going to try and follow the prescribed paces for a week or two and see how I feel. I think maybe the reason my intervals were so difficult yesterday was because I was running my easy runs too fast.

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I just realized that today is the 10 year anniversary of the big Northeast blackout of 2003. I'm sure most people don't ever think about it, but my wedding was two days after the power went out. I remember I was working on centerpieces when the power shut off, and wasn't too worried; I thought that it would be back shortly.

Then Jerry called me (he was with his best man, picking up their tuxes) and said the power was out all over the place. When we learned the extent of the blackout, I was SO upset. Our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner were that evening (Thursday, the 14th). Without electricity, there was no air conditioning in the chapel for our rehearsal, and it was HOT.

The restaurant we'd planned to go to for the rehearsal dinner had to close because the power was out, so instead, everybody went to my parents' house and we cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill (in the dark). It ended up being a lot of fun! But I cried when I woke up the next morning, and the power was still out. My photographer called. My DJ called. My caterer called. Everyone wanting to know if the wedding was still on.

Everyone kept trying to make me feel better by saying that it would be beautiful to get married by candlelight, etc. I just kept thinking about a reception with no music and no food! ;)  Thankfully, the power came back on late Friday night, just in time for my wedding on Saturday!

So for some odd reason, August 14th is a day I always stop and think about what I was doing on this day in 2003. The Huffington Post just posted a bunch of photos from that day. It's so interesting! I can't imagine what it would be like in NYC without power like that.

Jerry's and my 10th wedding anniversary is this Friday! We don't have plans, because he'll be working. But hopefully we'll be able to go out another day to celebrate.

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Whiner

It seems like just yesterday I was writing about how much I dread my Tuesday runs--intervals! Today was no different. I think I was being exceptionally whiny, and after going over all the excuses in my head, I finally just decided to get it done.

I almost always do my intervals on the treadmill, because it's easy to control the pace and keep it very consistent. I finished watching Orange is the New Black a few days ago, and I just wasn't motivated to get on the treadmill. I started watching Weeds yesterday, and thought it was okay, but it wasn't one of those shows that made me think, "Ohmygod, I have to watch MORE!" Anyway, after much heming and hawing around, I finally decided to run my intervals outside.

On the schedule today was a 1 mile warm-up, then 4 x 1200 with 400 recovery (which means 3/4 mile fast running, then 1/4 mile slow to recover; repeat for a total of 4 times). According to the Hansons' Marathon Method book (which I finally bought yesterday), I should run my 1200's at a 7:26/mi pace. I knew I could do that pace on the treadmill, but I had serious doubts about doing it outside.

As I ran my warm-up mile, I kept seeing my pace in the 10:00's, and it felt pretty tough on my super tired legs, which made me even more doubtful of reaching my pace on the intervals. As soon as my Garmin beeped the signal, I started running hard. I glanced at my watch a few times, and saw that my pace was 6:50-ish, so I thought I'd better slow down.

That fast pace didn't last long. I dropped down to where it should be, around 7:20-7:30, and was struggling very hard to keep it there. The sun was out (it had been cloudy when I left the house) and I was miserably hot. I don't care what the thermometer said, it really felt like it was 100 degrees ;)  I was so irritated at the heat, and I knew there was no way I could do three more intervals like this, so I just decided to finish it out and then I could choose to turn around and go home.

As soon as I heard the beep to drop to a recovery pace, I thought, "Fuck this. I quit. I'm going to just jog home from here." (I could hear Jerry in my head, teasing me: "Someone call the waaaaambulance for Katie!" hahaha). I had hit a 7:26/mi pace on the nose, but I knew I couldn't do another like that. I had already set my watch up for intervals, which meant it would beep in 1/4 mile to signal me to run hard again. As I was running slowly, I thought about the Hansons' book. I read that if you can't finish your intervals, you're probably doing them at too fast of a pace. Logically, I knew that. But the pace was based off of my most recent half-marathon, so I felt like I should be able to do it.

Since I was nearly two miles from home as it was, I decided to just run the next interval when it beeped, only I would try to keep my pace under 8:00/mi, rather than aiming for 7:26/mi. That worked really well! An 8:00/mi pace is tough, but I didn't feel like I was going to die. I knew I could maintain that for at least 3/4 of a mile. I finished that interval at a 7:47/mi pace.

I'd already completed two intervals, and with a little detour, I could fit in two more and complete the workout. As much as I wanted to quit, I knew I could finish it out if I did it at the slower pace. So I did. It was really hard, but I stuck it out, and I think I may have shouted a "Woo hoo!" when I heard the final beep of my watch, letting me know the workout was over.

I was completely shocked when I saw how many calories I'd burned: 527!! Normally, I burn about 80-85 per mile max. My excitement was short-lived, however, because when I got undressed, I realized I'd forgotten to wear the chest strap for my heart rate monitor ;)

Tomorrow is a rest day, and my legs are definitely looking forward to it. I'm not looking forward to my weigh-in, however. I ate SO well all week long, not going over my PointsPlus, but today, I just got into an "I don't care" mindset. I didn't binge, but I snacked all day (mostly on almonds, but also Twizzlers).

Sometimes I just get so sick of having to measure out everything I eat. I know that I have to do it (I've tried "mindful eating" lots of times, and it just causes me to binge). Through tons of trial and error, I know that measuring and counting (whether it's PointsPlus or calories) is the best way for ME to maintain/lose weight. But sometimes I just get fed up with it, and wish I could eat like a "normal" person. Anyway, I know my weight will be up tomorrow, but I also know if I get right back to measuring and counting, it'll come right back off.

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Last week, I got a surprise package in the mail from Special K (I had done a couple of reviews for their products before). They sent me some hot cereal cups and some bars, both part of a new "Nourish" product line, to sample. They didn't ask me to write a review or anything, but after tasting them, I decided to write about them for Taste Test Tuesday (mainly because I really ended up liking the bars!)

The hot cereal (which looked like just oatmeal to me, but it's a blend of oats, barley, wheat, and quinoa) sounded really good. You just mix it with hot water and let it steep for a couple of minutes. It comes with toppings that you stir in (nuts and dried fruit). I was hugely disappointed when I saw how tiny the portion was, though:

This is the Cranberry Almond flavor

It was probably less than 1/2 cup after cooking and mixing, which looked very tiny in the cup. The flavor was good, but I still prefer to make my own oatmeal and stir in my own combinations of flavors. However, these would be really great for someone on the go; you could just grab one (and a spoon) to take with you, and all you need to make it is hot water.

I loved the bars, though! I wish I'd taken pictures, but when I ate them, I hadn't been planning to write a review, so I didn't think to take a picture. The first one I ate was Lemon Twist flavor, and it was so good! I love lemon bars (meaning dessert), and these were a similar flavor, but with a chewier oatmeal-like texture. I can't wait to see them on the shelves at Kroger, because I'm going to buy some more of those. The Dark Chocolate Nut bar was really good as well. I haven't tried the Cranberry Almond one yet.

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The winner of the giveaway for a $50 virtual gift card to Words to Sweat By is lucky #13:

Congratulations pennpalrunner! Please send me an e-mail ASAP to SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com so that I can give your info to Dana at Words to Sweat By. Have fun shopping! :)

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Motivational Monday #28

The weekend went by way too fast for me! Last night, when I wrote my blog post, I forgot to write a reminder that today was Motivational Monday. This morning, it never even occurred to me that it was Monday! My whole day was thrown off a little, and strangely enough, I think it was because I slept like a rock last night. I always wake up at least once an hour during the night, but last night I was out--until 7:30 this morning! It felt great to get some good sleep, but today went by so fast for me because of it.

Anyway, we were out this afternoon, and I realized that it was Motivational Monday, and I hadn't written the Facebook post for it. So, while Jerry drove, I posted it from my phone. Better late than never, right?

This week, I think I am most proud of completing my 15-miler yesterday, and feeling pretty strong about it, even though it was 5 miles further than I ran last week. It made me much more confident in this new training. I've also been on track all week with my eating.

Anyway, without further ado, I present Motivational Monday #28 :)

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Andrea just reached 30 pounds lost, and this weekend, she was registered to run her fourth 5K race. She went to the race with her running buddy, a friend who was going to be running the 10K (taking place at the same time). They made plans to meet up at the finish, since he was a faster runner than her. The run was beautiful, she felt fantastic, and her pace was right on target. She knew she should be close to the finish line, but didn't see it; and her GPS said she'd gone 3.25 miles. There was a turn-around, and she could see the runners coming toward her. She spotted her friend, who informed her that she was accidentally running the 10K race. Rather than panicking, she just made the decision to keep going... and she finished her first 10K! She and her friend had a good laugh about it. She said the upside to the whole thing was that she never had time to be nervous about running her first 10K, since it was a surprise for her ;)

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Cindy completed her first triathlon this weekend! The race included a 500-meter swim, 20K bike ride, and 5K run, and her goal was to complete it in under 2 hours. She crushed her goal, finishing in 1:52:18! This is amazing in and of itself, but Cindy added that just two years ago, she weighed 299 pounds and was a couch potato. In August 2011, she started walking; in January 2012, she started working out at a local community center; and in May 2013, she became a Red Cross-certified lifeguard. She's lost 55 pounds, and never imagined she'd be doing all of this today!

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Laurie always wanted to be a runner, but says she never had the confidence in herself that it could be a reality for her. She found herself making excuses because of having asthma, or the weather was bad, etc. From January to April, she lost 20 pounds with the help of Weight Watchers, and decided she was ready to add some exercise to her routine, and she started the Couch to 5K program. This weekend, she and her sister went on to complete their first 5K race together!

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Margaret just completed her 14th half-marathon! She began running in 2010 in order to make the most of her hour of free time to exercise before work. She dropped 50 pounds, and has been running ever since. She finished with a PR at this half-marathon of 1:50:53!

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Sharon had an awesome non-scale victory this week. She's been doing Jillian Michaels' 90-Day Body Revolution workout every morning, and was disappointed to see that after a month, she'd only lost three pounds. She says she was losing faster before she started working out, so it was difficult to see that. But she took her measurements, and she'd lost nearly NINE inches; she'd also gained half an inch in one of her calves (the muscle was weak from an injury). She was very excited to be able to fit into a skirt she hadn't worn in five years! She's lost a total of 46 pounds since November.

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On Saturday, Tamara ran her first official 5K race! She is proud that she didn't have to stop running during the race, which was something she was worried about. She finished in 36 minutes!

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Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for some more stories!

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A run for pizza

I was dreading today's run all week long. I was scheduled to run 15 miles, and the last time I ran that far was during the Detroit Marathon in October. I've always bumped up my long runs gradually, but since I'm following the Hansons' method for marathon training, I'm just doing what the schedule says. Last week was just 10 miles, and then today it jumped up to 15!

I was feeling really nervous about it. I planned to run a five-mile loop from my house three times. I headed out the door at 7:45, and it was pretty cool outside--thank goodness! Just a quarter mile in, I completely changed my plans for my route. I did my usual out-and-back route, only I just ran the "out" part. Then I found some detours to take on the way home, through places I haven't run before, so it was pretty interesting.

I kept my pace much slower than last week, because I wanted to maintain a consistent pace for the whole 15 miles. Last week, I ran an 8:30-something mile pace, and that was very unrealistic for this distance today. I just ran comfortably, which ended up being a 9:30-ish pace, and very consistent throughout the run.

I wound up back at my house at mile nine, so I planned to do two three-mile loops from my house after that. The second loop would take me past my parents' house twice, so I decided to do that one last (I could stop for water if needed). Before heading out on the first three-mile loop, I stopped for about 15 seconds and gulped down some water on my porch.

I know that drinking more than a couple of sips at a time while running causes me stomach cramps, but I couldn't help it; it's so hard when I'm thirsty not to down the whole bottle. I drank probably 8 oz., and my stomach started cramping almost immediately when I started running again. Oh, well.

I was back at my house at mile 12, so I stopped again for a little water. When I reached mile 12.5, my legs really started to feel heavy. I was definitely ready to be done! I reached my parents' house at mile 13, so I grabbed a cold water from their fridge. I drank a few ounces, and dumped some of it on my head and neck--that felt great! I looped around their neighborhood, and was back at their house at mile 14. I probably could have gone without another stop, but I'd left the bottle at the end of their driveway, so I just grabbed it, chugged it down, and ran home with the empty bottle.

My stomach was really cramping the last mile, but I was so glad that I was almost done, that I ignored it. I hit my driveway right at mile 15. I finished!

 

Next time, I'm going to wear my Camelbak vest. Today, I didn't bother carrying water with me because I knew I'd be going past my house a few times (as well as my parents' house). But to avoid getting too thirsty (and drinking too much too fast), I'm better off bringing water with me. 

I hurried to take a shower and head out the door, because I wanted to go to church this morning. My mom told me that she was asked to speak and share her testimony, so I wanted to be there for the second service. I got dressed and rushed out the door, and arrived just as church was starting. It kind of blew my mind that I had run 15 miles before church started on a Sunday morning!

My stomach was really upset, and I was worried I was going to have to rush out of the sanctuary. I knew it was from gulping down all the water, because my stomach always cramps when I do that. The oh-no-I-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom-right-now feeling was coming in waves. I tried to make it through the whole service, but once my mom was done speaking, I ended up leaving. When I got home, I just laid on the couch for about an hour, waiting for the cramping to pass.

Jerry really wanted to go to Menard's to start planning out a garage. He's been wanting a garage ever since we moved in here 10 years ago, and last year we bought the property next to us at an auction, so we have the room to build one now. He's hoping to start working on it in the spring.

The kids were disappointed that we didn't have "Pizza Friday", so we told them that we'd have pizza today instead, since Jerry was off work. Menard's is in Toledo, and just a few miles away is Pizza Papalis, a restaurant known for their Chicago-style pizza. It's 13 PP per slice for a small, so it's not very often that we eat it; but what better day to indulge than when I ran 15 miles?

It takes nearly an hour to bake the deep dish pizza, and I was absolutely starving by that time. My stomach was feeling much better and ready to eat! It was totally worth the wait when it came out, though.

After that, I wanted nothing more than to go home, put on my pajamas, and curl up on the couch to relax... and here I sit :)  I feel great for getting my 15-miler done! It honestly wasn't as tough as I was expecting. I thought the last four miles or so would be killer, but it went pretty well.

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Words to Sweat By review and giveaway

I was recently contacted by Dana, the designer behind Words to Sweat By, to see if I might be interested in doing a review/giveaway on my blog. The WTSB shop includes products with inspirational mantras and sayings on them. I wasn't familiar with it, so I checked out her website, and I loved it!

Dana designs, develops, and manufactures the products--jewelry, key chains, towels, and shirts--herself. I told Dana she could just surprise me with what she'd like me to review, and she sent me a necklace, a towel, and a t-shirt. When they arrived, they were packaged really nicely, and could even be given as a gift right out of the package. Each item was inside of a sheer fabric bag with a ribbon.

I love the saying on the towel: "Healthy. Strong. Happy." That's always how I feel after a good run! The towel is the size of a hand towel, which is the size I use when I'm on the treadmill. I don't go to a gym, but I think it would be a nice conversation-starter to hang over a machine while working out. I had to laugh at one of the towels' words: "'C' is for crunches, not cookies."  ;)

When my sister was training for her first half-marathon, I searched and searched for a gift to buy her as a "congrats". I liked the idea of a necklace or bracelet, but the ones I found on Etsy didn't really jump out at me. Either I really liked the charm and not the chain, or the chain was nice, but I didn't care for the charm. The necklace that Dana sent was perfect! I think the shoe treads are adorable, and the chain is very nice. From the pictures, I thought it would be heavier, but it's nice and light (which I prefer).

Finally, I think the t-shirt is super cute! Dana said I might want to order up a size from usual, because they fit a little on the small side, so I ordered a medium. I'm glad I did that instead of a small, because I think it fits well. The t-shirt feels like good quality fabric, and it's really comfy.

Overall, I think the Words to Sweat By shop has some great products! Anything in there would make a good gift for someone who has reached a milestone like running a first race, or reaching goal weight, or even someone who just needs some motivation. There are so many different mantras and sayings, it's hard to choose what I like best!

Dana has offered a very generous giveaway to one lucky Runs for Cookies reader--a $50 virtual gift card for the Words to Sweat By shop! To enter, please leave a comment on this post saying what product you like best from the shop. I will use Random.org to select a winner on Tuesday, August 13th at 8:00 AM EST.  (This is open to U.S. and Canada only--sorry!)  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday night.

Dana has also offered a 10% discount when you use the code "runsforcookies" while ordering, good until 8/31/13. 

You can find Words to Sweat By on the website, Facebook, and Pinterest. Good luck on the giveaway!

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A picnic

Last night, instead of going to Kohl's after dropping the kids off at Vacation Bible School, I had a better idea. I still had a lot of PointsPlus left after dinner, and knew I wouldn't be home until after 8:30, so I decided to go to Tim Horton's/Cold Stone. I got a small cup of Cake Batter ice cream and a medium decaf coffee to enjoy while reading my book. It was SO nice to sit and relax with a yummy treat and (uninterrupted) reading.

The ice cream was amazing, and 10 PointsPlus wasn't a bad price tag at all!

After a little while of reading, I went to Ollie's to get some new cat toys. The cats ADORE these feather toys that I found there. I bought four of them a few months ago, but the cats had worn them out so I had to get rid of them. While I was there, I saw some carpet tiles for less than $2 each, and it reminded me of something one of the veterinarians from Purina ONE suggested. I told her that my cats aren't interested in their scratching pads, and they just want to scratch the carpet. She suggested getting a small piece of carpet in a different color for the cats to use as a scratching pad and to squirt them with water if they tried to scratch anywhere other than that piece.

I bought two squares last night at Ollie's. When I got home, I set one next to the cat tree, and the other behind the treadmill (where Phoebe and Estelle can usually be found scratching the carpet). Immediately, the cats were totally drawn to these "new and exciting" pieces of carpet. Literally seconds after I put it down, Phoebe and Estelle were scratching it. I praised her, and put some catnip on it. Chandler joined the party, too, even though he doesn't have front claws. I swear, those carpets have become cat magnets! I'm going to pick up two more the next time I go to Ollie's, because the cats have been fighting over who gets to lie down on them. It's pretty funny, actually.

 

So far, it's worked very well to get them to scratch there instead of the carpet. I wish I'd tried it sooner!

Today, I wore my running clothes when I dropped the boys off at VBS in the morning, so I could run right from the church. Since I turned left out of the church for a six-mile run yesterday, today I decided to turn right (I had six miles at a recovery pace on the schedule today). I was feeling adventurous, so instead of just running straight out for three miles, I made a few turns so that I could run underneath a busy road instead of getting stopped at the traffic light (as well as enjoy a change of scenery). I had a flashback of running on Duval Street in Key West; it looked similar for a minute.

At around mile 2.25, I came to a park that I usually turn into so that I can avoid running on a busy road. But today, I decided to keep going straight. I noticed that the shoulders of the busy road were really wide, and could pretty much be considered a bike path. It was fun to run somewhere new, even if it was for less than a mile.

I turned around at mile three, and just planned to run the same route back to the car. I got to the River Walk, which is a path that goes right along the river. I ended up passing the spot where I was supposed to turn and get off of the River Walk, and instead, kept going for a little bit. I reached the end of the path, and was confused about where I was. I ran down a couple of streets, and didn't recognize anything. I knew how to get back to the River Walk, so I did that, and retraced my steps. Finally, I found the spot that I was supposed to turn down, and eventually, made it back to my car. My 6-miler turned into a 6.8-miler! But it was a really nice run--no pressure to go fast, I wasn't in a time crunch, and I was just having fun exploring.

After I drove home and showered, I got ready to go pick up the kids. I decided to surprise them by taking them on a picnic for lunch. I made some quick turkey wraps, and threw in some pretzels, apples, and three Twizzlers to the bag. I grabbed a blanket and headed out to get the kids.

They were really excited about going on a picnic. We drove around to a couple of different spots to find where we should set up, and eventually went to a local park that has a big hill. We spread out the blanket on top of the hill and ate lunch.

Noah was so cute--he kept saying, "Thank you SO much for taking us on a picnic!" I told him maybe we could go on a picnic every day next week, and choose a different location for each one. The kids loved that idea.

This afternoon, Jerry picked up our rings from the jeweler (he got his resized, and I got mine soldered and refinished). I was in awe of how pretty mine looked! They were so shiny and sparkly. I really like having them soldered together now, too.

Just in time for our 10 year anniversary, which is a week from today :)

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Race pace run

I woke up way too early this morning, and couldn't go back to sleep, so I just went out in the living room and read my book for a while before the kids woke up. I've been taking them to Vacation Bible School every day this week (at Renee's church in the morning, then our church in the evening, so it's been busy).

This morning, I decided to wear my running clothes to drop them off at VBS, and then just head out from the church for my six-mile "marathon pace" run. I still have no idea what pace to run these on Thursdays. The Hansons' method calls it a tempo run, but they also say it's a marathon pace run--those are completely different (a marathon pace run is slower than a tempo run--the tempo run is closer to 10K race pace). So I've just been running faster than comfortable, but not as fast as a tempo.

Anyway, I had to choose whether to turn right or left out of the church; going right, there would be three traffic lights, and going left, there would only be one, so I chose left (in the end, I managed to time it so I could run through the traffic light both ways, so it worked out well--I hate getting stopped at lights!)

All morning long, I felt so tired, and was expecting to have a sluggish run. But I actually felt pretty good! I ran three miles out, and then turned around to run back. All the way out, I was irritated by my sweaty hair slapping the back of my neck, and finally, when I turned around at the three mile mark, I decided to just stop and fix it rather than dealing with it the whole way back. I felt much better after pulling it in a really tight bun.

I kept my heart rate in high Zone 2/low Zone 3, and it was tough, but not miserably so. When I got back to the car, I stopped my Garmin, and then accidentally bumped it so it turned again, then I stopped it again. That's why there's an extra split with zero distance.

For the rest of the day, my lungs were feeling like they'd gotten a workout. I love that feeling when I take a deep breath and can tell that I ran hard earlier that day. Tomorrow is another six-miler, but I'm going to run at recovery heart rate, so probably 9:30-10:00/mi. I look forward to my recovery pace runs the most, because there is no pressure to try and meet a certain goal!

This afternoon, Jerry, the kids, and I took apart the trampoline. Noah got it about 4-5 years ago for his birthday, but they just haven't been playing with it much, and I don't think they've used it at all this summer. I asked on Facebook if anyone wanted it, they could come take it apart and have it. The person who was supposed to come get it today changed her mind, so we ended up just taking the thing apart anyway. I think someone else is going to come pick it up tonight.

While we were doing that, I noticed a bunch of bees swarming around the house, and there was a tiny little hole they were going in and out of. I'd been finding dead bees in the house the past couple of days, and wondering where the heck they were coming from. Jerry got some spray, and we sprayed around the hole, and then plugged it up. The kids thought that was quite the adventure.

They have also been playing nice with a cat that keeps coming around. There is NO way in hell I'm taking in another stray cat, so I've been shooing it away with a water bottle. While we were taking down the trampoline, the cat was just chilling out at our feet (its personality reminds me of Estelle). I'm sure someone owns it, thankfully, because it's not a skinny cat and it loves to be around people. I just really don't want it around here--it was sitting at our door, trying to get in the house!

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For dinner tonight, I used these chicken sausages to make a pasta dish.

They were an impulse buy at Sam's Club (which is always risky, because everything is in bulk!) and thankfully, we like them. We cooked them on the grill last week, and then today, I was really craving pasta, so I made a quick dinner. I sliced the sausages and sauteed them in some olive oil, then tossed them with pasta and parmesan cheese. It took no time at all, and turned out really good!

I took the pic after I'd already eaten some, per usual ;)  The sausages are really garlicky, which I love. I think I'm going to try another flavor of the sausages next time I go back to Sam's.

Well, I've got to take the kids to VBS, and somehow kill two hours before bringing them home. I'm thinking I'll go to Kohl's and spend a gift card I've had for a long time!

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My "Mama-do" list

First thing's first: Wednesday Weigh-in. My weight was up a pound this week.

I wish I could say that it's because I switched over to maintenance mode this week (allowing myself an extra 6 PointsPlus per day) but it's because I used those extra PP AND I was over my PointsPlus for the week--by 40!

As for this week, I'm still going to stay in maintenance mode. When I don't go over my PointsPlus for the week, I can pretty easily maintain or even lose weight while eating these extra PP, and I was just too hungry when my target was 26. I don't think I have anything going on this week that will make it difficult to stay on track.

Today is my rest day, and I really didn't do much at all. My little brother, Nathan (by "little", I mean younger than me; he's actually 29), called me to ask if I might want to run a race with him. I was completely shocked; he's not a runner, but I've always secretly hoped he might give it a try. He said my sister had asked him to run a half marathon with her in October, but he had to work that weekend, so he was wondering if I knew of another race. I tried not to scare him off with my excitement, and told him I'd see what I could find.

The second I hung up, I was on the computer looking for races this fall. I came up with a list of 6-8 races (half-marathons and 10K's) and sent those to him. He called me back to say that he'd like to do the Monroe Half-Marathon, which is the one that my friend Stacie is directing. I had been considering it anyway, and figured I'd see how I felt after the Chicago Marathon before deciding; but if Nathan wants to do it, I'm for sure in!  It's four weeks after Chicago, so I'm sure there won't be any problem with my running it.

I also just registered for a Halloween race called Wicked Halloween Run. It will be my third of a three-race series by this company, and I'll get a special "Triple Crown" medal for doing all three. The first was the 10K that I somehow managed to finish in 49:23 this spring (I'm STILL blown away that I did that!); and the second was the 10-Miler I did in June. It's been really nice having the summer off from racing, but I'm excited for the fall races I have planned now.

Speaking of that, Jerry found out that he won't be able to go to Chicago with me for the marathon. I'm SO bummed. We'd been planning to take the kids to my sister's house, and then Jerry and I would meet up with Andrea and her husband in Chicago for the weekend, and then we would go back to Jeanie's for a couple of days. That was before Jerry got a new job. Now, he's scheduled to work the the weekend of the race, so our plans have to change. I haven't figured out yet what I'm going to do. I'll probably just stick with the original plan, only it'll be without Jerry.

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Noah cracks me up. I have no idea why he started watching HGTV (neither Jerry or I watch it), but that's his favorite channel on TV. He's been asking me questions, totally out of nowhere, like, "Mama, do you prefer a modern home, or more of a country-style?" Today, he was complaining about our house: "Mama, our kitchen is SO dated. We should get darker cupboards and granite counter tops." I nearly burst out laughing, but I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I just told him that I'm fine with my kitchen the way it is. I asked him what else he thought we needed to change, and I got this list--hahaha!

Paint rooms
New carpet (rooms)
Update kitchen
New toilet
New couch
New chairs
New doors
New bathroom floor
Paint cupboards
New knobs on cabinets

That's quite the wishlist ;)  I told him that maybe we'll paint his bedroom before school starts, but that's about the best we can do right now. I think it's so funny that he's so interested in this stuff! I told him that if he wants, he could be a designer when he grows up, and he loved that idea. Kids are so cute.

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Calculating PointsPlus

Since starting the Hansons' method for my marathon training, I surprisingly haven't minded running six days a week. I never thought I'd be a 6x/week person, but it feels so routine that my rest day is what feels strange! However, the one day a week that I do dread is Tuesday. Tuesday = speed work.

Speed work is tough! And it's not fun while I'm doing it. However, it's almost a guarantee that I'll feel awesome once I'm done. And I know it's good for my training, so I do it, even though I could come up with a thousand excuses not to. Today, I had to do 3 x 1 mile with 660 yards recovery. The 660 "yards" threw me off; I don't know a single runner who measures distances in yards! But I got this workout here, as part of the Hansons' training. I used Google to find out that 660 yards equals 0.375 miles.

I chose to do the run on the treadmill, because it's much easier to choose a pace and stick with it. I set the incline on 1.5%, to make it feel more like outdoor running. I ran at an easy pace for a mile to warm-up, and then started my first interval at 7.8 mph (according to the speed work chart, I should run my mile intervals between 7:40-7:50/mi). At first, I thought, "Oh, this isn't so bad!" but after about a half-mile, I was already wishing the interval would be over. I really started doubting whether I could even finish the workout.

But, like always, I pushed myself to get it done. I watched episode six of Orange is the New Black, which was pretty entertaining. For the last interval, I told myself I could lower the incline by 0.5% every quarter mile, just to "reward" myself for pushing through ;)  Once the incline got to 0.5%, though, it felt weird on my knees. I always run with a minimum 1% incline, so the 0.5% felt like I was running downhill. I increased it back to 1% for the finish.

And I did it!

I love how uniform these look!

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When I posted about the cookies/brownie a couple of days ago, a few people asked me what I meant by how I calculated PointsPlus by weighing the goods. It's not very scientific ;)  Obviously, those were bigger than "normal" cookies/brownies, so I weighed them to determine the serving size when I looked up cookies/brownies in the Weight Watchers e-Tools.

For example, I weighed the chocolate chip cookie, and it was exactly 4 ounces. So then I looked up "chocolate chip cookies" in the database on WW e-tools (this could be done on calorie counting sites, also, if you count calories instead of PP). Then, where the default serving size is, I switched it to 4 ounces. That listed the PointsPlus value at 14.

Of course, that's not going to be 100% accurate; everybody makes their cookies differently! But because I don't have the recipe that was used for these cookies, I just do the best I can with what I have. It's a good estimate, and since I only eat them at most once a week, it's not going to be a problem when I count my PointsPlus.

I do something similar when I go out to eat at a restaurant where I don't know the PP values of the food. For example, when I go to La Pita, I might have the chicken kabob with rice pilaf, hummus, garlic sauce, and pita bread. I just look up chicken (boneless, skinless) and estimate the portion size (I'm good at estimating, from all the years of calorie/points counting). I look up "rice pilaf" and "hummus" and estimate those as well. The garlic sauce is very similar to mayonnaise, so I just count it as mayonnaise.

For more complex meals at restaurants, with a lot of ingredients, I look up a similar dish at a chain restaurant. For example, if I were to order chicken marsala at a local Italian restaurant, I would just look up chicken marsala at, say, Olive Garden. Again, it's not 100% accurate, but it'll do in a pinch.

Another question I've been asked recently is how I manually calculate my activity PointsPlus earned. At first, I just plugged the exercise into e-Tools, and used the number it gave me. But my heart rate (and calorie burn) was sometimes very different for the same amount of distance or time. For example, one day I might have run three miles, burning 280 calories, and the next day, run three miles, burning just 210 calories. But e-Tools would give me the same amount of PP for each of those, which didn't make sense to me.

I can't, for the life of me, remember where I read this, but I read that to calculate activity PP, you can just take the calories burned and divide by 80. That made much more sense to me, so that's is what I do. I divide my calories burned (based on my heart rate monitor) by 80, and then round UP to the next round number. During today's run, I burned 449 calories; divide that by 80, and it's 5.61. I rounded that up to 6, and counted 6 activity PP. So, I hope that makes sense :)  If you don't use a heart rate monitor, there is nothing wrong with using the e-Tools calculator, however!

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I almost forgot about Taste Test Tuesday again this week! I didn't find anything too exciting at the grocery store this time, but I did see this cereal on Manager's Special, so I picked it up to give it a try:

If you've been reading my blog for a long time, then you know I'm a little obsessed with Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Raisin Granola. It has a million calories per miniscule serving, so I don't buy it very often. But this cereal looked like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and has just 110 calories per serving, so I thought it'd be worth giving it a try.

It's pretty good! It's not as sweet as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and it's a little denser. But the flavor is a nice cinnamon-sugar flavor. It's not exactly a "health food", but if you're looking for a healthier alternative to the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, this will definitely do the trick. Sometimes I like to have a lower calorie cereal like this (with milk) for an afternoon snack. This one was good!

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Motivational Monday #27

Happy Motivational Monday! I hope you all have done at least one health/fitness-related thing this week that made you feel proud :)  Yesterday, I had an AMAZING long run, and it reminded me of all the great things about running. But I am most proud of the fact that I got a few free baked goods at the local bakery yesterday, and I only ate a portion of them; I gave the rest to the family. That was very tough to do!

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As a child, Ring Pops were one of Amber's favorite candies. The problem was, the ring wouldn't fit on her finger, so she just had to hold it. She's recently lost 65 pounds, and was excited to spot a sugar-free version of Ring Pops at the store. Just out of curiosity, she slipped it on--and it fit!

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After 10 months of hard work, and 65 pounds down, Amy has entered "Onderland"! She's super excited that she is now under the 200 mark.

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Katelyn finished her second triathlon, and she did it with a four minute PR from last year! At the last one, she had to walk some of the running portion, and she'd set a goal to run the whole thing this year--and she did :)  Katelyn also took a big step and rejoined Weight Watchers this week. She'd lost 60 pounds previously, and just recently gained about 15 back. I love what she wrote next: "The only thing scarier to me than going back to Weight Watchers was the thought of gaining back all the rest of the weight." That is definitely something to keep in mind when feeling embarrassed of a gain and feeling scared to go weigh-in!

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Kathy ran a half-marathon with a HUGE PR! She did the same race last year with an average pace of 10:50/mi; this weekend, she finished with a pace of 9:54! Now she's training for the SF Women's Nike Marathon.

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This past January, Lauren and her father decided it was time to lose some weight and start exercising together. Lauren's dad has lost 58 pounds, and she has lost 30! This past weekend (the day before her 33rd birthday), she and her dad ran a 4-mile race together. Lauren's goal was to finish under an hour, and she finished in 50 minutes; her father finished in 42. She's extremely proud of herself and her dad, and is happy that she's setting a great example for her four children.

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Rebecca is in the middle of training for her first marathon--the Chicago Marathon this October. She's a slower runner, and has been very worried about whether she can keep up a sub-15:00 mile, which is required for the race. This weekend, she had to run a half-marathon as part of her training; and she finished with a 14:53 pace!

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Shelley broke her ankle in late May, and was just released to walk/workout on July 2nd. This past Saturday, she (along with her husband and four friends) signed up to walk a 5K. It was their first race ever (and her first since the injury). They all crossed the finish line triumphantly!

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On August 1st, just 6 months after starting her journey, Stacie reached "Onderland"! In the pic on the left, she weighed 257.4 pounds; on the right, she was 199.2. She says that exercise is the easy part for her, and she's now able to run three miles at a time. Her diet has been tougher, but she credits Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and VitaTops to curb her sweet tooth ;)  (Both of those helped me tremendously while I was losing weight, too!)

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Wendy ran a virtual 5K with a couple of coworkers, her husband, and her 11-year old son! When she first started running a couple of years ago, she thought, "When I finish this Couch to 5K program, I'm done running!" Last week, she ran her furthest distance to date: 7 miles :)

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Don't forget to check out the Motivational Monday Facebook post for more stories!

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