Post-marathon plans

Sure enough, I was asleep the second my head hit the pillow last night. I was SO TIRED from the very long, sleepless night in the camper. I slept until about 6:30 this morning, and then I got out of bed to go out and run before I could change my mind. I knew I wanted to get it done before it got too hot outside.

I had 8 miles at easy run pace (10:00-10:40) on the schedule. I chose an out and back route, because I knew it would be tempting to cut the run short if I passed by my house. I started running at what felt like easy run pace to me. I wanted to see if I could hit my target pace without looking at my watch.

When the watch beeped for mile 1, I saw that it was a 9:43/mi pace. Close. So I tried again. Mile 2 complete in 9:53--a little closer. And so it went, for the entire eight miles. I've discovered that it's  actually gotten pretty difficult to run a pace over 10:00. When I'm focusing on it, I can do it, but when I space out (which is what I do on runs), I find that my pace automatically goes into the mid-9:00's. I was happy that my pace was pretty consistent throughout the run, though!

The Garmin site is down right now, so this will do.

Today's run made me really nervous for tomorrow's run--I have to do 16 miles tomorrow! It's supposed to be a hot day (high of 88), so I'm going to have to head out as early as possible. I'm going to wear my CamelBak and do an out-and-back run. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous! I did a 15-miler two weeks ago, so it's just an extra mile on top of that.

I saw my little brother, Nathan, yesterday, and he's doing really well with his training. I wasn't sure if I was going to be running with him during the half-marathon in November, or just doing the same race. Yesterday, he said he is kind of thinking he'll run it in just under two hours. I was surprised--that's pretty fast for a beginner! But his training paces show that he probably could do it. So I may not even be able to keep up with him ;) It's four weeks after the marathon, though, so I'm sure I'll be fine to run with him, if he wants me to (he probably won't, even though I'd like to!).

I spoke with my big brother, Brian, yesterday, also. He said that he and Nathan were talking about putting together a "family" Ragnar team for next year. They were hoping for Tennessee (November 2014), but since I'm doing TN with my From Fat to Finish Line team, I said we'd have to pick a different one. Regardless of what one we do, I think that would be SO fun! Brian, Nathan, my sister (Jeanie), her husband (Shawn), Brian's girlfriend (Becky), Jerry, and me--not sure who would fill in the other five spots--on a team would be a blast.

Speaking of Ragnar, John (Runner 12 from my From Fat to Finish Line team) had an awesome idea. He lives in San Diego, and wants to put together a team for Ragnar SoCal, made up of people who have never run an overnight relay race before. I volunteered to co-captain (in the other van, so that each van would have a relay veteran). I think that running a race with 10 relay rookies would be great! We just started talking about this a couple of days ago, so we're still figuring things out, but I'm excited about it. I would LOVE to go to San Diego! I went once, but I was only 17 at the time. The race is in April, so we have some time to plan.

Anyway, if all these plans work out, it looks like next year is going to be the year of the overnight relays. Definitely won't be doing any marathons next year! I'm really looking forward to a more laid-back approach to training after all the marathon training.

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I haven't mentioned this before, because I wasn't sure how long I would last... but it's been almost six weeks since I've had peanut butter! I'm not giving it up for good--I just decided to challenge myself to go without it for a little while. On July 17th, Andrea and I started a bet with our PointsPlus (if we go over for the week, we owe each other money). We did it to get to/stay at our goals until the marathon. I made a little deal with myself, as well (after a peanut butter-induced food coma)...

If I could give up peanut butter until the marathon, then I can buy a new set of dishes. We've had the same dishes since our wedding shower in 2003, and I would love a new set! I never really felt justified in buying them, so this way, I feel like I've earned them. It's been super tough without my beloved peanut butter! But Wednesday will mark six weeks since I've had it, so I've actually been sticking to my goal. It's really helped me to stay on track with my eating, because whenever I binge, it's almost always peanut butter-related.

Last year, I gave up peanut butter for the six weeks prior to the Detroit Marathon, and it really helped me to start (and stick with) Weight Watchers. It's weird that it's almost been a year since I joined! The older I get, the faster time goes by.

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Slow's BBQ

Camping last night turned out to be kind of a bust. Not awful, but not the greatest night for camping. It rained all evening. At around 9:00, the rain let up, so we tried to make a campfire. We were able to light the paper, but the logs wouldn't light. I think the boys had a lot of fun trying, though! It's not often they get to play with matches ;)

I slept terribly in the camper. I was hot and just uncomfortable, and could hear lots of trains. I was tossing and turning. Sometime in the night, Noah actually got up (sleepwalking) and was trying to open the camper door to go outside! That was pretty scary. I was really glad that I was awake and saw him doing that.

This morning, I woke up before 5:00, and just laid in bed, waiting for the sun to come up. As soon as it was light enough, at around 6:30, I got dressed to go for a run. I had a five-mile easy run on the schedule. Since we were already at the state park, I knew a five-mile route on the trail, so I headed out for that. I was aiming for a 10:00-10:40 pace, but I really just wanted to get it done, so I ended up going a little faster, with a 9:37 average pace.

I was hoping to run into Jessica, since I figured she'd be doing a long run today, but didn't see her. When I got back to the campsite, though, I thought I caught a glimpse of her on the trail. Turns out I was right! She sent me a text and said she saw me a ways ahead of her for a while, but too far ahead to catch up. She ran 12 miles today.

We were able to get the logs to light this morning, so we made a fire and sat around for a little bit. At around 11:30, we headed to Detroit for lunch. The kids had been asking us to go to a restaurant called Slow's, known for its BBQ. I'd heard really good things about it, and the kids had seen it on The Food Network and Man vs. Food (which is why they wanted to go there).

Jerry was thrilled to see that they had 55 beers on tap! I ordered the pulled pork (I had looked up the menu before we left, and it had pictures of the food. The portions looked fairly small, so I assumed that's how they'd be in the restaurant. I was very wrong!). I got baked beans and cornbread for my sides (there really weren't any "healthy" sides at all). Jerry got a trio of the pulled pork, chicken, and brisket, with black beans and potato salad. Noah and Eli shared a dinner of ribs, pulled pork, waffle fries, and macaroni and cheese. When the food came out, the portions were ginormous...

I was absolutely starving, and couldn't wait to dig in. But I have to admit, I was disappointed in the food. The cornbread was amazing, but I ate one bite of the baked beans and couldn't even stomach a second bite (they tasted very perfume-y, like flowers or something). The pork was okay, but I am very picky about meat; I don't like to see ANY visible fat, and the pork had quite a bit. So I picked around and ate the pieces that didn't have fat on them. I gave Eli about half of the pork, because he loved it and plowed through his.

I tasted a bite or two of everything at the table, just to try it. The mac & cheese was decent, but I like my homemade mac & cheese better. The only thing that really wowed me was the cornbread (and I gave half of it to Jerry, because he didn't like his black beans). Jerry and the kids loved all of the meat. I'd expected to spend a lot of PointsPlus there, but since I wasn't crazy about the food, the damage wasn't too bad. I ate about a third of the pork, two-thirds of the cornbread, half of Eli's mac & cheese (he didn't like it), and a bite of everything else.

I'm glad we went, because it was fun to try something new, but I wouldn't go back there. Jerry, on the other hand, said he would love to go back. Although, we both mentioned that we've been eating out too much lately (probably once a week, sometimes twice), so we're going to cut back on that. When we left, we drove by the old train station in Detroit to check it out. It's such a cool looking building!

The picture (through the windshield) doesn't really do it justice. It's a shame that it's just an empty building now.

We were super full all day long from lunch, so we didn't even eat dinner. I did have a cupcake for my mom's birthday, though. Three birthdays today--my mom's, Andrea's, and Rik's (both from my Ragnar team).  We went back to the campsite for a little while to hang out with my parents, and then came back home for a relaxing evening. I'm SO going to bed early tonight, after my sleepless night yesterday! Eight miles to run in the morning.

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A #KINDAwesome review and giveaway

I never really considered myself a "bar" person--I can't stand protein bars, which eliminated pretty much all of them until the past couple of years or so. I discovered some bars that I liked, and I started eating one (I like Larabars, Fiber One bars, and Clif bars, mostly) almost every day for my afternoon snack.

Recently, I was contacted by someone from KIND snacks to try out some of their nut and spice bars. I'd seen these bars a million times at the grocery store, and sometimes would even get as far as putting a couple in my cart, but I never ended up buying them. The packaging is clear, and the bars basically look like hard, sticky nuts; and I think I assumed they would taste the way they looked. They didn't look bad, but they didn't really look like anything special, if that makes sense.

Anyway, when given the chance to try them out, I was pretty excited. There were lots of flavors!

Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt
Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan
Madagascar Vanilla Almond
Dark Chocolate Chili Almond
Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt
Cashew & Ginger Spice

I was given three of each flavor, so I gave one of each to Jerry to try also, and give his opinion. The first one I tried was the Dark Chocolate Chili Almond. Holy smokes, I was in love at first bite!! When looking at the bars through the package, I pictured the texture to be very hard--almost like a nut brittle. But that wasn't the case at all. They weren't gooey, either. The bar was pliable, but the nuts were crunchy. It wasn't too sweet, or too sticky, or too anything; I thought it tasted like chocolate covered spiced almonds--so good!

Jerry tried the Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt first, and he told me I had to try it next--he loved it. The flavor of that one reminded me a lot of a Snickers bar, only without the chocolate (and not as sweet). It was really yummy! I tried out all the flavors over the course of a week, and I really liked all of them except for one--I wasn't crazy about the Madagascar Vanilla Almond. It had the flavor of vanilla ice cream, but the texture of a nut bar, which seemed a little odd to me. But it wasn't bad, especially if you like vanilla!

Each of the bars was about 200-210 calories (5-6 PP). Even though the bars aren't huge, they made me feel satisfied until dinner time. You can see the size of it against my hand (well, minus one bite, hahaha):

The bottom is a layer of chocolate

When I was overweight, I was addicted to chocolate-covered nuts. Unfortunately, I've never found a single-serving bag of chocolate-covered nuts. I would buy the bag that serves seven (yes, 7) and eat the entire thing myself without batting an eye. I found that the KIND bars with chocolate reminded me a lot of chocolate-covered nuts, but in just a single serving.

Over all, I really liked the bars (so did Jerry), and have already begun eating them instead of my other bars, on most days. I wish I'd tried them sooner! My two favorite flavors are the Dark Chocolate Chili Almond and the Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt.

KIND snacks has been super generous in that they are allowing me to give some (okay, a lot) away! One winner (from U.S. or Canada) will receive 24 bars (12 each of my two favorites!). To enter, just answer the question, "What makes your workouts #KINDAwesome ?" in a comment on this post. I will use Random.org to choose a winner on Sunday, 8/25/13, at 2:00 PM EST.

You can find/follow KIND snacks on their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Disclaimer: The bars were given to me for review, but I was not required to give a favorable review. Opinions, as always, are honest.

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Wave pool fun

Jerry was off work today, so we made plans to take the kids to the wave pool. When I went with my mom last week, there were literally about five people in the pool. I was hoping it would be another day like that, but when we got there at around 11:15, it was already pretty crowded.

My dad was able to get us free wristbands again, which was really cool. I wish I'd known that he was allowed to do that! We probably would have taken advantage sooner. It was hot and humid today, so a perfect day for the pool.

Even though I'm not a big fan of swimming, I brought my bathing suit and spent the whole time in the water with the kids. Because it was so busy, I was worried to let them out of my sight (the lifeguards there rarely look like they're paying attention to anything). At first, Eli and I were sitting on tubes in the deep end when the waves came, and we were just rocking up and down.

After a while, we started making our way to the shallower water, where the waves got pretty rough. A wave came and crashed over us, flipping us both off of the tubes. I was expecting Eli to come up crying, but he was laughing hysterically, so we spent the rest of the time letting the waves wipe us out. Jerry got up on his tube to relax, and I playfully yanked his tube into the rough waves--which was funny until he wiped out really hard and wound up with a big bruise on his back. Oops.

After we were done with the pool, we each went down the inflatable slide a few times. I didn't get to try it last time, so I was excited to go down it this time. It was fun! Halfway down, my whole body slid sideways, and I had no control over what was happening. Jerry took some (very flattering) pictures of me:

Hahaha, he always manages to catch my picture when I'm making the worst faces.

It was a super fun afternoon, and I was exhausted afterward. Today was my rest day from running, so I just spent the whole evening relaxing at home.

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Today is Wednesday, which means weigh-in day. Last week, I'd gained a couple of pounds, and said I hoped to be about 135 this week. Close, but no cigar...

I was 100% on track all week long, and was down 2.5 pounds from last week, so I can't complain. Maybe I'll see 135 next week. I'm just very happy to be on track, and not having gone over my weekly PointsPlus.

I've been eating for maintenance (32 daily PP, along with my 49 weeklies and all of my activity PP), but I tend to still lose a little when I eat for maintenance. So I'll just continue doing this until I'm back at goal weight. Even though I'm over goal right now (my "official" goal is 133), I'm very happy that I'm only 3 pounds over. Last year at this time, I think my weight was in the 150's. Summer is the hardest time of year for me to stay on track, and each summer, I've gained 15-20 pounds (only to take it off again in the fall)... until now. So to be up just three is pretty good! ;)

I may not get a chance to write tomorrow, because we're taking the kids camping (just for one night) in my parents' pop-up camper. I haven't gone camping in YEARS--I'm definitely not an "outdoorsy" person, so this should be interesting! ;)

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What made this time different

I always get a little nervous when someone learns about my weight loss, and then asks me what was different this time--how I've managed to lose the weight and keep it off. This questions makes me nervous because I don't know when I'll feel it's safe to say, "I lost all this weight and I kept it off!" All of the statistics pretty much guarantee that I'll gain the weight back sooner or later.

Every day that passes adds a little to my confidence in keeping the weight off. But sometimes, on a particularly hard day, I think, "This is it--this is the start of gaining back every pound." The problem with maintenance is that it NEVER ENDS. When you're losing weight, you have a finish line that you're working toward--your goal weight! Once you reach that line (which is also the starting line of weight maintenance), you're just running a race with no finish line. It's very overwhelming when I think of it that way!

Yesterday, when I posted that it was the four-year anniversary since I started losing weight, someone asked me what made this time different; since I'd tried dozens of times to lose weight, what made this time successful? That's a very good question, and I really don't have a definitive answer. But here are a few things that were different this time:

1) I started a regular exercise program (first walking, then running), and I stayed very disciplined in following my only rule: I must walk/run at least three days a week, for three miles each time. Three miles, three times a week is not a lot to ask, and I knew I could do it. I just didn't give myself an option to skip it.

When I'd dieted/lost weight in the past, I did it without exercise. Sure, I would try a workout video or going for a walk here and there, but I never had the discipline to stick with a plan. I think that my becoming a runner has been THE KEY to my keeping the weight off.

2) I stopped trying to be perfect. In the past, I always tried to follow my program (whatever it was--counting calories, Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, etc., etc.) right to the tee. If I strayed at all, I thought "Well, I screwed up, might as well start over tomorrow." And we all know that just led to a binge with a promise of getting back on track the next day.

Now, if I eat too much, or even binge, I just get right back on track.I learned that in the never-ending race of maintenance, there are going to be pit stops along the way; I'm going to screw up, and it's really not that big of a deal as long as I get right back at it.

3) I didn't make changes that I wasn't willing to do forever. I say this ALL the time, but it's true. In the past, I would come up with some ridiculous plan to drop weight as quickly as possible, and tell myself that I'd worry about maintenance when I got there.

This time was different because I started out doing exactly what I planned to do for maintenance. I didn't give up any of my favorite foods; I eventually made a commitment to walk/run three miles, three times per week; I started measuring out my portions and logging my food (something I didn't necessarily want to do forever but I was willing to). These were changes that worked for me, and I stopped caring about how fast the weight would come off. I knew that if I stayed on track, the weight WOULD come off. It wasn't a matter of "if", but "when".

None of this is new information, but when I really ask myself what was different this time, that's all I could come up with. If anyone else in maintenance wants to chime in with what was different for you the last time losing weight, feel free to comment!

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For Taste Test Tuesday this week, I was really excited to find this new flavor of Clif Bar at the store. My favorite flavor is White Chocolate Macadamia, but this Sierra Trail Mix sounded really good!

Peanuts, chocolate, and raisins are a favorite combo of mine, so I had high hopes for this flavor. It didn't disappoint! I think I found a flavor that I like even more than the White Chocolate Macadamia. There weren't very many chunks in it, which surprised me, but the whole bar itself really tasted like trail mix. Definitely a thumbs up from me!

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Motivational Monday #29

Today marks the four year anniversary of when I started to lose weight (this final time). I'd attempted to lose weight dozens of times before, and I really thought it would be no different this time. Surprisingly, over the next 16 months, I lost 125 pounds. I also became a runner, which was something I never imagined in my wildest dreams.

It's so strange to think that just four years ago, I was 253 pounds, I'd never run a mile in my life, and I was binge eating several times a week. I was ashamed of who I'd become, and even more ashamed that I couldn't make myself get it together (if not for myself, then for my family).

I feel like I'm a completely different person today, but I know I wouldn't be "me" if I hadn't gone through all that I did. The person I was in 2009 made me who I am today, and I'm very happy with who I am now. I'm not perfect; never will be! But I wouldn't change anything.

August 19, 2009 vs. August 19, 2013

I'll probably write more about this tomorrow. I didn't want to take away from Motivational Monday!

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Allison's husband, Jake, has always supported her as a runner--going to her races, and cheering her on from the sidelines--but wasn't a runner himself. Allison recently confided in him that she was very nervous about her second half-marathon in October. Her training and eating habits were suffering, and she worried she may not even be able to finish the race if she continued on like that. In order to calm her fears, and offer even more support, Jake decided to run the half-marathon with her in October! He's progressing in his training very well, and even admitted that he kind of enjoys running ;)

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On Mother's Day, Lindsay's son, Cody, told her that he wanted to run a 5K race. She was thrilled, because she and her husband, Bill, had just completed a half-marathon. The three of them signed up for The Color Run on July 20th, and Cody was very happy to train for the race. Just a week before the race, Lindsay and Bill were in a horrific motorcycle accident (a truck carrying bales of hay had some come loose, and one hit Bill in the face, causing the accident). They both spent time in the hospital, with multiple injuries. Cody, bless his heart, didn't want to run the 5K without them; but Lindsay told him he should go ahead and do it for his daddy (who was still unconscious). He ran the 5K, and had a great time! Lindsay and Bill are both recovering, and she says they can't wait to get back to running so that they can run a race together.

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Colleen and her husband went on an 11-mile hike. She said there were SO many times they were ready to call it a day, but they kept going, and it was totally worth it!

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You may remember Dean from when he ran his first 5K in April, and then when he ran his first 10K. He's been in the process of losing weight and training for the Detroit Half-Marathon in October, and I love that he's updating his progress! Anyway, Dean had 10 miles on the schedule, and he was having a great run; so great, that he decided to run an extra 5K and call it a half-marathon! ;)  He's now down 60 pounds, too!

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After spending three years battling the ups and downs of weight loss, Katie finally reached her goal weight at Weight Watchers! She's very excited (and a little nervous) to finally be at the maintenance phase of her journey. The first pic was from 2010, and the second is a current picture.

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Laura just ran her first 5K on Saturday! It was the Run or Dye race, and she said it was the perfect pick for a first race, because she had so much fun. She just started the Couch to 5K about 5 weeks ago, and was able to run almost the entire 5K distance during the race!

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Rhonda (left in photo), and her friend, Margene, just completed the Iron Girl Seattle triathlon! Rhonda set a PR (and a new goal for next year), and Margene took second place in her age division of 70-74!

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Schellen just completed her first 5K race! She (obviously) did The Color Run, with a combination of running and walking. Six months ago, she was too self-conscious to run in front of people at the gym, let alone in public; but at The Color Run, she ran along with 10,000 other people!

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Kara had an 18-miler on the schedule for her marathon training, so she ran the Hobble Creek Half-Marathon in 1:56:25 (very close to a PR!), and THEN followed up with five more miles to get in all 18!

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

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Cumulative fatigue

Wow. When I started the Hansons' Marathon Method training, I thought I knew what it would feel like to accumulate fatigue as a runner. Multiply that tenfold, and that's pretty much how I felt during today's run.

Today, I had 10 miles at 9:38/mi pace on the schedule. On paper, this workout didn't even make me blink. Ten miles at 9:38 pace? No problem. (I later took those words back, as I got the full understanding of "cumulative fatigue" on the Hansons' plan).

I had to wait until 8:45 to head out the door (the time I run usually depends on Jerry's work schedule). By that time, it was already 70 degrees and humid outside. I briefly considered running on the treadmill, but 10 miles is a long time to be on the 'mill. I figured I was just feeling spoiled by the cool weather we've had lately!

I decided on a new route, to keep from getting bored. It's an out-and-back from my house, and the first half of the way out was familiar, but the second half was all new territory. It was on a very busy road, but it had a paved shoulder (for most of it). Unfortunately, it was all new asphalt, and with the sun out in full force, and the humidity, I felt like I was running in an oven. It was kind of a relief every time a car would go by, because the rush of wind felt great!

I turned around at mile five, and then at mile six, things started getting interesting. I couldn't believe that I was so tired just six miles in, and at an easy pace. I honestly felt like I hit "the wall". Mile seven felt like it took forever. When I reached mile eight, it was honestly all I could do to put one foot in front of the other.

I can compare it to miles 24-25 of a marathon, where all you want to do is stop running, and your legs feel like lead. Then someone always shouts to you, "Just a couple more miles!" and you want to cry, because you still have a couple more miles--which might as well be a hundred.

I was really fighting with myself about stopping the run, and just walking the rest of the way home. It was really, really tempting. It was then that I had an "Aha!" moment. Everything that I'd read in the Hansons' book said I would feel like this during training, particularly on Sunday's runs. The whole point of their method is to accumulate fatigue so that long runs DO feel like the last part of a marathon. Even though I was "only" running 10 miles today, I felt like I did after my 20-milers in previous training. It's really kind of brilliant!

These runs are training my body to push through the fatigue (without over-training) when it feels tough and makes me want to quit. In previous training, the only way to get that feeling was when I was running a really, really long run (18-20 miles). So even though I read all of this in the book, I really experienced it first-hand today, and it was a key moment for me.

That thought helped me get through the last couple of miles, and I finished.

That "feels like" temp had to be a typo! I think it felt like 90*.

I was really hot, and all I wanted was to jump in a cold shower. I didn't even stop to take a picture or anything; just ran right into the house, stripped off my clothes on the way to the bathroom, and cranked on the cold water. After the initial shock of cold, it felt amazing.

I was curious how much water I'd lost due to sweat, so I got on the scale--my weight was down four pounds from before my run! I knew the heat and dehydration probably made the run that much harder, so next time, I'll make sure to drink more often while I'm running. I got dressed and drank a whole quart of water, then made a Blueberry Muffin protein shake for breakfast (I really wanted something cold, and it hit the spot).

The appetite that I managed to lose yesterday was definitely back today. I'd burned nearly 100 calories per mile today, which is much more than normal (I always burn more when it's hot). I had 21 activity PointsPlus accumulated between yesterday and today, and I decided to splurge on a brownie from Monica's, which is 20 PP.

A reader asked me recently if I ever feel like quitting during a hard run, and if so, how I overcome it. Yes, I feel like that all the time! Today was a great example. Getting out the door is always hard for me. Sometimes, I'll make a deal with myself. For example, if I'm scheduled to run eight miles, and I really just don't want to run, I might tell myself that I can "just" run six. And always, once I get to that point, I think, "What's another two miles?" because I always feel much more accomplished when I complete the goal.

I think out-and-back runs are great for preventing quitting during a run, too. An eight-miler sounds so much easier if I think of it as four miles out, then turn around and run back. If I were running two-mile loops, it would be so much easier to quit early, each time I passed my house or car. But on an out-and-back route, the "out" part usually feels pretty easy, because it's the first half of the total distance. Then, once I turn around, I know that I have no choice but to get back home or to my car, so I have to keep going (and running will get me there faster than walking).

Finally, when I'm feeling like quitting or skipping a run, I think about my overall goals. Today, when I wanted to quit, I reminded myself that what I do during training now is going to make the marathon that much easier or harder. I want the marathon to be a good experience, so I have to train for that. When I was done with the run, I was SO glad that I stuck it out, because I felt great! (Super tired, but great).

Anyone else have tips on how you stick through a workout when the going gets tough? Or even how you make yourself do your workout when you want to make excuses not to?

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Just a reminder, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a picture to share of a health/fitness accomplishment this week, you can e-mail it to me at SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com with the subject "Motivational Monday", and I may include it in tomorrow's post :)

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Anniversary date

Last night's date with Jerry ended up being so much fun! As soon as Jerry got home from work, I gave him the key chains, and sure enough, he laughed until he wheezed. Definitely a big hit.

We went to Panera for dinner, which was sounding SO good to me. I was hoping to get Black Bean Soup, but it wasn't on the menu yesterday. I'm actually glad, because I ended up getting a bowl of Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and it was fantastic. I forgot how good that soup is! I haven't had it in years. I got a whole grain baguette with it.

The baguette portion she gave me was definitely more than two ounces, so I ripped it in half. The soup was 8 PointsPlus, and the bread was 4 PP. A very yummy (and filling) dinner!

After that, we went down the street for dessert. We got ice cream and decaf coffee at Cold Stone/Tim Hortons. I had the cake batter flavor again; it's so good!

We sat with our ice cream and coffee for a long time, getting in some good conversation. Jerry had to work this morning, so it wasn't a late night.

This morning, I got up at 5:30 to get ready to go for a run with Stephanie. I told her I'd pick her up at 6:30, and we could go to the bike path where Jessica and I did a lot of our marathon training. Stephanie had 11 miles on the schedule, with 7 of those at race pace (9:55/mi). My plan was to pace her for those, so that she could have a good, confidence-building run (her last long run didn't go so well).

We parked at a community center, and the headed out on the trail. It was pretty chilly this morning, but it felt great! Stephanie didn't want to know what our pace was (or where we were going); she said she'd just let me lead, and she'd keep up. So I did my best to keep us on target.

I learned that I would make a terrible pacer in a race, haha. When I get chatty, I stop focusing on pace, and I tend to go too fast. (Better too fast than too slow in this circumstance, but I didn't want to get her burned out; I wanted her to finish feeling strong). Once we hit mile seven, we slowed to her easy pace for four miles. I was really excited for her that she did it--she did great!

Stephanie always has her camera with her, so we took a couple of pics when we were done.

I was surprised when I looked at my calorie burn. The first 7 miles, I burned roughly 80 calories per mile, which is pretty typical. But the last 4 miles, I only burned 50-something calories per mile! That seems so low to me. But I've checked (and double checked) my heart rate monitor, and it's giving the correct heart rate reading. I went over the data from the past year, and I realized my average heart rate (while running) has dropped by about 10 beats per minute. That's a good thing, in the sense that I'm conditioning my cardio system. But the downside is that I don't burn as many calories.

The strangest thing happened to me today... I couldn't think of one single thing that I wanted to spend my activity PP on! Usually, I get so excited to have a treat after a long run, but today, absolutely nothing sounded good. I wasn't hungry at all, and I tried to think up a fun way to use my PP, but eventually, I decided that I wasn't going to push it. This NEVER happens to me! Maybe it'll hit me tomorrow, and then I'll have even more PP to spend. ;)

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10 Years!

I am SO disappointed... I worked for several months on a video to post on my blog today for Jerry's and my 10-year wedding anniversary, and I can't get it to upload :(

Jerry had to work today, so we didn't have big plans for our anniversary. We'd agreed not to buy each other anything, but something handmade was okay. I made the video. Jerry was VERY creative and came up with this:

I eat a single Dove Promise every night with a glass of wine. Jerry wrote out memories of us and tied them onto each individual Dove, so that when I pull one out to eat each night, I'll have a memory to relive. (A couple of them are flipped over, because they're not very appropriate!) I love this gift more than anything he could have bought.

While he was working, I had to go get new running shoes. I stopped at the mall to use my coupon for free Victoria's Secret panties while I was out, and the kids and I wandered around the mall a little bit. While we were window shopping, I saw something that I just HAD to buy for Jerry.

First, the back story: When Jerry was in basic training in 1999, he would send me letters and, occasionally, cards from the PX. The PX had very limited options as far as cards go, so we always got a laugh out of the really corny ones. It turned into a running joke between us. One of them was so ridiculously cheesy that we still joke about it to this day:

Another thing that we joke about came from the movie Fear. Remember that scene where Mark Wahlberg's character gives himself a homemade tattoo that says "Nicole 4-EVA"? We always get a laugh out of writing our names with 4-EVA next to them.

Soooo... when I saw this key chain set at the mall, I not only bought it, but I got it engraved:

The engraving didn't photograph well, but it says, "Katie & Jerry 4-EVA". I was SO embarrassed buying this, and even more embarrassed telling them what I wanted engraved on it, but the embarrassment will be worth it when Jerry opens the gift. (By the time this post goes live, I'll already have given it to him). We're going to have a low-key evening--dinner at Panera, followed by ice cream and coffee.

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to pick up Stephanie bright and early to go for a run. She's been having some trouble with her race pace run, so I'm (hopefully) going to help her carry a 9:55/mi pace for 7 miles. I'm looking forward to it!

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Poolside

The boys spent the night at my parents' house last night, and I was tossing and turning all night. Early this morning, I was half-asleep when I heard my phone vibrate. When I looked at the phone, though, there was no text, so I was confused why it vibrated. I was SURE that I heard it. Regardless, after that, I decided just to get up and head out for my run.

As I was getting dressed, I started to fasten my Garmin around my wrist when I noticed that the battery was nearly dead. It was the watch that vibrated earlier, letting me know that there was low battery. Apparently, after I charged it, I left it turned on all night long, draining the battery. Thankfully, it charges really fast, so I plugged it in while I finished getting dressed, and cleaned up the house a little.

When the charge was at about 50%, I figured it was good enough to last for my run. Today, I had an eight-mile marathon pace/tempo run scheduled. Another thing I discovered from the Hansons' book is that I'm supposed to tack on an extra 1-2 miles as a warm-up and as a cool down. That's a pretty long run for a Thursday morning! I decided to add the mile for a warm-up, but I've never done a cool down before, so I didn't worry about that.

It was pretty cold out this morning! I'm not at all complaining; I love this fall-like weather. I ran a mile at an easy pace to warm up, and then aimed to hit my target pace of 8:58/mi. At first, I started going way too fast, in the low 8:00's. Then I overcompensated, and slowed the pace to mid 9:00's. It was really hard to hit that 8:58 and maintain it!

The whole goal of this type of run is to learn what that particular pace feels like, and be able to run it without even looking at my watch. I quickly learned that I'm not very good at picking a pace and maintaining it. The first couple of miles, I started too fast, so I slowed down, then had to speed up again. Not at all consistent.

Mile three at tempo pace was really difficult to pay attention to pacing, because I was running on the gravel shoulder of a super busy road, cars flying past me at 60 mph. I was just trying not to get run over. I ended up running that mile too fast. The fourth mile at tempo pace was going really well, right on pace, until about a tenth of a mile left to go.

A dog ran up to me, scaring me to death at first, and then I saw the owner of the dog was Eli's friend's mom. I stopped and chatted with her for a couple of minutes (stopping my Garmin). Then when I started running again, my pace was way too fast. For some reason, when I run past people, my pace always picks up (I don't do it consciously, but I think I tend to focus more on my form or something, which makes me go faster). So that mile was too fast as well.

The rest of the run went pretty well, and I was able to stay close to my target pace. It was really hard to resist the urge to pick up speed as I got close to home (my last mile is almost always my fastest).

Over all, I'm pretty happy with the consistency of my splits! I was very close to hitting my target, but I have to work on maintaining the pace the whole time, rather than the ups and downs in each mile, trying to stay on target. I have to say, it feels weird running a nine-miler and NOT calling it a long run!

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After I showered and had breakfast, my mom asked me if I wanted to go with her to take the boys to the wave pool at the Metropark. I really didn't want to swim (the temp was still in the 60's), but I thought it would be fun to go watch them play. The pool is at the park where my dad works during the summer, so he was able to get us free passes for the pool, as well as a huge inflatable water slide. When I saw the slide, I kind of wished I'd brought my bathing suit--it looked fun!

Instead, I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt--in AUGUST. This has been a very odd summer. I could count on one hand the number of people at the pool today; the kids practically had the whole thing to themselves.

Poolside in a sweatshirt and jeans

This was the kids' first time at the wave pool, so they didn't really know what to expect. They ended up loving it, so I think when Jerry has a day off, we'll go back (and I'll swim, regardless of how cold it is). After they were done swimming, they went down the slide a few dozen times each.

Doesn't it look fun? My mom was in her bathing suit, and I told her she should go on it. It took a little convincing, but she did it! I took a video, but I won't embarrass her by posting it. She was laughing all the way down, so I think she had fun ;)

By the time I got home, I was starving for lunch. I threw together what ended up being a very yummy wrap. Remember how I posted about those chicken sausages I found at Sam's Club? Lots of people suggested I try the fajita flavored ones, so I bought some a few days ago. Holy smokes, those are GOOD. I made scrambled eggs with the (sliced) chicken sausage mixed in, and then wrapped it in a tortilla. I inhaled it before I could take a photo, unfortunately!

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