Make-up

When Michigan changes seasons, the weather gets really wacky. A couple of days ago, it was 98 degrees outside. Today, the high was 61 degrees! I was actually pretty excited to go for a run this morning--five miles at an easy pace in this nice fall weather.

I wore long sleeves to run in for the first time this season! Maybe it was a little premature for the long sleeves, but I was just too excited. After getting the kids on the bus, Jerry and I watched an episode of Breaking Bad (season one--I'm trying to get him hooked on it). Then I headed out for my run.

I did my usual loop of the neighborhoods. I think I lost my mind today while I was running, though! There is a particular peninsula that I've been running ever since I started to run in 2010. It's a perfect 5K from my house, around the peninsula, and home, so I've done it a million times.

Anyway, I ran that as part of my five miler today, and I must have been really lost in my thoughts. I ran all the way to the tip of the peninsula, where there is a tiny loop turn-around, and instead of running along the other edge of the peninsula, I ended up going back the way I came. I got almost halfway home when I realized that I was doing an out-and-back rather than looping the peninsula. I know this is all incredibly boring, but it felt so strange when I realized my mistake. I was really confused for a minute!

After I showered and dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans(!), Jerry and I went to the mall. I needed some new make-up (foundation) from Macy's. This is pretty pathetic, but the last bottle of foundation I have was from when my sister treated me to a mini makeover in July 2010 (as a gift for losing 100 pounds). That's how infrequently I wear make-up! I'm finally down to the last of the bottle, so I wanted to buy the same stuff that Jeanie bought me back then.

I brought the bottle with me, and just asked the salesgirl for the same thing. When she rang it up, I was a little shocked for a minute that it was $30! But considering it lasted me over three years, I guess it's a bargain ;)

We walked around the mall for a little while, people-watching, and then headed home. We have to go to the wedding rehearsal at 4:30, and then dinner at his parents' house afterward. I hope that Jerry's parents do something to acknowledge his birthday. Tomorrow, he turns 33, but his birthday is obviously going to be overshadowed by his sister's wedding. So I'm hoping they have a cake or something for him tonight.

Noah has been really excited for Jerry's birthday. He's so sweet! He was wondering if we could go out to breakfast or something to celebrate (as a surprise for Daddy), since the wedding is tomorrow afternoon. That's probably what we'll end up doing. We have a busy day tomorrow, so I may not get a chance to write. Have a great weekend!

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The infamous dress

The infamous dress.
This pic was from
when I first got it.

I will be SO relieved when Jerry's sister's wedding is over. I did great all week long, eating really well, and yesterday I tried on the bridesmaid dress. It was really tight, and Jerry had to pull hard to get the top hooked. Then I took a breath, and the hook flew off the dress! Awesome.

Jerry and I both got on our hands and knees looking for the hook. I managed to find it and sew it back on. I can get in the dress and zip it, but I can't take a deep breath in it. The dress fit wonderfully when I bought it, but five pounds makes a big difference at this size. When the bride insisted we buy our dresses in April, I had a feeling this would happen, and was tempted to order a size up, but felt like I'd manage to maintain my weight.

Anyway, I'm just going to go easy on the sodium for the next couple of days, and hopefully that will be enough to make the dress more comfortable. I just don't understand it, because I didn't binge, I was 100% on track, and felt great! Until I tried on the dress. What a way to ruin my mood.

At around 7:00 last night, our power went out. I kept waiting for it to come right back on, but no such luck. There wasn't a storm (yet), but it was kind of windy. We lit some candles, and Jerry and I ended up spending the evening with a glass of wine and chatting. It was actually really nice to have the TV and computers off for the night. By the time we went to bed, the power was still out. Finally, just before 11:00, it came on.

This morning, my dad was off work and wanted to walk the kids to the bus stop, so I was able to head out earlier to run. I was all ready to run on the treadmill, but changed my mind at the last minute and went outside. I was expecting it to be really hot, since it was in the high 90's the last couple of days, but it wasn't TOO bad--"feels like" temp of 72 and humid.

I felt pretty good for the first mile, getting it done in 8:32, but I slowed way down after that. I felt like I was still running a sub-9:00 pace, but I finished the second mile in 9:01. I was discouraged when I saw that, and just kind of decided to run however I felt like running, and not push too hard to get the 8:58 pace (read: be a big baby that I didn't hit my target). Miles 3 and 4 were still in the 9's, and then I ended up having to turn onto a side street to avoid a bunch of construction on the road. Once I turned, my energy seemed to pick up, and I managed sub-9's for the rest of the run.

About a week ago, there was a deer that was hit by a car on the side of the road. I dread going past it, because it stinks, obviously. Today, I thought it was gone, and I saw what looked like a piece of cardboard laying there. When I got up next to it, I noticed the "cardboard" was moving. There were millions of tiny worms crawling all over the deer carcass, and I couldn't even see the deer anymore. So gross.

I went to TJ Maxx yesterday to look for a possible marathon outfit. I wanted to get a tank top that had a wide enough back for writing something on it. I have iron-on letters, so I'll probably just use those to make a race shirt. Anyway, I found this purple and white one for $10, so I wore it today to try it out and see if it was comfortable. It felt fine, so now I just need to come up with something to put on it.

I ended my no-peanut-butter streak today :)  It wasn't an impulsive decision; I'd actually been thinking it over for a week, and decided today would be the day. I went 10 weeks without peanut butter! I never expected to make it that long. But I really missed it, and decided that if I can manage to eat it without bingeing, then I can end my streak early. I'm still not going to buy my new dishes until after the race, though.

I had peanut butter twice today. For breakfast, I made my old favorite of oatmeal with peanut butter, chocolate chips, caramel, and coconut; and for dinner, I had a Fluffernutter sandwich. Yes, peanut butter is just as good as I remember! ;)

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50 Running Tips

I get a lot of requests from companies wanting to pay me to post one of their articles on my blog--things like, "How to lose weight fast!" or "20 Weight Loss Tips", etc. I don't accept those kinds of posts here, because my blog is a personal account of my experience with weight loss and running, not a "how to" type of website. I believe that losing weight is very individual to each person--what worked for me may not work for you, and vice versa. That's why I don't have posts full of "tips and tricks" to share.

As I was running a couple of days ago, I was thinking of all the things I've learned as a runner--not just from reading about it, but from my experience. And I had the idea to put together a post about tips for running--just little tidbits I've learned here and there. Feel free to add your own running tips in the comments!

Clothing

The ninja (or burglar) look

1. Get fitted for running shoes at a running store. There are so many injuries that can be prevented simply by wearing the right shoes! A knowledgeable staff person can watch your running form, and see if you have any issues with your feet, and recommend the best shoes for you. They may not be pretty (mine aren't!) but they will keep you comfortable.

2. Along the same lines, keep track of how many miles are on your running shoes. It's important to get new ones every 350-400 miles or so. I keep track on RunningAhead.com (you can select a pair of shoes for each run, and it totals your miles on each pair of shoes that you use).

3. If you are overweight, or you have loose skin, compression-fit clothing is very helpful in holding everything in to keep you comfortable. The bouncing of skin/fat hurts, and the compression fit hold it all tight. If you're self-conscious while wearing tight spandex, you can put a loose layer over them.

4. Wear moisture-wicking fabrics. I started out wearing cotton shirts and bottoms, and they would get drenched in sweat, feeling really heavy by the time I was done.

5. Some clothing can cause chafing (the neckline of my sports bras is notorious for it), and I've found that my favorite anti-chafing product is Aquaphor. I've tried Body Glide and others, but they didn't work well for me.

6. Wearing good socks is as important as wearing good shoes. The difference was like night and day when I started wearing wicking socks that I bought from the running store. I realized that the blisters I'd gotten were from cotton socks, and once I switched, I didn't have any more blisters.

Weather

7. Don't use rain as an excuse to skip an outdoor run. Running in the rain is actually pretty fun! You will feel like a kid again. Just make sure you wear lightweight fabrics, otherwise they will weigh you down as they get wet.

8. When running in the rain, a hat or visor works really well for keeping the rain out of your eyes.

9. If you have a long run in the rain, have a couple of changes of socks (and shoes, if you have them) ready to swap out mid-run. I did a 20-miler in the rain before, and I was SO glad I had a dry pair of socks in the car to change into at around mile 14.

10. Running in heat and humidity can make your pace much slower, and this is normal. Your cardiovascular system is still working just as hard. So don't get discouraged by the slower pace (I had a hard time accepting this!).

11. If you live in a place where you get a lot of snow and/or ice, like we do in Michigan, you can buy spikes for your shoes. I have IceSpikes, which I screwed into an older pair of running shoes. I can run on ice without slipping, which is pretty cool!

Routes

12. Out-and-back routes (where you run for a distance, then turn around and follow your steps all the way back) can be helpful if you have a hard time finishing a run. Passing by your house or car makes it really easy to quit! But if you run out for a distance, then you have no choice to to return.

13. Loop routes can be very useful if you're doing a long run and don't want to carry water or fuel with you. For example, you can break your 12-miler up into four 3-mile loops around your neighborhood, passing by your house each time. You can stop, get a drink, go to bathroom if needed, etc.

14. I like using the Garmin Connect website or RunningAhead.com to map out new routes. It's very accurate as far as measuring distances, and it helps to plan out runs in unfamiliar areas. You can also look at routes that other people have mapped out in your area.

15. I find that running alongside busy roads (maybe the sidewalk or bike path next to a busy road) somehow makes me faster ;)  So if I have speed work or a tempo run that I just don't want to do, I might deliberately choose a route that is busy. Knowing that people are looking at me makes me push a little harder!

16. On a long run, plan your route so that you stop by a friend's house (or two). It'll give you something to look forward to! Just make sure you're stopping for a quick hello and some water, and not margaritas ;)

Safety

17. Pepper spray is pretty cheap and easy to carry with you. This can help protect you from an attacker, as well as from dogs or other animals.

18. Wear bright colors and reflective gear when running on a busy road, so that drivers can see easily spot you.

19. Tell someone (your spouse, parent, friend, etc) your exact route and what time you should return. I always tell Jerry my routes, just in case something should happen.

20. Always run against traffic when running on the road. Cyclists should go with traffic, pedestrians should go against traffic.

21. Be very aware of your surroundings. I don't run with earphones, so I can hear everything going on. I know a lot of people can't stand the thought of giving up their music, so make sure the volume is low enough that you can hear a person, car, dog, etc. coming up behind you.

22. Carry a cell phone with you, if you can. This is helpful even if you're just having a bad run, and need someone to pick you up.

23. Don't make your running maps public. It's very easy for someone to see where you always start and stop your runs (your house), and it's basically giving free access to a map to your house.

24. When crossing the road or an intersection make sure you look drivers in the eye before going in front of their car. A lot of drivers don't pay any attention to watching out for pedestrians, and I've nearly been hit quite a few times. It's safer to assume they don't see you until you actually make eye contact.

For beginners

25. Pick a schedule and stick to it! I made a promise to myself that I would run three times per week, no matter what. That was in early 2010, and I've kept that promise ever since. The only exception was after my surgeries, when I had to take some time off.

26. Don't try to do much, too fast. If you start out by running six days a week, for an hour each time, you're probably going to get injured or burnt out. Start small! By having and reaching small goals, you build up the discipline you need to stick with it for the long haul. Beginner motivation will only get you so far; determination and discipline will get you to your goals!

27. If a run feels too hard, SLOW DOWN. I couldn't believe how much farther I could run when I drastically slowed my pace. You can work on speeding up later, but when you're just starting out, it's important to build that distance first.

28. Sign up for a race so that you have a goal to work toward. It's easy to start skipping runs if you're not working toward anything.

29. Don't compare yourself to others. What you think is slow may seem really fast to someone else, and vice versa. Just try to do YOUR best, and improve YOUR running.

For parents with small children

30. If you have just one or two kids, you can use a jogging stroller to take them with you outside.

31. My treadmill has been the best investment I've ever made. When my kids are home with me, and I can't get outside for a run, I can always do it on the treadmill.

32. Trade off with friends--you babysit her kids while she goes out (for a run, grocery shopping, whatever), and then she'll watch your kids while you run.

33. Plan your run around your partner's work schedule. Jerry works a swing shift, so there were some days I'd run at 6:30 AM, and other days I'd run at 8:00 PM. It just depended on his work schedule.

34. Take your kids to the high school track. While you run the track, the kids can run around and play on the football field.

35. You can let the kids ride their bikes on a bike path at the park while you run alongside them.

Treadmill running

36. Set up in front of a computer or TV, so you can watch interesting shows to pass the time. My personal favorites, that made the miles fly by: Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, 24, Orange is the New Black, The Shield, Prison Break (and I'm sure there are lots more, I just can't think of them at the moment).

37. Set the incline at 1-2%, so that it feels more like running outside. It won't feel like you're running uphill, but your legs will feel a little heavier as you run with that small incline.

38. Cover the display with a towel, so that you're not staring at the numbers slowly tick away. Only allow yourself to peek at each commercial break, or after every three songs, or something like that.

39. Do intervals. By changing the pace and/or incline every so often (from once a minute to once a mile), you will focus less on the run as a whole, and just focus on each small portion. The time will pass faster when you look at it that way!

40. Using the treadmill is helpful for pace workouts, where you have to run at a certain pace for a specified time. It's easy to just set the pace and forget it while you get lost in a TV show. It's hard to be that consistent when you run outside.

41. If you live in a very flat area like I do, you can use the incline on your treadmill to get in hill workouts. A typical grade for a hill workout would be about 5%.

42. Set a strong floor fan in front of the treadmill to blow on you while you run. It gets really hot when running without any sort of breeze, and the fan helps a lot.

Boredom

43. I do almost all of my runs alone, so it's definitely a treat to get to run with someone! The best runs to run with a partner are long runs; your pace should be a slow, conversational pace, so it's easy to chat while you're running!

44. I mentioned that I don't use earphones when I run, so I do have to get a little creative in passing the time in my head. Usually, I am thinking about what I'm going to write about on my blog that day.

45. Fartlek runs can help pass the time well. Basically, you pick a point ahead of you (a mailbox or a tree, or something like that) and run faster than usual until you hit that point, then you slow down again. Pick another spot, and do it again. That way, you're not thinking about the entire run you're doing, but just point-to-point.

46. Sometimes I try to find the most unusual thing I can while out for a run. I've seen some pretty strange things on the side of the road! The most common out-of-place thing I see? Men's underwear. I see at least one or two pair of men's underwear on the side of the road each week!

47. I don't intentionally do this, but I find myself playing the "what if" game a lot while I'm running. I might see a shirt in the ditch, and think, "What if that were a body?" And then I run through the whole scenario in my head about what I would do if I actually came across a body in the ditch while running. Or if I hear footsteps behind me, I think, "What would I do if someone were to come up and try to attack me right now?" Morbid, maybe, but it's nice to work out a plan in my head! ;)

48. Sometimes an unplanned/unmapped route is perfect for keeping it interesting! Just head out without any destination in mind, turn whenever you feel like turning, and enjoy the new scenery.

49. This is probably ridiculous, but sometimes I think about what I'm going to eat later, after burning so many calories!

50. Vary your workout, so it doesn't become routine. Include easy runs, tempo runs, intervals, long runs, etc. (Just make sure you're not doing a hard run two days in a row, to avoid injury).

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And that's all she wrote! I hope that some of these tips are useful. And I'd love to hear tips from all of you as well.

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Chicago plans

The fall weather we had recently was a big fat tease. Today, I checked out the temps before deciding on whether to run inside or outside, and saw that the high was going to be 97 degrees today. What the hell?! I've been wearing long sleeves and jeans recently, and now we're back into the 90's.

So, considering the temp and that I had intervals on the schedule, I decided to run on the treadmill. I spent probably an hour trying to find a show on Netflix to watch. There is NOTHING that sounds interesting to me! Once Sons of Anarchy has the fifth season on Netflix, I'll be able to watch that; also, I'm waiting for the second season of American Horror Story. But today, I couldn't find anything that even remotely interested me, so I just decided to run outside.

There was no way that I was going to run speed work in "feels like" temps of 100, so I figured I'd just run five miles at whatever pace my legs felt like running today. The air was really thick when I stepped outside (after my dilly dallying around, it was after 9:00). I ran a five mile loop around the neighborhoods, and my heart rate was about as high as if I'd been doing my intervals... that's how the humidity affects me. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 90's again, but it's a rest day, so I'll be in the air conditioning!

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Remember my post from a few days ago, about the gross jar of Justin's Maple Almond Butter I bought? It was very runny and tasted like pure oil. Here is the pic of it compared to a "normal" jar of it:

The one on the left was obviously the liquidy one. Anyway, I e-mailed Justin's about it, and I just got a response yesterday. I was incredibly disappointed when I read it.

Apparently, this runny nut butter was not a fluke. Justin's is changing the way they grind the nuts--the purpose is to make it easier to spread, less oil separation, and more consistent from jar to jar. She wrote that the recipe hasn't changed, and they aren't adding more oil, but that this consistency is actually what they were going for :(

It's hard to show with a photo just how runny this new consistency is, but it's VERY runny. You can't scoop it up with a spoon without it spilling over the sides. I'm trying to think of a comparison... I guess you could say that it has the consistency of a cream-based soup. I tried to put some on an English muffin, but it just ran off the sides of the muffin. And even though I was told they didn't change the recipe, I have to say the flavor is TERRIBLE. It tastes like rancid vegetable oil.

Anyway, the woman who wrote me back was very kind, and I like that she explained this to me, but I won't be buying Justin's Nut Butters anymore, if they are going to taste like this one. Bummer!

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For Taste Test Tuesday, I bought a box of Barbara's Toasted Oatmeal Flakes to try. I love cereal, but most of my favorites have 200+ calories per serving, which is a lot for a tiny little bowl (and I rarely stop at one serving...). I usually have cereal for an afternoon snack rather than a meal, so I like it to be lower in calories. This one has 110 calories per serving (3/4 cup).

I was expecting the texture to be very airy, like corn flakes, but it was kind of thick and dense, which I liked.

It was also sweeter than I expected (not that I'm complaining!). I really liked this cereal. It was hearty for being only 110 calories, and because of the denser texture, it took longer to chew than airy flakes. The flavor reminded me of Honey Nut Cheerios. I would definitely buy this again!

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My plans for the Chicago Marathon have changed a bit. Andrea, who I was going to be running with for her first marathon, has decided not to run. She has a very good reason for it--she has severe sciatica that really bothers her when she runs, and her training has really suffered. She is extremely disappointed, but I think she's making a wise decision. I ran Cleveland with an injured knee, and it was a totally miserable experience! So I am not upset with her at all. Even though I signed up for Chicago to run with Andrea, I am still going to run it alone--it was a very expensive race, and I've already done the training, so I might as well!

Andrea still plans to go to Chicago with me, which is very kind of her, considering she's not going to be doing the race. We're going to stay with my sister in Rockford on Friday night, and then head to the city on Saturday (my kids are going to stay with my sister). The race is Sunday morning. We'll stay Sunday night in Chicago, and then Andrea will go to the airport, and I'll go to my sister's house for another night before coming home with my kids.

One of the things I was looking forward to about this race is that it was going to be pretty stress-free; I didn't have a time goal or anything, I was just going to run with Andrea. Now that I'll be running alone, I've had to reevaluate the situation. I've been training as if I'm going to run a 3:55 marathon (BAHAHA) but I never had intentions of actually doing that. There is no way I even want to attempt that pace! That would mean running an 8:58/mi pace for 26.2 miles, and, from experience, the last 10 miles of a marathon don't agree so well with me ;)

I think that if I were to go and give it my ALL, really bust my ass to reach a goal, I could probably do a sub-4:00 finish. However... that doesn't sound like fun to me in the slightest. I'm happy with my 4:50-something finish time from Detroit, and never had intentions of breaking that time. So, for Chicago, I'm going to go and run whatever pace I feel like running that day. I don't have a goal, I'm not going to follow a pacer, and I honestly don't care what my finish time is. I don't even have a "secret" goal! ;)

If I had to guess, I'd say my best estimate for a finish time (based on my long runs and easy runs) would be 4:30-ish (10:18/mi pace). I've been doing my long runs at a 9:30/mi pace, but I know I would feel more comfortable at a slower pace. I wouldn't be surprised if I finish in 4:15-ish, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I finish in 4:45-ish. Anything can happen! I'm just really happy with my decision to run for fun, without any goals, and just see what happens. I always enjoy races the most when I don't have a goal.

One thing that I would love is to chat with some other runners during the race. I know some people don't like to talk while running, but it always helps me pass the time faster, so I'll be happy if I can have a few conversations. I'm trying to think of a clever shirt I can make that might spark conversation, maybe something to do with my weight loss? If you have any ideas, I'd love to read 'em!

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Motivational Monday #31

There are LOTS of motivational stories/photos to share today, so I'm not even going to bother with an intro. Enjoy!

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Brittney ran her first 5K race on Saturday! She states (as written on her shirt), "I run slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter but I run!" Through training, she's also lost 20 pounds! She wants to let everyone know that signing up for your first race is like stepping into a different world (and I have to agree!).

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Lyndsey's daughter, Ella, ran her first one-mile race, and Lyndsey ran it with her. Usually, Lyndsey runs the 5-mile race, but Ella wanted in on the action this year, so the two raced together. Ella was VERY proud of the ribbon she earned!

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Colleen and her friend Cathy did the Diva Dash this weekend, despite EIGHT of their teammates backing out! This was her first race, and she said it would have been easy not to go, but she and Cathy completed the 5K obstacle race together.
 

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Heather just ran her first 10K race! She set a goal of 1:10, and, despite the heat, ended up finishing in 1:06:54. Her husband ran the 10K as well, with a PR of 44:30; and her 7-year old son completed the 5K!

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Ivayla was super proud to have run nine miles, her longest distance to date. She's also reached 20 pounds lost, and is very proud of the visible progress in her photos!

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Jess (on right) ran a PR at her half-marathon this weekend, finishing in 1:47:15! She was paced by her friend Amy, who helped her to stay positive and push on throughout the race.

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Katie is in the middle of a weight loss journey, and just reached 67 pounds lost after a frustrating 6-week plateau! She was also really proud that she ran for 17 minutes in total doing intervals as she trains for a 5K in October. Her husband snapped this picture as soon as she got home from her run, so that she could see herself glowing! (Katie's blog)

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Kendall ran her longest run to date this weekend--a 14K point-to-point race that went over two bridges! She's training for her first half-marathon at the end of the month.

On Labor Day, Kristen ran her second half-marathon! She was hoping for a PR, but Seattle had unexpectedly hot weather that day, and she was upset when she realized it wasn't a good day for a PR. But nevertheless, she finished with a smile on her face as her family cheered her on at the finish line. Her four year old daughter completed her first kids' race that day, too!

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Laura began her weight loss journey on January 5th, and has since lost 58.6 pounds! She's working on losing another 50 pounds, and to help take the weight off, she started running. Like me, she tried the Couch to 5K and found it too difficult to complete, so she tried the method I did in order to reach a 5K distance. And she did it! She worked her way up to 3.1 miles in honor of her 31st birthday. This weekend, she ran her farthest distance to date, 4 miles. She never would have guessed she'd be running that far! (Laura's blog)

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Lesleigh ran her first half-marathon this weekend! She said it was a lot harder than she'd expected--at mile 9, she felt fantastic, but at mile 11, she felt like she would be lucky to crawl across the finish line. She finished in 2:16:30, coming in under her goal of 2:20! She just started running a year ago, after her weight loss hit a wall; she has lost a total of 70 pounds to date, and just hit her Weight Watchers Lifetime weight a few days before her race.

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Lorenda spent her 51st birthday running the perimeter of Mackinac Island! It was an 8-mile race, and she had a secret goal of 1:10 (8:45/mi pace), as well as a SUPER secret goal of an 8:40/mi pace. She finished in 1:09:24, which is an 8:40 average pace! You would never guess she's 51, because after the race, she biked all over the island for two and a half hours, and then went on a ninety minute walking tour of the island. She followed up the next morning with a four mile run. I'm exhausted just typing all that!
 

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Marija's e-mail and photo actually brought tears to my eyes. She just completed a duathlon! It consisted of a 2.5K run/walk, 10K bike ride, and 2.5K run/walk. She said that she came in last place, but she never would have imagined that she could do something like this at 230 pounds. She already has a goal for next year--to run the distances instead of run/walk them!

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Nicole finally felt a "runner's high" after completing her first 10K this weekend! In November, she completed a 5K in 45 minutes, but she finished her 10K in 1:07:36. She felt fantastic, and crossed the finish line with a huge smile on her face. She's already looking forward to challenging herself again.

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Stephanie just completed her first 5K race! She started working on losing some weight at the beginning of the year, but wasn't whole-heartedly into it. She finally got the determination she needed, and started working her best to drop the pounds. She's lost 23 pounds so far, and has discovered that she loves BodyCombat and BodyJam classes at the gym, as well as running. She's hoping to run a half-marathon by the end of the year!

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Court has completely fallen in love with Zumba, and at her second class in January, she told her instructor that she'd soon see her 50 pounds lighter. She has now lost an amazing 67 pounds through Zumba and Weight Watchers!

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Susie just ran her first half-marathon at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend! She is a self-proclaimed "Disney nerd" and had a blast running through the parks while no one else was there. She loved seeing the cast members along the way, cheering on the runners, and there were characters to stop and take pictures with. She really enjoyed the race, and plans to do it again next year!

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

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Sunday Runday

Sadly, my long run did not go so well today. I was afraid of that! The 16-miler I ran a couple of weeks ago went REALLY great, which usually means I'm due for a bad one. Jerry got my hopes up when he came in this morning by telling me that the weather was really nice outside. I think we have different ideas of "nice" running weather. To me, "nice" (in September) is 50's and overcast, low humidity. To Jerry, apparently, "nice" means 72 and humid. ;)  It was overcast, though, which made me happy!

I wasn't able to leave until after 8:30, when the kids went to church with my parents. Normally, I run much better on an empty stomach, but since I was getting a late start and wouldn't be home until after 11:00, I figured I'd better eat before the run. I had steel cut oats with brown sugar and craisins. Then I loaded up my CamelBak with water, my pepper spray, my phone, and a couple of ShotBloks.

My long run pace is supposed to be 9:38/mi, but I was just aiming for 9:30-10:00 ish. I've been giving myself a bigger range lately, because I don't want to have to look at my watch more than once a mile. The first couple of miles were okay; I was just thinking about how warm and humid the air felt, and hoped the sun would stay behind the clouds for a few more hours.

Just after mile two, I started to regret eating breakfast. I felt nauseous and really sluggish. For the next mile, I debated turning around and calling it quits. I honestly didn't think I could make it through 16 miles like that. Thankfully, just after mile four, I got a little burst of energy and started feeling better.

When I got to the state park, I was just focused on getting to mile eight, so that I'd be halfway done, and all I'd have to do was run home. Mile nine was my fastest, and that wasn't because I was feeling good; it was because I wanted to pass a boy! ;)  I came up behind a guy who was doing run/walk intervals. During his run intervals, he was about the same pace as me. I didn't consciously speed up, but I noticed my pace was getting faster and faster, because I wanted to pass him. When he stopped to walk, I caught up and went past, then I noticed my pace was 8:50-ish, and it about killed me.

I wanted to stop SO badly to take a breather, but that would have been embarrassing to pass him and then stop, so I kept going. The rest of the mile was really hard, because I was trying to recover from that. At mile 10, I would have gladly accepted a ride from a stranger, creepy or not, because I just felt like my legs were toast. I ate one of the ShotBloks, and hoped it would give me a little boost soon.

My pace didn't really slow down, but my body really felt sluggish. It was hard to keep running! At mile 13, I ate another ShotBlok. Just before mile 14, I heard a car pull up next to me, and saw that it was my parents with the kids in the car, returning from church. I was so so so tempted to hop in and get a ride home, but I knew I just had two miles to go.

I started thinking about the marathon, and how this training is supposed to simulate the LAST 16 miles of a marathon, not the first 16 miles. So I was supposed to feel tired. It was a very tough couple of miles to go, but I managed to finish!

When I uploaded my run, I noticed that the time was VERY close to the last 16-miler I did. Two weeks ago, I finished in 2:32:49 and today, I finished in 2:32:21. I didn't plan that, but thought it was interesting!

I was SO relieved to get that over with. Two down, and just one more to go. Next week is 10 miles, and then the third 16-miler is a week after that.

I was surprised to see that my average heart rate was 153 today; on my last 16-miler, it was 146. That's a big difference! But it goes to show that my rough run today wasn't all in my head. Probably the fatigue (I just ran 31 miles in 3 days!) combined with the higher temp outside caused the extra stress.

After I showered and changed into some comfy clothes, I just wanted to sit on my ass all.day.long. But first, I wanted to go to Monica's bakery to get a cookie before they closed. I got a big chocolate chunk cookie (16 PointsPlus). The chocolate chunk cookies never look very appealing there, which is why I don't get them often, but they taste SO good. So I'm glad that's what I ended up getting for a long run treat!

Once I got home, I plopped myself on the recliner, curled up with a blanket, and watched a Lifetime movie. That's kind of become my routine after my long runs lately. Lifetime movies are the best for lazy, relaxing afternoons!

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a health/fitness accomplishment that you want to brag about, please send a photo and description to my e-mail: SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, and I may include it on the blog tomorrow.

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Notes

Today was supposed to be hot and humid, so I wanted to get my run done before breakfast this morning. I only had six miles at an easy pace on the schedule, which feels like a cake walk now compared to my other runs! ;)

My easy pace is supposed to be 10:00-10:40/mi. My legs felt surprisingly fresh today, so I just wanted to relax and enjoy it! I was really surprised when I saw that my pace was in the 9:00's. I honestly thought I was happily running about a 10:15-10:30 pace. It's weird how one day, a 10:30 pace actually feels hard, and another day, a 9:30 pace feels super easy.

My run was totally uneventful (unlike yesterday's wardrobe malfunction), and when I got home, I saw my water bottle sitting on the porch. Jerry is super thoughtful in that he always fills my water bottle with ice water when I'm out running, so that it'll be ready for me when I'm done. Today was extra special, because he left me a (very corny) note with it!

It put a huge smile on my face. I sat outside for a little bit drinking my water. Turns out all of my splits were under 10:00. I can only hope that my body feels this good tomorrow for 16 miles!

I got a note card in the mail today from Weight Watchers. Jerry has gotten a couple of cards before, when he hit his goal weight and Lifetime membership; but I've never gotten one, so I was wondering what the heck it was for! Turns out, it was from the leader of the meeting I went to when I weighed in last week.

It's kind of ironic, actually. I finally found a leader that I really clicked with, but she was actually filling in for the regular leader. As I've mentioned before, I've had a really hard time with my WW center. I haven't found a meeting/leader that I "click" with, so I just don't go to the meetings. When I weighed in last Friday, the meeting was just about to start, so I figured I might as well stay.

There was a new leader there, that I hadn't seen before, and she mentioned she was filling in for someone. I felt really comfortable with her, and she didn't look at me like I had two heads when I spoke up. I stayed after the meeting to ask her when her regular meeting times are, because I'd like to go to her meetings. She told me that she doesn't work at this center, she works in Ann Arbor. I was bummed! I thought I'd finally found a regular meeting. Anyway, I thought it was really nice of her to send me the card.

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So, I have to say, it's been really nice not weighing myself daily. I've weighed daily since I started losing weight in 2009. I know that weight fluctuates day-to-day, and I don't let those fluctuations set my mood or anything. But since I was feeling pressured to get back down to 133 for Jerry's sister's wedding next weekend, and Jerry hid the scale from me, I feel kind of liberated. And I've been 100% on-track ever since!

I don't think there is anything wrong with weighing daily, but it's been nice not doing it. Jerry will get the scale back out after the wedding, so I'm curious what my weight will be, but right now, it's kind of fun not knowing. I know that as long as I'm tracking my food and not binge eating, my weight can't be going up, so there really is no reason to weigh.

Once again, I find myself nervous for my 16-miler tomorrow. I have no idea why! I ran 16 miles two weeks ago, and felt great. I mapped out my route, and I'm ready to go. Just hoping that I have another good run!

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Bloody nipples

Today's run was MUCH better than yesterday's. It's been pretty cool outside the past couple of mornings, and today it was only 50 degrees! I was thrilled. My feet were still a little sore from yesterday, but I knew they'd be fine once I started running. I made sure to wear my new shoes today!

After I took the kids to the bus stop, I headed out on my run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go or what pace I was going to run. I had six miles at an easy pace (10:00-10:40/mi) on the schedule, but considering yesterday's run got all screwed up, I thought I might try for nine miles at marathon pace (8:58). I wanted to see how I felt before I decided.

I didn't want to be a slave to my Garmin by constantly checking my pace, so I just ran at what felt a little harder than comfortable. I decided to look at my pace only when my Garmin beeped at the end of each mile. After mile one, I saw I'd run it in 8:31, so I knew I'd be fine doing a marathon pace run today instead of an easy pace. I still wasn't sure if I'd do six or nine miles, though.

I felt really good! My feet felt a million times better than yesterday, thanks to the new shoes. I ran an out-and-back along a busy road, which usually keeps my mind occupied (and the time goes by faster). Once I hit mile three, I decided to keep going. At mile 4.5, I turned around and headed home. I was surprised at how fast the miles were going by, and I was holding a sub-9:00 pace easily.

About a mile from home, there was a man running toward me, so I said "Good morning!" as we passed each other. He looked at me kind of strangely, but I didn't think much about it. When I got home, I sat on the porch for a few minutes, drinking my water and checking out my splits. When I stood up to go back in the house, I caught my reflection in the storm door. Words can't describe...

My first thought was, "Ohmygod, are my nipples bleeding?!" because I've seen men at races with bloody nipples. It's actually pretty common, and they even make nipple protection that people can buy at running stores. But sports bras are tight, so it rarely happens to women, and it's certainly never happened to me.

Then the realization hit me: I was wearing a brand new pink sports bra under my yellow top. The dye had bled through from all the sweat. I looked like I had just murdered someone with an axe.

I was SO embarrassed for a moment. I wanted to run back down the road and find the guy who thought I was a weirdo, and tell him that I wasn't bloody, I just like to wear pink bras. But that probably screams "lunatic" even more than he already suspected. So I just shrugged it off, and posted a pic on Instagram ;)

I was thrilled with how great my run was!

So I celebrated with a really yummy, indulgent breakfast--a non-peanut butter version of a Fluffernutter. I toasted two low-fat waffles and spread them with Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and marshmallow fluff, and turned them into a sandwich.

It was 9 PointsPlus, which actually isn't bad at all, and it was really filling. I like this sandwich with peanut butter better, but since I'm not eating peanut butter until the marathon, this had to do. It was still delicious!

I downloaded an app on my phone that calculates calories burned by heart rate (the name of it is a very clever "Calories Burned by Heart Rate"). I've been frustrated with my Garmin recently, because I know that the calorie burn is much too low, even though the heart rate is correct. I wasn't sure how accurate this app would be, but for 99 cents, I decided to give it a try. It takes into account your age, weight, minutes exercised, and average heart rate. So I put in today's numbers:

Of course I can't know whether this is super accurate, but it seems correct to me! That's about 88 calories burned per mile, which seems much more accurate than my Garmin's latest readings of 60-something per mile. I also don't think it's too high, like some of the calorie calculators out there (the one on my treadmill is always WAY too high; it probably would have read about 1600 for today's run).

Tomorrow is an easy 6 miler, and then Sunday is my second (of three) 16-miler. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to run it outside--Jerry's taking my dad's brother to the Lion's game, and I'm not sure if the kids are going to church with my mom or not. I really hope I don't have to run it on the treadmill... that would be a LONG 16-miles!

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Lesson learned

What a crappy run this morning! I was expecting it to be great, because the temp was about 60 degrees outside. I had nine miles at marathon pace (8:58/mi) on the schedule. The past few weeks, I've done the marathon pace runs on the treadmill, but because it was so nice out today, and the boys had school, I decided to run it outside.

As soon as I started running, I felt okay, and my pace was a little faster than my goal, which was fine. Then about a half-mile into the run, a particular spot on my foot started to ache. The only time this part of my foot hurts is when my shoes have too many miles on them. Most resources will tell you to change shoes after 400 miles or so, but I've found that I have to change them at about 325-350 miles.

I bought a new pair of shoes about a month ago just to have on hand for when I reached the point of needing them, and I set them next to my dresser, where they've been ever since. This week, I started to notice that little achy feeling in my foot a couple of times during a run, but I thought, "I'm going to see if I can ride these out for 400 miles..." (Yes, I know, I'm a certified running coach for God's sake! I should know better!)

Anyway, about half a mile into my run today, I started feeling that ache on the side of my foot, and I made a mental note to swap out my shoes when I got home. But then I started wondering if I could even wait that long; the pain was getting pretty bad. I hit my target pace for the first mile, but my feet were hurting, and I decided to just forget the pace and focus on finishing.

By the time I got to mile two, I was practically hobbling. I decided to turn around and go straight back home to change out my shoes. For a minute, I even considered taking my shoes off and walking home barefoot, but the road isn't exactly barefoot-friendly.

The pain traveled up above my ankle, to the tendon on the outside of my leg. I was so glad to finally get home. I took off my shoes, and saw that I had a big knot on my leg where my tendon was feeling irritated. Instead of switching shoes, I decided to call it a day and just rest. As soon as I took my shoes off, I felt relief. I even tried on my new shoes, just to feel the difference, and it's kind of amazing at how different they felt! I've worn Brooks Adrenalines ever since I started running, and you don't really feel them breaking down but it's a big difference when you put on a new pair!

The one on the left is brand new; on the right has 385 miles.

So my lesson learned is that 50 miles makes a HUGE difference on a pair of shoes, and next time, I will change them as soon as I hit 350 miles.

Tomorrow is a six-mile run at easy pace. If the swelling is gone and I feel back to normal, I may try to do my marathon pace run tomorrow; otherwise, I'll just stick to the schedule for tomorrow. I sat with my feet up and I iced the swelling over my tendon, and it's feeling much better now. I'm really glad I turned around when I did, rather than trying to finish out the whole run (because I'm stubborn like that).

I got some groceries at Kroger today, and I saw that they had Justin's Nut Butters on sale for Buy 1 Get 1 Free... the best sale ever! I usually stock up when they have this sale (only a couple times a year). I bought four jars of my favorite, the Maple Almond Butter. This afternoon, I opened a jar of it to have with some carrots for a snack, and was surprised to see how liquidy it was. I've bought it dozens of times before, and it's never looked like that.

When I tasted it, it tasted like straight-up oil. Gross! Then I opened a second jar, and it was normal (yummy!). I'm not sure what the issue was with the first jar, but I wrote Justin's an e-mail about it, so I'm curious what they say. You can see the difference between the two in this pic:

On the left is obviously from the liquidy jar, and on the right is the normal jar.

I like Justin's Maple Almond Butter almost as much as I like peanut butter. I haven't had peanut butter in over eight weeks now! It's been really difficult at times, but I'm determined to make it until the marathon. I can't wait to get my new set of dishes! ;)

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Scale free

Well, I don't have a weigh-in to post today. Jerry took the scale and hid it from me somewhere! I've been WAY too stressed out about fitting into the stupid bridesmaid dress in 10 days, and he thinks that taking the scale away will help me stop worrying about it, apparently ;)  I think it might actually work, though.

It's kind of interesting... when I feel pressured to get to a certain weight by a certain deadline, it really gets to me, and I usually end up gaining weight rather than losing. I always manage to get my weight back down when I'm not feeling any pressure at all. It works the same way with races, too. When I set a specific time goal at a race, I feel all kinds of pressure to hit that goal, and I usually fail to hit it; but when I go into a race without any expectations, I usually end up having a great race and a PR! I guess I just work better when I'm not under pressure.

I tried on the dress a few days ago, and it fit well. So as long as I don't go completely overboard with junk in the next 10 days, I should be okay. Then, I will be totally pressure-free to enjoy fall! I try not to put pressure on myself (like with this wedding), but it just naturally happens. I wish I could avoid that. I think I've just been so worried about this because the end of summer is always when I'm my heaviest.

Speaking of that, I went to Weight Watchers for my monthly weigh in a few days ago, and I was up a pound from last month. I stayed for the meeting, and when the leader asked if anyone wanted to share about their weigh in, I actually raised my hand. Most people think a 1 pound gain is a bad thing, but considering I always gain 15-20 pounds in the summer, I was thrilled. My grand total for summer weight gain was just four pounds this year.

Each fall, I spend a few months taking that weight back off. I am really excited that I'll be able to take it off in a matter of a few weeks rather than months this year. And hopefully next year, I can learn to keep my weight within a pound or two over the summer. ;)

Anyway, today was the kids' first day of school. Noah started fourth grade and Eli started second grade.

I can't believe how big they are! Next year, Noah will be in middle school, which is just crazy talk. When I was in school, we went to elementary through sixth grade. Then seventh and eighth was junior high. And ninth started high school. My kids will be in middle school in the fifth grade!

My day went by way too fast. I was hoping to get totally caught up on e-mail, which I didn't. Today was my rest day, but I did manage to go out for a 45-minute walk, which was nice. Yesterday's weather was perfect jeans and long-sleeved tee weather, but today, I was pretty hot in sweats. I think I'm just too excited for fall weather.

Last year, I fell out of the habit of walking with the boys to and from the bus stop. I would just watch them from the back deck until the bus came. But I want to get back in the habit of walking around the block with them again, rather than having them just cut through the backyard to the bus stop; and then in the afternoon, walking to the stop to wait for the bus. It's a little extra exercise for all of us, which doesn't hurt!

When Noah first started kindergarten, I asked him what he wanted to have for dinner that day. He told me he wanted Spaghetti Pie, which I thought was hilarious, because I'd only made it a couple of times, and I didn't even know he liked it much. So I always think of that on the first day of school, and I made Noah's Spaghetti Pie for dinner today. :)

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