Monroe Half Marathon race report

The wind was howling all night long, so I was imagining the worst for today's half-marathon. The sound of the wind was actually what woke me up at 4:50, so I just got out of bed and got ready for the race pretty early. The race didn't start until 8:00, but it was only a few miles from my house, so I didn't even leave until 7:25. I loved being able to use my own bathroom before a race instead of a porta potty!

My goal for this race was to pace "That Loud Redhead", Stephanie, to her goal of under 2:10. That's a 9:55/mi pace, which normally I would find pretty easy, but I was feeling a little worried under the pressure. The farthest I've run since the Chicago Marathon was 10 miles, and that was a couple of weeks ago. Also, I've been struggling a lot lately during my runs, even at what should be an "easy" pace. Anyway, I was confident I could do it, I just didn't know if I would feel good while doing it ;)

When I got to the starting line, I was surprised how many people showed up! For a very small town, and the first year of this race, there was a great turnout. It was cold and windy, but not horribly so. I wore Cold Gear tights, a long-sleeved tech shirt, a fleece pullover, a sparkle skirt (so it would be easy to spot me), ear warmer headband, and gloves. I was cold before the race, but I knew I dressed well for the weather.

While I was looking for Stephanie, someone came up to me and introduced herself as Elisa. She's  a blog reader, and had e-mailed to let me know she'd be there. I chatted with her for a few minutes (she ran the Detroit Marathon as well, AND the Indy Marathon last weekend... and let's not forget a 5K AND a 10K yesterday!). I wish I'd thought to take a picture; I always forget about it until I'm writing my blog posts.

I found Stephanie, and walked with her toward the starting line. I also saw Renee, Jessica, and Andrea, who were running the half as well. I spotted Emma, a friend of mine who was running her FIRST half this morning. And finally, I saw Dean, from my Ragnar SoCal team, who I just met in person a couple of weeks ago. It was fun seeing so many familiar faces!

When the race started, we were on a fairly narrow path in the park. It was kind of crowded for a quarter mile or so, and at first, I felt like we were going way too slow; but the Garmin showed a pace in the 9:40's, which is actually faster than planned.

Let me preface this by saying I'm a terrible pacer! I *should* have run 9:50-9:55/mi, no matter what Stephanie was doing or how she was feeling. But she seemed to be doing so well that I just kind of let her set the pace for the first half of the race, and it ended up being in the 9:40's. I mentioned a couple of times we may want to slow down, but otherwise, I was basically just along for the ride.

After the first half, though, I could see that her pace had slowed a little, and I worried that the 9:40's were too fast in the beginning. Even though I could tell it wasn't "easy" for her, she was doing just fine in the low-9:50's. Jerry and the kids were at miles four and eight to cheer us on. Jerry was as loud and "annoying" as ever, which Stephanie and I both appreciated ;)

My parents were volunteering for the race by pointing runners in the right direction about a mile in. My mom made a bunch of signs that she passed out to spectators, and we saw those along the course.

I could tell when Stephanie was really starting to struggle, because she stopped saying "thank you" to all the volunteers. She had made it a point to say "thank you" to every single volunteer along the course, and once we got to the last four miles or so, she stopped talking altogether. I know that feeling well! When I first start a race, I feel great and say "thank you" and yell to people I know; but once I hit that point of ohmygodwhenwillthisbeover, it's all I can do to RUN, let alone talk.

I was worried! I kept thinking about what I would do if she insisted that she had to slow down. Should I slow down with her? Keep running for a 2:10 finish, no matter what? Push her and insist she can do it?

Thankfully, that never happened! Stephanie is a total trooper, because she stuck to her pace, even when she was super tired, and she had a super strong will to get that sub-2:10. The last couple of miles, I was trying to think of something--anything--to say in order to get her to the finish line while keeping pace. She wasn't saying a word in response, so I knew she was giving it everything she had (again, I've been there, and I know that feeling!).

We took a final turn and saw the clock had just turned over 2:09, so she'd done it! We crossed the finish line in 2:09:04.

I actually got a little choked up afterward. I knew how much it meant to her to hit that goal, and I was so proud and excited that she did it!

We talked to our other friends about how they did (it seems everyone had a great race!). Then I was on the lookout for Emma. She was hoping to finish in 2:40, and Jerry said he thought she looked like she was struggling a little on the course. I knew she was running alone, so I decided to run backwards along the course (not "run backwards", but run the course in the wrong direction...), to find Emma and then run with her to the finisher's chute.

Did I mentioned I felt FANTASTIC throughout the entire race, and afterward? Yep, I was thinking I'd have to run about a mile or two back to find Emma, and then run the rest of the way with her, and my legs were totally telling me to go for it. So off I went, running in the wrong direction.

Emma was doing great, and she was way ahead of her pace! I only went back about half a mile before I caught up to her. I ran with her until the finisher's chute, and then I stepped off the course to wait, so I didn't actually "finish" twice. She ended up finishing in 2:35, a full 5 minutes ahead of what she thought she'd do!

Today's race boosted my spirit SO much. It was awesome to be able to run with Stephanie to help her reach her goal. Also, I am absolutely amazed at how great my body feels. I honestly felt like I could have run the whole course a second time. (I'm sure that's the last thing Stephanie wants to read! haha). My heart rate was pretty low through the whole race, and my legs never got tired. I guess maybe my body took more of a beating than I thought in Chicago, and even though I took eight days off of running afterward, I must have needed more time to get back to normal. Today, I felt normal--better than normal, even--and it's an awesome feeling!

I really loved this race, and I hope that Stacie (the race director) decides to do it again next year. The course was awesome, and very pretty this time of year. It went through downtown Monroe, as well as the State Park. It's super flat, which is what I'm used to. The only issue was that the course went over railroad tracks. That didn't affect Stephanie and me, but Emma said that she just missed a train.

When I picked up my packet yesterday, I ran into Stacie, and we made plans to get together for coffee after the race today. I hadn't seen her in forever, so it was fun to catch up. We just went to Tim Hortons and chatted for a while. I wanted to hear all about how the race went from her side, and I'm still just so stunned at the amount of work that goes into directing a race.

There were a couple of big issues during the race (one of them was the train, the other was that about 10 people from the 5K made a wrong turn because a volunteer pointed them in the wrong direction). Three of the people from the 5K were extremely angry, and yelled at her, but she took it very well. Stuff happens! Overall, though, she got very positive feedback about the race, and she plans to do it again next year. I definitely want to volunteer next year, and possibly even be part of the planning committee. Stacie put in SO much work, and it's all on a volunteer basis. All of the profits from the race went to the Special Olympics, and she was happy with the amount of money that was earned.

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a fitness/health accomplishment you'd like to share this week, you can send a picture and a short description to my e-mail: slimkatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, and I may include it in tomorrow's post!

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A guest post from Caitlin, who lost over 200 pounds!

Last month, when I ran the Chicago Marathon, I was lucky enough to meet up with someone I had "met" online, through this blog. Her name is Caitlin, and she'd e-mailed me a little over a year ago, after completing her first marathon. She mentioned that she'd lost "well over 100 pounds", and became a runner. She showed interest in running a Ragnar, and when John and I put together a Ragnar SoCal team recently, I invited her to join.

I didn't know much about her, but from what I did know, it seemed we had quite a bit in common. After she committed to our Ragnar team, I learned she was going to be running the Chicago Marathon; so naturally, I suggested we meet up!

Caitlin and I at the Chicago Marathon expo

It's very rare for me to feel comfortable around a total stranger; usually, I feel like an awkward mess. But as soon as I met Caitlin, I immediately liked her; she is extremely sweet, generous, and humble. As I learned more about her, I grew nothing short of amazed by her story. The "well over 100 pounds" that she lost? That would actually be 238 pounds!! She was very nervous to go public with her story, so I'm excited that she agreed to step way out of her comfort zone to share this with you. Enjoy, and feel free to leave her a kind comment if you'd like :)

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"In August 2009, I weighed close to 400 lbs.  Not many people in my life know just how heavy I was; looking at me, they could tell I was big, but I never let anyone know the exact number. Even now I really don't want to write it: 383 pounds!

For as long as I can remember I had been overweight.  I remember feeling self conscious about it starting in 4th grade.  I played sports when I was younger, so even though I was heavy, I was not obese.  I stopped playing sports in middle school when some of my friends told me that I ran "funny", and would never be able to make the cut for the high school sports teams.  So I went from being somewhat active to pretty much totally sedentary, other then the dreaded gym classes at school.

There was no medical reason for my weight; I just ate too much, and didn't move enough.  I have always enjoyed cooking, especially baking, and loved to eat the fruit of my labor.  In high school I went on my first diet--a self created one of far too few calories and way too much exercise.  I dropped over 30 pounds but quickly gained it back as I was miserable and hungry all the time.

Throughout high school, I tried different diets and had a gym membership I used sporadically, but I continued to gain weight.  When I graduated high school I was a size 22/24.  I couldn't tell you what I weighed, because I refused to get on a scale.

I went to my college orientation and remember being so embarrassed about my size.  I have always been shy and more of an introvert, so I had trouble meeting new people, and my weight made it even worse.  I overheard one of my roommates saying something about how she knew she would be stuck with the "fat, pathetic girl".  I decided not to attend that college and took a year off.

In that year of staying home, while all my friends from high school were away at college, I gained even more weight.  I didn't know what to do with myself outside of a part-time desk job.  I attended a college closer to home, so I could commute and avoid a lot of the social situations that made me so uncomfortable.

I knew I was eating too much and I knew I was far larger than most people (including my four brothers!).  Other members of my family struggled with their weight, but I was, by far, the largest.  I tried different diets; would join, then quit, the gym; and remained miserable.  I was in my 20s and supposed to be out living my life but instead I was hiding from everyone I knew. I wouldn't even attend most family events because I was so ashamed of myself.

There was no big "Ah-ha" moment for me, and no health crisis, but in August 2009, I decided I had to change my life; otherwise, I would never change.  I changed my diet, but rather than a radical overhaul, I decided to make gradual changes.  I set my daily calorie limit to 1400 and stuck to it. I totally eliminated soda--I had been drinking 4+ cups a day.  I did not want people to see me exercising so I bought the Biggest Loser DVDs, and would walk in a cemetery near my home.  I knew working out at the gym did not work for me.

Over the first five months, I lost over 60 pounds and had worked my way up to walking 8 miles every single day.  I wanted to incorporate more vegetables into my diet; I ate a salad every night at dinner and had lettuce and onions on my sandwich for lunch, but thought I could include more.  I starting cooking (and still do) things like Quinoa Zucchini Casserole, Farro with ground turkey and vegetables or homemade chicken vegetable soup with healthy grains like wheat berries, brown rice and farro rather than pasta.

I came up with a rotation of healthy meals that I loved--I cook a big batch, divide it into servings, and have my meal ready all week long. Throughout 2010 I continued my daily walking, DVDs, and added weight lifting routines I had found in various fitness magazines.  I also started to incorporate brief bursts of running in my walking--making sure the no one was around when I did, because the comments from my friends still echoed in my head.

I fell in love with running, and kept increasing the distance until I had run a full mile.  Once I hit 170 pounds, I plateaued; I could not get my weight to go down. I was running a couple miles at a time, and working up to more, but my weight would not budge.  My brother suggested I try P90X, and while I did not think I would be able to keep up with it, I committed to the 90 day routine.

I fell in love with P90x, and although it was the hardest thing I had ever done I stuck with it.  By December 2010, I had hit what was my goal of 155 pounds; but I was still miserable, because I had loose skin on my arms, stomach, chest, and legs. I felt like a giant deflated balloon.  I refused to wear t-shirts or shorts because I was so embarrassed of the excess skin.

I also still could not see myself as a "normal weight" person; with all the skin hanging off my body, I still felt huge. I looked into skin removal surgery, but it was expensive, and I was nervous about having surgery.

I continued running. My older brother convinced me to enter a 5K, and I finished in just under 30 minutes and fell in love with racing. In September 2011, I ran my first half-marathon, and loved it!  I decided to try again in November 2011, and after learning more about half-marathon running, managed to shave 16 minutes off my time.

In late 2011, after maintaining my weight loss for almost a year, I met with a surgeon, and scheduled my surgery for January 2012. I had the surgery (the doctor removed 12 pounds of skin from my body!!!) and after a long recovery, resumed my running in April of 2012.  I ran two more half marathons that year, and entered a lottery for a full marathon, figuring if I was selected, then it was "meant to be".

I was selected, and ran my first marathon in October of 2012. After completing the marathon, I wrote Katie to tell her how inspirational I found her. I had originally found her blog when researching skin removal surgery, and continued reading. I was following her marathon training while training for mine.

I am so glad I sent that email, because she invited me to join the Ragnar SoCal team--getting to know 11 new amazing people! I love to enter and run races. I ran my second marathon in Chicago last month, and have done mud runs, half-marathons and 10Ks.  I am trying to get up the nerve to do a Tough Mudder but jumping into dumpsters of ice water and possibly being shocked by live wires has deterred me so far!

I have maintained my weight of 145 lbs since recovering from surgery - maintenance isn't always easy, but if my weight goes up by more than 2 pounds I look at what I have been doing and adjust so I do not continue to gain.  I taught myself healthy habits throughout my weight loss journey, and continue with them today.  Running and P90X have given me much more confidence; joining a team of strangers to run 200 miles is something I could not imagine doing even two years ago!"

Update: Caitlin has written an updated post in November 2017 about how her maintenance has been going, which you can find here. 

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Bracelets

Jerry was off work today, so we spent a nice morning together after we got the kids off to school. Since we canceled cable, we haven't been able to watch the fourth season of The Walking Dead; so this morning, we decided to huddle around my computer and watch it on the computer. It ended up being pretty comfy, actually! We laid on the bed and watch the first episode.

Because Jerry was off work, he decided to surprise the kids by picking them up from school at lunchtime and taking them to the movies. They went to see Thor, which didn't interest me in the slightest, so I decided to go for my run while they were gone. I originally planned to run seven miles today, but since I'm running a half-marathon on Sunday, I realized it probably wouldn't be too smart to do that. I settled on five miles.

I was praying I'd have a good run today. I haven't had a run that I felt really GOOD about since the Chicago Marathon, and it was getting really discouraging. I wanted to feel confident in pacing Stephanie for her half-marathon on Sunday, and it didn't help that I've been struggling through my runs lately.

Jerry told me it was "freezing cold and windy" outside, so I dressed for freezing cold and windy. I don't know why I ask him, because he's way too dramatic! ;)  I wore a long sleeved tech shirt and a fleece over it, with gloves. When I stepped outside, I thought maybe I would be a little warm, but didn't want to go change, so I just started running.

I planned to run an easy pace, so that I could save my energy for the race. I felt like I was running at about a 9:30 pace (which has been a struggle lately). About a tenth of a mile in, I looked at my Garmin to make sure I started it and it was working (one time I ran a whole mile before I realized I forgot to start my Garmin). I saw my pace was in the mid-7:00's!

I thought, "Okay, there's something wrong. That can't be right..." and then I stopped running and stopped my Garmin. I turned it off and turned it back on, so it could relocate satellites. When I started running again, I made sure that I was running at what felt to be a 9:15-9:30ish pace. When I looked at my Garmin, I saw I was actually running a pace in the low-8:00's.

The distance on my Garmin was exactly what I expected it to be, so the pace was correct--I was shocked at how good I felt running at that pace! When I finished the first mile in 8:16, I forced myself to slow down. I kind of wanted to run hard to get that "runner's high" feeling when I was finished, but the last thing I wanted to do was wear myself out for Sunday.

With the exception of feeling way too hot and overdressed, I felt SO great the rest of the run! It was exactly the mental boost that I needed.

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My kids have been begging me to get these little rubber bands that they can use to make bracelets. I guess they are very popular at their school, and "all the kids" have them ;)  I'm all for them doing something creative rather than watching TV or something, so this afternoon after my run, I went to the craft store to get the rubber bands.

There was a HUGE display of them, with a sign that says, "As seen on YouTube!", so apparently they are pretty popular.

They're just a bunch of little rubber bands that you loop together to make bracelets. The kids were super excited, and spent the whole afternoon making bracelet after bracelet.

Noah made me a girly one with his pink and purple bands, and I think it's actually pretty cute! I will wear it proudly. Jerry was lucky enough to get an all-pink one, haha.

I can remember making friendship bracelets when I was in elementary school out of embroidery thread. We would have dozens of them on our arms, and trade them with friends. I can't believe I'm now old enough to have two kids that are in the bracelet-making age!

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Speaking of my age, I've gotten a few questions about my Virtual 5K for my birthday. A virtual race is basically a race that you do on your own, anywhere, and report back afterward. The date for mine will be on my 32nd birthday--Saturday, January 25th. (It's free, of course.)

Jerry and Stephanie designed the logo :)

On that day, you can run or walk 5K (3.11 miles) anywhere you like, at whatever time you'd like. You can even use the treadmill! I'll even have a bib that you can print and wear while you run, or just for a picture afterward. When you're done, I'll have a form that you can fill out with your name, where you're from, and your finish time, and I'll post a list of the results once I get them them all in. You can also post pictures on my Facebook page, with a short recap of your race (I love to read about what the weather was like in your neck of the woods, how you felt, if it was your first race, how you're celebrating, anything you'd like to share!).

I'm going to have a prize (or two or three), which will be given at random to a few finishers. I don't know the details of the prizes yet, but I think I'd like to put together a box of a few of my favorite things to give away.

There was an awesome turnout last year, with nearly 500 finishers! Here is a link to the results page that has some fun stats on the bottom. But you can see, you can walk or run, fast or slow, in a group or by yourself, whatever you'd like--it's just supposed to be fun! I'll put up an "official" sign-up soon, but I wanted to explain a little in case you may be interested :)

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Running in the winter

This morning, I got out of bed at around 6:15. I had plans to go shopping with my mom after the boys went to school, so I decided that I had plenty of time to get in a three-mile run on the treadmill before the kids had to get ready.

There was no time to browse around on Hulu or Netflix for a show to watch while I ran. I just hurriedly scrolled down through the shows. I saw The Amazing Race, and my sister has mentioned it a few times to me (she really likes it), so I clicked on that. I really didn't know anything about the show, but my run was only going to last less than 30 minutes.

I set the treadmill at an 8:50ish pace (I can't really remember). I felt MUCH better than I did a couple of days ago, but that could be because I was on the treadmill instead of outside. The treadmill feels easier than outdoor running. I'm going to run outside tomorrow, and hopefully feel good! I need a run that leaves me feeling really good before the half-marathon on Sunday.

After my run, and getting the kids off to school, my mom and I went to JoAnn Fabrics, Sears, and Costco in Toledo. I bought winter coats for the kids at Sears. And I was super excited to go to Costco! I'd never been to Costco before; I've had a Sam's Club membership for years. But my mom just got a membership to Costco recently, so I wanted to go check it out.

When we first walked in, it reminded me a lot of Sam's Club, but on a smaller scale. I took my time going around the whole store. I wasn't very impressed, mainly because their prices are a lot higher than at Sam's (particularly the meat). They didn't have as many options, either. On the plus side, they had some items that Sam's doesn't have. I'm glad I went to check it out, but I am going to stick with my Sam's membership.

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I've gotten quite a few e-mails recently asking me about running in the winter: Do I run when it's cold? What do I wear to run in the cold? etc. I'm surprised I haven't really written much about this already (or maybe I have, who knows?!).

I actually really love running in the winter. I would choose snow over sun and heat any day!

What I wear:
For bottoms, it's no secret that I LOVE my Under Armour Cold Gear compression fit tights. I can wear just those (no second layer) until the temps are in the teens. If they get below that, then I wear the tights with another looser layer on top.

On top, I wear a sports bra, and a tech shirt (either long-sleeved or short-sleeved, depending on the temp outside). On top of that, I'll wear either a second tech shirt (long-sleeved) or, if it's really cold, a fleece jacket on top. When the temp gets in the teens, I'll even wear three layers: two long-sleeved tech shirts and a fleece jacket.

I wear my usual socks and shoes; in the super cold temps, I might wear two pairs of socks. I also wear an ear warmer headband, and gloves. When the temp has been ridiculously cold, I've even worn big fuzzy mittens ;) 

Put together, this is a typical cold day outfit:

That day (Christmas 2012), it wasn't very cold. I wore my Under Armour Cold Gear tights, a short sleeved tech shirt, and a jacket on top. Headband and gloves. (While it looks like I'm wearing boots, those are actually my black shoes and white socks, because I'm fashionable like that).

The coldest temp I think I've ever run in was in the single digits. When it gets that cold, the biggest concern is my face, because it's uncovered. I bought a balaclava for that purpose, but it was terrible trying to run with that over my mouth! I couldn't breathe.

On the day this picture was taken, it was 10 degrees. I wore two layers of running tights, two long-sleeved tech shirts, a fleece pullover, two pairs of gloves, two pairs of socks, and the balaclava.

A reader gave me a tip one time to put a thin layer of Vaseline on my cheeks, because it would keep me warm and protect my face from the wind. I tried it (with Aquaphor, which is similar to Vaseline, and I already use it for anti-chafing), and it worked really well!

When there is snow or ice covering the road, slipping can be a concern. I did a review for Icespikes a couple of years ago, and I still really like them. They are basically little screws (with a sharper head on them) that you screw into your shoes (I used an older pair of shoes, since I wouldn't be using them very often). The screws grip the ice or compacted snow, and they don't add any bulk to your shoes at all. (Here is a link to my review, which is more in-depth).

If your schedule is flexible and allows you to run during the day, you may want to start running in the afternoons. The sun is usually out, and it's a little warmer than it is in the mornings. (Also, it stays dark for so long in the mornings, and I don't like running in the dark). I usually run in the late morning/early afternoon all winter.

My very favorite part of running in the winter? Taking a super hot shower when I get home! I actually imagine that while I'm running; I think about how good it will feel to take a hot shower, and then dress in some super comfy clothes, and drink a mug of hot tea. Oh, and let's not forget the electric blanket, and at least one cat on my lap ;)

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Headbands

Today, my main focus was to just stay busy and stay on track. Today was my rest day, so no running. It was raining all day anyway, so it was a good day to stay busy with a project at home. This morning after breakfast, I made a cup of the Coffee Cake tea I just got from David's. It was really good! I would definitely order it again. It tastes very similar to the Red Velvet Cake tea.

A while ago, I bought some ribbon on sale for half-off, and had plans of making a bunch of running headbands out of them. I made a small batch before, basically making a copycat version of Sweaty Bands. I like them because they actually stay on my head, and they keep stray hairs from getting in my face.

Sweaty Bands are pretty expensive, so I made my own. It's pretty cheap to do a big batch; but the downside is that I have several that are identical, because I bought rolls of ribbon. You only need 16" of ribbon to make them, and with the rolls of felt ribbon, I can get 4 bands. I think they end up costing roughly $1 each to make, if you make them in a big batch. It's not worth it to make just one, though.

Anyway, today I decided to stay busy by sewing a big batch of them. I had everything on hand, but they just aren't very fun to make ;)  I wound up making 14... that will last me a long time!

The headbands are just two 16" ribbons (one velvet ribbon, which keeps the headband from slipping, the other whatever pattern you'd like), stacked on top of each other and sewn with right sides facing outward. The short ends are connected with a 6" piece of elastic.

I was glad to have that done, and I worked on those right up until it was time to go to parent-teacher conferences with Eli's teacher. He's doing really well this year, and I'm so happy about that! Last year, he had a very hard time with reading comprehension. I really love his teacher this year, and he's come a LONG way in just a couple of months. She said she's very pleased with him, and doesn't have any issues that need attention, so I'm glad. I have a conference with Noah's teacher next week.

When I got home, I mapped out a meal plan for a week. I included a lot of slow cooker dinners, because they really help me to stay on track when the house gets crazy mid-afternoon. I also made sure to fit in the Weight Watchers Good Health Guidelines, which made it a little trickier. But I feel like I have a pretty solid plan for the next week, which will hopefully get me back in the routine after all the Halloween candy I ate last week!

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I just realized that there are only 11 1/2 weeks until my 32nd birthday. This time last year, I announced that I would do a Virtual 5K race (3.1 miles) for my 31st birthday. There was such a great turnout, and I LOVED looking at the pictures and reading all the race reports (either blog posts or just a sentence or two on Facebook). I think I'd like to do it again this year! The second annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K :)

Last year, I gave away 31 prizes, but I'm going to keep it much simpler this time--maybe just 3 prizes, given by random drawing (of the finishers). I'll post finish times and link to some race reports. I can't even describe how inspiring it was to read about all the finishers from all over the world last year!

Anyway, I'll post more details of that soon, but if you'd like to participate, this is the time to get started training! My birthday falls on a Saturday (January 25th), so it's perfect for a race. Run or walk, I'd love to have you do a 5K "with" me that day :)

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New tastes!

I've been hooked on a new breakfast for the past few days, and it's kind of unusual. I've been eating cheese grits for a few months now, and the other day, I bought some Brussels sprouts. So I sauteed the Brussels sprouts and put them on top of my cheese grits for a really good (savory) breakfast!

I use the 5-minute grits, and just cook 1/4 cup of them in 1 cup of chicken broth (in the microwave). Then I add 1 oz. of queso quesadilla cheese and stir it in. For the Brussels sprouts, I just quarter them and saute them in 1 tsp. of coconut oil. The whole thing is only 6 PointsPlus, and it's very filling.

I've also been waiting until a little later to run in the mornings. Yesterday, when I did my 5K time trial, I ran at 1:00 pm! Today, I only planned to run three miles at an easy pace, so I just headed out in the late morning after breakfast.

Three "easy" miles felt SO hard today! I'm starting to get discouraged by how hard running has felt ever since the Chicago Marathon. I don't think my body is still feeling the effects of the race--it's been over three weeks!--but I am not sure what else could be the cause. I'm sure the fact that my weight is up has a lot to do with it, which is even more discouraging.

Anyway, I ran three miles, and was huffing and puffing the whole way.

I haven't had a single run since the marathon that made me feel a big runner's high, and I miss that feeling. Even yesterday, when I ran a hard 5K, I felt like it was way harder than it should have been. I hope that I get my running groove back soon!

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I've been forgetting to do Taste Test Tuesday, so I have a few things to write about today. First, there is this impulse buy from TJ Maxx:

I normally don't drink coffee, and if I do, it's always decaf; but when Jerry spotted this at TJ Maxx, I decided I was going to try a cup, because it looked so good! Well, save your money. It tastes NOTHING like PB Cups. Honestly, I couldn't even taste anything other than coffee, and it wasn't even good coffee. Jerry agreed. It got a thumbs down from both of us.

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After I finished the Chicago Marathon we were given a bunch of snacks in a box, and one of them was belVita breakfast biscuits. I'd never tried them before, and honestly, they didn't look or sound very appealing. But I took a bite, and I was wowed. They are SO good!

They remind me of those Nature Valley crunchy granola bars (you know the ones that make a huge mess when you eat them?), but they don't fall apart and they aren't AS hard. They have the texture of a graham cracker, and the flavor of the Nature Valley bars. There are a bunch of different flavors, but the Golden Oat is what they passed out at the race, and that's what I ended up buying. (They're 6 PointsPlus per package, which contains 4 biscuits)

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Clif Bar recently sent me a sample of each of their seasonal flavors. I love Clif Bars, so I was excited to try these! I really liked the Pecan Pie flavor; the Iced Gingerbread was pretty good; and I didn't care for the Spiced Pumpkin Pie one at all (the spice was VERY strong). None of them really wowed me like their Trail Mix flavor, though!

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I just got these teas in the mail today, so I haven't tried them yet. David's Tea just released their Winter Collection, so even though I wasn't in need of any tea at the moment, I was dying to try these ones! I'll give them a try tomorrow and write my thoughts. The Coffee Cake one smells really good, kind of like the Red Velvet Cake flavor. The Choconut Oolong smells pretty good, too, like chocolate/hazelnut.

Tomorrow is a rest day, so I think I'll take some time in the morning to plan out my meals for a week or so. I always do better with a plan!

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Motivational Monday #39

Happy November and Motivational Monday! I had such a hard time coming up with anything to be proud of this week; I ate way too much Halloween candy. This afternoon, I was honestly trying to think of something to write, and I was feeling kind of down about my lack of progress this week. So, I decided to head out for a hard run!

I was curious what kind of pace I'm capable of after all these months of marathon training, so I thought a mock-5K race would help me see where I stood. My best outdoor 5K time was 24:03 (that was in the spring). Today, I ran hard, and felt like I was going to vomit! I finished in 25:28. Nowhere near my best, but not horrible, either. Hopefully some speedwork this winter will improve that to under 24 minutes.

It was a very tough run, and for that I am proud. I stuck it out, even though I wanted to stop running and puke. It was HARD.

There weren't a whole lot of submissions this week for Motivational Monday, so I hope that's due to everyone being so busy ;)

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Kara:

"I started my weight loss journey at 186 (pretty high since I'm a shrimp -- 5'1"). My highest weight is pictured at Thanksgiving 2012. On January 2 of last year, I decided to get serious about losing weight. The other picture (Easter 2013) shows me at about 150. The space between those two pictures represents way more than the actual pictures--months of making better food choices, sweating with Jillian Michaels, running my first 5K, etc. I am at 149 right now and still have about 25 lbs. to lose." (Kara's blog)

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Tabitha:

"Last weekend, October 27th, I finished my first Half Ironman. It comes a year after the completion of my first half marathon in October 2012. I always knew I wanted to complete a 70.3 distance triathlon, but I never thought it would happen this soon. Over the past year and a half, I have lost 50 pounds, started running, and became a true triathlete." (Tabitha's race report)

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My sister, Jeanie, just completed her goal half-marathon! Way back in May, I wrote up a training plan for her to run a sub-2:15 half-marathon. She actually completed that goal at a practice half-marathon a few weeks ago, so I told her she could go for a sub-2:10 at her goal race.

"I met my goal of a sub 2:10 half. Finished in 2:08, with a 9:47 pace! I was thrilled! Here is a picture of myself and my 3 friends at the Haunted Hustle race in Middleton, WI"

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Jennifer reached 100 pounds lost!!

"100 lbs down, 37 to go! Thank you so much for sharing your life & story with us. Your motivation/determination blog post keeps me going. When I want to give up I read it & it pushes me on. You've also inspired me to venture into the running world. Week 6 of the C25K program, so far so good."

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Rebecca:

"Completed my first half marathon! I never would have imagined completing 13.1 miles 2 years ago! 70 lbs lost later I started with a goal of a 5K and then decided along with my wonderful husband and my mom that we would complete our first 1/2 marathon together and WE DID IT!!"

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Stephanie:

"Ran my 1st 5k this weekend and finished 35:45! My goal was under 36 and I did it!!"

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

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November plans

I'm still having a hard time getting adjusted to NOT marathon training. My running schedule was so regular up until the marathon, and it became such a habit. Sundays were my long run day, but I did my long run on Friday, so I wasn't sure what I was going to do today.

Yesterday, I wrote up my winter/spring training schedule to prepare to PR my 5K and 10K times. The schedule is 21 weeks long, and it starts on November 25th. I wanted to give myself a few weeks of easy running before the tough stuff starts! So until the schedule starts, I'm going to run 5-6 days per week, for 3-12 miles each day. Unless I feel like running fast, I'll probably do all easy paced runs. I actually really enjoy the easy paced runs.

Today, I decided to run four miles as close to a 9:55/mi pace as I could get. That's what I'll be running when I pace Stephanie to a 2:10 half-marathon next Sunday, so I want to get a feel for it. The time change last night threw me off quite a bit today! I woke up (and was wide awake) at 4:30, but managed to fall asleep on and off until 6:30. At around 8:30, I finally headed out for my run. It was sunny, but still in the low 40's, so it was nice outside.

I felt really good, but my heart rate was really high again. My average heart rate has gone up by 15 bpm just since the marathon, which is a huge jump. I'm starting to wonder if it's just my heart rate strap causing problems. My new Garmin is supposed to be shipped in a couple of weeks, so I'm not going to bother trying to figure out if the strap of this one is the issue.

My goal was to stay as close to a 9:55 pace as possible, without going slower, and without going more than a couple of seconds faster. I did pretty well!

Looking at my heart rate chart, it's obvious something was going on with the monitor:

For the next few weeks, until I start my winter/spring training, I really want to focus on getting my weight back down. My best races were when I was about 131 pounds, and my pace is definitely affected when my weight goes up (even just a couple of pounds). So I'd love to get my weight back down, at least to my goal of 133, to make training a little easier!

To do this, I'm going to make it a focus to get in the Good Health Guidelines of Weight Watchers this month. The GHG are:

1) Eat 5 servings of fruits/vegetables per day.
2) Eat 1-2 servings of lean proteins per day.
3) Eat/drink 2 servings of non-fat or low-fat dairy.
4) Choose whole grains over refined grains.
5) Aim for 6+ glasses of water a day.
6) Have 2 tsp. of healthy oils per day.
7) Take a multivitamin daily.
8) Watch intake of sodium, added sugar, and alcohol.

Usually, I just eat what I want and count the PointsPlus for it. My diet isn't horrible, but it definitely could be better. So for this month, I'd really like to try and focus on these guidelines to hopefully help me get my weight back down. I'll still be counting my PointsPlus, obviously (26 per day, plus my activity PP, plus my weekly PP).

I also plan to go weigh in once a week at Weight Watchers. I've been weighing in only once a month all year, but I think the weekly weigh-ins will help me stay accountable. I'm not sure yet what day I'll be weighing in; probably Thursday mornings.

I like having a real plan--both for my eating and my running. Focusing on my running goals makes me excited to work on eating better, which will hopefully lead to some PR's in the spring. Even if I don't end up reaching my PR goals, I'll at least know I did what I could to make it happen!

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Damn candy!

I don't have much to say today, so this will be a super short post. I almost didn't write at all, but when I've done that before, my e-mail was flooded with questions if I was okay, because I didn't write my daily post, haha ;)

I did SO well avoiding the Halloween candy yesterday, and I really hoped I could keep it up. But I caved today. Shortly after breakfast, I started thinking about the kids' candy, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. I read a book for a little while to take my mind off of it, but I couldn't even focus on that. It's crazy how my mind was so focused on that one little thing.

Even though today was a rest day, I finally decided to go out for a short, easy three-mile run. Running almost always makes me feel better and helps me to stay on track. It was raining outside, but I headed out anyway. I ran around the neighborhood for three miles, and felt a lot better when I got back.

I'm not sure why, but my heart rate has been up higher ever since the marathon. I've been burning almost 100 calories per mile rather than my typical 80. Interesting!

Anyway, I showered and dressed in some comfy sweats... and then started thinking of the stupid candy again. And finally, I caved, and bummed some candy from the kids. My reasoning (which, when I'm thinking rationally, I realize how dumb it is) was that I could eat it, get sick of it or realize that it's really no big deal, and then be done with it and stop obsessing over it.

So I ate too much candy today, and I definitely don't feel like I want any more tomorrow. I'm going to get right back on track like it never even happened.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing up a training schedule for this winter, to work on my running goals for the spring.

I made a pretty tough schedule (lots of speed work). It's going to be fun training hard for a shorter-distance race, like a 5K and 10K. I'm so used to marathon and half-marathon training! This time the focus will be more on speed for shorter distances, so it'll be a nice change. I used the Jack Daniels' formula as a base for my schedule, so I'm interested to see how it goes. I like that I can base my training by heart rate, so I am going to start focusing on that again, too.

Well, Jerry and I are going to watch Sons of Anarchy (we're midway through Season 5, which was just released on Netflix). Have a good night!

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Nutella in moderation?!

The ridiculous wind actually woke me up this morning. It was really loud, and for a moment, I thought, "Oh, thank goodness it's a rest day today. I don't want to run in that!" But then I remembered it's Friday--my long run day.

I'd told Jessica I'd run 12 miles with her this morning, but I'd forgotten my kids had today off of school (a teacher in-service day, which is smart to do the day after Halloween!). Jerry was working this morning, so I couldn't get out for my run. That meant either switching my long run to Sunday, or running on the treadmill. I chose the treadmill, because I am trying to get my running back into a regular routine.

When I started running, I was aiming for 12 miles, but I figured that if I was miserable, I could stop any time after 8. I haven't used the treadmill in a long time, and it actually felt kind of strange at first. The treadmill always feels easier to me than running outside, even with the incline set to 1%, so I felt good! I set the pace at 8:57/mi and turned "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on my computer to watch.

A couple of miles in, my parents came over. My mom needed a picture of her and my dad for the church directory, so she asked Noah to take the picture while I continued running. Then I somehow got into explaining/showing her how to edit and crop pictures on her iPhone (while I continued to run). I'm surprised I didn't fall flat on my face! After my parents left, I continued running, but I thought about the half-marathon and that I should probably run at the pace I'll be running at the race.

I'll be pacing Stephanie at a 9:55 pace, so I lowered the speed, and the run actually felt much more enjoyable after that. I rarely need water for anything less than a 10 mile run, but for some reason, I was dying of thirst about 7.5 miles in, so I stopped the treadmill and filled my water bottle. It was such a relief to drink the water!

I was feeling pretty good at mile 8, and then my computer gave a low-battery warning. At mile 8.5, the battery died. I certainly could have kept running, but I decided that 8.5 was plenty for today, especially since it was on the treadmill. I'm sure the half-marathon won't be a problem next weekend.

I actually made it through today without eating a single piece of my kids' Halloween candy! It was extremely difficult not to, but I knew that if I had even one piece, it would make it so much easier to just keep eating it, and soon, I'd be in a Halloween candy coma.

Speaking of not eating junk in the house, my Kitchen Safe has been a life savor! I just wish it were bigger; I may end up getting a second one. I put my problem foods in there: chocolate chips, Nutella (well, the Kroger brand), Clif Bars (they recently turned into a "problem food" when the Trail Mix flavor was introduced), and little packages of belVita breakfast biscuits.

I set the safe to open in the mornings when I wake up. I may use Nutella on an English muffin, or chocolate chips in my oatmeal. Then I take out just the portion of what I plan to eat for a snack later--1/2 a Clif Bar, or 1/2 the package of belVita. Before I even eat a bite of anything, I lock the safe, setting the timer for the following morning.

Mornings are very easy for me to stay on track, so it's not hard for me to resist eating everything before I lock it up. Then, in the afternoon, when I'm feeling snacky and want to eat a handful of chocolate chips, or a spoonful of Nutella, I can't--because it's locked up. I can only have what I took out of the safe that morning. It involves a little planning ahead, but this has worked out SO WELL. It has completely eliminated my "Oh, it's just a handful" or "Oh, it's just a spoonful" extra calories. I've been able to eat Nutella in moderation! That is a huge deal for me ;) It's probably rather pathetic that I have to rely on a safe like this, but hey, whatever works!

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