My first deep water run

I slept so good last night! I really needed that. It's very rare that I sleep through the night without waking up five or six times. I had a bunch of weird dreams, and when I woke up this morning, I was totally confused for a minute.

I was kind of excited to use the AquaJogger for the first time today. It feels like I haven't run in MONTHS, but it's actually only been 11 days. I keep feeling this pit in my stomach, thinking that I'll never get to run again. I've been resting as much as possible, and have probably only gotten 4,000 steps per day max. It's like I can feel my muscles wasting away (dramatic, yes). I can't do squats or lunges or anything like that, because it bothers my ankle, so I haven't done any cross-training since I've been injured. But I'm really determined to get my ankle back to normal before I start marathon training.

And of course, I miss earning activity PointsPlus! I was used to earning about 50 PP per week from exercise, and cutting back on that much food is hard. So the deep water running will help me to earn some of those points.

Anyway, I've been reading so many great things about deep water running--people have used that to continue training for important races, and have done well (even setting PRs) in their races. So, I am hopeful that if I use this as a training method, I won't have such a hard time going back to running on ground when my ankle is better. I'm still going to ease back into running; I just hope the transition is easier. Here is the backstory to the AquaJogger:

After I got the kids off to school, I got ready to head to the pool. One of the reasons I really dislike swimming is because of all the stuff it requires--bathing suit, towel, change of clothes, hair brush (I always forget this, and then my hair is in a huge knot), lock for the locker, etc. But maybe if I start packing it the night before, I won't feel so rushed in the mornings.

I had to renew my membership at the rec center, so I'm good for another year--someone please hold me accountable to getting my money's worth this year! ;) I changed into my bathing suit, and brought the AquaJogger belt out to the pool with me. I was really nervous to give it a try, because I thought that the lifeguard would surely know if my form was all wrong or something. I had tried doing deep water running without a belt before, just for the heck of it, but it was really difficult to stay upright. So I hoped the belt would help.

There were a few people in the swimming lanes, so I was glad I wasn't the only one in the pool! I put on the belt and quickly got into the deep end of the pool. I just tried to focus on my form and then started "running" in the water. I read the workout guide book that came with the belt, and it gave some tips on form, so I was trying to make sure that I was doing that correctly.

Surprisingly, it actually felt pretty natural! It was much easier than I imagined it to be. It was easier to focus on my arms, and as long as I was doing the arm motion correctly, my legs did a natural running motion. It felt kind of like running in place, only I wasn't touching the ground. I wasn't really expecting to move forward, but as I ran in place, my body just kept inching forward.

The thing I was most surprised about was that the time flew by! I discovered that it took roughly one minute to cross the deep end of the pool; so I just kept "running" across, and then turning around and running back. I was planning to do 30 minutes, but I liked it enough that I wanted to go longer.

The hard part was seeing the people above me run on the track. I saw my friend Alicia running, so I waved to her. From the pool, it's very easy to see one end of the track, so I kept watching the people run by as I ran in place. I wanted to be up there running so badly! But I really did enjoy the deep water running.

It was a REALLY good workout, too. Occasionally, I would run hard for a minute or two, and then slow down (intervals, basically), and my legs felt so tired after the hard intervals. Another bonus to running in the water is that I wasn't dripping with sweat--the water kept me cool, which was nice. I had pulled my hair into a high bun, so it didn't even get wet (yay) and I just had to rinse off when I was done (I had taken a shower when I woke up, and I really didn't want to have to re-shower). So even though it was a little bit of a hassle to pack a bag to go to the pool, it made up for it in that I didn't have to come home and shower (again).

I was really surprised to see that Weight Watchers actually lists "water jogging" as an exercise. I had done 45 minutes, which gave me 8 PointsPlus! That's the same as if I had run outside. I don't know if I really feel I deserve that many, so I may try to just eat half of them, but it's nice to see those activity points.

I'm going to order a belt for Jerry, too. I think it would be fun for us to go "run" together, and would certainly help the time pass. Even after I'm able to run on ground again, I think the deep water running would be good cross training. Next time I go, I'll bring the kids' underwater cameras and see if they can get a video of it.

I have to say, I think using this AquaJogger belt would be awesome exercise for ANYONE--not just runners. The book shows different exercises you can do, but for anyone looking to exercise, it's a good workout without any impact. By wearing the belt, you are basically suspended in the water up to your neck. The floatation part is on the small of your back, so it doesn't impede movement at all (like a lifejacket would). I only used it for 45 minutes today, but already, I highly recommend it!

Anyway, the first day of deep water running was a big success! I'm actually really looking forward to going again. I leave for Phoenix tomorrow morning and don't come home until Monday, so I'm not sure how much I'll be posting over the weekend, if at all. Hope you all have a great weekend!

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Bullets

I love lists--especially blog posts that are done entirely in bullet points. I don't know why I don't do this more often!

• I hate raw tomatoes, but because I wanted to make that dill pickle sandwich yesterday, I bought the little baby ones called for in the recipe. The recipe was very specific in that you shouldn't change anything, so I wanted to make it as-written. I'm now obsessed with these little tomatoes! The sandwich was amazing, and it's my new favorite breakfast/lunch/dinner, but as I was preparing the sandwich, I decided to try a tomato plain. Then I kept taking a couple every time I walked past them in the kitchen. I'm going to buy some to take on the plane with me Friday.

• My AquaJogger arrived today! I'm going to take it for a spin swim run? tomorrow. There is never anyone in the pool when I go to the rec center, so it's going to be totally embarrassing to have the lifeguard watch as I try and learn how to do this deep water running! 

• I started a new puzzle today. As you can see, I didn't get much done on it. But I love working on puzzles, because I don't want to stop to eat! I like that puzzles come with a mini poster of what the puzzle will look like. It's really helpful when putting it together.

• I was so bored last night that I took a quiz on BuzzFeed called "What's your drunk alter ego?" I'm not sure if I'm happy to be a "Momma Bear". That just sounds lame! But sadly, the description is pretty true ;)

• I have a pretty great prize for the Virtual 5K... I'll announce later this week, but here's a hint: It rhymes with "barman" (I just now learned that that's another word for bartender). I need one more prize and then I'll announce them.
• I impulsively bought a rice cooker shortly after Thanksgiving, because it was half off, and I wanted to give it a try. I had a rice cooker years ago, but I hated it, because my rice always burned to the sides and bottom. I'm glad I tried a new one, because I LOVE IT. It makes absolutely perfect rice every time (I've made several different types of rice in it, too). It doesn't get burned, and it's not mushy; it's just very fluffy and perfectly cooked. Mine is this Black & Decker Rice Cooker.

• CLIF Bar sent me a couple of samples of their new bar flavors: Nuts & Seeds, and Berry Pomegranate Chia. I liked the Nuts & Seeds one, but my favorite flavor is still the Trail Mix one (with a smear of peanut butter on top!).

• I leave for Phoenix on Friday (well, hopefully... I'm flying on a buddy pass, so if the flight is full, I won't even make it on the plane; but my brother said it looks good). I feel totally unprepared for this trip! I wish I was able to do the half-marathon, but it'll be fun to just be a spectator. I'll try and be the best spectator out there! I'll also be able to see a couple of my Ragnar teammates (Meredith from my From Fat to Finish Line team, and Martha from my Strangers to Sole Mates team), as well as Angela (the producer of the documentary From Fat to Finish Line). And of course, it'll be fun to celebrate birthdays with Sarah!

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Dill pickles

I didn't receive any submissions for Motivational Monday yesterday, which is why there was no post. I leave for Phoenix on Friday, and won't be home until Monday evening, so I likely won't have a MM post next week, either. But if you have a submission, feel free to send it! I'll just save it for later.

Yesterday, Jerry was off work and the roads weren't all that great, so we stayed home and had a really lazy day. We had about six episodes of The Blacklist on our DVR, so we finally watched those (well, five of them). I drank a ton of hot tea yesterday, trying to stay warm.

My parents are dog-sitting for Bailey, my little brother's black lab. My mom was going to be gone all afternoon, so she asked if we would want to take Bailey for a walk. Even though I'm not much of a dog person, I really like Bailey, so I was excited to walk her.

Jerry and I drove over there, and she was thrilled to see us, especially when she saw me pick up her leash. As soon as I got her outside, I knew it was going to be a challenge to walk her in the snow/ice. The roads were completely covered in packed snow, which was REALLY slippery. Bailey isn't the greatest on a leash (she pulls), and I almost immediately biffed it into the snow.

I was worried about messing up my ankle (which was feeling really good!) so Jerry took the leash and I walked next to him. I hoped Bailey would calm down a bit as we walked, but she almost pulled Jerry over several times, so we decided just to walk the perimeter of the neighborhood (one mile) and call it quits.

When we got home, I was walking from the garage to the house when I slipped and fell. I landed on my hands and knees, and not my back--otherwise I'm sure it would have been worse! But all evening, my bad ankle was nagging me again. I don't know if it was the fall or the fact that I walked on it for a mile, but I'm so bummed. I didn't have any issues with it for a few days, and I hoped that meant it was healing. This morning when I woke up, it was still causing me problems while walking.

I can't get into the doctor for at least a month, so meanwhile, I'm just going to have to continue to rest it. My AquaJogger belt is supposed to be delivered on Thursday (slowest shipping ever!), so as soon as I get that, I'll go renew my membership at the rec center and get started with the deep water running. (Well, probably Tuesday, when I'll be home from Phoenix.)

For Taste Test Tuesday, Eli asked me to make something that I'd pinned on Pinterest a LONG time ago. It's not a super healthy recipe, but Eli really wanted to try it, so I agreed. The recipe is for Dill Pickle Soup. Eli LOVES dill pickles (and dill pickle flavored foods). While I was looking at the recipe, I noticed another recipe on that site for a dill pickle sandwich. I bought the stuff to make that as well, because it sounded SO good.

First--the sandwich. I made it for lunch, and it just has four ingredients: an English muffin, two long pickle slices, some tiny sweet tomatoes, and real mayonnaise. The recipe was very specific about the brand of English muffins, pickles, and tomatoes. So I made sure to make it as specified. And I was not disappointed. It truly was The Best Dill Pickle Sandwich ever! I can see myself making it for lunch every day. And the recipe is right on with the ingredients' brands--I wouldn't change them.

I'm not normally a fan of raw tomatoes, either, but I think they really worked with this sandwich.

As for the soup, I had no idea what to expect. I'd never heard of dill pickle soup! But it looked good in the photo, and like I said, Eli was dying to try it. When I read through the recipe, I couldn't understand why it didn't use a roux. I was tempted to change it up by making a roux, but I wanted to stick to the recipe as written.

When I mixed the sour cream, flour, and water together, it was SUPER thick--a dough. I really didn't want to add that to the soup, because I didn't want to risk having clumps of flour all through the soup. So I just added a cup of the cold pickle juice to it and shook it up (in a container with a lid) until it was super smooth, then poured that into the soup before adding the other cup of pickle juice. It worked out perfectly--no clumps.

Holy yum! This soup was fantastic. Eli loved it, of course, and even Noah (who is super picky) really liked it. It was 11 PointsPlus for 1/6 of the recipe, and I have to say, it's super filling. I would definitely make this again! Maybe the dill pickle sandwiches and a cup of the dill pickle soup for a meal one day ;)

(P.S. I'm not pregnant, I promise. I've just had a bad craving for dill pickles recently!)

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Mini-reunion

This weekend was AMAZING. First of all, though, let me announce the winner of the Altra shoes. I was so excited about the weekend that I forgot to post the winner. A huge congrats to Cathy B.! I've sent you an email. I really hope that you love the Altras as much as I love them!

Friday evening, Eli had his birthday party at the bowling alley. He chose cosmic bowling, so it was dark and the music was really loud--fun for the kids. A little nerve-wracking for me, who was trying to keep an eye on 14 kids! ;) But Eli had a blast, and the party was great.

The party ended at 8:00, so I headed out to the airport while Jerry went home with the boys. Andrea made the flight (she was flying stand-by using a buddy pass from my brother, so her seat wasn't confirmed), and she arrived at around 8:45. We went to my house to drop off her bag, and then went to the bar a couple blocks from my house for drinks and Keno.

I chose my usual three numbers: 11, 25, and 33; and then for my fourth (I always choose a random fourth number), I picked 62, because there were 62 more days until I leave for Portland. It turned out to be a really lucky ticket! (A quick Keno rundown: You choose numbers between 1 and 80 (I always choose four numbers, because that has the best odds of winning). There are 20 numbers pulled per drawing, and if you match two of them, you win $1. If you match three, you win $5. And if you match all four, you win $72... on each drawing.)

I paid for 20 drawings (which cost $1 each, so it was $20 total). On about the fifth drawing, I matched all four numbers, so I won $72! After all 20 drawings were done, my ticket had won a total of $92 (Andrea's won $10, so we had won enough to cover our Keno tickets, our food and drinks, and STILL had money left over. Those kind of nights are the best ;) While we were there, we talked a lot about what's been going on the past couple of years, and it was really nice to catch up.

Yesterday morning, I got a text from Rik from my From Fat to Finish Line team. He had been hoping to drive out here for Saturday night, because Angela (the producer of the documentary) said she was going to try and send us a link to watch the rough cut of the film last night. Since the team was Rik's and my idea, we thought it would be really great if we could watch it together. So yesterday morning, Rik said that he and Cynthia, his wife, were going to head to my house at around noon (it's a six hour drive).

Andrea wanted to try La Pita, because I always talk about it. Even though I just went there for Eli's birthday, of course I was willing to go back! ;) So we went to La Pita for lunch, and it was delicious, as usual. Then we went back to my house to get ready for company in the evening. I made chili and put it in the crock pot, so it would be ready to eat when Rik and Cynthia got there. Andrea made chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

Rik sent me a text when they were in Toledo, which made Dean pop into my head. I kicked myself for not thinking to invite him to come over, too! It just hadn't occurred to me. Dean was really inspired by Rik after hearing about From Fat to Finish Line on a podcast. After hearing the podcast, Dean started running, and changed the way he ate. Long story short, he lost 140-something pounds and just ran his first marathon. So I was really excited for Dean and Rik to meet face-to-face!

I figured it wouldn't hurt to send Dean a quick text to invite him last-minute, and he promptly responded that he'd be here in about an hour. So it worked out really well.

I hadn't told Rik that Andrea was here, so when he arrived, I had Andrea answer the door. He was surprised and shocked to see her, so that was fun. When Dean got here, I made the introductions.

We ate chili and chatted for a while. Angela sent us the link for the film, and we were ridiculously excited to watch it. My mom came over, too, and we all crowded in front of the TV for 96 minutes of viewing time. This project has been in the works for what feels like forever, so to be able to see the rough cut of the film was really exciting.

Because it was just the rough cut, there are still a lot of changes to be made. But it was really fun to see what was there and to reminisce about the whole experience. The only thing that could have been better would be to have the entire team in one room to watch it! Angela will be in Phoenix this weekend, so while I'm there, she wants to film a couple more pieces for the interview. I can also give her some feedback about the film and see what she thinks.

Andrea, Rik, and Cynthia all had to leave this morning. We went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast first, and then I drove Andrea to the airport while Rik and Cynthia hit the road to go home. The visit was short, but super fun!

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! You can check out this post for submitting a photo. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

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Spontaneous visitor

I don't have time for a proper post, because I have a very exciting (and totally spur-of-the-moment) weekend ahead. This morning, I finished up my new puzzle:

This was 1,000 pieces of confusion, but I love it. I think I may frame it and hang it in the guest bedroom.

Anyway, after I finished the puzzle, I was feeling a little bored and lonely. On a whim, I decided to text my friend Andrea to see if she had plans this weekend. Andrea is from Kansas, and was on my From Fat to Finish Line Ragnar team when we ran Key West in 2013. The last time I saw her was in Key West, so it's been a while!

Andrea and me at the Ragnar awards ceremony

We keep in touch, and I thought I'd throw the idea out there for her to come over for the weekend.

I believe I just said, "Would you want to come over this weekend? My brother will let you use a buddy pass, so you can fly in tomorrow morning--or even tonight!" and about a minute later, she said, "Sure!" Haha, that was at about 2:30 this afternoon. After my brother listed her on the flights, she had 15 minutes to pack and leave for the airport. Eli's birthday party is tonight from 6-8, and Andrea's flight arrives at 8:37. So I'll just leave the party (it's at the bowling alley) and drive right to the airport to pick her up.

I think we'll probably go play Keno or something tonight so we can talk and catch up. I'm super excited to see her! What a spontaneous trip ;)

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Thanks so much for all the kind words on yesterday's post. Not being able to run and being over my goal weight right now make me feel like I've totally lost my identity. Just when I felt like everything was getting really good again (depression and anxiety were bad last year, and toward the end of the year, I was feeling back to my old self), I got injured. It's going to be hard to deal with, but I'm glad to know that I have such great support from all of you!

In good news, I didn't feel a single twinge of pain in my ankle today. Normally, I would have thrown on my shoes and gone for a run right away, but this time I'm being super cautious. I'm going to wait AT LEAST until February 1st before I try running again. I want my ankle to be pain-free for at least a couple of weeks before attempting to run. I'm still waiting for my AquaJogger belt to get here, but when it does, I'm going to take it to the pool ASAP. I'm excited to give it a try!

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My race shirt quilt!

I almost decided not to write a post today. I feel so strange now that I'm not running. My whole identity seems to be based on running/weight loss, and now that I can't run because of my ankle, I just feel like a completely different person.

My ankle doesn't feel any better, so I think I'm going to make an appointment with a sports med doctor soon. I dread doing this, because the last time I went (for a knee injury), the doctor told me "Well, just don't run!" I need to find a doctor that is also a runner (or an athlete, at least) so he or she will understand that NOT running is not an option. I am totally fine with giving it up temporarily to heal my ankle, but I don't believe there is any reason to give it up permanently.

My days just feel so strange without having a morning run built in. Normally, I get the kids off to school, eat breakfast, do some email/blog stuff, and then go for a run. Without that, I feel like my whole day is kind of thrown off. And then, considering my blog has been mostly about my running/weight loss for four years, I feel like I shouldn't write anything if it's not about that. But considering this blog is basically a journal, I'm going to just keep writing, regardless. So I apologize if it's totally irrelevant!

Yesterday was Eli's 9th birthday. I thought it was so funny that he decided he wanted to go to La Pita for his birthday dinner! He told me he wanted to go there "for the garlic sauce", haha. Definitely his mama's kid. Jerry and I picked him up from school (along with Noah) and we went up to La Pita. My parents, along with Brian and Becky, and Nathan and Kendall, met us there, so we had a pretty big group there for dinner.

I was thrilled to see that Brian and Becky remembered to bring my quilt! I wrote about this a long time ago, but if you don't remember, I had cut up my race t-shirts and sewed them together into a quilt top. I had never done an actual quilt before, so I didn't want to ruin my quilt top by practicing on it, and I just left it alone. Then, Brian and Becky were dating, and Becky said that she and her mom loved quilting, and she offered to help me finish it.

I sent the quilt top to Minnesota with Becky, and totally trusted her to do whatever needed to be done.  She told me that she and her mom had finished it, and I was dying to see it. So yesterday, I finally got to see the finished product. It was AMAZING.

They used shoe patterns for the quilting, and I thought that was so clever! Becky's mom has a long-arm quilting machine, so she used that for the quilting, and then she did the edge binding by hand. I am just SO amazed at how perfect it turned out! I love it.

Last night, there was a lot of talk on Facebook that school would be canceled today. And sure enough, we got the phone call (last night, thankfully, and not at 5:00 this morning!) that school would be closed due to the cold temperatures. When I got up this morning, the wind chill was -29 degrees. I was just glad it wasn't on Eli's birthday! Last year, on Eli's birthday, it was the coldest day on record since the 1800's, and Eli told me it was "the worst birthday of [his] life". (He's a bit dramatic, haha)

Since school was canceled today, Jerry went to the store to get the stuff for mimosas (sparkling grape juice for the kids), and we had a mimosa-pajama-movie day. At first, we put the juice and wine on the porch to stay cold, but it actually froze pretty quickly, so we had to bring it in. It's so weird that last week, it was warm enough to wear a t-shirt while running!

Tomorrow is supposed to be really cold again, so I'm not sure if the kids will have school. But I hope it's not too bad, because Eli is having his birthday party in the evening!

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Deep water running

I'm really frustrated with this ankle issue I have going on. For about 90% of the time, my ankle feels completely fine, and it makes me feel like I'm overreacting. When I walk the kids to the bus stop, or I just walk around the house, I think, "I could totally go for a run right now!" But that other 10% of the time, I am very confident that it is, in fact, injured. Yesterday (and today), I took a rest day, and I also tried to come up with a plan for where to go from here.

I am registered for the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half on January 18th. My best friend Sarah and I were going to walk it together (she doesn't run) for our 33rd birthdays. Our birthdays are on the 22nd and 25th, so we decided to celebrate together this year by walking the race. I really don't think it's a good idea to to do the race (walking or running) because I feel like I need to focus on healing my ankle. I'm sure a 5K or 10K would be okay, but I have a feeling that doing a half marathon would really mess it up right now.

This picture is totally irrelevant to this post. But when I was looking for a picture of Sarah and me celebrating a birthday, I came across this one, and I love it. I don't know how old we were here... maybe three?

So, yesterday, I told Sarah that I'm not going to be able to do the race. I offered to cheer her on, but she admitted that she was really unprepared for the race, and so we mutually agreed to be spectators. I'm still going to Phoenix for a few days to visit, I just won't be doing the race there. And since I decided to back out of the goal of a half-marathon per month due to my ankle issue, I don't have another race lined up until March, when I go to Portland.

Because of all of that, I'm going to avoid running until my ankle is better. But I don't want to turn into a couch potato, either, so I started thinking of alternatives. The most popular alternative to running, particularly when one is injured, is deep water running (or pool running). This is basically done in the deep end of a pool, where you can't touch the bottom. You wear a floatation belt to hold you upright and keep you from sinking, and then you basically run--you do the same motion as running outside, but you're not actually touching the ground. This is really great exercise for runners who are injured, because it is a NO impact exercise.

I've read from several blogs of runners who have done it to keep in shape or continue training when injured, and it seems to be really successful. Yesterday, I ordered an "Aqua Jogger" on Amazon (the flotation belt to keep me from sinking):

When that arrives, I'm going to renew my membership at the rec center, and give the pool running a try! I'm sure it's going to be mind-numbingly boring (my "long runs" in the pool of two hours with no entertainment? Yikes!) but if I bring the kids and/or Jerry along, maybe it won't be too bad. I wish my iPod was waterproof.

If all goes well with the pool running, hopefully I will stay in good enough running shape to get back to running on the ground when my ankle is better. I'm praying that I'll be able to run normally again by February!

As I mentioned in my New Year's post, on Tuesdays I'd like to do Taste Test Tuesday again--only instead of tasting a new product, I'll try a new "real foods" recipe. My sister shared a recipe with me yesterday that she said was really good, so I decided to make that. It's called Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole.

I was tempted to swap out brown rice for the quinoa, because I don't love quinoa. I also wanted to use sour cream instead of yogurt, because you know how I feel about yogurt. But to be fair to Taste Test Tuesday, I figured I should probably make it as written in the recipe. When I went shopping to pick up a couple of the ingredients, Kroger was actually out of chicken breasts--strange. I used ground turkey breast instead, so that was the only substitution I made.

It wasn't a very pretty dish, but it turned out really good!

Like I said, I would have preferred rice, but when I tasted this, I couldn't taste the quinoa at all. I like the texture of quinoa (it's just the taste that I don't care for), but the spices of the dish overpowered the flavor of the quinoa. I didn't taste any of the yogurt, either. Everything went really well together, and it was so good! It was on the spicy side, so next time I'll leave out the cayenne because my kids won't eat it when it's this spicy. I'll definitely make it again, though. Jerry and I both loved it.

Tomorrow is Eli's ninth birthday! We asked him what he'd like to do for his birthday dinner, and he said he wants to go to La Pita :) I'm so glad it's La Pita and not Chinese food again! The food at La Pita is pretty healthy, no matter what you order, so I can make it work. My older brother and his wife are coming in from Minnesota, so we're picking them up on the way to the restaurant. My parents and my little brother are going as well. Should be fun! I can't believe my youngest child will be NINE tomorrow. And to think I was carded for buying wine today, haha ;)

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Motivational Monday #93

Happy first Motivational Monday of 2015! I hope that everyone's year is off to a great start. This week, I'm super proud of myself for the way I've been eating. I don't think I've eaten this healthy in my entire life ;) My weight hasn't budged an ounce, which is totally frustrating, but I'm keeping in mind that these are changes not for weight loss, but to be healthier in general. Hopefully, the weight will start to go down again soon.

Thank you for the great response to Motivational Monday submissions this week! I was getting worried that the series was starting to have run its course. I'm loving the 100-pounds lost submissions, too. Several people have asked when those will be posted--those will be on the 100th Motivational Monday post. Today is #93, so it'll be at least in 7 weeks, but probably 8-9 weeks from now (I'm going on a couple of trips, and likely won't post a MM while I'm gone). 

There are some great MM stories today. Enjoy!

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In January of 2014, Summer decided to start eating better and exercising more to train for a half marathon. She lost 35 pounds and ran several 5K and 10K races during training. After all the hard work, she recently completed her first half marathon in a little under 3 hours! Since it was her first attempt, her goal was to finish strong, regardless of time. She is feeling great and plans to run another half in 2015.  

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After her second full marathon in September, Amy needed a goal race to keep running, so she trained for a 15K (her first race of that distance). She ended up finishing in 1:50:50! She had a goal of under 12 minutes per mile, and was thrilled to have met that (along with an automatic PR, considering it was her first 15K!). The race morning was cold, but the hot chocolate and dipping chocolate made it all worthwhile! Now she's signed up for the Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K as her New Year's goal.

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Dominique had wanted to be a runner for years. Finally, last March, she started working with a trainer, who helped her lose 50 pounds and start running. She ran her first 5K, the Susan G. Komen race, in honor of her mother, who is a breast cancer survivor. It was freezing, and she couldn't feel her hands, but she had a blast and can't wait to run more races! This year, she's hoping to run as many 5Ks as she can fit in.

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Angie's dad fought a long and brave battle with a rare form of lymphoma, but sadly, he passed away in September. Angie started the Couch to 5K running program two weeks later, in order to continue to  heal by continuing to spend time thinking of him and talking to him. She's run every other day since then, and just completed her goal race! She felt her father with her the whole way. 

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Sarah is proud to share two photos of her on New Year's Eve--with a 50 pound difference! The pic on the left is from 2008, where she weighed 230 pounds; and on the right is from 2014. She put on the extra weight in college, from emotional eating, drinking, and partying. It took her a long time to get where she is, with bumps along the way, but she is currently on Weight Watchers and is very excited to reach her goal weight. 

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Colleen's husband gave her a FitBit Flex for her 36th birthday in October, and she used that as a jumping off point to take charge of her health. She's down 20.8 pounds from her high weight of 240! Her goal for 2015 is to participate in a 5K or other race every month. (Colleen's Facebook page)

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Rebecca's friend asked her to do two fitness challenges with her: an ab challenge and a squat challenge. Her friend's plan was to start on the first of the year, but Rebecca decided to start right then and there. She's been working on both challenges since December 29, and hasn't missed a day! She has also started running and eating healthier, losing seven pounds so far! She and her husband are signed up for the Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K as well :)

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Rita joined Weight Watchers and started running about a year and a half ago, and has dropped 70 pounds! She does a lot of running to earn activity PointsPlus, but she hadn't done a race since about nine years ago, before she had kids. She signed up for the Polar Dash, a New Year's Day 5K, and publicly stated her goal as under 40 minutes (she secretly hoped for under 37 minutes). She ended up crushing her secret goal, finishing in 36:16! She also super proud of her girls, who ran their first race (1500 meters) the same day :)

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On New Year's Day, Amy ran the "Frosty Four" in her hometown--and it was certainly frosty! She had a great run, saw lots of friends, and even scored a PR. It was a great way to ring in the New Year, and she's already looking forward to another four-mile race in a couple of weeks.

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When my friend Dean sent me this picture, I had to laugh. This was his MM submission? ;) But Dean accomplished something this week that was HUGE for him... he ate his first apple since he was a kid! He has a huge aversion to fruits and vegetables (not in a cutesy "oh, I don't really care for that" kind of way; more of a "I'm going to vomit just thinking about that" kind of way). He wants to like them, because he knows they are healthy, but he hadn't even tried any for years (decades?). He made huge strides this week when he asked his wife to pick up an apple at the grocery store for him. It took him a few tries, but he finally ate it! You can read the story on his blog :)

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Jen made the decision to join Weight Watchers, and her first meeting was on 12/27/14. She had a GREAT week, staying on program even when she celebrated New Year's Eve with friends. She was rewarded with a one-pound loss for the week to kick off 2015!

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

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Injury update and current eats

I hope you all enjoyed the Q&A post with Golden! I've learned a ton of great info from him, and it's been very useful, especially over the past month with the peroneal tendinosis I've been dealing with. I've always called it tendonitis, and when Golden was doing his presentation in Bethlehem, I thought he was just mistakenly saying "tendinosis" and "plantar fasciosis"... but he explained the difference between the "itis" and "osis", and I learned that what I've been dealing with is actually tendinosis, which is a long-term injury.

In fact, I can remember when it started, way back in summer of 2013! It was never anything alarming, which is why I didn't pay much attention to it. I just noticed that when I was doing certain strength exercises or trying to sit on my heels that there was some ankle pain (basically, anything that caused me to point my toes). Tendinosis comes on very gradually and lasts a very long time.

During the Turkey Trot 5K, I stepped on a large jingle bell that was lying on the ground, and rolled my ankle. It hurt for a day or two, but I was fine. I ran several times after that without pain, so I assumed nothing had happened. But then when I ran on that slanted road, the pain was terrible, and that's when I finally realized there was an injury. I don't know for sure that all this is related, but from what I've read, it seems to make sense.

This info, along with the runs I've done this week (I'll explain that later), caused me to really think about and reevaluate my running goals. I have two "goal races" for 2015: 1) the Indy 500 Festival Mini Marathon, where I want to run sub-2:00; and 2) the Detroit Free Press Marathon, where I'd like to run a PR. My secondary running goal for the year was to run a half-marathon every month.

In order to do well at my goal races, I obviously need my ankle in top shape. I'm still having a little bit of pain with it, and I've been feeling stressed about trying to get in my long runs so that I can be prepared for a half-marathon every month. After the past few weeks, I feel like I can't really have both--I should choose either my goal races or the half-marathon-per-month goal. And I choose my goal races.

I think the Run Less Run Faster training was a little too tough as well. This week, I haven't had any good runs. On Thursday, I was supposed to run 3 miles at 8:36 pace, and I only managed a half-mile at that pace before slowing to easy pace. Friday, I ran 4 miles at an easy pace, but I really had a hard time with it. And today, I was supposed to run 8 miles at 9:29-9:39/mile. Last week, I ran 7 miles at 9:27, so I thought today would be no problem.

The weather was great for a run this morning, so I headed out and ended up running the first mile a little too fast, but was still doing okay. By mile three, I thought, "There is no way I can do this pace! This is killing me..." and I decided to just slow it down and run a comfortable pace to get in the miles. My ankle was starting to bother me a little during the fifth mile, so I made the decision to stop after mile five. But the last few miles felt SO hard for some reason, even though that shouldn't have been a hard pace for me.

When I got home, I noticed my calorie burn was sky-high (590 for a 5-mile run), and then I saw why: my average heart rate was 172, and my max had hit 199. For reference, I usually feel my best and run easiest when my heart rate is in the 140's; and during a race, it'll usually end up being in the mid-160's. (The Turkey Trot 10K was the last race I ran hard, and my average HR was 164; max was 179.) So today, for my average to be 172, I was obviously working much harder than normal, but it just wasn't reflected in my pace. I have no idea what's going on with that, but I'm going to start paying more attention to it while I'm running.

I still felt a little guilty for not finishing out the 8-miler, but while I was showering, I started reevaluating my priorities. My top priority right now is getting in shape for a sub-2:00 in Indy. So I am going to focus on that and that alone (first, healing my ankle, and then half-specific training). I feel like a loser for dropping my one-half-marathon-per-month goal just four days into January, but I know it's the right decision. Maybe I'll do that next year, and and make it my top priority.

So that's what's been going on with running. My ankle is 90% better than it was after the Santa Hustle Half, so I'm just going to keep working on making it better (strength exercises, rest, taking it easy when needed, etc.). I don't have to start training specifically for Indy until mid-February, so from now until then, it's all about healing my ankle.

My eating, on the other hand, has been fantastic! I started with the "real foods" goal on December 31st, and I've been doing really well with it. My favorite breakfast right now is a smoothie of milk, a banana, natural peanut butter (peanuts is the only ingredient), and chia seeds. For lunch, I've been having a salad every day--mixed greens, dried cranberries, avocado, sunflower seeds, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, feta cheese, and chicken. I've said many times that I'm not a salad fan, and I'm still not, really--but sometimes I just go through salad phases, and right now, I really want to like them. This one has actually been really good!

Dinner has been different each day, but my favorite so far was a taco bowl. Instead of using prepared taco seasoning, I made my own, and added it to extra lean ground turkey breast. Then I made a bowl of brown rice, the taco meat, lettuce, salsa, natural sour cream, cheese, and avocado.

The hardest thing to come up with has been snacks. I've had Triscuits with homemade olive tapenade, carrots with peanut butter, and almonds. But I need some more carbs, and it's hard to get carbs from snacks that aren't processed. I think part of the reason my runs have felt so hard is because I'm not getting as many carbs as I used to. When my bananas are ripe enough, I'm going to bake some whole wheat banana bread, and have that for a dessert/snack.

It's actually been kind of difficult to get in more than 30 PointsPlus per day. I feel my best when I eat around 40 PP per day, so I'm still working on adding some here and there. I used to spend 5 PP on a glass of wine, and 2 PP on a WW brownie, but since I haven't had those things, I have a lot of room to add other things to my meals. (For the record, I am not giving up wine! I just decided to try and save it for social situations or special occasions, rather than just a nightly routine.)

This way of eating has certainly been interesting. Not easy at all, but not super difficult, either. It's mostly just refreshing to look at a food label not to see the calories, but to read the ingredients list. The taco seasoning, for example, that I threw together in 30 seconds from spices I already had actually tasted much better than the seasoning packet you normally buy at the store. I never realized there were so many additives in something as simple as taco seasoning!

I think it's going to be fun to come up with alternatives to some of the processed things I usually buy. I'm looking forward to it, actually!

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By the way, tomorrow is Motivational Monday, and I hope that some of you will consider contributing. Last week, there weren't any submissions, and I know a lot of you enjoy the weekly post; so to keep it going, I need you to share your victories! (Here is the info on submitting)

Also, I'm still looking for people who have lost 100+ pounds and want to share a photo and short bio for the 100th MM post. I've gotten a few, so thank you for those! They can be sent to the same email address, just use the subject "100" instead.

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Interview with Golden Harper, founder of Altra running shoes

I've been very excited to post this, but with the holidays, it took longer than I thought... Enjoy!

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Today's post is a first for me: an interview! There are several running products out there that I love, and when I discover something like that, I like to share it on my blog. I'm not an ambassador for, nor do I work side-by-side with, any companies, because I like to be able to give my very honest, genuine opinion. 

I can honestly say that I've never been so excited about running equipment that I've wanted to interview the person who developed it... until now. I've also never been a big "shoe" person when it comes to running--I was fitted in Brooks Adrenalines in 2010, and I'd been wearing them for four years. I tried a few others, just because I was tired of the colors of the Adrenlines, but kept going to back to the old faithful. (I have wide feet, and there aren't many selections for wide feet)

So when I learned that we bloggers would be listening to a presentation by Altra, a running shoe company, in Bethlehem at the Runner's World Half, let's just say it wasn't the most anticipated part of our itinerary for me ;) We were introduced to Golden Harper, founder of Altra, and within moments, I was completely caught up in the story behind the company. It's fascinating! By the end of the presentation, I was completely sold. (Fun fact: Golden ran 5 marathons between ages 10 and 14. At age 12, he ran a 2:45 finish time--a world best, which still holds today!)

You can read the complete story of how Altra was born here on their website. But for the sake of length, I'll try and write it in a nutshell here:

Golden's family owns a running store, and for years, runners would come in complaining of the common running injuries: shin splints, knee pain, recurring foot pain, etc. Golden, an Exercise Science major in college, studied running technique and running injuries, and was determined to get to the cause of the problem. His college research, as well as video analysis of people running on a treadmill at the store, showed that the design of traditional running shoes promoted poor form and excessive impact (due to the pointy toe boxes and heels that were twice as thick and heavy as the forefoot). 

Golden started using his toaster oven to melt the outsoles of traditional running shoes and remove excess heel elevation for his customers, causing the heel to be the same distance from the ground as the forefoot (which he gave the term "Zero Drop"). The modified shoes worked so well at preventing injuries that the store had nearly 1,000 people buy and modify their shoes to be "Zero Drop" that first year. Golden (quite literally) ran with the idea, and a couple of years later, Altra shoes were born. Instead of modifying existing traditional shoes, the Zero Drop™ Altra was a brand of its own. 

At the Runner's World presentation, Golden went on to explain the reasoning behind the Zero Drop™ shoe platform, as well as Altra's "Footshape™ Toe-box" (a toe box that is shaped like a foot, rather than the traditional tapered box). In listening to his explanations and research, the whole idea made so much sense to me! Altra's shoes allow your feet to be as natural as possible, but they still give you the cushion of a traditional running shoe. 

The first pair I tried was the One2, and it was definitely not the right shoe for me. It was comfortable for a couple of miles, but I couldn't see myself running long distances in them. It wasn't until I met Golden, and asked his opinion, that I learned I should have been in something much more cushioned, like the Paradigm. He allowed me to swap them out, and what a difference! The first few runs with the Paradigms weren't mind-blowing; but the more I ran in them, the more I liked them. And eventually, I was talking to all my friends and family about these shoes. I even bought a pair of Altras for each of my kids, and Jerry bought a pair as well. 

My younger brother, Nathan, was a self-proclaimed heel striker. He'd tried so hard to stop heel-striking, but was never able to do it. When he got a pair of Paradigms and took them out for a run, he sent me a text saying: "These shoes are the new loves of my life!" He said it was nearly impossible to heel-strike while wearing them. 

I could go on and on, but I've already made this intro way too long. I am really excited to share Golden's Q&A with you. He explains the science and reasoning behind the shoes.

Q. I've never been a "shoe person", and I really don't understand all the mumbo jumbo that shoe companies use to sell their shoes. Shoes all seem the same to me, aside from a few of the extremes! What makes Altra shoes unique?

A. Altra shoes are very unique in a couple of ways. First off, 99% of shoes have elevated heels and tapered toe boxes, both of which are known to cause foot maladies and other injuries. On the other hand, every Altra shoe features a Footshape™ Toe-box  and a cushioned Zero Drop™ platform. The Footshape™ Toe-box was designed by tracing the shape of healthy runners' feet in socks, and it combines with the Zero Drop™ platform to let an athlete be in his or her natural, healthy, state…feet flat with toes relaxed and spread out. These things let a person’s body be in the position they are born in and helps encourage efficient, low impact running technique and healthy feet. 

Q. Are Altra shoes just for runners? Or can walkers use them also?

A. Altras are great for walkers. In fact, many in the race walking community love and race in our shoes! Any shoe we make works well as a walking shoe, but we do make a couple of walking-specific shoes in the Instinct Everyday and a new supportive shoe called the Paradigm Walk (which releases in a few weeks). Since most people find that the longer they are wearing a shoe, the more of a difference keeping your foot in its natural position makes, wearing Altras is almost more obviously beneficial at first when they’re worn for casual wear.

Q. What is the problem with "traditional" running shoes?

A. Well, there are a few problems with traditional running shoes: First, they were designed with an elevated heel to let people comfortably over-stride to improve performance---something that has now been proven not to work. Unfortunately, there was no thought of injury ramifications when these were designed and these heavy, elevated heels actually encourage a runner to run inefficiently and with more impact.

Second, the first and most popular running shoes were designed specifically for a particular athlete with a very long second toe, and are therefore tapered, or pointy, in nature. The tapered toe box does not match the shape of the foot and therefore inhibits natural impact absorption, stability, and push off. Many also believe the tapered toe box to be responsible for a majority of foot problems from Bunions and Neuromas, to Metatarsalgia and Plantar Fasciosis.

Third, modern running shoes are “prescribed” based on a Pronation paradigm that has zero scientific backing. In fact, about half of runners are sold a shoe to “stabilize” their pronation, even though there is next to no scientific research linking pronation with injuries or problems of any kind. Additionally, there is no way to quantify how much pronation is too much and a decade of data by the Running Injury Clinic in Canada shows that 87% of people should not be using a “Stability” shoe. Stability shoes also push up more in the arch and don’t break down there, weakening the feet over time and causing a dependency cycle, essentially keeping them addicted to the shoe.  

Q. If someone is used to a traditional shoe, and has not experienced injury or any other problems with it, is there a reason to switch to Altras?

There are lots of reasons! With that said, I’m a big advocate of “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it!” I originally created this kind of shoe to help the hopeless, broken runner. However, if you have no problems with your current shoes, but want to experience the freedom of the Footshape™ Toe-box or the efficiency of a Zero Drop™ platform, then I recommend just slowly phasing them in to your routine and rotate them with your other shoes for as long as you would like. Rotating different types of shoes is done by most elites and is a good way to help prevent injury.

As for the reasons, here are a few:
-Keeping your foot in its natural position is crazy comfortable, and your feet will get stronger over time!
-The longer you’re out running, the more your feet will appreciate not being moved out of their natural position (this is why Altras are one of the top 2 brands seen at 100-mile races). 

-If you want to improve your running form, Altras are kind of like a cheater way to improve! (In addition to the Zero Drop™ midsoles, the shoes are weight balanced front to back as well.)
-If you have a healthy shaped foot (like a paddle), and your feet always feel a bit claustrophobic or ache a bit when you take your shoes off, you’ll likely enjoy them.
-If your feet have been tapered from hand-me-down shoes as a child, or from years of wearing tapered toe box shoes, then you can start to reverse the effects before your tapered feet cause major problems at an older age.
-They’re the only cushioned athletic shoes that fit with Correct Toes™, which many people use to help bunions, neuromas, Plantar Fasciitis, etc.
-Many people have found relief in their lower back, hips, or knees, which have been hurt due to alignment issues from wearing elevated heels.  

Q. If someone who has been using traditional running shoes is interested in trying Altras, how should they decide which model is best?

A. The best way is probably for them to call our customer support line and let them know all about their feet, injury history, and running shoes they have had success with. Additionally, I will try and answer any comments here with answers as well.

Q. Are there any instances/feet that the Zero Drop™is NOT good for? (For example, someone with high arches or flat feet?)

A. Not really. People are born Zero Drop! We have been brainwashed to believe that high arches and flat feet are bad things when, in actuality, they are usually just an excuse for someone to make a lot of money off of an expensive orthotic, etc. Most problems are actually due to weak feet, regardless of arches, etc. In fact, most world-record setting distance runners have strong but FLAT feet! As long as the shoes are phased in properly, there are very few people they won’t work for. As an example though, someone with a lower calf or Achilles injuries should phase the shoes in VERY slowly to allow that area to slowly lengthen, strengthen, and heal over time. Often the long-term solution can also be a short-term irritant if done too much.

Q. What is the best way to transition into the Zero Drop™ shoes for someone who is used to traditional running shoes?

A. It generally depends on the level of cushioning. I give the same advice as I always did when selling someone any new shoe at my running store: rotate them off and on with your old shoes for the first few weeks. Start with easy runs week 1, then do moderate runs week 2, and finally add harder or longer runs week 3, as long as everything is feeling good. Our research shows that transition time is more related to the amount of cushioning in a shoe than the amount of drop from heel to forefoot.  For example, a shoe with a very thin forefoot and a large 15mm drop would still have a very long transition time---likely months.  However, a very cushioned shoe Zero Drop™ shoe like the Altra Paradigm™ has very little transition time for most people---a couple days to a couple of weeks typically. (Here is specific transition advice from the Altra website)

Q. Based on your experience with customers, what kind of improvements can runners expect to see when switching to Altras? (Better form? Less injuries?)

A. People will likely see better form right out of the gate. When we video people, it’s usually pretty dramatic within about 4 minutes of running.  With that said, I definitely recommend people check out www.AltraRunBetter.com to learn how to run better, regardless of what shoes they choose to wear. 

I sure hope people continue to have less injuries or I have totally failed in my whole reason for creating these shoes!  I get emails, Facebook posts, texts, etc., every day telling me about how Altra shoes and the Altra philosophy have helped people get rid of injuries that have plagued them.  There is nothing more gratifying than hearing this! A quick check of our shoe reviews on our website or our Facebook page usually reveals some awesome stories. 



Golden graduated with a degree in Exercise Science and did his collegiate studies on running technique and running injuries. He grew up working in his family’s running store, was an All-American Cross-Country runner, and holds a world-best for a 12-year old in the marathon at 2:45:34.

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Thank you, Golden! Katie here again :) When Golden told us bloggers to phase the shoes into our rotation slowly, I assumed it was just to avoid being sore for a couple of days; but it's important to do it slowly to avoid injury, as well. From what I understand from Golden, your feet need a little time to strengthen and get used to running in a natural position after wearing traditional shoes (and being reliant on them for support) for so long. My calves felt a little sore after the first run or two with the Altras, but not bad at all. Golden warned us to expect that.

Also, Golden highly recommends reading about Altra's healthy running philosophy (regardless of what type of shoes you wear). I found the information incredibly useful, and was especially interested in the "Repetitive stress and muscle imbalances". I am going to start finding some uneven terrain to train on in order to strengthen my feet and avoid future injuries. I've also started rotating my shoes: Altra Paradigm, Altra Torin, and Brooks Adrenaline. Rotating shoes is almost like "cross-training" for your feet, because you're using different muscles in different ways each time you run. I'd never thought of it that way before.

My Altra Torins--finally, shoes with cool colors for my feet! ;)

If you're like to try out Altra shoes for yourself, here's a great opportunity: Golden very generously offered to give away a pair of Altra shoes to a lucky Runs for Cookies reader! I'll do a random drawing, and the winner (U.S. only--sorry International friends!) will receive a pair of Altra shoes of his/her choice.

To enter the giveaway, just fill out the form below. I'll close entries and choose a winner on Friday, January 10th, 2015 at 10:00 AM EST. (I'll email the winner, who will have 48 hours to get back to me--otherwise I'll choose someone else). One entry per person, please. Good luck!

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