Return to Running Recap : Week 42

Like last week, I only ran three times this week instead of four. My knee--the opposite knee from last time-- was bothering me out of nowhere. Nothing terrible, but definitely noticeable. I was supposed to do speed intervals, but I decided not to take a chance of running through the knee pain. After two days off, it was back to normal. Thankfully, the plan I wrote is accommodating to only doing three runs per week.

I had a great couple of outdoor runs this week! Here goes...

FRIDAY (Run 3 miles easy)

This was the earliest run I've had in a long time! I've had quite a bit more energy lately and it felt so good to get the run done early. I wanted to try to run a little faster than last time, so I set the treadmill for 5.3 mph and just ran at that speed until the last half mile or so. Then I just kept bumping up the speed, finishing at 6.0.

Summary: 3 miles in 33:24 (11:08/mi average pace). Average heart rate: 152 bpm.

MONDAY (Long run - 4 miles)

I was in a very bad mood Monday thanks to Daylight Saving Time (I used to say "daylight savings" but then a reader commented that it's "Daylight Saving Time" and not "daylight savings". Now when I think of Daylight Saving Time, I remember that. It sounds so weird not to add the s onto saving.)

Anyway...

I was in such a bad mood that I ended up putting off my long run to Sunday. And I'm so glad I did! The weather was PERFECT for a run outside. Since it was my long run for the week, I was happy to be able to do it outside.

I set my Garmin but covered it with my shirt sleeve so that I wouldn't see my pace. I was truly curious what my pace would be without seeing any sort of feedback and just running by feel. The first mile felt kind of hard and I was sure I was probably running a 12:00-ish pace. After that, though, I got into the rhythm of the run and listened to my podcast. I ran a route I used to run all the time for four milers, and it felt kind of nostalgic. 

I felt like it was too easy during the second mile and I picked up the pace a bit to see when it felt hard. But I felt pretty comfortable the whole time--a moderate effort level.

I was shocked, then, after I'd reached four miles and stopped my Garmin to see that my overall average pace was 10:46! I had no idea. Even better, though, I felt really good. It was encouraging to see that I've made fitness progress.

Summary: 4 miles in 43:05 (a 10:46/mi average pace). Mile splits: 11:33, 10:45, 10:38. Average heart rate was 151 bpm.

THURSDAY (Run 3 miles easy)

Today, I woke up to another perfect morning for a run. I know Joey has been missing Eli, so I decided to take Joey with me. As soon asked I asked him, he started jumping around like crazy, slipping and sliding all over the floor, haha. He hasn't run with me in a while so I hoped he'd be good on the leash. As he's gotten older, he's been so much easier to walk on a leash.

Well, he was way too excited and was trying to run about 10 times faster than I was able. I had to hold him back from pulling, which is tiring and not easy to do while you're running. I was worried he'd make me twist my knee or something. After half a mile or so, he calmed down quite a bit. Whenever we saw a dog he got tunnel vision and either yanked me in that direction or came to an immediate dead-stop, nearly causing me to biff it right into the concrete.

So, this run definitely wasn't a smooth as the previous. It felt harder than it should have, due to Joey's excitement, but it still felt good to get outside and run. This time, I was trying to push the pace a little since I missed Tuesday's speed work. Nothing too hard, but more of a tempo feel.

Summary: 3 miles in 31:53 (10:37/mi average pace). Mile splits: 11:08, 10:38, 10:05. Average heart rate: 154 bpm.

Overall, I'm really happy with my running this week. Even thought I had to miss one, it was fun seeing the improvement of my outdoor runs. My heart rate on my long run surprised me--it was lower while running a faster pace outdoors than it was a slower pace on the treadmill a couple of days prior. I'm going to plan on doing at least my long runs outside every week. It felt nostalgic and I miss my old routes!

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Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 42

I was not expecting to have a good weigh-in this week. I had high hopes after last week's small gain, considering my pattern has been lose, lose, gain for weeks (months?) now. I weigh myself almost every morning and this week, the scale hasn't budged.

This morning, I saw a number that I've seen several times over the past few weeks:

I was at 147.8. This is a loss from last week, but not much. I was 148.6 last week, which was a gain from the previous week's 148.0. That's what's frustrating; I'm only down 0.2 in two weeks. I was looking at my previous weigh-ins and I saw that I first hit 147.8 on February 24, so my weight hasn't significantly moved in about three weeks.

I know I should just be happy I'm not gaining weight, but I'd really like to see some better progress on the scale! I did look at the bigger picture, though, too--I'm down about four pounds from a month ago, and considering I'm nearing my goal weight, that's not bad.

I used to work at Curves and the women would always talk about how hard it is to lose weight after you 1) turn 40 years old or 2) go through menopause. Well, I just turned 40 in January, so I guess I'll see how that goes ;)

I'm going to try a small change this week to see if I can get the scale moving again. I've been averaging about 1600 calories a day up to this point. When I had big success in the past with calorie counting, I had always had a "high calorie day" each week. This is not to be confused with a "cheat day"; since I don't have food rules to obey, it's not cheating to eat more calories than usual. I planned on it in advance and it wasn't a binge-fest; I just ate higher calorie foods that day (usually a total of about 2,000-2,500).

I haven't been doing high-calorie days this time around. There isn't a real reason for that; I just wasn't really thinking about it. Since the scale has slowed significantly down, I think I'm going to try eating slightly less six days a week and then have a high-calorie day once a week. Since I've been averaging about 1600 calories a day, I'll try reducing it to about 1500; and once a week, I'll choose foods that are more caloric (still vegan, though).

I have no idea if it will help, but it'll be interesting to see if it does! Next week I'll write about how it goes.

Here is the random fact of the day. This is actually yesterday's, but it was morning interesting than today's:

Can you even imagine?! (Here is an article about it if you're interested.) Before my skin removal surgery, I was terrified of anesthesia and the anesthesiologist asked me the two things that scared me the most. I said "not waking up"; he smiled and said, "what else?" and I told him, "waking up during surgery". He said every person tells him the same two answers.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened to me. A friend of mine, however, woke up while having her wisdom teeth removed and she remembers it very well. I was fascinated and horrified hearing her talk about it. I love that Iga Jasica simply asked, "How's it going?" when she woke up during brain surgery--haha!

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Transformation Tuesday #63

Happy Transformation Tuesday! Last week, I said I hoped to have before and after pictures of Noah's bedroom to share today (paint, shelves, posters) but I have yet to even step foot in there. The days have gone by so fast! The kids will be home Thursday, so if I paint, it'll have to be tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until after he's home.

But I do have a couple of readers' transformations to share! Here goes... 

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This is a big one (for me anyway!). I'm now in my third year of working from home. Year one was at a table in the living room. Year two, I purchased a standup desk, brought home my large monitor, and stole space in our unused dining room. Now we're into year three--I'm permanently remote, and my husband is working at home two days a week as well. 

The room was fine for a dining room, but a bit blah for an office. I wanted something a bit cheerier and more energetic, without being too distracting and my husband needed a better workspace. New paint, art, furniture, curtains (which I made) has turned it into a place we both really like! It took from Sunday to Sunday, so a bit of work but we managed to get it done without too much down time.

Deb

Deb, it looks amazing! The wall color is perfect--bright enough to be cheerful, but not overwhelming. The new desk looks beautiful with lots of space. You did such a nice job with the curtains, too! - Katie

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I have numerous things in my life that need ‘transforming’… one of which is my cram packed basement full of junk/memorabilia that I just keep chipping away out here and there. I’ve been thinking I’d get that done and submit it to for a Tuesday post, but here we are 8 months later and it’s still not even close to done.

So, I chose a quick 5-minute easy transformation… the glove box in my car. It’s totally no big deal, but it did feel good to take care of it, especially since it’s something I’ve been putting off. It’s just full of stuff I didn’t want to take care of. I even found DVDs of when I got married in 2015, a marriage I have since been divorced from… in MY GLOVE BOX… why? I ride with other people sometimes and their cars are so clean and tidy, it seriously makes me question my life choices.

Next step is to finally donate all the stuff that’s been riding around in my truck for the last 6 weeks!

Elaina, from KY

Elaina, what a perfect idea for a five-minute transformation! I don't think your glovebox looked overstuffed--mine is definitely worse than that--but it must feel so nice to have it organized and to have gotten rid of the stuff that's been in there for so long. You've inspired me to clean out my glovebox tomorrow!  - Katie

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Thank you so much for sharing your transformations! They look great. If any of you have a transformation to share, please send a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Be sure to include your name and a description of your transformation! Inspire us to transform something this spring ;)

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Thrift Store Finds

I'm in a much better mood than I was yesterday. I was definitely NOT pleasant to be around--poor Jerry. I just felt like my whole day was thrown off by Daylight Saving Time (which is dumb, because it's only an hour difference). The snow was a bummer, too.

Spring is so weird in Michigan. Yesterday, we had snow and 29 mph winds; today it's 62 and sunny with barely a breeze! I actually skipped my long run yesterday because I was in such a bad mood, but I made up for it today and ran outside. I'm actually really glad I waited because the weather is gorgeous.

When I was getting dressed for my run this morning, I noticed that I don't have any small running capris (I don't wear shorts, but I wear capris when it's warm). I have about five pairs but they are all too big since I've lost weight and I have to keep pulling them up when I run.

I rarely buy brand new clothes; the only time I do, I buy them when they are marked way down. Instead, I love thrift stores! I asked Jerry if he was up for thrift store shopping and he said heck yes; he loves it, too. So, we went to a couple of stores to see if we could find any treasures.

We didn't go to the Monroe Salvation Army that I always used to go to because they jacked up their prices to stupid high; they mark up the name brand jeans to $15-20 a pair! Not even designer jeans--just brands like American Eagle. (For reference, the Goodwill down the road marks all their jeans for less than $5.)

We first went to a thrift store we'd never been to, and unfortunately, it was kind of a flop. Their prices weren't bad but their selection of stuff was limited. I did find one hidden gem, though, and if you know me, I just HAD to buy it:

Jerry was totally jealous that it was a small and not a large. (The shirt is a Friends reference, if you don't know.) 

They didn't have any workout capris, which was odd; I usually see them at all the thrift stores. We went to a Salvation Army after that (not the one Monroe one). Their prices were better--not as good as Goodwill, but better.

I bought a couple of things for Luke and Riley, too. One day I was reading a book about the human body to Luke (it was a kids' book). He was really interested in it and I told him about when I broke my jaw. He asked me so many questions. I found this kit for making your own skeleton model and then painting it with glow in the dark paint. It looked like a fun thing we could work on together (because I love anatomy too!).

I bought two things for Riley. One was a Mrs. Potato Head set (above), which I think she'll like (Luke probably will, too). The other is a fleece mermaid sleeping bag that someone had made and then donated. It's in great shape and I think it would be fun for her to use when she comes over to spend the night.

Right now, the cats are loving it, of course! (Chick and Duck were playing in there)

When I got home, I dumped everything on my bed to go through it; not even two minutes later, Estelle and Chick were on top of it. It never fails!

And speaking of the cats, I found a cheap little pop-up-cat-play-tent-thingy. It was only a couple of dollars and even if it only lasted an afternoon, I thought the kittens would have fun with it. Interestingly, Estelle ran over to it and dove in, sliding it across the floor. She was having a blast! The kittens were watching her, clearly wanting to go check it out, but Estelle was having the time her of life.

The fitting rooms are closed in most stores because of COVID, so I was hesitant to buy clothes. I didn't have luck with workout clothes, but I bought a few pairs of jeans that I hoped would fit. When I got home and tried them on, they were too big! Remember when I wrote a post about what it's like to try on clothes after gaining 30 pounds? It was basically the opposite of that. (There was one pair that fit, which is in the photo with the Friends shirt.

I'm going to try to alter a pair that I really love; they are pretty big in the waist, so I'll try to take the waist in (I've done it once before and it worked really well, but it was hard and time-consuming to do).

I did happen to find a like-new Cuddl Duds Thermawear top. I *love* Cuddl Duds--Becky gave me a pair of their Softwear leggings that became too small on me so (reluctantly) I got rid of them. I liked to wear them to sleep in during the summer because they are super lightweight and I really don't like having bare legs--they feel sticky in the summer).

I had a store credit for Kohl's last week and I was there to return stuff for Amazon, so I looked at their clearance stuff. They had a pair of Cuddl Duds leggings for $17, which is half-off the website price. I bought them with my store credit because even at $17, it was a good deal. Anyway, the top I bought is on the Cuddl Duds site for $38, and I bought it for $3. I was pretty excited about that!

Today most definitely wasn't the greatest day for thrift finds, but you never know what you're going to get at thrift stores. I probably would have bought a few more things but without being able to try on clothes, I decided not to. I think my favorite find today was actually the Friends hoodie. Well, maybe the Cuddl Duds top.

Jerry and I have been having so much fun feeling totally carefree. The kids certainly aren't a burden, but there is a lot to remember and do when they are here: Noah's crazy school/work schedule, Eli's school, baseball practices, and lifting weights at the rec center (he doesn't have his license yet, so we have to drive him somewhere at least twice a day), nagging the kids to do their laundry or wash their dishes, etc.

I know the kids are having a blast with my parents in Hilton Head, so we are making the best of our "staycation". I'd like to plan a date night for us to do on Wednesday, but I'm not sure what we'll do yet. The next few days are either going to be really long or really short! Haha.

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Daylight Saving Time

Even though we only had to "spring forward" one hour today, the day went by SO FAST. I've been doing my runs and writing my blog posts in the morning lately, but it's already evening and I haven't done either one. I hate to make this a "non-post" but I can't, for the life of me, think of something to write today.

My kids are on vacation and Jerry is off work all week, so we have the place to ourselves--a "staycation". It feels so weird! It's snowing with 29 mph winds, so it kind of ruined our plans to do some stuff outdoors. I do need to work on painting Noah's bedroom, but this day went by so fast and I just wasn't ready. Daylight Saving Time really messes me up in the spring; I have no problem with the time change in the fall but losing an hour takes weeks to get used to.

Anyway, Jerry and I are going to play a board game, so I'm just going to call it a night and revisit tomorrow. Here is today's random fact of the day...

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Vegan Recipe Review: Brownies!

Over the past several weeks, I've been eating a vegan diet and I have loved trying out new recipes! Most of the time, I make old recipes (ones that I've made for years) and I just swap out a couple of things to make it vegan. I do like to try new recipes, though, and this series is the perfect opportunity to do so.

I haven't been craving sweets--at all--since I started eating a ton of fiber. Today, though, I chose to make vegan brownies. I haven't tried vegan baking yet and I was curious how they would turn out. Whenever I hear things like "vegan brownies" or "gluten-free cake" or "healthy cookies" I pretty much write it off--if I'm going to eat dessert, I want it to be GOOD--and I have always found that the "healthy" stuff just doesn't taste as good as the high-sugar high-fat stuff.

So when I see Pinterest links to all these vegan desserts, I naturally think they can't possibly be anywhere near as good as the traditional desserts. (Black bean brownies? They just aren't the same!) When I saw the picture of these vegan brownies, I couldn't resist making them to see if they really are the "Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies". You can find the recipe on Eat With Clarity. (I'll link to it again at the bottom of this post)

I'm going to spoil the ending on these brownies: HOLY COW. They are SO good!! I don't mean that they are "good for a vegan brownie"; I mean that they may be the best brownies I've ever eaten. They are SO moist and chocolatey and rich. I wish I could say that they are healthy, but they definitely are not. They are still high-sugar high-fat.

Vegan or not, if you like brownies, you've GOT to try these! There aren't any weird ingredients; the only "veganized" part of them is that the chocolate chips are vegan (I use the Enjoy Life brand) and instead of an egg, you use 2 Tbsp. flaxseed + 5 Tbsp. water (OR you could use applesauce instead of the flaxseed). I was curious to see how these would hold together without an egg and lo and behold, it worked. If I didn't make these myself, I'd have no idea that they were vegan.

(Note: If you prefer cake-like brownies rather than the dense fudgy ones, you may not like this recipe. These are exactly the way I like them--dense, rich, and moist. And very chocolatey.)

The unique part of this recipe is that you combine the sugar and water over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, and then you add it to the rest of the ingredients that way. I never would have guessed that dissolving the sugar first would make a difference, but then again, I know nothing about baking. The recipe developer from Eat With Clarity wrote that the sugar + water combination is what gives the top a shiny crust but leaves a fudgy center.

I followed the directions exactly as written and they turned out perfectly. These will be my go-to dessert when I need to bring something to a get-together.

The "flax egg" definitely doesn't look very good, but once it's mixed in, you'd never know.

Dry ingredients:

After adding the rest of the ingredients:

I was surprised that I had an 8x8 pan; I thought mine was 9x9. The recipe specifically mentions that an 8x8 pan is best. I don't like lining things with parchment paper because I can't get the paper to lie in there nicely and the edges always look weird when taking it out. But I did it anyway.

It was awkward and not at all fun taking it out. Next time, I'll probably ditch the parchment paper.

Once I poured the batter into the pan, of course I had to taste what was left in the bowl. I was instantly in love. I had Jerry and the kids taste it, too, and they agreed. I had to take the kids to the airport before the brownies were done cooling, unfortunately, so I'll make them again after they are home and they can taste them. But Jerry and I agreed that they may be the best brownies we've ever had. I can say with certainty that they are the best *vegan* brownies I've ever had ;)

If you have a brownie craving, I highly recommend these! Vegan or not--they are SO good.

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Friday Night Photos

Yay for Friday! I was really hoping to have good weather this weekend so I could try to do something with our landscaping, but it's snowing right now. I do plan to work on Noah's bedroom sometime in the next week, though--he's going to Hilton Head so I am going to paint his room while he's gone. He's been wanting to paint it and hang shelves and anime posters. Definitely more his style than the blue walls he has now.

I debated whether or not to even post a Friday Night Photos this week because all I have on my camera roll (that I haven't already posted) are selfies and cat pictures! So if you don't want to see selfies or cat photos, just skip this post ;)

I know I'm always posting pictures of Duck and his paper balls that he plays fetch with. I collected so many last week from under the furniture that I got out a bowl to put on the coffee table where we can put them when he's not playing with them. 

Whenever Duck is awake, he requires entertainment of some sort. He was up on the coffee table playing with the paper balls in the bowl so I put the bowl on his toy on the floor (the cats get so curious when something is moved to a different place, and that alone is entertainment for them). Duck took every single ball out of the bowl, haha. 

Speaking of entertaining cats, I bought this treat puzzle/activity center for the cats (mainly for Chick and Duck). You sprinkle treats around and the cats have to use their paws to slide the treat to the floor to be able to eat it. They love it! The little fishbowl cups are hard for them, but I think that's good--I didn't want it to be too easy. Even though Duck is extremely food-motivated, Chick is the one who patiently works on getting the treats out of the bowls. Duck gives up too easily.

Sometimes Chick gets SUPER cuddly. He climbs up on my lap and sprawls out, then nudges my hand to keep petting him. I was trying to type my blog post yesterday and I couldn't even type a full word without him poking my hand with his nose. I love when he's cuddly like this! I just feel bad moving him; I rarely sit down for a long time. It's funny how cats call the shots--you can only pet them or hold them when they ALLOW you to; and when they want to lie on your lap, you stay there as long as possible so you don't disturb them. My cats own me!

Duck climbed up there with me, too. I absolutely LOVE when cats sleep with their heads turned upside-down.

I have about 30 pictures of Duck jumping in the air to catch one of his balls--so I just put some of them into this collage. Instead of playing fetch lately, he likes to jump up and catch the ball in the air. Then he waits for another. He's good at it! I'm amazed at how high he can jump.

I bought this shirt from Goodwill a few years ago before a trip to Oregon. When I saw it, it just seemed appropriate and it was only 90 cents. However, it was waaaay too small. I could barely pull it down over my chest. I tried it on today and was excited to see that it fits! It has very short sleeves (one thing that I don't like about women's clothing) so I put a cardigan over it. Jerry and I have been thinking of planning a vacation with the kids toward the end of summer--going to the Pacific Northwest and driving the coast. I haven't been out there in so long! I would love for my kids to see how pretty it is. 

While I was trying to take the picture, Duck desperately wanted my attention. And this is his new way of doing it--he reaches his paws up my leg and stretches his back before pulling on my pants. It's like a toddler who tugs on your leg when they want your attention.

Remember when I posted back in November about the hoodies on sale at Kohl's? I think I got them for $8? Maybe $12? They were super cheap for Black Friday. I've always loved the Tek Gear hoodies, so I bought some. After buying them in size medium, I tried them on and decided to exchange them for size small (these are men's sizes--I'm definitely not a small in women's!). Whenever I checked at Kohl's, though, they were out of stock. They told me I have six months to exchange or return them, so they've been sitting in my car for months. Yesterday, I was finally able to exchange them--I love wearing hoodies and these ones are my favorites for sure.

Also, I'm back to wearing jeans again! Hahaha. This is notable only because once the pandemic started, I was either wearing "work clothes" (paint-splattered, wood glue and caulk-covered, holes here-and-there clothes) to work in the garage; and when I wasn't in the garage, I was wearing stretchy black pants. Now that several of my old pairs of jeans fit me again, I have been wearing jeans. For some reason, I feel better about myself in jeans. 

I saw this and it made me so nostalgic...

Finally, here is the random fact of the day (and it's *really* random):

Have a great weekend! xo

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Return to Running Recap : Week 41

This has been quite the week as far as running goes. I almost thought that I wasn't going to be able to continue my training! Last Thursday after my run, I was putting clothes away and I knelt down on the floor in my closet for a minute. When I stood up, I didn't hear the usual crackling noises from my knee (it gives me the heebie jeebies every time I hear it); instead, I heard a loud pop. It was followed by terrible pain in my knee all day. I couldn't straighten my leg and when I walked, it felt like something was popping.

I iced it, took ibuprofen, and rested--I skipped Friday's run so that I could rest my knee Friday and Saturday and see if it was better to run on Sunday. When I woke up Saturday, it was still really painful and I looked up some stretches I could do to hopefully help it.

And here is the sure-tell of how old I am--while I was doing the stretches for my knee, I threw out my back! It would have been hilarious if I wasn't in so much pain. It had never happened to me before. "Throwing out" one's back just means the muscles in the lower back have been strained. It sounds so simple, but holy cow, it is SO painful and debilitating. I couldn't bend over at all on Saturday. 

I was absolutely sure that I wasn't going to be able to run at all, and I was really disappointed because I've been working on getting back to running for 41 weeks now. I had no choice but to rest all day Saturday--I couldn't move!--and I hoped the pain would be better on Sunday. The back pain made me forget about my knee, though! 😂

On Sunday, my back was still very stiff and painful, but nothing like it had been on Saturday. As long as I didn't twist at the waist or bend over, it felt okay. My knee felt back to normal, thankfully, so I decided to try to run. I had a great outdoor run last Thursday, but I went back to the treadmill on Sunday just in case I had to stop.

This is already long enough, but I'll post a quick summary of the three runs that I did this week...

Sunday (Long Run - Run 3.5 miles)

My Sunday run is starting to increase to distances I haven't run in a long time. I was a little nervous about this run because of my knee and my back, but I figured I would stop if it started feeling bad. Instead of doing the usual 5.0 mph, I ran three miles at 5.2 mph and then the last half-mile I increased to 5.5 mph. I just wanted to get it done! Thankfully, I had no issues with my back or knee during the run. Bending over to take off my running tights is another story, haha.

Summary: 3.5 miles in 39:45 (average pace of 11:22/mi). Average heart rate: 152 bpm.

Tuesday (Tempo Run)

This tempo run was 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes at tempo pace (slightly hard), and 10 minutes easy. I wasn't sure what speed to run for the tempo portion; last time, I ran at 5.5 mph. That felt like it wouldn't be hard enough to make any progress, so I decided to run at 5.0 for the easy portions and 6.0 for the tempo. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do 6.0 for 10 minutes, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and I could always lower the speed if needed.

I was pretty proud of myself that I actually did it! A mile in 10 minutes. I can't remember the last time I did that. 

Summary: 2.69 miles in 30 minutes (average pace of 11:09/mi). Average heart rate: 154 bpm.

Thursday (Easy Run - Run 2.5 miles)

This was today's run. I was feeling really good this morning. My back still hurts to bend over, but it's much better than it was earlier in the week. I had a busy day today so I wanted to get this done quickly. I haven't been following my (usually strict) rule of keeping my easy runs at a low heart rate. I just don't want to overthink this training--I want to enjoy following a schedule that leads to a race at the end, leaving out thinking about my heart rate. I will get back to heart rate training after the race, but for now, I just want to run without overthinking.

So, I decided to run at 5.5 mph on the treadmill to shave a little time off the total. After a few minutes, though, I slowed it to 5.2 so it would feel more comfortable. I felt strong--really good. For the last quarter mile, I bumped the speed back up to 5.5. 

Summary: 2.5 miles in 28:23 (average pace of 11:21). Average heart rate: 147 bpm.

I'm actually pretty surprised that my heart rate on Thursday was as low as it was, considering Sunday's run was the same average pace and my heart rate was 152. I felt calmer today, which definitely helped.

Overall, it was a rocky start to the week, but the rest went smoothly. It's hard to believe I'm a little over halfway done with the training plan for the race! I haven't done a race in SO long; I'm really looking forward to it. The relay is the perfect race to get back into the game.

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Wednesday Weigh-In : Week 41

As uneventful as this week was, it sure did fly by. The snow melted and I'm so excited for it to be spring; but we ALWAYS have an unexpected March snowstorm, so I'm not getting my hopes up. This is going to be a quick post, because I'm not sure what to write about other than my actual weigh-in. 

Last week, my weight was down just a little. I'd expected that because I'd had a large loss the week before. As I've mentioned before, somehow my weight has started this pattern each week:

Lose, lose, gain... lose, lose, gain... lose, lose, gain...

And after two losses in a row, I was super motivated to break the two-steps-forward-one-step-back pattern. There were two days in a row--I think Thursday and Friday?--that I was ravenous for some reason and I ate much more than usual. The food I ate was healthy, but the calories add up for sure. For the rest of the week, though, I ate around 1600 calories each day.

I hoped it would be good enough for my weigh-in today. When I got on the scale this morning:

I was at 148.6. Last week, I was at 148.0, so I gained a little--not much, but it was enough to continue the "lose, lose, gain" cycle. I'm not worried about it because I ate healthy food and I didn't binge; I feel good about how I ate. That brings the total to 49 pounds lost in 41 weeks.

I can't really think of anything I'd like to change this week; usually I like to have some sort of goal in mind (like drinking more water). I've actually been doing pretty good with water lately. So I will keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens. Hopefully, the gain on the scale this week means I'll have a decent loss next week!

Here is the random fact of the day (or every few days, I guess, since I always forget to post it!):

I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it circles the earth every 90 minutes--I can't even picture what that would look or feel like. Just the thought of it gives me vertigo! I was curious though, so I actually looked it up (I was more interested in the speed than the expense). It travels at 4.76 miles per SECOND and has a maximum speed of about 17,150 miles per hour. That is no less than terrifying to me!

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Transformation Tuesday #62

Happy Transformation Tuesday! It's been a pretty uneventful week and I haven't transformed anything. I hope to have a big one for next week, though. My kids are going to Hilton Head for six days, and Jerry has the week off--so my plan is to paint Noah's bedroom and finish the shelves I've been struggling with. They're so simple! But of course I overthink everything and I'm trying to figure out the perfect joints and how I should hang them and stuff like that. I have the pieces all cut to size and I'm determined to get them done before he gets home.

Anyway, I have a couple of fun transformations from readers to share. Here goes...

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I feel like this plant is my “spirit animal.” It just keeps on keeping on, living and enjoying life, until there is physical evidence that it’s not been taken care of. Self care is so vital to my soul. Like this plant, I need water and rejuvenation at times. Whether that be binge-watching a show, going for a run or walk, reading a book, baking, or spending time with a friend. Then I am revived and renewed, same as this little guy.

- Emily, Michigan

Emily, I love that you brought this plant back to life! (I am the worst at keeping any sort of plant alive, so seeing something like this is kind of awesome.) I like how you used it as a metaphor as well--take care <3  - Katie

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I was going thru photos and came across a very quick before/after, done nearly 15 years ago. I couldn't find my photo of the exact "before"-- but the chair that's pictured is pretty close, although the one I picked up at the local thrift store had very faded and torn red vinyl. Near as I can tell the chair is from the 1930s or 1940s--I believe it was for a barber shop/hair salon (seat angles back a bit and is very bouncy).

Re-upholstering this piece myself was beyond my skill set, so I found someone local, and while the price was fair, I soon found that upholstery fabric is horrendously expensive and would have blown my budget. Then I remembered I had an unused $5 Ikea pillow case that was made from sturdy cotton (almost a thin canvas). I purchased a very small amount of basic black canvas to complement the busy pattern, and because I figured dirt would be more easily hidden!

When I got the chair back, I was happy--after it was completed I treated the fabric with Scotch Guard so that any accidents would be easier to clean. (It worked, by the way--the fabric is still pristine.)

Anyway: I know some people like restorations to be more in-keeping with the original style, but I still enjoy the wacky pattern.

PS. If I could have afforded it, I might have preferred good quality mohair--prices for even one yard of that stuff is hair-curlingly expensive.

- Michelle

Michelle, I LOVE the new look! And I can't believe that it's 15 years old--it looks brand new. You are so creative to use your pillow fabric for the chair. I love the pattern!  - Katie

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Thank you so much for sharing! As always, I am forever asking for more transformation photos to share on Tuesdays, so if you have a transformation with a before and after photo, please email them to me! Send a before photo and an after photo to me at: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. Don't forget to include your name and a description of the transformation!

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