Ten torturous miles

A lot of people say that running on a treadmill is about as mentally tough as you can get. Today's outdoor run, however, pushed my mental strength to the max.

I had 10 miles on the schedule for my long run. Since the kids stayed the night at my parents' house and went to church with them this morning, and the ice was nearly gone outside, of course I wanted to do my run outside! While I was getting dressed, I asked Jerry to check the temperature for me, so I would know how warm to dress. He said it was 18 degrees.

The 18-degree temp is a bit tricky--not cold enough to wear my warmest winter gear, but not warm enough to skimp, either. I ended up wearing my Cold Gear tights, Cold Gear long-sleeved top, a light jacket, my thinnest gloves, and a Bondiband over my ears (I briefly thought about skipping the Bondiband and just wearing a headband for my hair, but the Bondiband was thin enough that it wasn't too warm).

Before heading out, I had the idea to finally try out the live tracking feature on my Garmin. It was one of the biggest selling points to me, but I hadn't had much opportunity to try it, since I've been on the treadmill all winter! The live tracking feature uses Bluetooth on your phone to allow people to "track" you online. I sent the link to Jerry's email, so when he clicked on it, it would show him in live time exactly where I was running. My phone's battery was only at 25%, but I hoped it would last through the run.

Once I set that up, I told Jerry to check it frequently, because I was curious how it worked. Then I headed out for a 10-mile out-and-back on my favorite route. As soon as I got outside, I thought it felt a heck of a lot colder than 18 degrees, but I figured I just needed a couple of miles to warm up. I actually had a tailwind on the way out, which almost never happens--usually, I have a headwind on the way out, and a tailwind on the way back, which is nice for negative splits.

About two miles in, I was still really cold, but hopeful that I'd warm up. I'd gone too far to turn around for warmer gloves and ear warmer headband. So I kept going, with the wind at my back. I had a nagging feeling about how I was going to feel when I turned around, but I had my phone with me, so I figured if it was awful, I'd just call Jerry to come get me.

At around mile 3.5, my Garmin informed me that my phone battery was low. I assumed that meant 20% battery life, so I figured it would make it through the rest of the run (or at least until after I turned around at mile 5). At mile 4.85, my Garmin alerted me that my phone was disconnected. I tried turning on my phone, but it was completely dead. I just hoped that Jerry wouldn't see that I'd stopped moving on the live tracker and come searching for me! (The phone has to be turned on for the tracker to work).

I turned around at mile 5, and I instantly knew I was in trouble. The wind was AWFUL, blowing right in my face. My eyes started watering right away, and snot was dripping down my nose. I wished, more than anything, that my phone was working so I could call Jerry! I honestly started to worry about frostbite, because my face felt like it was burning from the freezing cold wind.

I started to feel a little panicked, but then I thought, "Okay, Jerry will come check on me any minute, because he'll notice that the tracker stopped moving." Every time I saw a white car coming toward me (and there were a LOT of white cars out this morning), my hopes would swell; and then deflate as the car passed by and it wasn't Jerry.

I started to think about going inside of a building--a gas station, Monica's Bakery, Kroger... all places I passed by. But I had a feeling that as soon as I'd step inside, Jerry would drive by, and then get really panicked because he wouldn't see me anywhere on my route. So I figured it was safest to stay on my route, and just hope he got worried enough to come look for me.

I just kept praying, almost like a mantra, "Please let Jerry come, please let Jerry come, please let Jerry come..." At around mile 8, I really started to give up any hope. I'd kept running, but only because I'd be colder if I stopped. I was absolutely freezing. If I could have cried while running, I definitely would have been crying. It was THAT tough!

When I was less than a half-mile from home, I heard a honk behind me, and it was my parents (and kids) driving past. They waved, but before I realized it was them, they had already gone past, and it was too late to flag them down. At that point, I still would have gladly accepted a ride, even though I was only 3-4 minutes from home!

When I finally saw my house, I was SO relieved. I opened the door and that's when the tears came. I couldn't believe I actually made it home. I was trying to explain to Jerry what was wrong, and I asked him where he was (why didn't he come check on me?). He said that once I got to mile 4.85, the live feed stopped and just kept trying to reload. He just assumed that since it was the first time I used it, that maybe it was faulty or something. Of course I can't blame him for not checking on me, but I wish that he'd been overprotective for just this once ;)

When I checked the weather myself after getting home, I saw why I was so cold!

Yes, it was 18 degrees, but there were 15 mph winds blowing right in my face and the temp was a "feels like" 3 degrees. I should have checked the weather myself. I should have dressed in my warmest winter gear. I should have made sure my phone was charged.

On the bright side, the live tracker is awesome! Jerry said he could see me moving (not actually ME, of course, but a dot on a map). He could see exactly where I was (up until mile 4.85), how fast I was going, my distance, elevation gain, etc. It only works when the phone is in proximity (and not dead, of course). It will be a nice feature to use during my long runs... assuming Jerry and I make a plan for what to do if it stops tracking ;)

I thought my pace was all over the place, but it actually ended up being kind of consistent. Definitely slower than last week, but I really wasn't concerned about pace today!

This afternoon, Jerry, the kids, and I went to visit Mark. We stopped to get him a coffee from Starbucks, and I got an extra hot latte to warm up my bones. When we got there, Mark was really out of it. I think they changed his pain meds, or they're giving him a higher dosage, because the last couple of times I've gone to see him, he seems like he's pretty loopy.

We brought him to the cafeteria to sit and chat for a little bit, but he had a hard time even keeping his eyes open. We only ended up staying for about 45 minutes, because he said he was tired. I'm really curious about what his test results are! He has a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and my dad and I are going to go with him. We can ask about his meds then, too.

On the way home, we stopped at Bed, Bath, & Beyond to look for a new comforter. The quilt on my bed was old and getting pretty ratty looking. We ended up finding one on clearance that I absolutely loved. My bedroom is fall-colors, and it matched really well.

It's really comfortable, too! After the run I had this morning, I'm looking forward to a nice, comfy bed tonight.

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! If you have a photo of a health/fitness accomplishment you'd like to submit, you can email it to me along with a short description (subject: Motivational Monday) at SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com, and I may include it in tomorrow's post! Remember, it doesn't have to be anything huge--maybe you went to the gym three times this week, or you had a healthy breakfast every day. Whatever makes YOU feel proud of YOU is something to celebrate! :)

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Walker caddy

Whew, I feel SO much better after writing about my current struggle with staying on track amidst the stress I've been dealing with. I don't know why I get so nervous to write when I'm struggling, because you all make me feel so much better. I hate to see anyone struggle with it, but it sure does help to know that I'm not the only one!

I did really well today, thanks in part to my Kitchen Safe. I hadn't used it in a while, but I got it back out yesterday and locked up the peanut butter, chocolate chips, Clif Bars, and a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs. I bought the mini eggs so that I could have a few as a treat in the evenings, but I definitely have to keep those in the Kitchen Safe! I was surprised at just how small the serving size is, and for so many points. A serving of 12 mini eggs has 6 PointsPlus. Each one is only about the size of a peanut M&M. So this morning, I counted out 6 of them for 3 PP. They're really good, but I don't know if I think they're worth that many calories.

Today I had a six-mile easy run on the schedule. I really wanted to go outside and run! Jerry was working, though, and I didn't have anyone to watch the kids if I went outside. I tried calling my parents, but they weren't home, so I decided just to get it done on the treadmill. I changed out the battery in my foot pod, to see if that was what was causing the issue yesterday (apparently, it was--because today, it was back to normal).

I set the treadmill at 6.2 mph (9:40/mi) and just left it there. I was feeling really good, like it was nice and easy, when I noticed that my heart rate was sky high--89-91%! Normally, it's about 75-79% during an easy run. I was debating whether I should slow down, because I felt really good, but I didn't want my heart rate to be that high.

While I kept running, I pressed the heart rate strap to my chest kind of hard, to make sure that there was good contact, and then my Garmin showed my heart rate lower from 91% down to 77% almost instantly. I adjusted my sports bra a little, so that it wasn't interfering with the strap at all, and my HR stayed at 75-77% the rest of the run. That was kind of weird!

I'm just going to have to make sure that my sports bra strap is just under the heart rate strap, so it doesn't interfere.

This afternoon, I worked on a project for Mark. I need to buy him a walker for when he goes home on Tuesday, and I found a pattern for a walker caddy while browsing patterns online. I thought it would come in handy for him, since he'll be using the walker everywhere he goes. This first picture is what it looks like now that I'm done, but it doesn't look like much without the walker!

Here is what it will look like on the walker (this photo is from the pattern's site):

It was easy to make, and working on it helped me stay out of the pantry today ;)

Jerry's off work tomorrow, and the kids are staying at my parents' house tonight, so we're going to have a date night. Nothing too exciting, however--just take-out from Panera for dinner and catching up on some of our favorite shows we've been missing!

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Stress eating

I'd been feeling really stressed out this week, because I was trying to find a home for Mark. As I mentioned, he's getting discharged on the 18th. We were excited for him that he gets to leave the nursing home, but we had no idea where he was going to go. It was very unlikely that he'd be able to go back to his group foster care home (where he lived for most of his life) because he needs a little extra assistance.

I told him that I would try to find a him as close to my house as possible, so that I'd be able to go visit several times a week, and pick him him to take him out places. All of the homes I called were for senior citizens, and Mark is only 58, so they couldn't take him. Yesterday, I was really starting to panic, because he's being discharged on Tuesday!

My mom told me that she and my dad were talking about it, and decided to sit down and pray about it. Literally, while they were praying, the phone rang--it was the woman who owns the group home that Mark had been living in, and she said that they decided Mark could go back there! This was FANTASTIC news, because Mark really loves that home.

They said they'll need us to help out, and we agreed. I'll go there a few times a week to help him get some exercise, and my dad can stop there on his way home from his summer job at the Metropark. Once Mark starts to deteriorate from the cancer, however, he won't be able to stay there. My parents are hoping that we'll be able to bring Mark to their house when it comes time for hospice care. Mark had some new tests done early this week, and he has an appointment on Wednesday to go over the tests. I am really hoping for a miracle--that the cancer will have gone into remission! But that's a long shot. More likely, Mark will have another year or two.

Anyway, I was excited to tell Mark the good news, so planned to go see him this morning. After getting the kids off to school, I hopped on the treadmill for my scheduled four miles. I wore my new running shoes, Brooks Adrenaline 14's. When I first started running in 2010, I wore the Adrenaline 10's. I tried other shoes, but the Adrenalines have always been my go-to shoe. I've worn them ever since--the 10's, the 11's, the 12's, and the 13's. My most recent pair has about 350 miles on them, so it was time for a new pair.

I went to the running store a couple of days ago and bought the 14's. I liked the new color!

Yesterday, I wore them for my five-mile run at half-marathon pace (8:34/mi). They were killing my feet! I only ended up doing four miles at race pace before I finally just called it quits. I hoped that maybe I was just having a bad day yesterday, so I tried them one more time today. About a mile in, I just couldn't take it--the arches of my feet were killing me. I stopped the treadmill, and put on my old pair. My feet felt much better once I switched out the shoes, so I knew it was the 14's that were the problem.

That was scary! The Adrenalines have always been my sure-thing shoe. No matter what, I knew they would fit well, I knew they were comfortable, and that I could run long in them. I've never found another shoe like that. I decided to return them today, and hopefully find a different shoe that would work.

The weird thing is, when I was running with the new shoes on the treadmill, my Garmin foot pod was suddenly showing the wrong pace. My foot pod always shows the same pace as the treadmill, but with the new shoes, it was reading about 20-30 seconds slower per mile. When I put the pod back on my old shoes, the pace was almost back to normal (about 5 seconds slower per mile). So strange!

I stopped at the running store on the way to the nursing home, and returned the shoes. The man who works there brought out a bunch more that were similar to the Adrenalines for me to try. I wasn't crazy about any of them. I need a very wide toe box, and there aren't a lot of running shoes that come in a wide width. In the end, I settled on the Brooks Ghost 6's. They were really light and comfortable, but the store didn't have them in a wide width; so I had to order them in a wide. I really hope that they work out!! As a bonus, they're a little cheaper than the Adrenalines :)

I stopped at Starbucks to get Mark a vanilla latte. Once in a while, when I get Mark coffee, I'll get a decaf for myself. But today, I decided to try something a little fancier--I got a Skinny Peppermint Mocha, and it was so good! It was only 3 PointsPlus, which was definitely worth it.

When I got to the nursing home, I went to Mark's room, but he wasn't there, and all of the cards were gone from the walls. I asked if they moved him, and they had. I found his new room, which was definitely more crowded (three beds instead of two), but it was nice because he was next to a window.  He said they moved him because his old room was for "sick people", and he's going home in a few days ;)

I read him some of his cards, and he got a package with a handmade scarf in it--he loved the scarf!

I always tell Mark to smile when I take a picture, and when he smiles, he automatically closes his eyes. So I say, "Open your eyes" and then his smile goes away. It's tough for him to do both at the same time! ;)

I told him the good news about going back to his group home, and he was thrilled. He said he was hoping that I'd be able to find a place close to us. Now he'll be just 20 minutes away, instead of 40, and I'll be able to go visit more. The whole time that I was visiting today, he just kept talking about how he only has four more days until he goes home. He can't wait to sleep in his own bed and do his chores.

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In other news, I've been doing TERRIBLE at getting back into Weight Watchers. I've been trying to count points, and I do well for a day or two, and then eat like I haven't eaten in days. My weight was 139 at the beginning of February, and I was at 146 for my last WW meeting! I hate writing this, and I've been avoiding writing about it at all, but if I keep procrastinating, I'm afraid it will just turn into 150, or 160, or more. I really need to get back to doing Wednesday Weigh-ins for some accountability.

The only thing I can think of that would be causing me to have such a hard time right now is that I've been under a ton of stress lately. Jerry's been working just about every day; my friend Sarah passed away and I think about her several times a day (today would have been her 32nd birthday); the winter is never-ending; I was worried about finding a home for Mark; and my weight being up so much is stressful in itself. I'm not trying to make excuses--none of those things forced me to eat too much! But my life is a definitely more stressful than it usually is, and I wonder if that is making me want to eat more.

Regardless, I want to get it under control, and I hope that by writing about it, I can gain control again. I'd love to be back at goal by the time I go to Boston for the Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival. My brother, Brian, is getting married in September, and his fiancé has asked me to be a bridesmaid. She just ordered our dresses, so I don't want the stress of worrying about whether it will still fit in the fall!

So, my plan is to count my points, continue making sure to get in my five servings of fruits and veggies (I've been doing well so far all month!), and post a weigh-in on Wednesdays, no matter what the scale says. Spring officially starts on Thursday, and I want to go into the new season feeling healthy!

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Weight Loss Success: How Martha Lost 100 Pounds!

My kids ended up having another snow day today, because the road conditions were so bad. So, rather than bore you with my day, I'd like to introduce another member of my Ragnar team--Martha. Martha is SO sweet and kind, and a pleasure to have on our team. 

When I first read Martha's story, before we formed this team, I am ashamed to admit that I was a little judgmental of the way she chose to lose weight--as she explains below, she used a meal replacement system. I've never been a fan of those, because whenever I tried programs like that in the past, I would gain the weight as soon as I stopped eating the plan's food.

However, I'm always saying that there isn't one thing that works for everyone... so why should this be any different?! I firmly believe that people need to find out what works for themselves. And that's exactly what Martha did. She'd tried other ways in the past, but eventually found a plan that worked for her--and she's doing a fantastic job keeping the weight off, even while eating "regular" foods. I'm happy that she found something that worked for her!

I am SO impressed with Martha's mile-per-day streak, which she also explains below. She's been streaking for about 14 months now!

Anyway, I'll let Martha take over... :)

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Hi! My name is Martha, and I am 43 years old and live in Scottsdale, Arizona.  My husband, Paul, and I have been married almost 18 years and we have 3 children – ages 14 (girl), 12 (boy) and 9 (girl).  I am thrilled to be “Runner #9”.

Although I was a skinny and athletic kid growing up, I put on a lot of weight after having three kids in five years.  I did not take care of my health and continued to eat like I was a teenager.  I lost my mom to cancer during that time, and I’m sure I ate to fill that void.

My weight crept up about 10 pounds a year or so until I found myself being about 100 pounds overweight.  Because I am over 5’9″, I didn’t have much trouble carrying that extra weight for a while.  But then, almost suddenly, I really started noticing how much my weight was holding me back.  It was hard to put on my shoes and it was hard to get up and down our stairs in our house without my heart pounding.  I was sick of shopping in the plus-sized departments and stores.  I was actually exercising very regularly but I would “reward” myself with high calorie treats when I got home and, therefore, made little to no progress in losing any weight.

Have you ever seen a cuter
"before" photo?!

My poor eating choices were starting to show up in my blood work with high triglycerides and cholesterol.  Most disturbing, I was starting to “check out” of living my life because I was either too tired or too embarrassed to fully participate in activities with friends.  I wanted to be around (and fully present) for my husband and kids.  I wanted to get back to the “old” me again.  

There are all kinds of ways to lose weight and one thing that was holding me back was that I had not found a solution that seemed like a good fit. Weight Watchers was phenomenal for me when I had lost weight 10 years or so ago, but I had a very hard and unsuccessful time re-starting the program again.   Looking at a goal weight loss of 100 pounds, I really wanted to find a program that I believed in for the long haul.

One day, a friend of mine posted on Facebook about a doctor she had seen that had helped her reach her goal weight. I actually knew of him, a very reputable internal medicine doctor in my city, and his wife was actually a pediatrician in my kids’ office. He was specializing in weight loss medicine at his practice.  

After doing some research, I felt like I had found my solution and got started within a few weeks.  The weight loss program I used was Optifast – which is a meal replacement program (bars, shakes, soups, etc.) but there was also an educational component to the program that I really appreciated. I attended over 20 different classes with topics ranging from emotional eating, exercise, nutrition, time-management, meal planning, etc. I felt like I really got the tools I needed to help with maintaining the weight loss as well. 

I continued with my regular exercise (both strength training and cardio) which helped the weight come off even more quickly.  Amazingly, it took me only 6.5 months to drop 100 pounds and reach my goal!  But I know that the real work comes in maintaining that weight loss.  So far, I have maintained my weight loss for almost a year.

In January 2013, I learned about a little group of patients at my weight loss doctor’s office that were walking or running one mile a day, every single day – trying to see how long of a “streak” they could maintain.  I decided to give it a try and it has become one of the cornerstones of my weight loss journey and my “streak” is currently at Day 423! By making myself complete a mile every single day, I have developed the “habit” of exercising every day, no matter what (including a couple of fevers/illnesses and really busy time periods).

Every day I would try to run a little bit more of the mile. I was very slow at first and it was so hard to get past those initial ¼ - ½ miles without stopping. Finally I got to the point where I could run a mile straight through, and then I worked to increase my speed a bit. I did almost all of this work on a treadmill at the gym because I was, for some reason, nervous about running outside. 

My weight loss doctor is a runner and he was very helpful with getting me started.  Every visit included a discussion about training and suggestions to help me progress with the running. I told him I was working on doing a 5K, and eventually, I surprised myself when I said, out loud, that I wanted to do a half marathon. I ran the Arizona Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon in Phoenix in January 2014 and finished in my goal time of 2:30! Like the weight loss, small series of baby steps is getting me to my running goals.

One of my favorite things about running is interacting with the “community” of runners.  I love making connections with people and everyone has such an interesting story behind how they got started.  It is very much an individual sport – and a great time to spend time with your thoughts, etc. – but it also provides such neat opportunities to meet people.

When I read about the “From Fat to Finish Line” Ragnar team, I couldn’t stop thinking about how cool that was. I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to run with this SoCal Ragnar team, "From Strangers to Sole Mates".  This weight loss journey has been incredible so far and allowed me to experience so many new adventures – this one will be at the top of the list!

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Martha writes a blog about her weight loss, maintenance, and running at Opifast Mom. 

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Mimosas and a movie

I left off my last post with how much I was looking forward to spending the day with Jerry today, because he'd worked 17 days in a row. Our plans weren't too exciting--Weight Watchers meeting, visiting Mark, going to lunch at Panera--but it's been so long since we were able to go do anything together, and I was excited!

At 5:30 this morning, the phone rang... and at 5:30, there is only ONE call that we ever get. This winter, I've learned to hate that call: the kids' school, to say school is canceled due to "inclement weather".

I was so bummed. I wouldn't have minded bringing the kids with us, even though it would have been nice to spend time alone; but if the roads were bad enough to cancel school, it meant we weren't going to be going anywhere, with or without the kids.

I couldn't go back to sleep after that, of course. Jerry and I talked about what we could do today, but our options were limited. At around 9:00, he said, "Man, it feels SO much later than 9:00! I was going to suggest an afternoon beer until I looked at the clock." That gave me the idea to have mimosas! Jerry braved the snow storm to drive a couple of blocks to the corner store, where he bought sparkling wine and orange juice ;)

We made a couple of mimosas and found a movie on Netflix to watch, and had a very relaxing morning.

Something about a snow day puts me in the mood to bake, so I decided to make a loaf of Italian herb bread. I've made it dozens of times before, but it had been a while. With the exception of chocolate chip cookies, I'm a terrible baker. And I'm not sure what went wrong today, but when I took the "bread" out of the bread maker, it looked like this:

Hahaha, yep, that was my bread. I cut a slice, just to see if it tasted better than it looked, and it did not. It was extremely dense and had a strange taste. I think I may have used too much flour. So it went in the trash.

This afternoon, we had an appointment with the cable company for them to come reconnect our cable! We went without it for about six months. I wish I could say that we got used to not having cable, and I was happier without it, but I missed my shows. Jerry missed his sports. We missed watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with the kids. So we decided to reconnect the cable. It sounds pathetic, but I think what I missed most was watching new Lifetime movies on Saturday nights!

I'm not sure yet if the snow storm we had today made the total for Detroit set the record for highest recorded snowfall, but if not, it was VERY close. We got a ton of snow, but the wind was worse. There were a few times where I thought the house was going to blow over. I glanced out into the backyard, and saw that the wind completely tore apart our shed. The entire side of it was ripped open, and I was just waiting for the rest of it to come off the bottom part and fly into the neighbor's yard.

That whole open part on the right was supposed to be facing left, connected to the edge in front. The hinges in the front center broke, and the wind pushed the whole front sideways. We've always hated that shed, so I think Jerry was secretly happy to see that there really is no fixing it (he tried). We're going to start building a garage this spring if the snow and ice ever melt, but I'm not sure what we'll do with the stuff in there until then.

So anyway, even though the day didn't go exactly at all as planned, it ended up being fun in a carefree sort of way. I stayed in my pajamas all day, and the kids were actually very well-behaved. I'm kind of expecting tomorrow to be another snow day, but I hope not! My kids are going to be in school through the end of June if they have any more.

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From Fat to Finish Line trailer!

Thanks for the feedback on Motivational Mondays. I would definitely like to keep doing them, as long as I keep getting submissions to post!

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I had a very exciting start to my day when I saw that Angela, the producer of the From Fat to Finish Line documentary, posted the trailer for the film! I watched it about four five six times in a row, and I got goosebumps (and tears) each and every time. It brought back so many memories of the race, and it made me feel so proud of my team. Here is the trailer:


I still don't know when the film will be completely finished and ready for viewing. I feel bad, because I keep asking Angela for updates! I've learned over the past year that making a film takes a heck of a lot of time and money. I know Angela and Jen have been working like crazy to get this film done. But of course, I'll update here whenever I get any news!
The whole intention of this film was to inspire others to make some positive changes in their lives. All 12 of us on the team were sedentary and obese, and many of us were unhealthy before we started running. Running has different meanings to each of us, but the one common ground we all share is that we started from the couch. 
I can completely picture myself five years ago, and if I had seen this documentary, or just the trailer, I would have thought, "Yeah, that's awesome for them. But I can't be a runner!" My teammates felt the same way. We are all just ordinary people who decided one day that we were going to do it--and we did. We started by running down our streets. Then maybe around the block. We started to set goals: first a 5K, then a 10K, then a half-marathon. 
At some point along the way, we realized that we were doing it; we were runners! Some of us run for fun, some of us run to keep the weight off, some of us run to reach goals, and some of us run for cookies (okay, maybe that last one is just me)... but regardless of why we run, we love the fact that we are doing something we never thought we could do! Even if you have no desire to run, there is something empowering about picking something you think is impossible, and then going out and doing it. It could be a cycling, or mountain climbing, or any number of other activities.
Which brings me to an idea that I've been thinking about ever since Runner's World invited me to do the Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival. As I mentioned, I'm going to be doing the Hat Trick--a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon in two days. Something that I've really wanted to do this year is to help other people reach their running goals--whether it's pacing them to a PR, or running with them for a first race. 
Since I'm not planning to run these races for a PR, I thought it would be fun to run with someone for his/her first race. So, I'd like to offer myself as a running buddy for the Heartbreak Hill 5K to someone who plans to make that his/her first 5K. If you've been thinking of doing a 5K, but are nervous to do it alone, or if you just want some company, maybe it could work out! I have no idea if anyone would even be interested in this, but I wanted to offer. If you're interested, just send me an email at slimkatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com. I'd also be willing to do it for the 10K, and possibly the half-marathon. Oh, and please don't worry about pace--I'll run at your pace, as long as you're not faster than I can go! haha
I got another email from Runner's World today with discount promo codes for the Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival. They are good for 10% off the 5 & Dime, the Half-Marathon, and the Hat Trick. To get the discount, you just enter the promo code while registering:
For 10% off the 5 & Dime: blogrunsforcookies5&10For 10% off the Half-marathon: blogrunsforcookiesHalfFor 10% off the Hat Trick: blogrunsforcookiesHat

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I was absolutely dreading my run today, because it's speed work day. Today, I had 8 x 600's at 5K pace on the schedule.
-1 mile warm-up-8 repeats of the following:     -Run at 7:30/mi pace for 600 meters (0.37 miles)     -Jog slowly to recover for 0.25 miles-0.25 mile cool down
I knew it was going to be super hard, and I was trying to come up with an excuse not to do it. But when I watched the trailer for the film, I was so inspired that I was almost looking forward to the run! At first, I didn't think that doing 600's would be a huge change from 400's (0.37 miles vs. 0.25 miles), but I quickly learned that the extra 200 meters feels like forever! I almost quit after four repeats, but then I did the fifth; and after that many, I couldn't quit with just three left. So I stuck it out, but it was a really tough workout!

I am SO looking forward to tomorrow. Jerry has been doing a special project at work, and he's worked the last 17 days in a row. I miss him! Not to mention that I've felt like a single parent for the past couple of weeks. So tomorrow, we're going to spend the whole day together, assuming we don't get snowed in--we're supposed to get 4-8 inches of snow tonight!! 
Speaking of the never-ending winter, Detroit is 10 inches away from 2013-14 being the snowiest winter ever recorded!

The last time Detroit has gotten this much snow was in 1880-81. It was interesting to see 1981-82 there, because that was the winter I was born (January 1982). Whether we hit the record or not this season, this winter has definitely achieved notoriety. We deserve a fantastic summer this year ;)

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Motivational Monday #55

Happy Motivational Monday, Friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I don't think there is any question what my proudest moment of the week was--seeing my picture in Runner's World was SO exciting! I saw the issue in Kroger yesterday, and I wanted to grab it off the shelf and go around and show everyone in the store ;)

For the past few months, I haven't gotten many Motivational Monday submissions, so I'm wondering if it might be time to retire the MM posts. But I love to read your stories, so I hope you'll keep them coming! Remember, you don't have to have run a race, or lost 100 pounds to feel proud--MM is about sharing a health or fitness accomplishment, big or small! It's fun to brag when you've had a great day, and it inspires other people when they read about your accomplishments. 

Anyway, today I have three very inspiring submissions to share! 

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In May 2013, Loey joined Weight Watchers at 303 pounds. She wanted to lose weight and get healthy, and now she's 47 pounds lighter and training for her first half-marathon! When she first started training for the race, she was really excited to see a large drop in her weight; and she was disappointed that the opposite actually happened. She sent me an email, and I explained to her why a lot of people gain weight when they first start to exercise. She knew that exercising was doing her body good, so she kept up with her training plan, and stayed off the scale for three weeks. When she got on the scale again, she saw that she'd dropped six pounds! Patience definitely paid off for her :)

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Audrey ran her very first 10K race! She said it was the toughest run of her entire adult life, and the only time she *knew* she was going to finish was when she actually crossed the finish line... but she did it! She even finished under her goal of 1:30, crossing the line in 1:26. Next up? A 10-miler! (Audrey's race report)

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Melissa ran her first-ever trail half-marathon on Saturday, Dances with Dirt! The race was in Florida, and Melissa lives in Michigan, so she was used to training in the ridiculously cold winter we've had; the temps in Florida during the race were around 70 degrees. Dances with Dirt is a very tough race, and she finished in 2:31!

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Don't forget to check out some more Motivational Monday accomplishments on the MM Facebook post! 

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A test run

Pathetically, I was in bed by 8:00 last night. I was SO tired all day yesterday! I was thinking maybe it was from increasing my mileage by starting the Hansons Half Marathon training, but I don't remember feeling this tired from marathon training. I haven't been feeling very well the past couple of days, which I think is attributed to anxiety, so maybe it's causing me to be tired as well. Regardless... I was in bed super early!

This morning, I was really looking forward to doing a long run outside. Since I started Hansons' training, my long runs are back to being on Sunday mornings. Today, I had 8 miles on the schedule at long run pace. I definitely feel like my pace has slowed a lot over the winter, and I know I'm nowhere near as fast as I was last year at this time, when I ran a 1:52 half-marathon. Eventually, my goal will be a 1:49 half-marathon, but I'm not in any shape to even train for that right now! I think I would be lucky to even hit a 1:59 time.

Because I was so unsure of where my pace is at, after running on the treadmill all winter long and experimenting with different training plans, I decided to use today's run to get an idea of where I'm at. I wanted to run comfortably, but not TOO comfortably, and just see how it felt.

I dressed warmly and headed out, but it felt so much colder than I'd expected! I had checked the temp before leaving the house, and it wasn't bad, but once I got out there, I was surprised at how cold it felt. I almost decided to go back inside and run on the 'mill, but I was already dressed for the cold and knew I'd warm up. Besides, I was looking forward to running my trusty old out-and-back route, as well as seeing where my outdoor pace was at.

The first mile was a little difficult, because I did have to dodge ice quite a bit. When I saw my first split (9:22), I was a little disappointed. I'd hoped that I would look down and see that I was effortlessly running an 8:30 pace ;)  My legs felt so much heavier than they do on the treadmill, and it was hard to get used to at first.

After the second mile, I started to loosen up a bit, and the farther I ran, the more comfortable I felt. My third mile was faster than the first two, and then I kept having faster splits after that. Toward the end, I decided to try and negative split the whole thing (with the exception of that second mile). Sounds odd, but the last couple of miles felt a lot easier than the first couple.

I felt really great when I got home--like I had accomplished something huge. I'm not sure why I felt like that, because I just ran 10 miles on Friday, but today was more of a test of my effort.

So, based on today, it appears that my "easy pace" is about 9:10-9:15-ish. Translating to the paces in the book, I should be able to train for a 1:52:30 half-marathon. My PR is 1:52:07, and I was in much better shape then, so I don't know about training for 1:52! But I think I'll go ahead and try it. I don't have a goal race right now (I'm running the Heartbreak Hill Half, but that's in June (hot), and the day after running a 5K AND a 10K, so I'm not going to be running for speed for that race), but I like having some sort of goal to aim for while training.

Based on a 1:52 half time, my training paces would be as follows:
Easy runs- 9:39
Long runs- 9:18
HM pace runs- 8:35
Strength runs- 8:25
Speed work- 7:33

It's the half-marathon pace runs that make me question whether this is too ambitious. On Thursday, I guess I'll find out--5 miles at 8:35 pace. Worst that could happen is that I'll have to change my goal, so it's no big deal.

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We're less than four weeks out from Ragnar SoCal, and Ragnar just changed the leg distances--for the second time! We'd assigned all of our runners to certain positions, based on preferences and pace and all that stuff; then a few months ago, Ragnar switched everything up. So we had to change everything, rearrange runners to different positions, and we were good to go.

Then, a couple of days ago, they did it again. And they were big changes! If someone is planning on (and training for) running, say, 4 miles, 3 miles, and 5 miles for their legs, it's ridiculous to change those legs to something like 8 miles, 5 miles, and 7 miles.

So John and I had to go through everything again, and make adjustments on runner positions. I am still Runner #2, but my legs are now: 7.2, 3, and 2.9, for a total of 13.1. Since I enjoy Ragnar Relays more for the company and fun than for the running, I chose one of the lower mileage positions ;) I also liked that particular one because the legs get progressively shorter, as I get more tired.

Poor Thomas (our fastest runner) has a LOT of miles--5.9, 11.9, and 7.8. But he is now Runner #1, which means he'll be done first, so he can relax a lot longer after his third leg. He complains, but I think he secretly enjoys taking on the "legs of death".

Something that I am thrilled about for this Ragnar is that we reserved a midway hotel to catch a few hours of sleep. For my van, Van #1, we'll start the race at 5:00 in the morning; then we'll have a break  in the afternoon while Van #2 does their legs, and then we'll run our evening legs. After that, we'll get to go to the hotel for about 4 hours! We can shower and nap before our third legs.

If you've ever done an overnight relay, then you know that a shower and a bed in the middle of the race are a total luxury!

This is where we rested between Miami and Key West--it was no hotel! ;)

Going through my photos from Key West brings back so many memories! It makes me ridiculously excited for San Diego. April can't get here fast enough :)

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Weight Loss Success: How Cat Lost 90 Pounds!

With less than four weeks until I leave for San Diego, I'd like to introduce another member of my Ragnar SoCal team--Cat. Cat first came onto the Ragnar radar when we were forming the From Fat to Finish Line team. We'd had an open spot, and several people "applied" to fill it, including Cat. It was ultimately filled by Meredith, but I could never get Cat out of my mind. Her story is definitely an inspiring one!

So when John and I started forming our Strangers to Sole Mates team, I asked Cat if she was still interested, and she was excited about it. I later learned that Cat was also going to be running the Chicago Marathon, so we made plans to meet up while I was there. Caitlin, Cat, and I all met the day before the marathon and had dinner together. Cat is absolutely fantastic! She's funny, and full of life, and I'm so happy to call her my teammate :)

Here are Cat's words...

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Where do I begin?  I have had been overweight my whole life.  I am still learning to live and accept that I am no longer considered obese, or even overweight, anymore.  Even as a child, I was always the biggest one in my age group.  I think I was aware of this from a very young age and started my first diet before I even turned 12.

I have lost and gained so much weight over the last 20+ years that I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve lost 20, 30, 40 or so pounds just to put them back on and more.  I was active when I was a child but in my 20's, things went downhill.  Fitness, diet, and health all went on the back burner and I lost my way.  Fast forward many diets (I tried them all: from Atkins, to the Grapefruit Diet, to diet pills, etc…you name it, I tried it), and many years, to June 23, 2011, when I finally had had enough.

I consider that day my “rebirthday”.  It is the day I finally decided that I needed to change how I was living, or else I would end up with either a chronic medical problem like diabetes or high blood pressure, or I would die young.  I was 33 years old at the time and weighed 245 pounds (I’m 5'6"); I was a smoker; and when I wasn’t working (I’m a nurse, by the way, so I should’ve known better, having seen patients living with complications of obesity), I was out partying with friends.  I was lost.

So one day I was driving home and my scrubs were so tight on my legs I remember looking down at them in my car as I drove home, thinking I couldn’t wait to get into some more comfortable clothes.  Wearing scrubs is like wearing pajamas, so the fact that my 2XL scrubs were tight was an issue.

I decided that if I was going to lose weight and get healthy, I couldn’t set limitations that I couldn’t sustain for the rest of my life.  I needed to make lifestyle changes, not “go on a diet”.  So I slowly changed my diet, and after a couple of months of walking, I decided I wanted to be a runner.

What made me decide at 220 pounds that I wanted to be a runner is beyond me… but I decided that that’s what I wanted to become.  I did my first Couch to 5K workout and thought I was going to die after running for 30 seconds! I was ashamed I had let myself get so out of shape and so unhealthy.

But I kept at it, day after day, week after week, and on October 29, 2011 I completed my first 5K. That was the only running goal that I really had at the time. I still weighed 200 pounds but I ran the whole distance (probably more of a shuffle by mile 3).

When I crossed that finish line, something inside me changed. I decided my next race would be a half marathon. WHY, to this day, I can’t explain… but on February 5, 2012, I completed my first half marathon. I knew nothing about proper nutrition, running form, hydration and I picked the worst weather in which to do it (raining, extreme winds and cold), but again--I crossed that finish line! I think it was from sheer will power. I then heard of a local running group, here in Galveston, run by Fit TRI Run, and I joined their spring program.  There, I learned everything I needed to learn about running; and more importantly, I made some amazing friends.

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Double digits... outside!

When I had lunch with Jessica the other day at Panera, she mentioned that she and Courtney were going to be running eight miles on Friday morning, if I wanted to join them. I hadn't run outside more than a couple of times this horrible winter, and I can't even remember the last time I did a long run outside! It sounded perfect. 

So this morning, I got the kids off to school, and then I drove over to Jessica's, where we were planning to meet. Jessica said we were going to do "at least eight miles". I was only scheduled for four miles today, but I'll take outdoors and company over a short, lonely treadmill run any day!

I wasn't really sure of the route, which was actually kind of nice. I just followed Jessica's direction. There was still quite a bit of ice on the path, which was a bummer--a couple of times, we were practically tip-toeing across a patch of ice, so our pace was anything-but consistent. But none of us was concerned about pace today, anyway--we just wanted to enjoy the beautiful 20-something degree weather and sunshine!

I was surprised at how tough the run felt, even though we were going pretty slow. My legs have gotten used to the treadmill, and I felt kind of clumsy and awkward on the street. I thought we were only going to do eight miles, but then Jessica said it would be closer to nine by the time we got back to her house.

When we were close to being done, we saw that it would actually be 9.3, so we decided to just run around the block a couple of times, and hit 10. That was my first double digit long run in a long time! My legs felt really heavy for the last mile, I think I'll probably be sore tomorrow, because my body just isn't used to being outside lately.

Did I say it was 20-something? I guess it was colder than I thought!

I felt SO good about being outside running! The temp actually got up to 40 later in the day, so some more snow melted. At this rate, we should have clear roads by late June. ;)

Jessica's birthday was yesterday, and her husband got her a carrot cake from Monica's, my favorite bakery. She sent me a text yesterday asking me if I want her to save me a piece. When I learned it was from Monica's, I just couldn't say no! I burned 1,035 calories on the run, so I was really looking forward to enjoying it after lunch.

I made a really good sandwich for lunch--French bread, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. 

And after lunch, I thoroughly enjoyed the piece of carrot cake that Jessica gave me--enough that I didn't even think to take a picture of it. But honestly, it was the BEST carrot cake I've ever had. Jessica knows me well enough to only give me a small slice, and I weighed it to see how many PointsPlus it had. It was 3 ounces, which ended up being 8 PP. Not bad at all!

This afternoon, I went to visit Mark. I wanted to bring him a copy of Runner's World, to show him my picture in there, but I couldn't find it anywhere! I stopped at seven different spots on the way to the nursing home, and didn't find it. Finally, I used my phone to search for Barnes & Noble to see if one was nearby, and I went about 15 minutes out of the way to go there. Thankfully, they had about 15 copies of the April issue. I bought six copies to give away. 

Mark had asked me for chips and cheese popcorn the last time I saw him, so I brought him a few big bags of those. He was really happy to see me, and I just can't get over how much better he looks now than he did in December. He seems completely back to his old self, with the exception of not being able to walk without assistance.

I showed him the Runner's World pictures, and I said, "Do you recognize her? Do you know who that is?" And he said, "Yeah, that's YOU!" When I pointed to my "before" photo and asked the same thing, he said no. He seemed pretty shocked when I said it was also me, from four years ago. He said he doesn't remember me looking like that. He wanted to keep the magazine there, so I marked the page for him.

I wasn't feeling very well, so I only stayed for about an hour, and then I headed home. The whole day went by so fast! I didn't sleep very well last night, so I'm going to have a glass of wine with Jerry and then go to bed early. Typical Friday night ;)

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