Starting the 80/20 plan

My birthday yesterday was fantastic--thanks for all the birthday wishes! And for those of you that participated in the fourth annual virtual 5K, thank you for that as well :) It's been super fun to see the pictures and read about the experiences from the runners/walkers.

I posted recently about the 80/20 running plan, and decided to go ahead and officially start doing it over the weekend. And since I have such an ambitious goal (to PR my 10K on April 10th), I figured I might as well do the "level 3" training plan (the most advanced). It's not a very difficult plan in terms of the workouts, but it is high in mileage. There are even days where I am scheduled for two runs in a day! I've never done plans like that before, and I'm actually looking forward to doing something new. Since 80% or more of the running is done at a low heart rate, the chances of overtraining/getting injured are slim.

I can't post the whole plan here, because it's not a free plan--it's in the 80/20 Running book. But here is a sample week (you'll have to click to make it bigger):

This is actually my schedule for this week. I typed it all out and color coded it, so I could see at a glance what I was getting myself into. The orange runs are all done at a low heart rate (very light, easy running). The green one adds in Zone 3, which is a tempo pace; and the purple adds in Zone 4, which is about 90-95% of my maximum heart rate (there are also Zone 5 runs, which are short sprints). Some of the orange runs can be subbed with cross-training, so I'll probably do that once in a while too (especially when it gets nice enough to ride my bike outside).

At my current fitness level, my "zones" are like this:

Zone 1: HR 125-135 bpm
Zone 2: HR 135-147 bpm
Zone 3: HR 160-167 bpm (about the pace I can hold for an hour--8:20 ish?)
Zone 4: HR 170-175 bpm (about 7:25-7:45 pace)
Zone 5: HR 177+ bpm (sprints--basically as fast as I can do those segments)

The book says that for runs in Zones 1 and 2, you should use your heart rate as your guide. For Zone 3, you should use a combination of heart rate and pace. For Zones 4-5, the intervals are so short that you can't really use HR as a good guide, because of the lag (it takes 30 seconds or so for your heart to get up there). In that case, you should use perceived exertion and pace.

Anyway, yesterday, I had a 45-minute run on the schedule: 5 minutes at Zone 1, 35 minutes at Zone 2, and 5 minutes at Zone 1. It went really well! At Zone 1, I just ran as slowly as I could without looking at my heart rate every second, and it's super comfortable to run in that zone. After five minutes, I bumped up the pace just slightly, in order to get my heart rate over 135, but under 147. I've been getting pretty good at running this pace by feel and not having to constantly speed up or slow down. Again, it's comfortable, and as much as my legs want to go faster, I just fully enjoy taking it easy.

It's interesting, because when I started the lower heart rate training (about five weeks ago), my pace was in the mid-11:00's when my heart rate was about 145. For the past week or so, my pace has been in the mid-10:00's for the same heart rate. That's a good thing--it's exactly what is supposed to happen with enough patience ;)

I tried doing HR training (MAF training) in summer 2014, but that plan was different because you could NEVER run at a higher heart rate unless it was during a race. My pace was ridiculously slower than what I was used to, and I just didn't have the patience to keep doing it. Now, I feel like I'm in a much better place mentally to give this training my full attention.

Here is a comparison of two similar easy runs--one from yesterday and one from January 3rd:

The only reason that the pace was slower in the first and fourth miles of the run yesterday was because of my Zone 1 warm-up and cool down. But if you compare the middle miles of each run, the pace was at 11:29-11:40 on Jan. 3rd; and yesterday, it was 10:18-10:33. My heart rate was the same for each run. It's fun to see the numbers as proof that it's working!

I got a few questions about the 80/20 Running plan (the book by Matt Fitzgerald), so I thought I'd address them here in case anyone else was wondering the same thing:

1) Is this good for a beginner?
*Yes! Running with 80% at easy pace and 20% at moderate to difficult pace is ideal for 99% of the population. This information was nothing new to me when I read the book, but the book explained the WHY so well that it made me want to actually commit to doing it. For beginners, you are still supposed to keep your heart rate low on the 80% runs, and for some people, that may mean walking. Even a very slow jog might make your heart rate too high--so in that case, you just walk and keep your heart rate in the zone, and over time, you'll have to push yourself more to get your heart rate into that zone (like you see from my example above).

The book has several plans for distances from 5K to marathon, but it also explains how to create your own plan so that you're doing the 80/20 principle. Don't let my sample week scare you off! That's from the advanced 10K plan, so it's certainly a lot of running. When I was doing the Hansons training, though, I felt amazing while running six days a week; so I think I will do well with this plan.

2) Is the 80/20 plan good for someone who only plans to run shorter distances, like a 5K?
*Yes! It doesn't matter the distance you plan to race--the ratio in training should still be 80/20. Obviously, you don't need to run as many miles per week to prepare for a 5K as you would for a marathon, but the ratio will still be the same.

3) Is reading the book necessary? Can't I just work on fitting my runs into that ratio?
*I highly recommend reading the book, because it explains WHY 80/20 works so well. When you learn why it works, it makes you much more motivated to do it. When I got my coaching certification, we learned all about how to put together ideal running plans, but we didn't get very much into the details of WHY those plans are ideal. The "why" is the most important part! The book is also very motivating in terms of helping runners to slow down. Most recreational runners are running their easy runs too fast, and slowing down is actually really difficult to do (mentally). You feel like you're taking a step backwards in your training, but the book details just how important it is.

4) Do you have to use a heart rate monitor to train?
*Technically, no--the book gives you alternatives. However, since most runners do their easy runs too fast, the heart rate monitor will give a definitive "cap" on how fast you go. You just run at the pace you want, as long as your heart rate doesn't go over a certain number (for the easy runs). Without using the monitor, there is a good chance you'll still run your easy runs too fast--but it's not completely necessary to have the monitor.

So far, I'm really enjoying doing the lower heart rate training. I didn't "officially" start the 80/20 plan until this weekend, but the plan I was following before was very similar and it fit into the 80/20 principle. The best part about it, for me, is that I am really enjoying my runs! I no longer dread going for a run in the morning :)

---

If you did the 5K yesterday, and haven't already, make sure you fill out the Finisher's Form. I'm going to compile the results and post them tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed the "race"!

Continue Reading...

2016 Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K Finishers Form

Tomorrow, January 25, this my birthday--and the fourth annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K! As of right now, there are 366 people signed up to run or walk 5K tomorrow. I am going to be running it as well, but at a very easy pace to stick with my training schedule. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos and reading about how it went for all of you that are participating!

At the bottom of this post, I am posting the official "Finisher's Form". After you've completed your 5K, please take a minute to fill this out. It's fun to see the demographics of the participants once all the results are in! (I'll compile the results and share them on my blog in a couple of days). I will leave the form open until Tuesday evening, and hopefully, I'll get the results up on Wednesday.

Also, after your race, I would love for you to take a picture (a selfie, or a scenic pic from your virtual race, a pic of your GPS watch, whatever you'd like...) and then post it on social media using hashtag #RfCVirtual5K. It's easiest on Facebook, because you can see the whole group of photos there pretty easily. Feel free to share as many or as few details as you want about your race--was it in a blizzard? With a group of your friends? Dog in tow? (If you can't or don't want to post to social media, don't worry about it--there is no need to email me to let me know. This whole thing is just for fun.)

Here are links to my social media accounts:

Instagram (@runsforcookies)
Twitter (@runsforcookies)
Facebook

The last few years, I've spent most of my birthday responding to the social media posts. This year, I told Jerry that for my birthday, I want us to go on a date and leave our cell phones at home. We're going to dinner and a movie tomorrow evening, just like we used to when we were dating (and we didn't have cell phones back then! haha). Anyway, I'm going to be away from the computer and all social media tomorrow, but I will go through all the posts on Tuesday. Tuesday will feel like Christmas morning when I see the posts :)

I hope everyone has a fantastic race tomorrow, and I can't wait to read all about it! Here is the finisher's form:

Continue Reading...

80/20 Running

I've really been enjoying the change I've made with my running lately. I mentioned how I always used to do my runs at that "in-between" pace--not too easy, not too hard--even though I knew it wasn't the ideal way to train. When I found this 10K training schedule several weeks ago, I decided to give it a try, and do each workout how it was supposed to be done. I decided to keep my heart rate in the aerobic zone for my easy runs, no matter how slow that pace was.

And I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed my runs! I always used to dread running, because it's so uncomfortable. Once I started running at a truly easy pace, the way I "should", I actually started looking forward to running. As far as my effort level goes, it feels almost the same as going for a walk--I don't get out of breath, and I can look around and enjoy the scenery. Nothing to dread :)

The idea of easy running wasn't new to me--I learned all about how to put together a proper training plan, and that's how I write plans for other people. But for myself, I always felt like I would make more progress by running faster, where I was slightly uncomfortable. Recently, I've been reading as much as I can about the ideal race training, and I came across a book called 80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald.

The idea behind 80/20 Running is that the "perfect" running plan would have you do 80% of your running at a low intensity, and just 20% at a moderate or high intensity level. The book explains it all so well, and gives tons of examples, but the key point is that most recreational runners train in that moderate zone more than half of the time, and that is keeping them from reaching their full potential. Elite runners use the 80/20 principle, which allows them to reach their maximum potential.

Even though I knew better, I still didn't do my easy runs at a truly easy pace. I would push myself to a moderate pace, because then I'd finish my mileage faster (without being too uncomfortable). The 80/20 running in the book gives workouts in minutes rather than mileage, so you're going to be running for the same amount of time regardless of pace. I think that's what helped me to finally take it easy on my runs recently, because I've been training in minutes. If I have a 40-minute run scheduled, then I have to run 40 minutes, no matter how fast or slow I go. Slower is more enjoyable, so I keep the intensity very low (unless I'm doing speed work).

Doing this has helped me to make progress on my speed work, too. On those days, I really bust my ass during my workouts. By taking it easy on my easy runs, I have lots of energy to expend on my hard runs. I've seen a pretty big improvement in just five weeks or so. I'm kind of excited to run a 5K or 10K and see the difference in my finishing time.

The book has several training plans--three each for the 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon (levels 1, 2, and 3). I've been thinking about doing the 10K plan in the book (either level 2 or 3) instead of the plan I've been testing out recently. It's pretty much the same idea, just with more mileage. Surprisingly, I don't even mind doing more miles because they are EASY miles! (The book stresses that higher mileage is best for getting to your goals faster--something that I learned from Hansons Marathon Method as well).

The plans give you a certain number of minutes to run in five different zones. Zone 1 is the easiest (used for warm-ups, cool downs, and recovery runs); Zone 2 is for easy runs and long runs; Zone 3 like the aerobic threshold zone--tempo pace; Zone 4 is for longer intervals; and Zone 5 is for short intervals or hills. You can use heart rate, pace, and/or perceived effort to determine each zone, but Fitzgerald recommends a combination, which he explains in the book.

The hardest part of the whole thing is determining your lactate threshold heart rate. There are a few suggestions for how to do it, but I still felt kind of lost. It's not as simple as a formula. I went for a run today and tried a couple of the tests (a talk test, perceived effort, etc.).

I really liked testing out the Hansons Marathon Method when I trained for the Chicago Marathon. I followed the program right to the letter, and it was fun to write a review about it (the plan worked very well for me). So, I'm leaning toward doing this 80/20 Running plan--I'd follow it as-written, and see how well it works in getting me ready to PR my 10K. The plan is 12 weeks long, and my race is 11 weeks from Sunday, so I would have to start this plan tomorrow with tail end of week 1. The thought of focusing on a single race, and preparing for it to the best of my ability exciting to me--the last time I felt this focused on a goal race was the Chicago Marathon in 2013!

Reading 80/20 Running was very reassuring that training at an easy pace is ideal. It gave so many examples and studies that made me really believe in it. I was worried that I wasn't doing enough speed work, but from what I've read, the plan I've been doing follows the right formula. And I've seen progress, so I think it's working. Regardless of whether I'm getting faster or not, it's so nice to really enjoy running. I still dread speed work, but I feel awesome when I nail a good speed workout, so it's worth it.

I'm curious, have any of you ever tried any of the 80/20 Running plans? And if so, did you find that you got faster by training that way?

Here is a link (Amazon affiliate) for the book, if anyone is interested: 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower. I want to stress that this is NOT a good book for an electronic reader. The training plans will have you flipping back and forth between several pages, which would drive me crazy. I'm really glad that I bought the actual book. It's a very interesting read, and if you're in a pace rut (having a hard time improving), it could help you out of that.

Continue Reading...

Getting my speed back

After having a bad run on Tuesday, I really wanted today's run to go smoothly. I always feel amazing after I do well on a tough run, and my Tuesday/Thursday runs are speed work. It snowed again yesterday, and the streets are covered, so I had to do the treadmill today. I always worry that the treadmill isn't as good as running outside, even though experience shows me that it makes no difference.

On the schedule today:
16 minutes easy (heart rate under 146)
12 minutes at tempo pace (8:20-ish)
2 minutes hard (7:30-ish)
16 minutes easy
12 minutes at tempo pace
2 minutes hard
10 minutes easy

A total of 70 minutes--that's only 5 minutes less than my longest run on the schedule! Thankfully, it wasn't TOO cold today (21 degrees). Even with my treadmill being in the garage, the temperature is the same as outside. The only bonus is that there isn't any wind.

I ran the first 16 minutes, and then just hoped that I didn't get the muscle spasm during the tempo part. Switching to the 8:20 pace actually felt good, and wasn't very difficult at all. My heart rate was in the tempo zone, which is good. It wasn't "comfortable", like an easy run, but it wasn't torture, either. I felt like I could have run several miles at that pace. After 12 minutes, I bumped the pace to 7:30, and even that didn't feel too bad. It was hard, for sure, but I felt good... especially knowing I only had to hold that pace for two minutes.

I switched back to easy pace, and 37 minutes into the workout, I could feel the muscle spasm. It gets really tight, to the point where I can't even stand up straight. I was tempted to call it quits, but the pain wasn't half as bad as it was on Tuesday, so I decided to try to keep running. By the time the easy portion was over, the spasm was nearly gone. I finished out the tempo and hard pace parts, and then ran easy for 10 minutes--70 minutes, run and done!

I'm really glad that I stuck it out. I never feel good about myself if I cut a run short (actually, I very rarely even do that). It feels good to find faster paces are starting to feel easier. This training is starting to pay off! Now, I just have 11 weeks to get in shape to PR my 10K.

---

If you haven't already, make sure you check out the Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K details and sign up! You can run or walk, outside or on a treadmill, a track, or whatever else you'd like. It takes place on Monday (my birthday!). I haven't really decided what I'm going to do yet--if I should run it hard or just stick to my running schedule (actually, I'm not even scheduled to run that day).

Continue Reading...

Week 23 Weigh-in (and a FAQ)

I used to absolutely dread my Wednesday Weigh-ins, which is part of the reason I stopped doing them for a couple of years. But now that I've gotten so consistent with my eating, I don't dread Wednesday mornings at all. Even seeing a gain (a normal fluctuation) doesn't bother me, because I know that I am being consistent with my eating habits.

And, I have to say, seeing the 120's has been awesome! Today's weigh-in:

I was at 128, which is the same as last week. Another week of maintenance success :)

This week, my average daily calorie intake was 1,831. As far as my long-term goals:

7K steps 6+ days per week: I only managed five days this week. The weather turned, and it has been such a BITTER cold this week. I'm not making excuses, though--I just really didn't want to go for a walk in the cold on my rest days!

Stay binge-free: Success! Today is day 169 of my binge-free streak. I love love love feeling in control over food again. My longest streak ever was 365 days, so I'm going to try and beat that.

Try one new recipe each week: I actually made two new recipes this week. The first was Shrimp Scampi Pasta, and unfortunately, nobody in the family liked it. Normally, I love shrimp scampi (and of course I love pasta); but this one was VERY lemony, and that's what we agreed we didn't like about it. (I'm a lemon fan for sure, but not so much in the shrimp scampi)

The second recipe I tried was for Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal. We had this for dinner yesterday, and it was delicious!

I thought my kids would complain the entire time about eating oatmeal (especially for dinner), but they actually really liked it. Eli even had seconds. The only change I would make to this recipe is to cut the amount of salt in half. It tasted pretty salty to me (and I happen to love salt!). But I would definitely make this again (Eli has requested that we eat it often, haha).

So, over all, I did pretty well on my goals this week (two out of three, anyway):

(This app is called Momentum)

My 10K training went pretty well this week, too, except for yesterday's run. I was doing my 5 x 4:00 intervals, and got a severe abdominal muscle spasm--I really wish I knew what was causing these! I couldn't run (it hurt to even walk), so I hobbled home. I only made it through two and a half of the intervals. I was bummed, because I was doing really great with my speed (7:32, 7:35, 7:06). These ab spasms are new to me, just occurring since October. They don't happen all the time, but when they do, it's usually during a hard workout (intervals or tempo). I've been reading what I can find about it, so I'm going to start noting when they happen and see if I can find a pattern as to what is causing them.

Anyway, my runs for this week:

---

I've answered this question before, but I am still getting several emails a day asking the same question--so I'm going to post it here, too.

FAQ: How did you determine the number of calories you eat per day?

Answer: I didn't. I never set a goal for the amount of calories I would eat--I just started logging my food, eating three meals and one "treat" a day, and it ended up working out to being about 1500-1600 per day. That was enough to keep me from being hungry and to fuel my runs, but also able to lose weight. When logging my food, I just wanted the total calories to be "reasonable"--but I didn't (and still don't) aim for a particular number or range.

I think the best way to find out how many calories to eat is to experiment! Pick a number, and try it for a week--if you lose weight and feel good, awesome. If not, try a different number. When I first started counting calories, I had no idea how many would work for me. I knew I wanted to be able to eat as much as possible, but still lose weight. So, I just started eating what felt like a "normal" amount of food, and it worked out to be around 1500-1600 calories on average. In maintenance, I've been eating more than that, but I've still lost another five pounds.

The way I've lost the weight is truly as simple as it could possibly get--counting calories. I don't look at the macronutrients (fat, carbs, protein), or anything else. I wanted to go back to the basics and keep it as simple as possible. So, I just eat whatever I want, and I log the calories for it, trying to keep it "reasonable". I wrote a FAQ post about the calorie counting, which you can find here, so that answers more questions.

The bottom line is, with any sort of weight loss, to experiment and see what works best for YOU :)

Continue Reading...

Running Motivation (movies and books)

I didn't get a single Motivational Monday submission this week! I'm going to cut back the Motivational Monday posts down to "Monthly Motivation" or something like that. Since I've only been getting one or two per week lately, I'll just save them up and post them once in a while.

To keep with the "Motivation" theme today, however, I thought I'd share some of my favorite movies and books about running! I've included the trailers for the movies, so you can see for yourself if it's something you'd like to watch. (I am sorry, but I had to truncate this post because of all the media on it, so if you're reading this on a reader or email, you'll have to click through to the blog).

Here they are, in no particular order...

McFarland, USA

Available on Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes

This is your typical feel-good Disney movie. A physical education teacher of a Latino school discovers several kids with some serious running talent (or potential, rather). He begins to train them to run cross country, despite the kids' parents not being very supportive. As most Disney movies are, it's predictable and a little corny at times, but it is very inspiring and makes you want to run. AND, it's based on a true story!

---

Prefontaine

Available on Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes

Chances are, if you're a runner, you know who Steve "Pre" Prefontaine was. He was a track runner in Oregon who was as confident and cocky (in a likable way) as he was talented. He once held the American record in SEVEN different track events, and he competed in the 1972 olympics. The movie details his life, which ended tragically at age 24. (I recently discovered that Pre and I were each born on January 25th! I think it's fun to share a birthday with a running celebrity.)

---

Saint Ralph

Available on Amazon (free with Prime!), Vudu, and iTunes

This movie is hilarious! It's about a ninth-grade boy named Ralph who attends a strict Catholic school. He's always getting into trouble, in the way a coming-of-age boy does. He gets caught smoking, and as punishment, he has to join the cross country team. His mother is in the hospital, dying, and Ralph makes a bargain with God that if God heals Ralph's mom, Ralph will train for and WIN the Boston Marathon. This movie is extremely entertaining! The only thing that would make it even better would be if it was a true story (it's not).

---

4 Minute Mile

Available on Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes

This movie made me want to run FAST. It's about a high school boy with a tough home life who is discovered to be a very talented runner (kind of like 8 Mile, the movie with Eminem, only instead of rapping, this guy runs). He is trained by (if I remember correctly) a former track coach who turned alcoholic. The coach decides he's going to train him for a sub-4:00 mile. I won't spoil the ending, but it's inspiring ;)

---

From Fat to Finish Line

Available on Amazon, Netflix, Vudu, and iTunes

I couldn't resist posting this one... From Fat to Finish Line is a documentary that I took part in when I formed a team of runners for a Ragnar Relay. Here are the posts about when/how the team came together. Our team was made up of 12 people who had lost a collective 1200 pounds and became runners throughout our journey. One of the girls that I asked to join the team happened to be a part owner of a small film company, Media Meld Studios, and they thought it would make an awesome documentary. The film has premiered in Nashville and in Las Vegas, and is now available on Netflix and iTunes! Here is the trailer (just try to watch this without getting goosebumps!)


The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young Available on Amazon, Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes
If you want some serious motivation, this is the movie to watch. These people are HARDCORE runners. They run a loop of what seems impossible terrain and elevation changes--100 miles, and it has to be completed in under 60 hours. There are only 40 runners allowed, and it fills up immediately. The application fee is only $1.60 (plus a license plate)--odd, but the film explains it ;) This is a must watch!

---

These are a few of my favorite books about running. I didn't include training books--these are stories/novels/memoirs about running. (Amazon affiliate links)
Running for My Life: One Lost Boy's Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games By: Lopez Lamong This is hands-down my favorite inspirational running book. This is the true story of Lopez Lomong, who went from a refugee from the Sudanese Civil War to being a Nike-sponsored athlete on the US Olympic team. If you find yourself making excuses not to exercise, or take care of yourself, this is a must-read. I felt SO incredibly grateful for my life after reading this book. 

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner By: Dean Karnazes Dean Karnazes is an incredible runner who can basically run for days without stopping. He never gets tired! I was hooked from the first page of this book, which details Karnazes' adventures and how he got started as an ultra runner. This is an interested read whether you are a runner or not!

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon By: Bart Yasso, of Runner's World Magazine In this book, the "mayor of running" Bart Yasso shares tales of some of his most interesting races. I've met Bart a few times at Runner's World events, and his stories are incredible. He has been all over the world and has done some really crazy races--including a naked run at a nudist camp! A very entertaining read.

Born to Run By: Christopher McDougall Additional: I feel like it would be a crime not to mention Born to Run, which is pretty much the most famous book of all time about running. I own a copy of the book, and I've started to read it probably five or six times, but I just can't get into it! I'm going to list it here anyway, because so many runners rave about it. (I'm vowing to read the book in its entirety sometime this year. Hold me to that!)

---

And there you have it--my very favorites. Do you have a favorite running movie or book? Please share!

Continue Reading...

A long run and high calorie day

Today was Eli's birthday party with his friends from school. He decided to have it at the roller skating rink again (he had his party there a couple of years ago). Yesterday, I went to Sam's Club to get his cake--a very non-traditional birthday cake:

It's called a "Scoop Cake", and it's basically layers of chocolate cake and frosting. Every time I see it at Sam's Club, I want to dive into it face first, but I've never actually bought one (it's big, and I would have eaten way too much of it). So, I decided to make today my high calorie day for the week, because I planned to have some of that cake!

Today also happened to be my long run day, and I had 60 minutes on the schedule. I was reading yesterday whatever I could find about the foot pod and the Garmin 620, because Garmin customer service never responds to my questions about how to calibrate it. On the 910XT, there was a calibration setting, where you would run half a mile and it would find the right calibration factor. For the 620, there is no calibration setting. Since I've been running on the treadmill lately, I'd really like to re-calibrate it.

Garmin must have updated the instruction manual online, because now it says that the foot pod is "self calibrating" to the 620--when you run outside using GPS, it automatically calibrates the foot pod. I never wear the foot pod outside, so I want to start doing that just to see if the it is, in fact, "self calibrating". I set the calibration factor to the factory setting, which is 100%, so that I could look at it later to see if it changed. (The Garmin automatically uses GPS first, and if GPS isn't available, it will use the foot pod data... so wearing the foot pod won't affect a GPS run).

After checking the weather, I dressed for cold and wind today. I started wearing a wind breaker type jacket over my regular running clothes when it's windy, and it's helped a lot! I should have tried that sooner. The jacket is super lightweight, so it doesn't add any warmth, but it helps keep the wind from penetrating my clothes. I wore two long sleeved layers plus the jacket, and it ended up being the perfect amount of clothes.

My heart rate was kind of high to start with today, and I felt like I was barely crawling along in order to keep my heart rate under 146. I had a headwind the first couple of miles, and my pace was close to 12:00/mi in order to keep my heart rate low. Once I turned away from the wind, I was able to go a little faster.

The last two miles felt amazing, likely due to the tailwind ;) The only bummer about running at such a low heart rate is that I don't burn as many calories--today, I only burned 461 calories for a 5.45 mile run (roughly 85 calories per mile).

I checked the calibration setting to see if it had changed from the 100% that I'd set it to, and it did! It was at 96.4%. I'll need to do some speed work outside with it to make it more accurate, but I'm glad to see that it really does "learn" the calibration from GPS runs. So, if you have a foot pod, leave it on your shoe whether you're inside or outside and it will calibrate to the GPS. Nice!

Since it was my high calorie day, I decided to get one of my very favorite foods for lunch--a 13-8-on-9 sub from Erie Bread Co. Eli and I went to pick up some supplies for his party, and while we were out, we got the sub to bring home and share (the sub is huge, and I estimate half of it to be around 1,000 calories!).

As I was eating it, I declared it the best thing I've ever eaten. Truly.

In the afternoon, we went to the skating rink for Eli's party. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't RSVP for a party--it only takes 30 seconds to send a quick text to let me know if they are coming. I had gotten responses from five kids, so I was planning on seven kids to be there (my boys, plus five of Eli's friends). We ended up having 11 kids show up! I had made a few extra goody bags, just in case we had an extra kid or two, but I only had 10 bags.

Eli had a lot of fun, though, so that's all that matters in the end.

(Noah and Eli are actually the same height, but Noah was wearing skates in this photo, and Eli was not.)

I skipped eating any pizza there, but I did eat some of the scoop cake. It wasn't as good as I was imagining, so I'll stop lusting over it when I see it at Sam's. There is some left over in the fridge right now, but it's not even tempting me. I'm kind of relieved! If it had been as good as I thought it would be, I would probably think about it way too much.

The kids are staying the night at my parents' house tonight, so Jerry and I were talking about going out, but I'm kind of exhausted--it's been a busy day. Today will likely be a "Netflix and chill" night--and I mean that in a LITERAL sense! Hahaha, I had no idea that "Netflix and chill" meant anything other than watching Netflix and relaxing, until I used that phrase a couple of weeks ago on my blog and a few readers pointed it out ;)

---

If you have a Motivational Monday submission, please send it on over when you can!

Continue Reading...

A flying lesson

Yesterday, I ended up getting a very interesting and informative lesson about flying :)

My friend Andrea's son is a friend of Eli's--he is going to be flying for the first time soon, and he was pretty nervous about it. He's a VERY smart kid, and I had a feeling that if he was able to talk to a pilot about how things worked on the airplane, he would feel more comfortable about his first flight. As you probably know, my brother, Brian, is a pilot for Delta, so I asked him if he would mind chatting with Andrea's son.

Brian is in the process of moving to Michigan, so he's been here a lot lately working on his house (he and his wife bought a foreclosure, and they are remodeling). He agreed right away, and thought it was so cute when Andrea's son said, "I never thought I'd be talking to a pilot. Like, ever. It's absurd." Hahaha. So, I picked up the kids from school and Brian came over, wearing his uniform and everything.

The kids were very interested in what he had to say (okay, I was, too!), especially when he talked about how the engines are even tested by throwing a (dead) chicken into them (to simulate geese, which can be a big problem for an airplane). They throw all sorts of stuff into the engines for testing. Brian showed the flight plans on his computer, and explained exactly how the plane is able to fly. He explained what all the noises would be (this was most interesting to me, because I panic when noises change on an airplane). He talked about turbulence, and why it happens. If nothing else, *I* feel much more at ease for my flight to Portland in April! ;)

Brian gave all the kids "wings" (the little pins that pilots wear). Eli declared that he wants to be a pilot. Let's hope that he will, because the parents of pilots get some pretty great benefits (flying for free) ;)

---

Today, I had another speed workout on the schedule: 12 x 1:00 at faster than race pace. My race pace is 7:55, so on my "fast" workouts, I try to aim for 7:50 or better. Since these were just going to be one-minute intervals, I decided to push the pace kind of hard, and aim for sub-7:00. (The roads are still icy, so I was on the treadmill again).

I ran a 10-minute warm-up, and then set the treadmill to 8.6 mph (a 6:59/mile pace). The first 30 seconds or so of the interval was a piece of cake. Then, of course, it started to feel harder. Knowing I was only running at that pace for one minute, though, made it very bearable. I did the first eight intervals at 8.6 mph, but my heart rate still wasn't getting up to 95%. Over the next four intervals, I increased the speed by 0.1 mph, so I did the last four at 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, and 9.0 mph (which is a 6:54, 6:49, 6:44, and 6:40 minutes per mile pace).

If you can't tell, I'm watching Gilmore Girls on my iPad. LOVE THAT SHOW!

I was kind of bummed to see that my foot pod showed me going slower than that, between 7:02 and 7:30. The interesting thing about calibrating the foot pod is that it can be spot-on for running at 6.0 mph (the speed that I calibrated it at), but then when I change to 5.0 or to 7.0, the calibration is off again. Between intervals, I just hopped off the treadmill and rested until my heart rate dropped down to 136. Since the intervals were so short, there was no point in changing speeds every minute. Over all, the workout went really well--almost too well. Next time, I'll try and do all of the intervals at 9.0.

Jerry and I bought Powerball tickets for yesterday's drawing (we've only ever bought tickets maybe three times, but since it was such big news, we just had to). We were talking about what we'd do with the money if we won, and I kept thinking of all the things I wanted to buy for other people: I'd want buy my dad a new boat, my mom a new car, pay off mortgages for all my family, send my siblings and friends on dream vacations, etc. Most of all, I would want for Jerry to not have to work another day in his life!

Jerry stopped me and asked what *I* wanted, and I had such a hard time thinking of something. I would want a new house, but nothing enormous--just modest and comfortable. After spending a good 10 minutes thinking it over, I finally figured out what I would want to buy for myself: a brand new treadmill! My treadmill is getting so rickety. Each time I use it, I'm afraid it's going to quit on me. So, if I woke up with $1.5 billion tomorrow, the first thing I'd buy is a fancy new treadmill! ;)

Continue Reading...

Week 22 Weigh-in (Eeek!)

Some pretty exciting news to share today! :) For the first time EVER on Runs for Cookies (which I started in April 2011), my "official" Wednesday Weigh-in weight was in the 120's...

I have no idea what my body was thinking this week, but I dropped three pounds since last week, leaving me at 128! I did my body fat percentage and waist measurement as well, since it's been a while and my weight has changed about five pounds in the meantime. Body fat was 20.1%, and waist measurement was 25 inches. That's the smallest my waist has ever been. The last time I was at this weight (for a brief moment in 2010), I hadn't gotten my skin removal surgery yet. My body is looking very different now--in a good way :)

While my official "goal weight" is 133 pounds, I am happy to be under that weight and have a cushion--this way, if I overindulge a bit, I can still stay under my goal. Also, since I set a very lofty goal of PR'ing my 10K this spring, the extra weight loss will certainly help with my running speed. Here is a chart from RunnersWorld.com that shows a rough estimate of how much faster you can run with a bit of weight loss:

I wasn't necessarily trying to lose weight this week, but my calories were a little less than the past few weeks. My average daily calorie intake was 1,620. I didn't really do anything very differently, so I'm not sure why the large weight loss, but I am happy with it.

The part that is most exciting for me, however, is that I am back to being 125 pounds down from my starting weight! When I initially lost 125 pounds, the last 10 of it was when my jaw was broken (in November-December 2010). My jaws were wired shut, so I had to live off of a liquid diet (a ton of smoothies!), and I'm pretty sure that's how I got down to 128. I was only in the 120's for a week or so before I could eat solid food again and I gained 10 pounds back almost right away. I just looked at my old weigh-in log, and here it is:

So, while I technically lost 125 pounds in 16 months back then, it was short-lived. Today, however, I can say that I am 125 pounds down from my 253-pound starting weight in August 2009! I am SO glad to be back to this point. I was thrilled to get to 133, which is my goal weight, but like I said, a little cushion is nice. When I was at this weight before, I was hoping to get to 126.5, because that would be exactly half of my starting weight--I always thought it would be so cool to say that I was half my size! I'm not exactly aiming for that number now, but I certainly won't be upset if I see it ;)

---

I did well on my new year's goals again this week:

Step goal: My goal is to get in 7,000+ steps per day for at least six days a week, and I did that every day except for Monday.

Binge-free streak: Still going strong! Today is Day 162. I did struggle a lot with binge thoughts this week, but I've been working hard to overcome them. Working on a puzzle at night has been the most helpful--the time flies by, and I actually don't even want to be "bothered" to stop to eat! My back hurts when I do puzzles for very long, so I try to change it up. Something else that I've been doing is taking Joey for a quick stroll around the neighborhood (one mile) if I'm feeling like bingeing. 

Recipes: My goal is to cook one new recipe per week, and I posted about this week's recipe yesterday.

For some reason, my anxiety has been extremely high this week. I have generalized anxiety disorder, so I don't worry about one particular thing; I just have a constant feeling of dread/worry that makes it hard to focus on anything else. I've noticed that what works the best to ease it, even better than a Xanax, is when I nail a hard run. Thursday's run kept me feeling amazing for a couple of days! And then yesterday, when my anxiety was bad again, I was talking to Jerry about it. As I was talking, and telling him how bad I felt about the run, I realized that I would probably feel better if I "re-did" my run that I'd quit earlier... and so I did. And I felt a million times better. 

For so many years (all through my teens and twenties), my anxiety was actually secondary to depression; but for the past few years, it's been anxiety that is the dominant problem. Now that I've noticed a correlation between a good, hard run and easing my anxiety, I'm going to try and use that to my advantage. Having a tough goal to hit and then actually reaching it gives me a nice "high" feeling that overrides the anxiety, at least temporarily. Tomorrow, I have another tough run on the schedule--12 x 60 seconds at faster than race pace. I'm going to try and push the pace hard for those intervals, because they are so short. And no, I won't be drinking wine tonight! ;) haha

Anyway, I am SO very excited to be back down to this weight--I honestly never thought I'd see it again, nor did I even try to get here again. Calorie counting is working out so well for me!

Continue Reading...

A rare double run

I'm somewhat relieved that I'm not writing the post I thought I would be writing today. Yesterday afternoon, after I picked up the kids from school, we stopped at Kroger before going home. As we were walking into the store, we saw a black cat (probably about 4-6 months old?) run out from some bushes in the parking lot. The cat looked around frantically, looking scared to death, and then darted back into the bushes.

The poor cat looked extremely skinny and its fur didn't look very healthy at all. When I see the feral or stray cats in neighborhoods, I feel awful for them and want to bring them home, but I manage to restrain myself (we have enough pets). But the Kroger parking lot was a different story! There aren't any houses in close proximity to the store, and the bushes that the cat was hiding in were on a little island of landscaping in the parking lot. Basically, I could safely assume that someone had just dropped off the poor cat.

I couldn't just leave it there. It was 10 degrees outside and we were expecting more snow through the night. So, the kids and I went over to the bushes and started calling to the cat, hoping to coax it to come out. The bushes were pretty thick, and I couldn't see the cat in there. We eventually went into the store, and decided to look again on our way out.

When we left the store, we went back over to the bushes, and tried again. Still no cat. So as sad as it made me, we went home. When Jerry got home, I told him the story, and he felt awful, too. He decided to take a can of cat food and see if he could find the cat, and if not, at least leave the food for it. He tried for about 20 minutes, but he didn't have any luck either.

I really don't want any more pets, but there was no way I could have left that cat in the parking lot! So, I imagined I'd be writing a post today about Janice, our new kitty (or maybe Gunther, if it was a boy). Anyway, I just hope that someone else picked up the cat and that he or she is nice and warm in someone's house.

---

Last night, Jerry was off work, and we decided to share a bottle of wine in the evening. I mentioned recently that I haven't been drinking wine much lately, and I've turned into a total lightweight. A bottle of wine is 25 ounces, so I had 12.5 ounces--and I actually woke up feeling hungover! I never used to feel hungover from half a bottle of wine (it's only about two generous glasses). My stomach felt gross, and I had a bit of a headache. Perfect for doing speed work! Ugh.

The kids' school ended up being canceled today because it was snowing like crazy, adding to the ice and snow that are already covering the roads. I can't do speed work in the snow (well, I could, but I would probably fall on my face), so I went out to the garage to do it on the treadmill. On the schedule today was 4 x 6:00 at faster than race pace, with recovery until my heart rate gets down to 136. I started with a 10 minute warm-up.

I did the first interval at 8.0 mph (7:30/mi pace), and I was able to finish, but I was NOT feeling well at all. My stomach was feeling gross and I had a sharp side stitch that I couldn't shake. Halfway through the second interval, I decided to call it quits. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to make it through the workout. (Note to self: No wine the night before speed work!)

I felt guilty for the whole rest of the morning, and was still thinking about it after lunch. I told myself I could make it up on Thursday, but I still felt like I should have pushed myself through and finished the workout. Finally, at around 1:00, I decided that I was going to try again. I was feeling better, and even though I was warm and cozy inside the house (and showered), I decided to change back into running clothes and attempt to do the speed workout (again).

This time, after my warm-up, I started my interval at a more conservative pace (7.8 mph, or 7:41/mile pace). It doesn't sound like a big difference from the 8.0, but it felt more comfortable. I told myself if I could just get through two intervals, I could stop feeling guilty. Bonus if I could get through three!

It was NOT easy by any means, but I managed to push myself through three intervals. Then I decided to go for the fourth. Even though I had done one and a half earlier in the day, I knew I would feel really good to get the whole workout done at once. And just to torture myself further, I even decided to set the speed at 8.0 mph for the last one, and finish strong. I pushed myself to the max, and I did it! I had run all four six-minute intervals at 7:30-7:41 pace (and 1% incline). I felt much better about myself after that!

---

For Taste Test Tuesday this week, I chose to try this recipe for Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta. It's basically pasta with a garlicky béchamel sauce and parmesan cheese. I love garlic and pasta, so this sounded delicious! I didn't have any penne, so I just used cavatappi instead.

I was so good--lots of garlic flavor, which my whole family loved. It made eight servings, so I had it for lunch the next day, too.

---

If you haven't already, make sure you check out my annual Runs for Cookies Virtual 5K details and sign up! Here is a link to the post that explains all about it.

Continue Reading...