V-Day Long Run.

I got all mushy with my husband and kids, and then skipped out to have my affair with running. It was a GORGEOUS day. A day that just can't go without a run. It was my long run day, supposed to do 10 miles, and I haven't accomplished that distance since the day I did my first Half Marathon... 5 weeks ago. How sad is that? I have my second Half coming up, at Red Rock Canyon. I figured it was finally time to get my butt out there. I haven't been running out there since like... April of 2009!

So I gather my gear, get out there, it's PACKED with people and cars. I kinda like that since it means that if anything happens to me there are tons of people to notice and help. However, it does make it even more dangerous with more drivers on that road... there's some irony for ya.

I usually start off my runs feeling strong in my legs. The cardio aspect is usually a killer for the first 2 miles though. This run, right from the start my legs were a little sore. I realize I did my usual Body Pump class yesterday and we do a lot of lunges and squats... now I have to reevaluate how to handle this scheduling. That's for later though.

So long story short.. I end up walking. I can't get my legs up these hills. Even walking is getting me really out of breath. At this point I'm thinking "this is PURE torture". Usually I have those thoughts temporarily during a hard hill or for those first hard cardio 2 miles. But this was neverending. Finally at around 3.5 miles, I decide I'm done... I can do the 3.5 back to the car for a 7 miles run, but I can't finish this out to 10 miles. I just really can't on these hills. Of course, as I'm running downhill back I feel awesome. My legs are working great and my spirits are back up. But really for how long? It's only because I'm going downhill. Whatever, I'm just enjoying my run!

I get back to the car. I'm at 7.25 miles. I grab some water and had just ate an Apple Cinnamon Hammer Gel on the that run back. I call hubby to tell him I'm such a dork and can't finish my 10 miles... I watch these people take some wedding pix... and I decide. I'M GOING FOR IT. I don't care if I had to take a short break. I want to finish this darn 10 miles!

I lock up the car. I run about 1.4 up, 1.4 back. 10 MILES DONE! It took 2:02:--. It wasn't easy. It was very hard. I am debating if I'm cut out for this Red Rock Half. I'm sincerely ok with accepting that I may not be ready for it. I will hit Red Rock for 10-milers on Sundays until then.

Junk Food is Addicting!

I have been doing so well, keeping up with my running, weight training balance, core, etc... and I was doing excellent with eating clean.... until SuperBowl! I let myself have some stuff I don't usually eat (main things were lots of sugary foods and soda). It was good and I didn't feel the least bit bad... but then I got these horrible allergy symptoms, my skin's breaking out all over, and I'm horribly hungry and tired like allllll the time.

I really can't eat that %^*&!!

So despite the eating and allergies, I have been kicking booty with my workouts. I had THE BEST 5-miler on Thursday. I run out in Henderson before bible study. It's a quaint peaceful area. There are rolling hills, road, sidewalk, a black running path along a wash, and even a soft gravel type dirt path. I felt like a million bucks after that run! I used the "run 1 mile - walk 1 minute" method this day and also last Tuesday for a 5-mile treadmill run. I really felt the difference! It makes the run much more enjoyable. As long as I can walk just the right pace to let the muscles take a break yet not let the HR drop too much. I've also been having faster runs (averaging around 11-min miles even with the consistent walk breaks).

Tomorrow... 10 miles. I always say that and never go through with it. It gets bumped or cut short. After the run on Thursday, I'm really looking forward to another great run like that... just doubled :o)

Pray I feel better soon though... my skin is irritated, itchy, and I feel like I'm in a complete fog.

Melting away...

I'm on the west coast, so I'm definitely not talking about that fun snow they got in Jersey! booo (So jealous!)

I'm talking about me! I always had this far away "it would be nice to one day be there..." weight. Again, like I've said before, I'm really not trying to lose anymore weight. It will come with the territory for now and probably go back to increasing once I begin to build that muscle more. But either way, it's exciting! Today I weighed in @ 125.5! That 125 was always that one goal weight... the long term distance goal. But today I'm there and although really exciting (like really really exciting!), it's not how I always pictured reaching this goal.

When most people make a goal weight, they work diligently hard to get there and when they do... then what?

I have now reached every scale weight goal I've ever wanted.. and I don't plan on stopping my hard diligent work anytime soon. I want a lifetime of health, fitness, and athleticism. I want to run until I'm far into my older age... like 40! hahaha J/K! I know that's still young :o)

So yeah... just wanted to 'journal' this. It's been a pretty cool morning. Now I'm off to go pack a pound or two back on with some SuperBowl eatin'!

Saturday Feb. 6, 2010 - Body Pump

Today I hit a Body Pump class for the first time. Body Pump is a group class that works with barbells and removeable weights. Mats and the step boards are incorporated in for use as a bench. It was a lot of fun! Really easy to catch on, a great workout, I love being able to go at my own level, and the class is upbeat yet focused! The teacher explains everything really well before moving on to each section. After the 1-hour Body Pump class, I worked out my lower back with some 10-pound weighted back extentions, then a long ab routine. On my way out, I ran into my favorite triathlon Coach - Coach Nic of Nix Tri Planet. She had me try THIS! Inteeeense! Watch the little video on the right hand side of that page. I had worked out so much that I was hardly able to handle myself on this. I was shaking from the inside. It felt good lol

I will be trying my best to make the Body Pump class every Saturday. We'll see if things change when soccer starts, but for now it works.

I had an appt with a personal trainer @ LVAC on Thursday and she set up a great upper body workout for me. It targets arms, shoulders, back (all over), and core. My focus right now is really strengthening this core, including stability and balance. I want as complete centeredness as I can possibly get. I 100% believe this will strengthen me as a runner and triathlete.

I bought a bunch of salmon and talapia. Frozen isn't as good as fresh but it's better than not at all. At 100 calories, 20g protien, 1.5g fat, 0 carbs (per 4oz piece)- this is heaven! I had 2 for dinner tonight, with asparagus and brown rice.

Bananas - friend or faux?

This food still bugs me. I see runners shoving these down their throat like Brittany Murphy's husband did to In & Out's burgers, yet I'm still not sold on the banana. Bananas are almost fat free and a great source of phosphorous, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, vitamin E and vitamin B6... according to the informatin I'm reading. Yet they cost around 100-150 calories and can pack in around 25-35 carbs per banana. I TOTALLY understand the difference between bad carbs and good ones. "Good carbs" are the ones our body can use for energy purposes. "Bad carbs" turn to sugar faster and send bloodsugar surges that lead to weight gain and other crappy health issues. So getting back to the subject... bananas have a whole heck of a lot of carbs to such a small amount of food, but supposedly this is the good kind of carb and should help our body to have more good energy.

However, I was told not to eat bananas without some kind of protien to balance out the high sugars. Yet on the glycemic index chart, bananas are only at an 18 (0-250). They do contain about 15-20g of sugar though, and the majority of the calories come from these sugars.

So where does this leave the banana?
Are they a good fat free energy source packed with nutrients?
Or are they a high calorie, high carb, sugary snack?

I still have absolutely no clue. I just think it works for some, but not others. In the aspect of using this as a natural energy source for running, biking, or any athletic reason really, it's a much better grab than a cup of coffee, a white flour bagel, soda, or a sugary energy drink. As long as you go out and use this energy source, it can be a great food. If you're going to be sitting around eating bananas, probably not so great. Bananas happen to be my daughter's all time fav food, but I figure she's little and needs that kind of energy. Her little body probably burns that off just running from one end of the house to the other!

And yes... apparently I just wrote a whole blog post on one piece of fruit.

Week in review...

I've been keeping so busy I hardly have time to update!

Monday: run (can't remember mileage & don't have Judy handy)
Tuesday: run (can't remember this either!)
Wednesday: 2 mile run & 1-hour spin class
Thursday: 2 mile run & upper body/core workout with personal trainer @ LVAC
Friday: a very welcomed rest day!

My calf strain was bothersom this week. It doesn't hurt too bad while running, but does hurt a lot in the recovery. I kept the miles low this week but stayed consistent. With our busy schedule last week I'm proud of myself for getting anything at all!

To Keep You Busy...

As if you don't have a million other things to do.. I know I should be cleaning the bathrooms right about now :o)

All About Vitamins and Diet! This is a series of mini clips with excellent information!

Stats Update

It's been a while since I've updated my stats (measurements).

It's hard(embarassing really!) to admit where I was over a year ago, but through this I'm learning to take care of myself - mind, body and spirit. Through sharing my successes and struggles, my experience and lessons learned, I hope I can encourage others to take a chance with a healthier lifestyle. You don't have to run half marathons or do triathlons. Just get active in whatever way you enjoy and start being aware of your body. This is our temple. God gave us this body for our soul to dwell in while here on Earth, let's treat it as wonderful as it was made for us.

November 2008 I was 170 pounds. That was only 10 pounds lighter than when I gave birth in January 2008. I didn't take measurements at this time. I never expected to get these results!

May 2009 - after 3 5k races and 2 triathlons, I was high at 157 pounds. This is when I started Beachbody and became a Coach. I took measurements this time.

MAY 2009
WEIGHT: 157
ARMS: 12in
WAIST: 34.5in
HIPS: 40in
CHEST: 38.5in
THIGHS: 24in
CALVES: 13in

CURRENT:
WEIGHT: 127.8 (this is a total of 42.2 pounds!)
ARMS: 10.5in
WAIST: 29in
HIPS: 35.5in
CHEST: 35.5in
THIGHS: 20.5in
CALVES: 12.5in

I'm very happy with all my stats. I've worked hard and feel healthy! Not just because I'm shrinking, but because of the lifestyle. I think I'd be happy at whatever measurement/weight as long as I felt this good and healthy! I stopped trying to lose weight/inches months ago. I hit a place I felt comfortable. However, by continuing to do what I love, everything keeps going down.

I do still have goals though!
My problem area at the moment is muscle definition, which I posted about yesterday. I want to tighten up these abs and see more flat/muscle definition. That's the one measurement number up there that I'm not all that extatic about. I'm very proud of what I've lost in the waist, but I'm not totally content with the measurment it still is. However, having the definition show through is more important to me than measurements.

So if anyone out there actually reads all this mummble jumble of a mess I write... Go out and take a walk, ride your bike, pop in that TurboJam DVD that you ordered ages ago. Don't think of it as exercise. Kids on the playgroud don't think of how many calories they're burning, they just go out and have FUN! When they're tired of the swings, do they just give up on the whole playground? NO. They go play on the slide, the jungle gym, they run around and play tag. So when you get bored with something, try something new. Just never give up entirely! It's positive YOU time!

Don't forget I'm a Beachbody coach - so if you need a swift kick in the butt, some encouragment or direction, I'm always here. There are plenty of at-home tools to get you where you desire to be with a healthy lifestyle.

"Am I Strict With My Diet?" Part #3 - Eatin' Good In The Neighborhood...

I think I might already have a post titled this... hmm

Anyway! It's been like a week since I checked in. Lots going on! The hustle and bustle of mommy life never stops but some times are busier than others. It seems to have picked up in our household and I don't forsee much slowing down as soccer is soon to start! I also have another bible study begining this week. Lots of volunteering, house cleansing, working on getting into my EMT courses. Lots of exciting stuff!

So last week, I went to speak with someone about nutrition. She was very educated and helped me so much! If you read my previous posts about "Am I Strict With My Diet?" (parts 1 & 2) then you'll have seen that I'm very careful with what I eat. However, in being so careful I also lost being able to get in everything my body needs. I'm not finding sufficient protien replacements other than egg whites. Which I get very tired of. Then there are beans, but beans are also a carb which can be a scary area. What carbs are good? Bad? What are complex carbs? What if my body can't break down the sugar of just eating a banana or bagel like other runners?

So this Miss Nutrition lady really helped me out! She gave me a break down of how many grams of carb, fat, and protien I should take in according to how many calories I'm eating. She also gave me examples of healthier carb choices. My goal now is to continue to stay trim and keep up the endurance, but I want to.. I guess you could say "bulk up". Not manly-like or female bodybuilder type stuff. Just see definition... get some 6-pack abs... or 8 pack, I'm not picky =)

Disclaimer - everyone's body types and nutritional needs are different. Don't just go following what I do. I shouldn't have to say this but well.. ya know.

So here it goes:
1200 calories/day (I've played with this number a lot and this seems to work best for me.)
90g protien/day
120g carbs/day
40g fat/day
I'm also continuing to take in my weight in ounces of water (example 150 lbs, 150 oz)

So are you curious how I'm doing so far??

I'm sucking in the protien department. But I'm well in the other areas. I'm actually finding it hard to get in as much food as I should have. I'm not always eating my full 1200 calories and that's already a low number to begin with. I'm just not hungry and I'll admit, as a vegetarian I'm finding it hard to get high protien sources without the fat/carbs. I can see where chicken comes in pretty handy. It's low in fat and carbs, but dishes a good amount of protien. Unfortunately, I don't like meat, so I shall survive! I found that Morning Star Original Grillers are a great source of protien!
They look like this for nutrition: 130 cals, 15g protien, 5g carb, 6g fat
And they're sooooooo delish!

I tried edemame for the first time last night. I always heard of it, but had no idea where to even find it at the store. You can buy it frozen in the pods... in the frozen section with the veggies. They're really good! But a little bit of a pain having to pop them out of the pod. Give yourself some time with them. I figure they're like pistachios (my fav!) - a little work goes a long yummy way.

Overall, I feel really good about this. I have some more direction. I feel like this can get me where I want to be - more muscle (less bodyfat %) and toned definition. Goal 1 was to get healthy, Goal 2 was to accomplish racing events I never thought I could, Goal 3 (losing weight) kinda came along for the ride... now I'm focused on defining and staying healthy.

Most of all - Always always have fun and thank the Lord every single day!!!

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"