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Showing posts with label runnning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label runnning. Show all posts

Stress-Free To-Dos

My world seems to be spiraling out of control - well, not my entire world.  My half-marathon training is going perfectly.  Every time I hit the pavement I surprise myself, running 4 miles last weekend!  My time is getting faster and faster each time - I'm at an 11 minute-mile.

Now, here's where my world starts crumbling - the kitchen.  As I run faster, I begin throwing food in my mouth faster.  The story in the kitchen is pretty unfortunate.  I can't stay out - just eating anything and everything I can get my hands on; ice cream, Cheetos, crackers, pudding, chocolate - anything.

I've been trying to figure out why I am letting my diet get out of control.  The winner, STRESS.  I am so stressed out by my job, cooking, cleaning, getting sleep, sending out resumes... the list goes on.

A close second place, I'm afraid of being skinny.  Because I am burning so many calories with my half-marathon training my brain has apparently decided to overeat to make sure I don't lose weight.  Last week I ran a total of 10 miles and cross-trained for another hour, but somehow I gained almost 2 pounds.  Of course when I say 'somehow' I mean... by eating ice cream, cheetos and crackers.

Last month I wrote about my chocolate escape - eating to escape the reality of life.  A lot of my wonderful blog readers supporters urged me to write a list of things I could do instead of binging.  I did just that!


When something other than hunger sends me to the kitchen I will look at my 'Stress-Free To-Do' list instead.
1. write
2. dance
3. take a walk, at least to the mailbox
4. get out of the house
5. head to the gym
6. read
7. bubble bath
8. scrapbook
9. organize something

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Last Day

On my morning news show I have a little 45 second segment called "Jump on Today." It runs each half hour and includes 3 quick little updates of things that are happening that day. Well, today I'm going to do that for you - accept instead of a Jump on the Day's News... you'll get a Last Day Update.

Here's a look at what I'm quitting ending today:
- The summer challenge. The last several weeks were quick and mostly painless - with me keeping nearly all of my goals *nearly all of the time. My list of achievements include losing 10.2 pounds, binging less than five times, and of course starting my marathon training.
- Intuitive Eating. It's a nice idea, but too early for me. I still want to lose a good 15 pounds and I don't think I can do it with Intuitive Eating. Last week I lost only .2 pounds which was disappointing during a week of intense exercise and my first week of I.E. Will re-visit when I'm at the maintaining stage.
- Obsessively Weighing Myself.  The scale is not my friend - and I need to stop making hourly play-dates with it.  Seriously, I know pooping makes me weigh less, eating makes me weigh more, and sleeping can go either way - so why am I still weighing myself after each thing I do?  My hubby will get the special operations assignment today to hide the scale.

Now on to something I won't be quitting - the marathon!  Last time I told you about my training it was a pretty depressing 'shoulda, woulda, coulda' post about giving up mid-run.

Now, I'm running with more strength than ever.  This morning I did a 3 mile run (for the second time!).  I honestly didn't know if I could do it after my first attempt to run 2 miles.  Who knew 2 miles could soon be a sinch?!  Well, take that word "sinch" loosely.  It's still tough, but I push through it.  On Wednesday I have my longest run yet - 3.5 miles.  I'll tell you how it goes.  Oh - and I posted an update about the marathon on my personal facebook account - now all my friends know.  There's no turning back now!
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First Comes Health

My whole life my weight loss battle has been just that - a weight loss battle.  Everything about my quest to get healthy has never had anything to do with health, but everything to do with my dress size, the pounds on the scale, and eliminating cellulite.

This week, however, all that changed.  Last week, I told you about my new goal to run a half-marathon.  This was my first week of training and it was not easy.  I ran a total of 5 1/2 (and some change in my pathetic attempt to run 3 miles).  Plus, I had 30 minutes of weight-lifting and another hour of cross-training. 

My obsessions with the scale and calories made a 180.  Instead, my thoughts were full of tips to finish my runs, plans for cross training, and stretching.

When I constantly think about the foods I should and shouldn't eat I find myself munching everything, standing in the middle of the kitchen grabbing anything from any shelf that looks half-way appetizing.  This week that didn't happen.

It was probably a mix of things keeping me out of the kitchen including that I just didn't have time!  Training takes a lot of time, so I didn't even have a moment to consider the binge walk around my kitchen.  Second - crap food doesn't sound good when you have a workout regimen to stick to.

Here's the perfect example - on date night my husband and I went to Chili's.  My go-to meal choice is the Chicken Crispers at a whopping 1290 calories.  When I sat down I thought about ordering the fried-deliciousness, but that deliciousness didn't sound delicious at all.  When I thought about it... I pictured how it would feel in my stomach - heavy, stale, sticky and ugh (yes, ugh is a verb).  Instead, I chose the Caribbean Salad with Grilled Chicken at 620 calories (that's with dressing, and I did not have the dressing).  I can honestly say, I felt like salad.  I wanted to fill myself up with fresh pineapple and romaine lettuce.  Yum.

What else can being healthy first conquer?  The scale.  As many of you know, I'm obsessed with it - weighing myself before bed, when I wake up, before and after going to the bathroom, with clothes on, without clothes on, even after blowing my nose (yeah, I know - pathetic).  This week I weighed myself once - one time people.  By the time the weekend rolled around, I was thrilled to step on the scale to 2.3 weight loss.

Everything was easier this week when I put health first.  I didn't get lost in the calorie-counting and pound obsessing and look at that - 2.3 pounds gone.  Even before the scale patted me on the back for a week well done, I felt great.. and dare I say, looked great.
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You Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man

Well, actually, you probably can catch me.  And wow, gingerbread sounds good right about now!  Okay, okay - now to what this post is about - I have mapped out my half marathon training plan!

This will be my first 1/2 marathon.  I am so excited and a little bit nervous.  I am using Hal Higdon's Novice 12-week plan.  To be ready for the Rock n' Roll Las Vegas marathon I have to start in three weeks.  But I'm adding three extra weeks - the first two will help me get up to three weeks.  The third will be a repeat of the 4 mile week. 
 
Here's the schedule:
Week 1:
Mon: 2 miles
Tue: 20 minutes cross-training
Wed: 2.5 & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 30 min. cross-training
Sat: 3 miles (almost, only ran 1 mile... ran/walked the rest)
Sun: REST!

Week 2 (8.30.10 - 9.5.10):
Mon: 2.5 miles
Tue: 20 min. cross-training
Wed: 2.5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 30 min. cross-training
Sat: 3 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 3 (9.6.10 - 9.12.10):
Mon: 3 miles
Tue: 20 min. cross-training
Wed: 3 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 30 min. cross-training
Sat: 4 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 4: (9.13.10 - 9.19.10)
Mon: 3 miles
Tue: 20 min. cross-training
Wed: 3 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 30 min. cross-training
Sat: 4 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 5: (9.20.10 - 9.26.10)
Mon: 3 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 3 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 30 min. cross-training
Sat: 4 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 6: (9.27.10 - 10.3.10)
Mon: 3.5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 3.5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 40 min. cross-training
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 7:
Mon: 3.5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 3.5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 40 min. cross-training
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 8:
Mon: 4 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 4 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: REST!
Sat: 5K
Sun: REST!

Week 9:
Mon: 4 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 4 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 40 min. cross-training
Sat: 6 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 10:
Mon: 4.5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 4.5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 50 min. cross-training
Sat: 7 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 11:
Mon: 4.5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 4.5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 50 min. cross-training
Sat: 8 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 12:
Mon: 5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 60 min. cross-training
Sat: 9 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 13:
Mon: 5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: 2 miles
Fri: REST!
Sat: 10k
Sun: REST!

Week 14:
Mon: 5 miles
Tue: 30 min. cross-training
Wed: 5 miles & 30 min. strength training
Thur: REST!
Fri: 60 min. cross-training
Sat: 10 miles
Sun: REST!

Week 15:
Mon: 30 min. strength training
Tue: 4 miles
Wed: 30 min. strength training
Thur: 2 miles
Fri: REST!
Sat: REST!
Sun: 1/2 marathon

What are your thoughts?  I especially want to hear from the people who have done this before.

I'm kind of worried about scheduling a 10K only two weeks before the marathon.  Obviously a 10K is less distance than the 9 miles Hal Higdon requests I run that week.  In November, there is only one 10K happening in Las Vegas.  I really feel like I should get out and run on the road to get an idea of what it's like to run around other people in a race situation.

I'm also a little concerned about the cross training.  My cardio has always been running.  What are my options for cross-training; cycling, swimming, and.... what?
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