Turn that frown upside down

Today was a blah day. Nashville hasn't seen the sunshine in several days, a tight deadline at work had stress levels running high and my eating habits haven't been the best the last 3 days.

This all left me with a blah attitude and I REALLY didn't want to trudge to the gym in the rain.

But I did.

I started off my first mile at my normal 16:30ish pace. Then, I went to 2min/1min intervals of a 4 mph and 3.7 mph pace respectively. For my last mile, I ended up JOGGING five 1-minute intervals. And it felt good!

Around the half-way mark I thought maybe, just maybe I could get a 5K distance at or under 45 minutes. I didn't, but I still I felt so accomplished. I did 3.1 miles in 48:54 or a 15:40 pace, and that also included about a 3-5 minute warm up. So, Thursday I will try again, incorporating a little bit of jogging again.

Also, I have joined 5K in 100 days, too. So as soon as that starts up I'll devote a full blog post to it.

While running I realized I need some compression type pants to keep my stomach flab from flapping around. I think this will help care for my back too.

I also need to be sure to stretch my back out really well after each walk/run session.

Any tips for an overweight runner? Or someone with lower back issues?

Watch me finish the Mercedes Half Marathon

Thank you to EVERYONE who commented, emailed, tweeted or said any form of congrats to me the last few days. I am overwhelmed with the support and I feel so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life, whether we just know each other through the screens of our computers or you are the friends I lean to in my everyday life - I love you all!

That is a video of me finishing the half marathon on Sunday. Look at my cute little waddle run. Ha. Ha. The rest of the photos can be found here. Can't say I like any of them.

Official finishing times also were posted. I originally estimated I finished around 3:40. Well, the half-marathon Gods shone down upon me and my official race time was 3 hours 34 minutes 55 seconds. That's a 16:25 minute per mile pace!!! I exceeded everything I thought I was capable of on this day and the resulting confidence in myself and my body is astounding.

What's even more unbelievable to me is that my 10K time (6.2 miles) was 1 hour 34 minutes and 26 seconds or a 15:14 minute per mile pace. That means, my goal of a 45 minute 5K (and maybe 1:30 10K are within my reach).

Though, for now, my goals lie in other fitness areas (more on that tomorrow).

Also, in case you missed it, Emily over at Skinny Emmie was kind enough to allow me to guest post my half marathon training tips on her blog. She's doing her first half-marathon in April and I couldn't be more thrilled to watch her as she shares her journey to the finish line over the next few months. So for any of you who may be thinking a half-marathon is on your horizon, take a gander. And if you think a half-marathon is out of your reach, it's not. Trust me, just a little over 2 years ago I couldn't walk 3 miles if my life depended on it. Especially not at a 16:25 minute per mile pace.

I did it! Mercedes half-marathon race recap

A poorly planned and tired finishing pose.

I’m having trouble finding words to describe the race yesterday and I’m not sure where to start, so I’m just going to write as much as I remember about how I felt throughout the last several days. Feel free to skim, read all of it or skip altogether since this is mostly for my own benefit and I know it’s quite long.

As far as the actual race, it’s hard to recall all the details I had racing through my head at the time they happened because now that we’ve all crossed the finish line, I can only recall the feelings at the end – the reward. The one where you feel like the world is in your hands and you can accomplish anything.

Saturday night with the 5 of us racing the next day (and spouses) gathering at the lovely Jen West’s house for a delicious carb loading meal and Apples to Apples. It was a great, low key way to spend the night to get our minds (at least mine) off the impending race the next day.

There’s something about big events and races where I don’t sleep well the days and nights beforehand. I didn’t sleep well Friday anticipating my trip to Birmingham. Saturday I tried napping and never was able to fall asleep and Saturday night was the worst. I was in bed by 9:30, didn’t fall asleep until 11, woke up again at 2AM, couldn’t fall back asleep until 3AM and my alarm (all 3 of them!) went off at 5:15AM. Sigh. Luckily, I had enough excitement pumping through my veins to get me through with no cause for worry.

I was out of bed by 5:30AM and getting ready. First, I brewed a cup of coffee and ate my breakfast (whole wheat bagel, almond butter and banana). I wanted to do this step first in my routine to, ahem, let things settle. I followed the half a cup of coffee with about 12-13 ounces of water. Then I got dressed, put my race number on and did one last bathroom check and out the door I went!


I was lucky enough to be staying just 2 blocks away from the start line. So, I got down there quickly and just hung around. Fortunately, I ran into Jen and her husband Mike to snap a few pre-race pictures and get some excitement out chatting it up. About 20 minutes till start time we parted ways and I made my way to the back of the start chute. The slowest corral they had marked was 13+ minute miles. Ha! I am about a 17 minute mile, so as the corral filled up, I moved further back as to not block the way of those who were actually running.

Ready to go!

I forgot to look at the clock when I crossed the start line beginning my official time. My guess would be it took the back of the chute a minute or two to get up there. The act of actually crossing the start line was pretty anti-climatic and off I went. I didn’t put my ear phones in right away. I wanted to take in my surroundings at the start.

Mile 1-3: Pretty non-descript. The course as a whole was a little boring for me as I was in a foreign city and had no idea where I was walking, though I did end up seeing several familiar spots I visited on a previous trip to Birmingham. It was also different for me in that I had no chance to see anyone I knew unless it was on the course, as everyone I know in Birmingham was doing the race. Chez, who I met the night before, did pass me during the first 2 miles and I cheered her on. The first few miles felt slow. I started my strawberry banana Power Bar Energy Gel Blasts at Mile 3.

Mile 4-5: I finally felt in the groove. I did the first 3 miles in around 47 minutes. Pretty typical for me, but I still found myself being concerned with those passing me or trying to pass people. I struggled with this until Mile 6. I also kept looking over my shoulder to make sure the sweep up crew (those who take people off the course that aren’t keeping pace within the maximum time) wasn’t coming for me. I know it sounds silly, but I’m paranoid like that.

Mile 6-7: Despite hearing sad news that Jen blew her knee out and gracefully ended her run to prevent further injury, this was the portion of the course where I finally talked myself down from feeling self conscience about either getting passed or passing people. I kept repeating to myself, “This MY race and I’m going at my own pace. I am not doing this for anyone but me.” Finally having that in my mind helped me relax and get in my own world. Around Mile 6 the marathoners started passing us (not the cause of my passing anxiety, because…well duh) since it is a double loop course. It was pretty cool to see the leading runners pass by. I had 2 more Energy Gel Blasts at Mile 7.

Mile 8-9: At this point, I was staying strong on my 16 minute pace and it crossed my mind I had a chance of finishing at my never-vocalized, aspirational goal of finishing in 3:30. I held on to this thought, though not too hopeful, until about Mile 11 when my pace slowed. Mile 8 I was very excited as I counted on my fingers, “ 8 to 9, 9 to 10, 10 to 11, 11 to 12, 12 to 13 – only 5 miles!” I also started getting really emotional at Mile 9. After I had swore up I would never do another one again, I was doing another half-marathon. And quite frankly every mile was infinitely better than the first marathon I did in April 2009. This realization made me teary-eyed.

Mile 10: THERE ARE RAZOR BLADES IN MY SHOES. Really, that’s what it felt like. This is when the pain from blisters on both feet started. It felt like knives were stabbing my feet with every step I took. I can’t really explain why I got bad blisters. I haven’t had a blister at all throughout training and I did everything exactly the same. Wicking socks, Vaseline, same shoes. The only thing I can figure is that it was a combination of it being so hot outside (aka sweatier feet), my insoles wearing down (I’m ready for new ones) and my shoes being a half size too big, since my feet are shrinking with weight loss. I continued on, hoping the pain would subside. I was glad to only have 3.1 miles left at this point. Two more Gel Blasts before mile 10.

Mile 11-12: The emotions started pouring in again at Mile 11 where Lulumon was cheering on racers with inspirational signs. I started thinking about my brother, for who my journey for health was started for. After his death in 2006, I made a promise to myself that I didn’t want my parents to have to bury two of their children. Had I continued my life the way it was back then it could have happened that way. At Mile 11, I had to hold back as to not become a blubberer 2 miles before the finish line. The blister pain subsided temporarily, but I also slowed down considerably the last two miles (to about am 18-19 minute pace). I had the last two Gel Blasts at Mile 12.

Last mile: Felt like the longest on the course and there was a very clear hill ahead. A hill at the end - REALLY? This also happened to be when I received text messages from both Jen and my former co-worker, Liz who also ran the half, telling me they were waiting to cheer me on near the finish! What a boost! I love, love, love how encouraging everyone is on the last mile. Between the racers who are already done, walking opposite, or the spectators there who tell you, “just a little further” or “right around the corner and you’re done.” I love it. This was probably my favorite part of the race (besides finishing). At the top of the hill I saw Jen and Mike and was SO ENCOURAGED, I sped up a tiny bit to finish strong.

Finish line: So, one of the cool things about Mercedes is that they announce your name as you approach the finish line. Since I was the only one coming down the half-marathon chute at the time, I felt like I had my own personal cheering section. They announced my name and I took off running towards the finish. Yep, I ran the last couple hundred feet or so. AND THEN I WAS DONE and got a pretty medal. My unofficial time (as in, my guess) is 3 hours and 40 minutes. A 16:45 per mile pace.

I grabbed water and met up with Liz briefly, which was really fun since she is from Nashville. It was so exciting to see seeing a familiar face from home at the finish line. Then, I stretched out and headed over to where Jen and Mike were waiting for Chez to come in, within minutes she was crossing the finish line.

Then, it was time to see Stephen and Will across the finish line. As they were nearing the home stretch, Jen had the great idea to go down to cheer them on and support them by walking with them the last quarter mile or so to the finish line. It was overpoweringly emotional to see them cross the finish line and have the race director there waiting for Stephen to hand a medals and beer off to them. We were all across the finish line!

The beautiful and amazing half-marathon finishers medal.

Mimosas and brunch at Silvertron followed and made a perfect celebration for all of our accomplishments.

It’s hard for me to find words to describe the immense accomplishment I feel. I don’t know why, but I didn’t I feel that when I did my first half-marathon. This time, for the first time in my life, I felt like an athlete. Whether I am or not, well, I guess that just depends on who you ask. But the point is, I’m encouraged. If you can’t tell, I’m very competitive with myself. Shaving approximately 38 minutes off my half-marathon time from April 2009 until now encourages me that I can make this body of mine do whatever I set my mind to. I already have my eye on the next prize – details to come soon.

A couple notes about the course/day:
- Well organized event. Great supply of water, Powerade and GU for constant hydration and nutrition during the race.
- Perfect weather – in the 30s to start, hoodie was off by mile 3 and Sunny and 50s most of the race.
- Some of the roads on the course are in need of some major resurfacing. It was hard on my ankles to navigate all the tiny holes and cracks.
- Major hills! There weren’t a lot of “OMG I CAN’T WALK UP THAT” moments, but it was definitely very up and down throughout the course.

I feel incredibly lucky to have the friends and family that were rooting for me from near and far. Thank you to everyone who tweeted me along the way and throughout the race (I’m looking at you especially Brittany and Cyndi). Thank you to EVERYONE for your Facebook messages of encouragement and congrats (Sarah, we WILL walk a half-marathon together). You will never know how much those messages and tweets mean to me and how much it encouraged me along the way. Many thanks to Stephen, because if it wasn’t for him I never would have decided to do another half. Thank you to Jen and Mike, who are honestly the most genuine people I’ve come across. To KG; Miss Lynn; Jenne, Joe and Audren; Kari, Drew and Emmalyn and the rest of my Nashville and St. Louis friends, who continually tell me they are proud of me. Of course, I can’t forget my mom who replied to my text confirming I finished with, “That’s fast walking!”

There were a lot of great signs people put up throughout the course. My favorite was "It's not sweat, it's your fat cells crying." (no pic)

I didn't pilfer the super pictures others took before, during and after the race, so go read race recaps and see more pics from Jen (www.thejenwestquest.com) and Will (http://ducttapeweddingring.com) at their respective blogs.

UPDATED: Here is Stephen's post-race recap.

Early weigh in and pre race anxiety excitement

Amazing pre-race encouragement from a co-worker.

Last week's weight - 285.4

This week's weight - 284.0

1.4 pounds LOST

45.4 pounds lost since June 2010

I will totally take this number since I had a couple higher than normal calorie days (dang it, snow!) and I was technically "resting" so I only burned 1,400 calories exercising this week vs last week's 4,000.

I'm posting the weigh in for this week a day early because 1) I won't have access to a scale tomorrow and 2) want to focus on the race tomorrow, and not a pesky number on the scale. I am heading to Birmingham today for the Mercedes Half Marathon tomorrow!

I. Am. So. Ready.

I can't wait to get down there, pick up my packet and just chill before the 7 AM race Sunday. It couldn't be a more perfect weekend than I have planned. I'm staying at the closest hotel to the start/finish line (no parking headaches!) and the lovely Jen West over at www.thejenwestquest.com has invited a group of people doing the race over to her house for dinner tonight and I am so excited to meet her in person. She is the main reason I bought the Carb Lover's Diet book and is just an all around inspiring blogger and person.

I have so much built up excitement from my this week's "rest" week (read: lack of exercise) and just all around pre-race anxiety.

Expect a post-race recap first thing Monday morning! I hope the hotel has free wi-fi in the lobby or I can find a coffee shop to post from.

Wish me luck!

Weigh in - Week 35: The half-marathon is here

Last week's weight: 290.0
This week's weight: 285.4

4.6 pounds LOST

44 pounds lost since June 2010

Not much to say except BOOYAH!

I knew with my gain last week this week could turn out exciting. Of course I always wish it was a little more. But I am certainly happy with almost 5 lbs.

Yesterday I did my last long walk for the half marathon a week from TODAY. It's a bit bittersweet that training is coming to a close. Over the last 3 1/2 months, I've pushed myself harder than I previously have, I've hit milestones on the scale (and lost 18 pounds since training began) and I am ready for new challenges.

I definitely plan to continue my long walks on the weekends, but I am also looking towards new fitness goals to push my body further.

This week is technically a rest/taper week, however I will still do my yoga and water aerobic classes and do a couple 2-3 mile walks. I will take Friday and Saturday off in preparation for the Sunday half-marathon.

I'm off to go make some good (some healthy, some not) food for our Super Bowl party. I'm not partial to any particular team, so GO PACKERSTEELERS!!!

Right choice vs. the easy choice

Yesterday on the way to work it was gross and raining out. I left early to arrive with enough time to prepare for a 9am meeting. About half-way to work - BAM - some chick rammed her Crystler Pacifica into the rear end of my car.

I'm pretty sure I shouted a million expletives after impact.

I missed my 9am meeting and coupled with the fact it has been a busy week at work, I was thrown off the rest of the day. Also, I left work late to make up for the time I missed that morning. Who wants to go to the gym after THAT kind of day?

I didn't want to. But I did.

What makes us choose the right choice verses the easy choice? Over the last 4-6 months I've worked really hard to eliminate excuses from my decision making. If I would have chosen to NOT go to the gym and walk my 4 miles last night, then I would have been making a piss poor excuse. There was no physical reason why I couldn't go to the gym. Because I had a bad day? Wrong - exercise relieves stress. Because I left work late and wouldn't get home until 7:30 pm if I went to the gym? Suck it up, eat a snack and get to the gym.

Yes, I did get home 12 hours after I left my house that morning. And yes that sucks, but did it hurt me? No.

When you want to make an excuse and take the easy way out of something, I encourage you to take a look at really WHY you are making that excuse and evaluate if it's the right choice or the easy choice.

Going "Loko"

View 2010-12-21 09:14 in a larger map

This was my "almost" 4 mile walk yesterday. I probably should have mapped my walk before heading out, but instead I just set off and just went where my feet took me. I am so thankful my mom lives in a safe, residential area perfect for taking my feet to the streets! I'll do another 4 miles tomorrow and on Friday I'll do my DIY 5K Santa Shuffle. That one I'll for sure need to map before hand.

I am eating fine, but last night I indulged in the alcohol a bit. Ever heard of Four Loko? Yes, the stuff that was pulled from the shelves because it caused a few deaths and heart attacks. Well, I tried the non-caffeinated version last night. I guess the draw is that is it cheaper than liquor, but has 12% alcohol - more than twice that of it's beer counter part. It didn't have a nutrition label so I have no idea for sure, but it tasted like it was filled with 5 million grams of sugar (and yes, it tasted good). Looking up the calorie count on Spark People, I found it has 660 calories in an almost 24 ounce can (and some sites report 60 g of sugar and 65 carbs). YES - I typed that correctly - 660! I only had about half a can because it was so sugary I couldn't drink it all. With that much sugar, it sure did cause an epic sugar crash too. Obviously this isn't something I should ever put in my body again. But when in Rome...

Closed

Imagine my surprise when I was actually LOOKING FORWARD to heading to the gym after work in the snow, ice and -3 windchill. Yep, all I wanted was to hit the treadmill for an hour and decompress from my day.

However, my plans came to a screeching halt.

While in the elevator, my co-worker informed me the employee gym closed at 4 pm today.

Say what!?!

So my walking plan has been thwarted for the week. There's no way I can walk Thursday because of a work holiday party. And Friday is out because I am walking 9 miles on Saturday morning. So, now I'm down to just walking Tuesday (after a wine party) and Wednesday. Damn.

This makes it even more important to watch my calorie intake, this week, amidst plenty of holiday temptations and my very own baked goods staring me in the face.

I should be prepared with a back-up at home workout, but I have no idea what that should include. What is your favorite at-home workout?

It always comes back to being prepared

It was a frustrating walk today. My GPS tracker on my phone crapped out on me (couldn't find the GPS signal where I was - I think it was weather related) and I had no idea how far I walked. I decided to walk for approximately 2 1/2 hours and figured that would be around the 8 miles I needed, but unfortunately I turned around about a mile too soon and ended back at my car only about 1:45 hours in. I tacked on about a mile at the end by walking down 8 blocks past my car and the 8 blocks back, but it still only gave me around 7 miles. I was frustrated at the end because my feet hurt and I FELT like it could have been 8 miles.

I plan to make up the miles this week by walking Mon, Tues, Wed. (I have a holiday party on Thurs. and need to walk Wed instead.)

This morning made me realize I NEED to start planning my long walks out better so that I have fresh locations AND I know how far I am walking when I go out in case the GPS tracking on my phone doesn't work.

I think the sleepless night I had last night contributed to my frustration of not completing the 8 miles, but I'm trying REALLY hard not to let it get to me knowing I will get in extra miles this week. On another note, my calorie differntial is looking really good this week, so hopefully I have a good weigh in tomorrow.

3 miles: personal record!

You may have seen this on Twitter, but I almost forgot to post here that I did my 3 mile training walk last night in 47:53 - a personal record! That is approximately a 16 minute mile. I've been struggling with motivation lately so I decided to challenge myself with trying to do 3 miles in under 50 minutes. I have to keep the treadmill visits fresh, ya know?

Now that it's dark and cold outside, I've been hitting the treadmill during the week. I have a few tips to keeping it fresh:

- Do intervals. Either way you do it, either by distance or time. Choose an increment to go as hard and as fast as you can then do a recovery interval for a bit longer time than the first segment. (ex: 1/4 mile at 4 mph then 1/2 mile at 3.5)

- Change machines mid-way through your walk/run. I know it sounds silly to get off a machine, wipe it down, then move to the other side of the room, but the change of perspective may help your, "oh this is so boring" thoughts.

- Cover the display and only look at it after a pre-determined time. After a commercial break, for example. Or every two songs.

- Think of your walk/run as smaller segments. When I hit 1/2 a mile on a 3 mile walk, I am 1/6 of the way through. 1 mile is a third. Before you know it you'll be half way through, then you'll only have a quarter mile left.

- Make mental lists about what you have to to that day/evening, the next day, the coming weekend.

- And of course, set a time limit and finish your mileage before that set time. It keeps you focused on an end goal and the challenge gives you something to think about besides how boring the treadmill is.

Tomorrow I am attempting 4 miles. I may try to go outside on a well lit road with a bike path/sidewalk - we'll see how I feel!

Do you have tips for race training indoors? Share them below!

10 weeks until race day

I realized today that I am NOT a group exerciser. I don't particularly mind group exercise classes if I go on my own, but I don't really enjoy getting a friend, or multiple friends, together to go out and exercise.

I realized this when I pulled up to the greenway at 7:05 this morning and there were about 50 people from a local group training team getting ready to start their run. Anxiety immediately entered my body. Were they going to be doing the same pre-determined route as I was doing today? My next thought was, "that's a lot of people to run around or passed me." In the end they went the opposite way and I enjoyed my peaceful walk where I only saw 4 people until the last 2 miles of my route.

I like going my own pace - as fast or as slow as my body needs me to go. I get much better quality work outs in if I do them on my own, I am my best competition.

My walk today was another good one. If My Tracks is measuring correctly, I did my first two miles at a 4.5 pace and completed 7.4 miles with an overall pace of 15:47. However, something happened when My Tracks was tracking my walk because it measured my walk out at 4 miles and then the walk back to my starting point only at 3.4 miles. So, once again I have no idea REALLY how far I've walked or how long it took me. Oh well, here's what we're recording:


View 12/4 Training Walk in a larger map

7 mile half-marathon training walk

It was a bit warmer than yesterday's 27-degree walk and the sun was shining bright. I decided to do my long, 7-mile training walk on the Katy Trail - a 255 mile bike path that spans across most of Missouri, which I am lucky enough to have access to a trail head a few miles from my childhood home.

It was a brisk 37 degrees when I set out, but without a cloud in the sky, the sun was very warming. I was able to keep my pace at 17:30 for the entire 7 miles, finishing at just around 2 hours.

You can access this bridge on foot or bike - which is part of a highway bypass - to cross the Missouri River and connect to another greenway in the area.

A shot of the Missouri River, which a majority of the 255 mile trail follows.

I enjoy walking on this trail. It is secluded from traffic, but backs up to many neighborhoods so there is something to look at and has great river views. I think another reason why I enjoy being out on this trail is because I hope to do a cross-state bike journey on it at some point in my life. Maybe I need to ask Santa Claus for a bike?

My other new favorite thing is My Tracks - an app for Android that records activity with GPS technology. I was able to set 15 minute notifications so I never had to pull out my device and see how long I had walked. I effortlessly did 7.02 miles in 2:01:44 or approximately a 17:30 pace.

My walk from yesterday (I dated it wrong) and today are below.

View 11/25 in a larger map


View 11/27 in a larger map

Rain, rain go away

This morning I woke up at 6:30 (on my first day of Thanksgiving vacation) to pouring down rain.

UGH!

My plan was to head to a trail not far from my mom's house to walk my 3 miles. At 6:35 my thought turned to, "No way, Jose!"

I know all the "real athletes" out there would say that if you're training for a race, then you should train in any weather. My roommate, for example, trains in rain, sleet, snow. Freezing or hot as hell. Well, I'm not that hardcore. So, I headed to my hometown's rec center.

When it comes down to it, it was between walking indoors or waiting for the weather to clear enough to walk outside with the chance of not walking at all. I decided the former was a better option.

So after paying $7 to be admitted, at 7 am I was here:


It was a pretty uninteresting walk, but I completed my 3 miles in 53 minutes, so that is what is important. I'm not sure what will happen with my participation in the 5K in the morning. The weather forecast does not look good for 7 am. My only hope is that the rain holds off - I can deal with the cold with layers.

What are you all doing this day before Thanksgiving? I've set tables, made two pies - Caramel Apple and traditional pumpkin and plan to have dinner with friends tonight. I can't wait to have a piece of one of those pies tomorrow!

Scale surprise and eating for training

This morning there was a very special surprise on the scale. I hope it sticks around for Sunday, which means I would officially have complete goals (lose 30 lbs and be under 300) before Thanksgiving and 6 weeks before my deadline. This will definitely help me stay on track as I finish my work week and travel out of town Saturday.

I have a lot to post about - new clothes (2 sizes down), my goal reward, setting my next goal - I just haven't had the time.

Half-marathon training
Monday I didn't finish my training walk. I went to the gym during a peak time (right after work), which meant I could only be on the treadmill for 30 minutes - I got in 1.9 miles in 32 minutes, which is a 16:40 pace, but the schedule had 2.5 miles. So I have put $5 in "the jar."

Yesterday I went later in the evening and was able to do my 3 miles. I'd love to find another option for walking indoors, I just can't afford a gym membership right now. I will attempt to get up and do my walk before work on Thursday. Hopefully it is light enough.

Carb Lovers kickstart - Round 2
I admittedly realized last night I haven't been following the kickstart menu plans at all. I've been eating "Carb Lover's friendly," but out of the 3 days I've been "following" it, I've only really restricted my calories 1 day. I really will try to do better for the next 4 days, but I've just been really hungry since my 6 mile walk on Saturday, and I refuse to leave myself starving.

Anyone out there that exercises A LOT - I'm talking burning 2,000-3,000 calories a week - have any tips about how to nourish yourself so you aren't hungry, but you are also not consuming a lot of calories?

Kickstart Round 2 - Day 1

Day One
I didn't do well on day 1. Insomnia left me awake at 5 am, and I had my breakfast by 6. I also indulged in a soy latte from Starbucks.

I was hungry every couple of hours (I'm attributing that to my 6 mile walk on Saturday), so I had several snacks. Plans to go watch football with friends had me drinking half a diet coke (damn you diet coke!) and then dinner out with friends at a Chinese buffet ended it all.

I was at 1,500 calories (my goal) before dinner. At dinner, I ate items that were not breaded and fried - no egg rolls, crab ragoon, fried rice or lo mein. I did have a few bites of rice noodles with my hibachi. So, what I ate was mostly meat and veggies. I had about a reasonable sized a plate and a half of food - somewhere around 600-700 calories is my guess but there's no way of knowing. The scale was unwaivered this morning so my calorie intake couldn't have been too off par.

Day 2 of Round 2 kickstart is looking up.

Missed walk this morning
It is cloudy and foggy in Nashville today, which means at 6 am this morning it was almost still completely dark out. Which also means I didn't walk because I'm not down for walking in the dark.

I have plans after work with a friend (for a manicure and pedicure), which means I will leave work at 4:30, go walk indoors, then meet up with her. If I don't make it tonight I'll be walking Tues, Wed, Thurs - not ideal.

This balancing act is what I remember disliking the most from the last half-marathon training. 5-8 hours a week of working out is just a lot in my book and usually something (friends, relaxation, a clean house) has to go by the wayside. Anyone have tips for time management?

Uncooperative restaurant and 6 mile walk

That's the approximate route I took on my walk today - approximately 6.18 miles according to MapMyRun.com. Honestly, it wasn't a bad walk (I've had worse). My time was 1:57:25, which is about a 19 minute pace. I'm happy with that for now since the last long walk I did was 4 miles three weeks ago. I know I'll need to get my time to 18:30 per mile eventually.

Two things I remembered about half-marathon training:
- You get freaking HUNGRY after your walk - I wanted to eat everything in sight (and I nearly did)
- My FEET hurt

Eating out at restaurants
This morning I shared the joy of a friend's pregnancy and unborn child at her baby shower. It was a wonderful celebration at a local restaurant, with a meal served buffet style.

I filled my plate with fresh fruits and cooked zucchini, squash and carrots and headed to the omelet station - passing up all the tasty looking fried chicken, pork, waffles, biscuits and gravy.

My first clue of impending trouble should have been when the omelet cook paused when I asked about egg whites and gave me a condescending reply yes. Then I asked for him to go light on butter and oil. A couple tablespoons of oil and a teaspoon of butter later (note: not light in the least) my veggie omelet was frying like the eggs I used to wake up to on Sunday mornings as a child.

The cook left my omelet there frying and stepped away for a few minutes. When he returned, I asked him if he would make another another egg white omelet with no butter or oil. He said he couldn't and when I protested, he laughed at me and rolled his eyes. At that point I gave up on eggs. After realizing there wasn't much for me to eat otherwise, I went to the manager asking if the the kitchen could make something for me. He wasn't helpful at all and told me they had to use oil to prevent it from sticking - saying this as he walked over to the omelet cook, not the chef in the kitchen. At this point, I wasn't going to eat anything anyone cooked me because the way they were acting (like it was a huge inconvenience) - who knows what they would have put in my food - bodily fluids or otherwise.

I didn't want to be a bother, I was a guest at a baby shower after all, and the focus wasn't on the meal, it was supposed to be on celebrating my friend and her child. So I mainly ate some fruit, veggies, and potatoes. Has anyone had trouble with a restaurant not being accommodating at all? What did you do? Is there anything I could have done differently?

Tomorrow I will begin the Carb Lover's Kickstart week again. I'm working on a post about that with some tips I jotted down about last time I did Kickstart and some things I'm going to do differently.

Inspiring the inspiration

I ate a dinner of salsa, chips and corn on the cob tonight. The corn was organic though, so it's healthy, right?

After watching too many episodes of Friends and flipping between an Intervention episode on bulima and a CNBC special on being overweight in America (typing that out just made me realize how weird that combo was), I wasn't feeling exercise. Afterall, it was over 90 degrees and it was already nearing the 8 o'clock hour. Then the "1 new notification" flashed on my obsessively refreshed Facebook page. The wall post read:

"Hey, Emily, I just wanted to let you know that I started reading your blog at X's recommendation, and I have to say, it's wonderful. You, my dear, are inspiring. :-)"

Then I immediately felt guilty. I don't FEEL inspiring. I actually feel a bit like a slacker because I know I am not as strict on eating and exercise as I could be. But you know what? That one comment inspired ME. I immediately got off my ass, put my $150 pair of fancy running shoes on and went on a walking mission. I wasn't just going to walk for 30 minutes like I have been the last few weeks. No, I was going to take this JOKE mother nature calls June (read: abnormally hot and humid) and stuff it up her ass. I WAS GOING TO WALK 3 MILES.

Now before you go and get all proud of me, I must confess, 3 miles used to be my normal 3-4 time a week workout before I got all unmotivated and stuff. But I did it and now this means I can go back to doing it 3-4 times a week. No turning back.

Thanks for inspiring me y'all. What did you do on the longest day of the year (i.e. first day of summer)? I kicked mother nature's ass :)

Post script: I realize I used the word "ass" 3 times just in this one post (4 now). Sorry, I have the mouth of a sailor, deal with it.