A small accomplishment

I really wanted to see 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark' because I super love Guillermo del Toro movies.  (For the record, it wasn't that great, but it was entertaining - if not at all scary.  Wait until it comes on a movie channel you already pay for, or Netflix, and watch in the comfort of your own home with the lights off for a semi-creepy gigglefest.)

I discovered that my theater of choice currently has a coupon for 1/2 off a large popcorn & drink.

After some heated internal debate, I made the choice.  Rather than drop all those points for a giant popcorn popped in oil (which would have lasted me a couple days, yes, but did I really need to be snacking on THAT more than once?), I took part in my recent rebellious habit of smuggling goodies into the movie in my purse.

I popped a 94% fat free mini bag of popcorn (3 points, as opposed to something around 5 times that much for the large movie popcorn!) and transferred it to a ziplock.  I also counted out 34 Pretzel M&M's (9 points, but soooo worth it in my opinion!), and took a can of Coke Zero.  So I still treated myself, but I stayed within my points today and saved money!

I'm still waiting on the day someone asks to see inside my purse before they let me in the theater.

The results...

Weigh in:  Saturday, 8/27/11 - 197.6 - 3.6 lbs lost, 52.6 total


So I've righted the ship, but I still have 2.2 to lose to get back to my lowest.  Gonna keep tracking religiously this week!  I've been a lot more diligent with measuring and weighing my food than I ever have before.  It's a good habit to have.

I'm still continuing my 30 Day Challenge to get at least 20 minutes of activity each day, hopefully that will help me stay on track!

Friday 08/26/11 - The final day of the Week of Accountability!

Today's weight:  198.0


*sigh*  Well, at any rate I should be down at least 3 lbs this week for weigh in tomorrow morning.  I'm pretty disappointed in the back and forth I've had the last few days, but like I said, that's why I don't weigh myself every day normally.  It's too discouraging.

Wall push-ups - 5 sets x 12 (arms were still feeling noodle-y from Wed. so I had to break it up a bit)
Tricep dips - 150 dips, Week 1 Day 3 - 10/13/9/9/13
Bicep curls - 5 lb dumbbells - 2 sets x 15
LOTS of IT band stretches

I wanted to run this morning but my hip was really bothering me.  Aching and popping with nearly every step.  First the lateral knee pain, now the hip on the same side is making me think I may have an IT band issue.  I'm going to keep stretching the heck out of that thing and buy a foam roller this weekend if they have them at the local running store.  I've been icing a couple times a day, but I might up the ante and try some ice massage.  I should have known better than to think there'd be no repercussions from running over 7 miles without stopping when my longest prior was a run-walk that was only a bit over 5, and it was nearly a month ago.  :(

Today was not stellar food wise.  I didn't eat breakfast, and Mom has Friday's off work so she always wants to go out to lunch.  We went to Macaroni Grill.  They've recently changed their menu so sites like livestrong and myfitnesspal don't have their nutrition estimates for the new dishes as of now.  I checked there because the restaurant doesn't give full nutritional info, but they do give calorie counts, so I estimated roughly 40 calories per point to come up with my numbers.  I do appreciate that they now offer whole wheat pasta, and I believe they have a gluten-free option as well.

As I said in the title, this is my last day of daily posts with my tracker and whatnot.  I imagine I'll do it again sometime in the near future as a way to renew and refresh my healthy habits, but I'm not sure how many people want to read me babbling about boring stuff every single day!  There was some interest expressed on my facebook page in continued postings of my daily food log, so I'm going to continue to list my meals there.  If you want to follow me on fb, there's a link in the upper right of this page.  :)

Thursday, 8/25/11 - Day 6

Today's weight:  197.6


Back down a little.  I think I need to be drinking more water, as odd as that may sound.  I already drink a gallon a day, but I've been working my butt off and sweating A LOT.

Treadmill - speed work - 3.67 miles in 45:00 (12:16 pace)


My knee was just okay.  It was twinging a little in the beginning but felt fine after a while.  I guess my body compensated for it subconsciously because my hip on the same leg was aching afterwards.  Ah well, ice is my new best friend.

It seems to be my week for minor running casualties, because I have a raw spot on my second toe on the right, and a blister on my big toe on the left.  Must have missed some spots with the BodyGlide!

Guess what I did?

Pre-registration ends tomorrow at noon EST, so I finally put on my big girl panties and did it.  I registered for the Indy Women's Half Marathon!

The only goal is to finish.  I have no time limit on my mind.  Be it run, walk, stagger, or crawl, I will finish this thing!

Here's the bling.  Oooh purdy.
(The one on the right is the medal for the half.)

Wednesday 8/24/11 - Day 5

Quick recap of yesterday since my day somehow got away from me and it was bedtime before I knew it!

Wednesday's weight:  198.0


^That^ is why I generally do not weigh myself on a daily basis.  You're bound to see gains at some point during the week.  I'm blaming this one on the Tuesday night Taco Bell visit.  Sodium is not my friend.

Treadmill - 30 min (not sure how far I went - alternated running and walking, and my knee was hurting on the runs...boo)
Zumba class - 1 hr
Wall push-ups - 3 sets x 20
Tricep dips - 150 dips, Week 1 Day 2 - 8/10/8/8/9
Bicep curls - 5 lb dumbbells - 2 sets x 15


Elisa invited me to go to the gym as her guest so we could get some treadmill time in before Zumba.  Class itself was tough, it's been a while since I've attended...and somebody standing near us had some near-fatal gas issues.  Good lord.  If you are feeling some rumbly in your tumbly and you know it's gonna be nasty, please save yourself and everyone around you some agony and embarrassment and do not attend a super crowded exercise class!

Special post-long run bonus!

Minor chafing on my shoulder/collarbone area from my sports bra strap.  One of the places I discovered I need BodyGlide!  The others aren't places I'd post a pic of, ha!  TMI?  Yeah probably.

Also...I have a jawline!  That's fun.

Tuesday, 8/23/11 - Day 4, halfway there!

Today's weight:  197.2


Still on the way down!  I've made up for last week's gain, and have less than 2 pounds to go until I'm back where I was before I left for vacation.


Amazingly, I have no muscle soreness in my legs after my long run yesterday, but my right knee is bothering me when I go down stairs.  I wanted to run again, but didn't want to exacerbate whatever problem I'm having, so I stuck with a fairly easy ride on the bike.

- Stationary bike - 5.5 miles in 30:00


I had a quesadilla for lunch and Taco Bell for dinner.  I seem to be really good at picking the type of cuisine for lunch that my mom decides she wants for dinner.  Oh well.

I realized I hadn't met my oil requirement by dinner, so I went all Macaroni Grill on that thing and dipped some delicious bakery bread in olive oil for a snack this evening.  Much tastier than eating it on my salad, but then, I'm a ranch or bleu cheese dressing girl at heart.

Monday 8/22/11 - Day 3 of the epic Week of Accountability

Today's weight:  198.2

Whaaa?  I'm starting to feel really silly for not getting back on track right when I got home from vacation...I've already nearly made up for my 3.4 lb gain from Saturday.  

Wall push-ups - 2 sets x 25

Tricep dips - Week 1 Day 1, 150 dips program - 6/6/5/5/8

Bicep curls - 10 lb dumbbells - 2 sets x 10 (too heavy for good form, I'll be using 5 lbs next time)

Treadmill - 7.86 miles in 1:45:00 (13:21 pace)

I will admit I got a little teary-eyed after the run.  I ran over 7.5 miles without stopping to walk.  It finally really hit me that I am actually a runner, no matter how slow I may be.  I mean really, what percentage of the population can say they have *ever* run that far?

Seems like a really long time to spend on the dreadmill, but I was watching Beetlejuice so I was thoroughly entertained.  I LOVE that movie!  "What are your qualifications?"  "Ah, I attended Julliard. I am a graduate of Harvard Business School.  I travel quite extensively.  I lived through the Black Plague and had a pretty good time during that.  I've seen 'The Exorcist' 167 times, and it keeps gettin' funnier EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT.  NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT YOU'RE TALKING TO A DEAD GUY!"  Ahh, good times.  And of course there's this classic scene:

I tried to do the dance along with them while I was running...it didn't work very well.  Does anyone remember the Beetlejuice cartoon show?  ...I digress.

I had my post-run nausea thing hit me again (it's been a while), and I'm fairly sure I'm going to be very sore tomorrow (I'm icing my knee as I type this because it's pretty achy), but I am pleased as punch with myself.  23 Activity Points in one go!  I also discovered that BodyGlide might be necessary on long runs on areas that I hadn't even considered...

As for the food log, I went a bit over my daily allowance on points today.  Weight Watchers gives you 49 extra points for the week that you can use if you so choose, and considering I burned off well over 1000 calories today, a little more food isn't gonna hurt me!

Dinner was really point-heavy.  Mom asked me to finish off the chicken salad, but I still had another dairy serving, both oils, and 3 fruit/veg to meet my healthy checks, so I ate a lot (not that that's a hardship or anything).  As for lunch, I had a Morningstar Farms Veggie Corn Dog for the first time, and was pleasantly surprised!  I honestly couldn't tell the difference between that and a "real" corndog, and even when I ate some of the "meat" by itself the taste was very close.  Thumbs up!

Sunday 8/21/11 - Day 2!

Today's weight:  200.2


Not too shabby!  Glad to see things moving in the right direction.  Seeing numbers above 200 when I told myself I would never be there again is definitely a lesson in humility.

- Treadmill - 1.5 miles in 20:00 (13:20 pace)

I know I said I'd be getting up early for a long run today, but when my alarm went off this morning at 5 I found myself with stuffy/runny allergy nose and a headache.  So I went back to sleep and attempted it on the treadmill this afternoon, only to have my stomach go absolutely nuts (HIGHLY unpleasant, I'll spare you the details), so I only managed my '30 Day Challenge' requirement of 20 minutes.  Better than nothing, but I'm very annoyed...my bod was just totally against a run today it seems.  Pushing the long run back to tomorrow.

Here's the food.  I meant to continue the trend of taking a picture of dinner throughout the week, but I forgot today.  I'm sure you can imagine what a baked potato and some grilled steak look like.  :P

Right on target and met my all my healthy guidelines again.  I did make a discovery today that dairy servings are not always equivalent to the serving size on the container, so I actually have not been getting enough dairy on most days.  I posted a note on my facebook page if you're interested to see all the stuff that's equivalent to dairy serving/glass of milk.

And so it begins...

Today starts my Week of Accountability!  I will be posting every day with my food log/points tracker, my daily activity, and a weigh in.  I don't recommend weighing daily, but this week I really need to make sure I'm on track.

As I said in my last post, I'm putting on my noob hat.  For the first few months on Weight Watchers, I was absolutely obsessive about tracking accurately and making decent choices...I need to get back there.  So the paper tracker is coming out, and the online tools that have been neglected as of late will be put to good use.  The measuring cups and spoons will get a workout, as will my WW pocket calculator.

And so, without further delay...my weigh in from today's meeting.

Weigh in:  Saturday, 8/20/11 - 201.2 - 3.4 lbs gained 


My daily point allowance went *up*...how terrible does that feel?  Ugh.  That gain is since last Saturday's out of town weigh in, for a net gain in two weeks of 5.8.  Yeesh.  That's not to say that I'm surprised - I've been off track for a while now, and this past week especially I was NOT eating like a mentally sound individual.  It actually could have been worse, and it was when I checked Friday morning, so I did make up a little ground by getting back on track yesterday.

After a much needed trip to the grocery store, I came home and got in my activity for the day.  I follow FitnessGetzEasy on Facebook, and a challenge has been issued to be active for at least 20 minutes EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for 30 days.  Today is my Day 1.

I also found an interesting set of training programs that are designed to increase your strength and get you doing insane amounts of body weight exercises in 6 weeks.  I decided to start on the 100 push-ups and 150 tricep dips programs...but then I realized I can't even do a decent push-up from my knees (my arms barely move, it's pretty pathetic really).  So I'm going to do wall push-ups for now and just try to increase my strength enough to move to the bench or floor versions.  Tricep dips I can do though!  Today was just my 'initial test' day, so I'll start the actually 150 dips program on Monday.

- Wall push-ups - 50
- Tricep dips - 13
- Stationary bike - 3.9 miles in 20:00 


I did some intervals on the bike - 30 seconds at max effort, 1-2 minutes recovery.  Max for me ended up being around 16-17 mph, and recovery was 10-11.  It amazes me that folks can maintain my interval pace for hours on end...I think I would die.  I went to walk up the basement steps when I was done and almost yelled - glutes made of pain.  Not sure if it was sitting on the bike seat, or the effort.  Ouchie.  But it felt good to sweat and have that wobbly-limbed sensation again!

Here are some screen caps of my tracker today!

I have 34 points per day right now, so I was right on target today!  I got in every single one of my healthy checks, which are 2 servings of dairy, 5 of fruit/veg, 2 tsp of healthy oil, and a daily multivitamin.  Weight Watchers recommends at least 6 8oz glasses of liquid a day, and it doesn't have to be water.  When I track, though, I check off a box for every 16oz I drink since my personal goal is to drink a gallon each day.

Here's a pic of dinner!  My mom was super considerate and asked how I wanted my porkchop cooked since she and Dad were having them breaded and pan fried.  (She knows I'm really stressed about gaining, I about had a breakdown yesterday morning talking to her about it.  Blargh.)  She seared mine with some olive oil and then baked it in the oven for me.  :)  I may have defeated the purpose by putting a little gravy on it.  Oh well.  And yes, I know, I know - two starchy vegetables!  Corn and mashed potatoes are my dad's preferred dinner sides...those, plus green beans, are about all the veggies I ever had growing up!

That's today done!  Tomorrow's plan is to get up super early and hit the pavement - 1 hr 35 min run scheduled, which for me should be around 7 miles.  I'm gonna stick close to home in case I need to refuel, I've never run much more than an hour!

Crash and burn

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Blogger for eating my last post.  I tried to post something on Monday but apparently it has disappeared into cyberspace.

My tiki mug is cooler than your tiki mug.

So, to catch up, I had a great time on my trip.  Saw Harry Potter (second time for me, first for the bf) and The Help.  I had excuses to wear some of my pretty clothes.  We went out to eat a few times, but outside of that I tried to stick with my safe foods like fruit, Cinnamon Cheerios, and ham sammiches.  I only ran once while I was there, but that's better than nothing I think.

My weigh in last Saturday I was up 2.4 lbs, which was to be expected - Friday night involved massive amounts of food, and alcoholic beverages that were poured with a very heavy hand.  I was also introduced to my new love:  edamame.

I came home on Sunday evening, and weighed myself on Monday morning...holy crap.  I was at 203-point-something.  Water weight from traveling, mostly, I'm sure.  Or it was at that point at least...

It's a bowl of liquor, and it's on fire.
(We had to ask for extra mixers because it was so strong.)

I'm still probably sitting around that number now because my week just went to hell.  I'm always depressed when I come home from AZ because I want to just stay there forever.  My emotions and boredom got the better of me and I've been late-night binge eating like I will never see ice cream again.  I've been good today, so that's 1 day out of 7.  Yeah...it's not going to be pretty tomorrow.

As a result of this terrible week, and - let's be honest - the past few weeks that I haven't tracked AT ALL, I will be tracking and posting my food here every day for the coming week.  I am putting my noob hat on and pretending I just joined Weight Watchers.  It's time for some renewed accountability.  Guess that means I should probably hit the grocery store...I think my appropriate food supply consists of apples and Nutrigrain waffles at this point.

Slacker weigh-in post, plus swag!

I got somewhat behind with posts this weekend, my head has been all over the place!

Weigh in:  Saturday, 8/6/11 - 195.4 - 1.8 lbs lost, 54.8 total


Still heading in the right direction, which is pretty surprising considering the week I had.  I did not track *at all* and my food choices were, for the most part, very sub-par nutritionally.

I was apparently exhausted after my long run on Friday evening, and managed to sleep through my alarm (twice! - it automatically snoozes after ringing for a couple minutes) on Saturday morning.  I put on my workout clothes before WW so I'd be prepared for Zumba afterwards, but I was still feeling groggy and weird so I decided to go home after the meeting.

I went downtown on Saturday afternoon to volunteer for Tri Indy (local triathalon) packet pickup.  A local running shop had some stuff set up for sale, and after much confusion and staring on my part I figured out one of the guys working over there was my anatomy and physiology teacher from high school (who I totally thought was a babe when I was in his class...awkward).  I didn't say anything to him though, because I wasn't 100% sure it was him and if I'd been wrong that would have been weird.  I just went and looked him up online, turns out I was right.

Aaaaanyway, I got some freebies for helping:

Race t-shirt (volunteers got orange, participants got green), tumbler w/ race logo, and a mesh cap.  I am most excited about the hat, because I was thinking that I needed to buy a tech hat or visor, and now I've got a free one!  I haven't tried it out on a run yet, so whether or not it will stay on my somewhat large head remains to be seen.    Off topic:  You probably can't see it very well, but my earrings in this picture are fighter planes!  And the propellers can spin, how cute is that?

I may not have any more posts this week because I'm going to Chandler again this Tuesday through Sunday.  Still planning on going to a Saturday morning weigh-in, and hopefully will get at least two runs in while I'm there.  I will update when I get back!

Workouts for the week of 7/30-8/5

Saturday, 7/30/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 8 - 3.1 miles in 36:35 (11:48 pace)


Carmel 5k for Haiti, which I recapped here.  Official time was 36:35.  I finished 195/286 overall, and 84/154 women.  Nearly half of the ladies in the race finished after me.  Not too shabby for a somewhat 'weighty' gal such as myself.  They still haven't put up race photos yet, so you all will have to wait a bit longer for the unflattering picture post. :P

Sunday, 7/31/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 9 - cross-training - yoga video, 20 min


I always end up having to tell my mom to quit watching me while I do exercise videos.  She ends up snickering and distracting me.  Helpful.

Tuesday, 8/2/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 10 - 2.73 miles in 33:00 (12:05 pace); 4x100m


This was a struggle...ate too much pepperoni pizza the night before and there was some indigestion goin' on.  I used the cul-de-sac I live on to run my strides at the end and had my neighbor who lives on the end of the street yelling 'YOU GO GIRL!'

Thursday, 8/4/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 11 - 2.7 miles in 33:00 (12:13 pace)


Didn't manage to get up early enough to beat the heat, so I did my hill work on the now-fixed treadmill.  My usual intervals of 2.5 min incline, 5 min flat.  I definitely like running outside better...I feel like I have to have a staring contest with the clock on the treadmill when I'm on it.

Friday, 8/5/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 12 - 5.24 miles in 1:07:50 (12:56 pace)


Did the long one as a run-walk, 2:1 intervals.  I should have just stuck with 1:1, since my pace was nearly unaffected from my long run 2 weeks ago when I used that.  It was late in the evening so I didn't have quite as much pep as usual, and I only ate once yesterday.  Not ideal conditions.  Friday night jogging apparently puts me at the risk of a contact high due to the clouds of marijuana smoke I had to run through.  And I got heckled by some charming high school boys.  Adorable.  /sarcasm off.  Definitely will try to stick with early morning jogging from here on out.

Also, why do folks slow down while they're passing me in their vehicles?  It makes me paranoid that someone's going to jump out of the car and snatch me.  This happened a good few times.  I'm jogging on the sidewalk, I'm not impeding the flow of traffic.  Move along!

Cheeseburger Casserole

Check out this recipe from the Curvaceous Cook for Cheeseburgers in Paradise.

I made it for dinner tonight, it was very tasty!  The PointsPlus value is 8-10 (depending on the nutritional info on your specific ingredients) for 1/8 of the casserole.  I used 80% lean/20% fat ground beef because I'm cheap, but of course ground round or sirloin, or even turkey or chicken, would lower your calorie or point count considerably.

I couldn't find the appropriate sized can of soup, so I used a 10 oz can, and then used a full cup of fat free sour cream to make up for the lack of volume in the mixture.  Other than that I followed the recipe.

As is the general rule with casseroles, it doesn't look like much, but with a nice salad on the side it was a very satisfying meal.  Tater tots, hamburger, lots of cheese, and sour cream?  What's not to like?

Carmel 5k for Haiti recap

I can't believe I ran the whole thing!

I met my goal of running the entire race, and my tentative hope that I would finish in under 40 minutes! 

Time was about 36:40, but I was a little overexcited when I looked at the clock and am guessing a bit on the seconds.  I'll update once they post official times.

It was warm and humid, but it did rain last night (finally!) so it wasn't as hot as it's been.  Plus it was still completely overcast, which was nice.

Notable moments include:

• Using the 'mobile restroom'...technically a porta-potty with multiple stalls, but it legitimately looked like a fancy bathroom.  There was music piped in and automatic sinks and everything.  Color me impressed.
• Running my first mile under 11:30
• Passing a number of people who appeared to be more fit than me, but they fizzled out and had to walk.
• Discovering how hard it is to drink from a cup and keep running...gave up and just poured it over my face.  That's about what I would have accomplished anyway had I continued trying to drink it.
• Following a gentleman in a neon yellow tank the entire race, but sprinting at the end and passing him just before the finish line.
• Almost shoving people out of my way after the finish.  Folks just stopped right there to chat, but I had to keep walking and cool down or I was going to throw up on somebody.

They were taking pictures in a few places along the way, so hopefully I will have some to post soon.  You'll get to see how red and sweaty I am when running, hooray!

For now, here's my new tech shirt and my race bib.  :)

Workouts for the week of 7/23-7/29

Saturday, 7/23/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 4 - cross training - Zumba class, 1 hr


Much fewer people in class because there was a substitute instructor.  She was fun!  Some difficult steps, but I like learning new routines and it's more fun in a way when I have to think and figure it out.

Sunday, 7/24/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 5 - 3.68 miles in 48:00 (13:02 pace)


My first long run day on the 1/2 marathon training plan.  Since just completing short runs while maintaining pace and not stopping to walk is a challenge, I've decided to do long runs using the Jeff Galloway method.  I alternated a minute each running and walking for the whole 45 minutes I had on the schedule, and it kept me right on my desired pace of 13 min/mile.  My calves were veeeery tight after this, which I found odd...maybe because walking more changes what muscles are used?  No idea.

Tuesday, 7/26/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 6 - 2.73 miles in 34:00 (12:34 pace)


Actually got a break from the oppressive heat this day...it was 70° at dawn rather than 80°.  Essentially the same route I took last Thursday, and the same pace, but it wasn't an epic struggle this time.

Wednesday, 7/27/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 7 - 2.41 miles in 29:00 (12:01 pace)


Schedule called for hills, so I went to the park.  The elevation change is actually not much different than in my neighborhood, but the hills are a lot steeper, it's not as gradual.  I am shocked at my 12 min/mile pace!  Maybe having people to pass helps me to go faster?  For the record, I was definitely the fastest person out there.  Yes, everyone else but 1 or 2 others were walking, but hey...when you're slow like me and you get the opportunity to lap someone, it's a pretty big deal. :P

Wednesday again - Zumba class, 1 hr


I hadn't been to Zumba on Wednesday before, but made an exception this week because the instructor offered a free class for her 1 year anniversary teaching at the gym.  Yes, FREE!  They opened up the indoor half basketball court to us to accommodate more people.  There were 60+ ladies there shaking their booties and having a great time.  It sort of felt like we were on display because the court is open save for fences around it, so all the folks using the weight machines could see and hear us.  Some even stood and watched for extended periods, lol.  She handed out raffle tickets and gave away some Zumba merchandise...I didn't win, my ticket was a mere 1 number away for one of them though.

I gave myself a break for Thursday and Friday so my muscles can be refreshed and ready to go for the 5k tomorrow!  Starting to get a little nervous...I really hope I can run the whole thing.

Weird story - my dad offered to drive me to the race tomorrow (offered out of the blue - at no point did I hint or ask anyone to be my mode of transportation to this shindig), but he expressed no desire to cheer for me on the course or at the finish.  He wanted to just sit in the car for the 2 hours it will take for packet pickup, race, and awards.  He said if I wanted him to stand outside at the finish then I could drive myself.  Uh, wasn't I going to do that anyway?  So it's as if he was *trying* to be supportive, but not really, lol.  Still baffled.

Change in the schedule

Since I'm doing the 5k on Saturday morning, I decided to go to a meeting and weigh in today.

Weigh in:  Thursday, 7/28/11 - 197.2 - 2 lbs lost, 53 total


Woohoo!  2 days early and still 2 lbs down!

But I'm taking these numbers with a grain of salt since this was not at my normal meeting location and was therefore on a different scale.  WW calibrates their scales, but you never know...


EDIT:  I just realized that my BMI is now exactly 30.  I am very, very close to no longer being 'o-beast'!

I must have lost my mind.

Who just registered for a 5k that's less than 4 days away?  Yeah, that'd be me.

It's for a local church's Haiti ministry.  Not that I'm religious in the least, but giving a few bucks for helping out Haiti makes me happy.

Race website: http://www.carmel5kforhaiti.org/

The goal is to jog/run the whole thing.  Finishing in under 40 minutes would rock, too, but that's secondary.

Oh, I was already going to register anyway, but I called the coordinator to find out about the shirts so I knew what size to request.  "Unisex?"  Nope, men's & women's specific.  Cool.  "Are they just cotton or...?"  Tech.  Yes, tech shirt for a 5k that only cost me $23 to register.  Yippee!  I done good.

I have arrived!!!!!!

Ok, so the Healthy Choice Café Steamers teriyaki steak I had for lunch wasn't quite as exciting as tea with the Mad Hatter.  But nonetheless, I am in ONEderland!!!

Weigh in:  Saturday, 7/23/11 - 199.2 - 1.6 lbs lost, 51 total

Weight Watchers awards.
Clockwise from top:  Keyring for 10% of
starting weight lost; -25 lb washer;
'Stay & Succeed' charm for attending 16
meetings; 5k completion charm; -50 lb washer

I didn't cry on the scale when I saw the number the receptionist wrote down, but I did tear up a little this morning when I jumped on the scale at home before the meeting.  (I do this every week, don't ask me why...I know it doesn't really do me any good!)

I got a new charm for my keyring for losing 50 pounds!

It's been nearly 2 months since my last set of progress pictures.  2 months to lose 11 pounds...it's acceptable, certainly, but that sounds quite slow to me.  I was spoiled with my quick loss at the beginning.

I still have an issue recognizing the weight loss in myself.  Logically, I know I'm a lot thinner because I can wear smaller sizes, and my measurements are getting smaller, but I have some sort of mental block when it comes to actually *seeing* it.

I have now lost 20% of my starting weight of 250.2.  My BMI has dropped from 38 (nearly morbidly obese) to 30.3.  I am still "o-beast" (I always say it like that when I'm talking to my mom, I feel it is an appropriate descriptor, but amusing at the same time...sometimes you gotta laugh at yourself!).  But I am inching ever-closer to the 'overweight' range of the scale.

Weight Watchers' BMI calculator on their website doesn't use decimal places, so they say I'll be overweight (BMI of 29) at 193 lbs.  More precise online calculators that count the overweight range up to a BMI of 29.9, tell me I'll be there at 196.8 lbs.  I've settled on 193.4 as my next mini-goal, and I'd like to hit that by September 3.

My full weight record.  I'm averaging 1.9 lbs lost per week.

Personal goal for the rest of my life:  Never see a number on the scale or on my pants that starts with a 2, ever again!

Workouts for the week of 7/16-7/22

Saturday, 7/16/11 - Zumba class, 1 hr


I already mentioned this class in last Saturday's weigh in post.  First time going to a class by this particular instructor, it was packed and very high energy.  Definitely the most fun Zumba class I've been to so far.  My friend Elisa who joined WW around the same time as me attended class with me and we both had a blasty blast!

Monday, 7/18/11 - PALA beginner 1/2 marathon plan, Day 1 - cross training - Zumba class, 1 hr


Zumba twice in a week!  Elisa told me she was going, so I said 'why not?!'  Same instructor, same packed class, still fun, but it was the sweatiest Zumba EVER.  I was absolutely shiny by the end, and it's the first time I've ever felt even remotely like I was going to be sick during a class (it was really hot in there and I'd just eaten beforehand - bad idea).

And yes, I've moved on from the 10k plan...it's half marathon time baby!  I'm using the plan from the active.com partnership with the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.  It's free, you can find it here.  So most of my runs will be a little shorter than usual at the beginning here.  I'm still deciding if I want to sign up for the Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon, which I would walk most of because it's only a little over a month away.  The one I'm more seriously considering, as it would coincide more with the end of my training plan, is the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon/Half Marathon.  I would be tacking on a few weeks to the program due to the fact that I'm a slowbie and need more time to cover the appropriate distances, and then still have 2-3 weeks for taper.  Ooh, look at me mentioning tapers like I know what I'm talking about.  Special!

Tuesday, 7/19/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 2 - 3.22 miles in 43:00 (13:21 pace)


I recapped this run already in this post.  I really picked a helluva time to start running outside.  It is so damned hot!  When I got back home and stood in the driveway to stretch, I had my own little puddle of sweat that dripped off my face onto the pavement.  Lovely!

If I'm running outside I probably won't break down when I ran and when I walked, because frankly, it's a lot harder for me to keep running for the designated amount of time outside, and I have no way to keep track of the time of my walk breaks.  I've mentioned before that I have pacing problems - to give you an idea, while on the treadmill I was doing easy run days at 4.5mph, which was right on target for my pace this day.  BUT (big but), I walked about 15 minutes of this!  How fast was I running?  No idea, but it's safe to say it was too fast for me to maintain, especially in the heat.

I think I'm going to try the Galloway method (walk breaks at intervals) for long run days and see how I like it - first one will be this coming Sunday.

Thursday, 7/20/11 - PALA 1/2 plan, Day 3 - 2.53 miles in 32:00 (12:38 pace)


Nasty hot again, and the city told everyone to stop watering their lawns for the rest of the week because we haven't had rain in forever and there's a water shortage...I didn't encounter any refreshing sprinklers.  That's not to say that everyone paid attention to the request, because I heard some sprinklers running, they just weren't on my path.  Sadface.

And hello?  Under 13 min/miles?  This felt harder than Tuesday even thought it was shorter, and once I got home, mapped it out, and discovered my pace, that made sense.  I did manage to run 25 minutes straight, which was exactly what my plan called for!  Go me!


This post got really long...sorry to all dozen of you who read this!  I'll leave you with a poor quality cell phone photo of my makeshift sexy Hogwarts uniform that I wore to see Harry Potter.  Elisa and I went together...bless her for not calling me crazy for dressing up for a movie that had already been in the theater for nearly a week at that point.  I just pieced it together from my wardrobe and yoinked a necktie from my dad.  Please take note of the giant locket, which would of course represent the Slytherin locket horcrux...duh.  I'm a huge nerd, clearly.  (PS - I did NOT wear Spanx under my pencil skirt!  Though I'm unsure if that's a result of improved body confidence, or just the fact that it's too darned hot.)


I have always preferred the books, and this was no exception - there were some things that I loved that were completely left out or downplayed, and then the standard adding of random stuff by screenwriters.  I won't go into it, in case you haven't seen it.  All that said, though, I still REALLY enjoyed it.  I had tears streaming down my face for the whole pensieve sequence.  I can't believe the story I grew up with is over!

Won't you be my neighbor?

I did my first outside run in a long while this morning.  I almost chickened out when I woke up at 6 and looked at the temperature - it was already 80 degrees, 80% humidity.  I dawdled until the sun came up (I won't run in the dark around here), then got dressed and brushed my teeth and headed out, figuring if it was absolutely miserable I could always turn around and come home.

That didn't happen though, I finished!  It was hot, but there was a nice breeze for a lot of it and I got to run through a couple sprinklers along the way.  I did manage to temporarily short out one of my earbuds from sweat and the water I splashed on my face from my water bottle, but it's fine now.

I was meant to run 30 minutes.  I got to about 20 before I had to stop and walk for a minute, but I'll count it as a win since that's twice as long as I've ever run at once outdoors.

The neighborhood is pretty sleepy and quiet around 7am, but once I was about halfway done people started leaving for work, and coming outside to take care of their yards and such.  And now we get to the title of this post:  If I take a second out of my labored huffing and puffing to nod at you and say 'Good morning!', and you're just standing there looking at me like 'Why is she so sweaty?', AT LEAST you could say hi back to me!  Unfriendly neighbors...

*While looking for stock photos to put up with this post, I stumbled across this article:  The Runner's Waving Dilemma - it's about runners waving/not waving at other runners, I thought it was a fun read.  :)  I'm definitely a 'waver' (or I nod, say 'hey', etc).  For me there is generally some form of acknowledgement to the others that are out walking or running, trying to better themselves.

Great day!

Weigh in:  Saturday, 7/16/11 - 200.8 - 0.8 lbs lost, 49.4 total


Better than I expected!  One pound away from ONEderland, and a itty bitty 0.6 lbs away from 50 lbs lost!  Also, the weight on my driver's license is 200...I'm no longer lying when someone cards me!

I fit into a smaller bra this morning.  You might not think that's something to be excited about, but for someone who pretty much HAS to shop for bras at Lane Bryant because of her cup size, it's very exciting to go down one.

I went out in public in spandex workout gear, and didn't feel the least bit self-conscious.

Elisa came with me to Zumba, and the class was *packed*!  It was super fun though!  Really high energy, I'll definitely go to the Saturday morning one again.

Workouts for the week of 7/9-7/15

Saturday, 7/9/11 - 10k plan, Day 21 - 2.87 miles in 40:00 (13:57 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.7, 30 min jog @ 4.5


Sunday, 7/10/11 - Zumba class, 1 hr


I was one of TWO people in class this past Sunday.  I'm just glad someone else showed up because that would have been awkward if it was just me.  I went on a campaign on facebook to get some of the folks on my friends list to come, after which I found out that the Sunday class is now cancelled for the rest of the month due to lack of attendance.  The regular instructor is in grad school and will be graduating soon, so she hasn't had time to promote the class.  She teaches at a couple local YMCA branches, but they charge $8 or so for admission for guests...I really cannot swing nearly $10 a class.  So I'll be going to the Saturday class at the gym this week, which is a different instructor, but I don't wanna just stop going for the rest of July!  I believe I've got my buddy Elisa coming with me to class tomorrow after our WW meeting!  <3

Been feeling blah and had some drama go down early in the week, so I wasn't feeling the working out, took Monday and Tuesday off.


Wednesday, 7/13/11 - 10k plan, Day 22 - 3.99 miles in 55:00 (13:46 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.7, 45 min jog/incline work @ 4.5


Thursday, 7/14/11 - 10k plan, Day 23 - cross-training on air resistance bike - 4.8 miles in 30:00


Again, just pedaled and read a book - Hit List, the newest novel in Laurell K. Hamilton's 'Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter' series.

Tried to get on the treadmill on Thursday evening but it was acting up again.  Dad and I know how to temporarily fix it, but even that has stopped working.  We have an appointment sometime next week for someone to come look at it, from a more legitimate source than our random repair guy.  Clearly the motor and belt we replaced were not the issue back in March, because that fix only held out 3 months, and now we have to tighten stuff every few times I use it (or in the case of this week, we tightened it after my run on Saturday, I used it Wednesday, and then it was back to crazy on Thursday).  Bleh.

I really need to start running outside anyway, but that means I'm going to have to get up super early right when the sun comes up.  I will not run around any portion of Indianapolis in the dark, and it's 90+ degrees with 129478% humidity during the day.  Time to become a morning person - fat chance on that one!

Weigh in tomorrow - I stuck religiously to my daily points this week but I don't think I'll see much of a loss, if any.  It's hard for me to pull more than a fraction of a pound after a big loss like last week!

BLTs!

No, I'm not talking about the 'Bites, Licks, and Tastes'...those evil little downfalls of all who are watching their food intake.

I said I'd try to keep posting meals, so here's one.  This was dinner a couple nights ago.  A regular ol' BLT, but rather than mayo I used a Laughing Cow wedge, and rather than regular toast I used a Thomas Bagel Thin.  I obviously got excited and had a couple bites before it occurred to me to take a picture.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus:  13

Thomas 'Everything' bagel thin - 3pp
3 slices of bacon - 4pp
Laughing Cow garlic & herb spread - 1pp
lettuce & tomato - 0pp

baby carrots - 0pp
lite ranch dressing, 2 Tbsp - 2pp

Chip'ins - 3pp

And now I've reminded myself to tell you about Chip'ins by Popcorn Indiana.  They look like Doritos, they're made from corn, with a taste reminiscent of buttered popcorn.  They're decent on PointsPlus values, at 3pp for an 18 chip serving.  I like the Hot Buffalo Wing flavor best.

More Fiber One goodness

I sang praises for their new chocolate fudge brownies (2 PointsPlus!).  I love their 90 calorie chocolate peanut butter bars (also 2 PointsPlus...I usually take one with me, along with a piece of fruit, to my Weight Watchers meeting since I put off eating until after I've weighed in).

I have never purchased their cereal because I have always found it to be very expensive (almost $5 a box, and the box is quite small) in comparison to my standby of Multigrain or Cinnamon Cheerios.  Not to mention most of their flavors are 'flake' based, which I cannot eat, because soggy cereal grosses me out.

I've been saving coupons for their new 80 calorie Honey Squares cereal, hoping that it would go on sale so I could buy it for relatively cheap.  Lo and behold, it is on sale this week at my preferred grocery store, so I finally bought a box.

In a word:  Yum!  I still prefer Cinnamon Cheerios, but the Honey Squares are very tasty!  They remind me of Golden Grahams.  A 3/4-cup serving is 2 PointsPlus and 10g of fiber (40% of the daily recommended value)!  I poured myself a full cup, which came out to be 3 PP.  Add your low-fat or fat-free milk and some berries and it's a great breakfast or snack.  I'll probably go back to the store and buy another box or two while it's still on sale and I have coupons.

I'm so close I can...

...not 'taste it', surely.  I need to come up with a non-food-related analogy.  'Feel it' doesn't seem descriptive enough.  'Smell it' maybe?  Yes, I'm so close I can smell it.  What is 'it', you ask?  Why...ONEderland of course!!!  I'm officially looking down the rabbit hole.

Weigh in:  Saturday, 7/9/11 - 201.6 - 4.6 lbs lost, 48.6 total


Nearly 5 lbs!  And that's after my cream cheese and pretzel binge early in the week.  I drank water like it was my job and made sure to get in my fruit and veg servings every day.  Proof that if you screw up once or twice, your whole week/month/life doesn't have to go to pot!

I got my 45 lb star sticker at the meeting yesterday...once I hit 50 I'll get another and a new charm for my WW keyring.  There were some murmurs at the meeting about my large loss this week, as if it wasn't a big deal since I'm young (and look even younger).  I know they were just joking, but I still get a little touchy.  It's not as if I don't try at all and the weight just falls off  - I'm working my ass off (literally)!

Workouts for the week of 7/2-7/8

Zumba class was cancelled on Sunday due to the holiday weekend, and I was feeling somewhat lazy after cleaning the house before company came over on the 4th, so I didn't work out until Monday.

Monday, 7/4/11 - 10k plan, Day 17 - 3.67 miles in 50:00 (13:38 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.6, 40 min speed work/jog: 4.4, 4.8mph intervals - 10 min, 10, 5, 10, 5


Hello, under 14 minute miles!  What is going on here?!  I know the distance isn't there, but it gives me hope that I'll one day be able to do a Disney run and still have time to stop and take pictures!


Tuesday, 7/5/11 - 10k plan, Day 18 - cross-training on air resistance bike - 4.7 miles in 30:00


I've pretty much been skipping the cross-training days on the plan up until now, but I realize that I need to do other exercises lest my running muscles get overdeveloped and start pulling my kneecaps out of line and other lame injuries.  (I worry about that one in particular because last week my right knee was cracking and feeling off track.)  
I *HATE* our air resistance bike with a passion.  It's ancient and ugly, but that doesn't really have anything to do with it.  It doesn't matter how slow I pedal (and clearly this was quite slow), I get all sweaty and worn out.  And my butt always hurts the next day, even though we installed one of those huge padded bike seats on it.  I didn't really put much effort into this, I just pedaled at a very comfortable pace and read a book (paranormal romance novel, actually...one of my many guilty pleasures) rather than using the moving handles on the bike.


Wednesday, 7/6/11 - 10k plan, Day 19 - 3.62 miles in 50:00 (13:49 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.7, 40 min jog/incline work @ 4.5


I've been bumping my speed up by a tenth of a mile per hour each week recently.  I may hang at 4.5mph for a while, I'm not really sure yet.  I was supposed to do 6x100m at the end of this run but I spaced it.


Friday, 7/8/11 - 10k plan, Day 20 - 5.52 miles in 1:15:00 (13:35 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.7, 60 min jog/incline work @ 4.5, 4x100m @ 5.3


For anyone that may be keeping track - ok, who am I kidding, it's just me - I jogged 4.5 miles without stopping this evening!  That's like...over 1/3 of a half marathon!  :P  It was not easy though...I was at our local casino today - I came home with more $$ than I arrived with, don't worry!  I was using freebie credits to play - and ate at the buffet for a late lunch/early dinner and am now aware that I should never eat heavy on the day of a long run, regardless of how long I wait in between eating and exercise.  I seriously pondered throwing up multiple times during my time on the treadmill.  It didn't happen, but I have a feeling one day it's going to as my runs keep getting longer.


Speaking of marathons, I've been thinking about how unrealistic Disney is in my current financial situation (no job and all).  BUT the first-ever Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon is coming up right here in Indy on Labor Day weekend!  I know that's really soon, but I am seriously debating registering.  The time limit is 4.5 hours, which is a 20+ min/mile pace...I do believe I could leisurely walk the entire thing and still finish in time as long as I didn't collapse or anything.  I'd like to run some of it, but running the whole thing would not be realistic right now.  What do ya think?  Anyone interested in joining me?  I can offer you a twin size bed or queen size air mattress here at my parental units' house for accommodations!

Trigger foods

Pretzels and cream cheese.  

I seem to be physically unable to have these two things in my house at the same time and not just open the bag of pretzels and the container of cream cheese and go to town with the dipping.  It is absolutely delicious.

And I've eaten FAR too much of it the past two evenings.  But now both things are gone (into my belly), so I can't do that anymore.  I won't be buying those at the same time again.  I knew better, but I was testing myself and clearly failed!

For the rest of the week I'm going to stick to 29 points a day (my current daily allowance in 34 but I believe I've used most of my weeklies at this point).  And more water than my usual gallon per day.  I was a couple pounds up when I checked this morning, gotta get it together!

Ruh roh

At this rate I'm not going to get to my 'ONEderland by August 6' goal.  Lame.

Weigh in:  Saturday, 7/2/11 - 206.2 - 0.8 lbs lost, 44 lbs total

To meet my goal I have to lose an average of 1.3 lbs a week.  My average for the last 4 weeks is 0.8 a week.  I'm glad I'm still losing consistently but I'm bummed it's slowing down!  I know that's part of the process, but I still have so far to go, it's starting to feel like I'll be paying for my WW monthly pass for a looong time.

Obligatory workout log post

I logged 41 miles in the month of June!  Over a mile a day on average...for someone who was essentially sedentary only a few months ago I think that's pretty good!

This week's workouts:

Saturday, 6/25/11 - 10k plan, Day 13 - 3.2 miles in 45:00 (14:04 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.5, jog/speed work: 10 min @ 4.3, 8 min @ 4.7, 2 min @ 4.3, 8 min @ 4.7, 7 min @ 4.3

Getting faster...

Sunday, 6/26/11 - Zumba+Abs class, 1 hr

Again there weren't a lot of people in class, and there were 2 ladies who stood in the back of the room and talked the entire time until we did abs at the very end.  What is up?

Tuesday, 6/28/11 - 10k plan, Day 14 - 3.49 miles in 50:00 (14:19 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.6, 40 min jog/incline intervals: 2.5 min incline @ 4.4, 5 min flat @ 4.3

Wednesday, 6/29/11 - 10k plan, Day 15 - 5.26 miles in 1:15:00 (14:15 pace) - 10 min walk @ 3.6, 50 min jog @ 4.4, 10 min walk @ 3.6, 4x100m strides @ 5.2

This was pretty heinous...the dreaded side stitch struck a few times.  Also I noticed over the course of the week that my right knee has been popping and almost feels as if it's off track, if that makes any sort of sense.  During this run it started aching, so I iced it immediately after I was done cooling down and stretching.  It stopped hurting after that evening but is still popping. *frowny face*

Friday, 7/1/11 - 10k plan, Day 16 - 2.8 miles in 40:00 (14:17 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walks @ 3.6, 30 min jog @ 4.4

Believe it or not the treadmill started stuttering AGAIN just as I tried to start this one.  Had to have my dad help tighten the belt on the motor like the repair guy showed us.  Seriously, it's been less than a week since he was here.  Temporary fixes that we have to take the damn thing apart to perform every time - that's just not gonna cut it.  I may be giving up on it and running outside soon, in which case I will probably have to backtrack on my training and/or get a Garmin to help with pacing.  The middle of summer in the Midwest is not what I would call ideal running conditions...boooo.

The touch, the feel of cotton...

...is NOT a good thing when running.  I should know.  That's pretty much all I own.

I sweat when I work out.  A lot.  Cotton gets sopping wet and sticks to your skin.  It's not exactly pleasant.

I was bumming around the mall yesterday and talked to a lady from Dick's Sporting Goods about how I've started running, but their gigantic selection of clothing was really intimidating me and I had no idea what to look at first.  She pointed out some things and we talked about sports bras.  I tried on a few things, but left empty handed.  Over $50 for a good sports bra?  Seriously?  That purchase will have to wait until I'm no longer in a transitional phase as far as my weight is concerned.  Also aggravating is the fact that apparently, as a woman, you get either shorty-shorts, or capris.  Can I get some mid-length please?  Like just above the knee would be great.  I have thighs, folks!  They rub together!  It's called chafing?  It's not good!  Chubby ladies wanna work out too!

So, I am in search of cheap tech workout clothes.  Screw cotton.  And where does one go when she's in search of anything cheap?  Walmart, of course!

Okay, so now I sort of look like a cat burglar.  It's not my fault all the had in the proper size in the very limited Danskin 'performance' material selection was black!

I just did today's run in this and I definitely did feel less distracted by my copious amounts of sweat.  I always take a towel with me on the treadmill to mop myself off periodically, and I did again today, but I wasn't concerned about doing it quite so often.  Also eliminated was the distraction of the bottom of my shirt flapping around since this is very stretchy, fitted (obviously...say hello to my rolls) nylon/spandex.

And for the record...I bought a size LARGE in both pants and top.  No X's people!

It's Saturday...

...and you know what that means!

Weigh in: Saturday, 6/25/11 - 207.0 - 1.8 lbs lost, 43.2 total


Not too shabby!  I earned 41 activity points in the last week and used 9 of them.  (I don't generally use my weekly points, I have my tracker set to take from AP's first.)

Definitely stayed on track again, but I did miss one workout.

I've lost another point off my daily allowance.  That's a good thing and a bad thing all at the same time.  It means I'm lighter, making progress...but it also means less food!  Back in January, I started with 41 points, now I have 34.  29 is the minimum.

The treadmill is fixed (for the time being...and the repair guy didn't charge us for it!) so I'll be jogging later.  And Zumba tomorrow!

I started a Facebook page for the blog, you can 'like' it using the box in the upper right corner here. :)

Why is everything breaking?!

The cable was out from Monday morning to Thursday afternoon.  My tv (old school tv, not flatscreen) has gone wonky in one corner, and the color is all off.  And, the worst...the treadmill is broken again!  The belt seems to run smoothly, but once someone gets on it, it's all you can do to stay on and not be thrown when it jerks randomly.  Repair guy is coming tomorrow.  We already did this back in March for the exact same problem!  Replaced parts and everything.  I need my treadmill!

Okay, done whining.  Workouts for this past week:

Saturday, 6/18/11 - 10k plan, Day 11 - 3.14 miles in 45:00 (14:19 pace) - 5 min warmup/cooldown walk @ 3.5, tempo jog - 10 min @ 4.3, 15 min @ 4.5, 10 min @ 4.3

15 minutes at 4.5!  Still slow, but I'm getting faster!!  And another 5k distance in under 45 minutes.

Sunday, 6/19/11 - Zumba+Abs class, 1 hr


There were only 5 people in class.  Only reason I can come up with:  it was raining and no one wanted to leave their house and get their butts to the gym.  Ah well, it was fun anyway!  The ab workout was killer though...I really cannot do planks to save my life.

Tuesday, 6/21/11 - 10k plan, Day 12 - 4.78 miles in 1:10:00 (14:38 pace) - 10 min walk @ 3.5, 45 min run @ 4.3, 10 min walk @ 3.5, 4x100m strides @ 5.1


45 minutes!  My longest one yet.  And I jogged in between my strides rather than walking.  Progress!

Rather than drinking water, I tried some G2 since this was a "long" run.  I didn't have any nausea issues, so maybe that helped.

It was Tuesday that I noticed the treadmill was really starting to jerk.  I noticed it before, but tightened the belt and it got a bit better so I wasn't terribly concerned.  But I told my dad about it, and went to show him the issue and practically got thrown off the thing.  So no more treadmill this week...

Wednesday, 6/22/11 - 3.2 miles in ~44:40 (13:57 pace) - lots of alternating walking and jogging


Went to the local park which has a running/biking path of 1.6 miles.  I did 2 loops.  This should have been 30 minutes straight of jogging on my 10k plan, but I really failed to pace myself and just couldn't keep it up.  I ended up alternating walking and jogging each time a new song started on my mp3 player after the first 10 minutes of jogging.  Whenever I decide to regularly run outdoors, I'm definitely going to have to get a Garmin or something of that nature that can tell me my pace.  On this run, my pace was faster than ever, even though I walked half the time, so I was definitely jogging way too fast.  Not maintainable at all for me.

Funny story...I used G2 during my park run.  Seemingly unrelated:  I'm a mouth-breather when I work out.  Yucky dry mouth + bright blue sports drink = blue teeth.  I didn't realize this until I was in the car to head home.  I smiled at almost everyone I passed on the running path.  Whoops.

No workout yesterday or today because the repair guy was supposed to come today for the treadmill and I figured I'd be able to use it by now, but then he rescheduled.

Lastly for today, here's my dinner from last night:

• Nature's Own Whole Grain sandwich thin - 2pp
• Boca Spicy Chik'n Patty - 4pp
• blue cheese dressing, 1 tsp - 1pp
• extra hot sauce, red onion, pickle - 0pp
• Ore Ida Sweet Potato Fries, 1 serving - 4pp
• grapes, 1/2 cup - 0pp
• Fanta Zero - 0pp

Weight Watchers PointsPlus total for dinner:  11

Yes I eat on a tv tray.  Don't judge me.  

The big pink thing is my Bubba Keg.  34 oz, filled with water.  I also frequently use a purple Nalgene bottle.  I drink a gallon or more a day usually.

I'm going to try to keep posting meals and recipes from time to time, hopefully the ideas will be helpful to someone!  :)