Feeling Good!

We were out of town last week at my in-laws, and that just makes life tougher when you are trying to be disciplined! Much of my husbands family lives in Sandpoint, ID, a beautiful area in North Idaho surrounded by mountains, trees and lakes. The main large lake being Lake Pend Oreille.

My work outs were great! I took my bike, so I could ride from my in-laws into town and back along a beautiful bike path (that included 2 miles crossing the lake), for a total of about a 12 mile round trip ride. I also drove to the lake and ran the long bridge for my run. The main part of the bridge is just over 1 mile, so it was perfect for my 2 1/4 mile run going across and back. The picture above shows the bridge crossing the lake into Sandpoint. The nearer bridge is the RR bridge, the longer one is the driving bridge that also has a walking side.

My eating was good for the first part of the week, but then it went downhill. We celebrated my sons birthday early with Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles & cousins. A fun time was had by all, the food and company great!

My weigh in on Sunday was 227.4, so up .2lb. But this week is going really well. All my runs this week are 2.5 miles. The first half mile is the toughest, but then I get into a groove and feel like I could just keep going! But I stick with the plan. I am in week seven of the Couch to 5k running program, so only 2 more weeks to go. I increase my running by a quarter mile over the next 2 weeks, so I will be running a full 3 miles by my last week.

Biking is also going well, today I rode about 18 mile in 80 minutes. Though I swear that I am going uphill and against the wind on the return trip! I am feeling good about what I am doing. In September I plan on doing the Palouse Sprint Triathlon, which will be small step toward the Seattle Half-Marathon.

So Life is Good!
MJ

Watching what I Eat

My weigh in this week was not as good as I had hoped, but I did lose weight, just under 1 lb. with a weight of 227.2. Lets face it, weight loss is unpredictable! I had five great work outs and ate well, but just didn't lose the weight. I will just keep doin' what I am doin' and hopefully will see more of a loss this week. I guess all is good as long as the scale keeps going down!

Now, I realize that I have often mentioned what I am doing for exercise, but never how I am watching what I eat. I am using WeightWatchers Online to track how many points of food I eat each day. I am allotted 28 Points per day and then 35 Bonus Points each week. Having done Body for Life before, I use the Bonus Points on Sunday and treat that day as a type of BFL "Free Day".

At the beginning of last year I went to some WeightWatchers meetings with a friend for just over a month, but the meeting are not for me. The meetings just feel like a big commercial push for WeightWatchers products. I know it makes things easier to eat their foods because it tells you on the packaging the point values, but I don't believe that prepackaged, frozen foods are very healthy. I prefer to try to focus my diet around whole, natural foods.

I do, however, like to track my Points. It is an easy way to control how much I eat in a day. I can also satisfy my sweet tooth with one or two small treats a day that only have one point each. And on most large chocolate bars or bags of candy, one square or piece is one point.

Well, on to other things. My 2 mile run on Friday went really well. I am now on week 6 of the Couch to 5k running program. The plan is again different each day, accumulating in running a steady 2.25 miles non-stop this friday.

Keep on runnin'!
MJ

Running Goal Decided

I didn't realize it had been 10 days since my last post, I guess I have been a slacker! We got home a week ago and I came down with a summer cold. I did my run on Monday and Wednesday, was sick on Thursday and Friday so I did my last run of the week on Saturday. They all went really well, though I discovered that the track is still closed so I am running the roads. I have the Nike iPod, which is really nice because it tracks how far I run, which is really handy since I was running .25 and .50 mile increments with walking breaks.

My weight on Sunday was 228, down 2.6 pounds. So that is exciting, breaking out of the 230's! This week has been really good. I am in Week 5 in the Couch to 5k running program. This is the first week in which each of the 3 days is different. On Monday, I ran three .5 mile segments separated by walking. On Wednesday I ran two 3/4 mile segments with a walk in between, and tomorrow I run 2 miles straight. I think I am up for it!

I also went cycling on Tuesday and Thursday, 9 miles in 45 mins., so a 12 mph pace. I can tell that I am already in better shape, not just because of running further, but because the hills on my bike are not so daunting!

I feel really good about this week!

I also looked through the possible half-marathons, and have decided upon the Seattle Marathon on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 30th. I just didn't feel like I could be ready any earlier. I am really excited about completing this goal!

I feel good about finishing my current 5k program, running steady for a couple of weeks and then starting a half-marathon training program. I still have to settle on which one, but I have found a few 10 and 12 week programs, which works out well. I will be done with the 5k program on August 15th, can get comfortable running that distance for a few weeks and then start the half-marathon training program in the beginning of September.

KEEP RUNNING STRONG!

MJ

Half Marathon Dreams

Another week down and things are going well. I weighed in today at 230.6, so down 2.2 lbs! A good, healthy weight loss. Though I have to admit that I was hoping to drop below the 230 mark this week. But with the 4th of July holiday and visiting family, it was tough to put up any extra effort.

I realized this past week that I had not made any mention of my ultimate goal this year. The last few years as I approached the big 4-0, I wanted to do something BIG! At first I was thinking things like an Ironman Triathlon, but then I realized that before doing an Ironman I should do a marathon; after all, the last leg of an Ironman is a marathon. It just happens to come after the 2.4 mile swim and 112 mile bike!

But I never got my act together. I turned 40, still thinking big, but also heavier and lazier than ever. So when I started to get serious a month ago, the reality is that I could never be ready to complete a marathon before I turned 41 next February. But I believe that I can do a Half Marathon!

So I started cruising the race schedules, and the most convenient Half Marathon is Oct. 18th in Lewiston, ID. A flat course (a desireable benefit though I live in a hilly area) and not that far of a drive from home. But I honestly do not know if I can be ready. I found a 12 week half marathon training program that I could do after my Couch-to-5K program, but Oct. 18th does not give me enough weeks to complete both programs. Especially since I should wait a few weeks between the two programs to adjust to running 5K on a regular schedule.

My other options come a month later in Seattle or Bellingham, WA. I am not at home right now (still out of town for the holiday) so I do not remember the exact dates (I believe Seattle is Thanksgiving weekend and I think Bellingham may be a bit later), but it gives me something to ponder! Though I am leaning towards a later date, more training time just gives me more confidence in being able to complete this goal!

But we must always dream bigger, if I can do a half marathon this year, then next year I can do a Half Ironman Triathlon and/or a full marathon!