October Update!

What a month! I totally blew it, didn't track my food intake regularly and my weight was about the same at the end of the month as at the beginning (up and down, kind of like a see-saw). But I did do very well on my running schedule, didn't miss a work out! I also rode my bike all the way to Troy and back on the trail. The mysterious "THEY" have been working on completing the trail for the last few years, and recently finished. It was a beautiful ride, the last 2 miles were all down hill through a beautiful wooded area just turning with Fall colors. Of course, that meant I had to go uphill heading home, but it was a gentle grade. Overall it was about a 24 mile trip and I was out for about 2 hours. I have really wanted to make that ride this year, so I was happy to have a wonderful fall day to enjoy it in.

My long run is now up to 9 miles, and I am over half way through my training program. My half marathon is 4 weeks from this weekend. I really feel that I am will be ready. This next month I am going to concentrate on my diet. I know that a better diet is crucial to improving my running, since it is the fuel my body is running off of (so to speak ;-).

On a side note, three of my kids decided to be Star Wars figures for Halloween: Darth Maul, Yoda and Princess Leia. I decided to help out and it was quite a day! I am nowhere near being a seamstress, but today I pulled out the sewing machine to make hoods, belts and Yoda ears. Then spent a couple of hours on make-up and hair. They turned out quite cool, if I may say so myself! My oldest daughter (a senior), who hasn't been trick or treating for about 6 years, had a friend come visit and also went out. They were their own kind of Super Hero's. Being the oldest, she felt that she had outgrown Halloween when she was 12, so it was good to see her go out be a kid. A cousin was also visiting and he dressed as Goliath. He is quite tall, and wore really small armor. Clever idea!

Well, I will give weekly updates through the next month as I approach the Half Marathon. Let y'all know how it's going!

Ciao for Now!
Michelle

I can't believe it's the LAST day of SEPTEMBER!

What can I say? I just haven't taken the time (again) to blog, though it has crossed my mind more than once.

September has been a good month. I completed the Palouse Sprint Triathlon. I completed both the run and the bike faster than last year. The bike by just under 2 minutes and the run by just over 3 minutes. So that was exciting! I thought I had some pictures, but they are on the other computer, so I will add then later.

I also won an online Triathlon training program at the drawing after the Triathlon. The training program is for one month, but part of the program is to set you up with a one year training schedule based upon your goals for the year. So that is cool, since it is something I would not normally splurge on by myself (it costs around $250.00 per month!). I will wait until after the half-marathon, and possibly until early next year before I use the certificate. It is good until next April, so I have a little time.

My weight also dropped to 219 lbs this month for a total of 25 lbs lost. It is coming off slowly but surely. If I would only avoid those bad foods it would come off faster! I think I am an addictive/habitual eater, so some days are good and some are bad. Weight Watchers really helps me control my food intake, but there have been a few weeks when I have eaten more than points allow for weight loss. Overall, it is really good for accountability and self-awareness.

I used the Runner's World Smartcoach to set up my training program for the Half Marathon. From the time I set it up to the race, it was 11 weeks. I am now on week 3, and overall the program seems pretty good. I do plan on making a few changes: increase my easy run pace (even I don't run that slow!), and increase my Saturday long run distances quicker. I think it is because I only have 11 weeks, but the longest run before the race is 10 miles, and I would prefer it to be 12 miles. So I will change that a bit over the weeks to reflect the increase, that will give me more confidence going into race day.

Something that I am excited about that I just realized last night, is that I am looking forward to my runs, and wishing I was running on my down days! Last night when I went to bed, I was genuinely wishing that I was running today and that was quite a revelation for me! But I decided to stick with my program. Instead I went on a bike ride down the path towards Troy. I left it until late in the day (I prefer a.m workouts) but I am really glad that I went, it was a a really good ride. It was also the first time that I went down the hill that I crashed on last month. I was a bit nervous and took the corner slowly. Though I hate being controlled by my fear, so I hope to be able to approach it a bit faster some day in the not too distance future.

I have friend who is getting ready to start the Couch to 5k training program, so that is nice to see, to be a positive influence in someone's life. I told her that there is a 5k at the end of January that we should plan on doing together. I know that, personally from experience, that if I do not have something to look forward to in the future, it is easy to let my running dissipate into nothing! Though with my new running excitement, maybe I am over that type of thing - but that cannot be left to chance!

Well, that is it for now. I will blog more regularly and let you know how my training is going.

Ciao!
Michelle

August in a Nutshell

I am not sure how a full month has passed without blogging, but alas ... its not as though I didn't think about blogging, I just didn't do it! Quite a bit has happened, so I will only do a quick update:

WEEK 1: Went and visited my family in Blaine, WA (north of Seattle on the Canadian border). Had a nice visit. Maintained my running. We arrived on Monday and I didn't run before leaving, so I ran just before dinner time. NOT a fun time to run, I definitely prefer the morning. Ran once down to the harbor and back, that was really nice. I especially enjoy seeing the Blue Heron, there are a lot of them by the water. There is a nice park by the harbor where we go to watch the sunset, see some wild life, and found marion berries that were about ripe for picking!



WEEK 2: During the 2nd week, we left the kids in Sandpoint to enjoy one last week by the lake and with cousins. We had to go to Sandpoint on the 10th for a baby blessing, and again the following weekend for a family reunion, so it seemed like a good time to leave everyone up there again. Jeff is starting law school this fall, and the early welcome program that he is participating in started on that Tuesday.

It was also the last week of my Couch to 5K running program, which I was excited to complete, I had to run 3 miles this week for all three of my runs. I ran on Monday and was feeling really go about the distance. On Tuesday I went cycling, heading on the bike trail towards Troy. There is one place on the trail where you go down a hill and at the bottom there is a 90 degree turn. I thought I could handle the turn at a faster speed than normal and discovered, the hard way, that I could not. In the middle of crash I remember thinking "that noise I hear is my helmet sliding along the ground". After lying there for a moment, I got up, checked myself over and discovered my arm bleeding in multiple places and my hip was sore, but otherwise I appeared fine. My bike also appeared to be undamaged. I considered my options and decided to ride home if my bike really was o.k. I walked back up the hill, got on my bike and rode the 5 miles home. There I took a bath (seemed the best way to clean out road rash) and then discovered that for having 4 kids, I was really low on 1st aid supplies. I had to go to the store for larger band aids and first aid cream!

It has been almost 3 weeks since the accident. All of my scabs are gone. The largest bruise I have ever seen graced my leg and hip has faded. My hip is still a bit sore and my neck is stiff, and I have road rash scars on my wrist, elbow and shoulder. On both that Friday and Saturday I ran 3 miles, so that I can say that I completed my running program and never missed a run! Though my hip still gets sore when I run, especially around the half way mark. Then it just goes numb.

WEEK 3: Got home from the family reunion over the weekend, it was good to see many of Jeff's aunt and uncles again. Not many cousins made it this time. The week was rainy, but the kids enjoyed their last full week of summer break. Started seriously looking for a job. Ran, but decided to take my bike in for a tune up before starting to ride again. Went swimming on Saturday to time myself for 10 laps. This information is needed for the Palouse Sprint Triathlon registration form. I have ran and biked all summer, but that was my first time swimming laps! My time was 12.5 minutes, though I put it 2 minutes slower on the form. It is 4 people per lane during the swim and I don't want to be in too fast of a lane. Plus, the slower swimmers start first!

WEEK 4: A busy week! It was Jeff's first official week of Law School (orientation was last week), and the kids started school on Wednesday. I have been filling out job applications online for up at the University. Two have had extensive questionaires that I have had to fill out, both taking several hours!

I ran twice, Monday and Wednesday, but then noticed that I had a pain in my right knee. I iced it Wednesday evening, and have taken it easy since. I do not notice any pain today, though I will not run till Tuesday. I want to make sure that it is fine so I do not risk a real injury that could side line me for longer. For this Labor Day weekend we are in Sandpoint again. We weren't going to go anywhere, but Dad called on Friday inviting us up, so here we are!

Well, that is my month in a nutshell. I promise to be more diligent in writing. I know that I do better with my training and my diet when I do. My weight has gone up and down all month, and ended up close to the same as at the beginning. Having my work out interupted, has messed with my diet. I tend to lose focus and eat more than I should when I am not as active. I try to be aware, but find myself slipping anyway! So here is to a better September!

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!

Moderation is the key

Just a quick post. Despite the whole cookie slip up last week, I still lost half a pound! I weighed in at 232.8. It was disappointing not to lose more, especially since I was down to 231.8 half way through the week, but I did learn that the cookies are just not worth it! Moderation is the key. I am considering getting brave enough to post a picture, but not tonight, other things to do but maybe next time!