Workout Wednesday/Quick Update

Hey, hey, hey y'all!!  I'm still here and still alive!

The old ticker is still ticking, without any abnormalities!! I'm still wearing the heart monitor x 1 more week, but the arrhythmia episodes have decreased, so I'm expecting a bill of clean health from the cardiologist. In retrospect, it was all probably unnecessary, but better to be safe than sorry.

Since the first week of December, I've been filling in for a co-worker who injured her foot. She is unable to bear weight and has been off work. This role is very tedious and time consuming. I often have to stay late at work to complete my daily tasks, which is against everything I believe in. I also don't have great internet in my office. The browser on the work computer is outdated, so I can't access blogger. And the reception on my phone is poor to say the least. Therefore, my social media time and specifically my blogging has taken a HUGE hit!!  I'm sorry. I keep thinking that there has to be a light at the end of the tunnel and my life will be able to return to some resemblance of normalcy soon!!  It better because I'm exhausted and starting to feel burned out!!

In other news, I'm still running with the Pathways group. We're on week 9 of our training, just about 1 week away from our goal race: the Sweetheart Run 10k. They are a very fun group to work with. I've enjoyed this inaugural winter session of Pathways!!  And we've been blessed with some really great weather thus far this winter, so we aren't complaining too much!!

I'm also still trying to stick to eating as clean as I possibly can. And I'm still accomplishing that about 80% of the time.

I have kind of fallen off of cross training the past couple of weeks. Hubs and I have been doing the Body Beast workout. We enjoy it and we will get back to it but we're taking a little break from it at the moment. Right now, we're doing a program I found at www.simplyshredded.com 

 

This is a 12 week program. This is week 1-4. On week 5, the reps decrease to 6-8. And on week 9-12, they decrease to 4-6. You should be getting stronger each week, so the amount of weight that one lifts should ideally increase. So, we'll see. We worked up quite a sweat doing legs last night!!  We have to make some modifications here and there as we don't have machines at home but I think this will be a good program to follow while we're taking a break from the Beast. As you can see, there isn't a workout scheduled for Wednesday, so I'll probably throw in the 21 Day Fix Dirty 30 dvd or find some HIIT workout for us to do.

And, speaking of the 21 Day Fix. I'm so excited that the 21 Day Fix Extreme was just released by Beachbody. I ordered it as soon as it became available and we'll incorporate that when it arrives!!

Ok, gotta run! That's all for now!

Until next time--get up, get out, and get moving! Whatever makes you happy, do more of that today!!

Your friend,

Theresa

What workouts are you currently doing??

2015 Goals~~Secrets to Success.

Good morning folks!!

It was a mad dash to the finish,  but we made it through the holidays! I hope yours were fabulous, that you got everything you wished for and more,  and that you escaped the usually holiday weight gain.  I tried to stick to my clean eating as much as possible and was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale the other day.   

Here we are at the beginning of the new year. For many of us,  that means New Year Resolutions. It is estimated that 40% of Americans make resolutions but only 8% will keep them.  So,  why not call them goals and make them something you can achieve?  

Now the trick is how to successfully achieve those goals and deal with inevitable set backs. I believe that it was Zig Ziglar who said " be firm about your principle but flexible about your methods"

 

 The first step to successful goal setting is to write it down.

The key is to set "SMART" goals:

Specific--A goal needs to be as specific as possible so you can work toward it and achieve it. If your goal is too vague, it will be nearly impossible to achieve. For example, "drink more water" is too vague. Drink 60 ounces of water is much more specific and easier to track/measure (see #2)

Measurable--keep track of your goal. If your goal is to lose weight, keep a weekly log of your weight and a daily log of your calories. If your goal is to run a 5k, etc then keep track of your miles. Seeing the progress will help keep you motivated!

Accountable--sharing your goal with a friend or family member will help keep you on track. There are many online tools and apps that help with accountability, My Fitness Pal and Dailymile for example help you keep track of calories/miles and connect with others for accountability.

Realistic--Make sure your goal is realistic for you. You don't want to make it too difficult because and get discouraged. You need to be able to see yourself reaching the goal. It needs to be challenging without being overwhelming. This is where you might need to be flexible. For instance, last year I set a goal of running a marathon but for various reasons this was not a realistic goal for me. I had to re-evaluate and reframe my goals. You might experience what seems like a setback. The important thing is to keep going. There is often more than one way around it!

Timeframe--If your goal doesn't have a time limit, you will have trouble starting and staying motivated until the end. When you start seeing results, it will ultimately keep you motivated. Hang in there, if it takes you a little longer, keep going. Don't stop otherwise you'll never get there!!It's gonna be a busy but great year!! This is the year that we're going to achieve those goals, I just know it!!

Until next time--get up, get out and get moving! Make today ridiculously amazing!!

Your friend,

Theresa

What are your goals for 2015?

 

Tuesday Thoughts

Good morning folks!

Just checking in quickly to say happy Tuesday. Am I the only one who thinks that Tuesday is the worst day of the week? You've got Monday in all it's manicness and Wednesday with it's humpiness, Thursday is like Friday-eve, and then of course it's TGIF. But Tuesday really has no identity of it's own. Maybe I just have too much time on my hands to think about obscure things!

I'm excited because the inaugural winter season of Pathways starts tonight. In the past, we have taken the winter off. We still run together, but it's loosely structured and not organized. I find myself struggling with motivation or lack there of because it's dark and/or cold. Well this year, Fleet Feet listened to it's participants and initiated a winter season. I'm glad. It will be good to run with an organized group during what I think is the toughest running time of the year. I'm moving up a pace group this session. I'll be coaching the 11:30 group with my friend, Dave. I'm looking forward to this session. I plan to make it as fun as possible to help keep them motivated. I've got a fun idea, team building idea that I can't wait to implement!

I believe that my job as a coach is to help keep them motivated and find their confidence. I often say that I'm not a perfect pacer, but I'm their biggest cheerleader. One way to help them be successful is to have a fun, cohesive group. Let's face it, running alone is ok sometimes; but running with a group is the best! You're sharing a common interest with like minded people and often times, you make life long friends. I'm really looking forward to this adventure!!

In other news, I'm still eating clean and sticking to the 21 Day Fix meal plan. So far, so good!!  I haven't had any candy in over a week, with the exception of peppermints. I have allowed myself  to have coffee with 1 tsp of sugar and 1.5 TBSP of coffee creamer. This doesn't seem to be too much as MFP allows for 40g of sugar a day. This is way under that!!  My stomach is much less bloated, so that's the goal that I was hoping to achieve!!  I'll keep plugging along with it. I know there will be tempations and struggles but hopefully, I've broken the sugar addiction!!

This weekend, we're travelling to St. Louis, Missouri for the Hot Chocolate run. My friends and I ran it last year. It was so cold, but so much fun that we're going back!!  Hubs had just had knee surgery so he couldn't participate but this year he is walking the 5k. I hope this gives him the motivation that he needs to run/walk again. He has some pain in that knee post meniscus repair, probably arthritis. But he is afraid that he will reinjure himself. I keep telling him to stick to shorter distances and walking but I haven't been able to convince him. I just don't think that he is that committed. But, fear can do strange things!

I'm still slacking on my weight training. I was doing so well with consistency and not missing workouts until last week when I did the 3 Day Refresh. I had no energy whatsoever and physically felt ill, so I didn't workout. I have been so busy with day to day stuff and holiday preparation that I haven't got back to it. I'm hoping to change that tonight. When I get home from running, I'll immediately workout, then I can put on my pajamas!!  Here's what I'm hoping the rest of my week will look like, workout-wise:

Tuesday: Pathways run, Body Beast Build chest and triceps
Wednesday: Body Beast Back and biceps
Thursday: Pathways run (2.5 or 3) Body Beast Lucky 7
Friday: Body Beast Shoulders
Saturday: rest
Sunday: Hot Chocolate 15k

So, now that you're updated, you can carry on with your regularly scheduled programming!!

Until next time: get up, get out and get moving!!  Whatever you do today, be awesome at it!!

Your friend,

Theresa

How do you stay motivated to run in the winter??
Do you run with a group or prefer to run alone??

Little Rock race recap

Hello, hello folks! Happy Monday!

Today is Motivation Monday and that post will be up a little later. Right now, I want to fill y'all in on the Little Rock Half marathon yesterday.

As you know, my original goal was to run the marathon. Nagging injuries and a harsh winter made training difficult. I realized that a full marathon was probably not realistic at this time. As a result, I changed my registration to the half. After the Sweetheart Run on February 15, I had to take a couple of weeks off to give my Achilles and peroneal tendons time to rest and hopefully heal. I was a little nervous but I've run 13.1 multiple times so was fairly certain that I could do it. With a 2 week "taper", I was hoping for the best....fresh legs and hopefully, little to no pain.

We got up early Saturday morning for the drive to Arkansas. On the way, we decided to stop off at one of our favorite little, local wineries, Post Family Winery in Altus, Arkansas.

 We tasted some wines, had some snacks and then resumed our trip. We arrived in Little Rock and went straight to the expo. Packet pickup was effortless and went of without a hitch. I bought some Swiftwick socks and then we headed to our hotel. We got v checked in and settled in and started to discuss dinner. I wanted to drive from the hotel to the start area to time the drive and figure out parking. I was pleased to realize that it was easier to find and much closer than I originally thought. Afterward, we grabbed an early dinner. After dinner, I got in a little retail therapy. When we got back to the hotel, the staff told us that there was a shuttle for runners in the morning. That was a game changer because that reduced the stress of trying to find parking in the morning. I got my race dummy/flat runner ready and settled in for the night.

All week long, I had been watching the weather forecast closely. They were predicting a winter storm for the area and I knew it could be a factor. I always tell my runners to "control what you can control". Obviously, I can't control the weather, but I could at least try to control my wardrobe. In this case, that was going to be challenging. I couldn't begin to figure out how to dress for a race where the temperature was expected to drop with a high chance of rain. I brought several outfits and decided that I would make my final clothing choice on the morning of the race.

The alarm went off at 5 am. I looked out the window and saw that it was dry. My weather app showed the current temp @ 54. I was cautiously optimistic. I ate my breakfast and started to get dressed. I was planning to wear a long sleeved base layer with a short sleeved top over it. I was going to carry a lightweight jacket because it was supposed to be windy. But, after looking at the hourly forecast, I opted for a long sleeved base layer and a long sleeved 1/2 zip over it. I still had the jacket packed in my hydration vest. We went downstairs at 6:45 to catch the shuttle. The temperature was perfect, but that would soon change.

Due to road closures, the shuttle had to drop us off a mile from the start line.

Pre-race: 55 degrees and no rain--still smiling!

I missed the half fanatics picture but I did see my friend Gayle from Tulsa and Pamela from Texas.

Still no rain, still smiling! Rain started 5 minutes after this pic was taken.

It was starting to rain lightly. I put on my rain poncho and waited in a store doorway for the rain to let up.  At about 7:55, I got in the corral and started chatting with other runners. It was  still lightly drizzling. The wind was brisk and we were all wet. At first, I was concerned that I was overdressed. Later, I would be glad that I had changed clothes.

They were doing a wave start, starting each corral about every 5 minutes. I was in corral G so I didn't get to start until almost 8:30. I was planning to start out slow but I started in the front of my corral. I looked at my watch and was running a 9 minute mile. I knew that was way too fast and my angry Achilles agreed. It was hurting and I was only 0.15 miles in. Great! My plan was to walk if I had to and crawl if I must, so I was planning to make the best of it. I slowed my pace to about an 11 minute mile. I turned up my music, started to jam out and just run.....for as long as my leg would let me.

On one of the out and back sections, I saw a couple of my fellow Tulsa/Fleet Feet runners. That made me smile. It's my own race, but it's encouraging to see people I know out on the course. It makes me feel like I'm not alone.

I was a little concerned about nutrition due to recent diet changes but had carbed up really well for breakfast. I had carrying organic Sharkies and Honey Stinger chews. I planned to take some nutrition about every 30 minutes, which was no problem because I wad carrying my own water. I passed the first water stop but grabbed Gatorade at the next one for additional carbs.

I was hurting but feeling pretty good until about mile 6 or 7. I kept trudging along but it was obvious the weather was deteriorating. I noticed sharp pain in my left foot around mile 9 but I kept going. I was running about an 11:30 - 12 at this point and was taking short walk breaks as needed. I was starting to wish that I had my buff because the wind was cold on my face. I was starting to compare this run to Rt 66 last November. We ran past several area churches and apparently by the Governor's mansion. I didn't really notice. I was just trying to focus on finishing.

Mile 11 - 12, I was walking more frequently. I didn't have a goal time in mind. I kept looking at my watch thinking I might be able to make a 2:30 finish, exactly the same as my last half finish time. Mile 12-13, was a little bit downhill. I tried to make up some time here, but was hurting too bad. I saw the mile 13 flag and felt relieved! Just a little bit further now! I pushed as hard as I could, high fived Bart Yasso, and fist pumped my way across the finish line. I got my large medal, saw my hubs and immediately began to cry. It was the hardest thing I've ever done! Worse than Route 66 and that was very bad!

Post race: fake smile, wet,cold and hungry, red cheeks and nose from crying

There was no gluten free, dairy free post race food. I got to my hubs as quickly as I could so I could get my wet clothes off and dry jacket on and get some post race grub before I got sick. We had to wait a bit for the shuttle driver due to miscommunication. Once we were on the shuttle, we found out that they had black flagged the race due to weather. They pulled runners off the course. Some were made to wait in a Wal-Mart parking lot for buses back to the finish so they could collect their medals. Others chose to press on and finish without course support. If I had in fact run the marathon, I would have most certainly been stopped. Yet another reason I'm glad I chose to do the half instead. I can understand why they did it.  It was 55 with light rain at the start and 35 with high winds, sleet and thunderstorms at the finish. Hypothermia was a real concern and the there was a threat of lightening in the area. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to "re-route" the race but with that many people involved, safety had to come first. Yet, as a runner, I can certainly understand the disappointment of months worth of training and being so close, yet so far away. It would have been heartbreaking not to be able to cross that finish line.

After a hot shower and getting my belly full of post race fajitas, we headed home, right into a winter storm! It was sleeting and snowing making it a treacherous trip. We're home safely now and I can say that was the hardest thing I've ever done! I'm resting, icing, and elevating in compression socks today. Now it's time to get in to see a doctor to figure out what's causing my foot/ankle/Achilles issues. I'm so discouraged and frustrated! I've had 1 pain free week since the first of the year. Something has to change! We have to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it so that I can keep running without causing permanent damage, if I haven't already.

Finally Friday

Good morning folks!!  TGIF

This has been a long, challenging week at work. One thing I don't talk about too much here is my work. I really wanted to write a long, ranting post yesterday, but I refrained. I tried very hard to be positive even though I didn't want to. And I think it worked. It actually wasn't a terribly bad day after all! But I'm more than ready for the weekend!

It's going to be a busy weekend here! We're getting up early in the morning to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas. I was going to run the marathon there on Sunday. But, after an eye opening 15.5 mile run, I changed my registration to the half. I've been nursing an ankle/heel/Achilles/peroneal tendon issue since the first of the year. I've been on a 2 week running hiatus. I'm a little nervous about trying to run this race. The smart thing to do would probably be to defer until next year. But I'm hoping for "fresh legs" after this rest period. I've called it the "ultimate taper" I would be a little more excited about it if the weather wasn't going crazy here. I could have at least had fun with it.  But the good old "polar vortex" is going to return over the weekend. They're predicting a winter storm for our area for this weekend. It looks like it will be cold and rainy on Sunday. I'm not thrilled about this. I don't like to run in the cold and the rain is just ok, but cold rain is another issue. This is one race where I'm really not even sure how to dress. I've been told to bring "everything" so I guess that's what I'll do. With the weather conditions and my injury issues, I'm just hoping to finish. I could really use some good running karma and thoughts on Sunday morning if you're so inclined. :-)

I've been concerned about nutrition and fueling since I made drastic changes (no gluten, no dairy and limited sugar) to my diet recently. But I think I've got a plan that will work out well. I used dried fruit and nuts a couple of weeks ago when I did 12 miles. At mile 10, I felt like I was out of gas. I needed more carbs I think. So, I'm planning to make a "trail mix" of nuts, fruit, dry Chex cereal and a few M&M's. I'm thinking that will work out pretty well. I plan to use my Nathan Minimist hydration vest, so I'll use Gatorade G2 for additional carbs. And I plan to have my old standby Honey Stinger chews in case I need more fuel. That should be enough :-)

Alrighty, that's my weekend preview. What's on your agenda for the weekend?

Whatever it is, be safe and have a GREAT one!!

Monday Motivation

Hello, hello!!  Happy Monday!!

I hope that you all had a great weekend!! We did!!

Saturday morning, I couldn't run with my Pathways group so I opted to run on the river in Tulsa. It was supposed to get up to 40, so I was pretty excited!!  I was planning to run 10 miles. It was cloudy and cold when I started. I warmed up fairly quickly but I had forgotten my buff. The trails were clear and all was going pretty well. The bridge at Southwest Blvd was snow/ice packed, so I had to walk that, but it cleared up as I hit the trail to the west bank. As I approached the amphitheater, I realized that I was going to need a bathroom break. Fortunately, my husband was waiting for me with water. I turned the corner by the amphitheater and noticed a big bird fly in and land in a tree about 50 yards from me. It was an eagle!!  It was so cool to see this majestic bird this close!

 I took a few pics then hubs took me to the QT down the street for the bathroom. After the pit stop, I went east over the 21st bridge. It was pretty snow packed and icy. I stuck to the outside edge and didn't have any slipping problems. The walkway down to the trail was slick, so I walked that part but once again, the trail was clear. I headed south toward 41st, where hubs was waiting for me. It was SO cold and the air was hurting my face!!  I had broken out the hand warmers by now and my right heel was hurting. I got to where hubs was just as my Garmin hit 7 miles. I decided that would be enough and called it quits. We met my friend Sarah for lunch at Jason's deli then headed home to warm up. The rest of the weekend was pretty much spent in pajamas!!  We wrapped up the Breaking Bad series on DVD. Yesterday, I grocery shopped and food prepped. I made a big batch of chili and homemade minestrone soup for the Move, Nourish Believe Meatless Monday. We also watched Escape Plan and Captain Phillips on DVD from the Redbox. Both were pretty good movies. I also got a little retail therapy yesterday. I went to JCP to return some things and they were having a pretty good clearance sale. I got a couple of workout capris for $14.39 and 10.38 plus I got a quarter zip pull over for $10.38!

Pathways is supposed to run 3 miles tonight but the arctic temps/wind chills have forced us to cancel our outdoor activities lately. It is still bitter cold today, so I'm anticipating an indoor workout tonight but we'll see. I'm also hoping to start a new bootcamp workout this week because I'm struggling to stay on the bandwagon all by myself. I'm thinking a group activity might help with that.

My Motivation Monday team has Healthy Valentine's Day Dinner ideas for you today. I'm running short of time, so I will have to post mine later. But feel free to link up with us and hop around to see what they've got for you.

Have a marvelous Monday!

Thursday Things

Good morning folks!

Yep! That's how I felt when I packed my gym bag this morning. I packed my outdoor winter running gear, making sure to grab my warm North Face gloves and my wool Buff. I'm listening to the weather forecasters talking about "blowing snow" and "wind chill advisories" They were also talking about "our next winter storm" Enough already! I'm over it! I also packed capri pants and a tank in the event that Pathways is cancelled tonight (I'm secretly hoping it is) I struggle with cold weather, winter running. I am always cold. I have trouble warming up. I often wear a jacket at work because I'm so cold. Therefore, I prefer running in warmer temperatures. I've tried to just deal with it, but a little bit goes a long way. Ol Man Winter has certainly worn out his welcome as far as I'm concerned!

Last night, after work, I went to spin class. I'm really enjoying spin. I'm glad they've added classes that fit in my schedule. Then I did a few hanging leg raises and a 5 minute plank (broken up into 1 minute segments) If Pathways is cancelled again tonight (they cancelled it last night d/t wind chill) I'm planning to hit the treadmill for a few miles followed by some core work.

And, that's all I've got for now.

Until next time......