Boot Camp Baby!

Longest Run Ever!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 21:00:11

So, I had my surgery three weeks ago tomorrow and it went well. I had a little bit of an issue coming out of anesthesia but nothing major. The recovery was a lot harder than I expected. I'd never had surgery before so I was delusional about how long it would take for my body to recover and how crappy I would feel. I ended up going back to work on Wednesday and didn't really get much done. I stopped taking my pain medicine and then I realized how much pain it was disguising! I also couldn't run for a full week and that was tough. I was concerned it would mess up my half-marathon training schedule since the weekend I had the surgery I was supposed to run 9.5 miles. I still can't breathe entirely through my nose when I run if it's cold outside since it's not healed yet and the cold air hurts! I go back for another post-op visit on November 4th and hopefully by then the swelling will be completely gone and it will be all healed up.

I can definitely tell a difference though already! I was able to get right back on track with my running schedule, which was a relief. This weekend we did the Race for the Cure. Even though it's for a great cause I really don't enjoy doing that race at all. So many people do it now and it's too crowded. Also a lot of people do it who don't know race etiquette. People who were walking were at the front of the pack and we had to dodge around them when the race started. It's frustrating and also dangerous. Last year, a woman fell trying to get around people who were walking in the beginning. I wish they would announce to people that if you are walking to line up at the back of the pack. We also paid extra this year to get chips to officially time us. We had our ipod nano's to time us as well. Well when I crossed the finish line, my nano told me I ran it in 35:46, which is a personal record! I shaved four minutes off my last 5k time in August. But the official clock said 36:40 since it took us almost a minute to get to the starting line after the starting signal was given. If you have a chip, races don't start your individual official time until you cross the start line, there is a sensor there that reads it. Imagine my surprise when I checked the times online and mine said 36:40! My mom and I realized that this race did not have a sensor at the starting line and they started everyone's chips at the official start. So if you weren't in the very first row of people, your time is wrong. I think that really stinks. Why pay extra for a chip if it's not going to start your time when you actually cross the starting line? Especially at a huge race like this when some people may be so far back in the pack it could take several minutes until they cross the official start? So, I've pretty much decided I'm not doing the Race for the Cure again. I may change my mind next year, but this year was just so frustrating.

However, there was a great run this weekend! On Sunday, we did our longest run ever of 11 miles! I was really nervous about it, since I am still not completely 100% and I lost a week of training. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad. I'm so proud of how far my mom and I have come since we started Couch to 5k in May. We finished in 2 hours and 20 minutes, which means we will probably finish the actual half-marathon around 2 hours and 45 minutes if we can mantain our pace. When I did the half-marathon in 2005 I finished in 3:17, so my time will be almost thirty minutes faster!

And for the final good news, I'm down to 149 even! 145 here I come...

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Oh yeah, My House!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 00:09:14

TatumsMom asked me yesterday about my house... I completely forgot to mention it! I closed and moved in two weeks ago and I absolutely love it! It was definitely worth all the hassle and frustration. It's so big, especially after staying in a bedroom at my parents for the last five months since I moved back. I decided to get a roommate since I had so much extra space, and that is going well. She's very quiet and neat and I actually hardly ever see her. The house is a split-bedroom plan, so her room and the office/music room is at the front of the house and my bedroom is at the back near the garage. It's a rear-load garage so it works out perfectly.

Just found out that my surgery isn't until 2:30 tomorrow! And they said I can't eat or drink after midnight. I'm going to be dying of hunger and dehydration. I found some articles online that said the whole not eating/drinking after midnight thing is from the 1960's and many studies have shown you can eat eight hours before and drink clear liquids two hours before. I probably won't risk the eating, but I know I'm going to have to sip some water. I drink over 150 ounces a day, and if I get a teeny bit dehydrated I get a raging headache. Hopefully I'll eat until midnight tonight, take a nyquil, and sleep late tomorrow!

Oh yeah, and I weighed myself this morning... I was 149.8!! It's been at least a year, maybe longer since I've been under 150. So psyched! Now if I can just stay below it :)

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40 miles

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 00:08:13

Lately, things have been crazy! I've been taking a class on Tuesday and Thursday nights and between that and training for the half-marathon and working full-time I keep forgetting to get on here! My sister and nephew were also in town from England during September so I got to spend a lot of time with them as well. My younger brother also got married last month and I had a trip to Nashville... so crazy!!

Good news is that I'm down to 151 something. I'm not posting it yet, because I don't remember exactly what it was. I'm still a little frustrated though because my mom who weighs 30 pounds less than me as loss ten pounds since we started running seriously in May and I've lost maybe six. So last week I went to get my blood checked for thyroid probems. I've also been having several of the other symptoms such as lethargy, dry skin and hair, always cold, etc. I almost hope it comes back with something, so I know what the problem is. I've been eating well, so I don't think it's my diet contributing to it.

This past weekend I did the 24 hour Tour D'Esprit to benefit Haiti Medical Missions. This event is near and dear to me since I taught school in Haiti after I graduated college. It's tons of fun, with a silent auction, spaghetti dinner, gourmet breakfast and of course the running and walking! My mom and I camped out that night and my dad and other family members came and hung out during the day. It was a perfect weekend for it. I had my first place title to defend, since I won in my age group last year. There was a girl in my age group who was beating me though and I became discouraged. But luckily for me, she did 93 miles overall and won the overall prize, so I won in my age group. Yay! I did 40 miles. We ran the first ten, with our five minute run, one minute walk plan and walked most of the rest except for the last three miles. Since the half-marathon is approaching we didn't want to overdo it. On our breaks, I did yogo and used my foam roller and I really think it helped a lot. Compared to last year, I was barely sore at all and was back to my usual self on Sunday, albeit a little tired.

On Friday, I am having septoplasty to correct my deviated septum. I'm a little nervous about it since I've never been under general anesthesia before, but I'm sure it'll all be fine. I'm looking forward to being able to breath! I'm also hoping it improves my running. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take off 4-5 days from running so hopefully it won't put me back too far in my training.

Happy Wednesday!

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I'm Here!

Friday, December 7, 2007 22:02:11

I've been so busy this past couple of weeks with training, work, and of course the Olympics I've not had time to blog. Last Sunday, I had my longest run yet of 5 miles. It went really well. It was a little warmer since we didn't get to Shelby Farms until 8:30, but the run was fun. Not easy, but at least enjoyable! It really helps to have my mom run with me, it's good motivation to have someone else with you when it gets tough. I was also down another 1.4 pounds on Sunday, which puts me at about 5 pounds lost in the last month. And without obsessing over food! Yay! I've let myself have a couple of splurges, but I'm mostly eating clean and healthy and it's definitely helped the way I feel and has improved my runs.

This week, I've either run or gone to boot camp every day. Last night I thought I was going to have to run on the treadmill, which I hate, but luckily it stopped raining around 6:30 and I was able to go. I had one of my fastest times yet! This weekend is a short run on my training schedule, only 2.5 miles. I run about 3 miles on on my other three runs a week, so this will be easy. The other three runs we go by time, not distance, usually running about 32 minutes.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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Weekend

Friday, December 7, 2007 23:00:09

I've had a really good weekend so far. The Olympics Opening ceremony was fantastic and I somehow managed to stay up to watch the whole thing. I was nodding off at the end but I had heard the lighting of the torch was really cool, so I stayed awake to watch it. Yesterday I did a four mile run at Shelby Farms. My mom and I went around 7am and it was the popular place to be! I hadn't been there when that many people were there in a long time. The weather was actually nice. I did see Bridget coming from the opposite direction. She was very focused, I called her name three times before she heard me. We started the Jeff Galloway training method, which is a run/walk program. Supposedly, it's supposed to prevent fatigue and increase your running speed. We did five minutes run, one minute walk. At first I didn't like stopping to walk, I felt like it got me off my groove. But by the third time, I realized I was running faster and not as tired. Isn't that crazy that a running expert actually knows what he is talking about!! ;) We actually had our fastest pace yet!

Today we did an easy hour walk and it drizzled on us a bit, but it was good to get it over with for the day. I was going to go to church, but I think I'll just take it easy and watch the Olympics. Michael Phelps is swimming again today and I love to watch him! We are having a family dinner tonight, so that'll be nice to have everyone over. I'm down another 1.2 pounds this week! Yay! And I'm still not counting calories or doing any type of "diet". I'm just eating when I'm hungry and trying to stick to clean, healthy foods and watching my portions. And it's working!

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Olympics

Saturday, December 8, 2007 00:08:11

I'm so excited about the Olympics starting! I wanted to stay home today just so I could watch the Today show coverage about it. Tonight the opening ceremony will air on NBC at 6:30 CST. I peeked at pictures that are posted on Msnbc.com and it looks like it'll be a great show!

I'm debating whether or not to go to boot camp tonight. I haven't had an off day since last Saturday and according to my half-marathon training schedule, I'm suppposed to take one off day a week. My legs do feel exhausted, but I'm still motivated to go. I guess I'll wait to see how I feel right before it's time. I did pack a bag though. I just don't want to overdo it and push myself too hard, but I also don't want to be a slacker. My runs this week have been really good. Saturday we are doing a four mile run and I'm anxious to see what my time will be. We'll probably do it at Shelby Farms so we can assess the milage correctly and we haven't gone out there since June.

A friend of mine wants to go out tonight as well, but I don't think she'll want to watch the Olympics, so I probably won't go out. It's funny that I have so many choices tonight! I usually don't like going out on Friday nights anyways, it's my night to decompress for the week. TGIF!

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Good run, Bad morning

Saturday, December 8, 2007 00:05:09

I woke up again before the alarm clock this morning and immediately didn't feel like going to run. I felt nauseous and just generally unmotivated. Last night's boot camp was killer and the heat nearly knocked me out. But I got up and got dressed. Surprisingly enough, it was the best run I've had in a long time! At the thirty minute mark, I wanted to keep going, but didn't want to push myself. What was even weirder is that my mom had her worst run. She is usually running circles around me.

But, then it all started going downhill! After I got out of my shower, I realized I only had ten minutes left before I had to leave for work. Isn't it weird how time slips away from you? When I work out in the mornings I can't just jump straight in the shower, I have to let myself cool down some otherwise I'll be sweating all morning. Guess today I wasn't paying attention to the time before I got in the shower. I quickly made my egg white burrito and flew out the door, fifteen minutes late. Well, making the egg white burrito was a bad idea. I don't know why I thought I could eat that in the car. I also put salsa in it, and on the first bite I had salsa all over my skirt- my white skirt. Luckily, I was able to get it out and I eventually gave up on the burrito. I wasn't that hungry anyways, just wanted to get some calories in.

Unfortunately, there was a bad wreck getting on the interstate and traffic wasn't moving. So I'm sitting there in traffic not moving with a wet skirt that smells like salsa and eggs. I finally get to work and pull my sunglasses off and they break. I just bought these sunglasses a week ago, I had broken the two previous pair as well. So, I hurridly put my make-up on (I couldn't do it before because I was so hot) and when I get out of the car, I drop my lunch bag and my yogurt spews open and my plastic container of frozen grapes breaks. Eeek! So now I'm sitting in my office with a wet skirt, wet hair, and smell like eggs. Great.

If anyone has any good recommendations for sunglasses, please let me know :) I keep buying the cheap ones but they keep breaking, so I guess I need to invest in some that cost a little more. I like the big movie star looking ones :)

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39:40

Saturday, December 8, 2007 00:03:09

So the race Friday night...was HOT! Sgt. Tony had cancelled boot camp so we'd do the 5k instead, but turns out only me and one other girl showed up from our class. The 5k was small- I would guess around 200 people. I've haven't done one that size in a while. I was warned that the course was really hilly, but I didn't realize how hilly it was. It's really funny since I used to work right by the course and drove it dozens of times. You don't really notice hills until you try to run or bike them!

Overall, I'm happy with my time- 39:40. With the hills and the heat, I'm happy with getting under 40 minutes. The first mile was 11:20 and the second was 24:58. My mom and I stayed together until right before the second mile. It was a really steep hill and I felt like I was going to die, so I walked up the last half of it. I had to walk a lot of the last mile. My mom finished three minutes ahead of me. Overall, it was a success. I'd like to get another 5k in soon, that has a flatter course though!

I woke up at 6 am today and already got my run in. It was hot, but surprisingly a little easier than it has been so far! I was able to run straight for 30 minutes again. Yay!

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Three weeks off takes one and half weeks to get back on!

Thursday, December 6, 2007 21:00:10

Well shortly before I went to Paris, I slacked off on my running. The last day I ran was June 28th. I know this because my Nike nano tracks all that for me. At that point, I was finishing up the Couch to 5k program and was running thirty minutes straight with no walk breaks. After I got back from Paris, I didn't attempt to run again until July 18th. OMG, it was hard! Since then, I've been running three days a week and was having to take walk breaks again, though they were getting a little less each time.

Monday morning I only had to take one walk break, and it was less than one minute. Today I was able to run the whole thirty minutes again! I was so happy. It nearly killed me, especially since it was 80 degrees already at 6 am, but I did it! So it took me half the time I took off to get back where I was. This week is the first week of our half-marathon training. It is 17 weeks in length. I'm doing a 5k Friday night and it will be my first official time since completing Couch to 5k. I'm anxious to see how fast I can finish it, since my time is usually faster in a race with all the adrenaline and excitement.

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Down 2.5 pounds!

Thursday, December 6, 2007 22:09:09

Well I technically started Jenny Craig last Tuesday, but by Saturday I started to get bored with it. The food is great, but I realized I was focusing too much on the food, if you know what I mean. I met Bridget, Angela, and Kristen (local extrapound bloggers) for lunch Saturday afternoon and we had such a great time. I ate healthily and felt satisfied. So from that point on, I focused on not obsessing about food and just eating when I'm hungry. It's not some new revolutionary idea, but I don't know why I always forget about it! But I guess it worked, since I'm down 2.5 pounds since I weighed myself last Tuesday. That's the most I've lost in one week in a very long time.

I've also been diligently working out, having worked out for eight days in a row. I've started training with my mom for the half-marathon in December. We run three days a week and I do boot camp on the other days. So far it's going good, despite the extreme heat. We are running really early in the morning to try to beat the worst heat of the day, but it's still pretty muggy at six am.

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