10K training week 2

Hi all! Here to say that I survived my second Saturday run with my new group. It's getting a little easier to talk to people but the slowest are dropping away so I'm pretty at the back of the pack. I had set an intention for my yoga practice the night before that consisted of two words. Calm and courage. I promised myself I would carry that with me for the morning run and it helped some. I still felt a little panicky and barely slept but it was ever so slightly better than last week.

What I WASN'T doing was keeping up with the training plan during the week and quickly realized that if I'm going to stick with this group, I'm going to need to practice. I still get desperately out of breath, to the point where people ask me if I'm okay which doesn't help with the anxiety of it all. It's from allergies, lack of cardio and carrying around a bunch of extra weight and nothing is going to change that except pushing myself to do it every day!

This morning it was hard but I'm proud to say I did it. I woke up at 6, had some coffee (which I'm not sure is a good idea?!) and then set out to do a 5k. I thought the whole way around the golf course was a 5k and turned out it was 3.9 miles according to my Nike+. I didn't believe it so I mapped it on google pedometer and it was pretty close. What a great surprise! There are a few hills I walked but I challenged myself to keep running on the smaller hills. There is nothing in the world like that shower after a tough morning workout.

Here's to a great week!

The fastest of the slowest

Thanks to all who have made me feel better about starting my running group - it wasn't bad. In fact, it was good! I was not the fattest, nor the slowest as feared. I was the fastest of the slow group which sounds much better than the slowest of the intermediate group. I really was dead in the middle of the two, by myself, and aside from gasping for air on the hills, it was great. We did about 3 miles. The coaches are fun and it really spans ALL levels. It will be interesting to see who keeps coming. I slept badly since I was nervous and woke up every hour looking at the clock. I HATE getting up at 6 am on a Saturday but I can do anything for 11 weeks. We're already 1 week down! Afterwards I wanted carbs desperately of course there was a bagel shop in the shopping center where we met, but I felt so good about my accomplishments that I went and got a spinach smoothie instead. It's a beautiful day in the ATL and I'm going to put some of this extra energy into the garden! Have a great weekend everyone!

Please forgive my lack of blogging....

I was here
We were supposed to be in Scotland but we were flying standby and all the flights got full so we re-packed and went to Key West. This is a sandbar in the Atlantic which we got to by jet ski.

It was a great trip but I'm happy to be back to normal. Even though lost 3 lbs by biking 15 miles a day and then even more walking, I drank a TON and will be detoxing for a while.

We couldn't necessarily afford this trip but I figured it was a much needed break before starting a new chapter in my life (yet again!) I'm going back to work part-time for the agency I've been working with on a freelance basis. I'll be there 9-2 every day and then come home to do all my other freelance work. I will have to adjust to the new routine but the steady pay is something I'm really looking forward to.

and the biggest, scariest part of it all...

my running group - the official training for the Peachtree, starts saturday morning at 7:30
I'm absolutely terrified. I may end up being the largest and the slowest but that hasn't stopped me before so I guess it shouldn't now. I feel a little better after getting an email from the coach asking us all about ourselves, our fitness levels etc. so they will know they have a 200+ pound beginner on their hands. At least I can run/walk a 5k without dying and not necessarily starting from scratch. Also, it's put on by the Atlanta Track Club who is a very reputable organization that seems to cater to and respect all abilities.

See? I just talked myself out of being so scared right here in the blogosphere. I have to remember how helpful it is to blog about it all and keep doing it. I promise I will keep y'all posted on my progress. Good and bad!




I "won"?


So, I found out this morning I won a number in the Peachtree Road Race this year. It's the largest 10K in the world and I will be running with 59,999 other people, up hill, in the 90ish degree heat. Suddenly it doesn't seem like much of a "win" but I promised myself that if I was lucky enough to get in, I had to do it.

I think that I'm going to participate in the official 11 week training program that meets on Saturday mornings at 7:30. It will keep me accountable (that is key for me!) and hopefully help me build some confidence. Plus, I've always wanted to join a running group!

I started running again after 5 weeks off (it was supposed to be 6 but I couldn't take it anymore) and it feels so good! I did a 5k on Friday then 2.5 miles today with ZERO pain in my foot. My quads, now that's another story! :) I didn't fall too far behind and I think my work with my trainer, hours on the elliptical and yoga really helped that. I'm glad I didn't just give it all up for that long!

This should make for an interesting summer!

Down but not out!

Just wanted to let y'all know that I've been down with a cold and we're having the worst pollen season in Atlanta history which means a head that feels like concrete. In fact, the air resembles my favorite post-workout treatI'm still drinking my veggie smoothies twice a day which is starting to taste more and more like dirt so I'm going to have to mix it up a bit. I have yet to buy a VitaMix or a juicer because I can't decide between the two. Either way, they aren't cheap so it's going to have to wait a little while. Luckily I have a wonderful juice place halfway between my trainers studio and my house and I treat myself twice a week to their spinach slam which has mango and pineapple. Delish!!

The scale? Not moving as per usual. I was hoping the juice would be the secret but nothing seems to work. And yes, I'm getting REALLY depressed about it. There IS some light at the end of the tunnel. I can run again in 2 weeks and my foot feels great and I'm feeling pretty energetic despite the pollen (it's from all that spinach!) I know what I need to do - that energy needs to be used for MORE cardio. Ugh! Can't we just do yoga and pilates? :)

Back...with a vengeance...and a green smoothie

This time I really mean it when I say I'm going to blog more. I miss it. I miss everyone's blogs I read. I really missed EVERYTHING. Especially my life!

The strange thing is that I feel like I lost my job again and that was an unexpected reaction. I guess when you go from 120 miles an hour back to normal pace it's a little bit of an adjustment. I've been equating it to when my wedding was over and how strange it felt not to think about it constantly. The project was a HUGE success and I'm proud to say I finished it with no mistakes and barely any meltdowns. Did I mention I gained 10 pounds?

So, back to my desk at home, my dogs, my gym, my trainer, my yoga and my own kitchen. All making healthy living possible again. I'm also ridiculously inspired by "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and if you haven't seen it, drop what you're doing and watch instantly on Netflix :) For right now, I'm juicing during the day and having a sensible dinner and I can't believe how amazing I feel. I never in a million years thought I would crave a drink that had vegetables in it but I want it more than food. It's the strangest thing.

And for even more good news I got 2 cortisone shots in the foot (ouch!) for a tendonitis issue and it seems to have cured me. I can't run or walk for 6 weeks (down to 5 now!) but I can do everything else. The workout schedule is brutal and expensive but if that's what it's going to take then I'm just going to keep doing it until I can't any more or I run out of money!

I wish I could bottle up this energy and save it for the bad times (I'd mix it in a smoothie!)

Yo-yo (yo)

So I'm days away from finishing my huge consulting job - hanging on by a thread. I had the flu and still had to keep up with 16 hour days. I even managed to gain 10 pounds in a month! Who gains weight with the flu?!?! I swear that I gain weight 4 times as fast as "normal" people.

I'm totally beating myself up about it so I'm glad I read this latest and oh so timely blog post by my trainer.

It made me tear up a little because I believe it was yo-yo dieting that killed my father at 49. Constant weight change was hard on his heart. Now I'm following in his footsteps and this is NOT good.

This post is not as desperate as it sounds. I know what to do, I just have to make it through the next 5-6 days of work. Then we will revisit this issue! Let me know what y'all think of her post!


Preparation (in pictures)

In my world, preparation is the second key ingredient for success in the fat fight. The first is accountability which I wrote about the other day.

I decided to break these things up into 3 blog posts (you'll have to stay tuned for the 3rd) because each and every part is essential. One doesn't seem to work without the other.

This consulting job was a slap in the face on the preparation front. I was doing little, if any, and now that I have to travel, pack lunch, work 7-4, workout and then cook dinner, there's no other way around it!

I set out to the farmers market on Sunday morning when it opened and just barely beat the ridiculous crowds. I came home with ALL of this for $28. All of it organic except for the clementines.

It makes me ill when I have to buy vegetables somewhere else and pay twice the price for non-organic produce. I just HAVE to make the weekly stop part of the preparation which isn't easy. The place is the size of 2 Walmarts and full (and I mean FULL) of people. I have had to take a xanax to go there on a Saturday.

Now here's where it can go all sorts of wrong. I have the choice to shove all of this in the fridge right away OR wash it and prep it all for the week so it lasts long and is more convenient. The difference is, if I shove it all in the fridge, that's where it will stay, rotting and unused, while we order pizza.

So I washed and prepped it ALL where it's resting comfortably in the fridge in paper towel lined bags. Ready to grab, cook and eat. I need an alternate storage solution - I hate using so many plastic bags but that's going to require a little research. Suggestions are welcome!


Now that I know what I have to work with, the meal planning begins. This is a work in progress shot...

I have a whiteboard calendar on the fridge. It's a month calendar but I only do one week at a time which leaves me room for my lists at all the different stores I have to go to. It's USUALLY color coded but as you'll notice on my target list, I need new dry erase markers :)

Wednesdays dinner will be a treat - our local market cooks weeknight suppers for $7 each. Wednesday is grilled flounder and zucchini. We try to limit them to one night a week since even though it sounds healthy, the chef is not known for low-fat cooking!

The next step is cooking anything that's cook-able in advance.

Jenny O Turkey sausages on the grill

added to 6 eggs (using only 3 yolks)

poured in a muffin pan and mixed with little bit of cheese and baked for 20 minutes

There was LOTS more but I had to stop being a photographer and get to work. I cooked and washed and planned and cleaned for 3 hours. It's NOT easy. It can be fun if you enjoy cooking but it's a serious commitment.

Last night was the big payoff. We've had such a mild winter that there's no excuse not to be outside. I got home at 5 and was able to power walk almost 3 miles with the dogs knowing I had the time since dinner was all ready to go. I can truly say I spent the whole day stress free because of the planning ahead. I'm hoping that lasts the whole week!

My weigh in will be Saturday morning with my sweet and supportive friend Crys who I unexpectedly ran into at my very first Weight Watchers meeting. I'm hoping and praying that putting all of this into action is going to show on the scale!

Living in the present

I'm extra guilty of the things discussed in this great post my trainer wrote.

My first week on my contract job in the burbs is coming to a close and except for an extremely hungover start to yesterday, it's been great! I feel confident I can do a great job here and really make a big difference on this project.

The bad news is I haven't worked out all week. I have to get up at at 5 to be here by 7 and that took it's toll on me all week. Today I feel like I'm in the swing of this and next week will be a little easier. Saturday is my trainers class and that will help get me going again!

Food has been a bit of a challenge with no refrigerator but the cafeteria is great...I had a salmon salad 2 days in a row cooked on the grill right in front of me...it even had nutritional information with it. Snacking is not as easy as you are expected to go to the cafeteria to eat anything (even if you bring it from home) but I have had a few snacks at my desk ;)

This is a boring post so I'm glad I posted an interesting article.