That's the farthest I've ever run! As soon as I crossed 13.1 miles a huge smile broke out on my face as I have not run this far before. A feeling of major accomplishment and even relief...especially on the heels of an injury fear.
I'll recap the last couple of weeks...I had been having some left knee troubles but the pain would disappear once I stopped running downhill, or if I moved to the middle of the road. Last Monday I ran hill repeats and then on Thursday, went out for a 45 min run and at about 20 minutes, I had to turn around and walk back. I experienced sharp sharp pain in my knee that would not go away unless I walked...and even then I could feel it aching. Thursday night I watched my left quad go through what looked like a seizure as my muscles would not stop twitching. I took a complete rest day on Friday and wrestled with emotions all day.
The thought of having an injury and not being able to run my marathon...I had a wave of relief complete with a wave of despair. Relief because I was starting to doubt myself and of course despair since I've put so much time and effort into my training. Granted, I'm approaching this from a beginner's level so my mileage isn't as high as a more seasoned runner. So last night I rolled out my legs really well (which I had NOT been doing, stretching yes, foam rolling, no) and I iced my left knee. (Woke up with my bedroom smelling like green beans since I used a frozen pack, now thawed. Nummers!) This morning I rolled out my legs again and set out rather warily. I was telling myself that I was going to be fine, the rolling would help, and it was good I rested yesterday. That's what I was telling myself but I'm not exactly sure I was buying it.
Anyway, from the title of my blog, you know that all went well. I had an amazing run with a pace of 12:14 which included all of my walking and my warmup and cooldown. The first 7 miles were sub 11 and the last hovered just under 12 and a little above. It rained off and on which was a nice blessing except for the cattle truck that passed me when I got up on the highway and kicked up an extra cattely smelling mist. blech! Oops but let me backtrack back to my knee again...around mile 2? that's when it usually hits...the knee pain came and I thought, "Here we go. This will decide." A little bit further and the pain went away. That's when the first smile crossed my face and I knew I would make it through the rest of the run. Now to keep pressing forward while keeping a watchful eye on my knee and taking good care of it.
Speaking of taking care...I need to go ice and elevate. I hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend!! Much success to you all!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Back to School, Back to Life
I was listening to a great coach call this morning and Carl Daikler, the CEO of Beachbody, said something that particularly smacked me upside the head. In regards to all of the back to school hubbub and sales going on, he asked how many adults out there needed a "back to life" sale. We're all so intent on making sure our kids are going back prepared with the right clothes, the right pink erasers, and the right amount of #2 pencils We expect them to learn, to pay attention, and to reach for their dreams. Well, we are all in school right now and it's the school of life. We all have potential and it's time to look at those dreams we put on hold, or those careers we thought we could never do...that lifestyle that we thought was beyond our reach. Personally, I have had a lot of things happen in my life that weren't planned or expected and I've allowed a lot of those circumstances to alter my dreams. I have lost sight of previous goals and desires due to thinking that, "Oh, I'm too old" or "Oh, I don't have enough money/time to do that" or ...the list goes on and they are just excuses...yes that's what they really are..excuses. I've let my circumstances turn me into a victim. But I am not a victim. I'm strong and I have overcome many obstacles. So take that excuses. You are dead to me. HA!
It seems I'm just running away with this now. My point is, we all have amazing potential. It's never the time to shelve our dreams. And I KNOW! I shelved mine when I went off to college and got a degree that I didn't really care for, when I got married the first time, when I had babies, when my husband's job came first...More than just shelving my dreams, I stuck them in a box and buried them. The potential that we all have is so amazing but a lot of us seem to just be walking around in a mind numbing daze. We're asleep at the school of life, head on the desk with that little pile of drool forming. (The one that you wipe up with your sleeve and hope the cute guy didn't see two rows over and one desk back. Not to mention the sleeve cuff that is imprinted into the side of your face. )
Back to my point...This kind of potential can be applied to soooo many different areas of life whether it's fitness, or health, going back to "real" school, changing careers, etc. The sky really is the limit! What circumstance(s) in your life have you allowed to push your dreams back further on to the shelf? I think it's high time we grab that step stool, pull those dreams down, dust them off and set them out on the coffee table and make them a top priority.
One last thing...I'm not suggesting that you will be able to take that dream and just run with it and tomorrow you'll be sitting pretty in your new career or fancy car, but take those dreams and write them down. Now you gotcha some goals! What are some small steps you can take towards achieving those goals?
Me? Well one of my goals now has me set for running a marathon in October. And I'm on track to becoming a fitness instructor in October. What's after that for me? Maybe become a certified personal trainer? I know for certain that I will be making a comfy enough living to have the freedom I desire to spend with my family. Please share with me. What are your goals?
It seems I'm just running away with this now. My point is, we all have amazing potential. It's never the time to shelve our dreams. And I KNOW! I shelved mine when I went off to college and got a degree that I didn't really care for, when I got married the first time, when I had babies, when my husband's job came first...More than just shelving my dreams, I stuck them in a box and buried them. The potential that we all have is so amazing but a lot of us seem to just be walking around in a mind numbing daze. We're asleep at the school of life, head on the desk with that little pile of drool forming. (The one that you wipe up with your sleeve and hope the cute guy didn't see two rows over and one desk back. Not to mention the sleeve cuff that is imprinted into the side of your face. )
Back to my point...This kind of potential can be applied to soooo many different areas of life whether it's fitness, or health, going back to "real" school, changing careers, etc. The sky really is the limit! What circumstance(s) in your life have you allowed to push your dreams back further on to the shelf? I think it's high time we grab that step stool, pull those dreams down, dust them off and set them out on the coffee table and make them a top priority.
One last thing...I'm not suggesting that you will be able to take that dream and just run with it and tomorrow you'll be sitting pretty in your new career or fancy car, but take those dreams and write them down. Now you gotcha some goals! What are some small steps you can take towards achieving those goals?
Me? Well one of my goals now has me set for running a marathon in October. And I'm on track to becoming a fitness instructor in October. What's after that for me? Maybe become a certified personal trainer? I know for certain that I will be making a comfy enough living to have the freedom I desire to spend with my family. Please share with me. What are your goals?
Friday, August 20, 2010
Burly Monkey Ratio=BMR?
When people ask me how to lose weight, 99% of the time I ask them if they know how many calories they are eating a day. The other 1% of the time I typically ask them if they have a chocolate glazed donut in their back pocket to donate to a good cause. Losing weight is an energy equation. Google it...I did not make that up. Calories in vs calories out. Like putting gas in your vehicle or balancing your checkbook. How much can you spend and how far can you drive?
When people see me eating or ask me why I'm so calorie conscious they normally ask if I'm on a diet or why do I want to lose more weight. It's true that I want to lose weight. About 20 more pounds. Back in 2008, before I got married, was laid off, moved to Klamath Falls, started looking for work, (we're in 2009 now) got a new job, adjusted to my new life (I'm obviously married by now), gained 20-30 pounds shhhhhh!!, ok so back in 2008 I was in the best shape I had ever been in. I weighed 154 and my body fat was at a decent 19%. 154 for a girl that's 5'10" is pretty darn good. Pretty DARN good. I was counting calories back then too.
Fast forward to today, and I'll get off my ramble....if you are eating too many calories, you will gain weight. If you aren't eating enough calories, you will gain weight or at least hold steady and not lose. If you're not eating enough, your body thinks a famine is coming along and adjusts your metabolism accordingly. As you get older, your body slows your metabolism down so you can add more fat and keep yourself toasty and alive in your cave since you can't go out and gather as many berries or spear as many antelopes as you used to.
I'm desperately trying to get back to my whole point here. Unless you are tracking your calories, you will not know if you are eating enough or if you are eating too much. Two things coming atcha that if you don't get anything else from this post, get these:
1. Track your calories. Use a free website, a notebook, an app on your phone whatever works for you. I like Sparkpeople, it's free and easy and their is a mobile feature. Set a goal to track everything you are eating for two weeks and then evaluate from there.
2. Find out what your BMR is, your Burly Monk...I mean, your Basal Metabolic Rate. There's a whole 'nother post coming about that. This is the calculator I always use http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
You need to know how many calories your body burns if you just laid in a coma all day. We'll go from there later. Have a great weekend!
When people see me eating or ask me why I'm so calorie conscious they normally ask if I'm on a diet or why do I want to lose more weight. It's true that I want to lose weight. About 20 more pounds. Back in 2008, before I got married, was laid off, moved to Klamath Falls, started looking for work, (we're in 2009 now) got a new job, adjusted to my new life (I'm obviously married by now), gained 20-30 pounds shhhhhh!!, ok so back in 2008 I was in the best shape I had ever been in. I weighed 154 and my body fat was at a decent 19%. 154 for a girl that's 5'10" is pretty darn good. Pretty DARN good. I was counting calories back then too.
Fast forward to today, and I'll get off my ramble....if you are eating too many calories, you will gain weight. If you aren't eating enough calories, you will gain weight or at least hold steady and not lose. If you're not eating enough, your body thinks a famine is coming along and adjusts your metabolism accordingly. As you get older, your body slows your metabolism down so you can add more fat and keep yourself toasty and alive in your cave since you can't go out and gather as many berries or spear as many antelopes as you used to.
I'm desperately trying to get back to my whole point here. Unless you are tracking your calories, you will not know if you are eating enough or if you are eating too much. Two things coming atcha that if you don't get anything else from this post, get these:
1. Track your calories. Use a free website, a notebook, an app on your phone whatever works for you. I like Sparkpeople, it's free and easy and their is a mobile feature. Set a goal to track everything you are eating for two weeks and then evaluate from there.
2. Find out what your BMR is, your Burly Monk...I mean, your Basal Metabolic Rate. There's a whole 'nother post coming about that. This is the calculator I always use http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
You need to know how many calories your body burns if you just laid in a coma all day. We'll go from there later. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I'm doing it right now. What is it you ask? I'm spinning around in circles, (figuratively of course since I'm actually sitting down)trying to figure out what to say, where to start, and all that jazz. IT is perfectionism. I am going to conquer this character flaw someday...scratch that, I AM conquering this character flaw, today as a matter of fact! I'm tired of wasting time. I've allowed too many todays to go by because I was waiting for the weather to be right, the day of the week to be right, the season of life to be right...I can keep going, but I'll spare you just this once. My challenge to you through this blog is that you will stop waiting for someday. Don't wait until Monday! We all like to do that. Don't wait until school starts, until the holidays are over, until January 1st, until your vacation comes and goes...stop waiting! Today is the perfect time to start and it's quickly going to turn into yesterday. Quite simply, you are wasting time!
I look back to the periods of my life where I was wasting time and I wasn't really even conscious at the time. I was just making it by, one day at a time. Goals for the future? "Just get me through this day, this week, this season." That's what I was thinking. Then one day, the wind must have been blowing in a different direction, and I stopped myself and asked "Why not now?" I had been having a conversation with myself "Self, one day, you're gunna lose the weight. One day you're going to see if you can be that girl with the six pack abs, who's curves are from muscles and well, ya just wouldn't want to mess with her. That girl!" And then this little voice inside of me said, "Why not now? What are you waiting for? What have you got to lose?" I have no clue what I was waiting for. Perfectionism had gotten the best of me. It still tries to win from time to time and it is a work in progress. So I invite you to join me. Join me on my journey of losing weight, getting healthy, conquering fears, getting insanely ripped and in the best shape of your life. So you should have started when you were a teen, or in your 20s, or 30s, or 40's ...keep going? What in the world are you waiting for?! Let's go kick it's butt!
I look back to the periods of my life where I was wasting time and I wasn't really even conscious at the time. I was just making it by, one day at a time. Goals for the future? "Just get me through this day, this week, this season." That's what I was thinking. Then one day, the wind must have been blowing in a different direction, and I stopped myself and asked "Why not now?" I had been having a conversation with myself "Self, one day, you're gunna lose the weight. One day you're going to see if you can be that girl with the six pack abs, who's curves are from muscles and well, ya just wouldn't want to mess with her. That girl!" And then this little voice inside of me said, "Why not now? What are you waiting for? What have you got to lose?" I have no clue what I was waiting for. Perfectionism had gotten the best of me. It still tries to win from time to time and it is a work in progress. So I invite you to join me. Join me on my journey of losing weight, getting healthy, conquering fears, getting insanely ripped and in the best shape of your life. So you should have started when you were a teen, or in your 20s, or 30s, or 40's ...keep going? What in the world are you waiting for?! Let's go kick it's butt!
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