January 29: Weird dream, swimming, and healthy eating

Yesterday late afternoon I went to the track and did an upward ladder workout of 2 x 200 with 200 recovery, 2 x 400 with 400 recovery, 2 x 800 recovery.  There were other runners out so it was nice to have some company.  I really am liking track runs finally.  It took some time to get into them.  I think they help with endurance.

Last night I did 16 minutes of yoga using the app on my ipad.  I think it helped.  My legs don't feel nearly as tight today.  Kara did some of it with me.

I woke up at 2:50 AM to the cat meowing as loud as she possibly could.  I tried to ignore it, but I knew she would keep at it.  So I put her in the laundry room trying not to wake up my brain.  It didn't work.  Once I got back in bed I was basically awake.  I really wanted to go to swimming but I needed that last bit of sleep.  I managed to relax and turn my brain off...it took a good half hour but I did fall back asleep.  Only I had a dream I wasn't asleep.  In my dream I was running over to the church parking lot.  My friend from church was sitting in the parking lot working some project with some friends.  She told me they were all awake because they came from California and were on California time...which makes no sense because we're the same time zone as California.  Then in my dream I am on the roof of the church seeing the sun rise and realizing I missing swimming.  There were some other weird parts to the dream that I cannot recall right now.  Anyway I was relieved when the alarm went off and that I felt rested enough to go to swimming.  We did a lot of 300's and 200's today.  It was a pretty normal workout.  

Food wise I am doing fine, but I have only been on MFP for three days.  Normally I stick with it about 1-2 months and then I start to feel like a slave to it.  I am trying not to obsess over it.  I reach a point where I say, "screw it" and start eating what I want or else I follow it religiously feeling frustrated if I stray even a tiny bit.  My goal this time around is to find a happy middle ground.  I think one of the issues is that I don't see big results.  Like people trying to lose 50 pounds see results.  I think my results are related to performance--running better and feeling better mentally.  I always feel better when I am eating healthier--I saw evidence of this in September and October.  It's not a surprise I was struggling with my moods close to the holidays and afterwards when food, sleep, and exercise got all irregular.

1/27 & 1/28: Flexibility and Upcoming Scheduling

Yesterday Rob did not want me to run in the morning fog.  It was seriously thick and the traffic report was filled with nasty accidents.  I asked if I could run over his lunch since I had no child care after 1 PM.  I ran 7 miles and it either took me longer than I originally planned, the lights at the intersection were longer than I thought or Rob & I were looking at different clocks.  I thought I was gone only 70 minutes but he said it was closer to 90.  Not convenient for him but he is able to work from home and Kara doesn't need a lot of supervision. I still felt bad though.  I ran all through the Sunnyslope and Salem Heights neighborhood which has the massive hills.  I still had to take walk breaks on some of the hills, but I ran more uphill than I did on Saturday.

Today the Spartan workout was not intense as Monday.  We did way more push ups and clean and press which I don't think is as strenuous.  Jackie did say that my glutes and hamstring are very tight which is why I can't get a full range of motion.  She booked me for a free flexibility training session next week and also taught me some stretches I can do at home.  I need to restart yoga.  I found a great app that is not like the You Tube videos I was getting very bored with.   I cannot go to Centergy right now...just can't fit it into the training schedule.  So I need to discipline myself to do yoga at least 2-3 times a week.  I do hate being so tight and I can feel it when I run up hills.  It's like I dragging sand bags.

Friday is my last day of Spartan and I am quite sad.  I may try to do another month this spring.  I am not sure how my February workout schedule will be.  It's different now that swimming is on Thursdays which cuts out morning Group Power.  If I want to do Power I can only go Wednesday or Friday early evening or Saturday morning.  With basketball on Saturdays until March, that makes scheduling tough.  On a good week I could see it looking like this:  Monday = Short Run  Tuesday = Track Run  Wednesday = Ride  Thursday = Swim  Friday =  Ride and/or late afternoon Power  Saturday or Sunday = Long Run  I know things will switch around a lot because if I can do Saturday Power, I prefer that over the late afternoon.

I have been back on MFP two and a half days and I already feel like my eating is not all over the place.  I am still hungry all the time, but it feels less out of control.

My sleep has been great the last two nights.  I wake up feeling very rested.

1/22 - 1/26 - Crazy Spartan and My Fitness Pal

Well here we are one week later.  On Tuesday I took the day off from exercise.  Moodwise, I felt better as the week went on.  On Wednesday I went to Spartan and it was a workout we all did together all at once which I really liked.  Probably because I am so used to group fitness classes that are structured like that.  Wednesday night I took the middle schoolers to the indoor trampoline park.  I did jump with them, but probably jumped for a total of 15-20 minutes.  I hung out talking with them part of the time as well.  On Thursday I swam.  Our workouts are an hour now and we always get done right at 6 AM which is super nice.  Before we would not be out of the pool until 6:10 or so.  On Friday was another intense Spartan and it was a competition.  She said 75% in the early morning class completed the workout.  I did the whole thing but barely.  I reached the end with like one second to go.  As the day went on my upper thighs felt incredibly sore.  I did not feel injured...just really sore comparable to when I climbed South Sister.  I almost broke out icy hot patches.  Saturday I was determined to do my long 12 mile run anyway.  I waited until the afternoon.  It was totally fine except I could not get up the hills without walking halfway up or when I got to the top.  I picked another new route which had more hills than I thought.  I was not on a time crunch so I allowed myself to walk when I needed to.  I took a few small walk breaks and I still finished with 10 minute miles so the walking did not affect my time too much.  My upper thighs felt like sandbags trying to get up the hills.  On Sunday I ran at the track.  I did a mile warm up, 5 x 400's with a 400 recovery in between, and an 800 cool down.  This was easier and not as tiring.  My thighs were fine because I was not running up any hills.  Today I don't feel nearly as sore.  We had a crazy Spartan workout with 120 burpees (not all at once) and we were all dying by the end.  This is my last week of Spartan.  I will miss it, but I can't do it all.  I do miss some of the other classes and the mornings are starting to feel too rushed with not getting back home until 7:30ish.

Besides sore thighs I also have had an incredibly huge appetite.  Like I eat and then an hour later I am hungry again.  Needless to say I don't always eat healthy stuff.  I have been gravitating towards junk again.  The last time I was on the scale I was 1 1/2 pounds heavier which can be attributed to other things.  So I went back on My Fitness Pal to help track the calories to see if I am eating too much, not enough, or just not the right kind of foods.  I opened a new account and I'm not friending anyone.  My weight loss is different from my friends who are striving to lose weight.  I feel like I get the support in other ways.  A lot of people don't understand why I would even count calories with training for a marathon and working out so much.  I don't think you really get it unless you are exercising that much...how it is so easy to just eat junk because you're hungry and you feel like you can justify because you ran 12 miles.  When really there needs to be a balance between healthy eating and exercise.

I have been sleeping fine aside from last night from 11:15 to 2 am--I was waking up all the time.  It could be due to the drink I had at 8:30.  I know alcohol makes some sleepy.  I've had sleepy things work the opposite way with me.  My anxiety level was also higher yesterday due to a couple things going on.  I used the lavender oil a little bit and it seems to help.  I've also been diffusing peppermint and spearmint at times during the day to help relax.  I have a small spray bottle of sweet orange I've used too.  We went in full force with thieves oil because I think it helped a couple years ago.  I'm so tired of someone being sick and lots of bugs are brought into this house with all the kids we have here.  Thankfully all my kids have been healthy for well over a week now.

January 19: New trail run

Today is was what I needed.  I woke up at 6 am and went to Spartan.  It was more strength training which I felt like my body needed.  Since the kids are at VB's house all day, I ran about 60 minutes (around 6 miles) at Minto Brown Park.  They are doing so much work on the park it is wonderful.  There are trail maps everywhere.  I ran to the Eola area of the park I have never been too.  It's all dirt and stone trail so I could not bike it unless I had a mountain or hybrid bike.  I ran along the Willamette River at one point.  It was so warm (like high 50's/low 60's) out and sunny.  It was peaceful and beautiful.  The long run yesterday and shorter one today have helped me sort out my thoughts.  I am thankful for a better day today.

I am really thankful for the warm winter we're having and the sunny days.  I never expected we would have this.  There really is so much to be thankful and many blessings among all the challenging things that get thrown our direction.

I've been eating pretty well though still craving the sweet stuff--not nearly as bad as Christmas Break.  I will probably weigh myself on Wednesday and see where I'm at.  My sleep has been great. Absolutely no issues there.  Which makes me really think I am not dealing with anxiety at all because anxiety always affects my sleep.   Sometimes I wonder if it is affecting Hailey's.  We are going to try lavender oil.  I also have been trying citrus oil for mood lifting.  Obviously it doesn't change your mood instantly and it's not a cure-all.  I think the oil craze has led some to believe that.  It does help.  If anything the aroma helps keep a peaceful environment.

January 14 - 18: More spartan & running

On Wednesday I went to Spartan. The workout was pretty intense again, but no burpees this time.  On Thursday we swam.  It was kind of an impromtu workout they made up as they went along.  Erica did not swim the whole time.  She is in the last trimester of pregnancy and I am so impressed she is there at all.  She is amazing.  I felt quite a bit stronger in the water than the previous week.  The pool was busy again and I ended up sharing a lane part of the time with an old guy.  On Friday at Spartan we worked with partners.  There were just four of us there and they wanted to guys versus girls.  I ended up with Sara who is this amazing buff athlete who teaches Power and Ride.  She can lift like 3-4 times the amount I can and has so much endurance.  It was a little intimidating, but she's very nice.  We did quite a few sprints which I love.  We did a sprint contest at the end.  I did not win, but I could almost keep up with Sara so I was proud of that.  In the late afternoon I ran 4 miles at the track creating my own workout.  The track was busier...there were at least four people at one time.  So looking forward to it being lighter out at 5 PM.  This time of year is hard for me being in the dark and gray.  At least it's been warm.  Saturday I rested.  Today I ran 8 miles and I did a good mix of the Sumpter and Sunnyslope neighborhoods.  Quite a few hills, but also some flat streets too.  I did not feel as good as I normally do and had to take more walk breaks than normal.  I am emotionally off today and I even think I've been dealing with some minor depression off and on since mid November.  It really helped to think through some of the issues while I ran and what to do about it.  I know I will be OK...like I said this isn't the greatest time of year for me.  I am thankful I am still functioning quite well and my work, exercise, and eating healthy really keep me going. It has nothing to do with my family, my job, or anything like that. I have so little anxiety and I am extremely grateful for that. I sleep great. I don't have the racing thoughts, shaky arms, focus issues, or irritability.  I wish I wasn't dealing with the depressed feelings that have ebbed and flow since November. I am praying my way through this valley.  

January 13: New route and hills

This morning I had planned on getting up at 6 and running.  I slept great.  My alarm did not go off because I set it wrong but I naturally woke at 6 anyway.  I decided to sleep until 6:30.  By 6:30 I lost all motivation.  My thinking was I could take today off, but I was not thinking clearly.

Anyway my child care schedule got flip flopped these next few days so I actually had this afternoon off starting at 11:30 which rarely happens.  So I was able to run during Rob's lunch which I love doing.  I love running this time of day especially the fact it was a cloudless blue sky and in the high 40's.  You cannot ask for it better than that.

I tried a new route too.  I ran down Liberty to Charles to Crestview to where Browning dead ends.  I ran up the Croisan Scenic Trail which I have never done before.  It basically goes through a woods and dead ends into Croisan Scenic Drive.  Then I ran through the Sunnyslope neighborhood to Skyline to Kuebler and back home.  The beginning portion was A LOT of uphill and I was overdressed (it was really cold this morning--I wore a thick coat bringing kids to school--warmed up really quickly) so that made it tough.  I took way more walking breaks than normal.  Once I was on the last mile and a half I was back to my normal pace and I also de-layered a bit.

Was thankful I got a run in despite my lack of motivation this morning.

Last week and Monday of this week: Spartan, running, swimming

I did not blog the rest of the week.  On Tuesday I ran 5 miles in the morning around the neighborhood.  On Wednesday I went to Spartan and the workout was similar to Monday with the stations.  On Thursday I swam with my swimming buddies and we did that workout with all the kickboard exercises, but it went better for me than the last time we did it.  On Friday I went to Spartan and the trainer started out by saying our workout for the day was called, "Go big or go home."  She said someone threw up in the 5:15 am class which scared us.  Honestly I was glad there was a garbage can by the door if I had to throw up.  I would be more nervous if there wasn't a place to go.  I have only thrown up during exercise once and that was after the Hope for Health 5K in September of 2013.  There have been a few times swimming I have gotten queasy and gagged, but never threw up.   It was super tough.  I have never done so many burpees in my life.  But I like the intensity of Spartan and it has been fun.  Friday late afternoon I did a tempo run of about 35 minutes at the South Salem track.  Friday night I took Hailey and Derek roller skating.  It was Derek's first time on skates and he needed a lot of help.  At one point he fell and took me down with him.  I fell on his skate and hurt my tail bone.  Thankfully it was sore all weekend and not overly painful.  It did not affect running at all.  Saturday I rested.  Sunday I did a 10 mile run in the afternoon.  The weather was perfect for running...high 40's with a slight bit of rain.  I really felt good the whole entire run.  This morning was another Spartan workout which was not as intense, but still really good.

I am eating pretty well.  I only gained about a half pound since I last weighed myself so I am staying around the same weight.  I need to get further back into the fruits and vegetables and protein shakes for snacks, but it is taking me longer to get into that.  I am still craving junk from the holidays.

My sleep has been great.  I haven't had any bad nights since we were in the motel at the coast over Christmas.  Some nights I sleep right to the alarm.  Hailey has been having insomnia issues so I am trying to figure out what is causing hers--if it's anxiety, getting too much sleep, or the fact they sleep with the hall light on which is so light...I could never sleep with that much light.  I shut the girl's door last night to see if that makes any difference.

January 5 - New Day, New Year, New Workout

Exercise - Spartan 30 minutes

Today was my first day ever of Spartan training.  At first I was disappointed I could not get into the early morning class.  But going to the second class 6:30 am is better than I thought it would be.  Getting up at 6 AM feels like sleeping in for a weekday morning.  Now that the kids pretty much get ready on their own and I have no early morning child care on Mondays and Wednesday, I can be back as late as 7:40 AM.  Friday I will need to figure out when to shower because I am going to have to leave the gym once the class gets over versus showering at the gym.  I am hoping I can squeeze in a shower right before bringing the kids to school or right afterwards and that will depend if Abby sleeps or not.  This is only for a month.  After today, I am a little sad it is only for one month.  Because I think I would like to do it more than that.  I wish it was not so expensive!

The best way I can describe is that you are in a small group.  You move from station to station like circuit training.  It was almost all strength training today and we used a variety of things like sand bags, huge cylinders filled with water, earth balls, weights, and pull up bar.  I kicked it with the arm hang.  I was the second best at this in my class back in seventh grade and I can still do it.  I was never great at gymnastics and lacked flexibility, but I could do the bars pretty well.  I feel sore, but not anymore than if I went to Group Power.

I did register for the Minneapolis Marathon and I am started the running plan this week as well.  It's nice to have a goal--way more motivating.  I am not sure how the long runs are going to go on Saturdays or Sundays especially if we get a lot of rain this winter.  I am going to shoot to get them done in the mornings.  It will be much more easier once it gets a little lighter after 6 AM.

I am back to eating healthier too.  I had an avocado/apple salad for breakfast.  I basically let all my eating habits go the past two weeks.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I am also sick of the junk and ready for healthier eating again.  I have no idea if I gained any weight...I would not be surprised if I gained a few pounds.  I also let the sleep schedule too.  I can tell because I was starting to get insomnia again and moodiness.  There were some days I felt overtired.  I wanted to nap but it was not necessary since I slept 8 hours.  It will help sleeping regular hours again.