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.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
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.
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.
Monday, January 5, 2015
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Another week off...
I decided to take a week off from running and exercise and like usual that week turned into two weeks. I am not going to beat myself up for it. I had a cold the week before the half marathon and I felt like it was almost gone. A few days after I ran it came back with a vengeance. I was congested and blowing my nose non-stop for two days. Although by the 27th I felt somewhat normal, I can still feel it a little bit. Kara unfortunately caught it and has had a runny nose, coughing non-stop again, and irritable. I have been having flashbacks to when she was a baby and was sick all the time. She would have a cold for 3 (sometimes even more like 4 or 5) weeks, be normal for about 10 days, and then it would all start up again. She just is a magnet for those respiratory and nasal colds. Since school started in September she's had two stomach bugs, one sinus infection that lasted over two weeks, and now a nasal cold. She's catching it from others and we've been around sick people constantly. Kara seems to get it much worse. I was really hoping we could all get healthy over Christmas Break and start next week somewhat normal but I am not keeping my fingers crossed.
I did register for the Minneapolis Marathon and this will be my goal for 2015. With all the colds going around, needing more sleep, and not having much of a schedule I am starting next week. I will be signing up for Spartan so I will start with a bang. I am sure I'll be pretty sore a week from now.
I did register for the Minneapolis Marathon and this will be my goal for 2015. With all the colds going around, needing more sleep, and not having much of a schedule I am starting next week. I will be signing up for Spartan so I will start with a bang. I am sure I'll be pretty sore a week from now.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Half marathon and catch up
I have been neglecting this blog but not intentionally. I managed to run a half marathon on Saturday and have a final time of 1:54:52 with a 8:47 pace/mile. I placed 5th in my age category out of 28. I placed 24th out of 183 females. Overall I placed 67th. The weather was terrible. The night before there was talk of a massive rainstorm coming and there were flood warning everywhere. The forecast was 100% rain. Thankfully the rain was at its worst in Portland...though Salem was pretty bad too. As we headed further south to Eugene, it was still bad. But it was a little lighter. Once I started and kept moving, I just kept running. It was only bad between Mile #8 and #10 when there was a lot of blowing wind. I think we were on higher elevation and there was less trees. The course itself was pretty flat and all bike paths which was wonderful. I can't believe I was so fast. I honestly was figuring on 2 hours and after the weather report thought 2:05 or 2:10. It makes me think I could possibly finish a marathon in 4 hours. Some of the runners were much stronger than me at the end. I got passed quite a bit on the last mile. Still struggle with using that last bout of energy to get to the finish line. I think I just feel spent and want to be done.
I was surprised I did that well because I did not get in the long runs the last couple weeks like I had hoped. We've dealt with so much sickness this fall and it had affected training. Last year when we opened our home to more child care kids, I assumed we would catch all kinds of stuff. It turned out to be the opposite. We had our healthiest year ever. Hailey had a weird virus last March that lasted four days. It was mostly a high fever, but it stayed isolated. Not else got anything. Derek did not miss a single day of kindergarten. I think I got one cold last fall and another one in the spring. I didn't miss a single day of work. Most of my child care kids only missed one or maybe two days all year.
Now I don't think I have had a normal week of child care since mid October. I think every single child has been sick at least once and most multiple times since school started in September. We all got sick in late September with a stomach thing. The day after Derek's birthday Kara was sick. It turned into a sinus infection and she coughed for almost two weeks straight. There was a stomach bug in there she had. Derek had it the day before Thanksgiving and a little bit on Thanksgiving. I caught it the Saturday night after Thanksgiving and it was pretty mild. I actually went to church the next day and a luncheon afterwards. By the afternoon I was on the couch. Thankfully I was OK by the next day. Hailey caught it almost a whole week later--exact same symptoms.
A week ago Friday I had a sore throat that lasted about three days and turned into a cold. I took Sudafed and Muccinex to get through the day. We had a Christmas party at night and I took more Sudafed before we left. When we got home from the party, I was in a jittery state and I couldn't sleep. I slept from 11 PM to midnight, but then was awake close to 3:30 AM. I watched HGTV on the couch, but it took forever to settle down and fall asleep. Thankfully I managed to sleep from around 3:30 to 8:30 and I had very little to do that Saturday for once. By the following Friday I felt pretty much back to normal.
I would have a full week of running three times a week, Power, one swim session, and one Group Ride. Then I would get sick and take a full week off. I was really struggling with the consistency and it was getting super frustrating.
Now I am taking this whole week off. I decided I would post half marathon and plus we're going to the coast for a few days anyway. Next week I will get back into it. I may be doing Spartan just for the month of January which is an intense three times a week half hour workout similar to Crossfit. Then I am focusing on training for a marathon I will run in the spring, Lord willing, with mys sister.
The running was really good for Derek. He has so much bottled up energy and this time of year is hard for him as he can't always be outside. So I am going to try and run with him at least twice a week and we might do another race after basketball is over in March.
I am hopeful everyone will stay healthy for awhile, but I know anything goes around here.
I was surprised I did that well because I did not get in the long runs the last couple weeks like I had hoped. We've dealt with so much sickness this fall and it had affected training. Last year when we opened our home to more child care kids, I assumed we would catch all kinds of stuff. It turned out to be the opposite. We had our healthiest year ever. Hailey had a weird virus last March that lasted four days. It was mostly a high fever, but it stayed isolated. Not else got anything. Derek did not miss a single day of kindergarten. I think I got one cold last fall and another one in the spring. I didn't miss a single day of work. Most of my child care kids only missed one or maybe two days all year.
Now I don't think I have had a normal week of child care since mid October. I think every single child has been sick at least once and most multiple times since school started in September. We all got sick in late September with a stomach thing. The day after Derek's birthday Kara was sick. It turned into a sinus infection and she coughed for almost two weeks straight. There was a stomach bug in there she had. Derek had it the day before Thanksgiving and a little bit on Thanksgiving. I caught it the Saturday night after Thanksgiving and it was pretty mild. I actually went to church the next day and a luncheon afterwards. By the afternoon I was on the couch. Thankfully I was OK by the next day. Hailey caught it almost a whole week later--exact same symptoms.
A week ago Friday I had a sore throat that lasted about three days and turned into a cold. I took Sudafed and Muccinex to get through the day. We had a Christmas party at night and I took more Sudafed before we left. When we got home from the party, I was in a jittery state and I couldn't sleep. I slept from 11 PM to midnight, but then was awake close to 3:30 AM. I watched HGTV on the couch, but it took forever to settle down and fall asleep. Thankfully I managed to sleep from around 3:30 to 8:30 and I had very little to do that Saturday for once. By the following Friday I felt pretty much back to normal.
I would have a full week of running three times a week, Power, one swim session, and one Group Ride. Then I would get sick and take a full week off. I was really struggling with the consistency and it was getting super frustrating.
Now I am taking this whole week off. I decided I would post half marathon and plus we're going to the coast for a few days anyway. Next week I will get back into it. I may be doing Spartan just for the month of January which is an intense three times a week half hour workout similar to Crossfit. Then I am focusing on training for a marathon I will run in the spring, Lord willing, with mys sister.
The running was really good for Derek. He has so much bottled up energy and this time of year is hard for him as he can't always be outside. So I am going to try and run with him at least twice a week and we might do another race after basketball is over in March.
I am hopeful everyone will stay healthy for awhile, but I know anything goes around here.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
November 14 to November 18: Feeling better
Exercise:
I am struggling with the "unmotivation" that I think every single runner faces. I really didn't want to get up this morning. It is frigid cold right now...it would feel like a heat wave in Michigan...but we're not used to it having acclimated to our winters here. It's so dark in the morning. It makes it difficult.
Friday I made myself get up and go to Ride. I went out to Applebees with friends on Thursday night. I told myself I would shoot to leave by 10 and even if I got to sleep past 10:30, I would still go to Ride. I fell asleep around 11, but still went to Ride. Probably not enough sleep for a night, but it was well worth it. My Friday (especially the morning) went smoother because of it. On Saturday we hit some bazaars and went shopping which was really fun--nice to not have to be anywhere and be on our own schedule. I ran in the later afternoon and went four miles. On Sunday I wanted to run in the morning but it was so dark and cold--I didn't want to get up. I did run 9 miles around 1:30 PM and it was a beautiful afternoon...and a few degrees warmer. I switched from Hal Higdon's Marathon 3 to Half Marathon Intermediate at least until I run my half in December. Then I'll switch back to Marathon 3 because it will take me all the way to the spring marathon I tentatively hope to run. On Monday I did not do any exercise. Yesterday (it's now the next day--I started this blog post on Tuesday) I ran 4 miles in the morning. It was cold and it took me awhile to warm up, but at least it was dry. Today I swam for an hour in the morning and we did a lot of 150's and slow/fast swims. I felt better than last week.
Food: I am doing better than last week. I still have cravings for junk especially pumpkin bread, but it's not nearly as bad. My breakfasts and some of my lunches have been pretty healthy--I've slid a little for snacks and some dinners. I am not doing too bad.
Sleep: My sleep has been fine. The cat slept with us again and I didn't even know she was there until I went to the bathroom at 3 AM. Last night I woke up at 2:30 AM to noise in the other bathroom. I thought one of the kids was either sleep walking or else just making a lot of noise as they were going to the bathroom. I was going to get up if it continued but I heard them going back to bed. Turns out it was Kara throwing up and she threw up again later on...at least she made it to the toilet both times and nothing had to be cleaned up in her bed/floor--yay! She laid in bed all morning but really perked up by 3 PM. Aside from her appetite not fully back, she is acting normal. I am praying I don't get it and it stays isolated. Pending sickness makes me overly anxious...I almost felt like I was in a panic this morning. I had to find someone to cover youth group and change my plans for the morning...I am just too organized and don't do well when things get changed last minute. But it is a spiritual lesson I am learning and I am trying to not control but trust God's ultimate control. And I guess we'll just see what the next few days bring. Kind of stinks we were dealing with this less than two months ago. And we hardly got sick all last year. Our school has had several kids our sick again and all the toddlers have runny noses--we just can't avoid it all.
I am struggling with the "unmotivation" that I think every single runner faces. I really didn't want to get up this morning. It is frigid cold right now...it would feel like a heat wave in Michigan...but we're not used to it having acclimated to our winters here. It's so dark in the morning. It makes it difficult.
Friday I made myself get up and go to Ride. I went out to Applebees with friends on Thursday night. I told myself I would shoot to leave by 10 and even if I got to sleep past 10:30, I would still go to Ride. I fell asleep around 11, but still went to Ride. Probably not enough sleep for a night, but it was well worth it. My Friday (especially the morning) went smoother because of it. On Saturday we hit some bazaars and went shopping which was really fun--nice to not have to be anywhere and be on our own schedule. I ran in the later afternoon and went four miles. On Sunday I wanted to run in the morning but it was so dark and cold--I didn't want to get up. I did run 9 miles around 1:30 PM and it was a beautiful afternoon...and a few degrees warmer. I switched from Hal Higdon's Marathon 3 to Half Marathon Intermediate at least until I run my half in December. Then I'll switch back to Marathon 3 because it will take me all the way to the spring marathon I tentatively hope to run. On Monday I did not do any exercise. Yesterday (it's now the next day--I started this blog post on Tuesday) I ran 4 miles in the morning. It was cold and it took me awhile to warm up, but at least it was dry. Today I swam for an hour in the morning and we did a lot of 150's and slow/fast swims. I felt better than last week.
Food: I am doing better than last week. I still have cravings for junk especially pumpkin bread, but it's not nearly as bad. My breakfasts and some of my lunches have been pretty healthy--I've slid a little for snacks and some dinners. I am not doing too bad.
Sleep: My sleep has been fine. The cat slept with us again and I didn't even know she was there until I went to the bathroom at 3 AM. Last night I woke up at 2:30 AM to noise in the other bathroom. I thought one of the kids was either sleep walking or else just making a lot of noise as they were going to the bathroom. I was going to get up if it continued but I heard them going back to bed. Turns out it was Kara throwing up and she threw up again later on...at least she made it to the toilet both times and nothing had to be cleaned up in her bed/floor--yay! She laid in bed all morning but really perked up by 3 PM. Aside from her appetite not fully back, she is acting normal. I am praying I don't get it and it stays isolated. Pending sickness makes me overly anxious...I almost felt like I was in a panic this morning. I had to find someone to cover youth group and change my plans for the morning...I am just too organized and don't do well when things get changed last minute. But it is a spiritual lesson I am learning and I am trying to not control but trust God's ultimate control. And I guess we'll just see what the next few days bring. Kind of stinks we were dealing with this less than two months ago. And we hardly got sick all last year. Our school has had several kids our sick again and all the toddlers have runny noses--we just can't avoid it all.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
November 8 - 13: Feeling "off"
The past couple days have felt "a little off." It seems like one major schedule disruption and everything gets thrown off. I find my moods going south. Last Friday night was our middle school all nighter which is always a good time. It is very good for the kids to spend that much time together--relationships are strengthened and the barriers get broken down a bit. They also get to know me better and trust me as a result. The problem is I am 37 years old and my body doesn't handle the lack of sleep like it used to. I managed to sleep off and on from about midnight to 6:45 on the couch in the ETM room. But I was up several times...a full hour between 2:45 AM and 3:45 AM. I didn't feel tired on Saturday. I only took a 45 minute nap around 2:45 PM. But by 10:30 PM I was done and I slept all the way until 8 AM. I did a short 4 mile run Saturday afternoon, but I skipped the Sunday long run.
On Monday the kids were off school, but I did had four here for child care starting at 8:30 going all the way until right before 5 PM. I managed to get a run in around 7 AM, but it was a very busy day. Busy doesn't mean bad--just lots of activity and running from one thing to the next. Again I was really tired by 10 PM. On Tuesday the kids were off school and I had no child care. You think I would feel relaxed and at peace, but I felt "off" most of the day. I felt overly emotional too. I love having the kids home, but I did not feel relaxed. I went to the South Salem track and did a track workout totaling 5 miles in the late afternoon. That helped and I felt better the rest of the evening.
I managed to get to swimming yesterday morning and it felt great to be in the pool. I pushed myself pretty hard. I got a lot done during the day especially because I had no child care in the afternoon. Hailey, Derek and I ran 2 miles in the afternoon.
This morning I did not go to the gym because I felt overly tired again and we had an ice storm. The schools were delayed by two hours and the roads were not good. Our neighbors across the street lost a tree that almost fell on their house. Now the kids are home until 10:15 AM and don't really know what to do with themselves. I can't go to the gym later this afternoon or evening because Rob and I have meetings/Bible Study that conflict with one another.
I just continue to feel "off." My child care schedule has had no routine this week...it's been a lot of kids for a super busy day or one or no one for a day or part of the day. The kid's school routine has been different. My exercise routine has been all over the place. My sleep is still all over the place since the all nighter. I am sleeping good, but I am waking up in the morning anytime from 5 AM to 8:30 AM and that does not work for me. I need consistency. I think routine is something that helps tremendously with my anxiety and moods.
Eating
The inconsistency has affected my eating. I have not been eating great again. I have been craving sweets and chips again. Tuesday was awful...I just kept wanting to get into the Halloween candy. It doesn't help we don't have much fresh stuff in the house right now. I bought some bananas and pears last night.
Sleep
I sleep great at night and wake up very little. The problem is not going to bed at the same time and not waking up at the same time and I hope to get that back on track very soon.
On Monday the kids were off school, but I did had four here for child care starting at 8:30 going all the way until right before 5 PM. I managed to get a run in around 7 AM, but it was a very busy day. Busy doesn't mean bad--just lots of activity and running from one thing to the next. Again I was really tired by 10 PM. On Tuesday the kids were off school and I had no child care. You think I would feel relaxed and at peace, but I felt "off" most of the day. I felt overly emotional too. I love having the kids home, but I did not feel relaxed. I went to the South Salem track and did a track workout totaling 5 miles in the late afternoon. That helped and I felt better the rest of the evening.
I managed to get to swimming yesterday morning and it felt great to be in the pool. I pushed myself pretty hard. I got a lot done during the day especially because I had no child care in the afternoon. Hailey, Derek and I ran 2 miles in the afternoon.
This morning I did not go to the gym because I felt overly tired again and we had an ice storm. The schools were delayed by two hours and the roads were not good. Our neighbors across the street lost a tree that almost fell on their house. Now the kids are home until 10:15 AM and don't really know what to do with themselves. I can't go to the gym later this afternoon or evening because Rob and I have meetings/Bible Study that conflict with one another.
I just continue to feel "off." My child care schedule has had no routine this week...it's been a lot of kids for a super busy day or one or no one for a day or part of the day. The kid's school routine has been different. My exercise routine has been all over the place. My sleep is still all over the place since the all nighter. I am sleeping good, but I am waking up in the morning anytime from 5 AM to 8:30 AM and that does not work for me. I need consistency. I think routine is something that helps tremendously with my anxiety and moods.
Eating
The inconsistency has affected my eating. I have not been eating great again. I have been craving sweets and chips again. Tuesday was awful...I just kept wanting to get into the Halloween candy. It doesn't help we don't have much fresh stuff in the house right now. I bought some bananas and pears last night.
Sleep
I sleep great at night and wake up very little. The problem is not going to bed at the same time and not waking up at the same time and I hope to get that back on track very soon.
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