This morning I woke up early and went to Group Ride. I have not been since late fall. I think if I keep going I will get more into it. Charles was subbing for Sarah which was kind of funny because he's one of my clients for child care. He really does a great job and explains good form quite well.
I tried a protein shake for breakfast. I feel like I need something to chew. It doesn't feel like eating breakfast, but I think I could do it a little more often especially on busier mornings. I mixed the chocolate protein mix with vanilla yogurt and added some coconut oil. It tasted like a Mounds bar which are my favorite. The vanilla yogurt it low fat but I think I might find something healthier. I know a lot of people use almond milk but I am not sure I want to go that route. For lunch the kids got Mc Donalds and I settled for a salad which is not as many calories as I thought.
I have no idea what they are serving at church tonight but I am hoping it's not too fattening. I am the hungriest between 9 AM and Noon. It seems to taper off as the day goes on. Last night I ate very little after supper--just a mini muffin--and I was fine. I didn't crave really anything.
I had another really good night of sleep. I don't know how much the lavender oil plays a role in that, but it does to seem to help with at least relaxing to fall asleep. Hailey seems to be sleeping better too.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
1/30 - 2/3: 13 miles and I miss Spartan
So here is a recap of the last few days. On Saturday I was successful of getting out of bed at 6:30 am and running 13 miles! I stunk it on the hills again. I don't think I could run successfully up a hill without stopping. It was not as much my thighs but fatigue...no willpower. It might because I worked out approximately 10 days in a row with no break. Also it was so much colder than I thought it would be. I looked at the Weather Channel app before I went to bed and it said it would be around the mid 30's which I dressed for. My hands were absolutely freezing and it made my whole body uncomfortable. I put them in my sleeves but they were still cold--it reminded me of climbing South Sister with freezing hands. The temperature at Kuebler and Commercial said 27 degrees--so much for mid 30's. It took a good hour and a half before I wasn't cold anymore. Even after coming home my body temperature was all out of whack for awhile. I really enjoy running in the Sunnyslope and Salem Heights neighborhoods. The hills stink, but I needed a change. I was sick of all the same routes.
I am wondering if it would make any difference to do hill workouts once in awhile with track runs. I know the triathlon club does them. The track itself is at the bottom of hill and they run all the way to the top and back several times. It sounds miserable to me. I am willing to try it only if it's early morning and not many people are around.
Sunday was a well deserved rest day.
Yesterday I ran in the evening. It is finally a light after 5 pm but I was in the dark by the time I finished. I did 5 miles and my run was world's different from last week. I was going fast--like 8-9 minute miles. I also cruised up the hills without having to slow down. I think the rest day made a huge difference.
I could have run today but I think Tuesday is going to be my official rest day. It works out well that way. I felt like I still need the rest. It is a kick back week in terms of marathon training and technically I am supposed to take an extra day off. The weather is rainy today anyway.
I really miss Spartan. I wish it was not so expensive. I would love another month of it.
I read an article on Hal Higdon's Facebook page about how training for a marathon is not a good weight loss plan. He says to lose weight and get healthy and then train for a marathon which makes a lot of sense. Some people even gain weight while training. The people who commented about gaining weight also said they overate or they ate a lot of junk. Which is exactly where I was headed. My Fitness Pal is helping me not to overeat and eat the right foods. I notice a difference that I feel a little more balanced during the day. My anxiety and PMS has not been non-existent but it has been mild. I am not going to be a slave to MFP--if I go over a few calories I am not going to sweat it. On the days of my long runs I am always way under even though I do try to eat more on those days and the day before. Hal Higdon recommends not eating as much at night and having lighter suppers. Which is how we eat. Our suppers are the right portion. We have told the kids you don't need to eat until you are "stuff your face full." The rest of the world doesn't eat like that anyway. They kind of graze and eat throughout the day anyway which I also do on my busy days.
I slept amazing last night. I slept right to the alarm. I put a little lavender oil in my pillow and I think it helped me fall asleep in a more relaxed state.
I am wondering if it would make any difference to do hill workouts once in awhile with track runs. I know the triathlon club does them. The track itself is at the bottom of hill and they run all the way to the top and back several times. It sounds miserable to me. I am willing to try it only if it's early morning and not many people are around.
Sunday was a well deserved rest day.
Yesterday I ran in the evening. It is finally a light after 5 pm but I was in the dark by the time I finished. I did 5 miles and my run was world's different from last week. I was going fast--like 8-9 minute miles. I also cruised up the hills without having to slow down. I think the rest day made a huge difference.
I could have run today but I think Tuesday is going to be my official rest day. It works out well that way. I felt like I still need the rest. It is a kick back week in terms of marathon training and technically I am supposed to take an extra day off. The weather is rainy today anyway.
I really miss Spartan. I wish it was not so expensive. I would love another month of it.
I read an article on Hal Higdon's Facebook page about how training for a marathon is not a good weight loss plan. He says to lose weight and get healthy and then train for a marathon which makes a lot of sense. Some people even gain weight while training. The people who commented about gaining weight also said they overate or they ate a lot of junk. Which is exactly where I was headed. My Fitness Pal is helping me not to overeat and eat the right foods. I notice a difference that I feel a little more balanced during the day. My anxiety and PMS has not been non-existent but it has been mild. I am not going to be a slave to MFP--if I go over a few calories I am not going to sweat it. On the days of my long runs I am always way under even though I do try to eat more on those days and the day before. Hal Higdon recommends not eating as much at night and having lighter suppers. Which is how we eat. Our suppers are the right portion. We have told the kids you don't need to eat until you are "stuff your face full." The rest of the world doesn't eat like that anyway. They kind of graze and eat throughout the day anyway which I also do on my busy days.
I slept amazing last night. I slept right to the alarm. I put a little lavender oil in my pillow and I think it helped me fall asleep in a more relaxed state.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
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.
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.
Monday, January 26, 2015
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.
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.
Monday, January 19, 2015
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.
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.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
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.
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