Spring to Summer and Into Fall 2017

My physical body is in fall mode but my mind still feels like it is in summer mode.  I can honestly say without exaggeration that Summer 2017 was one of the best summers of my life...and I daresay the best one for our family as well.  After some disappointments and struggles from Summer 2016, I am blessed beyond what I expected.

With all our travels, we had very few hiccups.  No major plane delays, lost baggage, or car issues.  No one got sick.  The weather was perfect.  Yes, all the heat this summer in Oregon was actually something I welcome.  Being a Midwest native, I crave the extreme heat.  We had many hours together at a pool and even shared some of that time with dear friends.

My anxiety was very minimal and I learned the art of rest.  I think I always viewed it as taking a nap or a day off.  But it is much deeper than that.  It is a lifestyle and a rhythm I am trying to establish.  As I move into the fall and see all the craziness caving in around me, I am realizing that number one I am going to have to remind myself often of the things I learned.  And number two we are little counter cultural when it comes to our family's pace--and I am OK with that.  I am really trying to own that and not feel self conscious about it.

As for exercise I did quite well this summer.  I am thankful I did sign up for the triathlon in the Dalles because sadly it is cancelled due to the Eagle Creek fire.  I would not have been able to do it anyway.  Exercising while out of town proved to be difficult.  I could have made it work if I really wanted to--but it was not worth it to me all the sacrifices with our family's schedule.  I was able to pick it right back up when we returned home.  I did a mix of running, cycling (indoor and outdoor), and swimming (indoor pool and outdoor pool) this summer with Group Power a couple of times.  Plus hiking with the family, tons of walking in DC, New York, and Michigan, and playing with the kids in the pool.

So here are this week's workouts for First Day of School Week!

Monday = Hike approximately 3 miles at Drift Creek Falls near Lincoln City.  Beautiful family hike.  I especially loved the suspension bridge!

Tuesday = Ran with friend.  I went 5.27 miles with an average pace of 9:42.  Good first day of school run.  Not used to running in the DARK!

Wednesday = Swam with the tri crew.  I did not count my laps this time.  I was probably at what I normally do (a little less than a mile)

Thursday = Hike at Minto Brown--approximately 1 1/2 hours--4 miles?  We did not track our mileage.  Rob and I started at the back parking lot by the picnic shelter and hiked all the way to Eola Bend and found a new trail that put us back to river leading back up to the parking lot.  It was great to see the new trails they put in this summer.   I love the fact you can now run to the outer edge of the park and loop around rather than an out and back.

Friday = Run 5.10 miles with an average pace of 9:40 & Viper class.  I ran with the same friend I ran on Tuesday.  It was  a good run again.  I felt like we went at a decent pace.  I went to Viper at the gym in the late afternoon.  That class is only thirty minutes long but it kicks my butt.  Literally.  My glutes were extremely sore on Saturday.  I could hardly squat down to pick up things off the floor.  I love the class though and wish they offered it more.  I want to go Viper for awhile instead of Power.

Saturday = Hockey Tournament.  I placed a couple of rounds in the tournament, but I subbed in and out for people.  So I did not play as much as others.  I tried to play intense and push myself.  I got a decent workout.  I do wish I would have played more this summer and tried a little harder to work on skills, but I felt a little overwhelmed by all the other workouts I was trying to accomplish.

Sunday = Ran 9.35 miles with an average pace of 10:04.  The average pace was probably closer to 9:45 or 9:50 because I did deal with lights and stopping to check my map.  I mapped the route beforehand and wanted to follow it.  I can't trust my phone right now because it keeps crashing and there's no volume.  The run itself went very well.  I eased right into it and maintained a decent pace.  I prayed for each people each mile like I originally planned.  The only downside was around Mile #8 my right knee started hurting again.  The pain was a little different as it went in and went out.  It was on the side but closer to the front...not the back of the knee where I was injured before.  Rather than an ongoing piercing pain, it was an intense numbing pain that lasted for a few seconds and went away.  I am being intentional about rolling and stretching and I hope this helps.  I am only going to see the doctor if it gets significantly worse.    

Life After Zults

I wrote this in May and never posted it...

Rob and I recently finished a wellness program called "Zults" through the gym I go to.  It was five weeks long and we were part of a nine person team with a team leader.  We earned points for our team by participating in different classes, activities, and ultimately gaining muscle mass, losing fat, etc.

At the beginning of the program we were given a meal plan based on an amount of calories per day.  We were encouraged to eat 90/10 which means 90 percent of the food on the meal plan and ten percent whatever we want.  I was looking forward to the meal planning.  This is probably what motivated me the most to sign up for Zults.  I need to be told what to eat and when to eat it or maybe more importantly what not to eat.

We were supposed to prep our meals on the weekends and then eat the same breakfast, the same lunch, and the same dinner all week.  As we looked over the grocery list, considered the food prep time, and the fact we'd be eating the same meals, we had some reservations about the whole process.  I was concerned we were going to be the "anti-Zults" team members.  Then I realized we were not being Zults rebels, but instead we were tweaking the program.  I work from home and and Rob works next door to home.  We see one another throughout the day and make hot breakfast and lunches for one another often. So we did not do much weekend food prep, but made our meals beforehand.  We liked the idea of eating fresh food and not meals that had been sitting in the fridge all week.

We also did not eat the same meal all week, but again tweaked the meals to fit our grocery budget and the food we had in the house.  We planned our meals to be very similar to the Zults meals so we did not feel like we were cheating at all.  Ultimately we felt if anyone is going to learn from a wellness program, they need to learn to make healthy meals without being told what to eat all the time.  We felt like we were taking a step beyond Zults prematurely.

I have to say I enjoyed almost all the Zults meals and I am saving all the recipes for future use.  I love having Greek yogurt sprinkled with honey and granola and mixed in with berries and bananas for breakfast.  Sometimes I put it all on top of a protein pancake instead of butter and syrup.  I made an egg dish with kale and quinoa that I know I will make again.  I have made a southwest chicken salad several times for lunch that is quite simple but very healthy.  We all enjoyed most of the dinners and there were very few complaints...even the turkey burgers which I was very skeptical about.

We will continue to have honey, Greek yogurt, fresh and frozen fruit, chicken, leafy greens, cottage cheese, and fresh vegetables in the house.  Our protein consumption increased which I believe increases my energy level and decreases my anxiety.

I was able to give up diet soda and drink mostly water.  If this was the only thing I gained from Zults, it was well worth it.  I have always struggled with consuming soda and needing it to get through the day. I only had one pop the whole five weeks on Zults.  The fact I was driving six loud and rambanctious middle schoolers to and from Tacoma for a track meet, I think I deserved that one Mello Yello at Burger King.

As for exercise, I went hard core the first four weeks.  Zults would only allow points for attending classes at the gym.  We would receive points by attending four classes for weeks.  The instructor would punch a weekly punch card.  I wanted to do the four classes a week, but I did not want to give up my workouts with my triathlon friends.  So I attempted to do both. Some weeks I did five 5 AM workouts in a row plus an evening and weekend workout.  One week I did Group Ride on Monday, ran on Tuesday, swam Wednesday morning and R/30 (similar to Group Ride) Wednesday afternoon, Group Power on Thursday, Group Ride on Friday and ran on Sunday.

I felt like I was keeping the pace.  Surprisingly the other areas of my life (my education classes, Bible Study, laundry, housework, kid's activities) flowed together and I did not feel behind.  I remember the third week feeling like my life was synchronized even though I had many things going on all at once.  Except last week starting around Monday I felt like I was falling off the Zults wagon and I had to majorly slow down my pace.  I only ran and went to Power last week.  We had more than normal non-Zults meals and even some unhealthy snacks.  I can blame female issues and a busy schedule, but I think my body was craving a break.  However with the habits I established, I am confident I can continue good eating and exercise next week even though is Zults is over.  Although I am not shooting for four classes a week, but instead taking advantage of outside running and cycling.

When I look back at the last five weeks, Zults came at a good time for us.  We knew going into April, our lives were going to move faster and we would be juggling more activities.  I had hoped to journal throughout Zults about our experience, but my time for anything extra was limited.  Hailey and Derek both ran track.  I worked at two of the three track meets.  Derek continued bi weekly Parkour classes.  Kara started soccer and ran in the Awesome 3000.  Derek and I ran an obstacle course 5K race.  History fair projects times three all had to be completed.  My education classes this quarter include more reading and projects.  Not to mention I made the final decision to close my day care.  I applied for a new job for the fall, interviewed, and was told two days ago I got it! We also had the normal amount of meetings, small group, Book Club, and a few outings with friends. I feel like we needed Zults to help us stay grounded with healthy habits when our stress level was higher.

I did not lose a lot of weight but I was told the number on the scale is not what they base it on.  I did lose about two pounds of total fat and my fat mass decreased by four pounds.  I did gain almost five pounds of muscle which the trainer was surprised about.  He asked if I did extra weight lifting during Zults.  I was more regular to Power and increased my weight a little bit.  I also think it was from carrying the day care babies as well.  He said if I continue to eat the way I did on Zults and exercise the same, I would see a number loss on the scale.  I ate terrible this weekend though so I know this is going to take some willpower.

Ideally I would love to do a sprint triathlon mid summer and an olympic distance triathlon late summer or early fall.  And then a half marathon in the winter.  The triathlon cost is increasing and I don't think I can afford all those races.  A big goal I have is to get on my bike and get some good riding time in.

Zults: Pre-Week #2

So we are about two weeks away from beginning our first ever Zults War Challenge.  This program through the gym I attend has always intrigued me.  It is an add on price and above my budget like many of the extra programs.  When it comes to my membership, I can only afford the bare minimum.  However one of my former clients formed a team with some of my friends from the kid's school.  Rob and I thought we would try it.

I am not sure exactly what we signed up for. I think it is either going to be eye opening to the fact we are not eating as healthy as we think we are or worse it is going to show how much I snack.  I think many of my added calories are not from meals but from unhealthy snacks.

Those who are on our team have concerns such as when to exercise.  We all have different schedules and commitments.  Right now early mornings are working well for me.  I know some will not sacrifice sleep and others think it is just plain crazy to get up at 4:45 AM.  But I cannot imagine trying to do it any other way.  If I had to rely on afternoons or evenings, I would probably only exercise once or twice a week.

I have not blogged about my exercise all winter so this a quick recap.  As for races I did the Turkey Dash 5K with Derek on Thanksgiving morning and we did the Be My Muddy Valentine Obstacle Course 5K in February.  The obstacle course race was quite challenging and Derek amazed me. He was one tough little mud runner.

My plan was to possibly train for the Eugene Marathon which is the first weekend of May.  I was running 9 or 10 mile runs on the weekends in the frigid cold weather.  On two occasions, my phone froze and completely stopped working.  It took longer than normal to regulate my body temperature when I returned home.  Part of me loved the winter solace as it reminded me of my early running days on the snow paths of Michigan.

I also did some track runs on the South Salem track in the cold.  It was wonderful being back on the track again.

On a particular long run, my IT band started hurting.  I wanted to complete the workout and continued.  It was not excruciating, but uncomfortable.  I felt discouraged.  I am almost 40 (now am 40 as I am writing this) and my body is not the same as it was in my 20's.

A few days later I tried to do a simple four mile run on a somewhat dark morning.   I had all my reflective gear on including my head lamp.  Yet I was almost hit a truck.  I really was. I hit my fist on truck coming right at me and yelled, "Stop!"  I still don't know if the driver was doing a right turn and not paying attention to the cross walk or running a red light.  It sent my anxiety in a tailspin.  Not long after that my IT band started throbbing and I had to walk most of the way home.  I felt discouraged and somewhat traumatized.

I had not been stretching much or rolling my IT band. Plus I put on the miles rather quickly.  This might have been the cause of the side knee pain.  I backed off on my running and only ran one or two times a week and did swimming, spin, and power.  Sometimes I felt a dull pain on the side of my knee by the fourth mile especially coming off a hill.

Now I am at the point where I am running without pain, but I have not done more than five miles since December.  I am diligent about stretching and rolling most nights and doing some simple yoga as well.  I think it helps.

I am considering another triathlon this summer and possibly a longer run in the fall, winter, or even next spring.  I may need to see my doctor or get a referral to physical therapist if the pain continues.  For now I am using what I know (and is recommended by my friends and Runner's World) and seeing if that alleviates the issues.

So 2 weeks before Zults here is what I have done:

Monday = Swim 1800 yards (1 mile) at the Courthouse in the afternoon by myself.  Pretty decent workout.  My breaststroke is still messy but improved.  My 50 yards are faster by about five seconds.

Tuesday = Ran 4.76 miles with a 9:38 minute/mile pace with Tracy.  It was cooler out but thankfully not raining.  I also took the kids swimming in the afternoon at the gym and played in the water with them.

Wednesday = Swim 1300 yards (about 3/4 mile) at the Courthouse at 5 AM with triathlon friends.  Got a later start and I think they ended earlier than normal.  So I got a smaller amount of yards in than normal.  One of our friends is doing her first triathlon this weekend.  She is a pretty intense athlete and does ultras.  She swims faster than me.  So I don't think she will have any problems doing a sprint tri especially on a mostly flat course.  She was asking me questions all about triathlons and I got pretty excited for her.  I almost wished I was doing it too!  Our other friend said I should a half ironman.  So of course I spent some time today searching Ironman 70.3 races.  But not yet.

Thursday = Group Ride  I got to go to ride with my friend from the kid's school and Hailey went too!  I told Hailey she did have to stay for the whole workout but she did!  She pushed herself hard and loved it.  It was a good workout and I am enjoying Ride much more so.

Friday = Rest Day.  No planned workout.  Although I did walk to the park with the baby I care for and do a few loops around the park.  I also did some big cleaning projects in the playroom.  I skated with the girls tonight at the skating rink.  So that is some calories burned.  I also bought some protein pancake mix and tried one for lunch.  Surprisingly it was really good.  And it helped me not be hungry all afternoon.

Saturday = Street Hockey.  I was going to go to the gym in the morning because Rob was not back yet.  I sensed I needed to be at home with the girls.  It's not like I don't trust them alone, but they have had some struggles getting along lately.  They were a little clingy when Rob was gone.  I did play hockey in the afternoon and I played the whole time.  Normally I only last 45 minutes to an hour...and I know it sounds terrible...but truth be told I get bored.  This time I enjoyed it.

Sunday = Ran 5.46 miles with a 9:44 pace.  It was one of those Sunday afternoons where I had zero desire to run, but I knew I had to do it.  I knew I would not regret it.  I even tackled the Boone hills and did not have to walk.  It was a pretty good run.  I also had no IT band pain!

Turkey Dash and Mile Swim

I had been fighting a nasty cold last weekend and it lingered a bit.  I was going to go the gym and swim Wednesday morning a little later than normal since I was off work.  I decided to sleep instead.  I did not sleep well and was still having a difficult time breathing at night.  I woke up stuffed up again and not as rested as I would have liked to been.  I did not really have the opportunity to exercise later on.  I really felt drained by the female related health issues I have been dealing with.  Plus I was playing cat and mouse with my doctor and the pharmacy to get my prescription filled before Thanksgiving.  All in all the day got better by the afternoon.  The female issues are finally getting under control again and I was able to get my prescription in time.

On Thursday Derek and I ran in the Keizer Turkey Dash--his third year running it and my fourth.  I really did not run with him this fall as much as I would have liked.  It has been really difficult working until 5 and then trying to run with him in the evenings.  He is pretty active and could run 2 miles straight without stopping in October so I knew he would do fine.  Still I wish I could have done some more runs with him.  The weather was supposed to be terrible--lots of rain and wind.  He did not have much running gear for rain.  His shoes actually broke a few days ago.  On Tuesday night I managed to get him a good pair of running shoes for a decent price.  On Wednesday I was able to get him a long sleeve running shirt and polyester sweatshirt.  The air temperature was in the 40's so I knew he would be OK.  He wore a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, and his race t-shirt plus a hat and mittens.  I just remember running with Hailey in a race in December when all she had on was a long sleeve shirt and running jacket...and she froze.  Like we were concerned she had hypothermia and it was a little scary.  It turns out he was overdressed, but I would rather de-layer than be freezing.  He ran almost the whole 5K except for two little walk breaks that were probably 1 minute or less.  By the aid station I helped him de-layer by shedding his sweatshirt, hat, and gloves.  I didn't mind carrying them the rest of the race.

He got 32 minutes 46 seconds which is about 10 1/2 minute miles.  He took about three minutes off his time from last year.  I was pretty proud.  He has the endurance down and he is really good on hills.  He has dragged me up the huge Jones hill twice and he can run the whole way without stopping.  He is more motivated to do hills than I am.  Honestly it has helped me tackle hills this fall.

We are looking at doing an obstacle course race in February.  Then I am hoping he can run with the Immanuel Track Team.  If he can't, I want to be more proactive with running with him in the spring.  I will probably run with Kara again as well in the spring.

Tonight I went to the gym.  Rob & Hailey got sick with the same cold I had last weekend.  There was not much to do at home.  I decided to swim and push myself to swim a full mile.  I did it and it took like 50 minutes.  I did a combination of workouts and strokes.  I felt so great afterwards.  I really need to keep working on my swimming and pushing myself--I do get lazy with it.

I am going to do a long run this weekend and if I can do so pain free or mild pain, I will consider the holiday half.  If I can't, I may do the Jingle Bell Dash 5K instead.  I was not in pain doing Turkey Dash but I can feel my IT band is not as good as it was this summer.  Here's hoping some rolling and stretching can heal it or at least keep it from getting worse.  I think that's why swimming is so nice--so much easier on your body and you still get a great workout.

Changing bodies

I've not been keeping up this blog at all but I have been exercising this fall pretty faithfully.  I had a bad sore throat in late September that felt like strep.  I did go in and it wasn't strep--just a nasty virus.  That kept me out of the gym and running for a week.  While were in Florida I also did not run, but we did tons of walking. This past week I caught a nasty cold from the day care kids but I was only out Saturday, Sunday & yesterday.  Still could work yesterday and felt fine--just could not get up early and go to the gym.

I feel like since I am nearing 40 my body is not what it once was.  That is hard for me to accept.  I never used to call the doctor or go in for things because I never really needed to.  Now I am dealing with a female problem that I am hoping will resolve itself.  I have been having IT band again off and on when I run.  I am not sure if it is that because it is not as intense as before.  It is still pain and I question if my marathon running days are over and I can only do shorter distances.

Rolling, stretching, weight training really seems to help.  My muscles are really tight from laying around most of the weekend.  I have not stretched since Friday.  This morning I ran with Tracy.  It was one of those mornings where I did not have a hard time getting up and I felt energetic for once.  While we were running my chest felt tight, breathing was hard, and I had a side stitch off and on which I don't usually get.  My IT band started hurting around third mile.  I got through it and completed four and a half miles.  I need to use this blog to track how often the leg pain occurs.  I am really enjoying running this fall--like I have been doing awesome on hills like never before.  My speed was up.  I am hoping taking better care of my body with good stretching, rolling, and strengthening my glutes will be enough.

First Week of the School Year

I have not posted since the end of July.  One of the main reasons is because I had not been doing much exercise-wise at all.  I took a much needed break that I desperately needed.  It was a harder summer compared to others.  I am not going to say it was bad because we made some wonderful memories.  I had to tackle some life lessons especially mid July to mid August.  I dealt with increased anxiety I could not share about in detail. Even though this blog is mostly for me to track my exercise and mental health, I felt a pull to be private about my struggles. I did not share it with hardly anyone outside my family. I think that was a wise decision.

I read a very helpful book.  It is not one of those how-to books with tips.  Follow steps A - J and you will be a successful mom.  It is simple and more of a bedrock foundation for parenting older kids.  It is easy to implement every single day and it has helped me identify some of the reasons my anxiety was getting out of control. It did make a difference.

I am also seeing Dr. C in October in regards to hormonal imbalances.  I probably should have done this years ago and kept putting it off.  I did not think it was a big deal nor a huge problem.  I was encouraged to do it.  I have a consult and we will go from there.  I may see a Naturopath as well but I was told to start with my own doctor.  I do get the bad crazy hormone days but I have much better self control.  I still hate them.

I did a little bit of exercise last week but this is the first week back into it.  My goal is to run a half marathon in December.  So here's what I did this week:

Monday (Labor Day) - We had a really nice family day.  We went apple picking, went out the park in Keizer, shopping at Target and out to dinner.  I took a long walk with Kara at the park.  It was beautiful outside and a perfect way to end the summer.

Tuesday - Ran 4.14 miles with Tracy.  I started at 5:25 AM and it was SO dark out.  I have not run in the darkness in a long time.  I thought it would be a struggle.  I ran only three miles on Sunday and had a hard time.  I felt out of breath and had to walk.  This run was a lot better.  We did go up some big hills, but I managed to maintain a 9:39 pace.  I was slower on Sunday.

Wednesday - Swam 31 laps.  It was great to be back in the pool again with friends.  I worked on form and perfecting my stroke a bit better as well.  We had a really good workout.  This was my bad hormone day as I felt jittery, jumpy, anxious, and sweaty at times throughout day.  I was in Target shopping and felt on the edge of panic.  It is so hard to describe because it does not make a lot of sense.  I had the day off from work and all the kids were in school--but I could not fully enjoy it because of what was going on in my body.

Thursday - Group Power.  I woke up and felt significantly better.  I increased my weight slightly from the week before and it was a very good workout.  The day was much smoother because I did not feel nearly as jumpy or jittery.  My brain could focus again.

Friday - Day Off.  I did take Monday off but Friday will be my official day off so I wanted to stay on schedule.

Saturday - Group Ride.  I like the 8 AM Ride classs.  It is a good way to start a Saturday and I can be home without feeling I lost a good chunk of the morning.  It was a pretty normal workout.

Sunday - Ran 3 miles at a 9 minute pace.  I ran at 7:30 AM.  If I can run Sunday mornings before church, I think it will help my Sunday schedule significantly. I felt much stronger than last week and could maintain 9 minute miles without feeling like I was dying.

Good first week back into it!!

I need a break

It has been a good week so far.  I did about five miles with Tracy Monday morning.  Aside from getting tangled in a blackberry bush that made the back of my right ankle all bloody--it was a great run.  I felt pretty good for most of it.  I had no knee, IT band, or glute issues.  Yesterday I went to 5:30 PM Group ride.  I don't think my bike was set up to my body size.  I think I had to reach too far for the handlebars because my lower back and shoulders feel weird and sore today.  It was still a good workout nonetheless.

I skipped swimming this morning.  The early mornings in the summer are hard.  The kids are not going to bed until 9--sometimes even later.  Everyone is sleeping until at least 8.  I can't function on a work schedule when I am not working.  Plus I burned out in terms of training for things.  I am craving rest right now and not pushing it as a runner/triathlete.

My plan for August is to exercise 3-4 times a week and do swimming, biking, or running.  I am not going to do more than two (and most weeks just one) early morning.  I am going to focus on the things I am not going to be able to do once school starts (like home organization, gardening, etc.)  My plan once school starts is to start the 5-6 times a week and get back into Group Power for sure.  Then come end of September I will see if training for a half marathon is possible.  I feel really good about this.  I really need just a break from pushing myself as well as putting extra of myself.  It might constitute some of my anxiety.  That could be related to other things as well.  My anxiety has been better the last couple of days.