End of week 2...

This week was a tough one. Our work schedule was insane with hour and a half lunches and long meetings all day every day. I never really made a bad choice, but I didn't get all the fruits and veggies in that I should have. Also, because things were so crazy and I worked late almost every night, I only got one 3 mile run in during the week. I did complete 14 miles on Saturday though so that gives me a total of 17 miles this week. I'm not expecting a loss this week because I'm about to start (woman stuff) and I didn't make good choices this weekend at my grandma's house. If I gain a little, I'm okay with it, it's been a REALLY exhausting week.

The good news is that starting tomorrow, I will be on a schedule from this point forward. I won't have time to go get food and I will bring my lunch every day at work. I also will get my workouts in this week because I'll have more time for it.

The 14 mile course was awesome! I did much better on this course than I did on the 9 mile one. I think I just had a really bad day on that course. And part of it was probably due to the fact that I missed the previous 2 long runs. I know that hurt me tremendously. So yeah, I'm feeling good about things.

I'll let you know the damage tomorrow.

Bummin' it...

I decided to do absolutely NOTHING tonight except watch TV. I'm so exhausted from work that I deserve it. Tomorrow I will kill it in the gym.

First week results!

After running 18 miles in week one, plus awesome nutrition with one cheat meal, I lost 2.6 lbs my first week. Not amazing, but I said I'd be happy with anything over 2.5. I told myself I'd be okay with losing slower since I'm incorporating the cheat days in, and I have to be.

Great news! I challenged my friend Jeana to a 3 mile run tonight and SHE DID IT!!!! I'm so freaking proud of her. It's so amazing to see people go beyond what they think they can do. She reminds me so much of me when I first started. Go J-Colla! Woop!!

I'm determined to have a great week! I have a very scary 14 mile course coming up on Saturday and I have the utmost respect for the preparation for it. I'm really nervous because I have only completed up to 13.1 miles so far, which was my half-marathon. I am going to have a PERFECT nutrition week and get my runs in so maybe it won't be so bad. Ok who am I kidding, it's gonna suck!

We got some bad news today concerning the health of some people I know. It really puts things into perspective. There are people out there fighting for their lives and have absolutely no choice in the matter, and then there are people who choose to destroy themselves, whether it be with food, alcohol, drugs or whatever. It's just another reminder that I need to respect my body enough to take care of myself. Seems so minimal compared to what other people are going through. I am so blessed.

Tomorrow's the weigh-in!

I ran a total of 18 miles this week, so I'm hoping for a great weight-loss in the morning. Cross your fingers!! :0)

9 mile course...

We ran our 9 mile course this morning. It was pretty tough. I barely got through it and it seriously sucked. I've been feeling kind of off all day. I'm still not feeling well but I did get some shopping done! I was pleasantly surprised at the size of clothes I bought. I don't think I've gained as much as I feel that I have. This is definitely a good thing.

I had my cheat meal today and it was good. I used about 25 of my 35 flex points and I'm not going to use the rest. Tomorrow will be another healthy day and the weigh-in is Monday morning. Crossing my fingers for a good loss!

Blah...

I'm feeling sick. I'm guessing it's because I finished my last final and now that all the summer stress is gone, it all came crashing down on my body. I always got sick after finals in undergrad. Good times. I'm hoping that I'll still be able to run in the morning but I'm just going to have to wait and see how I feel.

The agenda for the rest of the day: Continue to eat healthy and be a huge bum. I cannot believe the craziness starts back up on Monday.

I have planned a cheat for this week. Remember, I get one bad meal a week and this week I choose it to be on Saturday for lunch, mexican food! I'm super-excited!!

Getting it back...

Another great nutrition day today,and tonight I ran 4 miles at the gym. I am very happy to report that it wasn't near as hard as yesterday's 3 miles, and I think I've finally built up my stamina again. YAY!!!

Tomorrow I'm excited to have a rest day. Fridays are always rest days because we have long runs on Saturday mornings. This Saturday we are running a 9 mile course, which I hear is a hard one so I will be pumping tons of water and mentally preparing for that. I'm also going to start hill training soon-which I'm not looking forward to AT. ALL. Hills kill me every time.

Tonight I was drenched with sweat and hideous...and of course I have to ride the elevator up with 2 of what have to be the most gorgeous guys in my apartment complex. Why is it that when you look smokin' hot, no one is around to see it, but if you look like crap and have your hair plastered to your face with sweat, there's a mob? The world may never know...

Back on the healthy train...

I had an excellent nutrition day again today and I just ran 3 miles at the gym. I'm drenched so I must have done something productive. It's hard to be motivated to go sweat when it's already so hot. Come on FALL! I LOVE running in cool weather, it cannot come fast enough!

Feeling a LITTLE better...

Had a great nutrition day! I decided to go ahead and not workout tonight, and it's okay...I'm only supposed to get 3-4 training runs in a week before Saturday runs. It's not an excuse, I promise! :p The plan is to run Wednesday and Thursday and then rest Friday before the big run on Saturday. That will give me 4 runs this week, which is what I'm aiming for.

I'm feeling a little bit more focused. Today I was hungry, but that's to be expected. It feels good to be going in the right direction again.

An update on the pain:

I have a hurt right hip from the running. My doctor gave me a steroid injection in the hip yesterday and that seems to be helping. For now, good old ice and heat and tons and tons of water. I'll keep everyone posted on the progress of the situation.

Until next time...

Facing the Damage

So today was the first day back to being truly focused on my nutrition and training. A little bit of back story: I was doing fabulous last Spring until after I completed my half-marathon in April. Once it was over, I chose to relax a little. With this came a little bit of cheating, and a little less exercise. I only gained about 4 lbs, which to me was somewhat normal considering I was previously in hard-core training mode, any subtle change would make me gain a little. Then this summer came. My first summer semester was easy. I worked half a day and then had the rest of the day to do my homework. The course load was slightly heavy but manageable and I had it made. I lost 5lbs and was feeling hopeful. Then the second semester hit. And that's when it alllll changed.

The second semester classes consisted of an INSANE Data class, a Technology in Eduation class, and the finishing up of my Internship course work. The Tech class isn't bad, but the Data class, I've never had anything like that before. I have NEVER worked so hard in my life in something. Our professor was really tough and always made us feel like we'd never be good enough. I FREAKED out when I discovered that I didn't know how to balance that kind of load. And my reaction to freaking out...eating everything in sight.

Since the beginning of summer, I've gained 8 lbs. I weighed this morning and was incredibly sad and angry about all of it. I can't believe that after all I've learned, I can still let go of the focus. It's time to get it back. I'm still very frustrated that I have to work my butt off for the next month just to get back to where I was-it's not going to be fun.

I've made some decisions regarding this round of determination. Last Spring, I chose to go extreme hardcore. I ran CONSTANTLY, only ate whole grain carbs, natural sugars, protein, fruits and vegetables. The weight fell off. While all that is fine and good, I never ate what I wanted-and I was miserable. This time-I'm going to do all of those same things, but allow myself the 35 flex points per week on Weight Watchers. This plan has always worked for me, and while I understand that the weight will probably come off a little slower this time, I'm okay with it. Life is about balance, and that is one subject I have always struggled with. 35 flex points pretty much equals one good meal a week, and that sounds pretty freakin' awesome to me! I'm not going to weigh every day-it makes one obsessed. I'm also going to seriously up the water intake. I've been having all kinds of issues with dehydration and I'm learning how much your body actually needs when running 10+ miles. It's WAY more than I ever imagined.

I'll be honest-I'm still frustrated and angry but I'll probably feel better in a couple days. This blog is an excellent way for me to sort through it all....

Where I am in my training:

I joined a running team and we run long distances on Saturday mornings at 5:00AM. Yes, 5:00AM. I normally would be complaining since I oh-so-cherish my sleep, but I will do anything to escape the misery of running in summer heat. It's brutal. Anyway, we are up to 11 miles so far. (I think they are up to more, but I was gone last weekend). This upcoming Saturday, we are running 9. We are supposed to run on our own 3-4 times a week ranging from 2-5 miles or so, so I will be upping those as well.

Here is our race schedule for the next 5 months:

Sept 4th: Breakfast Bash 5 mile
Sept 18th: Tour de Fleurs 20K (should probably find out what that means)
Nov. 7th: Dallas Running Club Half Marathon (Woop, will be my 2nd, can't wait)
Dec. 5th: White Rock Full Marathon

I'm so incredibly excited about pursuing a Full Marathon. I dream big so I though what they hell, go for it! I haven't quite wrapped my mind around 26.2 miles JUST yet, but I figure if I continue to take it seriously, I will pull through just fine.

I know I keep mentioning that I'm frustrated, but I just have to accept that I was in survival mode and I did the best I could. I need to just get over it and move on. I did however kick ass at the gym tonight! I ran 2 miles at my fastest speed on a treadmill and finished a record time. I also had perfect nutrition today. This is definitely a good start.

I promise to do my best regarding this blog. I know last time I seriously dropped the ball. My schedule is crazy but I need to make this a priority. I was amazed how much weight I lost before when I was able to process and write about the successes and frustrations. I did it once, I can do it again.

Until next time...

Coming Soon!

Yep, it's coming soon! :)