Learning

I'm skipping my run today. Part of me is screaming in protest because it is saying I need to stick to the plan exactly and I should have been out running this morning. But the reality is that I am planning on running a 5K in the morning and I am hoping to have a new PR after it. I know that for me to do my best in the morning, I will benefit from rest today. I'm also learning what works best for me with running. I may be making a few changes soon. I'm afraid I may be pushing myself too hard some nights. I think I know what I need to change and if it works, I will let you know.

I've been feeling like I am way behind when it comes to training. Hopefully tomorrow's race will help me feel better about it all. I'm hoping that I do better than I am expecting but we'll see. (maybe my stupid allergies won't screw everything up. I currently can't breathe through both sides of my nose but I am planning to use some nose spray to open things up in the morning.)

WW Thursday

Well, here we are again. I lost 0.8 this week. It's good because it is a loss but I really wish it was more. At least give me a full freaking pound instead of these tenths of a pound numbers. It is just getting annoying. I know a loss is a loss and any loss is good but I feel like I should be doing better on the scale than I am. I have lost 2 pant sizes but the numbers have barely gone down during that time. I am losing inches but not pounds. It is just becoming a little frustrating.

I've made a few discoveries and I am hoping those will help me get things moving better again. I decided that I was going to be super diligent with my tracking this past week. Some days I had not been writing it down or logging it online but mentally counting. I also wasn't looking up all of the point values on things. Sometimes I was guessing. I found out I was guessing wrong. I'm hoping that watching my points more closely will help. Added to that, my workouts are getting tougher and I am trying to ride my bike more so hopefully those things will help too.

I am really struggling this week emotionally. It is just getting very frustrating. I feel like I am doing everything right and really trying to make a change and not seeing any results. All while others are taking the easy way out or not being as strict as they should and still seeing great results. It just really makes me want to give up. Last night I had a hard time after my run. I completed it but I had this overwhelming feeling that it is all worthless because I'm not going to be able to do it. I feel like I still have way to far to go mileage wise and I am never going to be able to do it. It just feels like everything is sneaking up on me and I am not going to be ready for any of it. I have a 5K this weekend that I am hoping goes better than I am expecting it to, that way maybe I will be a little more confident for the 10K next month. It's all just wearing me down and I am starting to feel like a failure.

Update: I have been tracking my measurements and I took them again today after I posted this.I have lost another almost 10 inches all over and I am down another pant size. While I am super happy these numbers are going down, it frustrates me that much more. I feel like they should translate into bigger scale losses than they are. Oh well, maybe it will all make sense eventually.

Shift Forward

So I have decided to start running earlier. It's hot as Hades but it means Mac can go with me and honestly it means I burn more calories. It's sort of like running in a sauna. Haha.

I wasn't sure how it was going to go because I was battling a headache and it was a lot hotter than normal when I started. I did much better than I expected. Especially during the first half. I am doing longer run intervals right now so I am only doing two reps. I struggled a little more during the second one. I was feeling the heat and my legs were just tired from running longer. I ran about half of the second interval and then switched to the 4min run/1min walk suggested by Jeff Galloway. That way I was still getting in a good run but with a little recovery time in there. I made sure I stopped my timer when I was walking so that I actually ran the full time I was supposed to it was just broken up a little. I think I'm going to use the 4/1 method for the 10K because I think allowing myself a little recovery time every now and then will help me maintain a faster pace overall instead of burning out too quickly. I still have plenty of time to work up to a longer continuous run but for now I think I am going to play it a little safer and a little smarter instead of pushing too hard.

I have another 5 K Saturday morning. Originally I wasn't going to do it but I decided I might as well because it will give me a good idea of where I am in regards to the 10K that is coming up. Right now my biggest worry is just how I am going to get to GA for it. I don't want to drive because 18 hours in a car is hard on your body but I don't want to spend a fortune on airfare either. I am hoping Priceline will come through for me and I can get a cheap ticket home.

I still need to clean up my bike and take pics, oh and start riding it more. Haha.

Here's hoping this is a good week!

Learning to Snack and Save

This week's WW topic was about better snacking. I know this is one area that some days I am great and others, it is my downfall. I have found several healthier and lower point value snacks but so often, they are expensive. Fruit is a great snack(0 pts) but it isn't cheap and good fruit is sometimes hard to find. I am also a salty snacks person so fruit doesn't always hit the spot. I have found great chip and cheese ball alternatives with things like Pop Chips and Snikiddy Cheese balls. Both are all  natural and less points(3 pts) for twice the amount. They are perfect for when I am craving salty and crunchy.  Once again, they are not cheap if you run out to your local grocer and pick them up. Fortunately for us the commissary has started carrying Pop Chips regularly and they are at a better price, however, they only carry the large bags. I like the individual size bags in both because it is easy portion control. You just grab a bag and go, no need to measure, count or weigh. You know how much you are getting and how many points it is.

Every now and then I let the price get in the way and go for easy and cheap. That is when I slip up the most with my eating each day. Fortunately I have found and ally in this fight and its name is Amazon. Most of the healthier snacks that we love but hate the price, are available on amazon. Not only can you buy them in bulk but you can sign up for a subscription to them and save. You can set it so that it ships as little as every 6 months and you get a discount on the item and free shipping. I have used this in the past but I stopped and I don't know why. Soon I will be setting up new subscriptions to great snacks to help me keep my snacking within my daily points.

I have a new fire and I am hoping that it along with some better choices are going to help increase the results I see each week.

WW Thursday

Well today's meeting went a little better than last week. I lost 0.6 so I at least lost something. I would like to lose more but it will come in time. I'm really going to crack down on my food. I haven't really been doing bad but I haven't been tracking as well as I should.

I did something very stupid today. I decided I wanted to get a little bit of a workout today before the meeting so I decided to go ride my bike. I forgot that it was 108 today and I had no water with me and I hadn't had much to drink before I left. I rode about 3.5 miles but the last half was brutal. I rode over to another neighborhood and on the way back I realized how hot I was and that I had nothing to drink. I was determined to get home but I knew that if I really started feeling bad that I could call someone to pick me up. Thankfully the last 1/4 of a mile is all downhill so I was able to just coast home. I got some water in me and cooled off and I was fine. I definitely will not be making that mistake again.

Huh?

So I confused the MPs(military police) that were in my neighborhood tonight. I was just out for my run but they found it odd. Maybe because it was 12:30AM. They were in our neighborhood checking the houses of residents that are out of town. I ran by them about 3 times and every time I passed them, I got a weird look. I'm used to seeing the post cops in our neighborhood and by this time, they are used to seeing me, but this was the first time I saw the actual MPs.

I tried to run earlier tonight with Mac but it was just too dang hot and my body didn't like it. I decided that I would just try again after he went to bed and the temp dropped a little more. I did better on my second attempt but not great. I'm not sure what the issue was but hopefully it will be better on Friday.

It's nice having Mac back but it is either going to mean that I HAVE to get up early in the morning or I will just have to run without him at night. I'm not sure which way I am going to go with it.

Tomorrow is another weigh-in. I'm not expecting great results. I have been watching my food pretty well but I haven't been drinking enough water and that is affecting things a little. My workouts are getting tougher and tougher and I am hoping that along with being more diligent about the food will help me to start shedding pounds again.

Ooooo. I have to tell you all about my bike. I want to get it cleaned up and take some pics and show you the awesome thing I learned about it tonight.(mac rode it while I tried to run the first time.) I just really wish I knew what kind it was. The people that had it before pulled all of the stickers off of the frame so there is nothing with a brand or anything on it. Oh well, I still think it is too fun.

(I updated the commenting options so that hopefully it will be easier for people to comment now. I know a few people have said they have had trouble with it in the past. Hopefully it is fixed now. One change is it will open a pop-up window so make sure you are looking for that.)

Fun Ride

I took my "new" bike out for a quick ride tonight. It was short but it was fun. It's been a long time since I have been on a bike and enjoyed it. I'm really looking forward to what is to come with it.

I found out that I already had what I needed for the tubes. Our bike pump is convertible so I was able to fill up the tires without buying a converter valve. I still need to lower the seat(and possibly replace it) but I had a little trouble with it. Every time I push the seat down, it pops back up. It is fine while I am riding but I can't touch the ground while seated so I feel a little wobbly sometimes.

I'm feeling better today than I expected. My back is sore but other than that, there really isn't much residual affect from yesterday. Now that my husband knows what happened I can fill you in. A friend and I drove up to Dallas for a concert that we got free tickets for on post. Dallas is 3 hours away but it was a free concert so we were game. Well, about 3 miles from the venue some stupidity occurred and we were rear-ended by a very large Dodge Ram. I was stopped in a line at a red light when this happened and he hit me so hard(i was in a Toyota Corolla) it pushed me forward enough to make me hit the SUV in front of me. Of course my 'ittle bitty car was the only one with damage. It is mostly cosmetic but it still sucks. I was very shaken up and upset by the whole thing. Maggie and I both were ok but it did rattle us around a bit and my neck started hurting a little along with my head. We decided to skip out on the concert because we just weren't in the mood anymore. I also didn't want to be driving home too late in case something more serious was wrong with the car and we broke down. Now I have a large hole in the front bumper of my car(the SUV had a trailer hitch) and my rear pumper is cracked in several places and the trunk is out of line. Other than that, the car is drivable and it appears the only real damage is to plastic parts. One of the worst things about the whole situation is that my husband is still on the other side of the world and we have no idea when he will be home.

Having a good run last night and realizing I got a pretty good bike yesterday has made this crappy weekend better. Oh and I splurged and got some pretty hot shoes. They will not help me in my training or anything useful other than looking hot.