accountability

In keeping with my accountability of my progress and work outs, I have decided to post each day of my training on here. Sometimes, that might be all that you get, but I am promising to post it. No matter how slow, how crappy, or how miserable my run was, I will post it. I feel like making that promise will force me to keep up with my training and continue toward my half marathon goal.

Today was Week 1, Day 1 of half marathon training. According to Hal Higdon's training schedule, I need to run 3 miles today, as well as tomorrow and Thursday, with a 4 mile run on Saturday. For some reason, I was moving this morning! Maybe I was excited about starting the training, or maybe it was just one of those "great runs" I was talking about before, but I looked down a few times and I was running in the 7s!

I felt pretty great during my run and was shocked to look at my splits. I never understood how people got faster in the last mile of their run, but it looks like I did just that this morning.

So my plan is to post at least the above pictures for each of my runs during training. That should hold me accountable and help me to get out of bed every morning. The only time I won't be posting the runs will be while I am in Mexico, unless they have free wifi and I can throw up those snapshots without being charged a few hundred pesos. If I can't do it there, I will post as soon as I return to the states, because I will be running in Mexico. Again, I WILL BE RUNNING IN MEXICO... No excuses, not even tequila related excuses. :)

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Last night I made a quick stop at Joe the Trader's to grab a few things, including our dinner. Mike and I were both in the mood for hot dogs, (why?) so I grabbed some chicken sausages instead. Along with our sausages, we had some garlic fries, which were surprisingly delicious for frozen fries. They were just the right amount of crunchy and tasted somewhat fried.

Somehow these ended up in my cart which proves the point of never going to a grocery store hungry... I had these puppies open within seconds of getting into my car.

The good news is that we actually have some food in our house now, which we didn't have any of before. I am really sick of eating crap and ready to get back to my regular eating schedule. Yesterday I tried one of the new salads from Wendy's and was pleasantly surprised. The dressing was not terrible for you and I was excited to see they offer half sized portions now, which are just the right size for lunch.

This was the apple pecan chicken salad (half portion) with pomegranate vinegarette dressing. It was really tasty. But, I just looked up the sodium content and am not very happy about it... so maybe I will steer clear of those in the future.



While we are talking about nutrition and sodium content, I thought I would circle back to my calorie counting. I had stopped for a while, because I feel like I have a really good handle on what I was eating, but I think I need to start back up again. Although I am pretty good about knowing what is going in my body, I don't know that I am staying completely on track. My weight loss has been at quite the standstill lately, which I am actually ok with, but I still have about 4 lbs to get to my 1 year goal. I have no doubt I will get there, but I am just kind of hanging out in the 139-142 lbs range. I am super proud and happy about that, but I think if I got back into my strict calorie counting, I could drop those last 4 lbs easily.

Another reason I want to start it back up is because I know I will need to increase my calories as I increase my mileage with the half marathon training. I haven't done a ton of research just yet on how and what to do change my calorie intake, but I plan on figuring all that out as I get into the 5-10 mile range.

As far as my sodium is concerned, I am pretty convinced that it is not having a huge impact on my blood pressure. I haven't talked to my doctor yet about it, but I feel like on the days that I have a lot of sodium, my bp is no different than on days that I haven't had a lot of sodium. One thing I have noticed is that I get headaches and feel crummy on days that I have things with a lot of sodium in them. Maybe I am just crazy, but I definitely feel a difference when I eat out or eat things that I know are pretty high in sodium.

I think I would like to stick to the low sodium lifestyle, since our bodies just do not need as much sodium as we take in. I know that I will have to adjust that as well, since through running, sweating, and losing sodium, I will need to make sure that I don't get dehydrated. But, I hope to find some sort of balance through it all, since I obviously am going to have this blood pressure problem, and I still don't want to go on any type of medication for it. (FYI, my bp is too low to actually go on bp meds, but this is something that I may have to accept in the future).

Well, would you look at that, I only meant to write a short little post about how I plan on posting my runs throughout my training but I actually wrote a whole post. Lucky you! :)

Yesterday's Stats:

Calories (-) 309
Sodium (+) 1437
Protein (+) 9

champagne problems

On Sunday morning, everyone was dragging a little from the late night karaoke-ing. Mike and I attempted to make it to church, but when we were pulling in at 11:10, I just wasn't in the mood to sneak into a pew after things had already gotten started. We decided, instead, to go for a run.

Oh, did you not hear that correctly? We went for a run the day after a 10k. Yeah, we are some serious people now.

I never really thought I would get to that point. But now, going a day without some type of exercise is just unusual. Since we rarely get the chance to go running anywhere but our neighborhood, I took full advantage on Sunday. Plus, with Mike being so interested in the healthier lifestyle lately, it makes it so much easier to get off the couch, and get moving. I am not allowing him to ever go back to his old ways. Ever.

We headed to Shelley Lake, a local lake with a trail around it. One of our friends had told us about it, so we decided to give it a try. We only wanted to do 2-3 miles, since we were pretty sore, so we did 1 loop around the water.

I think the total amount was 2.06 miles, which was plenty for the both of us. It was a pretty nice run, with the weather being breezy and not too hot.

Our hamstrings are really sore from Saturday, so I don't think we could have gone much longer than what we did.

After our run, we ran a ton of errands. Mike needed his hair cut, so I browsed the shopping center while he was doing that. We also had to make the usual stop at Target, where I got some new running socks and Mike got some new work socks.

After running over 6 miles on Saturday, I realized I needed something better in the way of socks. I had some serious blisters on my toes, and I think it is because I don't wear thick enough socks. It felt like when my feet would sweat, there was nothing to absorb that, so I got some moisture wicking socks.

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As you know, I have officially gone down a full size in my pants. I can still wear a lot of the same shirts, because I have always been kinda small on the top, but I am getting a little tired of looking like a slob at work. I feel like I don't want to leave my desk because my pants are so saggy and look ridiculous.

I was telling my friends about this problem over the weekend and felt like the term "champagne problems" fit perfectly. Let me pull the definition straight from Urban Dictionary for you...

Champagne Problems - 

A problem or dilemma that, when compared to issues of poverty, national disasters and war, are not all that big of a deal, but nonetheless provide individuals with issues that must be dealt with.

An issue that must be dealt with is right...  Mike and I headed to the mall for a few new pairs of pants for me, and since we were there, Mike found a few new pairs as well. And, some new shirts. haha. He is in need of new clothes too, since his pants and shirts are looking quite saggy since he has lost weight. I told him there is no turning back since we just bought new clothes, we are going to keep this up! 

Express is our go-to place for work clothes. Their clothes just seem to fit Mike and I both very well, they aren't very expensive, and they are easy to wear, without being too fancy or casual. It helps that they are constantly sending out coupons and always have a  pretty good clearance rack to pick from too. 

We should have done a little fashion show to post on the blog... 

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Foam Roller Love... 

I have been reading healthy living blogs for a long time, and I always see the foam roller make an appearance. I had never tried one out, but after running that 10k on Saturday, I felt like a rolling pin to my hamstrings would be the most amazing feeling ever. I gave the foam roller a try at they gym yesterday, and skipped out on any kind of cardio, and my legs feel so awesome.

Here is a good guide to how to use one. I pretty much just did the hamstring pose, which felt so great. 

Source

I think I will be needing to buy one of these things to keep on hand soon. I think it would be great to have before going to bed and immediately after a run.

I am going to try to get in a 3-4 mile run today after work, before heading to the hospital. We are running in a 5k on Thursday evening, so I don't want to give myself too long of a break.

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We are currently awaiting the results of Mike's work weight loss challenge... Although I would love for Mike to win, I feel like this has been a great way to jump start his journey, and we are really happy with what it has done for the both of us. Mike has been educating himself so much on eating better, working out, and running, I think this is a lifestyle change he really wants to stick with. From what I hear, a lot of people who did this challenge with him feel the same way. No matter who wins, I hope everyone is really happy with their success.

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (-) 109
Sodium (+) 905
Protein (-) 7

Maybe It's All About the Food?

I used all of my pictures up in yesterday's post. I forgot to take any pictures of anything I ate yesterday or today so far. Sorry, this post might suck a little. :)

I had to work from 7-11 pm last night and I was exhausted. Mike and I ride together to our normal jobs a lot of the time, so he drove me to the hospital. Along the way, we decided to stop and get some dinner. I had a Sicilian grinder with french fries and unsweetened iced tea. I have the leftovers waiting for me for lunch today, so I am pretty excited.

Work ended up being really good and the evening went by smoothly. I crashed when I got home and am still feeling very tired. I think I will try to be in bed by 9 tonight. I am such a loser. :)

Mike, being the wonderful husband that he is, put some breakfast together for me. I had told him to put some dried cranberries, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of oatmeal into a baggie that I can add hot water to when I get to work. He didn't get it quite right, but his version came out better than mine. Oatmeal (probably 1.5 cups - I had to throw a little out), frozen raspberries, and brown sugar. Delicious combination that I will certainly be making that again.

Working Out Woes

I feel like I am in such a working out rut. I am already a pretty cold natured person, so it is hard for me to get the motivation to run outside when it is below 40 degrees. Since the 5k on Thanksgiving, I haven't ran at all. I have made lots of plans, only to have them be crushed right and left. I feel like I am just throwing out excuses, but seriously, I couldn't run with only 1 good eye. So this week, I figured I would get to the gym a few days and at least do some treadmill running. I am still hoping I can get a few days in, but with getting called into work last night and riding with Mike everyday, it may not happen.

Eating My Way Slimmer?

Somehow, even without working out, I am slimming down. My weight has remained about the same, but I can tell a huge difference. Even Mike has made a few comments recently about how I look slimmer, and I can certainly feel it. My clothes just feel better, my jeans are looser, and everything is a little more comfortable. Yesterday, I put on a pair of dress pants that I know have been a little too big on me for a while, but I was able to make them work before, just do not work anymore. I had to wear a belt for it's actual purpose, for the first time ever. They must look pretty bad because Mike thought they were scrub pants. I guess it is time to hang them up for good, and I am pretty excited about that.

Also, I no longer feel the need to wear tank tops under everything. I always felt more comfortable if I had a slimming tank top underneath of my sweaters or tops, to try to keep everything in place. Lately, I feel like they are too bulky and actually make me feel chunkier. I have 2 turtlenecks that I always wore a slimming tank underneath, but I have worn them both in the last week without one. One of those days being the day that Mike made that comment. It has to be my eating habits.

I am still keeping a pretty strict food diary and keeping my eating *mostly* healthy. Of course I have a few bad meals every once in a while, but I don't ever want to become the type of person that doesn't do that. I enjoy food too much. So I am assuming that is what is aiding to my better-feeling body. I just can't help but think about how much better my body would feel if I were working out more consistently. I just need to get back on track.

Dinner Tonight
For some reason, I have really been craving chicken nuggets. Sure, it would be easy to run out to Wendy's for a $1 order of chicken nuggets, but that is not how I roll. No more fast food! I am going to attempt to make a healthier version of chicken nuggets for dinner. I am going to use some whole wheat bread crumbs, olive oil, and bake them instead of frying. We are in desperate need of a grocery store trip, so I hope I have everything I need at home. I'll post the recipe and how they turned out tomorrow. 

Have a great day!

Yesterday's Stats:
Calories (+) 82
Sodium (-) 0
Protein (+) 46 - yikes!