Well, I have been meaning for months to update the blog on what I've done to keep at my goals since moving to Raleigh but apparently it takes a major running victory for me to get around to actually doing it.
When I ran my first race this year in February I was thrilled to get a pace of 11:21 over the course of 4 miles. And by May when I did a 10k with a 10:32 min/mile pace; I remember thinking maybe next year I'll be able to do a 5k in less then 30 minutes. Then I thought nah, that would be less then 10 minutes per mile; there's no way I can do that. This morning, I ran the Day of the Dead 5k in downtown Raleigh in 29:45! That's a 9:36min/mile pace -- I've taken nearly 2 minutes per mile off my pace in 8 months!
I think in the 22 months since I started losing weight and in the 18 months since I started regularly exercising, this might be the first time I have seriously shocked myself with what I am capable of. I have lost over 80 pounds and gone from not being able to run 400 meters to finishing a half marathon but there are still athletic things that I think are left to other people, and running miles that have single digit minutes in front of them is one of those things.
If you're trying to lose weight or get in shape, please believe me when I tell you that the first day of boot camp last May, I literally could not finish the (very flat) warm up run without walking. And the second day, I was sore, achy and still couldn't finish the warmup run. Perseverance really does pay off and my new motto is "I didn't say it would be easy, I said it would be worth it." And honestly, the feeling I had when I saw the posted time of 29:45 actually made the sacrifices to get in shape worth it.
Maybe next year I can do a sub-2 hour half marathon? I was thinking that was a pie in the sky goal too, but now we'll just have to see.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Race Report: Brooklyn
I DID IT!!!!!! :) :) :) Not only did I cross the finish line, but I had unofficially wanted to hit 2:30 as a time goal. I knew I should run with a goal of just finishing, but I really thought that 2 hours 30 minutes of running should be just about enough for one day. :) There was more than once in the last few weeks where I didn't think that was going to happen, but when the official time posted today it was 2:29:50!
I was having a lot of mental doubts the last few weeks. Once I got back from Phoenix and started having so many chaotic things going on with my life, my training hadn't felt as strong as it had beforehand. Then I started travelign to Raleigh and I was lucky if I was getting in a couple of runs but wasn't doing my yoga or pilates or spin or kettlebells and my runs weren't feeling good. So I was getting nervous that this was going to be an unmitigated disaster. Then I ran the 10k last Saturday. I was still feeling tired from flight delays, we were running a whole loop around Central Park which I hadn't done and I was generally feeling nervous. Than that race started, and I felt good. I did the whole 6.2 miles in just over an hour (1:05:19) and my legs felt good. My lungs felt good until I decided I could kick up the pace for the last mile. :) It was exactly the mental boost I needed to feel like I could get through the half even if it wasn't what it could've been had life not gotten in the way.
So once again I was in Raleigh this week through Thursday night. In some ways that probably helped my nerves this week, because I honestly didn't spend too much time thinking about the race and I think if I'd been here where it was happening it would have been a bigger presence. I got my race number and t-shirt last night. The shirt is nice a corally orange color tech shirt and I'm trying to figure out if I can wear it everyday for the next few weeks. ;)
Anyway, this morning I got up at 4:15am (yes entirely too freaking early) to begin my journey. I was at the PATH station by 5:15 and hit Prospect Park in Brooklyn around 6:10am. The very ironic thing that happened right there is that I saw a boot camp class getting ready to start that was led by the guy who I took boot camp from in NYC for a few weeks last April/May. As if this race wasn't already to a testament to how far I've come physically, the universe was just giving me a little reminder.
So the race officially started at 7am, I probably started around 7:10am based on the time difference between the clocks and my heartrate monitor timer. I had decided to actually do the race with my iPod which I normally don't do. I find it annoying in crowds when people have headphones in and don't pay attention to what's happening around them, but I knew that during the middle miles I was going to need an extra push. So my first mile was to the Black Eyed Pea's "Let's Get It Started", I mean its only fitting right? The song even has the lyrics "running, running" in it. The first mile was feeling good and we were just a bit into the second when I heard a lot of whistles and shouting for us to get over to the left right before 6 cyclists zoomed by us. I thought they were just kind of rude cyclists and then everybody around me started cheering. I was like what in the world is going on. Then I realized that those were the pace cyclists who were leading the people whose goal wasn't just to finish but to win. The course required two loops around Propsect Park, I wasn't even to the second mile and these guys were on the second lap already! I actually said to myself, they might be faster but they're not going to be out here for two and a half hours like I am. Around mile 3 or so, the cheers started again and I realized it was because the lead woman was passing us. I thought it was pretty cool that everybody cheered for her too.
So Propsect Park is pretty hilly, but I have to say that while I don't really like uphills, I've come to appreciate running on hills because whether you're going up or down you have something aiding your momentum a bit. When we hit the flat miles, it was actually much more annoying because every step was me and me alone. There were also a lot of spectators in the park which makes it fun. Lots of people cheering and some really fun signs like "Run Fast the Rapture is Coming" and "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon." The only bad thing about the first 7 miles was that I did have to stop for 2 minutes for the Port-a-Potties, my bladder is not sufficiently trained for distance running yet. I kind of wish the race had been a 7 mile race because I left the park feeling really good and happy. Of course the miles that were most mentally difficult were coming up.
I actually was physically and mentally ok until somewhere in mile 8. My legs started feeling really heavy about then and I walked for about a block to help get the muscles to loosen up a bit. Having done that, I ran the next mile and a half or so until I hit mile 10. Miles 10 and 11 were actually the most mentally draining. I had been asked recently how you can mentally tackle a half marathon and I said I guess I'd find out. The way I did it today was to focus on 1 mile, 12 minutes. At mile 8, I was at a time of just under 1:30 and I said to myself if you do 5-12 minute miles you make the 2:30 mark. So even when I was feeling tired and cranky, I just had to do the mile in 12 minutes. And think about how fast 12 minutes goes by when you're running late or sitting at a stop light or watching TV, suprisingly for me they actually went that way in the race. If I wanted to stop and walk, I'd look at my watch and say surely you can last another x minutes until the mile marker. I'd then walk through the aid station and at mile 10 a few more blocks past and then I'd pick it up again. The walking actually really helped me to get the bounce back in my running step, but by foucusing on the 12 minute thing I also made sure that my walking was pretty fast because I knew I didn't have it in my legs to run any faster than my normal 10-10:30/mile pace.
When I hit mile 12, I knew I was in the home stretch. I did walk a block past the aid station just to get my legs loose again and then I ran the rest of the race. I didn't realize that around mile 12.7 we'd be running up a ramp to the boardwalk but I had amazingly good spring in my step up it. I also realized that having Daughtry's Home be the last song on my iPod and ending about 2 minutes before the race finished was perfect. The reason Daughtry's home was perfect comes down to two different lyrics... "the miles are getting longer in seems" and "this pain is a different kind of pain". I then grabbed the head phones out of my ears just in time to reach the speakers. When I hit mile marker 13 and knew I only had .1 miles to go and that I was within reach of 2:30 I poured what little I had left in to it. I was suprised that I actually cried a little after I crossed the finish line.
One of the quotes I've used to guide my attempts to get healthier is that "Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself". I have been working hard to create myself as an athlete. There are ways to get in shape like Zumba and kickboxing that don't really make you an athlete but someone who works out, I really and truly want to be an athlete. But somewhere in mile 8, I also had to find myself because when you're tired and you're pretty sure you have 8 blisters forming on your feet (none actually exist but I was sure they were there then!) you have to push yourself through it. I don't necessarily love running, but I do love the inventory it makes you take of yourself, the fact that deep down you have to find the inspiration in you to make it to the end. Our bodies are amazing, amazing machines that can be trained to do incredible things. We can also abuse our bodies in many, many ways, but when we stop abusing them and start embracing them our bodies are capable of great things.
So, now its been about 9 hours since race time and my body is feeling suprisingly okay. I'm definitely tired even after taking a nap and my legs feel worn out, but not in pain. I'm sure tomorrow will be the real test.
So in closing, I'll leave you with a quote from the Penguin John Bingham ""The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
I was having a lot of mental doubts the last few weeks. Once I got back from Phoenix and started having so many chaotic things going on with my life, my training hadn't felt as strong as it had beforehand. Then I started travelign to Raleigh and I was lucky if I was getting in a couple of runs but wasn't doing my yoga or pilates or spin or kettlebells and my runs weren't feeling good. So I was getting nervous that this was going to be an unmitigated disaster. Then I ran the 10k last Saturday. I was still feeling tired from flight delays, we were running a whole loop around Central Park which I hadn't done and I was generally feeling nervous. Than that race started, and I felt good. I did the whole 6.2 miles in just over an hour (1:05:19) and my legs felt good. My lungs felt good until I decided I could kick up the pace for the last mile. :) It was exactly the mental boost I needed to feel like I could get through the half even if it wasn't what it could've been had life not gotten in the way.
So once again I was in Raleigh this week through Thursday night. In some ways that probably helped my nerves this week, because I honestly didn't spend too much time thinking about the race and I think if I'd been here where it was happening it would have been a bigger presence. I got my race number and t-shirt last night. The shirt is nice a corally orange color tech shirt and I'm trying to figure out if I can wear it everyday for the next few weeks. ;)
Anyway, this morning I got up at 4:15am (yes entirely too freaking early) to begin my journey. I was at the PATH station by 5:15 and hit Prospect Park in Brooklyn around 6:10am. The very ironic thing that happened right there is that I saw a boot camp class getting ready to start that was led by the guy who I took boot camp from in NYC for a few weeks last April/May. As if this race wasn't already to a testament to how far I've come physically, the universe was just giving me a little reminder.
So the race officially started at 7am, I probably started around 7:10am based on the time difference between the clocks and my heartrate monitor timer. I had decided to actually do the race with my iPod which I normally don't do. I find it annoying in crowds when people have headphones in and don't pay attention to what's happening around them, but I knew that during the middle miles I was going to need an extra push. So my first mile was to the Black Eyed Pea's "Let's Get It Started", I mean its only fitting right? The song even has the lyrics "running, running" in it. The first mile was feeling good and we were just a bit into the second when I heard a lot of whistles and shouting for us to get over to the left right before 6 cyclists zoomed by us. I thought they were just kind of rude cyclists and then everybody around me started cheering. I was like what in the world is going on. Then I realized that those were the pace cyclists who were leading the people whose goal wasn't just to finish but to win. The course required two loops around Propsect Park, I wasn't even to the second mile and these guys were on the second lap already! I actually said to myself, they might be faster but they're not going to be out here for two and a half hours like I am. Around mile 3 or so, the cheers started again and I realized it was because the lead woman was passing us. I thought it was pretty cool that everybody cheered for her too.
So Propsect Park is pretty hilly, but I have to say that while I don't really like uphills, I've come to appreciate running on hills because whether you're going up or down you have something aiding your momentum a bit. When we hit the flat miles, it was actually much more annoying because every step was me and me alone. There were also a lot of spectators in the park which makes it fun. Lots of people cheering and some really fun signs like "Run Fast the Rapture is Coming" and "Chuck Norris never ran a marathon." The only bad thing about the first 7 miles was that I did have to stop for 2 minutes for the Port-a-Potties, my bladder is not sufficiently trained for distance running yet. I kind of wish the race had been a 7 mile race because I left the park feeling really good and happy. Of course the miles that were most mentally difficult were coming up.
I actually was physically and mentally ok until somewhere in mile 8. My legs started feeling really heavy about then and I walked for about a block to help get the muscles to loosen up a bit. Having done that, I ran the next mile and a half or so until I hit mile 10. Miles 10 and 11 were actually the most mentally draining. I had been asked recently how you can mentally tackle a half marathon and I said I guess I'd find out. The way I did it today was to focus on 1 mile, 12 minutes. At mile 8, I was at a time of just under 1:30 and I said to myself if you do 5-12 minute miles you make the 2:30 mark. So even when I was feeling tired and cranky, I just had to do the mile in 12 minutes. And think about how fast 12 minutes goes by when you're running late or sitting at a stop light or watching TV, suprisingly for me they actually went that way in the race. If I wanted to stop and walk, I'd look at my watch and say surely you can last another x minutes until the mile marker. I'd then walk through the aid station and at mile 10 a few more blocks past and then I'd pick it up again. The walking actually really helped me to get the bounce back in my running step, but by foucusing on the 12 minute thing I also made sure that my walking was pretty fast because I knew I didn't have it in my legs to run any faster than my normal 10-10:30/mile pace.
When I hit mile 12, I knew I was in the home stretch. I did walk a block past the aid station just to get my legs loose again and then I ran the rest of the race. I didn't realize that around mile 12.7 we'd be running up a ramp to the boardwalk but I had amazingly good spring in my step up it. I also realized that having Daughtry's Home be the last song on my iPod and ending about 2 minutes before the race finished was perfect. The reason Daughtry's home was perfect comes down to two different lyrics... "the miles are getting longer in seems" and "this pain is a different kind of pain". I then grabbed the head phones out of my ears just in time to reach the speakers. When I hit mile marker 13 and knew I only had .1 miles to go and that I was within reach of 2:30 I poured what little I had left in to it. I was suprised that I actually cried a little after I crossed the finish line.
One of the quotes I've used to guide my attempts to get healthier is that "Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself". I have been working hard to create myself as an athlete. There are ways to get in shape like Zumba and kickboxing that don't really make you an athlete but someone who works out, I really and truly want to be an athlete. But somewhere in mile 8, I also had to find myself because when you're tired and you're pretty sure you have 8 blisters forming on your feet (none actually exist but I was sure they were there then!) you have to push yourself through it. I don't necessarily love running, but I do love the inventory it makes you take of yourself, the fact that deep down you have to find the inspiration in you to make it to the end. Our bodies are amazing, amazing machines that can be trained to do incredible things. We can also abuse our bodies in many, many ways, but when we stop abusing them and start embracing them our bodies are capable of great things.
So, now its been about 9 hours since race time and my body is feeling suprisingly okay. I'm definitely tired even after taking a nap and my legs feel worn out, but not in pain. I'm sure tomorrow will be the real test.
So in closing, I'll leave you with a quote from the Penguin John Bingham ""The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
Friday, April 22, 2011
If you want to make God laugh...
While on vacation, I mentioned to my aunt that the last six months of my life has largely been served by remembering the phrase, "If you want to make God laugh, all you have to do is tell him YOUR plans." She hadn't heard it before and thought that was great. Little did I know, I was in the midst of that changing my life again. For the past six months, I've been living under the assumption that I would be staying in Jersey City, working in New York City for another couple of years. I have wanted to move back south but I also wanted to stay because life has been pretty good lately. However, within minutes of returning to work after my vacation my plans were turned up in the air. The City of New York had decided not to purchase the project that I've been working on at work at this time. I kind of knew in the back of my head that this was a likely event as its not a great time for state or local governments to be purchasing things, but now it became reality.
So the next day, I got asked the infamous questions "are you willing to travel?" and "are you willing to relocate?" So my answers were yes and well to the Southeast to be closer to my family sure. The next day I had an interview with a project in Raleigh, North Carolina and was pretty much instantly staffed on it (pending a background check). So while I've been making plans to be a yankee and I have a nice routine at my gym and plans for races and everything, by mid-summer I will be living in North Carolina again. I get to travel for a couple of months while I start finding a place in Raleigh and pack up my life in Jersey City. Luckily, I got a fast start on getting my 9 races done, so I will be done with them by June 11th. I signed up for one more just to make sure that if I'm traveling during the week that I'm scheduled to do one that I have a back up race in my queue. I will get to make my goal, and next year I will be back in NYC for the marathon!
I will miss a lot about life up here although I'm actually very excited about heading back to the South. I am also a little nervous, because I have established such a healthy lifestyle up here. I workout 5-6 days a week and am running 15+ miles a week. I have instructors at my gym who I trust and know will push me when needed but tell me not to push it when I need to hear that too. I know it will be a challenge to lose the last 10 pounds with all this going on but I'm going to keep plugging away and keep blogging so all of you can help hold me accountable since you're my virtual support and it doesn't matter where I live, I can still get my virtual support! :)
On a running related note, since that is the name of this blog, tomorrow marks 4 weeks until the Brooklyn Half! I did 9 miles last weekend which is more than 2/3 of the distance so I feel confident that I can cover the distance. Tomorrow I have another 4 mile race and its supposed to rain, not looking forward to that but gotta push through. In the afternoon, I will be going to the NYC Running Show. Yes, an entire event revolving around running where I don't actually have to run! There will be vendors of course, but there's also going to be workshops on Good Running Form, Nutrition and doing events like a triathlon for the first time. Hopefully I learn a lot, and don't buy too much! :)
I hope that you have a great weekend, and thanks again for following along on my adventures.
So the next day, I got asked the infamous questions "are you willing to travel?" and "are you willing to relocate?" So my answers were yes and well to the Southeast to be closer to my family sure. The next day I had an interview with a project in Raleigh, North Carolina and was pretty much instantly staffed on it (pending a background check). So while I've been making plans to be a yankee and I have a nice routine at my gym and plans for races and everything, by mid-summer I will be living in North Carolina again. I get to travel for a couple of months while I start finding a place in Raleigh and pack up my life in Jersey City. Luckily, I got a fast start on getting my 9 races done, so I will be done with them by June 11th. I signed up for one more just to make sure that if I'm traveling during the week that I'm scheduled to do one that I have a back up race in my queue. I will get to make my goal, and next year I will be back in NYC for the marathon!
I will miss a lot about life up here although I'm actually very excited about heading back to the South. I am also a little nervous, because I have established such a healthy lifestyle up here. I workout 5-6 days a week and am running 15+ miles a week. I have instructors at my gym who I trust and know will push me when needed but tell me not to push it when I need to hear that too. I know it will be a challenge to lose the last 10 pounds with all this going on but I'm going to keep plugging away and keep blogging so all of you can help hold me accountable since you're my virtual support and it doesn't matter where I live, I can still get my virtual support! :)
On a running related note, since that is the name of this blog, tomorrow marks 4 weeks until the Brooklyn Half! I did 9 miles last weekend which is more than 2/3 of the distance so I feel confident that I can cover the distance. Tomorrow I have another 4 mile race and its supposed to rain, not looking forward to that but gotta push through. In the afternoon, I will be going to the NYC Running Show. Yes, an entire event revolving around running where I don't actually have to run! There will be vendors of course, but there's also going to be workshops on Good Running Form, Nutrition and doing events like a triathlon for the first time. Hopefully I learn a lot, and don't buy too much! :)
I hope that you have a great weekend, and thanks again for following along on my adventures.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Race Report: Colon Cancer Challenge
I've finished four of the races I need to qualify for the 2012 NYC Marathon! And I'm registered for the other five!
For those unfamiliar, NYRR is the New York Road Runners and they organize races around NYC primarily the annual ING NYC Marathon the first weekend in November. They are a not for profit organization but not every race is related to fundraising. Yesterday's race however was part of the Colon Cancer Challenge since March is Colon Cancer Awareness/Prevention month. So there was a choice when I registered of running either the 4 mile race or a 15k (about 9.3 miles) or there was a non-marathon qualifying 1.7 memorial walk. I take the time to point this out because I do know a Colon Cancer survivor, Joyce Renshaw and so its nice to recognize when races are about more than just running.
My excitement for the race actually started Friday evening when I picked up my number. So the NYRR has so many runners do its races (the Super Bowl Sunday race had nearly 6000 participants) that they do what the big half marathons/marathons do and put you in corals by expected finish time. They do this with the color and first number of your race bib. Thus far, I've always been in the last group with a number 7 and the color purple. I'd told my friend C who runs a lot of these races too, that my goal was to make it to pink by the Brooklyn half. Apparently, I'm well ahead of schedule because Friday, I got handed a pink bib with the number 6! :) I now have to set my sights on blue and the number 5.
The race was actually the coldest one I've run so far, yes even colder than the midnight run on New Year's Eve. The temperature when we started the race yesterday was 28 whereas on Super Bowl Sunday it was 38. Thankfully it was sunny, so about midway through the race I actually tore my gloves off and put them in my pocket. You do get warmer as you run, but there is a fine balance in layering... enough that you don't freeze before you start but not so much that you're roasted before you're done. I will be very happy when my running choices can be shorts and tank tops, it requires so much less thought! (Of course I will probably be complaining about the heat, humidity and how I have to think about properly hydrating but I guess that's the fun of seasons!)
This race felt soooo much better physically than the one I did in early February which followed the same course. Stepping out of boot camp has really helped me as well as actually training for the half marathon. I know compared to some areas of the country, the hills of Central Park might seem small, but they are a very challenging run! The one bad thing was with the cold weather, there were definitely points where I was struggling with my breathing. Normally when I run between the amount I workout and taking yoga and pilates , I can actually breath quite deeply into my chest. However, with the cold air, I could feel my breath sticking higher in my ribs and it annoyed me since I knew I could do better. However, my legs felt great! And that excited me. When I finished the four miles, I did actually feel like I had it in my legs to go further although my lungs were protesting. There was a particularly steep hill where I practiced one of the techniques we use in spin of snapping my leg up in order to get the pedal around. This engages some of the other muscles like the glutes and helps to give more power. It was awesome for my speed, but my lungs and heart rate did indicate that they weren't ready to run that fast yet (eventually they'll have to be as I have a blue bib number that I need to get my name on!).
Yesterday evening, I did another mile on the treadmill too. (I'd wanted to do 2 to have done a total of 6 but unfortunately the very long line at the grocery store meant by the time I got to the gym I had 15 minutes before yoga class.) Today, while my legs feel a little sore in places, I don't feel any more sore than I do after my usual long runs so I'm calling that a victory. My IT band (the band of fibers and ligaments that runs from the outside of your hip to your knee) has not been bothering me (yet) which I attribute to the miracles of the foam roller and I haven't made ibuprofen a vitamin yet so I think training is going well!
I've also gone ahead and registered for my next half marathon in Providence, RI. Since this blog has morphed into a combination of weight loss journey and training blog, I think its only fitting to mention my reason for committing now. I'm now within 12 pounds of reaching my weight loss goal. I am a very goal driven person so I don't want to lose my focus once one goal is attained so I'm setting new ones for the future. I've never been to RI and its less than a four drive from me, plus I think my friend K will end up coming along for the road trip! (Now she has to, since I committed her to it in a blog right? ;))
I'm also thinking quite seriously that I will be doing my first marathon on January 15, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. It seems only fitting that my first marathon should be in the state I was born right? :) It's also got a time limit of 7 hours and 15 minutes which I think should be attainable. It will be 2 years and 2 weeks after I joined Weight Watchers. Here's to going from morbidly obese to marathoner! :)
For those unfamiliar, NYRR is the New York Road Runners and they organize races around NYC primarily the annual ING NYC Marathon the first weekend in November. They are a not for profit organization but not every race is related to fundraising. Yesterday's race however was part of the Colon Cancer Challenge since March is Colon Cancer Awareness/Prevention month. So there was a choice when I registered of running either the 4 mile race or a 15k (about 9.3 miles) or there was a non-marathon qualifying 1.7 memorial walk. I take the time to point this out because I do know a Colon Cancer survivor, Joyce Renshaw and so its nice to recognize when races are about more than just running.
My excitement for the race actually started Friday evening when I picked up my number. So the NYRR has so many runners do its races (the Super Bowl Sunday race had nearly 6000 participants) that they do what the big half marathons/marathons do and put you in corals by expected finish time. They do this with the color and first number of your race bib. Thus far, I've always been in the last group with a number 7 and the color purple. I'd told my friend C who runs a lot of these races too, that my goal was to make it to pink by the Brooklyn half. Apparently, I'm well ahead of schedule because Friday, I got handed a pink bib with the number 6! :) I now have to set my sights on blue and the number 5.
The race was actually the coldest one I've run so far, yes even colder than the midnight run on New Year's Eve. The temperature when we started the race yesterday was 28 whereas on Super Bowl Sunday it was 38. Thankfully it was sunny, so about midway through the race I actually tore my gloves off and put them in my pocket. You do get warmer as you run, but there is a fine balance in layering... enough that you don't freeze before you start but not so much that you're roasted before you're done. I will be very happy when my running choices can be shorts and tank tops, it requires so much less thought! (Of course I will probably be complaining about the heat, humidity and how I have to think about properly hydrating but I guess that's the fun of seasons!)
This race felt soooo much better physically than the one I did in early February which followed the same course. Stepping out of boot camp has really helped me as well as actually training for the half marathon. I know compared to some areas of the country, the hills of Central Park might seem small, but they are a very challenging run! The one bad thing was with the cold weather, there were definitely points where I was struggling with my breathing. Normally when I run between the amount I workout and taking yoga and pilates , I can actually breath quite deeply into my chest. However, with the cold air, I could feel my breath sticking higher in my ribs and it annoyed me since I knew I could do better. However, my legs felt great! And that excited me. When I finished the four miles, I did actually feel like I had it in my legs to go further although my lungs were protesting. There was a particularly steep hill where I practiced one of the techniques we use in spin of snapping my leg up in order to get the pedal around. This engages some of the other muscles like the glutes and helps to give more power. It was awesome for my speed, but my lungs and heart rate did indicate that they weren't ready to run that fast yet (eventually they'll have to be as I have a blue bib number that I need to get my name on!).
Yesterday evening, I did another mile on the treadmill too. (I'd wanted to do 2 to have done a total of 6 but unfortunately the very long line at the grocery store meant by the time I got to the gym I had 15 minutes before yoga class.) Today, while my legs feel a little sore in places, I don't feel any more sore than I do after my usual long runs so I'm calling that a victory. My IT band (the band of fibers and ligaments that runs from the outside of your hip to your knee) has not been bothering me (yet) which I attribute to the miracles of the foam roller and I haven't made ibuprofen a vitamin yet so I think training is going well!
I've also gone ahead and registered for my next half marathon in Providence, RI. Since this blog has morphed into a combination of weight loss journey and training blog, I think its only fitting to mention my reason for committing now. I'm now within 12 pounds of reaching my weight loss goal. I am a very goal driven person so I don't want to lose my focus once one goal is attained so I'm setting new ones for the future. I've never been to RI and its less than a four drive from me, plus I think my friend K will end up coming along for the road trip! (Now she has to, since I committed her to it in a blog right? ;))
I'm also thinking quite seriously that I will be doing my first marathon on January 15, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. It seems only fitting that my first marathon should be in the state I was born right? :) It's also got a time limit of 7 hours and 15 minutes which I think should be attainable. It will be 2 years and 2 weeks after I joined Weight Watchers. Here's to going from morbidly obese to marathoner! :)
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Pictures Showing How Far I've Come
So, a picture is worth a thousand words... and I've spilled a lot of words on this blog so I thought it would be a good exercise to put up some pictures of how far I've come since joining Weight Watchers.
Christmas Eve 2009
Christmas Eve 2009
New Orleans, Late February 2010
Boston, July 4, 2010
Nassau, Bahamas Late September 2010
W Hotel Hoboken, November 2010
JCF Boot Camp Potluck, March 2010
Before and Current side by side
Consistency and Sustainability
Another great week of workouts and I love, love, love that spring is in the air! Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous (high got to the mid seventies!) and today is sunny and bright although much cooler as we dip back in highs in the low fifties this week. No, you're not reading a weather report but after a winter of more snow than I'd ever seen in my life I'm very excited by spring!
I have been going to my spin classes twice a week for just over a month now, and on Monday night I could really tell how much I've improved. My instructor commented on it too, and one of the other people taking the class told me at the end how her goal was to be me when she grew up. She teaches pilates at the gym and on Tuesday she once again told me her goal was go get to be as good as I was. When she first said it Monday night, I had been taken aback slightly because there is still very little when it comes to working out that I consider myself good at other than making it to my work outs. But as we were walking out of class Monday night, I commented to my spin instructor that I never expected anyone to want to be like me when it comes to working out because I still remember how I was when I started out (meaning last year). He said to me that I'd come far fast (in spin) and that consistency is key.
It reminded me of an Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
And this week I've been battling some self doubt about my running and overall working out abilities, but I think that consistency really is my greatest strength. From the very beginning of starting my workout routine last April, I have not missed a workout for any reason other than sickness or injury. I made everyone of the boot camp classes I was scheduled to attend until September when I went on vacation. Yet even on a cruise, I went to the gym on the boat and took a run rather than a nap at a family gathering. I am not going to be mistaken for a world class athlete any time soon. I still struggle with how much weight I'm capable of lifting (my kettlebell instructor the other night told me my form was off because I needed to be using more weight, I thought he was crazy until he handed me more weight!) and how hard my body is capable of working, but I keep showing up.
And while I do things consistently, its not that I'm happy with the status quo or not challenging myself to get better, its that I get better by doing things often. I can't just show up on May 21st and run my half marathon! In order to get strong enough to run it, I must consistently run before hand. In order to succeed at weight loss, I do not have to get my diet absolutely perfect everday, I just have to consistently make good choices and not beat myself up for my bad ones.
In addition to consistency, the thing I talk about all the time is sustainability which I think goes to the same Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
The last time I got close to my goal weight on Weight Watchers in 2006, I was practicing a lot of behaviors that I could not sustain for the long run. I cannot eat the same 4 food choices over and over again for the rest of my life. I cannot restrict an entire set of food from my eating reprotoire and expect to have long term success. (Yes, I've become vegetarian, but please read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and watch Food Inc. before you tell me that it won't be a sustainable decision for me! :)) So, one of the great things about Weight Watchers is while you're encouraged to use your daily points on healthy foods like low fat dairy, whole grains, lean protein and get 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you are also given a weekly allotment of points that you are to use for anything you want. If you want pizza or ice cream or beer or wine, you get to have them! They are not your best choice for everyday of the week, but you learn to have them in your diet without having them everyday. I have done this for over a year and not felt deprived or like I need to take a weekend to have whatever it is I want (because often doing that for a weekend becomes for longer) I know that this will work for me for the long term.
The other question of sustainability is can I workout at the level I have been in the long term. I think I found my answer the other night when I realized I actually really like working out. I was afraid that the joy I've found in boot camp might be more from the cammerederie than from working out, but Tuesday night as I stepped off the treadmill I realized I felt really good and that if I hadn't done it I would have missed it. That wasn't about cammerederie with anyone other than myself.
If your big reason for not working out is you just don't like it, loop back to the earlier part of this post where I talk about consistency. I didn't like working out at first either. I have complained that my sedentary lifestyle never caused me to injure my knee or have plantar fasciitis but I kept doing it consistently and my body and now my brain have come to love it and crave the endorphins. (And honestly my being overweight probably contributed to my likelihood of being injured while working out!) Someone at work made the comment that exercise is a form of addiction and maybe to a certain extent that is true, the part I love is probably the endorphins flooding my body much like an addict gets from drugs or alcohol. But my body never took pleasure in sitting on the couch and watching TV (comfort is not necessarily pleasure) so I think I'll stick to the working out thing.
Your body improves amazingly fast! In a week of training, I'm already burning less calories for the same distance and speed of running because I've improved. It was the case when I first started out too, but it was still hard even with improvement so I didn't always notice. The bad thing (and the reason you have to be consistent) is you can lose your hard won improvements even faster. Although if you need encouragement to work out once a week after you've gained some fitness there was an interesting study about how much it takes to maintain fitness here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/phys-ed-if-you-are-fit-you-can-take-it-easy/.
So for the exercise recap of this blog, I have maintained my desired mileage and frequency for the last two weeks and already feel like I've put in more training time than I did when I did my Disney half marathons in late 2006 and early 2007. Today is an off day from my training plan (I've actually been taking 2 days off a week lest you get frightened that I'm overtraining!)
So my plan for this week is as follows:
Sunday- 6 mile run and yoga
Monday - Kettlebell Strength Class followed by Cycle Recovery Techniques (lower HR spin)
Tuesday - 3.5 mile run
Wednesday - usually an off day, I have an event on Tuesday when I'd normally do Pilates so if I'm feeling up to it, I may go to yoga
Thursday - Do some hill training as I know the half marathon course has a pretty hilly first 6 miles, and then pilates
Friday - Spin/Kettle Bell
Satruday - Rest before my 4 mile race in Central Park on Sunday!
Hope you have a great week! Take advantage of the spring weather to get out and move! :)
I have been going to my spin classes twice a week for just over a month now, and on Monday night I could really tell how much I've improved. My instructor commented on it too, and one of the other people taking the class told me at the end how her goal was to be me when she grew up. She teaches pilates at the gym and on Tuesday she once again told me her goal was go get to be as good as I was. When she first said it Monday night, I had been taken aback slightly because there is still very little when it comes to working out that I consider myself good at other than making it to my work outs. But as we were walking out of class Monday night, I commented to my spin instructor that I never expected anyone to want to be like me when it comes to working out because I still remember how I was when I started out (meaning last year). He said to me that I'd come far fast (in spin) and that consistency is key.
It reminded me of an Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
And this week I've been battling some self doubt about my running and overall working out abilities, but I think that consistency really is my greatest strength. From the very beginning of starting my workout routine last April, I have not missed a workout for any reason other than sickness or injury. I made everyone of the boot camp classes I was scheduled to attend until September when I went on vacation. Yet even on a cruise, I went to the gym on the boat and took a run rather than a nap at a family gathering. I am not going to be mistaken for a world class athlete any time soon. I still struggle with how much weight I'm capable of lifting (my kettlebell instructor the other night told me my form was off because I needed to be using more weight, I thought he was crazy until he handed me more weight!) and how hard my body is capable of working, but I keep showing up.
And while I do things consistently, its not that I'm happy with the status quo or not challenging myself to get better, its that I get better by doing things often. I can't just show up on May 21st and run my half marathon! In order to get strong enough to run it, I must consistently run before hand. In order to succeed at weight loss, I do not have to get my diet absolutely perfect everday, I just have to consistently make good choices and not beat myself up for my bad ones.
In addition to consistency, the thing I talk about all the time is sustainability which I think goes to the same Aristotle quote "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
The last time I got close to my goal weight on Weight Watchers in 2006, I was practicing a lot of behaviors that I could not sustain for the long run. I cannot eat the same 4 food choices over and over again for the rest of my life. I cannot restrict an entire set of food from my eating reprotoire and expect to have long term success. (Yes, I've become vegetarian, but please read Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and watch Food Inc. before you tell me that it won't be a sustainable decision for me! :)) So, one of the great things about Weight Watchers is while you're encouraged to use your daily points on healthy foods like low fat dairy, whole grains, lean protein and get 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies a day, you are also given a weekly allotment of points that you are to use for anything you want. If you want pizza or ice cream or beer or wine, you get to have them! They are not your best choice for everyday of the week, but you learn to have them in your diet without having them everyday. I have done this for over a year and not felt deprived or like I need to take a weekend to have whatever it is I want (because often doing that for a weekend becomes for longer) I know that this will work for me for the long term.
The other question of sustainability is can I workout at the level I have been in the long term. I think I found my answer the other night when I realized I actually really like working out. I was afraid that the joy I've found in boot camp might be more from the cammerederie than from working out, but Tuesday night as I stepped off the treadmill I realized I felt really good and that if I hadn't done it I would have missed it. That wasn't about cammerederie with anyone other than myself.
If your big reason for not working out is you just don't like it, loop back to the earlier part of this post where I talk about consistency. I didn't like working out at first either. I have complained that my sedentary lifestyle never caused me to injure my knee or have plantar fasciitis but I kept doing it consistently and my body and now my brain have come to love it and crave the endorphins. (And honestly my being overweight probably contributed to my likelihood of being injured while working out!) Someone at work made the comment that exercise is a form of addiction and maybe to a certain extent that is true, the part I love is probably the endorphins flooding my body much like an addict gets from drugs or alcohol. But my body never took pleasure in sitting on the couch and watching TV (comfort is not necessarily pleasure) so I think I'll stick to the working out thing.
Your body improves amazingly fast! In a week of training, I'm already burning less calories for the same distance and speed of running because I've improved. It was the case when I first started out too, but it was still hard even with improvement so I didn't always notice. The bad thing (and the reason you have to be consistent) is you can lose your hard won improvements even faster. Although if you need encouragement to work out once a week after you've gained some fitness there was an interesting study about how much it takes to maintain fitness here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/phys-ed-if-you-are-fit-you-can-take-it-easy/.
So for the exercise recap of this blog, I have maintained my desired mileage and frequency for the last two weeks and already feel like I've put in more training time than I did when I did my Disney half marathons in late 2006 and early 2007. Today is an off day from my training plan (I've actually been taking 2 days off a week lest you get frightened that I'm overtraining!)
So my plan for this week is as follows:
Sunday- 6 mile run and yoga
Monday - Kettlebell Strength Class followed by Cycle Recovery Techniques (lower HR spin)
Tuesday - 3.5 mile run
Wednesday - usually an off day, I have an event on Tuesday when I'd normally do Pilates so if I'm feeling up to it, I may go to yoga
Thursday - Do some hill training as I know the half marathon course has a pretty hilly first 6 miles, and then pilates
Friday - Spin/Kettle Bell
Satruday - Rest before my 4 mile race in Central Park on Sunday!
Hope you have a great week! Take advantage of the spring weather to get out and move! :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm doing this for me!
One of my favorite work out songs is Eminem's Not Afraid because I identify with it so much. Eminem's problems are/were drugs and alcohol, mine is food and exercise. So as I'm running on the treadmill, I totally feel the lyrics "When I say I'm gonna do something, I do it, I don't give a damn what you think I'm doing this for me." The road to losing weight is not an easy one and I appreciate coaching and support. I have a Weight Watchers leader D, my weekly meeting buddy L, my friends from boot camp, several trainers between boot camp and the gym and I've basically started this blog as virtual support... however, I'm doing this for me... "I'm going to be what I set out to be without a doubt undoubtedly".
I've tried losing weight for reasons outside of me before and it hasn't taken. I've tried to do it quickly or in a way that was unsustainable past the initial 6 months. This time, I've taken over 14 months to lose 87.8 lbs (only 13.6 more to go!) and I have worked out relentlessly. On most days the idea of hitting goal excites me and I believe that my fall back food choices will continue to be those that I've made over the last year and that my default position to working out is fully switched from not doing it to just do it. However, a part of me is also scared to death of maintenance and thinks that this has been a temporary phase and that I will hit something that will send me high tailing it back to the choices and habits that got me to the unhealthy point where I needed to lose so much weight. That's why I'm trying to include people in my journey, people who will help yank me back from the brink if I need it. But no one can do this for me but me. Nobody else is going to hand me fruit and vegetables, or lace up my running shoes, or put one foot in front of the other on the tread mill and if they did I'd probably kick them for trying to do it for me.
And while people have helped me get to where I am, the quickest way to earn my resentment is for them to take credit for my success because nobody cooks for me, nobody sets my alarm clock for morning workouts and nobody pays for my boot camp or gym memberships (been a while since anybody has done this but it has happened). However, by the same token I don't get to blame anybody for my issues or lack of success. I am insulin resistant as a trait of my PolyCystic Ovary Syndorme, I don't get to blame anybody for that even if it means my metabolism is not normal. I have had a tendency to eat my emotions especially stress, I don't get to blame anybody for that. I choose fast, easy, cheap high caloric food (like a lot of Americans) and haven't always thought of the consequences, I don't get to blame anybody for that.
As Bob on the Biggest Loser said last night "the only person standing in the way of your success is you."
We had a conversation about working out at work yesterday where people were offering up excuses for not doing it. And I just reminded myself that I can't return to a place where I offer them up anymore. Then last night at the gym as I was lacing up my running shoes to run on the treadmill after pilates, there was someone taking a tour of the gym. She was overweight and was telling the woman giving the tour, well I don't know about cycling classes becaue they'd be so hard, I would do a boot camp class but I can't do a pushup and I don't know about yoga because it would be so boring what do you do just lie around? Its times like this that I sometimes wish I could wear a sign that said, I used to be a whole lot heavier so I could feel like the person would take was I was about to tell them seriously. I nicely explained that you start any class at your level, its not about being the best and doing it all right from the first day. If you can't do a push up the first day, its something to work toward (side note I've been working out regulary for 10 months and I still struggle with pushups!). I also pointed out the best cycling class for beginners and explained what was involved in a yoga and pilates class. I have no idea if she'll join my gym or any other gym, but I hope for her own sake she stops making excuses because truly the only person standing between her and her success is herself. And I hope I never hear those excuses come out of my mouth although I'm sure they have at some point. And honestly if you're reading this and have been making excuses, this is not meant to be a condemnation as I've definitely done it. I'm just trying to put into words my honest fear that I will return to doing so when I've done an excellent job at not allowing it for over a year. And that I need to remember the only person responsible for my success (or failure) is me and that I need to choose success. (And the same is true for you!)
So on to the more boring part of this post, but I'm posting for workout accountability so let me give a brief synopsis of the last two weeks of workouts.
On Saturday, February 26th, I ran the Al Gordon 4 mile race in Brooklyn in just over 43 minutes improving my time from 3 weeks earlier by 2 minutes and 24 seconds. I hope that my four mile race at the end of March will see a similar improvement! :)
I completed boot camp last week with my last classes there for a while. I will miss my friends greatly, but I feel kind of like I'm graduating. I needed the structure of boot camp when I started to keep me motivated and going, but I've reached a place where I don't need that structure anymore and need the challenge that new workouts will provide. Much like the suggestions you hear that starting out with a workout buddy helps to get you going, I needed boot camp to start me out. However, I've found that I really miss exercise when I don't do it now so I will go even without my exercise buddies.
I've really gotten into my cycling classes at the gym. The instructor is great, is actually a competitive cyclist so I feel like I'm really learning from someone who knows what they're talking about. Maybe when I get this whole half-marathon thing done I'll look for a sprint triathlon to take on next! I also have found they greatly improve my running especially on hills. During the race a few weeks ago on one hill, I just thought of being on the spin bike and pulling my knees up with each stride. It helped both mentally and got me to engage my glutes more making it easier physically.
I've also kept with some yoga and some pilates for the benefits each provide. I love the mind body connection of yoga even if I don't quite have it mastered and I definitely still need a lot of work on my flexibility. I love pilates for the core workout and because it tends to workout all the little connector muscles that other workouts don't focus on. I honestly didn't know what a piraformis was before Pilates but sure can feel the difference of having strengthened it when I run.
And I ran a little over 3 miles last night. So all in all, my activity level is feeling pretty successful! Today is an off day for me, and my plan for the rest of the week is to run 3.5 miles tomorrow morning, go to cycle/kettle bell on Friday morning do a 5 mile run on Saturday and attend yoga on Sunday.
So in closing, do this for you! You're the only person standing in the way of your own success... and I'm going to remind myself that I will do what I set out to do.
I've tried losing weight for reasons outside of me before and it hasn't taken. I've tried to do it quickly or in a way that was unsustainable past the initial 6 months. This time, I've taken over 14 months to lose 87.8 lbs (only 13.6 more to go!) and I have worked out relentlessly. On most days the idea of hitting goal excites me and I believe that my fall back food choices will continue to be those that I've made over the last year and that my default position to working out is fully switched from not doing it to just do it. However, a part of me is also scared to death of maintenance and thinks that this has been a temporary phase and that I will hit something that will send me high tailing it back to the choices and habits that got me to the unhealthy point where I needed to lose so much weight. That's why I'm trying to include people in my journey, people who will help yank me back from the brink if I need it. But no one can do this for me but me. Nobody else is going to hand me fruit and vegetables, or lace up my running shoes, or put one foot in front of the other on the tread mill and if they did I'd probably kick them for trying to do it for me.
And while people have helped me get to where I am, the quickest way to earn my resentment is for them to take credit for my success because nobody cooks for me, nobody sets my alarm clock for morning workouts and nobody pays for my boot camp or gym memberships (been a while since anybody has done this but it has happened). However, by the same token I don't get to blame anybody for my issues or lack of success. I am insulin resistant as a trait of my PolyCystic Ovary Syndorme, I don't get to blame anybody for that even if it means my metabolism is not normal. I have had a tendency to eat my emotions especially stress, I don't get to blame anybody for that. I choose fast, easy, cheap high caloric food (like a lot of Americans) and haven't always thought of the consequences, I don't get to blame anybody for that.
As Bob on the Biggest Loser said last night "the only person standing in the way of your success is you."
We had a conversation about working out at work yesterday where people were offering up excuses for not doing it. And I just reminded myself that I can't return to a place where I offer them up anymore. Then last night at the gym as I was lacing up my running shoes to run on the treadmill after pilates, there was someone taking a tour of the gym. She was overweight and was telling the woman giving the tour, well I don't know about cycling classes becaue they'd be so hard, I would do a boot camp class but I can't do a pushup and I don't know about yoga because it would be so boring what do you do just lie around? Its times like this that I sometimes wish I could wear a sign that said, I used to be a whole lot heavier so I could feel like the person would take was I was about to tell them seriously. I nicely explained that you start any class at your level, its not about being the best and doing it all right from the first day. If you can't do a push up the first day, its something to work toward (side note I've been working out regulary for 10 months and I still struggle with pushups!). I also pointed out the best cycling class for beginners and explained what was involved in a yoga and pilates class. I have no idea if she'll join my gym or any other gym, but I hope for her own sake she stops making excuses because truly the only person standing between her and her success is herself. And I hope I never hear those excuses come out of my mouth although I'm sure they have at some point. And honestly if you're reading this and have been making excuses, this is not meant to be a condemnation as I've definitely done it. I'm just trying to put into words my honest fear that I will return to doing so when I've done an excellent job at not allowing it for over a year. And that I need to remember the only person responsible for my success (or failure) is me and that I need to choose success. (And the same is true for you!)
So on to the more boring part of this post, but I'm posting for workout accountability so let me give a brief synopsis of the last two weeks of workouts.
On Saturday, February 26th, I ran the Al Gordon 4 mile race in Brooklyn in just over 43 minutes improving my time from 3 weeks earlier by 2 minutes and 24 seconds. I hope that my four mile race at the end of March will see a similar improvement! :)
I completed boot camp last week with my last classes there for a while. I will miss my friends greatly, but I feel kind of like I'm graduating. I needed the structure of boot camp when I started to keep me motivated and going, but I've reached a place where I don't need that structure anymore and need the challenge that new workouts will provide. Much like the suggestions you hear that starting out with a workout buddy helps to get you going, I needed boot camp to start me out. However, I've found that I really miss exercise when I don't do it now so I will go even without my exercise buddies.
I've really gotten into my cycling classes at the gym. The instructor is great, is actually a competitive cyclist so I feel like I'm really learning from someone who knows what they're talking about. Maybe when I get this whole half-marathon thing done I'll look for a sprint triathlon to take on next! I also have found they greatly improve my running especially on hills. During the race a few weeks ago on one hill, I just thought of being on the spin bike and pulling my knees up with each stride. It helped both mentally and got me to engage my glutes more making it easier physically.
I've also kept with some yoga and some pilates for the benefits each provide. I love the mind body connection of yoga even if I don't quite have it mastered and I definitely still need a lot of work on my flexibility. I love pilates for the core workout and because it tends to workout all the little connector muscles that other workouts don't focus on. I honestly didn't know what a piraformis was before Pilates but sure can feel the difference of having strengthened it when I run.
And I ran a little over 3 miles last night. So all in all, my activity level is feeling pretty successful! Today is an off day for me, and my plan for the rest of the week is to run 3.5 miles tomorrow morning, go to cycle/kettle bell on Friday morning do a 5 mile run on Saturday and attend yoga on Sunday.
So in closing, do this for you! You're the only person standing in the way of your own success... and I'm going to remind myself that I will do what I set out to do.
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