WW Week #10 Weigh-in

So today I wasn't really planning on going to weigh in but at the last minute I decided to do it since it was the last day of the year and the meeting place would probably be closed tomorrow anyway.

WW Week 1 START: 10/30

(11/6) Week 2: -2.8 (happy)
(11/13) Week 3:  -0.8 (disappointed...thought it should be more)
(11/20) Week 4: -0.2 (happy..I had a tough week!)
(11/27)  Week 5:  -1.6 (happy)
(12/04) Week 6: +0.2 (WTH because I had a great week! Earned 27 APs!)
(12/11) Week 7:  0 (Maintained...really?)
(12/17) Week 8: -5.2 (some of it probably due to the flu!)
(12/24) Week 9: -0.2 (yay, kept that flu weight off!)
(12/31) Week 10: -3.4 <--- Got my 5% award! YAY!
Total WW loss: 14 pounds

Total loss in 2012: ~22 pounds

My weekly average weight loss for the past 10 weeks was 1.4 pounds, but if you look at the last 4 weeks, my average was 2.2 pounds per week. Now that I am seeing better results, I am hoping to have a steady average of 2 pounds a week. Of course, more than 2 would be awesome but as long as I work hard, I'll take what I can get and not be upset!
Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 4/8

This week I DEFINITELY wish I had a treadmill! It was awesome weather up until Christmas day and then it got cold....really cold...like 45 cold. I have very little motivation to run in the cold.

12/24 Monday - Walk 4 miles at the park (16:59 pace) - I was super tired and could only muster a walk

12/25 Tuesday - Christmas day!

12/26 Wednesday - Uh, it got COLD outside! I was too wimpy to walk/run in it so I went to a movie with Dad.

12/27 Thursday - I ROCKED IT TODAY!!! I did 6.2 miles in 1:30:49 (14:39 pace), which beat my Turkey Day 10K time! And it was 44 outside. :)

12/28 Friday - Didn't make it to the park before it started to rain! :(

12/29 Saturday - It was coooold and windy outside so I went to the movies with Mom and Dad.

12/30 Sunday - Drove home from New Orleans


While I wasn't running much outside this week, my friend Rachel was kicking butt at the gym and running her little heart out. We are competing against each other at the end of January at our 5K and right now I have a feeling she is going to kick my butt!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Looking back on 2012...

So I haven't mentioned it here before but I have a (semi-defunct) craft blog that I kind of lost interest in this summer as I really got serious about my health and weight loss. Here is the post I wrote last January that I wanted to share...

MY 2012 WORD OF THE YEAR

This was the first year that I ever heard of people choosing a word of the year instead of a resolution. So I thought long and hard about what I wanted my word to be and now, 16 days into the new year I finally decided…

My word of 2012 is NOW. Yes, just plain now. I read blogs where other people chose fun things like sparks or bubbles. I wanted mine to be fun and creative too. So I kept thinking about it.

I tried to find something fancy. I started with the word determination (because that’s what I want to have more of this year) but I didn’t like the ring to that. So I put determination in the thesaurus and came up with the word spunk. I was like “Sweet…I would say that I am spunky!” Well, after googling spunk and coming up with many questionable images, I discovered that apparently in British slang spunk means semen…needless to say spunk was out.

So I thought and thought. And then I decided I needed something simple, something that describes what I want for myself. And it was now.

I should probably explain that I wasn’t so grounded as I am right now in my life. I’ve moved around a lot since college, always searching for the right thing. The right job, the right place to live, etc. My cousin Matt once told me that I am always looking toward the future, something better, so I never get to enjoy what I have now. It’s like that Ferris Bueller quote…

Ferris was totally right! And so was Matt!

I haven’t shared much of my personal life with you all, but the last 4 years have been very rough for me. One day I will share the details, but basically I went though several traumatic events in a short period of time. And, I really wasn’t sure at the time if I was strong enough to get through them. Looking back I don’t know how I ever did….but I’m so glad that I did. I feel so incredibly lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life that were there to support me. Without them I definitely couldn’t have done it!

Sometimes life just doesn’t turn out like you planned and you just feel lost and stuck…but the time is NOW to do do something about it! Well, at least my time is NOW!

So in my early 30′s I’ve had to start over from scratch. I’ve had to find a new direction and try to figure out for the first time as an adult who I am and what I want. In some ways, I have more than I knew I wanted…but in other ways, some things are definitely missing. NOW is the time to fill in those gaps.

NOW is the time to be healthier and fit and finally feel good about my body.

NOW is the time to learn how to love myself more and criticize myself less.

NOW is the time to finish what I start.

NOW is the time to do all the things I always wanted to do…especially if I am afraid.

NOW is the time to have more fun and laugh more often.

NOW is the time to stop talking and start doing.

Instead of being sad about what I don’t have, NOW is the time to figure out how to make it happen, while appreciating all the things that I do have.

It’s like one of my favorite quotes…

Source: giniethepiratequeen.tumblr.com via Jamie on Pinterest

NOW is the time to live my life and not wait on the future anymore…whatever it may hold!

So hopefully in 2012 these three little letters will help me in my quest to grow and change and be more who I want to be. Good luck with all your goals in 2012.

_______________________________________________________________________

So that was me almost a year ago...how time flies! On my next post I will tell you my new word of the year and tell you how I did with my 2012 word.

Until later, happy running, 

Jamie

Every Little Bit Counts

I finally committed to getting healthy at the end of July when I got back from Italy, and until now, I have been that pissy "this isn't happening fast enough" kind of person. I don't mean to be, really. I am generally a happy, positive person...but dang...I've been working hard and I haven't really felt like I look different.

But this week, I feel like I found my first results! Finally!

Result #1 - I am finally feeling a little thinner and moved down a size in jeans about 2 weeks ago. They fit perfectly when I put them on and feel really good. Right now I don't dry them in the dryer, but I think I can start to. And the even better news is that I don't think these are going to last me a really long time! I think I will go buy the next size down and hang them on my wall to occasionally try on until they actually fit. My favorite jeans are Gap (outlet) Long and Lean. I'm almost 5'8" and they fit my proportions well.

Result #2 - I pushed myself yesterday at the park (I'm still a little "off" from the flu last week) and beat my last 10K time. Even though it's not "fast", it's progress...especially since it was 44 degrees (but thankfully still sunny) outside! I ended up with a 14:39 pace (it took me 1:30:49 total). The last mile and a half I still tend to get tired, but it's getting easier! I felt much better about it than I did a month ago for the Turkey Day 10K.

Result #3 - The scale at WW is going down and I'm close to my 5%! I weighed on Monday but couldn't stay for the meeting so I went back today. Since I was there, I unofficially weighed and was down 2.2 lbs since Monday! The Monday scale said I only lost 0.2 last week, so I think some of that 2.2 from today hadn't show up yet. So hopefully, I can keep doing well until Tuesday or Wednesday when I go to the next meeting and make my 5%. I think I need to lose 0.2 more in addition to that 2.2 loss today to officially get there.

Result #4 - It is getting easier to make better choices. Not that I am perfect, but I am planning more and really thinking about whether something is worth the points before I just shove it into my mouth. I have gone out to Mexican 3 times in the last month and didn't eat a single chip. In fact, I wasn't even tempted. Sure they taste good, but not THAT good, and they certainly aren't worth those points! Each time, I walked into the restaurant with the resolve not to eat any chips, so I didn't. The only high calorie indulgence I have found so far that was worth the points was a gourmet cupcake Jen B. gave me while back. That was ridiculously delicious. In most cases, I just remind myself that this isn't the last ______ on Earth and at some point in the future I can eat it if I want to. That usually helps.

Result #5 - I am getting better about eating smaller portions. Tonight I went out with my family and was going to order something "healthy" but I really just wanted a burger and fries. So that is what I got! Except I cut the (big) burger in half and ate one half plus only half of the fries. I also sampled a few bites from my mom and my uncle's plates of things that I knew were bad choices for me. But, I wasn't bothered at all that I hadn't cleaned my plate. It felt REALLY good to walk away from that other half of the burger!

Result #6 - I realize that I don't mind being a little hungry sometimes. Those of us aren't skinny generally keep eating so we aren't ever really hungry. I think we might even have this subconscious fear of actually being hungry. But I realized that being a little hungry isn't such a bad thing. It means I am paying attention to my body and only adding fuel to it when needed. I am also working on breaking the habit of eating until I am full...now I focus on eating until I am satisfied and not hungry anymore.

So while I still have a LOOOOOONG way to go on my journey, I am going to remember these small accomplishments and let them help push me towards the bigger accomplishments.

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Sean on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

WW Week #9 Weigh-In

Last week I lost 5.2 pounds and I know some of that was because I was dehydrated so I really worked hard last week to keep that off. So I was super excited when I went to weigh in and I was down 0.2! Normally 0.2 would make me mad, but not this week! Overall for the holiday I've done really well, though I need to drink more water.

WW Week 1 START: 10/30

(11/6) Week 2: -2.8 (happy)
(11/13) Week 3:  -0.8 (disappointed...thought it should be more)
(11/20) Week 4: -0.2 (happy..I had a tough week!)
(11/27)  Week 5:  -1.6 (happy)
(12/04) Week 6: +0.2 (WTH because I had a great week! Earned 27 APs!)
(12/11) Week 7:  0 (Maintained...really?)
(12/17) Week 8: -5.2 (some of it probably due to the flu!)
(12/24) Week 9: -0.2 (yay, kept that flu weight off!)


Total WW loss: 10.6 pounds

Total loss in 2012: ~19 pounds


I'm going to try to work out as much as I can this week but I don't have high hopes because I am sans gym and it's cold outside...so I definitely will try to pay attention to my eating!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 3/8

Well, this week HAD to be better than last week! And it was...a bit. I finally got to work out for a couple of days after the flu but it is still rough. I'm still REALLY congested and coughing plus I've had sinus issues too.

12/17 Monday - Still had the flu! :(

12/18 Tuesday - Still had the flu! :(

12/19 Wednesday - Finally back! Went to gym for a bit ran/walked 1.5 miles (14:16 pace).

12/20 Thursday - Had to bring the car in for repair so no workout!

12/21 Friday - OFF

12/2 Saturday - Drove to New Orleans

12/23 Sunday - Run/walk at the park - 2 miles (15:30) - it was 57 degrees outside and I had trouble running

I'm at my Mom's until next weekend so I'm going to try to workout as much of I can, but unfortunately I don't have a gym so I'm subject to the weather!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

WW week #8 (early) weigh-in

I've had the flu now since Friday. Normally being sick doesn't stop me from eating, but I haven't been terribly hungry for the past few days things, plus taste kind of gross. I'm certainly not starving because I'm eating all my points but I am definitely keeping myself in check and not allowing myself to go nuts eating JUST because I'm sick.

I went to the doctor today and because I still had a fever, he said no school tomorrow. Since I was out already I decided to pop in to the WW center a day early and weigh in so I wouldn't have to go out tomorrow night just for that. OK, so I knew I should have posted a loss this week, but I lost 5.4! Wow, I'll take it! Given that I was mad/disappointed 2 weeks in a row, I'm just going to pretend this was all my doing, and not the result of having the flu.

WW Week 1 START: 10/30

(11/6) Week 2: -2.8 (happy)
(11/13) Week 3:  -0.8 (disappointed...thought it should be more)
(11/20) Week 4: -0.2 (happy..I had a tough week!)
(11/27)  Week 5:  -1.6 (happy)
(12/04) Week 6: +0.2 (WTH because I had a great week! Earned 27 APs!)
(12/11) Week 7:  0 (Maintained...really?)
(12/17) Week 8: -5.2 (some of it probably due to the flu!)

Total WW loss: 10.4 pounds

Total loss in 2012: ~17 pounds

Maybe if I'm realllllly good for the next week all my flu weight loss will stay off! :)

Hopefully I'll be back in the gym Thursday or Friday.

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K training - week 2/8

Well, training this week didn't go super well as it was plagued by illness:

12/10 Monday - still felt crappy from the weekend :(

12/11 Tuesday - Mad that I didn't lose weight at weight watchers so went to the gym after and ran a little before I had to go home - 1 mile total. (14:35 pace)

12/12 Wednesday - Ran 1.5 miles straight, totaling 3.1 miles! (13:50 pace) 

12/13 Thursday - 60 minutes on the elliptical (4.3 miles).

12/14 Friday - Start of the flu!!! :(

12/15 Saturday - Still had the flu! :(

12/16 Sunday - Ugh, the flu continues! :(

An accomplishment I did make was running on Wednesday for 1.5 miles straight! I have been struggling with getting more than 0.5 miles lately straight and I finally realized it was because I was trying to breathe way too deeply. Once I got a faster, more shallow breath things got easier. As I'm still sick writing this, I hope that next week goes better. I'm going to try for 1.75, or maybe even 2 miles...we'll see!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

WW week #7 weigh-in and a new milestone

Last week I talked about being back at Weight Watchers and how it was slow going. When I walked into the center to weigh in on Tuesday, I have to admit that I was still a little pissed about GAINING the week before. Well, my mood certainly didn't get better when I stepped on the scale and it was the same as last week...REALLY? Ugh...

I have been in the habit of going to weigh in early and then going next door to eat at Subway (the guy who put that there was a genius!) and eating dinner before the meeting. While I sat there I couldn't decided if I wanted to scream out loud or cry. I was really upset. I even picked up a bag of Cheetos in protest but did the math and decided against the 8 points and went back and got the 3 point baked lays. This week I used my new 3 month tracker and did pretty well until Friday came where I made the (poor) decision to drink lots of points. Overall, I didn't go over my 49 and I did earn some APs because I worked out some. I though something should have showed up from last week...but it didn't.

WW Week 1 START: 10/30

(11/6) Week 2: -2.8 (happy)
(11/13) Week 3:  -0.8 (disappointed...thought it should be more)
(11/20) Week 4: -0.2 (happy..I had a tough week!)
(11/27)  Week 5:  -1.6 (happy)
(12/04) Week 6: +0.2 (WTH because I had a great week! Earned 27 APs!)
(12/11) Week 7:  0 (Maintained...really?)

Total WW loss: 5.2 pounds

Total loss in 2012: ~15 pounds

Even though the scale isn't showing it, I know that I am actually making progress. I was able to go down a GAP jeans size this weekend and today I ran 1.5 miles straight!

Patience...I know.

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

5K Training - week 1/8

This was my first week out of 8 training for my 5K on January 27th. Monday I was supposed to run 1 mile straight...FAIL. I went to bed late on Sunday and was really tired. I tried, but I could only get up to a third of a mile and then just couldn't catch my breath! I had the same problem last Monday also. Hopefully next Monday will be better since The Walking Dead is not on again until February so I don't have a reason to stay up late.

Monday - Ran/Walked - 1.52 miles in 22:20 (14:42 average mile) and Elliptical for 40 minutes.

Tuesday - OFF

Wednesday - Ran 1 mile and then walked - 2.12 miles in 30 minutes (14:09 average mile)

Thursday - The plan was to do the Elliptical for 60 minutes but I was tired so I took the day off!

Friday - OFF

Saturday - Supposed to run 1.5 miles but I went the trainer and was sore (plus I went out Friday night and drank a few beers and felt a little crappy).

Sunday - Felt under the weather so didn't go to the gym :(

So overall, not a great start! Hopefully this next week will be better!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Weight Watchers Weigh-In

I meant to post this sooner but at the end of October I went back to Weight Watchers after my friend Jenny asked me to go with her. I am Jenny's go-to person for trying out different diets. Two springs ago we did a 3 week vegan program...I actually did well and ended up staying on it for 8 weeks, but she only made it like 3 days. It's hard to stay vegan though if you really don't have an ethical reason to, but overall it was a good experience and I really learned a lot...including incorporating some new foods in my diet I didn't think I liked.

I had actually been considering doing WW for a little while, so it was easy for me to agree to and I was happy to have someone to do it with. The ONLY difference though is Jenny is kind of thin already. She is technically in her healthy weight range but had gained 15 pounds over the past few years that made her uncomfortable and made her clothes not fit anymore. I can respect that, but it's still a little weird doing the program when she's skinny and I'm like 100 pounds overweight. I swear I would ECSTATIC if I looked like she did! But being uncomfortable is still being uncomfortable.

Anyway, I am VERY hesitant to put my actual weight up here at this point...maybe when I make a bigger dent in it. But here are my weigh-in results so far:


Week 1 START: 10/30

(11/6) Week 2: -2.8 (happy)
(11/13) Week 3:  -0.8 (disappointed...thought it should be more)
(11/20) Week 4: -0.2 (happy..I had a tough week!)
(11/27)  Week 5:  -1.6 (happy)
(12/04) Week 6: +0.2 (WTH because I had a great week! Earned 27 APs!)


Total WW loss: 5.2 pounds

As you can see, it has been slow going with the weight loss..that has been really frustrating. I lost around 10 pounds before I officially started WW, so I am down about 15 pounds total since the spring. Yes, it feels great to be down, but having worked so hard, especially in the last month, it makes it hard to feel like I am making real progress.

This week I was extremely annoyed when the scale went up 0.2 pounds. I worked out really hard and I ran my fastest 5K yet (sub 14:00 min mile!) and the scale didn't show that progress. I know I didn't gain weight so it wasn't fat registering on the scale BUT it felt like I was moving backward, rather than forward. Sigh...

I know I just need to stick with it and it will come off eventually. Like everyone else, I'm just impatient and want to see result now! Until then, I guess I will have to ignore the scale and keep eating right, tracking, and being active.

Source: itsuxtobefat.com via It Sux To Be Fat on Pinterest

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Pre-birthday challenge

My 34th birthday is exactly 61 days away and I want to make them count - not only losing weight wise, but also workout wise. When I hit my first mile straight a couple weeks ago, I decided that I need to refocus and work on increasing my running mileage. So I have a new challenge...run an entire 5K straight!

Source: google.com via Kathy on Pinterest

I found this 8 week long 5K Training schedule for Beginners that I want to follow. It finished up with me doing a 5K on Sunday, January 27...the weekend before my birthday. I did have to make 2 changes though...I had swap Monday and Tuesday because Tuesday is my Weight Watcher meeting day (I'll talk about WW on Tuesday). I also had to swap Wednesday and Sunday to give me a break after the Saturday long run.

My training schedule

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1 Dec 3-9	12/3 1 mi run	12/4 Rest	12/5 20-30 min run or CT	12/6 1 mi run	12/7 Rest	12/8 1.5 mi run	12/9 CT or Rest
2 Dec 10-16	12/10 1.5 mi run	12/11 Rest	12/12 20-30 min run or CT	12/13 1.5 mi run	12/14 Rest	12/15 1.75 mi run	12/16 CT or Rest
3 Dec 17-23	12/17 2 mi run	12/18 Rest	12/19 20-30 min run or CT	12/20 1.5 mi run	12/21 Rest	12/22 2 mi run	12/23 CT or Rest
4 Dec 24-30	12/24 2.25 mi run	12/25 Rest	12/26 25-35 min run or CT	12/27 1.5 mi run	12/28 Rest	12/28 2.25 mi run	12/30 CT or Rest
5 Dec 31- Jan 6	12/31 2.5 mi run	1/1 Rest	1/2 25-35 min run or CT	1/3 2 mi run	1/4 Rest	1/5 2.5 mi run	1/6 CT or Rest
6 Jan 7-13	1/7 2.75 mi run	1/8 Rest	1/9 35-40 min run or CT	1/10 2 mi run	1/11 Rest	1/12 2.75 mi run	1/13 CT
7 Jan 14-20	1/14 3 mi run	1/15 Rest	1/16 35-40 min run or CT	1/17 2 mi run	1/18 Rest	1/19 3 mi run	1/20 CT
8 Jan 21-27	1/21 3 mi run	1/22 Rest	1/23 CT or Rest	1/24 2 mi run	1/25 Rest	1/26 Rest	1/27 5K Race!

The race I decided on doing is the 5K at the USA Fit Marathon. I was kind of limited with options...there aren't many races in January and I wanted to do one specifically on the the 27th.

I'm super excited now...I can't wait to start tomorrow. Hopefully I can knock out a mile tomorrow. Last Monday, I got winded after only half a mile. But maybe since I am taking today off I will be ready to go tomorrow.

As far as weight goes, my goal is to lose at least 15 pounds in this time period. I know it is asking a lot (almost 2 pounds per week) especially during the holidays, but I'm hoping with all this exercise I can make that happen!

Until later, happy running!

Jamie

Reindeer Run Success!

I couldn't think of a more beautiful December day to run a 5K! It wasn't cold and we had plenty of blue skies and sunshine. Normally when I do a race I'm by myself, but  today a bunch of friends/co-workers did it also...even the whole swim team did it too. It was so fun that I think we are going to make this an annual event and even try to get the whole school out next year too! In March there is a 5K at the university right across the street from our school that benefits Habitat for Humanity so we are going to try to get a bunch of people together for that also!

Although it was like 60ish to start off, I know better than to wear long sleeves, like the shirt they gave us. I am generally super sweaty when I workout. The last time I ran an October race with my family in Seattle, it was a COLD 60 and about 5 minutes in I was stripping off my undershirt while I was walking. Well once we got going today it actually felt HOT outside. I think the humidity is kind of high today...by mile 2, I was burning up! I was thankful this was only a 5K, and not a 10K like Turkey Day race.

But I really pushed myself and my chip time shows that...I am REALLY happy with my finish. I would say that I ran around 70% of it and when I was getting tired I stopped for a couple minutes and then ran some more.  My chip time today was 43:20, with a 13:57 average mile! AWESOME! I could not have asked for a better time! I did a 5k practice run Thursday and my legs are still a little sore from that, so I think in the future I will take 2 days off before a race if I am going to work out that hard.

Let's compare that time with my past times...

October 2010 5K - 52:57 (walk 17:03 pace)
October 2011 5K - 47:07 (run/walk 15:10 pace)
August 2012 5K  - 45:46 (run/walk 14:44 pace)
Today's 5K - 43:20 (run/walk 13:57 pace)

I'd say that's progress!

I have new plan I will talk about on my next post...my new goal and my next race at the end of January! I can wait to start training!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

A good last week

I was all set to go with the girls to the gym after school but I got halfway to school this morning (bordering on late as usual) and I realized that I forgot my shoes! UGH!

I was determined to still work out today so I came home, and while it was still light outside I started out on my 3 mile loop for a run/walk. And it went REALLY well! I mean I was tired from working all day, but the weather was great and I felt accomplished when I was done!

Source: Uploaded by user via Francesca on Pinterest

I was thinking how well I have done on the last week...I really feel like I am back on track where I want to be with my fitness goals.

Running a mile, check! Got my 5 pound star at WW, check! Ready to beat my last 5K time on Saturday, check!

YAY!!!

I have a rest day tomorrow and then it's on to the Reindeer Run with my coworkers!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

A MILEstone!

Since I started back running in July, I have been trying to work my mileage up and get to a mile straight. In the beginning of October I was almost there (at 0.75 miles) but being sick set me back a bit and I haven't made much progress. I was so excited to get to a mile on Friday but when I tried to run Monday I just couldn't catch my breath at half a mile!

Ugh!

Because I only ran that 0.75 miles once and didn't match again, I was a little nervous that I wasn't really up to a mile. Today my friends couldn't make it to the gym and I was REALLY tired and wanted to take a nap, but I forced myself to go to the gym. I got on the treadmill and just started running, hoping to match the mile. I changed the setting so I couldn't see how far I was running (well, I was kinda keeping track of it by the time) and when I thought I had just passed a mile, I checked and after a couple of more minutes I had gone 1.25! YAY!

I'm super excited! I feel really accomplished!

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Jenn on Pinterest

So I finished out 20 minutes on the treadmill and then 10 minutes on the elliptical. I have been trying to work out for a hour at a time because I know that will help me a lot with trying to lose weight. But since I am planning a hard workout today, I let myself have a light 30 minute day.

Saturday I have a 5K and I'm looking forward to it because a bunch of people at work are doing it too. A lot of times I have been doing races by myself which isn't so fun. Plus, running races makes me go faster than when I'm training. I want to beat my July 5K time of 45:44 and I think I can!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Getting over illness, Turkey Day 10K, and a new goal

October was rough! I did the Beach Dash and the next week I got sick...really sick! I waited for 10 days and was still sick so I went to the doctor and found out I had a sinus infection. It lasted almost 4 weeks! Then I was exhausted all the time for another 2 weeks. So that was 6 weeks that I hardly worked out and I even missed a 10K!

So for the past couple weeks I've been OK to workout but I've had a hard time getting motivated (again, I know!). The first time I tried to run again on the treadmill after getting better my lungs BURNED and I could only go like 0.15 miles straight! I was at 0.75 miles straight before so this was really frustrating.

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Bay Area Turkey Day 10K (on Thanksgiving) but I hadn't really been training for it, so I was nervous about my finish when I got there. It was a little cold (around 60 degrees) and REALLY foggy. I also kept wishing that I hadn't been so bold and I had signed up for the 5K instead! But I didn't! By mile 2, I was already tired and didn't think I could finish my faster than my Kemah 10K time. At mile 3, a family passed me - 2 girls around my age and their parents - and it pushed me to keep up with them for the next 2 miles. After that I slowed down a little but kept pushing myself. And FINALLY I crossed the finish line and looked at the clock and realized I beat my time. I was so excited! So I finished 1:34:12, 4:20 faster than my Kemah time!

Isn't the shirt we got funny?

Getting my butt kicked by this race really made me realize that I want to get back on track and start working out again. Since July, I have made a goal to run/walk at least one race a month and I have been kind of alternating the months between 5K/10K. I was planning on doing a half marathon in March but I forgot to sign up in time before the price increased by $15 so I was reconsidering that. I realized that my training and focus was all over the place - am I trying to go for distance or speed? I decided that my most immediate goal is to be able to run for a length of time, and I would really like to be able to run an entire 5K! So I will focus on that!

Wanting to waste no time, I started with my new goal yesterday (the day after my 10K) and went to the gym with Jen B. I got on the treadmill and a few minutes in I decided that I WAS going to run a mile...and I DID! So that is my first mile straight since college! YAY!

I can't wait to see how much I can accomplish in the next month!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Galveston Beach Dash

Last weekend was the 3rd race that I have done since August but I wasn't so worried about the time because this one was a 5K on the beach with obstacles, so I didn't feel like I was competing against my Outrigger 5K time (45:46) because it wasn't really comparable. This time at least I wasn't doing it alone...my friends Jenn, Jenny, and Jenny's boyfriend also went along so that made it extra fun!

Running on sand was definitely tough but I did OK with that. I have to say though that I did pretty awesome on the obstacles. The first one was climbing over a series of 3 increasingly high walls and then jumping over them. I totally smoked 20 people on that one. In fact, it seemed like I would be way ahead of a bunch of people and then they would only catch back up with me when we would start running again because they were faster than me. I really like these adventure races...I can't wait to do another one. Too bad they are so expensive! I think I will wait until the spring. That one was actually a great deal on Groupon for $22!

I was the last to finish, so my friends were able to take some pics. Here I am at the second to last obstacle where you had to wade waist high through the water, climb up a ladder, and turn around and jump down off the wall. The hardest part was trying to figure out how to get off the wall, but I just went for it. Jenn said she just dangled there for a few seconds before being brave enough to jump off.

Then this is me wading through the water at in the last obstacle. It was actually deep enough that I could swim pretty fast.

Here I am with the girls. It's kinda tough training sometimes next to these skinny chicks but thankfully they are awesome and always help cheer me on! One day I will blend right in with them! :)

And here we all are with our festive pineapple hats on.

I finished #267 out of 347 in my 30-39 age group, and #739 overall out of 968. Not bad for a fat kid!


Until later, happy running!
Jamie

Toughest 10K Kemah

I just totally realized that I forgot to blog about my race on 9/25...

My first competitive 5K went really well back in August, but I was a little nervous about doubling the distance to the 10K. Thankfully it was about 10 degrees cooler and it was a really beautiful day.

The 10K went through the city of Kemah and included 4 passes over the Kemah bridge (5% grade). It was ROUGH! I had been training some by walking/running over the bridge in the 2 weeks leading up to the race. On my second pass over the bridge, this really fit woman (who was on her 4th pass) ran past me and cheered me on. I thought that was awesome! Because of my knee, I really didn't want to push my luck running so I ran some and walked most of it. I ended up finishing in 1:38:32 (15:54 average pace) and NOT the last in my age group...2 people were behind me! :) That isn't bad considering the field was pretty fit!

I had someone take a picture of me with my awesome medal.

By the way, I HATE having full length pictures take of me but I figured I'd do it for the blog since I don't plan to be this heavy every again!

Until later, happy running!

Jamie

10K Training progress...weeks 11 and 12

OK, I hoped to be more consistent but that didn't happen! At least this past week I had a nasty cold as an excuse.

Sunday 9/30 - 7.19 mile walk with Jenny in our neighborhood (125 minutes) @17:23 pace.

Wednesday 10/3 - 4.85 mile walk/run with Jenn and Jenny by school (82 minutes) @16:49 pace.

Saturday 10/6 - Beach Dash 5K - run/walk on the beach with obstacles (56 minutes) @18:04 pace.

Monday 10/8 - 4.27 mile walk/run in my neighborhood (68 minutes) @15:49 pace.

Saturday 10/13 - 4.37 mile walk/run with Jenn in my neighborhood (78 minutes) @17:39 pace.

I'm really hoping that my cold will go away by Monday or Tuesday because the Toughtest 10K in Galveston in Saturday and I'm going to be beyond upset if I can't do it.

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

10K Training progress...week 9 and 10

It's been hit or miss for me the last 2 weeks working out but hopefully I will be a little more consistent this week!

Saturday 9/22 - 4.28 mile walk with Jen in her neighborhood (68 minutes) @15:53 pace.

Wednesday 9/18 - 1 mile on treadmill (15 minutes) @ 14:51 pace. Really tired today!

Tuesday 9/17 - 4 miles on the treadmill (60 minutes) @ 14:54 pace. Ran 3/4 mile straight!!!

Monday 9/16 - 2.61 miles on the Elliptical (30 minutes).

I'm super excited about the Beach Dash 5K in Galveston this weekend, thought it is going to be tough!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie

10K Training progress...week 8

This week I overdid it a bit on Sunday and my knee was really sore Monday so I took a few days off to make sure I could make it through the race on Saturday.

Sunday 9/9 - 10 mile bike ride (55 minutes @10.9mph) in the morning. Walked 5 miles around the lakes (1 hour 26 minutes @17:26 pace. 

Tuesday 9/12 - 3.03 miles on the bike (15 minutes).

Saturday 9/15 - Kemah Toughest 10K (15:51 pace). I mostly walked but did some running on the downhills and a few other intervals. My knee felt really good.

I'll be back to training this week. I am thinking about doing the La Porte half marathon in December but haven't decided yet. 5 weeks until my next 10K!

Until later, happy running!
Jamie