Weigh In #52

Weekly loss: -0.5 lb
Total loss: -67.75 lbs

Here are a couple of pics from the other night:

One Year Anniversary at 24 Hr Fitness

I thought my paranoia while filming in the parking lot was hilarious so I left a few of the bit in. :)

Total loss for the year: -67.75 lbs

24 Hr Fitness

Running: Making Strides

Weigh In #50

Rachele: http://www.youtube.com/user/Rachele77
Rachele's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrlmI_fbXnQ

A gross video about fast food: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NndPyWDnK34



Week loss/gain: +2 lbs
Total loss: -64.5 lbs

Hilarious video about Twitter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2HAroA12w&feature=featured

A "Rocky" Moment

I wrote about this on my Food & Exercise Log but I thought I would discuss it (& a bit more) here too.

I ran/walked to my grandmother's nursing facility today. I started out walking about 1/4 a mile then ran the rest of the way, about 1 mile. It took me about 17 min & my heart rate monitor averaged about 143.

The last 1/4 mile (this is probably a bit of an exaggeration but not by too much) is down hill. It is a pretty steep hill also. On the way back, I was planning on walking back up the hill then running the rest of the way home. But, once it was time to do that, I got a little ambitious, I wanted to see how far I could go. Halfway up, I was determined to go all the way. I could do this! And, I did! My heart, of course was pounding & I could hardly breathe but I did it. Amazingly enough my heart rate monitor only reached about 186, which isn't too bad for running up hill, for me.

Once at the top of the hill, I walked for about another 1/4 mile or less then ran for another 1/2 mi or so, then walked the last 1/4 mile for a "cool down." That took me about 23 min (due to me walking more on the way back than I did going) & my heart rate monitor read out about 143 again. Putting that into the online calories burned calculator that I use, it said that I burned about 536 calories. Not too bad. While I think this may be a bit of an over exaggeration, I really don't think it is too far off. So, yay!

The wind was blowing like crazy today. I considered not running at all, but it felt so nice out & it was perfectly overcast. I know we only get a few nice days a year where between the freezing cold & the sweltering heat, so I don't want to waste a single nice day. Tomorrow (now today, since I am writing this at 4:30 am) it was supposed to rain, so I wouldn't be running outside then. Well, now it isn't supposed to rain. I was planning on running again outside today but as the night has worn on, my shin splints are screaming at me. It hurts bad enough to walk, I can just imagine how bad it would hurt to run. I still haven't decided. I may run, who knows.

I would eventually like to get to where I run 3 miles every day. That no longer seems like a completely ridiculous idea. I still don't like running. I like the idea of it. I like that I feel victorious after doing it. But, I just don't find joy in it like some do. I like the stamina it has given me & the feeling that I am doing something I never, in a million years, would ever have thought possible or even practical. But, I don't like having to mentally fight for every step I take. I feel like I'm bargaining with a child, like I'm negotiating with a terrorist, like I'm talking a jumper down from a ledge. It's exhausting. The feeling afterwards is well worth it, but you can't tell someone "the ends will justify the means" when they are in the middle of pain. They don't care. They just want the pain to end.

I do like telling people I run. It makes me feel like I'm a part of some elite crowd, like an athlete. It doesn't matter that I can only run a mile or two without stopping & many others can knock out 10 like it is nothing. They don't know that. I'm sure at my size they assume I can't really run that far, in fact many probably can't believe that I can run as much as I can but, that is okay. I may not love the sport yet, but I hear that that is something that eventually comes. I still don't feel like I can call myself a runner. Perhaps that is because I am still fairly new at the sport or that I don't do it often enough or, & probably more likely, that I haven't found the "love" for it yet, but that's okay, I still am. Right?

So, today (now yesterday) I had a Rocky moment. I've never seen the film, but I know the scene where Rocky is running up those Philadelphian steps then turns back & raises his arms in victory. We all know that scene. I did not reenact that scene when I made it up my hill, because that would have been nuts. hehe But, I did on the inside. Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to many & it may not be a big deal to me in a few months, but for today, for a few short minutes, I was Rocky.

Random Video: Friday: Running Outside

Calorie counter website: http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/?page_id=483

Weigh In #46

Weekly loss: -4.75 lbs (obviously most of last week's gain was water)
Total loss: -64.75 lbs

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to
blame someone else. -- John Burroughs

Biking, running, & weights...what a day.

Biked about 3.5 miles.

Ran for 25 mins. Which turned out to be about 1.8 miles. New milestone!!! I also walked for about 10 min (5 to warm up & 5 to cool down) but I don't really count those much anymore, since it is my running I'm focusing on right now.

I did about 20-30 min of ab work and arm & leg weights.

At the gym my average heart rate was 158 (according to my heart rate monitor), which, when I put it into the online "calories burned calculator" that I use & it came out to be 781 calories burned. Yipee! And that wasn't even counting the bike riding. I forgot to reset my monitor every time I got on my bike.

So, needless to say, it was a pretty productive day, physically. :)

C25K: Running Update

I haven't run in over 3 weeks until today & I made it 20 min. WhooHoo!

I had to drop my speed down (from 4.8 to 4.5 mph) a bit because my heart rate was getting up there (180's) but I still did it. Getting the endurance thing down is my first priority, speed will come later (at least that is what I keep telling myself).

I wanted to go 25 min but the last 2 min of the 20 was a killer & my legs started to feel weird so I decided not to push it too hard on my first day back. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

My goal is to get to the point that a 10 min mile is fairly easy (& maybe a 6 min mile when I really push myself, but that is years down the road). Right now I'm running about a 13 min mile.

Running is still such a dramatic process for me. I have to cheer myself along ever single second. I argue with myself the entire time:

Shoulder devil: "Just walk for a couple of seconds."
Shoulder angel: "No, you can do it, that would be cheating."
Shoulder devil: "Ooo, your heart rate is getting a bit high, maybe you should take a breather. You could have a heart attack."
Shoulder angel: "Are you nuts, you're fine, just keep pushing. Just think, you can go home & brag when you hit the 20 min mark."
Me: "Lord, you're going to have to pull me through this workout."
Jesus: "I'm right here next to you. Keep going!"
Me: lip syncing the lyrics to whatever song is playing on my mp3

And such is my inner conversation. Most people would think I was nuts if they could be in my head for just a few seconds. Maybe I am. ;)

Tomorrow, the goal is to bike up to the gym, try to run again, & then bike to the assisted living place that my grandmother is staying in now. It is about 1.5 miles to the gym from my place & about 0.25 mile from the gym to the assisted living place, then about another 1.5 miles back to my place. It forms kind of a triangle.

This will be a bit more of a challenge than it sounds, though. I have not been on a bike in over 10 years. I'll try to get some footage of me doing it but just staying erect on the bike may be more of a challenge than I think it will be.

Couch-to-5K: Week "who even knows anymore?"

I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!

I ran for a total of 15 min straight today! "Oh Mylanta!!!" (If you grew up in the eighties, can you guess what popular TV show character said that all the time?)

That is over 1 mile!!!

Does that qualify me as a "runner" now?

Now I've just got to get it up to 3 by spring. 5K, here I come.

Here is a video I posted about it.

Weigh In #25

Weekly loss: -1 lb
Total loss: -47.5 lbs

Rachel77's Fridge Video

Shanti's Tea Video

KarlaKay's Tea Video

Where I got my info on Iron Deficiency.

Gut2Cut

C25K

Couch-to-5K: Week 4

Ok, so this is really week 4. (I wish I had started documenting this better.) Anyway, last week was technically week 4 of me doing this but I had to do a modified week last week instead of jumping right in to week 4.

The percentage of running time from week 3 to week 4 is the greatest jump. It is a very difficult jump. Most people who I have talked to (via forums), both those currently going through the program & graduates of the program, have told me that they had to repeat week 3 before moving on to week 4. I didn't exactly do this. I wanted to see how far I could go last Monday. I did about half of it along the schedule then the last half was a disaster. I had a similar experience on Thursday. Then, on Friday, I had planned on trying it once again but then I had my little bout with fatigue/anemia/iron deficiency/whatever.

In week 4, you run for 3 min, walk for 1.5 min, run for 5 min, walk for 2.5 min, & then repeat.

Well, today I did it. I can't believe it. Not to mention, I did it without killing myself/thinking I was about to have a heart attack. Now don't get me wrong, it was hard as heck but I survived. I really cannot believe I'm doing this. Now, let me throw a little reality into the mix. I am running on a treadmill with no incline, which I have been informed, is like running slightly down hill. Most people suggest running at an incline of 1% - 2% to get the real sensation of running outside. Well, doing it the way I'm doing it now is hard enough for me right now. I promise, as soon as I finish this program I will start working on the incline.

Also, I am setting the speed during my running segments at about 5.2 mph. I did start out around 5.5 mph & there were a few days I pushed it up to 6 mph, but it was making it much harder to get through so I knocked it down. I will also be working on this later on, once I make the program. However, in order to actually graduate the program, you have to run a 5 K (3 mi) in 30 min, which is 6 mph.

However, I did figure out today, that in the 5 min that I am running, I am actually running 0.43 miles. That is amazing. I just ran almost an entire 1/2 mi without stopping. I don't even think I could have done that in elementary school.

Anyway, I was pretty proud of myself today. I don't know if "proud" is exactly the right word, though. I guess more "amazed" at the way my body is adapting. I know I've talked about this before but this is completely mind blowing for me. I've never experienced anything like this in my life.

With all this excitement though, I am a little nervous about next week. I know I always say this, but by day 3 of next week, I am supposed to be running for a full 20 min (2 miles), no walking. Aaaaa!!!! I really doubt that is going to happen. But, if it takes me 2 weeks to get there or even more, that will be fine. I will get there, sooner or later. I haven't quite convinced my psyche of this just yet, but I will.

Couch-to-5K: Week 2

Ok, well, I started week two of the Couch-to-5K program. On week two, you warm up for 5 min then jog for 90 seconds, then walk for 2 min. You do this for 20 min. Last week I did one min of jogging & 90 seconds of walking. I was really nervous about today. Even though the last few days of week 1 were much easier than the first two, I just couldn't figure out how I could keep up for another 30 seconds.

You really have no idea how long a second is until you are jogging, oxygen no longer agrees to enter your lungs, & your heart has decided to leave your body through your chest wall. Then, this amazing thing happens, time speeds up. I swear! When I have finally reached the walking part, time seems to speed up to about twice as fast. Maybe Einstein was on to something with his relativity theory.

Anyway, back to my story, during the last few seconds of the warm up I started praying, "Ok, Lord, here's your part. Don't expect much out of me. If you want me to do this you are going to have to do it for me." Well, I did it...or rather He did it through me. Either way, I finished day 1 of week 2. Can you believe it? The even more amazing this is that it didn't seem that hard. The first 90 seconds nearly killed me but after that it was like my body figured, "well, I guess if this crazy lady is actually going to do this we might as well join in." I did get the stich in my side but only for like 5 seconds & my lungs are pretty sore now but I feel great.

When I'm actually running I feel like a crazy person. My upper body has pretty good form from what I can guess but my legs seem to be going everywhere. I also feel like my feet are just plodding along. Like, bam, bam, bam, bam. I don't feel graceful at all. Maybe that will come with practice or maybe as I loose more weight. I at least hope so.

To make this even more amazing, I did this after working out with my trainer this morning. And, like a complete nut case, I got on the elliptical for 35 min after my jog/walk. I've completely lost it. It feels like some outside force is making these decisions for me. I stand there arguing with myself in my head as to whether I should do it or not. Today, on the elliptical, I kept saying to myself, "Oops, I accidently set it for 30 min instead of 25 min. I'll just cool down 5 min early. That will be fine. I mean, I still have to walk back to my apartment." But then I just kept going. The closer I got to 5 min left the more I would say, "Just see how you feel when you get to 5 min." But, I kept going.

I really don't know what has come over me. A girl who has forever dispised every exercise, rolled her eyes at athelets, got annoyed with even the mention of a gym, is now doing all of this? What is going on?! If I lived in a trailer park in the southwest, I would swear I had been abducted by aliens. The only explanation I can come up with is God. Now, tell me this, why am I surprised about that? I mean, I have been praying for this for a long time & now he has given this to me & I'm "surprised?!" What is the matter with me?! Do I really have that little of faith? We blame God & get angry with him when he says "no" or "wait" to our requests, but when he says "yes" we stand there with our mouths open unable to speak or move. No wonder Jesus got so aggrivated with the diciples.

I think I'm just going to do the C-to-5K thing on Mon, Wed, & Fri. I may change this up later but that seems to be the best for me right now. It, actually would be better if I did it on Tues, Thurs, & Sat or Sun but I have a hard time doing much of anything on Sat & Sun unless it is a video or something I do in the apartment. This will hopefully change once I can fit into my new bathing suit without looking like a fat Hooter's waitress. Ok, I'll probably always resemble one of them but I want to be able to look at least a little more presentable. Maybe in another 10 or 15 lbs. Anyway, then I hope to start going up to the gym on the weekends to swim. Especially on Sat night, after church, when I'm wide awake & everyone else is headed home. Wow, way to ramble, Kristy.

Okay, I'll end it here for now. I've got to get to bed. I'm already about an hour late getting there & after today I may never wake up. Hehe.

Couch-to-5K: Video 1

I cannot believe I'm doing this.

Sarsy (http://www.youtube.com/user/sarsy) is a huge inspiration to me on this endeavor.

If you pray, pray for me, guys. I know the first few weeks are going to be the toughest. I'm so afraid I won't commit & that I'll give up. I wonder to myself if I'm doing this too soon. I think hitting the 40 lbs down yesterday inspired (made me go a little crazy) to take the next step.

Music: "Yeah" by Usher (not typically my music but it was what came on...obviously, I didn't sync this well with the video, oh well) & "Where Are We Running" by Lenny Kravitz