Day 1

No, I'm not going to be blogging about my nutrition habits every day. But I just had to blog the first day. It went fine. I had a sunrise smoothie for breakfast. For lunch I had leftover salisbury steak which is packed with veggies. Then I had a pear for a snack before dinner. Dinner was harder to give myself my fruit and veggie servings. We had whole wheat buttermilk pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon. Although I do have a sweet potato pancake recipe that's pretty dang awesome. So I didn't have veggies or fruits with my dinner. I suppose fruit wouldn't have ruined the meal. But I would have wanted a banana, which we're out of. Anyway, a decent first day.

I'll continue sharing different nutritional articles I come across. I'm all about knowledge, moderation and balance. I don't do diets. I don't count calories either. Too lazy I guess. But I've taken nutrition and health classes, so I know what's up and I know what I should be doing. So for me it's all about application, and practice makes perfect.

New Goal

So now that my 5K is complete, I've had my mind on a new goal. Originally I wanted to bump my running goal up to a 10K. However, I was never able to find an official 10K to set a date to, and with our new school schedule, things are super busy and finding the time to run is going to be significantly harder than it was during the summer. I'm not going to stop altogether, but I am going to set a new goal. This one is regarding nutrition, since I did gain a few pounds and put myself back about 2 months.

So my new goal is sort of a mini goal. I have a weight loss goal that I've been tracking. However, I'm going to set a smaller one to get me in the weight loss groove. This goal is my pre-baby weight. So I'm currently 11 pounds shy of that. Honestly, I don't know exactly what I weighed before I got pregnant because I don't own a scale. But this is my usual plateau weight, so I was most likely somewhere near it. My overall goal puts me 10 pounds below that, but for now I'm setting a smaller goal. So it's 11 pounds for now.

My first step in trying to refine my nutrition is I'm going to stop eating after 8 pm. I don't remember if I shared this one or not, but it's got some interesting stuff in it. This article is where I got the idea. I've heard of similar ones before, but never put too much effort into it. However, now I am. And it's a big deal for me, since I'm a big dessert gal. Growing up it was always either ice cream or popcorn. And me and the hubs usually save our dessert-ing for after the kids are in bed. It's easier to enjoy that way. But it's also easier to eat more than I would when the kids are around. I always try to be a example of good eating habits and that sort of thing. Which is why I eat cookies when they're sleeping. :) But by eating my dessert before 8, I pretty much have to do it when they're around, which will help me to be more moderate and control my portions.

Another step in this for me will be eating more fruits and vegetables. Most people have trouble with veggies, but for me it's both really. I'm a carb girl. Give me pasta, cereal and bread. So for my meals tomorrow I'm going to try and have a serving of fruits (or a few servings, I don't know how many it will be) with my breakfast, a serving of fruits and veggies with lunch, and veggies with dinner. Like I said, I won't be monitoring my servings so much as making sure I'm eating them.

So it will take a while for results to show, but I'm hoping to continue with some at-home exercise this week (me and Denise Austin are going to work it!) to bolster my new eating habits and help the weight loss. I might also need to invest in a scale. It would be easier for me to keep myself accountable (once a week) if I could weigh more regularly.

5K

My 5K was today and I finished! I didn't even end up walking. I was darn close though. Here's how it went: I was pretty nervous. I run alone, and here I was surrounded by people. When the race started, everyone took off running together and I have to admit it was overwhelming.  A large group took off in the lead and it made me feel really slow. In all honesty, I was close to crying. But I took some deep breaths and tried to get into a better mind-set. We rounded the building where it started and I was able to see my family there. It was nice to see my 2 year old pointing at her Mama and waving. After that point, I was running mostly alone and it felt better. I was able to feel like I was just on a run like I normally am and it got me in a better frame of mind. The few difficulties I had were that it was an unfamiliar route, with quite a bit of ups and downs, which I don't normally have, it was pretty hot out and there was no breeze at all. That said, it went well. I ended up passing 5 people or so. Yes, I was keeping track because it made me feel better. My biggest problem ended up being the very end. I was on a straight stretch and could see the finish line. So I decided to step up my pace a notch just because I thought I could handle it for that small stretch. However, as I got closer to the finish line, I saw that the course actually turned right before the finish and you had to go around a small parking lot before finishing. I about died. I had given it my all to make it to the end only to have another quarter mile to go. It felt awful. But I didn't walk and ended up finishing anyhow. Although 2 people I had previously passed ended up passing me up in that small stretch because I had to slow down. But still, a great experience.

I ended up with a finishing time of 35:32. I finished 47 overall. I don't know how many were there. Out of the women I was 30th and for my age group (20-29) I finished 4th. I couldn't help but wonder if the gal who passed me up right at the end was in my age group, because she would've finished 3rd and got a ribbon. It could've been mine. But I'm okay. My goal was not a ribbon, but to finish in under 40 minutes and I most definitely did that. So I did it! I've officially finished my first 5K and I think I did it pretty splendidly. I was very proud of myself.

Oh, and I weighed in and appear to have gained a pound or two.  :)

2 mile run and tomorrow's 5K

I did my 2 mile run Wednesday. It was great. I did it in about 23 minutes. I couldn't maintain that pace for another mile, but I knew I would last til the 2nd mile, so I went for it. My new tunes definitely helped me keep pace and mostly keep things interesting.

I'm slightly freaked out that my 5K is tomorrow. The last three days went super fast with a trip to the Urgent Care, my oldest's first day of school and a trip to the allergist.  But I know I can handle the distance, so I'm sure it'll be fine. It's just my first time doing an official 5K, so it gives me butterflies. I'll be so happy when it's completed though because I made a goal of it and I'm about to complete that goal. That always feels good, doesn't it? I'm still not sure what my next goal will be. I don't know if I can set another running goal (it would be a 10K next) with our busier school-year schedule. Until we adjust to our new routine, finding time for a run is going to be hard. So I'm considering other goals for now. There are so many other things I can do. I just don't know what to do. Brush up on my spanish? Or maybe guitar? Take a self-defense class? Knit something? The possibilities are endless. Any ideas? I love input.

Until tomorrow. :)

3 mile run

I got my 3 mile in tonight. It was actually pretty nice doing it later in the evening. The sun was mostly down so it wasn't in my eyes at all. It was also a tad bit cooler. It's still way too warm, but it was better than my afternoon runs. So I finally downloaded some new tunes to run with. I think it did wonders! I finished my 3 miles in approx. 39 minutes. 3-13 minute miles. Felt awesome! This was the first run in a while where I finally got a flow going. The first mile was the roughest. After that my mind just went elsewhere. It was great!

I have one more run Wednesday. Only 2 miles. Then it's 2 rest days and my 5K on Saturday. Ahh! Almost here! I do plan on weighing in the next day or so, since I have plans to go visit my new nephew at the in-law's a.k.a. home of the scale. :)

Let's do this!

2 mile run

I finally got out for a run. I haven't been since Monday. It wasn't even due to my cold, which is mostly gone. But the hub's schedule is changing as school starts next week and it's been harder to fit my runs in without doing them late at night, which is hard. Fortunately, my 5K is a week from tomorrow, so I only have a few more runs to fit in and then I think I'll have to take a break from this type of work-out for a while so we can adjust to our new daily routine. Especially with my oldest starting Kindergarten. Things are going to be changing around here in a major way.

So I missed my run Wednesday, which was a 2 mile. Today should've been a 3 mile run, but I thought I'd do the 2 mile and maybe get the 3 mile in tomorrow. Boy was I glad I only charted out 2. My body was struggling a lot. My lungs were alright, so I know it wasn't an endurance problem. I've been doing more than 2 for a while now. I think it must've been the few days off piled on top of recovering from my cold. Guess it took more of a toll than I realized. So I ended up walking a short distance. But I was running so darn slow it wasn't a real difference in speed. Not really. I ended up doing 2-14 minute miles. So I was going pretty slow, compared to what I usually would have done. But it's alright. I did it, and that's what matters.  And if I don't get my 3 mile in tomorrow I'm going to try and not sweat it. I've got a 3 mile to run Monday. Then next Wednesday is a 2 mile. Then rest days until my 5K next Saturday.

I still haven't downloaded my new running tunes. Although I really need to. Everytime I get ready to run and I don't have them it drives me nuts. Perhaps I'll get them this weekend.

I'm going to sneak in a huge congrats to my sis in law who had a bouncing baby boy this morning! Yay! I can't wait to see him tomorrow. Seeing her going through this reminds me of my own experience not 5 months ago. Sometimes I mentally give myself a hard time for not working a little harder to eat better, work out more often, that sort of thing. I guess I tell myself I could have lost more weight by now if I was really dedicated. But I know it hasn't really been all that long. I like to tell myself I have at least 9 months to lose it since it took me that long to gain it all. I'm about halfway through that and I really only have about 5-6 pounds to lose before I'm at my pre-baby weight. I still don't know if my pre-baby jeans will fit, but that's alright. I'll get there. All in good time.

3 mile run

Today was my first 3 mile run. I didn't know how it would go since I came down with a cold a few days ago. But I had a good night's sleep last night and have felt better today, so I went for it. I ended up walking around 1/2 mile on my last mile. But somehow, and I'm still not sure if it's true, I ended up finishing my 3 miles in about 31 minutes. I ran on my old trail that I ran every day last summer. I don't know if I was just feeling plucky, or remniscent, but I must've had a better pace. Perhaps that's why I needed to walk near the end. I just didn't realize my pace was faster. Or perhaps the clock on my mp3 player is a bit off. I don't know.  But Wednesday I'll have a 2 mile run, which I should be able to handle well, and then another 3 mile on Friday. So I suppose I'll judge my time on Friday and see if it's comparable.

I'm going to buy a few song tracks online to make a fun playlist for my 5K. I feel so much more motivated to run when I've got fun songs playing. It makes a huge difference for me. I've always been that way with music, as many are. So that should be fun to do over the next few days.

Weigh In

I had reason to head to the in-laws this evening, so I took the opportunity to step on the scale. I never remember the numbers on the scale, so I wasn't sure if I had lost or gained. Honestly, I thought I'd gained. I only remember how far I am from my goal. But I had, in fact, lost. Yay! 18.4 lbs. to go!

2 mile run

I thought today was going to be a breeze. Unfortunately, with so much insanity going on at my house, it was so hard to get a good flow going. I still managed alright, but I felt every minute of it. I really hope things mellow out by Friday so I can do my run without so much on my mind.

2.75 mile run

So I did my 2.75 mile run Monday. I just forgot to blog about it. It went surprisingly well. I finished in approx. 37 minutes. That's nothing compared to my cousin who just finished her 5K in 29! But I'll get there. I'm doing a 2 mile run tomorrow. Next week I'll be running 3, which is basically a 5K. My goal is to make it in under 40 minutes. At the rate I'm going, I estimate my run next Monday will be at around 41 minutes. Right now I tend to add 4 minutes for every 1/4 mile. But I'll be able to run the 3 mile distance 3 times before my 5K. So perhaps my pace will quicken just a touch by then.

I can't believe how soon the 5K is. I'm really excited. But I know it'll be fine. I'm mostly excited to meet this goal. It will feel good. I'm excited to pick a non-exercising goal to work on once I've completed this one.

2.5 mile run

I was slightly worried about my second 2.5 mile run today. But I have to say it went great. I was able to maintain controlled breathing up until the end. Breathe in the nose, out the mouth. I finished it a bit faster than last time I think. I was around 33 minutes today. It felt awesome. I'm going to try and make sure I get my walk in tomorrow. I can feel how important it is now. I've had to be much more intentional about stretching. I was quite sore yesterday and Wednesday. The 5K is 3 weeks from tomorrow. I'm on my way.

2 mile run

I have to say that my 2 mile run today was great. I felt like I could've gone further when I was done. I don't know how my 2.5 mile run will go Friday, but I hope it'll be better than the first one. But my run today sure felt good. I did it in approx. 27 minutes, for those of you curious how fast I'm really going.

So here's a link I found recently that I thought was interesting. It's 20 habits that make you fat. I've been doing a few of the things mentioned (or not doing them). Just had to share the info. Check it out. I figure if I can do a few more things to try and help drop the pounds (or more like ounces), that I ought to give it a try.

Weigh In

I weighed in this afternoon and haven't lost a ton, but I'm still making positive progress. I'm still working on my baby weight. I'm not doing anything super drastic outside of my running. I think for the next few weeks I'm going to up my intake of veggies and fruits. I haven't been too bad in the sweets arena, so I'm not going to mess with that for now. But hopefully over the next few weeks I'll continue to make some good progress towards my weight goal. Especially since my running distance is increasing. I don't mind if it's small progress, as long as the numbers are going the right direction. :)

2.5 mile run

I did my first 2.5 mile in over a year. I was pretty apprehensive about it, but it went surprisingly well. The last half mile was the hardest. But I was super proud of how my pace went. I have to say that this blog keeps me running sometimes. When I reach hard points, I think about what I'll blog about. I never end up writing half of what I think about. But it helps me to keep going. At the end, I do tons of positive self-talking. In my head, of course. That also keeps me going.

Wednesday my run is only 2 miles I think, so compared with today, that will feel pretty awesome. I think my time for today was around 43 minutes or so. Like I said, not the fastest runner. Although as I acclamate, I'm sure I might pick up a few minutes here or there. I guess I don't know what most people's time is. I remember a gal last summer saying she did it in 35, and she wasn't really much of a runner at the time. Perhaps she was being modest? I would have to seriously push myself to try and make a 5K in 35 minutes. I can maintain an 11 minute mile for about 2 miles, but then I slow down. At least I used to do an 11 minute mile. I don't really know what I'm running now. I need to get one of those nifty gadgets that keeps track of those things.

Anyway, fussing baby. Gotta jet!