Weigh in Wednesday!

Before I post my weigh in I have to share my troubles with you.  Occasionally I get aches and pains from running.  They are usually the good, I really worked hard, pains but sometimes they feel like more.  Take my big toes for instance.  The nails are in such a state that I can't wear shoes other than sandals or my runners.  If I wear my runners I must remember not to push my toes against the top or end of them.  I tried yesterday to wear my cute little black flats but they are tighter in the toe area and oh my goodness did they hurt.  Sometimes I wake up in the night and they are throbbing, probably from kicking Adrian in my sleep.  I'm hoping this issue resolves itself soon or my toes toughen up some.

My new pain is in my knee.  I'm sure any of my non-runner friends would say "I told you running was bad for your knees"  however I'm not convinced this is from running.  I actually think that it's from twisting it a bit getting out of the car.  The reason I think that is because that was the first time I noticed the pain and today, when it was at its worst, getting out of the car was the most painful.  So when I got to work I quickly sent a message off to my wonderful chiropractor, Geoff, and being the impatient person I am I asked Céline if she had any suggestions.  The fun part is they both gave me the exact same answer.  I spent the day icing and applying Voltaren.  It seems better now than it did this morning and working out at the gym didn't hurt at all.  I'm hoping that it goes away quick.  If it still hurts by the weekend I'm going to make an appointment with Geoff.

As for this weeks weigh in I'm happy.  I knew that a lot, if not all, of the weight I lost when I was sick would come back.  Last week I was at 236 and this week I'm up one pound to 237 but I'm not at all worried about it.  I hadn't eaten as well as I should and snacked a bit too much.  I have a new favorite treat but have no self control.  Dark Chocolate Mint Cups!!  Kind of like a mini peanut butter cup but dark chocolate and mint.  I tried them at work first and then saw them at the store and bought some.  That will not be happening again!!!  Now they are gone though and I hope next weeks number will be much smaller.  Now I am off to make a wonderful new dish to take for my lunch tomorrow.  I'm so excited!!!

Who would have guessed????

I'm becoming an athlete!!  I am constantly amazed with myself and my physical abilities.  A year ago I was struggling to run three days a week and training for a 10k race.  It was hard, sometimes it was really, really hard!  The thought of trying to exercise more than my three runs was near impossible.  I was tired and at times wondered if I could actually do it.  I had days where I didn't even feel like I was a runner.  On the worst days I had little bits of inspiration that pushed me out the door.  I remember one particular day when I just didn't feel like running and was feeling horrible about it.  I walked out the door at work and along came Doug, a fellow runner, trotting along like it was nothing.  I took that as a sign and pushed myself that day.  There were other little things that helped me along the way.  After race day I felt like I could do anything though and decided that I would indeed run a half marathon.  Just one!  Just to say I did it!!!

This summer started off kind of rough.  Running was sporadic after the Half.  I ran short bits here and there but nothing consistent.  When I finally felt like I was back I got sick and knocked on my butt for days.  Last week I was better and decided that it was time to give it my all.  That first trip to the gym was a bit scary.  I had been so sick and it had only been about 24hrs since I started eating again.  I took things easy and things felt really good.  Tuesday was crazy hot so I stayed home instead of running but from there on I've been back to my regular routine.

What amazes me about all of this is how quickly I'm able to get back to my old times and distances.  It took me a year to get to running 10k and after almost 6 weeks off I will be back to it, if not this weekend, next weekend for sure. I ran 5k on Saturday and it was tough but if I had really wanted to I could have pushed further.  Tonight I did just shy of 6k and it felt great.  My routine at the gym is right back to where I was and I'm even finding some of it easy!  The really crazy part is that a few of the ladies at running tonight have me half convinced to run a fall half marathon.  They are running the Road2Hope in Hamilton in November.  I'll think about it.  I had decided I wasn't going to do one because I didn't want to travel and the ones here don't work with my pace or schedule.  This one would work with my schedule and is apparently mostly downhill.  Sounds like my kind of race:)  Who knows maybe I'll be writing a post in a few months about my second half marathon!!!  So much for just one eh???

Now to figure out how to make my big toes stop hurting!!!

Elephant's Sitting On My Chest

Last week when I started feeling sick I stopped taking my iron because I thought that might be the problem.  I take iron almost everyday because I get quite low iron and the best guess at why is that I have very heavy periods.  Well I didn't start taking the iron again until the middle of this week because I wanted to give my tummy a chance to recover fully.  The down side (and sorry for too much information) is that I got my period just as the illness stopped.

When my iron gets low I can tell in many different ways but one that I didn't even know was a symptom a year ago is that my running gets so much more difficult.  My legs get heavy, I get totally exhausted and it's so much harder to breath.  Today's run was one  of those runs where I felt like there was an elephant sitting on my chest.  It wasn't humid but at some points it felt like I was trying to breath through a mask.  At first I thought it was just because I've been such a lazy pants the last few weeks and I'm sure that had something to do with it but I think more of the problem is low iron.  The wonderful thing is that my doctors are all on the same page where this is concerned and they have all given the same instructions for what to do and when.  So I'll follow the plan and hopefully by Tuesday things will be better.

On another note it felt so good to be out there this morning.  I kept it to 5k which is the most I have run since my half.  I plan to up to 6 or 7k on Tuesday and then 8k next Saturday.  I have been running long enough and have enough mileage behind me to know that I can run further and that I don't need to spend too much time building up.  I have decided not to officially train for a fall race but will focus on becoming a stronger runner.  I'm going to work up to 10k then push myself to get faster.  I'll keep my weekend long runs at 10k or further.  I got an email that registration for the Niagara Falls Women's Half opens on August 1st and I will be registering as soon as possible.  It's not until June 2, 2013 though so I'm sure I'll do some shorter races just to keep motivated.

I think I mentioned in a post earlier this week that I was going to do a bunch of shopping and then prep all the veggies ahead so that things will be easier for the week.  So this morning on the way home from running I stopped at the market.  I love that we can get so many local fruits and veggies.  I bought peaches, plums, cantaloupe, green beans, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and sweet potatoes.  Yesterday Adrian bought a bunch of stuff at the grocery store too.  I spent the rest of the morning preparing veggies and I now have a fridge full of deliciousness.  I also have beets roasting in the toaster oven and will do sweet potatoes later today.  I'm so excited for the week ahead and I think my body will be pretty happy too!

I Ran Again:)

As I've mentioned more than once I have not been running much since my Half Marathon.  It's now been almost 7 weeks since I ran consistently and it's really, really time to get back at it.  Last week I tried to get back out there and had a pretty good run on Tuesday night but then got so very sick on Thursday and couldn't run the rest of my runs that week.  This past Tuesday I had planned to run with the group but then it was something like 46 degrees with the humidex and I decided my lungs would be happier if I stayed home.  Tonight however I got home from work, changed and headed out the door.  Adryanna had soccer at 6pm and they are expected to be there about 20 minutes early to practice.  I left with enough time to run to the soccer field and meet Adrian and the girls when they got there.  It felt great!!!  It was definitely a short run but it was a good run.  I only had two problems.  One, the run was too short and Two, my right leg felt dead.  It was a weird heavy feeling.  Just the lower part of my leg and mostly around the ankle.  I felt like I might be retaining some water earlier in the day so I'm assuming that was the problem.  When I got to the soccer field I needed to pee and somehow managed to go three times during the hour long game.  By the end my ankle felt normal again.  I'm going to run again on Saturday morning and plan to run at least 6k.  I want to be able to run 10k next weekend so I need to push a bit.  If I have any pain or heaviness in  my ankle I'll ask Benny or one of the other leaders for help but I expect if I drink my water tomorrow and watch my salt intake I should be fine.

I need a race to sign up for so that I can keep myself going!!!!

One Year Ago

I realized today that it has been one year (and two days) since I first ventured into the blogging world.  It hasn't turned out quite the way I expected but I'm still happy with it.  Blogging has given me a place to track my progress, it has given me some accountability and it certainly has kept me motivated.

Looking back at this year I may not have come terribly far in the weight loss department.  Actually I think I have probably not come far at all.  I have however grown as a person and my physical activity certainly has increased.  Last summer I was squeezing out 3 runs a week when I was doing well.  This summer (now that I'm back at it) I'll be running 3 days a week and going to the gym 3 days a week.  Last summer I was training for my first ever 10k and this summer I have completed a Half Marathon.  I'm much more aware of what I'm eating and while I am currently very disappointed with many of the choices I am making, I know that it is easy to get back on track.

My plan this weekend is to buy and prepare a fridge full of fresh fruits and veggies.  I'm much more likely to eat this kind of thing if it is ready and waiting in the fridge.  I am also going to make a few of my favorite quick snacks and fuel powered meals.  This way I'll be ready for the week and come time to make lunches it will be quick and easy.  This won't just benefit me either.  Anna is going to day camp for the next two weeks and it's all outdoor activities.  She's going to need lots of good healthy food to keep her going.

So in a year not much has changed except that I am much more self aware and exercising way more than I used to.  I feel good and look forward to what the next year will bring.  I hope you enjoy the journey with me:)

Another week and new weigh in!

Time for the weigh in post.  I'm still disappointed in the fact that I let things get so out of hand after my half in June but I'm happy to get getting back on track.  looking back at my last picture post I had gained almost 8lbs not the 7lbs I thought it was.  I was up to 241!!!  That's insane!  Last Tuesday I weighed in at 238 and today I'm down to 236.  On the weekend I was down to 232 but that was all from the illness.  This week I will get myself back into routine and I will get this weight loss journey heading in the right direction again.  I have to, my life depends on it!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back!

Why is it that when I fall off the wagon and finally try to get back on something always goes wrong??  Last week started out excellent in the eating and exercise department.  I made it to the Y twice and ran with the group on Tuesday.  My plan for the rest of the week was to run home from Anna's soccer game on Thursday, run with the group in Niagara on the Lake on Saturday and the Y on Sunday.  I was so looking forward to Saturday's run.  The path the group ran is a beautiful tree lined path just beside the river.  I've never run it before and it was looking to be a great change of scenery.  I didn't even mind the thought of leaving the house by 6:30am on a Saturday.  Then it hit!!  Somewhere, some how I caught a stomach bug.  Now I was in denial for the first day or so.  I have a very sensitive stomach to begin with and deal with some pretty intense pain at times so I thought nothing of it the first day or so that it was bothering me.  My first line of defense was to stop taking iron for a few days.  By the time Thursday afternoon arrived I knew I was sick though and packed myself up for the day.  I came home, took some meds and dragged myself to Anna's soccer game.  I hate to miss things like that.  By bedtime I had chills but was still in some denial.  I got everything ready for work the next day.  By morning I knew I was out for the count.  I called in sick, cancelled appointments, sent the kids off to camp and daycare then set myself up on the couch with a pillow, blanket and book.  I stayed there (mostly) until Sunday morning!!!  It was horrific!  I had no appetite at all and no energy to do anything.  I finally forced myself to eat something Saturday night and Sunday ate fairly well.  Today I seem to be back to normal and even attempted a trip to the gym.

This is where the tricky part comes in though.  I feel fine now but knowing that I went most of three days without eating and only drinking small amounts tells me that I shouldn't push things to far.  I kept my cardio workout slower than usual and cut the time down from 35 minutes to 20 minutes.  I did all of my usual weight machines but cut the reps from 15 to 10 or 12 on most of them.  A couple felt really easy so I did the full 15.  I'm at a loss for what to do for running tomorrow though.  I know that going early in the morning isn't going to be an option because I'm still pretty tired and have a hard time getting up on a good day.  I know that tomorrow is expected to be the hottest day of the week so part of me says it won't kill me to skip it but the other part says it is not ok.  I think my plan right now might be to wait until the girls are in bed and go for a short run then.  Hopefully by 8:30pm it will be cool enough to be reasonable.  I'll keep it to 30 minutes tops and push a bit further on Thursday night after soccer.

I had every intention of posting a weigh in this week and I will probably do that tomorrow but I don't know that I can count the numbers as being a real reflection of anything.  I said last week that I had gained a few pounds when I got lazy for a few weeks.  Being sick got rid of all of that but I don't trust it.  Last week when I weighed myself I had gained about 6lbs since my last picture post.  Last night when I weighed myself I had lost 7lbs in less than a week.  Obviously this is from being sick so I'll weigh in tomorrow and post a picture as soon as I have time but I will not worry if I gain a couple of pounds back in the next week.  It's just not natural to lose that much weight in a week and I'm sure that nothing can stop some of it from coming back.

Excuses, Excuses, NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

This week is my new beginning (again).  It's been something like 6 weeks since my Half Marathon and I have now run twice, maybe three times.  I have been to the YMCA about 4 times.  I have had a whole world of excuses and most are valid but this is the end. There is no reason I can't run in the morning on days where I can't run at night.  The only night I should have to miss is Thursday because Anna has soccer.  Realistically I could run after soccer too.  I have thought about running home from the soccer games.  It's only about 3k if I go the long way but it's better than nothing.

Tonight was my first run back with Runners' Edge and while I knew I missed the group I didn't realize how much.  It was like coming home after a long time away.  As soon as I got there I felt better about not running.  No one yelled at me for missing so much and no one criticized me for being a lazy pants.  They just welcomed me back and told me they were happy to see me.  The run, however, was not so good.  My legs were stiff and muscles were tight.  I had a strange tightness in the back of my knees which I was quickly told was hamstring pain.  As soon as I started to stretch my hamstrings screamed at me.  I have been instructed by our faithful chiropractor to stretch, stretch, stretch over the next few days and if they still hurt come Saturday I will make an appointment.  I'm pretty confident the stretching will take care of things.  I'm wondering too if the pain is from  the slight heals I was wearing today.  I'll make sure to wear flats for the next few days and hope that helps.

While we were stretching before the run Benny approached me and immediately I thought he was going to give me crap for not being there for weeks.  It wouldn't have been real trouble, more a joking kind of thing but as it turns out that wasn't what he wanted at all.  He wanted to ask me if I would mind being video recorded doing an interview about my time with Runners' Edge!  Hell Yes!!!  I like to tell everyone who will listen how great they have been helping me and how wonderful they all are.  I couldn't have gotten where I am today without their help.  So in the near future I will be preparing for my interview.  He said that they are sort of promotional video's that will be posted on Youtube and such.  I think that's awesome!!  Once things are done I will certainly post here to share with everyone.

Over the past few weeks I have fallen off the wagon posting my weigh in pictures.  This is in part because I have been avoiding the scale and in part shame  that the number has done nothing but climb.  Like I said earlier though it's time to get back on track and the pictures will be back.

Vacations are Hard Work:)

I've been on vacation this week and boy has it been tiring:)  I think the hardest part has been staying up way past my bedtime almost every night!  It's been a very fun week though. 


We had a week of fun starting with a wedding then continuing with lots of fun activities.  We went to Fort George, Happy Rolph's, the Avondale Ice Cream Bar, Safari Niagara, the carousel and the beach.  My brother is a bad influence though because we also went to the bar more than once.  For those that don't actually know me I used to love going to the bar but in the last few years our trips out have been few and far between.   It has been a fun time though and while I will enjoy the quiet and getting back to routine I will miss the fun we've had this week.  

I really need to get back to a routine too.  We haven't been to the gym and I have not been running.  I need to get back to things.  I haven't weighed myself all week but I'm hoping there isn't much damage.  We didn't eat horribly and we were busy enough that I didn't snack all day.  I think I should be ok but we'll see when I get back on the scale. 

Here are a few pictures from our week:)

Cutest Flower Girls Ever!!!

This picture was so hard to get!

Beautiful Meaghan:)

Anna:)

Three of my Four Beautiful Girls

Feeding the Giraffe.  Yuck!

The two little girls and their Gram:)

A Beautiful Wedding

Yesterday was my brother's wedding day!! It was an absolutely gorgeous day with just the right temperatures and lots of sunshine.  They got married at a small historic chapel and the reception at our favorite little restaurant. 

The day started with hair and makeup at home.  It was so nice not to have to run around getting ready.  We had sandwiches, fruit and veggies for everyone to eat while they got ready.  The little girls went first and had beautiful curls done.  Then it was time for the adults.  Emily (the Bride) went last of course.  She wasn't sure what she wanted and had never met Krista (the stylist) before but what they came up with was absolutely beautiful!! 

Next it was time to get dressed and head to the chapel.  Emily and the little girls got dressed at the chapel because it just seemed like the right choice.  We got the little girls dressed first and then it was Emily's turn.  Everyone looked amazing!  Anna and Christina were flower girls and had little white dresses with a navy sash.  They did a wonderful job and behaved very well for the ceremony.  They were pretty crazy during the pictures and everyone got to see me at my finest (read sarcasm). 

The reception was great!  Everyone arrived right on time and the service was amazing.  Emily had never been to the restaurant before and I was so glad that she enjoyed the meal. 

This week I'm on vacation and we will be visiting with my brother and his family while they are still here.  We're going to do some day trips and somewhat just relax.  It's going to be a good week!!

I didn't take any pictures at the wedding because I was trying to control my crazies but I'll share some once the professional onces are ready.