Ramping up!

This week will be my highest mileage week since October. Should tally in right at 40 miles. Hard to believe.

Sometimes I think I'm insane about running. I plan my run for the next day, eat my dinner so it won't affect my run, get up early and run in the cold, come back, refuel, think about my run, wash my clothes and decide when/where I'm going to run tomorrow. Maybe I have a problem. Or maybe, just maybe, I have discovered one of the real truths about why I love running and fitness. It is the ONE thing, the only thing happening right now (besides my marriage) that I enjoy. It is the only thing that I am doing that I am actually happy doing. It is no secret that I'm burned out at my job. I'm paying off a lot of debts. My family is all far away. My husband and I work opposite shifts and don't get much time off together.

So, I run. I run to get out the stress. I run to feel better. Sometimes I laugh and smile when I run and sometimes I cry. Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I run in silence to clear my head. I run in rain, heat and in snow. I run uphill, downhill, on the road or in the woods. I run when I feel good and when I feel like crap. I run when I have the energy for it and I run when I don't. Bottom line is - I run because I have to. Because I need to. Because without it I am certain I would be certifiably crazy. I run because running reminds me that I am stronger than I ever thought possible and that my dreams are in fact attainable even when they seem impossible.

So on days like today, when I had to draaaaaaaaaaag myself out of bed and hit the park for 7 miles before breakfast, I reminded myself of this over and over again, and it was all worth it! SO glad I went!

DOR

Today I'm taking an unscheduled day of rest (DOR). I've been so wiped out from working the 2 jobs and all the training. I slept 10 hours last night and accidentally took a nap today too. Think my body needs to rest as I am working 12 hours tomorrow again.

Sometimes it is easy to beat yourself up for resting. Sometimes you might feel like a wimp. Sometimes you feel like you are letting down the group. Sometimes you just feel downright lazy. And while dedication keeps you going when you just plain don't feel like it, sometimes it is ok to let yourself be human and rest.

So, today I'm resting.

Sometimes I surprise myself...

Ran 8 miles today with the group! For some reason today I felt like it was easier than the 6 from 2 weeks ago. Think my body is adjusting to the mileage increases again. Also I think the gel helped. I took it between mile 5-6 and I felt strong til the end! Not bad considering that my quads were mega-sore after the SoldierFit class!

Working 3 12's this week. Gotta gear up and pack some good food to counter-balance a work pot-luck tomorrow. I've already decided I'm going to make solid choices so I don't get totally off-balance.

Changing it up

Decided to do a 60 minute spin class today. Haven't really worked out in about a week after being sick. Felt great to get back on the proverbial horse.

Felt really good to do something different. Sometimes when we have a single purpose goal in mind we can get stuck in a training rut. For me, it tends to be run, run, run, run, run, lift, run, run, lift, run..... I forget sometimes that my body needs variety for a couple of reasons.

1) Muscle confusion - when your body is always moving in different ways and with different demands, your body does not get a chance to get used to a workout (i.e. plateau). It's like a tolerance. Think about it like drugs. Sooner or later you're going to need more and more and more to achieve the same effect because your body no longer is challenged (or satisfied, in the drug sense) by the same amount.

2) Prevent injury - repetitive motion you at a higher risk for injury.

3) Sometimes trying something new or different, or going back to an old love can be fun! This week I plan to try a few different things. Today I did the spin class because I used to do it a lot more in the summer/fall. I'm looking around into trying some hot yoga, and Friday I want to try a Soldier Fit class. I am still running with my group tomorrow night and Sunday morning, but I'm hoping that will be what I need to shake it up and jump start some more weight loss!

Where will this take me?

It can be so tempting sometimes to eat junk food or to emotionally eat. I used to do this all the time. When I had a good day, we'd celebrate with food. When I had a bad day, I'd comfort myself with food. When I was stressed, I would mindlessly eat while I was worrying about something. Often I am most tempted by junk food when I do not pre-planned my food choices for the day. I then do not have the guilt from straying from my plan, and the junk is often convenient and easy to grab on the go.

Something I learned to do with my initial 50lb weight loss was to change the way I think about food. Food is simply fuel for your body, the nutrients your body needs to keep performing at optimal level. There are many highly processed, edible "food-like" substances that we confuse for actual FUEL sometimes. Food is not a reward, it is not a solace, it is not a friend.

Now, when I am thinking about eating something that I know is bad (cognitive dissonance big time here!), I look at it and say (sometimes out loud) "Will this help me achieve my goals or will this put me one step further away from them?" Many times the actual eating of the food is so enjoyable, but afterward there is the guilt, the upset stomach, etc... so I now also ask myself"How will I feel AFTER I eat this?"

Don't get me wrong - there are times and places for planned splurges. If I know that I am going to go out for dinner, I will intentionally fill up during the day on healthy snacks, fruits, veggies, etc (do not read "starve myself" here, just good planning), so I have some calories leftover.

But, the next time you are looking down the barrel at a double bacon cheeseburger or a mile high piece of chocolate cake, stop and think - where will this take me?

In the dead of winter...

It is freezing outside. Literally. It has been overall a moderate winter, they say, but for me it is frigid. I prefer to live between 50 and 80 degrees. Clearly I am living in the wrong region. Still, at least for another 24 years or so, I plan to be here.

So in the meantime, this Sunday, I layered up my UA ColdGear, laced up my tennis shoes and put on some gloves and a hat and headed out for a very cold 6 miles. Lesson learned: need to wear a second layer on the bottom for temps under 30 degrees and probably a 2nd pair of gloves.

Had a bout yesterday with a GI bug that has been going around work, so I skipped out on my group run last night and will probably do something light this afternoon at the gym. Feeling a lot better but still want to take it easy.

Goals for this week: Reign in my eating; do more lifting; do my 7 mile run on Saturday since I have to work Sunday morning and I will again miss my group run.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am starting a blog in an effort to share my strategies for getting and staying fit, eating clean and being healthy as well as to keep me accountable! Hope you all enjoy!