Weigh in for Biggest Loser

Weighed in at 128.4 this morning, which means I'm down 7.6 lbs in 3.5 weeks, or 5% of my body weight. That's about 2 lbs a week, which is a healthy rate of loss. So we have 12 weeks to the middle of November, and a little over 14 weeks to December 4th, when the contest ends. That puts me right on target if I keep losing at the rate I'm going, even a smidge ahead for the contest. I need to lose 23.4 lbs more.

Moderation.

Water.

Walking.

I really want to be down another 2 lbs by the end of the week. That would bring me to just about 10 lbs.

I've also considered running a 5K next month, and if I'm going to do that (which I'm not completely decided on) I need to start running again!

Exercise...

So the Aerial Dance workshop on Saturday... it was fun!! I definitely need to be in better shape to do well with it, but I enjoyed it! I enjoyed it enough that I enrolled in a beginner class, so I'll be doing that every Saturday in February. Who'd have thunk?

And... while we're on the topic of crazy things I did this weekend... I got up this morning and ran! It's been 6 months since I've run (I mean, AT ALL), but I decided just to get on and give it my best, so after a 5 minute warm up walk I started running... and didn't stop for 15 minutes! That's right... I ran 15 minutes straight (about a mile and a half) after not running at all for 6 months! Crazy! But exhilarating at the same time, so I hope I can keep up with it now that I've gotten that first dreaded run out of the way.

So... that's my weekend. I'm excited about running and doing aerial dance this month and hoping to get in better shape that way. I just need to work on my abs so I can roll up ONTO the trapeze without needing assistance by the end of the class. Ha ha! How's that for a goal?

Couch to 5K... again.

Well, I ran my first 5K back in July. And now 5 months later, do you know how many times I have run since then? ONCE. That's it. And that was the next day. So... it seems to me that it's time to start in on the great C25K again.

I really do enjoy running, and it really is a good way to exercise. And I can put Eliana in the stroller and run with her if I need to.

So... Monday, January 5th, I am going to get on my treadmill and run. Well, walk/run. I'll start at week 1 and take it one day at a time. And if all goes according to plan, I should be running 3 miles at a shot by March.

I'm hoping to get others from SP to join me, but even if they don't I am still planning to do the program by myself. It's worth it to me. Hopefully it will be worth it to my body. Either way, it ought to get me in better shape so I can enjoy my summer more, too.

And, you know, a little reduction in the muffin top would be nice, too.

My First 5K!!

Today was the Drop & Trot 5K. I had two goals going into the run...

1. Run the entire 5K, no walking.
2. Complete the 5K in 30 minutes.

The first goal was obviously the more important of the two for me. And guess what? I DID IT!! I ran the ENTIRE 5K, no walking! No stopping to catch my breath or drink water (though I did drink a couple cups of water while running - lots of dribble down the front of my shirt there!), just running! I am proud of myself for that. You see, not only was this my first 5K event to run in, this was the first time I have ever run 5K in one shot. EVER. I'd never even made it past 2.15 miles in my practice runs, so I wasn't sure I could do it. But I can. And I did.

As for my time... I didn't quite make the run in 30 minutes. My final time was 31:52, but I am proud of that! My legs felt pretty much like jelly at the end of the run, so I was just happy that I could push to the end, and even speed up for a good finish! 31:52 is just about a 10 minute mile and I am proud of it!! But my "official" time, after it was adjusted from the "drop" part of the Drop & Trot was 23:42. Sounds a whole lot better, eh?? See, before the run starts the participants have the option of seeing how many push ups they can do in one minute. For every push up you do, they take 10 seconds off your run time. I did 49! I originally wasn't going to do the push up part, because I didn't think I could do very many. But I got to do girl push ups, and I can do more of those for sure! And I did!!

So... Now I have run my 5K. I have made it through the Couch to 5K program, and successfully competed in a 5K run. That was my goal. I don't know if I count myself as a runner yet, but it's a start. And last night Leif and I went on a date downtown for the artwalk and stopped in Chalet Sports to see their 50% off shoe sale. So I got some new running shoes! I think that means it's time to break them in, so I guess I'll keep running! Maybe not 3x a week, and maybe not following the C25K program any longer, but I have a new goal brewing in my mind and my new shoes will help me get there.

I haven't run yet today...

And I really probably should, but it just finally got cool enough to go. And now my parents are out for a walk and Leif is out mowing the lawn, so if I leave the house to run I will leave poor Ellie unattended, and I probably ought not do that, especially if she does what she did last night with getting out of bed a million times declaring she needed to go potty. So I stay home.

But I'm drinking my water.

And I stayed in my calorie range, so that's good. I even have a little extra for a snack tonight.

And I even got to have a Frappuccino today, but I was good and I got the light one with NO whipped cream. It was 130 calories and it was a nice treat!

So... it's getting dark now and I'm not sure that I'll run, but I will do some tomorrow and then Saturday is the big 5K day!!

Chugging along....

Well, I should be chugging along, come to think of it... I'm struggling with my water intake. But everything else is going well. I'm at 1200 calories (1206, actually, I think) for the day, but I might eat just a little snack before bed because my tummy is growling and I'm pretty hungry. Whatever I eat won't be over 100 calories, though, so I'll still end the day under 1300, which is good. I did end up running with Taylor today, though it was much more walking than running, and the running was pretty slow. It was good, though, and it got me out. All told we walked/ran 5 miles, so even if it wasn't a strenuous run it was still decent exercise.

I haven't had the heart to weigh myself after the other day, so we'll have to see if I can do it tomorrow. I will also need to run tomorrow, maybe with Leif in the evening. And I'm hoping to do better on my water.

Still not ready....

... for Saturday's run, that is.

I ran outside tonight (once it cooled down a bit) and ran 2.15 miles in 21 minutes. And that's as far as I could run. Pretty much felt like I was going to pass out or throw up if I went any further, so I walked the rest of the way. Still, it was a 10 minute mile, and it was double the furthest I've ever run outside, so that's improvement! Still, though, I need to be able to run 3 miles by Saturday and I'd like to do it in 30 minutes.

I haven't weighed myself in over a week. I keep meaning to, and manage to get in some breakfast or something to drink first. And I'm not to keen on the idea of weighing after I've consumed anything, so I haven't weighed. No idea where I am in that department. Pretty sure I'm not going to make my July 19 goal of 110. I'll probably be lucky just to be at 115 (no loss, no gain) at that point! My parents will be here Tuesday, so I am not even going to make any promises about this next week. Except that I will be training for Saturday, and that means at least 2 more serious outdoor runs, and maybe even a few endurance (not so much speed/distance) runs in between.

and THIS is me...

after I ran...

(are you ready?)

...30 MINUTES STRAIGHT!!!!

It's true! I started out determined to run 10 minutes, more if I could. But I was going to do week 6 day 2 (run 10 / walk 3 / run 10) and hoped beyond hope in the back of my mind that I could make it to 21.5 minutes, which was my previous record. I got to 10 minutes, then 13, then 15, and I pushed myself to 20. At that point I just kept going and went for another 10 minutes, finding myself at 30 minutes, running 2.5 miles in that time. WOW! I need to step up the speed a little bit to make it to 3 miles in that time, but I'm pretty darn happy with the run tonight!!

I hope I can run outside on Thursday. I could use the outside practice and I need to work on regulating my speed so I can go further and for longer. I'm taking tomorrow off from running, but hope to get in a walk, at least, and hopefully some DDR.

As a sidenote, my run tonight burned 450 calories. Woohoo!

This is me....

... sitting here in front of the computer, not having run yet. I'm dressed for it, I just didn't feel well earlier today. Now that I'm starting to feel up to it, Leif is trying to finish work and I'm watching Ellie. I think I'll see if he's ready to take her now.

Now... do I want to watch a show while I run, or just listen to music? Hmmm....

(picture taken with our brand new webcam!)

Didn't get an official run in yesterday...

But I did get a little running in while we were hiking.

We headed up to Palisade Falls last night to escape the heat, so I thought I could maybe run there. I started running up the trail while Leif and Ellie hiked. I made it about 1/3 of the way up the trail before I felt like my lungs were going to explode! I dropped back to speed-hiking until I caught my breath and then ran a little further, but eventually decided that running uphill 3,000 feet higher than I'm used to isn't such a fun idea. When I hiked to the top, though, I turned around and ran all the way down. Even that got me breathing hard, so I figure it counts for some exercise, even if was downhill, right? When I got to the bottom I turned around and hiked back to the top as fast as I could, then rested a smidge while some thundery clouds rolled in. Leif was taking pictures, so I headed back down with Ellie in the stroller. It looked like it was going to rain any moment, so I ran down with Ellie in the stroller as much as I could without going so fast I thought I was going to lose control! Sure enough, though, we got caught in the rain about half the way down. She was covered with my rain jacket and under the sun shade of the stroller, so she made it without getting wet, but I was soaked!!

The heat has really been throwing me for a loop. It's been hard to run outside with the heat, and we don't have air conditioning, so I haven't wanted to run inside and get all hot and sweaty, either! I really need to, though, because I have a 5K to run in less than 2 weeks!! eek!

So today when Eliana goes down for her nap I'm going to get over it and just run on the treadmill. I might have to take a cold shower afterwards, but I need to run. I've just got to do it.

Going for a hike today...

Nothing big, just a mom and me hike. But I need to go for a run as well, hopefully outside. I'm tempted to do it right now while Leif and Ellie are still sleeping, but I don't know...

I'm going to record my food and exercise today.

And drink my water.

It's been a couple days and I'm ready to jump into this week full force.

It's official

I am signed up to run the 5K on July 12. Leif is going to run with me and be my moral support.

And I ran 3 times this last week in preparation. The first two times I ran on the treadmill, and the third time I ran outside. And let me say, it's harder to run outside, especially if you don't have music to listen to. So I think I'll need to do most of my training outside, at least once, preferably twice a week. The run is in 2 weeks and I need to be able to run 3 miles by then. My goal is to run it in 30 minutes. When I ran outside yesterday I ran 2 miles (with a couple walking breaks no more than a block each time) in 20 minutes, so I'm already running a 10 minute mile, I just need to extend the run by a mile.

So that's my exercise for the next 2 weeks. At least 3 runs a week, hopefully outside as often as possible.

well...

the run I wanted to do isn't in August, after all. it's July 12. think I'll be ready by then?

WOW!

Well, Ellie is awake. That means I don't get my DDR in, unless I want to try to do it with her in the room. That usually doesn't go terribly well as she wants to play, too, and tries to step on the mat. That usually means I spend my time trying not to step on her instead of trying to step where and when I'm supposed to. I might still try. We'll see.

BUT....

I just did my running for C25K and I thought I'd perhaps pick up with week 3 since I did something resembling week 2 on Monday with no problems. Week 3 has a 3 min run / 1.5 min walk / 5 min run / 2.5 min walk / 3 min run / 1.5 min walk / 5 minute run schedule. And I? Well, I was feeling good after the first 3 minute run, so instead of doing the 1.5 minute walk I just kept running... and I ran the whole time! I ran a full 21.5 minutes! That's the most I've ever run! Makes me think that 5K in August is a little more of a possibility.

Oh yeah, and I burned 335 calories in 30 minutes. Not too bad!

(Just looked it up... turns out it's not week 3 that is the 3/5/3/5 run. It's week 4! So I guess this is where I pick up and start running)

Considering....

Oh yeah. I'm considering signing up to run a 5K in August. I'm not 100% sure yet, but I'm considering it.