So yesterday I decided to use the treader, since it was pretty hot outside and Jamie needed to get in a 5ish miler. We took the spawn to the Y and he did an outside loop while I "took it easy" on the treadmill. I started off easy, 2 min walking alternating with 3 minutes running, and then I sort of forgot to slow down for my walk interval and just kept going. I felt so good, I jacked up the speed :) I ended up running the last 5 minutes at a sub-9 minute pace, and the last 2 minutes sub-8. You know what? It felt really awesome. I am a bit sore today though!
I also did 75 crunches, the last 5 of which were really hard to finish. I used to be able to bang out 5 sets of 100 crunches like it was nothing! I have to be really diligent with my core work. If my core is weak, my form collapses in the last miles of my long runs and my time suffers. Last October at the Whistlestop I caved in at mile 11, and the last 2.1 miles were exhausting. After spending the winter working on core and strength, my spring half marathons went much, MUCH better. I need to remember how good a strong core makes me feel, and work toward that feeling.
Today in my exciting life, I have taken the children outside to play in the yard for about an hour (man, that is going to be so much easier when that fence goes up on Tuesday!), watered the new grass seed and my flowerbeds, prepped dinner so I don't have to do it with the circling baby vultures, and done three loads of laundry. Right now I'm chilling out while the small ones sleep. Poor little Pat fell asleep in his lunch, and Charlie was a near zombie when I put them down. I try to shoot for noon, but they were out by 11:35! When everyone wakes up, it will be snacks all around and then a walk around the neighborhood I think. That'll be my workout for today.
On the menu for tonight? Crispy oven baked chicken fingers and sweet potato fries (regular fries for Lily), with a green salad on the side for me (well, maybe Lily too, so she doesn't steal my tomatoes. Tomorrow is Adobo grilled flank steak with tomato corn relish. Love the new menu board and dinner plan. It's worked out so well! We finished all of the leftovers just in time to go grocery shopping with the clan tomorrow. The fridge contains just enough to get us through dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. No waste, which makes me really super happy. Also making me happy? I've spent very, very little in the hospital cafeteria this week, which is a big deal. I was buying two meals a day there, 4 days a week. This week I bought 1 sandwich and 1 salad, and that was that. I hope I can keep that up!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Hooray!
Two awesome things happened today:
1. I ran 2 miles without stopping, and I felt like I could have kept going. I'm taking it slow, though, so I don't hurt myself. 21:34, which is slow for me...but no breaks or walking. I actually forgot to turn on my iPod, which is amazing. I was anticipating my return to running to be painful, so I charged up my 'Pod and figured I'd be relying on tunes to carry me through. I can't believe I didn't use them at all. It makes me so happy.
2. My bike is ready at the shop. I will pick it up tomorrow :) The remainder of my gear will be here tomorrow or Monday, and I am so excited to get rolling. I got my cycling sandals, and they are great. My multitool and copy of "Bike Repair for Dummies" came yesterday. I'm almost all set.
A little over a month to the Jerabek, twoish months to the EastBay 5K for Special Olympics, 3 months to the Whistlestop and the week after, Fall 50!
1. I ran 2 miles without stopping, and I felt like I could have kept going. I'm taking it slow, though, so I don't hurt myself. 21:34, which is slow for me...but no breaks or walking. I actually forgot to turn on my iPod, which is amazing. I was anticipating my return to running to be painful, so I charged up my 'Pod and figured I'd be relying on tunes to carry me through. I can't believe I didn't use them at all. It makes me so happy.
2. My bike is ready at the shop. I will pick it up tomorrow :) The remainder of my gear will be here tomorrow or Monday, and I am so excited to get rolling. I got my cycling sandals, and they are great. My multitool and copy of "Bike Repair for Dummies" came yesterday. I'm almost all set.
A little over a month to the Jerabek, twoish months to the EastBay 5K for Special Olympics, 3 months to the Whistlestop and the week after, Fall 50!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Living Life with No Restrictions!
I am officially cleared to run.
Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Everything is looking good post-op, healing nicely, and causing me no trouble. Per my plastic surgeon, I can do whatever I want to do exercise-wise. He advised me to take it slow with the running to start (duh...I'll be pretty slow after 5 weeks off). I asked about resistance training and was given the go ahead to begin whenever I felt ready.
I told my doctor about how much I hated being sedentary...the aches and pains and general badness I felt. I never thought I'd miss exercise so much, but it really made me feel healthy and alive. I've felt like an old woman these last 5 weeks (an old woman with bodacious boobs, but an old woman nonetheless). I put on my spankin' new Mizunos yesterday to walk at the Y and I almost teared up a little...they were so comfy and just felt like an old friend.
Is it weird to be so excited about exercise? I just don't know what to do first! My new cycling shoes arrived yesterday, and there should be a huge pile of awesome gear showing up this week. My trusty bicycle will be done at the shop soon! I'm taking myself for a run tomorrow for certain, and just need to decide when I want to start my cycle of P90X. I think I'll start with a nice mid-morning 2 miler...just a little jaunt around the neighborhood to test the waters. If I'm a lucky girl, I won't have lost ALL my fitness.
We started a little interdepartmental weight loss challenge at work this week. My goal is to drop 13lbs over the course of the 4 month competition. I will admit to a slight cheat. I puffed myself up a little by eating lunch and pounding 1.5L of water immediately before weighing in. I did not wear my hospital clogs, however. I thought that would be a little too much cheating :)
I'm pretty sure that being able to exercise again will cause me to drop weight like a bad habit. I've been able to keep from gaining being almost totally sedentary, so going back to healthier eating habits (less stringent calorie restriction) and amping up my workouts should do me good. I can't wait to feel normal again! I'm going to have a six pack by the winter, bitches.
We had Lily's 4th birthday party on the 4th, and it was a blast. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect. We now own a sandbox and swingset, so with the addition of the fence we're all set. I made a kick-ass cake (I'll try to post a picture) and Lily got a ton of fun stuff, including a Lite Brite. It's far less of a fire hazard than I remember. Everytime she talks about it she says "Lite Brite" in this hilarious high pitched sing-song way. As in: "I'm going to go play with my Liiiiite Briiiiite". I wish I could impart just how awesome it is. She also got a mom and toddler doll set for her doll house. She refers to them as "Mommy and Sweetie". Surprisingly, Lily shared her birthday balloons with her brothers, and let me tell you, there is no joy as pure as a pair of 15 month old boys holding Mylar balloons. I barely got cake, as I had two small vultures circling the whole time. Pat decided that he was going to take matters into his own pudgy hands by walking over to Lily and snatching her cake (well, the top layer) and smashing it into his face. She, of course, went apeshit. It was hysterical.
Did you know that Strawberry Shortcake now has a trendy haircut and multi-culti friends? Neither did I, but she's sporting "the Rachel" these days. She still looked cute as a cake topper!
Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
Everything is looking good post-op, healing nicely, and causing me no trouble. Per my plastic surgeon, I can do whatever I want to do exercise-wise. He advised me to take it slow with the running to start (duh...I'll be pretty slow after 5 weeks off). I asked about resistance training and was given the go ahead to begin whenever I felt ready.
I told my doctor about how much I hated being sedentary...the aches and pains and general badness I felt. I never thought I'd miss exercise so much, but it really made me feel healthy and alive. I've felt like an old woman these last 5 weeks (an old woman with bodacious boobs, but an old woman nonetheless). I put on my spankin' new Mizunos yesterday to walk at the Y and I almost teared up a little...they were so comfy and just felt like an old friend.
Is it weird to be so excited about exercise? I just don't know what to do first! My new cycling shoes arrived yesterday, and there should be a huge pile of awesome gear showing up this week. My trusty bicycle will be done at the shop soon! I'm taking myself for a run tomorrow for certain, and just need to decide when I want to start my cycle of P90X. I think I'll start with a nice mid-morning 2 miler...just a little jaunt around the neighborhood to test the waters. If I'm a lucky girl, I won't have lost ALL my fitness.
We started a little interdepartmental weight loss challenge at work this week. My goal is to drop 13lbs over the course of the 4 month competition. I will admit to a slight cheat. I puffed myself up a little by eating lunch and pounding 1.5L of water immediately before weighing in. I did not wear my hospital clogs, however. I thought that would be a little too much cheating :)
I'm pretty sure that being able to exercise again will cause me to drop weight like a bad habit. I've been able to keep from gaining being almost totally sedentary, so going back to healthier eating habits (less stringent calorie restriction) and amping up my workouts should do me good. I can't wait to feel normal again! I'm going to have a six pack by the winter, bitches.
We had Lily's 4th birthday party on the 4th, and it was a blast. The kids had a great time and the weather was perfect. We now own a sandbox and swingset, so with the addition of the fence we're all set. I made a kick-ass cake (I'll try to post a picture) and Lily got a ton of fun stuff, including a Lite Brite. It's far less of a fire hazard than I remember. Everytime she talks about it she says "Lite Brite" in this hilarious high pitched sing-song way. As in: "I'm going to go play with my Liiiiite Briiiiite". I wish I could impart just how awesome it is. She also got a mom and toddler doll set for her doll house. She refers to them as "Mommy and Sweetie". Surprisingly, Lily shared her birthday balloons with her brothers, and let me tell you, there is no joy as pure as a pair of 15 month old boys holding Mylar balloons. I barely got cake, as I had two small vultures circling the whole time. Pat decided that he was going to take matters into his own pudgy hands by walking over to Lily and snatching her cake (well, the top layer) and smashing it into his face. She, of course, went apeshit. It was hysterical.
Did you know that Strawberry Shortcake now has a trendy haircut and multi-culti friends? Neither did I, but she's sporting "the Rachel" these days. She still looked cute as a cake topper!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
I Am Bummed.
Found out this week that the half marathon weekend that Jamie and I had been planning won't be going down as planned. He won't be able to do the race because school gets out too late on Friday for him to make the drive. I am sad. We did this race when I was 14 weeks pregnant with the boys, and went back last year and both PRed. I was hoping to make it an annual thing, but we're losing this year. I was so looking forward to it, too. 4 days away...just us (and our friends). Now it'll be just me (and our friends).
So my consolation? When he's done with school we're going to Vegas for a week. By then I should be lean and mean. I already know where I want to stay :)
So my consolation? When he's done with school we're going to Vegas for a week. By then I should be lean and mean. I already know where I want to stay :)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I Did a Bad, Bad Thing
I bought $500 worth of cycling stuff.
I'm taking my road bike in for a "tune up" and a new set of tires. I am going to start bike commuting when my husband goes back to school, and I "needed" some new bike shorts, jerseys, etc. In my defense, I don't own any padded bike shorts, and if I'm going to be commuting 14 miles a day....well, I'll need the padding.
I'm kinda stoked about this. I have about 14lbs I'd like to drop in the next 3 - 4 months (I gained 5lbs from stress eating before my surgery), and 60ish miles of biking a week on top of my half marathon training schedule can't hurt. I'll be able to go back to eating normally again! Woo!
Bonus: Now that all my hanging bits are gone, I can really lean over the bike without banging my knees on my belly.
I plan to use swimming as cross training this winter, and all that cycling and running should put me in good enough shape to not want to crawl in a hole when people see me in a swimsuit.
So my dear husband is going to paramedic school starting August 19th. Our lives are about to get crazy. I'm sure he's going to do really well. He's a smart guy to begin with, and also very level headed. He's been an EMT for about 6 years now, and is itching to take that next step. His boss told him that if he fails pharmacology he's going to get a kick in the balls. (I'm a clinical pharmacist). I'm looking forward to helping him study and learning a few things myself.
On the child front, Lily (who will turn 4 on Saturday) managed to faceplant on our driveway and give herself a big blue knot on the bridge of her nose and road rash on her cheek. It's really awesome to take a bunch of banged up kids to the childcare center at the YMCA. "No, really, we don't beat them! I swear! She's just, um, clumsy! Yeah! Clumsy!" We got her a sandbox for her birthday. She's going to love it :)
I think the boys are getting teeth again because they are droooooooooooly and also craaaaaaaaabby. I can't wait until our fence is installed, the sandbox is filled, and the swingset is up. My ass is taking all those little jerks outside and letting them run wild until they collapse from exhaustion.
Incidentally, did you know that 2 fruit Newtons are ONE HUNDRED CALORIES?!?!?! I did not know that, and gave each of the boys about 6 of the damn things one night (which they greedily snarfed down and begged for more). That's 300 calories. That's a crazy lot for a 25lb kid.(Well...or a 160lb mommy. Not that I ate 6 of them. Or 10. Just sayin' is all.)
I'm taking my road bike in for a "tune up" and a new set of tires. I am going to start bike commuting when my husband goes back to school, and I "needed" some new bike shorts, jerseys, etc. In my defense, I don't own any padded bike shorts, and if I'm going to be commuting 14 miles a day....well, I'll need the padding.
I'm kinda stoked about this. I have about 14lbs I'd like to drop in the next 3 - 4 months (I gained 5lbs from stress eating before my surgery), and 60ish miles of biking a week on top of my half marathon training schedule can't hurt. I'll be able to go back to eating normally again! Woo!
Bonus: Now that all my hanging bits are gone, I can really lean over the bike without banging my knees on my belly.
I plan to use swimming as cross training this winter, and all that cycling and running should put me in good enough shape to not want to crawl in a hole when people see me in a swimsuit.
So my dear husband is going to paramedic school starting August 19th. Our lives are about to get crazy. I'm sure he's going to do really well. He's a smart guy to begin with, and also very level headed. He's been an EMT for about 6 years now, and is itching to take that next step. His boss told him that if he fails pharmacology he's going to get a kick in the balls. (I'm a clinical pharmacist). I'm looking forward to helping him study and learning a few things myself.
On the child front, Lily (who will turn 4 on Saturday) managed to faceplant on our driveway and give herself a big blue knot on the bridge of her nose and road rash on her cheek. It's really awesome to take a bunch of banged up kids to the childcare center at the YMCA. "No, really, we don't beat them! I swear! She's just, um, clumsy! Yeah! Clumsy!" We got her a sandbox for her birthday. She's going to love it :)
I think the boys are getting teeth again because they are droooooooooooly and also craaaaaaaaabby. I can't wait until our fence is installed, the sandbox is filled, and the swingset is up. My ass is taking all those little jerks outside and letting them run wild until they collapse from exhaustion.
Incidentally, did you know that 2 fruit Newtons are ONE HUNDRED CALORIES?!?!?! I did not know that, and gave each of the boys about 6 of the damn things one night (which they greedily snarfed down and begged for more). That's 300 calories. That's a crazy lot for a 25lb kid.(Well...or a 160lb mommy. Not that I ate 6 of them. Or 10. Just sayin' is all.)
Monday, June 27, 2011
An Ode to my New/Old Running Shoes
O Mizuno
How beautiful is your Wave Nirvana 6
How sprightly the colors
How happy the midsole
Shining and new
You arrive from Amazon.com
So much better than your version 7 sibling
With your failure to clip-clop clip-clop
Where shall we go
O Wave Nirvana 6?
What roads shall we conquer together?
My feet encased in gleaming silver mesh?
How I loved your forerunner
My flaming orange Nirvanas
They served me well in snow and mud
Then, reborn, live on as recycled track
I shall love you
I shall help you meet your destiny
You shall help me meet mine
O Wave Nirvana 6
How beautiful is your Wave Nirvana 6
How sprightly the colors
How happy the midsole
Shining and new
You arrive from Amazon.com
So much better than your version 7 sibling
With your failure to clip-clop clip-clop
Where shall we go
O Wave Nirvana 6?
What roads shall we conquer together?
My feet encased in gleaming silver mesh?
How I loved your forerunner
My flaming orange Nirvanas
They served me well in snow and mud
Then, reborn, live on as recycled track
I shall love you
I shall help you meet your destiny
You shall help me meet mine
O Wave Nirvana 6
My Brilliant Idea!
So as I was scrambling around for something to feed my ravenous spawn, I had an (brilliant!) idea. Perhaps (just perhaps), if I planned ahead (brilliant!), I wouldn't be so desperate for meal ideas all the time (brilliant!).
Oh, in case you're not getting it, I am totally referencing that Guiness commercial (brilliant!) from a few years back (brilliant!).
Anyway, I was surfing around Amazon and considering my many (many, many) cookbooks when this (brilliant!) idea dawned on me: If I buy a dry erase calendar, I could (gasp!) write my meals down in advance. This amazing plan would not only allow me to make a grocery list (brilliant!), but also allow my husband and me to both see what the children (well, and us) had for dinner on any given night. Meaning? Less repeating, and more actual meals vs. tossed together hodgepodges (brilliant!). So now my kitchen houses a spankin' new dry erase calendar. I went through my (many, many) cookbooks and made a list of about 12 recipes to sprinkle throughout the month. We'll try to find favorites, and rotate new meals in every month.
I'm excited! Because my life is crazy boring!
While I was surfing around Amazon, I also ordered myself a new running journal. I love running journals. I have kept them since I started running (all those many long...or 4...years ago), and they make me happy. I can see my training taking shape and can track how I'm progressing. It's like a regular journal, without all those stupid feelings. If you know me, you know I don't do feelings.
I have decided to give Hal Higdon's Intermediate training plan a go. It will begin on 7/25 for my 10/15 half (I'd put it on my race schedule ticker thing if I could figure out how). I'll be cleared to run on 7/6 and will just try to reclaim my cardiovascular base for 3 weeks, then start. This schedule should allow me to begin a cycle of P90X at the same time, since it calls for strength training several days a week. I wrote the whole damn thing in my fresh new training journal and I am seriously itching to begin. All this forced inactivity is making my just bats. So far, I plan to to the Jerebek Challenge in August, and I need to find a 5K and a 10K in the fall to round out my training plan.
I couldn't be happier with my surgical results. The steristrips are coming off and the incision looks really good. I should be able to start doing scar treatments after seeing my doc on 7/6, so I'm hoping by next summer I'll be rocking a two piece without self-conciousness.
And also? Brilliant!
Oh, in case you're not getting it, I am totally referencing that Guiness commercial (brilliant!) from a few years back (brilliant!).
Anyway, I was surfing around Amazon and considering my many (many, many) cookbooks when this (brilliant!) idea dawned on me: If I buy a dry erase calendar, I could (gasp!) write my meals down in advance. This amazing plan would not only allow me to make a grocery list (brilliant!), but also allow my husband and me to both see what the children (well, and us) had for dinner on any given night. Meaning? Less repeating, and more actual meals vs. tossed together hodgepodges (brilliant!). So now my kitchen houses a spankin' new dry erase calendar. I went through my (many, many) cookbooks and made a list of about 12 recipes to sprinkle throughout the month. We'll try to find favorites, and rotate new meals in every month.
I'm excited! Because my life is crazy boring!
While I was surfing around Amazon, I also ordered myself a new running journal. I love running journals. I have kept them since I started running (all those many long...or 4...years ago), and they make me happy. I can see my training taking shape and can track how I'm progressing. It's like a regular journal, without all those stupid feelings. If you know me, you know I don't do feelings.
I have decided to give Hal Higdon's Intermediate training plan a go. It will begin on 7/25 for my 10/15 half (I'd put it on my race schedule ticker thing if I could figure out how). I'll be cleared to run on 7/6 and will just try to reclaim my cardiovascular base for 3 weeks, then start. This schedule should allow me to begin a cycle of P90X at the same time, since it calls for strength training several days a week. I wrote the whole damn thing in my fresh new training journal and I am seriously itching to begin. All this forced inactivity is making my just bats. So far, I plan to to the Jerebek Challenge in August, and I need to find a 5K and a 10K in the fall to round out my training plan.
I couldn't be happier with my surgical results. The steristrips are coming off and the incision looks really good. I should be able to start doing scar treatments after seeing my doc on 7/6, so I'm hoping by next summer I'll be rocking a two piece without self-conciousness.
And also? Brilliant!
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