Progress

Proof Positive of the need to Succeed

2009-05-08T13:32:00.006-04:00

Oh look, I haven't been here for a while and have had some adventures in the meantime.
I just ran a 5k in Athens last Tuesday evening, in the rain I might add. Finished in 38:08 I think. Not a great time for me, but I haven't really been running much. I have been walking on the treadmill's incline, lots of stairs in the office building, biking in the basement, and most recently biking on the road. But not much running. I did donate to the cause and got a t-shirt. OH yeah and I was the 3rd place Female Alumni finisher. How do you like that "trophy" a coffee mug and ribbon. I like the idea, normal trophys are kinda cluttery. This ribbon I can hang on the wall of my cubicle with the rest of my memorabilia.

Good thing there were only three of us, because I was also last in the runners overall. I am pretty good at finishing last and I figure someone has to do it. Not that I actually "try" to be last, but somehow it seems to work out that way. Funny thing that night was that all of the people I know at these races are all pretty good runners. They were all winning awards for their age groups and here I am just enjoying the fun of them winning - with one hope the Alumni awards - and it paid off!
This photo is also indicative of how much work I have to do yet. YUCK. Where did that person come from. I have said it before on here, that isn't the person I see in my head. I really need to make some changes.
Come on out to Bluestone State Park this Saturday at 9am when we are having a 5k. Beautiful and challenging course. Check out the link on the right.

#3 Winter Club Run at Pipestem

2009-03-29T16:08:00.005-04:00

Yay me! I finished Pipestem in 36 minutes and 55 seconds! My best Pipestem time ever. Timewise I did better last weekend, but I am pretty happy with this one. I haven't really been running much, so I hope that when I do increase my road time my speed might pick up. My run time doesn't really matter as long as I keep finding new and lower numbers on the scale.
Oneninetynine is on the way.

Overweight NOT Obese!

2009-03-21T14:44:00.008-04:00

Ok, that is a crazy title, but stay with me, it is great.
I have been running off and on, mostly off, but with ambition. Last year I ran the High Rocks Celtic Knot 5k. I weighed about 223 pounds and finished the short race (it was 2.9 miles instead of 3.1) in about 35 min and 11 seconds. That shortage might not seem like a lot, but I did some math and figure that on a good day that means the extra distance would have probably taken me about 2 1/2 minutes to finish. That adjustment makes my finish time modified to at least 37 min and 41 seconds.

This year I ran the Celtic knot weighing 213 and by my watch I finished a full 3.1 in 36 min and 36 seconds - a full minute faster. Yay, me!
Where does the Overweight NOT Obese part come in? According to my Wii scale - 214 is where my BMI changes from Obese to Overweight. I made that transition last Monday and have been holding off on believing it until the week was over, but now I know it is the real thing! Yay me somemore!
Now I need to keep it up. The weather seems to be getting better and I am looking forward to a good bike ride. I am even interested in getting back into some hayfield running. We had to put a new road in through the back woods a few weeks ago. The idea of running on it has my interest. It isn't a long road, but it has a nice climb and leads out to our hayfield. I can circle it when the cows aren't in the field, but they are on the way and they will probably take up napping on the nice shaded and cool dirt of that road, so no luck there.
Either way, biking, running, or climbing the hills it will be a new twist for my fitness plans so I ought to drop a few pounds until my metabolism catches on to my sneaky plan. I hope so anyway.

Tired Days

2009-02-27T09:32:00.000-05:00

I have seen Twofifteen and it needs a nap!
Thursdays are my tired day. On that day, by the time I climb the 3 flights of stairs to the floor that holds my work space, I have been running, biking, walking and stair climbing for at least 4 days. This week that includes 18 miles of biking, 4 miles of running, a bit of walking and 2160 stair steps. All on less than 1800 calories. (I am trying to whittle that down to 1600, but I don't like being cranky, either does FabHub). So on Thursday mornings I am tired. This week it finally paid off.I got on the scale this morning and saw 215. I know it won't last, this is just the morning low point. Tomorrow will probably be 216 again, but that is normal. I know that a low number will bounce about two pounds and then come down to a new low number, which will bounce back up and then come down again. It has been happening for 15 pounds in the last 2 months, I am starting to depend on the bounce.
So how did I celebrate on Friday? I biked another 7 miles. Now I need a shower and then I am going shopping for a chainsaw chain and some groceries and then baking up some pepperoni rolls for Saturday's crew lunch. We have a bulldozer coming to cut a road so the guys can get some storm damaged trees out of the woods behind the house. While they are doing that I will be climbing around in the woods watching and taking picutres (check my other blog for those). I will probably also end up stacking the branch trimmings, but that is a good healthy outdoor workout. Sunday I think I will take that nap - oh wait, I said I would run a 5k in town if it is above 35 degrees. I might not bounce this week!

January - End of the Month Update

2009-02-01T14:32:00.005-05:00

When we got back from Christmas at Mom's with the treadmill, FabHub and I were both in bad shape. We had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and Mom's cooking, but it had begun to show. Badly. What didn't help was that it rained every day that we were there so it really killed my plans to run and burn up some of those calories.
Since then we have been getting up every morning and walking, running, or biking. We also do some of the Wii Fit exercises, but mostly use the Wii for its tracking capabilities. I am using SparkPeople to keep track of my calories and FH's too recently. We are both a lot more conscious of what we eat. I even look at restaurant menus and come up with a good dinner plan for us before we go. I don't force the issue though. Sometimes you gotta enjoy life.
So, what kind of results do we have? In the month's time FabHub is down 15 pounds and I am down 10 pounds. If I could manage to let go of about 3 pounds instead of playing yo-you with them I might be further along, but it will straighten out.
What analysis do I have on our weight loss? Well, according to Wii we seem to gain weight on Tuesday and/or Wednesday. Compare that with SP nutrition and I see that on Monday or Tuesday we usually have a somewhat big dinner. We eat good on the weekends too, but due to the extra work Bill does on the farm and my long run/walks we burn off more than usual so it makes up for it. Thursday and Friday are usually down days too. Awareness is the key to further success. We are aware so we will do better.
The search for my buddy Oneninetynine continues. Those analysis numbers will follow as soon as I reach the first partial goal.
Keep moving, it can only help!

Exercise and Diet Works

2009-01-25T18:24:00.004-05:00

The changes, they have begun. No not those changes, this isn't a place for political talk. The changes I am talking about are for FabHub and me. We have been exercising for two and a half months now and are finally starting to see the scale move. Put in the work and eat right and all will be good. An old story, but one that is so hard to keep following.
I have been keeping track of miles completed on my basement bike and treadmill to motivate myself. I have also been doing at least one Spark People video a day. Together it is working. FH has been using the treadmill and other Wii stuff every morning for his workouts. Both of us are finding our clothes fit better and watching the numbers drop on the Wii's BMI scale. Good news is I am almost done with being Obese and am within a few pounds of being Overweight! I guess I broke that threshold last summer, but didn't know it at the time and then I lost it anyway. FH still has a way to go on that chart, but he is doing great too.
It is very evident by our weight increases and decreases that we eat pretty much the same thing. When his weight goes up, so does mine. When my weight goes down, so does his. So, we are having success and seeing some progress. It will continue.
I am looking forward to the day it is warm enough that I can take my new road bike out. All of these basement miles should have me in good shape for that.
Running has been difficult for the last few weeks. I put on a few pounds over the holidays and it really slowed me down. I never ran much anyway, but that extra weight... so I have been walking and doing minimal amounts of running. Today I spent a lot of time on the treadmill and did some jogging intervals. It went pretty well so now I will start building miles again. I have a 5k in March to improve upon. I might even get FH to join me. The trick will be keeping him from beating me!

Wii and Mii

2009-01-04T13:32:00.003-05:00

I started my day with the Wii telling me that it is Sunday and I should take the day off. HA - I will take the advise for the most part. I still have to complete the 10 minute video challenge from SparkPeople, but am saving that for when FabHub goes to do the farm chores.
Originally, I didn't like the running in place aerobics part of the Wii and I still don't, but I have figured out how to combine it with the treadmill. I just use the remote receiver near the treadmill and run with the Wii Mii. I am even learning a good habit. I don't normally swing my arms enough, but I have to for the movement to register on the Wii. I am not sure if there is an equal level between swings of the arm and step of the feet, but I do know that I am moving more than if I was doing nothing.
I use the Wii yoga and strength training to stretch and then the step aerobics to warm up and then the Free Run mode on Wii to run and walk my way through whatever amount of minutes I want to do. All about the accountability.

Fitness for Christmas

2008-12-31T19:30:00.007-05:00

OK we have no more excuses. We eat; therefore we need to get fit.
A few months ago we bought a Wii. Then we got the Wii Fit. FabHub has been very good about using the Fit even on the weekends. I on the other hand have been using it too during the week, but weekends are more for the games than the Fit. FH has also been doing more of the aerobics, but I don't really like that feature and switched to non-Wii running, walking, and bike riding. I still do the yoga stretches and some of the strength stuff while remaining accountable to the Fit scale and graphs, which by the way are not very happy at the moment.
Over Christmas we sort of went nuts. Academy Sports had our favorite shoes, Asics 2130s on sale, FH actually found some in his 4EEEE size! So now he has a pair for around town and one to be fit in. I already have a pair and am using last years model for casual use.
Then we looked at the treadmills available in the local stores. The sports store had lots of fitness apparel, but their selection of fitness equipment in the treadmill department seems to be on the low-end of the scale. Kind of wobbly, narrow belts, light weight frames, and electronics. The prices were all under $1000, but maybe should be more under $500. The other store option that we could find was Sears. They had the Nordic Tracs on sale, and the T7 Si won us over.
Wide and long belt, solid construction, nothing wobbled, good feel to the electroics, and a nice salesman. Load it up! Why buy it? Well, it seems my concerns about the Fit aerobics have been heard. FH wants to start being more mobile and the treadmill will put some forced effort into that plan. Personally, I like the idea of being able to mix up my early morning bike rides with a run or uphill hike, so this will work very nicely.
I really thought that was the end of our shopping adventure, but then FH says, let's go to the bike store and get my birthday present too. Oh Boy! The guys are going to call me crazy on this one. This is another area where the sports store seems to be low end. Most of their models are similar to another more popular store's selection.
The local bike shop carries a couple of brands - Giant and Specialized. Jimmy, the owner, first talked us through the different types of bikes and their materials. Then he threw in some prices and since we didn't run screaming into the night he showed me some models. I liked the Giant FCR 3, road bike mixed with mountain bike.

Light frame, road tires, flat bar, low gears, and strong brakes. It was almost closing time and though I know he would have stayed late, I wanted to do some research and told him we would be back on Monday. He probably thought we were not serious.
I looked up the Giant and found the price he quoted fair with other specialty stores. Then I went to the website the guys bought their road and tri bikes on and compared the specs with what was available there. The quick look I got showed that the price was less than $100 different. Plus Jimmy would make sure I got the right size and tune it up everytime I bring it to town. So we went back to the bike shop on Monday and bought me a bike.
Oh yeah, a while back I bought some Pearl Izumi bike shoes on a nice clearance sale. I like these shoes because they have recessed clips. The tread on them is deep enough that with if I have to get off the bike and walk I can without having the metal clip protuding under the ball of my foot. They even have some flex in the toe area to make walking or a little running possible. They are really classified as mountain bike shoes, but they were great for me. Now I just have to figure out how to use. It has been too cold to even think about going out there and trying them out.

The new bike had regular pedals and when Jimmy found out I was interested in changing to clipless, he threw in the Shimano pedals. Yes his mark up was obviously plenty. I am happy though. These replace the normal pedals. The shoes have clips on the bottom that snap into the spring loaded brackets on the pedals. They can also be loosened so that I can practice releasing myself. What good are they? Since they attach the shoe to the pedal it lets a person pull up on the pedal. That way there is power both by pushing down and pulling up. Might help me with the hills too. I know I will need it. Jimmy also told me to take it slow at getting used to that, it is a workout on the legs.

He also gave me a lesson on shifting and since I won't be able to come back in a month, how to adjust the cables if they stretch. I took it out in Mom's neighborhood when we got back to the house. I need to learn when to change gears, but I did manage to climb the hill without getting out of the seat. My hills seem possible now!
So what has happened since we got home? Day one and the treadmill has about 2 hours on the clock. It is just as we had hoped. Solid frame and plenty of motor to keep us moving and climbing. The bike is lounging in the garage for a few days yet. We had snow and very cold air temps today. I am looking forward to the first sunny and dry day.
Now if we can get the food intake sorted out we might actually get fit!

Starting Point, again

2008-11-14T07:09:00.005-05:00

Hello Again, Long time no visit. I haven't been overly active on the outside of the web either. I had a race on the 1st, that was the Pumpkin Run at Pipestem. I got the motivation to train for that the week before it happened and so I ran a few miles that week. I did better than any previous runs, but still not very good. I finished 4th in my age group. If I can knock 7 minutes off of my time I might win it next year! LOL
This past week I turned on the motivation and treadmill ran on Mon and Wed, lifted weights on Tue and Thurs and did Wii Fit every single day. We bought that Fit board Sunday, Hubby wanted it, so he is using it too. Saturday I plan to run in town.
I have a new picture to share.

A couple things about it the picture:
One - I know it isn't that flattering with that muffin top, but I have seen worse, hopefully in a couple of months I can post an update with a better look.
Two - it is my own design.
In case you can't see it, the design is a stick figure runner in the background and the print says "I Eat; Therefore I Run"

I designed it in Paint, went to Cafe Press and put it on a shirt. Then I ordered two of them. One for me and one for my friend in Germany... if she is reading this - oops. Merry Christmas - look for a package.
So anyway, I am starting again, wish me luck!

Pumpkin Run 2008

2008-11-01T16:37:00.003-04:00

The 31st annual Pumpkin Run has proven to be a great measure of fitness once again. In my case, not so much. I did take a full two minutes off of my run from last year, but once again I have left myself with plenty of room for improvement. I finished the 5k in 37 minutes and 23 seconds. Not really bad for me, so I am happy.
I haven't been doing much running until this week when I "crammed" for the race. On Tuesday I walked a miles, ran 2 miles, and then walked a mile on the treadmill. On Wednesday I walked a quarter mile, ran 2 3/4 miles, and then walked a mile on the treadmill again. Today, Saturday, I ran a mile walked some uphill, ran about a mile, walked some uphill and then ran the last part. I should have done better, but I felt good that I finished before any of the 10k runners caught me this year. Some of those guys are fast! I noticed something too, lots of the people who beat me are carrying a lot less weight around. Maybe I should try that approach, lose weight and run faster. LOL
So, I have made progress on this particular race. Maybe I can keep up the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday schedule and have a bunch of progress on the next race too.

New Adventures in Fitness

2008-10-05T14:21:00.006-04:00

I am trying a new way of getting fit, bike riding.

This bike is as old as it may look, but it is my try out version. I am trying some routes that are in my area to see if I can ride them comfortably. I don't really mind casual uphills, but long casual down hills still bother me. I will keep looking and maybe getting more relaxed about the down hills. If I continue to ride I will look into getting something different, but until then it is a good workout.

I got the bike for free from a guy at work and made a few changes. I cleaned and painted, changed the tires, raised the seat, and played with the gears to know how they work. I haven't ever really had a 10 speed before. I had a 3 speed back in the old Minnesota days, so this is something new.

Besides that I actually ran another 5k yesterday. I finished in 37 minutes, which is my average these days. If I worked at it more I would do better, but well... that takes more training than I seem to do. The Pumpkin Run is on November 1st. I want to run the 10k, but I will probably stay with the 5k and try to get a better time. Either way, I need to keep working on losing weight. I have gotten used to being where I am, so it is time for another drop.
Thanks for checking in on me.

Fair 5K

2008-08-02T10:55:00.005-04:00

I ran the Mercer County Fair 5K this morning. Well, most of it anyway. I need to run more often is all there is to it. The fact that I showed up and ran it, finishing last in 0:39:02 ought to count for something. It is Sunday morning now, I just saw the results. I really appreciate the rest of the race participants waiting for Betty and I to finish since most of them crossed the line several minutes before we did. The course has lots of cross country elements, grassy fields and hills, a dirt path through the woods, a bit of gravel, all mixed with some track, pavement, and sidewalk made for a pretty tough run in my book. Oh and don't forget the rain, but even I finished before that got bad and we moved the trophy awards inside, so it wasn't a big problem. I got a trophy too, 3rd place in my age group. Yes there were only three of us. It is funny, I finished last and got a trophy, some of those kids who were so speedy didn't. I will be back and in better condition next year. Hey at least I have lots of room for improvement.
The worst part of the whole thing was the way the Mercer County Fair directors handled the parking. Their plan was to collect $8 from everyone who came on the property. That $8 was to pay for parking and entrance to all the main events i.e. the tractor pull, rodeo, and lawn mower races.
Well, when we saw they were charging parking for the people who were participating in the 5k it got messy. So then they said ok, just pay for the people who are not running, but came along to watch. That was insane too! It was even crazy to charge the Pancake breakfast people. We were already paying a premium to particpate in the race and breakfast and nothing else was even happening that early. Just don't stamp our hands and expect a little honor among people who decided to stay. I mean really, who was going to come at 7am to run or eat and stay all day long anyway? There really isn't much to do at the fair in the first place!
OK rant is over, but give me a chance to voice this again and I will. There is a lot of work into putting together these races and they don't need the property to cause a problem that is this dumb.
Besides that we enjoyed the rodeo last night. Except for the really wet pink stamp on our hands that really had no purpose since everyone had to get one! Check my other blog for some video of the rodeo later on this weekend.

Humidity

2008-07-31T21:37:00.003-04:00

I have discovered another advantage to living in Germany. The humidity level seems to be far below what we have here in WV.
Jen and I ran twice while I was there. When I got done I was tired, but not soaked in sweat like I have been the two times I have run since being home.
Billy and I walked miles every day that we were there, well just about anyway. I can't walk over to feed Poochy without noticing the heat.
Crazy.
A couple of days ago I was going to run after work, but walked outside my office and changed my plans. I went on home and then at about 7pm headed out to the hayfields with the dogs. We were all tired after that one.
I really noticed it tonight. Billy dropped me off at Concord while he went over to his Mom's. I spent about an hour finishing 4 miles or so and when I caught up with Billy... I was soaked.
Well, that is enough of that.
Saturday at 8am I will be running a 5k at Pikeview High School on their cross country course. That will be sort of new. I run the hayfields all the time, but never a cross country race.
Wish me luck.

Running In Germany

2008-07-18T11:09:00.009-04:00

Yes I did. I brought my running shoes with me because somehow when I got started with this running thing I inspired my friend Jenny to start getting fit too. She never thought she would start running either, but she had the same experience I did. Walking is good, but running burns calories faster and gets you home faster.

Besides that, with these paths to run on who wouldn't! There are paths running all over the area behind the town that she lives in.
The first day we went out we covered about 3 miles. It was a nice rolling route, we walked and ran and walked and ran. Very nice.
The second time I went out with her we did about the same distance I guess, but it was a really long slight downhill run. We just kept going and going and going. Then we walked up to the ridge again and then ran down into town.
I should have gone out a third time, but that was the day before we left and I was really worn out. Fabulous hubby and I walked a lot on our zippy trips around Germany and the Czech Republik. It was a wonderful trip.

A quick warm up walk on this uphill, winding gravel path that leads from the town took us out into the open between the farmer's fields.

Running on these roads was great, I would have preferred my trail shoes to road shoes though. The gravels can be a pain in the foot.

The starting point for our runs after the warm up walk was by the tree line in the upper right quarter of this picture. Then we would come down this paved piece of road to an intersection where we would turn a gravel road again and head back up the hill winding to the left of this awesome scenery.

When we got back up to the top of the ridge line again there are several paths leading into just about any environment you want to run in. Stay in the open between the fields on gravel or switch to pavement.

Or do like we did and head down the gravel paths into the woods. This section is actually pretty open compared to some we ran. The tree top cover was so thick in one area it provided a permanent shade. In others the underbrush was really thin, but tree covered.
Really a great place to run.

I also went to the base fitness center with her one day. They have all sorts of equipment. Including a StairMaster, which has steps that roll like an escalator. You have to keep moving. I used one of those in Saudi Arabia, but hadn't seen one since then. I would like to have one to use around here!

All the walking and running pretty much held off the schnitzel, pommes (fries), and pastries so all is good. Oh, and the beer, lots of beer. Now I just need to get started again.

Taking Off

2008-06-29T10:20:00.005-04:00

Ok June has been pretty sad in the running perspective, but great in the maintenance area.
I ran a little the first week of the month, I did 2 miles on a treadmill each of two day during a business trip - nothing better to clear the mind than running a little bit. I would have run further, but I ran out of time - I had a half hour, but that is how fast I run. Ha. Then I had no reason but laziness for the next two week. On the maintenance side I am doing fine, no weight gain and I feel good. I figure if I can maintain without trying to hard I am doing pretty good.
Now the month is over and we are on the way to an awesome vacation. I am bringing my running shoes, partly because other than my walking sandals they are a better option than the other shoes I have for long walks. The other reason is that my friend Jen has also started running and I really want to check out the paths she has been using. She knows what my hayfields look like - though we weren't actually "using" them back then. Now I want to see what she has available for running and walking.
Since I haven't been doing much lately I won't expect too much of myself, but I love the idea of being able to do something active like that to help compensate for the beer and schnitzel that are coming my way. woo hoo!

Swimming in Georgia

2008-05-31T11:07:00.003-04:00

We went to Mom's in Georgia last weekend to spend some time with her away from our house and catch up on some maintenance things that need to be done. Saturday morning I headed outside to run the circle in her neighborhood. You may recall I did this at Christmas too, or attempted to I should say. While the road next to her house is pretty flat, when I get to the part that makes the big circle, there is a long downhill on one side and a short steep uphill on the other side. I didn't do much running on that road in December.
This time I went out and ran the first mile in about 11 minutes, What? How did I do that? The second mile was done in about 12 minutes. Still not believable. I was done with those two mile in about 24 minutes. I just looked at my watch as if it were crazy, and walked the last mile. Why did I walk? Because I had just gotten to the steep hill again and had hit my limit in that climate.
I think the reason I was running so well was that I was moving at a quicker pace than usual. Previously I had concentrated on just keeping myself moving, which usually meant about a 13 minute mile or so. Now I have been putting more effort into meeting a pace of between 11 and 12 minutes. That has improved my 5K time. The only problem is I want to do a 10K so I need to start adding miles on to that. Good news is the hayfields are getting cut so I will be able to run out there for a few weeks until it gets tall again. That is a really good work out so I can't wait to get started on it.
Now what about the title of this blog? Running in Georgia at 7:30 am is not like running in West Virginia at the same time. In WV you have to stay off the grass or you feet will be soaked. In Georgia the ground is dry, but the air is thick with humidity. When I got back to the house after that run I walked in and Mom asked me if I had run through a sprinker, my skin and hair were soaked. It took about 15 minutes for me to cool down enough to take a shower. I also proved the value of dry wicking clothing, my shirt didn't hardly show any moisture at all and my feet were dry. Doesn't mean I would have gone out to the store right then, but wasn't like cotton that is for sure. Well that was swimming in Georgia. Who needs a pool?

Roth 5K and Bluestone Run

2008-05-13T21:32:00.005-04:00

I just realized I hadn't commented on the Roth 5k that I ran last Tuesday evening!
There were a LOT of people at that race. I finished 79th with all but one of the walkers behind me - but that guy isn't natural! So there must have been a good 125 people.
This was the first time I ran this course on a clock and my time of 37:46 was a few seconds faster than the other 5Ks I have finished. The more acccurate scale of how I am progressing is that in October I ran those same streets and it took me 42 minutes by my watch and I was in pretty worn out shape too. At that time I could barely consider running in public. I never figured I would use the main road to run into town. I spent most of my time in the hayfields.
Contrast that with my latest project.
I am working with some other people on a fund raising 5K at Bluestone SP that will run on 21 June. MP scouted out the route for us a few weeks ago, he and KT ran it last week and evaluated it at a 7 out of 10. I ran it after work today. There is a "speed bump" in the road and MP expects me to fuss at him about it, but you know what? It was great!! I managed to run the whole thing, very slowly on the long up hill, but I wasn't walking.
Kind of curious about how I had to walk some at the Roth and was able to just keep 'not walking' today all by myself out on the back roads of Bluestone. Maybe it is just easier to give in to the walk when other people do too. I don't know. I do know that it was very nice to finish that run today in a decent time. I hadn't seen the route before, but now that I have I know that we are going to have a great event in June. I also know that we need lots of signs!

Starting Over

2008-05-04T13:06:00.002-04:00

I read a blog post by someone who said she was going to try and kick start a platue by starting over. I think I will give that approach a try too. I spent the winter stuck at 225 and now I have been at 218 for a couple weeks.
I know that the problem is my own, I eat more than I should and haven't been very consistant with my workouts - lots of excuses, but all my own doing. I am pretty happy with where I am now, shopping in the "normal" size versus the "plus" size department is great! Though I haven't really bought much because I am right onthe edge and want to get further from that border.
So the new plan. I started this whole thing last July by walking the stairs at the office, I can do that again. Every day I already bypass the elevator, but now I will target the 60 steps to the parking garage and back up at least once every hour. It only takes a couple of minutes and works my quads so I can balance out my legs.
I will run more consistantly. I have been disappointing myself because I don't run faster, which is silly. I can run one 12 minute mile, but any more than that and my average is more like 13 minutes. I think that I still need to lose 20 pounds before I can speed up much. I really don't want to damage anything.
I will continue step aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday. OOH! Except for this week, I have a 5k to run in Athens Tuesday night, the Roth Memorial. Other than that though... I have already changed my routine for those nights, now I do a nice low-range aerobic run/walk before step class and burn lots of calories!
And finally I will eat less for dinner. I am usually not hungry anyway, I just eat too much.
That is the plan - oh and by the way, if anyone is in Southern West Virginia on June 21st come out to Bluestone State Park before 9am and run our new 5k. It is a Relay for Life event. If you don't run I can put you to work monitoring a corner or something. It will be a great time! bluestoneriverwild5k.blogspot.com/

The Payoff!

2008-04-12T10:15:00.004-04:00

I had 4 really motivating things happen in the last week.
First was a relative commenting that I am "wasting away". Kinda funny since I am still over 200 pounds, but I am down 15 pounds since the last time she saw me in September when I could just walk 3 miles, now I can run those miles!
Second was another relative commenting that people can tell when someone is working out because their body transforms and shows the changes. I said thank you.
Third is a clothing relation to those comments.
I wanted to go watch a basketball game at the school. I pulled out my old trusty cotton blouses and realized (Finally! some people might say) that it was too big. So I got a different one, too big. I looked at the available options and saw one that I hadn't tried in a while. It fit! The significance of this is that the blouses that were too big - I bought them when I started job hunting after the Air Force in the summer 1994. I have been wearing them ever since, they were actually a little too small at one point. The blouse that fit - I do not recall EVER wearing it since living in this state. Certainly not since I bought the other ones. 14 years! But it fits now!
Fourth continues that line of fun.
I shopped in Belk's yesterday and not in the Women's department! I have never bought anything more than socks there. Their clothing is very nice quality, but I never liked anything they had in the W department. Though as you can tell, I don't shop for new clothes often.
What did I get at Belk's?
I bought a short sleeved sweater in size XL - ok not tiny, but that was a Ladies XL not a 1X or 2X.
I bought a button up woven blouse in size 16! The 18 was TOO BIG!
The funniest part was that there seemed to be something off in the store's register because the sweater was on 25% sale and started at $50, well I got it for $1.98. I love it!
The plan for today is to clean out the closet, again. If it is too big out of there! I have a few things to wear now and a few that are still a little small. Good thing I don't worry about fashion either, some of those clothes have some age on them. Rarely worn though. Mostly purchased during the weight gain days. It doesn't matter, they will fit again.
I am smiling! I hope you are too. Keep moving everybody!

Finding New Ground

2008-04-01T21:51:00.002-04:00

I have been waiting and working slowly all winter long for this to happen and I have had success. I BROKE THROUGH TO THE TEENS! 218 for two days in a row.

I saw it coming and supported the goal by running 3 miles on Sunday, running 2 miles and walking 1 mile on Monday, and an hour of Step Aerobics on Tuesday. Now I need to keep those numbers rolling down the scale.

Challenges coming this week. One of my project managers is coming to the office Wednesday, that means lunch out at the BBQ place. I will be running after work and have cereal for dinner I guess.

Thursday I begin an out of office project, I have no idea what will happen there. I plan to go check out a different fitness center since I will be in town for the next couple of months. That should be interesting.

My sister-in-law is visiting from out of town for the weekend, that means dinner out at the steak house on Friday. They should have something light on the menu, but will I order it? Friday is my day off from running, but I plan to do some stairwell laps during breaks.

Saturday is a family picnic. I can be moderate, especially when I want to run a hard loop in town afterwards.

Sunday will be a long easy run in the hayfields. Okay there is nothing easy in the hayfields, but I can keep my heart rate in a middle zone and be good.

So anyway, this week will be a challenge, but those will happen forever to come. We just keep dealing with it. Goal for next week - 216.

Girl Power

2008-03-30T16:21:00.004-04:00

Today was a club 5k run at Pipestem. Only 3 of us members showed up to run and none were men. It was about 32 degrees out so I am sure that had a lot to do with the low turn out. I finished last again, but set a Personal Record on this course - 37:18. Two minutes and 8 seconds faster than when I ran the same course in November. WOOHOO for me!
As for the run, it was cold. The other two ladies started in front of me and slowly gained distance, but they looked back to check on me every now and then. I am just slow. As I was running I set mini goals.
Make it to the top of the hill, now just jog down the other side.
The mountain bike race people are watching, don't stop!
Make it to the horse barn, now the top of the hill isn't so far away and just keep running down the other side.
Run to the turn around, now it is a lot of down hill so keep going.
There are the bike people again, don't stop now either!
Big hill now, but you ran this far, now it is flat and then a down hill.
One last up hill, fast isn't important, just keep running.
33 minutes! Now it is all down hill you are going to beat your PR!
Did It!
Girl Power is awesome!
And now there are snowflakes in the air.

Earlier this week I had a pretty good run in the hayfields. I did 8 laps of the barn field, which totals out to about 5 miles. I ran around three sides and then cut up the middle to the tree, walked a bit and then ran around to the tree again. I did that trip five times and then walked a lap and then ran two more. The dogs all went swimming in the middle of it, but they stayed with me for the most part. Poochy was cutting corners toward the end though.

After writing all of that, I am thinking I should be able to run 4 miles straight out if I can find a nice flat route for the first attempt. Might get crazy and map out a flat 5 just in case I feel good.
That is it for this week. Keep moving everybody.

Competition Brings on Real Running

2008-03-15T20:42:00.002-04:00

Today was the High Rocks Celtic Knot 5k. The knot part is right! The race winds and twists through the streets of Lewisburg. The promo said "a flat race with one big hill". There was very little flat, unless you consider that the long uphills were on level streets. The one big hill - big is a word for it. Monstrous is another. I walked half of that one and another hill that I couldn't force myself to run and finished in 35 minutes 11 seconds. 4 minutes and 15 seconds faster than my last race. There is some dispute that the milage was only 2.9 miles - maybe a certain GPS needs calibrated? Or maybe the route was a little short. Even if you add in a couple minutes to make up the missing portion I did better than last time. So all is good, I am running more than I am walking these days.

Next big race is a 10k (6.2 miles) in May. That means next weekend while I plan to complete 8 miles, I need to run at least 4 of them to build up for that race. I should be able to add another mile 2 weeks later and another 2 weeks after that, if not sooner. Might be aggressive due to the amount of weight I still need to lose, but it has to be attempted.

I also have to be able to finish a Half Marathon (13 miles) in September. It will be hot. All I can say is I am not afraid to walk some of that one. I am hoping for a freak cold front to go through Ohio that weekend. Since I am not relying on that hope I am requiring myself to lose at least 25 more pounds and I need to run in the sun. Hmmm running with sleeves warms me up in 40 degree weather, ought to consider that for this summer. With plenty of water stashed around the hayfields of course.

I have a lot of work to do, but I Believe it can be done!

How to have a GREAT Run and Still Mess Up

2008-03-08T15:30:00.003-05:00

Warning, do not attempt the following experiment without first consulting some common sense! That is the part that I neglected.

First step - Accept a challenge to see what happens when you just don't stop running.
Then go out for a run with no water on a beautiful 55 degree March afternoon.
Then have a Great run, but don't stop running (ok, just for a quarter mile or so if you pushed too hard) no matter how slow you are going, just don't walk.
Really enjoy the run, even the hills, because when you come over the top and get to stretch the legs out again on the flat or down hill you will feel great.
After you have completed 3.5 miles (45 minutes, woohoo) you can stop, but don't go for a nice cool down walk or drink anything like water or Gatorade, just feed the dog, and go in the house where the wood stove is putting out some really nice, dry heat.
Then take a shower and eat dinner
If you have the result that I did within 2 hours you will have a migraine like headache and be nauseated for the rest of the night. You will also lose 4 pounds, which come back quickly the next day.

It was a great run. I was amazed with myself and am looking forward to running the 5k in Lewisburg next weekend - hopefully it won't be snowing like it is today. Thursday was that 55 degree day, Friday was about 45 and right now it is 25. It is a wonder we aren't all sick!

Disappearing Pounds

2008-03-02T18:19:00.003-05:00

My system seems to be giving in to the pressure. Finally! Slowly but surely the pounds are disappearing. I expect it has something to do with the new exercise program I am doing, but whatever it is I love the sight of new numbers on the scale! It makes me happy! I can't wear any new clothes yet, but they are just a couple of weeks away.
This week I lifted every day at work, did some walking, went to step aerobics on Thursday, rode the bike Friday, and ran the hayfields Sunday. Next week will be more of the same, except I want to do step class on Tuesday and Thursday. That class really works the sides of my legs and hips. My coordination might even get better if I have any luck.
The dogs were dragging by the end again. They kept moving though, just like me.

Wog a Day

2008-02-24T20:22:00.003-05:00

Oh boy. I should probably not Wog (walking/jogging) 7 miles after having a week of excuses. I kept my calories down pretty well, but between being unable to run and water issues at the house, I completed ZERO MILES. Bad, bad, bad, but sort of unavoidable. I did lift weights though. So today my running club had a training 5k scheduled in town. I decided to walk the two miles to town and participate. Trying to be Green! Why drive when it is "just" 2 miles?! Well, I was 10 minutes late, but I did jump in the run and completed enough to feel good about it. THEN I went another 3/4 of a mile away from home to get a Sunday paper, which was not available (argh) and then I walked home again. By the time I got to the house, I was one tired fat lady. Tomorrow may be painful. Oh boy.

Dry Weather

2008-02-18T19:51:00.003-05:00

We had a few days of dry weather that finally allowed the hayfields to dry out enough for me to run out there again. The dogs and I headed out for an enjoyable afternoon of chasing each other around the hills. And it was enjoyable at that. It was also a lot of work. These last few weeks have been on either the track or paved roads. Grass is easily a tougher workout. I was good though.
The dogs were pretty tired by the time we got done. They might run around a lot, but continuosly for an hour was more than they wanted to do. They started to run ahead of me and lie down until I caught up. It was funny to see.
I got started later than I should have so my run time ran into Bill's time to feed the cows and since his help is laid up at the moment I planned to help. It was kind of odd to find myself jogging from the barn to the 4 wheeler, move it with the trailer of hay and then jog from there to the gate. Then I jogged around the graveyard while Bill unrolled the bale before I could close the gate again. Then jog back to the 4 wheeler. Hey, it was faster than walking! Once I get started I am fine. Somedays, I just don't get started. LOL
My weight has started to drop again. I don't know if it is a good thing, but my calorie needs have dropped too, it is almost common for me to be near the bottom of my range instead of the top. That is all okay in my opin. Keep moving everybody.

Cross Training

2008-02-15T07:27:00.004-05:00

This week I started a couple of new attacks on my weight loss goal. My basic plan has me running easy on Monday, tempo or speed on Wednesday, and long on Saturday. The in-between days are for cross training and I have been having a hard time doing much at all. Even now I am thinking I should do a good long bike ride this morning, but... well I need to finish this don't I?
So anyway, the local paper had an ad for the Wellness Center and included that they have a Tae Bo class on Tuesday and a Step Aerobics class on Thursday. I made plans to participate in both of them. I am also lifting light weights in the fitness room during 20 minutes of lunch.
And then the weather changed my plans. It was going to be extra cold Wednesday (ended up being 26 degrees) so I moved my mid-week run to Tuesday since it was about 50 degrees in Athens. I was supposed to be on the track doing six minute half miles, but it was occupied by the university team. So instead I started out on the streets running for six minutes and then walking for six minutes. That lasted through a couple of sets before the six minute walks started getting longer. I was still moving along pretty well, it is a lot easier to do that on the flat track than on those hilly streets.
I was pretty happy with the work out though. At the end I was able to do a final mile on the track. I ran a lap and walked a lap, then I ran a 2:30 minute lap, and walked the final lap. If I could do more laps at that speed I would be pretty happy, but this was at the end of 5 miles and I had good energy so all is great with the world.
Thursday I did make it to the Wellness Center. I had never done step aerobics before, but it is a good thing I have been running or I would have been in trouble at the pace set by that instructor. I had no trouble keeping up, I just have to figure out some of the steps. There is a lot more to it than stepping up and down! There are turns and wide steps and backward steps and left/right versus right/left. I don't really have a lot of dance experience either so the choreography is challenging, but at least I have the energy to keep up, I just have to get my coordination down.
There is no doubt that these additions to my workout week will help with my weight loss and running. Getting more muscles developed will help burn more calories and provide some more resources for efficient running. I am looking forward to the race I have planned on March 15th. I hope to do pretty well. It is a new course for me so I will just have to get my pace where I want it and not be worried about the unknown. Time to ride the bike. Keep moving everybody!
PS - I found a new number on my scale this week! It has lasted for two whole days so I think it might be real! It has been a long time since I had any loss that wasn't making up for a light gain so I am very happy. I really do need to go ride that bike now. Later!

Long Run

2008-02-09T16:55:00.000-05:00

Three posts in one day. I am sure I should be doing something else.
My long run went great today. I walk/ran to the Deli Mart in town and back to complete my scheduled 6 miles. My time was pretty good when you factor in the terrain, all done in 1 hour and 30 minutes. That pace is a little faster than last week's 7 miles mostly because I had done a big portion of the route before. Now that I have done more of these routes I am starting to get used to how long it takes me to finish a mile or two depending on the hills. Hopefully that means I will start working the earlier miles a little harder. We will see.
I have a 10k (6.2 miles) planned for the first of March, but it is in Roanoke and I really don't want to drive all the way down there. There is another one in May that is a lot closer and figure something else might appear before then. If not I can just keep practicing with what I have available.
I guess I rambled enough to day. Keep moving and stay warm everybody.

So Much Success

2008-02-09T09:09:00.001-05:00

Now that is funny. I have had so much success lately, I forgot to tell you about last Sunday! It fits in between the 11:38 mile and the 5 mile Tempo run.
Last weekend I decided to go for a long walk and Bill wanted to go visit some people on the creek, so we combined efforts and did both on Sunday. He and Jake dropped me off at Pettry so the rest of the dogs wouldn't follow and I started walking down the road. After 3 miles I caught up with them at a friend's house.
When I took off again Jake went with me. Bill caught up with us in the truck after about a mile, Jake begged for a ride and they left me alone for the last 3 miles to the next stop. After visiting for a little while we drove home again. I wasn't about to walk home - yet. That will come in time. I finished the whole 7 miles in a little less than 2 hours. My feet and hips were a little sore that evening, but all was good again on Monday.
My times are not burning up any pavement, but I am trying to burn as many fat calories as possible while increasing my endurance. The heart rate zone I am aiming for is betwen 110 and 130 on easy days or warm ups and 130 and 150 on hard days. My averages have been coming down to those ranges ever so slowly, but Progress is happening.

Another week Another plan

2008-02-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

I seem to have more plans than progress these days, but at least I keep moving. SparkPeople has me keeping track of my diet. At least I can identify where all the calories are coming from everyday. I also track my exercise and read good fitness articles.
My friend Susan decided she wanted to get started doing "something" which is better than doing "nothing" so we spend 20 minutes every work day in the fitness room at work. She is walking the treadmill and I mostly use the bike. I might switch to weights on some days though. Just light stuff.
There are a couple of classes at the fitness center in town that I want to start attending. Tuesday is Tae Bo and Thursday is Step Aerobics. The rest of my week is filled out by my latest running plan that has me doing a 2 mile easy run on Monday, a 5 mile tempo or speed run on Wednesday, and a 6 mile long run on Saturday. There isn't much speed or run in my tempo, 12 to 15 minute miles depending on the hills, but that should improve over time.
Fact is I tried to do a scheduled 13:34 tempo run on the track this week Wednesday and found out I couldn't go that slow. That speed is faster than I can walk and not fast enough for me to find a rhythm. So after walking the first mile to warm up, the second was 12 minutes, the third was 13 minutes, and the fourth was also 13 minutes, then I walked another mile.
Today is a 6 miler. I figure I will walk to town and check the mail in a couple of hours. Junk mail will not make it back to the house. lol Well keep moving everybody and let me know how your plans are helping you.

Running the Track

2008-02-01T07:42:00.000-05:00

So, I finally made it to Concord. I have been wanting to get to the track and see if I could run a whole mile. Not stopping at all. Yesterday I did it!
Actually I almost did it last week when I ran in Athens. I didn't realize it though at the time since I was struggling to keep moving at something faster than a walk. It took me about 0:13:30 to get to a point where I decided to walk. Later I mapped it and found out I was about two minutes from a mile.
This week I wanted to go to the track at Concord to attempt running a mile on the flat. Just to see if I could finish the mile and how long it would take me. The day I decided to do it, I had forgotten to pack socks in my running gear. Then it was extra cold. Then I had forgotten I would need a wind jacket. Then yesterday I finally had everything with me. I changed into my running clothes at work, because I just knew that if I waited until I got to Athens to change at the gym I would find a reason not to do it. The temperature was 36 degrees, yes that might have been my excuse, but I was ready to go. The jacket I had brought with me doesn't have a good MP3 pocket so I decided to run with no sound diversions at all. That jacket does have a good collar on it though. It kept the cold breeze off of my neck very nicely.
My "coach" told me to walk a mile before I started running. So I walked a loop around town that is a little more than a mile long. Made a pit stop in a campus restroom and then headed for the track. I ran the first quarter lap thinking I wasn't sure if I could do this and then remembered that I had run those streets last week without really thinking about it so I could sure finish a couple of laps. Then the second lap went by thinking this isn't too bad, just keep breathing and moving. There in the middle I was thinking be careful don't go to fast don't want to mess up the last lap, but don't slow down either. Then the third lap went by thinking half done just keep going. Then the last lap went by thinking only one more, half more, pick it up a little, quarter more, run faster to the finish. DONE in 11 minutes and 38 seconds.
Then I walked another mile before I went to the truck to got a bottle of water with Replenish and walked some more around the parking lot to finish out the hour. Ended up completing 3.75 miles for the day. While I was walking that last mile I thought about jogging some more, but I figured I might hurt something - my knee felt fine by the way, so I just walked.
My lap times were:
Lap 1 02:56
Lap 2 03:00
Lap 3 02:54
Lap 4 02:48
I am not sure how I did that, I am impressed with myself though. I believe that is called a negative split. HA Now just imagine the possibilities if I would do this more often. And that was with no mp3 diversions. Next time I will have to wear the right jacket or use the arm band so I can bring the diversion along. Then I can set the podrunner on a 12 minute mile and see if I can't coax another lap out of my subconsious. I want to bring that down to a 10 minute mile, but one thing at a time. In the mean time I need to get some more miles in.
I was looking at my calendar and found out that the last time I lost any serious weight was when I had walked/ran 52 miles in a month. Since then I have averaged about 34 miles and pretty much maintained my current weight. Well this morning the scale matches the lowest point I had ever seen since July 07 (a pound less then the norm for the last 3 months) and I am ready to focus again. Daylight is holding until 630 PM these days, temperature is no match as long as there is no ice. It is a new month, I am off again!

Better is Coming Along

2008-01-27T14:48:00.000-05:00

This week has been better than last. Tuesday I had an appointment so I went to it prepared to do some town running if I could. It was about 3 o'clock and about 40 degrees so I stopped and parked in one of the college lots. I started running using a 140 steps per minute Podrunner podcast to keep me moving. 140 is not very fast, but I was able to keep it up for almost 1 mile through the rolling streets of Athens. I walked some and ran some more after that and in the end finished about 3 1/2 miles.

Interesting point for me is that my heart rate did not hit the max that I have seen in the past. I did probably average in the 170 or 90% of max range while I was running, but overall I averaged 163 or 85% for the day. I need to get out there on a much more regular basis, but really don't like anything less than 40 degrees. Saturday I rode bike for an hour.

Today I was supposed to go to Bluefield and run with the running club, but I hadn't heard anything from them and didn't want to drive all the way down there to find out it was postponed due to the cold. It almost hit 40, but the wind was blowing a lot, it was cold out there! Just keep moving I tell myself, but that is more than I want to deal with so I didn't go. It is not worth the gas at the moment. Next month is supposed to be in Athens, so that is no problem.

Tomorrow is back to the Total Gym and bike. Just have to do it, right? LOL keep up the good work out there. You all inspire me in ways - I would have quit by now without you!

Rebuilding Season

2008-01-20T10:57:00.000-05:00

So this was a... shall we say "relaxing" week? LOL
Ok, I procrastinated my cardio experiences to the evenings and then only made it onto the bike one time - and that was on Friday, but for an hour and a half! I was supposed to do 7 miles outside on Saturday, but that didn't happen because of the cold.

Then I read this article, it is from the NY Times and titled "Too Cold to Exercise? Try Another Excuse". Made me feel really guilty about not going out, because I know that it is all true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/health/nutrition/17BEST.html?ex=1358312400&en=46302a5f35a35a61&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Today isn't going to happen either so let's start again on Monday. I have been eating better. I started keeping track of what I eat over at SparkPeople. Some days are off the chart and other days are within the range. I think I have a handle on that now so maybe after this week off I can get a running start at another 25 pound lost. At least I have been maintaining and not gaining!

I need to get my motivation back instead of staying happy at this weight. Looking at the progress made by my friend Jenny ought to work! She has all but disappeared from photos - LOL You almost look like a different person!

I have races to run and I won't be able to do it if I don't lose some more weight.
The plan for every day:
1. Use the stairs as often as possible
2. Walk at least 2 miles at lunch
3. Walk/Run or Bike for an hour after work
4. Keep track of calories and portion control

Next week will be a better report. I promise!

Checking the Mail

2008-01-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to go check the mail today. The 2.78 mile walk to the Post Office in Athens was an adventure. There wasn't even any mail! And then I had to walk back! Yes, MP, I even ran some of it. Ok, only the first minute from the bottom of the big hill, but a good chunk of the flatter parts and down the big hill. I finished the 5 1/2 miles in 1 hr and 35 minutes. Not fast, but my speed like usual.

I am expecting a package from Road ID, hopefully it will come in soon. I have some races coming up not to mention some other country roads that I want to explore and having a wrist ID will be good. Plus I ordered a blinker light that attaches to clothing for safety in case I get caught out after dark. Take a look at their website sometime. http://roadid.com/Common/default.aspx

There wasn't much traffic out on the road and the dogs at the cinderblock house weren't too much trouble, mostly barking and following me to the edge of "their" property. I didn't run past there though. I just tell them "QUIET" and they stop for a second.

Funny how we say we won't be doing something like running out on the road and then one day we do it anyway. Want to know where I was run/walking? Check the map at the bottom of the page. That feature is kind of fun. I will leave this one until I find a more interesting route, probably next weekend when I do the Creek. Keep moving!

End of Year Report

2008-01-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

Well, 2007 ended up with me 20 pounds lighter, 7 minutes faster on my 5K, overall healthier, and much more motivated to keep this trend going than when the year started.
This is how my year went. I completed 157.2 miles in 2,823.5 minutes, which is an 18 minute average. Not very far or very fast, but plenty of room for improvement.

January through June were no help at all since they included little to no exercise and a rather bad attitude.
July through mid-August were the beginning of getting healthy. I read an article about a group that "walked" to Baghdad as a way to support the troops. I decided to use the office building steps to do the same thing. I found a map that said it was 6,432 miles from my town to Baghdad and did the math to determine that I would have to do 107.2 flights of stairs to reach my goal. I started with 17 flights and added more every week until six weeks later I had done it and was down 6 pounds to boot!
I took about a week to find another goal and finally decided to start walk/running. The first day I walked out and back on my 1/10th of a mile driveway, it took about 15 minutes. Then I marked out a 1/5 mile circle in a hayfield and started walk/running. A mile and a half of that took me 30 minutes. About a month after that I started circling the edges of three rolling hayfields. Three miles of that took me 75 minutes.
In November, due to the weather I started using the equipment in the fitness room. Unfortunately, I started pushing myself a bit too hard and hurt my knee. I also quit losing weight about then. I can run and walk further than ever, but I quit burning calories.
In December I started looking for ways to fix the problem. In the end I have decided to slow down the pace, but not the miles. I am still walking those hayfields. Yesterday I finished four and a half slow, but 70% heart rate managed miles.
I do have a schedule to follow, in January I have to do six miles, February is seven miles, March is 8 miles, and so on. I also plan to complete my first 10K (6 miles) race in March and a Half Marathon (13 miles) in September. I have a lot of miles to do before I get there though.
I am also going back to the basics. The stairs are coming back into my day and I will be doing very light work in the fitness room at lunch, then more after work, or come home to the hayfields or bike. Long and slow. Everyday.

Hitting the Hills, Again

2007-12-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

I have been walk/running these hillsides for a few months now. Somedays I think I am doing something wrong and need to push myself to run further or faster. But then I have days like yesterday where I run across some inspirational thoughts and ideas that teach me a lesson and remind me about what has been working, no matter what information I use to confuse myself. Yesterday I was reminded that long and slow daily walking is all I used to be able to manage and that during that time I lost a pound a week and took 6 minutes off my 5k time.
Since then I have tried to get on certain plans and schedules that are really designed for people who are trying to improve their running and don't need to loose weight too. Instead of continuing with my long walks with occasional running, I have been doing a lot of running with occasional walking. And still have an extra 50 pounds banging around on my frame.
By doing that I managed to get my first real nagging injury, IT Band keeps flaring up, and I have been on again off again running which made me gain and loose the same 3 pounds like a yoyo for the last few weeks.
The holidays didn't help, but that was only part of the problem. EGO was most of the problem. I thought I needed to make training changes because I have a plan to run certain distances in coming months. Mistake - weight loss needs to come first.
In the end I will be running those races because if I stay on my long slow plan I will be able to move a lighter frame around for longer amount of time and at faster speeds. And that is what matters.

Holiday Fitness

2007-12-28T16:14:00.000-05:00

Well, this holiday is going much better than the last one!
We went to Mom's in Georgia, which made being outside a lot more pleasant than it would have been at home. I managed to walk/run 4 miles one day, 3 miles the next day, took a day off, and then did 5 miles on Christmas day. That wasn't too bad for me. My knee didn't get a chance to hurt since I didn't push it too hard. There are a few more days left of my vacation and I hope to keep it up. I took two more days off to finish some projects at Mom's, do some shopping, and travel home. Now it is raining so I will hit the stationary bike in a few minutes and do some work on the Total Gym.
I joined SparkPeople last night, it is a free diet, nutrition motivational site. (Use slowmo202 as a reference if you check it out and sign up, I will get points that way.) The site has lots of information and an exercise plan that looks like something I can accomplish along with my running plan.
I hope you are all doing well. Happy New Year.

Probably Shouldn't Have Done That

2007-12-12T20:55:00.000-05:00

You know, I read all the books and the blogs and the magazines. I find it crazy how some people know so much about running and still manage to do things that mess up their races or training. I talk about knowing that I ought to stop when it hurts. Then the big ol' ego kicks in and I just keep going. I guess that is what happens to those other people too. Just keep moving no matter what.
Probably shouldn't have done that.
Since last Wednesday's post I did a couple of runs. I was supposed to do a long run on Saturday or Sunday, but I didn't. Monday I was in a hurry, but I did manage to complete the two miles that were scheduled. I am supposed to do them at 15:09 minutes per mile. I do average that, but I like to run one and a half of the miles as fast as possible and then walk to cool off. This week I finished in 19 minutes.
This Wednesday's run was five miles including warm up and cool down. The schedule says to run 3 X 800 meters, with 400 meters jogs between the 800s. I think they wanted it done with all the running at once, but I knew I couldn't do that so I made a slight change.
Walked 800 meters at 20 minute/mile pace - half mile
Jogged 400 at 15 minute pace - quarter mile
Ran 800 at 12:20 minute pace - half mile
Jogged 400 at 15 minute - quarter mile
Walked 800
Jogged 400
Ran 800
Jogged 400
Walked 800
Jogged 400
Ran 800
Jogged 400
Walked 800
The total was 2 miles of walking and 3 miles of running, it took me about 82 minutes.
My left knee started hurting in the first round. I kept going.
Probably shouldn't have done that.
It is hurting, but not worse than ever before. I used my lunch box ice block on it during the drive home. Not very effective, but I tried. Looks like I will be on the elliptical again.
I need to find the Aleve.

Getting Back To It

2007-12-05T20:02:00.000-05:00

I told you last time that I pushed my knee harder than I should have. I was careful the rest of the week. Wednesday and Friday I did long sessions on the elliptical machine in the fitness room. I should have done a long run over the weekend, but really wanted to rest that knee for an entire week. This week I got started again on Tuesday. I decided to set a baseline on a fitness test. So I counted a minutes worth of crunches (30) and pushups (2). I had no idea I couldn't do more I need to work on that! Then I timed a 1 1/2 mile run on the treadmill (20:14). That was pretty good for me, I hadn't run more than a 1/2 mile straight before. I will be doing that check every week. I finished that session by completing 2 miles on the treadmill, spent another half hour on the bike, and then 20 minutes on the elliptical.
Tonight I was planning on working on those pushups, but we got about 4 inches of snow today, so to avoid driving on that mess in the dark I came home... and then ignored my home gym. I will try doing that in the morning instead. I can try.
I also started using a Runner's World training plan to get me in shape for a 10k on the 1st of March. The Tuesday workout included the scheduled 2 miles at 15:09 pace since I finished the 30 minutes by walking the last 1/2 mile. Tomorrow I am scheduled to do 5 miles. 1 mile warmup, 3 miles at 13:34, and 1 mile cool down. And then Saturday is 6 miles at 15:09. Hopefully it will be nice so I can double run the 3 mile course in Athens. I will give it my best effort, but do expect some Galloway walking to be included.
UPDATE!
I said I would try to work out in the morning - well I actually did do it! I amaze myself sometimes too. LOL I did some arm work and crunches. I should be feeling that in the morning.
This evening I did 3 1/2 miles instead of 5. The session included a 1 mile warm up and 2 miles at 13:20 and a 1/2 mile cool down. Running the 2 miles was all I could do tonight. My knee was hurting again too so the cool down was slower and thus shorter than it could have been. I realized this evening that the 6 miles at 15:09 scheduled for Saturday is really just a quick walk. That should be possible depending on my knee again though. I will have to work on the quads. I also got a good idea for a replacement to pushups today, the Plank. I will work it into my mornings.

Holiday Week

2007-11-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

It seems that taking the week of was contagious. I planned on running last week, it was a series of easy excuses that got in the way. Monday was a long day of meetings and Bill asked me to bake some cookies for Tuesday, so I went home instead of running. Then Tuesday was more meetings and it was nice out so I went home to run and then didn't. Wednesday was the day Mom arrived for the weekend, so of course I couldn't stay late at work. Thursday was the holiday, can't run on a holiday.
Friday, I finally made it. Mom's dog Molly is a Brittany Spaniel who never leaves a fenced yard or the house without a leash. She would run forever if she got the chance. SO I decided to take her for a walk. We jogged two of the normal miles. She really enjoyed running with the other dogs.
Saturday was a day off and Sunday, just didn't happen. Monday finally got me back into the gym. I did my AF PT circuit training. The run went okay, I stayed at 4.5 on the treadmill for all of my quarter miles. Even at the end - when I shouldn't have. Yep, the knee again. Looks like I will be using the eliptical or bike for a while. Nah! It will be okay in a couple of days.

Every Other Day

2007-11-18T17:46:00.000-05:00

This was a good week. I think my progress has been moving along pretty well. My main goal now is to stay motivated through the winter and as long as I continue to lose weight that shouldn't be a problem. I spent this last week figuring out new ways to get my miles in when it is cold. In the last post I told you about the Air Force PT work out 1/4 mile runs with circuit training breaks - I did that Tuesday (3 miles) and Thursday (3.5 miles) at the office fitness room on the tredmill, which is good because that gives me speed references for the future. There isn't much speed so don't laugh at my numbers, they are faster than I can maintain when I am walking.
Tuesday I had on some walking shoes that I will not use for running again. I started running at 4.3 then slowed to 4.0 but by the third mile my knee was hurting, I think because the shoes were not right, so I slowed down and walked half of the last mile.
Thursday I wore my road shoes and felt much better. I stayed at 4.3 for most of the first 2 miles and then slowed to 4.0 for the 3rd. I got back on the tredmill to try using the Podrunner music for a little. I spent about 1/4 mile trying to get the rythem - and didn't, so I was running along at 3.8 (slow I know, but it was the 4th mile) and realized I felt fine so I ran on - ended up doing a half mile. I am very proud of that one, I ran every bit of 3.5 miles.
Saturday I waited until it warmed up in the afternoon and hit the Hayfields. I ran the usual route until the last field and there I started circling to get more distance. These fields are harder to run continuously because of the hills, but I did a pretty good job of it, especially toward the end. That makes me pretty happy too, being able to run at the end makes me think I am not working too hard at the beginning. Though if this was a real race I would probably be in trouble since I have no idea what my pace is to make sure I finish strong.
I am doing pretty good running every other day. I already know that if I take off 3 days my recovery will be painful. Taking 2 days off is available if the weather is messy, but every other day is turning out pretty comfortable.
I like the PT plan that I am using. I can always speed up the 1/4 miles or run 1/2 miles and I can use the weight machine to mix up the circuit training just to be creative. I am enjoying this because the progress is continuing and my expectations are staying within reason. Now the big test - here comes Thankgiving!
I wish you all a good holiday. Will you run after the feast?

The Next Step

2007-11-13T19:11:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering I am still out here. After the Pumpkin Run I got busy and procrastinated some runs, but I really missed them. I have been working on my next plan for Progress. I completed the goal of finishing a 5k in under 40 minutes. Now I want to finish another one with more running than walking and continue the weight loss.
I also had my follow up doctor's appointment that week.
Great news - I am healthy! After 7 weeks since the previous appointment my iron is back into the appropriate range, my cholesterol is 154 (scale is 100-199), just about everything on the blood test was mid-range like that, and I lost 9 more pounds.
The doctor's words were "amazing improvements". My words were "I'm going to keep doing what I have been doing!". I credit lots of exercise and generally less food.
I bought Jeff Galloway's books on running from Overstock. I got the Book on Running, the 5k/10k, and the Half Marathon books. Probably overkill, but the "O" had a good price on them. Galloway promotes long and slow training with plenty of walk breaks, even during the races to help people run further faster. I am trying to incorporate that idea into my plan, but it is hard. Almost as hard as beginning to run, but funny too... "I can't go that slow on purpose" is what I hear myself saying sometimes. I have been walking a lot during my runs, but mostly because my heart rate is getting high and I want to slow it down. This plan for walk breaks is designed to keep that from happening in the first place while giving the legs a bit of a rest for a few seconds.We will see how it goes. I expect good things.
I am also incorporating some Air Force PT into my world. Back in my military days ('84 to '94) the Air Force never had PT so I don't know what is happening out there, but they have a pretty good program put together. Maybe it is just for the Fat Club, so it fits me fine. Anyway, the plan is a 3 mile run broken up into 1/4 mile parts. Between each 1/4 mile run you do 30 seconds of jumping jacks, crunches, pushups, or different types of lifting using resistance bands. I did that today... it is a workout that really has potential especially since the 1/4 mile times should start to come down after a while. I am modifying some of the exercises though. It takes too long to get on the floor for crunches and pushups on my knees seem really stupid (what a way to do some damage!) and I can't do them the other way.
One of my goals is to learn about pace, so I have a bunch of podrunner files on my mp3 player that encourage me to run to the beat. Last week the only run I did was at 130 bpm (beats per minute) it took me 50 minutes to do my normal 3 mile run. That beat is kind of slow, but I am trying to learn.
I think I covered it all - I am healthy, motivated to continue, and doing it because I can!

THE Pumpkin Run Results

2007-11-03T17:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it is done. Today was the Pipestem Pumpkin Run, it was a beautiful day for running. Just cool enough for the weather to not play a factor in slowing me down and warm enough to allow shorts and a tech shirt.
I heard that the pre-registrations for both the 5k run / walk and 10k were down this year, but it looked like about the normal number of people were there, maybe 75, I will find out when they send me the results letter.
My friend MP and his Dad were there. MP ran the Marine Corps Marathon last week so he was just running this 5k to support his Dad. I didn't try to keep up with them, I just did my best to try and not lose them completely. That worked for most of the race.
The race started with me having a goal of completing the race in 40 minutes or less. If you recall on the test run that I did out here a few weeks ago I finished in 47 minutes. I hoped that all the work I had done since then and some comptetion to run against would help me meet that goal.
Since I haven't worked on pacing, just worried about finishing, I was probably a little fast at the beginning, but settled down pretty quick. I followed my plan to run to the bottom of the first hill and walk up the next. I ran across the top and down the next hill and then started walking as quickly as I could until I felt better to run some more again.
There were a couple of goals that developed as I ran/walked. The first was that I make it to the turn around before the 10k runners caught up with me. Made it! The second was that I make it to the water station before they caught me. Did that too! They weren't far behind though.
I had always planned to run most of the last leg. That worked out too... I rounded the corner with 4 minutes to finish the last 3/10ths or so. I jogged to one of the course marker pumpkins, walked for about 20 seconds and then asked myself why - and started jogging again, then the last 1/10th pumpkin came up and I started Running. I could see the clock said 39 minutes and I really pushed myself to the finish line.
39 minutes and 26 seconds (unofficially)
That was good for first place in my age group. There were two of us, but I beat her!
So I said I would post a picture, I really should stay out of the sun for pictures.
I still have a lot of weight to lose - another 50 pounds gone would make me unrecognizable - but I am getting there. The comparison picture is in the August 2007 file.

Thanks for all the support, next stop is ... not definate yet, but there are several options available.
I will be adding another mile to my training route. I plan on doing that every month. October was 3 miles, November is 4 miles and so on. Along with that - all of the miles need to be completed within 1 hour. Until that becomes unreasonable anyway.
What that means is I will have to start working on pace and speed. The dogs will like that part.

Another Training Lesson

2007-10-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

Last week started out with a little too much work and then slid into not nearly enough work and finally ended up in Lesson Learned Land.
I did a hard run on Sunday that went pretty well, then Monday was a nice walk, but then Tuesday I went out and did another hard run, which didn't feel so good. It was very humid and on the edge of raining, but I think the problem had more to do with the fact that I have been being very cautious in my training and two hard runs that close together was pushing myself.
I started out with 70 pounds to lose and a strong paranoia about getting hurt. I am down about 25 pounds and my paranoia is still there, so psychologically this wasn't a good idea.
Wednesday it started to rain for the first time in weeks and I was sore so taking a day off was easy.
Thursday it was still raining, another day off was not a good idea, but that is what happened. I have an exercise bike in the basement that I could ride, but convinced myself that it would be boring to ride it in the basement watching the pool table go by.
Friday it was still raining and I went to an expo and then shopping for bargains, so I got a walk in, but no running or biking.
Saturday, even after 3 days of rain the ground was not squishy except in a couple of puddle spots. Since it wasn't wet I did a moderate run and discovered that the rainy day vacation was a really bad idea. I finished the 4 miles, but I had a backside muscle hurting the whole way, it has been bothering me for a while, but was worse than usual this time. Then after the run my thigh and lower back were hurting. Connected by the lack of exercise to be sure.
Sunday I was really sore, Aleve to the rescue! I went out for a 4 mile walk. The dogs weren't real happy with my training choice, they would run off and come back looking at me like 'what's your problem? Let's go!' I just kept walking.
Today, Monday, I felt pretty good. I also decided why that backside muscle was hurting, a bad case of West Virginia Mountain Leg. You know how all of the cows in WV have one leg shorter than the other from grazing the hillsides? Well, I have been running these hills in the same clockwise direction every day. I try to stay on the flat areas, but sometimes I am on a slope. Today I ran them counter-clockwise and you might think I am kidding, but I didn't have any problems in that area. LOL Hey something had to explain it, right?
So that is my most recent training lesson. No sitting around on rainy/cold/slushy days, do something, anything, just get off the couch! The rest of this week will be long walks or light jogs until Saturday morning when I head to Pipestem for the Pumpkin Run!

Run/Walking the Hillsides

2007-10-21T18:03:00.000-04:00

I hade a pretty good week again, this exercise thing is hard work, but is paying off. I am still a long way from fit, but I am just about to hit the big 2-0, twenty pounds lost since June. What is my secret? Faithful readers know - hard work and a goal.
I was laughing to Fabulous Hubby this afternoon when I got done with my run. I was hot and tired and had just finished at least 3 miles of hillsides in about 49 minutes with a heart rate average of 156 bpm. It was barely 2 months ago when I started this phase of exercise that I was in the same hot and tired shape. I had walk/ran 1 mile around the flat course for about 20 minutes with a heart rate average of about the same if not higher. That is Progress, no doubt.
I have mentioned the hills that I walk quite a few times and thought now might be a good time to show you what they look like. The next part of this posting is lots of description of where I spend my time on the trail, so it is kind of odd, but the pictures are pretty.

See the bit of hayfield on the right hand side between the two tree lines? My house is to the left of that field behind the trees. The start of my run goes from the house down that lower tree line, back up the road that is below the hillside between me and the cows, past those bushes on the left side of the picture, and then in the gate where I follow the fence line (out of view) back down the hill to the right in this picture and around to the get to the top of the ridge where I am taking this picture.

I continue to the left and out the gate I came in. Then go to the next field.
This is another view about half way up another slope. I go up the inside of the fence on the right and to the right in the back and circle that small field and then come back to a gate on the right and go back up the outside of the same fence and around the back of that field that you see in the distance. See the trees on the right?

They are also in the line you see in the next picture.

From this location you can see those trees below the edge of the hillside. Another thing about this picture, if you look between those pines on the left side, you can just about see the spot from where I took the first picture.
On my left out of the picture is a tree line that slopes back down the ridge, crosses a fence line, and then up again to become that way back line of trees you might have noticed in the first picture. I get there by heading to that fence line, circling back to the gate I came in, then up to the top of the ridge and in the gate of the last field. I go around the edges of that one - the dogs and I avoid the cows when we can and walking quietly through them if we can't - and out the gate I came in again. Then go back down the road and up the driveway to the house. This route wouldn't be so long or tough if I could stick to the tree line, but since I have to do a sort of clover leaf rout along the fences it is a very effective workout.
Whew! I got tired just thinking about it. I hope you didn't get lost out there in the field trying to keep up with me... but hey, we missed the cow pies!

PWWHM Kick the Couch 5k

2007-10-13T13:40:00.001-04:00

I had a great race today! Myself and over 1100 of my new running friends hit the roads at various times in various locations to compete against the grip that the couch and cheesy poofs have had on our lives. I chose to use the Roth Memorial 5K course for my personal race and finished in 42 minutes. That was faster than when I walk it and a time to compete against when I do the regular race in May.
It was a beautiful running morning. I did wait until after 10am to get started, not just because it was chilly, but I wanted to get a package in the mail (Jen, you can tell him it is on the way).
When I got to the starting point on the Concord University campus track I found they were setting up for a football game, glad I didn't plan on doing this in the afternoon! So, I got started and made my first goal to get around the track and out the gate to the parking lot before I stopped, Made It! LOL okay this was a no speed zone for sure. I walked for a bit and then jogged down the hill to the first dorm, then ran a bit and walked a bit for the whole 42 minutes. I found my self jogging up and down the hills, walking when I needed to and using the growing football crowds as inspiration to run just a little bit more to get past them. It worked pretty well I think, not a lot of speed, but I burned a bunch of calories and got off the couch to do it! Thanks for everyone who shared encouragement, next stop is the Pumpkin Run in 3 weeks.

I Found a New Gear

2007-10-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today was an exceptional run (yes, I think I ran more than walked) that reinforced everything that I have been working on for the last few weeks. My 5k plan said I was supposed to do a hard run today. I have been avoiding these days since at the beginning of my new adventure I had a difficult time staying out of the 80 to 90% heart rate zone, but I figured 35 minutes was possible.
Back in August when I started this it seemed like I hardly took 30 jogging steps before my heart rate was zooming up into the 90% of max range. Then I would have to walk about 100 yards before it was back down low enough for me to jog another 30 steps and repeat the whole process. I was about worn out after 15 minutes of that on the first day.
Since my max heart rate is 187 beats per minute today's goal was to stay between 155 and 170 for 35 minutes. I could hardly believe it, but I actually had to run uphill to stay in that range. When I got near the top of the hill I would be at about 165 so I would walk for a bit and my rate would level off and then drop pretty quickly. Then I would jog across the flat area and my rate came up slowly. I even picked up the speed a bit hoping to get to a point where I could walk, which means I have found another gear. I am still more Penguin than Deer, but I see improvement.
Saturday is my PWWHM Couch to 5k run in Athens, so tomorrow I am doing nothing and then Friday is a long walk in the fields to warm up for Saturday morning. Today's experience made me believe that I can push myself and have a pretty good 5k. It should be interesting.
P.S. We have a Marathon Celebrity in West Virginia - Michael Cox was the first American to cross the Chicago Marathon finish line, in 8th place, with a time of 2:21:42, which qualified him for an Olympic trial (the cut off was 2:22:00). Cox graduated from the same high school as Fabulous Hubby, where FH now teaches, and Cox is the cross-country coach at our alma mater, Concord University in Athens, WV (not Athens, Georgia as the Chicago Sun-Times reported).

Time Management

2007-10-07T18:40:00.000-04:00

I have had a week of unorganized distraction when it comes to getting my miles in.
Monday I came home to find Fabulous Hubby at work removing the standard, rusty bed of his truck in prep for installing the replacement flat metal bed that he bought at an auction. So I helped him with that some and then made dinner, by the time I was ready to start the miles it was cold out, and I realized that my Plantar Fasciitis (heel pain that I have been ignoring since July) didn't hurt for once - I went back in the house. Thus began my unplanned easy week.
Tuesday since I had decided my foot might actually need the rest, I went to the fitness center and reintroduced myself to the elliptical machine. I spent 30 minutes at about 75% of my max. When I got done I realized that I should have done more.
Wednesday I worked late since I had a business trip coming up. It was dark by the time I could have been ready to start the miles, so I didn't again.
Thursday was the trip and I didn't get home until dark, no miles again.
Friday I was going to go do a long bike ride, but that plan didn't work out so I did 4 miles - yes! finally some real miles!
Saturday is usually my long miles in the morning, but Friday's 4 miles were harder than they should have been so I planned to do a light walk, but that got dropped for a trip to town - and a new boycott on Applebee's - not a story for this blog, though it does include salmon instead of steak.
Sunday should have been off, but since my week was so messed up, I chose to hit the hills for a moderate heart rate hour.
So the week didn't start out too promising, but by the weekend I think I redeemed myself.
New gadgets in the house include a fat scale - I was telling Fabulous Hubby about the one that MP brought to work for us to use and he didn't disagree about buying one. He might have changed his mind about that since he isn't too happy to see what his personal numbers are, but my success so far has caught his attention, we will see where he goes with this.
Speaking of that fat scale - the difference between the first of September and the first of October showed nothing. That is right, not a change. As a verification to that, I got exactly the same readings on the scale that MP brought in and on the one I purchased, no fat loss at all. One reason was that wedding trip, I actually saw a slight gain, which I managed to get rid of again, but my fat percentage did not change for the month. The second reason might be because most of my miles have averaged in the "Hard" range. According to what I have read on the subject, that would be good for exercise, but not for burning fat. So, this week is going to be long walk/runs at 75% HR because that is supposed to be the best burning zone. Since I have my own scale I will be able to check out my progress weekly. That is it for this week. Keep moving everyone!

Pipestem Test Run

2007-09-29T16:32:00.000-04:00

First off, I want to say Hi to anyone visiting from Phedippidations. I have been run/walking for such a short time and at such short distances that I haven't actually caught up with the current pod cast. I am downloading it now to find out what the buzz is about, but a friend emailed me that my blog is mentioned on the current podcast - episode 116 I expect. Thanks Steve at www.steverunner.com . I have something in common with you now - uncomprehending awareness that more than my family is looking at this Blog. Why? I don't know, but I hope you find me interesting.

I did my hardest run for the week today. I left the comfort of the hayfields behind and risked shinsplints by hitting the pavement. My goal for the fall is to run the Pipestem Pumpkin Run 5k in November. I have been aiming my training at that event and this weekend I chose to go out to the park and give it a test run instead of going back down to 'the creek' like I had done last week. It was just me, a couple of deer, a dead squirrel, and the traffic. Minor traffic compared to what most people experience on runs, but I am happy to say I handled it well by not getting hit. I did have to share some disgusted looks with some drivers though - 30 mph is pretty reasonable, slow down and enjoy the park for a minute, please!

My fellow local runners will agree that the Pipestem course is not flat. I really enjoyed the flatness of that run on 'the creek' last week since my typical choices seem to be made up of hills. The course I will be doing for the "drumroll please" Phedippidations World Wide Half Marathon and Kick the Couch 5k is in the town of Athens, which is - wait for it - hilly too! So anyway, Pipestem is hilly, Athens is hilly. When I start running in Hinton it will be hilly. I can't avoid it so I just as well train for it, which sort of explains my love of that hayfield. I just hope all of these hills help flatten out some of my personal rolls and lumps. LOL

Oh Steve is talking about happiness. I think I know why he mentioned me now. Still crazy though. Good music - I need to get this band from his pod notes.

SO the Park. I have been reading a lot about different training plans and have decided that the best plan for me to follow is to run with walk breaks. Today I did 2 minute run, 3 minute walk X 3 turns before I just had to walk. My heart rate monitor was not very happy, if it could glow red and give me dirty looks it sure would have. I ended up walking for about 12 minutes before I continued running and then it was run for a minute to the sign, walk up the hill, run for 2 minutes so that I could pass the three seniors out on a nature walk, walk up the hill, run for a minute to get around the curve, walk some more and then finally run past the cemetary so the residents didn't catch me. HA. I made it!

Overall it took me 47 minutes and 14 seconds and I ran 12 minutes of it. Not burning up the road, but as a friendly dofus just said in my headphones "Life is about pushing yourself as a human being both for yourself and for others." One month from now I will be back at Pipestem running the sanctioned race. I will be able to push myself because there will be people to chase and I might even have a new friend with whom to share the race. She is just getting out of the Army so I would expect far beyond my pace, but I will invite her to participate in my new adventure.

Goals are a big part of what I am using to keep me motivated. I know I haven't even really run a 5K yet, but I already have another goal. I have become aware of the Marine Corps Marathon over the last few weeks because a friend in the office has entered and received his bib. I think that is a wonderful goal for him. I on the other hand have another goal. I was an Air Force jet avionics mechanic from '84 to '94 and just can't bring myself to do another Service's race before I do the Air Force race. So, my extended goal is to run/walk the Air Force Half Marathon in September of 2008. I know it is way out there, but I figure if I can add just one mile a month onto my start of 3 miles, I CAN do it. Life will have its way with that plan, but I will do what I can do be there when the race starts. Maybe I will meet some of you there.
There I am! Featured blog! WOW!
Thanks again for the comment Steve and everyone for visiting.

Progress is Fun

2007-09-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

Wait, that would mean I am enjoying this?! Training for anything that forces you to move your body is hard work, but I had another inspiring session this afternoon. Rain was in the forecast FINALLY and Billy and Jake were not home so I put on my new shoes, mp3 player, heart rate monitor, and GPS (lol, probably had more computers on me today than the first F-15 fighter jet that I worked on back in the day) and then Poochy and I took off for the hayfields.

We made pretty good time today. With the rain coming I sure wasn't poking along, but my course today was supposed to be in the moderate heart rate range, which would be 134 to 150 beats per minute today. I actually managed to do a pretty good job of keeping it in that range too. There were a couple of spikes - it started sprinkling when we were about a half mile from the house. Poochy and I started running a short cut across a flat piece of ground and then I remembered I had left the gate open at the top of the hill - so after that run and then hiking to the top of the hill I was working.

The part that was inspiring and put me in a good mood is that I covered 3.1 miles of hayfield trail in 53 minutes and had an average heart rate of 143 bpm or 80% of my max. Yes that means I could have worked harder, but this was Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning I am going to be working a lot harder.

Now some people might think that time was really nothing to be inspired by, but you can just come on out to my hayfields and we will compare your road times and average heart rate to what you can do out here. Unless you run hills all the time I expect that you will notice a difference.

My new Asics trail shoes are just as comfortable as my other Asics road shoes. The purpose of buying the trail shoes (top in the picture) was mostly for that dark part you see by the toe - that section is what keeps my foot from sliding sideways on the edges of the hills. They are also water resistant and have deeper treds to manage the rocks and sticks on the trail. The cushioning is pretty nice too. The shoes that I had been wearing have little to no cushion.

The only problem I have is that I need more dri-wicking socks.

Progress Update

2007-09-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

I figure maybe I ought to talk about my actual progress since looking at my past posts there doesn’t appear to be any. The truth is the opposite though, I think I just don’t dare write about it since it might break my stride, no pun intended just can’t think of another word. So far my progress is being measured in heart rate and clothing.
In the heart rate area I have been very impressed with my improvement. When I started this I would get my heart rate set in the monitor somewhere between 60% and 90% of my max heart rate. My course was a fairly level path in the hayfield about the length of a track – 5 laps was a mile. I would start jogging and within 50 feet be maxed out. I would walk about a lap before the rate was down into the middle of that day’s range and then jog again for another 25 feet until I was maxed out again.
I have been walk/jogging about 5 days a week for the last 3 weeks since then and moved from that field to a very hilly course that is just over 2 miles long. The progress I have seen is that my heart rate doesn’t get crazy high anymore. I can jog quite a distance before I max out and then I recover down into the mid-range pretty quickly.
This weekend I went down to “the creek” with Bill. While he was helping put windows in the house his brother is building I went for a run. The road down there is paved, not very hilly, and has almost no traffic. I took off walking for 90 seconds, jogged for 90, walked for 2 minutes, jogged for 2 minutes, walked for 3 minutes, jogged for almost 3 minutes. The almost happened because I saw that my heart rate was at 104%. I could have finished, but it worried me for a second. This had taken me to within a few feet of the first mile. I finished that mile and then walked calmly 7 more minutes out. Turned around walked 7 minutes back and then thought I would rotate again. I sped up the walk and went 90 seconds which happened to be up a slope, then jogged for 90 seconds without going over 95%, then walked until it was down and jogged a bit more a couple of times, then finally I came around the last curve and I jogged the last minute up to the yard. Overall I jogged 10 minutes out of a 43 minute 3 mile course. I feel pretty good about that. Next weekend they are putting the front door in – I will go do it again.
I found out two things during that test – my max heart rate is actually 188 beats per minute and my new running shoes (Asics GT-2120) are great on pavement. I haven’t been able to wear them in the hayfield because they have no lateral support and the hills make it hard to walk when you feet are sliding off the top of your shoes. To solve that I decided I needed some good trail shoes. Sunday evening I found a really good sale on line and ordered a pair, Asics Trail Sensor WR – they are water resistant, which is going to be helpful someday if it rains. I hope they fit as well as the other pair; there are no stores in my local mall that sell decent trail shoes so I couldn’t try them on first.

What I have been able to identify in the clothing area is that there are four different groups of clothes in my closet.
1. Things that I was wearing this summer, but are now actually too big.
2. Things that I was wearing this summer, but now fit better than ever.
3. Things that I couldn’t wear this summer and now I can.
4. Things that I expect to be able to wear in the next couple of months.
I will be weeding the number one items out of the closet when more of the number fours are available. I know it looks a little sloppy, but since I refuse to shop in the Women’s department anymore – and I am not quite out of there yet – people will just have to realize this is a transition period.

That is my current progress. Heart rate is doing better, legs are doing better, and my closet is confused. Things are headed in an awesome direction. Pipestem watch out!

Running/Walking Plans

2007-09-21T12:46:00.000-04:00

On October 13th I will be participating in the Phedippidations Worldwide Half Marathon - actually the Couch to 5K portion but it is a start. This is the link for more information. www.worldwidehalf.com Basically, it is a Think Global - Run Local event where people all over the world will be competing together, but seperately. Maybe I can get some team mates - How about it Germany, Iowa, Georgia? Anyone else? Any interest? Doesn't cost anything, just sweat equity! 3.1 miles of walking the dogs, no time limit just a good reason to get out of the house for a while.

I got caught up in this one because MP told me about a podcast called Phedippidations that you can find at this website. www.steverunner.com
Steve is interesting to listen to, has lots of tidbits about running, plenty of humor, and distracting commentary. I put him on my mp3 player and the dogs and I take off down the driveway.

As I have said before I am actually training for the Pipestem Pumpkin Run on November 3rd, but this Couch to 5k has motivated me to train with another reason in mind. Every year in May there is a 5k run in Athens. In October I am going to run that 5K course in Athens and use it to give myself a base for a comparison to the actual event in May. I should be able to see some pretty decent progress. I will be able to do the same thing about the Pumpkin Run but in reverse. I will run the actual event November and then when I am training for the Athens 5K in the spring I can go back out to the course at Pipestem and run that to see a difference.

All for now. Keep Moving.

Wedding Cake

2007-09-17T22:06:00.000-04:00

So this weekend got beat up by a wedding. Good news is I drank more water than wine, bad news is I drank a LOT of water! LOL

We had a good time. I did try to eat a bit sensibly, except for at the wedding. HEY I skipped dessert at the buffet - and it even looked good. I didn't skip the Amish homemade pumpkin pie. That would have been a bad idea, it was really good.

When we got back I sent some pictures back up there and then headed outside.

I have a new route through the hay fields - it is just over 2 miles long and is rolling hills, some steep some slight, but all up or down. I will move to pavement in a couple of weeks, but until then the hayfields are giving me a good work out.

I have a new toy to help monitor my heart rate during excercise. I shopped around and decided that a Polar F11 would be the best option for me. It doesn't do distance and speed, but I have Billy's handheld GPS to give me distance and speed if I want it. The F11 does tell me what I need to know to keep me working out at the most effective levels. Right now I am finding out that I need a lot of work, but not as much as I was doing. I did some research and found out that a person can workout too hard if they want to lose weight.

So I work out lighter and longer. I will be running.

Shoes to Run In

2007-09-09T19:19:00.000-04:00

Some of this is a duplicate from my other blog, but it seemed to fit both places.

I went shopping for running shoes today. MP told me about the chain store called Fleet Feet in Roanoke, VA where they do a real good job of helping you get a good fit. We made the trip down there to see what they had.

As you can see they had lots of stuff to buy. Those are Asics GT-2120s, with Superfeet liners, and Balega socks. They have lots of other products too, wicking material clothing of all sorts. Cold weather running clothes too.

The staff there is great. I spent an hour with one clerk, she had me walk to evaluate my step, I tried on a few pairs of shoes, and ran a little in them to make sure they felt good. I had on some Saucony shoes while I did some other shopping and after a while realized they were rubbing my toes wrong. So we backed up and tried again with the Asics. The clerk asked more questions about my activity and plans than the doctor did last week. She even cut the liners to fit and taught me how to tie my shoes so my heels don't slip anymore.

I am pretty pleased with the purchase. We will see how I feel after a few runs.

Why I don't go to the Doctor

2007-09-06T18:05:00.000-04:00

I decided to do the "right" thing and make an appointment for a check up. My insurance didn't include the doctor that most of my family goes to, but since there weren't any other options available in my area I chose to go to him anyway. The last time I went to this Dr. was in August 2001. I know this because I saw it on my chart today. There were other things on my chart that I had never seen because after that visit, they never scheduled a follow up appointment and I figured no news is good news. Turns out I should have gone back.
So he starts to ask me questions based on that six year old information. Kind of annoyed me. I wanted to talk about my new fitness plan, a couple of new problems I have, and get the paperwork so I can get new bloodwork done and start over with the diagnoses. That is where my biggest concern lies. Not in stuff that I think will solve itself if I can lose some weight.
He didn't ask about what type of excercise program I was starting so I told him that I had started a run/walk program and I want to run the 5K in November. He said - you don't need to run, walking is just as good. Then he said how he had been walking with some people that I know as if that was a good example. No offense to anybody, but they haven't done more than maintain. I have been maintaining for the last six years, I want to lose some weight and walking isn't good enough for me. It might work for some people, but what I have discovered is that my metabolism needs hours of walking each week to burn off the weight I want to lose. I don't want to spend hours walking. I don't want a quick fix either, but I know what works and he didn't care to ask any questions.
So anyway I am sort of annoyed with the appointment, but I managed to get confirmation on what is wrong with my foot - plantar fascitis - he didn't ask what I was doing, but agreed when I told him I suspected that it was caused during my Steps phase. I will keep stretching it and hoping it isn't really a spur developing. I also got some drops for my itchy ear. AND I got the paperwork for the lab test, I managed to get that taken care of today too. This time I do have a follow up appointment scheduled.
I guess what I am saying is that it doesn't really matter to me what he wanted to find wrong, I wanted to talk about my fitness plan and current problems. So that is why I don't go to the doctor. My problems were cheap his ideas were expensive.

Week 2 of 5k Training

2007-09-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

After surviving last weekend's food craziness my week has been okay so far, well other than finding out "SHOCK" that I am obese! MP brought in his fat/water scale. Thanks man! Really needed that. Bring it back next month and we will try again!
Turns out my body composition is 38.5% fat and should be below 32% by the charts. I am also dehydrated since my body water is also 38.5% and should be 51%. That might explain some things about why I get tired. SO I drink more water and continue my 5K training program hoping that next months measurements are better, I sure hope so anyway!
I tried to mess up my training Monday, waited too long to go run my course, it got dark early. By the way I GPS measured that course, twice, and found out that it is in fact exactly 2/10 of a mile long. So it is not a bad measurement, just a woman on her way to a body change doing the measuring and looking for excuses. (notice how I avoided that negative impression of myself back there? BFFM reading is having an influence.)
I got back on track Tuesday when I did manage to get up early and work out in my gym - and then that night I ran the 15 minute plan, but changed it to 2 minute run for 3 minute walk. That went ok, only managed to go do 5 laps in that time frame though. I can WALK a 15 minute mile so I don't know what the problem is. I looked for another excuse, maybe I can't count my laps, surely it was more like 7 or so!
One thing I have noticed while I have been doing all my crazy things, eating less while stair climbing and running, is that I rarely get hungry. I eat breakfast at 0600, fruit at about 0930, lunch at 1130, fruit at about 1pm, and drink water all day. Wednesday was different, I forgot to eat my afternoon apple and by the time I got home I was hungry! Dinner was reasonable so all is good.
Since it was Wednesday I had a 20 minute walk/run scheduled and though I bumped Monday to Tuesday maybe I shouldn't have done it, but I did... and bumped it to 2 run/ 3 walk. The last set was pretty slow and I tried to count better, found out I don't have a counting problem either. I only managed 7 laps.
Things I learned this week:
1. There is nothing wrong with the GPS
2. I do know how to count laps
3. I need to learn how to do those laps a little faster instead of look for excuses
4. Dark comes sooner than it used to
4. Food keeps me from getting hungry
5. Water keeps me from getting dehydrated

Holiday Weekend

2007-09-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

Friday I was good, I got the Pipestem registration form in the mail from the DNR, good timing on their part! I ran the 1/5 30 minute plan. That was sort of tough. Need to keep it up.
Saturday we went to the Hillsville Flea Market and walked and walked and walked. Hips were sore and tired, but we enjoyed it. Food was bad though - split 100 cal packs of oreos and gold fish for lunch, split a funnel cake to keep it from wasting (yeah that's it). Then stopped at the "german" place for dinner. Beer, schnitzel and spaetzel are not on the plan, but there were steamed vegetables and it was blandly delicious. Small Moolata for dessert - lol Oh well!
Sunday was pancakes and eggs for breakfast and medium plate of Chinese for late lunch/dinner.
Monday was hotdogs and salads for lunch, pork chops, veggies and baked fries for dinner, and pineapple upside down cake for snack. Messed up and didn't run the 1/5 15 minute plan - just didn't.
Not quite sure why, but somehow after all that the scale shows 2 pounds lost from last week. Maybe something is working to burn it off. Whatever, now back to normal levels. Did the circuit workout this morning and will do yesterday's run tonight.

First Week of 5k Training

2007-08-30T08:07:00.000-04:00

Ok. I am putting it all out there just to have a record. I did some measurements this morning and have found that my waist/hip ratio is 1.04. My height/weight BMI is 31.8.
That puts me in the range of a lot of health risk problems. If that doesn't motivate me to continue, I don't know what will.
My 5k training schedule for this week includes the following:
Monday - Brisk walk for 15 minutes. Jog for 1 minute of each 5 minutes (walk 4 jog 1, walk 4, jog 1, walk 4 jog 1.)
I did it and survived. The dogs went with me down the driveway and back up, back down and back up. They were so confused. I was tired. That gravel is hard to run on.
Tuesday - got up early and went downstairs to work out. Fairly light, but working on increasing intensity.
Wednesday - Brisk walk for 20 minutes. Jog 1 minute for each 5 minutes.
I moved to the hay field for a much easier run. The ground is so dry from lack of rain that it is like pavement, but a softer landing if I trip. I need to mow my path out to get rid of some tall weeds. I did a repetitive sort of figure 8 from one fence line to the other on a flatish area. The dogs gave up on my very quickly though, they went and sat in the yard and watched.
Because Pipestem has some long hills future field work, not too soon, will include going down the slope along the driveway and across the bottom and then up the slope to the top at the other end.
Thursday is off - I will be walking though, just not hard or running.
Friday is Brisk walk for 30 minutes with same 1 jog for 5 minute theme.
Saturday is weights again
Sunday is off again - we are going to the Flea Market in Hillsville, so I will be walking easy.

Shopping

2007-08-28T13:12:00.001-04:00

I am tired of shopping in the women’s section. Nothing really fits right. It is all made for short women with big butts. I am 5’11” and have a smallish butt with a big middle so I am screwed when it comes to buying clothes in most regular department stores. I end up buying men’s pants to get the smaller hips and women’s tops that don’t fit right. I am going to start shopping in the Misses section or not at all!

See more progress on: Shop in the Misses section instead of the Women's section in the department store.

8 Weeks and Counting

2007-08-24T21:04:00.000-04:00

I have been walking off and on for several years. I started back in 2002. Mostly to get out of the office without hanging around the smokers on break. I walked all over the small town that I work in, even the dogs got used to me after a while. It is a safe way to excercise and I lost about 20 pounds over the months that I was diligent about it. I walked a couple of 5K races and felt good even though it took me about 45 minutes each time. 15 minute mile, not speedwalking, but not crawling either.

Through all the walking and noticable weight loss I never really changed my diet. I cut out some things and considered cutting portion sizes, but other than eating from the cabbage soup diet (don't laugh it is cheap on calories and filling) for lunch every day for a year (cheap on the pocket too), not much else changed. So when I changed contracts and found myself busier I made excuses to not walk so much and the weight started coming back.
This picture is me in 2005 at the Pipestem State Park 5K/10K Pumpkin Run wearing the 2004 t-shirt. I think the trophy is for 3rd place in my age group, there were probably 3 of us racing. I am pretty heavy in the picture, about 245 I think. I hadn't really trained much for the race that year. I agreed to walk it when a friend wanted to give it a try for the first time. We finished, but I felt bad after that one.

That leads me to my next goal, which is to run the 2007 5K Pumpkin Run. Yes I said run. Now my disclaimer is that just because I sign up to run doesn't mean I have to run the whole thing, but I do want to aim for a 10 minute mile. I have an 8 week training plan prepared, actually I found it in a book, but it is perfect. A nice mix of walking with a little running, some off days, some weight training, and then a little less walking and more running.
I will be posting my weekly plan and progress. Hopefully there is some. Hopefully there is a much better picture to post at the end of the 8 weeks. I am shopping for a heart rate monitor to keep an eye on me while I excercise so I will be reviewing that when I get it too.

The Beginning

2007-08-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

What a non-creative, uninspired title for the first entry on a blog that is supposed to keep me moving!

Well, at least the Blog title itself is okay. Progress. Funny, the first definition of Progress that comes up in Wikipedia is "Evolutionary Progress". Well, that fits. This will be me evolving into another view of the person that I am. I can see me - but not when I look in the mirror below my neck. I have plans that will bring the person I see back out where I should be. Not exactly, but very close to who I was back when the Air Force told me I was over weight. I have video to prove they were wrong.

I started working on my weight several years ago, but have been more off than on the band wagon since then. Now I have decided enough is enough.

Several weeks ago (16th of July 2007 to be exact) I read an article about a place in Ohio that had banded together to use the number of miles to Baghdad as their goal for number of miles walked. I forget how many they calculated, but I found a website that told me Baghdad is 6,432 miles from my home. So I got the idea to count the number of steps in my office building. There are 60 steps. Then I split that up and found out it would take me 107.2 trips on those steps to hit 6,432, I only counted the Up steps.

The first week I managed 17 laps on the stairs.
The second week = 26
The third week = 41
The fourth week = 63
The fifth week = 80
The sixth and final week = 107.2

Results after the stair climbing adventure, I dropped a few pounds down to (oooh should I really post that? why not ok, here goes) 228 by my home scale and am wearing my size 38s again. Ok, that sounds really bad. I should add that I am 5 foot 11 inches tall! No excuse, but better than being short and better than wearing the 40s for sure!
Next week I start a new adventure with a new goal. I need to go hit some more of those stairs before the day is done - Stay tuned.