On the Road to Fitness... and a Half-Marathon

On the road to... A Half-Marathon

2011-03-26T05:14:00.000-04:00

My knee injury squashed my goal of running the Disney Princess Half-Marathon. But, it's feeling good, and I finally splurged for better running shoes: Nike+ Pegasus 27

I also got the Nike+ sensor to help track my runs. Can't wait to try it out! Especially because I have zero sense of time, pace or distance. So instead of me having to check distances on google maps around my neighborhood and run only on those streets, I can have the freedom to just run wherever I want until I hit my goal distance. I could just run for time, but like I said, there are times when I think I've run 3 miles and I only ran 2. Logging miles helps me stay motivated too, and on my training plan.

To keep me on track, I registered for my first Half-Marathon:

Let's hope the knee holds up. I have 13 weeks to complete Hal Higdon's novice training program.

And the running begins again... with an injury.

2010-11-23T04:57:00.000-05:00

Come on, are you serious?

Day 1 back to running and training for my half-marathon and I injured my darn knee.

I made myself run the mile from home to my meeting today, convinced that I would not have run otherwise. Once the meeting was done and I had only 15 minutes to get back home in time to shower and leave for work -- I had to run back.

Halfway through my return run, I started getting sharp pains along my right lateral knee. I tried not extending so much, putting more weight on the left... but I ultimately just pushed through.

By the time I got to work, parked and tried to walk down the ramp, I was completely limping. Unbelievable.

Yes, I had on kitten heels which arguably did not help the situation. But, by the end of my 9-hour stint, I was hobbling and praying some nice security guard would offer me a ride to the garage, dreading the walk and flight of stairs that awaited me. Both were excruciating by the way.

I iced the disappointing knee for 90 minutes on my drive to Jersey. My disability improved from hobbling back to limping. I am really beyond irritated. It reminds me of my ridiculous ankle injury in month 2 of training for my 5K earlier this year. But, the rest of that training was a success, so hopefully there's good luck for me the rest of this training, too.

Run:
1.03 mi, 11:29 going to meeting
1.03 mi, 10:53 on the way back

25 Down... Now the real challenge begins

2010-11-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

This is my first picture at goal (during a girls + kids trip to Boston).

I'm currently 25 pounds down now. I lost 3 more pounds since October 15th.

Now the biggest goal: to keep the weight off for an entire year.

October 15, 2011.

Here we go!

Me @ 30: 22 Pounds Down!

2010-10-15T21:59:00.001-04:00

Today, I did my usual early morning routine...

Wake up, strip naked, pee, then (and only then) step on the scale.

But, today, my scale said 130. Not 130.2 or 140.7 like it said 2 months ago. That means that I have now lost 22 pounds since I started this blog. I couldn't believe my eyes. It's been over a year now since I saw that number or anything close to it.

Remember me 22 pounds heavier??

In true award-show format... I'd like to thank God... and:
- 100-calorie packs
- Healthy Choice steamers meals (250 calories each!)
- Atkins shakes
- Crystal Light
- Nutrition facts
- My running blog buds who kept me motivated
- My gym, for having childcare, my favorite barbell class and TVs on each treadmill
- Dr. Scholl's for making these really cheap running shoes that have held up through all 150 miles of my running and walking
- All the low-carb products out there in the world

Enter the "get off the stage" music...

My First 10K!

2010-09-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

On August 29th, I ran in my first 10K.

I ran this 10K after only running 5.5 miles in the 7 weeks prior.

But, I had signed up for it, so I decided to run it.

All I can say is... I finished. I didn't run fast. And I met another not-fast friend with whom I ran most of it with.

I finished #407 out of #427 people at an 11:57/mile pace. I told you I didn't run fast. I'm terrible at pacing myself and I didn't want to start out too fast and not be able to finish. Who knew I was running at a walking pace??

So I went from running almost a 9-minute mile to this. Guess it serves me right for not training anymore.

But, you know what? I still finished! Next up... a half-marathon.

Me @ 30: Food!

2010-08-17T09:19:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my Week 3 recap, I'm trying to eat better.

Earlier in the year, I used a low-carb diet to lose half of the 30 pounds I had gained last fall. It was effective, but then I hit a plateau and couldn't lose any more weight.

In hindsight, I think some of it had to do with my portion control. I would eat as much as I wanted, stuffing myself, so long as it didn't have carbs. But, I'm sure I was taking in 2,000 calories, if not more, with those habits.

So, now, I am interested in counting calories. The other pet peeve I have about a low-carb diet, is I found myself eating a lot of processed, fake sugar foods. Don't get me wrong, I still love and will always love my Splenda, but I was not eating much "living" foods.

Friday I gave my kitchen a makeover. I bought snacks in 100-calorie packs to start teaching myself about portion control. I bought fresh fruits and veggies. I fell in love with Naked's Green Machine -- tons of fruits and veggies in one smoothie-type drink. I'm also keeping a food diary and counting calories throughout the day. It's been rough. I keep eating smaller portions and finding myself ravenous afterwards. My 100 calorie Pringles had like 7 chips in there. Ahh!!!!!

My trick so far? Drinking water or Crystal Light until I feel full. Even still, I've been so hungry this past weekend. When will this get easier??

Calories
Friday: 1,370
Saturday: 1,420
Sunday: 1,355 (got in a 5.5-mile run, which burned 712 calories)
Monday: 1,310 (lifted weights for an hour)

My basic metabolic rate (the amount of calories I'd burn if I stayed in bed all day) based on a few calculators is anywhere between 1,400 and 1,700 depending on the website.

Calculator 1
Calculator 2 - also tells you how many calories will lead to fat loss.
Calculator 3 - pick sedentary to see you how much you can eat if you did NOTHING all day.

Me @ 30: Goals for Week 4

2010-08-16T10:56:00.036-04:00

Here are my goals for the upcoming week -- (thanks AM for the idea!)

Physical Activity

Go to the gym twice
Run 3 miles
Get outside and play with my son

Motherhood

Truly enjoy my week alone with him
Allow myself to get lost in his kiddie world a few times
Treat him to someplace he really likes (Chuck E. Cheese, maybe?)

Personal Growth

Journal at least 4 times
Meditate at least once
Don't fall behind on my work and studying
Work on stress reduction strategies
Start working on my list of things that make me happy (see this post by one of my blog pals)

Nice thing for myself

Do something off of the happiness list (see above)

Eating

Limit to 1500 calories a day -OR-
Aim for 60 grams of carbs or less
Try to eat fruits or veggies every day
Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day

Home/Life

Unpack and arrange my closet

Fun/"Me" Time

Make it to my sailing course this weekend.

Me @ 30: Week 3

2010-08-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

Physical Activity

I ran 5.5 miles today... my first physical activity since dance class on 7/20. I've just been so tired between driving to/from Jersey and working that it's been hard to motivate. But, I got a good look at my scale today. I need to get back onto my workout routine!

I haven't been running since early July. I registered for a 10K that's two weeks from today. I know I'm out of shape, but I knew if I didn't put money down and commit to this race, I would never get back into running. In general, I feel like I've been letting myself down and breaking so many (running) promises to myself. Truthfully, running is getting lonely, and I lost my love for it.

Motherhood

I got to watch the kiddo swim at his swimming camp earlier in the week (I love his camp). He couldn't swim a lick before this camp and now he's swimming in 9 feet of water. He really wanted me to watch what he can do, so I went an hour early to pick him up so I could watch. It was fun, especially to see him jump off the diving board! I picked him up today, and I have him 24-7 for a whole week. This should be fun.

Personal Growth

I have been very introspective. I journaled a few days this week. No meditating (sorry). I've come to harsh realizations about my deficiencies, both personal and in my career, and have been working overtime (literally) to remedy those.

Nice thing for myself

Can't think of anything.

Eating

Still traveling to/from Connecticut every week, I did eat at McDonald's twice this week, but both times I got a salad, sliced apples and fresh fruit smoothies (an improvement). I was doing great regulating sweets and aiming to stay under 1500 calories a day. But, Thursday night while working overnight, I raided the snack closet and had 12 Oreos and 1 Fig Newton. Terrible, I know. But, one day at a time.

I started keeping a food diary. It is amazing what one can eat in a day. It's also amazing how small "serving sizes" are. When's the last time my overflowing bowl of cereal had only 3/4 cup of cereal in it? Why does my salad dressing have the same amount of calories as my salad? Why was my sizzling chicken and shrimp dinner at Friday's 1200 calories? It's no wonder that we Americans are overweight. Our portions are out of control, and I'm the biggest culprit.

My scale puts me at 140 pounds today (yes, I gained 5 pounds since Cancun -- 3 weeks ago), and I've lost a lot of muscle in the last 2 months, so it's actually more than 5 pounds.

Home/Life

No moves in the unpacking department.

Fun/"Me" Time

The girls and I went to see Eat, Pray, Love and had brunch afterwards to unload our thoughts.

Me @ 30: Eat, Pray, Love

2010-08-14T22:50:00.042-04:00

Three girlfriends and I met up in Jersey to watch "Eat, Pray, Love," a book we all read (or, in my case listened on audiobook while I ran). The movie was great. It was interesting to compare the movie scenes with the images I imagined while listening to Elizabeth Gilbert read about her experiences. We finished the day off with dinner at Bertucci's and dancing in a Jersey nightclub.

The movie put me into a state of deep reflection though, making me long the freedom she had, traveling to those three places, becoming more spiritual and in tune with herself along the way. I've been nonstop since I was 5 years old. I was a student from age 5 to age 26. Since age 27, I've been a resident physician. In between, I held a part-time or full-time job since I was 13 years old. I took time off from medical school and got another degree full-time (my master's in journalism) while working full-time for an OB-gyn. While a student, I worked in news, I got married, had a son, wrote a book.. and now I'm on the brink of finishing residency and looking for a new job. But, I'm feeling like I want to get off of the treadmill at some point.

So, I've been deep in thought lately, trying to figure out how to allow such freedom, and still pay my bills and my school loans. I haven't found a solution yet, but I'm searching.

Me @ 30: Registered for my first 10K

2010-08-13T16:14:00.000-04:00

Yea... so I ignored the fact that I haven't run more than once a week since May, and registered for a 10K which takes place in *gasp* two weeks. I know, I know, but a girl's gotta have a dream, right?

So, it's back on a training schedule:

Week 1 5.5 + 3 = 8.5 miles
Week 2 3 + 4 + 2 = 9 miles
Then RACE DAY!

I'm not planning on breaking any records there. I'm probably going to aim for an 11-12 minute/mile pace. My usual pace is low 9's anyway and but there's no way I'm keeping that up for 6.2 miles.

Me @ 30: Riding the Mechanical Bull

2010-08-09T11:30:00.001-04:00

For my pal's bday -- Style Scrybe of Shoes N Booze -- on Saturday, she decided to ride the mechanical bull and (lightly) twisted my arm to do the same.

It was an adrenaline rush. I stayed on for a while, but honestly, I realized it was never going to end and sorta let myself fall off. My inner thighs are still aching. Does that count as a workout??

Me caught in mid-blink with the birthday gal:

The First Ten Days of 30

2010-08-05T23:18:00.001-04:00

30 started out with a sense of calm.

But, upon returning to CT last Wednesday, I was met with much drama and stress. I did, however, catch up on most of my to-do's by the weekend, with my list shrinking from 2-3 pages to a half-page.

Following in the footsteps of one of my blog buddies, AM’s blog, Goals for the Week, here are the things I wanted to work on this week. Some I scored well on, others I flunked.

Physical Activity

I danced for a couple of hours on the night of my birthday. None since.

Motherhood

Continuing to improve. I brought the kiddo to camp last Tuesday morning and put him to bed Tuesday night before going back to CT on Wednesday morning. Then, I came back on Saturday and spent the weekend with him, being there when he lost his first tooth!

Personal Growth

I meditated for a whole five uninterrupted minutes last Friday, in an effort to keep my utter disorganization and overwhelmed feelings from making me bawl my eyes out.

Nice thing for myself

I bought myself a (real) fruit smoothie from McDonald’s on Saturday.

Eating

Speaking of McDonalds, I have been terrible in the food department. I ate out at both McDonald’s and White Castle. I ate pastries and ice cream. I had two types of carrot cake today - one slice of cake and the other, I cupcake. Not to mention the gelato earlier in the day. Some of it is because I haven’t even unpacked my apartment in CT (including my kitchen), and I have been spending most of my days in NJ, hence the eating on the run.

Home/Life

I just made a dent in the disorganization, but still haven’t unpacked most of the apartment. My trunk is still full to the top (and I have a truck) with stuff I haven’t bothered to bring into the new place yet. Plus, there's junk that had been inside my car that I threw back there in order to get my car detailed on my birthday.

Fun/"Me" Time

I carved out a few hours and finally watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Madea Goes To Jail (thanks Netflix!) while I chilled out on my couch in CT. It felt good to sit still for once.

Appearance

I managed to dress up, do my hair with or without makeup almost every day in the past week and a half. I'm a firm believer of Look Good, Feel Good but it's hard to keep it up sometimes, especially when life gets hectic.

The Year In Review (Jan until July 2010)

2010-08-01T23:05:00.001-04:00

Since starting this blog and picking up running as a hobby, I have:

- gone from being able to run 1 minute without getting winded to running three 5K's (link, link and link)
- run a total of 136 miles (my best month was February at 39 miles)
- run a total of 30 hours
- burned off the equivalent of 107 donuts (thanks dailymile.com for that statistic)
- gotten my fastest pace down to 9:08/mile
- run 4.07 miles (my farthest run)
- turned 30 (why 30 is so important)
- lost 17 pounds
- done something special for myself on each of the 25 days leading up to my 30th birthday
- started dancing again (ballet and tap)
- learned valuable life lessons, included greater insight into myself and those around me

Then: Now:

What I didn't do (yet):
- Run a 10K or a half-marathon
- Get back down to my pre-baby weight

But, the year isn't up. It's only the beginning. My birthday marked the true beginning of my "year." Join me on the journey that is to come over the next 12 months.

30th Birthday Celebration(s)

2010-07-28T22:42:00.000-04:00

It has taken me a few days to recover from my 30th birthday celebrations.

My mom started the day off buying shoes and a necklace to go with my dress. Then we got our hair done and nails mani'd and pedi'd.

Mom all rolled up:

Then, we ran home to finish the party favors I made for each of my guests -- cards with my favorite thing about them, or my favorite memory, and a nip-bottle of various types of liquor.

The dinner was fabulous. The service and food were excellent -- from the cocktail hour to the actual dinner to the tasty Tiramisu dessert that I plopped my 30 candle in (yes, I brought my own candle).

After I gave a speech to my dearest friends -- ones that I have known since age 2 on up to age 24... so minimum 6 years -- they decided to toast to me one by one, sharing touching remarks and funny stories. I love these guys. They are my inspiration, and to hear the warm remarks were just what I needed to hear after this tumultuous year and as I step out into 30.

Our next stop was a nightclub in Jersey, dancing until 2am. Then we finished the night at our favorite JC diner, talking until our waitress packed up and left, giving us a hint.

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday, honestly. Thanks to everyone who played a part.

I'm 30!!!

2010-07-26T03:00:00.002-04:00

I'm finally here.

I woke up on the flight after nodding off while reading Heart of the Matter. At first, I was disoriented. The customs form had been mysteriously placed on my seatback tray. I had no sense of time. Then I heard,
"Prepare for arrival."

Ahhhhh! That means, it's probably close to 2am. It's July 26th! I'm 30! Oh my gosh... as tears began welling up in my eyes.

I'm finally here.

The last ten years have been one heck of a journey. I have learned a lot about life, about myself, about the people in my life. I wish I could say it was all fun, but it was rough for a lot of that time. But, I'm here. At 30. With my fresh start. With my chance to do things differently. With my chance to be better.

And I feel different. I wonder if I even look different.

My first pic at 30:

1 Day 'Til 30... And we're delayed

2010-07-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

July 25th was a long day. Shonda and I woke up to room service breakfast. We packed, dilly-dallied, then spent the hours before her flight poolside yet again, reflecting on life while intermittently reading our books (Her: Lipstick Jungle. Me: Heart of the Matter).

She left at 1:30pm for her 4:30 flight. I got picked up a little later at 3:45pm for a 7 o'clock flight. So, the shuttle drops me and the other 7 o'clockers all going back to Jersey off a little past 4. Well, guess what? The flight was delayed. First to 7:50, then to 9:20, then to 9:40. We took off at 10pm.

Let's do the math. Not only were we originally 3 hours early for our flight, but then we ended up spending a total of 6 hours in Cancun's airport -- hours that could have been spent on the beach. And it was freezing! So all of us in our tank tops and beach attire eventually broke down and bought Mexican blankets. This is a group shot of random passengers with our blankets on.

2 Days 'Til 30... Dueling Rub Downs

2010-07-24T21:45:00.004-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

First order of business today was the post-wedding brunch. So yummy! Me with the big (married) cousin:

Following brunch, we took our usual positions - poolside, facing the water, under a couple of umbrellas, book in hand.

In case you forgot where we are... and I included my toes as proof!

Today's special treats were full-body massages (plus steam room and jacuzzi) at the resort spa. This is me feeling loose and serene after my rub-down.

We ended the night at a family dinner at the resort's seafood restaurant. I ordered Mahi Mahi (which I must order from any restaurant that actually offers it) and it was terrible! The fish was so dead and dried out that when I cut it with the knife, it shed into crumbles. Such a letdown. The saving graces, however, were the mixed vegetables and the yucca & vanilla creme brulee.

Our last adventure of the day was finding a lizard in our room.

We called maintenance to free us of the infestation and he laughed at us, showing us the lizard in a towel saying, "Godzilla" in a Mexican accent. Nice, dude. Make fun of our terror.

3 Days 'Til 30... I do!

2010-07-23T23:59:00.002-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today started out as any normal day should -- lounging at a pool at an all-inclusive resort with a swim-up bar and many waiters and waitresses happy to take your 25th (all-included) drink order. Rashonda and I in our respective posts.

We even got a little swimming in and spent time with the family:

Then, it was time for a quick change and off to the wedding. The wedding ceremony was amazing. The beautiful bride was brought in by a horse-drawn carriage. The sound of any hooves may actually make me misty for at least the next year.

Once the carriage stopped at the front of the gazebo, I couldn't contain myself. She was gorgeous. I'm already Misty Molly, but that lump in the back of throat let loose and I started pouring full-on tears all down my recently-applied makeup. This was my big cousin getting married. My closest male first-cousin, my sounding board on most things, my voice of reason some days, my inspiration on others. And he just hadn't found the right one until now. If anyone deserves the amazing woman that his bride is, it's him. And for that reason, I lost it, and most of my MAC foundation. The vows didn't help the makeup cause either.

I can't think of a better way to approach 30 -- this journey that has left me so introspective and appreciative of life -- than to be surrounded my so much love.

Then of course, we partied the night away at the reception until Rashonda and I called it a night... no afterparty for us (Gasp... are we getting old? I don't wanna know the answer).

4 Days 'Til 30.... Bienvenidos a Cancun!

2010-07-22T22:13:00.014-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I am in MEXICO! I was completely knocked out on my 9:40am flight to Cancun and according to my cousin's boyfriend, my mouth was wide open and I was leaning on the lady next to me (sorry Ma'am, but you never said anything). This is likely due to being awake for 38 hours from Tuesday into Wednesday. But, nonetheless, I am here, in one piece, and ready to relax.

Me, newly arrived, in the lobby with my aunts and little cousin:

So yes... this means I will be spending the last 4 days of my 20's staring out at clear blue water, sipping fruity drinks poolside with my friend, Rashonda and my dad's side of the family. I can't wait. Check out the view from my balcony:

Oh yea -- how could I forget... we're all here for a wedding! The view must have distracted me. A pic of the soon-to-be wed at tonight's welcome dinner.

And me in my Cancun-inspired welcome dinner attire (with the new summer-y hair)

5 Days 'Til 30..... A Bedtime Story

2010-07-21T22:09:00.002-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Change of plans. I didn't run the 5K on my schedule tonight.

First of all, it downpoured. I'm dedicated, but not that dedicated.

Secondly, I wanted to make it back to NJ to read my kiddo a bedtime story.

So, after being awake for 38 hours (minus a 2-hr nap), packing and running errands, I hit the road at 6, making it to NJ at 8:30pm -- just before bedtime.

That was a special something to beat out all the other special somethings.

Cancun tomorrow!

6 Days 'Til 30... Letter to the Older Me

2010-07-20T12:59:00.000-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

So, I have this countdown to 30 -- an age that some people hide from, lie about, or bawl over. Yet, I'm celebrating it in full force. But, why is 30 so important? It's just a number right? Life doesn't drastically change because some invisible clock turns it's big hand to 30. Or does it?

For me, turning 30 is a chance to start over. A chance to do things better. Be a better me.

I get to leave the tumultuous 20s behind me and settle into the peace of being more mature, more secure in who I am as a person, and more importantly -- actually knowing who I am as a person.

Think about someone at 20... then 23... then 27... and finally 29. Each of those phases are so very different. The life lessons, the heartbreak, the drama, the killing yourself to plant your roots into a career, the ignorant decisions just because you don't know any better... I'm over it.

I want to leave the drama behind, feel settled for once, all while embracing those people and those experiences that helped me arrive at this point.

Eight years ago, I wrote a letter to myself while in Paris alone for New Year's Eve. It talked about how I needed to be more confident and strong. When I read that letter now, it reminds me that this is always a battle -- coming into your own at 22, now at 30, and I'm sure it will happen again at 40 and 50.

So, today, my special something was writing myself a letter. Hopefully, to read another 8-10 years from now and be able to say I accomplished everything in it.

7 Days 'Til 30... Birthday Suit!

2010-07-19T17:00:00.001-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

...no, not THAT birthday suit. I finally found the dress I plan to wear to my birthday shindig (you know... that totally unimportant birthday we're counting down to...).

I absolutely hate, hate, hate shopping. The split decisions, always afraid I'm not getting the most for my money, trying everything on because my proportions are so non-traditional, the crowds, the racks after racks, the either neglectful or overbearing salespeople. It's just not for me.

Knowing this, I split this process up over two days. Yesterday, I just went to browse -- no pressure. I saw this dress at Marshall's, but I wasn't sure, so I snapped some pics and looked elsewhere. Well, nothing beat out this dress, so here we are. I went back to Marshall's to get it. It seems a little prom-dressy, but you know what? I'll make it work with some shoes and accessories. I'm working on being (an almost-30) diva anyway, right? (see yesterday's post) So here we go!

8 Days 'Til 30...

2010-07-18T20:00:00.002-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

So since I colored my hair, I've been really insecure about it. I felt like the hair was either overpowering me or washing me out. Then, today I realized -- it's because I'm letting the hair wear ME. The (almost blonde) hair definitely says unique and dare I say it -- DIVA. Yet, my (frumpy) clothes and my attitude the past few days have not been anything close to diva. So, today I jazzed it up. Put on a full face of makeup, wore cute clothes to work complete with my best flats and favorite dangly necklace and finally felt like the hair looked good on me. Not to mention, looking good boosted my ego and made me a lot closer to diva than just 24 hours ago.

So, my special thing today was a physical and attitude makeover (hehehe).

By the way, 8 is my favorite number.

9 Days 'Til 30... Time with the Munchkin

2010-07-17T11:30:00.008-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

We're in single digits now, people! The big 3-0 is getting closer and closer.

Today's special something was surprising my kiddo, who didn't know I was coming to NJ and spending 5 hours with him before having to drive back to CT for work.

Him on his scooter and the slide at Liberty State Park in 90-degree weather even at 9 in the morning!

Me sweating and donning the new 'do:

We finished off the day at IHOP and brought my mom along -- the same IHOP I worked at during my summer between freshman and sophomore years ('98), that Christmas break ('98) and the following summer ('99). I really enjoyed waitressing and racking up on tips. I was pretty good at it, plus I got to talk to different people all the time. It was fun.

Oddly enough, the same people own and manage it and some of the same waitresses are there. It's a head trip to take the flash to the past when I go there 12 years later, and bring my 5-year-old son with me? Crazy.

10 Days 'Til 30... A New Look

2010-07-16T23:10:00.006-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I got out of work early today and hit the road back to NJ and made it 5 minutes before the time my hairdresser takes her last client.

Today is special because I decided to highlight my hair for the summer, and for turning 30 and for the new changes that are happening in my life now.

What do you think?

It's taking some getting used to, but I like it so far.

11 Days 'Til 30... Rest & Relaxation

2010-07-16T23:00:00.004-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today was a hard day for me. Very emotional. The weight of everything that's been happening hit me hard and I had a good cry -- twice. Once in the morning and once in the evening. In my quest to be a better me, I'm coming to some harsh realizations about who I've been for the past five years, and the things I could have and should have done differently. It's intense, but it's putting me on the road to improvement.

With the type of day I had, my special something was skipping my barbell class, going home to watch the first half of my latest Netflix delivery -- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 -- before drifting off to sleep well before my usual bedtime. I definitely needed the rest (and sleep).

12 Days 'Til 30... Dinner Party & Girl Talk

2010-07-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Two of my fellow residents came to my new (still packed in boxes) apartment for dinner, drinks and girl talk. It was nice being in good company, especially in CT, when most of my base is still in NJ. And they didn't mind me pulling bowls and dishes and forks out of a huge packing box throughout the night.

Anne brought hand-made guacamole which was delish with the italian bread, and fresh fruit for our appetizers. Oh and the most important appetizer -- wine!

I made chicken skewers in the oven with onions and red, green and yellow peppers. I used a little seasoned salt on the chicken and McCormick's Mediterranean marinade over the fully-loaded skewer. I've never actually made chicken skewers myself before. They were tasty (if I'm allowed to compliment my own cooking). The yellow rice and carrots rounded out our plates, and we ate much, talked much and it was exactly what I needed.

By the way -- My most recent article for MSNBC's thegrio.com went up today: Cough 'sizzurp' is dangerous drug of choice for stars, youth

13 Days 'Til 30... Kicking Up My Heels

2010-07-13T22:12:00.000-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

My special something was an activity I haven't participated in for almost six years. Any guesses? Okay, I'll give you some hints.

Hint#1:

Okay, I'll give you another:

I'm sure it's now obvious that I took dance classes today. I took a tap class followed by a ballet class.

I used to be a dancer... I danced for 13+ years, through college and part of medical school, but I haven't danced since I became pregnant with my son. I miss that part of me, the creative side, moving to music, getting a good workout.

My ideal fitness regimen would actually include dancing a few times a week, and weight lifting. Unfortunately there are no adult dance classes in New Haven, so I finally expanded my search to Hartford (40 minutes away) and I'm glad I did.

Running is good, but I don't think I'm a run-3-times-a-week kind of person. Maybe once a week, or every other week. It was initially a challenge and helped me drop nearly 20 pounds. But, I am losing interest. I want to run when I feel like it, not forcing myself to run to stay on a training schedule. And in all honestly, I'd prefer to dance than most other things.

The beginner/intermediate tap class was good. The moves came back to me after a while and I felt coordinated. Ballet on the other hand was ROUGH. I held my own, but the moves didn't come as naturally. It's actually be more than 10 years since I took a true ballet class, though. My legs were stronger than I expected, thanks to running. But, both classes were a workout. By the time I reached home, my ankle and hips/quads were stiff.

14 Days 'Til 30... Mother-Daughter Time at the River

2010-07-12T16:19:00.001-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today, mom and I went down to Liberty State Park in Jersey City for her to draw and me to read overlooking the Hudson River.

Mom with her sketch book:

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the great views.

It was quite relaxing and allowed my mind to wander. In my quest to be "better," I have been more introspective than usual, trying to figure out where I've gone wrong and improve those deficits. One day at a time...

15 Days 'Til 30... Good Convo & A (Kids) Movie

2010-07-11T23:11:00.034-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I had great grown-up conversation today while the kids swam in the pool with my good friend Chakia who I've known since I was 7, but haven't seen in a few years.

My kiddo also surprised me by being able to swim. He just finished his second week in swim camp and let me tell you -- despite what he believed, he could NOT swim before he started camp. He did a lot of splashing, but no swimming. Now look at him!

We started to get rained on, but the kids decided to keep swimming, so we threw towels on our heads and kept the conversation going. That is, until we heard thunder and everyone scattered.

Next, I met up with Kenye to take the kids to see "Despicable Me." It was really funny. I actually laughed at least 10 times. Not the "oh, that's cute," laugh, but true laughter. I didn't expect it to be that good.

As an aside -- spending so much time at home has been great. It's nice to spend time with lifelong friends who remember me back when I was happy, who have known me through all the of my phases of life - flaws and all - and still love me anyway. They are also amazing people who teach me a lot and inspire me to be a better person, which is one of my main goals this year anyway. I haven't spent this much free time back in NJ in over 3 years.

16 Days 'Til 30... Traversing Freely around NYC

2010-07-10T21:09:00.001-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

We started our day at the Battery Park Conservancy for a free adult painting and drawing course as part of the River to River festival. There wasn't much instruction. But, that could be due to our initial introduction with the teacher which involved him telling us that it was a bad idea to have the kids there because the last time a parent tried the class the kids were running amuck and throwing things into the water. I calmly informed him that those kids probably behave that way on a normal day and ours don't. And after he conceded, we proceeded to gather our supplies.

Us hard at work:

The finished products. No critiques please!

After pretending to be artists for an hour, we had lunch at Chipotle (my first time going to this common fave). I managed to consume 1100 calories in one sitting... between the chicken burrito, one chicken taco and a margarita. Thanks NYC for putting calorie counts front and center on the menu.

Next, we saw a free performance by the Rochester City Ballet at Pace University. It was amazing. The kiddos loved it, evidenced by them sitting on the edge of their seats and not letting out a peep during the 70-minute performance.

from http://www.rochestercityballet.com/

The adventure ended at Starbucks with full-on smiles...

...and my grande green tea latte.

I managed to tire out the kiddo. Him on the Light Rail train.

I also replaced my broken camera today. No more camera phone pics after today!

17 Days 'Til 30... Dinner with College Roomie

2010-07-09T22:33:00.014-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

My special something today was an extra special treat. I had dinner with my college roommate Melissa who I haven't seen in 6 years. We had a great time sharing life stories, great memories, and girl talk. I've missed her so much. It was her first time meeting my son, and they hit it off amazingly well:

18 Days 'Til 30... Me Time

2010-07-08T23:27:00.001-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I decided that today's special something would be low-key. I finished my shift at 7:30 am. I waited for the cable guy who gave me the gift of television and internet in my new place. With my new found internet, I crossed some items off my to-do list.

Then, I decided to have "me time." I ordered delivery from one of my favorite pizza places (The baked Eggplant Florentina was fabulous!), watched the episodes of Are We There Yet? I missed last week, and put my feet up on the couch and enjoyed the couple of hours I had before returning to work. I was so relaxed, I actually fell asleep for an hour. It was nice.

I really needed to slow things down and just have some time to sit still. It's really interesting how life comes full circle. Three years ago, I released a pocket guide for busy women about taking time for yourself and how to have it all despite our busy schedules. The idea stemmed from a group my friends and I started as a vow to "get a life."

Since then, life and residency has definitely gotten in the way of me having a life, and just now, in the wake of turning 30, and focusing on my on health and fitness this year, I find myself back to where I was three years ago, vowing again to "get a life." Funny how that happens.

19 Days 'Til 30... Reading on the Sound

2010-07-07T23:40:00.021-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today was a hot, busy day. It's been sweltering the past few days.

I returned to CT from New Jersey this morning. I immediately went to the anatomy lab to meet the other residents in my program who were performing procedures on cadavers. Afterwards, I ran errands. All of this was before having to be at work at 5:30pm.

However, I was able to squeeze in an hour for a special something. I sat at Long Wharf on a bench enjoying a view of the Long Island Sound while I read the first few chapters of Emily Giffin's "Heart of the Matter." It was nice to tune out the world for an hour and relax.

My view of the Sound:

The book (great so far... but I'm not surprised, her books never let you down)

20 Days 'Til 30... Time with my Bestie

2010-07-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

The special something of the day was having dinner with my male bestie, Nate. We were inseparable for decades but lost touch over the years and just recently started hanging out again. I've missed my bud, so tonight was extra special. Here's us at Chili's:

21 Days 'Til 30... Time With Mom

2010-07-05T22:43:00.018-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today's special something involved me and my mom spending the day together. First we walked 3 miles, then ran 2 miles (well, I lost her between miles 4 and 5, don't tell her I told you that). Then, we did 25 pushups and 200 situps.

This is her after our workout:

I also introduced her to Muscle Milk, so we could get the protein in within an hour after our workouts.

We finished up the day with manicures (she got a pedicure, too).

22 Days 'Til 30... Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today's special something was spending the day with my kiddo -- a day that ended with us taking the train and walking (a lot!) to Chelsea Piers to watch the Macy's Fireworks display. All of my years living across the River in Jersey City and I've never gone to NYC to watch the fireworks. So, this was a treat for both of us.

Us before we left.

Kiddo waiting for the fireworks to start.

The action.

23 Days 'Til 30... a pre-4th BBQ & club outing

2010-07-03T23:01:00.016-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

Today's special something was going to a BBQ with a group of friends I've known for anywhere from 10 to 25 years. We had a good time telling old stories and making jokes about each other -- not to mention great food, drink and dessert.

Afterwards, me and 3 of the girls went out to a very empty nightclub in NJ. But, we still enjoyed each other's company and ended the night with some good music.

24 Days 'Til 30... A Good Run & Cutting a Rug

2010-07-02T23:50:00.029-04:00

**Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.**

I started today with an amazing feat... I ran for the first time since my 5K on May 23th. I ran for 42 minutes around a park here in Jersey City. Nafeesa of Shoes N Booze ran with me on the first two laps, then I finished up with 2 additional laps.

Next, I went to the hair salon and got a new cut/style.

I finished up the night at a nightclub in Union, NJ with Nafeesa and Zia Bartley of Best Event Planners.

25 Days 'Til 30... and the Yankees Win!

2010-07-01T23:00:00.003-04:00

Now that my countdown to 30 has officially begun, I've decided to do something extra special every day until I turn 30.

Today's special something was watching the Yankees game from box seats auctioned off by Shoe Revolt, a great charity whose mission is to stop human trafficking.

Me and Nafeesa of Shoes N Booze posed for a photo with Ateba Crocker, the main philanthropist of Shoe Revolt.

The Yankees won 4-2 today, winning the series against the Mariners 2-1.

Sea Dog 5K Run/Walk - Race Report

2010-05-23T14:33:00.000-04:00

I decided to run the 5K this morning despite not having any running buddies or a cheering section, despite the gloom and despite the few sprinkles that fell on my head before the race started. Here's my report:

The horn sounds, it's the start of the race! I positioned myself in the middle of the pack, hoping to plant myself around the 9 or 10 minute per mile runners. And we're off!

Mile 1:
(Two minutes in...) Wow, I'm really out of breath. What is going on?? Maybe I need to slow down a bit. Wow, a lot of people are passing me now. This is what I get for not running for a month. I'm running so slowly, I'm probably going about 11 minutes per mile now. More people are passing me. This is great. I knew I should have stayed home. We're going downhill, and I still can't pick up more speed. Oh look -- that lady is walking now... and so is that man... maybe I should just call it a day and walk the rest. I'm still so out of breath. This doesn't feel comfortable at all. The last race, mile 1 was a breeze. I'm so upset with myself. There's the mile marker!! There's a guy with a stop watch shouting numbers... Did he just say 8??? Okay, he just shouted 8:40 at me! That's why I feel like crap, I've never run this fast before! Time to slow down...

Mile 2:
Okay, if I don't slow down, I probably won't be able to finish. Steady wins the race. Just try to stay with the folks in front of you, Ty. Okay, they're leaving you in the dust. That's fine. Just keep moving. Breathe. Breathe. Why haven't I caught my breath yet? Thank God my legs aren't tired though. Slowing down more... Where is that second mile marker?? More people are walking -- man, I'm so jealous. What I would give to just walk right now. Ok, there it is! Another guy in neon green shouting numbers... 17:47. So my second mile was 9:07, I can live with that. I've finally caught my breath. But, I don't think I can go faster than this. I'm gonna have to stay at this pace.

Mile 3 and 3.1:
Just take nice, long strides. Breathe. Stay with that guy in the grey shirt. Doh! The gap between us is widening. More people are passing me. Geez, how slowly am I running NOW? That old guy behind me is moaning with every breath, HUSH! He sounds like he's gonna pass out, but you know what? He's been on my tail the whole race, so maybe I should hush. His AHHHRGHHs must be working for him. It's 25 minutes according to my watch, time to kick it for the last 4 or 5 minutes. Oh no! Another uphill? Kicking it will have to wait until the top of this hill. People are cheering, "You're almost there!" Am I really? We're back on the main road now, the finish line has to be close. I think we're there, time to speed up. I'm starting to pass someone (for the first time today). Wait, where's the finish line? Did she just say, "Turn the corner, you're almost there!"? There's more? Ugh. Not again! I made this mistake last race. It's on a slight incline too? Push. Push. Finish line! The clock reads 28:24 as I run through. That means mile 3 and 3.1 was 10:37 (9:36/mile). Not as good as I started out with, but I still beat last race's time by 12 seconds.

Okay, why is there a line to get away from the finish line? I need to walk people, my heart is pounding out of my chest! Oh, we have to hand in the little strips on the bottom of our race bibs. Fine. I don't think I can walk anyway. Oh look -- a nice grassy hill. Looks like the perfect place to lay on my back... and just rest a while. :-)

Race Results
F 20-29, 17 out of 34
Overall: 217 out of 519 (some of those were walkers)

Yes, they listed me as a male (a common mistake with the first name, TYEESE). I placed better as a guy than in my own category. I should be #17 among the females 20-29, but apparently with my gender change, I placed 9.

I think I'm convinced...

2010-05-22T18:50:00.000-04:00

I've spent most of today either crying over recent events, packing the house to move, or catching up on my blogger pals' posts.

I think I've decided to run tomorrow's 5K even though I will have to register on-site. I'll make a game time call tomorrow morning when I get up.

In the meantime, I'm gonna keep packing, and start hydrating. After how slow I ran yesterday, I'm not sure I can even beat my last 5K time (9:13/mile pace). But, I can try.

I also checked out the McMillan calculator, and based on that time, I should expect to run my 10K in 59:25. But it also says my 4-mile the other day should have been 37:25, almost 6 minutes faster than I actually ran.

I have work to do.

4-miler: the good, the bad, and the ugly

2010-05-21T22:42:00.000-04:00

I broke away from the treadmill today, and ran outside.

After spending an unusual day at work in the operating room all day, I pulled off onto a side road in New Haven, changed into my running gear in the car (yes, in broad daylight -- I have skills!), and proceeded to run a 2-mile route out and back in 43:03. Slow, I know.

The GOOD
- I finished the 4 miles alive.
- I got a second wind during the last 2 miles that made the run feel easy.
- Funny comment from random guy: "I can do that!" Me: "Well, come on then!" Random guy stayed put and laughed.
- Smiling at fellow runners along the same street, especially when running on the treadmill gets so lonely.
- 4.07 miles is the farthest I've ever run. Today's run beat out my previous one-and-only 4-miler.

The BAD
- I had to pee from the start of the run.
- I don't know where my ipod is, so I ran to the sounds of nature.
- I didn't warmup beforehand.
- I haven't trained on hills yet, and there were a few mini-hills along this road.
- My right knee started to ache during the last mile.

The UGLY
- When I finished, my elbow creases were pale from being moist and bent the whole run.
- I started out way too fast and by 1/10th of a mile, I was already winded.
- The first 2 miles I really didn't think I was going to make it between feeling winded and having to pee. Not to mention, my limbs felt like they were moving in slow-mo (at a 10:30/minute pace, they were!)

Now it's time for a nice long soak.

Taking time out from Grey's to talk about running

2010-05-20T22:31:00.000-04:00

I'm on a commercial break from a nail-biting Grey's Anatomy season finale... so this will be quick.

I made it to the gym today in time for my Group Power class. I was also supposed to run 2 miles according to my 10K plan.

I ran the first mile at 6.4 mph (9:22/mile) but was pretty out of breath. So, I postponed the second mile until after the Group Power class. I did the first 2 minutes at 6.4 mph, but I didn't feel like I could last the whole mile, so I turned it down to 6.2 mph.

Tomorrow, a 4-mile run is on the agenda, but I have to admit, I'm a little nervous. I haven't run that long in many weeks. I'm unsure if I can run that long. I doubt I will be able to do it on the treadmill (out of boredom), but I haven't really found a good outside route yet. Not to mention, I work tomorrow from 7:30am until 5-ish mostly standing up in the operating room. I can easily see myself losing motivation. We'll see...

Baila con Zumba!

2010-05-19T21:33:00.000-04:00

Another gloomy day, another day of feeling no-so-hot, but I dragged myself to the gym anyway.

I did an hour of only Zumba tonight - no running, no lifting, and it was nice. It reminded me how much I miss dancing (I danced from age 7 until I got pregnant with my son 6 years ago). It also allowed me to move my hips a lot, be feminine and almost flirty.

I spent the first half of the class moving to the music, but still mulling over life's problems in my head. By the end, I was just dancing and focusing on how I looked in the mirror - my form, the definition in my arms that I'm proud of, and really noticing the difference between how I look today and how I looked when I started this journey on January 4th.

Between my month-long hiatus from working out and eating terribly at the same time, I surprisingly only put on about 4 pounds (I'm sure I lost muscle though). From last week to this week, I lost 2 pounds. That puts back to 135, only 5-10 pounds away from my original goal and 17 pounds down from January.

Back on the Treadmill (again)

2010-05-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

I ran today... Despite the gloomy rain.

According to my 10K training schedule, I was due to run 2.5 miles. Since I already know I can run the distance, I've been working on speed, so I upped it to 6.2mph (or 9:40/mile). It was okay until the last 5 minutes, where all of a sudden sweat started pouring down and I was huffing and counting down the seconds I had left... 32... (breathe) 31... (breathe) 30... (breathe)...

My next days to run are Thursday (2 miles and a Group Power class) and Friday (4 miles). The 5K that I may or may not run is on Sunday. I'm considering going to Zumba tomorrow night just to spice up this routine a bit. As much as I hate to say it, running is starting to feel more like a chore than fun these days.

However, I'm preparing to move in less than a month, which may help because the new neighborhood is a lot more conducive to running and is close to a park with nice trails. So there's hope for me yet.

No, I haven't been abducted by aliens...

2010-05-17T00:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been M.I.A.
Yes, I've been a bum.
But, I'm back now.
Be easy on me.

Running
I ran on April 14th, and didn't run again until this past Thursday, the 13th of May. Gosh, it hurts just to see that in writing. I ran/walked 2.5 miles just before my Group Power class.

My plan is to run again on Tuesday, Thursday and maybe Friday. There's a 5K on my schedule for Sunday, but I haven't decided if I'm ready to run it yet. I'd like to keep beating my 5K times, and I'm not sure I'm in any shape to beat 28:36.

Life
Life has been interesting. I've been in and out of a funk lately... forced to learn a lot about myself in a short period of time. It's amazing to look back at your life through the awakened eyes of a mature almost-30 woman, to learn from your mistakes and to truly consider what type of person you want to be.

Not just a person who reacts to her surroundings, her routine or what's expected of her, but a person who decides who she wants to be and is just that. I know what that looked like 7 years ago, but what does it mean now - after a degree, a child, a marriage come and gone, years of varying emotions, and many, many changes?

After all of that thinking, and terrible 12-hour days at the hospital, I haven't had energy for running or much else.

Turning 30
I've spent most of this blog talking about running and ignoring the other part of the blog: turning 30. It's coming. Today starts the 70-day countdown. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I have such high hopes for my 30s... I hope I can do right by them.

I've decided to forego a big party and have an intimate dinner with some close friends in NYC on the big day. Until then, much work to do -- getting to know myself, bettering myself, and taking chances one day at a time.

What about you? Are you who you want to be?

Vacation in Florida

2010-04-20T09:56:00.000-04:00

I bailed on my 10-mile goal last week. I was faced with the choice between running 5 miles or getting myself together before leaving for a wedding in Chattanooga followed by 8 days in Florida. I chose the latter.

That also means I haven't worked out since my last post 6 days ago. I do plan to be active with the kiddo - running around and swimming - so hopefully that will count for something. But, I don't belong to a national gym anymore, and it's just me and the kiddo here, so working out this week will be a challenge. We'll see.

I do plan to watch what I'm eating, but I'm on vacation, so I'm not going to make myself miserable trying to limit carbs. Let's hope I don't gain while I'm down here.

Today, we're going to go to the park and his favorite amusement center here. Then, tomorrow we're going to Disney! Woo hoo! Neither of us have ever been, so this will be fun. The sun is calling me. More later...

...And more exhaustion

2010-04-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

After working 14-hours last night, I got off this morning, dropped the kiddo off at school, and convinced myself to go to the gym.

I ran 3 miles before my weightlifting class (I probably had time for 4 miles but I thought the class started 10 minutes earlier than it actually did). I did an hour of Group Power (I went heavier than usual on back today). Then, I finished up with another mile.

This week's running goal is to run 10 miles. Today's running made 5 miles total for the week so far.

I wish I was as productive the rest of the day. I fell asleep sitting upright doing the taxes this afternoon and lost about 6 hours of life in the process. Looks like it's gonna be a late night to make up for it.

Workout: ran 4 miles (weekly total: 5 of 10); Strength (2nd of 2).
65 net grams of carbs

The Busy-ness Continues...

2010-04-12T23:00:00.000-04:00

Exhaustion. Why??

My last 8 days...
Monday: 10-hour workday
Tuesday: Training and meetings before 10-hour workday
Wednesday: 5 hours of lecture, then 9-hour workday
Thursday: Ran, worked on projects, kiddo's 5th bday @ Chuck E. Cheese
Friday: ~3 hours in the gym, 9-hour workday
Saturday: Drove to NJ, ran 5K, drove back to CT, then 10-hour workday
Sunday: 9-hour workday, drove back to NJ to get the kiddo
Monday: Drove back to CT, worked on research project, picked up kiddo, gym

Exhaustion led to me falling asleep on my research project today, waking up late to pick up the kiddo which means I missed the chance to run 3-4 miles before my Group Power (barbell) class.

I almost convinced myself to just skip it altogether, that I needed the sleep more, but I brought my gym bag anyway, and once the sun hit me I was much more motivated. I also reminded myself that there's no way I can meet my goal this week of running 10 miles and weight lifting twice if I skipped today. I'm going out of town on Friday, so I only have 4 days to squeeze it all in.

I went heavier than usual today, and it felt good. I'm getting stronger. I also ran 1 mile at 10:00/mile pace (6mph). Trying to run after doing 15+ minutes of lunges and squats with 37+ lbs on my shoulders was a bad idea. So, I stopped before I hurt myself. I have 3 more days to run 9 miles. I'll be OK.

41 Days 'Til Next 5k
111 grams Net Carbs (yea I overdid it... although only 1620 calories... I've been ravenous since the race, probably the sleep deprivation.)

Week 14 Tally: 4/5-4/11

2010-04-11T16:00:00.006-04:00

I met my exercise goals for this week! I also beat my last 5K time by 2:20. I still haven't hit my weight loss mark yet. My original goal was by the end of March 2010. Hopefully, I'll get there by April 2010.

6.95 miles of running (including a 5K)

90 minutes of strength work

45 minutes of Zumba

2 pounds lost (making 19 lost total, goal: 22-27)

Race Report: Essential 2 Life 5K

2010-04-10T22:00:00.001-04:00

This photo says it all.

This was me with the finish line in sight... lungs burning from the 45-degree wind coming up off of the Hudson River... legs feeling heavy... and me chanting in my head (left... right... left... right...) to keep my legs going.

I ran my second 5K this past Saturday with my girlfriend Rashonda and my Uncle Haasim. My mom and girlfriend Nina both did the 3K walk. The kiddo did the kid's sprints. And my dad and girlfriend/blogger StyleScrybe of ShoesNBooze fame came out to support and snap photos. It was a family affair!

Mile 1

Uncle and I started out strong, darting between runners who were running way too slowly in the middle of the pack. The wind blew his hat off, but thankfully it got caught on the railing and another runner caught it and handed it to him. It was so close to flying into the River. We passed the first mile clock still talking to each other: 09:39, but it took about 10 seconds to pass the start line, so it was probably more like 09:29. I was shocked. That was faster than my first mile in Phoenix.

Mile 2

Uncle and I stopped talking. 'Nuff said. He then told me that if I wanted to go on ahead to do so. So, I pushed it to the point of just being uncomfortable and tried to hold that pace for the whole second mile. I never really warmed up. The freezing wind was blowing against me for most of mile 2 then at my back for the last part. My fingers froze into fist position. Ugh. Second mile clock: 18:40.

Mile 3

I initially felt somewhat rested after cruising at a steady pace for the second mile, so I tried to kick it up a bit and started passing runners again. But, at every sprint, I felt myself getting winded more than the first mile. So I alternated between passing and cruising. The course was an out-and-back, but I seemed to miscount the turns. After going around one turn, I thought I saw the finish line tape (no contact lenses!), so I started sprinting. I'm sure you can see where this is going. No, it was NOT the finish line. Exhausted, I slowed down around the last turn then tried to hold steady toward the real finish line, about the time that picture was snapped. Lord. I still can't believe I made that mistake.

My official chip time was 28:36.6, 2 minutes and 20 seconds faster than Phoenix!! I placed 10th in my age/gender group.

Race Results

25-29 F group: 10 out of 53

All females: 62 out of 222

Overall: 250 out of 516

It's Nice To See Improvement

2010-04-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Today was my ~3 hour gym day.

The Zumba class was first (I'm still humming the tunes from that class while I'm here at work). I hadn't been to the class in months, and it was surprisingly not as as fun as it used to be. This may just be a reflection of the weird mood I've been in lately rather than a criticism of the class. But, the great thing about today was that Zumba used to make me winded and sweaty 15 minutes in. I held my own today. I guess it's a testament to my fitness level as compared to February and March.

Another teacher taught both the core strength and muscle challenge class. As you guys know, I like my weight lifting plain. No jumping or cardio mixed in. I barely like to break a sweat. And the last time I took her muscle class I heard other classmates referring to her as either "homicidal" or "maniac." But, because of my schedule I couldn't make either of the barbell classes this week. So, I convinced myself to go, and I held my own in her class too.

Overall, it was a good workout day. I could have done without the rain and gloom though.

I'm just leaving work now (10:40pm), then it's back home for some ZZZ's, and an early start tomorrow (6am) in order to drive to Jersey City for the race. I'm excited, even though I have to be back at work in CT by 4pm tomorrow, because my family and close friends are all coming out to either run the 5K, walk in the 3K or run in the kid's sprints.

Look for tomorrow's race report!

40 grams Net Carbs
Workout: Zumba, Core, Strength

Running Along The Sound

2010-04-08T14:40:00.001-04:00

Thank God for great weather. If I had to run on a treadmill today, I think I would have bailed on my run.

I am still exhausted from running on empty, so it was much easier to convince myself to get out of the car and run alongside the Long Island Sound than to be cooped up inside a stuffy gym with no windows.

Despite the threat of rain, the weather was a perfect 65 degrees with a cooling breeze from the Sound. The trail is only about 0.55 miles (based on my runnersworld.com training log), but I ran back and forth on it 7 times. If my calculation is right, I ran 3.85 miles in 43 minutes -- which is super-duper SLOW.

I'm not that surprised by my pace though, because I never really ran out of breath. My legs just started feeling heavy during the last half-mile, and my brain was tired of entertaining itself (no ipod today). My lack of ability to know how fast I'm running outside is a great argument for buying a Garmin watch though (ahem!).

Today is my day off from work... also my kiddo's 5th birthday... So, after I finish plowing through my to-do list, my research project and a nice hot soak, it's off to Chuck E. Cheese's for some gaming and fun. Tomorrow is my monster 3-hour gym day... Wish me luck!

2 Days 'Til Next 5K
55 grams Net Carbs (so far today)
4-9 Pounds 'Til Goal Weight

2-week plan (Weeks 14 & 15)

2010-04-07T09:14:00.000-04:00

I have been so incredibly busy lately. I spent April 1st through 4th in Chicago exhibiting at the Student National Medical Association Conference. I didn't end up running in the 5K this past weekend because my cousin's knee was giving him trouble and I wasn't prepared to take the hike out to Palatine on my own. So, I spent Easter weekend relaxing with old friends and making new ones instead.

This week (4/5-4/11), the plan is to:
* Run 6 miles with at least one strength day

I'm probably going to run 3.1 miles and lift weights on Thursday, with back-to-back Zumba/Core/Muscle Challenge classes at the gym on Friday. Then, Saturday is my next race, which puts me at 6.2 miles total.

Next week (4/12-4/18), the plan is to:
* Run 10 miles
* Lift weights twice

I've also decided to get back onto a training plan. Starting May, I'm beginning the Hal Higdon novice 10K training program followed by the 10K intermediate program. That will put me right at the 10K in August.

My Revised/Tentative Race Schedule

2010-04-07T02:43:00.002-04:00

I realize the only thing that will keep me running through my exhaustion is to keep competing. That means there was no way I was gonna get away with a 4-month gap between races. So, here goes my updated list of upcoming races, with the goal to get up to a half-marathon this fall.

4/10 - Essential 2 Life 5K, Jersey City

5/23 - Cheshire 5K

6/27 - Fairfield 5K, Jennings Beach

7/21 - Citizens Bank Evening 5K

8/1 - Soundrunner Guilford 5K

8/8 - Torrington 5 Mile, CT
8/15 - West Rock Challenge 5K

8/29 - Old Wethersfield 10K, CT

9/6 - New Haven Road Race, 5K (or 20K if I have the guts!)

10/9 - Hartford Half-Marathon

March 2010 Tally

2010-03-31T09:15:00.000-04:00

It's been a slow month.
27.1 miles Running
5 hours of Strength work
17 pounds lost total (5-7 more to go)
11 days since my first 5K; 3 more until the next!

My Updates

2010-03-30T23:16:00.000-04:00

The biggest update: I ran my 100th mile today.

Running
The running has slowed down a lot since my race. I've only run 6.6 miles since then -- 1.5 miles last week and 5.1 so far this week. I have to admit, since the race, I've lost a lot of my motivation. Between traveling, and working a lot to make up for the days I went away, I just haven't had the time or energy I had at the start of 2010. This week I've been running faster than I trained before the race (since I've obviously proved I can run faster!), but I definitely have been dragging myself to the treadmill. Maybe once it stops raining, and I can run outside I will feel differently.

Diet
During the Phoenix girls' weekend my carb-counting went out the window. Coming back home, it was hard to look at my low-carb options quite the same. I have been sticking within 40-60 grams, but it's a lot harder than before... and the content of those 60 grams hasn't been the healthiest. I had pizza and a sliver of cake at my kiddo's 5th birthday party Saturday. I had a Filet O'Fish and some fries today from McDonald's.

I'm on a bad path... but it stops now! I finally went out and bought some Atkins shakes and bars so I can start substituting again. Despite the indiscretions, I'm still 17 pounds down. I didn't meet my goal of losing 22-27 pounds by the end of March, but I'm not totally discouraged.

Life
Work and family stuff has me stressed out, which is likely affecting my motivation also. In keeping with my vow to enter my 30s in peace and happy, I am working on all of these aspects. It's just taking time and a lot of energy. I have started meditating again. Just a few minutes every couple of days, but better than nothing. I've also been making time for my nice hot baths, and my mint tea breaks.

Races
My next race is supposed to be this Saturday - the 5K Bunny Dash outside of Chicago. I'll make a final decision by Thursday about whether I feel up to it. I'm going out there for a conference, so I may choose to just relax instead.
4/3 - Bunny Dash (Palatine, IL)
4/10 - Essential 2 Life, Jersey City, NJ (My Hometown!)
After the 10th, I have no idea when my next race will be. My work schedule is conflicting with all of the other races I was interested in. I'll do some more searching and post new races soon.

A Run Like Nun Other: Race & Trip Report (day 1)

2010-03-21T20:28:00.000-04:00

So I did it! I had my first 5K. Zia, Rashonda and I landed in Phoenix Friday night. That's me waiting for Zia's flight to land...

We dined at the hotel and got up early early this morning to run in the 1st Annual Nun Run in Glendale, AZ.

I ran the 5K in 30:56, placing 15 out of 63 in the 20-29 female age group and 103 out of 490 overall.

It was so crazy... my adrenaline was pumping, and I just kept focusing on not going too fast so I didn't burn myself out.

Mile 1 felt good. We started in the middle of the pack, and I slowly passed a few people, but in general, I stayed steady. When I saw the folks in orange with the water cups, they were shouting, "You're at mile 1. Great job!" I looked at my watch and was shocked. It said 9:49. Are you kidding me? I've never run more than 10:42 on the treadmill and that wasn't on trail, nor the uneven rocks we were running on. Not to mention, 10 weeks ago, I could barely do my 1 minute run, 1 minute walk intervals without getting out of breath.

Mile 2 was okay. The first half, I was still buzzing off the fact that I ran under 10 minutes for the first mile. About halfway through, I started to feel a little winded, so I slowed down a bit and just focused on maintaining that speed. I got to the mile 2 water cup holders feeling just slightly winded. My watch read 20:13.

Mile 3 was rough. My left thigh started to ache, and I started to feel more winded. I made a deal with myself that I could run slow until 26 minutes, then I had to pick it up. I actually ended up picking up the speed once I could see the finish line, just before 3 miles. The next thing I knew, I was running through the finish line, and people were telling me where the food was and asking me for my chip.

My watch said 30:45, but my chip time was 30:56. Still not bad for my first race. It means I ran 9:59/mile.

We finished up the day with a nice brunch complete with unlimited mimosas and 4 hours of spa services.

2 More Days...

2010-03-18T22:59:00.000-04:00

I took my 1-hour Group Power class tonight and I kept it easy -- heavy enough to feel the burn but definitely not the heaviest I can lift. The mantra was NO INJURIES!

After lifting, I ran 1 mile at 6.0mph (10:00/mile). The pace was a little uncomfortable and took some self-coaching on my part, but I got through and didn't feel like collapsing at the end. Maybe I am ready to start running faster.

I'm also a little nervous about running on regular roads, but I guess you have to do it at some point! Here's Saturday's course: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=349743.

Net Carbs: 25 grams
Workout: Group Power/Running
Days Til 5K: 2

Shopping & My Last Full Run

2010-03-16T20:57:00.001-04:00

Today was my last day off before the girl's trip to Phoenix, so I had to buy a running outfit (see pic), and a few pieces -- a tee shirt, a dress for going out dancing, and a pair of jeans.

Let's talk about these jeans. They were in the juniors section and were "skinny" sizes. After getting into a size 4 dress last week, it hurt my feelings to have to buy a size 11 skinny! Sigh... It's okay though. Everything else I bough was in the normal range (small or medium). The audacity!

This would hurt my feelings more if I wasn't so close (6-11 pounds) to my weight goal.

So, I was a big dud this weekend. After my highly motivated 4-mile run, I didn't do Saturday's or Sunday's workouts. I drove to and from Jersey twice this weekend. Saturday morning, there was a typhoon, and I got back to CT late for work which also meant too late to go to the gym.

I got off at midnight on Saturday and went to have drinks with a co-worker (which I haven't done in years), and by the time we got home and the clocks jumped forward it was 5am! Needless to say, Sunday's run didn't happen either.

Today I DID run, however. I ran 3.1 miles in 33:12 (I sped up the last minute to 5.8mph). I did it without my headphones and without my inhaler -- I wasn't experimenting, I just forgot to bring them. In some ways, it was good practice for me to run without the distraction, although I still intermittently watched the muted television as I ran. This was my last time running the full distance before the race on Saturday... I think I'm getting nervous!

Workout: Run, see above.
Days Til 5K: 4
Net Carbs: 73 grams (I grazed all day... 1/2 Dunkin' Hash Browns, 1/2 bag of chips at Panera, couple of skittles, fruit cup, egg&cheese wrap, salad...)

Sports Bra Hunting - part 2

2010-03-15T09:39:00.017-04:00

You remember my sports bra woes. Well, one friend posted on the blog about Enell Sports Bras for full-figured women. I checked it out, got my measurements and ordered one. It finally came in the mail last week.

I bought the black one so it wouldn't look so much like a regular bra poking through my running shirts.

I must say -- the bra fits very snugly. The girls don't move ANYwhere with this bra on. I actually had to unsnap the bottom two clasps because I couldn't take deep breaths and it was poking into my rib cage. Once I did that, it fit fine. The girls didn't move anywhere when I ran. And my silhouette still looks nice underneath my tank tops - not just flattened down as if I duct taped myself.

Two thumbs up for Enell.

A Motivated 4 Miles

2010-03-12T11:57:00.000-05:00

I am a motivated lady today. Given my slacking off the past two weeks, I feel like I have to make up that time this week.

After working from 11pm to 8 o'clock this morning, I went home, changed into my running gear, dropped the kiddo off at school and went back to the gym. Yes -- this technically qualifies as two runs in one day since right after last night's run (and Group Power class) I went to work, with no sleep in between. I was doubting my plan as my eyes blinked a little too long at the traffic light on the way there. I assumed the run would stink just off of sheer fatigue. Boy I was wrong.

Today's run was like night and day compared to last night's run.

I ran 4 miles total - the longest I've ever run! The plan was to do a 3-mile Tempo run... 1 mile @ my usual 5.6mph, 1 mile @ 5.8mph, and 1 mile @ 5.6mph again. That was my only goal. I met that... then my new goal was to run for 35 minutes... then it was to run to 4 miles.

I felt so good, I just wanted to keep going. My knees felt achy, but no sharp pains. So, I pushed it to the full 4 miles. The faster speed definitely tired me out, but not so much that I had to stop and walk.

So, why was today's run so different? It's not like I was well-rested. My thoughts:

1. I ate about 20 grams of carbs (Dunkin' Donuts breakfast) 3 hours before my run (versus fasting all day and trying to run without fuel)
2. I started hydrating 5 hours before my run and stopped an hour before
3. I wore short breathable shorts (not the long, black yoga pants from last night)
4. The air was cooler in the gym with less people around (I tend to overheat easily while running)

Days Til 5K: 8

Back to Running

2010-03-11T21:37:00.001-05:00

Today was the first run I've had in almost a week -- 6 days to be exact. I can't believe how time flew. I certainly needed to run, especially with eating on-the-go in New Jersey mixed with the carb-rich meals at the wake and funeral to the tune of baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, sweet rolls... ah, the list could go on. Let's just say I definitely had one or two days of 80+ net grams of carbs in the last week.

But, in great news, I fit into a size 4 black Calvin Klein dress at Marshall's on Sunday (not exactly the dress in the pic but close)!! Sadly, I was buying it for my grandmother's funeral, but I was definitely surprised when I could button it up. I had the 6 on standby because I just didn't believe I could be back to a size 4 so soon, especially when the scale says I'm still 7-12 pounds up.

I still don't think I could fit size 4 pants with this hip and thigh action going on, but when I started this trek I could barely fit into a size 8/10 dress. So, despite the fact that the scale has been falling at what feels like a snail's pace, my body is showing me different.

My run today was hard. The first 20 minutes, I felt like a pro. But, the last 13 minutes I just ran out of steam and had to drag myself through the run. I finished 3.11 miles in 33:30. When I stopped, I couldn't even do my usual 5-minute cool down. I was so out of breath and lightheaded. I bet it has something to do with me sleeping in today and failing to eat before I went to the gym. I did hydrate, but I don't know what happened. I definitely plan to eat some carbs before the race next Saturday.

Since this is my first day working out this week, I have a lot of ground to make up this weekend. Here's the proposed plan:
Friday: Tempo run, 1 mile at easy pace, 1 mile at tempo pace, 1 mile at easy pace (if I don't sleep in)
Saturday: Kickboxing and Group Power classes
Sunday: 3-4 mile run

Net Carbs: 40 net grams (Boston Market, yum!)
Workout: Run, Group Power class - 1 hour
Days Til 5K: 9

Thoughts on Thursday

2010-03-11T16:02:00.001-05:00

The last 11 days have been a roller coaster. My grandmother, who I was close to, went from recovering nicely from a planned surgery, to becoming critically ill to fighting to survive to having more surgeries to ultimately passing away. She was pretty healthy and active, still living by herself, still cooking for her family and coming to all the family functions. So it was shocking, to say the least.

True to the Kubler-Ross model, I watched myself glide through the stages of grief. At first, I just kept waiting for the bad dream to end... For the doctors to come back and say they made a mistake, and in fact, she would live.

Next, I was pissed. Pissed that I spend my days and nights saving other people's grandmothers, yet mine couldn't be spared? Not to mention the nature of that medical training has kept me from spending quality time with my grandmother and the rest of my family. Time I can't get back now. Time that I thought I would have once training ends in just one... more... year.

I thankfully never felt completely hopeless and depressed. I had my moments of What will we [the family] do now?, Who will be our cheerleader?, Who will be that unmoving rock of stability and love and peace? But, a lot of those feelings came up during the funeral -- where I also got to hear how she not only had such a relationship with her children and grandchildren, but everyone. She exuded her peace and love and strength wherever she went. And I realized that she wouldn't want me falling apart. The best way to pay tribute to her and her life would be to learn from her.

I had an important interview less than 2 days after her funeral. I knew she'd want me to pull it together and kick butt. That's what she would say if she were here. That's what she would do herself. So I tried to channel the peace that seemed to come so easily to her and accept the fact that my Nana is gone, but her legacy and her love will always be in my heart. And that it will be okay. We will be okay. I will be okay.

So here I am. Keeping on... And yes, I got the position I interviewed for.

Thanks Nana for being my inspiration. I miss you.

Photo collage of Nana:

Week 9 Tally: 3/1-3/7

2010-03-10T14:00:00.002-05:00

Yet another week of taking it easy in the midst of my running back and forth between CT and NJ (not literally). I have made strides in the weight loss department though.

6.2 miles in Run-walk drills

15 minutes of Strength work

15 pounds lost total (7-12 more to go)

10 days 'til my first 5K

Running & Enlightenment

2010-03-06T19:45:00.003-05:00

After getting off the train last night from NJ, the first thing I wanted to do was run.

One, I feel like a slacker for not running on my planned schedule over the last 2 weeks. Two, with all of the recent stress and grieving the loss of my grandmother I thought it would be a good idea to clear my head before working last night's shift.

I wanted to run 4 miles, but it wasn't in me. I got to 3.12 miles in 33:50 and just didn't have enough energy to keep going. I finished my workout by lifting weights on my own, mostly upper body.

I'm honestly starting to get concerned that I've lost momentum by taking it easy these last 2 weeks. That run was much harder than I expected it to be. My 1st race is in only 13 days!

In good news, I lost 3 more pounds, bringing the total to 15... leaving me with only 7-12 more to go.

I also got to meet one of my favorite nonfiction authors, Dr. Judith Orloff today at a workshop in Hartford. We had a nice chat, she signed my new book, "Second Sight," and gave me a hug.

I had emailed Dr. Orloff the day before about my interest in energy and meditation and my troubles centering and managing my emotions... and lucky for me, she answered. This was a big deal because I've been wanting to email her since I first bought the book, "Emotional Freedom" last year, but I was too nervous.

After hearing my rant yesterday about how I never got to email her, and now she's probably traveling and probably doesn't answer her own email... My mom said something wise about how not trying is halfway to failure. So I listened. Thanks mom!

I consider that my risk for the day. Anne Marie at Goals for the Week says to take one risk daily. I worry so much about everything, so it's a good exercise for me to throw caution to the wind and take a leap here and there.

Net Carbs: 11 so far... still counting!

Workout: Off today

Days Til 5K: 13

Hills and Mountains

2010-03-03T23:54:00.003-05:00

Due to a family emergency, I haven't been able to post for a few days. The last time I ran was Monday, just before I got the call.

Monday was my (treadmill) hill day. I ran at 1% then 2% then 3% incline for 15 minutes. I walked for 3 minutes, then ran at my usual 0% incline at 5.6 for the remaining 19.

I am certainly humbled by the treadmill's incline feature. When I got to 2% I felt like I was gonna slide off the back of the treadmill! By 3%, I was huffing, puffing and sweating so badly, I just knew I wasn't going to make it to 4%. My heart rate got up to 187.

The plan was to get up to 4% then back my way down to 3%, then 2%, then 1% for a total of 3 miles. Yea right... At least I made it half-way. Not bad for my first hill day.

I'm still with my family in NJ, so not sure when my next run will be. I packed my running sneaks, but failed to toss in anything else to run in (sweats, sports bra, etc.).

Net Carbs: 50 grams
Workout: Off since Monday
Days Til 5K: 16

Week 8 Tally: 2/22-2/28

2010-02-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

I took it easy this week. Between life stress, fatigue, working a ton, and spending the part of the weekend I didn't work in New Jersey with my family... I decided to cut myself some slack.

7.2 miles in Run-walk drills

(76 minutes running, 1 walking)

1 hour of Strength work

12 pounds lost total (10-15 more to go)

19 days 'til my first 5K

This time last month, I was only running 11 minutes straight. Now, I can do 30 minutes and even the full 3.1 miles straight without stopping. What a difference 4 weeks makes.

*** FEBRUARY TOTALS ***

38.5 miles in Run-walk drills (in 6.5 hours)

5 hours of Strength work

2 hours of extra Cardio

Early Morning Runs & Chest Pains

2010-02-26T15:24:00.000-05:00

I got off work at 7 this morning and went straight to the gym to finish out my full run.

I must have drank too much water beforehand, because I had the worst chest pains -- the kind that kept me from taking a deep breath (breaths are kinda important when you're running) and then became excruciating with each step I took on the treadmill. After 10 minutes, I had to stop and walk for a minute before starting to run again. The whole time, my stomach was in knots and I kept belching. Ugh!

At first, I told myself to just make it to 2.1 miles which, in addition to my pre-work mile last night, would equal a 5K. But, by 2.1 miles, the terrible pain disappeared, and I was able to finish strong, running 3.1 miles in 33:52.

Net Carbs: 39 grams so far (2 egg & cheese snack wraps from Dunkin' Donuts, and 1/2 can of turkey chili without beans)
Workout: Running
Days 'Til 5K: 21

Shorter And Faster

2010-02-25T21:24:00.001-05:00

I didn't do my scheduled run today.

After working until 7 am this morning, I slept most of today. I finally woke up around 5-ish, too late to run before my weight lifting class. I went to Group Power at 6:40pm, so I only had 15 minutes after class to run before the gym's childcare center closed.

I increased my speed to 5.8 mph today (I usually run at 5.6), and ran for only a mile. It was a little more uncomfortable than my usual runs, but I pushed through. It was kinda cool to run shorter and faster. And at least I could withstand that speed for 10:26. Last time I tried to run at 5.8, I stopped at 2 minutes.

Group Power (a barbell class) went well. I went heavier on back, triceps, and chest. I love weight lifting!

I got on the scale today to find myself 2 pounds lighter, bringing my total to 12 pounds lost. That means I only have 10-15 more pounds to go, with 4 weeks to go to achieve my goal.

Net Carbs: 15 grams
Workout: Group Power, Running
Days 'Til 5K: 22

Run to Keep From Crying

2010-02-23T21:51:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the only Monday I haven't run since I started on January 4th (also a Monday). Since then, my best or longest runs have usually occurred on Mondays -- even if I run the day before. But, this particular Monday, I was pooped.

I did make up for it today. Instead of running 28 minutes, walking for 1, then running for 1 (to equal 30 minutes), I felt inspired to run the whole 5K distance straight through. At the halfway point, I got bored and started bargaining with myself... I didn't sleep well, I had just eaten a little snack 45 minutes before which sat in my belly like a brick... it's okay to stop. But, I didn't stop.

In hindsight, I think I needed that run. Not just for my body, but my mind.

You know how people say, laugh to keep from crying. I think I'm running to keep from crying. I sweat like a pig as soon as my right foot hits the conveyor belt. So, maybe I sweat so much that there are simply no tears left to cry. Yup... RUN to keep from crying.

The past seven days have been rough between my work schedule, family stuff, and general life mayhem. Running and working out is great, but it also takes up more time that I don't have, making me feel even more out-of-control sometimes. Although, who am I fooling? I was playing catchup way before I starting running.

That being said, cutting today's run short, or skipping it altogether probably would have made me feel worse. I wouldn't be able to pat myself on the back for running 3.1 miles straight without walking for the first time since high school. I wouldn't have the endorphin boost. I wouldn't have accomplished something today, something I could control.

So, until things get better, I shall keep running.

Net Carbs: 40 grams
Workout: Running
Days 'Til 5K: 24

The Week Ahead

2010-02-22T09:44:00.000-05:00

I decided to ix-nay today's workout. I got off at 1 am last night and have to be back to work at noon today. I could barely keep my eyes open bringing the kiddo to school this morning. Not sure if I'd be a very effective runner today.

Plus, there are only 3 runs this week, so no need to kill myself to get that one in.

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."

--T.S. Eliot

	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Su
	Run/ Walk Run 28 min Walk 1 min Run 1 min Zumba	Run/Walk Run 28 min Walk 1 min Run 1 min	Rest	Run/Walk Run 29 min Walk 1 min Group Power	Rest ?Muscle	Run 3.1 miles (30+ min)	Rest

Week 7 Tally: 2/15-2/21

2010-02-21T16:07:00.001-05:00

This is my tally for week 7, including today's run of 2.74 miles in 30 minutes. I ran 27 minutes straight (which worked out to be 2.5 miles), walked for 1 minute and finished up with 2 more minutes of running.

Only one more week left of this running program before I'm running 3.1 miles straight!

I didn't get much sleep today before my run, and from minute 10 to 16 I started to fatigue. But, just like previous runs after minute 16, a second wind kicked in and it felt good.

Time for a hot, Eucalyptus soak before work!

12.4 miles in Run-walk drills

(131 minutes running, 4 walking)

2 hours of Strength work

10 pounds lost total

(Of 22-27... none lost this week)

26 days 'til my first 5K

I'm A Running Woman... Not A Betting Woman

2010-02-19T21:26:00.002-05:00

I've missed two days of posting for the first time since I started this blog. I feel so guilty!

Wednesday, hubby and I went to the casino for his birthday. He likes sushi, so we went for the sushi buffet and a little bit of Roulette and Black Jack. I lost all the money rationed for my gambling, and he won it all back. So typical. Neither of us gamble much, but it doesn't suit my personality -- too stressful!

I definitely overdid it on the carbs at the Sushi buffet, but I expected it going in and scaled back the day before and the day after.

The next morning, I had to be at work at 7am for a 13-hour shift, so afterwards, I couldn't pull myself together to post. Sorry... but I'm here today!

Today, I was back in the gym after those 2 rest days. First, I ran 3.21 miles in 35 minutes (25-minute run, 1-minute walk, 9-minute run). Then, I took the muscle challenge class right after.

The run went well. I turned the treadmill TV off and ran with just my audiobook. At minute 16, I got bored for a second and wasn't sure how I would pull off the next 9 minutes. But, I kept pushing, focused on just moving my legs and I got a second wind.

Muscle challenge was tough after running 3+ miles. My left leg kept quivering (I think it was calling out for help) no matter how much I tried to shake it out. So, I went half-intensity on anything leg, avoided using the Bosu (me and the Bosu have met before), and focused more on back-chest-upper body.

Now, it's time for a quick catnap before my 11pm shift. G'night!

Net Carbs: 20 grams
Workout: Running, Strength Training
Days Til 5K: 28

Running to Storytelling

2010-02-16T23:08:00.000-05:00

I ran 3.68 miles today in 40 minutes! The longest I've run so far.

How, might you ask...

My new (well, refurbished) Ipod came today. I have an RCA MP3 player, but it doesn't play audiobooks, so it was time for an upgrade.

I got the idea to run to audiobooks after reading this blog post, and this one too. I found out that music alone is not enough to distract me from counting the seconds on the treadmill clock (or my watch), but watching television does. So, I figured that audiobooks might help me zone out when I run outside.

I signed up for audible.com (First month free, and a free book download each month), and downloaded "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything."

Well, I didn't run outside today because Snowmaggedon part 2 reared its ugly head here in CT. But, as a result of the snowfall, my gym had no childcare and then closed early. So I ran on the old, dusty treadmills at my apartment complex. Yes, the ones that click and buzz and feel dangerous to even walk on.

CNN glared loudly on the TV -- the TV with no buttons and a missing remote control -- but it couldn't hold my attention, so I ran the first 21 minutes with just my thoughts. Then, I remembered, try the audiobook!

That's how my 30-minute run turned into a 40-minute run. And I probably could have gone farther, but it was after 9 pm and unknown male neighbors started showing up to work out. I can't wait to run again and hear what happens next!

Net Carbs: 15 grams (saving my carbs for tomorrow -- hubby's 30th bday)
Workout: Running
Days 'Til 5K: 31

Stronger Each Day

2010-02-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

Today's run was not pretty.

I tried to go up to 5.8 mph and felt very winded and uncomfortable. I realized once I hit 3 minutes that I couldn't sustain that pace for the rest of the 20-minute interval. So, I downgraded to 5.6 mph again.

It still wasn't my best run. I didn't drink enough water during the day, nor did I sleep well, and it definitely took a toll. But, I still ran 2.75 miles in 30 minutes with a 1-minute walking break (that went too fast).

On the other hand, my weight lifting class afterwards went well. I increased my barbell weight for squats, chest, and triceps and finished all of the reps. At the end of the class, I was able to do the side plank with one knee down and the top leg extended without wavering (this pic has both knees bent, but you get the idea).

Also, when I did the regular plank, I didn't feel my usual sense of impending doom half-way through. It was work, but I could have held it longer if the song continued.

I'm getting stronger -- but not quite faster -- by the day.

I went grocery shopping tonight after the gym and my low-carb finds of the day are: Murray Sugar Free Cookies (creme and shortbread cookies) and Smucker's Sugar-Free Grape Jam!!!

I can have 8 shortbread cookies for the amount of carbs in one large cookie! I can't even tell either flavor was made with Splenda. I'll try out the jam on my low-carb toast tomorrow.

Net Carbs: 39 grams (blame the taste-testing and the Teriyaki stir fry I made for dinner!)

Workout: Running and weight lifting

Days 'Til 5K: 32

Week 6 Tally: 2/8-2/14

2010-02-14T12:04:00.000-05:00

11.4 miles in Run-walk drills

(126 minutes of running, 4 of walking)

1 hour of Strength work

1 hour of Tae Bo Kickboxing

10 pounds lost total (of 22-27)

33 days 'til 5K

Guilt & Running Dreams

2010-02-13T16:29:00.002-05:00

I worked until 2am last night, but I set my alarm for 7:10am just in case I felt rested enough to run at 8am with the New Haven Runners Meetup Group for the first time.

Once 7:10am actually came, I hit snooze and then proceeded to dream that the New Haven Runners (who do not know me, and whom I have never met in real life) called me to find out why I didn't show up.

I eventually got up around 1pm (after 9 hours of snoozing) and with my dream guilt, found my way to the gym for my run.

Today was the 19 minute run, 1 walk, 10 minute run day. I increased my speed again. Today, I went up to 5.6 mph (or 10:42/mile). My ankle hurt during the first 10 minutes, then loosened up. Every time I thought I might not finish, I listened to my body and realized I wasn't as tired as I thought. I was just a few steps below winded, but it was sustainable.

The 10-minute run was difficult. I was a little more out of breath. I made it to the half-way mark just fine, but the last 5 minutes I definitely had to keep pepping myself up... "Just one more minute... ok now two..."

I ran a total of 2.75 miles in 30:00.

Net Carbs: 15 grams (so far)
Workout: Running.
Days 'Til 5K: 34

Ten Pounds Gone!

2010-02-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

Today was a workout off day, but I stepped on the scale this morning to find that I have beaten that frustrating weight plateau I was on. I am officially 10 pounds down, with 12-17 more to go!

Hubby and I celebrated at our favorite Thai lunch buffet... surprisingly, lots of low-carb options!

Net Carbs: 30 grams
Workout: None today.
Days 'Til 5K: 35

Gluts... Ankles... and a Great Workout Day

2010-02-11T23:57:00.000-05:00

My gluts were so sore today thanks to Billy Blanks. I'm somewhat ashamed that a man on my computer screen worked my tush harder than it's been worked in the past few weeks.

The ankle performed well today. I barely remembered I "injured" it. I actually twisted my ankle a little yesterday running after my kiddo in the snow. Maybe I twisted it back into place, because it feels excellent today.

I ran intervals again today on the treadmill. Since I've been feeling so good lately running at 5.2mph (11:30/mile), I decided to crank it up to 5.4. Just like Monday, I felt a burst of energy at the end and decided not to stop at 30 minutes. I kept going until I hit 3.1 miles (or 5K... for the first time!) and ran it in 35 minutes including a 1-minute walking break. According to dailymile, today was my fastest pace - 11:17/mile.

Then, I went to weight lifting class where I went 5 pounds heavier than my usual on chest, back and squats, and even though it burned, I could finish all of the reps.

Overall, a great workout day. Who would have known that I had to sweet talk myself into going to the gym in the first place? Fortunately for me, reruns of my two favorite TV shows were playing on my treadmill's TV during my run: Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. Definitely made 30 minutes feel like 5.

Now, I'm typing to you guys from my nightly 106-degree Eucalyptus Aches & Pains bath soak (yes, I measured!) which I soooo deserve. Good night!

Net Carbs: 39 grams
Workout: Running and 1 hour of weight lifting
Days Til 5K: 36

Me, Tae Bo and the Snow

2010-02-10T18:53:00.000-05:00

In anticipation of 12" of snow, the public schools closed down and so did my gym. If you recall from this week's schedule, I was scheduled to do Group Kick and Zumba classes today.

So, I did some searching on You Tube and found a 1-hour advanced Tae Bo series. I'd never done Tae Bo before. The video was a little blurry, and the sound didn't always match the video, but I managed, and broke quite a sweat. Halfway through I opened up the sliding door (yes, while a blizzard was going on outside) so I wouldn't die of heat stroke.

Who knew B. Blanks was so inspirational? He kept cheering me on and telling me to ask my higher power for the strength to continue with the workout. That's how you know a workout is kicking your tush -- when the instructor tells you to pray for strength!

Then, I let a 4-year-old persuade me to play in the snow WHILE it was still snowing... I guess this was my substitute for Zumba. First, I ran up and down the hills trying to keep him and his sled from crashing into the trees. Then, I ran to save myself from his snowballs. It's funny how kids (and the adults who play with them) get a workout from just having fun -- no gym, no treadmills.

Me with the snowman we made. He needs some work.

On a happy note, I've finally budged from the 6- and 7-pound weight loss marks I've been oscillating between for 2+ weeks... today I finally weigh 8 pounds less! Only 19 more to go...

Net Carbs: 29 grams

Workout: Tae Bo, then fun in the snow.

Days Til 5K: 37

Second Day on the Ankle

2010-02-09T23:50:00.038-05:00

After getting off at midnight last night, I overslept today and missed most of what turned out to be a gorgeous Winter day (45 degrees and sunny) -- a day that would have been great for running. Oh well. I'm sure my body needed sleep more.

I did my scheduled interval treadmill run tonight: ran for 17 minutes, walked for 1, then ran for 12 minutes. My ankle hurt during the whole run, but it decreased as time went on.

From an endurance standpoint, it is getting easier. I did find myself making deals like, just make it to 10... then 15... but I think it was more about my boredom (during commercials) rather than being winded. It may be time to run at a faster pace.

Net Carbs: 43 grams

Workout: Running only.

Days Til 5K: 38

The Week Ahead

2010-02-09T01:29:00.000-05:00

Since yesterday's run on the injured ankle went so well, I'm gonna be daring and put up this week's workout plan. The plan is to run 4 days this week, strength train 2 days, and have one day of fun cardio.

"You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose."

--Abraham Lincoln

Mon	Tues	Wed
Run/Walk Run 15 min Walk 1 min Run 14 min	Run/Walk Run 17 min Walk 1 min Run 12 min	Walk easy ~~30 min~~ Kickboxing Zumba

Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Run/Walk Run 18 min Walk 1 min Run 11 Weight Lifting	Rest	Run/Walk Run 19 min Walk 1 min Run 10 ?Weight Lifting	Rest

I Finally Ran...

2010-02-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

...3 miles today!

So you guys know I've been nursing this ankle "injury" that came out of nowhere. I hadn't run on it since Thursday, to give it time to rest. I did, however, do some running in place and toe raises at home to test it out.

Well, I finally tried treadmill running this morning before work. At first, I felt the twinges again (which have now moved down to the lower part of the tendon near the side of my foot), but it loosened up and the twinges went away.

The plan was to do the 15 minute run, 1 minute walk, 14 minute run interval.

I did run for 15 minutes @5.2mph. But, during the second interval, I felt so good by minute 14 that I kept going -- I wanted to see how far I could run before I got out of breath (or make it to 3 miles, whichever came first). It felt really good, and next thing ya' know, I had run 3.02 miles in 35:30, including my 1-minute walking break.

It's still slow, but I did it!

I still think I'm going to go back to doing my interval training, but it feels good to know that if today had been race day, I at least could have finished.

Net Carbs: 20 grams (mostly in carrots - lunch AND dinner!)
Workout: Running.
Days 'Til 5K: 39 days

Week 5 Tally: 2/1-2/7

2010-02-07T16:32:00.000-05:00

7.5 miles in Run-walk drills (Over 3 days only -- due to ankle injury)

1 hour of Strength work

1 hour of Zumba
6 pounds lost total (of 22-27)
40 days 'til 5K

The Things I've Learned

2010-02-06T14:51:00.002-05:00

This week marked the start of my second month of training, and I've learned a few things about myself over the past five weeks.

1. Sneakers make a difference. My old workout sneaks gave me shin cramps. In my Dr. Scholl's work sneakers, I run like a pro (or something like that).
2. When I overheat, I don't run as well. More importantly, I overheat when I run inside on the treadmill, and my heart rate shoots up to the high 180s. Outside in 40-degree weather, it's 140s-160s max.
3. Slow and steady wins the race. When I started the run-walk intervals, I tried to run at a 10 minute/mile pace and I was barely finishing the assigned intervals. Now, I run slower (11:30/mile), but I'm able to increase my distance daily.
4. Warming up = Finishing. The days I rush into running without a good 10-minute walking warm-up, I'm usually sorry.
5. Running in place isn't for me. My best times (on the clock) and my best times (as in, enjoyable) are when I'm running outside. Can't wait for Spring.
6. Music is not enough to distract me from watching the treadmill clock. I need to get drawn into a dialogue, like on television. I'm gonna try audiobooks when I run outside.
7. I am an afternoon worker-outer. Despite the warnings that working out at night will keep you from falling asleep, I snooze just fine. I also run the best in the evening.
8. When I wear frumpy gym clothes, it affects my drive. If I can see the muscles developing in my arms or calves, it makes me push harder than if they're hidden or I'm wearing an outfit that makes me look heavy.
9. Treat my medical ailments. Now that I am adequately treating my allergies and asthma lately, it is much easier for me to withstand long-term cardio activities.
10. Respect the Process. I'm an all or nothing type of person, so a part of me wants to just go outside and run 3 miles, but that's also how I tend to get injured or lose motivation. I am respecting this incremental progress and watching my body change and strengthen week-by-week. Even with my ankle, I have to learn to respect the healing process, and get back out there as soon as I'm ready -- not before.

Net Carbs: 45 grams yesterday (had an emotionally-snacky day), 10 grams so far today.
Days 'Til 5K: 41
Workout: Still on break for the left ankle injury. 6EF57M4BQ49P

A Running Attempt

2010-02-04T23:30:00.001-05:00

Today didn't go so well. After running for 10 minutes and feeling like my right leg was about to give out, I realized it because I was avoiding the left ankle (aka, the hurt one).

When I tried to focus on running on both legs, my left ankle felt even more tight followed by twinges I didn't appreciate, so I switched to walking. In total, I ran 15 minutes and walked 25 minutes.

I'll rest for another day or two and try again this weekend. I am upset, though, that this sets me back on my 8-week plan.

Net Carbs: 30 grams
Days 'Til 5K: 43

In other news -- 2 issues from my new Running Times subscription came today. I love magazines -- especially subscriptions -- so it didn't take me long to sign up for one. So far, I am intrigued...

The Swollen Ankle Report

2010-02-03T19:04:00.001-05:00

Remember yesterday I mentioned how my ankle hurt when I touched it, but not so much when I ran on it?

Well, it didn't really bother me the rest of the day. After I left the gym, I worked a 12-hour shift on my feet and by the time I got home, I told hubby my ankle felt swollen, but I still thought it was okay (I obviously hadn't really looked down).

He looked first and alerted me to the fact that something was obviously wrong.

This is a picture of my ankles last night. I chopped off my toes to spare you guys the horror. But, I think you get a sense of how swollen the left ankle was.

Finally out of denial, I soaked in a hot bath, then iced the ankle, wrapped it and elevated it while I slept and voila -- this morning I have creases in my ankles again.

One of my doctor buds and I figured out that it's probably an inflammation of one of my peroneus tendons.

Today was my day off anyway, so tonight I'll do another hot soak followed by icing and elevating (freezing water inside Dixie cups works great to ice injuries). But, the plan is to stick with my training schedule and run 14-minute intervals tomorrow.

By the way -- Two thumbs up for the new Panera Mediterranean Salmon salad! Without the olives, and using balsamic instead of the tangerine dressing, it was only 20 NET grams of carbs.

Net Carbs: 31 grams
Days 'Til 5K: 44