10 down, 13.1 to go!

Today I finished my much-dreaded pre-half marathon 10miler. This is the last "long run" before race day (although I'm still walking...haven't yet gotten the "all clear" from the ankle doctor). All in all, it went pretty well - I finished in 2hrs, 26 min & 10 seconds for an average mile of 14:41. The last 2 miles were the hardest for me...I think for 2 reasons. #1 is that I skipped last week's 8miler. So the distance was killing me. #2 is that my iPod died! I never used to walk or run with music (the band geek in me forced me to always stay "in step" with the music, which didn't work very well when it came to keeping a good pace with a variety of music.) Anyway, when I did the Alafia X-country halfer in November, I knew I'd be alone on the course so I took the iPod to keep my mind occupied. I've been hooked since! I find that walking with the music now keeps my mind occupied - and I've finally gotten myself out of the habit of "marching" along with the music. But this is a bad thing for me when I either forget to bring the iPod with me, or if it dies while I'm out on the course. Anyway, I made it through the last 2 miles by singing Kanye West in my head! It was starting to get pretty warm (71) for the last few miles so I really had to push myself. "Shoulders back!" "Head up!" "You can do this" "Arms!" I actually started telling myself this stuff out loud to get through the rest of the course. I probably looked like an idiot, but I got through the 10 miles & now I can relax the rest of the day!

Next week is the Sarasota Half Marathon. I can't believe it's only 1 week away! This week will be my "taper" week in preparation for the race. I'll spin on Monday, 4 miles Tuesday, spin Wednesday, 2 miles Thursday, OFF Friday & Saturday. (I know...I don't quite think 4 days of workouts quite counts as a "taper"...) Then it's race day! My only goal is to get through the Sarasota halfer. I'm not worried about my time for this one - although I'm sure that I'll feel differently on race day - I think anything between 3:15:00 and 3:30:00 will be fine. My goal is not speed in this one - it's just finishing the darn thing! I've got to save some energy & not beat my legs up too much because of what's coming next...

After Sarasota, I'll have a few days of rest, then have two easy training weeks before before the Gasparilla Half Marathon on Sunday March 1!!!! This is the one I'm the most excited about - both for the medal & to say that I finished 4 half marathons in 5 months. That'll be a feat for me! My goald time for Gasparilla is 3:10:00 - to beat my time at Disney. As long as I stay on track between now and then, I'm sure I'll be able to do it. So here's to more self-motivation!

Read more...

It's not good enough to just want it...I have to DO it!

The last few weeks have really been a struggle for me. But, I've learned a few things that I need to remember as time goes on:
1. This is not a competition with anyone else.
2. I'm still not a morning person & might never be.
3. I can do this.

Since finishing the Disney 1/2 Marathon, I've been trying to get myself back into a workout routine & I've been trying to get my eating back on track. It has been a struggle for me every single day - every single day. But what I need to keep in mind is that I'm the only one that can do this for me. It's never going to happen for me if I just "want" to lose weight and "want" to have a healthy lifestyle. I have to actually take steps towards a healthy lifestyle, and take steps towards losing weight. It's not going to just happen. I've got to make it happen. I might lose weight, gain it back & then lose it again. The point is that I understand that I'M the one that's responsible for what's happening. No one else is.

I've started taking Spinning classes and Pilates classes at the YMCA. Let me tell you - I absolutely love the spinning classes! And Pilates is a great way to stretch out and strengthen my core at the same time. The only bad part is that Spinning starts at 5:45AM!!! That means I need to leave the house no later than 5:10AM...which means I have to get up no later than 5:00AM. That's no small feat for me! I am absolutely NOT a morning person! But, I've been doing really well! Yes, I've missed a couple classes - but only one was "unscheduled". Otherwise I planned ahead to attend a different class (later in the day) to make up for a little extra shut-eye (Holidays or vacation days are exempt - if I don't drive to work, there's no way I'm driving down to Sarasota right next to my office...so those days are at home workouts.) I absolutely hate getting up early in the morning, but it's got to be done, and I'm slowly getting used to it...not getting happy about it...but getting used to it. On days that I don't go to the YMCA I am still power walking after work...counting down the days until I can run again! Eventually I'd like to get to the point where I wake up early and get my walks/runs in before work so I can just come home in the evenings, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself - 3 early days a week is enough for now! I will admit that I've missed 3 training runs/walks since Disney. I'm trying to stay on track to have only 1 "rest day" each week, but I won't beat myself up if I take 2. I need to listen to my body, but I need to learn NOT to give in too often.

I will probably have "food issues" forever and I need to learn how to work through them. I need to change my mindset about food & understand that it's not there for satisfy my emotions - it's there to fuel my body. (This just might be the hardest part for me.) I'm an emotional eater - I know that. I just need to learn how to control it - learn what works for me. I also need to learn how to still treat myself without overdoing it. I need to work on portion control. I need to not give in to every little crave that I have. And learn that when I do give in, it's not a lost cause and I don't need to beat myself up over it. I just need to get back on track again.

The most important thing I need to remember is that I'm doing this for ME. I don't need to worry about what other prople are doing, or what other people think about what I'm doing. I need to find what works for me & continue on that path. Otherwise this is all going to be a futile journey. The workouts and eating habits that work for me might not work for everyone (or anyone) else. And their workouts and eating habits might not work for me. I need to find what works for me and stick with it. It's not a competition - yeah it can be "fun" to compare notes, but I can't focus on that. I need to focus on me and reaching my goals while I encourage others to reach theirs.

Only I can do this for me. And I can certainly do it. I just need to put my mind to it, keep myself motivated, and get back on track when I do slip up. One missed workout or one bad meal isn't a death sentence. I need to use it as a stepping stone to get back on track and not become totally derailed.

So, here's to keeping myself on track and reaching my goals, one step at a time.

Read more...