New Year's Eve

It's New Years Eve and I think this is a good opportunities to write down my new year's resolutions.

1. Lose weight (Goal weight: 160)
2. Run 1/2 marathon
3. Be a more patient person
4. Be a more confident person
5. Count blessings every day
6. Express gratitude to others

I think this is good list. I downloaded a coach 5K from the Nike+ website It starts with a 2 mile run tomorrow. I think this will help me get back on track and overcome my holiday derailment from training. Cheers to the New Year!

FUDGE!

Apparently you can't take a week off and start back where you left off in running. I planned to run an easy 30 minutes today, but was in so much pain and discomfort I walked a mile and 1/2. My left shin was killing me. All along the way I was swearing and using a lot of 4-letter words. I'm really upset and disappointed. I feel like giving up. How is it that I managed to take a giant step backwards in my training? I even wore my new compression socks! This SUCKS.

Stretch. Ice. Advil. Rest. Try again on Friday.


What Hurts? A Guide to Running Injuries

Holiday Hangover

The week of Xmas was disastrous (as far as running and nutrition is concerned). I ate everything I shouldn't: Lindt balls, cookies, candy...and many other miscellaneous items full of sugar and fat! Oh geez. Not to mention, I only went on two short runs early in the week. It was nice to spend time with my family but my training really got derailed.

I need to forgive myself and move forward. I went for a 30 min run yesterday. It was very painful and my legs hurt like hell. I'm going to rest, stretch and ice today and take a healthy dose of advil and try again tomorrow.

On a more positive note, I got some fun running stuff this year from Santa. I recieved a few books on running, the nike+ sport band watch with sensor, and some compression socks! whoo hoo. I've used the nike+ watch and sensor and I REALLY like it. I don't have special nike shoes, so i taped the sensor inside my shoe under the insert and it seems to work well there.

A good breakfast and a day off

Good morning! Today my family is coming home for the holidays. They all get here in the afternoon, so for now I have the house to myself. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. Today I decided to deviate away from my normal breakfast of eggs and toast and try some oatmeal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashion Oats
1 cup of liquid (I use 3 parts water and 1 part skim milk)
Microwave oats for about 2-3 min
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp. Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

Very Tasty!

Almost 3.5 miles

I ran 3.4 miles today! phew. This is my longest run to date! My shins didn't hurt, so those exercises must be helping. I'm planning to ice them tonight anyway just to be safe. Tomorrow is a rest day and then I'll attempt a 3.5 mile run on Wednesday.

My diet has been going well. Eating four 400 calorie meals is a good strategy until dinner time. I might try and tweek this a little and make one of the meals 300 calories and then allow 500 calories for dinner. I've also been working on cutting back on sugar. I went out and bought a box of clementines. This has been extremely helpful for when I'm craving sugar late at night. It is much better than eating a bunch of Lindt balls!

They are about 35 calories each!

Pumpkin-Flax Seed Muffins

In the spirit of healthy eating I decided to bake some healthy muffins. This is a recipe from Dr. Oz, except I substituted flax seed instead of using chia seeds.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon flax seed , ground (use a coffee or spice grinder)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat or whole grain flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (16 ounces) organic pumpkin (make sure there is only pumpkin listed on the ingredient list)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
  
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients together. Spoon into paper-lined muffin or greased muffin tins. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. I like to store these muffins in the freezer and then thaw them in the microwave for a quick and easy breakfast in the morning! This recipe makes 12 large muffins. They are around 260 calories each.

Lazy Sunday

Today is a rest day. I managed to avoid some major sugar splurges yesterday, so I'm feeling good about that. I said NO to chocolate, cookies, and candy! In order to work on my "drink more water" goal this week, I've decided I need to make it taste better. I really like Vitamin Water 10, especially the orange and lemonade flavors. It makes drinking water much more enjoyable!

I'm also taking advantage of my Sunday off from training to strengthen my calves and shins. I've been getting shin splints on and off during my runs, so along with icing them I've been researching ways to strengthen those muscles to reduce shin pain. Runner's World website has a video on injury prevention dedicated to shins and calves. They show some good stretches, and exercises such as seated calf raises and a heel toe walk that should help!

Calculating Calories

Part of my losing weight philosophy is calorie control. I've started keeping a calculator in my kitchen so that every time I fix myself a meal I can keep a tally of how many calories I'm consuming. Right now, my goal is to stay right around 1600 calories a day. Also, I recently read in Prevention Magazine that eating 400 calories per meal 4 times a day will keep you full and satisfied! I'm going to give this a try and base each of my meals around 400 calories.

Goals for the Week

Since the holidays are always a hard time to stick with a diet and exercise plan I'm going to try and make 3 goals every week that are easy and manageable. Along with sticking to my training plan, this week my goals are:

1. Eat Slowly

I tend to eat fast, and usually eat a lot more than I intended too. For this goal I am going to remove all distractions and sit down and enjoy what I'm eating slowly and consciously.

2. Drink More Water

I don't drink nearly enough water. For this goal I am going to eliminate other beverages, such as soda, and replace them with water. Also, I am going to drink a glass of water before each meal or snack. I read that sometimes hunger pains are really your body's cry that it needs water not food.

3. Stop the Sugar Splurge

I don't think eliminating ALL sugar is possible, but I'm afraid that if I don't go cold turkey once I start eating chocolate or another tasty holiday dessert I won't be able to stop! This week I am going to focus on cutting WAY back on my sugary splurges.

Getting back on track BEFORE the Holidays

So I ended up skipping my 2.5 miles run yesterday, going out to lunch at Chili's, drinking soda, having dinner with a healthy dose of soy sauce, and some candy for dessert (this was really bad). This morning I felt like a whale. My stomach has literally ballooned!!! To get back on track I ran an easy 2 miles this morning and made myself, what I like to call, "Get back on track smoothie."

Ingredients:
1 medium banana
1/2 cup Dannon Lite & Fit Vanilla Yogurt
1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
(I use Biggest Loser whey protein by Designer Whey)
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1 packet Amazing Grass Green Super Food (cacao flavor)
5 or 6 ice cubes and a little water

At about 390 calories...this makes a great smoothie!

Wind, Rain, and Cold

Today I woke up to rain, wind, and 35 degree weather (that actually feel like 23 degrees). I don't feel like running today, but I want to stay on schedule and get in my 2.5 mile run. I've been running outside, but now that it's December I need to find another option...and one that is preferably FREE! It looks like our local community center has a few pieces of gym equipment (one being a treadmill) that is free to local residence. I'll have check it out and see if I can use this as an option when the weather is bad.

5K Training Plan

Now that I can run for 30 min consistently, I need to work on building my distance. I went to the Runner's World website and found that they have training plans for beginner runners like me! Runner's World Personal Trainer is an online interactive calendar that helps keep me on track. I downloaded the the 5K for beginners plan, which is a six-week schedule that has three days of running each week. This is just what I needed. I'm on week 4 right now, and I'm running between 2.5 and 3 miles each session.

There's an app for that

The first thing I did was download an app for my ipod touch called Get Running. For $1.99 you get a 9 week plan to go from the couch to running consistently for 30 min. You workout 3 times a week and the program gradually increases your running time every few days. It is like having a personal running coach in your ear while you run.

It took 9 weeks, but now I can run for an entire 30 min. without stopping. It's not always easy, but I've continued to run for 30 min. about three times a week since I ended this program about 2 weeks ago. My next step is to slowly increase my milage without getting discouraged or injured.

1st Weight Check

I hate weighing myself, but it was time to suck it up and get on the scale. 3 weeks ago, at 5 feet 10 inches I weighed in at 185 lbs. ugh.

My goal weight is 160 lbs and I'm hoping to get there by May 2010. Slowly but surely.

It's all about the shoes

New Balance is a great brand. Most retail stores have a Procare Fit Specialist that help you find your perfect pair of shoes. Since I am clueless about running shoes this was extremely helpful. They recommended this shoe, MR850, because it's designed to accommodate moderate to severe overpronations (aka "flat feet").

So, Rule#1 for beginner runner's: Get the right shoes. Investing some money into good running shoes can prevent injuries (be prepared to spend about $100). Once you have them they should be good for 300-500 miles!

What this blog is REALLY about

As a former competitive swimmer, my life always revolved around health and exercise. However, after graduating college I took a hiatus from working out and eating right. Now it's time to get back on track. Running is helping me get in shape, lose some weight, and guide me back to a healthier lifestyle. I'm a "wannabe runner" because I can't run very far, for very long, or very quickly, but I admire those who can. My goal is simple: go from 5K to 1/2 marathon.