Workout Wednesday with Skinny Meg - May 29, 2013

Hello!  This is the first time I'm linking up with Skinny Meg for Workout Wednesday and I'm pumped!  She is SUCH an inspiration to so many and especially to me.

Most every week for the past 10 weeks my workouts have kept me busy training for my first 5K on Saturday...I'm so nervous but at this point, I'm using a favorite quote:  I'm kissing it and sending it to heaven...not much I can do at this point, right?  Well, except quit, but um, yah, I'm no freakin' quitter.  My goal is to complete the entire thing running.  I've done it many times during training so I'm hoping that Race Day will be no different.  The only thing that's making me nervous is that the race is in grass, which I'm not used to...guess I'll figure it out!

For the past few days, I've been resting a calf injury but I'm sure it will be better by Saturday and the good news is that I've been able to spend more time lifting and working on strength exercises.  I like to incorporate hand weights and bar work when I can.  Right now, it's still very new to me and I'm hoping that I'm using proper form...thank goodness for YouTube and Google, eh??

Here's a little list of my mixed-up weekly routine:

• Monday - Cardio:  Running (outside as much as I can when it's not raining) - 1 hour
• Tuesday - Toning:  Push ups, bridges, triceps dips, burpees, squats, lunges jump squats, Superman, planks, crunches, dumbbell arms & abs stuff (side bends, twists, cross body knee lifts, squat twists...please do not quote me on any of the names I just gave these as I have no idea what they are truly called - I only know they kicked my abs...)  This usually takes me about 45 minutes
• Wednesday - Cardio:  Sprints - 1 hour
• Thursday - Toning:  See above
• Friday - Light cardio and toning
• Saturday - Cardio:  Running or Zumba
• Sunday - I try to rest, but it's hard so it's either yard work or light cardio

I'm hoping to meet lots of inspirational folks through the linkup and learn about how other people are making their way along this journey!

If you get a chance, check out my recipe blog, too - A Healthy Makeover & a new recipe post today:

http://ahealthymakeover.blogspot.com/2013/05/crustless-3-cheese-quiche.html

5K Linkup - May 28, 2013

 

Wow...it's our last official linkup before the big day!!  I can't believe that June 1st will be here so soon!

 

I remember thinking that I had so much time to train and yet, here we are - 5K day is on SATURDAY!  I am so mixed with emotions, going back and forth between being excited and scared s*&%less...for the next few nights, I'm hoping I don't think about it because every time I do, my stomach does flip flops and my heart races a bit.

 

I know that I am ready...I've trained so hard to do this...I just wonder how I'll actually be on Race Day.  Everyone who has done this before says that Race Day is fun and exciting and that I'm stressing for nothing - I am completely banking on that being true!  I also hope that I'm hooked on 5K's after Saturday because I honestly have truly enjoyed becoming a runner.  I love that I get to say that I'm a runner.

 

Laura from Simply Healthy Mama posted this last week about Running Your First Race and it was so helpful!  Thank you, Laura!  Check out her blog if you get the chance, I love it!

 

The time has come to wish all of my 5K Linkup friends all the luck in the world!  I have greatly enjoyed this journey to the big day with you all - you have inspired me and kept me going the entire time and I'm so blessed to have "met" so many supportive people!  We can do this!!

 

I can't wait to report (and read all of your posts!!) about Saturday's race!

 

 

Non-Scale Victories Linkup May 23, 2013

Hello!

Time to share our NSVs of the week!  What were your Non-Scale Victories??

Mine were pretty simple this week and really have more to do with workouts than anything else.  I ran my fastest run in training last Saturday at 3.8 miles in 45:41.  Not the speediest but the speediest for me, ha!  I'm really trying to get in as many miles as I can before next Saturday's 5K.  I'm running on the treadmill tonight, which isn't my favorite, but it's all ucky rainy here so I don't have many options.

Also, I've been trying to do some different workouts and have been doing the plank challenge and I was able to hold it for 1:10 minutes.  I was shaking like a leaf, but I kept it together!

My favorite victory was being able to do a push up with alternating dumbbell row.  That's a mouthful, but it's basically this:  get in a push up position while holding dumbbells, do a push up, and then lift one dumbbell into a row, then alternate.  I honestly have seen it done and thought, "Oh, hell NO!  There's no way I could do that!?"  Well, guess what happens when you actually TRY to do something?  You find out that you can actually do it, LIGHTBULB!?  Anyway, it was kind of cool to realize that I had the strength.

I have been incorporating more and more strength exercises into my routine and I think they've been really helping.  More than anything, I feel wonderful being able to challenge myself and I feel strong.

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Hope you all have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend!  And please remember those who fight every day and have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms!

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5K Linkup May 21, 2013

 

 

Hiya!  It's time for our Spring Training Linkup with Katie and Kim!

 

Whelp, now we are LESS than TWO weeks away from race day - GAH!

 

Last week I was freaking out a little, I'm a little better now, but I still get all butterflyish when I think about it.  I can't believe how close it is!  I'm still a little nervous that the entire course is on grass - I really, REALLY hope they mow it down as low as they can for us, but I'll have to prepare myself if that's not the case.  I haven't been back to run the course, but I have been training a lot this last week and I'm feeling confident that I'll be able to do the entire thing running (...she says over and over and over to herself...)

 

I have worked in sprints twice this week, including one extremely, horribly HOT and I mean H.A.W.T day...it was just awful and I had to stop, I couldn't do the whole thing and it made me so mad!  I got angry hot...like, um, mean.  Apparently, this gal is a much nicer runner/person when she has a nice cool breeze blowing on her...'cuz the 91 degree heat unleashed this angry bitchy chick and she wasn't pretty...

 

I ran 10.54 miles in the last week.  Wow, I just added that up and I'm pretty impressed with myself!  That equates to three runs, so I'm averaging 3.5miles a run.  Two of the runs, I was able to do the whole thing.  Those are the ones that are making me feel better about the race.  I've run a few full 5ks since I've been training but these newest ones are making me more confident about the fact that the race is A. Week. From. Saturday.

 

If anyone is interested, I found this article online about how to get ready right before the race and it was pretty interesting to read:

 

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/What-to-Do-Before-Your-5K

 

Oh, and this made me laugh so I had to share:

 

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And today is my honey's birthday - Love him!

 

 

Before & Now Pics & Non Scale Victories Linkup May 16, 2013

 

Hello!

 

It's time for my favorite post of the week!  What were your NON-Scale victories this week?

 

This week I have a few:

 

1)  I traveled to see my Mom last weekend and no matter which airport I was in, I used the stairs and walked vs. using the moving sidewalks.  Big switch from my old life where those modern advances were like little oasis's to a chubby chick carrying heavy bags.

 

2)  I didn't stress about eating on my visit - I ate things I don't normally indulge in and I didn't stress.  Since I'm weighing only once a month now, I realized last weekend that in the past, with Friday weigh-in looming, I would stress and stress about the wrong choices I made during the week.  In other words, I mostly didn't enjoy myself pretty much ever.  The thing with weighing less often is that when I weigh next month I'm not going to beat myself up for two days of enjoying myself!  When I weighed more often, I would get to weigh-in day and when I didn't see what I wanted to, I would pick apart EVERY.  LITTLE.  THING. I did during the week.  Do you know what that type of self destruction does to the mind??  So, did I mention I'm over stressing??

 

3)  I have before and current pics to share.  The first picture was taken at my highest weight.  I haven't shared it before now because I honestly had forgotten about it and a co-worker sent a bunch of old pictures out and this little gem was included.  This was from Halloween 2008 and my department decided to dress up as Beer Wenches (disregard the lovely wig).  My mom had to make my costume (back then she made a lot of my clothes to be honest) because there were no size 26 beer wench costumes out there.  The second picture was taken a few weeks ago.  There are 72lbs of difference in these pictures...but most importantly, tons of sweat, miles and miles traveled, thousands of hurdles tackled, and a strength I continue to amaze myself with:

 

 

The funny part about it when I look at these pictures, it almost looks like I compressed the top picture and stretched the bottom one.  I can assure you and promise you that the only editing I did was to crop them.

 

 

 

5K Linkup - May 14, 2013

Well, Hello!!

It's time for our 5K Linkup with Katy and Kim!

Soooo, yesterday I got to thinking....UMmmm...my race is only 3 weeks away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm sorta freaking out a little LOT.

Am I ready??

Oh sweet Mary, I don't know if I am!???  I thought that when I actually completed a few 5Ks on my own I would feel better, but I don't.  I don't AT. ALL.

The weather has been awful here so for the past week I've been having to do other workouts (elliptical, treadmill) and even though I'm keeping my training going, those machines don't prepare you for running outside.

Yesterday we finally had a day that wasn't raining so I was able to run outside.  A few of my training buddies and I left directly from work and headed through the little town we work in to the city park.  It has a great paved track around it and I thought, "This is perfect!"  Well, it was really...BUT, this little track has HILLS...I mean it literally takes you up and down and around continuously.  There are very few recovery stretches.  The track is also slightly tilted because the park really kind of sits inside this little tiny valley sort of thing.  The track runs all along the outside and it tilts downward into the park.  I'm definitely feeling it today...

So, we ran once around it (about 7/10s of a mile), then did some circuit training after the first lap.  Then we headed out and ran the track twice and came back to do more circuit training.  Afterwards, we took the longer way back to the office and I ran the whole way.  All in all, I ran 3.45 miles, but it wasn't continuously since we took the two circuit training breaks.  We decided that next time we really need to work on doing the whole thing from start to finish - the few of us who haven't run a race need to know we can sustain our energy.  That park will be the true test because I'm telling you, it's HARD.  A few of the inclines almost stopped me in my tracks because they are so steep!  At one point my heart rate was upwards of 180 - yikes!

I'm so nervous thinking that the race is only a short time away - I just want to be able to do it!  I want to be able to run the whole thing.

Question:  When you run with a buddy, do you stay together or do you go at your own pace?  I've figured out that I need to get into my zone and don't do well with distractions...in other words, I do better when I'm running alone.  Not that I don't mind running with someone, but I concentrate on my breathing more when I'm focused and I can pace myself really well.  I wonder how things will be at the race...OMG, the race!!!  Did I mention it's just THREE. WEEKS. AWAY????????????????????

Non-Scale Victories - May 9, 2013

It's Non-Scale Victory time and my favorite post of the week!! 

Hello!  How have you been??

First off, I feel like I haven't gotten to catch up with some of my favorite blog buddies so I apologize...work has been crazy and I feel like I'm so out of touch!  SOOOO, last night, I had some time on the couch so I started catching up on my blog feed and even went through the whole rigamorole (is that how you spell that?) of opening up an email to type each of my responses to THEN copy and paste it into the comments sections of each of the blogs.  I don't know if this happens for you, but sometimes when I'm typing my comments, my stupid mobile will just stop...I can't type or erase or anything!  So I always try to compose them in an email first then cut and paste.  Well, last night, I was moving along, pretty proud of myself for having some deep and meaningful responses to my buddies, and after posting (and typing out the darn captcha stuff), my posts weren't posting!  GRRR!!!  I think I did this for like 6 or 7 different blogs!!  So many of you either have multiple posts from me or none...boo.  #hatebloglovin

If you are reading this, and you are one of my blog buddies, can you just know that for 2 hours last night, you were in my thoughts?  That would make me feel a whole lot better about things...Lately it seems like my blog friends are really struggling, whether it's with motivation, injuries, or just life's happenings.  I want you all to know that you are important to me, and that I find inspiration in every single one of you.  YOU are one of my favorite parts of this journey!

I had a great week of both cardio and strength training and I was able to stay on top of my calories.  Tomorrow, I'm super excited because I'm off to see my Mama and BFF for the weekend in Maine - can't wait!

What were your NSVs this week?  Celebrate them; no matter how big or small, every single one of them is a victory!  GO. YOU.

XXOO - Jenn

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5K Linkup May 7, 2013

'Allo, Loves!

It's 5K Linkup time!

My running buddy and I got a copy of the map of the race course for our 5K so we took the opportunity to go out and run it.  You'll recall how I'm a planner and I've had some anxiety about the race for lots of reasons but mainly because I had no idea what I was up against.  We had high hopes but were a little disappointed because the map wasn't that clear and we sort of meandered the first go round.  We finally figured out the course and we were able to run the 2nd lap.  I have to admit, even though I have now seen the course, I'm nervous as HAY-AL about the race.  The course is very hilly, which isn't a super huge issue because my neighborhood is all hills so I'm used to running them, but the course is ALL grass.  As in not, even a trail.  On Saturday we went at about the same time the actual race will be and the grass was wet.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am clum-sy...with a capital CLUM.  So I'm looking forward to wet grass, hills, mounds and divots...please dear God, don't let me fall on race day, please don't let me fall...

I felt pretty good running it - even if it was slow to keep from twisting an ankle - but when I got to the end, I was dying...and I don't know why because I'm usually very good about pacing myself and/or slowing down when I need to.  I hope that won't be an issue on race day.

The other training we did was sprints.  And I have to admit, I think I like them better than running long distance.  Makes sense since in high school I ran the 100m.  We found some pretty flat ground (again, hard to do in my area) and we walked, jogged and sprinted for a full 3.5 miles.  This week, we are shooting for 4 miles.  It was great and a really great cardio workout!  Supposedly, it'll help us with speed.  Although, I really don't care about speed for this particular race.  My goal is to be in a running/jogging motion for the whole thing.  That's it, even if I'm just making the motions and moving at 3mph.

How was your training this week??

Non Scale Victories May 2, 2013

It’s Non-Scale Victory Time with Katie and Lex!  And a Happy May to you!

This week wasn’t as eventful as last week, but I continue to feel great about NOT stressing about the scale.

I’ve concentrated on getting in my strength training, watching what I’m consuming and getting in my cardio.  I am in love with this fit chick that has busted out of the chains the scale held on her – she is an animal!  Of course, next week, I will actually get on the scale because I’ve designated May 10^th as my May Weigh Day…well, look at that, I rhymed, ha!

When I do get on the scale, I will remember these words:

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One of the things I think I need to work on though, is feeling okay with NOT having a workout day.  It’s not that I don’t think I need a rest day, I certainly do.  On the weekend, I tend to be less stringent about the things I’m eating because all week long I’m pretty obsessed.  I never go all-out crazy on the weekends, but yes, I like to enjoy a pancake every now and again.  But the weekends are also usually some of my best workout days and I tend to burn a whole lot more because I have more time than I do during the week.  So even though I have a pancake, I feel like my workouts keep me in check.  However, with my injury last weekend, I had to be stricter on my calories on Saturday and that made me nervous; I really had to try hard.  Does anyone else feel that way?  Well, I did, but it felt great to have handled it, and I handled it well.  I was pretty proud of myself for that!

Still, there’s that little voice in my head that said, “You handled it, but it wasn't easy…and after all the hard work you put in, doesn’t that make you worry that you DON’T have it ALL together yet?”  Yah, it pretty much does.  I know that the food is the key for me – even though I’ve been doing this for 16 months, I still need to keep myself in check and food still seems to be my underlying issue.  I’m also a quantity girl; but I know when I’m feeling like a ravenous monster and those are the days that I have my B.A.S or Big Ass Salad.  You should see this thing…seriously, huge.  Or I cut up a bunch of broccoli and cauliflower and chow down on those.  So in a sense, I’m in control since I’m eating healthy and making healthy choices, but there is still that fat girl inside that wants to eat…a lot.

I wonder how long it will be a struggle and whether or not I’ll ever be able to let my guard down?  All I know is that I still need to be on guard for now and I'm going to keep on keepin' on because at this point, it's all I know to do!

So those are my NSV’s this week!  Which NSV’s are you celebrating??