Just. Breathe.

I have a new toy, and I better like it a whole lot, because it's all I get for the next 20 present "events." For anyone who is new let's recap: I started running a couple of years ago.  I live in Texas. I ran through one of the hottest summers on record. Then I did it again the next summer. I got up at the crack of dawn during those hot summers to avoid some of the heat. Here we are at the beginning of fall and what do I do? Buy a treadmill. So I can run inside when it's cold. I never claimed to be very bright. And this baby is nice . It's iFit compatible which means my workouts are tracked and available online. But that's not the coolest thing. This is the basic screen. Default track running is boring, but when Buffy the Vampire Slayer  is on the TV, I don't need much.  HERE is the coolest thing: It has videos of runs! This is the Hana Run - a Hawaiian path along the coast! Notice the time and distance noted here,...

Seriously, people, somebody help me with these blog titles. I'm only using days of the week to try to force some structure on myself, but this is going to be boring really quick. Okay, moving on to the topic. This month, I finally was able to start running again after injuring my foot. I'm now in in week three of fairly consistent workouts. Go me! Running in Texas in the summer is an iffy proposition. Either you have to get up before dawn, run after dark, or find a treadmill inside. I don't have a treadmill, so that's out. RDub won't let me run after dark without the dog along, and he's a big baby. So, early morning it is. Yuck. And seriously, if you wait until 8am, it's too hot already. RDub and I tried running together a couple of times. 5:30am isn't as impossible for me as it was a few years ago, but it definitely isn't my favorite thing. But he needs to run, too, and before work is the only option. The first day was okay - got a couple of m...

I found a notebook where I'd drawn out some ideas for the blog, made plans for new/different exercise programs, and jotted down recipe ideas, and decided I should get back to it. When I first started blogging last year, I had a goal (weight loss) and used this forum for accountability. I now have another few goals, so let's see if it will work this time. Losing the rest of this weight is of course a goal. I've been stuck here for about a year (some down, some up in the last 12 months, but generally the same place). On the one hand, that tells me that maintenance is something I CAN do -- good to know. OTOH, I don't want to be at THIS weight! I'm working through what that means for me - I don't do well with deprivation, counting calories makes me feel deprived, and this is almost completely about what my brain says. I know that no amount of exercise will make up for a crappy diet - but I'm still struggling with the changes that will stick. A few things I...

It doesn't take long to fall out of a habit -- as long as it was a good one...which I consider blogging to be. Let's just jump right back in, shall we? The Monday after we got back from our cruise (SIX weeks ago! How did that happen???), I started boot-camp style training with a personal trainer. I haven't worked with Jen in a couple of years, but I knew it was time to shake things up. Jen trains out of her home, and is a Pilates instructor from way back. I always felt good when I was doing Pilates regularly, so that had appeal. She also does weight training, and we talked about a crossfit-style approach (maybe), and setting me up to do other sessions on my own. I made her agree to one very important ground rule once we settled on three times a week: I don't get makeup sessions. In the past, she's been generous if you had to cancel a session. For me, it gave me an excuse (cramps, headache, tired...) and I needed to suck it up. Money talks, and I wasn't going t...

For the record, these. suck. a. lot. Thank you, Pinterest, for making me unable to sneeze, cough, or get out of bed without crying. I've done these twice, and I'm due for another set today. I'm not sure if/when it will get better. [On the funny(er) side, Bug decided to do them with me, and she hasn't been able to take a complete breath since. Teenagers should have more endurance, right?] On to the rest of the workouts.... It was actually a good week. I reported on last Monday already -- that I finally got over the 2 mile wall again. I decided to go for distance more than speed for the next few workouts. Here's how I did. My distance didn't go up, but for the first time in months, I didn't walk AT ALL after the 3 minute warmup. I also got the Garmin heart rate monitor to work (finally) and I'm definitely in my target workout zone. I kept checking the Garmin when I'd feel like my breathing was less labored, and sure enough, that's...

[No, I don't speak French. Other than to pardon it, that is. And what will I do after three? I don't know what comes next...] I capped off the week with a pretty decent run this morning. It was a few degrees cooler (78 instead of 82) and overcast. That made the humidity ridiculous, but it wasn't unbearably hot. Oh, and this was at 7:15 in the morning. Gotta love Texas summers. I've been struggling to run much farther than 2 miles lately, almost since finishing the 5K (3.1 miles) back in March. I am sure it's mental, not physical, as I only occasionally have twinges in my calves or hips, and no lasting pain from a run. So why do I have to lecture myself for half an hour before I'll actually get out of the house? It's not too early. It's not too late. It's not too hot (yet). You're not that tired. You've done three miles before. It is NOT all uphill. No one laughs when they drive by you. You can get a new playlist later. Yes, the ...

In this story, the cat is played by the teenaged daughter who is currently at camp...and the playing mice look an awful lot like parents goofing off. Like, movies until way too late. Dishes that really need to go in the dishwasher. And no workout because sleeping late sounded better. So I totally blew off my workout tonight. I was under duress -- R-Dub gets the blame (and I warned him) because it was rainy and water aerobics wasn't happening. Who can turn down Paleo chicken salad with wine, cozied up on the couch, watching trash TV? Anyway, tomorrow's weigh in is likely to be a train wreck, but I had a really fun weekend, so I'll deal with it! I didn't blow off the whole week. Tuesday and Thursday were run days -- I went further on Thursday (2.3 miles) than I've done lately, and my times weren't bad. Thursday was also water aerobics for an hour -- and I was sore on Friday. The weekend was spent in the pool - some stretching, but not much cardio involved...

Why do Mondays come around so regularly? I much prefer Saturdays, which seem to not come around often enough. Anyway, to the workout recap for this week: Last Monday I recorded my run, and the intent I had to do water aerobics that night. Instead, I got to unexpectedly buy a new washer and dryer because mine decided to blow up Monday afternoon. NOT a fun way to spend money earmarked for other stuff! So, I didn't get the two-a-day I intended. Tuesday -- water aerobics. 50 minutes, reps of 50 or 100 for each movement, plus 5 minutes treading water/running in place for cardio. Arms sore next day! Wednesday - 2.1 mile run in 25 minutes. I didn't drop off quite as much as I do on the 2nd mile. It was already HOT at 7:30 in the morning. Thursday - off day. And in case that wasn't enough, I had pizza. Yes, it was incredibly good. Friday - 1.9 mile run (not sure why I didn't get 2 miles on the Garmin). Started about an hour later and the heat slowed me down. Satur...

At long last, I'm getting serious about tracking my workouts. I know, you've all been wondering and waiting with bated breath about it. I blog to serve. Here's what I'm thinking. I already do my weigh ins on Tuesday mornings and blog about that at some point on Tuesday. I think I'll do an entry on Mondays (hey, look! It's Monday now!) listing out what I did the previous 7 days. Or, that might be really boring so I'll do something else. Let's just play this by ear. Week of 6/11 to 6/18 Monday: [first workout since injury 3 weeks ago] elliptical, rolling hills setting, difficulty 4 (minimum) to 12 (maximum); 30 minutes; 420 cals Tuesday: elliptical, rolling hills setting, difficulty 4 (minimum) to 12 (maximum); 38 minutes; 475 cals Thursday: elliptical, rolling hills setting, difficulty 3 (minimum) to 10 (maximum); 40 minutes; 450 cals -- I wanted to see if I could increase my time without hurting. It worked, but I'd rather up the difficulty a...

After almost three weeks of being sick and unable to work out, having no motivation to cook, and just general yuckiness, I'm finally on the mend. An extremely annoying doctor visit reminded me why I don't go to doctors, but at least I got some medicine that helps. I got to work out yesterday for the first time! I could only do 30 minutes on the elliptical but it was a good 430 calories that I needed to burn. If you saw yesterday's post, you know grocery shopping played a big part of my weekend, and this week I'm making lots of new Paleo food and trying new things. And the result? Down two pounds! Sweet! Especially after being stuck for a while. That puts my total at 25.5 pounds total loss. I've got five weeks to lose 4.5 more to hit my 30-pound goal. __________________________________ I was surprised at how scared I was about not working out for three weeks. After not missing many workouts all year, I was convinced this was going to derail me -- it would ...