Believe you can!

It's been a while since I posted any kind of update. I had gotten a bit down on myself being back in physical therapy and not hitting my goals for workouts. BUT the negative thoughts didn't last long. This week has been awesome!

physical therapy 
I tore the labrum in my left hip in April 2012. I spent 4 mos straight in PT then and "recovered" well. I was able to keep running. I trained well and ran a 23 min marathon PR in November, injury free/little pain. However, I took a tumble late December and seemed to have jarred things on the ol' left hip a little. I wasn't having a ton of pain/issues but my tailbone was really bothering me. I didn't fall directly onto my tailbone so I ignored it for a long time.

I went to the dr, had an x-ray and got good news. No broken/fractured or bruised tailbone. He put me on anti-inflammatory meds for a couple of weeks and said to call back if I still had trouble. I did. I was sent to a PT specializing in women's health therapy (more on that later). It's so weird how all our "parts" connect and one thing leads to another. The tailbone was overcompensating for the hip stuff. So, once things were resolved with the tailbone after 2 visits, the hip flared up reallly reallly bad.

I've been in PT for 3 weeks with great improvements. I'm trying hard to remain positive in that I won't require another visit to the orthopedic dr OR surgery for my hip just yet. I believe if I just be patient in listening to my body and do my PT exercises as told that I can continue to run well and prolong any kind of surgery talk.

easy runs
It's been repeated to me over and over how important it is to take it easy on the runs labeled "easy run." I know why an easy run day follows a track/speed day. Your body has to recover. Easy runs should be done at an easy pace (for me during marathon training this was 9:45ish, now I'm told to stay around 10:00). The competitor in me, I guess, wants to always work hard. I'm motivated most of the time and like to run with my friends (who typically are faster). Going a bit faster on easy runs wasn't always easy but I got use to it and that became an easy pace for me.

BUT then the marathon and blah blah. My body was tired, this happened and that. And guess what? Yep, that "easy" pace became much harder especially on my easy days following a speed workout. Why? Because I wasn't allowing my body the rest/recovery it needed! Guess what happens when we push hard back to back? More prone to injury! I am not saying that is why my hip is a little flared up BUT it gives me a good reason to listen to what is being told of me and my easy run pace.

So, that all said - I take my easy runs easy and I feel so much better doing so and not letting the pace control my mood of the run. I believe that if I listen to what I have been told and am patient with the easy runs I will see the improvement I want in all my runs - long, short, easy, speed, races!

the track
In the last month or so I have been having a terrible time hitting my paces for track/speed workouts. This may be partly because I have gone to the track dreading what was on the schedule. A bad attitude rarely results in anything positive! It could also be that this winter has been terrible. So much cold, rain, snow and just too much winter around here.

However, this week has been great. I lost the attitude of "I cannot hit that pace for that workout," and I said, "Screw you mother nature and your sub freezing temps." I went to practice, listened to my coach when he told me my paces and then I ran them. Boom, bam, bizzle.

My training right now is based on speed and getting faster for my upcoming races.  Here is how this week looked. I do speed work at the track on Tues/Fri.
Tues - drills - 2mi warmup 12x400 2 mi cool down (goal 2:05-2:00 progress down, 1:00 rest btwn)
1:57 1:59 1:56 1:58 1:56 1:57 1:56 1:57 1:57 1:58 1:59 1:56

Fri- drills - 2 mi warmup  10x200 2 mi cool down (goal :53-:55, 200 m recovery jog btwn)
:53 :52 :53 :55 :52 :51 :51 :51 :50 :48
Coach ran the last one with me as a birthday 200!

I believe that if I go to practice with a positive attitude and tell myself, "I can," when I am given my paces then I WILL! 

What I learned this week:
When coach says be patient - be patient.
Lose the negative thoughts - you will see positive results.
Keep the easy runs easy and allow the body to recover. 

And for my biggest bit of advice (not that this is even an advice post, lol) ------


Believe you can and you're halfway there!

Strawberry Plains 10k - race recap

The details -
When - Saturday, February 9, 2014
Where - Strawberry Plains, TN
What - Strawberry Plains 10k/Half marathon
Weather - 38 degrees and cloudy

For the past few years I have not only ran this race but volunteered. Actually, my first time ever at this race I volunteered only. This race is one of my favorites. I typically would choose to run the half (and have in the past) but this time the 10k was on my schedule. I was thankful for that! Given my last race (10 miler a few wks ago) I wasn't overly thrilled to be racing at all but definitely was glad to be running the shorter of the 2 distances.

I had a very off week last week. I only got in 2 of my scheduled runs and one other workout due to my body not cooperating. I will get into that more, but let me just say that as a result I was totally unsure of how things would go on race day.

Since I was volunteering for food prep we had to be there by 6:30am. Worked out well for us. It gave me plenty of time to get up, dress and eat before we needed to leave. I usually struggle with pre-race morning breakfast but on this race day things were perfect. I should make myself a huge note of that and keep doing that for every race day. Note about food prep - I made a bazillion and 42 peanut butter sandwiches on race morning. I may never eat a pbj again.

About 20-30 minutes before the race start my running friends and I got ready to head outside for our warmup. I was pretty chilled when we started out but was happy after a mile in to be warm enough that I wouldn't freeze during the race. My lungs felt great and my body was doing well. 1.5+ warm up and we headed to potty one last time before lining up. Since I had eaten breakfast at 5am and race start was 9am I decided to take a gel before the start.

We are usually advised to line up close to the start so as to not have to dodge walkers. I knew what my start pace should be (9:00-9:10) and felt pretty good where we placed ourselves in line. Once the gun went off I was a bit faster going out than needed so I tried to slow up a little to save energy when I would need it. I felt good. Really good considering my week and the pain I'd been having.

The plan was 9:10-9 to start and then speed up, however here are the actual splits:
9:00
9:22 (dropped a glove, stopped to go back and pick up. DUMB!)
9:17
9:15
9:19
9:13
1:32

Overall, I am really pleased with my race. I didn't hit my paces according to the plan BUT I was consistent and felt good the  entire time. Other than the one tiny walk break to pick up my glove that I had dropped I don't think I'd do much differently. This wasn't a 10k PR for me but since it's the first time running this course it is a course PR.

Where did I finish up?

Garmin time - 56:59
Gun time - 57:01
Chip time - 56:58

95/284 overall

and..... 1st place Athena! I'll take that since it wasn't close to being a PR race for me.I scored an awesome beanie, scarf,  and gloves (to replace the ones I ditched, goodbye Nikes).

It was really great to run with my friends and team mates. We all celebrated our own victories on Saturday. Several of us placing in our age/divisions and setting new PRs.

Did you race this weekend or finish a long run? How'd it go?

WW - hill repeats (and it's not wordless!)

 

I had a hill repeat workout on Friday. Typically I go at 5am to practice but put off my workout because I wanted to sleep in. We had some snow during the week. When I got to the end of my 2 mi warmup this was the sight of my hill. Snow and ice. I had never ran such hard hill repeats but I am glad to have gotten it done. I felt a bit like  a beast for accomplishing that after a long work day.

Motivational Monday - a shameless plug

If you know me well enough you know I don't like to brag on myself. You might also know that I'm shy, very shy. I don't remember the details of who or how I was pointed in the direction of the website but I was emailed, filled out a survey, answered a few questions and voila.. my weight loss/running story was suddenly made very much more public! I'm on weight loss expert nor am I an elite runner but I do have experience in both areas. Here is an article posted yesterday about my story. 
I like to think it's the perfect little bit of motivation I needed right now to keep me going in the right direction. 

Kimert Run's Weight Loss Success Story

Since I've already told you I am not an expert or elite runner here are a few more things I would like to add.
- I've been there. It's HARD not just at first but every single day.
- You have to start somewhere. Take baby steps.
- No magic pills, no magic shakes, no magic wraps will give you long lasting success.
- Diet and exercise - 100%
- Commit and find a support group willing to commit too.
- Believe. Know you are worth every step it takes to reach your goals.

Calhoun's 10 Miler - a recap of sorts

Saturday I ran my first race since my marathon in November. I knew going into this race that it was not an A race nor would it be for a PR. Even though I had a race plan setting me up for "racing" I still told myself "training run," race this one. I'm sure my coach didn't have that in mind but it's what I needed to tell myself to keep moving forward.

There is no day before race packet pickup, only race day pickup. No big deal. Just meant for an earlier morning. This race started at 7:30am so it was an early morning. We were still running a little bit behind. My morning was off. I was suppose to be there for a team pic at 6:45. I hopped out of the Jeep as everyone was getting posed for that.

I did a quick little jaunt to the building for my bib, shirt, etc. I talked with friends and decided I better suck it up and get outside for my warm up. I did a mile warm up instead of my regular two, stood in line for the bathroom and talked to a few more friends before making my way outside to the start line.

Weather on Saturday was cold and windy. I wasn't thrilled but made the most of it. I think I've done pretty well with running in the wind and temps this winter so far but still wasn't prepared for what was going to be the last half of this race.

This race is hilly coming and going with the infamous "Cemetery Hill," on both the out and back being equally hard each direction. I told myself to start slow and that it would be easier to make up the pace in the middle to the end if I saved my energy. That's smart and one thing I've tried to work on. It's part of the race plan too.

Disclaimer - I'm too lazy to go back and forth and look up my Garmin info now for this recap. So, no paces will be listed. I'm such  a bum. haha

The first half I watched a lot of people pass me. Some of those folks were people I knew I could run faster than but kept telling myself not to let that get to me because I wasn't wearing myself out early. I could catch up. I did.

I took my first gel at 3.5 miles and after that and the turnaround point I met my hubby who said, "Your race starts now, go." And that I did. My gel kicked in, I had energy and lots of those folks who were ahead of me early on were now sniffing my dust. I never looked back. I only stopped one time because I had to tie my darn shoe. Hate when that happens!

I will say that while parts of this race were a mental challenge and the course was definitely not easy, I enjoyed the second half a lot. However, the wind on that second half was misery. Up to 25-30 mph gust coming up by the lake. I could have done without that.

I did not PR. I think I ended up around 1:41 and some change. A decent training run for long mileage. I haven't decided if I will do this race as a repeat. I think I need to get back into a decent running base and speed again before I decide.

Treadmill Tell- All

This is a fun little ditty I found over on  Jess' blog and thought I'd join the fun. Much like the rest of the country it's cold here in E. Tn and I have had to get some of my runs done on the treadmill just to keep from freezing my face off. That is not a complaint about winter. I like that I live where we have a change in seasons, however running in 7 degree temps (like this morning) is sometimes as much as a mental struggle as it is physical. And that my friends is where the treadmill comes into play!

1. What’s your favorite workout to do on a treadmill? 
I don't really have a favorite TM workout. But I usually prefer to play with speed rather than just run a steady pace. Whatever I can do to get it done and over with faster.
 
 2. How many miles, on average, do you run on the mill each week?
Usually none. The only time I really have to get myself on a TM is when the weather forces me to. Otherwise I'm outside. Lately I've been getting around 3-6 mi per week on the TM but that is a huge exception (due to sub freezing temps and flooded greenways).
 
3. What was the most mileage you’ve ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why? 
I once did a 12 mile run on the treadmill. It was during training for my first half marathon (if I recall correctly). I knew I only had 2 hours to get it done due to the time frame my kids could be in the gym daycare. 
 
4. Do you mill at home, the gym or both?  
I don't have the space at home for my own 'mill so it's the gym for me when I have to use one.
  
5. What distractions or entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time?  
Usually just music. The gym has tvs but it's always on the news (and they have like 10 tvs) when I'm there. I don't think I could have much success running and trying to read a book/magazine.
 
6. If you have a treadmill at home, what kind is it? How old is it? 
N/A
  
7. Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one?
Not really. I might drink a little more water since I have it sitting there but usually I'm only on the TM for short runs so fueling isn't an issue.
  
8. Any treadmill mishaps to report? 
Nope thankfully I have never (knocking on wood now) flown off the back of one!
  
9. Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside?  
A lot of times I set it to 1-2% but depends on what I'm doing and how I feel.  
 
10. Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions:
My gym is often too warm and there's usually someone who will get on the TM directly beside me (a lot of times an old man who enjoys passing lots of gas). So that said, a TM room, solo with the temp set at 60 and a good set of tunes!

Do you enjoy the treadmill or do you prefer running outdoors? 
What is winter running like where you live?  

A note to myself.

Back when I started this blog it seemed I had all the words to say and could write a post most any day of the week. It seemed like I knew how to lose weight and was dropping weekly. I was 110% into the gym and doing everything right to make progress. I was excited and energetic about ME and my whole journey.

Lately, I have no words to write or when I do they escape my brain as soon as they enter. I blame that partly on my busy life but really it shouldn't be an excuse. With smart phones these days one would think making notes would come easy. I have a reference guide at my fingertips and rarely use it. Oops.

I won't say I am not still excited and energetic about me and this whole journey I am and have been on. I also won't say that I am not 110% into the gym and my workouts. What I will say is this... I'm not progressing as far as weight loss goes like I want to right now. The reality is that I've gained (Yes, gained!!) 15 lbs in the last 2 yrs but mostly in the last few months between the end of marathon training and now. I will go on to say that I am super bummed about that.

What am I doing?
Is what I am doing wrong? Am I not doing enough?

Here is what I am doing -

Running 5 days a week. Logging at least 30 miles per week.
One BodyPump class a week. One BodyFlow class a week.

Food??
I do so very good during the work hours and mostly at night with the occasional treat in there.
I log my food either in a paper journal I keep in my bag or on my iPhone (see I do use it as a reference tool) on the LoseIt! app. Heck, I even take pictures of my food and Instagram them like a crazy person sometimes.

So, what gives??
I will tell you. My mind. I stress too much over this not happening or that happening. What exactly is that? The scale not moving. My clothes not fitting right. Not making this workout or not hitting my pace for that workout. It is driving me crazy!! Crazy.

I keep looking back at pictures from last yr and the yr before. I see SO much more than I see in my current pictures. I see so much more even in those pictures than I see in the mirror image of myself and I do NOT like it. I don't like the feeling I get when I realize (and I realize it a lot) that I am different (and not really in a great way) now than I was even 6 months ago. I keep fighting with the little voice in my head going between, "You'll get there," to "What the crap is going on?" It would be so easy to give up this fight right now and let myself go. But, I can't. I won't. There is no sense in even thinking that way.

Sometimes I think if I could just find a quick fix to snap myself out of things, but honestly is a quick fix worth it. NO, we (or I rather) gain nothing from quick fixes. Why? They're temporary and usually have no lasting effects (at least not of the positive kind). Complaining about the scale being up or feeling like a bundle of bloat doesn't fix my problem. It doesn't make the pounds come off or my image of myself any better. Instead it adds the frustration.

It seems like my last post was full of negativity and complaints much like this one. I don't really intend for that to be the case. I want this to be more of a "I know what I am doing wrong and this is how I will fix it," type of post to myself. I DO know the areas that need a bit of work and tweaking. I DO know what needs to be done in order for them to be "fixed." So, why is it difficult some days to keep my mindset headed in that direction?

It is not that I lack determination or motivation to eat right or workout.
I lack patience. I lack patience these days when it comes to results.

I have to get my mind back to one day at a time, one run at a time, one workout at a time.
Baby steps. I've already taken so many baby steps this week. The key will be to not let the baby steps forward end in a giant leap back.

You can do this. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. Believe.