Here's to a Great New Year!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

I was very glad to get back to Alaska and step on the scale and see that I hadn't gained any weight over Christmas! Yeah! I kept up with running over the holidays pretty well too. I ran anywhere between 4 and 7 miles in Colorado a few times. I had to go pretty slow though because of the altitude difference. I was in Missouri for three days also visiting my boyfriend. I woke up on morning at 7:15 am and decided that I NEEDED to go running. My intention was to sleep in, but I was half-awake, started thinking about running, and then couldn't get back to sleep. Running in the Midwest in December is COLD. I ran outside in Fairbanks yesterday at -20F and even that didn't feel as cold as Missouri did.

I'd like to lose a few more pounds before I start marathon training. Anyway, I only had to reconfigure my training schedule by a week and I've built in several weeks of buffer for exactly this reason. I could probably continue on the path I'm on, but I'm going to take it slower than probably necessary this week just to be safe. I had a great physical therapist, but I'd really rather not see him again. Working on building up to 30 miles/week of running and then I'll stay there for a month and then start marathon training (about 30-40 miles/week).

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RUNVALERIE 1/3/2008 5:14PM

-20F!!! Yikes. I just updated my blog complaining about 35F. Good luck with weight loss and training. I look forward to hearing how your training is going and what marathon you've signed up for. Report Inappropriate Comment

Christmas Survival

Saturday, December 22, 2007

I flew into Colorado a couple of days ago for the holidays. I also spent the week before I came down here moving. Talk about a goofy idea - moving in the middle of December in Alaska was not really a well thought out idea. Anyway, it was between -5F and 5F when I was doing most of the moving, which wasn't too bad. When I flew out a couple days ago it was -40F. Ugh. Thank goodness I got it all moved before then. But now I've learned what happens when pipes freeze. Double ugh.

Back to the original point. Life has been a wee bit crazy and it is going to continue to be until I get back up to Alaska on New Years Eve. There's food everywhere and getting exercise like I used to will be challenging. I'm also going out to Kansas City for a couple days next week to visit my boyfriend and meet his grandma. I hadn't missed a day of running since this one day in August when my sister was in town. I didn't do any formal exercise last Friday, Saturday, or Sunday because of all of the moving. Which doesn't mean that I wasn't super-active lifting boxes, hauling beds, etc...

I ran again on Monday and the three days off proved to be a good thing. I felt better running that day than I had in a couple weeks. I've been getting uncomfortable pain down my shins, but it comes and goes and I need to remember to stretch out really well before I start running.

Before I started moving and left town I had been running 20 miles a week, doing 2 hours of cross-training cardio, and doing 2 days each of strength training for upper, lower, and core. I've decided that until I get back I'm just going to focus on running. I'll do a few strength training exercises, but I'm going to take it easy especially on the lower body. My right knee had been bruising and sore and I hadn't had any acute trauma to it, so I'm concerned that I was doing my leg curls and extensions improperly. I know what good form is, but I think I was trying to use too much weight, so once I get back in January I'm going to tone it down just a little.

Once life returns to "normal", I'll keep on working on increasing my weekly mileage to 30 miles/week and maybe do 60-90 minutes of cardio for cross-training. I'm going to check out the Spark strength programs and find one that will take about 30 minutes for the whole body and I'll do that 2-3 times/week. I'm getting close to being burned out and I really love running too much to let that happen. So, I'm going to take it really easy for the next week or so and then reduce my strength training and crosstraining a bit. I'm thinking that if I start working with compound moves - like lunges with bicep curls, I'll still be able to hit all the major muscle groups with my strength program but take less time doing it.

  

Beautiful Hawaii

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Just got back from my first trip EVER to Hawaii. I was in Maui for 10 days for a business conference but I got in plenty of sight-seeing. I went up Haleakala on my birthday. It was beautiful! Later in the day I sat by the pool and drank fruity tropical drinks. The blog image is of the view from the pool on my birthday. On my last day there I went snorkeling and saw three really cool sea turtles! I'm so glad I'm not afraid of being active anymore.

I also stayed on schedule with my exercise and running program. There was a great place to run just outside of the hotel and I'm putting a photo in my gallery of the view I would get from the run. I did a reduced strength-training plan, but I didn't miss a single day of what I did plan.

Ate WAY too many chocolate covered macadamia nuts though. Off-set some of it with fresh fruit, but I did put on a pound or two. I've been tracking calories the last couple days just to make sure I'm in good shape heading into Thanksgiving. Anyway, it was just an incredible time and just as incredible was that I didn't even try to talk myself out of going running. That's how ingrained being active is to me now. Instead of looking at travel as an excuse not to exercise, I look at running while traveling as opportunity to see new scenery and have new experiences.

  

4 x 4

Monday, October 29, 2007

I've developed a 4x4 pattern of eating that I'm finding fits into my lifestyle really well. The last couple of weeks or so I've noticed that I have the most energy and don't feel like overeating as much when I eat four meals a day, about four hours apart each. Each meal is roughly 300-400 calories and then I have a small bag of popcorn after dinner (a 100 calorie bag - yum!).

Breakfast will be something like oatmeal with fruit and almonds at 7:30. I'll eat again at 11:30 - usually what I was having as snack but all at once. I had been eating a big lunch, then going running, and then eating a snack every hour until dinner or so. That just made me focus on food almost all afternoon which I was finding counterproductive to this whole "lifestyle" idea. So, around 11:30 I eat something such as string cheese, a piece of fruit, and then a healthy carbohydrate like an applesauce oatmeal muffin or some Ak-Mak crackers.

I go out running around 1:00pm. When I get back, I refuel with water until about 3:30pm when I have what I used to eat at lunch. This week it's salmon pasta. Last week it was skillet enchiladas. Having this bigger meal later also makes me less likely to graze before dinner.

I eat dinner around 7:30. I made sweet potato and black bean chili this week. I have high hopes for it! Soon after that I eat my popcorn and then it's off to bed. So yeah....it makes me a little out of sync with the rest of the world, but for me, this whole 4x4 thing is working out nicely.

Don't know what I'm going to do next week and the week after when I'm at a conference in Hawaii though. I'll be at the mercy of someone else's schedule, but I'm sure if I just pay attention to what I'm eating, make smart decisions, and bring some healthy snacks of my own, that it will all work out okay.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

IT*SNEVER2LATE 10/30/2007 12:14AM

Hi! That sounds like a good plan to me...tailor made. Weight loss and exercise is like a science. You have to come up with your own formula because what works for one person doesn't always work for another. That's why there's all kinds of diet books out there...touting "THEIR" way to lose weight! Have a good time in Hawaii, and allow yourelf a little lee-way. Plan ahead as much as you can. You know the drill... And tell us all about it when you get back, because I don't think I'll ever make it to Hawaii! Blessings, Sandy Report Inappropriate Comment

A for Effort

Friday, October 26, 2007

I think I should at least get an A for effort today. I was craving chocolate and carbohydrates again today. A mid-morning snack - not usually something I indulge in. Anyway, I went over to the Student Union and got myself 2 Hershey Kisses, a miniature Reese's Cup (that was sort of an impulse) and a tall, non-fat, sugar-free caramel latte. It's just decadent enough that I feel like I'm indulging, but not so decadent I feel like I've gone too far. And the 12 oz of skim milk is good for me! Anyway, we'll see how the rest of the day goes, but for now I think I should get an A for effort :-)