Feeling good at 5:00 am

Saturday, May 22, 2010

I didn't go to bed particularly early last night. In fact, it was relatively late when I got to sleep - 10:15 pm. Usually it's between 9-9:30 when I fall asleep. The birds started chirping, I didn't feel tired anymore, so I thought "it must be about 5:45ish or so." Oh no. It was 4:50am. WHAT??? I stayed in bed for a while, deciding if I should sleep a little more or just get up. I got up. Had my coffee, my pre-run toast with honey (yum!), and I'm ready to go.

I attribute my really good sleep to the hour of biking I did yesterday afternoon and the 20 minute swim I did in the morning. Yesterday's weather was just BEAUTIFUL and I just had to take advantage of it. I went back to the gorge trail I've been on a few times and had a great ride. It's very shaded with beautiful waterfalls; the trail runs along the river - the view is just amazing. I see myself making frequent trips out there over the summer for some biking lunches!

My running buddy and I are meeting at 7:30 for a run. We didn't go last week, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the Saturday morning run routine. This afternoon is a wedding shower - I LOVE shopping for shower gifts! Got some really beautiful crystal toasting glasses with a little platinum band around the top - something I'd definitely want for myself.

i MUST get some cleaning done this afternoon and tonight. The house is not a terrible mess, but it's not up to my standards. I really don't like coming home from work (or anywhere, for that matter) and seeing a mess.

Today I will:
Drink a ton of water.
Drink only water if we go to breakfast after our run.
Get the house into shape.
Take some time to read.

Hoo-ray for the weekend!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

LEARNING2LUVME 5/22/2010 8:23PM

My babies let me sleep in this morning and didn't wake up until 5:50. (Yes, that's sleeping in at our house.) Report Inappropriate Comment

ROGUE_1 5/22/2010 2:38PM

You are such a morning person, that's great! I wish I was, but noooo, I have to drag myself out of bed every single morning :)Hope you're enjoying those baby back ribs today!! Report Inappropriate Comment

GOALIEGRANDMA3 5/22/2010 9:48AM

the only time I have ever go up that early is to go to the airport, or leave in the car on a driving vacation. Congrats to you, though Report Inappropriate Comment

AXISLADY 5/22/2010 7:02AM

Your day sounds so lovely. Enjoy. Report Inappropriate Comment

MRLEEP23 5/22/2010 6:43AM

Good plan! And great way to exert yourself in staying up versus going back to bed! Keep up the great work!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Ho-hum

Friday, May 21, 2010

One of the most interesting things that's happened since I've been doing more fun outdoor stuff after school is that Friday, while still a wonderful day, does not have the same feeling as it once did. I used to think "OMG I can do just what I want to - it's the weekend!" But since I discovered a love for biking and running on the Rails to Trails trails, *every* night can be filled with something I like to do. It doesn't get dark very early, so I have lots of time to get some good biking/running in.
Last night I met some colleagues for coffee (I had iced tea) after school; it was almost 5:30 when we left. A few weeks ago, I would have thought "oh, this night is shot. I am just going home." But since I had my bike in the car already, I came up with Plan B. Driving just over 30 minutes to get to a trail wouldn't work, but going up to the local state park and doing a few laps around the top of the mountain *would*. So off I went. And even though I only did a little more than 20 minutes, it was still better than doing 0 minutes. I'm packing my bike again today and my running shoes in case I feel like heading out after school today (which I think I will - it's going to be a beautiful afternoon!).

Today's positives (and it's only 7:30!)
- I went swimming. This is two days in a row! I feel so good.
- My lunch is packed. I'm getting good at using what we have in the house.
- I am drinking a big glass of water. I'm working really hard on getting more water in every day.
- My workout stuff is in a basket in my car - I put my biking gloves, weight gloves, a headband, and stopwatch in there so I have them ready in case the mood strikes me.

Today I will:
Drink lots and lots of water.
Do something outside after school.
Eat a healthy dinner.
Give someone a compliment.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

GOALIEGRANDMA3 5/21/2010 9:35AM

You have made smart choices here, and I commend you for it. You are not making excuses. WOW Keep it up Report Inappropriate Comment

LEARNING2LUVME 5/21/2010 9:35AM

I love that you put down giving someone a compliment as a goal for today. That's awesome! Have a fabulous weekend!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

KARVY09 5/21/2010 9:25AM

I LOVE swimming in the morning. It really gets you all ready for the day, doesn't it? Looks like you are definitely finding opportunities to get exercise in! Report Inappropriate Comment

The girl who cried wolf.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

This is how I feel today. "I'm going to run tonight." "I'm going to do some ST tonight." Well, for the last three days none of this happened. I got really lazy. I often think "just suck it up and do it," but I just couldn't. Last night I crashed on the couch at 6:00, woke up at almost 11:00, went up to bed, and slept until 5:15 this morning. Today, though, I feel much better than I did yesterday.

So because I was up so early today, I thought, "Carrie, you MUST do something at the gym this morning. You are awake and ready to go. No excuses." So the swim suit went on. I had some coffee and a banana, then headed off to do a 20 minute morning swim. WHY oh WHY can I never seem to remember how good it feels to get a workout in first thing in the morning??? Even a 20 minute swim felt SO good. During the winter I was regularly going to the gym in the morning and I had tons of energy. I didn't feel guilty if I didn't make it back in the evening. Bleh.

I smell a challenge brewing... for the rest of May, I will make it to the gym before school three days out of five. Even if it's a short swim or a simple one mile run, I will make it there. It will not kill me. In fact, in the long run, it will probably make me live even longer.

Today I will:
Drink more than 4 Siggs full of water.
Clean up the dining room table.
Stick to the eating plan. (yesterday was full of cranberry bread, an entire bag of chips, and chocolate mousse. Bleh. Tummy is not happy today.)

Positive things *already* this morning:
I sucked it up and packed a lunch. I thought about just stopping at the grocery store on the way to school, but there is plenty of food here and I don't need to be spending extra money on lunch.

I got on the scale at the gym for a mid-month checkup, and it was good. My "official" weigh-in will be at the end of the month, but I wanted to check my progress. This gives me new inspiration to do this 3-day-a-week-morning-gym challenge until the end of the month.

The weather is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!

This afternoon is a bike ride - temp is supposed to be around 80 degrees. I LOVE warm weather. Yahooooooo!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CASSIOEPIA 5/20/2010 11:20PM

I'm a morning girl too! It sets me up for the whole day. Good luck with the new streak, I knew you'd get another one going. Report Inappropriate Comment

JILLIANPRNCSS 5/20/2010 6:45PM

I feel like that too so I try to write it in my status what I am doing for the day so I can't back out from it. Report Inappropriate Comment

COOPSM 5/20/2010 8:14AM

Carrie----way to pick up and move on..I love my early morning runs.....energy for the rest of the day....keep up the great work!! Report Inappropriate Comment

FIDGIEGIRL 5/20/2010 8:04AM

Yes, you are doing well to comment on the positives - it's easy to let those negatives defeat us. You have come back from your little slump and you'll move ahead!! Report Inappropriate Comment

CFMOSS 5/20/2010 7:53AM

Here's to a wonderful day with a wonderful start already. You are doing great. This healthy journey is as much about mind stuff as it is about physical. Keep up the good work. Beautiful here this morning too but chilly - supposed to warm up. Report Inappropriate Comment

FITKAT2010 5/20/2010 7:50AM

Reinforcing the positive aspect of exercise isn't our motivators. If that motivated us we would never stop. What motivates us is the fear, pain, guilt, that starts us to change our life. Laziness is a sign you got fearful of change. The motivators that got you started must be recognized and kept burning in you to overcome the fear of change. Kat Report Inappropriate Comment

WIGIME 5/20/2010 7:48AM

We all stumble at times, it sounds like you have a plan for sticking to it better. Having the desire to reach your goals helps tremendously! And YES I love the warm weather too! Report Inappropriate Comment

I did it!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

I successfully gave up baked goods and candy for 10 days. I'm going to continue this for another 10 days - this time, though, "baked goods" is changing to "pre-packaged baked goods." This way, if I feel like making a cookie, I can eat it. I also added "no swearing" for 10 days. I don't swear a lot, but it will be a good challenge anyway.

I did not go to First Strides last night. I am still wary about running two days in a row with no rest in between - I don't want my IT band to start acting up again at the start of race season. So tonight I MUST get to the gym (it's going to rain tonight) and do a short TM run and some strength training. I recently read a blog (thanks ONECOOKIE!) about the end of the school year coming up. And I know it sounds like I'm trying to weasel my way out of working out, but the end of the school year is tough. The kids are rammy, the teachers are rammy, and it's draining at the end of the day. Yesterday I came home absolutely exhausted. I know that I probably *should* have worked out, but I just couldn't bear the thought. So after the school year is up, it's time to really kick my workouts into gear.

I want to plug a 10 pound loss by September into Spark and see what kind of calorie counts I get, nutrition-wise and fitness-wise. I'd like to invest in a food scale; I think some of my portion sizes have been slowly and steadily increasing. I think a food scale will be my swear-free streak reward.

Today I will:
Call for that oil change (I got really busy at work yesterday and didn't have time)
Drink more than 4 SIggs full of water (One right now, one on the way to school, at least one *at* school, one on the way to the mall, one at the gym... should be no problem!)
Go to the gym for some strength training
Give someone a compliment

Have a super day!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

PSHANKEY 5/19/2010 9:05AM

I like your thinking. One question...why wait on the scale? Why make it a reward? Isn't it something you "need" to make progress? I'm all for buying it now! Report Inappropriate Comment

GRAMMYEAC 5/18/2010 4:04PM

Great job! And a great extension to your challenge! With the homemade baked goods, you can cater to healthier recipes and know that you're getting some good nutrition! Yes, the end of the school year gets pretty wild! Kids are excited to be getting out; staff are wanting to get those last lessons completed. Not a great mix! Report Inappropriate Comment

GOALIEGRANDMA3 5/18/2010 9:42AM

congrats feels great to meet a goal Report Inappropriate Comment

KARVY09 5/18/2010 8:55AM

Congrats! You did great! Report Inappropriate Comment

TMAC10 5/18/2010 7:23AM

i love this plan! the no pre-packaged baked goods is a great 10 day challenge. i've been really focused on my clean eating and am seeing some great progress! so glad you liked the food scale idea....i just have a hard time with portions of things like chicken or tuna so i thought it'd be a great idea. i may switch up some of my weight goal rewards to fit it in... Report Inappropriate Comment

KAHOELZL 5/18/2010 7:16AM

Sounds like a good plan! Report Inappropriate Comment

T-minus 18 days

Monday, May 17, 2010

Forget Spring Fever, I have Summer Fever!
The second grade musical is finished, the art show is done... I'm ready for summer.
I love my job, I really really do. I am lucky to be working where I am and lucky to have such a great position. But this year has been rough. There are so many odd behavior problems and it's just been a struggle all year to get the needed support for the kids and teachers who need it.

Yesterday's race really re-ignited my running flame. I was enjoying my group runs and the runs with my buddy, but I forgot how much I love to run 5Ks. I know that I will never ever win and probably never place, but I will always have fun. Just being around all those people! And I am feeling more competitive with myself. I have a goal for this summer - to break a 30:00 5K. I am confident that I can shave a minute off my time by the end of the summer. I'm training much more smartly than I did last year - doing intervals and hills and long runs...
My next race is on Memorial Day. I ran it last year and I'm looking forward to seeing my progress since then.

Today is the last day of my No Baked Goods/Candy Challenge. I think one thing is really helping me along - I look at the calories in cookies and candy and can't even believe it. I'm looking at it in a whole new light. 120 calories for ONE cookie??? No thanks, I'd rather have some yogurt with honey and oats. 650 calories for a big piece of coconut cake??? No thanks, I'd rather fit in my pants and have some delicious chocolate sorbet.

Need to get back on track with the to-dos... I've been getting lazy with housework. I took a much-needed Lazy Day yesterday after my race and hung out on the couch all day. I think I successfully avoided a cold by sleeping a ton yesterday.

Today I will:
Drink at least 4 Siggs full of water
Clean up the paper and the books around the downstairs
Call for an oil change and inspection
Have a fun run tonight and take it at a smart pace to recover from yesterday's race

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

GSDMIKE 5/17/2010 9:49AM

Great to have the sub-30 goal. It's such a nice round number to shoot for. I remember how good it felt to get into the 29s. You might want to extend your goal to the fall though. I hope you can break it this summer, but temperatures are going to be going higher, which means you'll be fighting mother nature until things start cooling off. I've got a sub-27 goal right now, and if I don't get it on Memorial Day, I'm assuming it will likely have to wait for the fall. Report Inappropriate Comment