Lazy Sunday and Assorted Ramblings

Monday, September 27, 2010

Happy Monday...


The combination of Mondays and the rain does nothing for me, I'll be honest.

How was your weekend, everyone? Mine was ultra relaxing. After Saturday's race, I did a little housecleaning and went to see my grandparents. I spent all of Sunday at home and I actually got a little stir crazy at one point. But I know it was needed.

Yesterday I woke up at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep. I hate when that happens on a weekend! So I decided I'd bake my husband a chocolate cake for his birthday. It was my best chocolate cake yet and came out perfect: chocolate cake with fudge icing topped with coconut and walntuts. YUM! And I only licked one of the mixers and immediately washed the bowls so I wouldn't lick more. But I may have had a little of the extra frosting... Weee...


Jon said he wanted to spend his Sunday chilling and watching football so that's what happened. Football, food, and more football... oh, and phone calls to family. I made eggs, sausage and a bagel for him for breakfast and I had half an onion bagel with cream cheese and some egg whites. Then I gave him his presents... I got him an iPhone and Madden 11. He's been dropping hints forever so he was super happy and was playing with his new gadgets all day. I broke open the can of Cafe DuMonde chicory coffee and we had cafe au lait and had some quality time together. It was nice! I got some writing done too.

But around 4, I started to get stir-crazy. I thought about going for a run or going to the gym, but my muscles were still a little sore from the 5K so I decided I better rest because it was TAPER TIME! Yes, my half marathon is in less than a week. Arghhhhhh. So I stretched and did some yoga poses to get some energy out.

Jon wanted Chinese food for dinner and his friend told him this place down the street was good so we decided to get takeout from there. We ordered a pan-fried noodle with seafood, a cashew chicken with fried rice, and crab rangoons. Well, it was terrible! Everything was in this "brown sauce" that tasted exactly the same: salty and gross. I couldn't believe anyone would think that tasted good! I ate the crab rangoons because I was hungry and they were the only thing not coated in that sauce (should have gone grocery shopping with that antsiness from the afternoon, I think, and made a much yummier dinner) and a few of the driest pieces of chicken and cashew (without the sauce). Jon says I'm really picky about my Chinese food though, and I guess I am. I'm only getting it from "authentic" Chinese restaurants from now on... that is, if they don't have a menu in Mandarin or Cantonese, I'm not going!

Even with the slice of chocolate cake, I ended up at only 1200 calories for the day, which was totally unexpected. I did reset my ticker to 182 because that's what I'm seeing the most of these days. I know it's the long distance runs and training and fueling for the half marathon.

It's the first time I've had to bump my ticker up, but I'm not going to sweat it too much because my clothes are looser and I'm edging closer and closer to a Size 10 and Medium as my default sizes (right now it's Size 12 and M/L). Also, I can wear all my boots with my jeans or pants tucked inside, which is a huge non-scale victory (NSV) for someone who had to zip them up two-thirds of the way and then wear jeans over them so nobody could see. Sometimes the scale doesn't say it all, and as good as it's been to me for the most of my weight loss journey, I'm not going to let it make me its b!tch.


And man, I just still can't believe I ran that 5K in 30:48. I'm not trying to brag, but it's simply stunning what we convince ourselves what we can't do because of others opinions of what we are capable of. I NEVER EVER EVER thought I could run a sub-10-minute mile even when I hit my goal weight and here I am, still overweight and I did it!

NEVER EVER EVER GIVE UP.

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Sticking With It : A Racing Report

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Today was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Boston, MA and it marked a year of races!


Race for the Cure 5K 2009 (44:49)
WCRC Turkey Trot 5K (39:45)
Rotary St. Patrick's 5K (37:35)
Melrose Race for Women 3.5 mi (38:15)
Market Square Day 10K (1:10:45)
Twist and Shout on the Charles River 4.2 mi (43:59)
Race for the Cure 5K 2010 (30:48)


Today I shaved 14 minutes off my time from a year ago and almost 5 minutes off my pace! It was a different course from last year and it felt longer. It definitely was hotter! It hit 80 degrees during the run and the humidity was off the charts. Oy!

I started the race out fast and finished the first mile in under 9 minutes, but unfortunately I was unable to sustain it, especially on that last mile. I skipped the water stops and trucked on through and was super duper hot throughout. There were also a lot of u-turns in the course, which really throw me off. I knew it was going to be close to 30 minutes, so I picked up the pace during the end, but I got a little short of a sub-30 minute 5K.

But it's by far a PR. And if I can do 30:48 in the heat and humidity, I KNOW I can break 30 when it's cooler! SO BRING IT ON!



AND BRING THE PINK! I raised $450 so far for the Komen Foundation. I finished in the top half of my age group (304/645) and a 9:55-mile pace.

I've had some low racing points in the past year. I got stuck behind some walkers on my first 5K and had to dodge people for the last mile. I almost turned around and went home before my Turkey Trot because I was cold and wet. I ran a 5K in complete torrential downpour. I injured myself walking to the start line of another 5K and couldn't compete.

But I stuck it out. I improved my pace each time I raced and my expectations of myself increased. I never intended to become a runner when I started Couch to 5K. I just wanted to run ONE 5K race to prove that I could do it. Running was so outlandish back then that it never crossed my mind that it could be a regular activity.

I did one 5K and it's like... hmm, let's try one without walking...

Cool, let's try to break 40 minutes.

Why not try a 10K?

And why not a half marathon?

Guess you never know what you are until you take risks and try! What have you been dreaming of that you never thought you could do? Why not give it a shot?

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For My Phillies

Friday, September 24, 2010

OK, this might not make a lot of sense if you're not familiar with Philadelphia, but here goes...

OMG, it's like 80 degrees right now and I'm crampy and all I want is a gelato. Not the Italian thick ice cream (like at Capogiro) but a real Philly gelato: Chocolate water ice with vanilla custard.

It was from this shop in Manayunk that was freaking amazing. So I just checked to find out the name and it's been turned into a Rita's... ARGH... Not that Rita's isn't good. It's good. But it's not amazing like this place was. I will never have that gelato again. Not like there was any chance of me getting it today with me living in Boston and that place being in Philadelphia, but still.

I haven't been back to Philly in over three years and I'm wondering what other stuff is gone now. I checked for Mixto... still there. The Dutch Eating Place in Reading Terminal Market... still there. Tony Lukes... still there.OMG, Monk's Cafe better still be there!!!! Whew, it is. Then I checked Bump, which was a gay bar next to my apt that had the best chocolate cake in the world and $3 martini happy hour and it's closed too. And the best cheap Chinese food in Chinatown... gone.

Thank goodness there's still a Wawa on every corner or else I'd think the apocalypse came.

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One Year of Racing!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Tomorrow I'm doing the Race for the Cure in Boston, which was my first ever 5K last year: www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_jo
urnal_individual.asp?blog_id=2430543

I was 244 lbs and did it officially in 44:49. I walked some and I got stuck behind some walkers who were allowed to skip a half mile loop on the course. Now I'm about 65 lbs lighter and I think I'm running 5Ks unofficially in about 31-32 minutes. I'd love to get under 30, but a PR would suit me just fine. It's a very flat course.

Yesterday I did a 4-mile run and it was awful. I got my period over a week early and I don't think I've ever retained this much water in my entire life. My fingers were swollen like sausages and I was fitting in my D cup bras again! I honestly felt like I weighed 244 lbs and was running my first race again (the scale said 182 though so not too bad for a period weigh-in...)


Anyways, things are OK. I realize I was stressing out due to PMS and other stress factors and things aren't THAT BAD. Breathe in, breathe out. Race tomorrow, then I'm going to clean the house and chill out. Jon's birthday is on Sunday and he's gonna be a kid in the candy store with the gifts I got him... hehe.

Have a great weekend all!

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Ugh (Not a Happy Blog)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

1. I got called back to The Firm on Friday, so my schedule is all a-tizzy. It's supposed to be done again today, so I'm hoping for that.

2. Was going to go to the gym Monday but I found out my grandfather has Stage 4 lung cancer and we're having a family meeting tonight to figure out next steps (he's like a dad to me, so this is tough) and living situations. I'm going to offer to move in, but really the best situation would be for them to move in with my aunt. He is very stubborn though and probably will not want to leave his house.

3. Was going to go to the gym last night but was forced to stay at work til 7, got a sidesplitting headache and instead cried my eyes out watching Biggest Loser (Aaron really got to me with his family history of alcoholism and him transferring an addictive personality to food... as did Ada with the guilt of the deaths of her brothers being piled on her...) and kinda had a pity party bemoaning the fact that I will probably NOT lose any weight in September. I need to use the 6 free passes I have for personal training, but it's a 30 minute drive away and my exercise has been focused on running.

4. This morning it took me an hour to get into work instead of the 30 minutes it usually does and I'm already tired. I tried to wake up at 6 for a run, but I just couldn't do it. Read in the newspaper about a study that exercise has very little effect on weight loss and that limiting calories is more important. Grumble.

So tonight I'm going to leave by 4:30, get at least an hour at the gym, go home, grab the car, pick up Jon and head over for that dreaded family meeting where my horrible stepmother (she's not even my real stepmother as she and my dad aren't married, just living together for like 18 years) will probably assert her opinion where it's not wanted. Hoping for minimal tears and minimal grazing, unlike last night, but not likely.

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