Ahh, the wicked teen years

Friday, November 20, 2009

Well, my baby girl has been a teen for just a little over 24 hours now. And she's already turned wicked! Our local news just announced that a nearby highway is basically closed because Miley Cyrus's tour bus wrecked and rolled. It was just a few short years ago dear sweet daughter was begging to go to a Miley Cyrus concert. Today, her wicked teen self is upset because Miley wasn't on the bus that wrecked. It's so nice to know I've raised such a sweet and caring child.

Not!

She did hug me last night and thank me again for her birthday gift though. I guess that instantaneous flipping between sweet and wicked is just an added benefit of being 13.

As for me and my story, I survived last night's birthday dinner. I probably could have done better, but I know I could have done a lot worse. At least yesterday was my LSD day so hopefully the calories burned will cancel out of few of those birthday cake calories. I did only eat one piece and so far today, i've been able to resist having more. Good thing we have a busy day out of the house today. Good grief! That cake smells good. I can smell it just walking past it. Today's outings involve my daughter, not my son so he'll be home alone with the cake. Hopefully he will ignore my instructions to not eat it all while we are gone.


Ahh... the wickedness gets worse! The news is again talking about Miley Cyrus's bus and the fact that there was a fatality. I commented that I sure hoped it wasn't Miley's father and my son says "Why would he be on the bus? He has his own stuff to do." Dear, sweet daughter pipes up with a gleam in her eye ... "Maybe the Jonas Brothers were on there." When and how did my sweet little pink-wearing baby go from loving those pre-teen groups to wearing black and listening to Slipknot?

Did I make my own parents question my sanity and their parenting skills?

Think I'll go sniff the cake.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

NANCYCA555 11/23/2009 2:05AM

You're daughter has obviously been blessed with her mother's wickedly funny sense of humor. Now just one question...What is an LSD day? I though those days were behind you. Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTH4LYFE 11/21/2009 9:31PM

Marie, Madeline is just a little older than your daughter. We can be a support system for each other as they grow older and into whatever... In an earlier response to one of your blogs, I think I mentioned how now we have more to share, more in common and are more often on the same page. I suspect it will be similar for you. I don't always agree with her thoughts, but they are her's and I respect her point of view, just as I trust she respects mine. ( She may not verbalize how she really feels in front of me, but she is showing me some respect by doing that anyway.) Take care, enjoy the wonderful times you do share, they sometimes will seem far apart. Report Inappropriate Comment

MEGANROYAL1 11/21/2009 8:27AM

Coming from the younger end of the spectrum and knowing all too well this behavior because I was exactly like your daughter and these other women's daughters from what I'm reading, I can tell you that leaving them be and letting them come around is the best thing you can do. The more you push, the more angry you'll make them and the more they won't talk to you. Believe me, I lived it, I was goth, I was a bully, and I wore the loud clothes and makeup. Hang in there and things will get better with time. Take care, Megan Report Inappropriate Comment

RALKINGCHICK 11/21/2009 12:33AM

Oh my. Thanks for reminding me what I have to look forward to. Hope the cake sniffing did you some good! :) Report Inappropriate Comment

CRYSTAL774 11/20/2009 11:48PM

OH The joy of teenage daughters, My daughter is 14 and one day she likes me then another day I want to give her to the neighbor. Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 11/20/2009 11:37PM

You have just explained why I stopped after one child - he was a boy. Not a chance in the world I wanted to risk having a daughter! My sympathies are with you. Good luck! Report Inappropriate Comment

LLTS01 11/20/2009 10:09PM

Marie, you are just a hoot. I love reading your blogs. Good luck surviving your daughter teen years. It look like it may be a long 6 years. Report Inappropriate Comment

PINKIEB1 11/20/2009 12:49PM

My 13 1/2 year old daughter's eyeliner keeps getting darker, and the eye shadow more colorful. I have to say, though, she's better at blending now than I have ever been in my 44 3/4 years! Most of the time she is sweet, but there does seem to be a switch that flips on - I wish we had a warning, like her hair standing on end or something! Report Inappropriate Comment

TAMARA0803 11/20/2009 12:00PM

My oldest will be 13 in February, although I have never heard her say these type of things we do have many other issues with her already. Good Luck! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHUBERASER 11/20/2009 11:56AM

Phases...phases...phases! Just wait til she starts driving!!! Deb Report Inappropriate Comment

CHAIRUL 11/20/2009 10:16AM

Oh good luck....I am mom to 4 grown children,3 sons and one daughter-and I wouldn't trade places with you for love nor money.... Keep your sense of humor but you will be sorely tried,I'm sure. All my best to you and yours...they DO grow up and if their foundations were good,they will be good adult people eventually. I'm proud of my guys (for the most part). Report Inappropriate Comment

4 days

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Four days without blogging?? What is the world coming to? What's sad is that I still have nothing to blog about.

We got hit with hurricane Ida this past week, except I'm pretty sure she wasn't a hurricane by the time she got here. Honestly, I didn't pay that much attention to the weather channel. We did get a ton of rain, but not much wind. We got something like 10 inches of rain, but over a 2 day period. Our lake flooded a little, but nothing major. No property damage. We stayed warm and dry and didn't even loose any tree branches. Thank goodness! After Gaston a few years ago, I'm a little paranoid about heavy rain.

I did have to skip one of my runs this week due to the weather. I ended up making it up at the gym on the treadmill. Good Lord, I hope I never have to do that again. I used to prefer to run on the treadmill, but no more! I have never been so bored in my entire life. Even with all that was going on around me, I thought I might fall asleep running. Luckily, the fear of my pants falling down kept me awake. Oops. I'd worn old shorts which fit just fine when walking around, but as soon as I started to run, down they went. I considered going to see if the gym would lend me a stapler so that I could staple the waistband to my shirt, but didn't want to loose the mileage I'd already racked up. I know, I know. I could have simply added 2 run times together, but there's something very mentally satisfying about seeing those miles add up. At one point, my ipod went flying. Still have no idea what happened, but one minute, it was in my hand, the next minute, it was pinging down the aisle bouncing off each machine it passed. Had to go retrieve it and hop back on the treadmill. Then my neck and shoulders started aching. I realized that the t.v.s that I was watching (I listen to the music and read the text on the t.v. to keep me entertained while treadmilling) were too high up. Rather than looking straight ahead, I was looking upwards, which was straining my neck and therefore my shoulders. Had to keep reminding myself to look at the wall. That just added to the boredom! With only a half mile to go, I hit the 60 minute mark on the treadmill and it automatically went to cool down mode. I stopped it and reset it for more time so I could finish my mileage. Of course, as soon as I'd reset it, a hot young stud comes and gets on the machine next to me and begins to run like crazy. I felt so ridiculous being as sweaty as I was and having my machine say I'd only gone a few tenths of a mile. I'm sure Mr. Hunk was NOT checking out me or my machine, but still. A girl can always hope. What ever. I finished my mileage despite the boredom, ill fitting pants and runaway ipod. I was pretty proud of myself. And best of all, I was able to still walk when I got off the machine! Back when I was routinely running on the treadmill, my legs always felt like they might not carry me to the locker room. That night, I felt like I could have easily kept going.

I have lost two of the four Halloween pounds I'd gained. I'm pretty irritated with myself for gaining 4 pounds. That candy was SO not worth it. Lesson learned. Maybe. Hopefully.

Lets hope I did learn the lesson. My daughter's birthday is this week and she's looking forward to going out to dinner with the family to a place that has awesome deserts. I'm not sure what I'm looking forward to less - fighting the urge to eat the awesome desert or the fact that my baby is going to be a teenager. I'm having a hard time dealing with that. I just can't believe my youngest is going to be a teenager. Granted, she's been acting like a teenager for years now, but.... actually hitting the number. Goodness! I feel old.

Well, if I'm going to get my run in today, I better go do it.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

JEANLECUY 11/16/2009 1:11PM

I am laughing as I read your blog. Thank you for the smiles. And your baby is turning 13. Both of my girls were really nasty know it alls before they turned 13. I use to tell them it would be a miracle if they made it to number 13. Then they hit 13 and a half and I loved hanging with them! I hope the weather turns sunny for you! Jeanne Report Inappropriate Comment

CHUBERASER 11/16/2009 11:17AM

Ha! Just wait til your youngest is about to turn 26!! Maybe I should just think of her as a "double teenager"...maybe that would make me feel a little younger. Ah...I don't care! I'm enjoying life...my kids, my Bailey Jane, my hubby. I don't count my life in years anymore. Especially since next week I will hit the big 49. I'll be at the top of the hill! Shouting to the four winds how happy I am to be living and healthy and happy! And, you should too! You are healthy, happy, have a wonderful family, a quick wit and a positive outlook on life. Enjoy! Deb Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTH4LYFE 11/15/2009 4:59PM

I hear ya about running inside vs running outside. It's an effort to do anything from just counting the time, or distance, or calories. I did it last week also because of the weather and I just kept my music going, occasionally closing my eyes, pretending I was outside. Not too effective. 60 minutes though! That is impressive. You will get the balance of that weight off from Halloween in no time if you keep up distance and times like that! My youngest turned 13 in June. Now I have three teenagers in the house! Although it was a milestone, she and I went to Busch Gardens for the day and went on whatever ride she wanted. Previously she never wanted to go on roller coasters or any upside down rides. Well, that changed this year. We went on the Griffin 4x, and even sat in the front row for one of the trips. That was my "Oh wow!" moment. The moment I realized how much my baby girl was growing up, trying new things, and being much more adventurous. For me, it is actually wonderful that we can share more things and have more in common as she grows. Hoping the same for you. Report Inappropriate Comment

LLTS01 11/15/2009 11:06AM

You know what I love about your blogs? You always write about what the rest of us think but never share. It is absolutely refreshing and comforting at the same time. Thanks for making me feel like someone else out there is just as crazy as I am. Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 11/15/2009 10:29AM

LOL Do you remember when I lost my pants on the treadmill at the gym and DID staple them to hold them up?!?! Oh girl, you brought back memories! And I so hear you on the dreadmill boredom thing - I am hoping hoping hoping that I don't have to resort to one this winter! HOORAY for the 4 pounds gone! Does your son like dessert and eat like a teenaged boy? If so, order your favorite, immediately cut it in half and shove half onto his plate and then enjoy yours. That way you get to have the one you like best but do not have to deal with the guilt and overly full tummy the next day! I know how you feel about your baby becoming a teenager! I cried when my son turned 13 - mostly because I didn't want to be old enough to have a teenager! So is it your son who is sick now? I hope he feels better soon? Don't you wish they would just all get sick at once and get it over with??!! Have a good run. Take me with you in your mind - I need a run about now! Report Inappropriate Comment

Antibuse

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

My dad was an alcoholic and took a medication called Antibuse, which I'm not sure I'm spelling correctly. Antibuse was a pill that he took and if he drank within a certain amount of time after taking the pill, he'd quit breathing. A pretty good incentive not to drink! I just wish they had pretzel antibuse. I sure could use some.

I have found my running antibuse, however. Last week, I'd intended to run 4.25 miles but I got lost and ended up going 5 miles. My legs were exhausted for 2 days straight, but I survived it and decided to try it again. And once again, I survived! The second time I did it, my legs were still pretty dang tired for a couple of days, but they didn't hurt or cramp during the run. Woo-hoo!! So, with the new desire to run 5 miles at a time, the realization has come that my body is Not ready to do it two days in a row. I've also discovered that walking seems to help my legs feel not so tired or weak. I've also been experiencing that little voice in the back of my head whispering about increasing my mileage too much, too quickly may cause problems.

So, my new plan is to run the 5 miles on Sundays and Thursdays. On Tuesday, I run four to four and a half miles (haven't actually measured that route) and I walk on the days in between. I LOVE the new schedule. It feels great to my body and I'm getting out and off the couch each morning. The problem is how to force myself to walk? I've had a lot of problems with that in the past. That's where the running antibuse comes in. My form of antibuse is (1) my legs are too tired to run five miles two days in a row and (2) I'm just walking - not running. I don't need a ponytail or running shoes. I wear jeans and my old Walmart shoes and don't allow myself to put my hair in a ponytail. There's no way I'd run in that condition! So far, so good.

Now, if I could only discover some pretzel antibuse.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHUBERASER 11/12/2009 12:31PM

Sounds like a plan, Stan! Just don't forget about your Strength Training, too! Deb Report Inappropriate Comment

LLTS01 11/11/2009 10:36PM

LOL- I love your approach. How about making a necklace out of pretzels that would be too pretty to eat? Pretzel ornaments? Pretzel ribbons for gifts? How about not letting pretzels into the house? Post a no pretzels allowed sign. Give me time, I'll come up with more. Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTH4LYFE 11/11/2009 9:19PM

Marie, Sounds like you have figured out what works well for you!! I intentionally do not run on consecutive days so my body: legs, feet, muscles get a day of rest in-between runs. On the alternate days, I either walk or ride the stationary bike, sometimes I even take a day of rest! Keep up the great work! (PS- Thanks to one of your comments on my blog about gaining .5 lbs, I realized that I may have been retaining water because my salt intake for the three days prior to weigh in was higher than it should have been and I think it was because of processed meats) Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 11/11/2009 11:03AM

What a smart plan Marie! You still get in exercise, but you decrease the danger of injuries and give your body a rest. Excellent! Make sure you stretch after your walks, too. It will help keep you limber for your runs. How is that pain/tightness down the side of your butt? Better? Worse? Same? I hope you figured it out and got it stretched back into shape (so to speak) My hip is doing fine. I am still only running 30 - 45 minutes so that I don't tick off Scott who REALLY wants me to wait to run even 45minutes until I have lost some weight. So I am trying. The achilles is still acting up. I will have to try the acupuncturist again and see if she can do something else for it. Last time I got zero relief with treatment. But she was focusing on my RLS for the most part. Still no help on that front, but I can't expect much after 2 treatments! Sorry, now I have blogged on your blog! Good to have you back! And SO GLAD that you have such a great workout plan! Report Inappropriate Comment

NANCYCA555 11/11/2009 10:45AM

So walking helps revive your legs between runs? That's good news. I thought between runs I should do more off-my-feet activities like bike riding or swimming but I'm going to try more walking in between because my poor dog needs to get out more! Report Inappropriate Comment

MOSIERMEISTER 11/11/2009 10:36AM

Thanks for sharing. Report Inappropriate Comment

SFM130 11/11/2009 10:36AM

1) Yes, you spelled Antibuse correctly, 2) I think your new schedule is awesome a wonderful one! Eat your pretzels...just ration them out. Keep up the great work! Report Inappropriate Comment

What to do, what to do?

Friday, November 06, 2009

Ok, first, there’s the Thanksgiving concerns. We go to my sister’s for dinner every year. I always take a couple of deserts (a few of us only eat chocolate while a few of us don’t ever eat chocolate), bread and something else, normally an appetizer. So this year, I’ll make the traditional deserts but I’ll also come up with something a little more diet friendly. As for bread, I’ll make the rolls that a few folks live for and maybe some whole wheat rolls or some kind of whole grained bread. As for the ‘something else’ I can easily come up with something healthy to take.

The big question is, how many something elses should I take? I don’t want to offend my sister. We have a strained relationship. There are a lot of jealousy issues and she doesn’t approve of my lifestyle and well, the list goes on. Whenever we are together, I always try to be as low key as possible and do anything and everything I can to please her. But, her style of cooking is beyond full fat. Not only is it full fat, but a lot of it is made with processed food items. Stuffing from a box, a rice dish made with one of those flavored (i.e. extra chemicals added) boxes of rice, a ham-hock in the otherwise plain veggie dish..... You get the idea.

So, what to do? It is Thanksgiving and I plan to splurge, but I don’t want to splurge so much that I make myself sick. And the recent Halloween candy experience proved to me that a little splurge goes a long way and my body really, really, really doesn’t like all that fat and chemical in certain foods. So, what do I do? Risk offending my sister when I show up with an entire meal of something else’s or just take teeny tiny servings of a few of her dishes and fill up on chocolate cake? And yeah, yeah, yeah. I know - I should eat before I go so I’m not hungry and don’t over eat there. And I should lay off the chocolate cake. But that chocolate cake is part of the planned splurge, so just leave that out of your advice please.

My next question is about running. I’ve been doing the Jeff Galloway thing of run/walking and building up my running minutes and lowering the time I spend walking. Now that I’m physically able to run for several miles without walking, taking walk breaks no longer works for me. As soon as I take a walk break, it seems that’s all I want to do. Running becomes SO much harder after the first walk break. My body just doesn’t want to run anymore and I have to struggle with that little inner voice that says I’m too tired, quit running and just walk home. It’s like eating that first little mini candy bar. One bite and you just want more, more, more! There are a few hills on my daily run that I have to walk, and I generally don’t have too much trouble running again after walking up those hills but what about the rest of the run? Yesterday, I increased my distance (a bit further than I’d intended because I got lost) and by the end of the run, my legs were pretty dang tired and beginning to cramp. I continued to run though because I knew if I started walking at that point, I’d never run again.

So, my question is, how dangerous is it for a newbie to just run and not take those walk breaks? And perhaps I should say - before yesterday, four miles was the farthest I’d run at one time. Yesterday, I ran 5 miles. Exactly. I was amazed when I drove the route last night and clocked it with the odometer. What’s the likelihood of getting lost, running further than planned and finding that you ran exactly 5 miles? Another question - is it normal for my legs to be That exhausted after only one extra mile? My legs still feel tired today. Not sore, just weak and tired. Obviously, I have a LOOOONNNGGGG way to go before I’m marathon ready!

And if I can survive a 5 mile run, am I still technically a newbie? If not, what am I? While I’m definitely a runner - it’s all I think or talk about - I feel a little strange saying I’m a runner without adding that “newbie” clause to it. And while I’m proud of the progress I’ve made both in speed and distance, I’m still extremely slow. So, what point do you graduate from being a newbie?

Next running question - my heart rate. The top end of my cardiac target rate is 151. Up until a few weeks ago, I tried very hard to keep my HR at or below 151 when I ran. But it was difficult. I shuffled along and couldn’t seem to make much progress in the speed department. Then a fellow Sparker suggested a change in the way I move my feet/legs. I’ve been running the new way for the last 2 weeks and feel SO much stronger and faster. It’s a much more comfortable way of running. But it raises my HR to 160. But I’ve also noticed that while my HR is higher, I don’t feel like I’m gasping for breath anywhere near as much. When I run the new way at a HR of 160, I feel like I’m actually running, not shuffling. I don’t sound like a charging rhino. I don’t even seem to get tired as quickly. And it’s Much easier to say “Morning” to the other folks I see while running. So, how dangerous is it for me to run the entire run at 160 instead of 151? I realize that the magic formula that calculates your target heart rate is not exact. Everyone is different, but 160 instead of 151? How dangerous is that? I also wonder if the higher HR is what lead to my leg cramps at the end of yesterdays run. Was I building up lactic acid because of my increased HR?

And what is “race pace” vs. your normal every day run pace? How much higher should you let your HR go when you are racing? How do you know when you are pushing too hard and won’t be able to finish your race? Or is that just something that comes with experience?

Next question - Everything I read says I should have 3 runs a week - one should be for speed work, one the long, slow run and the other, well, I guess it should be just a comfortable run. But when you are only running 4 or 5 miles and consider it a good day when you average 14 minute miles, every day is a long, slow day. In the past, I’ve run a particular course over & over until I could run it in 50 minutes then I add a quarter mile to it and repeat. Once I can run the new distance in 50 minutes, I add mileage. So far, it’s worked well for me, but at what point does that become a bad training plan? Now that I’ve found my new, stronger, faster way of running and had the realization that walk breaks aren’t good for me, I’m wondering if I need to revamp my running plan.

Final question - Does anyone recommend any running books for what ever type of runner I am? Everything I’ve found so far seems to be geared either for total newbies or for marathoners. Once you get past being able to run 1 minute, walk 5, the books seem to jump straight to very long distance runners. They all recommend you jog a couple of miles to warm up. I hate to tell them, but frequently my entire day’s run is less than their warm-up plan. Chi Running has been recommended and I’m on the library’s waiting list, but there are 6 people ahead of me on that list. By the time I get the book, I might actually be able to run a marathon.

Ok, I think I’ve asked enough questions for today. If you’ve actually stuck with me and read this whole thing, thanks! Hope you all have a great weekend. The weather here is looking like it will be fabulous!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

RALKINGCHICK 11/21/2009 12:38AM

I love the complete book of running for women. Seems to run the gamut from beginner to experienced, etc. Hope you do ok with T-Giving. I haven't actually figured mine out yet, so I am of no help! Meanwhile...I'm sitting here catching up on your blogs. Not sure how I lost track, but I'm glad I found my way back! Report Inappropriate Comment

LLTS01 11/9/2009 9:49PM

Hey Marie, thanks for all the questions on running because it saves me time from having to type them all up. I am going to use your blog as answers to my questions. I agree with everyone. Take what you usually take and a new dish. Eat a little of everything and plan for extra exercise that day. It's one day. It won't kill you. Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTH4LYFE 11/6/2009 10:48PM

Marie, Take food you know you can eat, but try to have it so it can be shared with all. You can make lower calorie, healthy items. So, since your relationship with your sister is strained, I would suggest you bring the same number of items you usually bring, just something you know you can eat. -With regard to running, it is harder for me to start after stopping. It's probably a mental thing, but it's almost the same feeling I have when I am just starting my run. That first mile, I could easily just quit. Running after stopping, I probably would quit. So, if you are feeling okay and would prefer to run rather than walk, go for it. You are becoming a more efficient machine, and it's not only because of your running. It's because of your lifestyle change, increased fitness, and loss of weight, to mention a few. -Can't help you with regard to the HRM. I don't have one, and haven't read up on them. -Running book for all levels of running: Complete Book of Women's Running by Dagny Scott Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 11/6/2009 12:38PM

Okay, here is my blog in answer to yours! 1. Take your normal dishes and *maybe* one new thing that you just suggest is a new recipe that you saw and thought it would be good. As for what you eat - you already know what to do....here is an idea for you though - last year I had a 30,000 step goal for Thanksgiving day. The idea was to increase my activity level significantly to make up for the lousy eating. Why not do the same thing? If the Turkey Trot isn't practical, have a longer or faster than normal run. Or run and then go for a really long walk. Just do a significantly bigger dose of exercise to help offset the food-a-thon! 2. If you don't like stopping to walk, then don't! You might build in your walking as part of the warmup and cooldown. Start by walking, get faster, then jog, then (after 10 minutes) you should be actually running. Run for 10 or 20 minutes or however long you want, then slow it down: slow run, then jog, then fast walk, then walk, again, taking 10 minutes to cool down. And definitely "count" the distance as part of your run for the day. (It hurts me to start running again...I would rather jog slowly then speed back up rather than slow all the way to a walk) 3. You are not a newbie! You have run a race. You knock out 3 mile runs almost daily. You actually run, rather than jog. You are a runner. And you don't need to add hte "newbie" label. 4. HRM/MOTHER - you will NOT die with a HR of 160! My high was 163 yesterday. During the marathon it was about 163 - 168 the whole time. Not sure if you set weight and do a resting test or what with yours, but if you do, you may need to recalibrate it for the new, fitter you. A higher HR might be perfectly ok for you. (btw...my "max" HR is supposed to be in the 180s...not that I ever get it there!) No worries. You are fine. (unless your doc has told you NOT to run!) 5. As for "race pace" and all....for me I had to find it. It was about 13:00 miles for me, but using the Chi Running method I am currently at 12:30 miles. We will see as I add in more miles. If you are averaging 14:00 miles try just one mile a tad bit faster - say 13:30. Just one mile, in the middle of your run. And no, your heart won't explode. If you can do that one mile in 13:30, then do it again, slowly adding in more miles until that is your pace for the whole distance. Then the same process over again. G-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y change anything that you do! 6. Right now I run 4 times per week. Tuesday and Thursday are timed runs - I run for 25 minutes. (next week it goes up to 30 minutes). Saturday is a longer run, as is Sunday. I am not really working on speed right now, just distance. If I can maintain a 12:30 pace for an entire marathon, I would cut my total time by about an hour and change, so that would be AMAZING! 7. Try Alberto Salazar's Guide to Running and his Guide to Road Racing. I have both and love them! They talk about beginner's intermediate runners, and advanced runners. And while he was a distance guy, he also talks about 5K and 10K runners. Okay, this was waaaay too long. Hope some bit of it helped! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHUBERASER 11/6/2009 12:25PM

RUNNINGBLITZ has really good advice. I think you are doing awesome! Your legs may be weak and hurting because you weren't staying hydrated enough during your run. That's all I have to add on that. Now, on to the sister. Do your normal thing, girl. A little of this...a little of that...and (drooling) on to the chocolate cake! Mmmmmm....more drooling! You will know when you've had enough. And then....STOP! Jucanduit!!! Have a great weekend! Deb Report Inappropriate Comment

KVROMBAUT 11/6/2009 12:24PM

1) Thanksgiving. I think if you bring two side dishes to your sisters that isn't too much then you could have her main course and your side dishes. Does she make a salad? If not maybe that could be one of your dishes and you could fill your plate with veggies. 2)As long as you gradually add distance to your runs then you should be fine without the walk breaks. Just don't go out tomorrow and try to run 10 miles work up to it. And 5 miles is no joke but I don't think there is a certain distance or time that needs to be met to be a "real" runner; it is more like a feeling you have. I felt like a real runner after I did my first race. 3)Can't help much with the heart rate because I don't really track mine. 4) I am always reading new books or articles (Runners Word magazine and website are great) to get ideas for a new workout or plan. Have you ever went to the runners world website and checked out their smart coach tool? You can put in a time of a race (if you don't have one you could estimate), what mileage you currently run, what you are training for and it will give you a plan. I use this with a few changes. 5)Runners world has a ton of good books out by their editors. I have read the complete runners guide for women runners(not sure if that is the exact title). All the other books I have read or geared towards marathon runners. Report Inappropriate Comment

LIGHTNINGRUNNER 11/6/2009 10:53AM

Yikes, this response will take forever with all the questions you asked: 1. thanksgiving dinner. I would take no more that you usually take. Remember you don't need to tell anyone they are healthier. There are so many ways to change typical recipes to make them healthier without effecting the taste, etc. 2. I would eat just a taste of this and that....3 bites and usually that will satisfy your taste for anything. Lots of water to drink will curb your desire for lots of food. 3. I believe we are to running now,Running is running - Galloway's style encourages walk breaks as recovery time for your legs. I know lots of people, my husband being one - who has a very difficult time re-starting to run after any walk break...if he is walking - he is done running...LOL. I on the other hand can do it if I so desire. I am now running constantly - no walk breaks. In races, my half up coming in January - I am hoping to run it all, with walk breaks only to refuel, because gels are a mess otherwise. You can choose not to walk, if you so desire - but initially you will find you will be more tired and slower. Go slower and even out your pace. No crime in slow, believe me. I would NOT increase your pure running distance by more than 10% per week. That is when injuries come about. Heart Rate - it is an unique as fingerprints I believe. I have a higher resting heart rate - so I go higher. At 48, my MHR is to be 171, in races I will go over that, when I sprint to the finish, that is for sure. During a normal run, I am typically in the 90-99% range. I can still talk and carry on a conversation, only if I must. I honestly keep track of my HR during each practice run. I run how I run. I can slow it down and lower my heart rate, but the temperature and humidity helps that now. During a race, in the beginning right before the gun goes off and till about 1/4 mile in my HR is high....but once I settle into my own race - it will retreat to its norm, until the final sprint in or hills if the race has any. I have lots of running books at home Running Well is a good one, Running for Women is another one. Just either hit the library or the bookstore - sit down with a few and start looking at them - if you are interested in the method....read it, if not NEXT. Good Luck!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

PJSTIME 11/6/2009 10:42AM

Sorry I'm not a runner so have no advice for you, but do admire you for running. As far as the holiday. I think your plan of taking a few things, eating the cake (but be careful) and low key all sound good. Report Inappropriate Comment

Sugar DT's

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Gosh, I can't believe how quickly I reverted to my old, candy gobbling, anything I can get my hands on gobbling self. Sheesh! A few little pieces of Halloween candy and I instantly reverted back to my old ways. I ate those few candies on Halloween, and ok, so maybe "a few" isn't a very accurate description. It should have been though. If I'd followed my plan. But I had those first few pieces and that led to a few more, which led to a few more..... And all those few mores led to salt and red meat cravings. I just can not believe how quickly and completely I reverted back to my old ways.

I knew I had to stop so I threw myself an intervention yesterday. I knew all I had to do was go a full 24 hours without junk and I'd be fine. But those sugar DT's ..... gosh they are rough! Luckily, the intervention worked, the cold-turkey thing worked and I'm fine, ok, mostly fine, today. Except my husband is still a little irritated. As I said, those sugar DT's can be rough and apparently I wasn't my normal pleasant self last night. At the moment, I'm still craving salt, but I'm over the sugar and red meat cravings. As for the salt, I'd probably be fine except someone left the giant container of roasted peanuts on the coffee table and they are in plain view. I really should get up and move them, except I'm afraid if I touch the container I'll end up ripping the top off and diving in. It's probably safer to just leave them where they are. Next time the kids come walking through I'll ask them to put the nuts away.

Moving on to running news.... I was supposed to increase my run by a quarter of a mile this week. My earlier attempt failed miserably. I'd been thinking that the loop I was planning to add would be about a quarter of a mile but after I ran it, I realized that it probably wasn't even an eight of a mile. So today, I decided to take a whole different path entirely. And I got lost. Lost in my own neighborhood! Sheesh! As I've said before, I live in a lake community. The "main" road circles the lake. All the other roads loop off the main road, make a big loop and reconnect to the main road. And then there are the "cove" roads that go nowhere. Darn cove roads!

I took off this morning and instead of taking the loop that takes me back home, I went in the other direction. Because all roads loop back to the main road, I really, really hate to turn around. I just go until the road naturally loops back to the main drag. But the road I took today didn't loop. At least not for a long, long way. There were tons of little roads off the road I was on, but they all turned out to be "cove roads" that don't loop anywhere. They just dead end. Anyway, I ran and ran and ran and finally came back out to the main road. By the time I got home, I had traveled just a couple of tenths of a mile short of 5 miles. I was only supposed to go 4.25 miles. Oh well. It wasn't That much further than planned, although it sure felt like it. But what's exciting is that I did it in about the same time it was taking me to run 4 miles just a few weeks ago. Woo-hoo!

So, all in all, I'm pretty proud of myself with the exception of how I reacted to my husband's advances last night. Guess I owe him an apology, but he really should know better than to mess with a girl in the throws of the sugar DTs. Anyway, I'm proud. I kicked the sugar. Again. I'm back to craving chicken and broccoli. And I increased my run by a whole mile and survived it. Woo-hoo!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

HEALTH4LYFE 11/5/2009 8:38PM

Marie, We must live in very similar type communities. I also live at a lake community and there is one main road which goes all the way around. It's 11.1 miles (I think) If you are going in a new direction, you may want to use the "map my route" on the fitness tracker before you go out, so you don't get lost. I had used it religiously in the beginning, when I was training for the 4 miler. Now I frequently use it when I get back to see how far I went, realizing that I am doing at least a minimum of X miles when I head in a certain direction. Last week, I also got a little "lost". I wasn't sure if the road I was on would meet up with another, so I ended up turning around, adding a little time and distance, but not much. Glad to hear you are clean of sugar. Once it's in your system, it's HARD to get rid of it. Maybe now that you are "clean and sober" you can approach your husband and surprise him. Take care. Have a good night! Report Inappropriate Comment

KEAKMAN 11/5/2009 12:38PM

Your poor sweetie! You've got the DTs and he's all amorous..... Hope you think of an appropriate way to apologize...... Just a thought...in the future, you might want to plan out your route BEFORE you run....keeps you from getting losted! Glad you did your 5 miles so quickly! Now I am the one who has to step it up....only 2 miles a day on T/Th and 4.55 on Sunday, so I am the slow and short distanct person! Report Inappropriate Comment

CHUBERASER 11/5/2009 11:47AM

You go, girl! Five miles! That is awesome! Run off that Halloween candy and never look back. Deb Report Inappropriate Comment