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SEPPIESUSAN's Recent Blog Entries
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Sunday, April 22, 2007
Yesterday I ran the Quincy Lions Club Run/Walk for Sight 10th Annual 5K Race. I came in 77th out of 155 with a time of 30:43, a pace of 9:55 (which is just over 6 mph), 31st female overall, and 10th in my division (females aged 19-29). It was hard! I was nervous, getting so tired toward the end, frustrated that I was getting passed so much. The only time I passed anyone was when people would take a break to walk, and then when they started running again they'd pass me again! I kept glancing back just to make sure I wasn't LAST. But, I finished before about half of the people. Some walked, some were great athletes. But now I feel like an athlete. My first race.
When I came to the finish line, I laid down on the ground I was so exhausted. The paramedics had me slowly sip Gatorade and took my blood pressure (140 over 86) and pulse (160 bpm) and I was fine after a little while. On our way to the free lunch, I got stopped for a quick impromptu interview on the radio!! That was cool, I got to say how it was my first race. My mom and Jess were even asked a couple questions.
Anyway, it hurt but the pride I felt made it all worth it. I will definitely do another race, but for now I want to take a little break so that I get back into strength training and other forms of exercise. The weather has suddenly just become amazing, so I am really looking forward to all that spring and summer will hold for me.
Today on my way back to my place from Jess's, I impulsively stopped at Jamaica Pond for a jog just because the weather was too gorgeous to resist. I should go back out for a quick bike ride or something, it's 3:30 and 75 degrees out and I'm sitting here on my computer. I really missed SP this weekend, but am almost completely caught up at this point.
Oh, another reason to be proud of myself - I weigh 136 today, which was one of my weight goals. My BMI is now 21.9 and according to one website that means I now have a longer than average life expectancy (BMI 17-22 does it). Also, that same website said a BMI of 20-22 is ideal for women.
Go me!!!!!! I just can't believe how much I have been able to accomplish.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Hi all, I survived over 24 hours without SparkPeople and will have to do that again tomorrow...my boyfriend doesn't have an internet connection at his new condo.
Today I had planned out some of my meals but ate lunch and dinner at restaurants - and had really delicious salads for both meals! That would bore some but not me - I LOVE all the different colors and the freshness of the tomatoes, etc. My dinner salad had salmon and lots of other goodies I wouldn't normally allow myself, like a hardboiled egg WITH the yolk and potato. And I ate the whole thing! Gotta figure out my points now even though it's late.
Tonight something amazing happened at the gym. A REALLY fit man (who I learned was a Marine when younger) leaned over from his cardio machine to mine and asked, "Did you get those legs from gymnastics?"
MY LEGS!! I have ALWAYS had fat, unfit legs. When I was a BABY I never learned to crawl and the doctor told my parents it was because my legs were too fat. But now, at the age of TWENTY-NINE, I got complimented on my legs by a muscle man in perfect shape.
Also ordered my bridesmaid dress today. Took a bit of a gamble and ordered the size 6, which I will ONLY fit into if I lose a bit more weight. I am totally determined to reach my goal of 124 now. The dresses run 2 sizes small by the way, so that 6 is like a 2!! Today I tried on the 8 (like a 4) and it fit pretty well but was loose-ish in spots. I also think I may have inspired the bridal shop owner to join WW. It's like a cult!! (a cult of health...)
One last thing. I am SO angry that people just ASSUME I'm losing weight in an unhealthy fashion. My mom's friend told my mom I'm not going to keep it off because HER daughters both had anorexia so she assumed I must be losing weight in an unhealthy way too. I literally believe I am doing this in as healthy a way as I possibly can. So, I shouldn't worry what other people think. I should just prove them wrong!
And now I'm committed to fitting into my bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding on Dec. 1.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Today I did what is most likely my last practice run before the race. (After this I want to take it easy on my joints and do just elliptical or stairmaster.) I ran 3.1 miles/5K in 27 minutes and 36 seconds!!! By my race's results from LAST year, that would put me in 36th place overall (out of 75) and 14th female. Of course it is not fair to compare treadmill times with outdoor race times. I am hoping that the adrenaline factor of the race will push me hard though. I was KILLING myself to run that fast today.
After that, I just couldn't bear any more running, so I did 65 minutes on the elliptical. My heart rate would not go below 160 for over 20 minutes! I need a heart rate monitor, I'm sure my heart rate goes sky high when I run.
I plan on doing about 60 minutes of lighter cardio tomorrow and light strength training, then maybe 60-120 minutes of very light cardio on Friday. Lots of stretching. Lots of water and plenty of food (I earned 10 APs today!).
I realized something very obvious today that I used to know but had lost sight of. The more fruit and vegetables I eat, the more I can eat! That's because fruit and vegetables are very low in calories. Duh!!! But I still need to get in my calcium, healthy fat, and protein, so I can't just eat veggies all day long. Those healthy fats really add up fast. I eat 9 points of nuts every day! It's a yummy treat and very healthy, but I COULD just do my 2 tspons of EVOO for 2 points. Not sure if that would be enough fat. I'll have to experiment.
I should get going...wanted to do some errands and Jess wants me to stay in Boston tonight!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Well, it's late morning on my third day in a row of getting up at 10 a.m. and it turns out that a LOT of my issues were due to major sleep deprivation! Sleep is so important I just can't stress it enough. I have been sleeping about 11 hours a night the past few nights! I don't think I always need that many, but certainly I'm one of those people who do better the more sleep I can get. Considering I have to get up around 6:30 (give or take) on a typical work day, I need to be in bed with the lights out by 10:00 every night at the latest. That way I can take a few minutes to fall asleep and still get 8 hours. Even better, I'd give myself 9 or 10 hours by going to bed at 8:00 or 9:00. Of course I was TRYING to do that around the end of last week, but I wasn't able to fall asleep because of caffeine. So, obviously I need to stick to my rule - no caffeine after 12:00 noon. In fact, save coffee for special treats rather than having it every day. Do tea instead.
Clothing size: I just was able to put on those size 2 cargo pants I have. They were tight, but they closed fine and I could walk and sit in them. Holy smackers!!:) I also did a little research at The Limited a couple days ago. I got the same pants in every size from 2-10. They all fit, if by "fit" you mean you can button and zip them up without anything ripping and you're able to sit down (at the smaller end) and you can walk in them without them falling off (bigger end). The ones that fit best were the 8s and 6s. Honestly because of the style of these pants I prefered the look of the 8s, but in other pants I would have prefered the tighter look of the 6s. The 4s were the ones I tried on first and I was totally psyched to see how I could easily zip them up, sit down in them, walk in them, etc. But they weren't the most flattering choice for my butt. :)
I just went through my closet and had to remove a few more items. Some were borderline but I took them out anyway. They wouldn't fall off, but they wouldn't look good. I was less picky with skirts, a lot of my old skirts are big but not so big they'll fall off, they'll just sit lower on my waist and look longer. I do need new pants now, but I want to wait because I am definitely in that LMNO stage of the 2-4-6-8 pants, where you can quickly go from one to another to another just by dropping 5 or 10 pounds.
I want to lose 15 more pounds.
So my big race is this Saturday and the weather is going to actually BE NICE for a change. 60 and sunny - PERFECT!!! For the past several days it was in the 30s-40s and raining with a touch of snow thrown in. This is why I didn't run with Jason or watch the marathon or even walk around outside much with him yesterday - we mosty stayed in the Prudential Mall. The first thing he said to me was, "You've lost weight - and you've straightened your hair." :)
Back to my race. I would definitely say a nice big coffee is OK that morning. Well, either nice and big and EARLY or smaller if it's closer to race time because I don't need to be sloshing around in the race, or needing to pee either! I also want to have a substantial meal the night before - maybe even pasta! (whole wheat, of course). If I do, I will measure out 1 serving. If not, I want to have something else substantial like a sweet potato (mmmmmm) and other items to make it well-balanced. Then a good breakfast like a banana, yogurt, and cereal or something and water/tea. I have to be there at 9:30-10:00, so I'll have to have breakfast before that. The race starts at 11:00 so maybe I'll bring a snack to eat at 10:30, but I should probably stop drinking around then so I don't have to pee while I'm running. The race will only be about a half hour (god willing I can run that fast) so I shouldn't worry too much. Of primary importance is that I am well rested, not sore (no killer workouts Thurs. or Fri.!), and well fed/hydrated (just not too close to race time). I really think that having other people around is going to push me to new limits. I am starting to fantasize about actually coming in at a decent place for my division or whatever. So exciting!!!:)
Today I am going to run at the gym. I think I will try to run a 5K as fast as I can, then slow down and finish up an hour at a more comfortable pace. Probably this should be the last time I run before the race - lots of elliptical Thursday and Friday!!! That machine is so awesome, I'm glad I live in a time where the elliptical exists. Last night I used it for an hour at level 11 with no magazine, just watching my heart rate and speed. I went slower than I would on a treadmill - 3.1 miles (5K) in 38 minutes, but I think that's normal since I use resistance, go backwards, etc. I also have been using less resistance on the elliptical than I used to - used to use14, now I don't like how that feels. I think resistance around 11-12 feels more like running to me. The guy next to me put his on 8, I noticed. Anyway, it took me 10 minutes to get my heart rate over 135, but once I finally did, it was easy to keep it up. I actually got it up to around 156 for a long time, then toward the very end pushed it up over 160. Brought it back to 120 with the cooldown. In my pre-SP/WW era, it was easier to get a high heart rate. It would go up into the 170s when I pushed hard. This is real progress.
That reminds me - saw Pamela yesterday. She had a heart attack despite not being overweight, no high blood pressure or cholesterol. She has had stints put in and is on all kinds of meds. The reason for her blockage was STRESS! She discovered that that "fight or flight" feeling you get when your adrenal glands pump adrenaline (norephinephrine??) can actually cause plaque in your arteries! If you are feeling overwhelmed at work you can have that feeling many times a day. I am very glad to learn this, because it means that diet, exercise, sleep, AND relaxation/stress control are all equally important for your heart!
I think that deep down my heart is really my #1 reason for doing all this. I want to live a long, healthy, happy life.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
There was a downpour all day so I didn't do that 3 mile run I'd been looking forward to. Plus, at the gym I was dragging a bit today. I am in pretty good shape, yes, but after skiing all day yesterday and recently adding so much to my routine, I need to feel OK about having days where I take it easy! Not skipping exercise altogether, but doing light workouts.
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