EMILLER22's SparkPeople Blog

Still hanging in there

Tue, 15 May 2012 07:34:18 EST

I read my last entry and it just sounds sooo pathetic, LOL.

Don't get me wrong, I was having a rough week and it was good for me to get some things off my chest. And I'm glad I'm trying to figure myself out and determine what is causing me to emotionally eat and eat and eat eat eat.

All I can say that it is getting better, although there are just a few things still getting me down, but I'll figure something out.

Although I've been weighing myself here and...

Emotional eating, where it started

Fri, 11 May 2012 04:44:20 EST

Just some thoughts about my emotional eating and my bad relationship with food.

I have always really loved food. Even as a child, I constantly thought about food. There is a reason for this but I don't want to turn this blog into a post about my pitiful childhood.

Well, I guess I do have to give some detail. My mother is mentally ill and has always been ill. She should have never had children because she was extremely neglectful, so as a result, we would go all day w...

Meal plan 5/9/12

Tue, 8 May 2012 22:53:00 EST

Guess I'm an all or nothing person. I haven't blogged in forever, and now I'm blogging twice in one day. Go figure!

Tomorrow's meal plan:

Breakfast

Homemade flaxseed/coconut muffin
Fruit
Coffee with soy creamer

Snack

Homemade biscotti (this turned out meh, but oh well.. can't waste it)

Lunch

Bean burrito
Tossed salad (lettuce, cukes, tomato)
SF jello

Snack

Fuji Apple with ...

Feeling better

Tue, 8 May 2012 09:56:52 EST

Thanks to all who replied to my last blog. I feel better already.

A few things I'd like to work on:

SLEEP

I looked at my schedule from the last few months. In one week I have worked, 2 am - 11 am, 4 am - 5:30 am, 12 - 8 am, 6 am - 6 pm. This is on top of having two classes, one of them being a night class from 6 - 9 pm on Mondays (yes, Mondays were a loooong day for me). As I said, my schedule has been all over the place and was averaging two hours of slee...

I'm in a bad place

Sun, 6 May 2012 21:12:22 EST

I've attempted to write a blog many times only to delete it. This time I'm going hit the damn post button when I'm done writing this.

I need to blog. I need an outlet. I've been feeling miserable about myself lately, and I can't seem to overcome what seems to be an addiction to food. Or maybe obsession is a better word for it.

My work schedule is all over the place and as a result, I've been getting very sleep the last 7 months or so. I know that combined with scho...

Voluminous oats

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:27:05 EST

Happy new year!

I don't post very often anymore, honestly after work and school it's just too draining to write up an entry. If you were to meet me you'll find that I'm a person of few words as it is, and it takes me forever to think of what to say and how to say it.. soo anyway, I'm digressing here.

Maybe you all know about this, but I am so happy to have found the voluminous oats trick. There are a number of ways to do this, but what I did was take a 1/2 cup of oat...

Getting honest

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:24:05 EST

This blog is a bit random. Just sayin.

So I decided to finally update my weight. My tracker was sitting at 117.2 for awhile - a number I haven't seen in 3 months. For awhile my weight was actually around 119, but then the beginning of November I put on weight so fast like you wouldn't believe (SUPER stressed). I thought it was water weight at first but I haven't been able to get out of the 120's since.

I also decided to share my food tracker again. I'm sort of stru...

Detroit Half Pics

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:07:01 EST

For once I'm actually happy with some of my race photos! Not all of them though, a few are cringe-worthy, lol. But anyway, good grief... they are a RIP OFF!!

Also look at the difference between an old race photo and the new ones. The first picture is from the Martian Half Marathon back in April, I was about 127 lbs here:

Bigger pic here: http://tinypic.com/r/8xrfq0/7
...

Chicago and Detroit half marathon

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:18:29 EST

Hey guys, I'm sorry I haven't been too active on here. I just wanted to come on though to update a couple of things.

I am writing up a race report for Chicago but it is just so freaking looooong. Here is the abridged version: First 13 miles or so I felt strong although there were so many people, it was hard to pick up the pace. Mile 14 I started having stomach issues then from there to mile 20 is when I sort of hit my wall you could say. I went to the portapotties like 4 time...

Do you see a difference (pic)?

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:20:21 EST

This is sort of a before and after picture of me. Someone said they don't notice much a difference...

On the left was taken back in 2007 and I was between 130-135 lbs, although this is certainly not my heaviest... I went on to gain almost 15 lbs more in 2008-2009, and I was about 30 lbs heavier as a teenager (just giving you some history about my weight).

On the right is a picture of me taken just this last weekend at my last 5K. I weighed in at 119 that morning. I ...

Homemade protein bars (pics), and my 20 miler today

Sun, 4 Sep 2011 22:40:36 EST

Well, I have been obsessed with protein bars lately. I usually buy Clif minis and eat them before my run, but I was thinking... why not make my own? So off to Trader Joes and Whole Foods I went to find the finest of ingredients.

So the first batch I made was http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recip
e-detail.asp?recipe=600068 . Here's a not-so-great picture from the iPad:

I t...

Longest run ever, 18 miles

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:22:49 EST

Hey guys! I hope things are going well for everyone.

I had a bit of a weird week, I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic I was taking and I broke out in rashes and hives all over my body. I had to be sent home early from work and ended up going to the doctor to get a steroid shot. The next day the hives were even worse, I had to go back to the doctor to get another shot and also be put on steroids for 4 days as well.

This all started when I had a toenail infe...

It's that time again!

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 09:31:49 EST

It's that time again to start Sparking and tracking my food again. I've gained a couple of pounds the last month or so... I blame my job. :P It's shocking the amount of food that is provided almost daily, and yes they've threatened me and have forced cheese danishes, giant cupcakes, mexican food and pizza down my throat.

The other challenge that I have faced lately is not being able to work out in the morning, because a lot of the work I do for my job has to be done before 7 am...

So, I got my credit card number stolen yesterday

Sat, 14 May 2011 09:07:19 EST

This has NEVER happened to me before. Needless to say, I am quite disturbed!

Last night, I went out to eat with a friend I haven't seen in years. We had a nice time, and I wanted to treat her since she has been going through so much lately. Well, how embarrassed was I when my card came back declined. WHAT? I hardly have a balance on that card and I have never been late on payments. I told the restaurant that it was clearly a mistake and told them to swipe the card again. Dec...

Still around

Wed, 11 May 2011 22:42:35 EST

I've been working a lot since school ended a few weeks ago. We were short staffed and work was just absolutely crazy for a little while. Some days I would dial into work around 5:30 am, go into work at 8 am and not leave until 6 pm, and come home only to dial back in and do more work. I even worked through lunch. I like being busy but this was absolutely nuts. I was completely stressed out.

So, after spending 9-10+ hours in front of a computer all day, the last thing I wante...

Where's that sigh of relief?

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:09:52 EST

Today was supposed to a happy day for me with it being the last day of the semester. Well, I knew it was going to be hard with having two finals back to back, but I was hoping to breathe a sigh of relief when it was all said and done. Sadly that isn't the case.

I'm feeling pretty emotional right now, and I think what it comes down to is that I'm really tired. I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, so after posting this I'm going to bed early. Tomorrow's going to be a challengi...

Just my luck

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:59:19 EST

I feel like such an idiot!!

I was about 8.8 miles into my run when I fell down. At that point I was on the shoulder of the road running underneath a viaduct. My husband asked, "you didn't see that rock when you were running?" Well, apparently not!! I don't know, it all happened so fast. One minute I'm running and next thing I know I'm down. I think I saw the rock but didn't think much of it, but it was big enough for me to lose my balance and fall. I held out my hands to bra...

Downriver Dash 5K race report

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:35:56 EST

I've been running for almost a few years now, with three HMs under my belt. Long runs of 9 and 10 miles aren't so intimidating to me anymore. 5Ks have always scared me though since you have to run fast, but even still, after running the HM a couple of weeks ago I thought, this shouldn't be that bad. Wrong. It IS bad, and so freaking hard.

When I first got up this morning I could hear the wind blowing, but as the wind died down it started to rain. It rained all the way as I dro...

5K this weekend and a school update

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:23:28 EST

Taking a break from studying, thought I'd predict my time for this week's 5K.

I know for sure I will PR since I sort of already did when I ran the half. My 5K split was around 28:06 and my best 5K time last year was 28:49.

Finishing the 5K in the 27 min range is doable and a realistic time goal for me as long as some fluke thing doesn't happen (no tripping jerks at the finish line!).

Running it in 26 min is possible but I would most definitely have to pus...

Father's day

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 19:31:52 EST

Yeah, I know Father's Day is a couple of months away, but I found a local 5K on that day to run. I asked my sisters to run it with me in memory of our dad, and they both said yes. What's interesting is that my step-mother is even considering walking it too. As hard as this will be, I won't be racing that race, I'm going to stay with my sisters and finish this with them.

What made me think of this is that we're coming up on the 6-year anniversary of my father's death. He died un...

They reposted our official times!

Wed, 6 Apr 2011 00:00:32 EST

LOL I'm really not trying to make a big deal out of the extra 0.3 I ran on Saturday.

An update from the race director:

"The half course measured long, at 13.4 miles. We have no idea how the turn around got there, but we overheard you say some crop circles were spotted in the area. The results will be posted to reflect the pace you ran for 13.4 and we're working on getting you a time for 13.1 based on that pace. Please be patient with us, it's been a long trip back t...

2011 Martian Half Marathon Race Report (long)

Sat, 2 Apr 2011 18:03:41 EST

Finally, my stomach has settled and I can write a race report.

First I want to say that I'm so sorry I wasn't able to take any pictures. I really wanted to but before the race I was so miserably cold and after the race I was in a lot of pain dealing with some stomach issues. :(

Anyway, the weather turned out to be perfect although a chilly in the beginning. The forecast was really off, it turned out to be a sunny, beautiful day. I am SOOO glad I didn't overdress....

Thoughts, plans, and just random stuff

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 21:41:21 EST

Why do I have such a hard time blogging? I wish I could blog more often but I have a hard time finding the right words to say..

First off, I'm going to work on being more being more positive. There is too much to be thankful for and honestly, how can I complain when it could be so much worse? For example, Japan?? I have my husband, my family, my pups, good health, we both have jobs... I could go on and on. I've been pretty negative the last week or so and I'm going to put an e...

Still around, bit of a rough week

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:34:09 EST

It's been a struggle this week and I'm trying to hang in there. All I've been wanting to do is sleep lately, not to mention choke a couple of people in my life (no, my husband is not one of them).

I had a good week with working out and running until Thursday, I started feeling a new pain around the back of my ankle about 3.5 miles into my run. Same damn foot, just different area. I decided to take yesterday completely off from exercise and I have also decided to do my long run t...

Interesting run - 11 miler

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:05:10 EST

Today's run was pretty interesting to say the least. It was a good run though, beautiful day and a bit on the chilly side. I actually do better when the temperature is below 50 degrees, the other day I ran 5 miles in 65 degree weather and I thought I was going to die (I'm sure some of you west coasters/southerners are laughing at this).

First off, is it strange that I'm wearing an Adidas pullover, Nike compression capris and an Under Armour hat? Just thought of this, lol.
...

HM start time is strange

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:20:27 EST

So I looked up the start time of when the half begins, and it starts at 8:45. A little later then what I want, but ok, here's the weird thing. There will also be a 5K, 10K and a full marathon at this event, and here are their start times:

5K - 9:00 am
10K - 8:00 am
Half - 8:45 am
Full - 7:15 am

Is it me or is that odd? The 10K starts 45 min before the half? The half begins only 15 min before the 5K? I think it's a typo, it would make more sense if the...

Schedule for 3/14 and my 10-miler today

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:30:13 EST

Here's my schedule for last week with the actual below it:

3/7 - CLX Burn Circuit 1
**DONE, also did CLX Burn Intervals
3/8 - 40 min tempo run
**DONE
3/9 - CLX Burn Circuit 2 and 3 mile run
**DONE
3/10 - 4 or 5 mile run, *maybe* Burn It Off
**nope, woke up late then ended up working all day and night
3/11 - CLX Burn Circuit 3 and Ab Intervals
**Ran 5 miles on treadmill
3/12 - 10 miles
**Nothing, didn't feel like doing anything...

3/7 schedule

Sun, 6 Mar 2011 07:42:36 EST

Ok after this, I need to be off of SP for the rest of the day! Got a lot of stuff to do..

First thing is to post my schedule since I am following two programs, so I'm trying to figure out how to make this work. Last week I realized I missed a few workouts from CLX but I'm ok with that. With 4 weeks left to my HM, running is going to have to take precedence over anything else but I'm going to do my best to keep up with everything.

This week:

3/7 - CLX Burn C...

Gah!

Fri, 4 Mar 2011 05:46:17 EST

I think I may be OCD with a little ADHD mixed in there.

This morning, I added two new food groups - pre workout and post workout because I didn't want to put all those foods into breakfast. Well when I added them it ordered all the groups in a weird way. So after the predefined groups like Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snack, it ordered my groups like this:

Post workout
Pre workout
Snack 2
Snack 3

Ok, that drives me crazy. Snack 2 and 3 sho...

Doctor appt

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 20:26:33 EST

Well, I saw a new doctor today. I changed because it was so hard to book an appointment with my previous doctor, she'd always be booked for weeks! So my friend recommended me hers since she always gets in right away.

I really wasn't sure what to expect since I have not been in any pain since Monday, which is great. I don't know how I could be in so much Sunday then feel nothing the next day. Strange, but I'll take it though. I even ran yesterday and today with an ankle brace...

My weekend

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:48:09 EST

So I haven't been on the last couple of days, so I thought I'd update on a few things I did over the weekend.

Friday night -- all I wanted to do is come home from work and be in my PJs all night, but no. All day my friend has been bugging me to go to this candle party thing, which I absolutely had no interest in going. First of all, we all know that the crap at these types of parties are expensive and a lot of it is useless stuff that I don't need.

Second, I didn't w...

Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, or not

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 23:22:43 EST

I've suffered with depression since I was a child. I believe a lot of it is genetic since my "real" mother is mentally ill and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, while a big part of my depression is also caused by environmental factors since my mom's illness caused her to be neglectful and physically abusive. My sisters and I even lived in a foster home because of her abuse and it took my dad a year to get custody of us again. So long story short, my childhood was very difficult and tr...

Highly recommend

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 06:50:58 EST

I have all four of Jackie Warner's DVDs. The first one was alright, the second one, meh. Now she has what's called the Xtreme series and I highly recommend those! There is Xtreme Timesaver training which is about 30 minutes, and Xtreme Abs that has two 15 minute sessions. The first session is standing floor work and the second is floor work but no crunches.

The Xtreme Timesaver DVD is really hard! This is probably my fourth or fifth time doing it and it's still a challenge. L...

I don't know what's harder

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:02:01 EST

Snow running or snow shoveling!

We got another 5" of snow. This is one of the worst winters ever! I don't ever remember getting as much snow as we have this last month. Oh well, at least the danes love romping around in it, but of course they don't have to shovel it! They're back to snoozing after all that play, although they're hard at work keeping the couch from flying away.

This time the snow is really heavy. I went over my step-mom's house to shovel her snow for...

Trying not to spiral out of control

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:36:12 EST

So this week, with the combination of midterms and dealing with my injury, and yes I'll admit... PMS, I feel myself spiraling out of control both emotionally and with food. I need to stop before I end up being where I was before.

Ok, my injury. I want to cry like a baby over it and cuss out every runner I see on the way home, but what is that going to do for me. So I can't run for a couple weeks or so and it hurts like hell, but it's not going to be forever. Calling a doctor to...

I feel like screaming!

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:18:06 EST

School is stressing me out and since I can't run now, maybe screaming can be an outlet for my frustration!!

And yeah, I hurt my ankle and foot on Saturday. I felt totally fine during my run, it wasn't until hours after when I started feeling pain around my ankle and the bottom of of my foot. This is the exact pain I experienced the week before my last HM in October, but not as bad. The pain worsened the next day but seemed to decrease after that. I didn't feel any pain yesterda...

2/12/11 - 9 miler, tough run but pleased

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:43:23 EST

I hope other bloggers don't mind that I'm sort of copying their format.

Date: Sat 2/12/11
Time started: 10:11 am
Weather: 28 degrees, wind chill 17 degrees
Wind: W 15-21 mph, gusts 25 mph
Humidity: 55%

Stats:
9 miles, 1:29:12
09:54 AP
Splits:
09:37, 09:51, 10:01, 10:10, 10:12, 09:46, 09:58, 09:52, 09:42
connect.garmin.com/activity/67857099

Fuel:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and egg whites, 16....

Goals for week 2/7

Sun, 6 Feb 2011 09:16:54 EST

Week 6 of Higdon Intermediate HM schedule

2/7 - Jackie Warner Xtreme TimeSaver DVD
2/8 - 40 min tempo run
2/9 - 4 mile easy, 15 min ST (heavy on weights)
2/10 - 4 mile race pace
2/11 - yoga and abs
2/12 - 8 or 9 mile run

Total miles: 20-21 miles (depending on my long run)

Last week I did pretty good, the only thing I slacked on is yoga and abs because I find it so booorrring. I still have yet to try the two ab DVDs I have from Jillia...

2/5 - 8 miler done

Sat, 5 Feb 2011 14:42:21 EST

I'm very fortunate to live by a park called Hines Drive, which is about a 18-20 mile linear park. It has a road with minimal stop lights which makes it popular for commuters, wide shoulders along the road which makes it popular for cyclists, and even a paved path which makes it popular for walkers, runners.. you get the picture. The park also has bathrooms every few miles, although they are closed during the winter.

I take Hines to school so a couple of days ago I noticed that wh...

Good husband

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:03:05 EST

Instead of turning this into another 'worst day ever' blog, instead I am going to write about how much I love and appreciate my husband.

Sure we've had our ups and downs, and last year we were seriously considering divorce. However I'm glad we were able to address the issues we had and restore our marriage because I could not imagine life without him.

However, over the weekend I got annoyed with him (I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way about our husbands...

Goals for week 1/31, and also Feb

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 05:54:47 EST

1/31 - Jackie Warner xtreme time-saver dvd, abs
2/1 - 4 mile run
2/2 - strength training dvd (not sure which one yet)
2/3 - speedwork, 7 x 400 at 5k pace
2/4 - easy 3 mile run, short ST session
2/5 - yoga (either BL or JM)
2/6 - 8 mile run
2/7 - rest

So last week I skipped two days - it was an extremely stressful week for me. We were just slammed at work and I put in a lot of hours, also on one of the days I only got 4 hours of sleep since I was ...

Snow running pt 2

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 22:47:38 EST

So the title of my last blog is a bit of a misnomer since my issue wasn't running in the snow, it was wardrobe malfunction. I seem to go through this a lot with my runs whether it's hot, cold, whatever -- either I don't dress appropriately for the weather or I wear clothes that are too big. One day I'll figure it out.

So I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought another pair of compression tights, this time in a size small and it even had a drawstring. Perfect. I went home to...

So disappointed - snow running

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 12:37:26 EST

I woke up this morning already feeling a little down, but was looking forward to my run outside today although we got about 3 inches of snow last night. My husband put 1/2" sheet metal screws into an old pair of running shoes for me. I was sort of excited to get out there and trying snow running for the very first time.

I put on a long-sleeved tech shirt underneath a tech-hoodie and wore the compression tights I bought last week. I wore my wicking socks, mittens, hat and scarf. I g...

Goals for week 1/24

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:52:17 EST

1/24: Amy Bento Kettlebell Dynamics DVD (this will be first time)
1/25: 35 min tempo run
1/26: Short Kettlebell session, 3 mile run
1/27: Easy 3.5 run
1/28: Jillian Michaels Power Yoga
1/29: 7 miles, OUTSIDE - no excuses
1/30: rest!

My goal is to definitely run outside this week on Saturday. I bought a pair of compression tights today (I'm going to look like a DORK, but oh well) and I plan to wear a wicking shirt under a fleece or tech hoodie. ...

Body fat monitor

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 10:05:22 EST

I finally bought an Omron body fat monitor, a device that sends an electric current throughout your body to measure your body fat. The electric current is very low, but I wish it was enough to zap some of this this fat away...

Anyway I do have a digital Tanita scale that measures both body fat and weight. I bought this thing 7 years ago, and I recently purchased a new scale because the Tanita only showed 0.5 lb increments.

So I'm not sure how accurate either of these ...

Crazy crazy day, omg..

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:56:47 EST

I really hope that anybody who is reading now isn't eating, and to be honest I don't even know why I'm blogging about this other than to get sympathy from you all, but these last few days has been so crazy -- ESPECIALLY today.

I go to work this morning and it's super busy there with two of our people out. Then I head to school for two classes, went grocery shopping afterwards then had to stop to get gas. Then I had to hurry home so I could dial into work because there was more st...

Goals for this week 1/17

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 05:58:57 EST

First, thanks for the replies about the sink. The first person never replied back so we moved on to the next person on the list.

I measured my body fat on my old Tanita scale this morning. I'm not sure how accurate it is but it says I'm at 29% (Friday I was 30%). I might buy the Omron body fat monitor today from Best Buy since it's on sale. This is one other thing I'm going to start monitoring and I'd like to get down to around 15-20% bf.

Also my time goal for the Ma...

Craigslist - what should I do?

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 19:45:51 EST

We purchased a vanity with sink from Home Depot a few weeks ago. The sink that came with the vanity is white and generic so we special ordered one we liked. So today, I posted an ad on Craigslist in the free section to get rid of the white sink. Yes, we probably could have gotten some money for it but it is very small sink and honestly we just wanted to get rid of it.

I got a response right away, so I emailed her back to setup a time for her to pick it up. This was around 2pm...

The meeting

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:42:46 EST

In the blog I wrote a couple of days ago, I mentioned that I'd be attending a meeting I found on meetup.com to help me deal with my depression, low self-esteem and social anxiety. I did end up going last night, and overall I am glad I went. I got some things off of my chest, although I felt stupid crying whenever I would talk about my past or family. I know I shouldn't feel dumb for being so emotional, but that's the way my brain is wired (for now) -- to feel stupid over everything I say a...

Weird scale -- WW scale

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:57:57 EST

So I should probably be jumping for joy this morning because I weighed myself and lost the lbs I gained over the holidays, but I don't know, my scale seems to be acting weird. It's a Weight Watchers scale I bought from Costco a few weeks ago. It was cheap and I wanted a scale that showed losses/gains in 0.1 increments, not 0.5 like my old digital scale.

So first time, I weighed in (naked, LOL) at 127.6. I put my pjs back on and walked away, but wanted to make sure that was right...