I Can Run for Miles and Miles and Miles

Okay, so I'm a little sore in the back of my thighs. I figure it's punishment for pushing my body to its limit today. I actually managed to run 10.2 miles. As most of you reading my blog know, I am NOT a fast runner by any means. That 10.2 mile was 2:15:00 of pure loco motion.

Every year the nonpublic school my daughter attends holds a "marathon" to raise money for new computers, sporting equipment and other things deemed necessary to educate and enrich the lives of its students. When we left the house this morning I didn't intend on running a full 10 miles. The furthest distance I'd run up until today was a little over 6 miles.

When we arrived my daughter checked in receiving her punch card to track her laps. One lap around the lake is approximately one mile. I bumped into an old family friend I hadn't seen in some time. She was shocked at my appearance. I have to admit that I have been getting this reaction a lot over the past couple weeks, and it feels SOOO good! I've worked really hard since January, and while I see it paying off on the scale and my clothing size is shrinking, it's so rewarding to have my weight loss recognized by other people.

My daughter decided to roller blade this morning, and we agreed to meet in the playground area after the event. Since I'm all about safety she wore a helmet, knee pads and wrist guards. I wasn't worried about her getting hurt with all the protective gear in place, and honestly, she was looking forward to ditching mom and hanging out with her friends. There was a lot of adult supervision since other nonpublic schools were also using the lake and park today for their own marathons. I felt completely comfortable splitting up. After all, I would probably lap her every ten minutes. She's not a speed skater, by any means.

With everything all squared away, I took off noticing right away that I was one of the only people actually running. Most were walking while chatting with friends, drinking hot coffee or eating hot dogs. Oh, well. I just felt the need to get in a good workout so I wouldn't have to take away from my family's weekend time. Although, that coffee looked good especially since it was barely 40 degrees out.

The first mile started a bit slow. I'm having a little pain in my right hip. A couple days ago, I was running at night with my headlamp and tripped over a heave in the sidewalk nearly crashing and burning. Miraculously, I was able to stumble out of the fall, but I tweaked my hip. That was a six mile run, and my graceless trip happened about mile three. I was able to finish that run, but I've definitely been a little sore ever since. Today, I figured if I just stretched the leg out a bit the pain would subside, and I was right. After the second mile, I was feeling really good and stronger than ever.

As I started on the third mile, I decided it was time to push myself a little further. I've been considering training for a triathlon. I've done a few 5K runs combined with a 12-mile bike ride. Today, I just wanted to gain some running distance. In my head, I set the goal at ten miles, but I didn't share that with my daughter until I saw her hanging out at the rest area after my ninth mile. As I ran past, I told her, "Only .9 mile left, baby." She had taken her roller blades and safety gear off. Excitedly, she fell into step behind me and ran/walked that final mile, too.

There were a couple women punching lap tickets for the kids that stopped me afterwards to ask me how I managed to run for so long. I told them that when I began my journey in January of this year I could barely jog one minute. One of the women immediately interrupted with a knowing nod, "Oh, you had a gastric bypass didn't you?" She was quite surprised when I replied, "No, it's been a lot of running, biking, exercising and believe it or not good old fashioned calorie counting." I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the look on people's faces when I say that!

Tonight, as I sit by a warm fire writing this entry I feel so happy. Believe me as I walked to the car and my muscles started tightening along the back of my legs I wondered if I had lost all sense. By the way, my car seat has a butt heater, and that was a lifesaver. I also had a long, hot bath after we arrived home.

I was really hungry all day, but I watched my calorie intake. I didn't want to blow the entire 1300 calorie deficit created by the run. Besides, this morning before we left for the marathon I ate pumpkin donut holes. I really try not to eat high calorie, low nutrition food. However, I'm going to credit them for giving me an extra boost.

Overall, I feel awesome both physically and mentally. This was definitely a confidence boost, and I'm looking forward to testing my new improved self to see what else I can accomplish.

Family Time

I had a ton of fun on Friday evening playing racquetball at the Maplewood Community Center with my daughter. Racquetball with an 11 year-old requires a little patience and a lot of energy spent chasing the ball as it rolls across the floor. There's definitely a lot less volley than serve. Nonetheless, she enjoys the game, and I love spending time with her.

I've been focusing myopically on my own health over the past few months. Even though I haven't reached my goal weight, I've become a more positive role model for my kids. Up until now, I've taken a back seat failing to drive my kids toward improving their physical fitness. While my entire family follows a pescatarian diet it's not always balanced, and the buck stops here. I fill the cupboards and refrigerator with food. I routinely plan the menu and prepare meals.

I know it's my job as a parent to help my kids lead healthy lives, but until recently encouraging my family to watch portion sizes and find time to workout seemed hypocritical. I plead guilty of plopping myself in a chair, watching too much television and snacking right from the bag. After punishing my body for the past 22 years, I'm slowly making amends. Now, I'm worried about my kids. I don't want them to struggle with obesity.

With computers, internet, cable/satellite television and video games making it so easy to sit all day, my family is guilty of a fairly sedentary lifestyle. It's definitely time to make a change. We need to find ways to get moving and make it fun. Committing to one family night a week at the Community Center might be a great option for all of us.

After racquetball my daughter and I headed to the facility's pool. I swam 30 laps missing a mile by only 3 laps when the pool closing whistle blew. I'm concerned about the loose skin under my arms due to weight loss, and I think swimming laps will tone my arms. Besides, I enjoy swimming and so does my daughter. She swam a couple laps alongside me then opted to play on the giant water slide. We both got some exercise and genuinely enjoyed it!

Rocked a 5K

I did it! I actually ran in my first official 5K Saturday, July 28th, 2012 in my hometown of Rockford, Iowa. I wasn't fast by any means, but I didn't stop to walk, either. I finished in 40:29. Hey, that leaves me plenty of room to improve! I ran with my 16 year old niece. It was her first 5K, too.

I felt pretty good going into the race. I'd managed to squeeze in a couple long workouts on the elliptical and recumbent bike the week leading up to the run/walk. Plus, I did a mock 5K two days prior just so I'd feel confident about the distance. I was actually faster during practice by two minutes.

About an hour before the race I ate a banana and Chobani yogurt. A good friend of mine swears by this pre-workout combo, and it definitely seems to work. I didn't feel overly full, and it gave me enough energy to get through the race.

Nice swag at this event.

Now I just have to figure out how to pickup some speed. I've been keeping my pace fairly consistent, but it's time to start pushing and increasing my fitness level. I am going to start out by doing some block long sprints during my regular jogs.

Since the Rockford 5K, I've completed longer distances. Last night I jogged six miles. Remarkably, once I hit mile four I felt exhilarated.  So, I  increased my pace and fell into a more comfortable breathing rhythm and longer stride.

It was such a beautiful night, and the temperature was perfect with a soft, cool breeze. If I could hold onto one moment during my journey to wellness,  it was last night as I bounded the boardwalk at Harriet Alexander Nature Center with the sun setting. By improving my physical strength I've bolstered my mental confidence to cross the finish line. With 79.2 pounds down and 59.8 more to go, I think I've caught my second wind.

First 5K 7/28/12 - Rockford, Iowa

Successless Sit-ups

I am on a mission to do one sit-up. I can't believe my abdominal muscles are so weak they're unable to eek out a single sit-up. Mind you, I was never the sit-up queen, but I could at least do a respectable number when it came time for the Presidential Fitness Challenge in school. Even after six plus months of regular exercise I still can't perform this basic feat. It's definitely tell-tale about my starting fitness level, and to be honest I can't remember when I actually did my last sit-up.

Recently, a friend and I tried working out on the playground equipment at a local park, and it was actually a lot of fun. I have two kids 15 and 11 years, and I am ashamed that as an adult I've never used a playground to improve my own physical fitness. Fellow moms and dads, do your bodies a favor. Check out this playground workout from Shape, and quit passively sitting on a park bench while your kids play.

During our playground workout, my friend and I employed a step for step-ups and uneven squats, climbing bars for reverse push ups and swings for abdominal planks. Oh, and that bench where I usually plant myself and watch my kids play was perfect for modified push ups, mountain climbers and triceps dips. Mixing in a few cardio sprints got our hearts pounding, and by the time we finished we'd managed to burn a respectable number of calories.

Perhaps the most challenging was using a slide for sit-ups. Both of us kept slipping down. Fortunately, we did not land on our heads. As I mentioned earlier, I really can't do a sit-up anyway so I settled for a few "half" crunches. Someday soon, I know my body will award me that one sit-up. Until then, I just gotta keep trying.

Take the kids to the park and workout. Let me know how it goes!

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/playground-workout-29-ways-shed-pounds-park

Too Tired to Exercise

I can't believe how exhausted I feel. I thought I would perk up faster after this hemorrhoid surgery. It's been five days, and I just completed my first full day back at work. Since my job as a video editor means sitting for long hours in a chair staring at computer screen, I figured it was fairly safe to return to work. Not much pain today but now that I'm home I feel physically and mentally exhausted. I am actually considering a nap or maybe even just going to bed at 7:30PM.

I know I should try to at least walk around the neighborhood later tonight after it cools off. Perhaps some exercise will give my body the boost it needs to turn the corner. A nice brisk walk, hike, run or bike ride releases adrenaline and endorphines energizing me physically and mentally. It's hard to believe just a few days ago I was logging the miles and moving everyday. Now, I'm too tired to exercise.