All Signed Up!

After sitting there for 15 minutes terrified to push "Submit"...I did it.  I signed up for my first ever 10K race.  The Deseret News Marathon/10K is on July 24th, at 5:30 in the morning!  I think hubby and I are going to stay in a hotel in SLC so that I don't have to wake up at 3:30 to get there.  I just don't think I can handle that.

The race is downhill (woo hoo!) and seems to be a pretty easy route.  The starting elevation is a little over 5000ft, and the ending is just a little under 4000. 

I'm really excited to do this.  It is just another step closer to my big, ugly marathon!  I've been going on a lot of monstrous hikes lately, so I haven't really been actually running, but I think my 7 mile hike at a 21% incline won't HURT my running abilities, that's for sure.

Wish me luck!

Keep on runnin'

Running with a Throbbing Noggin

Frustrated.

I am so ready to go running tonight, my body rested and nearly healed.  Right about 4pm at work, I get a headache that feels like someone threw a brick at my forehead.  Something about pounding my feet against the pavement over and over doesn't sound like much fun right now.  I took 3 tylenol.  I hope it goes away.

Hubby & I are going out for dinner tonight because I forgot to put the roast in the crock pot.  I ate half a funnel cake for lunch (& my two snacks) at a carnival with the kids I watch.  This is a not-so-stellar fitness day.  I will have to behave myself at whatever restaurant we decide to go to.

One of those days......

Hill Runs

So, yesterday left me feeling pretty sore in my quads.  Today, unfortunately for me, was my hill run day.  I went to the tredmill and tried my hardest, but my legs were just too dang tired!  I ended up walking briskly for most of it, and made my incline a little steeper to compensate for my walking.  I did it, though!  I am not sure how my "race pace" run tomorrow will be.  Luckily for me my race pace is pretty slow! :)

I did better with food today.  I turned down a delicious chocolate cookie, and tried hard to limit my carbs.  I wasn't perfect - but who is?  I had a new snack today that I LOVED.  I found these cute little tubs of all natural fruit sorbet at the grocery and bought two mango and two raspberry.  I had a mango tonight and it was really delicious.  I like that they are all natural, so I can feel like I'm having a treat on my semi-strict diet.  My goal is to be even better with diet tomorrow so I can fuel up for my race pace run.  I'm hoping I'll have tons of energy since I'll have an exam I'm way nervous about done with by the time I run at night.  Bleck, I hate Biology!

I haven't mentioned my little "reward system" I've established for myself.  I printed off these incredibly corny dollar bills with my face on them and whenever I am "good" with diet and exercise, I give myself a few.  Actually, I make my husband do it in a very ceremonious way.  I let myself spend the money at the end of each month.  This month I made a whopping $42, but I'm deciding to roll it over to possibly buy a sexy dress I've been eyeing at the store :)  It's been really motivating and I really like the system.  If anyone is interested, I can give you the site where I created my own money!

Keep on runnin'

Day One of Running Fun!

Well today was the beginning of my 6-week journey to a 10K.  I found a program that I really like and it seems like it's quite do-able.  Today I was supposed to slowly jog for 3 miles.  I knew I could go three miles but I wasn't quite sure if I could jog the whole time because I hadn't been running in a while.  I'm so proud to say that I did it!  I ran the entire 3 mile distance.  Much to the shagrin of my quads and knees, of course.  Tomorrow I think I do hill runs, or something similar.  We'll see, I guess!  It's going to be hard this first week getting back into it but I can so do this.

I'm also trying to work on my diet.  It may sound funny coming from someone who wants to be a runner, but I'm trying to cut back on my carbohydrates.  I love the darn things and I have a slow metabolism so they KILL me.  I got out my handy-dandy P90X nutrition book, dusted it off, and found the diet of Phase 2 called "Energy Booster."  (The Phase 1 diet is just too crazy for me.  It's more for people who are lifting tons.)  I'm going to try to plan out my meals the night before so that there's no issues.  I'm also trying to drink tons of water.  I think eating right will help me run better.  Actually, I know it will!

So day one was a success.  Usually day ones are :)  But I have to be proud of myself either way!

Keep on runnin'

I Walked on the Moon!

This is one of my favorite Brian Regan skits. I cannot stand these people who try to "one-up" everything you say. Maybe it's just because I'm a girl, but it really hurts my feelings and offends me when people do this! I had this happen recently at dinner, and it involved my fitness goals. Now, these fitness things are pretty touchy for me anyway, because I don't have tons of confidence on that front. I had mentioned to this particular party of folks a while back that I had a new fitness goal--to do ONE pull up. My husband even mentioned to me that he had never seen a girl do a pull up and that he will give me $100 when he sees me do one. I knew I could do it, and I've been doing really great! I have a loving husband who lets me sit on his shoulders to take some of the weight off me. So, he basically does squats with the weight I'm not using for my pull ups :). Anyway, at dinner the other night someone (a girl) started going off about how she did like 10 pull ups. Not only that, but she had her boyfriend hang on her waist as she did some pull ups. Oh and did you know that her sister did a pull up too? Which ones do I think are easiest? Oh gee...well.....

My husband seemed quite surprised and I was too. Then I looked down at my dinner and realized, "WTF?! She had her bulky boyfriend hang on her waist as she did a pull up?" That is pure, solid bull crap. I almost laughed thinking about it. Later on I began getting frustrated with this whole scenario. It seems like my parade is rained on quite a bit when I try to do these things.

So you know what?

Forget all that! I am going to start running again! I'm going to train for a 10K in July. By the time I run a marathon, not too many people can one-up that ! I'm not just doing it to show up people. I've been wanting to get back into the swing of things for a long time, now I have motivation.

So, I feel like I have a New Year's Resolution thing going on right now but hear you me, I am running that dang 10K in July. I won't get the best time but I am going to finish it! Then, watch out half marathon!!

Frustration

So I have been successfully losing weight at a rate of 1lb. a week and doing great! This weekend, I've had some strange health issues and now suddenly I'm up TWO POUNDS! I didn't get much exercise (doc wouldn't let me) but I stayed under my calorie limit with the exception of one day. I'm not really sure why I have just gained two pounds. My only guess is water retention from my body being out of whack. It's so frustrating and I wish I could find out the real explanation for this mysterious weight gain.

I am planning on upping my exercise this week quite a bit to see if that helps. I'm lowering my caloric intake by 100 cals. I'm planning on trying to burn 1,000 more than I consume every day and hopefully with my increased exercise I can kill this weight that mysteriously appeared. I just hope I can get back to where I wanted to be this week.

What am I thinking....

So after my awesome Zumba class tonight I thought "hey, wouldn't it be fun to be the TEACHER?!" Yes, I realize that my English-Caucasian blood gives me no right to teach a Latino salsa dance class and look sexy doing it, but I can dream, right? I looked up some certifications for being a personal trainer and a Zumba instructor. It costs a pretty penny, but after you pass the test with flying colors (seriously, you have to get a 90%) you get a certificate to train to your heart's content. It sounds like a lot of fun since for the past year or so I've been into fitness and health. I have a lot of people close to me who are unhealthy and overweight and I would love to help them, and the other people out there who need help!

Hmmm.....should I do it? Should I become a personal trainer and then certify to teach Zumba?


I think I should. I'm sure in a week, though, that I'll move on to the next career I think would be fun. It's just that not only does this one sound fun, but I have an interest/passion for it and it is attainable for a reasonable amount of money. (Comparing my MFT considerations at 45,000 a semester to the one-time personal trainer payment of $350 for the class and certification is like apples and oranges here...)

Any feedback? Does anyone even read this blog? :) It's okay. It's therapeutic to talk to yourself....right?

Zumba!

I know I already posted today, but I just have to tell you all about a fitness class I went to today. I'm sure you've all heard of it--it's called Zumba. It's like a latin/salsa aerobics class that is so much FUN! I worried about feeling like a dork for about 5 minutes and then I just let loose and really had a good time. I usually don't like those aerobics type classes and so I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed myself this time.

I really like it because it's a double-duty workout for me. I'm learning some dance moves and getting a good cardio workout in! I fully intend on using my awesome new moves on the cruise we're going on this May. WOO HOO!

I'm not Dead

I just haven't posted on this blog in like a year!

Quick update:

I've been running and planning on finishing a 10K sometime this spring. I originally wanted to do one in January but 1) I didn't feel I was ready and 2) I realized that running in 20 degree weather with a wicked nasty inversion wasn't my favorite activity. So, I keep plugging along and this spring you'll see me somewhere in Utah running my first ever 10K!

I've been really focused on weight loss/eating healthy/BEING healthy since the beginning of the year. Yeah, I jumped on the New Year's resolution bandwagon, but I'm proud to say that I've stuck with it and I'm now down 6.2 lbs! I have about 16 more to go before I reach my ultimate goal weight (which may change depending on how I feel I'm doing).

I feel like I'm doing REALLY well and I feel healthier than I ever have! I've been learning good lessons about my body (i.e. you can't eat cookies for breakfast and expect to have a solid 4 mile run) and learning about what foods I can enjoy while still losing weight and feeling good.

I'm really excited for this year. I have some big running plans and some even bigger weight loss plans. My ideal would be to run a half by the end of this year (I'm thinking the Vegas Rock & Roll) and begin working on my full for sometime in 2011. I'd really love to have my first marathon under my belt before any little ones come along so I'm working hard to accomplish this goal soon.