Motivation...

Motivation is doing something that you know is good for you even when you don't want to, it doesn't mean that you have to be enthusiastic, you just have to DO IT... That said, I am going running this morning even though I have yet another head cold (or the same one that won't quit) and I didn't sleep much (3 year old up twice, dog emergency potty at 4:00 a.m. and I was up for the day). I don't know what I have to do to get the requisite 8 hours of sleep aside from retiring at 7 with the kids... Maybe that's it. I have got to go to bed at night... I have to start listening to my self...

We are in a major cold snap. The only real one of the winter and it couldn't have come at a worse time. I am SO counting the days until spring. This weekend's run is 18 miles and the projected high is 24 degrees. Oh, and its supposed to be breezy... DELIGHTFUL... I think I need to move. In 2 weeks I'll be running my first race of 2006 - Boston's Run to Remember Half Marathon. I am looking forward to a great run - it's a distance that I really seem to enjoy lately. Hopefully the weather will be agreeable.

A Great Run!

I had an awesome run today! 13 miles in 2:34 --- Thats a sub-12 min mile pace, and more imporantly, a personal best by 6 minutes!!! How cool is that ? It's funny how I can feel SO awful one day and so energetic the next. I hope my marathon day is one like today. I didn't even mind the cold (colder than last week) and the snow which started around mile 8 covering the roads before I got back to the community center.

I hope this motivation will carry over to my weekly miles starting Monday and I hope that I can get my diet back on track. This past week I took a little vacation from healthful eating -- movie popcorn with the kids, chips and dip watching the olympics with my hubby. It was a nice February vacation for the kids (and me too) but its OVER.

My new washing machine will be delivered tomorrow. I know how I will spend my day of rest...

Outside...

I ran outside this morning for the first time on my own since.... I don't remember when. I had hoped for one of those spiritual runs - the cleansing kind when you are lost in thought and the minutes just fly by... Unfortunately every step for the first mile was filled with aches and pains and my legs were heavy. You wouldn't think that 40 minutes of dancing would do it, but my calves are just wrecked... Nice to know that -- hope I feel better on Saturday.

Last night was fun and a much needed night out. After the wash machine fiasco and the kids 24/7 I was ready to occupy myself with something adult and fun. We had a private lesson for the first week and now we'll take the group ones starting in a few weeks. My mom has graciously offered her babysitting services. I love my mom! It will be good to connect with my hubby on a weekly basis. We've had a long winter, and dancing is cheaper than marriage counseling.

My Wash Machine Broke...

What does that have to do with diet/exercise? Everything! Like my plans to run yesterday were totally derailed, and today I have to hang around the house waiting for the repairman. I won't bore you with the frustrating,messy,wet laundry fiasco. I walked the dog for 45 minutes at a decent pace, and I am dancing tonight with my hubby - that will have to make up for the 4 miles I lost yesterday. I WILL run tomorrow!

Diet - not bad. I actually was able to go shopping yesterday so I have meals plannned that are within the realm of healthful. Tons of fruit (I LOVE GALA APPLES)! My cold is still stuck in my face, but I feel no worse than I did yesterday so hopefully the Zicam is working and I'll be more than ready to run my 13 on Saturday. I am excited to cross another week off the schedule.

Now that I am in the final weeks of training, I have decided that Marathon is a HUGE time suck, at least for me since I run so slow. Four or five hours on a Saturday running is a lot of time to be away from the kids, and quite frankly if I have time away from the kids I would rather be doing something else, though I don't know what. I have had to cancel or decline social events on Fridays because I need to get my sleep. I have had to not schedule the kids for swim lessons because I have to make sure I get my weekly runs in... Don't get me wrong, I love how I feel when I am training. Running 17 miles is more than I ever thought I could do - and I certainly didn't think that I would ever be able to walk/function hours later. I am amazed at how strong I have become. I know that my Triathlon season will be my strongest ever - since the run was always my worst event. I can't wait to start riding my bike. I just want my flexibility back when it comes to my schedule. I want to be able to do more than just run. I want to be able to skip a day when life happens and not obsess about the miles missed.

I am glad to be doing this, but I'll be glad when it's done. Kind of my approach to everything I take on - college, army, half marathon... March is going to be a tough month. I can't tell you how much I look forward to April!

Another cold... Could this winter PLEASE GO AWAY!

I fell asleep on the couch last night watching the Olympics... UGH! My hubby was working late so he never gave me his usual "if you're sleeping you'll feel a lot better doing it in bed" wake up call... I thought my throat was a little scratchy and sure enough I woke this morning with a stuffy head... MORE ZICAM.

The gym was SO unbelievably crowded. You'd think we were in DC with all the people out of work for the Presidents' Day holiday. I did 30 min on the eliptical and 35 on the treadmill and then I went upstairs to the track to do my striders - short sprint speedwork. I felt good with the sprints, very strong in my core and that is motivating. I know I didn't get my full 6 miles in (I wasn't THAT fast), but I've done more on a monday than I have in the last month and that is GOOD. I need to get back into the food journal. I am not eating terribly, but I am not journaling either, so I am sure that I am having more than I need. I know that I have days that I feel really good and then I log my food and realize that I've had a little too much... Journaling keeps me in line. I will work on it.

I've got a busy morning - I need to clean and I desparately need to grocery shop. I am out of staples, and laundy detergent and trashbags... The kids, however, hate to do all the errands so it probably won't go fast, and it won't be fun. The local independent bookstore is having princess dress up and tea party so hopefully that will serve as bribery to get through the drugery... I will run this afternoon or this evening (I haven't decided yet, but it will be on the schedule). Tomorrow my hubby and I are taking our first ballroom dancing lesson (my gift for Valentines Day).

Unmotivated Monday...

I am still in my PJs and its 9:15 a.m. Where has the morning gone? The house is still a mess, the kids are not dressed and I have to go run my 6 miles... Unmotivated Monday be gone!!


At least I am not sore like I was last week. At least I feel like I can actually run the six miles if I ever manage to get my workout clothes on... But its vacation week. No school bus to catch, and aside from a 2:30 dentist appointment, nothing on the schedule. I have got to get it together!!

I've lived to tell the tale...

Well, I made the 17 miles yesterday. It was cold, sometimes snowy and definately windy. We ran 6 miles of gently rolling hills and then 11 miles of Newton Hills... I never felt like I was in a groove, more daughnted by the distance ahead of me and determined to make it. I carried my fuel belt with gatorade (hated it) and stinger gel (loved it) and 2 power gels (used to them) and made sure to drink more water than I had been (trying to figure out why I felt so awful after 16 miles last week, and I think I was a little dehydrated). I finished in 3:48:10 --- very slow distance - like a 13:41 pace. That means that I would still finish the marathon in less than 6 hours which is my goal beyond finishing... I felt pretty good once I got home, showered and ate... In fact I went out last night without being forced and enjoyed a few glasses of wine... and cake... maybe a little too much. I am fine today, just need to detox and spend the next 5 days preparing for my next weigh in. Next week's long run is 13 miles. It won't be easy, but at least I know I won't be out there for nearly 4 hours! I guess that is what the mental portion of marathoning is all about!

FREAKED...

The weather looks horrible for tomorrow. Teens in the morning, wind chill will make it feel below zero. I got a note from our coach that we're running Newton Hills... UGH....

I know that once I get there, I will pony up and do the run. I know that once I get there... But today I feel so anxious. Today I feel like "WHY DID I DO THIS??" I don't even like to run?! Nine more weeks, and only 4 over 13 miles...

At least today is my day off and I get to clean my house. Oh Joy!

Got my 5 in ...

I don't know why I am so freaked about my running this week. I am SO not sleeping and as for last night, I have no one to blame by myself... I just couldn't sleep... I feel very anxious. Saturday is supposed to be low 20s and windy. It's all I can think about... What if I get too cold? WHAT IF?! Crazy, I know. I did run 5.25 miles this morning and felt... OK... Not stellar, definately NOT like I could run another 12 more. I know I'll step up on Saturday, I just obsess.

I did buy a fuel belt yesterday. I didn't want to spend the money until last week when I REALLY wanted a drink and still had 3 miles to go... I don't want to feel like that again, so I'll just carry it with me. I bought a 20 ounce bottle at the start of training, but it felt like chinese water torture with all that sloshing... I'll see how the new belt feels... and try my new stinger gels and see if I can stomach them for my long runs - The guy at the running store said they were better than power gel because they were natural and had potassium... What do I know?

As for my weight, I went to WW fully expecting a gain. I was PLEASANTLY surprised when I found that I had actually lost .6... I'll take it.

Wednesday....

Well, I successfully went to bed last night at 8 p.m. I did not, however, get a very good sleep. I seemed to be on the edge of awake for most of the night... DH came to bed, the dog chased the cat, the kid climbed in around 3 and kicked me for the rest of the night. I remember thinking that I should have DH put her back to bed, but then decided that he would turn on all sorts of lights and talk and that would just wake me up more than her constantly kicking feet. I still have a little cough, and a puffy face, but I took some Zicam and here I am....

I really feel like a slug this week. I think I should be running more than I have (oh, ya I really should be.. ) but at the same time I feel like I need to rest up... I am obsessed about the mileage I have to do on Saturday and crazy about the fact that Saturday's projected high is 25 degrees!!! UGH I hate the cold. I've been spoiled, and now on the longest run of the year I have to be outside for 4 flipping hours!!!??? OMG!!! I am crazy about this stupid Marathon... I have 6 more 13+ mile runs before the race. How am I going to make it!?

I can tell that I am anxious/nervous/stressed. I have been overeating and not Sparking like I should. I need to at least get one part of my life under control and it would be nice if food were it. I am expecting a gain tomorrow at WW and I have to go and face the music... Who would think that a girl who runs 16 miles in one day would gain weight.... Strange, but true.

Trudging along...

I was totally wrecked this past weekend. I had some coughing thing that's kept me up every night in addition to the 3-year who insists on sneaking into my bed in the wee hours pretending it's morning. Of course, we also learned the hard way what a little chicken soup would do to the intestinal track of a doodle. I have had some rough nights - not a lot of sleep and I definately need a major rest. I took yesterday off from running and this morning I had every intention of completing my 4 miles. I made it almost 3 and called it a day. Motivation NON-Existant. Did not want to go a second longer... I kept telling myself that I needed to rest - like get off the treadmill, go take a shower and REST... I am going to bed tonight when the kids go to bed - 7 p.m. I will read, I will listen to NPR, but when I start getting sleepy I will shut off the light and close my eyes. I will not get up again until the dog needs her morning walk. This is a MAJOR challenge for me. I love to veg in front of the TV or computer once the kids are asleep. It's my UNWIND time.... BUT I get no rest by falling asleep in front of the TV at 9, back up at 11, think I need to straighten up before heading upstairs and then listening to the BBC for an hour before I feel sleepy again... Then up at 4 and up at 5 for the day... Not a good cycle and after this past weekend, I know that something's got to give and I don't want it to be my body before I complete this race in April...

LONG.... slow... distance...

I ran 16 miles yesterday. WOW. That is indeed the farthest I have EVER run in my life, and the idea of tacking another 10 to that is quite scarey. I hurt yesterday! Talk about being OUT of the comfort zone - that was me. It was a tough, hilly course. Our coach said that this run was harder than the actual marthon. The other marathon veterans that were in earshot concurred. I hope they are right. My legs, my hips, my lower back hurt. I wanted to stretch, but truly feared that I would not be able to get up off the floor again.... I made it through - barely. 3:31:10 That was my time. SLOW 13:18 pace.

I knew before it started that it would not be a good run, and perhaps that was what did it for me... The marathon is supposed to be all mental right??? I got NO sleep the night before, I was NOT in a good mood and I was sick all last week... fighting off a cold with Zicam and battling diarhhea for three days straight. I was swigging Pepto before I left for the run... ANYWAY - I hope this is it for being sick. Yesterday I was WRECKED! This morning I made myself get up and walk the dog. It was a short jaunt in the BLIZZARD! The dog is late for a grooming and kept getting snow caught in her feet. I guess it must really hurt because she would limp desparately and fall over in the road as if on her death bed.... She's quite an actress...

Aside from my butt feeling like I squatted 500 lbs yesterday... I feel pretty good. I could always use some more sleep, and I will make myself get to bed tonight before I fall asleep in front of the TV! I know that SLEEPING IN is something I will never be able to do.

Next week we are running 17 miles. I hope the course will be the flat, rolling hill course as opposed to the Newton hills. I don't think I could stomach another bad run this close together. On the eating front, I haven't done too bad -- though I took a week off from the computer and didn't log my food. This week I am back to SPARKing and hope to see a nice loss at WW on Thursday. I could really use the mental boost! I am thinking about swimming tomorrow morning instead of the scheduled 6 miles... I think I really want to recover from this run and slowly ease into a 4 miler on Tuesday. I had thought about a track run, but the 18 inches we're supposed to get today should keep me inside for the next couple of weeks. SPRING where are YOU???

I love my Friday off!

I'll do a few strength exercises - planks, push ups, crunches, but that is about it for today. I am feeling pretty good and psyched that tomorrow is only a 10 mile recovery week. Next week 15 - ugh... I am following my Dr. Clark nutrition plan and ... it's WORKING!! I lost 3.4 lbs this week! Of course that includes the 1.2 I gained last week, but I am more than satisfied. I feel like finally something is working the way it is supposed to. I am looking forward to next week's weigh and hope that I see some NEW numbers... To actually get below 185 would be a very motivating indeed!