6.29.2008

What is is

Lately I've been getting down about things that I don't like .. about myself, about others. I can be too judgemental and too tough on people. My new attitude (we'll see how long it will last) is WHAT IS.. that is, whatever it is, if I can't change it, then it IS what it IS and I should be happy with what it is. So a friend who takes 2 weeks to respond to my email... oh well, don't get mad about it, that is how she is, she's my friend, let her be. Focus on the friends who write me back and are interested. My siblings are both younger and always out having a good time. Sometimes I feel like the old married lady and kind of out of the loop, but at the same time, I have a great husband that I get to spend my time with, so enjoy that! Got some flab that I don't like. Oh well, I'll try to lose that, but not dwell on it. It is WHAT IS! New goal to be sidetracked by for now.

I ran 10 miles on the treadmill on Friday before we went to celebrate our anniversary at a cute B & B (pretty pic attached) for the weekend. The 10 miles were kind of crappy, I was getting sidetracked and stopping for water breaks that were unnecessary, but it was completed, oh well, bad run. Took off Sat and ran today, slow and easy, still inside, and it was kind of boring. I decided I ran too many days last week, kind of left me unmotivated, and didn't get enough rest days in between, so I'm going to try to follow a schedule for next week, maybe even just start following a training plan for the 1/2 that I'm doing in September. Has anyone used Smart coach? I like it, but I'd rather be able to choose how many days a week I want to run, and my level of experience. Do you know any other sites out there that create a plan for you?

Focusing on WHAT IS...

6.26.2008

No running today!

I didn't run today. It wasn't bad. I think everything else is really boring but I took an abs class and did the elliptical. My legs from lunges (was it Monday?) still are burning when I put weight on them and the instructor was calling it legs day in the ABS class!! Legs were screaming.

I had to go to school today to do some curriculum writing, and due to my extreme boredom and lack of purpose lately, it felt good to go to work! I have trouble transitioning from being busy every hour of the day to having tons of free time. I made a goal list of things to accomplish in the next 2 months! I think it is exactly 2 months today that school starts again for teachers. It is refreshing to have time to do some hobbies, because there is never time during the year. I'm going to try to work on a running quilt. It will look ghetto though, because I just learned to sew last summer and I'm not good. Anyone tried it? What do you do to cross train? Aiming for a longer run tomorrow morning, then we go away for the weekend to celebrate the anniversary!

6.25.2008

23% body fat?

So, I have a lot of free time since it is summer. Every summer I end up losing a few pounds because I spend more time at the gym than I normally do. It turns out that I start taking pilates classes, a bunch a week, and last summer I was close to a nice six pack and in great shape. Well, in the past 3 months, I've put on these 5-6 lbs that won't go away. I really don't like them and we're not friends! And the problem is, I don't know how to attack it. I feel like I'm a superb eater (except when I bake!) and I work out at the very least 6 day a week for an hour. Usually it is more than that though. I have been running 30-40 miles a week since January, so the fact that these pounds joined me is unfair!

When I was in college, and I wanted to lose weight, I didn't really know what I was doing. I read books about nutrition and started counting calories. I was eating veggie burgers, vegetables, cereal, milk - this is when I really started to learn about nutrition and I became really good at it in the years following. But at the time, to lose weight, I started eating 1100 calories a day and I was on the crew team. In 6 months, I lost 25 pounds. My personality changed, I stopped going out, stopped drinking, and overall, stopped having fun. And part of that personality stuck with me and I don't like her at all. As a result, I try not to be overly concerned about my weight, but when I feel like I'm not comfortable in my skin, I take action.

I went to the gym and they have personal trainers. I decided I'd try it so they gave me a consult, which was today. First of all, the PT was approximately 22 years old. Everything he was telling me, I already knew. My main desire was to know how many calories should I be eating for my activity level. When I put my goal weight and activity into fitness websites (i.e. REAL AGE ) it always tells me 1800+ calories( for sedentary), or more on the side of 2000+ (for medium active) which sounds like a whole lot. I was trying for about a month to do 1500 calories. Nothing happened. I don't want to eat more unless I feel like I have to, and surely, I don't think less would be good. This guy had no numbers for me. Instead, he has a list of 5 carbs and 5 proteins, and pretty much the diet was to have 1 protein + 1 carb every meal and snack for 5 meals a day off that list. There was one vegetarian item on the protein list, egg whites. So I'm picturing :
breakfast: egg whites + oatmeal.
Snack: egg whites and bread,
lunch: egg whites...you get the point.

You could have as many veggies as you wanted. It was a horrible plan coming from a gym! Horrendous! It wasn't something that you would continue to do forever (a lifestyle change) but a stupid let's deprive ourselves until we lose weight diet then start dying for other foods and have a binge and gain all the weight back. Seriously!! I could have taught this kid something! The whole diet was based off of no sodium. I was frustrated. He did my stats though, which was helpful. My body fat was 23%. That sounds high for someone that eats very well and works out 24/7! Also my waist to hip ratio was high (according to Mr. 22 year old). I might go to a real nutritionist because I feel like it's important that I know how much I should be eating for optimal fitness, but for now I'm just going to wing it and try to eat more, maybe 1800 calories a day? Am I medium active? very active? Sedentary if I workout an hour a day and teach or sit for the rest? Maybe I'm not eating enough? Constant battle.

A good run & 3 yrs

6.25.08

Good run today! I feel like it isn't justice to call it a run when it's on the treadmill. I should call it "run in place" or hamster dance. I didn't go outside (again!) but I had a nice workout. Yet, what I've been thinking is, I haven't done any speedwork or tempo runs in about 2 weeks. And before that one 2 weeks ago it was probably a month - but I guess races can count since I was doing so many at the time. But, I have just been hopping on the treadmill and running. I should probably incorporate more variety. It would be better for my running and less boring! I think that I used to have days where Tuesday would be speedwork and Thursday would be hills or something like that, then I just stopped doing them, and now everytime I log my run on Runners World, I always categorize it "easy." It isn't really easy though, I just increase the speed as I go along. I will work on changing it up a bit here. Maybe I'll write up a schedule to be more motivating. The last bunch of days I just ran everyday, kind of boring and probably not good for the body either.

6.25.05 lll
Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary! It flew by and I have the best husband & best friend. If someone can put up with me for this long, he is definitely a hero. I can be so particular and uptight at times. Along with my parents, he is my biggest fan at races, and this year I dragged him to quite a few. He was even asked to help participate in one of them and when I got to the finish line he was literally standing there clapping - his job was to direct people into the chutes. I thought he had a stellar spot for cheering! I'm still trying to get him to be my running partner, but so far, I've been unsuccessful. But, I'll take the support and #1 fan if I can't get him to train for and run a race with me! This picture was from the NYC marathon in '06. He climbed a fence or something with my brother and got a big hole in his new jeans. I remember around mile 24 when I was majorly just considering dying (was having severe stomach issues from mile 13 on), seeing him along the sidelines and stopping for a kiss and hug. I'll always remember that moment. Well, happy 3 years and many more!

I'm going to write later about my expedition today meeting with a personal trainer.

6.24.2008

Lunges & Poopy runs

For some reason, lunges don't work for me. I am sore for 4-5 days after I do only 10-20 of them, weight or no weight! I did 20 yesterday with a body bar, BIG MISTAKE! My quads are screaming for help. I feel like I should have pretty solid leg muscles but I think they are actually pretty weak! But, still, I hate lunges!

Today's run was crappy. I should have gone outside (it is beautiful out there right now!) but I don't live in a step out the door and go'area so it deters me from going out as much as I'd like to. Today and yesterday I've had stomach issues which are killing my runs. My quads were burning, I was hungry, it was just one of those days. Didn't I just fix my playlist? Why am I still changing the songs to get to a better one? Overall crappy run day. Maybe I'll try again later.

Motivation has been lacking lately. I feel like I haven't had a good run in ages, but really, I had decent runs on Sat & Sun. It just feels like forever when you have 2 bad runs in a row!

Music usually gets me going, and I added about 4 new songs yesterday but I guess the old ones are boring me. I need some new songs. What do you listen to when you are running? What are your top 5?

MY TOP 5 SONGS for 6/24/08
  1. See You Again - Miley Cyrus
  2. Kissed a Girl - Katy Perry
  3. Shake It - Metro Station (got me started this morning!)
  4. Run the Show - Kat DeLuna
  5. Dangerous - Kardinal Offishall
Imix I posted as a trial a while ago - it is outdated from the Philly marathon 11/07.

6.23.2008

Blogging

When the school year ends, there is always this transition period for me where I don't know what to do with myself. Yesterday I was kind of feeling bored & down, like what am I going to do this summer? Teaching kids all day keeps me busy and gives my life a whole lot of meaning! The past week I was kind of feeling lost and unsure what to do with myself besides hit the gym and some classes. Yet yesterday, out of utter boredom, I started surfing the net. Found some gems!!! I started blogging last year in an education class. I got my classes blogging. Now this is a whole new spin - blogging about running. I'm addicted! I've read so many blogs today, and I'm hooked!

It is now sure nice to NOT get up at 4:47 am to run!! Now I can sleep in, get up when I want and resume a nice 9am or 10am run after reading some blogs. Did it today! I liked this routine.

Favorite blog today: Pieces of Me (http://piecesofme1.blogspot.com/) Whoa, I feel like I am on the beach reading an addictive book. It's a great blog!!

Next goal - I want to run outside more! I have been a treadmill slave for the past 6 months.

I'm just happy to have found some entertainment and I'm digging blogging about running instead of technology and math! A nice break.

Headphones


I don't know about you, but finding the ultimate pair of headphones that I don't want to smash has been difficult for me. The ones that come with the IPOD fall out of my ear after I'm running for about 3 seconds. I bought a pair of SONY sport headphones, and mind you, I didn't spend that much money on them ( you get what you pay for!), and I folded them the wrong way when they were about 1 month old, and they cracked. I've used the behind the ear headphones but they start hurting your ear after about a half hour of running. So, I'm looking for the ultimate headphone for hot temperatures where the wire isn't flopping around, they stay in your ears, and they don't hurt you!





My favorite toy is my hatphones for winter. In pic above, I'm in blue further out with my black hatphones hat on. It is a NIKE creation and a winter hat with headphones built in! No wires, they just stick to your ears and are cozy! You put your ipod in a little pocket in the back . If I could wear these in the summer and not die, I would do it!! But it is a wool cap (fleece lined) and a bit warm around now! The hat is also very unsuspecting - you can wear it around the house or out if you don't want to listen to something else going on! I love it!



Do you have a pair that you love? I'd love to hear about them!

6.22.2008

Racing


I haven't ran a race since May 17th, and prior to that, I was racing every weekend since the end of March. I kind of feel bored without having a race to train for every weekend.

In every race that I ran this spring starting in March, I had PRs going for me. It was a great racing season where my fastest split came in a 5k (7:30) and "slowest" in the Broad Street Run (7:52). I'm attached to Broad Street, it was my first race 4 years ago, and I was super excited with my Broad Street time (1:18) after having done the race in the past several years. I was hoping for a finish of 1:19:59 so I was thrilled! Now though I am itching to race, there aren't too many races during the hot summer - and I'm not as motivated to race when its hot and humid out. What a great spring it was - weather wise - for racing.

I did sign up for the Philly Distance Run in September so I'm looking ahead to this, which may well be my next race. If you haven't done it, there are great amenities. The expo is well organized and you can get in and out (can't say the same about the Philly marathon!), they give you nice treats when you finish and my favorite part is the medal - liberty bell last year and heavy!! Not a cheapo medal. It's great! Here are my top 5 races below. Looking forward to fall running season.

1. Philly Distance Run (9/2007, 1:55:41, I think I can beat that!)
2. Broad Street Run (5/2008, 1:18:52 PR!)
3. Cherry Blossom (4/2008, 1:22:12)
4. Ocean Drive 10 miler (3/2008, 1:24:11)
5. Wilmington 1/2 marathon (3/2008, 2:01:16, O.K.-->it was freezing!!)

For me, running is my therapy. I don't run everyday, but I run most days. I log from
30-40 miles a week and track them in the runners world free log (www.runnersworld.com/log). The days that I don't run or times when I don't run first thing, I'm a bit of a cranky person. Hopefully I'll bite the bullet and run in a hot race soon or keep the training going and motivation up!

Happy running!

6.20.2008

Races & Places

Check out Athlinks for my complete results!

9th Annual Butterfly 5K Run 2009 PA 4/11/09 4/ 21/150 100/328 8:06 25:13
Ocean Drive Marathon 2009 - Run 10Mi NJ 3/29/09 13/ 55/233 156/457 8:53 1:28:53
Philadelphia Marathon 2008 - Run - Half Marathon PA 11/23/08 740/ 2929/3377 4791/5302 14:54 3:15:22
Radnor Run 5Mi PA 10/26/08 13/ 127/161 398/453 10:26 52:14
Baltimore Running Festival 2008 - Run-Half-Marathon MD 10/11/08 399/898 1553/3671 3213/6224 10:12 2:13:45
ING Philadelphia Distance Run PA 9/21/08 407/ 1649/6720 5160/13182 8:56 1:57:05
Run For Your Life 5K 2008 PA 9/9/08 8/23 20/115 115/276 8:35 26:42
Kennett Square Run 2008 - Run-10K PA 5/17/08 6/22 21/130 113/340 7:41 47:48
Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure PA 5/11/08 13/440 64/3847 272/6322 7:28 23:14
Broad Street Run 2008 PA 5/4/08 197/2517 715/9291 3405/19151 7:53 1:18:54
2008 Liz's Butterfly 5K PA 4/12/08 3/68 21/285 99/555 7:32 23:27
CHERRY BLOSSOM 10 MILER WASHINGTON DC 2008 - Run-10Mi Women' DC 4/6/08 207/1994 632/6388 633/6397 8:13 1:22:12
Ocean Drive Marathon - Run 10Mi NJ 3/30/08 7/34 24/208 84/406 8:25 1:24:13
2008 Citizen's Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon DE 3/9/08 44/70 246/423 855/1240 9:15 2:01:16
Philadelphia Marathon 2007 - Run- Marathon PA 11/18/07 391/635 1630/2811 4699/6913 10:10 4:26:24
ING NYC Marathon Tune-Up 2007 - Run-18Mi Women NY 9/30/07 166/350 608/1500 608/1501 9:36 2:52:48
Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run 2007 PA 9/16/07 359/1222 1459/5649 4801/11640 8:49 1:55:41
Kennett Square 5K - Run 10K PA 5/19/07 8/13 45/86 170/259 8:33 53:09
Run for Dana Marie PA 4/29/07 2/9 16/194 56/345 8:00 24:52
Butterfly Run 5k PA 4/7/07 5/54 28/238 138/500 8:03 25:01
Brian's Run 2006 - Run-5K PA 12/3/06 4/35 22/249 98/490 7:35 23:36
ING New York City Marathon 2006 NY 11/5/06 1301/2102 6668/12302 25410/37876 10:49 4:43:40
Northeast Roadrunners 25k Marathon PA 10/22/06 4/7 23/38 85/123 9:29 2:27:27
Philadelphia Distance Run PA 9/17/06 427/1206 1639/5349 4914/10960 9:13 2:00:45
Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure 2006 PA 5/16/06 83/605 498/4972 1278/7646 9:03 28:09
Blue Cross Broad Street Run - 10Mile - Run-10Mi Women PA 5/7/06 685/1533 2665/6158 2672/6169 9:11 1:31:57
Butterfly Run 5k PA 4/15/06 4/57 40/295 143/568 8:15 25:39
Broad Street Run 2005 PA 5/2/05 501/1340 1844/5304 6006/12083 8:49 1:28:11
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Road Race 2005 DC 4/3/05 457/1120 1641/4320 4524/8638 9:21 1:33:32
Steamtown Marathon 2004 PA 10/10/04 30/48 236/455 1000/1486 9:42 4:14:19
ING New York City Marathon Tune-Up 2004 NY 9/26/04 112/458 376/1662 1588/3914 9:04 2:43:25
Belmar 5 Mile Run NJ 7/10/04 33/ 182/937 782/2401 8:07 40:39
George Sheehan Classic 5 Mile NJ 6/19/04 29/84 121/783 597/1991 8:24 42:00
Child magazine’s Mother’s Day Half-Marathon 2004 NY 5/9/04 90/184 410/1002 411/1003 9:01 1:58:10
Broad Street Run 2004 PA 5/2/04 317/1133 1168/4460 4468/10684 8:39 1:26:31